A laser corner cleaning device for thin film battery pieces

Abstract

This utility model discloses a laser edge-cleaning device for thin-film solar cells, belonging to the field of thin-film solar cell edge processing technology. Addressing the problem that conventional laser edge-cleaning equipment cannot effectively remove the film layer from the 1mm × 45° chamfered area around the solar cell, and that dedicated chamfering equipment is complex and expensive, this device includes a belt conveyor assembly, a positioning mechanism, a laser processing mechanism, and a dust removal mechanism. The focal point of the laser focusing system is offset by 40mm from the physical center of the field lens, forming an inclined incident angle suitable for the chamfer; through a regional structural layout of laser movement at the front and rear edges and solar cell movement at the left and right edges, full coverage processing of the chamfered area is achieved. The device is also equipped with a visual dynamic positioning assembly and a synchronous following negative pressure dust removal mechanism. This utility model offers high processing precision, leaves no film residue, has low modification costs, and is suitable for mass production in thin-film solar cell production lines.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of edge processing technology for thin-film solar cells, specifically relating to a laser corner clearing device for thin-film solar cells. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacturing process of thin-film solar cells, a process film layer needs to be deposited on the surface of the substrate. The side of the substrate is C-shaped and has a 1mm×45° chamfer. The film layer will cover the chamfer area at the same time, but the product standard requires that the excess film layer in the chamfer area must be removed.

[0003] Early edge cleaning processes used sandblasting, mechanical roller friction, or scraping, which, while effectively removing the chamfered film layer, easily damaged the solar cell substrate and resulted in low processing precision and severe dust pollution. In recent years, laser edge cleaning has become the mainstream technology; however, conventional laser edge cleaning equipment only performs planar processing on the upper surface of the solar cell, failing to effectively focus and remove the film layer from the upward-sloping chamfered areas. The few devices that can handle chamfering are complex in structure and expensive, with modification costs 3-5 times that of conventional equipment, lacking economic viability for industrialization. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a dedicated laser edge cleaning device for the chamfered areas of thin-film solar cells that is simple in structure, has high processing precision, and is cost-effective. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a laser corner clearing device for thin-film solar cells to solve the technical problems existing in the background art.

