Flexible gun inserting head for automatic charging robot

Abstract

A flexible plug gun head for an automatic charging robot comprises a charging plug part, a flexible assembly, a first charging gun body and a second charging gun body, and the charging plug part is located at the head of the first charging gun body and used for being in butt joint with an automobile charging interface. The first charging gun body and the second charging gun body are connected through the flexible assembly, the flexible assembly has elasticity, so that the charging plug part has swinging flexibility under the condition that the charging plug part is subjected to external force, and when the external force is removed, the flexible assembly can spontaneously recover to an initial state without the external force. The invention relates to the field of new energy vehicle charging, through the design of the flexible assembly, even if the initial insertion precision is not high enough during automatic gun insertion, the charging plug part can adaptively and passively adjust the insertion posture and angle in the insertion process due to the fact that the charging plug part has swinging flexibility, accurate butt joint is achieved, and the charging efficiency is improved. And the implementation cost of automatic charging is reduced, and meanwhile, the reliability and stability of the automatic plugging gun are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of new energy vehicle charging, and in particular to a flexible gun plug head for an automatic charging robot. Background Art

[0002] With the increasing adoption of intelligent driving and automated parking technologies for electric vehicles, many vehicles now have the ability to autonomously find and park in parking spaces. This allows drivers and passengers to exit the vehicle before it enters a parking space. For example, if a driver exits the vehicle at the entrance to a residential complex, the vehicle can automatically drive into the underground parking lot, find a parking space, and park automatically. Traditional charging methods that require manual insertion and removal of the charging gun are no longer sufficient for this scenario. Automatic charging technology that can automatically insert and remove the charging gun is becoming increasingly essential. Furthermore, automatic charging can address the need for remote charging startup, scheduling late-night off-peak charging, and automatically charging at low battery levels based on driver-defined thresholds. In summary, the demand for automatic charging technology will continue to grow and become increasingly urgent.

[0003] Automatic charging technology for electric vehicles has seen some initial progress in recent years. The applicant previously submitted a utility model patent application titled "A Mobile Aerial Charging Robot System for Fully Automatic Charging Gun Insertion and Removal" with the China National Intellectual Property Administration, application number "2024227557501," and developed a corresponding automatic charging product. During the development of this automatic charging product, it was discovered that the insertion of the charging gun into the vehicle's charging port requires a high degree of precision. Achieving this precision requires precise control of the two translational axes and three rotational axes of the charging gun tip, aligning it with the vehicle's charging port before controlling the charging gun tip to insert along its own axis. This automatic charging action requires high-precision six-axis motion control and high-precision positioning guidance. Existing automatic charging solutions typically require the use of a high-precision six-axis robotic arm and a high-precision 3D vision positioning guidance module, both of which are very costly. This makes the automatic charging solution uneconomical and hinders its widespread adoption. To reduce the cost of implementing automatic charging, the most direct way is to find a way to get rid of the dependence on high-precision six-axis robotic arms and high-precision 3D vision.

[0004] The present invention is dedicated to providing a flexible charging gun plug that can realize automatic charging without relying on a high-precision six-axis robotic arm and high-precision 3D vision, greatly reducing the implementation cost of automatic charging, and will greatly accelerate the promotion and popularization of automatic charging technology. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a flexible plug-in head for an automatic charging robot. This design utilizes a flexible component to impart swinging flexibility to the charging plug portion that interfaces with the vehicle's charging port. Therefore, even if initial insertion accuracy is insufficient, the flexible charging plug portion will move in the direction of less resistance during insertion, adaptively and passively adjusting the insertion posture and angle, ultimately achieving accurate docking of the charging plug portion with the vehicle's charging port. Because the present invention significantly reduces the initial insertion accuracy requirements, the automatic charging robot can replace a high-precision six-axis robotic arm and high-precision 3D vision module with a lower-precision multi-axis motion module and a low-cost two-dimensional camera, significantly reducing the cost of implementing automatic charging.

[0006] In order to achieve the purpose of the present invention, the corresponding technical solutions are as follows: A flexible plug-in gun head for an automatic charging robot comprises a charging plug portion, a flexible component, a first charging gun body, and a second charging gun body. The charging plug portion is located at the head of the first charging gun body and is used to connect to a vehicle charging port. The first and second charging gun bodies are connected by the flexible component. The flexible component is elastic, allowing the charging plug portion to swing flexibly when subjected to external force. When the external force is removed, the flexible component can spontaneously return to its initial state when not subjected to external force. It should be noted that the "initial state when not subjected to external force" mentioned here refers to the initial state in the macroscopic sense, not the initial state in the strict microscopic sense. Taking the deformation of a spring under force as an example, the macroscopic properties of the spring are primarily elastic, but each deformation under force inevitably involves microscopic plastic deformation. When the external force is removed, the spring rebounds and recovers, although it does not return to its strict initial state in the microscopic sense, but it does return to its initial state in the macroscopic sense. The flexible component described in the present invention can spontaneously return to its initial state when the external force is removed, which also refers to the initial state in the macroscopic sense, without going into the subtle microscopic differences.

[0007] Preferably, the automatic charging robot includes a multi-axis motion module, and the flexible gun head is installed at the end of the multi-axis motion module.

[0008] The swinging flexibility of the charging plug part is the most critical technical feature of the present invention for achieving low-cost automatic charging, because low cost means that high-precision six-axis robotic arms and high-precision 3D vision cannot be used. Taking a high-precision six-axis collaborative robotic arm with an end load of 5kg as an example, its market price usually ranges from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan, and the market price of a high-precision 3D structured light vision positioning module that meets the requirements of automatic charging gun guidance and positioning is also in the tens of thousands of yuan. In comparison, a low-precision multi-axis motion module with the same load can cost several thousand yuan, while an ordinary two-dimensional camera only costs a few hundred yuan. Therefore, there is an order of magnitude cost difference between the two different sets of hardware. Of course, low-cost hardware means low precision. When the vision module adopts an ordinary two-dimensional camera and the gun insertion actuator also adopts a low-precision multi-axis motion module, on the one hand, the accuracy of visual positioning guidance will be relatively low, especially the positioning accuracy along the normal direction of the vehicle charging interface is very high, which requires very high visual hardware. It is basically impossible to guide the charging plug and the vehicle charging interface to align in the normal direction of the gun insertion through the two-dimensional camera. At most, the alignment on the two-dimensional plane is achieved based on the camera imaging picture, which means that at least the alignment of the gun insertion angle cannot be achieved; on the other hand, the execution accuracy of the low-cost multi-axis motion module will also be lower than that of the high-precision six-axis robotic arm, which leads to poor positioning accuracy. As a result, it is impossible to move accurately according to the guidance information provided by the vision module. In this case, if the charging plug part does not have swing flexibility, it is basically impossible to achieve the action of automatic gun insertion. If the charging plug part has swing flexibility, it only needs to ensure that the head of the charging plug part can enter the large hole of the vehicle charging interface during initial insertion. Even if the angle is not aligned or there are errors in other axes at this time, due to the swing flexibility of the charging plug part, the charging plug part will move in the direction of less resistance during the insertion process, thereby passively adjusting the insertion posture and angle, and ultimately achieving accurate docking between the charging plug part and the vehicle charging interface. The applicant has verified the feasibility and technical effect of the technical solution described in the present invention when implementing it. It is possible to achieve automatic gun insertion and extraction under vision guidance when using a low-precision multi-axis motion module and a two-dimensional camera vision module.

[0009] Preferably, the first preferred embodiment of the flexible component is a spring component. The spring used in the spring component can be various types of springs, including helical springs, leaf springs, rod springs, flat springs, other special-shaped springs, etc.

[0010] Preferably, the second preferred embodiment of the flexible component is an elastic structural member composed of an elastic material. Preferably, the elastic structural member is made of a soft elastic material. Preferably, the soft elastic material is rubber, silicone, other polymer elastic materials, composite elastic materials, or similar elastic materials.

[0011] Preferably, the third preferred embodiment of the flexible component is a combined flexible structure, which is composed of any two or three of a spring component, an elastic structural member, and a rigid structural member, and obtains flexibility by optimizing the structure and configuration.

[0012] Preferably, the charging plug portion includes a guide portion, which can provide an insertion guide when the charging plug portion is plugged into the vehicle charging interface. Preferably, the guide portion is a guide cone, and the guide cone is characterized in that, in the direction of the charging plug portion toward the plug gun, the cross-section of the charging plug portion presents a cone structure feature that changes from thick to thin. This cone structure feature allows a certain alignment error between the charging plug portion and the vehicle charging interface when the automatic charging robot performs the automatic charging plug gun action. The provision of the guide portion can further reduce the accuracy requirements for the multi-axis motion module and the visual module, and since a larger alignment error is allowed, the reliability and stability of the automatic plug gun can be greatly improved, while also further reducing hardware costs. The technical effect of providing the guide cone has been verified in the process of the applicant's actual implementation of the present invention.

