MX2013000499A - Robotic heliostat system and method of operation. - Google Patents

Abstract

A system and method for operating a robotic controller to automatically position multiple solar surfaces in order to increase solar energy generation from the solar surfaces. In an embodiment the robotic controller travels in a sealed track and adjusts the solar surfaces using magnetic communication.

Description

ROBOTIC SYSTEM FOR HELIOTHERATES AND METHOD OF OPERATION RELATED REQUESTS This application claims priority based on provisional US patent application No. 61 / 364,729 filed July 15, 2010, and US provisional application No. 61 / 419,685 filed on December 3, 2010, all of which are they are incorporated herein by reference. This request is related to US utility application No. 13/1 18,274, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to solar tracking and calibration devices, and in particular, to tracking systems for photovoltaic, concentrated photovoltaic, and concentrated solar thermal systems that require constant repositioning to maintain alignment with the sun.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In an attempt to reduce the price of solar energy, many developments have been made to reduce the cost of repositioning and calibrating, precisely, a surface with two degrees of freedom. In concentrated solar thermal systems, ordered sets of heliostats can use dual axis repositioning mechanisms to redirect sunlight to a central tower, causing the normal vector of the heliostat mirror to bifurcate the angle between the current position of the sun and the target . The heat generated in the central tower can then be used to create steam for industrial applications or electricity for the utility grid.

Concentrated photo voltaic systems (FVC) take advantage of dual axis mechanisms to achieve a position where the normal vector of the FVC surface coincides with the solar position vector. When the FVC surface is aligned with the sun, the internal optics can concentrate sunlight into a small, high efficiency photovoltaic cell.

Dual axis positioning systems also allow flat plate (PV) photovoltaic systems to produce more energy through solar tracking. Compared to fixed tilt systems, dual axis PV systems produce 35-40% more energy on an annual basis. While this increase in energy production may seem attractive, current technology marginalizes the value of biaxial solar tracking by increasing the total capital cost of the system and maintenance costs by 40-50%.

Traditional solutions to the problem of controlling and calibrating an individual surface fall into one of three main categories: the individual active drive, the grouping of modules or mirrors, and passive control. In the individual active drive model, each dual axis system requires two motors, a microprocessor, a backup power supply, field wiring, and an electronic system to control and calibrate each surface. Furthermore, all components must have a lifespan of more than 20 years and the system must be sealed to protect against the harsh environment of the installation. In an attempt to distribute the fixed cost of controlling an individual surface, conventional thinking engineers within the individual drive paradigm are building heliostats of 150 square meters (mA2) and FV / FVC trackers of 225 square meters. While control costs are reduced by this size, large trackers have higher steel, base, and installation requirements.

Another approach attempts to solve the problems of fixed cost of control by joining multiple surfaces with a cable or mechanical union. While this distributes the costs of motor drive, it has strict requirements with respect to the flattening of the floor, greatly complicates the installation process, and entails a higher cost of steel, due to the necessary rigidity of the mechanical links. Due to the constant arrangement of the floor and the imperfections in the manufacture and installation, the heliostats and FVC systems require individual adjustments that increase the complexity of the system and the maintenance costs.

Passive systems that use hydraulic fluids, bimetallic bars, or bio-inspired materials to follow the sun are limited to flat photovoltaic applications and their operation is inferior compared to systems operated individually or in groups. Moreover, these systems can not execute backtracking algors that optimize the solar fields for energy performance and the degree of ground coverage.

COMPENDIUM A robotic controller for controlling a position of multiple solar surfaces in response to the movement of adjusting wheels of the multiple solar surfaces, each solar surface having a corresponding solar surface adjustment wheel, the robotic controller being located on a beam, and including the robotic controller a processing unit, a location determination unit, communicatively coupled to the processing unit, to determine a position of the robotic controller, a drive system for moving the robotic controller along the beam in response to instructions received from the processing unit, an adjustment determination system for determining first adjustment parameters for a first solar surface adjustment wheel of the adjustment wheels of the multiple solar surfaces; and a latching system for adjusting the first solar surface adjustment wheel based on the first adjustment parameters.

In this text, particular embodiments and applications of the present invention are illustrated and described, and it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction and components described herein, and that various modifications, changes and variations in the arrangement, operation and details of the methods and apparatus of the present invention wut departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the claims.

In one embodiment, the invention can be used in conjunction wa heliostat or solar tracker whose microprocessor, azimuth drive, hoist drive, central control system and wiring have been removed. The elimination of these components allows an extreme reduction of costs wrespect to conventional systems, and creates a fourth drive paradigm: passive wactive robotic control. In this model, a single robotic controller assumes the functional duties of calibrating and adjusting two or more solar surfaces in a 3D space.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, a robotic controller can move between passive solar surfaces and precisely control the rotation of one or more adjustment wheels near the aforementioned surface. These adjustment wheels can be connected to a rigid or flexible shaft or shaft that can be routed to a gear train, a set of feed screws, or directly to the solar surface. The train of gears, the set of advance screws, or the direct drive system transforms the moving movement of the solar surface. If the gear train, the set of feed screws, or the direct drive system can be driven rearward, additional adjusting wheels can be used to drive brake mechanisms. The robotic controller is able to reposition a solar surface on two or more geometrical axes through the control of one or more adjustment wheels and, therefore, replaces 100+ wiring groups, motors, central controllers and calibration sensors. It also eliminates the central assumption of engineering - a high and relatively fixed cost per surface - that drives the development of large heliostats and solar trackers.

Because an individual robot must support 5 to 8 million adjustment cycles per year, the ideal adjustment interface will not use contact to control the position of the adjustment wheel. In a third embodiment, the invention may use a magnetic or electromagnetic interface to control the rotation of the adjusting wheels. If a mechanism waxial flow motor is used, the adjustment wheel interface of the robotic controller may not contain any moving parts.

In a fourth embodiment, the robotic controller can detect the position of an adjustment wheel before, during, and after adjustment. This can be achieved through the use of Hall effect sensors in the robotic controller and a magnet or piece of metal in the adjustment wheel. Metallic detection methods include, but are not limited to: Very Low Frequency (VLF, for its acronym in English), Pulse Induction (PI, for its acronym in English), Swing Frequency Oscillation (BFO, for its acronym in English) English). The robot may also use marking systems or optical, electromagnetic, or physical detection methods to determine the instantaneous position of an adjustment wheel. This interface can also be used to detect an individual station on a solar surface to reduce the complexity of a single station detection mechanism of the robot.

In a fifth embodiment, the robotic controller is optimized for rapid adjustment of solar surfaces. The robotic adjuster can quickly analyze: 1) the location of the robotic controller in a 3D space, 2) its relation to a solar surface in a 3D space, 3) the current position of the sun based on the time of day and the location , and 4) the desired aiming position. Once these four variables are known, the robotic controller can calculate the necessary amount of adjustment for an individual solar surface. For PV and FVC applications, the solar surface can point directly towards the sun or at an optimum angle, as defined by the backtracking control algorithms. In addition, for PV applications, the robot can use existing methods that depend on information regarding the location, date and time of day to determine the position of the sun and point the PV panel in the form of an open loop. The systems of the heliostats power towers will require that the solar surface bisects an angle between the sun and a central target. As the solar surfaces will not be constantly updated, the optimal position in some applications will place the surface in such a way that it is at its best orientation midway between adjustments. For example, if 26 degrees is the optimum elevation angle at the time of adjustment, and 27 degrees will be the new maximum at the time of subsequent adjustment, a robotic controller can place the surface at an inclination of 26.5 degrees.

Once the calculation is done, the robotic controller can use a built-in adjustment interface to control the position of a solar surface. The final step in the robotic controller process is to analyze the distance with respect to an adjacent adjustment station, and to use a built-in or external drive mechanism to reposition for a subsequent adjustment.

In a sixth embodiment, two, three or more degrees of robotic controllers can be used to reposition, in a cost-effective manner, a field of solar surfaces. The more expensive, higher-grade robotic control can include all the necessary mechanisms to accurately calibrate and adjust a field of solar surfaces. The medium-grade robotic controller can contain all the necessary mechanisms to reposition a solar surface and would be built to support ten or more years of field operation. The lower grade robotic controller can have the minimum number of functional components to quickly adjust a solar surface, and it can be manufactured to favor low cost over longevity.

The passively ideal powered field could use a higher grade robotic controller for initial calibration and re-calibration purposes. The medium-grade robotic controllers could be used for normal operation and would adjust the solar surfaces based on information sent from the higher-order robotic controller. The lower grade robotic controllers could be used in emergency situations and would allow defocus and / or wind stow quickly and economically.

In a seventh embodiment a field of robotic controllers communicate with each other and / or with a central control system through a wireless network, a direct connection system, an external switch, or by storing data near individual solar surfaces or groups of solar surfaces.

In an eighth embodiment, the robotic controller includes multiple adjustment wheel interfaces so that a multiplicity of solar surfaces can be adjusted simultaneously.

In a ninth embodiment, the robotic controller can control the position of an individual adjustment wheel or adjustment wheels, without stopping. This can be achieved by the use of a rack and pinion gear system which utilizes contact, magnetism and / or electromagnetism to rotate an adjusting wheel.

In a tenth embodiment, the robotic controller can be moved between stations through a hermetically sealed tube to prevent the entry of large objects, water and dust. It may also be desirable that the robotic controller be hermetically sealed to add another layer of protection against the ingress of objects.

In a tenth embodiment, the transport tube of the robot can be routed in such a way that the robotic controllers can be easily returned to a central location.

In a twelfth embodiment, two or more robotic controllers can adjust a group of solar surfaces. This allows the solar surface repositioning system to be redundant in the event of a single robotic failure.

In a thirteenth embodiment, the robotic controller may include a built-in climate control system utilizing heat sinks, active cooling / heating systems, and humidity control mechanisms to maintain a constant room and temperature for the internal components. This system is particularly useful for extending the useful life of various built-in energy storage mechanisms.

In a fourteenth embodiment, the robotic controller can be loaded wirelessly. If electromagnetic coils are used to control the rotation of the adjustment wheels, this interface can be reused to inductively charge a built-in energy storage system.

In a fifteenth embodiment, the robotic controller may include a diagnostic system capable of transmitting the general state of the components incorporated in the controller, to other robotic controllers and / or to a central control system. The diagnostic system can transmit a regular and periodic message to the remote operator or access the information when necessary. This system can also be used to guarantee the field quality of passive heliostats or followers, since the robot can actively measure the amount of torque / energy needed to control the position of a solar surface adjustment wheel. This system can also be used for the detection of defects in the event that a solar surface adjustment wheel can not be rotated. The robotic controller can also use built-in sensors to determine if the robot transport tube has any failures.

In a sixteenth embodiment, defective solar surfaces can be detected for PV and FVC applications. In this model, the robotic controller can communicate with a central energy collection system to determine the generation of immediate energy from a field of solar surfaces. If a single solar surface is rotated in the opposite direction to the sun, and the central energy collection system does not detect changes in generation, the robotic controller may consider the solar surface to be defective. You can also place the solar surface in a special orientation to alert field maintenance workers to the fact that a part of a PV or FVC system is malfunctioning.

In a seventeenth embodiment, several protocols and pre-programmed control algorithms can be incorporated into the robotic controller so that it can handle different situations at the field level. These robotic control algorithms can also be updated by a field operator or a remote operator.

In a eighteenth embodiment, several security devices can be incorporated in the robot, to prevent reverse engineering and theft. The robot can also include a tracking device that allows the recovery of lost or stolen robots.

The features and advantages described herein are not completely inclusive and, in particular, additional features and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the drawings and description. Moreover, it should be taken into account that the language used in the description has been selected primarily to facilitate reading and instructions, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the object of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is an illustration of a passive solar surface that can be repositioned accurately without an individual microprocessor, azimuth drive motor, hoist drive motor, central control system, backup power supply, or sensor of calibration, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an illustration of a passive solar or heliostat tracker that does not require gear reduction to transform the rotary input motion of a wheel or adjusting wheels into a single axis or dual axis control of a solar surface , according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is an illustration of a robotic controller in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is an illustration of an embodiment of an interface that does not employ contact between a robotic controller and an adjustment wheel.

Figure 5 is an illustration of various components of the robotic controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a flow chart of the operation of the robotic controller in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a flow diagram of the operation of a medium-grade robotic controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a flow diagram of the operation of a lower grade robotic controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 is an illustration of some communication techniques that robotic controllers can use according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 10 is an illustration of a robotic controller with multiple adjustment wheel interfaces according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 11 is an illustration of a robotic controller capable of controlling adjustment wheels without stopping at an adjustment station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 12 is an illustration showing the manner in which a robot transport tube can be routed in a system with many solar surfaces according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 13 is an illustration of a climate control system for the robotic controller in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 14 is an illustration of a robotic controller that uses a wireless power transmission interface for charging an energy storage mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 15 is a flow diagram of an operational process of a quality assurance and diagnostic system incorporated in a robotic controller, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The figures illustrate various embodiments of the present invention for illustrative purposes only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize, from the following description, that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Next, a prred embodiment of the present invention is described with rence to the figures, in which identical rence numbers indicate functionally identical or similar elements. Also in the figures, the digits that appear further to the left of each rence number correspond to the figure in which the rence number is used for the first time. rences in the description to "a first embodiment", "a second embodiment" or "an embodiment" (for example) mean that a particular feature or structure described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. . The appearances of the phrase "in a first embodiment", "in a second embodiment", or "in an embodiment" (for example) in various places of the description do not necessarily r, all of them, to the same embodiment.

Some portions of the detailed description that follows are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These descriptions and algorithmic representations are the means used by the experts in the subject of data processing to transmit more effectively the substance of their work to other experts in the field. An algorithm is conceived here, and in general, as an intrinsically coherent sequence of steps (instructions) that lead to a desired result. The steps are those that require the physical manipulation of physical quantities. Usually, although not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical, magnetic or optical signals, capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared or manipulated in another way. It is convenient, sometimes, mainly for reasons of common use, to r to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers or the like. Moreover, it is also convenient, sometimes, to r to certain arrangements of steps that require physical manipulations or the transformation of physical quantities or representations of physical quantities as modules or code devices, without losing the generality.

However, all of these similar terms and terms must be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise, or that this is evident from the following discussion, it is understood that throughout the description, the use of terms such as "processing" or "computational'V'computacional", or "computing" or "determining" or "representing" or the like, rs to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing devices (such as a specific computing machine), which manipulates and transforms data represented as quantities physical (electronic) within the memories or records of the computer system or other storage devices, transmission or display of information.

Certain aspects of the present invention include steps and process instructions described herein in the form of an algorithm. It should be noted that the steps and process instructions of the present invention may be represented in software, firmware or hardware and, when represented in software, they may be downloaded to be stored in, and operated from, different platforms used by a variety of operating systems. . The invention can also be in a computer program product that can be executed in a computer system.

The present invention also relates to an apparatus for carrying out the operations described herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for these purposes, for example, a specific computer, or it may comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Said computer program may be stored in a computer-readable medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of disk, including diskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magneto-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs). , random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, specific application integrated circuits (ASICs), or any type of suitable means to store electronic instructions, each one being coupled to a bus of computer system. The memory may include any of the above devices and / or other devices that may store information / data / programs. In addition, the computers mentioned in the description may include a single processor or may employ multi-processor designs for increased computing capacity.

The algorithms and representations described here are not intrinsically related to a computer or other particular device. Various general-purpose systems may be used with programs in accordance with the disclosures of this invention, or it may be convenient to build more specialized apparatus to carry out the steps of the method. The structure for a variety of these systems will be apparent from the following description. In addition, the present invention is not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the disclosures of the present invention, and any reference to specific languages is provided to describe the most optimal mode of the present invention.

In addition, the language used in the description has been selected primarily to be easy to read and for instructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the subject of the invention. Accordingly, the description of the present invention is intended to illustrate, but not limit, the scope of the same.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a passive surface (101) that can be repositioned accurately without a single microprocessor, an azimuth drive motor, a lift drive motor, a central control system, a supply of backup power, or a calibration sensor. Two adjustment wheels (102) controlled by a single robotic controller can drive this system through a flexible or rigid axle (103). The illustrated system uses a flexible cable to transmit a rotary movement from a fixed adjustment wheel to the azimuth gear train (104) and the lift advancement bolt assembly (105). It is desirable to have fixed adjustment wheels, since they allow a relatively simple robotic controller to move along a beam or tube (106). However, this design limitation is not necessary since the robotic controller does not need to be confined to an established path, and can move freely along a field of solar surfaces.

The transport beam of the robot can include a square or a hollow circular tube, made of aluminum, steel, non-ferrous metals, ferrous metals, plastic or composite materials. The passive solar surface may be supported by a number of base types including, but not limited to: a pillar driven (107), bolted to the ground, ballasted or secured, or simply bolted to a rigid surface. The transport tube of the robot can also be used with a support for individual passive solar surfaces.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a solar follower or passive heliostat that does not require a reduction of gears to transform the rotary movement of an adjustment wheel (s) (102) into a single axis or dual axis control of a solar surface. . The system can be operated in a directly inclined manner by a shaft or flexible drive shaft (103). In one embodiment, the shaft or flexible drive shaft is directly connected to a bolted joint (201) that is fixedly fastened to a rotating shaft. The rotation of the adjusting wheel, therefore, alters the rotation of the surface will be in a 1: 1 way on an axis. This system may use friction to lock the position of a solar surface or other active brake mechanisms described in Patent Application No. 13/1 18,274, to which reference was made above.

Figure 3 shows the essential drive paradigm of the invention, of passive systems with active robotic control. A robotic controller (301) can be propelled along a beam (106), braked near a solar surface (101), and accurately control the rotation of one or more adjustment wheels (102) attached to the solar surface mentioned above, using a built-in adjustment wheel interface (302). Each adjustment wheel is connected to a rigid or flexible shaft or shaft that can be routed to accommodate many passive track designs. The present invention focuses on features of the robotic controller that ensure that the adjustment wheels are repositioned reliably and accurately.

It is desirable to provide a large amount of input torque to the adjusting wheels in order to decrease the gear reduction necessary to reposition a solar surface. Contact-based adjustment methods can be used, but tend to be mediocre, mechanically fatigued, and difficult to seal and isolate from the installation environment. If necessary, the robotic controller can use systems based on positive mechanical engagement, friction, or suction, for example, to mechanically control the rotation of an adjustment wheel.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of an interface that does not employ contact between a robotic controller and an adjustment wheel (102). This system uses electromagnets (401) individually controlled to rotate a metal adjusting wheel. The adjusting wheel can have a specific metallic shape (402) that allows activation patterns of certain electromagnetic coils to alter their degree of rotation. Other systems / embodiments may use magnets or permanent magnets in the adjustment wheel and / or permanent magnets in the robotic controller (301). Systems using a permanent magnet or a contact-based adjustment interface may be connected to a rotary drive system to rotate the adjusting wheel. Systems using electromagnets on the robotic controller side may be in the solid state. In many embodiments, the adjustment interfaces that use electricity to control the rotation of an adjustment wheel, use electromagnets, which is very effective in terms of energy use and the perspective of the system's useful life to reduce the adjustment interface to a simple axial flow motor or induction motor, where costly components are contained in the robotic controller.

Figure 4 also shows that a robotic controller may contain a system for detecting the orientation of an adjustment wheel before, after and during adjustment. These systems may use one or more sensors (403) to detect the position of a specific dial (404) on the adjustment wheel. Types of markings include, but are not limited to, magnetic or metallic materials, physical slits, or markings that can be recognized through an optical, electromagnetic or electrostatic detection mechanism. This system is useful because it allows the robotic controller to verify that a solar surface has been correctly repositioned by a specific number of input rotations. It also allows the robot to verify that the wheel has not rotated between settings.

Figure 5 shows an overview of the components of a robotic controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. From this view, it can be seen that the robot has intermediate (501) and drive (502) wheels that keep it aligned and drive it along an enclosed beam. These intermediate wheels can be spring-loaded to take the robotic controller to one or two sides of the beam. The robotic controller may also include a calibration chamber (503) and a structured light emission mechanism to discover the orientation of a solar surface in a 3D space. For systems / embodiments that utilize an enclosed beam, a window (s) or other transparent openings can be positioned at a particular frequency on the beam near a solar surface. This window (s) allows a calibration chamber to see the underside of the solar surface. Drilling a hole in the robot transport tube can create this window. To allow the beam to remain sealed, a piece of glass, plastic or other transparent material can cover the hole.

To reposition a solar surface, the robotic controller must be able to control the position of one or more adjustment wheels. This can be achieved through the use of an adjustment interface which can include solid state electromagnetic coils (401) which can be activated / deactivated individually. The rotation sensors (403) of the adjustment wheels may allow the robotic controller to determine the instantaneous position of the adjustment wheel. Other components of the robotic controller not illustrated may include, but are not limited to, a single station detection unit, a global or relative location discovery unit, internal wiring, a central processing unit, a drive motor controller , a drive motor encoder, built-in climate control system, battery management system, contact-based charging system, inductive charging system, proximity proximity sensor, data storage system, storage system capacitor capacity for regenerative braking processes, wireless data receiver / transmitter. The precise placement of these components varies depending on the embodiment, since they can be housed in many configurations within the confines of a robotic controller.

Figure 6 shows the operating process of the robotic controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. This operating process demonstrates how a single robotic controller (301) can reposition a multiplicity of solar surfaces (101). The functional duty of this robotic controller is to work in conjunction with one or more adjustment wheels (102) near a solar surface to properly maintain the orientation of an individual solar surface.

When a robotic controller is used for the first time, the goal is to understand its environment and the passive heliostats / followers that it will control. This begins with the robotic controller moving toward an adjustment wheel (601) and continuously seeking a brake point (602) located near a solar surface. This point could be a physical marking on the beam, a magnet, or a piece of metal, for example. If there is an effective marking on the beam, the robotic controller could be equipped with a camera to detect this point. If the brake point is magnetic or metallic, the robotic controller can be equipped with Hall effect sensors or a metal detection system to find this brake point. In one embodiment, the adjustment wheel or the markings on the adjustment wheel used for the rotary detection can be used as the brake point. After the brake point has been detected, the robotic controller can activate its brake mechanism (603). Braking methods may include, but are not limited to: deactivation of the drive motor, application of a wheel brake, application of an engine brake, regenerative brake, or a combination of these brake mechanisms. While the device decelerates, the robotic controller searches for the final set point (604). Once you have found this point, apply a total brake force and stop completely (605.) After properly aligning to one or more adjustment wheels, the robotic controller discovers its relative orientation with respect to the solar surface. If this is the first time that a robotic controller has visited an adjustment station of a particular solar surface, it can "zero" the solar surface, adjusting it to a tilt of zero degrees of azimuthal rotation or other defined slope. To achieve this goal, the robotic controller can engage an adjustment wheel (606), and begin to rotate it (607). While rotating it, you can use built-in adjustment wheel sensors (403) to verify that the wheel is rotating properly (608). The solar surface may have calibration stops that prevent it from rotating beyond the zero point. In these systems, the robotic controller can stop trying to adjust the system once the wheel can no longer be rotated (609). To avoid damage to a passive surface or to a gear train attached to a passive surface, the adjustment wheel interface of a robotic controller may include a mechanism that prevents the system from exerting a damaging amount of torque.

