Automatic series welding system for solar cell module

Abstract

The invention provides a solar cell module automatic series welding system which comprises a welding vacuum platform, a platform moving mechanism, a pre-pressing module, a welding spot position recognition module, a welding module, a welding monitoring module and a base module, the platform moving mechanism is installed on the base module, and the welding vacuum platform and the pre-pressing module are installed on the platform moving mechanism; a gantry frame is arranged on the base module and used for fixing the welding spot position recognition module, the welding module and the welding monitoring module. The welding vacuum platform is driven by the platform moving mechanism to move in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The pre-pressing module is used for pre-pressing and positioning the battery; the welding spot position identification module is used for positioning a welding spot and detecting the gap of the electric solar pond and the straightness of the series solar battery; the welding monitoring module is used for monitoring the real-time state. According to the welding system, the requirements of solar cell module series welding automation and high positioning precision are met, the manufacturing efficiency is improved, and automatic series welding of solar cell modules of various sizes can be compatible.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of solar cell assembly series welding, and in particular to an automatic series welding system for solar cell assemblies. Background Art

[0002] Solar energy is an important development direction in today's global energy field. Especially as environmental problems become increasingly serious, the use of clean and renewable solar energy is increasingly becoming the key to promoting energy transformation in countries around the world.

[0003] Solar arrays are a core component of solar power generation and the primary energy source for spacecraft in orbit. The circuitry of a solar array is composed of solar cell modules, which are formed by welding several solar cells in series.

[0004] Currently, solar cell module welding requires a high degree of manual intervention, with a low level of automation and low production efficiency. To meet the requirements of automated and highly accurate serial welding of solar cell modules and improve production efficiency, it is urgent to develop an automated serial welding system for solar cell modules that is compatible with the automated serial welding of solar cell modules of various sizes. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an automatic series welding system for solar cell modules. The specific technical solutions are as follows:

[0006] An automatic series welding system for solar cell modules, comprising a welding vacuum platform, a platform moving mechanism, a pre-pressing module, a welding point position identification module, a welding module, a welding monitoring module, and a base module, wherein:

[0007] The platform moving mechanism is installed on the base module, and the welding vacuum platform is fixedly installed on the platform moving mechanism; the pre-pressing module is installed on the platform moving mechanism;

[0008] The base module is provided with a gantry frame for fixing the welding point position identification module, the welding module and the welding monitoring module;

[0009] The welding vacuum platform moves along the X-axis and Y-axis directions under the drive of the platform moving mechanism;

[0010] The pre-pressing module is used to pre-press the battery and position the battery to achieve relative fixation of the position of the solar cell assembly;

[0011] The welding point position recognition module is used to locate welding points, detect the gap between the solar cells and the straightness of the solar cells in series;

[0012] The welding monitoring module is used to monitor the real-time welding status.

[0013] The welding vacuum platform comprises a vacuum platform and a base plate, and the vacuum platform is mounted on the base plate;

[0014] Both sides of the vacuum platform are provided with a solenoid valve and an air circuit on-off switch. The solenoid valve is installed on the air circuit on-off switch, and the air circuit on-off switch is fixed to the vacuum platform through an adapter plate.

[0015] The gas circuit on-off switch can control the vacuum platform to adsorb welding products or break the vacuum.

[0016] The welding electrode grinding module includes a grinding stone, which is arranged on both sides of the welding vacuum platform. The grinding stone is used to grind the welding electrode and can move along the X-axis and Y-axis under the drive of the platform moving mechanism.

[0017] The grinding stone is perpendicular to the welding module direction at 90 degrees, so as to ensure that the grinding direction and the electrode direction are perpendicular to each other at 90 degrees.

[0018] The vacuum platform is also provided with suction holes corresponding to the gas circuit on-off switches. The suction holes are used to adsorb solar cells, and the size of the suction force is set according to product requirements.

[0019] The welding vacuum platform is compatible with series welding of solar cell modules of various sizes, and can meet the requirements of n parallel modules and m series modules, where 1≤n≤3 and 2≤m≤62.

