Abstract:
A solar panel edge deletion machine includes a machine base, a feeding mechanism extending through the machine base for feeding a solar panel for treating, a positioning mechanism installed in the machine base for holding the fed solar panel in position, and a plurality of spray gun sets arranged in the machine base around the positioning mechanism for blasting sands to remove conducting film layers at edge regions of the solar panel and guiding the discharged sands and dust to an external place through air ducts.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a solar panel edge deletion machine for removing conducting film layers at edge regions of solar panels and, more particularly, to such a solar panel edge deletion machine which facilitates even, accurate, and rapid removal of the film layers from the edge regions of the solar panels without a further cleaning procedure, assuring solar panel quality. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    A solar panel or photovoltaic module is a packaged interconnected assembly of a solar cell that can be used to generate and supply electricity in commercial and residential applications. A typical silicon solar panel includes a thin wafer, either single crystal design or multichip design, consisting of an ultra-thin layer of phosphorus-doped (N-type) silicon on a top of a thicker layer of a boron-doped (P-type) silicon. A surface of the solar panel is coated with an aluminum coating as a conducting film layer. The conducting film layer is distributed over the whole surface of the solar panel and done by means of electroplating. However, edge regions of the surface of the solar panel must be electrically insulated to facilitate normal circuit connection and frame mounting. Therefore, the conducting film layer at the edge regions of the surface of the solar panel must be cleaned. A sand-blasting mechanism may be used for removing the conducting film layer from the edge regions of the solar panel. By means of blasting sands to strike particular regions, the conducting film layer in the regions is removed. However, this conventional method of using the sand-blasting mechanism to remove the conducting film layer at the edge regions of the solar panel is still not satisfactory in function. Specifically, manually operating the sand-blasting mechanism to remove the conducting film layer from the edge regions of the solar panel is unstable, resulting in uneven surface finish. Further, when sands are driven out of the sand-blasting gun by a high pressure, discharged sands and detached conducting film layers will fly in all directions to obstruct the operator&#39;s vision, and the flying sands and dust will be adhered to the surface of the solar panel, adversely affecting the performance of the solar panel. Thus, a further cleaning procedure may be necessary. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Thus, an objective of the present invention is to provide a solar panel edge deletion machine, which facilitates even, accurate and rapid removal of a conducting film layer at edge regions of a solar panel without a further cleaning procedure. 
         [0006]    To achieve this and other objectives of the present invention, a solar panel edge deletion machine of the present invention includes a machine base, a feeding mechanism, a positioning mechanism, and a plurality of spray gun sets. The machine base includes front and rear ends thereof. The feeing mechanism extends through the front and rear ends of the machine base and includes a plurality of rollers rotatably mounted in the machine base and adapted for carrying a solar panel from the front end of the machine base to the rear end of the machine base. 
         [0007]    The positioning mechanism is mounted in the machine base and includes a positioning frame and a plurality of air cylinders mounted around the positioning frame. A baffle rod is connected to a front end of each of the air cylinders for holding the solar panel fed into the machine base in position. The spray gun sets are mounted in the machine base and around the positioning frame of the positioning mechanism. Each of the spray gun sets includes a sliding rail, a sliding holder coupled to and movable along the sliding rail, a shield fastened to a distal end of the sliding holder and having an opening for receiving an edge region of the solar panel fed into the machine base, a spray gun suspending above the opening and controllable to spray sands toward the edge region of the solar panel, and an air duct connected to a rear end of the shield and adapted for guiding sands discharged by the spray gun and dust out of an inside space of the shield to an external place. 
         [0008]    In a preferred form, the spray gun sets are mounted on peripheral inner walls of the machine base. 
         [0009]    Preferably, the baffle rods are rotatable within 90 degrees by driving of the air cylinders to hold the solar panel fed into the machine base in position to be treated. 
         [0010]    The present invention will become clearer in light of the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of this invention described in connection with the drawings. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The illustrative embodiment may best be described by reference to the accompanying drawings where: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a solar panel edge deletion machine in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  shows a schematic top view, illustrating a structure of the solar panel edge deletion machine of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  shows a schematic view of a spray gun set of the solar panel edge deletion machine of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of the spray gun set of the solar panel edge deletion machine of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    A solar panel edge deletion machine according to the preferred teachings of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 1 through 4  of the drawings and includes a machine base  10 , a feeding mechanism  20 , a positioning mechanism  30 , and a plurality of spray gun sets  40  installed in the machine base  10 . 
