Solar panel mounting structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9523517-B2
Application number	US-201314384294-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2012
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

A mounting structure for a solar panel assembly, having a plurality of solar panels, includes a plurality of vertical support legs and a grid assembly. The grid assembly includes a plurality of north-south members and the east-west members. The plurality of north-south members include a plurality of elongated slots to allow attachment to the vertical support legs despite any manufacturing tolerances that may exist in the components. The plurality of east-west members include a plurality of elongated slots to allow attachment to the north-south members despite any manufacturing tolerances that may exist in the components.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mounting structure for a solar panel assembly, comprising:
a plurality of foundation structures attached with a ground and a plurality of mounting structures fixed with said foundation structures;
a plurality of front support legs;
each of said front support legs having a first height and having an upper end for supporting a solar array and having a lower end attached with one of said mounting structures;
a plurality of rear support legs;
each of said rear support legs having a second height that is greater than said first height and having an upper end for supporting the solar array and having a lower end attached with one of said mounting structures;
a plurality of north-south members extending between and disposed in abutting and direct contact with an upper end of one of said plurality of front support legs and an upper end of one of said plurality of rear support legs such that each north-south member is oriented at an angle with respect to the ground;
a plurality of east-west members connected with and extending between said north-south members;
each of said mounting structures having a base portion disposed in abutting relationship with one of said foundation structures;
each of said base portions of said plurality of mounting structures defining an elongated horizontal slot;
a plurality of first fasteners each extending through one of said elongated horizontal slots in said base portions of said mounting structures to allow variable positioning of said mounting structures relative to said foundation structures in a horizontal direction within confines established by said elongated horizontal slots;
a plurality of second fasteners extending through aligned sets of openings in said mounting structures and said support legs with one of said openings in each set being a second slot to allow variable positioning of said front and rear support legs relative to said mounting structures in a vertical direction within confines established by said second slots;
a plurality of third fasteners extending through aligned sets of openings in support legs and said north-south members with one of said openings in each set being a third slot to allow variable positioning of said north-south members relative to said front and rear support legs within confines established by said third slots; and
a plurality of fourth fasteners extending through aligned sets of openings in said north-south members and said east-west members with at least one of said openings in each set being a fourth slot to allow variable positioning of said east-west members in a lateral direction within confines established by said fourth slots.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein said front support legs are arranged generally in a first parallel row.

3. The assembly of claim 2 , wherein said rear support legs are arranged generally in a second parallel row with said first parallel row being substantially parallel to said second parallel row.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of diagonal supports that each extend between one of said plurality of rear support legs and one of said plurality of north-south members.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of east-west members are comprised of a plurality of interconnected sections.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said plurality of front and rear support legs are c-shaped, and said mounting structures are generally c-shaped to fit around each of said c-shaped front and rear support legs.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said plurality of north-south members are c-shaped.

Assignees

• Warpup Ryan Robert
• Werner Mark Francis
• Powrozek Eric Anthony
• Szadyr Peter Mykolaj
• Cummings David Wayne
• Magna Int Inc

Inventors

• Warpup Ryan Robert
• Werner Mark Francis
• Powrozek Eric Anthony
• Szadyr Peter Mykolaj
• Cummings David Wayne

Classifications

• F24J2/5264

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• Y02E10/47

  Mountings or tracking · CPC title

• F24J2/5232

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F24J2/5245 Primary

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic