Patent Document

RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/394,733, filed on Oct. 19, 2010, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section. 
     Photovoltaic (PV) modules are typically configured to produce electricity most efficiently from direct sunlight. Mounting hardware for PV modules has been designed to reliably mount and expose PV modules to direct sunlight by attaching them to unobstructed buildings, vehicles, or structures. While there have been a number of recent developments in the field of building integrated PV systems, there are still issues with their installation, such as ease of orientation issues, PV module alignment issues, ventilation issues, servicing issues, and inability to work well in retrofit applications. 
     Numerous systems have been devised to mitigate these issues, but most have resulted in costly and cumbersome mounting hardware. One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,018 (&#39;018) to Shingleton. The &#39;018 patent discloses a solar collector array formed of a plurality of solar panels mounted on a frame made of support beams which may be sheet metal channel members. A butyl tape or other glazing material is applied between the back laminate of the solar panel and the beam. Clips are used to clamp the panels to the support beams. The clips have an upper portion that is generally T-shaped in profile, and a retainer in the form of a channel nut or bar, with a threaded hole that receives a bolt or similar threaded fastener. The retainer biases against the inwardly directed flanges of the channel support beam. Electrical wires and mechanical fasteners are concealed within the support beams. 
     Therefore, a definite need exists for a simple, cost-effective, attachment apparatus which provides the ability to secure panels to different substrates while providing ease of installation, orientation, and removal from the substrates. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to a particular aspect, an apparatus is provided for securing a panel, such as a PV panel, to a substrate. 
     An apparatus is provided for securing a panel to a substrate. The apparatus includes a base member, and an attachment member for securing the base member to the substrate. The apparatus further includes a clip member including a U-shaped member and an angle-sided member. The U-shaped member includes a central portion and first and second walls defining a generally U-shaped access region for accepting the angle-sided member. At least one of the first and second walls includes a longitudinal flange extending laterally outwardly from an upper end thereof. Each of the U-shaped member and the angle-sided member includes a corresponding hole for accepting the attachment member therethrough. The apparatus further includes a securing member for pressing the longitudinal flange against at top edge portion of the panel. 
     These as well as other aspects, advantages, and alternatives will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description, with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings. Further, it should be understood that the disclosure provided in this summary section and elsewhere in this document is intended to discuss the invention by way of example only and not by way of limitation. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
       To understand the present disclosure, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an elevational side view of an embodiment of an apparatus for securing a panel to a substrate; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded side view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of panels secured to a plurality of benches via a plurality of the apparatuses of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5A  illustrates a partial perspective view of a plurality of panels secured to a plurality of benches via a plurality of apparatuses of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5B  illustrates a partial open perspective view of the plurality of panels secured to a plurality of benches via the plurality of apparatuses of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of a couple of panels to be secured to an arm chair via the apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7A  illustrates a partial perspective view of the couple of panels secured to the arm chair of  FIG. 6  via the apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7B  illustrates a partial open perspective view of the couple of panels secured to the arm chair of  FIG. 6  via the apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an elevational side view of an alternate embodiment of an apparatus for securing a panel to a substrate; 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded side view of the alternate embodiment of  FIG. 8 ; and 
         FIG. 10  is a front view of a clip having only one wall extending upward; and 
         FIG. 11  is a side view of another alternate embodiment of an apparatus having a flange that includes teeth. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     While the present invention may be embodied in various forms, there will hereinafter be described some exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. 
     In this application, the use of the disjunctive is intended to include the conjunctive. The use of definite or indefinite articles is not intended to indicate cardinality. In particular, a reference to “the” object or “a” and “an” object is intended to denote also one of a possible plurality of such objects. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , there is shown an embodiment of an apparatus or assembly  100  for securing a panel, such as a PV panel, to a substrate. As shown, apparatus  100  includes a clip assembly  102  and a C-shaped body, frame or clamp  104 , coupled to each other through a screw or bolt  106 . Clip assembly  102  includes clip  102   a , having a generally U-shaped structure, and an angle-sided or generally triangular member  102   b . U-shaped clip  102   a  has a central portion  108 , and a pair of raised portions or walls  110 . Central portion  108  and raised walls  110  define an access region  114 . Access region  114  is accessible from two (2) longitudinal sides and from above to enable unobstructed access to triangular member  102   b  and to bolt  106 . Raised walls  110  can be substantially perpendicular to central portion  108 . Alternately, raised walls  110  can extend inwardly or outwardly over central portion  108 . 
     Central portion  108  includes a hole  116  formed therein for receipt there-through of bolt  106 , and triangular member  102   b  includes a hole  118  for receipt there-through of bolt  106 , thus facilitating the coupling of clip assembly  102  to C-shaped frame  104  via bolt  106 . Raised walls  110  include longitudinal flanges  120  extending substantially laterally away from access region  114 . Alternately, flange  120  may be configured to extend from wall  110  in a slight downward direction, instead of forming a substantially right angle with a direction of wall  110 . 
     C-shaped frame  104  includes a top frame portion  124  and a bottom frame portion  126 , spanned by an intermediate frame portion  128 . Bottom frame portion  126  is terminated by a bottom clamp seat  130 . Top frame portion  124  carries at its end, distant from the frame portion  128 , a threaded hole or an internally threaded housing  132  having a generally cylindrical shape. Bottom clamp seat  130  and threaded housing  132  are separated by an opening  133 , whose size is selected to be at least slightly wider that a thickness of a substrate to which a panel is to be secured. 
