A kind of glue printing battery piece manufacturing device, string welding machine and battery string manufacturing method

Abstract

The application provides a device for manufacturing an adhesive printed battery piece, a string welding machine and a battery string manufacturing method. The device comprises a feeding unit, a conveying unit, a detection unit and an adhesive printing unit. The conveying unit is distributed between other units for conveying the battery piece. The battery piece moved by the feeding unit is conveyed through the conveying unit, and then detected by the detection unit. After the battery piece is detected correctly, the battery piece is printed with adhesive on the adhesive printing unit. Finally, the battery piece printed with adhesive is conveyed out after being detected again by the detection unit. The adhesive printing unit comprises a first adhesive printing mechanism and a second adhesive printing mechanism to realize independent adhesive printing of a single battery piece and automatic adhesive printing of multiple battery pieces. The application solves the problems of low adhesive printing efficiency and low adhesive printing precision in the existing manual manufacturing process of adhesive printed battery strings, supplements the vacancy of the market of adhesive printed battery piece and battery string manufacturing equipment, and optimizes the production process of battery strings.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of photovoltaic module technology, specifically to an apparatus for producing printed solar cells, a string welding machine, and a method for producing solar cell strings. Background Technology

[0002] In the photovoltaic industry, the production of printed solar cells is primarily manual. This involves manually applying adhesive to the cells at the designated adhesive points. When both sides of the cell need printing, the operator must manually flip the cell on one side, straighten it, and apply adhesive again. This purely manual printing technique makes it difficult to control the size and position of the adhesive dots, resulting in slow efficiency and low precision. For closely spaced cells, the adhesive dots are easily misaligned, severely impacting the processing quality. Therefore, there is an urgent need for automated printing equipment to accurately print adhesive onto the input cells, followed by tape application, cell assembly, and curing to ultimately create printed solar cell strings. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing printed solar cells, a stringer, and a method for manufacturing solar cells. It can automate the printing process, solve the problems of low printing efficiency and low printing accuracy in the existing manual printing process for solar cells, supplement the market for printed solar cell and solar cell manufacturing equipment, and optimize the production process of solar cells.

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides an apparatus for manufacturing printed battery cells, a stringer, and a method for manufacturing battery strings.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing printed solar cells, comprising: a feeding unit, a transfer unit, a detection unit, and a printing unit; the transfer unit is distributed among the other units for conveying the solar cells; after the solar cells transferred by the feeding unit are conveyed by the transfer unit, they are then detected by the detection unit before being printed with adhesive on the printing unit; finally, after being detected again by the detection unit, the printed solar cells are conveyed out; the apparatus can handle both independent printing of a single solar cell and simultaneous printing of multiple solar cells. The printing unit includes a first printing mechanism and a second printing mechanism, which are jointly configured to complete printing on both sides of the solar cell. Alternatively, the first printing mechanism and the second printing mechanism can be configured independently to complete printing on different single sides of the solar cell.

[0006] The detection unit includes: a first detection mechanism for detecting whether the battery cells fed by the feeding unit have defects, and a second detection mechanism for detecting the printing effect of the first printing mechanism.

[0007] Alternatively, the detection unit may include: a first detection mechanism for detecting whether the battery cells fed by the feeding unit have defects, and a third detection mechanism for detecting the printing effect of the second printing mechanism;

[0008] Alternatively, the detection unit may include: a first detection mechanism for detecting whether the battery cells fed by the feeding unit have defects, a second detection mechanism for detecting the printing effect of the first printing mechanism, and a third detection mechanism for detecting the printing effect of the second printing mechanism.

[0009] Optionally, the printing cell manufacturing apparatus may further include a first alignment mechanism, a second alignment mechanism, and a flipping mechanism. The first alignment mechanism is used to align the cell before the first printing mechanism; the second alignment mechanism is used to align the cell before the second printing mechanism; the first alignment mechanism and the second alignment mechanism have the same structure; and the flipping mechanism is used to flip the cell after printing with adhesive by the first printing mechanism.

[0010] Optionally, both the first and second correction mechanisms are configured as two-stage correction systems, wherein the correction action of the first-stage correction system is translation, and the correction action of the second-stage correction system includes translation and rotation.

[0011] Optionally, the feeding unit includes a handling arm and at least two feeding slots. The handling arm uses suction to remove the battery cells from the feeding slots and place them on the transmission unit. The feeding slots are arranged in a linear or circular pattern. In the linear arrangement, the handling arm is movable in the direction of the feeding slots.

[0012] Optionally, the printing cell manufacturing apparatus may further include a rejection unit: the rejection unit is used to reject erroneous cells detected by the detection unit, the erroneous cells including: erroneous cells fed by the feeding unit and erroneous cells after printing by the printing unit.

[0013] As described above, the present invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing printed solar cells, which comprises four parts: a feeding unit, a transmission unit, a detection unit, and a printing unit. The transmission unit runs through the feeding unit, detection unit, and printing unit, and is used to transfer solar cells between these units. The feeding unit supplies the solar cells, and the detection unit checks whether the supplied solar cells meet certain conditions. If they do, the solar cells are then transmitted through the transmission unit to the printing unit for printing. After printing, the detection unit checks again whether the printed solar cells are qualified, and finally outputs qualified printed solar cells. The apparatus for manufacturing printed solar cells of the present invention achieves automatic feeding of solar cells, automatic detection of solar cell quality and printing effect, and high-precision transmission by the transmission unit, ensuring printing accuracy and overcoming the shortcomings of low printing accuracy and low printing efficiency in manual printing.

