Photovoltaic silicon wafer turnover device

Abstract

The utility model relates to a photovoltaic silicon wafer turnover device which comprises a supporting mechanism, a wafer pushing mechanism and a wafer receiving mechanism. The supporting mechanism is suitable for arranging a first wafer box and a second wafer box which are identical to each other and used for containing photovoltaic silicon wafers, and the first wafer box and the second wafer box are arranged on the supporting mechanism so that the front faces, allowing the photovoltaic silicon wafers to enter and exit, of the first wafer box and the second wafer box can be opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction and rotate by 180 degrees relative to each other. The wafer pushing mechanism and the wafer receiving mechanism are configured to oppositely extend into a space between the two back surfaces from the back surfaces of the first wafer box and the second wafer box respectively and abut against the two longitudinal ends of the photovoltaic silicon wafer in the first wafer box respectively; and the clamping device can clamp the photovoltaic silicon wafer to synchronously move along the longitudinal direction so as to push the photovoltaic silicon wafer into the second wafer box from the first wafer box. According to the photovoltaic silicon wafer overturning device provided by the utility model, the situation that each photovoltaic silicon wafer in the wafer box is manually overturned one by one in a time-consuming and labor-consuming manner is avoided, and the damage to the photovoltaic silicon wafers in the process can be avoided.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to photovoltaic silicon wafer processing technical field especially relates to a photovoltaic silicon wafer turnover device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the field of solar photovoltaic, photovoltaic cell and photovoltaic module which is encapsulated by the photovoltaic cell are important components of photovoltaic power generation system. Photovoltaic silicon wafer as the basic material of manufacturing photovoltaic cell needs to print conductive paste such as silver paste and aluminum paste on the front and back surface by screen printing process to form positive and negative electrodes for collecting and transmitting photo-generated current.

[0003] In the existing photovoltaic research and development process, due to process verification requirements, multiple photovoltaic silicon wafers placed in a photovoltaic silicon wafer box (hereinafter referred to as "wafer box") and having printed one side are all turned over 180 degrees (also referred to as "reversing" or "turning over") and placed in another wafer box to print the other side of the photovoltaic silicon wafer in the next process. However, due to the limitation of space and cost, most of the printing machines do not have a device (such as a mechanical arm) that can automatically reverse the wafer, and only manual turning over of each photovoltaic silicon wafer one by one is available, which is laborious and time-consuming, and also easy to damage the photovoltaic silicon wafer which is usually very thin (thin to about 120 microns or less in thickness). SUMMARY

[0004] The utility model aims at solving at least one of the above problems and / or other defects in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, one aspect of the utility model provides a photovoltaic silicon wafer turnover device, which comprises: a support mechanism, the support mechanism is configured to accommodate first and second wafer boxes for receiving photovoltaic silicon wafers, each wafer box has a front surface and a back surface facing away from the front surface, the first and second wafer boxes are arranged on the support mechanism so that their respective front surfaces are opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction and they are reversed 180 degrees relative to each other; and a wafer pushing mechanism and a wafer receiving mechanism movably connected to the support mechanism in the longitudinal direction, the wafer pushing mechanism and the wafer receiving mechanism are configured to respectively extend into the space between the two back surfaces opposite to each other from the back surfaces of the first and second wafer boxes and abut the longitudinal two ends of the photovoltaic silicon wafer in the first wafer box, and the wafer pushing mechanism and the wafer receiving mechanism are capable of synchronously moving along the longitudinal direction to push the photovoltaic silicon wafer from the first wafer box into the second wafer box while clamping the photovoltaic silicon wafer.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the utility model, the photovoltaic silicon wafer turnover device further comprises a limit stop connected to the wafer pushing mechanism and the wafer receiving mechanism to maintain the distance between them in the longitudinal direction and ensure their synchronous movement.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the limiter includes a first fixing member, a second fixing member, and a limiting rod. The first and second fixing members are respectively fixed to one of the push plate mechanism and the receiving plate mechanism, and the two ends of the limiting rod are respectively fixedly connected to the first fixing member and detachably connected to the second fixing member.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the support mechanism includes two bases extending parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction, and the first and second cassettes are placed on the two bases across the gap between the two bases.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first and second wafer boxes are both placed vertically on the two bases, and each is provided with a wafer slot for horizontally receiving photovoltaic silicon wafers in the corresponding wafer box. The wafer slot in each wafer box is not centrally located in the vertical direction. The two bases are provided with shims at the positions for placing the first or second wafer box so that the wafer slot in the first wafer box and the wafer slot in the second wafer box are at the same height aligned with each other.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the wafer pushing mechanism includes two longitudinal wafer pushing frames spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction and a transverse wafer pushing frame connecting the two longitudinal wafer pushing frames together. The wafer receiving mechanism includes two longitudinal wafer receiving frames spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction and a transverse wafer receiving frame connecting the two longitudinal wafer receiving frames together. Each of the two longitudinal wafer pushing frames includes a vertical wafer pushing rod that abuts against one longitudinal end of the photovoltaic silicon wafer, and each of the two longitudinal wafer receiving frames includes a vertical wafer receiving rod that abuts against the other longitudinal end of the photovoltaic silicon wafer.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the vertical push rod and the vertical receiving rod are respectively provided with a push pad and a receiving pad that abut against the photovoltaic silicon wafer.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the pushing plate mechanism further includes two pushing plate guide portions respectively disposed below the two pushing plate longitudinal frames, and the receiving plate mechanism further includes two receiving plate guide portions respectively disposed below the two receiving plate longitudinal frames. The two pushing plate guide portions and the two receiving plate guide portions are slidably supported on the two bases via guide rail assemblies.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the support mechanism further includes two support frames and two or more longitudinal beams connecting the two support frames. The two support frames are vertically arranged on the two bases, facing each other in the longitudinal direction and spanning the gap between the two bases. The two support frames are respectively fixed on the two bases by two longitudinal beams that are spaced apart in the lateral direction and connected to their bottoms.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the supporting mechanism, the pushing mechanism, and the connecting mechanism are each composed of multiple aluminum profiles connected to each other.

[0015] This utility model's photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device uses a pushing mechanism and a receiving mechanism to clamp multiple photovoltaic silicon wafers (e.g., one side already printed) in a first wafer cassette and push them from the first cassette into a second wafer cassette that is identical to the first but rotated 180 degrees relative to it. In this way, the photovoltaic silicon wafers transferred to the second wafer cassette are effectively flipped 180 degrees relative to their original counterparts in the first cassette, allowing them to be directly loaded into the second wafer cassette for the next process of printing the other side. This avoids the time-consuming and laborious manual flipping of each photovoltaic silicon wafer individually. Furthermore, the cooperating clamping and synchronous movement of the photovoltaic silicon wafers by the receiving and pushing mechanisms prevents damage to the often thin photovoltaic silicon wafers during the transfer process due to bending or excessive clamping. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The features and advantages of this utility model will become clear from the following detailed description provided with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following drawings are merely schematic and not necessarily drawn to scale, and therefore should not be considered as limitations on this utility model, wherein:

[0017] Figure 1 The image shows a front view of a photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which two wafer cassettes are arranged relative to each other and are in the open state.

[0018] Figure 2 Show Figure 1 The front view of the photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device shown is taken when the two wafer cassettes are not installed inside the device, and the device is in a closed state.

[0019] Figure 3 Show Figure 1 The top view of the photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device shown.

[0020] Figure 4 Show Figure 2 The top view of the photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device shown.

[0021] Figure 5 Show Figure 1 The left view of the photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device shown.

[0022] Figure 6 Show Figure 2 The left view of the photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device shown.

[0023] Figure 7 It shows what can be applied to Figure 1 A perspective view of an exemplary limiter in a photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to enable those skilled in the art to more fully understand and implement the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that implementations of the present invention may not include some of these specific details. Furthermore, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described. Rather, the present invention can be conceived to be implemented with any combination of the features and elements described below, regardless of whether they relate to different embodiments. Therefore, the following aspects, features, embodiments, and advantages are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as elements or limitations of the claims unless expressly set forth in the claims.

[0025] The terms "first" and "second" are used below to describe the elements of this application. These terms are used only to distinguish the individual elements and not to limit the nature, order, or number of these elements. The terms "comprising" and "having" are used to indicate an open-ended inclusion and mean that there may be additional elements / components besides those listed.

[0026] Figures 1-7 A photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, comprising a support mechanism 1 and a wafer pushing mechanism 2 and a wafer receiving mechanism 3 disposed opposite to each other. The support mechanism 1 is configured to accommodate two photovoltaic silicon wafer boxes 200 and 300 for receiving photovoltaic silicon wafers, referred to herein as a first wafer box and a second wafer box, respectively. The wafer pushing mechanism 2 and the wafer receiving mechanism 3 are used to transfer photovoltaic silicon wafers from the first wafer box 200 into the second wafer box 300 to complete the flipping of the photovoltaic silicon wafers.

[0027] More specifically, the first wafer cassette 200 and the second wafer cassette 300 are identical to each other, differing only in their placement orientation on the support mechanism 1. Each wafer cassette can hold at least one photovoltaic silicon wafer, typically multiple stacked photovoltaic silicon wafers, and each has a front side (e.g., the front side is completely open) and a back side opposite to the front side for the photovoltaic silicon wafer to enter and exit. In the illustrated embodiment, each wafer cassette 200 or 300 may be generally cuboid in shape, having two end faces and four sides, wherein two opposing sides are designated as the front and back sides, and multiple pairs of parallel wafer slots may be provided on the inner walls of the other two opposing sides, each pair of wafer slots being used to receive one photovoltaic silicon wafer, thereby allowing multiple photovoltaic silicon wafers stacked parallel to each other to be held in each wafer cassette. Figure 1 The image only schematically illustrates the positions of all the slots 201 in the first disc cassette 200 and all the slots 301 in the second disc cassette 300. Figure 5 As can be seen, multiple pairs of slots 301 are provided on the inner walls of the two opposite sides of the second film box 300.

[0028] like Figure 1 and 3 As shown, the first wafer cassette 200 and the second wafer cassette 300 are arranged on the support mechanism 1 such that their respective front faces face each other in the left-right direction shown in the figure, so that the photovoltaic silicon wafer in the first wafer cassette 200 can leave the first wafer cassette 200 via its front face and then be transferred to the second wafer cassette 300 via its front face. Figures 1-2 The left and right directions in the main view, that is, the directions followed when the photovoltaic silicon wafer is transferred, or the moving directions of the wafer pushing mechanism and the wafer receiving mechanism, are referred to as "longitudinal X" in this application; Figures 3-4 The vertical direction in the top view is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X, and is referred to as "horizontal direction Y" in this application; Figures 5-6 The vertical direction in the left view is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X and the transverse direction Y, and is referred to as "vertical Z" in this application.

[0029] Furthermore, identical first wafer cassette 200 and second wafer cassette 300 are positioned on support mechanism 1 such that they are rotated 180 degrees relative to each other. Here, "rotated 180 degrees relative to each other" refers to the orientation of the photovoltaic silicon wafers stored in the cassette: it can be imagined that the cassette has a reference axis perpendicular to the photovoltaic silicon wafers stacked within it, and when the first wafer cassette is rotated such that its reference axis is rotated 180 degrees, it becomes the orientation of the second wafer cassette. Therefore, the "rotated 180 degrees relative to each other" referred to here does not involve a 180-degree flip of the first wafer cassette 200 and the second wafer cassette 300 with their respective front faces facing each other. Rather, for example, in the illustrated embodiment, the first wafer cassette 200 is placed upright on support mechanism 1 with one end face, and when the first wafer cassette 200 is rotated 180 degrees and placed upright on support mechanism 1 with its other end face (i.e., rotated 180 degrees vertically), it becomes the orientation of the second wafer cassette 300, thus achieving "rotated 180 degrees relative to each other". In this application, if the placement of the first film box 200 is referred to as "upright", then the placement of the second film box 300 can be referred to as "inverted".

[0030] Thus, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 3 The first wafer cassette 200 on the right side can hold, for example, photovoltaic silicon wafers with one side already printed and the other side unprinted. When these photovoltaic silicon wafers in the first wafer cassette 200 are transferred to the second wafer cassette 300 on the left side via the front of the first wafer cassette 200 and the front of the second wafer cassette 300, the second wafer cassette 300 is upside down relative to the first wafer cassette 200 and the two wafer cassettes are identical. Therefore, the photovoltaic silicon wafers transferred to the second wafer cassette 300 are essentially flipped 180 degrees relative to the photovoltaic silicon wafers originally in the first wafer cassette 200 within the same wafer cassette. This completes the "wafer flipping" operation, and the wafers can be directly loaded into the second wafer cassette for the next process of printing on the other side.

[0031] The support mechanism 1 can have any form suitable for housing the first and second cassettes. In the illustrated embodiment, the support mechanism 1 is composed of multiple aluminum profiles connected by angle steel and fasteners, which is convenient in terms of material availability, simple in installation, and low in cost.

[0032] refer to Figures 1-6 As shown, the support mechanism 1 may include two bases 16 extending parallel to each other along the longitudinal direction X. For this purpose, each base 16 may be constructed from a simple aluminum profile. The first housing 200 and the second housing 300 may be placed directly on the two bases 16 across the gap between them.

[0033] The support mechanism 1 may further include two support frames 11, each of which is a generally rectangular structure formed by four aluminum profiles joined end to end. These two support frames 11 are arranged opposite each other in the longitudinal direction X, and are both erected vertically on the two bases 16, spanning the gap between them, for example, at the longitudinal ends of the two bases 16 respectively. Figures 1-4 The support frame 11 located on the right side defines a first push-pull opening 13 in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X, for the pusher mechanism 2 to pass through and move. The support frame 11 located on the left side defines a second push-pull opening 14 in another plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X, for the receiving mechanism 3 to pass through and move. Each support frame 11 may include a bottom beam (i.e., an aluminum profile forming the bottom edge of the rectangular support frame), which can be used to provide support for the pusher mechanism 2 and the receiving mechanism 3, respectively. The support mechanism 1 may also include two or more longitudinal beams 12 connecting the two support frames 11 together to make the two erected support frames 11 more stable. For example, as can be seen in the figure, the two support frames 11 can be connected to each other at their respective bottom transverse ends by two longitudinal beams 12 spaced apart in the transverse direction Y and extending parallel to the longitudinal direction X. These two longitudinal beams 12 can rest on two bases 16 respectively, so the two support frames 11 can also be fixed to the two bases 16 by means of these two longitudinal beams 12. Furthermore, the two support frames 11 can be connected to each other at other locations (e.g., near the top) by other longitudinal beams 12. A generally cuboid-shaped shelf space 15 is defined between the two support frames 11 for accommodating the first shelf box 200 and the second shelf box 300. The two support frames 11 and each longitudinal beam 12 are positioned around the first and second shelf boxes to limit their movement and prevent tipping.

