WO2014196480A1 - Dispositif de nettoyage de panneau solaire - Google Patents

Dispositif de nettoyage de panneau solaire Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2014196480A1
WO2014196480A1 PCT/JP2014/064494 JP2014064494W WO2014196480A1 WO 2014196480 A1 WO2014196480 A1 WO 2014196480A1 JP 2014064494 W JP2014064494 W JP 2014064494W WO 2014196480 A1 WO2014196480 A1 WO 2014196480A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
main body
line
cleaning
receiving surface
light receiving
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/JP2014/064494
Other languages
English (en)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
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 (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from JP2014009391A external-priority patent/JP2015013281A/ja
Priority claimed from JP2014009392A external-priority patent/JP6299231B2/ja
Application filed by シンフォニアテクノロジー株式会社 filed Critical シンフォニアテクノロジー株式会社
Publication of WO2014196480A1 publication Critical patent/WO2014196480A1/fr

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B08—CLEANING
    • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
    • B08B3/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
    • B08B3/02—Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
    • B08B3/024—Cleaning by means of spray elements moving over the surface to be cleaned
    • B08B1/32—
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S40/00—Safety or protection arrangements of solar heat collectors; Preventing malfunction of solar heat collectors
    • F24S40/20—Cleaning; Removing snow
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S50/00—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course or altitude of land, water, air, or space vehicles, e.g. automatic pilot
    • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
    • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
    • G05D1/0231—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means
    • G05D1/0246—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means using a video camera in combination with image processing means
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
    • H02S40/00—Components or accessories in combination with PV modules, not provided for in groups H02S10/00 - H02S30/00
    • H02S40/10—Cleaning arrangements
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a solar panel cleaning device for cleaning a light receiving surface of a solar panel.
  • 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.
  • multiple panel units are arranged vertically and horizontally. Used as a connected array.
  • the total length of the array to which the panel units are connected reaches several hundred meters.
  • 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.
  • the frame on the outer periphery of each panel unit can be seen in the vertical and horizontal directions with silver white lines.
  • 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).
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Patent Document 1 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.
  • 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.
  • the solar panel cleaning device described in Patent Document 2 does not need to install a guide rail because the main body travels autonomously.
  • the traveling direction of the main body may deviate from a predetermined cleaning line, and is not cleaned.
  • the area of is likely to remain.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • the extraction line is extracted so as to extend linearly in the vertical direction of the captured image, as will be described later.
  • the extraction line extends vertically at the left and right center of the photographed image.
  • 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
  • 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 extraction 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.
  • 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
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • the extraction line is extracted so as to extend linearly in the vertical direction of the photographed image.
  • 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.
  • the extraction line extends so as to incline to the right on the left side of the photographed image
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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
  • 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.
  • the cleaning line 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.
  • 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 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.
  • the solar panel cleaning apparatus 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.
  • 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).
  • 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.
  • the battery 6 which drives these self-propelled means and cleaning means is also mounted.
  • the crawler 2 also serves as a turning means for turning the main body 1 on the light receiving surface 21.
  • 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.
  • an inclination sensor such as a digital compass or a 3G sensor may be mounted.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • the main body 1 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • a method for detecting the shift in the traveling direction by the image processing apparatus 8 will be described.
  • FIG. 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • the extraction line L is inclined to the right.
  • the change ⁇ 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 ⁇ 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.
  • 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.
  • the initial extraction line L 0 with no shift in the traveling direction is indicated by a one-dot chain line.
  • the extraction line L is higher at the left end by ⁇ h than the right end. Tilt to the left and right.
  • 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 ⁇ h 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 ⁇ h 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.
  • a straight line parallel to the cleaning line 25 described above is extracted to detect a shift in the traveling direction.
  • the main body 1 is set in the direction along the cleaning line 25 at the cleaning start position of each cleaning line 25.
  • 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.
  • the self-propelled means and the cleaning means are operated to start cleaning along the cleaning line 25.
  • the image processing apparatus 8 detects the change ⁇ 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.
  • 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 ⁇ in the inclination angle. If the change ⁇ in inclination angle is not detected, the vehicle continues running.
  • 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.
  • FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control method for cleaning local dirt in the cleaning line 25.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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. .
  • 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.
  • FIG. 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.
  • FIG. 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.
  • 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 ⁇ h.
  • the reference extraction line L 0 has the same height position at the left and right ends, and ⁇ h 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 ⁇ h between the left and right ends approaches zero.
  • 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 ⁇ h approaches zero.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • a straight line extending in a direction parallel to the next cleaning line 25 may be extracted as the extraction line L.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • the cell boundary or the outer periphery of the panel unit is extracted as an extraction line.
  • a lead wire connecting the cells can be used as the extraction line.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • an appropriate turning means may be provided.

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Abstract

Selon l'invention, pour faire en sorte qu'un corps principal se déplaçant de manière autonome sur une surface de réception de lumière d'un panneau solaire se déplace sans dévier d'une ligne de nettoyage prédéterminée : la ligne de nettoyage est fixée dans une direction parallèle à une ligne droite observée sur la surface de réception de lumière ; une caméra (7) servant à capturer une image de la surface de réception de lumière devant le corps principal (1) qui se déplace de manière autonome, une unité de traitement d'image (8) servant à extraire la ligne droite en tant que ligne extraite de l'image capturée par la caméra (7) et à détecter l'inclinaison de la ligne extraite, et un moyen de guidage servant à orienter la direction de déplacement du corps principal (1) au moyen d'une paire de chenilles droite et gauche (2) sont mis en place ; et, en fonction de la variation de l'inclinaison de la ligne extraite détectée par l'unité de traitement d'image (8), une commande servant à produire une différence de vitesse entre les chenilles droite et gauche (2) comme moyen de guidage est exécutée afin de replacer le corps principal (1) sur la ligne de nettoyage.
PCT/JP2014/064494 2013-06-03 2014-05-30 Dispositif de nettoyage de panneau solaire WO2014196480A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2013117207 2013-06-03
JP2013-117207 2013-06-03
JP2014-009392 2014-01-22
JP2014009391A JP2015013281A (ja) 2013-06-03 2014-01-22 ソーラーパネル清掃装置
JP2014009392A JP6299231B2 (ja) 2014-01-22 2014-01-22 ソーラーパネル清掃装置
JP2014-009391 2014-01-22