For applications that do not require too much precision, the robotic controller can use these stops and record the number of revolutions of the adjustment wheels for an initial calibration point during daily operation, to estimate the current orientation of the surface. For more precise applications, the robot can also include a structured or natural light camera to analyze the underside of the solar surface to determine its relative orientation in a 3D space. Once this information was obtained, it is transmitted to a central processor for analysis.

Depending on the solar application, it may also be necessary to find the absolute or relative location of the solar surface in X, Y and Z coordinates. This can be accomplished with a built-in GPS unit, with a triangulation system that uses three locations in the field of solar surfaces. In this second method, the robotic controller can emit a signal and measure the time delay from each point defined in the field. By using this information, you can determine its relative location with respect to other components in the field of solar surfaces.

The central processing can now analyze the information from the calibration chamber, the location discovery unit, the internal clock, and combine it with the known gear reduction of the passive solar / heliostat tracker, and the field geometry (610) known The information of the robot's internal clock and the discovered or known global location can be used to calculate the current solar vector (61 1). Revenue from the calibration chamber, location discovery unit, adjustment wheel detection mechanism, and / or historical adjustment information from past settings of the robotic controller can be used to approximate the orientation of a solar surface in a 3D space. In one embodiment, the solar follower or passive heliostat driven by the adjusting wheels has anti-return properties. These systems only require a one-time calibration, since it is impossible for wind and other forces to move the solar surface between adjustments.

PV and FVC applications can use up to five types of information for proper repositioning: the orientation of the solar surface, the position of the sun, the orientation of the adjacent followers, the distance between followers, and the predefined area of the follower, and the dimensions of the solar surface. The standard solar tracking algorithms may only need the first two types of information, but the robot uses the other three to properly execute backtracking algorithms. These algorithms optimize a solar surface to achieve the minimum possible shadow among followers, and therefore, understand the shadows currently generated by adjacent followers, and the shadow that an individual solar tracker will generate over its neighbors. More details regarding the backtracking can be found at Mack, Solar Engineering: http://www.rw-energy.com/pdf/yield-of-s_wheel-Almansa-graphics.pdf which is incorporated into this in its entirety, for reference purposes.

Heliostat applications require the robot to discover the vector from a solar surface to a solar target. This can be achieved by finding the location of both the solar objective and the solar surface on a coordinated global or relative plane. Once the change of orientation on a solar surface has been calculated, the central processor analyzes the known gear reduction of a passive system to determine how many degrees an adjustment wheel mechanically or magnetically connected to the solar surface should rotate (612).

For passive heliostats or followers that do not have friction brakes or anti-return properties, it may be necessary to have a brake mechanism on an active solar surface. For these systems, the robotic controller deactivates the brake before rotating the adjusting wheel or wheels. This brake can be activated with another adjusting wheel. The robotic controller can then use its adjustment wheel interface to rotate one or more adjustment wheels. In one embodiment, the robotic controller has a multiplicity of electromagnetic coils that can be activated individually or in groups. This system can control the rotation of a metal or magnetic adjusting wheel, firing the coils as a shaft flow or an induction style motor (613). The coils can be triggered blindly or feedback can be obtained from an adjustment wheel detecting mechanism that determines the instantaneous degree of rotation of an adjustment wheel (614).

Once the adjustment is complete, the central processor can send a signal to activate the brake mechanism, if necessary. This re-engages the brake mechanism of the gears and prevents external forces from altering the orientation of the solar surface until its next adjustment by the robotic controller. As a final step in this process, the robotic controller can use built-in proximity sensors or past operational history to determine if it is currently at the end of a row (615) of solar surfaces. If so, you can move backward until you find the first adjustment point (616) of solar surfaces. If not, the controller can repeat this adjustment cycle (617). It is also possible to connect the ends of a robot transport tube so that form a continuous loop. In this embodiment, the robotic controller would continue to circulate through the transport tube until nightfall, or until it stops for maintenance.

The processor that determines the behavior of the robotic controller and its sub-components could be located directly in the robotic controller, in a central processing station, or in another robotic controller in the field of solar surfaces. If the processor is not built into the robotic controller, it may be necessary for the robotic controller to have a wireless or direct data link to receive operational instructions.

After a day of adjusting solar surfaces, the robotic controller may need to recharge its built-in energy storage mechanism. You can also recharge this system two or more times during the day.

It may be desirable for a field of solar surfaces to be adjusted by three or more degrees of robotic controllers. Figure 6 shows the operating process of a higher grade robotic controller. This robot can work in conjunction with less sophisticated robotic controllers. One purpose of the higher grade robotic controller is to allow the elimination of the location detection unit and the calibration chamber in the middle and lower robotic controllers. In one embodiment, a solar surface field can use only a higher grade robotic controller (if one is used) and could, therefore, significantly reduce total system costs and replacement of the robotic controller, by eliminating costly components of the unit. Figure 7 shows the operating process of a less sophisticated, medium-grade robotic controller, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The The main difference between this unit and the higher grade robotic controller described in Figure 6 is that this adjuster does not have a calibration camera or a location detection unit. The functional duties of the calibration chamber and the location discovery unit are assumed by a data discovery unit that communicates with other robots or a central control station, and a data storage unit that stores the last orientation known from individual solar surfaces. When a medium-grade robotic controller interacts with a passive solar surface for the first time and has no previous data points, it can assume that the higher-grade robotic controller "properly zeroed" the solar surface.

Unlike a higher-grade robot, a medium-grade robotic controller obtains its information for the location of the set point from a data storage unit instead of a location detection unit (701). It also determines the relative orientation of a solar surface from a data storage unit and built-in Hall-effect sensors instead of an accurate calibration chamber. The data storage unit stores the number of rotations of the adjustment wheel from the zero point, and the detection mechanism of the adjustment wheel is used to determine the exact degree of rotation (702) of the wheel. Combined with known gear reduction information, this data may be sufficient for the medium-grade robotic controller to approximate the orientation of a solar surface in a 3D space. Because the medium-grade robotic controller does not have a method to determine the exact orientation of a solar surface directly, it can keep the degree of rotation exerted on one or more adjustment wheels so that it can properly reorient a solar surface in future adjustments.

After a day of adjusting solar surfaces, the robotic controller may need to recharge its built-in energy storage mechanism. You can also recharge this system two or more times throughout the day.

Figure 8 shows the operating process of a less sophisticated robotic controller, of a lower grade, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The purpose of a lower grade robotic controller is similar to that of a car's spare wheel - it should be used only in emergency situations. This third class robotic controller allows an economical and fast Wind Stow procedure. It also allows a rapid emergence defocus procedure for heliostat applications. This robotic controller may have an operating process similar to that of the medium-grade robotic controller described in Figure 7, but may only require an adjustment interface to move a passive solar heliostat or heliostat to its wind stow position. , and it would not need to be built to have a very long lifespan.

During emergency procedures, the lower grade robotic controller would not need to know the current position of a solar surface, only that the solar surface should be moved, either, a) 2-5 degrees away from its current position, or b) in a position of shelter against the wind (wind stow) horizontal. You can have a built-in anemometer to determine the current wind speed or you can be connected to a central network that sends a signal to the lower-level robotic controller to initiate an emergency wind-shelter procedure (801). This procedure begins with the robotic controller moving near an individual solar surface, by braking near the adjusting wheel (605) of an individual surface, and by rotating the adjusting wheel a predefined number of revolutions (802). You can also use an adjustment wheel detection mechanism (403) to determine if the adjustment wheel has stopped rotating (614). If so, this may indicate that the lower grade robotic controller has brought the solar follower or passive heliostat to the wind stow stop point.

The process for emergency defocusing can be even simpler than emergency wind stow. Since the purpose of this process is to move the image of a heliostat away from a solar target, the lower grade robotic controller needs only be able to quickly alter the position of many solar surfaces.

Figure 9 shows some of the methods that could be used by a field of robotic controllers to communicate with each other and / or with a centralized network. These methods include, but are not limited to: wireless data communication (901), direct data link (902), external switches, or storage near individual passive solar surfaces or groups of solar surfaces (903). For wireless data communication, each robotic controller can be equipped with a transmitter and / or electromagnetic frequency receiver (904) capable of communicating with other robots (301) or with a centralized network (905).

For direct data transfer, each robotic controller can be equipped with contacts that can interact with contacts or other robots, or with a centralized data unit. When these systems make physical contact, data can be transferred from one device to another.

A human or robotic field operator can activate certain devices in a robot of higher, middle or lower degree, which correspond to certain preprogrammed actions. Operating an external, magnetic, or electromagnetic switch can initiate these actions.

For example, if a lower-grade robot has a pre-programmed emergency defocus function, a medium-grade controller may be able to deactivate it by simply finding it and releasing a depressed button switch.

It is also useful to be able to store relevant data near solar surfaces or groups of solar surfaces. In one embodiment, an RFID chip (903) placed near a solar surface can be used to store information about the absolute or relative location of each solar surface and how this corresponds to the initial position of each adjustment wheel. These systems would require that the individual robotic controllers have an RFID writer and / or an RFID reader. Other methods of local data storage include, but are not limited to, the use of semiconductive, magnetic and / or optical base data storage technologies.

Figure 10 shows a robotic controller (301) with multiple adjustment wheel interfaces (302). The purpose of adding more adjustment wheel interfaces is to distribute the cost of more expensive built-in components and allow a more precise control of a solar surface (101) allowing more frequent adjustments during the same period of time. The illustrated embodiment can adjust two solar surfaces at the same time; allowing this design to halve the number of start-stop cycles for a given field of solar surfaces.

Figure 1 1 shows a robotic controller (301) capable of controlling adjustment wheels without stopping at an adjustment station. This system can use a rack, contact, magnetic, or electromagnetic rack gear, and pinion systems to control the adjusting wheel. The robotic interface conceptually serves as a rack gear (1101) and the adjustment wheel (102) as the pinion (1 102). As the robot passes an adjustment wheel, it can actuate its conceptual interface of the rack gear so that it is coupled physically, magnetically or electromagnetically with an edge of an adjusting wheel. Once coupled, the linear movement of the robotic controller can go directly to the rotation of the adjustment wheel. The robotic controller can operate its interface (101) a second time to disengage from the pinion (1102) of the adjusting wheel (1102). The robotic controller can accurately control the rotation of an adjustment wheel by carefully monitoring its speed and the time when its adjustment interface is coupled with an adjustment wheel. For example, if a robotic controller is moving at 1 meter per second and hooks the edge of an adjustment wheel 3,18cm in diameter (10cm in circumference) for 1 second, it will rotate approximately 10 times.

The robotic controller may use a long row of sensors (403) that measure the instantaneous degree of rotation of the wheel to confirm that the adjustment wheel (102) has been engaged and is rotating correctly. A robotic controller that does not stop or that does not make physical contact with individual solar surfaces can accurately reposition up to 1, 2MW of photovoltaic modules if it moves at a constant rate of 5MPH.

The robotic controller illustrated in Figure 11 uses a long line of individually driven electromagnets (401) to control the orientation of an adjustment wheel. When these electromagnets are turned on in an arrangement (N-S-N-S-N-S), they are able to rotate a 4-pole magnetic adjustment wheel (N-S-N-S) by simply passing by the side of the adjustment station. This magnetic rack gear system converts the linear movement of the robot into rotary movement of the adjusting wheel.

Figure 12 shows how the robot transport tube (106) can be routed in a field with a large number of solar surfaces (101). The transport tube of the robot can be hermetically sealed to prevent large objects, water and dust from entering the robotic controller. In the illustrated embodiment, each solar follower or passive heliostat has an individual base and the transport tube of the robot only has to support the weight of one or more robotic controllers.

This figure shows that while a single robotic controller can usually adjust a particular row of solar surfaces, it can use a built-in drive motor to return to a central station for maintenance (1201). This routing style also allows a field operator to easily deploy a field of robotic controllers by inserting two or more controllers into a central station. This central station can be used for maintenance or loading purposes.

Figure 12 also shows that the excess of robotic controllers (301) can be used redundantly. In one embodiment, one or more robotic backup controllers are placed in a central station. In case of failure of a robotic controller, a robotic controller can be sent to the appropriate beam station, push the defective robot to the end of the tube and resume the solar surface adjustment that was assigned to the defective controller. If the defective robot was not constantly transmitting the position of its assigned solar surfaces to a central data system, it may be necessary for the backup robot to carry out an initial recalibration process, as described in Figure 6. If information was transmitted accurately to a central data system, the backup robot can resume operation at the point where the defective robot stopped its adjustment operations.

In case a field of solar surfaces does not have a central robot collection system, two or more robots can be placed in a section of the beam. These two or more robots can establish a constant data transfer link. One robot can assume the daily operations (1202) while the other serves as a redundant robot (1203) to avoid the loss of energy caused by defective controllers that can not properly reposition the adjustment wheels of the solar surfaces.

Figure 13 shows an embodiment of a climate control system for the robotic controller (301). This system may include, but is not limited to, the following components: fan (1301), heat sink (1302), active heat pump, Peltier device, electric heater, ventilation system, refrigerator, humidity control system, humidity sensors, temperature sensors and air filter. These climate control components can also be discharged into a sealed robot transport tube so that the system can maintain a consistent environment that extends the useful life of key components against robotic controller failures.

It may be useful to use batteries, capacitors, super capacitors, or other forms of energy storage to reduce installation complexity and overall system costs, since a single battery can replace one mile of electrified beam. Figure 14 shows an embodiment of the present invention that uses a wireless power transmission interface for charging a built-in energy storage mechanism in the robotic controller. Wireless charging mechanisms may be desirable, since they do not require exposed contacts to transmit power to a robotic controller. It is not necessary, however, that the robotic controller have a stored energy source built into itself, and could receive energy from an electrified rail system, or inductively, through the beam.

An inductive charging station (1401) placed at any location within the robot transport tube to transmit energy to the robotic controller by generating an oscillating electromagnetic field. An inductor coil loop (1402) placed in the robotic controller (301) is capable of capturing this energy and storing it within an energy storage mechanism incorporated in the robot. Other forms of energy transmission that the robotic controller could use include, but are not limited to: electrostatic induction, electromagnetic radiation, and electrical conduction.

Figure 15 shows the operating process of a built-in diagnostic and quality assurance system of a robotic controller. A robotic controller can continuously carry out aspects of this process to allow a field or remote operator to determine the instantaneous general state of a field. This process in its entirety, or certain aspects of this process may also be initiated daily, weekly, monthly, or as necessary, to allow field operators to perform preventive maintenance of the system. In particular, a diagnostic system of a robotic controller can determine: a) the general state of an individual robotic controller, based on the state of the key components (1501), b) the general condition of a robot transport tube ( 1502), c) the general state of a solar follower or passive heliostat (1503), and d) the general state of an individual FV or FVC surface (1504).

This process may begin with the transmission by the robotic controller of all stored operational data to a central processing system or network (1505). These data may include, but are not limited to: historical temperature and humidity readings from internal and external sensors, historical meteorological data from an on and off-site monitoring system, historical readings of current and voltage of all components incorporated in the robot, and SOC / SOS readings of an energy storage mechanism incorporated in the robot. The diagnostic system can then compare this information with past operational data (1506) and with predefined operating parameters (1507). The irregularity analysis can be used to determine the current status of the individual components and / or to perform preventive maintenance on a robotic controller (1508).

To determine the health of a robotic transport tube (1502), the robotic controller can access data from built-in proximity sensors or cameras, capable of inspecting the physical characteristics of the beam (1509). If any abnormality is discovered, such as an object that entered the beam, a large accumulation of dust on a section of the beam, an accumulation of insects, or some perforation in the beam that allows foreign objects to enter, the robotic controller can send a signal to a remote or field operator (1510). A remote or field operator can access live video images emitted by the robotic controller's camera to better evaluate a maintenance situation.

To determine the good state of a passive solar or heliostat tracker, a robotic controller can access data records generated from the adjustment of an individual tracker (151 1). Then, you can access data records that measure the amount of torque / input current needed to rotate an adjustment wheel (1512) and understand how this metric changes over time. If the robot uses an electromagnetic interface, this torsion metric can be determined by recording the average current supplied to the interface during the course of an adjustment. In one example, if the diagnostic system recognizes that a passive solar tracker that usually requires 95 +/- 5 amps suddenly starts requiring 320 +/- 20 amps to adjust during normal operating conditions, you may consider that this individual passive solar tracker is malfunctioning and send an alert to a maintenance worker (1513) of the field. The robotic controller can also use vision-based systems to inspect and analyze the good condition of an individual solar or heliostat tracker. This video information can be transmitted directly to a field operator to assess the status of the tracking system. If the torsion / current readings of a passive follower are within the acceptable parameters, this portion of the process (1503) can be repeated for each passive surface (101) within the control domain of a robot.

