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Title:
PHOTOVOLTAIC PANEL CLEANING BRUSH
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2016/038400
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
Cleaning brush for photovoltaic panels comprising a base (1) on the one side of said base are adjusted bristles (2) and at least one surface of scraping elastic material (3), which has the capability of scrapping varius debris accumulated on the surface of photovoltaic panels without scratching and altering the surface of the photovoltaic panels. Depending upon the selective length adjustment of projection of the scraping elastic material (3) from the bristles (2) there can be performed: either a scraping of debris from the projected, longer than the bristles(2), scraping elastic material (3), or a general cleaning of the photovoltaic panels from the projected, longer than the scraping elastic material (3), bristles (2), or a simultaneous general cleaning and scraping of debris when the scraping elastic material (3) and the bristles (2) are of equal length. The cleaning brush for photovoltaic panels can have different arrangements of the scraping elastic material (3) and the bristles (2) and can alternatively be used as a hand held brush and as a tool attached to an arm.

Inventors:
PAPAGEORGIOU ELEFTHERIOS (GR)
Application Number:
PCT/GR2015/000045
Publication Date:
March 17, 2016
Filing Date:
September 10, 2015
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
PAPAGEORGIOU ELEFTHERIOS (GR)
International Classes:
B08B1/00; A46B7/02; A46B9/06; A46B15/00; F24J2/46
Foreign References:
US20120030889A12012-02-09
US3733636A1973-05-22
GB2151467A1985-07-24
US20140150194A12014-06-05
DE202005008532U12005-08-18
US20140202492A12014-07-24
CN203150592U2013-08-21
JPH08168450A1996-07-02
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Claims:
CLAIMS

1. Photovoltaic panel cleaning brush comprising a base (1) on one side of which bristles (2) are adjusted and characterized in that it contains at least one surface plate of scraping elastic material (3) arranged selectively in place at that same side of the base (1), and that surface of scraping elastic material (3) scrapes various debris that accumulate on the surface of photovoltaic panels without scratching or altering the surface of the photovoltaic panels and said at least one surface plate of scraping elastic material (3) for debris is selectively adjusted in order to project from the side of the base (1) in different or equal length as the projection length of the bristles.

2. Photovoltaic panel cleaning brush, according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one surface plate of scraping elastic material (3) is extended either in length or width of the brush's side on which the bristles (2) are adjusted.

3. Photovoltaic panel cleaning brush, according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that at least one surface plate of the scraping elastic material (3) is adjusted to the bristles (3), either in between the bristles (2), or tangential to the bristles (2) at the ends of the base (1).

4. Photovoltaic panel cleaning brush, according to claim 1, 2, 3, characterized in that it comprises a number of plates of scraping elastic material (3) extended in a functional, for the efficiency of scraping debris, arrangement among them, across the length or just a part of the length of the brush's side or across the width or just a part of the width of the brush's side on which the bristles (2) are adjusted, where each of said surfaces of elastic material (3) are arranged either in between the bristles (2), or tangential to the bristles (2) at the ends of the base (1).

5. Photovoltaic panel cleaning brush, according to claims 1 -4, characterized in that said at least one surface of scraping elastic material (3) or a number of surfaces of elastic material (3) for scraping debris are selectively adjusted in order to project from the side of the base (1) in length bigger than the projection length of the bristles (2) so that the brush can be tailored for the function of scraping debris that accumulate on the surface of photovoltaic panels, or in a smaller length than the projection length of the bristles (2) so that the brush can be tailored for the function of a general cleaning of the surface of photovoltaic panels, or to be of equal length with the projection length of the bristles (2) so that the brush can be tailored for both the functions of general cleaning of the photovoltaic panels and of scraping the debris that are accumulated on it at the same time.

6. Photovoltaic panel cleaning brush, according to any of the previous claims 1-5, characterized in that it is used either as a hand held brush or as a tool attached to an arm for the manual cleaning and scraping of debris on the surface of photovoltaic panels.

7. Photovoltaic panel cleaning brush, according to any of the previous claims 1-5, characterized in that it is used either as a hand held brush or as a tool attached to an arm for the mechanical cleaning and scraping of debris on the surface of photovoltaic panels.

Description:
Photovoltaic Panel Cleaning Brush

The present invention relates to a photovoltaic panel cleaning brush which comprises bristles and a surface of elastic material, that has the capability of scraping various debris that accumulate on the surface of the photovoltaic panels without scratching and altering the surface of photovoltaic panels.

Cleaning brushes for photovoltaic panels consisting of bristles are already known. However, the present invention cancels every other brush that is used for cleaning photovoltaic panels. This invention comprises: a brush with bristles and in between the bristles there is a scraping elastic material. This results in accomplishing the scraping of varius debris which accumulate on the surface of a photovoltaic panel and cannot be removed by the bristles of the brush or by any other tool or method. In addition, the selection of height between the bristles and the elastic material can be adjusted and cleaning of the photovoltaic panels is carried out by combining bristles and scraping elastic material or just bristles or just elastic material.

