A robot and its power management system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a robot and its power management system. The robot power management system includes: an MCU, the MCU is connected to an auxiliary power supply module and a charging control module; the auxiliary power supply module is used to supply power to the MCU; the charging control module is used to be arranged between a charging interface and a battery to charge the battery under the control of the MCU; the auxiliary power supply module includes a first power supply branch and a second power supply branch; the first power supply branch is used to connect to the charging interface to supply power to the MCU through the charging interface in the shutdown state; the second power supply branch is used to connect to the battery to supply power to the MCU through the battery in the startup state. Whether the robot is in the startup state or the shutdown state, the present invention can realize normal charging of the battery, thereby improving the stability of the robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of robotics. More specifically, the present invention relates to a robot and its power management system. Background Art

[0002] In fields such as industry, agriculture, and even daily life, robots can replace humans to perform some repetitive labor, and operate in some places where people cannot enter or dangerous environments, thus bringing great convenience to production and living activities. Therefore, robot technology has been more and more widely applied.

[0003] Taking the relatively common inspection robot as an example, it can not only achieve the walking function through the motor and the walking mechanism, but also realize the function of collecting on-site information through devices such as the mounted camera. Some types of inspection robots also have functions such as environmental perception, path planning, automatic obstacle avoidance, and automatic docking with charging piles for charging.

[0004] However, existing robots have exposed many problems in power management. For example, the robot cannot be manually charged after shutdown; sudden shutdown may occur during the operation of the robot due to low battery power; the robot has high power consumption and poor endurance; and there is arcing when the robot docks with the charging pile, resulting in damage to contactors or contacts, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a robot and its power management system, which are at least used to solve the problem of how to charge the robot in the powered-on state and the powered-off state.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a robot power management system is provided, including: an MCU, an auxiliary power supply module, and a charging control module. The MCU is connected to the auxiliary power supply module and the charging control module; the auxiliary power supply module is used to supply power to the MCU; the charging control module is used to be arranged between the charging interface and the battery to charge the battery under the control of the MCU; the auxiliary power supply module includes a first power supply branch and a second power supply branch; the first power supply branch is used to connect to the charging interface to supply power to the MCU through the charging interface in the powered-off state; the second power supply branch is used to connect to the battery to supply power to the MCU through the battery in the powered-on state.

[0007] In one embodiment, the first power supply branch and the second power supply branch include a shared auxiliary power supply DC-DC. The output end of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC is connected to the MCU to provide direct current suitable for the MCU.

[0008] In one embodiment, the first power supply branch includes a first filter circuit, the second power supply branch includes a second filter circuit, and the first filter circuit and the second filter circuit are connected to the input end of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first filter circuit includes a first surge protection circuit and a pre-start circuit connected in series. The first surge protection circuit is used to connect to the charging interface, and the pre-start circuit is used to connect to the input end of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC. An on-peg detection circuit is also provided between the first filter circuit and the MCU, and the on-peg detection circuit is used to detect whether the first filter circuit is powered on.

[0010] In one embodiment, the second filter circuit includes a second surge protection circuit and a start-up circuit connected in series. The second surge protection circuit is used to connect to the battery, the start-up circuit is used to connect to the input end of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC, and the start-up circuit includes an operation switch, and the operation switch is used to conduct when the start-up operation is executed. A start-up detection circuit is also connected between the second filter circuit and the MCU, and the start-up detection circuit is used to detect the state of the start-up circuit.

[0011] In one embodiment, the robot power management system further includes at least one main power supply module, and the main power supply module is used to supply power to the main control unit and the peripheral unit of the robot. The main power supply module includes a first main power supply module and a second main power supply module. The first main power supply module includes a third filter circuit, a first power supply, and a plurality of first output branches. A first control switch controlled by the MCU is provided between the third filter circuit and the first power supply, and on each of the first output branches. The second main power supply module includes a fourth filter circuit, a second power supply, and a plurality of second output branches. A second control switch controlled by the MCU is provided between the fourth filter circuit and the second power supply, and on each of the second output branches. An AD sampling circuit is connected to the first output branch and the second output branch, and the AD sampling circuit is used to sample the voltages of the first output branch and the second output branch and provide them to the MCU.

[0012] In one embodiment, after the first main power supply module is powered on, it supplies power to the devices corresponding to each first output branch one by one with a time delay. After the second main power supply module is powered on, it supplies power to the devices corresponding to each second output branch one by one with a time delay.

[0013] In one embodiment, the robot power management system further includes a motor power supply module, and the motor power supply module is used to be arranged between the battery and the motor drive unit to supply power to the motor drive unit.

[0014] In one embodiment, the MCU is connected to the main control unit of the robot via the CAN bus to obtain commands from the main control unit; the MCU is connected to the battery management system (BMS) via the RS485 bus to obtain battery power information; the MCU is also connected to the battery through an IO port sampling connection to collect the voltage and / or current of the battery.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a robot, including: a main control unit for controlling the robot; a charging interface for connecting to a charging pile to charge the battery of the robot; and also including any one of the above power management systems.

[0016] Based on the embodiments of the present invention, the battery can be normally charged whether the robot is in the powered-on state or the powered-off state, thereby improving the stability of the robot.

