Battery string and processing device thereof

Abstract

The utility model discloses a battery string and a processing device thereof. The battery string comprises a plurality of battery pieces, a welding strip and a protection piece. The battery pieces are sequentially arranged, the welding strip comprises a first welding section connected with the first battery piece and a second welding section connected with the second battery piece, the first welding section and the second welding section are located on the same path, a blank section is further reserved on the path, and the blank section is located between the first welding section and the second welding section. The second battery piece is partially exposed through the blank section; the protection piece can reflect laser or buffer laser energy, and the protection piece is fixed on the first battery piece or the second battery piece and located below the blank section; or the protection piece is fixed below the blank section. By means of the arrangement, the protection performance of the second battery piece in the negative spacing battery string welding strip breaking process can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of photovoltaic product technology, and in particular to a battery string and its processing apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] A photovoltaic (PV) cell string is a unit that connects multiple PV cells in series using a soldering method to form a higher voltage power generation unit. It is a core component of a photovoltaic system.

[0003] Existing battery strings include positive-pitch and negative-pitch types. A positive-pitch battery string refers to a string where there is a gap between adjacent cells, while a negative-pitch battery string refers to a string where adjacent cells at least partially overlap. During battery string repair and other processes, laser cutting is used to break the solder strips between adjacent cells. In positive-pitch battery strings, there is a gap below the solder strips between adjacent cells to prevent damage during laser cutting. However, in negative-pitch battery strings, the overlap between adjacent cells means that cells lie beneath the solder strips, meaning that breaking the solder strips can damage the cells below them.

[0004] Therefore, how to improve the protection of the battery cells during the breakage of negative-pitch battery strings is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the purpose of this application is to provide a battery string and its processing apparatus, which can improve the protection of the battery cells during the breaking of negative-pitch battery strings.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A battery string includes multiple battery cells, a solder ribbon, and a protective element. The battery cells are arranged sequentially, with adjacent battery cells defined as a first battery cell and a second battery cell. The first battery cell includes a first connecting end near the second battery cell, and the second battery cell includes a second connecting end near the first battery cell. The first connecting end is at least partially located above and abuts against the second connecting end. The solder ribbon includes a first soldering segment connecting the first battery cell and a second soldering segment connecting the second battery cell. The first and second soldering segments are located on a path, with a blank segment between the first and second soldering segments, allowing partial exposure of the second battery cell. The protective element is capable of reflecting or buffering laser energy and is fixed to the first or second battery cell, located below the blank segment; or the protective element is fixed below the blank segment.

[0008] Furthermore, the protective component is one of the following: transparent ceramic coating, photonic crystal, graphene adhesive, silicon carbide silicone, aerogel heat insulation adhesive, magnetic wave absorbing adhesive, multilayer composite adhesive film, liquid metal adhesive, biomimetic structural adhesive film, self-healing laser-resistant adhesive, and phase change material adhesive.

[0009] Furthermore, the height of the protective element ranges from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm; the maximum width of the protective element ranges from 0.5 mm to 2 mm.

[0010] Furthermore, the protective component is bonded to the first battery cell; or the protective component is bonded to the second battery cell; or the protective component is bonded to the blank segment.

[0011] Furthermore, the battery string is a BC battery string, and the welding strips include positive electrode welding strips and negative electrode welding strips, which are distributed alternately. The protective component is located below the positive electrode welding strip or the negative electrode welding strip between the first battery cell and the second battery cell.

[0012] On the other hand, to achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0013] A battery string processing apparatus is provided for processing the aforementioned battery string. The processing apparatus includes a cutting mechanism and a carrying mechanism. The cutting mechanism has a degree of freedom of movement and is used to cut blank segments of the solder strip between a first battery cell and a second battery cell. The cutting position of the cutting mechanism is located directly above a protective member on the second battery cell. The carrying mechanism is used to carry the battery string and is at least partially located below the cutting mechanism.

[0014] Furthermore, the cutting mechanism employs one of the following: green laser cutting, ultraviolet laser cutting, ultra-short pulse laser cutting, or laser water-guided cutting.

[0015] Furthermore, the processing apparatus includes a vision positioning module capable of determining the cutting position, the vision positioning module being located above the support mechanism.

[0016] Furthermore, the visual positioning module is installed on the cutting mechanism and moves with the cutting mechanism.

[0017] Furthermore, the supporting mechanism includes a supporting surface for supporting the battery string, and the supporting surface has adsorption holes that can adsorb the battery string.

[0018] In the aforementioned battery string and its processing device, multiple battery cells and welding ribbons are connected to form a negative-pitch battery string, and a protective component is placed below the blank section in the welding ribbon. Since the protective component can reflect or buffer the laser energy, it can prevent the laser from irradiating the second battery after the laser breaks the welding ribbon, thereby preventing damage to the second battery cell and improving the protection of the second battery cell during the breaking of the welding ribbon in the negative-pitch battery string. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the battery string structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 2 A side view of the battery string provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 3 Examples of this application Figure 2 Enlarged diagram of point A in the diagram;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the combination of the battery string and processing device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions in specific embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in this application specification and claims do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Similarly, "a" or "one," and similar terms do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the presence of at least one. "A plurality" or "several" indicates at least two. Unless otherwise stated, terms such as "front," "back," "left," "right," "lower," and / or "upper" are for illustrative purposes only and are not limited to a location or spatial orientation. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" indicate that the elements or objects preceding "comprising" encompass the elements or objects listed following "comprising" or "including" and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect.

[0025] The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this application specification and appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0026] To clearly illustrate the technical solution of this application, the following are also defined: Figure 1 The directions shown are front, back, left, right, up, and down.

[0027] like Figures 1 to 3As shown, this application provides a battery string 100, which includes a plurality of battery cells 11 and solder ribbons 12. The plurality of battery cells 11 are arranged sequentially along the length direction of the battery string 100, and the solder ribbons 12 connect the plurality of battery cells 11, so that the plurality of battery cells 11 are connected and electrically conductive through the solder ribbons 12, thereby forming the battery string 100. The length direction of the battery string 100 is... Figure 1 The front and rear directions of the 100-cell battery string.

[0028] Specifically, two adjacent battery cells 11 are defined as a first battery cell 111 and a second battery cell 112. The first battery cell 111 includes a first connecting end 1111 near the second battery cell 112, and the second battery cell 112 includes a second connecting end 1121 near the first battery cell 111. The first connecting end 1111 is at least partially located above and abuts against the second connecting end 1121. This arrangement allows two adjacent battery cells 11 in the battery string 100 to at least partially overlap, making the battery string 100 in this embodiment a negative-pitch battery string.

[0029] More specifically, the welding strip 12 includes a first welding segment 121 and a second welding segment 122. The first welding segment 121 connects to the first battery cell 111, and the second welding segment 122 connects to the second battery cell 112. The first welding segment 121 and the second welding segment 122 are located on the same path, and a blank segment 123 is left on this path. The blank segment 123 is located between the first welding segment 121 and the second welding segment 122, allowing partial exposure of the second battery cell 112. This arrangement allows for a gap between the blank segment 123 and the second battery cell 112, facilitating the cutting and breaking of the welding strip 12.

[0030] It should be noted that during the production and repair processes of the battery string 100 of this application, the blank segment 123 is broken by laser to break the solder strip 12 of the battery string 100. However, during the process of breaking the blank segment 123, the second battery cell 112 below the blank segment 123 is easily damaged. Therefore, to avoid the aforementioned damage to the second battery cell 112, the battery string 100 of this application also includes a protective member 13. The protective member 13 is fixed to the first battery cell 111 or the second battery cell 112 and is located below the blank segment 123. The protective member 13 can reflect the laser or buffer the laser energy. With this configuration, after the laser breaks the blank segment 123, the laser can irradiate the protective member 13, and the protective member 13 can reflect the laser or buffer the laser energy to prevent the laser from irradiating the second battery cell 112 and causing damage to the second battery cell 112. Thus, the second battery cell 112 is protected during the process of breaking the blank segment 123.

