KR20120087522A - Apparatus for manufacturing of back contact solar cell string - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An apparatus for manufacturing a string for a back contact solar cell is provided to improve bonding strength by combining a lateral part of a wafer to be vertical to a longitudinal direction of a solar cell string and mutually connecting wafers. CONSTITUTION: A wafer supply unit(100) supplies a solar cell wafer. A ribbon supply unit(400) supplies a ribbon which connects neighboring solar cell wafers. The solar cell wafer and the ribbon are transferred to from a main conveyor unit. A microwave induction heating welding unit(200) welds the ribbon onto the neighboring solar cell wafer. The microwave induction heating welding unit includes a coil support body, an induction coil unit, and a power supply unit.

Description

String production apparatus for back electrode solar cell {APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING OF BACK CONTACT SOLAR CELL STRING}

The present invention relates to a string manufacturing apparatus for a back electrode solar cell, and more particularly, to be applied to a back electrode solar cell having higher efficiency than the conventional one, and to weld a ribbon to a wafer at a suitable time required in the process. In addition, the present invention relates to a string manufacturing apparatus for a back electrode solar cell that can be easily handled, operated, and maintained.

Photovoltaic power generation is a technology that converts solar energy without pollution into direct electric energy. Solar cells are used for the photovoltaic power generation, and solar cells are commercialized as solar cell modules made of a material and structure that are weather-resistant and rigid by connecting in series or in parallel in a required unit capacity.

A typical solar cell includes a substrate and an emitter layer made of semiconductors of different conductive types, such as p-type and n-type, and electrodes connected to the substrate and the emitter, respectively. At this time, a p-n junction is formed at the interface between the substrate and the emitter portion.

When light is incident on the solar cell, a plurality of electron-hole pairs are generated in the semiconductor, and the generated electron-hole pairs are separated into electrons and holes charged by the photovoltaic effect, respectively, and the electrons and holes are n-type. It moves toward semiconductors and p-type semiconductors, for example toward the emitter portion and the substrate, and is collected by electrodes electrically connected to the substrate and the emitter portion, which are connected by wires to obtain power.

In this case, at least one current collector such as a bus bar connected to the emitter unit and the electrode connected to the substrate may be positioned on the emitter unit and the substrate, and the charge collected from the electrode may be transferred to the outside through the adjacent current collector. Make it easy to move to the connected load.

However, in this case, since the current collector is located not only on the substrate on which no light is incident, but also on the surface where the light is incident, that is, on the emitter portion formed on the light receiving surface, the incident area of light is reduced due to the current collector, thereby increasing the efficiency of the solar cell. Falls.

Therefore, in order to reduce the efficiency of solar cells due to current collectors, research on the development of Interdigitated Back Contact Solar Cells (IBC Cells), in which both the electron and hole transfer electrodes are placed on the back of the substrate, is actively conducted. There is.

On the other hand, as described above, the solar cell is commercialized as a solar cell module made of a series or parallel connection in a required unit capacity, and the solar cell module forms a plurality of solar cell strings separated by a predetermined width to form heat. Prepared.

The solar cell string is composed of individual solar cell wafers and electrically conductive ribbons for electrically connecting the individual solar cell wafers to each other. A ribbon arranged along the way is provided by welding.

However, such a conventional solar cell string manufacturing apparatus is a device for welding a ribbon disposed on the surface of the wafer along the length direction of the wafer, and is not applicable to the above-described back electrode solar cell, and thus is applicable to the back electrode solar cell. There is a need for a new solar cell string manufacturing apparatus.

Therefore, the technical problem to be achieved by the present invention can be applied to the back electrode solar cell which is more efficient than the conventional one, and can not only weld the ribbon to the wafer at a suitable time required in the process, but also to handle, manipulate, and maintain. It is to provide a string manufacturing apparatus for a back electrode solar cell that can be easily performed.

According to an aspect of the invention, the wafer supply unit for supplying a solar cell wafer; A ribbon supply unit supplying a ribbon connecting the solar cell wafers to neighboring ones; A main conveyor unit to which the solar cell wafer and the ribbon are transferred; And a high frequency induction heating welding unit for welding the ribbon to the pair of solar cell wafers adjacent to each other with a current resistance heat induced by a linear induction coil on the main conveyor unit. An apparatus may be provided.

The high frequency induction heating welding unit, the coil support body; An induction coil part supported by the coil supporting body and having a linear induction coil and a plurality of annular induction coils protruding upward from the linear induction coil; And a power supply unit connected to the induction coil part to apply a high frequency current to the induction coil part.

A plurality of annular induction coil accommodation grooves in which the plurality of annular induction coils are partially accommodated may be further formed on the coil support body.

The high frequency induction heating welding unit may further include at least one coil support block detachably coupled to one side of the coil support body to support the induction coil part together with the coil support body.

