WO2014196480A1

WO2014196480A1 - Solar panel cleaning device

Info

Publication number: WO2014196480A1
Application number: PCT/JP2014/064494
Authority: WO
Inventors: 寛之宇田; 竹内　晴紀; 信洋荒木; 義崇程野; 工大西; 山田　貴之
Original assignee: シンフォニアテクノロジー株式会社
Priority date: 2013-06-03
Filing date: 2014-05-30
Publication date: 2014-12-11

Abstract

In order to cause a main body autonomously traveling on a light receiving surface of a solar panel to travel so as not to deviate a predetermined cleaning line, the cleaning line is set in a direction parallel to a straight line observed on the light receiving surface, a camera (7) for capturing an image of the light receiving surface in front of the main body (1) that is autonomously traveling, an image processing unit (8) for extracting the straight line as an extracted line from the captured image captured by the camera (7) and detecting the inclination of the extracted line, and a steering means for steering the direction of travel of the main body (1) by a pair of right and left crawlers (2) are provided, and on the basis of the change of the inclination of the extracted line detected by the image processing unit (8), control for making a difference in speed between the right and left crawlers (2) as the steering means is performed so as to return the main body (1) to the cleaning line.

Description

Solar panel cleaning device

The present invention relates to a solar panel cleaning device for cleaning a light receiving surface of a solar panel.

In recent years, the use of solar energy as a power generation system that uses renewable energy has been spreading. The solar system is installed outdoors with the light receiving surface of the solar panel facing the sun, and has the advantage that the solar panel can be installed by effectively utilizing the roof and rooftop of factories, buildings, general houses and the like. Solar panels are often installed with the light-receiving surface tilted in the direction in which the sun shines (southern in Japan).

A solar panel is an assembly of multiple cells that incorporate solar cells that instantly convert sunlight into electric power through the photovoltaic effect. In a typical solar system, multiple panel units are arranged vertically and horizontally. Used as a connected array. In some large-scale mega solar systems, the total length of the array to which the panel units are connected reaches several hundred meters. Usually, the light receiving surface of the solar panel has a blue-black color, and the cell boundaries and the lead wires connecting the cells are seen as vertical and horizontal grids with silver white lines. In addition, on the light-receiving surface of the entire solar panel in which the panel units are arranged, the frame on the outer periphery of each panel unit can be seen in the vertical and horizontal directions with silver white lines. Some solar panels do not show cell boundaries or lead wires.

Since these solar panels are installed outdoors, foreign matter such as dust contained in the atmosphere and rainwater, bird droppings and dead leaves adhere to the light receiving surface. For this reason, it is a big problem of a solar system that sunlight is interrupted | blocked by the dust and foreign material adhering to these light-receiving surfaces, and electric power generation efficiency falls. To prevent this decrease in power generation efficiency, the light receiving surface of the solar panel should be cleaned as appropriate to remove the adhering dust and foreign matter, but the solar panel should be installed at a high place such as on the roof or rooftop. Therefore, manual cleaning is difficult in terms of safety. Further, in a mega solar system having a vast light receiving surface, manual cleaning requires a great deal of labor.

For such a problem of cleaning the solar panel, a main body equipped with a cleaning means such as a brush is disposed on the light receiving surface of the solar panel, and the main body is moved along a predetermined cleaning line on the light receiving surface. A solar panel cleaning device that cleans the light receiving surface with a cleaning means is proposed (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In the solar panel cleaning apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the upper and lower ends of a solar panel whose light receiving surface is inclined extend in the horizontal direction in the horizontal direction, and the vertical direction in which the light receiving surface is inclined in the vertical axis direction. A moving rail is provided, and the main body on which the cleaning means is mounted is cleaned while moving along the cleaning line in the inclined direction with the rail for moving up and down, and the next cleaning line is perpendicular to the inclined direction with the mounting rails at the upper and lower ends. It is moved to the position of, and the entire light receiving surface of the solar panel is cleaned.

In the solar panel cleaning device described in Patent Document 2, a main body on which a cleaning means is mounted, a self-propelled means that autonomously travels on the light-receiving surface of the solar panel, a recognition means that recognizes the size and shape of the solar panel, A power supply device that drives the running means and the like is provided, and the main body controls the light receiving surface to run along a predetermined cleaning line based on the output of the recognition means. Robot walking is adopted as the self-running means, and an ultrasonic sensor is used as the recognition means. Further, only a rotating brush is provided as a cleaning means.

In each of

Patent Documents

1 and 2, a plurality of cleaning lines that are cleaned while the main body travels are set in the inclination direction of the light receiving surface, and the main body is maintained in the posture as it is and the next cleaning is performed in a direction orthogonal to the inclination direction. The travel direction is set in the reverse direction in the next cleaning line by moving it to the line position. That is, when the main body moves forward in the previous cleaning line, the main body cleans while moving backward in the reverse direction in the next cleaning line.

