Patent Description:
A photovoltaic module, also known as a solar panel, is configured to generate electricity through the "photovoltaic effect". The photovoltaic module is the core part of the solar power generation system. With the popularization of the policy of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, environmentally friendly buildings have become the main theme of the industry. A foldable flexible photovoltaic module is used as a shade or a sun visor for building doors and windows, motorhomes, etc. In response to a flexible photovoltaic module being unfolded, the flexible photovoltaic module not only provides shelter, but also generates electricity. Due to the small occupied area after being folded, the foldable flexible photovoltaic module is easy to be stored, which makes the foldable flexible photovoltaic module increasingly popular.

Document (<NPL>) discloses a relevant technology regarding to an origami-foldable tessellated Crystalline-Si solar cell module.

However, at present, the photovoltaic module has poor folding performance.

The embodiments of the present application provide a photovoltaic module and a method for folding a photovoltaic module, which are at least beneficial for improving the folding performance of the photovoltaic module.

The invention provides the photovoltaic module according to claim <NUM>. A photovoltaic module is provided according to the embodiments of the present application, the photovoltaic module includes multiple cell sheets arranged in an array including multiple rows and multiple columns, where each row includes a set of cell sheets arranged at intervals along a first direction, each column includes a set of cell sheets arranged at intervals along a second direction, and each of the multiple cell sheets has a first side and a second side. The first side has a first surface and the second side has a second surface. The photovoltaic module further includes a first flexible cover layer located on a side of the first surface of each of the multiple cell sheets, and a second flexible cover layer located on a side of the second surface of each of the multiple cell sheets. The photovoltaic module is configured to be foldable along a gap between two adjacent rows in the multiple rows to form an angle of <NUM> degree to <NUM> degrees between the two adjacent rows or along a gap between two adjacent columns in the multiple columns to form an angle of <NUM> degree to <NUM> degrees between the two adjacent columns.

According to the invention, the photovoltaic module further includes multiple support plates arranged at intervals, where each of the multiple support plates extends along a direction in which each of the multiple rows of cell sheets is arranged or a direction in which each of the multiple columns of cell sheets is arranged, and each of the multiple support plates is arranged on the second surface of each of the multiple rows of cell sheets or each of the multiple columns of cell sheets.

In some embodiments, each of the multiple support plates has a thickness of <NUM> to <NUM>, and a distance between two adjacent support plates is <NUM> to <NUM>.

According to the invention, along a direction in which the multiple support plates are arranged, at least one of two outermost support plates is not provided with any of the multiple cell sheets on a surface of each of the outermost support plates.

In some embodiments, the photovoltaic module is configured to be folded along the gap between two adjacent rows in the multiple rows of cell sheets, and each of the multiple support plates is arranged on the second surface of each of the multiple rows of cell sheets; the photovoltaic module is configured to be folded along the gap between two adjacent columns in the multiple columns of cell sheets, and each of the multiple support plates is arranged on the second surface of each of the multiple columns of cell sheets.

In some embodiments, two adjacent cell sheets in each of the multiple columns of cell sheets are connected in series, and each of the multiple columns of cell sheets is used to form a cell string.

In some embodiments, the photovoltaic module is configured to be folded along the gap between two adjacent rows in the multiple rows of cell sheets, and two adjacent two cell strings are connected in series.

In some embodiments, a distance between two adjacent cell strings is <NUM> to <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the photovoltaic module further includes a busbar located on the first surface or the second surface of the cell sheet, where the busbar extends along the first direction, the busbar electrically is configured to be connected to two outermost two cell strings in which a positive electrode of one of the two outermost cell strings and a negative electrode of the other cell string are connected to the busbar, and the busbar is further configured to connect two adjacent cell strings in series.

In some embodiments, the cell string is configured to be folded along the gap between two adjacent columns in the multiple columns of cell sheets, and two adjacent cell strings are connected in parallel.

In some embodiments, the photovoltaic module further includes a busbar located on the first surface or the second surface of the cell sheet, the busbar extends along the second direction, and the busbar is configured to be electrically connected to two outermost cell sheets in the cell string.

In some embodiments, the photovoltaic module includes a central region and a peripheral region, where the cell string is located in the central region; the photovoltaic module further includes a junction box, where the junction box is located in the peripheral region of the photovoltaic module, and the junction box is located on a side of the photovoltaic module along a direction in which the photovoltaic module is folded.

In some embodiments, the junction box is located on a side of the busbar away from each of the multiple cell sheets, and in response to the cell string being folded along the gap between two adjacent rows in the multiple rows of cell sheets, an end of the junction box is arranged opposite to the busbar.

The invention provides a method for folding a photovoltaic module according to claim <NUM>. Correspondingly, a method for folding a photovoltaic module is further provided according to the embodiments of the present application, which is applied to the photovoltaic module according to any of the above embodiments, the multiple rows include a first row to an Nth row along a direction in which the multiple rows are distributed, and the multiple columns include a first column to an Mth column along a direction in which the multiple columns are distributed, the method includes: folding the photovoltaic module along the gap between every two adjacent rows in the multiple rows, such that the n+<NUM>th row is located above the nth row of cell sheets, where <NUM>≤n<N; or folding the photovoltaic module along the gap between every two adjacent columns in the multiple columns, such that the m+<NUM>th column of cell sheets is located above the nth column of cell sheets, where <NUM>≤m<M.

One or more embodiments are described as examples with reference to the corresponding figures in the accompanying drawings, and the exemplary description does not constitute a limitation to the embodiments. The figures in the accompanying drawings do not constitute a proportion limitation unless otherwise stated.

