Intelligent car flexible charging device and automatic charging system composed of it

Abstract

The invention discloses an elastic charging device for an intelligent car and an automatic charging system composed of the same. The elastic charging device and the intelligent car are provided with an elastic positive charging connector and an elastic negative charging connector on the side of a charging pile; a charging head (+) and a charging head (-) are provided on the intelligent car for docking with the positive charging connector and the negative charging connector of the elastic charging device; when charging is required, an RFID card reader at the bottom of the intelligent car detects and reads the radio frequency tag information, and uploads the information to a control system of the intelligent car, and realizes precise positioning through motion compensation; after the intelligent car stops, the charging head is extended under the push of an electromagnetic push rod for charging docking, and the control system of the intelligent car sends a command to an induction switch on the charging pile through a data transmission radio station to turn on the circuit, and after charging is completed, the charging pile turns off the charging power supply, and the intelligent car controls the electromagnetic push rod to return to its position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of automation technology, and in particular relates to an intelligent vehicle flexible charging device and an automatic charging system constituted by the device. Background Art

[0002] Autonomous operation equipment such as smart cars and robots are increasingly being used. The original power supply method of connecting power cables can no longer meet the power supply needs of robots, so batteries are used for driving. However, the battery power has a certain service life. When the power is used up, the battery must be replaced or charged before it can be used again.

[0003] The traditional battery charging method is manual operation, which is not only labor-intensive but also has a low degree of automation, which is not conducive to the continuous operation of equipment autonomy. In actual applications, more and more equipment is required to operate 24 hours a day without labor and maintenance; automatic charging technology is an effective way to solve the problem of intelligent car endurance.

[0004] The core issue is the accurate docking of the charging plug with the charging pile receiving plate; the existing contact charging method cannot adapt to long-term and frequent charging operations. At the same time, when the smart car is in close contact with the charging pile, due to the certain inertia of the smart car, when the smart car contacts the charging pile, it cannot stop moving immediately, making it easy for it to collide violently with the charging pile, thereby causing damage to the charging pile or the robot, thereby reducing the safety of both. CCD graphic positioning recognition is used in combination with a three-axis mobile platform to achieve accurate alignment, so the structure of the automatic alignment device is complex and the cost is high. Therefore, it is necessary to further optimize the existing automatic alignment device.

[0005] Some charging methods also have the risk of leakage or accidental contact, and the safety of the charging system is not high. The existing automatic charging solutions for smart cars do not have feedback on the successful docking between the brushes. Most of them are based on an open-loop control with accurate debugging and positioning of the smart car as a priori conditions. They cannot ensure the correct fit and conduction between the brushes, and there is a risk of arcing and short circuits.

[0006] The brushes have poor adaptability for successful docking. The existing automatic charging brushes of smart cars are fixed on components with only one movable dimension. When the vehicle body is in the wrong position, there may be only line contact between the brushes. After the charging circuit is turned on, arcs will be generated, which will burn the brushes and cause greater harm.

[0007] Therefore, how to provide an automatic charging system that can overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages has become a problem that needs to be solved in the industry. Summary of the invention

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a flexible charging device for an intelligent car and a charging system constituted by the same. The present invention adopts a combination of a ground correction guide rail and an RFID tag to accurately achieve the docking of the charging head of the intelligent car with the charging pile electrode, thereby realizing automatic charging.

[0009] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0010] A flexible charging device for an intelligent car comprises a charging pile, wherein a positive charging connector and a negative charging connector are arranged on the side of the charging pile;

[0011] The positive charging connector includes a first outer thread sleeve, a first inner thread nut, a first elastic module and a positive contact, one end of the first outer thread sleeve is fixedly connected to the charging pile, the other end of the first outer thread sleeve is threadedly connected to the first inner thread nut, the first inner thread nut is connected to one end of the first elastic module, and the other end of the first elastic module is connected to the positive contact;

[0012] The negative charging connector includes a second outer thread sleeve, a second inner thread nut, a second elastic module and a negative contact, one end of the second outer thread sleeve is fixedly connected to the charging pile, the other end of the second outer thread sleeve is threadedly connected to the second inner thread nut, the second inner thread nut is connected to one end of the second elastic module, and the other end of the second elastic module is connected to the negative contact;

[0013] The positive contact includes a first conductive copper bar, a positive contact sheet, and a first magnet. The first conductive copper bar is connected to the positive output power supply in the charging pile through a wire. The positive contact sheet is installed on the outer side of the first conductive copper bar. The positive contact sheet is a convex arc structure. The first magnet is embedded in the positive contact sheet.

