JP2024520829A - Walking device for walking on solar modules - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a respective one of two walking devices (1, 1') for walking on solar modules (21) comprising a support device (2) to which a damping device (9) connects below, a foot receptacle (12) provided on the support device (2), and a balancing device (11) arranged between the support device (2) and the foot receptacle (12) and enabling the movement and locking of the foot receptacle (12). A first solution proposes that at least the lower surface (3) of the support device (2) and/or the lower surface (10) of the damping device (9) are spatially curved and bowed downwards. A second solution proposes that the support device (2) has at least a first part (5) and a second part (6), the first part (5) being arranged on the second part (6), and further that at least the second part (6) is configured with elastic resilience, the contour of the first part (5) being smaller than the contour of the second part (6).

Description

The present invention relates to one of two walking devices for walking on solar modules, each of which comprises a support device connected below by a damping device designed to step on the solar module, a foot receptacle provided on the support device, and a balance device arranged between the support device and the foot receptacle, which allows movement and locking of the foot receptacle.

The walking devices that belong to the closest prior art are described in documents FR 2 584 277, DE 202012000072, DE 202015001998 and WO 2020/160721. The walking devices according to the last-listed patent applications have been tested in practice. Despite the fact that these walking devices are equipped with a relatively thick damping device, undesirable hairline cracks were observed in the glass-like plates of the solar modules after walking on them.

The document DE 20202000120533 also constitutes another prior art. The solution proposed therein relates to a special configuration of a compensation device which is connected to the support device and to the foot receptacle. However, no solution is found in said document as to how the formation of hairline cracks in the glass-like plates of the solar module when walking on the solar module can be avoided.

French Patent Application Publication No. 2584277 German Utility Model No. 202012000072 German Utility Model No. 202015001998 International Publication No. 2020/160721 German Utility Model No. 20202000120533

The object of the present invention is to improve the two walking devices of the form recognized in this specification so that the formation of hairline cracks in the solar modules is avoided when walking on the solar modules.

The first solution to this problem is described in the characterizing part of claim 1.

A second solution to this problem is proposed by the characterizing part of claim 2.

When walking on a solar module, the glass-like plate of the solar module, bounded by its edges, is deflected downwards. The maximum permissible deflection is approximately 12 mm. The solar module corresponds to a support that is clamped in all directions and is exposed to a load that changes when walking. The so-called moment curve resulting from the load change and the resulting bending moments of various magnitudes runs approximately parabolically, except in the four edge regions of the solar module.

Here, two proposed solutions are advantageously configured. In the first solution, at least the underside of the damping device, which is designed to rest on the surface of the glass-like plate, and/or at least the underside of the support device, is designed to be curved downwards in a spatial manner and is adapted to approximate the downwardly deflected surface area of the solar module when walking on the solar module. This allows the proposed walking device to rest on the solar module over the largest possible area, particularly with a bending-elastic damping device. This significantly reduces the surface load per unit area. In order to fully adapt to the spatial curve course of the loaded solar module, a dome-shaped or parabolic design is particularly suitable for the underside of the support device and/or the underside of the damping device.

The second proposed solution also proves to be advantageous, since here the support device is provided with edge areas in all directions, which are designed to be elastically resilient. The easily flexible edge areas of the support device therefore adapt to the curvature of the deflected solar module over a large area when a load is applied and can rest to a sufficient extent on the solar module, so that the surface pressure per unit area acting on the solar module is likewise significantly smaller than the surface pressure acting in a straight line resulting from the previously known walking devices.

In all walking devices according to the prior art, the support and damping devices of the walking device are configured as flat plates, in which case the support devices are configured inflexibly. When walking on the solar module, the glass plate of the solar module is bent downwards, so that the bent glass plate corresponds to a shallow shell. When standing on the solar module using the walking device known in the prior art, due to the bending of the solar module, the walking device with a rectangular inflexible support device and a similarly rectangular damping device is supported on the bent solar module only in four corner areas. Thus, instead of four support areas with small areas, only four linear support areas are formed, which inevitably results in high surface pressure values per unit area in these corner or support areas. These high surface pressure values ultimately lead to the formation of hair cracks in the fragile glass plate of the solar module. In the walking device proposed here, support is provided not only over corner areas, but over the largest possible area and in a spatially curved manner, resulting in smaller surface pressure values per unit area, which avoids the formation of undesirable hairline cracks in the solar modules.

