Panel reversal device

Abstract

To provide a panel reversal device which can easily reverse a direction of a glass layer of a plate-like member.SOLUTION: A panel reversal device 7 comprises: a mount table 9 in which a glass layer of a solar panel 1 is mounted in a posture of being direction downward; a reversal unit 10 adjacently installed in the side of the mount table 9 via a rotational shaft 17; and a longitudinal guide unit 15 fixed to the end of the reversal unit 10. The reversal unit 10 comprises: a frame connected to the rotational shaft 17; and a transport unit 14 and a suction unit 16 connected to the frame. The suction unit 16 moves from a position (waiting position P3) concaved from the transport part 14 to a projecting position (suction position P4) to adsorb the solar panel 1. The suction unit 16 opens the solar panel 1, in a halfway while the solar panel 1 is rotated and reversed. The solar panel 1 slides down on the transport part 14 to come into contact with the guide unit 15 and the posture is adjusted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a panel flipping device used to flip a panel. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, the glass layer contained in solar panels, liquid crystal panels, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "solar panels, etc.") is subject to recycling, and is therefore peeled off when the solar panels, etc. are discarded. In a solar panel, a glass layer is bonded via a sealing material to a back sheet on which battery cells are stacked, and the four sides are reinforced with a frame material. A connector to which a power transmission cable is connected is attached to the back surface of the solar panel. Therefore, when a solar panel is dismantled, the frame material and connector are removed first, and then the glass layer is peeled off from the back sheet.

[0003] As a technique for removing frame materials and connectors, for example, there is a dismantling device described in Patent Document 1 below (hereinafter referred to as the disclosed invention). According to the disclosed invention, the dismantling device is equipped with a mounting section on which the solar panel is placed, and a removal mechanism section arranged above the mounting section. The solar panel is placed on the mounting section with the connector on top and the glass layer on the bottom, and the removal mechanism section approaches the top surface of the solar panel and moves horizontally to remove the frame materials and connectors.

[0004] One example of a technique for peeling off the glass layer is the separation device described in Patent Document 2 below (hereinafter referred to as the disclosed document 2 invention). According to the disclosed document 2 invention, a rotating striking member is provided on the downstream side of a transport section that transports the solar panels. The solar panels transported by the transport section are smashed from the edge by the striking member on the downstream side, and the glass is peeled off from the back sheet. The striking section is equipped with multiple hammers around a rotating shaft, and as the hammers rotate, they are swung down from top to bottom, striking and shattering the glass, so the solar panels are transported with the glass layer facing up. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7066231 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6625180 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As described above, in the process in which a solar panel is dismantled and the glass layer is peeled off, when the frame material etc. is removed, the solar panel is in a position where the glass layer faces downward, and on the other hand, when the glass layer is peeled off, the glass layer faces upward. Therefore, when the solar panel is transported from the dismantling apparatus relating to the invention disclosed in publicly known document 1 to the separation apparatus relating to the invention disclosed in publicly known document 2, the solar panel needs to be reversed in position.

[0007] Although it is possible to flip solar panels by hand, handling is difficult. The reasons are as follows. In solar panels to be discarded, the glass layer may already be broken, or may be broken by the impact of processing with a dismantling device, so glass fragments may fall off during flipping. Since the glass layer is bonded to the back sheet via a sealant, even if it is broken, it may not fall off and remain attached to the back sheet. However, since the back sheet is soft, if you try to flip the solar panel by hand, the back sheet will not be able to maintain a horizontal position and will sag, causing the glass fragments to shift. The fragments will shift and not return to their original position while attached to the back sheet, causing the glass layer to become wavy. Therefore, it is difficult to peel off the glass layer in the next process. In addition, in order to reduce labor, it is necessary to transport solar panels using a simple method that does not rely on human labor as much as possible.

[0008] The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to provide a panel reversing device that can easily reverse the orientation of a glass layer of a plate-shaped member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the panel inversion device of the present invention comprises a stage portion on which a plate-shaped member having a glass layer and a substrate layer to which the glass layer is attached is placed with the glass layer facing downwards, and an inversion portion which inverts the plate-shaped member by rotating a rotation axis arranged on the side of the stage portion to change between a facing position in which the plate-shaped member faces the substrate layer on the stage portion and a support position in which the glass layer faces upwards, wherein the inversion portion comprises a suction portion which adsorbs the substrate layer by sucking it in the facing position, and a transport portion which transports the plate-shaped member in the support position.

