Automatic cleaning unmanned aerial vehicle system for distributed photovoltaic module

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic cleaning unmanned aerial vehicle system for distributed photovoltaic modules, and relates to the technical field of photovoltaic module cleaning. The system comprises a first unmanned aerial vehicle control system, a second unmanned aerial vehicle control system and a detection and recognition system. When the recognition detection system receives a cleaning instruction, the instruction is forwarded to the first unmanned aerial vehicle control system firstly, the first unmanned aerial vehicle control system dispatches a first unmanned aerial vehicle to conduct preliminary cleaning operation, and after the cleaning operation is completed, a second shot image is shot and sent back to the monitoring recognition system; and the monitoring identification system determines the second preset position according to the second shot image. The second unmanned aerial vehicle control system dispatches a second unmanned aerial vehicle to a second preset position for fixed-point cleaning, and the cleaning effect is guaranteed. The automatic cleaning system for the unmanned aerial vehicle is not limited by photovoltaic array distribution, sites and the like, secondary cleaning is conducted on the fixed position, the cleaning strength is guaranteed, and meanwhile the cleaning efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of photovoltaic component cleaning, and in particular to an automatic cleaning drone system for distributed photovoltaic components. Background Art

[0002] During the operation of solar photovoltaic modules, dust and obstructions attached to the surface reduce the conversion efficiency of photovoltaic modules and affect the power generation of photovoltaic power stations. If obstructions are attached to the surface of photovoltaic panels for a long time, it is very easy to cause the "hot spot effect". If the temperature generated by the "hot spot effect" exceeds a certain limit, it will melt the solder joints on the battery module and destroy the grid line, thus causing the entire solar cell module to be scrapped. Photovoltaic modules need to be wiped and cleaned from time to time according to the pollution situation.

[0003] At present, there are three common ways to clean photovoltaic modules: manual cleaning, mechanized cleaning, and automated cleaning. Manual cleaning is highly dangerous, and workers are at risk of electric shock; mechanized cleaning is limited to the site and is only suitable for photovoltaic modules with large rows between photovoltaic arrays; automated cleaning is mainly done by cleaning robots, such as hanging robots, crawler robots, small cleaning robots, etc., but installation and disassembly are inconvenient, and due to the low friction of photovoltaic panels, this cleaning method that relies on friction is not effective.

[0004] For the dust removal and cleaning of distributed photovoltaics, the current cleaning methods are strong and efficient, especially for small distributed photovoltaic modules, which are difficult to clean efficiently due to the limitations of site and array distribution. Therefore, new automated cleaning methods are urgently needed to solve the dust removal problem of small distributed photovoltaics. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides an automatic cleaning drone system for distributed photovoltaic components to solve the problem that the current distributed photovoltaic components, especially small distributed photovoltaic components, have insufficient dust removal and cleaning power and low efficiency.

[0006] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention provides an automatic cleaning drone system for distributed photovoltaic modules, the system comprising:

[0008] A first drone control system, used to control the first drone to arrive at a first predetermined position to perform a first cleaning operation;

[0009] A second drone control system, used to control the second drone to arrive at a second predetermined position to perform a second cleaning operation;

[0010] Monitoring and identification system, including GPS positioning unit and image processing unit;

[0011] The GPS positioning unit is used to obtain the real-time position of the UAV; the image processing unit receives a first captured image transmitted back by the first UAV before the first UAV performs a first cleaning operation, and determines the first predetermined position based on the first captured image and the real-time position of the first UAV; the image processing unit also receives a second captured image transmitted back by the first UAV after the first cleaning operation is completed, and determines the second predetermined position based on the second captured image.

[0012] The present invention establishes an automatic cleaning system for drones to control drones to complete the cleaning operation of distributed photovoltaics. Drone cleaning has the characteristics of flexible flight, is not restricted by the distribution of photovoltaic arrays, sites, etc., and can be applied to small distributed photovoltaic components; the drone has a shooting device, which can monitor the cleaning effect and ensure the completion of the cleaning operation; combined with GPS positioning and image processing technology for real-time positioning, the landing or hovering position of the drone can be accurately controlled to ensure the cleaning effect; in addition, the system of the present invention can realize fixed-point cleaning, first dispatching the first drone to clean a large area, and transmitting the image of the photovoltaic panel after cleaning to determine whether secondary cleaning is needed, and accurately locating the secondary cleaning position, cleaning the fixed position, ensuring the cleaning intensity, and improving the cleaning efficiency.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first captured image includes a landing mark, and determining the first predetermined position according to the first captured image and the real-time position of the first UAV includes:

[0014] The first captured image is grayed by the image processing unit to obtain a gray histogram, and equalization, combined filtering and target segmentation are performed on the gray histogram in sequence to extract the edge of the landing mark, and the edge of the landing mark is detected by a wavelet transform operator to extract the contour of the landing mark. The feature points of the landing mark are extracted by using a Hough line detection algorithm, and finally the relative position and distance between the UAV and the landing mark are obtained by posture conversion, and the first predetermined position is determined based on the relative position and distance.

[0015] In one implementation, determining the second predetermined position according to the second captured image includes:

[0016] Merging the multiple second images transmitted back by the first drone to obtain a panoramic image of the photovoltaic panel;

[0017] Perform spot detection on the panorama, determine the spot coordinates, and determine the spot coordinates as the second predetermined position.

[0018] In one embodiment, the first cleaning operation is a spraying operation, and the second cleaning operation is a wiping operation.

[0019] In one embodiment, a spray device, a photovoltaic panel positioning subsystem, an image acquisition device, and a mode switching device are provided at the bottom of the body of the first UAV;

[0020] The photovoltaic panel positioning subsystem controls the drone to reach the photovoltaic panel area according to a preset route;

[0021] The mode switching device switches to a spraying operation mode or a cruising shooting mode according to the detection and recognition system instruction. In the spraying operation mode, the spraying device is turned on and the image acquisition device is located inside the machine body. In the cruising shooting mode, the spraying device is turned off and the image acquisition device extends out from the bottom of the machine body.

[0022] In one embodiment, a positioning subsystem, an image acquisition device and a fixed-point cleaning device are provided at the bottom of the body of the second UAV. The positioning subsystem controls the UAV to reach the second predetermined position. The fixed-point cleaning device performs an erasing operation on the second predetermined position. After the erasing operation is completed, the image acquisition device takes an image of the second predetermined position and transmits it back to the monitoring and identification system, or uploads it to the cloud.

[0023] In one embodiment, the fixed-point cleaning device includes a detachably connected base and a cleaning bracket, wherein a motor drive power supply, a PLC, a servo drive, and an optical sensor located on the base floor are installed in the base;

[0024] The end of the support rod of the cleaning bracket is connected to the movable leg, a DC servo motor is installed inside the movable leg, and the lower end of the movable leg is connected to the cleaning disc;

[0025] After the drone reaches the second predetermined position, the PLC senses the distance between the cleaning disc and the photovoltaic panel through the optical sensor at the bottom, transmits the movement command to the servo driver, and controls the operation of the DC servo motor in the movable leg to make the cleaning disc close to the photovoltaic panel.

[0026] In one embodiment, the automatic cleaning drone system further comprises a drone integrated supply system, the integrated supply system comprising a first drone supply platform and a second drone supply platform, each of the supply platforms being provided with a plurality of parking compartments and a plurality of replenishment compartments;

[0027] The first UAV control system and the second UAV control system send the status of the UAV to be returned to the UAV integrated supply system. The UAV integrated supply system determines the parking cabin according to the status of the UAV to be returned and the cabin status, and returns the coordinates of the parking cabin to the corresponding UAV control system to control the UAV to be returned to reach the parking cabin.

[0028] In one embodiment, when the UAV integrated supply system receives a dispatch instruction from the first UAV control system or the second UAV control system, it determines the status of all UAVs in the platform, and sends the numbers and parking cabin locations of UAVs with sufficient power and supplies to the corresponding UAV control system for dispatch operations.

[0029] In one embodiment, the automatic cleaning drone system is applied to the cleaning of small distributed photovoltaic modules.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0031] The automatic cleaning drone control system enables drones to clean distributed photovoltaic components without being restricted by the site and the distance from the photovoltaic array.

[0032] Through two operations of large-area cleaning and fixed-point cleaning, the cleaning force is strong and the cleaning efficiency is high.

[0033] Based on GPS positioning and machine vision technology, the drone can be accurately positioned and the fixed cleaning position can be accurately identified to ensure the cleaning effect.

[0034] The integrated supply system realizes the automated supply and intelligent management of the UAV, ensures the working endurance of the UAV and improves the cleaning efficiency.

