Printing apparatus, printing components and main screen

Abstract

This application relates to a printing apparatus, a printing assembly, and a main grid screen. The main grid screen includes a first printing body portion, which has a plurality of first printing openings arranged at intervals along a first direction. The first printing openings extend along a second direction at an angle to the first direction. The first printing body portion includes a reinforcing member disposed within the first printing opening and connected to the opening wall of the first printing opening. The first printing body portion also has a plurality of second printing openings, which extend along the first direction and are fully open. The second printing openings corresponding to connecting lines are fully open, resulting in full lines of ink after printing at these locations. The connecting lines overlap with the fine grid, allowing for better current absorption. Furthermore, the reinforcing member at the first printing opening corresponding to the main grid improves the service life of the main grid screen.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of photovoltaic technology, and in particular to a printing apparatus, printing assembly, and main grid plate. Background Technology

[0002] In the production process of solar cells, screen printing is required to create silver paste metal electrode grid lines. The method involves using a squeegee to apply a certain pressure to the screen printing to compress the electrode paste, causing the electrode paste to pass through the screen printing and be printed onto the surface of the cell, thereby forming the electrode.

[0003] To increase the area of ​​solar cells that receives sunlight while reducing the series resistance of the electrodes, the grid lines (also called subgrids) are made increasingly thinner and thicker. During the printing process, due to the reduced width of the grid lines, the screen printing threads will block part of the grid lines, resulting in uneven and inconsistent grid lines after printing, which in turn reduces cell efficiency and module power.

[0004] Based on this, related technologies have proposed fully open printing screens, which include main screens and fine screens. The printing screen has printing openings according to the printing pattern, designed to be 100% open, resulting in high ink permeability and allowing for a higher aspect ratio and fuller grid lines after printing. However, when a fully open printing screen is used, the screen's inherent strength is affected, leading to a reduced lifespan. Utility Model Content

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to address the shortcomings of existing screen printing technology, which cannot simultaneously achieve high battery efficiency and high structural strength, by providing a printing apparatus, printing components, and a main grid screen.

[0006] On one hand, this application provides a main grid plate, including: a first printing body portion, the first printing body portion having a plurality of first printing openings arranged at intervals along a first direction, the first printing openings extending along a second direction, the second direction being at an angle to the first direction, the first printing body portion including a reinforcing member, the reinforcing member being disposed within the first printing opening and connected to the opening wall of the first printing opening; the first printing body portion also having a plurality of second printing openings, the second printing openings extending along the first direction, the second printing openings being fully open.

[0007] In one embodiment, the reinforcing member includes at least one of a rib, a connecting wire, and a connecting piece, and the opposite ends of the reinforcing member are respectively connected to opposite sides of the first printing opening along the first direction; and / or, the material of the first printing body portion includes a metal material.

[0008] In one embodiment, there are multiple reinforcing members within each of the first printed openings, and the multiple reinforcing members are arranged at intervals along the second direction.

[0009] In one embodiment, the second printing opening is divided into multiple groups, each group having multiple second printing openings arranged sequentially at intervals along the second direction, and each group of second printing openings being connected to each of the first printing openings.

[0010] In one embodiment, the outline of the second printing opening is symmetrical about the central axis of the first printing opening that is connected to it.

[0011] In one embodiment, the main grid screen further includes an elastic film layer connected to the side of the first printed body portion.

[0012] In one embodiment, the main grid screen further includes a frame that surrounds the outer periphery of the first printing body and is connected to the first printing body.

[0013] On the other hand, this application also provides a printing assembly, including the main screen plate mentioned above. The printing assembly further includes a fine screen plate, the fine screen plate including a second printing body portion. The second printing body portion is provided with a plurality of third printing openings arranged at intervals along a second direction. The third printing openings extend along a first direction. The third printing openings are provided with partition portions, and the third printing openings are divided into a plurality of sub-openings through the partition portions. Each partition portion is correspondingly provided with each of the second printing openings.

[0014] In one embodiment, the third printing opening is a full opening.

[0015] In another aspect, this application also provides a printing apparatus, which includes the aforementioned printing components.

