Patent Publication Number: US-2012031455-A1

Title: Solar cell module

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a solar cell module with high portability. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     In recent years, in order to protect the environment, solar cells have been widely spread. For example, there are a solar cell that has a large area in order to obtain a large output and a portable solar cell (for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a solar cell module is provided so as to be attached to or detached from a portable power supply body. The portable power supply body has a shape that covers four sides and the bottom of the rectangular solar cell module. 
     Patent Document 2 discloses a structure in which a solar cell is provided on the external surface of a housing of a carrying case of an electronic apparatus. 
     Patent Document 3 discloses a structure in which a solar cell module is put into a plastic case, a rechargeable battery provided in the plastic case is charged by the solar cell module, and an electric outlet is connected to the rechargeable battery through a wiring line. 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Document  
     Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2006-24777 
     Patent Document 2: JP-A-63-164278 
     Patent Document 3: JP-A-2004-88043 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     Problems to be Solved by the Invention  
     In recent years, portable electronic apparatuses have been widely spread. Therefore, when the portability of the solar cell module is further improved, it is expected that a chance to use the solar cell module as a power supply of the portable electronic apparatus would increase. However, since the solar cell module disclosed in Patent Document 3 has the rechargeable battery therein, it is difficult to obtain sufficient portability. 
     The invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems and an object of the invention is to provide a solar cell module with high portability. 
     Means for Solving the Problem  
     According to an aspect of the invention, a solar cell module includes a solar cell, a protective member, and a connecting portion. The protective member has the solar cell held therein and includes at least one side. The connecting portion extracts the output of the solar cell. Specifically, the connecting portion includes a terminal portion, a lead line, and an output connecting portion. The terminal portion is provided at one side of the protective member. The lead line is connected to the solar cell and is covered with the protective member and the terminal portion so as to be insulated. The output connecting portion is electrically connected to the lead line in the terminal portion and has a connection terminal connected to an external power supply adapter at one end thereof. 
     The end of the output connecting portion may be a two-core connector that can be connected to the power supply adapter. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a solar cell module includes a solar cell, a protective member, and a connecting portion. The protective member is flexible and has the solar cell held therein. The connecting portion extracts the output of the solar cell. Specifically, the connecting portion includes a lead line, a through contact, and a wiring line. The lead line is connected to the solar cell and is held in the protective member. The through contact passes through the protective member and comes into contact with the lead line. The wiring line connects the through contact and a connection terminal connected to an external power supply adapter. 
     Advantages of the Invention  
     According to the invention, it is possible to provide a solar cell module with high portability. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating the structure and usage of a solar cell module according to a first embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view illustrating a main part of the solar cell module. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A′ of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module according to a second embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module according to a third embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a plan view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module according to a fourth embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating the structure of a main part of a solar cell module according to a fifth embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating the structure of a main part of a solar cell module according to a sixth embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating a main part of a solar cell module according to a seventh embodiment. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating the structure of a power generating unit of the solar cell module. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view illustrating the usage of a solar cell module according to an eighth embodiment. 
         FIG. 12  is a plan view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module according to a ninth embodiment. 
         FIGS. 13(   a ) and  13 ( b ) are cross-sectional views taken along the line B-B′ of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module according to a tenth embodiment. 
         FIG. 15  is a plan view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module according to an eleventh embodiment. 
         FIG. 16  is a plan view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module according to a twelfth embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In all of the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and a description thereof will not be repeated. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating the structure and usage of a solar cell module  100  according to a first embodiment.  FIG. 2  is a plan view illustrating a main part of the solar cell module  100 . The solar cell module  100  is a portable solar cell module and includes a solar cell power generating unit  102  and a connecting member  104 . 
     The solar cell power generating unit  102  includes solar cells  110 , a protective member  120 , and a terminal portion  126 . The solar cell  110  includes a substrate for forming a photoelectric conversion element and the photoelectric conversion element formed on the substrate. The protective member  120  has the solar cell  110  held therein. For example, the protective member  120  is formed by laminating two films, such as laminate films, with the solar cell  110  interposed therebetween. In this way, the protective member  120  protects both the front surface and the rear surface of the solar cell  110  and has at least one side. The front surface of the solar cell  110  is a light receiving surface. The terminal portion  126  is for extracting the output of the solar cell  110 . The terminal portion  126  is provided at the edge (one side) of the protective member  120  and is connected to the solar cell  110  through a lead line  124  provided in the protective member  120 . 
