Sintering furnace

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model provides a sintering furnace which comprises a furnace body, and a furnace cavity used for sintering battery pieces is formed in the inner side of the furnace body. The transmission mechanism is used for driving the battery piece to transmit in the furnace chamber; and the deviation rectifying mechanism is used for applying upward acting force to a first position of the battery piece, and the first position is a position where a falling phenomenon easily occurs. According to the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the upward acting force is applied to the first position of the battery piece, so that the battery piece can resist the gravity action based on the upward acting force in the sintering process, the falling caused by the gravity action is avoided, and the product quality of the battery piece is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of photovoltaic cells, and in particular to a sintering furnace. Background Art

[0002] Sintering is a step in the production process of solar cells. After the solar cells are screen printed, they need to be dried and sintered at high temperature.

[0003] As the cells become thinner, the middle of the cells drop significantly during the drying and sintering process, causing the cells to be V-shaped after sintering. After the middle of the cell drops, the contact area between the two ends of the cell and the transmission roller increases, and the accumulation of silver paste increases, thus affecting the power generation efficiency of the cell. Utility Model Content

[0004] The embodiment of the present application provides a sintering furnace to solve or alleviate one or more technical problems in the prior art.

[0005] As a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application, an embodiment of the present application provides a sintering furnace, comprising:

[0006] A furnace body, the inner side of which forms a furnace cavity for sintering the battery cells;

[0007] The transmission mechanism is used to drive the battery cells to transmit in the furnace cavity;

[0008] The deflection correction mechanism is used to apply an upward force to a first position of the battery cell, where the first position is prone to falling.

[0009] In one embodiment, the transmission mechanism includes a first side roller system and a second side roller system; the first side roller system / the second side roller system includes a plurality of rollers, the rollers are mounted on the side wall of the furnace body and extend from the outside of the furnace body toward the inside of the furnace body; the rollers include a second end located on the outside of the furnace body and a first end located on the inside of the furnace body;

[0010] The multiple rollers of the first side roller system are respectively arranged opposite to the multiple rollers of the second side roller system, and the distance between the first ends of the two oppositely arranged rollers is adapted to the size of the battery sheet.

[0011] In one embodiment, the correction mechanism includes an air duct, which is arranged below the battery cell; the air duct includes an air inlet and a plurality of first air outlets, and the plurality of first air outlets are evenly distributed on the air duct and distributed on the side wall of the air duct close to the battery cell.

[0012] In one embodiment, the roller is a hollow pipe structure, the first end is a closed structure, and at least one second air outlet is provided on the roller between the first end and the roller. The second air outlet is inclined from the inner wall of the hollow pipe along the direction extending toward the outer wall toward the direction away from the second end; the second end of the roller is a through hole, forming an air inlet.

[0013] In one embodiment, the second air outlet hole is inclined at an angle of 30-60° in a direction away from the second end.

[0014] In one embodiment, the transmission mechanism includes a battery cell input end and a battery cell output end; in the first side roller system and / or the second side roller system, a plurality of rollers close to the battery cell output end are provided with second air outlets.

[0015] In one embodiment, the roller is a hollow pipe structure, wherein the first end and the second end are through holes for gas circulation, the second end of the roller forms an air inlet, and the first end of the roller forms a third air outlet; the roller is inclined upward in a direction toward the first end.

[0016] In one embodiment, the angle at which the roller is tilted upward in a direction toward the first end is adapted to the wall thickness of the hollow pipe.

[0017] In one embodiment, the roller is inclined upward at an angle of 3-15° in a direction toward the first end.

[0018] In one embodiment, the deviation correction mechanism further includes an air pump, the air flow input end of the air pump is connected to the furnace cavity, and the air flow output end of the air pump is connected to the air inlet.

[0019] In one embodiment, the vacuum pump outputs gas multiple times at preset time intervals, and outputs gas at preset gas delivery time and gas delivery pressure.

[0020] The embodiment of the present application adopts the above technical solution to apply an upward force at the first position of the battery cell, so that the battery cell can resist its gravity based on the upward force during the sintering process, avoid falling due to gravity, and improve the product quality of the battery cell.

