Patent ID: 11949032
Assignee: SUNPOWER CORPORATION
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  Y | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A photovoltaic (PV) assembly comprising:
a first row of a PV array;
a second row of the PV array adjacent to the first row, wherein the first and second rows each comprise:
a plurality of PV modules on a mounting structure, each PV module having a front side that faces the sun to collect solar radiation during normal operation and a back side opposite the front side, each PV module comprising:
a laminate encapsulating a plurality of solar cells,
a frame surrounding the laminate to define an outer edge of the PV module, the frame comprising:
an upper portion comprising a laminate-receiving channel and an upper surface feature at the outer edge of the PV module, and
a lower base portion comprising a lower surface feature at the outer edge of the PV module;

a plurality of spacing devices positioned above the mounting structure between the first and second row, each spacing device comprising:
a spacer body having a bowed structure defining a width between a first end of the bowed structure and a second end of the bowed structure opposite the first end, wherein the bowed structure of the spacer body of the spacing device forms a cavity between the first end and the second end, and wherein the spacing device comprises only a single crosspiece, wherein the crosspiece is a centrally curved outermost crosspiece with a curvature that is outward relative to the cavity,
a non-pivoting upper engagement feature on an outwardly curved portion of the first end of the bowed structure for non-pivotably engaging the upper surface feature of a first PV module of the plurality of PV modules in the first row of the PV array,
a non-pivoting lower engagement feature on an outwardly curved portion of the second end of the bowed structure for non-pivotably engaging the lower surface feature of the first PV module in the first row of the PV array, wherein the spacing device is symmetrical about an axis extending through a center of the bowed structure, through a center of the cavity, through a center of the single crosspiece and through a mid-point between the non-pivoting upper engagement feature on the outwardly curved portion of the first end of the bowed structure and the non-pivoting upper engagement feature on the outwardly curved portion of the second end of the bowed structure, and wherein a width of the spacing device from an end of the non-pivoting lower engagement feature to an end of the non-pivoting upper engagement feature is greater than the width between the first end of the bowed structure and the second end of the bowed structure along a direction from the end of the non-pivoting lower engagement feature to the end of the non-pivoting upper engagement feature, and
an abutting portion on the bowed structure contacting the outer edge of a second PV module of the plurality of PV modules in the second row of the PV array,

wherein the width defined by the bowed structure of the spacing device sets a lateral gap between the first and second rows of the PV array.