JP4240587B2 - Tab lead soldering equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a soldering apparatus for soldering a tab lead to a solar battery cell, which can be suitably used in the manufacturing process of a solar battery.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, various developments have been made on solar cells in order to utilize solar energy. Various types of solar cells have been devised, such as crystalline solar cells using single crystal silicon or polycrystalline silicon, and amorphous solar cells using amorphous silicon (amorphous silicon). ing.
[0003]
Such a solar cell includes a step of forming a string by electrically connecting a plurality of solar cells that convert solar energy into electric energy with tab leads, and sandwiching the string between a transparent cover glass and a protective material. Manufactured through a laminating process. Conventionally, a soldering apparatus used in such a solar cell soldering process uses a jig or the like to hold a tab lead on a surface electrode of a solar cell fixed on a stage with a pin and heat it with a heater. The structure is such that the solder interposed between the tab lead and the surface electrode of the solar battery cell is melted.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional soldering apparatus, the step of positioning the tab lead on the surface electrode of the solar battery cell, the step of heating the solder and pressing the tab lead on the surface electrode of the solar battery cell, etc. are performed on the same stage. For this reason, only after the soldering process for one solar cell is completed, the next solar cell cannot be carried on the stage, and the soldering process takes time, improving productivity. It was difficult to measure.
[0005]
On the other hand, a soldering apparatus is also conceivable in which a plurality of stages are provided in order to increase the efficiency, and tab lead positioning, heating, and crimping processes are performed in parallel at each stage. However, in that case, a tab lead positioning mechanism, a heating mechanism, a crimping mechanism, and the like must be provided for each stage. For this reason, the soldering apparatus becomes expensive and large, which increases the manufacturing cost of the solar cell.
[0006]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a soldering apparatus that can be efficiently soldered by accurately arranging tab leads with respect to the surface electrode of a solar battery cell, while being inexpensive and small.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to achieve such an object, in claim 1, a supply stage to which a solar battery cell and a tab lead are supplied, and a connection stage to which the tab lead is electrically connected to the solar battery cell are provided. A transport mechanism for transporting solar cells and tab leads to the connection stage, and a holding mechanism for retaining the solar cells and tab leads transported by the transport mechanismThe transport mechanism includes a conveyor provided with a large number of air inlets, and an air intake chamber disposed inside the conveyor, and the holding mechanism is a sun transported by the transport mechanism while holding the tab lead. A holding member that moves in synchronization with the battery cellA tab lead soldering device is provided.
[0008]
In the soldering apparatus according to the first aspect, first, solar cells and tab leads are supplied at the supply stage. In this case, the solar battery cell and the tab lead may be supplied in a state where the solar battery cell and the tab lead are previously positioned, or the solar battery cell and the tab lead may be positioned in the supply stage. These solar cells and tab leads are transported from the supply stage to the connection stage by the transport mechanism. Further, the solar battery cell and the tab lead are held by the holding mechanism during the transfer by the transfer mechanism. Then, the tab lead is electrically connected to the solar battery cell at the connection stage.
[0009]
Therefore, according to the soldering apparatus of the first aspect, the supply stage and the connection stage are provided separately, so that the solar cell and the tab lead are supplied and positioned on the supply stage, and the solar cell is connected to the solar cell on the connection stage. The tab leads can be electrically connected, and different processes can be performed in parallel in the supply stage and the connection stage. In addition, since the photovoltaic cell and the tab lead are held by the holding mechanism during the conveyance from the supply stage to the connection stage, the solar cell and the tab lead are not misaligned. In the soldering apparatus according to the first aspect, the supply stage need not be provided with a heating mechanism, a crimping mechanism, etc., whereas the connection stage need not be provided with a tab lead positioning mechanism or the like. Therefore, the soldering apparatus becomes small and inexpensive, and the manufacturing cost of the solar cell can be kept low. In addition, the string can be efficiently and continuously manufactured by supplying and positioning the solar cells and electrically connecting the tab leads in parallel.
