Sorting solar cells by colour shade
Single-file cells are imaged by a colour camera under diffuse dome light. Colour statistics of the cell area are compared with the recipe classes; a robot places the cell in the magazine of its class and an out-of-class cell in a separate tray.
The class code is sent to line control; the robot places the cell in the magazine of that class. An out-of-class cell is moved to a separate tray and its colour record is retained.
- 01 Infeed
- 02 Diffuse light
- 03 Acquire
- 04 Classify
- 05 Magazine
The cell arrives under the dome and stops.
- Class code
- —
- Distance from reference shade
- —
Scenes are illustrative simulations; they are not customer references or performance guarantees.
Need
Cell shades differ only subtly; glare and ambient light can make the same cell appear different. Conductive print regions can shift the colour average.
Solution approach
The dome lights the cell evenly from all directions, so the reflective surface shows no glare and ambient light is shielded. The colour camera looks down through the top of the dome. Edges and conductive print are masked out; colour statistics of the remaining area are compared with the reference classes. Colour balance and class boundaries are verified with reference samples.
Process steps
- 01
Infeed
The cell arrives under the dome and stops.
- 02
Diffuse light
Dome light illuminates the surface without glare.
- 03
Acquire
A colour image of the cell is captured.
- 04
Classify
The masked area is compared with reference shades.
- 05
Magazine
The cell advances to the pick point; the robot places it in its class magazine or a separate tray.
Related applications
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