Horizontal electroplating device and horizontal electroplating apparatus for solar cell

Abstract

The present disclosure is applicable to the technical field of solar cell electroplating. Provided are a horizontal electroplating device and horizontal electroplating apparatus for a solar cell. The horizontal electroplating device may comprise an electroplating tank, conveying devices, an anode plate, and a cathode structure, wherein the conveying devices are disposed in the electroplating tank; the anode plate is disposed in the electroplating tank, and through slots are provided in the anode plate; at least a portion of each conveying device passes through one of the through slots to come into contact with a solar cell, so that the conveying devices carry the solar cell and convey same in a horizontal direction; and the cathode structure is disposed outside the electroplating tank and is in contact with the solar cell. In this way, by means of forming the through slots in the anode plate to allow the conveying devices to pass through for supporting the solar cell, the anode plate can be disposed close to the solar cell, thereby shortening the distance between the anode plate and the solar cell; and the horizontal electroplating device can support high-current electroplating, thereby reducing current loss, improving the electroplating efficiency, and also making electroplating more uniform.

Description

Horizontal plating device and horizontal plating equipment for solar cell

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] The present disclosure claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410655867.4, filed on May 23, 2024, and entitled "Horizontal plating device and horizontal plating equipment for solar cell", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of solar cell plating, and in particular to a horizontal plating device and horizontal plating equipment for solar cell. BACKGROUND

[0004] In the process of manufacturing solar cell, the metal electrode of the solar cell can be manufactured by plating. In the plating process, horizontal plating, vertical plating and sheet plating can be used. Horizontal plating is more suitable for large-scale production.

[0005] In the related art, a conveying device is arranged in the plating tank of the horizontal plating equipment to convey the solar cell. The conveying device needs to be arranged close to the solar cell. In order to avoid interference between the anode and the conveying device, the anode is usually arranged at the bottom of the plating tank away from the solar cell. The plating efficiency is low and the plating uniformity is poor under the conveying device. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a plating equipment to improve the plating efficiency and the plating uniformity. SUMMARY

[0006] The present disclosure provides a horizontal plating device and horizontal plating equipment for solar cell, which aims to solve the technical problems of low plating efficiency and poor plating uniformity in the prior art.

[0007] The present disclosure is implemented in this way. The horizontal plating device for solar cell of the present disclosure comprises:

[0008] a plating tank;

[0009] a conveying device arranged in the plating tank;

[0010] an anode plate arranged in the plating tank, the anode plate being provided with a through groove, at least a part of the conveying device passing through the through groove and contacting the solar cell, so that the conveying device carries and conveys the solar cell in the horizontal direction; and

[0011] a cathode structure arranged outside the plating tank, the cathode structure being in electrical contact with the solar cell.

[0012] In some embodiments, the distance between the support point where the conveying device contacts the solar cell and the anode plate in the vertical direction is less than or equal to 10 mm.

[0013] In some embodiments, the distance between the support point where the conveying device contacts the solar cell and the anode plate in the vertical direction is greater than 5 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm.

[0014] In some embodiments, the conveying device comprises a transmission shaft and a transmission wheel.

[0015] The transmission shaft is rotatably mounted on the electroplating tank, the transmission wheel is mounted on the transmission shaft and located in the electroplating tank, the transmission wheel contacts the solar cell through the through slot and is rotatably located in the through slot, and the transmission shaft is used to drive the transmission wheel to rotate to convey the solar cell.

[0016] In some embodiments, a plurality of transmission wheels are provided on the transmission shaft, the plurality of transmission wheels are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the transmission shaft, and each transmission wheel corresponds to a through slot.

[0017] In some embodiments, a plurality of transmission shafts are provided in the electroplating tank, the plurality of transmission shafts are arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction, and the distance between the axial centers of two adjacent transmission shafts in the horizontal direction is less than the length of the solar cell.

[0018] In some embodiments, the transmission wheels on at least two transmission shafts are staggered in the horizontal direction.

[0019] In some embodiments, the transmission wheel comprises a rotating shaft part provided on the transmission shaft and at least one blade part provided on the rotating shaft part, and the blade part extends in the radial direction of the rotating shaft part.

[0020] In some embodiments, the cathode structure comprises a cathode roller, the cathode roller and the conveying device are located on the side of the solar cell facing the electroplating tank, the cathode roller is used to jointly carry the solar cell with the conveying device, the cathode roller contacts the solar cell and is connected to the negative pole of an external power supply.

