TWI685374B - Dust detection device, solar cell system including the same, and assessment method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a dust detection device disposed in an environmental space for accessing the falling dust level. Said dust detection device includes a housing provided with a plurality of walls and an opening, wherein the walls collectively define and enclose an enclosed space, and the opening connects the enclosed space and the environmental space; a light-passing board provided on the housing to correspond to the opening; a light source and a first photo sensor disposed in the enclosed space. The light source and the first photo sensor are located at respective sides with respect to the light-passing board, and are separated from the plane provided with the light-passing board at least a distance. When the light source emits a sensing light, the first photo sensor is configured to receive and measure a sensing scattered light or a sensing reflected light scattered or reflected by irradiating the sensing light onto the light-passing board, and a falling dust amount on a subject disposed in the environmental space is positively correlated to the intensity of the sensing scattered light or the sensing reflected light.

Description

Dust detection device, solar cell system including the same, and evaluation method using the same

The present invention relates to a dust detection device and an evaluation method using the same; in particular, the invention relates to a dust detection device having a light source and a light sensor, a solar cell system including the same, and an evaluation method using the same.

Based on factors such as environmental assessment or instrument operation and maintenance, there is sometimes a need to detect the degree of dust in certain situations or environments. For example, when the solar panel is used outdoors, the surface of the solar panel will accumulate with dust, so that the amount of sunlight that can enter the solar panel decreases. Therefore, if the accumulation of dust on the solar panel increases, the power of the solar panel to convert solar energy into electrical energy also decreases. As mentioned above, in order to maintain the power generation of the solar panel and avoid excessive costs in cleaning and maintenance, how to assess the loss of dust generation on the power generation of the solar panel and The timing of cleaning solar panels needs to be considered.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a dust detection device installed in an environmental space for evaluating the degree of dust falling. The dust detection device includes a housing having a plurality of walls and openings, wherein the walls collectively define an enclosed space, and the opening connects the enclosed space and the environmental space; corresponding to the opening, it is provided in the housing The light-transmitting plate on the top; the light source arranged in the enclosed space; and the first light sensor arranged in the enclosed space. Wherein, the light source and the first light sensor are located on opposite sides of the light-transmitting plate, and are separated by at least a distance from the plane on which the light-transmitting plate is disposed. When the light source emits the sensing light, the first light sensor is configured to receive and measure the sensing scattered light or the reflected light scattered or reflected by the sensing light incident on the translucent plate, and the dust falling on the object disposed in the environmental space The quantity is positively related to the size of sensing scattered light or sensing reflected light.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for evaluating the cleaning timing of a solar panel is provided. The method includes setting the dust detection device as described above in the environmental space where the solar panel is located, and making the light-transmitting plate unshielded; set so that the light source does not emit sensing light when the environmental space is the first illuminance range, and When the ambient space is the second illuminance range, the sensing light is emitted according to a preset time or a preset frequency, wherein the illuminance in the first illuminance range is greater than the illuminance in the second illuminance range; Sensing scattered light or the size of reflected light scattered or reflected by the light-transmitting panel; evaluating the amount of dust and power generated by the solar panel based on the size of the sensing scattered light or the reflected light; and the dust falling based on the solar panel Quantity and power generation, and evaluate the timing of performing cleaning operations on solar panels.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a solar cell system with a dustfall degree evaluation mechanism is provided. The solar cell system includes: a solar cell module including at least one solar cell panel that receives solar energy to generate electricity; and the above-mentioned dust detection device.

The dust detection device, the solar cell system including the same, and the evaluation method using the same according to the embodiments of the present invention can estimate the specific environmental space based on the detected sensed scattered light or the sensed reflected light Dust in the environment. Therefore, it is possible to grasp the dustfall situation on the environment space and the objects located in the environment space, and to determine whether any coping actions, such as cleaning actions, etc., must be performed based on the dustfall conditions. According to the above, when the dust detection device, the solar cell system including the same, and the evaluation method using the same according to the embodiments of the present invention are applied to related equipment that needs to be kept dust-free or low in dust, the equipment can be upgraded Use efficiency or service life, and can take timely action on the equipment based on the dust falling situation to reduce maintenance and maintenance costs.

10, 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-4, 20, 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 30, 35, 40

15‧‧‧Object

25‧‧‧ Enclosed space

45‧‧‧entrance

50‧‧‧solar panel

55‧‧‧Frame

80‧‧‧Method

100‧‧‧Housing

105, 105’‧‧‧ opening

110‧‧‧Upper wall

120‧‧‧lower wall

130, 140, 150, 160

200、200’‧‧‧Transparent board

300‧‧‧Light source

310‧‧‧Glossy

320‧‧‧Matrix

400, 400’‧‧‧ First light sensor

410, 430‧‧‧ light receiving surface

420‧‧‧Matrix

510, 510’, 510”‧‧‧sensing light

520‧‧‧sensing reflected light

530‧‧‧Emitted light

540, 540A, 540B‧‧‧Environmental incident light

550‧‧‧Environmental reflected light

560‧‧‧sensing scattered light

600‧‧‧Second light sensor

610‧‧‧Light receiving surface

620‧‧‧Matrix

700‧‧‧Shield

1000‧‧‧Environmental space

1050, 1050’‧‧‧ dust

2000‧‧‧Solar battery system

ds, d1, d2 ‧‧‧ distance

L1‧‧‧First Illumination Range

L2‧‧‧Second illumination range

S10‧‧‧Setting steps

S20‧‧‧Setting steps

S30‧‧‧Measurement procedure

S40‧‧‧Evaluation steps for dust

S50‧‧‧Action evaluation steps

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dust detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of Fig. 1.

3A and 3B are schematic diagrams of a method for detecting and evaluating the degree of dust fall using a dust detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A to 4D are schematic diagrams of dust detection devices according to various embodiments of the present invention.

5 is a schematic diagram of a dust detection device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a schematic diagram of a method for detecting and evaluating the degree of dust fall using a dust detection device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

7A to 7C are schematic diagrams of dust detection devices according to various embodiments of the present invention.

8A and 8B are schematic diagrams of the operation of the dust detection device in the first illuminance range and the second illuminance range according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively.

9A and 9B are schematic diagrams of the operation of the dust detection device in the first illuminance range and the second illuminance range according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a solar cell system with a dustfall degree evaluation mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a first photosensor applicable to a solar cell system according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a method for evaluating the degree of dustfall and the timing of cleaning solar panels according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc., are exaggerated for clarity. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals denote the same elements. It should be understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region, or substrate is referred to as being "on" or "connected" to another element, it can be directly on or connected to the other element, or Intermediate elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or "directly connected to" another element, there are no intervening elements present. As used herein, "connected" may refer to physical and/or electrical connections. Furthermore, "electrical connection" or "coupling" can mean that there are other components between the two components.

As used herein, the term "and/or" includes one or more related Any and all combinations of listed items. It should also be understood that when used in this specification, the terms "include" and/or "include" specify the features, regions, entirety, steps, operations, presence of elements, and/or components, but do not exclude one or more The presence or addition of other features, regions as a whole, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof.

In addition, relative terms such as "lower" or "bottom" and "upper" or "top" may be used herein to describe the relationship between one element and another element, as shown. It should be understood that relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device than those shown in the figures. For example, if the device in one drawing is turned over, the element described as being on the "lower" side of the other element will be oriented on the "upper" side of the other element. Thus, the exemplary term "lower" may include "lower" and "upper" orientations, depending on the particular orientation of the drawings. Similarly, if the device in one drawing is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements would then be oriented "above" the other elements. Thus, the exemplary terms "below" or "below" can include an orientation of above and below.

As used herein, "about", "approximately", or "substantially" includes the stated value and the average value within the acceptable deviation range of the specific value determined by those of ordinary skill in the art, taking into account the measurements and A certain amount of measurement-related errors (ie, measurement system limitations). For example, "about" may mean within one or more standard deviations of the stated value, or within ±30%, ±20%, ±10%, ±5%. Furthermore, "about", "approximately", or "substantially" as used herein can be selected according to optical properties, etching properties, or other properties Choose a more acceptable range of deviations or standard deviations, and one standard deviation can be used for all properties.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the relevant technology and the present invention, and will not be interpreted as idealized or excessive Formal meaning unless explicitly defined as such in this article.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a dust detection device 10 disposed in an environmental space 1000 for evaluating the degree of falling dust may include a housing 100, a light-transmitting plate 200, a light source 300, and a first light sensor 400 .

The environmental space 1000 can be any environment that has a need to detect the degree of dust fall, such as an outdoor environment with one of the solar panels, a clean room that needs to be kept dust-free, a potential danger zone for volcanic eruptions that needs to detect volcanic ash, and a degree that needs to detect the degree of dust hazards Construction site, or other environment that needs to detect the level of dust. As mentioned above, the dust detection device 10 can be placed in the preset environmental space 1000 for detecting and evaluating the degree of dust falling in the environmental space 1000. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the object 15 may be disposed in the environmental space 1000, and the dust detection device 10 may be used to evaluate the degree of dust falling on the object 15. For example, the object 15 may be equipment or materials that need to be kept dust-free or below a predetermined level of dust Materials or items, such as solar power equipment, wafers, or art exhibits, etc., but not limited to this. As a specific example, the object 15 may be a solar panel, and the power generated by the solar panel is inversely related to the amount of dust. That is to say, since dust accumulation will reduce the solar energy incident on the solar panel to reduce the power generation power, the power generation power of the solar panel is inversely related to the amount of dust falling, and needs to be maintained below the predetermined level of dust fall to maintain the predetermined power generation power. As mentioned above, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the degree of need for the cleaning operation of the solar panel to remove dust accumulation can be evaluated based on the amount of dust falling measured by the dust detection device 10. For example, it is possible to weigh the possible cost of cleaning operation and the expected power generation efficiency, and then to evaluate whether a cleaning operation needs to be performed or determine a better cycle of cleaning operation based on the amount of dust.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the housing 100 of the dust detection device 10 provided in the environmental space 1000 for evaluating the degree of dust fall can be made of a material having no light transmittance and a material having near zero light transmittance Made of light transmissivity material and coated or sandwiched with opaque materials, or made by other suitable methods and/or materials, and the housing 100 may include a plurality of walls 110 to 160 and openings 105 . For example, the housing 100 may be a tetragonal housing with an opening 105, and has a wall 110 located above the top, opposite to the upper wall 110 and located below the bottom 120, located between the upper wall 110 and the lower A pair of side wall bodies 130 and 140 facing and facing each other between the wall bodies 120, and another set of side wall bodies 150 and 160 facing and facing each other between the upper wall body 110 and the lower wall body 120. However, this is just an example, And according to different embodiments of the present invention, the housing 100 may have various shapes and is not limited to a tetrahedron, which may be a polyhedron of various shapes. As mentioned above, the walls 110 to 160 together define an enclosed space 25. The opening 105 is cut into the housing 100 to connect the inner enclosed space 25 and the external environmental space 1000, and a light-transmitting plate 200 with a certain or preset light transmittance is provided in the housing 100 corresponding to the opening 105 In this way, the light from the enclosed space 25 or the outside of the environmental space 1000 can preferably only enter or exit through the transparent plate 200.

