A robot and its control method, and data processing equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a robot and a control method and data processing device thereof. The control method of the robot includes the following steps: storing two or more instruction sets and two or more cleaning modes in an instruction database; controlling a robot to move in a straight line along a first direction from the lower left corner or the lower right corner of a photovoltaic panel array; calculating the length of at least one photovoltaic panel in the first direction during the movement of the robot; when the front end of the vehicle body moves to the upper edge of the photovoltaic panel array, controlling the vehicle body to turn left or right at a right angle, calculating the cleaning mode coefficient N of each row of photovoltaic panels in the photovoltaic panel array; and executing the instruction set corresponding to the Nth cleaning mode, controlling the vehicle body to move in a straight line along the second direction N times. The robot automatically cleans the entire process without the need for manual selection of the cleaning mode, and is simple to operate and highly convenient.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a robot and a control method thereof, and a data processing device. Background Art

[0002] The photovoltaic panel array includes a number of photovoltaic panels arranged in a matrix on the same plane, which is generally set as an inclined plane. When a cleaning robot is used to clean its surface, the sewage and dust generated during the cleaning process will slide down its surface. Therefore, the optimal solution for the cleaning robot's travel path on the panel array should be for the robot to sweep horizontally in the horizontal direction of the panel array, sweeping the previous row of panels before sweeping the next row of panels.

[0003] If the entire photovoltaic panel array is considered as a whole, automatic control can be achieved by simply setting the instruction set for the robot. However, since the photovoltaic panel array is an inclined plane, a vacuum adsorption device is usually set on the bottom of the cleaning robot to prevent the robot from sliding. Therefore, the cleaning robot cannot move horizontally above the gap between two rows of photovoltaic panels.

[0004] Due to the variety of sizes of photovoltaic panels, the length and width of each row of photovoltaic panels on the slope in panel arrays in different power stations and different sites are also different. The cleaning robot needs to plan its travel path according to the length of the slope of each row of panels to be cleaned, and select the appropriate cleaning mode and instruction set. Different cleaning modes need to be selected for photovoltaic panels of different sizes, and different cleaning modes correspond to different instruction sets.

[0005] Regarding the method of selecting the robot's cleaning mode, for ordinary household cleaning robots, before the cleaning robot starts working, the operator usually measures or estimates the size of the area to be cleaned, and uses the robot's mode switch to select the cleaning mode. On the one hand, this method is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the operation is cumbersome, the error rate of selecting the mode is high, and the degree of automation is poor; on the other hand, the mechanical switch has a service life and is easy to damage. If the mode switch fails, the cleaning robot will not be able to complete the cleaning work. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a robot and a control method thereof to solve the technical problems that the robot cleaning mode selection is time-consuming and labor-intensive, the operation is complicated, and the accuracy is poor.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a robot control method, comprising the following steps: storing more than two instruction sets and more than two cleaning modes in an instruction database, each cleaning mode corresponding to a set of instruction sets; controlling a robot to move in a straight line along a first direction from the lower left corner or the lower right corner of a photovoltaic panel array; the robot comprises a body and a cleaning part, the photovoltaic panel array is an array-type planar structure composed of more than two photovoltaic panels, and the first direction is the extension direction of the left line or the right line of the photovoltaic panel array; calculating the length of at least one photovoltaic panel in the first direction during the movement of the robot, and recording the number of rows of the photovoltaic panel array; when the body When the front end moves to the upper edge of the photovoltaic panel array, the vehicle body is controlled to turn left or right at a right angle; when the front end of the vehicle body moves to the upper edge of the photovoltaic panel array, the cleaning mode coefficient N of each row of photovoltaic panels in the photovoltaic panel array is calculated, which is an integer value obtained by rounding up the quotient of the length of a photovoltaic panel in the first direction and the width of the cleaning part in its extension direction; and the instruction set corresponding to the Nth cleaning mode is executed to control the vehicle body to move in a straight line N times in the second direction, and the set of N travel trajectories of the cleaning part completely covers the top surface of at least one photovoltaic panel located in the same row, and the second direction is the extension direction of the upper edge or the lower edge of the photovoltaic panel array.

[0008] The technical effect of the present invention is that the robot moves toward the upper edge of the photovoltaic panel array, measures its length in the first direction, automatically selects the cleaning mode after calculating the cleaning mode coefficient N, and automatically completes the cleaning of the photovoltaic panel array. The robot automatically cleans the entire process without manual selection of the cleaning mode, is simple to operate, and is highly convenient.

[0009] Furthermore, the step of calculating the length of at least one photovoltaic panel in the first direction during the movement of the robot includes the following steps: using image sensors arranged on the left and right sides of the vehicle body to collect real-time images of the photovoltaic panel array, the display content of the real-time image includes the border of at least one photovoltaic panel; identifying the position of the border of at least one photovoltaic panel arranged in the first direction in the photovoltaic panel array from the real-time image; performing coordinate conversion on the real-time image to obtain the position of the border of at least one photovoltaic panel in the world coordinate system; and calculating the length of each photovoltaic panel in the first direction according to the position of the border of at least one photovoltaic panel arranged in the first direction in the world coordinate system.

[0010] Further, the step of calculating the length of at least one photovoltaic panel in the first direction during the movement of the robot comprises the following steps: when the robot is started, recording the real-time value of the motor encoder for the first time; during the movement of the robot, determining in real time whether the front end of the vehicle body has moved to the border of a photovoltaic panel, and if so, recording the real-time value of the motor encoder; calculating the number of revolutions of the driving wheel in the period between two adjacent recording moments according to the absolute value of the difference between the real-time values ​​of the motor encoder recorded twice; calculating the travel distance of the robot in the period between two adjacent recording moments according to the radius of the driving wheel and the number of revolutions of the driving wheel; and calculating the length Si of the i-th photovoltaic panel in the first direction; when i=1, S1 is the sum of the travel distance in the period between the first two recording moments and the length of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction; when i is greater than 1, Si is the travel distance in the period between the (i+1)th recording moment and the i-th recording moment, or Si is the travel distance in the period between the 2i-th recording moment and the (2i-1)-th recording moment.

[0011] Furthermore, when the robot's initial position is located at the lower left corner of the photovoltaic panel array, the step of controlling a robot to move in a straight line along a first direction from the lower left corner of the photovoltaic panel array includes the following steps: adjusting the position of the vehicle body so that the direction of the front of the vehicle body is consistent with the first direction, so that the metal sensor on the left side of the vehicle body is located directly above the metal frame of a photovoltaic panel; starting the drive motor in the vehicle body to control the vehicle body to move along the first direction; and determining in real time whether the metal sensor on the left side of the vehicle body continues to generate an electrical signal, and if not, controlling the vehicle body to fine-tune the direction of travel until the metal sensor on the left side of the vehicle body generates an electrical signal again.

[0012] Furthermore, during the movement of the robot, it is determined in real time whether the metal sensor on the right side of the vehicle body generates an electrical signal. If so, it is determined that the front end of the vehicle body moves above the frame of a photovoltaic panel, and the real-time value of the motor encoder at this moment is recorded.

[0013] Furthermore, when the initial position of the vehicle body is located at the lower right corner of the photovoltaic panel array, the step of controlling the vehicle body to move in a straight line along the first direction from the lower right corner of the photovoltaic panel array includes the following steps: adjusting the position of the vehicle body so that the front of the vehicle body is facing in the same direction as the first direction, so that the metal sensor on the right side of the vehicle body is located directly above the metal frame of a photovoltaic panel; starting the drive motor in the vehicle body to control the vehicle body to move along the first direction; during the movement of the vehicle body, determining in real time whether the metal sensor on the right side of the vehicle body continues to generate an electrical signal, and if not, controlling the vehicle body to fine-tune the direction of travel until the metal sensor on the left side of the vehicle body generates an electrical signal again.

[0014] Furthermore, during the movement of the vehicle, it is determined in real time whether the metal sensor on the left side of the vehicle generates an electrical signal. If so, it is determined that the front end of the vehicle moves above the frame of a photovoltaic panel, and the real-time value of the motor encoder at this moment is recorded.

[0015] Furthermore, the step of controlling the vehicle body to move in a straight line along the second direction N times specifically includes the following steps: a straight-moving control step, controlling the vehicle body to move in a straight line along the second direction; and a U-turn control step, when the front end of the vehicle body moves to the left line or the right line of the photovoltaic panel array, determining whether the cleaning task is completed; if so, controlling the vehicle body to stop moving; if not, controlling the vehicle body to turn a U-turn to the left or right and return to the straight-moving control step.

[0016] The present application also provides a data processing device, comprising: a memory for storing executable program code; and a processor, connected to the memory, for reading the executable program code to run a computer program corresponding to the executable program code to execute the above-mentioned robot control method.

[0017] The present application also provides a robot, comprising the above-mentioned data processing device.

[0018] Furthermore, the robot also includes a vehicle body capable of moving on the photovoltaic panel array; a cleaning part, which is arranged at the front end or the rear end of the vehicle body, and the extension direction of the cleaning part is perpendicular to the moving direction of the vehicle body; and a frame position acquisition device, which is installed on the vehicle body and is used to collect frame position data of at least one photovoltaic panel arranged along the first direction, and the data processing equipment is arranged in the vehicle body and connected to the frame position acquisition device.

