KR101397222B1 - Solar tracking method, solar tracking system and solar power generation system including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a sunlight tracking method, a sunlight tracking system, and a sunlight generation system including the same. The present invention accurately tracks the position of sun in any environment by providing the sunlight tracking system including an image pickup sensor which photographs an image; a brightness comparing unit which detects first candidate pixels which exceed reference brightness by comparing the brightness of each of pixels which are included in the image which is photographed in the image pickup sensor with the reference brightness; a color saturation comparing unit which detects second candidate pixels which exceed a reference color saturation by comparing the color saturation of each of the first candidate pixels with the reference color saturation; a blob generating unit which generates at least one candidate blob from the second candidate pixels; a memorizing unit which memorizes a reference shape which is recognized as sun in the image; and a sun extracting unit which extracts a blob which corresponds to the reference shape from the candidate blobs as sun.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a solar tracking system, a solar tracking system, and a solar power generation system including the solar tracking system,

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a solar tracking method, a solar tracking system, and a solar power generation system including the same.

Recently, interest in renewable energy is increasing due to the exhaustion of fossil fuels and environmental pollution problems. These renewable energies include solar, solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal. Especially, many studies have been made on solar power generation using solar light. In order to produce the maximum power from the sunlight, the solar panel needs to be directed to the sun accurately. To do so, many researches .

Embodiments of the present invention aim to provide a solar tracking method, a solar tracking system, and a solar power generation system including the same, which can precisely track the position of the sun in any weather or environment.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup apparatus comprising: an image pickup sensor for picking up an image; and a controller for comparing the brightness of each pixel included in the image picked up by the image pickup sensor with a reference brightness, A chroma comparison section for comparing the chroma of each of the first candidate pixels with the reference chroma to detect second candidate pixels exceeding the reference chroma; A storage unit for storing a reference shape to be recognized as a sun in the image and a sun extracting unit for extracting, as the sun, the blob that coincides with the reference shape in the candidate blob A solar tracking system is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus including an outline extracting unit for extracting an outline of an object from an image captured by an image sensor, and an outline extracting unit for comparing the extracted outline and at least one candidate blob generated by the blob generating unit, The sun extracting unit may extract the sun by comparing the blob extracted from the blob extracting unit with the reference shape.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the reference brightness may be an average brightness of all the pixels included in the image.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the blob generation unit may include a noise removing unit for removing noise from the second candidate pixels and a labeling unit for labeling adjacent pixels among the second candidate pixels from which noise has been removed .

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the image sensing apparatus may further include a data conversion unit that converts the data format of the image captured by the image sensor into the HSI format from the RGB format.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method comprising steps of capturing an image, comparing brightness of each pixel included in the captured image with a reference brightness, The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: detecting one candidate pixel, comparing the saturation of each of the first candidate pixels with a reference saturation to detect second candidate pixels exceeding a reference saturation, And comparing the candidate blob with the reference shape to extract the blob that coincides with the reference shape as the sun.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of extracting blobs, comprising: extracting an outline of an object from a photographed image; comparing at least one candidate blob generated by the extracted outline with a step of generating a candidate blob, And extracting the sun by comparing the extracted blob and the reference shape.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the step of detecting the first candidate pixels may use an average brightness of all the pixels included in the image as the reference brightness.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the step of generating the candidate blob includes removing noise from the second candidate pixels and labeling adjacent pixels among the second candidate pixels from which the noise has been removed can do.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the method may further include converting the data format of the photographed image from the RGB format to the HSI format.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a solar panel for generating power from sunlight, a panel driver for adjusting a direction of the solar panel, And a control unit for controlling the panel driving unit based on the position of the sun tracked by the solar tracking system, wherein the solar tracking system comprises: an image sensor for capturing an image; A brightness comparator for comparing the brightness of each of the included pixels with a reference brightness to detect first candidate pixels exceeding a reference brightness; and a brightness comparator for comparing the brightness of each of the first candidate pixels with a reference saturation, A blob generator for generating at least one candidate blob from the second candidate pixels; It provides the solar power system to the storage unit and for storing a reference shape to be recognized, blobs that meets the criteria of the candidate blob shape characterized in that it comprises a sun extraction for extracting as a sun.

As described above, according to the solar tracking system, the solar tracking system, and the solar power generation system including the solar tracking system, the position of the sun can be accurately tracked in any environment.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a solar tracking system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram illustrating a blob generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 to 5 are flowcharts illustrating a solar tracking method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 to 8 are views showing a state in which sunlight tracking is performed by the solar tracking system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a block diagram illustrating a solar tracking system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a flowchart illustrating a solar tracking method according to another embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a block diagram illustrating a solar power generation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention is capable of various modifications and various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring to the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, .

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a solar tracking system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a blob generation unit 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the solar tracking system 100 includes an image sensor 10, a sensor controller 11, a data converter 20, a brightness comparator 30, a saturation comparator 40, (50), a storage unit (60), and a sun extracting unit (70).

The image sensor 10 is a device such as a CCD sensor capable of capturing an image. The image sensor 10 is composed of a plurality of elements capable of photoelectric conversion for converting incident light information into electric signals. Each element generates an electric signal corresponding to the received light. The present embodiment is not limited to the CCD, and a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensor or the like may be used.

Although not shown, various lenses, filters, and the like may be formed on the front surface of the image sensor 10. The electric signal generated by the image sensor 10 is subjected to A / D conversion and various other image processing, and converted into image data of RGB format and output. The image data output from the image sensor 10 may be transmitted to the outside or may be transmitted to the data converter 20 to be described later.

The sensor control unit 11 applies various control signals to the image sensor 10 to control the image sensor 10 to periodically capture images.

The data conversion section 20 converts the data format from the RGB format to the HSI format with respect to the video data of the video image picked up by the image pickup sensor 10. [ When the image sensor 10 is made up of MxN pixels, the conversion equation is as follows. Here, R, G, and B are pixel values at (m, n), respectively.

The brightness comparator 30 compares the brightness value of each of the pixels included in the image with the reference brightness. The reference brightness may be, for example, the average brightness of the image. That is, the reference brightness can be calculated by the following calculation.

In the present embodiment, the case where the average brightness of the image is used as the reference brightness has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a variety of brightness values may be used, such as brightness, which is higher than the average brightness of the image as the standard brightness.

The brightness comparator 30 detects a pixel having a brightness greater than the reference brightness as a first candidate pixel as a result of comparing the brightness value of each pixel with the reference brightness. That is, candidate pixels, which can be regarded as a solar light source component, are detected with respect to the pixels of the image photographed by the brightness comparator 30.

The saturation comparing unit 40 compares the saturation value of each of the pixels with the reference saturation with respect to the pixels detected as the first candidate pixel in the brightness comparing unit 30. [ For example, it is possible to set 0.8 as the reference saturation and determine whether the saturation value of each pixel exceeds 0.8.

The saturation comparator 40 detects a pixel having a saturation greater than the reference saturation as a second candidate pixel as a result of comparing the saturation value of each pixel with the reference saturation. This second candidate pixel is a pixel determined to be a solar light source component.

The pixels of the pixels determined to be equal to or higher than the reference value by the brightness comparator 30 and the chroma comparator 40 may have their data values held by the original pixel, will be. That is, the brightness value of the second candidate pixel may be set to 255 and the saturation value to 1.

On the other hand, the data values of the pixels not corresponding to the second candidate pixel among the pixels included in the image may be set to a brightness value of 0 and a saturation value of 0 to clearly distinguish the components of the solar light source from those of the non- will be.

The blob generator 50 generates at least one candidate blob from the second candidate pixels determined to be the solar light source component. Referring to FIG. 2, the blob generator 50 may include a noise removing unit 51 and a labeling unit 52.