JP 2002-273351 A JP 2010-186819 A

Since the solar panel cleaning apparatus described in Patent Document 1 guides the main body with the mounting rail and the vertical movement rail, the main body can be moved along a predetermined cleaning line and cleaned without leaving the entire light receiving surface. However, there are problems that the installation cost becomes expensive because the mounting rails and the vertical movement rails are laid, and that the roof and the like are more than necessary.

On the other hand, the solar panel cleaning device described in Patent Document 2 does not need to install a guide rail because the main body travels autonomously. However, the traveling direction of the main body may deviate from a predetermined cleaning line, and is not cleaned. There is a problem that the area of is likely to remain. In particular, when the cleaning line is set in a direction orthogonal to the inclination direction of the light receiving surface, the traveling direction of the main body is likely to shift from the cleaning line to the lower side in the inclination direction due to gravitational acceleration.

Moreover, in what was described in patent document 2, only a rotating brush is provided as a cleaning means, and when cleaning a plurality of cleaning lines that are not on the same straight line, the preceding cleaning line is moved forward to the next cleaning line. However, in order to increase the cleaning efficiency, the cleaning liquid nozzle, the rotating brush and the wiper are sequentially arranged in the front-rear direction of the traveling direction, and the plurality of cleaning lines are cleaned only by the forward traveling. It is desirable.

Thus, in order to clean a plurality of cleaning lines only by traveling forward, it is necessary to turn the main body to turn to 90 ° or 180 ° when moving to the next cleaning line that is not on the same straight line. . When turning the main body in this way, the orientation of the main body can be detected by using a tilt sensor such as a digital compass, gyro sensor, or 3G sensor. There is a problem that sufficient turning accuracy cannot be obtained. In particular, when an inclination sensor is used, the turning accuracy decreases when the gradient of the light receiving surface is small or small. When the turning accuracy is lowered in this way, the main body travels in a direction deviating from a predetermined direction on the next cleaning line, which causes problems such as overlapping cleaning areas and uncleaned areas.

Therefore, the problem of the present invention is that when the main body that autonomously travels on the light receiving surface of the solar panel does not deviate from a predetermined cleaning line, and when the main body is moved to the next cleaning line that is not on the same straight line, The aim is to turn to the direction of the next cleaning line with high accuracy.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a main body disposed on a light receiving surface of a solar panel where a straight line extending in at least one direction is observed, and a self-propelled means for autonomously running the main body on the light receiving surface. A solar panel cleaning device mounted on the main body and cleaning the light receiving surface, and moving the main body along a predetermined cleaning line; and a straight line observed on the light receiving surface. The straight line is extracted as an extraction line from the photographing means for photographing the light receiving surface in front of the traveling main body and set in a parallel direction or a perpendicular direction, and the inclination of the extraction line is extracted from the photographed image photographed by the photographing means. An image processing means for detecting and a steering means for steering the traveling direction of the main body by the self-propelled means are provided, and based on a change in the inclination of the extraction line detected by the image processing means. And it employs a configuration for controlling the steering means to return the body to the cleaning line.

That is, the cleaning line is set in a direction parallel to or perpendicular to the straight line observed on the light receiving surface, the photographing means for photographing the light receiving surface in front of the traveling body, and the photographed image photographed by the photographing means are observed on the light receiving surface. The image processing means for extracting the straight line to be extracted as an extraction line, and the steering means for steering the traveling direction of the main body by the self-propelling means are provided, and the inclination of the extraction line detected by the image processing means is provided. Based on this change, the steering means is controlled so as to return the main body to the cleaning line. It was made possible to run without slipping.

When the cleaning line is set in a direction parallel to the straight line observed on the light receiving surface, the extraction line is extracted so as to extend linearly in the vertical direction of the captured image, as will be described later. When the main body travels on the observed straight line and the photographing means is located on this straight line, the extraction line extends vertically at the left and right center of the photographed image. Further, when the photographing means is located on the right side of the straight line, the extraction line extends so as to incline to the right on the left side of the photographed image, and when the photographing means is located on the left side of the straight line, the extraction line is centered on the right side of the photographed image. It extends to tilt to the left. When the traveling direction of the main body is shifted to the left and right, the slopes of these extraction lines change. Therefore, a change in the inclination of these extraction lines extracted according to the position in the width direction of the photographing means is detected, and the steering means is controlled so that the inclination of the extraction lines returns to the original position, whereby the main body is cleaned. The vehicle can be run so as not to deviate from the line.

When the cleaning line is set in a direction perpendicular to the straight line observed on the light receiving surface, the extraction line is curved and extends in the left-right direction of the photographed image regardless of the position in the width direction of the photographing means of the main body, as will be described later. Extracted as follows. When the running direction is shifted left and right, the extraction line that curves and extends in the left and right direction is inclined right and left so that the height position is different at the left and right ends of the captured image. Therefore, by detecting the left / right inclination of the extraction line and controlling the steering means so that the left / right inclination approaches zero, the main body can be caused to travel without deviating from a predetermined cleaning line.

