Automatic feeding and discharging device for photovoltaic silicon wafers

Abstract

The utility model relates to an automatic photovoltaic silicon wafer feeding and discharging device which comprises a machine frame used for supporting and connecting all parts, an X-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly installed on the machine frame, a Y-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly installed at the output end of the X-axis linear motion mechanism, a Z-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly installed at the output end of the Y-axis linear motion mechanism, and a Z-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly installed at the output end of the Z-axis linear motion mechanism. The output end of the Z-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly provided with a grabbing mechanism, the grabbing mechanism comprises a movable seat and at least two flexible fingers, the flexible fingers are installed at the bottom of the movable seat, and the rack is further fixedly provided with at least one stacking box used for storing silicon wafers. According to the technical scheme, automatic feeding and discharging of silicon wafers can be achieved, manual operation is not needed, the silicon wafers cannot be damaged in the action process, and production efficiency is high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of silicon wafer production equipment, and more specifically, to an automatic loading and unloading device for photovoltaic silicon wafers. Background Art

[0002] Conventional fossil fuels are increasingly depleted. Among all sustainable energy sources, solar energy is undoubtedly the cleanest, most common and most promising alternative energy source. Photovoltaic power generation is one of the most ideal power generation technologies for sustainable development. At present, among all solar cells, silicon solar cells are one of the solar cells that have been widely commercialized. This is because silicon materials have extremely rich reserves in the earth's crust. At the same time, silicon solar cells have excellent electrical and mechanical properties compared to other types of solar cells. In the future development of photovoltaic technology, with the further improvement of the photoelectric performance of silicon solar cells and the further reduction of the price of silicon materials, silicon solar cells will occupy an important position in the photovoltaic field.

[0003] At present, the production process of silicon wafers for solar cells has been industrialized, mainly including silicon wafer inspection, surface texturing, diffusion bonding, dephosphorized silicon glass, plasma etching, anti-reflection film coating, screen printing, sintering, etc. The loading and unloading process in the silicon wafer production process is mostly done manually. The existing method is that workers manually put silicon wafers into the corresponding workstations. Obviously, the loading and unloading work efficiency is low, the labor cost is high, and the silicon wafers are thin, the manual operation rate is also high, and the safety is poor. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the purpose of the utility model is to provide an automatic loading and unloading device for photovoltaic silicon wafers, which can realize automatic loading and unloading of silicon wafers without manual operation, will not damage the silicon wafers during the operation, and has high production efficiency.

[0005] The above technical purpose of the utility model is achieved through the following technical solutions: a photovoltaic silicon wafer automatic loading and unloading device, including a frame for supporting and connecting various components, an X-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly installed on the frame, a Y-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly installed on the output end of the X-axis linear motion mechanism, a Z-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly installed on the output end of the Y-axis linear motion mechanism, a gripping mechanism is fixedly installed on the output end of the Z-axis linear motion mechanism, the gripping mechanism includes a movable seat and flexible fingers, at least two flexible fingers are installed at the bottom of the movable seat, and at least one stacking box for storing silicon wafers is also fixedly installed on the frame.

[0006] Furthermore, the stacking box is provided with movable cutouts corresponding to the number of the flexible fingers, so that the flexible fingers can flexibly grasp the silicon wafers.

[0007] Furthermore, the flexible finger is specifically a pneumatic flexible finger.

[0008] Furthermore, the bottom of the movable seat is rectangular, and two of the flexible fingers are installed on each side of the rectangle.

[0009] Furthermore, the X-axis linear motion mechanism, the Y-axis linear motion mechanism and the Z-axis linear motion mechanism all include a mounting seat, a guide rail, a slider, a transmission mechanism and a limit switch. The transmission mechanism is installed on the mounting seat, the guide rail is installed in parallel at both ends of the transmission mechanism, the slider is slidably installed on the guide rail, and the limit switch is installed at both ends of one side of the mounting seat.

[0010] Furthermore, the transmission mechanism includes a motor, a reducer, a screw rod, and a nut seat. The motor and the reducer are installed at one end of the mounting seat, the screw rod is installed at one end of the reducer, and the nut seat is slidably installed on the screw rod.

[0011] Furthermore, the nut seat on the X-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly connected to the Y-axis linear motion mechanism, the nut seat on the Y-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly connected to the Z-axis linear motion mechanism, and the nut seat on the Z-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly connected to the grabbing mechanism.

