Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Adjustment Device
The present invention pertains to an adjustment device for a component in
accordance with the generic part of Claim 1.
State of the Art
Devices like this are already present on the market and in use in a variety of
forms and embodiments.
The disadvantage of the devices according to the state of the art is
particularly
the position of a separate lever system for the making of adjustments, which
increases manufacturing costs as well as device maintenance costs, and
makes the maintenance, and functionality of the device more difficult.
Task of the Invention
The task of the present invention is to create an adjustment device of the
aforementioned type, which eliminated the disadvantage from the current state
of the art, and features a simple and easy-to-use structure, can be
manufactured in a cost-effective manner, and arranged in an efficient space-
saving way. In particular, a complicated lever system for the adjustment of
solar
modules, solar trackers etc. should be dispensed with.
Solution of the Task
The solution of the task is provided by the features of Claim 1.
The adjustment device features a motor by way of a drive, as well as a stator
and a rotor in a fully or only partially encapsulated, and most importantly, a
uniaxial construction. The result is that even less space is required for the
utilization of the positive advantages of the invention. The uniaxial
construction
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of this adjustment device also allows for a hermetically sealed encapsulated
and compact construction of the lever system and the rotary actuator, which
can be integrated into other construction components when needed.
Generally, a drive for such an adjustment device should be a drive of the type
that is needed in order to adjust or rotate a component by means of the lever
system. Components in this sense include such components as solar trackers,
solar modules, solar mirrors, or solar panels for tracking the position of the
sun.
Other components such as door hinges, vehicle, seat adjustment hinges, or
hospital beds might also be considered. Essentially, this adjustment device
should be considered in any case in which the biaxial positioning of a
component is required.
The energy for driving the adjustment device, and therefore, for the
adjustment
of the solar module or of a respective other component is provided by the
drive.
The drive is preferably an electromotor. Other drives that are capable of
generating sufficient energy for driving the adjustment device can also be
considered.
The adjustment device serves for the transmission of energy from the drive to
the rotor, relative to the stator.
In a preferred embodiment, the adjustment device is constructed uniaxially
with
a rotor and a stator. A uniaxial arrangement in this context means that the
adjustment device, the stator, the rotor, and the drive are all positioned in
the
same plane connected to each other. Consequently, they form a uniaxial
construction. Uniaxial here means the orientation of the adjustment device,
the
stator, the rotor, and the drive in an uninterrupted line, which may be
identified
as the axis orientation, longitudinal orientation, or along the longitudinal
axis. In
the present case, the orientation is along the drive axis, or the pivot axis.
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The adjustment device may feature a rotational sliding element with at least
two
rotational sliding threads, which are linked in an operative connection by way
of
an external thread with an internal thread inside a hull of the stator and of
the
rotor. The rotation sliding threads are driven and moved by way of a shaft
connected to the motor, wherefore as a result of the operative connection, the
stator and the rotor rotate as well, leading to the possibility of the
pivoting of the
rudder blade or of the outboard motor.
In a different embodiment, a rotational sliding element is envisioned, which
is in
an operative connection with the shaft itself by way of an internal thread.
The
rotational sliding element features at least two rotational sliding grooves,
in
which the rotational sliding guide elements are guided, which in turn are
positioned on an inside of the hulls of the stator and of the rotor which
faces the
rotational sliding element. The inside of the stator and rotor hulls are
otherwise
smooth on the inside, and do not feature grooves.
The rotational sliding grooves take the form of a longitudinal groove in a
surface
area of the rotational sliding element facing the inside of the hull. However,
they
have not been broken all the way to the threading of the rotational sliding
element. The operative connection between the internal threading of the
rotational sliding element and the external threading of the shaft allows for
the
axial movement of the rotational sliding element on the shaft along the drive
or
pivoting axis.
The gradient of the spiral- or screw-shaped rotational sliding grooves may
vary.
If the rotational sliding element is moved axially among the drive or pivoting
axis
or along the shaft, this implies a different rotation of the stator and of the
rotor
around the drive or pivoting axis. Consequently, the rotor is twisted away
from
or towards the stator by a difference angle of the rotational sliding grooves.
If
the two rotational sliding grooves have the same orientation but proceed at
different gradients, it is the difference between the angles. In the event of
an
opposing orientation of the rotational sliding grooves, it is the sum of the
angles.
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Basically, the rotational sliding grooves may have any possible form; they may
even be unevenly curved. The relative angle always results from the difference
angle. The position of the rotational sliding element is determined by the
shaft
or by the motor, which turns the shaft around the drive or pivot axis, and
thereby moves the rotational sliding element along this drive or pivot axis.
Pipes or pipe elements may also be featured, which would at least partially
envelop and seal the stator and/or the rotor, and within which the movement of
the stator and the rotor would take place. In the event that a pipe or a hull
is
featured, it would preferably be located, in a covering and sealing manner,
above the sealing area between the stator and the rotor, so that additional
sealing can be dispensed with. However, additional sealing elements may
optionally be included as well.
