A photovoltaic snow removal method and system based on posture adjustment

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of solar photovoltaic power generation, and particularly relates to a photovoltaic snow removal method and system based on posture adjustment, comprising the following steps: obtaining surface snow load data, environmental wind speed data and component inclination angle data of a photovoltaic array; generating a posture adjustment instruction according to the snow load data and the wind speed data in combination with a photovoltaic array topological structure; driving a multi-axis linkage actuator to adjust the pitch angle and azimuth angle of a photovoltaic support based on the posture adjustment instruction, so that the component is switched to a large-angle inclined state during a non-power generation period and snow accumulation is caused to slide off by using a gravity self-cleaning effect. Through the synergistic effect of posture adjustment and residual heat flow guiding-air knife spraying, a three-stage snow removal mechanism of'mechanical dumping snow removal + thermal energy auxiliary ice melting + pneumatic blowing' is realized. Compared with pure electric heating, no additional heating source is needed, and power consumption is greatly reduced; compared with pure mechanical scraping, the non-contact air knife avoids damage to the component surface coating and battery piece caused by physical friction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of solar photovoltaic power generation technology, specifically to a photovoltaic snow removal method and system based on attitude adjustment. Background Technology

[0002] When photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems operate in high-latitude and frigid regions during winter, snow accumulation on the surface of the modules is one of the main factors affecting power generation efficiency. Currently, snow removal methods for PV modules are mainly divided into two categories: electric heating and mechanical scraping. Electric heating typically involves integrating a resistance heating film or heating wire on the back of the module or within the frame. When electricity is applied, heat is generated to melt the snow. While this method is effective in removing snow, it consumes a large amount of additional electrical energy, and uneven heating can easily lead to thermal stress in the modules, accelerating the aging of encapsulation materials and reducing the module's lifespan. Mechanical scraping relies on scrapers, rollers, or vibrating devices to directly remove snow. This physical contact with the module surface can easily cause scratches or microcracks in the coating layer, especially in low-temperature environments where snow has frozen, significantly increasing the risk of damage to the modules. Existing snow removal devices are mostly fixed installations, lacking adaptability to photovoltaic array topology and real-time environmental changes. In photovoltaic systems arranged in complex terrains (such as mountains and undulating roofs), the angles of the components vary, making it difficult for traditional uniform snow removal strategies to cover all components, resulting in snow removal blind spots. Furthermore, relying solely on gravity-based self-cleaning solutions that adjust the bracket angle is ineffective in extreme low temperatures or freezing rain due to the strong adhesion of ice, preventing snow from sliding off on its own. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned issues, there is an urgent need for a low-power snow removal solution that comprehensively utilizes structural attitude adjustment and thermal energy management. This invention combines dynamic attitude control with waste heat diversion and pneumatic purging technology, avoiding the high energy consumption of additional heating sources and mechanical damage to components, while also adapting to complex installation scenarios to achieve efficient, non-destructive, and wide-coverage photovoltaic snow removal.

[0004] A photovoltaic snow removal method and system based on attitude adjustment includes the following steps: acquiring surface snow load data, ambient wind speed data, and module tilt angle data of the photovoltaic array; generating attitude adjustment commands based on the snow load data and the wind speed data, combined with the photovoltaic array topology; driving a multi-axis linkage actuator to adjust the pitch and azimuth angles of the photovoltaic support based on the attitude adjustment commands, so that the module switches to a large-angle tilt state during non-power generation periods, utilizing the gravity self-cleaning effect to allow snow to slide off; activating a waste heat guiding device when the ambient temperature is below a preset threshold and the snow load data exceeds an ice accumulation threshold, directing the waste heat from the photovoltaic module backsheet to the module surface to form a melting ice film; and controlling an air knife spraying device to intermittently spray high-speed airflow along the normal direction of the module surface to non-contactly blow away and peel off the melting ice film and residual snow water.

[0005] Preferably, the "generating attitude adjustment instructions" specifically includes: establishing a topology mapping model based on the installation tilt angle, orientation, and shading relationship of each string in the photovoltaic array; using the snow load data as input, calculating the target values ​​of the pitch angle and azimuth angle of each independent adjustment unit through a PID control algorithm; prioritizing the adjustment of the azimuth angle so that the windward side of the module faces downward, and then adjusting the pitch angle to be greater than or equal to the avalanche critical angle, while monitoring the torque feedback of the support during the adjustment process to avoid overload.