[0019] Furthermore, a metal frame is provided at the edge of each photovoltaic panel; the frame position acquisition device includes a metal sensor, which is arranged on the left and right sides of the front end of the vehicle body; when the distance between a metal sensor and a metal frame is less than or equal to a preset threshold, the metal sensor generates and sends an electrical signal to the data processing device; a driving wheel is installed at the bottom of the vehicle body; and a driving motor is connected to the driving wheel to drive the driving wheel to rotate; the driving motor includes a motor encoder connected to the data processing device.

[0020] Furthermore, the data processing device includes: an encoder value recorder, which records the real-time value of the motor encoder when the drive motor is started, or when the metal sensor at the front end of the vehicle body moves above the frame of a photovoltaic panel; a revolution calculator, which calculates the number of revolutions of the drive wheel in the period between two adjacent recording moments based on the absolute value of the difference between the real-time values ​​of the motor encoder recorded twice; a distance calculator, which calculates the travel distance of the robot in the period between two adjacent recording moments based on the radius of the drive wheel and the number of revolutions of the drive wheel; and a panel length calculator, which calculates the length Si of the i-th photovoltaic panel in the first direction; when i=1, S1 is the sum of the travel distance in the period between the first two recording moments and the length of the vehicle body in the front-to-back direction; when i is greater than 1, Si is the travel distance in the period between the (i+1)th recording moment and the i-th recording moment.

[0021] Furthermore, the frame position acquisition device includes an image sensor, which is arranged on the left and right sides of the vehicle body, and is used to collect real-time images of the photovoltaic panel array, and the real-time image includes the image of the frame of at least one photovoltaic panel; the data processing equipment includes an image processor, which identifies the position of the frame of at least one photovoltaic panel arranged in a first direction in the photovoltaic panel array from the real-time image; and a panel length calculator, which calculates the length of at least one photovoltaic panel in the first direction according to the position of the frame of at least one photovoltaic panel arranged in the first direction in the real-time image.

[0022] The technical effect of the present invention is that after the robot is activated at the lower left corner or lower right corner of a photovoltaic panel array, it moves in a straight line along the left line or right line of the panel array to the highest point of the panel array, and in the process of moving, the length of each row of photovoltaic panels in its inclined direction is automatically calculated. After obtaining the length of each row of photovoltaic panels to be cleaned in its inclined direction, the cleaning mode coefficient is calculated by the quotient of the length and the width of the cleaning roller brush, and the number of times the robot reciprocates in the horizontal direction of this row of photovoltaic panels is determined according to the coefficient, so as to select a suitable cleaning mode and instruction set. When the robot of the present invention moves to the highest point of the photovoltaic panel array, it can automatically select a suitable cleaning mode without manual operation, and the selection accuracy is good. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The specific implementation of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the movement trajectory of the robot described in Example 1 of the present application on the photovoltaic panel array.

[0025] Figure 2This is a side view of the robot described in Example 1 of the present application.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a structural block diagram of the data processing system described in Example 1 of the present application.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a flow chart of the robot control method described in Example 1 of the present application.

[0028] Figure 5 This is a flow chart of the steps of calculating the length of the photovoltaic panel in the first direction X in Example 1 of the present application.

[0029] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the steps of controlling the vehicle body to move straight along the second direction Y N times in Example 1 of the present application.

[0030] Figure 7 This is a side view of the robot described in Example 2 of the present application.

[0031] Figure 8 This is a top view of the robot described in Example 2 of the present application.

[0032] Fig. 9 This is a structural block diagram of the data processing system described in Example 2 of the present application.

[0033] Fig.10 This is a flow chart of the steps of controlling a robot to move in a straight line along a first direction X from the lower left corner of a photovoltaic panel array in Example 2 of the present application.

[0034] Fig.11 This is a flow chart of the steps of controlling a robot to move in a straight line along a first direction X from the lower right corner of a photovoltaic panel array in Example 2 of the present application.

[0035] Fig.12 This is a flow chart of the steps of calculating the length of the photovoltaic panel in the first direction X in Example 2 of the present application.

[0036] Fig.13 This is a side view of the robot described in Example 3 of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0038] Example 1

[0039] Embodiment 1 provides a robot, the robot 2 is used to move on an inclined photovoltaic panel array 1 and clean the photovoltaic panel portion on the moving path. When cleaning the photovoltaic panel array 1, the robot 2 in this embodiment can measure the length of the photovoltaic panel array 1 and automatically select a cleaning mode to automatically clean photovoltaic panel arrays 1 of different sizes.

[0040] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the robot 2 in this embodiment includes: a body 21, a cleaning part 24 arranged at the front end or rear end of the body 21, a gyroscope, a frame position acquisition device and a data processing device 3, and the gyroscope and the frame position acquisition device are both connected to the data processing device.

[0041] The vehicle body 21 can travel on the photovoltaic panel array 1. The photovoltaic panel array 1 is an oblique array-type planar structure composed of more than two photovoltaic panels 10. The photovoltaic panel array 1 has a plurality of rows and columns, and the overall shape is generally rectangular or square. Therefore, the photovoltaic panel array 1 has four edge lines, and the four edge lines include: an upper edge line 11 and a lower edge line 12 parallel to each other, an upper edge line 11 and a lower edge line 12 parallel to each other, and a left side line 13 and a right side line 14 parallel to each other; the photovoltaic panel array 1 is an array-type planar structure composed of more than two photovoltaic panels 10, and each photovoltaic panel 10 is provided with an uninterrupted metal frame (not shown) at the edge. In this embodiment, the photovoltaic panel 10 is rectangular, and its four frames are all made of aluminum alloy. The four edge lines of the photovoltaic panel array 1 are all composed of the frames of multiple photovoltaic panels 10 arranged in the same straight line.

[0042] like Figure 1-2 As shown, the extension direction of the left side line 13 is defined as the first direction X, and the extension direction of the upper side line 11 is defined as the second direction Y. The vehicle body 21 moves along the first direction X and the second direction Y on the photovoltaic panel array 1. The cleaning part 24 is arranged at the front end or the rear end of the vehicle body 21, and the extension direction of the cleaning part 24 is perpendicular to the moving direction of the vehicle body 21, wherein the cleaning part 24 can be a roller brush or a rectangular cleaning cloth. The cleaning part of this embodiment is preferably one or more roller brushes, and a controllable roller brush motor is arranged in the vehicle body 21 to drive the roller brush to rotate. The roller brush can roll on the photovoltaic panel array 1 to clean the photovoltaic panel 10 through the surface. The extension direction of the cleaning part 24 is perpendicular to the moving direction of the vehicle body 21, that is, the cleaning part 24 extends in the width direction of the vehicle body 21. When the vehicle body 21 moves, the cleaning path is a strip area with the moving path as the guide line and a width equal to the roller length of the cleaning roller.

[0043] Since the photovoltaic panel array surface 1 is an inclined plane, the robot 2 is usually provided with an adsorption device on its bottom surface in order to improve its grip and prevent the robot 2 from sliding off the panel. However, there is usually a gap between two adjacent rows of panels. If the gap is always located below the robot 2 during the robot 2's walking process, the adsorption device will fail. Therefore, in order to prevent the robot 2 from sliding off, the robot 2 cannot move above the gap between two rows of photovoltaic panels 10 when cleaning each row of photovoltaic panels 10.

[0044] During the cleaning process, dust, garbage and sewage will slide along the panel surface. In order to ensure the cleaning effect, the best travel path of the robot is to start from the lower left corner or lower right corner of the photovoltaic panel array 1, and move along the left line or right line of the photovoltaic panel array 1 from the lower edge of the matrix to its upper edge, and then move along the first direction on the matrix, turn left or right at the edge of the matrix, and continue to move in the opposite direction along the first direction on the matrix. The height of the robot body moving in the first direction is lower than the height of its previous movement in the first direction.

[0045] Before the robot 2 is placed on the photovoltaic panel array 1, the size of the photovoltaic panel array 1 is an unknown parameter for the robot 2. Due to the different sizes of the photovoltaic panel arrays 1, the optimal route of the robot 2 on the panel array is different, the number of turns on the same row of panels is also different, and its working mode is also different. The robot 2 needs to automatically calculate the size of each photovoltaic panel 10 in the photovoltaic panel array 10 during its movement, especially the length of each row of photovoltaic panels 10 in its tilt direction, calculate the number and distance the robot needs to reciprocate on each row of photovoltaic panels 10 based on its size, calculate the number and position of the robot 2 turning around, and ensure that every corner of each row of photovoltaic panels 10 can be cleaned.

[0046] The panel array area that the vehicle passes through each time it moves in the first direction can be defined as a cleaning channel. Each cleaning channel is equal to or smaller than the width of the cleaning portion 24. When the vehicle moves in a cleaning channel, its cleaning portion 24 may extend outside the cleaning channel.

[0047] At least one photovoltaic panel 10 in the same row can be divided into N cleaning channels extending in the first direction, extending from the left side to the right side of the photovoltaic panel 10 array, and the quotient of the length of the photovoltaic panel 10 in this row on the inclined surface and the width of the cleaning part 24 is calculated. If the quotient value is an integer, N is the quotient of the length of the photovoltaic panel 10 in this row on the inclined surface and the width of the cleaning part 24; if the quotient value is a non-integer, N is the integer part of the quotient of the length of the photovoltaic panel 10 in this row on the inclined surface and the width of the cleaning part 24 plus one.