[0010] The panel inversion device according to the present invention is characterized in that the suction portion in the facing position protrudes further than the transport portion toward the plate-like member and comes into contact with the attachment layer.

[0011] The panel inversion device according to the present invention is characterized in that the transport section in the facing position comes into contact with the attachment layer of the plate-like member attracted by the suction section.

[0012] The panel inversion device according to the present invention is characterized in that the inversion section has a guide section that adjusts the attitude of the plate-like member by being abutted against an end of the plate-like member.

[0013] The panel inversion device of the present invention is characterized in that, during the process of changing from the facing posture to the supporting posture, the suction portion releases the plate-shaped member with the glass layer facing upward, and the plate-shaped member slides down the inversion portion and hits the guide portion.

[0014] The panel inversion device according to the present invention is characterized in that the transport section is a belt that is sent out in the axial direction of the rotation shaft. Effect of the Invention

[0015] The panel inversion device according to the present invention includes a stage section on which a plate-shaped member having a glass layer and a bonded layer to which the glass layer is attached is placed with the glass layer facing downward, and an inversion section which inverts the plate-shaped member by changing the orientation between a facing orientation in which the plate-shaped member faces the bonded layer on the stage section and a supporting orientation in which the plate-shaped member is supported with the glass layer facing upward by rotating a rotation shaft arranged on the side of the stage section, and includes a suction section which adsorbs the plate-shaped member by sucking the bonded layer in the facing orientation, and a transport section which transports the plate-shaped member in the supporting orientation. The inversion section inverts the plate-shaped member by sucking the plate-shaped member with the suction section and rotating to change between the facing orientation and the supporting orientation. Thus, the orientation of the glass layer of the plate-shaped member can be easily inverted. In addition, the plate-shaped member placed on the stage section with the glass layer facing downward has the front surface adsorbed by the suction section and is inverted by rotating the inversion section to a position with the glass layer facing upward. Even if the glass layer is cracked, since it is attached to the attachment layer and faces downward, when the plate-shaped member is sucked upward, the glass layer remains attached to the attachment layer and does not shift, so that the orientation of the glass layer of the plate-shaped member can be easily reversed while maintaining a flat orientation.

[0016] In the panel inversion device according to the present invention, the suction portion in the facing position protrudes beyond the conveying portion toward the plate-like member and contacts the layer to be attached. Therefore, the suction portion reliably contacts the layer to be attached and adsorbs the plate-like member. If the suction portion did not protrude beyond the conveying portion, the conveying portion would contact the plate-like member and the suction portion would not contact the plate-like member, and suction would not be possible.

[0017] In the panel inversion device according to the present invention, the conveying section in a facing position contacts the attached layer of the plate-shaped member that is attracted by the suction section. The plate-shaped member is supported by the conveying section as the conveying section comes into contact with the attached layer. In this state, the inversion section changes to a supporting position, so that the plate-shaped member is inverted without sagging. Therefore, the orientation of the glass layer of the plate-shaped member can be easily inverted while the plate-shaped member remains flat.

[0018] In the panel inversion device according to the present invention, the inversion unit has a guide unit that adjusts the posture of the plate-like member by contacting the end of the plate-like member. Since the posture of the plate-like member is adjusted by contacting the guide unit, the plate-like member can be corrected to an appropriate posture. In particular, if the plate-like member is in an appropriate posture for processing in the next process, this contributes to labor savings.

[0019] In the panel inversion device according to the present invention, the suction unit releases the plate-shaped member in a position in which the glass layer faces upwards while the inversion unit is changing from the facing position to the supporting position, and the plate-shaped member slides down the inversion unit and hits the guide unit. As the suction unit releases the plate-shaped member while the inversion unit is changing from the facing position to the supporting position, the plate-shaped member slides down the inversion unit due to its own weight and hits the guide unit on the downstream side, thereby adjusting its position. In other words, the position of the plate-shaped member is automatically corrected, so that the plate-shaped member can be corrected to an appropriate position. In particular, if the plate-shaped member is in an appropriate position for processing in the next process, this contributes to labor saving.

