Wheelless-drive cleaning robot for photovoltaic power station

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wheelless-drive cleaning robot for a photovoltaic power station, comprising: a housing, and a sliding block, a middle partition plate, and a cleaning brush which are arranged in the housing. The sliding block is located near the top inside the housing, and is driven by a first motor to move in an X direction; the middle partition plate is fixed below the sliding block; a cleaning compartment is suspended below the middle partition plate by means of a second motor, and is driven by the second motor to move in a Z direction; and the cleaning brush is arranged inside the cleaning compartment, and is driven by a collapsible arm to move in a Y direction, so as to clean the upper surface of a photovoltaic panel. The cleaning robot moves on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel in the X direction by means of the cooperation of the first motor and the second motor, and further moves on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel in the Y direction by means of the cooperation of the second motor and the collapsible arm. Therefore, the robot realizes wheelless left-right movement and up-down cross-panel movement, thereby performing comprehensive and automatic cleaning on photovoltaic panels, and the driving structure is simple and involves low costs.

Description

A wheel-less cleaning robot for photovoltaic power plants Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of photovoltaic panel cleaning technology, and more specifically to a wheel-less cleaning robot for photovoltaic power plants. Background Technology

[0002] After more than a decade of vigorous development, the photovoltaic (PV) industry has become a crucial component of my country's strategic emerging industries, playing a pivotal role in driving the global energy revolution and addressing climate change. As a core component of PV power generation systems, the reliability of PV modules directly affects the performance and lifespan of the entire system. However, due to the long-term exposure of PV systems to complex and variable outdoor environments, various failures are unavoidable. Among these, the hot spot effect caused by dust contamination and shading is particularly prominent, severely impacting the power generation efficiency and safety of PV modules. Therefore, dust cleaning of PV modules has become a critical issue that urgently needs to be addressed.

[0003] Currently, cleaning robots on the market are mainly divided into tracked cleaning robots, rail-mounted cleaning robots, and drone cleaning robots. Tracked cleaning robots can be further divided into dry cleaning and wet cleaning robots. Wet cleaning tracked robots are small, square carts connected to water pipes, moving close to the photovoltaic panels during operation. They primarily rely on wheels to move across the surface of the photovoltaic panels for cleaning. Dry cleaning robots use vacuum cleaners for dust removal. However, the applicability of tracked cleaning robots is relatively limited, mainly suitable for ground-level or flat photovoltaic panel installation areas. For photovoltaic panels installed in complex terrain or at height, the movement and cleaning effectiveness of tracked cleaning robots may be limited. Rail-mounted cleaning robots typically require tracks installed above or around the photovoltaic panels, along which the robot moves and cleans. This method has the advantages of good stability and controllability, making it suitable for photovoltaic panel cleaning in certain specific scenarios. However, rail-mounted cleaning robots have higher installation and maintenance costs and require a certain amount of space, which may not be suitable for large or dispersed photovoltaic power plants. Drone cleaning is an emerging method for cleaning photovoltaic panels. Drones can quickly fly above photovoltaic panels and use their onboard cleaning equipment to thoroughly clean them. Drone cleaning offers advantages such as high efficiency, rapid coverage, and automated operation, making it particularly suitable for large, dispersed, or complex terrain photovoltaic power plants. Furthermore, drone cleaning avoids the risks associated with personnel working at heights, improving operational safety. However, drone cleaning also faces challenges, such as the continuous improvement and enhancement of technologies related to flight stability, cleaning equipment mounting, and remote control operation.

[0004] No effective solutions have yet been proposed to address the problems in the relevant technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the problems in the background art, the present invention proposes a wheel-less drive cleaning robot for photovoltaic power plants to overcome the above-mentioned technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0006] Therefore, the specific technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A wheel-less cleaning robot for photovoltaic power plants is characterized by comprising: a shell, a slider placed inside the shell, a middle partition, a cleaning chamber, and a cleaning brush head. The shell has an opening for inverting and placing on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel. The slider is located inside the shell near the top and is driven by a first motor to move in the X direction. The middle partition is fixed below the slider. The cleaning chamber is suspended below the middle partition by a second motor and is driven by the second motor to move in the Z direction, the Z direction being perpendicular to the photovoltaic panel. The cleaning brush head is disposed inside the cleaning chamber and is driven by a telescopic arm to move in the Y direction, used for cleaning the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel.

[0008] The cleaning robot moves its outer shell and cleaning chamber in the X direction on the surface of the photovoltaic panel by cooperating with the first and second motors, respectively. Specifically, it includes the following two steps:

[0009] Step 1: The second motor presses down the cleaning chamber to detach the outer shell from the top surface of the photovoltaic panel. The first motor drives the slider to move the outer shell in the X direction. When the outer shell moves into place, the second motor retracts and lowers the outer shell onto the top surface of the photovoltaic panel, completing the movement of the outer shell.

[0010] Step 2: The second motor retracts upward to detach the cleaning chamber from the top surface of the photovoltaic panel. The first motor drives the slider to move the cleaning chamber in the X direction. When the cleaning chamber is in place, the second motor presses down to lower the cleaning chamber and place it on the top surface of the photovoltaic panel, completing the movement of the cleaning chamber.

[0011] Repeat the above two steps to move the cleaning robot in the X direction.