[0012] Furthermore, a height sensor for measuring the stacking height is installed next to the stacking box.

[0013] Furthermore, the stacking box is detachably fixed to the frame by bolts.

[0014] Furthermore, the width of the movable incision is greater than the width of the flexible finger.

[0015] In summary, the utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The utility model discloses an automatic loading and unloading device for photovoltaic silicon wafers. A frame is set up, and an X-axis linear motion mechanism, a Y-axis linear motion mechanism, a Z-axis linear motion mechanism and a grasping mechanism are sequentially installed on the frame to realize the movement of the grasping mechanism in any direction within a spatial range, and the flexibility is strong. The grasping mechanism includes a movable seat and a plurality of flexible fingers. During the loading and unloading process, the flexible fingers directly contact the silicon wafer to perform the picking and placing action. The flexible fingers are made of flexible materials and will not cause damage to the silicon wafer. The safety is high, and the automatic loading and unloading of silicon wafers is finally realized without manual operation, thereby reducing the labor intensity, and the production efficiency is high and the stability is good. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic loading and unloading device for photovoltaic silicon wafers of the utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the X-axis linear motion mechanism in an automatic loading and unloading device for photovoltaic silicon wafers of the utility model;

[0019] Figure 3 This is an exploded diagram of an X-axis linear motion mechanism in an automatic loading and unloading device for photovoltaic silicon wafers of the utility model;

[0020] Figure 4 The utility model is a structural schematic diagram of a grabbing mechanism in an automatic loading and unloading device for photovoltaic silicon wafers.

[0021] In the figure: 1, frame; 2, X-axis linear motion mechanism; 3, Y-axis linear motion mechanism; 4, Z-axis linear motion mechanism; 5, grasping mechanism; 5a, movable seat; 5b, flexible finger; 6, stacking box; 6a, movable incision; 7, mounting seat; 8, guide rail; 9, slider; 10, transmission mechanism; 10a, motor; 10b, reducer; 10c, lead screw; 10d, nut seat; 11, limit switch; 12, silicon wafer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The utility model is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0023] like Figure 1-4 As shown, the utility model provides an automatic loading and unloading device for photovoltaic silicon wafers 12, including a frame 1 for supporting and connecting various components. Specifically, the frame 1 is spliced ​​by multiple sections of aluminum profiles of different lengths, and the specifications of the aluminum profiles of different lengths are the same. Because the aluminum profiles are standardized parts, the use of them to make the frame 1 can greatly reduce production costs and time, and the installation is simple and convenient, and it has a light weight and high strength. The frame 1 has four feet, each of which is equipped with a foot cup. The foot cup can adjust the height within a certain range, and can easily adjust the overall level of the device, thereby improving the working accuracy and stability. Each foot cup is provided with a rubber pad at the bottom to increase the friction between it and the ground, prevent slippage, and have good safety.

[0024] An X-axis linear motion mechanism 2 is fixedly installed on the frame 1, a Y-axis linear motion mechanism 3 is fixedly installed on the output end of the X-axis linear motion mechanism 2, and a Z-axis linear motion mechanism 4 is fixedly installed on the output end of the Y-axis linear motion mechanism 3. Specifically, the X-axis linear motion mechanism 2, the Y-axis linear motion mechanism 3 and the Z-axis linear motion mechanism 4 are all linear modules. The linear module is a mechanical device for realizing linear motion. Its main function is to convert rotational motion into linear motion to realize automatic control of linear motion. It has the advantages of simple structure, easy installation, high positioning accuracy, good stability and strong load capacity.

[0025] The X-axis linear motion mechanism 2, the Y-axis linear motion mechanism 3 and the Z-axis linear motion mechanism 4 all include a mounting seat 7, a guide rail 8, a slider 9, a transmission mechanism 10 and a limit switch 11. The transmission mechanism 10 is mounted on the mounting seat 7, the guide rail 8 is mounted parallel to both ends of the transmission mechanism 10, the slider 9 is slidably mounted on the guide rail 8, and the limit switch 11 is mounted at both ends of one side of the mounting seat 7.

[0026] In actual production, the stroke lengths of the X-axis linear motion mechanism 2, the Y-axis linear motion mechanism 3, and the Z-axis linear motion mechanism 4 can be flexibly set according to process requirements, and different stroke lengths are all standardized designs.