The invention introduces the meaning, capacity and benefits in cleaning photovoltaic panels through the process of scraping and the use of such a tool which up before the existence of this invention the surfaces of photovoltaic panels could not be entirely decontaminated from the tough debris regardless of the method or the tool used.

The inventions: US2014202492, CN203150592, JPH08168450, do not mention and do not know about scraping, neither the description (only in paragraph 0056 the American invention says "the squeegee element can wipe the collector surface to scrape remaining accumulated particulate and remove the cleaning liquid" - which it cannot do due to the construction and properties that derive from the squeegee function and tool itself. The scraping function or possibility it is nowhere mentioned or supported in the rest of the text, likewise this possibility is not mentioned in any of the drawings and in none of the claims.), the drawings nor the claims, rather they only talk about brushing, wiping, washing, dusting, squeegeeing (wiping liquids off the cleaned surface) and other procedures that are not related to scraping, which cannot emerge from them as a meaning, tool or procedure.

To achieve the procedure of scraping, a material must be used that will not wear out or alter the sensitive photovoltaic surface of panels, therefore it cannot be something rigid and hard such as metal. It should be something flexible, sharp and regress enough to scrape the surface without depressing and scratching the sensitive photovoltaic surface. Thus, a scraping elastic material is being used, which is on the one hand, an elastomer material but on the other hand, it has completely different properties and composition from the elastomer material used in the American invention US2014202492, where it is an elastomer material for squeegeeing (removing of liquids) and demarcation of cleaning areas.

Correspondingly, the Chinese invention CN203150592 says that it is possible to use a soft plastic brush as a duster, and a wrecker shovel as a duster and as a snow remover, and likewise the possibility of scraping is nowhere mentioned or implied in the text, nor the drawings nor the claims.

Similarly, the Japanese invention JPH08168450 uses elastic material as a squeegee, as a moving lead and as a support terminal of the whole device and likewise the possibility of scraping is nowhere mentioned in the text nor in the drawings nor in the claims.

There are lot of elastomer materials for varius uses, with different properties, technical features and composition. Comparing different types of squeegeeing elastic materials that are found in the market (e.g. floor or window squeegees) one can comprehend the dissimilarity in every level with the scraping elastic materials (elastomer scraping razors or elastic ice scrapers for the windows of cars or elastic scrapers of grease from cooking utensils etc.). Therefore an elastomer material cannot do everything: squeegeeing, scraping and dusting etc.

Except the dissimilarities in properties, technical features and composition, scraping materials differentiate in the shape of their peaks, but also in application. In the case of scraping the movements are sharp and more irregular and in more directions. In case of squeegeeing, the movement is in one direction and smooth, something which is clearly shown in the American invention US2014202492 by the motion arrows in figures 4B, where it shows with the numbering 440 how does the cleaning device move and which surface operates in cleaning the photovoltaic surface 442, and in the figure 4C the squeegee operates only in one direction with the numbering 441. All the movements shown by arrows in the rest of the drawings are in one direction.

Assuming, nevertheless, that the squeegee is moving as a scraper tool, the efficiency will be particularly low and poor (this is not the meaning and the characteristic of scraping) because of the properties and technical features that derive from the squeegee function and tool itself.

Those three inventions aren't scraping cleaning tools for solar panels. Advantages of this invention are that it comprises a brush for photovoltaic panels with bristles and in between the bristles an elastic material that cleans debris which cannot be cleaned by just a bristle brush, or any other tool or method. Thus, this combination provides the optimum cleanliness that can be achieved by a photovoltaic panel brush.

Advantages of this invention are that the scraping elastic material between the bristles of the brush, does not scratch and cause any other type of alteration on the surface of the photovoltaic panel, it only removes debris that cannot be removed by the bristles of the brush, or any other tool or method.

Advantages of this invention are that it combines in one cleaning brush for photovoltaic panels, the cleaning of photovoltaic panels with easier but also tougher debris efficiently and safely, with the use of one brush and with one application.

An advantage of this invention is that by adjusting the height between the bristles and the elastic material, the cleaning of a photovoltaic panel is carried out by combining both bristles and scraping elastic material or just bristles or just scraping elastic material.

Another advantage of this invention is that it can be used as a hand held brush and as a tool attached to an arm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The cleaning brush for photovoltaic panels is characterized by the scraping elastic material that is placed between the bristles of the brush. Figure 1 , figure 4 and figure 5 show a side view of the invention, whereas figure 2 and figure 3 show the invention with the point of contact of the brush with the photovoltaic panel.

Figure 1 shows the base of the brush (1), the bristles of the brush (2), and the scraping elastic material (3) attached to an arm (4).

Figure 2 shows the base of the brush (1 ), the bristles of the brush (2) and (3) the scraping elastic material. Figure 3 shows the base of the brush (1), the bristles of the brush (2) and (3) the scraping elastic material arranged differently between the bristles.

Figure 4 shows the base of the brush (1), the bristles of the brush (2) and (3) the scraping elastic material which is shorter in height that the bristles of the brush.

Figure 5 shows the base of the brush (1), the bristles of the brush (2) and (3) the scraping elastic material which is longer in height than the bristles of the brush.