[0012] Furthermore, the cleaning brush head is provided with a downwardly retractable baffle on one side in the Y direction. The cleaning robot moves across rows in the Y direction of the multi-row photovoltaic array through the cooperation of the second motor, the telescopic arm, and the baffle: the telescopic arm drives the cleaning brush head to the appropriate position, the baffle extends downward and inserts into the gap between adjacent photovoltaic panels to limit the cleaning brush head, the second motor presses down the cleaning chamber to detach the outer shell from the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel (the second motor presses down the cleaning chamber, and the cleaning brush head is pressed onto the photovoltaic panel as the cleaning chamber is pressed down, thereby lifting the outer shell), the telescopic arm retracts, and pulls the outer shell to move in the Y direction. When the outer shell moves into place, the baffle retracts, the second motor retracts, and the outer shell is lowered and placed on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel, completing the movement of the cleaning robot in the Y direction.

[0013] Furthermore, the aforementioned wheelless cleaning robot for photovoltaic power stations also includes: several rotating clamps located at both ends of the outer shell in the Y direction. Each rotating clamp has an axially rotatable sleeve, with a lever and a hook at each end of the sleeve. The outer shell is also provided with a guide plate corresponding to the lever. When the rotating clamp rotates downward, the lever contacts the guide plate and is guided by the guide plate to drive the sleeve to rotate, thereby driving the hook to rotate to the bottom of the photovoltaic panel and driving the hook to abut against the lower surface of the photovoltaic panel, thus realizing that the rotating clamps hold the photovoltaic panel and prevent the outer shell from moving in the Y direction.

[0014] Furthermore, the reset of the sleeve is achieved by the reverse rotation of the guide lever on the side of the photovoltaic panel: the driving hook moves downward and disengages from the lower surface of the photovoltaic panel, the rotating clamp rotates upward, the lever disengages from the guide plate, the guide lever contacts the side of the photovoltaic panel and guides the lever to drive the sleeve to rotate in the reverse direction, so that the hook rotates to the outside of the photovoltaic panel.

[0015] Furthermore, the cleaning chamber has Y-direction tracks on both sides of its lower part, the cleaning brush head has track wheels supported on the tracks, the cleaning brush head has rubber scrapers, the rubber scrapers surround to form a water storage area, and a vibrating brush head is installed in the water storage area.

[0016] Furthermore, the telescopic arm has a first-level contact point, a second-level contact point, and a telescopic arm head; the cleaning robot also has a graded pushing mechanism for pushing the telescopic arm; the graded pushing mechanism has a cleaning rotating gear, a cleaning moving rack, a sleeve that contacts the second-level contact point, and a take-up motor; the take-up motor is connected to the telescopic arm head by a wire;

[0017] The telescopic arm works in conjunction with the graded drive device to achieve graded drive: the cleaning rotary gear rotates to drive the cleaning moving rack to move. When the cleaning moving rack moves, the graded drive device first contacts the first-level contact point, and then pushes the first-level contact point to move the telescopic arm forward. After moving a certain distance, the first-level contact point separates from the graded drive device, and then the second-level contact point contacts the graded drive device. The graded push device continues to push the telescopic arm forward through the second-level contact point, thereby realizing the forward push of the telescopic arm. When the telescopic arm retracts, the take-up motor pulls the head of the telescopic arm through the line to achieve assisted retraction.

[0018] The innovative aspects of this invention are as follows:

[0019] 1. This invention is a wheel-less drive system: This invention relates to an intelligent robot capable of omnidirectional cleaning of photovoltaic panels using a wheel-less drive system. It achieves movement in the X direction on the surface of the photovoltaic panel through the cooperation of a first motor and a second motor. It is evident that this invention's cleaning robot departs from traditional wheeled or tracked drive methods, utilizing motors to achieve lateral (X-direction) movement of the robot. Its drive structure is simple, low-cost, and easy to implement.

[0020] 2. This invention enables vertical movement across photovoltaic panels: This invention relates to an intelligent mobile cleaning robot capable of moving vertically across photovoltaic panels. It achieves movement along the Y-axis of the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel through the cooperation of a second motor, a telescopic arm, and a baffle, enabling cross-row movement within a multi-row array of a photovoltaic power station. Combined with X-axis mobility, this achieves movement in both directions, realizing fully automated cleaning.

[0021] 3. The invention features a self-locking structure: The invention designs a unique rotating locking edge located on the upper and lower sides of the cleaning robot. During operation, the rotating locking edge ensures that the cleaning robot will not fall off the photovoltaic panel. When crossing the panels, the rotating locking edge can automatically retract without interference.

[0022] 4. The present invention has adaptive size and shape: the shell has a telescopic function, which can automatically adapt to different sizes of the photovoltaic panel by automatically telescopically extending and retracting when cleaning the photovoltaic panel.

[0023] 5. This invention can adapt to different installation processes: When installing different photovoltaic panels, unevenness is inevitable on the top. This machine can overcome unevenness by means of a unique walking structure and a telescopic arm with fine-tuning distance.

[0024] 6. The present invention has a graded drive device: The cleaning robot has a unique graded drive device when driving the telescopic arm at the cleaning brush head. The graded drive can greatly reduce the force required to push the telescopic arm. In addition, a winding motor is installed at the drive device to ensure that the telescopic arm can be completely retracted when it is retracted.

[0025] 7. This invention has a graded and pressurized cleaning function: the cleaning brush head performs graded and pressurized cleaning of the photovoltaic panel surface by rotating the motor inside the machine.

[0026] 8. This invention features water conservation: by connecting the water outlet to the bristles of the cleaning brush head, the bristles are moistened through capillary action, greatly reducing water consumption.

