Photovoltaic-driven ocean garbage collection system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of marine environmental protection, and particularly relates to a photovoltaic driving type marine garbage collection system. The photovoltaic driving type marine garbage collection system comprises: a garbage collection module, which floats on the water surface and is used for collecting garbage on the water surface to a garbage storage unit through a conveyor belt; a cruising module, which is used for receiving solar energy and supplying the generated electric energy to the garbage collection module; and a tracking module, which is used for determining a target position of the sun and adjusting a receiving panel of the cruising module for receiving solar energy to face the sun. Based on the tracking module, the marine collection system of the present disclosure can make the receiving panel of the cruising module face the sun in the actual operation process, so as to improve the utilization rate of solar energy and the cruising performance of the system in the dynamic marine environment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of marine environmental protection technology, and in particular to a photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection system. Background Technology

[0002] Automated cleaning equipment for marine debris can operate independently in waters far from shore-based power grids, making energy self-sufficiency a key design element.

[0003] In related technologies, marine debris collection devices can use fixed brackets to install photovoltaic modules, which absorb solar radiation energy, convert it into electrical energy, and store it in batteries to drive the device.

[0004] However, in actual marine operating environments, the angle of solar incidence changes significantly with the time of day and the seasons. Furthermore, the garbage collection devices floating on the ocean are also affected by waves and water ripples, causing them to rock or rotate. This results in low photoelectric conversion efficiency, limiting the effective charging capacity of the batteries and affecting the continuity and reliability of the garbage collection devices. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To overcome the problems existing in related technologies, this disclosure provides a photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection system that can solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection system is provided. The system includes: a debris collection module that floats on the water surface and is used to collect debris on the water surface into a debris storage unit via a conveyor belt; a power supply module that receives solar energy and supplies the generated electrical energy to the debris collection module; and a tracking module that determines the target position of the sun and adjusts the receiving panel of the power supply module for receiving solar energy to face the sun.

[0007] In some embodiments, determining the target location of the sun includes: determining the light intensity received by the endurance module; if the light intensity is less than a light threshold, determining the target location based on the system's location information and time information; if the light intensity is not less than the light threshold, acquiring a brightness image of the direction facing the receiving panel, and determining the target location based on the brightness image information.

[0008] In some embodiments, the sensor of the tracking module is disposed on the receiving panel of the battery extension module, and the sensor and the receiving panel are oriented in the same direction.

[0009] In some embodiments, adjusting the receiving panel of the endurance module for receiving solar energy to face the sun includes: determining, when the target position is determined based on the location information and time information of the system, the target position corresponds to the adjustment azimuth angle and adjustment elevation angle of the receiving panel; and adjusting the receiving panel according to the adjustment azimuth angle and the adjustment elevation angle.

[0010] In some embodiments, determining the target location based on the brightness image includes: identifying a bright region in the brightness image; and determining the target location based on the position of the bright region in the brightness image.

[0011] In some embodiments, determining the bright region in the brightness image includes: determining a grayscale image based on the brightness image, and generating a blurred image by Gaussian blur filtering; marking the region in the blurred image with a pixel value not less than a binarization threshold as the bright region.

[0012] In some embodiments, adjusting the receiving panel of the battery extension module to face the sun includes: determining the acceleration information of the battery extension module when the receiving panel is facing the sun; and performing reverse compensation on the receiving panel based on the acceleration information to eliminate the jitter of the receiving panel.

[0013] In some embodiments, the battery extension module includes multiple receiving panels disposed at multiple locations around the system. Adjusting the receiving panels of the battery extension module to face the sun includes: identifying a first receiving panel among the multiple receiving panels whose acceleration information has changed; and pre-compensating the remaining receiving panels located in the direction from the first receiving panel to the center of the system based on the change in acceleration information of the first receiving panel, so as to eliminate the jitter of the remaining receiving panels after the jitter of the first receiving panel.

[0014] In some embodiments, the system further includes a flow guiding structure located underwater, used to ensure that the garbage collection module collects garbage in a direction opposite to the direction of the water flow under the action of the water flow.

[0015] In some embodiments, the battery life module includes multiple receiving panels, each controlled by the tracking module.

[0016] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this disclosure may include the following beneficial effects: The photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection system disclosed herein includes a tracking module. This module determines the target position of the sun and adjusts the endurance module so that its solar energy receiving panel faces the sun. Based on the tracking module, the marine collection system of this disclosure can ensure that the receiving panel of the endurance module faces the sun during actual operation, thereby improving the utilization rate of solar energy and enhancing the system's endurance in the dynamic marine environment.

