Production line

Abstract

The utility model relates to a production line which comprises a workbench, a rotating shaft and a first conveying mechanism which are arranged on the workbench, the first conveying mechanism conveys products in the direction crossed with the axial direction of the rotating shaft, the production line further comprises an overturning wheel which is arranged on the peripheral side of the rotating shaft in a sleeving mode and can be fixed relative to the rotating shaft, and a driving part which is in driving connection with the rotating shaft. The driving piece can drive the rotating shaft to rotate around the axis of the rotating shaft and then drive the overturning wheel to rotate, and the overturning wheel can be selectively connected with products on the first conveying mechanism. When the turnover wheel and the product are in a connection state, the turnover wheel can drive the product to turn over to a turnover state; when the overturning wheel is not connected with the product, the product cannot be driven to overturn, so that the production line has the overturning function of overturning the product and the direct connection function of not overturning the product at the same time, and the production line can be switched between the overturning function and the direct connection function.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of photovoltaic equipment, and in particular to a production line. Background Technology

[0002] For the next generation of battery technology in the photovoltaic industry, since TOPCon cells (i.e., Tunnel Oxide Passivating Contact) have grid lines on both the front and back sides, existing photovoltaic production equipment for producing TOPCon cells is equipped with a flipper to flip the cells.

[0003] Back-contact (BC) cells, by placing all the grid lines on the back of the cell, eliminate the need for grid lines on the front, thus increasing the absorption and utilization rate of incident light and significantly improving photoelectric conversion efficiency. However, because BC cells do not require a flipper to rotate the cells, and the flipper's bearing is flush with the transport components of the photovoltaic production unit and located between two adjacent transport components, the obstruction of the flipper's bearing prevents BC cells from being transported between the two adjacent transport components of the photovoltaic production unit. This means that BC cells cannot be directly produced using photovoltaic production equipment used for TOPCon cells. When switching from TOPCon cell production to BC cell production, the only way to achieve direct cell transport between adjacent transport components (i.e., cells are transported between adjacent transport components without being rotated by the flipper) is by replacing the photovoltaic production unit, thus increasing the complexity and cost of switching photovoltaic production units. Utility Model Content

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a production line that is compatible with both cell flipping and through-flow functions.

[0005] A production line, comprising:

[0006] Workbench;

[0007] A rotating shaft is disposed on the worktable;

[0008] A first conveying mechanism is provided on the worktable for conveying products along a direction intersecting the axis of the rotating shaft;

[0009] A tilting wheel is sleeved on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft and can be fixed relative to the rotating shaft. The tilting wheel can selectively connect to the product on the first conveying mechanism.

[0010] A driving component is connected to the rotating shaft and can drive the rotating shaft to rotate around its own axis, thereby causing the flipping wheel to rotate. When the flipping wheel is in a connected state that can be connected to the product, the flipping wheel can drive the product to flip to a flipped state.

[0011] In one embodiment, the production line further includes a second conveying mechanism, wherein the first conveying mechanism and the second conveying mechanism are arranged at intervals along the conveying direction of the product, and the second conveying mechanism is located downstream of the first conveying mechanism along the conveying direction of the product; when the product is in a flipped state, the product is located on the second conveying mechanism.

[0012] In one embodiment, the rotating shaft has a channel, and the openings at both ends of the channel are opened on the sidewall of the rotating shaft and are spaced apart along the circumference of the rotating shaft; the turning wheel also has a stationary state, in which the channel is located downstream of the first conveying mechanism and upstream of the second conveying mechanism along the conveying direction of the product when the turning wheel is stationary.

[0013] In one embodiment, the production line is further provided with a detection component for detecting the orientation of the openings at both ends of the channel.

[0014] In one embodiment, the detection assembly includes a sensor disposed on the worktable and a signal element sleeved on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft. The signal element rotates with the rotation of the rotating shaft, and the sensor determines the opening direction of the channel by sensing the position of the signal element.

[0015] In one embodiment, there are two rotating wheels, which are spaced apart, and the rotating wheels are capable of moving along the length of the rotating shaft.

[0016] In one embodiment, the production line further includes a locking member having a locked state connecting the rotating wheel and the rotating shaft and an unlocked state releasing the locking state between the rotating wheel and the rotating shaft. When the locking member is in the locked state, the rotating wheel is fixed on the rotating shaft; when the locking member is in the unlocked state, the rotating wheel is in a movable state that can move along the length direction of the rotating shaft.

