Grinding-type solar module recycling apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a kind of grinding type solar module recycling equipment, a grinding cutter and a negative pressure collector are arranged above a solar placement area of a platform;Wherein the grinding cutter and the negative pressure suction head are fixed in the same shell;A solar module is fixed on the solar placement area of the platform, the grinding cutter is controlled to contact the surface of solar module, and the powder ground by different layers of solar module is respectively recycled quickly by the negative pressure suction head of the negative pressure collector;In this way, the grinding type solar module recycling equipment of the application not only does not produce secondary pollutants, and the purity of the powder-shaped recycled material is high, which is convenient for subsequent use.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Taiwan Patent Application No. 111115315, filed on April 21, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes, as if fully set forth herein. Technical Field

[0003] This invention relates to a solar module recycling device, and more particularly to a grinding-type solar module recycling device. Background Technology

[0004] Solar module recycling equipment is divided into chemical recycling and physical recycling. Currently, chemical recycling is the main method. However, the waste liquid generated after chemical recycling will cause secondary environmental pollution, which does not have any real environmental benefits. Moreover, the recycling rate of usable materials is low, which is not conducive to subsequent utilization.

[0005] Several manufacturers have filed related patents for physical recycling equipment. For example, as shown in Figures 7(a) and (b) of Japanese Patent No. JP2011173099A, this invention first breaks the outer layer of the solar module, and then uses a single blade of the same width as the solar module to scrape off the broken outer layer from the contact surface between it and the lower layer, thus recycling irregular fragments.

[0006] Another example is the Korean utility model patent No. KR102091346B1. Figure 3 As shown in Figure 4, this utility model patent uses a double-blade cutting head. First, the first blade cuts a long groove on the outer layer of the solar module to define a strip-shaped area. Then, the second blade, with a width equal to that of the strip-shaped area, scrapes the strip-shaped area from its contact surface with the lower layer to recover the strip-shaped material.

[0007] For example, the invention patent disclosed in TW202132171A Figure 2 As shown, this invention patent, in conjunction with a heating table, first heats the solar module, then uses a pre-cutting device to cut a cutting section out of its battery layer, and finally uses the blade of a scraper mold to remove the solar cell layer.

[0008] All three patents above use blades to physically recycle solar modules. Although this method does not produce secondary pollution waste liquid compared to chemical recycling, the solar modules have a layered structure. When using a scraper for recycling, the recycled material is easily mixed with materials from different layers, resulting in low recycling accuracy. The material must be refined before it can be used, leading to poor overall recycling efficiency. Further improvements are necessary. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In view of the shortcomings of the physical solar module recycling equipment listed above, the main objective of this invention is to propose a grinding-type solar module recycling equipment.

[0010] The main technical means to achieve the above objectives is to make the grinding type solar module recycling equipment include:

[0011] A platform with a solar module placement area;

[0012] A grinding tool is positioned above the platform and moves relative to the solar module placement area; and

[0013] A negative pressure collector is disposed above the platform to collect grinding powder under negative pressure; wherein the grinding tool and the negative pressure suction head are fixed in the same housing.

[0014] As can be seen from the above description, the advantages of this invention are:

[0015] This invention mainly uses grinding tools to grind the solar module layer by layer, and uses a negative pressure collector to separately recover the powder generated from grinding different layers of the solar module; thus, the grinding-type solar module recycling equipment of this invention not only does not generate secondary pollutants, but also has high purity powdered recycled materials, which are easy to use later. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of one of the grinding-type solar module recycling devices of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of one embodiment of the grinding-type solar module recycling equipment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of another embodiment of the grinding-type solar module recycling device of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4A This is a side view of the grinding tool and negative pressure suction head of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4B and 4C This is a different side view of another grinding tool and negative pressure suction head of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a functional block diagram of one of the grinding-type solar module recycling devices of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the operation of one of the grinding-type solar module recycling devices of the present invention;

[0023] Figures 7A to 7E This is a schematic diagram of the operation of the grinding-type solar module recycling equipment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 8This is a diagram showing the correspondence between a top view of another embodiment of the abrasive solar module recycling device of the present invention and a side view of a solar module in another embodiment of the abrasive solar module recycling device of the present invention.