[0035] The cleaning device is connected to the bottom of the drone and can be disassembled and assembled, which is convenient for cleaning and maintenance of the cleaning device and the drone. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. It should be understood that the following drawings only illustrate certain embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other relevant drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. In the drawings:

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic cleaning drone system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a drone cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a cabin structure of a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 The present invention is a flowchart of an automatic cleaning drone system control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with embodiments and drawings. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their description are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0042] It should be noted that the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to or inherent to other steps or units of the device.

[0043] The terms used in the various embodiments of the application are only used to describe the purpose of specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the various embodiments of the application. As used herein, the singular form is intended to also include the plural form, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Unless otherwise limited, all terms used here (including technical terms and scientific terms) have the same meaning as the meanings commonly understood by ordinary technicians in the field of the various embodiments of the application. The terms (such as the terms defined in the dictionary generally used) will be interpreted as having the same meaning as the contextual meaning in the relevant technical field and will not be interpreted as having an idealized meaning or an overly formal meaning, unless clearly defined in the various embodiments of the application.

[0044] An embodiment of the present invention provides an automatic cleaning drone system for distributed photovoltaic components, which is suitable for dust removal and cleaning of distributed photovoltaic components, and is beneficial to improving the cleaning strength and cleaning efficiency of distributed photovoltaic components.

[0045] like Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a distributed photovoltaic component automatic cleaning drone system. The automatic cleaning drone system includes a first drone control system, a second drone control system, and a detection and identification system.

[0046] The first drone control system is used to control the first drone to arrive at a first predetermined position to perform a first cleaning operation;

[0047] The second UAV control system is used to control the second UAV to arrive at a second predetermined position to perform a second cleaning operation;

[0048] The monitoring and identification system includes a GPS positioning unit and an image processing unit;

[0049] Among them, the GPS positioning unit is used to obtain the real-time position of the drone;

[0050] The image processing unit receives a first captured image transmitted back by the first drone before the first cleaning operation is performed, and determines a first predetermined position according to the first captured image and the real-time position of the first drone;

[0051] The image processing unit also receives a second captured image transmitted back by the first drone after the first cleaning operation is completed, and determines the second predetermined position according to the second captured image.

[0052] The identification and detection system is the terminal that controls all subsystems. It is mainly used for GPS positioning, image processing, UAV path planning, control command transmission, etc.

[0053] When the recognition and detection system receives the cleaning instruction, it first forwards the instruction to the first drone control system, and the first drone control system dispatches the first drone to perform preliminary cleaning operations. The cleaning instruction can be issued by the staff through the remote workbench. The staff can regularly issue cruise shooting instructions and dispatch drones to take pictures of the photovoltaic area to observe the status of the photovoltaic panels. If there is a lot of dust covering, a cleaning instruction can be issued. After receiving the cleaning instruction, the recognition and detection system automatically completes the cleaning of the entire photovoltaic panel area by interacting with the first drone control system and the second drone control system.

[0054] After the first unmanned aircraft arrives at the photovoltaic module area according to the established route, it arrives at the first predetermined position according to GPS navigation, that is, the position where the cleaning operation is performed. The first unmanned aircraft hovers at this position and completes the cleaning by spraying. There can be multiple first predetermined positions, which are scattered at different positions of the photovoltaic array. The first unmanned aircraft arrives at different first predetermined positions in sequence according to the planned order to complete the cleaning of the entire photovoltaic area.

[0055] The first drone can be one or more drones. The number of drones to be dispatched for each operation is set by the staff. When multiple drones are dispatched for operation, the first drone control system plans the operation route of each first drone, which can complete the cleaning operations of multiple first predetermined locations at the same time, shortening the operation time.

[0056] Furthermore, in order to control the first UAV to accurately reach the first predetermined position, a landing mark can be set in advance in the photovoltaic area, and the UAV can be controlled to reach a certain height above the landing mark for hovering operation through GPS positioning combined with image processing.

[0057] Specifically, after the first UAV arrives at the area where the photovoltaic components are located according to the trajectory route, it photographs the photovoltaic panels to obtain a first photographed image, which includes a landing mark, and transmits the first photographed image back to the monitoring and identification system through the first UAV control system.

[0058] The detection and identification system determines a first predetermined position based on the first captured image and the real-time position of the first UAV. The first predetermined position is a position at a predetermined height above the landing mark. Cleaning operations are performed at this height and a certain area of ​​photovoltaic panels can be covered. Therefore, the height setting must ensure that the largest possible area is covered while taking into account the cleaning intensity.

