U.S. patent application number 12/768855 was filed with the patent office on 2011-11-03 for solar tracker.
Invention is credited to Ching-Lang Chang, Kuei-Hsiang CHANG.
Application Number | 20110265784 12/768855 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44857274 |
Filed Date | 2011-11-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110265784 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHANG; Kuei-Hsiang ; et
al. |
November 3, 2011 |
SOLAR TRACKER
Abstract
A driving pinion drives two driven gears which are engaged with
the driving pinion to rotate. Two drive bars which are fixed on the
driven gears at a set radius respectively are inserted into two
elongated openings of a frame which is pivoted on the driving
pinion to make the frame seesaw, and then to make a coupler link
which is borne on a stand, seesaw synchronously via a rocker
mechanism having a four-bar linkage which is pivoted on both ends
of the frame. Also, the stand is connected to an inclination
adjusting mechanism, so that the inclination of the stand can be
changed with respect to a horizontal plane.
Inventors: |
CHANG; Kuei-Hsiang;
(Antioch, CA) ; Chang; Ching-Lang; (Antioch,
CA) |
Family ID: |
44857274 |
Appl. No.: |
12/768855 |
Filed: |
April 28, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
126/607 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24S 30/425 20180501;
F24S 2030/134 20180501; F24S 25/70 20180501; F24S 50/20 20180501;
Y02E 10/47 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
126/607 |
International
Class: |
F24J 2/38 20060101
F24J002/38 |
Claims
1. A solar tracker, comprising a dynamic mechanism and a rocker
mechanism, wherein the dynamic mechanism comprises: a stand; a
driving pinion, installed on an outer surface of the stand and
controlled to rotate; a first driven gear and a second driven gear,
located on both sides of the driving pinion respectively, meshed
and driven by the driving pinion to rotate, wherein centers of
axles of the driving pinion and the first and second driven gears
are aligned with each other; a first drive bar and a second drive
bar, fixed on the first and second driven gears at the same radius
respectively; and a frame, having a central opening pivoted on the
axle of the driving pinion and two elongated openings located on
both sides of the central opening and aligned with the central
opening, the elongated openings used to receive the corresponding
first and second drive bars respectively; and the rocker mechanism
comprises: a first rocker and a second rocker, one end of each
rocker pivoted on a corresponding end of the frame; a coupler link,
two ends of which are pivoted on the other ends of the first and
second rockers respectively, a central portion between the two ends
being pivoted on top of the stand to be able to seesaw freely, and,
wherein when the driving pinion is controlled to rotate, a seesaw
motion of the frame generated by the first and second drive bars
fixed on the first and second driven gears is transmitted via the
first and second rockers to the coupler link, thereby making the
coupler link seesaw about the central portion synchronously.
2. The solar tracker according to claim 1, further comprising a
first right-angled bar and a second right-angled bar, located
between the coupler link and the first and second rockers
respectively, wherein one end of each right-angled bar is pivoted
on the other end of the corresponding rocker, the other end of each
right-angled bar extending a first set length and bending into a
right angle and further extending a second set length to fix with a
corresponding end of the coupler link into one piece and locate the
central portion of the coupler link on top of the stand.
3. The solar tracker according to claim 1, further comprising an
inclination adjusting mechanism for supporting the stand, wherein
the inclination adjusting mechanism makes the stand turn on a plane
perpendicular to a seesaw plane of the coupler link, with respect
to a horizontal plane, so as to change the stand's inclination.
4. The solar tracker according to claim 2, further comprising an
inclination adjusting mechanism for supporting the stand, wherein
the inclination adjusting mechanism makes the stand turn on a plane
perpendicular to the seesaw plane of the coupler link, with respect
to a horizontal plane, so as to change the stand's inclination.
