JP2002103511A - Method and apparatus for manufacturing composite metal tape - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing a composite metal tape wherein a second metal tape is uniformly bonded to a first metal tape with a conductive pressure-sensitive adhesive tape at a predetermined position without meandering the same. SOLUTION: A composite tape A is constituted by laminating a first metal tape, a conductive pressure-sensitive adhesive tape and a separate tape in this order and a second metal tape B is bonded to the surface of the conductive pressure-sensitive adhesive tape of the composite tape A at a predetermined position in the lateral direction of the tape to manufacture the composite metal tape C. The composite tape passed through the first guide G1 after the separate tape Ac is peeled to be immediately located, and a second metal tape, which is passed through a second guide G2 to be positioned immediately located, are bonded by a plurality of pressure rolls Rp.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to at least the first
Metal tape, conductive adhesive tape and conductive tape of the composite tape laminated in order of the separate tape,
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a composite metal tape obtained by adhering a second metal tape.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, research and development of clean energy sources are being promoted from the standpoint of environmental protection. Above all, solar cells are attracting attention because of their infinite resources (solar rays) and no pollution. A typical example of a solar cell (photoelectric conversion device) in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements formed on the same substrate are connected in series and parallel is a thin film solar cell.

[0003] Thin-film solar cells are considered to be the mainstream of solar cells in the future because of their thinness, light weight, low production cost, and easy area enlargement. Demand is expanding as a power source for business use and general housing which is used by being attached to a roof or a window of a building. Conventional thin-film solar cells used glass substrates,
Research and development of a flexible solar cell using a plastic film as a substrate, which is excellent in weight reduction, workability, and mass productivity, has been promoted. Mass production has become possible by a roll-to-roll manufacturing method utilizing this flexibility.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a solar cell module.
(A) is a plan view, and (b) is a XX sectional view in (a). The solar cell 1 is composed of a flexible film substrate having electrical insulation and a plurality of serially / parallel-connected photoelectric conversion elements formed thereon. An internal lead wire 2 of a flat foil copper wire is arranged in parallel along both sides of the solar cell 1, and both electrodes of the output of the solar cell 1 are connected to the internal lead wire by an auxiliary wiring 3 of a metal tape with a conductive adhesive tape. 2 respectively. Thus, one or more solar cells 1 are connected in parallel. After both surfaces of the solar cell 1 and the wiring are covered and sealed with a moisture-proof film 4 via ethylene vinyl acetate (hereinafter abbreviated as EVA), the solar cell 1 is cut and individualized so as to include appropriate solar cells, It is referred to as module M.

The moisture-proof film 4 is made of a fluorine resin film having high weather resistance, for example, ethylene / tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE) or the like. As the internal lead wires 2, metal foil (metal tape) such as nickel, aluminum or copper and polyethylene terephthalate (hereinafter, referred to as
A laminated tape of a tape made of PET) is used.

As the auxiliary wiring 3, a metal tape in which a conductive adhesive is adhered to a metal foil such as copper or a copper alloy is used. The conductive adhesive is, for example, an acrylic adhesive containing Ni powder. Such a step of connecting the internal wiring of the solar cell 1, a step of covering and sealing the moisture-proof film 4, and a step of cutting are referred to as modularization.

As described above, when the metal tape with the conductive adhesive is used as the auxiliary wiring 3, the difference in the thermal expansion and contraction between the metal tape with the conductive adhesive and the moisture-proof film 4 by the heat cycle test after modularization is obtained. In the worst case, the stress inside the metal tape increases, causing cracks. In the worst case, the metal tape with the conductive adhesive material breaks, resulting in poor electrical connection.

As a countermeasure, a method of increasing the film thickness of the metal tape with the conductive adhesive material to the thickness of the metal and the conductive adhesive material can be considered. In this case, it is necessary to secure the mechanical strength to withstand the heat cycle test. Because the thickness of the metal tape must be several hundred μm or more, bubbles may remain around the auxiliary wiring when modularizing, or the part of the moisture-proof film that covers the metal tape may become thinner when modularized. In mechanical strength and heat cycle tests, a cutting phenomenon sometimes occurred. Further, there is a possibility that the module may be damaged when it is installed on a roof or the like.

In order to solve such a problem, the auxiliary wiring has been improved to the following composite metal tape. FIG. 9 shows the improved composite metal tape, (a) is a plan view, (b)
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. First metal tape A
a and a conventional metal tape A1 with a conductive adhesive material made of a conductive adhesive material while keeping the film thickness as it is, and a flat foil copper tape Ba (second metal tape B) further coated with solder or tin Bb on this metal tape. When the composite metal tape C adhered to was used as an auxiliary wiring, the conventional problem did not occur even if the overall film thickness was reduced as compared with the case where the metal tape having the increased thickness was used. Further, the cutting phenomenon was not observed in the mechanical strength test and the heat cycle test.

