Mobile robot charging system and method

Abstract

The application provides a mobile robot charging system and method, which comprises a charger including a body, a charging arm, an air cooling system and a controller mounted on the body, one end of the charging arm is connected with the body, the other end of the charging arm is provided with a charging connection male head, the charging connection male head is used for aligning with a charging connection female seat on a target mobile robot to realize charging connection, wherein the charging connection male head is provided with an air outlet hole for outputting gas to a battery pack of the target mobile robot, the air outlet hole is communicated with the air cooling system through an air pipe, and the controller is electrically connected with the charging arm and the air cooling system.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of mobile robot charging, in particular to a mobile robot charging system and method. BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent years, mobile robots (for example, unmanned robots) have developed rapidly in the fields of military, fire fighting, monitoring, logistics, etc. However, the working time of the mobile robots is limited by the battery capacity, and the mobile robots need to be recovered and charged in time when the remaining power is insufficient. Since the normal charging process takes a long time, the working efficiency of the mobile robots is reduced, and although the fast high-rate charging can reduce the charging time, it will cause the temperature of the battery to rise, and due to poor heat dissipation, it will cause the safety problem of thermal runaway. SUMMARY

[0003] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application discloses a mobile robot charging system, which comprises a charging machine comprising a machine body, a charging arm, an air cooling system and a controller mounted on the machine body, one end of the charging arm is connected with the machine body, the other end of the charging arm is provided with a charging connection male head, the charging connection male head is used for aligning with a charging connection female seat on a target mobile robot to realize charging connection, wherein the charging connection male head is provided with a gas outlet for outputting gas to the battery pack of the target mobile robot, the gas outlet is communicated with the air cooling system through an air pipe, and the controller is electrically connected with the charging arm and the air cooling system.

[0004] In the above mobile robot charging system of the present application, since the charging connection male head is provided with the gas outlet communicated with the air cooling system, low-temperature gas flow can be output to the battery pack of the target mobile robot through the gas outlet, and the battery pack can be cooled during the charging process, so that the fast high-rate charging of the mobile robot can be realized without causing the safety problem of thermal runaway.

[0005] Further, a fixing arm is also mounted on the machine body, the fixing arm is slidingly connected with the machine body, one end of the fixing arm is provided with a position positioning camera and a clamping mechanism, and the position positioning camera and the fixing arm are respectively electrically connected with the controller.

[0006] Through the above technical solution, the clamping and fixing of the target mobile robot are realized, and the stability and reliability during the charging connection process and the charging process are enhanced.

[0007] Further, the fixed arm comprises a joint, the joint comprising a sliding block, a guide rail, a screw rod and a motor, wherein the sliding block is fixedly connected with the machine body, the motor is used for controlling the screw rod to rotate to drive the guide rail to slide horizontally relative to the sliding block, and one end of the guide rail is provided with the position positioning camera and the clamping mechanism.

[0008] By the above technical solution, the stability and reliability during the charging connection process are enhanced, and the automatic clamping and fixing of the fixed arm are realized.

[0009] Further, the charging connection male head is further provided with a magnetic attraction component for attracting a charging connection female seat of the target mobile robot.

[0010] By the above technical solution, the stability and reliability during the charging process are further enhanced.

[0011] Further, the charging arm is slidingly connected with the machine body, and a connection positioning camera is further arranged at one end of the charging arm provided with the charging connection male head, and the connection positioning camera and the charging arm are electrically connected with the controller respectively.

[0012] By the above technical solution, the automatic positioning of the charging arm is realized, and the charging connectable range is expanded.

[0013] Further, the charging arm comprises a first joint and a second joint, the first joint comprising a first sliding block, a first guide rail, a first screw rod and a first motor, the first guide rail being fixedly connected with the machine body, and the first motor being used for controlling the first screw rod to rotate to drive the first sliding block to slide vertically on the first guide rail; the second joint comprising a second sliding block, a second guide rail, a second screw rod and a second motor, the second sliding block being fixedly connected with the first sliding block, and the second motor being used for controlling the second screw rod to rotate to drive the second guide rail to slide horizontally relative to the second sliding block, and one end of the second guide rail being provided with the connection positioning camera and the charging connection male head.

[0014] By the above technical solution, the moving range of the charging connection male head is expanded, so that the mobile robot can be applied to different charging interface positions, and the technical effects of expanding the application range and improving the charging connectability are obtained.

