Photovoltaic module cleaning robot and obstacle crossing method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a photovoltaic module cleaning robot, which comprises a walking suspension, a suspension type cleaning assembly, walking wheels and guide wheels, the walking wheels and the guide wheels are installed on the walking suspension; the walking suspension is two pieces, which are distributed at two ends of the cleaning robot and are connected through a central connecting rod; the axis of the walking wheel is parallel to the axis of the central connecting rod; an inclination sensor is arranged on the walking suspension at the two ends. The application further discloses an obstacle crossing method of the cleaning robot. By using the above technical scheme, the overall structure of the cleaning robot is simple, the cost is low, the cleaning robot can automatically adapt to the complex working conditions of the connecting bridge between the photovoltaic module arrays, has strong obstacle crossing ability, and can improve the passing capacity and working efficiency of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot, and can also reduce the on-site manual construction cost in the deployment process and application process of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of renewable energy engineering, specifically relating to solar photovoltaic technology. More specifically, this invention relates to a photovoltaic module cleaning robot. This invention also relates to an obstacle-crossing method for this cleaning robot. Background Technology

[0002] Solar energy, as a green energy source, is widely used in various fields. Photovoltaic modules, as the most important unit in solar power generation, are directly affected by the intensity of sunlight. However, over long-term use, excessive dust and other contaminants accumulate on the external surface of photovoltaic modules, reducing light transmittance and consequently decreasing photoelectric conversion efficiency. Therefore, regular cleaning of photovoltaic modules is an indispensable and crucial step in ensuring the power generation efficiency of photovoltaic power plants.

[0003] During the actual installation and laying of photovoltaic power stations, it is quite common for adjacent photovoltaic array modules to have inconsistent tilt angles and heights due to geographical constraints. Between photovoltaic arrays with inconsistent tilt angles, the connecting bridges at the upper and lower ends belong to two different planes, while the four wheels of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot with a rigid body must be on the same plane. When crossing the misaligned tilt angle connecting bridge 21, the walking wheels are very likely to be suspended in the air.

[0004] When the robot needs to navigate the steep, angled arch of a connecting bridge, the brush of a traditional rigid-body photovoltaic module cleaning robot is prone to interference with the sharp corner of the arch, causing the robot's chassis to scrape against the bottom. This can easily lead to the robot failing to overcome obstacles and thus being unable to complete the automatic cleaning task properly.

[0005] In terms of robot automatic control technology, traditional rigid-body cleaning robots have difficulty detecting whether the robot is currently in the process of crossing obstacles. In actual products, the obstacle crossing process and normal robot operation often use the same set of motion controllers and control parameters. The robot will only attempt to retreat and reset when it fails to cross the obstacle and will issue a fault alarm when the robot is stuck.

[0006] In summary, existing photovoltaic cleaning technologies have the following drawbacks:

[0007] 1. The main body of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot is a rigid structure, which can only adapt to photovoltaic modules arranged in a plane or non-planar with a small degree of misalignment;

[0008] 2. When there is a large angle difference or height difference between adjacent photovoltaic modules, as well as working scenarios at the bottom and top of slopes with large tilt angles, it is necessary to build staggered connecting bridges with different tilt angles or large tilt angle connecting bridges on site.

[0009] 3. When the robot traverses these obstacles, the rigid frame's walking mechanism is prone to malfunctions such as wheels dangling in the air or chassis scraping the bottom, causing the robot to be unable to complete the cleaning task.

[0010] 4. In current applications of photovoltaic module cleaning robots, manual on-site construction is often required to manually adjust parameters such as the tilt angle and misalignment height of the photovoltaic modules in a row. This results in high labor intensity and high construction costs.

[0011] Using keywords such as "photovoltaic; cleaning; robot; obstacle crossing," a search of existing publicly available technical literature yielded the following results:

[0012] 1. Chinese patent document: "A device for overcoming obstacles and hurdles for a photovoltaic automatic cleaning robot", patent (application) number 201721572537.0; the technical solution described therein is:

[0013] The "obstacle-crossing device for photovoltaic automatic cleaning robots" has a brush body that is placed flat on the assembled photovoltaic module. The cleaning robot drives the brush body to move forward or backward along the lateral extension direction of the assembled photovoltaic module. An obstacle-crossing device is arranged on the brush body. The obstacle-crossing device is perpendicular to the brush body. The obstacle-crossing device is placed at the edge of the assembled photovoltaic module.

[0014] The technical effects described are:

[0015] "It can prevent the automatic cleaning robot from slipping off the photovoltaic panels, and the length of its crossbeam is more than twice the width of the brush body, which further improves its ability to overcome obstacles."

[0016] 2. Chinese patent document: "A photovoltaic module cleaning robot and its obstacle-crossing control method and device", patent (application) number 201910062807.0; the technical solution described therein is:

[0017] The "photovoltaic module cleaning robot and its obstacle-crossing control method and device" control the lower motor of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot to reverse and the lower limit wheel of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot to reverse when the photovoltaic module cleaning robot gets stuck over an obstacle. At the same time, it controls the upper motor of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot to stop running and the upper limit wheel of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot to be de-driven. This allows the photovoltaic module cleaning robot to gradually return to a horizontal state. After determining that the photovoltaic module cleaning robot meets the conditions for moving forward, it controls the upper and lower motors of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot to rotate forward at the same time to achieve forward movement.

[0018] The technical effects described are:

[0019] "To solve the problem that existing technologies are prone to getting stuck at the height difference between adjacent components."

[0020] However, the technical solutions provided in the aforementioned publicly available existing technical documents have not been able to solve the problems and defects in the existing technology, such as "poor obstacle crossing ability, easy occurrence of wheel suspension and chassis bottoming out, which makes the robot unable to complete the cleaning task; manual adjustment is required, resulting in high labor intensity and construction costs." Summary of the Invention

[0021] This invention provides a photovoltaic module cleaning robot, the purpose of which is to improve the obstacle-crossing ability of the cleaning robot.

[0022] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0023] The photovoltaic module cleaning robot of the present invention includes a walking suspension, a suspended cleaning component, walking wheels and guide wheels, wherein the walking wheels and guide wheels are mounted on the walking suspension; the walking suspension consists of two parts, distributed at both ends of the cleaning robot and connected by a central connecting rod; the axis of the walking wheels is parallel to the axis of the central connecting rod; tilt sensors are provided at both ends of the walking suspension.

[0024] The aforementioned walking suspension is equipped with an MCU microcontroller; the aforementioned tilt sensor is connected to the MCU microcontroller via a signal circuit.

[0025] The aforementioned walking suspension is equipped with a walking wheel drive motor; the walking wheel drive motor is connected to the walking wheel through a transmission mechanism; the walking wheel drive motor is connected to an MCU microcontroller through a control circuit.

[0026] The walking wheel is equipped with an encoder; the encoder is connected to the MCU microcontroller via a signal circuit.

[0027] The suspended cleaning assembly is connected to the central connecting rod by a cantilever hinge; the suspended cleaning assembly is equipped with a spiral roller brush; the spiral roller brush is suspended by its own weight in the center of the bottom of the cleaning robot.

[0028] A roller brush drive motor is mounted on the cantilever; the roller brush drive motor is connected to the shaft end of the spiral roller brush through a transmission mechanism; the roller brush drive motor is connected to an MCU microcontroller through a control circuit.

[0029] The top of the travel suspension is provided with multiple bearing support seats; the central link is installed on the bearing support seats and connected to them to form a free hinge, so that the central link and the travel suspension can rotate freely.

[0030] Proximity switches are installed on both the front and rear sides of the cleaning robot; the proximity switches are connected to the MCU microcontroller via signal circuits; the MCU microcontroller detects the current relative position of the cleaning robot through the proximity switches.

[0031] The walking suspension is equipped with a wireless communication module; the wireless communication module is connected to the MCU microcontroller through a signal circuit; the MCU microcontroller sends real-time working status data of the cleaning robot and receives remotely transmitted control commands through the wireless communication module.

[0032] To achieve the same inventive objective as the above-described technical solutions, this invention also provides an obstacle-crossing method for the photovoltaic module cleaning robot, the technical solution of which is as follows:

[0033] When the cleaning robot is moving normally on the surface of the photovoltaic module to perform cleaning tasks or on the connecting bridge between the parallel photovoltaic modules, the difference in readings of the tilt sensors installed in the walking suspension on both sides is less than the set threshold, and the cleaning robot enters the normal working mode.

[0034] When the cleaning robot climbs over the connecting bridge of photovoltaic modules with inconsistent tilt angles, the difference in readings of the tilt angle sensors on both sides exceeds the set threshold, and the cleaning robot enters the obstacle crossing mode. At this time, the target travel speed of the cleaning robot decreases, the sensitivity of the MCU microcontroller increases, and the central link is located at the common normal position of the center point of the walking suspension on both sides.

[0035] Since the walking suspensions on both sides of the cleaning robot can swing independently around the central link, the walking wheels on both sides of the cleaning robot can move in contact with their respective connecting bridges, thus avoiding the problem of the walking wheels being suspended in the air when the rigid walking suspension passes through the misaligned connecting bridges, and ensuring the safe operation of the cleaning robot during obstacle crossing.

[0036] When the robot climbs over a connecting bridge with a large tilt angle, the tilt angle sensor reading will gradually increase as the robot goes uphill or downhill; when the MCU microcontroller detects that the tilt angle sensor reading exceeds the set threshold, the robot enters obstacle-crossing mode.

[0037] When the cleaning robot completes an uphill or downhill process, if the MCU microcontroller detects that the tilt sensor reading is less than the set threshold, the cleaning robot will resume normal working mode.

[0038] In obstacle-crossing mode, the motion controller sensitivity increases and the target speed decreases. As the motion controller sensitivity increases, the acceleration of the walking wheel drive motor will decrease or increase when climbing or descending, thereby increasing or decreasing the output power of the walking wheel drive motor in a timely manner.

[0039] Because the cantilever of the cleaning robot can rotate freely, when the cleaning robot is climbing over the arch corner of the slope, the spiral brush will swing backward naturally under the action of friction to avoid interference, thereby avoiding the chassis of the cleaning robot from rubbing.

[0040] Once the robot has overcome the obstacle, the spiral brush will swing forward under the influence of gravity until it returns to normal operation.