[0048] For example, if the length of a row of panels is 2 meters, the width of the roller brush is 0.7 meters, and N is 3, then this row of photovoltaic panels 10 needs to be divided into three horizontal cleaning channels, and the robot can only sweep the entire row of panels after three reciprocating movements without leaving any dead corners. Figure 1 As shown, the three cleaning channels are the first channel 201, the second channel 202 and the third channel 203 from top to bottom, and the widths of the three cleaning channels can be set to 0.7 meters, 0.6 meters and 0.7 meters respectively. When the vehicle body travels in the middle second channel 202, the edges of the roller brush at both ends will extend into the first channel 201 and the third channel 203. If the length of a row of panels is 2.1 meters, the roller brush width is 0.7 meters, and N is 3.

[0049] For example, if the length of a row of panels is 1.2 meters, the width of the roller brush is 0.7 meters, and N is 2, then this row of photovoltaic panels 10 needs to be divided into two horizontal cleaning channels. The robot can only clean the entire row of panels after two reciprocating movements without leaving any dead corners. The two cleaning channels are the first channel and the second channel from top to bottom. The widths of the two cleaning channels can be set to 0.6 meters respectively. When the vehicle body moves in one channel, the edges of its roller brush will extend into the other channel or extend outside the photovoltaic panel array.

[0050] In this scheme, when the vehicle body is cleaning the photovoltaic panel array 1, it is necessary to clean the rows of photovoltaic panels from top to bottom in sequence, and each row of photovoltaic panels is divided into N horizontal cleaning channels, where N is the cleaning mode coefficient. How to calculate the number of cleaning channels N for each row of photovoltaic panels, and how to select different cleaning modes according to the number of cleaning channels to execute different instruction sets is a key technical issue. The cleaning mode here is a robot travel mode that is distinguished according to the number of times the robot reciprocates on a row of photovoltaic panels.

[0051] The present application involves multiple cleaning modes, and the Nth cleaning mode refers to the robot travel mode corresponding to the situation where each row of photovoltaic panels needs to be divided into N horizontal cleaning channels, and each cleaning mode corresponds to a set of instruction sets. The robot executes a set of instruction sets corresponding to the Nth cleaning mode, controls the vehicle body to travel N times in a straight line along the second direction, each time at a slightly lower height than the previous time, and the set of N travel trajectories of the cleaning unit can all cover the top surface of at least one photovoltaic panel in the same row.

[0052] The data processing device is arranged in the vehicle body 21, and stores more than two instruction sets and more than two cleaning modes in an instruction database in advance, and each cleaning mode corresponds to a set of instruction sets; after selecting a set of cleaning modes, the corresponding instruction set is executed, and the robot 2 cleans according to the selected cleaning mode.

[0053] The data processing device controls the vehicle body 21 to move in a straight line along the first direction X from the lower left corner or the lower right corner of the photovoltaic panel array 1; starting at the lower left corner or the lower right corner of the photovoltaic panel array 1 can ensure that the vehicle body 21 moves in a straight line along the left line or the right line of the panel array toward the upper line.

[0054] When the front end of the vehicle body 21 moves to the upper edge line 11 of the photovoltaic panel array, the data processing device controls the vehicle body 21 to turn left or right at a right angle. After turning, the data processing device executes the instruction set corresponding to the Nth cleaning mode, and controls the vehicle body to perform horizontal cleaning of the first row of panels in the photovoltaic panel array 1 along the second direction Y, and reciprocates N times. The width of the cleaning portion 24 in its extension direction is the width of the roller brush. The roller brush includes a rotating roller and bristles, and the length of the rotating roller is the width of the roller brush. The set of N travel trajectories of the cleaning portion 24 fully covers the top surface of at least one photovoltaic panel 10 located in the same row, so that the row of photovoltaic panels can be cleaned without dead ends.

[0055] When the vehicle body 21 moves in a straight line along the first direction X, the data processing device calculates the length of at least one photovoltaic panel 10 in the first direction X according to the frame position data of the photovoltaic panel 10, and records the number of rows of the photovoltaic panel array 1. The cleaning mode coefficient N on each photovoltaic panel 10 is calculated according to the length data of each photovoltaic panel 10. Specifically, the quotient of the length of the photovoltaic panel 10 in this row on the inclined surface and the width of the cleaning portion 24 is calculated. If the quotient value is an integer, N is the quotient of the length of the photovoltaic panel 10 in this row on the inclined surface and the width of the cleaning portion 24; if the quotient value is a non-integer, N is the integer part of the quotient of the length of the photovoltaic panel 10 in this row on the inclined surface and the width of the cleaning portion 24 plus one, and then the instruction set of the corresponding cleaning mode is selected in the data processing device according to the cleaning mode coefficient N.

[0056] like Figure 1-2 As shown, in this embodiment, the frame position acquisition device includes an image sensor 23 and a fill light device (not shown), and an image sensor 23, i.e., a camera, is respectively provided at the front end of the left and right sides of the vehicle body to collect real-time images of the photovoltaic panel array 1 on both sides of the vehicle body when the vehicle body is moving, and the real-time image includes the image of the frame of at least one photovoltaic panel 10; the fill light device is a flash lamp, which is used to fill light when the light is insufficient. The frame position data is the real-time image of the photovoltaic panel array collected by the image sensors on the left and right sides of the vehicle body in real time.

[0057] like Figure 3As shown, the data processing device 3 includes an image processor 31 and a panel length calculator 32. The image processor 31 identifies the position of the frame of at least one photovoltaic panel arranged in the first direction in the photovoltaic panel array from the real-time image; the panel length calculator 32 calculates the length of at least one photovoltaic panel in the first direction according to the position of the frame of at least one photovoltaic panel arranged in the first direction in the real-time image, processes the image through a transparent transformation formula, converts the coordinates in the image into coordinates in the world coordinate system, and then calculates the distance between any two adjacent metal frames. When the distance is less than a preset threshold, the distance is the width of the gap between two adjacent photovoltaic panels; when the distance is greater than the preset threshold, the distance is the spacing between two relative frames of the same photovoltaic panel, that is, the length of the photovoltaic panel in the first direction.

[0058] like Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 The dotted line with an arrow in the figure represents the travel path of the robot. When the robot 2 moves to the edge of the photovoltaic panel array 1 along the second direction Y, it turns around and cleans in the opposite direction. When it moves to the edge of the photovoltaic panel array 1, it turns around again, and so on. It can be seen from the above that the robot 2 cleans one row at a time, and completes the cleaning of the photovoltaic panel array 1 after cleaning multiple rows, and the number of rows cleaned is the cleaning mode coefficient N. The data processing device selects the Nth cleaning mode according to the cleaning mode coefficient, executes the execution set corresponding to the Nth cleaning mode, controls the vehicle body 21 to move N times in a straight line along the second direction Y, and the set of N travel trajectories of the cleaning unit 24 completely covers the top surface of at least one photovoltaic panel 10 located in the same row, and can complete the comprehensive cleaning of the photovoltaic panel array 1.

[0059] The data processing device 3 performs a straight-moving control step and a U-turn control step in the process of controlling the vehicle body 21 to move straight along the second direction Y for N times. The straight-moving control step controls the vehicle body 21 to move straight along the second direction Y. The U-turn control step is to determine whether the cleaning task is completed when the front end of the vehicle body 21 moves to the left line 13 or the right line 14 of the photovoltaic panel array 1; if so, control the vehicle body 21 to stop moving; if not, control the vehicle body 21 to turn left or right in a U-shaped turn, and perform the straight-moving control step to perform reciprocating cleaning on the photovoltaic panel 10.

[0060] When the quotient of the length of the photovoltaic panel 10 on the inclined surface (i.e., the length in the first direction X) and the width of the cleaning portion 24 is a non-integer, if the width of the cleaning channels on the photovoltaic panel is the same as the width of the cleaning portion 24, a cleaning channel will be located between two rows of photovoltaic panels, and the robot needs to move horizontally across the two rows of panels, which will cause the robot 2 to fail in adsorption and easily slide off the photovoltaic panel array 1. Therefore, the width of at least one of the multiple cleaning channels of the photovoltaic panel is smaller than the width of the cleaning portion 24.

[0061] Therefore, the cleaning mode instruction set also includes a position adjustment instruction. When the vehicle body is about to move near the lower edge of a row of panels, when turning a U-turn, the vehicle body 21 is controlled to adjust its position so that the vehicle body 21 can move in a straight line along the lower edge, ensuring that the robot 2 is located on the same row of photovoltaic panels 1 when moving in the lowest cleaning channel.