[0005] This utility model provides a laser corner clearing device for thin-film solar cells, including a belt conveyor assembly, a positioning mechanism, a laser processing mechanism, and a dust removal mechanism; The belt conveyor assembly is arranged in the front-to-back direction and can realize bidirectional conveying in both forward and reverse directions; the positioning mechanism includes a set of retractable blocking positioning components and two sets of retractable pushing positioning components. The retractable blocking positioning components are located in the middle of the processing area of ​​the belt conveyor assembly, and the two sets of retractable pushing positioning components are respectively located at the front and rear ends of the belt conveyor assembly. Both sets of retractable pushing positioning components can cooperate with the retractable blocking positioning components to realize the front-to-back positioning of the battery cells; the belt conveyor assembly is also provided with lateral positioning structures on the left and right sides. The laser processing mechanism is mounted above the belt conveyor assembly and includes a laser focusing system and a laser system translation module. The laser system translation module is positioned across the belt conveyor assembly in the left-right direction and is located above the retractable blocking and positioning assembly. The laser focusing system is mounted on the laser system translation module and can reciprocate in the left-right direction, with its travel covering the entire length of the front and rear edges of the battery cell. The light-emitting end of the laser focusing system faces the belt conveyor assembly, and the focal point is set at an angle.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment, the retractable push-positioning component is a horizontally pushed-out structure, and its positioning part is provided with an inclined surface adapted to the 45° chamfer of the battery cell; the retractable blocking positioning component is a vertically lifting structure, and its positioning part is a rotatable roller structure.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the lateral positioning structure includes a lateral push assembly, a side fixed guide wheel assembly, and a side movable guide wheel assembly; the lateral push assembly and the side fixed guide wheel assembly are disposed opposite to each other on the left and right sides of the belt conveyor assembly, and the side movable guide wheel assembly is arranged on the same side as the lateral push assembly.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the side-fixed guide wheel assembly includes a roller array one and an adjusting screw, the adjusting screw being kinetically connected to the mounting bracket of the roller array one; the side-movable guide wheel assembly includes a roller array two and a roller drive mechanism, the output end of the roller drive mechanism being fixedly connected to the roller array two.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, a vision camera assembly is further included, which is mounted in the upper region of the belt conveyor assembly and whose signal output terminal is electrically connected to the control terminal of the roller drive mechanism.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the laser focusing system includes a laser output head, a reflector, a galvanometer, and a field mirror arranged sequentially along the optical path; the focal point of the laser focusing system is offset from the physical center of the field mirror by 40mm, forming an inclined incident angle adapted to the 45° chamfer of the solar cell; the laser focusing system uses an infrared nanosecond laser.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the dust removal mechanism includes a negative pressure dust extraction port and a dust extraction port translation module. The dust extraction port translation module is arranged in the left-right direction next to the laser system translation module. The negative pressure dust extraction port is installed on the dust extraction port translation module and moves synchronously with the laser focusing system.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the belt surface of the belt conveyor assembly is covered with a layer of high-elastic nylon fabric.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the retractable blocking positioning component, the retractable pushing positioning component, and the side pushing component are all driven by cylinders.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, both the laser system translation module and the dust extraction port translation module are servo motor driven linear guide rail modules.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this utility model's technical solution are: This equipment achieves efficient and high-precision removal of the film layer in the chamfered area of ​​thin-film batteries by using a zoned processing method that involves moving the front and rear edges with lasers and moving the battery cells on the left and right edges, combined with an inclined incident laser and a dynamic positioning structure. The equipment has a simple structure, low modification cost, and is suitable for industrial-scale promotion and application. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning direction of this utility model. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the front part of the cleaning station of this utility model. Figure 4 This is a partial schematic diagram of the cleaning station of this utility model. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the laser focusing system of this utility model.

[0017] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Thin-film solar cell; 2. Belt conveyor assembly; 3. Retractable blocking and positioning assembly; 4. Side fixed guide wheel assembly; 401. Roller array one; 402. Adjusting screw; 5. Side push assembly; 6. Side movable guide wheel assembly; 601. Roller array two; 602. Roller drive mechanism; 7. Vision camera assembly; 8. Retractable push and positioning assembly; 9. Laser focusing system; 901. Laser output head; 902. Field lens; 10. Laser system translation module; 11. Negative pressure dust extraction port; 12. Dust extraction port translation module. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The embodiments of the present invention are given for the purpose of illustration and description, and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the disclosed forms. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described to better illustrate the principles and practical applications of the present invention, and to enable those skilled in the art to understand the present invention and design various embodiments with various modifications suitable for a particular purpose.

[0019] like Figure 1-2As shown, this utility model discloses a laser corner-cleaning device for thin-film solar cells, including a belt conveyor assembly 2, a positioning mechanism, a laser processing mechanism, and a dust removal mechanism. The belt conveyor assembly 2 is arranged along the solar cell conveying direction (front-to-back direction), enabling bidirectional conveying in both forward and reverse directions. It carries and conveys the thin-film solar cells 1. The belt surface is covered with a high-elastic nylon cloth layer, which effectively protects the surface of the solar cells from contact scratches and reduces the coefficient of friction, facilitating subsequent mechanical positioning operations. The positioning mechanism is located around the belt conveyor assembly 2 and is used to accurately position the solar cells at the front and rear edge processing stations after they are conveyed into place. The laser processing mechanism is installed above the belt conveyor assembly 2 and is used to remove excess film from the chamfered areas around the solar cells. The dust removal mechanism works synchronously with the laser processing mechanism to promptly remove dust generated during laser processing, preventing pollution of the production environment.

