Solar electronic paper display device

Abstract

The present application discloses a solar electronic paper display device. The device comprises: a system-in-package chip, in which an MCU module and an NFC module are integrally packaged, both a solar cell and an NFC antenna being integrated in a solar module, and the NFC antenna being prepared by means of electrodes outside an effective power generation area in the solar cell; the solar module, used for collecting electric energy; a circuit board, used for receiving an electronic paper display instruction sent by an external system and forwarding same to the MCU module, collecting the electric energy transmitted from the solar cell and storing same in an energy storage device, or collecting the alternating current electric energy transmitted from the NFC antenna and sending same to the NFC module; the NFC module, used for converting the alternating current electric energy into direct current electric energy and storing same in the energy storage device; the MCU module, used for analyzing the commodity information in the electronic paper display instruction; and an electronic paper module, used for displaying the commodity information.

Description

Solar electronic paper display device

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese invention patent application with application number 202410028417.2 filed on January 8, 2024, and cites the entire contents disclosed in the above patent application as part of this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic price label display, and in particular to a solar electronic paper display device. Background Art

[0004] This section is intended to provide a background or context to the embodiments of the present application that are recited in the claims. No admission is made that the description herein is prior art by virtue of its inclusion in this section.

[0005] The power of electronic paper display devices is usually supplied by primary batteries, which need to be replaced regularly to maintain the application of the product. This power supply method has the problems of poor safety, high cost and environmental friendliness. In other scenarios, in order to communicate or charge electronic products through near field communication technology (NFC), due to limited space and the influence of electromagnetic interference, the NFC coil usually needs to be set up independently of the product or installed in the PCB (Printed Circuit Board), which makes the electronic product bulky or wastes a large part of the PCB area, resulting in increased costs. Specifically, the electronic paper that has been disclosed in the technology now has several configurations:

[0006] The first type: The power supply unit in the electronic paper is a photovoltaic panel. In this case, it can only be used in scenes with light and the light intensity reaches a certain level. The use conditions have high requirements for photovoltaic panels and light, which greatly restricts the actual use of the product; the solar cells in the electronic paper are silicon-based solar cells, and silicon-based cells need to generate electricity well under sunlight conditions to provide power for the display module. Since a large number of display modules are used indoors, the indoor spectrum is very different from the sunlight spectrum. Under such conditions, the power supply capacity of silicon-based solar cells will be greatly reduced, and the performance of the display module will also be significantly affected.

[0007] The second type: The NFC coil of the electronic price tag is installed in the PCB. To avoid circuit obstruction and electromagnetic interference, the NFC coil is often designed on the outermost circle of the PCB. In other scenarios, two coils are set on the PCB to improve PCB space utilization, but this will complicate the design. Therefore, traditional NFC designs often waste a large amount of PCB area, thereby increasing manufacturing costs.

[0008] The third type: electronic price tags use two e-paper displays to avoid circuit interference, but the e-paper display is the component with the highest cost. Using two e-paper displays to save circuit board costs will lead to a significant increase in overall costs and make the circuit design more complicated.

[0009] Therefore, there is currently a lack of electronic paper with simple circuit design, high performance and cost savings. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The embodiment of the present application provides a solar electronic paper display device, which can significantly reduce the size of the circuit board, greatly reduce product costs and improve product performance. The device includes: a solar panel, an electronic paper module, a circuit board, a system package chip and an energy storage device, wherein the system package chip is integrated with an MCU module and an NFC module.

[0011] The solar module integrates both the solar cell and the NFC antenna, which is made by electrodes outside the active power generation area of ​​the solar cell.

[0012] The visible areas of the solar panels and the electronic paper module do not block each other;

[0013] Solar panels for collecting solar energy and converting it into electrical energy;

[0014] The circuit board is used to receive e-paper display instructions sent by the external system and forward them to the MCU module; collect the power transmitted from the solar cell and store it in the energy storage device, or collect the AC power transmitted from the NFC antenna and send it to the NFC module; and transmit the power in the energy storage device to the e-paper module and system package chip according to power demand;

[0015] NFC module, used to convert AC power into DC power and store it in energy storage devices;

[0016] The MCU module is used to parse the product information in the electronic paper display command and send it to the electronic paper module;

[0017] An electronic paper module for displaying received product information;

[0018] Energy storage devices are used to store electrical energy.

[0019] In the embodiments of the present application, compared to prior art solutions that employ photovoltaic panels, electronic price tags with NFC coils mounted on PCBs, or two electronic paper displays, the present application proposes for the first time a solution that integrates an NFC antenna on a solar cell. This eliminates the significant circuit board area previously required for the NFC antenna, significantly improving space utilization and saving significant circuit board costs. The NFC antenna is fabricated using electrodes outside the active power generation area of ​​the solar cell. Traditional solar cell fabrication requires additional removal processes (i.e., edge cleaning, such as laser or mechanical edge cleaning to remove excess film layers). The proposed method effectively utilizes this material with a simple etching process. For electronic paper products, there is no need to design an NFC antenna on an expensive circuit board, resulting in a simpler process and better utilization of space and electrode materials, enabling low-cost fabrication of the NFC antenna. Because the NFC antenna is integrated with the solar cell, it is typically mounted above or to the side of the display screen in a solar electronic paper display device. This location effectively avoids signal interference from circuit structures (such as TFTs) within the solar electronic paper display device. In addition, the physical distance between an NFC terminal and an NFC antenna for communication is improved, thereby enhancing communication performance. Energy transfer around energy storage devices significantly broadens the use cases for electronic products. Based on this application, by calculating the power consumption of loads in different scenarios and selecting appropriate solar cells and energy storage devices, combined with NFC antennas, electronic products can achieve long-term sustainable operation, freeing them from the limitations of primary batteries and enabling normal use in a variety of situations. This energy management model is universally applicable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. In the drawings:

