SOLAR ENERGY HARVESTING DEVICE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a solar energy harvesting device, said device including several single-axis solar trackers (S1-S5), each comprising an elongated structure (4) on which a plurality of photovoltaic panels (2) are installed, and a tubular rotating shaft (1) fixed to a lower side of the structure (4). A plurality of support feet (20) rotatably support the coaxially aligned tubular rotating shafts (1) of the several single-axis solar trackers (S1-S5) on the ground. A motor rotates the tubular rotating shafts (1) according to the relative movements of the Sun. Positive and negative wires (3a, 3b) conducting electrical energy generated by the photovoltaic panels (2) connected in series of the different single-axis solar trackers (S1-S5) are housed inside the tubular rotating shafts (1) and go through a central opening (27a) of a rotating drive wheel (27) of a drive device (31) arranged to rotate the tubular rotating shafts (1).

Claims

1. A solar energy harvesting device, including several single-axis solar trackers (S1-S5), each of said single-axis solar trackers (S1-S5) comprising: an elongated structure (4) on which there are installed in a co-planar manner a plurality of photovoltaic panels (2), a tubular rotating shaft (1) fixed to a lower side of said structure (4) and arranged along a longitudinal direction thereof, a plurality of support feet (20) distributed along the structure (4), each support foot having an upper end which supports a bearing coupled to said tubular rotating shaft (1) and a lower end anchored to the ground, and a drive motor operatively connected for rotating the tubular rotating shaft (1) together with the structure (4) and said photovoltaic panels (2) according to the relative movements of the Sun, wherein tubular rotating shafts (1) of the several single-axis solar trackers (S1-S5) are coaxially aligned, and wherein the solar energy harvesting device further comprising: positive and negative wires (3a, 3b) conducting electrical energy generated by the photovoltaic panels (2) connected in series of the different single-axis solar trackers (S1-S5) and housed inside one or more of the tubular rotating shafts (1), open ends of two adjacent tubular rotating shafts (1) coaxially fixed to a rotating drive wheel (27) of a drive device (31) by tubular connecting elements (28), and the rotating drive wheel (27) having a central opening (27a), the positive and negative wires (3a, 3b) go from one to the other of the open ends of the tubular rotating shafts (1) through the inside of said tubular connecting elements (28) and through said central opening (27a) of the rotating drive wheel (27), the positive and negative wires (3a, 3b) emerge from an open final end of the tubular rotating shaft (1) of one of the of the single-axis solar trackers (S1-S5) and are inserted into the tubular rotating shaft (1) of another adjacent single-axis solar tracker (S1-S5) through an open initial end of the corresponding tubular rotating shaft (1), and the open initial and final ends of the tubular rotating shafts (1) have respective caps (7) provided with an opening (8) covered by a membrane (16), and said membrane (16) has at least one cut (18) in a central region thereof for the passage therethrough of the positive and negative wires (3a, 3b).

2. The solar energy harvesting device according to claim 1, wherein positive and negative wires (3a, 3b) from the photovoltaic panels (2) connected in series of the different single-axis solar trackers (S1-S5) are inserted into the tubular rotating shafts (1) through open ends thereof.

3. The solar energy harvesting device according to claim 2, wherein the positive and negative wires (3a, 3b) of each single-axis solar tracker (S1-S5) are gradually added to the positive and negative wires (3a, 3b) of successive single-axis solar trackers (S1-S5) and are connected to a junction box (10) located in a final single-axis solar tracker (S5).

4. The solar energy harvesting device according to claim 1, wherein the membrane (16) is supported in a ring (17) fixed to said opening (8).

5. The solar energy harvesting device according to claim 1, wherein the caps (7) have a neck (7a) having a rim defining the opening (8) and said ring (17) is fixed at said rim of the neck (7a).

