A solar tracking system including a plurality of bases, a torque tube supported by the plurality of bases and configured to support a plurality of solar modules, and a drive device operably connected to the torque tube and arranged to translate the torque tube in a direction parallel to its longitudinal axis. The solar tracking system also includes a plurality of helical guides operably connected to the torque tube, and a plurality of cam assemblies, wherein upon linear movement of the torque tube, interaction between the helical guides and cam assemblies causes the torque tube to rotate about its linear axis.

An adjustable support for a panel is provided to allow control of the height and the tilt angle of the panel. The support includes a hollow cylindrical base having an outer diameter D.sub.1; a first hollow piston having an outer diameter D.sub.2 threadably engaged with the base; a second hollow piston having an outer diameter D.sub.3 threadably engaged with the first piston; a third piston having an outer diameter D.sub.4 threadably engaged with the second piston, such that D.sub.1>D.sub.2>D.sub.3>D.sub.4. A ball pod extends from the third piston and accommodates a ball attached to the panel. One or more stepper motors are provided, where each stepper motor is coupled to a bottom portion of a respective piston, and a rotor of each stepper motor is configured to rotate the corresponding piston, thereby causing the piston to move along a longitudinal axis of the support.

The invention relates to a passive tracking device for tracking the position of the sun, which comprises a hollow parallelepiped casing through which the solar radiation entering through a first lens located at the upper end of the parallelepiped casing passes towards a discriminating reflector arranged at the lower end of the same casing; the tracking device redirects as much incoming radiation as possible towards side chambers for absorbing radiation, heating a working fluid contained in the side chamber; producing a volumetric expansion in the working fluid that, communicating with shafts for the rotation of the tracking device, allows the orientation with the normal/perpendicular position with respect to the position of the sun, and to guide the alignment direction of other tracking devices for collecting energy in devices for collecting photovoltaic and/or thermal energy that are mechanically connected to the tracking device.

The present invention concerns a solar tracker (1000) comprising at least: a mobile device (1100) comprising at least: a table (1110) comprising at least one solar energy collector device (1112); a support structure (1120); first support arch (1130) and a second support arch (1150) configured to support the support structure (1120); a first ground support (1140) and a second ground support (1160) configured to support the first support arch (1130) and the second support arch (1150), respectively; a kinematic drive device (1141);
the solar tracker (1000) being characterized in that: the support structure (1120) is a beam formed of a lattice structure comprising: at least one first, one second and one third longitudinal members; a plurality of crossmembers; a plurality of tie rods (1225).

A solar tracker having a brake function is disclosed. The solar tracker according to an embodiment of the present invention relates to a technology having a dual position sensing device provided at a part at which altitude adjustment and horizontal rotation of a solar collector plate respectively end, such that a brake is accurately operated for a driving motor, which is respectively in charge of altitude adjustment and horizontal rotation.

The disclosure relates to a solar tracker assembly, particularly for solar collectors, with a table structure for supporting the solar collectors, particularly solar collector panels and/or solar collector assemblies, and with an assembly for carrying the table structure, wherein the table structure is rotatable relative to the assembly base at least about one axis of rotation. For allowing the table for supporting respective solar panels to have sufficiently large dimensions in order to accommodate an increased number of solar collectors in an easy way and, at the same time, to enable the table to be positioned at a precise angle with reduced effort, it is suggested that at least a portion of the table structure and/or a portion of the assembly base is formed as a truss structure.

The present invention is related to the field of solar concentrators and associated energy conversion apparatus. More particularly, the invention discloses a solar tracking apparatus particularly advantageous for use with solar concentrating optics comprising compound conical concentrators, wherein modular tracking means and integration provide fast drop-in replacement, as well as low-material usage. Also disclosed are improved structures and methods for producing stackable frustum structures of the embodied optical concentrator. Additional structures specific to the inventive solar tracker are also disclosed.

Modular tracker systems that include at least first and second tables or are continuous without the use of tables, a single motor driving the first and second tables, first and second intra-table drive shafts and an inter-table drive shaft. Each table includes a support structure including first and second mounting posts, a frame supported by the support structure, at least one solar panel supported by the frame, and first and second gearboxes being concentrically aligned for each table. The first and second gearboxes are each configured to produce first and second outputs. The first output has a first rotational speed, and the second output has a second rotational speed less than the first rotational speed, and is operatively coupled to the frame. The inter-table drive shaft couples the second gearbox of the first table with the first gearbox of the second table, whereby the first and second tables are rotated synchronously.

A drive arrangement is provided comprising at least one drive device, which is rotatable about a rotational axis, comprises at least one drive element and at least one retaining element, the drive element being arranged offset in the radial direction in relation to the retaining element, and at least one output unit, which is rotatable or pivotable about an axis, the output unit comprising at least one drive recess and at least one retaining recess, the drive element being associated with the at least one drive recess and engaging in the drive recess to drive the output unit, and the retaining element being associated with the retaining recess and engaging in the retaining recess to hold the output unit in a set position, the drive element having a cross section that is different from a circular cross section and that is curved at least in some sections, and/or the drive recess widening in the radial direction in order to define an entry opening for the drive element.

The invention relates to a solar plant (1) having at least one pivotable module table (2a, 2b, 2c) which supports at least one photovoltaic solar module (3), preferably multiple photovoltaic solar modules (3), and is coupled in such a manner to at least one gear element (4) pivotable about an axis (A) that pivoting the gear element (4) causes the module table (2a to 2c) to be pivoted so that the solar modules (3) track the motion of the sun, the gear element (4) being driven and thus pivoted by an electrically driven drive shaft (5), at least one actuation element (8) being integrated in the drive shaft (5), the gear element (4) being both driven and blocked by the actuation element (8), the actuation element (8) engaging into the toothing (11) of the gear element (4) for driving or blocking the gear element (4).