As the steering means, for example, when the self-propelled means is a crawler traveling, a method of giving a speed difference to the left and right crawlers can be adopted, and when the self-propelled means is a tire traveling A method of changing the direction of the tire can be employed.

Direction changing means for changing the moving direction of the autonomously traveling main body is provided, and the image processing means extracts a boundary with the outside of the light receiving surface from the photographed image and detects the position thereof. Based on the position, the moving direction of the main body is changed to a right angle at the boundary of the light receiving surface by controlling the direction changing means so as to change the moving direction of the main body from the direction facing the boundary. Can be moved to the next cleaning line, and can be directed to the self-running direction of the next cleaning line. Further, it is possible to prevent the main body from falling from the boundary of the light receiving surface.

As the direction changing means, a steering means is used as it is, a means for changing the direction of the main body itself, or a lateral movement means different from the steering means is provided, and the main body is moved laterally in the right-angle direction by this lateral movement means. Means can be employed. When the direction of the main body itself is changed by the steering means, for example, in crawler running, there is a method of changing the direction of the main body by driving the left and right crawlers in reverse or one side. Further, as the separate lateral movement means, for example, there is a method in which a separate tire or crawler directed in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction is grounded and driven when the direction is changed. In the case of adopting the lateral movement means, it is necessary to allow the main body to travel rearward and to provide photographing means on the rear side.

Further, the present invention is mounted on the main body disposed on the light receiving surface of the solar panel where a straight line extending in at least one direction is observed, self-running means for autonomously running the main body on the light receiving surface, Cleaning means for cleaning the light receiving surface, and a solar panel cleaning device that travels the main body along a predetermined cleaning line, setting a plurality of cleaning lines that are not collinear with the light receiving surface, Photographed by the turning means for turning the main body on the light receiving surface when moving to the next cleaning line not on the same straight line, the photographing means for photographing the light receiving surface in front of the main body, and the photographing means Image processing means for extracting the straight line from the photographed image as an extraction line, and setting the next cleaning line in a direction perpendicular to or parallel to the straight line observed on the light receiving surface. When the main body is moved to the next cleaning line, based on the inclination of the extraction line extracted by the image processing means, the direction of the main body turned by the turning means is changed to the direction of the next cleaning line. A configuration was also adopted that corrects it so that it points toward.

That is, when moving the main body to the next cleaning line that is not on the same straight line, the turning means for turning the main body on the light receiving surface, the photographing means for photographing the light receiving surface in front of the main body, and the photographing means Image processing means for extracting a straight line observed on the light receiving surface from the photographed image as an extraction line, setting the next cleaning line in a direction perpendicular to or parallel to the straight line observed on the light receiving surface, and cleaning the main body next The light receiving surface is corrected by correcting the orientation of the main body swiveled by the swiveling means toward the direction of the next cleaning line based on the inclination of the extraction line extracted by the image processing means when moved to the line. The straight line observed at the point is used as an extraction line as a reference for the turning angle, so that when moving the autonomously moving main body to the next cleaning line, the main body can be accurately directed toward the next cleaning line. It was.

When the next cleaning line is set in a direction perpendicular to the straight line observed on the light receiving surface, the extraction line curves in the left-right direction of the photographed image regardless of the position in the width direction of the main body after turning, as will be described later. It is extracted to extend. The extraction line that curves and extends in the left-right direction has no left-right inclination that is the same height position at the left and right ends of the captured image when the main body is oriented accurately in the direction of the next cleaning line. When the direction of is deviated from the direction of the next cleaning line, the left and right ends of the captured image are inclined at different left and right height positions. Therefore, the main body can be accurately directed toward the next cleaning line by correcting the turning angle by the turning means so as to eliminate the left and right inclination of the extraction line.

When the next cleaning line is set in a direction parallel to the straight line observed on the light receiving surface, the extraction line is extracted so as to extend linearly in the vertical direction of the photographed image. At this time, the inclination of the extraction line extending in the vertical direction also varies depending on the position in the width direction of the imaging unit of the main body with respect to the straight line observed on the light receiving surface. That is, when the main body is accurately directed in the direction of the next cleaning line and the photographing means is positioned on a straight line, the extraction line extends vertically at the left and right center of the photographed image. Further, when the photographing means is located on the right side of the straight line, the extraction line extends so as to incline to the right on the left side of the photographed image, and when the photographing means is located on the left side of the straight line, the extraction line is centered on the right side of the photographed image. It extends to tilt to the left. The lower end position and inclination of the extraction line in the photographed image when the photographing means of the main body is shifted to the left and right of the straight line are determined by the amount of the right and left displacement of the photographing means and the type of camera lens. Therefore, depending on the type of camera lens to be used, the lower end position and inclination of the extraction line when the main body is accurately directed in the direction of the next cleaning line is stored in advance as a database, and the extracted actually extracted According to the lower end position of the line, the inclination stored by the database corresponding to the lower end position is set as a target value, and the turning angle by the turning means is corrected so that the inclination of the extraction line is set as the target value. Can be directed accurately toward the cleaning line.