[0015] Further, the charging arm comprises a first joint, a second joint and a third joint, each of which comprises a slider, a guide rail, a screw rod and a motor for controlling the rotation of the screw rod to drive the slider to move along the guide rail, wherein the guide rail of the first joint is horizontally fixed on the charging machine, the guide rail of the second joint is vertically fixed on the slider of the first joint, the guide rail of the third joint is in a horizontal direction and perpendicular to the guide rail of the first joint, and the slider of the third joint is fixed with the slider of the second joint.

[0016] Through the above technical solution, the movement of the charging connection male head with more degrees of freedom is realized, thereby further improving the charging connectivity.

[0017] Further, an omnidirectional motor device is arranged at the bottom of the machine body, the omnidirectional motor device comprises an omnidirectional wheel and a driving motor for driving the omnidirectional wheel, and the driving motor is electrically connected with the controller.

[0018] Through the above technical solution, the automatic cruise of the charging machine to the mobile robot is further realized.

[0019] Further, the clamping mechanism is a fixed claw, and an anti-skid layer is arranged on the clamping surface of the fixed claw.

[0020] Through the above technical solution, the anti-skid effect is realized when the mobile robot is clamped and fixed.

[0021] Further, the air cooling system comprises a high-pressure air pump and a refrigeration system, wherein the air inlet end of the high-pressure air pump is communicated with the external atmosphere through a ventilation opening, the air outlet end of the high-pressure air pump is communicated with the refrigeration system through an air pipe, and the air outlet end of the refrigeration system is communicated with the air outlet hole on the charging connection male head through an air pipe.

[0022] Through the above technical solution, a large-flow low-temperature air flow can be generated, better cooling effect is realized, thereby more types of mobile robot batteries can be adapted to support different degrees of fast high-rate charging.

[0023] Further, the mobile robot is an unmanned machine.

[0024] The present invention also provides a mobile robot charging method for the mobile robot charging system described above. The method includes the following steps: (1) after the target mobile robot stops, the stopping position information of the target mobile robot is obtained through a positioning camera, and the charger is controlled to move to the vicinity of the target mobile robot based on the stopping position information; (2) the position information of the clamped part of the target mobile robot is obtained through the positioning camera, and the fixed arm is controlled to clamp the target mobile robot based on the clamped part position information; (3) the charging interface position information of the target mobile robot is obtained through a connection positioning camera, and the charging connection male of the charging arm is aligned with the charging connection female of the target mobile robot based on the charging interface position information to establish a charging connection; (4) the power is turned on and charging begins. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of the mobile robot charging system of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2A and Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram of the charger for the mobile robot charging system of the present invention, wherein, Figure 2B for Figure 2A An enlarged diagram of the circled portion;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the fixed arm and the charging arm of the mobile robot charging system of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 4A and Figure 4B This is a schematic diagram of the internal workings of the charger in the mobile robot charging system of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the male charging connector of the mobile robot charging system of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the omnidirectional drive device of the mobile robot charging system of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of an omnidirectional wheel structure for the mobile robot charging system of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an optional three-joint charging arm for the mobile robot charging system of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0034] In the following embodiments, the mobile robot charging system of the present application will be described with the unmanned machine 2 as a specific example of the mobile robot. It can be understood that the mobile robot charging system of the present application can also be used to charge other mobile robots (such as various automatic logistics vehicles and the like).

[0035] Referring to Figures 1-5 The mobile robot charging system according to the present application comprises: a charging platform 1 for parking a target unmanned machine 2 to be charged; and a charging machine 3 comprising a machine body, wherein a charging arm 31, an air cooling system 38 and a controller are mounted on the machine body, one end of the charging arm 31 is connected to the machine body, and a charging connection male head 32 is arranged at the other end of the charging arm 31, the charging connection male head 32 is used to align with a charging connection female seat 20 on the target unmanned machine to realize charging connection (specifically, through an electrical connector 324), wherein an air outlet hole 321 for outputting gas to the battery pack of the target unmanned machine 2 is arranged on the charging connection male head 32, the air outlet hole 321 is communicated with the air cooling system through an air pipe, and the controller is electrically connected with the charging arm 31 and the air cooling system.

