Cleaning system for a solar power plant

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a cleaning system for a solar power plant, comprising: an unmanned aerial vehicle configured to detect surface smudginess of a photovoltaic panel in the solar power plant when operating in the solar power plant; a solar panel cleaning robot with an autonomous movement characteristic; a deployment robot having an autonomous movement feature configured to process the solar panel cleaning robot; the main control system is used for pairing the unmanned aerial vehicle with the deployment robot and / or the solar panel cleaning robot; the master control system comprises a control module which is used for controlling actions or positioning of the deployment robot, the unmanned aerial vehicle and the solar panel cleaning robot in an operation program executed in the solar power generation field. The control module further comprises a scheduling management module for scheduling the deployment robot to a second route close to a photovoltaic panel comprising a second target position after scheduling the deployment robot on a first route of the photovoltaic panel comprising the first target position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cleaning system for a solar farm. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, technologies including autonomous driving have become more common to perform tasks that were traditionally considered time-consuming or dangerous. As programming technology advances, the demand for robotic devices that can navigate complex environments or workspaces is also increasing.

[0003] In solar farms, current ground robots typically adopt a random movement strategy until they encounter an obstacle, then register the contact using an obstacle detector such as a collision sensor.

[0004] However, in complex and expensive environments such as solar farms, relying solely on collision sensors or random movement strategies may not be sufficient for efficient navigation and mission execution. Therefore, more advanced navigation systems are critical here.

[0005] In more advanced solar farms, the robot may be equipped with visual, infrared, or other types of sensors that emit a series of infrared patterns that are used to guide the robot in its workspace. These patterns can be detected by receivers fixed around the perimeter of the photovoltaic panels or in other strategic locations, such as at the boundary of the solar farm or on a wall next to the photovoltaic panels. By analyzing the signal information generated by the receivers, the robot's microprocessor can calculate the robot's exact location in the solar farm.

[0006] Using such a system, the robot can autonomously navigate throughout the solar farm area without relying too much on human intervention or random movement strategies when encountering obstacles. This advanced navigation system helps ensure that the deployed robots in the solar farm can efficiently perform tasks, monitor equipment status, and maintain photovoltaic panels, etc., thereby improving the efficiency and reliability of solar power generation systems. However, it should be noted that these systems may be challenged by efficiency in larger solar farms. Such solar farms do not require uniform cleaning of all photovoltaic panel surfaces every time, but rather targeted or periodic cleaning of photovoltaic panel surfaces in certain specific areas. Especially in photovoltaic panel power plants that require fixed-point area cleaning, the efficiency of traditional robot cleaning modes cannot be effectively improved. Summary of the invention

[0007] In order to solve one of the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a cleaning system for a solar power plant.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cleaning system for a solar power plant, comprising:

[0009] a drone configured to detect surface contamination associated with photovoltaic panels within the solar farm using a combination of sensors and cameras while operating within the solar farm;

[0010] A solar panel cleaning robot with autonomous movement features, comprising: an electric system for providing propulsion, a battery pack for providing power, and drive wheels for achieving autonomous movement on a photovoltaic panel;

[0011] A deployment robot with autonomous mobility features, configured to handle the solar panel cleaning robot, including: an electric system for providing propulsion, a battery pack for powering, and a control system for managing the battery pack; a mechanical mechanism configured inside the deployment robot to achieve the operation of receiving the solar panel cleaning robot in a carrying space inside the deployment robot or releasing the solar panel cleaning robot from the carrying space;

[0012] A master control system for pairing the drone with the deployment robot and / or solar panel cleaning robot to work together;

[0013] The main control system includes a control module for controlling the actions or positioning of the deployment robot, the drone, and the solar panel cleaning robot in an operating program executed in the solar farm;

[0014] The control module may generate a planned route for the deployment robot based on image information of at least a portion of the photovoltaic panels in the solar power plant acquired by the drone, so as to deploy at least one solar panel cleaning robot to the photovoltaic panels including at least the first target location through the deployment robot, and plan a route for returning to the deployment robot so as to perform the next deployment task;

[0015] Wherein, the control module also includes a scheduling management module, so that after scheduling the deployment robot on a first route including a photovoltaic panel at a first target location, the deployment robot is scheduled to a second route close to a photovoltaic panel including a second target location.

[0016] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, processing the solar panel cleaning robot includes: deploying the solar panel cleaning robot on the surface of the photovoltaic panel and / or retrieving the solar panel cleaning robot from the surface of the photovoltaic panel.

[0017] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the deployment robot includes a cabin disposed therein, and the deployment robot is configured to cooperate with the solar panel cleaning robot to perform loading operations.

[0018] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the deployment robot further includes a first sensor combination for detecting the loading operation of the solar panel cleaning robot within the deployment robot, and a second sensor combination provided on the external part of the deployment robot for detecting objects and monitoring activities or capturing images.

[0019] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first sensor combination and the second sensor combination are configured to monitor the solar panel cleaning robot logging into or leaving the deployment robot so as to perform actions on the solar panel cleaning robot.

[0020] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, performing an action on the solar panel cleaning robot includes:

[0021] Deploy solar panel cleaning robots at target locations or retrieve solar panel cleaning robots that require assistance;

[0022] Assists solar panel cleaning robots with battery charging or battery switching services.

[0023] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaning system of the solar power plant includes a user interaction interface, which provides real-time instructions for the movement, positioning and navigation of the deployment robot, and remotely controls the activities of the deployment robot to ensure that the deployment robot is successfully deployed.

[0024] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the drone includes a control system that executes a command configuration from a main control system, and the command configuration at least includes: instructing the drone to obtain a surface image of at least a portion of a photovoltaic panel in a solar power plant; and transmitting the obtained surface image of the photovoltaic panel back to the main control system.

[0025] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the deployment robot includes a control system that executes a command configuration from a main control system, and the command configuration includes at least:

[0026] Receiving the coordinates of the deployment location from the master control system;

[0027] Receive a planned route generated by the main control system for a ground driving plan of the deployed robot;

[0028] deploying a solar panel cleaning robot on a photovoltaic panel at a first target location by controlling the deployment robot through a planned route;

[0029] Deploy the robot back by planning the route;

[0030] Stores planned route data.

[0031] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control system of the deployment robot is further configured to control the deployment robot to complete automatic docking at a docking station to receive an electrical connection, and receive an automatic charging process for charging a battery pack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. These drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification.

[0033] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a cleaning system for a solar farm according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of deploying a robotic recycling solar panel cleaning robot according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 3 is a stereoscopic schematic diagram of a deployment robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 4 It is a front schematic diagram of a deployment robot carrying a solar panel cleaning robot and a drone according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of deploying a charging robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 6 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a solar panel cleaning robot according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of deploying a solar panel cleaning robot at a photovoltaic panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the system architecture of a photovoltaic power plant cleaning system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a drone performing a deployment mission according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The present disclosure is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and implementations. It is understood that the specific implementations described herein are only used to explain the relevant content, rather than to limit the present disclosure. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts related to the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0043] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features of the embodiments in the present disclosure can be combined with each other. The technical solution of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0044] Unless otherwise specified, the exemplary embodiments / embodiments shown will be understood as providing exemplary features of various details of some ways in which the technical concept of the present disclosure can be implemented in practice. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, the features of the various embodiments / embodiments can be combined, separated, interchanged and / or rearranged without departing from the technical concept of the present disclosure.

[0045] The use of cross-hatching and / or shading in the accompanying drawings is generally used to make the boundaries between adjacent components clear. As such, unless otherwise specified, the presence or absence of cross-hatching or shading does not convey or indicate any preference or requirement for the specific materials, material properties, dimensions, proportions, commonalities between the components shown, and / or any other characteristics, attributes, properties, etc. of the components. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, the sizes and relative sizes of the components may be exaggerated for clarity and / or descriptive purposes. When the exemplary embodiments can be implemented differently, the specific process sequence can be performed in a different order than described. For example, two successively described processes can be performed substantially simultaneously or in an order opposite to the described order. In addition, the same figure numbers represent the same components.

[0046] When a component is referred to as being "on" or "over," "connected to," or "coupled to" another component, the component may be directly on, directly connected to, or directly coupled to the other component, or intervening components may be present. However, when a component is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another component, there are no intervening components. For this purpose, the term "connected" may refer to a physical connection, an electrical connection, etc., with or without intervening components.

[0047] For descriptive purposes, the present disclosure may use spatially relative terms such as "under," "beneath," "under," "down," "over," "upper," "above," "higher," and "side (e.g., as in "sidewall")," to describe the relationship of one component to another (other) component as shown in the accompanying drawings. The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use, operation, and / or manufacture in addition to the orientation depicted in the accompanying drawings. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is turned over, components described as "under" or "beneath" other components or features would subsequently be positioned "over" the other components or features. Thus, the exemplary term "under" can encompass both the "above" and "below" orientations. Furthermore, the device may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

[0048] The terms used here are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to be restrictive. As used here, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "one (kind, person)" and "said (the)" are also intended to include plural forms. In addition, when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" and their variations are used in this specification, it is explained that there are stated features, integral bodies, steps, operations, parts, assemblies and / or their groups, but it is not excluded that there are or add one or more other features, integral bodies, steps, operations, parts, assemblies and / or their groups. It should also be noted that, as used here, the terms "substantially", "approximately" and other similar terms are used as approximate terms and not as degree terms, so that they are used to explain the inherent deviations of the measured values, calculated values ​​and / or the values ​​provided that will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0049] Figure 1 A cleaning system for a solar power plant operating in a fixed-point cleaning position setting is shown. In a specific embodiment, it includes a deployment robot 100, which is characterized by autonomous operation and automatic driving. The deployment robot 100 is configured to carry one or more solar panel cleaning robots 300 and / or carry one or more drones 200. Therefore, the cleaning system for a solar power plant can use at least one deployment robot 100 to actively deploy its solar panel cleaning robots 300 to a solar photovoltaic panel 400 at a specific position in the solar photovoltaic power plant. The position may be a fixed-point cleaning area 401 of any solar photovoltaic panel 400 in the solar photovoltaic power plant. And according to Figure 8The scheduling management module 504 of the main control system 500 of the cleaning system is shown to provide one or more instructions to at least one deployment robot 100 and / or at least one drone 200, which may be to drive or fly to any location within the solar power plant.

[0050] At least one deployment robot 100 is capable of handling the solar panel cleaning robot 300 through the process of the processing system, and then deploying the solar panel cleaning robot 300 to the solar photovoltaic panel 400 close to the specific cleaning position. The at least one solar panel cleaning robot 300 is transferred from the deployment robot 100 to the surface of the solar photovoltaic panel 400 through the process performed by the scheduling management module 504.

[0051] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, according to the scheduling management module 504, the deployment robot 100 in the cleaning system of the solar farm is configured to receive and transport the drone 200 and the solar panel cleaning robot 300. In one embodiment, the deployment robot 100 is configured for unmanned operation.

[0052] Based on the GPS module, the cleaning system of the solar power plant provides a mapped route for the deployment robot 100 to the fixed cleaning location, and each deployment robot 100 is configured to dispatch the solar panel cleaning robot 300 from the deployment robot 100.

[0053] The cleaning system of the solar farm includes a main control system 500, which sends at least one navigation signal to the deployment robot 100, providing a route map of the fixed cleaning location.

[0054] Through remote operation, the deployment robot 100 can instruct the solar panel cleaning robot 300 to unload from the deployment robot 100 onto the solar photovoltaic panel 400, and then go to the designated area to be cleaned 401 on the solar photovoltaic panel 400 for spot cleaning.

[0055] According to the scheduling management module 504, at least one deployed robot 100 can also recycle the solar panel cleaning robot 300 at a specific recycling point of the solar photovoltaic panel 400 after the solar panel cleaning robot 300 has finished cleaning the solar panel. Figure 2 shown.

[0056] The control systems of the drone 200 and at least one solar panel cleaning robot 300 cooperate with the control system of the deployment robot 100 .

[0057] According to the navigation planning module, the deployment robot 100 can be programmed to perform multiple assignments. The navigation system may involve going to the first delivery address, and then the deployment robot 100 approaches the edge of the solar photovoltaic panel 400, and after stopping, deploys its waiting solar panel cleaning robot 300 to the solar photovoltaic panel 400. At this time, the deployment robot 100 can interact with the main control system 500 to prompt the retrieval and reconfirmation of the waiting solar panel cleaning robot 300. After completion, the deployment robot 100 returns to the deployment route to reload the task and go to the second address, and so on. When all deployment tasks are completed by the deployment robot 100, they return to the nearby base station for charging, or wait for the solar panel cleaning robot 300 to be recycled after the work is completed.

[0058] In one embodiment, the drone 200 can also play the role of dispatching the solar panel cleaning robot 300. The main control system 500 provides instructions for guiding the navigation of the drone 200, and the navigation may involve a flight deployment task to deploy the solar panel cleaning robot 300 to be worked on the fixed point to be cleaned area 401 on the photovoltaic panel 400.

[0059] The following takes the deployment robot traveling on the ground as an example. Figure 3 and Figure 8 As shown, in one embodiment, the deployment robot 100 includes a control system 1001, a vehicle chassis 101, a sensor and camera combination 1002, and a battery pack (not shown). In one embodiment, it also includes a cabin 103 for recovering the solar panel cleaning robot 300 and / or the drone 200 and a lifting platform 104 for the cabin 103. The vehicle chassis 101 is configured with drive wheels and a motor controller, and the motor controller linked to the control system 101 provides forward and backward movement, and the drive wheels are placed in front and back or left and right. The cabin 103 of the deployment robot 100 is arranged in layers and is equipped with a pneumatic or hydraulically actuated lifting platform 104 to unload / load the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 therein. In one embodiment, the cabin 103 can be configured with an automatic door that can be opened and closed automatically, and the automatic door will automatically open to receive one or more drones 200 and solar panel cleaning robots 300.

[0060] like Figure 4As shown, the drone 200 and the solar panel cleaning robot 300 may be able to autonomously dock with a battery charging docking device located on the deployment robot 100. By combining the sensors of the deployment robot 100 and the mutual cooperation and guidance of the drone 200 and / or the solar panel cleaning robot 300, both the drone 200 and the solar panel cleaning robot 300 can be charged on the deployment robot 100. In a specific embodiment, the battery charging system provides a step of charging a battery pack / , including: the deployment robot 100 battery pack is configured to charge the rechargeable battery pack of the solar photovoltaic cleaning robot 300 and / or the drone 200 during the operation of carrying the solar photovoltaic cleaning robot 300 and / or the drone 200; a charging circuit for charging the battery charging system, the charging circuit comprising: a power input for receiving power during the battery charging system recharging operation; and a protector connected between the power input and the electrical connection of the battery pack, the protector configured to protect the battery charging system during the battery charging system recharging operation; a charging module coupled to the battery charging system and configured to receive power from the battery charging system to charge the battery pack / of the battery charging system.

[0061] In one embodiment, the remote operator can then provide navigation instructions to dock one or more drones 200 and / or one or more solar panel cleaning robots 300 to the docking station, and then the remote operator can provide navigation instructions to navigate one or more drones 200 and / or one or more solar panel cleaning robots 300 by flying or driving to connect to a portion of the battery connector to receive a charging process.

[0062] In one embodiment, the remote operator then instructs one or more drones 200 and / or one or more solar panel cleaning robots 300 to receive a battery charge from the connection to the battery connector.

[0063] In one embodiment, once the driving wheels of the deployment robot 100 are started, the automatic door of the cabin 103 is immediately detected and closed to protect the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 from falling therefrom.

[0064] In one embodiment, the cabin 103 within the deployment robot 100 may include insulating materials or not, be sealed or not, not include charging interfaces for the drone 200 and / or the solar panel cleaning robot 300, and include fixing devices or not.

[0065] In another embodiment, the deployment robot 100 can charge the rechargeable batteries of the drone 200 or the solar panel cleaning robot 300 and can also replace the battery packs of the drone 200 and / or the solar panel cleaning robot 300 through a battery replacement system.

[0066] In one specific embodiment, the deployment robot 100 itself is configured with a rechargeable battery pack. The battery pack may include lithium batteries. In an example embodiment, the deployment robot 100 can automatically dock and is guided by a combination of sensors for monitoring mechanical movement, for example, various sensors such as radar, infrared, and ultrasound can be used to detect objects and monitor the environment inside and outside the deployment robot 100, and can have a camera to capture images of the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 deployed at the destination.

[0067] Figure 5 The charging structure of the deployment robot 100 automatically docked on the charging dock 600 is shown in detail, including: a battery charging control circuit is configured to provide charging control of the battery pack of the deployment robot 100 during the battery charging operation; a battery charging state monitor is coupled to the battery charging control circuit, and the deployment robot 100 battery charging state monitor is configured to control the operation of the battery charging control circuit based on the battery pack state of the deployment robot 100; the battery connector 601 of the charging dock 600 is configured to connect the battery pack of the deployment robot 100 on the connection between the deployment robot 100 and the charger port 105, and the charger port 105 can provide a wired charging device or a wireless charging device through the battery connector 601 of the charging dock 600. The deployment robot 100 can autonomously self-dock by driving when it successfully connects to the battery connector 601 of the charging dock 600 to receive a battery charging connection using a combination of sensors and cameras. However, if necessary, the remote operator of the photovoltaic power plant can manually / remotely control the navigation activities and docking activities of the deployment robot 100 to ensure that the deployment robot 100 successfully receives the battery charging connection wirelessly or mechanically.

[0068] like Figure 6 and Figure 8 As shown, at least one solar panel cleaning robot 300 includes a control system 3001, a vehicle chassis 301 including drive wheels, a sensor and camera combination 3002, a battery pack (not shown), and a cleaner 302 for cleaning the surface to be cleaned of the solar photovoltaic panel 400. In one embodiment, a pair of cleaners 302 are provided at the front and rear of the solar panel cleaning robot 300, respectively.

[0069] The cleaner 302 is used to clean the solar panel. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cleaner 302 includes: a cleaning module bracket, which is swingably and detachably arranged on the vehicle chassis 301; a cleaning head, i.e., a roller brush 303, which is rotatably connected to the cleaning module bracket. The roller brush 303 is detachably mounted on the cleaner 302 and is used to sweep away the attached objects on the photovoltaic panel. And a cleaning drive motor carried by the cleaning module bracket and operably driving the roller brush.

[0070] The main control system 500 of the cleaning system of the solar power plant can instruct the deployment robot 100 to collect the solar panel cleaning robot 300 at the GPS location of the solar panel cleaning robot 300 that has completed cleaning at a fixed point.

[0071] The main control system 500 may instruct the deployment robot 100 to go to a first route destination, and then instruct the deployment robot 100 to go to a second route, closer to a second deployment destination, and so on.

[0072] Figure 7 The operation of the deployment robot 100 to deploy the solar panel cleaning robot 300 on the solar photovoltaic panel 400 is demonstrated, and the control system 101 of the deployment robot 100 includes at least one processor configured to automatically raise the lifting platform 104 to receive the solar panel cleaning robot 300. The solar panel cleaning robot 300 can travel from the deployment robot 100 to the surface of the solar photovoltaic panel 400 through the raised lifting platform 104, and then go to the to-be-cleaned area 401 to be cleaned on the surface of the solar photovoltaic panel 400. In various examples, the deployment destination has a designated solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 drop point, which can be one of the lower edges of the surface of the solar photovoltaic panel 400, such as Figure 7 As shown, after arriving at the deployment destination, a physical path can be established between the cabin 103 of the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 and the surface of the solar photovoltaic panel 400 through the lifting platform 104. The solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 automatically drives out of the cabin 103 according to the confirmation signal of the deployment robot 100, and moves to the surface of the solar photovoltaic panel 400 via the lifting platform 104.

[0073] Depending on the operation, the handling process of the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 may also involve the following loading process steps: the lifting platform 104 is programmed to move by hydraulic or pneumatic means to locate the height of the target solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300, where the height is defined by the edge of the solar photovoltaic panel 400; the height of the lifting platform 104 is fixed and locked, and the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 moves from the solar photovoltaic panel 400 to the lifting platform 104 and stops; the lifting platform 104 moves and is deployed in the multiple solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 cabins 103 of the robot 100 The entrance of one of them is stopped and locked; the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 moves into the cabin 103, thereby deploying the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 of the robot 100; the cabin 103 receives the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300; the lifting platform 104 is repositioned to repeat the loading process, and these steps are repeated when the deployed robot 100 arrives at the target location, which is one of the solar photovoltaic panels 400 to be partially cleaned, the solar photovoltaic panel 400 where the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 to be recycled is located, and the storage warehouse of the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300.