As the turning means, for example, when the self-running means is a crawler running, a method of giving a speed difference to the left and right crawlers can be adopted. Further, when the self-propelled means is used for tire traveling or robot walking, an appropriate turning mechanism may be provided.

By setting the next cleaning line in a direction perpendicular to the straight line observed on the light receiving surface, the turning angle by the turning means can be easily corrected based on the inclination of the extraction line extending in the left-right direction in the photographed image. Can do. That is, the inclination of the extraction line extending in the left-right direction changes only depending on the difference in the orientation of the main body regardless of the position in the width direction of the main body after turning, so it is not necessary to consider the position in the width direction of the main body. What is necessary is just to correct | amend a turning angle so that the inclination of may approach zero.

The straight line observed on the light receiving surface may be at least one of a cell boundary of the solar panel, a lead wire connecting the cells and the outer periphery of the panel unit.

Extracting local dirt on the light receiving surface from the photographed image and detecting the position thereof, and operating the cleaning means at the detected dirt position can save energy consumption for the cleaning means, The replacement frequency of the cleaning means due to the consumption of the brush or the like can be reduced.

When the light receiving surface is inclined in one direction, energy consumption for running the main body can be reduced by setting the cleaning line in a direction orthogonal to the inclination direction of the light receiving surface.

When the cleaning line is set in the tilt direction of the light receiving surface, the load increases when the main body rises in the tilt direction, and a brake load is required when the main body descends in the tilt direction, so that energy consumption for running the main body increases. On the other hand, if the cleaning line is set in a direction orthogonal to the inclination direction of the light receiving surface, the cleaning line becomes substantially horizontal, and the energy consumption for running the main body can be greatly reduced.

The solar panel cleaning apparatus according to the present invention sets the cleaning line in a direction parallel to or perpendicular to the straight line observed on the light receiving surface, and is photographed by the photographing means for photographing the light receiving surface in front of the traveling body and the photographing means. Image processing means for extracting a straight line observed on the light receiving surface from the photographed image as an extraction line, detecting the inclination of the extraction line, and steering means for steering the traveling direction of the main body by the self-propelling means are provided, and image processing means Since the steering means is controlled to return the main body to the cleaning line based on the change in the inclination of the extraction line detected in step 1, the main body that autonomously travels on the light receiving surface is moved so as not to deviate from the predetermined cleaning line. Can be made.

Moreover, the solar panel cleaning apparatus according to the present invention takes a picture of a turning means for turning the main body on the light receiving surface and a light receiving surface in front of the main body when moving the main body to the next cleaning line that is not on the same straight line. An imaging unit and an image processing unit that extracts a straight line observed on the light receiving surface from the captured image captured by the imaging unit as an extraction line are provided, and the next cleaning line is perpendicular to or parallel to the straight line observed on the light receiving surface. When the main body is moved to the next cleaning line, the direction of the main body turned by the turning means is changed to the next cleaning line based on the inclination of the extraction line extracted by the image processing means. Since the configuration for correcting the head is also adopted, when the main body that moves autonomously is moved to the next cleaning line, the main body can be accurately directed toward the next cleaning line.

(A) is an external appearance perspective view which shows the main body of the solar panel cleaning apparatus which concerns on this invention, (b) is a side view of (a). Plan view explaining examples of solar panel light receiving surface and cleaning line (A) to (d) are examples of captured images taken by the camera of the main body of FIG. 1 running on the light receiving surface of FIG. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing explaining the method to detect the inclination of the extraction line of a parallel direction with a cleaning line from the picked-up image of Fig.3 (a). (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing explaining the method to detect the inclination of the extraction line of a parallel direction with a cleaning line from the picked-up image of FIG.3 (b). Explanatory drawing explaining the method to detect the inclination of the extraction line of the orthogonal | vertical direction with a cleaning line from the picked-up image of Fig.3 (a), (b). The flowchart which shows the control method when cleaning the cleaning line of FIG. The flowchart which shows the control method when cleaning a local dirt in the cleaning line of FIG. The flowchart which shows the control procedure when moving a main body to the following cleaning line on the light-receiving surface of FIG. (A), (b) is an example of a photographed image taken when the main body is moved to the next cleaning line, and (c), (d) are the directions of the next cleaning line accurately. Example of a photographed image taken when facing Explanatory drawing explaining the method to detect the inclination of an extraction line from the picked-up image of Fig.10 (a), (b). (A), (b) is a top view which shows the modification of the cleaning line of FIG. 2, respectively.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig.1 (a), (b) shows the main body 1 of the solar panel cleaning apparatus which concerns on this invention. The main body 1 includes a pair of left and right crawlers 2 as self-propelled means that autonomously travels on a light receiving surface 21 of a solar panel, which will be described later, and a cleaning liquid nozzle 3b that injects the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank 3a onto the light receiving surface 21 as a cleaning means. The rotating brush 4 for brushing the light-receiving surface 21 on which the ink is jetted, and the wiper 5 for wiping the brushed light-receiving surface 21 are sequentially provided in the front-rear direction of the traveling direction. Moreover, the battery 6 which drives these self-propelled means and cleaning means is also mounted. As will be described later, the crawler 2 also serves as a turning means for turning the main body 1 on the light receiving surface 21.