[0036] It can be understood that the above-mentioned mobile robot charging system does not necessarily comprise a separate charging platform 1, and the target unmanned machine 2 can also be directly parked on the ground.

[0037] Regarding the charging machine 3, a power supply box 391 and a power supply interface 392 can also be provided, the power supply box has a storage battery, the storage battery can be charged through the power supply interface, and when the unmanned machine needs to be charged, the charging machine charges the storage battery to the unmanned machine. Similarly, the charging machine of the present embodiment can also be powered by wire, and the external power supply is connected through the power supply interface to directly provide the power for charging the unmanned machine.

[0038] In the above-mentioned embodiments, since the air outlet hole 321 for outputting gas to the battery pack of the target unmanned machine is arranged on the charging connection male head 32, and the air outlet hole 321 is communicated with the air cooling system in the charging machine 3, the air cooling connection can be realized at the same time as the charging connection of the charging connection male head 32 and the charging connection female seat 20 on the target unmanned machine. Therefore, while charging the battery pack of the unmanned machine, the battery pack is cooled by outputting low-temperature gas to the battery pack, thereby avoiding the safety problem caused by fast and high-rate charging.

[0039] In specific embodiments, the charging connection female seat 20 of the unmanned machine can be provided with a gas hole corresponding to the gas outlet hole 321 (which communicates with the internal gas pipeline of the battery pack), so that the delivery of low-temperature gas to the battery pack is realized through the docking of the gas hole. Further, the charging connection male head 32 can be provided with a gas outlet hole 321 and a gas inlet hole 322, and the charging connection female seat 20 is provided with corresponding or aligned gas inlet and outlet holes (which respectively communicate with the gas inlet and outlet ends of the internal gas pipeline of the battery pack), so that the battery pack is cooled by circulating the low-temperature gas in the battery pack.

[0040] Further, the air cooling system 38 mounted on the machine body can include a high-pressure gas pump 301 and a refrigeration system 302, wherein the gas inlet end of the high-pressure gas pump 301 can communicate with the external atmosphere through the air vent, the gas outlet end of the high-pressure gas pump 301 communicates with the refrigeration system 302 through the gas pipe, and the gas outlet end of the refrigeration system 302 communicates with the gas outlet hole 321 on the charging connection male head 32 through the gas pipe.

[0041] Through the above technical solution, a large flow of low-temperature gas flow can be generated, achieving better cooling effect, so as to adapt to more models of unmanned machine batteries and support different degrees of rapid high-rate charging.

[0042] Further, for example, referring to Figures 1-2B The machine body is also provided with a fixing arm 33, which can be slidingly connected with the machine body. One end of the fixing arm 33 is provided with a position positioning camera 34 and a clamping mechanism 35, and the position positioning camera 34 and the fixing arm 33 are respectively electrically connected with the controller.

[0043] In this further embodiment, since the fixing arm 33 is slidingly connected with the machine body, the information of the clamped part of the target unmanned machine 2 can be obtained through the position positioning camera 34, and the controller controls the fixing arm 33 to extend forward to clamp the target unmanned machine through the clamping mechanism 35. In specific embodiments, the clamped part 21 of the target unmanned machine can be provided with a positioning mark 22 to facilitate the capture of the position positioning camera 34.

[0044] Through this technical solution, the target unmanned machine 2 is clamped and fixed, thereby enhancing the stability and reliability during the charging connection process and the charging process.

[0045] Further, a magnetic attraction component can also be provided on the charging connection male head 32, for example, an electromagnet 323 is provided at the four corners of the charging connection male head, and a metal sheet 24 can be provided at the corresponding position of the charging connection female seat 20 of the target unmanned machine 2. The power supply of the electromagnet is controlled by the controller to be turned on, so that it is attracted to the metal sheet, thereby fixing the charging connection male head 32 with the charging connection female seat 20 of the target unmanned machine, improving the reliability and stability of the charging process.

[0046] As to the fixing arm 33, it can comprise a joint comprising a slider 331, a guide rail 332, a screw 333 and a motor 334, wherein the slider 331 is fixedly connected with the body, the motor 334 is used for controlling the rotation of the screw 333 to drive the guide rail 332 to slide horizontally relative to the slider 331, and one end of the guide rail 332 is provided with the position positioning camera 34 and the clamping mechanism 35.

