APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SECURING SOLAR PANEL CELLS TO A SUPPORT FRAME

Abstract

A clamp assembly for clamping one or more solar panel cells to a supporting frame rail. The clamp assembly may have a clamp body, an insert and a fastener. The clamp body may have a neck portion and a pair of shoulders extending generally perpendicular to the neck portion. The shoulders may be adapted to overlay edges of a pair of adjacently positioned solar panel cells resting on a frame rail. The insert may be sized to be inserted into the neck portion, with the insert having a plurality of teeth formed along its length. The insert may be captured within the neck portion of the clamp body so as to be non-removable therefrom, but still able to be rotated within the clamp body. The threaded fastener may be pressed into the insert and captured by the teeth, and then once a head portion thereof is positioned within a channel of the frame rail, the insert may be rotated to tighten the fastener and clamp the edges of the pair of solar panel cells to the frame rail.

Description

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to solar panel frame systems, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for quickly and easily securing a solar panel cell on to a supporting frame member.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Renewable energy sources are growing dramatically in popularity world-wide. One such type of renewable energy is solar energy. Typically solar energy is harnessed through the use of one more solar panel cells that are used to receive the Sun's solar energy and to convert same into usable electric power that can be used to power a wide variety of electric devices in home or commercial applications. More typically a solar panel installation will be made up of a large plurality of independent solar cells that cooperatively form a solar panel “array”. The precise number of solar panel cells employed to form the array may vary considerably, but in large applications dozens, hundreds or even thousands of independent solar panel cells will be employed to form the array.

The cost of installing a solar panel array is often a significant portion of the overall system cost. Often the labor associated with performing the installation may alone run 30% or more of the total system cost. This is because installation of the solar panel systems is a labor intensive process. Typically at least two workers will work to assemble the support frame on which the solar panel cells will be supported. The support frame is secured to a support surface, typically either a roof of a structure (e.g., residence or commercial building) or a collection of concrete footings. The support frame is typically formed by an interconnected plurality of frame rails having upwardly opening, elongated channels. The independent solar panel cells are then laid onto the frame rails and positioned so that they are separated by a reasonably uniform distance. Between adjacent solar panel cells, a worker needs to insert a clamp assembly into the frame rail assembly. Typically the clamp has a threaded bolt with a head portion that is positioned within the channel of a frame rail. The clamp assembly also typically has a top hat-like portion that engages the threaded bolt and is used to clamp on to the edges of two adjacently positioned solar panel cells to hold them securely against movement on the frame rail. The clamp assembly needs to be relatively precisely positioned in the rail prior to tightening it onto the edges of two adjacent solar panel cells.

Tightening of the clamp assembly can be troublesome as it typically does not stand straight up once it is inserted into the channel of the frame rail. Moreover, the top hat-like portion will drop down along the threaded shaft unless one worker holds it in an elevated position to clear the upper peripheral edges of the two solar panel cells that it is being used to clamp to the frame rail. So almost always, two workers are need to align and secure the solar panel cells using a conventional clamp assembly: one worker to hold the top hat like portion in an elevated position, while another worker positions one of the two panels along the frame rails so that the top hat portion can be released and rest on the edges of the two frame rails. Next, one of the workers places a relatively small nut on the free end of the threaded shaft and starts the nut onto the threaded shaft by hand. The worker may then use a suitable wrench or power implement to finish tightening the threaded nut to the proper torque needed to clamp the top hat-like portion onto the edges of the two adjacent solar panel cells. Of course, handling of the small threaded nuts also adds extra time to the installation process. Where an installation is done in cold weather, workers may have difficulty handling small nuts while wearing gloves, and occasionally a worker may drop a nut while attempting to start it on to a fastener. Also, when tightening the threaded nuts, care must be taken not to over tighten the nuts, which might cause damage to the edges of the solar panel cells.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that securing the above described conventional clamp assemblies most typically necessitates the use of two workers, as well as significant time to tighten down the conventional threaded nuts that are used. When one imagines an installation where hundreds or thousands of solar panel cells are being installed to form an array, the time and manpower required to install conventional fastening assemblies, and the handling of thousands of small threaded nuts, can lead to very significant expense and long installation times.

