KR101454217B1 - Apparatus and method for controlling orientation of solar cell panel - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus and a method for controlling a direction of a photovoltaic panel. The apparatus for controlling a direction of a photovoltaic panel includes: a photographing device to photograph the sun; a position tracking device to track a position of the sun from a photographed image; a photovoltaic panel to generate power from the sunlight; a panel drive unit to control a direction of the photovoltaic panel; and a controller to control an operation of the panel drive unit to control the direction of the photovoltaic panel in such a manner that the photovoltaic panel generates maximum power from the sunlight based on the position of the sun tracked by the position tracking device so that the maximum power is always generated regardless of installation environment of the photovoltaic panel.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a direction control apparatus and a control method for a solar panel,

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a direction control device and a control method of a solar panel.

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. In particular, much research has been conducted on solar power generation using solar light, and much research has been conducted to solve the problem that sunlight does not reach the solar panel due to the movement of the sun and the weather.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0016969 (Feb.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a direction control device and a control method of a solar panel which can always produce maximum power regardless of the environment in which the solar panel is installed.

According to an aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup apparatus including an image pickup device for picking up the sun, a position tracking device for tracking the position of the sun from the image picked up by the image pickup device, A panel drive for adjusting the orientation of the solar panel, and a controller for controlling the operation of the panel drive to cause the solar panel to generate maximum power from the sunlight based on the position of the sun tracked by the location tracking device. And a control unit for controlling the direction of the solar panel by controlling the direction of the solar panel.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the direction of the solar panel and the direction of the image pickup device are interlocked with each other, and the control unit can adjust the direction of the solar panel by driving the panel driving unit such that the sun is positioned at the center of the image.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an image pickup apparatus is formed integrally on a frame for supporting the solar panel, and can be located in a central portion of the solar panel.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of solar panels are provided to form a solar panel array, each of the plurality of solar panels has a separate panel driver, and the control unit controls the solar panel Calculates the correction drive amounts by correcting the drive amounts using the positional differences between the solar panels other than the solar panels having the image pickup device formed thereon and the solar panel on which the image pickup apparatus is formed, It is possible to adjust the directions of the solar panels other than the solar panels in which the image pickup apparatus is formed by applying them to the corresponding panel drive units.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a position locating apparatus, the apparatus further comprising a memory for storing the position of the sun tracked by the position locator in association with the generation time of the image, It is possible to adjust the direction of the solar panel using the accumulated data accumulated at the time when the position of the sun failed to be located among the accumulated data.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a communication unit capable of communicating with an external device, wherein the control unit can drive the panel driving unit in accordance with an operation signal input from an external device through a communication unit.

According to another aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method comprising the steps of generating an image using an imaging device, tracking the position of the sun from the image, Calculating a driving amount of a driving unit that adjusts the direction of the solar panel on which the image pickup device or the image pickup device is formed so as to be located at the center of the image; And controlling the direction of the solar panel.

According to another aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup apparatus including an image pickup device for picking up the sun, a position tracking device for tracking the position of the sun from the image picked up by the image pickup device, A panel drive for adjusting the orientation of the solar panel, a location of the sun tracked by the location tracking device, and a solar panel based on weather information to generate maximum power from the sunlight And a controller for controlling the operation of the panel driving unit to adjust the direction of the solar panel.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the weather information may be wind velocity and wind direction information. The control unit determines the driving direction and the driving amount of the panel driving unit based on the tracked sun position and adjusts the driving direction and the driving amount so that the load applied to the solar panel by the wind is less than the reference value Can be corrected.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the weather information may be temperature information that is at least one of a temperature of the solar panel or a temperature of the vicinity of the solar panel. The control unit may determine the driving direction and the driving amount of the panel driving unit based on the position of the tracked sun and may correct the driving direction and the driving amount so that the temperature of the solar panel is lower than the reference value according to the temperature.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the weather information may be snowfall information, which is at least one of an actual snowfall amount accumulated on a solar panel or an expected snowfall amount provided by a weather forecast. Further, the control unit determines the driving direction and the driving amount of the panel driving unit based on the tracked sun position, corrects the driving direction and the driving amount so that the load applied to the solar panel by the eye is equal to or less than the reference value .

According to another aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method comprising the steps of generating an image using an imaging device, tracking the position of the sun from the image, Calculating a driving amount of a driving unit for adjusting the direction of the optical panel, receiving weather information, correcting the driving amount based on weather information, There is provided a method of controlling a direction of a solar panel including a step of adjusting a direction of an optical panel.

According to another aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup apparatus including an image pickup device for picking up the sun, a position tracking device for tracking the position of the sun from the image picked up by the image pickup device, A panel driver for adjusting the orientation of the solar panel, a memory for storing the position of the sun tracked by the positioner, and a controller for controlling the position of the sun based on the position of the sun tracked by the position tracking device. And a control unit for controlling the operation of the panel driving unit so as to adjust the direction of the solar panel so that the optical panel generates maximum power from the sunlight, Controls the operation of the panel driving unit based on the position, and when the position tracking apparatus fails to track the sun position, The data to be provided in the direction control device of the solar panel, characterized in that, using the historical data stored in the time a failed positioning of the sun to control the orientation of the solar panel.

According to another aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method including generating an image using an imaging device, tracking a position of a sun from an image, Calculating a driving amount of a driving unit that adjusts the direction of a photovoltaic panel in which an image pickup device or an image pickup device is formed based on the position of the tracked sun when the tracking of the sun position is successful, , And when the tracking of the sun position fails, the driving amount of the driving unit that adjusts the direction of the photographic apparatus or the photovoltaic panel formed with the image pickup apparatus is calculated by using the data accumulated at the time when the position of the sun failed to be tracked The direction of the photovoltaic panel in which the image pickup device or the image pickup device is formed according to any one of the calculated driving amounts Provide a direction control method for a solar panel comprising a step of adjusting.

As described above, according to the apparatus and method for controlling the direction of the solar panel according to the embodiments of the present invention, the maximum power can be always produced regardless of the environment of the solar panel.

1 is a block diagram showing an apparatus for controlling a direction of a solar panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a front view of a solar panel and an image pickup apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a rear view of a solar panel and an image pickup apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a side view of a solar panel, an image pickup apparatus, and a panel drive unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view illustrating a method of controlling a direction of a solar panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view illustrating a method of controlling a direction of a solar panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view illustrating a method of controlling a direction of a solar panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a view illustrating a method of controlling a direction of a solar panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a view showing a solar panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a view illustrating a method of controlling a direction of a solar panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a view illustrating an example of connection to a direction controller of a solar panel through a smartphone.
12 is a view illustrating a method of controlling a direction of a solar panel according to another 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, .

1 is a block diagram showing a direction control apparatus 1 (hereinafter referred to as a 'direction control apparatus') of a solar panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the direction control device 1 includes a solar panel 10, an imaging device 20, a position tracking device 30, a panel driving part 40, a control part 50, a memory 60, (70), and the like.

The solar panel 10 is a panel provided with a solar cell, which generates and outputs electric power by using sunlight from the sun. The solar panel 10 may include one or a plurality of solar modules as a finished product. The number of the solar modules included in the solar panel 10 may be determined according to the output power or the output voltage required for the solar panel 10. [

The solar panel 10 generates DC power and can supply electric power to a factory or a home through an external inverter (not shown) or the like. Alternatively, some or all of the generated electric power may be supplied to the outside to charge the electric power.

The imaging device 20 is a device capable of imaging an image such as a CCD camera. The image pickup device 20 images the sun in real time to generate an image. The image capturing apparatus 20 transmits the image generated by the image capturing to the position tracking apparatus 30. At this time, the image capturing apparatus 20 may transmit the image capturing time of the image to be transmitted to the position tracking apparatus 30 as well. In such a case, the image capturing apparatus 20 may further include a timer capable of measuring time.

The image pickup device 20 may be formed together with the frame 11 that supports the solar panel 10. At this time, the image pickup device 20 may be located at the central portion of the solar panel 10. [

The location tracking device 30 receives the image captured from the imaging device 20 and tracks the position of the sun from the image. Tracking of the sun position by the position tracking device 30 may be performed by extracting the sun from the image using brightness, color, and the like.

The position tracking device 30 may be integrally formed with the image capturing device 20 or may be provided separately from the image capturing device 20. [ However, since it is possible to manufacture the position tracking device 30 in a small size, it is preferable to form the position tracking device 30 integrally with the image pickup device 20. In addition to miniaturizing the entire configuration, It will be simple and short.

The panel driving unit 40 is coupled to the frame 11 supporting the solar panel 10 to adjust the direction of the solar panel 10. Of course, the panel driving unit 40 may be directly coupled to the solar panel 10 without passing through the frame 11. [

Hereinafter, the solar panel 10, the image pickup device 20, and the panel driver 40 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the solar panel 10 and the image pickup device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the solar panel 10 and the image pickup device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. (20) as viewed from the back. 4 is a side view of the solar panel 10, the image pickup device 20, and the panel drive unit 40 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The solar panel 10 may include a plurality of solar modules (two in this embodiment) and is supported by the frame 11. [ An image pickup device (20) and a position tracking device (30) are provided between the two solar modules. The mounting position of the image pickup device 20 may be the central portion of the entire area of the solar panel 10. [

On the other hand, although the image pickup device 20 and the position tracking device 30 are illustrated as being installed directly on the solar panel 10, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the image pickup device 20 and the position tracking device 30 may be installed directly on the frame 11 located at the central portion of the solar panel 10.

According to the direction control device 1 according to the present embodiment, the panel drive unit 40 can be mounted on the solar panel 10 or the solar panel 10 in which the image pickup device 20 is installed so that the sun is located at the center in the image captured by the image pickup device 20 And drives the frame 11 supporting it. Therefore, by installing the image pickup device 20 in the central portion of the solar panel 10, the solar panel 10 can also be viewed from the front when the sun is located in the center of the image, 10) can be 0 ° or minimized.

The frame supporting the solar panel 10 can be fastened to the panel driving unit 40 for adjusting the direction of the solar panel 10. [ Specifically, the panel driving unit 40 may include first to third fastening portions 41 to 43.

The first fastening portion 41 is fixedly coupled to the frame 11 and is fastened to the second fastening portion 42 in a rotatable manner. The first fastening portion 41 can rotate in a vertical direction, for example, between the first fastening portion 42 and the second fastening portion 42.

The second fastening part 42 is rotatably fastened to the first fastening part 41 and fastened to the third fastening part 43 so as to be rotatable. The second fastening portion 42 can rotate in a horizontal direction with the third fastening portion 43, for example.

The third fastening part 43 is fastened to the second fastening part 42 in a rotatable manner and fastened to the support post 44 fixed to the ground.

The first to fourth fastening portions 41 to 43 can freely adjust their directions using a motor or the like. For example, two motors may be installed in the second fastening part 42, and one of them may rotate the first fastening part 41 in the vertical direction on the basis of the second fastening part 42. The other one of the motors may rotate the second fastening part 42 in the left and right direction with respect to the third fastening part 43 fixed to the support pillar 44.

However, the panel driving unit 40 shown in Fig. 4 is illustrative and not limited thereto. The solar panel 10 may be used as the panel driving unit 40 in any configuration capable of adjusting the direction so that the solar panel 10 can accurately direct the sun.

The control unit 50 receives the position of the sun tracked from the position tracking device 30. [ The control unit 50 also receives weather information from the outside.

Here, the weather information may include wind direction and wind velocity information, temperature information, snowfall amount information, and the like. The weather information may be, for example, a weather forecast received by a weather station or a current weather information received through a communication unit 70 described later. Alternatively, the weather information may be information measured by various sensors provided in the direction control device 1. For example, in the case of wind direction and wind velocity information, the control unit 50 can receive the wind direction and wind speed forecasts announced by the weather station or the currently measured wind direction and wind speed information directly from the weather station or from the Internet portal. Alternatively, the control unit 50 may be provided with a wind speed weather vane and may receive information from the wind speed vane of the wind direction and the wind speed measured by the wind speed vane. As another example, the control unit 50 can receive the temperature forecast or the currently measured temperature information announced by the weather station in the case of temperature information, directly from the meteorological office or from the Internet portal. Alternatively, the control unit 50 may be provided with a temperature sensor separately and may receive information on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor or the temperature of the solar panel 10 from the temperature sensor. As another example, in the case of the snowfall amount information, the control unit 50 can receive the snowfall forecast or the currently measured snowfall amount information announced by the weather station directly from the meteorological office or from the Internet portal. Alternatively, the control unit 50 may separately provide a weight sensor, and the weight sensor may measure the increased weight due to snow accumulated on the solar panel 10 and transmit the measured weight to the control unit 50.

The control unit 50 controls the operation of the panel driving unit 40 so that the solar panel 10 generates maximum power from the sunlight based on the received sun position and weather information. That is, the control unit 50 calculates the driving amount of the panel driving unit that causes the solar panel 10 to generate the maximum power, and transmits the signal corresponding to the calculated driving amount to the panel driving unit 40. [

When the position tracking apparatus 30 fails to track the position of the sun, the control unit 50 stores the previous data accumulated at the time when the position of the sun failed to track the position of the sun among the data stored in the memory 60 instead of the tracked position information And is used to calculate the driving amount. The data extracted by the control unit 50 may be data accumulated on the same date, the same year, and another year, or may be data accumulated at the same time immediately preceding the day. That is, the control unit 50 extracts data that is closest to the time at which the position tracking failed, out of the plurality of accumulated data.

The memory 60 is a part for storing various data and programs, and may include ROM, RAM, and the like. The memory 60 may store a system program used in the control unit 50, a function for calculating a driving amount in the control unit 50, a conversion coefficient, and the like. The memory 60 may also store data relating to the position of the sun tracked by the position tracking device 30 in association with the generation time and date of the corresponding image.

The communication unit 70 receives data and operation signals from an external device. The communication unit 70 can also transmit data to an external device. For example, the communication unit 70 can receive weather information by a weather station through a wired / wireless network. In addition, when a portable terminal such as a smart phone is connected as an external device, the communication unit 70 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.

According to the direction control device 1 of the present invention as described above, in adjusting the direction of the solar panel 10, the position of the sun is tracked from the image captured by the image pickup device 10, The direction of the sunlight panel 10 can be adjusted accurately by calculating the driving amount for driving the panel driving unit 40 in consideration of the information. Therefore, the direction control device 1 can maximize the amount of power generated by the solar panel 10 in any installation environment and weather.

Conventionally, the latitude and longitude of the place where the solar panel 10 is installed are grasped by GPS, and the direction of the solar panel 10 is adjusted by using the data of the sun position according to the latitude and the longitude.

However, depending on the altitude of the position where the solar panel 10 is installed, the inclination of the installation surface, and the like, it is very likely that the solar panel 10 will not be directed toward the sun when data according to latitude and longitude are used.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, the image capturing apparatus 20 and the solar panel 10 (see FIG. 1) are arranged such that the sun is located at the center in the image captured by the image capturing apparatus 20, regardless of the latitude, longitude, ). Thus, the solar panel 10 can always direct the sun accurately, and the power production efficiency can be enhanced.

In addition, the direction control device 1 does not need to separately store data according to the latitude and longitude, and can accumulate the data measured directly by itself so that it can hold the most optimal data for itself.

As another conventional technique, there is a method in which a plurality of optical sensors are installed on the solar panel 10 and the direction of the solar panel 10 is adjusted so that the amount of light incident on the optical sensors is equalized . However, in case of this method, accurate direction control can not be performed when light other than sun light is incident on the optical sensor due to the weather or the external light.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, the position of the sun can be grasped by tracking the position of the sun from the image of the sun, so that the solar panel 10 can accurately direct the sun, .

The table below shows the case where the solar panel 10 is fixed, when the solar panel 10 is driven using the optical sensor, and when the direction controller 1 of the solar panel according to the present invention is used It is the result of the experiment which measured the power generation amount.

Table 1 and Table 2 show the results of solar power generation from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the same place on a clear day.

As shown in Table 1 and Table 2, when the direction control device 1 of the solar panel according to the present invention is used, it can be seen that the power generation amount is increased by about 36.5 to 37% as compared with the fixed type. Also, it can be confirmed that the power generation amount is increased by about 10.3 ~ 11.6% compared with the case using the optical sensor.

In the case of using the apparatus 1 for controlling the direction of the solar panel according to the present invention, not only the power generation amount over the entire measurement time was increased, but also the power generation efficiency for each time period was superior to the comparative examples .

Table 3 and Table 4 show the results of solar power generation from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the same place on a cloudy day.

As shown in Tables 3 and 4, when the direction control device 1 of the solar panel according to the present invention is used, it can be seen that the power generation amount is increased by about 51.6 to 55.1% as compared with the fixed type. Also, it can be seen that the power generation amount is increased by about 15.6 ~ 18.4% compared with the case using the optical sensor.

In the case of using the apparatus 1 for controlling the direction of the solar panel according to the present invention, not only the power generation amount over the entire measurement time was increased, but also the power generation efficiency for each time period was superior to the comparative examples .

The apparatus 1 for controlling the direction of the solar panel according to the present invention can obtain more excellent power generation efficiency on a cloudy day than on a clear day and can accurately track the position of the sun even when the sun can not be accurately tracked by the cloud It can be inferred that the solar panel 10 has been adjusted in the optimum direction.

Various control methods of the direction control device 1 will be described below.

5 is a view showing a direction control method of the solar panel 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 5, the image pickup device 20 picks up an image and generates an image (S50). Then, the position tracking device 30 tracks the position of the sun from the generated image (S51). The position tracking device 30 transmits the position of the tracked sun to the control unit 50. [

The control unit 50 calculates the drive amount of the panel drive unit 40 based on the position of the tracked sun received from the position tracking device 30 (S52). At this time, the control unit 50 calculates a driving amount by which the panel driving unit 40 should be driven so that the position of the sun tracked in the generated image comes to the center of the image. To this end, the memory 60 stores a program, a function, or a transform coefficient for calculating the driving amount of the panel driving unit 40 according to the position of the tracked sun, and the control unit 50 is stored in the memory 60 It is possible to calculate the driving amount by using a program having a predetermined value.

Next, the control unit 50 receives the wind direction and wind speed information as weather information (S53). The reception of the wind direction and the wind speed information may be performed by receiving information from the outside through the communication unit 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may also receive the information about the wind direction and the wind speed measured through the sensor.

The control unit 50 calculates a correction amount for the drive amount calculated so that the load applied to the solar panel 10 becomes equal to or smaller than the reference value based on the received wind direction and wind speed information. More specifically, the control unit 50 determines whether the wind speed is equal to or higher than the reference wind speed (S54). When the wind speed is smaller than the reference wind speed, the load applied to the solar panel 10 is small and does not affect the direction of the solar panel 10, so it is not necessary to calculate the correction amount. In this case, the process proceeds to step S56.

On the other hand, when the wind speed is equal to or higher than the reference wind speed, the direction of the solar panel 10 can be changed by the load applied to the solar panel 10 by the wind. Therefore, in this case, the driving amount is corrected in consideration of the wind speed and the wind direction (S55). For example, the driving amount may be corrected so that the angle formed by the wind direction and the surface of the solar panel 10 decreases.

Then, the control unit 50 drives the panel driving unit 40 in accordance with the calculated driving amount or the corrected driving amount (S56). At this time, the controller 50 drives the panel driving unit 40 so that the sun moves to the center in the generated image. However, as described above, the imaging device 20 is formed together with the central part of the solar panel 10 So that the solar panel 10 moves the direction of the image pickup device 20 interlockingly with each other. Therefore, by driving the panel driving unit 40 so that the sun moves in the center of the image, the solar panel 10 can also accurately direct the sun.

In the present embodiment, the controller 50 receives wind direction and wind speed information after calculating the driving amount, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the order of the steps may be appropriately changed.

In this embodiment, it is determined whether or not the wind speed is higher than the reference wind speed, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it is possible to first compare the angle of the wind direction with the solar panel 10, and then correct the driving amount in consideration of the wind speed.

6 is a view showing a method of controlling the direction of the solar panel 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, steps S60 to S62 are the same as steps S50 to S52 of the embodiment according to FIG. 5, and therefore only different parts will be described.

Referring to FIG. 6, the control unit 50 calculates a driving amount for driving the panel driving unit 40 to track the sun position, and then receives temperature information as weather information (S63). The weather information may be received from the outside through the communication unit 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be possible to receive information on the temperature measured through the separately provided temperature sensor or the temperature of the solar panel 10 It may be.

The control unit 50 calculates a correction amount for the drive amount calculated so that the temperature of the solar panel 10 becomes equal to or lower than the reference value based on the received temperature information. More specifically, the control unit 50 determines whether the temperature is equal to or higher than the reference temperature (S64). When the temperature is lower than the reference temperature, the possibility that the solar panel 10 is damaged by heat is low and it does not affect the lifetime of the solar panel 10, so it is not necessary to calculate the correction amount. In this case, the process proceeds to step S66.

On the other hand, when the temperature is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, the solar panel 10 may be damaged by the high temperature, and as a result, the service life of the solar panel 10 can be shortened. Therefore, in this case, the driving amount is corrected in consideration of the temperature (S65). For example, the driving amount may be corrected so as to increase the incident angle of sunlight to the solar panel 10. [

Subsequently, the control unit 50 drives the panel driving unit 40 in accordance with the calculated driving amount or the corrected driving amount (S66).

In this embodiment, the controller 50 receives the temperature information after calculating the driving amount. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the order of the steps may be appropriately changed.

7 is a view showing a method of controlling the direction of the solar panel 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, steps S70 to S72 are the same as steps S50 to S52 of the embodiment according to FIG. 5, and thus only different parts will be described.

Referring to FIG. 7, the control unit 50 calculates a driving amount for driving the panel driving unit 40 to track the position of the sun, and then receives the snowfall amount information as weather information (S73). The weather information may be received from the outside through the communication unit 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the weather information may be received through an additional weight sensor.

Based on the received snowfall amount information, the control unit 50 calculates a correction amount for the drive amount calculated so that the load applied to the solar panel 10 by the eyes becomes equal to or smaller than the reference value. More specifically, the control unit 50 determines whether the snowfall amount is equal to or larger than the reference snowfall amount (S74). When the amount of snowfall is smaller than the reference snowfall amount, the load on the frame 11 or the panel driving unit 40 is small, so that the damage of the snow accumulated on the solar panel 10 is low and the life of the part is not affected Therefore, it is not necessary to calculate the correction amount. In this case, the process proceeds to step S76.

On the other hand, when the snowfall amount is equal to or larger than the reference snowfall amount, the load applied to the frame 11, the panel drive unit 40, and the like may possibly damage the corresponding portion, and as a result, the service life can be shortened. Therefore, in this case, the driving amount is corrected in consideration of the snowfall amount (S75). For example, the driving amount may be corrected so as to increase the angle of the solar panel 10 with respect to the horizontal plane.

Subsequently, the control unit 50 drives the panel driving unit 40 in accordance with the calculated driving amount or the corrected driving amount (S76).

In this embodiment, the controller 50 receives the snowfall amount information after calculating the drive amount. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the order of the steps may be appropriately changed.

As described above, according to the apparatus 1 for controlling the direction of the solar panel according to the present invention, the position of the sun is tracked from the image captured by the image pickup device 20, 40, it is possible to more accurately adjust the direction of the solar panel 10 so as to face the sun.

8 is a view showing a direction control method of the solar panel 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 8, the image pickup device 20 picks up an image and generates an image (S80). Then, the position tracking device 30 tracks the position of the sun from the generated image (S81).

The position tracking device 30 or the control unit 50 determines whether the position of the sun is successfully tracked (S82). For example, the location tracking device 30 may fail to track the position of the sun due to the sun being covered by the cloud or by other circumstances.

If the control unit 50 determines that the position tracking apparatus 30 has failed to track the position of the sun, it searches the stored data in the memory 60 (S83). The controller 50 extracts data on the sun position at a point of time that is closest to the point at which the sun position tracking fails due to the search (S84). For example, the control unit 50 extracts data of the same date, data accumulated in another year of the same time, or data accumulated at the same time on the immediately preceding day among the accumulated data. If there are a plurality of similar data, the control unit 50 may extract data having the smallest orbital error of the sun among the plurality of data.