[0013] Furthermore, the flexible plug gun head also includes a pin telescopic assembly and a plug gun positioning end face. The pin telescopic assembly includes a pin telescopic drive module and a pin male head. The car charging interface includes a surface end face and a pin female head. After the charging plug part is fully inserted into the car charging interface, its insertion length is shorter than the insertion length of the standard charging gun after it is fully inserted into the car charging interface. When the charging plug part is fully inserted into the car charging port, the plug gun positioning end face is in contact with the surface end face of the car charging interface. The pin telescopic assembly can push the pin male head into the pin female head of the car charging interface, so that the pin male head and the pin female head form a contact fit. The setting of the pin telescopic assembly can further improve the success rate and smoothness of automatic gun insertion under low alignment accuracy. If the male pin is inserted into the car charging interface together with the charging plug part at the beginning, when the charging plug part passively adjusts the insertion posture and angle under the action of swinging flexibility, if the deviation angle is too large, the male pin may interfere with the female pin, thereby causing the angle adjustment of the charging plug part to be obstructed and there is a risk of getting stuck. The setting of the pin telescopic assembly can avoid this problem because the male pin is pushed into the female pin only after the charging plug part is fully inserted into the car charging port, and the above-mentioned interference phenomenon will not occur. The reason why the insertion length of the charging plug after being fully inserted into the car charging interface is shorter than the insertion length of the standard charging gun after being fully inserted into the car charging interface is to shorten the docking length when the insertion angle is not aligned. Under the action of the gun insertion force, the positioning end face of the gun will automatically fit with the surface end face of the car charging interface to achieve secondary alignment of the insertion angle, thereby making the process of passive adjustment and alignment of the gun insertion angle shorter, smoother, and more successful. The technical effect of this setting has also been verified in the process of the applicant's actual implementation of the present invention.

[0014] Preferably, a swing gap is provided between the first charging gun body and the second charging gun body, and the swing gap is used to prevent interference and mutual squeezing between the first charging gun body and the second charging gun body when the flexible component undergoes radial swing deformation.

[0015] Furthermore, the flexible plug gun head also includes a rigid-flexible state switching component. When the charging plug portion does not require swing flexibility, the rigid-flexible state switching component is used to constrain the flexibility of the flexible component, thereby forming a rigid connection between the first charging gun body and the second charging gun body. When the charging plug portion requires swing flexibility, the rigid-flexible state switching component releases the constraint on the flexibility of the flexible component, restoring the flexibility of the flexible component. Preferably, the rigid-flexible state switching component is a pin retractable module, which includes a retractable pin and a pin hole. One of the retractable pin and the pin hole is provided on the first charging gun body, and the other is provided on the second charging gun body. The positions of the retractable pin and the pin hole correspond to each other. When the charging plug portion does not require swing flexibility, the pin retractable module drives the retractable pin to be inserted into the pin hole. When the charging plug portion needs to restore swing flexibility, the pin retractable module drives the retractable pin to be withdrawn from the pin hole. The purpose of setting up the rigid-flexible state switching component is to solve the following problem: when the automatic charging robot moves, or when the charging plug part is aligned with the car charging interface, if the flexibility of the flexible component is not constrained, then the visual module and the charging plug part will shake due to the movement or multi-axis motion of the automatic charging robot, thereby affecting the image acquisition of the visual module and the alignment of the charging plug part with the car charging interface. Therefore, it is necessary to constrain the flexibility of the flexible component at this time. After the charging plug part has been initially inserted into the car charging interface, the charging plug part needs to have swing flexibility to achieve adaptive passive adjustment of the insertion posture and angle, and then the flexibility of the flexible component needs to be restored.

[0016] Taking the automatic charging robot deployed on the ground and capable of walking along the ground as an example, the general workflow of the automatic charging robot using the flexible plug-in head of the present invention under the guidance of its own vision module is as follows: The automatic charging robot is deployed on the ground next to a parking space. When an electric vehicle in the parking space requests automatic charging, the robot, guided by a vision module, moves to the vehicle's charging port. The electric vehicle automatically opens the charging port cover, or opens the cover under the control of the automatic charging robot. Then, guided by the vision module, the multi-axis motion module first aligns the flexible plug head with the vehicle's charging port, and then drives the charging plug unit to move along its axis to perform the plug insertion operation. Due to the flexible swinging of the charging plug unit, even if there is a deviation in the initial insertion angle or posture, the charging plug unit will automatically move in the direction of less resistance during the insertion process, thereby adaptively and passively adjusting the insertion posture and angle, ultimately achieving accurate docking of the charging plug unit with the vehicle's charging port. After the plug insertion operation is completed, the charging unit within the automatic charging robot charges the electric vehicle. Once charging is complete, the multi-axis motion module completes the plug removal operation, and the electric vehicle then closes the charging port cover. Finally, the automatic charging robot returns to its initial position and resumes its initial state via the movement module. It should be noted that the above workflow is based on the example of the electric vehicle having the function of automatically opening and closing the charging cover. It is best for the electric vehicle to have the function of automatically opening and closing the charging cover, otherwise the present invention will not be able to achieve the best effect.

[0017] Beneficial effects of the present invention: (1) The low-cost automatic charging solution based on the present invention perfectly meets the automatic charging needs of vehicles with automatic driving and automatic parking functions, especially solving the charging needs of vehicles in scenarios where the driver and passengers have already exited the vehicle before the vehicle automatically enters the parking space. In addition, the automatic charging solution based on the present invention can also solve the needs of vehicle owners who need to temporarily start charging remotely, the need to schedule charging for late-night off-peak electricity, and the need to automatically charge at low battery levels according to thresholds set by the vehicle owner; (2) The present invention adopts a flexible component design, so that the charging plug portion that is plugged into the vehicle charging interface has swing flexibility. Therefore, even if the initial insertion accuracy is not high enough, due to the swing flexibility of the charging plug portion, the charging plug portion will move in the direction with less resistance during the insertion process, thereby adaptively and passively adjusting the insertion posture and angle, and ultimately achieving accurate docking of the charging plug portion with the vehicle charging interface. The design of the flexible component greatly reduces the requirements for initial insertion accuracy of the present invention. Therefore, only a low-precision multi-axis motion module and a low-cost two-dimensional camera are required to replace the high-precision six-axis robot arm and high-precision 3D vision module, greatly reducing the cost of implementing automatic charging; (3) The setting of the guide part can further reduce the accuracy requirements for the multi-axis motion module and the visual module, and since a larger alignment error is allowed, the reliability and stability of the automatic gun insertion can be greatly improved, while further reducing the hardware cost; (4) The setting of the pin telescopic assembly can further improve the success rate and smoothness of automatic gun insertion under low alignment accuracy, and avoid the interference between the male pin and the female pin, which leads to the obstruction of the passive adjustment of the insertion angle of the charging plug; (5) The insertion length of the charging plug after it is fully inserted into the car's charging interface is shorter than the insertion length of the standard charging gun after it is fully inserted into the car's charging interface. This setting shortens the docking length when the insertion angle is not aligned. Under the action of the insertion force, the positioning end face of the insertion gun will automatically fit with the surface end face of the car's charging interface to achieve secondary alignment of the insertion angle, thereby making the process of passively adjusting the insertion gun angle shorter, smoother, and more successful. (6) The setting of the rigid-flexible state switching component solves the problem of constraining and restoring the flexibility of the flexible component at different stages of the automatic charging process.

[0018] It should be noted that the beneficial effects of the present invention are not limited to the above description, and can be understood in conjunction with specific technical solutions and preferred implementation methods. In addition, descriptions of the technical effects and beneficial effects of a specific technical solution or preferred implementation method are also interspersed in the content of the present invention and the implementation methods thereafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the automatic charging robot that can walk along the ground. The flexible gun head of the present invention is installed on the vertical telescopic axis of the multi-axis motion module of the automatic charging robot through the rotating axis at the tail. The figure shows the state of the flexible gun head after it is rotated open relative to the vertical telescopic axis.

[0020] Figure 2 The flexible spear head is shown in a state after being rotated and retracted relative to the vertical telescopic shaft.

[0021] Figure 3 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the structural explosion of the flexible gun head is shown.

[0022] Figure 4 A side schematic diagram of the flexible gun head is shown.

[0023] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the flexible plug gun head is shown, in which the male pin of the pin telescopic assembly is in a state of not being pushed out.

[0024] Figure 6A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the flexible gun head is shown, in which the male pin of the pin telescopic assembly is in a pushed-out state.

[0025] Figure 7 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the flexible plug gun head is shown, in which the male pin of the pin telescopic assembly is in a state of not being pushed out.

[0026] Figure 8 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the flexible plug gun head is shown, in which the male pin of the pin telescopic assembly is in a pushed-out state.

[0027] Figure 9 A schematic diagram showing that the flexible gun head has swing flexibility is shown.

[0028] Figure 10 A schematic diagram is shown of the automatic charging robot performing automatic charging operations for an electric vehicle.

[0029] Figure 11 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the first charging gun body is shown.

[0030] Figure 12 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the first charging gun body from another perspective is shown.

[0031] Figure 13 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the spring assembly is shown.

[0032] Figure 14 The schematic diagram of the national standard AC charging gun and electric vehicle charging interface is shown. Figure 14 (a) is a schematic diagram of a national standard ordinary AC charging gun. Figure 14 (b) is a schematic diagram of the national standard electric vehicle charging interface.