[0017] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this disclosure, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 1 This disclosure is a schematic diagram of a photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection system according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0020] Figure 2 This disclosure is a schematic diagram of a photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection system according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a receiving panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a tracking module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0024] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” as used in this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0025] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used in this disclosure to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "when," "when," or "in response to determination."

[0026] Marine debris management is a crucial aspect of maintaining marine ecological balance and ensuring navigational safety. Currently, various automated surface debris cleaning devices are widely used in cleaning operations in nearshore, port, and waterway areas. Since these devices typically operate independently in waters far from shore-based power networks, energy self-sufficiency is a key design element. To achieve green operations and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, utilizing photovoltaic power generation technology to power the cleaning equipment's power and control systems has become a common solution in the industry. This typically involves installing photovoltaic modules above the floating structure or hull, absorbing solar radiation and converting it into electrical energy, which is then stored in batteries to drive the cleaning mechanism.

[0027] However, most existing photovoltaic-powered marine debris collection devices use fixed brackets to install photovoltaic modules, whose angle of sunlight reception is locked at installation and cannot be dynamically adjusted according to real-time changes in the sun's position. In actual marine operating environments, the angle of solar incidence varies significantly with day and night and seasonal changes. Fixed photovoltaic modules cannot maintain optimal sunlight reception at all times, resulting in a significant decrease in photoelectric conversion efficiency in the early morning, evening, or during periods of weak sunlight. This limitation of energy acquisition directly restricts the effective charging capacity of batteries, making the device prone to insufficient power supply under long-term continuous operation or high-load conditions, seriously affecting the continuity and reliability of marine floating debris collection.

[0028] To address the aforementioned technical issues, this disclosure proposes a photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection system.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection system floats on the water surface and can be used to collect floating debris.

[0030] Photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection systems include: Waste collection module 110, which floats on the water surface, is used to collect waste on the water surface to the waste storage unit via a conveyor belt; The battery life module 120 is used to receive solar energy and supply the generated electrical energy to the waste collection module; The tracking module 130 is used to determine the target position of the sun and adjust the receiving panel of the endurance module for receiving solar energy to face the sun.

[0031] In some embodiments, the waste collection module can float on the water surface to collect waste on the water surface into the waste storage unit via a conveyor belt.

[0032] One end of the conveyor belt extends below the water surface, while the other end connects to the waste storage unit. After marine debris floats to the collection port of the waste collection module, it is carried by the conveyor belt to the waste storage unit, where it is temporarily stored.

[0033] In some embodiments, the endurance module is used to receive solar energy and supply the generated electrical energy to the waste collection module.

[0034] The range extension module may include a battery and a photovoltaic power generation unit. The battery is used to supply power to the system, and the photovoltaic power generation unit can convert received solar energy into electrical energy to supply power to the system or charge the battery.

[0035] In some embodiments, the tracking module is used to determine the target position of the sun and adjust the receiving panel of the endurance module for receiving solar energy to face the sun.

[0036] The tracking module includes a positioning unit and a mechanical unit. The positioning unit is used to determine the target position of the sun, and the mechanical unit is used to drive the receiving panel of the endurance module so that the receiving panel of the endurance module can be aligned with the target position determined by the positioning unit, thereby facing the sun.

[0037] Based on the tracking module, this disclosure can determine the target position of the sun in actual marine operation scenarios and adjust the receiving panel of the endurance module to face the sun, thereby improving the utilization rate of solar energy, increasing the electrical energy converted from solar energy, and thus increasing the endurance of the photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection system.

[0038] The following specific example will further illustrate the solution disclosed herein.

[0039] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, the waste collection module in the system may include a floating platform 1, a chain conveyor belt 3, and a waste collection chamber 4; the endurance module may include a photovoltaic power generation unit 2; and the tracking module may include a control center 5.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, there can be two floating platforms 1, arranged in parallel at intervals to form a catamaran structure, which provides buoyancy and operating space for the photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection system on the water surface. The area between the two floating platforms 1 can be slightly lower than the floating platforms, so that when the system floats on the water, the plane of the floating platform 1 is above the water surface, and the plane of the area between the floating platforms 1 is below the water surface.

