Half - wafer loading method

Abstract

The present application relates to a method for loading half silicon wafers, including: successively receiving the half silicon wafers in the A bin of the first half wafer carrier by a wafer picking mechanism; successively receiving the half silicon wafers in the C bin of the second half wafer carrier by the wafer picking mechanism; controlling the first half wafer carrier to rise to a predetermined height at any time before the feeding of the C bin of the second half wafer carrier ends; successively receiving the half silicon wafers in the B bin during the descent of the first half wafer carrier by the wafer picking mechanism; controlling the second half wafer carrier to rise to a predetermined height at any time before the feeding of the B bin during the descent of the first half wafer carrier ends; successively receiving the half silicon wafers in the D bin during the descent of the second half wafer carrier by the wafer picking mechanism. The present application uses two half wafer carriers to alternately dock with the wafer picking mechanism for wafer picking. Before all the wafers in a bin of one half wafer carrier are taken out after the wafer picking mechanism starts picking wafers from the bin, the preparatory work before the feeding of the other half wafer carrier is carried out, thereby improving the feeding efficiency of the half silicon wafers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of solar photovoltaic production, and specifically to a method for loading half-cut silicon wafers. Background Art

[0002] During the manufacturing process from silicon wafers to solar cells, silicon wafers are usually stored in a carrier for transfer. Multiple sets of tooth grooves are generally provided in the carrier, and the silicon wafers are inserted into each set of tooth grooves one by one. When using a conveyor belt to take out the silicon wafers from the carrier one by one, it is necessary to control the descent of the carrier in coordination. Initially, the bottom of the carrier is located above the conveyor belt. Each time the carrier descends a certain distance, the conveyor belt receives one silicon wafer and takes it out. When all the silicon wafers in the carrier are taken out, the top of the carrier has descended to the same level as the conveyor belt or below the conveyor belt. To improve production efficiency, usually two carriers are prepared to supply materials to the conveyor belt alternately.

[0003] Due to the high power generation efficiency of half-cut solar cells, their market demand is increasing. As the original sheet of half-cut solar cells, half-cut silicon wafers are currently mainly stored in a half-cut carrier. The half-cut carrier has two juxtaposed bins, and the structure of each bin is the same as that of the original carrier, with multiple sets of tooth grooves. The half-cut silicon wafers are inserted into each set of tooth grooves in each bin one by one.

[0004] When using a conveyor belt to take out the half-cut silicon wafers from the half-cut carrier one by one, since there is only one pick-up conveyor belt, only the half-cut silicon wafers in one bin of the half-cut carrier can be taken out first. However, when all the half-cut silicon wafers in one bin are taken out, the top of the half-cut carrier has reached the same level as the conveyor belt or is below the conveyor belt. If you want to continue taking out the half-cut silicon wafers in the other bin, you need to raise the half-cut carrier again to a position where its bottom is above the conveyor belt. This process seriously affects the efficiency of taking out half-cut silicon wafers from the half-cut carrier. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application aims at the problem of low pick-up efficiency of the existing half-cut carrier, and provides an efficient method for loading half-cut silicon wafers.

[0006] The technical solution of this application is as follows: A method for loading half-cut silicon wafers, which is used to take out the half-cut silicon wafers in a half-cut carrier. The method for loading half-cut silicon wafers includes:

[0007] Step a: Synchronously traverse the first half-cut carrier and the second half-cut carrier so that the bottom of bin A of the first half-cut carrier is located above the pick-up mechanism;

[0008] Step b: Control the first half-cut carrier to descend continuously or at preset intervals. The pick-up mechanism successively receives the half-cut silicon wafers in bin A of the first half-cut carrier during the descent process and conveys the half-cut silicon wafers to the subsequent conveyor line;

[0009] Step c: Synchronously laterally move the first half wafer basket and the second half wafer basket so that the bottom of the C bin of the second half wafer basket is located above the wafer picking mechanism;

[0010] Step d: Control the second half wafer basket to descend continuously or at preset time intervals, and the wafer picking mechanism sequentially receives the half wafers in the C bin during the descent of the second half wafer basket and conveys the half wafers to the subsequent conveyor line;

[0011] Step e: At any time period after the start of step c and before the end of step d, control the first half wafer basket to rise to a predetermined height;

[0012] Step f: Synchronously laterally move the first half wafer basket and the second half wafer basket so that the bottom of the B bin of the first half wafer basket is located above the wafer picking mechanism;

[0013] Step g: Control the first half wafer basket to descend continuously or at preset time intervals, and the wafer picking mechanism sequentially receives the half wafers in the B bin during the descent of the first half wafer basket and conveys the half wafers to the subsequent conveyor line;

[0014] Step h: At any time period after the start of step f and before the end of step g, control the second half wafer basket to rise to a predetermined height;

[0015] Step i: Synchronously laterally move the first half wafer basket and the second half wafer basket so that the bottom of the D bin of the second half wafer basket is located above the wafer picking mechanism;

[0016] Step j: Control the second half wafer basket to descend continuously or at preset time intervals, and the wafer picking mechanism sequentially receives the half wafers in the D bin during the descent of the second half wafer basket and conveys the half wafers to the subsequent conveyor line;

[0017] Wherein, the first half wafer basket and the second half wafer basket can be controlled to be synchronously laterally moved, and both the first half wafer basket and the second half wafer basket can be independently controlled to lift and lower to cooperate with the wafer picking mechanism to pick wafers. The first half wafer basket at least includes the A bin and the B bin arranged in parallel, and the second half wafer basket at least includes the C bin and the D bin arranged in parallel.