It can be seen from the background technology that the folding performance of the photovoltaic module in the prior art is poor.

It is found in analysis that one of the reasons for the poor folding performance of the photovoltaic module is that in a foldable photovoltaic module in the prior art, one kind of the photovoltaic module is to replace only the cover plates located on two surfaces of the cell sheet with flexible front plates or flexible rear plates, so that the photovoltaic module is bent within the curvature radius of the flexible front plate and the flexible rear plate. However, the degree of bending of this kind of the photovoltaic module is limited and cannot be folded and stored. Another kind of foldable photovoltaic module mainly involves connecting two or more photovoltaic modules together through connecting components, and folding multiple photovoltaic modules up and down. However, this folding method cannot achieve folding within a single photovoltaic module, resulting in a relatively large volume of the folded photovoltaic module and difficult to be carried.

The embodiments of the present application provide a photovoltaic module with a first flexible cover layer and a second flexible cover layer, thereby making the photovoltaic module easy to be folded. The first flexible cover layer and the second flexible cover layer are arranged to make the photovoltaic module easy to fold. In response to the photovoltaic module being folded, the photovoltaic module can be folded along the gap between two adjacent rows in the multiple rows of cell sheets or the gap between two adjacent columns in the multiple columns of cell sheets, which not only achieves folding within a single photovoltaic module, but also makes the photovoltaic module to be folded more regularly, so that the photovoltaic module can be easily stored. In addition, the folding angle is arranged to <NUM> degree to <NUM> degrees between two adjacent columns of cell sheet, so that after the photovoltaic module is folded, the two adjacent rows of cell sheets or two adjacent columns of cell sheets can be completely overlapped with each other, which reduces the volume of the photovoltaic module after being folded and further facilitates the storage of the photovoltaic module.

The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that, in various embodiment of the present application, many technical details are set forth in order to provide the reader with a better understanding of the present application. However, the technical solutions claimed in the present application may be realized even without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments.

<FIG> is a schematic structural view of a photovoltaic module provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

Referring to <FIG>, the photovoltaic module includes: multiple cell sheets <NUM> arranged in an array including multiple rows and multiple columns, where the multiple rows include a set of cell sheets <NUM> arranged at intervals along a first direction X, the multiple columns include a set of cell sheets <NUM> arranged at intervals along a second direction Y, and each of the multiple cell sheets <NUM> has a first side and a second side. The first side has a first surface and the second side has a second surface. The photovoltaic module further includes a first flexible cover layer <NUM> located on the first side of each of the multiple cell sheets <NUM>, and a second flexible cover layer <NUM> located on the second side of each of the multiple cell sheets <NUM>. The photovoltaic module is configured to be foldable along a gap between two adjacent rows in the multiple rows to form angle of <NUM> degree to <NUM> degrees between the two adjacent rows or along a gap between two adjacent columns in the multiple columns to form an angle of <NUM> degree to <NUM> degrees between the two adjacent columns.

Each of the multiple cell sheets <NUM> is configured to absorb photons from incident light and generate electron hole pairs. The electron hole pairs are separated by the built-in electric field in the cell sheet <NUM>, to generate potential at both ends of a PN junction, thereby converting light energy into electrical energy. In some embodiments, the first surface of the cell sheet <NUM> serves as the receiving surface for absorbing incident light. In other embodiments, both the first surface and the second surface of the cell sheet <NUM> serve as receiving surfaces for absorbing incident light. In some embodiments, the cell sheet <NUM> is a crystalline silicon solar cell, such as a monocrystalline silicon solar cell or a polycrystalline silicon solar cell. It can be understood that in some embodiments, the cell sheet <NUM> is a whole or multiple pieces (such as <NUM>/<NUM> equal pieces, <NUM>/<NUM> equal pieces, <NUM>/<NUM> equal pieces, etc.).

The first flexible cover layer <NUM> and the second flexible cover layer <NUM> are respectively located on two opposite surfaces of the cell sheet <NUM>. The materials of the first flexible cover layer <NUM> and the second flexible cover layer <NUM> can be selected to have good flexibility, insulation, water resistance, and aging resistance. In this way, the first flexible cover layer <NUM> and the second flexible cover layer <NUM> can effectively protect and seal the cell sheet <NUM>. Meanwhile, due to the good flexibility of the first flexible cover layer <NUM> and the second flexible cover layer <NUM>, the entire photovoltaic module is easy to be folded.

Specifically, in some embodiments, the first flexible cover layer <NUM> is a flexible cover plate, so that the first flexible cover layer <NUM> cannot only achieve the folding of the photovoltaic module, but also provide good protection for the first surface of the cell sheet <NUM>. Specifically, in some embodiments, the flexible cover plate is made of materials that are resistant to environmental aging and scratching, such as polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), or ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE).

In some embodiments, the second flexible cover layer <NUM> is an insulating cloth. On the one hand, the insulating cloth can prevent leakage of the cell sheet <NUM> and maintain the normal performance of the cell sheet <NUM>. On the other hand, the insulating cloth has greater flexibility and can further improve the folding performance of the cell sheet <NUM>.

The folding angle between two adjacent columns of cell sheets <NUM> or between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> is set to <NUM> degree to <NUM> degrees. Specifically, in response to the folding angle between two adjacent cell sheets <NUM> is <NUM> degrees, the photovoltaic module is in an unfolded state. In response to the folding angle between two adjacent cell sheets <NUM> is <NUM> degree, the two adjacent cell sheets <NUM> form a stacked structure. In this way, after the photovoltaic module is folded in sequence along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> and the direction in which the multiple rows of cell sheets are arranged, a stacked structure is formed between each row of cell sheets <NUM> and two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, so that in the final folded photovoltaic module, multiple rows of cell sheets <NUM> are stacked in sequence, so that the occupied area of the folded photovoltaic module is actually only the area of one row of cell sheets <NUM>, which greatly reduces the area of the folded photovoltaic module. For example, in a photovoltaic module, there are <NUM> rows of spaced cell sheets <NUM>. After the photovoltaic module is folded along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> and the direction in which the <NUM> rows of cell sheets <NUM> are arranged, the occupied area of the photovoltaic module is actually only one row of cell sheets <NUM>, which makes the occupied area of the folded photovoltaic module only one tenth of the occupied area of the unfolded photovoltaic module, greatly reduces the difficulty of storage. Similarly, after the photovoltaic module is folded in sequence along folded along the gap between two adjacent columns of cell sheets <NUM> and the direction in which the multiple columns of cell sheets <NUM> are arranged, a stacking structure is formed between each column of cell sheets <NUM> and the adjacent column of cell sheets <NUM>, resulting in multiple columns of cell sheets <NUM> being sequentially stacked in the final folded photovoltaic module.

Specifically, the folding angle between two adjacent columns of cell sheets <NUM> or between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> can be adjusted to multiple angles according to different needs. For example, referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments, the folding angle between two adjacent columns of cell sheets <NUM> or between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> can be <NUM> degree to <NUM> degrees, or <NUM> degrees to <NUM> degrees. Within the above angle range, it is suitable for the storage of the photovoltaic module, resulting in a smaller footprint after storage. Referring to <FIG>, in other embodiments, the folding angle between two adjacent columns of cell sheets <NUM> or between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> may be <NUM> degrees to <NUM> degrees, <NUM> degrees to <NUM> degrees, <NUM> degrees to <NUM> degrees, <NUM> degrees to <NUM> degrees, <NUM> degrees to <NUM> degrees, <NUM> degrees to <NUM> degrees, or <NUM> degrees to <NUM> degrees. Within the above angle range, the folding angle degrees is relatively large, resulting in a larger area after unfolding between adjacent cell sheets <NUM>, which can be used as a shading curtain or shed. In addition, the unfolded area of the photovoltaic module can be adjusted by adjusting the folding angle between two adjacent cell sheets <NUM>, which is suitable for different needs.

In some embodiments, two adjacent cell sheets <NUM> in a row are connected in series, and a row of cell sheets <NUM> is used to form a cell string <NUM> (shown in dashed boxes in <FIG> and <FIG>). In some embodiments, the photovoltaic module further includes a flexible welding strip configured to connect two adjacent cell sheets <NUM> in series. The flexible welding strip is arranged on the surface of the cell sheet <NUM>, and can be located on a surface of a busbar of the cell sheet <NUM> to connect to two adjacent cell sheets <NUM> electrically. The flexible welding strip has good flexibility, which can achieve the folding of two adjacent cell sheets <NUM> in a series of cell strings <NUM>, while also maintaining the normal current transmission performance of the flexible welding strip.

In some embodiments, one end of the flexible welding strip is electrically connected to the first surface of the cell sheet <NUM>, and the other end of the flexible welding strip is electrically connected to the second surface of an adjacent cell sheet <NUM> to form an electrical connection between the two cell sheets <NUM>. In other embodiments, one end of the flexible welding strip is electrically connected to the first surface of a cell sheet <NUM>, the other end of the flexible welding strip is electrically connected to the first surface of an adjacent cell sheet <NUM>, or one end of the flexible welding strip is electrically connected to the second surface of a cell sheet <NUM>, and the other end of the flexible welding strip is electrically connected to the second surface of an adjacent cell sheet <NUM> to form an electrical connection between adjacent cell sheets <NUM>. In some embodiments, the shape of the flexible welding strip may be any of circular, rectangular, trapezoidal, or triangular. The flexible welding strip with the above shape has a larger thickness, which can improve the current transmission performance of the flexible welding strip.

In some embodiments, the flexible welding strip has a thickness of <NUM> to <NUM>. For example, it may be <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>. Within the above thickness range, the flexible welding strip is not too thick to prevent the problem of folding between adjacent cell sheets <NUM> along the gap in a cell string, which limits the folding angle between adjacent cell sheets <NUM> due to the excessive thickness of the flexible welding strip. On the other hand, within this range, the thickness of the flexible welding strip is not too small, which can maintain the good current transmission performance of the flexible welding strip and improve the current collection capacity of the photovoltaic module.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments, the photovoltaic module is configured to be folded along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, and the two adjacent cell strings are connected in series. That is to say, in the photovoltaic module, the electrical connection between the multiple cell sheets <NUM> is in series, that is, the circuit composed of multiple cell sheets <NUM> in the photovoltaic module is a series circuit. In some embodiments, adjacent cell strings are also electrically connected through flexible welding strips.

A row of cell sheets <NUM> is used to form a cell string. In response to two adjacent cell sheets being connected in series, the photovoltaic module is configured to be folded along the between two adjacent rows in the multiple rows of cell sheets <NUM>, that is, in a cell string, the two adjacent cell sheets <NUM> are folded against each other, which can reduce the folding along other lines in the photovoltaic module, thereby ensuring the integrity of the photovoltaic module circuit. This is because in response to the circuit in the photovoltaic module being a series circuit, the current of each cell sheet <NUM> in the photovoltaic module needs to be collected. However, since each cell string composed of cell sheets <NUM> connected in series, only current input ends and current output ends of the two outermost two cell strings in the multiple cell strings arranged at intervals need to be connected, that is, the current of the entire circuit needs to be collected. Generally, in order to arrange wiring reasonably and reduce wiring usage, the extension direction of the wiring used for current collection in the photovoltaic module is set to be the same as direction in which the multiple cell strings are arranged, that is, the same as the direction in which each of the multiple rows of cell sheets <NUM> is arranged, so that the electrical signals of the two outermost cell strings can be led out. Based on this, the photovoltaic module is arranged to be folded along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>. In response to the photovoltaic module being folded, the circuit used for current collection will not be folded, so as to prevent the problem of wiring breaking or blocking current transmission, which is conducive to maintaining the integrity of the circuit.