[0025] 1.1a-Solar module recycling equipment;

[0026] 10-Platform;

[0027] 100 - Solar module placement area;

[0028] 11-Positioner;

[0029] 12 - Control room;

[0030] 13-3D scanning components;

[0031] 20 - Grinding tools;

[0032] 21-Shell;

[0033] 30-Negative pressure collector;

[0034] 31-Negative pressure suction head;

[0035] 311-flattening roller;

[0036] 32-Pipe fitting assembly;

[0037] 33-Pump;

[0038] 331 - Air valve;

[0039] 34 - Recycling cylinder;

[0040] 40 - Three-axis moving device;

[0041] 41-Y-axis slide assembly;

[0042] 42-X-axis slide group;

[0043] 43-Z-axis slide group;

[0044] 44-Y axis motor;

[0045] 441 - Steering gear;

[0046] 45-X-axis motor;

[0047] 46-Z-axis motor;

[0048] 50 - Electrical control system;

[0049] 51-Computer Unit;

[0050] 511 - Control Interface;

[0051] 52-Database;

[0052] 53 - Monitor;

[0053] 54 - Input Unit;

[0054] 60 - Solar module;

[0055] 600-protrusion;

[0056] 61 - First material layer;

[0057] 62 - Second material layer;

[0058] 63 - Third material layer;

[0059] 64 - Fourth material layer;

[0060] 65 - Fifth material layer. Detailed Implementation

[0061] This invention proposes a physical solar module recycling device, and the following provides a detailed explanation of the technical content through several embodiments and diagrams.

[0062] Please refer to the following first. Figure 1 As shown, the grinding-type solar module recycling device 1 of the present invention includes a platform 10, a grinding blade 20, and a negative pressure collector 30; wherein the platform 10 is used to place a solar module 60 thereon, and the grinding blade 20 and the negative pressure collector 30 are both disposed on the platform 10 to move relative to the solar module 60 on the platform 10; preferably, the grinding blade 20 and the negative pressure collector 30 are controlled to move in three axes by a three-axis moving device 40 fixed on the platform 10, the grinding blade 20 grinds the solar module 60 layer by layer, and the negative pressure collector 30 quickly and separately recovers the powder generated by grinding different layers of the solar module 60.

[0063] Please refer to the following: Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, the platform 10 has a solar module placement area 100 for placing a solar module 60 thereon. In this embodiment, the platform 10 further includes a plurality of positioners 11. The positioners 11 are disposed on the side of the solar module placement area 100 to fix the solar module 60 thereon. In one embodiment, each positioner 11 is an electrically controlled clamp, which includes a rotary cylinder and a clamp. The rotary cylinder is electrically controlled to control the clamp to rotate relative to the side of the solar module placement area 100, so that it can rotate into or away from the solar module placement area 100, for fixing the solar module 60 in the solar module placement area 100.

[0064] Please refer to the following: Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, the grinding tool 20 and the three-axis moving device 40 are both mounted on the platform 10; the grinding tool 20 can be composed of multiple blades. In this embodiment, as... Figure 2 As shown, the three-axis moving device 40 includes two Y-axis slide groups 41, one X-axis slide group 42, one Z-axis slide group 43, one Y-axis motor 44, one X-axis motor 45, and one Z-axis motor 46. The two Y-axis slide groups 41 are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the platform 10 parallel to the Y-axis. The Y-axis motor 44 is fixed to one side of the platform 10 parallel to the X-axis and can be connected to the two Y-axis slide groups 41 by a steering mechanism 441 to synchronously control the movement of the two Y-axis slide groups 41. The X-axis slide group 42 is disposed on the two Y-axis slide groups 41 to move along the Y-axis, and the X-axis motor 45 is fixed thereon to control the movement of the X-axis slide group 42. The Z-axis slide group 43 is disposed on... The X-axis slide group 42 is used to move along the X-axis, and the grinding tool 20 is fixed to the Z-axis slide group 43. The Z-axis motor 46 is fixed to it to control the movement of the Z-axis slide group 43, so that the grinding tool 20 moves along the Z-axis. Therefore, the grinding tool 20 can be adjusted in the XY plane (planar position) relative to the platform 10 by the X-axis motor 45 and the Y-axis motor 44, and can be adjusted in the Z-axis (height position) relative to the platform 10 by the Z-axis motor 46. However, this three-axis moving device 40 is not limited to the arrangement of this invention. As long as the grinding tool 20 can move in the XYZ three axes relative to the platform 10, it can be used as the three-axis moving device 40 of this invention.

