The invention relates to a cleaning device for photovoltaic panels that comprises a shaft, the length of which is adjustable and which can be driven either manually or mechanically. Two or more arms are connected at selected points along this shaft with cleaning brushes being attached at the distal ends of these arms. The spacing of the arms along the shaft, as well as the length of each arm, i.e. the distance thereof from the shaft can be desirably adjusted. The angle of contact of the brushes provided at the end of the arms with the surface being cleaned can also be adjusted. The brushes may be fixed or rotatable or a combination of these two types of brushes and water supply conduits are provided that supply water in the interior and/or the exterior of each brush during the cleaning process.

THE PRIOR ART

A variety of cleaning devices for photovoltaic panels known in the art consist of a shaft with a brush at the end thereof. These cleaning devices are however incapable of performing either a simultaneous cleaning operation of two panels or a simultaneous cleaning with a fixed and a rotating brush in a single step in order to speed up cleaning and tackle persistent dirt.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device for photovoltaic panels that comprises more than one brush thereby enabling the simultaneous cleaning of two panels, the simultaneous cleaning employing a fixed and a rotating brush and ensuring the advantageous speeding up and optimization of the cleaning operation. The invention is particularly applicable to cleaning photovoltaic panels, since the arrangement of such panels in a photovoltaic park is such that offers the advantageous possibility of using the cleaning device with multiple brush capacity of the present invention and attain a highly efficient and faster cleaning in comparison to hitherto known manually or mechanically powered tools used for cleaning photovoltaic panels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cleaning device of the invention comprises a shaft with two or more arms connected along this shaft at a selected spacing, each arm being provided with a brush at the distal end thereof and having an adjustable length, wherein the movement of the shaft being performed either manually or mechanically provides a washing effect of two or more photovoltaic panels simultaneously. Thus reduction of the time required and of the operator fatigue for completing cleaning of photovoltaic panels is obtained as each movement of the shaft creates a multiple cleaning effect.

Furthermore, if the dirt deposited onto the solar panel is intense, adjustment of two brushes at a close proximity leads to a double brushing of the surface of the panel thereby increasing the depth and effectiveness of cleaning and reducing the time and the effort required for completion of cleaning because of a reduced number of shaft movements for the achievement of the aimed result.

Moreover, an appropriate combination and spacing of brushes provides the capacity of enhancing the effectiveness of movements of the shaft and achieving the simultaneous cleaning of several solar panels with a deep thorough cleaning thereof.

The shaft carrier of a plurality of laterally extending arms with end brushes can be moved either manually or mechanically and the brushes can be selected to be of the fixed or mechanically rotating type, whilst a combination of fixed non-rotating brushes and mechanically rotating brushes may provide a combined effect that exploits the advantages of both these types of brushes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the invention with the cleaning device comprising two arms with end brushes connected along the same shaft at an appropriate spacing such as to effect simultaneous cleaning of a pair of adjacent photovoltaic panels.

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the invention with the cleaning device comprising two arms with end brushes connected along the same shaft at a close proximity appropriate for effecting a deep and thorough cleaning of a surface of photovoltaic panel. Fig. 3 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the invention with the cleaning device comprising two pairs of arms with end brushes connected along the same shaft, each pair of brushes arranged at a close proximity such as to effect a deep and thorough cleaning of a surface of photovoltaic panel with the two pairs of brushes being arranged at a predetermined distance so that the device performs a simultaneous cleaning of a pair of adjacent photovoltaic panels. Fig. 4 shows a side view of the embodiment of the invention depicted in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows a side view of the embodiment of the invention depicted in Fig. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The drawings show the cleaning device of the invention used in cleaning photovoltaic panels that comprises a manually or mechanically moving shaft 1 , characterized by the provision of arms 2, which carry end brushes 5 and are connected along the shaft 1 by means of connecting elements 4 which allow the regulation both of the length and of the spacing of the arms 2 along the shaft 1. Furthermore, the brushes 5 are connected to the arms 2 via connecting elements 6, which allow regulation of the angle of contact thereof with the surface of the photovoltaic panel that is being cleaned. According to a first illustrative embodiment of the invention as depicted in Fig. 1 , Fig. 2 and Fig. 4, the device comprises a shaft 1 with two laterally extending arms 2 carrying brushes 5 at the ends thereof. When the arms 2 with the brushes 5 are disposed at a close proximity as shown in Fig. 2, the device is being adapted for effecting thorough cleaning of the surface of a photovoltaic panel 7, whereas when the arms 2 with the brushes 5 are disposed at a predetermined greater distance as shown in Fig. 1, the apparatus is adapted for performing simultaneous cleaning of a pair of adjacent photovoltaic panels 7 and 8, which are separated by an intermediate gap 3.

Furthermore according to another illustrative embodiment of the invention as depicted in Fig. 3 and Fig. 5, the device of the invention comprises a shaft 1 with two pairs of laterally extending arms 2 carrying brushes 5 at the ends thereof, wherein each pair of brushes 5 is being arranged at a close proximity such that the device is adapted to perform the simultaneous thorough cleaning of the surface of a photovoltaic panel 7 with one pair of brushes 5 and of the surface of an adjacent photovoltaic panel 8 with the other pair of brushes 5.