[0041] The present invention adopts the above-mentioned technical solution, and its cleaning robot has a simple overall structure and low cost. It can automatically adapt to the complex working conditions of the connecting bridge between photovoltaic module arrays and has a strong obstacle crossing ability. While improving the passage ability and working efficiency of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot, it can also reduce the on-site manual construction cost during the deployment and application of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot. Attached Figure Description

[0042] The following is a brief explanation of the contents shown in the attached figure and the markings therein:

[0043] Figure 1 This is a front view of the cleaning robot structure of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 2 This is an isometric view of the cleaning robot structure of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the walking suspension in this invention;

[0046] Figure 4 Side view of the suspended cleaning assembly;

[0047] Figure 5 An isometric view of the suspended cleaning assembly;

[0048] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning robot mechanism;

[0049] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating the principle of obstacle crossing by misalignment.

[0050] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating the misaligned obstacle crossing technique.

[0051] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of obstacle crossing at large angles.

[0052] The diagram is marked as follows:

[0053] 1. Central linkage; 2. Photovoltaic modules; 3. Travel suspension; 4. Suspended sweeping components;

[0054] 21. Connect the cable tray;

[0055] 31. Suspension main structure; 32. Bearing support seat; 33. Drive motor for the travel wheel; 34. Travel wheel; 35. Guide wheel;

[0056] 41. Spiral roller brush; 42. Roller brush drive motor; 43. Cantilever;

[0057] 51. Suspension main structure; 52. Bearing support seat; 53. Encoder; 54. Travel wheel; 55. Guide wheel;

[0058] 61. Battery; 62. MCU microcontroller; 63. Wireless communication module; 64. Protective cover; 65. Proximity switch; 66. Tilt sensor; 67. Protective cover connector. Detailed Implementation

[0059] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so as to help those skilled in the art to have a more complete, accurate and in-depth understanding of the inventive concept and technical solution of the present invention.

[0060] like Figures 1 to 5 The structure of the present invention shown is a photovoltaic module cleaning robot, including a walking suspension 3, a suspended cleaning assembly 4, walking wheels 34, and guide wheels 35. The walking wheels 34 and guide wheels 35 are mounted on the walking suspension 3. The walking suspension 3 provides support for the main body of the cleaning robot and is also the power source for the robot's walking mechanism.

[0061] This invention comprises a walking module, a cleaning module, a power module, a control module, and a protective housing. The walking module, bearing housing, and protective housing are necessarily mounted on the walking suspension 3, while the power module and control module may only be installed in one set on each of the two walking suspensions.

[0062] like Figure 1 As shown, the walking module includes a walking suspension 3; the walking suspension 3 is set at both ends of the cleaning robot, and the walking suspension 3 is composed of a suspension main structure 31, walking wheels 34, walking wheel drive motors 33, guide wheels 35, bearing support seats 32, battery 61, control module and protective shell.

[0063] The walking module of the present invention is installed at the bottom of the walking suspension 3. The walking module consists of a mounting bracket, a walking wheel drive motor, a walking wheel 34, and a guide wheel 35. The guide wheel 35 is also connected to the suspension structure through the mounting bracket, but unlike the walking wheel 34 which is directly driven by the walking wheel drive motor, the guide wheel 35 can rotate freely without power.

[0064] The bottom of the walking suspension 3 is equipped with a drive motor, walking wheels 34, guide wheels 35, tilt sensor 66 and photoelectric switch (i.e. proximity switch 65), and internally contains MCU microcontroller 62, battery 61 and wireless communication module 63.

[0065] Figure 2 The main suspension structure 51, bearing support seat 52, traveling wheel 54, and guide wheel 55 are respectively equivalent to the main suspension structure 31, bearing support seat 32, traveling wheel 34, and guide wheel 35.

[0066] The cleaning module includes a suspended cleaning component 4; the suspended cleaning component 4 consists of a cantilever 43, a roller brush drive motor 42, a spiral roller brush 41, a coupling, bearings, etc.

[0067] The control module of this invention consists of an MCU microcontroller 62, a wireless communication module 63, an encoder 53, a tilt sensor 66, and a proximity switch 65. The control module is installed inside the travel suspension 3.

[0068] The distance between the two walking wheels 34 of the cleaning robot is slightly smaller than the width of the photovoltaic module array 2.

[0069] The spacing between the guide wheels 35 on both sides of the cleaning robot is slightly larger than the width of the photovoltaic module array. The axis of the guide wheels 35 is vertically downward and installed at the bottom of the main suspension structure 51. They are unpowered driven wheels to prevent the robot from falling off the photovoltaic modules and their connecting bridges.

[0070] In order to solve the problems and overcome the defects of the existing technology and achieve the invention objective of improving the obstacle-crossing ability of cleaning robots, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0071] like Figures 1 to 5 The photovoltaic module cleaning robot of the present invention has two walking suspensions 3, which are distributed at both ends of the cleaning robot and connected by a central link 1; the axis of the walking wheel 34 is parallel to the axis of the central link 1; and tilt sensors 66 are provided at both ends of the walking suspension 3.

[0072] The main body of the cleaning robot consists of a walking suspension 3, a central link 1, and a suspended cleaning assembly 4. The two walking suspensions 3 are connected to the central link 1 via free hinges, and all connecting hinges are located on the same axis. An inclination sensor 66 is rigidly fixed on the suspension main body structure 31 of the walking suspension 3 to collect the current vertical inclination angle of the walking suspension in real time.

