Photovoltaic power station unmanned inspection system based on rope suspension camera device

Abstract

A photovoltaic power station unmanned inspection system based on a rope suspension camera device comprises a rope traction unmanned inspection module and an image processing system. Wherein the rope traction unmanned inspection module comprises a rope, a rope supporting device, a rope movement execution and control device and a camera device. According to the system, the camera device is hung by the rope system, and the camera device is driven to move by taking up and paying off the rope, so that unmanned inspection of the photovoltaic power station is realized. The scheme is not limited by no-fly zones and complex environment changes such as terrains, flexible inspection of the photovoltaic power station can be achieved, the method can adapt to most weather conditions, and the operation and maintenance cost of the unmanned inspection system is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned inspection, and in particular to an unmanned inspection system for a photovoltaic power station. Background Art

[0002] Photovoltaic power station is a power station that uses solar panels to convert solar energy into electrical energy. The existing inspection technology of photovoltaic power stations is mainly achieved through manual inspection and ground track robot inspection, combined with image processing technology. Image processing technology is a kind of computer-aided inspection.

[0003] Manual inspection requires a lot of manpower and time, is costly and inefficient. Although robot inspection can improve efficiency, it cannot be applied to photovoltaic power stations arranged on sites with steep slopes and variable terrain.

[0004] In the field of drone technology, there have been some attempts to use drones to inspect photovoltaic power plants. Drones fly under remote control and take high-resolution photos and videos. Through image processing and analysis, they can be used to automatically identify faults and abnormal conditions in photovoltaic power plants. However, drones are only suitable for non-restricted flight areas and locations with good terrain; their inspection and control are more complicated; their flight time is short, they are highly dependent on batteries, and they cannot adapt to continuous high-intensity inspection operations, and their operation and maintenance costs are high; in addition, they are also affected by weather such as strong winds. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present disclosure provides an unmanned inspection system for photovoltaic power stations based on a rope-suspended camera device, which uses a fixed-route and retractable rope system to suspend a camera to achieve unmanned inspection of photovoltaic power stations. This solution is not restricted by no-fly zones and complex environmental changes such as terrain, and can achieve flexible inspection of photovoltaic power stations and adapt to most weather conditions; because it follows the rope and runs along a fixed route, the intelligent control and analysis system can be indoors, and only the camera with automatic zoom is outdoors, which has low energy consumption and low battery requirements, which generally improves the safety of the unmanned maintenance system, has lower technical requirements for equipment, and reduces equipment costs.

[0006] The unmanned inspection system for photovoltaic power stations based on a rope-suspended camera device provided by the present disclosure includes:

[0007] Rope traction unmanned inspection module, and image processing system; including:

[0008] The rope traction unmanned inspection module includes: a rope, a rope support device, a rope motion execution and control device, and a camera device, wherein:

[0009] The camera device is used to obtain the photovoltaic electric field image and transmit the image to the image processing system;

[0010] The rope is used to mount the camera device;

[0011] The rope motion execution and control device is used to drive the rope to move, thereby driving the camera lens mounted on the rope to scan the photovoltaic power station along the motion trajectory;

[0012] The rope support device is used to provide support for the rope, and to maintain a certain distance between the camera device and the photovoltaic panels on the top surface of the photovoltaic power station during the movement of the rope;

[0013] The rope traction unmanned inspection module is provided in a number according to the size of the photovoltaic station;

[0014] The image processing system is used to analyze and process the acquired images and identify faulty photovoltaic modules.

[0015] Furthermore, the rope support device in the rope-pulling unmanned inspection module adopts a support column;

[0016] Each of the rope traction unmanned inspection modules comprises:

[0017] Four supporting columns are located at the four corners of the inspection area;

[0018] Four sections of ropes for mounting camera devices, one end of each section of rope is connected to the camera device from different directions, and the other end is supported by the column and connected to the respective rope motion actuator;

[0019] The rope motion actuator uses an electric motor to perform the retraction and release operations on the connected rope;

[0020] The control device is used to plan the operating route of the camera device and coordinate the rope retraction and release of each motor, so that the camera device can move along the planned route and complete the scanning of the inspection area.

[0021] Furthermore, the rope is a steel bar rope.

[0022] Furthermore, the support column itself can be extended in height, and is in a shortened state during non-inspection periods, so as not to affect the lighting of the photovoltaic panels and avoid lightning in thunderstorms, and can be raised when inspections are required;

[0023] Steering pulleys are installed on the top and bottom of the supporting column to facilitate the rope retraction and release movement.