[0065] Please see Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the negative pressure collector 30 is disposed on the platform 10, and the negative pressure collector 30 draws up the powder from the grinding blade 20 to grind the solar module 60; in this embodiment, as shown again... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the negative pressure collector 30 includes a negative pressure suction head 31, a tubing assembly 32, and a pump 33; wherein the negative pressure suction head 31 is connected to the pump 33 via the tubing assembly 32, and the pump 33 is further connected to at least one recovery cylinder 34. In one embodiment, the negative pressure suction head 31 may be further disposed together with the grinding tool 20 on one side, such as... Figure 4A As shown, the grinding tool 20 and the negative pressure suction head 31 are housed within the same housing 21; thus, when the grinding tool 20 moves relative to the platform 10 via the three-axis moving device 40, the negative pressure suction head 31 can move in tandem, synchronously sucking up the powder ground and cut by the grinding tool 20, preventing dust from scattering everywhere. For example... Figure 4B and Figure 4C As shown, two flat pressure rollers 311 can be further provided on the two opposite sides of the housing 21 corresponding to the negative pressure suction head 31 to prevent the negative pressure from wrinkling the thinned solar module 60; preferably, the flat pressure roller 311 is a caster wheel. In another embodiment, the negative pressure collector 30 may include multiple collection cylinders 34 corresponding to different material layers of the solar module 60. Figure 3 Another embodiment of the grinding-type solar module recycling device 1a shown is, compared to Figure 2 The grinding-type solar module recycling equipment 1 shown is installed in an operating room 12, while the pipe assembly 32 and pump 33 of the negative pressure collector 30 and at least one recycling cylinder 34 can be installed outside the operating room 12.

[0066] Please refer to the following: Figure 5 As shown, the grinding-type solar module recycling equipment 1 of the present invention further includes an electrical control system 50. The electrical control system 50 includes at least a computer unit 51, a control interface 511, and a database 52. The computer unit 51 is electrically connected to the plurality of positioners 11, the grinding cutter 20, the Y-axis motor 44, the X-axis motor 45, and the Z-axis motor 46 of the three-axis moving device 40, and the pump 33 via the control interface 511. The database 52 stores data of the solar module 60, including size, material layer information (such as number of layers, layer thickness, material properties, etc.), manufacturer, product barcode, etc. The database 52 sets and stores grinding paths for different solar modules 60. The grinding path is determined at least by the size, number of layers, and layer thickness of the solar module 60 to achieve fully automatic and completely precise grinding. In addition, the computer unit 51 is further electrically connected to a display 53 and an input unit 54 to display an operation interface and establish the database 52 to store data; the input unit 54 may include a barcode scanner to scan the product barcode of the solar module, and the computer unit 51 can quickly read the data of the same solar module 60 for grinding and recycling operations.

[0067] Please continue reading. Figure 6 As shown in Figure 7, when a solar module 60 is placed in the solar module placement area 100 of the platform 10, the locator 11 of the platform 10 will be controlled by the computer unit 51 of the electronic control system 50 to rotate into the solar module placement area 100 to clamp and fix the solar module 60 on the platform 10; the data of the solar module 60 can be read from the database 52 of the electronic control system 50 by scanning or inputting the product barcode of the solar module 60 to determine the grinding path of the grinding tool 20, such as... Figure 6As shown, the grinding tool 20 travels along the grinding path, which is marked with the positions of the locators 11. Therefore, before the grinding tool 20 approaches any locator 11, it controls the locator 11 to rotate away from the solar module placement area 100 to facilitate the passage of the grinding tool 20. After passing through, it rotates back into the solar module placement area 100 to ensure complete grinding of the current material layer of the solar module 60. Since the material properties of the material layers are different, the computer unit 51 sets the grinding tool 20 depth and grinding number according to the grinding tool 20. Because the grinding depth can be precisely controlled, complete and accurate grinding can be achieved.