[0047] In specific embodiments, the clamping mechanism 35 can adopt a fixed jaw, and preferably, the clamping surface of the fixed jaw can be provided with an anti-skid layer, such as a rubber layer 351 with a toothed structure, for preventing skidding, increasing the friction force during fixing, and reducing damage to the clamped part of the target unmanned machine.

[0048] In addition, a lighting module 345 can also be arranged adjacent to the position positioning camera 34, and the lighting module 345 is electrically connected with the controller to increase the illumination intensity, improve the image quality (brightness, contrast, etc.), improve the positioning accuracy, and improve the identification positioning speed, etc.

[0049] In further embodiments of the present application, the charging arm 31 can be slidingly connected with the body, and a connection positioning camera 36 is arranged at one end of the charging arm 31 provided with the charging connection male head 32, and the connection positioning camera 36 and the charging arm 31 are respectively electrically connected with the controller.

[0050] In this further embodiment, since the charging arm 31 is slidingly connected with the body, the controller can obtain the position information of the charging interface of the target unmanned machine through the connection positioning camera 36 on the charging arm 31 to control the movement (e.g., forward extension) of the charging arm 31, so that the charging connection male head 32 on the charging arm 31 is aligned with the charging connection female seat 20 on the target unmanned machine, thereby expanding the charging connectable range of the charging connection male head 32 and improving the charging connectability.

[0051] Similarly, a lighting module 345 can also be arranged adjacent to the connection positioning camera 36, and the lighting module is electrically connected with the controller to increase the illumination intensity, improve the image quality (brightness, contrast, etc.), improve the positioning accuracy, and improve the identification positioning speed, etc.

[0052] Further, referring to Figure 2B, the charging arm 31 can include a first joint 310 and a second joint 311, the first joint 310 including a first slider 3101, a first guide rail 3102, a first screw 3103 and a first motor 3104, the first guide rail 3102 being fixedly connected to the body, the first motor 3104 being used to control the rotation of the first screw 3103 to drive the first slider 3101 to slide in the vertical direction on the first guide rail 3102; the second joint 311 including a second slider 3111, a second guide rail 3112, a second screw 3113 and a second motor 3114, the second slider 3111 being fixedly connected to the first slider 3101, the second motor 3114 being used to control the rotation of the second screw 3113 to drive the second guide rail 3112 to slide in the horizontal direction relative to the second slider 3111, one end of the second guide rail 3112 being provided with the connection positioning camera 36 and the charging connection male head 32.

[0053] By the above technical solution, the vertical and horizontal movement of the charging connection male head 32 is realized, thereby expanding the movement range of the charging connection male head 32, so that the unmanned machine with different charging interface positions can be applied, the application range is expanded, and the charging connectivity is improved.

[0054] Preferably, to further enhance the adaptability, the above-mentioned double-joint arm can be modified into a three-joint mechanical arm, specifically, referring to Figure 8 , the charging arm 31 includes a first joint 310, a second joint 311 and a third joint 312, the first joint, the second joint and the third joint each including a slider 3105, a guide rail 3106, a screw 3107 and a motor 3108 used to control the rotation of the screw 3107 to drive the slider 3105 to move along the guide rail, wherein the guide rail of the first joint is fixed horizontally on the charging machine, the guide rail of the second joint is fixed vertically on the slider of the first joint, the guide rail of the third joint is in the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the guide rail of the first joint, and the slider of the third joint is fixed with the slider of the second joint.

[0055] Since the target unmanned machine 2 is parked on the charging platform 1, the charging machine 3 can not be located near the target unmanned machine 2, and the movement of the charging arm 31 alone cannot realize the charging connection. Moreover, even if the charging machine 3 is located near the target unmanned machine 2, the position of the charging arm 31 can not be able to realize the docking of the charging connection male head 32 and the charging connection female seat of the unmanned machine 2, at which time manual assistance can be needed to place the charging machine 3 at a suitable position, thereby increasing the labor cost.

[0056] In order to solve the technical problem, in a further embodiment of the present application, an omnidirectional motor device 37 can be arranged at the bottom of the body of the charging machine, the omnidirectional motor device 37 comprising omnidirectional wheels 371 and a driving motor 372 for driving the omnidirectional wheels 371, the driving motor 372 being electrically connected to the controller, so that the controller can control the driving motor 372 to drive the omnidirectional wheels 371 to rotate through a control instruction.