[0073] The travel suspension 3 is connected to the central link 1 via an array of bearing seats and can rotate freely around the axis of the central link. Both the travel suspension 3 and the suspended sweeping assembly 4 can independently swing about the axis of the central link 1.

[0074] The central link 1 is hinged to the travel suspension 3 at both ends via bearing mounting seats. The central link 1 is a hollow structure, with cable routing holes at both ends connecting to the travel suspension and the suspended sweeping assembly. Cables can pass through these holes and connect to the corresponding components from inside the central link 1. Equipment cables can also pass through these holes to connect to the corresponding equipment in the travel suspension 3 and the suspended sweeping assembly 4.

[0075] The walking suspension 3 on both sides of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot is not equipped with all modules, but it is guaranteed to be equipped with walking wheels 34, walking wheel drive motors 33, guide wheels 35, bearing support seats 32, and protective shells.

[0076] The walking suspension 3 is equipped with an MCU microcontroller 62; the tilt sensor 66 is connected to the MCU microcontroller 62 through a signal circuit.

[0077] The MCU microcontroller 62 acts as the brain of the cleaning robot, transmitting real-time operating status data and receiving remotely transmitted control commands via a wireless communication module. The MCU microcontroller 62 uses the tilt sensor 66 to measure the vertical tilt angle of the current walking suspension 3 in real time. Receiving commands from the upper layer via the wireless communication module, the MCU microcontroller 62 combines data from the encoder 53, tilt sensor 66, and proximity switch 65 to generate control commands, thereby adjusting the operating status of the walking wheel drive motor 33 in real time.

[0078] The MCU microcontroller reads data from the encoder 53 and the tilt sensor 66, and determines the current motion state of the cleaning robot by collecting data from these two sensors, generating corresponding control commands to drive the walking wheel drive motor.

[0079] The aforementioned walking suspension 3 is equipped with a walking wheel drive motor 33; the walking wheel drive motor 33 is connected to the walking wheel 34 through a transmission mechanism; the walking wheel drive motor 33 is connected to the MCU microcontroller 62 through a control circuit. The walking wheel drive motor 33 drives the walking wheel 34 to rotate through a coupling and is connected to the suspension structure through a mounting bracket.

[0080] The walking wheel drive motor 33 is installed at the bottom of the suspension main structure 31. The walking wheel drive motor 33 is connected to the walking wheel 34 through a coupling and provides power to it. The walking wheel drive motor 33 is equipped with an encoder 53, which can record the rotation angle of the walking wheel 34 to obtain the motor speed information.

[0081] The traveling wheel 34 is equipped with an encoder 53; the encoder 53 is connected to the MCU microcontroller 62 via a signal circuit. The encoder 53 is mounted on the traveling wheel drive motor and is used to collect the rotational speed of the traveling wheel drive motor. The MCU microcontroller 62 collects the current rotational speed information of the traveling wheel drive motor 33 through the encoder 53.

[0082] The suspended cleaning assembly 4 consists of a cantilever 43, a roller brush drive motor 42, a spiral roller brush 41, a coupling, and bearings. The suspended cleaning assembly 4 is hinged to the central connecting rod 1 via the cantilever 43; the suspended cleaning assembly 4 is equipped with a spiral roller brush 41; the spiral roller brush 41 is suspended by its own weight at the center of the bottom of the cleaning robot.

[0083] The suspended cleaning assembly 4 has two cantilever arms 43, each with a bearing installed inside. One cantilever arm 43 is equipped with a roller brush drive motor 42, and the other with a bearing. The top ends of both cantilever arms 43 are hinged to the central connecting rod 1. The roller brush drive motor 42 drives a spiral roller brush 41 via a coupling. The other end of the spiral roller brush 41 is mounted on the cantilever arm 43 with the bearing. When the cleaning robot performs a cleaning task on the photovoltaic module 2, the roller brush drive motor 42 drives the spiral roller brush 41 to rotate according to the control commands issued by the MCU microcontroller 62, thus performing the cleaning task.

[0084] Since the central link 1 and the two side walking suspensions 3 are connected by an array of bearing support seats 32 to form a free hinge, the suspended cleaning component 4 can also independently swing freely around the axis of the central link 1. The suspended cleaning component 4 is naturally suspended at the bottom center of the cleaning robot by gravity and can rotate freely around the central axis of the central link 1.

[0085] A roller brush drive motor 42 is mounted on the cantilever 43; the roller brush drive motor 42 is connected to the shaft end of the spiral roller brush 41 through a transmission mechanism; the roller brush drive motor 42 is connected to the MCU microcontroller 62 through a control circuit.

[0086] A high-power cleaning motor, namely a roller brush drive motor 42, is installed on the cantilever 43, which drives the spiral roller brush 41 to complete the cleaning task on the surface of the photovoltaic module 2.

[0087] The top of the travel suspension 3 is provided with multiple bearing support seats 32; the travel suspension 3 is connected to the central link 1 through the array of bearing support seats 32. The central link 1 is mounted on the bearing support seats 32 and connected to them to form a free hinge, so that the central link 1 and the travel suspension 3 can rotate freely.

[0088] The central link 1 and all the connecting bearing support seats 32 are on the same straight line, forming a free hinge. Each travel suspension module 3 can swing freely with the axis of the central link 1 as the center. The bearing support seats 32 are installed in the middle position of the travel suspension 3 to provide support for the central link 1.