According to the above, the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400 of the dust detection device 10 can be disposed in the enclosed space 25 defined by the walls 110 to 160, and the same plane as the transparent plate 200 (e.g. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plane on which the upper wall body 110 is located) is separated by at least a distance. For example, the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400 may be located on opposite sides of the light-transmitting plate 200 in the enclosed space 25. In other words, the light-transmitting plate 200 may be located between the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400. For example, the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400 may be disposed on the lower wall 120 in the enclosed space 25, and the vertical projection range of the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400 on the plane where the upper wall 110 is located may be relatively located The two sides of the light-transmitting plate 200 disposed on the upper wall body 110 may overlap or not overlap the light-transmitting plate 200.

For example, referring to FIG. 2, the light source 300 may include a base 320 and at least one light-emitting surface 310 that can emit light, and the at least one light-emitting surface 310 may face the light-transmitting plate 200 so that the light emitted from the light-emitting surface 310 can be emitted to light transmission板200。 Board 200. On the other hand, the first light sensor 400 may include a base 420 and at least one light receiving surface 410 that can receive light, and at least one The light-receiving surface 410 may face the light-transmitting plate 200 so that light scattered or reflected from the light-transmitting plate 200 or light incident through the light-transmitting plate 200 can be received by the light-receiving surface 410.

Further, the light source 300 disposed on the lower wall body 120 and the plane on which the light-transmitting plate 200 is disposed can be separated by at least a distance ds. That is, the light source 300 is preferably separated by at least a distance ds substantially perpendicular to the plane on which the light-transmitting plate 200 is disposed. In particular, at least part of the light exit surface 310 of the light source 300 is substantially perpendicular to the plane on which the light-transmitting plate 200 is provided and the plane on which the light-transmitting plate 200 is provided can be separated by at least a distance ds. This distance ds can be further adjusted and matched with factors such as the opening area of the light-transmitting plate 200 and the light source divergence angle of the light source 300, so as to improve the accuracy and/or sensitivity of the measurement. Similarly, the first light sensor 400 disposed on the lower wall body 120 and the plane on which the light-transmitting plate 200 is disposed may be separated by at least a distance d1. That is, the first light sensor 400 may be separated by at least a distance d1 substantially perpendicular to the plane on which the light-transmitting plate 200 is disposed. In particular, at least a part of the light receiving surface 410 of the first light sensor 400 is substantially perpendicular to the plane on which the light-transmitting plate 200 is provided and the plane on which the light-transmitting plate 200 is provided can be separated by at least a distance d1. This distance d1 can be further adjusted so as not to block the transmitted or reflected scattered light from the transparent plate 200 and is close enough to the transparent plate 200 to receive the transmitted or reflected scattered light from the transparent plate 200. Thereby, the light emitted by the light source 300 can be incident on the light-transmitting plate 200, and the light scattered or transmitted from the light-transmitting plate 200 can be incident on the first light sensor 400.

Here, the light source 300 may be directed to transmit light as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 The directional light source of the board 200 may be a spherical light source that emits light in a wide direction, or other suitable light sources. In addition, the light source 300 may be various types of light sources, such as fluorescent lamps, light emitting diodes (LEDs), lasers, or other suitable types. Correspondingly, the first light sensor 400 can be any light sensor that can receive and measure the size (ie, intensity) of the light emitted by the specific light source 300.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the light source 300 emits a sensing light 510, the first light sensor 400 may receive and measure the sensing scattered light 560 which is scattered by the sensing light 510 to the transparent plate 200, and the ambient space The falling amount of dust 1050 in 1000 or the falling amount of dust 1050' disposed on an object 15 in the environmental space 1000 is positively related to the size of the sensed scattered light 560.

As described above, the method for the dust detection device 10 to measure and evaluate the degree of dust fall by sensing the scattered light 560 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B.

Referring to FIG. 3A, when the dust 1050 in the environmental space 1000 has not landed on the translucent plate 200, the sensing light 510 emitted from the light source 300 of the dust detection device 10 toward the translucent plate 200 can greatly penetrate the translucent plate 200 And in the form of outgoing light 530, it is directly emitted or scattered into the environmental space 1000. At this time, only a little or no sensing light 510 is scattered through the light-transmitting plate 200 and enters the first light sensor 400 in the form of sensing scattered light 560. Therefore, when the amount of dust falling is low or about zero, the first light sensor 400 may receive and measure that the intensity of the sensed scattered light 560 is small or about zero.

In contrast, referring to FIG. 3B, when the dust 1050 in the environmental space 1000 falls on the light-transmitting plate 200 and accumulates on the light-transmitting plate 200, the light source 300 of the dust detection device 10 faces the sensing light 510 emitted from the light-transmitting plate 200 Because of the accumulated dust 1050, the intensity of the outgoing light 530 penetrating into the environmental space 1000 will be reduced, and the intensity of the sensing scattered light 560 that is scattered by the dust 1050 accumulated on the translucent plate 200 and scattered by the sensing light 510 will be increased . At this time, the sensed scattered light 560 of increased intensity may be incident on the first light sensor 400. Therefore, when there is a certain amount of dust on the light-transmitting plate 200, the first light sensor 400 can receive and measure the increase in the intensity of the sensed scattered light 560, and the amount or degree of accumulated dust 1050 is the same as the sensed scattered light 560 The size is positively correlated. In other words, the higher the degree of accumulation of dust 1050, the higher the size (ie, intensity) of the scattered light 560 sensed.

