JP2004179261A - Device and method for manufacturing solar battery module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laminating machine in which a warp does not occur in a laminated body and time is short until reaching the prescribed temperature. <P>SOLUTION: A manufacturing device of a solar battery module is provided with an upper chamber 1 having a diaphragm 3, a lower chamber 5 having a heater board 6 heating the laminated body 8 serving as the solar battery module and a vacuum pump 10 for decompressing the lower chamber 5. Hook-like pawls 9 fixing a peripheral edge of the laminated body 8 are disposed on the heater board 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a solar cell module, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a solar cell module in which a solar cell element is sealed using a light-transmitting substrate and a filler.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Solar cell elements are often manufactured using a single crystal silicon substrate or a polycrystalline silicon substrate. For this reason, the solar cell element is vulnerable to physical impact, and when the solar cell is mounted outdoors, it is necessary to protect it from rain and the like. The solar cell element is made of a light-transmitting substrate and an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA). It is common practice to produce a solar cell module by enclosing it with a filler mainly composed of, for example.
[0003]
A laminating apparatus for sealing the solar cell element with a light-transmitting substrate and EVA is called a laminator, and an upper chamber having an expandable diaphragm and a lower chamber having a heater panel for heating an object to be laminated, and It consists of a vacuum pump for depressurizing the lower chamber.
[0004]
In the laminating step, first, a light-transmitting substrate is placed on a heater panel in the lower chamber, and an EVA sheet, a wired solar cell element, an EVA sheet, and a back material are placed on the top. After closing the upper and lower chambers in this state, the lower chamber is depressurized and the object to be laminated is heated. Further, the air is gradually introduced into the upper chamber, and the translucent substrate is heated and pressed between the diaphragm sheet of the upper chamber and the lower chamber to laminate.
[0005]
During the heating in the above-described laminating step, the light-transmitting substrate in contact with the heater panel is warped due to the temperature difference between the upper and lower surfaces of the light-transmitting substrate due to heating from the heater. In particular, when manufacturing a solar cell module having a large area, a large warpage causes a large non-uniformity in the temperature of the light-transmitting substrate, and when pressure is applied in this state, the thermal shrinkage of the filler such as EVA becomes non-uniform. Wrinkles occur on the back material. Further, if the temperature at the time of lamination is increased to prevent the generation of wrinkles, EVA may foam and bubbles may remain inside the module.
[0006]
In order to avoid this problem, pressurizing is performed after the temperature is maintained until the temperature difference disappears in the heating state. However, this method has a problem that lamination takes time and productivity is greatly reduced.
[0007]
Furthermore, as a countermeasure for this problem, the heater in the heater panel in the lower chamber is divided so that energization can be controlled for each heater so that a specific area of the object to be laminated such as a transparent substrate is directed to another specific area. It has been proposed to prevent the occurrence of warpage by gradually heating.
[0008]
Prior art document information related to the invention of this application includes the following.
[0009]
[Patent Document]
See JP-A-10-214987.
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the method of controlling the energization of each heater by dividing the heater in the heater panel in the lower chamber described above, a sensor for measuring the temperature of each divided heater, a temperature controller for maintaining a predetermined temperature, an electric controller, and the like. Requires a relay or the like for turning ON and OFF, and the laminating apparatus becomes complicated and expensive.
[0011]
Furthermore, in the above-described method, there is a problem that the temperature is not increased at once because the divided heaters can be gradually heated, and it takes time to reach a predetermined temperature.
[0012]
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem of the conventional apparatus, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for manufacturing a solar cell module in which a body to be laminated does not warp and a time required to reach a predetermined temperature is short. And to provide a manufacturing method.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, in a solar cell module manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, an upper chamber equipped with a diaphragm, a lower chamber equipped with a heater panel for heating an object to be laminated to be a solar cell module, In a solar cell module manufacturing apparatus provided with a vacuum pump for depressurizing a chamber, a hook-shaped claw for fixing a peripheral portion of the laminated body is provided on the heater panel.
[0014]
Furthermore, in the solar cell module manufacturing apparatus, it is desirable that the position of the nail can be changed according to the size or shape of the object to be laminated.
[0015]
Further, in the method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to the present invention, the upper chamber provided with a diaphragm, the lower chamber provided with a heater panel for heating the object to be laminated to be a solar cell module, and for reducing the pressure in the lower chamber In a method of manufacturing a solar cell module for laminating with a laminating apparatus provided with a vacuum pump, the laminating is performed while fixing a peripheral portion of the laminated body with a hook-shaped pawl provided on the heater panel.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing one embodiment of a laminating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is an upper chamber, 2 is an upper chamber vacuum area, 3 is a diaphragm sheet, 4 is a vacuum pump for the upper chamber, 5 is a lower chamber, 6 is a heater panel, 7 is a heater, and 8 is a solar cell module. The object to be laminated, 9 is a hook-shaped pawl, 10 is a vacuum pump for the lower chamber, and 11 is a vacuum region of the lower chamber.