The noise removing unit 51 removes pixels that are determined as noise among the detected second candidate pixels, for example, pixels that are separated from other pixels and can not be regarded as one group.

The labeling unit 52 performs labeling for grouping the adjacent pixels into a group for the second candidate pixels whose noise has been removed by the noise removing unit 51. [ When labeling is performed by the labeling unit 52, neighboring pixels form one blob, and at least one candidate blob is generated in the entire image.

The storage unit 60 stores the reference shape. The reference shape means the shape (size and shape) of the sun to be displayed in the image when the sun is actually photographed by the image sensor 10. In other words, it means a shape that allows a photographed object to be recognized as a sun.

The sun extracting unit 70 determines whether there is a candidate blob that matches the reference shape stored in the storage unit 60 among at least one candidate blob generated by the blob generating unit 50 or the labeling unit 52. [ If there is a candidate blob matching the reference shape, it is determined that the candidate blob is the sun. Of course, the reference shape need not be exactly the same as the candidate blob, and if the size difference between the reference shape and the candidate blob is within a predetermined error, the candidate blob may be determined to be the sun.

Hereinafter, a method for tracking the position of the sun by the solar tracking system 100 will be described in detail.

3 to 5 are flowcharts illustrating a solar tracking method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, an image is captured by the image sensor 10 (S300), and a solar light source component is extracted from the photographed image (S310). The solar light source component means pixels satisfying specific conditions with respect to pixels constituting an image.

In step S310, the brightness comparator 30 and the saturation comparator 40 determine whether the extracted solar light source component is present. If there is no solar light source component, the procedure returns to step S310 to determine whether the solar light source component is present in the image Repeat this.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the extracted solar light source component exists in step S310, the blob generating unit 50 generates a candidate blob through labeling of the solar light source component (S320).

Thereafter, the solar extracting unit 70 determines whether there is a blob similar to the solar light source among the generated candidate blobs. If there is no similar blob, the process returns to step S310. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is a similar blob, the sun extracting unit 70 determines that the blob is the sun and displays it.

Referring to FIG. 4, a method of extracting a solar light source component is shown in more detail.

First, the data conversion unit 20 converts the data format of the image photographed by the image sensor 10 from the RGB format to the HSI format (S311).

Next, it is determined whether or not each pixel exceeds the reference brightness and the reference saturation for all the pixels in the image converted into the HSI format. To do this, first, m = 1 and n = 1 are set for the pixel P (m, n) (S312). Then, the brightness comparator 30 determines whether the brightness value I (1,1) is greater than the reference brightness Iref for the pixel P (1,1). If I (1,1) is equal to or less than Iref, the process proceeds to step S316. On the other hand, if I (1,1) is larger than Iref, the process proceeds to step S314.

In step S314, the saturation comparator 40 determines whether the saturation value S (1,1) for P (1,1) is greater than the reference saturation Sref (S314). If S (1,1) is equal to or less than Sref, the process proceeds to step S316. On the other hand, if S (1,1) is larger than Sref, the process proceeds to S315.

If the brightness and saturation data values of P (1,1) are larger than the reference brightness and larger than the reference saturation, it is determined that P (1,1) corresponds to the solar light source component (S315). Then, it is determined whether m = M and n = N (S316). Here, M and N are integers of 1 or more.

When m = M and n = N, it is determined whether all the pixels of the image correspond to the solar light source component. Thus, the one-cycle operation of extracting the solar light source component is terminated. On the other hand, if at least one of m = M or n = N is not satisfied, the m value or the n value is incremented by 1 and steps S313 through S316 are repeated (S317). In the case where n = N, since the extraction operation of the solar light source component for the pixels of the corresponding row is completed, m is incremented by 1 and n is again set to 1. If n is not N, the extraction operation is not completed in the corresponding row, so only the n value is incremented by one.

Referring to FIG. 5, a method for generating candidate blobs is shown in more detail.