When the motor is powered on, the adjustment device pivots the solar module
connected to the rotor by a certain angle, typically of a maximum of plus
minus
180 degrees. The adjustment device thereby converts rapid motor rotations
around the drive axis into slow rotations around the pivot axis, whereby as a
result of the construction, the drive axis and the pivot axis are almost, and
in the
present case, entirely, coincidental.
Via two connecting pieces, the adjustment device can be connected to a
pedestal or to a substructure.
In a different embodiment, it is possible for at least two adjustment devices
to
be arranged inside a hull. The adjustment device may thereby be arranged in a
mirror-inverted manner. It is also conceivable that the adjustment devices may
be positioned inside a pedestal of a solar tracker and also in the table of
the
solar tracker or underneath the solar module of the solar tracker. This does
not
only make the horizontal pivoting of the solar module conceivable, but also a
vertical pivoting thereof. This allows for an extensive bandwidth of
adjustment
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possibilities for the solar tracker or of the solar module, to allow for the
tracking
of the position of the sun in any season of the year.
Description of the Figures
Additional advantages, features, and specific details of the invention follow
from
the description hereunder of preferential embodiment examples as well as from
the drawing. The drawing shows in
Figure 1: a schematic bottom view of an adjustment device according to the
invention;
Figure 2: an enlargement of a cross-sectional view of a different embodiment
example of an adjustment device according to the invention, featuring a
rotational sliding element;
Figure 3: a cross-sectional view of a different embodiment example of the
adjustment device according to the invention, featuring two rotational sliding
elements;
Figure 4: a section of a side view of the adjustment device shown in Figure 3,
in
a position of use with a solar tracker;
Figure 5: a section of a side view of the adjustment device shown in Figure 3,
in
an additional position of use with a solar tracker;
Figure 6: a rear view of the adjustment device of Figure 5;
Figure 7: a cross-sectional view of an alternative arrangement possibility of
adjustment devices; and
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Figure 8: a cross-sectional view of an alternative arrangement possibility of
adjustment devices.
Exemplary Embodiments
According to Figure 1, an adjustment device 1.1 for a solar module 28 is
shown.
The adjustment device 1.1 features a motor 2, a stator 3, as well as a rotor 4
in
an only partially encapsulated construction. In this case, the rotor 4 is
positioned at least partially inside a hull 29. A rotational sliding element
40 with
two oppositional rotation sliding threads 8 and 9 which are linked with each
other via a fixed connector 7, connects the stator 3 with the rotor 4.
A shaft 10 is housed on one end in a manner not depicted here in the motor 2,
and is driven by it. The other end of the shaft 10 is housed in a shaft nut
11.
The shaft 10 is in an operative connection with the two rotation sliding
threads 8
and 9, and therefore also with the stator 3, the rotor 4, and therefore with
the
hull 29. The shaft 10 rotates around a longitudinal or a drive axis 12.
By way of connecting pieces 14, the adjustment device 1.1 can be connected to
a frame, not depicted here. The hull 29 is linked with the solar module 28 by
way of additional connecting pieces 30, so that when the hull 29 rotates as
indicated by the arrow 31, the solar module 28 pivots along.
When the motor 2 is powered on, the adjustment device 1.1 pivots the
component, in this case, a solar module 28 that is connected to the rotor 4 by
a
certain angle, typically of a maximum of plus minus 90 degrees. The adjustment
device 1.1 thereby converts rapid motor rotations around the drive axis 12
into
slow rotations around the pivot axis 15, whereby as a result of the
construction,
the drive axis 12 and the pivot axis 15 are almost, and in the present case,
entirely, coincidental.
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The uniaxial construction of this adjustment device 1.1 allows for a
hermetically
sealed encapsulated and compact construction of the lever system and the
rotary actuator, which can be integrated into other construction components
when needed.
The rotation sliding threads 8 and 9 can be shifted with respect to the stator
3
and the rotor 4 along the drive axis 12 or pivot axis 15 when the shaft 10 is
rotated. Helical oppositional rotational grooves convert the relative shift of
the
rotation sliding threads 8 and 9 and of the stator 3 and the rotor 4 into a
rotation
between the stator 3 and the rotor 4. This generates a slow and powerful
rotation of the rotor 4 around the drive axis 12 or the pivot axis 15.
Figure 2 shows an additional exemplary embodiment of an adjustment
device 1.2. The exemplary embodiment differs from the exemplary embodiment
according to figure 1 in that it shows a fully encapsulated construction mode,
in
other words, one in which all components are encapsulated either by the hull
29
or by an additional pipe element 22. The hull 29 covers and seals the sealing
area between the stator 3 and the rotor 4, so that additional sealing can be
dispensed with. Optionally, however, an additional sealing element 17 can be
included.
Instead of the two rotation sliding threads 8 and 9, rotational sliding guide
elements 23 and 24 are envisioned, whereby the rotational sliding element 23
is
positioned on the inside of the hull of the stator 3, and the rotational
sliding
element 24 on the inside of the hull of the rotor 4. The inside of the stator
3 and
rotor 4 hulls are otherwise smooth on the inside, and do not feature grooves.