[0021] In some embodiments, the cathode roller is fixed relative to the electroplating tank, or the cathode roller is rotatable relative to the electroplating tank.

[0022] In some embodiments, the cathode roller is rotatable relative to the electroplating tank and jointly conveys the solar cell with the conveying device.

[0023] In some embodiments, the distance between the cathode roller and the conveying device in the horizontal direction is less than the length of the solar cell in the horizontal direction.

[0024] In some embodiments, the distance between the closest support point of the conveying device to the cathode roller and the center of the cathode roller in the horizontal direction is less than or equal to half of the length of the solar cell.

[0025] In some embodiments, the conveying device and the solar cell are in contact at a support point in the vertical direction, and the support point is higher than the top of the first and second side walls.

[0026] In some embodiments, the distance between the support point of the conveying device to the solar cell and the top of the first and second side walls in the vertical direction is 1-2 mm.

[0027] The present disclosure also provides a horizontal electroplating device, which comprises any of the horizontal electroplating apparatuses described above.

[0028] In the horizontal electroplating apparatus and the horizontal electroplating device of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a through groove is formed in the anode plate, and at least a part of the conveying device passes through the through groove to contact the solar cell, so that the conveying device passes through the anode plate to support and transport the solar cell. In this way, by forming the through groove in the anode plate to allow the conveying device to pass through to support and transport the solar cell, the anode plate can be arranged close to the solar cell, the distance between the anode plate and the solar cell is shortened, the horizontal electroplating apparatus can support high-current electroplating, current loss is reduced, electroplating efficiency is improved, and the electroplating is more uniform.

[0029] Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a horizontal electroplating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of an anode plate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an assembly structure between an anode plate and a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG. 4 is another schematic diagram of an assembly structure between an anode plate and a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Fig. 5 is a schematic view of another assembly structure between the anode plate and the conveying device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Fig. 6 is a schematic view of the structure of the conveying device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Fig. 7 is a schematic view of the structure of the horizontal electroplating equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Main element symbol explanation: horizontal electroplating equipment 1000; horizontal electroplating device 100, electroplating tank 10, first side wall 11, second side wall 12, conveying device 20, transmission shaft 21, transmission wheel 22, rotating shaft part 221, blade part 222, anode plate 30, through groove 31, through hole 32, cathode structure 40, cathode roller 41, electroplating liquid surge device 50; solar cell 200. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure clearer, the present disclosure is further described in detail below in combination with the drawings and embodiments. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present disclosure, and cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure. In addition, it should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present disclosure and do not limit the present disclosure.

[0039] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "horizontal", "vertical" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the indicated device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0040] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more, unless otherwise specifically limited.

[0041] In the description of the present disclosure, it is necessary to point out that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mount", "connect", "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, can be fixed connection, can also be detachable connection, or integrally connected; can be mechanical connection, can also be electrical connection or can communicate with each other; can be directly connected, can also be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0042] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the "upper" or "lower" of the first feature to the second feature can include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, the "upper", "above" and "on" of the first feature to the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The "below", "under" and "under" of the first feature to the second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0043] The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different structures of the present disclosure. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present disclosure, the components and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are only examples, and the purpose is not to limit the present disclosure. In addition, the present disclosure can repeatedly refer to numerals and / or reference letters in different examples. Such repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, and in itself does not indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present disclosure provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but those skilled in the art can realize the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0044] Please refer to FIG. 1, the horizontal electroplating device 100 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is used for electroplating the area to be electroplated on the solar cell 200, for example, the horizontal electroplating device 100 can be used for electroplating the seed layer on the grid line area of the solar cell 200 to form a metal grid line electrode, and the horizontal electroplating device 100 can include an electroplating tank 10, a conveying device 20, an anode plate 30 and a cathode structure 40.

[0045] The electroplating tank 10 is used for containing electroplating solution, and the conveying device 20 is arranged in the electroplating tank 10. The conveying device 20 is used for carrying and conveying the solar cell 200, so that the solar cell 200 passes above the electroplating tank 10.

[0046] Please refer to Figs. 1-3, the anode plate 30 is arranged in the electroplating tank 10, the through groove 31 is arranged on the anode plate 30, and at least a part of the conveying device 20 passes through the through groove 31 to contact the solar cell 200, so that the conveying device 20 carries and horizontally transports the solar cell 200.

