Automatic charging control method for unmanned forklift

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic charging control method for a driverless forklift, and particularly relates to the technical field of driverless forklifts.The automatic charging control method comprises the steps that corresponding parameters are set, specifically, according to the electric quantity value of a battery, the driverless forklift starting to automatically execute a charging task enters a charging station; moving the charging brush plate from the initial position to the charging pile and recording the stroke of the charging brush plate; starting to automatically execute battery charging of the charging task; battery charging is ended according to the battery electric quantity value, and the vehicle returns to the standby area to be standby in situ. According to the automatic charging control method for the unmanned forklift, a closed-loop feedback scheme is adopted, and mechanism movement corresponding to automatic charging is effectively controlled, that is, only a charging pile or a charger needs to be fixed to a fixed charging point position of the unmanned forklift, the unmanned forklift autonomously controls the corresponding charging mechanism to move, and the automatic charging of the unmanned forklift is achieved. Establishing communication to realize automatic charging; therefore, on-site debugging of an unmanned vehicle project can be accelerated, and the reliability of a product is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of driverless forklifts, and more specifically, to an automatic charging control method for driverless forklifts. Background Art

[0002] There are two known charging methods for driverless forklifts: First, the manual charging mode; this charging method requires too much cooperation from the operator and has a low level of intelligence. Second, the automatic charging mode; the driverless forklift autonomously completes the charging task. Currently, the second charging mode is mainly adopted in the market to achieve the charging task of driverless forklifts. Furthermore, most of the automatic charging solutions are as follows: The charging board is fixed on one side of the driverless forklift. When the driverless forklift reaches the charging position, the infrared device on the charging pile scans the sensing device on the charging board. If the sensing device is scanned, the charging task is triggered. Then, the charging device on the charging pile extends and establishes communication with the charging board, thereby charging.

[0003] However, in actual use, there are some problems with the existing automatic charging methods: For example, there is a phenomenon that multiple vehicles of multiple models share a single charging pile. Since the external dimensions of different models of vehicles vary greatly, the charging pile cannot be compatible with more vehicles. If a separate charging pile is equipped, the cost is high and many on-site venues are small and cannot provide more positions for charging piles. Furthermore, the consistency of multiple vehicles is poor and charging is difficult. Due to the relatively high relative positions of the infrared device on the charging pile and the sensing device on the vehicle, it is difficult for on-site debugging personnel to install the charging pile and match the vehicle path, and the debugging period is long. Moreover, there will be a phenomenon of inability to charge automatically. Therefore, an automatic charging control method for driverless forklifts is proposed as a further improvement to solve the problem of multi-vehicle charging. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, an embodiment of the present invention provides an automatic charging control method for driverless forklifts to solve the problems raised in the above background art.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solution: An automatic charging control method for driverless forklifts, comprising the following steps:

[0006] S1: Set the corresponding parameters:

[0007] Set the travel distance when the charging brush board of the driverless forklift is moved to the charging pile and is in full contact as L1;

[0008] Set the battery power value that triggers the charging task as Q1;

[0009] Set the battery power value that triggers the termination of charging as Q2;

[0010] S2: Determine whether the driverless forklift that starts to automatically execute the charging task enters the charging station positioning link by comparing the current battery power value Q with Q1;

[0011] S3: The charging brush plate moves from the initial position towards the charging pile and records its travel L2; determine whether to start the battery charging link of the automatically executed charging task by comparing L1 and L2;

[0012] S4: Determine whether to end the battery charging by comparing the current battery power value Q with Q2.

[0013] Further, in S2, for the driverless forklift that starts to automatically execute the charging task to enter the charging station positioning link, it includes the following steps:

[0014] S21: The main controller of the driverless forklift obtains the current battery power value Q in real time through CAN communication;

[0015] S22: Determine whether the obtained power value Q is not greater than the battery power value Q1 set in S1: if so, trigger the automatic charging connection task and enter S23; if not, return to S21;

[0016] S23: Determine whether the driverless forklift has a job task being executed: if there is a job task, after completing the job task, return to S23; if not, enter S24;

[0017] S24: The driverless forklift enters the charging station positioning, and determine whether the driverless forklift has reached the charging station positioning: if so, enter S3; if not, return to S24.