[0016] The aforementioned printing apparatus, printing components, and main grid screen all feature a fully open second printing opening corresponding to the connecting lines. This results in a full, rich ink line shape after printing, allowing the connecting lines to overlap with the fine grids and better absorb current. If the second printing opening is not fully open, the ink line shape will be incomplete, and the connecting lines may even break. This would prevent the current from the fine grids from being transmitted to the main grid for collection, reducing cell efficiency and module power. Furthermore, the first printing opening corresponding to the main grid has a reinforcing member, meaning it is not fully open. While the ink line shape at the first printing opening is less full, the welding wires are electrically connected to the fine grids at the module end. Therefore, the poor morphology of the main grid has a relatively small impact on current transmission at the module end. Thus, not using a fully open first printing opening increases the overall structural strength of the main grid screen and improves its service life. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a solar cell according to an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The structure diagram of the first patterned electrode in the structure shown.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the main grid pattern according to an embodiment of this application.

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged structural diagram at point A.

[0021] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the main grid pattern according to another embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of a fine grid version according to an embodiment of this application.

[0023] 10. Solar cell; 11. Solar cell; 12. First patterned electrode; 121. Main grid; 122. Connecting line; 13. Second patterned electrode; 131. Fine grid; 1311. Segment; 20. Main grid screen; 21. First printing body; 211. First printing opening; 212. Reinforcing member; 213. Second printing opening; 22. Frame; 23. Mesh fabric; 30. Fine grid screen; 31. Second printing body; 311. Third printing opening; 3111. Sub-opening; 312. Separator. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0025] As described in the background section, screen printing in related technologies cannot simultaneously achieve high battery efficiency and high structural strength. This is because when the screen printing plate is fully open (i.e., no connecting ribs or other metal framework are installed within the printing opening), especially when the cutout area of ​​the main grid screen is large, the strength of the main grid screen itself decreases, leading to a shorter lifespan. To maintain the structural strength of the main grid screen, the printing opening is not fully open; for example, connecting ribs or other metal framework structures are designed within the printing opening to improve the structural strength of the main grid screen. However, the framework structure at the printing opening affects the ink permeability of the ink, easily leading to uneven grid lines after printing. Especially when the grid lines at the junction of the fine grid and the main grid are not fully filled, it will result in lower battery efficiency and photovoltaic module power.

[0026] For the reasons mentioned above, this application provides a printing apparatus, printing component, and main grid plate that can balance battery efficiency and ensure the structural strength of the main grid plate, thereby improving the service life of the main grid plate.

[0027] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 For example, the solar cell 10 includes a cell 11 and patterned electrodes disposed on the side of the cell 11. The patterned electrodes include a first patterned electrode 12 and a second patterned electrode 13. The first patterned electrode 12 includes a plurality of main grids 121 arranged sequentially at intervals along a first direction, and each main grid 121 extends along a second direction, such as the first direction. Figure 1 As shown by the double arrow X in the image, the second direction is, for example... Figure 1 As shown by the double arrow Y in the diagram. The first patterned electrode 12 also includes a plurality of connecting lines 122, each extending along a first direction. Optionally, the plurality of connecting lines 122 are divided into multiple groups, with each group containing at least two connecting lines 122, and each group corresponding to each main gate 121. Specifically, each main gate 121 is connected to each corresponding group, and the connecting lines 122 in each group are arranged symmetrically about the corresponding main gate 121. The connecting lines 122 in each group are arranged sequentially at intervals along the extension direction of the corresponding main gate 121.

[0028] The second patterned electrode 13 includes a plurality of fine gates 131 arranged at intervals along a second direction, each fine gate 131 extending along a first direction. The fine gates 131 are connected to the main gates 121. Each fine gate 131 has multiple notches, which divide it into multiple segments 1311 along its extension direction. Adjacent segments 1311 are spaced apart to form a notch. Specifically, the multiple notches of each fine gate 131 correspond to, for example, each main gate 121. Since each set of connecting lines 122 corresponds to each main gate 121, it can also be understood that the multiple notches of each fine gate 131 correspond to each set of connecting lines 122. Specifically, each notch corresponds to each connecting line 122, and the connecting line 122 fills the corresponding notch, connecting two adjacent segments 1311, thereby achieving a series connection of all segments 1311 of the fine gate 131. The length of the connecting line 122 is greater than the length of the gap, which ensures that two adjacent segments 1311 are electrically connected through the connecting line 122.