SUMMARY

In one aspect the present disclosure relates to a clamp assembly comprising a clamp body, an inset and a fastener. The clamp body may have a neck portion and a pair of shoulders extending generally perpendicular to the neck portion. The shoulders may be adapted to overlay edges of a pair of adjacently positioned solar panel cells resting on a frame rail. The insert may be sized to be inserted into the neck portion, with the insert having a plurality of teeth formed along its length. The insert may be captured within the clamp body so as to be non-removable therefrom, but still able to be rotated within the clamp body. The threaded fastener is adapted to be pressed into the insert and captured by the teeth. The fastener may have a head portion adapted to be captured within a channel of the frame rail. Rotation of the insert via a tool enables the fastener to be threadably advanced into the insert, to thus enable the shoulders to clamp the edges of the pair of solar panel cells to the frame rail.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fastening assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of just the clamp body and the insert member positioned therein, and also showing a tool for flaring a lower portion of the insert so that the insert is captured within the clamp body;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the clamp assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a bottom exploded perspective view of the clamp assembly of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional, perspective view of the clamp assembly inserted into the channel of a frame rail, and showing the head portion of the threaded shaft having been rotated into contact with the interior walls of the channel;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the tightening tool about to be placed on the insert to tighten the insert onto the fastener;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a pair of the clamp assemblies being used to clamp the edges of two adjacently positioned solar panel cells, and with one of the clamp assemblies shown just prior to being tightened down, and the other shown after being fully tightened down;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of two clamp assemblies, with the right most one of the clamp assemblies being positioned on the frame rail in an elevated position to allow an edge of a solar panel cell to be slid underneath it, and the left most one of the clamp assemblies having been pushed down into contact with the edge of an adjacent frame rail;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the tightening tool positioned on the insert and ready to apply a tightening torque to the insert to clamp the clamp body down onto the edges of a pair of adjacently positioned solar panel cells;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a removal tool that may be used to loosen and remove the insert once it has been tightened onto the fastener;

FIG. 9A is a bottom perspective view of the removal tool of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the clamp body that is suitable for use where the edge of only a single solar panel cell is being clamped by the clamp assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown a clamp assembly 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. The clamp assembly 10 includes a clamp body 12 and an insert 14. The clamp body 12 includes a neck portion 16 and a pair of shoulders 18 projecting in opposite directions. Shoulders 18 may each have serrations 20 formed thereon. Referring specifically to FIG. 3, the clamp body 12 may include a circular hole 22 at a lower end 24 and an aligned circular hole 26 at an upper end 28 thereof. The upper end 28 may also include a recess 30 surrounding the hole 26.

With further reference to FIG. 3, the insert 14 may include a tubular body portion 32 having a head portion 34. The head portion 34 may include a plurality of circumferentially spaced tangs 36 each having an upwardly bent tab 38. The tangs 36 are each manufactured to have a particular thickness such that a particular amount of rotational torque applied to the tabs 38 in a clockwise direction will cause the tabs 38 to deform and flatten to lay substantially parallel with the tangs 36. While three tangs 36 and three tabs 38 are illustrated as one exemplary configuration, it will be appreciated that a greater or lesser number of tangs and tabs could be employed.

With further reference to FIG. 3, the tubular body portion 32 of the insert 14 includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart, inwardly projecting teeth 40 that project into an inner bore 32a of the insert 14. With brief reference to FIG. 2, a lower portion 42 of the insert 14 may be flared outwardly slightly after the insert 14 is inserted into the clamp body 12 via pressure applied by a suitable tool 44. This enables the insert 14 to be captured within the clamp body 12, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but still moved rotationally within the clamp body 12.