[0033] Description of the reference numerals in the accompanying drawings: 1-base; 2-telescopic sleeve; 3-telescopic arm; 301-gun head storage position; 4-second charging gun body; 5-swing gap; 6-first charging gun body; 601-front cavity; 602-linear bearing mounting hole; 603-pin hole; 6031-pin guide cone; 604-wire through hole; 605-head threaded hole; 606-pin telescopic push rod mounting hole; 607-first spring movable cavity; 608-first spring mounting hole; 7-visual acquisition unit; 8-charging plug; 801-guide cone; 802-plug mating surface; 803-gun positioning end face; 804-pin through hole; 9-travel wheel assembly; 10-power supply cable; 11-power plug; 12-rotating swing axis; 13-low beam Source; 14-high beam light source; 16-male pin; 18-guide pin; 19-linear bearing; 20-telescopic pin push rod; 2001-telescopic push rod part; 21-coil spring assembly; 2101-first flange; 2102-spring center through hole; 2103-second flange; 2104-first flange mounting hole; 2105-second flange mounting hole; 2106-spring body; 22-telescopic pin push rod; 2201-telescopic pin; 23-pin bracket; 25-electric vehicle; 26-car charging interface; 2601-AC jack edge; 2602-AC cylindrical surface jack; 2603-female pin; 2604-surface end face; 28-DC charging interface; 30-AC gun head cylindrical surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The present invention will be further described and explained in detail below in conjunction with the embodiments, implementation methods and drawings of the present invention. It should be noted that the described embodiments or implementation methods are only part of the embodiments or implementation methods of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments or implementation methods. The drawings are only schematic diagrams for convenience of explanation, rather than complete limitations of the implementation methods of the present invention. Based on the embodiments or implementation methods of the present invention, all other embodiments or implementation methods obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] The following description of the embodiments or implementations of the present invention is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.

[0036] like Figure 1-9As shown, a flexible plug gun head for an automatic charging robot includes a charging plug portion 8, a flexible component, a first charging gun body 6, and a second charging gun body 4. The charging plug portion 8 is located at the head of the first charging gun body 6 and is used to dock with the vehicle charging interface. The first charging gun body 6 and the second charging gun body 4 are connected through the flexible component. The flexible component is elastic, which enables the charging plug portion 8 to have swing flexibility when subjected to external force. When the external force is removed, the flexible component can spontaneously return to its initial state when not subjected to external force.

[0037] Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 9 、 Figure 10 The present invention demonstrates a ground-mobile flexible automatic charging robot based on the flexible gun plug of the present invention, hereinafter referred to as the "automatic charging robot." The automatic charging robot comprises a flexible gun plug, a multi-axis motion module, a vision module, a walking module, a charging unit, a control processing unit, a communication module, and a power supply module. The multi-axis motion module enables the flexible gun plug to have multi-axis motion capabilities. The vision module is used for positioning guidance. During the automatic gun plugging action, the vision module guides the charging plug portion 8 on the flexible gun plug to align with the vehicle charging port 26. The walking module enables the automatic charging robot to move along the ground. The charging unit is used to realize the function of charging the vehicle. The control processing unit is used to provide processing and control capabilities for the automatic charging robot's movements and functions. The communication module is used to provide the automatic charging robot with the ability to transmit and interact with communication information. The power supply module is used to power the automatic charging robot.

[0038] <Multi-axis motion module implementation> like Figure 1 、 Figure 2The figure shows a preferred embodiment of the multi-axis motion module. In this embodiment, the automatic charging robot further includes a base 1, and the multi-axis motion module is mounted on the base 1. Preferably, the multi-axis motion module includes a horizontal rotation axis A, a vertical telescopic axis Z, and a rotation swing axis B. The key components constituting the multi-axis motion module include a horizontal rotation drive module, a telescopic sleeve 2, a telescopic arm 3, a first telescopic drive module, and a gun head rotation drive module. The horizontal rotation drive module is mounted between the base 1 and the telescopic sleeve 2 to provide rotational power for the horizontal rotation axis A. The first telescopic drive module is mounted between the telescopic sleeve 2 and the telescopic arm 3 to drive the telescopic arm 3 to extend and retract relative to the telescopic sleeve 2. The extension direction is the vertical telescopic axis Z mentioned above. The flexible gun head is mounted at the upper end of the telescopic arm 3. The rotation axis between the two is the rotation swing axis B mentioned above. The flexible gun head can be driven by the gun head rotation drive module to swing and rotate around the rotation swing axis B. Preferably, the telescopic arm 3 is also provided with a gun head storage position 301. When the flexible gun head is not in use, it can be rotated and retracted into the gun head storage position 301 to reduce its occupation of the external space. Figure 2 shown.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment of the multi-axis motion module, the multi-axis motion module is a three-axis motion system, while the walking module typically enables horizontal translation and vertical rotation. Essentially, the walking module provides two translational degrees of freedom and one rotational degree of freedom, which is identical to the horizontal rotation axis A of the multi-axis motion module. Therefore, in this embodiment, the automatic charging robot has a total of five controllable degrees of freedom for the charging plug portion 8. Generally, six degrees of freedom are required to achieve precise spatial motion. In this case, the automatic charging robot is able to automatically insert the gun because the flexible component provides redundant degrees of freedom. However, these degrees of freedom are not actively controllable. During the insertion process, the flexible component passively deforms due to force, thereby meeting the required degrees of freedom for the insertion action. Therefore, in this embodiment, the automatic charging robot is effectively an underactuated system. Underactuated systems are a cutting-edge research topic in robotics, characterized by a smaller number of controllable degrees of freedom than the total number of system degrees of freedom. In an under-actuated system, actions or functions requiring more degrees of freedom can be achieved by controlling a portion of the degrees of freedom, thereby greatly reducing system costs and control difficulty. The flexible gun insertion head described in the present invention is actually an ingenious study and application of the under-actuated system, mainly utilizing the passive compliance of the flexible component to achieve high-precision gun insertion actions under low control accuracy.

