Solar cell module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9337770-B2
Application number	US-201514656771-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2015
Priority date	Sep 28, 2012
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

A long-side frame piece has a cylindrical portion. The cylindrical portion is formed from one side end along the direction in which the long-side frame piece extends to the other side end. The cylindrical portion has threaded holes. The threaded holes are provided inside a through hole. Screws are inserted in the threaded holes. A short-side frame piece has a plate-shaped portion. The plate-shaped portion covers the end of the cylindrical portion in the direction in which the long-side frame piece extends. Openings are formed in the plate-shaped portion, through which pass the screws inserted in the threaded holes. The plate-shaped portion has a cutout exposing a portion of the module body from a first surface toward a second surface, formed closer to a first direction side than the threaded holes of the through hole.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A solar cell module comprising:
a rectangular module body including a first surface and a second surface on an opposite side from the first surface, and including a solar cell; and
a frame provided surrounding the module body, wherein
the frame includes
a long-side frame piece provided outside a long side part of the module body,
a short-side frame piece provided outside a short side part of the module body, and
a screw configured to fix the long-side frame piece and the short-side frame piece to each other,
the long-side frame piece includes a tubular portion in which a through hole is formed from one end portion to an opposite end portion thereof in an extending direction of the long-side frame piece,
the tubular portion includes a screw hole provided inside the through hole and configured to allow the screw to be inserted therein,
the short-side frame piece includes a plate-shaped portion that covers an end portion of the tubular portion in the extending direction of the long-side frame piece, an opening formed in the plate-shaped portion, the screw penetrating the opening when inserted in the screw hole, and
a cutout is formed in the plate-shaped portion, the cutout configured to expose a portion of the through hole on a first direction side outside the screw hole in a first direction pointing from the first surface to the second surface of the module body, wherein
the long-side frame piece further includes an extension portion that, on a cross-section of the long-side frame piece perpendicular to the extending direction of the long-side frame piece, extends in a direction opposite to the module body from an end portion of a sidewall portion of the tubular portion on the first direction side, the sidewall part being situated on an opposite side of the tubular portion from the module body, and
the sidewall portion is formed to have a wall thickness thicker at its portion on the first direction side than at its portion on a second direction side.

2. The solar cell module according to claim 1 , wherein the short-side frame piece further includes a rib provided on a surface of the plate-shaped portion that faces the module body, and extending in an extending direction of the short-side frame piece.

3. The solar cell module according to claim 1 , wherein
the short-side frame piece includes a recess-shaped cutout in an end portion of the short-side frame piece on a second direction side opposite to the first direction side, and
a base of the cutout is flush with the first surface of the module body, or situated at a level shifted from the first surface of the module body toward the first direction side.

Assignees

• Sanyo Electric Co
• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Okuda Yuki
• Nakahashi Akihisa

Classifications

• F24J2/4614

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F24J2/5211

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• H02S30/10 Primary

  Frame structures · CPC title

• F24S25/20

  Peripheral frames for modules · CPC title

• F24S40/44

  Draining rainwater or condensation · CPC title