Full-automatic cleaning system of photovoltaic power station and cleaning method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a photovoltaic power station full-automatic cleaning system which comprises an unmanned cleaning vehicle and a cleaning management system, a mechanical arm with one end extending outwards is installed on the unmanned cleaning vehicle, a replaceable cleaning brush is detachably installed on the mechanical arm, and the mechanical arm is used for adjusting the height and angle of the cleaning brush. The photovoltaic panels with different heights and angles can be adapted; and the cleaning management system is used for transmitting a working instruction to the unmanned cleaning vehicle, so that the unmanned cleaning vehicle cleans the photovoltaic panel along a specific path. According to the full-automatic cleaning system for the photovoltaic power station, the unmanned cleaning vehicle, the cleaning management system and the cleaning supporting base are combined, automatic cleaning work of large-scale photovoltaic panels, especially large-scale photovoltaic panels in remote areas in China can be achieved, the photovoltaic power generation capacity can be effectively improved, and the manual cleaning requirement and the requirement for cleaning human resources are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This patent application relates to the field of photovoltaic technology, and particularly to a fully automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station and a cleaning method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Photovoltaic power generation is one of the good ways to achieve carbon neutrality and carbon peak. According to production data, Daquan Energy produced 86,600 tons of polysilicon products in 2021 for photovoltaic module manufacturing, which can produce approximately 28.8 GW of photovoltaic module products, and can achieve approximately 43.2 billion kWh of clean power generation annually.

[0003] In the northwest region, there are vast gobi areas with sparse population, relatively flat terrain, and long sunshine hours, which is an ideal strategic development area for large-scale construction of photovoltaic power generation. There are large photovoltaic arrays on the vast gobi, and multiple photovoltaic arrays are distributed in multiple rows.

[0004] If dust accumulates on the photovoltaic panels, the dusty solar photovoltaic panels will cause uneven light heating, resulting in different currents and making the photovoltaic panels prone to damage. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the dust on the photovoltaic panels. However, due to the gobi, the heights and angles of the photovoltaic panels on the same array fluctuate, and it is not thorough to clean the undulating parts of the photovoltaic panels using mechanical equipment.

[0005] Moreover, the wind and sand are relatively large in the large northwest region, and the surfaces of the photovoltaic panels in this area are prone to dust accumulation. Cleaning the dust on the photovoltaic panels in this area has become a relatively big problem: If cleaned manually, a worker can clean approximately 20 - 40 square meters of photovoltaic panels per hour. For a 50 MW power station, 100 people are required to clean for 200 hours. And manual cleaning is basically carried out during the day. The photovoltaic arrays in the northwest region are located in remote areas. Due to the need to consider the commuting, accommodation, and food problems of manual cleaning, the cost of manual cleaning is very high. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, the purpose of this patent application is to provide a fully automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station and a cleaning method thereof to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.

[0007] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] A fully automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station, comprising:

[0009] An unmanned cleaning vehicle, on which a robotic arm extending outward at one end is installed, and a replaceable cleaning brush is detachably installed on the robotic arm. The robotic arm is used for adjusting the height and angle of the cleaning brush to adapt to photovoltaic panels of different heights and angles;

[0010] The cleaning management system is used to transmit work instructions to the unmanned cleaning vehicle so that the unmanned cleaning vehicle can clean the photovoltaic panels along a specific path;

[0011] It also includes a cleaning support base for replacing the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle and replacing or cleaning the cleaning brushes.

[0012] Preferably, the cleaning brush is installed with several pressure sensors for real-time detection of the contact pressure between the cleaning brush and the photovoltaic panel and several distance sensors for real-time detection of the position distance between the cleaning brush and the photovoltaic panel along the length direction, and the robotic arm is installed with a PLC controller for receiving signals from the pressure sensor and the distance sensor and sending adjustment control instructions to the robotic arm after processing.

