AGV charging box and charging method

Abstract

The application discloses an AGV charging box and a charging method, and relates to the field of charging applications.The AGV charging box comprises a charging box body, a charging hole position is arranged on the charging box body, so that the first charging contact of a device to be charged enters the charging box body from the outside through the charging hole position, an air detector is used for detecting the air inside the charging box body and obtaining an air state parameter, an air control device, a charging device comprising a second charging contact, and a controller used for controlling the air control device according to the air state parameter, when the air state parameter reaches a target range and the first charging contact and the second charging contact are docked inside the charging box body, the controller controls the charging device to charge the first charging contact. The application utilizes the air detector and the air control device to regulate and control the air inside the charging box body, so that the local environment is safe and reliable during subsequent charging. The AGV charging box allows safe and efficient charging in an extreme environment, and improves the charging efficiency of the device to be charged.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of charging applications, in particular to an AGV charging box and a charging method. BACKGROUND

[0002] Currently, AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) is widely used in various industries. The mobile attribute of AGV determines that battery power supply is more convenient, but at present, due to technical limitations, the battery capacity of AGV is limited, and it can only maintain for several hours. Once the battery power is insufficient, it must be charged in time. The current battery charging method of AGV mainly includes wireless charging and contact charging.

[0003] Wireless charging is based on the principle of electromagnetic induction, which makes the charging device transmit electric energy to the AGV battery through the magnetic field. This method has the advantage of high fault tolerance of docking, but the energy transfer efficiency is low, the charging equipment generates a lot of heat, which is easy to cause damage to the AGV itself, especially in some flammable and explosive dangerous working environments, there is a great safety hazard.

[0004] Contact charging is to connect the battery and the power supply system by cable and charging contact, so as to directly charge the battery. Contact charging can provide a larger charging current, so as to realize fast charging, which is the preferred way of current offline charging. But the charging contact is an exposed part, which is difficult to work directly in high humidity and high temperature, flammable and explosive environment, and it is easy to produce electric spark during charging, which has safety hazards.

[0005] Therefore, at present, AGV cannot realize safe and efficient charging in extreme environment, and manual battery replacement or AGV leaving the extreme environment for charging is needed.

[0006] Therefore, how to provide a solution to the above technical problems is a problem that needs to be solved by the technical personnel in the field at present. SUMMARY

[0007] Therefore, the purpose of the present application is to provide an AGV charging box and a charging method to provide safe and efficient power supply in extreme environment. The specific scheme is as follows:

[0008] An AGV charging box, comprising:

[0009] A charging box body, wherein a charging hole position is arranged on the charging box body, so that the first charging contact of the device to be charged enters the charging box body from the outside through the charging hole position;

[0010] An air detector arranged in the interior of the charging box body, used for detecting the air in the interior of the charging box body and obtaining air state parameters;

[0011] An air control device arranged inside the charging box, for adjusting the air inside the charging box;

[0012] A charging device arranged inside the charging box and comprising a second charging contact, for charging the first charging contact through the second charging contact;

[0013] A controller arranged inside the charging box, for controlling the air control device according to the air state parameter, so as to make the air state parameter reach a target range, and for controlling the charging device to charge the first charging contact when the air state parameter reaches the target range and the first charging contact and the second charging contact are docked inside the charging box.

[0014] Preferably, the air control device comprises:

[0015] An air dehumidification and filtration module, and / or an inert gas release and pressurization module;

[0016] The air detector comprises:

[0017] An inflammable and explosive gas detection module, and / or a humidity detection module, and / or an explosive dust detection module, and / or a gas pressure detection module.

[0018] Preferably, the charging box is further provided with a one-way air outlet hole for discharging air outside the box.

[0019] Preferably, the charging hole is provided with a sealing ring of insulating and elastic material.

[0020] Preferably, the first charging contact and / or the second charging contact is in the shape of an elongated circular truncated cone with a small head area and a large tail area.

[0021] Preferably, the side surface of the first charging contact and / or the second charging contact is wrapped with insulating and elastic material.

[0022] Preferably, the second charging contact is in a telescopic structure, and when the first charging contact does not enter the charging box, the head end of the second charging contact abuts against the charging hole, and when the first charging contact enters the charging box, the second charging contact retracts after being pressed by the first charging contact.

[0023] Preferably, the charging device comprises:

[0024] The second charging contact, an explosion-proof access switch, and a charging source.

[0025] The explosion-proof proximity switch is connected between the tail end of the second charging contact and the charging source, is closed when the second charging contact is retracted to the target position area after being pressed by the first charging contact, and sends a closing signal to the controller; and is disconnected at other times;

[0026] The controller is further configured to drive the charging source to discharge when the air state parameter reaches the target range and the closing signal of the explosion-proof proximity switch is received.

[0027] Preferably, the first charging contact and / or the second charging contact is a charging contact made of graphene at the head end.

[0028] Correspondingly, the application also discloses a charging method applied to the controller of the AGV charging box, and the method comprises the following steps of:

[0029] detecting the air inside the charging box body by means of the air detector and obtaining an air state parameter;

[0030] adjusting the air inside the charging box body according to the air state parameter by means of the air control device, so that the air state parameter reaches a target range;

[0031] charging the first charging contact by means of the second charging contact when the air state parameter reaches the target range and the first charging contact and the second charging contact are docked inside the charging box body.

[0032] The application discloses an AGV charging box, which comprises a charging box body, a charging hole position is arranged on the charging box body, so that a first charging contact of a device to be charged enters the charging box body from outside through the charging hole position; an air detector arranged inside the charging box body is used to detect the air inside the charging box body and obtain an air state parameter; an air control device arranged inside the charging box body is used to adjust the air inside the charging box body; a charging device comprising a second charging contact and arranged inside the charging box body is used to charge the first charging contact by means of the second charging contact; and a controller arranged inside the charging box body is used to control the air control device according to the air state parameter, so that the air state parameter reaches a target range, and is further used to control the charging device to charge the first charging contact when the air state parameter reaches the target range and the first charging contact and the second charging contact are docked inside the charging box body. In the application, the air inside the charging box body is regulated and controlled by means of the air detector and the air control device, so that the local environment during subsequent charging is safe and reliable, the AGV charging box provides a reliable environment for safe and efficient charging in an extreme environment, and the charging efficiency of the device to be charged is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0033] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description only constitute a part of the embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained without creative labor based on the provided drawings.

[0034] Figure 1 It is a structure distribution diagram of an AGV charging box in the embodiment of the present application.

[0035] Figure 2 It is a structure distribution diagram of an AGV in the embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Figure 3 It is a step flow chart of a charging method in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely in the following with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments only constitute a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor are within the protection scope of the present application.

[0038] At present, the battery charging methods of AGV mainly include wireless charging and contact charging. The energy transmission efficiency of wireless charging is low, the charging equipment generates more heat, which is easy to cause damage to the AGV itself, especially in some flammable and explosive dangerous working environments, there is a great safety hazard. The contact charging is difficult to work directly in high-humidity and high-temperature, flammable and explosive environments because the charging contact is an exposed component, and it is easy to produce electric sparks during the charging process, which has safety hazards. Therefore, at present, AGV cannot realize safe and efficient charging in extreme environments, and manual battery replacement or AGV leaving the extreme environment for charging is needed.

[0039] In the present application, the air inside the charging box is controlled by the air detector and the air control device, so that the local environment is safe and reliable during subsequent charging. The charging box provides a reliable environment for safe and efficient charging in extreme environments, and improves the charging efficiency of the device to be charged.

[0040] The embodiment of the present application discloses an AGV charging box, referring to Figure 1 As shown in the figure, it comprises:

[0041] The charging box 1 is provided with a charging hole 11, so that the first charging contact of the device to be charged enters the charging box 1 from the outside through the charging hole 11.

[0042] The air detector 2 arranged in the charging box 1 is used to detect the air in the charging box 1 and obtain the air state parameter;

[0043] The air control device arranged in the charging box 1 is used to adjust the air in the charging box 1;

[0044] The charging device arranged in the charging box 1 and comprising the second charging contact 41 is used to charge the first charging contact by the second charging contact 41;

[0045] The controller 5 arranged in the charging box 1 is used to control the air control device according to the air state parameter so as to make the air state parameter reach the target range, and is also used to control the charging device to charge the first charging contact when the air state parameter reaches the target range and the first charging contact and the second charging contact 41 are docked in the charging box 1.

[0046] Specifically, the device to be charged in the embodiment is usually an AGV with a first charging contact extending a certain length from the vehicle body, the side view of which is shown in Figure 2 In addition, the device to be charged can also be other chargeable devices with an energy storage battery, which are charged by the first charging contact, including but not limited to various wireless electrical appliances, such as steam irons, vacuum cleaners, workshop instruments, etc., which will not be described here.