Thereafter, the control unit 50 calculates the driving amount of the panel driving unit 40 from the data extracted from the memory 60 (S85).

On the other hand, if the position tracking device 30 determines that the position tracking of the sun has succeeded, the control unit 50 calculates the driving amount of the panel driving unit 40 based on the received tracking sun position (S86).

As described above, according to the apparatus 1 for controlling the direction of the solar panel according to the present invention, the solar panel 10 can be controlled so that the sun can be accurately pointed even when the position of the sun is failed to be tracked. In addition, the accuracy of the direction adjustment of the solar panel 10 can be further improved by repeatedly accumulating the data when the position of the sun can be tracked. That is, the direction controller 1 of the solar panel according to the present invention has a learning function.

9 is a view showing a state of a solar panel 10, 10a to 10h according to another embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a view showing a direction control method of the solar panel 10, 10a to 10h according to the present embodiment.

Referring to Figs. 9 and 10, the direction controller 1 of the solar panel includes a plurality of solar panels 10, 10a to 10h to form a solar panel array.

The solar panels 10, 10a to 10h each include four solar modules. The solar panel 10 is provided with the position image pickup device 20 at its central portion. Although not shown, the position tracking device 30 may be formed integrally with the image capturing device 20.

The solar panels 10 and 10a to 10h have separate panel drivers 40 and 40a to 40h on the rear surface thereof for adjusting their directions. (For convenience, the signs of the panel drive units fastened to the solar panels 10a to 10h are indicated by 40a to 40h.)

In this directional control device 1 of the solar panel, imaging and image generation are performed by the imaging device 20 (S100), and the position tracking device 30 performs the positioning of the sun from the generated image (S101).

The control unit 50 calculates the drive amount of the panel drive unit 40 for moving the solar panel 10 on which the image pickup device 20 is formed based on the sun position tracked by the position tracking device 30 ). Of course, the driving amount may be corrected in consideration of the weather information.

The control unit 50 does not transmit the calculated drive amount to the panel drive units 40a to 40h fastened to the surrounding solar panels 10a to 10h, but performs appropriate correction. This is because the solar panels 10a to 10h can be accurately directed toward the sun if the driving amount is slightly different depending on the positions of the solar panels 10a to 10h.

The control unit 50 calculates a correction drive amount by correcting the drive amount using the position differences between the solar panel 10 and the surrounding solar panels 10a to 10h (S103). For example, since the solar panel 10d is located on the left side of the solar panel 10, the correction drive amount makes the solar panel 10d slightly more toward the right than the solar panel 10. [ The correction drive amount is calculated for the remaining solar panels in the same manner. In order to calculate the correction drive amount, a program, a function, a conversion coefficient, or the like for calculating a correction amount corresponding to each of the solar panels 10a to 10h may be stored in the memory 60 in advance. These programs, functions, and transform coefficients may be created in consideration of the above-described positional difference.

The control unit 50 transmits a signal corresponding to the driving amount or the correction driving amount corresponding to each of the panel driving units 40 and 40a to 40h at step S104 and the panel driving units 40 and 40a to 40h Accordingly, the direction of the solar panels 10, 10a to 10h is adjusted (S105).

With the above-described configuration, it is possible to make the solar panel array composed of the plurality of solar panels 10, 10a to 10h to be accurately directed to the sun by one imaging device 20. [

FIG. 11 is a view exemplarily showing the connection to the direction control device 1 of the solar panel via the smartphone. 12 is a view showing a direction control method of the solar panel 10 according to the present embodiment.

11 and 12, the manager can access the direction control device 1 of the solar panel through a portable terminal such as a smart phone 80. [ The administrator can confirm whether or not the direction control device 1 of the solar panel is operating normally from the image displayed on the display unit 81 of the smartphone 80. [

The direction control device 1 of the solar panel operates in the automatic tracking mode at the first execution (S120). The automatic tracking mode is a mode for adjusting the direction of the solar panel 10 by tracking the position of the sun from the image captured by the image pickup device 20. [

The control unit 50 determines whether there is a connection from an external device during the power generation operation (S121). If there is no connection from the external device, the process returns to step S120 to continue the power generation operation by tracking the position and adjusting the orientation of the solar panel 10. [

On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a connection from the external device, the image generated by the connected external device is transmitted (S122). When the smartphone 80 is connected through the communication unit 70, the control unit 50 transmits the image captured by the image capturing apparatus 20 to the smartphone 80. Then, the smart phone 80 displays the image transferred to the display unit 81.

