JP5128687B2 - Manufacturing method of solar cell module, and solar cell module manufactured by the manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a solar cell module, and a solar cell module manufactured by the manufacturing method.

  The importance of solar cells as a clean energy source is recognized, and the demand for solar cells is increasing. The fields of use of solar cells are diverse from the power energy source of large equipment to the small power source of precision electronic equipment, and various solar power generation devices equipped with solar batteries are becoming widespread.

  A solar cell module is generally manufactured by laminating a substrate, a solar cell element, and a back sheet with a sealing material such as a resin. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a general laminating apparatus that performs laminating sealing. Specifically, the laminating apparatus disclosed in this document places an upper vacuum chamber, a lower vacuum chamber, a diaphragm (expandable sheet) installed between both vacuum chambers, a protective sheet, and a laminate. Consists of a hot plate. A flat plate (hereinafter referred to as punching metal) having a large number of holes connected to the exhaust line is used on the surface where the upper vacuum chamber is in contact with the diaphragm. Laminate sealing is performed by pressing the elastic sheet together with the object to be laminated against the lower hot plate due to the pressure difference between the lower vacuum chamber and the upper vacuum chamber, and sandwiching the object to be laminated between the elastic sheet and the hot plate via the support sheet. This is realized by pressurizing with.

  For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a solar cell module manufactured by the laminating apparatus as described above. Specifically, a solar cell module having a laminate structure in which a solar cell element is sandwiched between a glass plate and a weather resistant resin film via a sealing resin is disclosed. The solar cell module includes a step of laminating a glass plate, a sealing resin sheet, a solar cell element, a sealing resin sheet, and a weather resistant resin film, a sealing step by thermal lamination, and a crosslinking reaction in a furnace. It consists of a curing step for improving the adhesion between the glass plate and the weather-resistant resin film and the sealing resin sheet, and a trimming step for cutting and removing the end portions.

  Recently, in order to improve the productivity of the laminating apparatus, a large number of laminates are laminated at the same time, or the solar cell module itself is formed of a large substrate. It is out. As a result, the punching metal is also enlarged, and there is a problem that the punching metal is bent and deformed by its own weight.

  Therefore, in the laminating apparatus, a technique for suppressing the deformation of the punching metal by providing a beam member that supports the punching metal from the lower side is being generalized. A conventional laminating apparatus provided with a beam member is shown in FIG. Actually, the first sealing material is sandwiched between the substrate 7 and the solar cell element 8, and the second sealing material is sandwiched between the solar cell element 8 and the back sheet 9. However, for simplification of the drawing, the first sealing material and the second sealing material are shown as an integral part of the solar cell element 8 in the drawing, and the separate illustration is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the laminating apparatus 20 includes an upper chamber 2 and a stage 6, and a punching metal 3, a diaphragm 4, and a protective sheet 5 are sequentially provided on the opening end side of the upper chamber 2. . A space formed by the upper chamber 2 and the punching metal 3 is an upper vacuum chamber. Further, when the upper chamber 2 descends and comes into contact with the stage 6, the space surrounded by the upper chamber 2 and the stage 6 becomes the lower vacuum chamber (lower chamber).

  Here, a beam member 15 is provided on the punching metal 3, and the punching metal 3 is supported from below by the beam member 15, and prevents the punching metal 3 from being bent downward by its own weight. Therefore, according to the laminating apparatus 20, the substrate 7, the solar cell element 8, and the back sheet 9 can be laminated and sealed without the punching metal 3 being bent and deformed by its own weight. As a result, the solar cell module 10 is manufactured.

JP 2000-15696 A (published January 18, 2000) JP 2000-277772 A (released on October 6, 2000)

  However, in the case of the laminating apparatus 20 described above, when the diaphragm 4 comes into close contact with the punching metal 3 and the beam member 15 during the deaeration process, the beam member 15 applies a load to the diaphragm 4. The state is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the load applied to the diaphragm 4 by the corner portion (region 11 in the drawing) of the beam member 15 is particularly large. Therefore, as the laminating process is repeated, the traces of the corners of the beam member 15 are transferred to the diaphragm 4, and the diaphragm 4 is deformed into a wave shape. Therefore, the laminate sealing when the diaphragm 4 is deformed in a wave shape will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16A is a schematic view showing the laminating apparatus 20 during pressurization. FIGS. 16B and 16C are schematic views showing the pressure applied to the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10.

  As a result of repeating the laminating process, as shown in FIG. 16A, the region 12 in the diagram of the diaphragm is concave with respect to the punching metal 3 side (that is, convex with respect to the laminated body side). . On the other hand, the region 13 in the drawing of the diaphragm 4 is convex with respect to the punching metal 3 side (that is, convex with respect to the laminated body side).

  Here, the laminate sealing is a laminating process for performing a short heat treatment to pressurize the object to be laminated and melting the sealing material, and a curing process for performing a long heat treatment to improve the adhesion of the object to be laminated. It is roughly divided into In the laminating step, when the object to be laminated is pressed with the diaphragm 4 deformed in a wave shape, the second sealing material pressed against the deformed portion of the diaphragm 4 during the lamination through the back sheet 9 is non-uniformly pressed. End up. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 16 (b), the back sheet 9 and the second sealing are provided at a location where the diaphragm 4 is concave with respect to the punching metal 3 side (that is, convex with respect to the laminated body side). A large pressure is applied to the stopper (region 12 in the figure). On the other hand, at the location where the diaphragm 4 is convex with respect to the punching metal 3 side (that is, concave with respect to the laminated body side), the pressure applied to the back sheet 9 and the second sealing material is small (in the figure). Region 13).

  As a result, in the laminating process, when the object to be laminated is pressed with the wave-shaped diaphragm 4, the back sheet 9 and the second sealing material have portions corresponding to the wave-shaped deformed portions (region 13 in the drawing). A peculiar shape will be formed. More specifically, the wavy irregularities of the diaphragm 4 are transferred to the second sealing material.

  Thereafter, when the object to be laminated enters the curing process, as shown in FIG. 16C, wrinkles are generated in the region where the above-described unique shape is formed in the backsheet 9. More specifically, the adhesion between the backsheet 9 and the second sealing material is weakened at the time of curing, particularly at a location where the pressure applied to the backsheet 9 and the second sealing material is low during lamination. It is considered that the sheet 9 and the second sealing material are separated to generate a gap, which causes wrinkles. The wrinkles actually formed on the back sheet 9 are shown in FIG. The tape 14 shown in this figure is a tape having a width of 10 mm, and is provided for comparison of the size of wrinkles (unevenness) to be formed.

  As shown in FIG. 17, wavy wrinkles are mainly formed in the back sheet 9 in the MD direction in the figure. As a result, the solar cell module 10 in which wrinkles are formed on the back sheet 9 is manufactured. If wrinkles are formed on the back sheet 9, the weather resistance and moisture resistance of the solar cell module 10 may deteriorate, and the module life may be shortened. Moreover, the appearance of the solar cell module 10 also deteriorates due to the wrinkles on the backsheet 9.

  Here, the form in which the diaphragm 4 is deformed in a wave shape by the beam member 15 provided on the punching metal 3 is described above, but the diaphragm 4 is not necessarily deformed in the wave shape by the beam member 15. For example, depending on the laminating apparatus, a convex structure may be provided on the surface of the punching metal 3 on the diaphragm 4 side itself so that the convex structure functions as the beam member 15. In this case, the convex structure formed on the punching metal 3 comes into contact with the diaphragm 4, so that the diaphragm 4 is deformed into a wave shape.

  In other laminating apparatuses, the punching metal 3 may not be provided. However, even when the punching metal 3 is not present, in order to support the ceiling of the upper chamber 2, a convex beam member may be provided as a support member below the bottom surface of the ceiling. In this case, as in the conventional laminating apparatus 20 described above, the convex beam member abuts against the diaphragm 4, so that the diaphragm 4 is deformed into a wave shape. Thus, in the laminating apparatus, deformation of the diaphragm is induced by the convex shape formed on the surface in contact with the diaphragm. As a result, wrinkles are formed on the back sheet of the solar cell module.

  Then, this invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, The objective is the manufacturing method which can prevent generation | occurrence | production of the wrinkle of the back seat | sheet of a solar cell module back surface, and the solar cell manufactured by this manufacturing method To provide a module.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to the present invention includes an upper chamber, a diaphragm that is stretched over the upper chamber and that can form an upper sealed space with the upper chamber, and the upper portion. The chamber has a convex structure provided on a surface facing the diaphragm, and a stage on which a laminated body including a solar cell element can be placed, and the lower sealed space is formed by contacting the upper chamber by contacting the upper chamber. A solar system using a laminating apparatus comprising: a lower chamber that can be configured; a heating mechanism that can heat the object to be laminated placed on the stage; and an exhaust unit that can evacuate the upper sealed space and the lower sealed space A method for manufacturing a battery module, wherein the convex structure is not provided in the upper chamber. Only the position on the stage corresponding to the is characterized in that it comprises a mounting step of the placing the object to be laminated.

  According to the above-described method, a plurality of solar cell modules that are to-be-laminated bodies are mounted on the stage, and the to-be-laminated body is a position on the stage that corresponds to a position where the convex structure is not provided in the upper chamber. It is only placed on. That is, each laminated body is placed so as not to be directly below the convex structure with the diaphragm interposed therebetween.

  In the laminating apparatus, when the diaphragm comes into close contact with the convex structure of the upper chamber, the load that the convex part of the convex structure gives to the diaphragm is large. For this reason, as the laminating process is repeated, the trace of the convex portion of the convex structure is transferred to the diaphragm, and the diaphragm is deformed into a wave shape. Therefore, according to the manufacturing method according to the present invention, the portion of the diaphragm with the mark of the convex structure does not contact the laminate. Therefore, even when the object to be laminated is pressed with a wave-like deformed diaphragm in the heating step, it is possible to prevent a specific shape (unevenness) from being formed in the object to be laminated. Therefore, in the subsequent curing step, it is possible to prevent the generation of wrinkles due to the unique shape of the laminate.

  Further, in the method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to the present invention, the upper chamber includes a flat plate having a plurality of hole portions on a surface facing the diaphragm, and the flat plate has a surface on the diaphragm side. The convex structure is provided.

  In some cases, the flat plate is provided with a convex structure to prevent the flat plate having a plurality of holes such as punching metal from being bent downward due to its own weight or to contact the flat plate with the upper chamber. . According to the above method, even in such a case, wrinkles due to the convex structure can be prevented in the back sheet of the solar cell module.

  In the method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to the present invention, the convex structure is configured such that a part of the flat plate is convex.

  According to the above method, in order to prevent the flat plate from being bent and to reduce the weight of the flat plate, even when the convex structure is formed by forming a part of the flat plate into a convex shape, the back sheet of the solar cell module Thus, the generation of wrinkles due to the convex structure can be prevented.

  In the method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to the present invention, the convex structure is a support member that supports the flat plate in contact with the upper chamber.

  In order to prevent the flat plate from being bent downward due to its own weight, or to contact the flat plate to the upper chamber, a support member may be provided that supports the flat plate in contact with the upper chamber. According to the above method, even in such a case, wrinkles due to the convex structure can be prevented in the back sheet of the solar cell module.

  In the method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to the present invention, the support member is a fastening member that fixes the flat plate to a member provided in the upper chamber.

  According to the above method, even when the flat plate is provided with a fastening member for abutting and supporting the flat plate on the member provided in the upper chamber, the wrinkle caused by the convex structure is formed on the back sheet of the solar cell module. Can be prevented.

  In the method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to the present invention, the support member is a beam member provided on the flat plate.

  According to the above method, even when the flat plate is provided with a beam member for preventing the flat plate from being bent downward due to its own weight, wrinkles due to the convex structure are generated in the back sheet of the solar cell module. Can be prevented.

  Moreover, in the manufacturing method of the solar cell module which concerns on this invention, the said to-be-laminated body laminates | stacks a board | substrate, a 1st sealing material, the said solar cell element, a 2nd sealing material, and a back sheet in order. It is characterized by that.

  According to the above-described configuration, the portion of the diaphragm with the mark of the convex structure does not come into contact with the back sheet of the solar cell module, so that the generation of wrinkles due to the unique shape on the back sheet can be prevented. .

  Further, in the method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to the present invention, the contact step of contacting the upper chamber and the lower chamber so that the object to be laminated is included in the upper chamber, and the contact step After that, the evacuation step in which the exhaust part evacuates the inside of the upper sealed space and the lower sealed space, and after the evacuation step, the inside of the upper sealed space is opened to the atmosphere, and at the same time, It further comprises a heating step in which the heating mechanism heats the body, and a curing step in which the first sealing material and the second sealing material are cured after the heating step.

  According to the said structure, the location with the mark of the convex structure in a diaphragm does not contact the back sheet | seat of a to-be-laminated body. Therefore, even when the object to be laminated is pressurized with a wave-shaped diaphragm in the heating step, it is possible to prevent a specific shape (unevenness) from being formed in the backsheet and the sealing material. Therefore, in the subsequent curing step, the generation of wrinkles due to the unique shape on the back sheet can be prevented.

  In order to solve the above problems, the solar cell module according to the present invention is manufactured by any one of the above-described solar cell module manufacturing methods.

  According to the said structure, since a wrinkle is not formed in the back seat | sheet of a solar cell module, a weather resistance and moisture resistance are favorable and a solar cell module with a long module lifetime is obtained. Moreover, since wrinkles are not formed on the back sheet, the appearance of the solar cell module is not deteriorated.

