US 11,815,292 B2Granted

Solar panel clamp

AssigneePreformed Line Products Company

InventorsJohn B. Markiewicz, Darius J. Kaunas

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A clamping apparatus secures a photovoltaic module to a rail. The clamping apparatus includes a bolt extending between a first end and a second end of the bolt. The clamping apparatus includes a clamp defining a bolt opening into which the bolt is received and a support structure. The support structure positions the clamp at a first location on the bolt. The first location is a first distance from a top rail surface plane within which a top surface of the rail lies. The support structure is adjustable to position the clamp at a second location on the bolt. The second location is a second distance from the top rail surface plane. The first distance is different than the second distance. The support structure has a support structure thickness corresponding to a third distance that is less than the first distance and less than the second distance.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A clamping apparatus configured to secure one or more photovoltaic modules to a rail, the clamping apparatus comprising:

a bolt extending along a bolt axis between a first end of the bolt and a second end of the bolt, wherein the second end of the bolt is configured to be received within the rail, the bolt comprising a shaft including a non-cylindrical portion;
a clamp defining a bolt opening into which the bolt is received, the clamp defining a top surface and a bottom surface;
and
a support structure configured to:
position the clamp at a first location on the bolt when the second end of the bolt is received within the rail and the clamp does not secure the one or more photovoltaic modules to the rail, the first location a first distance from a top rail surface plane within which a top surface of the rail lies wherein the first distance extends along a first distance axis that is parallel to the bolt axis and is measured from the top rail surface plane to the bottom surface of the clamp, and wherein the clamp is disposed to a first side of the top rail surface plane when the clamp is positioned at the first location and the second end of the bolt is disposed to a second side of the top rail surface plane when the second end of the bolt is received within the rail, and
position the clamp at a second location on the bolt when the second end of the bolt is received within the rail and the clamp does secure the one or more photovoltaic modules to the rail, the second location a second distance from the top rail surface plane wherein the second distance extends along a second distance axis that is parallel to the bolt axis and is measured from the top rail surface plane to the bottom surface of the clamp, and wherein the clamp is disposed to the first side of the top rail surface plane when the clamp is positioned at the second location, the first distance different than the second distance,
wherein the bolt opening extends through the top surface and the bottom surface of the clamp and is defined by an inner sidewall of the clamp, the inner sidewall comprising a cylindrical portion and a non-cylindrical portion and the non-cylindrical portion is at least one of parallel to a first outer sidewall of the clamp from which a tab does not extend or perpendicular to a second outer sidewall of the clamp from which a tab does extend, and the non-cylindrical portion of the shaft of the bolt cooperates with the non-cylindrical portion of the inner sidewall defining the bolt opening to inhibit rotation of the bolt relative to the clamp.

4 more elements

A clamping apparatus to secure one or more photovoltaic modules to a rail, the clamping apparatus comprising:

a bolt extending along a bolt axis between a first end of the bolt and a second end of the bolt, wherein the second end of the bolt is configured to be received within the rail;
a clamp defining a bolt opening into which the bolt is received;
and
a support structure configured to:
position the clamp at a first location on the bolt when the second end of the bolt is received within the rail and the clamp does not secure the one or more photovoltaic modules to the rail, the first location a first distance from a top rail surface plane within which a top surface of the rail lies wherein the first distance extends along a first distance axis that is parallel to the bolt axis and is measured from the top rail surface plane to a bottom surface of the clamp, and wherein the clamp is disposed to a first side of the top rail surface plane when the clamp is positioned at the first location and the second end of the bolt is disposed to a second side of the top rail surface plane when the second end of the bolt is received within the rail, and
position the clamp at a second location on the bolt when the second end of the bolt is received within the rail and the clamp does secure the one or more photovoltaic modules to the rail, the second location a second distance from the top rail surface plane wherein the second distance extends along a second distance axis that is parallel to the bolt axis and is measured from the top rail surface plane to the bottom surface of the clamp, and wherein the clamp is disposed to the first side of the top rail surface plane when the clamp is positioned at the second location, the first distance different than the second distance, and
wherein:
when the clamp is at the first location on the bolt, the support structure is not compressed in a direction parallel to the bolt axis and supports the clamp such that no structure is disposed between the support structure and the top surface of the rail and the support structure does not contact the top surface of the rail, and
when the clamp is at the second location on the bolt, the support structure is compressed in the direction parallel to the bolt axis as a function of a force used to move the clamp from the first location to the second location.