[0059] The first predetermined position is determined by combining GPS positioning with image processing, including: graying the first captured image by an image processing unit in a detection and recognition system to obtain a grayscale histogram, performing equalization processing, combined filtering and target segmentation on the grayscale histogram in sequence, extracting the edge of the landing mark, detecting the edge of the landing mark by a wavelet transform operator, extracting the contour of the landing mark, extracting the feature points of the landing mark by using a Hough line detection algorithm, and finally obtaining the relative position and distance between the UAV and the landing mark by posture conversion, and determining the first predetermined position based on the relative position and distance.

[0060] The detection and identification system sends the coordinates of the first predetermined position to the first unmanned aerial vehicle control system, thereby controlling the first unmanned aerial vehicle to reach the first predetermined position.

[0061] After the first drone completes a cleaning operation, it takes a picture of the area to obtain a second captured image, and transmits the second captured image back to the monitoring and identification system through the first drone control system. The monitoring and identification system determines the second predetermined position based on the second captured image.

[0062] In one embodiment, after completing the cleaning tasks of all the first predetermined positions, the first drone may also shoot the entire photovoltaic area according to the pre-planned shooting route, so there is no need to frequently switch between cleaning operations and shooting tasks.

[0063] There are multiple second captured images, representing different areas of the photovoltaic panel. After receiving these second captured images, the detection and recognition system determines through image analysis whether secondary cleaning is required. If necessary, the secondary cleaning instructions and secondary cleaning positions are sent to the second UAV control system.

[0064] The second UAV control system dispatches a second UAV to a second predetermined location for spot cleaning to ensure the cleaning effect.

[0065] The second drone has a stronger cleaning power and generally only needs one cleaning to clean thoroughly. That is, under normal circumstances, the drone automatic cleaning system only needs to send out the first drone and the second drone once to complete the cleaning task.

[0066] Furthermore, after the second drone completes the operation, it will also take photos of the operation area, and the staff can check the cleaning results through the background.

[0067] In one implementation, determining the second predetermined position according to the second captured image includes:

[0068] The multiple second images transmitted back by the first drone are merged to obtain a panoramic image of the photovoltaic panel.

[0069] Perform spot detection on the panorama, determine the spot coordinates, and determine the spot coordinates as the second predetermined position.

[0070] In one embodiment, the first cleaning operation is a spraying operation, and the second cleaning operation is a wiping operation.

[0071] The second cleaning operation is spot cleaning, which has stronger cleaning power than the first cleaning operation. The first cleaning operation ensures comprehensive cleaning of the photovoltaic panel, so it cleans by hovering above the photovoltaic panel and spraying.

[0072] Furthermore, the cleaning agent is glass water.

[0073] At present, most photovoltaic panels installed in power plants are crystalline silicon products. Crystalline silicon photovoltaic panels are composed of high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells, ultra-white cloth-textured tempered glass, EVA, transparent TPT backplane and aluminum alloy frame. The first layer of the surface is ultra-white tempered glass, which is used to protect the power generation body. The components of automobile glass water are water, alcohol, ethylene glycol, corrosion inhibitor and various surfactants. It is commonly used to clean glass products such as car windows, office glass, decorative glass, etc. It can quickly clean the dirt and dust on the glass surface, and has no corrosive effect on glass, sealing silicone, etc., so it is an ideal material for cleaning photovoltaic panels.

[0074] After consulting the data, the DJI T50 agricultural drone and the XAG P100 Pro agricultural drone are suitable for cleaning photovoltaic modules. After the DJI T50 and XAG P100 Pro are modified, they are applied to the automatic drone cleaning system of the present invention.

[0075] In order to achieve cleaning operations, cleaning devices are provided at the bottom of the first drone and the second drone.

[0076] In one embodiment, a spray device, a photovoltaic panel positioning subsystem, an image acquisition device, and a mode switching device are provided at the bottom of the body of the first UAV;

[0077] The photovoltaic panel positioning subsystem interacts with the GPS positioning unit of the monitoring and identification system to control the UAV to reach the photovoltaic panel area according to a preset route and to achieve hovering at the first predetermined position.