[0014] The negative contact includes a second conductive copper bus, a negative contact sheet, and a second magnet. The second conductive copper bus is connected to the negative output power supply in the charging pile through a wire. The negative contact sheet is installed on the outer side of the second conductive copper bus. The negative contact sheet is a convex arc structure. The second magnet is embedded in the negative contact sheet.

[0015] In the above technical solution, the first conductive copper bar of the positive contact is hinged at the outer end of the first elastic module, and the second conductive copper bar of the negative contact is hinged at the outer end of the second elastic module. This enables the positive contact and the negative contact to have a certain amount of activity and to perform adaptive posture adjustment to better achieve a good fit contact with the device to be charged.

[0016] In the above technical scheme, the structures of the first elastic module and the second elastic module are the same, the first elastic module includes a hollow inner rod, a hollow outer sleeve and a spring, the front end of the hollow inner rod is connected to the first inner thread nut, the hollow outer sleeve is slidably mounted on the hollow inner rod, and a limit platform is arranged between the hollow inner rod and the hollow outer sleeve to prevent the hollow inner rod and the hollow outer sleeve from detaching, a mounting plate is arranged at the outer end of the hollow outer sleeve, the first conductive copper bar of the positive contact is hinged on the mounting plate, and a threading hole is arranged on the mounting plate, the positive output power line of the charging pile is connected to the back side of the first conductive copper bar through the first outer thread sleeve, the hollow inner rod, the hollow outer sleeve and the threading hole of the mounting plate to realize internal routing; the spring is mounted on the hollow inner rod and the hollow outer sleeve and is located between the first inner thread nut and the mounting plate.

[0017] An automatic charging system for a smart car includes a flexible charging device and a smart car. The smart car is provided with a charging head (+) and a charging head (-) for docking with a positive charging connector and a negative charging connector of the flexible charging device.

[0018] The charging head (+) 5 adopts a conductive copper block and is embedded with a third magnet, and the outer surface of the conductive copper block is a groove type that matches the positive contact sheet, and the charging head (+) is connected to the side of the smart car through a first electromagnetic push rod; the charging head (-) adopts a conductive copper block and is embedded with a fourth magnet, and the outer surface of the conductive copper block is a groove type that matches the negative contact sheet, and the charging head (-) is connected to the side of the smart car through a second electromagnetic push rod;

[0019] The bottom of the smart car is provided with a deviation correction rail, and the smart car travels along the deviation correction rail; the charging pile is arranged at a suitable position on one side of the deviation rail, so that the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) of the smart car can be connected with the positive charging connector and the negative charging connector on the charging pile after being pushed out by the electromagnetic push rod;

[0020] An RFID reader is arranged at the bottom of the smart car, the RFID reader is connected to the control system of the smart car, and a radio frequency tag is arranged near the charging pile on the driving track of the smart car.

[0021] In the above technical solution, the RFID card reader can obtain card information up to 10 cm away from the radio frequency tag, giving the smart car sufficient safe stopping distance.

[0022] In the above technical solution, the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) are located at the same height as the positive charging connector and the negative charging connector.

[0023] In the above technical solution, the charging pile is provided with an induction switch for controlling the conduction of the charging circuit.

[0024] In the above technical solution, thin film pressure sensors are provided on the positive contact sheet and the negative contact sheet to sense whether they are docked with the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) of the smart car.

[0025] The working method of the smart car automatic charging system is as follows:

[0026] The smart car travels along the deviation correction rail. When it needs to be charged, when it reaches the radio frequency tag, the RFID reader at the bottom of the smart car detects and reads the radio frequency tag information and uploads it to the control system of the smart car, and realizes precise positioning through motion compensation; after the smart car stops, the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) are extended by the first electromagnetic push rod and the second electromagnetic push rod until they contact the corresponding positive contact piece and negative contact piece, and the thin film pressure sensor determines whether the docking meets the requirements; the control system of the smart car sends a control instruction to the control system of the charging pile through the wireless communication module, and then sends an instruction to the induction switch to turn on the charging circuit and realize charging; after charging is completed, the charging pile turns off the charging power supply, and at the same time, the control system of the smart car controls the first electromagnetic push rod and the second electromagnetic push rod to return to their positions.

[0027] The advantages and beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0028] (1) Make charging docking more accurate and the connection more stable.

[0029] (2) An elastic component is provided on the charging connector of the charging pile, so that the rigid collision between the charging connector and the electric vehicle is transformed into a flexible contact, thereby protecting the conductive electrode and the electrode contact and also extending the service life of the product.