[0089] Proximity switches 65 are installed on both the front and rear sides of the cleaning robot; the proximity switches 65 are installed in the front and rear travel direction of the cleaning robot. The proximity switches 65 are connected to the MCU microcontroller 62 through signal circuits; the MCU microcontroller 62 detects the current relative position of the cleaning robot through the proximity switches 65.

[0090] The walking suspension 3 is equipped with a wireless communication module 63; the wireless communication module 63 is connected to the MCU microcontroller 62 through a signal circuit; the MCU microcontroller 62 sends real-time working status data of the cleaning robot and receives remotely transmitted control commands through the wireless communication module 63.

[0091] The wireless communication module 63 receives instructions remotely issued to the robot and sends out the robot's operating status parameters.

[0092] The device of the present invention comprises as follows Figure 1 As shown, the components and their functions are described below:

[0093] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the central link 1 is connected to the travel suspension 3 through the array bearing support 32 to form a free hinge; if necessary, it can also be connected to the protective cover 64 through the protective cover connector 67.

[0094] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the walking suspension 3 consists of the main suspension structure 31, bearing support seat 32, walking wheel drive motor 33, walking wheel 34, and guide wheel 35. It is specifically noted that components 3 and 5 are both walking suspensions. A swing-type photovoltaic module cleaning robot requires two sets of walking suspensions to work together to support and drive the equipment.

[0095] The main suspension structure 31 is the main frame of the walking suspension and the mechanical basis for its installation and load bearing. An array of bearing support seats 32 are mounted on the main structure, connected to the central link 1, allowing the walking suspension 3 to rotate freely around the axis of the central link 1. Each walking suspension 3 is equipped with two walking wheel drive motors 33, a total of four for the entire vehicle, which are the driving force source for the cleaning robot's movement. Each walking wheel 34 is powered by one walking wheel drive motor 33.

[0096] The walking suspension 3 is also equipped with guide wheels 35 to prevent the robot from derailing when it is traveling on the photovoltaic panels.

[0097] like Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the suspended cleaning assembly 4 consists of a spiral roller brush 41, a roller brush drive motor 42, and two cantilever arms 43. Bearings are installed inside the bottom of the cantilever arms 43. The spiral roller brush 41 is the main component for the cleaning robot to perform its cleaning work; it is mounted on the bearings of the cantilever arms 43 and powered by the roller brush drive motor 42. The spiral roller brush 41 is spiral-shaped, and its main purpose is to sweep dust off the photovoltaic panel 2 and prevent dust from being blown out during the cleaning process. The upper part of the cantilever arms 43 is hinged to the central connecting rod 1.

[0098] like Figure 4 As shown, the protective housing is installed on the outside of the suspension system to provide physical protection for the internal components, including heat insulation, sun shading, waterproofing, dust protection, and electromagnetic shielding. The specific structure of the protective housing is as follows:

[0099] The protective cover connector 67 fixes and supports the protective cover 64, and is also connected and fixed to the central connecting rod 1.

[0100] like Figure 1 As shown, the electronic components of the cleaning robot also include a battery 61, an MCU microcontroller 62, a wireless communication module 63, a proximity switch 65, a tilt sensor 66, and an encoder 53. If needed, photovoltaic panels can be additionally installed on the surface of the cleaning robot's protective cover 64 to provide power to the robot's internal battery. The protective cover 64 is protected by a protective cover connector 67.

[0101] To achieve the same inventive objective as the above-described technical solutions, this invention also provides an obstacle-crossing method for the photovoltaic module cleaning robot, the technical solution of which is as follows:

[0102] When the cleaning robot is moving normally on the surface of the photovoltaic module 2 to perform cleaning tasks or on the connecting bridge 21 between the parallel photovoltaic modules 2, the difference in readings of the tilt sensors 66 installed in the walking suspensions on both sides is less than the set threshold, and the cleaning robot enters the normal working mode.

[0103] When the readings of the tilt sensors 66 installed in the two walking suspensions 3 are small, the cleaning robot enters normal working mode.

[0104] When the cleaning robot climbs over the connecting bridge 21 of the photovoltaic modules 2 with inconsistent tilt angles, the difference in readings of the tilt angle sensors 66 on both sides exceeds the set threshold, and the cleaning robot enters the obstacle crossing mode. At this time, the target travel speed of the cleaning robot decreases, the sensitivity of the MCU microcontroller 62 increases, and the central link 1 is located at the common normal position of the center point of the walking suspension 3 on both sides.

[0105] Since the walking suspensions 3 on both sides of the cleaning robot can swing independently around the central link 1, the walking wheels 34 on both sides of the cleaning robot can move in contact with their respective connecting bridges 21, thereby avoiding the problem of the walking wheels 34 being suspended when the rigid walking suspension 3 passes through the misaligned connecting bridges 21, ensuring the safe operation of the cleaning robot during obstacle crossing.

[0106] When the robot climbs over the large tilt angle connecting bridge 21, the reading of the tilt angle sensor 66 will gradually increase when the cleaning robot is going uphill or downhill; when the MCU microcontroller 62 detects that the reading of the tilt angle sensor 66 exceeds the set threshold, the cleaning robot enters the obstacle crossing mode.

[0107] During the process of the cleaning robot going uphill or downhill, when the MCU microcontroller 62 detects that the reading of the tilt sensor 66 is less than the set threshold, the cleaning robot resumes normal working mode.

