A multi-faceted photovoltaic panel sunlight automatic tracking device and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of automatic tracking of sunlight. The purpose is to propose a multi-faceted photovoltaic panel automatic tracking device for sunlight that is simple in structure, fully automatic, small in size, and low in cost. The technical solution is: a multi-faceted photovoltaic panel automatic tracking device for sunlight, characterized in that it includes a two-degree-of-rotational-freedom parallel mechanism, a multi-faceted solar receiver, and a control system; the two-degree-of-rotational-freedom parallel mechanism includes a base, a moving platform, and a first branch chain, a second branch chain, and a third branch chain connected in parallel between the base and the moving platform; the multi-faceted solar receiver is fixed on the moving platform; the multi-faceted solar receiver includes three photovoltaic panels of the same size that are vertically mounted on the moving platform in pairs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of automatic solar ray tracking, and in particular to a multi-faceted photovoltaic panel automatic solar ray tracking device and method. Background Art

[0002] Solar energy has good characteristics such as being renewable, pollution-free, and having huge energy, and its development prospects are very broad. The automatic tracking technology of solar rays is mainly used in the stage of photovoltaic panels to efficiently collect solar energy. At present, most of the photovoltaic panels on the market are equipped with photosensors such as photosensors to track the sunlight by sensing the intensity of sunlight. This not only increases the cost, but also the maintenance and inspection of the sensors also increases the operating cost. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the above-mentioned background technology and to provide a multi-faceted photovoltaic panel sunlight automatic tracking device which is simple in structure, fully automatic, small in size and low in cost.

[0004] The technical solution provided by the present invention is:

[0005] A multi-faceted photovoltaic panel solar ray automatic tracking device, characterized in that it comprises a two-degree-of-rotational-freedom parallel mechanism, a multi-faceted solar receiver and a control system; the two-degree-of-rotational-freedom parallel mechanism comprises a base, a moving platform and a first branch chain, a second branch chain and a third branch chain connected in parallel between the base and the moving platform;

[0006] The multi-faceted solar receiver is fixed on a moving platform; the multi-faceted solar receiver comprises three photovoltaic panels of the same size which are vertically mounted on the moving platform in pairs.

[0007] The three photovoltaic panels are all rectangular, and two adjacent edges of each photovoltaic panel are collinear with one edge of the other two photovoltaic panels.

[0008] The first branch chain includes, in sequence, a first DC motor fixed on a base via a short support, a first electric push rod driven by the first DC motor to perform vertical movement, a folding support column hinged on the first electric push rod and rotatable around a horizontal axis, and a first universal joint with both ends respectively fixedly connecting the folding support column and a moving platform.

[0009] The second branch chain comprises in sequence a long support column vertically fixed on the base and a second universal joint at both ends of which are respectively fixedly connected to the long support column and the moving platform.

[0010] The third branch chain includes, in sequence, a second DC motor fixed on the base, a second electric push rod driven by the second DC motor to perform vertical movement, a third universal joint with one end fixed on the second electric push rod, an intermediate support fixed on the other end of the third universal joint, and a fourth universal joint with both ends respectively fixedly connected to the intermediate support and the moving platform.

[0011] When the feed amount of the first electric push rod and the second electric push rod is zero, the lengths of the three branch chains are the same, and the moving platform is parallel to the base.

[0012] The control system is installed on a base.

[0013] The control system includes a controller, an A / D module, a battery and a voltage stabilizing module; the battery is charged by the first photovoltaic panel, the second photovoltaic panel and the third photovoltaic panel through the voltage stabilizing module; the A / D module, the controller, the first DC motor and the second DC motor are electrically connected to the battery respectively; the A / D module, the first DC motor and the second DC motor are signal-connected to the controller respectively.

