WO2020050461A1

WO2020050461A1 - Method and system for inspecting solar panel using drone

Info

Publication number: WO2020050461A1
Application number: PCT/KR2019/000361
Authority: WO
Inventors: 백경석; 오재철
Original assignee: 주식회사 아이온커뮤니케이션즈
Priority date: 2018-09-04
Filing date: 2019-01-10
Publication date: 2020-03-12
Also published as: KR102032722B1

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for detecting a fault in a solar panel according to one embodiment, the system being characterized by comprising: a central server which divides a solar panel group into a plurality of regions on the basis of an image of the solar panel group captured by a camera, and assigns an identification (ID) to solar panels in each region; and a flying object that captures an image of the solar panel included in the solar panel group, and transmits, to the central server, ID information about the image-captured solar panels and an image acquired as a result of image capturing.

Description

Method and system for inspection of solar panel using drone

The present invention relates to the field of inspection of solar panels. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system for inspecting whether a solar panel is defective using a drone.

Solar power generation consists of solar panels, accumulators, and power converters. When sunlight is applied to a photovoltaic panel in which a P-type semiconductor and an N-type semiconductor are bonded, holes and electrons are generated in the photovoltaic panel by the energy of the sunlight. At this time, holes are gathered toward the P-type semiconductor and electrons are gathered toward the N-type semiconductor, so that a potential difference occurs, and current flows accordingly. The advantages of photovoltaic power generation are that there is no pollution, power can be generated only as needed at the required location, and maintenance is easy.

As the spread of solar power plants increases, the importance of power generation efficiency of operating power plants is increasing. In particular, the occurrence of local defects in the photovoltaic panel not only lowers the power generation efficiency, but also affects the surrounding panel, and thus requires rapid replacement upon discovery.

Recently, photovoltaic panels are often installed on the water, and flying objects such as drones are used for inspection due to the difficulty of access to the photovoltaic panels installed on the water, but an accurate positioning method of the solar panel has not been proposed. There are difficulties in prosecution in that they are not.

A method and system for inspecting a solar panel using a drone according to an embodiment is a technical task to assign IDs to solar panels included in the solar panel group.

In addition, a method and system for inspecting a photovoltaic panel using a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention is to quickly detect a photovoltaic panel having a defect.

In addition, a method and system for inspecting a solar panel using a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention is a technical task to eliminate the hassle of having to take a photo or the like by directly visiting a location where the solar panel is installed.

Defect detection system of a solar panel according to an embodiment,

A central server that divides the photovoltaic panel group into a plurality of regions and allocates identification (ID) to the photovoltaic panel included in each region for each region, based on the image of the photovoltaic panel group photographed through the camera. ; And receiving the ID information of the solar panel requiring inspection from the central server, flying to the solar panel corresponding to the received ID information, and photographing an image of the solar panel corresponding to the ID information to the central server. It may include a flying object to transmit.

The central server identifies edges of the photovoltaic panel group in the image of the photovoltaic panel group, calculates the total area of the photovoltaic panel group based on the identified edges, and enables the flying object to fly The solar panel group may be divided into a plurality of regions each corresponding to an area capable of being inspected in time.

The central server calculates an actual distance of contours connecting the identified edges based on GPS coordinates corresponding to the identified edges, and calculates the total area of the solar panel group based on the calculated actual distance. Can be calculated.

The central server may classify the solar panel group into a plurality of regions corresponding to each of the plurality of waypoints in consideration of the flight time between each of the plurality of waypoints and the charging device.

The central server may identify a solar panel included in each of the plurality of regions based on an image of the plurality of regions, and assign an ID to the identified solar panel.

The central server transmits flight course information for the plurality of regions to the flying object, and the flying object sequentially sequentially images the photovoltaic panels included in each of the plurality of regions according to the flight course information. You can shoot.

The central server may determine the flight course so that time spent for charging the flying object is minimized.

There are a plurality of flying objects, and the central server transmits inspection commands for different areas among the plurality of areas to each of the plurality of flying objects, and each of the plurality of flying objects is an inspection command received by itself. It can fly to the area corresponding to the image of the solar panel.

The central server receives sensing data of a solar panel from a sensor installed in association with the solar panel group, determines a defective solar panel based on the received sensing data, and the flying object is the central It is possible to receive the ID information of the defective solar panel from a server, and fly to the defective solar panel to photograph the defective solar panel with a plurality of different types of cameras.