     The connecting member  104  supplies the output of the solar cell  110  to an external electronic component  200 . In the example shown in  FIG. 1 , the electronic component  200  is an AC adapter of an electronic apparatus such as a portable computer. The connecting member  104  includes a covering member  130  and an output connecting portion  140 . The covering member  130  covers at least the surface of the terminal portion  126  among the surfaces of the terminal portion  126  and the protective member  120 . The covering member  130  is formed by, for example, resin molding. It is preferable that the covering member  130  be not flexible. 
     The output connecting portion  140  includes an output line. A portion of the output line including one end  142  is disposed in the covering member  130  and the other end  144 , which is an output end of the output line, is disposed outside the covering member  130 . The one end  142  of the output connecting portion  140  is connected to the terminal portion  126  and is then connected to the solar cell  110  through the terminal portion  126  and the lead line  124 . In addition, the other end  144  of the output connecting portion  140  has a terminal for connection to the electronic component  200 . The terminal is a two-core connector that can be connected to the power supply adapter and is based on a standard defined by, for example, IEC 60320/J60320. The electronic component  200  is, for example, an AC adapter of a portable electronic apparatus  220 . The electronic apparatus  220  may be, for example, a notebook personal computer or other electronic apparatuses. 
     In this embodiment, the protective member  120  has a rectangular or square shape and the terminal portion  126  is provided at one side  121  of the protective member  120 . In this case, as shown in  FIG. 2 , it is preferable that the covering member  130  be provided over the entire length of the one side  121  of the protective member  120 . It is preferable that the output connecting portion  140  extend from an end surface  132  (see  FIG. 1 ) of the covering member  130  intersecting the one side  121  of the protective member  120  to the outside of the covering member  130 . 
     The solar cell  110  may be a flexible thin-film solar cell or a non-flexible solar cell. When the solar cell  110  is flexible, the solar cell  110  is, for example, a thin-film solar cell in which a photoelectric conversion layer is formed on a flexible substrate. 
     When the solar cell  110  is flexible, it is preferable that the protective member  120  be also flexible. When the protective member  120  includes a front-side protective member and a rear-side protective member, a fluorine resin film made of, for example, polyethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), poly(trifluoroethylene), or polyvinyl fluoride is used as the front-side protective member. In addition to the above-mentioned materials, a thin metal plate, such as a steel plate, an aluminum plate, or a stainless plate, a plastic plate, or an FRP plate may be used as the rear-side protective member. 
     In this embodiment, the solar cell power generating unit  102  includes a plurality of solar cells  110  connected in series to each other. In this case, it is preferable that an output voltage be higher than the minimum voltage (for example, 90 V) of the effective value of a commercial AC power supply. In the example shown in  FIG. 1 , the solar cells  110  are connected in series to each other by wiring lines  122 . The output of the solar cells  110  can be extracted from the terminal portion  126  by the lead lines  124 . The lead line  124  is covered by the protective member  120  and the terminal portion  126  so as to be insulated. 
       FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of the solar cell power generating unit  102 . The solar cell power generating unit  102  is a Series Connection through Aperture on Film (SCAF) type thin-film solar cell. Specifically, the solar cell power generating unit  102  includes the solar cell  110  having a substrate  310 , a photoelectric conversion element  115 , and a connection electrode layer  314 , a lead line  124   a,  which is a conductive foil lead, and the protective member  120 . 
     The substrate  310  is an insulating substrate made of, for example, polyimide, polyamide, polyimide-amide, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyetherimide (PEI), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), or polyether sulfone (PES). 
     The photoelectric conversion element  115  includes a lower electrode layer  111 , a photoelectric conversion layer  112 , and a transparent electrode layer  113  sequentially formed on one surface of the substrate  310 . The photoelectric conversion layer  112  is, for example, a microcrystalline silicon layer or an amorphous silicon layer. In addition, the connection electrode layer  314  is formed on the opposite surface (rear surface) of the substrate  310 . A plurality of divided photoelectric conversion elements  115  and divided connection electrode layers  314  are arranged in parallel to form the solar cell  110 . 
     The photoelectric conversion elements  115  are arranged as a plurality of divided blocks on one surface of the substrate  310  and the connection electrode layers  314  are arranged as a plurality of divided blocks on the opposite surface of the substrate  310 . The blocks of the photoelectric conversion elements  115  and the blocks of the connection electrode layers  314  deviate from each other such that one of the block of the photoelectric conversion element  115  and the block of the connection electrode layer  314  overlaps the gap between the other blocks, in a plan view. 