To autonomously determine the state of an individual FV or FVC surface (1504), the robotic controller can, first, move an individual follower to its optimal orientation (1515). Then, it can communicate with a device capable of monitoring the power generation of an inverter (inverter), combination box, or an individual series of solar modules (1516). As it is possible, in the robotically controlled system, that only one module in a group of modules is operated at a single moment in time, the power generation reading should remain relatively constant. Once a data link has been established, the robot can execute a search algorithm (1517) where it moves the passive surface in a spiral motion while monitoring the generation of the system. Then, you can record the maximum energy point (1518) and adjust the follower so that it is no longer facing the sun (1519). The diagnostic system can measure the change in the generation level (1520) of the central inverter, the combination box, or the series of followers. This information can be used to determine the percentage of degradation of an individual module, by measuring the exact difference in the level of generation of the central inverter, the combination box, or the series of followers and the comparison of this data with the generation nominal of a module (1521) to calculate the percentage of degradation (1522). If no change is detected, this may indicate that an individual solar surface (101) is not contributing to the total generation of the PV or FVC system. This module can be classified as defective and the robotic controller can use its adjustment interface to place this surface in a special configuration to alert field maintenance workers of the possible problem (1523). If the degradation percentage is within acceptable parameters, the subprocess 1504 can be repeated for all the surfaces within the control domain (1524) of a robot.

The robotic controller can also include preprogrammed algorithms and security devices to protect itself against theft and / or reverse engineering. The controllers and the built-in data storage units can be encrypted to prevent access to control protocols and data stored in the robot. In addition, there may be sensors that detect unauthorized access to the robot, including attempts to open a robotic controller. The controller can respond to these actions by sending a notification to a remote operator and / or by erasing the control algorithms and operational data. At the time of deployment, each robot can be initialized with its deployment location and unique identification number. If the robot, field operator, or remote operator detects that the robot is no longer in the assigned location, then steps can be taken to recover the lost or stolen robotic controller.

While particular embodiments and applications have been illustrated and described in this text, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction and components herein disclosed, and that various modifications, changes and variations in the arrangement, operation and the details of the methods and apparatus of the present invention, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS 1. A robotic controller for controlling a position of multiple solar surfaces in response to the movement of multiple solar surface adjustment wheels, each solar surface having a corresponding solar surface adjustment wheel, with the robotic controller located on a beam, and including the controller robotic: a processing unit, a location determining unit, communicatively coupled to said processing unit, to determine a position of the robotic controller; a drive system for moving said robotic controller along the beam in response to instructions received from the processing unit; an adjustment determination system for determining first adjustment parameters for the first solar surface adjustment wheel of the multiplicity of solar surface adjustment wheels; Y a hooking system for adjusting the first solar surface adjustment wheel based on said first adjustment parameters. 2. The robotic controller of claim 1, wherein said location determining unit identifies a first location of the robotic controller on the beam that is adjacent to the adjustment wheel of the solar surface; Y wherein said drive system positions said robotic controller in said first location. 3. The robotic controller of claim 2, wherein said robotic controller includes: Hall effect sensors, and said location determining unit uses magnetic communication between said Hall effect sensor and one of the solar surface adjustment wheels to identify the location of said robotic controller as adjacent to said solar surface adjustment wheel. 4. The robotic controller of claim 3, wherein said communication between Hall effect sensors and one of said solar surface adjustment wheels identifies said solar surface adjustment wheel as said first solar surface adjustment wheel and said location as the first Location. 5. The robotic controller of claim 2, wherein the robotic controller includes: a Hall effect sensor; Y said engagement system uses a magnetic coupling between said Hall effect sensor and said first solar surface adjustment wheel for rotating said first solar surface adjustment wheel based on said first adjustment parameters. 6. The robotic controller of claim 1, wherein said system of hitch includes a rack and pinion gear mechanism, said mechanism being automatically adjustable based on said first adjustment parameters, said engagement system adjusting the adjustment wheel of the first solar surface while the robotic controller moves. The robotic controller of claim 1, wherein the beam in which the robotic controller travels is sealed to prevent substantial ingress of dust or water. The robotic controller of claim 1, further comprising drive wheels for propelling the robotic controller along the beam. The robotic controller of claim 1, further comprising an energy storage system for storing energy in said robotic controller. The robotic controller of claim 9, wherein said energy storage system is an electrical energy storage device. The robotic controller of claim 9, wherein said energy storage system is recharged wirelessly. The robotic controller of claim 1, further comprising an energy receiving device for receiving energy from the beam. The robotic controller of claim 12, wherein said energy receiving device receives power either inductively from the beam, or by the use of a direct connection to the beam. The robotic controller of claim 1, wherein said location determination unit uses a triangulation methodology to identify the location of the robotic controller, the methodology of triangulation receives signals from at least three devices external to the robotic controller, located in the vicinity of the place. 15. The robotic controller of claim 1, wherein said location determination unit includes a global location satellite receiver to identify the location of the robotic controller. 16. The robotic controller of claim 1, further comprising a climate control system positioned to receive signals from said processor, to moderate the environmental conditions in which the robotic controller operates. 17. The robotic controller of claim 1, further comprising a communication system, for communicating wirelessly with at least one of the following: a central server, a second robotic controller, and / or a central controller. 18. The robotic controller of claim 1, further comprising a camera for detecting at least one of the orientations of one or more of the solar surfaces and / or abnormalities in the beam. 19. A method for a robotic controller to control a position of multiple solar surfaces in response to the movement of multiple solar surface adjustment wheels, each solar surface having a corresponding solar surface adjustment wheel, with the robotic controller located on a beam, and the method comprising the following steps: determine a position of the robotic controller; moving said robotic controller along the beam to a position adjacent to a first wheel of the multiple solar surface adjustment wheels; determining first adjustment parameters for said first adjustment wheel of solar surface; Y adjust the first solar surface adjustment wheel based on the first adjustment parameters. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: wireless communication with at least one of the following: a central server, a second robotic controller, and / or a central controller.