[0010]
  In the soldering apparatus of claim 1,The holding mechanism includes a holding member that moves in synchronization with the solar cells conveyed by the conveyance mechanism while holding the tab lead.May be.
[0011]
  This claim1In this soldering apparatus, the tab lead can be held by the holding member while the photovoltaic cell and the tab lead supplied at the supply stage are conveyed to the connection stage. For this reason, there is no fear that the tab lead is shifted during the conveyance by the conveyance mechanism.
[0012]
  Claims2As described above, a preheating heater for preheating the solder, a main heater for heating the solder to the melting temperature, and a pusher for pressing the tab lead against the solar battery cell may be provided on the connection stage.
[0013]
  This claim2In the soldering apparatus, the solder is first preheated by the preheater in the connection stage, and then the solder is heated to the melting temperature by the main heater. Further, the tab lead is electrically connected to the solar cell by pressing the tab lead against the solar cell by the pusher.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an entire soldering apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0015]
The soldering apparatus 1 includes a conveyor 10 as a transport mechanism that transports the solar battery cell c and the tab lead t to the right in the drawing. At the introduction position of the conveyor 10 (the left end position of the conveyor 10 in FIG. 1), a supply stage 11 that is supplied in a state where the tab lead t and the solar battery cell c are positioned is provided. A connection stage 12 that electrically connects the tab lead t to the solar cell c is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction (on the right side of the supply stage 11 in FIG. 1). Furthermore, in this embodiment, the string s manufactured after the soldering is completed by the soldering device 1 on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the conveyor 10 from the connection stage 12 (right side of the connection stage 12 in FIG. 1). An unloading stage 13 for unloading is provided.
[0016]
On the side of the conveyor 10 (in front of the conveyor 10 in FIG. 1), a tab lead supply mechanism 15 that supplies a tab lead t, a solar cell supply mechanism 16 that supplies a solar cell c, and the soldering apparatus 1 are used. A string cassette 17 for stocking the processed string s is arranged. The string cassette 17 is arranged on the side of the carry-out stage 13 (in front of the carry-out stage 13 in FIG. 1). As will be described later, the string s produced after the soldering is completed by the soldering apparatus 1 is picked up from the conveyor 10 by the unloading mechanism (not shown) and transferred to the string cassette 17. Yes.
[0017]
The solar cell supply mechanism 16 includes cameras 20 and 21 and a pair of flux application rollers 22. Then, while taking out and transporting a plurality of solar cells c stored in an appropriate container (for example, a carrier cassette) one by one, the camera 20 inspects for defects such as cracks, and after positioning with the camera 21, A flux 23 for improving soldering is applied to the surface of the solar battery cell c by the flux application roller 22. Further, the solar battery cell c 'in which a defect has been found by the camera 20 is discharged to the side (forward in FIG. 1) by a not-shown exclusion mechanism.
[0018]
The tab lead supply mechanism 15 includes a pair of rolls 25 and a pair of cutters 26 around which the tab lead t is wound. Solder is applied to the surface of the tab lead t. Then, the tab leads t continuously drawn from the roll 25 are cut into appropriate lengths by the cutter 26, and in the illustrated example, the tab leads t cut with respect to one solar cell c are positioned at predetermined positions. Then, it is configured to place two each. Thus, when the tab lead t is positioned and placed on the surface of the solar battery cell c, the flux 23 applied by the flux applying roller 22 is interposed between the tab lead t and the solar battery cell c. It has become.
[0019]
Further, the solar battery cell c in a state where the tab lead t is positioned and placed on the surface by the transport mechanism (not shown) provided with a suction pad or the like can be placed on the conveyor 10 in the supply stage 11. ing.
[0020]
In the illustrated example, the conveyor 10 is wound around a driving roller 30 located at the right end and other three driven rollers 31, 32, 33. For example, intermittent driving power (rotational power in the clockwise direction in the illustrated example) of a motor 35 such as a servo motor is transmitted to the driving roller 30 via a shaft 36. Then, the operation of the motor 35 causes the conveyor 10 to intermittently rotate in the clockwise direction in the drawing, so that the solar cells c placed on the conveyor 10 in the supply stage 11 are transferred to the connection stage 12, It moves intermittently in the order of the stage 13.
[0021]
  As shown in FIG. 2, a large number of air inlets 40 are provided on the surface of the conveyor 10 and are arranged inside the conveyor 10.SuckBy sucking air from the intake port 40 during the decompression operation of the air chamber 41, the solar cells c placed on the conveyor 10 in the supply stage 11 are adsorbed onto the conveyor 10. Thus, the solar battery cell c is sucked and held while being transported in the order from the supply stage 11 to the connection stage 12 and the carry-out stage 13.
[0022]
Here, FIGS. 3A and 3B show a state in which the solar cells c and the tab leads t placed on the conveyor 10 in the supply stage 11 are viewed from above. First, as shown in FIG. 3A, the solar cell c1 in a state where the tab lead t1 is positioned and placed on the surface of the conveyor 10 in the supply stage 11 is supplied. That is, in this embodiment, two tab leads t1 are placed on one solar cell c1. These two tab leads t1 are both arranged so as to protrude from the top of the solar battery cell c1 to the upstream side in the conveying direction of the conveyor 10 (left side of the solar battery cell c1 in FIG. 3A). The tip end side of the tab lead t1 (on the right side of the tab lead t1 in FIG. 3A) is positioned so as to contact an upper surface electrode (not shown) provided on the upper surface of the solar cell c1. In addition, when supplying the photovoltaic cell c1 and the tab lead t1 in this way, the conveyor 10 is in a stopped state.
[0023]
Next, after the tab lead t1 and the solar battery cell c1 are supplied in a state of being positioned on the conveyor 10 in the supply stage 11 in this way, the tab lead t1 and the solar battery cell c1 are set to a predetermined state by intermittent conveyance of the conveyor 10. The conveyor 10 is configured to move the distance, and then the conveyor 10 stops again. In addition, after the conveyor 10 is stopped again, the two tab leads t2 are positioned and placed on the conveyor 10 in the supply stage 11 as shown in FIG. The next solar battery cell c2 is supplied. When the next solar cell c2 is supplied in this way, the front end side of the solar cell c2 (on the right side of the solar cell c2 in FIG. 3B) is first described with reference to FIG. As described above, the rear end side of the tab lead t1 (FIG. 3B) arranged so as to protrude from the top of the solar cell c1 to the upstream side in the conveying direction of the conveyor 10 (left side of the solar cell c1 in FIG. 3B). Then, it arrange | positions so that it may rest on the left side of the tab lead t1. As a result, the lower surface electrode (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the solar battery cell c2 is positioned so as to contact the rear end side of the two tab leads t1 (the left side of the tab lead t1 in FIG. 3B) from above. Has been.
[0024]
Then, by repeating the steps described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a predetermined number of solar cells c and tab leads t are sequentially placed on the conveyor 10 in the supply stage 11, and each solar cell c In this configuration, the tab lead t is positioned and supplied between the upper surface electrode and the lower surface electrode. A supply mechanism (not shown) having a suction pad or the like is used for supplying each solar cell c and tab lead t in the supply stage 11 as described above.