[0027] Compared with the three existing types (track-based, tracked, and drone-based) photovoltaic cleaning robots, the advantages of this invention are as follows:

[0028] I. Traditional track-based cleaning robots can quickly clean large numbers of photovoltaic panels, but the traditional tracks require the robot to be re-laid, resulting in a large workload. Furthermore, track-based cleaning robots rely on their own gravity to increase frictional pressure on the photovoltaic panels, which is not well-suited for high-latitude regions where the installation angle of the photovoltaic panels is increased. This invention's cleaning robot retains the advantages of track-based robots by incorporating tracks inside the cleaning chamber to support the cleaning brush head. It also features self-locking devices (rotating locking edges) on both sides to prevent the robot from falling. Moreover, this invention allows for lateral and longitudinal movement across panels, enabling a single robot to clean a large area of ​​photovoltaic panels without the need for extensive track laying, thus reducing costs. This robot utilizes a second motor to push the cleaning chamber up and down in the Z-axis direction to achieve different levels of pressure, thereby achieving pressurized cleaning. Furthermore, improvements to the cleaning head give this invention's cleaning robot excellent cleaning capabilities.

[0029] II. Tracked cleaning robots utilize a tracked movement mechanism, making them highly adaptable to complex terrains and uneven surfaces. They can be equipped with various cleaning tools and equipment, such as vacuum cleaners, brushes, and water sprayers, enabling the combined use of multiple cleaning methods. However, tracked cleaning robots are small in size and cannot carry sufficient water and batteries, requiring frequent refills. This cleaning robot, on the other hand, has ample space to carry a large-capacity water tank and a large-capacity battery, giving it excellent endurance.

[0030] Third, the research, development, production, and maintenance costs of drone-based photovoltaic panel cleaning robots are relatively high, requiring significant initial investment. This puts considerable economic pressure on photovoltaic power plants with limited budgets. Currently, drones on the market generally suffer from short flight time and short endurance, requiring frequent charging or battery replacements. This limits the drone's continuous operation capability to some extent. Drone cleaning of photovoltaic panels requires advanced technical support and operational experience; operators need professional training to master the operation and maintenance skills of drones. This cleaning robot, on the other hand, is inexpensive and easy to operate, capable of moving across panels and achieving excellent cleaning results. One robot can automatically clean large areas of photovoltaic panels. Attached Figure Description

[0031] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0032] Figure 1 shows an overall view of the robot;

[0033] Figure 2 shows the design diagram of the cleaning brush head;

[0034] Figure 3 shows the self-locking devices on the top and bottom sides of the cleaning robot;

[0035] Figure 4 shows the adaptive telescopic box of the cleaning robot;

[0036] Figure 5 is a front cross-sectional view of the three-layer structure of the cleaning robot;

[0037] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the cleaning robot cleaning the panel.

[0038] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the cleaning robot's cleaning chamber being raised.

[0039] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the cleaning robot's cleaning chamber moving to the right;

[0040] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the cleaning robot's outer shell being raised;

[0041] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the cleaning robot's outer shell moving to the right;

[0042] Figure 11 shows the structural design of the first layer (upper layer) of the cleaning robot and the left-right movement design of the cleaning chamber;

[0043] Figure 12 shows the structural design of the second layer (middle layer) of the cleaning robot and the vertical movement of the cleaning chamber;

[0044] Figure 13 shows the structural design of the third layer (lower layer) of the cleaning robot;

[0045] Figure 14 is a side cross-sectional view of the three-layer structure of the cleaning robot;

[0046] Figure 15 shows the fine-tuning movement of the cleaning robot's cleaning brush head;

[0047] Figure 16 shows the vertical movement of the cleaning robot;

[0048] Figure 17 shows the designated storage areas for cleaning water and batteries for the cleaning robot;

[0049] Figure 18 shows the detailed design of the self-locking device on the top of the cleaning robot;

[0050] Figure 19 is a side view of the self-locking device on the top of the cleaning robot;

[0051] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the rotation of the self-locking device on the top of the cleaning robot;

[0052] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the self-locking device on the top of the cleaning robot hooking onto the photovoltaic panel;

[0053] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of the first-stage push of the telescopic arm of the cleaning robot's cleaning brush head;

[0054] Figure 23 is a schematic diagram of the two-stage propulsion of the telescopic arm of the cleaning robot's cleaning brush head;

[0055] The components are: 1-Photovoltaic panel; 2-Medium pressure block; 3-Cleaning robot; 4-Rotating edge; 5-Front connection of telescopic frame; 6-Railway wheel; 7-Rubber scraper; 8-Vibrating brush head; 9-Railway; 10-Outer shell; 11-First motor; 12-Slider; 13-Second motor; 14-Cleaning brush head; 15-Cleaning chamber; 16-Telescopic arm; 17-Middle partition; 18-Top of cleaning chamber; 19-Uneven area; 20-Baffle; 21-First space; 22-Second space; 23-Arc-shaped rack; 24-Gear; 25-Sleeve; 26-Guide plate; 27-Lever; 28-Hook; 29-Cleaning moving rack; 30-Cleaning rotating gear; 31-Retracting motor; 32-First-level contact point; 33-Second-level contact point; 34-Sleeve rod; 35-Telescopic arm head. Detailed Implementation

[0056] To further illustrate the various embodiments, the present invention provides accompanying drawings, which are part of the disclosure of the present invention. These drawings are mainly used to illustrate the embodiments and can be used in conjunction with the relevant descriptions in the specification to explain the operating principles of the embodiments. With reference to these drawings, those skilled in the art should be able to understand other possible implementation methods and the advantages of the present invention. The components in the drawings are not drawn to scale, and similar component symbols are generally used to represent similar components.