[0042] A chain conveyor belt 3 and a waste collection chamber 4 can be installed in the interval area between the two floating platforms 1. The two ends of the chain conveyor belt 3 are fixed between the two floating platforms 1 by a support structure. The feed end of the chain conveyor belt 3 extends below the water surface to capture floating waste and transport it to the surface. The waste collection chamber 4 is fixedly installed between the two floating platforms 1 and located at the side output end of the chain conveyor belt 3, for receiving and storing the waste transported by the chain conveyor belt 3.

[0043] The control center 5 can be fixedly installed on the floating platform 1, and its location can be set on the side of the waste collection chamber 4. The control center 5 is equipped with an electronic control mainboard, which is used to determine the target position of the sun.

[0044] A photovoltaic power generation unit 2 is installed on the top surface of the floating platform 1. The photovoltaic power generation unit 2 is electrically connected to the control center 5 and can convert solar energy into electrical energy to power the system. The photovoltaic power generation unit 2 includes a receiving panel array, a mechanical tracking unit, and a solar sensing sensor.

[0045] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a receiving panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0046] like Figure 3 As shown, the receiving panel array includes multiple receiving panels 6. The mechanical tracking unit is configured to support the receiving panel array and adjust the light-receiving angle of the receiving panel array. The mechanical tracking unit can adopt a column-type dual-axis tracking mechanism, the specific structure of which includes: an integral support 11, a worm gear 10, a worm 12, a vertical shaft 9, a horizontal shaft 8, a stepper motor 13, and an electric push rod 14.

[0047] The integral support 11 is fixedly installed on the floating platform 1. A worm gear 10 and a worm 12 are fitted together inside the integral support 11, and the output shaft of the stepper motor 13 is connected to the worm 12. The bottom end of the vertical shaft 9 is fixedly connected to the worm gear 10, and the top end of the vertical shaft 9 extends out of the integral support 11. The stepper motor 13 drives the worm 12 to rotate, which in turn drives the worm gear 10 and the vertical shaft 9 to rotate in the vertical direction, thereby achieving azimuth angle adjustment of the photovoltaic panel 6.

[0048] The receiving panel frame 7 is hinged to the top of the vertical axis 9 via a horizontal axis 8. The receiving panel 6 is fixedly laid on the receiving panel frame 7. The bottom end of the electric push rod 14 is hinged to the vertical axis 9 or an extension structure of the integral support 11, and the top end of the electric push rod 14 is hinged to the back of the receiving panel frame 7. By extending or retracting the electric push rod 14, the receiving panel frame 7 is pushed to rotate around the horizontal axis 8, thereby achieving the pitch adjustment of the receiving panel 6.

[0049] The integral support 11 is fixedly installed on the top surface of the floating platform 1, serving as the stationary base for the mechanical tracking unit. A bearing seat is provided at the center of the integral support 11, and the vertical shaft 9 is vertically installed inside the integral support 11 through the bearing seat. The vertical shaft 9 can rotate relative to the integral support 11 around the vertical axis.

[0050] The azimuth rotation mechanism employs a worm gear transmission structure. The worm gear 10 is keyed and fixed to the vertical shaft 9 within the integral support 11. The worm 12 is horizontally mounted within the integral support 11 and meshes with the worm gear 10. A stepper motor 13 is fixed to the outer wall of the integral support 11 via a motor mount. The output shaft of the stepper motor 13 passes through the wall plate of the integral support 11 and connects to one end of the worm 12. The stepper motor 13 drives the worm 12 to rotate, which in turn drives the vertical shaft 9 to rotate horizontally via the worm gear 10, thereby changing the azimuth angle of the receiving panel 6.

[0051] The elevation angle pitch section is located at the top of the vertical axis 9. A support fork (not separately labeled in the figure) is fixedly installed at the top of the vertical axis 9, and the horizontal axis 8 passes through the support fork laterally. A connecting lug is provided on the back of the receiving panel frame 7, and the connecting lug is fitted onto the horizontal axis 8, allowing the receiving panel frame 7 to pitch and swing around the horizontal axis 8. The receiving panel 6 is laid flat and fixed to the front of the receiving panel frame 7.

