DESC:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to solar panel cleaning robots. More particularly, the present invention relates to an aligning system and method for solar panel cleaning robot.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Over the last decade, solar panels have been widely used in the field of power generation. Solar panels convert solar energy directly into electrical energy using photovoltaic cells. These solar panels are installed outdoors in order to achieve a direct exposure to sun rays. The accumulation of dust on the panel surface reduces the power generation efficiency of the solar cell panel. Therefore, in order to maintain the power generation efficiency of the solar cell panel, it is important to clean the solar cell panel periodically.
For this purpose, solar panel cleaning robots are being extensively used in solar power plants. The trend of robot deployment is rising and will be continuing exponentially in future because of the ease, environmental impact of water cleaning, increasing land coverage of solar power plant, labor laws to ensure ideal working condition.
Currently known robots do not have dedicated track for motion and rely on guide wheels and gravity force to ensure perfect alignment with the solar panel. However, these robots tend to get misaligned due to operational issues and either get stuck in between or unable to move forward during operation. Thus, re-aligning the cleaning robot with the solar panel requires human assistance. It becomes very inconvenient and unsafe for a person to climb on the structure and realign these cleaning robots to bring them in operation and increases reliance on manpower. In addition, there is also a risk of damaging some of the solar panels by the cleaning robot if the cleaning robot gets misaligned.
Therefore, an aligning system and method for solar panel cleaning robot is needed that prevents and/ or rectifies misalignment of robot.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An objective of the present invention is to provide an aligning system for the solar panel cleaning robot requiring minimal or no human assistance.
In an embodiment, the present invention provides an aligning system for solar panel cleaning robot comprising a movable support frame mounted on an array of solar panels. The movable support frame configured to move on an upper edge and a lower edge of the solar panels along a lengthwise direction, said movable support frame having a cleaning member facilitating cleaning of the solar panels. A plurality of guiding wheels facilitating support to the movable support frame relative to the surface of the solar panels along the edges thereof. A driving unit is configured to drive the guiding wheels. At least two proximity sensors are mounted along one side of the support frame to maintain a proximal distance with respect to one of the edges. A controller is in electrical connection with said sensors and the driving unit, the controller is configured to communicate with the driving unit for controlling movement of the guiding wheels. The controller controls the driving unit during misalignment of the cleaning robot thereby facilitating rotation of the guiding wheels in a predetermined direction based on predetermined position of the sensors with respect to corresponding edge.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the sensors moves away from the corresponding edge beyond the proximal distance during misalignment of the cleaning robot in a clockwise direction such that the controller directs the driving unit to rotate the guiding wheels in anticlockwise direction until the sensors attain the proximal distance thereby facilitating realignment of the cleaning robot.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the sensors moves away from the corresponding edge beyond the proximal distance during misalignment of the cleaning robot in a anticlockwise direction such that the controller directs the driving unit to rotate the guiding wheels in clockwise direction until the sensors attain the proximal distance thereby facilitating realignment of the cleaning robot.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller is configured to communicate with the driving unit to drive the guiding wheels for providing linear movement to the movable support frame when all the sensors are maintaining the proximal distance with the corresponding edges.
In this respect, it is to be understood that the solar panel cleaning robot is not limited in its applications to the details of construction and arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustration. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept of this disclosure may be readily utilized as a basis for the design of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the solar panel cleaning robot.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. They are meant to be exemplary illustrations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.
Figure 1 is a schematic top view of an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 illustrates the correction of misalignment of the cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
Figure 4 is an expanded view of the cleaning robot of Figure 3.
Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the invention as defined by the description. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.
The terms and words used in the following description are not limited to the bibliographical meanings but are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of the present invention is provided for illustration purpose only.