[0057] In a specific embodiment, the driving motor 372 is arranged at the bottom of the body of the charging machine, and four driving motors are arranged to drive four omnidirectional wheels 371, so that the charging machine can move in various directions. The number of omnidirectional wheels 371 and driving motors 372 is not limited to four, but can also be other numbers.

[0058] Specifically, referring to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the omnidirectional wheel 371 comprises a wheel body 3710 and a biasing member 3711, and a plurality of biasing members are arranged in sequence along the circumferential side of the wheel body in the rotating direction, and each biasing member is arranged in the same direction relative to the rotating axis direction of the wheel body. The circumferential side of the wheel body in the rotating direction is the contact surface with the charging platform, and the biasing members are arranged at an angle on the contact surface, rather than being arranged perpendicular or parallel to the rotating axis direction. The biasing members of the present embodiment are cylindrical, and can also be spherical or arc-shaped. In this way, when the omnidirectional wheel rotates forward, the biasing members contact and rub against each other on the charging platform, generating two driving forces perpendicular to each other on the omnidirectional wheel, one driving force driving the wheel forward, and the other driving force driving the wheel to move on the side perpendicular to the forward direction. Specifically, the four omnidirectional wheels of the present embodiment are used through left-right symmetry and front-back symmetry, and by adjusting and controlling the rotating speed and rotating direction of each omnidirectional wheel, the movement of the charging machine in various directions can be realized.

[0059] In the above embodiment, when the target unmanned machine 2 is parked on the charging platform 1, the parking position information of the target unmanned machine 2 can be obtained through the position positioning camera 34, and the controller controls the omnidirectional motor device 37 to move the charging machine 3 to the vicinity of the target unmanned machine 2 and rotate around it to make the position positioning camera 34 capture the clamped part position information of the target unmanned machine 2, and the controller controls the fixed arm 33 to move (for example, to stretch forward) according to the clamped part position information to clamp and fix the target unmanned machine 2. After clamping and fixing the target unmanned machine 2, the charging interface position information of the target unmanned machine 2 is further captured through the connecting positioning camera 36 on the charging arm 31, and the controller controls the charging arm to move according to the charging interface position information, so that the charging connecting connector 32 establishes a charging connection with the charging interface of the target unmanned machine 2. Through this technical solution, the automatic cruising and automatic charging of the charging machine 3 to the unmanned machine 2 are realized.

[0060] In the present application, the position locating camera 34 identifies the parking position of the target unmanned machine 2 in the picture of the charging platform 1 through image processing and image analysis based on machine vision and other recognition technologies. Then, the target unmanned machine 2 is photographed to identify the clamped position of the target unmanned machine 2 through visual recognition. The connection locating camera 36 photographs the target unmanned machine 2 to identify the connection port position of the target unmanned machine 2 through visual recognition after the target unmanned machine 2 is clamped by the fixing claw. Specifically, the position / connection locating camera can be a common or infrared camera. Preferably, the corresponding position of the unmanned machine is provided with an identifiable positioning mark 22, which can be used to identify the parking position and the clamped position 21 of the target unmanned machine 2, and to identify the connection port position of the connection locating camera. As described above, the body can also be provided with a lighting module 345, which is electrically connected with the controller to increase the light intensity, improve the image quality (brightness, contrast, etc.), improve the positioning accuracy, and improve the identification speed and other indicators when the position / connection locating camera is working.

[0061] In addition, referring to Figure 1 , the charging platform 1 can be provided with a parking positioning mark 11, which can be an image mark or a signal element. Specifically, the image mark can be an image with a certain range or reference point, and the signal element can be a positioning mark with electromagnetic wave characteristics, such as a black and white or colored non-active light pattern, image, or visible light source, heat source, ray source, and emission antenna with a certain color / spectrum.

[0062] Preferably, the charging platform 1 is coated with a smooth wear-resistant layer, which is used to reduce the moving resistance of the charging machine and protect the parking positioning mark. The charging platform can be subjected to appropriate surface treatment, material coating, and other processes to make its surface smooth and wear-resistant, so as to reduce the moving resistance and prevent the parking positioning mark from being scratched, covered, or damaged by the movement of the unmanned machine and the charging machine.

