JP7731566B2 - External component mounting structure and its adjustment method - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an external component mounting structure and adjustment method that allows selection of the vertical inclination angle of external components such as solar panels, i.e., the inclination angle that imparts a height gradient, in response to the roof slope of buildings built in various directions depending on the site environment, etc.

It is desirable that the orientation of external components such as solar cell panels installed on the roof surface of a building be set according to the required environmental conditions. For example, it is desirable that solar cells be installed in a direction that receives more sunlight depending on the season.
When attaching external components such as solar cells to an existing roof such as a slate roof or a horizontally shingled roof, a structure is adopted in which supports and metal fittings are placed on the existing roof to build a new foundation, and the external components are then installed on that foundation (e.g., Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Patent Document 1 employs a structure in which a support bracket 1 is fixed so as to straddle two seams on the exterior surface, and a solar cell module 11 is placed on the support bracket 1 .
Furthermore, Patent Document 2 employs a structure in which a mounting fixture 1 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is fixed to an exterior surface, and a solar cell or the like is attached to the mounting fixture 1 .

JP 2013-40524 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-193569

However, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the upper surface spanning the two seams serves as both the support surface and mounting surface for the solar cell modules, which means that multiple solar cell modules are arranged along the roof slope, resulting in insufficient irradiation efficiency. In other words, whether the frame is attached parallel to the roof slope or perpendicular to it, the solar cell modules are always rectangular, so in either case they are arranged along the roof slope. Furthermore, because solar irradiation fluctuates with the seasons, adjusting the tilt angle of the solar cell modules in their planar direction often does not result in a sufficient improvement in efficiency.

The present invention aims to propose a mounting structure for external components, such as solar panels, that allows selection of the vertical inclination angle, i.e., the inclination angle that imparts a height gradient, for buildings that are built in various directions depending on the roof slope of each site environment, and a method for adjusting the structure.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above, and relates to an attachment structure in which the lower ends of a plurality of height-adjustable support members are fixed via mounting brackets to a convex portion formed on the exterior surface, and external components are attached to the upper ends of the support members, wherein the mounting brackets have a U-shaped angle adjustment member rotatably fixed to the tops of the mounting brackets, the support members consist of an outer tubular member with a rectangular cross-section that has an internal storage space, and an inner tubular member with a rectangular cross-section that is housed in the storage space and can slide up and down, and each tubular member has a plurality of holes formed in it, and the height length can be adjusted by inserting pins and nuts into the holes, and the external components have a U-shaped angle adjustment member rotatably fixed to the back side thereof, and the height length of each of the support members is adjusted according to the arrangement angle of the mounting brackets and the inclination angle of the external components.
In addition, since the appropriate inclination angle for the position at which the panel-shaped external component is installed is selected depending on its characteristics, etc., the ``installation angle of the erection fittings'' refers to the point at which the lower ends of adjacent support materials are attached, and the ``inclination angle of the external component'' refers to the point at which the upper ends of adjacent support materials are attached, and the distance between these upper and lower ends is the height dimension of the adjacent support materials.

Furthermore, the present invention also proposes a method for adjusting an attachment structure in which the lower ends of a plurality of height-adjustable support members are fixed via mounting brackets to convex portions formed on the exterior surface, and external components are attached to the upper ends of the support members, wherein the attachment brackets have a U-shaped angle adjustment member rotatably fixed to the tops of the attachment brackets, the support members consist of an outer tubular member with a rectangular cross section that has an internal storage space, and an inner tubular member with a rectangular cross section that is housed in the storage space and can slide up and down, and each tubular member has a plurality of holes formed in it, and the height length can be adjusted by inserting pins and nuts into the holes, and the external components have a U-shaped angle adjustment member rotatably fixed to the back side thereof, and the height length of each of the support members can be adjusted according to the arrangement angle of the attachment brackets and the inclination angle of the external components.

