JP3759285B2 - Laminating equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a laminating apparatus particularly suitable for producing a laminated body such as a solar battery panel.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, various developments have been made on solar cells to utilize solar energy. Various types of solar cells have been devised, such as crystalline solar cells using single crystal silicon or polycrystalline silicon, and amorphous solar cells using amorphous silicon (amorphous silicon). ing. However, in both of these crystalline and amorphous types, silicon itself is susceptible to chemical changes and is susceptible to physical shock. Therefore, in general, silicon is used for transparent vinyl film, tempered glass, heat-resistant glass, etc. Solar cell panels laminated with protective materials are used. Recently, integrated modules, etc., which are used for building materials, etc., which integrate outer wall materials, roofing materials, and solar cell panels, are also being manufactured. When laminating such an integrated module, an appropriate protective material is also used in addition to vinyl film and glass.
[0003]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a laminating apparatus for manufacturing such a solar cell panel, a laminating apparatus that performs laminating by melting and sandwiching a filler inside a laminated body is known. With regard to such a laminating apparatus, the applicant of the present application discloses “Laminating apparatus” of Utility Model Registration No. 3017231. This laminating apparatus includes an upper chamber having a diaphragm that is expandable downward and an upper chamber having a heater. Then, the upper and lower chambers are depressurized while the laminate is placed on the heater provided in the lower chamber, the laminate is heated under vacuum to melt the filler, and the atmosphere is introduced into the upper chamber. By doing so, the object to be laminated is laminated by being sandwiched between the upper surface of the heater and the diaphragm.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional laminating apparatus first heats the object to be laminated in the same chamber to melt the filler, and then presses the object to be laminated. , At least the total time of both the heating time until the filler is melted and the time during which the laminate is pressed is required. With such a conventional laminating apparatus, it is difficult to shorten the manufacturing time, and it is not suitable for continuous production.
[0005]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a laminating apparatus that can shorten the manufacturing time and is suitable for continuous production.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above object, in the present invention, in a laminating apparatus performing lamination by nipping by melting the internal filling material of the solar cell panel, inflatable diaphragm for nipping the solar panel A vacuum chamber is disposed adjacent to the upstream side of the laminating chamber, and a heater for heating the filler is provided in the vacuum chamber.
[0007]
In this laminating apparatus, first, a solar cell panel is carried into a vacuum chamber, and the filler inside the solar cell panel is heated and melted by a heater under vacuum. Then, the solar cell panel in which the filler is melted in the vacuum chamber as described above is transported without being broken by vacuum and is transported into the laminate chamber. Then, by laminating the diaphragm toward the solar cell panel in the laminating chamber, the solar cell panel is sandwiched and laminated. Therefore, according to this laminating apparatus, since the solar cell panel can be sandwiched by expanding the diaphragm immediately after the solar cell panel is carried into the laminating chamber, the heating time until the filler is melted in the laminating chamber is unnecessary. Become.
[0008]
In this laminating apparatus, a heater for heating the filler may be provided in the laminating chamber. By doing so, the filler can be surely kept in a melted state while the solar battery panel is being clamped, and the filler can be prevented from solidifying during the lamination. .
[0009]
Further, it is preferable that a plurality of solar cell panels can be heated in the vacuum chamber. Then, even if a relatively long heating time is required until the filler is melted, the next solar cell panel should be immediately supplied to the laminating chamber with the filler melted. And continuous production is possible.
[0010]
Further, an airtight chamber may be disposed adjacent to the upstream side of the vacuum chamber so that the airtight chamber can be decompressed. When the airtight chamber is arranged in this way, first, the solar cell panel is first carried into the airtight chamber. Then, the hermetic chamber is depressurized to form a vacuum (atmosphere depressurized from the atmospheric pressure), and then the hermetic chamber and the vacuum chamber are communicated, and the solar cell panel is carried from the hermetic chamber into the vacuum chamber. As a result, the vacuum chamber can always be kept in vacuum.
[0011]
The laminating apparatus of the present invention is particularly suitable for the production of a laminate such as a solar cell panel .
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described based on a laminating apparatus 1 suitable for laminating a solar cell panel P as an example of a laminate. FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing the internal structure of a laminating apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the internal structure of the laminating apparatus 1.
