Automatic charging system and charging control method for electric mine truck

Abstract

The application relates to an automatic charging system and a charging control method for an electric mine truck. The system comprises a container, a power conversion system, a charging cabinet, a cascade fork arm, a mechanical arm, a visual camera, a magnetic attraction device, a controller and a vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet; an automatically controlled roller shutter door is installed in the container; the power conversion system converts a high-voltage alternating current power supply into a low-voltage direct current; the charging cabinet provides a charging power supply; the mechanical arm is installed at the end of the cascade fork arm, and high-precision plug-in and plug-out operations are realized through the visual camera and the magnetic attraction device; the controller coordinates the work of various components to realize full-automatic charging of the electric mine truck. Through the application, the technical problem that an ordinary charging system cannot effectively meet the demand of efficient and safe charging of the electric mine truck in a harsh mine environment due to insufficient power, poor environmental adaptability, low safety and low automation is solved, and the technical effect of significantly improving the efficiency, safety and reliability of the automatic charging system of the electric mine truck is achieved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of vehicle charging, in particular to an automatic charging system for electric mine trucks and a charging control method. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the increasing requirements of mining efficiency, safety, localization, low emission and the like, electric mine trucks have a broad prospect in the mining industry, and the great demand for charging or battery replacement systems follows. Due to the 24-hour work mechanism of the mining scene, combined with the difficulty of battery replacement operation caused by the special structure of the electric mine truck, the scene of electric mine trucks queuing for battery replacement often occurs, resulting in a decrease in mining efficiency. Therefore, it is more reasonable for electric mine trucks to use high-power charging to supplement power, and the use of automatic charging can save more labor and improve charging safety.

[0003] The capacity of the automatic charging system of conventional passenger cars is relatively small, generally below 500kW, and is mostly used in urban basement scenes or bus stations, and the application environment is relatively friendly, but such charging systems are not suitable for electric mine truck charging applications in mine scenes. For example, the power of ordinary charging piles is low, which cannot meet the demand of fast charging of large electric mine trucks; the mine environment is harsh, with much dust and large temperature changes, and ordinary charging equipment is difficult to operate stably for a long time; there are safety hazards such as electric shock in manual charging process; the charging interface position of large electric mine trucks is high, and manual operation is inconvenient and time-consuming; the existing automatic charging system is mostly designed for small vehicles and is not suitable for large electric mine trucks.

[0004] In view of the above problems, no effective solution has been proposed so far. SUMMARY

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide an automatic charging system for electric mine trucks and a charging control method to at least solve the technical problem that the ordinary charging system cannot effectively meet the demand of efficient and safe charging of electric mine trucks in harsh mine environments due to insufficient power, poor environmental adaptability, low safety and low automation.

[0006] According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present application, an automatic charging system for an electric mine truck is provided, comprising: a container, a power conversion system, a charging cabinet, a cascade fork arm, a mechanical arm, a visual camera, a magnetic attraction device, a controller, and a vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet; the power conversion system, the charging cabinet, the cascade fork arm, the mechanical arm, the visual camera, the magnetic attraction device, and the controller are installed in the container, and the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet is installed on the electric mine truck; wherein: the container is equipped with an automatically controlled roller shutter door; the power conversion system is used to convert a high-voltage alternating current power supply into a low-voltage direct current power supply required for charging the electric mine truck; wherein, the power conversion system is equipped with a circuit breaker responsible for the on-off of the charging circuit; the charging cabinet is connected with the circuit breaker and is used to provide the electric mine truck with a power supply required for charging; wherein, at least one charging gun is equipped in the charging cabinet, and the charging gun is used to externally connect a socket in the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet to achieve charging connection; the mechanical arm is installed at the end of the cascade fork arm, and the cascade fork arm is used to adjust the working range of the mechanical arm; the visual camera and the magnetic attraction device are respectively installed at the end of the mechanical arm to assist the mechanical arm to achieve automatic charging work; the controller is connected with the roller shutter door, the cascade fork arm, the mechanical arm, the visual camera, and the circuit breaker respectively, and is used to control the opening and closing of the roller shutter door, the telescopic distance of the cascade fork arm, the gun insertion and gun extraction operation of the mechanical arm, the photographing and distance measurement of the visual camera, and the attraction and disconnection of the circuit breaker.

[0007] Optionally, the roller shutter door is opened and closed according to a working state of the charging system; wherein, the working state comprises at least one of the following: standby idle, start charging, complete charging, or abort charging.

[0008] Optionally, the power conversion system comprises: a high-voltage incoming line switch, a transformer, a rectifier, and a circuit breaker; wherein: the high-voltage incoming line switch is used to access a high-voltage power supply; the transformer is connected with the high-voltage incoming line switch and is used to convert the voltage provided by the high-voltage power supply into a voltage required for charging; the rectifier is connected with the transformer and is used to convert alternating current into direct current; and the circuit breaker is connected with the rectifier and is used to control the on-off of the charging circuit.

[0009] Optionally, the cascade fork arm pushes or pulls the mechanical arm out of or back to the container through telescoping; wherein, the telescopic distance of the cascade fork arm is controlled by the controller according to the parking position of the electric mine truck.

[0010] Optionally, the mechanical arm realizes any one of the following operations through the magnetic attraction device and the visual camera: grabbing a gun head, releasing a gun head, inserting a gun, extracting a gun, and opening a door plate of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet.

[0011] Optionally, the visual camera measures the relative positions between the charging gun and the on-board power receiving cabinet, and between the charging gun and the socket in the on-board power receiving cabinet by collecting image data of the charging gun, the on-board power receiving cabinet and the socket in the on-board power receiving cabinet.

[0012] Optionally, the charging gun is equipped with a clamp matched with the magnetic attraction device; wherein the magnetic attraction device is controlled by the on-off state of the electromagnet to make the magnetic attraction device and the clamp attract and separate.

[0013] Optionally, when the mechanical arm grabs the charging gun, the magnetic attraction device is inserted into the clamp, the electromagnet is powered on, the magnetic attraction device and the clamp are completely attracted, and the mechanical arm moves the charging gun; when the mechanical arm releases the charging gun, the electromagnet is powered off, and the magnetic attraction device is pulled out of the clamp.

[0014] Optionally, the cascade fork arm, the mechanical arm, the visual camera and the magnetic attraction device all have a protection level of no less than IP65.

[0015] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a charging control method is provided, applied to the automatic charging system for electric mine trucks in the above, comprising: standby idle: the electric mine truck does not enter, the charging system is in an idle state, the rolling shutter door of the container is in a falling position state, the circuit breaker is in an open state, the cascade fork arm and the mechanical arm are in an initial zero position, the controller continuously searches for the vehicle information of the electric mine truck through a wifi signal, and prepares to enter a charging process; vehicle enters a station to prepare for charging: the electric mine truck enters, the controller captures the vehicle information of the electric mine truck through a wifi signal; the electric mine truck is guided to enter a parking charging position, and a parking in position signal is sent; in response to triggering of a one-key charging button, a charging process is started; start charging: the controller receives a start charging instruction, opens the rolling shutter door, and the cascade fork arm is telescoped to a predetermined position to cooperate with the mechanical arm to perform a gun inserting action under the assistance of the visual camera; the mechanical arm pulls down a charging gun from a fixed seat of a charging cabinet and then inserts the charging gun into a socket of a vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet under the assistance of the visual camera and the magnetic attraction device; after the gun inserting is completed, the cascade fork arm and the mechanical arm automatically return to the initial zero position, the rolling shutter door is closed, and the gun inserting process is completed; the controller controls the circuit breaker to be closed, the charging cabinet is powered on, and the charging cabinet and the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet jointly start battery charging; charging is completed or charging is discontinued: the charging cabinet and the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet jointly stop battery charging, the controller controls the circuit breaker to be opened, and the charging power supply is turned off; the rolling shutter door is opened, the cascade fork arm is telescoped to a predetermined position to cooperate with the mechanical arm to perform a gun pulling action under the assistance of the visual camera; the mechanical arm pulls down the charging gun from the socket of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and then inserts the charging gun into the fixed seat of the charging cabinet under the assistance of the visual camera and the magnetic attraction device; after the gun pulling is completed, the cascade fork arm and the mechanical arm automatically return to the initial zero position, the rolling shutter door is closed, and the gun pulling process is completed; the vehicle leaves the standby idle: the electric mine truck leaves, and the charging system reenters the idle state.

[0016] In the embodiment of the present application, the container is equipped with an automatically controlled roller shutter door, which is automatically opened and closed according to the working state of the charging system, preventing external dust, rain and the like from entering and protecting the internal equipment. The power conversion system includes a high-voltage incoming line switch, a transformer, a rectifier and a circuit breaker, which are used to convert high-voltage alternating current power into low-voltage direct current power required by the electric mine car charging station, ensuring the efficiency and safety of the charging process. The charging cabinet is connected with the circuit breaker, which is used to provide the electric mine car with the power required by the charging station. At least one charging gun is equipped in the charging cabinet, which is used to externally connect the socket in the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet to realize charging connection. The cascade fork arm is installed in the container, which is used to adjust the working range of the mechanical arm, ensuring that the mechanical arm can flexibly cope with electric mine cars at different positions. The mechanical arm is installed at the end of the cascade fork arm, which is used to perform operations such as grabbing the gun head, inserting the gun and pulling out the gun. The arm end of the mechanical arm is provided with a magnetic attraction device and a visual camera, which assist in realizing high-precision automatic charging operation. The visual camera is used to collect image data of the charging gun, the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and its socket, and the relative position is calculated through an image processing algorithm, ensuring the accurate operation of the mechanical arm. The magnetic attraction device realizes the attraction and separation of the charging gun clamp by controlling the on-off state of the electromagnet, ensuring the stable grabbing and releasing of the charging gun. The controller is connected with the roller shutter door, the cascade fork arm, the mechanical arm, the visual camera and the circuit breaker respectively, which is used to control the opening and closing of the roller shutter door, the extension distance of the cascade fork arm, the gun insertion and pulling out operation of the mechanical arm, the photographing and distance measurement of the visual camera and the attraction and disconnection of the circuit breaker; thereby solving the technical problems that the ordinary charging system cannot effectively meet the needs of the electric mine car in the harsh mine environment, such as insufficient power, poor environmental adaptability, low safety and low automation, and achieving the technical effects of significantly improving the efficiency, safety and reliability of the electric mine car automatic charging system, and ensuring the efficiency and safety of the charging process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] 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 are only some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can also obtain other embodiments according to these drawings without creating any creative labor.

[0018] Figure 1 a schematic diagram of an automatic charging system for an electric mine car provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2 a schematic diagram of the connection relationship of each component of the automatic charging system for the electric mine car provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 3 a flowchart of a charging control method provided by the embodiment of the present application. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Embodiments of this application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While some embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that embodiments of this application can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of the embodiments of this application. It should be understood that the accompanying drawings and embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0022] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, an automatic charging system for an electric mining truck 20 is provided, which is applicable to charging mining trucks in mining application scenarios. The charging system has a series of automated devices and processes, which are sufficient to cope with harsh outdoor environments such as strong light interference, high temperature, low temperature, wind, sand, rain and snow. The electric mining truck is an electric truck used in the mining industry, with a transport tonnage of typically over 100t and a battery capacity of typically over 1000kWh. The charging system is a device for replenishing the power of vehicles containing batteries.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an automatic charging system for electric mining trucks provided in an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 1 As shown, the automatic charging system for the electric mining truck 20 includes: a container 11, a power conversion system 12, a charging cabinet 13, a cascaded forklift 14, a robotic arm 15, a vision camera 16, a magnetic suction device 17, a controller 18, and an on-board power receiving cabinet 19; the power conversion system 12, charging cabinet 13, cascaded forklift 14, robotic arm 15, vision camera 16, magnetic suction device 17, and controller 18 are installed inside the container 11, and the on-board power receiving cabinet 19 is installed on the electric mining truck 20; wherein:

[0024] Container 11 is equipped with an automatically controlled roller shutter door 1101;

[0025] The power conversion system 12 is used to convert high-voltage AC power into low-voltage DC power required for charging the electric mining truck 20; wherein, the power conversion system 12 is equipped with a circuit breaker responsible for switching the charging line on and off.

[0026] The charging cabinet 13 is connected to the circuit breaker and is used to provide the power required for charging the electric mining truck 20. The charging cabinet 13 is equipped with at least one charging gun, which is used to connect to the socket in the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet 19 to achieve charging connection.

[0027] The robotic arm 15 is installed at the end of the cascaded fork arm 14, which is used to adjust the working range of the robotic arm 15. The robotic arm and the cascaded fork arm work together to complete a wide range of charging operations to meet the requirements of electric mining truck charging scenarios.

[0028] The visual camera 16 and the magnetic attraction device 17 are respectively installed at the end of the mechanical arm 15 to assist the mechanical arm 15 to realize automatic charging operation;

[0029] The controller 18 is connected with the roller shutter door 1101, the cascade fork arm 14, the mechanical arm 15, the visual camera 16 and the circuit breaker respectively, for controlling the opening and closing of the roller shutter door 1101, the telescopic distance of the cascade fork arm 14, the gun inserting and pulling operation of the mechanical arm 15, the photographing and distance measurement of the visual camera 16, and the attraction and disconnection of the circuit breaker. The controller also communicates with the vehicle control unit (VCU).

[0030] In the embodiment of the present application, the container is equipped with an automatically controlled roller shutter door, which is automatically opened and closed according to the working state of the charging system, preventing external dust, rain and the like from entering and protecting the internal equipment. The power conversion system includes a high-voltage incoming line switch, a transformer, a rectifier and a circuit breaker, which are used to convert high-voltage alternating current power into low-voltage direct current power required by the electric mine truck charging station, ensuring the efficiency and safety of the charging process. The charging cabinet is connected with the circuit breaker and is used to provide the electric mine truck with power required for charging. At least one charging gun is provided in the charging cabinet, which is used to externally connect the socket in the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet to realize charging connection. The cascade fork arm is installed in the container and is used to adjust the working range of the mechanical arm, ensuring that the mechanical arm can flexibly cope with electric mine trucks at different positions. The mechanical arm is installed at the end of the cascade fork arm and is used to perform operations such as grabbing the gun head, inserting the gun and pulling out the gun. The arm end of the mechanical arm is provided with a magnetic attraction device and a visual camera, which assist in realizing high-precision automatic charging operation. The visual camera is used to collect image data of the charging gun, the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and the socket thereof, and the relative position is calculated through an image processing algorithm, ensuring accurate operation of the mechanical arm. The magnetic attraction device realizes attraction and separation with the charging gun clamp by controlling the on-off state of the electromagnet, ensuring stable grabbing and releasing of the charging gun. The controller is connected with the roller shutter door, the cascade fork arm, the mechanical arm, the visual camera and the circuit breaker respectively, for controlling the opening and closing of the roller shutter door, the telescopic distance of the cascade fork arm, the gun inserting and pulling operation of the mechanical arm, the photographing and distance measurement of the visual camera, and the attraction and disconnection of the circuit breaker. Thus, the technical problem that the ordinary charging system cannot effectively meet the demand of the electric mine truck for efficient and safe charging in a harsh mine environment due to insufficient power, poor environmental adaptability, low safety and low automation is solved, and the efficiency, safety and reliability of the electric mine truck automatic charging system are significantly improved, ensuring efficient and safe charging.

[0031] It is worth noting that the automatic control of the container effectively prevents external dust, rain and other factors from entering, protecting the internal equipment and ensuring the stable operation of the system in harsh environments. The coordinated work of the mechanical arm, visual camera and magnetic attraction device realizes the complete automation of the charging process without human intervention, improving the efficiency and reliability of the charging system. The power conversion system can efficiently convert high-voltage alternating current power into low-voltage direct current power, providing megawatt-level charging power to meet the large-capacity battery charging needs of electric mine trucks. The use of circuit breakers ensures the on-off control of the charging circuit, preventing overload, short circuit and other faults. Real-time monitoring and feedback mechanisms further improve the safety of the system. The intelligent control of the controller simplifies the operation of the charging system, reduces the number of operation steps, reduces the professional requirements for operators and improves the ease of use of the system.

[0032] As an optional embodiment, the rolling shutter door 1101 is opened and closed according to the working state of the charging system to prevent dust, rain and other factors from entering the container and ensure the safety of the equipment inside the container; wherein the working state includes at least one of the following: standby idle, start charging, complete charging or stop charging.

[0033] Optionally, the rolling shutter door is installed at the entrance of the charging station to control the isolation between the inside and outside of the charging station. The controller is responsible for monitoring the state of the charging system and controlling the opening and closing of the rolling shutter door according to the state. Position sensors, photoelectric sensors and other devices are used to detect the entry and exit of electric mine trucks and the charging state.

[0034] Optionally, when the charging system is in standby idle state, the controller controls the rolling shutter door to remain closed to prevent external dust, debris and other factors from entering the inside of the charging station; photoelectric sensors and other devices continuously monitor the entrance of the charging station, waiting for the arrival of electric mine trucks.

[0035] Further, when the electric mine truck approaches the entrance of the charging station, the photoelectric sensor detects the presence of the vehicle and transmits a signal to the controller; after receiving the sensor signal, the controller controls the rolling shutter door to open, allowing the electric mine truck to enter the charging station; after the electric mine truck enters the charging station, the visual camera captures the vehicle position image, and the controller calculates the precise position of the vehicle; the mechanical arm, assisted by the visual camera and the magnetic attraction device, inserts the charging gun into the socket of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet; the controller controls the circuit breaker to close, the charging circuit is powered on, and the charging cabinet starts to supply power to the vehicle-mounted battery.

[0036] Optionally, when the vehicle-mounted battery is fully charged or stops charging halfway, the controller communicates with the vehicle-mounted controller VCU to stop charging; the controller controls the circuit breaker to open, cutting off the charging circuit to ensure safety; the mechanical arm, assisted by the visual camera and the magnetic attraction device, pulls out the charging gun from the socket of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and returns it to the fixed seat of the charging cabinet; the controller controls the rolling shutter door to close, restoring the closed state of the charging station.

[0037] Optionally, the controller monitors the charging status in real time through the sensor and communication module, and triggers the suspension of the charging program as soon as an abnormal condition (such as overheating, short circuit, etc.) is detected; the controller controls the circuit breaker to be disconnected to cut off the charging circuit and ensure safety; the mechanical arm, assisted by the visual camera and the magnetic attraction device, pulls out the charging gun from the socket of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and puts it back into the fixed seat of the charging cabinet; the controller controls the roller shutter door to be closed to restore the closed state of the charging station.

[0038] In the embodiments of the present application, the roller shutter door remains closed when the charging system is in the standby idle state, preventing external dust, debris, etc. from entering the interior of the charging station and reducing safety hazards. During the charging process, the opening and closing of the roller shutter door are automatically controlled by the controller to ensure the closure and safety of the interior environment of the charging station. The roller shutter door can flexibly adjust the opening and closing timing according to different working states, adapt to various charging scenarios, and improve the flexibility and adaptability of the system.

[0039] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the connection relationship of the components of the automatic charging system for electric mine trucks provided in the embodiments of the present application is shown in Figure 2 As shown, it mainly involves the strong current connection and weak current signal connection (communication connection) between various components; wherein, the power conversion system 12 includes: a high-voltage incoming line switch 1201, a transformer 1202, a rectifier 1203, and a circuit breaker 1204; wherein: the high-voltage incoming line switch 1201 is used to access the high-voltage power supply; the transformer 1202 is connected with the high-voltage incoming line switch 1201 and is used to convert the voltage provided by the high-voltage power supply into the voltage required for charging; the rectifier 1203 is connected with the transformer 1202 and is used to convert alternating current into direct current; the circuit breaker 1204 is connected with the rectifier 1203 and is used to control the on-off of the charging circuit.

[0040] Optionally, the mine field high-voltage power supply cable enters the container through the high-voltage incoming line switch, and the high-voltage power supply passes through the transformer, the rectifier, and the circuit breaker in turn to reach the charging gun of the charging cabinet, which is plugged into the socket of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and connected with the vehicle-end battery BMS to realize the charging connection.

[0041] Optionally, the controller is responsible for coordinating the operation of the high-voltage incoming line switch, the transformer, the rectifier, and the circuit breaker to ensure the safety and efficiency of the power conversion and charging process; the controller adopts a standard communication protocol, such as CAN bus or MODBUS, between the high-voltage incoming line switch, the transformer, the rectifier, the circuit breaker, the mechanical arm, the visual camera, and other devices to ensure the reliability and real-time performance of data transmission.

[0042] In the embodiments of the present application, the high-efficiency conversion of the transformer and the rectifier ensures the power transmission efficiency from the high-voltage power grid to the charging cabinet, reduces energy loss, and improves the charging speed. The use of the circuit breaker ensures the on-off control of the charging circuit, which can cut off the power supply in time during the charging process to prevent overload, short circuit and other faults, thereby improving the safety of the system. The dual protection mechanism of the high-voltage incoming line switch and the circuit breaker ensures the reliable operation of the power system and reduces the failure rate. The transformer can flexibly adjust the output voltage according to the charging requirements of different vehicle models to meet the charging requirements of various electric mine trucks. The high-efficiency conversion capability of the rectifier ensures the stability and purity of the output DC power, thereby improving the charging quality.

[0043] As an optional embodiment, the cascade fork arm 14 pushes or pulls the mechanical arm 15 out or back to the container 11 through extension and retraction; wherein the extension and retraction distance of the cascade fork arm 14 is controlled by the controller 18 according to the parking position of the electric mine truck 20.

[0044] The fork arm with the extension and retraction function can push or pull the mechanical arm out or back to the container as needed; the mechanical arm is a multi-axis mechanical arm installed at the end of the cascade fork arm, which is used to perform operations such as grabbing the gun head, inserting the gun, and pulling out the gun; the controller is responsible for controlling the extension and retraction distance of the cascade fork arm and coordinating the operation of the mechanical arm and other equipment.

[0045] Optionally, when the electric mine truck enters the charging station, the visual camera collects image data of the parking position of the vehicle; the controller calculates the accurate position of the electric mine truck relative to the charging station through image processing algorithm; the controller sends instructions to control the extension and retraction distance of the cascade fork arm according to the calculated parking position, and pushes the mechanical arm out to the appropriate position; the mechanical arm adjusts the position and attitude according to the instructions of the controller, and prepares to perform the gun insertion operation.

[0046] Further, after the mechanical arm completes the gun insertion operation, the controller sends instructions to control the cascade fork arm to retract, and pulls the mechanical arm back to the container; the mechanical arm returns to the initial position and prepares for the next operation.

