JP2018021855A - Detection device and system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a detection device capable of detecting a degree of deposits deposited on an object.SOLUTION: Since reflectance of a white board 21 and that of a black board 22 are different from each other, difference of intensity between white board reflected light LW and black board reflected light LB becomes maximum in a state in which deposits are not deposited on a white black board 20 and becomes smaller as a degree of deposits is larger. Thus, on the basis of the difference of intensity between the white board reflected light LW and the black board reflected light LB, a degree of deposits deposited on the white board 21 and the black board 22 can be detected. The white black board 20 is under the same environment as a solar panel 3 in a deposition mode of deposits, so that a degree of deposits deposited on the solar panel 3 can be detected by detecting a degree of deposits deposited on the white black board 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a detection device and the like.

  Conventionally, there are devices for detecting ash fall. Patent Document 1 includes an irradiating unit, and receives the amount of light passing through a predetermined region of the light beam irradiated from the irradiating unit and the amount of scattered light scattered in the predetermined region. A volcanic ash detection device for detecting the presence or absence of descending volcanic ash is described.

JP 2007-327889 A

  By the way, not only volcanic ash but deposits, such as dust and pollen, for example, accumulate on a building, an exhibit placed outdoors, a vehicle, etc. In order to detect the degree of deposit accumulation, the deposit may be removed by wind or the like, and it is insufficient to detect the presence or absence of ash fall. For example, the volcanic ash detection device described in Patent Document 1 can detect the presence or absence of ash fall, but does not detect the degree of deposition when volcanic ash is deposited.

  This application is proposed in view of said subject, Comprising: It aims at providing the detection apparatus etc. which can detect the grade of the deposit deposited on a target object. This object is achieved, for example, by the configurations described in the independent claims. The dependent claims provide further advantageous specific examples for achieving the object of the present application, for example, independently in each dependent claim or in combination with the dependent claims.

  (1) The detection device of the present invention is a detection device that detects the degree of deposition of deposits deposited on an object, and includes an irradiation unit that irradiates light to an irradiated portion, and an irradiation unit that emits light emitted from the irradiation unit. A light receiving portion that receives reflected light that is reflected light from the irradiated portion, and detects the degree of deposition of the deposit deposited on the object based on the intensity of the reflected light.

  In this way, the degree of deposition can be detected. For example, in Kagoshima Prefecture, Sakurajima, an active volcano, is located in the center of the prefecture. Fig. 12 shows the number of eruptions and the amount of ash fall on Sakurajima provided by Meteorological Observatory. Increased from 2009, the damage to agriculture (672 million yen in 2011), livestock industry, and fishery industry is enormous, resulting in social problems such as reduced power generation of solar panels, ash adhesion to laundry Yes. Especially in the case of agricultural crops, there is a problem even if the amount of ash fall is small. In the livestock and fisheries, there is damage such as ash adhering to food. For example, aquaculture fisheries such as yellowtail and amberjack are actively practiced in Kinko Bay around Sakurajima. , Eating volcanic ash pumice, mixing with bait, etc.) and worsening the sea surface environment in the fishery, causing damage to the aquaculture fishery. A large amount of volcanic ash temporarily reduces fish catches in the bay due to obstacles to fishing boat navigation and feeding operations in fish farming. Kagoshima Prefecture has installed ash collection boxes at 62 locations, measured ash fall every 10 days, and published the results. A meteorologist at Kagoshima Local Meteorological Observatory (local meteorological observatory) measures ash by measuring the weight of ash collected in a ash collection box with an electronic balance, for example. Thus, the present situation is that ash measurement relies on primitive measurement. According to the present detection apparatus, for example, the degree of deposition can be easily known without such manual intervention. Moreover, since it is detection using light, it can detect, for example, non-contact. The detection apparatus and the ash fall information monitoring system using the detection apparatus may be used in, for example, prefectures and municipalities where ash fall measurement is performed. Further, for example, the ash fall information may be used for local industry such as solar panel ash removal by spraying device, crop ash removal, aquaculture industry for determining feeding, and a system for monitoring the growth status of cultured fish. In addition, it is particularly preferable to use a device that detects and monitors the amount of ash fall in real time. In the following description, the solar panel may be referred to as a solar panel, a solar cell, or a solar cell array.

  The irradiated portion is preferably in an environment where the depositing mode of the deposit is different from that of the target. For example, the detection of the degree of deposition of the deposit deposited on the object is obtained in advance by determining the relationship between the intensity of the reflected light from the irradiated portion and the degree of deposition of the deposit deposited on the object. It is good to calculate based on the relationship. This relationship may be measured and stored in advance, for example, and the degree of deposition may be detected based on the stored relationship. This detection may be performed by calculation. “To the irradiated portion” may be, for example, “to the irradiated portion”. In particular, it may be “toward the irradiated part”. The irradiating part and the light receiving part are preferably directed toward the irradiated part. The irradiated portion may be a moving object, but may be a non-moving object. In particular, it should be fixed. The irradiated portion is particularly preferably different from the deposit. The irradiated portion may be the object itself, but is particularly preferably an object different from the object. The intensity of the reflected light from the irradiated portion may be detected as reflected light of the irradiated portion itself, for example, when there is no deposit in the irradiated portion. The reflected light from the irradiated portion may be detected by changing the amount of reflected light depending on the deposit, for example, as the deposit accumulates on the irradiated portion. In particular, it is preferable that the amount of reflected light is reduced and detected as deposits accumulate.

  The degree of deposition is, for example, the degree to which the deposit is covered with the deposition surface of the object and the irradiated portion, the degree to which the light irradiated on the deposition surface is blocked by the deposit, or the state in which the deposit has accumulated. The degree of dirt that people feel is good. The deposit is preferably removed from the deposition surface, for example, by weather conditions such as wind and rain, or by being removed and washed by a person or a device. As a depositing mode, it is preferable that the deposit is deposited or removed on the target and the deposition surface of the irradiated portion. For example, the condition where wind and rain are the same and the state where deposits are removed is the same, and the condition where the deposits are removed and washed by a person or a device is equivalent. In an environment where the deposition mode is the same, the situation in which deposits are deposited or removed is preferably equivalent between the object and the irradiated portion. The light irradiated by the irradiation unit may be, for example, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, or the like, and particularly preferably (8). By using the light irradiated by the irradiation unit, for example, it is possible to detect stably regardless of the environment, rather than using sunlight or the like whose light intensity depends on the weather. The irradiation unit may be realized by a light emitting diode, a semiconductor laser, or the like. The light receiving unit may be realized by, for example, a photodiode or a phototransistor.

  Further, the object may be an object installed indoors / outdoors, for example, and the deposit may be an object stacked on an object installed indoors / outdoors. However, it is particularly good when the object is an object installed outdoors, and the deposit is deposited on the object installed outdoors, and is a floating object floating in the outdoor space. The object may be, for example, a solar panel, a building, an exhibit placed outdoors, a vehicle, or the like, and the deposit may be, for example, volcanic ash, dust, pollen, or the like. A removal instruction signal may be output to the removal unit that removes the deposit based on the detected degree of deposition of the deposit, and the removal unit may remove the deposit based on the instruction signal. For example, the removing unit is configured as a cleaning unit, and outputs a cleaning instruction signal to the cleaning unit based on the detected degree of deposit deposition, and the cleaning unit cleans the deposit based on the instruction signal. It may be configured. In particular, it may be configured to output the degree of deposition in real time. For example, when the sediment is volcanic ash, acquiring ash fall information in real time can solve the problem of primitive ash measurement and data collection, as well as crops and pig farming in local industries, especially in the agricultural and livestock industries. As a result, it is possible to quantitatively analyze the effects of ash removal prediction and fishery in the fishery industry.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the power source of the present detection device uses the power generated by the solar cell panel. In particular, the power line generated by the solar cell panel is used as an input of the detection device, and when no power is supplied from the solar cell panel to the detection device, it is preferable not to output a cleaning signal to the cleaning device. In this way, it is possible to prevent the cleaning device from operating when the sun is not shining, such as at night, and the detection device starts to operate when the sun begins to shine. When the amount of deposits such as ash is the amount necessary for cleaning when the operation starts, the cleaning is performed. Therefore, it is possible to easily perform cleaning when cleaning is necessary in a state where power generation is performed by the sun. Once a large amount of ash has accumulated due to night ash, etc., the solar panel cannot generate electricity even if the sun shines thereafter. It may not be output. Therefore, not only the power from the solar battery panel but also the power from other power sources may be supplied to the detection device for operation. As another power source, for example, supply from a commercial power source may be received. However, it is preferable to receive power from a battery, in particular, supply from a secondary battery for charging power from a solar cell panel. It is good to receive.

  Further, the irradiated part is preferably an environment different from the object. In particular, the irradiated portion is preferably provided at a location where the deposit is deposited at a rate greater than the rate at which the deposit is deposited on the object. In this way, it is possible to quickly detect the degree of deposits deposited on the object. Thus, although it may be under different environments, the following (2) is preferred.

  (2) The irradiated portion may have a configuration in which the deposit form is in the same environment as the target object. In this way, it is possible to more accurately detect the degree of deposit deposited on the object by detecting the degree of deposit deposited on the irradiated portion. For example, the irradiated portion may be the object itself, but may be an object different from the object. For example, when used in a system for monitoring the growth state of cultured fish, the present detection device may be installed on land near the fish enclosure, but it may be installed on the sea adjacent to the fish enclosure. When this detection apparatus is installed on the sea, it is preferable that the degree of deposition is output by a network, particularly a wireless network, as in (31). The user can grasp the situation on the land monitoring system to which the degree of deposition is transferred. In addition, as described above, the power supply of the detection device may use the power generated by the solar cell panel. A plurality of objects may be used. For example, a sea area equivalent to a school of fish surrounding the present detection apparatus and a solar panel for supplying power to the present detection apparatus may be used as objects. When there are a plurality of objects, the predetermined value of (25) may vary depending on the object, as will be described later. Therefore, the instruction signal of (25) is preferably output based on each predetermined value. In this way, the instruction signal (25) can be output for a plurality of objects even when there are a plurality of objects and the timings when the values become equal to or less than the predetermined value are different.

  (3) The irradiated portion is different from the object, and the property of the deposition surface on which the deposit is deposited may be the same as the deposition surface of the object.

  In this way, it is possible to make the deposition mode by the deposition surface of the target object and the deposition surface of the irradiated part under the same environment, and the deposition surface of the target object and the deposition surface of the irradiated part It is possible to make the degree of deposition equal. The degree of accumulation on the object can be detected with high accuracy. As the properties, for example, physical properties, chemical properties, and the like are preferable. The physical properties are, for example, the coefficient of friction of the deposition surface, the degree of unevenness of the surface, the surface tension, and the chemical properties are, for example, the hydrophilicity of the deposition surface. Deposition under meteorological conditions such as wind and rain, especially when the deposit is removed, because the physical and chemical properties are equivalent between the deposit surface of the object and the deposit surface of the irradiated part It is possible to equalize the removal of objects, removal of deposits and cleaning by a person or apparatus.

  (4) The irradiated portion is a thin member having a small thickness, and may be configured to be placed on the deposition surface of the object.

  In this way, the level difference between the deposition surface of the object on which the irradiated portion is placed and the deposited surface of the irradiated portion, which is a thin member, can be reduced. In the vicinity of the step, it is possible to suppress the deposition form from becoming uneven due to the step. It can be suppressed that the degree of deposition on the irradiated portion is different from the degree of deposition on the object. The object and the irradiated part are preferably in an environment that is exposed to wind and rain. For example, when deposits are removed due to wind and rain due to a step, the flow of wind and rainwater may change due to the step, and there is a possibility that the environment of deposition differs between the irradiated part and the object. I found. If the thickness of the irradiated portion is made of a thin member, the deposition mode can be made the same environment. The degree of deposition is equivalent to that of the object, and the degree of deposition can be detected with high accuracy. As a thin member having a small thickness, for example, a seal-like member may be used.

  (5) The irradiated portion is located at a position away from the object and is not hindered from depositing the deposit on the object, and is disposed at a position not hindering the function and effect of the object. good.

  The irradiated portion may be disposed at a position that does not hinder the accumulation of the deposit on the target object and that does not interfere with the function and effect of the target object, for example, a position separated from the target object such as above and next to the target object. If it does in this way, the operation effect which a subject has will not be disturbed by existence of an irradiated part. For example, if a target object is a solar panel, it can suppress that electric power generation is prevented by suppressing that sunlight is interrupted | blocked by the to-be-irradiated part. In addition, since the irradiated part is disposed at a position where the deposit of the deposit on the target is not hindered, the target and the irradiated part are in the same environment in which the deposit is deposited. The degree of deposition is the same between each, and the degree of deposition can be detected with high accuracy. In addition, as a structure which combines the structure of (4) and (5), it is good to set it as the structure which places one end of a to-be-irradiated part on the deposition surface of a target object, and arrange | positions the other end in the position spaced apart from the target object, for example. .

  The irradiation unit and the light receiving unit are preferably located at a position excluding the deposition path through which the deposit mainly passes to the irradiated unit, and in particular, (6) when the irradiated unit is arranged at a position other than directly below the irradiated unit and the light receiving unit. good.

  If the deposit falls in accordance with gravity at positions other than directly under the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit, the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit will not be blocked by the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit. It is possible to prevent the deposit from being deposited on the irradiation part. For this reason, the irradiated portion is in the same environment as the object and the deposition mode, and the degree of deposit accumulation is equal between the object and the irradiated portion, and the degree of deposition can be detected with high accuracy. .

  (7) It is preferable that the irradiated portion is arranged so as not to interfere with the accumulation of the deposit on the target object and to be separated from the irradiation portion and the light receiving portion by a distance capable of detecting the intensity of the reflected light.

  Even when the movement of the deposit is blocked by the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit, the distance between the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit and the irradiated unit is within the range in which the intensity can be detected without disturbing the deposition of the deposit on the target object. If they are separated from each other, the deposit that has passed through the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit can wrap around between the irradiation unit, the light receiving unit, and the irradiated unit, and the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit deposit the deposit on the irradiated unit. Hindering is suppressed. The irradiated portion is in the same environment as the object and the deposition mode, and the degree of deposit accumulation is equal between the object and the irradiated portion, and the degree of deposition can be detected with high accuracy.

  (8) The light emitted from the irradiating unit may be configured to have light having different characteristics from the ambient disturbance light.

  As disturbance light, for example, sunlight, street lights, lights such as automobiles and railways, lighting used in stores and houses, etc. are directly reflected on the light receiving part, or reflected by an object, an irradiated part, etc. Incident light can be assumed. Although the light receiving unit may receive disturbance light in addition to the reflected light, the light irradiated by the irradiating unit has characteristics different from those of the surrounding disturbance light, so that the light receiving unit can sort the reflected light. And the amount of deposition can be detected with high accuracy. Here, the light having characteristics different from the ambient disturbance light is light that can be distinguished from the reflected light. As the characteristics, for example, a wavelength, a blinking repetition pattern, a blinking repetition period, and the like are preferable. By the way, for example, when the deposit is volcanic ash, infrared LED light is irradiated to the volcanic ash, the reflected light from the ash is received by CdS (cadmium sulfide), and the voltage change of CdS is proportional to the amount of ash fall. It was confirmed experimentally that it was possible to measure the amount of ash fall optically. However, since the CdS light-receiving spectrum also responds to visible light, it has been found that CdS should not be affected by external light. The inventors have found that if the light receiving element is simply CdS, it is affected by external light, but if it is configured as in (8), it is not affected.

  (9) The light receiving unit may be arranged at a position where ambient disturbance light is not directly incident.

  By placing the light receiving part at a position that does not receive disturbance light, noise light that enters the light receiving part and causes detection errors is removed, and when the noise light is strong light that exceeds the detection limit of the light receiving part Can avoid the situation where the detection itself becomes impossible. Since the position and altitude of the sun changes depending on the season and date, it is preferable to arrange the light receiving unit at a position where sunlight does not enter throughout the year or a position where the incident period is short. In addition, since the direction of the light source can be specified for street lamps, lights such as automobiles and railways, and stores and houses, the light receiving unit is preferably arranged in a direction avoiding the light source direction.

  (10) The irradiated unit includes a first irradiated unit and a second irradiated unit having different reflectances, and the light receiving unit is a reflected light from the first irradiated unit of light irradiated from the irradiated unit. The first reflected light is detected by receiving the first reflected light and the second reflected light that is reflected light from the second irradiated portion, and detecting the degree of deposition of the deposit deposited on the object based on the intensity of the reflected light. And it is good to be based on the difference in intensity of the second reflected light.

  Since the reflectances of the first irradiated portion and the second irradiated portion are different from each other, the difference in intensity between the first reflected light and the second reflected light is caused by deposits on the first irradiated portion and the second irradiated portion. It is the largest in the state where it is not, and it becomes smaller as the degree of deposition increases. As the degree of deposition increases, the difference in intensity between the first reflected light and the second reflected light becomes smaller. Therefore, it is possible to detect the degree of deposition of the deposits deposited on the first irradiated portion and the second irradiated portion based on the difference in intensity between the first reflected light and the second reflected light.

  (11) It is good to set it as the structure which arrange | positions 1st to-be-irradiated part and 2 to-be-irradiated part adjacent.

  If it does in this way, the deposition aspect of a 1st to-be-irradiated part and a 2nd to-be-irradiated part may become equal in both, and it is set as the environment where the deposition aspect is the same between the 1st to-be-irradiated part and the 2nd to-be-irradiated part it can. The degree of deposition can be detected with high accuracy.

  (12) The light receiving unit passes the wavelength range of the first reflected light and the second reflected light through the lens that collects the first reflected light and the second reflected light, and the first reflected light and the second reflected light, and the first reflected light and the second reflected light. And a first means for making it difficult to transmit light outside the wavelength region of the second reflected light.

  By collecting the first reflected light and the second reflected light with the lens, the intensity of the detected light can be increased, the SN ratio can be increased, and the degree of deposition can be detected with high accuracy. Moreover, the 1st means which makes it difficult to let light other than the wavelength range which the 1st reflected light and the 2nd reflected light pass is transmitted while passing the light of the wavelength range which the 1st reflected light and the 2nd reflected light have. In this way, the light receiving unit can sort the first reflected light and the second reflected light, and can accurately detect the amount of deposition. Moreover, the light of wavelength ranges other than the wavelength range which 1st reflected light and 2nd reflected light have can be interrupted | blocked, and generation | occurrence | production of a convergence fire can be suppressed. The first means may be an optical filter, for example.

  (13) The irradiation unit repeats irradiation / non-irradiation at a first predetermined period, and the light receiving unit receives the first reflected light and converts the first reflected light into a first electric signal, and receives the second reflected light. A second light receiving section for converting the second electric signal, and a second means for passing the electric signal of the first predetermined period, and based on the first electric signal and the second electric signal passed through the second means, It is preferable to have a configuration that requires a difference in strength.

  By passing the second means, it is possible to extract an electrical signal obtained by converting light having the same cycle as the cycle in which the irradiation unit repeats irradiation / non-irradiation from the light received by the light receiving unit. The degree of deposition can be detected with high accuracy by taking out an electrical signal obtained by converting the first reflected light and the second reflected light. For example, the first predetermined period may be 455 kHz, and the second means may be a general-purpose AM radio filter. In this way, the detection device can be provided at a low cost. The second means is preferably a band pass filter, for example.

  (14) The light receiving unit receives the first reflected light and converts it into a first electric signal, the second light receiving unit receives the second reflected light and converts it into a second electric signal, and the first electric light A first amplifier that amplifies the signal and outputs the first amplified signal and a second amplifier that amplifies the second electric signal and outputs the second amplified signal may be used.

  In this way, the SN ratio can be increased and the degree of deposition can be detected with high accuracy. Each of the first light receiving unit and the second light receiving unit may be, for example, a light receiving element.

  (15) As a difference in intensity, a configuration in which the ratio of the intensity of the second reflected light to the intensity of the first reflected light is employed.

  By detecting the degree of deposition based on the ratio of the intensity of the second reflected light to the intensity of the first reflected light, the degree of deposition is determined based on the difference between the intensity of the first reflected light and the intensity of the second reflected light. Rather than detecting, the influence of the detection error of the intensity of the first reflected light and the second reflected light can be reduced. Even if the intensity of the first reflected light and the second reflected light includes an error, it is included in the intensity of the first reflected light and the second reflected light with respect to the ratio of the intensity of the second reflected light to the intensity of the first reflected light. The rate of error can be reduced. In this way, the degree of deposition can be detected with high accuracy even when the detection errors in the intensity of the first reflected light and the second reflected light change with time.

  (16) The light receiving unit includes a first light receiving unit that receives the first reflected light and converts it into a first electric signal, and a second light receiving unit that receives the second reflected light and converts it into a second electric signal, It is good also as a structure which calculates | requires the difference in intensity | strength based on the electric signal which divided the 1st electric signal and the 2nd electric signal into one.

  By making the first electric signal and the second electric signal into one electric signal by time division, it is possible to eliminate the occurrence of errors due to temperature changes and changes with time.

  (17) The light receiving unit includes a first light receiving unit that receives the first reflected light and converts it into a first electric signal, and a second light receiving unit that receives the second reflected light and converts it into a second electric signal, Means for integrating a third electrical signal obtained by time-sharing the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal and outputting a fourth electrical signal, wherein the fourth electrical signal has a difference in intensity. And good.

  Since the fourth electric signal indicates a difference in magnitude between the first electric signal and the second electric signal, the fourth electric signal can be a difference in intensity. The degree of deposition can be detected based on the fourth electrical signal.

  (18) The light receiving unit receives the first reflected light and converts it into a first electric signal, the second light receiving unit receives the second reflected light and converts it into a second electric signal, and the first electric light Output means for logarithmically converting the signal and the second electric signal and outputting the difference between the logarithmically converted first electric signal and the logarithmically converted second electric signal output from the output means. It is good to set it as the following.

  By logarithmically converting the first electric signal and the second electric signal, it is possible to set a wide detection range of the intensity capable of signal processing for the first reflected light and the second reflected light. Since the detection range of the intensity can be set wide by logarithmic conversion, the light path irradiated from the irradiation unit, reflected by the first irradiated unit and the second irradiated unit, and entering the light receiving unit is shifted. Even when the intensity varies, the first reflected light and the second reflected light can be detected in a wide range. It is not necessary to strictly set the positional relationship among the irradiation unit, the first irradiated unit, the second irradiated unit, and the light receiving unit, and the degree of deposition can be detected. In addition, even when the intensity of light emitted from the irradiating unit decreases due to deterioration with time, for example, the first reflected light and the second reflected light can be detected because the detection range is wide. The difference between the logarithmically converted first electric signal and second electric signal is the intensity ratio between the first reflected light and the second reflected light. The degree of deposition can be detected from the obtained intensity ratio between the first reflected light and the second reflected light. The output means may be, for example, a detection IC that outputs general-purpose RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator).

  (19) The light receiving unit receives the first reflected light and converts it into a first electric signal, the second light receiving unit receives the second reflected light and converts it into a second electric signal, and the first electric light Output means for logarithmically converting the signal and the second electric signal and outputting them, and interposed between the first light receiving section and the second light receiving section and the output means and connected to the path leading to the output means, It is good to set it as the structure provided with the switch part which switches alternately with a 2nd predetermined period between 1 light-receiving part and a 2nd light-receiving part.

  In this case, the logarithm is output by the same output means for the first electric signal and the second electric signal without providing the output means for each of the first electric signal and the second electric signal. Can be offset. It is possible to eliminate the occurrence of an error in the output from the output means due to a temperature change and a time-dependent change that occurs when the output means is provided for each of the first electric signal and the second electric signal. In particular, it may be combined with (14), and the switching unit may be configured to switch between the first amplified signal and the second amplified signal. Here, the second predetermined period may be lower than the high frequency, for example, about 1.8 kHz. If the period is low, the detection device can be provided at low cost without using expensive high-frequency components. The switching unit may be an analog switch, for example.

  (20) The light receiving unit receives the first reflected light and converts it into a first electric signal, the second light receiving unit receives the second reflected light and converts it into a second electric signal, and the first electric light Output means for logarithmically converting the signal and the second electric signal, and outputting a difference between the logarithmically converted first electric signal and the logarithmically converted second electric signal output from the output means; Good.

  In this way, when arranging the irradiation unit, the first irradiated unit, the two irradiated unit, and the light receiving unit, the user increases the intensity of the first reflected light and the second reflected light while checking the output. Can be placed in position. When the light irradiated by the irradiation unit is, for example, invisible infrared light, the user cannot see the reflected light from the first irradiated unit and the second irradiated unit. Even in this case, the user can adjust the position to the position where the intensity of the first reflected light and the second reflected light is increased while confirming the output.

  (21) The color of the irradiated portion may be different from the color of the deposit. In this way, there is a difference between the intensity of the reflected light in the initial state where the deposit is not deposited and the intensity of the reflected light in the state where the deposit is deposited, so the degree of deposition is detected with high accuracy. be able to.

  (22) The first irradiated portion may be white and the second irradiated portion may be black.

  By increasing the difference in reflectance between the first irradiated portion and the second irradiated portion, the maximum intensity in the initial state where no deposit is deposited on the first irradiated portion and the second irradiated portion. The difference can be increased. Since the difference in intensity becomes smaller depending on the degree of deposition, the degree of deposition can be detected based on the difference in intensity over a wide range, and the resolution for detecting the degree of deposition can be increased. The degree of deposition can be detected with high accuracy.

  (23) The signal processing performed by the detection devices of (1) to (22) may be configured such that processing by software is not interposed.

  In this way, it is not necessary to use an expensive computer, and the detector can be provided at a low cost.

  (24) The irradiating unit and the light receiving unit are preferably configured to have dust resistance. In this way, the degree of deposition can be detected even if the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit are installed in an environment where deposits accumulate.

  The user can clean the object according to the output of (20). For example, if the output indicates a high degree of deposition, it can be cleaned strongly. (25) When the difference in intensity between the reflected light from the first irradiated portion and the reflected light from the second irradiated portion is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the target is cleaned with respect to the cleaning portion that cleans the target. It may be configured to output an instruction signal for cleaning. The detection device may be configured by combining (20) and (25).

The cleaning unit can be cleaned without the user's hand in response to the difference in strength being a predetermined value or less. Further, the user can freely set the predetermined value. For example, when the deposit is volcanic ash, the predetermined value may be a value corresponding to an amount of ash fall of 20 g / m ² . It has been found that when the amount of ash fall exceeds 20 g / m ² , for example, the amount of power generation is reduced by about 20%, which affects solar power generation. In addition, the maximum amount of ash fall of 733 g / m ² has been observed on May 22, 2012 in the last few years. For this reason, when making a deposit into volcanic ash, it is good to make the upper limit of the detection range of a detection apparatus larger than 733 g / m < ² >. The predetermined value is preferably changed depending on the object. When the deposit is, for example, volcanic ash, the amount of ash fall 20 g / m ² is a considerably large amount depending on the object. For example, when the object is an agricultural crop, there is a case where even a very small amount may cause a problem. Therefore, the predetermined value is preferably set to a value that is at least larger than a value corresponding to 20 g / m ² of ash fall. In the case of crops, even if the amount of ash attached is very small, it may look bad and cannot be sold. In the case where the object is a crop, it is preferable to use a sprinkler for watering the crop. It is preferable that the degree of watering is adjusted according to the difference in strength being a predetermined value or less. For adjusting the degree of watering, for example, the watering time may be increased, or the watering pressure may be increased.

  (26) The irradiated part, the irradiating part, and the light receiving part may be configured to be resistant to cleaning by the cleaning part that cleans the object.

  In this way, the degree of deposition can be detected even after the cleaning unit cleans the object. When the cleaning unit cleans the deposit by flowing it with a liquid such as water, blowing it off with a gas such as air, or wiping with a tool such as a wiper, the irradiated unit, irradiation unit, and light receiving unit constituting the detection device are: By providing characteristics such as water resistance, wind resistance, and robustness, detection of a difference in strength is not hindered even after washing. It is better to measure all weather ash.

  (27) The irradiated portion is arranged for each predetermined region of the object, and the cleaning by the cleaning nozzle provided for each predetermined region is performed from the first irradiated portion provided for the predetermined region provided with the cleaning nozzle. Based on the difference in intensity between the reflected light of the light and the reflected light from the second irradiated portion, the configuration may be made for each predetermined region.

  In this way, cleaning can be performed according to the degree of deposition in the region to be cleaned by the cleaning nozzle. For example, only the region where the degree of deposition is large is washed, and the strength of washing can be adjusted according to the degree of deposition, which can save energy.

  The user can also clean the object in accordance with the output of (20), instead of cleaning without human intervention as in (25) and (27). For example, it is good to provide the alerting | reporting part which alert | reports the output in (20) so that a person can recognize the grade of accumulation, for example. In particular, the following (28) is preferable.

  (28) It may be configured to include a notifying unit for notifying the degree of deposition so that the person can recognize the degree of deposition at the position of the cleaning operation unit for the person to perform an operation for cleaning the object.

  In this way, the user can operate the cleaning operation unit while confirming the degree of deposition. For example, the cleaning operation unit may be configured to adjust the amount of cleaning according to the degree of deposition. In this way, the degree of cleaning can be adjusted according to the degree of deposition. When the object is, for example, a crop, the cleaning operation unit may be configured to also perform a watering operation on the crop. For example, the object may be a crop, and the cleaning operation unit may be a sprinkler valve for watering the crop. In this way, the cleaning operation unit can be operated immediately after listening to the notification. Following the operation of the valve for watering the crop, it is possible to perform an operation for cleaning the sediment, for example, by increasing the water pressure for cleaning. If the object is a fish enclosure, for example, depending on the degree of accumulation, the fish enclosure and the bait are covered with, for example, a sheet-like protective equipment, and the sediment is covered with the fish enclosure. Measures such as moving to a place where it does not accumulate should be taken. Further, when the target object is, for example, a school of fish, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the above-described measures are taken without human intervention as in (25).

  (29) The object is a solar panel, and includes a temperature detector that detects the temperature of the object, and a washing unit that performs water washing on the object in response to the temperature detected by the temperature detector being equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. It may be configured to output an instruction signal for instructing cleaning.

  Solar panels tend to have lower power generation efficiency as the temperature rises. Therefore, when the temperature rises, the solar panel is cooled by washing with water, and it can be expected that the reduced power generation efficiency is recovered. As a temperature measuring device, for example, a radiation thermometer using an infrared sensor or the like, a temperature sensor using a thermocouple, or the like may be used.

  (30) The object is a solar panel, and includes a cleaning unit that cleans the object, and predicts the profit based on the amount of power generated by cleaning the object and the cost for cleaning the object. And good.

  If deposits accumulate on the solar panel, sunlight may be hindered and the amount of power generation may be reduced. Therefore, it is preferable to suppress the decrease in the amount of power generation by washing the deposits. On the other hand, cleaning is expensive. The user can accurately determine whether or not to perform cleaning by comparing the profit based on the predicted increased power generation amount and the cost for cleaning by the cleaning unit.

  For example, when the deposit is volcanic ash, as shown in FIG. 13, when the average PR value before ash fall was 0.78, the PR value after ash fall was reduced to around 0.1. Here, the PR value is a value indicating the power generation performance ratio used in the PR method, and is a value obtained by dividing the actual power generation efficiency of the solar cell by the rated power generation efficiency. The closer the PR value is to 1, the better the efficiency of the solar cell. In FIG. 13, the horizontal axis value is [10:52:12], the plot line indicating the minimum value indicates “panel temperature”, and the plot line indicating the next smallest value indicates “insolation intensity”. , The plot line indicating the next smallest value indicates “output”, and the plot line indicating the maximum value indicates “PR value”. The vertical axis of “panel temperature”, “output”, and “sunlight intensity” is the vertical axis at the left end of FIG. 13, and the vertical axis of “PR value” is the vertical axis at the right end of FIG. Where the value on the horizontal axis is in the vicinity of [13:45:00], the panel temperature and solar radiation intensity do not change rapidly, whereas the PR value and output decrease rapidly. After a sharp drop, the plot line with the larger value indicates the “PR value”, and the plot line with the smaller value indicates the “output”. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the inventors have found that the PR value and the power generation amount (described as output in FIG. 13) decrease almost in proportion to the amount of ash fall. In the part where the value on the horizontal axis in FIG. 14 is 0, the plot line with the smaller value indicates “power”, and the plot line with the larger value indicates “PR value”. The vertical axis of “power” is the vertical axis at the left end of FIG. 14, and the vertical axis of “PR value” is the vertical axis at the right end of FIG. Further, as shown in FIGS. 15 (a) and 15 (b), the inventors have found that the amount of decrease in the PR value relative to the amount of ash fall can be calculated by a mathematical formula. In addition, FIGS. 13-15 is the experimental result which made the solar cell ash fall and investigated the change of PR value.

  Moreover, when a target object is a solar cell, as shown to Fig.16 (a), in order to receive sunlight efficiently, a solar cell panel is generally installed inclining southward with respect to the ground. Further, for example, in an area where ash falls, as shown in FIG. 16 (b), a sprayer may be installed at the end located on the higher position of the inclined solar cell panel. The sprayer cleans deposits such as volcanic ash deposited on the solar cell panel by spraying water in the form of a mist. FIG. 17 shows the results of an experiment conducted to verify the cleaning effect of the solar cell panel. Here, the sprayer was operated once each when there was no ash fall and when the ash fell, and the solar cell panel was cleaned. As shown in FIG. 17, when ash falls, the PR value increased from 0.13 to 0.96, and it was found that the PR value lowered by ash fall was recovered by washing with a sprayer. In addition, even in the absence of ash fall, the PR value increased from 0.86 to 0.93 by washing, so washing not only removes volcanic ash but also reduces the temperature of the solar panel surface. The inventors have found that.

  The profit based on the amount of power generation increased by cleaning the object is calculated by calculating the decrease amount of the PR value exemplified in FIG. 15, the season and weather, and the amount of power generation per day. It may be calculated from a table showing the correlation and a power selling price per unit power. Note that the mathematical formula, the table, and the power sale price may be stored in, for example, a storage unit included in the detection device. For example, the weather may be sunny or cloudy. For example, the detection device may be configured to include a control unit, and the control unit refers to the table, for example, obtains the power generation amount when the season is summer and the weather is clear, and uses the mathematical formula to calculate the current accumulation The difference in the amount of power generation when the amount of ash falls to 0 is calculated with respect to the amount of ash fall. The profit is calculated by multiplying the power generation amount of the difference by the power selling price per unit power.

  For example, when the cleaning is performed with water, the cost of cleaning the target is calculated based on a table showing the correlation between the amount of ash fall, which is the degree of sedimentation, and the amount of water required for cleaning, obtained from experiments, etc. Calculate from water charges. The table and the water charge are preferably stored in, for example, a storage unit included in the detection device. A control part acquires the amount of water with respect to the present amount of ash fall with reference to a table | surface. The cost is calculated by multiplying the acquired water amount by the water charge per unit water amount.

  In addition, the detection device may have a function of determining whether to perform cleaning based on the calculated profit and cost. When the profit exceeds the cost, it is recommended to start cleaning. As for the timing to start cleaning, any timing may be used, but it is highly possible that deposits will accumulate by morning even when cleaning is done, so cleaning is desirable before the sun rises and after the sun rises In the morning, more preferably before and after the sunrise. In this case, the timing may be determined based on a table representing the correlation between the date and the sunrise time, which is stored in advance in a storage unit included in the detection device, and the timing may be determined based on a pyranometer included in the detection device. You may decide. In particular, in the case of a solar radiation meter, for example, when the morning is cloudy and clear from the afternoon, it may be possible to make a determination based on the solar radiation situation and the weather, taking into account profits and costs.

  Moreover, it is good to display the amount of ash fall which is a grade of accumulation with a numerical value. For example, the relationship between the amount of ash fall per square meter (for example, weight) and the output of the present detection device may be stored in advance, and the amount of ash fall may be obtained from the current output based on the stored relationship. For example, the current amount of solar radiation (for example, kW / square meter), the current temperature (for example, Celsius (degrees)), the current generated power (for example, kW), and the current generated power amount detected by a sensor or the like Along with at least one of (for example, kWh as a unit) and today's power sale price (for example, yen as a unit), at least one of indication of the amount of ash fall or whether or not washing is in progress may be performed. In particular, it is preferable to display both the amount of ash fall and whether or not cleaning is in progress.

  (31) A configuration including network output means for outputting the degree of deposition via a network is preferable. In this way, the degree of deposition can be acquired at the output destination. A configuration including a plurality of the detection devices, or a configuration including a plurality of the detection devices for each predetermined area, such as a mega solar, and each detection device is connected to one server via the network. It may be configured to transmit information. In this way, for example, if there are 10 solar power plants in the prefecture, the information on the 10 solar power plants is aggregated in one server, and the degree of deposition of each solar power plant is aggregated in the server. You can know with the information. Moreover, when there are a plurality of sections in one solar power plant and a detection device is provided for each section, the degree of deposition in each section of the power plant can be gathered and known. Further, for example, in the case of the configuration as shown in (27), information for each region corresponding to each cleaning nozzle can be collected and obtained in one. For example, when the deposit is volcanic ash, for example, if a plurality of detection devices are installed in Kinko Bay in front of Sakurajima, and information on the degree of deposition in a wide area is collected in one server, Kinko Useful information for aquaculture fishers in the bay.

  (32) It is preferable to provide information output means for generating and outputting information that can be displayed by visualizing the degree of deposition in units of a predetermined period. In this way, the output destination can obtain information that can be displayed by visualizing the degree of deposition in units of a predetermined period. The predetermined period unit may be one day, one month, or the like. For example, the detection device may include a storage unit that records the degree of deposition together with the current time when there is a change in the degree of deposition at predetermined time intervals or the degree of deposition. At the output destination, information on a predetermined period may be visualized and displayed based on a set of time and degree of deposition. For visualization, for example, a graph with time on the horizontal axis and a deposition amount on the vertical axis may be displayed as a table displaying time and deposition amount for each line.

  (33) It may be configured to include information output means for outputting information obtained by adding the position information of the object to the degree of deposition. If it does in this way, the information which added the positional information on the target object to the grade of accumulation can be acquired at the output destination. The position information may be, for example, latitude / longitude information, place name, name of solar power plant, name of the first unit, south side, etc. when the solar power plant includes a plurality of solar power generation devices. In particular, as described in the previous paragraph, information on a plurality of detection devices may be aggregated and visualized. If it does in this way, information on the same prefecture and the same solar power plant can be extracted among a plurality of information, for example. In addition, the degree of deposition can be plotted and displayed on a map. In the following description, the solar power generation device may be described as a solar cell module.

  (34) A configuration may be adopted in which notification is made based on pre-stored notification destination information in accordance with the degree of deposition being in a predetermined state. In this way, the notification destination can know that the degree of deposition has exceeded a predetermined value. The notification may be, for example, e-mail, transmission of text data / voice data using a social network, notification by broadcasting, or the like. Further, the predetermined state may be a state in which the degree of deposition becomes a predetermined value or more, or a state in which the amount of change in the degree of deposition exceeds a predetermined amount. For example, when the deposit is volcanic ash, it often accumulates in a short time due to volcanic eruption, so by notifying by the amount of change per unit time, for example, outdoor laundry can be moved indoors etc. good.

  According to the detection device described in any one of (1) to (34), the right can be exercised on the detection device itself that does not include an object.

  (35) It can be set as the system provided with the detection apparatus and target object in any one of (1) to (34). In this way, the right can be exercised when the detection device and the object are sold as a set. In this way, the passing becomes a system that exhibits the same effects as the effects described in the above-mentioned points (1) to (34).

  (36) A system including the detection device according to any one of (1) to (34) and an object to be irradiated can be provided. In this way, the right can be exercised when the detection device and the object to be irradiated are sold as a set. Desirably, the present detection apparatus may be optimized so as to accurately detect the degree of deposition of an object with respect to the intensity of reflected light from an object to be irradiated. If it does in this way, a target object and a to-be-irradiated part will be installed in a target object in a set, and the degree of accumulation can be detected with sufficient accuracy.

  Note that (1) to (34) may be arbitrarily selected and combined, and it is particularly preferable to combine (2) to (34) with the provision of (1). It is best to combine the configurations of (3) to (34) after having (2). In addition, elements in (1) to (34) may be arbitrarily selected and combined.

  According to the detection apparatus and system according to the present application, it is possible to detect the degree of deposits deposited on an object.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the detection apparatus of embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a detection apparatus. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the external appearance of a white blackboard, and an electrical signal. It is a figure explaining an electric signal. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of a monitoring system. It is a figure explaining arrangement | positioning of a detection apparatus. (A) is a figure which shows the external appearance of PC of a monitoring system. (B) is the graph which displayed the result of the monitored analog output. (A) is a figure which shows the structure of an ash removal apparatus system. (B) is a circuit diagram of a valve control circuit. (C) is a figure which shows the external appearance of an ash removal apparatus system. It is a figure which shows the monitoring result of an ash removal apparatus system. It is a figure which shows the monitoring result of an ash removal apparatus system. It is a figure which shows the structure of a ash fall amount measurement monitoring system. It is a figure which shows the number of eruptions of Sakurajima and the amount of ash fall. It is a figure explaining the fall of PR value by ash fall. It is a figure explaining the correlation of the fall of ash fall amount and PR value. It is a figure explaining the experimental result of the correlation of the amount of ash fall and the fall of PR value. (A) is a figure which shows the external appearance of a solar cell array, (b) is a figure which shows the mode of the washing | cleaning of the solar cell panel by a sprayer. It is a figure explaining the effect of washing in a solar cell.

  A configuration of the detection apparatus 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the direction is defined as “up” on the upper side and “lower” on the lower side in FIG. The detection device 1 detects the degree of deposition related to the volcanic ash deposited on the upper surface of the solar panel 3 that performs solar power generation. Here, the degree of deposition is such that volcanic ash covers the upper surface of the solar panel 3. The solar panel 3 and the detection device 1 are arranged outdoors. Further, the solar panel 3 is disposed to be inclined with respect to the ground.

  The detection device 1 includes a main body 10 and a black and white plate 20. The cleaning machine 2 is connected to the main body 10, and in response to an activation signal output according to the degree of accumulation of volcanic ash detected by the main body 10, for example, water is sprayed from a cleaning nozzle 2 a included in the cleaning machine 2 to The volcanic ash deposited on the deposition surface that is the upper surface of the panel 3 is washed. Further, the cleaning machine 2 cleans the volcanic ash deposited on the deposition surface which is the upper surface of the black and white plate 20 at the same time as cleaning the deposition surface of the solar panel 3. The white blackboard 20 is disposed at a position excluding the portion immediately below the main body 10 on the deposition surface of the solar panel 3. The main body 10 is arranged obliquely with respect to the vertical direction passing through the white blackboard 20. Thereby, when volcanic ash falls according to gravity, the main-body part 10 becomes a shadow, and it is suppressed that accumulation of volcanic ash on the monochrome board 20 is prevented.

  The deposition surface of the white blackboard 20 is formed of a material having the same roughness, hydrophilicity, etc. as the deposition surface of the solar panel 3. Thereby, the degree to which the deposited volcanic ash is removed by the deposition surface of the solar panel 3 and the deposition surface of the monochrome board 20 can be made comparable. Here, when the volcanic ash is removed, it may be removed by rain, wind, or the like in addition to the washing by the washing machine 2. Further, the black and white plate 20 is a seal-like member and has a small thickness. Thereby, it can suppress that the black-and-white board 20 and the solar panel 3 become an environment where a deposition aspect differs by the flow of a wind or rainwater changing with the level | step difference of the deposition surface of the solar panel 3, and the black-and-white board 20. FIG. . Here, “deposition mode” indicates a state in which the volcanic ash is deposited and a state in which the deposited volcanic ash is removed, and “the deposition mode of the deposition surface of the solar panel 3 and the deposition surface of the black and white plate 20 is in the same environment” It shows that volcanic ash is deposited in the same way on both sides, and that volcanic ash deposited in the same way is removed. The white blackboard 20 includes a white white board 21 and a black blackboard 22, and the white board 21 and the blackboard 22 are adjacent to each other. Thereby, the deposition mode of the white board 21 and the blackboard 22 becomes equal in both, and it can be in the environment where the deposition mode is the same between the white board 21 and the blackboard 22. The white board 21 and the blackboard 22 have a reflectance different from the reflectance of the volcanic ash to be detected, and the reflectance of the blackboard 22 is smaller than the reflectance of the white board 21. Further, the main body 10 and the black and white plate 20 are resistant to water used by the washer 2. For this reason, the degree of deposition can be detected even after the cleaning machine 2 cleans the solar panel 3. The black and white plate 20 is formed of a member having high weather resistance. For this reason, deterioration due to being placed outdoors for a long time is suppressed.

  The main body 10 has a box-like shape, and the size of the surface having the maximum area is, for example, about the size of a business card. The main body 10 has a control unit 31, an irradiation unit 12, and a light receiving unit 13. Supplied and works. The control unit 31 controls the irradiation unit 12, the light receiving unit 13, and the like. Details of the control unit 31 will be described later. The irradiating unit 12 irradiates light over a wider area than the monochrome plate 20 so as to irradiate the entire monochrome plate 20. The light emitted from the irradiation unit 12 is reflected by the black and white plate 20, and the light receiving unit 13 receives the reflected light from the black and white plate 20. The main body 10 detects the degree of deposition based on the intensity of the light received by the light receiving unit 13. Here, for example, the light emitted from the irradiation unit 12 is used for detection instead of the sunlight whose intensity changes depending on the environment such as the weather, so that the degree of deposition can be detected stably regardless of the environment. Further, the range irradiated by the irradiation unit 12 is larger than that of the black and white plate 20. Thereby, even when the position of the irradiation part 12 with respect to the black-and-white board 20 shifts | deviates and the range of the light irradiated from the irradiation part 12 varies, light can be reliably irradiated to the black-and-white board 20. FIG. Moreover, since the detection apparatus 1 is the structure by which the light-receiving part 13 receives the reflected light from the monochrome board 20, it can be set as the structure which arrange | positions the light-receiving part 13 downward. Thereby, the light-receiving part 13 does not receive sunlight directly. For example, when the light receiving unit 13 directly receives the light emitted from the irradiation unit 12, the irradiation unit 12 and the light receiving unit 13 need to be arranged to face each other. Since the reflected light from 20 is received, the irradiation unit 12 and the light receiving unit 13 can be combined in one place.

  The main body 10 does not interfere with the accumulation of volcanic ash on the solar panel 3 and is separated from the black and white plate 20 by a distance such as about 1 m, for example, so that the reflected light from the black and white plate 20 can be received by the light receiving unit 13. It is fixed with a support tool. Thereby, even when the movement of the volcanic ash is blocked by the main body 10, the volcanic ash that has passed through the main body 10 can wrap around between the main body 10 and the black and white plate 20. Prevents the accumulation of volcanic ash. In determining the distance between the black and white plate 20 and the main body 10, the ratio between the size of the main body 10 and the distance from the black and white plate 20 to the main body 10 is important. The larger the main body 10 is, the longer the distance from the black and white plate 20 to the main body 10 is. The light receiving unit 13 is arranged at a position where ambient disturbance light does not directly enter. Here, the disturbance light is, for example, sunlight, street lamps, lights such as automobiles and railways, illumination used in stores and houses, and the like. In particular, for the sun whose position changes depending on the season and date and time, sunlight and light reflected by the solar panel 3 and the black-and-white plate 20 are not received throughout the year, or received at a position where the incident period is short. Part 13 is arranged. By arranging the light receiving unit 13 at a position that does not receive disturbance light, noise light that enters the light receiving unit 13 and causes detection errors is removed, and the noise light is strong light that exceeds the detection limit of the light receiving unit 13. In some cases, the situation where the detection itself becomes impossible can be avoided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 10 includes a lens 14, an amplifier 32, an amplifier 33, an analog switch 34, a band pass filter (BPF) in addition to the control unit 31, the irradiation unit 12, and the light receiving unit 13 shown in FIG. 35, a detection IC 36, a voltage output unit 37, a comparison / determination unit 38, and output terminals P1 and P2. The irradiation unit 12 includes an infrared light emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as a light emitting diode) LED that emits infrared light. The control unit 31 drives the irradiation unit 12 by applying On / Off modulation at the first predetermined period TD1. Specifically, the control unit 31 outputs a signal S1 that is a drive command, and the irradiation unit 12 repeats irradiation / non-irradiation at a first predetermined period TD1 in accordance with the signal S1. The first predetermined cycle TD1 is a period of, for example, 455 kHz when converted to a frequency. The light receiving unit 13 includes a white plate light receiving unit 15 and a blackboard light receiving unit 16. The white plate light receiving unit 15 and the blackboard light receiving unit 16 incorporate photodiodes PDw and PDb, respectively. The photodiodes PDw and PDb individually convert the received infrared light, which is reflected light from the white plate 21 and the blackboard 22, into electrical signals, and the white plate light receiving unit 15 and the blackboard light receiving unit 16 respectively receive the reflected signals Opw and Opb. Output. The lens 14 is a plano-convex lens, for example, and is arranged so that the convex portion side faces the black and white plate 20. Photodiodes PDw and PDb are disposed behind the lens 14. The lens 14 focuses the white plate reflected light LW irradiated from the irradiation unit 12 and reflected by the white plate 21 and the blackboard reflected light LB reflected by the blackboard 22 onto the photodiodes PDw and PDb, respectively. Thereby, the intensity | strength of the light to detect can be raised and SN ratio can be enlarged. In addition, the white board light-receiving part 15 and the blackboard light-receiving part 16 are arrange | positioned in the position where the reflected light from the boundary part of the white board 21 and the blackboard 22 does not enter. The amplifier 32 amplifies the reflected signal Opw output from the white plate light receiving unit 15 and outputs a signal Ow. The amplifier 33 amplifies the reflected signal Opb output from the blackboard light receiving unit 16 and outputs a signal Ob. Here, the main body unit 10 includes an amplifier 32 and an amplifier 33 corresponding to each of the white board light receiving unit 15 and the blackboard light receiving unit 16. As a result, it is possible to suppress the noise mixture in the minute signals converted by the white board light receiving unit 15 and the blackboard light receiving unit 16 and before being amplified by the amplifiers 32 and 33, and to increase the SN ratio.

  The analog switch 34 is connected to the output terminal of the amplifier 32 and the output terminal of the amplifier 33, and switches the output alternately in a second predetermined cycle TD2 that is longer than the first predetermined cycle TD1 in accordance with a command from the control unit 31. Thereby, the output signal of the analog switch 34 becomes a signal in which the signal Ow and the signal Ob are made into one signal by time division. The second predetermined period TD2 is, for example, about 280 μs, and is a period of, for example, about 1.8 kHz when converted to a frequency.

  The band-pass filter 35 is a filter that passes a signal having a first predetermined period TD1, which is an irradiation / non-irradiation period in the irradiation unit 12, and filters the output signal of the analog switch 34 to output a signal O1. Thereby, out of the light received by the light receiving unit 13, it is possible to extract an electrical signal obtained by converting light having the same cycle as the first predetermined cycle TD <b> 1 in which the irradiation unit 12 repeats irradiation / non-irradiation. Here, a general band pass filter can be used as the band pass filter 35 by setting the first predetermined period TD1 to be equivalent to a frequency of 455 kHz. The frequency 455 kHz is an intermediate frequency of AM radio and a second intermediate frequency of FM radio.

