Manual snap-on photovoltaic mounting system for rapid installation of photovoltaic arrays onto metal roofs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9941835-B2
Application number	US-201514836807-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2015
Priority date	Jun 5, 2015
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A rapidly installable photovoltaic mounting system that can be manually snapped onto a first photovoltaic module and then lowered onto a trapezoidal metal roof to serve as a base for receiving a second photovoltaic module thereon.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photovoltaic mounting system, comprising:
an elongated base;
an attachment mechanism on the elongated base for attaching the elongated base onto a roof; and
a photovoltaic module connector mounted at a first end of the elongated base, the connector being dimensioned to support a first and a second photovoltaic module on opposite sides thereof,
wherein the connector is rotatably lockable onto the first photovoltaic module when the elongated base is held and rotated with respect to the first photovoltaic module,
wherein the connector receives the second photovoltaic module when the elongated base is positioned on the roof and the connector is locked onto the first photovoltaic module, and
wherein the attachment mechanism on the elongated base further comprises a break-away screw holder securing a self-tapping screw onto the elongated base.

2. The photovoltaic mounting system of claim 1 , wherein the elongated base acts as a lever when held by an installer and rotated downwardly by hand to lock onto the first photovoltaic module.

3. The photovoltaic mounting system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sealing base positioned between the bottom of the elongated base and the roof.

4. The photovoltaic mounting system of claim 1 , wherein the elongated base is J-shaped, and the photovoltaic module connector is mounted onto the hook end of the J-shaped base.

5. The photovoltaic mounting system of claim 4 , wherein the photovoltaic module connector is connected onto the hook end of the J-shaped elongated base by an attachment screw passing through a slot in the hook end of the J-shaped elongated base.

6. The photovoltaic mounting system of claim 5 , wherein the slot permits the photovoltaic module connector to move, rotate and pivot prior to tightening the photovoltaic module connector onto the attachment screw.

7. The photovoltaic mounting system of claim 1 , wherein a second end of the elongated base is tapered.

8. A photovoltaic mounting system comprising:
a base;
a photovoltaic module connector mounted onto the base, the connector being dimensioned to support a first and a second photovoltaic module on opposite sides thereof; and
at least one self-tapping screw in the base, wherein the at least one self-tapping screw is held within the base prior to attachment of the base onto a roof surface,
wherein the base comprises a break-away screw holder securing the at least one self-tapping screw onto the base, wherein the elongated base is J-shaped, and the photovoltaic module connector is mounted onto the hook end of the J-shaped base.

9. The photovoltaic mounting system of claim 8 , wherein the base acts as a lever when held by an installer and rotated downwardly by hand to lock onto the first photovoltaic module.

Assignees

• Solarcity Corp

Inventors

• Molina David
• Hudson Tyrus
• Buchanan William Paul

Classifications

• Y02E10/47

  Mountings or tracking · CPC title

• Y02B10/12

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H02S20/23 Primary

  specially adapted for roof structures · CPC title

• F16B5/008

  by a rotating or sliding and rotating movement · CPC title

• F24J2/5254

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic