Photovoltaic array skirt and mounting hardware

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9673752-B2
Application number	US-201514936485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2015
Priority date	Nov 9, 2015
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

A photovoltaic array skirt assembly, where the array skirt has a double-groove structure which can accommodate both a splice and a photovoltaic module mounting device. The splice is mounted within the inner channel of the double-groove structure to connect adjacent array skirt sections, and can be locked into the double groove structure to prevent adjacent array skirt sections from uncoupling. One or more photovoltaic module mounting devices are also located in the groove structure, within the outer channel of the double-groove structure, each of which can be further secured in the array skirt with anti-rotation element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An array skirt, comprising:
an exterior surface, configured to cover at least a portion of an opening beneath a photovoltaic module;
an interior surface proximate to the exterior surface; and
a stacked-groove structure extending laterally away from the interior surface, configured to couple with a mounting structure, the stacked-groove structure further comprising a bearing region configured to receive a coupling structure, an outer channel, a medial region between an upper projection and a lower projection, and an inner channel, wherein the inner channel is dimensioned to accommodate a splice base of a splice assembly, and wherein the splice base and a mounting foot of the mounting structure occupy overlapping positions along the stacked-groove structure.

2. The array skirt of claim 1 , wherein the exterior surface further comprises an upper flange configured to form an upper anti-rotation region.

3. The array skirt of claim 1 , further comprising interior flanges configured to form a lower anti-rotation region.

4. The array skirt of claim 1 , wherein the upper projection and the lower projection are both shaped to point toward the inner channel.

5. The array skirt of claim 1 , wherein the outer channel includes an upper outer recess and a lower outer recess configured for receiving a portion of the mounting structure.

6. The array skirt of claim 1 , wherein the inner channel includes an upper inner recess and a lower inner recess configured for receiving a splice assembly.

7. The array skirt structure of claim 1 , wherein the bearing region comprises an upper sloped surface and a lower sloped surface.

8. An array skirt assembly, comprising:
a first array skirt and a second array skirt, each having a stacked-groove structure;
a splice assembly, spanned across and located within the stacked-groove structures of the first array skirt and the second array skirt, and configured to align the first array skirt and the second array skirt; and
at least one mounting foot, engaged with a portion of the stacked-groove structures, and wherein the mounting foot is configured to adjust a height of the array skirt assembly.

9. The array skirt assembly of claim 8 , wherein the at least one mounting foot is further configured to couple with a photovoltaic module.

10. The array skirt assembly of claim 8 , further comprising an anti-rotation element coupled to both the at least one mounting foot and an anti-rotation region of the stacked-groove structures.

11. The array skirt assembly of claim 10 , wherein the anti-rotation element is an anti-rotation clip configured to couple within an upper anti-rotation region.

12. The array skirt assembly of claim 10 , wherein the anti-rotation element is an anti-rotation grip configured to couple within a lower anti-rotation region.

13. The array skirt assembly of claim 8 , wherein the splice assembly comprises a splice base that is located within an inner channel of the stacked-groove structures.

14. The array skirt assembly of claim 13 , wherein the mounting foot and the splice base occupy overlapping positions along the stacked-groove structures.

15. The array skirt assembly of claim 13 , wherein the splice assembly further comprises a cartridge and at least one rotating connector.

16. The array skirt assembly of claim 15 , wherein the at least one rotating connector is configured to secure the first array skirt and second array skirt to the splice assembly.

17. The array skirt assembly of claim 15 , wherein the cartridge is configured to maintain a minimum separation distance between the at least one rotating connector and the splice base.

18. The array skirt of claim 1 , wherein the mounting structure that the array skirt is configured to couple with is a mounting foot configured to adjust a height of the array skirt assembly.

19. The array skirt assembly of claim 8 , wherein at least one mounting foot is engaged with each of the first array skirt and the second array skirt.

Assignees

• Solarcity Corp

Inventors

• Tripp Kyle
• Hudson Tyrus

Classifications

• H02S20/23

  specially adapted for roof structures · CPC title

• H02S30/10 Primary

  Frame structures · CPC title

• F24S2025/6004

  by clipping, e.g. by using snap connectors · CPC title

• F24S2025/021

  Sealing means between support elements and mounting surface · CPC title

• F24S25/61 Primary

  for fixing to the ground or to building structures · CPC title