Pile cap with integrated bearing housing
AssigneeSolarCity Corporation
InventorsDavid Molina, Charles Almy, Soren Jensen, Kathryn Austin Pesce, Johann Fritz Karkheck
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This disclosure relates to the design of pile cap assemblies configured to rotatably couple the torque tube of a photovoltaic solar tracker to multiple support piles that elevate the torque tube above the ground. The pile cap assemblies define low friction bearings that allow the torque tube to rotate smoothly within the low friction bearings. The pile cap assemblies also include numerous mounting hole configurations that allow for adjustment of a position of the pile cap assemblies with respect to the support piles. This allows for any small variation in positioning of the support piles to be accommodated.
Claims18
A photovoltaic system, comprising:
- a torque tube;
- a photovoltaic module coupled to the torque tube;
- a support pile defining a first plurality of mounting holes distributed across a region of the support pile at a first interval;
- a pile cap assembly supporting the torque tube, the pile cap assembly comprising:
- a bracket portion including an integrated lateral adjustment mechanism comprising a second plurality of mounting holes distributed across the bracket portion at a second interval greater than or less than the first interval, only a subset of the second plurality of mounting holes being aligned with respective ones of the first plurality of mounting holes;
- and
- a fastener securing the bracket portion to the support pile, the fastener extending through one of the first plurality of mounting holes and one of the second plurality of mounting holes.
A photovoltaic system, comprising:
- a support pile defining a first plurality of mounting holes proximate a distal end of the support pile, the first plurality of mounting holes being spaced apart at a first interval;
- a torque tube;
- a photovoltaic module coupled to the torque tube;
- a pile cap assembly, comprising:
- a bearing portion defining a bearing within which a section of the torque tube is positioned,
- a bracket portion defining a second plurality of mounting holes spaced apart along the pile cap assembly at a second interval greater or less than the first interval, and
- a locking mechanism that closes the bearing around the section of the torque tube;
- and
- a fastener extending through a first mounting hole of the first plurality of mounting holes and through a second mounting hole of the second plurality of mounting holes to couple the pile cap assembly to the support pile, wherein only a subset of the first plurality of mounting holes are aligned with corresponding ones of the second plurality of mounting holes.
A photovoltaic system, comprising:
- a support pile defining a first plurality of mounting holes spaced apart by a first interval;
- a pile cap assembly defining a second plurality of mounting holes spaced apart by a second interval greater than or less than the first interval such that only a subset of the first plurality of mounting holes are aligned with the second plurality of mounting holes, the pile cap assembly comprising a bearing portion defining a bearing;
- a plurality of fasteners coupling the support pile to the pile cap assembly by engaging two or more of the first and second plurality of mounting holes;
- a torque tube extending through the bearing and being supported by the pile cap assembly;
- and
- a photovoltaic module supported by the torque tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.