[0013]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the laminating apparatus 1 has a vacuum chamber 20 disposed adjacent to the upstream side (right side in the illustrated example) of the laminating chamber 10, and further to the upstream side of the vacuum chamber 20 ( The airtight chamber 30 is arranged adjacent to the right side in the illustrated example. Openings 40 and 41 are formed between the laminating chamber 10 and the vacuum chamber 20, and between the vacuum chamber 20 and the airtight chamber 30, respectively. Further, the side surface on the downstream side of the laminating chamber 10 (the left side in the illustrated example). Opening portions 42 and 43 are also formed on the upper side surface (right side surface in the illustrated example) and the hermetic chamber 30, respectively. Shutters 45, 46, 47, and 48 are mounted in the openings 40 to 43. When all of the shutters 45 to 48 are closed, the laminate chamber 10, the vacuum chamber 20, and the airtight chamber 30 are all sealed. It will be in the state.
[0014]
A diaphragm 11 is mounted so as to horizontally partition the internal space of the laminating chamber 10. A space above the diaphragm 11 is an upper chamber 12, and a space below the diaphragm 11 is a lower chamber 13. The aforementioned openings 40 and 43 are both disposed on both side surfaces of the lower chamber 13. The diaphragm 11 is made of heat-resistant rubber such as Viton (fluoro rubber). The upper chamber 12 and the lower chamber 13 are provided with intake / exhaust ports 14 and 15, respectively, and the upper chamber 12 and the lower chamber 13 are evacuated at arbitrary timing via the intake / exhaust ports 14 and 15, respectively. In addition, the atmospheric pressure can be introduced into the upper chamber 12 and the lower chamber 13 through the intake / exhaust ports 14 and 15 at arbitrary timings, respectively.
[0015]
A heater 16 is disposed in the lower chamber 13 in parallel with the diaphragm 11. The heater 16 is composed of, for example, an aluminum sheathed heater. Moreover, the heater 16 may be provided with a water cooling pipe for accurately controlling the temperature.
[0016]
In the illustrated example, the first heater 21 and the second heater 22 are horizontally arranged in the vacuum chamber 20 at the same height as the heater 16 of the laminate chamber 10 described above. Similarly, these heaters 21 and 22 are constituted by, for example, aluminum sheathed heaters, and may be provided with water-cooled pipes or the like for accurately performing temperature control. The vacuum chamber 20 is provided with an exhaust port 23. By reducing the pressure through the exhaust port 23, the inside of the vacuum chamber 20 is always kept in a vacuum (a reduced pressure state lower than the atmospheric pressure).
[0017]
In the airtight chamber 30, a mounting table 31 on which the solar cell panel P carried into the laminating apparatus 1 is first mounted is disposed horizontally at the same height as the heaters 16, 21, and 22. The airtight chamber 30 is provided with an air intake / exhaust port 32, and the airtight chamber 30 is evacuated through the air intake / exhaust port 32 at an arbitrary timing, and atmospheric pressure is applied to the airtight chamber 30 at an arbitrary timing. It is configured to be introduced.
[0018]
Further, a pair of transport chucks 50a and 50b are provided so as to be able to move across the entire interior of the laminating apparatus 1. As described above, they are carried into the laminating apparatus 1 and placed on the placing table 31. The solar cell panel P is sandwiched between the transfer chucks 50a and 50b, and the solar cell panel P is transferred in the left direction in the figure, whereby the mounting table 31 of the hermetic chamber 30 and the first heater 21 of the vacuum chamber 20 are transferred. The solar panel P can be delivered in the order of the second heater 22 and the heater 16 of the laminate chamber 10.
[0019]
Further, a carry-out conveyor 60 is disposed so as to straddle the opening 42 formed on the side surface on the downstream side of the laminate chamber 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the carry-out conveyor 60 includes a pair of belts 66a and 66b wound around guide pulleys 63, 64, and 65 between a driving pulley 61 and a driven pulley 62. A plurality of flexible sheets 67 are attached between the belts 66a and 66b. Then, the sheet 67 is intermittently moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3 by rotational driving of the drive pulley 61, so that the solar cell panel P laminated in the laminating chamber 10 is placed on the sheet 67 as will be described later. In this state, they are sequentially carried out of the laminate chamber 10. Note that the surface of the sheet 67 is made of a material having excellent thinness, such as a fluororesin, in order to avoid adhesion of the filler protruding from the solar cell panel P when being pressed by the diaphragm 11 in the laminate chamber 10. It is coated.
