A system or method for an imaging system is provided for inspecting a heliostat. The imaging system includes a platform and a camera mounted on the platform and a heliostat having a plurality of mirrored facets. The camera is positioned to acquire a first image that serves as a reference image and a second image that is a reflected image from at least one facet. The camera stores image data associated with the first image and the second image, and wirelessly transmits the stored image data to a computing apparatus. The computing apparatus compares the first image with the second image and determines a performance parameter associated with the heliostat.

A monitoring plan generation device sets, for monitoring map information corresponding to a monitoring area indicating an entire area monitored by an uncrewed vehicle, an initial value of a time interval at which a corresponding small area needs to be monitored for each small area obtained by dividing the monitoring map information, counts a remaining time for the initial value of the time interval set in accordance with a passage of time, creates action plan information that establishes a movement route of the uncrewed vehicle to give priority to monitoring the small area where there is little remaining time, and sets an initial value to the remaining time of a small area corresponding to an area monitored by the uncrewed vehicle when the uncrewed vehicle has moved on the basis of the action plan information.

An advanced system of cooperating solar module carrier robots for installing solar panels is provided. The system includes a computer vision system designed to route the cooperating solar module carrier robots to the solar tracker. The system also includes a robotic arm with a suction cup tool designed to pick up and hold a solar panel. The suction cup tool can include a set of suction cups, an actuator designed to create a vacuum in each suction cup of the set of suction cups. The suction cup tool also has an air nozzle designed to below off debris on a surface of the solar panel.

An advanced system of cooperating solar module carrier robots for installing solar panels on a solar tracker is provided. The advanced system can include a computer vision system designed to route the cooperating solar module carrier robots to a solar tracker, a deck sized to fit one or more pallets of solar panels, and a robotic arm with a suction cup tool designed to pick up and hold a solar panel.

Methods, systems, and program products of inspecting solar panels using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are disclosed. A UAV can obtain a position of the Sun in a reference frame, a location of a solar panel in the reference frame, and an orientation of the solar panel in the reference frame. The UAV can determine a viewing position of the UAV in the reference frame based on at least one of the position of the Sun, the location of the solar panel, and the orientation of the solar panel. The UAV can maneuver to the viewing position and point a thermal sensor onboard the UAV at the solar panel. The UAV can capture, by the thermal sensor, a thermal image of at least a portion of the solar panel. A server onboard the UAV or connected to the UAV can detect panel failures based on the thermal image.

A system and method is disclosed for configuring a group of mobile field devices using a configuration device (an HMI) is provided. In particular, the HMI is programmed to configure identically programmed field devices that are arbitrarily arranged in an application-dependent formation by defining and providing configuration parameters to the devices via wired and/or wireless communication. In particular, the HMI assigns a unique identifier to respective robots as a function of the position of the robot within the formation or the layout of the environment. Accordingly each robot can be efficiently configured by the HMI to operate independently yet as a coordinated member of the group and without requiring the robots to be placed in specific positions during the initial deployment. This obviates the need for constant independent control commands for each robot by a central controller or providing a customized control program to each robot during deployment.

A system and method is disclosed for configuring a group of mobile field devices using a configuration device (an HMI) is provided. In particular, the HMI is programmed to configure identically programmed field devices that are arbitrarily arranged in an application-dependent formation by defining and providing configuration parameters to the devices via wired and/or wireless communication. In particular, the HMI assigns a unique identifier to respective robots as a function of the position of the robot within the formation or the layout of the environment. Accordingly each robot can be efficiently configured by the HMI to operate independently yet as a coordinated member of the group and without requiring the robots to be placed in specific positions during the initial deployment. This obviates the need for constant independent control commands for each robot by a central controller or providing a customized control program to each robot during deployment.

A solar panel cleaning robot is provided and has a robot body. The robot body can move on at least one solar panel. A cleaning device, a power system, a control system and an electric power system are disposed on an internal or an external of the robot body.

Techniques are disclosed for inspection management in a movable object environment. An inspection application can receive data from an inspection application and use this data to generate one or more inspection missions. When a user selects an inspection mission in the inspection application, the inspection application can instruct a movable object to perform the selected inspection mission. The movable object can follow one or more dynamically generated paths around a target object and capture a plurality of images. The images can be viewed in a viewing application to perform an inspection of the target object.

Provided is a self-propelled cleaning robot that can efficiently clean a flat surface even if a step is formed. The self-propelled cleaning robot that self-travels on a structure to clean a flat surface of the structure, the structure being installed in an outdoor location, the robot includes: a robot main body (2) in which a self-propelled moving mechanism (4) is provided; a cleaning unit (10) that is provided in a front portion and/or a rear portion of the robot main body (2); and a controller (30) that controls activation of the moving mechanism (4). At this point, the controller (30) includes an attitude controller (35) that detects an attitude of the robot main body (2), the attitude controller (35) includes a floating detection sensor (36) that detects floating in one of the front portion and the rear portion of the robot main body (2), and, when the floating detection sensor (36) detects the floating in one of the front portion and the rear portion of the robot main body (2), the controller (30) controls the activation of the moving mechanism (4) such that the cleaning unit (10) passes through a place where the floating is detected after the floating is eliminated.