[0014] Secondly, the present invention provides a string welding machine, which includes a printing-resin battery cell manufacturing device, a welding ribbon processing device, a battery string assembly device, and a frame. The frame is used to fix the printing-resin battery cell manufacturing device, the welding ribbon processing device, and the battery string assembly device. The printing-resin battery cell manufacturing device and the welding ribbon processing device work simultaneously, and the printed-resin battery cells and welding ribbons produced respectively are gathered on the battery string assembly device to complete the assembly and curing of multiple battery cells with fixed welding ribbons, and output printing-resin battery strings.

[0015] Optionally, the welding strip processing device includes: a feeding mechanism, a flattening mechanism, a cutting mechanism, a conveying mechanism, and a pressing and circulating mechanism. The feeding mechanism, the flattening mechanism, the cutting mechanism, the conveying mechanism, and the pressing and circulating mechanism are arranged and fixed on the frame. The long welding strip provided by the feeding mechanism is flattened by the flattening mechanism, and then cut into short welding strips of a preset length by the cutting mechanism. The conveying mechanism then transports the short welding strips to the battery cells on the battery string assembly device.

[0016] Optionally, the flattening mechanism flattens the welding strip by: partially flattening the welding strip, flattening the welding strip as a whole, or flattening it into a Z-shaped bend.

[0017] Optionally, the battery string assembly device includes: a transfer mechanism and a stacking mechanism. The transfer mechanism includes a welding strip clamp for gripping the welding strip and a pressing clamp for gripping the pressing fixture. The welding strip clamp and the pressing fixture are configured in pairs, and the relative distance between the welding strip clamp and the pressing fixture is adjustable.

[0018] The stacking mechanism includes a stacking platform and several stacking modules. The stacking modules are connected to the stacking platform to receive solar cells and solder strips. Each stacking module includes a solder strip guide groove and a solar cell adsorption plane. The solder strip guide groove and the solar cell adsorption plane in a single stacking module correspond one-to-one, or a single solar cell adsorption plane corresponds to at least two solder strip guide grooves.

[0019] Optionally, the battery string assembly device may further include a curing mechanism, which is used to simultaneously cure the adhesive dots on the back and front of the battery cells that are fixed with solder ribbons. The curing method of the curing mechanism includes any one or both of light curing and heat curing.

[0020] As mentioned above, the string welding machine provided by this invention is used to manufacture printed-resin battery strings, that is, the solder strips on the battery cells are connected to the battery cells by adhesive bonding. The string welding machine as a whole includes the aforementioned printed-resin battery cell manufacturing device, solder strip processing device, battery string assembly device, and frame; wherein, the printed-resin battery cell manufacturing device is used to apply adhesive or glue to the battery cells, the solder strip processing device is used to process solder strips of the required specifications on the battery cells, and the frame is used to fix the printed-resin battery cell manufacturing device, the solder strip processing device, and the battery string assembly device. Moreover, in this invention, the printed-resin battery cell manufacturing device and the solder strip processing device operate simultaneously, that is, the solder strip and battery cell manufacturing processes are parallel; then, the manufactured printed-resin battery cells and solder strips are transported to the battery string assembly device for assembly, and after assembly, they are cured, finally outputting printed-resin battery strings. Based on the aforementioned adhesive-printed battery cell manufacturing device, the string welding machine of this invention incorporates a solder ribbon processing device and a battery string assembly device, enabling automated bonding and curing of the adhesive-printed battery cells and solder ribbons, ultimately producing a battery string with the solder ribbons and battery cells bonded together. This fills the gap in the market for this type of string welding machine and brings convenience to the processing of adhesive-printed battery strings.

[0021] Thirdly, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a battery string, wherein the method is applied to the aforementioned string welding machine, and the method includes the following steps:

[0022] S100, a battery cell manufacturing apparatus for printing adhesive onto the surface of a battery cell;

[0023] S200, for producing solder strips of preset specifications;

[0024] S300 combines the printed battery cells with the fabricated solder ribbon and cures them to obtain a printed battery string.

[0025] S100 includes:

[0026] S101, cell loading;

[0027] S102, perform coarse correction and take photos to check whether the incoming battery cell meets the first preset condition. If it meets the condition, proceed to the next step; otherwise, discard the battery cell.

[0028] S103, refine the battery cells that meet the preset conditions;

[0029] S104, Apply adhesive to the first surface of the corrected battery cell using the adhesive-printing battery cell manufacturing apparatus.

[0030] S105, after the battery cell with the first side of the battery cell printed with adhesive is flipped over, adhesive is printed on the second side of the battery cell, with the first side and the second side facing each other;

[0031] S106, determine whether the battery cell produced by the photo-detection printing battery cell manufacturing device meets the second preset condition, and discard the battery cell that does not meet the second preset condition;

[0032] S107, the battery cell that meets the second preset condition is moved to the position where the battery cell and the solder strip are combined and awaited to be combined.

[0033] Optionally, S200 includes:

[0034] S201, pull out the required length of solder strip from the solder strip roll;

[0035] S202, flatten the welding strip according to the preset specifications;

[0036] S203, the welding strip is cut into several short welding strips according to the preset specifications;

[0037] S204, According to the preset specifications, several short welding strips are spaced apart so that the short welding strips maintain a certain distance from each other and their positions are fixed by a press.

[0038] The aforementioned process S202 can be cancelled.

[0039] Optionally, S300 includes:

[0040] S301, pick up the printed solar cell to the position where the solar cell and solder strip are joined;

[0041] S302, simultaneously grab the short welding strip and the presser to the position where the welding strip is merged and fix the welding strip and the battery cell relative to the unit to be merged;

[0042] S303, Interweave two adjacent units to be merged and fix them after spacing them at a preset distance;

[0043] S304, After curing and interleaving, the multiple units to be merged form a printed battery string.