[0108] In obstacle crossing mode, the motion controller sensitivity increases and the target speed decreases. As the motion controller sensitivity increases, the acceleration of the walking wheel drive motor 33 will decrease or increase when climbing or descending, thereby increasing or decreasing the output power of the walking wheel drive motor 33 in a timely manner.

[0109] Since the cantilever 43 of the cleaning robot can rotate freely, when the cleaning robot crosses the arch corner of the slope, the spiral brush 41 will swing backward naturally under the action of friction to avoid interference, thereby avoiding the chassis of the cleaning robot from rubbing.

[0110] After the robot overcomes the obstacle, the spiral brush 41 will swing forward under the action of gravity until it returns to normal working condition.

[0111] The specific analysis is as follows:

[0112] The swing-type photovoltaic module cleaning robot of the present invention has walking suspensions on both sides that can rotate independently around the axis of the central connecting rod 1. Therefore, when the swing-type photovoltaic module cleaning robot crosses the tilted misaligned connecting bridge 21, the walking suspensions on each side can belong to two different planes, and all four walking wheels 34 can be fully in contact with the connecting bridge 21, avoiding the phenomenon of wheels being suspended in the air.

[0113] When a cleaning robot needs to traverse an arched corner at the top of a slope, the roller brush of a traditional rigid robot body is prone to interference with the arched corner, causing the robot's chassis to bottom out. However, the cantilever 43 of the cleaning robot described in this invention can rotate freely. Therefore, when the cleaning robot traverses an arched corner at the top of a slope, the spiral roller brush 41 will naturally swing backward under the action of friction to avoid interference, thereby preventing the cleaning robot's chassis from bottoming out.

[0114] The MCU microcontroller 62 reads and compares data from the tilt sensor 66 in real time to determine whether the cleaning robot is in normal working mode or obstacle-crossing mode, and then takes targeted control strategies to ensure the safe operation of the robot. Obstacle-crossing scenarios include offset tilt obstacle crossing and large tilt angle slope climbing obstacle crossing.

[0115] 1. The misaligned tilt angle refers to the phenomenon where the tilt angles of two adjacent photovoltaic modules 2 are inconsistent, resulting in inconsistent tilt angles of the connecting bridge 21 between the photovoltaic modules 2. Misaligned tilt angle obstacle crossing is the process by which the cleaning robot reaches the next adjacent photovoltaic module 2 by using the misaligned connecting bridge 21 with misaligned tilt angle characteristics.

[0116] Specifically, the following steps are included:

[0117] When the cleaning robot moves onto the misaligned connecting bridge 21, since the walking suspension 3 can rotate freely around the central link 1, the walking wheels 34 of the two walking suspensions 3 will naturally move in an angle to conform to the connecting bridge 21 under the action of gravity. The MCU microcontroller 62 detects that the tilt sensors 66 in the two walking suspensions 3 have inconsistent readings. The cleaning robot continues to move until the difference in the tilt sensor readings exceeds the threshold, at which point the cleaning robot enters obstacle-crossing mode.

[0118] After the cleaning robot enters obstacle-crossing mode, its MCU microcontroller 62 will load the motion control parameters for obstacle-crossing mode. Specifically, this manifests as: the target movement speed of the cleaning robot decreases, the motion control sensitivity increases, and the acceleration limit threshold of the cleaning robot increases.

[0119] The cleaning robot continues to move along the misaligned connecting bridge 21 until it reaches the next photovoltaic module 2. After the cleaning robot has completely passed the misaligned connecting bridge 21, the walking suspensions 3 on both sides return to parallelism, and the tilt sensors 66 in the walking suspensions 3 on both sides detect that the readings have returned to being consistent. The cleaning robot then re-enters normal working mode, completing the misaligned tilt obstacle crossing process.

[0120] 2. The large-angle slope climbing obstacle crossing refers to the situation where the heights of adjacent photovoltaic modules are inconsistent, resulting in a large vertical tilt angle, i.e., a large slope, in the connecting bridge 21 between photovoltaic modules 2. Large-angle slope climbing obstacle crossing is the process by which the robot reaches the next adjacent photovoltaic module 2 by using the large-angle connecting bridge 21 with its large vertical tilt angle characteristic.

[0121] Specifically, the following steps are included:

[0122] When the cleaning robot moves onto the large-angle connecting bridge 21, similar to the principle of obstacle crossing with offset tilt, the walking suspension will move in close contact with the surface of the connecting bridge 21, causing a sudden change in the reading of the tilt sensor 66. When the MCU microcontroller 62 detects that the reading of the tilt sensor 66 exceeds the threshold, the motion controller enters the obstacle crossing mode.

[0123] When the MCU microcontroller 62 detects that the reading of the tilt sensor 66 is lower than the threshold, the cleaning robot resumes normal operation mode.

[0124] When the cleaning robot moves to the arch of the large-angle connecting bridge 21, the spiral brush 41 contacts the arch of the connecting bridge 21. As the cleaning robot continues to move forward slowly at this time, the spiral brush 41 will swing backward under the action of friction to avoid interference with the arch of the connecting bridge 21 and causing the cleaning robot chassis to scrape against the bottom.

