Method and apparatus for forming and mounting a photovoltaic array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9574588-B2
Application number	US-201213410149-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2012
Priority date	Jul 2, 2009
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

A photovoltaic (PV) module framing and coupling system enables the attachment of PV modules to a roof or other mounting surface without requiring the use of separate structural support members which attach directly to and span between multiple PV modules in a formed PV array. The apparatus provides a parallel coupling for securely interlocking the outside surfaces of parallel frame members together in a side to side arrangement to form an array with improved structural load distribution. The coupling may attach to a slot in the frame at substantially any position along the length of the frame thereby enabling the interconnection of adjacent PV modules along both an x and y axis. The apparatus may further provide a rotating portion and locking portion, mounting brackets for direct connection to a mounting surface, grounding teeth, and a twist-lock engagement means for interlocking and aligning PV modules in the array.

First claim

What is claimed as invention is:

1. An array of photovoltaic modules, comprising:
(a) a first four-sided photovoltaic module;
(b) a second four-sided photovoltaic module, wherein the first and second photovoltaic modules have side grooves extending therealong;
(c) a coupling having a center body portion and first and second rotating locking portions extending from opposite sides of the center body portion and rotatable about a common axis passing through the center body portion, wherein the first rotating locking portion of the coupling connects to a first side of the first photovoltaic module, and the second rotating locking portion of the coupling connects to a first side of the second photovoltaic module, wherein the rotating locking portions are received into the side grooves of the photovoltaic modules,
wherein the coupling is moveable to a plurality of different locations along any one of the four sides of the respective first and second photovoltaic modules, and
wherein the coupling connects the first side of the first photovoltaic module directly to the first side of the second photovoltaic module along the common axis so that the respective first sides of the first and second photovoltaic modules are facing one another and without any direct connection of the coupling to any other structure,
and wherein the coupling is not supported from below; and

(d) a leveling foot,
wherein the leveling foot is moveable to a plurality of different locations along the sides of the first and second photovoltaic modules.

2. The array of claim 1 , wherein first and second photovoltaic modules are dimensioned such that the leveling foot can be connected to any of four sides of each of the first and second photovoltaic modules.

3. The array of claim 1 , wherein the coupling and the leveling foot are positioned at different locations along any of the four sides of the first and second photovoltaic modules.

4. The array of claim 1 , wherein the coupling grounds the first photovoltaic module to the second photovoltaic module.

5. The array of claim 1 , wherein the leveling foot is a height-adjustable leveling foot.

6. The array of claim 1 , wherein the coupling is a one-piece coupling.

7. The array of claim 1 , wherein the center body portion is configured to lock the first rotating locking portion to the first side of the first photovoltaic module and the second rotating locking portion to the first side of the second photovoltaic module by rotation of the center body portion.

8. The array of claim 7 , wherein the center body portion may be rotated from above the array.

9. An array of photovoltaic modules, comprising:
(a) a first photovoltaic module;
(b) a second photovoltaic module;
(c) a coupling having first and second opposite sides and at least partially positioned in a gap between the first and second photovoltaic modules, wherein the first side of the coupling engages a first side of the first photovoltaic module, and the second side of the coupling engages a first side of the second photovoltaic module, thereby interlocking the first and second photovoltaic modules when the coupling is in a locked position,
wherein the coupling interlocks the first side of the first photovoltaic module to the first side of the second photovoltaic module above a support surface without a connection to the support surface other than through the photovoltaic modules,
wherein the coupling is moveable to a plurality of different locations along a length of the first sides of the first and second photovoltaic modules when in an unlocked position and at least partially positioned in the gap between the first sides of the first and second photovoltaic modules.

10. The array of claim 9 , wherein the coupling grounds the first photovoltaic module to the second photovoltaic module.

11. The array of claim 9 , wherein the first and second photovoltaic modules have side grooves extending therealong, and wherein the coupling is connected into the side grooves.

12. The array of claim 11 , wherein the coupling has a center body portion and a pair of rotating locking portions extending from opposite sides of the center body portion and rotatable about a common axis passing through the center body portion, and wherein the rotating locking portions are received into the side grooves of the first and second photovoltaic modules.

13. The array of claim 9 , wherein the coupling is moveable to a plurality of different locations along an entire length of the first sides of the first and second photovoltaic modules.

14. The array of claim 9 , wherein the first and second photovoltaic modules have frames extending therealong, and wherein the first and second sides of the coupling have locking portions that clamp around portions of the frames in the locked position.

15. The array of claim 14 , wherein the coupling has a rotating portion coupled to the locking portion, wherein the rotating portion is configured to rotate so as to cause the locking portions to clamp around the portions of the frames in the locked position.

16. The array of claim 9 , further comprising a leveling foot, wherein the leveling foot is moveable to a plurality of different locations along sides of the first and second photovoltaic modules.

17. The array of claim 16 , wherein the first and second photovoltaic modules are dimensioned such that the leveling foot can be connected to any of four sides of each of the first and second photovoltaic modules.

18. The array of claim 16 , wherein the leveling foot is a height-adjustable leveling foot.

19. The array of claim 9 , wherein the coupling is a one-piece coupling.

20. The array of claim 9 , wherein the coupling further comprises a rotating portion accessible from above the array, wherein rotation of the rotating portion is configured to transition the coupling from the unlocked position to the locked position.

Assignees

• West Jack Raymond
• Haenlein Hans-Christoph
• Solarcity Corp

Inventors

• West Jack Raymond
• Haenlein Hans-Christoph

Classifications

• H10F19/31

  having multiple laterally adjacent thin-film photovoltaic cells deposited on the same substrate · CPC title

• H10F19/904 Primary

  characterised by the shapes of the structures · CPC title

• H02S20/23

  specially adapted for roof structures · CPC title

• F24J2002/4669

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• H02S20/00

  Supporting structures for PV modules · CPC title