[0025]
Next, as shown in FIG. 1, while being conveyed from the supply stage 11 to the connection stage 12, the tab lead t is positioned above the conveyor 10 so that the upper surface electrode and the lower surface electrode of the solar cell c are in contact with each other. A holding mechanism 50 is provided for holding the state. The holding mechanism 50 includes an endless belt 55 wound around a driving roller 51 and three driven rollers 52, 53, 54, and a plurality of pressing bars 56 attached to the peripheral surface of the endless belt 55 at predetermined intervals. I have. The endless belt 55 is disposed on the side of the upper side of the conveyor 10 (behind the supply stage 11 and the connection stage 12 in FIG. 1) in parallel with the conveyor 10, and is located on the side of the endless belt 55 (in front of the endless belt 55 in FIG. 1). The front end portion of each presser bar 56 attached so as to protrude to the top of the conveyor 10 is disposed above the conveyor 10. The intermittent rotational power of the motor 35 is transmitted to the driving roller 51 through the shaft 36, gears 60, 61, shaft 62, timing pulley 63, timing belt 64, timing pulley 65, and shaft 66, and the driving roller. 51 rotates at the same peripheral speed as the drive roller 30 of the conveyor 10 in the opposite rotation direction (counterclockwise rotation direction in the illustrated example) and at the same timing as the drive roller 30. As a result, the endless belt 55 rotates intermittently in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing at the same peripheral speed and at the same timing as the conveyor 10, and each presser bar 56 attached to the lower surface side of the endless belt 55 is 10 is configured to move intermittently at the same speed in the same direction as the upper surface of the conveyor 10 (rightward in FIG. 1) while facing the upper surface of the conveyor 10.
[0026]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the holding mechanism 50, each pressing bar 56 is supported by a support member 70 fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 55 at a predetermined interval. In addition, two holding members 72 are mounted on the front end portion of each presser bar 56 that protrudes from the endless belt 55 so as to be positioned above the conveyor 10 via spring portions 71. . The holding member 72 has a configuration in which both ends of a wire material such as a metal having a substantially U shape as a whole are attached to the spring portion 71. Then, by urging the rotation of the holding member 72 so as to press the two holding members 72 downward by the elasticity of the spring portion 71, the spring cell 71 is arranged on the upper surface of the solar battery cell c placed on the conveyor 10. The two tab leads t are pressed and held from above by the holding member 72.
[0027]
In addition, with the tab lead t on the upper surface of the solar battery cell c held by the holding member 72 in this way, as described above, each presser bar 56 is connected to the upper surface of the conveyor 10 as the endless belt 55 moves. The solar cells c and the tab leads t placed on the conveyor 10 are displaced from the supply stage 11 to the connection stage 12 by intermittently moving at the same speed in the same direction as the upper surface of the conveyor 10 while facing each other. It is configured to be conveyed in a state where there is no.
[0028]
Next, as shown in FIG. 1, a preheating heater 80, a main heating heater 81, and a pusher 82 are provided above the conveyor 10 in the connection stage 12. As shown in FIG. 6, the preliminary heater 80 and the main heater 81 include lamp heaters 85 and 86. The pusher 82 includes a pusher rod 87. The solar cells c and tab leads t placed on the conveyor 10 in the supply stage 11 are moved below the preliminary heater 80, the main heater 81, and the pusher 82 by the intermittent conveyance of the conveyor 10 described above. Are moved sequentially. Thus, when the solar battery cell c and the tab lead t are carried into the connection stage 12 by the operation of the conveyor 10, first, the solder applied to the surface of the tab lead t by the irradiation from the lamp heater 85 in the preheating heater 80 is preliminarily stored. Next, the solder applied to the surface of the tab lead t by the irradiation from the lamp heater 86 is melted in the main heater 81, and the pusher rod 87 is lowered in the pusher 82, so that the lower end of the pusher rod 87 is lowered. Thus, the tab lead t is pressed against the solar battery cell c. Further, while the solar battery cell c and the tab lead t are sequentially moved below the preheating heater 80, the main heating heater 81, and the pusher 82 by the conveyance of the conveyor 10 in this way, the tab lead arranged on the upper surface of the solar battery cell c. Since t is held by the holding member 72, the positional deviation is prevented.
[0029]
In the soldering apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, first, tab leads are provided to the solar cells c supplied one by one from the solar cell supply mechanism 16. Two tab leads t supplied from the supply mechanism 15 are placed at predetermined positions. Then, the solar battery cell c in a state where the tab lead t is positioned and placed on the surface by the transport mechanism (not shown) is placed on the conveyor 10 in the supply stage 11.