[0047] The cathode structure 40 is arranged outside the electroplating tank 10, and the cathode structure 40 contacts the solar cell 200.

[0048] It can be understood that in the horizontal electroplating device 100, the anode plate 30 is connected to the positive pole of the external power supply, and the cathode structure 40 is connected to the negative pole of the external power supply, and in the electroplating process, the anode plate 30-electroplating solution-solar cell 200-to-be-electroplated part (for example, seed layer on the grid line area)-cathode structure 40 form a circuit loop, thereby electroplating the to-be-electroplated area of the solar cell 200.

[0049] It should be noted that in the electroplating process, the non-electroplated area of the solar cell 200 is usually provided with a mask, only the to-be-electroplated area is exposed from the mask, and the contact between the cathode structure 40 and the solar cell 200 can be that the cathode structure 40 directly contacts the to-be-electroplated area, or that the cathode structure 40 contacts the mask, and the cathode structure 40 forms electrical contact with the to-be-electroplated area through the electroplating solution attached to the solar cell 200, which is not limited in detail.

[0050] In the horizontal electroplating device 100 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the through groove 31 is arranged on the anode plate 30, and at least a part of the conveying device 20 passes through the through groove 31 to contact the solar cell 200, so that the conveying device 20 passes through the anode plate 30 to support and transport the solar cell 200. In this way, by arranging the through groove 31 on the anode plate 30 to pass through the conveying device 20 to support and transport the solar cell 200, the anode plate 30 can be arranged close to the solar cell 200, the distance between the anode plate 30 and the solar cell 200 is shortened, the horizontal electroplating device 100 can support high-current electroplating, current loss is reduced, electroplating efficiency is improved, and the electroplating is more uniform.

[0051] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the anode plate 30 can be arranged in parallel with the solar cell 200 in the vertical direction, and the horizontal direction refers to the advancing direction of the solar cell 200 in the electroplating process, that is, the conveying direction of the conveying device 20. The vertical direction is the direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the vertical direction is the height direction of the electroplating tank 10, that is, the direction perpendicular to the surface of the electroplating tank 10 facing the solar cell 200. The conveying device 20 can be provided with a conveying wheel assembly, which is not specifically limited here, as long as it can carry and convey the solar cell 200. In some embodiments, the anode plate 30 can be a titanium mesh, which is not specifically limited here.

[0052] It can be understood that, in the electroplating process, the electroplating solution fills the entire electroplating tank 10, and the electroplating solution is adsorbed on the surface of the electroplating tank 10 facing the solar cell 200, so that the anode plate 30-electroplating solution-solar cell 200-to-be-electroplated part (such as the seed layer on the grid line area)-cathode structure 40 form a circuit loop.

[0053] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the specific type of solar cell is not limited. The solar cell 200 can be, for example, a PERC solar cell, a Topcon solar cell, a heterojunction solar cell, and a back contact solar cell, and the like, which is not specifically limited here.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 2, in some embodiments, a plurality of overflow holes 32 can also be formed on the anode plate 30, so that the anode plate 30 forms a mesh structure, that is, the anode plate 30 is a mesh plate formed with a plurality of through grooves 31. In this way, the overflow holes 32 can facilitate the passage of the electroplating solution, and avoid the blocking of the electroplating solution by the anode plate 30, thereby improving the flow and circulation of the electroplating solution.

[0055] In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, an electroplating solution surging device 50 can also be arranged in the electroplating tank 10. The electroplating solution surging device 50 can be, for example, a water jet device, and the like. The electroplating solution surging device 50 can make the electroplating solution in the electroplating tank 10 continuously surge and roll, so that the electroplating solution can continuously contact the solar cell 200, thereby forming a stable circuit loop and improving the uniformity of electroplating.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, in the vertical direction, the distance L1 between the support point where the conveying device 20 contacts the solar cell 200 and the anode plate 30 is less than or equal to 10 mm.

[0057] In this way, the distance L1 between the anode plate 30 and the surface of the solar cell 200 to be plated can be prevented from being too large, so that the plating efficiency is not reduced.

[0058] Further, in this embodiment, the distance L1 between the support point of the conveying device 20 in contact with the solar cell 200 and the anode plate 30 in the vertical direction is greater than 5 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm, i.e. 5 < L1 ≤ 10.