The coil support block may be a plurality of coil support blocks disposed on both sides of the coil support body, and the support slots may be further formed in the plurality of coil support blocks while the linear induction coil is accommodated therein.

The high frequency induction heating welding unit, the welding body coupled to one side of the coil support body for supporting the coil support body; And a welding body driving unit for driving the welding body to a work line on the main conveyor unit.

The ribbon supply unit may supply the unit ribbon by cutting a ribbon supplied in a continuous line into a unit ribbon having a predetermined length, and the ribbon supply unit may include: a ribbon pulley for supplying the ribbon; A tape pulley for feeding the tape; A ribbon gripping portion for holding and drawing the ribbon and the tape; A ribbon coalescing unit for coalescing the ribbon and the tape together; And a ribbon cutting unit cutting the combined ribbon and the tape.

The ribbon may further include a ribbon transfer unit for transferring the unit ribbon to the main conveyor unit.

The ribbon delivery unit, the radially arranged index; And a ribbon pick-up unit provided at an arm end of the index and picking up the unit ribbon to position the unit ribbon from the ribbon supply unit between wafers on the main conveyor unit.

The ribbon transfer unit may include: a ribbon flux applicator configured to apply flux to the unit ribbon and the tape to facilitate coupling of the unit ribbon and the solar cell wafer; And a hot air heater unit configured to provide hot air to the unit ribbon and the tape, wherein the ribbon flux applying unit and the hot air heater unit transmit the unit ribbon and the tape to the main conveyor unit when the ribbon transfer unit is provided. It may be arranged to operate on the path.

A wafer transfer unit for transferring the solar cell wafer from the wafer supply unit to the main conveyor unit; A wafer flux coating part installed on the main conveyor unit to apply flux to the solar cell wafer to improve bonding property when bonding the solar cell wafer and the unit ribbon; And a vision inspection unit disposed between the wafer supply unit and the main conveyor unit to inspect the wafer state.

The vision inspection unit may be arranged to photograph the solar cell wafer on the path when the wafer transfer unit delivers the solar cell wafer to the main conveyor unit. The vision inspection unit may be installed on the main conveyor unit and installed on the solar cell wafer. The apparatus may further include a preheating heater unit for preheating the applied flux.

The solar cell wafer inspected by the vision inspection unit may further include a defective extraction unit for taking out the solar cell wafer determined as defective.

The wafer supply unit includes a plurality of magazines in which the solar cell wafers are stacked and received; And a magazine supply conveyor that sequentially transfers the plurality of magazines to a position at which the solar cell wafers are picked up.

The present invention can be applied to the manufacturing process of the back electrode solar cell which is more efficient than the prior art because the unit ribbon is coupled to each side of the wafer in the vertical direction in the longitudinal direction of the solar cell string by connecting the unit ribbon, the solar cell Durability can be improved by improving the bond strength of the string.

1 is a schematic plan view of a string manufacturing apparatus for a back electrode solar cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view illustrating a state in which a pair of wafers and a unit ribbon are bonded to each other in a solar cell string.
3 is a schematic plan view of the main conveyor unit, ribbon supply unit, ribbon transfer unit and high frequency induction heating welding unit in FIG.
4 is a perspective view of a high frequency induction heating welding unit.
5 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for schematically describing an operation process of a main conveyor unit, a ribbon supply unit, a ribbon transfer unit, and a high frequency induction heating welding unit in FIG. 3.

In order to fully understand the present invention, the operational advantages of the present invention, and the objects achieved by the practice of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and the contents described in the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in order to avoid unnecessary obscuration of the present invention.

Prior to the description, the wafer referred to in the present invention refers to a solar cell wafer, which will be collectively referred to as a wafer in the following description.

1 is a schematic plan view of a string manufacturing apparatus for a back electrode solar cell according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which a pair of wafers and a unit ribbon are bonded in a solar cell string, and FIG. 3. 1 is a schematic plan view of the main conveyor unit, the ribbon supply unit and the ribbon delivery unit in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a high frequency induction heating welding unit, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.

1 to 3, a string manufacturing apparatus for a back electrode solar cell according to the present embodiment includes a wafer supply unit 100 supplying a wafer 10 and a ribbon 20 supplied in a continuous line in advance. The ribbon supply unit 400 which cuts and supplies the unit ribbon 21 of length, and the work line for conveying the wafer 10 and the unit ribbon 21 and welding the unit ribbon 21 to the wafer 10 are provided. A unit ribbon is provided on the main conveyor unit 300 and a pair of wafers 10 adjacent to each other with a current resistance train induced by a linear induction coil 231 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) on the main conveyor unit 300. It includes a high frequency induction heating welding unit 200 for welding (21).

