Liquid filling system and liquid filling method for vehicle

Abstract

The present invention provides a liquid filling system and liquid filling method for vehicles. The liquid filling system for vehicles includes: a carrying trolley running along a transport channel, the vehicle is carried by the carrying trolley along the transport channel through the liquid filling system; one or more filling devices, the one or more filling devices include: a filling control device, a filling unit storing the liquid to be filled and a filling gun extending from the filling unit; and one or more filling robots, the one or more filling robots connect the filling gun of the corresponding filling device to the filling port of the vehicle on the filling station on the transport channel; wherein the vehicle is electrically connected to the carrying trolley to draw power from the carrying trolley, and the vehicle communicates with the filling control device via a wireless network. The liquid filling system according to an embodiment of the present invention realizes the automation of liquid filling in the vehicle production process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of vehicles, and more particularly to a system and method for filling a vehicle with liquid, especially during vehicle production. Background Art

[0002] There are many types of liquids in vehicles, such as coolant, refrigerant and brake fluid. During the vehicle production process, these liquids need to be filled into the corresponding cavities in the vehicle. In the prior art, these liquids are usually filled manually at multiple workstations, and the filling process is long and the degree of automation is low. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to solve or at least alleviate the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] According to some aspects, there is provided a liquid filling system for a vehicle, comprising:

[0005] A carrying trolley running along the transport channel, wherein the vehicle is carried by the carrying trolley along the transport channel through the liquid filling system;

[0006] One or more filling devices, the one or more filling devices comprising: a filling control device, a filling unit storing liquid to be filled, and a filling gun extending from the filling unit; and

[0007] One or more filling robots, wherein the one or more filling robots connect a filling gun of a corresponding filling device to a filling port of a vehicle at a filling station on the transport channel, so as to fill the vehicle with the liquid to be filled;

[0008] Wherein, the vehicle is electrically connected to the carrying trolley to obtain electricity from the carrying trolley, and the vehicle communicates with the filling control device via a wireless network.

[0009] Optionally, in the liquid filling system, the liquid filling system includes a wireless communication device detachably mounted to the vehicle.

[0010] Optionally, in the liquid filling system, the liquid filling system includes a power supply line detachably connected between the carrying trolley and the vehicle.

[0011] Optionally, in the liquid filling system, the liquid filling system includes: a preparation station, a filling station downstream of the preparation station and a finishing station downstream of the filling station, at the preparation station, the wireless communication device is installed to the vehicle and / or the power supply line is connected between the vehicle and the carrying trolley, and at the finishing station, the wireless communication device and / or the power supply line is removed from the vehicle.

[0012] Optionally, in the liquid filling system, the liquid filling system includes a plurality of filling stations arranged in parallel, and each filling station is equipped with a filling device and a filling robot.

[0013] Optionally, in the liquid filling system, the liquid filling system further comprises a return transport channel from the finishing station to the preparation station, so as to carry the wireless communication device and / or the power supply line from the finishing station back to the preparation station.

[0014] Optionally, in the liquid filling system, the liquid to be filled includes: brake fluid, coolant and / or refrigerant.

[0015] Optionally, in the liquid filling system, the transport channel is arranged with tracks and the carrying vehicle is an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) for carrying vehicles.

[0016] A method for filling a vehicle with liquid is also provided, comprising:

[0017] Identify the vehicle,

[0018] Use a carrying trolley to transport the vehicle to the filling station along the transport channel;

[0019] Controlling the filling robot to connect the filling gun extending from the filling unit of the filling device to the filling port of the vehicle; and filling the liquid to be filled in the filling device into the vehicle;

[0020] The method further includes supplying power to the vehicle via the carrier trolley and the vehicle communicating with a filling control device of the filling device via a wireless network.

[0021] Optionally, the method further comprises: at a preparation station, connecting a wireless communication device to the vehicle and / or connecting a power supply line between the vehicle and a carrying trolley; at a completion station, removing the wireless communication device and / or the power supply line from the vehicle.

[0022] Optionally, the method includes: scanning a vehicle at the preparation station to obtain an identification code of the vehicle, and scanning and identifying a wireless communication device connected to the vehicle at the preparation station.

[0023] Optionally, the method further comprises: transporting the wireless communication device and / or the power supply line from the finishing station back to the preparing station by using a return transport channel.

