US-12628437-B2 - Injection molded, blow molded, and rotational molded articles that integrally incorporate a photovoltaic device, and method and system for producing such articles

US12628437B2US 12628437 B2US12628437 B2US 12628437B2US-12628437-B2

Abstract

Injection molded, blow molded, and rotational molded articles that integrally incorporate an operable photovoltaic device, and method and system for producing such articles. A method includes: placing an operable photovoltaic device at an inner-side of a mold cavity of a mold; performing injection molding or reaction injection molding or blow molding or rotational molding, of raw plastic materials or raw polymeric materials; and forming a single or singular, monolithic, unified or uniform, molded article that integrally incorporates and fixedly holds and tightly secures, therein or thereon, the operable photovoltaic device, directly and securely and tightly via the solidified molded plastic or the solidified molded polymer that are adjacent to it.

Inventors

Eran MAIMON
Ramon Joseph Albalak

Assignees

SOLARPAINT LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230419

Claims (14)

1 . A method comprising: producing a molded article that integrally holds therein or thereon an operable photovoltaic device; wherein producing the molded article comprises: producing the molded article from a raw material selected from the group consisting of: raw plastic material, raw polymeric material, by (a) placing within a mold cavity, at an inner-side of said mold cavity, said operable photovoltaic device that is able to convert light into electricity, and (b) performing a molding process selected from the group consisting of: injection molding, reactive injection molding, blow molding, rotational molding; wherein said performing of the molding process comprises heating and melting said raw material, and causing said material to acquire a shape that complements a shape of an inner-side of said mold, and causing said operable photovoltaic device to become mechanically and integrally held in said article by adjacent solidified molten region of said material; (c) after a cooling-down period of said mold: opening said mold, and removing said article from within said mold cavity; wherein said article is a solid, molded-plastic or molded-polymer article which mechanically holds integrally therein or thereon said operable photovoltaic device via molded plastic or molded polymer; wherein said producing comprises: providing an injection-molding mold, having a male member and a female member which together define between them said mold cavity; when the injection-molding mold is open, placing the operable photovoltaic device at an inner-side of the female member of the injection-molding mold; closing the injection-molding mold; injecting into said mold cavity, in an injection molding process, molten plastic material or molten polymeric material; after a cooling-down period, opening the injection-molding mold; removing, from the opened injection-molding mold, the solid, molded-plastic or molded-polymer article which holds integrally therein or thereon said operable photovoltaic device; wherein said placing comprises: temporarily securing the operable photovoltaic device to the inner-side of the female member via an adhesive.
2 . A method comprising: producing a molded article that integrally holds therein or thereon an operable photovoltaic device; wherein producing the molded article comprises: producing the molded article from a raw material selected from the group consisting of: raw plastic material, raw polymeric material, by (a) placing within a mold cavity, at an inner-side of said mold cavity, said operable photovoltaic device that is able to convert light into electricity, and (b) performing a molding process selected from the group consisting of: injection molding, reactive injection molding, blow molding, rotational molding; wherein said performing of the molding process comprises heating and melting said raw material, and causing said material to acquire a shape that complements a shape of an inner-side of said mold, and causing said operable photovoltaic device to become mechanically and integrally held in said article by adjacent solidified molten region of said material; (c) after a cooling-down period of said mold: opening said mold, and removing said article from within the mold cavity; wherein said article is a solid, molded-plastic or molded-polymer article which mechanically holds integrally therein or thereon said operable photovoltaic device via molded plastic or molded polymer; wherein said producing comprises: providing an injection-molding mold, having a male member and a female member which together define between them said mold cavity; when the injection-molding mold is open, placing the operable photovoltaic device at an inner-side of the female member of the injection-molding mold; closing the injection-molding mold; injecting into said mold cavity, in an injection molding process, molten plastic material or molten polymeric material; after a cooling-down period, opening the injection-molding mold; removing, from the opened injection-molding mold, the solid, molded-plastic or molded-polymer article which holds integrally therein or thereon said operable photovoltaic device; wherein said placing comprises: temporarily securing the operable photovoltaic device to the inner-side of the female member via a magnetic force that attracts (i) the operable photovoltaic device to (ii) the female member of the injection-molding mold.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the operable photovoltaic device has (i) a sunny-side surface that is configured to absorb light and convert it to electricity, and (ii) a dark-side surface that is not configured to absorb light and convert it to electricity; wherein the dark-side surface is generally opposite to the sunny-side surface; wherein said placing comprises: placing the operable photovoltaic device such that the sunny-side surface thereof is facing the inner-side of the female member of the injection-molding mold.