JP2016207849A - Manufacturing method for solar cell module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method for a solar cell module, by which not only a sealing material can be bridged in laminate processing but also defect in the design of a surface panel, caused by heat, can be prevented, even in the surface panel made of a resin material.SOLUTION: In a manufacturing method for a solar cell module for laminate-processing a laminate body 17 by using a laminate device 20 that comprises a heat panel 21 held at a predetermined temperature and a diaphragm 23 for applying pressure, the laminate body being formed from a surface panel 11, a solar cell part 13, sealing materials 15, 16, and a rear member 12 arranged in a stack, the laminate body 17 is laminate processed by arranging the surface panel 11 to face the diaphragm 23 and placing the laminate body 17 on the heat panel 21 while bringing the rear member 12 into contact with the heat panel 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a solar cell module, and in particular, a method for manufacturing a solar cell module that obtains a solar cell module by laminating a laminate in which a front panel, a solar cell element, a sealing material, and a back member are overlapped. About.

  As a method for manufacturing a solar cell module, for example, a solar cell module disclosed in Patent Document 1 and a method for manufacturing the solar cell module are known. In the method for manufacturing a solar cell module disclosed in Patent Document 1, a cover glass as a surface protection portion, a first sealing material, a solar cell element, a second sealing material, and a back sheet as a back surface protection portion are provided below. The workpieces are overlapped in order from the beginning.

  When laminating a workpiece, the laminating apparatus lowers the upper case and seals the internal space between the upper case and the lower case. Next, the laminating apparatus evacuates the upper chamber through the intake / exhaust port of the upper case, and evacuates the lower chamber through the intake / exhaust port of the lower case. In this state, the workpiece is heated by the hot plate, and the first sealing material and the second sealing material are melted. Next, the laminating apparatus introduces atmospheric pressure into the upper chamber through the intake / exhaust port of the upper case while keeping the vacuum state of the lower chamber. As a result, a pressure difference occurs between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, the diaphragm expands, and the diaphragm is pushed downward. The workpiece is sandwiched between the diaphragm extruded downward and the hot plate, and the constituent members are bonded by the melted first sealing material and second sealing material.

JP 2013-118321 A

  In the method for manufacturing a solar cell module disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the surface panel (surface protection portion) is a heat-resistant cover glass, no problem due to heat occurs even if the surface panel abuts against the heat plate. However, when the manufacturing method of the solar cell module of Patent Document 1 is applied to a surface panel formed of a resin material instead of a cover glass, there is a problem that the design surface of the surface panel is deformed by heat from a hot plate. In addition, when a protective layer (hard coat layer) is formed on the design surface of the surface panel formed of a resin material, the protective layer contacts the hot plate during the lamination process, There is a risk of peeling the protective layer from the surface panel. That is, in the surface panel formed of a resin material, there is a problem that a problem due to heat occurs on the design surface of the solar cell module.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to solve the problems caused by heat in the design surface of the surface panel and the cross-linking of the sealing material during the laminating process even if the surface panel is a resin material. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a solar cell module capable of achieving both prevention and prevention.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a laminating apparatus including a mounting table that is maintained at a predetermined temperature and a diaphragm for pressurization, and stacks a front panel, a solar cell unit, a sealing material, and a back member. In the method for manufacturing a solar cell module in which the laminated body is laminated, the front panel is disposed to face the diaphragm, and the back surface member is brought into contact with the mounting table, and the stacked body is mounted on the mounting table. The laminate is laminated. The laminating process herein refers to a process of forming a sealing portion by a sealing material and performing pressure bonding between the front panel and the back member and the sealing portion by heating the laminate.

  In the present invention, when a laminate in which the front panel, the solar cell unit, the sealing material, and the back member are laminated, the design surface of the front panel is arranged to face the diaphragm farthest from the mounting table. It becomes difficult to be affected by heat from the mounting table. The design surface of the front panel stops rising to a temperature at which no trouble due to heat occurs, whereas the sealing material closer to the mounting table than the front panel reaches a temperature at which it is cross-linked. Therefore, even in the case of a surface panel made of a resin material, it is possible to achieve both the crosslinking of the sealing material in the laminating process and the prevention of problems due to heat on the design surface of the surface panel.

In the method for manufacturing a solar cell module, the surface panel may be cooled when the surface panel is pressed by the diaphragm.
In this case, since the design surface of the surface panel is actively cooled when the surface panel is pressed by the diaphragm, it is possible to reliably prevent problems due to heat during the laminating process on the design surface of the surface panel.