A further advantage of the invention arises if the foam damping device is constructed with foam-free spatial areas, such as through-holes, recesses or hollow spaces. A foam material suitable for a walking device must be water-resistant and therefore must not have water-absorbing properties. However, under these conditions, it is possible to produce foam materials with greater hardness and rigidity, and in fact with sufficient inflexibility to obtain an ideal damping effect. By processing the foam-free spatial areas in the damping device, optimal flexibility can be achieved while at the same time obtaining sufficient stability. The damping device can thus be formed from a single thick foam plate or at least two thinner foam plates, which are also provided with foam-free spatial areas, in which case the size, i.e. the spatial extent, of the foam-free spatial areas is important for obtaining the aforementioned advantageous properties of the damping device. Since it is aimed to construct a walking device with the smallest possible weight, the spatial areas contribute to weight reduction. Such spatial areas may also be provided in the support device for weight reasons.

The present invention will be explained in detail based on examples.

1 shows a first walking device in a side view. The same walking device is shown in front view. 1 shows a solar module loaded by a walking device. A geometric representation of the deflected solar module and the underside of the walking device is shown. 2 shows a second walking device in side view. 1 shows a support device for a second walking device. 1 shows a support device for a second walking device. 1 shows another form of the support device. 1 shows another form of the support device. 1 shows a side view of the walking device with a cross section of the damping device. 11 shows the damping device shown in FIG. 10 viewed from above. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a damping device consisting of two foam material plates with a space area. 13 illustrates, in plan view, another damping device configured with offset spatial regions;

The deflections of the solar modules are relatively small in magnitude and extremely difficult to show to scale. Therefore, in the following drawings, the perceptible curvatures and deflections are exaggerated in magnitude. Similarly, the individual forces marked by arrows should be regarded as merely examples.

1 shows a first walking device 1 on a horizontal surface 24, specific for walking on solar modules 21. The walking device 1 is assumed to be weightless and unloaded, so the damping device 9 of the walking device 1 is represented as unloaded. The walking device 1 has a support device 2, to which the damping device 9 is connected below. Above the support device 2, a foot receptacle 12 is provided, which is formed by a plate and, for example, a shoe arranged on the plate. Between the support device 2 and the foot receptacle 12, there is a balancing device 11, which determines the mobility of the foot receptacle 12. After unlocking, in a known manner, the foot receptacle 12 can simply swing up and down around a horizontal axis using the balancing device 11, or it can also move in all directions by means of a ball-and-socket-like connection, and can then be locked again for use. It can be seen based on the drawn straight plane 24 that the support device 2 and the damping device 9 are bent downwards, so that the damping device 9 rests only partially on the plane 24 with its lower surface 10.

2 shows the same walking device 1 in a side view. Here too, it can be seen that the support device 2 and the damping device 9 are bent downwards by the inscribed plane 24. Thus, when considering the bending according to FIG. 1, there is a spatially curved, downwardly bent deformation of the support device 2 and the damping device 9. The embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2 allows for a simple manufacturing method. In this case, the support device 2 is formed on the basis of a flat plate that is bent downwards in a spatially curved manner by using a pressing device. On the other hand, the damping device 9 is formed from a flat flexible foam material plate. The foam material plate is glued with its upper side to the lower surface 3 of the support device 2, which is present there in a spatially curved manner, so that the lower surface 10 of the damping device 9 also has a spatially curved, downwardly bent shape. Nevertheless, the support device 3 and the damping device 9 may also be configured as molded parts resulting from a mold, the lower surfaces 3, 10 of the support device and the damping device being molded in a spatially curved manner downwards. The undersides 3, 9 of all the mentioned exemplary embodiments therefore have spatially curved, downwardly bent or downwardly shaped surface areas 14, which may preferably be constructed spherically, i.e. rotationally symmetrically or ellipsoidally. Dome-shaped or other rotationally symmetric surface areas 14, which are easily manufacturable, are ideal, for example certain paraboloids. On the other hand, the spatially curved surface areas 14 may also be selected non-rotationally symmetrically, for example with at least two spatially curved, downwardly bent parts of the surface area 14 interrupted by at least one surface part that is not spatially curved. This example should show that the spatially curved, downwardly bent or shaped surface areas 14 can be provided in various configurations. If only the underside 10 of the damping device 9 is spatially curved downwardly bent or shaped, then when stepping on the solar module, the load is first applied to a relatively thick area extending in the middle of the damping device 9, and then the edge areas of the damping device 9 gradually take part in the force transmission. This results in the same force image shown below in Figure 3.