[0021] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram (side view) of a solar electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of energy supply for a solar electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram (top view) of a solar electronic paper display device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the cascade structure in a solar cell according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a cascade structure of solar cells in a solar electronic paper display device;

[0026] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the cover plate structure in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of another cascade structure in a solar cell according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of another cover plate structure in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG9 is another schematic structural diagram (side view) of the solar electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a cascade structure in another solar cell according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of another cover plate structure in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG12 is another structural schematic diagram (side view) of the solar electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG13 is another structural schematic diagram (top view) of the solar electronic paper display device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a cascade structure in another solar cell according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG15 is another structural schematic diagram of the cover plate in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the embodiments of the present application are further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application, but are not intended to limit the present application.

[0037] Definitions of Abbreviations and Key Terms:

[0038] EPD: Electronic Paper Display;

[0039] NFC: Near Field Communication technology;

[0040] PCB: Printed Circuit Board;

[0041] FPC: Flexible Printed Circuit;

[0042] SIP: System-in-Package;

[0043] OPV: Organic Photovoltaic Cell;

[0044] DSC: Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell;

[0045] MCU: Microcontroller Unit;

[0046] TFT: Thin Film Transistor;

[0047] ESL: Electronic Shelf Label.

[0048] The electronic price tags in the embodiments of this application refer to the electronic price tags commonly found in supermarkets. They can display product information, switch pages, and some are equipped with LED lights that can flash or stay on to indicate specific information. The solar cell integrated NFC solution proposed in this application has universal applicability. Circuit designs using similar NFC technology in other types of solar electronic products are subject to the constraints of this application.

[0049] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram (side view) of a solar electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present application, comprising:

[0050] Solar panel 3, electronic paper module 4, circuit board 5, system package chip 6 and energy storage device 7; the system package chip 6 integrates the MCU module and NFC module.

[0051] Solar module 3 integrates both a solar cell and an NFC antenna, and the NFC antenna is prepared by using electrodes outside the effective power generation area of ​​the solar cell;

[0052] The visible areas of the solar panel 3 and the electronic paper module 4 do not block each other;

[0053] Solar energy module 3, used for collecting solar energy and converting it into electrical energy;

[0054] Circuit board 5 is used to receive electronic paper display instructions sent by the external system and forward them to the MCU module; collect the power transmitted from the solar cell and store it in the energy storage device, or collect the AC power transmitted from the NFC antenna and send it to the NFC module; and transmit the power in the energy storage device to the electronic paper module 4 and the system package chip 6 according to power demand;

[0055] NFC module, used to convert AC power into DC power and store it in energy storage device 7;

[0056] The MCU module is used to parse the product information in the electronic paper display instruction and send it to the electronic paper module 4;

[0057] The electronic paper module 4 is used to display the received product information; and

[0058] The energy storage device 7 is used to store electrical energy.

[0059] In the embodiment of the present application, the NFC module is also used for communication to realize the connection between the device and the external system. The NFC module can be integrated into the system package chip or as a separate component, installed separately on the circuit board.

[0060] The system package chip 6 realizes intelligent control and data processing.

[0061] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises an energy management system 8;

[0062] The circuit board 5 is used to: transmit the electric energy transmitted from the solar cell to the energy management system 8;

[0063] The NFC module is used to: transmit DC power to the energy management system 8;

[0064] The energy management system 8 includes a converter, a voltage regulator, a safety monitoring module and a charging controller.

[0065] The converter is used to: convert electrical energy into step-up or step-down conversion according to the energy storage requirements of the energy storage device;

[0066] The voltage stabilizer is used to: stabilize the converted electric energy and transmit it to the energy storage device 7;

[0067] The safety monitoring module is used to: perform safety monitoring on the electric energy inputted by the energy management system 8;

[0068] The charging controller is used to protect the internal circuits of the energy storage device 7 and the energy management system 8. The protection includes preventing overcharging, overdischarging and reverse current, or any combination thereof.

[0069] In this embodiment, the converter may be a DC-DC (Direct Current to Direct Current) converter and / or an LDO (Low Dropout Linear) converter. The energy management system 8 implements real-time regulation and energy optimization of electrical energy through data analysis. The DC-DC converter, LDO converter, voltage regulator, safety monitoring module, and charging controller are composed of basic components, including resistors, inductors, capacitors, diodes, and transistors, which implement the functions of these modules in the circuit.