[0021] The above summary is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments and features described above, further aspects, embodiments and features of the present application will be readily apparent by reference to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise specified, the same reference numerals throughout the multiple drawings represent the same or similar parts or elements. These drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. It should be understood that these drawings only depict some embodiments disclosed in the present application and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present application.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0024] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a first side roller system / a second side roller system of a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0026] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of an air duct according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0027] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a sintering furnace according to another embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0028] Figure 6 A partially enlarged structural schematic diagram of a roller according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In the following, only some exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the described embodiments may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the drawings and descriptions are considered to be exemplary and non-restrictive in nature.

[0030] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 2 Another schematic diagram of the structure of a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the sintering furnace includes: a furnace body 100, a transmission mechanism and a deviation correction mechanism.

[0031] The furnace body 100 forms the main functional structure for sintering the battery cell 400, and the inner side of the furnace body 100 forms a furnace cavity 101 for sintering the battery cell 400. After the battery cell 400 is placed in the furnace body 100, it is sintered, and after the sintering is completed, the battery cell 400 is taken out from the furnace cavity 101.

[0032] In order to facilitate the placement and removal of the battery cells 400, the sintering furnace also includes a transmission mechanism for driving the battery cells 400 to be transmitted in the furnace cavity 101; the battery cells 400 are placed on the transmission mechanism, and the transmission mechanism drives the battery cells 400 into and out of the furnace cavity 101.

[0033] As the battery cell 400 is getting thinner and thinner, it is easy to fall due to gravity during the sintering process. The correction mechanism is used to apply an upward force to the first position of the battery cell 400, which is the position where the falling phenomenon is likely to occur. During the sintering process, the battery cell 400 is prone to falling in the unsupported middle or midline position and its vicinity. In this case, a force is applied at this position to resist the effect of gravity and prevent it from falling.

[0034] The embodiment of the present application adopts the above technical solution to apply an upward force at the first position of the battery cell 400, so that the battery cell 400 can resist its gravity based on the upward force during the sintering process, avoid falling due to gravity, and improve the product quality of the battery cell 400.

[0035] The sintering furnace provided in the embodiment of the present application, based on the setting of the correction mechanism, can make the battery cell 400 not need to consider the influence of gravity, so that the battery cell 400 can be thinner and thinner, which provides support for further improvement of the battery cell 400.

[0036] In one embodiment, the transmission mechanism includes a first side roller system 200 and a second side roller system 300. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the first side roller system 200 / the second side roller system 300 includes a plurality of rollers 310, which are mounted on the side wall of the furnace body 100 and extend from the outside of the furnace body 100 to the inside of the furnace body 100; the rollers 310 include a second end located on the outside of the furnace body 100 and a first end located on the inside of the furnace body 100. A roller 320 is provided on the roller 310 near the first end, and the roller 320 is sleeved on the roller 310.

[0037] In the first side roller system 200 / the second side roller system 300, the radial spacing between the plurality of rollers 310 is 15-40 mm, preferably 20-30 mm, for example 25 mm.

[0038] The multiple rollers 310 of the first side roller system 200 are respectively arranged opposite to the multiple rollers 310 of the second side roller system 300, and the distance between the first ends of the two rollers 310 arranged opposite to each other is adapted to the size of the battery cell 400. Therefore, the battery cell 400 can be mounted on the two rollers 310 arranged opposite to each other and driven along with the rollers 310.

[0039] In one example, the width of the battery sheet 400 , that is, the distance along the axial direction of the roller 310 , is greater than the distance between the first ends of the two opposite rollers 310 and less than the distance between the rollers 320 on the two opposite rollers 310 .

[0040] The first ends of the multiple rollers 310 in the two side roller systems (200, 300) are both disposed in the furnace cavity 101, and the battery sheet 400 is mounted on the roller 320. The rotation of the roller 310 drives the roller 320 to rotate, and the roller 320 drives the battery sheet 400 to transmit. The two ends of the battery sheet 400 are supported by the roller 320, but the middle position that is not supported is easy to fall due to gravity.

[0041] The multiple rollers 310 in the two side roller systems (200, 300) can be connected via a variety of identical or different connecting members 330 to achieve synchronous rolling of the multiple rollers 310.

[0042] In one embodiment, Figure 3 to Figure 4 As shown, the correction mechanism includes an air duct 500, which is arranged below the battery cell 400; the air duct 500 includes an air inlet and a plurality of first air outlet holes 510, and the plurality of first air outlet holes 510 are evenly distributed on the air duct 500 and distributed on the side wall of the air duct 500 close to the battery cell 400.