In order to be able to place and attach the balancing device 11 to a sufficient extent on the support device 2, the support device 2, which is formed, for example, by a plate, can be provided in the middle with a flat horizontal surface portion that interrupts the spatial area 14 of the support device 2, while the support device 2 is spatially curved. In the present example, this surface portion, which is not shown, corresponds to a flat circular surface, since the balancing device 11 illustrated here has a cylindrical contour. The surface area 14 is in this case configured to be only partially spatially curved and only partially deflected downwards.

3 shows a schematic representation of a solar module 21 that is uniformly loaded in the center by the walking device 1. It occupies a so-called ideal loading state. The glass-like plate 22 of the solar module 21 is bent downwards in a large part according to a spatial parabolic course. The glass-like plate 22 means a glass body unit provided for obtaining electricity. The arrow F indicates the magnitude of the load by the walking device 1 resting on the solar module 21. The bending elasticity of the damping device 9 is selected in this example to be the same everywhere in the damping device 9. The curved course of the underside 3 of the support device 2, i.e. the curved surface area 14, does not follow the parabolic curved course of the glass-like plate 22 strictly. The underside 3 of the support device 2 is curved spatially more strongly than the spatial curved course of the glass-like plate 22. As a result, in the loaded state, the distance a between the support device 2 and the glass-like plate 22, measured in the center, is smaller than the distance b, measured in the same way, in the edge area 4 of the support device 2. In this example, due to the selected bending elasticity of the damping device 9, the transmission of the force F takes place over the entire contour surface of the damping device 9. It can be seen from the plotted force images (arrows) that the individual forces per unit area gradually increase towards the centre and decrease towards the edge region 4, where they can even be zero. This decrease in force is due to the fact that the distance between the underside 3 of the support device 2 and the surface of the glass-like plate 22 increases closer to the circumferential edge region 4 of the support device 2, in which case the damping device 9 is less compressed. The bending elasticity of the damping device 9 should therefore be selected so that the entire contour surface of the damping device 9 is involved in the transmission of the load due to the weight of the person wearing the walking device 1. This optimum condition allows low and non-inconvenient individual forces per unit area to be generated. The four edge regions 23 of the glass-like plate 22, which are bowed downwards, gradually transition into a lateral course as they approach the frame of the solar module 21, where they are attached to the frame of the solar module 21. Thus, a circular transition area is formed, in which the surface of the glass-like plate 22 passes from a horizontal to a parabolic course when a load is applied. Tests have shown that it is precisely this circular transition area that is highly sensitive to the load, and that hairline cracks in the glass-like plate 22 can occur here in particular. However, since the surface load from the walking device 1 decreases towards the edge of the support device 2, the aforementioned transition area of the solar module 22 is advantageously subjected to a smaller load, so that here too there is no risk of hairline cracks forming. This state can be easily imagined on the basis of the drawing by conceptually moving the walking device 1 from side to side.

4 shows a schematic representation of the curved course of the underside 10 of the damping device 9 and the approximately parabolic course of the deflected solar module 21. The underside 10 of the damping device is in this example configured as a dome, while the glass-like plate 22 of the solar module 21 is present in the form of a dome with a parabolic cross section to a large extent. Towards the centre, the curved course of the underside 10 of the damping device 9 gradually approaches the parabolic course of the glass-like plate 2 more and more. Considered from a purely geometrical point of view, the walking device 1 configured in this way rests on the glass-like plate 22 only at one point. When a load is applied by the walking device 1, as can be easily imagined, the damping device 9 is compressed more strongly, so that the circular contact surface 20 between the damping device 9 of the walking device 1 and the glass-like plate 22 becomes larger as the load increases. As already mentioned, it is aimed that when weight is applied by a person, the above-mentioned contact surface 20 is formed by the entire contour surface of the damping device 9. The underside 10 of the damping device 9 may additionally be provided with at least one anti-slip means 13, which forms the underside 10 of the damping device 9 and is also spatially curved downwards. In this case, the anti-slip means 13 is a component of the damping device 9 and forms the underside 10 of the damping device 9.