Referring to <FIG>, specifically, in some embodiments, the photovoltaic module further includes a busbar <NUM> located on the first surface or the second surface of the cell sheet <NUM>, where the busbar <NUM> extends along the first direction X. In response to two adjacent cell strings being connected in series, the busbar <NUM> is configured to be electrically connected to two outermost two cell strings in which a positive electrode of one of the two outermost cell strings and a negative electrode of the other cell string are connected to the busbar <NUM>, and the busbar <NUM> is further configured to connect two adjacent cell strings in series. The busbar <NUM> can be used as a wiring for collecting the current of each cell sheet <NUM> in the photovoltaic module. The positive electrode of a cell string refers to the input current end of the cell string, while the negative electrode of a cell string refers to the output current end of the cell string. One end of the current input in the cell string is located in the cell sheet <NUM> at the first stage, which can be the positive electrode of the cell sheet <NUM>. One end of the current output in the cell string is located in the cell sheet <NUM> at the last stage, which can be the negative electrode of the cell sheet <NUM>. The first stage refers to the cell sheet <NUM> in a cell string where the input end of the current is located, and the last stage refers to the cell sheet <NUM> in a cell string where the output end of the current is located. Specifically, each cell sheet <NUM> has an input end and an output end for current, that is, each cell sheet <NUM> has a positive electrode and a negative electrode. The negative electrode of a cell sheet <NUM> is electrically connected to the positive electrode of an adjacent cell sheet <NUM>, to form a series circuit.

The busbar <NUM> extends in the first direction X, that is, the extension direction of the busbar <NUM> is the same as the direction in which the multiple cell strings are arranged, so that one end of the busbar <NUM> is electrically connected to one of the positive or negative electrodes arranged in one of the two outermost cell strings, and the other end of the busbar <NUM> is electrically connected to the other of the positive or negative electrodes arranged in the outermost cell string, thereby collecting the current of the entire circuit composed of cell sheets <NUM> in the photovoltaic module. Moreover, the two adjacent cell strings are electrically connected through a busbar to form a series circuit, and the busbar located between the two adjacent cell strings extends in the first direction X, to connect the first stage of one cell string and the last stage of the adjacent cell string, respectively.

It is not difficult to find that the busbar <NUM> extends along the first direction X, so that the extension direction of the busbar <NUM> is the same as the direction in which each row of cell sheets <NUM> is arranged. Therefore, in response to the photovoltaic module being folded along the gap between adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, the busbar <NUM> will not be folded, which can prevent the busbar <NUM> from breaking. Reference is made to <FIG> for details, the dashed line in <FIG> represents the folding line of the photovoltaic module, which is folded along the folding line.

In addition, due to the fact that busbar <NUM> is not folded during the folding process of the photovoltaic module, in some embodiments, the busbar <NUM> is made of harder and thicker materials, which can ensure that busbar <NUM> has good current transmission performance and good current collection ability. In other embodiments, the busbar <NUM> may also be made of flexible materials.

It can be understood that in response to the photovoltaic module being folded, one row of cell sheets <NUM> is folded towards the adjacent row of cell sheets <NUM>, or a column of cell sheets <NUM> is folded towards the adjacent row of cell sheets <NUM>. That is to say, the two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> are folded over each other or the two adjacent columns of cell sheets <NUM> are folded over each other. Therefore, it is necessary to set the thickness of each of the cell sheets <NUM> not to be too large to avoid the problem of the two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> or adjacent two columns of cell sheets <NUM> being folded against each other, which causes the a side edge of a cell sheet to be abut against a side edge of an adjacent cell sheet <NUM> due to the excessive thickness of the cell sheets <NUM>, makes it impossible for the photovoltaic module to be further folded, and makes the folding angle unable to be further reduced.

Based on the above considerations, in some embodiments, the thickness of the cell sheet is <NUM> to <NUM>. For example, it may be <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>. Within this range, the thickness of the cell sheets <NUM> is relatively small, which is beneficial for the formation of a lightweight photovoltaic module. In addition, within this range, the probability of a side edge of a cell sheet abutting against a side edge of an adjacent cell sheet <NUM> along a direction in which the two adjacent cell sheets are getting close to each other is reduced, which prevents the problem that the folding angle between the adjacent two cell sheets cannot be further reduced due to the obstacles between two adjacent cell sheets <NUM>, and is conducive to the storage of the photovoltaic module. In addition, within this range, the thickness of the cell sheet <NUM> should not be too small, thereby ensuring the photoelectric conversion performance of the cell sheet <NUM>.

In some embodiments, in response to two adjacent cell strings being connected in series, a distance between the two adjacent rows of cell sheets is <NUM> to <NUM>, for example, it may be <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>. It can be understood that in response to the photovoltaic module being folded along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, the folding angle between the two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> is related to the thickness of the cell sheets <NUM> and the distance between the two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>. In response to the two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> being folded towards each other, and the distance between the two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> being too small, the side edges of the adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> are abutted against each other. In addition, in response to the thickness of the cell sheet <NUM> being too large, it will also cause the side edges of the adjacent two cell sheets <NUM> to be abutted against each other, resulting in a problem where the folding angle between the adjacent two cell sheets <NUM> cannot be further reduced.