As described above, the accumulation degree of dust 1050 stacked on the light-transmitting plate 200 of the dust detection device 10 can be estimated by the size of the sensed scattered light 560 measured by the first light sensor 400 of the dust detection device 10. Therefore, please refer to FIG. 1 at the same time, the dust falling condition (such as the amount of dust falling or the degree of dust accumulation) of the dust 1050' on a specific object 15 in the environmental space 1000 can be estimated correspondingly, or this can be estimated according to the time period. The dust falling situation of the dust 1050 in the environmental space 1000 (such as the amount of dust falling or the frequency of dust falling or the timing of dust falling).

According to an embodiment of the invention, the spectral range of the sensing light 510 emitted by the light source 300 may be determined according to the type of dust 1050 in the environmental space 1000. For example, based on the spectral wavelength of the sensing light 510 and the particle size of the dust, there may be sensing The light 510 directly penetrates the dust 1050 and is not easily scattered. Therefore, in order to improve the accuracy and/or sensitivity of the measurement, the spectral range of the sensing light 510 can be determined according to the type of dust 1050 in the environmental space 1000, so that the sensing light 510 can be scattered by the dust 1050 that is preset to be measured . For example, the dust source may be, for example, oil pollution, sea salt, volcanic ash, black sand, flour, sawdust powder, soil, etc., and according to one embodiment of the present invention, it may be based on the largest dust source and the most likely dust source in the environmental space 1000 Or it is expected to detect the type of dust source to determine or adjust the spectral range of the sensing light 510 to be used, thereby improving the accuracy and/or sensitivity of measuring the degree of dust falling.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, if the light source 300 is a light emitting diode, the spectral range of the sensing light 510 emitted by the light source 300 may be, for example, between about 300 nm and about 1100 nm. When the spectral range of the light emitted by the light source 300 falls within this range, many commercially available photoelectric measuring instruments can be used as the first light sensor 400. In addition, if the object 15 for measuring the degree of dustfall is a solar panel, the spectral range of the sensing light 510 also corresponds to the spectral range of solar energy that the solar panel can mainly use. For example, the size of the sensed scattered light 560 can more closely reflect the degree of dust falling of the dust 1050 and 1050' that may reduce the power generation power of the solar panel. That is, it can more closely reflect the degree of dust falling of the specific size or type of dust 1050 and 1050' that will hinder the main available light of the solar panel (approximately ultraviolet light to near infrared light). In contrast, dust that is not likely to cause the sensing light 510 to scatter into the sensing scattered light 560 may be The efficiency of receiving sunlight and power generation efficiency will not have much impact. However, the above spectral range is only an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

Next, a dust detection device according to various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4D. The details that are the same as or similar to those described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3B may be omitted or simply described, and the differences between the dust detection device 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3B will be mainly described here.

Referring to FIG. 4A, according to a modified embodiment of the present invention, the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400 of the dust detection device 10-1 are both suspended on the upper wall body 110 instead of the lower wall body 120, and are also located on the light-transmitting plate The two opposite sides of 200 are separated from the light-transmitting plate 200 by at least a distance so that the sensing light 510 emitted by the light source 300 can be incident on the light-transmitting plate 200. Therefore, the sensing light 510 can be emitted through the light-transmitting plate 200 as the exit light 530 or scattered by the light-transmitting plate 200 itself or the dust accumulation, and the sensed scattered light 560 can be incident on the first light sensor 400.

Next, referring to FIG. 4B, according to another modified embodiment of the present invention, the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400 of the dust detection device 10-2 may be disposed not on the same wall but on different walls facing each other. For example, the light source 300 may be disposed on the upper wall body 110, and the first light sensor 400 may be disposed on the lower wall body 120. At this time, the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400 can still be located on opposite sides of the light-transmitting plate 200 and are both separated by at least a distance from the light-transmitting plate 200 so that the sensing light 510 emitted by the light source 300 can enter the light-transmitting plate 200 on. Therefore, the sensing light 510 can be emitted through the light-transmitting plate 200 as the exit light 530 or scattered by the light-transmitting plate 200 itself or the dust accumulation, and the sensed scattered light 560 can be incident on the first light sensor 400.

Next, referring to FIG. 4C, according to yet another modified embodiment of the present invention, the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400 of the dust detection device 10-3 may not be disposed on the same wall and disposed on adjacent different walls . For example, the light source 300 may be disposed on the upper wall body 110, and the first light sensor 400 may be disposed on the side wall body 140. At this time, the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400 can still be located on opposite sides of the light-transmitting plate 200 and are both separated by at least a distance from the light-transmitting plate 200 so that the sensing light 510 emitted by the light source 300 can enter the light-transmitting plate 200 on. Therefore, the sensing light 510 can be emitted as the emitted light 530 through the light-transmitting plate 200 or reflected by the light-transmitting plate 200 itself or the dust accumulation to be incident on the first light sensor 400 for the sensing reflected light 520. Here, for example, the sensed reflected light 520 may be reflected to a specific direction relative to the light-transmitting plate 200 and may be received by the first light sensor 400 that is not disposed directly under the light-transmitting plate 200.

In addition, referring to FIG. 4D, according to yet another modified embodiment of the present invention, the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400 of the dust detection device 10-4 may be individually disposed on the side walls 130 and 140 facing each other. At this time, the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400 can still be located on opposite sides of the light-transmitting plate 200 and are both separated by at least a distance from the light-transmitting plate 200 so that the sensing light 510 emitted by the light source 300 can enter the light-transmitting plate 200 on. Therefore, the sensing light 510 The light that can be emitted through the light-transmitting plate 200 is emitted light 530 or is reflected by the light-transmitting plate 200 itself or a dust deposit, and the reflected light 520 that is sensed is incident on the first light sensor 400.

Referring to FIGS. 4A to 4D, actions similar to the above-described emission sensing light 510 and measuring sensing scattered light 560 or sensing reflected light 520 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3B can be implemented by various configurations, and Thus, the degree of dust falling in the environmental space 1000 can be detected and evaluated. Persons with ordinary knowledge in the technical field should be able to perform similar various configuration changes to perform the detection and evaluation under the principle of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments shown here.

Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, a dust detection device according to another embodiment of the present invention and its corresponding operation for detecting and evaluating the degree of dust fall will be described.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a second light sensor 600 and a first light sensor 400 may be further disposed at different places in the enclosed space 25 to measure the size of the sensing light directly emitted from the light source 300. For example, the second light sensor 600 and the light-transmitting plate 200 may be disposed on the first walls of the walls 110 to 160, and the first light sensor 400 and the light source 300 may be disposed on the walls 110 to 160 The middle is different from the second wall of the first wall. For example, referring to FIG. 5, similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dust detection device 20 may include a light source 300 and a first light sensor 400 disposed on the lower wall 120, and may further include a second light The sensor 600 is provided on the upper wall 110.

According to the above, the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400 can respectively transmit light The board 200 is disposed on both sides, and the second light sensor 600 and the first light sensor 400 can be disposed at different positions, so that the sensing scattered light 560 emitted from the light source 300 and scattered from the light-transmitting board 200 can be incident on the first light sensor 400 without incident on the second light sensor 600. For example, the second light sensor 600 may include a base 620 and at least one light-receiving surface 610, and the light-receiving surface 610 faces the light source 300 but not the light-transmitting plate 200. That is, referring to FIG. 6, the second light sensor 600 is located on the possible path of the sensing light 510' of the light source 300, but not on the possible path of the sensing scattered light 560 of the light source 300. According to this configuration, the second light sensor 600 can receive the sensing light 510' directly emitted by the light source 300 to measure the sensing light 510', but does not receive the sensing scattered light 560.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in order to accurately measure the size of the sensing light 510 ′, it is not easily affected by possible incident light incident through the translucent plate 200 into the enclosed space 25, the second light The sensor 600 may be disposed at a position, and when the position is projected on the plane where the light-transmitting plate 200 is disposed (for example, FIGS. 5 and 6 are the planes where the upper wall body 110 is located), it may be separated from the light-transmitting plate 200 by at least a distance d2 . In particular, the light receiving surface 610 of the second light sensor 600 may be separated from the light-transmitting plate 200 by at least a distance d2 when projected on the plane provided by the light-transmitting plate 200. That is, the vertical projection range of the second light sensor 600 (especially the light receiving surface 610) on the plane of the light-transmitting plate 200 or on the plane of the light-transmitting plate 200 and the light-transmitting plate 200 may not overlap, so that the light-transmitting plate 200 is scattered Or, the incident light is difficult to enter the second light sensor 600. Therefore, the sensing light 510' received and measured by the second light sensor 600 The size will be more accurate.

In order to simultaneously emit the sensing light 510 and 510' to the translucent plate 200 and the second light sensor 600, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the light source 300 may preferably be a spherical light source and have a curved or spherical light exit surface 310. According to the above, the first light sensor 400 may have at least one light receiving surface 410 to receive indirect scattered sensing scattered light 560, and the second light sensor 600 may have at least one light receiving surface 610 facing and facing the light emitting surface 310 to receive and The sensor light 510' directly emitted is measured. In addition, when the light source 300 is a spherical light source, as shown in FIG. 5, in order to reduce the first light sensor 400 receiving directly emitted sensing light 510, the first light sensor 400 is preferably located on the same wall as the light source 300, and In order to reduce the reception of indirect scattered sensing scattered light 560, the second light sensor 600 may be located on the same wall as the light-transmitting plate 200. Therefore, the first light sensor 400 and the second light sensor 600 may be located on different walls, respectively. However, the above is only an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

6, when the light source 300 of the dust detection device 20 configured as shown in FIG. 5 emits a sensing light 510, the sensing light 510 may be incident on the light-transmitting plate 200 similarly as described above and pass through the light The board 200 scatters, and then the reflected sensing scattered light 560 can be incident on the first light sensor 400 to be received and measured. At the same time, the sensing light 510' emitted from the same light source 300 in different directions can also be directly incident on the second light sensor 600 and received and measured by the second light sensor 600. Here, since the sensing light 510 and the sensing light 510' are emitted by the same light source 300, it can be seen that the sensing light 510 and the sensing light 510' are substantially the same The same kind of outgoing light, outgoing light with the same intensity, or outgoing light with a proportional or positive relationship between the intensities.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the second light sensor 600 configured as described above may be used to calibrate the effect of the light source 300 itself due to changes in light emission. For example, if the light source 300 is unstable when the light is emitted and the intensity fluctuates, or the light source 300 is reduced in intensity due to attenuation or degradation, the sensing light 510' measured by the second light sensor 600 can be used The size is calibrated based on the estimated degree of dust falling based on the sensed scattered light 560. That is, the dust falling condition in the environmental space 1000 or the dust falling on the objects located in the environmental space 1000 can be regarded as a positive correlation with the ratio of the sensed scattered light 560 to the sensed light 510'.

Hereinafter, various variations of other dust detection devices including the second light sensor 600 will be shown.