[0018] Further, in S3, for the battery charging link of the automatically executed charging task, it includes the following steps:

[0019] S31: Determine whether L2 is not less than L1: if so, the charging brush plate stops moving, the charging brush plate is in full contact with the charging pile, and then enter S32; if not, the charging brush plate continues to move towards the charging pile, and then return to S31;

[0020] S32: Determine whether the CAN communication between the battery and the charging pile is successful. If the communication is successful, start the battery charging, and the instrument shows normal charging, and then enter S4; if the communication cannot be established, charging cannot be achieved, and the instrument has no charging prompt.

[0021] Further, in S4, determining whether to end the battery charging by comparing the current battery power value Q with Q2 includes the following steps:

[0022] S41: Determine whether the current battery power value Q is not less than the battery power value Q2 set in S1. If so, automatically end the charging task and then enter S42; if not, return to S41.

[0023] S42: Disconnect the charging brush board from the charging pile and return it to the initial position. Determine whether the charging brush board has returned to the initial position. If so, stop the movement of the charging brush board and then enter S5; if not, return to S42.

[0024] Further, in S3 and S4, the movement mode of the charging brush board of the driverless forklift is as follows: the motor controller controls the motor to rotate, and the rotation of the motor drives the push rod device to perform a linear motion, and the linear motion of the push rod device drives the charging brush board to perform a corresponding telescopic linear motion.

[0025] Further, in S3 and S4, when the charging brush board of the driverless forklift moves to the farthest position and the initial position, the proximity switch is triggered to stop the movement of the charging brush board; stop the rotation of the corresponding motor.

[0026] Further, in S1, fix the charging pile at the fixed charging point of the driverless forklift.

[0027] According to the vehicle sizes of different models and the on-site environment, set the travel distance L1 for the charging brush board of the driverless forklift to move to the charging pile and make full contact. The L1 is used for the charging brush board to make full contact with the charging pile to achieve battery charging connection.

[0028] The battery power value that triggers the charging task is set as Q1.

[0029] The battery power value that triggers the termination of charging is set as Q2.

[0030] An automatic charging circuit for a driverless forklift includes the automatic charging control method for a driverless forklift described above.

[0031] The technical effects and advantages of the present invention:

[0032] Compared with the prior art, the automatic charging control method for a driverless forklift of the present invention adopts a closed-loop feedback scheme, effectively controlling the movement of the corresponding automatic charging mechanism. That is, only need to fix the charging pile or charger at the fixed charging point of the driverless forklift, and the driverless forklift independently controls the movement of the corresponding charging mechanism, establishes communication to achieve automatic charging; therefore, it can speed up the on-site debugging of the driverless vehicle project and improve the reliability of the product. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0033] Figure 1 It is a schematic flow chart of the control method of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the circuit of the present invention.

[0035] The reference numerals are as follows:

[0036] 14. Travel encoder; 15. Charging brush board; 16. Push rod device; 17. Motor;

[0037] 18. First proximity switch; 19. Second proximity switch;

[0038] 21. Battery; 22. Main fuse; 23. Key switch; 24. DC-DC power converter;

[0039] 25. First fuse; 26. Second fuse; 27. Navigation device; 28. Main controller;

[0040] 29. Motor controller. Specific embodiments

[0041] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer and more understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0042] As shown in the attached Figure 1 and attached Figure 2 An automatic charging control method for an unmanned forklift, characterized by comprising the following steps:

[0043] S1: Set the corresponding parameters:

[0044] Set the travel when the charging brush board of the unmanned forklift is moved to the charging pile and is in full contact as L1;

[0045] Set the battery power value that triggers the charging task as Q1;

[0046] Set the battery power value that triggers the termination of charging as Q2;

[0047] Among them, the battery power value Q1 is used as the low power parameter and can be set to 15% of the battery capacity; the battery power value Q2 is used as the high power parameter and can be set to 90% of the battery capacity;

[0048] S2: Determine whether the unmanned forklift that starts to automatically execute the charging task enters the charging station position link by comparing the current battery power value Q with Q1;

[0049] S3: Move the charging brush board from the initial position to the charging pile and record its travel L2; determine whether the battery charging link of the unmanned forklift that starts to automatically execute the charging task is started by comparing the travels L1 and L2;

[0050] S4: Determine whether to end battery charging by comparing the current battery power value Q with Q2;

[0051] S5: The vehicle returns to the standby area and waits in place.

[0052] In a preferred embodiment, as shown in the appendix Figure 1 and the appendix Figure 2 shown, in S2, the driverless forklift that starts to automatically execute the charging task enters the charging station positioning link, including the following steps:

[0053] S21: The main controller of the driverless forklift obtains the current battery power value Q in real time through CAN communication;

[0054] S22: Determine whether the obtained power value Q is not greater than the battery power value Q1 set in S1: If so, trigger the automatic charging connection task and enter S23; if not, return to S21;

[0055] For example: The main controller 28 of the driverless forklift obtains the current battery power value Q of the battery 21 in real time through CAN communication. When the obtained power value Q ≤ Q1, the main controller 28 triggers the automatic charging task.

[0056] S23: Determine whether the driverless forklift has a job task in execution: If there is a job task, after completing the job task, return to S23; if not, enter S24;

[0057] Among them, determine whether the driverless forklift has a job task in execution: to ensure that the driverless forklift is in a safe charging state;

[0058] S24: The driverless forklift enters the charging station position and determines whether the driverless forklift has reached the charging station position: If so, enter S3; if not, return to S24.

[0059] For example: The main controller 28 of the driverless forklift determines whether the vehicle has reached the charging station position according to the position information transmitted by laser navigation and the map marking position;

[0060] In a preferred embodiment, as shown in the appendix Figure 1 and the appendix Figure 2 shown, in S3, the charging brush plate moves from the initial position to the charging pile and records its travel L2;

[0061] Among them, the travel encoder 14 records the actual travel L2 of the charging brush plate 15 of the driverless forklift;

[0062] The battery charging link that starts to automatically execute the charging task includes the following steps:

[0063] S31: Determine whether L2 is not less than L1. If so, stop the movement of the charging brush plate, and the charging brush plate is in full contact with the charging pile, then enter S32; if not, the charging brush plate continues to move towards the charging pile, and then return to S31.

[0064] S32: Determine whether the CAN communication between the battery and the charging pile is successful. If the communication is successful, start charging the battery, and the instrument displays normal charging, then enter S4; if the communication cannot be established, charging cannot be achieved, and the instrument has no charging prompt.

[0065] In a preferred embodiment, as shown in the appendix Figure 1 and the appendix Figure 2 shown, in S4, by comparing the current battery charge value Q with Q2, determine whether to end the battery charging, including the following steps:

[0066] S41: Determine whether the current battery charge value Q is not less than the battery charge value Q2 set in S1. If so, automatically end the charging task, then enter S42; if not, return to S41.

[0067] S42: The charging brush plate disconnects from the charging pile and returns to the initial position; determine whether the charging brush plate has returned to the initial position. If so, stop the movement of the charging brush plate, then enter S5; if not, return to S42.

[0068] In a preferred embodiment, as shown in the appendix Figure 1 and the appendix Figure 2 shown, in S3 and S4, the movement mode of the charging brush plate of the driverless forklift is as follows: the motor controller controls the motor to rotate, and the rotation of the motor drives the push rod device to do linear motion, and the linear motion of the push rod device drives the charging brush plate to perform corresponding telescopic linear motion.

[0069] For example: The motor controller 29 sets the stroke L1 required for the push rod device 16 to drive the charging brush plate 15 to be in full contact with the charging pile. Then, in S31, the sizes of L2 and L1 are judged: when the value of the stroke L2 measured by the stroke encoder 14 is the same as the value of the stroke L1 set by the motor controller 29, the motor 17 stops rotating, and the charging brush plate 15 is in full contact with the charger;

[0070] In a preferred embodiment, as shown in the appendix Figure 1 and the appendix Figure 2 shown, in S3 and S4, when the charging brush plate of the driverless forklift moves to the farthest position and the initial position, the proximity switch is triggered, and the movement of the charging brush plate is stopped; the rotation of the corresponding motor is stopped.

