Flexible module for combining solar photovoltaic panel and solar thermal panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11761682-B2
Application number	US-202017440513-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2020
Priority date	Apr 25, 2019
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

The present invention relates to a close-contacting module capable of bringing a solar photovoltaic panel and a thermal collector of a solar photovoltaic-thermal panel into close contact without creating an interface. The close-contacting module comprises: a plurality of elastic members ( 36 ) which provide an elastic force that presses the thermal collector ( 20 ) toward the solar photovoltaic panel ( 10 ) from the backside of the thermal collector ( 20 ); a support member ( 35 ) for supporting the elastic members ( 36 ); and a pair of clips ( 31, 32, 33 ) provided at both ends of the support member ( 35 ) to fix the support member ( 35 ) to the edges of the solar photovoltaic-thermal panel ( 1 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fastening module configured to tightly join a photovoltaic panel and a thermal collector, the fastening module bringing a back surface of the photovoltaic panel and the thermal collector in tight contact with each other in a photovoltaic-thermal panel including the photovoltaic panel and the thermal collector stacked one over the other, the fastening module comprising:
a plurality of elastic members providing an elastic force to press the thermal collector from behind a back surface of the thermal collector to the photovoltaic panel;
a supporting member supporting the plurality of elastic members; and
a pair of clips provided on two opposite ends of the supporting member to fix the supporting member to edges of the photovoltaic-thermal panel,
wherein the plurality of elastic members are connected side by side in series along a width direction of the photovoltaic-thermal panel, and
wherein a widthwise stretchable part is provided between two adjacent elastic members among the plurality of elastic members.

2. The fastening module of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of elastic members is a leaf spring, wherein the leaf spring includes:
an arc part having a cross-section in a bow shape convex toward the thermal collector; and
fastening parts provided on two opposite ends of the arc part, and
wherein when the fastening parts are supported by the supporting member, the arc part presses the thermal collector toward the photovoltaic panel.

3. The fastening module of claim 2 , wherein the widthwise stretchable part is stretchable or contractable in the width direction of the photovoltaic-thermal panel, and
wherein the widthwise stretchable part is provided between the fastening parts of the two adjacent elastic members.

4. The fastening module of claim 3 , wherein a first end of the widthwise stretchable part is connected with a fastening part of any one of the two adjacent elastic members, and
wherein a second end of the widthwise stretchable part is connected with a fastening part of a different one of the two adjacent elastic members.

5. The fastening module of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of elastic members and the widthwise stretchable part are alternately arranged along the width direction of the photovoltaic-thermal panel.

6. The fastening module of claim 3 , wherein the widthwise stretchable part includes a wrinkled shape.

7. The fastening module of claim 2 , wherein the fastening part includes an engaging part that engages with a protruding member provided on the supporting member, and
wherein with the protrusion member and the engaging part engaged with each other, the fastening part is capable of a relative slide on the supporting member in the width direction of the photovoltaic-thermal panel.

8. The fastening module of claim 1 , wherein the pair of clips includes:
a first clip including a surface supporting member in contact with a surface of the photovoltaic panel, a thickness-wise first extension member extending from the surface supporting member rearward in a thickness direction of the photovoltaic panel, and a first thickness adjustment part provided on the thickness-wise first extension member;
a second clip including a thickness-wise second extension member connected to the supporting member and extending forward in the thickness direction from the supporting member and a second thickness adjustment part provided on the thickness-wise second extension member; and
a clip fixing part fixing the first clip and the second clip.

9. The fastening module of claim 8 , wherein any one of the first thickness adjustment part and the second thickness adjustment part is a pin extending widthwise, and a different one of the first thickness adjustment part and the second thickness adjustment part is a pinhole penetrated widthwise to allow the pin to be inserted thereinto, and
wherein a plurality of pins are provided in a front-rear direction, and a plurality of pinholes are provided in the front-rear direction, so that thickness-wise lengths of the thickness-wise first extension member and the thickness-wise second extension member are determined depending on how many of the plurality of pins are to be fitted into the plurality of pinholes.

10. The fastening module of claim 9 , wherein the clip fixing part has a stopper structure to prevent the pin from being removed from the pinhole.

11. The fastening module of claim 8 , wherein the second clip is slidably connected to the supporting member, and
wherein when the clip fixing part fixes the first clip and the second clip, the second clip is fixed not to slide on the supporting member.

12. The fastening module of claim 8 , wherein the first thickness adjustment part is an elongated hole extending thickness-wise in the thickness-wise first extension member,
wherein the second thickness adjustment part is a female screw part provided in the thickness-wise second extension member, and
wherein the clip fixing part includes a male screw fastened through the elongated hole to the female screw part.

13. The fastening module of claim 8 , wherein the first thickness adjustment part and the second thickness adjustment part include serrated structures complementary to each other to allow the first clip to be inserted rearward into the second clip while preventing the first clip from being removed forward from the second clip by being stuck to each other.

14. A tight-contact photovoltaic-thermal panel structure, comprising:
a photovoltaic panel;
a thermal collector stacked on the photovoltaic panel and contacting a back surface of the photovoltaic panel; and
a fastening module bringing the back surface of the photovoltaic panel and the thermal collector in tight contact with each other,
wherein the fastening module comprises:
a plurality of elastic members providing an elastic force to press the thermal collector from behind a back surface of the thermal collector to the photovoltaic panel;
a supporting member supporting the plurality of elastic members; and
a pair of clips provided on two opposite ends of the supporting member to fix the supporting member to edges of a photovoltaic-thermal panel,
wherein the plurality of elastic members are connected side by side in series along a width direction of the photovoltaic-thermal panel, and
wherein a widthwise stretchable part is disposed between two adjacent elastic members among the plurality of elastic members.

15. The tight-contact photovoltaic-thermal panel structure of claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of elastic members is a leaf spring.

16. The tight-contact photovoltaic-thermal panel structure of claim 14 , wherein no chemical adhesive is disposed between the photovoltaic panel and the thermal collector.

17. A method for tight-contact stacking for the photovoltaic-thermal panel, the method comprising:
stacking the thermal collector on the back surface of the photovoltaic panel; and
fixing the pair of clips of the fastening module of claim 1 to the edges of the photovoltaic-thermal panel,
wherein the fixing the pair of clips of the fastening module to the edges of the photovoltaic-thermal panel includes:
adjusting a thickness-wise position of the supporting member with respect to the photovoltaic panel by adjusting a thickness of the pair of clips and fixing the pair of clips; and
adjusting and positioning the pair of clips to widthwise tightly contact the edges of the photovoltaic-thermal panel by adjusting the pair of clips and fixing the pair of clips.

18. The method of claim

Assignees

• Korea Inst Energy Res

Inventors

• Lee Euy-Joon
• Kang Eun-Chul
• Kim Yu-Jin
• Lee Kwang-Seob

Classifications

• H02S40/44 Primary

  Means to utilise heat energy, e.g. hybrid systems producing warm water and electricity at the same time (directly associated with the PV cell or integrated with the PV cell H10F77/67) · CPC title

• H02S10/10 Primary

  including a supplementary source of electric power, e.g. hybrid diesel-PV energy systems (combinations with gas-turbine plants F02C6/00) · CPC title

• F24S20/50 Primary

  Rollable or foldable solar heat collector modules · CPC title

• H02S30/10

  Frame structures · CPC title

• Y02E10/40

  Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers · CPC title