  The signal O1 is input to the detection IC 36. The detection IC 36 is a general-purpose limiter IC that outputs RSSI indicating the magnitude of the signal O1 by a logarithmic value (dB). Here, the signal Ow and the signal Ob are made into one signal in the analog switch 34 in advance. Thereby, RSSI can be obtained with the same detection IC 36 for the signal Ow and the signal Ob without providing the detection IC 36 for each of the signal Ow and the signal Ob. When the detection IC 36 is provided for each of the signal Ow and the signal Ob, for example, due to deterioration over time, for example, the gain of one detection IC 36 decreases, the gain of the two detection ICs 36, the offset voltage, the scale error, etc. Differences may occur. In this regard, by using the signal O1 as an input, it is possible to eliminate the occurrence of an RSSI error due to a temperature change and a change with time.

  The voltage output unit 37 includes a rectifier circuit, converts RSSI that is an alternating current (AC) signal into a direct current (DC) voltage, and outputs the converted voltage. Specifically, the voltage output unit 37 integrates after half-wave rectification, and outputs a signal O2 indicating the degree of deposition to the output terminal P1. The user can confirm the voltage value of the signal O2 by connecting the output voltage to the output terminal P1, for example, by connecting a voltmeter. The comparison determination unit 38 compares the RSSI with a threshold voltage Vr input through, for example, a built-in volume (not shown), and outputs a signal O3 that is a comparison result. Here, the volume is a variable resistor whose resistance value can be changed by turning a knob, for example. Details of the voltage output unit 37 and the comparison determination unit 38 will be described later. The control unit 31 is realized by, for example, CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), and controls the irradiation unit 12 and the analog switch 34 as described above. By realizing the control unit 31 by CPLD, it is not necessary to use an expensive computer that requires software, and the detection apparatus 1 can be provided at a low cost.

  Next, a method for detecting the degree of volcanic ash deposition will be described with reference to FIGS. Section Z1 in FIG. 3 shows a state where volcanic ash is deposited on the black and white plate 20, and transitions to states A, B, and C in order as the volcanic ash accumulates. State A is a state where there is no volcanic ash on the black and white plate 20, state B is a state where a little volcanic ash is deposited on the black and white plate 20, and state C is a state where a lot of volcanic ash is accumulated. Here, since the color of the volcanic ash is gray, it is possible to detect a difference between the state where the volcanic ash is not deposited on the black and white plate 20 and the state where the volcanic ash is accumulated on the black and white plate 20. In the state A, since the volcanic ash is not deposited on the black and white board 20, the difference between the white board 21 and the blackboard 22 is clear. As the state transitions to states B and C, the amount of volcanic ash that accumulates on the deposition surface of the black and white plate 20 gradually increases, so that the difference between the white plate 21 and the blackboard 22 becomes gradually less obvious. Since the reflectance of the white board 21 is higher than that of the blackboard 22, in the state A, the intensity of the white board reflected light LW (FIG. 2) is larger than that of the blackboard reflected light LB (FIG. 2). A section Z2 in FIG. 3 shows a reflection level ratio which is a ratio of the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB (FIG. 2) and the white board reflected light LW (FIG. 2). The difference in intensity between the blackboard reflected light LB (FIG. 2) and the white board reflected light LW (FIG. 2) is greatest in the state A where no volcanic ash is deposited, and decreases as the state transitions to the states B and C. That is, as shown in the section Z2, the reflection level ratio in the state A is “large”, the reflection level ratio in the state B is “medium”, and the reflection level ratio in the state C is “small”. . Furthermore, when the entire area of the black and white plate 20 is covered with volcanic ash to such an extent that the black and white plate 20 cannot be seen, the light is reflected by the volcanic ash, so the blackboard reflected light LB (FIG. 2) and the white plate reflected light LW (FIG. 2) The difference in strength disappears. Therefore, the degree of deposition can be detected based on the difference in intensity between the blackboard reflected light LB (FIG. 2) and the white board reflected light LW (FIG. 2). Furthermore, since the black and white plate 20 and the solar panel 3 are deposited in the same environment, the degree of volcanic ash deposited on the black and white plate 20 can be set to the degree of volcanic ash deposited on the solar panel 3. . Here, by using the white board 21 and the blackboard 22 having a large difference in reflectance, the degree of deposition can be detected by a wide range of intensity differences, and the resolution for detecting the degree of deposition can be enhanced. .

  The signal S1 shown in FIG. 4 is a signal for instructing to turn on the light emitting diode LED during the high level period and to turn off the light emitting diode LED during the low level period. Signals Ow and Ob shown in FIG. 4 indicate signals in the state A based on the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB, respectively. In response to the signal S1, the signals Ow and Ob alternately repeat a high level corresponding to the lighting of the light emitting diode LED and a low level corresponding to the lighting of the light emitting diode LED. Since the intensity of the white board reflected light LW is larger than the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB, the amplitude of the signal Ow is larger than that of the signal Ob. Here, the amplitude is a difference between the maximum voltage and the minimum voltage. Since the analog switch 34 alternately switches the output to the band pass filter 35 between the signal Ow and the signal Ob at the second predetermined period TD2, the signal O1 is a band of the signal Ob and the signal Ob after passing through the band pass filter 35. The signal after passing through the pass filter 35 appears alternately. Here, a period in which the signal Ow passes through the bandpass filter 35 appears as a period Tw, and a period in which the signal Ob passes through the bandpass filter 35 appears as a period Tb. The detection IC 36 outputs the magnitude of the signal after passing through the bandpass filter 35 in the period Tw, and outputs the magnitude of the signal after passing through the bandpass filter 35 in the period Tw. Therefore, the RSSI is a signal that is at a high level during the period Tw and is at a low level during the period Tb. In FIG. 4, RSSI indicated by a solid line corresponds to the state A, and RSSI indicated by a one-dot chain line corresponds to the state B. In the state A, the RSSI has the amplitude of the high level Wa and the low level Ba. In the state B, the RSSI has the amplitude of the high level Wb and the low level Bb. Here, in the state B, since the difference in intensity between the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB is smaller than in the state A, the amplitude becomes smaller. The voltage Vl is an RSSI voltage in a state where the entire area of the black and white plate 20 is covered with volcanic ash to such an extent that the black and white plate 20 cannot be seen. As the degree of deposition increases, the RSSI voltage level gradually approaches the voltage Vl. The voltage Vl is a value that depends on the reflectance of volcanic ash.

  3 indicates RSSI in each state. As described above, the high levels Wa, Wb, and Wc are values according to the intensity of the white plate reflected light LW, and the low levels Ba, Bb, and Bc are blackboards. This is a value corresponding to the intensity of the reflected light LB. In the state A, the amplitude is large, and as the states B and C are reached, the intensity of the white board reflected light LW and the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB approaches the same value, so the amplitude decreases. The voltage Vm shown in the section Z3 in FIG. 3 is an intermediate voltage between the high level and low level of RSSI in each state.

  The voltage output unit 37 includes a half-wave rectifier circuit unit including a diode (not shown) and the like, and an integration circuit unit including a capacitor, a resistor, and the like. The half-wave rectifier circuit unit passes a voltage component equal to or higher than the RSSI voltage Vm. The signal that has passed through the half-wave rectifier circuit unit is integrated by the integrating circuit unit, and a signal O2 that is a DC voltage is output. Thereby, the voltage value of the output signal O2 increases as the amplitude of RSSI increases. In the section Z4 of FIG. 3, the voltages Va, Vb, and Vc, which are the voltage values of the signal O2 in each state, are shown together with the threshold voltage Vr and the ground voltage GND. The voltages Va, Vb, and Vc are the voltages of the signal O2 in the states A, B, and C, respectively. Depending on the input RSSI, the voltage values decrease in the order of the voltages Va, Vb, and Vc. The comparison determination unit 38 compares the RSSI amplitude and the threshold voltage Vr, and outputs a DC signal that is an open collector signal of high level or low level. A section Z5 in FIG. 4 shows the voltage level of the signal O3 in each state. As shown in the section Z4 of FIG. 3, when the output voltage of the signal O2 is higher than the threshold voltage Vr like the voltages Va and Vb, the signal O3 of a high level (OPEN in FIG. 3, section Z5) is output, When the output voltage of the signal O2 is lower than the threshold voltage Vr like the voltage Vc, the signal O3 of low level (GND in section Z5 in FIG. 3) is output. Here, the low-level signal O3 is an activation signal to the cleaning machine 2. The cleaning machine 2 uses the signal O3 as an on / off signal related to execution of cleaning. For example, the signal O3 becomes a low level on signal when the contamination is higher than the specified level, and the signal O3 becomes a high level off signal when the level is lower than the specified level.

  Here, the voltage value of the signal O2 obtained by integrating the RSSI corresponds to the logarithm of “the ratio of the intensity of the whiteboard reflected light LW to the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB”, and the level ratio of the reflected signal Opw and the reflected signal Opb. Corresponding to For example, the amplitude of the signal Ow which is a signal based on the intensity of the white board reflected light LW is the voltage Aw, the amplitude of the signal Ob which is a signal based on the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB is the voltage Ab, and the RSSI high level is the voltage logAw. It is assumed that the low level is the voltage logAb. In this case, in the voltage output unit 37, for example, a voltage component equal to or higher than voltage 1/2 (logAw-logAb) that has passed through the half-wave rectifier circuit is integrated by the integration circuit unit, for example, voltage 1/4 (logAw-logAb). The signal O2 is output. The difference between the two logarithms is the logarithm of the ratio of the two numbers. Therefore, the voltage ¼ (logAw−logAb) is ¼ (logAw / Ab), and “Aw / Ab”, which is “the ratio of the intensity of the white board reflected light LW to the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB”. The logarithmized value is shown. For example, when the voltage value of the signal O2 is previously adjusted to 1 dB and 1 V, and Aw: Ab = 2: 1, Aw = 2 × Ab, and 20 log2 = 6 dB in decibels, 1/4 × logAw / Ab = 1 /4×log2=1.5. Thus, for example, when the voltage of the signal O2 is 1.5 V, it can be estimated that the ratio of the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB to the intensity of the white board reflected light LW is about 2 and about 6 dB. In the above description, a simplified mathematical expression is used for explanation, but the voltage value output from the main body 10 is not limited. For example, the RSSI voltage is a value determined by the detection IC 36, and the voltage of the signal O 2 is a value determined by the voltage output unit 37.

  Further, by detecting the degree of deposition based on the “ratio” of the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB to the intensity of the whiteboard reflected light LW, the “difference” between the intensity of the whiteboard reflected light LW and the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB is obtained. The influence of the detection error of the intensity of the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB can be made smaller than detecting the degree of deposition based on the above. For example, the amplitude of the output signal of the white board light receiving unit 15 that is a signal based on the intensity of the white board reflected light LW is the voltage Gw, the amplitude of the output signal of the blackboard reflected light LB is the voltage Gb, and Gb was detected without any detection error. It is assumed that Gw is a value that has been detected with a detection error of + 10%. Gw = 1.1 Gtw, where Gtw is the value when no detection error is detected. The “difference” between the two values is calculated as Gw−Gb = 1.1 Gtw−Gb = (Gtw−Gb) +0.1 Gtw, and the “ratio” between the two values is Gw / Gb = 1.1 Gtw / Gb = It is calculated as (Gtw / Gb) +0.1 Gtw / Gb. That is, it is compared with the value when there is no detection error (Gtw−Gb in the case of “difference”, Gtw / Gb in the case of “ratio”), and in the case of “difference”, the value of 0.1 Gtw becomes an error. On the other hand, in the “ratio”, the error can be 0.1 Gtw / Gb, so that the influence of the error on the value used to detect the degree of deposition is reduced by dividing by Gb greater than 1. Can do. For example, even when the input / output characteristics of the photodiodes PDw and PDb change due to deterioration with time and a detection error occurs, the influence of the detection error on the signal O2 can be reduced.

  Further, by using the detection IC 36, the signal O1 is converted into a logarithm and output to the subsequent stage. Thereby, the detection range of the intensity related to the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB can be set widely, and the operating voltage range of the voltage output unit 37 and the comparison determination unit 38 in the subsequent stage can be limited. Even when the light path irradiated from the irradiating unit 12 and reflected by the black and white plate 20 and entering the light receiving unit 13 is deviated and the intensity of the light varies, the white plate reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB are wide because the detection range is wide. Can be detected. It is not necessary to strictly set the positional relationship among the irradiating unit 12, the black and white plate 20, and the light receiving unit 13, and can be roughly adjusted roughly regardless of installation accuracy. The severe installation can be eliminated. Further, even when the intensity of light emitted from the irradiation unit 12 decreases due to deterioration with time, for example, the white plate reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB can be reliably detected because the detection range is wide.

  In the configuration of the detection apparatus 1, the black and white plate 20 and the main body are disposed in such a manner that the black and white plate 20 is disposed in the same environment as the solar panel 3 and the main body 10 is disposed at a position where ambient light is not directly incident on the light receiving unit 13. The position of the unit 10 is not fixed, and the degree of freedom of arrangement of the monochrome board 20 and the main body unit 10 is increased. For this reason, the degree of contact of the light emitted from the irradiating unit 12 with the black and white plate 20, the angle, distance, and position between the black and white plate 20 and the main body 10 changes depending on the arrangement state, and the white plate depends on the environment such as ambient light. The intensity of the reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB varies. Further, for example, when the position of the irradiation unit 12 is shifted due to vibration or the like and the way the light irradiated from the irradiation unit 12 strikes the black and white plate 20, the intensity of the white plate reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB is increased. The range will shift. Further, for example, as the light emission intensity of the light emitting diode LED decreases due to deterioration over time, the intensity of the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB decreases. As the emission intensity decreases, if the detection range is narrow, the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB first falls outside the detection range, so that the difference in intensity between the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB can be accurately detected. There is a risk of disappearing. Even in the above case, by using the detection IC 36, the detectable range of the intensity related to the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB can be widened, so that the degree of deposition can be reliably detected. When the signal is handled as it is without being converted to logarithm, it is likely to be saturated when the absolute value is shifted. In the case of linear, the detection range may be narrower than when converted to logarithm. The intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB is fixed, and the intensity of the whiteboard reflected light LW relative to the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB does not change. As described above, the absolute values of the blackboard reflected light LB and the whiteboard reflected light LW are Both tend to fluctuate. For this reason, when the detection range is narrow, the intensities of the blackboard reflected light LB and the white board reflected light LW tend to be outside the detection range.

  The voltage value of the signal O2 indicating the degree of deposition is displayed on a connected voltmeter, for example. Thereby, although the light irradiated from the irradiation part 12 cannot be seen because it is infrared light, the user confirms the voltage value of the signal O2, and the position where the intensity | strength of the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB becomes large, ie, The main body 10 can be arranged in a direction in which the light receiving unit 13 captures the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB. Specifically, alignment is preferably performed at a position where the voltage value of the signal O2 reaches a peak. Moreover, the washing machine 2 is connected to the output terminal P2 of the main body unit 10, and is set to wash the solar panel 3 when the signal O3 is at a low level. That is, the cleaning machine 2 performs cleaning using the low level signal O3 as an activation signal. Thereby, the solar panel 3 can be cleaned without the user's hand. Since the user can arbitrarily set the threshold voltage Vr, for example, the threshold voltage Vr can be adjusted according to the weather.

  Here, the solar panel 3 is an example of an object, and volcanic ash is an example of a deposit. The blackboard 22 is an example of the first irradiated part, the white board 21 is an example of the second irradiated part, the blackboard reflected light LB is an example of the first reflected light, and the white board reflected light LW is the second reflected light. It is an example. The photodiode PDb is an example of a first light receiving unit, the photodiode PDw is an example of a second light receiving unit, the amplifier 33 is an example of a first amplifier, and the amplifier 32 is an example of a second amplifier, The analog switch 34 is an example of a switching unit, the bandpass filter 35 is an example of a second unit, the detection IC 36 is an example of an output unit, and the voltage output unit 37 is an example of a third unit. The reflected signal Opb is an example of the first electric signal, the reflected signal Opw is an example of the second electric signal, the signal O1 is an example of the third electric signal, and the signal O2 is an example of the fourth electric signal. is there. The roughness and hydrophilicity of the deposition surfaces of the black and white plate 20 and the solar panel 3 are examples of the properties of the deposition surfaces.

As mentioned above, according to above-mentioned embodiment, there exist the following effects.
Since the reflectances of the white board 21 and the blackboard 22 are different from each other, the difference in intensity between the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB is the largest when no volcanic ash is deposited on the black and white board 20, and decreases as the degree of deposition increases. Become. Since the white board 21 and the blackboard 22 are in the same environment in which the volcanic ash is deposited, the difference in intensity between the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB becomes smaller as the degree of deposition increases. Therefore, the degree of accumulation of volcanic ash deposited on the white plate 21 and the blackboard 22 can be detected based on the difference in intensity between the white plate reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB. Here, since the black-and-white plate 20 is in the same environment as that of the solar panel 3, the volcanic ash is deposited on the solar panel 3 by detecting the degree of the volcanic ash deposited on the black-and-white plate 20. Can be detected. By configuring the white blackboard 20 with white and black having a large difference in reflectance, the difference in intensity between the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB in the initial state where volcanic ash is not deposited can be increased. The resolution for detecting the degree of deposition can be increased.

  The white board 21 and the blackboard 22 are arranged adjacent to each other. Thereby, the accumulation | storage aspect of the white board 21 and the blackboard 22 becomes equal by both. Moreover, the property of the deposition surface where the volcanic ash of the white board 21 and the blackboard 22 accumulates is equivalent to the deposition surface of the solar panel 3. Thereby, the deposition aspect by the deposition surface of a target object and the deposition surface of the white board 21 and the blackboard 22 can be made into the same environment between both. Further, the white plate 21 and the blackboard 22 are thin members. Thereby, the level | step difference of the deposition surface of the solar panel 3 in which the monochrome board 20 is mounted, and the deposition surface of the monochrome board 20 can be made small. In the vicinity of the step, it is possible to suppress non-uniform deposition modes due to the step. It is possible to suppress the degree of deposition on the white blackboard 20 from being different from the degree of deposition on the solar panel 3.

  The white blackboard 20 is disposed at a position other than directly below the main body 10. Thereby, when volcanic ash falls according to gravity, since the main-body part 10 does not block the accumulation path | route of volcanic ash, it is suppressed that the main-body part 10 becomes a shadow and the accumulation of volcanic ash on the monochrome board 20 is prevented. Further, the black and white plate 20 is disposed so as not to interfere with the accumulation of volcanic ash on the solar panel 3 and to be separated from the main body portion 10 by a distance at which the intensity of the white plate reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB can be detected. Thereby, even when the movement of the volcanic ash is blocked by the main body 10, the volcanic ash that has passed through the main body 10 can wrap around between the main body 10 and the black and white plate 20. Prevents the accumulation of volcanic ash. The light receiving unit 13 is disposed at a position where ambient disturbance light is not directly incident. As a result, noise light that is incident on the light receiving unit 13 and causes a detection error is removed, and if the noise light is strong light that exceeds the detection limit of the light receiving unit 13, the detection itself becomes impossible. Can be avoided.

  The irradiation unit 12 can irradiate the black-and-white plate 20 with light having characteristics different from disturbance light by repeating irradiation / non-irradiation at the first predetermined period TD1. By passing through the band-pass filter 35 that passes the electrical signal of the first predetermined period TD1, the electrical signal converted from the light irradiated by the irradiation unit 12 can be selected and extracted. By providing the amplifier 32 for the photodiode PDw and the amplifier 33 for the photodiode PDb, the SN ratio can be increased.

  The analog switch 34 alternately switches the output at the second predetermined period TD2, and makes the signal Ow and the signal Ob one electric signal by time division. As a result, the RSSI is output by the same detection IC 36 without providing the detection IC 36 for each of the signal Ow and the signal Ob, so that the error can be offset. It is possible to eliminate the occurrence of an error between the RSSIs output from the detection IC 36 due to a temperature change and a change over time that occur when the detection IC 36 is provided for each of the signal Ow and the signal Ob.

  The magnitude of the signal O1 is logarithmically converted by the detection IC 36. For this reason, the detection range of the intensity | strength which can process a signal about white board reflected light LW and blackboard reflected light LB can be set widely. Even when the light path irradiated from the irradiating unit 12 and reflected by the black and white plate 20 and entering the light receiving unit 13 is shifted and the light intensity varies, the white plate reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB are detected in a wide range. be able to. Further, even when the intensity of light emitted from the light emitting diode LED decreases due to deterioration with time, for example, the white plate reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB can be detected because the detection range is wide.

  The voltage output unit 37 integrates the RSSI in which the signal based on the intensity of the white board reflected light LW and the signal based on the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB are combined into one by time division, and based on the intensity of the white board reflected light LW in RSSI. The difference between the voltage component and the voltage component based on the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB in RSSI is output as a voltage value. The difference between the RSSI voltage component with the voltage component based on the intensity of the white board reflected light LW and the RSSI voltage component with the voltage component based on the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB as input is the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light. Strength ratio with LB. By detecting the degree of deposition based on the ratio of the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB to the intensity of the whiteboard reflected light LW, the degree of deposition is detected based on the difference in the intensity of the blackboard reflected light LB with respect to the intensity of the whiteboard reflected light LW. The influence of the detection error of the intensity of the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB can be reduced.

  The voltage output unit 37 outputs a signal O2. Thereby, when arrange | positioning the main-body part 10 and the monochrome board 20, a user can arrange | position in the position where the intensity | strength of the blackboard reflected light LB and the white board reflected light LW becomes large, confirming an output. By realizing the control unit 31 with CPLD, it is not necessary to use an expensive computer that requires processing by software, and the detection apparatus 1 can be provided at low cost. The cleaning machine 2 cleans the solar panel 3 according to the signal O3. Thereby, it can wash | clean without a user's hand. Further, the user can freely set the threshold voltage Vr. The detection device 1 is resistant to cleaning by the cleaning machine 2. Thereby, the degree of deposition can be detected even after the cleaning machine 2 cleans the solar panel 3.

<System example 1>
Next, the structure of the monitoring system 100 provided with the detection apparatus 101 is demonstrated using FIG. The monitoring system 100 is a system for monitoring the amount of ash fall of volcanic ash (an example of a deposit) deposited on an object. As shown in FIG. 5, the monitoring system 100 includes a detection device 101, a parent device and a child device of a wireless communication device (described as ZigBee (registered trademark) in FIG. 5), an RC filter, and a microcomputer (mbed (registered trademark in FIG. 5)). )), And a PC. The base unit and the handset of the wireless communication device perform wireless communication conforming to the ZigBee communication standard. The microcomputer is mbed. The detection device 101 includes an oscillation circuit, an LED (an example of an irradiation unit), a black and white reflector (an example of an irradiated unit), a PD (an example of a light receiving unit), a detection IC, a rectifier circuit, and a threshold determination circuit (in FIG. 5, a threshold determination). And the like). The oscillation circuit, LED, black-and-white reflector, PD, detection IC, rectifier circuit, and threshold determination circuit are the control unit 31, the irradiation unit 12, the black-and-white plate 20, the light receiving unit 13, the detection IC 36, and the voltage output unit of the detection device 1, respectively. 37 and corresponds to the comparison determination unit 38, and the description thereof is omitted. An analog output signal output from the rectifier circuit and corresponding to the signal O2 in the detection device 1 is input to the base unit of the wireless communication device. The base unit of the wireless communication device transmits a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) output signal in which the duty ratio is adjusted according to the voltage value of the input analog output signal to the slave unit of the wireless communication device. The slave unit of the wireless communication device outputs a PWM output signal to the RC filter. The RC filter outputs an analog output signal, which is a voltage value corresponding to the duty ratio of the PWM output signal, to the microcomputer. The microcomputer outputs a signal based on the input analog output signal to the PC. Thereby, the change of the signal corresponding to the signal O2 can be monitored in real time on the PC. The signal corresponding to the signal O2 is a signal in which the voltage value decreases as the degree of accumulation increases and the amount of ash fall increases.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the detection device 101 is installed at a position where the black-and-white reflection plate is not directly under the ash fall sensor and can detect the reflected light from the black-and-white reflection plate. The ash fall sensor in FIG. 6 corresponds to the main body 10 of the detection device 1. The position where the reflected light from the black and white reflector can be detected is a position separated from the black and white reflector by about 32.8 cm. After the volcanic ash is swollen by the eruption, it is carried by the wind and falls on the object according to the gravity. Depending on the wind, there are many cases where the object is piled up near the object. Therefore, by disposing the black and white reflection plate at a position other than directly below the ash fall sensor, it is possible to suppress the ash fall sensor from preventing the ash fall on the black and white reflection plate.

  Next, the experiment result of monitoring in the monitoring system 100 will be described with reference to FIG. An application program for displaying a graph based on an analog output signal input from a microcomputer is displayed on the PC. As shown in FIG. 7A, a graph as shown in FIG. 7B is displayed on the display of the PC. The horizontal axis of FIG.7 (b) is a time axis, and a vertical axis | shaft is a voltage. According to the monitoring system 100, it can be seen that the detection apparatus 101 can monitor the amount of ash fall in real time. In this case, the ash sensor is set so that the maximum output of the ash sensor sent to the PC is about 1.37V, and the output when about 0.6g of ash falls on the black and white reflector is about 0.8V. It is adjusted.

<System example 2>
Next, the structure of the ash removal apparatus system 200 provided with the detection apparatus 201 is demonstrated using FIG. The ash removal apparatus system 200 is a system for automatically cleaning the volcanic ash (an example of the deposit) deposited on the solar panel (an example of the object) according to the amount of the ash fall and monitoring the amount of the ash fall. As shown in FIG. 8A, the ash removal apparatus system 200 includes a pyranometer, a spray device (an example of a cleaning unit and a cleaning nozzle), a detection device 201, a microcomputer (described as mbed in FIG. 8), a wireless communication device ( 8 includes a ZigBee master device and a slave device, a PC, a valve control circuit having a relay, a solar cell panel (described as a solar cell in FIG. 8), an IV checker, and the like. The spraying device has a pump and a sprayer. The sprayer cleans deposits such as volcanic ash deposited on the solar cell panel by spraying water supplied from the pump in the form of a mist. The microcomputer and the pump are electrically connected via a valve control circuit (FIG. 8B). The base unit and the handset of the wireless communication device perform wireless communication conforming to the ZigBee communication standard. The microcomputer is mbed.

