Automatic series welding system for solar cell module

Abstract

The application provides a kind of solar cell module automatic series welding system, including welding vacuum platform, platform moving mechanism, pre-pressing module, welding point position identification module, welding module, welding monitoring module, base module, platform moving mechanism is installed on base module, welding vacuum platform, pre-pressing module is installed on platform moving mechanism;Base module is provided with gantry frame, for fixed welding point position identification module, welding module and welding monitoring module;Welding vacuum platform moves along X axis, Y axis direction under the drive of platform moving mechanism;Pre-pressing module is used to pre-press, position battery;Welding point position identification module is used to position welding point, and detect the straightness of solar cell gap and series solar cell;Welding monitoring module is used to monitor real-time state.The welding system of the application meets the requirements of solar cell module series welding automation, high positioning accuracy, improves the production efficiency, and can be compatible with a variety of sizes solar cell module automatic series welding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of series welding of solar cell modules, and more specifically to an automatic series welding system for solar cell modules. Background Technology

[0002] Solar energy is an important development direction in the global energy sector today. In particular, with the increasing severity of environmental problems, the use of clean and renewable solar energy is becoming a key factor for countries around the world to promote energy transformation.

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

[0004] Currently, solar cell module welding involves a high degree of manual intervention, with low automation levels and low production efficiency. To meet the requirements of automated and high-precision series welding of solar cell modules and improve manufacturing efficiency, there is an urgent need to develop an automated series welding system for solar cell modules that is compatible with the automated series welding of solar cell modules of various sizes. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the above problems, this invention provides an automated series welding system for solar cell modules, the specific technical solution of which is as follows:

[0006] An automated series welding system for solar cell modules includes a welding vacuum platform, a platform moving mechanism, a pre-pressure module, a weld point location identification module, a welding module, a welding monitoring module, and a base module, wherein:

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

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

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

[0010] The pre-compression module is used to pre-compress and position the battery, thereby achieving relative fixation of the position of the solar cell module;

[0011] The solder joint location identification module is used to locate solder joints, detect the gaps in the solar cells, and the straightness of the series-connected solar cells.

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

[0013] The welding vacuum platform includes a vacuum platform and a substrate, wherein the vacuum platform is mounted on the substrate.

[0014] Solenoid valves and gas path on / off switches are provided on both sides of the vacuum platform. The solenoid valves are installed on the gas path on / off switches, and the gas path on / off switches are fixed to the vacuum platform through adapter plates.

[0015] The gas path 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 disposed 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 directions under the drive of the platform moving mechanism.

[0017] The grinding stone is perpendicular to the welding module at a 90-degree angle to ensure that the grinding direction and the electrode direction are perpendicular to each other at a 90-degree angle.

[0018] The vacuum platform is also equipped with suction holes that correspond one-to-one with the air circuit on / off switch. These suction holes are used to adsorb solar cells, and the suction force is set according to product requirements.

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

[0020] The platform moving mechanism includes a linear motor 1, a linear motor 2, and a guide rail. The linear motor 1 is mounted on the base module and provides the driving force for the platform moving mechanism along the X-axis, causing the welding vacuum platform to move along the X-axis. The linear motor 2 is mounted on the linear motor 1 and provides the driving force for the platform moving mechanism along the Y-axis, causing the welding vacuum platform to move along the Y-axis. This allows the welding vacuum platform to move back, forth, left, and right through the moving mechanism, precisely moving the welding module to the position to be welded.

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

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

[0023] The gripper 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. When the gripper cylinder is opened, the magnet attracts the gripper cylinder to prevent the gripper cylinder from moving relative to the gripper cylinder.

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

[0027] The linear lead screw module drives the pre-pressure module to reach above the solar cell to be welded, and the linear lead screw is fixed on the vacuum welding platform;

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

[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 location identification module includes a CCD camera, which is capable of locating solder joints, detecting battery gaps, and the straightness of series-connected solar cells;

[0031] The CCD camera also takes pictures of the solar cells for inspection, and automatically judges whether the interconnects are deformed, whether the shape and size of the solar cells are different, or whether the surface is seriously contaminated.

[0032] When the solder joint location identification module encounters a defective solar cell, it sends a signal to the host computer, which then issues a stop welding command and prompts the defective product to be replaced. 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 equipped with a monitoring camera to monitor the real-time welding status.

[0034] The welding module includes a servo motor, a welding machine, and a pressure sensor. The welding machine is mounted on the servo motor. The servo motor is mounted on the main frame and drives the electrodes of the welding machine to move up and down. The pressure sensor is used to control the grinding pressure on the electrodes, which can be adjusted from 1N to 10N.

[0035] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of this invention are as follows:

[0036] (1) The automatic series welding system for solar cell modules provided by the present invention can realize the 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 left and right and moving the welding module 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 enables the hybrid welding of 1 to 3 parallel solar cells;

[0039] (4) The pre-pressure module of the present invention can position the battery and achieve relative fixation of the position of the solar cell module to ensure the accuracy of the solder joint position and reduce the probability of the solder joint accuracy being affected by the battery tilting.

[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 location identification module can automatically identify them, increasing work efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0041] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

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

[0043] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the placement of the welding vacuum platform assembly provided by this invention;

[0044] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the 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 the pre-compression module provided by the present invention;

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

[0048] Figure label:

[0049] 1. Base module; 2. Welding vacuum platform; 3. Platform moving mechanism; 4. Pre-pressure module; 5. Gantry frame; 6. Welding module; 7. Weld 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 II; 16. Linear motor I; 17. Gripper cylinder; 18. Pressing component; 19. Slide cylinder; 20. Linear lead screw module; 21. Servo motor; 22. Pressing component fixing rod; 23. Magnet; 24. Welding machine power supply; 25. Servo motor; 26. Welding machine; 27. CCD camera; 28. Monitoring camera.

[0050] Specific implementation methods

[0051] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an automated series welding system for solar cell modules. The system includes a welding vacuum platform 2, a platform moving mechanism 3, a pre-pressure module 4, a weld point position identification module 7, a welding module, a welding monitoring module 8, and a base module 1.

[0053] The platform moving mechanism 3 is mounted on the base module 1, and the welding vacuum platform 2 is fixedly mounted on the platform moving mechanism 3; the pre-pressure module 4 is mounted on the platform moving mechanism 3.

[0054] The base module 1 is provided with a gantry frame 5, which is used to fix the weld point position identification module 7, the welding module and the welding monitoring module 8.

[0055] The welding vacuum platform 2 can move along the X-axis and Y-axis directions under the drive of the platform moving mechanism 3;

[0056] The pre-compression module uses 4 to pre-compress and position the battery, thereby achieving relative fixation of the position of the solar cell module;

[0057] The solder joint location identification module 7 is used to locate solder joints, detect the gaps in the solar cells, and the straightness of the series-connected solar cells.

[0058] The welding monitoring module 8 is used to monitor the real-time welding status.

[0059] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a welding vacuum platform module. The welding vacuum platform 2 includes a vacuum platform 13 and a substrate 14. The vacuum platform 13 is mounted on the substrate 14.

[0060] Solenoid valves 10 and gas path on / off switches 11 are provided on both sides of the vacuum platform 13. The solenoid valves 10 are mounted on the gas path on / off switches 11, and the gas path on / off switches 11 are fixed to the vacuum platform 13 by adapter plates.

[0061] The gas path on / off switch 11 can control the vacuum platform 13 to adsorb welding products or break the vacuum.

[0062] The welding electrode grinding module 9 includes a grinding stone 12, which is disposed 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 directions under the drive of the platform moving mechanism 3.

[0063] The vacuum platform 13 is also provided with suction holes that correspond one-to-one with the air circuit on / off switch. The suction holes are used to adsorb solar cells, and the suction force is set according to product requirements.

[0064] The welding vacuum platform 2 is compatible with the series welding of solar cell modules of various sizes, and can meet the requirements of solar cells with n parallel connections and m series connections, where 1≤n≤3 and 2≤m≤62.

[0065] The welding vacuum platform 2 is compatible with 40.1mm×60.6mm and 40.1mm×80.1mm (common cell sizes) (1 parallel and 3 parallel). Each solar cell has individual vacuum control, with a total of 101 sets of solenoid valves. Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the placement of the welding vacuum platform assembly provided by this invention;

[0066] Figure 4 The diagram shows the structure of the platform moving mechanism 3. The platform moving mechanism 3 includes a linear motor 16, a linear motor 2 15, and a guide rail. The linear motor 16 is mounted on the base module 1 and provides the driving force for the platform moving mechanism 3 to move along the X-axis, thus driving the welding vacuum platform 2 to move along the X-axis. The linear motor 2 15 is mounted on the linear motor 16 and provides the driving force for the platform moving mechanism 3 to move along the Y-axis, thus driving the welding vacuum platform 2 to move along the Y-axis. This allows the welding vacuum platform 2 to move back and forth and left and right through the platform moving mechanism 3, precisely moving the welding module 6 to the position to be welded.

[0067] like Figure 5 As shown, the pre-compression module 4 includes a linear screw module 20, a servo motor 21, a slide cylinder 19, a gripper cylinder 17, a pressing component 18, and a magnet 23, wherein:

[0068] The pre-compression module 4 is fixedly installed on the platform moving mechanism 3 via an adapter plate;

[0069] The gripper 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 component 18;

[0070] The slide cylinder 19 is mounted on the linear screw module 20 assembly and can move on the linear screw module 20 assembly;

[0071] The magnet 23 is installed below the pressing component 18. When the gripper cylinder 17 is opened, the magnet 23 attracts the gripper cylinder 17 to prevent the gripper cylinder 17 from moving relative to it.

[0072] The servo motor 21 provides driving force for the linear lead screw module 20;

[0073] The linear lead screw module 20 drives the pre-pressure module 4 to reach above the solar cell to be welded, and the linear lead screw module 20 is fixed on the welding vacuum platform 2.

[0074] In this embodiment, the linear lead screw module 20 has an accuracy of 0.4mm, which meets the positioning accuracy of 0.5mm;

[0075] The pressing component 18 contacts the solar cell when the slide cylinder 19 descends and applies a certain pressure to flatten the solar cell.

[0076] The movement flow of the pre-compression module 4 in this example is as follows: The linear screw module 20 drives the pre-compression module 4 to the pre-compression position, the slide cylinder 19 descends, the pressing component 18 presses down on the solar cell to be welded, the linear screw module 20 moves, and the pressing component 18 flattens the cell, then the gripper cylinder 17 releases the pressing component, the slide cylinder 19 rises, the welding vacuum platform 2 moves to the welding position, after welding is completed, the linear screw module 20 goes to the pressing component 18, the gripper cylinder 17 clamps it, the slide cylinder 19 rises, and the linear screw module 20 moves to the next pre-compression position.

[0077] like Figure 6 As shown, the solder joint position recognition module 7 includes a CCD camera 27, which is capable of locating solder joints, detecting battery gaps, and the straightness of series-connected solar cells.

[0078] The CCD camera 27 also takes pictures of the solar cells for inspection, and automatically judges whether the interconnects are deformed, whether the shape and size of the solar cells are different, or whether the surface is seriously contaminated.

[0079] When the solder joint location identification module 7 encounters a defective solar cell, it can send a signal to the host computer, which will then issue a stop welding command and prompt the defective product to be replaced.

[0080] like Figure 6 As shown, the welding monitoring module 8 is equipped with a monitoring camera 28 to monitor the real-time welding status.

[0081] like Figure 6 As shown, the welding module 6 includes a servo motor 25, a welding machine 26, and a pressure sensor. The servo motor 25 is mounted on the main frame and drives the electrode of the welding machine 25 to move up and down along the Z-axis. The pressure sensor is used to control the grinding pressure on the electrode, which can be adjusted from 1N to 10N.

[0082] During the grinding process of welding module 6, the electrode Z-axis descends to the grinding height and contacts the grinding stone 12. The grinding stone 12 is installed on both sides of the welding vacuum platform 2 and can move with the linear motor X-axis and Y-axis. The grinding direction, grinding stroke and grinding number can be set according to the requirements.

[0083] The grinding stone 12 is perpendicular to the welding module 6 at a 90-degree angle, which is used to ensure that the grinding direction and the electrode direction are perpendicular to each other at a 90-degree angle.

[0084] In this embodiment, the grinding stroke is in the range of 0.5-5mm.

[0085] After the polishing is completed, the moving platform will move the solar cell to the bottom of the welding module 6, and adjust the welding position within the range of 0-3mm from the original position according to the requirements.

[0086] Information such as solar cell type, interconnection wafers, and solar cell gaps is obtained through MES when the incoming material is scanned using the cell's QR code; if there are any problems, the material is transferred to the NG (Not From Good) tray in the manual loading area by a robotic arm.

[0087] The host computer automatically records process data such as welding voltage and current, which can be directly transmitted to the MES system.

[0088] While the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can make possible variations and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention using the disclosed methods and techniques without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention, without departing from the scope of the invention, are all within the protection scope of the present invention. Content not described in detail in this specification is common knowledge to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. An automated series welding system for solar cell modules, characterized in that, It includes a welding vacuum platform, a platform moving mechanism, a pre-pressure module, a weld point location recognition module, a welding module, a welding monitoring module, a welding electrode grinding module, and a base module, among which: The platform moving mechanism is mounted on the base module, and the welding vacuum platform is fixedly mounted on the platform moving mechanism; the pre-pressure module is mounted on the platform moving mechanism. The base module is equipped with a gantry frame for fixing the weld point position identification module, the welding module and the welding monitoring module. The welding vacuum platform moves along the X and Y axes under the drive of the platform moving mechanism; The pre-compression module is used to pre-compress and position the battery, thereby achieving relative fixation of the position of the solar cell module; The solder joint location identification module is used to locate solder joints and detect the gaps in the solar cells and the straightness of the series-connected solar cells. The welding monitoring module is used to monitor the real-time welding status. The pre-compression module includes a linear screw module, a servo motor, a slide cylinder, a gripper cylinder, a pressing component, and a magnet, wherein: The pre-compression module is mounted on the platform moving mechanism via an adapter plate; The gripper cylinder is fixed on the slide cylinder and opens and closes under the action of the air source to tighten and loosen 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. When the gripper cylinder is opened, the magnet attracts the gripper cylinder to prevent the gripper cylinder from moving relative to the gripper cylinder. The servo motor provides driving force for the linear lead screw module; The linear lead screw module drives the pre-pressure 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.

2. The automatic series welding system for solar cell modules according to claim 1, characterized in that, The welding vacuum platform includes a vacuum platform and a substrate, wherein the vacuum platform is mounted on the substrate. Solenoid valves and gas path on / off switches are provided on both sides of the vacuum platform. The solenoid valves are installed on the gas path on / off switches, and the gas path on / off switches are fixed to the vacuum platform through adapter plates. The gas path 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 disposed 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 directions 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 equipped with suction holes that correspond one-to-one with the air circuit on / off switch. These suction holes are used to adsorb solar cells, and 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 the series welding of solar cell modules of various sizes, and can accommodate solar cells with n parallel connections and m series connections, 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 a linear motor one and a linear motor two. The linear motor one is mounted on the base module and provides the driving force for the platform moving mechanism to move along the X-axis, thus driving the welding vacuum platform to move along the X-axis. The linear motor two is mounted on the linear motor one and provides the driving force for the platform moving mechanism to move along the Y-axis, thus driving the welding vacuum platform to move along the Y-axis. This enables the welding vacuum platform to move back, forth, left, and right through the platform moving mechanism, thereby 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 solder joint location identification module includes a CCD camera, which is capable of locating solder joints, detecting battery gaps, and the straightness of series-connected solar cells. The CCD camera is also used to photograph and inspect solar cells, automatically judging whether the interconnects are deformed, whether the shape and size of the solar cells are different, or whether the surface is severely contaminated. When the solder joint location identification module encounters a defective solar cell, it can send a signal to the host computer, which then issues a stop welding command and prompts the defective product to be replaced.

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

9. 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 mounted on the servo motor. The servo motor is mounted on the main frame and drives the electrodes of the welding machine to move up and down. The pressure sensor is used to control the grinding pressure on the electrodes, which can be adjusted within the range of 1N to 10N.

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