[0047] Optionally, when the gun needs to be pulled out, the visual camera collects image data of the parking position of the electric mine truck again; the controller recalculates the position of the electric mine truck through the image processing algorithm; the controller sends instructions to control the extension and retraction distance of the cascade fork arm according to the new parking position, and pushes the mechanical arm out to the appropriate position; the mechanical arm adjusts the position and attitude according to the instructions of the controller, and prepares to perform the gun pulling operation.

[0048] Further, after the mechanical arm completes the gun pulling operation, the controller sends instructions to control the cascade fork arm to retract, and pulls the mechanical arm back to the container; the mechanical arm returns to the initial position and prepares for the next operation.

[0049] In the embodiments of the present application, through the high-precision image processing algorithm of the visual camera, the controller can accurately calculate the parking position of the electric mine truck, ensure the accurate extension distance of the cascade fork arm, so that the mechanical arm can be accurately positioned, and the precision of the gun insertion and gun extraction is improved. The extension function of the cascade fork arm greatly increases the working range of the mechanical arm, can adapt to electric mine trucks with different parking positions, and improves the flexibility and adaptability of the system. Through the intelligent control of the controller, the cooperative work of the cascade fork arm and the mechanical arm realizes the complete automation of the charging operation, without manual intervention, improves the automation level of the charging system, and reduces the labor cost.

[0050] As an optional embodiment, the mechanical arm 15 realizes any one of the operations of grabbing the gun head, releasing the gun head, inserting the gun, extracting the gun, and opening the door panel of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet 19 through the magnetic attraction device 17 and the visual camera 16.

[0051] Optionally, the mechanical arm is a multi-axis mechanical arm with multiple degrees of freedom, which can flexibly adjust the position and posture. The magnetic attraction device is installed at the end of the mechanical arm, and the on-off state of the electromagnet is controlled to realize the attraction and separation with the charging gun clamp. The visual camera is installed at the end of the mechanical arm, and is used to collect image data of the charging gun, the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and its socket. The controller is responsible for coordinating the operation of the mechanical arm, the magnetic attraction device and the visual camera, and realizes the automatic operation.

[0052] Optionally, the visual camera collects image data of the charging gun in the charging cabinet; the controller calculates the position of the charging gun through an image processing algorithm; the controller sends an instruction, and the mechanical arm moves to the position of the charging gun; the controller controls the electromagnet to be powered on, and the magnetic attraction device is attracted to the charging gun clamp; the mechanical arm extracts the charging gun from the charging cabinet, and is ready for the next operation.

[0053] Optionally, the visual camera collects image data of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and its socket; the controller calculates the position of the socket through an image processing algorithm; the controller sends an instruction, and the mechanical arm adjusts the position and posture to ensure that the charging gun is aligned with the socket; the mechanical arm inserts the charging gun into the socket, the controller controls the electromagnet to be powered off, and the magnetic attraction device is separated from the clamp; the mechanical arm returns to the initial position, and the charging cabinet starts charging.

[0054] Optionally, the visual camera collects image data of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and its socket; the controller calculates the position of the socket through an image processing algorithm; the controller sends an instruction, and the mechanical arm moves to the position of the socket; the controller controls the electromagnet to be powered on, and the magnetic attraction device is attracted to the charging gun clamp; the mechanical arm extracts the charging gun from the socket, the controller controls the electromagnet to be powered off, and the magnetic attraction device is separated from the clamp; the mechanical arm puts the charging gun back into the fixed seat of the charging cabinet, and returns to the initial position.

[0055] Optionally, the visual camera collects image data of the door panel of the on-board power supply cabinet; the controller calculates the position of the door handle through image processing algorithms; the controller sends instructions, and the mechanical arm moves to the door handle position; the end of the arm of the mechanical arm is provided with a push rod, and the controller controls the push rod to push the door handle to open the door panel; the mechanical arm retreats to the initial position, ready for the next operation.

[0056] The controller is responsible for receiving image data transmitted by the visual camera, calling image processing algorithms for position calculation, generating corresponding control instructions, and driving the mechanical arm and the magnetic attraction device to complete various operations.

[0057] In the embodiments of the present application, through the high-precision image processing algorithm of the visual camera, the mechanical arm can accurately identify and locate the charging gun, the on-board power supply cabinet and its socket, ensuring the accuracy of the gun insertion and extraction actions. The coordinated work of the mechanical arm, the magnetic attraction device and the visual camera makes the operations of grabbing the gun head, releasing the gun head, inserting the gun, extracting the gun and opening the door panel of the on-board power supply cabinet fully automated, without human intervention, improving the automation level of the charging system and reducing labor costs. The automated operation reduces human intervention and avoids safety hazards caused by human errors, improving the safety of the charging process.

[0058] As an optional embodiment, the visual camera 16 collects image data of the charging gun, the on-board power supply cabinet 19 and the socket in the on-board power supply cabinet 19, calculates the relative position between the charging gun and the on-board power supply cabinet 19, and the relative position between the charging gun and the socket in the on-board power supply cabinet 19.

[0059] Optionally, a high-resolution, high-frame-rate industrial camera is selected to ensure that the details of the charging gun, the on-board power supply cabinet and the socket can be clearly captured. The visual camera is installed at the end of the arm of the mechanical arm or other appropriate positions to ensure that the camera's field of view covers the area of the charging gun, the on-board power supply cabinet and its socket. Proper light sources, such as LED ring lights, are installed around the camera to reduce the impact of environmental light on image quality, especially in strong light or dark conditions in the mine.

[0060] The visual camera is connected to the controller through a wireless or wired network and transmits image data in real time; the collected images are preprocessed, including grayscale, noise filtering, edge detection, etc., to improve the accuracy of subsequent processing; image processing algorithms are used to extract feature points of the charging gun, the on-board power supply cabinet and the socket, such as contours and marker points; based on the extracted feature points, geometric transformation and coordinate system conversion methods are used to calculate the relative position between the charging gun and the on-board power supply cabinet, and the relative position between the charging gun and the socket in the on-board power supply cabinet.

