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US 12,525,914 B2Granted
Solar module couplings for solar tracker
AssigneeNextracker LLC
InventorsAbhimanyu Anil Sable, Ashwajit Wahane, Jitendra Morankar, Phani Kumar, Raghavendra Praveen Maddulapalli, Venkata Nitin Mythreya Yadlapalli
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A coupling for use with a solar tracker including an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion including a generally tubular body including one or more stamped end portions and the lower portion designed to secure the upper portion to a support rail of a solar power system.
Claims19
A coupling for use with a support rail of a solar tracker, comprising:
- an upper portion including a top wall, a bottom wall, and a pair of opposite sidewalls forming a generally tubular body extending between a proximal end portion and a distal end portion with a central portion extending therebetween, the top wall being planar, at least one of the proximal and distal end portions in a stamped configuration such that a width of the upper portion along the top wall widens in a direction from the top wall at the central portion toward the top wall at at least one of the proximal and distal end portions;
- and
- a lower portion extending from the upper portion, the lower portion configured to secure the coupling to a support rail of a solar tracker.
A method of forming a coupling for supporting a solar module on a support rail of a solar tracker, comprising:
- providing a preformed tubular body formed by a top wall, a bottom wall, and a pair of opposite sidewalls, the top wall being planar, the preformed tubular body including a proximal end portion, a distal end portion, and a central portion positioned therebetween, the central portion defining a shaped cross-section;
- stamping the proximal end portion into a proximal stamped configuration;
- stamping the distal end portion into a distal stamped configuration;
- wherein the proximal stamped configuration includes a width of the top wall widening in a direction from the top wall at the central portion toward the top wall at the proximal end portion, and wherein the distal stamped configuration includes the width of the top wall widening in a direction from the top wall at the central portion toward the top wall at the distal end portion;
- and
- drilling one or more side or bottom apertures through the central body portion, the apertures configured to attach a lower portion to the tubular body.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.