Solar panel control device

Abstract

To provide a solar panel control device which can accurately determine abnormality in deployment of a solar panel.SOLUTION: A solar panel control device includes: a solar panel which may be deformed to a folded state and a deployed state; a drive mechanism which deforms the solar panel from the folded state to the deployed state and from the deployed state to the folded state; a drive control unit which controls the drive mechanism; a detection unit which detects the folded state of the solar panel; and an abnormality determination unit which determines an abnormality in deployment of the solar panel based on a deformation request signal for causing the drive control unit to deform the solar panel and a detection signal output by the detection unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a solar panel control device.

Background Art

[0002] A technique for adjusting the orientation of a solar panel used in space according to the direction of sunlight is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] With the progress of space technology, recently, for example, the development of a mobile vehicle that moves on the lunar surface has been underway. Even in such a vehicle, it has been considered to be equipped with a solar panel in terms of ensuring power. However, in order to secure sufficient power, a solar panel of a considerable size is required, and when moving the vehicle, it is assumed that it is folded, and when generating power, the vehicle is stopped and deployed. Considering that space exploration is carried out with a lot of vehicle movement, it is assumed that it is necessary to deform the solar panel between the folded state and the deployed state quite frequently. However, for malfunction of deformation, due to the nature of space, more multilayered preventive measures are required.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and provides a solar panel control device that can accurately determine an abnormality in the deployment of a solar panel.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the solar panel control device includes a solar panel that can be deformed between a folded state and a deployed state, a drive mechanism that deforms the solar panel from the folded state to the deployed state and from the deployed state to the folded state, a drive control unit that controls the drive mechanism, a detection unit that detects the folded state of the solar panel, and an abnormality determination unit that determines an abnormal deployment of the solar panel based on a deformation request signal for deforming the solar panel and a detection signal output by the detection unit to the drive control unit.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a solar panel control device that can accurately determine an abnormal deployment of a solar panel.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Also, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential as means for solving the problems. In each figure, those denoted by the same reference numerals have the same or similar configurations, and when there are a plurality of the same or similar configurations, some may be denoted by reference numerals and others may be omitted.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a vehicle 10 equipped with a solar panel control device 100. The vehicle 10 is, for example, a vehicle used for lunar exploration and is a so-called rover. The vehicle 10 moves on the lunar surface by rotationally driving the wheels 12.

[0011] Vehicle 10 is equipped with the solar panel control device 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, among the solar panel control device 100, the solar panel 110 can be observed as the appearance. Specifically, one solar panel 110 is installed on each of both side surfaces of the vehicle 10.

[0012] FIG. 1(A) shows a folded state in which the solar panel 110 is folded and housed along the side of the vehicle. The vehicle 10 is allowed to move when the solar panel 110 is in the folded state.

[0013] FIG. 1(B) shows a deployed state in which the solar panel 110 is deployed and adjusted to an orientation where it can efficiently receive sunlight. The solar panel control device 100 deforms the solar panel 110 into the deployed state while the vehicle 10 is stopped, receives sunlight, and stores the generated electric power in, for example, a storage battery.

[0014] The solar panel control device 100 rotates the swivel bar 111 that supports the solar panel 110 with respect to the vehicle 10 from the state of being housed along the side of the vehicle 10 in the folded state, and protrudes the solar panel 110 from the side of the vehicle 10. Further, the elevation angle or the depression angle is adjusted to make it in the deployed state so that the solar panel 110 can receive sunlight from a more orthogonal direction. When deforming from the deployed state to the folded state, the reverse order of the above is followed.

[0015] The folded state and the deployed state of the solar panel 110 are not limited to the above cases. The folded state only needs not to interfere with the movement of the vehicle 10 or cause damage to the solar panel 110, and the deployed state only needs to be a state where the solar panel 110 can appropriately receive sunlight. Therefore, various deformation mechanisms from the folded state to the deployed state and from the deployed state to the folded state can be adopted. The solar panel 110 may be configured to be folded like origami, for example.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the solar panel control device 100 including related hardware configurations. The solar panel control device 100 mainly includes a solar panel 110, a control unit 120, a drive mechanism 130, and a detection unit 140. The solar panel 110 is a power generation device that receives sunlight and generates electricity. The control unit 120 controls the charging of a battery (not shown) and the power supply to devices mounted on the vehicle 10. The control unit 120 is a processor (CPU: Central Processing Unit) that performs the control of the solar panel control device 100 and the execution processing of programs. The control unit 120 may include an arithmetic processing chip such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and a processing circuit that processes various electrical signals. The control unit 120 executes a control program and performs various processes related to the solar panel 110.