With further reference to FIGS. 1, 3 and 3A, the inner bore 32a has a diameter adapted to receive a threaded shaft 48 of a fastener 46 therein. The diameter is such that the threaded shaft 48 may be inserted into the bore 32a and the teeth 40 will engage the threads of the fastener 46 as it is pushed into the bore 32a. Thus, once the threaded shaft 48 is pushed into the bore 32a, it cannot simply slide out from the tubular body portion 32 of the insert 14, but rather is captured in the bore 32a by the teeth 40. Thus, once pressed into the bore 32a of the tubular body portion 34 of the insert 14 (and before the clamp assembly 10 is installed on a frame rail), if the fastener 40 needs to be removed, the teeth 40 will require that the fastener 46 be backed out of the insert 14 by rotating the fastener counterclockwise, the same as with any conventional threaded fastener with a right hand thread.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the fastener 46 forms a T-shaped configuration having a head portion 50. The head portion 50 has a width that enables it to be inserted into the channel 52 of a frame rail 54 used to support a plurality of solar panel cells (not shown). Once inserted, the threaded shaft 48 of the fastener 46 may be turned close to ninety degrees so that the head portion 50 extends almost perpendicular to the channel 52, thus enabling it to come into contact with the interior walls of the channel 52 and to be captured in the channel 52. By “captured” it is meant that once rotated into the position shown in phantom in FIG. 4, the fastener 46 cannot simply be lifted out of the channel 52. Thus, it will be appreciated that the width and length of the head portion 50 will need to be selected based on the dimensions of both the slot that forms the channel 52, as well as the overall width of the interior area of the frame rail 54. This will become more apparent in the following paragraphs. It will also become apparent that the overall length of the neck portion 16 of the clamp body 12 and the overall length of the insert 14 and fastener 46 will need to be selected based on the thickness of the solar panel assembly being secured to the frame rail, as well as the height of the frame rail 54. This is so that sufficient spacing exists between the shoulders 18 of the clamp body 12 and the frame rail 54 to capture the peripheral edge of the solar panel cell.

Referring to FIG. 5, to expedite tightening of the clamp assembly 10 once it is placed on the frame rail 54 in position to clamp the edges of two adjacent solar panel cells, a tool 56 may be employed. The tool 56 may have a specially configured head 58. The head 58 may be configured with a plurality of radially extending slots 60 that extend from a centering post 62. A shank 64 of the tool 56 allows it to be inserted and held in the chuck of a powered device such as an electric drill.

The slots 60 are arranged so that they may engage the upwardly bent tabs 38 when the centering post 62 is placed into the bore 32a of the insert 14. Thus, when the tool 56 is rotated, the rotational torque applied via the tool 56 will cause the entire insert 14 to rotate relative to the fastener 46. Once a predetermined torque is reached, the tabs 38 will no longer be able to remain in their upward positions (shown in FIG. 3), and further rotational torque applied to the tabs 38 will cause them to flatten. The flattened position of the tabs 38 is shown in the upper most clamp assembly 10 in FIG. 6. In this regard it will be appreciated that the thickness of the material employed in the forming the head portion 34 of the insert 14 will be such as to permit the tabs 38 to be overcome and to fold down when a predetermined torque is reached. At the present time, that specific torque is about 15 lb/feet of torque. This is the torque that is recommended by many solar panel manufacturers. However, the thickness of the head portion 34 could be selected as to enable other maximum torque values to be achieved during the tightening process. Thus, when the tool 56 is used with a powered device such as an electric drill, the installer does not need to worry about over tightening the clamp assembly 10. Once the predetermined maximum torque is reached when driving the head portion 34 of the insert 14 with a power tool, the tool 56 will simple rotate freely over the head portion 34. This significantly expedites the tightening of the clamp assemblies 10 and virtually eliminates the risk of an installer damaging a solar panel cell that is being clamped with the clamp assembly 10.

