Charging compartment and photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment having same

• US 10,050,468 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2017
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boson Robotics Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Boson Robotics Ltd.
• Inventors: Wang, Guanyu, Zhang, Jinggong, Qian, Zhihong
• Primary Examiner(s): Troy, Abigail E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnett, Devin K
• Application Number:
  US15/447,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20170331324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 15250001, 1525011, 15103, 15 521, 15 211, 15246, 134172, 134198, 134 56 R, 134 57 R, 136244, 136251, 320101, 211 411, 521733
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/30 Brushes for cleaning or polishing
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/12 Brushes
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/20 Cleaning of moving articles, e.g. of moving webs or of objects on a conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/34 rotating about an axis parallel to the surface
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 1/16 comprising worm and worm-wheel
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 40/20 Cleaning; Removing snow
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/10 Cleaning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/40 Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A charging compartment adapted for use on a body of a photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment for recharging of battery power of the photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment is provided, in which the charging compartment includes a charging and stopping rack and a telescopic supporting rack. The charging and stopping rack is used for stopping a body and charging the body, and the telescopic supporting rack is used for supporting the charging and stopping rack. The charging and stopping rack and a photovoltaic panel to be cleaned are enabled and configured to be on a same plane by adjusting the angle of the charging and stopping rack. By adopting the charging compartment, the photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment is facilitated to allow the body to remain stationary while being together with the photovoltaic panels which are undergoing cleaning, as well as same time recharging battery power of the photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment.

Claims

1. A charging compartment in combination with a photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment, the charging compartment comprising:

a charging and stopping rack;

and a telescopic supporting rack;

the photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment comprising a cleaning rack, the cleaning rack comprising;

a battery;

a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod, a third connecting rod, and a fourth connecting rod which are detachably connected to form a generally rectangular frame;

at least one rolling brush having a diameter, the at least one rolling brush being detachably mounted between the first connecting rod and the third connecting rod, the at least one rolling brush is configured to clean photovoltaic panels;

a sweeping member, the sweeping member being detachably mounted on the second connecting rod and the fourth connecting rod and used for sweeping the photovoltaic panels;

a plane walking unit comprising a first driving wheel, a second driving wheel, a first driving motor, and a second driving motor, a first driven wheel, and a second driven wheel;

wherein the plane walking unit drives the cleaning rack to move along top panel surfaces of the photovoltaic panels;

wherein the first driving wheel, the second driving wheel, the first driven wheel, and the second driven wheel each have a lower portion which is below the generally rectangular frame, an upper portion which is above the generally rectangular frame, and a diameter which is larger than the diameter of the at least one rolling brush;

wherein the charging and stopping rack is used for stopping the cleaning rack and charging the battery of the cleaning rack;

the telescopic supporting rack is used for supporting the charging and stopping rack above a ground surface;

wherein the charging and stopping rack comprises a charging part and a stopping part, and a solar photovoltaic panel used for charging the battery of the cleaning rack is mounted on the charging part;

the telescopic supporting rack comprises a plurality of vertical telescopic legs;

wherein the cleaning rack is configured to remain stationary on the stopping part of the charging and stopping rack while the battery of the cleaning rack is being charged, and the charging and stopping rack and a photovoltaic panel to be cleaned are configured to be on a same plane by adjusting an angle of the charging and stopping rack.

2. The charging compartment in combination with a photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment according to claim 1, wherein the vertical telescopic legs of the telescopic supporting rack comprises two first vertical telescopic legs which are spaced apart and parallel to each other, two second vertical telescopic legs which are spaced apart and parallel to each other, and two third vertical telescopic legs which are spaced apart and parallel to each other;

the upper ends of the two first vertical telescopic legs are rotatably connected with a first end of the charging and stopping rack;

the two third vertical telescopic legs are fixedly connected with a second end of the charging and stopping rack opposite the first end; and

the two second vertical telescopic legs are fixedly mounted at a middle section of the charging and stopping rack.