[0078] The mode switching device switches to the spraying operation mode or the cruising shooting mode according to the instructions of the monitoring and identification system. In the spraying operation mode, the spraying device is turned on, and the image acquisition device is located inside the machine body. In the cruising shooting mode, the spraying device is turned off, and the image acquisition device extends out from the bottom of the machine body.

[0079] Since both the image acquisition device and the spray device need to be installed on the bottom of the drone for operation, in order to ensure that the camera is not affected by the spray operation, the image acquisition device is usually sealed and placed inside the fuselage. It is only extended when shooting operations are required to keep the camera dry.

[0080] In one embodiment, a positioning subsystem, an image acquisition device and a fixed-point cleaning device are provided at the bottom of the body of the second UAV.

[0081] The positioning subsystem interacts with the GPS positioning unit of the monitoring and identification system to control the second UAV to reach the second predetermined position, and performs an erasing operation on the second predetermined position through the fixed-point cleaning device.

[0082] After the erasing operation is completed, the image acquisition device captures an image of the second predetermined position and transmits it back to the monitoring and identification system, or uploads it to the cloud.

[0083] The detection and recognition system can analyze the image to determine whether re-operation is needed, or upload it to the cloud for staff to judge the cleaning effect.

[0084] The fixed-point cleaning device is a portable photovoltaic module cleaning tool installed on the bottom of the drone. It includes basic cleaning components such as cleaning brackets, movable legs, cleaning discs, etc., as well as electromechanical control devices such as motor drive power supply, programmable controller (PLC), servo drive, charging base and other parts.

[0085] Specifically, Figure 2 The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of a fixed-point cleaning device, which includes a detachable connector 1 for connecting to the base of a drone. The device body includes a base 3 and a cleaning bracket 2. The base 3 is equipped with a motor drive power supply, a PLC, a servo drive, and an optical sensor located on the ground of the base.

[0086] The end of the support rod of the cleaning bracket 2 is connected to the movable leg 5, a DC servo motor is installed inside the movable leg 5, and the lower end of the movable leg 5 is connected to the cleaning disc 4.

[0087] After the drone reaches the second predetermined position, the PLC senses the distance between the cleaning disc and the photovoltaic panel through the optical sensor at the bottom, transmits the movement command to the servo driver, and controls the operation of the DC servo motor in the movable leg to make the cleaning disc close to the photovoltaic panel.

[0088] The cleaning brush on the cleaning disc is a detachable and replaceable nylon fine-bristled brush with strong cleaning power. The drone automatically calibrates its tilt angle with the photovoltaic panel through GPS and machine vision technology. The movable legs can adjust the disc angle at will according to the photovoltaic panel angle during the rotation process, so that the brush on the disc is close to the photovoltaic panel to clean and wipe the dirt on the photovoltaic panel.

[0089] The drone fixed-point cleaning device has a simple structure, flexible operation, and strong cleaning ability for sticky attachments.

[0090] It should be noted that the first drone and the second drone are only different in the cleaning device, and the cleaning device is detachably mounted on the drone base. Therefore, the main bodies of the first drone and the second drone can be the same model. When necessary, the first drone and the second drone can be converted by replacing the cleaning device.

[0091] In one embodiment, the automatic cleaning drone system also includes a drone integrated supply system for charging the first drone and the second drone in a non-operating state, supplying cleaning agents, replacing cleaning devices, etc.

[0092] The integrated supply system includes a first drone supply platform and a second drone supply platform. The second drone supply platform is used to park the first drone, and the second drone supply platform is used to park the second drone. Since the first drone and the second drone have different operation modes, their parking cabins are different, but the two platforms can be set together to facilitate the dispatching operation of the drone and the positioning and navigation of the return cabin, such as Figure 3 Shown is a schematic diagram of the UAV cabin. The supply platform is composed of multiple such docking cabins.

[0093] The first UAV supply platform and the second UAV supply platform are each provided with a plurality of parking compartments and a plurality of replenishment compartments for charging and docking of a plurality of UAVs.

[0094] The surface of the parking compartment is covered with a sliding door, which is connected to a first power mechanism for driving the sliding door. A lifting platform is arranged at the bottom of the parking compartment, which is connected to a second power mechanism for driving the lifting platform.

[0095] The replenishment cabin is arranged below the parking cabin, so that the UAV needs to be charged and replenished at the same time. The replenishment cabin is provided with a cleaning liquid tank, a battery and a mechanical gripper. The cleaning liquid tank is provided with an infusion pump and an infusion tube, and the battery is connected with a charging cable. The mechanical gripper, the first power mechanism, the second power mechanism and the infusion pump are electrically connected to a central control system, which controls the mechanical structure to realize the charging of the UAV and the replenishment of cleaning liquid.