[0061] The controller receives image data transmitted by the visual camera, calls an image processing algorithm to calculate the position, generates corresponding control instructions according to the calculated relative position, and drives the mechanical arm to adjust the position to ensure that the charging gun can be accurately inserted into the socket. During the entire gun insertion process, the visual camera continuously collects image data, and the controller adjusts the position of the mechanical arm in real time to ensure the accuracy of the gun insertion action.

[0062] In the embodiments of the present application, the visual camera can accurately calculate the relative position between the charging gun and the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and its socket through high-precision image processing algorithms, ensuring that the mechanical arm can accurately insert the charging gun into the socket and reducing the risk of gun insertion failure. The visual camera can adapt to different environmental light conditions and accurately identify the target even in strong light or dark light conditions in the mine field, improving the environmental adaptability of the system. The cooperation of the visual camera and the controller makes the gun insertion and removal process fully automated without human intervention, improving the automation level of the charging system and reducing labor costs. Through real-time image feedback and position adjustment, the success rate of each gun insertion action is ensured, system failures caused by gun insertion failure are reduced, and the reliability of the system is improved. Fast and accurate gun insertion action shortens the charging preparation time, improves the overall charging efficiency, and enables electric mine trucks to complete charging faster and continue working.

[0063] As an optional embodiment, the charging gun is equipped with a clamp matched with the magnetic attraction device 17; wherein the magnetic attraction device 17 controls the on-off state of the electromagnet to make the magnetic attraction device 17 and the clamp attract and separate.

[0064] Optionally, the clamp is made of high-strength, wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials such as stainless steel or aluminum alloy to ensure that the clamp is not easily damaged during frequent use; the clamp is designed in a shape matched with the magnetic attraction device, such as a cylindrical or rectangular slot, to ensure that the magnetic attraction device can be accurately inserted and firmly attracted; the clamp is installed at a specific position of the charging gun head to ensure that the mechanical arm can quickly position when grabbing and releasing the charging gun.

[0065] Optionally, a high-performance electromagnet is selected, which has a fast response time and high suction force to ensure that the attraction and separation actions are completed in a short time; the magnetic attraction device includes an electromagnet, a magnetic conductive material, a shell and a connecting mechanism. The electromagnet is installed inside the magnetic conductive material, and the shell protects the internal components from external environmental influences; the magnetic attraction device is connected with the controller through an electrical interface, and the controller can control the on-off state of the electromagnet by sending electrical signals.

[0066] Optionally, the controller is responsible for receiving charging instructions, controlling the on-off of the electromagnet of the magnetic attraction device, and coordinating the movement of the mechanical arm; Sensor feedback: position sensors and force sensors are installed on the magnetic attraction device to monitor the contact state and suction force between the magnetic attraction device and the clamp in real time, ensuring the accuracy of the operation; The controller uses standard communication protocols such as CAN bus or MODBUS to communicate with the mechanical arm, magnetic attraction device, vision camera and other devices, ensuring the reliability and real-time performance of data transmission.

[0067] As an optional embodiment, when the mechanical arm 15 grabs the charging gun, the magnetic attraction device 17 is inserted into the clamp, the electromagnet is powered on, the magnetic attraction device 17 is fully attracted to the clamp, and the mechanical arm 15 moves the charging gun; When the mechanical arm 15 releases the charging gun, the electromagnet is powered off, and the magnetic attraction device 17 is pulled out of the clamp.

[0068] Optionally, a reliable communication interface is established between the controller 10 and the magnetic attraction device 17 to ensure that the controller can accurately control the on-off of the electromagnet. In addition, position sensors can be installed on the magnetic attraction device to monitor the contact state between the magnetic attraction device and the clamp in real time, ensuring the accuracy of the attraction and release operation.

[0069] Further, the operation process of grabbing the charging gun: after the controller receives the gun insertion instruction, it sends signals to the mechanical arm and the magnetic attraction device; The mechanical arm moves to the position of the charging gun, and the magnetic attraction device is aligned with the clamp of the charging gun head; The controller controls the electromagnet to be powered on, and the magnetic attraction device is fully attracted to the clamp; The mechanical arm pulls out the charging gun from the charging cabinet and prepares to insert the gun.

[0070] Further, the operation process of releasing the charging gun: after the controller receives the gun pulling instruction, it sends signals to the mechanical arm and the magnetic attraction device; The mechanical arm pulls out the charging gun from the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and moves to the position of the charging cabinet; The controller controls the electromagnet to be powered off, and the magnetic attraction device is pulled out of the clamp; The mechanical arm puts the charging gun back into the fixed seat of the charging cabinet.

[0071] In the embodiments of the present application, the close fit of the magnetic attraction device and the clamp ensures the accurate grabbing and releasing of the charging gun, reduces the operation error, and improves the reliability of the charging process. Through the on-off control of the electromagnet, the stability of the charging gun during insertion and pulling is ensured, and the safety hazards caused by improper human operation are avoided. The entire gun insertion and pulling process is completely automatic and does not require human intervention, which improves the automation level of the charging system and reduces labor costs. The design of the magnetic attraction device and the charging gun head clamp takes into account the characteristics of the mine site environment, has good weather resistance and corrosion resistance, and can work stably in high temperature, low temperature, wind and sand, rain and snow and other harsh conditions.

[0072] As an optional embodiment, the cascade fork arm 14, the mechanical arm 15, the visual camera 16 and the magnetic suction device 17 all have a protection level not lower than IP65, which can adapt to the open-pit mine site operation environment and overcome the adverse environment such as sand, strong wind, rain and direct sunlight.