     A cross-handle  134  is slideably mounted in a transverse bore through the top end of bolt  106 , and a nut  136  is threaded on bolt  106  to be positioned between the triangular member  102   b , positioned within access region  114  of clip  102   a , and cross-handle  136 . During operation, elongated bolt  106  can adjustably penetrate through internally threaded housing  132  to press an object, such as a substrate, via a free bottom end of bolt  106  against bottom clamp seat  130 . 
     Now referring to  FIGS. 4 ,  5 A and  5 B, a plurality of assemblies  100  are used to secure a plurality of panels  402  to a plurality of benches or seating substrates  404 . As best seen in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , C-shaped frames  104  and bolts  106  are used to securely affix the corresponding assemblies  100  to benches  404 . By tightening nuts  136 , clip assemblies  102  are biased, via flanges  120 , against top ends or edges of panels  402  while bottom surfaces of panels  402  are pressed against benches  404 . For this securing of panels  402  to benches  404 , triangular members  102   b  are configured to have one of their respective internal angles match the vertical angle formed by an oblique straight line connecting consecutive forward edges of vertically adjacent benches  404  and a horizontal line sharing a vertical plane with the oblique straight line. 
     In another embodiment, triangular member  102   b  is configured to include a manually adjustable internal angle. For this embodiment, triangular member  102   b  may include an internal mechanism, controlled manually externally, that adjusts the adjustable internal angle so as to match it to an incline angle of the substrate to which assembly  100  is to be secured. 
     In yet another embodiment, triangular member  102   b  is configured to include an automatically adjustable internal angle. For this embodiment, triangular member  102   b  may include an internal mechanism that automatically adjusts, during operation, the adjustable internal angle to an incline angle of the substrate to which assembly  100  is being secured. 
     Now referring to  FIGS. 6 ,  7 A and  7 B, assembly  100  is used to secure a couple of panels  402  to a couple of adjacent seats  704 . As best seen in  FIGS. 7A and 7B , C-shaped frame  104  and bolt  106  are used to securely affix assembly  100  to a seat arm  706  separating adjacent seats  704 . By tightening corresponding nuts  136 , clip assemblies  102  are biased, via flanges  120 , against top ends or edges of panels  402 , while bottom surfaces of panels  402  are pressed against both a forward edge  708  of seat arm  706  and a top end  710  of a seat back  712 . Triangular members  102   b , selected for this securing of panels  402  to seats  704 , have one of their respective internal angles match the vertical angle formed by an oblique straight line connecting forward edges of arm  706  and top end  710  and a horizontal line sharing a vertical plane with the oblique straight line. Alternately, as discussed above, triangular members  102   b , selected for this securing of panels  402  to seats  704 , may have a manually adjustable internal angle or an automatically adjustable angle so match the incline angle of the line connecting forward edges of arm  706  and top end  710 . 
     Now referring to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , an embodiment of an alternate assembly  800  is shown. Assembly  800  is substantially assembly  100  augmented with an additional clip assembly  802 , an alternate bolt  806 , and an additional nut  808 . When assembly  800  is used to securely affix a panel to a substrate, clip assemblies  102  and  802  are biased against top edges and bottom edges of the panel, respectively, via nuts  136  and  808 , respectively. Clip assembly  802  is similar to assembly clip  102 , in that it includes a clip  802   a  and a triangular member  802   b . Triangular member  802   b  preferably has one internal angle equal to that of triangular  102   b , when they are used together to hold or capture a panel, having sides with substantially parallel edges, therebetween flanges  120  and  820 , of clips  102   a  and  802   a , respectively. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 10 , an embodiment of another alternate assembly  1000  is shown. Assembly  1000  is configured to have a different clip  1002  than that of assembly  100 . Unlike assembly  100 , assembly  1000  is configured to include only one raised wall  1110 . Assembly  1000  is configured to be used to secure an end panel to a substrate. As such, assembly  1000  includes only one flange  1020  to be in contact with the end panel. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 11 , a side view of an embodiment of assembly  100 , 800  or  1000  is shown. Typically, a PV panel includes a circumferential frame (not shown), having a substantially U-shaped cross-section, that surrounds it preferably from all sides. To improve the securing of the panel, flanges  120 ,  820  and  1020  of clips  102   a ,  802   a  and  1002   a , respectively, may include teeth  1101  that point substantially downward. As such, during the securing of assembly  100 ,  800  or  1000  to a substrate, flanges  120 ,  820  or  1020  are engaged to the circumferential frame via teeth  1101 . 
     In another embodiment, to ensure good grounding of a PV panel, for example, each element or member of assembly  100  is formed of conductive material or at least includes or is covered with a conductive outer surface. As such, teethed clip  102   a , bolt  106  and C-shaped frame  104  provide an electrical connection between a PV panel and a conductive supporting substrate, to ensure good grounding of the PV panel. Alternately, if the supporting substrate is formed of a non-conductive material, assembly  100  may be equipped with a grounding electrical wire (not shown) that may extend to a grounding element. 
     While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be appreciated that changes and modifications can be made and that other embodiments may be devised without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

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