In practice, the width of the metal tape with the conductive adhesive was 6 to 10 mm, the thickness was 50 to 100 μm, and the thickness of the conductive adhesive was 25 to 50 μm. The width of the solder or tin-coated flat foil copper tape was 2-3 mm, and the appropriate thickness was 0.75-1.0 mm.

[0011]

As described above, the composite metal tape was satisfactory in structure and characteristics, but there is no method for producing such a composite metal tape.
The solder or tin-coated flat had to be cut manually to a certain length, both sides were fixed on a desk with tape, and the adhesive portion of the metal tape with conductive adhesive had to be attached. As a result, the solder or tin-coated flat was too close to one side or meandered, so when pasted in this state, only the metal tape was cut in the heat cycle test, and the electrical connection was unstable. . Also, there is no meandering,
There is a problem that it takes a very long time to apply the adhesive in a uniform state.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to uniformly deposit a second metal tape at a predetermined position on a first metal tape with a conductive adhesive tape. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a composite metal tape that is adhered without meandering.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, at least a first metal tape, a conductive adhesive tape and a separate tape are laminated in this order in a composite tape laminated in the tape width direction of the conductive adhesive tape surface. A method for producing a composite metal tape comprising a step of adhering a second metal tape to a predetermined position of the composite metal tape, the method comprising:
The composite tape immediately after positioning by passing through the guide and the second metal tape immediately after positioning by passing through the second guide are adhered by pressing means.

[0014] It is preferable that the pressure means is a plurality of pressure rolls disposed so as to sandwich the composite tape and the second metal tape. It is preferable that the separated tape peeled off before the adhesion is again adhered to the conductive adhesive tape of the composite metal tape and used as a separate tape of the composite metal tape. In the apparatus for manufacturing a composite metal tape for performing the method for manufacturing a composite metal tape, a roll for unwinding the composite tape, a roll for unwinding the second metal tape, a peeling roll for peeling the separate tape, And at least the pressure means.

The first guide and the second guide have a substantially concave cross section in a plane perpendicular to the tape running direction.
Preferably, both inner surfaces of the concave shape can be adjusted to an arbitrary distance corresponding to the tape width. Preferably, a cutter for cutting the composite metal tape to a predetermined length is provided after the pressurizing means.

According to the present invention, before the second metal tape is adhered to the conductive adhesive tape of the composite tape, that is, before the pressing means, a guide is used such that the two tapes coincide with a predetermined position. The tape does not sway in the width direction before and after the adhesion, and the position of the second metal tape is always at a predetermined position (center) with respect to the composite tape and does not meander. Therefore, the solar cell module using the composite metal tape does not have any external defects, and can be expected to have high reliability.

Further, since the separate tape used for the composite tape is reused for the composite metal tape, the composite metal tape does not adhere to the dust and is not damaged at the time of winding or a subsequent process. No failure of the solar cell module using the tape occurs, and high reliability can be expected. In addition, it can contribute to cost reduction. Further, since the manufacturing apparatus that performs such a manufacturing method is configured by simple components such as the unwinding roll, the peeling roll, and the guide, the operation and maintenance are easy, and the reliability is high, Stable manufacturing with few defects can be performed in a short time.

[0018]

FIG. 1 is a side view along a tape running direction showing a method for manufacturing a composite metal tape according to the present invention. The position of the composite metal tape A unwound from the roll R1 in the running direction (indicated by an arrow) in the vertical direction is determined by the first guide G1. The position of the second metal tape B wound from the roll R1 in the direction perpendicular to the running direction is determined by the guide G2. Both tapes are sandwiched and adhered by at least two pressure rolls Rp. The center lines of the tapes of the guides G1 and G2 are set to be in the same plane or at a predetermined off-center. The guides G1 and G2 are preferably variable in width so as to correspond to the width of the tape to be handled. As described above, since the position of each tape is determined immediately before the adhesion, each tape does not swing, and the second metal tape B is adhered to the center of the composite metal tape A without meandering.

FIG. 2 is a side view along a tape running direction showing a main part of a method for manufacturing another composite metal tape according to the present invention. In this production method, the separated tape Ac that has been peeled off is adhered to the adhesive film surface of the composite tape D by the roll Rq. The separate tape protects the metal surface and the adhesive film surface of the composite tape from dust and damage in subsequent processes.