[0030]
Next, the solar cells c thus placed on the conveyor 10 are intermittently moved in the order of the connection stage 12, the connection stage 12, and the carry-out stage 13 by the intermittent circumferential movement of the conveyor 10. During this movement, the solar battery cell c is adsorbed and held on the conveyor 10, and the two tab leads t arranged on the upper surface of the solar battery cell c are pressed and held from above by the holding member 72. Misalignment between the solar battery cell c and the tab lead t is prevented.
[0031]
In the connection stage 12, first, the solder applied to the surface of the tab lead t is preheated by the preheater 80. Next, the solder applied to the surface of the tab lead t in the main heater 81 is melted. Further, the tab lead t is pressed against the solar battery cell c by the pusher 82. As a result, the tab lead t is electrically connected to the solar battery cell c in the connection stage 12.
[0032]
Then, the string s manufactured by electrically connecting the tab lead t to the solar battery cell c in the connection stage 12 in this way is carried out to the carry-out stage 13. The strings s thus manufactured are picked up from the conveyor 10 by the unloading mechanism (not shown) at the unloading stage 13 and sequentially transferred to the string cassette 17.
[0033]
According to the soldering apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the tab lead t is electrically connected to the solar cell c by the connection stage 12 while the supply stage 11 supplies and positions the solar cell c and the tab lead t. Thus, it is possible to perform different processes in parallel in the two stages 11 and 12. The supply stage 11 does not need to be provided with a heating mechanism, a pressure bonding mechanism, or the like, and the connection stage 12 does not need to be provided with a tab lead t positioning mechanism or the like, so that a small and inexpensive soldering apparatus 1 can be provided. The manufacturing cost of the battery can also be reduced. Moreover, the string s can be manufactured efficiently and continuously by performing supply and positioning of the solar battery cell c and the tab lead t and electrical connection between the solar battery cell c and the tab lead t in parallel. Further, during transportation from the supply stage 11 to the connection stage 12, the solar battery cell c is sucked and held on the conveyor 10, and the two tab leads t arranged on the upper surface of the solar battery cell c are held by the holding member 72 from above. Since it is pressed and held, the positional deviation between the solar battery cell c and the tab lead t does not occur.
[0034]
Although an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be appropriately modified. For example, in the illustrated example, the case where the solar battery cell c and the tab lead t are supplied in the state of being positioned in advance has been described, but the solar battery cell c and the tab lead t are positioned in the supply stage 11. You may do it.
[0035]
Further, in the preheating heater 80 and the main heating heater 81, for example, heating may be performed using hot air. The lamp heaters 85 and 86 provided in the preheater 80 and the main heater 81 may be far infrared rays, near infrared rays, or mid infrared rays, and ceramic heaters may be used in place of the lamp heaters 85 and 86. . The number of the preheater 80 and the main heater 81 can be set arbitrarily, and two or more may be set. Further, the preheating heater 80 can be omitted. Further, the heating temperature of the preheater 80 and the main heater 81 can be arbitrarily set, and can be appropriately set according to the type of the device to be heated (such as the solar battery cell c), solder, and flux.
[0036]
Since the solar cells c are heated by the preheating heater 80 and the main heating heater 81 while being placed on the conveyor 10, the steel belt is heated when the conveyor 10 is composed of, for example, a steel belt. Therefore, there is a concern that the upper surface of the conveyor 10 may be deformed such as warpage. When the upper surface of the conveyor 10 is warped, the solar battery cell c becomes unstable on the conveyor 10, which may cause positional displacement and poor soldering. Therefore, in order to prevent such deformation of the conveyor 10, the driving roller 30 and the driven rollers 31, 32, and 33 around which the conveyor 10 is wound may be formed in a medium-high (crown) shape. It is also possible to prevent the conveyor 10 from being deformed by providing a tension controller in part or all of the drive roller 30 and the driven rollers 31, 32, 33. Further, at the connection stage 12 where the preheating heater 80, the main heating heater 81, and the pusher 82 exist, it is possible to suppress the warpage of the conveyor 10 by adsorbing from below the conveyor 10 or pressing the conveyor 10 from below. It is.