In addition, the string manufacturing apparatus for the back electrode solar cell according to the present embodiment, the wafer transfer unit 150 for transferring the wafer 10 to the main conveyor unit 300, and is installed on the main conveyor unit 300, the wafer 10 In order to improve the bonding property when bonding the unit ribbon 21) and the unit ribbon 21, a wafer flux applying unit 500 for applying flux to the wafer 10, and a ribbon transfer for delivering the ribbon 20 to the main conveyor unit 300. On the main conveyor unit 300 and the ribbon flux applicator 600 for applying flux to the unit ribbon 21 and the tape to facilitate bonding between the unit 450 and the unit ribbon 21 and the wafer 10. And a vision inspection unit (not shown) arranged to be disposed on the wafer 10 to inspect the state of the wafer 10, and a defect extraction unit (not shown) to take out the wafer 10 determined as defective among the wafers 10 inspected by the vision inspection unit. Include.

Meanwhile, the above configurations are arranged on the work table 109 as shown in FIG. 1 and controlled by a control unit (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 2, the solar cell string 15 is manufactured by interconnecting a plurality of wafers 10 with unit ribbons 21. In the drawings, only a pair of wafers 10 are shown for convenience.

The wafer 10 is formed in a rectangular shape as a whole. Conventional wafers (not shown) are formed on the front and rear of the plurality of junction lines parallel to the longitudinal direction of the solar cell string 15, whereas the wafer 10 in the present invention is disposed both the electrode and the wiring in the rear The adjacent portion of each wafer 10 arranged on the main conveyor unit 300, that is, one side portion of the wafer 10 becomes a joining line. Here, the bonding line is a part to which the unit ribbon 21 is bonded. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the wafer 10 is 5 inches or 6 inches size is mainly used, but is not limited thereto.

The unit ribbon 21 is provided by cutting the ribbon 20 supplied in a continuous line to a predetermined length. At this time, the ribbon 20 is made of an electrically conductive material, typically a copper material coated. In the wafer 10 used in this embodiment, since adjacent lines of the pair of wafers 10 are each formed with bonding lines, one unit ribbon 21 is bonded to the pair of wafers 10, respectively. Accordingly, the plurality of wafers 10 may be bonded to each other to manufacture a solar cell string. That is, the unit ribbon 21 interconnects the side portions of each wafer 10 in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the string 15 to bond the side portions of each wafer 10 to each other. This improves the bonding strength of the solar cell string 15 compared to the prior art can be improved durability.

The bonding method of the wafer 10 and the unit ribbon 21 is as shown in FIG. 2. That is, the unit ribbon 21 interconnects adjacent portions of two wafers 10 adjacent to each other with the unit ribbon 21. However, in the present invention, the shape and bonding method of the wafer 10 and the unit ribbon 21 may be variously selected.

1 to 3, the main conveyor unit 300 is disposed along the X axis direction in front of the wafer supply unit 100. The main conveyor unit 300 includes a plurality of drive rollers (not shown), a main conveyor belt 310 having a conveying direction toward the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200, and a drive motor for driving the main conveyor belt 310. 320. At this time, the main conveyor belt 310 is preferably made of an insulating material such as Teflon, this is to prevent the power loss during welding by the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200.

The main conveyor unit 300 provides a work line for welding the unit ribbon 21 to the wafer 10. That is, the main conveyor unit 300 transfers the wafer 10 and the unit ribbon 21 to the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200. At this time, the wafer 10 is transferred to the front end of the main conveyor unit 300 from the wafer supply unit 100 by the wafer transfer unit 150, the unit ribbon 21 by the ribbon transfer unit 450, The ribbon is supplied to the main conveyor unit 300 from the supply unit 400. The wafer 10 and the unit ribbon 21 transferred to the main conveyor unit 300 as described above are transferred to the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200 in the arrangement state shown in FIG. 2 on the main conveyor unit 300. .

1 to 5, the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200 is disposed in an end region of the main conveyor unit 300 to weld the unit ribbon 21 to the wafer 10 on the main conveyor unit 300. . To this end, the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200, mainly referring to Figures 4 and 5, the coil support body 220, the coil support body 220 is supported by a plurality of annular induction coil having a ring shape ( An induction coil unit 230 having a 232, the power supply unit 240 is connected to the induction coil unit 230 to apply a high frequency current to the induction coil unit 230, and to support the coil support body 220 The welding body 210 and a welding body driving unit (not shown) for moving in at least one direction of the vertical direction in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction in the work line direction of the main conveyor unit 300.

The coil support body 220 is coupled to one side of the welding body 210. The coil support body 220 is provided to correspond to the shape of the straight induction coil 231 of the induction coil unit 230. A plurality of annular induction coils 232 are coupled to the coil support body 220. To this end, an upper portion of the coil support body 220 is provided with an annular induction coil receiving groove 221 in which a plurality of annular induction coils 232 of the induction coil portion 230 are partially accommodated.