[0006] Preferably, the working mode of the "waste heat diversion device" includes: conducting waste heat from the inverter side or the back panel of the module to the heat spreader plate on the upper edge of the module through heat pipes or heat conduction cavities embedded in the module frame; the heat spreader plate locally heats the surface of the module to form a snow melting initiation line, and meltwater flows downward along the inclined surface, carrying heat to expand the snow melting area; when the temperature difference between the module surface and the snow interface is detected to be less than 3°C, the micro-vibration module is switched to assist in breaking ice to prevent ice layer adhesion.

[0007] Preferably, the injection parameters of the air knife injection device are dynamically adjusted according to the real-time wind speed: when the ambient wind speed is below 2 m / s, a continuous low-frequency injection mode is adopted, and the injection pressure is 0.2~0.4 MPa; when the ambient wind speed is 2~6 m / s, a pulse synchronous injection mode is adopted, and the injection frequency matches the swing frequency of the multi-axis linkage actuator; the injection angle of the air knife is at an angle of 15°~30° with the surface of the component, and the injection direction always points to the lower end of the component.

[0008] Preferably, the environmental sensing unit integrates a tilt sensor, an anemometer, and a snow load monitoring module to collect real-time data on the module's attitude angle, ambient wind speed, and surface snow pressure. The attitude adjustment unit includes a multi-axis linkage actuator and a support locking mechanism to adjust the pitch and azimuth angles of the photovoltaic module according to control commands. The waste heat diversion unit is located on the module's frame or back panel side to transfer waste heat from the photovoltaic system to the module surface. The air knife snow removal unit includes strip-shaped air knives arranged along the upper edge of the module and a high-pressure air source to spray high-speed airflow for sweeping. The main control unit is communicatively connected to each unit to execute the attitude adjustment commands and coordinate the timing of waste heat diversion and air knife spraying.

[0009] Preferably, the snow load monitoring module is an embedded pressure sensor array, evenly distributed along the diagonal direction of the photovoltaic module. The main control unit identifies the snow thickness distribution and sliding trend based on the pressure difference and pressure change rate of each sensor point. When the pressure change rate exceeds a preset sudden change threshold, it is determined that the snow is sliding. The main control unit locks the current attitude angle and pauses the air knife injection. Adjustment is resumed after the pressure stabilizes.

[0010] Preferably, the waste heat guiding unit and the air knife snow removal unit form a joint working loop: after the waste heat guiding unit has been working for a first duration, the air knife snow removal unit removes melted water droplets from the edge of the component by low-flow pre-blowing to prevent the water droplets from flowing back and freezing; at the end of the large-angle tilting action of the multi-axis linkage actuator, the air knife snow removal unit starts high-pressure pulse purging, and the peak pressure of the high-pressure pulse is positively correlated with the current pitch angle.

[0011] Preferably, the system has two working modes: energy-saving mode: when the snow load is below the first threshold and the ambient temperature is above -5℃, only the attitude adjustment unit is activated for gravity snow removal, while the waste heat diversion unit and the air knife snow removal unit are in standby mode; high-efficiency mode: when the snow load is above the first threshold or the ambient temperature is below -5℃, waste heat diversion snow melting, air knife blowing and stripping, and attitude angle reset micro-vibration are executed in sequence to form a three-level linkage snow removal process of "heat melting - air blowing - tilting".

[0012] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. This invention eliminates the high energy consumption of traditional electric heating and the risk of physical contact damage from mechanical scraping. It achieves gravity-based self-cleaning snow removal through multi-axis linkage attitude adjustment, resulting in extremely low power consumption. In extreme low-temperature environments, it only requires waste heat generated by the photovoltaic system itself for localized ice melting, combined with non-contact air knife jet purging, eliminating the need for an additional heating source and ensuring no rigid contact throughout the process. This combined solution effectively removes accumulated snow and ice while avoiding accelerated aging of the encapsulation material due to thermal stress and scratches on the surface coating caused by scraping, significantly extending the lifespan of photovoltaic modules and reducing maintenance costs.

[0013] 2. By integrating multiple sensors for snow load, wind speed, and temperature, and combining them with the photovoltaic array topology, the system can dynamically adjust the pitch and azimuth angles based on real-time environmental data and the independent attitude of each component. This adapts to the diverse snow removal needs in complex terrains such as mountains and undulating roofs, eliminating blind spots in snow removal. Simultaneously, through hierarchical control and timing optimization of the "thermal melting—air blowing—tilting" three-level linkage process, the system can automatically switch between energy-saving and high-efficiency modes under different snow conditions and temperatures. This ensures that the photovoltaic system can quickly resume power generation even in severe weather conditions such as extreme cold and freezing rain, significantly improving the overall efficiency and reliability of winter operation in high-latitude regions. Attached Figure Description

[0014] In the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise specified, the same reference numerals throughout the various drawings denote the same or similar parts or elements. These drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. It should be understood that these drawings depict only some embodiments disclosed in this application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a system flowchart of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0016] In the following description, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art will recognize, the described embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, the drawings and description are considered to be exemplary in nature and not restrictive.