[0020] The platform moving mechanism includes linear motor 1, linear motor 2, and a guide rail, wherein linear motor 1 is arranged on the base module to provide driving force for X-axial movement of the platform moving mechanism, driving the welding vacuum platform to move along the X-axis; linear motor 2 is arranged on linear motor 1 to provide driving force for Y-axial movement of the platform moving mechanism, driving the welding vacuum platform to move along the Y-axis, thereby realizing the forward, backward, left, and right movement of the welding vacuum platform through the moving mechanism, and accurately moving the welding module to the position to be welded.

[0021] The pre-pressing module includes a linear screw module, a servo motor, a slide cylinder, a clamping cylinder, a pressing component, and a magnet, wherein:

[0022] The adapter plate is used to fix the pre-pressing module on the platform moving mechanism;

[0023] The clamping claw cylinder is fixed on the slide cylinder and opens and closes under the action of the air source to tighten and loosen the fishing line fixing rod;

[0024] The slide cylinder is mounted on the linear screw module and can move on the linear screw module;

[0025] The magnet is installed below the pressing component, and when the clamping cylinder is opened, the magnet attracts the clamping cylinder to prevent the clamping cylinder from making relative movement;

[0026] The servo motor provides driving force for the linear screw module;

[0027] The linear screw module drives the pre-pressing module to the top of the solar cell to be welded, and the linear screw is fixed on the vacuum welding platform;

[0028] Preferably, the linear screw module has an accuracy of 0.4 mm and meets the positioning accuracy of 0.5 mm.

[0029] The pressing component contacts the solar cell when the slide cylinder descends, and applies a certain pressure to flatten the solar cell.

[0030] Furthermore, the solder joint position recognition module includes a CCD camera, which is capable of locating solder joints, detecting cell gaps and the straightness of series-connected solar cells;

[0031] The CCD camera also takes pictures of the solar cells for inspection, automatically judging whether the interconnecting pieces are deformed, whether the solar cells have different shapes and sizes, or whether the surface is seriously contaminated;

[0032] When the weld location recognition module encounters a defective solar cell, it sends a signal to the host computer, which then issues a stop-welding instruction and prompts the user to replace the defective product. The host computer automatically records process data such as welding voltage and current, which can be directly transmitted to the MES system.

[0033] The welding monitoring module is provided with a monitoring camera for monitoring the real-time welding status.

[0034] The welding module includes a servo motor, a welding machine, and a pressure sensor. The welding machine is installed on the servo motor; the servo motor is installed on the main frame to drive the electrode of the welding machine to move up and down; the pressure sensor is used to control the grinding pressure of the electrode, and the grinding pressure is adjusted within 1N to 10N.

[0035] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0036] (1) The automatic series welding system for solar cell modules provided by the present invention can realize automatic series welding of solar cell modules of various sizes. During the welding process, the interconnecting sheets are pre-pressed by the pre-pressing module to ensure that the interconnecting sheets do not deform or shift.

[0037] (2) The welding process adopts the method of moving the platform moving mechanism left and right and the welding module moving up and down, which can make the series welding process stable and the welding point positioning accuracy high;

[0038] (3) The welding vacuum platform used realizes the hybrid welding of 1 to 3 solar cells;

[0039] (4) The pre-pressing module of the present invention can position the battery and achieve relative fixation of the position of the solar cell module, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the welding point position and reducing the probability of affecting the welding point accuracy due to battery warping;

[0040] (4) The welding process is fully automated. The welding process can be monitored in real time through the monitoring module. When encountering NG batteries, the welding point position recognition module can automatically identify them, thereby increasing work efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0042] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automatic series welding system for solar cell modules provided by the present invention;

[0043] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the placement of the welding vacuum platform components provided by the present invention;

[0044] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a welding vacuum platform provided by the present invention;

[0045] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the welding platform moving mechanism provided by the present invention;

[0046] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a pre-pressing module provided by the present invention;

[0047] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the welding point position identification module, welding module and welding monitoring module provided by the present invention.