[0059] It is understood that if the distance between the anode plate 30 and the surface of the solar cell 200 to be plated is too large, the resistance of the plating solution in the formed circuit loop will increase, and the plating solution will consume part of the current, which affects the plating efficiency and the uniformity of plating. If the distance is too small, the plating solution between the anode plate 30 and the solar cell to be plated flows and circulates poorly, which affects the uniformity of plating.

[0060] In this embodiment, the distance L1 between the support point of the conveying device 20 in contact with the solar cell 200 and the anode plate 30 is set within the preferred range, which can prevent the distance between the anode plate 30 and the surface of the solar cell 200 to be plated from being too large, so that the plating efficiency is not reduced and the uniformity of plating is poor. It can also prevent the distance from being too small, so that the plating solution between the anode plate 30 and the solar cell 200 flows and circulates poorly, which affects the uniformity of plating, i.e. it can further improve the uniformity of plating.

[0061] Specifically, in this embodiment, the distance L1 between the support point of the conveying device 20 in contact with the solar cell 200 and the anode plate 30 can be, for example, 5.1 mm, 5.5 mm, 6 mm, 6.5 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 8.5 mm, 9 mm, 9.5 mm, 10 mm, or any value greater than 5 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm, which is not specifically limited herein.

[0062] Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, in some embodiments, the conveying device 20 can include a transmission shaft 21 and a transmission wheel 22. The transmission shaft 21 is rotatably mounted on the plating tank 10, and the transmission wheel 22 is arranged on the transmission shaft 21 and located in the plating tank 10. The transmission wheel 22 is in contact with the solar cell 200 through the through groove 31, and the transmission wheel 22 can rotate in the through groove 31. The transmission shaft 21 is used to drive the transmission wheel 22 to rotate to convey the solar cell 200.

[0063] In this way, the transmission wheel 22 only needs to pass through the through groove 31 to support and convey the solar cell 200, and at the same time, the anode plate 30 can be arranged closer to the solar cell 200, and the anode plate 30 will not interfere with the rotation of the transmission wheel 22.

[0064] Specifically, in such embodiments, the transmission shaft 21 can be connected to a driving mechanism comprising a motor, which can comprise a motor and an intermediate transmission mechanism and the like, and the driving mechanism can drive the transmission shaft 21 to rotate so as to drive the transmission wheel 22 to rotate in the through groove 31, thereby conveying the solar cell 200.

[0065] In such embodiments, the transmission wheel 22 can be separately mounted on the transmission shaft 21, that is, the transmission wheel 22 can be separately mounted on the transmission shaft 21, and of course, in other embodiments, the transmission wheel 22 and the transmission shaft 21 can also be integrally formed, which is not limited here.

[0066] Further, referring to FIGS. 3-6, in some embodiments, the transmission shaft 21 is provided with a plurality of transmission wheels 22, and the plurality of transmission wheels 22 are arranged in the axial direction of the transmission shaft 21, and each transmission wheel 22 corresponds to a through groove 31.

[0067] In this way, by providing a plurality of transmission wheels 22 on the transmission shaft 21, the support points for the solar cell 200 can be increased, thereby improving the stability of conveying the solar cell 200, and at the same time, by increasing the number of transmission wheels 22, a plurality of solar cells 200 can be conveyed at the same time.

[0068] Specifically, in such embodiments, the number of transmission wheels 22 on a single transmission shaft 21 can be selected according to the length of the solar cell 200 in the axial direction of the transmission shaft 21, which is not limited here, and in general, at least two transmission wheels 22 can be provided below a single solar cell 200 for a single transmission shaft 21.

[0069] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in some embodiments, the electroplating tank 10 is provided with a plurality of transmission shafts 21, and the plurality of transmission shafts 21 are arranged in the horizontal direction, and in the horizontal direction, the distance between the centers of adjacent two transmission shafts 21 is less than the length of the solar cell 200 in the horizontal direction.

[0070] In this way, by providing a plurality of spaced transmission shafts 21 in the horizontal direction, the solar cell 200 can be more stably supported and conveyed in the horizontal direction, and by setting the distance between the centers of adjacent two transmission shafts 21 to be less than the length of the solar cell 200, the solar cell 200 can be prevented from falling or being stuck between the two transmission shafts 21 due to the too small distance between the two transmission shafts 21.