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the operable photovoltaic device has (i) a sunny-side surface that is configured to absorb light and convert it to electricity, and (ii) a dark-side surface that is not configured to absorb light and convert it to electricity; wherein the dark-side surface is generally opposite to the sunny-side surface; wherein said placing comprises: placing the operable photovoltaic device such that the dark-side surface thereof is facing the inner-side of the female member of the injection-molding mold.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said injecting comprises: melting a raw material that is selected from the group consisting of: transparent plastic, transparent polymer, translucent plastic, translucent polymer, plastic that allows at least partial passage of light therethrough, polymer that allows at least partial passage of light therethrough; injecting molten raw material, that is transparent or translucent, to surround and to encapsulate an entirety of said operable photovoltaic device.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said injecting comprises: melting a raw material that is selected from the group consisting of: transparent plastic, transparent polymer, translucent plastic, translucent polymer, plastic that allows at least partial passage of light therethrough, polymer that allows at least partial passage of light therethrough; injecting molten raw material, that is transparent or translucent, to cover at least some of the sunny-side surface of said operable photovoltaic device.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said operable photovoltaic device is operable to convert light to electricity prior to insertion of said operable photovoltaic device into the injection-molding mold; wherein said operable photovoltaic device remains operable to convert light to electricity after it is integrated, via injection molding, into said article.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said placing comprises: temporarily mounting the operable photovoltaic device on a non-planar region of the inner-side of the female member.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said operable photovoltaic device is a non-planar operable photovoltaic device; wherein said placing comprises: temporarily placing said non-planar operable photovoltaic device at a non-planar region of the inner-side of the female member; wherein the injecting comprises: forming a non-planar contour of said injected-molded article immediately neighboring said operable photovoltaic device.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the molding process comprises: performing a molding process that utilizes raw plastic material and/or raw polymeric material, and also one or more of: a foaming agent, a blowing agent, threads of glass fiber, chopped glass fiber, threads of a mechanical reinforcement agent.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the molding process comprises: performing a Reaction Injection Molding or a Reactive Injection Molding process that utilizes polyurethane.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said injecting comprises: entirely surrounding an entirety of said operable photovoltaic device, with injected molten raw material that is transparent or translucent; creating by injection molding a molded article having said operable photovoltaic device entirely buried therein, wherein a transparent or translucent region of said molded article enables passage of light to an active surface of said operable photovoltaic device.
13 . A method comprising: producing a molded article that integrally holds therein or thereon an operable photovoltaic device; wherein producing the molded article comprises: producing the molded article from a raw material selected from the group consisting of: raw plastic material, raw polymeric material, by (a) placing within a mold cavity, at an inner-side of said mold cavity, an operable photovoltaic device that is able to convert light into electricity, and (b) performing a molding process selected from the group consisting of: injection molding, reactive injection molding, blow molding, rotational molding; wherein said performing of the molding process comprises heating and melting said raw material, and causing said material to acquire a shape that complements a shape of an inner-side of said mold, and causing said operable photovoltaic device to become mechanically and integrally held in said article by adjacent solidified molten region of said material; (c) after a cooling-down period of said mold: opening said mold, and removing said article from within said mold cavity; wherein said article is a solid, molded-plastic or molded-polymer article which mechanically holds integrally therein or thereon said operable photovoltaic device via molded plastic or molded polymer; wherein said producing comprises: providing a rotational-molding mold, having therein said mold cavity; placing the operable photovoltaic device within the mold cavity, at an inner-side of the rotational-molding mold; inserting into the mold cavity a pre-defined amount of raw plastic material and/or raw polymeric material; continuously rotating and heating the rotational-molding mold for a first pre-defined time period (T1), and causing the raw plastic material and/or raw polymeric material to melt and to be pushed outwardly towards the inner-side of the rotational-molding mold; stopping the heating of the rotational-molding mold, and continuously rotating and heating the rotational-molding mold for a second pre-defined time period (T2), and causing the raw plastic material and/or raw polymeric material to solidify during the rotating of the second pre-defined time period (T2); after said cooling-down period: opening the rotational-molding mold, and removing therefrom the solid, molded-plastic or molded-polymer article which holds integrally therein or thereon said operable photovoltaic device.