[0030] (3) During charging and docking, the on and off of the conduction can be remotely controlled, so that the charging process of this product can also be controlled by an external control system, thereby improving the safety of the product.

[0031] In summary, the present invention adopts a combination of ground deviation correction rails and RFID tags to accurately achieve the docking of the smart car with the charging connector of the charging pile, realize automatic charging of the smart car, and improve work efficiency. It has a wide range of application and promotion prospects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the charging system composed of the charging pile and the smart car of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the positive charging connector in the present invention.

[0034] For ordinary technicians in this field, other relevant drawings can be obtained based on the above drawings without any creative work. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention is further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0036] Embodiment 1

[0037] See attached Figure 1 A flexible charging device for an intelligent car includes a charging pile 1, and a positive charging connector 2 and a negative charging connector 3 are arranged on the side of the charging pile 1.

[0038] The positive charging connector 2 includes a first outer thread sleeve 21, a first inner thread nut 22, a first elastic module 23 and a positive contact 24. One end of the first outer thread sleeve 21 is fixedly connected to the charging pile 1, and the other end of the first outer thread sleeve 21 is threadedly connected to the first inner thread nut 22. The first inner thread nut 22 is connected to one end of the first elastic module 23, and the other end of the first elastic module 23 is connected to the positive contact 24.

[0039] The negative charging connector 3 includes a second outer thread sleeve 31, a second inner thread nut 32, a second elastic module 33 and a negative contact 34. One end of the second outer thread sleeve 31 is fixedly connected to the charging pile 1, and the other end of the second outer thread sleeve 31 is threadedly connected to the second inner thread nut 32. The second inner thread nut 32 is connected to one end of the second elastic module 33, and the other end of the second elastic module 33 is connected to the negative contact 34.

[0040] The positive contact 24 includes a first conductive copper busbar 241, a positive contact sheet 242, and a first magnet 243. The first conductive copper busbar is connected to the positive output power supply in the charging pile through a wire. The positive contact sheet is installed on the outer side of the first conductive copper busbar. The positive contact sheet is a convex arc structure. The first magnet is embedded in the positive contact sheet.

[0041] The negative contact 34 includes a second conductive copper bus 341, a negative contact sheet 342, and a second magnet 343. The second conductive copper bus is connected to the negative output power supply in the charging pile through a wire. The negative contact sheet is installed on the outer side of the second conductive copper bus. The negative contact sheet is a convex arc structure. The second magnet is embedded in the negative contact sheet.

[0042] The positive contact sheet and the negative contact sheet are used to contact with the device to be charged to form an electrical connection, thereby achieving charging.

[0043] Furthermore, the first conductive copper bar of the positive contact 24 is hinged to the outer end of the first elastic module 23, and the second conductive copper bar of the negative contact 34 is hinged to the outer end of the second elastic module 33, so that the positive contact 24 and the negative contact 34 can have a certain amount of movement to better achieve good contact with the device to be charged.

[0044] Embodiment 2

[0045] Further on the basis of the first embodiment, this embodiment specifically introduces the structure of the first elastic module and the second elastic module. The structure of the first elastic module and the second elastic module are the same, see the attached Figure 2 , the structure of the positive charging connector 2 is described in detail below taking the positive charging connector 2 as an example.

[0046] The first elastic module includes a hollow inner rod 231, a hollow outer sleeve 232 and a spring 233. The front end of the hollow inner rod 231 is connected to the first inner thread nut 22. The hollow outer sleeve 232 is slidably mounted on the hollow inner rod 231, and a limit platform a is provided between the hollow inner rod and the hollow outer sleeve to prevent the hollow inner rod and the hollow outer sleeve from being separated. The outer end of the hollow outer sleeve is provided with a mounting plate 234. The first conductive copper bar of the positive contact 24 is hinged to the mounting plate 234. On the mounting plate, a threading hole b is provided, and the positive output power line 0 of the charging pile is connected to the back side of the first conductive copper busbar through the first outer thread sleeve 21, the hollow inner rod 231, the hollow outer sleeve 232 and the threading hole b of the mounting plate to realize internal routing; the spring 233 is sleeved on the hollow inner rod 231 and the hollow outer sleeve 232 and is located between the first inner thread nut 22 and the mounting plate 234, providing elastic separation force for the hollow inner rod 231 and the hollow outer sleeve 232.

[0047] Embodiment 3

[0048] See attached Figure 1 , an automatic charging system for a smart car, comprising the elastic charging device described in Example 1 and a smart car 4, wherein the smart car 4 is provided with a charging head (+) 5 and a charging head (-) 6 for docking with the positive charging connector and the negative charging connector of the elastic charging device.