[0024] Furthermore, the camera device is provided with an ultra-wide-angle automatic zoom lens and an infrared camera, and is capable of taking visual photos and / or infrared photos of the photovoltaic panels along the running track.

[0025] Furthermore, the image processing system is used for:

[0026] Through image stitching technology, the running path images can be seamlessly stitched together to form an overall picture;

[0027] Based on optical image and / or infrared image recognition, the operation of photovoltaic panels can be checked and faulty photovoltaic modules can be found.

[0028] Furthermore, the image processing system is also used to: mark the identified faulty photovoltaic components on the system content graph, and report the position coordinate numbers of the related components to achieve rapid fault location.

[0029] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: (1) it can be widely used in the field of photovoltaic power station monitoring systems in restricted flight areas, areas with complex terrain, urban roofs, etc., improving the adaptability of unmanned inspection systems in complex environments and terrains; (2) it can adapt to most weather conditions; (3) the camera device can reach any point in the inspection area and stay for any time under the traction of a rope, improving the system's flexible inspection capabilities for key areas; (4) compared with drone inspection systems, it has reduced dependence on batteries, can adapt to continuous high-intensity inspection operations, and effectively reduces system costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent through a more detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals generally represent like components throughout the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall layout of an embodiment according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0033] The present disclosure provides an unmanned inspection system for photovoltaic power plants based on a rope-suspended camera device. The unmanned inspection equipment in the system can be expanded in a modular form and arranged in multiple points according to the size of the photovoltaic station.

[0034] 1. Rope traction unmanned inspection module

[0035] (1) Camera device

[0036] In the exemplary embodiment, a camera is used as the imaging device.

[0037] Preferably, the camera has infrared and / or visible light high-definition camera functions, and is equipped with an ultra-wide-angle automatic zoom lens and an infrared lens, and can take visual and infrared photos of photovoltaic panels under the running track. In one embodiment, the camera uses a high-resolution camera to clearly capture the operation of the photovoltaic power station; the lens uses a wide-angle lens to cover most areas of the photovoltaic power station; the camera size is 10cm*10cm*10cm and the weight is 1kg.

[0038] Preferably, the camera is equipped with a wireless communication module and / or a wired connection module, which can be connected to a signal receiving host in the power station control room via WiFi to realize wireless data transmission function; a wired connection module and a charging module can also be set in the camera device to perform wired data transmission and charging.

[0039] (2) Ropes, rope support devices, and rope motion execution and control devices

[0040] a. In the exemplary embodiment, the rope is preferably a high-strength steel rope that can withstand the weight of the camera and wind force. The length and diameter of the rope are determined according to the conditions of the photovoltaic station.

[0041] b. In the exemplary embodiment, the rope support device preferably supports columns. The support columns are fixed to the periphery of the photovoltaic power station through a foundation, and a certain distance is maintained between the camera and the photovoltaic panels on the top of the photovoltaic power station during the movement of the rope, so as to facilitate the movement of the camera to take pictures. Preferably, the top and bottom of the rope support column are equipped with steering pulleys to facilitate the movement of the rope. Preferably, the rope support column itself can be extended and retracted in height, and is in a shortened state during non-inspection, which does not affect the lighting of the photovoltaic panel. When inspection is required, the rope support columns are raised at the same time, and the column height is adjusted appropriately according to demand.

[0042] c. In an exemplary embodiment, the rope motion execution and control device includes: a motor, a sensor and a control system, wherein: one end of the rope is connected to the motor, and the rope is supported by a rope support column in the middle, so that it can be freely retracted and extended under the drive of the motor; the motor realizes coordinated operation through the control system, controls the retraction and extension of the rope, and then realizes the control of the camera position, and realizes a comprehensive inspection of the photovoltaic panels of the photovoltaic power station; the control system plans the camera operation route through the front projection of the photovoltaic power station, and realizes the extension and retraction of the rope by controlling the motor, so that the camera can move and inspect along the planned route.

[0043] In one implementation, the motor is a stepper motor that can accurately control the extension and retraction of the rope; the sensor model is SG-100 that can measure the length of the rope; the control system model is PLC-500 that can control the start and stop and speed of the motor.

[0044] The control system includes a path planning unit that can plan the movement path of the camera to ensure that the camera can cover all areas of the photovoltaic power station.

[0045] d. Overall layout

[0046] In one embodiment, each inspection module includes: two columns and a rope, with the columns being located at both ends of the inspection area; a camera is mounted in the middle of the rope, with both ends being supported by the columns and moving downward along the columns, and connected to a motor that drives the rope to be retracted and extended, driving the camera to move back and forth to obtain images of the inspection area.

