Technical Field of Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a photovoltaic sintering furnace, and in particular to a photovoltaic solar rapid-sintering furnace.

Background

[0002] A photovoltaic device blank is sintered in a sintering furnace to obtain a finished photovoltaic device. The sintering furnace has a sintering furnace chamber that has multiple furnace chamber sections. During the sintering process, the photovoltaic device blank is conveyed by means of a furnace belt, and the photovoltaic device blank enters the entrance of the sintering furnace chamber, passes through the multiple furnace chamber sections, and reaches the exit of the sintering furnace chamber so as to obtain a finished photovoltaic device.

Summary

[0003] Through observation, the inventor has recognized that a furnace belt in a sintering furnace needs to have an appropriate tension to work. However, during a conveying process of a furnace belt of a photovoltaic solar sintering furnace, since the furnace belt is gradually heated by the sintering furnace and is tensioned by a tensile force formed by a transmission pulley, the length of the furnace belt gradually increases, and the tension gradually decreases. When the length of the furnace belt increases to a certain length, the slip or even stop of the furnace belt occurs. In the prior art, a solution used is to shut down the sintering furnace to cut the furnace belt short after the furnace belt is lengthened to a certain extent so as to adjust the length of the furnace belt. This solution needs to shut down the sintering furnace, cool the furnace belt, then cut the furnace belt short to adjust the length of the furnace belt, and then reheat the furnace belt after the length of the furnace belt is adjusted. This process takes several hours, which will seriously affect the normal operation of the sintering furnace. [0004] As an embodiment, according to the present invention, the change in the length of the furnace belt is reflected by the tension of the furnace belt, and the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted by means of moving an adjusting roller.

[0005] As an embodiment, according to the present invention, the change in the length of the furnace belt is the tension of the furnace belt, and when the length of the furnace belt is a normal working length, the furnace belt is in a normal working tension range. When the furnace belt is in a normal working length range, the tension of the furnace belt makes a pinch roller in a normal working position. When the length of the furnace belt continues to increase and the tension of the furnace belt gradually decreases, the pinch roller gradually moves downward. When the length of the furnace belt gradually increases so that the furnace belt cannot work normally, the tension of the furnace belt makes the pinch roller in an abnormal working position. Therefore, position information of the pinch roller can reflect the change in the length of the furnace belt.

[0006] As an embodiment, according to the present invention, the position of the pinch roller is detected by means of a sensor. One example of the sensor is a position sensor. One example of the position sensor is a Hall sensor, which can detect a change in the magnetic field; and the pinch roller is provided with a magnet mounted on the side facing the sensor. Therefore, when the position of the pinch roller changes, the magnetic field detected by the sensor also changes. The sensor can detect a change in the position of the pinch roller according to the detected change in the magnetic field, and generate a signal to transfer the position information of the pinch roller to a controller. The controller can convert the position information of the pinch roller into tension information of the furnace belt, and display the tension information of the furnace belt on a display to prompt an operator to adjust the tension of the furnace belt when necessary.

[0007] When the adjusting roller is adjusted, the tension of the furnace belt gradually increases, and the pinch roller moves upward accordingly (in a direction of tensioning the furnace belt) so as to drive the magnet on the pinch roller to move, so that the sensor can detect the change in the position of the pinch roller and transfer position change information of the pinch roller to the controller. The controller can convert the position change information of the pinch roller into tension change information of the furnace belt, and display the tension change information of the furnace belt on the display. The operator adjusts the pinch roller to a normal position according to the tension change information of the furnace belt on the display, and adjusts the furnace belt to the required tension.

[0008] Of course, the operator can also observe the tension of the furnace belt with his eyes, determine whether to adjust the tension of the furnace belt through the operator's observation, and adjust the tension of the furnace belt according to the operator's skills and experiences. As an embodiment, when the furnace belt is initially assembled to the sintering furnace, the pinch roller is located in an initial position, and after the furnace belt is lengthened, the pinch roller moves downward and is no longer in the original position. Therefore, the operator can make a mark at the initial position on the sintering furnace for easy observation when the pinch roller is in the initial position. When the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted, the operator can determine whether the furnace belt reaches the required tension by means of observing whether the pinch roller returns to the mark.

[0009] The furnace belt still has a certain tension without shutting down the sintering furnace. When the furnace belt is lengthened to an abnormal working length, according to the present invention, the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted by means of moving the adjusting roller. Before moving the adjusting roller, it is necessary to loosen fasteners that fix the adjusting roller, and at this point, the tensioning force of the furnace belt causes the adjusting roller to move in a direction of loosening the furnace belt, resulting in the failure of the furnace belt to work normally. The present invention provides a stopping device, which abuts against the adjusting roller and prevents the adjusting roller from moving in the direction of loosening the furnace belt. When the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted, the stopping device enables the adjusting roller to move only in the direction of tensioning the furnace belt but not in the direction of loosening the furnace belt. Therefore, according to the present invention, the stopping device effectively ensures that when the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted by loosening the fasteners that fix the adjusting roller, the adjusting roller does not move in the direction of loosening the furnace belt due to the tensioning force of the furnace belt, so as to adjust the tension of the furnace belt without shutting down the sintering furnace.

[0010] The technical effects of the present invention at least lie in that the tension of the furnace belt can be adjusted without shutting down the photovoltaic sintering furnace, and the solution of adjusting the tension of the furnace belt can be achieved without cutting the furnace belt. In addition, the operator can easily implement the adjustment of the tension of the furnace belt. Therefore, the solution of adjusting the furnace belt of the present invention has less effect on the normal operation of the sintering furnace and takes less time, thereby improving the production efficiency of the sintering furnace for users.

[0011] According to an aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a photovoltaic sintering furnace, comprising a furnace belt for conveying a workpiece to be processed, with the length of the furnace belt being increased during movement, and the increase in the length of the furnace belt resulting in a change in the tension of the furnace belt; and a transmission device configured to support the furnace belt and drive the furnace belt to run to convey the workpiece to be processed. The photovoltaic sintering furnace further comprises an adjusting roller, which is in contact with the furnace belt and is configured to be movable to adjust the tension of the adjusting furnace.

[0012] In one embodiment, the photovoltaic sintering furnace further comprises a stopping device, which is in contact with the adjusting roller and is configured such that, after fasteners that fix the adjusting roller are loosened, the adjusting roller does not move in a direction of loosening the furnace belt. The stopping device is configured to be movable such that the adjusting roller moves with the movement of the stopping device. The stopping device enables the adjusting roller to move only in a direction of tensioning the furnace belt but not in the direction of loosening the furnace belt. [0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for adjusting a furnace belt of a photovoltaic sintering furnace, the method comprising: using the foregoing photovoltaic sintering furnace such that the furnace belt is adjusted when the furnace belt is lengthened.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0014] Fig. 1 shows a perspective structural view of an embodiment of a photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 according to the present invention;

[0015] Fig. 2A shows a front view of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 1 in a starting position;

[0016] Fig. 2B shows a front view of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 1 in a middle position;

[0017] Fig. 2C shows a front view of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 1 in an end position;

[0018] Fig. 3A shows a partial enlarged view of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 2A in the starting position;

[0019] Fig. 3B shows a partial enlarged view of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 2B in the middle position;

[0020] Fig. 3C shows a partial enlarged view of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 2C in the end position;

[0021] Figs. 4A to 4C respectively show perspective structural views of a part, including an adjusting roller 2 and an adjusting device 3, in the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 1 from a first perspective, a second perspective and a third perspective;

[0022] Fig. 5 shows a front enlarged view of a part, including a pinch roller 4 and a sensor 5, in the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 1 ; [0023] Fig. 6 shows a structural block diagram of the sensor 5, an alarm device 6, a display 7 and a controller 8 shown in Fig. 1 ; and

[0024] Fig. 7 shows a block diagram of the controller 8 shown in Fig. 1.

Detailed Description

[0025] The various specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings which constitute a part of this specification. It should be understood that, where possible, the same or similar reference numerals used throughout the present invention denote the same parts.

[0026] Fig. 1 shows a perspective structural view of an embodiment of a photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 (with a furnace belt not shown) according to the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1 , the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 comprises a transmission device 1 , an adjusting roller 2, an adjusting device 3, and a pinch roller 4. The photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 further comprises a sensor 5, an alarm device 6, a display 7, and a controller 8 (see Figs. 5 and 6), which are not shown in Fig. 1. In one embodiment, the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 further comprises other devices and structures.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 1 , during the operation, the transmission device 1 is used to support the furnace belt (not shown in Fig. 1) and drive the furnace belt to run to convey a workpiece to be processed (not shown in Fig. 1 ). In one embodiment, the furnace belt is a mesh belt. In one embodiment, the furnace belt is a stainless steel furnace belt, and is specifically made of elevated temperature resistant stainless steel, and more specifically stainless steel 31 OS. In one embodiment, the workpiece to be processed includes a wafer. During the conveying process of the furnace belt of the photovoltaic sintering furnace, the furnace belt is gradually heated by the sintering furnace, and the furnace belt is tensioned by the transmission device. Thus, the length of the stainless steel furnace belt does not increase during the conveying process. Because the stainless steel belt does not have the flexibility to restore shape, the increase in the length of the furnace belt changes the tension of the furnace belt. [0028] According to the present invention, the change in the length of the furnace belt is reflected by the tension of the furnace belt, and the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted by means of moving position of the adjusting roller 2. As shown in Fig. 1 , the adjusting roller 2 is in contact with the furnace belt, and the adjusting roller 2 is configured to be movable to adjust the tension of the furnace belt. During normal conveying of the furnace belt, the length of the furnace belt is a normal working length, and the furnace belt is in a normal working tension range. When the furnace belt is lengthened to an abnormal working length, according to the present invention, the furnace belt in the normal working tension range by means of moving the adjusting roller 2, without cutting the furnace belt short, without cooling and heating the furnace belt, and taking less time. In one embodiment, the furnace belt is wound around a surface of the adjusting roller 2 and is in contact with the adjusting roller 2, and the adjusting roller 2 is used to convey the furnace belt. In one embodiment, the adjusting roller 2 is arranged on a side of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 to facilitate an operator to adjust the adjusting roller 2. In other embodiments, the adjusting roller 2 may be arranged in other suitable positions of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100.

[0029] During the normal working of the furnace belt, the gravity of the adjusting roller 2 is insufficient to overcome the tensioning force of the furnace belt on the adjusting roller 2, and thus the adjusting roller 2 does not move in a direction of tensioning the furnace belt. On the contrary, the effect of the tensioning force of the furnace belt on the adjusting roller 2 is greater than the effect of the gravity of the adjusting roller 2, so that the adjusting roller 2 moves in the direction of loosening the furnace belt, and thus the adjusting roller 2 needs to be fixed to the sintering furnace by means of fasteners, so as to prevent the adjusting roller 2 from moving in the direction of loosening the furnace belt by the tensioning force on the furnace belt. Thus, the adjusting roller 2 is movably fixed to the sintering furnace.

[0030] When the furnace belt is lengthened to an abnormal working length, the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted by means of moving the adjusting roller 2. However, when the fasteners that fix the adjusting roller 2 are loosened before the adjusting roller 2 moves, although the furnace belt is lengthened to an abnormal working length, the gravity of the adjusting roller 2 is insufficient to overcome the effect of the tensioning force of the furnace belt to the adjusting roller 2, and thus the adjusting roller 2 does not automatically move downward to tension the furnace belt. Therefore, according to the present invention, a device that cooperates with the adjusting roller 2 is used to move position of the adjusting roller 2 when the furnace belt is lengthened to an abnormal working length. In one embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1 , the adjusting device 3 cooperates with the adjusting roller 2 to adjust the position of the adjusting roller 2. The adjusting device 3 is configured to move the adjusting roller 2 to adjust the tension of the furnace belt, for example, to move the adjusting roller 2 downward to increase the tension of the furnace belt.

[0031] According to the present invention, it is desired to adjust the tension of the furnace belt without shutting down the sintering furnace. However, the furnace belt still has a certain tension when the sintering furnace is not shut down. In the absence of the fastening effect of the fasteners on the adjusting roller 2, the tensioning force of the furnace belt makes the adjusting roller 2 move in the direction of loosening the furnace belt. When the furnace belt is lengthened to an abnormal working length, according to the present invention, the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted by means of moving the adjusting roller 2. Before moving the adjusting roller 2, it is necessary to loosen the fasteners that fix the adjusting roller 2, and at this point, the tensioning force of the furnace belt causes the adjusting roller 2 to move in the direction of loosening the furnace belt, resulting in the failure of the furnace belt to work normally. In order to effectively ensure that, when the fasteners that fix the adjusting roller 2 are loosened to adjust the tension of the furnace belt, the adjusting roller 2 does not move in the direction of loosening the furnace belt due to the tensioning force of the furnace belt to achieve adjustment of the tension of the furnace belt without shutting down the sintering furnace, the present invention provides a stopping device 301 (see Figs. 3A to 3C, and Figs. 4A to 4C). [0032] In one embodiment, the adjusting device 3 comprises a stopping device 301 . The stopping device 301 is in contact with the adjusting roller 2, and specifically abuts against the adjusting roller 2. The stopping device 301 is configured to be movable such that the adjusting roller 2 moves with the movement of the stopping device 301. When the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted, the stopping device 301 enables the adjusting roller 2 to move only in the direction of tensioning the furnace belt but not in the direction of loosening the furnace belt. By means of the stopping device, when the furnace belt is lengthened and then the operator adjusts the tension of the furnace belt, it is not necessary to shut down the sintering furnace, so as to reduce consumption of the sintering furnace due to shutdown and restart, reduce the time spent in the adjustment process, and improve production efficiency for the operator.

[0033] As mentioned above, according to the present invention, the change in the length of the furnace belt is reflected by the tension of the furnace belt, and when the length of the furnace belt is a normal working length, the furnace belt is in a normal working tension range. When the length of the furnace belt is in a normal working length range, the tension of the furnace belt makes the pinch roller 4 in a normal working position. When the length of the furnace belt continues to increase and the tension of the furnace belt gradually decreases, the pinch roller 4 gradually moves downward. When the length of the furnace belt gradually increases so that the furnace belt cannot work normally, the tension of the furnace belt makes the pinch roller 4 in an abnormal working position. Therefore, position information of the pinch roller 4 can reflect the change in the length of the furnace belt.

[0034] According to the present invention, the position of the pinch roller 4 is detected by means of the sensor 5 (see Fig. 5). In operation, the sensor 5 detects a change in the position of the pinch roller 4 and generates a signal to transfer the position information of the pinch roller 4 to the controller 8. The controller 8 converts the position information of the pinch roller 4 into tension information of the furnace belt, and displays the tension information of the furnace belt on the display 7 to prompt an operator to adjust the tension of the furnace belt when necessary. The controller 8 can also generate a control signal according to the position information of the pinch roller 4, and output the control signal to the alarm device 6, so as to control the alarm device 6 to give an alarm to prompt the operator to adjust the tension of the furnace belt.

[0035] When the furnace belt is lengthened and the adjusting roller 2 is adjusted, the tension of the furnace belt gradually increases, and the position of the pinch roller 4 changes accordingly, for example, move upward (in the direction of tensioning the furnace belt). The sensor 5 can detect the position change of the pinch roller 4 and transfer position change information of the pinch roller 4 to the controller 8. The controller 8 converts the position change information of the pinch roller 4 into tension change information of the furnace belt, and displays the tension change information of the furnace belt on the display 7. The operator can adjust the pinch roller 4 to a normal position according to the tension change information of the furnace belt on the display 7 and adjust the furnace belt to the required tension.

[0036] According to the present invention, the change in the length of the furnace belt is reflected by the tension of the furnace belt, and when the tension of the furnace belt changes, the running speed of the furnace belt also changes accordingly. Therefore, the change in the length of the furnace belt can also be reflected by the running speed of the furnace belt. According to the present invention, the sensor 5 is also used to detect the running speed of the furnace belt and transfer running speed information of the furnace belt to the controller 8. The sensor 5 includes a speed sensor. The controller 8 converts the running speed information of the furnace belt into information suitable for the display 7 to display, and displays the information on the display 7 to prompt the operator to adjust the tension of the furnace belt when necessary. The controller 8 can also generate a control signal according to the running speed of the furnace belt and output the control signal to the alarm device 6, so as to control the alarm device 6 to give an alarm to prompt the operator to adjust the tension of the furnace belt. When the furnace belt is lengthened and then the adjusting roller 2 is adjusted, the running speed of the furnace belt gradually increases. On the basis of the information of the running speed of the furnace belt displayed on the display 7, the operator can adjust the furnace belt to the required running speed and adjust the furnace belt to the required tension.

[0037] Fig. 2A shows a front view of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 1 in a starting position. As shown in Fig. 2A, when the furnace belt 10 is initially assembled to the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 for normal conveying, the adjusting roller 2, the adjusting device 3, and the pinch roller 4 are in the initial position, and the furnace belt 10 has a predetermined tension, that is, the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 is located in the initial position. Fig. 3A shows a partial enlarged view of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 2A in the starting position. As shown in Fig. 3A, in the starting position, the adjusting roller 2 is at the top, and the adjusting device 3 is also at the top. Specifically, the stopping device 301 , which is a part of the adjusting device 3, is at the top.

[0038] Fig. 2B shows a front view of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 1 in a middle position. After the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 is located in the starting position, the furnace belt 10 is lengthened to an abnormal working length over a period of time, the tension of the furnace belt 10 can be adjusted by the adjusting roller 2 and the adjusting device 3, so that the furnace belt 10 can reach a predetermined tension. When the furnace belt is adjusted to the predetermined tension, as shown in Fig. 2B, the adjusting roller 2 and the adjusting device 3 move to the middle position, that is, the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 is located in the middle position. At this point, the pinch roller 4 can return to the initial position. Fig. 3B shows a partial enlarged view of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 2B in the middle position. As shown in Fig. 3B, in this middle position, the adjusting roller 2 is in the middle position, and the adjusting device 3 is in the middle position. Specifically, the stopping device 301 , which is a part of the adjusting device 3, is in the middle position.

[0039] Specifically, when the furnace belt 10 is lengthened over a period of time, the tension of the furnace belt 10 decreases, the position of the pinch roller 4 is changed accordingly (e.g., the pinch roller 4 moves downward and is no longer in the initial position), and the running speed of the furnace belt 10 is changed accordingly (e.g., the running speed of the furnace belt 10 decreases). The sensor 5 can detect the change in the position of the pinch roller 4 and/or the change in the running speed of the furnace belt 10. When the furnace belt 10 is lengthened to an abnormal working length and/or the running speed of the furnace belt 10 is low to an abnormal working speed, the controller 8 can control the alarm device 6 to give an alarm and/or control the display 7 to display related information on the basis of an output signal of the sensor 5 to prompt the operator that the tension of the furnace belt 10 needs to be adjusted.

[0040] Before the tension of the furnace belt 10 is adjusted, the stopping device 301 of the adjusting device 3 is fixed and abuts against the adjusting roller 2. When the tension of the furnace belt 10 is adjusted, the operator loosens the fasteners that fix the adjusting roller 2, and at this point, the stopping device 301 can prevent the adjusting roller 2 from moving in the direction of loosening the furnace belt 10. When the tension of the furnace belt 10 is adjusted, the adjusting roller 2 is moved in the direction of tensioning the furnace belt 10 by means of moving the stopping device 301 . When the tension information of the furnace belt displayed on the display 7 reaches the required tension and/or the displayed running speed information of the furnace belt reaches the required running speed, which prompts the operator that the adjusting roller 2 is adjusted in place, the operator tightens the fasteners to fix the adjusting roller 2 to stop moving the adjusting roller 2. At this point, the adjusting roller 2, the adjusting device 3 and the stopping device 301 are moved to the middle position (see Figs. 2B and 3B), that is, the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 is located in the middle position. In one embodiment, in this middle position, the furnace belt 10 has the same tension as that in the initial position, that is, the predetermined tension, and the pinch roller 4 returns to the initial position.

[0041] In this middle position, the stopping device 301 in the adjusting device 3 is fixed to this middle position and abuts against the adjusting roller 2 so that, when the furnace belt 10 is lengthened again and then the tension of the furnace belt 10 needs to be adjusted, the loosening of the fasteners that fix the roller 2 may not cause the adjusting roller 2 to move in the direction of loosening the furnace belt 10.

[0042] After the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 is located in the middle position, if the furnace belt 10 is lengthened to an abnormal working length again over a period of time and/or the running speed of the furnace belt 10 is low to the abnormal working speed, the adjusting roller 2 continues to move from the middle position (see Figs. 2B and 3B) so as to adjust the tension of the furnace belt 10. Specifically, in the middle position, the operator loosens the fasteners that fix the adjusting roller 2, moves the stopping device 301 of the adjusting device 3 to move the adjusting roller 2, and when the adjusting roller 2 is moved to a desired position, tightens the fasteners to fix the adjusting roller 2.

[0043] Fig. 2C shows a front view of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 1 in an end position. After adjusting the tension of the furnace belt 10 for many times, as shown in Fig. 2C, the adjusting roller 2 can move to the end of a stroke of the adjusting device 3, and at this point, the adjusting roller 2 and the adjusting device 3 move to the end position, that is, the photovoltaic sintering furnace is located in the end position. Fig. 3C shows a partial enlarged view of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 2C in the end position. As shown in Fig. 3C, in this end position, the adjusting roller 2 is at the bottom, and the adjusting device 3 is also at the bottom. Specifically, the stopping device 301 , which is a part of the adjusting device 3, is located at the bottom. In one embodiment, if the adjusting roller 2 is just adjusted in place when moving to the end of the stroke, the furnace belt reaches the predetermined tension, and the pinch roller 4 returns to the initial position. [0044] Figs. 4A to 4C respectively show perspective structural views of a part, including an adjusting roller 2 and an adjusting device 3, in the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 1 from a first perspective, a second perspective and a third perspective. Specifically, Fig. 4A is a structural view in a perspective from the left side of the adjusting roller 2, Fig. 4B is a structural view in a perspective from the right side of the adjusting roller 2, and Fig. 4C is a structural view in another perspective from the left side of the adjusting roller 2.

[0045] As shown in Figs. 4A to 4C, the adjusting roller 2 comprises a substantially cylindrical main body and two opposite ends respectively extending from two ends of the main body. The ends are substantially cylindrical and have a cross-sectional area smaller than that of the main body. Two bearings are respectively arranged on the two opposite ends, and the two bearings are respectively provided with bearing seats 201a, 201 b. The bearing seats 201a, 201 b are movably fixed to the photovoltaic sintering furnace. In one embodiment, each bearing is a ball bearing that comprises an inner ring and an outer ring, the inner ring being rotatable, and the outer ring being fixed. The inner rings of the bearings are fixedly connected to the ends of the adjusting roller 2, and the outer rings of the bearings are fixed to the bearing seats. When the bearing seats 201a, 201 b are respectively fixed to the photovoltaic sintering furnace, the ends of the adjusting roller 2 can rotate, that is, the adjusting roller 2 can rotate. During the conveying process of the furnace belt, the adjusting roller 2 rotates accordingly through the action of the transmission device 1 for conveying the furnace belt.

[0046] A shell 1000 of the sintering furnace has transverse slots 1001 a, 1001 b and longitudinal slots 1002a, 1002b. One end of the adjusting roller 2 is inserted through the transverse slot 1001a and the longitudinal slot 1002a in sequence, the other end is inserted through the transverse slot 1001 b and the longitudinal slot 1002b in sequence, and then the two ends may respectively move in the longitudinal slots 1002a, 1002b, which is conducive to movably fixing the bearing seats 201a, 201 b to the desired position of the photovoltaic sintering furnace. In other embodiments, the shell 1000 of the sintering furnace may have a structure in other forms, which is conducive to movably fixing the bearing seats 201 a, 201 b to the desired position of the photovoltaic sintering furnace.

[0047] The bearing seats 201 a, 201 b of the adjusting roller 2 are respectively movably fixed to fixing members 9a, 9b on the photovoltaic sintering furnace. The fixing members 9a, 9b are fixed to the photovoltaic sintering furnace, for example, by means of welding, etc. The fixing member 9a comprises an elongate plate-like body 901 a, the plate-like body 901 a having an elongate slot 902a. A fastener (e.g., a screw and a bolt) 1003a passes through the slot 902a to fix the bearing seat 201 a of the adjusting roller 2 to the plate-like body 901 a. In one embodiment, the elongate slot 902a has a length slightly less than that of the plate-like body 901a, and extends over almost the entire length of the plate-like body 901 a. In one embodiment, the plate-like body 901a is fixed to the shell 1000 of the photovoltaic sintering furnace, for example, by means of welding, etc. The bearing seat 201a has a structure that is fitted and connected to the fastener 1003a, for example, an opening that has a thread connected to the thread of the fastener 1003a in a thread-fit manner. The fixing member 9a may further comprise two ribs 903a. The ribs 903a are fixed to the shell 1000 of the photovoltaic sintering furnace by means of welding, etc. The ribs 903a are conducive to securely fixing the fixing member 9a to the photovoltaic sintering furnace. In one embodiment, it is also possible to provide other numbers of ribs 903a. In other embodiments, the fixing member 9a may be of a structure in other forms for fixing the bearing seat to the photovoltaic sintering furnace.

[0048] Similarly, the fixing member 9b comprises an elongate plate-like body 901 b. The plate-like body 901 b has an elongate slot 902b. A fastener (e.g., a screw and a bolt) 1003b passes through the slot 902b to fix the bearing seat 201 b of the adjusting roller 2 to the plate-like body 901 b. In one embodiment, the elongate slot 902b has a length slightly less than that of the plate-like body 901 b, and extends over almost the entire length of the plate-like body 901 b. In one embodiment, the plate-like body 901 b is fixed to the shell 1000 of the photovoltaic sintering furnace, for example, by means of welding, etc. The bearing seat 201 b has a structure fitted and connected to the fastener 1003b, for example, an opening that has a thread connected to a thread of the fastener 1003b in a thread- fit manner. The fixing member 9b may further comprise two ribs 903b. The ribs 903b are fixed to the shell 1000 of the photovoltaic sintering furnace by means of welding, etc. The ribs 903b are conducive to securely fixing the fixing member 9b to the photovoltaic sintering furnace. In other embodiments, the fixing member 9b may be of a structure in other forms for fixing the bearing seat to the photovoltaic sintering furnace.

[0049] As mentioned above, the adjusting device 3 cooperates with the adjusting roller 2 to adjust the position of the adjusting roller 2. In one embodiment, as shown in Figs. 4A to 4C, adjusting devices 3a, 3b are respectively arranged close to the two opposite ends of the adjusting roller 2. The adjusting device 3a comprises an adjusting bolt 301a and an adjusting bolt fitting member 302a that is fixed. The adjusting device 3b comprises an adjusting bolt 301 b and an adjusting bolt fitting member 302b that is fixed. The adjusting bolts 301a, 301 b can be respectively screwed into the adjusting bolt fitting members 302a, 302b to move. The adjusting bolts 301a, 301 b respectively abut against the bearing seats 201a, 201 b of the adjusting roller 2, and are configured to be movable to move the bearing seats 201 a, 201 b of the adjusting roller 2, so as to move the adjusting roller 2 to adjust the tension of the furnace belt.

[0050] The adjusting bolt fitting member 302a has a thread that is fitted and connected to the adjusting bolt 301a, so that the adjusting bolt 301a can be screwed into the adjusting bolt fitting member 302a to move. The adjusting bolt fitting member 302a is fixed to the photovoltaic sintering furnace, for example, by means of welding, etc. In one embodiment, the adjusting bolt fitting member 302a comprises a plate-like member 3001. The plate-like member 3001 has an opening that has a thread connected to the thread of the adjusting bolt 301a in a thread-fit manner. In one embodiment, the plate-like member 3001 is fixed to the shell 1000 of the photovoltaic sintering furnace, for example, by means of welding, etc. The adjusting bolt fitting member 302a further comprises two ribs 3002, and the ribs 3002 are fixed to the shell 1000 of the photovoltaic sintering furnace by means of welding, etc. The ribs 3002 are conducive to securely fixing the adjusting bolt fitting member 302a to the photovoltaic sintering furnace. In one embodiment, it is also possible to provide other numbers of ribs 3002. In other embodiments, the adjusting bolt fitting member 302a may also be of other structures for connection to the thread of the adjusting bolt 301a in a thread-fit manner. The adjusting bolt 301a can be screwed into the adjusting bolt fitting member 302a that is fixed, and abuts against the bearing seat 201a of the adjusting roller 2. The adjusting bolt 301a is configured to be movable to move the bearing seat 201a of the adjusting roller 2 and then move the adjusting roller 2. In one embodiment, the adjusting bolt 301a can rotate in the adjusting bolt fitting member 302a to move downward, and thus the bearing seat 201a of the adjusting roller 2 against which the adjusting bolt abuts moves downward accordingly, so that the adjusting roller 2 moves downward to adjust the tension of the furnace belt.

[0051] The adjusting bolt fitting member 302b has a thread fitted and connected to the adjusting bolt 301 b, so that the adjusting bolt 301b can be screwed into the adjusting bolt fitting member 302b to move. The adjusting bolt fitting member 302b is fixed to the photovoltaic sintering furnace, for example, by means of welding, etc. In one embodiment, the adjusting bolt fitting member 302b comprises a plate-like member 3001. The plate-like member 3001 has an opening that has a thread connected to the thread of the adjusting bolt 301 b in a thread-fit manner. In one embodiment, the plate-like member 3001 is fixed to the shell 1000 of the photovoltaic sintering furnace, for example, by means of welding, etc. The adjusting bolt fitting member 302b further comprises two ribs 3002, and the ribs 3002 are fixed to the photovoltaic sintering furnace by means of welding, etc. The ribs 3002 are conducive to securely fixing the adjusting bolt fitting member 302b to the shell 1000 of the photovoltaic sintering furnace. In one embodiment, it is also possible to provide other numbers of ribs 3002. In other embodiments, the adjusting bolt fitting member 302b may also be of other structures for connection to the thread of the adjusting bolt 301 b in a thread-fit manner. The adjusting bolt 301 b can be screwed into the adjusting bolt fitting member 302b that is fixed, and abuts against the bearing seat 201 b of the adjusting roller 2. The adjusting bolt 301 b is configured to be movable to move the bearing seat 201 b of the adjusting roller 2 and then move the adjusting roller 2. In one embodiment, the adjusting bolt 301 b can rotate in the adjusting bolt fitting member 302b to move downward, and thus the bearing seat 201 b of the adjusting roller 2 against which the adjusting bolt abuts moves downward accordingly, so that the adjusting roller 2 moves downward to adjust the tension of the furnace belt.

[0052] The adjusting devices 3a, 3b respectively comprise graduated scales 303a, 303b. The graduated scales 303a, 303b are used to mark positions of the corresponding ends of the adjusting roller 2. In one embodiment, the graduated scales 303a, 303b are respectively used to mark the positions of the bearing seats 201 a, 201 b of the adjusting roller 2. The graduated scales 303a, 303b are arranged adjacent to the longitudinal slots 1002a, 1002b, respectively. In one embodiment, the graduated scale 303a is arranged in a direction parallel to an extension direction of the longitudinal slot 1002a, and the graduated scale 303b is arranged in a direction parallel to an extension direction of the longitudinal slot 1002b. The graduated scales 303a, 303b are located at the same height and in the same orientation, and both the graduated scales 303a, 303b comprise scale marks for respectively indicating the positions of the bearing seats 201 a, 201 b of the adjusting roller 2, so as to indicate whether the adjusting roller 2 remains horizontal. The adjusting roller 2 is horizontal when the two bearing seats 201 a, 201 b of the adjusting roller 2 are located at the same scale marks on the graduated scales. When the adjusting bolts 301 a, 301 b are rotated to respectively drive the bearing seats 201a, 201 b of the adjusting roller 2 to move, the bearing seats 201 a, 201 b can be moved to the same scale marks of the graduated scales 303a, 303b, respectively, so that the adjusting roller 2 remains horizontal, preventing the furnace belt from being deflected. In other embodiments, the adjusting devices 3a, 3b may comprise other structures suitable for moving the adjusting roller 2. [0053] In one embodiment, the adjusting bolts 301a, 301 b are the stopping device 301 . Before the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted, the adjusting bolts 301a, 301 b are respectively screwed into the adjusting bolt fitting members 302a, 302b and fixed in the adjusting bolt fitting members 302a, 302b, and the adjusting bolts 301a, 301 b respectively abut against the bearing seats 201a, 201 b of the adjusting roller 2. When the furnace belt is lengthened to an abnormal working length and then the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted, the fasteners 1003a and 1003b that fix the bearing seats 201 a, 201 b of the adjusting roller 2 are loosened, and then the adjusting bolts 301a and 301b prevent the adjusting roller 2 from moving in the direction of loosening the furnace belt. When the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted, the adjusting bolts 301a, 301 b are rotated in the adjusting bolt fitting members 302a, 302b to enable the adjusting bolts 301a, 301b to move downward, so that the bearing seats 201a, 201b of the adjusting roller 2 that abut against the adjusting bolts 301a, 301 b move downward accordingly, that is, are move in the direction of tensioning the furnace belt.

[0054] In one embodiment, during moving the adjusting roller 2, the operator firstly loosens the fastener 1003a that fixes the bearing seat 201a of the adjusting roller 2, then rotates the adjusting bolt 301a to drive the bearing seat 201a of the adjusting roller 2 to move downward a distance, for example, 10 mm, and then tightens the fastener 1003a to fix the bearing seat 201a of the adjusting roller 2. Next, the operator loosens the fastener 1003b that fixes the bearing seat 201 b of the adjusting roller 2, and then rotates the adjusting bolt 301 b to drive the bearing seat 201 b of the adjusting roller 2 to move downward the same distance as the bearing seat 201a, and then tightens the fastener 1003b to fix the bearing seat 201 b of the adjusting roller 2. The above operations are repeated until the display 7 indicates that the adjusting roller 2 is adjusted in place or the operator observes and determines through experience that the adjusting roller 2 is adjusted in place. This operation ensures that the furnace belt will not be misaligned during adjustment of the tension of the furnace belt. Since the furnace belt has a certain width, if one of the bearing seats moves too far relative to the other bearing seat, the furnace belt will be prone to misalignment. In other embodiments, the bearing seat 201 b may be moved first and then the bearing seat 201 a may be moved to perform the above adjusting operation.

[0055] Fig. 5 shows a front enlarged view of a part, including a pinch roller 4 and a sensor 5, in the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100 shown in Fig. 1 . According to the present invention, the change in the length of the furnace belt is reflected by the tension of the furnace belt. When the length of the furnace belt is in a normal working length range, the tension of the furnace belt makes the pinch roller 4 in a normal working position. When the length of the furnace belt continues to increase and the tension of the furnace belt gradually decreases, the pinch roller 4 gradually moves downward. When the length of the furnace belt gradually increases so that the furnace belt cannot work normally, the tension of the furnace belt makes the pinch roller 4 in an abnormal working position. Therefore, position information of the pinch roller 4 can reflect the change in the length of the furnace belt.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 5, the pinch roller 4 is pivotally fixed to a frame of the sintering furnace by means of a cantilever 401 . The pinch roller 4 is in contact with the furnace belt, and specifically the furnace belt is wound around the pinch roller 4. The pinch roller 4 is substantially cylindrical and can rotate around its central axis. The pinch roller 4 is configured to convey the furnace belt. When the furnace belt is initially mounted on the sintering furnace, the pinch roller 4 remains in the initial position under the action of the cantilever 401 , the self-gravity of the pinch roller 4, and the tensioning force of the furnace belt. When the gravity of the pinch roller 4 is insufficient, it is necessary to provide a bias element (e.g., a spring member) to keep the pinch roller 4 in balance and in the initial position.

[0057] When the tension of the furnace belt decreases due to the lengthening of the furnace belt, the pinch roller 4 is pivoted (e.g., pivoted downward) to a deviated position due to its own gravity and is no longer located in the initial position. When the furnace belt continues to be lengthened, the pinch roller 4 continues to pivot downward, when the pinch roller 4 is pivoted downward all the way until the cantilever 401 connected thereto is in a vertical position, the pinch roller 4 reaches the end position. At this point, if the furnace belt continues to be lengthened, the pinch roller 4 is no longer moved or pivoted. That is, within a certain range, the position of the pinch roller 4 is changed with the change in the length of the furnace belt.

[0058] When the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted to move the adjusting roller 2, the pinch roller 4 moves with the movement of the adjusting roller 2, for example, the pinch roller 4 is pivoted upward by means of the cantilever 401 with the downward movement of the adjusting roller 2. When the pinch roller 4 is pivoted upward all the way, the pinch roller 4 can return to the initial position.

[0059] According to the present invention, the position of the pinch roller 4 is detected by means of the sensor 5. One example of the sensor 5 is a position sensor. One example of the position sensor is a Hall sensor, which can detect a change in the magnetic field. The pinch roller 4 is provided with a magnet mounted on the side facing the sensor 5. Therefore, when the position of the pinch roller 4 changes, the magnetic field detected by the sensor 5 also changes. The sensor 5 can detect a change in the position of the pinch roller 4 according to the detected change in the magnetic field, and generate a signal to transfer the position information of the pinch roller 4 to a controller 8. The controller 8 can convert the position information of the pinch roller 4 into tension information of the furnace belt, and display the tension information of the furnace belt on a display 7 to prompt an operator to adjust the tension of the furnace belt when necessary.

[0060] When the adjusting roller 2 is adjusted, the tension of the furnace belt gradually increases, and the pinch roller 4 moves upward accordingly (in a direction of tensioning the furnace belt) so as to drive the magnet on the pinch roller 4 to move, so that the sensor 5 can detect the change in the position of the pinch roller 4 and transfer position change information of the pinch roller 4 to the controller 8. The controller 8 can convert the position change information of the pinch roller into tension change information of the furnace belt, and display the tension change information of the furnace belt on the display. The operator adjusts the pinch roller 4 to a normal position according to the tension change information of the furnace belt on the display 7, and adjusts the furnace belt to the required tension.

[0061] As mentioned above, the operator can also observe the tension of the furnace belt with his eyes, determine whether to adjust the tension of the furnace belt through the operator's observation, and adjust the tension of the furnace belt according to the operator's skills and experiences. In one embodiment, when the pinch roller 4 is in the initial position, the operator can make an initial position mark on the sintering furnace for viewing. When adjusting the tension of the furnace belt, the operator observes that the pinch roller 4 returns to the initial position mark, indicating that the adjusting roller 2 is adjusted in place, and then the operator can stop the adjusting operation.