[0031] In another embodiment, the protective element 13 is fixed below the blank segment 123. This arrangement allows the protective element 13 to immediately reflect or buffer the laser energy after the laser breaks the blank segment 123, preventing the laser from irradiating the second battery cell 112 and further improving the protection of the second battery cell 112. In this embodiment, after the blank segment 123 is broken, separating the protective element 13 from the blank segment 123 achieves the process of breaking the solder strip 12 of the battery string 100.

[0032] With the above settings, the laser can be prevented from irradiating the second battery after the laser breaks the welding strip 12, thereby preventing damage to the second battery cell 112 and improving the protection of the second battery cell 112 during the breaking of the welding strip 12 of the negative-pitch battery string 100.

[0033] As one implementation method, the protective component 13 is one of the following: transparent ceramic coating, photonic crystal, graphene adhesive, silicon carbide silicone, aerogel heat insulation adhesive, magnetic wave absorbing adhesive, multilayer composite adhesive film, liquid metal adhesive, biomimetic structural adhesive film, self-healing laser-resistant adhesive, and phase change material adhesive.

[0034] Specifically, the transparent ceramic coating is transparent or semi-transparent, ensuring that the protective element 13 does not affect the light absorption function of the solar cell 11, thus avoiding a reduction in the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the solar cell string 100. Secondly, the transparent ceramic coating can protect against fiber lasers of less than 50W, thereby protecting the solar cell 11 when the laser breaks the solder ribbon 12.

[0035] The photonic crystal can reflect laser light of a specific wavelength, such as 1064nm, to protect the solar cell 11. Secondly, the photonic crystal has high selective reflection, reflecting laser light without affecting the passage of other light through the protective element 13, thus avoiding a reduction in the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the solar cell string 100. Furthermore, the photonic crystal has a relatively thin thickness, which facilitates the arrangement of the protective element 13 below the blank section 123. For example, the photonic crystal can be an alternating coating of silicon dioxide and titanium oxide.

[0036] Graphene adhesive possesses high thermal conductivity and mechanical strength, enabling it to quickly disperse and buffer laser energy, thus protecting the solar cell 11. Secondly, the graphene adhesive has a relatively thin thickness, facilitating the placement of the protective element 13 beneath the blank segment 123. Furthermore, the graphene adhesive is conductive, promoting electrical conductivity between the solar cells 11 within the solar cell string 100.

[0037] Silicon carbide silicone has high absorption capacity, which allows the protective component 13 to absorb laser energy, thereby protecting the battery cell 11.

[0038] Aerogel insulation adhesive has low thermal conductivity, thus effectively blocking laser energy to protect the battery cell 11. Secondly, aerogel insulation adhesive has a light weight, thereby improving the ease of use of the battery string 100. For example, the aerogel insulation adhesive can be silica or carbon aerogel.

[0039] Magnetic absorbing adhesive can absorb near-infrared laser energy through the magnetocaloric effect and convert it into heat diffusion to protect the battery cell 11.

[0040] The liquid metal adhesive has a reflectivity similar to that of solid metal, thereby enabling laser reflection to protect the solar cell 11. For example, the liquid metal adhesive can be a liquid gallium indium alloy adhesive.

[0041] The biomimetic structural adhesive film has high strength and can resist laser cutting, thereby protecting the battery cell 11. For example, the biomimetic structural adhesive film includes an inner layer, a middle layer, and an outer layer arranged sequentially. The inner layer is a conductive silver paste, which has high conductivity and contacts the first battery cell 111 or the second battery cell 112 to improve the conductivity of the battery cell 11 in the battery string 100. The middle layer is a carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin, and the outer layer is alumina particles. The middle and outer layers have high strength, thereby improving the efficiency of the protective element 13 in resisting laser cutting, thus protecting the battery cell 11.