Figure 5 shows a second embodiment of a walking device 1' placed on a solar module 21. A preferably plate-shaped support device 2 is provided, on the underside 3 of which a damping device 9 is located. The walking device 1' is placed on the solar module 21 with the damping device 9. A balancing device 11 is arranged on the support device 2. The balancing device 11 supports a foot receptacle 12. By means of the balancing device 11, the foot receptacle 12 can be fixed in position in various angular arrangements, as already explained. The support device 2 is composed of at least two parts.

Figure 6 shows a preferred embodiment of the support device 2 of the walking device 1'. The support device 2 has a first part 5 and a second part 6, in which case the damping device 9 is located on the underside of the second part 6 (see Figure 5). The first part 5 is mounted on the second part 6 and is fixedly connected to the second part 6, for example by gluing, screwing or riveting.

7 shows the support device 2 shown in FIG. 6 in a plan view. The first part 5 is mounted on the second part 6 in a centered manner. The contour of the first part 5 is smaller than that of the second part 6. The first part 5 forms the central area 7 of the walking device 1'. Since the contour of the first part 5 is smaller than that of the second part 6, the second part 6 forms an edge area 4 that surrounds the central area 7 in all directions. At least the first part 5, and optionally also the second part 6, are configured with elastic restoring properties so that when walking on the solar module 21, at least the edge area 4 of the support device 2 bends slightly upwards to adapt to the spatial curvature course of the glass-like plate 22 of the solar module 21 that occurs under the action of a load. When the load is removed, at least the second part 6 again assumes its original position. Such elastic restoring properties can be obtained by using spring steel or suitable known plastics. When using spring steel, it is expedient to construct the second part 6 from a thin spring steel plate, which thus advantageously reduces the structural height and weight of the walking device 1'.

8 and 9 show two embodiments of the support device 2. In these embodiments, the first part 5 and the second part 6 are connected to each other in a form-locking and force-locking manner, i.e. in a position-fixed manner, as can be seen from the cross-sectional view. Here again, the first part 5 forms the central area 7, while the second part 5 can form the edge area 4.

In the walking device 1 or 1' shown in FIG. 10, the damping device 9 is formed in a known manner by a foam plate 15, which in the present invention is interrupted by a number of foam-free space areas 16, which are configured, for example, as vertically arranged through-holes 18. The cross-section of the through-holes 18 may be selected as desired. A circular cross-section is preferred. The space areas 16 may be provided at least in the second part 6 and/or the first part 5 of the support device 2, as described in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. This also results in a reduced weight of the support device 2.

Figure 11 shows the damping device 9 described in Figure 10 in a plan view. The drawing shows a number of spatial areas 16 configured as penetrations 18. The penetrations 18 are selected to be of the same size in this example, but this does not exclude that the diameters of the cylindrical penetrations 18 may be configured to be of different sizes.

Figure 12 shows a cross-sectional view of a damping device 9 with two foam material plates 15, 15a located one above the other. In both foam material plates 15, 15a, a space area 16 configured as a through-hole 18 is located, and the vertical axes 17 of the space area 16 are respectively arranged congruently. The drawing further shows a support device 2 and a slip prevention means 13, between which the damping device 9 formed by the two foam material plates 15, 15a is located. To form the damping device 9, three or more foam material plates 15, 15a, etc. may also be provided, located one above the other. The spatial extent, i.e. the size or diameter, of the individual space areas 16 may be selected to be different between the foam material plates 15, 15a, etc.