[0014] The voltages of the first photovoltaic panel, the second photovoltaic panel and the third photovoltaic panel are input to the controller after passing through the A / D module. The controller compares the voltage differences among the first photovoltaic panel, the second photovoltaic panel and the third photovoltaic panel and calculates the motion amounts of the first DC motor and the second DC motor when there is no voltage difference among the three photovoltaic panels in combination with the kinematics of the parallel mechanism. The calculated motion amounts are sent to the first DC motor and the second DC motor through the controller, and the motors are controlled in combination with the PID control algorithm.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0016] 1) This device adopts a two-degree-of-rotation parallel mechanism, which can effectively and smoothly adjust the inclination of the moving platform, thereby ensuring that the three photovoltaic panels track the sun's rays in real time, which is convenient to control, easy to maintain, and highly practical.

[0017] 2) This device abandons the additional sensor module and adjusts the inclination of the moving platform by directly detecting the voltage difference generated by the three photovoltaic panels, which reduces the cost, has strong anti-interference ability and stable detection results.

[0018] 3) This device can be used to track the direction of sunlight in a photovoltaic power station in real time, and guide other photovoltaic panels driven by the same two-degree-of-freedom parallel platform in the station to align with the sunlight, which is highly practical. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 It is a left-side structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the two-rotational-freedom parallel mechanism in the present invention (the base is omitted).

[0023] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the front view structure of the two-rotational-freedom parallel mechanism in the present invention (the base is omitted).

[0024] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the relative position structure of three photovoltaic panels in the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the connection positions between the moving platform and the first universal joint, the second universal joint and the fourth universal joint.

[0026] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the control system of the present invention.

[0027] Numbers in the figure:

[0028] 1. Multi-faceted solar receiver; 2. Moving platform; 3. First universal joint; 4. Second universal joint; 5. Fourth universal joint; 6. Third universal joint; 7. Articulated axis between folding support and first electric push rod; 8. Folding support; 9. Long support; 10. Middle support; 11. First electric push rod; 12. Second electric push rod; 13. Short support; 14. First DC motor; 15. Second DC motor; 16. Base;

[0029] 17. Three-sided groove fixture; 18. Two-sided groove fixture; 19. Bracket; 20. First photovoltaic panel; 21. Second photovoltaic panel; 22. Third photovoltaic panel 23. First fulcrum; 24. Second fulcrum;

[0030] 25. The third fulcrum. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following is a further description with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0032] For the convenience of description, Figure 2 The left side is left, the right side is right, the upper side is up, and the lower side is down. Figure 2 The direction perpendicular to the paper is forward. Figure 2 The direction perpendicular to the paper surface is inward.

[0033] like Figures 1 to 3 The multi-faceted photovoltaic panel automatic sunlight tracking device shown includes a two-rotational freedom parallel mechanism, a multi-faceted solar receiver and a control system.

[0034] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the two-rotational-freedom parallel mechanism includes a base 16, a moving platform 2, and a first branch chain, a second branch chain, and a third branch chain connected in parallel between the base and the moving platform; wherein the moving platform has two degrees of freedom, and can swing around a horizontal axis in the front-to-back direction and around a horizontal axis in the left-to-right direction, respectively.

[0035] The first branch chain includes a short support 13, a first DC motor 14, a first electric push rod 11, a folding support 8 and a first universal joint 3 connected in sequence. The first DC motor is fixed to the base through the short support; the first electric push rod is driven by the first DC motor to move vertically; the folding support can be hinged on the first electric push rod rotatably around a horizontal axis (that is, the folding support can move in a vertical plane, Figure 2 The hinge shaft 7 between the middle folding support and the first electric push rod is horizontally arranged along the front-rear direction); the two ends of the first universal joint are respectively fixedly connected to the folding support and the moving platform.

[0036] The second branch chain comprises a long support 9 and a second universal joint 4. The long support is vertically fixed on the base; the two ends of the second universal joint are respectively fixedly connected to the long support and the moving platform.

[0037] The third branch chain includes a second DC motor 15, a second electric push rod 12, a third universal joint 6, an intermediate pillar 10 and a fourth universal joint 5 which are connected in sequence. The second DC motor is fixed on the base; the second electric push rod is driven by the second DC motor to move vertically; one end of the third universal joint is fixed on the second electric push rod, and the other end is fixedly connected to the intermediate pillar; the two ends of the fourth universal joint are respectively fixedly connected to the intermediate pillar and the moving platform.

