1. Field of the Technology
The present technology relates to structure mounting and supporting devices and methods and particularly to such devices and methods that mount and support structures in the form of panels on roofs.
2. Description of the Background Art
When a structure is to be attached to a roof, a supporting device is required to mount the structure. Typically, the structure is fixed to the supporting device.
One such structure attached to a roof of a building is a solar cell apparatus. In recent years, solar cell apparatuses have increasingly been used, and many of them are attached to roofs of houses.
When the solar cell apparatus is installed on a roof of a house, metal frames or the like are assembled on a top surface of the roof to form a base. The base is formed as a part of the structure. The base is fixed to the roof by a supporting device. The solar cell apparatus includes a solar cell module in the form of a panel. Typically, the solar cell module is fixed to the base.
Conventionally there has been proposed a building allowing solar cell modules to be arranged in place of roof tiles across its roof to thatch the roof therewith and thus installed over an increased area to provide efficient photovoltaic power generation (see Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 2004-332200 for example). Furthermore there has been proposed an apparatus capable of combining solar cell modules different in size and thus arranging them across a roof to maintain the roofs aesthetic appearance (see Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 2005-264441 for example).
The techniques proposed in Japanese Patent Laying-open Nos. 2004-332200 and 2005-264441 appear to be intended for application mainly to houses having roofs having flat surfaces. Accordingly it is difficult to apply the techniques to houses having roofs having curved surfaces, such as domed roofs. Furthermore it is also difficult to apply the techniques to structures varying in dimension as seen in the direction of the tilt of the roof. Furthermore, it is also difficult to allow for a roof having a base material, such as sheathing, tile or the like, provided stepwise, as seen in the direction of the tilt of the roof, and varying in exposure dimension, as seen in the direction of the tilt of the roof, and dimension in height. Exposure dimension as referred to herein is an actual dimension of a single piece of a base material minus that of a portion of the single piece hidden by another piece overlapping the single piece to thatch a roof. In the present specification an exposure dimension of a base material in the direction of a tilt of a roof will be referred to as an exposure length. Furthermore, a dimension in height as referred to herein is a distance, as seen in a direction perpendicular to a surface of a roof, between the top surfaces of two pieces, respectively, of a base material that are adjacent in the direction of the tilt of the roof.
To mount a structure in the form of a panel on a roof, a base is typically fixed to the roofs base material, such as sheathing provided under a roofing material and serving as a base material to support the roofing material. In that case, the base is fixed by a member fixed to the base material perpendicularly. If the structure is to be mounted on a curved roof, and the base fixing member is fixed to the base material perpendicularly, the base fixing member would have a top surface misaligned and cannot fix the base successfully. Furthermore, if more than one structure are mounted in the direction of the tilt of the roof, it is necessary to form a base to which the structure is fixed in conformity to a dimension of the structure as seen in the direction of the tilt of the roof, and if the base material is stepwise varying in exposure length and dimension in height, it is difficult to mount thereon structures different in dimension in the direction of the tilt of the roof such that the structures are parallel to the base material.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds