Strain relief apparatus for solar modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9966487-B2
Application number	US-201514985376-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2015
Priority date	Dec 14, 2015
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A photovoltaic module can be constructed from one or more strings, with each of the strings being constructed from a plurality of cascaded solar cells. A connector can electrically connect the strings to one another. The connector can include strain relief connectors that extend between the connector and the strings to help reduce effects caused by thermal expansion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photovoltaic (PV) module comprising:
a string comprising a plurality of electrically connected solar cells, wherein adjacent solar cells of the string overlap;
an elongated connector connected to the string, the elongated connector comprising a plurality of strain relief connectors for connection to the string,
wherein the plurality of strain relief connectors are shaped to preferentially deform to provide strain relief for the string
wherein the string extends in a first direction,
wherein the elongated connector is planar and comprises a connection bus portion extending along a first straight line in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a plurality of soldering pads positioned along a second straight line extending in the second direction on the string,
wherein the plurality of strain relief connectors comprises a plurality of pairs of strain relief connectors, wherein each pair comprises a first strain relief connector and a second strain relief connector both directly connected to and terminating at a single shared soldering pad of the plurality of soldering pads, and
wherein each of the plurality of strain relief connectors extends from the connection bus portion in a direction parallel to the first direction and each of the plurality of strain relief connectors comprising a plurality of curved portions defining at least two complete sinusoidal waveforms between the connection bus portion and the shared soldering pad.

2. The PV module of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of strain relief connectors are planer and do not change direction in a direction perpendicular to a plane defined by the first and second direction.

3. The PV module of claim 1 , wherein the connection bus portion comprises a first connection bus portion configured to connect to the string and a second connection bus portion configured to connect to a further string, wherein a flexible bus portion non-linearly connects the first connection bus portion to the second connection bus portion.

Assignees

• Solarcity Corp

Inventors

• Magnusdottir Lilja
• Gonzalez Pablo
• Nguyen Peter

Classifications

• H10P74/203

  Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects · CPC title

• B23K1/012

  Soldering with the use of hot gas · CPC title

• H01L31/0508 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/0504

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/0201

  Electricity · mapped topic