  According to the method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to the present invention, a portion with a mark of a convex structure on the diaphragm does not come into contact with the back sheet of the laminate. Therefore, even when the object to be laminated is pressurized with a wave-shaped diaphragm in the heating step, it is possible to prevent a specific shape (unevenness) from being formed in the backsheet and the sealing material. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the generation of wrinkles due to the unique shape on the back seed in the subsequent curing step.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the laminating apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the punching metal which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the punching metal which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the punching metal which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows the lamination apparatus at the time of standby, and the pressure state of each vacuum chamber, (b) is a figure which shows the lamination apparatus at the time of evacuation, and the pressure state of each vacuum chamber, (c) These are figures which show the pressure state of the lamination apparatus at the time of pressurization, and each vacuum chamber. In the laminating apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows the positional relationship of an upper chamber and a stage. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the beam member which can be applied to the laminating apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the beam member which can be applied to the laminating apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the beam member which can be applied to the laminating apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the lamination apparatus provided with the convex-shaped support member under the bottom face of the ceiling of the upper chamber which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of an upper chamber and a stage in the laminating apparatus which concerns on embodiment of a comparison with this invention. It is the schematic which shows the punching metal with which the laminating apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is provided. It is the schematic which shows the punching metal with which the laminating apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is provided. It is the schematic which shows the conventional laminating apparatus which provided the beam member in the punching metal. In the conventional laminating apparatus, it is a figure which shows the state which the diaphragm contact | adhered the punching metal and the beam member in the upper chamber. (A) is the schematic which shows the lamination apparatus at the time of pressurization, (b) is the schematic which shows the pressure concerning the back seat | sheet of a solar cell module, (c) is the back seat | sheet of a solar cell module It is the schematic which shows the pressure concerning to. It is a figure which shows the wrinkles formed in the back seat | sheet of a solar cell module.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below. In the following description, various limitations preferable for carrying out the present invention are given, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and drawings.

[First Embodiment]
(Configuration of laminating apparatus 1)
First, the configuration of the laminating apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a laminating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The solar cell module 10 is formed by laminating a substrate 7, a solar cell element 8, and a back sheet 9 in this order. The laminating apparatus 1 is an apparatus that manufactures the solar cell module 10 by laminating and sealing the substrate 7, the solar cell element 8, and the back sheet 9 that are to be laminated with a sealing material. Actually, the first sealing material is sandwiched between the substrate 7 and the solar cell element 8, and the second sealing material is sandwiched between the solar cell element 8 and the back sheet 9. However, for simplification of the drawing, the first sealing material and the second sealing material are shown as an integral part of the solar cell element 8 in the drawing, and the separate illustration is omitted. This applies to all subsequent figures.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the laminating apparatus 1 includes an upper chamber 2 (upper chamber) and a lower chamber (lower chamber) facing the upper chamber 2. The lower chamber includes a stage 6 on which a laminated body can be placed. The upper chamber 2 has a shape having both ends, one end being an open end and the other end being a closed end. A punching metal 3, a diaphragm 4, and a protective sheet 5 are stretched in this order below the upper chamber 2, that is, on the opening end side (stage 6 side). A space formed by the upper chamber 2 and the diaphragm 4 is an upper vacuum chamber (upper sealed space). Further, when the upper chamber 2 descends and comes into contact with the lower chamber, the space surrounded by the upper chamber 2 and the stage 6 becomes the lower vacuum chamber (lower sealed space).

  A flat plate (hereinafter referred to as punching metal 3) having a large number of holes connected to an exhaust line (not shown) is used on the surface where the upper chamber 2 is in contact with the diaphragm 4. At this time, a beam member 15 having a convex structure is provided on the surface of the punching metal 3 on the diaphragm 4 side. The punching metal 3 is supported from below by the beam member 15 and prevents the punching metal 3 from being bent downward by its own weight. It is out. The diaphragm 4 is a pressurizing unit that can expand and contract and pressurizes the object to be laminated. On the other hand, the protective sheet 5 is a sheet for preventing the sealing material from adhering to the diaphragm 4. Furthermore, the protective sheet 5 also has a role of preventing the diaphragm 4 from being deteriorated by a gas generated from the sealing material during the sealing of the laminate. The stage 6 is configured by a hot plate (heating mechanism) on which a plurality of laminates can be placed, and can heat the placed laminates to a predetermined temperature. In addition, the stage 6 is provided with a plurality of lift pins (not shown) so as to protrude from the upper surface of the stage 6 or to be stored in the stage 6.

  Each of the upper vacuum chamber and the lower vacuum chamber is connected to an exhaust line (exhaust section) having a control valve, and a vacuum pump (not shown) and an outside air introduction section are connected to the exhaust line. Here, the outside air introduction unit is configured to be able to introduce a gas such as air or nitrogen into each vacuum chamber. In the upper vacuum chamber and the lower vacuum chamber, by switching the control valve, the connection destination of the exhaust line is switched to either the vacuum pump or the outside air introduction section, so that each vacuum chamber is changed between the atmospheric pressure state and the vacuum state. It can be controlled arbitrarily. As will be described in detail later, the laminate sealing is performed by pressing the diaphragm 4 against the lower stage 6 due to the pressure difference between the lower vacuum chamber and the upper vacuum chamber, and the laminated body by the diaphragm 4 and the stage 6 via the protective sheet 5. It is realized by pressing and heat-treating.

  Here, the structural example of the punching metal 3 which concerns on this embodiment is shown to FIGS. As described above, the punching metal 3 is a flat plate having a large number of holes 11 (hole portions) as shown in FIG. However, the shape of the hole 11 may be circular or square, and may be a square hole, a lattice, a cross, a slit, or the like, and is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, punching metals 3a and 3b in which a plurality of slits 12 are formed are also applicable to this embodiment. As is clear from FIGS. 3 and 4, the size and arrangement of the slits 12 (or holes 11) are not particularly limited.

  The punching metal 3 is not necessarily a metal plate, and may be, for example, a ceramic plate, a resin plate, or a composite material of these materials and metal.

(Laminate sealing method)
Laminate sealing is largely divided into a laminating process in which heat is applied to the object to be laminated and the sealing material is melted for a short time, and a curing process in which heat treatment is performed for a long time to improve the adhesion of the object to be laminated. Separated. Below, each process is demonstrated with reference to FIG. Fig.5 (a) is a figure which shows the lamination apparatus 1 at the time of standby, and the pressure state of each vacuum chamber. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating the pressure state of the laminating apparatus 1 and each vacuum chamber during evacuation. FIG.5 (c) is a figure which shows the lamination apparatus 1 at the time of pressurization, and the pressure state of each vacuum chamber. In these drawings, the beam member 15 is omitted for easy understanding of the laminating apparatus 1. In the tables shown in these figures, the “chamber” column represents the upper vacuum chamber and the lower vacuum chamber as “upper” and “lower”, and the “chamber position” column represents “upper chamber 2” It indicates whether it is “rising” or “decreasing”. The “pressure state” column indicates whether each vacuum chamber is “atmospheric pressure” or “vacuum”.

  First, a sealing material (first sealing material) is sandwiched between the substrate 7 and the solar cell element 8, and another sealing material (second sealing material) is interposed between the solar cell element 8 and the back sheet 9. A supply device (not shown) is placed on the stage 6 with the object to be laminated sandwiched therebetween. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5A, the upper chamber 2 is raised, and each vacuum chamber is in an atmospheric pressure state. Although not shown in the drawing, a plurality of lift pins protrude from the stage 6 and the object to be laminated is placed on the lift pins. Therefore, the laminated body and the stage are separated from each other by the lift pins.

  And after conveying a to-be-laminated body to the stage 6, as shown in FIG.5 (b), the upper chamber 2 falls by the raising / lowering mechanism which is not shown in figure. Then, when the upper chamber 2 comes into contact with the stage 6, a lower vacuum chamber is formed. At this time, a vacuum pump (not shown) connected to each vacuum chamber via an exhaust line (not shown) evacuates both vacuum chambers so that the substrate 7, the back sheet 9, and the sealing member constituting the laminate are laminated. A deaeration process is performed between the members of the stopper. Here, the deaeration process is performed in order to prevent air bubbles from remaining between the members of the solar module 10 that are laminated and sealed. At this time, the lift pins still protrude from the stage 6 and the object to be laminated remains separated from the stage 6.

  At this time, the diaphragm 4 and the protective sheet 5 are adsorbed on the punching metal 3 side, and are brought into close contact with the punching metal 3 and the beam member 15.

  Subsequently, after the deaeration process has been sufficiently performed, as shown in FIG. 5 (c), the upper vacuum chamber is brought to atmospheric pressure, and the diaphragm 4 is expanded by the pressure difference between the upper vacuum chamber and the lower vacuum chamber, The object to be laminated is pressed against the stage 6 through the protective sheet 5 and pressurized. The lift pins are also stored in the stage 6 in conjunction with the pressurization of the object to be laminated, whereby the lower surface of the object to be laminated and the stage 6 come into contact with each other and the object to be laminated is heated. In this state, by performing a heat treatment at a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point of the sealing material, the sealing material is melted and the laminating process is completed. Then, the control valve is switched to bring the inside of the lower vacuum chamber into an atmospheric pressure state (open to the atmosphere), the upper chamber 2 is raised by the opening / closing mechanism, and the sealed solar cell module 10 is conveyed to the outside. The above is the laminating process.

  Thereafter, the solar cell module 10 is transported to a heating furnace and causes a cross-linking reaction of the encapsulant by a long-time heat treatment, whereby the moisture resistance of the encapsulant and the substrate 7, the solar cell element 8, and the back of the encapsulant are backed up. A curing process (curing process) for improving the adhesiveness of the sheet 9 is performed. This is the curing process.

(Wrinkle suppression)
Here, in the laminating apparatus 1, when the diaphragm 4 comes into close contact with the punching metal 3 and the beam member 15 during the deaeration process shown in FIG. 5B, the diaphragm 4 receives a load by the beam member 15. However, the load applied to the diaphragm 4 by the corner portion of the beam member 15 is particularly large. Therefore, as the laminating process is repeated, the traces of the corners of the beam member 15 are transferred to the diaphragm 4, and the diaphragm 4 is deformed into a wave shape. When the laminate sealing is performed in a state where the diaphragm 4 is deformed in a wave shape, the second sealing material pressed against the portion where the diaphragm 4 is deformed during the lamination through the back sheet 9 is non-uniformly pressed. More specifically, at a location where the diaphragm 4 is concave with respect to the punching metal 3 side (that is, convex with respect to the laminated body side), a large pressure is applied to the back sheet 9 and the second sealing material, and the diaphragm 4 Is convex with respect to the punching metal 3 side (that is, concave with respect to the laminated body side), the pressure applied to the back sheet 9 and the second sealing material is small.

  As a result, in the laminating step, when the object to be laminated is pressed with the diaphragm 4 deformed in a wave shape, a unique shape is formed in the region corresponding to the wave deformed portion in the backsheet 9 and the second sealing material. End up. More specifically, the wavy irregularities of the diaphragm 4 are transferred to the second sealing material.

  Thereafter, when the object to be laminated enters the curing step, wrinkles are generated in the back sheet 9 in the region where the above-described unique shape is formed.

  More specifically, the adhesion between the backsheet 9 and the second sealing material is weakened at the time of curing, particularly at a location where the pressure applied to the backsheet 9 and the second sealing material is low during lamination. It is considered that the sheet 9 and the second sealing material are separated to generate a gap, which causes wrinkles.

  In view of this, the present embodiment is characterized in that the object to be laminated is installed so as to avoid a position directly below the beam member 15. The details are shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the upper chamber 2 and the stage 6 in the laminating apparatus 1. In this figure, in order to make the position of the beam member 15 easy to understand, the diaphragm 4 and the protective sheet 5 are omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, a plurality of solar cell modules 10 that are laminates are placed on the stage 6, and each solar cell module 10 is provided with a beam member 15 in the upper chamber 2. It is placed only at a position on the stage 6 corresponding to the position that is not provided. That is, each solar cell module 10 is placed so as not to be directly under the beam member 15 with the diaphragm 4 interposed therebetween. As a result, the portion of the diaphragm 4 where the beam member 15 is marked does not come into contact with the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10, so that a peculiar shape (unevenness) that causes wrinkles is not formed. Therefore, in the subsequent curing process, wrinkles due to the unique shape do not occur on the back sheet 9.

  Thus, since wrinkles are not formed on the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10, the solar cell module 10 having good weather resistance and moisture resistance and a long module life can be obtained. Moreover, since wrinkles are not formed in the back sheet 9, the appearance of the solar cell module 10 is not deteriorated.

  In general, a laminating apparatus does not always include a rod-shaped beam member as shown in FIG. As an example, the structural example of the beam member which can be applied to a laminating apparatus is shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7, a punching metal 3c having a rectangular shape and having a lattice-shaped beam member 15a is also applicable to this embodiment. Also in this case, the solar cell module 10 is disposed so as not to be directly below the beam member 15a with the diaphragm 4 interposed therebetween. That is, by arranging in the lattice of the beam member 15a, the place where the beam member 15a is marked on the diaphragm 4 does not come into contact with the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10. Can be prevented.

  Further, the beam member does not necessarily have a plate shape, and may be a punching metal 3d including a columnar or pipe-shaped beam member 15b as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the columnar or pipe-shaped beam member 15b may have a keel structure. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, a punching metal 3e including a beam member 15c having a frame shape or a box shape may be used. In any case, the solar cell module 10 is arranged so as not to be directly under the beam members 15b and 15c with the diaphragm 4 interposed therebetween, so that the portions of the diaphragm 4 where the beam members 15b and 15c are marked are located in the solar cell module. Since no backsheet 9 is in contact with the backsheet 9, it is possible to prevent the backsheet 9 from being wrinkled. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, the beam member having a frame shape or a box shape has an effect that the strength is increased as compared with the case where the beam member has a plate shape.

  In addition, although the structure provided with the beam member 15 in the punching metal 3 was shown above, it is not necessarily limited to this. For example, depending on the laminating apparatus, the punching metal 3 may not be provided. However, even when the punching metal 3 is not present, in order to support the ceiling of the upper chamber 2, a convex support member may be provided below the bottom surface of the ceiling. The laminating apparatus in that case is shown in FIG. Here, the ceiling of the upper chamber 2 is a surface on the opening end side at the closed end of the upper chamber 2.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the exhaust pump 17 is electrically connected to the upper chamber 2 of the laminating apparatus 1a at a plurality of locations via the exhaust pipe, and the laminating apparatus 1a does not include the punching metal 3, but the ceiling of the upper chamber 2 Therefore, the beam member 15 may be provided as a ceiling support member (convex structure).