[0043] In the embodiment of the present application, the air duct 500 is arranged below the battery cell 400, so that the gas blown out from the first air outlet 510 of the air duct 500 is directed toward the middle position of the battery cell 400, and the position where the gas is blown out is more precise, ensuring that the falling position of the battery cell 400 is correctly corrected, thereby further ensuring the product quality of the battery cell 400.

[0044] The middle position of the battery cell 400 can be determined based on the positions of the first ends of the two bearings arranged opposite to each other. The middle of the interval between the two bearings can be represented as the middle position of the battery cell 400. An air duct 500 is arranged below this position so that the gas blown out of the first air outlet 510 on the upper side wall of the air duct 500 is directed toward the middle position of the battery cell 400.

[0045] The shape of the first air outlet holes 510 may be a dot-shaped circular hole or a strip-shaped hole. The number of the first air outlet holes 510 is determined based on the shape of the first air outlet holes 510 .

[0046] In one example, the material of the air duct 500 may be a material that can withstand high temperatures above 750° C.

[0047] In one example, the material of the air duct 500 may refer to the material of the furnace body 100 .

[0048] In one embodiment, Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the roller 310 is a hollow pipe structure, and the first end is a closed structure. At least one second air outlet 311 is provided on the roller 310 between the first end and the roller 320. The second air outlet 311 is inclined from the inner wall of the hollow pipe along the direction extending toward the outer wall toward the direction away from the second end; the second end of the roller 310 is a through hole, forming an air inlet.

[0049] The gas enters from the second end and flows out to the second gas outlet 311. The second gas outlet 311 is arranged obliquely so that the gas can be blown toward the middle of the battery cell 400, acting on the middle position of the battery cell 400 to form an upward force.

[0050] In one example, the second air outlet 311 is disposed on the roller 310 and disposed on a side of the roller 320 close to the first end.

[0051] In one example, the roller 310 is provided with a connecting portion between the rollers 320 , and the second air outlet 311 extends to one side of the connecting portion close to the first end.

[0052] In one example, there are multiple second air outlet holes 311 , which are evenly distributed on the roller 310 and surround it in a circle, so that when the roller 310 rotates, gas blown out by at least one of the multiple second air outlet holes 311 is directed toward the battery cell 400 .

[0053] In one embodiment, the second air outlet 311 is inclined at an angle of 30-60° in a direction away from the second end.

[0054] In one example, the angle at which the second air outlet 311 is tilted away from the second end is related to the distance between the outlet of the second air outlet 311 and the battery cell 400 and the height of the battery cell 400. The tilt angle can be determined based on the trigonometric relationship between these two dimensions.

[0055] In one example, the second air outlet 311 may be inclined at an angle of 30°, 35°, 40°, 45°, 50° or 60° in a direction away from the second end. Specifically, the angle may be determined according to actual conditions.

[0056] In one example, in a side roller 320 system, the inclination angles of the second air outlets 311 in multiple rollers 310 may be the same or different. The inclination angles of the second air outlets 311 of different rollers 310 may be set according to actual conditions, for example, the inclination angles of the second air outlets 311 of different rollers 310 may be set according to the requirements of the applied force.

[0057] In one embodiment, the transmission mechanism includes a battery cell 400 input end and a battery cell 400 output end; in the first side roller system 200 and / or the second side roller system 300, a second air outlet 311 is provided on multiple rollers 310 near the battery cell 400 output end.

[0058] The battery cell 400 is placed on the transmission mechanism, enters the furnace chamber 101 from the input end of the battery cell 400, and is output from the output end of the battery cell 400 after being sintered in the sintering furnace.

[0059] Since the battery cell 400 has just entered the sintering furnace at the input end and has not yet been subjected to high temperature, it is not easy to fall. Therefore, the second air outlet 311 may not be set on the roller 310 at the input end of the battery cell 400, or the second air outlet 311 may be set but no gas is introduced to avoid waste of materials, resources or labor.

[0060] In one embodiment, the roller 310 is a hollow pipe structure, wherein the first end and the second end are through holes for gas circulation, the second end of the roller 310 forms an air inlet, and the first end of the roller 310 forms a third air outlet; the roller 310 is inclined upward in the direction toward the first end.