[0027] Among them, the transmission mechanism 10 includes a motor 10a, a reducer 10b, a screw 10c, and a nut seat 10d. The motor 10a and the reducer 10b are installed at one end of the mounting seat 7, the screw 10c is installed at one end of the reducer 10b, and the nut seat 10d is slidably installed on the screw 10c.

[0028] Specifically, the nut seat 10d on the X-axis linear motion mechanism 2 is fixedly connected to the Y-axis linear motion mechanism 3, the nut seat 10d on the Y-axis linear motion mechanism 3 is fixedly connected to the Z-axis linear motion mechanism 4, and the nut seat 10d on the Z-axis linear motion mechanism 4 is fixedly connected to the grabbing mechanism 5.

[0029] The mounting seat 7 is in the shape of an elongated strip and is hollow inside, and is used for mounting and connecting various components therein. The transmission mechanism 10 is a core component installed in the mounting seat 7. The combination of the guide rail 8 and the slider 9 mainly plays a supporting and guiding role to improve the accuracy and stability of the linear motion. At least one slider 9 is slidably mounted on each guide rail 8, and the top of each slider 9 is fixedly connected to the nut seat 10d of the transmission mechanism 10.

[0030] The main function of the limit switch 11 is to protect the end position of the movement. When the nut seat 10d on the transmission mechanism 10 moves to the limit switch 11, it cannot continue to move in this direction to avoid the risk of hitting the end. Furthermore, the limit switch 11 is a photoelectric beam sensor, and a light shield is installed at one end of the nut seat 10d. When the nut seat 10d moves to the end position, the light shield blocks the light beam trigger signal. The photoelectric sensor has the advantages of high-speed response, non-contact detection, long life and reliability.

[0031] The output end of the motor 10a is fixedly connected to the input end of the reducer 10b, and the output end of the reducer 10b is fixedly connected to one end of the screw rod 10c. The torque output by the motor 10a is finally output to the screw rod 10c through the reducer 10b. The speed of the motor 10a is reduced by the reducer 10b, and the torque becomes larger. The screw rod 10c rotates to drive the nut seat 10d and the load thereon to move linearly. The motor 10a is fixedly installed on the reducer 10b and installed together at one end of the outside of the mounting seat 7. The screw rod 10c is horizontally installed in the middle position of the mounting seat 7. Specifically, bearings for supporting rotation are also installed at both ends of the screw rod 10c, so that its rotation is smoother and more accurate. The nut seat 10d is Y-shaped, the bottom is used for sliding connection with the screw rod 10c, and the top two ends are used to support external loads.

[0032] A gripping mechanism 5 is fixedly installed at the output end of the Z-axis linear motion mechanism 4. The gripping mechanism 5 is used to non-destructively grip the silicon wafer 12. The gripping mechanism 5 can realize free movement of three axes within the working space, thereby expanding the flexibility of gripping and being more conducive to the flexible setting of the silicon wafer 12 processing station.

[0033] The gripping mechanism 5 includes a movable seat 5a and flexible fingers 5b, and at least two flexible fingers 5b are installed at the bottom of the movable seat 5a. Specifically, the movable seat 5a is a T-shaped component, which is formed by two rectangular plates of different specifications being vertically fixedly connected, and the two ends of the top thereof are fixedly connected with reinforcing ribs for strengthening the force, and the bottom is rectangular, and two flexible fingers 5b are installed on each side of the rectangle. The setting of multiple flexible fingers 5b to grip the silicon crystal plate at the same time is conducive to dispersing the stress during gripping, thereby avoiding damage to the silicon wafer 12 during the gripping process, and is safe and reliable.

[0034] The flexible finger 5b is specifically a pneumatic flexible finger 5b, which is a flexible mechanical finger based on air pressure control. The pneumatic flexible finger 5b is made of flexible material, such as rubber or elastic polymer. Due to the characteristics of the flexible material, the pneumatic flexible finger 5b has high flexibility and adaptability. They can adapt to objects of irregular shapes and have good grasping ability, and are suitable for grasping silicon wafers 12.

[0035] The finger contains a cavity inside, and the shape and movement of the finger are controlled by introducing gas. By injecting different gas pressures into the cavity inside the finger, the finger can be bent and stretched. When the gas enters the cavity on one side of the finger, the finger will produce a bending effect on that side, and when the gas is discharged from that side, the finger will return to its original position. The air supply module of the pneumatic flexible finger 5b controls the movement of the finger by adjusting the speed and pressure of the gas inflow and outflow.