In the method for manufacturing a solar cell module, the cooling gas may be continuously supplied to the diaphragm, and the surface panel may be cooled through the diaphragm.
In this case, the cooling of the surface panel through the diaphragm can be continued by supplying the cooling gas to the diaphragm. As a result, the front panel can be reliably cooled.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if it is a surface panel of a resin material, the manufacturing method of the solar cell module which can make compatible the bridge | crosslinking of the sealing material at the time of a lamination process, and prevention of the malfunction by the heat | fever in the design surface of a surface panel Can be provided.

(A) is a side view which shows the structure of the solar cell module which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (b) is a side view which shows the laminated body before a lamination process. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the lamination apparatus of the solar cell module which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) is a schematic sectional drawing of the laminating apparatus in a preheating period, (b) is a schematic sectional drawing of the laminating apparatus in a crimping | compression-bonding period. It is a graph which shows the temperature change of the surface panel and sealing material at the time of a lamination process.

  Hereinafter, a solar cell module and a manufacturing method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The solar cell module according to the present embodiment is an in-vehicle solar cell module that constitutes a part of a roof, a body, or the like of an automobile, and particularly has a design surface that requires an aesthetic appearance.

  As shown to Fig.1 (a), the solar cell module 10 is the solar cell arrange | positioned between the surface panel 11 used as the surface side, the back surface member 12 used as the back surface side, and the surface panel 11 and the back surface member 12. FIG. Part 13, and a sealing part 14 that is crimped to front panel 11 and rear surface member 12 and covers solar cell part 13.

  The front panel 11 of the present embodiment is a resin panel having a flat plate shape, made of polycarbonate, and having translucency. Therefore, the surface panel 11 is sufficiently reduced in weight as compared with a surface panel made of glass. The outer surface 11A of the front panel 11 is the surface of the solar cell module 10 and is a design surface that requires an aesthetic appearance. In the present embodiment, a hard coat layer (not shown) as a protective layer is formed in advance on the outer surface 11A of the front panel 11. An inner side surface 11 </ b> B that is a surface opposite to the outer side surface 11 </ b> A of the front panel 11 is a pressure-bonded surface that is pressure-bonded to the sealing portion 14. The front panel 11 is formed in a size (area in plan view) that covers the solar cell unit 13 covered with the sealing unit 14.

  The back surface member 12 is a member that protects the back surface of the solar cell module 10, and the back surface member 12 of the present embodiment is a resin sheet made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The inner surface 12A, which is the surface of the back member 12 on the front panel 11 side, is a pressure-bonding surface that is pressure-bonded to the sealing portion 14, and the outer surface 12B opposite to the inner surface 12A of the back member 12 is the solar cell module 10. It becomes the back side. The back member 12 is formed in the same size (area in plan view) as the front panel 11. The outer surface 12B of the back member 12 is not a design surface.

  The solar cell unit 13 is formed by a plurality of single-sided light-receiving solar cell elements, and is arranged between the front panel 11 and the back member 12 with the light receiving surface facing the front panel 11. In the present embodiment, a plurality of solar cell elements arranged in a matrix form in a plan view are connected in parallel or in series to form two sets of solar cell units 13. The combined size (area in plan view) of the two sets of solar cell portions 13 is smaller than that of the front panel 11 and the back member 12.

  The sealing portion 14 that covers the solar cell portion 13 is formed of an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA). The sealing portion 14 may be made of a resin material such as polyethylene in addition to an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA). The temperature at which the sealing portion 14 crosslinks by heating (hereinafter referred to as “crosslinking temperature”) is higher than the heat resistance temperature of the hard coat layer of the front panel 11 and the outer surface 11A. The temperature difference from the heat resistant temperature of 11 is about several degrees Celsius. The sealing portion 14 of the present embodiment is formed by heating the first sealing material 15 and the second sealing material 16 shown in FIG. The first sealing material 15 and the second sealing material 16 are the same material (EVA).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the solar cell module 10 of the present embodiment includes a stacked body 17 in which the front panel 11, the first sealing material 15, the solar cell portion 13, the second sealing material 16, and the back surface member 12 are stacked. It can be obtained by laminating. Specifically, the back member 12, the second sealing material 16, the solar cell unit 13, the first sealing material 15, and the front panel 11 are stacked in this order from the bottom to form a laminated body 17. The solar cell module 10 is obtained by performing a laminating process on the stacked body 17 placed on the laminating apparatus 20. The laminating process here refers to the formation of the sealing portion 14 by the first sealing material 15 and the second sealing material 16 by heating the laminate 17, the front panel 11, the back surface member 12, and the sealing portion. 14 refers to a process of performing pressure bonding with 14.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the laminating apparatus 20 of the present embodiment includes a hot plate 21 as a mounting table on which the laminated body 17 is placed, and an upper portion that is disposed above the hot plate 21 and includes a diaphragm 23 that can move up and down. A support 22, a first pneumatic circuit 24, and a second pneumatic circuit 25 are provided. A flat placement surface 26 on which the laminate 17 is placed is formed on the hot plate 21. A plurality of medium flow holes 27 for circulating the heat medium are formed inside the heat plate 21, and the heat plate 21 heats the laminated body 17 by the high temperature heat medium flowing through the medium flow holes 27. Functions as a heating means. The hot plate 21 can heat and maintain the laminated body 17 (solar cell module 10) to be heated at a predetermined temperature according to the temperature and flow rate of the heat medium.

  The upper support 22 has a plate-like main body 28 and a side wall 29 extending downward from the vicinity of the outer periphery of the main body 28 and has a box shape. The upper support 22 is brought into contact with and separated from the heat plate 21 by the operation of a lifting means (not shown). The diaphragm 23 is attached to the side wall 29 and divides the space defined by the main body 28 and the side wall 29 of the upper support 22 into upper and lower parts. An upper space section (hereinafter referred to as “first space section 30”) partitioned by the diaphragm 23 is a closed space formed by the main body section 28, the side wall section 29, and the diaphragm 23. The lower space defined by the diaphragm 23 is a space whose lower side is open. The upper support 22 is lowered and joined to the hot plate 21, but the lower space is joined to the hot plate 21 and is closed by the hot plate 21, the side wall 29, and the diaphragm 23 (hereinafter referred to as a closed space). (Referred to as “second space portion 31”) (see FIG. 3A).

  The lower end surface 32 of the side wall 29 is joined to the hot plate 21, but an annular seal member 33 is provided over the entire periphery of the lower end surface 32. The seal member 33 has a function of improving the airtightness between the lower end surface 32 and the heat plate 21 when the upper support 22 is lowered and contacts the heat plate 21.

  The main body portion 28 is formed with two through holes 34 and 35 communicating with the first space portion 30 and the first pneumatic circuit 24. The first space portion 30 communicates with the first pneumatic circuit 24 through the through holes 34 and 35. An air pump 36 is provided in the first pneumatic circuit 24. The first pneumatic circuit 24 includes a pipe 37 that connects the through hole 34 and the air pump 36, a pipe 38 that connects the through hole 35 and the pipe 37, and a pipe 39 that communicates with the pipe 38 and the atmosphere. An open / close valve 40 is provided in the pipe 38, and an open / close valve 41 is provided in the pipe 39. By opening the on-off valve 40, closing the on-off valve 41 and operating the air pump 36, the first space 30 can be decompressed. By closing the on-off valve 40, opening the on-off valve 41, and further operating the air pump 36, the first space portion 30 can continue to receive normal-temperature air supply from an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. .

  In the present embodiment, a through hole 42 that allows the second space portion 31 and the second pneumatic circuit 25 to communicate with each other is formed in the side wall portion 29. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3A, the second space portion 31 communicates with the second pneumatic circuit 25 through the through hole 42. Another air pump 43 is provided in the second pneumatic circuit 25. The second space 31 can be decompressed by joining the hot plate 21 and the upper support 22 and operating the air pump 43.

Next, a method for manufacturing the solar cell module 10 will be described.
First, the laminated body 17 in which the back surface member 12, the second sealing material 16, the solar cell unit 13, the first sealing material 15, and the front panel 11 are stacked in this order from the bottom is placed on the placement surface 26 of the hot plate 21. . At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper support 22 of the laminating apparatus 20 is in a state of being separated from the hot plate 21.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3A, the upper support 22 is lowered to join the upper support 22 and the heat plate 21 together. After joining the upper support 22 and the hot plate 21, the first space 30 and the second space 31 are heated for preheating the laminated body 17 by the hot plate 21 while reducing the pressure. As shown in the graph of FIG. 4, in this embodiment, a certain period until the laminated body 17 reaches a certain temperature is defined as a preheating period. In the preheating period, the pressure is reduced to a state close to vacuum so that the first space 30 and the second space 31 have the same pressure.

