Method for making a modular solar panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12348184-B2
Application number	US-202318487310-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2023
Priority date	Apr 14, 2021
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

A modular solar panel including multiple solar panel modules. Each solar panel module includes a solar cell assembly. The solar cell assembly includes a protective glass, a base plate, a solar cell array located therebetween, and an electrical connection ribbons extending from the ends of the solar cell array. The solar panel module further includes one or more coupling modules. Each coupling module includes an interior cavity to receive one end of the solar cell assembly, two or more magnets removably embedded in the coupling module, a pin joint located on exterior of a first coupling module to interlock with a pin joint located on exterior of a second coupling module, and an electrical connection plug to receive one of the first and the second electrical connection ribbons. The electrical connection plug of the first coupling module electrically connects with an electrical connection plug of the second coupling module.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for assembling a modular solar panel, comprising:
forming a first solar panel module by:
forming a first solar cell assembly by sandwiching a first solar cell array between a first protective glass and a first base plate, so that a first electrical connection ribbon extends from a first end of the first solar cell array and a second electrical connection ribbon extends from a second, opposite end of the first solar cell array;
joining a first rectangular upper component to a first rectangular lower component to form a first coupling module having a first interior cavity, a first electrical connection port, a first electrical connection socket and a first pin joint having two pins and one notch;
joining a second rectangular upper component to a second rectangular lower component to form a second coupling module having a second interior cavity, a second electrical connection port, a second electrical connection socket and a second pin joint having one pin and two notches;
inserting the first end of the first solar cell assembly into the first interior cavity of the first coupling module while guiding the first electrical connection ribbon into the first electrical connection port; and
inserting the second end of the first solar cell assembly into the second interior cavity of the second coupling module while guiding the second electrical connection ribbon into the second electrical connection socket.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
joining the first rectangular upper component to the first rectangular lower component by:
inserting a first portion of a first magnet in a first upper pocket and a first portion of a second magnet into a second upper pocket of the first rectangular upper component of the first coupling module;
inserting a second portion of the first magnet into a first lower pocket and a second portion of the second magnet into a second lower pocket of the first rectangular lower component of the first coupling module;
joining the second rectangular upper component to the second rectangular lower component by:
inserting a third portion of a third magnet into a third upper pocket and a third portion of a fourth magnet into a fourth upper pocket of a second rectangular upper component of a third coupling module; and
inserting a fourth portion of the third magnet into a third lower pocket and a fourth portion of the fourth magnet into a fourth lower pocket of the second rectangular lower component of the third coupling module.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
forming a second solar panel module by:
forming a second solar cell assembly by sandwiching a second solar cell array between a second protective glass and a second base plate, so that a third electrical connection ribbon extends from a first end of the second solar cell array and a fourth electrical connection ribbon extends from a second, opposite end of the second solar cell array;
joining a third rectangular upper component to a third rectangular lower component to form a third coupling module having a third interior cavity, a third electrical connection port, a third electrical connection socket and a third pin joint having two pins and one notch;
joining a fourth rectangular upper component to a fourth rectangular lower component to form a fourth coupling module having a fourth interior cavity, a fourth electrical connection port, a fourth electrical connection socket and a fourth pin joint having one pin and two notches;
inserting the first end of the second solar cell assembly into the third interior cavity of the third coupling module while guiding the third electrical connection ribbon into the third electrical connection port; and
inserting the second end of the second solar cell assembly into a fourth interior cavity of a fourth coupling module while guiding the fourth electrical connection ribbon into the fourth electrical connection pert socket.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
joining the third rectangular upper component to the third rectangular lower component by:
inserting a first portion of a fifth magnet into a fifth upper pocket and a first portion of a sixth magnet into a sixth upper pocket of the third rectangular upper component of the third coupling module;
inserting a second portion of the fifth magnet into a fifth lower pocket and a second portion of the sixth magnet into a sixth lower pocket of the third rectangular lower component of the third coupling module;

joining the fourth rectangular upper component to the fourth rectangular lower component by:
inserting a first portion of a seventh magnet into a seventh upper pocket and a first portion of an eighth magnet into an eighth upper pocket of the fourth rectangular upper component of the fourth coupling module; and
inserting a second portion of the seventh magnet into a seventh lower pocket and a second portion of the eighth magnet into an eighth lower pocket of the fourth rectangular lower component of the fourth coupling module.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
inserting the first magnet into the first upper pocket of the first upper component with a positive polarity towards a first upper front wall;
inserting the second magnet into the second upper pocket of the first upper component with a negative polarity towards the first upper front wall; and
inserting the third magnet into the third upper pocket of the second upper component with a positive polarity towards a second upper front wall;
inserting the fourth magnet into the fourth upper pocket of the second upper component with a negative polarity towards the second upper front wall;
inserting the fifth magnet into the first upper pocket of the third upper component with a positive polarity towards a third upper front wall;
inserting the sixth magnet into the second upper pocket of the third upper component with a negative polarity towards the third upper front wall; and
inserting the seventh magnet into the first upper pocket of the fourth upper component with a positive polarity towards a fourth upper front wall; and
inserting the eighth magnet into the second upper pocket of the fourth upper component with a negative polarity towards the fourth upper front wall.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
connecting the first solar panel module to the second solar panel module by inserting the first pin joint into the fourth pin joint, the first electrical connection port into the fourth electrical connection socket and the first electrical connection socket into the fourth electrical connection port; and
aligning the first solar panel module with the second solar panel module by magnetically contacting the first magnet of the first coupling module to the fourth magnet of the second coupling module and magnetically contacting the second magnet of the first coupling module to the third magnet of the second coupling module.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first solar cell assembly includes:
the first solar cell array, the first protective glass, the first coupling module, the second coupling module, and the first base plate,
two or more magnets are removably embedded in the first and second coupling modules; and
wherein the pin joint of the first coupling module is interlocked with the pin joint of the second coupling module.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first rectangular upper and the first rectangular lower components are 3D printed from a plastic material selected from the group comprising polyaryletherketone, polyetherimide, polyether ether ketone ketone and polyether ether ketone.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein each magnet is a neodymium magnet.

1

Assignees

• Univ Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal

Inventors

• Saleem Muhammad
• Marzouk Abdulrahman Magdi
• Alqhtani Mohammed
• Almakytah Abdulmalik

Classifications

• H10F19/902

  for series or parallel connection of photovoltaic cells · CPC title

• H10F19/85

  Protective back sheets · CPC title

• H01R12/79

  connecting to rigid printed circuits or like structures · CPC title

• H02S30/10

  Frame structures · CPC title

• Y02B10/10

  Photovoltaic [PV] · CPC title