6. The solar energy harvesting device according to claim 1, wherein each of the tubular connecting elements (28) has one end fixed to the rotating drive wheel (27) and the other opposite end fixed to a support (29), and the corresponding tubular rotating shaft (1) is fixed to said support (29) by detachable fixing elements (30).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The preceding and other features and advantages will be better understood from the following detailed description of a merely illustrative and non-limiting embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] FIG. 1 is a side view of a single-axis solar tracker that is part of the solar energy harvesting device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the solar energy harvesting device of the present invention including several single-axis solar trackers arranged forming a row;

[0020] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an open end of a tubular rotating shaft, with a cap and a protective sleeve according to an embodiment;

[0021] FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the final single-axis solar tracker including a junction box;

[0022] FIG. 5 is a cutaway perspective view showing an open end of a tubular rotating shaft, with a cap and a protective sleeve according to another embodiment;

[0023] FIG. 6 is a partial cross-section view showing the connection of two tubular rotating shafts to a gear reducer; and

[0024] FIG. 7 is a cutaway perspective view showing the elements that perform the connection of FIG. 6, where the tubular rotating shafts have been omitted for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

[0025] Referring first to FIG. 1, this figure shows a single-axis solar tracker S1 comprising a structure 4 that is elongated in a longitudinal direction on which there are installed in a co-planar manner a plurality of photovoltaic panels 2. A tubular rotating shaft 1 arranged along the longitudinal direction is fixed to a lower side of the structure. A plurality of support feet 20 are distributed along the structure 4, each support feet 20 has an upper end which supports a bearing coupled to the tubular rotating shaft 1 and a lower end anchored to the ground. One of the support feet 20, which is reinforced with an additional support 26, has a drive motor 15 operatively connected for rotating the tubular rotating shaft 1 together with the structure 4 and the photovoltaic panels 2 according to the relative movements of the Sun.

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a solar energy harvesting device including several single-axis solar trackers S1-S5 arranged forming a row, where the tubular rotating shafts 1 of the several single-axis solar trackers S1-S5 are coaxially aligned, or they are as coaxially aligned as allowed by the conditions of the land on which they are installed. Generally, the tubular rotating shafts 1 of two adjacent single-axis solar trackers S1-S5 have respective mutually facing open ends.

[0027] The photovoltaic panels 2 arranged in each single-axis solar tracker S1-S5 are connected in series and the electrical energy generated by same is conducted, by means of positive and negative wires 3a, 3b, to a junction box 10 located in the final single-axis solar tracker S5 of the row. In the embodiment shown, the positive conductor wires 3a and negative conductor wires 3b emerge from opposite ends of each single-axis solar tracker S1-S5, although this is not an essential condition.

[0028] The positive and negative wires 3a, 3b conducting electrical energy generated by the photovoltaic panels 2 connected in series in the different single-axis solar trackers S1-S5 are inserted into the tubular rotating shafts 1 through open ends thereof and are housed inside one or more of the tubular rotating shafts 1. More specifically, the positive and negative wires 3a, 3b of each single-axis solar tracker S1-S5 are gradually added to the positive and negative wires 3a, 3b of successive single-axis solar trackers S1-S5 inside successive tubular rotating shafts 1, and are finally connected to the junction box 10.

[0029] Between every two adjacent single-axis solar trackers S1-S5, the positive and negative wires 3a, 3b emerge from an open final end of the tubular rotating shaft 1 of one of the adjacent single-axis solar trackers S1-S5 and are inserted into the tubular rotating shaft 1 of the other adjacent single-axis solar tracker S1-S5 through an open initial end of the corresponding tubular rotating shaft 1. In the embodiment shown, the positive and negative wires 3a, 3b are conducted from the open final end of one of the tubular rotating shafts 1 to the open initial end of the tubular rotating shaft 1 of the other adjacent single-axis solar tracker S1-S5 inside a protective sleeve 5.

[0030] As best shown in FIG. 3, the tubular rotating shaft 1 has a square cross-section and at each of the open initial and final ends 1a, 1b thereof there is coupled a respective cap 7 having an opening 8 and a projection 9 which is plugged into the corresponding open initial or final end 1a, 1b of the tubular rotating shaft 1. The protective sleeve 5 has the ends thereof plugged into the openings 8 of the caps 7 located at the open initial and final ends 1a, 1b of the tubular rotating shafts 1 of two adjacent single-axis solar trackers S1-S5.

