Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric – Photoelectric – Panel or array
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-08
2001-06-12
Chapman, Mark (Department: 1753)
Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric
Photoelectric
Panel or array
C136S251000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06245987
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solar cell module, an enclosure with solar cells, a method for installing the enclosure with a solar cell, and a sunlight power generating system.
2. Related Background Art
Due to the recently increasing ecological consciousness, more and more attempts are made to develop and use solar cells that provide clean energy.
In particular, more and more solar cells are installed on the clay tile roofs of houses and the ceilings or walls of buildings.
Furthermore, in addition to such solar cells being installed on the roofs of buildings, a large number of solar cell modules integrated with construction materials such as “a solar cell module integrated with a roof” or “a solar cell module integrated with a wall” have been developed and constructed.
For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-211932, roof materials integrated with ribbed seam-like solar cell modules are installed via spacer members on an underlaying material laid on a substrate material such as wood, mortar, or cement. Adjacent ribbed seam-like solar cell modules are electrically connected the space between the solar cell modules and the underlaying material using cords with connectors.
In addition, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-302924, a plurality of laterally laying roof plates with solar cells are installed on an underlaying material, and wiring materials used to electrically connect adjacent roof plates with solar cells are passed through the space portion between the underlaying material and the laterally laying roof plates with solar cells.
In these roof plates with solar cells, the wiring materials, that is, connectors or connection cables, for electrically connecting adjacent solar cells are connected in the space between the underlaying material and the roof plates with solar cells.
As described above, when solar cell modules are installed on an underlaying material and/or a substrate material and adjacent solar cell modules are connected using electric connecting members such as cables or connectors, the solar cell modules are often sequentially installed above the underlaying material and/or substrate material while the electric connecting members for the adjacent solar cell modules are connected in the space between the underlaying material and/or substrate material and the solar cell modules.
Specifically, for example, the solar cell module on the eaves side is fixed to a bar on the underlaying material and/or substrate material, and the solar cell module on the eaves side and an electric connecting member of the solar cell module on the ridge side that is located immediately above the solar cell module on the eaves side are electrically connected in the space between the underlaying material and/or substrate material using, for example, a connector. Then, the solar cell module on the ridge side that is located immediately above the module on the eaves side is also fixed to the bar.
In such an installation method, however, the space portion between the underlaying material and/or substrate material and the solar cell modules is small, and electric connection operations must be performed on the rear side of the modules instead of their front side, thereby making operations difficult. Furthermore, when the temperature is low during winter, the cables and connectors are hardened, and the difficulty of the operations increases.
In addition, due to the need to connect the electric connecting members in the small space, the electric connecting member may be pulled too hard or excessive force may be exerted on the electric connecting member and the connection between the solar cell module and the electric connecting member. The electric connecting member may sometimes be disconnected from the solar cell module.
The length of the electric connecting members for the solar cell module may be increased to facilitate the use of the electric connecting members to connect the solar cell modules. In addition, when the lengths of plus and minus electric connecting members are equal, cable connectors can be produced by attaching plus and a minus connectors to the same electric connecting members, respectively, resulting in very high productivity.
On the other hand, to improve thermal insulation to cope with increasing needs for roofs, there is practically used a roof material integrated with a rear material, or a roof material comprising the rear material located between the roof material and the underlaying material and/or substrate material. The inventors have also been attempting to meet such needs for roofs with solar cells. The inventors have thus found that a problem may occur when the rear material is located on the underlaying material and/or substrate material, when the underlaying material and/or substrate material is composed of the rear material, when solar cell modules with the rear material are installed above the underlaying material and/or substrate material, or when the electric connecting members for the solar cells physically contact the rear material.
Furthermore, the inventors have found that the performance of the installed solar cell modules may be degraded when asphalt-based resin, polystyrene-based resin, polyurethane-based resin, or vinyl-based chloride resin that is often used as the underlaying material and/or substrate material and/or rear material contacts, over a long time, vinyl chloride-based resin that is used as a casing material for the electric connecting members used as wiring members for the solar cell modules and when these resins are under a resin degradation condition such as high temperature and high humidity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a solar cell module, an enclosure with solar cells, a method for installing them, and a sunlight power generating system using them, wherein excellent water-tightness and weatherability are provided, wherein solar cells can provide sufficient performance, and wherein long-time reliability is obtained. In particular, it is an object of this invention to provide a solar cell module, an enclosure with solar cells, a method for installing these devices, and a sunlight power generating system using them, wherein the degradation of an electric connecting member can be prevented (particularly when the casing material of the member is made of vinyl chloride), and wherein the output from solar cells can be prevented from decreasing.
It is another object of this invention to provide a solar cell module, an enclosure with solar cells, an enclosure installation method, and a solar cell system, wherein cracking of a covering material for electric connecting members is prevented, thereby improving reliability, particularly, long-time reliability.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a solar cell module, an enclosure with solar cells, an enclosure installation method, and a solar cell system, wherein excessive force is prevented from being exerted on the connection between a solar cell body and electric connecting members, thereby improving the installation operation for the solar cell modules.
It is still another object of this invention to provide an enclosure with solar cells and a sunlight power generating system with the enclosure, wherein an underlaying material or a substrate material is disposed on the back side of a solar cell module that outputs electricity through electric connecting members and wherein a non-contact space between the electric connecting members and the underlaying material or substrate material is provided between the electric connecting members and the underlaying materials or substrate material.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a method for installing an enclosure with solar cells, wherein an underlaying material or a substrate material is disposed on the back side of a solar cell module that outputs electricity through electric connecting members and wherein the enclosure is arranged by providing a non-contact space between the el
Fukae Kimitoshi
Inoue Yuji
Kataoka Ichiro
Sasaoka Makoto
Shiomi Satoru
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Chapman Mark
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
LandOfFree
Solar cell module, enclosure with solar cells, enclosure... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Solar cell module, enclosure with solar cells, enclosure..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Solar cell module, enclosure with solar cells, enclosure... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2491036