[0018] This application uses the bins of two half wafer baskets to alternately dock with the wafer picking mechanism to pick wafers. After the wafer picking mechanism starts to pick wafers from a bin of one half wafer basket until all the wafers in the bin are taken out, control the other half wafer basket to rise to a predetermined height to prepare in advance for feeding the other half wafer basket, so as to compensate to the greatest extent the time required for the other half wafer basket to rise again after finishing feeding the wafers in one bin, thereby improving the feeding efficiency of the half wafers in the half wafer basket.

[0019] Optionally, the wafer picking mechanism includes a first telescopic conveying part, and the half wafer feeding method further includes:

[0020] Before synchronously laterally moving the first half wafer basket and the second half wafer basket in steps a, c, f, and j, control the first retractable conveying part to retract so that there is no overlap with the first half wafer basket or the second half wafer basket in the longitudinal projection.

[0021] By configuring the wafer picking mechanism as a retractable first retractable conveying part, when picking up materials, the first retractable conveying part is extended under the half wafer basket, which is convenient for more stable material picking. After picking up the half wafers in one bin of the half wafer basket, by retracting the first retractable conveying part, it can be avoided that the first retractable conveying part interferes with the half wafer basket to be laterally moved and causes a collision.

[0022] Optionally, the wafer picking mechanism includes a second retractable conveying part and a third retractable conveying part. The second retractable conveying part is configured to laterally move and switch between bin A and bin B of the first half wafer basket, and the third retractable conveying part is configured to laterally move and switch between bin C and bin D of the second half wafer basket. Step b of the half wafer loading method further includes:

[0023] Step b1: In step b, the second retractable conveying part sequentially receives the half wafers in bin A of the first half wafer basket during the descending process and conveys the half wafers to the subsequent conveying line;

[0024] Step b2: Before the end of step b1, laterally move the third retractable conveying part to dock the third retractable conveying part with bin C of the second half wafer basket;

[0025] Step d of the half wafer loading method further includes:

[0026] Step d1: In step d, the third retractable conveying part sequentially receives the half wafers in bin C of the second half wafer basket during the descending process and conveys the half wafers to the subsequent conveying line;

[0027] Step d2: Before the end of step d1, laterally move the second retractable conveying part to dock the second retractable conveying part with bin B of the first half wafer basket;

[0028] Step g of the half wafer loading method further includes:

[0029] Step g1: In step g, the second retractable conveying part sequentially receives the half wafers in bin B of the first half wafer basket during the descending process and conveys the half wafers to the subsequent conveying line;

[0030] Step g2: Before the end of step g1, laterally move the third retractable conveying part to dock the third retractable conveying part with bin D of the second half wafer basket;

[0031] Step j of the half wafer loading method further includes:

[0032] Step j1: In step j, the third retractable conveyor section sequentially receives the half wafers in bin D during the descent of the second half wafer carrier basket one by one and conveys the half wafers to the subsequent conveyor line.

[0033] By configuring the wafer picking mechanism into two retractable second retractable conveyor sections and a third retractable conveyor section, each retractable conveyor section is respectively docked with the two bins of a half wafer carrier basket. When the second retractable conveyor section picks up wafers from one bin of the half wafer carrier basket it is docked with, the third retractable conveyor section can be docked with one bin of the half wafer carrier basket that matches it. After the second retractable conveyor section finishes picking up wafers, the third retractable conveyor section can be directly used for picking up wafers, achieving seamless docking and further improving the loading efficiency.

[0034] Optionally, the wafer picking mechanism includes a fourth retractable conveyor section that cooperates with bin A, a fifth retractable conveyor section that cooperates with bin B, a sixth retractable conveyor section that cooperates with bin C, and a seventh retractable conveyor section that cooperates with bin D. The method for loading half wafers further includes:

[0035] Before step a, control the fourth retractable conveyor section and the fifth retractable conveyor section to retract so that there is no overlap in the longitudinal projection with the first half wafer carrier basket, and control the sixth retractable conveyor section and the seventh retractable conveyor section to retract so that there is no overlap in the longitudinal projection with the second half wafer carrier basket.

[0036] By configuring the wafer picking mechanism into four retractable fourth retractable conveyor section, fifth retractable conveyor section, sixth retractable conveyor section, and seventh retractable conveyor section, each bin of each half wafer carrier basket is matched with a retractable conveyor section, which can improve the loading efficiency of each bin; before laterally moving the two half wafer carrier baskets, by retracting the corresponding retractable conveyor sections, it is possible to avoid interference and collision between the retractable conveyor sections and the moving half wafer carrier baskets.

[0037] Optionally, between step a and step b, the method for loading half wafers further includes controlling the fourth retractable conveyor section to extend until the fourth retractable conveyor section can extend into bin A to receive half wafers;

[0038] Between step c and step d, the method for loading half wafers further includes controlling the sixth retractable conveyor section to extend until the sixth retractable conveyor section can extend into bin C to receive half wafers;

[0039] Between step f and step g, the method for loading half wafers further includes controlling the fifth retractable conveyor section to extend until the fifth retractable conveyor section can extend into bin B to receive half wafers;

[0040] Between step i and step j, the method for loading half wafers further includes controlling the seventh retractable conveyor to extend until it can reach into bin D to receive half wafers.

[0041] By making the four retractable conveyors correspond to the bins of the two half wafer carriers respectively, when picking up wafers, control each retractable conveyor to reach into the corresponding bin to receive half wafers, which further improves the wafer picking efficiency.

[0042] Optionally, the method for loading half wafers further includes, after step g ends, replacing the emptied first half wafer carrier with a fully loaded first half wafer carrier.

[0043] After all the half wafers in the two bins of the first half wafer carrier have been picked up, during the process of loading the second half wafer carrier, replace the emptied first half wafer carrier with a fully loaded first half wafer carrier, which can make full use of the time during the process of loading the second half wafer carrier to prepare for the next loading of the first half wafer carrier, thereby improving the loading efficiency.

[0044] Optionally, the method for loading half wafers further includes, after step j ends, replacing the emptied second half wafer carrier with a fully loaded second half wafer carrier.

[0045] After all the half wafers in the two bins of the second half wafer carrier have been picked up, during the process of loading the first half wafer carrier, replace the emptied second half wafer carrier with a fully loaded second half wafer carrier, which can make full use of the time during the process of loading the first half wafer carrier to prepare for the next loading of the second half wafer carrier, thereby improving the loading efficiency.

[0046] Optionally, the post-conveyor line is used to convey half wafers in a single row.

[0047] The half wafers taken out by the wafer picking mechanism are conveyed in a single row on the post-conveyor line, which is convenient for individually processing each half wafer and prevents affecting the remaining half wafers.

[0048] Optionally, the method for loading half wafers further includes: in steps b, d, g, and j, during the process of conveying the half wafers to the post-conveyor line, performing at least one alignment on the half wafers.

[0049] By performing alignment processing on the half wafers, the position state of the half wafers meets the predetermined requirements, which is convenient for subsequent processing of the half wafers.

[0050] Optionally, the method for loading half wafers further includes: in steps b, d, g, and j, during the process of conveying the half wafers to the post-conveyor line, rotating the half wafers at least once by a predetermined angle.

[0051] By rotating the half - silicon wafer, the position state of the half - silicon wafer meets the predetermined requirements, facilitating subsequent processing of the half - silicon wafer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] Figure 1 It is a schematic flow chart of the method for loading half - silicon wafers in this application;

[0053] Figure 2a 、 Figure 2b 、 Figure 2c 、 Figure 2d It is a schematic diagram of the process for loading half - silicon wafers in the first embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 3a 、 Figure 3b 、 Figure 3c 、 Figure 3d It is a schematic diagram of the process for loading half - silicon wafers in the second embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 4a 、 Figure 4b 、 Figure 4c 、 Figure 4d It is a schematic diagram of the process for loading half - silicon wafers in the third embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the single - row conveyance of half - silicon wafers on the subsequent conveyance line in this application.

[0057] Figures 1 to 5 Including:

[0058] Half - wafer carrier 10, first half - wafer carrier 11, second half - wafer carrier 12;

[0059] Wafer - picking mechanism 20, first retractable conveyance part 21, second retractable conveyance part 22, third retractable conveyance part 23, fourth retractable conveyance part 24, fifth retractable conveyance part 25, sixth retractable conveyance part 26, seventh retractable conveyance part 27;

[0060] Subsequent conveyance line 30;

[0061] Half - silicon wafer 100. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0062] To make the above - mentioned objects, features, and advantages of this application more obvious and understandable, the following further details this application in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0063] As Figure 1 shown, this application provides a method for loading half - silicon wafers, which is used to efficiently take out the half - silicon wafers 100 in the half - wafer carrier 10.

[0064] As Figures 2a to 4dAs shown, the docking schematic diagrams of the half-piece flower basket 10, the wafer picking mechanism 20, and the post-process conveyor line 30 are all in a top-down view. The half-piece flower basket 10 includes a first half-piece flower basket 11 and a second half-piece flower basket 12. Among them, the first half-piece flower basket 11 at least includes a juxtaposed A bin and B bin, and the second half-piece flower basket 12 at least includes a juxtaposed C bin and D bin. Each bin is used to store half-wafers 100. The first half-piece flower basket 11 and the second half-piece flower basket 12 can be controlled to move horizontally synchronously, and both the first half-piece flower basket 11 and the second half-piece flower basket 12 can be individually controlled to lift and cooperate with the wafer picking mechanism 20 to pick wafers.

[0065] See again Figure 1 , the method for loading half-wafers includes:

[0066] Step a: Horizontally move the first half-piece flower basket 11 and the second half-piece flower basket 12 synchronously so that the bottom of the A bin of the first half-piece flower basket 11 is located above the wafer picking mechanism 20; as Figure 2a , Figure 3a , Figure 4a shown;

[0067] Step b: Control the first half-piece flower basket 11 to descend continuously or at preset time intervals, and the wafer picking mechanism 20 sequentially receives the half-wafers 100 in the A bin during the descent of the first half-piece flower basket 11 and conveys the half-wafers 100 to the post-process conveyor line 30;

[0068] Step c: Horizontally move the first half-piece flower basket 11 and the second half-piece flower basket 12 synchronously so that the bottom of the C bin of the second half-piece flower basket 12 is located above the wafer picking mechanism 20; as Figure 2b , Figure 3b , Figure 4b shown;

[0069] Step d: Control the second half-piece flower basket 12 to descend continuously or at preset time intervals, and the wafer picking mechanism 20 sequentially receives the half-wafers 100 in the C bin during the descent of the second half-piece flower basket 12 and conveys the half-wafers 100 to the post-process conveyor line 30;

[0070] Step e: At any time period after the start of step c and before the end of step d, control the first half-piece flower basket 11 to rise to a predetermined height;

[0071] Step f: Horizontally move the first half-piece flower basket 11 and the second half-piece flower basket 12 synchronously so that the bottom of the B bin of the first half-piece flower basket 11 is located above the wafer picking mechanism 20; as Figure 2c , Figure 3c , Figure 4c shown;

[0072] Step g: Control the first half wafer carrier 11 to descend continuously or at preset time intervals, and the wafer picking mechanism 20 sequentially receives the half wafers 100 in the B bin of the first half wafer carrier 11 during the descent process and conveys the half wafers 100 to the subsequent conveyor line 30;

[0073] Step h: At any time period after step f starts and before step g ends, control the second half wafer carrier 12 to rise to a predetermined height;

[0074] Step i: Synchronously traverse the first half wafer carrier 11 and the second half wafer carrier 12 so that the bottom of the D bin of the second half wafer carrier 12 is located above the wafer picking mechanism 20; as Figure 2d , Figure 3d , Figure 4d shown;

[0075] Step j: Control the second half wafer carrier 12 to descend continuously or at preset time intervals, and the wafer picking mechanism 20 sequentially receives the half wafers 100 in the D bin of the second half wafer carrier 12 during the descent process and conveys the half wafers 100 to the subsequent conveyor line 30.

[0076] It should be noted that the control of the half wafer carrier to descend continuously or at preset time intervals in the above steps b, d, g, and j are two different descending methods. "Continuous descent" means that the wafer carrier descends continuously and will not pause at any position during the entire descent stroke. It can either descend at a constant speed or at a variable speed with a certain acceleration. "Descending at preset time intervals" means that during the entire descent stroke of the wafer carrier, the wafer carrier descends once every preset time (which can be 1 second, 2 seconds, etc., depending on the actual working conditions), and the distance of each descent can be adjusted adaptively according to the different distances between adjacent teeth of different wafer carriers.

[0077] In the above steps e and h, the half wafer carrier rises to a predetermined height. The "predetermined height" is any achievable height that satisfies the bottom of the bin of the half wafer carrier being located above the wafer picking mechanism.

[0078] This application uses the bins of two half wafer carriers 10 to alternately dock with the wafer picking mechanism 20 for wafer picking. After the wafer picking mechanism 20 starts picking wafers from a bin of one half wafer carrier until all the wafers in that bin are taken out, control the other half wafer carrier to rise to a predetermined height to prepare in advance for the feeding of the other half wafer carrier, thereby compensating to the greatest extent the time required for the half wafer carrier 10 to rise again after finishing the wafers in one bin, and thus improving the feeding efficiency of the half wafers 100 in the half wafer carrier 10.

[0079] Optionally, to achieve the synchronous lateral movement of the first half-piece flower basket 11 and the second half-piece flower basket 12, according to the docking requirements with the wafer picking mechanism 20, the first half-piece flower basket 11 and the second half-piece flower basket 12 can be installed on the slider of the linear module at a certain interval. The driving component of the linear module transmits power to its transmission component, and the transmission component drives the slider to move laterally along the guide rail, thereby achieving the synchronous lateral movement of the first half-piece flower basket 11 and the second half-piece flower basket 12. For the specific structures of the driving component and the transmission component of the linear module, different combinations can be selected according to requirements, and the present application does not make specific limitations.

[0080] To better cooperate with the half-piece silicon wafer loading method proposed in the present application, there are various implementation manners for the wafer picking mechanism 20 in the present application. For example:

[0081] Manner 1: The wafer picking mechanism 20 is a fixed and length-fixed conveying part. Before the wafer picking mechanism 20 receives the half-piece silicon wafers during the descent of the flower basket, the flower basket to be picked is controlled to move towards the wafer picking mechanism 20, so that the material bin of the flower basket to be picked is directly above the wafer picking mechanism 20, facilitating the wafer picking mechanism 20 to more stably receive the half-piece silicon wafers one by one during the descent of the flower basket.

[0082] Manner 2: The wafer picking mechanism 20 is a movable and length-fixed conveying part. Before the wafer picking mechanism 20 receives the half-piece silicon wafers during the descent of the flower basket, the wafer picking mechanism 20 is controlled to move towards the material bin of the flower basket to be picked, so that the wafer picking end of the wafer picking mechanism 20 is directly below the material bin of the flower basket to be picked, facilitating the wafer picking mechanism 20 to more stably receive the half-piece silicon wafers one by one during the descent of the flower basket.

[0083] Manner 3: The wafer picking mechanism 20 is a telescopic conveying part. Before the wafer picking mechanism 20 receives the half-piece silicon wafers during the descent of the flower basket, the wafer picking mechanism 20 extends to directly below the material bin of the flower basket to be picked, facilitating the wafer picking mechanism 20 to more stably receive the half-piece silicon wafers one by one during the descent of the flower basket.

[0084] The telescopic conveying part can adopt a telescopic conveyor belt, such as the structure disclosed in Chinese Patent CN215363183U.

[0085] When the wafer picking mechanism 20 in the present application adopts a telescopic conveying part, one, two or four telescopic conveying parts can be adopted, which will be described separately below.

[0086] As Figures 2a to 2d shown, the first embodiment of the wafer picking mechanism 20 includes one telescopic conveying part, that is, the first telescopic conveying part 21.

[0087] At this time, the half-piece silicon wafer loading method further includes:

[0088] Before synchronously horizontally moving the first half flower basket 11 and the second half flower basket 12 in steps a, c, f, and j, control the first telescopic conveying part 21 to retract so that there is no overlap with the first half flower basket 11 or the second half flower basket 12 in the longitudinal projection.

[0089] By configuring the wafer picking mechanism 20 into the telescopic first telescopic conveying part 21, when picking up the wafers, extend the first telescopic conveying part 21 under the half flower basket 10. When receiving the half wafers 100, the first telescopic conveying part 21 extending under the half flower basket 10 has a larger contact area with the half wafers 100, which is convenient for picking up the wafers more stably. After picking up the half wafers 100 in one bin of the half flower basket 10, by retracting the first telescopic conveying part 21, it can be avoided that the first telescopic conveying part 21 interferes with the half flower basket 10 to be horizontally moved and causes a collision.

[0090] In this embodiment, there is only one telescopic conveying part, that is, the first telescopic conveying part 21. The output end of the first telescopic conveying part 21 is always docked with the subsequent conveying line 30. Specifically:

[0091] As Figure 2a , synchronously horizontally move the first half flower basket 11 and the second half flower basket 12 so that the bottom of the bin A of the first half flower basket 11 is above the first telescopic conveying part 21. After controlling the first telescopic conveying part 21 to extend into the bin A along the direction of arrow 41, control the first half flower basket 11 to descend continuously or at preset time intervals, and the first telescopic conveying part 21 receives the picked wafers and conveys them to the subsequent conveying line 30.

[0092] As Figure 2b , after all the wafers in the bin A are taken out, control the first telescopic conveying part 21 to retract from the bin A (i.e., the reverse direction of arrow 41), and synchronously horizontally move the first half flower basket 11 and the second half flower basket 12 along the direction of arrow 42 so that the bottom of the bin C of the second half flower basket 12 is above the first telescopic conveying part 21. After controlling the first telescopic conveying part 21 to extend into the bin C along the direction of arrow 41, control the second half flower basket 12 to descend continuously or at preset time intervals, and the first telescopic conveying part 21 receives the picked wafers and conveys them to the subsequent conveying line 30;

[0093] Before the first half flower basket 11 is raised to a predetermined height (i.e., the bottom of the bin of the first half flower basket 11 is above the first telescopic conveying part 21) after synchronously horizontally moving the first half flower basket 11 and the second half flower basket 12 in the direction of arrow 42 until the wafers in the bin C are received and picked up by the first telescopic conveying part 21, prepare for loading the bin B;

[0094] As Figure 2c, after all the sheets in bin C are taken out, control the first telescopic conveyor 21 to retract from bin C, and synchronously traverse the first half wafer basket 11 and the second half wafer basket 12 in the direction of arrow 43, so that the bottom of bin B of the first half wafer basket 11 is located above the first telescopic conveyor 21. After controlling the first telescopic conveyor 21 to extend into bin B in the direction of arrow 41, control the first half wafer basket 11 to descend continuously or at preset time intervals, and the first telescopic conveyor 21 receives the taken wafers and conveys them to the subsequent conveyor line 30;

[0095] After synchronously traversing the first half wafer basket 11 and the second half wafer basket 12 in the direction of arrow 43 above and before all the sheets in bin B are received and taken out by the first telescopic conveyor 21, control the second half wafer basket 12 to rise to a predetermined height (i.e., the bottom of the bin of the second half wafer basket 12 is located above the first telescopic conveyor 21), so as to prepare for feeding bin D.

[0096] Such as Figure 2d , after all the sheets in bin B are taken out, control the first telescopic conveyor 21 to retract from bin B, and synchronously traverse the first half wafer basket 11 and the second half wafer basket 12 in the direction of arrow 42, so that the bottom of bin D of the second half wafer basket 12 is located above the first telescopic conveyor 21. After controlling the first telescopic conveyor 21 to extend into bin D in the direction of arrow 41, control the second half wafer basket 12 to descend continuously or at preset time intervals, and the first telescopic conveyor 21 receives the taken wafers and conveys them to the subsequent conveyor line 30.

[0097] That is, the feeding sequence of the wafer taking mechanism 20 (the first telescopic conveyor 21 in this embodiment) is bin A, bin C, bin B, and bin D in sequence. During the period when bin C supplies materials after switching from bin A to bin C, prepare for the feeding of bin B to reach the in-place state. During the period when bin B supplies materials after switching from bin C to bin B, prepare for the feeding of bin D to reach the in-place state, which can effectively save the time for the lifting of the bins and greatly improve the feeding efficiency.

[0098] Such as Figures 3a to 3d As shown, the second embodiment of the wafer taking mechanism 20 includes two telescopic conveyors, namely the second telescopic conveyor 22 and the third telescopic conveyor 23. The second telescopic conveyor 22 is configured to traverse and switch between bin A and bin B of the first half wafer basket 11, and the third telescopic conveyor 23 is configured to traverse and switch between bin C and bin D of the second half wafer basket 12.

[0099] At this time, step b of the method for feeding half wafers further includes:

[0100] Step b1: In step b, the second retractable conveyor 22 sequentially receives the half wafers 100 in the A bin of the first half wafer carrier 11 during the descent of the first half wafer carrier 11 and conveys the half wafers 100 to the subsequent conveyor line 30;

[0101] Step b2: Before the end of step b1, the third retractable conveyor 23 is laterally moved to dock the third retractable conveyor 23 with the C bin of the second half wafer carrier 12;

[0102] Step d of the half wafer loading method further includes:

[0103] Step d1: In step d, the third retractable conveyor 23 sequentially receives the half wafers 100 in the C bin of the second half wafer carrier 12 during the descent of the second half wafer carrier 12 and conveys the half wafers 100 to the subsequent conveyor line 30;

[0104] Step d2: Before the end of step d1, the second retractable conveyor 22 is laterally moved to dock the second retractable conveyor 22 with the B bin of the first half wafer carrier 11;

[0105] Step g of the half wafer loading method further includes:

[0106] Step g1: In step g, the second retractable conveyor 22 sequentially receives the half wafers 100 in the B bin of the first half wafer carrier 11 during the descent of the first half wafer carrier 11 and conveys the half wafers 100 to the subsequent conveyor line 30;

[0107] Step g2: Before the end of step g1, the third retractable conveyor 23 is laterally moved to dock the third retractable conveyor 23 with the D bin of the second half wafer carrier 12;

[0108] Step j of the half wafer loading method further includes:

[0109] Step j1: In step j, the third retractable conveyor 23 sequentially receives the half wafers 100 in the D bin of the second half wafer carrier 12 during the descent of the second half wafer carrier 12 and conveys the half wafers 100 to the subsequent conveyor line 30.