[0017] In one embodiment, the locking element is disposed on the side of the rotating wheel opposite to the other rotating wheel.

[0018] In one embodiment, a fixed bracket is provided on the workbench, and the rotating shaft is mounted on the fixed bracket.

[0019] In one embodiment, the fixed bracket is arranged vertically, and the bottom end of the fixed bracket is provided with a connecting part. The connecting part and the worktable are sequentially passed through the connecting part and the worktable to detachably place the fixed bracket on the worktable.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the production line provided in this application selectively connects to the products transported by the first conveyor mechanism using a rotating wheel. When the rotating wheel is in a connected state that can connect with the product, it can drive the product to rotate to a rotated state. When the rotating wheel is not connected to the product, it cannot drive the product to rotate because it cannot connect with the product. Therefore, the rotating wheel does not interfere with the conveying direction and rotation state of the product, so that the product always remains in the same unrotated state as on the first conveyor mechanism. Thus, the production line has both a rotating function that causes the product to rotate and a straight-through function that prevents the product from rotating, and the production line can switch between the rotating function and the straight-through function. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the conventional technology, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the conventional technology will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a production line according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a top view of a production line according to an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the combination of a fixed bracket, a rotating shaft, and a flipping wheel in one embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure label:

[0026] 10. Workbench;

[0027] 20. Shaft; 21. Channel;

[0028] 30. First conveying mechanism;

[0029] 40. Reversing wheel;

[0030] 50. Driving components;

[0031] 60. Second conveying mechanism;

[0032] 70. Detection components; 71. Sensors; 72. Signal components;

[0033] 80. Fixed bracket; 81. Connecting part. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0035] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application's specification are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0036] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0037] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0038] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used in this application includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0039] This application provides a production line. In this embodiment, the production line produces battery cells or silicon wafers, but in other embodiments, it can also be used to produce other types of products.

[0040] Please see Figures 1 to 3 The production line includes a workbench 10, a rotating shaft 20 mounted on the workbench 10, and a first conveying mechanism 30. The first conveying mechanism 30 conveys products along a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rotating shaft 20. The production line also includes a tilting wheel 40 sleeved on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 20 and fixed relative to the rotating shaft 20, and a driving component 50 driven by the rotating shaft 20. The driving component 50 can drive the rotating shaft 20 to rotate around its own axis, thereby causing the tilting wheel 40 to rotate. The tilting wheel 40 can selectively connect with products on the first conveying mechanism 30.

[0041] When the tilting wheel 40 is in a connected state that allows it to connect with the product, it can drive the product to tilt. When the tilting wheel 40 is not connected to the product (i.e., the tilting wheel 40 is in a stationary state as described below), since it cannot connect with the product, it cannot drive the product to tilt. Therefore, the tilting wheel 40 does not interfere with the product's conveying direction or tilting state, keeping the product in the same untilted state as the first conveying mechanism 30. This means that the production line simultaneously has a tilting function that tilts the product and a straight-through function that prevents the product from tilting, and the production line can switch between the tilting function and the straight-through function.

[0042] like Figure 3 As shown, the flipping wheel 40 has an opening. When a product approaches the flipping wheel 40, it can enter the opening and be driven by the flipping wheel 40, thus being flipped to a flipped state. In other embodiments, the flipping wheel 40 can also be used to flip the product in other ways.

[0043] It is understood that when a product leaves the first conveyor mechanism 30, regardless of whether the product is flipped to a flipped state by the flipping wheel 40, its downstream can be processed by another conveyor mechanism or other processes, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0044] In one embodiment, see Figure 1 and Figure 2The production line also includes a second conveying mechanism 60. The first conveying mechanism 30 and the second conveying mechanism 60 are arranged at intervals along the product conveying direction. Along the product conveying direction, the second conveying mechanism 60 is located downstream of the first conveying mechanism 30. When the product is in a flipped state, the product is located on the second conveying mechanism 60. It can be understood that when the product is a TOPCon solar cell to be fitted with grid lines, the TOPCon solar cell on the first conveying mechanism 30 is fitted with grid lines only on one side. When the TOPCon solar cell is flipped to a flipped state by the flipping wheel 40, the TOPCon solar cell is transported by the second conveying mechanism 60 to a station where grid lines can be fitted on the other side, so that grid lines can be fitted on both sides of the TOPCon solar cell.