[0070] In one embodiment, the device further comprises a housing 1;

[0071] The housing 1 is used to support the device, the first side of the housing directly faces the light, and the first side is empty or provided with a transparent cover 2; and

[0072] When a transparent cover plate 2 is provided, the transparent cover plate 2 is connected to the first surface of the housing by gluing or snapping. The transparent cover plate 2 is used to protect the solar module 3 and the electronic paper module 4 .

[0073] In this embodiment, the electronic paper module 4 includes:

[0074] A driver chip, configured to drive the electronic paper display module to display according to a received electronic paper display instruction; and

[0075] Electronic paper display module, used to display content.

[0076] The circuit board 5 includes:

[0077] The electronic paper module main control circuit is used to receive electronic paper display instructions sent by the external system and forward them to the MCU module; and

[0078] The power management circuit is used to collect the electric energy transmitted from the solar cell and store it in the energy storage device, or collect the AC power transmitted from the NFC antenna and send it to the NFC module; and transmit the electric energy in the energy storage device to the electronic paper module 4 and the system package chip 6 according to the power demand.

[0079] In one embodiment, the circuit board 5 is connected to the solar panel 3 and the electronic paper module 4 through a flexible printed circuit (FPC), and is also connected to the energy storage device 7, the energy management system 8, and the system package chip 6.

[0080] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the energy supply of the solar electronic paper display device in the embodiment of the present application. The overall energy demand of the device, including the energy demand in the working state and the standby state, is provided by the energy storage device. The energy of the energy storage device comes from the solar cell and the NFC module. The NFC module converts the AC power of the NFC antenna into DC power. In the ideal working mode, the energy consumed by the device is provided by the energy storage device, and the solar cell will replenish the energy that is not less than the energy consumed by the device, thereby achieving energy self-consistency of the entire device. When the solar electronic paper display device is in a dark environment for a long time or the light intensity is too weak to support the energy self-consistency of the entire device, or when the solar electronic paper display device needs to be charged quickly in a short time, fast wireless charging can be achieved through the NFC module using the NFC communication link.

[0081] FIG3 is a schematic diagram (top view) of the structure of a solar electronic paper display device in an embodiment of the present application. The visible areas of the solar panel and the electronic paper module do not block each other, effectively utilizing space.

[0082] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the cascade structure in a solar cell according to an embodiment of the present application. The solar cell is divided and connected in series by laser etching or mechanical scribing to control the output current and voltage of the solar module.

[0083] In one embodiment, a solar cell comprises:

[0084] Substrate 301, used to support and protect the solar cell and allow light to pass through; the material can be glass, plastic or other transparent materials;

[0085] Cover plate 305 is used to protect the solar cells. Considering that the product is primarily used indoors, a combination of a water- and oxygen-barrier film (such as 3M composite film) and UV (Ultraviolet) adhesive is exemplified. Combinations of water- and oxygen-barrier materials and cover glass, such as ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) / glass, polyvinyl butyral (PVB) / glass, thermoplastic silicone rubber (TPSE) / glass, and ethylene-octene copolymer (POE) / glass, may also be used.

[0086] The solar cell functional layer 303 is used to generate electricity by absorbing light energy. Depending on the type of cell, this functional layer may include various types, such as N-type semiconductor layer / P-type semiconductor layer, carrier transport layer / light absorption layer / carrier transport layer, nanoporous semiconductor layer / dye-sensitized layer and redox electrolyte, and other structures.

[0087] Transparent conductive layer 302, used to transmit electrical energy from the solar cell; exemplary metal oxide films such as indium tin oxide, fluorine-doped tin oxide, tungsten-doped indium tin oxide, and iridium-cobalt mixed oxides may be selected; alternatively, graphene, metal nanowires, carbon nanotubes, or metal films (such as silver, copper, gold, and aluminum films) may be selected;

[0088] The first electrode layer 3041 is used to transmit the electrical energy of the solar cell. Exemplary metal electrodes include silver, gold, copper, and aluminum. Metal alloys, graphene, metal nanowires, and carbon nanotubes may also be used. The first electrode layer 3041 is a portion of the electrode layer 304 in FIG. 4 .

[0089] The first segmentation 306 is used to complete the cutting of the transparent conductive layer 302 by laser etching; the line width is 20 μm to 120 μm;

[0090] The second segmentation 307 is used to complete the cutting of the solar cell functional layer 303 by laser etching; the line width is 20 μm to 120 μm;

[0091] The third segmentation 308 is used to complete the cutting of the solar cell functional layer 303 and the electrode layer 304 by laser etching or mechanical scribing;

[0092] The fourth segmentation 309 is used to separate the transparent conductive layer 302, the solar cell functional layer 303 and the electrode layer 304 from the edge by laser etching or mechanical scribing; the line width is 20 μm to 200 μm; and

[0093] The first electrode 310 and the second electrode 311 are the main electrodes of the inner cascade solar cell, used to connect the solar cell to the circuit board 5. The first electrode 310 and the second electrode 311 have opposite polarities. The first electrode 310 and the second electrode 311 can be positive or negative. The preparation process and materials of the first electrode 310 and the second electrode 311 are the same.

[0094] In one embodiment, the NFC antenna is fabricated using a laser etching process to form electrodes outside the active power generation area of ​​the solar cell. In this embodiment, the desired etching pattern of the laser etching process is programmed in the laser equipment.