The mounting structure for an external component of the present invention comprises an outer cylindrical member with a rectangular cross-section and an inner cylindrical member with a rectangular cross-section that is housed in the housing and can slide up and down. Each cylindrical member has a plurality of holes formed therein, and the external component is supported by a plurality of support members whose height can be adjusted by inserting pins and nuts into the holes. This allows the vertical inclination angle of the external component, such as a solar panel, to be selected. Furthermore, U-shaped metal fittings (angle adjustment members) are rotatably fixed to the upper and lower ends of the support members, allowing each support member to be positioned vertically and continuously support the load acting on the external component stably. Furthermore, if the pins for adjusting the height of the support members are adjustment pins and the pins for attaching the angle adjustment members to the support members are mounting pins, these adjustment pins and mounting pins can be inserted into a plurality of holes formed in each cylindrical member (support member). Furthermore, large-area external components can be supported using a large number of support materials that are easy to process, while small-area external components can be supported using a smaller number of support materials, so each external component can be stably installed at an installation angle with an appropriate height gradient depending on the installation location.

Furthermore, the method for adjusting the mounting structure for external components of the present invention adjusts the height length of each support member according to the installation angle of the mounting bracket and the inclination angle of the external component, allowing the external component to be mounted at an installation angle with an appropriate height gradient.

FIG. 2A is a front view of the mounting structure for an external member according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2B is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 2C is a side view thereof. (a) An enlarged front view of the support material in Example 1, (b) an enlarged front view of one of the supports in the comparative example, (c) an enlarged front view of the mounting bracket used in Example 1 and the comparative example, and (d) an enlarged exploded front view of the convex portion used in Example 1 and the comparative example. (a) is a front view of a mounting structure for an external member of a comparative example, (b) its plan view, (c) its side view, and (d) a side view of the plan view.

The mounting structure for external components of the present invention is an mounting structure in which the lower ends of a plurality of height-adjustable support members are fixed via mounting brackets to convex portions formed on the exterior surface, and external components are attached to the upper ends of the support members, wherein the mounting brackets have a U-shaped angle adjustment member rotatably fixed to the top of them, and the support members consist of an outer tubular member with a rectangular cross-section that has an internal storage space, and an inner tubular member with a rectangular cross-section that is housed in the storage space and can slide up and down, and the external components have a U-shaped angle adjustment member rotatably fixed to the back side thereof, and each tubular member has a plurality of holes formed in it, and the height length can be adjusted by inserting pins and nuts into the holes, and the height length of each of the support members is adjusted according to the installation angle of the mounting brackets and the inclination angle of the external components.

As long as the lower ends of multiple height-adjustable support members are fixed via mounting brackets to the convex portions formed by the exterior material that constitutes the exterior surface, as described above, and external components are attached to the upper ends of the support members, the detailed configuration of this mounting structure is not particularly important.

The structure of supporting external components with supports of multiple heights is widely known, as shown in the comparative example below. In this comparative example, a large external component is supported by many supports, six in this case, while a small external component is supported by fewer supports, still four.
That is, in this comparative example shown in the figure, the respective supports are formed and positioned to a height dimension calculated in advance from the installation position and the arrangement angle of the external components, so extremely troublesome preparatory work is required.

The support material used in the present invention is height adjustable as described above, and is a member whose lower end is fixed to a convex portion via an erection bracket and whose upper end has an external member attached.It consists of an outer tube material with a rectangular cross section that has an internal storage space, and an inner tube material with a rectangular cross section that is stored in the storage space and can slide up and down, and all of the support materials are formed to predetermined dimensions, so they are clearly different from the supports of the comparative example.

In the illustrated embodiment described later, the outer and inner cylindrical members of this support member are combined so that the outer cylindrical member is positioned below and the inner cylindrical member is positioned above, but this is not particularly limited.
Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of each cylindrical member is not limited, but since holes are formed at the upper and lower ends to allow U-shaped metal fittings to be rotatably attached, they are formed into a rectangular cross-section that is easy to process, as in the illustrated example described below.

The U-shaped metal fittings rotatably fixed to the upper and lower ends of the support material are angle adjustment materials that have through holes in the opposing pieces and are rotatably fixed by being pivotally attached (axially attached) to the tubular material so that the lower end is open at the upper end and the upper end is open at the lower end. In other words, this angle adjustment material can be rotatably attached to the tubular material by connecting the through holes provided in the opposing pieces to holes provided in the tubular material and inserting a mounting pin or the like through them.