[0034] In some embodiments, each film cassette (an identical first film cassette 200 and a second film cassette 300) is designed to be asymmetrical at both ends, which is particularly manifested in the asymmetrical / non-centered position of the film slots in the film cassette between the two end faces of the film cassette. More specifically, for example, see reference to Figure 1As shown, for the first sheet box 200, all the sheet slots 201 (a certain section stacked between the upper and lower end faces of the first sheet box 200) are not centered in the vertical Z direction between these two end faces, but are located at a distance L1 from the upper end face and a distance L2 from the lower end face, where L1 is not equal to L2 (for example, L1 < L2 in the illustrated embodiment); correspondingly, for the second sheet box 300, which is exactly the same as the first sheet box 200 but rotated 180 degrees vertically, all the sheet slots 301 (a certain section stacked between the upper and lower end faces of the second sheet box 300) are not centered in the vertical Z direction between these two end faces, but are located at a distance L2 from the upper end face and a distance L1 from the lower end face. Thus, if the second wafer cassette 300 and the first wafer cassette 200 are simply placed on two bases 16 after being rotated 180 degrees vertically relative to each other, the wafer slots 301 in the second wafer cassette 300 will have a height difference (equal to the difference between L2 and L1, for example, 1 to 3 mm) with the wafer slots 201 in the first wafer cassette 200. Consequently, when the photovoltaic silicon wafers in the wafer slots 201 of the first wafer cassette 200 are transferred to the second wafer cassette 300, they may not be properly aligned with the wafer slots 301 in the second wafer cassette 300, potentially causing the photovoltaic silicon wafers to bump and fail to be transferred smoothly and intact into the second wafer cassette 300. Therefore, to ensure that the wafer slots 201 and 301 in the first and second wafer cassettes, which are rotated 180 degrees vertically relative to each other, are aligned one-to-one, as follows... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown. For example, shims 17 can be placed on the two bases 16 at the positions where the second wafer cassette 300 is placed. The shims 17 raise the height of the second wafer cassette 300, ensuring that the wafer slots 301 in the second wafer cassette 300 are at the same height and aligned with the wafer slots 201 in the first wafer cassette 200. This ensures that the photovoltaic silicon wafers can be smoothly transferred from the first wafer cassette 200 to the second wafer cassette 300. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that when L2 < L1, the corresponding shims 17 can be placed on the two bases 16 at the positions where the first wafer cassette 200 is placed to raise the height of the first wafer cassette 200, so that the wafer slots of the two wafer cassettes are at the same height.

[0035] refer to Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the wafer pushing mechanism 2 according to this embodiment can also be formed by connecting multiple aluminum profiles, and more specifically, it can include two longitudinal pushing frames 21 and a transverse pushing frame 22. These two longitudinal pushing frames 21 are spaced apart from each other in the transverse Y direction and can extend from the first push-pull opening 13 into the wafer cassette placement space 15, and can then move longitudinally X to pass through the back side of the first wafer cassette 200 (which has an opening through which the longitudinal pushing frames 21 can pass) and enter the first wafer cassette 200 to abut against one longitudinal end of the photovoltaic silicon wafer in the first wafer cassette 200. Figures 1-4(The right end of the middle). Each of the two longitudinal pusher frames 21 may include a vertical pusher rod that abuts against one longitudinal end of the photovoltaic silicon wafer. The transverse pusher frame 22 connects the two longitudinal pusher frames 21 together to facilitate synchronous movement of the two longitudinal pusher frames 21. The pusher mechanism 2 may also include two pusher guides 23 respectively disposed below the two longitudinal pusher frames 21, such as... Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown. Each pusher guide 23 is located on the inner side of the corresponding base 16 facing the other base 16 in the transverse Y direction, and can be slidably supported on, for example, the inner wall of the corresponding base 16 via a guide rail assembly 4 (e.g., a slide rail that can be used on a drawer).

[0036] refer to Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the wafer bonding mechanism 3 according to this embodiment can have a similar structure to the wafer pushing mechanism 2. Specifically, the wafer bonding mechanism 3 can also be formed by connecting multiple aluminum profiles, and can include two longitudinal bonding frames 31 and a transverse bonding frame 32. The two longitudinal bonding frames 31 are spaced apart from each other in the transverse Y direction, and can extend into the wafer cassette placement space 15 from the second push-pull opening 14, and can then move longitudinally X to pass through the back of the second wafer cassette 300 (the back of which has an opening for the longitudinal bonding frames 31 to pass through) and enter the second wafer cassette 300, and then pass through the front of the second wafer cassette 300 and the front of the first wafer cassette 200 to enter the first wafer cassette 200, until it abuts against the other longitudinal end of the photovoltaic silicon wafer in the first wafer cassette 200. Figures 1-4 (Left end of the middle). Each of the two longitudinal bonding frames 31 may include a vertical bonding rod that abuts against the other longitudinal end of the photovoltaic silicon wafer. A transverse bonding frame 32 connects the two longitudinal bonding frames 31 together to facilitate synchronous movement of the two longitudinal bonding frames 31. The bonding mechanism 3 may also include two bonding guides 33 respectively disposed below the two longitudinal bonding frames 31, such as... Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown. Each tab guide 33 is located on the inner side of the corresponding base 16 facing the other base 16 in the transverse Y direction, and can be slidably supported on, for example, the inner wall of the corresponding base 16 via a guide rail assembly 4 (e.g., a slide rail that can be used on a drawer).