[0017] Furthermore, based on the embodiments of the present invention, the robot can obtain battery power information at any time, and then calculate the remaining driving range or driving time of the robot, so as to reasonably plan and arrange tasks and avoid the phenomenon of power-off during task execution.

[0018] Still further, based on the embodiments of the present invention, the robot can control certain components to be turned off or woken up through the robot power management system according to task requirements, thereby improving the endurance of the robot.

[0019] Even further, based on the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the inrush current when the robot is docked with the charging pile, thereby avoiding damage to contactors or contacts caused by arcing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] By reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become readily understood. In the drawings, several embodiments of the present invention are shown in an exemplary rather than restrictive manner, and the same or corresponding reference numerals represent the same or corresponding parts, wherein:

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a robot and its power management system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an auxiliary power supply module of a robot power management system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a first filter circuit of an auxiliary power supply module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4Schematic diagram of the second filter circuit of the auxiliary power supply module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a charging control module of a robot power management system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the first main power supply module and the second main power supply module of a robot power management system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of a motor power supply module of a robot power management system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the communication module and the operation control module of a robot power management system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 9 Charging control flow chart according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 10 Power-on control flow chart according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0031] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] As Figure 1 shows a robot and its power management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 1 shown, in an application scenario, the robot mainly includes a charging interface, a battery, a robot power management system, a main control unit, a motion control unit, a motor drive unit, a first actuator unit, a second actuator unit, and other peripheral units.

[0033] Among them, the charging interface is used to connect to a charging pile. When the charging interface of the robot is docked with the charging pile, the charging pile charges the battery through the charging interface. For example, the charging interface can be in the form of a charging plug / jack. In one implementation scenario, the robot can automatically find the charging pile and dock the charging interface with the charging pile; in another implementation scenario, the operator can also dock the charging interface to the charging pile.

[0034] A battery, which is used to store electrical energy and power the entire robot. For example, the battery can be a rechargeable battery such as a lithium battery or a lead-acid battery, and the single cells can be formed into a battery pack in a series and / or parallel manner.

[0035] A robot power management system, which is used to control the charging interface to charge the battery and manage the power supply to each component of the entire robot. Each component of the robot, for example, includes Figure 1 the main control unit, the motor drive unit, the actuator unit, etc. in

[0036] The main control unit is the core control component of the robot. For example, it can be used to execute human-computer interaction functions such as speech recognition, image recognition, and speech output. The motion control unit is a control unit dedicated to controlling the robot's walking, obstacle avoidance, and path planning to achieve motion-related functions; in other embodiments, the motion control unit can also be replaced by the main control unit, that is, the main control unit executes the algorithms related to the robot's motion functions. The sensor unit, including sensors such as radar and laser sensors, belongs to the environmental perception components of the robot. For example, in order to implement obstacle avoidance control, the information obtained by the sensor unit needs to be provided to the motion control unit, and the motion control unit controls the robot to execute predetermined actions.

[0037] The first actuator unit, the second actuator unit, and other peripheral units are the auxiliary function components of the robot and can be collectively referred to as peripheral units. For example, the peripheral unit can be a lighting-on mechanism / lighting-off mechanism, or a door-opening mechanism / door-closing mechanism, or a pan-tilt mechanism (a camera can be mounted on the pan-tilt). There are various types of peripheral units. According to the characteristics and functional requirements of the robot, different peripheral units can be installed, and the present invention does not limit this.

[0038] The motor drive unit is used to drive the motor, and the motor drives the walking mechanism of the robot through a transmission structure, thereby realizing the walking of the robot. For example, the motor can be an AC motor, and the motor drive unit can be a device such as an inverter or a frequency converter; the motor can also be a DC motor, and the motor drive unit can be a DC-DC converter.

[0039] Such as Figure 1As shown in the figure, the robot power management system includes an MCU, which is controllably connected to a charging control module, a first main power supply module 30, a second main power supply module 40, and a motor power supply module 50. Among them, the auxiliary power supply module 10 can provide the required DC voltage for the entire robot power management system including the MCU. The MCU can adopt various processors such as 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit processors. For example, if the MCU is a processor with a working voltage of 3.3V, the auxiliary power supply module 10 generates a 3.3V DC voltage. The first main power supply module 30 is used to supply power to the main control unit, the motion control unit, and the sensor unit. The main reason is that the voltage levels required by the main control unit, the motion control unit, and the sensor unit are the same, all being low-voltage direct current. Similarly, the second main power supply module 40 generates medium-voltage direct current (here, medium-voltage is relative to the above-mentioned low-voltage) to supply power to various peripheral units. The motor power supply module 50 is used to supply power to the motor drive unit, providing high-voltage direct current (here, high-voltage is relative to the above-mentioned medium-voltage and low-voltage). In one embodiment, the so-called low-voltage direct current, medium-voltage direct current, and high-voltage direct current can be 12V, 24V, and 48V.

[0040] As Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the thick lines represent the power supply lines, the thin lines represent the control lines, and B represents the battery. It can be seen that the first power supply module, the second power supply module, and the motor power supply module are all powered by the battery. In addition, the MCU is also connected to a communication module and an operation control module. The communication module can include various types of communication interfaces for other components to interact with the MCU. The operation control module can be various input devices such as buttons and keys. These input devices can be operated by the operator, and the MCU executes relevant controls according to the states of these input devices.

[0041] The above content introduces an application scenario of the robot power management system of the present invention. The robot power management system integrates all the power management functions of the entire robot, enabling other components of the robot to completely not need to consider the power supply problem, thus providing convenience for the design of the robot. That is, when designing various functions of the robot, one can focus on the development of these functions without considering how to supply power to the devices therein. In other words, the robot power management system of the present invention is equivalent to an independent power supply component in the robot, which is separated from the control components of the robot (such as the main control unit), the motion components of the robot (such as the motion control unit, the sensor unit), etc., enabling each component to focus on the realization of its own function and the functions of each other not to cross.

[0042] In the application of robots, there is a situation: when the robot is powered on, the main control unit, motion control unit, etc. are all in the working state; in the working state, the robot can find the charging pile by itself for charging; however, if the robot is powered off, at this time, the main control unit, motion control unit, etc. do not work, and the robot cannot find the charging pile by itself for charging; even if the charging interface of the robot is artificially connected to the charging pile, since the main control unit of the robot itself does not work, the battery still cannot be charged. To solve this problem, the basic idea of the present invention is: based on the robot power management system as shown in Figure 1 A dedicated MCU independent of the main control unit is used for power supply control. Therefore, in the shutdown state of the robot, as long as the MCU is powered on, the charging control process can be completed, and during the charging process, the robot itself can always be in the shutdown state (the main control unit does not work), thus realizing the shutdown charging of the robot. For charging during startup, it can also be handled by the MCU.

[0043] Figure 2 Fig. shows an auxiliary power supply module 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The auxiliary power supply module 10 provides the power required by itself for the robot power management system including the MCU, and is used to implement the shutdown charging and startup charging functions of the above-mentioned inventive concept.

[0044] As shown in Figure 2 Fig., the auxiliary power supply module 10 includes two power supply branches, namely the first power supply branch and the second power supply branch (not labeled in the figure). The first power supply branch includes a first filter circuit 101, and the second power supply branch includes a second filter circuit 102. The first power supply branch and the second power supply branch share an auxiliary power supply DC-DC. The output terminal of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC is connected to the MCU to supply power to the MCU. In one embodiment, the working voltage of the MCU is 3.3V, while the voltage of the battery and the charging interface is 48V. Then, the auxiliary power supply DC-DC can adopt a 48V-3.3V buck circuit; or, a multi-stage buck circuit can also be adopted. For example, the auxiliary power supply DC-DC includes a primary DC-DC and a secondary DC-DC. The primary DC-DC reduces the voltage to 5V, and the secondary DC-DC further reduces 5V to 3.3V.

[0045] In the first power supply branch, the first filter circuit 101 is connected to the charging interface and the input terminal of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC. There is also a plug detection circuit between the first filter circuit 101 and the MCU. The plug detection circuit is used to detect the connection status between the charging interface and the charging pile. The first power supply branch is mainly used to implement the above-mentioned shutdown charging function. The principle is as follows: when the robot is shut down (at this time, the MCU is also powered off), after the charging interface is manually connected to the charging pile by the operator, the first filter circuit 101 provides a current path, enabling the charging pile to be electrically connected to the auxiliary power supply DC-DC, so that the auxiliary power supply DC-DC can supply power to the MCU; after the MCU is powered on, it can detect through the plug detection circuit that the charging interface has been connected to the charging pile. At this time, the MCU can start timing. After determining that the charging interface has been connected to the charging pile for a period of time, the MCU controls the charging control module 20 to charge the battery.

[0046] Among them, the plug detection circuit is used to detect whether the charging interface is connected to the charging pile, and it can be judged according to whether the first filter circuit is powered on. For example, the plug detection circuit can adopt an opto-isolation circuit (the specific circuit can refer to Figure 4 the power-on detection circuit implemented by the opto-isolation circuit in []) to sample the output voltage (or input voltage) of the first filter circuit 101. For example, if the plug detection circuit outputs a high level when the charging interface is connected to the charging pile, the MCU records the duration of the high level. If the duration exceeds a certain time (such as 20 s), it is determined that the charging interface has been connected to the charging pile, and the charging control module 20 is started to be controlled. In other embodiments, the plug detection circuit can also be implemented by a resistor voltage division circuit. The specific structure of the resistor voltage division circuit belongs to conventional technical means and will not be described in detail here.

[0047] In the second power supply branch, the second filter circuit 102 is connected to the battery and the input terminal of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC. The second filter circuit 102 includes a power-on circuit, and there is also a power-on detection circuit between the power-on circuit and the MCU. The power-on circuit is used to control the robot to power on; the power-on detection circuit is used to detect the state of the power-on circuit.

[0048] The principle of the second power supply branch includes: when the robot needs to power on, according to the operation of the operator, the power-on circuit connects the battery to the input terminal of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC through the second filter circuit 102, and the auxiliary power supply DC-DC starts to work to supply power to the MCU. After the MCU is powered on, it can determine the state of the power-on circuit through the power-on detection circuit; for example, if it is detected that the state of the power-on circuit is the power-on state, the MCU can power on each component one by one according to the set program; if it is detected that the state of the power-on circuit is the power-off state (or changes from the power-on state to the power-off state), the MCU can power off each component according to the set program.

