SOLAR PANEL DRIVE SHAFT

• US 20180091089A1
• Filed: 09/27/2017
• Published: 03/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neapco Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Neapco Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC
• Inventors: Lange, Shawn, Schneck, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 10,680,549 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2030/134 in the form of gearings or rack-and-pinion transmissions
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2030/136 for moving several solar collectors by common transmission elements
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2030/15 Bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 30/425 Horizontal axis
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/32 specially adapted for solar tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 30/00 Structural details of PV modules other than those related to light conversion semiconductor device aspects of modules of electrolytic light sensitive devices H01G9/20, of inorganic PV modules H01L31/00, of organic PV modules H10K30/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/47 Mountings or tracking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A drive shaft includes an extruded internal tube having teeth formed thereon. The drive shaft also includes an extruded external tube having teeth formed therein and coaxially receiving the internal tube. The teeth of the internal tube engaging the teeth of the external tube, wherein the internal tube and the external tube are aluminum.

Claims

1. A drive shaft assembly comprising:

an extruded internal tube having teeth formed thereon; and

an extruded external tube having teeth formed therein and coaxially receiving the internal tube, the teeth of the internal tube engaging the teeth of the external tube, wherein radially opposing ones of the teeth of the external tube have a width greater than a width of the remaining ones of the teeth of the external tube.

2. The drive shaft assembly of claim 1, further comprising an internal tube articulating assembly coupled to the internal tube and an external tube articulating assembly coupled to the external tube.

3. The drive shaft assembly of claim 2, wherein the internal tube articulating assembly and the external tube articulating assembly each include a tube yoke coupled to a end yoke.

4. The drive shaft assembly of claim 2, wherein the external tube has an aperture formed at a first end thereof and the internal tube has an aperture formed at a first end thereof.

5. The drive shaft assembly of claim 4, wherein a detent couples the external tube and the internal tube to the associated one of the internal tube articulating assembly and the external tube articulating assembly.

6. The drive shaft assembly of claim 5, wherein the detent is substantially U-shaped and includes a pair of opposing legs and a snap portion extending outwardly from one of the pair of opposing legs, wherein the snap portion is configured to be received through the apertures formed in the associated ones of the internal tube and the external tube.

7. The drive shaft assembly of claim 1, wherein the internal tube and the external tube are produced from aluminum.

8. The drive shaft assembly of claim 1, wherein radially opposing ones of the teeth of the internal tube have protrusions formed thereon.

9. A drive shaft assembly for a solar panel tracking system comprising:

an extruded internal tube;

an extruded external tube coaxially receiving the internal tube;

an internal tube articulating assembly coupled to the internal tube, the internal tube articulating assembly having a tube yoke coaxially receiving a first end of the internal tube and a end yoke coupled to the tube yoke and receiving a shaft of the solar panel tracking system; and

an external tube articulating assembly coupled to the external tube, the external tube articulating assembly having a tube yoke coaxially received at a first end of the external tube and a end yoke coupled to the tube yoke and receiving a shaft of the solar panel tracking system.

10. The drive shaft assembly of claim 9, wherein the external tube has an aperture formed at a first end thereof, the internal tube has an aperture formed at a first end thereof, the tube yoke of the external tube articulating assembly has an aperture formed at a first end thereof, and the tube yoke of the internal tube articulating assembly has an aperture formed at a first end thereof.

11. The drive shaft assembly of claim 9, further comprising a first detent and a second detent, the first detent coupling the external tube to the external tube articulating system, the second detent coupling the internal tube to the internal tube articulating assembly.

12. The drive shaft assembly of claim 11, wherein the first detent and the second detent are substantially U-shaped and includes a snap portion extending outwardly therefrom, the snap portion of the first detent received through the aperture of the external tube and the aperture of the tube yoke of the external tube articulating assembly, the snap portion of the second detent received through the aperture of the internal tube and the aperture of the tube yoke of the internal tube articulating assembly.

13. The drive shaft assembly of claim 9, wherein the external tube has an array of teeth formed on an inner surface thereof.

14. The drive shaft assembly of claim 13, wherein radially opposing ones of the teeth of the external tube have a width greater than a width of remaining ones of the teeth of the external tube.

15. The drive shaft assembly of claim 13, wherein the internal tube has an array of teeth formed on an outer surface thereof, the teeth of the internal tube engaging the teeth of the external tube to militate against rotation of the internal tube with respect to the external tube.

16. The drive shaft assembly of claim 15, wherein radially opposing ones of the teeth of the internal tube include indentations formed thereon.

17. A solar panel tracking system comprising:

a plurality of solar panels arranged in a plurality of rows, the plurality of solar panels configured to track a movement of the sun; and

a drive shaft connecting each of the solar panels in each of the rows, each of the drive shafts including an extruded internal tube having teeth formed thereon and an extruded external tube having teeth formed therein and coaxially receiving the internal tube, the teeth of the internal tube engaging the teeth of the external tube, wherein the internal tube and the external tube are aluminum.

18. The solar panel tracking system of claim 17, wherein the drive shaft further includes an external tube articulating assembly coupled to the external tube, the external tube articulating assembly having a tube yoke coaxially received at a first end of the external tube and a end yoke coupled to the tube yoke and receiving a shaft of the solar panel tracking system.

19. The solar panel tracking system of claim 17, further comprising a drive mechanism disposed at an end of each of the plurality of rows, the drive mechanism operably connected to one of the drive shafts of each of the plurality of rows, wherein the drive mechanism operably rotates each of the drive shafts.

20. The solar panel tracking system of claim 19, further comprising a gear assembly operably connected to each one of the plurality of panels in each of the plurality of rows and operably connected to at least one of the drive shafts in each of the plurality of rows to rotate each of the plurality of panels in each of the plurality of rows.