  Also in such a laminating apparatus 1a, when the beam member 15 provided in the upper chamber 2 abuts against the diaphragm 4, the diaphragm 4 is deformed into a wave shape, and as a result, the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10 is wrinkled. Will be formed. Therefore, also in such a laminating apparatus 1a, by arranging the solar cell module 10 so as not to be directly below the beam member 15 provided on the ceiling of the upper chamber 2 with the diaphragm 4 interposed therebetween, the beam member 15 in the diaphragm 4 is provided. Since the spot with the mark does not contact the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10, it is possible to prevent the back sheet 9 from being wrinkled.

  Thus, not only the punching metal 3, but if a surface having some convex structure abuts on the diaphragm 4, the deformation of the diaphragm 4 is induced. Therefore, wrinkles are generated on the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10. However, in the present embodiment, the solar cell module 10 is disposed only at the position on the stage 6 corresponding to the position where the beam member 15 is not provided in the upper chamber 2, so that the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10 is arranged. Wrinkles can be prevented from occurring.

(Comparison form)
FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of a laminate sealing method when wrinkles are generated on the back sheet 9 as a comparative form of the present invention. The specific procedure of the laminate sealing method is as described above, and is not mentioned here.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in this embodiment, a plurality of solar cell modules 10 that are laminates are placed on the stage 6, but each solar cell module 10 is provided with a beam member 15 in the upper chamber 2. It is placed only at a position on the stage 6 corresponding to the position where there is no position. That is, each solar cell module 10 is placed so as to be directly below the beam member 15 with the diaphragm 4 interposed therebetween.

  At this time, since the solar cell module 10 is directly below the beam member 15 with the diaphragm 4 interposed therebetween, when the spot marked with the beam member 15 of the diaphragm 4 pressurizes the solar cell module 10 in the laminating process. The back sheet 9 and the sealing material are pressed unevenly, and a unique shape (unevenness) that causes wrinkles is formed. Thereafter, when the curing process is performed, wrinkles are formed in at least a part of the unique shape on the back sheet 9 due to the unique shape.

  If wrinkles are formed on the back sheet 9, the weather resistance and moisture resistance of the solar cell module 10 may deteriorate, and the module life may be shortened. Moreover, the appearance of the solar cell module 10 also deteriorates due to the wrinkles on the backsheet 9.

  From the above, according to the laminate sealing method of the present invention, each solar cell module 10 is placed so as not to be directly under the beam member 15 with the diaphragm 4 interposed therebetween, whereby the back sheet of the solar cell module 10 is obtained. 9 can prevent wrinkles from occurring. Moreover, since it is only necessary to prevent the solar cell module 10 from directly below the beam member 15 with the diaphragm 4 interposed therebetween, lamination sealing is performed without the need for a new processing step and preventing generation of wrinkles. Can do.

[Second Embodiment]
Below, the laminating apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a punching metal 3f included in the laminating apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  In the laminating apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment described above, the configuration in which the punching metal 3 includes the beam member 15 is shown, but the configuration is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, in the laminating apparatus according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the punching metal 3f itself has a concavo-convex shape, and is provided with a convex convex structure 13 on the opening end side surface of the upper chamber 2. . Thus, since the punching metal 3f itself has the convex structure 13 and is integrated, it is not necessary to separately provide the beam member 15, reducing the number of parts constituting the laminating apparatus, and supporting the punching metal 3f. The fixing structure for fixing the beam member 15 can be omitted as possible. Thereby, the structure of the laminating apparatus 1 can be simplified as compared with the first embodiment, and the bending of the punching metal 3f can be suppressed.

  Here, when the solar cell module 10 is laminated and sealed, the convex structure 13 of the punching metal 3f comes into contact with the diaphragm 4, so that the diaphragm 4 is deformed into a wave shape. As a result, wrinkles are formed on the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10. Therefore, also in the present embodiment, the solar cell module 10 that is the object to be laminated is placed only on the position on the stage 6 corresponding to the position where the beam member 15 is not provided in the upper chamber 2. That is, the solar cell module 10 is placed on the stage 6 so as not to be directly below the convex structure 13 with the diaphragm 4 interposed therebetween. As a result, the portion of the diaphragm 4 with the trace of the convex structure 13 does not come into contact with the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10, so that a peculiar shape (unevenness) that causes wrinkles is not formed. Therefore, in the subsequent curing process, wrinkles due to the unique shape do not occur on the back sheet 9.

  Thus, since wrinkles are not formed on the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10 as in the first embodiment, the solar cell module 10 with good weather resistance and moisture resistance and a long module life can be obtained. Moreover, since wrinkles are not formed in the back sheet 9, the appearance of the solar cell module 10 is not deteriorated.

