PHOTOVOLTAIC PANEL HAVING KEYING STRUCTURES

• Main Authors: ASHMEAD, JAMES, WILLIAM, MC QUADE, MICHAEL, ROBERT
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 18.02.2010
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; BLASTING; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS,e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USERAPPLICATIONS; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERATION; GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRA-REDRADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, E.G. USINGPHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES; HEATING; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; RANGES; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; VENTILATING; WEAPONS

A photovoltaic panel includes a photovoltaic module from which keying structures in the form of first and second keying flanges extend laterally. Each keying flange has a mating surface thereon. The mating surfaces are disposed in a complimentary confrontational relationship with respect to each other. An electrode is mounted on the mating surface of each keying flange. The electrodes are connected to the photovoltaic cells in the photovoltaic module. The complimentary confrontational relationship between the mating surfaces permits direct electrical interconnection between electrodes on adjacent panels by disposing a first flange on a first panel in a physically overlapping relationship with a second flange on an adjacent panel. The keying structures insure that adjacent panels are mechanically arranged in a predetermined relative orientation and are electrically interconnected in a specific desired manner. L'invention concerne un panneau photovoltaïque comprenant un module photovoltaïque à partir duquel des structures d'accrochage ayant la forme de premier et second rebords d'accrochage s'étendent latéralement. Chaque rebord d'accrochage a une surface d'appariement sur celui-ci. Les surfaces d'appariement sont disposées dans une relation de vis-à-vis complémentaire l'une par rapport à l'autre. Une électrode est montée sur la surface d'appariement de chaque rebord d'accrochage. Les électrodes sont connectées aux cellules photovoltaïques du module photovoltaïque. La relation de vis-à-vis complémentaire entre les surfaces d'appariement permet une interconnexion électrique directe entre les électrodes situées sur des panneaux adjacents en disposant un premier rebord d'un premier panneau dans une disposition de chevauchement physique avec un second rebord d'un panneau adjacent. Les structures d'accrochage assurent que des panneaux adjacents sont mécaniquement disposés dans une orientation relative prédéterminée et sont interconnectés électriquement d'une manière spécifique voulue.