     A plurality of through holes, which are power collection holes  312 , are arranged in the solar cell  110  and the transparent electrode layer  113  and the connection electrode layer  314  are electrically connected to each other by a conductive film provided on the inner walls of the power collection holes  312 . 
     A connection hole  316  is provided in a portion of the photoelectric conversion layer on which the transparent electrode layer  113  is not formed. The lower electrode layer  111  and the connection electrode layer  314  are electrically connected to each other by a conductive provided on the inner walls of the connection holes  316 . 
     The power collection holes  312  and the connection holes  316  connect the divided connection electrode layer  314  to the block of an adjacent connection electrode layer  314 , and the block of the connection electrode layer  314  to which the connection hole  316  is connected is connected to the power collection hole  312  of the block of an adjacent photoelectric conversion element  115 . Therefore, adjacent blocks of the photoelectric conversion elements  115  are connected in series to each other. 
     The SCAF structure makes it possible to reduce the size of a multi-stage series connection structure while obtaining a sufficiently insulation performance. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a high voltage (about 100 V) from a small solar cell module. 
     The lead line  124   a,  for example, a copper foil lead line, is drawn from the other surface (in  FIG. 10 , the lower surface) of the substrate  310  to the outside of the substrate  310 , and transmits the output of the solar cell  110  to the terminal portion  126 . Specifically, two lead lines  124   a  are connected to the blocks of the connection electrode layers  314  disposed at both ends of the substrate  310 . 
     A portion of the lead line  124   a  that is drawn to the outside of the substrate  310  is held in the protective member  120 . That is, the portion of the lead line  124   a  is interposed between the front-side protective member  120   a  and the rear-side protective member  120   b.  In this structure, in the protective members  120   a  and  120   b,  at least one surface that comes into contact with the lead line  124  has an insulating property. Therefore, even when the output voltage of the lead line  124  is high, it is possible to ensure an insulating property. 
       FIG. 3(   a ) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A′ of  FIG. 2 . In the example shown in  FIG. 3(   a ), a portion of the covering member  130  of the connecting member  104  comes into contact with the end surface and the front surface of the solar cell power generating unit  102  at one side  121  of the protective member  120  of the solar cell power generating unit  102 , but the covering member  130  does not come into contact with the rear surface of the solar cell power generating unit  102 . That is, in the example shown in  FIG. 3(   a ), the covering member  130  covers the upper surface and the side surface of the one side  121  of the protective member  120 . 
     The covering member  130  may have other shapes. For example, as shown in  FIG. 3(   b ), the covering member  130  may come into contact with only the end surface of the protective member  120  at the one side  121 . As shown in  FIG. 3(   c ), the covering member  130  may be configured so as to have the protective member  120  interposed between both sides thereof in the vertical direction at the one side  121 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3(   c ), the covering member  130  covers the upper surface, the side surface, and the lower surface of the one side  121  of the protective member  120 . 
     Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the lead line  124  is covered with the protective member  120  so as to be insulated and the terminal portion  126  ( 126   a  and  126   b ) is covered with the covering member  130  so as to be insulated. Therefore, even when the output voltage of the solar cell power generating unit  102  is high, it is possible to ensure the insulation of the lead line  124 . As a result, it is possible to supply the output of the solar cell power generating unit  102  to the power supply adapter without any change. 
     The connecting member  104  for extracting the output of the solar cell power generating unit  102  is provided only in a portion of the edge of the solar cell power generating unit  102 . Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the solar cell module  100 . The connecting member  104  makes it possible to carry the solar cell module  100  without contacting the solar cell power generating unit  102 . This effect is noticeable when the covering member  130  is provided so as to have the protective member  120  interposed between both sides thereof in the vertical direction, as shown in  FIG. 3 . Therefore, it is possible to improve the portability of the solar cell module  100 . 
     When the protective member  120  of the solar cell power generating unit  102  has a rectangular or square shape and the covering member  130  of the connecting member  104  is provided over the entire length of the one side  121  of the protective member  120 , it is easy to carry the solar cell module  100 . When the output connecting portion  140  of the connecting member  104  extends from the end surface  132  of the covering member  130  which intersects the one side  121  of the protective member  120 , the connecting member  104  can prevent the output connecting portion  140  from interfering with the hand of the user. 
     When both the solar cell  110  and the protective member  120  of the solar cell power generating unit  102  are flexible and the solar cell module  100  is carried, it is possible to wind the solar cell power generating unit  102  on the covering member  130  of the connecting member  104 . Therefore, the portability of the solar cell module  100  is further improved. 