[0045] It is also understandable that if the flipping wheel 40 does not flip the product, that is, if the product is in an unflipped state, then the product will also be located on the second conveying mechanism 60 after being conveyed by the first conveying mechanism 30.

[0046] It should also be noted that the first conveying mechanism and the second conveying mechanism can be exactly the same structure or different structures. This application does not limit this, as long as both the first conveying mechanism and the second conveying mechanism can convey products.

[0047] In one embodiment, the rotating shaft 20 has a channel 21, with openings at both ends of the channel 21 located on the sidewalls of the rotating shaft 20, and these two openings are spaced apart circumferentially along the rotating shaft 20. Along the product conveying direction, the channel 21 is located downstream of the first conveying mechanism 30 and upstream of the second conveying mechanism 60. That is, the rotating shaft 20 is located between the first conveying mechanism 30 and the second conveying mechanism 60, and the first conveying mechanism 30 conveys the product to the second conveying mechanism 60 via the channel 21.

[0048] It should be noted that when the product is transported between the first conveying mechanism 30 and the second conveying mechanism 60 through the channel 21, both the rotating shaft 20 and the turning wheel 40 are in a stationary state. At this time, the turning wheel 40 is not connected to the product and does not drive the product to turn. In other words, when the product is on the first conveying mechanism 30, the channel 21 and the second conveying mechanism 60, the product is in a non-turned state. At this time, the production line plays a direct-pass function to prevent the product from turning.

[0049] It is understood that the tilting wheel 40 can be fixed relative to the rotating shaft 20. The tilting wheel 40 is driven by the rotation of the rotating shaft 20 around its own axis. When the rotating shaft 20 is stationary, the tilting wheel 40 can also be stationary. That is to say, in this embodiment, the tilting wheel 40 can be switched between a connected state (tilting wheel 40 is driven by the driving component 50) and a stationary state (not connected to the product) by whether the driving component 50 drives the rotating shaft 20 to rotate, thereby switching the tilting function and the through function of the production line.

[0050] In one embodiment, see Figure 3 The production line is also equipped with a detection component 70 for detecting the orientation of the openings at both ends of the channel 21. It is understood that since the channel 21 is mounted on the rotating shaft 20, and the openings of the channel 21 are located on the side wall of the rotating shaft 20, the channel 21 will rotate along with the rotating shaft 20 when the rotating shaft 20 rotates around its own axis. Only when the openings at both ends of the channel 21 are adjusted to face the first conveying mechanism 30 and the second conveying mechanism 60, which are parallel to each other, can the product enter the channel 21 from the first conveying mechanism 30 and be conveyed from the channel 21 to the second conveying mechanism 60. In this embodiment, by setting the detection component 70 to detect the orientation of the openings at both ends of the channel 21, it is possible to ensure that the product can enter the channel 21, thereby ensuring that the production line can switch between a flip-over state and a straight-through state.

[0051] Furthermore, the detection component 70 includes a sensor 71 mounted on the workbench 10 and a signal element 72 sleeved on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 20. The signal element 72 rotates with the rotation of the rotating shaft 20, and the sensor 71 determines the opening direction of the channel 21 by sensing the position of the signal element 72. It can be understood that when the tilting wheel 40 is stationary and the opening of the channel 21 faces the first transport mechanism, that is, when the channel 21 extends along the product transport direction, the production line is in straight-through function. When the production line needs to be adjusted to straight-through function, the sensor 71 determines the opening direction of the channel 21 by sensing the position of the signal element 72, and with the cooperation of the automation mechanism, the rotating shaft 20 rotates to a position where the opening of the channel 21 faces the first transport mechanism. Thus, the production line can automatically switch between tilting and straight-through functions with the cooperation of the automation mechanism.

[0052] Schematic, the drive unit 50 can be a motor, controlled by a program system, to automate the drive of the rotating shaft 20, enabling automatic switching between the flipping and straight-through functions of the production line. Furthermore, the signal unit 72 can be a metal sheet with an opening, and the sensor 71 uses a U-shaped limit switch adapted to the metal sheet. The U-shaped switch determines the opening direction of the channel 21 on the rotating shaft 20 by sensing the open and closed portions of the metal sheet during rotation. Through program system switching, driven by the motor, the rotating shaft 20 drives the channel 21 to rotate to a position where the channel 21 is parallel to the first conveying mechanism 30. This allows the channel 21 to serve as a transmission space for transporting battery cells between the first conveying mechanism 30 and the second conveying mechanism 60, thereby enabling the production line to automatically switch between flipping and straight-through functions.