[0020] like Figure 3-4 As shown, the positioning mechanism includes a retractable blocking positioning component 3, a side-pushing component 5, a retractable pushing positioning component 8, a side-fixed guide wheel assembly 4, and a side-moving guide wheel assembly 6. The retractable blocking positioning component 3 is located in the middle of the processing area of ​​the belt conveyor assembly 2, below the laser system translation module 10. It has a vertical lifting structure, and its positioning part is a rotatable roller structure. Two sets of retractable pushing positioning components 8 are provided, respectively located at the front and rear ends of the belt conveyor assembly 2. Both are horizontally pushing structures, and their positioning parts have inclined surfaces adapted to the 45° chamfer of the battery cell. Both sets of retractable pushing positioning components 8 can cooperate with the retractable blocking positioning component 3 to achieve front-back positioning of the battery cell. The side-pushing component 5 and the side-fixed guide wheel assembly 4 are arranged opposite each other on the left and right sides of the belt conveyor assembly 2, and the side-moving guide wheel assembly 6 is arranged on the same side as the side-pushing component 5. The retractable blocking positioning component 3, the retractable pushing positioning component 8, and the side pushing component 5 are all driven by cylinders, enabling rapid extension and retraction, short response time, and high positioning efficiency.

[0021] The side-fixed guide wheel assembly 4 includes a roller array 401 and an adjusting screw 402, which is connected to the mounting bracket of the roller array 401. Before production, the lateral position of the roller array 401 can be manually adjusted by turning the adjusting screw 402 according to the nominal size of the battery cell, serving as a fixed reference for the lateral positioning of the battery cell. The side-movable guide wheel assembly 6 includes a roller array 601 and a roller drive mechanism 602, with the output end of the roller drive mechanism 602 fixedly connected to the roller array 601. The roller drive mechanism 602 preferably adopts a ball screw linear module driven by a servo motor, whose mounting bracket is fixed to the side of the frame of the belt conveyor assembly 2. The sliding seat of the ball screw is fixedly connected to the roller array 601, enabling high-precision lateral movement control of ±0.02mm.

[0022] The equipment also includes a vision camera assembly 7, mounted above the belt conveyor assembly 2, whose signal output terminal is electrically connected to the control terminal of the roller drive mechanism 602. When the solar cell is conveyed to the vision recognition area, the vision camera assembly 7 acquires images of the solar cell in real time and identifies its actual size, sending a size deviation signal to the roller drive mechanism 602. The roller drive mechanism 602 drives the roller array 601 to move laterally, maintaining a preset gap of 0.05mm between the roller array 601 and the side of the solar cell. This dynamic adaptation structure effectively overcomes the processing accuracy deviation caused by the dimensional tolerance of the solar cell itself, ensuring that the solar cell does not shift laterally during conveying and avoiding damage to the solar cell due to excessive clamping.

[0023] like Figure 5 As shown, the laser processing mechanism includes a laser focusing system 9 and a laser system translation module 10. The laser system translation module 10 is arranged above the belt conveyor assembly 2 in the left-right direction and uses a linear guide module driven by a servo motor, which features high positioning accuracy and stable operation. The laser focusing system 9 is fixedly installed on the sliding end of the laser system translation module 10 and can move back and forth in the left-right direction, with the movement range covering the entire length of the front and rear edges of the solar cell. The laser focusing system 9 includes a laser output head 901, a reflector, a galvanometer, and a field lens 902 arranged sequentially along the optical path. It uses an infrared nanosecond laser as the light source, and its output laser energy is precisely calibrated, enabling the film layer in the chamfered area to vaporize instantly without damaging the underlying solar cell substrate.

[0024] The laser focusing system 9 emits light towards the belt conveyor assembly 2, with its focal point offset 40mm from the physical center of the field mirror 902, forming an inclined incident angle adapted to the 45° chamfer of the solar cell. In actual processing, the galvanometer can actively adjust the laser beam's emission direction according to the edge (front, back, left, right) of the currently processed solar cell, ensuring that each chamfered surface achieves a superior inclined incident effect. Addressing the problem in existing technologies where vertical field mirror emission cannot effectively focus on the inclined chamfered surface, this structure adjusts the focal point to tilt the incident light, ensuring uniform laser energy focusing across the entire 1mm × 45° chamfered area, resulting in clean edges and no residual film.