[0017] The drive mechanism 130 includes an actuator and mechanical elements that deform the solar panel 110 from a folded state to a deployed state and from a deployed state to a folded state. The detection unit 140 includes a lock switch that detects that the solar panel 110 is in the folded state. For example, when in the folded state, a lock detection signal is output, and when in the deployed state and the transition state, an open detection signal is output.

[0018] The control unit 120 also serves as a functional arithmetic unit that executes various operations according to the processes instructed by the control program. The control unit 120 can function as a communication unit 121, an abnormality determination unit 122, and a drive control unit 123. The communication unit 121 exchanges control commands and data with the upper computer 200 via a communication interface (not shown). The upper computer 200 may be a computer mounted on the vehicle 10, or may be a computer installed at a base station outside the vehicle 10 or on the earth.

[0019] The abnormality determination unit 122 determines the deployment abnormality of the solar panel 110 based on the deformation request signal for deforming the solar panel 110 sent to the drive control unit 123 and the detection signal output by the detection unit 140. If it determines that there is a deployment abnormality, it transmits the determination result to the movement control unit 13 mounted on the vehicle 10 and controlling the drive of the wheels 12. The movement control unit 13 is, for example, a control device similar to an ECU (electronic control unit), and if it receives a determination result indicating a deployment abnormality while the wheels 12 are being driven, it immediately stops the wheel drive. The drive control unit 123 transmits a control signal to the drive mechanism 130 to deform the solar panel 110 from the folded state to the deployed state and from the deployed state to the folded state. Also, it transmits that control signal or a status signal associated with the control signal to the abnormality determination unit 122.

[0020] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the solar panel control device 100. The illustrated flowchart starts from the point in time when monitoring for deployment abnormality of the solar panel 110 is started and represents until one processing operation is completed.

[0021] In step S101, the communication unit 121 checks whether it has received a deformation request signal for requesting deformation of the solar panel 110 from the upper computer 200. If it has not received the deformation request signal, it conveys the result to the abnormality determination unit 122 and proceeds to step S102, and if it has received it, it proceeds to step S104.

[0022] When proceeding to step S102, the abnormality determination unit 122 receives a detection signal from the detection unit 140 and checks whether it has changed compared to the detection signal received last time. If it has changed, it proceeds to step S103, and if it has not changed, it returns to step S101 to continue monitoring. Note that in the first time when there is no previous detection signal, it returns to step S101.

[0023] When proceeding to step S103, since the detection unit 140 has detected the deformation of the solar panel 110 despite the abnormality determination unit 122 not receiving a deformation request signal, the fail-safe process is executed. The fail-safe process in this case may be to immediately transmit the determination result indicating deployment abnormality to the movement control unit 13, stop the vehicle 10 if it is moving, and stop the drive control unit 123 if it is driving the drive mechanism 130. After executing the fail-safe process, the control unit 120 ends the series of processes. When the fail-safe process is executed, the crew or the ground checks for abnormalities and takes recovery measures.

[0024] When proceeding from step S101 to step S104, the communication unit 121 checks whether the received deformation request signal is a deployment request signal or a folding request signal. If it is a deployment request signal, the result is transmitted to the abnormality determination unit 122 and the process proceeds to step S105. If it is a folding request signal, the result is transmitted to the abnormality determination unit 122 and the process proceeds to step S109.

[0025] When proceeding to step S105, the abnormality determination unit 122 receives a detection signal from the detection unit 140 and checks whether the detection signal is a closed signal indicating a locked state. If it is confirmed that the signal is not a closed signal, since the solar panel 110 is not already in the folded state despite receiving the deployment request signal, the process proceeds to step S103, and the abnormality determination unit 122 executes the fail-safe process. The fail-safe process in this case may be to immediately transmit the determination result indicating deployment abnormality to the movement control unit 13, stop the vehicle 10 if it is moving, and stop the drive control unit 123 if it is driving the drive mechanism 130.