[0096] Specifically, when the drone returns, it lands on the lifting platform and then descends to the parking room or replenishment cabin. The mechanical gripper grabs the charging cable or infusion tube according to the instructions of the central control system and connects it to the charging port or infusion port on the drone. The battery charges the drone, and the infusion pump pumps the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank into the storage tank. The replenishment platform has a simple structure, and the drone can realize automatic charging and replenishment of cleaning agent, which greatly improves the automation of the system.

[0097] The UAV integrated supply system controls the return and docking of the UAV by exchanging the UAV status with the first UAV control system and the second UAV control system.

[0098] Specifically, the first drone control system and the second drone control system send the status of the drone to be returned to the drone integrated supply system. The drone integrated supply system determines the parking cabin according to the status of the drone to be returned and the cabin status, and returns the coordinates of the parking cabin to the corresponding drone control system to control the drone to be returned to reach the parking cabin.

[0099] During the UAV dispatch operation, its status information such as remaining power and cleaning agent remaining will always be monitored by the UAV control system. When returning, the UAV control system will send this status information to the integrated supply system to determine the UAV docking cabin and whether it needs to be charged or resupplied.

[0100] In one embodiment, when the UAV integrated supply system receives a dispatch instruction from the first UAV control system or the second UAV control system, it determines the status of all UAVs in the platform, and sends the numbers and parking cabin locations of UAVs with sufficient power and supplies to the corresponding UAV control system for dispatch operations.

[0101] The UAV integrated supply system determines the status of all UAVs in the platform, including charging, supplying, charging completed, supply completed, faulty and other status information. It selects UAVs that have completed charging and supplying for dispatching operations, and sends the UAV number and the location of the parking cabin to the UAV control system. The UAV control system monitors the status of the operating UAV and its positioning in real time based on the number.

[0102] In one embodiment, the distributed photovoltaic component automatic cleaning drone system of the present invention is applied to the cleaning of small distributed photovoltaic components.

[0103] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2 The control method of the automatic cleaning drone system is a flow chart, and the control method includes the following steps:

[0104] Step 1: The staff issues a cleaning instruction. After receiving the cleaning instruction, the monitoring and identification system first forwards the instruction to the first drone control module. The first drone control module sends the dispatch instruction of the first drone to the integrated supply platform. The integrated supply platform detects the drone status, dispatches a suitable first drone, and sends its number and docking cabin coordinates to the first drone control module.

[0105] Step 2: After the first drone control unit controls the first drone to arrive at the area where the photovoltaic components are located according to the predetermined route, the first drone photographs the photovoltaic panels to obtain a first photographed image, which includes a landing mark, and transmits the first photographed image back to the monitoring and identification system through the first drone control system.

[0106] Step 3: The detection and recognition system determines the first predetermined position according to the first captured image and the real-time position of the first UAV, and sends the coordinates of the first predetermined position to the first UAV control system, thereby controlling the first UAV to hover at the first predetermined position.

[0107] Step 4: After the first UAV completes the spray cleaning operation at the first predetermined position, it sends a completion signal to the first UAV control system. The control unit controls the first UAV to reach the next first predetermined position in a predetermined order until all photovoltaic panels are cleaned. The UAV is controlled to take pictures of the cleaned photovoltaic panels according to the predetermined cruise shooting route to obtain multiple second captured images, and the second captured images are transmitted back to the monitoring and identification system through the first UAV control system, and the first UAV is controlled to return and dock.

[0108] Step 5: The monitoring and identification system determines whether fixed-point cleaning is required based on the multiple second captured images. If necessary, at least one second predetermined position is determined, and a fixed-point cleaning instruction is sent to the second UAV control system.

[0109] Step 6. The second UAV control system sends a command to the integrated supply platform. The integrated supply platform sends a suitable second UAV and sends its number and docking cabin coordinates to the second UAV control system. The second UAV control system controls the second UAV to arrive at the second predetermined position to complete the fixed-point cleaning. After all the second predetermined positions are cleaned, the second UAV is controlled to return and dock.