[0047] In another embodiment, in order to expand the inspection range of the camera, as shown in the attached Figure 1 As shown, each inspection module includes: four columns, which are respectively arranged at the four corners of the inspection area; and four ropes, one end of the steel wire rope of each rope is connected to the camera, and the other end is supported by a column and connected to the corresponding motor; the control system coordinates the retraction and release of the ropes of the four motors, so that the camera device can move along the planned route to complete the scanning of the inspection area.

[0048] 2. Image processing system

[0049] In the present disclosure, the image processing system analyzes the overall operation status of the photovoltaic power station through visual recognition, checks the operation status of the photovoltaic panels through infrared photography, and realizes seamless stitching of the operation path images through image stitching technology to form an overall picture. It further identifies the faulty photovoltaic components based on the image, marks them on the system content graphics, and reports the coordinate numbers of the relevant components to quickly locate the fault.

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, the image processing system includes an image acquisition module, an image processing module and an anomaly detection module. The image acquisition module is used to acquire images and videos captured by a camera in real time. The model of the image processing module is GPU-300, which can quickly process a large amount of image and video data. The model of the anomaly detection module is AI-100, which can use a deep learning algorithm to identify faults and abnormal conditions of a photovoltaic power station.

[0051] Taking the above inspection system with four columns as an example, the inspection process is as follows:

[0052] The control device controls four motors to retract or release the ropes, so that the camera moves along the planned path;

[0053] The camera captures the operation of the photovoltaic power plant and transmits the image and video data to the image processing system;

[0054] After the first run, the image processing system will automatically number the photovoltaic modules according to the captured images, and the numbers can be adjusted manually;

[0055] The image processing system analyzes data in real time and promptly detects faults and abnormalities in the photovoltaic power station;

[0056] If an abnormal situation is detected, the image processing system will immediately issue an alarm and notify relevant personnel to handle it.

[0057] The above technical scheme is only an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, it is easy to make various types of improvements or modifications based on the application methods and principles disclosed in the present invention, and it is not limited to the method described in the above specific embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the method described above is only preferred and does not have a restrictive meaning.

Claims

1. An unmanned inspection system for photovoltaic power stations based on a rope-suspended camera device, characterized in that: include: Rope traction unmanned inspection module, and image processing system; including: The rope traction unmanned inspection module includes: a rope, a rope support device, a rope motion execution and control device, and a camera device, wherein: The camera device is used to obtain the photovoltaic electric field image and transmit the image to the image processing system; The rope is used to mount the camera device; The rope motion execution and control device is used to drive the rope to move, thereby driving the camera lens mounted on the rope to scan the photovoltaic power station along the motion trajectory; The rope support device is used to provide support for the rope, and to maintain a certain distance between the camera device and the photovoltaic panels on the top surface of the photovoltaic power station during the movement of the rope; The rope traction unmanned inspection module is provided in a number according to the size of the photovoltaic station; The image processing system is used to analyze and process the acquired images and identify faulty photovoltaic modules.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The rope support device in the rope traction unmanned inspection module adopts a support column; Each of the rope traction unmanned inspection modules comprises: Four supporting columns are located at the four corners of the inspection area; Four sections of ropes for mounting camera devices, one end of each section of rope is connected to the camera device from different directions, and the other end is supported by the column and connected to the respective rope motion actuator; The rope motion actuator uses an electric motor to perform the retraction and release operations on the connected rope; The control device is used to plan the operating route of the camera device and coordinate the rope retraction and release of each motor, so that the camera device can move along the planned route and complete the scanning of the inspection area.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The rope is a steel bar rope.

4. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that The support column itself can be extended in height and is in a shortened state when not in inspection, so as not to affect the lighting of the photovoltaic panels and avoid lightning in thunderstorms, and can be raised when inspection is required; Steering pulleys are installed on the top and bottom of the supporting column to facilitate the rope retraction and release movement.

5. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The camera device is provided with an ultra-wide-angle automatic zoom lens and an infrared camera, and can take visual photos and / or infrared photos of the photovoltaic panels under the running track.

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The image processing system is used for: Through image stitching technology, the running path images can be seamlessly stitched together to form an overall picture; Based on optical image and / or infrared image recognition, the operation of photovoltaic panels can be checked and faulty photovoltaic modules can be found.

7. The system according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that: The image processing system is also used to: mark the faulty photovoltaic components on the system content graphics according to the identified faulty photovoltaic components, and report the position coordinate numbers of the relevant components at the same time to achieve rapid fault location.

Images