[0040] Preferably, the multi-axis motion module may also be a multi-axis robotic arm. Preferably, the multi-axis motion module is a common six-axis robotic arm.

[0041] It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the type, number of axes, type of each axis, and shape of the multi-axis motion module that drives the flexible gun insertion head to perform the gun insertion action. On the basis of the present invention, simply changing the type, number of axes, type of each axis, shape, etc. of the multi-axis motion module should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] <Charging Plug Implementation> like Figure 1-10 As shown, preferably, the charging plug portion 8 is used to connect with the car charging interface 26, and its shape, size, number of openings, position of openings, diameter of each hole, etc. need to match the car charging interface 26. Taking the national standard of China's electric vehicle charging interface as an example, there are mainly two types of AC charging interface and DC charging interface. The AC charging interface has 7 holes and is slightly smaller in size, while the DC charging interface has 9 holes and is larger in size than the AC charging interface. Figure 1-9 In the figure, the shape and size of the charging plug portion 8 are drawn based on the example of matching with the AC charging interface.

[0043] Preferably, the charging plug portion 8 includes a guide portion, which can provide an insertion guide when the charging plug portion 8 is plugged into the car charging interface 26. Preferably, the guide portion is a guide cone 801, and the guide cone 801 is characterized in that, in the direction of the charging plug portion 8 toward the plug-in gun, the cross-section of the charging plug portion 8 presents a cone structure feature that changes from thick to thin. This cone structure feature allows a certain alignment error between the charging plug portion 8 and the car charging interface 26 when the automatic charging robot performs the automatic charging plug-in action. For a better understanding, as Figure 14 As shown, taking the Chinese national standard charging gun as an example, whether it is an AC charging gun or a DC charging gun, the gun head part is a cylindrical surface with a constant cross-section, for example Figure 14 (a) is a Chinese national standard AC charging gun. It can be seen in the figure that the AC gun head cylindrical surface 30 is a cylindrical surface with a constant cross section. Figure 6 Compared with the charging plug part 8 in the figure, the cross-sectional dimensions of the AC gun head cylindrical surface 30 are Figure 6 The cross-sectional dimensions of the plug mating surface 802 are consistent, and the guide conical surface 801 is actually equivalent to a conical surface formed by cutting off a part of the material along the circumferential direction at the head position of the AC gun head cylindrical surface 30. The cut part is as follows. Figure 7 As shown by the dotted line portion in the partially enlarged view, the width of the cutout portion when viewed from the left end face of the charging plug portion 8 is d, which is referred to as the guideable width. Figure 14(b) is a schematic diagram of two charging interfaces for electric vehicles of the Chinese national standard, where the one on the left with a slightly smaller size is the AC charging interface, and the one on the right with a slightly larger size is the DC charging interface 28. Still taking the national standard AC charging gun and AC charging interface as an example, in order to facilitate the user to manually plug and unplug the gun, when designing the charging interface, at the entrance of the charging interface, the cross-sectional dimension of the AC cylindrical surface jack 2602 is slightly larger than the cross-sectional dimension of the AC gun head cylindrical surface 30, that is, there will be a certain fitting gap between the two, and its value is represented by the letter g, but this fitting gap g is small, usually less than 1mm. If low-precision visual guidance and low-precision multi-axis motion actuators are used for automatic plugging and unplugging of the gun, the success rate of plugging the gun will be low because the maximum allowable error cannot exceed the fitting gap g. However, if a guide cone 801 is provided on the charging plug part 8, combined with the swing flexibility of the charging plug part 8, it can be seen that the maximum allowable error is Figure 7 The sum of the guideable width d and the above-mentioned fitting gap g, and the size of the guideable width d can be adjusted and set according to actual conditions. The principle behind the guide cone 801 increasing the maximum allowable insertion error of the plug gun is that, when there is an insertion error and the guide cone 801 can still enter the AC cylindrical surface receptacle 2602 despite this error, one side of the guide cone 801 will initially contact the AC receptacle edge 2601. At this point, the charging plug portion 8, under the driving force of the plug gun, will advance into the AC cylindrical surface receptacle 2602. This causes the side of the guide cone 801 in contact with the AC receptacle edge 2601 to experience a reaction force from the AC receptacle edge 2601. Furthermore, due to the swinging flexibility of the charging plug portion 8, this reaction force pushes the charging plug portion 8 toward the side of the guide cone 801 that is not in contact with the AC receptacle edge 2601. This allows the charging plug portion 8 to passively adjust its insertion posture and angle, gradually aligning it with the vehicle's charging port, ultimately achieving accurate insertion of the charging plug portion 8 with the vehicle's charging port. This process is effectively the passive compliance of the flexible plug gun head. According to the analysis of the above process, the maximum permissible gun insertion error is the gun insertion error under the limit state that the head of the guide cone 801 can just enter the AC cylindrical surface socket 2602, that is, Figure 7 The value obtained by adding the guide width d in the figure to the fitting clearance g mentioned above, when the actual insertion error exceeds this value, the guide cone 801 will not be able to enter the AC cylindrical surface socket 2602, and it will no longer be able to guide.