The process of using the clamp assembly 10 may be described as follows. With reference to FIG. 4, the fastener 46 may be inserted slightly, simply by pushing it, into the insert 14. The fastener 46 only needs to be inserted a short distance into the insert 14. The head portion 50 of the fastener 46 is then rotated, if needed, to align it with the slot of the channel 52 of the frame rail 54. The head portion 50 is then inserted into the channel 52 and then the threaded shaft 48 is rotated close to 90 degrees, while holding the clamp body 12, so that the head portion 50 is positioned almost perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the frame rail 54, as shown in FIG. 4. When the clamp body 12 is released, the head portion 50 will drop slightly and rest against a bottom wall 66 of the frame rail 54. The depth of the channel 52 is preferably only slightly greater than the thickness of the head portion 50. As a result, once the head portion 50 is rotated into the position shown in phantom in FIG. 4, the inner walls of the frame rail 54 that make up the channel 52 will serve to maintain the fastener 46 in a substantially upright (i.e., vertical) orientation. This orientation is shown in FIG. 7. Thus, the fastener 46 will support the clamp body 12 in a substantially vertical orientation. In this position the entire clamp assembly 10 may still be moved slidably along the frame rail 54 if needed. The shoulders 18 of the clamp body 12 will also be held in a sufficiently elevated position that allows the edge of a solar panel cell to be slid underneath one of the shoulders 18. Thus, a first installer does not need to manually hold the clamp body 12 in an elevated position while a second installer positions one or more of the two solar panel assemblies that will be clamped by the clamp assembly 10 underneath the two shoulders 18. Thus, the first installer is free to release the clamp body 12 and then use both hands to position the one or more solar panel cells on the frame rail 54. Put differently, the clamp body 12 will not fall to a position where the shoulders 18 are below the upper surfaces of the solar panel cells being clamped by the clamp assembly 12, which as described above is a drawback with presently used conventional clamp assemblies.

With further reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, two adjacently positioned solar panel cells 72 and 74 are shown in position to be tightened down by the two clamp assemblies 10. Once the two solar panel cells 72 and 74 are positioned so that the shoulders 18 of the clamp body 12 are overlaying the edge(s) of the one or more cells (i.e., the rightmost assembly 10 shown in FIG. 7), the installer simply presses down on the clamp body 12 in accordance with directional arrow 68 in FIG. 7. The teeth 40 of the insert 14 permit further sliding insertion of the fastener 46 within the insert 14 with just a simple downward pushing force applied to the clamp body 12. At this point the shoulders 18 of each of the clamp bodies 12 will come into contact with the peripheral edges of the solar panel cells 72 and 74, as shown for the left most clamp assembly 10 in FIG. 7. Typically the peripheral edge of each of the solar panel cells 72 and 74 will be formed by an extruded frame element 76 that extends completely around the entire periphery of the solar panel cell 72 or 74. It is this frame element 76 that the shoulders 18 lay against when the clamp assemblies 10 are positioned as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

Once the clamp body 12 of each clamp assembly 10 has been pressed down into the position shown in FIG. 6, then the tool 56 may be placed on the head portion 34 of the insert 14 and the tool used to apply a rotational torque to tighten the clamp body 12 onto the fastener 46. The tool 56 is shown in position ready to apply a rotational torque to the insert 14 in FIG. 8. As the tool 56 applies a rotational torque, the insert 14 is driven rotationally. Since the head portion 50 of the fastener 46 is engaged with the interior surface of the frame rail 54, the entire fastener 46 is prevented from rotating. As such, as the insert 14 rotates it is threadably advanced onto the fastener 46. When the predetermined maximum torque is reached, the tool 56 will flatten the tabs 38 down substantially flush with the tangs 36. The solar panel cells 72 and 74 will then be clamped to the frame rail 54 at the proper torque by the clamp assembly 10. The head portion 34 of the insert 14 will rest within the recess 30, thus forming an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The general flush configuration also eliminates interference with other wiping implements that may eventually be mounted over the solar panel cells 72 and 74, to wipe snow off of the cells.

The clamp assembly 10 thus completely eliminates the need for the installer to handle threaded nuts and to manually start each of the threaded nuts onto a threaded fastener of a clamp assembly. This significantly expedites the clamping of the solar panel cells to a supporting frame rail. The clamp assembly 10 further allows a single installer to pre-position the clamp assemblies 10 at approximate locations, and then to release them and use both hands as needed to manipulate the solar panel cells as needed to perform the final alignment before the clamp assemblies 10 are fully tightened down. Thus, it is expected that the clamp assembly 10 may allow a single installer to perform installations where typically two installers may have been required.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 9A, a removal tool 78 is shown for unthreading the inserts 14 from the fasteners 46. The removal tool 78 includes a body portion 80 have a shank 82 which allows it to be coupled to the chuck of a power implement, such as an electric drill. The body portion 80 also includes a centering post 84 that may be positioned in the bore 32a of the insert 14 to align the removal tool 78 on the insert 14. The body portion 80 includes a plurality of teeth 86 have a beveled surface 88. The teeth 86 are further spaced circumferentially in accordance with the spacing of the tabs 38 so that two or more of the teeth 86 may simultaneously engage a corresponding plurality of the tabs 38 once the removal tool 78 is engaged. In this embodiment of the insert 14 three tabs 38 are employed, so the removal tool 78 plurality incorporates three teeth 86.