5. The solar tracker according to claim 4, wherein the inclination
adjusting mechanism for the stand comprises two support brackets
for supporting the stand to turn on a plane perpendicular to the
seesaw plane of the coupler link, wherein a locking-hole is formed
on each of these two support brackets at a set radius; using a
rotating center of the stand and the support brackets as a center
of circle, and numbers of locating holes having equal intervals are
formed on corresponding sidewalls of the stand; and two pins,
inserted into the corresponding locating holes on the sidewalls of
the stand through the locking-holes on the support brackets for
maintaining the inclination of the stand with respect to the
horizontal plane after adjusting the inclination of the stand.
6. The solar tracker according to claim 3, wherein the inclination
adjusting mechanism for supporting the stand comprises a gear,
located on the same rotating center as the stand and fixed together
with the stand into one piece; and a driving pinion, mounted on the
support bracket, wherein the gear is engaged with the driving
pinion, and the pinion is driven by electrical power so as to
adjust the inclination of the stand by the turning of the gears.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a solar tracker,
particularly to a solar tracker for mounting solar panel, wherein a
rocker mechanism having a four-bar linkage is used to simplify
solar panel mounting and reduce electrical energy required to
direct a solar panel to the sun, and an inclination adjusting
mechanism is used to adjust the inclination of the solar tracker
based on different latitudes where the solar tracker is
installed.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] In a previous US patent application, US 2009/0031647A1, (now
patented) filed by one of the present inventors, a solar panel
mounting structure is disclosed. In this structure, a pinion driven
by a motor rotates two gears engaged with the pinion and located at
its both sides, and a bar is fixed on each of these two gears at
the same radius. On a frame for mounting a solar panel, two
separated elongated openings are formed horizontally, and a
circular opening is formed at the center between these two
elongated openings. The bars on these two gears and the rotating
shaft of the motor are inserted into the elongated openings and the
circular opening respectively. Thus, when the motor rotates, these
two gears are driven to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. At
the same time, in the elongated openings of the frame, the bars
fixed on these two gears respectively force the frame to seesaw
about the rotating shaft of the motor so as to follow variations in
the distance between the bars and the rotating shaft. Therefore,
the frame makes a seesaw movement to simulate sunrise and sunset
just by controlling the rotation speed of the motor.
[0005] In such a solar panel mounting structure, since the total
weight of the solar panel is borne directly by the bars on these
two gears and the rotating shaft of the motor, it is necessary to
use a high-power motor and reinforce the structure of each
component. Thus, it causes the whole structure to be bulky and
awkward in miniaturization design.
[0006] Furthermore, due to the connection relation between the
frame and the gears, the frame must be set on one side of these
gears (for example, a side away from the paper). In other words,
when a large-scale solar panel is mounted on the frame, the solar
panel is located on one side of the frame, so that the total weight
of the solar panel is borne on a single side of the whole
structure. In addition to the problem that blocking from the gears
causes the solar panel to be mounted to the frame uneasily, such a
structure needs to be reinforced as well in its whole unit in order
to overcome the cantilever load induced by a single-side bearing.
Consequently, the weight of the whole unit is further
increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In view of the above, the present invention is achieved by
the inventors on the basis of the previous invention. Thus, not
only the seesaw of the frame can be performed with lower power, but
also the mounting of the solar panel becomes easier and the weight
is not borne directly on these two gears and the motor.
[0008] According to a solar tracker provided by the present
invention, based on the solar panel mounting structure disclosed in
the patent application, US 2009/0031647A1, filed by one of the
present inventors, a rocker mechanism having a four-bar linkage is
further mounted on the frame driven by the motor and the two gears.
The rocker mechanism comprises two rockers, one end of each rocker
pivoted to a corresponding end of the frame; and a coupler link,
the two ends of which are pivoted to the other ends of the rockers
respectively, and the center portion of which is pivoted on top of
a stand. A solar panel will be mounted on the coupler link using
the present invention. Thus, when the motor is controlled to rotate
by the prior method stated above, the seesaw occurring on the frame
will drive the coupler link via the rockers to seesaw
synchronously.