[0071] In a preferred embodiment, as shown in the appendix Figure 1 and the appendix Figure 2As shown, in S1, fix the charging pile at the fixed charging point of the driverless forklift;

[0072] According to the vehicle sizes of different models and the on-site environment, set the travel distance for the charging brush plate of the driverless forklift to move to and fully contact the charging pile as L1; L1 is used for the charging brush plate to fully contact the charging pile to achieve battery charging connection;

[0073] Set the battery power value that triggers the charging task as Q1;

[0074] Set the battery power value that triggers the termination of charging as Q2.

[0075] As shown in the appendix Figure 2 As shown, an automatic charging circuit for a driverless forklift includes an automatic charging control method for a driverless forklift,

[0076] The automatic charging device for the driverless forklift includes: a travel encoder 14, a charging brush plate 15, a push rod device 16, a motor 17, a first proximity switch 18, a second proximity switch 19, a battery 21, a main fuse 22, a key switch 23, a DC-DC power converter 24, a first fuse 25, a second fuse 26, a navigation device 27, a main controller 28, and a motor controller 29;

[0077] Specific circuit embodiment:

[0078] The motor 17 is fixed on the push rod device 16. One end of the push rod device 16 is fixedly connected to the charging brush plate 15, and the other end of the push rod device 16 is fixedly installed on the frame of the driverless forklift. When the motor 17 rotates forward and backward, the push rod device 16 will drive the charging brush plate 15 to move back and forth;

[0079] Travel encoders 14 are also fixed at both ends of the push rod device 16. The rotation of the motor 17 drives the movement of the push rod device 16, and the travel encoder 14 will move along with the push rod device 16;

[0080] The second proximity switch 19 and the first proximity switch 18 are respectively installed at the maximum extended position and the fully retracted position of the push rod device 16. When the push rod device 16 extends to the maximum position, the second proximity switch 19 is triggered and the motor 17 stops rotating; when the push rod device 16 is fully retracted, the first proximity switch 18 is triggered and the motor 17 stops moving;

[0081] Among them, the motor 17 is a three-phase U / V / W motor. The motor 17 is connected to the motor controller 29. The main controller 28 controls the rotation and stop of the motor 17 through the motor controller 29. The input port IN1 of the motor controller 29 is connected to the signal port of the second proximity switch 19, the input port IN2 is connected to the signal port of the first proximity switch 18, and the input port IN3 is connected to the OUT1 port of the travel encoder 14. The motor controller 29 communicates with the main controller 28 and the battery 21 through the CAN line. The CAN_H port of the motor controller 29 is respectively connected to the CAN_H port of the main controller 28 and the CAN_H port of the battery 21, and the CAN_L port of the motor controller 29 is respectively connected to the CAN_L port of the main controller 28 and the CAN_L port of the battery 21;

[0082] The B+ terminal of the battery 21 is connected to the main fuse F122. After passing through the key switch KS23, it is divided into two paths. One path passes through the second fuse 26 and is connected to the B+ port of the motor controller 29. Then, the B- port of the battery 21 is connected to the B- port of the motor controller 29 to form a loop to supply power to the motor controller 29 and the motor 17. The other path passes through the DC-DC power converter 24 to convert the voltage to 24V and then passes through the first fuse 25 and is connected to the B+ port of the main controller 28. The B- port of the main controller 28 is connected to the B- port of the battery 21 to form a loop to supply power to the main controller 28;

[0083] The input ports IN11, IN12, IN13, and IN14 of the main controller 28 are connected to the input end of the navigation device 27 to transmit the position information measured by the navigation device 27 to the main controller 28 in real time. The main controller 28 also communicates with the battery 21 and the motor controller 29 through CAN communication;

[0084] The B+ port of the battery 21 is respectively connected to the B+ port of the navigation device 27 and the B+ end of the travel encoder 14 after passing through the DC-DC power converter 24 and the first fuse 25. Then, the B- port of the travel encoder 14 is connected to the B- port of the battery 21 to form a loop.