In use the removal tool 78 is first positioned on the head portion 34 of the insert 14 and aligned with the flattened tabs 38 so that the teeth 86 lie between adjacent pairs of the flattened tabs 38. When the tool is rotated counterclockwise the beveled surfaces 88 of the teeth 86 tend to “dig” under the flattened tabs 38 and lift them to almost a vertical orientation. As counterclockwise rotation of the removal tool 78 continues, the teeth 86 slide under a lower surface of each tab 38 as the tabs 38 are lifted. The teeth 86 then reach the edges of the tangs 36 and further counterclockwise rotation causes the entire insert 14 to rotate counterclockwise, thus unthreading the insert 14 from the fastener 46.

It will be appreciated then that the head portion 34 of the insert 14, once the insert 14 is tightened fully onto the fastener 46 and the tabs 38 are flattened, forms a desirable security feature. Since the tabs 38 are flattened down, without the removal tool 78, one attempting to unclamp the clamp assemblies 10 would need to use a screwdriver or some other implement to pry up the flattened tabs 38, and then possibly a pair of needle nose pliers to rotate the insert 14 counterclockwise. Thus, loosening of the clamp assembly 10 once it is fully tightened onto a solar panel cell can be difficult and time consuming. It is believed that this feature may significantly deter tampering and/or theft of solar panel cells that are secured using the clamp assembly 10.

It will also be appreciated that while the clamp assembly 10 is shown having two shoulders 18, that the clamp body 12 could just as readily be formed with only a single shoulder. Such an embodiment is shown in FIG. 10 and designated by reference number 10′. The clamp body is designated with reference number 12′. The clamp body 12′ includes only a single clamping shoulder 18′ having serrations 20′ and a protruding leg 90. Otherwise the clamp body 12′ is identical in construction to the clamp body 12 and may be used with the insert 14 and the fastener 46 described previously herein. The protruding leg 90 helps to align the clamp body 12′ on a frame rail that forms an outer perimeter portion of a solar panel array. Thus, rather than forming a T-shaped component, the clamp body 12′ forms more of an inverted L-shaped component. The use of the clamp assembly 10′ may be preferred when securing a portion of a solar panel cell that lies along the outer perimeter of a solar panel array. Obviously, if only a single solar panel cell is employed, then a plurality of clamp assemblies 10′ may be used around the perimeter of the single solar panel cell.

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. While various embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will recognize modifications or variations which might be made without departing from the present disclosure. The examples illustrate the various embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, the description and claims should be interpreted liberally with only such limitation as is necessary in view of the pertinent prior art.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A clamp assembly comprising:

a clamp body having a head portion, a neck portion, and at least one shoulder projecting laterally from the head portion;

a tubular insert adapted to be inserted within the clamp body, the insert including a tooth;

a threaded fastener threadably inserted into the insert to engage the tooth, the fastener including an enlarged head portion sized to fit within a channel of a frame rail; and

rotation of the insert operating to threadably advance the insert onto the fastener, and draw the at least one shoulder against an edge of a solar panel frame to clamp the solar panel frame against the frame rail.

3. The clamp assembly of claim 2, wherein the insert comprises a plurality of spaced apart teeth for threadably engaging the threaded fastener.

4. The clamp assembly of claim 2, wherein the enlarged head portion of the threaded fastener forms a T-shape in connection with a shaft portion of the threaded fastener, the enlarged head portion being sized to be captured within the channel of the frame rail after rotating a degree in response to initial rotational movement of the insert.

5. The clamp assembly of claim 2, wherein the insert includes a head portion having a plurality of upstanding bendable tabs that each receive a rotational force to cause rotation of the insert, and which bend into a flattened state when a predetermined rotational force being applied thereto is exceeded.