Referring to FIG. 7A, according to a modified embodiment of the present invention, the difference between the dust detection device 20-1 and the above-mentioned dust detection device 20 is that the second light sensor 600 and the light-transmitting plate 200 can be located on different planes. In detail, although the second light sensor 600 can also be disposed on the upper wall 110 with the light-transmitting plate 200, the second light sensor 600 can be suspended on the upper wall 110 to suspend the second light sensor 600 The light receiving surface 610 is closer to the light source 300. Therefore, the intensity of the sensing light 510' emitted by the light source 300 can be measured more directly, and the deviation or attenuation that the sensing light 510' may cause during the transmission process can be reduced. Under this configuration, Since the vertical projection range of the second light sensor 600 and the light source 300 on the plane where the wall 110 on the translucent plate 200 is located is not located on the opposite sides of the translucent plate 200, the scattered light sensed by the translucent plate 200 is sensed 560 does not enter the second light sensor 600.

Next, referring to FIG. 7B, according to yet another modified embodiment of the present invention, the difference between the dust detection device 20-2 and the dust detection device 20 described above is that the second light sensor 600 and the first light sensor 400 may be located on the walls 110 On the same wall 120 to 160, and the dust detection device 20-2 may further include a shield 700. For example, the light source 300 of the dust detection device 20-2 may be hung on the upper wall body 110, and may emit sensing light 510' incident on the second light sensor 600 provided on the lower wall body 120, and the light source 300 and A shield 700 may be provided between the first light sensors 400 also disposed on the lower wall 120. Therefore, the first light sensor 400 may not receive the directly emitted sensing light 510", and the vertical projection range with the light source 300 on the plane where the wall 110 is disposed on the transparent plate 200 is located on opposite sides of the transparent plate 200, respectively The received scattered light 560 scattered by the light-transmitting plate 200 can be received. That is, the shielding member 700 can shield the path of the directly emitted sensing light 510" incident on the first light sensor 400 without blocking the scattered light. 560 is the path incident on the first light sensor 400.

Furthermore, referring to FIG. 7C, according to yet another modified embodiment of the present invention, the difference between the dust detection device 20-3 and the above-described dust detection device 20 is also that the shield 700 is added. Specifically, the light-transmitting plate 200, the light source 300, and the first light of the dust detection device 20-3 The sensor 400 and the second light sensor 600 may be located on different walls, respectively. For example, the light-transmitting plate 200 may be located on the upper wall body 110, the light source 300 may be located on the side wall body 130, the first light sensor 400 may be located on the side wall body 140, and the second light sensor 600 may be located on the lower wall body 120 . According to the above, a shield 700 may be further provided between the light source 300 and the first light sensor 400 to shield the path of the directly emitted sensing light 510" that may be incident on the first light sensor 400. In this configuration, the light source 300 is The emitted sensing light 510' can be directly incident on the second light sensor 600, the sensing light 510 emitted from the light source 300 is reflected by the light-transmitting plate 200 and the indirect sensing reflected light 520 can be incident on the first light sensor 400, and Neither the first light sensor 400 nor the second light sensor 600 will receive unintended light.

Next, a dust detection device 30 according to yet another embodiment of the present invention will be described with further reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B. Here, the dust detection device 30 may have a configuration similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the second light sensor 600 may be selectively provided for calibration as shown in FIG. 5. However, this embodiment differs from the above-described embodiment in that the first light sensor 400 can be used to measure ambient incident light 540 in the ambient space 1000 in addition to receiving and measuring the scattered light 560.

In detail, referring to FIG. 8A, when the environmental space 1000 where the dust detection device 30 is located is within a first illuminance range L1, the light source 300 may be set to not emit the sensing light 510, and the first light sensor 400 may receive and detect The ambient space 1000 is incident on the ambient incident light 540 of the enclosed space 25 through the light-transmitting plate 200 to obtain an illuminance of the ambient space 1000 data. That is, when natural light or ambient light in the environmental space 1000 is incident on the translucent plate 200, it may be reflected back to the environment by the translucent plate 200 as ambient reflected light 550, and may also penetrate the translucent plate 200 for environmental incident The light 540 is received and measured by the first light sensor 400. Therefore, when the light source 300 does not emit light, the dust detection device 30 can be used to monitor the illuminance in the environmental space 1000 where the dust detection device 30 is located.

Next, referring to FIG. 8B, when the environmental space 1000 is within the second illuminance range L2, there may be no or less ambient incident light 540. At this time, the light source 300 may be set to emit the sensing light 510 according to a preset time or a preset frequency, and cause the first light sensor 400 to receive and measure the sensed scattered light 560, thereby measuring and evaluating the degree of dustfall.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the illuminance of the first illuminance range L1 may be greater than the illuminance of the second illuminance range L2. For example, the first illuminance range L1 can reflect the situation that there is sunshine in the daytime, the second illuminance range L2 can reflect the situation that there is no sunshine at night, and the light source 300 can be based on late night time (for example: AM 01:00, AM 22:00 , AM 03: 00, etc. preset time) or every two hours at night, etc., to emit the sensing light 510 at a preset frequency. In other words, when the dust detection device 30 is in the first illuminance range L1 (for example: daytime), it can be used as a sunlight measurement system, and when the dust detection device 30 is in the second illuminance range L2 (for example: night), it can be It is a dust detection system. In addition, the light source 300 emits the sensing light 510 may be continuously emitted to completely grasp the dust-falling state, or may be intermittently and briefly emitted to save energy or reduce equipment wear (e.g., only emitted for one or two seconds). However, the above are only examples, and this The invention is not limited to this.