[0024] Optionally, the liquid to be added includes: coolant, refrigerant and / or brake fluid. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The principles of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a liquid filling system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown; and

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic plan view of a liquid filling system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] It is easy to understand that according to the technical solution of the present invention, without changing the essential spirit of the present invention, a person skilled in the art can propose a variety of interchangeable structural modes and implementation modes. Therefore, the following specific implementation modes and drawings are only exemplary descriptions of the technical solution of the present invention, and should not be regarded as the whole of the present invention or as a limitation or restriction to the technical solution of the present invention.

[0029] The directional terms such as up, down, left, right, front, back, front, back, top, bottom, etc. mentioned or may be mentioned in this specification are defined relative to the structures shown in the drawings. They are relative concepts and may change accordingly according to different positions and different usage conditions. Therefore, these or other directional terms should not be interpreted as restrictive terms.

[0030] The following describes a liquid filling system for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to a specific embodiment. The liquid filling system according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used in a vehicle production process to fill the vehicle with various liquids, or the liquid filling system can also be used for applications such as vehicle maintenance. Challenges in automatically filling a vehicle with fluid include: the vehicle needs to be powered and communicated with the vehicle, for example, to control the opening of a corresponding valve of the vehicle, specifically, to enable the control device on the vehicle to open the corresponding valve when receiving a signal.

[0031] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2The embodiment of the present invention provides a liquid filling system for a vehicle, comprising: a transport channel 100; a carrying trolley 14, 15 running along the transport channel, a vehicle 90 to be filled is carried by the carrying trolley 14, 15 along the transport channel 100 through the liquid filling system; one or more filling devices 71, 72, the one or more filling devices 71, 72 comprising a filling control device 711, 721, a filling unit 712, 722 storing a liquid to be filled, and a filling gun (not shown) extending from the filling unit, each filling unit 712, 722 can store a liquid to be filled, such as a refrigerant, a coolant or a brake fluid, and any other liquid suitable for filling into a vehicle, one or more filling devices The filling units 712, 722 of the devices 71, 72 may include a filling gun extending through a conduit; one or more filling robots 31, 32, each of the one or more filling robots 31, 32 may include a plurality of mechanical arms and a clamp at the end of the mechanical arm, the clamp may clamp the filling gun of the corresponding filling device and move under the operation of the mechanical arm, when the vehicle moves to the filling station on the transport channel, the filling robot may operate each filling gun to connect with the corresponding filling port of the vehicle, so as to fill the vehicle with liquid; wherein the vehicle 90 is electrically connected to the carrier trolley 14, 15 to draw power from the carrier trolley 14, 15, and the vehicle 90 communicates with the filling control device 711, 721 through a wireless network. In the liquid filling system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle is powered by the electrical connection between the vehicle and the carrier trolley, for example, a 12V voltage is supplied to the vehicle, so that the control unit of the vehicle, such as ECU, ESP, etc., can keep working. On the other hand, the vehicle can maintain connection with the control devices 711, 721 of the liquid filling device through a wireless network to coordinate the filling operation.

[0032] In some embodiments, a track may be provided along the transport channel 100, and the carrying vehicle is an AGV (automatic track vehicle), which is dispatched by an AGVS (automatic track vehicle system) to travel along a specified path. The liquid filling system according to an embodiment of the present invention may constitute a part of the entire vehicle production line, and the AGV may carry the vehicle from the previous process to the liquid filling system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and after completing the liquid filling, the AGV may continue to carry the vehicle to the next process of vehicle production, thereby forming a part of the entire liquid filling system for the vehicle automated production line, in which basically no manual labor or only a small amount of manual labor is required.

[0033] In some embodiments, the liquid filling system includes a wireless communication device 60, such as a V-port device, which is detachably mounted to the vehicle, such as the vehicle's OBD (on-board diagnostic system) interface. The wireless communication device can be directly installed on the vehicle by inserting it into the OBD2 interface, so that the vehicle has a wireless communication function. It should be understood that the vehicle in the liquid filling stage is a linear vehicle, such as only including a frame and a small number of components, and usually, in order to achieve wireless communication, an embodiment of the present invention uses an easily pluggable wireless communication device 60 such as a V-port device to give the vehicle wireless communication capabilities, thereby enabling the vehicle to communicate with the filling control device 711, 721 of one or more filling devices 71.72, and receive signals sent by the filling control device 711, 721, so as to perform corresponding operations on the vehicle, such as opening the brake fluid valve, etc., to coordinate the filling process.