[0044] As previously described, another aspect of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing battery strings, which is applied in a string welding machine to optimize the processing technology for manufacturing adhesive-bonded battery strings. The process of applying adhesive or glue to the surface of the battery cells includes, in sequence, feeding, rough alignment and inspection, rejection of erroneous battery cells, fine alignment, applying adhesive or glue to the first surface of the battery cell, flipping the battery cell, fine alignment, applying adhesive or glue to the second surface of the battery cell, photographic inspection, rejection of erroneous battery cells, and transferring the battery cells to the merging position for merging. The battery string manufacturing process provided by the present invention automates the manufacturing of battery strings bonded between the solder strip and the battery cells, optimizes the processing method, and brings convenience to the manufacturing of such battery strings. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of an adhesive-printed battery cell manufacturing apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the axial structure of a printing pad manufacturing apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a string welding machine provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 4 This is a bottom view of a transfer mechanism in a string welding machine provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 5 This is a top view of a lamination mechanism in a string welding machine provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 6 This application provides an embodiment of a stacking module that constitutes a stacking mechanism in a string welding machine.

[0051] Figure 7 This diagram illustrates the units to be merged in a battery string manufacturing method provided in this application embodiment.

[0052] Figure label:

[0053] 1: Feeding unit; 21: First printing mechanism; 22: Second printing mechanism; 31: First inspection mechanism; 32: Second inspection mechanism; 33: Third inspection mechanism; 4: First alignment mechanism; 5: Second alignment mechanism; 6: Flipping mechanism; 71: Belt feeding mechanism; 72: Flattening mechanism; 73: Cutting mechanism; 74: Belt conveying mechanism; 75: Pressing die circulation mechanism; 81: Transfer mechanism; 82: Stacking mechanism; 821: Stacking module; 9: Unit to be merged. Detailed Implementation

[0054] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the application will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in one embodiment" appearing throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0055] It should also be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that an article or terminal device that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such an article or terminal device. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the article or terminal device that includes that element.

[0056] Reference Figures 1 to 7 As shown, embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus for manufacturing printed battery cells, a stringer, and a method for manufacturing battery strings.

[0057] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing printed solar cells, comprising: a feeding unit 1, a transmission unit, a detection unit, and a printing unit; the transmission unit is distributed among the other units for conveying solar cells; the solar cells transferred by the feeding unit 1 are transmitted through the transmission unit, then detected by the detection unit to ensure that the solar cells are correct before being printed with adhesive on the printing unit, and finally detected again by the detection unit before being conveyed out; the apparatus for manufacturing printed solar cells can handle both independent printing of a single solar cell and simultaneous printing of multiple solar cells.

[0058] It should be noted that if only one side of the battery cell needs to be printed with adhesive and bonded to the solder ribbon, one printing mechanism is sufficient. However, if both the front and back sides of the battery cell need to be printed with adhesive, two printing mechanisms are required, one for each side, to increase the printing efficiency of the battery cell manufacturing device. This embodiment will use simultaneous printing on both the front and back sides of the battery cell as an example to illustrate the invention. In this embodiment, the printing unit includes a first printing mechanism 21 and a second printing mechanism 22 to complete simultaneous printing on both the front and back sides of the battery cell. Of course, the first printing mechanism 21 and the second printing mechanism 22 can be set independently, allowing printing on either the front or back side of the battery cell.

[0059] It should also be noted that during the printing process, the first printing mechanism 21 or the second printing mechanism 22 needs to align the screen and the battery cell. In this invention, when aligning the screen and the battery cell, after determining the position of the battery cell, the printing mechanism containing the screen is moved so that the center of the screen coincides with the geometric center of the battery cell. Alternatively, when two or more segmented battery cells are printed simultaneously, it is necessary to determine the geometric center of the virtual spatial position formed by the two or more segmented battery cells arranged at a preset spacing. For example, the intersection of the diagonals of the rectangle formed by connecting the four outermost vertices of two segmented battery cells is the geometric center of the virtual spatial position. This positioning method, which uses a moving screen to find the position of the battery cell, has high positioning efficiency and high positioning accuracy, thereby improving the quality and efficiency of screen printing.

[0060] This invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing printed battery cells, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the device comprises four parts: a feeding unit 1, a transmission unit, a detection unit, and a printing unit. The transmission unit runs through the feeding unit 1, the detection unit, and the printing unit, and is used to transfer solar cells between these units. The feeding unit 1 supplies the solar cells, and the detection unit checks whether the supplied solar cells meet the requirements. If they do, the solar cells are then transferred to the printing unit via the transmission unit for printing. After printing, the detection unit checks again whether the printed solar cells are qualified, and finally outputs qualified printed solar cells. This invention's printing solar cell manufacturing device achieves automatic feeding of solar cells, automatic detection of solar cell quality and printing effect, and can handle both independent printing of a single solar cell and simultaneous printing of multiple solar cells. Furthermore, the high-precision transmission of the transmission unit ensures the printing accuracy of the solar cells, solving the problems of low printing accuracy and low printing efficiency in manual printing.

[0061] In addition, the detection unit in this embodiment of the invention includes: a first detection mechanism 31 used to detect whether there are defects in the battery cells fed by the feeding unit 1, and a second detection mechanism 32 used to detect the printing effect of the first printing mechanism 21.

[0062] Alternatively, the detection unit may include: a first detection mechanism 31 used to detect whether there are defects in the battery cells fed by the feeding unit 1, and a third detection mechanism 33 used to detect the printing effect of the second printing mechanism 22.

[0063] Alternatively, the detection unit may include: a first detection mechanism 31 used to detect whether there are defects in the battery cells fed by the feeding unit 1; a second detection mechanism 32 used to detect the printing effect of the first printing mechanism 21; and a third detection mechanism 33 used to detect the printing effect of the second printing mechanism 22.