In this embodiment, three annular induction coil receiving grooves 221 are provided on the coil support body 220 to accommodate three annular induction coils 232 of the induction coil part 230. On each annular guide coil receiving groove 221, a welding operation is actually performed. On the other hand, if the number of the annular induction coil 232 needs to be increased as necessary to increase the bonding force of the wafer 10, the number of the annular induction coil receiving grooves 221 may be correspondingly increased. .

On the other hand, the coil support body 220 is detachably coupled to the welding body 210. That is, in the present embodiment, a coupling flange 222 is provided below the coil support body 220, and a screw groove 222a formed for coupling with the welding body 210 is formed in the coupling flange 222. A screw (not shown) is fastened to the screw groove 222a to be fastened to the screw groove 210a of the welding body 210 such that the coil support body 220 may be coupled to the welding body 210.

Side of the coil support body 220 is provided with a plurality of coil support blocks (223, 224) to fix the position while supporting the induction coil unit 230 with the coil support body 220. The coil support blocks 223 and 224 are formed so that the sidewalls thereof correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the linear induction coil 231 surrounding the side of the coil support body 220 such that the coil support blocks 223 and 224 receive the linear induction coil 231. While being coupled to the coil support body 220. That is, support slots 223a and 224a are formed on the wall surfaces of the coil support blocks 223 and 224 facing the coil support body 220 to accommodate the linear induction coil 231.

As shown in FIG. 5, one coil support block 223 corresponding to the length of the coil support body 220 is disposed at one side of the coil support body 220, and two at the other side of the coil support body 220. Coil support blocks 224 are disposed to support the induction coil unit 230 together with the coil support body 220.

The coil support blocks 223 and 224 are preferably made of a metal material or ceramic material coated with an insulating material such as Teflon. This is to prevent power loss during welding by the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200.

As such, the coil support body 220 according to the present exemplary embodiment may support and fix the plurality of annular induction coils 232 and the linear induction coil 231 of the induction coil part 230. If it is necessary to change the position and number of the annular induction coil 232 by changing the welding position or the number of welding sites, the shape of the coil support body 220 needs to be changed or replaced correspondingly. There is.

The induction coil unit 230 receives power from the power supply unit 240 to generate current resistance heat induced by the linear induction coil 231 to substantially weld the wafer 10 and the unit ribbon 21 to each other. Play a role. To this end, the induction coil unit 230 includes a straight induction coil 231 extending in the horizontal direction from the power supply unit 240, and an annular induction coil 232 extending upwardly from the straight induction coil 231 to form a ring shape. ).

The straight guide coil 231 forms a closed loop curve and extends in a horizontal direction from the power supply unit 240 so as to cross the lower portion of the main conveyor belt 310 and extend in length.

A plurality of annular induction coils 232 are provided in an end region of the straight induction coil 231. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the annular induction coil 232 protrudes upward from the linear induction coil 231. And each annular induction coil 232 is accommodated in the annular induction coil receiving groove 221 is coupled to the coil support body 220. At this time, three annular induction coils 232 are provided and spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval.

The power supply unit 240 is electrically connected to the linear induction coil 231 and serves to supply power supplied to the plurality of annular induction coils 232.

The welding body 210 supports the coil support body 220 and the power supply unit 240. One end of the welding body 210 may be connected to a welding body driving unit (not shown) to be movable in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction.

The welding body driving unit may be provided at one side of the main conveyor unit 300 to approach and space the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200 to a work line. Typically, the welding body driving unit may be provided as an actuator of a linear motor type or an actuator of a cylinder type. On the other hand, the welding body drive in the present invention, since the role of adjusting the separation distance in the vertical and horizontal direction of the welding body 210 and the main conveyor belt 310, the welding body drive to a guide rail (not shown) known The welding body driving unit may be omitted when it may be provided by the operator by hand or fixed on the work table 109.

In the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200 having such a configuration, the unit ribbon 21 is supplied and disposed from the ribbon transfer unit 450 on the upper side with the wafer 10 transferred on the main conveyor belt 310 interposed therebetween. Induction coil unit 230 of the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200 from the lower side is approached and welded by an induction heating method through a high frequency, it can be applied to the manufacturing process of the back electrode solar cell.

In addition, the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200 according to the present embodiment, since the unit ribbon 21 interconnects the side portions of each wafer 10 in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the string 15, the solar cell string 15 Durability can be improved by improving the bonding strength of

Referring to FIG. 1, the wafer supply unit 100 includes a plurality of magazines (not shown) in which the wafers 10 are stacked and accommodated, although not shown in a plan view, and the plurality of magazines to a position where the wafers 10 are picked up. It includes a magazine feed conveyor 120 to be sequentially transported, and a magazine recovery conveyor (not shown) provided below the magazine feed conveyor (120).