[0020] In the panel inversion device according to the present invention, the conveying section is a belt that is sent out in the axial direction of the rotation shaft. Because the belt is a single piece, glass fragments do not get caught. If the conveying section were rollers, glass fragments may get caught between the rollers during conveyance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a solar panel processing apparatus including a panel inversion device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a panel inverting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of a panel inverting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view of a panel inverting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part of the panel inverting device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a first process operation explanatory diagram showing a first process of the operation of the panel inverting device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a second process operation explanatory diagram showing a second process of the operation of the panel inverting device according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] The following is a description of a panel inverting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 shows a panel processing apparatus 2 having a panel inverting device 7 according to this embodiment.

[0023] 1, the panel processing equipment 2 dismantles solar panels 1 as plate-like members, and includes a panel inversion device 7 and a glass separating device 3 arranged downstream of the panel inversion device 7, with the devices 3 and 7 being arranged on the same line. Note that the panel processing equipment 2 has a frame dismantling device (not shown) arranged upstream of the panel inversion device 7. Therefore, in the panel processing equipment 2, the solar panels 1 are processed by passing through the frame dismantling device, panel inversion device 7, and glass separating device 3 in that order.

[0024] Solar panel 1 has a glass layer and an attachment layer to which the glass layer is attached (details not shown). The attachment layer is made of a back sheet attached to the rear surface of the battery layer with a sealing material, and a glass layer attached to the front surface with a sealing material. A connector is attached to the rear surface of the back sheet. The laminate of the glass layer and attachment layer is surrounded on all four sides by a frame.

[0025] The frame dismantling device separates the frame and connector from the solar panel 1 in advance. The frame dismantling device has a mounting section on which the solar panel 1 is placed, and a removal mechanism section arranged above the mounting section. First, the solar panel 1 is placed on the mounting section of the frame dismantling device with the connector on top and the glass layer on the bottom. In the frame dismantling device, the removal mechanism section approaches the top surface of the solar panel 1 from above, and moves horizontally to remove the frame and connector.

[0026] The solar panel 1 from which the frame and connector have been removed has its orientation reversed by a panel reversing device 7. That is, the solar panel 1 is transported from the frame dismantling device to the panel reversing device 7 with the glass layer facing downward, and in the panel reversing device 7, the solar panel 1 is reverted to a position with the glass layer facing upward (details will be described later). Next, the solar panel 1 is transported to a glass separating device 3.

[0027] The glass separating device 3 is for separating the glass layer from the solar panel 1, and is disposed downstream of the panel inverting device 7. The glass separating device 3 has a post-inversion conveying section 4 that conveys the solar panel 1 sent out from the panel inverting device 7, and a rotary impacting section 5 that separates the glass downstream of the post-inversion conveying section 4. The post-inversion conveying section 4 is, for example, a roller or a belt, and has a heating section 6 such as an infrared heater disposed above it. The rotary impacting section 5 is a shaft having a plurality of striking members (not shown) connected to its outer periphery. Thus, in the glass separating device 3, the solar panel 1 with the glass layer facing upward is conveyed by the post-inversion conveying section 4, and the glass is peeled off by the rotary impacting section 5 downstream.

[0028] Next, the panel inversion device 7 will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 2 to 4 show the panel inversion device 7. Figure 5 shows the operation of the suction unit 16. In the following, the transport direction of the solar panel 1 is referred to as the forward or backward direction, and the inversion direction is referred to as the leftward or rightward direction.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the panel inversion device 7 has a stage unit 8 on which the glass layer is placed with the glass layer facing downward, and an inversion unit 10 installed adjacent to the right side of the stage unit 8. The stage unit 8 is formed of a metal frame and has a flat mounting table 9 on its upper surface. The inversion unit 10 is generally plate-shaped and is disposed above a base unit 11 formed of a metal frame. The inversion unit 10 is located on the right side of the stage unit 8 and is connected to a rotation shaft 17 connected to the base unit 11. The axis of the rotation shaft 17 is oriented in the front-rear direction. A drive unit 18 such as a motor is connected to the rotation shaft 17 via a chain belt or the like, and the drive unit 18 is driven by a control signal from a control unit (not shown) to rotate the rotation shaft 17, thereby changing the attitude of the inversion unit 10. In detail, the inversion section 10 rotates between a position located above the base section 11 (hereinafter referred to as the "transport preparation position P1", see Figure 4) to a position facing the mounting table 9 of the stage section 8 (hereinafter referred to as the "suction preparation position P2", see Figure 4).

