Array Technologies, Inc.

Array Tech, Inc.

First Solar, Inc.

Benjamin C De Fresart

Nathan Schuknecht

Lucas Creasy

Thomas Truman

Joshua Conley

Charles Edward Wickersham

Peter Hruby

Weixin Li

Daniel Smith

Joseph Lindgren

Matthew Kuzila

Jon Sharp

Robert Clark Rowan, Jr

Jonathan Sokol

Frank Heydrich

Nikhil Kumar

Anubhav Tandon

Thierry Marin-Martinod

A mounting rail for securing photovoltaic (PV) modules to an underlying support structure, such as a torque tube. The mounting rail may include a body and a bracket that is attached to the body and configured to be secured around at least a portion of the support structure.

Mounting rail

A photovoltaic (PV) module clamp may be configured to interface with a torque tube and a PV module rail fixedly coupled to a PV module. The PV module clamp may include a seating portion made of two or more lateral walls and a base surface. A clamp body of the PV module clamp may be coupled to the seating portion. The clamp body may include a shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the torque tube. The PV module clamp may include a fastening feature for interlocking the PV module clamp with the PV module rail responsive to the PV module rail being seated in the seating portion of the PV module clamp.

Snap-lock photovoltaic module mounting system

A photovoltaic module mounting system may include a module clamp that includes a central section that includes two first walls connected at the top of each first wall by a first connecting surface. The central section may have a first cross-sectional height corresponding to a height of each of the first walls and a first width corresponding to a distance between the two first walls. The module clamp may have ends that include two second walls connected at the top of each second wall by a second connecting surface in which each of the ends has a second cross-sectional height that is shorter than the first cross-sectional height and a second width that is wider than the first width. The central section may be connected to each of the ends such that the first connecting surface and the second connecting surface are bridged and form a bowtie shape.

Photovoltaic module mount

A method of forming a module clamp of a photovoltaic module support structure may include cutting a folding pattern into a sheet of metal. The folding pattern may include one or more width-wise slits relative to the sheet of metal, one or more length-wise slits relative to the sheet of metal, and a hole. The method may include stamping one or more first features onto the sheet of metal to form a stamped sheet and folding the stamped sheet along the one or more width-wise slits and the one or more length-wise slits to form a preliminary module clamp. The method may include stamping one or more second features onto the preliminary module clamp to form the module clamp.

Low-profile backrail module clamp

A module mounting system may include a photovoltaic (PV) module frame including a mounting rail. The module mounting system may include a spring clip with a PV module frame interfacing element and a clip interfacing element. The spring clip may apply spring force via deformation to lock the PV module frame and a clip together. A second embodiment of the spring clip may include an upper component having one or more arms and a lower component having a central loop configured to rotate relative to each other and interface with the PV module frame or the mounting rail. A second embodiment of the module mounting system may include screwless clips including outer walls and inner walls coupled together as a continuous sheet of material. The screwless clips may couple to a respective mounting flange and a respective frame flange to lock the mounting purlin and the PV module frame together.

Spring clip for photovoltaic module mounting

Module clamp

A module mounting assembly that couples a PV module to a support structure is provided. The module mounting assembly may include a mounting bracket, a mounting pin, and a clamp. The clamp may be configured to couple the mounting bracket to the support structure and the mounting pin may be configured to couple the mounting bracket to the PV module. The mounting pin may have a number of features and designs that facilitate positioning the mounting pin within the openings and retaining the mounting pin in an installed state.

Mounting pin for photovoltaic module mounting system

A deflection pad may include a body. The body may include a recess to accommodate a fastener configured to attach the deflection pad to a support structure. The base of the deflection pad may include a bottom surface configured to engage a surface of the support structure. The deflection pad may be included in a system that includes a torsion beam and one or more support racks to which multiple PV modules may be attached, where the support are racks attached to the torsion beam. One or more deflection pads may be positioned between the PV modules and the support rack so as to cushion impact.

Photovoltaic module deflection limiter

A driveline joint may include a driveline shaft that has a plurality of slots and a shaft coupling positioned in an interior of the driveline shaft in which the shaft coupling includes one or more openings with each of the openings corresponding to one or more respective slots of the plurality of slots included in the driveline shaft. The driveline joint may include one or more spherical bearings that are each positioned between an interior lateral surface of the driveline shaft and an exterior lateral surface of the shaft coupling and against one of the openings of the shaft coupling. The driveline joint may include one or more fasteners, wherein each of the fasteners extends through one of the slots and one of the openings of the shaft coupling.

Photovoltaic tracker driveline joint

A deflection pad may include a body including two peaks, and a recess in the body between the two peaks, the recess may be sized to accommodate a fastener such that when deployed, the fastener is below a height of the two peaks within the recess. The deflection pad may include arms projecting in a direction generally opposite the two peaks, the arms biased inward towards the recess. The deflection pad may be included in a system that includes a torsion beam and one or more support racks to which multiple PV modules may be attached, where the support are racks attached to the torsion beam. One or more deflection pads may be positioned on the support racks to be below the PV modules.

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Benjamin C De Fresart