[0048] Reference numerals:

[0049] 1. Base module; 2. Welding vacuum platform; 3. Platform moving mechanism; 4. Pre-loading module; 5. Gantry frame; 6. Welding module; 7. Welding point position recognition module; 8. Welding monitoring module; 9. Welding electrode grinding module; 10. Solenoid valve; 11. Air circuit on / off switch; 12. Grinding stone; 13. Vacuum platform; 14. Base plate; 15. Linear motor 2; 16. Linear motor 1; 17. Gripper cylinder; 18. Down-pressing component; 19. Slide cylinder; 20. Linear screw module; 21. Servo motor; 22. Down-pressing component fixing rod; 23. Magnet; 24. Welding machine power supply; 25. Servo motor; 26. Welding machine; 27. CCD camera; 28. Monitoring camera. Specific implementation methods

[0050] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0051] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of an automatic series welding system for solar cell modules. The system includes a welding vacuum platform 2, a platform moving mechanism 3, a pre-pressing module 4, a welding point position identification module 7, a welding module, a welding monitoring module 8, and a base module 1, wherein:

[0052] The platform moving mechanism 3 is installed on the base module 1, and the welding vacuum platform 2 is fixedly installed on the platform moving mechanism 3; the pre-pressing module 4 is installed on the platform moving mechanism 3;

[0053] The base module 1 is provided with a gantry frame 5 for fixing the welding point position identification module 7, the welding module and the welding monitoring module 8;

[0054] The welding vacuum platform 2 can move along the X-axis and Y-axis under the drive of the platform moving mechanism 3;

[0055] The pre-pressing module 4 is used to pre-press the battery and position the battery to achieve relative fixation of the position of the solar cell assembly;

[0056] The welding point position recognition module 7 is used to locate welding points, detect the gap between the solar cells and the straightness of the solar cells in series;

[0057] The welding monitoring module 8 is used to monitor the real-time welding status.

[0058] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of welding vacuum platform module. The welding vacuum platform 2 includes a vacuum platform 13 and a base plate 14. The vacuum platform 13 is mounted on the base plate 14.

[0059] A solenoid valve 10 and a gas on-off switch 11 are provided on both sides of the vacuum platform 13. The solenoid valve 10 is mounted on the gas on-off switch 11, and the gas on-off switch 11 is fixed to the vacuum platform 13 via an adapter plate.

[0060] The gas circuit on-off switch 11 can control the vacuum platform 13 to adsorb the welding product or break the vacuum.

[0061] The welding electrode grinding module 9 includes a grinding stone 12 , which is arranged on both sides of the welding vacuum platform 2 . The grinding stone 12 is used to grind the welding electrode and can move along the X-axis and Y-axis under the drive of the platform moving mechanism 3 .

[0062] The vacuum platform 13 is also provided with suction holes corresponding to the gas circuit on-off switches. The suction holes are used to adsorb solar cells, and the suction force is set according to product requirements.

[0063] The welding vacuum platform 2 is compatible with the series welding of solar cell modules of various sizes, and can meet the requirements of n parallel modules and m series modules, where 1≤n≤3 and 2≤m≤62.

[0064] The welding vacuum platform 2 is compatible with 40.1mm×60.6mm, 40.1mm×80.1mm (common battery sizes) (1 and 3 in parallel), each solar cell has a separate vacuum control, a total of 101 sets of solenoid valves, Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the placement of the welding vacuum platform components provided by the present invention;

[0065] Figure 4 It is a structural diagram of the platform moving mechanism 3, wherein the platform moving mechanism 3 includes a linear motor 16, a linear motor 2 15, and a guide rail, wherein the linear motor 16 is arranged on the base module 1, and provides the platform moving mechanism 3 with a driving force for X-axis movement, driving the welding vacuum platform 2 to move along the X-axis; the linear motor 2 15 is arranged on the linear motor 1 16, and provides the platform moving mechanism 3 with a driving force for Y-axis movement, driving the welding vacuum platform 2 to move along the Y-axis, thereby realizing the welding vacuum platform 2 to move forward, backward, left and right through the platform moving mechanism 3, and accurately moving the welding module 6 to the position to be welded.

[0066] like Figure 5 As shown, the pre-pressing module 4 includes a linear screw module 20, a servo motor 21, a slide cylinder 19, a clamping cylinder 17, a pressing component 18, and a magnet 23, wherein:

[0067] The pre-pressing module 4 is fixedly mounted on the platform moving mechanism 3 via an adapter plate;

[0068] The clamping claw cylinder 17 is fixed on the slide cylinder 19 and opens and closes under the action of the air source to tighten and loosen the pressing part 18;

[0069] The slide cylinder 19 is mounted on the linear screw module 20 and can move on the linear screw module 20;

[0070] The magnet 23 is installed below the pressing component 18. When the clamping cylinder 17 is opened, the magnet 23 attracts the clamping cylinder 17 to prevent the clamping cylinder 17 from moving relative to the clamping cylinder 17.

