A tower charging method and system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tower charging method and system thereof. The tower charging method described in the present invention comprises: when the power of the line patrol robot is less than a threshold, the line patrol robot sends a charging request signal and a position signal to a remote background, the remote background analyzes and obtains the first charging station closest to the running direction of the line patrol robot and the second charging station farther away, and sends a communication request signal and the identification information of the line patrol robot to the first charging station, and at the same time sends the position information and identification information of the first charging station to the line patrol robot, the first charging station obtains the position information and power information of the line patrol robot at least twice, and finally estimates the first power required for the line patrol robot to reach the first charging station. The tower charging method and system described in the present invention have the advantage of realizing mutual interactive communication of the entire system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of robot line patrol, and in particular to a tower charging method and a system thereof. Background Art

[0002] High-voltage transmission lines play an important role in the power system and are the arteries of the power system. The stable and reliable operation of transmission lines is an important part of the construction of smart grids. Because high-voltage transmission lines are exposed to the open air for a long time, if they encounter bad weather, it is very easy for the lines to fail. Therefore, the maintenance staff need to monitor the lines and the conditions around them in real time. However, since the transmission lines are long and pass through areas with complex terrain, relying solely on manpower for inspection is not only inefficient and time-consuming, but also poses a great risk to the life safety of maintenance personnel. Therefore, a transmission line patrol monitoring system has emerged. The mainstream technologies for charging patrol robots are mainly divided into two categories: the robot carries its own power supply equipment; the robot charges its own battery with an external device. Since it is difficult to replace the power supply of the robot, the second method is currently used, that is, charging the robot through a charging station. Initially, there was no interactive communication between the robot and the charging station. For example, in the patent with application number CN201911171793.2 and titled "A Charging Method and System for a Transmission Line Patrol Robot", when the robot itself is lower than the set power level, it starts looking for a charging station. When the robot's sensing device senses the charging station, it starts to slow down to a stop, the wireless charging switch is turned on, and the charging station receives the wireless charging signal and starts wireless charging. However, in this process, due to the lack of communication between the robot and the charging station, when a charging station fails, the robot cannot make a judgment and go to another charging station, and maintenance personnel need to be dispatched to investigate. At present, in order to facilitate the charging control of the robot, most manufacturers will set up a communication module on the robot. For example, in the patent with application number CN202011179274.3 and titled "A Control System and Method for a Transmission Line Patrol Robot", the robot body is wirelessly connected to the remote background and the charging nest respectively, so that it can enter the charging nest to hide in harsh environments. However, this solution has a lot of equipment installed in the robot, which is easy to be destroyed when the robot is placed in a harsh environment. On the other hand, it still lacks communication between charging stations. Therefore, this case proposes a solution for the whole system to interact with each other, improve the stability of the charging process between the robot and the charging station, and avoid the situation where the robot runs out of power. Summary of the invention

[0003] Based on this, the object of the present invention is to provide a tower charging method and system thereof, which has the advantage of realizing mutual interactive communication of the entire system.

[0004] A tower charging method, the method comprising:

[0005] Step S1: The charging station is in standby mode, and the line inspection robot performs inspection operations on the transmission line;

[0006] Step S2: When the power of the line patrol robot is less than a threshold, the line patrol robot sends a charging request signal and a position signal to a remote background, and the remote background analyzes and obtains a first charging station that is closest to the running direction of the line patrol robot and a second charging station that is farther away, and sends a communication request signal and identification information of the line patrol robot to the first charging station, and simultaneously sends the position information and identification information of the first charging station to the line patrol robot;

[0007] Step S3, the first charging station and the line patrol robot send confirmation signals to each other. If they confirm each other, they proceed to the next step. If they do not confirm each other, they both send error information to the remote background, and the remote background re-determines the first charging station;

[0008] Step S4, the first charging station obtains the position information and power information of the line patrol robot at least twice, estimates the distance, travel speed and power consumption of the line patrol robot, and finally estimates the first power required for the line patrol robot to reach the first charging station;

[0009] Step S5: when the current power of the line patrol robot is less than the first power, the first charging station sends a power-saving signal to the line patrol robot, and the line patrol robot enters a power-saving mode, only retaining the power supply required for movement, and the first charging station enters a charging preparation state; when the current power of the line patrol robot is more than the first power, the first charging station sends a charging inquiry message to the remote background;

[0010] Step S6, the remote background analyzes the second power required for the line patrol robot to reach the second charging station according to the charging inquiry information; when the current power of the line patrol robot is less than the second power, the remote background sends a start signal to the first charging station, and the first charging station enters a charging preparation state and feeds back status information to the remote background; when the current power of the line patrol robot is more than the second power, the remote background sends a signal to the first charging station that charging is not required temporarily.