[0034] In some embodiments, the liquid filling system includes a power supply line 4 detachably connected between the carrier trolley 14, 15 and the vehicle 90, so that the vehicle 90 can obtain a power supply of, for example, 12V voltage to support the operation of the control device on the vehicle, such as performing the above-mentioned corresponding operations when receiving a signal. It should be understood that the vehicle is usually not equipped with a power supply during the liquid filling stage. In order to enable the vehicle to obtain power, one end of the power supply line 4 is connected to the power supply interface of the carrier trolley, and the other end of the power supply line 4 is connected to the positive and negative poles of the main wiring harness of the vehicle, thereby supplying power to the vehicle. It should be understood that the wireless communication device and the power supply line can be installed on the vehicle at any time before filling.

[0035] In some embodiments, the liquid filling system includes a preparation station 11, one or more filling stations and a finishing station 12 in sequence along the transport channel. In some embodiments, at the preparation station 11 before filling, the wireless communication device 60 is installed on the vehicle and / or the power supply line 4 is connected between the carrier trolley 14, 15 and the vehicle 90. The installation process can be completed manually or mechanically. On the transport channel 100, one or more filling stations can be set downstream of the preparation station 11. Figure 2As shown, in the embodiment shown, the transport channel 100 is bifurcated into branches 101 and 102, and a filling station is provided on each branch 101, 102, and the filling stations are occupied by vehicles 92, 93 respectively, and each filling station can be equipped with a separate filling device 71, 72 and a filling robot 31, 32. In the embodiment shown, each filling station is equipped with a three-in-one filling device and a filling robot with four mechanical arms, and the three-in-one filling device includes: a filling control device 711, 721, a filling unit 712, 722 and a wireless communication module 713, 723, and the filling units 712, 722 can store refrigerant, coolant and brake fluid, and the filling robots 31, 32 can be used for filling high-pressure refrigerant, low-pressure refrigerant, coolant and brake fluid filling four mechanical arms. A finishing station 12 may be provided downstream of the filling station. As shown in the figure, the branch roads 101 and 102 merge into the main road 103 and pass through the finishing station 12. In some embodiments, the power supply line 4 and / or the wireless communication device 60 may be disassembled at the finishing station 12 and transported back to the preparation station for recycling. In some embodiments, the liquid filling system may be configured with 10 sets of wireless communication devices and / or power supply lines for recycling. In some embodiments, the liquid filling system also includes a return transport channel 10 from the finishing station 12 to the preparation station 11, which is used to transport the wireless communication device 60 and / or the power supply line 4 from the finishing station 12 back to the preparation station 11. The return transport channel may also be configured with AGVs 17 and 18, and the return transport channel 10 may be formed into a ring.

[0036] On the other hand, there is also provided a method for filling liquid for a vehicle, comprising: identifying a vehicle, transporting the vehicle to a filling station along a transport channel using a carrying trolley; controlling a filling robot to connect a filling gun extending from a filling unit of a filling device to a filling port of the vehicle; and filling the liquid to be filled in the filling device into the vehicle; wherein the method further comprises supplying power to the vehicle through the carrying trolley and the vehicle communicating with a filling control device of the filling device through a wireless network. In some embodiments, the method further comprises: connecting a wireless communication device to the vehicle and / or connecting a power line between the vehicle and the carrying trolley at a preparation station, and removing the wireless communication device and / or the power line from the vehicle at a completion station. In some embodiments, the method comprises: scanning the vehicle at the preparation station to obtain an identification code of the vehicle, and scanning and identifying the wireless communication device connected to the vehicle at the preparation station. In some embodiments, the method further comprises: transporting the wireless communication device and / or the power line from the completion station back to the preparation station using a return transport channel.

[0037] Now let's introduce a specific example of the process of filling a vehicle with liquid:

[0038] 1. When the assembled line vehicle is carried by the AGV into the preparation station 11, the operator of the preparation station 11 uses the scanning device 3 to identify the vehicle, such as identifying the vehicle number and uploading it to the central control device 1 which is wirelessly connected to the scanning device 3; at the same time, a wireless communication device 60 is selected and scanned from the inventory of wireless communication devices 60, installed on the vehicle, and the device number information is sent to the central control device 1 at the same time. The central control device 1 matches the vehicle with the corresponding wireless communication device, and the central control device 1 completes the network communication with the MES (manufacturing execution system) through the line 2, and downloads the vehicle information;