6 more elements

A clamping apparatus configured to secure one or more photovoltaic modules to a rail, the clamping apparatus comprising:

a bolt extending along a bolt axis between a first end of the bolt and a second end of the bolt, wherein the second end of the bolt is configured to be received within the rail;
a clamp, the clamp comprising a tab that is configured to separate a first photovoltaic module from a second photovoltaic module, the clamp defining a bolt opening into which the bolt is received;
and
a support structure configured to:
position the clamp at a first location on the bolt, via radial compression, when the second end of the bolt is received within the rail and the clamp does not secure the one or more photovoltaic modules to the rail, the first location a first distance from a top rail surface plane within which a top surface of the rail lies wherein the first distance extends along a first distance axis that is parallel to the bolt axis and is measured from the top rail surface plane to a bottom surface of the clamp, and wherein the clamp is disposed to a first side of the top rail surface plane when the clamp is positioned at the first location and the second end of the bolt is disposed to a second side of the top rail surface plane when the second end of the bolt is received within the rail, and
position the clamp at a second location on the bolt, via radial compression, when the second end of the bolt is received within the rail and the clamp does secure the one or more photovoltaic modules to the rail, the second location a second distance from the top rail surface plane wherein the second distance extends along a second distance axis that is parallel to the bolt axis and is measured from the top rail surface plane to the bottom surface of the clamp, and wherein the clamp is disposed to the first side of the top rail surface plane when the clamp is positioned at the second location, the first distance different than the second distance, and
wherein
an outer diameter of the support structure is less than or equal to a width of the tab, wherein the width of the tab is measured between a first side of the tab and a second side of the tab and the first side of the tab contacts a first sidewall of the first photovoltaic module and the second side of the tab contacts a first sidewall of the second photovoltaic module when the tab separates the first photovoltaic module from the second photovoltaic module.

5 more elements

A clamping apparatus configured to secure one or more photovoltaic modules to a rail, the clamping apparatus comprising:

a bolt extending along a bolt axis between a first end of the bolt and a second end of the bolt, wherein the second end of the bolt is configured to be received within the rail;
a clamp, the clamp comprising a tab that is configured to separate a first photovoltaic module from a second photovoltaic module, the clamp defining a bolt opening into which the bolt is received;
and
a support structure configured to:
position the clamp at a first location on the bolt when the second end of the bolt is received within the rail and the clamp does not secure the one or more photovoltaic modules to the rail, the first location a first distance from a top rail surface plane within which a top surface of the rail lies wherein the first distance extends along a first distance axis that is parallel to the bolt axis and is measured from the top rail surface plane to a bottom surface of the clamp, and wherein the clamp is disposed to a first side of the top rail surface plane when the clamp is positioned at the first location and the second end of the bolt is disposed to a second side of the top rail surface plane when the second end of the bolt is received within the rail, and
position the clamp at a second location on the bolt when the second end of the bolt is received within the rail and the clamp does secure the one or more photovoltaic modules to the rail, the second location a second distance from the top rail surface plane wherein the second distance extends along a second distance axis that is parallel to the bolt axis and is measured from the top rail surface plane to the bottom surface of the clamp, and wherein the clamp is disposed to the first side of the top rail surface plane when the clamp is positioned at the second location, the first distance different than the second distance, and
wherein:
an outer diameter of the support structure is less than or equal to a width of the tab, wherein the width of the tab is measured between a first side of the tab and a second side of the tab and the first side of the tab contacts a first sidewall of the first photovoltaic module and the second side of the tab contacts a first sidewall of the second photovoltaic module when the tab separates the first photovoltaic module from the second photovoltaic module,
the support structure defines a second bolt opening into which the bolt is received, and
the second bolt opening has a first cross-sectional profile when the bolt is not received within the second bolt opening and the second bolt opening has a second cross-sectional profile when the bolt is received within the second bolt opening, the second cross-sectional profile different than the first cross-sectional profile, and the first cross-sectional profile and the second cross-sectional profile are taken at a same location across the support structure.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/659,463Filed 21 Oct 2019 · continuation in part
Priority: 8 Feb 2012
Published: US 2020/0049378 A113 Feb 2020
Granted: 14 Nov 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

F24S 25/636
Clamps; Clips: clamping by screw-threaded elements
F24S 25/33
Using elongate rigid mounting elements extending substantially along the supporting surface, e.g. for covering buildings with solar heat…
F24S 25/65
Fixation means, e.g. fasteners, specially adapted for supporting solar heat collector modules: for coupling adjacent supporting elements, e.g. for…
H02S 20/00
Supporting structures for pv modules

Family

Application13/368,651Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 8 Feb 2012
PCT/US2012/024247Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 8 Feb 2012
Application14/530,811Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 2 Nov 2014
US 2020/0049378 A1Pre-grant publication · published 13 Feb 2020
US 10,451,314 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2013/0200245 A1Published application
US 2015/0052712 A1Published application
US 11,815,292 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.