First, the noise eliminator 51 determines that the light source component is the light source component by the brightness comparator 30 and the chroma comparator 40, and removes noise from the extracted pixels (S331). That is, unnecessary pixels among the extracted pixels are excluded from the candidate pixels of the solar light source component.

Next, the labeling unit 52 labels neighboring pixels among the noise-removed pixels (S332). Thus, the labeled blobs are generated as candidate blobs (S333).

6 to 8 are views showing a state in which sunlight tracking is performed by the solar tracking system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, each drawing shows an image (a) of the sun photographed in a clear sky, an image obtained by extracting pixels whose brightness and saturation are equal to or greater than a reference value with respect to the photographed image, (b) c). (B) that a plurality of white blobs are generated in the image (a) which is the actual photographed image. Then, it is determined that the central circular bubble of the plurality of blobs of the image (b) coincides with the reference shape of the sun, and as a result, one blob is detected as the sun as the image (c).

Referring to FIG. 7, each drawing shows an image (a) photographed with the sun obscured by a cloud, an image extracting pixels whose brightness and saturation are equal to or greater than a reference value with respect to the photographed image, (b) Image (c). Since the sun is obscured by the cloud in the image (a), which is the actual photographed image, the cloud is photographed as the brightest part, and the blob is generated as shown in the image (b). However, since the bubble of the image (b) does not match the reference shape, it is judged that there is no sun in the image.

Referring to FIG. 8, each drawing shows an image (a) photographed with the sun partially obscured by the cloud, an image obtained by extracting pixels whose brightness and saturation are equal to or more than the reference value with respect to the photographed image (b) It is an image (c). In the actual photographed image (a), the sun is partially obscured by the cloud, but the blob is generated by comparing the brightness and the saturation, and as a result, the blob is generated as shown in the image (b). However, since the bubble of the image (b) does not match the reference shape, it is judged that there is no sun in the image.

The solar tracking system 100 and the solar tracking method as described above can accurately track the position of the sun.

The position of the solar light source in the image captured by the image sensor moves little by little with time, but there is a deviation in the position of the sun at the same time of the season. Therefore, conventionally, the position of the sun light source was calculated by previously calculating the position of the sun by the time zone. However, this can not accurately detect the position of the sun by approximating the position.

In addition, in the case of the method of tracking the position of the sun using the GPS module and the optical sensor module, the position of the sun is calculated after locating the own position, and then the solar light source is detected by the data of the optical sensor module. There is a disadvantage in that the exact position of the sun can not be obtained depending on the data error of the module and the mounting position of the optical sensor module. In a system operated for a long time by unoccupied exposure to the outside, there is a disadvantage that hardware trouble due to temperature and moisture occurs .

However, the solar tracking system 100 according to the present embodiment as described above can be used without any additional device such as a GPS or an optical sensor module, regardless of the surrounding environment, The position can be accurately tracked.

9 is a block diagram illustrating a solar tracking system 101 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the difference from FIG. 1 will be mainly described.

Referring to FIG. 9, the solar tracking system 101 according to the present embodiment further includes an outline extracting unit 80 and a blob extracting unit 90 in the solar tracking system 100 according to FIG.

The outline extracting unit 80 extracts the outline of the object with respect to the image data photographed and outputted by the image pickup sensor 10. [ The outline extraction unit 80 may use a canny edgy detection algorithm or the like as an algorithm for outline extraction, but the present invention is not limited thereto and various outline extraction algorithms known in the art may be used.

The blob extractor 90 extracts candidate blobs matching at least part of the outline by comparing the outline generated by the outline extractor 80 with a plurality of candidate blobs generated by the blob generator 50.

Then, the sun extracting unit 70 compares the candidate blob extracted by the blob extracting unit 90 with the reference shape to detect the sun.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a solar tracking method according to another embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the difference from FIG. 3 will be mainly described.

10, an outline of an object is extracted from the photographed image (S1010). When a candidate blob is generated by labeling (S1013), a contour and a candidate blob are compared to extract a matching candidate blob (S1014) is added, and the remaining operations are the same.

