Intelligent cleaning robot

Abstract

The invention provides an intelligent cleaning robot which comprises a brush assembly, a main body structure and a walking and obstacle crossing assembly, and the brush assembly comprises a brush cover, a brush roller, a brush supporting frame, a machine outer cover and a brush connecting assembly; the main body structure comprises a rotating pipe, a jacking lifting rod, an electric control box, a battery box and an outer cover supporting column; the walking and obstacle crossing assembly comprises an obstacle crossing lifting rod, a walking motor, an obstacle crossing crawler belt, an obstacle crossing belt wheel, an obstacle crossing crawler belt connecting plate, a walking crawler belt and a walking crawler belt connecting plate. The intelligent cleaning robot can efficiently clean the surface of a solar panel, and the included angle between a brush roller and a photovoltaic panel can be adjusted by adjusting the length of an adjustable screw; therefore, the photovoltaic panel assembly with different surface flatness can be adapted. The brush connecting blocks are connected through screws, the brush roller and the brush belt are very convenient and rapid to disassemble and assemble, the purpose of cleaning the solar panel is achieved through the intelligent cleaning robot, and the cleaning effect and the cleaning efficiency are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to an intelligent cleaning robot. Background Art

[0002] Solar panels convert solar energy into electrical energy, and the cleanliness of their surface directly affects the energy conversion efficiency. If dust, dirt and other pollutants accumulate on the surface of photovoltaic panels, these pollutants will reduce the light transmittance of the solar panels, thereby reducing the ability of the solar panels to absorb solar energy. In addition, dirt will also cause heat loss in the solar panels, further reducing the energy conversion efficiency. Therefore, regular cleaning of solar panels can effectively improve the energy conversion efficiency, extend the service life of solar panels, and reduce maintenance costs.

[0003] In the prior art, the cleaning solution for solar panels is in the form of manual cleaning. This solution is difficult to operate and requires human resources in Dalian. In addition, there is a lot of uncertainty in manual cleaning, and it is difficult to ensure that the final cleaning effect of each solar panel remains consistent. Ultimately, there are cleaning dead corners on the surface of some solar panels. For large areas of solar panels, the cleaning task also takes a long time. The traditional cleaning method is inefficient and can hardly meet the cleaning needs of large quantities of solar panels. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an intelligent cleaning robot to solve the problems raised in the above-mentioned background technology. The present invention achieves the cleaning goal of the solar panel through the intelligent cleaning robot, improves the cleaning effect, and has a wide range of applications.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention is implemented through the following technical scheme: an intelligent cleaning robot, including a robot body, the robot body including a brush assembly, a main structure and a walking and obstacle-crossing assembly, the brush assembly including a brush cover, a brush roller, a brush support frame, a machine cover, and a brush connecting assembly; the main structure includes a rotating tube, a lifting and lowering rod, an electric control box, a battery box, and a cover support column; the walking and obstacle-crossing assembly includes an obstacle-crossing lifting rod, a walking motor, an obstacle-crossing track, an obstacle-crossing pulley, an obstacle-crossing track connecting plate, a walking track, a walking track connecting plate, a walking track support plate, a machine bracket, and a walking pulley, and brushless motor covers are installed at both ends of the brush roller, and a brush belt is installed inside the brushless motor cover.

[0006] Furthermore, brush pulleys are inserted at both ends of the brush belt, a brush motor is installed at the rear end of one of the brush pulleys, and the other brush pulley is installed at the end of the brush roller.

[0007] Furthermore, a support plate is installed at the bottom of one end of the brushless motor housing, a thermal imaging module and a camera are installed on the side of the support plate, and a support plate is installed on the top of the support plate.

[0008] Furthermore, a fender is installed at the rear end of the brush cover, one end of the rotating tube is sleeved on the bottom of the water pipe rotating joint, and the brush roller is hidden under the brush cover.

[0009] Furthermore, the brush connecting assembly includes a brush connecting plate, a rotating plunger, a machine connecting block, and an adjusting screw. The rotating plunger passes through the surfaces of the brush connecting plate and the machine connecting block in sequence, one end of the adjusting screw is inserted into the surface of the machine connecting block, and the other end of the adjusting screw rests against the side of the brush connecting plate.

[0010] Furthermore, a brushless motor support plate is installed at the rear end of the brush pulley, and a brush belt adjustment plate is installed on the surface of the brushless motor support plate.

[0011] Furthermore, it also includes a brush connecting block, a brush belt short shaft, and a brush roller. The brush belt short shaft is installed at the end of the brush roller, and the brush connecting block is embedded in the interior of the brush roller.

[0012] Furthermore, the bottom of the robot body adopts a track-fixed structure, and a position sensor is embedded in the bottom of the robot body. The position sensor is used to detect the relative position of the machine body and the photovoltaic panel assembly, and the position sensor can feed back the detection signal to the electric control box.

[0013] Furthermore, the camera and thermal imaging module are used to detect explicit defects and implicit defects of photovoltaic modules respectively, and the lifting and lifting rod is used for the robot to lift the brush connecting assembly during the obstacle surmounting process.

[0014] Furthermore, the robot body is also equipped with an autonomous cleaning module, which includes four sub-modules: a walking distance perception module, a photovoltaic cleaning area edge perception module, a full coverage path planning algorithm module for autonomous walking on photovoltaic panels, and a cleaning area transition module.

[0015] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0016] 1. The intelligent cleaning robot can efficiently clean the surface of the solar panel. By adjusting the length of the adjustable screw, the angle between the brush roller and the photovoltaic panel can be adjusted to adapt to photovoltaic panel components with different surface flatness. The brush roller is prone to deformation and wear during long-term outdoor work, and the brush belt is prone to fatigue wear or even breakage after long-term work. The brush connection block is connected by screws, and the removal and installation of the brush roller and brush belt are very convenient and quick.

[0017] 2. The lifting rod of the intelligent cleaning robot is used to lift the brush assembly when the robot is overcoming obstacles, so as to assist the robot to walk smoothly. Driven by the walking motor, if the robot is blocked at this time, the lifting rod will drop to help the robot climb onto the array to be cleaned. When walking, the water pipe sprays water at high pressure, and the brush assembly rotates to remove the dirt on the surface of the assembly, which has higher cleaning efficiency.

[0018] 3. The intelligent cleaning robot can climb to the uncleaned area by relying on the friction of the crawler and the driving force of the walking motor; when crossing obstacles longitudinally, the machine turns 180° and relies on the friction of the machine's bevel and the lifting mechanism to assist in the upper and lower photovoltaic panel components, thereby climbing to the uncleaned photovoltaic panels, with higher maneuverability and flexibility.

[0019] 4. In the present invention, a three-way infrared tracking sensor is installed in the middle of the front end of the cleaning robot. Since black and white have different absorption degrees of infrared rays, the sensor can determine whether it is currently walking along the black guide line, thereby playing a tracking and guiding role, making the movement more accurate and reliable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the fixed fully automatic cleaning and maintenance robot of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the distributed fully automatic cleaning operation and maintenance robot of the present invention after the machine cover is removed;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the fixed fully automatic cleaning operation and maintenance robot of the present invention after the machine cover is removed;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the brush connecting component part of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the detachable brush of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a walking distance sensing module in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of an edge sensing module in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 A structural diagram of a cleaning area divided into 9 blocks in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Fig. 9 It is a structural diagram of the cleaning area after assignment in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Fig.10 A matrix diagram of the cleaning area in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Fig.11 This is a state diagram of the cleaning robot after the first walking in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Fig.12 This is a state diagram of the cleaning robot after the second walking in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Fig.13 This is a state diagram of the cleaning robot after the third walking in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Fig.14 The robot in the embodiment of the present invention switches between various areas through the guide belt;

[0034] Fig.15 This is a structural diagram of a transition guide belt to be laid between cleaning areas in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Fig.16 This is a state diagram of the sensor after returning in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Fig.17 This is a schematic diagram of guiding a robot to enter a buffer zone in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Fig.18 This is a state diagram of the robot after automatically aligning the guide line in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Fig.19 A diagram showing a robot advancing into a cleaning area in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] In the figure: 1. Brush cover; 2. Brush roller; 3. Brush support frame; 4. Machine cover; 5. Brush connection assembly; 6. Rotating tube; 7. Lifting rod; 8. Electric control box; 9. Battery box; 10. Cover support column; 11. Obstacle lifting rod; 12. Travel motor; 13. Obstacle track; 14. Obstacle pulley; 15. Obstacle track connecting plate; 16. Travel track; 17. Travel track connecting plate; 18. Travel track support plate; 19. Machine bracket; 20. Travel pulley; 21. Brushless Motor cover; 22. Brush belt; 23. Brush pulley; 24. Brush motor; 25. Support plate; 26. Thermal imaging module; 27. Camera; 28. Water pipe swivel joint; 29. ​​Fender; 30. Brush connecting plate; 31. Rotary plunger; 32. Machine connecting block; 33. Adjustment screw; 34. Brushless motor support plate; 35. Brush belt adjustment plate; 36. Brush connecting block; 37. Brush belt short shaft; 38. Brush roller; 39. Track fixed; 40. Position sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In order to make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects achieved by the present invention easy to understand, the present invention is further explained below in conjunction with specific implementation methods.

[0041] See also Figures 1 to 19 , the present invention provides the following technical solution: the intelligent cleaning robot is divided into the following three parts:

[0042] 1. Brush assembly: mainly includes brush roller 2, brush support frame 3, brush cover 1, brush motor cover, brush pulley 23 and belt, brush connection block 36, fender 29, brush connection plate 30 and other components. By adjusting the length of the adjustable screw, the angle between the brush roller 2 and the photovoltaic panel can be adjusted to adapt to photovoltaic panel components with different surface flatness. The brush roller 2 is prone to deformation and wear during long-term outdoor work, and the brush belt is prone to fatigue wear or even breakage during long-term work. The brush connection block 36 is connected by screws, and the removal and installation of the brush roller 2 and the brush belt are very convenient and quick.

[0043] The brush assembly is composed of a machine connection block 32, a brush connection plate 30, a rotary plunger 31, and an adjustment screw 33, which is convenient for disassembling the brush assembly and adjusting the angle between the brush assembly and the photovoltaic panel. In addition, the detachable brush roller 2 is mainly connected by a brush connection block 36 to connect the axis of the brush roller 2 with the short axis 37 of the brush belt through screws, which is convenient for replacing the brush roller 2.

[0044] 2. Main structure: mainly includes machine support 19, machine cover 4, cover support column 10, rotating tube 6, water pipe rotating joint 28, camera 27, thermal imaging module 26, position sensor 40, support plate, battery box 9, and electric control box 8. The camera 27 and thermal imaging module 26 respectively detect the dominant defects (cracks, bubbles, EVA delamination, etc.) and recessive defects (hot spots, hidden cracks, etc.) of photovoltaic modules. The position sensor 40 is used to detect the position of the robot walking on the photovoltaic panel. The position sensor 40 is distributed at the bottom of the machine body, mainly detecting the relative position of the machine body and the photovoltaic panel assembly, and feeding back the detection signal to the electric control box 8

[0045] 3. Walking and obstacle crossing components: It is composed of lifting and lifting rod 7, obstacle crossing lifting rod 11, walking motor 12, obstacle crossing crawler, obstacle crossing crawler connecting plate 15, walking crawler, walking crawler connecting plate 17, walking crawler support plate 18 and other components. Among them, the lifting and lifting rod 7 is used for the robot to lift the brush assembly during the obstacle crossing process to assist the robot to walk smoothly. Longitudinal obstacle crossing means that the robot crosses different arrays to be cleaned that are far apart. At this time, the robot rotates 180°, the obstacle crossing assembly is in front, and the brush assembly is in the back. Under the control of the software program, the obstacle crossing crawler first climbs up the array to be cleaned. Under the drive of the walking motor 12, if the robot is blocked at this time, the lifting and lifting rod 7 will drop to help the robot climb up the array to be cleaned. After the robot moves to the array to be cleaned, the robot rotates 180° again, with the brush assembly in front, and continues to walk according to the established program. When walking, the water pipe sprays water at high pressure, and the brush assembly rotates to remove the dirt on the surface of the assembly.

[0046] The present embodiment also provides a fixed obstacle-crossing assembly, and the fixed obstacle-crossing assembly, like the above-mentioned movable obstacle-crossing assembly, can climb onto the assembly to be cleaned by means of the friction force of the bevel when driven by the travel motor 12 .

[0047] This embodiment also provides instructions for horizontal and longitudinal obstacle crossing: when crossing horizontal obstacles, the machine is in an inclined state, and can climb to the uncleaned area by relying on the friction of the tracks and the driving force of the travel motor 12; when crossing longitudinal obstacles, the machine turns 180° and relies on the friction of the machine's bevel edges and the jacking mechanism to assist in the upper and lower photovoltaic panel assemblies, thereby climbing onto the uncleaned photovoltaic panels.

[0048] This embodiment provides the following operation process of the autonomous planning module for the cleaning process of this equipment: to realize the adaptive path planning and cleaning times setting of the cleaning robot photovoltaic panel, and the automatic transition of the cleaning area, it includes: walking distance perception module, photovoltaic cleaning area edge perception module, full coverage path planning algorithm module for autonomous walking on photovoltaic panels, and cleaning area transition four sub-modules. The execution function flow of each module is as follows:

[0049] 1. Walking distance perception module:

[0050] like Figure 6 As shown in the figure, a magnet is installed on the motor shaft, and a Hall sensor is installed at the corresponding position, so that when the motor drives the device forward, the Hall sensor can automatically record the number of revolutions of the motor, thereby converting the forward distance of the cleaning robot. Similarly, the backward distance can be recorded.

[0051] Travel distance = number of motor revolutions * circumference of travel wheels.

[0052] 2. Edge perception module:

[0053] A cleaning area is usually composed of several photovoltaic panels. The cleaning robot will often touch the edge of the photovoltaic panel when walking. At this time, the cleaning robot needs to stop moving and move forward, backward or turn. The role of the edge sensing module is to sense whether the cleaning robot has reached the edge of the photovoltaic panel.

[0054] like Figure 7 As shown, the edge perception module consists of distance sensors installed on the four corners of the cleaning robot. When the robot walks, the distance sensor returns the distance between the robot and the photovoltaic panel. When the sensor exceeds the edge of the photovoltaic panel, the returned value will exceed the set threshold, thereby sensing that the boundary has been crossed and realizing edge perception.

[0055] 3. Photovoltaic panel autonomous walking module:

[0056] This equipment adopts artificial potential field algorithm to realize full coverage path planning, and at the same time realizes the function of cleaning the cleaning area n times through parameter setting. The specific implementation steps are described as follows.

[0057] In the first step, when the cleaning robot enters the cleaning area, the algorithm first divides the cleaning area into several sub-cleaning areas. The length and width of each area are equal to the length and width of the cleaning robot. The cleaning robot calculates the walking distance through the distance perception module and senses which area the device is currently in. Figure 8 As shown, it is divided into 9 areas.

[0058] The second step is to assign a value n to each area. The value of n is equal to the number of times you want the cleaning equipment to repeat the cleaning in each cleaning area. For example, Fig. 9 As shown, it is set to 2 here, which means that each cleaning area is expected to be run twice.

[0059] This forms a 3×3 matrix. At the same time, a circle of 0 is added to the outer circle of this matrix to indicate the periphery of the cleaning area, forming a 4×4 matrix. In this way, the location of the cleaning robot has four values: up, down, left, and right. Fig.10 As shown:

[0060] The third step is to set the initial position of the cleaning robot to the upper right corner of the cleaning area, and set the walking rules of the cleaning robot as follows:

[0061] 1. The direction in which the cleaning robot walks is the direction in which the maximum of the four values ​​of up, down, left, and right are located. Fig.11 As shown:

[0062] 2. When there are two maximum values ​​among the four values ​​of up, down, left and right, set the robot's walking direction to forward. When the robot walks to the next area, the value of the previous area is reduced by 1, such as Fig.12 As shown;

[0063] 3. If the current sensor detects that the cleaning robot has exceeded the edge of the photovoltaic panel, it will execute the backward and left turn command.

[0064] According to the above steps, the cleaning robot can walk autonomously on the photovoltaic panel and clean the photovoltaic panel according to the set number of times.

[0065] 4. Transition module:

[0066] The transition module is divided into three sub-modules: transition guidance module, entering the cleaning area, and leaving the cleaning area.

[0067] 1. Transition guidance module: The robot uses the guide belt to switch between different areas, such as Fig.14 shown.

[0068] like Fig.15 As shown in the figure, a transition guide belt will be laid between each cleaning area. The guide belt has a white background, the width is equal to the width of the cleaning robot, and there is a black line in the middle. Three infrared tracking sensors are installed in the middle of the front end of the cleaning robot. Since black and white have different absorption degrees of infrared rays, the sensor can determine whether it is currently walking on the black guide line, thereby playing the role of tracking guidance.

[0069] If the cleaning robot walks along the guide line, the sensor returns (white-black-white);

[0070] If the cleaning machine deviates to the left, the sensor returns (white-white-black), and the robot is set to correct the path to the right), and vice versa if it deviates to the right.

[0071] 2. Leave the cleaning area module

[0072] A trapezoidal guide buffer component is installed between the photovoltaic panel and the guide belt to form a guide buffer zone, which is designed at the lower right corner of the cleaning area. When the cleaning is completed, the algorithm guides the robot into the lower right corner of the cleaning area. At this time, the edge of the walking matrix with the guide buffer component is assigned a value of 1, such as Fig.17 As shown, guide the robot into the buffer zone.