  The detection device 201 has the same configuration as that of the detection device 1 and includes a ash fall sensor, a black and white reflector, and the like. The ash fall sensor corresponds to the main body 10 of the detection device 1 and the black and white reflector corresponds to the black and white plate 20 of the detection device 1 and thus will not be described. As shown in FIG.8 (c), the pyranometer, the sprayer, the ash fall sensor, and the monochrome reflector are arrange | positioned in the vicinity of the solar cell panel. The black-and-white reflector is not arranged directly above the solar cell panel but is spaced apart. Thereby, it is suppressed that a black-and-white reflecting plate blocks sunlight and prevents the electric power generation by a solar cell panel. The black and white reflector and the solar cell panel are arranged on the same flat plate. Thereby, the inclination angle with respect to the ground becomes equal between the black and white reflector and the solar cell panel, and the amount of ash fall in the solar cell panel can be detected more accurately by the black and white reflector.

  A signal corresponding to the signal O3 of the detection device 1 output from the ash fall sensor is input to the base unit of the wireless communication device. A signal corresponding to the signal O3 is transmitted from the master unit to the slave unit of the wireless communication device and further input to the microcomputer. The microcomputer is a signal corresponding to the low level signal O3, and when the analog output RSSI falls below the threshold voltage Vr, and the signal output from the ash fall sensor is a high level signal that turns on the relay. The voltage is output to the valve control circuit. As shown in FIG. 8B, the valve control circuit includes an NPN bipolar transistor, a relay, a DC power supply (described as DC12V in FIG. 8B), an AC power supply (described as AC100V in FIG. 8B), and the like. It has. The valve control circuit has a large amount of ash fall, and when a 3.3V signal (an example of an instruction signal for cleaning) is output from the microcomputer to the base terminal of the NPN bipolar transistor, the NPN bipolar transistor It is turned on, and a current flows from the DC power source to the coil of the relay. When a current flows through the coil, the switch of the relay is turned on, the pump valve is powered from the AC power source, and the pump is activated. When the pump is activated, the nebulizer begins to spray.

  In the ash removal device system 200, when the amount of ash fall on the solar cell panel is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the solar cell panel can be cleaned by the spray device without human intervention.

  Similarly to the signal corresponding to the signal O3 of the detection device 1, the signal corresponding to the signal O2 of the detection device 1 is also transmitted from the ash fall sensor to the microcomputer via the master unit and the slave unit of the wireless communication device. . When a signal corresponding to the signal O3 is input from the ash fall sensor, the microcomputer outputs a signal corresponding to the signal O3 to the PC. Thereby, the change of the signal corresponding to the signal O3 can be monitored in real time on the PC.

  Next, the results of monitoring experiments that verified the cleaning effect in the ash removal apparatus system 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, an experiment was conducted to artificially ash the solar cell panel three times. The horizontal axis in FIG. 9 is the time axis, and the vertical axis is the voltage. The voltage of the signal corresponding to the signal O3 (described as sensor output in FIG. 9) drops at the timing when the ash falls. Thereby, it turns out that the amount of ash fall can be detected with the detection apparatus 201 in real time. The horizontal axis in FIG. 10 is time, and the vertical axis is power generation amount, solar radiation amount, and PR value. FIG. 10 shows that the power generation amount and the PR value are recovered by washing with the sprayer after the power generation amount and the PR value are reduced by the ash fall. Furthermore, since the PR value after cleaning is 0.9 or more, it can be seen that the effect of recovering the power generation efficiency of the solar cell by cleaning is high.

<System example 3>
Next, the structure of the ash removal apparatus system 300 provided with the detection apparatus 301 is demonstrated using FIG. The ash removal apparatus system 300 includes a solar radiation amount sensor, a spray device, a weather sensor, a ash fall sensor, a microcomputer (an example of a network output means and an information output means), a data collection server, and two monitoring / remote control PCs (hereinafter referred to as PCs). (Abbreviated). The spraying device has a spray controller that controls the entire spraying device, and a sprayer (not shown). The solar radiation amount sensor, the sprayer, the weather sensor, and the ash fall sensor are installed in the vicinity of the solar cell panel (shown as a solar cell array in FIG. 11), and each is electrically connected to the microcomputer. The microcomputer and the PC are connected to the data collection server via the Internet. An application program for visualizing and displaying the detection information and an application program for controlling the spray device are installed on the PC.

  The microcomputer detects detection information such as temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, and precipitation detected by the sensor, for example, a predetermined amount of time (for example, one day) Etc.) every time. At that time, the microcomputer transmits the detection information with the time and latitude / longitude information added. Thereby, the user can operate the PC to acquire the detection information from the server, and display the detection information on the display of the PC. The user verifies the detection information, and instructs the spraying device to perform cleaning by an application of the PC. The cleaning command is transmitted to the microcomputer via the server. When the microcomputer receives the cleaning instruction, the microcomputer instructs the spraying apparatus to perform the cleaning. The spraying device starts cleaning in response to a cleaning command. In this way, the amount of solar radiation and the amount of ash fall can be detected by each sensor, and monitoring and remote operation can be performed by the PC, and the spraying device can be controlled according to the amount of ash fall.

  Since time is added to the detection information, the amount of ash fall can be graphed and displayed on a daily and monthly basis. Further, since latitude / longitude information is added to the detection information, the amount of ash fall can be plotted and displayed on a map. Volcanic ash accumulates unevenly depending on the wind direction, position relative to the volcano, and the like. For this reason, the amount of ash fall in the position to obtain can be known by displaying on a map.

Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
In the above description, the black and white plate 20 is described as being disposed on the deposition surface of the solar panel 3. However, the black and white plate 20 is separated from the solar panel 3, and the accumulation of volcanic ash on the solar panel 3 is not hindered. It is good also as a structure arrange | positioned in the position where the effect which the panel 3 has is not prevented. For example, if it arrange | positions beside the solar panel 3, since the black-and-white board 20 does not block sunlight, it does not prevent solar power generation. Moreover, the solar panel 3 and a deposition aspect can be made equivalent by arrange | positioning in the position wash | cleaned similarly to the solar panel 3 with the washing | cleaning machine 2. FIG.

  In addition, it has been described that the light that has passed through the lens 14 enters the white plate light receiving unit 15 and the blackboard light receiving unit 16, but the infrared light irradiated by the irradiation unit 12 between the lens 14 and the white plate light receiving unit 15 and the blackboard light receiving unit 16 is used. A configuration in which an optical filter that passes through is disposed is preferable. Thereby, the light-receiving part 13 can select the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB. Moreover, the light of wavelength ranges other than the wavelength range which the white board reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB have can be interrupted, and generation | occurrence | production of a convergent fire can be suppressed. Here, the optical filter is an example of the first means.

  Moreover, although the structure provided with the one washing machine 2 was demonstrated with respect to the solar panel 3, it is not limited to this. Since the cleaning area that can be cleaned by the water sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 2a is limited, when the deposition surface of the solar panel 3 is wider than the cleaning area, it is preferable to include a plurality of cleaning nozzles 2a. In the case where a plurality of cleaning nozzles 2a are provided, it is preferable that the black and white plate 20 be provided for each cleaning region. Thereby, it is possible to perform cleaning according to the degree of deposition of the region to be cleaned by the cleaning nozzle 2a. For example, only the region where the degree of deposition is large is washed, and the strength of washing can be adjusted according to the degree of deposition, which can save energy. The cleaning machine 2 may be configured to include a plurality of cleaning nozzles 2a, may be configured to include a plurality of cleaning machines 2 including one cleaning nozzle 2a, or a combination of both.

  Moreover, although the solar panel 3 was illustrated and demonstrated as a target object, for example, a roof, a wall, a window, a floor, a veranda, a white line of a road, a passage, the surface of a building structure, a vehicle, construction equipment, movement It can be applied to places where deposits such as outdoor volcanic ash are likely to deposit, such as natural outdoor exhibits, artificial objects, and natural objects such as trees. Moreover, although volcanic ash was illustrated and demonstrated as a deposit, it can be applied to, for example, dust, dust, pollen, yellow sand, iron powder discharged from a factory, and the like.

  Moreover, although it demonstrated that the black-and-white board 20 was used in order to reflect the light irradiated from the irradiation part 12, a color is not limited. It is different from the reflectance of the volcanic ash to be detected, the reflectance is different from each other, and the difference in reflectance with respect to the light irradiated from the irradiation unit 12 is particularly good. In addition, for example, a member such as a mirror that causes less irregular reflection causes the intensity of reflected light to be detected to decrease when the light receiving unit 13 is displaced from the regular reflection position. Therefore, the black and white plate 20 is preferably a member that generates irregular reflection. The reflectance is the reflectance with respect to the light irradiated by the irradiation unit 12. In addition, when the deposit is volcanic ash, the particle diameter, color, and the like vary depending on the volcano and the distance from the volcano. For example, in Sakurajima, whitish shirasu and volcanic ash are mixed, so it is known that the characteristics of volcanic ash are different from others. Since the amount of reflection of volcanic ash is different, the color should be selected according to the color and particle size of the sediment.

  In addition, the irradiation unit 12 has been described as including a light emitting diode LED that emits infrared light, but is not limited thereto, and may be a light emitting diode that emits visible light, ultraviolet light, or the like. Organic electroluminescence may be used. In addition, although it has been described that the light receiving unit 13 includes the photodiodes PDw and PDb, the present invention is not limited to this, and a photo resister such as a photo transistor or a cadmium sulfide cell may be used.

  Further, the band-pass filter 35 that passes the signal of the first predetermined period TD1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a low-pass filter or a high-pass filter that passes the signal of the first predetermined period TD1 may be used. You may comprise combining.

  Although the second predetermined cycle TD2 has been described as the frequency of 1.8 kHz, the frequency is not limited. It is preferable that the resistance value of the resistor and the capacitance value of the capacitor constituting the integrating circuit unit of the voltage output unit 37 are high enough not to become too large and low enough that it is not necessary to use dedicated components for high frequency.

  Further, the control unit 31 has been described as being realized by, for example, CPLD. However, the control unit 31 is not limited to CPLD, but may be realized by other PLD (Programmable Logic Device), for example, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). Instead, it may be realized by configuring a logic circuit with a plurality of electronic components. In the case of a programmable logic device (PLD), the control circuit can be easily changed by programming, and the expandability can be improved.

  Moreover, although it was demonstrated that the washing machine 2 was washed with water, it may be washed with a liquid other than water, blown away with a gas such as air, wiped with a tool such as a wiper, or dropped by vibration. You may wash | clean by changing a tilt angle and dropping a deposit. When the deposit is volcanic ash, the particles are fine. For example, when the object is a vehicle, the vehicle may be damaged if it is washed with water. In this case, it is better to remove the volcanic ash first with, for example, a brush.

  Further, the detection apparatus 1 has been described as being automatically cleaned in accordance with the voltage value of the signal O3. However, a configuration in which the user confirms the signal O2 and manually performs the cleaning may be employed. For example, when the object is the solar panel 3, solar power generation cannot be performed at night. For this reason, solar power generation cannot be performed even if the volcanic ash has accumulated to the extent that it exceeds the threshold voltage Vr at night. Therefore, if the user confirms the signal O2 in the morning when the solar power generation can be started, and if it is dirty, it is configured to manually wash strongly, it is possible to save energy rather than automatically. For example, at the time of periodic cleaning such as cleaning every morning, the user can set the water pressure according to the voltage value of the signal O2 to reduce the amount of water used in the cleaning machine 2 to a minimum amount of water. Specifically, if the signal O2 indicates that the degree of deposition is large, or if the dirt is severe, for example if the water pressure is increased with a lot of water and the water is washed strongly, the degree of deposition is small. If the dirt is a little, for example, the water can be washed gently by lowering the water pressure.

  Further, the voltage value of the signal O2 has been described as being displayed on, for example, a voltmeter. However, the detection apparatus 1 has a configuration in which the volume changes according to the voltage value of the signal O2, for example, a buzzer is provided or a buzzer is attached. Also good.

  Moreover, although the black-and-white board 20 was demonstrated as a seal-shaped member, it is not limited to this, It is good also as a film-form and plate-shaped member.

  Further, the cleaning machine 2 has been described as using the low-level signal O3 as the start signal, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the signal O2 may be used as the start signal. Specifically, the cleaning machine 2 may be configured to perform cleaning when the signal O2 becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage.

  Moreover, although the black-and-white board 20 was demonstrated arrange | positioning on the solar panel 3, when the solar panel 3 is a structure which equips the light-receiving surface which receives sunlight with a surface protection material with high transmittance | permeability, such as glass, surface protection It is good also as a structure provided with the black-and-white board 20 under a material. Thereby, the deposition mode of the deposition surface of the black-and-white plate 20 and the deposition surface of the solar panel 3 can be made into the same environment.