[0064] In this embodiment of the invention, after the solar cells are fed, it is necessary to detect and locate the position of the solar cells and confirm whether they are defective. A first detection mechanism 31 is set up to detect the quality of the fed solar cells. If only one-sided printing is performed, regardless of whether the printing is done on the front or back of the solar cell, a detection unit needs to be set up after the printing structure to detect the effect of the printing on the solar cell. The detection contents of the second detection mechanism 32 and the third detection mechanism 33 set up in this invention include: detecting whether the adhesive dots on the solar cell coincide with the grid lines, detecting whether the adhesive dots are offset, and detecting whether the expansion range of the adhesive dots is too large. If adhesive is applied to both the front and back of the solar cell simultaneously, the required inspection units include a first inspection mechanism 31, a second inspection mechanism 32, and a third inspection mechanism 33. The first inspection mechanism 31 inspects the quality of the solar cell being fed into the machine; the second inspection mechanism 32 inspects the adhesive application effect of the first adhesive application mechanism 21; and the third inspection mechanism 33 inspects the quality of the solar cell after adhesive application by the second adhesive application mechanism 22 and the quality of the adhesive dots on the solar cell. Simultaneously, based on the inspection results of the first, second, and third inspection mechanisms 31, defective solar cells need to be identified and discarded. The specific inspection mechanism can use camera inspection or photoelectric inspection; this invention does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0065] In addition, in embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 2 As shown, the printing cell manufacturing apparatus may further include a first alignment mechanism 4, a second alignment mechanism 5, and a flipping mechanism 6. The first alignment mechanism 4 is used to align the cells before the first printing mechanism 21; the second alignment mechanism 5 is used to align the cells before the second printing mechanism 22; the first alignment mechanism 4 and the second alignment mechanism 5 have the same structure; the flipping mechanism 6 is used to flip the cells that have been printed by the first printing mechanism 21.

[0066] In this embodiment, because the battery cells undergo conveying and other moving actions before printing, they need to be aligned before printing to prevent glue dot misalignment during subsequent printing. An alignment mechanism is required before each printing mechanism; in this application, the first alignment mechanism 4 and the second alignment mechanism 5 are respectively located before the first printing mechanism 21 and the second printing mechanism 22. Of course, if only single-sided printing is required on the front or back of the battery cell, only one alignment mechanism is needed. Furthermore, the alignment methods of the first alignment mechanism 4 and the second alignment mechanism 5 in this invention include translation and rotation to correct the position of the battery cell in the horizontal plane. The specific directions of translation and rotation need to be determined based on the position of the battery cell in the alignment mechanism; this invention does not impose specific limitations on this. In addition, the flipping mechanism 6 flips the battery cell that has already been coated with adhesive on one side, exposing the other surface that has not been coated with adhesive. The flipping mechanism 6 needs to include structures to avoid adhesive dots on the battery cell and structures to adsorb and fix the battery cell, because the flipping process involves a certain speed and centripetal force. If the battery cell is not fixed, the adhesive dots may spread, or the battery cell may be thrown out. Specifically, the flipping mechanism 6 can use a single transport fork with adsorption capacity, or multiple transport forks can rotate and intermittently flip the battery cell; this invention does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0067] It should be noted that both the first alignment mechanism 4 and the second alignment mechanism 5 are configured as two-stage alignment systems. The first-stage alignment system performs a translational adjustment, while the second-stage alignment system performs both translation and rotation. Specifically, the first-stage alignment system can move the solar cell forward / backward or left / right, while the second-stage alignment system corrects the position of the solar cell within a specific plane through translation and rotation. This alignment method not only provides high accuracy but also increases the dimensionality of solar cell alignment, making it easier for the operator to operate and adjust.

[0068] In addition, the flipping mechanism 6 includes an adsorption fork and a rotary motor. The rotary motor drives the adsorption fork to rotate after adsorbing the solar cells. Furthermore, some transport mechanisms need to consider adhesive avoidance during solar cell transport. After adhesive is applied to one side of the solar cell, the flipping mechanism 6 flips the solar cell and moves it to the next adhesive application mechanism. This part of the transport mechanism includes not only an adsorption port for adsorbing the solar cell but also adhesive avoidance holes or adhesive avoidance grooves to prevent damage to the adhesive dots on the solar cell, which would affect subsequent solar cell processing. The specific adhesive avoidance structure can be selected according to the arrangement or position of the adhesive dots on the solar cell; this invention does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0069] In some embodiments, the feeding unit 1 includes a handling hand and at least two feeding slots. The handling hand uses suction to remove the battery cells from the feeding slots and place them on the transfer unit. The feeding slots are arranged in a linear or circular pattern. In a linear arrangement, the handling hand can move in the direction of the feeding slots.

[0070] In this embodiment, the feeding unit 1 includes a handling arm and at least two feeding slots. The handling arm uses suction to remove the battery cells from the feeding slots and place them on the transfer unit. This suction handling arm can be a single arm continuously picking up and moving battery cells from different feeding slots, or multiple arms can alternately pick up and move battery cells from different feeding slots. Furthermore, the at least two feeding slots can be arranged in a straight line or in a circular pattern. When the feeding slots are arranged in a straight line, the handling arm needs to move back and forth along the arrangement direction of the feeding slots to move the battery cells in different slots. When the at least two feeding slots are arranged in a circular pattern, the handling arm only needs to rotate around the center of the circle to move the battery cells in different feeding slots. Multiple feeding slots not only increase the feeding speed but also allow for the placement of different battery cells, improving the compatibility of the feeding unit with various types of battery cells.