[0052] The electric actuator 14 is used to drive the pitch movement of the receiving panel frame 7. A laterally extending actuator bracket is fixedly welded to the upper middle side of the vertical shaft 9. The bottom end of the electric actuator 14 is hinged to the actuator bracket, and the top end of the electric actuator 14 is hinged to the edge of the back of the receiving panel frame 7. The electric actuator 14, the receiving panel frame 7, the vertical shaft 9, and the actuator bracket form a triangular support structure in the vertical plane.

[0053] When the stepper motor 13 stops working, the worm gear mechanism has a self-locking function to keep the azimuth angle of the receiving panel 6 locked. When the electric push rod 14 extends or retracts, the change in the length of the electric push rod 14 pushes the receiving panel frame 7 to rotate around the horizontal axis 8, changing the angle between the receiving panel 6 and the horizontal plane, thereby adjusting the height angle of the receiving panel 6.

[0054] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only one feasible example of the solution disclosed herein and should not limit the solution disclosed herein. The actual form and structure of the garbage collection module and the battery life module are not limited by this disclosure.

[0055] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a tracking module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] like Figure 4 As shown, in some embodiments, the tracking module is used to determine the target position of the sun, including: In step S401, the light intensity received by the battery extension module is determined; In step S402A, when the light intensity is less than the light threshold, the target location is determined based on the system's location information and time information; In step S402B, when the light intensity is not less than the light threshold, a brightness image of the direction facing the receiving panel is acquired, and the target position is determined based on the brightness image information.

[0057] In some embodiments, the light intensity received by the battery extension module is determined.

[0058] A light sensor can be set on any of the receiving panels to determine the light intensity.

[0059] In some embodiments, the determined light intensity can be compared with a light threshold, and the method for determining the target location can be selected based on the comparison result.

[0060] If the received light intensity is low, it indicates that the receiving panel is facing away from or to the side of the sun; if the received light intensity is high, it indicates that the surface receiving panel is facing the direction of the sun.

[0061] In some embodiments, when the light intensity is less than a light threshold, the target location is determined based on the system's location information and time information.

[0062] When the sun is not directly in front of the receiving panel, the light intensity is low, and the image collected by the sensor in the direction directly in front of the receiving panel does not include the sun. Therefore, the target position of the sun can be determined by the system's position and time information.

[0063] For example, location information may include the positioning information of the marine debris floating system (such as the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System), which is used to determine the latitude and longitude coordinates of the marine debris floating system. These latitude and longitude coordinates are used in conjunction with time information to determine the target position of the sun.

[0064] Time information may include Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

[0065] Based on the Solar Position Algorithm (SPA), latitude and longitude coordinates and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) can be used as input variables to determine the theoretical azimuth and theoretical altitude angles of the sun relative to the horizontal plane of the device under the current UTC.

[0066] In some embodiments, when the light intensity is not less than the light threshold, a brightness image of the direction facing the receiving panel is acquired, and the target position is determined based on the brightness image information.

[0067] When the sun is directly in front of the receiving panel, the light intensity is high, and the image captured by the sensor from the direction directly opposite the receiving panel includes the sun. Therefore, in this case, the image can be analyzed to determine the brightest area in the image as the target location of the sun, thus more accurately determining the target location and improving the efficiency of solar energy reception.

[0068] When the light intensity is below the light threshold, the brightness image captured by the sensor does not include an image of the sun. Therefore, the captured brightness image cannot help determine the sun's position and instead leads to unnecessary energy consumption, reducing system battery life. Therefore, to avoid unnecessary energy consumption caused by constantly capturing images, brightness images should only be captured when the light intensity is not less than the light threshold.

[0069] In some embodiments, the sensor of the tracking module is disposed on the receiving panel of the battery extension module, and the sensor and the receiving panel are oriented in the same direction.

[0070] The sensor is mounted on the receiving panel, and the sensor is oriented in the same direction as the receiving panel. This allows the sensor to determine the light intensity on the receiving panel and also facilitates the acquisition of brightness images from the direction directly opposite the receiving panel.

[0071] By placing the sensor on the receiving panel, the sensor can rotate along with the mechanical unit when the receiving panel is rotated, so that the sensor can always keep in the same orientation as the receiving panel without additional control.

[0072] In some embodiments, adjusting the receiving panel of the endurance module for receiving solar energy to face the sun includes: determining, when the target position is determined based on the location information and time information of the system, the target position corresponds to the adjustment azimuth angle and adjustment elevation angle of the receiving panel; and adjusting the receiving panel according to the adjustment azimuth angle and the adjustment elevation angle.