  In addition, since the specific manufacturing method of the solar cell module 10, etc. are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, they are not mentioned here.

[Third Embodiment]
Below, the laminating apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing a punching metal 3g included in the laminating apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  In the laminating apparatus according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the punching metal 3 g is fixed to the beam member 15 d provided on the ceiling portion of the upper chamber 2 by the fastening member 16 such as a bolt. In this case, when the solar cell module 10 is laminated and sealed, as shown in FIG. 5B, the fastening member 16 provided on the punching metal 3 g abuts against the diaphragm 4 to apply a load, thereby the diaphragm 4. Will be deformed into a wave shape. As a result, wrinkles are formed on the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10. Thus, even if the punching metal 3g is not provided with the beam member 15 or the convex structure 13 or the like, if the punching metal 3g has a certain convex structure on the surface where the punching metal 3g contacts the diaphragm 4, the deformation of the diaphragm 4 is induced. End up. Therefore, wrinkles are generated on the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10.

  Therefore, also in the present embodiment, the solar cell module 10 that is the object to be laminated is placed only on the position on the stage 6 corresponding to the position where the beam member 15 is not provided in the upper chamber 2. That is, the solar cell module 10 is placed on the stage 6 so as not to be directly below the convex structure 13 with the diaphragm 4 interposed therebetween. As a result, the portion of the diaphragm 4 where the fastening member 16 is marked does not come into contact with the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10, so that a peculiar shape (unevenness) causing wrinkles is not formed. Therefore, in the subsequent curing process, wrinkles due to the unique shape do not occur on the back sheet 9.

  Thus, as in the first and second embodiments, wrinkles are not formed on the back sheet 9 of the solar cell module 10, so that the solar cell module 10 with good weather resistance and moisture resistance and a long module life is obtained. can get. Moreover, since wrinkles are not formed in the back sheet 9, the appearance of the solar cell module 10 is not deteriorated.

  In addition, since the specific manufacturing method of the solar cell module 10 etc. are the same as that of 1st Embodiment mentioned above, it does not mention here.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  In the above description, each member constituting the solar cell module is not particularly mentioned, but it goes without saying that conventionally known materials can be applied. For example, a glass substrate or the like can be applied as the substrate 7, and an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer resin (EVA) or the like can be applied as the sealing material.

  The present invention can be suitably used when a solar cell module is manufactured by laminating and sealing a substrate, a solar cell element, a back sheet, and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,20 Laminating apparatus 2 Upper chamber 3, 3a-3g Punching metal 4 Diaphragm 5 Protective sheet 6 Stage 7 Substrate 8 Solar cell element 9 Back sheet 10 Solar cell module 13 Convex structure 14 Tape 15, 15a-15d Beam member 16 Fastening member 17 Exhaust pump

Claims (8)

An upper chamber;
A diaphragm that is stretched over the upper chamber and that can form an upper sealed space with the upper chamber;
A convex structure provided on a surface facing the diaphragm in the upper chamber;
A lower chamber having a stage on which a laminated body including a solar cell element can be placed, and a lower sealed space that can be configured as the diaphragm by contacting the upper chamber;
A heating mechanism capable of heating the object to be laminated placed on the stage;
A method of manufacturing a solar cell module using a laminating apparatus including an exhaust unit capable of evacuating the upper sealed space and the lower sealed space,
A method for producing a solar cell module, comprising: a placing step of placing the object to be laminated only at a position on the stage corresponding to a position where the convex structure is not provided in the upper chamber. . The upper chamber includes a flat plate having a plurality of holes on a surface facing the diaphragm.
The method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein the convex structure is provided on a surface of the flat plate on the diaphragm side.   The method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to claim 2, wherein the convex structure is configured such that a part of the flat plate is convex.   The method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to claim 2, wherein the convex structure is a support member that supports the flat plate in contact with the upper chamber.   The method of manufacturing a solar cell module according to claim 4, wherein the support member is a fastening member that fixes the flat plate to a member provided in the upper chamber.   The method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to claim 4, wherein the support member is a beam member provided on the flat plate.   The said to-be-laminated body laminates | stacks a board | substrate, a 1st sealing material, the said solar cell element, a 2nd sealing material, and a back sheet in order, The any one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned. The manufacturing method of the solar cell module of description. An abutting step of abutting the upper chamber and the lower chamber so that the object to be laminated is included in the upper chamber;
After the abutting step, a vacuum evacuation step in which the exhaust part makes a vacuum state inside the upper sealed space and the lower sealed space;
After the evacuation step, the inside of the upper sealed space is opened to the atmosphere, and at the same time, a heating step in which the heating mechanism heats the laminated body,
The method for manufacturing a solar cell module according to claim 7, further comprising a curing step of curing the first sealing material and the second sealing material after the heating step.