The flying object transmits an image of the defective solar panel taken by the first camera among the plurality of cameras to the central server, and when the request of the central server is received, the second camera among the plurality of cameras receives the image. An image of a defective solar panel may be transmitted to the central server.

Central server device according to an embodiment,

A communication unit that receives an image of a group of solar panels photographed through a camera; An ID designating unit dividing the photovoltaic panel group into a plurality of regions based on the received image, and assigning IDs to photovoltaic panels included in each region for each region; And a controller configured to receive an image of a photovoltaic panel from a flying object and determine whether the photovoltaic panel is defective, wherein the communication unit transmits the ID information of the photovoltaic panel requiring inspection to the flying object to perform the flight. It is possible to cause an object to photograph an image of a solar panel corresponding to the ID information.

The method and system for inspecting a solar panel using a drone according to an embodiment may assign IDs to the solar panels included in the solar panel group.

In addition, a method and system for inspecting a solar panel using a drone according to an embodiment may quickly detect a solar panel having a defect.

In addition, the method and system for inspecting a photovoltaic panel using a drone according to an embodiment may eliminate the hassle of having a manager visit a location where the photovoltaic panel is installed and take a picture.

However, the effects that can be achieved by the method and system for inspecting a solar panel using a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be seen from the description below. It will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

A brief description of each drawing is provided to better understand the drawings cited herein.

1 is a view showing a defect detection system of a solar panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of detecting a defect in a solar panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of detecting a defect in a solar panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 to 6 are diagrams for explaining a method of assigning IDs to photovoltaic panels included in a photovoltaic panel group.

7 is a view illustrating a flight course for a plurality of regions in a solar panel group according to an embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a process in which a flying object is flying into a group of solar panels including a defective solar panel.

9 is a view showing visible light images, infrared images, and EL images photographed by flying objects.

10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a central server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention can be applied to various changes and can have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and will be described in detail through detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the present invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In describing the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of related known technologies may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the numbers (eg, first, second, etc.) used in the description process of the present specification are merely identification symbols for distinguishing one component from another component.

Further, in this specification, when one component is referred to as "connected" or "connected" with another component, the one component may be directly connected to the other component, or may be directly connected, but in particular, It should be understood that, as long as there is no objection to the contrary, it may or may be connected via another component in the middle.

In addition, in this specification, two or more components are expressed as '~ unit (unit)', 'module', or two or more components are combined into one component or one component is divided into more detailed functions. It may be differentiated into. In addition, each of the components to be described below may additionally perform some or all of the functions of other components in addition to the main functions in charge of them, and some of the main functions of each component are different. Needless to say, it may be carried out exclusively by components.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the spirit of the present invention will be described in detail.

Referring to FIG. 1, a system for detecting a defect in a solar panel may include a central server 100, a flying object 200, a solar panel group 300, and an administrator terminal 400.

The photovoltaic panel group 300 is composed of a plurality of photovoltaic panels. The solar panel group 300 may be installed on a water surface such as a river or a lake. Although not illustrated in FIG. 1, the defect detection system of the solar panel may further include a sensor 500 installed in connection with the solar panel constituting the solar panel group 300.

The central server 100 and the sensor 500, the central server 100 and the flying object 200, and the central server 100 and the manager terminal 400 may transmit and receive data through a network. Here, the network may include a wired network and a wireless network, and specifically, various such as a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), and a wide area network (WAN). It may include a network. In addition, the network may include a known World Wide Web (WWW). However, the network according to the present invention is not limited to the networks listed above, and may include at least a part of a known wireless data network, a known telephone network, and a known wired / wireless television network.

The central server 100 may determine whether the solar panel is defective, and transmit the determination result to the manager terminal 400. The central server 100 may collect solar panel-related data in advance to determine a defect.

The central server 100 may detect whether the solar panel is defective by comparing sensing data received from the sensor 500 and image data received from the flying object 200 with previously collected solar panel related data.

The flying object 200 flies to the solar panel group 300 under the control of the central server 100 to take a photo of the solar panel. The flying object 200 transmits the photographed image to the central server 100 so that the central server 100 can determine whether the solar panel is defective.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the central server 100 can quickly detect a solar panel having a defect based on sensing data and image data, and the image data can be obtained by the flying object 200 Therefore, it is not necessary for the administrator to move to the location where the solar panel group 300 is installed for direct picture taking.