[0125] That is, when the swing-type photovoltaic module cleaning robot crosses the arch corner of the slope top of the large-angle connecting bridge 21, since the suspended cleaning component 4 and the central connecting rod 1 are hinged, the suspended cleaning component 4 will naturally swing backward under the action of friction when the cleaning robot crosses the obstacle, thereby avoiding the robot chassis from scraping the bottom; after the cleaning robot has completely crossed the arch corner, the spiral roller brush 41 will naturally swing forward under the action of gravity, thereby achieving automatic reset.

[0126] The cleaning robot continues forward until it crosses the arch of the large-angle connecting bridge 21. The spiral brush 41 naturally swings forward and resets under gravity. The cleaning robot continues forward until it completely crosses the entire large-angle connecting bridge 21. At this point, the tilt sensor 66 detects a second sudden change in the tilt angle reading, and the cleaning robot resumes normal operation, completing the large-angle hill-climbing and obstacle-crossing process.

[0127] like Figure 6 As shown: Simplified diagram of the mechanical principle of the swing-type photovoltaic module cleaning robot:

[0128] 1. The robot's walking wheels are powered by a walking wheel drive motor 33 and are mounted on the walking suspension 3 to form a rotating pair. An array of bearing support seats 32 are mounted on the top of the walking suspension 3, forming a rotating pair with the central link 1 of the cleaning robot. The suspended cleaning assembly 4 is hinged to the central link 1 via a cantilever 43.

[0129] See the simplified diagram illustrating the obstacle-crossing principle of the swing-type photovoltaic module cleaning robot:

[0130] 2. When the cleaning robot is in normal working mode, the two walking suspensions 3 are on the same plane and the tilt angles of the two walking suspensions 3 are consistent.

[0131] When the swing-type photovoltaic module cleaning robot is working normally on the photovoltaic panel or located on the ordinary connecting bridge 21, the walking suspensions 3 on both sides of the cleaning robot are in the same plane without significant abrupt changes. The MCU microcontroller detects that the readings of the tilt sensors 66 at both ends are consistent and without abnormal fluctuations, and the cleaning robot is in normal working mode.

[0132] 3. For example Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, since the tilt sensor 66 is rigidly connected to the walking suspension 3, when the MCU microcontroller 62 detects that the difference in readings of the tilt sensors 66 on both sides of the walking suspension 3 exceeds the threshold, the sweeping robot motion controller enters the obstacle crossing mode.

[0133] When the swing-type photovoltaic module cleaning robot is located on the misaligned connecting bridge 21, the walking suspensions on both sides of the robot are located on different planes. The MCU microcontroller detects that the readings of the tilt angle sensors at both ends are inconsistent and exceed the threshold. The robot enters the obstacle crossing mode, and the MCU microcontroller loads the corresponding motion controller and control parameters for the obstacle crossing mode.

[0134] When the robot enters the misaligned tilt bridge 21 between the photovoltaic module arrays, the walking suspensions 3 on both sides of the robot can rotate independently around the central connecting rod 1, such as Figure 8 As shown, the travel suspension 3 marked on the left travels along the surface of the connecting bridge 21 marked on the left; the travel suspension 3 marked on the right travels along the surface of the connecting bridge 21 marked on the right, thus avoiding the problem of wheels being suspended in the air caused by the traditional rigid vehicle body requiring all four wheels to be in the same plane.

[0135] After the cleaning robot completes the obstacle crossing, the two walking suspensions 3 are back on the same plane. The MCU microcontroller 62 detects that the difference in readings of the inclination angle sensors 66 on both walking suspensions 3 is less than the threshold, and the cleaning robot motion controller returns to normal working mode.

[0136] After the swing-type photovoltaic module cleaning robot passes the misaligned connecting bridge 21, the walking suspensions on both sides are back in the same plane. The MCU microcontroller detects that the readings of the tilt sensors at both ends are lower than the threshold and have returned to consistency, and the robot resumes normal operation mode.

[0137] 3. For example Figure 9 As shown, when the cleaning robot begins to enter the large-angle connecting bridge 21 between the photovoltaic module arrays 2, the walking suspension 3 changes from a straight driving state to an uphill / downhill state, and the vertical tilt angle gradually increases. During the process of the swing-type photovoltaic module cleaning robot crossing the large-angle connecting bridge 21, the vertical tilt angle of the walking suspension 3 gradually increases as the cleaning robot begins to enter the large-angle connecting bridge 21.

[0138] When the MCU microcontroller 62 detects that the readings of the tilt angle sensors 66 on both sides of the walking suspension exceed the threshold, the sweeping robot's motion controller enters obstacle-crossing mode. The MCU microcontroller then loads the corresponding motion controller and control parameters for obstacle-crossing mode.

[0139] When the cleaning robot passes over the steeply angled connecting bridge 21, the walking suspension 3 will change from an uphill / downhill state to a straight driving state, and the vertical tilt angle will gradually decrease. After the cleaning robot climbs over the steeply angled connecting bridge 21, the vertical tilt angle of the walking suspension 3 will gradually decrease.

[0140] When the MCU microcontroller 62 detects that the readings of the inclination angle sensors 66 on both sides of the walking suspension 3 are lower than the threshold, the cleaning robot motion controller resumes normal operation mode.

[0141] When the robot passes the arch of the large-angle connecting bridge 21, the suspended cleaning component 4 can rotate freely around the central connecting rod 1, and it will swing backward under the action of friction, thus avoiding the cleaning robot from bottoming out and rubbing.