[0038] In the above three branches, the first DC motor and the first electric push rod, and the second DC motor and the second electric push rod all adopt a screw transmission method. During operation, if the feed amount of the first electric push rod and the second electric push rod are both zero, the lengths of the three branches are the same, and the moving platform is parallel to the base. Preferably, the connection position between the moving platform and the first universal joint (i.e. Figure 8 The first fulcrum 23 in the figure), the connection position between the moving platform and the second universal joint (i.e. Figure 8 The second fulcrum 24 in the figure) and the connection position between the moving platform and the fourth universal joint (i.e. Figure 8 The third support point 25 in the figure is located at the three vertices of the right triangle (see Figure 8 ); In this embodiment, the connection position between the moving platform and the second universal joint is located at the right-angled vertex of the right-angled triangle.

[0039] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the multi-faceted solar receiver is fixed on the moving platform by a bracket 19 to receive and track sunlight. Figure 6 As shown, the multifaceted solar receiver includes three photovoltaic panels (i.e., a first photovoltaic panel 20, a second photovoltaic panel 21, and a third photovoltaic panel 22) of the same size and perpendicular to each other; the three photovoltaic panels are all rectangular, and the three photovoltaic panels are connected and assembled by three two-sided groove fixtures 18 and one three-sided groove fixture 17, so that two adjacent edges of each photovoltaic panel are collinear with one edge of the other two photovoltaic panels.

[0040] The control system is installed on the base, and includes a controller (preferably a single chip microcomputer), an A / D module, a battery and a voltage stabilizing module. Figure 8 As shown, the A / D module, the controller, the first DC motor and the second DC motor are electrically connected to the battery respectively; the A / D module, the first DC motor and the second DC motor are signal-connected to the controller respectively. The battery can be charged by the first photovoltaic panel, the second photovoltaic panel and the third photovoltaic panel. The battery supplies power to the controller, the first DC motor and the second DC motor. The voltage of the first photovoltaic panel, the second photovoltaic panel and the third photovoltaic panel is input to the controller after passing through the A / D module, and the output signal controls the first and second DC motors after being calculated by the control algorithm.

[0041] All of the above components can be purchased from outside. When working, the controller collects the voltage digital signals generated by the three photovoltaic panels after conversion by the A / D module, calculates their relative difference, and combines the kinematics of the parallel mechanism to calculate the movement of the first DC motor and the second DC motor when there is no voltage difference between the three photovoltaic panels. Then, the two DC motors are regulated by the PID algorithm to drive the corresponding electric push rods to extend or contract, thereby driving the dynamic platform to rotate in two degrees of freedom, adjusting the tilt angle of the multi-faceted solar receiver, and realizing the automatic tracking of the photovoltaic panel to the sun's rays.

[0042] The specific processing flow of the control system is as follows:

[0043] With the slight change in the direction of the sun's rays, the output voltage of the three photovoltaic panels also changes, generating a voltage difference. The voltage signal is digitized by the A / D conversion module and transmitted to the controller, which processes it using the median average filter method (also known as the pulse interference-proof average filter method). When the processed numerical signal reaches a certain amplitude, it drives two DC motors to adjust the angle of the multi-faceted solar receiver so that the output voltage of the three photovoltaic panels can be balanced again, completing an adjustment cycle. This continuous adjustment, always following the sun's trajectory, forms a closed-loop negative feedback system, and can achieve the real-time automatic tracking function of the sun's rays.

[0044] The working mode of this device is:

[0045] Place the device upright on an open ground with nothing covering it from the sun. When the sun shines, if the three photovoltaic panels generate a voltage difference, the device is not facing the sun. After processing the voltage signals obtained from the three photovoltaic panels, the controller controls the rotation speed and direction of the two DC motors, and adjusts the feed amount of the first electric push rod and the second electric push rod respectively. Through the mutual cooperation of the universal joints and the folding struts, the tilt angle of the moving platform is adjusted, so that the multi-faceted solar receiver always faces the sun.

