Abstract:
Disclosed is a device for mounting solar panels and other equipment to tile roofs, or similar roof structures, that does not require removal of roofing tile for installation. A stanchion is inserted into a hole drilled into a roofing tile. Two or more wood securing fasteners are inserted into diagonal and crossing through-holes in the sides of the stanchion above the tile and exit on opposing sides of the stanchion, with respect to their insertion point, below the tile. The ends of the wood securing fasteners engage the surface of the roof sheeting beneath the tile at a distance outwardly away from the stanchion. With this arrangement, the tile roof equipment-mounting device engages the roof surface over a wider area than the diameter of the hole drilled into the roof tile without the need for removing the roof tile.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to a device for mounting solar panels and other equipment to tile roofs and roof structures similar to tile roofs. 
     Mounting solar panels, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) panels or solar thermal panels, to tile roofs present its own particular set of challenges. Roof tile can be made of a variety of materials such as ceramic, slate, concrete, or clay. These materials can be brittle and therefore often do not present a stable mounting surface for solar panels or other roof mounted equipment. In addition, roof tiles come in a variety of different shapes and styles, for example, flat roof tile, or curved barrel tile. These variations in shape and style also present challenges for mounting equipment. 
     One solution has been to use a mounting device that includes a base portion in combination with a hook or bracket member. A portion of roof tile is removed to expose the roof-sheathing. The base portion engages and secures the mounting device to the exposed roof-sheathing directly. The hook or bracket member engages the equipment racking system to the mounting device. Flashing is generally placed on top of the base to prevent water infiltration. The removed tile portion is then re-secured over the base with an equipment-mounting portion at the end of bracket member exposed above the tile. 
     One of the challenges with this arrangement is the position of the base is often dictated by the rafters below the roof sheeting and therefore limits the position of roof equipment racking with respect to the mounting device. Another challenge is that one or more roof tiles must be removed or cut and then replaced. This requires additional installation labor and creates extra opportunity for roof leakage. 
     Another solution has been to drill a hole in one of the roof tiles, and engage the roof with a combination stanchion and wood securing fastener. The wood securing threaded stud extends vertically downward from the bottom of the stanchion. While this solution has the advantage of simplicity as compared with the bracket/base member previously described, it may not engage the roof as securely, and the position of the stanchion still may be dictated by the position of the rafters below the roof sheeting. 
     SUMMARY 
     Disclosed is a device for mounting solar panels to tile roofs that attempts to overcome the problems described in the background section. The device does not require tiles to be removed from the roof. The device also has increased stability as compared with the combination stanchion and vertical wood securing fastener described in the Background section. The device increases stability by spreading the points of fastening on the surface of the roof over a wider area than the stanchion and vertical wood securing threaded stud alone. 
     The device for mounting solar panels to tile roofs includes a stanchion. The stanchion includes two or more diagonal through-holes that cross over each other within the stanchion; each diagonal through-hole terminates with a first aperture on the side of the stanchion on the opposing side of the stanchion. The stanchion is placed through an aperture in the tile. The mounting device may include a threaded stud extending vertically downward below the bottom surface of the stanchion that can be screwed into the roof surface below the tile. The portion of the stanchion with the first apertures is above the tile and the portion of the stanchion with the second apertures is below the tile. Wood securing fasteners are inserted into corresponding through-holes from the top of the tile. The first apertures are configured to seat the wood securing fasteners while the second through-holes are configured to pass through the ends of the wood securing fasteners. The ends of the wood securing fasteners engage roof sheeting beneath the tile at a distance from the stanchion determined by the angle of the through-hole and the position of the second aperture on the side of the stanchion from the roof surface. 
     After the wood securing fasteners secure the stanchion to the roof surface, a formable flashing with a self-contained rubber or otherwise elastomeric boot is slipped over the stanchion and under the overlapping tile row adjacent to the tile with the aperture to prevent water leakage through the mounting hole. 
     The stanchion can include a threaded aperture on its top surface for mounting solar panel racking system securing hardware; for example, an L-bracket or U-bracket for engaging a rail. Alternatively, the top surface of the stanchion can be configured to seat solar panels directly with the threaded aperture receiving a machine-threaded fastener and solar panel mounting clamp. 
     This Summary introduced a selection of concepts in simplified form for a device for mounting equipment to tile roofs. The device for mounting equipment to tile roofs is described in further detail in the Description. The Summary is not intended to identify essential features or limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a solar panel racking system including a mounting device. 
         FIG. 2  shows a solar panel racking system including a mounting device configured to mount solar panels without rails. 