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Cited By (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2014240054A (ja) * 2013-06-12 2014-12-25 シンフォニアテクノロジー株式会社 ソーラーパネル清掃装置
WO2015199198A1 (fr) * 2014-06-25 2015-12-30 株式会社未来機械 Robot automoteur
WO2015199197A1 (fr) * 2014-06-25 2015-12-30 株式会社未来機械 Système de travail mettant en œuvre un robot automoteur
CN107966986A (zh) * 2017-11-23 2018-04-27 浙江国自机器人技术有限公司 一种机器人及其导航方法、系统、设备
CN108923731A (zh) * 2017-12-30 2018-11-30 夏峰 一种太阳能无线监控系统
CN109365462A (zh) * 2018-12-06 2019-02-22 阳光电源股份有限公司 光伏板清扫机器人及其控制方法
CN110270534A (zh) * 2019-06-17 2019-09-24 佛山职业技术学院 一种用于光伏屋顶的清扫机
ES2727008R1 (es) * 2017-01-26 2020-01-22 Evermore United S A Sistema y metodo de limpieza sin agua para seguidores solares usando un robot autonomo.
CN111866463A (zh) * 2020-07-24 2020-10-30 梁亚 一种图像处理装置及其图像处理方法
US10985691B1 (en) 2017-01-26 2021-04-20 Evermore United S.A. Waterless cleaning system and method for solar trackers using an autonomous robot
US11201583B2 (en) 2017-01-26 2021-12-14 Evermore United S.A. Waterless cleaning system and method for solar trackers using an autonomous robot
US11357512B2 (en) 2017-05-12 2022-06-14 Robert Fishel Mechanism and device for left atrial appendage occlusion with electrical isolation
WO2022194305A1 (fr) * 2021-04-21 2022-09-22 皖西学院 Mécanisme rotatif mobile et dispositif de production d'énergie photovoltaïque ayant une fonction d'auto-nettoyage
WO2023207856A1 (fr) * 2022-04-30 2023-11-02 苏州瑞得恩光能科技有限公司 Robot et son procédé de commande de déplacement linéaire, et dispositif de traitement de données

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JP2010186819A (ja) * 2009-02-10 2010-08-26 Kowa Co Ltd ソーラーパネル清掃装置

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JPS63158619A (ja) * 1986-12-23 1988-07-01 Nec Corp 無人搬送車
JPH0351392A (ja) * 1989-07-20 1991-03-05 Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Ind Co Ltd 製紙機械の支持帯状物の汚れ洗浄装置
JP2001134318A (ja) * 1999-11-05 2001-05-18 Murata Mach Ltd 無人搬送車システム
JP2010186819A (ja) * 2009-02-10 2010-08-26 Kowa Co Ltd ソーラーパネル清掃装置

Cited By (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2014240054A (ja) * 2013-06-12 2014-12-25 シンフォニアテクノロジー株式会社 ソーラーパネル清掃装置
WO2015199198A1 (fr) * 2014-06-25 2015-12-30 株式会社未来機械 Robot automoteur
WO2015199197A1 (fr) * 2014-06-25 2015-12-30 株式会社未来機械 Système de travail mettant en œuvre un robot automoteur
ES2727008R1 (es) * 2017-01-26 2020-01-22 Evermore United S A Sistema y metodo de limpieza sin agua para seguidores solares usando un robot autonomo.
US11201583B2 (en) 2017-01-26 2021-12-14 Evermore United S.A. Waterless cleaning system and method for solar trackers using an autonomous robot
US10985691B1 (en) 2017-01-26 2021-04-20 Evermore United S.A. Waterless cleaning system and method for solar trackers using an autonomous robot
US11357512B2 (en) 2017-05-12 2022-06-14 Robert Fishel Mechanism and device for left atrial appendage occlusion with electrical isolation
CN107966986A (zh) * 2017-11-23 2018-04-27 浙江国自机器人技术有限公司 一种机器人及其导航方法、系统、设备
CN108923731A (zh) * 2017-12-30 2018-11-30 夏峰 一种太阳能无线监控系统
CN109365462A (zh) * 2018-12-06 2019-02-22 阳光电源股份有限公司 光伏板清扫机器人及其控制方法
CN110270534A (zh) * 2019-06-17 2019-09-24 佛山职业技术学院 一种用于光伏屋顶的清扫机
CN111866463A (zh) * 2020-07-24 2020-10-30 梁亚 一种图像处理装置及其图像处理方法
WO2022194305A1 (fr) * 2021-04-21 2022-09-22 皖西学院 Mécanisme rotatif mobile et dispositif de production d'énergie photovoltaïque ayant une fonction d'auto-nettoyage
WO2023207856A1 (fr) * 2022-04-30 2023-11-02 苏州瑞得恩光能科技有限公司 Robot et son procédé de commande de déplacement linéaire, et dispositif de traitement de données

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