Robotic thermal inspection of photovoltaic modules
OwnerJitendra Morankar, Akshay Keshav Roge +1inventors
InventorsJitendra Morankar, Akshay Keshav Roge, Daniel Shugar
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Abstract
A robotic thermal inspection system includes a robotic body and thermal analysis module. The robotic body includes a controller and a thermal imaging device coupled to the controller. The thermal analysis module is in communication with the thermal imaging device and includes a programmable processor that instructions to cause the programmable processor to: receive, from the thermal imaging device, thermal imaging data related to the photovoltaic module, compare the received thermal imaging data to at least one predetermined thermal threshold, and when the received thermal imaging data meets the at least one predetermined thermal threshold, provide a photovoltaic module defect indication.
Claims20
A robotic thermal inspection system comprising:
- a robotic body comprising:
- a controller, a motive source coupled to the controller, a thermal imaging device coupled to the controller, and an attachment mechanism for attaching the robotic body to a photovoltaic module;
- and
- a thermal analysis module in communication with the thermal imaging device, the thermal analysis module comprising:
- a programmable processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the programmable processor, cause the programmable processor to:
- receive, from the thermal imaging device, thermal imaging data related to the photovoltaic module,
- compare the received thermal imaging data to at least one predetermined thermal threshold, and
- when the received thermal imaging data meets the at least one predetermined thermal threshold, provide a photovoltaic module defect indication.
The system of 13, wherein, when executed by the programmable processor, the instructions further cause the programmable processor to:
- output a prediction as to future photovoltaic module failure when the received second thermal imaging data differs from the first thermal imaging data beyond a predetermined extent.
A method of thermally inspecting a photovoltaic module, the method comprising the steps of:
- moving a robotic body, along a photovoltaic module, to capture thermal imaging data relating to the photovoltaic module using a thermal imaging device at the robotic body;
- comparing the captured thermal imaging data to at least one predetermined thermal threshold, and
- when the captured thermal imaging data meets the at least one predetermined thermal threshold, providing a photovoltaic module defect indication.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.