[0047] It can be understood that the embodiment establishes a small environment with relatively safe air quality in the charging box 1 by the controller 5 controlling the air detector 2 and the air control device, so as to ensure the charging safety. In order to make the small environment exclude the interference of the external environment as much as possible, there are two measures in two directions, one is to enhance the sealing of the charging box 1 to passively exclude the interference of the external air, and the other is to actively exclude the possibility of the external air entering by means of positive pressure release of inert gas, and the two directions can be performed alternatively or sequentially as the preparation for the same charging.

[0048] In some specific embodiments, the air control device includes, but is not limited to, an air dehumidification and filtration module 31, and / or an inert gas release and pressurization module 32; wherein the air dehumidification and filtration module 31 can be implemented by a split air conditioner, only the indoor unit is placed in the charging box 1, and the outdoor unit can be arranged outside the workshop. The indoor unit in the charging box 1 is connected by a pipeline, and the air temperature in the charging box 1 is adjusted by using the split air conditioner. Correspondingly, the air detector 2 includes, but is not limited to, a flammable and explosive gas detection module, and / or a humidity detection module, and / or an explosive dust detection module, and / or a gas pressure detection module, and / or a temperature detection module. It can be understood that in this embodiment, the charging box is mainly used to eliminate the interference of extreme environment on charging, and therefore factors such as low-temperature condensation, humidity, flammability and explosiveness, and explosive dust need to be removed by the air control device in cooperation with the air detector 2.

[0049] In some specific embodiments, to enhance the sealing performance of the charging box 1, the charging box 1 can be selected as a box with a closed edge. A through hole is arranged on the wall of the charging box 1 as a charging hole 11. In order to improve the sealing performance, an insulating elastic material such as a rubber ring can be arranged on the hole of the charging hole 11 as a sealing ring. When the first charging contact enters the charging box 1 through the charging hole 11 and is connected with the second charging contact 41, the charging hole 11 is in close contact with the first charging contact without air leakage. Further, when the charging box has no charging task, the second charging contact 41 can be arranged to abut against the charging hole 11 to prevent external air from entering and increase the working load of the air control device. That is, the second charging contact 41 has a telescopic structure. When the first charging contact does not enter the charging box 1, the first end of the second charging contact 41 abuts against the charging hole 11. When the first charging contact enters the charging box 1, the second charging contact 41 is retracted after being pressed by the first charging contact. The telescopic structure can be selected as a spring structure or other telescopic mechanical structure. In the absence of pressure, the telescopic structure is in an extended state, and it is retracted when it is pressed by the first charging contact. Alternatively, the charging hole 11 is provided with a one-way entering, deformable elastic sealable structure. When the first charging contact does not pass through the charging hole 11, the structure is closed to prevent external air from entering the inside of the charging box 1. When the first charging contact passes through the charging hole 11 by applying a force, the closed structure is deformed under the force, so that the first charging contact passes through the structure and is connected with the second charging contact 41. The first charging contact and the structure are in close contact without air leakage.

[0050] Further, in order to improve the sealing degree of the first charging contact and / or the second charging contact 41 along the hole edge of the charging hole 11, the shape of the entire contact can be set as an elongated circular truncated cone shape with a small head area and a large tail area. At this time, in addition to setting a sealing ring on the hole edge of the charging hole 11, the side surface of the first charging contact and / or the second charging contact 41 can be wrapped with an insulating and elastic material, which can be rubber or other new materials.

[0051] Further, considering the case that the internal pressure of the charging box 1 is relatively large when the inert gas in the charging box 1 is released during the sealing process of the charging box 1, a one-way exhaust hole can be further provided on the charging box 1 to exhaust the air inside the charging box 1 when the inert gas is released, while preventing external air from entering. In fact, since the inert gas in the charging box 1 is released under positive pressure, the sealing requirement of the charging box 1 is not too high, and the positive pressure exhaust itself has prevented the possibility of external air entering. The charging box can continue to maintain positive pressure exhaust during standby and working states, or can stop the operation of the air control device during standby, and then start adjusting the air in the small environment after receiving the charging instruction. However, both of these two schemes will significantly consume more power, and when the air control device stops working in standby state, the possibility of external air entering may affect the internal circuit. Therefore, as described above, the sealing measures are provided on the charging hole 11, and the one-way exhaust hole is provided, which can further improve the air stability of the small environment and reduce the burden of the air control device.