[0073] When the target position is determined based on the system's location and time information, the target position is the theoretical azimuth and altitude angle of the sun. However, the mechanical actuation of the receiving panel requires determining the actual azimuth and altitude angles that the receiving panel should be adjusted to. Therefore, the adjustment azimuth and altitude angles corresponding to the receiving panel can be determined based on the target position. Then, based on the determined adjustment azimuth and altitude angles, the receiving panel is adjusted by a mechanical unit to ensure that the receiving panel faces the sun directly.

[0074] For example, the location information can also include the orientation of the marine debris floating system. Based on the orientation of the marine debris system and the rotation angle of the receiving panel, the relative position between the receiving panel and the target location can be determined. Since the marine debris floating system may rotate due to ocean currents or waves during actual operation in the ocean, determining only the theoretical azimuth of the sun is insufficient to determine the actual rotation angle the mechanical unit needs to push the receiving panel. Therefore, it is also necessary to determine the orientation of the system and the rotation angle of the receiving panel. Then, based on the orientation, rotation angle, and target location, the relative position between the receiving panel and the sun can be determined. Finally, based on the relative position, the adjustment azimuth and altitude angles can be determined to control the direction of the receiving panel of the endurance system.

[0075] However, the target position of the sun determined based on location and time information may contain errors, causing the receiving panel to not be perfectly aligned with the sun after rotation. Therefore, after the receiving panel rotates based on adjusting the azimuth and elevation angles, and provided the detected light intensity is not less than the light threshold, the system can switch to determining a more accurate target position based on a brightness image, thereby ensuring the receiving panel is more accurately aligned with the sun.

[0076] In some embodiments, determining the target location based on the brightness image includes: identifying a bright region in the brightness image; and determining the target location based on the position of the bright region in the brightness image.

[0077] The acquired brightness image is processed. Since the light intensity is greater than the light threshold, it can be assumed that the brightness image contains an image of the sun, and the area containing the sun image is the brightest region in the brightness image. Therefore, the bright area in the brightness image can be identified, and this bright area can be identified as the acquired image of the sun.

[0078] After identifying the bright area where the sun is located, the target position is determined based on the position of the bright area in the brightness image. Then, the receiving panel is adjusted based on the target position so that the receiving panel is facing the sun, that is, the bright area where the sun is located is moved to the middle area of ​​the brightness image.

[0079] In some embodiments, determining the bright region in the brightness image includes: determining a grayscale image based on the brightness image, and generating a blurred image by Gaussian blur filtering; marking the region in the blurred image with a pixel value not less than a binarization threshold as the bright region.

[0080] For example, the brightness image acquired by the sensor is an RGB color image frame. The tracking module can convert this brightness image to grayscale to generate a grayscale image. The formula can be:

[0081] R, G, and B represent the brightness values ​​of the red, green, and blue channels of the pixel, respectively.

[0082] For grayscale images Gaussian blur filtering is applied to suppress high-frequency noise and generate a blurred image. The formula can be:

[0083] in, Standard deviation The Gaussian convolution kernel is represented by *, where * represents the convolution operation.

[0084] For blurred images, a high-threshold binarization algorithm can be used to extract the highlight regions in the blurred image to generate a binary image B(x, y). The binarization criterion is: if... If the value is positive, then (x, y) = 255; otherwise, B(x, y) = 0. In some embodiments, the binarization threshold is... It can be set to 245.

[0085] A morphological closing operation is performed on the binary image B(x,y) to fill the gaps inside the bright spots and smooth the boundaries, generating the processed image. The formula can be:

[0086] in, For the dilation operator, For the corrosion operator, It is a rectangular structural element with a size of 25×25 pixels.

[0087] Can be Perform connected component analysis and label all independent connected regions. .

[0088] Calculate each connected component Overall rating The formula is:

[0089] in, The pixel area of ​​the connected region. The average gray value of the connected region. This is the location weighting coefficient.

[0090] In some embodiments, the location weighting coefficients can be weighting coefficients for images in which the sun appears in multiple location regions of a brightness image, determined based on training a big data model.

[0091] Due to the limited tilt adjustment of the receiving panel, and considering the location of the waste collection system, the areas where solar images appear in the brightness image exhibit certain characteristics. A large-scale data model can be trained to determine the probability of solar images appearing in each area, thereby determining the location weight coefficients.