[0073] In order to ensure that the above-mentioned components reach the IP65 protection level, corrosion-resistant, high-temperature-resistant and ultraviolet-resistant materials can be selected to manufacture these components. For example, the shell can be made of stainless steel or aluminum alloy material, which has good mechanical strength and excellent weather resistance and anti-aging performance. All interfaces and movable parts need to use waterproof sealing rings or gaskets to ensure that the internal electronic components are not affected by external moisture and dust. In addition, for the joints of the mechanical arm and other parts that need to be frequently moved, special waterproof sealing technology such as rotary sealing or sliding sealing can be used.

[0074] In the embodiment of the present application, by adopting high-standard protection measures, damage to the equipment caused by external factors such as sand and rain can be effectively prevented, the service life of the equipment is prolonged, and the maintenance cost is reduced. The protection level above IP65 enables the automatic charging system to operate stably in extreme environments such as open-pit mines, and is not affected by factors such as temperature changes, humidity, wind and sand, thereby ensuring the safety and reliability of the charging process. The equipment with high-level protection capability can reduce the downtime caused by weather, maintain the efficient operation of the mine truck, and thus improve the overall mining efficiency.

[0075] According to another aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a charging control method is provided, which is applied to the automatic charging system for the electric mine truck in the above. Figure 3 The flow chart of the charging control method provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in Figure 3 The method comprises the following steps:

[0076] Standby idle: the electric mine truck does not enter, the charging system is in an idle state, the rolling shutter door of the container is in a falling position, the circuit breaker is in an open state, the cascade fork arm and the mechanical arm are in an initial zero position, and the controller continuously searches for the vehicle information of the electric mine truck through a wifi signal, and prepares to enter the charging process;

[0077] Vehicle enters the station to prepare for charging: the electric mine truck enters, the controller captures the vehicle information of the electric mine truck through a wifi signal; guides the electric mine truck to enter a parking charging position and sends a parking in position signal; in response to the triggering of a one-key charging button, the charging process is started;

[0078] Start charging: the controller receives the start charging instruction, opens the roller shutter door, and the cascade fork arm extends to the predetermined position under the assistance of the visual camera to cooperate with the mechanical arm to perform the gun insertion action; under the assistance of the visual camera and the magnetic attraction device, the mechanical arm pulls out the charging gun from the fixed seat of the charging cabinet and then inserts it into the socket of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet; if there are multiple charging guns, the mechanical arm needs to continuously insert and pull out the gun; after the gun insertion is completed, the cascade fork arm and the mechanical arm automatically return to the initial zero position, the roller shutter door is closed, and the gun insertion process is completed; the controller controls the circuit breaker to close, the charging cabinet is powered on, and the charging cabinet and the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet jointly start the battery charging;

[0079] Charging completion or charging termination: the charging cabinet and the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet jointly stop the battery charging, the controller controls the circuit breaker to open, and the charging power supply is turned off; the roller shutter door is opened, the cascade fork arm extends to the predetermined position under the assistance of the visual camera to cooperate with the mechanical arm to perform the gun pulling action; under the assistance of the visual camera and the magnetic attraction device, the mechanical arm pulls out the charging gun from the socket of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and then inserts it into the fixed seat of the charging cabinet; if there are multiple charging guns, the mechanical arm needs to continuously insert and pull out the gun; after the gun pulling is completed, the cascade fork arm and the mechanical arm automatically return to the initial zero position, the roller shutter door is closed, and the gun pulling process is completed;

[0080] Vehicle leaves standby idle: the electric mine truck leaves, and the charging system reenters the idle state.

[0081] Optionally, the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet guides the vehicle to enter the parking charging position through the vehicle-mounted visual system and sends a parking in place signal, the driver presses a one-key charging button according to the signal to start the charging process.

[0082] In the embodiment of the present application, when the mine truck does not enter the charging station, the automatic charging system is in an idle standby state, the roll-up door, circuit breaker, cascade fork arm, mechanical arm and the like in the system are in the initial zero position, and the controller continuously searches whether the vehicle enters the station through the wifi signal; after the mine truck enters the charging station, the controller searches the vehicle signal and confirms whether the vehicle enters the parking space through the visual system, and then a series of automatic processes are started to realize automatic gun pulling from the charging cabinet and gun insertion into the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet; after the gun insertion is completed, the controller communicates with the vehicle-mounted controller VCU, controls the circuit breaker and the charging cabinet to deliver the charging voltage to the vehicle end, and starts charging the vehicle end battery; when the vehicle is fully charged or stops charging in the middle, the controller communicates with the vehicle-mounted VCU, controls the circuit breaker and the charging cabinet to cut off the power circuit, and then a series of automatic processes are started to realize automatic gun pulling from the power receiving cabinet and gun insertion back to the charging cabinet, the roll-up door is closed, the vehicle drives away from the charging station, and the automatic charging process is completed. Compared with the existing automatic charging system, the present application is targeted at the mine truck charging working conditions, such as high temperature, low temperature, strong light direct radiation, wind and sand, rain and snow and the like in the mine, and the conditions such as heavy charging gun line, multiple gun lines charging at the same time, strong electromagnetic interference and the like caused by megawatt charging power which are not conducive to automation, and the present application is designed to realize full automatic charging.

[0083] It should be noted that the term "comprising" and its variants used in the embodiments of the present application are open and inclusive, i.e., "including but not limited to". The term "based on" is "at least partially based on". The term "one embodiment" means "at least one embodiment"; the term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment"; and the term "some embodiments" means "at least some embodiments". The modification of "one" and "multiple" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative and not restrictive, and those skilled in the art should understand that unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, it should be understood as "one or more".

[0084] The various steps described in the method embodiments provided by the embodiments of the present application can be executed in different orders and / or in parallel. In addition, the method embodiments can include additional steps and / or omit the execution of the steps shown. The protection scope of the present application is not limited in this respect.