[0068] Assuming the solar module 60 currently has five material layers, two of which are the same material, four recycling bins 34 can be prepared. Figure 3 The pipe assembly 32 shown is equipped with four air valves 331 that selectively connect to the four recovery cylinders 34. These air valves 331 are controlled by the computer unit 51 via the control interface 511, allowing the pipe assembly 32 to selectively connect to a specific recovery cylinder 34. For example... Figure 7A As shown, the first material layer 61 of the solar module 60 is first ground by the grinding blade 20. The powder from grinding the first material layer 61 can be immediately sucked up by the negative pressure suction head 31 and stored in the recycling cylinder A. After the first material layer 61 is ground, as shown... Figure 7B As shown, the computer unit 51 then controls the grinding cutter 20 to rotate to grind the second material layer 62. The powder from grinding the second material layer 62 can be immediately sucked up by the negative pressure suction head 31 and stored in the recovery cylinder B. After the second material layer 62 is ground, as shown... Figure 7C As shown, the computer unit 51 then controls the grinding tool 20 to grind the third material layer 63. The powder from grinding the third material layer 63 can be immediately sucked up by the negative pressure suction head 31 and stored in the recovery cylinder C. After the third material layer 63 is ground, as shown... Figure 7D As shown, the computer unit 51 then controls the grinding tool 20 to grind the fourth material layer 64. Since the fourth material layer 64 is the same as the second material layer 62, the powder from grinding the fourth material layer 64 can be immediately sucked up by the negative pressure suction head 31 and stored in the recovery cylinder B. After the fourth material layer 64 is ground, as shown... Figure 7E As shown, the computer unit 51 then controls the grinding tool 20 to grind the fifth material layer 65. The powder from grinding the fifth material layer 65 can be immediately sucked up by the negative pressure suction head 31 and stored in the recycling cylinder D. Thus, the solar module 60 is completely ground and recycled without any waste or waste liquid being generated.

[0069] like Figure 5As shown, the computer unit 51 is connected to at least one three-dimensional scanning component 13 (such as an optical scanner, acoustic scanner, etc.), which is disposed on the platform 10 to scan the surface contour of the solar module 60; in one embodiment, as Figure 8 As shown, two 3D scanning components 13 can be respectively positioned at two opposite corners of the solar module placement area 100 to comprehensively scan the surface contour of the solar module. Therefore, the computer unit 51 can obtain the surface contour and determine and calculate the position and thickness changes of the protrusions. When the computer unit 51 controls the grinding tool 20 to grind along the grinding path and reaches the position of the protrusion 600, the grinding tool 20 will rise and fall accordingly based on the calculated thickness change of the protrusion 600. This ensures that when grinding the specific material layer that produces the protrusion 600, the powder of the material layer can be completely recovered. A fixed grinding height will not cause the grinding tool to grind to the next material layer, resulting in mixed and impure recovered powder. It should be noted that... Figure 8 This is a combined view of two figures. The portion showing the platform 10, the solar module placement area 100, and the 3D scanning component 13 is a top view of another embodiment of the grinding-type solar module recycling device of the present invention. The portion showing only the solar module 60 and the protrusion 600 is a side view of the solar module 60 in another embodiment of the grinding-type solar module recycling device of the present invention. The dashed line between the two figures indicates the corresponding positional relationship of the protrusion 600.

[0070] In summary, the grinding-type solar module recycling equipment of the present invention mainly uses grinding blades, and the grinding blades and the negative pressure suction head are fixed in the same housing. When the solar module is ground layer by layer, the powder generated by grinding different layers of the solar module can be quickly and separately recovered through the negative pressure suction head of the negative pressure collector. In this way, the grinding-type solar module recycling equipment of the present invention not only does not generate secondary pollutants, but also produces powdered recycled materials with high purity, which is convenient for subsequent use.