The mounting bracket is a member attached to the convex portion formed by the exterior material that constitutes the exterior surface as described above, and the lower ends of at least two or more adjacent support members are attached to the top or the like of the mounting bracket. The specific configuration of this mounting bracket is not important as long as it does not deform or crush the convex portion. For example, it may be configured to be attached in a fitting manner and also serve as a cap-shaped cover material, as in the illustrated example described below, or it may be configured to be attached using a separate member such as a screw.
The configuration for fixing the lower end of the support material to this erection bracket is such that a U-shaped bracket is fixed to the top of the bracket, and the lower end of the support material is fixed to this bracket, as in the illustrated embodiment described below.

In addition, the exterior material to which the erection fittings are attached forms a convex portion at the side edge of adjacent exterior materials when laid down, and is often formed at the top of the mountain-shaped portion of a folded plate roof made of vertically laid roofing materials, as in the illustrated example described below.
The convex portion may be, for example, a structure formed by raising the side edge of the exterior material approximately vertically and crimping it, or a mountain-shaped portion formed by butting the side edges of adjacent exterior materials together as in the illustrated example described below, or a structure in which a cap-shaped cover material is placed on the mountain-shaped portion, or a structure formed by overlapping one side edge with the other side edge, and the configuration is not particularly important.

The external member is attached to the upper end of the support member, but as in the illustrated embodiment described below, it is fixed to the back side via a U-shaped metal fitting, which is an angle adjustment member. It may also be fixed via an erection support member. The specific structure of this erection support member is not important as long as it is attached across the upper ends of at least two or more support members and can support the external member.
Although the external components have been described using solar panels as an example, they may also be other greening panels (structures) or newly installed roofing materials (structures) that occupy a large area of the roof surface, or may be partially installed components such as snow guards, lightning rods, antennas, etc. The external components may be large in area, as in the illustrated examples described below, or small in area.
Specifically, in the case of solar cell panels, the solar cell module may have a frame around its periphery, or the solar cells may be integrally attached to the exterior material, and the configuration is not particularly important. As mentioned above, the solar cell panel may be large or small, and the latter allows each solar cell panel to be adjusted to a more appropriate tilt angle.

The mounting structure for external components of the present invention, which is configured as described above, supports external components using multiple height-adjustable support members, making it possible to select the tilt angle in the vertical direction of external components such as solar panels, i.e., the tilt angle that imparts a height gradient. Furthermore, since it is sufficient to use multiple support members for large-area external components and fewer support members for small-area external components, each external component can be stably mounted at an angle that provides an appropriate height gradient depending on the installation location.

Furthermore, as shown in the illustrated embodiment described below, a configuration is adopted in which angle adjustment members are fixed to the upper and lower ends of the support members in a manner that allows them to be freely rotated, so that each support member can be arranged vertically, thereby continuously and stably supporting the load generated on the external member.

Furthermore, the method for adjusting the mounting structure for external components of the present invention adjusts the height length of each support member according to the installation angle of the mounting bracket and the inclination angle of the external component, allowing the external component to be mounted at an installation angle with an appropriate height gradient. Small-area external components in particular are supported using a small number of support members, allowing each external component to be stably mounted at an installation angle with an appropriate height gradient according to the installation location.

The mounting structure for an external member of the present invention (Example 1) shown in Figure 1 is shown in its front view in Figure 1(a), its plan view in Figure 1(b), and its side view in Figure 1(c), while comparative examples are shown in Figures 3(a) to 3(c). Figure 3(d) is a side view of the plan view in Figure 3(b), and the description is the same as in Figure 3(a).
As is clear from these comparisons, Example 1 shown in Figures 1(a) to (c) uses six pieces of the same type of support material 1 (two of the six are not shown), while the Comparative Example shown in Figures 3(a) to (c) uses six supports R1 to R4 (two of the six are not shown) that have been pre-formed to different lengths.