[0042] The self-healing laser-resistant adhesive contains dynamic chemical bonds or microcapsule repair agents, which can partially repair themselves after being damaged by lasers, thus achieving laser resistance and protecting the battery cell 11. At the same time, the self-healing function can improve the service life of the protective component 13.

[0043] When exposed to laser irradiation, the phase change material adhesive absorbs heat and undergoes a phase change (solid to liquid), thereby buffering the laser energy and protecting the solar cell 11. Secondly, the phase change material adhesive has high flexibility, allowing the protective component 13 to adapt to curved solar cells 11. This enables the selection of different materials for the protective component 13 according to application requirements, improving the versatility of the protective component 13 in protecting the solar cell 11. For example, the phase change material adhesive can be a mixture of paraffin wax and silicone adhesive.

[0044] The multilayer composite film can be a combination of various materials of the above-mentioned protective component 13. By combining multiple materials, the ability to reflect laser or buffer laser energy can be improved, thereby improving the protection of the battery cell 11.

[0045] It should be noted that the protective element 13 of this application may also be other materials that reflect laser or buffer laser energy, and this application does not limit this.

[0046] like Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment, the height H of the protective member 13 ranges from 0.1mm to 0.5mm; the maximum width of the protective member 13 ranges from 0.5mm to 2mm. Specifically, the height H of the protective member 13 is the height H along the vertical direction of the battery string 100, and the width of the protective member 13 is the width along the front-back direction of the battery string 100. More specifically, the height H of the protective member 13 ranges from 0.15mm to 0.4mm; the maximum width W of the protective member 13 ranges from 0.6mm to 1.6mm. More specifically, the height H of the protective member 13 is 0.32mm; the maximum width W of the protective member 13 is 1.28mm. This configuration avoids the protective member 13 becoming too large due to excessive height H or width W, thus preventing it from being unable to be positioned below the blank section 123 and thus failing to protect the battery cell 11, thereby facilitating the protection of the battery cell 11. Secondly, it can also avoid the protective component 13 being too small in size due to its height H or width W being too small, thereby preventing the protective component 13 from being unable to fully reflect the laser or buffer the laser energy, which would cause damage to the second battery cell 112, thus further improving the protection of the second battery cell 112.

[0047] In one embodiment, the protective member 13 is bonded to the first battery cell 111; or the protective member 13 is bonded to the second battery cell 112; or the protective member 13 is bonded to the blank segment 123. This arrangement allows for the fixation of the protective member 13 to the first battery cell 111, or to the second battery cell 112, or to the blank segment 123.

[0048] It should be noted that this application does not restrict the connection method between the protective element 13 and the first battery cell 111, the connection method between the protective element 13 and the second battery cell 112, or the connection method between the protective element 13 and the blank segment 123.

[0049] In one implementation, the battery string 100 is a BC (Back Contact) battery string. The solder strips 12 include positive and negative solder strips, which are alternately distributed. The protective element 13 is located below the positive or negative solder strip between the first battery cell 111 and the second battery cell 112. Since the positive and negative solder strips of the battery cells 11 in the BC battery string need to be broken intermittently, the above arrangement allows the protective element 13 to be placed according to the actual breaking requirements of the BC battery string. This avoids placing the protective element 13 below solder strips 12 that do not need to be broken, thus reducing the waste of the protective element 13 and lowering its usage cost.

[0050] It should be noted that the battery string 100 can also be other types of battery strings, such as TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact) battery strings. TOPCon battery strings do not require the positive and negative electrode solder strips to be interrupted. The protective component 13 only needs to be located below the blank segment 123 of the solder strip 12 between the first battery cell 111 and the second battery cell 112 of the TOPCon battery string.