Hereinafter, the operation of the defect detection system of the solar panel according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

In step S210, the sensor 500 collects the sensing data for the solar panel constituting the solar panel group 300 and transmits it to the central server 100.

A plurality of sensors 500 may be provided, and each of the plurality of sensors 500 may be installed in each of the plurality of solar panels to collect sensing data of each of the solar panels.

In one embodiment, the sensing data collected by the sensor 500 may include at least one of the amount of power generation of the solar panel, the amount of solar radiation into the solar panel, the temperature of the solar panel, and the humidity of the solar panel, but is not limited thereto. It does not work. The sensing data may be measured by one sensor 500 or may be measured by different types of sensors 500.

In step S220, the central server 100 determines a defective solar panel among the plurality of solar panels based on the sensing data received from the sensor 500. The defective-possible solar panel may mean a solar panel suspected of occurrence of defects.

The central server 100 may compare the previously collected solar panel-related data and sensing data to determine a defective solar panel. In one embodiment, the central server 100 may determine a defective solar panel based on a predetermined algorithm, and the predetermined algorithm may include, for example, a machine learning algorithm.

Specifically, the central server 100 collects in advance big data including solar panel-related data in which a defect has occurred and solar panel-related data in a normal state, trains a machine learning algorithm with the collected data, and then learns The sensing data may be input to an algorithm to determine a solar panel suspected of being defective among a plurality of solar panels.

In step S230, the central server 100 transmits the information of the defective solar panel to the flying object (200). In one embodiment, the central server 100 may transmit ID (identification) information of the defective solar panel to the flying object 200. As described later, the ID information may include location information of a region to which the defective solar panel belongs and location information of a defective solar panel within the region.

In one embodiment, the ID of the solar panels constituting the solar panel group 300 may be previously stored in the central server 100.

In step S240, the flying object 200 determines a destination (that is, a point where a defective solar panel is installed) based on the information received from the central server 100, and makes a flight to the determined destination. The process of the flying object 200 flying to the position of the defective solar panel based on the ID information received from the central server 100 will be described later.

In step S250, the flying object 200 arrives at the defective solar panel, and then photographs the defective solar panel with a camera.

In one embodiment, the flying object 200 may include a plurality of cameras of different types. The plurality of cameras may include, for example, a plurality of visible light cameras, infrared cameras, and electro luminescence (EL) cameras. In one embodiment, the flying object 200 may photograph a defective solar panel with each of a plurality of cameras while a plurality of different types of cameras are mounted, or the flying object 200 may be equipped with a single camera. In the state, a defective solar panel may be photographed in a visible light shooting mode, an infrared shooting mode, or an EL shooting mode.

The flying object 200 is a visible light camera, an infrared camera, and an EL camera, and a defective solar panel is photographed in order of the visible light image 600a, the infrared image 600b, and the EL image 600c as illustrated in FIG. 9. ). The order of photographing the visible light camera, infrared camera, and EL camera is only an example, and the order of photographing the defective solar panel may be variously changed.

The reason why the flying object 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention photographs a plurality of images with a plurality of cameras of different types is because it is inaccurate to determine whether a panel is defective using only one type of image. .

When the solar panel in a bad state is photographed with an infrared camera, it appears in a different color from the surrounding normal panel (displayed in a different color due to a temperature difference). However, there are some types of defects that infrared cameras cannot find. For example, when dust or dirt is present on a solar panel, a phenomenon that interferes with contact with sunlight may occur. In this case, a visible light camera is more efficient than an infrared camera. In addition, when a minute crack occurs inside the solar panel, detection may be facilitated through the EL image of the EL camera. When three types of cameras are used for inspection at all times, rapid detection may be possible, but EL images must be taken in high resolution, and because the flying object 200 has a shooting condition that cannot be quickly moved, a wide power plant is inspected in a short time. If it does, there is an adverse effect.

Accordingly, in one embodiment of the present invention, the first possible defective panel is detected using the sensing data, and the flying object 200 is moved to the detected defective possible panel to capture a plurality of different types of images. will be.

When the photographing of the defective solar panel is finished, in step S260, the flying object 200 transmits a plurality of images to the central server 100.

In step S270, the central server 100 finally determines whether the defective solar panel is defective based on the plurality of received images.

As described above, the central server 100 may finally determine whether the defect is defective by comparing the solar panel-related data collected in advance with the received image.