Based on the above considerations, the distance between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> is set to be within this range, so that the distance between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> matches the thickness of the cell sheets <NUM>, and the distance between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> is sufficient to accommodate the total thickness of two stacked cell sheets <NUM>, and thus the folding angle between adjacent two cell sheets <NUM> can reach <NUM> degree. In addition, the distance between the two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> should not be too large to prevent excessive incident light from shining into the room through the gap between the two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, thereby causing the shading performance of the photovoltaic module to fail to meet user needs.

In some embodiments, in response to the photovoltaic module being folded along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, the width of each cell sheet <NUM> along the second direction Y is <NUM> to <NUM>, for example, it may be <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>. The second direction Y is the direction in which the multiple cell sheets <NUM> are arranged to from the cell string. The photovoltaic module is configured to be folded along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, that is, two adjacent cell sheets <NUM> in a cell string are folded together. In response to the folding angle between two adjacent cell sheets <NUM> being <NUM> degree, each row of cell sheets <NUM> after the photovoltaic module is folded is stacked in sequence, so that the width of the photovoltaic module after folding is actually determined by the width of each cell sheet <NUM> in the second direction Y. Based on this, the width of each cell sheet <NUM> in the second direction Y is set to be <NUM> to <NUM>, so that the photovoltaic module has a smaller width along the second direction Y after being folded, which is beneficial for storing the photovoltaic module. Moreover, within this range, the occupied area of the solar cell sheet <NUM> in the photovoltaic module is not too large, so that there can be a large gap between the two adjacent solar cell sheets <NUM> in the second direction Y, which is beneficial for reducing the folding angle between the two solar cell sheets <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments, the cell string is configured to be folded along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, and two adjacent cell strings are connected in parallel. That is to say, in the photovoltaic module, the electrical connection between the cell sheets <NUM> is a series-parallel connection, which can reduce the folding along other lines in the photovoltaic module, thereby ensuring the integrity of the photovoltaic module circuit. This is because, due to the parallel relationship between each cell string, it is necessary to electrically connect the two outermost cell sheets in each cell string to <NUM> to collect the current transmitted in each cell string. In order to arrange wiring reasonably and reduce wiring usage, the extension direction of the wiring used for current collection is generally set to be consistent with the direction in which the multiple cell sheets <NUM> are connected to form the cell string, that is, consistent with the direction in which the cell sheets <NUM> in a row of cell sheets <NUM> are arranged. Based on this, the photovoltaic module is configured to be folded along the gap between the two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, so that in response to the photovoltaic module being folded, the wiring used for current collection will not be interfered, which prevents the wiring used for current collection from being folded, prevents the wiring from breaking or blocking the current transmission, and maintains the integrity of the circuit.

In some embodiments, two adjacent cell strings are electrically connected to each other by a flexible welding strip.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments, in response to two adjacent cell strings being connected in parallel, the busbar <NUM> is arranged to extend in the second direction Y, and the busbar <NUM> is connected to the two outermost cell sheets <NUM> in one cell string.

The two outermost cell sheets <NUM> in a cell string serve as the current input end and the current output end of the cell string, respectively. Among them, the cell sheet <NUM> which serves as the current input end, is in the first stage position in a cell string, and the cell sheet <NUM> which serves as the current output end, is in the last stage position in the cell string. That is to say, one end of the busbar <NUM> is configured to electrically connect to the first stage of a cell string, and the other end of the busbar <NUM> is configured to electrically connect the last stage of the cell string, so that the busbar <NUM> can be used to collect the current transmitted in each cell string. Specifically, the busbar <NUM> can only be electrically connected to the first stage and the last stage of the outermost cell string. In some embodiments, a parallel connection may also be formed between adjacent cell strings by the busbar <NUM>, and the busbar <NUM> between adjacent cell strings extends in the first direction X.

In response to the photovoltaic module being folded, the photovoltaic module is folded along the gap between adjacent cell strings, which can prevent the problem of loss or even fracture of the busbar <NUM> during the folding process of the photovoltaic module. Reference is made to <FIG> for details. The dashed line in <FIG> represents the folding line of the photovoltaic module. That is, the photovoltaic module is folded along the folding line.

In some embodiments, in response to two adjacent cell strings being connected in parallel, the distance between the two adjacent rows of cell sheets is <NUM> to <NUM>. For example, it may be <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>. Within this range, the distance between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> is matched with the thickness of the cell sheets <NUM>, which makes the distance between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> sufficient to accommodate the total thickness of the two stacked cell sheets <NUM> to achieve a folding angle of <NUM> degree between adjacent two cell sheets <NUM>, thereby greatly improving the folding performance and storing performance of the photovoltaic module.

