IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
UP-0332000
(2006-01-13)
|
등록번호 |
US-7856769
(2011-02-24)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Plaisted, Joshua Reed
- West, Brian
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Mahamedi Paradice Kreisman LLP
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
29 인용 특허 :
39 |
초록
▼
A rack assembly is provided for mounting solar modules over an underlying body. The rack assembly may include a plurality of rail structures that are arrangeable over the underlying body to form an overall perimeter for the rack assembly. One or more retention structures may be provided with the plu
A rack assembly is provided for mounting solar modules over an underlying body. The rack assembly may include a plurality of rail structures that are arrangeable over the underlying body to form an overall perimeter for the rack assembly. One or more retention structures may be provided with the plurality of rail structures, where each retention structure is configured to support one or more solar modules at a given height above the underlying body. At least some of the plurality of rail structures are adapted to enable individual rail structures o be sealed over the underlying body so as to constrain air flow underneath the solar modules. Additionally, at least one of (i) one or more of the rail structures, or (ii) the one or more retention structures are adjustable so as to adapt the rack assembly to accommodate solar modules of varying forms or dimensions.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. A rack assembly for mounting solar modules over an underlying body, the rack assembly comprising: a plurality of rail structures that are arrangeable over the underlying body to form an overall perimeter for the rack assembly; one or more retention structures provided with th
What is claimed is: 1. A rack assembly for mounting solar modules over an underlying body, the rack assembly comprising: a plurality of rail structures that are arrangeable over the underlying body to form an overall perimeter for the rack assembly; one or more retention structures provided with the plurality of rail structures, wherein the retention structures are configured to support one or more solar modules at a given height above the underlying body; and one or more channels underneath the solar modules that guide air flow; one or more strut runners that extend directly over the underlying body and support the plurality of rail structures; wherein at least some of the plurality of rail structures are adapted to enable individual rail structures in the plurality of rail structures to be sealed over the underlying body so as to guide air flow underneath the one or more solar modules; and wherein at least one of (i) one or more of the rail structures, or (ii) the one or more retention structures are adjustable so as to adapt the rack assembly to accommodate solar modules of varying forms or dimensions; and wherein the one or more channels are multi-directional, so as to each include one or more bends or turns that guide air flow in both vertical and horizontal directions under the solar modules. 2. The rack assembly of claim 1, further comprising one or more coupling structures, wherein each of the one or more coupling structures enables at least a portion of one or more of the rail structures to be sealed over the underlying body. 3. The rack assembly of claim 1, further comprising a combination of coupling structures provided on or with an individual rail structure to enable those rail structures to be sealed over the underlying body. 4. The rack assembly of claim 3, wherein the combination of coupling structures includes an underlying flashing component that extends from each of the individual rail structure into or against the underlying body. 5. The rack assembly of claim 4, wherein the combination of coupling structures includes an overlaying flashing component that extends from each of the individual rail structures over the underlying flashing component. 6. The rack assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of (i) the one or more rail structures, or (ii) the one or more strut runners are adjustable when mounted onto the underlying body so as to enable the rack assembly to be flexibly fitted onto the underlying body. 7. The rack assembly of claim 1, further comprising a compression mechanism that is manipulated to compress the retention structures in order to cause the retention structures to grip a corresponding solar module and to provide the corresponding module in a fixed position. 8. A rack assembly for mounting solar modules over an underlying body, wherein the rack assembly is installed over an underlying body and comprises: a plurality of rail structures that are arranged to form an overall perimeter for the rack assembly; and one or more retention structures provided with the plurality of rail structures to support one or more solar modules mounted thereon at a given height over the underlying body; one or more strut runners that extend directly over the underlying body and support the plurality of rail structures; wherein at least some of the plurality of rail structures are sealed over the underlying body so that at least a portion of the overall perimeter is sealed over the underlying body; and a channel that guides air flow, the channel being formed at least in part by the at least some of the portion of the overall perimeter that is sealed over the underlying body and occupies at least a portion of the given height separating the one or more solar modules from the underlying structure; and wherein the channel is multi-directional, so as to include one or more bends or turns that guide air flow in both vertical and horizontal directions under the solar modules and above the underlying body. 9. The rack assembly of claim 8, wherein, the channel is formed at least in part by at least some of the plurality of rail structures that are sealed over the underlying body, and wherein an opening of the channel is oriented to be provided by a remaining portion of the overall perimeter and is open to permit the exchange of air with an environment of the rack assembly; and wherein the channel is oriented to have one or more openings to receive airflow entering from at least one or more segments of the remaining portion of the overall perimeter that is open. 10. The rack assembly of claim 8, wherein at least one of (i) one or more of the rail structures, or (ii) the one or more retention structures are adjustable so as to adapt the rack assembly to accommodate solar modules of varying forms or dimensions. 