[0062] When adjusting the position of the vehicle body, first subtract the cleaning mode coefficient N from the quotient of the length of the row of photovoltaic panels 10 in the first direction X and the width of the roller brush, and the difference is the adjustment width. The adjustment width is the distance that the robot 2 needs to adjust during multiple straight-line movements. When walking in a straight line in the second-to-last cleaning channel from bottom to top, the image obtained by the image sensor 23 on the side of the vehicle body 21 is used to calculate the distance between the vehicle body 21 and the panel frames located at the upper edge 11 and the lower edge 12 of the panel array, and the frame with a closer distance is selected as the target frame. While turning a U-turn, the distance between the vehicle body 21 and the target frame is detected and adjusted in real time, so that after the vehicle body 21 turns around, when moving in a straight line in the cleaning channel at the bottom of the row of panels, the left side wall or right side wall of the vehicle body 21 is aligned with the target frame to prevent the robot 2 from slipping.

[0063] In another embodiment, the position of the vehicle body 21 is adjusted by controlling multiple turning steps, the sum of the distances of each adjustment is equal to the adjustment width, the number of times the position of the vehicle body 21 is adjusted is M, M is less than or equal to N-1, and the distance moved each time the vehicle body 21 turns is the quotient Q of the adjustment width and M. Each time the turning adjustment is performed, the distance between the vehicle body 21 and the target frame is detected and adjusted in real time, and when the vehicle body 21 moves in a straight line in the cleaning channel at the bottom of the row of panels, the vehicle body is aligned with the target frame, so that the vehicle body 21 of the robot 2 can be completely located on the photovoltaic panel array 1.

[0064] For example, if the length of a row of panels is 2 meters, the width of the roller brush is 0.7 meters, and N is 3, then this row of photovoltaic panels 10 needs to be divided into three horizontal cleaning channels, and the robot 2 can only sweep the entire row of panels after walking back and forth three times, and there is no blind spot left. The widths of the three cleaning channels can be set to 0.7 meters, 0.6 meters, and 0.7 meters, respectively, or 0.7 meters, 0.7 meters, and 0.6 meters. After the vehicle body cleans the first cleaning channel, it will turn around. Since the cleaning channel has a clear path, when the vehicle body 21 turns around, it is necessary to control its walking path to ensure that the cleaning path of the cleaning part 24 coincides with the cleaning channel, or covers the cleaning channel, to ensure that the predetermined cleaning channel is cleaned.

[0065] When the vehicle 11 is traveling in the first cleaning channel 201 or the third cleaning channel 203, an image sensor 23 located on the left or right side of the vehicle body is used to obtain a real-time image of one side of the vehicle body 1, and the distance between the vehicle body 21 and the upper edge or lower edge of the row of photovoltaic panels is determined by the real-time image. When the vehicle 11 is traveling in the second cleaning channel 202, the vehicle 21 uses the image sensor 23 to obtain real-time images of both sides of the vehicle body 1, and the distance between the vehicle body 21 and the upper edge and lower edge of the row of photovoltaic panels is determined by the real-time image.

[0066] After completing the cleaning of the first cleaning channel, when the vehicle body makes a U-turn, since the distance between the second cleaning channel and the upper edge line 11 is 0.7 meters, the vehicle body 23 is turned according to the real-time image of the image sensor 23, so that the distance between the right side of the vehicle body 21 after the turn and the upper edge line 11 of the photovoltaic panel 10 is 0.7 meters, so that the travel path of the vehicle body after the turn covers the second cleaning channel. If the width of the second cleaning channel is 0.6 meters and the width of the cleaning section 24 is 0.7 meters, the cleaning section 24 can cover and exceed the second cleaning channel on one side or both sides. Therefore, when cleaning the second cleaning channel, the side of the cleaning section 24 close to the upper edge line 11 can be offset by 0.1 meters toward the upper edge line and still cover the second cleaning channel. Therefore, when the vehicle body 21 turns, the vehicle body 21 turns according to the real-time image of the image sensor, so that the distance between the right side of the vehicle body 21 and the upper edge line 11 of the photovoltaic panel 10 after the turn is 0.6-0.7 meters, so that the travel path of the vehicle body 21 after the turn covers the second cleaning channel.

[0067] After completing the cleaning of the second cleaning channel 202, the vehicle body 21 makes a second U-turn and enters the third cleaning channel, that is, the cleaning of the last row of cleaning channels. The vehicle body 21 turns according to the real-time image of the image sensor 23, so that the right side of the vehicle body 21 after the U-turn moves along the lower edge line 12 of the photovoltaic panel 10, completing the cleaning of the entire photovoltaic panel 10. The right side of the vehicle body moves along the lower edge line 12 of the photovoltaic panel 10 so that the vehicle body does not cross the panel, avoiding adsorption failure, and ensuring that the row of photovoltaic panels 10 is completely cleaned.

[0068] The robot 2 in this embodiment can be placed at a corner of the photovoltaic panel array 1 and start, then automatically move toward the upper edge 11 of the photovoltaic panel array 1, measure the length of each row of photovoltaic panels 10 in the first direction X, automatically select the cleaning mode after calculating the cleaning mode coefficient, and automatically complete the cleaning of the photovoltaic panel array 1. The robot 2 automatically cleans the entire process without manual selection of the cleaning mode, and is simple to operate and highly convenient.

[0069] This embodiment also discloses a control method of the robot described above, such as Figure 4 As shown, the following steps S100-S600 are included.

[0070] Step S100, storing two or more instruction sets and two or more cleaning modes in an instruction database, each cleaning mode corresponding to a set of instruction sets. The cleaning mode here is a robot travel mode distinguished according to the number of times the robot reciprocates on a row of photovoltaic panels. The Nth cleaning mode refers to the robot travel mode corresponding to the situation where each row of photovoltaic panels needs to be divided into N horizontal cleaning channels.

[0071] Step S200, control a robot 2 to move in a straight line along a first direction X from the lower left corner or the lower right corner of a photovoltaic panel array 1; the robot 2 includes a body 21 and a cleaning part 24, the photovoltaic panel array 1 is an array-type planar structure composed of more than two photovoltaic panels 10, and the first direction X is the extension direction of the left line 13 or the right line 14 of the photovoltaic panel array 1.

[0072] Step S300, during the movement of the robot 2, the length of at least one photovoltaic panel 10 in the first direction X is calculated, and the number of rows of the photovoltaic panel array 1 is recorded; the purpose of this step is to determine the length of the photovoltaic panel 10 in the first direction X. Each photovoltaic panel 10 is of standard size or measured size. After recording the number of photovoltaic panels 10 that have passed, the product of the number of photovoltaic panels 10 and the length or width of the photovoltaic panel 10 is calculated according to the arrangement of the photovoltaic array, and the length of the photovoltaic panel array 1 in the first direction X can be obtained, which is convenient for the subsequent calculation of the cleaning mode coefficient and the selection of the cleaning mode according to the length data.

[0073] Step S400, when the front end of the vehicle body 21 moves to the upper edge line 11 of the photovoltaic panel array 1, the vehicle body 21 is controlled to turn left or right at a right angle; when the vehicle body 21 moves to the upper edge line 11, it has reached the edge of the photovoltaic panel array 1. If the vehicle body 21 continues to move, it will fall off the photovoltaic panel array 1. The data processing device controls the vehicle body 21 to turn left or right at a right angle, and switches the path to clean the photovoltaic panel array 1.

[0074] A distance sensor, such as an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, is respectively provided on the bottom surface of the four corners of the vehicle body 21. The distance sensor extends outward from the vehicle body. The distance sensor can emit infrared rays or ultrasonic waves downward, and obtain reflected infrared rays or ultrasonic waves after hitting the top surface of the photovoltaic panel or frame. When a sensor extends out of the panel array, the sensor cannot receive the reflected signal; the data processing device thus knows which sensors extend out of the panel array, and then determines which corner or edge of the panel array the vehicle body is on. When the vehicle body 21 is traveling at the edge of the photovoltaic panel array, two of the four sensors at its four corners will extend out of the panel array; when the vehicle body 21 is traveling at the corner of the photovoltaic panel array, three of the sensors at its four corners will extend out of the panel array.

[0075] When the front end of the vehicle body 21 moves to the upper edge line 11 of the photovoltaic panel array 1, the data processing device can determine whether the vehicle body 21 is at the upper left corner or the upper right corner of the photovoltaic panel array.

[0076] Step S500, when the front end of the vehicle body 21 moves to the upper edge 11 of the photovoltaic panel array 1, the cleaning mode coefficient N of each row of photovoltaic panels 10 in the photovoltaic panel array 1 is calculated, which is the value of the quotient of the length of a photovoltaic panel 10 in the first direction X and the width of the cleaning part 24 (roller brush) in its extension direction rounded up. Step S500 and step S400 are basically executed synchronously. In step S300, the length of each row of photovoltaic panels 10 in the first direction X is obtained; in step S500, the quotient S of the length of each photovoltaic panel 10 in the first direction X and the width of the cleaning part 24 (roller brush) in its extension direction is calculated. If the quotient S is an integer, the cleaning mode coefficient N is S; if the quotient S is a non-integer, the cleaning mode coefficient N is the sum of the integer part of S plus one; that is, N is the integer value of S rounded up.