[0049] Figure 3 A first filtering circuit 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 3 As shown, the first filter circuit 101 includes a first surge protection circuit and a pre-start circuit, and the first surge protection circuit and the pre-start circuit are connected in series. As an example, the first surge protection circuit includes a filter inductor L1, a varistor R1, a suppression diode TVS1 and a filter capacitor C1. The varistor R1 is a nonlinear resistor. When the voltage across it rises to a certain value, the resistor is very sensitive to the voltage. Therefore, it can be discharged when the voltage is high to avoid high voltage from causing damage to the subsequent circuit. It is at the front end of the first surge protection circuit. The suppression diode TVS1 has a clamping voltage limiting function, works in the reverse breakdown region, and is at the back end of the first surge protection circuit.

[0050] Sparks are prone to occur when the charging interface of the robot is docked with the charging pile. The reasons for sparks include: the internal capacitance of the auxiliary power supply module is large, and the contact jitter during docking generates a large contact resistance, thereby generating sparks. It is difficult to avoid the large contact resistance generated by contact jitter during docking (especially in the case of shutdown charging, because the MCU has not yet worked, it is impossible to use a delay control method to avoid the large contact resistance generated by contact jitter). Therefore, the present invention adopts a method of reducing the impact current to avoid it. The following is a specific description: The first filter circuit 101 is also provided with the above-mentioned pre-start circuit, which includes a switch tube Q1 (such as MOS tube Q1) and a current limiting resistor R2, and the MOS tube Q1 and the current limiting resistor R2 are connected in parallel. The MOS tube Q1 is controlled by the MCU. Under normal conditions, the MOS tube Q1 is in a cut-off state; for example, when the charging interface of the robot is docked with the charging pile, the MOS tube Q1 is in a cut-off state. The existence of the current limiting resistor R2 makes the current flowing through the circuit smaller, suppressing the instantaneous large current generated when the charging interface is docked with the charging pile, thereby avoiding the occurrence of sparks. When the charging port is connected to the charging pile for a certain period of time (the MCU can determine the duration based on the detection result of the pile detection circuit), the MCU controls the MOS tube Q1 to turn on, and the current limiting resistor R2 is short-circuited, so that the charging port can power the robot normally.

[0051] Among them, the MOS transistor Q1 can be replaced with other types of switching transistors, such as IGBTs, etc., or can also be replaced with devices such as relays. The resistance value of the current-limiting resistor R2 is relatively large, and it can be implemented by a negative temperature coefficient thermistor or by a resistor with a high resistance value. In addition, an anti-reverse diode D1 is also connected in series in the first filter circuit 101. The cathode of the anti-reverse diode D1 is connected to the auxiliary power supply DC-DC input terminal DC-IN, which is used to prevent the current from flowing back into the charging interface. For example, it can prevent: First, in the power-on state, the current of the second power supply branch passes through the first power supply branch, making the charging interface charged (it is dangerous for the charging interface to be charged when not connected to the charging pile); furthermore, in the power-on state, the battery reversely supplies power to the first power supply branch, resulting in the upper pile detection circuit detecting a wrong upper pile signal, causing misoperation of the switching device inside the charging control module and making the charging interface charged when not charging.

[0052] Figure 4 Figure 4 shows a second filter circuit 102 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 4 shown, the second filter circuit 102 includes a second surge protection circuit, a power-on circuit, and an anti-reverse diode D2. An on-state detection circuit is also provided between the second filter circuit 102 and the MCU.

[0053] As an example, the second surge protection circuit includes a filter inductor L2, a varistor R3, a suppression diode TVS2, and a filter capacitor C2. The varistor R3 is a non-linear resistor and is at the front end of the second surge protection circuit. The suppression diode TVS2 has a clamping voltage-limiting function and operates in the reverse breakdown region and is at the rear end of the second surge protection circuit.

[0054] As an example, the power-on circuit can be composed of an operation switch, which is equivalent to a power-on button. For example, a rocker switch K1 can be used. When the switch state is in the closed state, it can conduct the battery, the second filter circuit 102, and the auxiliary power supply DC-DC to supply power to the MCU, and then the MCU implements control to supply power to robot components such as the main control unit to turn on the robot. When the switch state is in the open state, the second filter circuit 102 is disconnected from the auxiliary power supply DC-DC. In other embodiments, the rocker switch can be replaced with a switch of the type such as a button or a key that can be self-locked after being pressed by the operator.

[0055] The on-state detection circuit is used to detect the state of the power-on circuit. As an example, it can be implemented by an opto-isolation circuit. The primary side of the opto-coupler device O1 in it is connected to the power-on circuit, for example, connected downstream of the rocker switch K1 (it can also be connected upstream of the rocker switch K1), and one terminal of the secondary side of the opto-coupler device O1 is used as the output terminal and connected to the IO port MCU-IO of the MCU. As Figure 4As shown, the output terminal MCU-IO is connected to the MCU power supply VCC through the pull-up resistor R4. Therefore, when the power-on circuit is in the conducting state (i.e., when the rocker switch K1 is in the closed state), the optocoupler device O1 conducts, and the MCU-IO on the secondary side is pulled to the ground potential, outputting a low level; when the power-on circuit is in the off state (i.e., when the rocker switch K1 is in the open state), the optocoupler device O1 is cut off, and the output terminal MCU-IO is pulled to the high potential by the pull-up resistor R4, outputting a high level. Additionally, in other embodiments, the power-on detection circuit can also be implemented using a resistor voltage division circuit, which will not be elaborated here. Additionally, the cathode of the reverse protection diode D2 is connected to the input terminal DC-IN of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC, which is used to prevent the current from flowing back into the battery. For example, to avoid: when charging, the current from the charging pile passes through the first power supply branch and then directly and uncontrollably charges the battery through the second power supply branch, which may burn out the first power supply branch and the second power supply branch through which the current flows.