[0017] Next, referring to the accompanying drawings, a photovoltaic snow removal method and system based on attitude adjustment according to the present invention is described, including the following steps: acquiring surface snow load data, ambient wind speed data, and module tilt angle data of the photovoltaic array; generating attitude adjustment commands based on the snow load data and wind speed data, combined with the photovoltaic array topology; driving a multi-axis linkage actuator to adjust the pitch and azimuth angles of the photovoltaic support based on the attitude adjustment commands, so that the module switches to a large-angle tilt state during non-power generation periods, utilizing the gravity self-cleaning effect to allow snow to slide off; when the ambient temperature is lower than a preset threshold and the snow load data exceeds the ice accumulation threshold, activating a waste heat guiding device to directionally guide the working waste heat of the photovoltaic module backsheet to the module surface to form a melting ice film; controlling an air knife spraying device to intermittently spray high-speed airflow along the normal direction of the module surface to non-contactly blow away and peel off the melting ice film and residual snow water. Through the synergistic effect of attitude adjustment and waste heat guiding-air knife spraying, a three-level snow removal mechanism of "mechanical tilting snow removal + thermal energy-assisted ice melting + pneumatic blowing" is realized. Compared to pure electric heating, this method eliminates the need for an additional heating source, significantly reducing power consumption. Compared to purely mechanical scraping, the non-contact air knife avoids damage to the module surface coating and solar cells caused by physical friction. Furthermore, this method adjusts its strategy in real-time based on snow load, wind speed, and temperature, demonstrating environmental adaptability and significantly improving the winter operational reliability and power generation revenue of photovoltaic systems in frigid regions.

[0018] The "Generate Attitude Adjustment Command" process specifically includes: establishing a topology mapping model based on the installation tilt angle, orientation, and shading relationship of each string in the photovoltaic array; using snow load data as input, calculating the target pitch and azimuth angle values ​​for each independent adjustment unit through a PID control algorithm; prioritizing azimuth adjustment to ensure the windward side of the module faces downwards, then adjusting the pitch angle to be greater than or equal to the avalanche critical angle, while monitoring the support torque feedback during adjustment to avoid overload. By constructing a topology mapping model and using PID control to calculate the target angle for each independent adjustment unit, the system can adapt to the actual situation where the tilt angles and orientations of the photovoltaic array components are inconsistent under complex terrain. The introduction of support torque feedback monitoring prevents overload deformation or damage to the support due to uneven snow distribution during adjustment, improving the safety, accuracy, and versatility of attitude adjustment.

[0019] The "waste heat diversion device" operates as follows: Waste heat from the inverter side or module backplane is transferred to a heat spreader plate on the upper edge of the module via heat pipes or heat-conducting cavities embedded in the module frame. The heat spreader plate locally heats the module surface, forming a snow-melting initiation line. Meltwater flows downwards along the inclined surface, carrying heat to expand the snow-melting area. When the temperature difference between the module surface and the snow-covered interface is detected to be less than 3°C, the system switches to a micro-vibration module to assist in ice breaking, preventing ice adhesion. Heat pipes or heat-conducting cavities then directionally transfer waste heat from the inverter side or module backplane to the upper edge heat spreader plate, achieving "waste heat recovery and utilization" without requiring additional electric heating energy. The snow-melting initiation line formed by the heat spreader plate allows meltwater to flow along the inclined surface, utilizing the water flow to carry heat and expand the snow-melting area, improving heat utilization efficiency. When the temperature difference is insufficient, the system switches to a micro-vibration module to prevent long-term ice adhesion, balancing de-icing flexibility under both low-temperature and normal operating conditions.

[0020] The air knife injection device dynamically adjusts its injection parameters based on real-time wind speed: when the ambient wind speed is below 2 m / s, a continuous low-frequency injection mode is used, with an injection pressure of 0.2~0.4 MPa; when the ambient wind speed is 2~6 m / s, a pulse synchronous injection mode is used, with the injection frequency matching the oscillation frequency of the multi-axis linkage actuator. The air knife's injection angle is at an angle of 15°~30° to the component surface, and the injection direction always points towards the lower end of the component. Different injection modes and pressure parameters are matched according to different ambient wind speeds, avoiding the problems of airflow turbulence at low wind speeds or the cancellation of the purging effect at high wind speeds. The pulse synchronous injection mode matches the support oscillation frequency, utilizing the combined effect of airflow and mechanical vibration to enhance the snow removal effect. The 15°~30° tilt and lower-end injection direction effectively utilizes gravity-assisted drainage, preventing meltwater from re-flowing and freezing, and reducing air source energy consumption.