         FIG. 3  shows a portion of  FIG. 1 , in side view, showing the mounting device mounted to roof-sheathing. 
         FIG. 4  shows a portion of  FIG. 1 , in side view, showing the mounting device mounted to both the roof-sheathing and roof rafters. 
         FIG. 5  shows a tile roof with a jig for drilling an aperture in the tile roof for mounting the stanchion. 
         FIG. 6  shows the stanchion being inserted into the aperture drilled into the tile roof. 
         FIG. 7  shows the roof securing fasteners being inserted into the stanchion. 
         FIG. 8  shows flashing for preventing water infiltration from the stanchion. 
         FIG. 9  shows hand forming the flashing to conform with the shape of the tile roof. 
         FIG. 10  shows the mounting device installed in the tile roof. 
         FIG. 11  shows a flow chart illustrating steps for assembling the mounting device to the roof. 
         FIG. 12  shows a perspective view of the stanchion. 
         FIG. 13  shows a side view of the stanchion. 
         FIG. 14  shows a bottom view of the stanchion. 
         FIG. 15  shows a top view of the stanchion 
         FIG. 16  shows a sectional view of the stanchion taken along section line  16 - 16  of  FIG. 15 . 
         FIG. 17  shows a perspective view of the stanchion with the wood securing fasteners inserted. 
         FIG. 18  shows a top view of the stanchion of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 19  shows a perspective view of the stanchion of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 20  shows a side view of the stanchion of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 21  shows a stanchion with a lower cylindrical portion and a hexagonal portion above the lower cylindrical portion. 
         FIG. 22  shows the entire length of the stanchion as a hexagonal portion. 
         FIG. 23  shows a typical hole pattern representing the wood securing fastener contact point with the roof-sheathing for a stanchion designed for two evenly spaced wood securing fasteners. 
         FIG. 24  shows a typical hole pattern representing the wood securing fastener contact point with the roof-sheathing for a stanchion designed for three evenly spaced wood securing fasteners. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     The following description is made with reference to figures, where like numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views,  FIGS. 1-2  shows, in partially exploded perspective view, a solar panel system and tile roof structure  10  with solar panels  11  mounted to a tile roof  13 . In  FIG. 1 , the solar panels  11  are mounted to a rail  17  by solar panel end-clamps  19  and mid-clamps  21 . The rails  17  are secured to a mounting device  15 . The mounting device  15  is secured to roof-sheathing  23  underneath the roof tiles  25 . In  FIG. 2  the solar panels  11 , solar panel end-clamps  19 , and mid-clamps  21  are secured directly to an alternative mounting device  27  with a bolt, threaded rod and nut, or other fastener, without the need of the rails  17  of  FIG. 1 . The alternative mounting device  27  is secured to the roof-sheathing  23  of the tile roof  13  underneath the roof tiles  25 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a portion of  FIG. 1 , in side view, showing the mounting device  15  mounted through a tile aperture  29  in the roof tile  25  to roof-sheathing  23 . The mounting device  15 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , includes a stanchion  31 , an elastomer gasket under the stanchion, a formed-flashing  33  with an integral elastomeric boot  35  for preventing water infiltration into the tile aperture  29 , wood securing fasteners  37  and a wood securing threaded stud  39  for securing the stanchion  31  to the roof-sheathing  23 . The wood securing fasteners  37  pass through elastomeric washers  41  that is compressed against the surface of the roof-sheathing  23  to further protect against water ingress as the wood securing fasteners  37  is screwed into the roof-sheathing  23 . The wood securing fasteners  37  pass into diagonal through-holes  43  in the sides of the stanchion  31 . The diagonal through-holes  43  cross over each other within the stanchion  31 . Each diagonal through-holes  43  passes through the sides of the stanchion  31  forming a first aperture  45  above the tile and a second aperture  47  below the roof tile  25 . The wood securing fasteners  37  engage the surface of the roof-sheathing  23  a distance away from the stanchion  31  determined by the combination of the angle of the diagonal through-hole  43  with respect to the stanchion  31  and the distance of the second aperture  47  from the bottom of the stanchion  31 . This arrangement allows the mounting device to have a mounting area wider than the tile aperture  29  without removal of the roof tiles  25 . The stanchion  31  can include a first threaded aperture  49  on its top surface for mounting solar panel racking system securing hardware; for example, an L-bracket or U-bracket for engaging a rail  17  of  FIG. 1 , or alternatively, a short bolt for engaging the rail  17  of  FIG. 1  directly. 
