The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 11, 2005
Filed:
Apr. 18, 2002
Bernard D. Jones, Amherst, NH (US);
Eric DE Rivera, W. Boylston, MA (US);
Alleppey V. Hariharan, Nashua, NH (US);
Steven T. Slavsky, Natick, MA (US);
Thomas S. Mcgee, Concord, NH (US);
David W. Lackey, Concord, NH (US);
Thomas N. Kirchner, Londonderry, NH (US);
Bernard D. Jones, Amherst, NH (US);
Eric de Rivera, W. Boylston, MA (US);
Alleppey V. Hariharan, Nashua, NH (US);
Steven T. Slavsky, Natick, MA (US);
Thomas S. McGee, Concord, NH (US);
David W. Lackey, Concord, NH (US);
Thomas N. Kirchner, Londonderry, NH (US);
G.T. Equipment Technologies, Inc., Merrimack, NH (US);
Abstract
A machine for the automated assembly of wafers such as solar cells into strings, comprising a control system, a cell loader with wafer inspection station, a cell tab loader, a string assembly station, and a platen with adjacent pairs of individual cell, opposing edge grippers having multiple sets of vertically operable pincer action fingers for holding cells in string alignment during soldering. The string assembly station has a cooperating cell support and tab tail support mechanism providing for a tab tail hand off from one to the other with a platen indexing movements of cell pitch distance. The platen moves from the string assembly station through a soldering station consisting of a preheat, soldering, and cooling zones spaced a cell pitch distance apart. A string unloader moves completed strings through a string inspection station placing strings in a good or bad string holding area.