[0021] The system comprises five main components: an environmental sensing unit, an anemometer, and a snow load monitoring module, which collects real-time data on module attitude angle, ambient wind speed, and surface snow pressure; an attitude adjustment unit, including a multi-axis linkage actuator and a support locking mechanism, which adjusts the pitch and azimuth angles of the photovoltaic modules according to control commands; a waste heat diversion unit, located on the module frame or back panel, which transfers waste heat from the photovoltaic system to the module surface; an air knife snow removal unit, including strip-shaped air knives arranged along the upper edge of the modules and a high-pressure air source, which sprays high-speed airflow for purging; and a main control unit, which communicates with each unit and executes attitude adjustment commands and coordinates the timing of waste heat diversion and air knife spraying. The system integrates five main units—sensing, adjustment, diversion, purging, and execution—forming a closed-loop control system. Each unit is deployed independently yet communicates collaboratively, allowing for integrated design with new photovoltaic systems or as an add-on module to upgrade existing fixed support systems. The main control unit coordinates the timing to avoid mutual interference between actions (such as logical conflicts between air knife purging and attitude locking), improving the overall stability and intelligence of the system.

[0022] The snow load monitoring module is an embedded pressure sensor array, evenly spaced along the diagonal of the photovoltaic module. The main control unit identifies the snow thickness distribution and sliding trend based on the pressure difference and pressure change rate at each sensor point. When the pressure change rate exceeds a preset abrupt change threshold, it is determined that the snow is sliding. The main control unit locks the current attitude angle and pauses the air knife spraying. Adjustment resumes after the pressure stabilizes. The embedded pressure sensor array, distributed diagonally, can accurately identify the unevenness of snow thickness distribution and dynamic sliding trends. When a sudden change in the pressure change rate is detected (i.e., snow is sliding), the main control unit actively locks the attitude and pauses the air knife spraying to prevent dynamic load changes from causing support resonance or instability, thus improving the system's safety protection capabilities. This monitoring method offers advantages in information richness and response speed compared to single total weight measurement.

[0023] The waste heat diversion unit and the air knife snow removal unit form a joint working loop: after the waste heat diversion unit has been operating for the first duration, the air knife snow removal unit uses a low-flow pre-blowing method to remove melted water droplets from the edges of the components, preventing the water droplets from flowing back and freezing; at the end of the large-angle tilting motion of the multi-axis linkage actuator, the air knife snow removal unit starts high-pressure pulse purging. The peak pressure of the high-pressure pulse is positively correlated with the current pitch angle, clarifying the timing of the coordination between waste heat diversion and air knife purging: first, low-flow pre-blowing removes melted water from the edges to prevent backflow and freezing; high-pressure pulse purging is started at the end of the attitude adjustment, and the pressure is positively correlated with the pitch angle—the larger the tilt angle, the stronger the gravity assistance, and the higher the required pneumatic pressure. This collaborative design ensures thorough snow removal while avoiding the ineffective waste of high-pressure gas, achieving optimal timing matching of the three energies of "heat, air, and force".

[0024] The system has two operating modes: Energy-saving mode: When the snow load is below the first threshold and the ambient temperature is above -5℃, only the attitude adjustment unit is activated for gravity snow removal, while the waste heat diversion unit and the air knife snow removal unit are in standby mode; High-efficiency mode: When the snow load is above the first threshold or the ambient temperature is below -5℃, waste heat diversion snow melting, air knife blowing and stripping, and attitude angle reset micro-vibration are executed sequentially to form a three-level linkage snow removal process of "heat melting - air blowing - tilting". The two-level operating strategy of energy-saving mode and high-efficiency mode allows the system to only use low-power attitude adjustment under light load or mild conditions, avoiding unnecessary energy consumption; and to activate the complete three-level linkage process under heavy load or extremely cold conditions. This hierarchical management takes into account both the economy of daily operation and the effectiveness of snow removal in extreme weather, extends the service life of the actuators and air source equipment, and reduces the total life cycle maintenance cost.

