Photovoltaic panel cleaning inspection robot

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of power systems. The photovoltaic panel cleaning inspection robot is characterized by comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle, a fixing frame, a camera, a thermal infrared imager, a brush device and a ground remote control device; the fixing frame is fixed below the unmanned aerial vehicle, the camera and the thermal infrared imager are fixedly installed below the fixing frame, and the brush device is fixedly installed in the middle of the lower portion of the fixing frame. The camera and the thermal infrared imager are in wireless communication connection with the ground remote control device through the communication module; the brush device comprises a motor, a coupler and a brush head, the motor is fixedly installed in the middle of the lower portion of the fixing frame, an output shaft of the motor is connected with the upper end of the brush head through the coupler, and soft bristles are arranged on the lower portion of the brush head. And efficient and accurate cleaning and polling of the photovoltaic panel can be realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of power systems, and in particular relates to a photovoltaic panel cleaning and inspection robot. Background Art

[0002] Photovoltaic power generation is a renewable energy technology that converts solar energy into electrical energy. It has the advantages of being clean, safe, and sustainable. However, during operation, photovoltaic panels are affected by pollutants such as dust, bird droppings, and leaves, which can cause shading and hot spot effects on the surface of photovoltaic panels, reducing the power generation efficiency and life of photovoltaic panels. Therefore, regular cleaning and inspection of photovoltaic panels is an important measure to ensure the normal operation of photovoltaic power stations and increase power generation revenue.

[0003] At present, the cleaning and inspection of photovoltaic panels are mainly carried out manually or semi-automatically, which has the following problems: 1. Manual cleaning and inspection are inefficient, costly, and have great safety risks, and are difficult to cover large-scale or complex-terrain photovoltaic power stations. 2. Semi-automatic cleaning and inspection equipment requires the installation of additional tracks or brackets, which increases the construction cost and maintenance difficulty of photovoltaic power stations, and cannot adapt to photovoltaic panels of different types and angles. 3. Traditional cleaning and inspection methods often require water or chemical cleaning, resulting in waste of water resources and environmental pollution. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a photovoltaic panel cleaning and inspection robot, which can realize efficient and accurate cleaning and inspection of photovoltaic panels.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the technology adopted by the present invention is: a photovoltaic panel cleaning inspection robot, characterized in that it includes a drone 1, a fixing frame 2, a camera 3, an infrared thermal imager 4, a brush device, and a ground remote control device; the fixing frame 2 is fixed under the drone 1, the camera 3 and the infrared thermal imager 4 are respectively fixedly installed under the fixing frame 2, and the brush device is fixedly installed in the middle of the bottom of the fixing frame 2; the camera 3 and the infrared thermal imager 4 are wirelessly connected to the ground remote control device by a communication module;

[0006] The brush device comprises a motor 5, a coupling 6, and a brush head 7. The motor 5 is fixedly mounted at the middle of the lower portion of the fixing frame 2. The output shaft of the motor 5 is connected to the upper end of the brush head 7 by the coupling 6. The lower portion of the brush head 7 is provided with soft bristles 8.

[0007] The fixing frame 2 is also equipped with a GPS positioning system, an IMU sensor, and a laser radar, which are respectively wirelessly connected to the ground remote control device through a communication module.

[0008] The infrared thermal imager 4 is an infrared sensor.

[0009] The invention has the following beneficial effects: utilizing the flexibility, intelligence and low cost of drones to achieve waterless, non-destructive, efficient and precise cleaning and inspection of photovoltaic panels. It gives full play to the advantages of drones, improves cleaning and inspection efficiency, reduces costs and environmental pollution; it provides an advanced solution for the normal operation of photovoltaic power stations and improves power generation efficiency, and promotes the development of renewable energy technology. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the photovoltaic panel cleaning and inspection robot of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A top view of the drone (showing the drone and mount).

[0012] In the figure: 1-UAV, 2-fixed frame, 3-camera, 4-infrared thermal imager, 5-motor, 6-coupling, 7-brush head, 8-soft bristles. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] The present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and implementation examples:

[0014] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, a photovoltaic panel cleaning inspection robot includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (a four-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle) 1, a fixing frame 2, a camera 3, an infrared thermal imager (an infrared sensor may be used) 4, a brush device, and a ground remote control device (or a UAV remote control device); the fixing frame 2 is fixed to the bottom of the UAV 1, the camera 3 and the infrared thermal imager 4 are respectively fixedly installed on the bottom of the fixing frame 2, and the brush device is fixedly installed on the middle part of the bottom of the fixing frame 2; the camera 3 and the infrared thermal imager 4 are wirelessly connected to the ground remote control device by a communication module;

[0015] The brush device includes a motor 5, a coupling 6, and a brush head 7. The motor 5 is fixedly installed in the middle of the lower part of the fixed frame 2. The output shaft of the motor 5 is connected to the upper end of the brush head 7 by the coupling 6 (the motor 5 drives the brush head 7 to rotate). Soft bristles 8 are provided at the bottom of the brush head 7.