11. The rack assembly of claim 7, further comprising one or more sealing features provided with the plurality of rail structures, wherein the one or more sealing features enable the individual rail structure to be sealed over the underlying body to guide airflow so as to form at least a portion of the channel. 12. The rack assembly of claim 10, wherein the one or more sealing features for a given rail structure in the plurality of rail structures includes an underlying flashing component that extends into or against the underlying body. 13. The rack assembly of claim 12, wherein the one or more sealing features for the given rail structure in the plurality of rail structures includes an overlaying flashing component that extends over the underlying flashing component. 14. The rack assembly of claim 8, wherein at least one of (i) the one or more rail structures, or (ii) the one or more strut runners are adjustable when mounted onto the underlying body so as to enable the rack assembly to be flexibly fitted onto the underlying body. 15. The rack assembly of claim 8, wherein the overall perimeter is rectangular, and wherein the portion of the overall perimeter is sealed with the underlying body includes a majority of three lengths of the rectangle, and wherein the remaining portion of the overall perimeter that is open to permit the exchange of air with the environment corresponds to at least a portion of the remaining length of the rectangle. 16. The rack assembly of claim 8, further comprising a compression mechanism that is manipulated to compress the retention structures in order to cause the retention structures to grip a corresponding solar module and to provide the corresponding module in a fixed position. 17. The rack assembly of claim 16, wherein one or more of the plurality of rail structures include an interior surface from which one or more corresponding retention structures are provided, and wherein each of the one or more rail structures is provided a shim plate on an exterior surface that forms the portion of the overall perimeter so as to support that rail structure when compressed by the compression mechanism. 18. A solar energy transfer system provided over an underlying body, the system comprising: a plurality of solar modules that receive solar energy and convert the solar energy into one or more of (i) electricity, or (ii) heat, wherein the plurality of solar modules have a given size that is within a range of possible sizes; a rack assembly that supports the plurality of solar modules a given height over an underlying body, and one or more channels underneath the solar modules that guide air flow between the solar modules and the underlying body; wherein the rack assembly is sealed across at least a portion of its perimeter to the underlying body to define, at least in part, one or more channels underneath the plurality of solar modules that guides air flow; wherein the rack assembly is cooperatively positioned with an air driver to enable the air driver to direct air through the one or more channels so that the air is heated by heat from one or more of the plurality of solar modules; wherein the one or more channels are multi-directional, so as to each include one or more bends or turns that guide air flow in both vertical and horizontal directions between the solar modules and the underlying body and wherein the rack assembly includes: two or more rail structures rail extending primarily in a first direction, wherein each of the two or more rail structures that form part of the perimeter of the rack assembly is sealed over the underlying body to define at least a part of one or more of the channels; and one or more end caps that position to seal each of the one or more channels formed in part by the two or more rail structures. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the rack assembly is unsealed at one or more perimeter lengths, and wherein the rack assembly is cooperatively positioned with the air driver to enable the air driver to intake environment air from at least one of perimeter lengths, and to wherein the rack assembly is sufficient relative in dimension to heat output of the plurality of solar modules to enable the air to be heated from when it is received at the at least one of the perimeter lengths to when the air is forced inward into or towards the underlying body. 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the rack assembly is configured to be adjustable when mounted onto the underlying body to support any given solar modules of a size with the range of possible sizes. 21. The system of claim 20, wherein the rack assembly includes a combination of flashing structures to seal the rack assembly over the underlying body. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the combination of flashing structures includes an underlying flashing component that extends into or against the underlying body. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the combination of flashing structures includes an overlaying flashing component that extends over the underlying flashing component. 24. The system of claim 20, wherein the rack assembly includes a plurality of interconnected rail structures, and wherein each rail structure includes one or more retention structures to support a corresponding one of the plurality of solar modules at the given height above the underlying structure. 25. The system of claim 23, where the rack assembly is adjustable to support the any given solar modules of the size with the range of possible sizes in part by at least one of (i) a vertical position or (ii) a grasp thickness of the one or more retention structures being adjustable. 26. The system of claim 18, wherein one or more of the plurality of solar modules corresponds to a thermal panel for directly converting solar energy to heat. 27. The system of claim 26, wherein each of the one or more thermal panels includes a translucent material, an absorption layer, and a frame for containing at least the translucent material. 28. The system of claim 27, wherein an effective thickness of at least one of the one or more thermal panels is adjustable. 29. The system of claim 27, wherein at least one of the thermal panels includes a shim plate that is adjustably mountable to the frame to adjust an overall thickness of that thermal panel. 