In some embodiments, in response to the photovoltaic module being folded along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, the width of each cell sheet <NUM> along the first direction X is <NUM> to <NUM>. For example, it may be <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>. The first direction X is the direction in which the multiple cell sheets <NUM> in a row of cell sheets <NUM> are arranged. The photovoltaic module is configured to be folded along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, that is, the two adjacent cell sheets <NUM> in a row of cell sheets <NUM> are folded together. In response to the folding angle between two adjacent cell sheets <NUM> being <NUM> degree, each row of cell sheets <NUM> after the photovoltaic module is folded is stacked in sequence, so that the width of the photovoltaic module after being folded along the first direction X is actually determined by the width of each cell sheet <NUM> in the first direction X. Based on this, the width of each cell sheet <NUM> along the first direction X is set to be <NUM> to <NUM>, so that the photovoltaic module can has a smaller width along the first direction X after being folded, which is beneficial for storing the photovoltaic module. Moreover, within this range, the occupied area of the solar cell sheet <NUM> in the photovoltaic module is not too large, so that there can be a large gap between the adjacent two solar cell sheets <NUM> in the first direction X, which is beneficial for reducing the folding angle between the two solar cell sheets <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments, the photovoltaic module includes a central region and a peripheral region. The cell string is located in the central region, and the photovoltaic module further includes a junction box <NUM>. The junction box <NUM> is located in the peripheral region of the photovoltaic module, and the junction box <NUM> is located on one side of the photovoltaic module along the direction in which the photovoltaic module is folded. The junction box <NUM> serves as a connecting device configured to connect the busbar <NUM> to external circuits and transport the current from the busbar <NUM> to external circuits. The junction box <NUM> in arranged in the peripheral region of the photovoltaic module, which makes it easy to combine the photovoltaic module with the window and hide the junction box <NUM> without affecting the integrity of the circuit.

The folding direction here refers to a direction in which a row of cell sheets <NUM> away from the junction box <NUM> are folded towards a row of cell sheets <NUM> close to the junction box <NUM>, or a direction in which a row of cell sheets <NUM> away from junction box <NUM> are folded towards a row of cell sheets <NUM> close to the junction box <NUM>. In this way, during the stacking process of the photovoltaic modules, there is no need to move the junction box <NUM>, thereby ensuring stable connection between the junction box <NUM> and external circuits.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments, in response to the cell string being folded along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, the photovoltaic module can be folded up and down, so that the photovoltaic module can be applied to windows as a shading curtain. The method for folding a photovoltaic module is similar to the method for folding louvers. By controlling the folding angle between adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, the shading area of the photovoltaic module on the window is adjusted to meet the needs of users. One side of the photovoltaic module where the junction box <NUM> is located can be located at the top of the window, which is beneficial for hiding the junction box <NUM> and maintaining the aesthetics of the photovoltaic module. In addition, it is beneficial for fixing the junction box <NUM> and maintaining a stable connection between the junction box <NUM> and external circuits. Specifically, in some embodiments, the junction box <NUM> can be located on the side of the busbar <NUM> away from the cell sheet <NUM>, and the junction box <NUM> can be directly arranged opposite to the middle of the busbar <NUM> or the end of the busbar <NUM>. In the embodiments of the present application, the specific positional relationship between the busbar <NUM> and the junction box <NUM> will not be limited.

Referring to <FIG>, in other embodiments, the junction box <NUM> is located on the side of the busbar <NUM> away from the cell sheet <NUM>. In response to the cell string being folded along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, the junction box <NUM> is arranged opposite to one end of the busbar <NUM>. In response to the cell string being folded along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, the photovoltaic module can be folded to left or right, so that the photovoltaic module can be used as a sunshade or a sun visor, and can be specifically applied to recreational vehicles (RV) or other buildings. Specifically, one side of the photovoltaic module where junction box <NUM> is located can be connected to the RV or building. Generally, the external wiring in the RV or building is arranged along the wall of the RV or building, and in response to one side of the photovoltaic module being connected to the RV or building, one end of the busbar <NUM> is arranged close to the wall of the RV or building. Based on this, the junction box <NUM> is arranged opposite to one end of the busbar <NUM>, so that in response to one side of the photovoltaic module where the junction box <NUM> is located being connected to the RV or building, the distance between the junction box <NUM> and the wall of the RV or building is close, which is beneficial for maintaining a stable connection between the junction box <NUM> and the external electrical circuit, and also for hiding the junction box <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in accordance with the invention, the photovoltaic module further includes multiple support plates <NUM> arranged in intervals. Each of the multiple support plates <NUM> extends along a direction in which each of the multiple rows of cell sheets <NUM> is arranged or a direction in which each of the multiple columns of cell sheets <NUM> is arranged, and each of the multiple support plates <NUM> is arranged on the second surface of each of the multiple rows of cell sheets <NUM> or each of the multiple columns of cell sheets <NUM>.

A row of cell sheets <NUM> or a column of cell sheets <NUM> are arranged on the surface of the support plate <NUM>, and the cell sheets <NUM> are fixed on the surface of the support plate <NUM>. In some embodiments, the second surface of the cell sheet <NUM> and the surface of the support plate <NUM> can be fixed by adhesive. That is to say, the support plate <NUM> serves as a support and fixation for a column of cell sheets <NUM> or a column of cell sheets <NUM>. In this way, in response to the photovoltaic module being folded, it is only necessary to be folded along the gap between adjacent support plates <NUM> to fold two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, which can make the method for folding the photovoltaic module similar to the method for folding louvers, which can be better applied as curtains on windows to meet the needs of users.

In some embodiments, the photovoltaic module is configured to be folded along the gap between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM>, with a support plate <NUM> located on the second surface of one row of cell sheets <NUM>. Alternatively, the photovoltaic module is configured to be folded along the gap between two adjacent columns of cell sheets <NUM>, with a support plate <NUM> located on the second surface of one column of cell sheets <NUM>.

Specifically, referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments, multiple support plates <NUM> are arranged at intervals along the second direction Y, and each of the multiple support plates <NUM> extends along the first direction X with each of the multiple support plates <NUM> located on the second surface of each of a row of cell sheets <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in other embodiments, multiple support plates <NUM> are arranged at intervals along the first direction X, and each of the multiple support plates <NUM> extends along the second direction Y with each of the multiple support plates <NUM> located on the second surface of each of a column of cell sheets <NUM>.