[0025] The dust removal mechanism includes a negative pressure dust extraction port 11 and a dust extraction port translation module 12. The dust extraction port translation module 12 is arranged parallel to the laser system translation module 10 in the left-right direction, and also adopts a linear guide rail module driven by a servo motor. The negative pressure dust extraction port 11 is fixedly installed on the sliding end of the dust extraction port translation module 12 and is connected to an explosion-proof dust collector through a pipe. During processing, the dust extraction port translation module 12 drives the negative pressure dust extraction port 11 to move synchronously with the laser focusing system 9, always keeping it directly above the laser processing point, and sucking up the dust generated during processing nearby, effectively avoiding dust contamination of the laser beam path and the surface of the solar cells.

[0026] Based on the above, the corner cleaning process is described below. This equipment completes the removal of the film layer in the corner areas around the battery cell in four steps, following the sequence of front edge chamfering area → left edge chamfering area → rear edge chamfering area → right edge chamfering area: (1) Front edge chamfering area processing: The battery cell is conveyed to the front edge processing station by the belt conveyor assembly 2. The retractable blocking positioning assembly 3 in the middle extends vertically upward to block the front edge of the battery cell. The side push assembly 5 pushes the battery cell close to the side fixed guide wheel assembly 4. After the vision camera assembly 7 identifies the size of the battery cell, the roller drive mechanism 602 drives the roller array 2 601 to adjust to the preset gap. The retractable push positioning assembly 8 extends to press the front edge of the battery cell against the retractable blocking positioning assembly 3 to complete the precise positioning. Then the laser focusing system 9 emits light, and the laser system translation module 10 drives the laser focusing system 9 to move from the right front corner of the battery cell to the left front corner, covering the entire front edge chamfering area. The negative pressure dust extraction port 11 follows and sucks up the dust.

[0027] (2) Processing of the left edge chamfered area: After the front edge processing is completed, the laser focusing system 9 stays at the left front corner of the cell, and the retractable blocking positioning component 3, the side pushing component 5 and the retractable pushing positioning component 8 retract. The belt conveyor component 2 drives the cell forward, while the laser focusing system 9 continues to emit light, starting from the left front corner to remove the film layer in the left edge chamfered area until the left edge of the cell has completely passed through the laser processing area.

[0028] (3) Processing of the rear edge chamfering area: After the left edge processing is completed, the retractable blocking positioning component 3 in the middle extends vertically upward again, and the belt conveyor component 2 drives the battery cell to be conveyed backward. The rear edge of the battery cell is blocked by the retractable blocking positioning component 3 and stops. The retractable pushing positioning component 8 extends and presses the rear edge of the battery cell against the retractable blocking positioning component 3, completing the rear edge positioning. The laser focusing system 9 emits light, and the laser system translation module 10 drives it to move from the left rear corner to the right rear corner, completing the processing of the rear edge chamfering area.

[0029] (4) Right edge chamfering area processing: After the rear edge processing is completed, the laser focusing system 9 stays at the right rear corner of the battery cell, and the retractable blocking positioning component 3 and the retractable pushing positioning component 8 retract. The belt conveyor component 2 drives the battery cell to be conveyed backward, while the laser focusing system 9 continues to emit light, starting from the right rear corner to remove the film layer in the right edge chamfering area until the right edge of the battery cell has completely passed through the laser processing area.

[0030] After all processing is completed, belt conveyor assembly 2 transports the battery cells forward to the next process. This equipment achieves efficient and high-precision removal of the film layer in the chamfered area of ​​thin-film batteries by using a zoned processing method that involves laser movement at the front and rear edges and movement of the battery cells at the left and right edges, combined with an inclined incident laser and a dynamic positioning structure. The equipment has a simple structure, low modification cost, and is suitable for industrial-scale application.