  Further, the detection apparatus 1 includes the black and white plate 20, and it has been described that the degree of deposition is detected based on the white plate reflected light LW from the white plate 21 and the blackboard reflected light LB from the blackboard 22. It is good also as a structure which does not use the light LB. In this case, the signal Ob is set to the ground voltage. According to this configuration, the degree of deposition can be detected based on a change in voltage according to the intensity of the white plate reflected light LW with respect to a constant ground voltage regardless of the environment such as the weather. Further, when using the white plate reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB, the black and white plate 20, light receiving so that the white plate reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB are incident on the photodiode PDw and the photodiode PDb, respectively. It is necessary to strictly adjust the relative positions of the unit 13 and the irradiation unit 12. In this regard, in the case of a configuration using only the white plate reflected light LW, the degree of deposition can be detected without strict adjustment compared to a configuration using the white plate reflected light LW and the blackboard reflected light LB. Can do.

  The voltage output unit 37 has been described as having a half-wave rectifier circuit unit including a diode or the like, but does not have a half-wave rectifier circuit unit, and detects the maximum and minimum values of RSSI. It is also possible to adopt a circuit configuration for detecting the above. Since the forward voltage of the diode varies depending on the temperature, the output voltage of the half-wave rectifier circuit unit may vary greatly depending on the temperature. By adopting a circuit configuration that performs peak-to-peak detection, an output voltage with less influence of temperature can be obtained.

  Moreover, in order to measure the surface temperature of a solar panel in the structure of the ash removal apparatus system 300, it is good also as a structure which added the temperature detector to the solar panel surface. Moreover, when the temperature detected by the temperature detector reaches a predetermined temperature (for example, 40 ° C.), it is preferable to start cleaning of the spray device. When the temperature rises, the solar panel is cooled by washing with water, and a decrease in power generation efficiency can be suppressed.

  In the monitoring system 100, the communication between the parent device and the child device of the wireless communication device is performed by wireless communication. Therefore, in the detection apparatus 101, a configuration in which the preceding stage up to the base unit of the wireless communication device including the detection IC is arranged outdoors, and a configuration in the subsequent stage from the slave unit of the wireless communication device to the PC is arranged indoors. Good. As described above, by using wireless communication for at least a part of the detection apparatus 101, the degree of freedom of installation can be increased as compared with the configuration in which the object to the microcomputer are connected by wire. Moreover, the structure arrange | positioned indoors becomes unnecessary to provide weather resistance, and can reduce the cost for providing weather resistance.

  Moreover, although the main-body part 10 demonstrated that the magnitude | size of the surface which has the largest area was about the size of a business card, for example, it does not limit a magnitude | size. The size may be set according to the object. For example, if the object is a solar panel for home use, it is better to make it small and install it on a veranda, etc. For example, if the object is a mega solar etc., it may not be as small as for home use. good.

  Further, the solar cell panel may be a large panel used for mega solar or may be installed on the roof of a home. It may be a small one that stores power generated in a battery or the like in the daytime to light the bulb at night and supplies power to the bulb at night from the battery. Further, a small one may be used. For example, the output voltage from the solar cell panel is monitored by the present detection device and stored in advance, and the output voltage is in a pattern corresponding to the variation pattern that occurs when an intruder crosses the solar cell panel. In such a case, it may be determined that there has been an intruder and a signal indicating that is output to the outside. Also, instead of monitoring the output voltage etc. from the solar cell panel or together with monitoring the output voltage etc. from the solar cell panel, there is a passage between the irradiation part and the irradiated part of this detection device and the route of the intruder. If the pattern corresponds to the pattern of fluctuations that occur when crossing between the irradiated part and the irradiated part, it is determined that there was an intruder and a signal indicating that It is better to output to the outside. In this way, it is possible to determine not only the degree of deposit accumulation but also the presence or absence of an intruder. The intruder may be at least one of a human or an animal. Intruders may be determined instead of intruders. For example, if an object such as newspapers flies in the wind and passes through, the amount of power generated may be significantly reduced if the object stays on the solar panel. You can know and deal with it. When intrusion is detected while outputting the cleaning signal, the output of the cleaning signal may be stopped. In this way, for example, if a child accidentally enters a facility with a solar panel, safety can be ensured. Further, for example, in a facility where sufficient measures against child intrusion are taken, a cleaning signal may be output when an intrusion is detected to intimidate the intruder.

  In addition, it has been described that the deposition surface of the black and white plate 20 is formed of a material having the same roughness, hydrophilicity, and the like as the deposition surface of the solar panel 3. For example, the black-and-white plate is preferably made of acrylic or glass. However, since acrylic is scratched on the surface, it is particularly preferable to use glass that does not scratch the surface. Acrylics are used outdoors, so there is a risk of sunlight and waves in midsummer. Hardness should be about H6 and H9. Thereby, it can suppress that a reflection changes, such as a damage | wound and a wave. The thickness of the glass is preferably about 4 mm.

  In addition, the solar panel is preferably installed at a position not reachable by human hands. In this way, the present detection device exhibits a particularly excellent effect.

  The solar panel may be installed at an inclination, and the frame that supports the lower side of the surface of the solar panel may be provided with a portion that does not protrude from the surface of the solar panel. Preferably, the frame extends over the entire area of the lower side. It is better not to protrude beyond the surface of the panel. In this way, for example, a large amount of ash-like deposits accumulate on the lower side of the solar panel surface. It is possible to alleviate the situation where it does not accumulate on the lower side of the surface and flow away.

  It is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and the configuration of the above embodiment and the configuration of the above modification may be arbitrarily combined. Moreover, you may combine arbitrarily the one part structure of the said embodiment, and the one part structure of the said modification. In addition, a part of the configuration described in “Means for Solving the Problems”, a part of the configuration of the above embodiment, and a part of the configuration of the above modification may be arbitrarily combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Detection apparatus 3 Solar panel 2 Washing machine 2a Washing nozzle 10 Main body part 12 Irradiation part 13 Light receiving part 14 Lens 15 White board light receiving part 16 Blackboard light receiving part 20 White blackboard 21 White board 22 Blackboard 31 Control part 32, 33 Amplifier 34 Switch 35 Band pass Filter 36 detection IC
37 Voltage output unit 38 Comparison determination unit PDw, PDb Photodiode LW White board reflected light LB Blackboard reflected light TD1 First predetermined cycle TD2 Second predetermined cycle Opw, Opb Reflected signal Ow, Ob, O1, RSSI, O2, O3 signal

Claims (36)

A detection device for detecting the degree of accumulation of deposits deposited on an object,
An irradiating unit for irradiating the irradiated part with light; and
A light receiving portion that receives reflected light that is reflected light from the irradiated portion of light irradiated from the irradiation portion, and
A detection device that detects the degree of deposition of deposits deposited on the object based on the intensity of the reflected light.   The detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the irradiated portion is in an environment in which the deposit is deposited in the same environment as the object.   The said irradiated part is different from the said object, The property of the deposition surface on which the said deposit accumulates is equivalent to the deposition surface of the said object, The Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. The detection device described.   The detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the irradiated portion is a thin member having a small thickness, and is placed on a deposition surface of the object.   The irradiated portion is disposed at a position separated from the object, and does not interfere with the accumulation of the deposit on the object and does not interfere with the function and effect of the object. The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the irradiated portion is arranged at a position other than directly below the irradiating portion and the light receiving portion.   The irradiated portion is disposed so as not to interfere with the accumulation of the deposit on the target object, and is separated from the irradiated portion and the light receiving portion by a distance capable of detecting the intensity of the reflected light. The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   8. The detection device according to claim 1, wherein the light emitted by the irradiation unit is light having characteristics different from ambient disturbance light. 9.   The detection device according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving unit is arranged at a position where ambient ambient light does not directly enter. The irradiated portion has a first irradiated portion and a second irradiated portion having different reflectivities,
The light receiving unit receives first reflected light, which is reflected light from the first irradiated portion, and second reflected light, which is reflected light from the second irradiated portion, of light emitted from the irradiating portion. ,
The detection of the degree of deposition of the deposit deposited on the object based on the intensity of the reflected light is based on a difference in intensity between the first reflected light and the second reflected light. 2. The detection device according to 1.   The detection apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first irradiated portion and the second irradiated portion are disposed adjacent to each other. The light receiving unit is
A lens that collects the first reflected light and the second reflected light;
A first means for passing the wavelength range of the first reflected light and the second reflected light behind the lens and making it difficult to pass light other than the wavelength range of the first reflected light and the second reflected light; The detection device according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising: The irradiation unit repeats irradiation / non-irradiation at a first predetermined cycle,
The light receiving unit is
A first light receiving unit that receives the first reflected light and converts it into a first electrical signal;
A second light receiving unit that receives the second reflected light and converts it into a second electrical signal;
Second means for passing an electrical signal of the first predetermined period,
The detection according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the difference in intensity is obtained based on the first electric signal and the second electric signal that have passed through the second means. apparatus. The light receiving unit is
A first light receiving unit that receives the first reflected light and converts it into a first electrical signal;
A second light receiving unit that receives the second reflected light and converts it into a second electrical signal;
A first amplifier for amplifying the first electrical signal and outputting a first amplified signal;
The detection apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: a second amplifier that amplifies the second electric signal and outputs a second amplified signal.   The detection device according to claim 10, wherein the difference in intensity is a ratio of the intensity of the second reflected light to the intensity of the first reflected light. The light receiving unit is
A first light receiving unit that receives the first reflected light and converts it into a first electrical signal;
A second light receiving unit that receives the second reflected light and converts it into a second electrical signal,
16. The difference in intensity is obtained based on a third electrical signal in which the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal are combined into one by time division. The detection device according to item. The light receiving unit is
A first light receiving unit that receives the first reflected light and converts it into a first electrical signal;
A second light receiving unit that receives the second reflected light and converts it into a second electrical signal,
A third means for integrating a third electrical signal in which the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal are combined into one by time division and outputting a fourth electrical signal;
The detection device according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the fourth electric signal has the difference in intensity. The light receiving unit is
A first light receiving unit that receives the first reflected light and converts it into a first electrical signal;
A second light receiving unit that receives the second reflected light and converts it into a second electrical signal;
Output means for logarithmically converting and outputting the first electric signal and the second electric signal;
The difference between the logarithmically converted first electric signal and the logarithmically converted second electric signal output from the output means is the difference in intensity. The detection device according to claim 1. The light receiving unit is
A first light receiving unit that receives the first reflected light and converts it into a first electrical signal;
A second light receiving unit that receives the second reflected light and converts it into a second electrical signal;
Output means for logarithmically converting and outputting the first electric signal and the second electric signal;
Between the first light receiving unit and the second light receiving unit, a connection to the path leading to the output unit is interposed between the first light receiving unit and the second light receiving unit and the output unit,
The detection device according to claim 10, further comprising a switching unit that switches alternately at a second predetermined cycle. The light receiving unit is
A first light receiving unit that receives the first reflected light and converts it into a first electrical signal;
A second light receiving unit that receives the second reflected light and converts it into a second electrical signal;
Output means for logarithmically converting and outputting the first electric signal and the second electric signal;
20. The difference between the logarithmically converted first electric signal and the logarithmically converted second electric signal output from the output unit is output. The detection device described.   21. The detection device according to claim 1, wherein a color of the irradiated portion is different from a color of the deposit.   The detection apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 21, wherein the first irradiated portion is white and the second irradiated portion is black.   The detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the signal processing performed by the detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 22 does not include software processing.   The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit are dustproof.   In response to the difference in intensity between the reflected light from the first irradiated portion and the reflected light from the second irradiated portion being a predetermined value or less, the cleaning portion for cleaning the object The detection apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 24, wherein an instruction signal for cleaning an object is output.   The said irradiation part, the said irradiation part, and the said light-receiving part have tolerance with respect to the washing | cleaning by the washing | cleaning part which wash | cleans the said target object. Detection device. The irradiated portion is arranged for each predetermined region of the object,
The cleaning by the cleaning nozzle provided for each predetermined region includes the reflected light from the first irradiated portion and the reflected light from the second irradiated portion arranged in the predetermined region provided with the cleaning nozzle. 27. The detection device according to claim 10, wherein the detection device is performed for each of the predetermined regions based on the difference in intensity.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a notification unit that notifies the degree of deposition so that a person can recognize the degree of deposition at a position of a cleaning operation unit for performing a manipulation for cleaning the object. The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 27. The object is a solar panel;
A temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the object;
29. An instruction signal for instructing cleaning to a cleaning unit for cleaning the object with water is output in response to the temperature detected by the temperature detector being equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. The detection device according to any one of the above. The object is a solar panel;
30. The profit based on the amount of power generation increased by cleaning the object and the cost for cleaning the object are predicted. 30. Detection device.   31. The detection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a network output unit that outputs the degree of deposition via a network.   32. The detection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an information output unit that generates and outputs information that can be displayed by visualizing the degree of deposition in units of a predetermined period. .   The detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 32, further comprising information output means for outputting information obtained by adding position information of the object to the degree of deposition.   The detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 33, wherein notification is performed based on pre-stored notification destination information in accordance with the degree of deposition being in a predetermined state.   A system comprising the detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 34 and the object.   A system comprising: the detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 34; and an object serving as the irradiated portion different from the object.