In response to the photovoltaic module being folded along the gap between two adjacent support plates <NUM>, it can be either two rows of cell sheets <NUM> being folded toward each other, that is, two rows of cell sheets <NUM> are getting close to each other, or two support plates <NUM> being folded toward each other, that is, two support plates <NUM> are folded towards each other in the direction of being close to each other. Therefore, in response to the thickness of the support plate <NUM> being too large, it will also cause the side edges of the two adjacent support plates <NUM> to abut against each other, resulting in the problem of the folding angle between the two support plates <NUM> being unable to be further reduced. In addition, in response to the thickness of the support plate <NUM> being too small, it will not be able to provide good support and protection for the cell sheet <NUM>. Based on this, in some embodiments, the thickness of the support plate is <NUM> to <NUM>. For example, it may be <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>. The distance between adjacent support plates <NUM> is <NUM> to <NUM>, for example, it may be <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>. Within this thickness range, on the one hand, the thickness of the support plate <NUM> is reduced, which can improve the folding performance of the photovoltaic module, and prevents the problem that during the folding process of the photovoltaic module, the adjacent side walls of the two support plates <NUM> abut against each other collide and cannot be further folded, thereby improving the folding performance of the photovoltaic module. On the other hand, within this range, the thickness of the support plate <NUM> is too small, which can also provide good support and protection for the battery <NUM> and improve the quality of the photovoltaic module. Within this thickness range, the thickness of the support plate <NUM> matches the distance between two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> or the distance between two adjacent columns of cell sheets <NUM>, so that the distance between two adjacent cell sheets <NUM> is sufficient to accommodate the total thickness of the two support plates <NUM> after being stacked, which can achieve a folding angle of <NUM> degree between two adjacent support plates <NUM>, thereby greatly improving the folding performance and storing performance of the photovoltaic module. In addition, in response to the distance between the two adjacent support plates being within the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, the distance between the two adjacent support plates <NUM> is matched with the thickness of the support plate <NUM> itself, so that the distance between the two adjacent support plates <NUM> is sufficient to accommodate the total thickness of the two support plates <NUM> after being stacked, thereby achieving a folding angle of <NUM> degree between the two adjacent support plates <NUM>.

According to the invention, along a direction in which the multiple support plates <NUM> are arranged, at least one of two outermost support plates <NUM> is not provided with any of the multiple cell sheets <NUM> on a surface of each of the outermost support plates <NUM>. In some embodiments, in the multiple support plates <NUM> arranged at intervals, one of the two outermost support plates <NUM> is not provided with any of the multiple cell sheets <NUM> on the surface. In other embodiments, in the multiple support plates <NUM> arranged at intervals, two outermost support plates <NUM> are both not provided with any of the multiple cell sheets <NUM> on the surface. Compared to a solution in which a cell sheet <NUM> is provided on the surface of each of the multiple support plates <NUM>, at least one of two outermost support plates <NUM> is not provided with any of the multiple cell sheets <NUM> on a surface of each of the outermost support plates <NUM>, which can increase the distance between the outermost column of cell sheets <NUM> and the side of the photovoltaic module, thereby increasing the creepage distance of the photovoltaic module. It can be understood that the side edge of the photovoltaic module referred to here as a side edge of the photovoltaic module arranged opposite to the outermost row of cell sheets <NUM>.

In other embodiments, each of the multiple support plates <NUM> is in a one-to-one correspondence to each column of cell sheets <NUM> or each row of cell sheets <NUM>. Specifically, in response to each of the multiple support plates <NUM> being arranged in the same way as a column of cell sheets <NUM> being arranged, each of the multiple support plates <NUM> is arranged on the second surface of each of a column of cell sheets <NUM>. In response to each of the multiple support plates <NUM> being arranged in the same way as a row of cell sheets <NUM> being arranged, each of the multiple support plates <NUM> is arranged on the second surface of each of a row of cell sheets <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the material of the support plate includes either metal material or fiberglass composite material.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments, the photovoltaic module further includes a first adhesive film <NUM> and a second adhesive film <NUM>. The first adhesive film <NUM> is located between the first flexible cover layer <NUM> and the cell sheet <NUM>, and the second adhesive film <NUM> is located between the second flexible cover layer <NUM> and the cell sheet <NUM>. The first adhesive film <NUM> and the second adhesive film <NUM> are configured to encapsulate the multiple cell sheets <NUM>, and adhere the cell sheet <NUM> to the first flexible cover layer <NUM>, and the cell sheet <NUM> to the second flexible cover layer <NUM>.

In some embodiments, in response to the photovoltaic module further including multiple support plates <NUM>, the second adhesive film <NUM> is located between the multiple support plates <NUM> and the multiple cell sheets <NUM> to adhere the multiple cell sheets <NUM> to the multiple support plates <NUM>. In some embodiments, the first adhesive film <NUM> and the second adhesive film <NUM> are at least one of a POE adhesive film or an EVA adhesive film.

In other embodiments, the photovoltaic module further includes a third adhesive film <NUM>, which is located between the multiple support plates <NUM> and the second flexible cover layer <NUM> to adhere the multiple support plates <NUM> to the insulating cloth. The material of the third adhesive film <NUM> can be the same as that of the second adhesive film <NUM> and the first adhesive film <NUM>.