[0013] Preferably, the cleaning management system includes an image acquisition module installed on the unmanned cleaning vehicle for real-time observation of the surrounding environment and a wireless receiving module for receiving signals from the image acquisition module. The wireless receiving module transmits the signal to the control module. The control module sends a control instruction to the wireless transmitting module according to the received image signal. The wireless transmitting module transmits the control instruction to the drive controller on the unmanned cleaning vehicle. The drive controller controls the driving path of the unmanned cleaning vehicle.

[0014] The image acquisition module also transmits the image signal to the PLC controller.

[0015] Preferably, the cleaning support base includes a battery swap station for replacing power batteries of the unmanned cleaning vehicle and charging the power batteries.

[0016] Preferably, the battery swap station is composed of a power battery replacement device, a power battery charging device and a battery placement rack;

[0017] The power battery replacement device is used to replace the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle. The power battery replacement device can be a manipulator in the prior art or a device with other mechanism transmission combinations that can realize the taking and placing of the power battery;

[0018] The power battery charging device is used for charging the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle;

[0019] The battery rack is used to place fully charged power batteries. After the power batteries in the battery swap station are fully charged, they are placed on the battery rack. Then, when a cleaning vehicle needs to replace the power battery, the fully charged power battery on the rack is directly installed on the cleaning vehicle through the power battery replacement device.

[0020] Preferably, the cleaning support base further includes a cleaning brush cleaning device for cleaning the cleaning brush. The cleaning brush cleaning device can be a device in the prior art that cleans the cleaning brush through soaking and centrifugation. Among them, the cleaning brush can be placed into and taken out of the device by a manipulator in the prior art. Of course, the device can also include a multi-stage cleaning cylinder in the prior art, and the cleaning brush is driven by a manipulator or other transmission mechanism to stir in the cleaning cylinder to clean the cleaning brush.

[0021] Preferably, the cleaning support base further includes a cleaning brush replacement device for replacing the cleaning brush. This facilitates the disassembly and installation of the cleaning brush. If the cleaning brush is installed on the cleaning vehicle by a clamping method, it further facilitates the disassembly and installation of the cleaning brush. When a cleaning brush has been used for a certain period of time, the management system controls the cleaning vehicle to move to the cleaning support base to replace the cleaning brush, thereby ensuring the cleaning effect of the cleaning brush.

[0022] Preferably, the cleaning support base further includes a garage for placing the unmanned cleaning vehicle in a non-working state.

[0023] A cleaning method for the fully automatic cleaning system of a photovoltaic power station as described above includes the following steps:

[0024] Collect information on the surrounding environment and road conditions through the image acquisition module on the unmanned cleaning vehicle, and send a driving instruction to the drive controller of the unmanned cleaning vehicle through the remote control module;

[0025] At the same time, the PLC controller controls the robotic arm to be placed on the photovoltaic panel according to the image signal, so that the cleaning brush is flush with the photovoltaic panel, and the PLC controller controls the cleaning brush to rotate to clean the photovoltaic panel;

[0026] During the cleaning process, the pressure sensor and the distance sensor double-sense the position of the cleaning brush and the photovoltaic panel. When the pressure or distance is greater than the set threshold, the PLC controller controls the robotic arm to adjust the position of the cleaning brush to achieve self-adaptive cleaning of the photovoltaic panel by the cleaning brush;

[0027] When the image acquisition module detects that the cleaning brush is dirty or the cleaning effect on the photovoltaic panel is not good, the control module controls the unmanned cleaning vehicle to return to the cleaning support base to replace or clean the cleaning brush;

[0028] When the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle is running low, the control module controls the unmanned cleaning vehicle to return to the cleaning support base to replace the battery. Among them, a detection system for real-time detection of the power battery power is provided on the unmanned cleaning vehicle.

