Trw Limited

Hans G Mesch

Robert E Kennedy

Werner Luft

Kenneth Lui

Robert K Yasui

Colin H Debenham

Charles E Gibson

Albert F Wollner

An integrated and automated multistation machine is provided for placement and attachment of electrically conductive interconnectors onto solar cells and the like. The machine comprises a rotatable turntable for supporting a plurality of solar cells in respective association with a corresponding plurality of operating stations and then for indexing the solar cells to the next operating stations in sequence. More particularly, the machine includes a cell loading station for transfer of a solar cell from a loading magazine and for precision placement onto one of a plurality of cell-supporting fixtures carried by the turntable. The turntable indexes the solar cells one at a time on the fixtures from the cell loading station first to a flux station whereat a liquid flux material is applied to predetermined points on the cell. The flux-bearing cell is then indexed in sequence to an interconnector dispensing station which places an interconnector at a predetermined point on the solar cell and then to an attachment station which secures the interconnector to the cell as by soldering. Additional pairs of interconnector dispensing and attachment stations may be provided for placing and attaching additional interconnectors onto the cell. The resultant cell/interconnector subassembly is then indexed to an inspection station and finally to a cell unloading station whereat the subassembly is transferred from the cell-supporting fixture and placed into an unloading magazine for removal from the machine.

Interconnector attachment machine

A solar array having solar cells mounted on a substrate and electrically joined by rear connector elements on the substrate and front connector elements secured between the cells to the substrate is fabricated by placing the array components in assembled relation and utilizing induction heating to heat to their fusion temperatures a thermoplastic adhesive layer on the substrate and contacting fusible cladding on the solar cells and the connector elements while retaining the components in firm contact to effect adhesive bonding of the solar cells and front connector elements to the substrate and metallic bonding of the solar cells and connector elements to one another.

Method of fabricating a solar array

Solar cells are glassed mechanically to form solar cell stacks, each having a protective coverslide adhesively bonded to the active face of a solar cell, by relative movement of assembly fixtures past a solar cell dispenser which places a solar cell on each fixture, a following adhesive dispenser which applies adhesive to the active face of each cell, and a final coverslide dispenser which applies a coverslide to each cell to form an adhesively bonded cell stack. The preferred adhesive is a liquid adhesive which is applied to a central region only of each active cell face, then spreads over the entire cell face by capillary flow following application of the cell coverslide, and is finally cured by relative movement of the cell stack through an oven or the like.

Automatic solar cell glassing machine and method

Solar array fabrication method and apparatus utilizing induction heating

Growing community of inventors

Manhattan Beach, CA, United States of America

Hans G Mesch