[0039] 2. Also at the preparation station 11, the operator connects the two ends of the power supply line 4 to the AGV and the vehicle. Specifically, one end of the power supply line 4 is connected to the AGV's dedicated power supply interface, and the other end is connected to the positive and negative electrodes of the main wiring harness of the vehicle 91, thereby supplying 12V voltage to the entire vehicle;

[0040] 3. The workshop AGV system informs the central control device 1 of the path planning, and configures the vehicle to enter the first filling station or the second filling station. Here, entering the first filling station is taken as an example;

[0041] 4. The central control device 1 sends the vehicle number, wireless communication device number, and vehicle information to the wireless communication module 713 of the filling device 71 of the first filling station, and then to the filling control device 711, so that the filling device 71 can communicate with the vehicle wirelessly through the wireless communication device 60, and coordinate various corresponding operations of the vehicle during the filling process, such as opening the corresponding valve when filling brake fluid;

[0042] 5. After the fully automatic filling process is completed, the vehicle enters the completion station 12, and the operator disassembles the power supply line 4 and the wireless communication device 60 and places them on the AGV 17, 18 on the return transport channel 10. After a certain number is accumulated, the AGV 17, 18 transports the power supply line 4 and the wireless communication device 60 back to the preparation station 11 along the return transport channel 10 for recycling.

[0043] It should be understood that all the above preferred embodiments are illustrative rather than restrictive, and various modifications or variations made by those skilled in the art to the specific embodiments described above under the concept of the present invention should be within the legal protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A liquid filling system for a vehicle, characterized in that: include: A carrying trolley running along the transport channel, wherein the vehicle is carried by the carrying trolley along the transport channel through the liquid filling system; One or more filling devices, the one or more filling devices comprising: a filling control device, a filling unit storing liquid to be filled, and a filling gun extending from the filling unit; and One or more filling robots, wherein the one or more filling robots connect a filling gun of a corresponding filling device to a filling port of a vehicle at a filling station on the transport channel, so as to fill the vehicle with the liquid to be filled; wherein the vehicle is electrically connected to the carrying trolley to draw power from the carrying trolley, and the vehicle communicates with the filling control device via a wireless network; Wherein, the vehicle is a line vehicle not equipped with a wireless communication device, and the liquid filling system includes: a preparation station, a filling station downstream of the preparation station and a completion station downstream of the filling station. At the preparation station, the wireless communication device is installed on the vehicle and the power supply line is connected between the vehicle and the carrying trolley. At the completion station, the wireless communication device and the power supply line are removed from the vehicle.

2. The liquid filling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fluid fill system includes a wireless communication device removably mounted to the vehicle.

3. The liquid filling system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The liquid filling system includes a power supply line detachably connected between the carrier trolley and the vehicle.

4. The liquid filling system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The liquid filling system comprises a plurality of filling stations arranged in parallel, and each filling station is equipped with a filling device and a filling robot.

5. The liquid filling system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The liquid filling system further comprises a return transport channel from the finishing station to the preparation station for carrying the wireless communication device and / or the power supply line from the finishing station back to the preparation station.

6. The liquid filling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid to be filled includes: brake fluid, coolant or refrigerant.

7. The liquid filling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transport channel is arranged with tracks and the carrying trolley is an automatic driving trolley for carrying vehicles.

8. A method for filling a vehicle with liquid, characterized in that: include: Identify the vehicle, Use a carrying trolley to transport the vehicle to the filling station along the transport channel; Controlling the filling robot to connect a filling gun extending from a filling unit of the filling device to a filling port of the vehicle; as well as Filling the liquid to be filled in the filling device into the vehicle; Wherein, the method further comprises supplying power to the vehicle through the carrying trolley and the vehicle communicating with a filling control device of the filling device through a wireless network; Wherein, the vehicle is a line vehicle not equipped with a wireless communication device, and the method further includes: at a preparation station, connecting the wireless communication device to the vehicle and connecting the power line between the vehicle and the carrying trolley, and at a completion station, removing the wireless communication device and the power line from the vehicle.

9. The liquid filling method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The method includes scanning a vehicle at the preparation station to obtain an identification code of the vehicle, and scanning and identifying a wireless communication device connected to the vehicle at the preparation station.

10. The liquid filling method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The method further comprises: transporting the wireless communication device and / or the power cord from the finishing station back to the preparing station by using a return transport channel.

11. The liquid filling method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The liquid to be added includes: coolant, refrigerant or brake fluid.

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