[0074] The main control system 500 includes at least one processor 501, configured to access at least one memory 502 and execute computer executable instructions to cooperate with at least the navigation system 1001 of the deployment robot 100 involved in the GPS module 503, and the GPS module 503 is used to generate a route map of the terrain between the deployment robot 100 and the deployment destination, and a set of navigation instructions generated based on the route map to help the deployment robot 100 to go to the deployment location of the solar panel cleaning robot 300 to be worked at the deployment destination.

[0075] The main control system 500 includes at least one memory 502 for storing computer executable instructions, at least one processor 501 configured to access at least one memory 502 and then execute various instructions, cooperating with at least a GPS module 503 to generate a route map of the terrain between the deployment robot 100 and the deployment destination, and a set of navigation instructions generated based on the route map.

[0076] The main control system 500 is associated with the control network and provides a communication module that can enable communication with the deployment robot 100, including that the communication path can span and represent various networks and network topologies. The control network is associated with the communication module, which can wirelessly communicate all messages for pairing the deployment robot 100 with the solar panel cleaning robot 300 and the drone 200, as well as generate GPS deployment locations related to flight path planning, or related to prohibited areas, or plan driving paths together with GPS, and store GPS data.

[0077] For example, the communication path may include wireless communication, optical communication, ultrasonic communication, or a combination thereof. For example, satellite communication, cellular communication, Bluetooth communication, infrared data, WiFi that establishes a connection with a user terminal via WiFi or Bluetooth RTM are examples of wireless communications that may be included in the communication path. Cable, Ethernet, digital subscriber line (DSL), fiber optic line are examples of wired communications that may be included in the communication path. In addition, the communication path may span many network topologies and distances. For example, the communication path may include a direct connection, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a combination thereof. The main control system 500 may be software that interacts with the communication path through a communication module.

[0078] The communication module may provide a remote operator interface for communication with the drone 200 / deployment robot 100 / solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300, thereby providing techniques and technologies for storing and transmitting computer executable instructions.

[0079] like Figure 8 The deployment robot 100, the drone 200 and the solar panel cleaning robot 300 each include a control system 1001, a control system 2001 and a control system 3001, and the main control system 500 and the deployment robot 100, the drone 200 and the solar panel cleaning robot 300 each include a control system 1001, 2001 and 3001 connected to the control network through at least one access opening. The control systems 1001, 2001 and 3001 are connected to the respective sensor and camera combinations 1003, 2003 and 3003 of the deployment robot 100, the drone 200 and the solar panel cleaning robot 300 through the corresponding image processing systems 1002, the image processing system 2002 and the cleaning system 3002, respectively, for monitoring or performing operations or executing tasks, and instructing the deployment robot 100, the drone 200 and the solar panel cleaning robot 300 to execute instructions that may involve flight or driving by processing the navigation systems 1004, 2004, 3004 to perform aerial inspection tasks or deploy the solar panel cleaning robot 300 to be used at the work site or clean the surface of the photovoltaic panel, or recover the solar panel cleaning robot 300 from the work site, where the work site is a location close to one of the edges of the solar photovoltaic panel 400.

[0080] The cleaning system of the solar farm uses one or more deployment robots 100, each of which is configured to receive and transport one or more solar panel cleaning robots 300 and / or one or more drones 200. Therefore, the main control system 500 of the cleaning system of the solar farm is connected to the control system 1001 of the deployment robot 100, the control system 2001 of the drone 200, and the control system 3001 of the deployment robot 100. The deployment robot 100 works automatically, and the deployment operation (such as receiving and transporting the configuration of the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300) is performed by the control network, which uses the main control system 500 of the cleaning system of the solar farm to provide various instructions for the main control system 500, each control system receives instructions, stores them in a memory and / or in a cloud server, and the communication module receives data signals from sensors and receives image data from cameras. The instructions are calibrated with performance data related to flight navigation or drive navigation, such as navigation, motor control, steering, speed, automatic docking, and the calibration is performed through routing data provided by GPS.

[0081] The sensors and / or cameras included in the deployment robot 100, the drone 200, and the solar panel cleaning robot 300, respectively, are configured to obtain sensor readings for performing tasks and operations, such as for operating structural members. The sensor readings may include sensor signals or information or data about events or changes in the environment, and the sensor readings may include, for example, image readings, such as digital images or point clouds / depth views. The sensor readings may also include quantitative measurements, such as measurements of force, torque, rotation, speed, distance, or combinations thereof.

[0082] The sensor may include a sensor for detecting or measuring sensor readings, for example, the sensor may be configured to detect or measure one or more physical characteristics of the state, condition, position of one or more structural members or electronic components of the deployment robot 100, information of an object or the surrounding environment, or a combination thereof.

