Systems for attaching mounting rails onto photovoltaic mounting posts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9985578-B2
Application number	US-201514832777-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2015
Priority date	Jun 26, 2015
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A system for connecting a photovoltaic mounting rail onto a mounting post using a connection system with a pair of interlocking grasps having interdigitated fingers that can be locked into the mounting rail when moved by a fastening system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for connecting a photovoltaic mounting rail to a mounting post, comprising:
a mounting rail defining a groove extending along a length of the mounting rail, wherein the groove comprises an internal chamber;
a pair of interlocking grasps each comprising a plurality of fingers, wherein the fingers of each interlocking grasp are interdigitated, wherein the fingers are insertable into the internal chamber in a first interdigitated configuration at a plurality of continuous locations along the length of the mounting rail, and wherein the interlocking grasps are lockable into the groove at one of the plurality of continuous locations by moving from the first interdigitated configuration to a second interdigitated configuration while the interdigitated fingers are within the internal chamber;
a mounting post connection member; and
a fastening system connecting the grasps to the mounting post connection member, wherein the fastening system is configured to move the interlocking grasps from the first interdigitated configuration to the second interdigitated configuration with the interdigitated fingers positioned within the internal chamber.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the groove comprises a narrow opening, and wherein a distance across the interdigitated fingers is smaller than a width of the narrow opening of the groove when the pair of interlocking grasps are in the first interdigitated configuration, and wherein the distance across the interdigitated fingers is larger than the width of the narrow opening of the groove when the pair of interlocking grasps are in the second interdigitated configuration.

3. A system for connecting a photovoltaic mounting rail to a mounting post, comprising:
a mounting rail having a groove extending therealong;
a pair of interlocking grasps having interdigitated fingers, wherein the fingers are insertable into the groove in a first position and lock into the groove in a second position;
a mounting post connection member; and
a fastening system connecting the grasps to the mounting post connection member, wherein the fastening system is configured to move the grasps from the first position to the second position,
wherein the groove has a narrow opening and a wide internal chamber, and wherein the distance across the interdigitated fingers is smaller than the width of the narrow opening of the groove when the pair of interlocking grasps are in the first position, and wherein the distance across the interdigitated fingers is larger than the width of the narrow opening of the groove when the pair of interlocking grasps are in the second position, and
wherein the ends of the interdigitated fingers project outwardly into sides of the wide internal chamber of the groove when the interlocking grasps are in the second position.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fastening system is a nut and bolt, and the bolt passes through a hole in the mounting post member.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fastening system is a connector passing through a hole in the mounting post member.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the connector is rotated less than 360 degrees to move the interlocking grasps from the first interdigitated configuration to the second interdigitated configuration.

7. The system of claim 3 , wherein the pair of interlocking grasps can be positioned at a plurality of locations along the length of the mounting rail.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a mounting post extending from the mounting post connection member.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the mounting post can be positioned a plurality of different non-perpendicular angles with respect to the mounting rails.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pivot mount connected to the mounting rail.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the pivot mount is dimensioned to connect to the side edge of a pair of photovoltaic modules with a side edge of each of the photovoltaic modules being connected to opposite sides of the pivot mount.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the mounting rail has a second groove extending therealong, and the pivot mount is received into the second groove.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the groove extends along the a first side of the mounting rail and the second groove extends along a second side of the mounting rail.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the second groove has a narrow opening and a wide internal chamber, and wherein the pivot mount is rotated from a first position at which a base of the pivot mount is received into the narrow opening of the second groove to a second position at which the base of the pivot mount projects outwardly into sides of the wide internal chamber of the second groove, thereby locking the pivot mount into the second groove in the second position.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the second groove has a narrow opening and a wide internal chamber, and wherein a rock-it pivot mount is mounted onto a cantilever arm, and wherein a base of the cantilever arm is received into the narrow opening of the groove to a second position at which the base of the cantilever arm projects outwardly into sides of the wide internal chamber, thereby locking the cantilever arm into the second groove in the second position.

Assignees

• Solarcity Corp

Inventors

• Jensen Soren
• Atchley Brian

Classifications

• H02S20/24 Primary

  specially adapted for flat roofs · CPC title

• H02S20/20

  Supporting structures directly fixed to an immovable object (H02S20/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16M11/16

  Details concerning attachment of head-supporting legs, with or without actuation of locking members thereof · CPC title

• F24J2002/467

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F24J2/526

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic