Method for feeding a junction box for a photovoltaic module

Abstract

The present application relates to a feeding method of junction box of photovoltaic module, which comprises the following steps: firstly, taking out the junction box one by one and randomly from the material frame, and laying the junction box on the turnover platform; secondly, forming the first element; then, forming the second element; finally, one or more junction boxes which need to be installed meet the corresponding first element and second element, and are moved and positioned on the transfer platform by the same mechanical hand to complete the feeding of the junction box to be installed of the single photovoltaic module. Based on the visual detection and the combination of the first and second elements, the junction box can be taken out randomly to implement the automatic feeding of the junction box in disorder, the transmission of the ring-shaped transmission belt and the turnover of the turnover platform at different angles are fully utilized, the junction box is turned over or unloaded by the transmission speed difference in the small space, the impact on the junction box is small, and the junction box can be clamped at least based on one side in the unloading.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the application with the application date of June 7, 2024, the application number of 2024107338830, and the name of Automatic assembly process of junction box of photovoltaic module. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The application belongs to the technical field of photovoltaic technology, and particularly relates to a feeding method of a junction box of a photovoltaic module. BACKGROUND

[0003] A conventional photovoltaic module (single-glass or double-glass) comprises, from top to bottom, an upper glass cover plate, a solar cell, a lower bottom plate, and a junction box mounted on the upper glass cover plate, wherein the junction box comprises a coil, a box body located on opposite sides of the coil and extending in the same direction, and a connector, that is, in the process of feeding, there is not only a distinction between positive and negative (the box body), but also a position angle requirement (the coil is left or right), therefore, there are the following technical problems in actual processing:

[0004] 1) In the feeding of the junction box, orderly arrangement needs to be performed, not only multiple visual inspections are required, but also selection needs to be performed, therefore, the operation is complicated, and the probability of material breakage occurs, which leads to interruption of work and affects the overall assembly efficiency;

[0005] 2) If the junction box is to be turned over, a special turning mechanism needs to be used, not only a large operation space is required, but also the position angles of the junction boxes unloaded onto the conveying belt are different once the junction boxes are acted on different positions, which is not easy for later clamping operation, at the same time, once visual misjudgment or selection accident occurs, the supplied junction boxes are directly returned, which causes interruption of the supply of the junction boxes and leads to a high shutdown rate;

[0006] 3) Once two or more junction boxes need to be installed on the same photovoltaic module, because of the feeding difficulty of the feeding mode, the photovoltaic module is generally assembled one by one, in this way, the assembly efficiency is low, and in the front and rear assembly processes of the same photovoltaic module, not only front and rear interference or assembly obstacles exist, but also the uniformity or alignment of the installation quality is difficult to meet the requirements due to different installation conditions. SUMMARY

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by the application is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide a new feeding method of a junction box of a photovoltaic module.

[0008] To solve the above technical problems, the present application adopts the following technical solutions: a feeding method of a photovoltaic module junction box, which adopts a feeding device including a supply unit and a taking unit, the supply unit can supply the junction boxes one by one and continuously to a turnover platform, and includes a material frame assembly and a feeding robot, wherein the turnover platform is arranged to turn around the horizontal direction through a turnover component; the taking unit includes a ring-shaped transmission belt located below the turnover platform, a mechanical hand for grabbing the junction boxes from the ring-shaped transmission belt, a visual detection component located above the turnover platform and the ring-shaped transmission belt, and a central control adjustment assembly, and the feeding method includes the following steps:

[0009] Firstly, the junction boxes are taken out one by one and randomly from the material frame and laid on the turnover platform, wherein the junction box includes a coil, a box body and a connector located on the opposite sides of the coil and extending in the same direction; secondly, the front and back surface information of the junction box on the turnover platform is acquired based on the visual detection component, the turnover platform is controlled to turn around the horizontal direction so that the front and back surface of the junction box remains unchanged and gradually approaches the ring-shaped transmission belt based on one side of the junction box as a reference or is gradually approached to the ring-shaped transmission belt based on one side as a reference by the transmission speed difference between the turnover platform and the ring-shaped transmission belt, so that the front and back surface of the junction box is turned over 180 degrees and then unloaded onto the ring-shaped transmission belt, so that the front and back surface direction of the junction box matches the required direction of the feeding, constituting the first element; then, the left and right direction information of the coil on the ring-shaped transmission belt is acquired by the visual detection, the mechanical hand adaptively adjusts the angle to hold the junction box and unload it to the transfer platform with the left and right direction unchanged or turned over 180 degrees, so that the left and right direction of the coil of the junction box matches the required direction of the feeding, constituting the second element, finally, one or more junction boxes required to be installed meet the corresponding first element and second element one by one, and are moved and positioned on the transfer platform by the same mechanical hand, so as to complete the feeding of the junction boxes to be installed of a single photovoltaic module.

[0010] According to one specific embodiment and preferred aspect of the present application, when the first element is met, the angle formed by the turnover platform and the horizontal plane is less than or equal to 30°, and the junction box is unloaded to the ring-shaped transmission belt in the current state. Under the condition of small-angle unloading, the junction box freely slides to the ring-shaped transmission belt.

[0011] According to another specific implementation and preferred aspect of the present application, when the first element is satisfied and the angle between the turnover platform and the horizontal plane is a right angle or an obtuse angle, the terminal box is flipped 180° and transferred forward along the ring-shaped transmission belt in cooperation with the flipping and the forward transferring. When the angle is a right angle or an obtuse angle, the flipping and the forward transferring are coordinated, and the flipping is performed by taking advantage of the situation. Of course, the right angle or the obtuse angle is preferably an obtuse angle (generally within 120°), because the forward pushing of the product is more favorable to the flipping, and when the angle between the turnover platform and the horizontal plane is an obtuse angle, the terminal box is free to fall along the turnover platform and unloaded on the ring-shaped transmission belt while keeping the tendency of forward flipping. In short, the flipping is not performed by throwing, but by taking advantage of the situation (not only the required space is small, but also the flipping is easy to control according to the angle, and the situation is very reasonable), and of course, there is another implementation, that is, the terminal box is flipped by the turnover platform and discharged forward, and then flipped in the air and falls on the ring-shaped transmission belt (this method is feasible on the surface, but the success rate of the flipping is difficult to control, and there is a collision between the internal components of the terminal box, and a larger space is required).

[0012] In some specific implementations, the turnover platform is installed at the rear end of the ring-shaped transmission belt; in the initial state, the turnover platform is parallel to the surface of the ring-shaped transmission belt and forms a height difference. In this way, the space for flipping is formed, and the turnover platform is arranged on the corresponding rack by rotating the turnover shaft extending along the width direction of the ring-shaped transmission belt, and the turnover component is a power component for driving the rotation of the turnover shaft. The conventional turnover component can adopt a turnover motor (electric motor) and a belt wheel transmission mode, and of course, it can also be directly driven by a motor.

[0013] According to another specific implementation and preferred aspect of the present application, the transmission speed formed by the ring-shaped transmission belt is less than the speed at which the terminal box is unloaded from the turnover platform. Under the control of the speed difference, the success rate of the flipping of the terminal box is increased, and the main reason is that if the forward speed is too fast at the moment of the flipping contact, the product will be tilted backward, and therefore, the success rate of the flipping is further improved, and the probability of the interruption of the feeding is reduced.

[0014] According to another specific implementation and preferred aspect of the present application, when the second element is satisfied, the mechanical hand has a self-adaptive clamping mode and a flipping switching mode, wherein the clamping of the terminal box is performed by combining the visual information and the self-adaptive angle change when the terminal box is taken from the ring-shaped transmission belt; after the clamping is completed, the flipping switching mode is selected according to the left-right orientation information of the coil, the current angle is kept or the 180° switching is performed so that the terminal box matches the feeding orientation. In short, the mechanical hand is increased in practicability by the free switching of the self-adaptive clamping mode and the flipping switching mode, and the clamping is further facilitated.

[0015] According to another specific implementation and preferred aspect of the present application, the material frame is supplied by a robot and layered cyclic feeders formed on both sides of the robot to implement automatic replacement of the material frame. This can achieve uninterrupted supply of the terminal box. Meanwhile, the inlet and outlet of each layered cyclic feeder are located on the same side and both protrude from the corresponding side of the rack. Such a layout not only facilitates the supply operation of the material frame, but also facilitates the user to perform the replenishment or recycling operation of the material frame.

[0016] Further, each layered cyclic feeder includes a feeding auxiliary station, a feeding station, a discharging station, a discharging auxiliary station, and a monitoring station, wherein the feeding station and the discharging station are arranged in a top-down manner, and under the state monitoring of the monitoring station, the feeding station can be raised and lowered to connect the feeding auxiliary station and the discharging auxiliary station, and when the feeding station is empty, the feeding auxiliary station automatically supplies the material frame to the feeding station. Not only can the material frame be supplied cyclically, but also the probability of interruption of the supply of the terminal box is low.

[0017] Preferably, at least one feeding station in each layered cyclic feeder is located above the discharging station. In short, at least one feeding station in the feeding station can supply the material frame normally, further reducing the interruption rate of the supply of the material frame.

[0018] In addition, the material taking unit further includes a return hopper formed at the front end of the annular conveying belt and a return box located at the bottom of the return hopper and connected with the return hopper, wherein when the first element is matched, the terminal box with the mismatched orientation is returned and cyclically fed from the output end of the annular conveying belt.

[0019] Due to the implementation of the above technical solutions, the present application has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0020] In existing junction box assembly processes, the junction boxes need to be arranged in an orderly manner during loading, requiring multiple visual inspections and selection. This is not only cumbersome but also prone to material shortages that can lead to work interruptions and affect overall assembly efficiency. Furthermore, flipping the junction boxes requires a unique flipping mechanism, which not only requires a large operating space but also results in inconsistent angles of the unloaded junction boxes onto the conveyor belt depending on the location, making subsequent clamping difficult. Additionally, visual misjudgments or selection errors can lead to the direct return of supplied junction boxes, causing supply interruptions and a high downtime rate. This invention cleverly solves these shortcomings through an overall design of an automated photovoltaic module junction box assembly process. After adopting this photovoltaic module junction box feeding method, firstly, the junction boxes are taken out one by one from the material box and laid flat on the flipping platform; secondly, based on visual information of the front and back of the junction boxes on the flipping platform, the platform is manipulated to flip so that the front and back orientations of the junction boxes remain unchanged or are flipped 180 degrees to unload onto the circular conveyor belt, so that the front and back of the junction boxes match the orientation required for feeding, thus forming the first element; next, visual information of the left and right orientations of the coils on the circular conveyor belt is obtained, and the robot arm grips the junction boxes on the circular conveyor belt with adaptive angle adjustment, keeping the angle unchanged or flipping 180 degrees to unload onto the transfer platform, so that the left and right orientations of the coils of the junction boxes match the orientations required for feeding. The second element requires alignment and matching. Finally, one or more junction boxes to be installed are arranged to meet the first and second elements, and are transferred and positioned on the transfer platform by the same robotic arm to complete the loading of junction boxes for a single photovoltaic module. Therefore, this invention, based on visual inspection and combining the first and second elements, can not only arbitrarily remove junction boxes for unordered automatic loading, but also fully utilize the transmission of the circular conveyor belt and the different angles of the flipping platform even if a flipping error occurs. In a confined space, the junction boxes can be flipped or unloaded smoothly by taking advantage of the transmission speed difference, resulting in less impact on the junction boxes themselves. Moreover, during unloading, at least one side can be used as a reference, which facilitates subsequent clamping. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the integrated machine for feeding, gluing, and assembling photovoltaic module junction boxes in this embodiment;

[0022] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the supply unit structure;

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Simplified structural diagram;

[0024] Figure 4 for Figure 1Partial omission schematic diagram (remove supply unit) of the device;

[0025] Figure 5 For Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the material taking unit in the device;

[0026] Figure 6 For Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the device from another perspective;

[0027] Figure 7 For Figure 5 Simplified schematic diagram of the device;

[0028] Figure 8 For Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the gluing and assembly structure in the device;

[0029] Figure 9 For Figure 8 Enlarged schematic diagram of the assembly structure in the device;

[0030] Figure 10 For Figure 8 Enlarged schematic diagram of the gluing structure in the device;

[0031] Wherein: 1, rack; 2, feeding device; 20, supply unit; 200, material frame assembly; s1, first conveying belt; s2, second conveying belt; s3, third conveying belt; s4, elevator; s5, interval sensor; s6, material frame monitor; q, material frame; 201, feeding robot; 21, material taking unit; 210, ring conveying belt; 211, mechanical hand; a, clamping jaw; b, power device; c, adjusting motor; 212, visual detection component; x, visual camera; 213, return hopper; 214, return box; 215, vibrator; 216, guardrail;

[0032] 3, gluing device; 30, gluing head temporary storage platform; k, rack hole; 31, gluing head;

[0033] 4, assembly device; 40, box body clamping jaw; 41, coil clamping jaw; 42, curing assembly;

[0034] 5, turnover component; f, turnover shaft;

[0035] 6, alignment component;

[0036] H, junction box; h1, coil; h2, box body; h3, connector.

[0037] G, turnover platform; M, transfer platform; J, truss. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to make the above objectives, features and advantages of the present application more clear and comprehensible, the following will describe the present application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be practiced in many different ways from those described herein, and skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the scope of the present application, and therefore the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0039] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the purpose of facilitating the description of the present application and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0040] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features referred to. Therefore, the features defined with "first" and "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically limited.

[0041] In the present application, unless otherwise specifically defined and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connecting", "fixing" and the like should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrated; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise specifically limited. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0042] In the present application, unless otherwise specifically defined and limited, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature can be that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature "above", "over" and "on" the second feature can be that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature "below", "under" and "under" the second feature can be that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0043] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0044] like Figures 1 to 10 As shown, the automatic assembly process of photovoltaic module junction boxes in this embodiment uses a photovoltaic module junction box feeding, gluing, and assembly integrated machine, which includes a frame 1, a feeding device 2, a gluing device 3, and an assembly device 4. Specifically, the junction box H includes a coil h1, a box body h2 located on opposite sides of the coil h1 and extending in the same direction, and a connector h3. The box body h2 itself has a front and back mounting surface, and the coil h1 has a left and right orientation. Therefore, a special feeding device 2 is required for disordered feeding.

[0045] Specifically, the feeding device 2 transfers junction boxes H one by one from the flipping platform G to the transfer platform M. The feeding device 2 includes a supply unit 20 and a picking unit 21. The supply unit 20 can supply junction boxes H one by one and continuously to the flipping platform G. The flipping platform G is flipped around the horizontal direction by the flipping component 5. The flipping platform G has an initial state and a flipped state. In the initial state, the flipping platform G is horizontally set. In the flipped state, the flipping platform G is intersected with the horizontal plane. The picking unit 21 includes an annular conveyor belt 210 located below the flipping platform G, a robot arm 211 that grabs junction boxes from the annular conveyor belt 210, a vision inspection component 212 located above the flipping platform G and the annular conveyor belt 210, and a return hopper 213 formed at the front end of the annular conveyor belt 210. The return box 214, located at the bottom of the return hopper 213 and connected to the return hopper 213, and the central control adjustment component are included. The circular conveyor belt 210 and the flipping platform G have the same direction of flipping and feeding and form a motion cooperation. The central control adjustment component is connected to the vision detection component 212, the flipping component 5, and the robot arm 211. Based on the information obtained by the vision detection component 212, the flipping component 5 drives the junction box H to maintain its current state and unload it onto the circular conveyor belt 210, or drives the junction box H to gradually move closer to the circular conveyor belt to form a flipping and forward cooperation to adjust the junction box 180° in both directions. The robot arm 211 maintains its current state and clamps the junction box H from the circular conveyor belt 210 and sends it into the transfer platform M, or the robot arm 211 clamps the junction box H and adjusts its orientation 180° before transferring it to the transfer platform M.

[0046] In some embodiments, the supply unit 20 comprises a magazine assembly 200 capable of continuously supplying the loading terminal box H and capable of automatic replenishment, and a feeding robot 201, wherein the magazine assembly 200 forms a feeding station and an auxiliary station, and the auxiliary station is capable of automatically supplying the magazine to the feeding station and recovering the magazine, and the feeding robot 201 takes out the terminal box H from the feeding station one by one and moves to the turnover platform G. In this way, by circulating the magazine, the probability of feeding interruption is reduced.

[0047] Specifically, the magazine assembly 200 comprises a first conveying belt s1 and a second conveying belt s2 arranged in layers, a third conveying belt s3 capable of ascending and descending at the same end of the first conveying belt s1 and the second conveying belt s2, wherein the first conveying belt s1 and the second conveying belt s2 each have two temporary storage stations (of course, more can also be provided), and the two temporary storage stations of each conveying belt are separated by a barrier, and the third conveying belt s3 has only one station (only one magazine can be placed), and in the ascending and descending of the third conveying belt s3, the first conveying belt s1 and the third conveying belt s3 or the second conveying belt s2 and the third conveying belt s3 are connected to automatically replenish or unload the magazine; and the upper position of the third conveying belt s3 is a feeding station, and the other positions are auxiliary feeding stations. The layout adopts a motion connection mode, which not only makes the whole feeding structure simple and occupies small space, but also is beneficial to the circulation (feeding and discharging) of the magazine itself. The auxiliary feeding station includes a feeding auxiliary station, a discharging auxiliary station, and an unloading auxiliary station, wherein the feeding station is directly above the unloading auxiliary station, the first conveying belt s1 constitutes the feeding auxiliary station, and the second conveying belt s2 constitutes the discharging auxiliary station. In short, the position switching of the third conveying belt s3 between the unloading auxiliary station and the feeding station can connect the feeding auxiliary station and the discharging auxiliary station, and form a magazine circulation supply mode, and also facilitate the feeding of the terminal box. At the same time, for the ascending and descending of the third conveying belt s3, a conventional lifting machine s4 can be used, but in order to accurately control the magazine replenishment, a spacing sensor s5 is needed to separate and monitor the transmission of the magazine q in each auxiliary station. Specifically, the lifting machine s4 is a sliding rail type wire guide and is in the form of a transmission screw for ascending and descending; the spacing sensor s5 uses a telescopic cylinder for separation, and needs to be intercepted or released for magazine replenishment operation.

[0048] In this example, there are two sets of material frame assemblies 200, which are correspondingly formed on opposite sides of the feeding robot 201. At least one of the two sets of material frame assemblies 200 maintains a third conveyor belt s3 at a feeding station. This ensures that the material handling by the robotic arm will not be interrupted, allowing for continuous operation. The two sets of material frame assemblies 200 are symmetrically arranged, with the ends of the first conveyor belt s1 and the second conveyor belt s2 protruding from the corresponding side of the frame away from the third conveyor belt s3. This protruding end arrangement facilitates the feeding and retrieval of the material frames. Furthermore, a material frame monitor s6 is installed above each feeding station. The material frame monitor s6 assists the feeding robot 201 in picking up materials and automatically unloads and refills the material frame q when it is empty.

[0049] In this example, the flipping platform G is installed at the rear end of the annular conveyor belt 210. In its initial state, the flipping platform G is parallel to the surface of the annular conveyor belt 210, forming a height difference. This allows space for flipping. The flipping platform is rotatably mounted on the corresponding frame via a flipping shaft extending along the width direction of the annular conveyor belt. The flipping component 5 is the power component that drives the flipping shaft f to rotate. Conventional flipping components can use a flipping motor (electric motor) and pulley drive, or they can be directly driven by a motor. Simultaneously, when the angle formed by the flipping platform G and the horizontal plane is less than or equal to 30°, the junction box H remains in its current state and is unloaded onto the annular conveyor belt 210; when the angle formed by the flipping platform G and the horizontal plane is an obtuse angle, the junction box H adjusts 180° in both directions during the flipping and forward movement, and is transmitted forward with the annular conveyor belt 210. Under a small-angle unloading, the junction box slides freely onto the circular conveyor belt. When the flipping angle is right or obtuse, there is a coordination between its downward and forward movement, allowing it to flip in both directions. An obtuse angle (generally within 120°) is preferred because it provides a forward push to the product, which is more conducive to flipping. In short, this is not a throwing method, but a flipping method that utilizes momentum (not only does it require less space, but it is also easy to control based on the flipping angle, and it is very reasonable to follow the momentum). Of course, there is another implementation method, which is tossing, that is, the junction box is flipped forward by the flipping platform and flipped in the air before falling onto the circular conveyor belt (this method seems feasible, but the success rate of tossing is difficult to control, there is a risk of collision between internal components of the junction box, and it requires more space). In this example, the transmission speed formed by the circular conveyor belt 210 is less than the speed at which the junction box H is unloaded from the flipping platform G. Under this speed difference control, the success rate of junction box flipping is increased because if the forward speed is too fast at the moment of flipping contact, the product will tilt backward. Therefore, the success rate of flipping can be further improved and the probability of material supply interruption can be reduced.

[0050] In some embodiments, the mechanical arm 211 includes a gripper a matched with the box h2, a power device b driving the gripper a to clamp or open, and an adjustment motor c driving the gripper a and the power device b to rotate around the vertical direction, wherein the adjustment motor c has a coil orientation rotation mode and a box self-adaptive angle clamping mode, when the box h2 is clamped, the adjustment motor c selects the self-adaptive angle clamping mode to clamp the box h2; when the box h2 is clamped, if the coil h1 is oriented opposite to it, the adjustment motor c switches to the coil orientation rotation mode and rotates at a rotation period of 180° to make the coil h1 of the terminal block H oriented to match the feeding orientation. The visual detection component 212 includes a visual camera x located at the top of the corresponding rack, and an image processor, wherein the visual camera x acquires photo information, the image processor analyzes the terminal block front and back orientation and coil orientation information in the picture, and controls the action of the turnover component 5 and the mechanical arm 211. At the same time, the visual detection component 212 acquires the terminal block front and back information on the ring-shaped conveying belt 210, and directly feeds the terminal block H with a required opposite orientation to the front into the return hopper 213 and falls into the return material box 214. Specifically, the return hopper 213 is arranged to be inclined up and down, and the upper end is located in front of the output end of the ring-shaped conveying belt 210, and the lower end extends to the bottom of the ring-shaped conveying belt 210 and is connected with the return material box 214. Preferably, the return hopper 213 is arranged close to the ring-shaped conveying belt, and the angle formed between the return hopper 213 and the conveying surface of the ring-shaped conveying belt is less than 30°. Avoiding the existence of too high drop, reducing the damage rate of the mismatched terminal block return material. Further, the return hopper 213 is also provided with a vibrator 215, wherein the vibrator increases the smoothness of the return material. Guardrails 216 are also provided on the opposite sides of the turnover platform G, and the guardrails 216 extend above the sides of the ring-shaped conveying belt 210.

[0051] In addition, the transfer platform M has two positioning centers, and the feeding device has two groups and is symmetrically distributed, wherein the front and back of the terminal blocks provided by the two groups of feeding devices are consistent, and the orientations of the coils are opposite, so as to meet the synchronous installation needs of multiple terminal blocks on one photovoltaic module and improve the installation efficiency. Then, the positioning center is formed on the transfer platform M with the terminal block H as the reference, and the feeding device further includes a rectification component 6 arranged at the positioning center for clamping and rectifying. The positions of the terminal blocks are uniformly adjusted below the rectification component 6, so as to facilitate accurate installation. Specifically, the rectification component 6 is a positioning clamp arranged on the opposite sides of the positioning center and clamped in relative motion.

[0052] Again referring to Figures 8 to 10The gluing device 3 and the assembling device 4 are installed on the same truss J and distributed on opposite sides of the truss J. In short, the relative combination of functional modules not only reduces the overall size of the all-in-one machine, but also makes the actual operation more convenient. In some specific embodiments, the gluing device 3 includes a gluing head temporary storage platform 30 and a gluing head 31, wherein the gluing head temporary storage platform 30 is provided with a mounting hole k, and when not working, the gluing head 31 is inserted into the mounting hole k (generally, the mounting hole is filled with silicone oil, which has the effect of dissolving and volatilizing glue, and the silicone oil will not affect the subsequent gluing, and the uniformity of gluing is controlled and adjusted by the valve of the gluing equipment). The assembling device 4 includes a box body clamping jaw 40, a coil clamping jaw 41, and a curing assembly 42, wherein the box body h2 is installed on the photovoltaic assembly by the box body clamping jaw 40 under the curing conditions provided by the curing assembly 42. In some specific embodiments, when the glue is UV glue, the curing assembly 42 used is a conventional light beam curing; when the glue is AB glue, the curing assembly 42 is a visual camera and a light supplement tool, that is, two photographs are taken before and after gluing, the photograph taken before gluing is to check whether there is deviation in the angle of the busbar shaft direction, and if there is deviation, the gluing position of the gluing head is adjusted to compensate for the deviation; the second photograph is taken after the junction box is installed and the wiring is completed, which mainly plays a role in rechecking after installation.

[0053] In summary, the automatic assembly process of the photovoltaic module junction box includes the following steps:

[0054] S1, automatic feeding of the junction box

[0055] First, the junction boxes are taken out one by one and randomly from the material frame and laid on the turnover platform, wherein the junction box includes a coil, a box body and a connector located on opposite sides of the coil and extending in the same direction; second, the front and back information of the junction box on the turnover platform is obtained based on vision, the turnover platform is controlled to turn around the horizontal direction to keep the front and back of the junction box unchanged and gradually close to the ring-shaped conveying belt on one side as the reference or cooperate with the ring-shaped conveying belt to gradually close to the ring-shaped conveying belt on one side as the reference to make the front and back of the junction box turn over 180 degrees and then be unloaded on the ring-shaped conveying belt, so that the front and back direction of the junction box matches the required direction of the feeding to constitute the first element, and the junction box with a mismatched direction is returned and recycled from the output end of the ring-shaped conveying belt; then, the left and right direction information of the coil on the ring-shaped conveying belt is obtained by vision, the junction box is clamped by the adaptive angle-adjusted mechanical hand from the ring-shaped conveying belt that meets the first element, and unloaded on the transfer platform with the left and right direction unchanged or turned over 180 degrees, so that the left and right direction of the coil of the junction box matches the required direction of the feeding to constitute the second element, and finally, one or more junction boxes that need to be installed meet the corresponding first element and second element, and are moved and positioned on the transfer platform by the same mechanical hand to complete the feeding of the junction boxes to be installed for a single photovoltaic module;

[0056] S2, feeding and gluing of the photovoltaic module

[0057] In the feeding process of the junction box, the photovoltaic module is horizontally fed into the assembly station with the glass face upward, and the glue frame is formed by synchronously gluing the multiple junction box mounting positions by the glue head at the same time.

[0058] S3, assembly of the junction box

[0059] The transfer manipulator is used to take out all the junction boxes from the transfer platform, simultaneously move them to the gluing area, glue the joint surfaces of the junction boxes at the glue frame positions of the photovoltaic module, and complete the gluing under the deviation correction of the auxiliary tool or the beam curing, and then the photovoltaic module is horizontally moved out of the assembly station.

[0060] Specifically, when the first element S1 is met, the angle between the turnover platform and the horizontal plane is less than or equal to 30°, and the terminal box is unloaded to the ring-shaped conveying belt in the current state. In the case of unloading at a small angle, the terminal box freely slides onto the ring-shaped conveying belt. When the angle between the turnover platform and the horizontal plane is a right angle or an obtuse angle, the terminal box is adjusted by 180° in the cooperation of turnover and forward movement and is transferred forward along with the ring-shaped conveying belt. When the angle is a right angle or an obtuse angle, the sliding process and the forward movement process are coordinated, and the turnover is formed by taking advantage of the situation. Of course, the so-called right angle or obtuse angle is preferably an obtuse angle (generally within 120°), because the product is pushed forward, which is more conducive to turnover. When the angle between the turnover platform and the horizontal plane is an obtuse angle, the terminal box freely falls onto the ring-shaped conveying belt while maintaining the tendency to turn forward. In short, this is not a throwing way, but a way of taking advantage of the situation to turn (not only the required space is small, but also it is easy to control according to the turnover angle, and it is very reasonable to take advantage of the situation). Of course, there is another implementation way, that is, throwing and turning, that is, the terminal box is turned forward by the turnover platform and falls into the ring-shaped conveying belt after turning in the air (this way is feasible on the surface, but the success rate of throwing and turning is difficult to control, and there is a collision between the internal elements of the terminal box, and a larger space is required). In some specific embodiments, the turnover platform is installed at the rear end of the ring-shaped conveying belt; in the initial state, the turnover platform is parallel to the surface of the ring-shaped conveying belt and forms a height difference. In this way, space is formed for turnover, and the turnover platform is arranged on the corresponding rack by rotating the turnover shaft extending along the width direction of the ring-shaped conveying belt, and the turnover component is a power component for driving the rotation of the turnover shaft. The conventional turnover component can adopt a turnover motor (motor) and a belt wheel transmission mode, and of course it can be directly driven by a motor. When the second element S1 is met, the mechanical hand has a self-adaptive clamping mode and a turnover switching mode, wherein when taking the material on the ring-shaped conveying belt, the clamping of the terminal box is performed in combination with the visual information to adapt to the angle change; after clamping is completed, the turnover switching mode is selected according to the left and right orientation information of the coil, the current angle is maintained or the coil is turned by 180° to match the orientation of the upper material. The practicability of the mechanical hand is increased, and clamping is further facilitated. In addition, in S1, a rectification clamp is also arranged on the transfer platform, wherein each terminal box is positioned at the positioning center, and the clamp rectification is performed on both sides of the box body. The rectification operation is performed before installation to improve the assembly accuracy.

[0061] In summary, after adopting the automatic assembly process of the photovoltaic module junction box, firstly, the junction boxes are taken out one by one from the material frame and laid flat on the turnover platform; secondly, the front and back information of the junction boxes on the turnover platform is acquired based on vision, the turnover platform is controlled to turn over so that the aspect of the junction box remains unchanged or turns over 180 degrees to be unloaded on the ring-shaped conveying belt, so that the front and back of the junction box matches the required direction of feeding to constitute the first element, and the mismatched junction box is returned to the material frame; then, the left and right direction information of the coil on the ring-shaped conveying belt is acquired by vision, the robot adaptively adjusts the angle to clamp the junction box from the ring-shaped conveying belt that meets the first element, and keeps the angle unchanged or turns over 180 degrees to be unloaded on the transfer platform, so that the left and right direction of the coil of the junction box matches the required direction of feeding to constitute the second element; finally, one or more junction boxes that need to be installed are taken out one by one to meet the first element and the second element, and are moved and positioned on the transfer platform by the same robot to complete the feeding of the junction boxes to be installed of a single photovoltaic module; at the same time, in the feeding process of the junction boxes, the photovoltaic module is horizontally fed into the assembly station with the glass face up, and the corresponding glue head simultaneously glues the installation positions of multiple junction boxes, then the transfer robot takes out all the junction boxes from the transfer platform, simultaneously moves them to the gluing area, and glues the joint surfaces of each junction box on the surface layer of the photovoltaic module, and then the assembled photovoltaic module is horizontally moved out of the assembly station, therefore, based on the vision detection and the combination of the first element and the second element, the junction box can be taken out arbitrarily to implement the disordered automatic feeding of the junction box, even if the turnover fails, the junction box can be returned to the material frame, so that the junction box can be continuously supplied, and the probability of material interruption is low, thereby improving the assembly efficiency, fully utilizing the transmission of the ring-shaped conveying belt and the different angle turnover of the turnover platform, and turning over or unloading by the transmission speed difference in a small space, the impact on the junction box is small, and at least one side can be used as a reference for subsequent clamping; on the other hand, the feeding, gluing and assembly of multiple junction boxes are simultaneously implemented on the same photovoltaic module, which not only increases the assembly efficiency, but also balances the assembly quality, in addition, there is no assembly interference or obstruction, which is convenient to operate; the glue device and the assembly device are installed on the same truss, which not only reduces the volume of the all-in-one machine, but also is more convenient for actual operation, and the synchronous clamping of the box body and the coil is implemented by solidification, which realizes high-quality and high-quality gluing assembly, in addition, the glue head is sealed by using silicone oil, because the silicone oil has the effect of dissolving and volatilizing glue, the silicone oil will not affect the subsequent gluing; the fourth aspect adopts a motion linkage layout, which not only makes the whole feeding structure simple and occupies a small space; and is beneficial to the circulation (feeding and discharging) of the material frame itself, and by the position switching of the third conveying belt between the unloading auxiliary station and the feeding station, the feeding auxiliary station and the discharging auxiliary station are connected, constituting a material frame circulation supply mode, and it is also convenient for the uninterrupted feeding of the junction box.The fifth aspect provides two groups of frame assembly, and corresponding formation is made on opposite sides of the material taking manipulator. At least one third transmission belt in the two groups of frame supply units is kept in the feeding station, so that the material taking manipulator can continuously work without interruption. The end protrusion facilitates the feeding and recycling of the frame. The sixth aspect provides that the transmission speed of the ring-shaped transmission belt is less than the speed of the terminal box unloaded from the turnover platform. Under the speed difference control, the success rate of the terminal box turnover is increased. The main point is that if the forward speed is too fast at the moment of the turnover contact, the product will be tilted backward, so that the success rate of the turnover is further improved, and the probability of the feeding interruption is reduced. The seventh aspect provides that the return hopper is arranged close to the ring-shaped transmission belt, and the angle between the return hopper and the conveying surface of the ring-shaped transmission belt is less than 30°, so that the high difference is avoided, the mismatched terminal box return collision damage rate is reduced, and the vibrator is arranged on the return hopper, so that the return is smooth. The eighth aspect fully utilizes the characteristics of the transfer manipulator, and adjusts the coil orientation to constitute the necessary condition of the disordered feeding. The next step of the terminal box assembly is kept in the relatively accurate position, and the transmission protection is performed by the guardrail in the feeding and unloading, so that the safety is improved.

[0062] The above detailed description of the present application is intended to enable the person skilled in the art to understand the content of the present application and to implement it, and cannot limit the protection scope of the present application. Any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit and principle of the present application should be covered within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of supplying a junction box for a photovoltaic module, characterized by: The feeding device comprises a supply unit and a taking unit. The supply unit can supply the terminal box to the turnover platform one by one and continuously, and comprises a frame assembly and a feeding robot. The turnover platform is arranged to turn around the horizontal direction by a turnover component, and is installed at the rear end of the ring-shaped conveying belt. In the initial state, the turnover platform is parallel to the surface of the ring-shaped conveying belt, and a height difference is formed. The taking unit comprises a ring-shaped conveying belt below the turnover platform, a mechanical hand for grabbing the terminal box from the ring-shaped conveying belt, a visual detection component above the turnover platform and the ring-shaped conveying belt, a central control adjusting assembly, a return hopper formed at the front end of the ring-shaped conveying belt, and a return box at the bottom of the return hopper and connected with the return hopper. The feeding method comprises the following steps: Firstly, the terminal box is taken out from the frame one by one and at will, and is laid on the turnover platform. The terminal box comprises a coil, a box body at opposite sides of the coil and extending in the same direction, and a connector. Secondly, the front and back surface information of the terminal box on the turnover platform is acquired based on the visual detection component, the turnover platform is controlled to turn around the horizontal direction, so that the front and back surface of the terminal box remains unchanged and gradually approaches the ring-shaped conveying belt or the transmission speed difference formed by the turnover platform and the ring-shaped conveying belt cooperates to gradually approach the ring-shaped conveying belt based on one side of the terminal box, so that the front and back surface of the terminal box is turned by 180 degrees and unloaded on the ring-shaped conveying belt after the front and back surface of the terminal box is turned by 180 degrees, so that the front and back surface direction of the terminal box matches the required direction of the feeding, which constitutes the first element. Then, the left and right direction information of the coil on the ring-shaped conveying belt is acquired by the visual detection component, the mechanical hand adaptively adjusts the angle to hold the terminal box, and the left and right direction of the terminal box is unloaded on the transfer platform after the left and right direction is turned by 180 degrees, so that the left and right direction of the coil of the terminal box matches the required direction of the feeding, which constitutes the second element. When the first element is constituted, the terminal box with unmatched direction is returned and recycled from the output end of the ring-shaped conveying belt. When the second element is satisfied, the mechanical hand has an adaptive clamping mode and a turnover mode. When the terminal box is taken from the ring-shaped conveying belt, the clamping of the terminal box is performed by adaptively changing the angle based on the visual information. After the clamping is completed, the turnover mode is selected according to the left and right direction information of the coil, the current angle is kept or the angle is turned by 180 degrees to match the direction of the terminal box with the feeding. Finally, one or more terminal boxes that need to be installed satisfy the corresponding first element and second element, and are moved and positioned on the transfer platform by the same mechanical hand, so as to complete the feeding of the terminal box to be installed of a single photovoltaic module.

2. The method of supplying a photovoltaic module junction box according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the first element is satisfied, the angle formed by the turnover platform and the horizontal plane is less than or equal to 30°, and the terminal box is unloaded on the ring-shaped conveying belt in the current state.

3. The method of supplying a photovoltaic module junction box according to claim 1, wherein: When the first element is satisfied, the angle formed by the turnover platform and the horizontal plane is a right angle or an obtuse angle, and the front and back surface of the terminal box is turned by 180 degrees in the cooperation of the turnover and the forward movement, and is transmitted forward along with the ring-shaped conveying belt.

4. The method for supplying a photovoltaic module junction box according to claim 1, characterized by: The transmission speed of the ring-shaped conveying belt is less than the speed of the terminal box unloaded from the turnover platform.

5. The method for supplying a photovoltaic module junction box according to claim 1, characterized by: The turnover platform is arranged on the corresponding rack by rotating the turnover shaft extending along the width direction of the annular conveying belt, and the turnover component is a power component for driving the rotation of the turnover shaft.

6. The method of supplying a photovoltaic module junction box according to claim 1, wherein: The material frame adopts a robot and layered circulating feed formed on both sides of the robot to implement automatic replacement of the material frame supply, wherein the material frame inlet and outlet of each layered circulating feed are located on the same side and protrude from the corresponding rack side edge.

7. The method of supplying a photovoltaic module junction box according to claim 6, characterized in that: Each layered circulating feed includes a feeding auxiliary station, a feeding station, a discharging station, a discharging auxiliary station, and a monitoring station, wherein the feeding station and the discharging station are arranged in a top-down manner, and under the state monitoring of the monitoring station, the feeding station can be lifted up and down to connect the feeding auxiliary station and the discharging auxiliary station, and after the feeding station is empty, the feeding auxiliary station automatically supplies the material frame to the feeding station.

8. The method of supplying a photovoltaic module junction box according to claim 7, characterized in that: At least one of the feeding stations in each layered circulating feed is located above the discharging station.

Images