[0073] After entering the buffer zone, the cleaning robot moves forward. At the same time, the distance sensors installed on the front left and right will detect whether it has crossed the edge and correct its direction at any time. When reaching the end of the guide buffer zone, the robot will automatically align with the guide line.

[0074] 3. Enter the cleaning area

[0075] like Fig.19 As shown in the figure, a black horizontal line is designed at the end of the guide line. When the tracking sensor touches this line, the sensor returns to black-black-black, indicating that it will enter the cleaning area, and the robot will move forward into the cleaning area.

[0076] The basic principles and main features of the present invention and the advantages of the present invention are shown and described above. For those skilled in the art, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or basic characteristics of the present invention.

[0077] In addition, it should be understood that although the present specification is described according to implementation modes, not every implementation mode contains only one independent technical solution. This description of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment may also be appropriately combined to form other implementation modes that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. An intelligent cleaning robot, comprising a robot body, characterized in that: The robot body comprises a brush assembly, a main structure and a walking and obstacle-crossing assembly. The brush assembly comprises a brush cover (1), a brush roller (2), a brush support frame (3), a machine cover (4) and a brush connection assembly (5); the main structure comprises a rotating tube (6), a lifting and lifting rod (7), an electric control box (8), a battery box (9) and a cover support column (10); the walking and obstacle-crossing assembly comprises an obstacle-crossing lifting rod (11), a walking motor (12), an obstacle-crossing crawler (13), an obstacle-crossing pulley (14), an obstacle-crossing crawler connecting plate (15), a walking crawler (16), a walking crawler connecting plate (17), a walking crawler support plate (18), a machine support (19) and a walking pulley (20); both ends of the brush roller (2) are provided with a brushless motor cover (21), and a brush belt (22) is provided inside the brushless motor cover (21).

2. The intelligent cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Brush pulleys (23) are inserted at both ends of the brush belt (22), a brush motor (24) is installed at the rear end of one brush pulley (23), and the other brush pulley (23) is installed at the end of the brush roller (2).

3. The intelligent cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A support plate (25) is installed at the bottom of one end of the brushless motor housing (21), a thermal imaging module (26) and a camera (27) are installed on the side of the support plate (25), and a support plate (25) is installed on the top of the support plate (25).

4. The intelligent cleaning robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: A fender (29) is installed at the rear end of the brush cover (1), one end of the rotating tube (6) is sleeved on the bottom of the water pipe rotating joint (28), and the brush roller (2) is hidden under the brush cover (1).

5. The intelligent cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The brush connection assembly (5) comprises a brush connection plate (30), a rotary plunger (31), a machine connection block (32), and an adjusting screw (33); the rotary plunger (31) passes through the surfaces of the brush connection plate (30) and the machine connection block (32) in sequence; one end of the adjusting screw (33) is inserted into the surface of the machine connection block (32), and the other end of the adjusting screw (33) is pressed against the side of the brush connection plate (30).

6. The intelligent cleaning robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: A brushless motor support plate (34) is installed at the rear end of the brush pulley (23), and a brush belt adjustment plate (35) is installed on the surface of the brushless motor support plate (34).

7. The intelligent cleaning robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also comprises a brush connecting block (36), a brush belt short shaft (37), and a brush roller (38), wherein the brush belt short shaft (37) is installed at the end of the brush roller (38), and the brush connecting block (36) is embedded in the interior of the brush roller (38).

8. The intelligent cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the robot body adopts a track-fixed (39) structure, and a position sensor (40) is embedded in the bottom of the robot body. The position sensor (40) is used to detect the relative position of the machine body and the photovoltaic panel assembly, and the position sensor (40) can feed back the detection signal to the electric control box (8).

9. The intelligent cleaning robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The camera (27) and the thermal imaging module (26) are respectively used to detect explicit defects and implicit defects of the photovoltaic module, and the lifting and lifting rod (7) is used to lift the brush connection component (5) when the robot is in the process of overcoming obstacles.

10. The intelligent cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot body is also equipped with an autonomous cleaning module, which includes four sub-modules: a walking distance sensing module, a photovoltaic cleaning area edge sensing module, a full coverage path planning algorithm module for autonomous walking on photovoltaic panels, and a cleaning area transition module.

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