[0083] In some implementations, the combination of sensors and cameras 1003, 200 of the deployment robot 100, the drone 200 may include one or more imaging devices or cameras configured to capture, identify, detect, or a combination thereof, the environment around the deployment robot 100, the drone 200. For example, the imaging device may include a two-dimensional camera, a three-dimensional camera, both of which may include a combination of visual and infrared functions, a dynamic laser radar, a solid-state laser radar, other ranging devices, and other imaging devices. The imaging device can generate a representation of the environment around the deployment robot 100 and the drone 200, such as a digital image or a point cloud / depth view, for implementing machine / computer vision for automatic inspection, navigation guidance, or other robotic applications.

[0084] In some embodiments, the sensor and camera combination 1003 of the deployment robot 100 may also include a combination of a set of internal sensors and cameras for detecting loading operations inside the deployment robot 100, and a combination of external sensors and cameras placed on a portion of the outside of the deployment robot 100 for detecting objects and monitoring activities or capturing images. The sensor is preferably one of: lidar, ultrasound, tactile, vision-related or other safety system-related. In addition, other examples of sensors may include contact sensors, such as pressure sensors, force sensors, strain gauges, piezoresistive / piezoelectric sensors, capacitive sensors, elastic resistance sensors, torque sensors, linear force sensors, or other tactile sensors, configured to measure features between multiple physical structures or surfaces in direct contact. The sensor is configured to receive information from an external source, or can send information to other deployment robots 100 having a control network, and the control network has technology and skills to store the transmitted computer executable instructions.

[0085] In one embodiment, in combination Figure 8 and Fig. 9 , illustrates a drone 200, including a propeller 201, a battery pack (not shown), and a sensor and camera combination 2003. In a specific embodiment, the drone 200 is also configured with a loading bracket 204 and an execution motor 205 to grab and hold the solar panel cleaning robot 300. Therefore, in addition to being configured for aerial inspection, the drone 200 in this embodiment can also be configured to perform aerial deployment services when the deployment robot 100 is occupied by other tasks, that is, a service for aerial transmission of the solar panel cleaning robot 300 executed by the control system. The drone 200 can use the above-mentioned sensor and camera combination 2003 to detect the solar panel cleaning robot 300 or other objects.

[0086] In an exemplary embodiment, the drone 200 can achieve automatic docking capability through a combination of sensors that monitor mechanical motion, so various sensors such as altimeters, lidars, radars, gyroscopes, etc. are used to detect objects and monitor the environment outside the deployment robot 100. In addition, the drone 200 is equipped with a camera for capturing images of the surface of the solar photovoltaic panel 400 at its destination. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the drone 200 has a detection device such as a camera, that is, an image sensor 206 configured in front in the moving direction of the drone 200, which can detect dirt on a partial area of ​​the surface of the solar photovoltaic panel 400 in the area currently traveled by the drone 200. The detection device obtains an image of the partial area of ​​the surface and compares it with an image of a reference stain. The control system of the drone 200 is configured to compare the dirt obtained by the detection device with one or more reference stains stored in the main control system 500.

[0087] The main control system 500 compares the pollution level of the photovoltaic surface area to be processed with the baseline pollution level that specifies the pollution level. If the pollution level is higher than the specified baseline pollution level, the deployment robot 100 is dispatched to deploy the solar photovoltaic cleaning robot to the solar photovoltaic panel 400 where the high pollution level is located. The main control system 500, based on the GPS coordinates of the area where the high pollution level area is located determined by the drone, and the occupancy status of the current deployment robot 100, drone 200 and solar photovoltaic cleaning robot 300, calls up the currently dispatchable deployment robot 100 and the idle solar photovoltaic cleaning robot 300 in the photovoltaic power plant through the dispatch management module 504 to execute the deployment / recovery of the dispatched deployment robot 100 and the cleaning action of the solar photovoltaic cleaning robot 300.

[0088] In a specific embodiment, the scheduling management module 504 is illustrated by deploying a solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 to a target location, wherein the instructions may involve the following steps: issuing a remote instruction to the drone 200 to conduct an aerial inspection of the solar photovoltaic panel field 400; generating a GPS route based on the inspection results; initiating navigation instructions to guide the deployment robot 100 to drive to the area to be cleaned or to the recycling location according to the GPS route; issuing a remote instruction to the unmanned deployment robot 100 to apply the steps to load the target solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 into the cabin 103 of the deployment robot 100; if there are other deployment robots 100, communicating with the deployment robots 100 on the GPS route close to at least one deployment destination; letter; determine whether the deployment robot 100 matches the address; if not, instruct the deployment robot 100 to go to the correct location; deploy the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 at the deployment destination; determine whether the deployment robot 100 deploys the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 to the deployment destination; start the instruction to deploy the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 to the photovoltaic panel 400; the deployment robot 100 is equipped with internal and external cameras to take videos or photos to confirm the deployment of the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 or the status of the deployed solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300; and then clean the specific location to be cleaned on the solar photovoltaic panel 400 through the deployed solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300.

[0089] In one embodiment, the deployment robot 100 may include an operation method, including: receiving sensor readings associated with the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300; generating a basic plan for performing a task of the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300, for example, generating a basic plan including determining a deployment point and one or more images associated with the deployment point, for determining the deployment point of a target object according to the position of the deployment point relative to a specified area, a task location, and another target object; operating the basic plan for performing the task according to the priority level of the deployment point to generate a deployment of the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 by executing an execution device; confirming the established deployment point; comparing the established deployment point with a map of a photovoltaic power plant; and re-establishing the deployment point when the established deployment point is inconsistent with the map. After the recovery point is confirmed to be correct, the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 is signaled to the deployment robot 100, and the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 is transferred to the cabin 103 of the deployment robot 100 by self-movement.