[0020]
Here, FIGS. 4 and 5 are a plan view and a side view showing a solar cell panel P as an example of a laminate to be suitably manufactured by the laminating apparatus 1 of the present invention. In the illustrated example, the solar cell panel P has a configuration in which a string 74 is sandwiched between fillers 72 and 73 between a transparent cover glass 70 disposed on the lower side and a protective material 71 disposed on the upper side. . The protective material 71 is made of a transparent material such as PE resin. For the fillers 72 and 73, for example, EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) resin or the like is used. The string 74 has a configuration in which solar cells 77 are connected via electrodes 78 between the electrodes 75 and 76.
[0021]
The solar cell panel P as a to-be-laminated body comprised as mentioned above is manufactured according to the process demonstrated below with the laminating apparatus 1 concerning embodiment of this invention.
[0022]
First, the solar cell panel P is carried into the hermetic chamber 30 of the laminating apparatus 1 by a robot (not shown), for example, and placed on the mounting table 31 while being positioned. When performing this loading operation, the shutter 46 of the opening 41 between the vacuum chamber 20 and the hermetic chamber 30 is closed, the shutter 48 of the opening 42 on the upstream side of the hermetic chamber 30 is opened, and the hermetic chamber 30 is opened. Keep the inside at atmospheric pressure.
[0023]
Then, after the solar battery panel P is carried into the airtight chamber 30, the shutter 48 of the opening 42 on the upstream side of the airtight chamber 30 is closed. Then, the inside of the hermetic chamber 30 is depressurized through the intake / exhaust port 32 to make a vacuum. Then, the shutter 46 of the opening part 41 between the vacuum chamber 20 and the airtight chamber 30 is opened, and the inside of the airtight chamber 30 and the inside of the vacuum chamber 20 are communicated. Note that, before the shutter 46 of the opening 41 is opened in this manner, the inside of the vacuum chamber 20 is depressurized through the exhaust port 23 and is already evacuated.
[0024]
First, the transfer chucks 50a and 50b enter the hermetic chamber 30 and sandwich the solar battery panel P placed on the mounting table 31 between the transfer chucks 50a and 50b. Next, the solar cell panel P is transported in the left direction in the figure, carried into the vacuum chamber 20, and the solar cell panel P is sequentially delivered in the order of the first heater 21 and the second heater 22.
[0025]
As a result, the solar cell panel P is sequentially heated on the first heater 21 and the second heater 22 in the vacuum chamber 20, and the fillers 72 and 73 filled in the solar cell panel P are gradually melted. Go.
[0026]
Then, after the fillers 72 and 73 are melted in this way, the shutter 45 provided in the opening 40 between the laminating chamber 10 and the vacuum chamber 20 is opened to allow the laminating chamber 10 and the vacuum chamber 20 to communicate with each other. . Before the shutter 45 of the opening 40 is opened in this way, the pressure in the upper chamber 12 and the lower chamber 13 of the laminate chamber 10 is reduced through the intake and exhaust ports 14 and 15 and already in a vacuum.
[0027]
Next, the solar cell panel P placed on the second heater 22 is sandwiched between the transport chucks 50a and 50b and heated in the vacuum chamber 20 to melt the fillers 72 and 73. The battery panel P is conveyed leftward in the figure, carried into the laminating chamber 10 without breaking the vacuum, and the solar cell panel P is delivered onto the heater 16 provided in the lower chamber 13 in the laminating chamber 10. And it continues heating also on the heater 16, and the state which the fillers 72 and 73 of the solar cell panel P were fuse | melted is maintained. When the solar cell panel P is carried into the laminating chamber 10 as described above, the carry-out conveyor 60 described above is operated to move the sheet 67 to the upper surface of the heater 16. As a result, the solar cell panel P is placed on the upper surface of the heater 16 via the sheet 67.