[0071] The servo motor 21 provides driving force for the linear screw module 20;

[0072] The linear screw module 20 drives the pre-pressing module 4 to the top of the solar cell to be welded, and the linear screw module 20 is fixed on the welding vacuum platform 2;

[0073] In this embodiment, the linear screw module 20 has an accuracy of 0.4 mm, which satisfies the positioning accuracy of 0.5 mm;

[0074] The pressing component 18 contacts the solar cell when the slide cylinder 19 descends, and applies a certain pressure to flatten the solar cell;

[0075] The movement process of the pre-stressing module 4 in this example is as follows: the linear screw module 20 drives the pre-stressing module 4 to move to the pre-stressing position, the slide cylinder 19 descends, the down-pressing component 18 presses the solar cell to be welded, the linear screw module 20 moves, and the down-pressing component 18 flattens the cell, then the clamping cylinder 17 releases the down-pressing component, the slide cylinder 19 rises, and the welding vacuum platform 2 moves to the welding position. After welding is completed, the linear screw module 20 picks up the down-pressing component 18, the clamping cylinder 17 clamps it, the slide cylinder 19 rises, and the linear screw module 20 moves to the next pre-stressing position.

[0076] like Figure 6 As shown, the solder joint position recognition module 7 includes a CCD camera 27, which can locate solder joints, detect cell gaps and the straightness of series-connected solar cells;

[0077] The CCD camera 27 also takes pictures of the solar cells for inspection, automatically judging whether the interconnecting pieces are deformed, whether the solar cells have different shapes and sizes, or whether the surface is seriously contaminated;

[0078] When the welding point position recognition module 7 encounters unqualified solar cells, it can send a signal to the host computer, and the host computer issues a stop welding instruction and prompts the unqualified products to be replaced.

[0079] like Figure 6 As shown, the welding monitoring module 8 is provided with a monitoring camera 28 for monitoring the real-time welding status.

[0080] like Figure 6 As shown, the welding module 6 includes a servo motor 25, a welder 26, and a pressure sensor. The servo motor 25 is installed on the main frame to drive the electrode of the welder 25 to move up and down along the Z axis. The pressure sensor is used to control the grinding pressure of the electrode, and the grinding pressure is adjusted within 1N to 10N.

[0081] During the grinding process of the welding module 6, the electrode Z axis descends to the grinding height to contact the grinding stone 12. The grinding stone 12 is installed on both sides of the welding vacuum platform 2 and can move with the X-axis and Y-axis of the linear motor. The grinding direction, grinding stroke and grinding times can be set according to needs.

[0082] The grinding stone 12 is perpendicular to the welding module 6 at 90 degrees, so as to ensure that the grinding direction and the electrode direction are perpendicular to each other at 90 degrees.

[0083] The grinding stroke in this embodiment is within the range of 0.5-5 mm.

[0084] After the polishing is completed, the mobile platform will drive the solar cell to move to the bottom of the welding module 6, and the welding position can be adjusted within the range of 0 to 3 mm from the original position according to the requirements.

[0085] The solar cell type, interconnects, solar cell gaps and other information are obtained through the MES when the battery QR code is scanned on the incoming materials; if there is a problem, the material is transferred to the NG material tray in the manual loading area through the loading robot.

[0086] The host computer automatically records process data such as welding voltage and current, which can be directly transmitted to the MES system.