It is to be understood that the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Referring to Figure 1, an aligning system for solar panel cleaning robot (100) (alignment system (100), hereinafter) in accordance with the present invention is shown that includes a solar array (101), a cleaning robot (107) and a controller (not shown in the fig. 1).
The solar array (101) comprises a plurality of solar panels (101A). Each of the solar panels (101A) typically has a face area less than about three-square meter in this embodiment of the solar array (101). However, the dimensions of the solar panels (101A) may vary in other alternative embodiments of the present invention. The solar array (101) has a length that may vary between about a few meters to about a few kilometres. The solar array (101) has a width that ranges from about one meter to about several meters. The solar array (101) is kept in an angular or inclined position toward the sun, which defines an upper edge (103) and a lower edge (104) of the solar array (101). In an embodiment of the present invention, the solar array (104) is kept angular or inclined to the ground surface or rooftop. In another embodiment of the present invention, the solar array (104) may be kept flat or perpendicular to the ground surface or rooftop.
The upper edge (103) and the lower edge (104) of the solar array (101) works as a reference path for the solar cleaning robot (107). In an embodiment of the invention, the edges (103,104) can be used as electricity conductors, i.e., electrical cables may be arranged in an interior of the edges (103,104) or along an outer surface of the edges (103,104). Alternatively, the edges (103,104) may be made of electrically conducting material and can be used as electrical conductors for the system.
The cleaning robot (107) includes a movable support frame (102), a plurality of guiding wheels (105,106), a driving unit (111) and a plurality of proximity sensing elements (T1, T2) (proximity sensors (T1, T2), hereinafter). A cleaning member (not shown) is mounted on the lower side of the support frame (102) such that the said cleaning member facilitates cleaning of the solar array (101). In an embodiment the cleaning member preferably includes but not limited to a brush, a cleaning roller, water jets, cloth rags or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the cleaning robot (107) may comprise a motor. In this specific embodiment, the one or more cleaning rollers may be configured to rotate together in the same direction along the rotational axis. In another embodiment, the cleaning robot (107) may comprise two or more motors. In this embodiment, the one or more cleaning rollers may be configured to rotate in different directions along the rotational axis.
The support frame (102) is configured to move along the length of the solar array (101). A plurality of guiding wheels or rollers (105, 106) are connected to the support frame (102).
The guiding wheels (105, 106) support the frame (102) in a lengthwise direction (L) relative to the surface of the solar array (101) preferably along the edges (103, 104) such that upper guiding wheels (105) move along the upper edge (103) of the solar array (101) and lower guiding wheels (106) move along the lower edge (104) of the solar array (101). In an embodiment, the cleaning robot (107) includes two upper guiding wheels (105) and two lower guiding wheels (106) however the number, function and position of the guiding wheels (105, 106) may vary in other embodiments of the present invention. The guiding wheels (105, 106) enable the support frame (102) to move in the length direction along the solar array (101).
The alignment system (100) includes a driving unit (111) that drives the guiding wheels (105, 106) along the edges (103, 104) in either forward or reverse direction. In an embodiment, the driving unit (111) is an electric motor. The proximity sensors (T1, T2) are placed at one side of the support frame (102) at a predetermined position. In an embodiment, the sensors (T1, T2) are placed on the support frame (102) in the vicinity of the upper wheels (105) i.e., in proximity with the upper edge (103). In an alternative embodiment, the proximity sensors (T1, T2) are placed on the support frame (102) in the vicinity of the lower wheels (106) i.e., in proximity with the lower edge (104) of the solar array (101). The proximity sensors (T1, T2) maintain a proximal distance (P) with respect to one of the edges (103, 104). In an embodiment, the sensors (T1, T2) can be inductive sensor, capacitive sensor, proximity sensor, limit switch, QR code scanner, bar code scanner, RFID reader and other similar contact and non-contact sensors or a combination thereof. Each of the sensors (T1, T2) is configured to independently indicate proximity with respect to the edge of the solar array (101) thereby ensuring that the proximal distance (P) is maintained from the respective edge. In an embodiment, the proximal distance (P) is in the range of 8mm to 20mm, which is a typical detection range of proximity sensors. Proximity sensor range is dependent on the material of the support frame, drive accuracy and controller precision. For example, each sensor (T1, T2) will individually indicate their proximity with respect to the upper edge (103) of the solar array (101) if the sensors (T1, T2) are mounted near the upper wheels (105) of the cleaning robot (107). Alternatively, each sensor (T1, T2) will individually indicate their proximity with respect to the lower edge (104) of the solar array (101) if the sensors (T1, T2) are mounted near the lower wheels (106) of the cleaning robot (107).