[0036] Furthermore, an air pressure sensor is provided next to each pneumatic flexible finger 5b, which can detect the air pressure provided by the control system, and control the inflation or deflation of the air supply module according to the detected air pressure value. When the air pressure sensor detects that the current air pressure value exceeds the set upper pressure limit of the airbag, the air supply module is controlled to deflate to reduce damage to the airbag; when receiving a grasping task, if the air pressure sensor detects that the current airbag has no air pressure or the air pressure value does not reach the grasping threshold, the air supply module is controlled to supply air to the flexible gripper.

[0037] Each flexible finger 5b is provided with a rough portion to increase the friction during grasping and prevent the silicon wafer 12 from slipping during grasping, thereby improving safety.

[0038] At least one stacking box 6 for storing silicon wafers 12 is also fixedly mounted on the frame 1. The shape of the stacking box 6 is adapted to the shape of the silicon wafer 12, and is a rectangular body, and its size is larger than the size of the silicon wafer 12 unit. Specifically, the stacking box 6 is provided with movable cutouts 6a corresponding to the number of flexible fingers 5b, and the width of the movable cutouts 6a is larger than the width of the flexible fingers 5b, so that the flexible fingers 5b can flexibly grasp the silicon wafer 12. In addition, the stacking box 6 is detachably fixed to the frame 1 by bolts, so that the stacking box 6 can be fixed to the workstation for stacking and storing the silicon wafers 12, and can also be transferred to other workstations in batches after the silicon wafers 12 are stacked, which is flexible and convenient to use.

[0039] Furthermore, a height sensor for measuring the stacking height is installed next to the stacking box 6. Through real-time monitoring of the height sensor, the number of silicon wafers 12 stacked in the stacking box 6 can be known according to the stacking height, so that the control system can determine whether to continue stacking according to demand.

[0040] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions under the concept of the present invention belong to the protection scope of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, some improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of the present invention should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic silicon wafer automatic loading and unloading device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a frame for supporting and connecting various components, an X-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly mounted on the frame, a Y-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly mounted on the output end of the X-axis linear motion mechanism, a Z-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly mounted on the output end of the Y-axis linear motion mechanism, a gripping mechanism is fixedly mounted on the output end of the Z-axis linear motion mechanism, the gripping mechanism comprises a movable seat and flexible fingers, at least two flexible fingers are mounted on the bottom of the movable seat, and at least one stacking box for storing silicon wafers is also fixedly mounted on the frame.

2. The photovoltaic silicon wafer automatic loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stacking box is provided with movable cutouts corresponding to the number of the flexible fingers, so that the flexible fingers can flexibly grasp the silicon wafers.

3. The photovoltaic silicon wafer automatic loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible finger is specifically a pneumatic flexible finger.

4. The photovoltaic silicon wafer automatic loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the movable seat is rectangular, and two flexible fingers are installed on each side of the rectangle.

5. The photovoltaic silicon wafer automatic loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The X-axis linear motion mechanism, the Y-axis linear motion mechanism and the Z-axis linear motion mechanism all include a mounting seat, a guide rail, a slider, a transmission mechanism and a limit switch. The transmission mechanism is mounted on the mounting seat, the guide rail is mounted parallel to both ends of the transmission mechanism, the slider is slidably mounted on the guide rail, and the limit switch is mounted at both ends of one side of the mounting seat.

6. The photovoltaic silicon wafer automatic loading and unloading device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism comprises a motor, a reducer, a screw rod and a nut seat. The motor and the reducer are mounted on one end of the mounting seat, the screw rod is mounted on one end of the reducer, and the nut seat is slidably mounted on the screw rod.

7. The photovoltaic silicon wafer automatic loading and unloading device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The nut seat on the X-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly connected to the Y-axis linear motion mechanism, the nut seat on the Y-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly connected to the Z-axis linear motion mechanism, and the nut seat on the Z-axis linear motion mechanism is fixedly connected to the grabbing mechanism.

8. The photovoltaic silicon wafer automatic loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A height sensor for measuring the stacking height is installed beside the stacking box.

9. The photovoltaic silicon wafer automatic loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stacking box is detachably fixed to the frame by bolts.

10. The photovoltaic silicon wafer automatic loading and unloading device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The width of the movable incision is greater than the width of the flexible finger.

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