According to this embodiment, the outline of the object is extracted from the image, and further filtered based on the outline extracted by the blobs extracted based on the brightness and the saturation. Therefore, it is possible to detect the position of the sun more accurately from the photographed image.

11 is a block diagram showing a photovoltaic power generation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11, the solar power generation system 1 includes a solar panel 2, solar tracking systems 100 and 101, a panel driving unit 4, a control unit 5, a memory 6, a communication unit 7, . ≪ / RTI >

The solar panel 2 is a panel provided with a solar cell, which generates and outputs electric power by using sunlight from the sun. The solar panel 2 may include one or a plurality of solar modules as a finished product. The number of the solar modules included in the solar panel 2 may be determined according to the output power and the output voltage required for the solar panel 2. [

The solar panel 2 generates DC power and can supply electric power to a factory or a home through an inverter (not shown) provided outside. Alternatively, some or all of the generated electric power may be supplied to the outside to charge the electric power.

The solar tracking system 100, 101 may include an imaging sensor 10 and a location tracking device 3. The position tracking device 3 is a configuration except for the image sensor 10 in the solar tracking system 100, 101. In the present embodiment, only the image sensor 10 is formed on the solar panel 2 and the position tracking device 3 is formed separately, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Some configuration of the position tracking device 3 may be formed together with the image sensor 10 and the entire solar tracking system 100,101 may be formed in the solar panel 2. [ Since the configuration and operation of the solar tracking systems 100 and 101 have been described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The panel driving unit 4 is fastened to a frame supporting the solar panel 2 to adjust the direction of the solar panel 2. [ Of course, the panel driving unit 4 may be directly coupled to the solar panel 2 without passing through the frame.

The control unit 5 controls the panel drive unit 4 based on the position of the sun tracked by the solar tracking system 100 and 101 so that the solar panel 2 is directed in the desired direction. When the position of the sun is detected by the solar tracking system 100 or 101, the control unit 5 controls the panel driving unit 4 such that the position of the sun detected in the image taken by the image sensor 10 is centered. That is, the image sensor 10 formed with the solar panel 2 is correctly directed to the sun so that the solar panel 2 is pointed toward the sun accurately.

The memory 6 is a part for storing various data and programs, and may include ROM, RAM, and the like. The memory 6 may store a system program used in the control unit 5, a function for calculating a driving amount in the control unit 5, a conversion coefficient, and the like. The memory 6 can also be stored in association with the generation time and date of the corresponding image of the position of the sun tracked by the position tracking device 3.

The communication unit 7 receives data or an operation signal from an external device. The communication unit 7 can also transmit data to an external device. For example, the communication unit 7 can receive weather information by weather stations via a wired / wireless network. When a portable terminal such as a smart phone is connected as an external device, the communication unit 7 can transmit an image generated by the portable terminal, and can receive an operation signal, a control signal, and the like from the portable terminal.

As described above, by applying the solar tracking system 100, 101 according to the embodiments of the present invention to the solar power generation system 1, it is possible to accurately track the position of the sun, thereby maximizing the power from the sun .

The specific acts described in the present invention are, by way of example, not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. For brevity of description, descriptions of conventional electronic configurations, control systems, software, and other functional aspects of such systems may be omitted. Also, the connections or connecting members of the lines between the components shown in the figures are illustrative of functional connections and / or physical or circuit connections, which may be replaced or additionally provided by a variety of functional connections, physical Connection, or circuit connections. Also, unless explicitly mentioned, such as " essential ", " importantly ", etc., it may not be a necessary component for application of the present invention.