[0044] In summary, the provision of guide cone 801 increases the maximum allowable error in gun insertion from the original fit clearance g to the sum of the fit clearance g and the steerable width d. Furthermore, the steerable width d can be set much larger than the fit clearance g. This significant increase in allowable error further reduces the precision requirements for the multi-axis motion module and the vision module. By allowing for greater alignment error, the reliability and stability of automatic gun insertion can be greatly improved, while also further reducing hardware costs. The technical benefits of providing guide cone 801 have been verified during the applicant's actual implementation of the present invention.

[0045] Furthermore, if the charging plug portion 8 and the guide cone 801 need to be compatible with a Chinese national standard DC charging interface, they only need to be adjusted to the shape and dimensions of the national standard DC charging interface. For electric vehicles in other countries or regions that implement different charging interface standards, the charging plug portion 8 and the guide cone 801 also only need to be adjusted to the shape and dimensions of the respective charging interfaces. It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the interface standard implemented by the charging plug portion 8. It can implement a Chinese national standard AC or DC interface, a European standard charging interface, an American standard charging interface, or other charging interface standards implemented in other countries or regions. Simply changing the electric vehicle charging interface standard implemented by the charging plug portion 8 based on the present invention is within the scope of protection of the present invention. Furthermore, the appearance of the guide cone 801 shown in the drawings of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the specific dimensions and shape of the guide cone. Simply changing the dimensions and shape of the guide cone based on the present invention to achieve the same or similar guiding effect is within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0046] <Walking Module Implementation Method> Preferably, the walking module adopts a wheel drive mode, and provides walking driving force through a walking wheel group 9 installed under the base 1.

[0047] Preferably, the walking power mechanism of the walking module is a Mecanum wheel set. The advantage of the Mecanum wheel set is that it can easily achieve translation in all directions and in-situ steering.

[0048] Preferably, the travel module's driving mechanism is a differential wheel assembly consisting of four independently reversible, parallel-mounted powered wheels. In addition to forward and reverse motion, the differential wheel assembly can also achieve turning by differential speed between the left and right wheels, and achieve on-the-spot steering by rotating the left and right wheels in opposite directions but at the same speed.

[0049] Preferably, the walking power mechanism of the walking module is a steering wheel set. The advantage of the steering wheel set is that the direction of travel can be switched arbitrarily through the rudder, and the turning and in-situ steering functions can also be realized.

[0050] Preferably, the walking module can also be the same as the technical solution recorded in the utility model patent with the patent name "A fully automatic aerial mobile charging robot system for plugging and unplugging guns" and application number "2024227557501" previously submitted by the applicant to the State Intellectual Property Office, and has the ability to walk along the aerial track. The multi-axis motion module also adopts a hanging inverted solution accordingly.

[0051] It should be noted that the function of the walking module is to enable the automatic charging robot to have the ability to walk and move, and there are many solutions for the walking mechanism in the prior art, including ground and aerial track types. The present invention does not limit the type, form, and specific structure of the walking module. On the basis of the present invention, simply changing the type, form, and specific structure of the walking module of the automatic charging robot should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0052] In addition, the walking module is provided to enable the automatic charging robot to have the ability to walk. In the present invention, the walking module is not required, as the automatic charging robot can be a mobile charging robot with walking capabilities or a fixed-position charging robot without walking capabilities. The present invention does not limit the automatic charging robot to whether it has a walking module. Simply adding or removing the walking module based on the present invention should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0053] <Flexible Component Implementation Method> In the present invention, the flexible component is required to possess elasticity. Its function is to provide the charging plug portion 8 with swinging flexibility when subjected to external forces. When the external force is removed, the flexible component is required to spontaneously return to its initial state without external forces. In fact, the underlying reason for providing the flexible component in the present invention is to impart passive compliance to the charging plug portion 8, or what is referred to as passive compliance. This refers to the flexible component's ability to adjust or correct the insertion and removal motion between the charging plug portion 8 and the vehicle charging port 26 by utilizing external contact forces. During this process, the flexible component absorbs execution errors through elastic deformation, thereby achieving insertion and removal operations requiring high spatial execution precision with low control accuracy and without relying on closed-loop feedback. Of course, the flexible component can also be analyzed from the perspective of an underactuated system. The elasticity and flexibility of the flexible component impart additional physical degrees of freedom to the charging plug portion 8. Although these degrees of freedom are uncontrollable, during insertion into the vehicle charging port 26, due to the reaction force from the vehicle charging port 26, the charging plug portion 8 will move in the direction of less resistance, thereby absorbing insertion gun alignment errors in a flexible, underactuated, adaptive manner, ultimately achieving accurate insertion of the charging plug portion 8. The above is the fundamental reason why the present invention introduces the flexible component.