Next, an apparatus for manufacturing a composite metal tape for implementing the above-described manufacturing method will be described. FIG. 3 is a side view along the tape running direction showing the composite metal tape manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. The following rolls, guides, and the like are attached to the flat plate base P by respective mounting shafts (rotary shafts) and jigs perpendicular to the base surface.

First metal tape Aa, conductive adhesive film A
b and a separate tape Ac, a composite tape A is fed from a roll R1, and first a separate tape Ac
Is peeled off, reversed in the running direction by the roll Rs, and taken up by the roll R4. The tape A1 from which the separate tape Ac has been peeled is positioned by the guide G1.

On the other hand, the second metal tape B made of solder or tin-coated flat foil copper tape B is fed from a roll R2, and is first positioned by a guide G2 so that the center of the tape A1 and the center of the tape A1 coincide with each other. The two tapes are sandwiched between a plurality of pressure rolls Rp, pressurized and adhered and fixed to each other, integrated into a composite metal tape C, and then wound around a roll R4.

By taking up the roll R4 in this way, it can be appropriately pulled out from the roll at the time of use. FIG. 4 is a side view along the tape running direction showing another composite metal tape manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. In this manufacturing apparatus, the separated tape Ac once peeled is turned by the roll Ro1, removed from the running area of the tape, returned to the original running area by the roll Ro2, adhered again to the composite metal tape by the roll Rq, and separated. Protect the adhesive surface as a tape. Separate tape A
Separate tape A by removing c from the running area
The extra length of c can be reduced.

The guides G1 and G2 are preferably variable in width and relative position so as to correspond to the width of the tape to be handled and the required relative position of both tapes. FIG. 5 is a side view along the tape running direction showing another composite metal tape manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. The composite metal tape manufacturing apparatus is provided with a sensor Ks and a cutter Kk that is linked to the signal of the sensor Ks, instead of the winding roll. After being formed into the composite metal tape C by the pressure roll Rp, the composite metal tape C
When the tip reaches the sensor Ks, the cutter Kk operates according to a signal from the sensor Ks, and is cut into a predetermined length, that is, the auxiliary wiring 3 (FIG. 8).

FIGS. 6A and 6B show a roll-type guide according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 6A is a side view, and FIG.
It is sectional drawing. The guide G has a substantially H-shaped cross section so that the tape can be easily set at the start of production. The inner side surfaces of the side members Gs determine the position in the width direction of the tape, and the cylindrical surface of the main member Gm is the bottom surface inside the substantially concave shape, and determines the position in the thickness direction of the tape. In order to cope with a tape having an arbitrary width, the side member Gs is moved along the screw surface Gc to variably adjust the distance between the inner side surfaces (in the direction of the arrow), and can be fixed by the set screw Gf. .
Gc is a rotation shaft hole.

The guide may be of a stationary type in which the tape rubs without rotating. FIGS. 7A and 7B show examples of a stationary guide according to the present invention, and FIGS. 7A and 7B are cross-sectional views taken along line XX in FIG. The cross section is substantially concave. The measurement guide Gb is fitted to the rail R of the base Ga so as to be slidable, and both left and right screws Gc are fitted through the screw holes of the side guide Gb. By turning the screw Gc, the side guides Gb move along the rails R, and the distance between them can be changed so as to match the width of the tape.

Example 1 A composite tape composed of a metal tape having a thickness of 35 μm, a width of 8 mm and a thickness of 50 μm of a conductive adhesive material was obtained by the manufacturing apparatus of the above-described method of reusing the pressure roll and the separate tape. And a width of 2 to 3 mm, and using a tin-coated flat foil copper tape having a thickness of 0.8 mm as the second metal tape, a composite metal tape was produced, and the appearance was confirmed.
The second metal tape was located at the center of the metal tape with a conductive adhesive, and no meandering was observed. In addition, 10
The time required to produce 100 composite metal tapes having a length of 0 mm was 10 minutes.

A solar cell module (shown in FIG. 8) was manufactured using this composite metal tape for auxiliary wiring, and a heat cycle test (−40 ° C. to + 100 ° C.) was performed for 50 cycles. No abnormalities were seen. Comparative Example 1 The same two kinds of tapes as in Example 1 were used, and a second metal tape cut to a fixed length was fixed on a flat plate on both sides by a conventional method, that is, a tape was attached on both sides, and a conductive adhesive was attached. The adhesive portion of the metal tape was manually pasted on the second metal tape to produce a composite metal tape. It took 10 minutes to produce 10 composite metal tapes having a length of 100 mm.