[0037] The pushing mechanism 2 abuts against one longitudinal end of the photovoltaic silicon wafer in the first wafer cassette 200 to apply a pushing force to push the photovoltaic silicon wafer from the first wafer cassette 200 into the second wafer cassette 300. The receiving mechanism 3 abuts against the other longitudinal end of the photovoltaic silicon wafer in the first wafer cassette 200 to receive the photovoltaic silicon wafer pushed by the pushing mechanism 2 to prevent it from bending downwards due to flexural force. Then, the receiving mechanism 3 moves synchronously with the pushing mechanism 2 to clamp the photovoltaic silicon wafer together with the pushing mechanism 2 and transfer the photovoltaic silicon wafer from the first wafer cassette 200 to the second wafer cassette 300.

[0038] In the above embodiments, to prevent the photovoltaic silicon wafer from being damaged when the pushing longitudinal frame 21 and the receiving longitudinal frame 31 abut against the photovoltaic silicon wafer, pushing pads 24 and receiving pads 34 that abut against the photovoltaic silicon wafer can be respectively provided on the vertical pushing rod of the pushing longitudinal frame 21 and the vertical receiving rod of the receiving longitudinal frame 31. Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown. The push pad 24 and the receiving pad 34 can be made of flexible materials such as rubber and silicone.

[0039] During the transfer of photovoltaic silicon wafers from the first wafer cassette 200 to the second wafer cassette 300, it is essential to ensure a constant longitudinal (X) distance between the wafer pushing mechanism 2 and the wafer receiving mechanism 3 holding the photovoltaic silicon wafers. This prevents damage to the photovoltaic silicon wafers due to flexible bending or excessive clamping. To this end, the photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device according to this embodiment may further include a limiter 5, which is connected to the wafer pushing mechanism 2 and the wafer receiving mechanism 3 respectively to maintain the distance between them and ensure their synchronous movement. Figure 7 In one exemplary configuration, the limiter 5 may include a first fixing member 51, a second fixing member 52, and a limiting rod 53. The first fixing member 51 is fixed to one of the pushing mechanism 2 and the receiving mechanism 3, for example, by fasteners, while the second fixing member 52 is fixed to the other of the pushing mechanism 2 and the receiving mechanism 3, for example, by fasteners. One end of the limiting rod 53 has a ring buckle 55 and is fixedly connected to the first fixing member 51 via the ring buckle 55. The other end of the limiting rod 53 has a locking hook 54 and is detachably connected to the second fixing member 52 via the locking hook 54. When using the photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device, both ends of the limiting rod 53 can be connected to the pushing mechanism 2 and the receiving mechanism 3 respectively to maintain the longitudinal X-axis spacing between the pushing mechanism 2 and the receiving mechanism 3; when not using the photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device, the locking hook 54 at one end of the limiting rod 53 can be removed from the second fixing member 52, allowing the pushing mechanism 2 and the receiving mechanism 3 to move as shown. Figure 2 As shown, they are brought together, thus putting the photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device in a closed state.

[0040] The following is a brief description of the operation process of the photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device according to this utility model.

