How to maintain your solar system.

Abstract

To provide a maintenance method for a solar system capable of easily performing maintenance and inspection of the solar system.SOLUTION: The present invention provides a maintenance method for a solar system for performing maintenance and inspection of the solar system, in which an information-holding unit capable of reading non-contact short-distance information is provided in association with each solar panel and a drone reads the non-contact short-distance information from the information-holding unit in the solar system. Preferably, the solar system is installed on water. Preferably, the drone acquires position information of each solar panel based on the information read from the information holding unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for maintaining a solar system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for installing an RFID tag in a solar system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-028633 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Solar systems have had the problem that the burden of maintenance work tends to increase for various reasons, such as the large installation area, the inaccessibility of workers, or the large number of solar panels.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a method for maintaining a solar system that allows for easy maintenance and inspection of the solar system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present invention, there is provided a maintenance method for a solar system, in which an information storage unit capable of non-contact, short-range information reading is provided in correspondence with each solar panel within the solar system, and maintenance and inspection of the solar system is performed by using a drone to read the non-contact, short-range information from the information storage unit.

[0007] In the present invention, maintenance and inspection of solar systems can be easily performed using drones.

[0008] Various embodiments of the present invention will be described below as examples, and the embodiments shown below can be combined with each other. Preferably, the solar system is installed on water. Preferably, the drone acquires position information of each of the solar panels based on information read from the information storage unit. Preferably, the drone has a camera and inspects each of the solar panels based on image data captured by the camera. Preferably, the location of the abnormal solar panel is written into a power plant map that defines the location of each solar panel, based on the information read from the information storage unit. Preferably, the maintenance method has a movement process and an inspection process, and in the movement process, the drone moves sequentially over each of the solar panels along a predetermined route, and in the inspection process, if a solar panel imaged by the drone is not detected as an abnormal solar panel during the movement process, the drone does not read the information storage unit associated with that solar panel, and if a solar panel imaged by the drone is detected as an abnormal solar panel during the movement process, the drone approaches and reads the information storage unit associated with that solar panel, thereby locating the abnormal solar panel. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a solar system and a drone. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a float. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a connecting structure of the float. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a maintenance system for a solar system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The following describes embodiments of the present invention. The various features shown in the following embodiments can be combined with each other. Furthermore, each feature can be an invention independently.

[0011] <1. Configuration of the solar system according to the embodiment> (1-1. Solar Float System) The solar system 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 is, as an example, a solar float system installed on water. The solar system 1 includes a plurality of floats 10 and solar panels 50 supported by each float 10. FIG. 1 illustrates seven columns and six rows of solar panels 50, with each float 10 supporting the solar panels 50, but this is merely an example. In practice, any number of solar panels 50 (for example, tens to hundreds, thousands to tens of thousands, or even more) and a corresponding number of floats 10 may be provided. Note that in the embodiment, as an example, floats 10 that do not support a solar system are provided on the outer periphery of the solar system 1.

[0012] 1 also shows a drone 100. The configuration of the drone 100 will be explained later.

[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a float 10. Briefly, the float 10 is a resin float for solar panels. Using the float 10, a solar panel 50 can be installed on water, such as a pond or lake. When the solar panel 50 is supported by the float 10, the rectangular solar panel 50 is tilted from one long side to the other long side. The float 10 has a hollow structure inside. Buoyancy is generated by injecting gas (air, etc.) into the hollow structure.

[0014] The perspective view of Figure 2 shows a state in which solar panels 50 are installed on one float 10. Hereinafter, the "side on which the solar panels 50 are installed" of the float 10 will sometimes be referred to as the upper side, and the water surface side of the float 10 will sometimes be referred to as the lower side. When expressing the up-and-down direction in relation to components such as the solar panels 50, the water surface side will sometimes be referred to as the lower side, and the side facing up will sometimes be referred to as the upper side.

[0015] Describing the detailed structure, the float 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a support portion 11, a receiving portion 12, a fixing bracket 13, and a fixing bracket 14, and each of these portions can support a solar panel 50. A first end portion 10a is provided on the front side of the float 10, and a second end portion 10b (see FIG. 3) is provided on the opposite rear side. FIG. 2 shows the support portion 11 in an upright position. When not upright, the support portion 11 is in a stored state (laid back) as shown in FIG. 3, which will be described later. The support portion 11 in FIG. 2 has a surface 11a facing the front side. A finger insertion recess 91 is provided on surface 11a. The fixing bracket 13 is made of metal, for example, and includes a clamping portion 13a, a fixing member 13b, and a screw 13c. Furthermore, the float 10 includes an engaging protrusion 61, a connecting bolt 62, a bolt hole 62a, and a bolt hole 62b.

[0016] The solar panel 50 has a glass portion 50a on its surface. An outer frame is provided to surround the glass portion 50a. There are no limitations on the internal structure of the solar panel 50. Figure 2 shows one end 51 on the front side and the other end 52 on the rear side of the outer frame of the solar panel 50.

[0017] Figure 3 is a plan view showing an example of a connection structure for the float 10. The plan view in Figure 3 shows the float 10 in a state where it is not supporting the solar panel 50 as an example. An aisle joint 60 is shown as an example of the connection structure. The float 10 is not used individually, but a number of floats 10 are connected by the aisle joints 60 to form a collective float section (the solar system 1 in Figure 1). Note that the surface wall 16 of the float 10 is visible in Figure 3, and stopper sections 90 are provided on both ends of the support section 11.

[0018] The passage joint 60 has one end 60a, the other end 60b, and a bolt hole 63. By inserting connecting bolts 62 into the respective bolt holes 62a, 62b, 63, the floats 10 arranged in the W direction in Fig. 3 are connected via the passage joint 60. The passage joint 60 serves as a foothold (passageway) for workers when performing maintenance, etc.

[0019] (1-2. Information holding section) In the embodiment, an information storage unit 120 is provided in the solar system 1 in association with each solar panel 50. Each information storage unit 120 stores unique identification information (identification ID). The information storage unit 120 is any object capable of contactless, short-range information reading. The "contactless, short-range reading technology" may be, for example, any "contactless electronic information reading technology" or any "contactless optical information reading technology." For example, when electronic information reading technology is used, the information storage unit 120 may be an RFID tag or a short-range wireless communication circuit element. Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like may be used as a short-range wireless communication standard.

[0020] As yet another example, the information storage unit 120 may be any physical sensor having a wireless communication element. The physical sensor may be configured to be able to communicate with the drone 100 using the wireless communication element. There are no limitations on the specific structure of the physical sensor. The physical sensor may read electrical information from the solar panel 50, detect the temperature at any location on the solar panel 50, or record changes in temperature near the solar panel 50. When optical information reading technology is used, the information storage unit 120 may be any identification numeric label, or any type of identification code such as a barcode or two-dimensional barcode to which identification information is assigned.

[0021] In the embodiment, as an example, the information storage unit 120 is provided on the upper surface of the float 10, in the center in the Z direction (see FIG. 2) on the side of the first end 10a. This position is also directly below the center position of one end 51 of the solar panel 50. This has the advantage that it avoids interference with the passage joint 60 and makes it easy for the drone 100 to approach.

[0022] (1-3. Drone) The drone 100 illustrated in Fig. 1 flies above each solar panel 50. The drone 100 includes a control unit 102. The control unit 102 includes a camera and a contactless reading device. Various known structures can be applied to the basic structure of the drone 100, so detailed description will be omitted.

[0023] The camera of the control unit 102 can capture images of the solar panel 50. There are no limitations on the specific structure of the camera, but if an infrared camera (thermo camera) is used, it will be possible to detect abnormal heat generation in the solar panel 50 by detecting infrared rays. As another example, the camera of the control unit 102 may be an optical camera, that is, a digital camera that captures still images or videos. This may be used to detect abnormalities such as cracks or deterioration of the glass on the surface of the solar panel 50.

[0024] The contactless reading device of the control unit 102 is a device for performing contactless short-distance information reading on the information storage unit 120. The specific configuration of the contactless reading device is determined by the configuration of the information storage unit 120. For example, if the information storage unit 120 is an RFID tag, an RFID reader is used, and if the information storage unit 120 is a short-distance wireless communication circuit element, a communication element of the same standard is used. For example, if the information storage unit 120 is read using optical information reading technology, an imaging camera with an image recognition function may be used, and in this case, the camera that images the solar panel 50 may also be used.

[0025] <2. Maintenance method of the embodiment> In the embodiment, the drone 100 performs maintenance and inspection of the solar system 1 by performing non-contact short-range information reading on the information storage unit 120. For example, if the information storage unit 120 is an RFID tag, it is preferable that the drone 100 approaches the information storage unit 120 to some extent, and for example, it is preferable that the drone 100 approaches as close as possible to area C of the dashed-dotted circle in Figure 2.