[0053] In one embodiment, see Figure 3 There are two rotating wheels 40, which are spaced apart and the distance between them is less than the length of the product (in this article, the length refers to the length in the direction parallel to the axis of the rotating shaft 20). In this way, the two rotating wheels 40 are connected to both ends of the product to improve the connection stability between the rotating wheels 40 and the product and prevent the product from falling out of the rotating wheels 40 during the flipping process.

[0054] Furthermore, the tilting rollers 40 can move along the length of the shaft 20. Understandably, when the production line switches from a tilting function to a straight-through function, because the distance between the two tilting rollers 40 is less than the length of the product, the product will connect with the tilting rollers 40 before reaching the channel 21 and will be unable to enter the channel 21. When switching the production line from a tilting function to a straight-through function, both tilting rollers 40 are moved in opposite directions so that the distance between the two tilting rollers 40 is greater than the length of the product. Thus, when the opening of the channel 21 on the shaft 20 faces the first conveyor mechanism 30, the product can enter the channel 21 and reach the second conveyor mechanism 60, thereby ensuring the straight-through function of the production line.

[0055] It should be noted that in this embodiment, when the flipping wheel 40 switches between a connected state that can be connected to the product and a stationary state that cannot be connected to the product, and when the product length remains unchanged, it is also necessary to adjust the interval between the two flipping wheels 40 according to the product length, thereby switching the flipping function and the straight-through function of the production line.

[0056] Furthermore, the length of channel 21 is greater than the length of the product, so that when the production line is in a straight-through state, the product can smoothly pass through channel 21 to reach the second conveyor 60.

[0057] Furthermore, the production line in this embodiment also includes a locking component (not shown in the figure). The locking component has a locked state connecting the rotating wheel 40 and the rotating shaft 20, and an unlocked state releasing the locking state between the rotating wheel 40 and the rotating shaft 20. When the locking component is in the locked state, the rotating wheel 40 is fixed on the rotating shaft 20; when the locking component is in the unlocked state, the rotating wheel 40 is in a movable state that can move along the length direction of the rotating shaft 20. In this way, the rotating wheel 40 and the rotating shaft 20 can be relatively fixed, and the rotating wheel 40 can be moved along the length direction of the rotating shaft 20, thereby adjusting the time interval between the two rotating wheels 40.

[0058] Schematic illustration: The tilting wheel 40 is provided with a connecting member having a threaded hole. The locking member can use a bolt that is threaded into the threaded hole. When the bolt is screwed into the threaded hole and abuts against the rotating shaft 20, the tilting wheel 40 is fixed to the rotating shaft 20. When the bolt is not abutting against the rotating shaft 20, the tilting wheel 40 can move in the opposite direction along the length of the rotating shaft 20. In other embodiments, the tilting wheel 40 may also be provided with a limiting ring for locking or unlocking by the locking member. This application does not limit this, as long as the locking member can fix the tilting wheel 40 and the rotating shaft 20 relatively and release such relative fixation.

[0059] Furthermore, the locking element is located on the side of the rotating wheel 40 opposite to the other rotating wheel 40. It can be understood that the side of the rotating wheel 40 opposite to the other rotating wheel 40 is the outside of the production line, which facilitates switching between the locked and unlocked states of the locking element.

[0060] In one embodiment, a fixed bracket 80 is also provided on the workbench 10, and the rotating shaft 20 is mounted on the fixed bracket 80. In this way, the rotating shaft 20 can be easily installed on the fixed bracket 80. For production lines or photovoltaic production devices that only have a flipping function, simply replacing the rotating shaft 20 in this embodiment can enable it to have both flipping and straight-through functions, thereby improving the versatility of the production line and saving production costs.

[0061] Furthermore, the sensor 71 in the detection assembly 70 is mounted on the fixed bracket 80 to reduce the distance between the sensor 71 and the signal element 72, thereby improving the accuracy of the opening direction of the detection channel 21 of the detection assembly 70.