The manager can confirm whether or not the direction control device 1 of the solar panel is operating normally from the displayed image. That is, when the position of the sun 2 is located at a position other than the center in the transmitted image 82 as shown in FIG. 11, it is determined that the direction control device 1 of the solar panel is not normally automatic, The mode switching button 84 is operated. The mode switching signal is transmitted to the control unit 50 by operating the mode switching button 84. [

The control unit 50 determines whether a mode switching signal is received (S123). If the mode switching signal is not received, the control unit 50 returns to step S122. If the mode switching signal is received, the control unit 50 switches the operation mode to the manual tracking mode (S124). In the manual tracking mode, the position tracking function by the position tracking device 30 is stopped, and the driving amount for the panel driving part 40 is calculated based on the operation signal inputted by the manager or the like by the operation of the direction operation button 85. [

Accordingly, the controller 50 determines whether or not the directional operation signal has been received from the manager after switching to the manual tracking mode (S125). If the directional operation signal is not received, the controller 50 continues to determine whether the signal is received.

On the other hand, if the controller 50 determines that the directional operation signal has been received, the panel driver is driven in accordance with the received directional operation signal (S126).

If it is determined that the connection to the smartphone 80 is terminated (S127), the process returns to step S125. If the connection is terminated, the connection with the smartphone 80 is disconnected, do.

As described above, the direction control device 1 of the solar panel according to the present invention can be connected to a portable terminal such as a smart phone from the outside by an administrator, and it is possible to determine whether the direction control device 1 of the solar panel is out of order In real time.

In addition, when the direction control device 1 of the solar panel fails, the direction of the solar panel 10 can be directly adjusted by the manager.

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 present invention only in detail and is not to be limited by the scope of the claims, 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.

One-way control device 10 Solar panel
20 Imaging device 30 Position tracking device
40 panel driver 50 control unit
60 memory 70 communication unit

Claims (14)