     When the other end  144  of the output connecting portion  140  of the connecting member  104  has a two-core connector that can be connected to a power supply adapter of an electronic apparatus, for example, a terminal based on a standard defined by IEC 60320/J60320, the other end  144  can be inserted into an AC adapter attached to the portable electronic apparatus  220 , such as a notebook personal computer, without any change. Therefore, since the output of the solar cell module  100  is higher than the minimum voltage of the effective value of a commercial AC power supply, it is possible to use only the solar cell module  100  as the power supply (including a power supply for charging) of the electronic apparatus, without using another power supply adapter. In particular, when the electronic apparatus is carried and there is no commercial AC power supply in the neighborhood, the effect of using the solar cell module  100  as a power supply for the electronic apparatus is noticeable. 
       FIG. 4  is a plan view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module  100  according to a second embodiment.  FIG. 4  corresponds to  FIG. 2  in the first embodiment. The solar cell module  100  according to this embodiment has the same structure as that according to the first embodiment except that the solar cell power generating unit  102  includes only one solar cell  110 . 
     In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that in the first embodiment. 
       FIG. 5  is a plan view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module  100  according to a third embodiment.  FIG. 5  corresponds to  FIG. 2  in the first embodiment. The solar cell module  100  according to this embodiment has the same structure as that according to the first embodiment except that a weight  141  is provided in the solar cell power generating unit  102  having a square or rectangular shape. The weight  141  is provided at a side  123  of the protective member  120  of the solar cell power generating unit  102 . The side  123  is opposite to the one side  121  where the connecting member  104  is provided. For example, the weight  141  has the protective member  120  interposed between both sides thereof in the vertical direction, similar to the covering member  130 . 
     In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that in the first embodiment. When both the solar cell  110  and the protective member  120  are flexible, it is possible to wind the solar cell power generating unit  102  on the covering member  130  and carry the solar cell power generating unit  102 . In this case, the solar cell power generating unit  102  is likely to be curled. In contrast, in this embodiment, the weight  141  is provided in the solar cell power generating unit  102 . Therefore, even though the solar cell power generating unit  102  is curled, it is possible to easily uncurl the solar cell power generating unit  102  when the solar cell module  100  is used. 
       FIG. 6  is a plan view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module  100  according to a fourth embodiment.  FIG. 6  corresponds to  FIG. 5  in the third embodiment. The solar cell module  100  according to this embodiment has the same structure as the solar cell module  100  according to the third embodiment except that the output connecting portion  140  of the connecting member  104  extends from the side surface of the covering member  130  which is parallel to the one side  121  of the protective member  120  to the outside. 
     In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that in the third embodiment. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating the structure of a main part of a solar cell module  100  according to a fifth embodiment. The solar cell module  100  according to this embodiment has the same structure as the solar cell module  100  according to the first embodiment except that the connecting member  104  is removable from the solar cell power generating unit  102 . 
     In this embodiment, the solar cell power generating unit  102  has terminal portions  126   a  and  126   b  on an end surface forming the one side  121  of the protective member  120 . The terminal portions  126   a  and  126   b  have different cross-sectional shapes. 
     The covering member  130  of the connecting member  104  has a concave portion  134  which is formed in an end surface facing the one side  121  of the protective member  120  and into which the one side  121  is inserted. Terminals  142   a  and  142   b  into which the terminal portions  126   a  and  126   b  are inserted are formed in the bottom of the concave portion  134 . The terminals  142   a  and  142   b  form one end of the output connecting portion  140 . As described above, since the terminal portions  126   a  and  126   b  have different cross-sectional shapes, the terminals  142   a  and  142   b  also have different cross-sectional shapes. 
     In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that in the first embodiment. In addition, since the connecting member  104  can be removed from the solar cell power generating unit  102 , the portability of the solar cell module  100  is further improved. 
     Since the terminal portions  126   a  and  126   b  have different cross-sectional shapes, it is possible to prevent the connecting member  104  from being attached to the solar cell power generating unit  102  in a different direction. 
     In  FIG. 7 , the terminal portions  126   a  and  126   b  are mail terminals and the terminals  142   a  and  142   b  are female terminals. However, the terminal portions  126   a  and  126   b  may be female terminals and the terminals  142   a  and  142   b  may be male terminals. 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating the structure of a main part of a solar cell module  100  according to a sixth embodiment.  FIG. 8  corresponds to  FIG. 7  in the fifth embodiment. The solar cell module  100  according to this embodiment has the same structure as the solar cell module  100  according to the fifth embodiment except for the following points. 
