Electrical connection device for a photovoltaic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018152136-A1
Application number	US-201515577008-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 26, 2015
Priority date	May 26, 2015
Publication date	May 31, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention provides a building exterior cladding. The panel includes an upper overlap area, a lower overlap area and a central part, covered by at least one photovoltaic module. A perforation is located in the lower overlap area and traversed by an electrical cable connecting one of two electrical poles of the photovoltaic module to an electrical plug located on the reverse side of the panel in the lower overlap area. An opening is located in the upper overlap area, into which is inserted an electrical junction box connected to another electrical pole of the photovoltaic module by an electrical cable. The junction box includes: a base, a lateral wall, including on its external surface, a peripheral shoulder to hold the box in place in the opening, an access door located on the lateral wall of the junction box, a cable outlet, an internal cavity delimited by the base and the wall, including an electrical terminal with an axis perpendicular to the base, and an electrical switch connecting the electrical terminal to the cable outlet and located facing the access door. The invention further provides an associated electrical junction box and the associated electrical connection assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 - 10 . (canceled)

11 . A building exterior cladding panel comprising:
an upper transverse edge including an upper overlap area intended to be covered by an adjacent panel; a lower transverse edge including a lower overlap area intended to overlap a further adjacent panel; a central part connecting the upper and lower transverse edges, covered by at least one photovoltaic module including an electrical pole on a longitudinal extremity and a further electrical pole of reverse polarity on another longitudinal extremity; a perforation located in the lower overlap area and traversed by an electrical cable connecting one of the two electrical poles of the photovoltaic module to an electrical plug located on a reverse side of the panel in the lower overlap area; an opening located in the upper overlap area, into which is inserted an electrical junction box connected to the other of the two electrical poles of the photovoltaic module by an electrical cable, the electrical junction box comprising:
a base;
a lateral wall surrounding and extending perpendicular to the base, the lateral wall including, on an external surface, a peripheral shoulder to hold the box in place in the opening;
an access door located on the lateral wall of the electrical junction box, intended for the insertion of a circuit breaker in the electrical junction box;
a cable outlet, situated in a part of the electrical junction box located above the peripheral shoulder, to connect the electrical junction box to the other electrical pole of the photovoltaic module;
an internal cavity delimited by the base and the wall, including:
an electrical terminal with an axis perpendicular to the base, intended for the connection of an electrical plug located on a reverse side of the or the further adjacent exterior cladding panel; and
an electrical switch connecting the electrical terminal to the cable outlet and located facing the access door.

12 . The building exterior cladding panel as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a recess surrounding the opening.

13 . The electrical junction box for building exterior cladding panel supporting at least one photovoltaic module comprising an electrical pole on one of its longitudinal extremities and an electrical pole of reverse polarity on the other extremity, the junction box comprising:
a base; a lateral wall surrounding and extending perpendicular the base, the lateral wall including, on an external surface, a peripheral shoulder to hold the box in place in an opening on the exterior cladding panel; an access door located on the lateral wall of the electrical junction box intended for the insertion of a circuit breaker in the electrical junction box; a cable outlet, situated in a part of the electrical junction box located above the peripheral shoulder, intended to connect the electrical junction box to an electrical pole of the photovoltaic module supported by the panel; an internal cavity delimited by the base and the wall, including:
an electrical terminal with an axis perpendicular to the base, intended for the connection of an electrical plug located on a reverse side of an adjacent exterior cladding panel; and
an electrical switch connecting the electrical terminal to the cable outlet and located facing the access door.

14 . The electrical junction box as recited in claim 13 , wherein the peripheral shoulder is located in the upper third of the lateral wall.

15 . The electrical junction box as recited in claim 13 , wherein the peripheral shoulder is continuous over the periphery of the lateral wall.

16 . The electrical junction box as recited in claim 13 , wherein the access door is delimited by an area that is thinner than the lateral wall or the base.

17 . The electrical junction box as recited in claim 13 , wherein the cable outlet is adjacent to the peripheral shoulder.

18 . The electrical junction box as recited in claim 13 , wherein the cable outlet is an electrical terminal that can be connected to an electrical plug.

19 . The electrical junction box as recited in claim 13 , wherein the electrical switch is a switch with mechanically actuated flexible blades comprising two contact blades that are in contact with each other by default and that can be separated from each other by a mechanical action.

20 . An electrical connection assembly comprising:
an electrical junction box as recited in claim 13 ; and a circuit breaker comprising:
a central body;
a blade extending from one side of the central body, the blade having upper and lower surfaces with electrical contactors thereon; and
two electrical sockets extending from another side of the central body, each electrical socket being connected to an electrical contactor.

Assignees

• Arcelormittal

Inventors

• Vignal Renaud
• Geron Laurent

Classifications

• H02S40/36

  characterised by special electrical interconnection means between two or more PV modules, e.g. electrical module-to-module connection · CPC title

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• H02S40/34 Primary

  comprising specially adapted electrical connection means to be structurally associated with the PV module, e.g. junction boxes · CPC title

• Y02B10/10

  Photovoltaic [PV] · CPC title

• H02S20/26

  Building materials integrated with PV modules, e.g. façade elements (H02S20/25 takes precedence) · CPC title