In step S280, the central server 100 transmits the result of the defect determination to the manager terminal 400. The central server 100 together with the ID information and / or location information (eg, GPS coordinates, etc.) of the photovoltaic panel determined to be defective when transmitting the result of the defect determination to the administrator terminal 400 together with the administrator terminal 400 Can transmit.

The manager can move to the panel where the defect occurred and take measures such as panel replacement and panel inspection.

In one embodiment, the central server 100 may manage the ID information and / or location information of the photovoltaic panel that is primarily determined to be defective, even if the defective photovoltaic panel is finally determined as normal. ). The reason that the defect was first suspected to be suspect is because it is in an actual defect state, but the judgment may not have been made accurately. Accordingly, the administrator may directly check whether the solar panel is defective, when the information of the solar panel determined as the suspected defect state is received from the central server 100, periodically or when necessary.

Steps S305 to S320 illustrated in FIG. 3 are the same as steps S210 to S240 described with reference to FIG. 2, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

In step S325, the flying object 200 is flying with a defective solar panel, and after taking a defective solar panel with a first camera among a plurality of cameras, in step S330, the first photographed with the first camera The image is transmitted to the central server 100. The first image may be, for example, an infrared image.

In step S335, the central server 100 determines whether the defective solar panel is defective based on the first image.

In step S340, when it is determined that the state of the defective solar panel is not defective based on the first image, the central server 100 transmits a request to retake the defective solar panel to the flying object 200. .

When the state of the defective solar panel is determined to be defective based on the first image, in step S360, the central server 100 transmits the result of the defective determination to the manager terminal 400. In this case, if the re-shooting request is not received from the central server 100 for a predetermined time, the flying object 200 flies to a return position (eg, an initial starting position).

In step S340, when a re-shooting request is received from the central server 100, in step S345, the flying object 200 photographs a defective solar panel with a second camera different from the first camera among the plurality of cameras. . The second camera may include, for example, a visible light camera.

In step S350, the flying object 200 transmits the second image captured by the second camera to the central server 100.

In step S355, the central server 100 again determines whether or not the defective solar panel is defective based on the second image, and in step S360, the defect determination result of the defective solar panel is transmitted to the manager terminal 400 do.

If, in step S355, the defective solar panel is determined to be defective, the flight object 200 returns to the return position (for example, the initial departure position) if a request to re-shoot is not received from the central server 100 for a predetermined time. Can fly.

However, in step S355, when the defective solar panel is determined to be normal, and the flying object 200 further includes a third camera, the central server 100 may re-request the shooting with the flying object 200. You can. The flying object 200 may transmit a third image to the central server 100 by photographing a defective solar panel with a third camera according to a re-shooting request. The third image may be, for example, an EL image. The central server 100 may finally determine whether the defective solar panel is defective based on the third image, and transmit the determination result to the manager terminal 400. When it is determined that the defective solar panel is not defective based on the third image, the central server 100 may finally determine the state of the solar panel as normal.

In the case of the flying object 200, for example, a drone, it is very important to adjust the flight time because it is flying through power stored in the battery. Therefore, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the number of images taken of the flying object 200 may be minimized to reduce the amount of battery power of the flying object 200. In other words, if the defective solar panel is determined to be defective from the first image photographed by the first camera, the flying object 200 may stop flying without additional shooting, and the defective solar panel may be rejected from the first image. If this is determined to be normal, a defective solar panel is re-photographed with a second camera. In addition, if the defective solar panel is determined to be defective from the second image captured by the second camera, the flying object 200 may stop flying without additional shooting.

That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the flying object 200 transmits a plurality of images to the central server 100 after taking multiple shots with each of a plurality of cameras, but in the embodiment shown in FIG. If an object 200 is photographed after a defective photovoltaic panel is taken, if a re-photographing request is received, re-photographing is performed, so that the flight time can be reduced.

4 to 6 are diagrams for explaining a method of assigning IDs to photovoltaic panels included in the photovoltaic panel group 300.

As described above, the flying object 200 may photograph the solar panel included in the solar panel group 300 by flying based on the ID of each solar panel. Specifically, the central server 100 may transmit the ID of the solar panel to be photographed by the flying object 200 to the flying object 200 so that the flying object 200 can fly to the corresponding solar panel. Alternatively, the image acquired while the flying object 200 periodically inspects the solar panel group 300 may be transmitted to the central server 100 together with the ID of the solar panel. Alternatively, when the flying object 200 fails to complete the inspection of the solar panel group 300 and returns to the charging device or the flying object base for battery charging or battery replacement, the central server 100 displays the solar panel group Of the photovoltaic panels included in (300), except for the photovoltaic panel in which the inspection (or shooting) of the flying object 200 is completed, the ID of the photovoltaic panel to be inspected again is completed or the battery is replaced. It may be transmitted to the flying object 200, or another flying object 200.

Referring to FIG. 4, the central server 100 identifies the edges P1 to P14 of the solar panel group 300 from the image 40 photographed for the solar panel group 300. The central server 100 may identify the corners P1 to P14 of the solar panel group 300 in the image 40 through an image analysis algorithm. As a technique for identifying corners, C. Harris and M. Stephens, 'A combined corner and edge detector', may refer to Alvey Vision Conference. The image 40 may be taken by an administrator or the like and transmitted to the central server 100, or may be taken by a flying object 200 and transmitted to the central server 100.

Then, the central server 100 acquires the GPS coordinates of each of the identified corners P1 to P14. For example, when the image 40 is photographed by the drone, the coordinate information of each corner P1 to P14 when the drone's camera is used as a reference point, and each corner P1 to P14 using the drone's GPS coordinates Star GPS coordinates can be obtained. For example, if the drone's GPS coordinates are (1,1), and the coordinates of any one corner when the drone's camera is the reference point, (1,1), the coordinates of either corner is (2,2). ). In order to obtain the GPS coordinates of the drone, a GPS module may be installed in the drone.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the central server 100 detects the boundary line E connecting the edges P1 to P14 identified in the image 40, and the detected boundary line E ) To calculate the actual distance. Since the GPS coordinates of each corner P1 to P14 are identified, the actual distance of the boundary line E connecting the two corners can be calculated based on the GPS coordinates of the two corners. The central server 100 calculates the total area of the solar panel group 300 through the actual distance of the boundary line E.

Next, as shown in Figure 5 (b), the central server 100 is a group of solar panels (R1 to R4) corresponding to the area that can be inspected within the flight time of the flight object 200 (R1 to R4) 300). For example, if 10 minutes of flight is possible with the battery capacity of the flying object 200, the solar panel group 300 may be divided into regions R1 to R4 corresponding to an area that can be inspected within 10 minutes. .

The central server 100 may store GPS coordinates of each corner of the plurality of regions R1 to R4. For example, GPS coordinates of five corners may be stored corresponding to the R1 area, and GPS coordinates of four corners may be stored corresponding to the R2 area.

The central server 100 divides the solar panel group 300 into a plurality of regions R1 to R4, sets a plurality of waypoints in the solar panel group 300, and multiple regions. In order to cover the entire solar panel group 300, the area may be gradually increased around the set waypoints. If the area of any one of the areas corresponding to each of the plurality of waypoints is larger than the area that can be inspected within the flight time of the flying object 200, the central server 100 may divide the area. .

In addition, when the waypoint of any one area is used as the starting point, the central server 100 flies the time required to inspect the one area and the time taken to fly to the waypoint of another area after the inspection ends. A plurality of regions may be set to be within a flight time of the object 200.

Alternatively, the central server 100 may divide the solar panel group 300 into a plurality of regions in consideration of the location of the charging device located near the solar panel group 300. As an example, as shown in FIG. 7, when three charging devices are located in the vicinity of the solar panel group 300, after inspecting (or photographing) each region R1 to R4, charging is performed in the shortest time. The solar panel group 300 may be divided into a plurality of regions so that the battery can be charged by flying with the device. The charging device may be a rapid charging device. Alternatively, the charging device may be a wireless quick charging device.

In addition, the central server 100 sets the area of the area corresponding to the waypoint located near the charging device located near the solar panel group 300 to be larger than the area of the area corresponding to the waypoint located away from the charging device. It might be. This is because the flight time between the charging device and the waypoint is considered, and if the inspection is performed at a waypoint located far from the charging device, the flight holding time for the inspection will be shorter. In other words, the flying object 200 charging the battery in the charging device can be inspected while flying for a long time in an area adjacent to the charging device, but can be inspected while flying only for a short time in an area far from the charging device. .

Alternatively, the central server 100 may divide the solar panel group 300 into a plurality of regions in consideration of the location of the flying object base located near the solar panel group 300. The flying object 200 may return to the flying object base for battery replacement. When at least one flying object base is located in the vicinity of the solar panel group 300, after inspecting (or photographing) each area R1 to R4, the battery is flew to the at least one flying object base in the shortest time. The solar panel group 300 may be divided into a plurality of regions to replace.