Referring to Figure 2, a block diagram representing the connection of the controller (110), sensors (T1, T2), the driving unit (111) and the guiding wheels (105, 106) is shown. The controller (110) is in electrical connection with said sensors (T1, T2) and the driving unit (111). Both the sensors (T1, T2) indicate their proximity with respect to either the upper edge (103) or the lower edge (104) of the solar array (101) to the controller (110) thereby ensuring that the proximal distance (P) is maintained from the respective edges (103, 104). The controller (110) communicates to the driving unit (111) for controlling the movements of the guiding wheels (105, 106).
As shown in Figure 1, the sensors (T1, T2) are shown mounted in proximity with the upper edge (103) of the solar array (101) in a normal position when the cleaning robot (107) is properly aligned with the solar array (101). In the normal position, the sensors (T1, T2) maintain proximal distance (P) from the upper edge (103). Thus, both the sensors (T1, T2) send data indicating proximity with the upper edge (103) to the controller (110), the controller (110) then communicate with the driving unit (111) to drive the guiding wheels (105, 106) for providing linear movement to the support frame (102). In the normal position, the controller (110) is configured to communicate with the driving unit (111) to drive the guiding wheels (103, 104) for providing linear movement to the cleaning robot (107) when all the sensors (T1, T2) are maintaining the proximal distance (P) with the corresponding edges (103, 104).
As shown in Figure 3 and 4, sensors (T1, T2) in proximity with the upper edge (103) are shown in a misaligned position of the cleaning robot (107). In the misaligned position, the controller (110) controls the driving unit (111) thereby facilitating rotation of the guiding wheels (103, 104) in a predetermined direction based on predetermined position of the sensors (T1, T2) with respect to corresponding edge (103, 104). The predetermined direction of rotation of the guiding wheels (103, 104) is a clockwise direction or an anticlockwise direction in the context of the present invention. During misalignment of the cleaning robot (107) in a clockwise/anticlockwise direction, at least one of the sensors (T1, T2) moves away from the corresponding edge (103, 104) beyond the proximal distance (P) such that one of the sensors (T1, T2) moves away from the corresponding edge (103,104) of the solar array (101) and the other sensor (T1, T2) comes closer to the corresponding edge (103, 104) of the solar array (101). In such case, the controller (110) performs corresponding corrective action by halting the cleaning robot (107). The controller (110) then provides command to the driving unit (111) to rotate the guiding wheels (103, 104) in either anti-clockwise direction or clockwise direction until the sensors (T1, T2) attain the proximal distance (P) thereby facilitating realignment of the cleaning robot (107). The controller (110) directs the driving unit (111) to continue the linear movements along the edges (103, 104) of the solar array (101) as the misalignment is corrected.
Figure 3 shows the two possible cases of misalignment that may occur in the same embodiment of the figure 1. As shown in a first part- “A” of the figure 3, if the cleaning robot (107) gets misaligned and rotate clockwise, the sensor (T1) moves away from the upper edge (103) of the solar array (101) and the sensor (T2) comes closer to the upper edge (103) of the solar array (101). Thus, the sensor (T2) sends data indicating proximity to the controller (110) whereas the sensor (T1) stops indicating proximity to the controller (110). In such case, the controller (110) performs corresponding corrective action by halting the cleaning robot (107). The controller (110) provides command to the driving unit (111) to rotate the lower wheels (106) in anti-clockwise direction so that the lower part of the cleaning robot (107) moves forward and gets aligned with the solar array (101). As the misalignment is corrected, the controller (110) directs the driving unit (111) to continue the linear movements of the cleaning robot (107) along the edges (103, 104) of the solar array (101).
As shown in a second part “B” of the figure 3, if the cleaning robot (107) gets misaligned and rotate anticlockwise, the sensor (T2) moves away from the upper edge (103) of the solar array (101) and the senor (T1) comes closer to the upper edge (103) of the solar array (101). Thus, the sensor (T1) sends data indicating proximity to the controller (110) whereas the sensor (T2) stops indicating proximity to the controller (110). In such case, the controller (110) performs corresponding corrective action by halting the cleaning robot (107). The controller (110) provides command to the driving unit (111) to rotate the lower wheels (106) in clockwise direction so that the lower part of the cleaning robot (107) moves backward and gets aligned with the solar array (101). As the misalignment is corrected, the controller (110) directs the driving unit (111) to continue the linear movements of the cleaning robot (107) along the edges (103,104) of the solar array (101).
As seen in both above cases “A” and “B”, the cleaning robot (107) gets realigned thereby significantly increases the uptime of the cleaning robot and facilitates real-time monitoring and automatic re-aligning without any human intervention.
Add line that says, the position of placement of sensors may be varied, and it will not violate the spirit of the patent.
The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others, skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omission and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but such are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