[0092] For example, in high-latitude sea areas, the solar altitude angle is low. Due to the adjustable pitch angle of the receiving panel, the probability of the sun appearing in the upper half of the brightness image is lower, while the probability of the sun appearing in the lower half of the brightness image is higher. Correspondingly, for this garbage collection system, the position weight coefficient of the upper half of the brightness image is lower, and the position weight coefficient of the lower half of the brightness image is higher.

[0093] After determining the overall score of each connected region, the region with the highest overall score can be identified as the brightest region of the sun.

[0094] In some embodiments, a portion of the connected regions may be removed, and then the solar highlight region may be determined from the remaining connected regions based on a comprehensive score.

[0095] Connected regions whose area percentage is less than a first threshold or greater than a second threshold can be removed. The area percentage is the ratio of the area of ​​the connected region to the area of ​​the brightness image. For example, the first threshold can be 0.05%, and the second threshold can be 40%.

[0096] In an image, connected regions with excessively small or excessively large areas are unlikely to be the area where the sun is located. Therefore, connected regions can be filtered by area ratio to more quickly and accurately determine the highlighted area where the sun is located, thus facilitating the determination of the target location.

[0097] Once the highlighted area is identified, the bounding box of the sun's highlighted area can be determined. and the coordinates of its geometric center point The formula is:

[0098] Since the visible portion of the sun in the acquired image may not all be a bright area, the width and height of the bounding box can be increased by 1 / 3 of the original minimum size to lock the target area and thus determine that the sun is located in the target area.

[0099] After determining the target position of the sun in the brightness image, the pixel coordinates of the sun's center point can be converted into angular deviations from the image center point based on the sensor's optical parameters.

[0100] We can set the coordinates of the image center point as follows: The horizontal field of view of the sensor is The vertical field of view is The horizontal resolution of the image is Vertical resolution is The current horizontal deviation angle of the sun's position relative to the normal of the receiving panel. and vertical deviation angle The formula for determining it is as follows:

[0101]

[0102] Based on the determined horizontal deviation angle and vertical deviation angle The receiving panel is adjusted via a mechanical unit. The mechanical unit's motor requires a specific number of pulses. The formula is:

[0103] in, The motor step angle, This is the reduction ratio of the turbine rod.

[0104] The mechanical unit outputs a quantity of [number] via the driver. The pulse sequence drives the receiving panel array to eliminate horizontal deviation.

[0105] For elevation angle control, the mechanical unit calculates the target length change of the electric actuator 14 based on trigonometric relationships. The control unit can control the relay to close, driving the electric actuator 14 to move. The control unit can monitor the stroke feedback or running time of the electric actuator 14 in real time, and when the stroke change reaches... The relay is disconnected to lock the pitch angle of the receiver panel array.

[0106] The trigonometric relationships are based on the law of cosines. Let the distance from the bottom hinge point of the electric actuator 14 to the horizontal axis 8 be *a*, the distance from the top hinge point of the electric actuator 14 to the horizontal axis 8 be *b*, and the target pitch angle of the receiving panel frame 7 be θ (defined as the angle between side *a* and side *b*). Then the formula for calculating the target length L of the electric actuator 14 is:

[0107] Calculate the difference between the target length L and the current length, and use this as the change in target length. The receiving panel is adjusted based on the change in target length.

[0108] In some embodiments, adjusting the receiving panel of the battery extension module to face the sun includes: determining the acceleration information of the battery extension module when the receiving panel is facing the sun; and performing reverse compensation on the receiving panel based on the acceleration information to eliminate the jitter of the receiving panel.

[0109] In some embodiments, the battery life module includes multiple receiving panels, each controlled by the tracking module.

[0110] The battery extension module may include multiple receiving panels, but when the garbage collection system is large and multiple receiving panels are set in different locations, even if multiple receiving panels are turned in the same direction, there may be slight angular differences between multiple receiving panels.

[0111] Therefore, in this embodiment, multiple receiving panels can be controlled by the tracking module, so that the tracking module can fine-tune each receiving panel so that each receiving panel can be adjusted to the angle of the receiving panel facing the sun.

[0112] In some embodiments, when multiple receiving panels have multiple orientations, the light intensity of the receiving panels with multiple orientations can be determined and compared, and the first receiving panel with the highest received light intensity can be determined. If the light intensity received by the first receiving panel is not less than the light threshold, the other receiving panels can be controlled to rotate toward the orientation of the first receiving panel.