[0030] The reversing unit 10 has a support frame 12 connected to a rotating shaft 17, a pair of conveying units 14 connected to the support frame 12, a movable frame 13 connected to the support frame 12 and displaceable relative to the support frame 12, a suction unit 16 connected to the movable frame 13, and a long guide unit 15 fixed to an end of the conveying unit 14. The guide unit 15 is fixed to the end of the conveying unit 14 on the rotating shaft 17 side, and protrudes from the plane of the conveying unit 14.

[0031] The conveying section 14 is a flat belt that is long in the front-rear direction. The belt is wound around a roller (not shown), and the belt is sent forward by the rotation of the roller. The suction section 16 and the movable frame 13 are disposed in the center of the reversing section 10, between the conveying sections 14. The suction section 16 is, for example, a plurality of vacuums made of rubber or silicon, and is arranged in the front-rear direction. A cylinder or the like displaces the movable frame 13 in response to a control signal from the control section, thereby changing the degree of protrusion of the suction section 16 relative to the conveying section 14. In detail, as shown in FIG. 5, the suction section 16 moves between a position on the same plane as the plane of the conveying section 14 or a position recessed from the plane of the conveying section 14 (hereinafter referred to as the "standby position P3") to a position protruding from the plane of the conveying section 14 (hereinafter referred to as the "suction position P4").

[0032] The panel inverting device 7 is configured as described above. Next, the operation and effect of the panel inverting device 7 will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 6 and 7 show the process of operation of the panel inverting device 7 according to this embodiment. Note that in these drawings, only the outline of the main parts is shown, and other parts are omitted.

[0033] 6, the solar panel 1 is placed on a mounting table 9 of a panel inversion device 7 with the glass layer facing downward. Initially, the inversion unit 10 is in a transfer preparation position P1, and the suction unit 16 is in a standby position P3. Note that the frame and connector of the solar panel 1 have been removed in advance by a frame dismantling device.

[0034] When the inversion unit 10 of the panel inversion device 7 rotates together with the rotation shaft 17 (rotating counterclockwise in the figure) and reaches the suction preparation position P2, the suction unit 16 moves from the standby position P3 to the suction position P4. The inversion unit 10 in the suction preparation position P2 faces the attached layer of the solar panel 1 on the mounting table 9 (hereinafter referred to as the "facing position P5"), and the suction unit 16 comes into contact with and is pressed against the attached layer, sucking the attached layer and thereby adsorbing the solar panel 1. In the facing position P5, the suction unit 16 in the suction position P4 protrudes further than the transport unit 14 toward the solar panel 1, so that the suction unit 16 reliably comes into contact with the attached layer of the solar panel 1 and adsorbs the solar panel 1.

[0035] Even if the glass layer is cracked, since the glass is attached to the attachment layer and faces downward, when the solar panel 1 is sucked upward, the glass layer remains attached to the attachment layer and does not shift, so the orientation of the glass layer of the solar panel 1 can be easily reversed while maintaining a flat orientation.

[0036] 7, when the suction unit 16 that has adsorbed the solar panel 1 in the facing posture P5 moves from the suction position P4 to the standby position P3, the attached layer of the solar panel 1 comes into contact with the flat surface of the transport unit 14. The transport unit 14 comes into contact with the attached layer, so that the solar panel 1 is supported by the transport unit 14. Since the reversing unit 10 rotates in this state, the solar panel 1 is reversed without sagging.