[0057] As shown in Figures 1-23, the wheelless cleaning robot 3 of this embodiment of the photovoltaic power station is used to clean the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel 1. A medium pressure block 2 is provided between adjacent photovoltaic panels 1. The medium pressure block is used to connect adjacent photovoltaic panels in the photovoltaic array. The cleaning robot of this embodiment includes: a retractable shell 10, a slider 12 placed in the shell 10, a medium partition 1, a cleaning chamber 15, and a cleaning brush head 14.

[0058] As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 6, the outer casing 10 has an opening for inverting and placing on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel 1. As shown in Figures 5, 6, and 11, the slider 12 is located inside the outer casing 10 near the top and is driven by the first motor 11 to move in the X direction (the horizontal direction of the photovoltaic panel, i.e., the row direction of the multi-row photovoltaic array). Preferably, in this embodiment, the first motor 11 is a linear stepper motor, and the rotation of the motor can move the slider 12 on the lead screw left and right (in the X direction). As shown in Figures 5, 6, and 14, the middle partition 17 is fixed below the slider 12 and moves with the slider 12. In this way, the first motor 11 can drive the slider 12, thereby moving the middle partition 17 in the X direction. As shown in Figures 5, 6, and 12, the cleaning chamber 15 is suspended below the middle partition 17 by the second motor 13 and is driven by the second motor 13 to move in the Z direction, where the Z direction is perpendicular to the photovoltaic panel 1. Preferably, several second motors 13 are installed below the middle partition 17 (two motors are used in the embodiment shown in the figure; more motors can be installed if the force in the Z-axis direction is insufficient). The second motors 13 are also stepper motors, which can achieve precise stroke control. As shown in Figures 5, 6, and 13, the cleaning brush head 14 is set inside the cleaning chamber 15 and is driven by the telescopic arm 16 to move in the Y direction (vertical direction of the photovoltaic panel, i.e., column direction of the multi-row photovoltaic array) to clean the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel 1. The cleaning chamber 15 moves in the X direction as follows: the outer shell 10 is close to the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel 1, and then the cleaning chamber 15 is slightly lifted in the Z-axis direction by the second motor 13. At this time, the cleaning chamber 15 is in a suspended state (see Figure 7). Then the first motor 11 moves the middle partition 17 and the cleaning chamber 15 from the left side of the cleaning robot to the right side, that is, moves to the far right along the X direction (Figure 8). Then the cleaning chamber 15 is lowered, so that the cleaning brush head 14 lands on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel 1.

[0059] In this embodiment, the cleaning robot moves the outer shell 10 and the cleaning chamber 15 in the X direction on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel 1 through the cooperation of the first motor 11 and the second motor 13. This embodiment will be described in detail using the cleaning robot moving to the right as an example, specifically including two steps:

[0060] Step 1: The second motor 13 presses down the cleaning chamber 15, lifting the outer shell 10 so that it is detached from the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel 1. Then, the first motor 11 drives the slider 12 to move in the X direction (see Figure 9, the slider moves to the left relative to the outer shell 10). Since the outer shell 10 is in a suspended state at this time, moving the slider 12 can make the outer shell 10 move to the right in the X direction. When the outer shell 10 moves to the right position (as shown in Figure 10), the second motor 13 retracts, puts the outer shell 10 down and onto the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel 1, completing the movement of the outer shell 10.

[0061] Step 2: The second motor 13 retracts upward to detach the cleaning chamber 15 from the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel 1. The first motor 11 drives the slider 12 to move to the right, so that the cleaning chamber 15 moves to the right in the X direction. When the cleaning chamber 15 moves into place, the second motor 13 presses down to put the cleaning chamber 15 down and onto the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel 1, thus completing the movement of the cleaning chamber 15.

[0062] Repeat the above two steps to move the cleaning robot in the X direction.

[0063] When the photovoltaic panel cleaning sequence is from left to right, since the cleaning chamber 15 is already located on the far right inside the casing when the photovoltaic panels in the current area of ​​the casing are cleaned, the process of moving the casing to the right can skip the first step and start directly from the second step.

[0064] As shown in Figures 13 and 16, the cleaning brush head 14 has a downwardly retractable baffle 20 on one side in the Y direction. The cleaning robot moves across rows in the Y direction of the multi-row photovoltaic array through the cooperation of the second motor 13, the telescopic arm 16, and the baffle 20. The specific process is as follows: The telescopic arm 16 drives the cleaning brush head 14 to a suitable position. The baffle 20 extends downward and inserts into the gap between adjacent photovoltaic panels 1 in the Y direction. Due to the action of the baffle 20, the cleaning brush head 14 is limited. At this time, the second motor 13 presses down the cleaning chamber 15, causing the outer shell 10 to lift and detach from the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel 1. Then, the telescopic arm 16 retracts the cleaning brush head 14, that is, by pulling the cleaning brush head through the telescopic arm 10, since the cleaning brush head 14 is limited, pulling the telescopic arm 16 can make the outer shell 10 move in the Y direction. When the outer shell 10 moves into place, the second motor 13 retracts, lowers the outer shell 10 and places it on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel 1, completing the movement of the cleaning robot in the Y direction. The baffle 20 retracts, at which point the cleaning brush head 14 is in a movable state, and the cleaning of the next photovoltaic panel begins.