[0142] Once the cleaning robot has completely passed the arch, the suspended cleaning component 4 will return to its normal working position under the influence of gravity and continue working.

[0143] The present invention has been described above by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the specific implementation of the present invention is not limited to the above-described manner. Any non-substantial improvements made using the inventive concept and technical solution of the present invention, or the direct application of the inventive concept and technical solution of the present invention to other occasions without modification, are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for an obstacle-crossing photovoltaic module cleaning robot, the photovoltaic module cleaning robot comprising a walking suspension (3), a suspended cleaning component (4), walking wheels (34) and guide wheels (35), the walking wheels (34) and guide wheels (35) being mounted on the walking suspension (3); the walking suspension (3) consists of two parts, distributed at both ends of the cleaning robot and connected by a central connecting rod (1); the axis of the walking wheels (34) is parallel to the axis of the central connecting rod (1); tilt sensors (66) are provided on both ends of the walking suspension (3); The walking suspension (3) is equipped with an MCU microcontroller (62); the tilt sensor (66) is connected to the MCU microcontroller (62) through a signal circuit; The aforementioned walking suspension (3) is equipped with a walking wheel drive motor (33); The suspended cleaning assembly (4) is hinged to the central connecting rod (1) via a cantilever (43); the suspended cleaning assembly (4) is equipped with a spiral roller brush (41); the spiral roller brush (41) is suspended by its own weight at the center of the bottom of the cleaning robot; The top of the travel suspension (3) is provided with multiple bearing support seats (32); the central link (1) is installed on the bearing support seat (32) and connected to it to form a free hinge, so that the central link (1) and the travel suspension (3) can rotate freely. Its features are, The obstacle-crossing method described above is: When the cleaning robot is moving normally on the surface of the photovoltaic module (2) to perform cleaning tasks or on the connecting bridge (21) between the parallel photovoltaic modules (2), the difference in readings of the tilt sensors (66) installed in the walking suspensions (3) on both sides is less than the set threshold one, and the cleaning robot enters the normal working mode. When the cleaning robot crosses the connecting bridge (21) of the photovoltaic modules (2) with inconsistent tilt angles, the difference in readings of the tilt angle sensors (66) on both sides exceeds the set threshold one, and the cleaning robot enters the obstacle crossing mode. At this time, the target driving speed of the cleaning robot decreases, the sensitivity of the MCU microcontroller (62) increases, and the central link (1) is located at the common normal position of the center point of the walking suspension (3) on both sides. Since the walking suspensions (3) on both sides of the cleaning robot can swing independently around the central link (1), the walking wheels (34) on both sides of the cleaning robot can move in contact with their respective connecting bridges (21), thereby avoiding the problem of the walking wheels (34) being suspended when the rigid walking suspensions (3) pass through the misaligned connecting bridges (21), ensuring the safe operation of the cleaning robot during obstacle crossing. When the robot climbs over the large tilt angle connecting bridge (21), the reading of the tilt angle sensor (66) will gradually increase when the cleaning robot is going uphill or downhill; when the MCU microcontroller (62) detects that the reading of the tilt angle sensor (66) exceeds the set threshold two, the cleaning robot enters the obstacle crossing mode. When the cleaning robot completes the uphill or downhill process, if the MCU microcontroller (62) detects that the reading of the tilt sensor (66) is less than the set threshold two, the cleaning robot will resume normal working mode. In obstacle crossing mode, the motion controller sensitivity increases and the target speed decreases. As the motion controller sensitivity increases, the acceleration of the walking wheel drive motor (33) will decrease or increase when climbing or descending, thereby increasing or decreasing the output power of the walking wheel drive motor (33) in a timely manner. Since the cantilever (43) of the cleaning robot can rotate freely, when the cleaning robot crosses the arch corner of the slope, the spiral brush (41) will swing backward naturally under the action of friction to avoid interference, thereby avoiding the chassis of the cleaning robot from rubbing. After the robot overcomes the obstacle, the spiral brush (41) will swing forward under the action of gravity until it returns to normal working condition.

2. The obstacle-crossing method of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The walking wheel drive motor (33) is connected to the walking wheel (34) through a transmission mechanism; the walking wheel drive motor (33) is connected to the MCU microcontroller (62) through a control circuit.

3. The obstacle-crossing method of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The walking wheel (34) is equipped with an encoder (53); the encoder (53) is connected to the MCU microcontroller (62) through a signal circuit.

4. The obstacle-crossing method of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: A roller brush drive motor (42) is provided on the cantilever (43); the roller brush drive motor (42) is connected to the shaft end of the spiral roller brush (41) through a transmission mechanism; the roller brush drive motor (42) is connected to the MCU microcontroller (62) through a control circuit.

5. The obstacle-crossing method of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Proximity switches (65) are provided on both the front and rear sides of the cleaning robot; the proximity switches (65) are connected to the MCU microcontroller (62) through a signal circuit; the MCU microcontroller (62) detects the current relative position of the cleaning robot through the proximity switches (65).

6. The obstacle-crossing method of the photovoltaic module cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The walking suspension (3) is equipped with a wireless communication module (63); the wireless communication module (63) is connected to the MCU microcontroller (62) through a signal circuit; the MCU microcontroller (62) sends the real-time working status data of the cleaning robot and receives remotely transmitted control commands through the wireless communication module (63).

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