[0095] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the cascade structure of solar cells in a solar electronic paper display device, from view B of Figures 1 and 4. For ease of understanding, Figure 5 does not show the cover 305, which includes solar cells and an NFC antenna.

[0096] In one embodiment, the NFC antenna includes:

[0097] The second electrode layer 3042 is the coil portion of the NFC antenna, used for near field coupling communication; and

[0098] The third electrode 312 and the fourth electrode 313 are the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the NFC antenna, and the polarities of the third electrode 312 and the fourth electrode 313 are opposite.

[0099] The preparation process and materials of the third electrode 312 and the fourth electrode 313 are the same as those of the first electrode 310 and the second electrode 311 .

[0100] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the cover plate structure in an embodiment of the present application, which is from the B perspective of FIG1 and FIG4.

[0101] In one embodiment, the cover plate 305 is provided with a first through hole 3051, a second through hole 3052, a third through hole 3053, and a fourth through hole 3054.

[0102] The first through hole 3051 is a passage for the first electrode 310 to lead to the circuit board 5;

[0103] The second through hole 3052 is a passage for the second electrode 311 to lead to the circuit board 5;

[0104] The third through hole 3053 is a passage for the third electrode 312 to lead to the circuit board 5; and

[0105] The fourth through hole 3054 is a passage for the fourth electrode 313 to lead to the circuit board 5 .

[0106] The above four through holes are realized by laser or mechanical drilling.

[0107] In one embodiment, the cover plate 305 is provided with drilled holes, and the position of each drilled hole corresponds to an electrode on the solar module 3 , namely the first electrode 310 , the second electrode 311 , the third electrode 312 and the fourth electrode 313 mentioned above.

[0108] Several specific examples are given below to illustrate the specific application of the method proposed in this application.

[0109] Example 1

[0110] The main structure of this embodiment is shown in Figure 1. The material of the shell 1 is engineering plastic (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, ABS), and the material of the transparent cover 2 is acrylic (Polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA). The transparent material allows light to pass through, so that the outside world can see the display information of the electronic screen, and at the same time provides good lighting conditions for the solar panel. The type of solar cell is a perovskite solar cell. In this embodiment, the electronic paper module adopts a 2.66-inch electronic ink screen. In this embodiment, the energy storage device 7 adopts a lithium iron phosphate soft-pack battery.

[0111] The working modes of this embodiment are divided into two types, working state and standby state. As shown in Figure 2, the usage scenarios of this embodiment may have two situations: good and bad lighting conditions. In the ideal working mode (such as the use of the device in a supermarket, open from 10:00 to 22:00, and closed from 22:00 to 10:00 the next day (the next day)), for scenes with good lighting conditions, that is, business hours, the energy consumed by the device (working state or standby state) is provided by the energy storage device, and the solar cell will replenish the energy that is not less than the energy consumed by the device. For scenes with poor lighting conditions, that is, rest time, the consumed energy (working state or standby state) is provided by the energy storage device. At this time, the solar cell cannot replenish enough energy to offset the loss of the energy storage device. Later, when the lighting conditions return to a good state, that is, when business is resumed, the solar cell will normally supply energy to the energy storage device, which not only meets the energy consumption of the current device, but also replenishes the energy lost by the device under poor lighting conditions, thereby achieving energy self-consistency of the entire device. Under non-ideal working conditions, such as when the device is in a dark environment for a long time or the light intensity is too weak to support the energy self-consistency of the entire device, or when the device needs to be charged quickly in a short time, the corresponding scenarios are such as the device being forgotten in a dark corner, and the supermarket being closed for a long time due to a long vacation and without light. At this time, in order to quickly restore the working ability of the device and hope to quickly replenish the power of the energy storage device, a handheld terminal such as a mobile phone with NFC function can be brought close to the device to achieve fast wireless charging using the NFC communication link. In other scenarios, such as when a handheld terminal needs to send specific instructions to the device or hopes to obtain certain information about the device, a handheld terminal such as a mobile phone with NFC function can also be brought close to the device to transmit information using the NFC communication link.

[0112] The solar module of this embodiment has a U-shaped structure, as shown in Figure 3, and the solar cell adopts a perovskite solar cell. The visible area of ​​the electronic paper module 4 is 60.1mm×30.7mm. The visible areas of the solar module and the electronic paper module do not block each other, effectively utilizing space. The solar cell adopts an internal cascade structure, and the cells are divided and connected in series by laser etching or mechanical scribing to achieve control of the output current and voltage of the solar module. Laser etching is used in this embodiment. The side view of the solar module is shown in Figure 4. In this embodiment, the substrate 301 is glass, the transparent conductive layer 302 adopts indium tin oxide as the transparent conductive layer, and the solar cell functional layer 303 adopts a perovskite solar cell. Its functional layer structure can be described as electron transport layer / perovskite layer / hole transport layer from the transparent conductive layer 302 to the electrode layer 304. The electrode layer 304 adopts copper (Cu) as the electrode layer. Considering that the main application scenario of the product is indoors, the cover plate 305 uses a combination of 3M water-proof and oxygen-proof film and UV glue. The first segmentation 306 is performed by laser etching to cut the transparent conductive layer 302, with a spacing of 40 μm. The second segmentation 307 is performed by laser etching to cut the solar cell functional layer 303, with a spacing of 75 μm. The third segmentation 308 is performed by laser etching to cut the solar cell functional layer 303 and the electrode layer 304, with a spacing of 100 μm. The fourth segmentation 309 is performed by laser etching to separate the transparent conductive layer 302, the solar cell functional layer 303, and the electrode layer 304 from the edge of the solar cell, with a spacing of 100 μm. In this embodiment, the first electrode 310 is the positive electrode of the solar cell; the second electrode 311 is the negative electrode of the solar cell; the third electrode 312 is the positive electrode of the NFC antenna; and the fourth electrode 313 is the negative electrode of the NFC antenna. The preparation process and materials of these four electrodes are the same as those of the electrode layer 304. Specifically, they can be prepared by vacuum evaporation, and the film thickness is 100 nm.