The magazine forms a space in which the wafers 10 are stacked and accommodated, and the structure and shape of the magazine may be variously selected in the present invention.

The magazine supply conveyor 120 includes the first supply conveyor 121, the second supply conveyor 122, and the direction change unit 123. At this time, the position where the magazines into which the wafers 10 are stacked are placed is the rear end of the first supply conveyor 121 based on the transport direction, and the position where the wafers 10 are picked up is the second supply conveyor based on the transport direction. It is the distal end of 122.

The first supply conveyor 121 and the second supply conveyor 122 are disposed substantially parallel to each other. The direction change part 113 disposed in a direction perpendicular to the advancing direction of the first supply conveyor 121 and the second supply conveyor 122 is disposed between the first supply conveyor 121 and the second supply conveyor 122. . The direction change unit 113 transfers the magazine located at the front end of the first supply conveyor 121 to the rear end of the second supply conveyor 122.

As such, in the wafer supply unit 100 according to the present embodiment, since the magazine feed conveyor 121 has a 'c'-shaped transfer path as a whole, the foot print is reduced compared to the prior art having one linear transfer path. This can improve space utilization and work efficiency.

1 and 3, the wafer transfer unit 150, The wafer 10 is picked up from the wafer supply unit 100 and transferred to the buffer stage 160 and the main conveyor unit 300 disposed in front of the wafer supply unit 100. Specifically, the wafer transfer unit 150 picks up the wafers 10 stacked in the magazine located on the second supply conveyor 122 one by one and transfers them to the main conveyor unit 300.

To this end, the wafer transfer unit 150 includes a transfer body 151, a wafer rotation body 152 coupled to the transfer body 151 so as to be relatively rotatable, and an end portion of the wafer rotation body 152. A wafer pick-up unit 153 for adsorbing 10, and a rotating body drive unit (not shown) for relative rotation of the wafer rotating body 152.

The delivery body 151 is provided at the front end of the main conveyor unit 300. The transfer body 151 supports the wafer pivoting arm 154 and the wafer pickup portion 153.

The wafer rotating body 152 is provided on the upper portion of the transfer body 151, and is coupled to the transfer body 151 so as to be relatively rotatable. Accordingly, the front end portions of the wafer supply unit 100 and the main conveyor unit 300 are respectively positioned within the rotation radius of the rotation of the wafer rotating body 152, thereby transferring the wafer 10 (see FIG. 2) to the wafer supply unit 100. ) May be transferred to the main conveyor unit 300.

The wafer pick-up unit 153 includes a rectangular suction plate 154 and four suction means (not shown) coupled to the suction plate 154. In this embodiment, a suction cylinder (not shown) is provided as a suction means, and the wafer 10 is vacuum sucked by vacuum pressure. Alternatively, in the present invention, the adsorption means, the adsorption structure and the shape of the wafer pickup unit 153 may be variously selected.

The rotating body drive unit rotates the rotating body relative to the transfer body 151. As a result, the rotatable body driving unit rotates the wafer rotatable body 152 such that the wafer pickup unit 153 picks up the wafer 10 from the wafer supply unit 100 and seats the front end of the buffer stage 160 or the main conveyor unit 300. ) And wafer pick-up section 153 are rotated relative to each other. Rotating body driving unit in the present invention may be implemented by a linear motor method, the driving method is not limited to the linear motor method can be selected in various ways.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the buffer stage 160 is disposed between the wafer supply unit 100 and the main conveyor unit 300. The buffer stage 160 has a flat top surface having a rectangular cross-sectional shape so that the wafer 10 can be stably seated. The buffer stage 160 provides an area where the wafer 10 picked up by the wafer transfer unit 150 is seated.

Referring to FIG. 1, the string manufacturing apparatus for a back electrode solar cell according to the present embodiment is disposed between the wafer supply unit 100 and the buffer stage 160. It further includes a vision inspection unit (not shown). The vision inspection unit performs a vision inspection on the wafer 10 while the wafer 10 is transferred to the buffer stage 160 by the wafer transfer unit 150 using a vision camera (not shown). Specifically, the vision inspection unit checks whether the wafer 10 is damaged and the position information. Accordingly, the wafer transfer unit 150 may align the position of the wafer 10 based on the position information confirmed by the vision inspection unit in order to accurately seat the wafer 10 at a predetermined position of the buffer stage 160. have.

In addition, when it is confirmed that the wafer 10 is damaged by the vision inspection unit, the wafer transfer unit 150 does not transfer the wafer 10 to the buffer stage 160, but a defect extraction unit (not shown) disposed adjacent to the vision inspection unit. Transfer to).