[0011] The tower charging method described in the present invention avoids the situation in which the charging station and the robot communicate only within the charging range in the traditional charging method through mutual communication between the charging station, the robot and the remote background, reduces the delay in the communication process with the remote background during charging preparation, and increases the speed at which the charging station enters the charging preparation state, thereby reducing the amount of power stored in the charging station in the standby state as much as possible. At the same time, by estimating the power consumption of the patrol robot when it reaches two charging stations on the route, the estimation result is more in line with the actual situation, and avoids the problem that the robot's power storage remains high for a long time after the threshold is increased, thereby extending the service life.

[0012] Furthermore, in step S5, when the line patrol robot enters the energy-saving mode, the first charging station obtains the position information and power information twice again, and re-estimates the first power. When the current power of the line patrol robot is more than the first power, the current state of the line patrol robot is maintained; when the current power of the line patrol robot is less than the first power, the first charging station sends a warning message to the remote background, and the remote background sends a maintenance request to the maintenance personnel, and sends the docking position information to the line patrol robot so that the maintenance personnel can go there. Estimate the power according to the actual situation to avoid the impact of high power consumption in harsh environments on the estimation results, and greatly reduce the robot's power exhaustion before arriving at the charging station. In addition, ensure that the line patrol robot is docked in a location that is convenient for maintenance to avoid high-risk operations for maintenance personnel.

[0013] Furthermore, in step S5, when the first charging station enters the charging preparation state, when the storage voltage of the first charging station is lower than 23V, the first charging station starts power generation; when the storage voltage of the first charging station is higher than 29.6V, the first charging station stops power generation, thereby ensuring the voltage safety of the charging station.

[0014] Further, in step S4, the first power estimation method is: obtain the first coordinate of the line patrol robot and the first coordinate power corresponding to the first coordinate, and the second coordinate and the second coordinate power corresponding to the second coordinate, obtain the current power consumption per meter of the line patrol robot by the ratio of the difference between the first coordinate power and the second coordinate power and the difference between the first coordinate and the second coordinate, and then multiply it by the difference between the second coordinate and the first charging station coordinate to obtain the estimated value of the first power. Improve the accuracy of power estimation.

[0015] Furthermore, when the charging station is in a standby state, its storage voltage is lower than 22.2V or the storage capacity is lower than 20% of the maximum storage capacity, thereby ensuring that the charging station consumes the least power in the standby state.

[0016] The present invention also discloses a tower charging system, including a line patrol robot, a plurality of charging stations and a remote background. The line patrol robot moves on the transmission line, and the charging stations are respectively arranged on the power towers. The system is characterized in that: the charging station includes a communication module and a control module, the line patrol robot and the communication module are respectively wirelessly connected to the remote background, the line patrol robot and the communication module are connected via wireless communication, and the control module includes a processor, and the processor is used to perform analysis and calculation according to the information data obtained by the communication module, so as to control the charging station to switch between a charging preparation state and a standby state.

[0017] The tower charging system avoids the situation in which the charging station and the robot communicate only within the charging range in the traditional charging method through mutual communication between the charging station, the robot and the remote background, reduces the delay in the communication process with the remote background during charging preparation, and increases the speed at which the charging station enters the charging preparation state, thereby minimizing the amount of electricity stored in the charging station in the standby state. At the same time, the processor is set in the charging station to avoid the impact of harsh environments on the processor, thereby increasing the service life and stability.

[0018] Furthermore, the charging station also includes a power generation module, a charging module and a storage module; the power generation module includes a solar power generation component and a wind power generation component, and charges the storage module; the storage module provides power to the charging module, and the charging module charges the line patrol robot wirelessly; the storage module is a high-energy-density lithium battery. The charging station can realize self-supply of power and reduce human intervention.

[0019] Furthermore, the control module also includes a wind-solar hybrid controller, a charging voltage and current monitoring unit, and a power storage monitoring unit. The wind-solar hybrid controller is used to collect the voltage and current of the power generation module, count the power generation of the power generation module, and charge the power storage module; the power storage monitoring unit is used to monitor the input voltage, input current and power storage of the power storage module; the charging voltage and current monitoring unit is used to collect the input voltage and input current of the charging module; the processor is wiredly connected to the wind-solar hybrid controller, the charging voltage and current monitoring unit, and the power storage monitoring unit, and is used to receive the collected data information and feedback control information. Thus, the control of power generation, power storage and charging of the charging station is realized.

[0020] Furthermore, the control module also includes a temperature control unit, which monitors the temperature of the power generation module, the charging module and the storage module respectively and is electrically connected to the heating wire, and is used to start the heating wire to compensate for the low temperature of the shell of the charging station when the external temperature is too low, and monitor the temperature of the power generation module, the charging module and the storage module to avoid the impact of the charging station temperature being too high or too low on the equipment.

[0021] Furthermore, the solar power generation component includes a solar panel, which is connected to the wind-solar hybrid controller through a solar first voltage and current collector, a solar MPPT controller, and a solar second voltage and current collector in sequence, and the wind power generation component includes a wind turbine, which is connected to the wind-solar hybrid controller through a wind first voltage and current collector, a wind MPPT controller, and a wind second voltage and current collector in sequence. Through two power generation methods, the supply of electricity is guaranteed under different weather conditions.

[0022] For better understanding and implementation, the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the communication connection of the tower charging system;

[0024] Figure 2 is a module structure diagram of the charging station;

[0025] Explanation of the accompanying drawings: 1. Line patrol robot; 2. Charging station; 21. Communication module; 22. Control module; 221. Processor; 222. Wind-solar hybrid controller; 223. Charging voltage and current monitoring unit; 224. Power storage monitoring unit; 23. Power generation module; 2311. Solar panel; 2312. Solar first voltage and current collector; 2313. Solar MPPT controller; 2314. Solar second voltage and current collector; 2321. Wind turbine; 2322. Wind first voltage and current collector; 2323. Wind MPPT controller; 2324. Wind second voltage and current collector; 24. Charging module; 25. Power storage module; 3. Remote background. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] See also Figure 1-2 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the communication connection of the tower charging system; Figure 2 The present invention discloses a tower charging system, including a line patrol robot 1, a plurality of charging stations 2 and a remote backend 3. The line patrol robot 1 moves on the transmission line, and the charging stations 2 are respectively arranged on the power tower.

[0027] The charging station 2 includes a communication module 21, a control module 22, a power generation module 23, a charging module 24 and a storage module 25. The line patrol robot 1 and the communication module 21 are respectively wirelessly connected to the remote background 3, and the line patrol robot 1 and the communication module 21 are connected via wireless communication.

[0028] The control module 22 includes a processor 221, a wind-solar hybrid controller 222, a charging voltage and current monitoring unit 223, and a power storage monitoring unit 224. The processor 221 is wiredly connected to the wind-solar hybrid controller 222, the charging voltage and current monitoring unit 223, and the power storage monitoring unit 224, and is used to receive the collected data information and feedback control information. The processor 221 is used to analyze and calculate according to the information data obtained by the communication module 21, so as to control the charging station 2 to switch between the charging preparation state and the standby state. The wind-solar hybrid controller 222 is used to collect the voltage and current of the power generation module 23, count the power generation of the power generation module 23, and charge the power storage module 25. The power storage monitoring unit 224 is used to monitor the input voltage, input current and power storage capacity of the power storage module 25. The charging voltage and current monitoring unit 223 is used to collect the input voltage and input current of the charging module 24.

[0029] The power generation module 23 includes a solar power generation component and a wind power generation component, and charges the power storage module 25. The solar power generation component includes a solar panel 2311, and the solar panel 2311 is connected to the wind-solar hybrid controller 222 through a solar first voltage and current collector 2312, a solar MPPT controller 2313, and a solar second voltage and current collector 2314 in sequence. The wind power generation component includes a wind turbine 2321, and the wind turbine 2321 is connected to the wind-solar hybrid controller 222 through a wind first voltage and current collector 2322, a wind MPPT controller 2323, and a wind second voltage and current collector 2324 in sequence.

[0030] The power storage module 25 is a lithium battery with high energy density. The power storage module 25 provides electric energy to the charging module 24, and the charging module 24 charges the line patrol robot 1 in a wireless manner.

[0031] Preferably, the control module 22 also includes a temperature control unit, which monitors the temperatures of the power generation module 23, the charging module 24 and the storage module 25 respectively and is electrically connected to the heating wire, so as to start the heating wire to compensate for the low temperature of the casing of the charging station 2 when the external temperature is too low, and monitor the temperatures of the power generation module 23, the charging module 24 and the storage module 25.