[0087] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, this is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may utilize the methods and techniques disclosed above to make possible changes and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent variations, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the technical solutions of the present invention. Matters not described in detail in the present specification are common knowledge to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. An automatic series welding system for solar cell modules, characterized in that: It includes a welding vacuum platform, a platform moving mechanism, a pre-pressing module, a welding point position identification module, a welding module, a welding monitoring module, a welding electrode grinding module, and a base module, among which: The platform moving mechanism is installed on the base module, and the welding vacuum platform is fixedly installed on the platform moving mechanism; the pre-pressing module is installed on the platform moving mechanism; The base module is provided with a gantry frame for fixing the welding point position identification module, the welding module and the welding monitoring module; The welding vacuum platform moves along the X-axis and Y-axis directions under the drive of the platform moving mechanism; The pre-pressing module is used to pre-press the battery and position the battery to achieve relative fixation of the position of the solar cell assembly; The welding point position recognition module is used to locate welding points and detect the gap between the solar cells and the straightness of the solar cells in series; The welding monitoring module is used to monitor the real-time welding status.

2. The automatic series welding system for solar cell modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The welding vacuum platform comprises a vacuum platform and a base plate, and the vacuum platform is mounted on the base plate; Both sides of the vacuum platform are provided with a solenoid valve and an air circuit on-off switch. The solenoid valve is installed on the air circuit on-off switch, and the air circuit on-off switch is fixed to the vacuum platform through an adapter plate. The gas circuit on-off switch can control the vacuum platform to adsorb welding products or break the vacuum.

3. The automatic series welding system for solar cell modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The welding electrode grinding module includes a grinding stone, which is arranged on both sides of the welding vacuum platform. The grinding stone is used to grind the welding electrode and can move along the X-axis and Y-axis under the drive of the platform moving mechanism.

4. The automatic series welding system for solar cell modules according to claim 2, characterized in that: The vacuum platform is also provided with suction holes corresponding to the gas circuit on-off switches. The suction holes are used to adsorb solar cells, and the size of the suction force is set according to product requirements.

5. The automatic series welding system for solar cell modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The welding vacuum platform is compatible with series welding of solar cell modules of various sizes, and can meet the requirements of n parallel modules and m series modules, where 1≤n≤3 and 2≤m≤62.

6. The automatic series welding system for solar cell modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The platform moving mechanism includes linear motor 1 and linear motor 2, wherein linear motor 1 is arranged on the base module to provide driving force for X-axial movement of the platform moving mechanism, driving the welding vacuum platform to move along the X-axis; linear motor 2 is arranged on linear motor 1 to provide driving force for Y-axial movement of the platform moving mechanism, driving the welding vacuum platform to move along the Y-axis, thereby realizing the forward, backward, left and right movement of the welding vacuum platform through the platform moving mechanism, and accurately moving the welding module to the position to be welded.

7. The automatic series welding system for solar cell modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pre-pressing module includes a linear screw module, a servo motor, a slide cylinder, a clamping cylinder, a pressing component, and a magnet, wherein: The pre-pressing module is mounted on the platform moving mechanism via an adapter plate; The clamping claw cylinder is fixed on the slide cylinder and opens and closes under the action of the air source to achieve the tightening and loosening of the pressing component; The slide cylinder is mounted on the linear screw module and can move on the linear screw module; The magnet is installed below the pressing component, and when the clamping cylinder is opened, the magnet attracts the clamping cylinder to prevent the clamping cylinder from making relative movement; The servo motor provides driving force for the linear screw module; The linear screw module drives the pre-pressing module to reach above the solar cell to be welded; The pressing component contacts the solar cell when the slide cylinder descends, and applies a certain pressure to flatten the solar cell.

8. The automatic series welding system for solar cell modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The solder joint position recognition module includes a CCD camera, which can locate solder joints, detect cell gaps and the straightness of series-connected solar cells; The CCD camera is also used to take photos of solar cells for inspection, automatically judging whether the interconnection sheets are deformed, whether the solar cells have different shapes and sizes, or whether the surface is seriously contaminated. When the welding point position recognition module encounters unqualified solar cells, it can send a signal to the host computer, and the host computer issues a stop welding instruction and prompts the unqualified products to be replaced.

9. The automatic series welding system for solar cell modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The welding monitoring module is provided with a monitoring camera for monitoring the real-time welding status.

10. The automatic series welding system for solar cell modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The welding module includes a servo motor, a welding machine, and a pressure sensor. The welding machine is installed on the servo motor; the servo motor is installed on the main frame to drive the electrode of the welding machine to move up and down; the pressure sensor is used to control the grinding pressure of the electrode, and the grinding pressure is adjusted within 1N to 10N.

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