In addition, the central server 100 is greater than the area of the area corresponding to the waypoint located far from the flying object base, and the area of the area corresponding to the waypoint located near the flying object base located near the solar panel group 300. You can also set it large.

When the solar panel group 300 is divided into a plurality of regions R1 to R4, the central server 100 may assign IDs to the solar panels included in each of the plurality of regions R1 to R4. 6 illustrates an image corresponding to any one region 350, the central server 100 receives the image of the flying object 200 or the region 350 photographed by the administrator, and then receives the image Each solar panel 310 can be identified. In one embodiment, the flying object 200 may fly the waypoints of each area to capture an image corresponding to each area, and transmit the captured image to the central server 100.

In the image illustrated in FIG. 6, the region 350 may include a boundary line 320 between each photovoltaic panel 310, and the central server 100 identifies the boundary line 320 through image processing technology , The solar panels 310 located adjacent to the boundary line 320 may be detected. Then, the central server 100 may assign an ID to each of the solar panels 310. For example, the ID may indicate the row and column of the solar panel 310 included in the region 350. When the region 350 of FIG. 6 is an A region, since the solar panel 310a is located in the third row and the first column of the A region, A (3, 1) can be assigned as an ID, and the solar panel Since 310b is located in the fifth row and third column of the A area, A (5, 3) may be assigned as an ID.

That is, when any one solar panel belongs to the K region and is located in the m-th row and the n-th column of the K region, the ID of the solar panel may be assigned as K (m, n). The K may be identification information of a region.

As described above, the central server 100 transmits ID information of the solar panel requiring inspection to the flying object 200, and the flying object 200 can fly to the solar panel according to the received ID information. . The flying object 200 may check the GPS coordinate values of the corners of the area based on the identification information of the area included in the ID information. Then, the flying object 200 may identify a solar panel requiring inspection within the area based on the row values and column values included in the ID information in the area specified by the GPS coordinate values. To this end, the flying object 200 may identify the solar panel corresponding to the row value and column value included in the ID information by specifying the area, photographing the specified area, and analyzing the captured image. In one embodiment, the central server 100 transmits the GPS coordinates of each corner of the area to the flying object 200 instead of the identification information of the area, and additionally, the row and column values of the solar panel in the area are flying objects. It can also be transmitted to (200).

In one embodiment, the central server 100 is the location information (eg, GPS coordinates) of the solar panel group 300, the area of the solar panel group 300, the corners of the solar panel group 300 At least one of the GPS coordinates, the GPS coordinates of the corners of the regions included in the solar panel group 300, the row values of the solar panels included in each region, and the column values of the solar panels included in each region in a cloud manner Can be saved.

As described above, the central server 100 may detect a defective solar panel and transmit its ID information to the flying object 200 to allow the flying object 200 to fly to the defective solar panel. In an embodiment, the flying object 200 may inspect the entire solar panel group 300 periodically or aperiodically. In this case, the central server 100 may transmit flight course information to the flying object 200, so that the flying object 200 may inspect the solar panel group 300 while flying along the flying course. In one embodiment, the central server 100 may determine the flight course so that the time spent for charging the flying object (eg, the flight time required to reciprocate the charging device) is minimized in determining the flight course. have.

As shown in FIG. 7, the solar panel group 300 is divided into a first region R1, a second region R2, a third region R3, and a fourth region R4, and the solar panel It is assumed that the charging device 1, the charging device 2 and the charging device 3 are located in the vicinity of the group 300. When the flying object 200 is waiting on the charging device 1, the first path f1 is a flight path from the charging device 1 to the first way point w1 of the first area R1. The second path f2 is a flight path from the first way point w1 or the inspection end point to the charging device 1 after the inspection (or imaging) of the first area R1 is completed. After charging in the charging device 1 is completed, the third route f3 is a flight route from the charging device 1 to the second way point w2 of the second area R2. After the inspection (or imaging) of the second area R2 is completed, the fourth route f4 is a flight route from the second way point w2 or the inspection end point to the charging device 2. After charging is completed in the charging device 2, the fifth route f5 is a flight route from the charging device 2 to the third way point w3 of the third area R3. After the inspection (or shooting) of the third area R3 is completed, the sixth route f6 is a flight route from the third way point w3 or the inspection end point to the charging device 3. When charging is completed in the charging device 3, the seventh route f7 is a flight route from the charging device 3 to the fourth way point w4 of the fourth area R4. Here, it can be noted that the area of the fourth area R4 close to the charging device 3 is larger than the area of the third area R3 far from the charging device 3. When the inspection (or imaging) of the fourth area R4 is completed, the eighth route f8 is a flight route from the fourth way point w4 or the inspection end point to the charging device 3.