[0071] In addition, in this embodiment, the printing cell manufacturing apparatus may further include a rejection unit: the rejection unit is used to reject defective cells, including defective cells fed by the feeding unit 1 and defective cells after printing by the printing unit. The rejection unit can be located at the final end of the printing structure, i.e., the location where the last printed cells are output; or it can be located in two places, with the first place located after the detection mechanism following the feeding unit 1 to directly reject incoming defective cells, and the second place located at the final end of the printing structure, i.e., the location where the last printed cells are output, to directly reject cells that do not meet preset conditions after printing. The specific structure of the rejection unit includes a simple waste box and a rejection gripper, where the rejection gripper can be any other structure in the apparatus used to grasp cells. Specifically, the rejection mechanism can use a robotic arm to grasp defective cells and move them to a rejection storage location, or it can use a conveyor belt to directly transport defective cells to the rejection storage location, depending on the actual space size of the equipment and ease of use.

[0072] Secondly, the present invention provides a string welding machine, which includes a printing-resin battery cell manufacturing device, a welding ribbon processing device, a battery string assembly device, and a frame. The frame is used to fix the printing-resin battery cell manufacturing device, the welding ribbon processing device, and the battery string assembly device. The printing-resin battery cell manufacturing device and the welding ribbon processing device work simultaneously to produce printing-resin battery cells and welding ribbons, respectively. The printing-resin battery cells and welding ribbons are then gathered on the battery string assembly device to complete the assembly of multiple battery cells with welding ribbons fixed. After assembly, the cells are cured, and finally, a printing-resin battery string is output.

[0073] As mentioned above, the string welding machine provided by this invention is used to manufacture printed-resin battery strings, where the solder strips on the battery cells are connected to the cells by adhesive bonding. The string welding machine as a whole includes the aforementioned printed-resin battery cell manufacturing device, solder strip processing device, battery string assembly device, and frame. The printed-resin battery cell manufacturing device is used to apply adhesive or glue to the battery cells, the solder strip processing device is used to process solder strips of the required specifications onto the battery cells, and the frame is used to fix the printed-resin battery cell manufacturing device, the solder strip processing device, and the battery string assembly device. Furthermore, in this invention, the printed-resin battery cell manufacturing device and the solder strip processing device operate simultaneously; that is, the solder strip and battery cell manufacturing processes are parallel. Then, the manufactured printed-resin battery cells and solder strips are transported to the battery string assembly device for assembly, followed by curing, ultimately outputting printed-resin battery strings. The string welding machine of this invention, based on the aforementioned printed battery cell manufacturing device, incorporates a solder ribbon processing device and a battery string assembly device, realizing the automated bonding and curing of the printed battery cells and solder ribbons, ultimately producing a battery string with the solder ribbons and battery cells bonded together. This fills the gap in the market for this type of string welding machine and brings convenience to the processing of printed battery strings.

[0074] Furthermore, the welding strip processing device of the present invention includes: a feeding mechanism 71, a flattening mechanism 72, a cutting mechanism 73, a conveying mechanism 74, and a pressing and circulating mechanism 75. The feeding mechanism 71, the flattening mechanism 72, the cutting mechanism 73, the conveying mechanism 74, and the pressing and circulating mechanism 75 are respectively fixed on the frame. The long welding strip provided by the feeding mechanism 71 is flattened by the flattening mechanism 72, and then cut into short welding strips of a preset length by the cutting mechanism 73. The short welding strips are then transported to the battery string assembly device by the conveying mechanism 74. The flattening mechanism 72 flattens the welding strip by: partially flattening the welding strip, flattening the welding strip as a whole, and flattening it into a Z-shaped bend.

[0075] In embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 3 As shown, the ribbon processing device is the part of the string welding machine used to process the ribbon. The ribbon is pulled out from the ribbon roll and, after being flattened and cut, is made into the ribbon of the required specifications for the battery cell. In addition, in this invention, a pressure tool is used to fix the ribbon onto the battery cell. From the time the ribbon is placed on the printed battery cell until the battery cell is cured, the pressure tool remains relatively stable with the battery cell to prevent the ribbon on the battery cell from shifting. The pressure tool is used in a cyclical manner, that is, after curing, the pressure tool recycling mechanism 75 will recycle the pressure tool.

[0076] Furthermore, the welding strip processing device in this invention may or may not include a flattening mechanism 72, depending on the type of welding strip used. If the welding strip is circular and the area in contact with the edge of the battery cell needs to be flattened into a Z-bend, then the flattening mechanism 72 is required to partially flatten the welding strip and form a Z-bend. Of course, the specific flattening method can be selected according to actual needs; the Z-bend is just one example in this embodiment. If the welding strip is a thinner circular welding strip, or a flat welding strip, or if the welding strip is only connected to one side of the battery cell, the flattening mechanism 72 can be omitted. This is beneficial for optimizing the overall structure of the stringer and reducing the length, width, and weight of the stringer.

[0077] In some embodiments, the battery string assembly device in the string welding machine provided by the present invention includes: a transfer mechanism 81 and a stacking mechanism 82. The transfer mechanism 81 includes a welding strip clamp for gripping welding strips and a pressing clamp for gripping pressing fixtures. The welding strip clamp and the pressing clamp are configured in pairs, and the relative distance between the welding strip clamp and the pressing clamp is adjustable. The stacking mechanism 82 includes a stacking platform and a plurality of stacking modules 821. The stacking modules 821 are connected to the stacking platform to receive battery cells and welding strips. Each stacking module 821 includes a welding strip guide groove and a battery cell adsorption plane. The welding strip guide groove and the battery cell adsorption plane in a single stacking module 821 correspond one-to-one, or a single battery cell adsorption plane corresponds to at least two welding strip guide grooves.

