Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric – Photoelectric – Panel or array
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-04
2002-08-27
Diamond, Alan (Department: 1753)
Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric
Photoelectric
Panel or array
C136S244000, C136S252000, C136S256000, C136S258000, C136S261000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06441300
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to solar battery modules and, more particularly to an improvement in appearance of solar battery modules.
2. Description of the Background Art
The surface color of solar battery modules is usually black or blue in the case of a crystal Si type module and brown or purple in the case of an amorphous Si type module. Generally, a solar battery module has a uniform color over its entire surface. As such, conventional solar battery modules give very dreary and tasteless impressions, exhibiting insipidity. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 8-107230 discloses that the surface color of a solar battery module can be variously changed by changing the thickness or refractive index of an anti-reflection film to be formed on the light incident side of the module or by forming the film with a multi-layer structure, and that a character, figure and so on can be displayed by a combination of modules with different surface colors.
However, such a method of varying the surface color of the solar battery module leads to an inferior electricity generating effect, because physical parameters of the anti-reflection film on the light incident side are deviated from values optimum for electricity generation.
The present invention is directed to a light-transmission type solar battery module also, which has a daylighting function in addition to an electricity generating function. For an electricity generating system using such modules, since the back surface of the modules installed at a window or roof can be viewed from inside, the design on the back side of the modules is particularly a major concern. However, the back side of the conventional solar battery modules has been in a rectangular shape of either white or black.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above described problem of the conventional art, a major object of the present invention is to give improved appearance to the back side of a solar battery module. The improvement allows the back side of the solar battery module, which has often been concealed heretofore, to be exhibited in a positive manner. Thus, a prescribed pattern, such as a pleasant illustration, picture, figure or character, can be displayed on the back side of the module.
The solar battery module of the present invention is characterized in that a transparent material is provided on the side opposite to the light incident side of a solar cell portion on a transparent substrate, and a printed matter having a desired pattern is provided between the solar cell portion and the transparent material.
Then, a glass substrate, film substrate or transparent protection layer can be used as a transparent material. As the printed matter having a desired pattern, a film or a sheet of paper having such a pattern or an adhesive film such as an EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) having such a pattern can be used.
For the printed matter, the pattern may be directly printed on the surface of the transparent material.
The solar cell portion may include a thin film solar cell formed of an a-Si (amorphous silicon) or a compound semiconductor.
The solar cell portion may be an integrated thin film cell portion including a plurality of thin film cells, which are divided by parallel grooves and electrically connected in series. The thin film cell portion may be partially removed in a plurality of intermittent line forms which are in parallel with the grooves. Such removed parts in the intermittent line forms can give partial transparency to the solar battery module, providing a daylighting function.
If the solar cell portion is such an integrated thin film cell portion, the thin film cell portion may be partially removed in a plurality of line forms which are orthogonal to the grooves. In this case, the removed portions in the line forms may be continuous, rather than intermittent. This is because the plurality of cells in the thin film cell portion are electrically connected in series in a direction orthogonal to the grooves and thus the removed parts in the line forms do not interfere with such electrical serial connection.
The solar cell portion may be formed including a plurality of crystal Si type solar cells arranged close to one another.
To provide greater visibility to the pattern of the printed matter, the solar battery module may be provided with a light reflection layer adjacent to the printed matter.
In the solar battery module of the present invention, a terminal box for taking out current may preferably be arranged on the side surface of the module not to obstruct visibility of the pattern of the printed matter.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4133697 (1979-01-01), Mueller et al.
patent: 5059254 (1991-10-01), Yaba et al.
patent: 8-107230 (1996-04-01), None
patent: 11-251608 (1999-09-01), None
patent: 11-256773 (1999-09-01), None
patent: 2001-119051 (2001-04-01), None
patent: 2001-168357 (2001-06-01), None
Ouchida Takashi
Saitoh Hajime
Sannomiya Hitoshi
Diamond Alan
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
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