[0026] When the abnormality determination unit 122 confirms that the detection signal is a closed signal in step S105, the process proceeds to step S106, and the drive control unit 123 transmits a control signal to the drive mechanism 130 to execute a deployment operation for deploying the solar panel 110 from the folded state to the deployed state. During the deployment operation, in step S107, the abnormality determination unit 122 receives a detection signal from the detection unit 140 and checks whether the detection signal is an open signal indicating an open state. If a closed signal is received during the deployment operation, it is considered that something is wrong with the deployment operation, and the process proceeds to step S103, where the abnormality determination unit 122 executes a fail-safe process. In this case, the fail-safe process may be a process of stopping the drive of the drive mechanism 130 by the drive control unit 123.

[0027] In step S107, if it is confirmed that an open signal has been received, the process proceeds to step S108, and the drive control unit 123 determines whether the deployment operation has been completed. If the deployment operation has not been completed, the process returns to step S106 to continue the deployment operation. If the deployment operation has been completed, the series of processes ends.

[0028] When proceeding from step S104 to step S109, the abnormality determination unit 122 receives a detection signal from the detection unit 140 and checks whether the detection signal is an open signal. If it is confirmed that the signal is not an open signal, although a folding request signal has been received, the solar panel 110 is already in the folded state, so the process proceeds to step S103, and the abnormality determination unit 122 executes a fail-safe process. In this case, the fail-safe process may be a process of immediately transmitting a determination result indicating that there is an abnormality in deployment to the movement control unit 13, stopping the vehicle 10 if it is moving, and stopping the drive control unit 123 if it is driving the drive mechanism 130.

[0029] When the abnormality determination unit 122 confirms that the detection signal is an open signal in step S109, the process proceeds to step S110, and the drive control unit 123 transmits a control signal to the drive mechanism 130 to perform a folding operation of folding the solar panel 110 from the deployed state to the folded state. During the folding operation, in step S111, the abnormality determination unit 122 receives a detection signal from the detection unit 140 and checks whether the detection signal is an open signal. If a close signal is received during the folding operation, the process proceeds to step S112. If an open signal is received, the process returns to step S110 to continue the folding operation.

[0030] When the process proceeds to step S112, the drive control unit 123 determines whether the folding operation has been completed. If the folding operation has not been completed, it means that although a close signal has been received, the solar panel 110 has not yet reached the folded state. Therefore, it is considered that some problem has occurred during the folding operation, and the process proceeds to step S103. The abnormality determination unit 122 executes a fail-safe process. In this case, the fail-safe process may include immediately transmitting a determination result indicating a folding abnormality to the movement control unit 13, stopping the vehicle 10 if it is moving, and stopping the drive control unit 123 if it is driving the drive mechanism 130. If the folding operation has been completed, the series of processes ends.

[0031] According to the present embodiment described above, the detection unit 140 includes a lock switch and outputs a lock detection signal when the solar panel 110 is in the folded state. However, the detection unit 140 is not limited to such a configuration. For example, it may include a sensor that detects the rotation angle of the rotating shaft constituting the drive mechanism 130. In such a case, not only the folded state or the non-folded state can be detected, but also the more detailed state of the solar panel 110 can be detected. If the more detailed state of the solar panel 110 can be detected, the abnormality determination unit 122 may perform an abnormality determination according to the state.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0032] 10…Vehicle, 11…Main body, 12…Wheel, 13…Movement control unit, 100…Solar panel control device, 110…Solar panel, 111…Swing bar, 120…Control unit, 121…Communication unit, 122…Abnormality determination unit, 123…Drive control unit, 130…Drive mechanism, 140…Detection unit, 200…Host computer

Claims

【Claim 1】 A solar panel that can be deformed between a folded state and a deployed state, a drive mechanism for deforming the solar panel from the folded state to the deployed state and from the deployed state to the folded state, a drive control unit for controlling the drive mechanism, a detection unit for detecting the folded state of the solar panel, and an abnormality determination unit for determining an abnormality in the deployment of the solar panel based on a deformation request signal for deforming the solar panel and a detection signal output by the detection unit to the drive control unit A solar panel control device comprising the above components.

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