An imaging device for imaging the sun;
A position tracking device for tracking the position of the sun from the image picked up by the image pickup device;
A solar panel generating power from solar light;
A panel driver for adjusting a direction of the solar panel; And
And a control unit for controlling the operation of the panel driving unit so as to adjust the direction of the solar panel based on the position of the sun tracked by the position tracking device so that the solar panel generates maximum power from the sunlight,
A plurality of solar panels are provided to form a solar panel array,
Each of the plurality of solar panels has a separate panel driver,
The direction of the image pickup device is interlocked with the direction of the solar panel on which the image pickup device is formed,
Wherein,
Driving the panel drive part of the solar panel, in which the image pickup device is formed, of the plurality of solar panels so that the sun is located at the center of the image, thereby adjusting the direction of the solar panel in which the image pickup device is formed,
And correcting the driving amount by using positional differences between solar panels other than the solar panel having the image pickup device formed thereon and a solar panel on which the image pickup device is formed, with respect to a driving amount for moving the solar panel having the image pickup device formed thereon Calculates a correction drive amount,
Wherein the correcting drive amounts are applied to the corresponding panel drive units to adjust the directions of the solar panels other than the solar panel in which the image pickup device is formed. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the image pickup device is formed on a frame supporting the solar panel, and is located at a central portion of the solar panel. The method according to claim 1,
And a communication unit capable of communicating with an external device,
Wherein the control unit drives the panel driving unit in accordance with an operation signal inputted from the external device through the communication unit. An imaging device for imaging the sun;
A position tracking device for tracking the position of the sun from the image picked up by the image pickup device;
A solar panel generating power from solar light;
A panel driver for adjusting a direction of the solar panel;
A control unit for controlling the operation of the panel driving unit so as to adjust the direction of the solar panel based on the position of the sun tracked by the position tracking device so that the solar panel generates maximum power from the sunlight; And
And a memory for storing the position of the sun tracked by the position tracking device in association with the generation time of the image,
When the position tracking device fails to track the position of the sun,
Wherein the control unit adjusts the direction of the solar panel using previous data stored at a time when the position of the sun failed to track the position of the sun in the data stored in the memory. Generating an image using an imaging device;
Tracking the position of the sun from the image;
Calculating a drive amount of a drive unit that adjusts the direction of the image pickup device or the solar panel on which the image pickup device is formed such that the sun is located at the center of the image based on the position of the tracked sun;
Calculating a correction drive amount in which the calculated drive amount is corrected using positional differences between the solar panels other than the solar panel having the image pickup device formed thereon and the solar panel formed with the image pickup device;
Adjusting a direction of the photovoltaic panel in which the imaging device or the imaging device is formed according to the calculated driving amount; And
And adjusting the directions of the solar panels other than the solar panel in which the image pickup device is formed according to the calculated correction drive amount. Generating an image using an imaging device;
Tracking the position of the sun from the image;
Accumulating a position of the tracked sun in association with a generation time of the generated image;
Calculating a driving amount of a driving unit that adjusts the orientation of the imaging device or the solar panel on which the imaging device is formed such that the sun is located at the center of the image based on the position of the tracked sun when the tracking of the position is successful;
Adjusting the orientation of the photovoltaic panel in which the image pickup device or the image pickup device is formed according to the calculated drive amount when the position tracking succeeds; And
And adjusting the direction of the solar panel using previous data accumulated at a time when the position of the sun failed to track the position of the sun, Control method. An imaging device for imaging the sun;
A position tracking device for tracking the position of the sun from the image picked up by the image pickup device;
A solar panel generating power from solar light;
A panel driver for adjusting a direction of the solar panel; And
A control unit for controlling the operation of the panel driving unit to adjust the direction of the solar panel based on the position of the sun tracked by the position tracking device and the weather information so that the solar panel generates maximum power from the sunlight; / RTI >
The weather information is wind speed and direction information,
Wherein the control unit determines the driving direction and the driving amount of the panel driving unit based on the position of the tracked sun and adjusts the driving direction and the driving amount of the panel driving unit so that the load applied to the solar panel by the wind, Direction and a driving amount of the solar panel. An imaging device for imaging the sun;
A position tracking device for tracking the position of the sun from the image picked up by the image pickup device;
A solar panel generating power from solar light;
A panel driver for adjusting a direction of the solar panel; And
A control unit for controlling the operation of the panel driving unit to adjust the direction of the solar panel based on the position of the sun tracked by the position tracking device and the weather information so that the solar panel generates maximum power from the sunlight; / RTI >
Wherein the weather information is temperature information that is at least one of a temperature of the solar panel or a temperature around the solar panel,
The control unit determines the driving direction and the driving amount of the panel driving unit based on the position of the tracked sun and corrects the driving direction and the driving amount so that the temperature of the solar panel is lower than the reference value in accordance with the temperature Wherein the directional control device of the solar panel is characterized by: An imaging device for imaging the sun;
A position tracking device for tracking the position of the sun from the image picked up by the image pickup device;
A solar panel generating power from solar light;
A panel driver for adjusting a direction of the solar panel; And
A control unit for controlling the operation of the panel driving unit to adjust the direction of the solar panel based on the position of the sun tracked by the position tracking device and the weather information so that the solar panel generates maximum power from the sunlight; / RTI >
Wherein the weather information is snowfall information, which is at least one of an actual snowfall amount accumulated on the solar panel or an expected snowfall amount provided by a weather forecast,
Wherein the control unit determines the driving direction and the driving amount of the panel driving unit based on the position of the tracked sun and controls the driving direction and the driving amount of the panel driving unit so that the load applied to the solar panel by the snow, And correcting the drive amount based on the corrected drive amount. Generating an image using an imaging device;
Tracking the position of the sun from the image;
Calculating a driving amount of a driving unit that adjusts the direction of the solar panel based on the position of the tracked sun;
Receiving wind speed and direction information;
Correcting the driving amount so that a load applied to the solar panel by wind based on the wind speed and direction information is less than or equal to a reference value; And
And adjusting the direction of the photovoltaic panel in which the imaging device or the imaging device is formed according to the corrected driving amount. Generating an image using an imaging device;
Tracking the position of the sun from the image;
Calculating a driving amount of a driving unit that adjusts the direction of the solar panel based on the position of the tracked sun;
Receiving temperature information that is at least one of a temperature of the solar panel and a temperature of the vicinity of the solar panel;
Correcting the driving amount so that the temperature of the solar panel is lower than a reference value based on the temperature information; And
And adjusting the direction of the photovoltaic panel in which the imaging device or the imaging device is formed according to the corrected driving amount. Generating an image using an imaging device;
Tracking the position of the sun from the image;
Calculating a driving amount of a driving unit that adjusts the direction of the solar panel based on the position of the tracked sun;
Receiving snowfall information, which is either an actual snowfall amount accumulated in the solar panel or an expected snowfall amount provided by a weather forecast;
Correcting the driving amount so that a load applied to the solar panel is less than a reference value based on the snowfall amount information; And
And adjusting the direction of the photovoltaic panel in which the imaging device or the imaging device is formed according to the corrected driving amount. An imaging device for imaging the sun;
A position tracking device for tracking the position of the sun from the image picked up by the image pickup device;
A solar panel generating power from solar light;
A panel driver for adjusting a direction of the solar panel;
A memory for storing the position of the sun tracked by the location tracking device;
And a control unit for controlling the operation of the panel driving unit to adjust the direction of the solar panel based on the position of the sun tracked by the position tracking device so that the solar panel generates maximum power from the sunlight,
Wherein,
And controlling the operation of the panel driving unit based on the position of the tracked sun when the position tracking apparatus succeeds in tracking the sun position,
When the position tracking device fails to track the sun position, the direction of the solar panel is adjusted using previous data accumulated at the time when the position of the sun failed to track the position of the data stored in the memory. The directional control device of the solar panel. Generating an image using an imaging device;
Tracking the position of the sun from the image;
Accumulating data relating to the location of the tracked sun in association with the time of generation of the image;
Calculating a drive amount of a drive unit that adjusts the direction of the solar panel on which the image pickup device or the image pickup device is formed based on the position of the tracked sun when the tracking of the sun position is successful;
And driving the driving unit for adjusting the direction of the solar panel in which the image pickup device or the image pickup device is formed using the data accumulated at the time when the tracking of the sun position fails at the time when the tracking of the sun position fails Calculating an amount And
And adjusting a direction of the solar panel in which the imaging device or the imaging device is formed according to any one of the calculated driving amounts.

Images