[0110] By configuring the wafer picking mechanism 20 into two retractable second retractable conveyors 22 and third retractable conveyors 23, each retractable conveyor is respectively docked with two bins of a half wafer carrier 10. When the second retractable conveyor 22 picks up wafers from one bin of the half wafer carrier 10 docked with it, the third retractable conveyor 23 can be docked with one bin of the half wafer carrier 10 that matches it. After the second retractable conveyor 22 finishes picking up wafers, the third retractable conveyor 23 can be directly used for picking up wafers, achieving seamless docking and further improving the loading efficiency.

[0111] In this embodiment, specifically:

[0112] As Figure 3a , synchronously horizontally move the first half flower basket 11 and the second half flower basket 12, so that the bottom of the A bin of the first half flower basket 11 is located above the second retractable conveyor 22. After controlling the second retractable conveyor 22 to extend into the A bin in the direction of arrow 41, control the first half flower basket 11 to descend continuously or at preset time intervals, and the second retractable conveyor 22 undertakes to pick up the pieces and convey them to the subsequent conveyor line 30;

[0113] Before all the pieces in the A bin are taken out, horizontally move the third retractable conveyor 23 to dock the third retractable conveyor 23 with the C bin of the second half flower basket 12, so that the bottom of the C bin of the second half flower basket 12 is located above the third retractable conveyor 23. It should be noted that for the docking here, the third retractable conveyor 23 is in the retracted state and will not interfere with the horizontal movement of the second half flower basket 12.

[0114] As Figure 3b , when all the pieces in the A bin are taken out, control the second retractable conveyor 22 to retract from the A bin (i.e., the reverse direction of arrow 41), and synchronously horizontally move the first half flower basket 11, the second half flower basket 12, the second retractable conveyor 22 and the third retractable conveyor 23 in the direction of arrow 42, so that the C bin of the second half flower basket 12, the third retractable conveyor 23 and the subsequent conveyor line 30 are located on the same vertical projection. After controlling the third retractable conveyor 23 to extend into the C bin in the direction of arrow 41, control the second half flower basket 12 to descend continuously or at preset time intervals, and the third retractable conveyor 23 undertakes to pick up the pieces and convey them to the subsequent conveyor line 30;

[0115] After the above-mentioned synchronous horizontal movement of the first half flower basket 11, the second half flower basket 12, the second retractable conveyor 22 and the third retractable conveyor 23 in the direction of arrow 42 until before all the pieces in the C bin are picked up by the third retractable conveyor 23, control the first half flower basket 11 to rise to a predetermined height (i.e., make the bottom of the bin of the first half flower basket 11 located above the second retractable conveyor 22), and horizontally move the second retractable conveyor 22 in the direction of arrow 44 to dock the second retractable conveyor 22 with the B bin of the first half flower basket 11 to prepare for feeding the B bin;

[0116] As Figure 3cAfter all the sheets in bin C are taken out, control the third retractable conveyor 23 to retract from bin C, and synchronously traverse the first half sheet flower basket 11, the second half sheet flower basket 12, the second retractable conveyor 22, and the third retractable conveyor 23 in the direction of arrow 43, so that the bin B of the first half sheet flower basket 11, the second retractable conveyor 22, and the subsequent conveyor line 30 are located on the same vertical projection. After controlling the second retractable conveyor 22 to extend into bin B in the direction of arrow 41, control the first half sheet flower basket 11 to descend continuously or at preset intervals, and the second retractable conveyor 22 receives the sheets and conveys them to the subsequent conveyor line 30.

[0117] After the above-mentioned synchronous traversing of the first half sheet flower basket 11, the second half sheet flower basket 12, the second retractable conveyor 22, and the third retractable conveyor 23 in the direction of arrow 43 until all the sheets in bin B are received by the second retractable conveyor 22, control the second half sheet flower basket 12 to rise to a predetermined height (i.e., the bottom of the bin of the second half sheet flower basket 12 is located above the third retractable conveyor 23), and traverse the third retractable conveyor 23 in the direction of arrow 44 to dock the third retractable conveyor 23 with the bin D of the second half sheet flower basket 12 to prepare for feeding the bin D.

[0118] Such as Figure 3d After all the sheets in bin B are taken out, control the second retractable conveyor 22 to retract from bin B, and synchronously traverse the first half sheet flower basket 11, the second half sheet flower basket 12, the second retractable conveyor 22, and the third retractable conveyor 23 in the direction of arrow 42, so that the bin D of the second half sheet flower basket 12, the third retractable conveyor 23, and the subsequent conveyor line 30 are located on the same vertical projection. After controlling the third retractable conveyor 23 to extend into bin D in the direction of arrow 41, control the first half sheet flower basket 12 to descend continuously or at preset intervals, and the third retractable conveyor 23 receives the sheets and conveys them to the subsequent conveyor line 30.