[0063] Preferably, the edge of the charging platform 1 can also be provided with a limiting piece 12, which is used to limit the moving range of the charging machine 3 on the charging platform 1. The side of the limiting piece 12 close to the charging machine 3 can also be provided with a buffer piece 13, which can be an elastic buffer piece. When the charging machine 3 moves to the boundary, the buffer piece 13 blocks the charging machine 3 from moving out of the charging platform 1, and at the same time, reduces the impact force of the charging machine 3.

[0064] The charging process of the embodiment of the present application is described below:

[0065] When the target unmanned machine 2 is parked on the charging platform 1, the position positioning camera 34 of the charger 3 captures the target unmanned machine, the controller obtains the parking position thereof, the controller drives the omnidirectional mobile device 37 to move the charger 3 according to the parking position, and the charger 3 is automatically moved to the vicinity of the target unmanned machine 2 and moves around the unmanned machine 2, so that the position positioning camera 34 captures the position of the clamped part 21 of the unmanned machine, the controller controls the fixed arm 33 to move to the clamped part 21 of the unmanned machine 2 according to the obtained position information, and clamps the unmanned machine 2 with the fixed claw after reaching the position. Then the connection positioning camera 36 captures the position of the charging connection female seat 20 of the unmanned machine 2, the controller controls the charging connection male head 32 of the charging arm 31 to move to the charging connection female seat 20 according to the obtained position information, so as to establish the charging connection, and in the process, the connection positioning camera 36 monitors the connection process to continuously correct the position of the charging arm 31.

[0066] When the charging connection male head 32 is aligned with the female seat 20 and touches the female seat 20, the controller supplies power to the electromagnet 323, and the metal sheet 24 on the charging connection female seat 20 is attracted to the electromagnet 323, so that the position of the charging connection male head 32 and the female seat 20 is fixed, and the electrical and gas connection between the charging system and the unmanned machine 2 is completed.

[0067] The controller starts the gas cooling system and turns on the power supply, and starts charging.

[0068] When the unmanned machine 2 is fully charged, the controller turns off the power supply and stops the gas cooling system. The controller turns off the power supply of the electromagnet 323, so that the charging arm 31 is separated from the unmanned machine 2, and the controller controls the charging arm 31 to return to the original position. The controller controls the fixed claw to release the unmanned machine 2, and controls the fixed arm 33 to return to the original position. If necessary, the controller controls the charger 3 to drive away from the unmanned machine 2 by a distance, so that the charger 3 timely and safely leaves the charging platform 1.

[0069] The mobile robot charging system of the present application has the following functions or technical effects:

[0070] (1) The present application actively finds the position information of the mobile robot to be charged through the positioning camera based on the recognition technology such as machine vision, first finds the parking position of the mobile robot, controls the omnidirectional mobile device to automatically make the charger approach the mobile robot, and then finds the charging port position of the mobile robot through the movement around the mobile robot, controls the charging arm to perform the charging connection, so that the requirement for the landing positioning accuracy of the mobile robot is reduced, the charging connection can be realized even if there is a position error in the parking of the mobile robot, and the technical effects of low charging position requirement, efficient and convenient charging connection, and automatic charging are achieved.

[0071] (2) The application fixes the target mobile robot through the clamping mechanism, and fixes the charging connection male head to the charging interface of the target mobile robot through the electromagnet, thereby enhancing the stability and reliability of the charging connection process and the charging process.

[0072] (3) The application expands the moving range of the charging connection head through the double-joint power transmission arm, is suitable for more mobile robots with different charging interface positions, and achieves the technical effects of expanding the application range and improving the charging connectivity.

[0073] (4) The application generates large-flow low-temperature airflow through the high-pressure air pump and the refrigeration system, thereby having better cooling effect, being suitable for more models of mobile robot batteries, and supporting the batteries to be rapidly and high-ratio charged in different degrees.

[0074] (5) The application sets the parking positioning mark on the charging platform, provides the parking positioning guidance for the mobile robot, makes the mobile robot stop in the charging range of the charging platform, coats the smooth wear-resistant layer on the charging platform to reduce the moving resistance, and prevents the parking positioning mark from being scratched, covered, damaged, and blocked by the mobile robot and the charger, thereby achieving the technical effects of reducing the parking abnormality of the mobile robot and prolonging the service life.