     First, the terminal portions  126   a  and  126   b  of the solar cell power generating unit  102  are provided on the upper surface of the protective member  120 . The terminals  142   a  and  142   b  of the connecting member  104  are provided in the upper surface of the concave portion  134  in  FIG. 8 . 
     In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that in the fifth embodiment. With the connecting member  104  attached to the solar cell power generating unit  102 , the connecting member  104  is less likely to be taken off from the solar cell power generating unit  102 . 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating a main part of a solar cell module  100  according to a seventh embodiment.  FIG. 9  corresponds to  FIG. 8  in the sixth embodiment. The solar cell module  100  according to this embodiment has the same structure as the solar cell module  100  according to the sixth embodiment except for the structure of the covering member  130  of the connecting member  104 . 
     In this embodiment, the covering member  130  does not have the concave portion  134  shown in  FIG. 7 . The terminals  142   a  and  142   b  are provided in the lower surface of the covering member  130 . The covering member  130  is attached to the upper surface of the solar cell power generating unit  102 . That is, in this embodiment, the covering member  130  covers the upper surface of one side  121  of the protective member  120 . 
     In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that in the fifth embodiment. In addition, it is easy to attach or detach the connecting member  104  to or from the solar cell power generating unit  102 . 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view illustrating the usage of a solar cell module  100  according to an eighth embodiment.  FIG. 11  corresponds to  FIG. 1  in the first embodiment. The solar cell module  100  according to this embodiment has the same structure as the solar cell module  100  according to any one of the first to seventh embodiments. 
     First, a first connector  136  is provided at one end of the covering member  130  and a second connector  138  is provided at the other end of the covering member  130 . The second connector  138  has a shape different from that of the first connector  136  and is coupled to the first connector  136 . 
     Two wiring lines  135  are provided in the covering member  130 . Each of the two wiring lines  135  has one end that is disposed in the first connector  136  and the other end that is disposed in the second connector  138 . The terminal portion  126  of the lead line  124  is connected between the one end and the other end of the wiring line  135 . That is, one of the wiring lines  135  is connected to one of two lead lines  124  and the other wiring line  135  is connected to the other lead line  124 . The two wiring lines  135  serve as output lines of the solar cell  110 . 
     A wiring line  145  can be connected to the first connector  136 . A terminal  146  for connection to the electronic component  200  is attached to the end of the wiring line  145 . The terminal  146  has the same structure as the terminal provided at the other end  144  in the first embodiment. 
     In this structure, when the first connector  136  of the first solar cell module  100  is coupled to the second connector  138  of the second solar cell module  100 , the wiring lines  135  of the first solar cell module  100  are connected to the wiring lines  135  of the second solar cell module  100 , and the first solar cell module  100  and the second solar cell module  100  are connected in parallel to each other. 
     Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the first to seventh embodiments and increase the power supply capacity of the solar cell module  100 . 
       FIG. 12  is a plan view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module  100  according to a ninth embodiment. 
     The solar cell module  100  according to this embodiment has the same structure as the solar cell module  100  according to any one of the first to fourth embodiments except for a structure for extracting the output of the solar cell  110 . 
     First, the entire lead line  124  is covered with the protective member  120 . The output of the solar cells  110  is connected to the output lines of the output connecting portion  140  through two through contacts  410  that pass through the protective member  120 . 
     Specifically, the two through contacts  410  are provided in one housing  400 . Connectors  430  are provided on the side surface of the housing  400  and are connected to the output lines of the output connecting portion  140 . The connectors  430  and the through contacts  410  are connected to each other through wiring lines  420  provided in the housing  400 . 
       FIGS. 13(   a ) and  13 ( b ) are cross-sectional views taken along the line B-B′ of  FIG. 12  and show the arrangement and movement of the through contacts  410 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 13(   a ), the housing  400  includes a concave portion  402  and the concave portion  402  has a shape in which the end of the protective member  120  is inserted into the concave portion  402 . The through contact  410  is provided in a region facing the protective member  120  in the inner surface of the concave portion  402  of the housing  400  so as to be movable in a direction in which it is pushed to the protective member  120 . 