[0052] Further, when the second charging contact is a telescopic structure, the charging device comprises:

[0053] The second charging contact 41, the explosion-proof proximity switch, and the charging source 42;

[0054] The explosion-proof proximity switch is connected between the tail end of the second charging contact 41 and the charging source 42, and is closed when the second charging contact 41 is retracted to the target position area after being pressed by the first charging contact, and sends a closing signal to the controller, and is disconnected at other times;

[0055] The controller is further configured to drive the charging source 42 to discharge when the air state parameter reaches the target range and the closing signal of the explosion-proof proximity switch is received.

[0056] It can be understood that the explosion-proof proximity switch in the charging device has a redundant contact in-place detection function. Since the first charging contact is two positive and negative contacts during charging, the second charging contact 41 is also two positive and negative contacts, and the explosion-proof proximity switch is also provided with two, and the two second charging contacts 41 are connected to the charging source 42 through the two explosion-proof proximity switches.

[0057] Further, in this embodiment, the second charging contact 41 is required to close the explosion-proof proximity switch again after being pressed by the first charging contact and retracted to the target position area. In this process, the first charging contact continuously applies pressure to the second charging contact 41 until it retracts to the target position area. At this time, it is considered that the telescopic structure of the second charging contact 41 is compressed by the first charging contact, and the first charging contact and the second charging contact 41 are tightly connected, and the charging can begin.

[0058] Further, in order to improve the contact surface fit of the first charging contact and the second charging contact 41, the contact surfaces of the two can be set to mutually matched shapes, that is, the first contact surface of the first end of the first charging contact is a preset shape, and the second contact surface of the first end of the second charging contact is a corresponding shape matched with the preset shape, for example, the first contact surface is a concave surface, and the second contact surface is a convex surface, or the first contact surface is a convex surface, and the second contact surface is a concave surface. It can be understood that the improvement of the contact surface fit is to improve the charging efficiency, and therefore other aspects of the structure, shape and size of the contact surface of the first charging contact and the second charging contact 41 can be set to ensure accurate docking of the two.

[0059] Further, the charging source 42 is generally a converter that seals the input end into an external power cable, converts the alternating current power, and outputs a charging voltage suitable for the device to be charged. Alternatively, the charging source 42 can also be a converter that seals the input end into an external energy storage super capacitor, converts the energy of the super capacitor, and outputs a charging voltage suitable for the device to be charged. The specific structure can be selected and set according to the working conditions.

[0060] Further, the first charging contact and / or the second charging contact 41 is a charging contact with a graphene first end. It can be understood that graphene has the advantage of high hardness, which can reduce wear and tear, and because the possibility of powder is low, the device to be charged can be suitable for workshop places with high dust cleanliness, and the material characteristics show the characteristics of little condensation and electric spark. Even if the first charging contact is exposed to the outside air, it will not be disturbed and affect the subsequent charging process in the charging box.

[0061] Further, the charging box 1 or the charging device can also increase the external conductive metal ground to further improve safety.

[0062] As shown above, the present embodiment can realize efficient and low-cost, safe and highly automated contact charging. In various extreme environments, such as flammable and explosive oil and gas industries, flour mills, humid white wine fermentation workshops, and other extreme environments, the present embodiment can complete safe and efficient charging.

[0063] The application discloses an AGV charging box, comprising: a charging box body, wherein a charging hole position is arranged on the charging box body, so that a first charging contact of a device to be charged enters the charging box body from the outside through the charging hole position; an air detector arranged in the charging box body, which is used for detecting the air in the charging box body and obtaining an air state parameter; an air control device arranged in the charging box body, which is used for adjusting the air in the charging box body; a charging device arranged in the charging box body and comprising a second charging contact, which is used for charging the first charging contact; and a controller arranged in the charging box body, which is used for controlling the air control device according to the air state parameter, so that the air state parameter reaches a target range, and is also used for controlling the charging device to charge the first charging contact when the air state parameter reaches the target range and the first charging contact and the second charging contact are docked in the charging box body. In the application, the air detector and the air control device are used to regulate and control the air in the charging box body, so that the local environment is safe and reliable during subsequent charging, the charging box provides a reliable environment for safe and efficient charging in an extreme environment, and the charging efficiency of the device to be charged is improved.

[0064] Correspondingly, the application also discloses a charging method applied to the controller of the AGV charging box. Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the method comprises the following steps.