[0061] In the embodiment of the present application, the gas flows out from the first end of the roller 310, and the gas is blown out obliquely upwards based on the inclined setting of the roller 310. The battery cell 400 is mounted on the first ends of two opposite rollers 310, and the battery cell 400 is not specifically inclined, so the upward inclined airflow can act on the middle part of the battery cell 400.

[0062] Since the battery cell 400 is mounted on the inclined roller 310 , the height of the battery cell 400 is increased compared to the first end, and the inclined angle of the roller 310 can be relatively smaller than the inclined angle of the second air outlet 311 in the previous embodiment.

[0063] In one embodiment, the angle at which the roller 310 is tilted upward in the direction toward the first end is adapted to the wall thickness of the hollow pipe.

[0064] In the embodiment of the present application, the gas flows out from the first end of the roller 310, the inner diameter of the pipe can be smaller, the thickness of the pipe wall can be larger, and its solidity is approximately equivalent to that of a solid roller 310, so it will not affect the quality and service life of the roller 310.

[0065] In one embodiment, the roller 310 is inclined upward at an angle of 3-15° in a direction toward the first end.

[0066] In the embodiment of the present application, the battery cell 400 is mounted on the inclined roller 310 so that the contact area between the battery cell 400 and the roller 310 is reduced, which can reduce the accumulation of silver paste and further improve the product quality of the battery cell 400.

[0067] In the correction method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the angle at which the roller 310 is tilted upward in the direction toward the first end is 3°, 5°, 8°, 10° or 15°. If the angle at which the roller 310 is tilted upward in the direction toward the first end is too small, for example, less than 3°, the contact area between the battery cell 400 and the roller 310 is reduced by a small amount, and the upward force formed when the third air outlet blows air toward the battery cell 400 is difficult to ensure that the middle part of the battery cell does not fall. If the angle at which the roller 310 is tilted upward in the direction toward the first end is too large, it is difficult to ensure stable transmission of the battery cell 400.

[0068] As an example, based on the reduction in the contact area between the battery cell 400 and the roller 310 , in order to ensure that the battery cell 400 is stably mounted on the roller 310 , this can be achieved by increasing the number of rollers 310 and reducing the spacing between adjacent rollers 310 .

[0069] In one embodiment, the deviation correction mechanism further includes an air pump, the air flow input end of the air pump is connected to the furnace chamber 101, and the air flow output end of the air pump is connected to the air inlet.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the gas blown out of the first air outlet 510, the second air outlet 311, or the third air outlet is hot air, and the temperature of the blown gas is close to the temperature in the furnace chamber 101, so as to prevent the cold air from reacting to the battery cell 400 being sintered and affecting the product quality of the battery cell 400.

[0071] In order to save energy and ensure that the gas blown out of the first air outlet 510, the second air outlet 311, or the third air outlet is hot air, the gas in the furnace cavity 101 can be extracted as a gas source and pumped into the air inlet to blow out hot air from the first air outlet 510, the second air outlet 311, or the third air outlet.

[0072] In one embodiment, the vacuum pump outputs gas multiple times at preset time intervals, and outputs gas at preset gas delivery time and gas delivery pressure.

[0073] In order to prevent excessive blowing pressure from causing a reverse effect on the battery cell 400, that is, the upward force is too greater than gravity, which will cause the battery cell 400 to bend upward, the gas pressure needs to be controlled.

[0074] In one example, the pressure of the gas blown out of the first gas outlet 510, the second gas outlet 311, or the third gas outlet may be 1-8 KPa. Based on the pressure requirement of the blown gas, the output pressure of the air pump is determined.

[0075] In one example, the blowing time may be controlled to prevent excessive blowing pressure from causing adverse effects on the battery cell 400 .

[0076] For example, the air can be blown after a certain interval, for example, the interval is 5 seconds and the air supply time is 6 seconds, then the gas is output from the 0th second to the 6th second, then it stops for 5 seconds, and then the gas is output again, and so on.

[0077] The interval time and gas delivery time can be adjusted according to actual application requirements.

[0078] In one example, the blowing time may be controlled according to other time adjustment strategies to avoid excessive blowing pressure from causing adverse effects on the battery cell 400 .