Thereafter, the flying object 200 waits on the charging device 3, and the central server 100 transmits the flight path information opposite to that shown in FIG. 7 to the flying object 200 so that the flying object 200 is the opposite You can have them fly along the flight path.

In one embodiment, a charging device is not located in the vicinity of the solar panel group 300, but instead, at least one flying object base for battery replacement of the flying object 200 may be located. In this case, the central server 100 may determine a flight course in consideration of a plurality of areas in the solar panel group 300 and the location of at least one flying object base.

In one embodiment, since the discharge rate of the battery of the flying object 200 is variable according to external temperature, etc., the flying object 200 is flying while inspecting according to the flight course, and when the remaining power of its battery is less than the reference value , It may transmit a return message to the central server 100 while moving to the nearest charging device. The central server 100 checks the ID of the solar panel corresponding to the image that the returned flying object 200 last photographed, and continuously transmits the ID of the solar panel requiring inspection to another flying object 200 By doing so, other flying objects 200 may be inspected by a solar panel in a relay manner.

In addition, in one embodiment, when simultaneous operation of a plurality of flying objects 200 is possible, the central server 100 may transmit information of different areas to each of the plurality of flying objects 200. In this case, each of the plurality of flying objects 200 may fly to an area allocated to it to inspect the solar panel of the corresponding area. For example, the first flight object 200 may transmit a flight command to the first area, and the second flight object 200 may transmit a flight command to the second area. The first flying object 200 flies to the first area to take an image and transmits it to the central server 100, and the second flying object 200 flies to the second area to take an image to shoot the central server 100 Can be transferred to.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a process in which the flying object 200 flies to a solar panel group including a defective solar panel.

Referring to FIG. 8, the first solar panel group 300a, the second solar group 300b, and the third solar panel group 300c are located, and the defective solar panel is the third solar panel group ( 300c), the flying object 200 may fly to the third solar panel group 300c based on the information received from the central server 100. The flying object 200 may further receive identification information and / or location information of a photovoltaic panel group including the defective photovoltaic panel together with the ID information of the defective photovoltaic panel.

As described above, since the flying object 200 flies based on the power stored in the battery, it is very important to efficiently manage the battery power amount of the flying object 200.

In one embodiment, the flying object 200 arrives at the third photovoltaic panel group 300c and then completes photographing of the defective photovoltaic panel, or before taking the photo, the third photovoltaic panel group 300c The battery may be charged through a charging facility connected to. Thereafter, when the photographing and charging is completed, the flying object 200 waits for a flight command to the next destination while waiting at a position where the third solar panel group 300c is installed, or returns to the origin of the flying object 200 You can wait.

In addition, in one embodiment, the flying object 200 is less than a predetermined reference amount of power stored in the battery while flying to the third solar panel group 300c or the third solar panel group 300c as the amount of power stored in the battery If it is not possible to reach the adjacent solar panel group 300, for example, fly to the second solar panel group 300b and receive power from a charging facility installed in the second solar panel group 300b. After charging the battery, it can fly to the third solar panel group 300c.

10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a central server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the central server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a memory 710, a communication unit 730, an ID designation unit 750, and a control unit 770.

The memory 710 includes an area of the solar panel group 300, GPS coordinate information of corners of the solar panel group 300, identification information of areas included in the solar panel group 300, GPS coordinates of corners of the areas At least one of information and ID information of the solar panels included in each region may be stored. Also, the memory 710 may store data related to the solar panel collected in advance for determination of the defective solar panel or final defect determination. Also, the memory 710 may store flight course information for setting a flight course of the flight object 200 in advance.

The communication unit 730 may transmit and receive data through a network with a sensor 500, a flying object 200, and a manager terminal 400 installed in connection with a plurality of solar panels.

The ID designator 750 may divide the photovoltaic panel group 300 into a plurality of regions based on the image of the photovoltaic panel group 300, and allocate an ID to the photovoltaic panel included in each region. .

The control unit 770 determines a defective solar panel based on the sensing data of a plurality of solar panels received from the sensor 500, and when an image of the defective solar panel is received from the flying object 200, receives A defective solar panel may be determined based on the image. To this end, the control unit 770 may transmit the ID information of the defective solar panel requiring inspection to the flying object 200 through the communication unit 730.