The support material 1 in this Example 1 consists of an outer tube material 1A having an internal storage space 10 as shown enlarged in Figure 2(a), an inner tube material 1B that is stored in the storage space 10 and can slide up and down, and an adjustment pin 1c, and is assembled so that the outer tube material 1A is located at the bottom and the inner tube material 1B is located at the top.
The adjustment pin 1c consists of a body that quickly penetrates the outer tube material 1A and the inner tube material 1B, and a nut 1d screwed onto the tip to prevent it from coming loose.By inserting it into multiple holes 10 provided on the side surfaces of the outer tube material 1A and the inner tube material 1B, it is possible to adjust the height.

Furthermore, mounting pins 1e and nuts 1f similar to the adjustment pin 1c and nut 1d are used to rotatably attach angle adjustment members 2, 2, which are U-shaped metal fittings, to the upper and lower ends of the support material 1. At the lower end, the insertion direction of the mounting pin 1e (and nut 1f) is the same as that of the adjustment pin 1c (and nut 1d), but at the upper end, the mounting pin 1e (and nut 1f) is inserted so as to penetrate the front and rear surfaces of the inner cylindrical material 1B, and the angle adjustment member 2 is rotatably attached.

The angle adjustment member 2 is a U-shaped metal fitting consisting of opposing pieces 22, 22 and their connecting piece 21. The angle adjustment member 2 fixed to the lower end of the outer tube member 1A is attached so that the support member 1 can move at an angle in the front-to-back direction, i.e., tilt, while the angle adjustment member 2 fixed to the upper end of the inner tube member 1B is attached so that the support member 1 can tilt in the left-to-right direction. However, because the support member 1 used is arranged vertically, the angle adjustment member 2 is not tiltable relative to the support member 1, but rather it is possible for the angle adjustment member 2 to tilt in the front-to-back or left-to-right direction relative to the support member 1.

In contrast, the support R3 in the comparative example is exactly the same as the support material 1, except that the vertically extending portion has one length, as shown enlarged in Figure 2(b), so the same symbol is used in the figure and its explanation is omitted.
This support R3 has a simpler structure than the support material 1, and is therefore easy to manufacture; however, since each support R1 to R6 is formed and positioned to a height dimension calculated in advance from the installation position and the arrangement angle of the external member 6, extremely tedious preparatory work is required.

The mounting structure of the external member in this Example 1 is such that the lower ends of the plurality of height-adjustable support materials 1 are fixed via mounting brackets 4 to the convex portions 33 formed on the exterior surface, and external members 6 are attached to the upper ends of the support materials 1, and the height-wise length of each support material 1 is adjusted according to the arrangement angle of the mounting brackets 4 and the inclination angle of the external members 6.
The upper ends of the support members 1 are fixed via angle adjustment members 2 and further via rail-shaped erection support members 5. The erection support members 5 are lightweight, rectangular shaped members that are arranged to straddle the upper ends of the multiple support members 1.

As described above, the mounting bracket 4 is a member attached to the convex portion 33 formed in the exterior material 3 that constitutes the exterior surface, and the lower ends of at least two or more adjacent support materials 1 are attached to its top portion 41. The mounting bracket 4 in the illustrated embodiment is fitted to the convex portion 33 as described above and also serves as a cap-shaped cover material, and as shown enlarged in Figure 2(c), is a gate-shaped molding material that is roughly shaped like glasses with a recess in the center of the roughly horizontal top portion 41, and has engaging portions 421 at the lower ends of leg portions 42 extending downward on the left and right that engage with L-shaped engaged portions 321 provided on the side portion 32 of the exterior material 3. Therefore, by pressing from above to cover it, the mounting bracket 4 is elastically fitted to the convex portion 33 and attached.
To fix the lower ends of the plurality of support members 1 to this mounting bracket 4, the plurality of angle adjustment members 2 are attached to the tops 41 of the support members 1.