[0062] Furthermore, the fixed bracket 80 is vertically arranged, and a connecting part 81 is provided at the bottom of the fixed bracket 80. The connecting parts are sequentially inserted through the connecting part 81 and the worktable 10, so that the fixed bracket 80 is detachably mounted on the worktable 10. In this way, not only can the stability of the fixed bracket 80 be improved, and the support performance for the rotating shaft 20 and the tilting wheel 40 be enhanced, but the installation and disassembly of the fixed bracket 80 can also be facilitated. The fixed bracket 80 and the rotating shaft 20 can be installed on the production line without the tilting function, or the fixed bracket 80 and the rotating shaft 20 can be replaced on other production lines, so as to further improve the versatility of the production line.

[0063] In summary, because this production line can operate in both a straight-through and a flip-over mode, in the flip-over mode, the flipping wheel 40 can be used to flip the solar cells to set grid lines on both the front and back sides of the cells. In the straight-through mode, since the solar cells pass directly through the channel 21 on the guide rail without being flipped by the flipping wheel 40, grid lines can be set only on the back side of the cells. In other words, this production line can directly switch between producing TOPCon cells with grid lines on both sides and BC cells with grid lines on only one side, without needing to remove the flipper used in existing technologies or simultaneously purchase two photovoltaic production devices for producing only one type of cell, thereby improving production efficiency and saving production costs.

[0064] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0065] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A production line, characterized in that, include: Workbench (10); A rotating shaft (20) is disposed on the worktable (10); A first conveying mechanism (30) is provided on the worktable (10) for conveying products along a direction that intersects the axis of the rotating shaft (20); A flip wheel (40) is sleeved on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft (20) and can be fixed relative to the rotating shaft (20). The flip wheel (40) can selectively connect to the product on the first conveying mechanism (30). The driving component (50) is connected to the rotating shaft (20) and can drive the rotating shaft (20) to rotate around its own axis, thereby causing the flipping wheel (40) to rotate. When the flipping wheel (40) is in a connected state that can be connected to the product, the flipping wheel (40) can drive the product to flip to the flipped state.

2. The production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The production line also includes a second conveying mechanism (60). The first conveying mechanism (30) and the second conveying mechanism (60) are arranged at intervals along the conveying direction of the product. Along the conveying direction of the product, the second conveying mechanism (60) is located downstream of the first conveying mechanism (30). When the product is in a flipped state, the product is located on the second conveying mechanism (60).

3. The production line according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rotating shaft (20) has a channel (21), and the openings at both ends of the channel (21) are opened on the side wall of the rotating shaft (20) and are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the rotating shaft (20); along the conveying direction of the product, the channel (21) is located downstream of the first conveying mechanism (30) and upstream of the second conveying mechanism (60).

4. The production line according to claim 3, characterized in that, The production line is also equipped with a detection component (70) for detecting the opening direction at both ends of the channel (21).

5. The production line according to claim 4, characterized in that, The detection component (70) includes a sensor (71) disposed on the worktable (10) and a signal element (72) sleeved on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft (20). The signal element (72) rotates with the rotation of the rotating shaft (20), and the sensor (71) determines the opening direction of the channel (21) by sensing the position of the signal element (72).

6. The production line according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The number of the rotating wheels (40) is two, the two rotating wheels (40) are spaced apart, and the rotating wheels (40) can move along the length direction of the rotating shaft (20).

7. The production line according to claim 6, characterized in that, The production line also includes a locking component, which has a locked state connecting the rotating wheel (40) and the rotating shaft (20) and an unlocked state releasing the locked state between the rotating wheel (40) and the rotating shaft (20). When the locking component is in the locked state, the rotating wheel (40) is fixed on the rotating shaft (20); when the locking component is in the unlocked state, the rotating wheel (40) is in a moving state that can move along the length direction of the rotating shaft (20).

8. The production line according to claim 7, characterized in that, The locking element is disposed on the side of the flip wheel (40) opposite to the other flip wheel (40).

9. The production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, A fixed bracket (80) is provided on the workbench (10), and the rotating shaft (20) is mounted on the fixed bracket (80).

10. The production line according to claim 9, characterized in that, The fixed bracket (80) is arranged vertically, and the bottom end of the fixed bracket (80) is provided with a connecting part (81). The connecting piece passes through the connecting part (81) and the worktable (10) in sequence, so that the fixed bracket (80) can be detachably placed on the worktable (10).

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