[0009] Therefore, using the structure of the present invention, the
weight of the whole solar panel is borne by the central portion of
the coupler link to reach an effect of a balance state. As long as
a small push force and a small pull force are applied at these two
ends of the coupler link respectively, it is quite easy to make the
coupler link seesaw about its pivot at the center thereof.
Therefore, the power required by the motor can be greatly reduced.
This is an object of the present invention.
[0010] According to the structure of the present invention, the
weight of the whole solar panel is borne by the coupler link at the
central portion of the mechanical structure when viewed from the
top, so the requirement of reinforcement design on all components
due to the cantilever load is avoided. Therefore, for the same
material strength, the present invention can be significantly
compacted. This is another object of the present invention.
[0011] According to the structure of the present invention, the
coupler link is located at the upmost position of the mechanical
structure. Therefore, when the solar panel is mounted on the
coupler link, it will not be blocked by other essential members.
Consequently, the mounting job becomes much easier. This is a
further object of the present invention.
[0012] According to the structure of the present invention, to bear
solar panel of same scale, a lower-power motor and a lighter
mechanical structure can be used. Therefore, the solar tracker may
be compact. This is still another object of the present
invention.
[0013] According to the structure of the present invention, an
inclination adjusting mechanism is further attached. Thus, it is
advantageous that the coupled link can be adjusted to face onto the
sun based on different latitudes where the solar tracker is
installed. This is yet another obj ect of the present
invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] A general configuration that implements the various features
of the present invention will be described with reference to the
drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided
to illustrate embodiments of the invention and not to limit the
scope of the invention.
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a solar tracker of the
present invention, wherein a stand is already adjusted into an
inclined state.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a front view of the solar tracker shown in FIG. 1,
illustrating a coupler link in an inclined state at the midway of a
solar tracking path.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a front view of the solar tracker shown in FIG. 2,
illustrating the coupler link in a horizontal state.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a left-side view of the solar tracker shown in
FIG. 1.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a right-side view of the solar tracker shown in
FIG. 4, wherein the stand is in an upright state.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] Firstly, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a solar tracker of
the present invention mainly comprises: a dynamic mechanism 1; a
rocker mechanism 2; and an inclination adjusting mechanism 3.
[0021] A motor and various control circuits thereof (not shown) are
mounted inside a stand 4. The rotating shaft 101 of the motor
extends out of the stand 4 and fix a driving pinion 102.
[0022] Driven gears 103a and 103b are located at left and right
sides of the driving pinion 102 and engaged with it, so that the
driven gears 103a and 103b can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise
about their own axles (shown with arrows), where these three axles
are all aligned to each other. Also, drive bars 104a and 104b are
fixed on the driven gears 103a and 103b at a predetermined radius
respectively. A circular hole is made on the central portion of the
horizontal line of a frame 105 to pivot the frame on the rotating
shaft 101 of the motor, and two elongated openings 106a and 106b
are formed on both sides of the central hole to the effect that the
drive bars 104a and 104b fixed on the driven gears 103a and 103b
can be inserted correspondingly into the elongated openings 106a
and 106b respectively so as to slide freely. Thus, the dynamic
mechanism 1 is comprised of the driving pinion 102, the two driven
gears 103a and 103b driven by the driving pinion 102, the drive
bars 104a and 104b fixed on the driven gears 103a and 103b, and the
frame 105 pivoted on the rotating shaft of the motor.
[0023] Again, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, both ends of the frame
105 are pivoted on the rocker mechanism 2. The rocker mechanism 2
is comprised of two rockers 201a, 201b and a coupler link 203,
wherein one end of each rocker 201a and 201b is pivoted on a
corresponding end of the frame 105, the other ends of the rocker
201a and 201b are pivoted on two ends of the coupler link 202
respectively, and the center portion of the coupler link 202 is
pivoted on the top of the stand 4 through an axle 202a. Preferably,
a pair of right-angled bars 203a and 203b are fixed at both ends of
the coupler link 202, and the coupler link 202 are then pivoted on
the rocker 201a and 201b via these two angle bars 203a and 203b.
