Ultra-Low Cost Intelligent Flexible Automation for Custom Solar Cell Arrays

定制太阳能电池阵列的超低成本智能灵活自动化

• 批准号: 560476-2020
• 负责人: Blum, Susan
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: Saskatchewan Polytechnic
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=706985
• 关键词: Ultra; Low; Cost; Intelligent; Flexible

LightLeaf Solar produces custom solar arrays for contoured surfaces, to custom fit recreation or sport vehicles, and commercial vehicles. The company is growing, and scaling production volume requires training more skilled workers to assemble individual cells into strings (rows) of cells, and then into rectangular arrays that can be fit into contoured panels. In order to be price competitive while maintaining profitability, LightLeaf needs to implement a scalable automated or semi-automated assembly system. Fully automated systems to produce large quantities of identical panels exist, but require extensive capital investment, and don't have the flexibility to produce custom panels. Using traditional electronic assembly automation components to build a fast and dedicated flexible automation systems is very expensive, making it difficult for a small company to grow incrementally without the financial risk of a large capital investment. This research is to determine if ultra-low cost intelligent automation can be used to perform efficient and reliable production of multi-cell arrays for producing contoured solar panels. If the reliability and accuracy required can be obtained with this ultra-low cost intelligent flexible automation, it can be scaled to increase throughput by running multiple systems in parallel, which will also make the overall system more reliable because there is no single point of failure. The project with Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Research in Additive Manufacturing and Prototyping (RAMP) facility will examine the feasibility, accuracy and reliability of ultra-low cost intelligent flexible automation.

LightLeaf Solar 生产用于轮廓表面的定制太阳能电池阵列，以定制适合休闲或运动车辆以及商用车辆。该公司正在不断发展，扩大产量需要培训更多熟练工人将单个电池组装成电池串（行），然后组装成可安装到轮廓面板中的矩形阵列。为了在保持盈利能力的同时保持价格竞争力，LightLeaf 需要实施可扩展的自动化或半自动化装配系统。存在生产大量相同面板的全自动系统，但需要大量资本投资，并且不具备生产定制面板的灵活性。使用传统的电子装配自动化组件来构建快速且专用的柔性自动化系统非常昂贵，这使得小公司很难在不承担大量资本投资的财务风险的情况下实现增量增长。这项研究旨在确定是否可以使用超低成本智能自动化来高效可靠地生产多电池阵列，以生产轮廓太阳能电池板。如果通过这种超低成本的智能灵活自动化能够获得所需的可靠性和准确性，则可以通过并行运行多个系统来扩展吞吐量以提高吞吐量，这也将使整个系统更加可靠，因为不存在单点故障。该项目与萨斯喀彻温省理工学院增材制造和原型研究 (RAMP) 设施合作，将检验超低成本智能柔性自动化的可行性、准确性和可靠性。