In addition, when combined with the first illuminance range L1 (for example: daytime) as a sunlight measurement system, the dust detection device according to some embodiments of the present invention may be a double-sided sunlight meter. For example, the dust detection device 35 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B can further open an opening 105 in the lower wall body 120 compared with the dust detection device 30 described above with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B. ', and a transparent plate 200' is provided corresponding to the opening 105'. In addition, the first light sensor 400 may further have a light receiving surface 430 facing the light-transmitting plate 200', for example. Thus, referring to FIG. 9A, when the first illuminance range L1 (for example: daytime) is used as a sunlight measurement system, the dust detection device 35 can receive bidirectionally incident ambient incident light 540A and 540B as a double-sided sunlight meter; and In the second illuminance range L2 (for example, at night), referring to FIG. 9B, the dust detection device 35 is similar to FIG. 8B for receiving and measuring the scattered light 560 to measure the dust detection system for evaluating the degree of dust falling. As mentioned above, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that such a double-sided structure should be applicable to the embodiments described above without conflict, and will not be repeated here.

The dust detection devices of the embodiments described above with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 9B can be used to measure and evaluate the possible dust situation in an environmental space or any object such as a solar cell panel. For example, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, referring to FIG. 10, a solar cell system 2000 with a dustfall assessment mechanism may include a solar cell module 500 and a dust detection device 40 according to any embodiment of the present invention. For example, The solar cell module 500 may include at least one solar cell panel 50 that receives solar energy to generate electricity. Among them, the solar cell panel 50 may have, for example, a light incident surface 45 to receive solar energy, and thereby convert solar energy into electrical energy. Then, the dust detection device 40 and the solar cell module 500 can be installed in the same environmental space. Alternatively, the dust detection device 40 may be integrated or configured on the solar cell module 500. For example, at least one of the walls of the housing 100 of the dust detection device 40 may be at least a part of the solar cell module 500. For example, at least one of the walls of the housing 100 of the dust detection device 40 may be at least a part of the frame 55 of the solar cell module 500. Therefore, through the process described in the above embodiments, the dust detection device 40 can be used to detect the dust that may fall on the light incident surface 45 of the solar panel 50, and thus grasp the amount of dust falling on the light incident surface 45 and the power generation efficiency, And correspondingly evaluate or decide whether to take the cleaning action to clean the entrance surface 45.

When the dust detection device 40 is used to measure the amount of dust falling on an object in the same environmental space, and the object is a solar panel 50, referring to FIG. 11, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first light of the dust detection device 40 The sensor 400' may be a polyhedron having a plurality of light receiving surfaces 410. For example, the first light sensor 400' of the dust detection device 40 matched with the solar cell module 2000 may have a plurality of light receiving surfaces 410 to receive light incident from different angles. Therefore, when the environment similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 8A or FIG. 9A is in the first illuminance range L1 in the ambient space (for example, during the daytime), the first light sensor 400 ′ can detect ambient incident light 540 received by different angles The amount of light to measure may have a higher light The amount of sunshine. In this way, the solar cell module 2000 can adjust the orientation angle of the light incident surface 45 of the solar cell panel 50 accordingly to receive a greater amount of sunlight to convert solar energy into electrical energy. That is, the direction of the light incident surface 45 of the solar cell panel 50 can be adjusted according to the amount of light incident on the plurality of light receiving surfaces 410 at different angles, thereby obtaining better power generation efficiency.

When the dust detection device 40 includes the first light sensor 400' having a plurality of light receiving surfaces 410, when the scattered light 560 is detected and sensed in the second illuminance range L2, all the light receiving surfaces 410 can receive the sensing The total amount of scattered light 560 is used as a standard to measure and evaluate the amount of dust falling. In other words, when the dust detection device 40 is in the first illuminance range L1 (for example: daytime), it can be used as a sunlight measurement system, and when the dust detection device 40 is in the second illuminance range L2 (for example: night), it can be It is a dust detection system. However, this is only an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

According to, for example, the case where the dust detection device 40 is applied to the solar cell module 2000, a method of evaluating the cleaning timing of the solar cell panel will be described below with reference to FIG. 12 in conjunction with FIG. 10.

Referring to FIG. 12, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a method 80 for evaluating the cleaning timing of a solar panel includes: setting the dust detection device according to any embodiment of the present invention in the environmental space where the solar panel is located, and making The light-transmitting plate in the dust detection device is not blocked (setting step S10); set so that the light source of the dust detection device does not emit sensing light when the environmental space is the first illuminance range, and is the second illuminance range in the environmental space Sensing light is emitted according to a preset time or a preset frequency (setting step S20), wherein the illuminance in the first illuminance range is greater than the illuminance in the second illuminance range; according to the above setting step S20, the light source in the environment space is the second illuminance range and the light source When the sensing light is emitted, the first light sensor detects the size of the sensed scattered light or the size of the reflected light scattered or reflected by the sensed light incident on the translucent plate (measurement step S30); according to the sensed scattered light or the sensed reflection The amount of light is used to evaluate the amount of dust falling on the solar panel and the power generation power (dust falling evaluation step S40); and based on the amount of dust falling on the solar panel and the power generation power, the timing of performing cleaning operations on the solar panel is evaluated (operation evaluation step S50).