Thus, the coupler link 202 on which a solar panel (not shown) will
be mounted is located right over the central position of the stand
4 as viewed from the top, thereby preventing the coupler link 202
from being biased to one side of the stand 4. It is an ideal
machine design for weight balance.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the stand 4 is mounted on a
support bracket 5, and can be turned around an axle pin 6. A bottom
portion 7 of the support bracket 5 functions as a base for a
mounting site where the solar tracker will be installed.
[0025] Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, on both sides of the stand
4, i.e., these two sides adjacent to the side on which the gears
are mounted), numbers of locating holes 401a and 401b having equal
intervals (for example, 15.degree.) on a circumference with a
predetermined radius from the axle pin 6 as a center of circle are
formed. Simultaneously, on each side of the support bracket 5, a
locking hole is formed at a position with the same center of circle
and radius, and a locking pin 8a and 8b can be inserted into a
corresponding locating hole on these two sides of the stand 4
through the locking hole after the stand 4 turns to a desired
degree, so that the stand 4 can be adjusted into a predetermined
inclination state with respect to a horizontal plane as shown in
FIG. 4.
[0026] It is true that the above-stated inclination adjusting
mechanism 3 for the stand 4 is used to only explain that the
structure of the present invention further comprises a mechanism
for adjusting the inclination of the stand 4 with respect to the
horizontal plane. As a result, based on installation sites at
different latitudes or different locations of the sun in different
seasons, the solar panel mounted on the coupler link 202 can be
flexibly adjusted by a user to face up the sun vertically so as to
obtain the maximum solar radiant energy, thereby enhancing the
effect of the present invention. Not only a prior mechanical detent
is used for an inclination adjustment to the stand, but also there
is an electrically-operated adjustment to the stand 4, in which a
gear is fixed on both sides of the stand 4 and driven by a driving
pinion fixed on the support bracket 5 and driven by electrical
power, to rotate a degree. Similarly, this can also achieve at
adjusting the inclination of the stand 4, and should be considered
as within the scope of the present invention claimed.
[0027] According to the solar tracker of the present invention, the
solar panel will be mounted on the top surface of the coupler link
202, and the weight of the solar panel is supported by the bearing
(or the stand 4) to have an effect to reach a balance state.
Therefore, as long as the right-angled bars 203a and 203b at both
ends of the coupler link 202 are exerted by a small push-up force
and a pull-down force, the plane of the coupler link 202 can be
easily inclined to track the sun so as to obtain the maximum solar
radiant energy. Consequently, the present invention can use a motor
having a relatively small power. Furthermore, since the coupler
link 202 is located at the central position of the top of the stand
4, the major weight of the solar panel and coupler link are
supported by the strength of the stand 4. Therefore, the present
invention can prevent the constituent members of the dynamic
mechanism 1 from being damaged easily, thereby making their service
life longer.
[0028] Additionally, since the coupler link 202 is located at the
upmost position over the stand 4 and far away from the constituent
members, the solar panel may be mounted freely in sizes.
[0029] With the inclination adjusting mechanism 3 additionally
provided, it is convenient to adjust the inclination of the stand 4
mounted with the solar panel for the solar panel to face onto the
sun and obtain the maximum solar radiant energy.
[0030] Summing, the solar tracker of the present invention greatly
enhances the effect of the solar panel mounting structure
previously disclosed by one of the present inventors.
[0031] It is to be understood that the present invention is not
limited to the specific embodiments described above and that the
invention can be embodied with the components modified without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
[0032] This invention can be embodied in various forms according to
appropriate combinations of the embodiments described above. For
example, some components may be deleted from all of the components
shown in each embodiment. Further, components in different
embodiments may be used appropriately in combination.
* * * * *