[0113] The top view of the four electrodes and the electrode layer 304 can be seen in Figure 5. The line width of the second electrode layer 3042 is 3 mm. The solar cell circuit and the NFC circuit are separated by the fourth segment 309 etched by laser. The fourth segment 309 provides good insulation conditions for the circuit. Therefore, although the two circuits are compactly arranged together, the space utilization rate is not less than 99%, and the two circuits do not interfere with each other. The solar cell and NFC antenna are then encapsulated by the cover plate 305. The encapsulation material covers the entire solar cell and fills the grooves etched in the third segment 308 and the fourth segment 309 to block moisture and oxygen. The positions where the four electrodes communicate with the outside are exposed by laser drilling. These electrodes can then be connected to the external circuit by applying silver paste, welding leads, or physical contact. As shown in Figure 6, this case uses a combination of 3M water- and oxygen-barrier film and UV adhesive as a cover for packaging. After the electrode layer 304 is deposited and the third segmentation 308 and fourth segmentation 309 are completed, UV adhesive is applied, and then covered with 3M water- and oxygen-barrier film. Finally, UV light curing is completed to complete the packaging of the solar cell module; the four through holes are achieved by laser drilling.

[0114] Example 2

[0115] The second electrode layer 3042 is a multi-turn coil. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another cascade structure within a solar cell in an embodiment of the present application. In Figure 7, the second electrode layer 3042 is a three-turn coil to enhance the anti-interference capability of the near-field communication link. The number of turns can be adjusted according to the inductance strength requirements of the NFC antenna. The line width of the second electrode layer 3042 for near-field coupled communication is designed to be 6 mm. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another cover structure in an embodiment of the present application. While the solar cell and NFC antenna are packaged, through holes are left for the four electrodes to connect to the external circuit.

[0116] Example 3

[0117] FIG9 is another structural schematic diagram (side view) of the solar electronic paper display device in the embodiment of the present application, FIG10 is another schematic diagram of the cascade structure within the solar cell in the embodiment of the present application, and FIG11 is another schematic diagram of the cover plate structure in the embodiment of the present application.

[0118] Figure 9 differs from Figure 1 in that, in order to connect the electrodes of the solar cell and NFC antenna in solar module 3 to their corresponding components, circuit board 5 needs to be extended until it can connect to the electrodes in solar module 3. In Figure 10, the second electrode layer 3042 in the NFC antenna forms a multi-turn coil to enhance the anti-interference capability of the near-field communication link. The number of turns can be adjusted to meet the required inductance strength of the NFC antenna. The difference from Implementation Case 1 and Implementation Case 2 is that in the first two implementation cases, electrons are transmitted from the first electrode 310 (or the second electrode 311) to the second electrode 311 (or the first electrode 310) along the electronic paper module 4, and the third segmentation 308 cuts the solar cell functional layer 303 and the electrode layer 304. In this implementation case, the first electrode layer 3041 and the third electrode layer 3043 are the parts of the electrode layer 304 that transmit electrical energy on the solar module, but the area of ​​the first electrode layer 3041 is twice that of the third electrode layer 3043, and electrons are transmitted from the first electrode 310 (or the second electrode 311) to the second electrode 311 (first electrode 310) along the left and right directions shown in the figure. In this embodiment, the second electrode layer 3042 is the coil part of the NFC antenna, which is used for near-field coupling communication, and the line width is designed to be 4 mm. The layout strategy and intra-battery cascade structure design provided in this application are universal. Therefore, an adaptive intra-solar cell cascade method and NFC coil layout can be designed according to actual power consumption requirements or the size specifications of the electronic paper ink screen.

[0119] In FIG11 , while the solar cell and the NFC antenna are packaged, through holes for connecting to an external circuit are reserved for the first electrode 310 , the second electrode 311 , the third electrode 312 , and the fourth electrode 313 .

[0120] Example 4

[0121] FIG12 is another schematic structural diagram (side view) of a solar electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present application. The outer shell 1 is made of engineering plastic (ABS), and the transparent cover 2 is made of acrylic (Polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA). The transparent material allows light to pass through, allowing the outside world to see the displayed information on the electronic screen, while also providing good lighting conditions for the solar panel. The solar cell is an organic solar cell. The electronic paper display module uses a 2.66-inch electronic ink screen. The energy storage device uses a lithium iron phosphate soft-pack battery.