[0071] Specifically, in such embodiments, the number of transmission shafts 21 in the electroplating tank 10 can be selected according to the length of the solar cell 200 in the horizontal direction, and it is preferred that there are at least two transmission shafts 21 below the solar cell 200.

[0072] Further, please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, in some embodiments, the transmission wheels 22 on the at least two transmission shafts 21 are staggered in horizontal direction.

[0073] In this way, the area of the solar cell 200 that is in contact with the transmission wheel 22 during the movement process is the same area, and thus the same area of the solar cell 200 is repeatedly in contact with the transmission wheel 22 and is rubbed, which can cause wheel marks or even damage on the solar cell 200.

[0074] It should be noted that, in this article, the "transmission wheels 22 are staggered in horizontal direction" means that the two transmission wheels are not located on the same horizontal line in horizontal direction. For example, taking the case that there are only two transmission shafts 21 in the electroplating tank 10, on one of the transmission shafts 21, the transmission wheels 22 on the transmission shaft 21 are spaced apart along the axial direction of the transmission shaft 21, and on the other transmission shaft 21, the transmission wheels 22 on the transmission shaft 21 are also spaced apart along the axial direction of the transmission shaft 21, but the transmission wheels 22 on the transmission shaft 21 are staggered in horizontal direction with the transmission wheels on the previous transmission shaft 21. Alternatively, the positions where the transmission wheels 22 on the two transmission shafts 21 are in contact with the solar cell 200 are not the same positions.

[0075] Please refer to FIG. 3 to FIG. 6, in some embodiments, the transmission wheel 22 comprises a rotating shaft part 221 arranged on the transmission shaft 21 and at least one blade part 222 arranged on the rotating shaft part 221, the blade part 222 extends along the radial direction of the rotating shaft part 221, and the blade part 222 is in contact with the solar cell 200 through the through groove 31 to carry and transport the solar cell 200.

[0076] In this way, the transmission wheel 22 is in contact with the solar cell 200 through the blade part 222, and the contact area between the two is small, which can avoid the contact area being too large to affect the contact between the electroplating solution and the solar cell 200.

[0077] Specifically, in such embodiments, the blade part 222 can be separately formed with the rotating shaft part 221 or integrally formed with the rotating shaft part 221, which is not specifically limited here.

[0078] Please refer to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the cathode structure 40 comprises a cathode roller 41, the cathode roller 41 and the conveying device 20 are both located on the side of the solar cell 200 facing the electroplating tank 10, the cathode roller 41 is used to jointly carry the solar cell 200 with the conveying device 20, the cathode roller 41 is in contact with the solar cell 200 and is connected with the negative pole of the external power supply.

[0079] Therefore, the cathode structure 40 is arranged as a cathode roller 41, which can simultaneously bear the solar cell 200 in the case of serving as a cathode and in cooperation with the conveying device 20, so as to realize the multiplexing of functions.

[0080] Specifically, in such an embodiment, the contact of the cathode roller 41 with the solar cell 200 can be that the cathode structure 40 is directly in electrical contact with the to-be-plated region, or that the cathode structure 40 is in contact with a mask, and the cathode structure 40 forms electrical contact with the to-be-plated region through the plating solution attached to the solar cell 200, which is not specifically limited herein.

[0081] Further, in some embodiments, the cathode roller 41 can be relatively fixed with the plating tank 10, in which case the cathode roller 41 only serves as a cathode and bears the solar cell 200.

[0082] It can be understood that, in such an embodiment, the cathode roller 41 can be prevented from scratching or even damaging the solar cell 200 during the travel of the solar cell 200 by controlling the friction between the cathode roller 41 and the solar cell 200.

[0083] Of course, in some embodiments, in order to avoid serious scratching between the cathode roller 41 and the solar cell 200, the cathode roller 41 can also be arranged to be rotatable relative to the plating tank 10, so that the cathode roller 41 can rotate freely, and the friction between the cathode roller 41 and the solar cell 200 is small.

[0084] Further, in some embodiments, the cathode roller 41 can be rotatable relative to the plating tank 10 and convey the solar cell 200 together with the conveying device 20.