[0046] Specifically, assuming that the multi-faceted solar receiver needs to be tilted to the right front and lower side, the device controls the rotation speed and direction of the first DC motor 14 and the second DC motor 15 so that the feed amount of the second electric push rod 12 is greater than the feed amount of the first electric push rod 11 (the difference in the feed amounts of the two electric push rods is proportional to the voltage difference between the photovoltaic panels). At this time, the folding support 8 will bend to the right, and the third universal joint 6 will drive the middle support 10 to bend to the right front, so that the folding support 8 and the middle support 10 can achieve relative two-degree-of-freedom rotation. At the same time, the first universal joint 3, the second universal joint 4 and the fourth universal joint 5 are adaptively bent to achieve position adjustment of the multi-faceted solar receiver.

[0047] Finally, it should be noted that the above examples are only specific embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and many variations are possible. All variations that can be directly derived or associated with the content disclosed by a person skilled in the art should be considered as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-faceted photovoltaic panel sun ray automatic tracking device, characterized in that: It comprises a two-rotational-freedom parallel mechanism, a multi-faceted solar receiver and a control system; the two-rotational-freedom parallel mechanism comprises a base (16), a moving platform (2) and a first branch chain, a second branch chain and a third branch chain connected in parallel between the base and the moving platform; The multi-faceted solar receiver is fixed on the moving platform; the multi-faceted solar receiver comprises three photovoltaic panels of the same size which are vertically mounted on the moving platform in pairs; The first branch chain comprises, in sequence, a first DC motor (14) fixed to a base via a short support (13), a first electric push rod (11) driven by the first DC motor to move vertically, a folding support (8) hingedly connected to the first electric push rod rotatably around a horizontal axis, and a first universal joint (3) with two ends respectively fixedly connecting the folding support and the moving platform; The second branch chain comprises, in sequence, a long support (9) vertically fixed on the base and a second universal joint (4) at both ends of which are respectively fixedly connected to the long support and the moving platform; The third branch chain comprises, in sequence, a second DC motor (15) fixed on the base, a second electric push rod (12) driven by the second DC motor to move vertically, a third universal joint (6) fixed at one end to the second electric push rod, an intermediate support (10) fixed at the other end of the third universal joint, and a fourth universal joint (5) whose two ends are respectively fixedly connected to the intermediate support and the moving platform.

2. The multi-faceted photovoltaic panel sun ray automatic tracking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the feed amount of the first electric push rod and the second electric push rod is zero, the lengths of the three branch chains are the same, and the moving platform is parallel to the base.

3. The multi-faceted photovoltaic panel sun ray automatic tracking device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The connection position between the moving platform and the first universal joint, the connection position between the moving platform and the second universal joint, and the connection position between the moving platform and the fourth universal joint are respectively located at three vertices of a right triangle.

4. The multi-faceted photovoltaic panel sun ray automatic tracking device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The control system is installed on a base.

5. The multi-faceted photovoltaic panel sun ray automatic tracking device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The control system includes a controller, an A / D module, a battery and a voltage stabilizing module; the battery is charged by the first photovoltaic panel, the second photovoltaic panel and the third photovoltaic panel through the voltage stabilizing module; the A / D module, the controller, the first DC motor and the second DC motor are electrically connected to the battery respectively; the A / D module, the first DC motor and the second DC motor are signal-connected to the controller respectively.

6. A method for tracking sunlight using the multi-faceted photovoltaic panel automatic sunlight tracking device of claim 5, characterized in that: The voltages of the first photovoltaic panel, the second photovoltaic panel and the third photovoltaic panel are input to the controller after passing through the A / D module. The controller compares the voltage differences among the first photovoltaic panel, the second photovoltaic panel and the third photovoltaic panel and calculates the motion amounts of the first DC motor and the second DC motor when there is no voltage difference among the three photovoltaic panels in combination with the kinematics of the parallel mechanism. The calculated motion amounts are sent to the first DC motor and the second DC motor through the controller, and the motors are controlled in combination with the PID control algorithm.

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