[0065] Since the photovoltaic panel 1 has a certain degree of inclination, to prevent the robot from falling, as shown in Figures 1, 3, 18, 19, 20, and 21, the robot of this invention also includes several rotating retaining edges 4 disposed at both ends of the outer shell 10 in the Y direction. Each rotating retaining edge 4 has an axially rotatable sleeve 25, with a lever 27 and a hook 28 at each end of the sleeve 25. The outer shell 10 is also provided with a guide plate 26 corresponding to the lever 27. When the rotating retaining edge 4 rotates downward, the lever 27 contacts the guide plate 26 and is guided by the guide plate 26 to drive the sleeve 25 to rotate, thereby causing the hook 28 to rotate to below the photovoltaic panel 1 and drive the hook 28 to abut against the lower surface of the photovoltaic panel 1, thus enabling the rotating retaining edge 4 to hold the photovoltaic panel 1 in place and preventing the outer shell 10 from moving in the Y direction. The reset of sleeve 25 is achieved by the reverse rotation of the guide lever 27 on the side of photovoltaic panel 1: the drive hook 28 moves downward to disengage from the lower surface of photovoltaic panel 1, the rotating clamp 4 rotates upward, the lever 27 disengages from guide plate 26, the guide lever 27 contacts the side of photovoltaic panel and drives sleeve 25 to rotate in the reverse direction, so that hook 28 rotates to the outside of photovoltaic panel 1, thus completing the unlocking. Hook 28 rotates to the bottom of photovoltaic panel 1 and hooks onto the lower surface of photovoltaic panel 1, realizing the robot's self-locking limit on both sides (both sides in the Y direction). Before the cleaning robot moves in the Y direction, hook 28 needs to be moved downward and rotated to the outside of photovoltaic panel 1.

[0066] As a feasible solution, as shown in Figures 18 to 21 of this embodiment, the rotating edge 4 has an arc-shaped rack 23 and a gear 24 fixed to the outer casing 10, with the arc-shaped rack 23 meshing with the gear 24. The motor drives the gear 24 to rotate, causing the arc-shaped rack 23 to rotate, thereby driving the sleeve 25 to rotate downwards. When it rotates to a vertical angle, the gear 24 continues to rotate, causing the rotating edge 4 to move upwards as a whole, thus allowing the hook 28 to abut against the lower surface of the photovoltaic panel 1. As shown in Figures 18 to 21, the lever 27 and the hook 28 are both perpendicular to the sleeve 25 and located on the left and right sides of the sleeve 25. When the lever 27 rotates to be perpendicular to the surface of the outer casing 10, the hook 28 rotates to the lower surface of the photovoltaic panel 1. Then, the gear 24 continues to rotate, causing the rotating edge 4 to move upwards as a whole, thereby allowing the hook 28 to abut against the lower surface of the photovoltaic panel 1, preventing the robot from falling off the photovoltaic panel 1.

[0067] As shown in Figures 3, 5, and 6, the cleaning chamber 15 of this embodiment has Y-direction tracks on both sides of its lower part. The cleaning brush head 14 has track wheels 6 supported on the tracks and a rubber scraper 7. The rubber scraper 7 forms a water storage area, and a vibrating brush head 8 is installed in the water storage area. The rubber scraper 7, the water storage area, and the vibrating brush head are combined for efficient cleaning, and the inner side of the rubber scraper is equipped with cleaning bristles to further enhance the cleaning effect.

[0068] To increase battery life, a larger water tank and battery are required. As shown in Figures 14 and 17, a first space 21 for placing the water tank is formed between the top 18 of the cleaning chamber and the partition 17, and a second space 22 for placing the battery is formed between the partition 17 and the top wall of the outer casing 10. Both the first space 21 and the second space 22 are large enough to accommodate a larger capacity water tank and battery.

[0069] This cleaning robot can move in both the X and Y directions, achieving full-coverage cleaning of photovoltaic panels. To accommodate solar panels of different lengths (in the Y direction), as shown in Figure 10, the outer shell 10 of this embodiment is retractable. Correspondingly, the cleaning chamber 15 and its internal track are also retractable. Specifically, the lengths of the outer shell 10, cleaning chamber 15, and internal track in the Y direction are adjustable to accommodate different lengths of the solar panels in that direction. This design makes the cleaning robot versatile and capable of cleaning photovoltaic panels of different sizes.

[0070] As shown in Figures 22 and 23, the cleaning robot of the present invention also has a graded pushing mechanism for pushing the telescopic arm. The telescopic arm 16 has a first-level contact point 32, a second-level contact point 33, and a telescopic arm head 35. The graded pushing mechanism has a cleaning rotating gear 30, a cleaning moving rack 29, a sleeve 34 that contacts the contact point 33, and a take-up motor 31. The telescopic arm and the graded driving device cooperate to realize the graded driving of the telescopic arm 16: the rotation of the cleaning rotating gear 30 can drive the cleaning moving rack 29 to move. When the cleaning moving rack 29 moves, the graded driving device first contacts the first-level contact point 32, and then pushes the first-level contact point 32 to move the telescopic arm 16 forward. After moving a certain distance, the first-level contact point 32 separates from the graded driving device, and then the second-level contact point 33 contacts the graded driving device. The graded pushing device continues to push the telescopic arm 16 forward through the second-level contact point 33, thereby realizing the forward pushing of the telescopic arm. The take-up motor 31 is connected to the telescopic arm head 35 by a line and assists in the retraction when the telescopic arm retracts.