[0031] Although FIG. 3 only shows the open initial end 1a of the tubular rotating shaft 1 and the corresponding cap 7, it must be pointed out that the open final end 1b and the corresponding cap 7 are similar. Likewise, the cap 7 could have several projections instead of just the one projection 9 shown for being plugged into the corresponding open initial or final end 1a, 1b of the tubular rotating shaft 1 with an equivalent result.

[0032] The protective sleeve 5 is preferably made of a flexible material, such as plastic or elastomer, for example. In the embodiment shown, the protective sleeve 5 is in the form of a corrugated tube. The positive and negative wires 3a, 3b can be inserted into the tubular rotating shafts 1 through the openings 8 of the caps 7, for example through a space formed between an inner rim of the opening 8 of the cap 7 and an elastically deformed portion of the wall of the protective sleeve.

[0033] FIG. 4 shows an end of the single-axis solar tracker S5 located in the last spot in the row, and it allows observing the elongated structure 4 on which there are installed in a co-planar manner a plurality of photovoltaic panels 2, the tubular rotating shaft 1, one of the support feet 20 which supports a bearing 12 coupled to the tubular rotating shaft 1, the junction box 10, and the protective sleeve 5 conducting the positive and negative wires 3a, 3b from the open final end of the tubular rotating shaft 1 to the junction box 10.

[0034] A negative conductor wire 3b emerging from the photovoltaic panels 2 connected in series in this single-axis solar tracker S5 is connected directly to the junction box 10. A signal cable 13 and power supply cable 14 extending along the several single-axis solar trackers S1-S5 on the outside of the respective tubular rotating shafts 1, attached thereto, furthermore emerge from the junction box 10.

[0035] FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment in which the open initial and final ends of the tubular rotating shafts 1 have caps 7 coupled thereto. For example, the tubular rotating shafts 1 have a square cross-section and each cap 7 has one or more projections 9 which are plugged into the corresponding open end of the tubular rotating shaft 1. The cap 7 has an opening 8 covered by a membrane 16 having at least one cut 18, and preferably two crossed cuts 18, located in a central region of the membrane 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the membrane 16 is supported in a ring 17 fixed to the opening 8. More specifically, the caps 7 have a neck 7a the rim of which defines the opening 8, and the ring 17 is fixed at the rim of the neck 7a. This embodiment makes it unnecessary to use the mentioned corrugated tube inside the tubular rotating shafts 1, since the caps 7 protect the cables from the sharp edges present at the open end of the tubular rotating shafts 1.

[0036] These one or more cuts 18 allow the passage of the positive and negative wires 3a, 3b and at the same time support them in a centered position in which they do not come into contact with the edges of the ends of the tubular rotating shafts 1, thereby preventing friction without having to use a protective sleeve.

[0037] FIGS. 6 and 7 show the connection of the open ends of two tubular rotating shafts 1 of a single-axis solar tracker S1-S5 adjacent to a rotating drive wheel 27 of a drive device 31. For example, the rotating drive wheel 27 is part of a reducer gear and is driven by a drive motor 15 supported on one of the support feet 20.

[0038] The open ends of the two adjacent tubular rotating shafts 1 are coaxially fixed to the rotating drive wheel 27 by rigid tubular connecting elements 28. The rotating drive wheel 27 has a central opening 27a. At the open initial and final ends of the tubular rotating shafts 1 there are installed respective caps 7 provided with an opening 8. Inside the tubular connecting elements 28 and through the central opening 27a of the rotating drive wheel 27 there is installed a protective sleeve 5 having the ends thereof connected to the openings 8 of the caps 7, and the positive and negative wires 3a, 3b are conducted from one of the open final ends of the tubular rotating shafts 1 to the other through the inside of the protective sleeve 5. Accordingly, the positive and negative wires 3a, 3b go from one of the open final ends of the tubular rotating shafts 1 to the other through the inside of the tubular connecting elements 28 and through the central opening 27a of the rotating drive wheel 27.

[0039] As best shown FIG. 7, each of the tubular connecting elements 28 has one end fixed to the rotating drive wheel 27 and the other opposite end fixed to a support 29, and the corresponding tubular rotating shaft 1 is fixed to the support 29 by detachable fixing elements 30, such as screws, for example.

[0040] The scope of the present invention is defined in the attached claims.