       FIG. 4  shows a portion of  FIG. 1 , in side view, showing the stanchion  31  of the mounting device  15  secured by wood securing fasteners  37  to the roof-sheathing  23  and by the wood securing threaded stud  39  to a roof rafter  51 . Securing the wood securing threaded stud  39  to the roof rafter  51  provides additional pull strength in addition to the shear strength provided by the wood securing fasteners  37  by outwardly and obliquely engaging the roof-sheathing  23  surface at a position beyond the circumference of the stanchion  31 . 
       FIGS. 5-10  illustrate how to secure the mounting device to the tile roof.  FIG. 11  shows a flow chart illustrating steps for assembling the mounting device to the roof.  FIG. 5  shows a portion of the tile roof  13  with flat roof tiles  53  with a jig  55  for drilling the tile aperture  29  in the tile roof  13  for mounting the stanchion  31  of  FIG. 6 . A drill  57  and tile-cutting bit  59  are attached to the jig  55 .  FIG. 6  shows the stanchion  31  and wood securing threaded stud  39  being inserted into the tile aperture  29  in the tile roof  13 .  FIG. 7  shows the wood securing fasteners  37  being inserted into the stanchion  31  after the stanchion  31  has been secured through the roof tile  25  to the roof-sheathing  23  of  FIG. 3  by the wood securing threaded stud  39  of  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 8  shows the formed-flashing  33  and integral elastomeric boot  35  before custom forming.  FIG. 9  shows hand forming the formed-flashing  33  to conform to the shape of the roof tile  25  of  FIG. 7 .  FIG. 10  shows the mounting device  15  installed in the tile roof  13 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 5  in step  101 , a hole is drilled into the flat roof tile  53  to form the tile aperture  29 . The tile aperture  29  is shown being drilled by the combination of jig  55 , the drill  57 , and tile-cutting bit  59 . This is suggestive to the reader as one way of drilling a hole in tile. Creating a hole in tile is well known in the art. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize other ways to create a hole in tile according to their experience. The tile aperture  29  can be sized closely to the size diameter of the stanchion  31 , if desired, to simplify water proofing, however there should be a small gap to allow for thermal expansion of the stanchion  31  and racking system of  FIG. 7  as compared with the roof tile  25 . As an example, for a stanchion  31  made out of 6061 or 7075 aluminum alloy, the coefficient of thermal expansion is approximately four time that of clay tile. For a stanchion  31  of 50 mm diameter, a gap of approximately 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm should be sufficient to allow for thermal expansion and contraction over outdoor temperature range of 80-degrees C. Those skilled in the art of installing will readily be able to calculate the necessary gap size, or recognize it by experience, without undue experimentation. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 11 and 6 , in step  103  the stanchion  31  is placed in the tile aperture  29  and secured to the roof-sheathing  23  of  FIG. 3  by screwing the wood securing threaded stud  39  into the roof-sheathing  23 . Alternatively, the wood securing threaded stud  39  can be screwed into the roof rafter  51  of  FIG. 4 . The stanchion  31  length should be chosen so that the first apertures  45  are above the roof tile  25  and the second apertures  47  are below the roof tile  25  when the stanchion  31  is secured to the roof-sheathing  23  of  FIG. 3 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , typically the roof tiles  25  are set above the roof sheathing by lumber  61  or furring strips. For example, a 1×2 furring strips sets the height of the roof tile  25  approximately 0.75 inches (19.05 mm) above the roof-sheathing  23 . In addition, barrel roof tile can typically have 3 inch (76.2 mm) base to peak height. This makes a total peak height including the furring strip of 3.75 inches (95.25 mm). Therefore, for a typical barrel tile roof installation, the second aperture  47  should be lower than 3.75 inches (95.2 mm) and the first aperture  45  should be higher than 3.75 inches (95.25 mm) measuring from bottom to top along the stanchion  31 . 
     For a flat tile roof, for example, the tile roof  13  of  FIG. 5 , with a thickness of 0.625 inches (15.88 mm) and 1×2 furring strips with a height of 0.75 inches (19.05 mm), the second apertures  47  should be set no higher than 0.75 inches (19.05 mm) and the first aperture  45  should be set no lower than 0.75 inches (19.05 mm)+0.625 inches (15.88 mm)=1.375 inches (34.93 mm) from the bottom of the stanchion  31 . A stanchion  31  that can accommodate both the flat tile roof type of this example and the barrel tile roof of the previous example can be constructed by placing the second aperture  47  lower than 0.75 inches (19.05 mm) and placing the first aperture  45  higher than 3.75 inches (95.25 mm) from bottom to top along the stanchion  31 . The exact placement of the first aperture  45  and the second aperture  47  can be determined by the desired intersection point of the wood securing fasteners  37  with the roof-sheathing  23  of  FIG. 3 . It is anticipated that there may be a selection of different length stanchions available to accommodate a variety of tile types and mountings. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 11 and 7 , in step  105 , with the stanchion  31  inserted through the roof tile  25 , the wood securing fasteners  37  with elastomeric sleeves are inserted into the first apertures  45 , and pass through the diagonal through-holes  43  and secured into the roof-sheathing  23  as shown in  FIGS. 3-4 . 