         [0017]    The machine base  10  includes front and rear ends  12  and  13  and a housing  11  between the front and rear ends  12  and  13  of the machine base  10 . The housing  11  has a sand-blasting chamber defined therein, and a viewport  14  is located on a lateral side of the housing  11  to facilitate visual inspection and maintenance. 
         [0018]    The feeding mechanism  20  extends through the front and rear ends  12  and  13  of the machine base  10  and includes a plurality of rollers  21  that are equally spaced in a parallel manner and synchronously rotatable by a driving mechanism (not shown). A solar panel  50  to be treated can be placed on the rollers  21  and carried forwardly toward the rear end  13  of the machine base  10  by rotation of the rollers  21 . 
         [0019]    The positioning mechanism  30  is installed in the machine base  10  and includes a positioning frame  31  and a plurality of air cylinders  32  mounted around the positioning frame  31 . In this embodiment, the air cylinders  32  include front air cylinders located at the front end of the positioning frame  31  and side air cylinders located at two opposite lateral sides of the positioning frame  31 . A baffle rod  33  is connected to a front end of each air cylinder  32  and rotatable within 90 degrees by driving of the respective air cylinders  32 . When one solar panel  50  is placed on the feeding mechanism  20  and carried forwardly to an inside of the machine base  10 , the baffle rods  33  of air cylinders  32  are turned through 90 degrees to hold the fed solar panel  50  in a predetermined position (for example, at a center of the machine base  10 ). Furthermore, the baffle rods  33  of air cylinders  32  can be retracted to release the fed solar panel  50  and to allow the solar panel  50  to be further moved forwardly to the rear end  13  of the machine base  10 . 
         [0020]    In this embodiment, four spray gun sets  40  are mounted on peripheral inner walls of the machine base  10  and around the positioning frame  31  of the positioning mechanism  30 . Each spray gun set  40  includes a sliding rail  41 , a sliding holder  42  coupled to and movable along the sliding rail  41 , a shield  43  fastened to a distal end of the sliding holder  42  and having an opening  44 , a spray gun  45  suspending above the opening  44  and controllable to spray sands, and an air duct  46  connected to a rear end of the shield  43 . When one solar panel  50  is carried forwardly to the inside of the machine base  10  by the feeding mechanism  20  and held in position by the positioning mechanism  30 , edge regions of the solar panel  50  are inserted into the openings  44  of the shields  43  of the spray gun sets  40 , and each spray gun  45  is controlled to spray sands toward one of the edge regions of the solar panel  50 , thereby removing a surface conducting film layer at the edge regions of the solar panel  50  without disturbing a surrounding area. At the same time, an induced draft fan (not shown) is operated to draw air away from an inside space of the shield  43  of each of the spray gun sets  40  through the air ducts  46 , thereby carrying sands and dust out of the inside space of the shield  43  of each of the spray gun sets  40  to an external dust collector and sand reclaim system (not shown). Further, the displacement of the sliding holder  42 , the shield  43 , and the spray gun  45  of each of the spray gun sets  40  can be programmably controlled by a computer. According the preferred embodiment shown, the spray gun sets  40  are sand-blasting gun sets, and the spray gun  45  of each spray gun set  40  is a sand-blasting gun. Alternatively, laser guns may be used to substitute for the sand-blasting guns and controlled to emit a laser beam for removing the conducting film layer at the edge regions of the solar panel  50 . 
         [0021]    In actual practice, the solar panel  50  to be treated is placed on the feeding mechanism  20  and then carried forwardly to the inside of the machine base  10  by the feeding mechanism  20 . When the solar panel  50  reaches a predetermined position in the machine base  10 , the baffle rods  33  of the air cylinders  32  are turned through 90 degrees to hold the fed solar panel  50  in position. Thereafter, the spray guns  45  of the spray gun sets  40  are controlled to move and to spray sands toward the edge regions of the solar panel  50 , thereby removing the conducting film layer from the edge regions of the solar panel  50 , and at the same time, the induced draft fan is operated to draw sands and dust out of the inside space of the shield  43  of each of the spray gun sets  40  to an external dust collector and sand reclaim system through the respective air ducts  46 , avoiding flying of sands or dust in the machine base  10  and preventing contamination. Thus, the operator can visually check the edge deletion operation, assuring high and accurate performance. Further, because sands and dust are quickly carried away, no any further cleaning procedure is necessary, assuring the quality of the treated solar panel  50 . 
         [0022]    Thus since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or general characteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, the embodiments described herein are to be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is to be indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.