[0071] The main design features of the cleaning robot of this invention are as follows:

[0072] Brush head design: As shown in Figure 2, the bottom of the brush head is surrounded by a ring of rubber scrapers 7. Cleaning bristles are installed inside the rubber scrapers 7, increasing the cleaning effect and forming a simple water storage area (surrounded by the rubber scrapers). A vibrating brush head 8 is installed in the water storage area. When the cleaning brush head 14 passes over the photovoltaic panel, the rubber scrapers 7, bristles, and vibrating brush head 8 work together to clean the photovoltaic panel. In Figure 2, label 5 indicates the front connection point of the telescopic frame, used to connect the telescopic arm head 35.

[0073] Self-locking limit on both sides: As shown in Figure 3, there are 4 rotating locking edges on both the top and bottom sides of the cleaning robot. The main purpose of the rotating locking edges is to prevent the cleaning robot from slipping off the photovoltaic panel when it is running on the photovoltaic panel. It can also hook onto the next photovoltaic panel when crossing different photovoltaic panels. In this way, even if there is a large slope between two photovoltaic panels, the cleaning robot can cross different photovoltaic panel surfaces.

[0074] Size-adaptive structure: The main body of the machine adopts a diamond-shaped telescopic arm structure, which can be extended and retracted to adapt to different photovoltaic panel sizes. The diamond-shaped telescopic arm occupies little space when retracted, unlike other structures such as push rods that cause space waste.

[0075] Cleaning robot structure design: As shown in Figure 5, the cleaning robot structure is mainly divided into three layers from top to bottom. The first layer is equipped with a linear stepper motor, which rotates to move the slider on the lead screw left and right. The lower surface of the slider is connected to a partition, and two stepper motors are installed on the lower side of the partition, with the two stepper motors located on the second layer. The third layer is the cleaning chamber, which contains cleaning brush heads and a telescopic arm.

[0076] Cleaning robot movement design: When the second-layer motor rotates forward, the cleaning chamber connected to the motor will be lifted. At this time, the cleaning chamber can be moved left and right by rotating the first-layer linear motor. When rotating in the opposite direction, the cleaning chamber will be squeezed downward. If the rotation continues in the opposite direction, the third-layer cleaning chamber will be tightly attached to the surface of the photovoltaic panel, while the outer shell of the first layer will be lifted up due to the reverse force of the cleaning chamber. At this time, the outer shell of the machine can be moved left and right by the linear motor, thereby realizing the movement of the cleaning robot.

[0077] Hierarchical Drive Structure Design: This cleaning robot has a unique hierarchical drive device when driving the telescopic arm at the cleaning brush head. The hierarchical drive greatly reduces the force required to push the telescopic arm, and a retracting motor is installed at the drive device to ensure that the telescopic arm can be fully retracted when it is retracted.

[0078] Up and down movement: The cleaning brush head needs to be moved to the bottom. The up and down moving baffle at the front of the cleaning brush head extends downward and gets stuck in the gap between the upper and lower photovoltaic panels. The upper and lower limit self-locking devices on both sides of the cleaning robot are released. Then the telescopic arm is retracted. Since the bottom of the telescopic arm is tightly stuck in the gap at the bottom edge of the photovoltaic panel, the telescopic arm can only move downward, thereby driving the entire cleaning machine to move downward, realizing the up and down movement of the cleaning robot.

[0079] The method of using the cleaning robot of this invention is as follows:

[0080] 1. Initially, the cleaning brush head is located on the top of the photovoltaic panel. When the cleaning brush head moves, it moves up and down along the track at the bottom of the cleaning chamber (Y direction). The cleaning brush head is connected to the diamond-shaped telescopic arm, as shown in Figure 13. The up and down movement of the telescopic arm drives the cleaning brush head to rub and clean.

[0081] 2. As shown in Figure 5, the cleaning robot has a multi-layered structure. From top to bottom, it consists of three layers. The first layer contains a linear stepper motor (first motor 11), which rotates to move the slider 12 on the lead screw left and right in the X direction. The lower surface of the slider is connected to a partition, and several stepper motors (second motors 13) are mounted on the lower side of the partition. The second motors 13 are located in the second layer. The third layer is the cleaning chamber, which contains cleaning brush heads 14 and telescopic arms 16.

[0082] 3. As shown in Figure 6, the cleaning robot is in the cleaning process. When the cleaning robot is ready to clean, the outer shell of the machine is close to the panel, the motor at the middle partition rotates, and the cleaning chamber is squeezed downward. At this time, the bristles of the cleaning brush head 14 will be in close contact with the panel due to the pressure. The vibrating brush head in the middle water tank of the cleaning brush head vibrates and cleans, which can effectively remove the dust deposited on the photovoltaic panel.

[0083] 4. When the cleaning brush head moves to clean the bottom of the photovoltaic panel, the wastewater generated during cleaning flows out along the bottom of the photovoltaic panel.

[0084] 5. As shown in Figure 7, when the cleaning chamber needs to move from the left half to the right half of the cleaning machine, the motor at the middle partition rotates forward, lifting the cleaning chamber 15 and its internal cleaning brush head 14 away from the photovoltaic panel surface. The bottom of the outer casing 10 of the cleaning machine then contacts the photovoltaic panel surface, allowing the cleaning chamber to be suspended under the partition. The linear stepper motor located on the upper surface of the partition rotates, and the slider connected to the cleaning chamber moves to the right, causing the cleaning chamber to move from the left half to the right half. Subsequently, the telescopic arm retracts, and the cleaning brush head moves to the top of the photovoltaic panel. The result after the movement is shown in Figure 8, where Figure 11 is a top view of the left-right movement.