[0037]
In order to prevent such deformation of the conveyor 10, as shown in FIG. 7, the conveyor 10 may be divided into a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) belts 90, 91, and 92. In this case, the belts 90 and 92 located on both sides are preferably located below the tab lead t positioned on the solar battery cell c, and the belt 91 located at the center supports the substantially central part of the solar battery cell c. .
[0038]
In addition, the pusher 82 may be configured to be cooled by simultaneously blowing the tab lead t against the solar battery cell c while performing blow or the like. Since the solar cell c is usually made of a material having excellent thermal conductivity such as silicon, the back surface of the solar cell c can be simultaneously heated in the preheating heater 80 and the main heating heater 81, and the solar cell c It is possible to solder the tab lead t to the back surface of the same. However, a heater may be installed on the lower side of the conveyor 10 corresponding to the preheating heater 80 and the main heating heater 81. In that case, for example, a hot plate or the like can be used as the heater installed below the conveyor 10. Further, the pusher 82 can be omitted by carrying the tab lead t on the upper surface of the solar battery cell c while being held by the holding member 72 as in the apparatus of the embodiment.
[0039]
Further, the shape of the solar cell c is not limited to a quadrangle, and may be a circle, a scland, other polygons, or the like, and one tab lead t or three for one solar cell c. The above tab lead t may be connected. Further, the conveyance by the conveyor 10 is not limited to intermittent movement but may be continuous movement. In the holding mechanism 50, one or three or more holding members 72 may be attached to the tip portion of each pressing bar 56.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
According to the soldering apparatus of the present invention, different processes can be performed in parallel in the supply stage and the connection stage, and the string can be manufactured efficiently and continuously. In addition, it is not necessary to provide a heating mechanism, a crimping mechanism, etc. on the supply stage, and it is not necessary to provide a tab lead positioning mechanism, etc. on the connection stage. Can also be reduced. Further, since the solar battery cell and the tab lead are held by the holding mechanism during the transfer from the supply stage to the connection stage, the positional deviation does not occur.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an entire soldering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a conveyor.
FIG. 3A is a plan view showing a state in which the first solar cell and the tab lead are placed on the conveyor in the supply stage, and FIG. 3B is a plan view showing that the next solar cell and the tab lead are on the conveyor in the supply stage. It is a top view which shows the state mounted on.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the holding mechanism.
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a preheater, a main heater and a pusher provided on a connection stage.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a conveyor divided into a plurality of pieces.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a belt disposed below a tab lead and at the center of a solar battery cell.
[Explanation of symbols]
c Solar cells
t Tab lead
1 Soldering device.
10 Conveyor
11 Supply stage
12 Connection stage
50 Holding mechanism
55 Endless belt
56 Presser bar
72 Holding member
80 Preheating heater
81 heaters
82 Pusher

Claims (2)

A supply stage for supplying solar cells and tab leads, and a connection stage for electrically connecting tab leads to the solar cells,
A transport mechanism that transports solar cells and tab leads from the supply stage to the connection stage, and a holding mechanism that holds the solar cells and tab leads transported by the transport mechanism ;
The transport mechanism includes a conveyor provided with a large number of intake ports, and an intake chamber disposed inside the conveyor,
The holding mechanism while holding the tab lead, and wherein Rukoto a holding member that moves in synchronization with the solar cell is transported by the transport mechanism, soldering apparatus tab lead. The connection stage is provided with a preheater for preheating solder, a main heater for heating the solder to a melting temperature, and a pusher for pressing a tab lead against the solar cell. The described tab lead soldering device.

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