[0028]
After this loading, the shutter 45 of the opening 40 is closed, and the communication between the laminate chamber 10 and the vacuum chamber 20 is cut off. After the solar battery panel P in which the fillers 72 and 73 are previously melted is placed on the heater 16 in this way, atmospheric pressure is introduced into the upper chamber 12 through the intake / exhaust port 14. At this time, since the inside of the lower chamber 13 is still kept in vacuum, the diaphragm 11 expands downward due to the differential pressure in the laminate chamber 10 as shown in FIG. A pressure is applied between the upper surface and the diaphragm 11. Note that the fillers 72, 72 may protrude from the solar cell panel P during this clamping, but the surface of the sheet 67 is coated with a material having excellent thinness such as a fluororesin. There is no concern that the materials 72 and 73 adhere to the sheet 67.
[0029]
In this way, the laminating process is completed by heating and clamping, and after the solar battery panel P is manufactured, atmospheric pressure is introduced into the lower chamber 13 through the intake / exhaust port 15. Thereby, the diaphragm 11 moves away from the solar cell panel P and returns to the original horizontal state.
[0030]
Next, the opening 42 formed on the downstream side surface of the laminate chamber 10 is opened. Then, according to the rotational drive of the drive pulley 61 of the carry-out conveyor 60, the solar cell panel P is carried out of the laminate chamber 10 while being placed on the sheet 67.
[0031]
According to the laminating apparatus 1, since the solar cell panel P can be sandwiched by expanding the diaphragm 11 immediately after the solar cell panel P is carried into the laminating chamber 10, the fillers 72 and 73 are melted in the laminating chamber 10. No heating time is required. Moreover, in this embodiment, since the fillers 72 and 73 are heated by the heater 16 while the solar battery panel P is sandwiched in the laminating chamber 10, the melted state can be reliably maintained, There is no worry that the fillers 72 and 73 harden during the lamination. Moreover, in the vacuum chamber 20, since the two solar cell panels P can be heated at the same time by the first heater 21 and the second heater 22, the heating time can be doubled as compared with the case of one heater. Even when a relatively long heating time is required until the fillers 72 and 73 are melted, the next solar cell panel P is immediately melted in the laminate chamber 10 with the fillers 72 and 73 melted. Can be continuously supplied. The number of heaters installed is not limited to two, and three or more heaters may be installed in the vacuum chamber 20.
[0032]
In addition, although manufacture of the solar cell panel was demonstrated as an example of a to-be-laminated body, the laminating apparatus of this invention can perform a lamination process about other various things, Especially suitable for manufacture of a to-be-laminated body. It is. In addition, the laminating apparatus of the present invention can cope with a change in the thickness of the object to be laminated, and has recently been attracting attention. It is also possible to use it for manufacturing. Furthermore, the laminating apparatus of the present invention can be used not only for solar cell panels but also for the production of laminated glass and decorative glass.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
According to the laminating apparatus of the present invention, since the heating time until the filler is melted in the laminating chamber is not required, the manufacturing time can be shortened and continuous production becomes possible. In addition, since the filler is heated by the heater while the pressure is applied in the laminating chamber, it can be surely kept in a molten state, and there is no fear that the filler is solidified during the lamination. In addition, since a plurality of laminates can be heated at the same time in the vacuum chamber, even if a relatively long heating time is required until the filler is melted, the next laminate is placed in the laminate chamber. The filler can be supplied immediately in a melted state, enabling more continuous production.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing an internal structure of a laminating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the internal structure of the apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a carry-out conveyor.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a solar cell panel.
FIG. 5 is a side view of a solar cell panel.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a solar cell panel is heated and clamped.
[Explanation of symbols]
P Solar panel 1 Laminating apparatus 11 Diaphragm 10 Laminating chamber 20 Vacuum chamber 16, 21, 22 Heater 30 Airtight chamber 72, 73 Filler

Claims (5)

In a laminating apparatus that performs lamination by melting and sandwiching the filler inside the solar cell panel ,
A laminating apparatus comprising: a vacuum chamber disposed adjacent to an upstream side of a laminating chamber having an inflatable diaphragm for sandwiching a solar cell panel; and a heater for heating the filler in the vacuum chamber. . The laminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solar cell panel is transported between the vacuum chamber and the laminating chamber without breaking the vacuum.   The laminating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a heater for heating the filler is also provided in the laminating chamber.   The laminating apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 3, wherein a plurality of laminates can be heated in the vacuum chamber.   The laminating apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, and 4, wherein an airtight chamber is disposed adjacent to the upstream side of the vacuum chamber, and the airtight chamber can be decompressed.

Images