Solar roof forming element, building, and method of forming a roof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11594999-B2
Application number	US-201917252816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 4, 2019
Priority date	Jul 4, 2018
Publication date	Feb 28, 2023
Grant date	Feb 28, 2023

Abstract

The present teachings relate to a solar roof forming element for forming a solar roof of a building, comprising an extruded, elongate polymer roof plate, element coupling means, at least one solar panel covering the roof plate, panel coupling means for coupling the solar panel to the roof plate, comprising a first coupling part at a first side of the roof plate and a second coupling part at a first side of the solar panel, said coupling parts configured such that they mutually couple as a result of a movement of the solar panel relative to the roof plate, wherein in a coupled state a movement of the solar panel away from the roof plate in a direction perpendicular to the roof plate is blocked. The present teachings further relate to a combination of such solar roof forming elements, to a building, and to a method of forming a roof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A solar roof forming element for forming a solar roof of a building, which solar roof closes an opening of the building, wherein the solar roof is at least partly formed by a plurality of the roof forming elements, each of which closes a part of said opening,
the roof forming element comprising
an extruded, elongate polymer roof plate,
element coupling means for coupling the roof forming element to a further, neighbouring roof forming element of said plurality of roof forming elements extending in parallel to the roof forming element, so as to form a continuous coupling between the roof forming element and its neighbouring roof forming elements along both longitudinal sides of the roof forming element, in a longitudinal direction of the roof forming element, for closing at least a part of the opening in use,
at least one solar panel each having a plurality of photovoltaic cells between a front layer and a back layer, the at least one solar panel covering the roof plate,
panel coupling means for coupling the at least one solar panel to the roof plate, comprising a first coupling part at a first of the longitudinal sides of the roof plate and a second coupling part at a first side of the solar panel, the first and second coupling parts being configured such that they couple with each other as a result of a movement of the solar panel relative to the roof plate, wherein in a coupled state of the first and second coupling parts a movement of the solar panel away from the roof plate in a direction perpendicular to the roof plate is blocked,

wherein the first coupling part of the panel coupling means comprises a first rib which has been extruded integral with the roof plate, provided on an upper side along one of the longitudinal sides of the roof plate, the first rib having a base part extending upwards from the upper side and a transversely extending part on a free end of the base part,
the second coupling part comprises a second rib, provided on the back layer along a side of the solar panel, the second rib having a base part extending downwards from the back layer and a transversely extending part on a free end of the base part,
wherein the first rib is hook-shaped, the hook-shape being configured such that in use the first coupling part and the second coupling part are mutually coupled by the movement being a transverse movement including a tilting movement of the solar panel relative to the roof plate, and wherein the coupled state is blocked from being undone by a transverse translation of the solar panel relative to the roof plate,
and wherein the roof plate, at the upper side and at the first longitudinal side, has a portion which is recessed, wherein the first rib is provided at the recessed portion and such that it does not extend upwards further than the recess.

2. The solar roof panel element according to claim 1 , the panel coupling means further comprising a third coupling part at a second longitudinal side opposite the first longitudinal side of the roof plate and a fourth coupling part at a second side of the solar panel opposite the first side of the solar panel, the third and fourth coupling parts being configured such that they couple with each other as a result of a movement of the solar panel relative to the roof plate, and in a coupled state of the third and fourth coupling parts a movement of the solar panel away from the roof plate in a direction perpendicular to the roof plate is blocked.

3. The solar roof panel element according to claim 1 , the panel coupling means further comprising a fixation element blocking a transverse movement of the first coupling part relative to the second coupling part, in the coupled state of at least the first and second coupling parts.

4. The solar roof forming element according to claim 1 ,
the first rib and the second rib being configured such that the transversely extending part of the second rib may be moved between the upper side of the roof plate and the transversely extending part of the first rib, the transversely extending part of the first rib thereby being moved between the back layer and the transversely extending part of the second rib.

5. The solar roof forming element according to claim 1 , the panel coupling means further being configured such that in the coupled state, the solar panel extends parallel to at least a portion of the upper side of the roof plate.

6. The solar roof forming element according to claim 1 , wherein the element coupling means comprise
a first element coupling part on the upper side and along a first longitudinal side of the roof plate and a second element coupling part on the lower side and along a second opposite longitudinal side of the roof plate.

7. The solar roof forming element according to claim 6 , wherein the first element coupling part is integral with the first coupling part and is configured as a male coupling part, and wherein the second element coupling part is formed as a female coupling part, wherein a second element coupling part of a roof forming element still to be installed is configured to be coupled together with a first element coupling part of a roof forming element already installed on the building by a tilting movement the roof forming element still to be installed relative to the already installed roof forming element.

8. The solar roof forming element according to claim 6 , wherein the first and second element coupling parts extend along the respective first and second longitudinal sides of the roof plate so as to form a continuous coupling between the roof forming element and its neighbouring roof forming elements along both longitudinal sides of the roof forming element in installed state.

9. The solar roof forming element according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one cover for at least substantially completely covering the solar cells of a solar panel.

10. A combination of at least two solar roof forming elements according to claim 1 , wherein the solar panel or solar panels of each of the at least two solar roof forming elements are flush, and/or the roof plates of each of the at least two solar roof forming elements are flush.

11. A building, having a solar roof, which roof closes an opening of the building, wherein the roof is at least partly formed by a plurality of roof forming elements according to claim 1 , wherein the roof forming elements each closes a part of said opening.

12. The building according to claim 11 , the roof having a roof beam structure distributed within the opening, wherein the plurality of roof forming elements is mounted on the roof beam structure so as to jointly close at least a part of said opening.

13. A method of forming a roof of a building, using a plurality of solar roof forming elements according to claim 1 , the method comprising
installing at least one said solar panel on the roof plate of each of the plurality of solar roof forming element, using the panel coupling means;
transporting each said solar roof forming element to a building of which a roof is to be formed at least in part by said plurality of solar roof forming elements;
installing a first of the plurality of solar roof forming elements so that it covers a part of an opening of the building;
installing further of the plurality of solar roof forming elements, each time coupling a roof forming element to be installed with an installed of said plurality of solar roof forming elements using the element coupling means.

14. The solar roof forming element according to claim 1 , wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are mutually coupled by a transverse moveme

Assignees

• Sabic Global Technologies Bv

Inventors

• Van Giesen Roland
• Steenbakkers-Menting Henrica Norberta Alberta Maria
• Verlaek Roeland Leonardus Hubertus Maria
• Yaneva Petya Dochkova
• Venderbosch Robert Walter

Classifications

• H02S20/23 Primary

  specially adapted for roof structures · CPC title

• E04D3/365

  by simple overlapping of the marginal portions with use of separate connecting elements, e.g. hooks or bolts for corrugated sheets · CPC title

• E04D3/362

  by locking the edge of one slab or sheet within the profiled marginal portion of the adjacent slab or sheet, e.g. using separate connecting elements · CPC title

• E04D3/32

  of plastics, fibrous materials, or asbestos cement · CPC title

• Y02B10/10

  Photovoltaic [PV] · CPC title