Furthermore, on the inside of the hulls of the stator 3 or of the rotor 4, a
rotational sliding element 27 with rotational sliding grooves 25 and 26 is
envisioned. The rotational sliding guide elements 23 and 24 are guided through
the rotational sliding grooves 25 or 26, which are located in the form of a
longitudinal groove in the surface area of the rotational sliding element 27,
but
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not all the way up to a threading of the rotational sliding element 27, not
shown
here. The threading of the rotational sliding element 27 is linked in an
operative
connection with a threading of the axis 10, whereby the rotational sliding
element 27 can be shifted on the shaft 10 along the drive axis 12 or the pivot
axis.
The gradient of the spiral- or screw-shaped rotational sliding grooves 25 and
26
may vary.
If the rotational sliding element 27 is moved axially among the longitudinal
axis 12 or along the shaft 10, this implies a different rotation of the stator
3 and
of the rotor 4 around the drive axis 12 or the pivoting axis 15. Consequently,
the
rotor 4 is twisted away from or towards the stator 3 by a difference angle of
the
rotational sliding grooves 25 and 26. If the two rotational sliding grooves 25
and
26 have the same orientation but proceed at different gradients, it is the
difference between the angles. In the event of an opposing orientation of the
rotational sliding grooves 25 and 26, it is the sum of the angles.
Basically, the rotational sliding grooves 25 and 26 may have any possible
form;
they may even be unevenly curved. The relative angle always results from the
difference angle. The position of the rotational sliding element 27 is
determined
by the shaft 10 or by the motor 2, which turns the shaft 10 around the drive
axis 12 or the pivot axis 15, and thereby moves the rotational sliding element
27
along this drive axis 12 or pivot axis 15.
Furthermore, this adjustment device 1.2 features the hull 29, the pipe
element 22, and the bearing block 32, onto which a clamping element 33 with
the rotor 4 is axially fixated relative to the stator 3. The clamping element
33
features a ring clamp 34. This ring clamp 34 fixates the rotor 4 relatively to
the
stator 3.
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Figure 3 shows two mirror-inverted adjustment devices 1.3. The adjustment
devices 1.3 feature the same components as adjustment device 1.2 in Figure 2,
wherefore this figure is referred to.
Figure 4 shows the adjustment device 1.3 in a position of use with a solar
tracker 35, which includes the solar module 28 and a pedestal 36, which are
connected to each other by way of a pivoting hinge 37. The pedestal 36 is
connected to the ground 38 in a manner that is not depicted here. The
adjustment device 1.3 is located on the bottom side 39 of the solar tracker
35.
The rotation of the solar module 28 by means of the adjustment device 1.3 is
done around the drive axis 12 or pivot axis 15 in the direction of the arrow
41.
Figure 5 shows an adjustment device 1.3, which is positioned on the
pedestal 36 in a manner different from what was shown in Figure 4. The result
is that the pedestal can be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow
42. In
the framework of the explanations to Figure 5, Figure 4 is referred to
explicitly.
The repetition for Figure 5 of all features listed with respect to Figure 4 is
dispensed with. This is particularly the case when the same reference numbers
are used for the same features.
Figure 6 shows a different view of Figure 5. According to it, the adjustment
device 1.3 is also positioned inside the pivoting hinge 37. This extension has
the advantage that the solar module 28 swivels around the horizontal axis, and
can therefore be adjusted to the seasonal solar position. In order to overcome
the large swiveling area in the pedestal 38, the two-step adjustment device
1.3
was built in. The two-step adjustment device 1.3 was constructed such that
both rotating angles add up. The axis 10 moves the two rotational sliding
elements 27 through the anchor. Through the anchoring of one of the rotor
ends, the stator 3 rotates, and the area above it rotates with it.
In the Figures 7 and 8, positioning options of adjustment devices 1.2 are
shown.
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Reference List
1 Adjustment Device 34 Ring Clamp 67
2 Motor 35 Solar tracker 68
3 Stator 36 Pedestal 69
4 Rotor 37 Pivoting hinge 70
38 Ground 71
6 39 Bottom side 72
7 40 rotational sliding 73
element
8 rotational sliding thread 41 Arrow 74
9 rotational sliding thread 42 Arrow 75
Shaft 43 76
11 Shaft nut 44 77
12 Drive axis 45 78
13 46 79
14 Connecting piece 47
Pivoting axis 48
16 49
17 Sealing element 50
18 51
19 52
53
21 54
22 Pipe element 55
23 Rotational sliding guide 56
element
24 Rotational sliding guide 57
element
Rotational sliding 58
grooves
26 Rotational sliding 59
grooves
27 rotational sliding 60
element
28 Solar module 61
29 Hull 62
Connecting piece 63
31 Arrow 64
32 Bearing block 65
33 Clamping element 66