[0051] like Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment, this application provides a processing apparatus 200 for processing the battery string 100. The processing apparatus 200 includes a cutting mechanism 21 and a carrying mechanism 22. The cutting mechanism 21 is used to cut the solder strip 12 to achieve a solder strip 12 breaking process for the battery string 100. The carrying mechanism 22 is at least partially located below the cutting mechanism 21 and is used to carry the battery string 100, thereby facilitating the solder strip 12 breaking process performed by the cutting mechanism 21 on the battery string 100.

[0052] Specifically, the cutting mechanism 21 has a degree of freedom of movement and is used to cut the blank segment 123 of the welding strip 12 between the first battery cell 111 and the second battery cell 112. The cutting position of the cutting mechanism 21 is located directly above the protective member 13 on the second battery cell 112. This arrangement ensures that after the laser of the cutting mechanism 21 breaks the blank segment 123, the laser can only irradiate the protective member 13, so that the protective member 13 can reflect the laser or buffer the laser energy, thereby protecting the second battery cell 112.

[0053] It should be noted that this application does not restrict the cutting position of the cutting mechanism 21, as long as the cutting mechanism 21 can irradiate the protective member 13 after cutting the blank segment 123 of the welding strip 12.

[0054] For example, the cutting mechanism 21 includes a laser cutter and a robotic arm. The robotic arm is connected to the laser cutter to drive the laser cutter to move and to cut the blank segment 123 of the welding strip 12 between the first battery cell 111 and the second battery cell 112.

[0055] As one implementation method, the cutting mechanism 21 employs one of the following: green laser cutting, ultraviolet laser cutting, ultra-short pulse laser cutting, and laser water-guided cutting. Understandably, all of the above laser cutting types offer high cutting quality, thus avoiding burrs and roughness on the cut surface of the solder strip 12 when cutting the blank segment 123. This prevents burrs from overlapping with adjacent solder strips 12 and causing a short circuit in the battery string 100, thereby improving the smoothness of the cut surface of the solder strip 12 and ultimately enhancing the product quality after the solder strip 12 of the battery string 100 is cut.

[0056] It should be noted that the cutting mechanism 21 may also adopt other laser cutting methods that can improve the smoothness of the cut surface of the welding strip 12, and this application does not limit this.

[0057] In one implementation, the processing apparatus 200 includes a vision positioning module 23 capable of determining the cutting position, located above the support mechanism 22. In some implementations, the vision positioning module 23 includes a vision inspection camera and a central processing unit (CPU) communicatively connected. The vision inspection camera is used to capture images of the battery string 100 and transmit the image data of the battery string 100 to the CPU. The image data of the battery string 100 includes images of blank segments 123 and protective members 13. The CPU uses the image data of the battery string 100 to determine the blank segment 123 of the solder strip 12 between the first battery cell 111 and the second battery cell 112 in the battery string 100, as well as the cutting position of the cutting mechanism 21. Simultaneously, the CPU is electrically connected to the cutting mechanism 21, thereby controlling the cutting mechanism 21 to cut at the detected cutting position, thus achieving an automatic cutting process for the solder strip 12 of the battery string 100.

[0058] In one implementation, the visual positioning module 23 is mounted on the cutting mechanism 21 and moves with the cutting mechanism 21. This configuration allows the visual positioning module 23 to accurately locate the cutting position of the cutting mechanism 21, thereby improving the accuracy of breaking the solder strip 12 of the battery string 100.

[0059] It should be noted that the visual positioning module 23 can also be installed in other locations, as long as the visual positioning module 23 can determine the cutting position, that is, the visual inspection camera can capture the blank segment 123 and the protective piece 13 below the blank segment 123.

[0060] In one embodiment, the supporting mechanism 22 includes a supporting surface 221 for supporting the battery string 100, and the supporting surface 221 has adsorption holes 2211 for adsorbing the battery string 100. In some embodiments, a negative pressure can be formed in the adsorption holes 2211, so that when the battery string 100 is laid on the supporting surface 221, the battery string 100 is adsorbed by the negative pressure formed in the adsorption holes 2211, so as to avoid the battery string 100 from shifting during the cutting process and causing the cutting position of the solder strip 12 to be misaligned, thereby improving the accuracy of cutting the solder strip 12 of the battery string 100. After the solder strip 12 is cut, the negative pressure is no longer formed in the adsorption holes 2211, so as to facilitate the detachment of the battery string 100 from the supporting surface 221, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the battery string 100.