[0079] In one example, the vacuum pump may output gas at a specified time according to a preset gas delivery time and gas delivery pressure, that is, after the battery cell 400 is sintered for a preset time, the gas blowing is turned on.

[0080] Other components of the sintering furnace in the above embodiment may adopt various technical solutions known to ordinary technicians in this field now and in the future, and will not be described in detail here.

[0081] The embodiment of the present application also provides a photovoltaic cell production line, including: a sintering furnace of any of the above embodiments. The photovoltaic cell production line may also include other devices for producing photovoltaic cells, such as a cleaning device, a texturing device, a screen printing device, etc. The cells after the screen printing device are transmitted to the transmission mechanism of the sintering furnace, specifically, to the cell input end of the transmission mechanism, so that the transmission mechanism drives the cells into the furnace chamber of the sintering furnace, and outputs them from the cell output end after sintering.

[0082] The other components of the photovoltaic cell production line of the above embodiment may adopt various technical solutions known to ordinary technicians in this field now and in the future, and will not be described in detail here.

[0083] In the description of this specification, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0084] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0085] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a communication; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0086] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0087] The disclosure above provides many different embodiments or examples to realize the different structures of the present application. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present application, the parts and settings of specific examples are described above. Of course, they are only examples, and the purpose is not to limit the present application. In addition, the present application can repeat reference numerals and / or reference letters in different examples, and this repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, which itself does not indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed.

[0088] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of various changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A sintering furnace, characterized in that: include: A furnace body, the inner side of which forms a furnace cavity for sintering battery cells; A transmission mechanism, the transmission mechanism is used to drive the battery sheet to transmit in the furnace cavity; A correction mechanism, the correction mechanism is used to apply an upward force to a first position of the battery cell, the first position is a position where falling is likely to occur; the correction mechanism includes an air duct, the air duct is arranged below the battery cell; the air duct includes an air inlet and a plurality of first air outlets, the plurality of first air outlets are evenly distributed on the air duct, and are distributed on the side wall of the air duct close to the battery cell.

2. The sintering furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism includes a first side roller system and a second side roller system; the first side roller system / the second side roller system includes a plurality of rollers, the rollers are mounted on the side wall of the furnace body and extend from the outside of the furnace body toward the inside of the furnace body; the rollers include a second end located on the outside of the furnace body and a first end located on the inside of the furnace body; The plurality of rollers of the first side roller system are respectively arranged opposite to the plurality of rollers of the second side roller system, and the distance between the first ends of the two oppositely arranged rollers is adapted to the size of the battery sheet; A roller is provided on the roller shaft near the first end, and the roller is sleeved on the roller shaft.

3. The sintering furnace according to claim 2, characterized in that: The roller is a hollow pipe structure, the first end is a closed structure, and at least one second air outlet is provided on the roller between the first end and the roller. The second air outlet is inclined from the inner wall of the hollow pipe along the direction extending toward the outer wall toward the direction away from the second end; the second end of the roller is a through hole to form an air inlet.

4. The sintering furnace according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second air outlet is inclined at an angle of 30-60° in a direction away from the second end.

5. The sintering furnace according to claim 4, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism includes a battery cell input end and a battery cell output end; in the first side roller system and / or the second side roller system, the second air outlet is provided on a plurality of rollers close to the battery cell output end.

6. The sintering furnace according to claim 2, characterized in that: The roller is a hollow pipe structure, wherein the first end and the second end are both through holes for gas circulation, the second end of the roller forms an air inlet, and the first end of the roller forms a third air outlet; the roller is inclined upward in the direction toward the first end.

7. The sintering furnace according to claim 6, characterized in that: The angle at which the roller is tilted upward in the direction toward the first end is adapted to the wall thickness of the hollow pipe.

8. The sintering furnace according to claim 6, characterized in that: The roller is inclined upward at an angle of 3-15° in a direction toward the first end.

9. The sintering furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The deviation correction mechanism also includes an air pump, the air flow input end of the air pump is connected to the furnace cavity, and the air flow output end of the air pump is connected to the air inlet hole.

10. The sintering furnace according to claim 9, characterized in that: The vacuum pump outputs gas multiple times at preset time intervals, and outputs gas according to preset gas delivery time and gas delivery pressure.

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