[0085] 6. As shown in Figure 9, after the photovoltaic panel covered by the cleaning robot is cleaned, the cleaning robot needs to be moved to the right. The second motor 13 located under the middle partition rotates, and the cleaning chamber is pressed downwards and tightly adhered to the surface of the photovoltaic panel. The motor continues to rotate and press downwards, and the machine shell will be lifted up. The linear stepper motor (first motor 11) of the first layer rotates, causing the slider connected to the machine shell to move to the right, driving the machine shell to move to the right, thereby realizing the overall movement of the cleaning robot to the right. After the movement, it is shown in Figure 10, where Figure 12 is a top view of the vertical movement of the cleaning shell.

[0086] 7. As shown in Figure 15, when the cleaning robot passes between two photovoltaic panels, due to differences in the installation process, there will be uneven areas on the top of different photovoltaic panels. The cleaning robot can adjust its telescopic arm during movement. Simply adjusting the diamond-shaped telescopic frame forward or backward can overcome the problem of crossing between different photovoltaic panels. By adjusting the telescopic arm, the cleaning robot can overcome the differences in the installation process. When crossing different panels, the two pairs of rotating jaws on the left half of the cleaning robot are fixed, while the two pairs of rotating jaws on the right half are released. When the cleaning brush head on the right half just overlaps with the top of the photovoltaic panel, the cleaning robot can align with the right photovoltaic panel. At this point, the two pairs of rotating jaws on the left half of the cleaning robot are released, while the two pairs of rotating jaws on the right half are fixed.

[0087] 8. As shown in Figure 16, when the cleaning robot moves up and down, the cleaning brush head needs to be moved to the bottom. The baffle 20 at the front of the cleaning brush head extends downward and inserts into and gets stuck in the gap between the upper and lower photovoltaic panels. The upper and lower limit self-locking devices of the cleaning robot are all released. Then the telescopic arm is retracted. Since the bottom of the telescopic arm (cleaning brush head) is tightly stuck in the gap at the bottom edge of the photovoltaic panel, the telescopic arm can only move downward, thereby driving the entire cleaning robot to move downward, realizing the up and down movement of the cleaning robot.

[0088] 9. As shown in Figure 17, the cleaning robot can carry cleaning water and batteries to work. The upper part of the cleaning compartment in the figure is a reserved place for cleaning water, and the upper part of the partition is a reserved place for batteries.

[0089] 10. Figure 18 shows the specific design of the self-locking devices on the upper and lower sides of the cleaning robot, and Figure 19 is a side view of the self-locking device. The self-locking device can rotate freely. It is equipped with a gear and rack on the top and a triangular baffle (guide plate 26) on the side, which has an inclined surface. When the gear 24 rotates, the rotating edge 4 changes from a horizontal state to the state shown in Figure 20. The upper edge of the rotating edge touches the triangular baffle (guide plate 26) and rotates along the inclined surface of the triangular baffle (guide plate 26), thereby causing the hook 28 on the lower side of the rotating edge to rotate clockwise. Continuing to rotate the gear 24 lifts the rotating edge, and the hook 28 abuts against the lower surface of the photovoltaic panel 1, thus hooking the photovoltaic panel surface, as shown in Figure 21. Unlocking is the reverse process. First, the rotating edge 4 needs to be moved downward to disengage the hook 28 from the photovoltaic panel 1, and then the rotating edge 4 is rotated to move the hook 28 to the side of the photovoltaic panel.

[0090] 11. The cleaning robot's brush head features a unique tiered pushing structure during extension and retraction, significantly reducing the force required to push the telescopic arm. As shown in Figure 22, when the gear rotates, it pushes the rack forward. The first-stage contact point 32 initially contacts the pushing structure. After pushing a certain distance, the first-stage contact point separates from the pushing structure, as shown in Figure 23. At this point, the second-stage contact point contacts the bottom of the sleeve rod. The tiered pushing of the telescopic frame is achieved by the pushing structure pushing the second-stage pushing point. A take-up motor 31 is installed at the head of the tiered drive device. The take-up motor is connected to the telescopic arm head 35. When retracting the telescopic arm, the take-up motor and the pushing structure work together to retract the telescopic arm.

[0091] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wheel-less cleaning robot for photovoltaic power plants, characterized in that, include: - The outer casing (10) has an opening for inverting and placing on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel (1); - Slider (12), located inside the housing (10) near the top and driven by the first motor (11) to move in the X direction; - The middle partition (17) is fixed below the slider (12); - The cleaning chamber (15) is suspended below the middle partition (17) by a second motor (13) and is driven by the second motor (13) to move in the Z direction, which is perpendicular to the photovoltaic panel (1). - The cleaning brush head (14) is located inside the cleaning chamber (15) and is driven by the telescopic arm (16) to move in the Y direction for cleaning the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel (1); The cleaning robot moves its outer shell (10) and cleaning chamber (15) in the X direction on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel (1) by cooperating with the first motor (11) and the second motor (13), respectively. Specifically, it includes the following two steps: Step 1: The second motor (13) presses down the cleaning chamber (15) to make the outer shell (10) detach from the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel (1). The first motor (11) drives the slider (12) to move the outer shell (10) in the X direction. When the outer shell (10) moves into place, the second motor (13) retracts and puts the outer shell (10) down onto the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel (1), thus completing the movement of the outer shell (10). Step 2: The second motor (13) retracts upward to detach the cleaning chamber (15) from the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel (1). The first motor (11) drives the slider (12) to move the cleaning chamber (15) in the X direction. When the cleaning chamber (15) is in place, the second motor (13) presses down to lower the cleaning chamber (15) and place it on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel (1), thus completing the movement of the cleaning chamber (15). Repeat the above two steps to move the cleaning robot in the X direction.