  When the preheating of the laminated body 17 is completed, the on / off valves 40 and 41 and the air pump 36 of the first pneumatic circuit 24 are turned on so that the atmosphere is introduced into the first space 30 while the heating by the hot plate 21 is continued. Actuated, the first space 30 is at atmospheric pressure. While the decompression of the second space portion 31 is maintained, the first space portion 30 becomes atmospheric pressure, whereby a differential pressure is generated between the first space portion 30 and the second space portion 31. Due to this differential pressure, the laminate 17 is covered with a diaphragm 23 that expands the periphery of the back surface member 12 except for the outer surface, as shown in FIG. In a state where the diaphragm 23 covers the laminated body 17, the surface panel 11 and the diaphragm 23 have the largest contact area. Therefore, the diaphragm 23 pressurizes the surface panel 11 in the laminated body 17 in the laminating direction (downward direction) of the laminated body 17. That is, the laminate 17 is sandwiched between the hot plate 21 and the diaphragm 23.

  In the laminated body 17 pressurized by the diaphragm 23, since the heating by the hot plate 21 is continued, the temperature of the laminated body 17 rises. For this reason, the temperature of the first sealing material 15 and the second sealing material 16 exceeds the heat resistance temperature T1 of the front panel 11 and reaches the bridging temperature T2, and coupled with the pressurization of the diaphragm 23, The sealing portion 14 is formed by the crosslinking of the second sealing material 16. When the sealing portion 14 is formed by cross-linking of the first sealing material 15 and the second sealing material 16, the front panel 11 and the back surface member 12 are pressure-bonded to the sealing portion 14 and the solar cell portion 13 is sealed. The stopper 14 is coated. The solar cell module 10 is formed by the formation of the sealing portion 14 and the pressure bonding between the front panel 11 and the back surface member 12 and the sealing portion 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the period during which the surface panel 11 is pressurized by the diaphragm 23 is defined as a pressure bonding period. During the pressure bonding period, heating by the hot plate 21 is controlled so that the temperature on the surface of the sealing portion 14 on the surface panel 11 side is maintained at the crosslinking temperature T2 or a temperature slightly exceeding the crosslinking temperature T2. Note that a phenomenon occurs in which the temperature of the outer surface 11A of the front panel 11 temporarily decreases in the initial stage of the crimping period. The reason for this temperature decrease is that the diaphragm 23 comes into contact with the front panel 11.

  In the present embodiment, the surface panel 11 is cooled when the surface panel 11 is pressed by the diaphragm 23. Specifically, when the diaphragm 23 pressurizes the front panel 11 during the crimping period, the atmosphere as the cooling gas is introduced into the first space 30. As shown in FIG. 3B, the atmosphere is introduced from the through hole 35 to the first space portion 30, and the air in the first space portion 30 is exhausted from the through hole 34. An atmospheric flow is formed. The front panel 11 is positively cooled through the diaphragm 23 by the supply of air to the first space 30. Therefore, the temperature of the outer surface 11 </ b> A of the front panel 11 that receives cooling is lower than that of the sealing portion 14 and the back surface member 12. Incidentally, introduction of air into the first space 30 is continued by operating the air pump 36 after operating the on-off valves 40 and 41 so that air can be introduced into the first space 30.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, when the diaphragm 23 pressurizes the surface panel 11 during the crimping period, the temperature of the outer surface 11 </ b> A of the surface panel 11 is always higher than the heat-resistant temperature T <b> 1 of the surface panel 11 due to cooling of the atmosphere. Below. In addition, since the inner surface 11B of the surface panel 11 is pressure-bonded to the sealing portion 14 that reaches the crosslinking temperature T2, the inner surface 11B exceeds the heat resistance temperature T1 of the surface panel 11 and reaches the crosslinking temperature T2. However, the inner surface 11B is not a design surface, and the time for exceeding the heat-resistant temperature T1 is also limited. Further, the entire front panel 11 does not reach the heat resistant temperature or higher. Therefore, the influence of heat on the inner side surface 11B of the front panel 11 is within an allowable range. Incidentally, although the outer side surface 12B of the back surface member 12 which contacts the hot plate 21 becomes high temperature exceeding the bridge | crosslinking temperature T2, since it is not a design surface, the influence by heat is not made a problem.

  In FIG. 4, the temperature (indicated by a solid line) on the outer surface 11 </ b> A of the front panel 11 and the temperature on the surface panel 11 side surface of the sealing portion 14 (first sealing material 15) (in broken lines) during the laminating process. It is the graph which measured each with the thermocouple.