[0056] Figure 3 and Figure 4 The reverse protection diode appears in both, and both the first filter circuit and the second filter circuit are connected to the input terminal DC-IN of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC. Therefore, the filter circuit with a higher output voltage will output to the auxiliary power supply DC-DC, while the filter circuit with a lower voltage will be clamped. That is to say, when charging in the power-on state, depending on the voltage values of the first filter circuit 101 and the second filter circuit 102, it is possible that the first filter circuit 101 (or the first power supply branch) supplies power to the MCU, or it is possible that the second filter circuit 102 (or the second power supply branch) supplies power to the MCU.

[0057] Through the above introduction of the first filter circuit 101 and the second filter circuit 102, the structure and principle of the auxiliary power supply module 10 are further illustrated. The main task of the auxiliary power supply module is to supply power to the MCU. The auxiliary power supply module 10 can not only supply power to the MCU when powering on, but also supply power to the MCU when powering off. After the MCU is powered on, if a plug-in signal is detected through the plug-in detection circuit (i.e., the level signal output by the plug-in detection circuit when the charging interface is connected to the charging pile), then the charging of the battery can start.

[0058] Figure 9 shows a charging control process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Since the MCU is powered on whether the robot is in the power-on state or the power-off state, this charging control process is suitable for both the power-on state and the power-off state of the robot.

[0059] such as Figure 9As shown, the charging control process includes: First, step S901 is executed. After the MCU is powered on, the plug-in signal is detected. Then, step S902 is executed. If the plug-in signal is detected, it is judged whether the plug-in signal can last for a period of time. The purpose of this step is to avoid false plug-in signals output by the plug-in detection circuit caused by interference information generated by the charging interface. Since the interference information generated by the charging interface is generally transient, while the actual plug-in signal is continuous, the plug-in signal can be continuously detected and timed, or detected again after a delay period after the plug-in signal is detected, thereby avoiding interference. Next, step S903 is executed. If the plug-in signal can last for a period of time, the charging control module 20 is started after a delay (because when automatically charging or manually docking the charging pile, due to reasons such as contact jitter, the contact resistance is too large, and charging at this time will cause phenomena such as contact point burning and scorching, so the main function of the delay is to avoid the docking time period, thereby avoiding the excessive contact resistance generated during charging), and the battery is charged. At the same time, step S904 and step S905 are executed to detect the charging current value and compare the detected charging current value with the allowed maximum current value and minimum current value. If it is greater than or equal to the maximum current value, it means that the charging current is over-limit. To protect the charging circuit and the battery, step S906 is executed to control the charging control module to disconnect the connection between the charging interface and the charging pile. If it is less than or equal to the minimum current value, it means that the battery is full, and step S907 is executed to indicate that the battery is full (for example, it can be indicated by an indicator light). If it is greater than the minimum current value (less than the maximum current value), it means that charging is in progress, and step S908 is executed to indicate that charging is in progress.

[0060] The above process involves the charging control module 20, which will be described in detail below.

[0061] Figure 5 A charging control module 20 is shown. The charging control module 20 mainly includes two parallel charging circuits. A contactor J1 is provided in one circuit, and a switching tube Q2 (such as a MOS tube) is provided in the other circuit. The MCU is controlled to connect the contactor J1 and the MOS tube Q2. As an example, the working current of the contactor J1 is relatively high, and the working current of the MOS tube Q2 is relatively small. Therefore, the contactor J1 can withstand a larger charging current. When it is necessary to increase the charging current, the MCU can control the contactor J1 to be closed and the MOS tube Q2 to be cut off, or control the contactor J1 to be closed and the MOS tube Q2 to be turned on; when a smaller charging current is required, the MOS tube Q2 can be controlled to be turned on and the contactor J1 to be disconnected. When it is necessary to disconnect the charging circuit, the contactor J1 is controlled to be disconnected and the MOS tube Q2 to be cut off. As Figure 5 The charging current detection circuit is also shown. In one embodiment, the charging current detection circuit can be implemented by a Hall current sensor to sample the charging current value.

[0062] The above mainly introduced the auxiliary power supply module 10 and the charging control module 20, which are mainly related to the power-on charging and power-off charging functions of the robot. Next, the first main power supply module 30, the second main power supply module 40, and the motor power supply module 50 will be introduced in sequence.

[0063] Figure 6 FIG. shows the first main power supply module 30 and the second main power supply module 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 6 shown, the first main power supply module 30 includes a third filter circuit, a control switch Q3, a 12V power supply, and three first output branches. Control switches Q31, Q32, and Q33 and an AD sampling circuit are respectively provided on the three first output branches. The third filter circuit is connected to the battery, and the three first output branches are respectively connected (see Figure 1 ) to the main control unit, the motion control unit, and the sensor unit; the AD sampling circuit is used to sample the voltage and / or current of each first output branch; the control switches Q3, Q31, Q32, and Q33 can be MOS transistors. Similarly, the second main power supply module 40 includes a fourth filter circuit, a control switch Q4 (which can be a MOS transistor, for example), a 24V power supply, and three second output branches. Control switches Q41, Q42, and Q43 and an AD sampling circuit are respectively provided on the three second output branches. The fourth filter circuit is connected to the battery; the three second output branches are respectively connected (see Figure 1 ) to the first actuator unit, the second actuator unit, and other peripheral units; the AD sampling circuit is used to sample the voltage and / or current of each second output branch. The control switches Q4, Q41, Q42, and Q43 can be MOS transistors. Among them, the third filter circuit and the fourth filter circuit can adopt the filter circuits in the prior art, and the present invention does not limit this. The 12V power supply and the 24V power supply adopt a DC-DC conversion circuit to convert the battery voltage into 12V direct current or 24V direct current. The 12V power supply, the 12V power supply, and the AD sampling circuit can all adopt commercially available products, and will not be described in detail here.

[0064] As an example, when power needs to be supplied to the main control unit, the motion control unit, and the sensor unit, the MCU can turn on the control switches Q3, Q31, Q32, and Q33. The battery provides input to the 12V power supply through the third filter circuit, and the 12V power supply provides 12V direct current to the main control unit, the motion control unit, and the sensor unit. When power supply to the main control unit, the motion control unit, and the sensor unit needs to be turned off, the MCU can turn off the control switches Q3, Q31, Q32, and Q33, or can also keep the control switch Q3 on and turn off Q31, Q32, and Q33.

[0065] As another example, when power needs to be supplied to the first actuator unit, the second actuator unit, and other peripheral units, the MCU can turn on the control switches Q4, Q41, Q42, and Q43. The battery provides an input to the 24V power supply through the fourth filter circuit, and the 24V power supply provides 24V direct current to the first actuator unit, the second actuator unit, and other peripheral units.

[0066] As yet another example, when only the first actuator unit needs to be powered, the MCU can turn on the control switches Q4 and Q41 and turn off the other control switches; the battery provides an input to the 24V power supply through the fourth filter circuit, and the 24V power supply provides 24V direct current to the first actuator unit.

[0067] As still another example, when the motion control unit needs to be turned off, the MCU can change the control switch Q32 from the on state to the off state, thereby stopping the supply of 12V direct current to the motion control unit and turning off the motion control unit. When the motion control unit is turned off, the motion control unit can be restarted by changing the control switch Q32 to the on state to supply 12V direct current again.

[0068] From the above examples, it can be seen that the MCU can manage the power supply states of the various components of the robot. For example, it can turn off or wake up one or more components. According to Figure 6 Based on the content shown, it can be expanded that a main power supply module, or more than three main power supply modules, such as the third main power supply module and the fourth main power supply module, can be set in the power management system. For example, if the robot includes devices with operating voltages other than 12V and 24V, then a corresponding third main power supply module (including a power supply with the corresponding voltage level, such as a 36V power supply) needs to be added. Another example is that if there are many 12V devices, multiple first main power supply modules (each main power supply module is equipped with a 12V power supply) can be set to share the load pressure.

[0069] Figure 7 Shows a motor power supply module according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 7As shown, the battery is connected to the motor drive unit through the motor power supply module 50. Among them, the motor power supply module 50 includes a pre-charge circuit, and the pre-charge circuit includes a switching tube Q51, a switching tube Q52, and a current-limiting resistor R51; the switching tube Q52 and the current-limiting resistor R51 are connected in series and then connected in parallel with the switching tube Q51. At the initial moment of power supply, the switching tube Q51 is turned off and the switching tube Q52 is turned on, then the current passes through the switching tube Q52 and the current-limiting resistor R51, and the current-limiting resistor R51 plays a role in current limiting, reducing the inrush current at the initial moment of power supply. After a period of delay, if the voltage of the motor drive unit reaches a predetermined value (for example, 90% of the battery voltage can be set as the predetermined value in the program, that is, the pre-charge completion threshold), the switching tube Q51 can be controlled to be turned on and the switching tube Q52 to be turned off, and the current passes through the switching tube Q51. The capacitor C51 represents the charging capacitor. In other embodiments, the charging capacitor can also be replaced by a capacitor inside the motor drive unit. Figure 7 The switching tube Q51 in it can be replaced by a contactor, so it can also be called the main contactor, which can control the power-on and power-off of the entire motor power supply module 50. For example, in an emergency, the MCU controls to disconnect Q51 to power off the motor drive unit.

[0070] Figure 8 It shows the communication module and the operation control module of the robot power management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 8 shown, the communication module includes various communication interfaces, such as CAN interface, RS485, and SPI interface, etc. (in other embodiments, the communication module can also include other types of interfaces such as RS232 and I 2 C). The MCU is connected to the battery management system BMS through the 485 bus for obtaining the battery power information. In this embodiment, a redundancy design is also carried out, that is, the MCU is connected to the battery through the IO port and the AD circuit, and also collects the voltage and current information of the battery to calculate the battery power. That is to say, the MCU can obtain the battery power information through at least two ways. Based on this, the MCU can calculate the remaining battery life or battery life of the robot at any time through an algorithm, so as to facilitate the robot to reasonably plan and schedule tasks and prevent the robot from automatically shutting down due to low battery power during the execution of tasks. In a specific application scenario, the power management system can directly obtain the battery power, voltage, and current through RS485; it can also calculate the power by collecting the battery voltage or charge and discharge current, and the collected battery voltage and current can also be used as a backup to prevent the BMS communication from being abnormal and unable to read the battery voltage and current.

[0071] In addition, the battery voltage collected (regardless of the collection method) can be used as a reference for comparing the pre-charge voltage of the motor drive unit; one purpose of collecting the charging current is to understand the current charging state of the battery and control the charging indicator for display, and another purpose is to combine the charging current signal with the charging plug-in signal for judgment, so as to more reliably judge the connection state between the robot and the charging pile, so that the robot power management system can cut off the charging circuit in a timely manner to prevent the battery voltage from flowing back to the charging interface or the exposed charging plate.

[0072] As Figure 8 shown, the main control unit is the control core of the robot, which can control and schedule other components and devices of the robot. For example, the main control unit is connected to the MCU through the CAN bus. Based on this, the main control unit can send signals to the MCU of the power management system through the CAN bus according to the current task state, and command the MCU to turn off or wake up one or more components. After receiving the above command, the MCU controls one or more components to power off or power on. For example (refer to Figure 6 ), if the main control unit requests to turn off a certain actuator unit, the MCU controls the actuator unit to power off. If the main control unit requests to wake up a certain actuator unit, the MCU controls a certain actuator unit to power on. This method can reduce the power consumption of the robot and improve the battery life of the robot.

[0073] As Figure 8 shown, the operation control module connected to the MCU ( Figure 8 shown by the dashed box in) can include an emergency stop button and a status indicator. The emergency stop button is used to be pressed in case of emergency (such as when the robot is out of control or when the user hopes the robot to stop). After the MCU receives the signal of the emergency stop button (such as an interrupt signal), it can control the moving parts and related actuators of the robot to power off and stop working. At this time, the robot can retain other tasks, such as human-computer interaction tasks. According to the program design, the original task can be restored after the emergency stop is released, or a password can be required to be entered and the original task can be restored after the password is confirmed. The status indicator is used to indicate various information of the robot; for example, lights of different colors or lights with different flashing modes can be used to indicate the charging state (see the full charge state and charging state in Figure 9 ). In one embodiment, the status indicator can use a light strip (a commercially available product), and the MCU issues a PWM signal through the SPI interface to control the status indicator to display lights of different colors.

[0074] The above text has described in detail the structure and principle of the entire robot power management system. Next, the robot power management system will be reviewed by describing the power-on process.

[0075] Figure 10Shows a power-on control process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Refer to Figures 1 - 7 and Figure 10 , first, in step S1001, after the power-on detection circuit (such as Figure 2 ) detects the operator's power-on action, the robot starts the power-on process. Then, in step S1002, the MCU is powered by the auxiliary power supply DC-DC (such as Figure 4 ). Then, in step S1003, the MCU starts the first main power supply circuit 30 (such as Figure 6 ), turns on the control switch Q3, and provides a 12V power supply; specifically, it includes delaying 500ms to supply power to the main control unit, that is, delaying 500ms to turn on the control switch Q31; then delaying another 500ms to supply power to the motion control unit, that is, delaying another 500ms to turn on the control switch Q32; further delaying 500ms to supply power to the sensor unit, that is, further delaying 500ms to turn on the control switch Q33. Then, in step S1004, the MCU controls the motor power supply module 50 to supply power to the motor drive unit, and delays for pre-charging (such as Figure 7 ). In step S1005, it is judged whether the voltage of the motor drive unit is greater than 90% of the battery voltage. If it is greater, it means that the motor drive unit has reached a sufficient voltage to avoid inrush current, then step S1006 is executed, the main contactor is turned on (make Q51 in Figure 7 conduct), and the pre-charging circuit is delayed to be disconnected (make Q52 in Figure 7 cut off). Finally, in step S1007, the second main power supply circuit 40 (such as Figure 6 ) is started, the control switch Q4 is turned on, and a 24V power supply is provided; specifically, it includes delaying 500ms to supply power to the first actuator unit, that is, delaying 500ms to turn on the control switch Q41; then delaying another 500ms to supply power to the second actuator unit, that is, delaying another 500ms to turn on the control switch Q42; further delaying 500ms to supply power to other peripheral units, that is, further delaying 500ms to turn on the control switch Q43.

[0076] The various delays in the above steps are mainly to reduce the inrush current. In addition, the order of the above steps can also be adjusted according to requirements. For example, step S1007 can be carried out before step S1004, and the present invention does not limit this.

[0077] According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention further provides a robot, which includes a main control unit, a battery, a charging interface, and a robot power management system. Among them, the main control unit is used to control the robot to perform various main functions; the battery is used to store electrical energy and supply power to the robot; the charging interface is used to connect to a charging pile to charge the battery; the robot power management system can adopt the structure described in any of the above embodiments to achieve, for example: the robot can be charged both in the powered-on and powered-off states, thereby improving the stability of the robot; the robot can obtain the battery power information at any time, so as to perform reasonable task planning and scheduling, and avoid the robot shutting down due to low power during the task execution; the robot can control certain components to be turned off or woken up according to the task requirements through the robot power management system, thereby improving the endurance of the robot; reduce the inrush current when docking with the charging pile, thereby avoiding damage to the contactor or contact caused by arcing.