30. A rack assembly for mounting solar modules over an underlying body, wherein the rack assembly comprising: a plurality of rail structures; and a plurality of retention structures provided by the plurality of rail structures, wherein between pairs of adjacent rail structures in the plurality of rail structures, one or more of the plurality of retention structures are adjustable to (i) loosely grasp and hold a given solar module to enable manual adjustment of the positioning and securement of the given solar module, (ii) mechanically secure and hold the given solar module in an installed position a given height over the underlying body; one or more channels underneath the solar modules that guide air flow; wherein the one or more channels are multi-directional, so as to each include one or more bends or turns that guide air flow in both vertical and horizontal directions under the solar modules; and wherein the plurality of rail structures include a plurality of free edge rail structures that form a perimeter of the rack assembly, and wherein at least the plurality of free edge rail structures include coupling structures to seal those rail structures over the underlying body; wherein the one or more of the plurality of retention structures include a mechanical coupling that mechanically secures and holds the given solar module in the installed position; wherein the one or more of the plurality of retention structures corresponds to a top ledge moveably coupled to a bottom ledge to move between an extended engagement position and a contracted engagement position, and wherein the mechanical coupling can be manipulated to direct the top ledge and the bottom ledge between the extended and contracted engaged position. 31. The rack assembly of claim 30, further comprising one or more strut runners that extend across the underlying body and support the plurality of rail structures. 32. The rack assembly of claim 30, wherein each of the plurality of rail structure is formed by at least a top segment and a bottom segment, and wherein at least the top ledge of the one or more of the plurality of retention structures is formed on the top segment. 33. The rack assembly of claim 32, wherein: each of the one or more of the plurality of rail structure is formed by at least a top segment and a bottom segment, and wherein at least the top ledge of the one or more of the plurality of retention structures is formed on the top segment, and wherein the mechanical coupling includes a member extending vertically into one or more of the rail structures; and wherein the rack assembly further comprises one or more strut runners provided between the underlying body and individual rail structure, and wherein the member of the mechanical coupling extends within each of the one or more of the rail structures. 34. A solar module for a rack assembly that supports an array of solar modules, the solar module comprising: a translucent material; an absorption layer provided underneath the translucent material to absorb solar energy passing through the translucent material; and a frame that contains the translucent material and the absorption layer, the frame including one or more surfaces that can be retained by retention structures of the rack assembly; and wherein the frame is adjustable to vary its thickness in order to facilitate its retention by the retention structures; and one or more channels underneath the array of solar modules that guide air flow; and wherein the one or more channels are multi-directional, so as to each include one or more bends or turns that guide air flow in both vertical and horizontal directions under the array of solar modules; and a shim plate for the frame, wherein at least one of the shim plate and the retention structure is configured to enable a position of the shim plate to be varied when mounted to the frame, wherein the position of the shim plate determines the thickness of the frame. 35. A rack assembly for mounting solar modules over an underlying body, the rack assembly comprising: a plurality of rail structures that are arrangeable over the underlying body to form an overall perimeter for the rack assembly; one or more retention structures provided with the plurality of rail structures, wherein the retention structures are configured to support one or more solar modules at a given height above the underlying body; and one or more channels underneath the solar modules that guide air flow; a compression mechanism that is manipulated to compress the retention structures in order to cause the retention structures to grip a corresponding solar module and to provide the corresponding module in a fixed position; and wherein at least some of the plurality of rail structures are adapted to enable individual rail structures in the plurality of rail structures to be sealed over the underlying body so as to guide air flow underneath the one or more solar modules; and wherein at least one of (i) one or more of the rail structures, or (ii) the one or more retention structures are adjustable so as to adapt the rack assembly to accommodate solar modules of varying forms or dimensions; and wherein the one or more channels are multi-directional, so as to each include one or more bends or turns that guide air flow in both vertical and horizontal directions under the solar modules. 36. The rack assembly of claim 35, further comprising one or more coupling structures, wherein each of the one or more coupling structures enables at least a portion of one or more of the rail structures to be sealed over the underlying body. 37. The rack assembly of claim 35, further comprising a combination of coupling structures provided on or with an individual rail structure to enable those rail structures to be sealed over the underlying body. 38. The rack assembly of claim 35, wherein the combination of coupling structures includes an underlying flashing component that extends from each of the individual rail structure into or against the underlying body. 39. The rack assembly of claim 38, wherein the combination of coupling structures includes an overlaying flashing component that extends from each of the individual rail structures over the underlying flashing component. 40. The rack assembly of claim 35, wherein at least one of (i) the one or more rail structures, or (ii) the one or more strut runners are adjustable when mounted onto the underlying body so as to enable the rack assembly to be flexibly fitted onto the underlying body.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.