[0031] Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this utility model, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art and related fields based on the embodiments of this utility model without creative effort should fall within the protection scope of this utility model. Structures, devices, and operating methods not specifically described and explained in this utility model, unless otherwise specified or limited, shall be implemented according to conventional means in the art.

Claims

1. A laser corner-cleaning device for thin-film solar cells, characterized in that: Includes belt conveyor components, positioning mechanisms, laser processing mechanisms, and dust removal mechanisms; The belt conveyor assembly is arranged in the front-to-back direction and can realize bidirectional conveying in both forward and reverse directions; the positioning mechanism includes a set of retractable blocking positioning components and two sets of retractable pushing positioning components. The retractable blocking positioning components are located in the middle of the processing area of ​​the belt conveyor assembly, and the two sets of retractable pushing positioning components are respectively located at the front and rear ends of the belt conveyor assembly. Both sets of retractable pushing positioning components can cooperate with the retractable blocking positioning components to realize the front-to-back positioning of the battery cells; the belt conveyor assembly is also provided with lateral positioning structures on the left and right sides. The laser processing mechanism is mounted above the belt conveyor assembly and includes a laser focusing system and a laser system translation module. The laser system translation module is positioned across the belt conveyor assembly in the left-right direction and is located above the retractable blocking and positioning assembly. The laser focusing system is mounted on the laser system translation module and can reciprocate in the left-right direction, with its travel covering the entire length of the front and rear edges of the battery cell. The light-emitting end of the laser focusing system faces the belt conveyor assembly, and the focal point is set at an angle.

2. The laser corner clearing device for thin-film solar cells according to claim 1, characterized in that: The retractable push-positioning component is a horizontally pushed-out structure, and its positioning part is provided with an inclined surface adapted to the 45° chamfer of the battery cell; the retractable blocking positioning component is a vertically lifting structure, and its positioning part is a rotatable roller structure.

3. The laser corner clearing device for thin-film solar cells according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lateral positioning structure includes a lateral push assembly, a side fixed guide wheel assembly, and a side movable guide wheel assembly; the lateral push assembly and the side fixed guide wheel assembly are arranged opposite to each other on the left and right sides of the belt conveyor assembly, and the side movable guide wheel assembly is arranged on the same side as the lateral push assembly.

4. The laser corner clearing device for thin-film solar cells according to claim 3, characterized in that: The side-fixed guide wheel assembly includes a roller array one and an adjusting screw, the adjusting screw being driven to the mounting bracket of the roller array one; the side-movable guide wheel assembly includes a roller array two and a roller drive mechanism, the output end of the roller drive mechanism being fixedly connected to the roller array two.

5. The laser corner clearing device for thin-film solar cells according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a vision camera assembly, which is mounted in the upper area of ​​the belt conveyor assembly, and its signal output terminal is electrically connected to the control terminal of the roller drive mechanism.

6. The laser corner clearing device for thin-film solar cells according to claim 5, characterized in that: The laser focusing system includes a laser output head, a reflector, a galvanometer, and a field mirror arranged sequentially along the optical path; the focal point of the laser focusing system is offset from the physical center of the field mirror by 40mm, forming an inclined incident angle adapted to the 45° chamfer of the solar cell; the laser focusing system uses an infrared nanosecond laser.

7. The laser corner clearing device for thin-film solar cells according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dust removal mechanism includes a negative pressure dust extraction port and a dust extraction port translation module. The dust extraction port translation module is arranged in the left-right direction next to the laser system translation module. The negative pressure dust extraction port is installed on the dust extraction port translation module and moves synchronously with the laser focusing system.

8. The laser corner clearing device for thin-film solar cells according to claim 1, characterized in that: The belt surface of the belt conveyor assembly is covered with a layer of high-elastic nylon fabric.

9. The laser corner clearing device for thin-film solar cells according to claim 3, characterized in that: The retractable blocking positioning component, the retractable pushing positioning component, and the side pushing component are all driven by cylinders.

10. The laser corner clearing device for thin-film solar cells according to claim 7, characterized in that: Both the laser system translation module and the dust extraction port translation module are servo motor driven linear guide rail modules.

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