[0065] S1: detecting the air in the charging box body by the air detector and obtaining an air state parameter;

[0066] S2: adjusting the air in the charging box body according to the air state parameter by the air control device, so that the air state parameter reaches a target range;

[0067] S3: when the air state parameter reaches the target range and the first charging contact and the second charging contact are docked in the charging box body, charging the first charging contact by the second charging contact.

[0068] In some specific embodiments, the action of adjusting the air by the air control device is continuously performed in the uncharged state, or can be performed in a preparatory charging mode. The specific preparatory charging mode is triggered by a charging signal of the device to be charged corresponding to the first charging contact. The charging signal can be a signal sent by the device to be charged to the controller through a wireless network, or can be a signal emitted when the first charging contact and the second charging contact are docked.

[0069] The embodiment of the application utilizes the air detector and the air control device to regulate and control the air inside the charging box, so that the subsequent charging is safe and reliable in the local environment, the charging box provides a reliable environment for safe and efficient charging in extreme environment, and the charging efficiency of the device to be charged is improved.

[0070] Finally, it should be noted that in this document, relational terms such as first and second and the like can only be used to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action, without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between or among the entities or actions. Moreover, the terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but can include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

[0071] The above describes in detail the charging box and the charging method provided by the application, and the principles and implementation manners of the application are described by applying specific examples. The above description of the embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the application and its core idea; meanwhile, for those skilled in the art, the specific implementation manners and application ranges can be changed according to the idea of the application. In conclusion, the content of the specification should not be understood as a limitation of the application.

Claims

1. An AGV charging box, characterized in that, The AGV charging box comprises: a charging box body provided with a charging hole position, so that a first charging contact of a device to be charged enters the charging box body from the outside through the charging hole position; an air detector arranged in the charging box body, configured to detect air in the charging box body and obtain an air state parameter; an air control device arranged in the charging box body, configured to adjust the air in the charging box body; a charging device arranged in the charging box body and comprising a second charging contact, configured to charge the first charging contact through the second charging contact; the charging device further comprises an explosion-proof proximity switch and a charging source; a controller arranged in the charging box body, configured to control the air control device according to the air state parameter, so that the air state parameter reaches a target range, and further configured to control the charging device to charge the first charging contact when the air state parameter reaches the target range and the first charging contact and the second charging contact are docked in the charging box body; the second charging contact is of an extendable structure, and when the first charging contact does not enter the charging box body, the first end of the second charging contact abuts against the charging hole position, and when the first charging contact enters the charging box body, the second charging contact is retracted after being pressed by the first charging contact; the explosion-proof proximity switch is connected between the tail end of the second charging contact and the charging source, is closed when the second charging contact is retracted to a target position area after being pressed by the first charging contact, and sends a closing signal to the controller at other times; when the second charging contact is retracted to the target position area, the first charging contact and the second charging contact are closely connected; the controller is further configured to drive the charging source to discharge when the air state parameter reaches the target range and the closing signal of the explosion-proof proximity switch is received.

2. The AGV charging box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air control device comprises: an air dehumidification and filtration module, and / or an inert gas release and pressurization module; the air detector comprises: an inflammable and explosive gas detection module, and / or a humidity detection module, and / or an explosive dust detection module, and / or a gas pressure detection module.

3. The AGV charging box according to claim 2, characterized in that, The charging box body is further provided with a one-way exhaust hole for exhausting air to the outside of the box.

4. The AGV charging box according to claim 1, wherein: a sealing ring provided with insulating and elastic material is arranged along the hole of the charging hole position.

5. The AGV charging box according to claim 1, wherein, The first charging contact and / or the second charging contact are in the shape of an elongated circular truncated cone with a small first end area and a large tail end area.

6. The AGV charging box according to claim 5, wherein, The side surface of the first charging contact and / or the second charging contact is wrapped with insulating and elastic material.

7. The AGV charging box according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first charging contact and / or the second charging contact are charging contacts with the first end made of graphene.

8. A charging method applied to the controller of the AGV charging box according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The AGV charging box comprises: detecting air in the charging box body and obtaining an air state parameter through an air detector; adjusting the air in the charging box body according to the air state parameter through an air control device, so that the air state parameter reaches a target range; When the air state parameter reaches the target range and the first charging contact and the second charging contact are docked inside the charging case, the first charging contact is charged by the second charging contact.

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