[0029] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0030] 1. This fully automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station does not require staff to always be near the photovoltaic panels, forming an intelligent cleaning system. Only the maintenance of the unmanned cleaning vehicle or the cleaning support base by the staff is needed, which is convenient for cleaning the photovoltaic panels in remote western China and solves the technical problem of difficult cleaning of photovoltaic panels in sparsely populated deserts with vast land areas;

[0031] 2. In this fully automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station, by setting a PLC on the robotic arm to receive the signals from the pressure sensor and the distance sensor in real time, and adjusting the robotic arm in a timely manner according to the signals to make the cleaning brush adapt to the photovoltaic panel, the purpose of efficient cleaning is achieved. At the same time, the photovoltaic panel is not damaged;

[0032] 3. The cleaning support base is used to assist the unmanned cleaning vehicle, integrating the automatic charging and replacement of the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle and the cleaning and replacement of the cleaning brush at a unified location, reducing the personnel input;

[0033] 4. The combination of the unmanned cleaning vehicle, the cleaning management system and the cleaning support base can realize the automatic cleaning of large-scale photovoltaic panels, especially in remote areas, which helps to effectively improve the power generation capacity of photovoltaic power, reduce the demand for manual cleaning and the demand for cleaning human resources. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the system of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 It is a schematic block diagram of the principle of the cleaning management system of the present invention.

[0036] Explanation of the reference numerals in the drawings: unmanned cleaning vehicle 1, cleaning management system 2, image acquisition module 21, wireless receiving module 22, control module 23, wireless transmitting module 24, drive controller 25, cleaning support base 3, power battery replacement device 31, power battery charging device 32, battery placement rack 33, cleaning brush replacement device 34, cleaning brush cleaning device 35, garage 36. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0037] The following illustrates the implementation manners of this patent application through specific specific examples. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this patent application from the content disclosed in this specification. This patent application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific implementation manners. Various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this patent application. It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments in this application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0038] Please refer to Figure 1-2 , the present invention provides a technical solution:

[0039] A fully automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station, comprising:

[0040] An unmanned cleaning vehicle 1, on which a robotic arm extending outward at one end is installed, and a replaceable cleaning brush is detachably installed on the robotic arm. The robotic arm is used for adjusting the height and angle of the cleaning brush to adapt to photovoltaic panels of different heights and angles;

[0041] The robotic arm is a commonly used machine in the art, which can achieve angle adjustment and height adjustment on the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1, and will not be elaborated here one by one.

[0042] A cleaning management system 2, which is used to send work instructions to the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1, so that the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 cleans the photovoltaic panels along a specific path.

[0043] In a further solution, a plurality of pressure sensors for real-time detection of the contact pressure between the cleaning brush and the photovoltaic panel and a plurality of distance sensors for real-time detection of the position distance between the cleaning brush and the photovoltaic panel are installed along the length direction of the cleaning brush. A PLC controller is installed on the robotic arm, which is used to receive the signals of the pressure sensors and the distance sensors, and after processing, send adjustment control instructions to the robotic arm. By setting a PLC controller on the robotic arm, receiving the signals of the pressure sensors and the distance sensors in real time, and adjusting the robotic arm in time according to the signals, the cleaning brush can adapt to the photovoltaic panel automatically, achieving the purpose of efficient cleaning and not damaging the photovoltaic panel at the same time; the PLC controller is a controller of the s7-200 series model. In addition, the PLC controller is not limited to the s7-200 series controller, and can also be other models of small, editable logic controllers that can perform operations such as independent logical operations, sequential control, timing, calculation, and arithmetic operations.

[0044] In actual work, the pressure sensors and the distance sensors are arranged in multiple groups along the length direction of the cleaning brush drum. The number of sensors in each group is multiple and they are distributed in a ring shape to monitor the pressure and distance of different parts of the cleaning brush in real time; the thresholds of the pressure sensors and the distance sensors are set in the PLC controller. When any sensor exceeds the threshold range, the PLC controller performs self-calculation, thereby adjusting the robotic arm so that the cleaning brush is always parallel to the photovoltaic panel and the distance between the two is within a reasonable range, so as to achieve the purpose that the pollutants on the photovoltaic panel can be removed when the cleaning brush rotates and the cleaning brush can quickly adapt to the position change of the photovoltaic panel.