[0032] At the same time, the present invention also discloses a tower charging method, the method comprising:

[0033] Step S1, the charging station is in a standby state, and the line inspection robot performs inspection operations on the transmission line; when the charging station is in the standby state, its storage voltage is lower than 22.2V or the storage capacity is lower than 20% of the maximum storage capacity.

[0034] Step S2: When the power level of the line patrol robot is less than a threshold, the line patrol robot sends a charging request signal and a position signal to a remote background. The remote background analyzes and obtains the first charging station closest to the running direction of the line patrol robot and the second charging station farther away, and sends a communication request signal and the identification information of the line patrol robot to the first charging station, and at the same time sends the position information and identification information of the first charging station to the line patrol robot.

[0035] Step S3: The first charging station and the line patrol robot send confirmation signals to each other. If they confirm each other, they proceed to the next step. If they do not confirm each other, they both send error messages to the remote background, and the remote background re-determines the first charging station.

[0036] Step S4, the first charging station obtains the position information and power information of the line patrol robot at least twice, estimates the distance, travel speed and power consumption of the line patrol robot, and finally estimates the first power required for the line patrol robot to reach the first charging station. The estimation method of the first power is: obtain the first coordinate of the line patrol robot and the first coordinate power corresponding to the first coordinate, and the second coordinate and the second coordinate power corresponding to the second coordinate, obtain the current power consumption per meter of the line patrol robot through the ratio of the difference between the first coordinate power and the second coordinate power and the difference between the first coordinate and the second coordinate, and then multiply it by the difference between the second coordinate and the coordinate of the first charging station to obtain the estimated value of the first power.

[0037] Step S5: when the current power of the line patrol robot is less than the first power, the first charging station sends a power-saving signal to the line patrol robot, and the line patrol robot enters a power-saving mode, only retaining the power supply required for movement, and the first charging station enters a charging preparation state; when the current power of the line patrol robot is more than the first power, the first charging station sends a charging inquiry message to the remote background;

[0038] When the first charging station enters the charging preparation state, when the storage voltage of the first charging station is lower than 23V, the first charging station starts power generation; when the storage voltage of the first charging station is higher than 29.6V, the first charging station stops power generation;

[0039] When the line patrol robot enters the energy-saving mode, the first charging station obtains the position information and power information twice again, and re-estimates the first power. When the current power of the line patrol robot is more than the first power, the current state of the line patrol robot is maintained; when the current power of the line patrol robot is less than the first power, the first charging station sends a warning message to the remote background, and the remote background sends a maintenance request to the maintenance personnel, and sends the docking location information to the line patrol robot so that the maintenance personnel can go there.

[0040] Step S6, the remote background analyzes the second power required for the line patrol robot to reach the second charging station according to the charging inquiry information. When the current power of the line patrol robot is less than the second power, the remote background sends a start signal to the first charging station, and the first charging station enters the charging preparation state and feeds back state information to the remote background; when the current power of the line patrol robot is more than the second power, the remote background sends a signal to the first charging station indicating that charging is not required temporarily. The estimation method of the second power is similar to the estimation method of the first power, and will not be repeated here.

[0041] The tower charging method and system described in the present invention avoid the situation in which the charging station and the robot communicate only within the charging range in the traditional charging method through mutual communication between the charging station, the robot and the remote background, reduce the delay in the communication process with the remote background when performing charging preparation, increase the speed of the charging station entering the charging preparation state, and reduce the storage capacity of the charging station in the standby state as much as possible.

[0042] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the description is relatively specific and detailed, but it cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this field, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and the present invention is also intended to include these modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A tower charging method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Step S1: The charging station is in standby mode, and the line inspection robot performs inspection operations on the transmission line; Step S2: When the power of the line patrol robot is less than a threshold, the line patrol robot sends a charging request signal and a position signal to a remote background, and the remote background analyzes and obtains a first charging station that is closest to the running direction of the line patrol robot and a second charging station that is farther away, and sends a communication request signal and identification information of the line patrol robot to the first charging station, and simultaneously sends the position information and identification information of the first charging station to the line patrol robot; Step S3, the first charging station and the line patrol robot send confirmation signals to each other. If they confirm each other, they proceed to the next step. If they do not confirm each other, they both send error information to the remote background, and the remote background re-determines the first charging station; Step S4, the first charging station obtains the position information and power information of the line patrol robot at least twice, estimates the distance, travel speed and power consumption of the line patrol robot, and finally estimates the first power required for the line patrol robot to reach the first charging station; Step S5: when the current power of the line patrol robot is less than the first power, the first charging station sends a power-saving signal to the line patrol robot, and the line patrol robot enters a power-saving mode, only retaining the power supply required for movement, and the first charging station enters a charging preparation state; when the current power of the line patrol robot is more than the first power, the first charging station sends a charging inquiry message to the remote background; Step S6, the remote background analyzes the second power required for the line patrol robot to reach the second charging station according to the charging inquiry information; when the current power of the line patrol robot is less than the second power, the remote background sends a start signal to the first charging station, and the first charging station enters a charging preparation state and feeds back status information to the remote background; when the current power of the line patrol robot is more than the second power, the remote background sends a signal to the first charging station that charging is not required temporarily.

2. A tower charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S5, when the line patrol robot enters the energy-saving mode, the first charging station obtains the position information and power information twice again, and re-estimates the first power. When the current power of the line patrol robot is more than the first power, the current state of the line patrol robot is maintained; when the current power of the line patrol robot is less than the first power, the first charging station sends a warning message to the remote background, and the remote background sends a maintenance request to the maintenance personnel, and sends the docking location information to the line patrol robot so that the maintenance personnel can go there.

3. A tower charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S5, when the first charging station enters the charging preparation state, when the storage voltage of the first charging station is lower than 23V, the first charging station starts power generation; when the storage voltage of the first charging station is higher than 29.6V, the first charging station turns off power generation.

4. A tower charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S4, the method for estimating the first power is to obtain the first coordinate of the line patrol robot and the first coordinate power corresponding to the first coordinate, and the second coordinate and the second coordinate power corresponding to the second coordinate, and obtain the current power consumption per meter of the line patrol robot by the ratio of the difference between the first coordinate power and the second coordinate power to the difference between the first coordinate and the second coordinate, and then multiply it by the difference between the second coordinate and the first charging station coordinate to obtain the estimated value of the first power.

5. The tower charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the charging station is in a standby state, its storage voltage is lower than 22.2V or the storage capacity is lower than 20% of the maximum storage capacity.

6. A tower charging system, comprising a line patrol robot, a plurality of charging stations and a remote background, wherein the line patrol robot moves on the transmission line, and the charging stations are respectively arranged on the power tower, characterized in that: The tower charging system adopts the tower charging method described in any one of claims 1 to 5 for charging, the charging station includes a communication module and a control module, the line patrol robot and the communication module are respectively connected to the remote background wireless communication, the line patrol robot and the communication module are connected via wireless communication, the control module includes a processor, the processor is used to perform analysis and calculation based on the information data obtained by the communication module, so as to control the charging station to switch between a charging preparation state and a standby state.

7. A tower charging system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The charging station also includes a power generation module, a charging module and a storage module; the power generation module includes a solar power generation component and a wind power generation component, and charges the storage module; the storage module provides electrical energy to the charging module, and the charging module charges the line patrol robot wirelessly; the storage module is a high-energy-density lithium battery.

8. A tower charging system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The control module also includes a wind-solar hybrid controller, a charging voltage and current monitoring unit, and a power storage monitoring unit. The wind-solar hybrid controller is used to collect the voltage and current of the power generation module, count the power generation of the power generation module, and charge the power storage module; the power storage monitoring unit is used to monitor the input voltage, input current and power storage capacity of the power storage module; the charging voltage and current monitoring unit is used to collect the input voltage and input current of the charging module; the processor is wiredly connected to the wind-solar hybrid controller, the charging voltage and current monitoring unit, and the power storage monitoring unit, and is used to receive the collected data information and feedback control information.

9. A tower charging system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The control module also includes a temperature control unit, which monitors the temperatures of the power generation module, the charging module and the storage module respectively and is electrically connected to the heating wire. It is used to start the heating wire to compensate for the low temperature of the casing of the charging station when the external temperature is too low, and monitor the temperatures of the power generation module, the charging module and the storage module.

10. A tower charging system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The solar power generation component includes a solar panel, which is connected to the wind-solar complementary controller through a solar first voltage and current collector, a solar MPPT controller and a solar second voltage and current collector in sequence; the wind power generation component includes a wind turbine, which is connected to the wind-solar complementary controller through a wind first voltage and current collector, a wind MPPT controller and a wind second voltage and current collector in sequence.

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