The wafer flux application part 500 is provided on the main conveyor unit 300. Referring to FIG. 1, the wafer flux applicator 500 applies flux to an upper surface of the wafer 10. Here, the flux is a liquid-type vaporizing material having high liquidity for improving bonding property when bonding the wafer 10 and the unit ribbon 21 in the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200.

The wafer flux application part 500 applies flux to the bonding line formed in each adjacent part of the pair of wafers 10. The wafer flux applicator 500 may be a spray type or a needle type in an application type. In the present invention, the structure and shape of the wafer flux application part 500 may be variously selected.

The wafer flux applicator 500 may be further provided with a wafer applicator (not shown). Such a configuration may have the advantage of applying flux at a more accurate location.

A preheating heater unit (not shown) may be further provided on the main conveyor unit. Preheater heater wafer 10 After the flux is applied onto it, it is activated to allow the flux applied to the wafer 10 to work smoothly during the welding process. The preheat heater may be provided to face upward from the lower portion of the main conveyor belt 310, but may be configured in a different manner.

As such, in the string manufacturing apparatus for the back electrode solar cell according to the present embodiment, the wafer transfer unit 150 picks up the wafer 10, passes through the vision inspection unit, the buffer stage 160, and then moves to the main conveyor unit 300. Transfer.

1 and 3, the ribbon supply unit 400 combines a ribbon pulley 410, a tape pulley (not shown), a ribbon 20 and a tape (not shown). 430, a ribbon gripping portion 420 holding and drawing the ribbon 20 unwound from the ribbon pulley 410, and a ribbon cutting portion cutting the ribbon 20 pulled out by the ribbon holding portion 420 ( 440).

The ribbon supply unit 400 cuts and supplies the ribbon 20 and the tape supplied in a continuous line into unit ribbons 21 (see FIGS. 2 and 6) of a predetermined length. However, in the present invention, the number of ribbons 20 supplied by the ribbon supply unit 400 and the length of the unit ribbons 21 are not limited to the present embodiment, and may be different depending on the type and bonding method of the wafer 10 used. Various choices can be made.

The ribbon pulley 410 is disposed in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the plane of FIGS. 1 and 3 to rotate at a predetermined rotational speed. The ribbon 20 unwound from the ribbon pulley 410 is supplied to the ribbon cutting portion 440 via a plurality of tension rollers 411.

At the same time, the tape pulley (not shown) also rotates at a predetermined rotational speed. However, the tape pulley 161 is not shown since FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 are top views. The unwound tape is also supplied to the ribbon coalescing portion 430 via a separate tension roller (not shown). The ribbon pulley 410 and the tape pulley are controlled synchronously, so that the length of the ribbon and the ribbon 20 unwound from the ribbon pulley 410 and the tape pulley are the same.

The ribbon coalescing portion 430 is disposed adjacent from the ribbon pulley 410 and the tape pulley. In the ribbon coalescing portion 430, the ribbon 20 and the tape which are released are entered and coalesced with each other. In the present embodiment, the ribbon coalescing portion 430 is provided with two pairs of upper and lower rollers 430, but the coalescing structure and coalescing manner of the ribbon coalescing portion 430 may be different. The ribbon coalescing portion 430 serves to bond the ribbon and the tape to each other, and at the same time, maintains a constant tension on the ribbon 20 and the tape supplied to the ribbon gripping portion 420 and the ribbon cutting portion 440. It plays a role of straightening in the state.

1 and 3, the ribbon gripping portion 420, a gripping means (not shown) for gripping the ribbon 20, and a gripping means drive unit for moving the gripping means in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) (Not shown). The ribbon gripping portion 420 drives the gripping means driving unit in a state in which the gripping means grips the ribbon 20 supplied to the ribbon cutting portion 440 to draw the ribbon 20 by a predetermined length. At this time, the length of the ribbon 20 to be drawn out corresponds to the length of the unit ribbon 21 to be cut.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the ribbon cutting unit 440 cuts the ribbon 20 gripped and drawn out by a predetermined length. In the present exemplary embodiment, the unit ribbon 21 is generated by driving in the vertical direction by using cutting means (not shown). Alternatively, the cutting unit (not shown) may be applied to other cutting methods and driving methods. In addition, rather than cutting the ribbon 20 automatically, an operator may manually cut the ribbon 20 to generate the unit ribbon 21.

The ribbon flux applicator 600 bonds the wafer 10 to the unit ribbon 21 in the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200 by applying flux to the unit ribbon 21 (refer to FIGS. 2 and 6). Serves to improve The ribbon flux applicator 600 allows flux to be applied to the ribbon pickup part 462 of the index 460 that adsorbs the unit ribbon 21, so that the ribbon pickup part 462 picks up the unit ribbon 21. Flux may be applied to the unit ribbon 21 during transfer to the main conveyor unit 300. Alternatively, the ribbon delivery unit 450 and the ribbon flux application unit 600 may be integrally provided, or the ribbon flux application unit 600 may be provided on the ribbon supply unit 400.

Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a ribbon delivery unit 450 is provided in an adjacent region of the ribbon supply unit 400. The ribbon delivery unit 450 serves to pick up the unit ribbon 21 generated by the ribbon supply unit 400 and to transfer it to the main conveyor unit 300. To this end, the ribbon delivery unit 450 is provided on the index 460 disposed radially and the end of the arm 461 of the index 460, the unit ribbon 21 (see FIGS. 2 and 6) to the ribbon supply unit ( And a ribbon pickup portion 462 for absorbing the unit ribbon 21 to be positioned between the wafers 10 on the main conveyor unit 300 from 400. In addition, the ribbon transfer unit 450 may further include an index driving unit (not shown) for relative rotation to transfer the picked unit ribbon 21 to the main conveyor unit 300.

The index 460 is provided so as to be relatively rotatable on the external support 463 vertically crossing the main conveyor unit 300, and one index arm 461 is provided every 45 degrees in a radial form, for a total of eight index arms. 461.

The ribbon pickup portion 462 is provided at the end of the index arm 461. The ribbon pickup part 462 is formed to correspond to the length and plate shape of the unit ribbon 21. The ribbon pick-up unit 462 picks up the unit ribbon 21 by vacuum suction of the unit ribbon 21 at a vacuum pressure. Accordingly, there is an advantage that the ribbon pickup unit 462 easily adsorbs the unit ribbon 21. However, in the present invention, the method of picking up the unit ribbon 21 by the ribbon pickup unit 462 is not limited to this embodiment and may be variously selected.

The index driver is provided in connection with the rotational central axis 464 of the index 460 (see FIG. 3). Accordingly, when the index driver is driven, the index 460 is rotated about the rotation center axis 464. As a result, the index 460 may pick up the unit ribbon 21 generated from the ribbon supply unit 400 and transfer it to the main conveyor unit 300.

As described above, the ribbon delivery unit 450 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes an index 460 that rotates 360 degrees, thereby efficiently and accurately transferring the unit ribbon 21 to the wafer 10, thereby allowing tact on the solar cell string manufacturing process. It is possible to reduce the tact time.

After the flux is applied onto the unit ribbon 21, the hot air heater unit (not shown) is operated. The hot air heater unit allows the flux applied to the unit ribbon 21 to be smoothly bonded in the welding process.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating an operation process of a main conveyor unit, a ribbon supply unit, a ribbon transfer unit, and a high frequency induction heating welding unit in FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, a back electrode solar cell string manufacturing process according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

First, the wafer 10 is supplied to the front end portion of the main conveyor unit 300 from the ribbon supply unit 400 (see FIG. 1) in the A direction. At this time, the wafer 10 placed on the main conveyor belt 310 is transferred with the rear surface facing upward.

The wafer 10 passes along the main conveyor belt 310 and passes through the wafer flux coating part 500 (see FIG. 1). At this time, the flux is applied to the side of the wafer 10, which is an adjacent portion of the pair of wafers 10.

Meanwhile, the ribbon 20 released from the ribbon pulley 410 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) of the ribbon supply unit 400 passes through a plurality of tension rollers 411 along the B direction and is transferred to the ribbon coalescing portion 430. do. At the same time, the tape released from the tape pulley is also transferred to the ribbon coalescing portion 430 via a separate tension roller. Then, the ribbon 20 and the tape are merged with each other via the two pairs of upper and lower rollers 430 which are the ribbon coalescing portions 430.

When the ribbon 20 is unwound by a predetermined length, the ribbon cutting unit 440 drives the vertical direction by using cutting means to generate the unit ribbon 21.

Thereafter, the ribbon pick-up unit 462 provided at the end of the index 460 of the ribbon transfer unit 450 adsorbs the unit ribbon 21 and transfers the unit ribbon 21 toward the main conveyor unit 300 along the C direction. At this time, the flux is applied to the ribbon pickup portion 462 through the ribbon flux application portion (see FIGS. 1 and 3). Thereafter, the ribbon transfer unit 450 detaches the unit ribbon 21 at a position vertically upward of the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200 of the main conveyor unit 300 to remove the unit ribbon 21 in a flux-coated state. Place it in the welding position.

Next, power is supplied to the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200 to perform the welding of the actual high frequency induction heating method. As the wafer 10 is transported along the main conveyor belt 310, the high frequency induction heating welding unit 200 sequentially welds each wafer 10.

Finally, each wafer 10 is bonded to each other to complete the solar cell string 15 (see FIG. 2).

According to such a process, unlike the conventional solar cell manufacturing method, the back electrode solar cell string 15 having higher efficiency can be manufactured by bonding and electrically connecting the unit ribbon 21 to the rear surface of the wafer 10.