13 shows in plan view an axially offset arrangement of the spatial regions 16 formed as cylindrical penetrations 18 in the two foam material plates 15, 15a. The arrangement and size of the spatial regions 16 are selected such that the cylindrical contour 19 of the spatial region 16 located in the upper foam material 15 intersects with the cylindrical contour 19 of the spatial region 16 located in the lower foam material 15a. This arrangement allows the formation of a relatively flexible and still stable damping device 9. The spatial regions 16 may also be configured as upside-down recesses in which water cannot accumulate. Furthermore, the spatial regions 16 may also be configured as hollow spaces located in the damping device 9. It remains up to the manufacturer of the walking device 1, 1' to select which combination of spatial regions 16 in an axially offset or non-offset arrangement is selected. Furthermore, it remains up to the manufacturer to select which spatial extent of the individual spatial regions 16 is to be set. The spatial regions 16 may be selected to be of the same size or in a combination of different sizes. The spatial regions 16 configured as perforations 18 or recesses can be cut into the foam material plates 15, 15a, etc., for example, using a suitable known cutting tool. The cross-sectional shape and arrangement of the spatial regions 16 depends on the respective strength of the foam material plates 15, 15a, etc. The spatial extent or size or spatial volume of each of the spatial regions 16 is always greater than the spatial extent of the individual pores of the foam material plates 15, 15a, etc., and thus of the damping device 9. The damping device 9 can be produced from at least one commercially available foam material plate 15, as already explained. Moreover, the damping device 9 configured with or without the spatial regions 16 can also be produced as a molded plastic foam part, in which case, for example, only the lower surface 10 is spatially curved and bowed downwards. The same applies to the support device 2.

Claims (15)

a support device (2) connected below by a damping device (9) designed to step on the solar module;
a foot receiving section (12) provided on the support device (2);
a balancing device (11) arranged between the support device (2) and the foot receptacle (12) and enabling movement and locking of the foot receptacle (12);
A walking device (1) for walking on solar modules (21), comprising:
a lower surface (3) of the support device (2) or a lower surface (10) of the damping device (9) has a spatially curved surface area (14), the surface area (14) being bent downwards or shaped downwards; or a lower surface (3) of the support device (2) and a lower surface (10) of the damping device (9) each have a spatially curved surface area (14), the surface area (14) of the lower surface (3) of the support device (2) and the surface area (14) of the lower surface (10) of the damping device (9) both being bent downwards or shaped downwards. a support device (2) to which a damping device (9) is attached below;
a foot receiving section (12) provided on the support device (2);
a balancing device (11) arranged between the support device (2) and the foot receptacle (12) and enabling movement and locking of the foot receptacle (12);
A walking device (1') for walking on solar modules (21), comprising:
The walking device (1') is characterized in that the support device (2) has a first part (5) and a second part (6), the first part (5) is arranged on the second part (6), and at least the second part (6) is configured to have elastic restorability, and the contour of the first part (5) is smaller than the contour of the second part (6). The walking device according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the spatially curved surface areas (14) is configured rotationally symmetrically, approximately dome-shaped or ellipsoidal, or non-rotationally symmetrically. The walking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the complete support device (2) is spatially curved and bent downwards or shaped downwards. The walking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the spatially curved surface area (14) of the support device (2) is interrupted by a flat horizontal surface portion on which the balance device (11) is attached. The walking device according to claim 2, characterized in that the damping device (9) is disposed on the underside of the second part (6). The walking device according to claim 2, characterized in that the first part (6) forms a central area (7) and the balance device (11) is arranged on the central area (7). The walking device according to claim 2, characterized in that the first part (5) and the second part (6) are joined to each other on the inside and outside. The walking device according to claim 2, characterized in that the second part (6) is made of elastic spring plate or plastic. The walking device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plurality of spatial regions (16) are provided within the support device (2). The walking device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the damping device (9) has a plurality of spatial regions (16), the spatial extent of each of the spatial regions (16) being greater than the spatial extent of an individual pore of the damping device (9) formed from a foam material. The walking device according to claim 11, characterized in that the spatial extents of the spatial regions (16) are selected to be the same or different in size, and the spatial regions (16) are formed by through-holes (18) and/or recesses and/or hollow spaces. The walking device according to claim 11, characterized in that the damping device (9) is formed by at least two foam material plates (15, 15a, etc.) positioned above one another and having a spatial area (16). The walking device according to claim 13, characterized in that the spatial regions (16) of at least two of the foam material plates (15, 15a, etc.) positioned above one another are offset from one another. The walking device according to claim 14, characterized in that the spatial area (16) configured as a through-hole (18) and/or a recess is arranged vertically.

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