In the photovoltaic module provided according to the above embodiments, the first flexible cover layer <NUM> and the second flexible cover layer <NUM> are arranged to make the photovoltaic module easy to fold. In response to the photovoltaic module being folded, the photovoltaic module can be folded along the gap between two adjacent rows in the multiple rows of cell sheets <NUM> or the gap between two adjacent columns in the multiple columns of cell sheets <NUM>, which not only achieves folding within a single photovoltaic module, but also makes the photovoltaic module to be folded more regularly, so that the photovoltaic module can be easily stored. In addition, the folding angle is arranged to <NUM> degree to <NUM> degrees between two adjacent columns of cell sheet <NUM>, so that after the photovoltaic module is folded, the two adjacent rows of cell sheets <NUM> or two adjacent columns of cell sheets <NUM> can be completely overlapped with each other, which reduces the volume of the photovoltaic module after being folded and further facilitates the storage of the photovoltaic module.

Correspondingly, a method for folding a photovoltaic module is further provided according to the embodiments of the present application, which is applied to the photovoltaic module according to any of the above embodiments. Referring to <FIG>, the multiple rows include a first row to an Nth row along a direction in which the multiple rows are disturbed, and the multiple columns include a first column to an Mth row along a direction in which the multiple columns are disturbed, the method includes: folding the photovoltaic module along the gap between every two adjacent rows in the multiple rows, such that the n+<NUM>th row of cell sheets is located above the nth row of cell sheets, <NUM>≤n < N; or folding the photovoltaic module along the gap between every two adjacent columns in the multiple columns, such that the m+<NUM>th column is located above the nth column, <NUM>≤m<M.

In some embodiments, the second flexible cover layer <NUM> is an insulating cloth, which greatly improves the flexibility of the photovoltaic module.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments, multiple support plates <NUM> are adhered to the second flexible cover layer <NUM> by the third adhesive film <NUM>. In order to improve the stability of the multiple support plates <NUM> on the surface of the second flexible cover layer <NUM>, a high-temperature resistance adhesive tape is further arranged on the surface of each of the multiple support plates <NUM> facing towards the second flexible cover layer <NUM>. The high-temperature adhesive resistance tape is configured to further fix the multiple support plates <NUM>, and the third adhesive film <NUM> is further configured to adhere the high-temperature adhesive resistance tape to the multiple support plates <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the multiple cell sheets <NUM> are adhered to the multiple support plates <NUM> by the second adhesive film <NUM>. Firstly, a second adhesive film <NUM> is formed on the surface of each of the multiple support plates <NUM>, and the multiple cell sheets <NUM> is laid on the surface of the second adhesive film <NUM>. Multiple cell sheets <NUM> are laid on the surface of one of the multiple support plates <NUM>. After the multiple cell sheets <NUM> are laid, the multiple cell sheets <NUM> located on the surface of the multiple support plates <NUM> are arranged in an array, with each row of cell sheets <NUM> arranged at intervals along the first direction X, and each column of cell sheets <NUM> arranged at intervals along the second direction Y.

In some embodiments, the multiple cell sheets <NUM> are adhered to the first flexible cover layer <NUM> by the first adhesive film <NUM>. To begin with, the first adhesive film <NUM> is formed on the surface of each of the multiple cell sheets <NUM>, and the multiple cell sheets <NUM> are laid on the surface of the second adhesive film <NUM>. In some embodiments, the first flexible cover layer <NUM> is a flexible cover plate, so that the first flexible cover layer <NUM> not only has flexibility but also has a certain degree of toughness, thereby enabling the first flexible cover layer <NUM> to not only achieve the folding of the photovoltaic module, but also provide good protection for the first surface of each of the multiple cell sheets <NUM>. Specifically, in some embodiments, the material of the flexible cover plate includes PVF, PVDF, or ETFE.

The terminology used in the description of the various described embodiments herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various described embodiments and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term "and/or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms "includes," "including," "has," "having," "comprises," and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

In addition, when parts such as a layer, a film, a region, or a plate is referred to as being "on" another part, it may be "directly on" another part or may have another part present therebetween. In addition, when a part of a layer, film, region, plate, etc., is "directly on" another part, it means that no other part is positioned therebetween.

Although the present application is disclosed above with preferred embodiments, it is not used to limit the claims. The scope of protection shall be subject to the scope defined by the claims of the present application. In addition, the embodiments and the accompanying drawings in the specification of the present application are only illustrative examples, which will not limit the scope protected by the claims of the present application.

Claim 1:
A photovoltaic module, comprising:
a plurality of cell sheets (<NUM>) arranged in an array comprising a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, wherein each row of the plurality rows includes a set of cell sheets (<NUM>) arranged at intervals along a first direction, each column of the plurality columns comprises a set of cell sheets (<NUM>) arranged at intervals along a second direction, and each of the plurality of cell sheets (<NUM>) has a first side and a second side, the first side having a first surface and the second side having a second surface;
a first flexible cover (<NUM>) layer located on the first side of each of the plurality of cell sheets (<NUM>);
a second flexible cover (<NUM>) layer located on the second side of each of the plurality of cell sheets (<NUM>);and
a plurality of support plates (<NUM>) arranged at intervals, wherein each of the plurality of support plates (<NUM>) extends along the first direction or the second direction, and each of the plurality of support plates (<NUM>) is arranged on the second surface of each of a row of cell sheets (<NUM>) of the plurality of rows or each of a column of cell sheets (<NUM>) of the plurality of columns,
wherein the photovoltaic module is configured to be foldable along a gap between two adjacent rows in the plurality rows to form an angle of <NUM> degree to <NUM> degrees between the two adjacent rows or along a gap between two adjacent columns in the plurality columns to form an angle of <NUM> degree to <NUM> degrees between the two adjacent columns; characterized in that:
along a direction in which the plurality of support plates (<NUM>) are arranged, there is/are one or two additional outermost support plates (<NUM>) which is/are not provided with any of the plurality of cell sheets (<NUM>) on its/their surface.