Patent ID: 8895835
Filing Date: 2014-11-25
Classification: B32B,H01L,H02S,Y02E,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A foldable, portable, lightweight photovoltaic module comprising: a carrier layer made of durable, flexible and foldable material having a given width and an extended length that is divided into a plurality of equal sections of equal section length which are separated by hinge spaces extending width-wise between adjacent sections; a plurality of section-substrates made of a lightweight, semi-rigid material, each lying in a substrate layer and being adhered by a first adhesive film layer made of a material that is thermally fused and cross-linked to a facing surface of said carrier layer and dimensioned to fit within the given width and section-length for each section; a plurality of photovoltaic section-modules, each lying in a photovoltaic cell layer and being adhered by a second adhesive film layer made of a material that is thermally fused and cross-linked to a facing surface of a respective one of said section substrates, and each being comprised of a plurality of photovoltaic cells dimensioned and arranged to fit within the given width and section-length for each section; and said hinge spaces between adjacent sections each having a free space of a predetermined hinge width between opposing edges of section-substrates laminated to photovoltaic section-modules of the adjacent sections, and a third adhesive film layer of thermally fusable material on the photovoltaic cell layer, wherein the hinge spaces have the carrier layer and the first, second and third adhesive film layers where the substrate layer and photovoltaic cell layer are omitted between section-modules, wherein said photovoltaic section-modules of adjacent sections are electrically connected in series by flexible wire leads extending loosely across the hinge width of the free space for each pair of adjacent sections and being encapsulated between said third adhesive film layer and said second adhesive film layer with said first adhesive film layer which are adhered to an exposed surface of said carrier layer in the free spaces between section-modules, whereby said carrier layer with said sections laminated with said photovoltaic cells can be repeatedly folded together in accordion-like fashion for storage and unfolded to the extended length of said carrier layer for deployment without breakage of the flexible wire leads.