Granted Patent B2

US 12,628,437 · App. 18/136,359 · Granted May 12, 2026

Inventors: Eran Maimon (Kibbutz Nahsholim, IL); Ramon Joseph Albalak (Haifa, IL)

Assignee: SOLARPAINT LTD.

H10F19/30H10F71/00H10F77/227

Abstract

Claims (92)

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.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (11)

References Cited (49)