Photovoltaic module with simplified connection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9935226-B2
Application number	US-201214235375-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2012
Priority date	Jul 29, 2011
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

Photovoltaic module ( 11 ) comprising a plurality of electrically connected photovoltaic cells ( 12 ), characterized in that it has a square shape and comprises at least two contact pads ( 17, 18 ) in each corner of the module so as to comprise at least four connectors ( 14, 15 ) on each edge ( 21; 22; 23; 24 ) of the module.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plant comprising a first Photovoltaic module and a second photovoltaic module, wherein the first photovoltaic module comprising: a plurality of electrically connected photovoltaic cells,
wherein a light receiving surface of said first photovoltaic module has a square shape and comprises at least two contact pads of negative and positive polarity, respectively, in each corner of said light receiving surface,
for each corner each contact pad of the at least two contact pads is connected to two connectors not shared with the other one of the at least two contact pads,
for each corner, said two connectors are shared over two adjacent edges of the first photovoltaic module located around that corner of the first photovoltaic module where the respective contact pad is placed, so that each edge of the first photovoltaic module comprises four connectors, wherein the four connectors are formed by said two connectors of each contact pad and include two connectors of each polarity placed near each corner,
wherein the four connectors of each edge of the first photovoltaic module directly electrically connect the first photovoltaic module to the second photovoltaic module.

2. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein each contact pad of the at least two contact pads has a multilayer structure and comprises an electrical connection via at least one conductor etched in insulating layers of the multilayer structure, and at least one recess in order to allow contact with said at least one conductor.

3. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein each contact pad of the at least two contact pads comprises equipotential layers produced by electrochemical or electrolytic deposition comprising a rigid plate made of glass, epoxy fibre or PET, wherein a first and a second side of said rigid plate is covered with a conductive metal selected from a group consisting of flexible aluminum and copper, each of the first side and the second side representing a polarity.

4. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein said first photovoltaic module comprises an electrical connection via at least one insulated conductive strip located in a thickness of the first photovoltaic module.

5. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein said first photovoltaic module comprises sixteen connectors formed by said two connectors of each contact pad, arranged around the light receiving surface perimeter of the first photovoltaic module, with no other wires running from the first photovoltaic module.

6. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein the first photovoltaic module and the second photovoltaic module are connected in an array forming a rectangle or a square wherein the first photovoltaic module and the second photovoltaic module are connected in series or in parallel or in a matrix structure.

Assignees

• Chaintreuil Nicolas
• Messaoudi Paul
• Pilat Eric
• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Chaintreuil Nicolas
• Messaoudi Paul
• Pilat Eric

Classifications

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• H01L31/0508 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/0201

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10F77/937 Primary

  Busbar structures for modules · CPC title

• H10F19/904 Primary

  characterised by the shapes of the structures · CPC title