[0077] Step S600, execute the instruction set corresponding to the Nth cleaning mode, control the vehicle body 21 to move straight along the second direction Y N times, each time slightly lower than the previous height, and the set of N travel trajectories of the cleaning unit 24 completely covers the top surface of at least one photovoltaic panel 10 located in the same row, and the second direction Y is the extension direction of the upper edge line 11 or the lower edge line 12 of the photovoltaic panel array 1. The set of N travel trajectories of the cleaning unit 24 completely covers the top surface of at least one photovoltaic panel 10 located in the same row. When the robot body moves back and forth N times horizontally along the second direction Y, the cleaning unit 24 (roller brush) can clean the top surfaces of multiple photovoltaic panels in the entire row without leaving any dead corners.

[0078] This embodiment uses cameras on the left and right sides of the vehicle body to collect real-time images of the photovoltaic panel arrays on both sides of the vehicle body while the vehicle body is moving, and collects the frame position of each photovoltaic panel from the image to obtain the length of each photovoltaic panel in the first direction X.

[0079] The above step S300 is a step of calculating the length of at least one photovoltaic panel 10 in the first direction X during the movement of the robot 2. Figure 5 As shown, the following steps S311-S314 are included.

[0080] Step S311, using the image sensors 23 arranged on the left and right sides of the vehicle body 21 to collect the real-time image of the photovoltaic panel array 1 in real time, the display content of the real-time image includes the frame of at least one photovoltaic panel 10. During the movement of the vehicle body 21, the image sensors 23 (cameras) on both sides of the vehicle body are continuously in working state, and collect a frame of pictures at regular intervals, and the collection speed can be 20-30 frames / second. For example: when the vehicle body 21 is located near the left line of the photovoltaic panel array, there may be no panel frame in the field of view of the camera on its left side, and the frame on the left line of the photovoltaic panel array may just be in the blind spot of the camera; but the part of the frame located on the right line, upper line and lower line of the photovoltaic panel array must be in the field of view of the camera on its right side. When the vehicle body 21 is located in the middle of the photovoltaic panel array, the part of the frame located on the left line, upper line and lower line of the photovoltaic panel array will be in the field of view of the camera on its left side; the part of the frame located on the right line, upper line and lower line of the photovoltaic panel array will be in the field of view of the camera on its right side.

[0081] Step S312: Identify the position of the frame of at least one photovoltaic panel 10 arranged in the first direction X in the photovoltaic panel array 1 from the real-time image. The photovoltaic panel array is composed of a plurality of photovoltaic panels, and the frames of these panels together constitute the longitude and latitude lines. Since the main body of the top surface of the photovoltaic panel is dark, such as black or dark blue, the frame of the panel is mostly made of aluminum alloy, which is silvery white with clear boundaries, and can be easily identified by the binary method with high accuracy.

[0082] Step S313, coordinate conversion is performed on the real-time image to obtain the position of the frame of at least one photovoltaic panel 10 in the world coordinate system; the processor processes the image through a transparent transformation formula, converts the coordinates in the image into coordinates in the world coordinate system, and then obtains the distance between the vehicle body 21 and the metal frame of the side edge. Using a camera to measure the distance is a relatively mature technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0083] Step S314, calculate the length of each photovoltaic panel 10 in the first direction X according to the position of the frame of at least one photovoltaic panel 10 arranged in the first direction X in the world coordinate system. In the process of the vehicle body 21 moving from the lower edge line to the upper edge line of the photovoltaic panel array, the image sensors 23 (cameras) on the left and right sides of the vehicle body continue to collect pictures, and can successively collect the frame distance of each row of panels, that is, the length of each row of panels in the first direction. If the multiple panels in the photovoltaic panel array have the same size, the length of each row of photovoltaic panels 10 in the first direction X is the same, and combined with the number of rows of photovoltaic panels 10 in the first direction X, the total length of the photovoltaic panel array 1 in the first direction X can also be calculated.

[0084] like Figure 6 As shown, in step S600, the data processing device controls the vehicle body 21 to move straight along the second direction Y N times. When the initial position of the vehicle body is located at the lower left corner of the photovoltaic panel array, step S600 specifically includes the following steps S610-S640.

[0085] Step S610, a straight-moving control step, when the vehicle body turns a right-angle bend, the vehicle body 21 is controlled to move straight along the second direction Y in a cleaning channel.

[0086] Step S620, a U-turn control step, when the front end of the vehicle body 21 moves to the left line 13 or the right line 14 of the photovoltaic panel array 1, it is determined whether the cleaning task is completed, that is, whether the vehicle body is located at the lower left corner or the lower right corner of this row of photovoltaic panel arrays. If so, execute step S630; if not, execute step S640.

[0087] Step S630: Control the vehicle body 21 to stop moving.

[0088] Step S640, control the vehicle body 21 to turn left or right in a U-shaped turn. When the front end of the vehicle body reaches the right line, turn right in a U-shaped turn; when the front end of the vehicle body reaches the left line, turn left in a U-shaped turn to complete the U-turn. After the vehicle body turns around, it enters the next cleaning channel and returns to the straight control step S610, and repeats the above steps S610-640 in sequence until the vehicle body completes the cleaning task. The purpose of this step 600 is to make the vehicle body 21 reciprocate on a row of panels in the photovoltaic panel array. After each U-turn, the new travel path is adjacent to the previous straight cleaning path.

[0089] The vehicle body 21 moves straightly N times along the second direction, and the collection of N travel trajectories of the cleaning unit (roller brush) 24 completely covers the top surface of at least one photovoltaic panel 10 located in the same row. The cleaning unit 24 (roller brush) cleans the top surfaces of the entire row of multiple photovoltaic panels without leaving any dead corners, and completes the cleaning of the row of panels. The vehicle body continues to travel to the next row of panels, or more precisely, enters the first cleaning channel of the next row of panels. In this embodiment or other embodiments, after determining that the cleaning task of the row of panels has been completed, step S630 can be changed to control the vehicle body 21 to turn left or right in a U-shaped turn, so that the vehicle body turns around and enters the first cleaning channel of the next row of photovoltaic panels.

[0090] In step S500, the quotient S of the length of each photovoltaic panel 10 in the first direction X and the width of the cleaning portion 24 (roller brush) in its extension direction is calculated. If the quotient S is an integer, the cleaning mode coefficient N is S; if the quotient S is a non-integer, the cleaning mode coefficient N is the sum of the integer part of S plus one; that is, N is the integer value of S rounded up.

[0091] The turning of the vehicle body 21 is not a turning on the spot, but a U-turn, from one cleaning channel to a cleaning channel below. If the quotient S is an integer, the cleaning mode coefficient N is S, and the width of each cleaning channel is the same, which is equal to the width of the roller brush. If the quotient S is a non-integer, the cleaning mode coefficient N is the sum of the integer part of S plus one, which means that the width of the cleaning channel is less than or equal to the width of the roller brush. During the turning process of the vehicle body, the height should be appropriately adjusted according to the situation so that the center of the vehicle body is always located on the center line of the cleaning channel.

[0092] In step S600 , the cleaning mode coefficient N is subtracted from the quotient S, and the difference is multiplied by the width T of the cleaning portion (roller brush) 24 to obtain the adjusted width P.

[0093] When the vehicle is moving, the frame images at the upper edge 11 and the lower edge 12 of the photovoltaic panel array are obtained in real time, the real-time distance between the vehicle body 21 and the frame of the upper edge 11 and the frame of the lower edge 12 are calculated, and the frame on the side edge with the closer distance is selected as the target frame.

[0094] In one or more turning steps, the turning position and angle of the vehicle body 21 are controlled so that when the vehicle body moves straight in each cleaning channel, the center line of the vehicle body in the front-to-back direction is aligned with the center line of a cleaning channel, and the cleaning part (roller brush) 24 leaves a cleaning track in each cleaning channel. The edges of multiple cleaning tracks will partially overlap, and the total width of the overlapping parts of the cleaning tracks is P. The distance between the vehicle body 21 and the target frame before turning is defined as R, and the distance between the vehicle body 21 and the target frame after turning is defined as R-T+P.

[0095] In any M turns, M is less than or equal to N-1, the moving distance is the quotient of the adjustment width and M, which is Q. The turning position and angle of the vehicle body 21 are controlled each time the vehicle body 21 is adjusted to turn. The distance between the vehicle body 21 and the target frame before the turn is R, and the distance between the vehicle body 21 and the target frame after the turn is R-T+Q.

[0096] In other embodiments, the frame images of the upper edge line 11 and the lower edge line 12 of the vehicle body 21 are obtained when the vehicle body 21 is moving, the distance between the vehicle body 21 and the frame of the upper edge line 11 and the frame of the lower edge line 12 is calculated, and the frame of the side edge line with the longer distance is selected as the target frame. The distance between the vehicle body 21 and the target frame before the U-turn is defined as R, and the distance between the vehicle body 21 and the target frame after the U-turn is defined as R+TP.

[0097] In any M turns, M is less than or equal to N-1, the moving distance is the quotient of the adjustment width and M, which is Q. Each time the vehicle body 21 is adjusted to turn, the turning position and angle of the vehicle body 21 are controlled. The distance between the vehicle body 21 and the target frame before the turn is R, and the distance between the vehicle body 21 and the target frame after the turn is R+TQ.

[0098] The data processing device described in this embodiment is preferably a computer or a server, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store an execution program code, that is, an execution database containing multiple cleaning mode instruction sets. The processor is connected to the memory, and the processor reads the executable program code, runs a computer program corresponding to the executable program code, and executes the control method of the robot 2 to clean the photovoltaic panel array 1. The processor can be the aforementioned image processor.