[0041] First, the pushing mechanism 2 and the receiving mechanism 3 are pulled out to both sides of the support mechanism 1, so that the pushing mechanism 2 and the receiving mechanism 3 completely avoid the opening box placement space 15 and are in a position where... Figure 1The diagram shows the open state. The first wafer cassette 200, containing multiple photovoltaic silicon wafers with one side already printed, is placed upright on the two bases 16 of the support mechanism 1, on the side of the wafer cassette placement space 15 closest to the pushing mechanism 2. The empty second wafer cassette 300 is placed inverted on the two bases 16, on the side of the wafer cassette placement space 15 closest to the receiving mechanism 3, with the front faces of the first and second wafer cassettes facing each other. During the placement of the first and second wafer cassettes, the two support frames 11 and multiple longitudinal beams 12 of the support mechanism 1 are used to limit the movement of the first and second wafer cassettes.

[0042] Then, the pushing mechanism 2 and the receiving mechanism 3 are pushed into the wafer cassette placement space 15, respectively. More specifically, the pushing mechanism 2 and the receiving mechanism 3 are pushed into the space between the back sides of the first and second wafer cassettes, respectively, until the pushing mechanism 2 abuts one longitudinal end of a plurality of photovoltaic silicon wafers in the first wafer cassette 200 after passing through the back side of the first wafer cassette 200, and the receiving mechanism 3 abuts the other longitudinal end of a photovoltaic silicon wafer in the first wafer cassette 200 after passing through the back and front sides of the second wafer cassette 300 and the front side of the first wafer cassette 200 in sequence. Next, the other end of the limiting rod 53, one end of which is fixedly connected to the first fixing member 51 (which is fixed to one of the pushing mechanism and the receiving mechanism), is connected to the second fixing member 52 (which is fixed to the other of the pushing mechanism and the receiving mechanism) by means of a locking hook 54. This uses the limiter 5 to maintain the longitudinal X-axis spacing between the pushing mechanism 2 and the receiving mechanism 3 and ensure that they can move synchronously.

[0043] Subsequently, the wafer pusher 2 moves longitudinally X towards the second wafer cassette 300, pushing multiple photovoltaic silicon wafers from the first wafer cassette 200 towards the second wafer cassette 300. Simultaneously, the wafer receiving mechanism 3 carries the photovoltaic silicon wafers and moves synchronously in the same direction as the wafer pusher 2, causing the wafer pusher 2 and wafer receiving mechanism 3 to clamp the photovoltaic silicon wafers and move them towards the second wafer cassette 300 until all the photovoltaic silicon wafers are completely pushed into the second wafer cassette 300, thus realizing the transfer and flipping of the photovoltaic silicon wafers. Then, the locking hook 54 at one end of the limiting rod 53 is removed from the second fixing member 52, and the wafer pusher 2 and wafer receiving mechanism 3 are moved longitudinally X away from each other out of the wafer cassette placement space 15. Then, the second wafer cassette 300 can be removed from the wafer cassette placement space 15, along with the transferred photovoltaic silicon wafers, and applied to the next process for printing on the other side. Finally, the wafer pusher 2 and wafer receiving mechanism 3 can be retracted again to return the photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device to its original position. Figure 2 The closed state is shown.

[0044] This utility model's photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device uses a pushing mechanism and a receiving mechanism to clamp multiple photovoltaic silicon wafers (e.g., one side already printed) in a first wafer cassette and push them from the first cassette into a second wafer cassette that is identical to the first but rotated 180 degrees relative to it. In this way, the photovoltaic silicon wafers transferred to the second wafer cassette are effectively flipped 180 degrees relative to their original counterparts in the first cassette, allowing them to be directly loaded into the second wafer cassette for the next process of printing the other side. This avoids the time-consuming and laborious manual flipping of each photovoltaic silicon wafer individually. Furthermore, the cooperating clamping and synchronous movement of the photovoltaic silicon wafers by the receiving and pushing mechanisms prevents damage to the often thin photovoltaic silicon wafers during the transfer process due to bending or excessive clamping.