[0029] The fine grid 131 is mainly used to collect the photocurrent generated in the solar cell 10. The fine grid 131 is electrically connected to the main grid 121, and the current collected by the fine grid 131 is aggregated and led to an external circuit. Compared with the main grid 121, the fine grid 131 has more grid lines and smaller grid line width. The larger number of grid lines results in a shorter lateral current transmission path, lower cross-current resistance, higher fill factor and output power, which is beneficial to improving current collection efficiency; while the smaller grid line width can help reduce shading loss and improve short-circuit current and photoelectric conversion efficiency.

[0030] For example, the printing assembly includes a main grid 20 for printing a first patterned electrode 12 of the solar cell 10. The printing assembly also includes a fine grid 30 for printing a second patterned electrode 13 of the solar cell 10. Optionally, during the printing of the patterned electrodes on the cell 11, either the first patterned electrode 12 can be formed on the side of the cell 11 first using the main grid 20, and then the second patterned electrode 13 can be formed on the side of the cell 11 using the fine grid 30; or the second patterned electrode 13 can be formed on the side of the cell 11 first using the fine grid 30, and then the first patterned electrode 12 can be formed on the side of the cell 11 using the main grid 20.

[0031] The following will combine Figures 3 to 5 The specific structural form of the main grid version 20 is described in detail, and combined with... Figure 6 The specific structural form of the fine grid version 30 will be described in detail.

[0032] Please see Figures 3 to 5An embodiment of this application provides a main grid screen 20, comprising a first printing body portion 21. The first printing body portion 21 has a plurality of first printing openings 211 arranged at intervals along a first direction, and the first printing openings 211 extend along a second direction. The plurality of first printing openings 211 correspond one-to-one with a plurality of main grids 121 of the first patterned electrode 12. During the printing of paste on the side of the battery cell 11, the paste passes through the first printing openings 211, allowing the corresponding main grids 121 to be formed on the side of the battery cell 11.

[0033] For example, the second direction is set at an angle to the first direction. The angle between the second direction and the first direction includes, but is not limited to, 90° or other angles. Specifically, in this embodiment, the first direction is, for example... Figure 1 As shown by the double arrow X in the image, the second direction is, for example... Figure 1 The double arrow Y is shown in the diagram.

[0034] For example, the first printing body 21 includes a reinforcing member 212. The reinforcing member 212 is disposed within the first printing opening 211 and connected to the opening wall of the first printing opening 211. The reinforcing member 212 can improve the structural strength of the first printing body 21, prevent insufficient strength and easy damage defects caused by the first printing opening 211 being fully open, and thus improve the service life of the main grid plate 20.

[0035] For example, the first printing body 21 is also provided with a plurality of second printing openings 213. The second printing openings 213 extend along a first direction and are fully open. The plurality of second printing openings 213 are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of connecting lines 122 of the first patterned electrode 12. During the printing of paste on the side of the solar cell 11, the paste passes through the second printing openings 213 and the corresponding connecting lines 122 can be obtained on the side of the solar cell 11. In particular, since the second printing openings 213 are fully open, the ink permeability within the second printing openings 213 is high, which makes the connecting lines 122 more full. As a result, the fine grid 131 formed by the combination of the connecting lines 122 and the segments 1311 in the second patterned electrode 13 is full, the cell efficiency is high, and the power of the photovoltaic module is high.

[0036] The aforementioned printing components and main grid screen 20 feature a fully open second printing opening 213 corresponding to the connecting line 122. This results in a full, rich ink line pattern after printing, allowing the connecting line 122 to overlap with the fine grid 131 and better absorb current. If the second printing opening 213 is not fully open, the ink line pattern after printing will be incomplete, and the connecting line 122 may even break. Consequently, the current in the fine grid 131 cannot be transmitted to the main grid 121 for collection via the connecting line 122, reducing battery efficiency and module power. In addition, a reinforcing member 212 is provided at the first printing opening 211 corresponding to the main grid 121, that is, the first printing opening 211 is not fully open. The printed paste line shape at the first printing opening 211 is not full. However, at the component end, the welding wires are electrically connected to the fine grid 131 respectively. The poor morphology of the main grid 121 has little impact on the current transmission at the component end. In view of this, the first printing opening 211 is not fully open, which increases the overall structural strength of the main grid screen 20 and improves the service life of the main grid screen 20.

[0037] Therefore, by combining the current transmission characteristics of batteries and modules and using full openings in key local areas, the lifespan of the main grid plate 20 and the ink transfer properties of the paste can be taken into account, thus giving the batteries and modules excellent electrical transmission performance.