[0026] As an example of a maintenance method, the drone 100 may acquire the position information of each solar panel 50 based on information read from the information storage unit 120. The number of floats 10 may also be acquired along with the position information. The acquired information may be used to monitor whether the solar system 1 is maintaining its proper position and number. The position information acquired by the drone 100 may be linked to position information provided by a GPS or other satellite positioning system. Because the solar system 1 is a floating power generation system, the floats 10 may move due to waves or wind, or may be configured to track the sun to improve power generation efficiency. When the drone 100 is operated automatically for inspection, movement of the floats 10 may also shift the position of the solar panels 50, which may hinder the inspection. Therefore, the drone 100 may be able to recognize its current location within the entire float 10 by reading the information storage unit 120, and the flight path of the drone 100 may be appropriately corrected based on the current location information, etc.

[0027] As an example of a maintenance method, the drone 100 may inspect the solar panels 50 based on image data captured by a camera, thereby detecting abnormal solar panels. The detection of abnormal solar panels may involve, for example, detecting abnormal temperatures (e.g., abnormal heat) using an infrared camera. As another example, an optical camera, i.e., a digital camera that captures still or video images, may be used to detect abnormalities such as cracks or deterioration of the glass on the surface of the solar panels 50.

[0028] The drone 100 may perform the above-described location information detection and abnormal solar panel detection in parallel. This allows the location information of an abnormal solar panel to be identified when it is detected, which increases the convenience of maintenance workers during work.

[0029] As an example of a maintenance method, the maintenance method may include a movement step and an inspection step. The movement step may involve the drone 100 moving sequentially over each solar panel 50 along a predetermined route. The drone 100 may be manually controlled when moving along the predetermined route, but may also be automatically controlled based on the drone's GPS sensor and a power plant map, for example. The inspection step may selectively perform the first and second steps described below. In the first step, if a solar panel 50 imaged by the drone 100 is not detected as an abnormal solar panel during the movement step, the drone 100 does not perform non-contact short-range information reading for the solar panel 50. In the second step, if a solar panel 50 imaged by the drone 100 is detected as an abnormal solar panel during the movement step, the drone 100 approaches the information storage unit 120 corresponding to the abnormal solar panel and performs non-contact short-range information reading to identify the location of the abnormal solar panel. This has the advantage that it is possible to narrow down the reading of the information storage unit 120 to the abnormal solar panel. In the second step, the approach operation of the drone 100 to approach the information storage unit 120 may be manual or automatic.

[0030] As an example of a maintenance method, if the information storage unit 120 includes a physical sensor with a wireless communication element, the drone 100 may read out the sensor value accumulated by this physical sensor. The read-out sensor value may be used to analyze the cause of a failure of the solar panel 50.

[0031] As an example of a maintenance method, a central maintenance system 200 as shown in Fig. 4 may be provided. The central maintenance system 200 is any server device, and may be, for example, a cloud server. The central maintenance system 200 includes a processing unit, a memory unit, a communication unit, an input operation unit, and a monitor. The central maintenance system 200 is connected to the drone 100 via a communication line 202. A maintenance worker can use the central maintenance system 200 to monitor the status of the solar system 1 based on information from the drone 100.

[0032] The central maintenance system 200 stores a power plant map 210. The position of each float 10 (i.e., the position of the solar panel 50) is set in each cell 212 of the power plant map 210. As an example of a maintenance method, when the drone 100 detects an abnormal solar panel with a camera, it reads the information storage unit 120 of the float 10 supporting the solar panel 50 and writes the position information of the abnormal solar panel to the power plant map 210. This map writing process may be executed immediately by the central maintenance system 200 that receives information from the drone 100. Navigation information based on the power plant map 210 may be presented to a mobile device or the like of a worker. The navigation information may present the power plant map 210 itself, or a travel route may be added to the power plant map 210, or another map application may present a travel route on site based on the power plant map 210.

[0033] Solar panel power plants require efficient maintenance and inspection due to their vast area and the large number of panels to be inspected. When actually carrying out maintenance, inspection, and repair work, workers must carry materials and carry out the work on-site. In this regard, the power plant map 210 has the advantage of providing navigation technology to accurately locate abnormal solar panels.