When the external appearance was confirmed, the second metal tape was off the center on the metal tape with the conductive adhesive and was shifted to one side and meandered. Using this composite metal tape as an auxiliary wiring, a solar cell module (shown in FIG. 8) is produced,
As a result of performing 50 cycles of the heat cycle test (─40 ° C. to + 100 ° C.), cracks were found in the metal tape with the conductive adhesive of the auxiliary wiring. That is, the stress applied to the meandering second metal tape and the metal tape with the conductive adhesive became non-uniform due to the repeated stress of contraction and expansion in the heat cycle test, so that the mechanically weak conductive adhesive was used. It can be estimated that cracks occurred in the attached metal tape.

[0030]

According to the present invention, the second metal tape is adhered to the conductive adhesive tape of the composite tape in which the first metal tape, the conductive adhesive tape, and the separate tape are laminated in this order by the pressing means. In the method of manufacturing a composite metal tape, before the pressing means, since the guide used such that both tapes coincide with the predetermined position, before and after adhesion does not occur in the width direction of each tape, relative to the composite tape The position of the second metal tape is always at a predetermined position (center) and does not meander. Therefore, the solar cell module using the composite metal tape has no external defects and is highly reliable.

Further, since the separate tape used for the composite tape is reused for the composite metal tape, the composite metal tape does not adhere to the dust and is not damaged at the time of winding or a subsequent process. No failure of the solar cell module using the tape occurs, which is highly reliable and can contribute to cost reduction. Further, since the manufacturing apparatus that performs such a manufacturing method is configured by simple components such as the unwinding roll, the peeling roll, and the guide, the operation and maintenance are easy, and the reliability is high, Stable manufacturing with few defects can be performed in a short time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view along a tape running direction showing a method for manufacturing a composite metal tape according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view along a tape running direction showing a method of manufacturing another composite metal tape according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the composite metal tape manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, taken along a tape running direction.

FIG. 4 is a side view along a tape running direction showing another composite metal tape manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view along a tape running direction showing another composite metal tape manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a roll type guide according to the present invention, and (a)
Is a side view, and (b) is a XX cross-sectional view in (a).

FIG. 7 shows an example of a stationary guide according to the present invention,
(A) and (b) are XX sectional views in (a).

FIGS. 8A and 8B show an example of a solar cell module, wherein FIG. 8A is a plan view and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG.

9A and 9B show an improved composite metal tape, wherein FIG. 9A is a plan view and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 9A.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Solar cell 2 Internal lead wire 3 Auxiliary wiring 4 Moistureproof film M Solar cell module A Composite tape Aa First metal tape Ab Conductive adhesive tape Ac Separate tape B Second metal tape Ba Flat foil copper wire Bb Solder Alternatively, tin-coated C composite metal tape R1 unwind roll R2 unwind roll R3 take-up roll Ro direction changing roll Rp pressure roll Rs peeling roll Rq adhesive roll G1 first guide G2 second guide Gm main member Gs member Kk tape Cutter Ks sensor

Claims (6)

[Claims] A second metal tape is adhered to at least a predetermined position in a tape width direction of a conductive adhesive tape surface of a composite tape in which a first metal tape, a conductive adhesive tape, and a separate tape are laminated in this order. A composite metal tape immediately after being separated and peeled and passed through a first guide to be positioned, and a second tape immediately after being passed through a second guide and positioned. A method for producing a composite metal tape, comprising: adhering the metal tape to the metal tape by a pressing means. 2. The composite metal tape as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pressing means is a plurality of pressure rolls disposed so as to sandwich said composite tape and said second metal tape. Production method. 3. The composite according to claim 1, wherein the separated tape peeled off before the adhesion is again adhered to the conductive adhesive tape of the composite metal tape and used as a separate tape of the composite metal tape. Manufacturing method of metal tape. 4. A roll for unwinding the composite tape, a roll for unwinding the second metal tape, a peeling roll for peeling the separate tape, the first guide and the second guide.
The composite metal tape manufacturing apparatus for performing the composite metal tape manufacturing method according to claim 2, further comprising at least a guide and a pressure roll. 5. A cross section of the tape running portion of the first guide and the second guide in a plane perpendicular to the tape running direction is substantially concave, and both inner surfaces of the concave shape are tapes. The composite metal tape manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the apparatus can be adjusted to an arbitrary distance corresponding to the width. 6. The composite metal tape manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a cutter for cutting the composite metal tape to a predetermined length after the pressing means.