[0085] Therefore, the cathode roller 41 can be connected to the driving mechanism of the horizontal plating device 100 together with the conveying device 20, and the cathode roller 41 can rotate under the driving of the driving mechanism, so as to convey the solar cell 200 together with the conveying device 20 in the horizontal direction, that is, the cathode roller 41 is arranged to realize the multiplexing of the cathode and the conveying functions.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, in the horizontal direction, the spacing L2 between the cathode roller 41 and the conveying device 20 is smaller than the length of the solar cell 200 in the horizontal direction.

[0087] Therefore, it can be avoided that the solar cell 200 falls from the spacing between the cathode roller 41 and the conveying device 20 or is stuck between the cathode roller 41 and the conveying device 20 due to excessively large spacing therebetween.

[0088] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, in the case that the conveying device 20 comprises a transmission shaft 21 and a transmission wheel 22, the distance L2 between the cathode roller 41 and the conveying device 20 can be understood as the distance between the axis of the cathode roller 41 and the axis of the transmission shaft 21 closest to the cathode roller 41.

[0089] In some embodiments, in the horizontal direction, the distance L2 between the support point closest to the cathode roller 41 between the conveying device 20 and the solar cell 200 (i.e. the axis of the transmission shaft 21 closest to the cathode roller 41) and the axis of the cathode roller 41 is less than or equal to half the length of the solar cell 200.

[0090] In this way, the length of the part of the solar cell 200 between the support point where the conveying device 20 contacts the solar cell 200 and the axis of the cathode roller 41 can be prevented from being too long, so that the solar cell 200 is less likely to deform, and the solar cell 200 is less likely to contact the top of the slot of the plating tank 10 and be damaged.

[0091] Specifically, it can be understood that if the distance L2 between the cathode roller 41 and the support point closest to the cathode roller 41 between the conveying device 20 and the solar cell 200 is large, then during the travel, the length of the solar cell 200 between the cathode roller 41 and the support point is large, and the solar cell 200 is likely to bend downwards and deform, and in this case, the solar cell 200 is likely to contact the top of the slot of the plating tank 10 and be damaged, and controlling the distance to be less than or equal to half the length of the solar cell 200 can effectively prevent this problem.

[0092] Referring to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, in the horizontal direction, the plating tank 10 has opposite first and second side walls 11 and 12, and in the vertical direction, the position of the support point where the conveying device 20 contacts the solar cell 200 is higher than the top of the first and second side walls 11 and 12.

[0093] In this way, the solar cell 200 can be prevented from being scratched or even damaged by the first and second side walls 11 and 12, and at the same time, the first and second side walls 11 and 12 can be arranged to be lower, so that the plating liquid can flow out from the first and second side walls 11 and 12 under the action of the plating liquid surging device 50.

[0094] Further, in such embodiments, in the vertical direction, the distance L3 between the support point where the conveying device 20 contacts the solar cell 200 and the top of the first and second side walls 11 and 12 is 1-2 mm.

[0095] In this way, the distance between the two can be avoided to be too large to cause the highest liquid surface of the plating solution to be too far away from the solar cell 200, which can cause the plating solution to fail to form a continuous and stable contact with the solar cell 200, and the distance between the two can also be avoided to be too small to cause the solar cell 200 to be easily in contact with the first side wall 11 or the second side wall 12.

[0096] Specifically, in such an embodiment, the distance between the support point where the conveying device 20 is in contact with the solar cell 200 and the top of the first side wall 11 and the second side wall 12 in the vertical direction can be, for example, 1 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.6 mm, 1.8 mm, 2 mm, or any value between 1-2 mm, which is not specifically limited herein.

[0097] Referring to FIG. 7, the present disclosure also provides a horizontal plating device 1000, which can include the horizontal plating apparatus 100 in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0098] Specifically, in the present disclosure, the horizontal plating device 1000 can include several horizontal plating apparatuses 100 (only two are shown in FIG. 7) described above, so as to continuously plate the solar cell 200 to make the plating layer reach a desired thickness. It should be noted that in some embodiments, the plating solutions in the several plating tanks 10 can be the same or different. When they are the same, the thickness of the plating layer can be made to reach the desired value by means of continuous plating, and when they are different, different plating layers can be plated on the to-be-plated area in sequence, for example, in one example, a copper layer can be plated first, and then a protective layer such as one or more of tin, nickel, silver, etc. can be plated to effectively prevent the copper layer from being oxidized. Of course, when a single horizontal plating apparatus 100 can make the plating layer reach the desired thickness, the horizontal plating device 1000 can also include only a single horizontal plating apparatus 100, which is not specifically limited herein. It can be understood that the horizontal plating device 1000 can also include a power supply system and other components.