[0025] The above description is the preferred embodiment of this application. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic snow removal method and system based on attitude adjustment, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Acquire surface snow load data, ambient wind speed data, and module tilt angle data of the photovoltaic array; generate attitude adjustment commands based on the snow load data and wind speed data, combined with the photovoltaic array topology; drive a multi-axis linkage actuator to adjust the pitch and azimuth angles of the photovoltaic support, so that the modules switch to a large-angle tilt state during non-power generation periods, utilizing the gravity self-cleaning effect to allow snow to slide off; when the ambient temperature is lower than a preset threshold and the snow load data exceeds the ice accumulation threshold, activate the waste heat diversion device to directionally guide the waste heat from the photovoltaic module backsheet to the module surface, forming a melting ice film; control the air knife spraying device to intermittently spray high-speed airflow along the normal direction of the module surface to non-contactly blow away and peel off the melting ice film and residual snow water.

2. The photovoltaic snow removal method and system based on attitude adjustment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The "generate attitude adjustment command" specifically includes: establishing a topology mapping model based on the installation tilt angle, orientation, and shading relationship of each string in the photovoltaic array; using the snow load data as input, calculating the target values ​​of pitch angle and azimuth angle for each independent adjustment unit through a PID control algorithm; prioritizing the adjustment of the azimuth angle to make the windward side of the module face downward, and then adjusting the pitch angle to be greater than or equal to the avalanche critical angle, while monitoring the torque feedback of the support during the adjustment process to avoid overload.

3. The photovoltaic snow removal method and system based on attitude adjustment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The working mode of the "waste heat diversion device" includes: conducting waste heat from the inverter side or the back panel of the module to the heat spreader plate on the upper edge of the module through heat pipes or heat conduction cavities embedded in the module frame; the heat spreader plate locally heats the surface of the module to form a snow melting initiation line, and meltwater flows downward along the inclined surface, carrying heat to expand the snow melting area; when the temperature difference between the module surface and the snow interface is detected to be less than 3°C, the micro-vibration module is switched to assist in breaking ice to prevent ice layer adhesion.

4. The photovoltaic snow removal method and system based on attitude adjustment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The injection parameters of the air knife injection device are dynamically adjusted according to the real-time wind speed: when the ambient wind speed is below 2 m / s, a continuous low-frequency injection mode is adopted, and the injection pressure is 0.2~0.4 MPa; when the ambient wind speed is 2~6 m / s, a pulse synchronous injection mode is adopted, and the injection frequency matches the swing frequency of the multi-axis linkage actuator; the injection angle of the air knife is at an angle of 15°~30° with the surface of the component, and the injection direction always points to the lower end of the component.

5. A photovoltaic snow removal system based on attitude adjustment, characterized in that, include: The environmental sensing unit integrates a tilt sensor, an anemometer, and a snow load monitoring module to collect data on component attitude angle, ambient wind speed, and surface snow pressure in real time. The attitude adjustment unit includes a multi-axis linkage actuator and a bracket locking mechanism, used to adjust the pitch and azimuth angles of the photovoltaic module according to control commands; the waste heat diversion unit is located on the module frame or back panel side, used to transfer the waste heat from the photovoltaic system to the module surface; the air knife snow removal unit includes a strip air knife arranged along the upper edge of the module and a high-pressure air source, used to spray high-speed airflow for purging; the main control unit is communicatively connected to each unit, used to execute the attitude adjustment commands and coordinate the timing of waste heat diversion and air knife spraying.

6. A photovoltaic snow removal system based on attitude adjustment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The snow load monitoring module is an embedded pressure sensor array, which is equally spaced along the diagonal direction of the photovoltaic module. The main control unit identifies the snow thickness distribution and sliding trend based on the pressure difference and pressure change rate of each sensor point. When the pressure change rate exceeds the preset sudden change threshold, it is determined that the snow is sliding. The main control unit locks the current attitude angle and pauses the air knife injection. Adjustment is resumed after the pressure stabilizes.

7. A photovoltaic snow removal system based on attitude adjustment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The waste heat guiding unit and the air knife snow removal unit form a joint working loop: after the waste heat guiding unit has been working for a first duration, the air knife snow removal unit removes melted water droplets from the edge of the component by low-flow pre-blowing to prevent the water droplets from flowing back and freezing; at the end of the large-angle tilting action of the multi-axis linkage actuator, the air knife snow removal unit starts high-pressure pulse purging, and the peak pressure of the high-pressure pulse is positively correlated with the current pitch angle.

8. A photovoltaic snow removal system based on attitude adjustment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The system has two operating modes: Energy-saving mode: When the snow load is below the first threshold and the ambient temperature is above -5℃, only the attitude adjustment unit is activated for gravity snow removal, while the waste heat diversion unit and the air knife snow removal unit are in standby mode; High-efficiency mode: When the snow load is above the first threshold or the ambient temperature is below -5℃, waste heat diversion snow melting, air knife blowing and stripping, and attitude angle reset micro-vibration are executed in sequence to form a three-level linkage snow removal process of "heat melting - air blowing - tilting".

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