In addition, since the unit ribbon 21 connects the side portions of the wafer 10 in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the string 15 to interconnect each wafer 10, the bonding strength of the solar cell string 15 is improved to increase durability. This has the advantage of being improved.

It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, such modifications or variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

10: wafer 20: ribbon
21: unit ribbon 100: wafer supply unit
109: working table 120: feeding conveyor
150: wafer transfer unit 153: wafer pickup unit
200: high frequency induction heating unit 210: welding body
220: coil support body 221: annular induction coil receiving groove
222: coupling flange 223,224: coil support block
230: guide coil portion 231: straight guide coil
232: annular induction coil 240: power supply
300: main conveyor unit 310: main conveyor belt
400: ribbon supply unit 410: ribbon pulley
411: tension roller 420: ribbon holding part
450: ribbon delivery unit 460: index
462 ribbon pickup

Claims (14)

A wafer supply unit for supplying a solar cell wafer;
A ribbon supply unit supplying a ribbon connecting the solar cell wafers to neighboring ones;
A main conveyor unit to which the solar cell wafer and the ribbon are transferred; And
A string manufacturing apparatus for a back electrode solar cell comprising a high frequency induction heating welding unit for welding the ribbon to the pair of solar cell wafers adjacent to each other with a current resistance heat induced by a linear induction coil on the main conveyor unit. . The method of claim 1,
The high frequency induction heating welding unit,
Coil support body;
An induction coil part supported by the coil supporting body and having a linear induction coil and a plurality of annular induction coils protruding upward from the linear induction coil; And
And a power supply unit connected to the induction coil part to apply a high frequency current to the induction coil part. The method of claim 2,
And a plurality of annular induction coil accommodating grooves, in which the plurality of annular induction coils are partially accommodated, are formed on an upper portion of the coil support body. The method of claim 2,
The high frequency induction heating welding unit further comprises at least one coil support block detachably coupled to one side of the coil support body to support the induction coil part together with the coil support body. Battery string manufacturing apparatus. The method of claim 4, wherein
The coil support block is a plurality of coil support blocks disposed on both sides of the coil support body,
And a plurality of support slots are formed in the plurality of coil support blocks to accommodate the linear induction coils. The method of claim 2,
The high frequency induction heating welding unit,
A welding body coupled to one side of the coil support body to support the coil support body; And
And a welding body driving unit for driving the welding body to a work line on the main conveyor unit. The method of claim 1,
The ribbon supply unit cuts the ribbon supplied in a continuous line into a unit ribbon having a predetermined length to supply the unit ribbon,
The ribbon supply unit,
A ribbon pulley for supplying the ribbon;
A tape pulley for feeding the tape;
A ribbon gripping portion for holding and drawing the ribbon and the tape;
A ribbon coalescing unit for coalescing the ribbon and the tape together; And
And a ribbon cutting unit cutting the coalesced ribbon and the tape. The method of claim 7, wherein
And a ribbon transfer unit for transferring the unit ribbon to the main conveyor unit. The method of claim 8,
The ribbon delivery unit,
Radially placed indexes; And
And a ribbon pick-up unit provided at an arm end of the index and picking up the unit ribbon to position the unit ribbon between the ribbon supply unit and the wafers on the main conveyor unit. Device. 10. The method of claim 9,
The ribbon delivery unit,
A ribbon flux applicator configured to apply flux to the unit ribbon and the tape to facilitate bonding of the unit ribbon and the solar cell wafer; And
Further comprising a hot air heater for providing hot air to the unit ribbon and the tape,
And the ribbon flux applying unit and the hot air heater unit are configured to operate on a path when the ribbon transfer unit delivers the unit ribbon and the tape to the main conveyor unit. The method of claim 1,
A wafer transfer unit for transferring the solar cell wafer from the wafer supply unit to the main conveyor unit;
A wafer flux coating part installed on the main conveyor unit to apply flux to the solar cell wafer to improve bonding property when bonding the solar cell wafer and the unit ribbon; And
And a vision inspection unit disposed between the wafer supply unit and the main conveyor unit to inspect the wafer state. The method of claim 11,
The vision inspection unit is arranged to photograph the solar cell wafer on the path when the wafer transfer unit delivers the solar cell wafer to the main conveyor unit,
And a preheat heater unit installed on the main conveyor unit to preheat the flux applied to the solar cell wafer. The method of claim 11,
And a defect extracting part for extracting the solar cell wafer that is determined to be defective among the solar cell wafers inspected by the vision inspection part. The method of claim 1,
The wafer supply unit,
A plurality of magazines in which the solar cell wafers are stacked; And
And a magazine supply conveyor for sequentially transporting the plurality of magazines to a position at which the solar cell wafers are picked up.

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