[0122] The working modes of this embodiment are divided into two types, working state and standby state. As shown in Figure 2, the usage scenarios of this embodiment may have two situations: good lighting conditions and poor lighting conditions. In the ideal working mode, for scenes with good lighting conditions, such as offices during business hours, the energy consumed by the solar electronic paper display (working state or standby state) is provided by the energy storage device, and the solar cell will replenish the energy that is not less than the energy consumed by the device. For scenes with poor lighting conditions, that is, during rest time, the energy consumed by the solar electronic paper display (working state or standby state) is provided by the energy storage device. At this time, the solar cell cannot replenish enough energy to offset the loss of the energy storage device. Later, when the lighting conditions return to a good state, such as when the office is opened again, the solar cell will normally supply energy to the energy storage battery, which can meet the current energy consumption of the solar electronic paper display while also replenishing the energy lost by the solar electronic paper display when the lighting conditions are not good, thereby achieving energy self-consistency of the entire solar electronic paper display. Under non-ideal working conditions, such as when the solar electronic paper display is in a dark environment for a long time or the light intensity is too weak to support the energy self-consistency of the entire device, or when the solar electronic paper display needs to be charged quickly in a short time, the corresponding scenarios are such as the solar electronic paper display being forgotten in a dark corner, and the office being closed for a long time and without light due to a long vacation. At this time, in order to quickly restore the working ability of the solar electronic paper display and hope to quickly replenish the power of the energy storage device, a handheld terminal such as a mobile phone with NFC function can be used to approach the solar electronic paper display and use the NFC communication link to achieve fast wireless charging. In other scenarios, such as when a handheld terminal needs to send specific instructions to the solar electronic paper display or hopes to obtain certain information about the electronic product, a handheld terminal such as a mobile phone with NFC function can also be used to approach the solar electronic paper display and use the NFC communication link to transmit information.

[0123] Figure 13 is another structural schematic diagram (top view) of the solar electronic paper display device in the embodiment of the present application. The solar module of this embodiment is a rectangular structure, and this embodiment uses indium tin oxide as the transparent conductive layer. This embodiment uses an organic solar cell, and its functional layer structure from the transparent conductive layer 302 to the electrode layer 304 can be described as an electron transport layer / light absorption layer / hole transport layer; the electrode layer 304 uses copper (Cu) as the electrode layer. Considering that the main scene of the product is indoors, a combination of 3M water-proof and oxygen-proof film and UV glue is selected as the cover. The first segmentation 306 is completed by laser etching to cut the transparent conductive layer 302, with a spacing of 40μm. The second segmentation 307 is completed by laser etching to cut the solar cell functional layer 303, with a spacing of 75μm. The third segmentation 308 is completed by laser etching to cut the solar cell functional layer 303 and the electrode layer 304, with a spacing of 100μm. The fourth segmentation 309 separates the transparent conductive layer 302, solar cell functional layer 303, and electrode layer 304 of the solar cell from the edge by laser etching, with a spacing of 100μm. The first electrode 310 is the main electrode of the internal cascade solar cell, used to connect the solar electrode to the external circuit. In this embodiment, it is the positive electrode of the solar cell. The second electrode 311 is the negative electrode of the solar cell. The third electrode 312 is the positive electrode of the NFC antenna. The fourth electrode 313 is the negative electrode of the NFC antenna. The preparation process and materials of the first electrode 310, the second electrode 311, the third electrode 312, and the fourth electrode 313 are the same as those of the electrode layer 304. They are prepared by vacuum evaporation and the thickness of the film is 100nm.

[0124] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of another cascade structure within a solar cell according to an embodiment of the present application, specifically a top view of the first electrode 310, the second electrode 311, the third electrode 312, and the fourth electrode 313 and the electrode layer 304. In this embodiment, the first electrode 310 is the positive electrode, and the corresponding second electrode 311 is the negative electrode. In this embodiment, in order to concentrate the lead-out position of the solar module's electrodes to the external circuit on one side, the first electrode 310 is extended from the left side of the figure to the bottom of the second electrode 311 on the right side of the solar cell through etching of the fourth segment 309. This saves wiring space when the subsequent circuit is connected. The third electrode 312 is the positive electrode of the NFC antenna, and the corresponding fourth electrode 313 is the negative electrode. In this embodiment, the line width of the second electrode layer 3042 is 3 mm. The fourth electrode layer 3044 is an inactive area separated by the fourth segment 309 and does not contribute to either the solar cell or the NFC antenna. The solar cell and NFC antenna, including the electrodes, are separated by a laser-etched fourth segment 309. This provides excellent insulation for the circuits, ensuring that, despite their compact arrangement, the two circuits do not interfere with each other, resulting in highly efficient space utilization. The solar cell and NFC antenna are then encapsulated by a cover plate 305. The encapsulation material covers the entire solar cell and fills the grooves etched in the third segment 308 and the fourth segment 309, acting as a barrier to moisture and oxygen. Laser drilling exposes the first, second, third, and fourth electrodes 310, 311, 312, and 313 at locations where they communicate with the outside world. These electrodes can then be connected to external circuitry via silver paste, soldering leads, or physical contact. Figure 15 is another structural schematic diagram of the cover plate in an embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the cover plate 305 is encapsulated using a combination of 3M water- and oxygen-barrier film and UV glue as the cover plate. After the deposition of the electrode layer 304 and the third segmentation 308 and the fourth segmentation 309 are completed, UV glue is applied, and then covered with 3M water- and oxygen-barrier film, and then ultraviolet light curing is completed to complete the encapsulation of the solar cell module; all through holes are realized by laser drilling.