[0045] For a further solution, the cleaning management system 2 includes an image acquisition module 21, which is installed on the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 and is used to observe the surrounding environment of the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 in real time. The signal output end of the image acquisition module 21 is connected to the signal input end of the wireless receiving module 22. The wireless receiving module 22 receives the image signal. The wireless receiving module 22 is connected to the control module 23. The control module 23 receives and processes the image signal. The control module 23 is connected to the wireless transmitting module 24. The control module 23 sends a control instruction to the wireless transmitting module 24 according to the received image signal. The wireless transmitting module 24 is connected to the drive controller 25. The drive controller 25 is installed on the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 and is used to control the driving of the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1. The wireless transmitting module 24 transmits the control instruction to the drive controller 25 to complete the automatic control of the driving of the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1. Through the visual image transmitted by the image acquisition module 21, the state of the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 is monitored in real time, so as to facilitate the control module 23 to control the traveling direction of the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1.

[0046] Among them, the image acquisition module 21 also transmits the image signal to the PLC controller to receive the image signal in real time, which is convenient for the PLC controller to control the robotic arm in the initial stage.

[0047] In the present invention, there is also a cleaning support base 3. The cleaning support base 3 includes a power exchange station, which is used to replace the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 and charge the power battery. The power exchange station is composed of a power battery replacement device 31, a power battery charging device 32 and a battery placement rack 33; the power battery replacement device 31 is used to replace the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1; the power battery charging device 32 is used to charge the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1; the battery placement rack 33 is used to place the fully charged power battery.

[0048] In some examples, the cleaning support base 3 also includes a cleaning brush cleaning device 35, which is used to clean the cleaning brush. The cleaning support base 3 also includes a cleaning brush replacement device 34, which is used to replace the cleaning brush. The cleaning support base 3 also includes a garage 36 for placing the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 in a non-working state.

[0049] A cleaning method for a fully automatic cleaning system of a photovoltaic power station includes the following steps:

[0050] Collect the information of the surrounding environment and road conditions through the image acquisition module 21 on the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1, and send a driving instruction to the drive controller 25 of the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 through the remote control module 23;

[0051] At the same time, the PLC controller controls the robotic arm to be placed on the photovoltaic panel according to the image signal, so that the cleaning brush is flush with the photovoltaic panel, and the PLC controller controls the cleaning brush to rotate to clean the photovoltaic panel;

[0052] During the cleaning process, the pressure sensor and the distance sensor double-sense the position of the cleaning brush and the photovoltaic panel. When the pressure or distance is greater than the set threshold, the PLC controller controls the robotic arm to adjust the position of the cleaning brush to achieve the self-adaptive cleaning of the photovoltaic panel by the cleaning brush;

[0053] When the image acquisition module 21 detects that the cleaning brush is dirty or the cleaning effect on the photovoltaic panel is not good, the control module 23 controls the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 to return to the cleaning support base 3 for replacing or cleaning the cleaning brush;

[0054] When the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 is out of power, the control module 23 controls the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 to return to the cleaning support base 3 for battery replacement. Among them, the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 is equipped with a detection system for real-time detection of the power battery power.

[0055] When the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 has a relatively low power, the cleaning management system 2 controls the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 to move to the garage 36 of the cleaning support base 3 for power battery replacement. Specifically, the power battery replacement device 31 disassembles the power battery on the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 and places the disassembled power battery on the power battery charging device 32 for charging. The power battery replacement device 31 is also used to install the fully charged power battery on the battery rack 33 on the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1. When the power battery is fully charged on the power battery charging device 32, the power battery replacement device 31 moves the fully charged battery to the battery rack 33;

[0056] When the cleaning brush has been used for a certain period of time, the cleaning management system 2 controls the unmanned cleaning vehicle 1 to move to the cleaning support base 3 to replace the cleaning brush, and the cleaning support base 3 cleans the cleaning brush disassembled from the robotic arm.

[0057] The combination of the unmanned cleaning vehicle, the cleaning management system and the cleaning support base can realize the automatic cleaning work of large-scale photovoltaic panels, especially in remote areas, which helps to effectively improve the power generation capacity of photovoltaic power generation, reduce the need for manual cleaning and the demand for cleaning human resources.