[0071] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art can make some modifications or alterations to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A grinding-type solar module recycling device, characterized in that, This grinding-type solar module recycling equipment includes: A platform with a solar module placement area; A grinding tool is positioned above the platform and moves relative to the solar module placement area. The grinding tool grinds the solar module layer by layer. A negative pressure collector, comprising: A negative pressure suction head is positioned above the platform to collect the ground powder under negative pressure; Multiple recycling bins, each corresponding to a different material layer of the solar module, are used to collect the grinding powder of the corresponding material layer. as well as A pump generates a negative pressure and is connected to the plurality of recovery cylinders through multiple air valves; and An electronic control system includes a computer unit, which is electrically connected to the grinding cutter, the pump, and the plurality of air valves via a control interface; wherein when the computer unit controls each of the grinding cutters to grind one of the different material layers, it also controls the pump and opens the air valve connected to the recovery cylinder corresponding to the material layer currently being ground.

2. The grinding-type solar module recycling equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The negative pressure collector described herein comprises: A tubing assembly is connected between the negative pressure suction head and the pump; wherein the negative pressure suction head is connected to the pump through the tubing assembly.

3. The grinding-type solar module recycling equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, in: Multiple locators are respectively installed on two opposite sides of the platform; and The grinding tool and the negative pressure suction head are fixed in the same housing.

4. The grinding-type solar module recycling equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The housing is provided with two flat pressure rollers on two opposite sides corresponding to the negative pressure suction head.

5. The grinding-type solar module recycling equipment according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, It also includes an operating room, in which the platform, the grinding cutter, the negative pressure suction head of the negative pressure collector, and part of the pipe assembly are located, while the pump and the multiple recovery cylinders are located outside the operating room.

6. The grinding-type solar module recycling equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, A three-axis moving device is provided above the platform, and the grinding tool and the negative pressure suction head are fixed to the three-axis moving device, so that the grinding tool and the negative pressure suction head can move in three axes in the solar module placement area under the control of the three-axis moving device.

7. The grinding-type solar module recycling equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The three-axis moving device includes: Two Y-axis slide groups are respectively set on two opposite sides of the platform that are parallel to the Y-axis; A Y-axis motor is fixed to one side of the platform parallel to the X-axis and connected to the two Y-axis slide groups by a steering gear to synchronously control the movement of the two Y-axis slide groups. An X-axis slide group is mounted on the two Y-axis slide groups to move along the Y-axis; An X-axis motor is fixed to the X-axis slide group to control the movement of the X-axis slide group; A Z-axis slide group is mounted on the X-axis slide group for movement along the X-axis; wherein the grinding tool is fixed on the Z-axis slide group. A Z-axis motor is fixed on the Z-axis slide group to drive the Z-axis slide group to move, so that the grinding tool moves along the Z-axis.

8. The grinding-type solar module recycling equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, in: The computer unit is electrically connected to the positioner, the Y-axis motor, the X-axis motor, and the Z-axis motor via the control interface; wherein the computer unit controls each of the positioners to rotate into or out of the solar module placement area; and The electronic control system further includes: A database stores the dimensions, number of material layers, layer thickness, material properties, manufacturer, product barcode, and grinding path of a solar module; wherein the grinding path is determined at least by the dimensions, number of layers, and layer thickness of the solar module. A display, electrically connected to the computer unit; and An input unit is electrically connected to the computer unit.

9. The grinding-type solar module recycling equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, It also includes at least one 3D scanning component, which is electrically connected to the computer unit through the control interface and is set on the platform to scan the 3D space of the solar module placement area of ​​the platform.

10. The grinding-type solar module recycling equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The computer unit obtains a three-dimensional surface contour pattern of the solar module placed on the platform through the three-dimensional scanning component to determine and calculate the position and thickness change of the protrusion on the surface; when the computer unit controls the grinding tool to grind along the grinding path and reaches the position of the protrusion, it controls the grinding tool to rise and fall according to the calculated thickness change of the protrusion.

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