[0034] The power plant map 210 may be created when the solar system 1 is installed (or when the system is designed). The timing for linking the information storage unit 120 and the power plant map 210 may be when the solar system 1 is installed, or may be during an initial inspection. In the case of installation, information linking may be performed at the time of installing the solar system. At that time, each information storage unit 120 may be read by flying the drone 100, or an installer may manually perform the linking work in conjunction with the system installation. In the case of inspection, the position of each solar panel on the power plant map 210 may be linked to the information storage unit 120 while reading the information storage unit 120 sequentially along a predetermined flight path of the drone during inspection.

[0035] <3. Modifications> Each information storage unit 120 may be provided at any position as long as the correspondence with each solar panel 50 can be identified. The information storage unit 120 can be attached to any position on the float 10. The information storage unit 120 can be provided at any location on the float 10 near the solar panel 50. The location where the information storage unit 120 is installed may be, for example, any part of the float 10, such as the support part 11. The information storage unit 120 may be attached to the solar panel 50, or, as an example, may be attached to the outer frame of the solar panel 50. The information storage unit 120 may be provided on the passage joint 60 instead of the float 10. The information storage unit 120 may be sandwiched between the float 10 and the passage joint 60. In that case, for example, the information storage unit 120 may be sandwiched between the surface of the float 10 from which the engagement protrusion 61 protrudes and the passage joint 60 that covers that surface. Hiding the information retention unit 120 with the passage joint 60 prevents workers from getting caught on or crushing the information retention unit 120 when walking, and also prevents it from being torn off by wild birds. Even when the information retention unit 120 is entirely covered by the passage joint 60 so that it cannot be seen with the naked eye, if the information retention unit 120 is constructed using an RFID tag, a short-range wireless communication element, or the like, the information retention unit 120 covered by the resin passage joint 60 can be read without hindrance. The information retention unit 120 may be provided on the second end 10b side of the float 10.

[0036] The solar system 1 is not limited to a water-floating system, and the maintenance method of the above embodiment may be applied to a land-based solar system, a building-mounted solar system, or the like.

[0037] The control unit 102 of the drone 100 may be provided with a "contactless near-field information writing device," such as an RFID writer, so that the control unit 102 can write inspection information, repair history, and other maintenance history to the information storage unit 120. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1: Solar system 10: Float 10a: 1st end 10b: Second end 11: Support part 11a: Surface 12: Receiving part 13: Fixing bracket 13a: Holding part 13b: Fixing member 13c: Screw 14: Fixing bracket 16: Surface wall 50: Solar panel 50a: Glass part 51:One end 52:Other end 60: Passage joint 60a: One end 60b: other end 61: Engagement protrusion 62: Connecting bolt 62a, 62b, 63: Bolt holes 90: Stopper part 91: Finger insertion recess 100: Drone 102: Control unit 120: Information holding unit 200: Central Maintenance System 202: Communication line 210: Power Plant Map 212: Cell indicating the solar panel position 212a: Abnormal solar panel position

Claims

1. 1. A method for maintaining a solar system, comprising: In the solar system, an information storage unit capable of non-contact short-distance information reading is provided in correspondence with each solar panel, performing maintenance and inspection of the solar system by performing the non-contact short-distance information reading of the information storage unit using a drone; The method includes an inspection step, This is a maintenance method in which, when a solar panel imaged by the drone is detected as an abnormal solar panel, the inspection process involves having the drone approach the information storage unit associated with the solar panel and read the information, thereby locating the abnormal solar panel.

2. A method according to claim 1, The method, wherein the information held by the information holding unit includes unique identification information of a solar panel with which the information holding unit is associated.

3. 3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, The method wherein the solar system is installed on water.

4. 4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: The method further comprises writing the location of the abnormal solar panel into a power plant map that defines the location of each solar panel based on the information read from the information storage unit.

5. 5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising: The method further comprises a moving step, the moving step is a step of moving the drone sequentially over each of the solar panels along a predetermined route; The inspection process is a method in which, if a solar panel imaged by the drone during the movement process is detected as an abnormal solar panel, the drone approaches the information storage unit associated with the solar panel and reads the information, thereby locating the abnormal solar panel.

6. The method according to claim 5, In the inspection process, if a solar panel imaged by the drone during the movement process is not detected as an abnormal solar panel, the drone does not read the information storage unit associated with that solar panel.

Images