[0125] In the embodiments of the present application, the solar cell types may include: rigid or flexible organic solar cells, perovskite solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, amorphous silicon solar cells, copper indium gallium selenide solar cells, cadmium telluride solar cells, copper zinc tin sulfur solar cells, quantum dot solar cells, and stacked solar cells. The energy storage battery types may include: lithium titanate batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries, ternary lithium batteries, lithium ion capacitors, and sodium ion batteries. The circuit board may be flexible or rigid, or a combination of the two. The transparent cover plate 2 is not required. If the solar cell and electronic ink screen are strong enough, the transparent cover plate may not be installed or may be installed only in specific areas. The various components of the system-in-package chip mentioned in this application can be designed based on the actual structure, with some or all of the functional modules being installed on the circuit board using separate devices. In the actual application of this application, the four electrodes can be arranged as needed, such as by removing the solar cell functional layer before deposition (in this case, the electrode conductivity performance is better). The schematic diagram of the cascade structure within the solar cell is one type of internal circuit of the solar cell, and other types of circuits can be designed based on actual needs. The openings in the package cover provide a path for the internal and external circuits of the solar module to connect. After the internal and external circuits are connected, these holes can be filled with glue or other methods to further improve the packaging performance of the solar module. To meet the specific needs of near-field communication, the number of turns and coil width of the NFC antenna can be adjusted accordingly. The solar cells mentioned in this application can have various shapes, and a dedicated shape can be specified according to specific needs.

[0126] In summary, the device proposed in the embodiment of the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0127] 1) This application proposes for the first time in the field of the Internet of Things to integrate an NFC antenna with a solar cell, which can save a large amount of circuit board area originally required to make an NFC antenna, greatly improve space utilization, and save a lot of circuit board costs.

[0128] 2) The NFC coil preparation method proposed in this application does not require design on an expensive circuit board. Instead, electrodes outside the effective power generation area of ​​the solar cell need to be designed by laser etching. This process is simple and can better utilize space and electrode materials (usually in the production of solar cell modules, excess electrode film layers need to be removed through edge cleaning processes, etc.), thus achieving low-cost preparation of NFC antennas.

[0129] 3) The NFC antenna design proposed in this application is integrated with the solar cell. Its position in the solar ink screen display device is usually installed on or on the side of the electronic paper ink screen. The position of the NFC antenna is well avoided by the circuit board and the circuit structure (such as TFT) in the internal structure of the electronic paper ink screen, so it will not be interfered with by the signals of these structures; in addition, the physical distance when the NFC terminal is close to the NFC antenna for communication is also improved, so the communication performance is also improved.

[0130] 4) This application proposes to use an energy management system to manage solar cells, NFC antennas, and energy storage devices. Unlike traditional energy management systems that use primary batteries as power sources or simply solar cells as power sources, this application solution uses energy storage devices to transmit energy, significantly broadening the use scenarios of electronic products. Based on this application, by calculating the power consumption of loads in different scenarios, selecting appropriate solar cells and energy storage devices, and matching them with NFC antennas, electronic products can achieve long-term sustainable operation without being subject to the various limitations of primary batteries and can be used normally in a variety of occasions. The energy management model provided by this application is universal.

[0131] 5) The NFC antenna solution proposed in this application can use a laser etching process to program the required etching pattern in the laser equipment. After completing the third segmentation process, the solar cell can pass through the fourth segmentation process area in an assembly line manner, and the etching is quickly completed in a few seconds. The preparation time is much shorter than the traditional preparation process. It is then packaged together with the solar cell to effectively block erosion by water vapor and oxygen, etc., and the coil of the NFC antenna is well protected, significantly increasing the product life.

[0132] 6) The present application proposes drilling holes in the package cover, with each hole corresponding to an electrode on the solar module. This method enables the internal circuits of the solar module, including the solar cell circuit and the NFC circuit, to be connected to the external circuit while isolating the internal structure of the solar module from the external environment. Furthermore, after the internal and external circuits are connected, these holes are filled with glue or other methods to further block the intrusion of moisture and oxygen, thereby comprehensively improving the packaging performance of the solar module.

[0133] 7) This application proposes to package the NFC module, MCU module, etc. in a system-level package and install them on a circuit board. The solar cell and NFC circuits are also connected to the circuit board through a flexible circuit board (FPC). The embodiment proposes the use of soft-package energy storage devices. These designs make the electronic paper ink display more compact in the stacking direction, providing a feasible solution for lightweight and thin design.

[0134] 8) This application provides several forms of internal cascade in solar cells, i.e., connection methods of sub-cells, including examples of equal-area segmentation and unequal-area segmentation for reference, which is of inspirational significance and practical value.