[0113] When multiple receiving panels have multiple orientations, some receiving panels may have lower light intensity. In this case, the light intensity of multiple receiving panels can be compared, and the first receiving panel with the highest light intensity and not less than the light threshold can be determined. The sun is in the direction of the first receiving panel. Therefore, the other receiving panels are controlled to rotate toward the orientation of the first receiving panel.

[0114] Compared to embodiments that determine the sun's target position based on location and time information, this embodiment does not require acquiring location and time information, nor does it require computing power for calculation. Instead, it can quickly determine the approximate location of the sun by comparison and control the rotation of the remaining receiving panels. This allows for a quick and energy-efficient rough adjustment of the receiving panel's orientation, resulting in lower energy consumption and improved system endurance.

[0115] In some embodiments, when multiple receiving panels are oriented in the same direction, if multiple receiving panels receive multiple light intensities and none of them are less than the light threshold, then the second receiving panel with the largest received light intensity is determined, and the other receiving panels are instructed to correct their orientation toward the second receiving panel.

[0116] When multiple receiving panels face the same direction, they can be positioned at different elevations within the waste collection system (e.g., receiving panels on both the first and second floors). In larger waste collection systems, the distance between receiving panels is greater. Having the same orientation does not mean that each receiving panel faces directly towards the sun; the angle at which each receiving panel faces the sun may differ.

[0117] Therefore, after completing the unified adjustment of multiple receiving panels, and after all the receiving panels are aligned with the sun, the second receiving panel with the highest light intensity can be identified, and the other receiving panels can be corrected to face the direction of the second receiving panel.

[0118] For example, if the second receiving panel is located on the first floor of the floating platform, the pitch angle of the receiving panel located on the second floor of the floating platform will be slightly reduced. The value of the reduced pitch angle can be determined based on the position difference between the second receiving panel and the receiving panel on the second floor of the platform. As another example, if the second receiving panel is located on the left side of the floating platform, the receiving panel located on the right side of the floating platform needs to be slightly adjusted to the left. The value of the adjusted horizontal angle can also be determined based on the position difference between the second receiving panel and the receiving panel to be adjusted.

[0119] Based on this embodiment, after making unified adjustments to multiple receiving panels, some receiving panels can be finely adjusted locally based on the positional relationship between them, so that all receiving panels can face the sun directly and have the best solar energy reception efficiency.

[0120] The above embodiment describes how to adjust the receiving panel to face the sun when the receiving panel is not facing the sun. However, when the receiving panel is facing the sun, the garbage collection system is located on the water surface and will be affected by water surface fluctuations, causing the system to drift, rotate, and undulate. Therefore, for the receiving panels that are facing the sun, it is also necessary to control these receiving panels to continuously track and lock onto the sun.

[0121] In some embodiments, adjusting the receiving panel of the battery extension module to face the sun includes: determining the acceleration information of the battery extension module when the receiving panel is facing the sun; and performing reverse compensation on the receiving panel based on the acceleration information to eliminate the jitter of the receiving panel.

[0122] When floating on the water's surface, even slight ripples can cause the waste collection system to undulate and rotate. In this situation, this embodiment can determine acceleration information and perform reverse compensation on the receiving panel based on the acceleration information, enabling the receiving panel to eliminate vibration and continuously track the sun.

[0123] For example, if the garbage collection system will rotate clockwise due to water surface fluctuations, after determining the acceleration information, the receiving panel can be compensated in the opposite direction so that the orientation of the receiving panel rotates appropriately in the counterclockwise direction of the garbage collection system, thus facing the sun.

[0124] In some embodiments, the battery extension module includes multiple receiving panels disposed at multiple locations around the system. Adjusting the receiving panels of the battery extension module to face the sun includes: identifying a first receiving panel among the multiple receiving panels whose acceleration information has changed; and pre-compensating the remaining receiving panels located in the direction from the first receiving panel to the center of the system based on the change in acceleration information of the first receiving panel, so as to eliminate the jitter of the remaining receiving panels after the jitter of the first receiving panel.

[0125] When a waste collection system is large and has multiple receiving panels at various locations, the water surface ripples are usually slow and propagate in one direction. The waste collection system will gradually undulate along with the direction of the water wave propagation. For example, if the water wave propagates from the bow to the stern of the waste collection system, the bow will undulate first, followed by the middle of the ship, and finally the stern.

