Panel maintenance system

• US 10,587,218 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2015
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steam Tech, Llc
• Original Assignee: Steam Tech, Llc
• Inventors: Hartman, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Barr, Michael E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Riggleman, Jason P
• Application Number:
  US14/846,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20170070189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,646 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/02 power-driven carriers
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/12 Brushes
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/165 Scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/30 by movement of cleaning members over a surface
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 2203/0229 Suction chambers for aspirating the sprayed liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/024 Cleaning by means of spray elements moving over the surface to be cleaned
• 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

Abstract

Generally, a panel maintenance system including a panel maintenance assembly configured to move over a plurality of panel modules. Specifically, a panel module including a first frame including a first plurality of frame members joined to enclose a first panel. The first plurality of frame members including a first frame inner side configured to capture the first panel within the first frame and a first frame outer side configured to provide a first track axially extending between first and second ends of at least one of the first plurality of frame members. The first track configured to engage a drive element of a panel maintenance assembly which operates to move the panel maintenance assembly over the first panel. The panel maintenance assembly bears one or more components which function to maintain the first panel.

Claims

1. A panel maintenance system, comprising:

a panel maintenance assembly having a drive element which moves said panel maintenance assembly over a panel;

a fluid outlet coupled to said panel maintenance assembly, said fluid outlet adapted to deliver an amount of fluid onto said first panel; and

a fluid collection element coupled to said panel maintenance assembly, said fluid collection element configured to collect said amount of fluid delivered onto said first panel;

a docking station to which said panel maintenance assembly docks,

said docking station and said panel maintenance assembly correspondingly including matable portions of a fluid supply connector or matable portions of a power supply connector.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first blade coupled to said panel maintenance assembly, said first blade extending from said panel maintenance assembly to contact said first panel.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fluid reservoir coupled to said panel maintenance assembly, said fluid reservoir coupled to said fluid outlet assembly to deliver an amount of fluid onto said first panel.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a first fluid pump coupled to said fluid reservoir, said fluid pump operable to deliver said amount of fluid to said fluid outlet.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a second fluid pump, said second fluid pump operable to return said amount of fluid collected by said fluid collection element to said fluid reservoir.

6. The system of claim 2, further comprising a second blade coupled to said panel maintenance assembly, said second blade extending from said panel maintenance assembly to contact said first panel at a distance from said first blade, said fluid outlet located to deliver said amount of fluid onto said first panel in a blade bounded passage between said first and second blades.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising a rechargeable power source coupled to said panel maintenance assembly, said rechargeable power source electrically coupled to one or more of said driver, said first fluid pump, and said second fluid pump.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a fluid level sensor fluidicly coupled to said fluid reservoir, said fluid level sensor sensing a fluid level of said amount of fluid in said fluid reservoir.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a panel sensor coupled to said panel maintenance assembly, said panel sensor configured to sense an amount of light transmissivity of said first panel or an amount of light reflectivity of said first panel, said panel sensor generating a panel sensor signal that varies based on said amount of light transmissivity or light reflectivity of said first panel.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a controller including a processor coupled to a non-transitory computer readable media containing a panel maintenance program executable to control said driver to generate movement of said panel maintenance assembly over said panel between sensed first and second end limits.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said panel maintenance program is further executable to control said driver to generate movement of said panel maintenance assembly over said panel based on comparison of an amount of elapsed time to an elapsed time threshold value.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said panel maintenance program is further executable to control said driver to generate movement of said panel maintenance assembly over said panel based on comparison of said light transmissivity value or said light reflectivity value to pre-selected light transmissivity threshold value or light reflectivity threshold value, wherein exceeding said light transmissivity threshold value or said light reflectivity threshold value causes movement of said panel maintenance assembly over said first panel.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said panel maintenance program is further executable to operate said first fluid pump to deliver said amount of fluid through said fluid outlet onto said first panel upon occurrence of said light transmissivity value or said light reflectivity value exceeding said light transmissivity threshold value or said light reflectivity threshold value.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said panel maintenance program is further executable to periodically determine said amount of fluid remaining in said fluid reservoir.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said panel maintenance program is further executable to periodically determine an amount of energy remaining in said power source.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a controller including a processor coupled to a non-transitory computer readable media containing a panel maintenance program executable to dock said panel maintenance assembly with said docking station based on occurrence of an energy level remaining in said power source exceeding an energy level threshold or based on occurrence of a fluid level remaining in said fluid reservoir exceeding a fluid level threshold value.