At the center of the front side of the main body 1, a camera 7 as a photographing means for photographing the front light-receiving surface 21 is attached, for example, obliquely downward, and an image processing device 8 that performs image processing on a photographed image 31 of the camera 7, and a main body A gyro sensor 9 that detects the direction from the inclination of one posture and serves as a control output of the turning means is also mounted. Instead of the gyro sensor 9, an inclination sensor such as a digital compass or a 3G sensor may be mounted. Moreover, based on the detection result of the image processing apparatus 8, as will be described later, a controller 10 for controlling the operation of the self-running means and the cleaning means and correcting the turning angle of the turning means is also incorporated.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the light receiving surface 21 and the cleaning line 25 of the solar panel. The light receiving surface 21 is of a mega solar system in which a large number of panel units 22 are arranged in rows and columns, and is inclined in one direction. The total length of the panel in the direction perpendicular to the inclined direction of the light receiving surface 21 reaches several hundreds of meters. On the light-receiving surface 21 having a blue-black color, the outer periphery 22a of the panel unit 22 and the cell boundary 22b of each panel unit 22 are observed as silver-white lines extending in the vertical and horizontal directions. Although illustration is omitted, the leads connecting the cells are also observed as straight lines.

The start point of the main body 1 on the light receiving surface 21 is the left end on the upper end side of the tilt, and a plurality of cleaning lines 25 that are cleaned while the main body 1 travels are set in a direction orthogonal to the tilt direction of the light receiving surface 21. After the main body 1 travels to the right from the start point on the first cleaning line 25, the main body 1 turns so as to turn at right angles to the direction of descending the slope immediately before the right boundary 21a of the light receiving surface 21, and the lower side It moves to the position of the next cleaning line 25, and further turns to turn leftward at a right angle, and travels to the left on the next cleaning line 25. When the main body 1 is turned, the left and right crawlers 2 are driven reversely or one side to change the direction of the main body 1. Such direction change by turning is performed at the left and right boundaries 21 a of the light receiving surface 21, and sequentially travels along the lower cleaning line 25 to clean the entire area of the light receiving surface 21.

3 (a) to 3 (d) show examples of captured images 31 captured by the camera 7 of the main body 1 that travels. These captured images 31 are binarized by the image processing device 8 and removed noise caused by sunlight reflection, etc., in order to make the straight line 32, the curve 33, the boundary line 34, and the island pattern 35 described later easier to understand. After that.

The photographed image 31 in FIG. 3A is photographed when the main body 1 runs on the outer periphery 22a of the panel unit 22 extending in a direction parallel to the cleaning line 25 or the cell boundary 22b, and the camera 7 is on this line. The outer periphery 22a or boundary 22b is shown as a vertical vertical straight line 32 at the center, and the outer periphery 22a or boundary 22b parallel to the cleaning line 25 on both sides thereof is expressed as a straight line 32 inclined inward. It has been broken. Further, the outer periphery 22a or the boundary 22b in the direction perpendicular to the cleaning line 25 is represented as a lateral curve 33 that is concavely curved upward.

The photographed image 31 in FIG. 3B was photographed when the main body 1 traveled between two outer peripheries 22a or borders 22b extending in a direction parallel to the cleaning line 25 and the camera 7 was between these straight lines. These two outer peripheries 22a or borders 22b appear as longitudinal straight lines 32 inclined inward, and the outer peripheries 22a or borders 22b perpendicular to the cleaning line 25 are concavely curved upward. It is represented as a horizontal curve 33. The straight line 32 and the curved line 33 appear as white lines in the black photographed image 31.

The captured image 31 in FIG. 3C was captured when the traveling main body 1 approached the boundary 21a of the light receiving surface 21, and left and right so that the front boundary 21a is curved concavely upward. Appears as an extended black and white border 34. A photographed image 31 in FIG. 3D was taken when there was dirt of bird droppings in front of the main body 1, and this dirt appears as an off-white island pattern 35. In these captured images 31, the above-described white straight line 32 and curve 33 are also shown.

The traveling direction of the main body 1 traveling on the cleaning line 25 of the light receiving surface 21 described above may deviate from the predetermined cleaning line 25 due to gravitational acceleration or the like caused by the inclination of the light receiving surface 21. Hereinafter, a method for detecting the shift in the traveling direction by the image processing apparatus 8 will be described.