     Referring  FIGS. 11 and 10 , in step  107 , the formed-flashing  33  with integral elastomeric boot  35  is placed over the stanchion  31  after it is installed. Referring to  FIG. 3 , the formed-flashing  33  and integral elastomeric boot  35  covers any gap between the stanchion  31  and tile aperture  29  as well as the heads of the wood securing fasteners  37  and the first apertures  45 . The gap between the stanchion  31  and tile aperture  29  can also be filed with a flexible waterproof material such as silicon caulking. The formed-flashing  33  can be pre-formed for a specific tile type, but can also be formed on the job site, by hand forming, as shown in  FIG. 9 . Referring back to  FIG. 10 , the flashing is secured and sealed to the roof surface using flashing sealant and mastics known readily to those skilled in the art. 
     Referring to  FIG. 11 , in step  109 , the solar panels  11  are secured to the mounting device  15  in combination with a rail  17 , as in  FIG. 1  or alternatively directly to the alternative mounting device  27  of  FIG. 2 , both as previously described. 
       FIGS. 12-16  shows the stanchion  31  in various views.  FIG. 12  shows a perspective view of the stanchion  31  showing several of the first apertures  45  and the second apertures  47  as well as the first threaded aperture  49 .  FIG. 13  shows a side view of the stanchion  31  showing two of the first apertures  45  and the second apertures  47  with the diagonal through-holes  43  shown in broken lines to represent hidden lines. It should be understood that the diagonal through-holes  43  do not intersect, but rather cross either in front of or behind each other so that wood securing fasteners  37  of  FIG. 3  can freely pass through.  FIG. 14  shows a bottom view of the stanchion  31  a second threaded aperture  63  threaded and sized to receive and secure a machine threaded portion of the wood securing threaded stud  39  of  FIG. 3  in the stanchion  31 . Some method of fastening the wood screw to the stanchion may be pressed in or even cast in.  FIG. 15  shows a top view of the stanchion  31  showing the first threaded aperture  49 .  FIG. 16  shows a sectional view of the stanchion  31  taken along section line  16 - 16  of  FIG. 15 .  FIG. 16  shows the first threaded aperture  49 , the second threaded aperture  63 , some of the diagonal through-holes  43 , and some of the first apertures  45  and the second aperture  47 . 
       FIG. 17  shows a perspective view of the stanchion  31  with the wood securing fasteners  37  inserted into the first apertures  45  and the wood securing portions passing through the second apertures  47 . The wood securing threaded stud  39  is shown extending vertically below the bottom of the stanchion  31 . The head of the wood securing fasteners  37  is seated in a recess around the first aperture  45 . 
     The stanchion  31  of  FIGS. 1-7 ,  10 , and  12 - 17  can be made of metal, for example, steel, aluminum, or titanium. Alternatively it can be made out of thermal plastic. The stanchion  31  can be cast, extruded, rolled, forged, or in the case of thermal plastic, molded. Any material or fabrication process can be used that produces a stanchion  31  with sufficient strength to withstand the dynamic forces and weight of a solar panel racking system subject to an outdoor environment. The wood securing fasteners  37  can be any wood securing fastener appropriate for diagonal securing to the roof-sheathing  23  of  FIG. 3 . For example, structural wood screws such sold under the brand and series Simpson Strong-Tie SDS can be used. 
       FIGS. 18-20  show various views of an alternative stanchion  73  of the alternative mounting device  27  of  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 18  shows a top view of the alternative stanchion  73  of  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 19  shows a perspective view of an alternative stanchion  73  showing some of the first apertures  45  and the second apertures  47 .  FIG. 20  shows a side view of the alternative stanchion  73  also with the first apertures  45  and second apertures  47  in view. Referring to  FIGS. 18-20 , the alternative stanchion  73  includes a top planar base portion  75  with an alignment portion  77  projecting perpendicularly upward from the top planar base portion  75 . The upward projection is square or rectangular in shape to seat the solar panels  11  of  FIG. 2  in one of two orthogonal directions only. The diagonal through-holes  43  in  FIG. 20 , shown in broken lines, and their relationship to alternative stanchion  73  is the same as for the stanchion  31  previously described. The reader should note that the size and shape of the top planar base portion  75  as well as the position of the first apertures  45  must be configured such that there is clearance for the wood securing fasteners to readily inserted and removed from the alternative stanchion  73 . 