[0078] In this embodiment, as Figures 4 to 6 As shown, the battery string assembly device includes a transfer mechanism 81 for transferring solder strips and fixtures, and a stacking mechanism 82 for merging or stacking multiple sets of battery cells and solder strips transferred in. The spacing between the structures in the transfer mechanism 81 that grip the solder strips and fixtures is adjustable to accommodate different specifications of solder strips or battery cells. The stacking mechanism 82 includes a stacking module 821 and a stacking table, where the stacking table is where the battery cells and solder strips are placed. Each stacking module 821 includes a solder strip guide groove and a battery cell adsorption plane. The solder strip guide groove and the battery cell adsorption plane in a single stacking module 821 correspond one-to-one, and their function is to simultaneously grip the battery cells and solder strips. Multiple cell and solder ribbon stacking modules 821 move on a stacking table until they meet the required spacing between adjacent cells. Once the target spacing is reached, the lamination process is complete; that is, the solder ribbon on the front of the preceding cell aligns with the adhesive dots on the back of the following cell, and vice versa. The modules are then moved to a curing position, where the front of the cell is cured by a front-side curing structure, and the back of the cell is cured by a back-side curing structure, ultimately forming a long battery string. Finally, the long battery string is cut to the target length, and this process is repeated to produce multiple printed battery strings.

[0079] The figure shows that the stacked module 821 includes two solder ribbon guide grooves and a cell adsorption plane. The number of solder ribbon guide grooves corresponding to each cell adsorption plane is related to the grid line spacing. If the solder ribbon spacing is large, one cell adsorption plane can correspond to one solder ribbon guide groove. If the solder ribbon spacing is small, one cell adsorption plane can be designed to correspond to multiple solder ribbon guide grooves. The specific selection can be made according to actual conditions, and this invention does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0080] In some embodiments, the battery string assembly device may also include a curing mechanism for simultaneously curing adhesive dots on both the back and front sides of the battery cell. The curing method of the curing mechanism may include either light curing or heat curing, or a curing method selected according to the characteristics of the adhesive. This invention does not impose specific limitations on this. It should be noted that when simultaneous curing is required on both the front and back sides of the battery cell, the curing structures for the front and back sides differ. The front curing structure is relatively simple, requiring only that the heat source (light or heat) be brought close to the adhesive dots through a pressure fixture on the front side of the battery cell. The back curing structure is more complex because there is no pressure fixture to fix the solder ribbon. Therefore, a structure for fixing the solder ribbon, such as a pressure pin, needs to be added to the curing structure. The pressure pin lifts the solder ribbon, causing it to adhere to the back side of the battery cell before curing begins.

[0081] Thirdly, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a battery string, which is applied to the aforementioned string welding machine, and includes the following steps:

[0082] S100, the printing adhesive is applied to the surface of the battery cell using the printing adhesive battery cell fabrication apparatus;

[0083] S200, for producing solder strips of preset specifications;

[0084] S300 combines the printed battery cells with the fabricated solder ribbon and cures them to obtain a printed battery string.

[0085] S100 includes:

[0086] S101, cell loading;

[0087] S102, perform coarse alignment and take photos to check whether the incoming battery cells meet the first preset condition. If they meet the condition, proceed to the next step; otherwise, reject the battery cell.

[0088] S103, a solar cell that meets preset conditions;

[0089] S104, Apply adhesive to the first surface of the aligned battery cell using the adhesive-printing battery cell manufacturing apparatus.

[0090] S105 is a battery cell manufacturing device that prints adhesive on the second side of a battery cell after the first side of the battery cell has been flipped over, wherein the first side and the second side of the battery cell are opposite to each other.

[0091] S106, take a picture to detect whether the battery cells produced by the printing battery cell manufacturing device meet the second preset conditions, and discard the battery cells that do not meet the second preset conditions.

[0092] S107, the battery cell that meets the second preset condition is moved to the position where the battery cell and the solder strip are combined and awaited to be combined.

[0093] The following explains the aforementioned method for manufacturing battery strings:

[0094] The adhesive application method for the battery cell surface can be either screen printing or dispensing, depending on the actual design conditions. After the battery cells are loaded, coarse alignment is performed to facilitate inspection by the testing agency and prevent missed inspections due to cell misalignment. Coarse alignment can be achieved through simple unidirectional advancement, pushing the battery cell to its limit in one direction. Alternatively, coarse alignment can be omitted, and the camera inspection equipment can be configured to rotate with the cell's offset angle, thus preventing missed inspections. The specific choice depends on the actual design requirements. Fine alignment accuracy determines the precision of the adhesive dots applied to the battery cells. In this invention, fine alignment involves the screen printing stencil adjusting its position according to the battery cell's location; that is, the stencil is used to locate the battery cell, ultimately determining the relative position of the stencil and the battery cell.

[0095] In addition, the aforementioned first and second preset conditions are requirements for the battery cell at different detection locations. The first and second preset conditions are judgment conditions for identifying whether the battery cell has microcracks, non-standard glue dot size, glue dot omissions, or battery cell damage. For example, if a 5mm long crack is detected on the battery cell, it indicates that the battery cell is a defective battery cell and does not meet the first or second preset conditions. The specific first and second preset conditions need to be set according to the actual design requirements, and this invention does not make specific limitations on them.

[0096] In other embodiments, S200 specifically includes the following steps:

[0097] S201, pull out the required length of solder strip from the solder strip roll;

[0098] S202, flatten the welding strip according to the preset specifications;

[0099] S203, cut the welding strip into several short welding strips according to the preset specifications;

[0100] S204, according to the preset specifications, several short welding strips are spaced so that the welding strips maintain a certain distance from each other and their positions are fixed by a press.