[0085] It should be noted that in this article, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the term "including", "comprising" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device.

[0086] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An automatic charging control method for an unmanned forklift, characterized in that: It includes the following steps: S1: Set the corresponding parameters: Set the travel distance when the charging brush plate of the driverless forklift moves to the charging pile and makes full contact as L1; Set the battery power value that triggers the charging task as Q1; Set the battery power value that triggers the termination of charging as Q2; S2: By comparing the current battery power value Q with Q1, determine whether the driverless forklift that starts to automatically execute the charging task enters the charging station positioning link; S3: The charging brush plate moves from the initial position towards the charging pile and records its travel distance L2; by comparing the travel distances L1 and L2, determine whether the battery charging link of the driverless forklift that starts to automatically execute the charging task begins; S4: By comparing the current battery power value Q with Q2, determine whether to end the battery charging.

2. The automatic charging control method for an unmanned forklift according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the above S2, for the driverless forklift that starts to automatically execute the charging task to enter the charging station positioning link, it includes the following steps: S21: The main controller of the driverless forklift obtains the current battery power value Q in real time through CAN communication; S22: Determine whether the obtained power value Q is not greater than the battery power value Q1 set in S1: if so, trigger the automatic charging connection task and enter S23; if not, return to S21; S23: Determine whether the driverless forklift has a job task in execution: if there is a job task, after completing the job task, return to S23; if not, enter S24; S24: The driverless forklift enters the charging station positioning, and determine whether the driverless forklift has reached the charging station positioning: if so, enter S3; if not, return to S24.

3. The automatic charging control method for an unmanned forklift according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the above S3, for the battery charging link of the driverless forklift that starts to automatically execute the charging task, it includes the following steps: S31: Determine whether L2 is not less than L1: if so, stop the movement of the charging brush plate, and the charging brush plate makes full contact with the charging pile, and then enter S32; if not, the charging brush plate continues to move towards the charging pile, and then return to S31; S32: Determine whether the CAN communication between the battery and the charging pile is successful. If the communication is successful, start the battery charging, and the instrument shows normal charging, and then enter S4; if the communication cannot be established, charging cannot be achieved, and the instrument has no charging prompt.

4. The automatic charging control method for an unmanned forklift according to claim 1, wherein: In the above S4, by comparing the current battery power value Q with Q2 to determine whether to end the battery charging, it includes the following steps: S41: Determine whether the current battery power value Q is not less than the battery power value Q2 set in S1: if so, automatically end the charging task, and then enter S42; if not, return to S41; S42: The charging brush plate disconnects from the charging pile and returns to the initial position; determine whether the charging brush plate has returned to the initial position: if so, stop the movement of the charging brush plate; if not, return to S42.

5. The automatic charging control method for an unmanned forklift according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: In the above S3 and S4, the movement mode of the charging brush plate of the driverless forklift is as follows: the motor controller controls the motor to rotate, and the rotation of the motor drives the push rod device to perform a linear motion, and the linear motion of the push rod device drives the charging brush plate to perform a corresponding telescopic linear motion.

6. The automatic charging control method for an unmanned forklift according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the above S3 and S4, when the charging brush plate of the driverless forklift moves to the farthest position and the initial position, the proximity switch is triggered, and the movement of the charging brush plate is stopped; the rotation of the corresponding motor is stopped.

7. The automatic charging control method for an unmanned forklift according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S1, a charging pile is fixed at a fixed charging point of the driverless forklift; According to the vehicle sizes of different models and the on-site environment, the travel distance for the charging brush plate of the driverless forklift to move to and fully contact the charging pile is set as L1; the L1 is used for the charging brush plate to fully contact the charging pile to achieve battery charging connection; The battery power value for triggering the charging task is set as Q1; The battery power value for triggering the termination of charging is set as Q2.

8. An automatic charging circuit for an unmanned forklift, characterized in that: It includes an automatic charging control method for a driverless forklift according to any one of claims 1-7.

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