[0075] (6) The application sets the limiting piece on the edge of the charging platform to limit the moving range of the charger, and the edge is also provided with the buffer piece to slow down the impact of the charger on the limiting piece and prevent the charger from moving out of the charging platform.

[0076] The above is only the preferred embodiment of the application, and it should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, without departing from the inventive concept, several modifications and improvements can be made, which all belong to the protection scope of the application.

Claims

1. A mobile robot charging system, characterized in that, include: A charger includes a body on which a charging arm, an air-cooling system, and a controller are mounted. One end of the charging arm is connected to the body, and the other end has a male charging connector for aligning with a female charging connector on a target mobile robot to establish a charging connection. The male charging connector has an outlet for supplying gas to the target mobile robot's battery pack. This outlet is connected to the air-cooling system via an air pipe. The controller is electrically connected to the charging arm and the air-cooling system. The female charging connector has an outlet corresponding to the outlet and connected to an internal gas pipe in the battery pack, thereby enabling the supply of cooling gas to the battery pack through the alignment of these outlets. The air-cooling system includes a high-pressure air pump and a refrigeration system. The air inlet of the high-pressure air pump is connected to the outside atmosphere through a vent, and the air outlet of the high-pressure air pump is connected to the refrigeration system through an air pipe. The air outlet of the refrigeration system is connected to the air outlet of the charging connector through an air pipe. The machine body is also equipped with a fixed arm, which is slidably connected to the machine body. One end of the fixed arm is provided with a position positioning camera and a clamping mechanism. The position positioning camera and the fixed arm are electrically connected to the controller. The fixed arm includes a joint, which includes a slider, a guide rail, a screw, and a motor. The slider is fixedly connected to the machine body. The motor is used to control the rotation of the screw to drive the guide rail to slide horizontally relative to the slider. One end of the guide rail is provided with the position positioning camera and the clamping mechanism. The male charging connector is also provided with a magnetic component for attaching the female charging connector to the target mobile robot. The charging arm is slidably connected to the body, and a connection positioning camera is also provided at one end of the charging arm where the charging connection male head is located. The connection positioning camera and the charging arm are electrically connected to the controller.

2. The mobile robot charging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The charging arm includes a first joint and a second joint. The first joint includes a first slider, a first guide rail, a first screw, and a first motor. The first guide rail is fixedly connected to the body. The first motor controls the rotation of the first screw to drive the first slider to slide vertically on the first guide rail. The second joint includes a second slider, a second guide rail, a second screw, and a second motor. The second slider is fixedly connected to the first slider. The second motor controls the rotation of the second screw to drive the second guide rail to slide horizontally relative to the second slider. One end of the second guide rail is provided with the connection positioning camera and the charging connector.

3. The mobile robot charging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The charging arm includes a first joint, a second joint, and a third joint. Each of the first, second, and third joints includes a slider, a guide rail, a screw, and a motor for controlling the rotation of the screw to drive the slider to move along the guide rail. The guide rail of the first joint is horizontally fixed to the charger, the guide rail of the second joint is vertically fixed to the slider of the first joint, the guide rail of the third joint is horizontal and perpendicular to the guide rail of the first joint, and the slider of the third joint is fixed to the slider of the second joint.

4. The mobile robot charging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, An omnidirectional motion device is provided at the bottom of the machine body. The omnidirectional motion device includes omnidirectional wheels and a drive motor for driving the omnidirectional wheels. The drive motor is electrically connected to the controller.

5. The mobile robot charging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping mechanism is a fixed claw, and the clamping surface of the fixed claw is provided with an anti-slip layer.

6. The mobile robot charging system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The mobile robot is an unmanned machine.

7. A method for charging a mobile robot, characterized in that, For the mobile robot charging system as described in claim 4, the method includes the following steps: (1) After the target mobile robot stops, the stopping position information of the target mobile robot is obtained through the positioning camera, and the charger is controlled to move to the vicinity of the target mobile robot based on the stopping position information; (2) The position information of the clamped part of the target mobile robot is obtained by the position positioning camera, and the fixed arm is controlled to clamp the target mobile robot based on the position information of the clamped part. (3) Obtain the charging interface location information of the target mobile robot by connecting the positioning camera, and control the charging connection male of the charging arm to align with the charging connection female of the target mobile robot based on the charging interface location information, so as to establish a charging connection. (4) Connect the power supply and start charging.

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