Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Systems for damping a solar photovoltaic array tracker
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Application No.: US17223468Application Date: 2021-04-06
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Publication No.: US11632074B2Publication Date: 2023-04-18
- Inventor: Joseph D. LoBue , Nagendra Srinivas Cherukupalli , Tamilarasan Mouniandy , Milo Zabala
- Applicant: FTC Solar, Inc.
- Applicant Address: US TX Austin
- Assignee: FTC Solar, Inc.
- Current Assignee: FTC Solar, Inc.
- Current Assignee Address: US TX Austin
- Agency: Armstrong Teasdale LLP
- Main IPC: H02S10/00
- IPC: H02S10/00 ; H02S20/32 ; F16M11/10 ; F16F9/34 ; F16F9/36 ; F16F9/50 ; F16F9/18 ; F24S30/425 ; F16F9/02 ; F24S40/00 ; F15B15/20 ; H02S50/00 ; H02S30/10 ; H02S40/30 ; F24S30/00 ; F16F9/44 ; F16F9/49 ; F16F9/10 ; H02S99/00

Abstract:
A solar tracker system includes a torque tube, a solar panel assembly attached to the torque tube, a housing defining a chamber and a fluid passageway extending from the chamber, and an active lock connected to a seal configured to prevent a flow path of fluid while in a sealed state and allow the flow path of fluid in an unsealed state. The system further includes a controller in communication with the torque tube and the active lock. The controller is programmed to receive a command to place the solar panel assembly in a stowed position, instruct the torque tube to rotate the panel assembly to a stowed angle corresponding to the stowed position, monitor a current angle of the panel assembly, compare the current angle to the stowed angle, and instruct the seal to transition to the sealed state when the current angle is equal to the stowed angle.
Public/Granted literature
- US20220224281A1 SYSTEMS FOR DAMPING A SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC ARRAY TRACKER Public/Granted day:2022-07-14
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