[0126] This embodiment can identify the first receiving panel among multiple receiving panels whose acceleration information has changed, and pre-compensate the remaining receiving panels based on the acceleration change of the first receiving panel. Since the wave propagates from one side of the waste collection system to the other, the first receiving panel located on one side of the waste collection system is the first to sense the acceleration information. Subsequently, the wave propagates in a direction pointing towards the center of the waste collection system. Therefore, pre-compensation can be performed on other receiving panels in this propagation direction based on the first receiving panel, so that multiple receiving panels can still lock onto the sun even when facing water surface fluctuations, ensuring the solar energy reception efficiency.

[0127] When the propagation speed of water surface ripples is relatively slow, this pre-compensation method can achieve a similar compensation effect to the real-time compensation in the previous embodiment. However, the requirements for hardware devices and computing power are greatly reduced, which can effectively reduce costs and improve battery life.

[0128] In some embodiments, the system further includes a flow guiding structure located underwater, used to ensure that the garbage collection module collects garbage in a direction opposite to the direction of the water flow under the action of the water flow.

[0129] Compared to floating trash, the waste collection system has a larger mass and volume, resulting in greater resistance on the water surface. Consequently, the system's buoyancy is slower than that of the trash. If trash is carried by the water flow towards the system and hits its side or back (the side facing the trash collection direction is considered the front), the floating trash will be unable to enter the waste storage chamber through the collection device.

[0130] In this embodiment, a flow-guiding structure is added to the underwater portion of the waste collection system. When impacted by the water flow, this structure causes the waste collection system to change direction, ensuring that the waste collection module's collection direction is always opposite to the water flow direction. In this configuration, because the waste collection system floats relatively slowly, the water flow carries floating waste up to it. Since the waste collection module's collection direction is opposite to the water flow direction, the waste can flow into the waste collection module, thus achieving better waste collection.

[0131] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0132] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

[0133] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. The terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0134] The methods and apparatus provided in the embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this disclosure. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand the methods and core ideas of this disclosure. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope based on the ideas of this disclosure. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic-driven marine debris collection system, characterized in that, The system includes: A waste collection module, which floats on the water surface, is used to collect waste on the water surface into a waste storage unit via a conveyor belt; A power supply module, which receives solar energy and supplies the generated electrical energy to the waste collection module; The tracking module is used to determine the target position of the sun and adjust the receiving panel of the endurance module to face the sun.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the target position of the sun includes: Determine the light intensity received by the battery extension module; When the light intensity is less than the light threshold, the target location is determined based on the system's location information and time information; When the light intensity is not less than the light threshold, a brightness image of the direction facing the receiving panel is acquired, and the target position is determined based on the brightness image information.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sensor of the tracking module is mounted on the receiving panel of the battery extension module, and the sensor and the receiving panel are oriented in the same direction.

4. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The adjustment of the solar energy receiving panel of the battery extension module to face the sun includes: When the target position is determined based on the position information and time information of the system, the target position is determined to correspond to the adjustment azimuth angle and adjustment elevation angle of the receiving panel; The receiving panel is adjusted according to the azimuth angle and the elevation angle.

5. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, Determining the target location based on the brightness image includes: The bright areas are identified in the brightness image; The target location is determined based on the position of the highlighted area in the brightness image.

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that, Determining the highlight region in the brightness image includes: A grayscale image is determined based on the brightness image, and a blurred image is generated by Gaussian blur filtering. The regions in the blurred image whose pixel values ​​are not less than the binarization threshold are marked as the highlighted regions.

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustment of the solar energy receiving panel of the battery extension module to face the sun includes: With the receiving panel facing the sun, the acceleration information of the battery extension module is determined; The receiving panel is subjected to reverse compensation based on the acceleration information to eliminate the jitter that occurs on the receiving panel.

8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The endurance module includes multiple receiving panels disposed at multiple locations around the system. Adjusting the receiving panels of the endurance module to face the sun includes: Identify the first receiving panel among the plurality of receiving panels whose acceleration information changes; Based on the change in acceleration information of the first receiving panel, pre-compensation is performed on the remaining receiving panels located in the direction from the first receiving panel to the center of the system to eliminate the jitter that occurs on the remaining receiving panels after the jitter of the first receiving panel.

9. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system also includes: A flow guiding structure, located underwater, is used to ensure that the garbage collection module's garbage collection direction is opposite to the water flow direction under the action of water flow.

10. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery life module includes multiple receiving panels, each controlled by the tracking module.

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