4 and 5 show a method of detecting a shift in the running direction by extracting a straight line parallel to the cleaning line 25. FIG. 4 shows a method of detecting a deviation in the traveling direction when the main body 1 travels on a straight line in the parallel direction so that the captured image 31 in FIG. First, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, the image processing apparatus 8 extracts a vertical straight line 32 on the central travel line as an extraction line L from the captured image 31 illustrated in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the traveling direction of the main body 1 is shifted to the right, the extraction line L is tilted to the left from the initial extraction line L ₀ indicated by a one-dot chain line in the figure. As shown in c), when the traveling direction is shifted to the left, the extraction line L is inclined to the right.

FIG. 5 shows a method of detecting a deviation in the traveling direction when the main body 1 travels between parallel straight lines so that the captured image 31 of FIG. 3B is captured. First, as shown in FIG. 5A, the image processing apparatus 8 extracts one of two inwardly inclined vertical lines 32 as an extraction line L from the captured image 31 of FIG. To do. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the traveling direction of the main body 1 is shifted to the right, the extraction line L is tilted to the left from the initial extraction line L ₀ indicated by a one-dot chain line in the figure. As shown in c), when the traveling direction is shifted to the left, the extraction line L is inclined to the right. The change Δθ in the inclination angle of the extraction line L detected in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 increases as the shift in the traveling direction increases. Therefore, the direction and magnitude of the deviation of the traveling direction of the main body 1 can be detected by the change Δθ in the inclination angle of these extraction lines L detected by the image processing device 8.

FIG. 6 shows a method of detecting a shift in the running direction by extracting a straight line perpendicular to the cleaning line 25. In this case, regardless of the position in the width direction of the main body 1 that travels, the image processing device 8 is configured to receive a single laterally-curved upwardly curved image from the captured image 31 of FIG. 3A or 3B. The curve 33 is extracted as the extraction line L. In the figure, the initial extraction line L ₀ with no shift in the traveling direction is indicated by a one-dot chain line. However, when the traveling direction is shifted to the right, the extraction line L is higher at the left end by Δh than the right end. Tilt to the left and right. Although illustration is omitted, when the traveling direction is shifted to the left, the extraction line L is inclined so that the right end is higher than the left end. The difference Δh between the height positions increases as the shift in the traveling direction increases. Therefore, the direction and magnitude of the deviation of the travel direction of the main body 1 can be detected by the difference Δh in the height position of the left and right ends of the extraction line L detected by the image processing device 8, that is, the change in the left and right inclinations. it can.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control method by the controller 10 when cleaning each cleaning line 25 of FIG. In this flowchart, a straight line parallel to the cleaning line 25 described above is extracted to detect a shift in the traveling direction. First, the main body 1 is set in the direction along the cleaning line 25 at the cleaning start position of each cleaning line 25. In this state, an extraction line L extending forward is detected by the image processing device 8 from the photographed image 31 as shown in FIG. 4A or 5A, and the inclination of the extraction line L is determined for each cleaning line 25. This is stored as the initial value at.

After this, the self-propelled means and the cleaning means are operated to start cleaning along the cleaning line 25. When the main body 1 starts to travel along the cleaning line 25, the image processing apparatus 8 detects the change Δθ in inclination angle from the initial value of the extraction line L from the captured image 31 every moment, and the traveling direction of the main body 1 shifts to change the inclination angle. When the change Δθ is detected, the controller 10 repeats the control for giving a speed difference to the left and right crawlers 2 as the steering means so as to return the main body 1 to the cleaning line 25 based on the change Δθ in the inclination angle. If the change Δθ in inclination angle is not detected, the vehicle continues running.

When the main body 1 traveling on the cleaning line 25 approaches the boundary 21a of the light receiving surface 21, and the black and white boundary line 34 as shown in FIG. 3C is detected in the captured image 31, the controller 10 detects the boundary 21a. Immediately before, the operation of the self-running means and the cleaning means is stopped, and the cleaning of one cleaning line 25 is completed. When the cleaning of one cleaning line 25 is completed as described above, the main body 1 is moved to the next cleaning line 25 by using the crawler traveling steering means as a turning means, as will be described later.

Description will be omitted, and extracts a linear direction perpendicular and cleaning line 25 described above, when detecting a shift in the running direction, as shown in FIG. 6, the initial extraction line in the perpendicular direction line L ₀ Since there is no left / right inclination, there is no need to store the initial value, and the left / right height difference Δh of the extraction line L is detected, and the height position difference Δh is made close to zero. A speed difference may be given to the crawler 2.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control method for cleaning local dirt in the cleaning line 25. In this flowchart, the control for returning the shift in the traveling direction of the main body 1 is the same as that shown in FIG. 6, and an island pattern 35 like the photographed image 31 in FIG. However, the only difference is that the cleaning means is operated at the detection position only when it is detected as local dirt. Therefore, energy consumption for the cleaning means can be saved and the frequency of replacement of the cleaning means due to wear of the rotating brush 4 or the like can be reduced. The local contamination can also be detected by an optical sensor or a thermographic camera directed to the light receiving surface 21 different from the camera 7.