[0101] The aforementioned process S202 can be omitted, depending on the specifications of the solder ribbon and whether the solar cell is printed on one or both sides. Specifically, if the solder ribbon is round and the area in contact with the edge of the solar cell needs to be flattened into a Z-bend, then the flattening mechanism 72 is required to flatten the solder ribbon. Of course, the specific flattening method can be selected according to actual needs; the Z-bend is just one example in this embodiment. If the solder ribbon is a thinner round ribbon, or a flat ribbon, or if the ribbon is only connected to one side of the solar cell, the flattening mechanism 72 can be omitted, which is beneficial for optimizing the overall structure of the stringer and reducing its size and weight.

[0102] In some embodiments, S300 specifically includes the following steps:

[0103] S301, pick up the printed solar cell and move it to the position where the solar cell and solder strip are joined;

[0104] S302, simultaneously grab the short welding strip and the press to the position where the welding strip is merged and fix the welding strip and the battery cell to obtain the unit to be merged 9;

[0105] S303, Interweave two adjacent units 9 to be merged and fix them after a preset distance;

[0106] S304, after curing and interleaving, multiple units 9 to be merged form a printed battery string.

[0107] This step involves combining multiple solar cells. Multiple solar cells and solder ribbons are picked up and positioned at the point where they are joined, and the solder ribbons are then fixed relative to the solar cells. Figure 7 As shown, the unit to be merged 9 is an integral structure composed of battery cells and solder ribbons. Part of the solder ribbon is fixed to the battery cell by a press, while the other part of the solder ribbon needs to be superimposed onto the other surface of the battery cell in the adjacent unit to be merged 9. The insertion depth and position are related to the preset spacing between each battery cell. After insertion, multiple units to be merged 9 are cured to obtain a printed battery string. This invention does not impose specific limitations on various preset conditions and preset positions; these can be specifically set according to the actual usage environment and the specifications of the battery cells.

[0108] In addition, such as Figure 7The diagram shows two arrangements of units 9 to be merged. The first arrangement involves bonding the solder ribbon to adhesive dots on one surface of the battery cell, while the second arrangement involves bonding the solder ribbon to adhesive dots on the back side of the battery cell (the side not visible in the diagram). Multiple units 9 of the first arrangement can be merged, or multiple units 9 of the second arrangement can be merged and then cured to form a printed battery string. Of course, the insertion order of the first and second arrangements is not specifically limited in this invention and can be set according to actual usage conditions.

[0109] This invention provides a battery string manufacturing method as described above. This method is applied in a string welding machine to optimize the processing technology for manufacturing adhesive-coated battery strings. The process of applying adhesive to the surface of the battery cells using a battery cell manufacturing device or dispensing process sequentially includes: feeding, rough alignment and inspection, rejection of erroneous battery cells, fine alignment, applying adhesive or dispensing on the first surface of the battery cell, flipping the battery cell, fine alignment, applying adhesive or dispensing on the second surface of the battery cell, photographic inspection, rejection of erroneous battery cells, and transferring the battery cells to a merging position for merging. The battery string manufacturing process provided by this invention automates the manufacturing of battery strings bonded between the solder strip and the battery cells, optimizing the processing method and bringing convenience to the manufacturing of such battery strings. It should be noted that in this invention, adhesive is applied to both opposite surfaces of the battery cells. In practical use, single-sided adhesive application is also possible, requiring only one adhesive application or dispensing device and one alignment structure as described in this application. The specific choice can be made according to actual usage requirements, and this invention does not impose specific limitations in this regard.

[0110] Finally, this invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing printed solar cells, a stringer, and a method for manufacturing solar cells. The apparatus includes a feeding unit 1, a transfer unit, a detection unit, and a printing unit. The transfer unit is distributed among the other units for transporting solar cells. After the solar cells transferred by the feeding unit 1 pass through the transfer unit, they are inspected by the detection unit before being printed with adhesive on the printing unit. Finally, after being inspected again by the detection unit, the printed solar cells are transported out. The printing unit includes a first printing mechanism 21 and a second printing mechanism 22. Furthermore, the apparatus for manufacturing printed solar cells provided by this invention also supports independent printing of a single solar cell and simultaneous printing of multiple solar cells. This invention solves the problems of low printing efficiency and low printing accuracy in existing manual processes for manufacturing printed solar cells and strings, fills the market gap for printed solar cell and string manufacturing equipment, and optimizes the production process of solar cells.

[0111] Furthermore, it should be noted that the embodiments described above are only a portion of the embodiments, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments in this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0112] It should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

Claims

1. An apparatus for manufacturing printed solar cells, characterized in that, The printing battery cell manufacturing device includes: a feeding unit (1), a transmission unit, a detection unit, a printing unit, a rejection unit, a first alignment mechanism (4), a second alignment mechanism (5), and a flipping mechanism (6); the transmission unit is distributed between the feeding unit (1) and the detection unit, and between the detection unit and the printing unit, for transmitting battery cells. After the battery cells transferred by the feeding unit (1) pass through the transmission unit, they are then detected by the detection unit and printed with adhesive on the printing unit. Finally, after being detected again by the detection unit, the printed battery cells are transmitted out. The cell manufacturing apparatus can handle both individual cell printing and simultaneous printing of multiple cells; the printing unit includes a first printing mechanism (21) and a second printing mechanism (22) to complete printing on both sides of the cell; the first alignment mechanism (4) is used to align the cell before the first printing mechanism (21); the second alignment mechanism (5) is used to align the cell before the second printing mechanism (22); the flipping mechanism (6) is used to flip the cell after printing by the first printing mechanism (21); the rejection unit is used to reject erroneous cells detected by the detection unit. The detection unit includes: a first detection mechanism (31) used to detect whether there are defects in the battery cells fed by the feeding unit (1), and a second detection mechanism (32) used to detect the printing effect of the first printing mechanism (21). Alternatively, the detection unit may include: a first detection mechanism (31) used to detect whether there are defects in the battery cells fed by the feeding unit (1), and a third detection mechanism (33) used to detect the printing effect of the second printing mechanism (22). Alternatively, the detection unit may include: a first detection mechanism (31) for detecting whether the battery cells fed by the feeding unit (1) have defects, a second detection mechanism (32) for detecting the printing effect of the first printing mechanism (21), and a third detection mechanism (33) for detecting the printing effect of the second printing mechanism (22).