[0090] In one embodiment, the solar photovoltaic cleaning robot 300 also has an image sensor or other types of stain sensors. Based on the baseline pollution level of the main control system 500, the solar photovoltaic cleaning robot continues to clean the surface area until the pollution level is lower than the prescribed baseline pollution level. In this case, as the pollution state, for example, the amount of dirt per unit area is used for comparison with the prescribed benchmark. Furthermore, the type and / or adhesion of the dirt are also compared. Furthermore, the actual dirt can also be classified into different categories, in particular, the dirt is compared with a plurality of prescribed baseline dirt levels characterized as low, medium, and high. Accordingly, if appropriate, another or additional surface cleaning method can be performed, such as an additional cleaning power increase (for example, increasing the rotation speed of the roller brush, increasing the flow rate of the cleaning liquid, increasing the recovery power of the dirt recovery system), a change in the cleaning mode (for example, using a cleaning agent for sticky attachments), etc.

[0091] In particular, in an alternative embodiment, a transport mode of aerial dispatch of drones 200 and deployment of solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robots 300 at a deployment destination is described, involving the following steps: one or more drones 200 are operationally configured to respond to sensor signals and instructions from their control systems to receive solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robots 300; at least one drone 200 is moved or guided to a position capable of contacting a connection device of the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300; the drone 200 connects to the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 and configures the connection so that the drone 200 can safely carry a solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 during flight in the air; the drone 200 is operationally configured to have a mechanical mechanism, such as a loading bracket 204 and an actuator motor 205, for connecting to the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 during flight or when docked or parked. The drone 200 responds to a flight plan calibrated by a GPS control system or navigation instructions from a remote operator to perform a flight; the drone 200 is configured to hover above at least one deployment destination to slowly land and release at least one solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 on at least one deployment destination; the drone 200 is configured to have a structure for releasing the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 when docked at a deployment destination; the drone 200 is equipped with an external camera to take videos or photos to confirm the deployment of the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 or the status of the deployed solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300; and then the specific location to be cleaned on the solar photovoltaic panel 400 is cleaned by the deployed solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300.

[0092] In an embodiment where the drone 200 acts as a deployment actuator, the drone 200 is configured with a loading bracket 204 that can be equipped with various fixing devices, such as suction cups or hooks or mechanical clamping arms, to grab or release the solar panel cleaning robot 300.

[0093] The drone 200 may be equipped with a flight controller linked to the motor controllers of the propellers 201, designed to perform one or more of the following functions: Gyroscopic stabilization via gyroscopic sensors, which allows the propeller motion to be easily leveled. This is a standard feature of all flight control panels; Auto-level, which allows the propeller motion to be level; Altitude hold - hovering at a certain distance from the ground without having to manually adjust power; Position hold - the ability to hover at a specific location such as the surface of a solar photovoltaic panel 400; Return to home - automatically return to the point where the propeller motion originally took off; and Waypoint navigation - setting a specific point on a map that the propeller motion will follow as part of the flight plan.

[0094] When one or more drones 200 have high speed electric motors, their onboard inertial systems will cause their propulsion systems to automatically return to normal after this, after which the one or more drones 200 will follow a pre-programmed path and descent to land at the desired deployment location. Alternatively, one or more drones 200 may use rotors and / or electric drive wheel propulsion to guide them to a deployment location on the surface of the solar photovoltaic panel 400.

[0095] In one embodiment, the communication module transmits control signals between the deployment robot 100, the drone 200, and at least one solar panel cleaning robot 300. These control signals can be transmitted from one or more deployment robots 100 to one or more drones 200 and / or one or more solar panel cleaning robots 300 via a wireless interface connection. Each one or more drones 200 and / or deployment robots 100 and one or more deployment robots 100 can be equipped with a wireless transmission device, including a transmitter and a receiver. In these example embodiments, one or more drones 200 can control the position and movement path of one or more deployment robots 100 / , which helps the deployment robot 100 to easily return to perform other tasks after being deployed at a deployment point, such as deploying to the next deployment point or to a recycling point to recycle the solar panel cleaning robot 300. In an example embodiment, one or more deployment robots 100 can track the position of the drone 200 / , but do not control its flight path.

[0096] In one embodiment, the main control system 500 of the solar farm cleaning system provides instructions to one or more deployment robots 100, wherein the one or more deployment robots 100 are controlled by their own control systems 1001, or are operated unmanned in real time by the main control system 500 of the solar farm cleaning system. The main control system 500 of the solar farm cleaning system can remotely control navigation activities and deployment activities to ensure that the deployment robots 100 can successfully complete the operation.

[0097] In an alternative embodiment, the control system of the drone 200 is programmed to perform various deployment processes, including dropping the solar photovoltaic panel cleaning robot 300 at a deployment destination.