[0037] The reversing unit 10 rotates together with the rotating shaft 17 (rotates clockwise in the figure), and when the reversing unit 10 moves from the suction preparation position P2 to the transport preparation position P1 and assumes a posture in which the glass layer of the solar panel 1 faces upward, the suction unit 16 releases the solar panel 1. More specifically, when the reversing unit 10 is at a position that is at least 90 degrees or more from the suction preparation position P2, the suction unit 16 stops suction. The solar panel 1 slides on the reversing unit 10 toward the end on the rotating shaft 17 side due to its own weight (see arrow D in the figure), and hits the guide unit 15 at the end where it slides down. The solar panel 1 that hits the guide unit 15 is adjusted to a posture that follows the guide unit 15. That is, the posture of the solar panel 1 is automatically corrected to an appropriate posture. Therefore, the solar panel 1 assumes a posture that is appropriate for processing in the glass separating device 3 in the next process, and the labor required for posture correction is eliminated, which contributes to labor saving.

[0038] Here, in this embodiment, "the orientation of the solar panel 1 with the glass layer facing upward" refers to an orientation in which the glass layer is visible in a plan view. Therefore, it is not limited to an orientation in which the glass layer is horizontal.

[0039] The inversion unit 10 in the transport preparation position P1 supports the solar panel 1 in a position in which the glass layer faces upward (hereinafter referred to as the "support position P6"). In the support position P6, the transport unit 14 is in contact with the layer to be attached, so the transport unit 14 operates to send out the belt, thereby transporting the solar panel 1. Because the belt is a single piece, no glass fragments will get caught during transport. Also, in the support position P6, the suction unit 16 in the standby position P3 does not protrude beyond the plane of the transport unit 14, so does not interfere with transport.

[0040] As described above, the reversing unit 10 sucks the solar panel 1 with the suction unit 16 and rotates to change between the facing posture P5 and the supporting posture P6, thereby reversing the solar panel 1. Therefore, the orientation of the glass layer of the solar panel 1 can be easily reversed.

[0041] In another embodiment of the present invention, in the facing position, the suction unit that has adsorbed the solar panel remains in the suction position and does not move to the standby position. In this case, the flat surface of the transport unit does not come into contact with the attachment layer of the plate-like member adsorbed by the suction unit. In other embodiments, the number and location of the suction portions are arbitrary, for example, the suction portions are located at offset positions laterally from the center of the inverted portion, or at the lateral ends. Another embodiment does not have a guide portion. Therefore, the suction portion releases the solar panel after the inverting portion supporting the solar panel moves from the suction preparation position to the transfer preparation position. In another embodiment, the suction unit moves from the standby position to the suction position when the reversing unit is in any posture between the transport preparation position and the suction preparation position.

[0042] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1. Solar panels 2 Panel processing device 3 Glass Separator 4. After-reversal conveying section 5 Rotating impact section 6 Heating section 7 Panel inversion device 8. Stage Section 9. Placement table 10 Reversal section 11 Base 12 Support frame 13 Movable Frame 14 Conveyor section 15 Guide section 16 Suction part 17 Rotation axis 18 Drive unit P1 Transport preparation position P2 suction preparation position P3 standby position P4 suction position P5 Facing Posture P6 support posture

Claims

1. a stage portion on which a plate-like member having a glass layer and a layer to which the glass layer is attached is placed with the glass layer facing downward; a reversing section that reverses the plate-like member by changing between a facing position facing the attachment layer on the stage section and a supporting position supporting the plate-like member with the glass layer facing upward by rotating a rotation shaft disposed on a side of the stage section, The inverted portion is a suction portion that sucks the attachment layer to adsorb the plate-like member in the facing position; A conveying unit that conveys the plate-like member in the supporting position. A panel inversion device.

2. the suction portion in the facing position protrudes toward the plate-like member beyond the conveying portion and contacts the attachment layer; 2. The panel inverting device according to claim 1.

3. the conveying section in the facing position comes into contact with the attachment layer of the plate-like member attracted by the suction section; 3. The panel inverting device according to claim 2.

4. The inverted portion is A guide portion is provided for adjusting the position of the plate-like member by contacting an end of the plate-like member.

4. A panel reversing device according to claim 1, wherein the panel reversing device is a panel reversing device.

5. During the change from the facing posture to the supporting posture, the suction portion releases the plate-like member in a posture in which the glass layer faces upward, and the plate-like member slides down the inverting portion and hits the guide portion.

5. The panel reversing device according to claim 4.

6. The conveying unit is a belt that is sent out in the axial direction of the rotation shaft.

4. A panel reversing device according to claim 1, wherein the panel reversing device is a panel reversing device.

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