FIG. 9 shows a control procedure when the main body 1 is moved from the previous cleaning line 25 to the next cleaning line 25 at the right boundary 21 a of the light receiving surface 21. If the boundary 21a of the light receiving surface 21 is detected in the captured image 31 of the camera 7 while traveling on the previous cleaning line 25, the controller 10 stops the main body 1 just before the boundary 21a. After that, the controller 10 turns the main body 1 by 90 ° in the direction of lowering the inclination direction by the turning means, and then slightly travels to the position of the next cleaning line 25 on the lower side, and further 90 ° to the left by the turning means. Rotate to move toward the next cleaning line 25 on the left.

Finally, as described below, the outer periphery of the panel unit 22 extending in a direction perpendicular to the next cleaning line 25 from the photographed image 31 taken by the camera 7 when the main body 1 is directed toward the next cleaning line 25. A straight line such as 22a or a cell boundary 22b is extracted as an extraction line L, and based on the inclination of the extraction line L, the turning angle by the turning means is corrected so as to be directed toward the next cleaning line. After performing this correction, the main body 1 is moved to the next cleaning line 25. In addition, although description is abbreviate | omitted, the control procedure when moving the main body 1 to the next cleaning line 25 in the boundary 21a on the left side of the light-receiving surface 21 is also basically the same except that the turning direction is reversed left and right. .

Hereinafter, a method of correcting the turning angle when the main body 1 is directed toward the next cleaning line 25 will be described. FIGS. 10A and 10B show examples of a captured image 31 that is captured when the main body 1 is directed toward the next cleaning line 25. FIGS. 10C and 10D are examples of the captured image 31 when the main body 1 after turning is accurately directed toward the next cleaning line 25. These captured images 31 are also binarized by the image processing apparatus 8 and noises due to sunlight reflection or the like are removed, and the outer periphery 22a or cell of the panel unit 22 extending in the inclination direction of the light receiving surface 21 A straight line extending in a direction perpendicular to the next cleaning line 25 such as the boundary line 22b is shown as a curved line 33 that is concavely curved upward and extends in the left-right direction. This straight line appears as a straight line 32 that is inclined in the vertical direction.

10 (a) and 10 (b) are photographed images 31 when the orientation of the main body 1 after turning is shifted to the right from the direction of the next cleaning line 25. FIG. 10 (a) When the position in the width direction of the camera 7, that is, the center position in the width direction of the main body 1 is on a straight line extending in a direction parallel to the next cleaning line 25, FIG. This is the case when they are displaced. 10C and 10D, FIG. 10C shows the case where the position in the width direction of the camera 7 is on a straight line extending in a direction parallel to the next cleaning line 25. FIG. 10 (d) is a case where the position in the width direction of the camera 7 is deviated from this straight line.

FIG. 11 shows a curve 33 extending in the left-right direction from the photographed image 31 shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B when the orientation of the main body 1 is shifted to the right from the direction of the next cleaning line 25. A straight line extending in a direction perpendicular to the next cleaning line 25 is extracted as an extraction line L. This extraction line L is extracted regardless of the position in the width direction of the camera 7 as in the case shown in FIG. In the drawing, as shown in FIGS. 10C and 10D, a reference extraction line similarly extracted from the photographed image 31 when the main body 1 is accurately oriented in the direction of the next cleaning line 25. L _{0 is} also shown. The extraction line L when the orientation of the main body 1 is shifted to the right is inclined such that the left end is higher than the right end by Δh. When the direction is not deviated, the reference extraction line L ₀ has the same height position at the left and right ends, and Δh is zero. Therefore, the main body 1 can be accurately directed toward the next cleaning line 25 by correcting the turning angle so that the inclination of the extraction line L is eliminated and the height position difference Δh between the left and right ends approaches zero. . Although illustration is omitted, when the orientation of the main body 1 is shifted to the left from the direction of the next cleaning line 25, the extraction line L is inclined so that the right end is higher than the left end, and similarly, the height of the left and right ends is increased. The turning angle may be corrected so that the position difference Δh approaches zero.

12 (a) and 12 (b) show modifications of the cleaning line 25 in FIG. In these figures, the display of the cell boundary 22b is omitted. FIG. 12A shows a case where a plurality of cleaning lines 25 are set in the inclination direction of the light receiving surface 21, and the upper and lower boundaries 21 a of the light receiving surface 21 are arranged so that the main body 1 is 90 like the one shown in FIG. 2. Turn twice to move to the next cleaning line 25. In this modification, a straight line extracted as the extraction line L after turning is defined as the outer periphery 22a of the panel unit 22 extending in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the cleaning line 25, the cell boundary 22b, or the like.