     Specifically, the through contact  410  includes two through contacts  412  and  414 . The through contacts  412  and  414  are provided in two inner surfaces of the concave portion  402  which face each other. The through contacts  412  and  414  are provided at a position where they face each other with the lead line  124  interposed therebetween, when the protective member  120  is inserted into the concave portion  402 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 13(   b ), the through contact  412  is pushed from one surface of the protective member  120  to the protective member  120  and the through contact  414  is pushed from the other surface of the protective member  120  to the protective member  120 . Since the protective member  120  is flexible, the through contacts  412  and  414  are inserted into the protective member  120  and the lead line  124  is directly interposed between the through contacts  412  and  414 . In this way, the through contacts  412  and  414  are connected to the lead line  124 . 
     After the through contacts  412  and  414  are connected to the lead line  124 , an insulating cap member  404  is attached to the housing  400 . The cap member  404  has a shape that covers the outside of the housing  400 . In this way, even when the housing  400  is electrically connected to the through contacts  412  and  414  or the wiring line  420 , the user does not receive an electric shock. 
     In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that in the first embodiment. 
       FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module  100  according to a tenth embodiment and corresponds to  FIG. 13  in the ninth embodiment. The solar cell module  100  according to this embodiment has the same structure as the solar cell module  100  according to the ninth embodiment except that it includes a switching element  440 , a detecting unit  450 , and a switching control unit  460 . 
     The switching element  440  is provided between the lead line  124  and the other end  144  of the positive wiring line  420  at which a connection terminal is provided. The switching element  440  turns on or off the connection between the through contact  412  and the connector  430 . 
     The detecting unit  450  is provided at the connection terminal of the other end  144  of the output connecting portion  140  and detects the connection of the connection terminal to an electronic component  200  such as a power supply adapter. The detecting unit  450  is, for example, a protruding switching element. When the connection terminal is connected to the electronic component  200 , the protruding portion is pressed by the electronic component  200  and the detecting unit  450  detects that the connection terminal is connected to the electronic component  200 . The detecting unit  450  also detects the disconnection of the connection terminal from the electronic component  200 . 
     The switching control unit  460  is provided in the housing  400 . When the detecting unit  450  detects that the connection terminal is connected to the electronic component  200 , the switching control unit  460  turns on the switching element  440 . When the detecting unit  450  detects that the connection terminal is disconnected from the electronic component  200 , the switching control unit  460  turns off the switching element  440 . The detection result of the detecting unit  450  is transmitted to the switching control unit  460  by, for example, wireless communication. 
     In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that in the ninth embodiment. In addition, since the switching element  440  is turned on when the connection terminal is connected to the electronic component  200 , the stability of the solar cell module  100  is improved. 
       FIG. 15  is a plan view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module  100  according to an eleventh embodiment. The solar cell module  100  has the same structure as the solar cell modules  100  according to any one of the first to fourth embodiments or the eighth embodiment except for the following points. 
     First, an overpower protection circuit  127  is provided in the covering member  130 . The overpower protection circuit  127  is provided between the lead line  124  and the other end  144  of the output connecting portion  140  and protects the electronic component  200  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) and the electronic apparatus  220  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) from overpower, for example, overvoltage or overcurrent. The overpower protection circuit  127  is, for example, a switch fuse. 
     In addition, the switching element  440  and the switching control unit  460  are provided in the covering member  130 , and the detecting unit  450  is provided at a connection terminal of the other end  144  of the output connecting portion  140 . The switching element  440 , the detecting unit  450 , and the switching control unit  460  have the same structure as those in the tenth embodiment. 
     In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that in the first embodiment. In addition, since the overpower protection circuit  127  is provided, it is possible to protect the electronic component  200  and the electronic apparatus  220  from overvoltage or overcurrent. 
     Similar to the tenth embodiment, the switching element  440  is turned on when the connection terminal is connected to the electronic component  200 . Therefore, the stability of the solar cell module  100  is improved. 
       FIG. 16  is a plan view illustrating the structure of a solar cell module  100  according to a twelfth embodiment. The solar cell module  100  according to this embodiment has the same structure as the solar cell module  100  according to the eleventh embodiment except that it includes a power supply stabilizing circuit  128  instead of the overpower protection circuit  127 . 
     The power supply stabilizing circuit  128  is, for example, a power conditioner. When the output voltage of the solar cell module  100  is higher than a rated voltage, the power supply stabilizing circuit  128  reduces the voltage. When the output voltage is lower than the rated output, the power supply stabilizing circuit  128  stops outputting. 
     In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that in the first embodiment. In addition, since the power supply stabilizing circuit  128  is provided, it is possible to stabilize the output of the solar cell module  100 . 
     The embodiments of the invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments of the invention are illustrative and various structures other than the above-described embodiments may be used. 
     Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-065897, filed Mar. 18, 2009, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.