[0062] Fig. 6 shows a structural block diagram of the sensor 5, an alarm device 6, a display 7 and a controller 8 shown in Fig. 1 . As shown in Fig. 6, the sensor 5 comprises a first sensor 501 and a second sensor 502. The first sensor 501 is configured to detect the change in the length of the furnace belt, and the change in the length causes the change in the tension of the furnace belt. In one embodiment, the first sensor 501 is configured to detect the change in the position of the pinch roller 4 to determine the change in the length of the furnace belt. The second sensor 502 is configured to detect the running speed of the furnace belt. In one embodiment, a second sensor 502 is arranged close to the furnace belt to detect the running speed of the furnace belt. The second sensor 502 comprises a speed sensor.

[0063] The controller 8 is connected to the sensor 5 via a connecting wire 101 to receive the position information of the pinch roller and the running speed information of the furnace belt from the sensor 5. In one embodiment, the connecting wire 101 comprises 2 transfer wires 101a, 101 b (see Fig. 7) for respectively transferring the position information of the pinch roller from the first sensor 501 and the running speed information of the furnace belt from the second sensor 502 to the controller 8. The controller 8 is configured to convert the position information of the pinch roller into the tension information of the furnace belt, and output the tension change information of the furnace belt to the display 7 for display. The controller 8 may also generate a control signal according to the position information of the pinch roller to output the control signal to the alarm device 6 so as to control the alarm device 6 to give an alarm. The controller 8 is configured to output the running speed information of the furnace belt to the display 7 to display. The controller 8 may also generate a control signal according to the running speed information of the furnace belt to output the control signal to the alarm device 6 so as to control the alarm device 6 to give an alarm. In other embodiments, the controller 8 may also enable the display to perform related display in other ways.

[0064] The display 7 is connected to the controller 8 via a connecting wire 103 to receive the tension information of the furnace belt and the running speed information of the furnace belt from the controller 8 and then display the information to prompt the operator to adjust the tension of the furnace belt when necessary. In one embodiment, when the operator observes that the tension information of the furnace belt displayed on the display 7 reaches an abnormal working tension and/or the running speed information of the furnace belt reaches an abnormal working running speed, the operator begins to adjust the belt tension. When the tension of the furnace belt is adjusted, the display 7 may also prompt the operator whether the adjusting roller 2 is adjusted in place by means of displaying the corresponding tension information of the furnace belt and/or the running speed information of the furnace belt. When the operator observes that the tension information of the furnace belt displayed on the display 7 reaches the normal working tension and/or the running speed information of the furnace belt reaches the normal working running speed, the operator stops adjusting the tension of the furnace belt. In other embodiments, the display 7 may also display in other ways to prompt the operator that the tension of the furnace belt needs to be adjusted or that the adjusting roller 2 is adjusted in place. [0065] The alarm device 6 is connected to the controller 8 via a connecting wire 102 to receive a control signal from the controller 8 to give an alarm so as to remind the operator to adjust the tension of the furnace belt.

[0066] Fig. 7 shows a block diagram of the controller 8 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 7, the controller 8 comprises a bus 701 , a processor 702, a memory 703, an input interface 704 and an output interface 705. The processor 702, the memory 703, the input interface 704 and the output interface 705 are connected to the bus 701 . The processor 702 may read a program (or instruction) from the memory 703, and execute the program (or instruction) to perform data processing and control functions to the alarm device 6 and the display 7. The processor 702 may also write data or a program (or instruction) into the memory 703. The memory 703 may store the program (instruction) or data. The processor 702 may control the memory 703, the input interface 704 and the output interface 705 by means of executing the instruction in the memory 703. In one embodiment, the controller 8 may be a master controller of the photovoltaic sintering furnace 100, and may have other processing and control functions.

[0067] The input interface 704 is configured to receive the position information of the pinch roller from the first sensor 501 via the connecting wire 101 a. The processor 702 is configured to process the position information of the pinch roller that is received from the input interface 704, so as to convert the position information into the tension information of the furnace belt. The output interface 705 is configured to receive the tension information of the furnace belt from the processor 702, convert the tension information of the furnace belt into a signal recognizable by the display 7, and send the signal to the display 7 via the connecting wire 103, so that the display 7 displays the tension information of the furnace belt.

[0068] The processor 702 is further configured to generate a control signal according to the position information of the pinch roller that is received from the input interface 704. The output interface 705 is configured to receive the control signal from the processor 702, convert the control signal into an output signal suitable for the alarm device 6, and send the signal to the alarm device 6 via the connecting wire 102 so that the alarm device 6 sends an alarm.

[0069] The input interface 704 is also configured to receive the running speed information of the furnace belt from the second sensor 502 via the connecting wire 101 b, and convert the running speed information of the furnace belt into a signal recognizable by the processor 702. The processor 702 is configured to convert the running speed information of the furnace belt received from the input interface 704 into a signal recognizable by the display 7, and send the signal to the display 7 via the connecting wire 103 through the output interface 705 so that the display 7 displays the running speed information of the furnace belt. The processor 702 is further configured to generate a control signal according to the running speed information of the furnace belt that is received from the input interface 704. The output interface 705 is configured to receive the control signal from the processor 702, convert the control signal into an output signal suitable for the alarm device 6, and send the signal to the alarm device 6 via the connecting wire 102 so that the alarm device 6 sends an alarm.

[0070] Although the present invention is described herein with reference to specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present invention may have many modifications and variations without departing from the spirit, scope, and context of the teaching of the present invention. It should be understood that the claims are intended to cover all the foregoing modifications and variations that fall within the substantial spirit and scope of the present invention.