6. The clamp assembly of claim 5, wherein the head portion of the clamp body includes a recess within which the head portion of the insert rests.

7. The clamp assembly of claim 2, wherein the clamp body includes a first hole for receiving the insert therethrough, and a second hole for receiving a threaded shaft of the threaded fastener, the first and second holes further being longitudinally aligned with one another.

8. The clamp assembly of claim 2, wherein the head portion of the clamp body includes an additional shoulder that extends in a direction opposite to the shoulder, such that the shoulder, the additional shoulder and the neck portion cooperatively form a T-shape.

9. A clamp assembly comprising:

a clamp body having a head portion, a neck portion and a pair of shoulders extending generally perpendicular to the neck portion, the shoulders adapted to overlay edges of a pair of adjacently positioned solar panel cells resting on a frame rail;

the clamp body including a pair of aligned holes;

an insert sized to be inserted through a first one of the aligned holes and into the neck portion through a first one of the holes, the insert having at least one tooth formed along its length, and

a threaded fastener adapted to be inserted through a second one of the pair of aligned holes and pressed into the insert, and captured by the at least one tooth, the fastener having a head portion adapted to be captured within a channel of the frame rail such that rotation of the insert enables the insert to be threadably advanced onto the fastener, to thus enable the shoulders of the clamp body to be drawn against the edges of the pair of solar panel cells, to thus clamp the solar panel cells to the frame rail.

10. The clamp assembly of claim 9, wherein the insert includes a plurality of teeth formed thereon for grasping the threaded fastener when the insert is pushed onto the threaded fastener.

11. The clamp assembly of claim 9, wherein the insert includes a head portion having a plurality of circumferentially spaced, bendable tabs that are engaged with an external tool that applies a rotational torque to the insert, and wherein the bendable tabs bend into a flattened orientation with the head portion of the insert when a predetermined rotational torque is exceeded by the external tool.

12. The clamp assembly of claim 11, wherein the head portion of the clamp body includes a recess for housing the head portion of the insert, and wherein the tabs rest generally flush with a surface of the head portion of the clamp body when the tabs are bent into their flattened condition.

13. The clamp assembly of claim 9, wherein the fastener includes a threaded shaft portion, and wherein the threaded shaft portion and the head portion of the threaded fastener cooperatively form a T-shape.

14. The clamp assembly of claim 9, wherein the shoulders each include a plurality of serrations.

15. The clamp assembly of claim 9, wherein the head portion of the threaded fastener is sized relative to the channel such that it may be inserted into the channel when orientated parallel to a longitudinal axis of the channel, and then captured within the channel when rotated a degree to extend non-parallel to the longitudinal axis.

16. The clamp assembly of claim 9, wherein the clamp body includes a first one of the holes in the head portion of the clamp body and second one of the holes at a lower end of the clamp body.

17. A clamp assembly for clamping portions of a pair of solar panels to a frame rail, where the frame rail includes a longitudinally extending channel, the clamp assembly including:

a clamp body having a head portion and a neck portion, the head portion further including a pair of shoulder portions extending laterally of the neck portion;

a tubular insert adapted to be inserted along a portion of its length into the clamp body, the insert including a plurality of teeth formed along a tubular body portion thereon, and a head portion with at least one tab that is engageable within an external tool to permit the tool to drive the insert rotationally;

a fastener having a threaded shaft and a head portion of dimensions permitting the head portion to be inserted into the channel of the frame rail in a first orientation and captured within the channel when rotated to a second orientation; and

the fastener able to be pushed into the tubular body portion of the insert, and then the insert rotated using the external tool to draw the insert threadably onto the fastener, to clamp the solar panels between the shoulders and the frame rail.

18. The clamp assembly of claim 17, wherein the clamp body includes a pair of aligned holes, a first one of the pair of aligned holes receiving the insert therein.

19. The clamp assembly of claim 18, wherein a second one of the pair of aligned holes receives the fastener therein.

20. The clamp assembly of claim 17, wherein the clamp body includes a recess formed in the head portion of the clamp body, the recess receiving thereon the head portion of the insert.