[0135] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present application. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A solar e-paper display device, characterized in that, Comprising: A solar component (3), an electronic paper module (4), a circuit board (5), a system-in-package chip (6), and an energy storage device (7). Among them, the system-in-package chip (6) is integrally packaged with an MCU module and an NFC module. The solar component (3) simultaneously integrates a solar cell and an NFC antenna, and the NFC antenna is fabricated through an electrode outside the effective power generation area in the solar cell. The visible areas of the solar component (3) and the electronic paper module (4) do not block each other. The solar component (3) is used to collect solar energy and convert it into electrical energy. The circuit board (5) is used to receive an electronic paper display instruction sent by an external system and forward it to the MCU module; collect the electrical energy transmitted from the solar cell and store it in the energy storage device, or collect the alternating current electrical energy transmitted from the NFC antenna and send it to the NFC module (6); deliver the electrical energy in the energy storage device to the electronic paper module and the system-in-package chip (6) according to the power consumption requirement. The NFC module is used to convert the alternating current electrical energy into direct current electrical energy and store it in the energy storage device (7). The MCU module is used to analyze the product information in the electronic paper display instruction and send it to the electronic paper module (4). The electronic paper module (4) is used to display the received product information; and The energy storage device (7) is used to store electrical energy.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes an energy management system (8); The circuit board (5) is specifically used for: transmitting the electrical energy transmitted from the solar cell to the energy management system (8); The NFC module is specifically used for: transmitting the direct current electrical energy to the energy management system (8); The energy management system (8) includes a converter, a voltage regulator, a safety monitoring module, and a charging controller. The converter is used for: converting the electrical energy according to the energy storage requirement of the energy storage device, and the conversion is a boost conversion or a buck conversion. The voltage regulator is used for: stabilizing the converted electrical energy and then transmitting it to the energy storage device (7). The safety monitoring module is used for: performing safety monitoring on the electrical energy input to the energy management system (8). And The charging controller is used for: protecting the internal circuits of the energy storage device (7) and the energy management system (8), and the protection includes one or any combination of preventing overcharging, preventing over-discharging, and preventing reverse current.

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The solar cell includes: A substrate (301) for supporting and protecting the solar cell to allow light to pass through. A cover plate (305) for protecting the solar cell. A solar cell functional layer (303) for generating electrical energy by absorbing light energy. A transparent conductive layer (302) for transmitting the electrical energy of the solar cell. A first electrode layer (3041) for transmitting the electrical energy of the solar cell, and the first electrode layer (3041) is a part of the electrode layer 304. A first segmentation (306) for completing the cutting of the transparent conductive layer (302) through laser etching. A second segmentation (307) for completing the cutting of the solar cell functional layer (303) through laser etching. A third segmentation (308) for completing the cutting of the solar cell functional layer (303) and the electrode layer (304) through laser etching or mechanical scribing. The fourth division (309) is used to divide the transparent conductive layer (302), the solar cell functional layer (303), and the electrode layer (304) from the edge by laser etching or mechanical scribing; and The first electrode (310) and the second electrode (311) are the total electrodes of the inner-cascaded solar cell and are used to connect the solar cell to the circuit board (5). The polarities of the first electrode (310) and the second electrode (311) are opposite.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The solar cell further includes: The third electrode layer (3043) is used to transmit the electric energy of the solar cell; and And the area of the first electrode layer (3041) is twice that of the third electrode layer (3043).

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The NFC antenna includes: The second electrode layer (3042) is the coil part of the NFC antenna and is used for near-field coupling communication; and The third electrode (312) and the fourth electrode (313) are the positive or negative electrodes of the NFC antenna. The polarities of the third electrode (312) and the fourth electrode (313) are opposite.

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that The second electrode layer (3042) is a multi-turn coil.

7. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the NFC antenna is prepared, a laser etching process is adopted to prepare it through the electrodes outside the effective power generation area in the solar cell. Among them, the required etching pattern of the laser etching process is programmed in the laser device.

8. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that The circuit board (5) is connected to the solar module (3) and the electronic paper module (4) respectively through a flexible circuit board, and is also connected to the energy storage device (7), the energy management system (8), and the system-in-package chip (6).

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein It further includes a housing (1); The housing (1) is used to support the device. The first surface of the housing (1) directly faces the light, and the first surface is empty or provided with a transparent cover plate (2); And When there is a transparent cover plate (2), the transparent cover plate (2) is adhesively bonded or snap-connected to the first surface of the housing, and the transparent cover plate (2) is used to protect the solar module (3) and the electronic paper module (4).

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The cover plate (305) is provided with drill holes, and the position of each drill hole corresponds to an electrode on the solar module (3).

11. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The cover plate (305) is provided with a first through hole (3051), a second through hole (3052), a third through hole (3053), and a fourth through hole (3054), where The first through hole (3051) is a channel for the first electrode (310) to lead to the circuit board (5); The second through hole (3052) is a channel for the second electrode (311) to lead to the circuit board (5); The third through hole (3053) is a channel for the third electrode (312) to lead to the circuit board (5); and The fourth through hole (3054) is a channel for the fourth electrode (313) to lead to the circuit board (5).

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