[0038] For example, the reinforcing member 212 includes, but is not limited to, at least one of ribs, connecting wires, and connecting pieces. The opposite ends of the reinforcing member 212 are respectively connected to opposite sides of the first printing opening 211 along a first direction. In this embodiment, the reinforcing member 212 is, for example, a rib. The opposite ends of the rib are respectively connected to opposite sides of the first printing opening 211 along the first direction. The reinforcing member 212 is disposed within the first printing opening 211, serving as a skeleton and providing support, thereby increasing the structural strength of the first printing body 21, and having minimal impact on the ink permeability of the first printing opening 211.

[0039] For example, the material of the first printing body 21 includes, but is not limited to, metallic materials. Specifically, the first printing body 21 may be made of, for example, a steel plate, a copper plate, or an aluminum plate.

[0040] It should be noted that the "reinforcing member 212" in this embodiment can be "a part of the first printing main body 21", that is, the "reinforcing member 212" and "other parts of the first printing main body 21" are integrally molded; or it can be an independent component that can be separated from "other parts of the first printing main body 21", that is, the "reinforcing member 212" can be manufactured independently and then combined with "other parts of the first printing main body 21" to form a whole.

[0041] Please see Figures 3 to 5For example, each first printing opening 211 contains multiple reinforcing members 212, which are arranged sequentially at intervals along the second direction. In this way, multiple portions of the first printing opening 211 along its extension direction can be reinforced by the reinforcing members 212, resulting in greater structural strength of the first printing body 21 and improved service life.

[0042] Specifically, multiple reinforcing members 212 are arranged at equal intervals along the second direction. For example, when the second printing opening 213 and the first printing opening 211 are staggered and connected, the portion of the first printing opening 211 corresponding to the second printing opening 213 may not require reinforcing members 212, while the remaining portions of the first printing opening 211 are provided with multiple reinforcing members 212, and these reinforcing members 212 are arranged at equal intervals. This improves the structural strength of the first printing body 21, and the saturation of the printing paste on each portion of the main grid 121 along its extension direction is relatively uniform, thus improving product quality.

[0043] For example, the second printing opening 213 is divided into multiple groups, and each group of second printing openings 213 consists of multiple openings arranged at intervals along the second direction. Each group of second printing openings 213 is connected to each first printing opening 211.

[0044] For example, the outline of the second printing opening 213 is symmetrical about the central axis of the first printing opening 211 that is connected to it.

[0045] For example, the main grid screen 20 also includes an elastic film layer. The elastic film layer is attached to the side of the first printing body portion 21. Optionally, the elastic film layer includes, but is not limited to, an elastic adhesive film attached to the side of the first printing body portion 21. During the printing operation of the main grid screen 20, the elastic adhesive film contacts the surface of the battery cell 11, which can effectively prevent scratches and damage defects on the surface of the battery cell 11, thereby improving the processing quality of the battery product.

[0046] For example, the main grid 20 also includes a frame 22. The frame 22 is disposed around the outer periphery of the first printing body portion 21 and is connected to the first printing body portion 21.

[0047] Specifically, the main grid 20 also includes a mesh fabric 23. The mesh fabric 23 is connected between the frame 22 and the first printing main body 21, and the mesh fabric 23 is arranged around the outer periphery of the first printing main body 21.

[0048] In one embodiment, see Figure 6The fine screen printing plate 30 includes a second printing main body 31. The second printing main body 31 has a plurality of third printing openings 311 arranged at intervals along a second direction. The third printing openings 311 extend along a first direction. Each third printing opening 311 has a dividing portion 312, which divides it into multiple sub-openings 3111. No openings are provided at the dividing portions 312, thus increasing the structural strength of the fine screen printing plate 30.

[0049] It is understandable that the more partitions 312 there are, and / or the longer the partitions 312 are, the greater the structural strength of the fine grid plate 30.

[0050] Each partition 312 is correspondingly provided with each second printing opening 213. Specifically, the length of the second printing opening 213 is greater than the length of its corresponding partition 312. Thus, the length of the connecting line 122 printed on the side of the battery cell 11 through the second printing opening 213 is greater than the length of the gap between two adjacent segments 1311 printed on the side of the battery cell 11 through the third printing opening 311, ensuring that the connecting line 122 is electrically connected to the two adjacent segments 1311.

