Patent Publication Number: US-2013248668-A1

Title: Locking apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to locking apparatuses and, particularly, to a locking apparatus for mounting photovoltaic modules. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Photovoltaic modules are mounted to a bracket through locking apparatuses. A locking apparatus includes a plurality of hexagonal nuts received in a slot of the bracket beforehand, and it is often inconvenient to assemble the hexagonal nuts to the locking apparatus because the hexagonal nuts cannot be guided to be correctly and automatically positioned. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, all the views are schematic, and like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is an assembled, isometric view of an embodiment of a locking apparatus. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded, isometric view of the locking apparatus of  FIG. 1 , but viewed from another perspective. 
         FIG. 3  is a side plan view of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The disclosure, including the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements, is illustrated by way of examples and not by way of limitation. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 , an embodiment of a locking apparatus for mounting a photovoltaic module is shown. The locking apparatus includes an elongated bracket  10 , a pressing member  20 , a mounting member  30 , a screw  40 , and a resilient washer  50 . 
     The bracket  10  includes two opposite side plates  12  and a U-shaped guiding portion  14  connected between the side plates  12 . The guiding portion  14  includes two opposite sidewalls  142  extending down from top sides of the corresponding side plates  12 , and an arc-shaped linking portion  144  connected between bottom sides of the sidewalls  142 . The sidewalls  142  and the linking portion  144  bound a guiding slot  145 . A blocking portion  16  is formed at a joining portion between the top side of each side plate  12  and a top side of a corresponding sidewall  142 . An access  13  to the guiding portion  14  is formed between the blocking portions  16 , communicating with the guiding slot  145 . 
     The pressing member  20  includes a bottom portion  21  and two side portions  22  extending up from opposite sides of the bottom portion  21 . A pressing piece  23  extends outward from a top side of each side portion  22 , away from the other side portion  22 . A through hole  211  is defined in a center of the bottom portion  21 . 
     The mounting member  30  includes a rectangular top surface  31  and an arc-shaped bottom surface  33 . A screw hole  35  is defined in a center of the mounting member  30 , through the top surface  31  and the bottom surface  33 . The largest width between the top surface  31  and the bottom surface  33  is less than the width of the access  13 . Therefore, the mounting member  30  can be laterally put in the guiding portion  14  through the access  13 . 
     In assembly, the mounting member  30  is laterally put into the guiding slot  145  through the access  13 . The mounting member  30  is adjusted to mate the bottom surface  33  with the linking portion  144 , which means the linking portion  144  faces the bottom surface  33 . Therefore, the top surface  31  faces the access  13 . The width of the mounting member  30  is less than the distance between the sidewalls  142 . Therefore, the mounting member  30  can be received between the sidewalls  142  horizontally. The screw  40  extends through the washer  50 , the through hole  211 , and the access  13  in that order, to screw into the screw hole  35 . A side of the photovoltaic module can be firmly sandwiched between the pressing piece  23  and the bracket  10  by adjusting a length of the screw  40  screwing into the screw hole  35 . The width of the mounting member  30  is larger than the width of the access  13 , which can prevent the mounting member  30  from releasing from the bracket  10 . The length of the mounting member  30  is larger than the distance between the sidewalls  142 , which can avoid the mounting member rotating in the guiding slot  145 . 
     In this embodiment, when the mounting member  30  is put into the guiding slot  145 , the linking portion  144  can mate with the bottom surface  33 , to guide the mounting member  30  to make the top surface  31  be correctly and automatically positioned. The screw  40  can be conveniently assembled to the mounting member  30 . 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in the matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.