3. The charging compartment in combination with a photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment according to claim 2, wherein each of the first vertical telescopic legs, the second vertical telescopic legs and the third vertical telescopic legs comprises a sleeve and a telescopic rod, a plurality of through holes are arranged in each sleeve, a plurality of threaded holes are arranged in each telescopic rod, and screws are configured to penetrate through corresponding through holes and threaded holes to secure the telescopic rods to the sleeves at various heights.

4. The charging compartment in combination with a photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment according to claim 3, wherein a wheel is arranged on each of the first vertical telescopic legs, the second vertical telescopic legs and the third vertical telescopic legs, respectively.

5. The charging compartment in combination with a photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment according to claim 1, wherein a self-charging terminal is detachably mounted on the stopping part;

the cleaning rack further comprising a charging connector that is connected to the battery, the charging connector is electrically coupled with the self-charging terminal facilitate recharging or charging of the battery.

6. The charging compartment in combination with a photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment according to claim 1, wherein when in use, before the cleaning rack stops on the stopping part, the cleaning rack first passes across the charging part such that the solar photovoltaic panel on the charging part is cleaned.

7. A photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment adapted for cleaning photovoltaic panel arrays, comprising:

a battery;

a body, the body comprising;

a cleaning rack, the cleaning rack having a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod, a third connecting rod, and a fourth connecting rod which are connected;

a cleaning member, the cleaning member being detachably mounted between the first connecting rod and the third connecting rod and is used for stripping off adhesive materials on the photovoltaic panel arrays;

a charging compartment for supporting the body while the battery of the body is being charged, the charging compartment comprising a charging and stopping rack, and a telescopic supporting rack;

wherein the charging and stopping rack is used for stopping and charging the body of the photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment;

the telescopic supporting rack is used for supporting the charging and stopping rack above a ground surface;

wherein the charging and stopping rack comprises a charging part, a stopping part, and a solar photovoltaic panel used for charging the battery of the photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment when the photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment is mounted on the charging part;

the telescopic supporting rack comprises a plurality of telescopic members; and

the body is configured to remain stationary on the stopping part of the charging and stopping rack while the battery is being charged, and the charging and stopping rack and portions of the photovoltaic panel array to be cleaned are configured to be on a same plane by adjusting an angle of the charging and stopping rack;

wherein the photovoltaic panel cleaning equipment further comprises an obstacle crossing mechanism;

the body further comprises a telescopic mechanism and the telescopic mechanism cooperates with the obstacle crossing mechanism to facilitate moving the body from one photovoltaic panel array of said photovoltaic panel arrays to another photovoltaic panel array of said photovoltaic panel arrays; and

the obstacle crossing mechanism comprises a moving rack and a fixed rack, a locking device is arranged on the fixed rack, a limiting member is arranged on the moving rack and the locking device cooperates with the limiting member to lock the moving rack on the fixed rack;

the locking device comprises a bottom plate, a locking hook, a rotary force applying member, a restoring member, a first stand column, a second stand column, a third stand column, a fourth stand column and a pulling rope;

the bottom plate is fixed on the fixed rack;

a fixed column is arranged on the bottom plate and the locking hook is rotatably connected with the fixed column;

the rotary force applying member is connected with one end of the locking hook and an external force enables the rotary force applying member to move the locking hook from a locked position to an unlocked position to unlock the limiting member;

the restoring member is arranged at a junction between the rotary force applying member and the locking hook, and when the external force acting on the rotary force applying member disappears, the restoring member enables the locking hook to be restored to the locked position;

the first stand column and the fourth stand column are located at two ends of the bottom plate, and the second stand column and the third stand column are located between the first stand column and the fourth stand column;

two vertical pulleys which are respectively at an upper position and a lower position are arranged on each of the first stand column and the fourth stand column;

a horizontal pulley is arranged on each of the second stand column and the third stand column; and

the pulling rope is wound on the vertical pulleys and the horizontal pulleys and then is connected with the rotary force applying member.