As mentioned above, the solar energy can be better evaluated and determined based on the impact of the amount of dust on the power generation of the solar panel, as well as other factors (such as the possible cost or time of cleaning, or the tolerance of the solar panel, etc.) Whether the battery board needs to be cleaned, etc. However, the solar cell module 2000 using the dust detection device and the method 80 for evaluating the cleaning timing of the solar panel described herein are only exemplary descriptions, and according to different embodiments of the present invention, the dust detection device can be used with It is used in various environmental spaces or equipment that need to monitor the amount of dust falling. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can evaluate the demand or timing of any possible measures based on the amount of dust falling based on the content disclosed in this specification, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments specifically shown here.

The above are only some of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that, without departing from the spirit and principles of the present invention, the present invention may be subject to various changes and modifications change. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field should understand that the present invention is defined by the scope of the attached patent application, and under the meaning of the present invention, various possible replacements, combinations, modifications, and conversions do not exceed the present invention. The scope defined by the scope of the attached patent application.

10‧‧‧Dust detection device

15‧‧‧Object

25‧‧‧ Enclosed space

100‧‧‧Housing

105‧‧‧ opening

110‧‧‧Upper wall

120‧‧‧lower wall

130, 140, 150, 160

200‧‧‧Transparent board

300‧‧‧Light source

310‧‧‧Glossy

320‧‧‧Matrix

400‧‧‧First light sensor

410‧‧‧Light receiving surface

420‧‧‧Matrix

1000‧‧‧Environmental space

1050, 1050’‧‧‧ dust

Claims (15)

A dust detection device for assessing the degree of dust falling is provided in an environmental space and includes: a casing having a plurality of walls and an opening, wherein the walls collectively define an enclosed space, and the opening is in communication The enclosed space and the environmental space; a light-transmitting plate corresponding to the opening is provided on the housing; a light source is provided in the enclosed space; and a first light sensor is provided in the enclosed space Inside, where: the light source and the first light sensor are located on opposite sides of the light-transmitting plate, and are separated from the plane on which the light-transmitting plate is disposed by at least a distance; and when the light source emits a sensing light, the first light sensor It is configured to receive and measure one of the scattered light or the reflected light that is scattered or reflected by the sensing light incident on the light-transmitting plate, and the amount of dust falling on an object in the environmental space is related to the sensor The size of the scattered light or the reflected light is positively correlated. The dust detection device according to claim 1, wherein the object is a solar panel, and the power generation power of the solar panel is inversely related to the amount of dust falling. The dust detection device according to claim 2, wherein the degree of need for cleaning operation of one of the solar cell panels is evaluated based on the amount of dust falling measured by the dust detection device. The dust detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a second light sensor and the first light sensor disposed at different places in the enclosed space, and the second light sensor has at least one light receiving surface facing the A light source, wherein: the second light sensor is configured to receive and measure the sensed light, and the amount of dust on the object is relative to the sensed scattered light or the sensed reflected light relative to the sensed light The proportion is positively correlated. The dust detection device according to claim 4, wherein the second light sensor is spaced from the light-transmitting plate when projected on the plane provided by the light-transmitting plate. The dust detection device according to claim 4, wherein the second light sensor and the first light sensor are located on the same wall of the walls, and the dust detection device further includes a shielding member set to shield the sensed light Incident on the first light sensor. The dust detection device according to claim 4, wherein the second light sensor and the light-transmitting plate are disposed on one of the walls, and the first light sensor and the light source are disposed on the The second wall body is different from the first wall body in the wall body. The dust detection device according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode. The dust detection device according to claim 8, wherein the spectral range of the sensing light emitted by the light-emitting diode is determined according to the type of dust in the environmental space. The dust detection device according to claim 1, wherein when the environmental space is within a first illuminance range, the light source is configured not to emit the sensed light, and the first light sensor receives and detects the environmental space via The light-transmitting plate is incident on an ambient incident light of the enclosed space to obtain an illuminance data of the environmental space; when the environmental space is in a second illuminance range, the light source is set based on a preset time or a The sensing light is emitted at a preset frequency, and the illuminance in the first illuminance range is greater than the illuminance in the second illuminance range. The dust detection device according to claim 10, wherein the object is a solar cell panel, the first light sensor is a polyhedron having a plurality of light receiving surfaces, and the plurality of light receiving surfaces receive incident light from different angles Light, and, When the ambient space is within the first illuminance range, the direction of one light incident surface of the solar panel is adjusted by the amount of light incident on the plurality of light receiving surfaces at different angles. A method for evaluating the cleaning timing of a solar panel, comprising: setting the dust detection device as described in claim 1 in the environmental space where the solar panel is located, and making the light-transmitting panel unobstructed; The light source does not emit the sensed light when the environment space is a first illuminance range, and emits the sensed light according to a preset time or a preset frequency when the environment space is a second illuminance range, wherein the first illuminance The illuminance of the range is greater than the illuminance of the second illuminance range; the size of the sensed scattered light or the sensed reflected light scattered or reflected by the sensed light incident on the translucent plate is detected by the first light sensor; Sensing the size of the scattered light or the reflected light to evaluate the amount of dust and power generation of the solar panel; based on the amount of dust and power generation of the solar panel, evaluate the cleaning action performed on the solar panel opportunity. A solar cell system with a dust-fall assessment mechanism, including: a solar cell module, including at least one solar cell panel that receives solar energy to generate electricity; and the dust detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , Installed on the solar cell module or in the environmental space where the solar cell panel is located, configured to evaluate the amount of dust falling on the solar cell panel. The solar cell system according to claim 13, wherein the dust detection device is Integrate or configure on the solar cell module. The solar cell system according to claim 14, wherein the solar cell module further includes a frame surrounding the periphery of the solar cell panel, and at least one of the walls of the dust detection device is integrated into the frame At least a part of it.

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