[0058] The above embodiments are only illustrative of the principles and effects of this patent application, and are not used to limit this patent application. Any person familiar with this technology can modify or change the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this patent application. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes completed by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field without departing from the spirit and technical ideas disclosed in this patent application should still be covered by the claims of this patent application.

Claims

1. A fully automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station, characterized in that, Including: An unmanned cleaning vehicle (1), on which a robotic arm extending outward at one end is installed, and a replaceable cleaning brush is detachably installed on the robotic arm. The robotic arm is used to adjust the height and angle of the cleaning brush to adapt to photovoltaic panels of different heights and angles; A cleaning management system (2) for sending work instructions to the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1) so that the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1) cleans the photovoltaic panels along a specific path; It also includes a cleaning support base (3) for replacing the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1) and replacing or cleaning the cleaning brush.

2. The full-automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station according to claim 1, characterized in that A number of pressure sensors for real-time detection of the contact pressure between the cleaning brush and the photovoltaic panel and a number of distance sensors for real-time detection of the position distance between the cleaning brush and the photovoltaic panel are installed along the length direction of the cleaning brush. A PLC controller is installed on the robotic arm, which is used to receive the signals from the pressure sensors and distance sensors and send adjustment control instructions to the robotic arm after processing.

3. The fully automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station according to claim 2, wherein: The cleaning management system (2) includes an image acquisition module (21) installed on the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1) for real-time observation of the surrounding environment and a wireless receiving module (22) for receiving the signals of the image acquisition module (21). The wireless receiving module (22) transmits the signals to the control module (23). The control module (23) sends control instructions to the wireless transmitting module (24) according to the received image signals. The wireless transmitting module (24) transmits the control instructions to the drive controller (25) on the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1), and the drive controller (25) controls the driving path of the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1); The image acquisition module (21) also transmits the image signals to the PLC controller.

4. The full-automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning support base (3) includes a power exchange station for replacing the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1) and charging the power battery.

5. The fully automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power exchange station is composed of a power battery replacement device (31), a power battery charging device (32) and a battery placement rack (33); The power battery replacement device (31) is used to replace the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1); The power battery charging device (32) is used to charge the power battery of the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1); The battery placement rack (33) is used to place the fully charged power battery.

6. The fully automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station according to claim 1, wherein: The cleaning support base (3) also includes a cleaning brush cleaning device (35) for cleaning the cleaning brush.

7. The full-automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station according to claim 1, wherein: The cleaning support base (3) also includes a cleaning brush replacement device (34) for replacing the cleaning brush.

8. The fully automatic cleaning system for a photovoltaic power station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning support base (3) also includes a garage (36) for placing the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1) in a non-working state.

9. A cleaning method for the fully automatic cleaning system of a photovoltaic power station according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Including the following steps: Collect information on the surrounding environment and road conditions through the image acquisition module (21) on the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1), and send a driving instruction to the drive controller (25) of the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1) through the remote control module (23); At the same time, the PLC controller controls the robotic arm to be placed on the photovoltaic panel according to the image signal so that the cleaning brush is flush with the photovoltaic panel, and the PLC controller controls the cleaning brush to rotate to clean the photovoltaic panel. During the cleaning process, the pressure sensor and the distance sensor double-sense the position of the cleaning brush and the photovoltaic panel. When the pressure or distance is greater than the set threshold, the PLC controller controls the robotic arm to adjust the position of the cleaning brush to achieve self-adaptive cleaning of the photovoltaic panel by the cleaning brush; When the image acquisition module (21) detects that the cleaning brush is dirty or the cleaning effect on the photovoltaic panel is poor, the control module (23) controls the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1) to return to the cleaning support base (3) to replace or clean the cleaning brush; When the power battery on the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1) is running low, the control module (23) controls the unmanned cleaning vehicle (1) to return to the cleaning support base (3) to replace the battery.

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