[0078] In the above description of this specification, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, terms such as "fixed", "installed", "connected" or "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, with respect to the term "connected", it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components or the interaction relationship between two components. Therefore, unless clearly specified otherwise in this specification, those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention according to specific circumstances.

[0079] In addition, the terms "first" or "second" etc. used in this specification to refer to numbers or ordinals are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as explicitly or implicitly indicating relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of this specification, the meaning of "a plurality" is at least two, such as two, three or more, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0080] Although this specification has shown and described multiple embodiments of the present invention, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Those skilled in the art will think of many changes, alterations, and alternative ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should be understood that various alternative solutions to the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be adopted during the practice of the present invention. The appended claims are intended to define the scope of protection of the present invention and thus cover the module compositions, equivalents, or alternative solutions within the scope of these claims.

Claims

1. A robot power management system, characterized in that, Comprising: An MCU, an auxiliary power supply module, and a charging control module, where the MCU is connected to the auxiliary power supply module and the charging control module; The auxiliary power supply module is used to supply power to the MCU; The charging control module is configured to be disposed between a charging interface and a battery to charge the battery under the control of the MCU; The auxiliary power supply module includes a first power supply branch and a second power supply branch; The first power supply branch is used to connect to the charging interface to supply power to the MCU through the charging interface in the shutdown state; The second power supply branch is used to connect to the battery to supply power to the MCU through the battery in the startup state; The first power supply branch and the second power supply branch include a shared auxiliary power supply DC-DC, and the output end of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC is connected to the MCU to provide direct current suitable for the MCU; The first power supply branch includes a first filter circuit, and the second power supply branch includes a second filter circuit. Both the first filter circuit and the second filter circuit are connected to the input end DC-IN of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC. The filter circuit with a higher output voltage outputs to the auxiliary power supply DC-DC, while the filter circuit with a lower voltage is clamped; The first filter circuit includes a first surge protection circuit and a pre-start circuit connected in series; the first surge protection circuit includes a suppression diode TVS1, and the suppression diode TVS1 has a clamping voltage limiting function; the first surge protection circuit is used to connect to the charging interface, and the pre-start circuit is used to connect to the input end of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC; The first filter circuit is serially provided with an anti-reverse diode D1, and the cathode of the anti-reverse diode D1 is connected to the input end DC-IN of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC to prevent current from flowing back into the charging interface; a plug detection circuit is further provided between the first filter circuit and the MCU, and the plug detection circuit is used to detect whether the first filter circuit is powered on; The second filter circuit includes a second surge protection circuit and a startup circuit connected in series. The second surge protection circuit is used to connect to the battery; the second surge protection circuit includes a suppression diode TVS2, and the suppression diode TVS2 has a clamping voltage limiting function; the startup circuit is used to connect to the input end of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC, and the startup circuit includes an operation switch, and the operation switch is used to conduct when a startup operation is performed; The second filter circuit is serially provided with an anti-reverse diode D2, and the cathode of the anti-reverse diode D2 is connected to the input end DC-IN of the auxiliary power supply DC-DC to prevent current from flowing back into the battery; A startup detection circuit is further connected between the second filter circuit and the MCU, and the startup detection circuit is used to detect the state of the startup circuit; 2. The robot power management system according to claim 1, wherein, The robot power management system further includes at least one main power supply module, and the main power supply module is used to supply power to the main control unit and the peripheral unit of the robot; The main power supply module includes a first main power supply module and a second main power supply module; The first main power supply module includes a third filter circuit, a first power supply, and a plurality of first output branches, wherein a first control switch controlled by the MCU is provided between the third filter circuit and the first power supply, and on each of the first output branches; The second main power supply module includes a fourth filter circuit, a second power supply, and a plurality of second output branches, wherein a second control switch controlled by the MCU is provided between the fourth filter circuit and the second power supply, and on each of the second output branches; AD sampling circuits are connected to the first output branches and the second output branches, and the AD sampling circuits are configured to sample the voltage and / or current of the first output branches and the second output branches and provide them to the MCU.

3. The robot power management system according to claim 2, wherein After the first main power supply module is powered on, it supplies power to the devices corresponding to the first output branches one by one with a time delay; after the second main power supply module is powered on, it supplies power to the devices corresponding to the second output branches one by one with a time delay.

4. The robot power management system according to claim 1, characterized in that The robot power management system further includes a motor power supply module, which is configured to be disposed between the battery and the motor drive unit to supply power to the motor drive unit.

5. The robot power management system according to claim 1, wherein The MCU is connected to the main control unit of the robot through a CAN bus to obtain commands from the main control unit; The MCU is connected to the battery management system through an RS485 bus to obtain battery power information; The MCU also samples and connects to the battery through an IO port to collect the voltage and / or current of the battery.

6. A robot, characterized in that, Comprising: A main control unit for controlling the robot; A charging interface for connecting to a charging pile to charge the battery of the robot; It further includes: the robot power management system according to any one of claims 1-5.

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