The convex portion 33 to which the mounting bracket 4 is attached is formed on the exterior surface, and the convex portion 33 in the illustrated embodiment refers to the portion formed at the butt joint of the side edges of adjacent exterior materials 3, 3, as shown enlarged in Figure 2 (d).
The exterior material 3 is a vertical roofing material having side sections 32, 32 that are inclined upward on the left and right sides of a face plate section 31, and a L-shaped engaged section 321 is provided midway up the height of each side section 32, and a platform section 322 whose upper end is bent outward and a U-shaped tip section 323 are formed. The convex section 33 refers to a state in which the tip sections 323, 323 of adjacent exterior materials 3, 3 on the left and right are arranged butt-to-butt.

In addition, the support member for attaching the exterior material 3 is configured such that an upper support member 7A and a lower support member 7B are fixed together as a single unit, as shown enlarged in Figure 2 (d), with the lower support member 7B supporting the lower half of the side surface portion 32 of the exterior material 3 from the back surface side, and the upper support member 7A supporting the upper half of the side surface portion 32.
The upper support member 7A has a configuration in which the front and rear ends of the bottom surface rise up like opposing surfaces, and the lower support member 7B has a configuration in which a strip of steel material is formed into a gate shape.

The mounting structure for the external member 6 in Example 1, which is configured as described above, supports the external member 6 with multiple height-adjustable support members 1, allowing the user to select the tilt angle in the vertical direction of the external member 6, such as a solar panel, i.e., the tilt angle that imparts a height gradient.

In addition, angle adjustment members 2, 2 are rotatably fixed to the upper and lower ends of the support members 1, respectively, so that each support member 1 can be arranged vertically, allowing the load generated on the external member 6 to be continuously and stably supported.

It should be noted that the external component 6 has been described solely as an example of a solar cell panel, because it is desirable for the tilt angle in the vertical direction, i.e., the tilt angle that provides a height gradient, to be adjustable in this solar cell panel.
Instead of such a solar cell panel, snow guards, lightning rods, antennas, etc. may be used as external components, or a small solar cell panel with a small surface area may be used.

The tilt angle of a panel-shaped external component 6, such as a solar panel, is selected based on its characteristics and other factors, and the height of each support member 1 is adjusted according to the installation angle of the mounting bracket 4 and the tilt angle of the external component 6.

In other words, the adjustment method of the present invention adjusts the height length of each support material 1 according to the installation angle of the mounting bracket 4 and the inclination angle of the external member 6, allowing the external member 6 to be installed at an installation angle with an appropriate height gradient.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Support material 10 Storage space 1A Outer cylinder material 1B Inner cylinder material 2 Angle adjustment material 3 Exterior material 31 Face plate portion 32 Side portion 33 Convex portion 4 Erection fitting 5 Erection support material 6 External member (solar cell panel)
R1~R4 Pillar

Claims (2)

A mounting structure in which the lower ends of a plurality of height-adjustable support members are fixed via mounting brackets to convex portions formed on the exterior surface, and external members are attached to the upper ends of the support members,
The mounting bracket has a U-shaped angle adjustment member rotatably fixed to the top thereof,
The support member is composed of an outer cylindrical member having a rectangular cross section and an internal storage space, and an inner cylindrical member having a rectangular cross section that is housed in the storage space and can slide up and down. A plurality of holes are formed in each cylindrical member, and the height direction can be adjusted by inserting pins and nuts into the holes.
The external member has a U-shaped angle adjustment member rotatably fixed to its back side,
An external component mounting structure characterized in that the height direction length of each of the support members is adjusted according to the arrangement angle of the mounting bracket and the inclination angle of the external component. A method for adjusting an attachment structure in which the lower ends of a plurality of height-adjustable support members are fixed to a convex portion formed on an exterior surface via mounting brackets, and external components are attached to the upper ends of the support members,
The mounting bracket has a U-shaped angle adjustment member rotatably fixed to its top, the support member consists of an outer cylindrical member with a rectangular cross section having an internal storage space, and an inner cylindrical member with a rectangular cross section that is housed in the storage space and can slide up and down, each cylindrical member having a plurality of holes, and the height direction can be adjusted by inserting pins and nuts into the holes , and the external member has a U-shaped angle adjustment member rotatably fixed to its back side,
A method for adjusting an external component mounting structure, characterized in that the height direction length of each of the support members is adjusted according to the arrangement angle of the mounting bracket and the inclination angle of the external component.