[0061] The working process of the processing device 200 for the battery string 100 in this application is as follows:

[0062] First, the battery string 100 is placed on the supporting surface 221. The negative pressure formed within the adsorption hole 2211 fixes the battery string 100. A vision processing module detects the blank segment 123 of the solder ribbon 12 between the first battery cell 111 and the second battery cell 112 in the battery string 100, as well as the cutting position of the cutting mechanism 21, and controls the cutting mechanism 21 to cut at the cutting position. After the cutting mechanism 21 breaks the blank segment 123, the laser from the cutting mechanism 21 can only irradiate the protective component 13. The protective component 13 can reflect or buffer the laser energy, thereby preventing the laser from irradiating the second battery cell 112, thus protecting the second battery cell 112. After cutting is completed, the negative pressure no longer forms within the adsorption hole 2211, allowing the battery string 100 to detach from the supporting surface 221, thus completing the solder ribbon 12 breaking process of the battery string 100.

[0063] It should be understood that those skilled in the art can make improvements or modifications based on the above description, and all such improvements and modifications should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A battery string, characterized in that, include: Multiple battery cells are arranged sequentially, with adjacent battery cells defined as a first battery cell and a second battery cell. The first battery cell includes a first connecting end near the second battery cell, and the second battery cell includes a second connecting end near the first battery cell. The first connecting end is at least partially located above and abuts against the second connecting end. A solder strip includes a first soldering segment connecting the first battery cell and a second soldering segment connecting the second battery cell. The first soldering segment and the second soldering segment are located on a path, and a blank segment is left on the path between the first soldering segment and the second soldering segment, through which a portion of the second battery cell is exposed. A protective element capable of reflecting or buffering laser energy, the protective element being fixed to the first or second battery cell and located below the blank segment; or the protective element being fixed below the blank segment.

2. The battery string according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protective component is one of the following: transparent ceramic coating, photonic crystal, graphene adhesive, silicon carbide silicone, aerogel heat insulation adhesive, magnetic wave absorbing adhesive, multilayer composite adhesive film, liquid metal adhesive, biomimetic structural adhesive film, self-healing laser-resistant adhesive, and phase change material adhesive.

3. The battery string according to claim 1, characterized in that, The height of the protective element ranges from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm; the maximum width of the protective element ranges from 0.5 mm to 2 mm.

4. The battery string according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protective component is bonded to the first battery cell; or the protective component is bonded to the second battery cell; Alternatively, the protective component may be bonded to the blank segment.

5. The battery string according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery string is a BC battery string, and the solder strip includes a positive solder strip and a negative solder strip, which are alternately distributed. The protective component is located below the positive solder strip or the negative solder strip between the first battery cell and the second battery cell.

6. A battery string processing apparatus for processing battery strings as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, include: A cutting mechanism having a degree of freedom of movement and used to cut blank segments of the solder strip between a first battery cell and a second battery cell, wherein the cutting position of the cutting mechanism is located directly above the protective member on the second battery cell; A support mechanism for supporting the battery string, the support mechanism being at least partially located below the cutting mechanism.

7. The battery string processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The cutting mechanism employs one of the following: green laser cutting, ultraviolet laser cutting, ultra-short pulse laser cutting, or laser water-guided cutting.

8. The battery string processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The processing device includes a vision positioning module capable of determining the cutting position, and the vision positioning module is located above the support mechanism.

9. The battery string processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The visual positioning module is installed on the cutting mechanism and moves with the cutting mechanism.

10. The battery string processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The supporting mechanism includes a supporting surface for supporting the battery string, and the supporting surface has adsorption holes that can adsorb the battery string.

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