[0099] In Example 1, image sensors on both sides of the vehicle body are used to collect the frame position of the photovoltaic panel array in real time. During the process of traveling, the length of each row of photovoltaic panels in its inclined direction is automatically calculated, and the cleaning mode coefficient is calculated by the quotient of the length and the width of the cleaning roller brush. The number of times the robot travels back and forth in the horizontal direction of this row of photovoltaic panels is determined according to the coefficient, so as to select a suitable cleaning mode and instruction set. When the robot of the present invention travels to the highest point of the photovoltaic panel array, it can automatically select a suitable cleaning mode without manual operation, and the selection accuracy is good.

[0100] Example 2

[0101] Embodiment 2 includes most of the technical solutions in Embodiment 1, and its distinguishing technical feature is that the robot provided in Embodiment 2 is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, the frame position acquisition device is not an image sensor 23, but includes a metal sensor 22, a driving wheel (not shown) and a driving motor (not shown).

[0102] In this embodiment, a metal frame is provided at the edge of each photovoltaic panel 10; metal sensors 22 are provided on the left and right sides of the front end of the vehicle body 21 and extend to the bottom of the vehicle body 21; when the distance between a metal sensor 22 and a metal frame is less than or equal to a preset threshold, the metal sensor 22 generates and sends an electrical signal to the data processing device 3. The driving wheel is installed at the bottom of the vehicle body 21; the driving motor is connected to the driving wheel to drive the driving wheel to rotate, thereby driving the wheels under the vehicle body to rotate; the driving motor includes a motor encoder 25, which is connected to the data processing device 3, see Fig. 9 The motor encoder 25 is used to record the number of revolutions of the motor, from which the number of revolutions of the driving wheel, that is, the number of revolutions of the wheel, can be calculated.

[0103] like Fig. 9 As shown, the data processing device 3 further includes an encoder value recorder 33 , a turn number calculator 34 , a distance calculator 35 and a panel length calculator 36 .

[0104] When the driving motor is started, or when the metal sensor at the front end of the vehicle body moves above the frame of a photovoltaic panel, the encoder value recorder 33 records the real-time value of the motor encoder 25; based on the absolute value of the difference between the real-time values ​​of the motor encoder recorded twice adjacently, the number of revolutions calculator calculates the number of revolutions of the driving wheel in the period between two adjacent recording moments; the distance calculator calculates the travel distance of the robot in the period between two adjacent recording moments based on the radius of the driving wheel and the number of revolutions of the driving wheel; the data processing device calculates the length Si of the i-th photovoltaic panel in the first direction; when i=1, S1 is the sum of the travel distance in the period between the first two recording moments and the length of the vehicle body in the front-to-back direction; when i is greater than 1, Si is the travel distance in the period between the (i+1)th recording moment and the i-th recording moment.

[0105] The metal sensor 22 is used to detect metal materials within a certain distance. When the distance between the metal sensor 22 and a metal frame is less than or equal to a preset threshold, the metal sensor 22 generates and sends an electrical signal to the data processing device. The metal sensor 22 has the characteristics of a small detection range and high sensitivity. The general detection range is several centimeters, such as 2-4 centimeters.

[0106] When the robot 2 is preparing to work, the staff will generally place the robot 2 near the lower left corner or lower right corner of the photovoltaic panel array 1. The metal sensor 22 on one side of the robot 2 detects the metal frame, and the data processing device can determine the position of the robot 2.

[0107] Take the robot at the lower left corner of the photovoltaic panel array 1 as an example. When the robot's initial position is placed at the lower left corner of the array, or when it moves from bottom to top along the left line of the array, the metal sensor on the left side of the robot body is always located on the left frame of the array, and there is no signal when the metal sensor on the right side of the body is located above the middle of the photovoltaic panel; when the body is started, the encoder value recorder records the real-time value of the motor encoder for the first time; when the body moves to the vicinity of the photovoltaic panel frame, when the metal sensor on the right side is close to the upper or lower frame of a photovoltaic panel, an electrical signal will be generated, which is a trigger signal, indicating that the sensor is above a metal frame at this time, thereby triggering the encoder value recorder to record the real-time value of the motor encoder. Similarly, when the robot's initial position is placed at the lower right corner of the panel array, the metal sensor on the right side of its body continues to generate an electrical signal, and the metal sensor on the left side of its body generates an electrical signal each time it senses that the metal frame is triggered.

[0108] The data processing equipment records the real-time value of the motor encoder for the first time; when the vehicle moves near the border of the photovoltaic panel, an electrical signal will be generated when the metal sensor on its right side is close to the upper or lower border of a photovoltaic panel.

[0109] When the robot 2 is started, the data processing device records the real-time value of the motor encoder for the first time; when passing the border of the photovoltaic panel 10 for the first time, the real-time data of the motor encoder is recorded for the second time; when passing the border of the photovoltaic panel 10 for the second time, the real-time data of the motor encoder is recorded for the third time, and so on. According to the absolute value of the difference between the real-time values ​​of the motor encoder recorded twice, the number of revolutions of the driving wheel in the period between the two adjacent recording moments is calculated; according to the radius of the driving wheel and the number of revolutions of the driving wheel, the travel distance of the robot 2 in the period between the two adjacent recording moments is calculated, which is the length of the photovoltaic panel 10 in the first direction X; and then the number of photovoltaic panels 10 in the first direction X is obtained by the number of rows of the photovoltaic panel 10, which is the number of rows, and then the length of the photovoltaic panel array 1 in the first direction X is calculated. It is worth noting that when measuring the length of the photovoltaic panel array 1 in the first direction X, it is necessary to ensure that the travel direction of the robot 2 is also the first direction X and does not deviate. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust and control the position of the vehicle body 21 in real time so that the front direction of the vehicle body 21 is consistent with the first direction X, so that the metal sensor 22 on the left side of the vehicle body 21 is located directly above the metal frame of a photovoltaic panel 10; the distance between the metal sensor 22 and the metal frame is less than the sensing range of the sensor, and the metal frame can always be detected, and an electrical signal will continue to be generated, indicating that the movement deviation of the robot 2 is within a controllable range; if the signal of the metal sensor 22 is not obtained, the front of the vehicle is adjusted to be close to the initial starting side until the electrical signal regenerated by the metal sensor 22 is received.

[0110] After the length of each row of photovoltaic panels 10 in the first direction X is obtained, the cleaning mode coefficient N is calculated and the cleaning mode of each row of photovoltaic panels 10 is selected. The subsequent scheme is exactly the same as that of embodiment 1 and will not be described in detail here.

[0111] Embodiment 2 further provides a robot control method, including steps S100-S600 of embodiment 1. The difference is that step S200 specifically includes the following steps S211-S216, or includes the following steps S221-S226, and step S300 specifically includes the following steps S321-S325.

[0112] The present embodiment further includes a data processing device, preferably a computer or a server, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store an executable program code, that is, an execution database including a plurality of cleaning mode instruction sets. The processor is connected to the memory, and the processor reads the executable program code, runs a computer program corresponding to the executable program code, and executes the control method of the robot 2 to clean the photovoltaic panel array 1.

[0113] like Fig.10 As shown, when the initial position of the robot 2 is located at the lower left corner of the photovoltaic panel array 1, the above-mentioned step S200 in which the data processing device controls the robot 2 to move in a straight line along the first direction X from the lower left corner of the photovoltaic panel array 1 specifically includes the following steps S211-S216.

[0114] Step S211, place the robot at the lower left corner of a photovoltaic array, adjust the position of the vehicle body 21 so that the front direction of the vehicle body 21 is consistent with the first direction X, and make the metal sensor 22 on the left side of the vehicle body 21 located directly above the metal frame of a photovoltaic panel 10.

[0115] Step S212: Start the driving motor in the vehicle body 21 to control the vehicle body 21 to move along the first direction X. During the movement, the metal sensor on the left side of the vehicle body 21 is always located above the metal frame, so that the distance between the vehicle body 21 and the frame is constant, ensuring that the deviation of the vehicle body 21 is within a controllable range, and even if it deviates, it can automatically return to the preset route.

[0116] Step S213: During the movement of the robot 2, it is determined in real time whether the metal sensor 22 on the left side of the vehicle body 21 continues to generate an electrical signal. If so, no control command needs to be executed; if not, the next step S214 is executed.

[0117] Step S214: Control the vehicle body 21 to fine-tune the direction of travel until the metal sensor 22 on the left side of the vehicle body 21 generates an electrical signal again, so as to prevent the vehicle body from deviating during straight-line travel and ensure that the vehicle body can travel along the planned path.

[0118] Step S215: During the movement of the robot 2, it is determined in real time whether the metal sensor 22 on the right side of the vehicle body 21 generates an electrical signal. If so, the next step S216 is executed; if not, no control instruction needs to be executed.

[0119] Step S216: Determine that the front end of the vehicle body 21 moves above the frame of a photovoltaic panel 10, and record the real-time value of the motor encoder at this moment. At this time, the vehicle body 21 is located at the upper left corner of the panel array. Further, the vehicle body 21 is controlled to turn right at a right angle on the spot, so that the vehicle body can move horizontally along the second direction Y. During the movement, the metal sensor on the left side of the vehicle body is always located above the upper edge line and continues to generate electrical signals.