  When the pressure-bonding period elapses, the decompression of the second space 31 is released, the atmosphere is introduced, and the upper support 22 is raised. The diaphragm 23 is separated from the laminated body 17, and the lamination process of the laminated body 17 is complete | finished and the solar cell module 10 is obtained. The solar cell module 10 obtained by the laminating process is then subjected to processes such as end processing.

The manufacturing method of the solar cell module 10 of this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) When laminating the laminated body 17, the outer surface 11 </ b> A as the design surface of the front panel 11 is disposed to face the diaphragm 23 farthest from the hot plate 21, so that the heat from the hot plate 21 It becomes difficult to be affected. The outer surface 11 </ b> A of the front panel 11 stops rising to a temperature (below the heat resistance temperature) at which no trouble is caused by heat, while the first sealing material 15 and the second seal closer to the hot plate 21 than the front panel 11. The stopper 16 reaches a temperature for crosslinking (crosslinking temperature). Therefore, even in the case of the front panel 11 formed of a resin material, the first sealing material 15 and the second sealing material 16 are cross-linked in the laminating process, and the outer surface 11A of the front panel 11 is prevented from malfunction due to heat. Can be compatible.

(2) Since the surface panel 11 is actively cooled from the outer surface 11A of the surface panel 11 when the surface panel 11 is pressed by the diaphragm 23, the outer surface 11A as a design surface of the surface panel 11 is subjected to the laminating process. Failure due to heat can be reliably prevented.

(3) By continuing the supply of air as a cooling gas to the diaphragm 23, the cooling of the surface panel 11 through the diaphragm 23 can be continued. As a result, the front panel 11 can be reliably cooled. Therefore, the outer surface 11A of the front panel 11 is surely lower than the heat resistant temperature T1 during the laminating process.

(4) The 1st sealing material 15 and the 2nd sealing material 16 are arrange | positioned near the hot plate 21 rather than the surface panel 11, and the temperature of the 1st sealing material 15 and the 2nd sealing material 16 and the surface panel 11 are arranged. The temperature difference with the outer side surface 11A of is set. For this reason, the temperature of the 1st sealing material 15 and the 2nd sealing material 16 becomes easy to raise rather than the conventional manufacturing method which makes a surface panel contact a hot plate and performs a lamination process. As a result, the time required for the laminating process can be shortened, and the manufacturing cost of the solar cell module 10 can be reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, the following modifications may be made.

In the above embodiment, a resin sheet made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is used as the back member, but the back member is not limited to the resin sheet. The back member may be formed of a metal material such as iron or aluminum, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), or may have a rigid structure.
○ In the above embodiment, room temperature air is used as the cooling gas to be introduced into the first space. However, a gas other than air, such as nitrogen gas, may be used as the cooling gas. A low cooled gas may be used.
In the above embodiment, the front panel is provided with a hard coat layer as a protective layer in advance, but the protective layer may be applied to the front panel in the solar cell module after the lamination process.
In the above embodiment, a hot plate is exemplified as the mounting table, but the mounting table includes a mounting surface on which the stacked body can be mounted, and a heating unit that can heat the stacked body from the mounting surface side. If provided, the structure is not particularly limited.
In the above embodiment, the on-vehicle solar cell module is used. However, the solar cell module is not limited to on-vehicle use, and may be a solar cell module installed in a structure such as a house or a factory. The shape of the solar cell module may be not only a flat plate but also a curved plate that is gently curved, and the shape in plan view is also free.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Solar cell module 11 Front panel 11A Outer side surface 11B Inner side surface 12 Back surface member 12A Inner side surface 12B Outer side surface 13 Solar cell part 14 Sealing part 15 First sealing material 16 Second sealing material 17 Laminate 20 Laminating apparatus 22 Upper part Support 23 Diaphragm 24 First pneumatic circuit 25 Second pneumatic circuit 26 Mounting surface 30 First space 31 Second space

Claims (3)

Manufacture of a solar cell module that laminates a laminate in which a front panel, a solar cell unit, a sealing material, and a back member are overlaid by a laminating apparatus having a mounting table that is maintained at a predetermined temperature and a diaphragm for pressurization In the method
The solar cell module, wherein the front panel is disposed to face the diaphragm, the back member is brought into contact with a mounting table, the stacked body is mounted on the mounting table, and the stacked body is laminated. Manufacturing method.   The method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein the surface panel is cooled when the surface panel is pressed by the diaphragm.   The method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to claim 2, wherein the supply of a cooling gas to the diaphragm is continued and the surface panel is cooled through the diaphragm.

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