[0119] After synchronously laterally moving the first half flower basket 11, the second half flower basket 12, the second retractable conveyor 22 and the third retractable conveyor 23 in the direction of arrow 42 above and before the sheet in the D bin is completely picked up by the second retractable conveyor 22, replace the emptied first half flower basket 11 with a full first half flower basket 11, and control the full first half flower basket 11 to rise to a predetermined height (i.e., the bottom of the bin of the first half flower basket 11 is located above the second retractable conveyor 22), and laterally move the second retractable conveyor 22 in the direction of arrow 45 so that the second retractable conveyor 22 is docked with the A bin of the full first half flower basket 11 to prepare for loading the A bin. It should be noted that the second retractable conveyor 22 can also be laterally moved to the corresponding position (i.e., the position corresponding to the A bin of the replaced full first half flower basket 11) in the direction of arrow 45 before replacing the full first half flower basket 11.

[0120] Compared with using one retractable conveyor (i.e., the first retractable part 21), using two retractable conveyors to dock with one half flower basket respectively can further improve the efficiency of picking up sheets.

[0121] As Figures 4a to 4d shown, the third embodiment of the sheet picking mechanism 20 includes four retractable conveyors, namely: the fourth retractable conveyor 24 that cooperates with the A bin, the fifth retractable conveyor 25 that cooperates with the B bin, the sixth retractable conveyor 26 that cooperates with the C bin, and the seventh retractable conveyor 27 that cooperates with the D bin. At this time, the method for loading half silicon wafers further includes:

[0122] Before step a, control the fourth retractable conveyor 24 and the fifth retractable conveyor 25 to retract so that there is no overlap with the first half flower basket 11 in the longitudinal projection, and control the sixth retractable conveyor 26 and the seventh retractable conveyor 27 to retract so that there is no overlap with the second half flower basket 12 in the longitudinal projection.

[0123] By configuring the sheet picking mechanism 20 with four retractable fourth retractable conveyor 24, fifth retractable conveyor 25, sixth retractable conveyor 26 and seventh retractable conveyor 27, each bin of each half flower basket 10 is matched with a retractable conveyor, which can improve the loading efficiency of each bin; before laterally moving the two half flower baskets 10, by retracting the corresponding retractable conveyor, it can be avoided that the retractable conveyor interferes with the moving half flower basket 10 and causes a collision.

[0124] In one of the embodiments, optionally, between step a and step b, the method for loading half silicon wafers further includes controlling the fourth retractable conveyor 24 to extend until the fourth retractable conveyor 24 can extend into the A bin to receive the half silicon wafer 100;

[0125] Between step c and step d, the method for loading half wafers further includes controlling the sixth retractable conveyor 26 to extend until the sixth retractable conveyor 26 can reach into bin C to receive half wafers 100.

[0126] Between step f and step g, the method for loading half wafers further includes controlling the fifth retractable conveyor 25 to extend until the fifth retractable conveyor 25 can reach into bin B to receive half wafers 100.

[0127] Between step i and step j, the method for loading half wafers further includes controlling the seventh retractable conveyor 27 to extend until the seventh retractable conveyor 27 can reach into bin D to receive half wafers 100.

[0128] It should be noted that in this embodiment, bins A, B, C, and D all have corresponding retractable conveyors. In steps c, f, and i, the half wafer carriers and the corresponding retractable conveyors can be horizontally shifted synchronously so that the retractable conveyor for wafer picking corresponds to the subsequent conveyor line 30.

[0129] Refer to Figures 1 to 4d , optionally, the method for loading half wafers further includes replacing the emptied first half wafer carrier 11 with a fully loaded first half wafer carrier 11 after step g ends.

[0130] After all the half wafers 100 in the two bins of the first half wafer carrier 11 are taken, during the loading process of the second half wafer carrier 12, replacing the emptied first half wafer carrier 11 with a fully loaded first half wafer carrier 11 can make full use of the time during the loading process of the second half wafer carrier 12 to prepare for the next loading of the first half wafer carrier 11, thereby improving the loading efficiency.

[0131] In one of the embodiments, optionally, the method for loading half wafers further includes replacing the emptied second half wafer carrier 12 with a fully loaded second half wafer carrier 12 after step j ends.

[0132] After all the half wafers 100 in the two bins of the second half wafer carrier 12 are taken, during the loading process of the first half wafer carrier 11, replacing the emptied second half wafer carrier 12 with a fully loaded second half wafer carrier 12 can make full use of the time during the loading process of the first half wafer carrier 11 to prepare for the next loading of the second half wafer carrier 12, thereby improving the loading efficiency.

[0133] In one of the embodiments, as Figure 5 shown, optionally, the subsequent conveyor line 30 is used to convey half wafers 100 in a single row. That is, the half wafers 100 are conveyed one by one along the conveying direction of the subsequent conveyor line 30.

[0134] The half silicon wafers 100 taken out by the wafer taking mechanism 20 are conveyed in a single row on the subsequent conveying line 30, which facilitates the separate processing of each half silicon wafer 100 (such as regularization or rotation), preventing the influence on the remaining half silicon wafers 100.

[0135] In one of the embodiments, optionally, the half silicon wafer loading method further includes: in steps b, d, g, and j, during the process of conveying the half silicon wafers 100 to the subsequent conveying line 30, performing at least one regularization on the half silicon wafers 100.

[0136] By performing a regularization process on the half silicon wafers 100, the position state of the half silicon wafers 100 meets the predetermined requirements, facilitating the subsequent processing of the half silicon wafers 100.

[0137] In one of the embodiments, optionally, the half silicon wafer loading method further includes: in steps b, d, g, and j, during the process of conveying the half silicon wafers 100 to the subsequent conveying line 30, performing at least one rotation of a predetermined angle on the half silicon wafers 100.