[0110] The specific implementation methods described above further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific implementation method of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic cleaning drone system for distributed photovoltaic modules, characterized in that: The system comprises: A first drone control system, used to control the first drone to arrive at a first predetermined position to perform a first cleaning operation; A second drone control system, used to control the second drone to arrive at a second predetermined position to perform a second cleaning operation; Monitoring and identification system, including GPS positioning unit and image processing unit; The GPS positioning unit is used to obtain the real-time position of the UAV; the image processing unit receives a first captured image transmitted back by the first UAV before the first UAV performs a first cleaning operation, and determines the first predetermined position based on the first captured image and the real-time position of the first UAV; the image processing unit also receives a second captured image transmitted back by the first UAV after the first cleaning operation is completed, and determines the second predetermined position based on the second captured image.

2. The automatic cleaning drone system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first captured image includes a landing mark, and determining the first predetermined position according to the first captured image and the real-time position of the first UAV includes: The first captured image is grayed by the image processing unit to obtain a gray histogram, and equalization, combined filtering and target segmentation are performed on the gray histogram in sequence to extract the edge of the landing mark, and the edge of the landing mark is detected by a wavelet transform operator to extract the contour of the landing mark. The feature points of the landing mark are extracted by using a Hough line detection algorithm, and finally the relative position and distance between the UAV and the landing mark are obtained by posture conversion, and the first predetermined position is determined based on the relative position and distance.

3. The automatic cleaning drone system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The determining the second predetermined position according to the second captured image comprises: Merging the multiple second images transmitted back by the first drone to obtain a panoramic image of the photovoltaic panel; Perform spot detection on the panoramic image to determine the spot coordinates, and determine the spot coordinates as the second predetermined position.

4. The automatic cleaning drone system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first cleaning operation is a spraying operation, and the second cleaning operation is a wiping operation.

5. The automatic cleaning drone system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the body of the first UAV is provided with a spray device, a photovoltaic panel positioning subsystem, an image acquisition device and a mode switching device; The photovoltaic panel positioning subsystem controls the drone to reach the photovoltaic panel area according to a preset route; The mode switching device switches to a spraying operation mode or a cruising shooting mode according to the detection and recognition system instruction. In the spraying operation mode, the spraying device is turned on and the image acquisition device is located inside the machine body. In the cruising shooting mode, the spraying device is turned off and the image acquisition device extends out from the bottom of the machine body.

6. The automatic cleaning drone system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A positioning subsystem, an image acquisition device and a fixed-point cleaning device are provided at the bottom of the body of the second UAV. The positioning subsystem controls the UAV to reach the second predetermined position. The fixed-point cleaning device performs an erasing operation on the second predetermined position. The image acquisition device takes an image of the second predetermined position after the erasing operation is completed, and transmits the image back to the monitoring and identification system, or uploads it to the cloud.

7. The automatic cleaning drone system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The fixed-point cleaning device comprises a detachably connected base and a cleaning bracket, wherein the base is equipped with a power supply for supplying power to the cleaning device, a PLC, a servo drive, and an optical sensor located on the ground of the base; The end of the support rod of the cleaning bracket is connected to the movable leg, a DC servo motor is installed inside the movable leg, and the lower end of the movable leg is connected to the cleaning disc; After the drone reaches the second predetermined position, the PLC senses the distance between the cleaning disc and the photovoltaic panel through the optical sensor at the bottom, transmits the motion command to the servo driver, and controls the operation of the DC servo motor in the movable leg to make the cleaning disc close to the photovoltaic panel.

8. The automatic cleaning drone system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic cleaning drone system also includes a drone integrated supply system, which includes a first drone supply platform and a second drone supply platform, each of which is provided with a plurality of parking compartments and a plurality of replenishment compartments; The first UAV control system and the second UAV control system send the status of the UAV to be returned to the UAV integrated supply system. The UAV integrated supply system determines the parking cabin according to the status of the UAV to be returned and the cabin status, and returns the coordinates of the parking cabin to the corresponding UAV control system to control the UAV to be returned to reach the parking cabin.

9. The automatic cleaning drone system according to claim 8, characterized in that: When the UAV integrated supply system receives a dispatch instruction from the first UAV control system or the second UAV control system, it determines the status of all UAVs in the platform, and sends the numbers and parking cabin locations of UAVs with sufficient power and supplies to the corresponding UAV control system for dispatch operations.

10. The automatic cleaning drone system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Used for cleaning of small distributed photovoltaic modules.

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