In addition, when the image of the solar panel photographed by the flying object 200 or the manager is received, the control unit 750 may determine whether the solar panel is defective based on the received image.

Meanwhile, the above-described embodiments of the present invention can be written as a program that can be executed on a computer, and the created program can be stored in a medium.

The medium may be a computer that continuously stores executable programs or may be temporarily stored for execution or download. In addition, the medium may be various recording means or storage means in the form of a single or several hardware combinations, and is not limited to a medium directly connected to a computer system, but may be distributed on a network. Examples of the medium include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, And program instructions including ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. In addition, examples of other media include an application store for distributing applications, a site for distributing or distributing various software, and a recording medium or storage medium managed by a server.

As mentioned above, although the technical idea of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to a preferred embodiment, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and having ordinary skill in the art within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Many modifications and variations are possible.

[Description of codes]

100: central server

200: flying object

300: solar panel group

400: administrator terminal

710: memory

730: communication department

750: ID designation unit

770: control unit

Claims

A central server that divides the photovoltaic panel group into a plurality of regions and allocates identification (ID) to the photovoltaic panel included in each region for each region, based on the image of the photovoltaic panel group photographed through the camera. ; And

Receiving the ID information of the solar panel that needs inspection from the central server, flying to the solar panel corresponding to the received ID information, and transmitting an image of the solar panel corresponding to the ID information to the central server A defect detection system of a solar panel comprising a flying object.
The method of claim 1,

The central server,

The edges of the photovoltaic panel group are identified in the image of the photovoltaic panel group, the total area of the photovoltaic panel group is calculated based on the identified edges, and inspection of the flying object within flight time is possible. A defect detection system for a solar panel, characterized in that the solar panel group is divided into a plurality of areas corresponding to each area.
According to claim 2,

The central server,

Characterized in that, based on the GPS coordinates corresponding to the identified edges, the actual distance of the contours connecting the identified edges is calculated, and the total area of the solar panel group is calculated based on the calculated actual distance. Defect detection system of solar panel.
According to claim 2,

The central server,

A failure detection system for a solar panel, characterized in that the solar panel group is divided into a plurality of regions corresponding to each of the plurality of way points in consideration of a flight time between each of the plurality of way points and a charging device.
According to claim 2,

The central server,

Based on the image of the plurality of regions, the solar panel included in each of the plurality of regions to identify, and assigns an ID to the identified photovoltaic panel, the defect detection system of the solar panel.
The method of claim 1,

The central server,

Transmit flight course information for the plurality of areas to the flying object,

The flying object,

Defect detection system of a solar panel, characterized in that sequentially photographing the image of the solar panel included in each of the plurality of areas according to the flight course information.
The method of claim 6,

The central server,

Defect detection method of the solar panel, characterized in that to determine the flight course information so that the time spent for charging the flying object is minimized.
The method of claim 1,

There are a plurality of flying objects,

The central server,

The inspection command for different areas among the plurality of areas is transmitted to each of the plurality of flying objects,

Each of the plurality of flying objects, flying to the area corresponding to the inspection command received by the self, the solar panel defective detection method, characterized in that for taking an image of the solar panel.
The method of claim 1,

The central server,

Receiving sensing data of a solar panel from a sensor installed in association with the solar panel group, and determining a defective solar panel based on the received sensing data,

The flying object receives the ID information of the defective solar panel from the central server, and the defective flies to the solar panel to shoot the defective solar panel with a plurality of cameras of different types. Defect detection system of solar panel to be made.
The method of claim 9,

The flying object,

An image of the defective solar panel taken by the first camera among the plurality of cameras is transmitted to the central server, and when a request of the central server is received, the defective solar panel may be transmitted to the second camera of the multiple cameras. Defect detection system of the solar panel, characterized in that for transmitting the image taken to the central server.
A communication unit that receives an image of a group of solar panels photographed through a camera;

An ID designating unit dividing the photovoltaic panel group into a plurality of regions based on the received image, and assigning IDs to photovoltaic panels included in each region for each region; And

It includes a control unit for determining whether the solar panel is defective by receiving an image of the solar panel from the flying object,

The communication unit, the central server device, characterized in that by transmitting the ID information of the solar panel that needs to be inspected to the flying object to shoot the image of the solar panel corresponding to the flying object ID information.