[0138] Since the half silicon wafers 100 have two adjacent chamfers, and when producing battery strings, there are specific requirements for the chamfer positions of the half silicon wafers 100. For example, the chamfers of the half silicon wafers 100 in a string of battery strings should all be on the same side. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the position of the half silicon wafers 100 by rotation. For example, rotating the half silicon wafer 100 once by 90° so that the half silicon wafer 100 is conveyed on the conveyor belt of the subsequent conveying line 30 after switching between horizontal and vertical directions; rotating twice by 90° so that the chamfer position of the half silicon wafer 100 changes sides and then is conveyed on the conveyor belt of the subsequent conveying line 30; of course, a single 180° rotation can also be directly performed. For the number of rotations and the angle of each rotation, flexible selection can be made according to different process requirements.

[0139] By performing a rotation process on the half silicon wafers 100, the position state of the half silicon wafers 100 meets the predetermined requirements, facilitating the subsequent processing of the half silicon wafers 100.

[0140] The above has described the present application in sufficient detail with a certain degree of particularity. Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the descriptions in the embodiments are merely exemplary. All changes made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present application should fall within the protection scope of the present application. The scope to be protected by the present application is defined by the claims described, rather than by the above descriptions in the embodiments.

Claims

1. A method for loading a half-wafer of silicon, characterized in that: The half-silicon wafer loading method is used to take out the half-silicon wafer in the half-wafer basket, and the half-silicon wafer loading method includes: Step a: synchronously moving the first half flower basket and the second half flower basket horizontally so that the bottom of the A bin of the first half flower basket is located above the flower fetching mechanism; Step b: Control the first half-wafer basket to descend continuously or at preset intervals, and the wafer taking mechanism receives the half-wafers in the A bin one by one during the descent of the first half-wafer basket and conveys the half-wafers to the downstream conveyor line; Step c: synchronously moving the first half flower basket and the second half flower basket horizontally so that the bottom of the C bin of the second half flower basket is located above the sheet taking mechanism; Step d: Control the second half-wafer basket to descend continuously or at preset intervals, and the wafer taking mechanism receives the half-wafers in the C bin piece by piece during the descent of the second half-wafer basket and conveys the half-wafers to the downstream conveyor line; Step e: at any time after the start of step c and before the end of step d, controlling the first half of the flower basket to rise to a predetermined height; Step f: synchronously moving the first half flower basket and the second half flower basket horizontally so that the bottom of the B bin of the first half flower basket is located above the flower fetching mechanism; Step g: Control the first half-wafer basket to descend continuously or at preset intervals, and the wafer taking mechanism receives the half-wafers in the B silo piece by piece during the descent of the first half-wafer basket and conveys the half-wafers to the downstream conveyor line; Step h: at any time after the start of step f and before the end of step g, controlling the second half of the flower basket to rise to a predetermined height; Step i: synchronously moving the first half flower basket and the second half flower basket horizontally so that the bottom of the D bin of the second half flower basket is located above the flower fetching mechanism; Step j: Control the second half-wafer basket to descend continuously or at preset intervals, and the wafer taking mechanism receives the half-wafers in the D bin piece by piece during the descent of the second half-wafer basket and conveys the half-wafers to the downstream conveyor line; Wherein, the first half flower basket and the second half flower basket can be controlled to move horizontally synchronously, the first half flower basket and the second half flower basket can be individually controlled to rise and fall to cooperate with the sheet taking mechanism to take sheets, the first half flower basket at least includes A bin and B bin arranged in parallel, and the second half flower basket at least includes C bin and D bin arranged in parallel; The wafer taking mechanism includes a fourth telescopic conveying part cooperating with the A silo, a fifth telescopic conveying part cooperating with the B silo, a sixth telescopic conveying part cooperating with the C silo, and a seventh telescopic conveying part cooperating with the D silo. The half-wafer loading method also includes: Before step a, the fourth and fifth telescopic conveying parts are controlled to be retracted until they do not overlap with the first half of the flower basket in longitudinal projection, and the sixth and seventh telescopic conveying parts are controlled to be retracted until they do not overlap with the second half of the flower basket in longitudinal projection.

2. The half-silicon wafer loading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Between step a and step b, the half-wafer loading method further includes controlling the fourth retractable conveying portion to extend until the fourth retractable conveying portion can extend into the A silo to receive the half-wafer; Between step c and step d, the half-wafer loading method further includes controlling the sixth retractable conveying portion to extend until the sixth retractable conveying portion can extend into the C silo to receive the half-wafer; Between step f and step g, the half-wafer loading method further includes controlling the fifth retractable conveying portion to extend until the fifth retractable conveying portion can extend into the B silo to receive the half-wafer; Between step i and step j, the half-wafer loading method further includes controlling the seventh retractable conveying portion to extend until the seventh retractable conveying portion can extend into the D silo to receive the half-wafer.

3. The half-silicon wafer loading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The half-wafer loading method further comprises, after the step g is completed, replacing the empty first half-wafer basket with a fully loaded first half-wafer basket.

4. The half-silicon wafer loading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The half-wafer loading method further comprises, after the step j is completed, replacing the empty second half-wafer basket with a fully loaded second half-wafer basket.

5. The half-silicon wafer loading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The back-end conveyor line is used to convey half silicon wafers in a single row.

6. The half-silicon wafer loading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The half-silicon wafer loading method further includes: in the steps b, d, g, and j, the half-silicon wafer is regularized at least once during the process of conveying the half-silicon wafer to the back-end conveyor line.

7. The half-silicon wafer loading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The half-silicon wafer loading method further includes: in the steps b, d, g, and j, during the process of conveying the half-silicon wafer to the back-end conveyor line, rotating the half-silicon wafer at least once at a predetermined angle.

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