[0120] like Fig.11 As shown, when the initial position of the vehicle body 21 is located at the lower right corner of the photovoltaic panel array 1, and when the initial position of the robot 2 is located at the lower right corner of the photovoltaic panel array 1, the above-mentioned step S200 in which the data processing device controls the vehicle body 21 to move in a straight line along the first direction X from the lower right corner of the photovoltaic panel array 1 specifically includes the following steps S221-S226.

[0121] Step S221, adjust the position of the vehicle body 21 while the vehicle is moving, so that the front of the vehicle body 21 is facing in the same direction as the first direction X, so that the metal sensor 22 on the right side of the vehicle body 21 is located directly above the metal frame of a photovoltaic panel 10; ensure that the distance between the vehicle body 21 and the frame is constant during the movement, ensure that the deviation of the vehicle body 21 is within a controllable range, and even if it deviates, it can automatically return to the preset route.

[0122] Step S222: start the driving motor in the vehicle body 21 to control the vehicle body 21 to move along the first direction X.

[0123] Step S223: During the movement of the robot 2, it is determined in real time whether the metal sensor 22 on the right side of the vehicle body 21 continues to generate an electrical signal. If so, no control command needs to be executed; if not, the next step S224 is executed.

[0124] Step S224: Control the vehicle body 21 to fine-tune the direction of travel until the metal sensor 22 on the left side of the vehicle body 21 generates an electrical signal again, so as to prevent the vehicle body from deviating during straight-line travel and ensure that the vehicle body can travel along the planned path.

[0125] Step S225: During the movement of the vehicle body 21, determine in real time whether the metal sensor 22 on the left side of the vehicle body 21 generates an electrical signal. If so, execute the next step S226; if not, no control instruction needs to be executed.

[0126] Step S226: Determine that the front end of the vehicle body 21 moves above the frame of a photovoltaic panel 10, and record the real-time value of the motor encoder at this moment. At this time, the vehicle body 21 is located at the upper right corner of the panel array. Further, the vehicle body 21 is controlled to turn left at a right angle on the spot, so that the vehicle body can move horizontally along the second direction Y. During the movement, the metal sensor on the right side of the vehicle body is always located above the upper edge line and continues to generate electrical signals.

[0127] In the above steps S211-S216 and S221-S226, the robot is controlled to move in a straight line from bottom to top along the left line of the panel array from the lower left corner of the panel array, or the robot is controlled to move in a straight line from bottom to top along the right line of the panel array from the lower right corner of the panel array; when the robot starts at the initial position, the real-time value of the motor encoder at that moment is recorded; during the straight-line movement of the vehicle body, a metal sensor at the bottom of the front end of the vehicle body generates an electrical signal each time it encounters a panel frame, and the real-time value of the motor encoder at that moment is recorded, thereby providing data support for the subsequent calculation of the panel length. In addition, the above steps can also ensure that the vehicle body accurately and stably travels in a straight line on the preset route without deviation.

[0128] like Fig.12 As shown, step S300 is a step of calculating the length of at least one photovoltaic panel 10 in the first direction X during the movement of the robot 2, and includes the following steps S321-S325.

[0129] Step S321: When the robot is started, the real-time value of the motor encoder is recorded for the first time.

[0130] Step S322 determines in real time during the movement of the robot whether the front end of the vehicle body moves to the frame of a photovoltaic panel. When the vehicle body moves along the left line or the right line, the first metal sensor located above the left frame or the right frame will continuously generate an electrical signal. Here, it is necessary to determine whether the second metal sensor on the other side of the vehicle body will generate an intermittent electrical signal. If so, it is determined that the front end of the vehicle body has moved to the frame of a panel, and the real-time value of the motor encoder is recorded, and the real-time value recorded for the jth time is recorded as Zj. In this embodiment, the distance between two adjacent photovoltaic panels arranged in the first direction is very close, and each of the two photovoltaic panels has a frame, and the width of each frame is narrow. When any part of the two frames is within the sensing range of the second metal sensor, it can be considered that the front end of the vehicle body is located at the frame.

[0131] Step S323 is based on the difference (Z) between the two adjacent recorded real-time values ​​of the motor encoder. （j+1） -Z j ), and calculate the number of revolutions of the driving wheel during the period between two adjacent recording moments.

[0132] Step S324 calculates the travel distance of the robot in the period between two adjacent recording moments according to the radius of the driving wheel and the number of revolutions of the driving wheel.

[0133] Step S325 calculates the length Si of the i-th photovoltaic panel from bottom to top in the first direction, where i is an integer. When i=1, S1 is the sum of the travel distance between the first two recording moments and the length of the vehicle body in the front-to-back direction; this is because the travel distance between the first two recording moments is actually the travel distance of the vehicle body on the first panel below, and because the metal sensor is located at the front end of the vehicle body, the data obtained by summing the length of the vehicle body in the front-to-back direction and the travel distance is the length of the first panel below in its first direction.

[0134] When i is greater than 1, Si is the travel distance between the (i+1)th recording time and the i-th recording time, which is the travel distance of the vehicle body on the i-th panel, that is, the length of the i-th photovoltaic panel. In this embodiment, two adjacent photovoltaic panels arranged in the first direction must be closely adjacent, and the distance between the two adjacent photovoltaic panels is small, generally about 1 cm, which is smaller than the effective sensing distance of the metal sensor (such as 3 cm). On the one hand, it is to save the space occupied by the panel array and improve the panel placement density, and on the other hand, it is to ensure that the metal frames of the two adjacent panels can be sensed by a metal sensor at the same time.

[0135] In this embodiment, a metal sensor is respectively set on the bottom surface of the left and right sides of the front end of the vehicle body. When the vehicle body moves in a straight line along the left or right line of the photovoltaic panel array, the first metal sensor located above the left or right line will continuously generate an electrical signal. The computer determines in real time whether the second metal sensor on the other side of the vehicle body will generate an intermittent electrical signal. If so, it is determined that the front end of the vehicle body has traveled to the border of a photovoltaic panel and the real-time value of the motor encoder is recorded; by executing steps S321-S325, the length of each photovoltaic panel in the first direction is calculated according to the real-time value of the motor encoder. Afterwards, the cleaning mode coefficient N is calculated, and the cleaning mode of each row of photovoltaic panels 10 is selected. The subsequent scheme is exactly the same as that of Example 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0136] In Example 2, a metal sensor is respectively arranged on the bottom surface of the left and right sides of the front end of the vehicle body to collect the frame position of the photovoltaic panel array in real time. During the process of traveling, the length of each row of photovoltaic panels in its inclined direction is automatically calculated, and the cleaning mode coefficient is calculated by the quotient of the length and the width of the cleaning roller brush. The number of times the robot travels back and forth in the horizontal direction of this row of photovoltaic panels is determined according to the coefficient, so as to select a suitable cleaning mode and instruction set. When the robot of the present invention travels to the highest point of the photovoltaic panel array, it can automatically select a suitable cleaning mode without manual operation, and the selection accuracy is good.

[0137] In other embodiments, if the distance between any two adjacent photovoltaic panels is relatively large, such as more than 10 cm, which is greater than the effective sensing distance of the metal sensor (3 cm), when the vehicle body moves to the junction of the two panels, the two frames will be sensed twice, and when the front end of the vehicle body moves to the two frames, the data processing system will record the real-time value of the motor encoder twice.

[0138] In this scheme, the travel distance of the robot in the period between two adjacent recording moments calculated in step S324 needs to be compared with a preset threshold value, which is a value greater than the width of the distance between any two adjacent panels in the first direction. If it is greater than the preset threshold value, the travel distance is valid data representing the length of the panel in the first direction. If it is less than the preset threshold value, it means that the travel distance may be the distance between two adjacent panels.

[0139] When i is greater than 1, Si is the distance traveled by the vehicle during the period between the 2i-th recording time and the (2i-1)-th recording time. For example, the length of the second photovoltaic panel in the first direction is the distance traveled by the vehicle during the period between the 4th recording time and the 3rd recording time; the length of the third photovoltaic panel in the first direction is the distance traveled by the vehicle during the period between the 6th recording time and the 5th recording time.

[0140] In the technical solution of the present application, the robot moves back and forth N times in the second direction to clean the entire row of photovoltaic panels, and the number of movements N is the cleaning mode coefficient. The present application sets a frame position acquisition device on the vehicle body, and proposes two solutions: image sensor and metal sensor, so that the robot can calculate the length of a row of photovoltaic panel arrays in the first direction by itself, so that it can calculate the cleaning mode coefficient N by itself, execute the appropriate cleaning mode, and quickly complete the cleaning operation of the entire row of photovoltaic panel arrays without dead ends.

[0141] On the other hand, image sensors and metal sensors can find the edge lines of the panel array as reference lines, ensuring that the robot can move in a straight line on the panel array without directional deviation.

[0142] Example 3

[0143] like Fig.13 As shown, Example 3 is a combination of the two technical solutions of Example 1 and Example 2, including all the technical solutions of Example 1 and Example 2.