     The stanchion  31  has been illustrated as a vertically projected solid and specifically as having a substantially right circle cylindrical shape. This shape was chosen because one skilled in the art can readily make the tile aperture  29  of  FIG. 6  to accommodate a right circular cylindrical shape because of the right circular cylinder&#39;s circular cross section. For the purpose of this disclosure, a right cylinder is broadly defined to include right prisms, as well as right circular cylinders; a right prism being a right polygonal cylinder. The stanchions  31  of  FIGS. 21-22  are modified right cylinders including either a polygon projected cross-section, as in  FIG. 22 , or a portion with a polygon projected cross-section and a circular projected cross-section as in  FIG. 21 .  FIG. 21  shows a stanchion  31  with a lower right circular cylindrical portion  65  and a right hexagonal prism portion  67  above the lower right circular cylindrical portion  65 . The right hexagonal prism portion  67  is so shaped in order to accommodate a wrench such as a socket wrench, box-end wrench, open-end wrench, or other tool for turning hexagonal shapes.  FIG. 22  shows the entire length of the stanchion  31  as a right hexagonal prism portion  67 . 
     The stanchion  31  described in  FIG. 3  and others requires a minimum of two of the diagonal through-holes  43  in order to accommodate a minimum of two of the wood securing fasteners  37  along with the wood securing threaded stud  39 . Three or more of the diagonal through-holes  43 , approximately evenly spaced, allows for the possibility to secure the standoff against torqueing and shearing forces equally in all directions.  FIGS. 23-24  represents a typical hole pattern representing the wood securing fastener contact point  69  and wood securing threaded stud contact point  71  with the roof-sheathing  23 . The cross section of where the outside circumference of the stanchion  31  contacts the roof-sheathing  23  is shown by broken lines. In both  FIGS. 23-24 , the wood securing threaded stud contact point  71  is approximately centric with respect to the stanchion  31 . 
     In  FIG. 23 , the stanchion  31  accommodates two fasteners spaced 180-degrees apart. The wood securing fastener contact point  69  is distance d 1  from the outside edge of the stanchion  31 . In  FIG. 24 , the stanchion  31  accommodates three fasteners evenly spaced, approximately 120-degrees apart. The wood securing fastener contact point  69  is distance d 2  from the outside edge of the stanchion  31 . Distances d 1  and d 2  are determined by the angle of the diagonal through-holes  43  and the distance of the second aperture  47 , both shown in  FIG. 3 , from the bottom of the stanchion  31 . 
     The mounting device  15  described for  FIGS. 1-24  has been applied to tile roof structures. The mounting device  15  can be readily adapted to a metal roof structure as well. For example, in  FIG. 1  or  2 , if a metal roof were substituted for the tile roof  13 , the mounting device  15  can be readily adapted to attach equipment to the metal roof. Instead of the tile aperture  29  in a roof tile  25 , a similar aperture can be drilled into metal roof sheeting and the stanchion  31  can be mounted therethrough with the wood securing fasteners  37  and wood securing threaded stud  39  securing the stanchion  31  to the roof-sheathing  23  as shown in  FIG. 3  for the tile roof. The formed flashing  33  and integral elastomeric boot  35  can be similarly mounted to the metal roof structure as previously described for  FIG. 3  for the tile roof structure  10 . In the case of metal roof structures where the wood roof sheathing is not used, appropriate fasteners can be substituted for the wood securing fasteners. For example, in the case of a metal roof, with metal sheathing, a metal roof securing fastener can be substituted for the wood securing fastener. 
     A device for mounting equipment, such as solar panels, to tile roof and similar structures has been described. It is not the intent of this disclosure to limit the claimed invention to the examples, variations, and exemplary embodiments described in the specification. Those skilled in the art will recognize that variations will occur when embodying the claimed invention in specific implementations and environments. For example, it is possible to implement certain features described in separate embodiments in combination within a single embodiment. Similarly, it is possible to implement certain features described in single embodiments either separately or in combination in multiple embodiments. It is the intent of the inventor that these variations fall within the scope of the claimed invention. While the examples, exemplary embodiments, and variations are helpful to those skilled in the art in understanding the claimed invention, it should be understood that, the scope of the claimed invention is defined solely by the following claims and their equivalents.