[0098] In an alternative embodiment, one or more deployment robots 100 are provided with semi-autonomous driving navigation, which is primarily provided by a remote operator based on real-time instructions for movement, positioning, and drive navigation.

[0099] In an alternative embodiment, semi-autonomous flight navigation is provided for one or more UAVs 200, with the navigation being provided primarily by a remote operator based on real-time instructions for movement, positioning, and flight navigation.

[0100] In alternative embodiments, communications between one or more drones 200 and at least one solar panel cleaning robot 300 may be limited to simply tracking each other, thereby potentially relaying each other's locations.

[0101] In an alternative embodiment, one or more drones 200 and at least one solar panel cleaning robot 300 may select the above-mentioned semi-automatic flight control or driving control to automatically dock when entering the cabin 103 portion of the deployment robot 100.

[0102] In a specific embodiment, the control network of the solar power plant provides guarantees for the inspection and / or deployment of the drone 200 , the deployment of the deployment robot 100 , and the cleaning of the solar panel cleaning robot 300 .

[0103] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment / method", "some embodiments / methods", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment / method or example are included in at least one embodiment / method or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment / method or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments / methods or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments / methods or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments / methods or examples, unless they are contradictory.

[0104] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0105] Those skilled in the art should understand that the above embodiments are only for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other changes or modifications may be made based on the above disclosure, and these changes or modifications are still within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A cleaning system for a solar power plant, characterized in that: include: a drone configured to detect surface contamination associated with photovoltaic panels within the solar farm using a combination of sensors and cameras while operating within the solar farm; A solar panel cleaning robot with autonomous movement features, comprising: an electric system for providing propulsion, a battery pack for providing power, and drive wheels for achieving autonomous movement on a photovoltaic panel; A deployment robot with autonomous mobility features, configured to handle the solar panel cleaning robot, including: an electric system for providing propulsion, a battery pack for powering, and a control system for managing the battery pack; a mechanical mechanism configured inside the deployment robot to achieve the operation of receiving the solar panel cleaning robot in a carrying space inside the deployment robot or releasing the solar panel cleaning robot from the carrying space; A master control system for pairing the drone with the deployment robot and / or solar panel cleaning robot to work together; The main control system includes a control module for controlling the actions or positioning of the deployment robot, the drone, and the solar panel cleaning robot in an operating program executed in the solar farm; The control module may generate a planned route for the deployment robot based on image information of at least a portion of the photovoltaic panels in the solar power plant acquired by the drone, so as to deploy at least one solar panel cleaning robot to the photovoltaic panels including at least the first target location through the deployment robot, and plan a route for returning to the deployment robot so as to perform the next deployment task; Wherein, the control module also includes a scheduling management module, so that after scheduling the deployment robot on a first route including a photovoltaic panel at a first target location, the deployment robot is scheduled to a second route close to a photovoltaic panel including a second target location.

2. The cleaning system for a solar power plant according to claim 1, characterized in that: Processing the solar panel cleaning robot includes: deploying the solar panel cleaning robot on the surface of the photovoltaic panel and / or retrieving the solar panel cleaning robot from the surface of the photovoltaic panel.

3. The cleaning system for a solar power plant according to claim 2, characterized in that: The deployment robot includes a cabin disposed therein, and the deployment robot is configured to cooperate with the solar panel cleaning robot to perform loading operations.

4. The cleaning system for a solar power plant according to claim 3, characterized in that: The deployment robot further includes a first sensor combination for detecting the solar panel cleaning robot loading operation within the deployment robot, and a second sensor combination provided on the external part of the deployment robot for detecting objects and monitoring activities or capturing images.

5. The cleaning system for a solar power plant according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first sensor combination and the second sensor combination are configured to monitor the solar panel cleaning robot entering or leaving the deployment robot so as to perform actions on the solar panel cleaning robot.

6. The cleaning system for a solar power plant according to claim 5, characterized in that: The actions performed on the solar panel cleaning robot include: Deploy solar panel cleaning robots at target locations or retrieve solar panel cleaning robots that require assistance; Assists solar panel cleaning robots with battery charging or battery switching services.

7. The cleaning system for a solar power plant according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning system of the solar power plant includes a user interaction interface, which provides real-time instructions for the movement, positioning and navigation of the deployment robot, and remotely controls the activities of the deployment robot to ensure that the deployment robot is successfully deployed.

8. The cleaning system for a solar power plant according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drone includes a control system that executes a command configuration from a main control system, which at least includes: instructing the drone to obtain a surface image of at least a portion of a photovoltaic panel in a solar power plant; and transmitting the obtained surface image of the photovoltaic panel back to the main control system.

9. The cleaning system for a solar power plant according to claim 1, characterized in that: Deployment of the robot includes a control system that executes command configurations from a master control system, which command configurations include at least: Receiving the coordinates of the deployment location from the master control system; Receive a planned route generated by the main control system for a ground driving plan of the deployed robot; deploying a solar panel cleaning robot on a photovoltaic panel at a first target location by controlling the deployment robot through a planned route; Deploy the robot back by planning the route; Stores planned route data.

10. The cleaning system for a solar power plant according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system of the deployment robot is also configured to control the deployment robot to complete automatic docking at a docking station to receive electrical connection, and to receive an automatic charging process for charging the battery pack.

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