FIG. 12B shows a case where a plurality of cleaning lines 25 are set in a rectangular spiral shape, and the main body 1 is turned 90 ° at each corner portion of the light receiving surface 21 to clean the cleaning lines from the outer peripheral side to the inner peripheral side. Move to 25. In this modification, the straight line extracted as the extraction line L after turning is extended in the horizontal direction when the next cleaning line 25 is in the inclined direction, and in the inclined direction when the next cleaning line 25 is in the horizontal direction. It shall extend to. 12A and 12B, the correction method for the orientation of the main body 1 after turning is the same as the correction method for the cleaning line 25 in FIG. 2 described above. In the embodiment of the cleaning line 25 shown in FIG. 2 and the modifications shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the start point of the main body 1 is set at the left end on the inclined upper end side. The starting point of can be set at any position.

When correcting the orientation of the main body 1 after turning, a straight line extending in a direction parallel to the next cleaning line 25 may be extracted as the extraction line L. Although illustration is omitted, in this case, the lower end position and the inclination of the extraction line L ₀ when the main body 1 is accurately directed in the direction of the next cleaning line 25 are stored in advance as a database and actually extracted. Depending on the lower end position of the extracted line L, the turning angle by the turning means may be corrected using the inclination stored in the database corresponding to the lower end position as a target value.

In the above-described embodiment, the light receiving surface of the solar panel is inclined in one direction, and the cleaning line is set in a direction orthogonal to the inclination direction of the light receiving surface. Lines can also be set in any direction.

In the above-described embodiment, the cell boundary or the outer periphery of the panel unit is extracted as an extraction line. However, a lead wire connecting the cells can be used as the extraction line. In addition, the solar panel may not be able to see cell boundaries or lead wires connecting cells, and in this case, only the outer periphery of the panel unit may be used as an extraction line.

In the embodiment described above, the self-propelled means of the main body is used for crawler traveling, and the left and right crawlers are reversely driven or driven on one side so that the main body is turned. As an alternative, an appropriate turning means may be provided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Crawler 3a Cleaning liquid tank 3b Cleaning liquid nozzle 4 Rotating brush 5 Wiper 6 Battery 7 Camera 8 Image processing apparatus 9 Gyro sensor 10 Controller 21 Light-receiving surface 21a Boundary 22 Panel unit

22a Outer periphery

22b Cell boundary 25 Cleaning line 31 Photographed image 32 Straight line 33 Curve 34 Border 35 Island pattern

Claims

A main body arranged on the light receiving surface of the solar panel where a straight line extending in at least one direction is observed;
Self-running means for autonomously running the main body on the light-receiving surface;
A cleaning means mounted on the main body and cleaning the light receiving surface;
In the solar panel cleaning device that runs the main body along a predetermined cleaning line,
The cleaning line is set in a direction parallel to or perpendicular to a straight line observed on the light receiving surface,
Photographing means for photographing the light receiving surface in front of the traveling main body;
Image processing means for extracting the straight line from the photographed image photographed by the photographing means as an extraction line and detecting the inclination of the extraction line;
Steering means for steering the traveling direction of the main body by the self-propelled means;
The solar panel cleaning apparatus, wherein the steering means is controlled to return the main body to the cleaning line based on a change in the inclination of the extraction line detected by the image processing means.
Providing a direction changing means for changing a moving direction of the main body that autonomously travels;
The image processing means extracts a boundary with the outside of the light receiving surface from the photographed image and detects the position thereof, and based on the detected boundary position, the moving direction of the main body is changed from the direction toward the boundary. The solar panel cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the direction changing means is controlled to change.
A main body arranged on the light receiving surface of the solar panel where a straight line extending in at least one direction is observed;
Self-running means for autonomously running the main body on the light-receiving surface;
A cleaning means mounted on the main body and cleaning the light receiving surface;
In the solar panel cleaning device that runs the main body along a predetermined cleaning line,
Set a plurality of cleaning lines that are not collinear on the light receiving surface,
Swiveling means for swiveling the main body on the light receiving surface when moving the main body to the next cleaning line that is not on the same straight line;
Photographing means for photographing the light receiving surface in front of the main body;
Image processing means for extracting the straight line as an extraction line from the photographed image photographed by the photographing means,
The next cleaning line is set in a direction perpendicular to or parallel to the straight line observed on the light receiving surface,
When the main body is moved to the next cleaning line, based on the inclination of the extraction line extracted by the image processing means, the direction of the main body turned by the turning means is changed to the direction of the next cleaning line. A solar panel cleaning device, wherein the solar panel cleaning device is corrected so as to be directed to the sun.
The solar panel cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the next cleaning line is set in a direction perpendicular to the straight line observed on the light receiving surface.
5. The solar panel according to claim 1, wherein the straight line observed on the light receiving surface is at least one of a boundary between cells of the solar panel, a lead wire connecting the cells, and an outer periphery of the panel unit. Cleaning device.
The local dirt of the said light-receiving surface is extracted from the said picked-up image, the position is detected, The said cleaning means is operated in the position of this detected dirt. Solar panel cleaning device.
The light receiving surface is inclined in one direction;
The solar panel cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cleaning line is set in a direction orthogonal to an inclination direction of the light receiving surface.