[0051] Based on the aforementioned embodiments, the third printing opening 311 is a full opening. That is, each sub-opening 3111 is a full opening. This results in a higher ink penetration rate for the ink paste in the third printing opening 311, leading to a higher degree of fullness of the grid lines 131 printed on the battery cell 11, which is beneficial for ensuring battery efficiency and module efficiency. Furthermore, the width of the third printing opening 311 is the same as the width of the grid 131, thus the width of the third printing opening 311 is relatively small, ensuring that even with a full opening, the structural strength of the grid screen 30 remains high.

[0052] In another embodiment, this application also provides a printing apparatus, which includes the printing components of any of the above embodiments.

[0053] In the aforementioned printing apparatus, the second printing opening 213 corresponding to the connecting line 122 is fully open, resulting in a full and rich ink line pattern after printing. The connecting line 122 overlaps with the fine grid 131, allowing for better current absorption. If the second printing opening 213 is not fully open, the ink line pattern after printing will be incomplete, and the connecting line 122 may even break. This would prevent the current from the fine grid 131 from being transmitted to the main grid 121 for collection, reducing battery efficiency and module power. Furthermore, a reinforcing member 212 is provided at the first printing opening 211 corresponding to the main grid 121, meaning it is not fully open. While the ink line pattern at the first printing opening 211 is not full, at the module end, the welding wires are electrically connected to the fine grid 131. The poor morphology of the main grid 121 has a relatively small impact on current transmission at the module end. Therefore, by not fully opening the first printing opening 211, the overall structural strength of the main grid screen 20 is increased, improving its service life.

[0054] In the description of this application, it should be understood that if terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" appear, these terms indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0055] Furthermore, where the terms "first" and "second" appear, these terms are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, where the term "multiple" appears, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0056] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0057] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the use of descriptions such as "above" or "below" the second feature indicates that the first and second features are in direct contact or indirect contact via an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. Similarly, "below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0058] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. If so, the terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0059] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0060] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A master screen (20) characterized in that, include: The first printing main body (21) has a plurality of first printing openings (211) arranged sequentially at intervals along a first direction. The first printing openings (211) extend along a second direction, which is at an angle to the first direction. The first printing main body (21) includes a reinforcing member (212), which is disposed in the first printing opening (211) and connected to the opening wall of the first printing opening (211). The first printing main body (21) also has a plurality of second printing openings (213), which extend along the first direction and are fully open.

2. The master screen (20) according to claim 1, characterized in that The reinforcing member (212) includes at least one of a rib, a connecting wire, and a connecting piece. The two opposite ends of the reinforcing member (212) are respectively connected to the opposite sides of the first printing opening (211) along the first direction; and / or, the material of the first printing body (21) includes a metal material.

3. The master screen (20) according to claim 1, characterized in that There are multiple reinforcing members (212) within each of the first printing openings (211), and the multiple reinforcing members (212) are arranged sequentially at intervals along the second direction.

4. The master screen (20) according to claim 1, characterized in that The second printing opening (213) is divided into multiple groups, and each group of the second printing opening (213) consists of multiple openings arranged sequentially at intervals along the second direction. Each group of the second printing opening (213) is connected to each of the first printing openings (211).

5. The master screen (20) according to claim 4, characterized in that The outline of the second printing opening (213) is symmetrical about the central axis of the first printing opening (211) that is connected to it.

6. The master screen (20) according to claim 1, characterized in that The main grid (20) also includes an elastic film layer connected to the side of the first printing body (21).

7. The master screen (20) according to claim 1, characterized in that The main grid plate (20) also includes a frame (22), which is arranged around the outer periphery of the first printing main body (21) and is connected to the first printing main body (21).

8. A printing assembly characterized by, The printing assembly includes a main screen plate (20) as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, and further includes a fine screen plate (30). The fine screen plate (30) includes a second printing body (31), which has a plurality of third printing openings (311) arranged at intervals along a second direction. The third printing openings (311) extend along a first direction. The third printing openings (311) have a partition (312), which divides the third printing openings (311) into a plurality of sub-openings (3111) through the partition (312). Each partition (312) corresponds to each of the second printing openings (213).

9. The printing assembly of claim 8, wherein, The third printing opening (311) is a full opening.

10. A printing device characterized by comprising: The printing apparatus includes the printing components as described in claim 8 or 9.

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