[0144] In Example 1, the camera has a certain height relative to the photovoltaic panel, so it has a certain blind spot in vision. When the robot moves along the edge of the photovoltaic panel array, only the image sensor on one side can collect valid data. For example, when the robot moves along the left line of the photovoltaic panel array, the panel frame on the left line is located in the blind spot of the camera's vision on the left side of the vehicle body and cannot be photographed; but the camera on its right side can photograph the panel frame on the right line. At this time, only the right line can be used as a reference line for the robot. However, if the scheme of Example 2 is combined with Example 1, the metal sensor on its left side can use the left line of the photovoltaic panel array as a reference line, so that there are always two reference lines when the vehicle body moves. Therefore, Example 3 combines Example 1 and Example 2, so that when the vehicle body moves, there are always two reference straight lines on its left and right sides, which effectively ensures that the execution result is accurate. Its working principle and technical effects are the same as those of Example 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0145] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0146] The above is a detailed introduction to a robot and a control method thereof provided in an embodiment of the present application. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the technical solution and core idea of ​​the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some of the technical features therein with equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solution deviate from the scope of the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A robot control method, characterized in that: The steps include: storing more than two instruction sets and more than two cleaning modes in an instruction database, each cleaning mode corresponding to a set of instruction sets; Control a robot to move in a straight line along a first direction from the lower left corner or the lower right corner of a photovoltaic panel array; the robot comprises a body and a cleaning part, the photovoltaic panel array is an array-type planar structure composed of two or more photovoltaic panels, and the first direction is the extension direction of the left line or the right line of the photovoltaic panel array; Acquiring the length of at least one photovoltaic panel in a first direction during the movement of the robot, and recording the number of rows of the photovoltaic panel array; When the front end of the vehicle body reaches the upper edge of the photovoltaic panel array, the vehicle body is controlled to turn left or right at a right angle; When the front end of the vehicle body moves to the upper edge of the photovoltaic panel array, a cleaning mode coefficient N of each row of photovoltaic panels in the photovoltaic panel array is calculated, which is an integer value obtained by rounding up the quotient of the length of a photovoltaic panel in the first direction and the width of the cleaning portion in the extension direction thereof; as well as Execute the instruction set corresponding to the Nth cleaning mode, control the vehicle body to move in a straight line N times along the second direction, the set of N movement trajectories of the cleaning unit completely covers the top surface of at least one photovoltaic panel located in the same row, and the second direction is the extension direction of the upper edge line or the lower edge line of the photovoltaic panel array.

2. The robot control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of calculating the length of at least one photovoltaic panel in the first direction during the movement of the robot comprises the following steps: Using image sensors disposed on the left and right sides of the vehicle body to collect real-time images of the photovoltaic panel array, the display content of the real-time image includes at least one frame of a photovoltaic panel; Identifying from the real-time image the position of a frame of at least one photovoltaic panel arranged in a first direction in the photovoltaic panel array; Performing coordinate conversion on the real-time image to obtain the position of the frame of at least one photovoltaic panel in the world coordinate system; and The length of each photovoltaic panel in the first direction is calculated according to the position of the frame of at least one photovoltaic panel arranged in the first direction in the world coordinate system.

3. The robot control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of calculating the length of at least one photovoltaic panel in the first direction during the movement of the robot comprises the following steps: When the robot is started, the real-time value of the motor encoder is recorded for the first time; During the movement of the robot, it is determined in real time whether the front end of the robot body moves to the border of a photovoltaic panel, and if so, the real-time value of the motor encoder is recorded; According to the absolute value of the difference between the real-time values ​​of the motor encoder recorded twice, the number of revolutions of the driving wheel in the period between the two adjacent recording moments is calculated; Calculating the travel distance of the robot in the period between two adjacent recording moments according to the radius of the driving wheel and the number of revolutions of the driving wheel; as well as Calculate the length Si of the i-th photovoltaic panel in the first direction; When i=1, S1 is the sum of the travel distance between the first two recording moments and the length of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction; When i is greater than 1, Si is the travel distance between the (i+1)th recording time and the i-th recording time, or Si is the travel distance between the 2i-th recording time and the (2i-1)-th recording time.

4. The robot control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the robot's initial position is at the lower left corner of the photovoltaic panel array, The step of controlling a robot to move in a straight line along a first direction from the lower left corner of the photovoltaic panel array comprises the following steps: Adjusting the position of the vehicle body so that the front direction of the vehicle body is consistent with the first direction, so that the metal sensor on the left side of the vehicle body is located directly above a metal frame of a photovoltaic panel; Starting a driving motor in the vehicle body to control the vehicle body to move along a first direction; and It is determined in real time whether the metal sensor on the left side of the vehicle body continues to generate an electrical signal. If not, the vehicle body is controlled to fine-tune the direction of travel until the metal sensor on the left side of the vehicle body generates an electrical signal again.

5. The robot control method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The following steps are also included: During the movement of the robot, it is determined in real time whether the metal sensor on the right side of the vehicle body generates an electrical signal. If so, it is determined that the front end of the vehicle body moves above the frame of a photovoltaic panel, and the real-time value of the motor encoder at this moment is recorded.

6. The robot control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the initial position of the vehicle body is located at the lower right corner of the photovoltaic panel array, The step of controlling the vehicle body to move straightly along a first direction from the lower right corner of the photovoltaic panel array comprises the following steps: Adjusting the position of the vehicle body so that the front of the vehicle body faces the first direction and the metal sensor on the right side of the vehicle body is located directly above a metal frame of a photovoltaic panel; Starting a driving motor in the vehicle body to control the vehicle body to move along a first direction; During the movement of the vehicle, it is determined in real time whether the metal sensor on the right side of the vehicle continues to generate an electrical signal. If not, the vehicle is controlled to fine-tune the direction of movement until the metal sensor on the left side of the vehicle generates an electrical signal again.

7. The robot control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: During the movement of the vehicle, it is determined in real time whether the metal sensor on the left side of the vehicle generates an electrical signal. If so, it is determined that the front end of the vehicle moves above the frame of a photovoltaic panel and the real-time value of the motor encoder at that moment is recorded.

8. The robot control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of controlling the vehicle body to move straight along the second direction N times specifically comprises the following steps: a straight travel control step, controlling the vehicle body to travel straight along a second direction; and The U-turn control step is to determine whether the cleaning task is completed when the front end of the vehicle body moves to the left or right line of the photovoltaic panel array; if so, the vehicle body is controlled to stop moving; if not, the vehicle body is controlled to turn left or right in a U-turn and return to the straight control step.

9. A data processing device, characterized in that: include A memory for storing executable program codes; as well as A processor is connected to the memory, and runs a computer program corresponding to the executable program code by reading the executable program code, so as to execute the robot control method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A robot, characterized in that: Comprising a data processing device as claimed in claim 9.

11. The robot according to claim 10, characterized in that: include: The vehicle body is capable of traveling on an array of photovoltaic panels; A cleaning portion is provided at the front end or the rear end of the vehicle body, and an extending direction of the cleaning portion is perpendicular to a moving direction of the vehicle body; and A frame position acquisition device is installed on the vehicle body to collect frame position data of at least one photovoltaic panel arranged along the first direction. The data processing equipment is arranged in the vehicle body and connected to the frame position acquisition device.

12. The robot according to claim 11, characterized in that Each photovoltaic panel has a metal frame at the edge; The frame position acquisition device comprises Metal sensors are arranged on the left and right sides of the front end of the vehicle body; when the distance between a metal sensor and a metal frame is less than or equal to a preset threshold, the metal sensor generates and sends an electrical signal to the data processing device; A driving wheel is mounted to the bottom of the vehicle body; as well as A driving motor is connected to the driving wheel to drive the driving wheel to rotate; the driving motor includes a motor encoder connected to the data processing device.

13. The robot according to claim 12, characterized in that: The data processing device comprises: An encoder value recorder records the real-time value of the motor encoder when the drive motor is started or when the metal sensor at the front end of the vehicle body moves above the frame of a photovoltaic panel; A revolution calculator, for calculating the revolutions of the driving wheel in a period between two adjacent recorded moments according to the absolute value of the difference between two adjacent recorded real-time values ​​of the motor encoder; a distance calculator, for calculating the travel distance of the robot in a period between two adjacent recording moments according to the radius of the driving wheel and the number of revolutions of the driving wheel; and The panel length calculator calculates the length Si of the i-th photovoltaic panel in the first direction; when i=1, S1 is the sum of the travel distance between the first two recording moments and the length of the vehicle body in the front-to-back direction; when i is greater than 1, Si is the travel distance between the (i+1)th recording moment and the i-th recording moment.

14. The robot according to claim 11, characterized in that: The frame position acquisition device comprises An image sensor is disposed on the left and right sides of the vehicle body, and is used to collect real-time images of the photovoltaic panel array, wherein the real-time image includes an image of a frame of at least one photovoltaic panel; The data processing device comprises An image processor, which identifies, from the real-time image, a position of a frame of at least one photovoltaic panel arranged in a first direction in the photovoltaic panel array; and The panel length calculator calculates the length of at least one photovoltaic panel in the first direction according to the position of the frame of at least one photovoltaic panel arranged in the first direction in the real-time image.

Images