2. The photovoltaic plant wheel-less drive cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning brush head (14) is provided with a downward retractable baffle (20) on one side in the Y direction. The cleaning robot moves across rows in the Y direction of the multi-row photovoltaic array through the cooperation of the second motor (13), the telescopic arm (16) and the baffle (20): the telescopic arm (16) drives the cleaning brush head (14) to move to the appropriate position, the baffle (20) extends downward and inserts into the gap between adjacent photovoltaic panels (1) to limit the cleaning brush head (14), the second motor (13) presses down the cleaning chamber (15) to make the outer shell (10) detach from the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel (1), the telescopic arm (16) retracts and pulls the outer shell (10) to move in the Y direction. When the outer shell (10) moves into place, the baffle (20) retracts, the second motor (13) retracts and puts the outer shell (10) down and onto the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel (1), thus completing the movement of the cleaning robot in the Y direction.

3. The photovoltaic plant wheel-less drive cleaning robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: Several rotating retaining edges (4) are disposed at both ends of the outer casing (10) in the Y direction. Each rotating retaining edge (4) has an axially rotatable sleeve (25). Both ends of the sleeve (25) are provided with a lever (27) and a hook (28). The outer casing (10) is also provided with a guide plate (26) corresponding to the lever (27). When the rotating retaining edge (4) rotates downward, the lever (27) contacts the guide plate (26) and is guided by the guide plate (26) to drive the sleeve (25) to rotate, thereby driving the hook (28) to rotate to the bottom of the photovoltaic panel (1) and driving the hook (28) to abut against the lower surface of the photovoltaic panel (1), thereby realizing that the rotating retaining edge (4) clamps the photovoltaic panel (1) and prevents the outer casing (10) from moving in the Y direction.

4. The photovoltaic plant wheel-less drive cleaning robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, The reset of the sleeve (25) is achieved by the reverse rotation of the guide lever (27) on the side of the photovoltaic panel (1): the drive hook (28) moves downward and disengages from the lower surface of the photovoltaic panel (1), the rotating clamp (4) rotates upward, the lever (27) disengages from the guide plate (26), the guide lever (27) contacts the side of the photovoltaic panel and the guide lever (27) drives the sleeve (25) to rotate in the reverse direction, so that the hook (28) rotates to the outside of the photovoltaic panel (1).

5. The photovoltaic plant wheel-less drive cleaning robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, Before the cleaning robot moves in the Y direction, the hook (28) needs to be rotated to the outside of the photovoltaic panel (1).

6. The photovoltaic plant wheel-less drive cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning chamber (15) has Y-direction tracks on both sides of its lower part. The cleaning brush head (14) has track wheels (6) supported on the tracks. The cleaning brush head (14) has rubber scrapers (7). The rubber scrapers (7) form a water storage area around the water storage area, and a vibrating brush head (8) is provided in the water storage area.

7. The photovoltaic plant wheel-less drive cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first space (21) for placing a water tank is formed between the top (18) of the cleaning chamber and the partition (17), and a second space (22) for placing a battery is formed between the partition (17) and the top wall of the outer shell (10).

8. The photovoltaic plant wheel-less drive cleaning robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, The rotating flange (4) has an arc-shaped rack (23) and a gear (24) fixed to the housing (10), the arc-shaped rack (23) meshing with the gear (24).

9. The photovoltaic plant wheel-less drive cleaning robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, The length of the outer casing (10), the cleaning chamber (15), and the track inside the cleaning chamber (15) in the Y direction is adjustable to accommodate different lengths of the solar panel in the Y direction.

10. The photovoltaic plant wheel-less drive cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The telescopic arm (16) has a first-level contact point (32), a second-level contact point (33), and a telescopic arm head (35); the cleaning robot also has a graded pushing mechanism for pushing the telescopic arm (16); the graded pushing mechanism has a cleaning rotary gear (30), a cleaning moving rack (29), a sleeve (34) that contacts the second-level contact point (33), and a take-up motor (31); the take-up motor (31) is connected to the telescopic arm head (35) by a wire; The telescopic arm (16) cooperates with the graded pushing mechanism to achieve graded driving: the cleaning rotating gear (30) rotates to drive the cleaning moving rack (29) to move. When the cleaning moving rack (29) moves, the graded pushing mechanism first contacts the first-level contact point (32), and then pushes the first-level contact point (32) to make the telescopic arm (16) move forward. After moving a certain distance, the first-level contact point (32) separates from the graded pushing mechanism, and then the second-level contact point (33) contacts the graded pushing mechanism. The graded pushing device continues to push the telescopic arm forward through the second-level contact point (33), thereby realizing the forward push of the telescopic arm. When the telescopic arm (16) retracts, the take-up motor (31) pulls the head of the telescopic arm (35) through the line to achieve auxiliary retraction.

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