,CLAIMS:
1. An aligning system (100) for solar panel cleaning robot (107) comprising:
a movable support frame (102) mounted on an array (101) of solar panels, the movable support frame (102) configured to move on an upper edge (103) and a lower edge (104) of the solar panels along a lengthwise direction (L), said movable support frame (102) having
a cleaning member facilitating cleaning of the solar panels;
a plurality of guiding wheels (105, 106) facilitating support to the movable support frame (102) relative to the surface of the solar panels along the edges (103, 104) thereof;
a driving unit (111) configured to drive the guiding wheels (103, 104);
at least two proximity sensors (T1, T2) mounted along one side of the support frame (102) to maintain a proximal distance (P) with respect to one of the edges (103, 104); and
a controller (110) in electrical connection with said sensors (T1, T2) and the driving unit (111), the controller (110) configured to communicate with the driving unit (111) for controlling movement of the guiding wheels (103, 104),
wherein the controller (110) controls the driving unit (111) during misalignment of the cleaning robot (100) thereby facilitating rotation of the guiding wheels (103, 104) in a predetermined direction based on predetermined position of the sensors (T1, T2) with respect to corresponding edge (103, 104).

2. The aligning system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the sensors (T1, T2) moves away from the corresponding edge (103, 104) beyond the proximal distance (P) during misalignment of the cleaning robot (100) in a clockwise direction such that the controller (110) directs the driving unit (111) to rotate the guiding wheels (103, 104) in anticlockwise direction until the sensors (T1, T2) attain the proximal distance (P) thereby facilitating realignment of the cleaning robot (100).

3. The aligning system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the sensors (T1, T2) moves away from the corresponding edge (103, 104) beyond the proximal distance (P) during misalignment of the cleaning robot (100) in a anticlockwise direction such that the controller (110) directs the driving unit (111) to rotate the guiding wheels (103, 104) in clockwise direction until the sensors (T1, T2) attain the proximal distance (P) thereby facilitating realignment of the cleaning robot (100).

4. The aligning system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller (110) is configured to communicate with the driving unit (111) to drive the guiding wheels (103, 104) for providing linear movement to the movable support frame (102) when all the sensors (T1, T2) are maintaining the proximal distance (P) with the corresponding edges (103, 104).

5. The aligning system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper (103) and lower edges (104) are made of electrically conductive material.

6. The aligning system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is a brush, a cleaning roller, water jets, cloth rags or a combination thereof.

7. The aligning system (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the cleaning roller is coupled to a motor drive, said motor drive configured to rotate the cleaning rollers.

8. The aligning system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the proximity sensing elements (T1, T2) are inductive sensor, capacitive sensor, proximity sensor, limit switch, QR code scanner, bar code scanner, RFID reader and a combination thereof.

9. The aligning system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the proximal distance (P) is in the range of 8 mm to 20 mm.