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said placing comprises: placing said operable photovoltaic device which is flexible and rollable, and which comprises semiconductor substrate having a plurality of non-transcending craters that penetrate into from 80 percent to 99.9 percent of a depth of said semiconductor substrate; wherein the plurality of non-transcending craters segment said semiconductor substrate and said operable photovoltaic device into a plurality of sub-regions, and provide to said operable photovoltaic device properties of absorption and dissipation of mechanical forces and/or mechanical shocks and/or mechanical pressure and/or thermal forces, and provide to said operable photovoltaic device an ability to remain operable even after being subjected to high-temperature and high-pressure molding.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This patent application is a Continuation of PCT international application number PCT/IL2021/051269, having an international filing date of Oct. 27, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The above-mentioned PCT/IL2021/051269 claims priority and benefit: (i) from U.S. 63/106,666, filed on Oct. 28, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety; and also, (ii) from U.S. Ser. No. 17/353,867, filed on Jun. 22, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. This patent application is also a Continuation-in-Part (CIP) of U.S. Ser. No. 17/353,867, filed on Jun. 22, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The above-mentioned U.S. Ser. No. 17/353,867 is a Continuation-in-Part (CIP) of U.S. Ser. No. 16/362,665, filed on Mar. 24, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,081,606 (issued on Aug. 3, 2021), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety; which claims priority and benefit from U.S. 62/785,282, filed on Dec. 27, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The above-mentioned U.S. Ser. No. 17/353,867 is also a Continuation-in-Part (CIP) of PCT international application number PCT/IL2019/051416, having an international filing date of Dec. 26, 2019, published as international publication number WO 2020/136653 A1, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The above-mentioned PCT/IL2019/051416 claims priority and benefit (I) from U.S. Ser. No. 16/362,665, filed on Mar. 24, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,081,606 (issued on Aug. 3, 2021), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, and (II) from U.S. 62/785,282, filed on Dec. 27, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. This patent application is also a Continuation-in-Part (CIP) of U.S. Ser. No. 17/802,335, filed on Aug. 25, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety; which is a National Stage of PCT international application number PCT/IL2021/050217, having an international filing date of Feb. 25, 2021, published as international publication number WO 2021/171298 A1, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety; which claims priority and benefit from U.S. 62/982,536, filed on Feb. 27, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIELD Some embodiments relate to the field of solar panels and photovoltaic (PV) devices. BACKGROUND The photovoltaic (PV) effect is the creation of voltage and electric current in a material upon exposure to light. It is a physical and chemical phenomenon. The PV effect has been used in order to generate electricity from sunlight. For example, PV solar panels absorb sunlight or light energy or photons, and generate current electricity through the PV effect. SUMMARY Some embodiments provide an injection-molded article or a blow-molded article or a rotational-molded article, having a Photovoltaic (PV) cell or a PV device that is integrally embedded therein and/or that is integrally incorporated therein; as well as methods and systems for producing such articles. Injection molded, blow molded, and rotational molded articles that integrally incorporate a photovoltaic device, and method and system for producing such articles. A method includes: placing an operable photovoltaic device at an inner-side of a mold cavity of a mold; performing injection molding or blow molding or rotational molding of raw plastic materials or raw polymeric materials; and thus forming a single, monolithic, unified, molded article that integrally holds therein or thereon the operable photovoltaic device. Some embodiments may provide other and/or additional benefits and/or advantages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a flow-chart of a method of producing via injection molding a plastic or polymeric article having integrated PV device(s), in accordance with some embodiments. FIG. 2 is a flow-chart of a method of producing via blow molding a plastic or polymeric article (e.g., a hollow or partially-hollow plastic or polymeric article) having integrated PV device(s), in accordance with some embodiments. FIG. 3 is a flow-chart of a method of producing via rotational molding a plastic or polymeric article (e.g., a hollow or partially-hollow plastic or polymeric article) having integrated PV device(s), in accordance with some embodiments FIGS. 4A to 4G are schematic illustrations demonstrating components and operational steps of an injection molding system, in accordance with some demonstrative embodiments. FIGS. 5A to 5C are illustrations of several prior art hybrid non-monolithic products. FIGS. 6A to 6F are schematic side-view illustrations of several monolithic molded articles, in accordance with some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME DEMONSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS Some embodiments provide an injection-molded article or a blow-molded article or a rotational-molded article, having a Photovoltaic (PV) cell or