[0099] In the description of the present specification, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "an example", "a specific example", or "some examples" and the like means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In the present specification, the illustrative description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0100] Although embodiments of the disclosure have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, alternatives, and variations can be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A horizontal plating device for solar cell, comprising: a plating tank; a conveying device arranged in the plating tank; an anode plate arranged in the plating tank, the anode plate is provided with a through slot, at least a part of the conveying device passes through the through slot and contacts the solar cell, so that the conveying device carries and horizontally transports the solar cell; and a cathode structure arranged outside the plating tank, the cathode structure electrically contacts the solar cell. In the vertical direction, the distance between the supporting point where the conveying device contacts the solar cell and the anode plate is less than or equal to 10 mm. In the vertical direction, the distance between the supporting point where the conveying device contacts the solar cell and the anode plate is greater than 5 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm. The conveying device comprises a transmission shaft and a transmission wheel. The transmission shaft is rotatably mounted on the plating tank, the transmission wheel is mounted on the transmission shaft and located in the plating tank, the transmission wheel contacts the solar cell through the through slot and is rotatably located in the through slot, and the transmission shaft is used to drive the transmission wheel to rotate to transport the solar cell. The transmission shaft is provided with a plurality of transmission wheels, the plurality of transmission wheels are arranged in the axial direction of the transmission shaft, and each transmission wheel corresponds to a through slot.

2. The horizontal plating apparatus for solar cells according to claim 1, wherein, The plating tank is provided with a plurality of transmission shafts, the plurality of transmission shafts are arranged in the horizontal direction, and in the horizontal direction, the distance between the centers of adjacent two transmission shafts is less than the length of the solar cell. 3.The horizontal plating device for solar cells of claim 2, wherein, The transmission wheels on at least two transmission shafts are horizontally staggered.

4. The horizontal plating apparatus for solar cells according to claim 1, wherein, The transmission wheel comprises a rotating shaft part arranged on the transmission shaft and at least one blade part arranged on the rotating shaft part, and the blade part extends in the radial direction of the rotating shaft part. The cathode structure comprises a cathode roller, the cathode roller and the conveying device are located on the side of the solar cell facing the plating tank, the cathode roller is used to jointly carry the solar cell with the conveying device, the cathode roller contacts the solar cell and is connected with the negative pole of an external power supply.

5. The horizontal plating apparatus for solar cells according to claim 4, wherein, The cathode roller is fixed relative to the plating tank, or the cathode roller is rotatable relative to the plating tank.

6. The horizontal plating apparatus for solar cells according to claim 4 or 5, wherein, The cathode roller is rotatable relative to the plating tank and jointly transports the solar cell with the conveying device.

7. The horizontal plating apparatus for solar cells according to claim 6, wherein, In the horizontal direction, the distance between the cathode roller and the conveying device is less than the length of the solar cell in the horizontal direction. 8.The horizontal plating device for solar cells of claim 4, wherein, In the horizontal direction, the distance between the supporting point on the conveying device closest to the cathode roller and the center of the cathode roller is less than or equal to half the length of the solar cell. 9.The horizontal plating device for solar cells of claim 1, wherein, In the horizontal direction, the plating tank has opposite first and second side walls, and in the vertical direction, the position of the supporting point where the conveying device contacts the solar cell is higher than the top of the first and second side walls.

10. The horizontal plating apparatus for solar cells as claimed in claim 9, wherein, ​ 11. The horizontal plating apparatus for solar cells as claimed in claim 10, wherein, ​ 12. The horizontal plating apparatus for solar cells as claimed in claim 9, wherein, ​ 13. The horizontal plating apparatus for solar cells as claimed in claim 9, wherein, ​ 14. The horizontal plating apparatus for solar cells according to claim 1, wherein, ​ 15. The horizontal plating apparatus for solar cells of claim 14, wherein, In the vertical direction, the distance between the support point where the conveying device contacts the solar cell and the top of the first and second side walls is 1-2 mm.

16. A horizontal electroplating apparatus, wherein, The horizontal electroplating device for solar cell according to any one of claims 1-15 is included.

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