The use of the terms " above " and similar indication words in the specification of the present invention (particularly in the claims) may refer to both singular and plural. In addition, in the present invention, when a range is described, it includes the invention to which the individual values belonging to the above range are applied (unless there is contradiction thereto), and each individual value constituting the above range is described in the detailed description of the invention The same. Finally, the steps may be performed in any suitable order, unless explicitly stated or contrary to the description of the steps constituting the method according to the invention. The present invention is not necessarily limited to the order of description of the above steps. The use of all examples or exemplary language (e.g., etc.) in this invention is for the purpose of describing the invention in detail and is not to be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention, It is not. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, and alterations may be made depending on design criteria and factors within the scope of the appended claims or equivalents thereof.

100, 101 Solar Tracking System
10 Imaging sensor 11 Sensor control unit
20 data conversion unit 30 saturation comparison unit
50 blob generator 51 Noise removal
52 labeling section 60 storage section
70 Sun extracting unit 80 Outline extracting unit
90 blob extractor

Claims (11)

An image sensor for capturing an image;
A brightness comparator comparing the brightness of each of the pixels included in the image photographed by the image sensor with a reference brightness to detect first candidate pixels exceeding the reference brightness;
A chroma comparison unit for comparing the chroma of each of the first candidate pixels with a reference chroma to detect second candidate pixels exceeding the reference chroma;
A blob generator for generating at least one candidate blob from the second candidate pixels;
A storage unit for storing a reference shape to be recognized as a sun in an image; And
And a sun extracting unit for extracting, from the candidate blobs, blobs that coincide with the reference shape as suns. The method according to claim 1,
An outline extracting unit for extracting an outline of an object from the image photographed by the image sensor; And
And a blob extracting unit for comparing the extracted outline with the at least one candidate blob generated by the blob generation unit to extract a blob that coincides with a part of the outline,
The solar extractor
And extracts the sun by comparing the blob extracted by the blob extracting unit with the reference shape. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the reference brightness is an average brightness of all the pixels included in the image. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the blob generator comprises:
A noise removing unit for removing noise from the second candidate pixels; And
And a labeling unit for labeling adjacent pixels among the second candidate pixels from which noise has been removed. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a data conversion unit for converting the data format of the image photographed by the image pickup sensor from the RGB format to the HSI format. Capturing an image;
Comparing the brightness of each of the pixels included in the photographed image with a reference brightness to detect first candidate pixels exceeding the reference brightness;
Comparing the saturation of each of the first candidate pixels with a reference saturation to detect second candidate pixels exceeding the reference saturation;
Generating at least one candidate blob from the second candidate pixels; And
And comparing the candidate blob with a reference shape to extract the blob that matches the reference shape as the sun. The method of claim 6,
Extracting an outline of an object from the photographed image; And
Comparing the extracted outline with the at least one candidate blob generated in the step of generating the candidate blob to extract a blob that coincides with a part of the outline,
Wherein the step of extracting the sun is performed by comparing the blob extracted in the step of extracting the blob with the reference shape. The method of claim 6,
Wherein the step of detecting the first candidate pixels uses an average brightness of all the pixels included in the image as the reference brightness. The method of claim 6,
Wherein the step of generating the candidate blob comprises:
Removing noise from the second candidate pixels; And
And labeling neighboring pixels among the second candidate pixels from which noise has been removed. The method of claim 6,
Further comprising the step of converting the data format of the photographed image from RGB format to HSI format. A solar panel generating power from solar light;
A panel driver for adjusting a direction of the solar panel;
A solar tracking system that tracks the position of the sun; And
And a control unit for controlling the panel driving unit based on the position of the sun tracked by the solar tracking system,
The solar tracking system comprises:
An image sensor for capturing an image;
A brightness comparator comparing the brightness of each of the pixels included in the image photographed by the image sensor with a reference brightness to detect first candidate pixels exceeding the reference brightness;
A chroma comparison unit for comparing the chroma of each of the first candidate pixels with a reference chroma to detect second candidate pixels exceeding the reference chroma;
A blob generator for generating at least one candidate blob from the second candidate pixels;
A storage unit for storing a reference shape to be recognized as a sun in an image; And
And a sun extracting unit for extracting, from the candidate blobs, blobs corresponding to the reference shape as suns.

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