[0049] The charging head (+) 5 is made of a conductive copper block and embedded with a third magnet 51, and the outer surface of the conductive copper block is a groove type that matches the positive contact piece 242, and the charging head (+) is connected to the side of the smart car through the first electromagnetic push rod 7; the charging head (-) 6 is made of a conductive copper block and embedded with a fourth magnet 61, and the outer surface of the conductive copper block is a groove type that matches the negative contact piece 342, and the charging head (-) is connected to the side of the smart car through the second electromagnetic push rod 8; the first electromagnetic push rod and the second electromagnetic push rod can respectively drive the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) to move horizontally, so that the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) are respectively connected with the positive charging connector and the negative charging connector of the elastic charging device, and the charging pile charges the smart car. The embedded magnets of the elastic charging device and the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) have a certain automatic traction and guiding function, making the coupling and docking of the two more accurate and the connection more stable.

[0050] The bottom of the smart car is provided with a correction guide rail 9, along which the car travels and stops; the charging pile 1 is arranged at a suitable position on one side of the correction guide rail 9 as needed, so that the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) of the smart car can be connected with the positive charging connector and the negative charging connector on the charging pile after being pushed out by the electromagnetic push rod.

[0051] An RFID reader 10 is arranged at the bottom of the smart car, and the RFID reader is connected to the control system of the smart car. A radio frequency tag 11 is arranged near the charging pile on the driving track of the smart car. When the RFID reader of the smart car detects the radio frequency tag 11, the control system of the smart car controls the smart car to stop, and then controls the first electromagnetic push rod and the second electromagnetic push rod to extend, and pushes the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) to the positive charging connector and the negative charging connector on the charging pile to achieve docking.

[0052] Furthermore, the RFID card reader 10 can obtain card information up to 10 cm away from the radio frequency tag 11, giving the smart car a sufficient safe stopping distance.

[0053] Furthermore, the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) are located at the same height as the positive charging connector and the negative charging connector.

[0054] Furthermore, the charging pile 1 is provided with a remote sensing switch for controlling the conduction of the charging circuit.

[0055] Furthermore, thin film pressure sensors are provided on the positive contact sheet and the negative contact sheet to sense whether they are docked with the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) of the smart car.

[0056] When the smart car travels along the deviation correction rail and needs to be charged (i.e., the control system of the smart car determines whether charging is needed by detecting whether the power of the smart car battery pack is lower than the set threshold), when it reaches a radio frequency tag 11, the RFID card reader 10 at the bottom of the smart car detects and reads the information of the radio frequency tag 11, and uploads it to the control system of the smart car, and realizes precise positioning through motion compensation; after the smart car stops, the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) extend out under the push of the first electromagnetic push rod and the second electromagnetic push rod until they contact the corresponding positive contact sheet and negative contact sheet, and the thin film pressure sensor determines whether the docking meets the requirements; the control system of the smart car sends instructions to the induction switch on the charging pile through the data transmission station to make the circuit conductive and realize charging. After charging is completed, the charging pile turns off the charging power supply, and the control system of the smart car controls the first electromagnetic push rod and the second electromagnetic push rod to return to their positions.

[0057] For ease of explanation, spatial relative terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and the like are used in the embodiments to illustrate the relationship of one element or feature shown in the figure relative to another element or feature. It should be understood that, in addition to the orientation shown in the figure, the spatial terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the figure is inverted, the element described as being "under" other elements or features will be positioned "on" other elements or features. Therefore, the exemplary term "under" can include both upper and lower orientations. The device can be positioned in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptions used here can be interpreted accordingly.

[0058] Furthermore, relational terms such as “first” and “second” and the like are merely used to distinguish one component from another having the same name, but do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these components.