[0016] The fixed frame 2 is also equipped with a GPS positioning system, an IMU sensor, and a laser radar, which are wirelessly connected to the ground remote control device through a communication module, respectively, to realize autonomous positioning, navigation, obstacle avoidance, and data transmission of the UAV.

[0017] The ground remote control device is also installed with drone control software, image processing software and data management software.

[0018] The brush device is used to clean the surface dirt of the photovoltaic panel. It uses soft bristles, which will not scratch the surface of the photovoltaic panel, and has good adsorption and decontamination power. The motor can control the rotation speed and direction of the brush head to adapt to different degrees and directions of dirt. The brush device fits tightly with the surface of the photovoltaic panel through the fixing frame (or suction cup) on the drone to achieve effective cleaning.

[0019] Infrared thermal imagers are devices used to inspect the performance of photovoltaic panels. They can detect hot spots, open circuits, short circuits and other faults of photovoltaic panels by measuring the temperature distribution on the surface of photovoltaic panels. Infrared thermal imagers can use high-resolution and high-sensitivity infrared sensors to capture tiny temperature differences and improve the accuracy and reliability of inspections. Infrared thermal imagers can adjust the angle through the gimbal or servo on the drone to adapt to photovoltaic panels at different angles and distances.

[0020] A quad-rotor drone is used as the flight platform, which has good hovering stability, control flexibility and load capacity.

[0021] Software system: including drone control software, image processing software and data management software, which are used to realize autonomous flight of drones, intelligent identification and fault analysis of photovoltaic panels, data storage and display and other functions. The drone control software can obtain the position, attitude, speed and other information of the drone through the sensors and communication modules on the drone (fixed frame 2), and control the flight action of the drone and the working status of the load equipment according to the preset flight plan. The image processing software can obtain the visible light image and infrared thermal image of the photovoltaic panel through the camera and infrared thermal imager on the drone, and use computer vision and deep learning algorithms to realize automatic positioning, identification and fault detection of the photovoltaic panel. The data management software can transmit the image data and fault information collected by the drone to the cloud or local server through a wireless network or a memory card to store, backup, analyze and display the data.

[0022] Operation process:

[0023] 1. Before starting cleaning and inspection, the operator needs to input relevant information of the photovoltaic power station into the software system, including the location, scale, layout, component type, etc. of the power station, and set the flight plan and cleaning and inspection parameters according to the actual situation.

[0024] 2. The operator installs the drone and payload equipment and performs necessary inspections and calibrations to ensure that the drone is in good working condition.

[0025] 3. The operator starts the drone control software and selects automatic or manual mode for flight control. In automatic mode, the drone will fly autonomously according to the preset flight plan and navigate and avoid obstacles based on real-time sensor data. In manual mode, the operator can remotely control the drone through a remote control or terminal device such as a mobile phone.

[0026] 4. During the flight, the drone will automatically switch between the brush device and the infrared thermal imager according to the cleaning and inspection parameters, and clean and inspect each photovoltaic panel. During the cleaning process, the brush device will fit the surface of the photovoltaic panel and rotate and clean at a certain speed and direction. During the inspection process, the infrared thermal imager will measure the temperature of the photovoltaic panel surface and convert the temperature data into an infrared thermal image.

[0027] 5. After cleaning and inspection, the drone will automatically return to the take-off point or designated location, and transmit the collected image data and fault information to the cloud or local server. The operator can view, analyze and export data reports through data management software, and perform subsequent processing based on the report content.

Claims

1. Photovoltaic panel cleaning inspection robot, characterized by The invention comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle (1), a fixing frame (2), a camera (3), an infrared thermal imager (4), a brush device, and a ground remote control device; the fixing frame (2) is fixed to the bottom of the unmanned aerial vehicle (1); the camera (3) and the infrared thermal imager (4) are respectively fixedly mounted on the bottom of the fixing frame (2); and the brush device is fixedly mounted on the middle part of the bottom of the fixing frame (2); the camera (3) and the infrared thermal imager (4) are wirelessly connected to the ground remote control device via a communication module; The brush device comprises a motor (5), a coupling (6), and a brush head (7). The motor (5) is fixedly mounted on the middle part of the lower side of the fixed frame (2). The output shaft of the motor (5) is connected to the upper end of the brush head (7) via the coupling (6). Soft bristles (8) are arranged on the lower side of the brush head (7).

2. The photovoltaic panel cleaning and inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixing frame (2) is also equipped with a GPS positioning system, an IMU sensor, and a laser radar, and the GPS positioning system, the IMU sensor, and the laser radar are respectively wirelessly connected to the ground remote control device through the communication module.

3. The photovoltaic panel cleaning and inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The infrared thermal imager (4) is an infrared sensor.

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