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Automate Installation of Solar Material Direct to Plywood Roof
Automate Installation of Solar Direct to Plywood
Smart solar material is installed directly onto a plywood roof via Roof Robot. Factory fabricates material, cuts strips as needed, and places them into a large shipping tube. At the building site a truck mounted mechanical arm places tube onto a roof robot.
Robot Deploys Material
Robot unrolls material and places a bead of epoxy at each seam or covers with rail/bolts. If roof is 10m high by 20m wide for example, one might unroll 11 strips that are each 1m wide and 20m long. We use 11 instead of 10 to help rain water flow.
Robot on Moveable Truss
Shown here is an example solar panel cleaning robot which is similar in concept to our proposed system. Our system would need to support more weight and torque. Wheels under robot help to support load.
Standardize Robotic Construction Vehicle (RCV)
MA2 designs a standard Robotic Construction Vehicle (RCV) that consists of a flatbed truck and a mechanical arm. Robots attach to the end of the arm via a mechanical, electrical and software standard defined by MA2 engineers. Multiple robots are stored on the back of the truck. Mechanical arm moves robots between truck bed and roof truss as needed.
Standard Permanent Rail System
Standardized permanent rails at roof top and roof bottom allow robots to move horizontally and vertically for purposes of installation, cleaning, and repair.
Standards Support Multiple Robots
Different robots focus on a different activities: shingle removal, prepare plywood with holes and milled surfaces, install solar material and epoxy glue edges, repair, and clean. This is similar in concept to a tool changer on a CNC machine, pictured here.
Standardized Ports
Roof robots install standardized metal ports in plywood that enable pipes, vents and power/control wires to transition from the internal attic to the rooftop.
Walls are Important Too
MA2 devises a system for attaching 1m to 2m wide rolled made-to-order material to walls & roof, with overlapping joints for rain water. 1m to 2m wide material is attached via removable horizontal & vertical rails (gray in illustration). Factory removes material for windows via sheer or mill.
Mounting System For Roof/Walls that supports Removal
Horizontal metal rail (blue) attaches to plywood (brown). Metal pins protrude from rail (violet) & interface with solar material both above (orange) & below (red) rail. Horizontal stainless steel cover (green) bolts to base rail (blue) via bolts. Material edges are affixed to roof or wall via removable rails.
Longevity Reduces Cost
To achieve longevity we work with stable materials. Plastic, rubber, caulking, tar, asphalt, wood and paint are not stable over long periods of time due to ultraviolet decomposition and decay from oxidation and rot. Therefore, glass, stainless steel, anodized aluminum and copper are materials of choice.
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