[0085] The word "implementation" in this description refers to a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an implementation example can be included in at least one implementation of the present application. The phrase appears in various places throughout the specification is not necessarily meant to refer to the same implementation, nor is it meant to imply that the implementation is preferred over, or inherently more desirable than other implementations. Each of the various implementations described in this specification are related to each other in one or more ways. Particularly, for device, apparatus, system implementations, since they are substantially similar to method implementations, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant part is referred to the part of the method implementation description.

[0086] The above-described implementations are merely some implementations of the present application, and the description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation on the scope of patent protection. It should be noted that for ordinary skilled in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, a number of modifications and improvements can be made, which are within the scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automatic charging system for an electric mine truck, characterized in that, The container, the power conversion system, the charging cabinet, the cascade fork arm, the mechanical arm, the visual camera, the magnetic attraction device, the controller and the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet are included. The power conversion system, the charging cabinet, the cascade fork arm, the mechanical arm, the visual camera, the magnetic attraction device and the controller are installed in the container, and the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet is installed on the electric mine truck. The container is equipped with an automatically controlled roller shutter door. The power conversion system is used to convert high-voltage alternating current power into low-voltage direct current power required for charging the electric mine truck. The charging cabinet is connected with the circuit breaker and is used to provide power required for charging the electric mine truck. The charging cabinet is equipped with at least one charging gun, which is used to connect with the socket in the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet to realize charging connection. The mechanical arm is installed at the end of the cascade fork arm, and the cascade fork arm is used to adjust the working range of the mechanical arm. The visual camera and the magnetic attraction device are installed at the end of the mechanical arm to assist the mechanical arm to realize automatic charging operation. The controller is connected with the roller shutter door, the cascade fork arm, the mechanical arm, the visual camera and the circuit breaker respectively, and is used to control the opening and closing of the roller shutter door, the telescopic distance of the cascade fork arm, the gun inserting and pulling operation of the mechanical arm, the photographing and distance measurement of the visual camera, and the attraction and disconnection of the circuit breaker. The roller shutter door is opened and closed according to the working state of the charging system. The working state includes at least one of standby idle, opening charging, completing charging or interrupting charging.

2. The automatic charging system for electric mine trucks of claim 1, characterized in that, The cascade fork arm pushes or pulls the mechanical arm out of or back to the container by telescoping. The power conversion system includes a high-voltage incoming line switch, a transformer, a rectifier and a circuit breaker. The high-voltage incoming line switch is used to access high-voltage power supply. The transformer is connected with the high-voltage incoming line switch and is used to convert the voltage provided by the high-voltage power supply into the voltage required for charging. The rectifier is connected with the transformer and is used to convert alternating current into direct current.

3. The automatic charging system for electric LHDs as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The circuit breaker is connected with the rectifier and is used to control the on-off of the charging circuit.

4. The automatic charging system for electric LHDs as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The mechanical arm realizes any one of the operations of grabbing the gun head, releasing the gun head, inserting the gun, pulling the gun and opening the door plate of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet through the magnetic attraction device and the visual camera.

5. The automatic charging system for electric LHDs as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The visual camera calculates the relative position between the charging gun and the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and the relative position between the charging gun and the socket in the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet by collecting image data of the charging gun, the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet and the socket in the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet. The charging gun is equipped with a clamp matched with the magnetic attraction device. The magnetic attraction device controls the on-off state of the electromagnet to make the magnetic attraction device and the clamp attract and separate.

6. The automatic charging system for electric LHDs as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that, When the mechanical arm grabs the charging gun, the magnetic attraction device is inserted into the clamp, the electromagnet is powered on, the magnetic attraction device is fully attracted to the clamp, and the mechanical arm moves the charging gun; when the mechanical arm releases the charging gun, the electromagnet is powered off, and the magnetic attraction device is pulled out of the clamp.

7. The automatic charging system for electric mining trucks according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The cascade fork arm, the mechanical arm, the visual camera, and the magnetic attraction device all have a protection level of not less than IP65.

8. A charge control method applied to the automatic charging system for electric mine cars according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by, It includes: Standby idle: the electric mine truck does not enter, the charging system is in idle state, the roller shutter door of the container is in the falling position, the circuit breaker is in the open state, the cascade fork arm and the mechanical arm are in the initial zero position, the controller continuously searches for the vehicle information of the electric mine truck through the wifi signal, and prepares to enter the charging process; Vehicle enters the station to prepare for charging: the electric mine truck enters, the controller captures the vehicle information of the electric mine truck through the wifi signal; guide the electric mine truck to enter the parking charging position, and send a parking signal; in response to the triggering of the one-key charging button, start the charging process; Start charging: the controller receives the start charging instruction, opens the roller shutter door, and the cascade fork arm extends to the predetermined position under the assistance of the visual camera to cooperate with the mechanical arm to insert the gun; under the assistance of the visual camera and the magnetic attraction device, the mechanical arm pulls down the charging gun from the fixed seat of the charging cabinet, and then inserts it into the socket of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet; after the gun is inserted, the cascade fork arm and the mechanical arm automatically return to the initial zero position, the roller shutter door is closed, and the gun insertion process is completed; the controller controls the circuit breaker to close, the charging cabinet is powered on, and the charging cabinet and the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet jointly start the battery charging; Charging is completed or charging is stopped: the charging cabinet and the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet jointly stop the battery charging, the controller controls the circuit breaker to open, and the charging power is turned off; open the roller shutter door, the cascade fork arm extends to the predetermined position under the assistance of the visual camera to cooperate with the mechanical arm to pull out the gun; under the assistance of the visual camera and the magnetic attraction device, the mechanical arm pulls down the charging gun from the socket of the vehicle-mounted power receiving cabinet, and then inserts it into the fixed seat of the charging cabinet; after the gun is pulled out, the cascade fork arm and the mechanical arm automatically return to the initial zero position, the roller shutter door is closed, and the gun pulling process is completed; Vehicle leaves standby idle: the electric mine truck leaves, and the charging system reenters the idle state.

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