[0059] The present invention is described above by way of example. It should be noted that, without departing from the core of the present invention, any simple deformation, modification or other equivalent replacement that can be made by those skilled in the art without inventive effort falls within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible charging device for an intelligent vehicle, characterized in that: A charging pile is included, and a positive charging connector and a negative charging connector are arranged on the side of the charging pile; The positive charging connector includes a first outer thread sleeve, a first inner thread nut, a first elastic module and a positive contact, one end of the first outer thread sleeve is fixedly connected to the charging pile, the other end of the first outer thread sleeve is threadedly connected to the first inner thread nut, the first inner thread nut is connected to one end of the first elastic module, and the other end of the first elastic module is connected to the positive contact; The negative charging connector includes a second outer thread sleeve, a second inner thread nut, a second elastic module and a negative contact, one end of the second outer thread sleeve is fixedly connected to the charging pile, the other end of the second outer thread sleeve is threadedly connected to the second inner thread nut, the second inner thread nut is connected to one end of the second elastic module, and the other end of the second elastic module is connected to the negative contact; The positive contact includes a first conductive copper bar, a positive contact sheet, and a first magnet. The first conductive copper bar is connected to the positive output power supply in the charging pile through a wire. The positive contact sheet is installed on the outer side of the first conductive copper bar. The positive contact sheet is a convex arc structure. The first magnet is embedded in the positive contact sheet. The negative contact includes a second conductive copper bar, a negative contact sheet, and a second magnet. The second conductive copper bar is connected to the negative output power supply in the charging pile through a wire. The negative contact sheet is installed on the outer side of the second conductive copper bar. The negative contact sheet is a convex arc structure. The second magnet is embedded in the negative contact sheet. The first conductive copper bar of the positive contact is hinged to the outer end of the first elastic module; The second conductive copper bar of the negative contact is hinged to the outer end of the second elastic module; The first elastic module and the second elastic module have the same structure. The first elastic module includes a hollow inner rod, a hollow outer sleeve and a spring. The front end of the hollow inner rod is connected to the first inner thread nut. The hollow outer sleeve is slidably mounted on the hollow inner rod, and a limit platform is provided between the hollow inner rod and the hollow outer sleeve to prevent the hollow inner rod and the hollow outer sleeve from detaching. A mounting plate is provided at the outer end of the hollow outer sleeve. The first conductive copper bar of the positive contact is hinged on the mounting plate, and a threading hole is provided on the mounting plate. The positive output power line of the charging pile is connected to the back of the first conductive copper bar through the first outer thread sleeve, the hollow inner rod, the hollow outer sleeve and the threading hole of the mounting plate to realize internal routing. The spring is mounted on the hollow inner rod and the hollow outer sleeve and is located between the first inner thread nut and the mounting plate.

2. An automatic charging system for a smart car, comprising the flexible charging device according to claim 1 and a smart car, wherein the smart car is provided with a charging head (+) and a charging head (-) for docking with the positive charging connector and the negative charging connector of the flexible charging device; The charging head (+) 5 adopts a conductive copper block and is embedded with a third magnet, and the outer surface of the conductive copper block is a groove type that matches the positive contact sheet, and the charging head (+) is connected to the side of the smart car through a first electromagnetic push rod; the charging head (-) adopts a conductive copper block and is embedded with a fourth magnet, and the outer surface of the conductive copper block is a groove type that matches the negative contact sheet, and the charging head (-) is connected to the side of the smart car through a second electromagnetic push rod; The bottom of the smart car is provided with a deviation correction rail, and the smart car travels along the deviation correction rail; the charging pile is arranged at a suitable position on one side of the deviation rail, so that the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) of the smart car can be connected with the positive charging connector and the negative charging connector on the charging pile after being pushed out by the electromagnetic push rod; An RFID reader is arranged at the bottom of the smart car, the RFID reader is connected to the control system of the smart car, and a radio frequency tag is arranged near the charging pile on the driving track of the smart car.

3. The automatic charging system for smart cars according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The RFID card reader can obtain card information up to 10 cm away from the radio frequency tag, giving the smart car sufficient safe stopping distance.

4. The automatic charging system for smart cars according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The charging head (+) and charging head (-) are located at the same height as the positive and negative charging connectors.

5. The automatic charging system for smart cars according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The charging pile is equipped with an induction switch for controlling the conduction of the charging circuit.

6. The automatic charging system for a smart car according to claim 5 is characterized in that: Thin-film pressure sensors are provided on the positive contact sheet and the negative contact sheet to sense whether they are docked with the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) of the smart car.

7. The working method of the automatic charging system of the smart car as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: The smart car travels along the deviation correction rail. When it needs to be charged, when it reaches the radio frequency tag, the RFID reader at the bottom of the smart car detects and reads the radio frequency tag information and uploads it to the control system of the smart car. Through motion compensation, precise positioning is achieved; after the smart car stops, the charging head (+) and the charging head (-) are extended by the first electromagnetic push rod and the second electromagnetic push rod until they contact the corresponding positive contact piece and negative contact piece, and the thin film pressure sensor determines whether the docking meets the requirements; the control system of the smart car sends a control instruction to the control system of the charging pile through the wireless communication module, and then sends an instruction to the induction switch to turn on the charging circuit and realize charging; after charging is completed, the charging pile turns off the charging power supply, and the control system of the smart car controls the first electromagnetic push rod and the second electromagnetic push rod to return to their positions.

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