Apparatus for welding components together with the use of ultrasound

Claim 1

An apparatus for welding a conductive welding tape to a solar cell on which the tape is positioned, comprising: means for supplying a high frequency current; an ultrasonic emitter coupled to said high frequency current supply means for producing mechanical ultrasonic vibrations having a frequency corresponding to the frequency of the high frequency current; a transmitter coupled to said ultrasonic emitter for transmitting the ultrasonic vibrations; a sonotrode coupled to said transmitter and responsive to the transmitted ultrasonic vibrations for focussing the ultrasonic vibrations on the tape and solar cell, said sonotrode being provided with a circumferential collar having a periphery with corrugations; means coupled to said sonotrode for lowering said collar during the welding process so that said periphery of said collar tangentially contacts the tape, wherein only said periphery of said collar transfers ultrasonic energy to said tape and solar cell; means for rotatably mounting said ultrasonic emitter, said transmitter and said sonotrode and being located in at least one vibration node of said transmitter; and displacement means for effecting linear displacement of said sonotrode relative to the tape and cell in a direction parallel to a line that is tangent to said collar where said periphery of said collar contacts the tape, said collar being caused to roll over the tape during the welding process by a force that is transmitted exclusively through the cell and tape during such linear displacement, wherein the tangential contact between said collar and the tape is a friction contact, augmented by said corrugations on said periphery of said collar, and wherein the relative movement between said collar and the tape produced by said displacement means, combined with the friction contact therebetween, causes said sonotrode to rotate via said rotatable mounting means.

Claim 2

An apparatus for welding a conductive welding tape to a solar cell on which the tape is positioned, comprising: means for supplying a high frequency current; an ultrasonic emitter coupled to said high frequency current supply means for producing mechanical ultrasonic vibrations having a frequency corresponding to the frequency of the high frequency current; a transmitter coupled to said ultrasonic emitter for transmitting the ultrasonic vibrations; a sonotrode coupled to said transmitter and responsive to the transmitted ultrasonic vibrations for focussing the ultrasonic vibrations on the tape and solar cell, said sonotrode being provided with a circumferential collar having a periphery with corrugations; means coupled to said sonotrode for lowering said collar during the welding process so that said periphery of said collar tangentially contacts the tape, wherein only said periphery of said collar transfers ultrasonic energy to said tape and solar cell; means for rotatably mounting said ultrasonic emitter, said transmitter and said sonotrode and being located in at least one vibration node of said transmitter; and displacement means for effecting linear displacement of said sonotrode relative to the tape and cell in a direction parallel to a line that is tangent to said collar where said periphery of said collar contacts the tape, said collar being caused to roll over the tape during the welding process by a force that is transmitted exclusively through the cell and tape during such linear displacement, wherein the tangential contact between said collar and the tape is a friction contact, augmented by said corrugations on said periphery of said collar, and wherein the relative movement between said collar and the tape produced by said displacement means, combined with the friction contact therebetween, causes said sonotrode to rotate via said rotatable mounting means.

Claim 12

An apparatus for welding an elongated metal foil welding tape to a solar cell on which the tape is positioned, comprising: an ultrasonic emitter; an elongated transmitter having a first end and having a second end to which the ultrasonic emitter is connected, the transmitter having at least one vibration node; a sonotrode connected to the first end of the transmitter to focus ultrasonic vibrations, the sonotrode having a circumferential collar; a housing; means, located at the at least one vibration node of the transmitter, for rotatably mounting the emitter and transmitter in the housing, with the sonotrode extending out of the housing; means for supplying a high frequency current to the ultrasonic emitter; a support member mounted for movement along a linear path, the support member supporting the cell and the tape being positioned on the cell parallel to the path; means mounting the housing for pivoting movement so that the sonotrode collar is positioned to tangentially engage the tape and is pivotable toward and away from the tape, the means mounting the housing additionally including means for biassing the sonotrode collar toward the tape; and means for moving the support member along the path to carry the cell and tape past the sonotrode collar and to rotate the emitter, transmitter, and sonotrode exclusively through frictional engagement of the sonotrode collar with the tape, wherein the sonotrode collar has a corrugated periphery to increase the frictional engagement between the tape and the sonotrode collar.

Claim 13

An apparatus for welding an elongated metal foil welding tape to a solar cell on which the tape is positioned, comprising: an ultrasonic emitter; an elongated transmitter having a first end and having a second end to which the ultrasonic emitter is connected, the transmitter having at least one vibration node; a sonotrode connected to the first end of the transmitter to focus ultrasonic vibrations, the sonotrode having a circumferential collar; a housing; means, located at the at least one vibration node of the transmitter, for rotatably mounting the emitter and transmitter in the housing, with the sonotrode extending out of the housing; means for supplying a high frequency current to the ultrasonic emitter; a support member mounted for movement along a linear path, the support member supporting the cell and the tape being positioned on the cell parallel to the path; means mounting the housing for pivoting movement so that the sonotrode collar is positioned to tangentially engage the tape and is pivotable toward and away from the tape, the means mounting the housing additionally including means for biassing the sonotrode collar toward the tape; and means for moving the support member along the path to carry the cell and tape past the sonotrode collar and to rotate the emitter, transmitter, and sonotrode exclusively through frictional engagement of the sonotrode collar with the tape, wherein the sonotrode collar has a corrugated periphery to increase the frictional engagement between the tape and the sonotrode collar.

Claim 16

A method for welding an elongated metal foil welding tape to a solar cell, comprising the steps of: (a) placing the welding tape on the cell; (b) moving the cell and the tape placed thereon along a linear path which is parallel to the tape, the path running past an ultrasonic welding station which includes a rotatably mounted sonotrode having a circumferential collar with a corrugated periphery; (c) urging the sonotrode collar against the tape; (d) rolling the sonotrode collar over the tape using a force arising solely through frictional engagement between the sonotrode collar and the tape being augmented by the corrugated periphery of the sonotrode collar; and (e) vibrating the sonotrode ultrasonically to weld the tape to the cell as the sonotrode collar rolls over the tape.

Claim 17

A method for welding an elongated metal foil welding tape to a solar cell, comprising the steps of: (a) placing the welding tape on the cell; (b) moving the cell and the tape placed thereon along a linear path which is parallel to the tape, the path running past an ultrasonic welding station which includes a rotatably mounted sonotrode having a circumferential collar with a corrugated periphery; (c) urging the sonotrode collar against the tape; (d) rolling the sonotrode collar over the tape using a force arising solely through frictional engagement between the sonotrode collar and the tape being augmented by the corrugated periphery of the sonotrode collar; and (e) vibrating the sonotrode ultrasonically to weld the tape to the cell as the sonotrode collar rolls over the tape.