[0017]
A diaphragm sheet 3 made of silicon rubber or the like is provided inside the upper chamber 1. A vacuum pump 4 outside the chamber is connected to the inner area 2 surrounded by the diaphragm sheet 3 and the upper chamber 1 so as to reduce the pressure. The upper chamber 1 and the lower chamber 5 have a structure that can be opened and closed.
[0018]
The lower chamber 5 is connected to a vacuum pump 10 for depressurizing the inside 11, and a heater panel 6 is disposed at substantially the center of the inside. The heater panel 6 is made of a metal member such as aluminum or stainless steel, and has a size of, for example, about 2 mx 1 m, and a heater 7 is disposed inside the heater panel 6 in an insulated state. A hook-shaped pawl 9 is provided on the upper surface of the heater panel 6 to prevent the laminated body 8 disposed thereon from warping due to heat.
[0019]
2 and 3 are views showing the claws and rail portions. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the shapes of the claws and the rail, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a method of setting the claws on the rail. 2 and 3, reference numeral 9 denotes a pawl, reference numeral 12 denotes a rail, and reference numeral 13 denotes a groove provided on the upper surface of the rail.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 2, the pawl 9 has an extended hook-like portion for pressing down the warp at an upper portion, and has a shape that is widened so that the lower half does not come off from the rail 12 when the lower half enters the rail 12. ing. Further, since the material of the hook-shaped claws 9 needs to have a strength to suppress the warpage, it is made of stainless steel (especially SUS630 having high strength is preferable) or titanium. In addition, a heat-resistant resin such as melamine resin, polytetrafluoroethylene, polytrichlorofluoroethylene, or silicone resin is provided at the portion of the hook-shaped claw 9 in contact with the body 8 to be laminated so as not to damage the body 8 to be laminated. It is desirable to attach rubber or rubber.
[0021]
The rail 12 moves and fixes the hook-shaped pawl 9. The rail 12 is made of stainless steel having a thickness of about 1 mm so that the rail 12 is not deformed even if it is lifted due to the warpage of the laminated body 8 when the claws 9 are laminated.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 3, these hook-shaped claws 9 are arranged such that the lower half of the claws 9 is inserted into the grooves 13 on the rail 12 while the claws 9 are parallel to the grooves 13 provided on the upper surface of the rail 12. It is then used by rotating it 90 degrees so that the upper extension of the pawl 9 contacts the object 8 to be laminated.
[0023]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the state of the object to be laminated, the rails, and the claws arranged on the heater panel. The rails 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d are arranged so as to surround the object 8 to be laminated, and the nail 9 is fixed on the heater panel 6 with a screw or the like at a position where the nail 9 is about 2 mm over the peripheral edge 5 of the object 8 to be laminated. At this time, if the claws 9 are too deeply applied to the peripheral edge of the laminated body 8, the part is not laminated. You need to be careful because it may be damaged.
[0024]
Each of the rails 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d includes two hook-shaped claws 9, which are arranged so as to press the peripheral edge of the laminated body 8. The position and the number of the hook-shaped claws 9 may be determined according to the size of the laminated body 8. That is, the mounting positions of the rails 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d can be changed. Therefore, the length and arrangement of the rails 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d can be changed according to the length of the sides of the laminated body 8 of a triangle, a square such as a square, a rectangle, a trapezoid, or other various polygons. Also, when the sides of the object 8 to be laminated are curved, the rails 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d may be curved or the rails 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d may be shortened and connected. It is also possible to arrange in a curved shape with. Thus, the number and position of the hook-shaped claws 9 can be changed according to the size and shape of the laminated body 8.
[0025]
Further, since the hook-shaped claws 9 prevent the laminated body 8 from warping, it is sufficient that the peripheral part can be pressed when the laminated body 8 starts to warp. It is not necessary to press and fix the peripheral portion before fixing.
[0026]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the structure of a solar cell module formed by the apparatus and method of the present invention. In FIG. 5, 14 is a translucent substrate, 15 and 17 are fillers, 16 is a plurality of solar cell elements with wiring, and 18 is a back surface material. As the translucent substrate 14, a tempered glass or the like having a thickness of about 3 to 5 mm is often used.
[0027]
The solar cell element 16 is made of a single-crystal silicon or polycrystalline silicon substrate having a thickness of about 0.3 mm, and its approximate size is, for example, about 150 mm square in a polycrystalline silicon solar cell. When producing a solar cell module, an inner lead (not shown) such as a copper foil plated with solder is connected to an electrode (not shown) of the solar cell element 16, and a predetermined electric output is further output from the solar cell module. The solar cell elements 16 are connected in series and parallel with inner leads (not shown) so that they can be taken out.
[0028]
As the fillers 15 and 17, in addition to the ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) as described above, those mainly containing polyvinyl butyral (PVB) or the like are often used. The back material 18 is made of a weather-resistant fluororesin sandwiching an aluminum foil.
[0029]
In the laminating step, first, the light-transmitting substrate 14 is placed at a predetermined position on the heater panel 6 in the lower chamber 5 of the laminating apparatus shown in FIG. , A filler 17, and a backing material 18 on the uppermost portion in this order.
[0030]
Thereafter, the hook-shaped claws 9 are set at predetermined positions on the rails 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d. In this state, the upper and lower chambers 1 and 5 are closed, and the vacuum pumps 4 and 10 reduce the pressure in the upper chamber vacuum area 2 and the lower chamber vacuum area 11 to about 66 to 133 Pa.
[0031]
Thereafter, the object to be laminated 8 is heated by the heater panel 6 to start raising the temperature. When the temperature of the laminated body 8 reaches 130 to 180 ° C. by this heating and the fillers 15 and 17 such as EVA are softened, the upper chamber vacuum region 2 is gradually returned to the atmospheric pressure to expand the diaphragm sheet 3 and expand. The laminate 8 is heated and pressed between the diaphragm sheet 3 of the upper chamber 1 and the heater panel 6. This state is maintained for about 3 to 10 minutes to expel air bubbles inside the object 8 to be laminated, and to fill the softened fillers 15 and 17 all around the solar cell element 16.
[0032]
Thereafter, the lower chamber vacuum region 11 is also returned to the atmospheric pressure, the upper chamber 1 and the lower chamber 5 are opened, and the object to be laminated 8 is taken out.
[0033]
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and is not limited to, for example, a solar cell module using a crystalline solar cell such as single-crystal silicon or polycrystalline silicon, but also to a solar cell module using a thin-film solar cell. Applicable.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the solar cell module manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, since the hook-shaped claws for fixing the peripheral portion of the laminated body are provided on the heater panel, the laminated body does not warp. In addition, since the heat treatment can be performed without partially weakening the heater, the time required to reach the predetermined temperature is short, and a laminate with high work efficiency can be realized. Further, it is possible to cope with a laminated object having various dimensions and shapes only by changing the length and arrangement of the rail for fixing the warp preventing nail.
[0035]
Further, according to the method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to the present invention, since the lamination is performed while fixing the peripheral portion of the laminated body with the hook-shaped claws provided on the heater panel, the laminated body is warped. In addition, since the heater can be rammed without partially weakening the heater, the time required to reach a predetermined temperature is short, and a laminate having high work efficiency can be obtained. Further, it is possible to cope with a laminated object having various dimensions and shapes only by changing the length and arrangement of the rail for fixing the warp preventing nail.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a view showing an apparatus for manufacturing a solar cell module according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a claw and a rail portion in the solar cell module manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a method of setting a pawl on a rail in the solar cell module manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a view showing an entire configuration of a claw and a rail in the solar cell module manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing a solar cell module formed by the apparatus and method of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1: upper chamber, 2: upper chamber vacuum region, 3: diaphragm sheet, 4: upper chamber vacuum pump, 5: lower chamber, 6: heater panel, 7: heater, 8: solar cell module to be laminated, 9: warpage 10: lower chamber vacuum pump, 11: lower chamber vacuum area, 12, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d: rail, 13: groove provided on rail upper surface, 14: translucent substrate, 15, 17: filler, 16: a plurality of solar cell elements with wiring, 18: back surface material

Claims (3)

In an apparatus for manufacturing a solar cell module including an upper chamber equipped with a diaphragm, a lower chamber equipped with a heater panel for heating an object to be laminated to be a solar cell module, and a vacuum pump for reducing the pressure in the lower chamber, An apparatus for manufacturing a solar cell module, wherein a hook-shaped claw for fixing a peripheral portion of the laminated body is provided on the heater panel. The solar cell module manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of the claw can be changed according to the size or shape of the laminated body. A solar cell module to be laminated by a laminating apparatus including an upper chamber having a diaphragm, a lower chamber having a heater panel for heating a body to be laminated to be a solar cell module, and a vacuum pump for reducing the pressure of the lower chamber. 3. The method of manufacturing a solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein the lamination is performed while fixing a peripheral portion of the object to be laminated with a hook-shaped claw provided on the heater panel.

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