[0045] Various modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments disclosed above without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention. Other embodiments of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the practice of this invention disclosed in this specification. This specification and the examples disclosed herein should be considered illustrative only, and the true scope of this invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device, characterized in that... include: A support mechanism (1) configured to accommodate a first wafer cassette (200) and a second wafer cassette (300) identical to each other for receiving photovoltaic silicon wafers, each wafer cassette having a front side for allowing the photovoltaic silicon wafers to enter and exit and a back side opposite to the front side, the first and second wafer cassettes being arranged on the support mechanism (1) such that their respective front sides face each other longitudinally (X) and they are rotated 180 degrees relative to each other; and The pusher mechanism (2) and the receiver mechanism (3) are movably connected to the support mechanism (1) in the longitudinal direction. The pusher mechanism and the receiver mechanism are configured to extend from the back of the first and second wafer cassettes into the space between the two back sides respectively and abut against the longitudinal ends of the photovoltaic silicon wafer in the first wafer cassette (200). They are able to hold the photovoltaic silicon wafer and move synchronously in the longitudinal direction (X) to push the photovoltaic silicon wafer from the first wafer cassette (200) into the second wafer cassette (300).

2. The photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device also includes a limiter (5), which is connected to the wafer pushing mechanism (2) and the wafer receiving mechanism (3) respectively to maintain the spacing between them in the longitudinal direction (X) and ensure their synchronous movement.

3. The photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The limiter (5) includes a first fixing member (51), a second fixing member (52) and a limiting rod (53). The first and second fixing members are respectively fixed to one of the push plate mechanism (2) and the receiving plate mechanism (3). The two ends of the limiting rod are respectively fixedly connected to the first fixing member and detachably connected to the second fixing member.

4. The photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The support mechanism (1) includes two bases (16) extending parallel to each other along the longitudinal direction (X), and the first and second cassettes are placed on the two bases across the gap between them.

5. The photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first and second wafer cassettes are both placed vertically on the two bases (16), and each is provided with a wafer slot (201, 301) for horizontally receiving photovoltaic silicon wafers in the corresponding wafer cassette. The wafer slot in each wafer cassette is not centered in the vertical (Z) direction. The two bases (16) are provided with a pad (17) at the position for placing the first or second wafer cassette so that the wafer slot (201) in the first wafer cassette and the wafer slot (301) in the second wafer cassette are at the same height aligned with each other.

6. The photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The wafer pushing mechanism (2) includes two wafer pushing longitudinal frames (21) spaced apart from each other in the transverse (Y) direction and a wafer pushing transverse frame (22) connecting the two wafer pushing longitudinal frames together. The wafer receiving mechanism (3) includes two wafer receiving longitudinal frames (31) spaced apart from each other in the transverse (Y) direction and a wafer receiving transverse frame (32) connecting the two wafer receiving longitudinal frames together. Each of the two wafer pushing longitudinal frames (21) includes a vertical wafer pushing rod that abuts against one longitudinal end of the photovoltaic silicon wafer. Each of the two wafer receiving longitudinal frames (31) includes a vertical wafer receiving rod that abuts against the other longitudinal end of the photovoltaic silicon wafer.

7. The photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The vertical push rod and the vertical receiving rod are respectively provided with a push pad (24) and a receiving pad (34) that abut against the photovoltaic silicon wafer.

8. The photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The pusher mechanism (2) further includes two pusher guides (23) respectively disposed below the two pusher longitudinal frames (21), and the receiving mechanism (3) further includes two receiving guides (33) respectively disposed below the two receiving longitudinal frames (31). The two pusher guides and the two receiving guides are slidably supported on the two bases (16) via guide rail assembly (4).

9. The photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The support mechanism (1) further includes two support frames (11) and two or more longitudinal beams (12) connecting the two support frames. The two support frames are erected on the two bases, facing each other in the longitudinal direction (X) and spanning the gap between the two bases (16). The two support frames are respectively fixed to the two bases by two longitudinal beams (12) that are spaced apart in the transverse direction (Y) and connected to their bottoms.

10. The photovoltaic silicon wafer flipping device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The support mechanism (1), the pusher mechanism (2), and the connecting mechanism (3) are each composed of multiple aluminum profiles connected to each other.

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