2. The printing pad manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the first correction mechanism (4) and the second correction mechanism (5) are configured as two-stage correction systems, wherein the correction action of the first-stage correction system is translation, and the correction action of the second-stage correction system includes translation and rotation.

3. The printing pad manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding unit (1) includes a handling hand and at least two feeding slots. The handling hand uses suction to take out the battery cells in the feeding slots and place them on the transmission unit. The feeding slots are arranged in a straight line or a circular arrangement. In the straight line arrangement, the handling hand can move in the direction of the arrangement of the feeding slots.

4. A string welding machine, characterized in that, The string welding machine includes a printing-resin battery cell manufacturing device, a welding ribbon processing device, a battery string assembly device, and a frame as described in any one of claims 1-3. The frame is used to fix the printing-resin battery cell manufacturing device, the welding ribbon processing device, and the battery string assembly device. The printing-resin battery cell manufacturing device and the welding ribbon processing device work simultaneously, and the printed-resin battery cells and welding ribbons produced respectively are gathered on the battery string assembly device to complete the assembly and curing of multiple battery cells with fixed welding ribbons, and output the printed-resin battery string.

5. The string welding machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, The welding strip processing device includes: a feeding mechanism (71), a flattening mechanism (72), a cutting mechanism (73), a conveying mechanism (74), and a pressing and circulating mechanism (75). The feeding mechanism (71), the flattening mechanism (72), the cutting mechanism (73), the conveying mechanism (74), and the pressing and circulating mechanism (75) are arranged and fixed on the frame. The long welding strip provided by the feeding mechanism (71) is flattened by the flattening mechanism (72), and then cut into short welding strips of a preset length by the cutting mechanism (73). The short welding strips are then transported to the battery cells on the battery string assembly device by the conveying mechanism (74).

6. The string welding machine according to claim 5, characterized in that, The flattening mechanism (72) flattens the welding strip by: partially flattening the welding strip, flattening the welding strip as a whole, and flattening it into a Z-shaped bend.

7. The string welding machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, The battery string assembly device includes a transfer mechanism (81) and a stacking mechanism (82). The transfer mechanism (81) includes a welding strip clamp for gripping welding strips and a pressing clamp for gripping pressing fixtures. The welding strip clamp and the pressing clamp are configured in pairs, and the relative distance between the welding strip clamp and the pressing clamp is adjustable. The stacking mechanism (82) includes a stacking platform and a plurality of stacking modules (821). The stacking modules (821) are connected to the stacking platform to receive solar cells and solder strips. Each stacking module (821) includes a solder strip guide groove and a solar cell adsorption plane. The solder strip guide groove and the solar cell adsorption plane in a single stacking module (821) correspond one-to-one, or a single solar cell adsorption plane corresponds to at least two solder strip guide grooves.

8. The string welding machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, The battery string assembly device also includes a curing mechanism, which is used to simultaneously cure the adhesive dots on the back and front of the battery cells that are fixed with solder ribbons. The curing method of the curing mechanism includes any one or both of light curing and heat curing.

9. A method for manufacturing a battery string, characterized in that, The battery string manufacturing method is applied to the string welding machine according to any one of claims 4-8, and the battery string manufacturing method includes the following steps: S100, the printing adhesive is applied to the surface of the battery cell using the printing adhesive battery cell fabrication apparatus; S200, for producing solder strips of preset specifications; S300 combines the printed battery cells with the fabricated solder ribbon and cures them to obtain a printed battery string. S100 includes: S101, cell loading; S102, perform coarse correction and take photos to check whether the incoming battery cells meet the first preset condition. If they meet the condition, proceed to the next step; otherwise, discard the battery cells. S103, refine the battery cells that meet the first preset conditions; S104, Apply adhesive to the first surface of the corrected battery cell using the adhesive-printing battery cell manufacturing apparatus. S105, after the battery cell with the first side of the battery cell printed with adhesive is flipped over, adhesive is printed on the second side of the battery cell, with the first side and the second side facing each other; S106, take a picture to detect whether the battery cell produced by the printing battery cell manufacturing device meets the second preset condition, and discard the battery cell that does not meet the second preset condition; S107, the battery cell that meets the second preset condition is moved to the position where the battery cell and the solder strip are combined and awaited to be combined.

10. The method for manufacturing a battery string according to claim 9, characterized in that, S200 includes: S201, pull out the required length of solder strip from the solder strip roll; S202, flatten the welding strip according to the preset specifications; S203, the welding strip is cut into several short welding strips according to the preset specifications; S204, According to the preset specifications, several short welding strips are spaced apart so that the short welding strips maintain a certain distance from each other and their positions are fixed by a press. Alternatively, S202 can be cancelled.

11. The method for manufacturing a battery string according to claim 10, characterized in that, S300 includes: S301, pick up the printed solar cell to the position where the solar cell and solder strip are joined; S302, simultaneously grab the short welding strip and the press to the position where the battery cell and welding strip are combined and fix the welding strip and the battery cell relative to each other to obtain the unit to be combined (9). S303, after interlacing two adjacent units (9) to be merged at a preset distance, fix them; S304, after curing and interleaving, the multiple units to be merged (9) form a printed battery string.

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