[0054] When the present invention is actually implemented, it is necessary to adjust and optimize the flexible characteristic parameters of the flexible component according to actual needs. The effect of the flexible component is different under different flexible characteristic parameters. The flexible characteristic parameters include radial and axial elastic parameters, deflection parameters, stiffness parameters, etc.

[0055] It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the specific deployment position and deployment number of the flexible components. Simply changing the specific deployment position and deployment number of the flexible components based on the present invention should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0056] Preferably, the first preferred embodiment of the flexible component is a spring component. Preferably, the spring used in the spring component can be various types of springs, including helical springs, leaf springs, rod springs, flat springs, other special-shaped springs, etc. Figure 3 、 Figure 7 、 Figure 8 、 Figure 13 The spring assembly shown is a coil spring assembly 21, one end of which is connected to the first charging gun body 6 and the other end is connected to the second charging gun body 4. In actual implementation, the flexibility characteristic parameters of the coil spring assembly 21 can be adjusted and optimized by selecting coil springs of different specifications and characteristics. It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the type, shape, or specifications of the spring assembly. Simply changing the type, shape, or specifications of the spring assembly based on the present invention should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0057] Preferably, the second preferred embodiment of the flexible component is an elastic structural member composed of an elastic material. Preferably, the elastic structural member is made of a soft elastic material. Preferably, the soft elastic material is a similar flexible material such as rubber, silicone, other polymer elastic materials or composite elastic materials. It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the material, form, specific structure, and topological configuration of the elastic structural member. Simply changing the material, form, specific structure, and topological configuration of the elastic structural member on the basis of the present invention should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0058] Preferably, the third preferred embodiment of the flexible component is a combined flexible structure, which is composed of any two or three of a spring component, an elastic structural member, and a rigid structural member, and achieves flexibility by optimizing the structure and configuration. It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the specific combination method, materials used for each component, form, specific structure, and topological configuration of the combined flexible structure. On the basis of the present invention, simply changing the specific combination method, materials used for each component, form, specific structure, and topological configuration of the combined flexible structure should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0059] Flexible plug-in gun head implementation method like Figure 3-12 As shown, preferably, the first charging gun body 6 and the second charging gun body 4 of the flexible plug-in gun head are connected via a coil spring assembly 21 .

[0060] like Figure 11 、 Figure 12 As shown, preferably, the first charging gun body 6 includes a front cavity 601, a linear bearing mounting hole 602, a pin hole 603, a wire through hole 604, a head threaded hole 605, a pin telescopic push rod mounting hole 606, a first spring movable cavity 607, and a first spring mounting hole 608. The second charging gun body 4 includes a second spring movable cavity 401. Preferably, the wire through hole 604 is used to provide a passage space for cables related to charging, power supply, and control signals. Preferably, the head threaded hole 605 can be used to install and fix the charging plug part 8 and the visual module.

[0061] like Figure 3 、 Figure 7 、 Figure 8 、 Figure 13As shown, the coil spring assembly 21 preferably includes a spring body 2106, a first flange 2101, a second flange 2103, a first flange mounting hole 2104, a second flange mounting hole 2105, and a spring center through-hole 2102. Preferably, the first flange 2101 connects to the first spring mounting hole 608 of the first charging gun body 6 via the first flange mounting hole 2104, and the second flange 2103 connects to the second spring mounting hole of the second charging gun body 4 via the second flange mounting hole 2105. The second spring mounting hole on the second charging gun body 4 is similar in design to the first spring mounting hole 608 of the first charging gun body 6 and is not shown in the accompanying drawings. The first spring movable cavity 607 and the second spring movable cavity 401 provide a certain amount of space for the coil spring assembly 21 to move radially when it undergoes oscillatory deformation. The advantage of using a coil spring in this spring assembly is that it is commonly available, comes in a wide range of sizes, and has a spring center through-hole 2102, which provides space for cables related to charging, power supply, and control signals.

[0062] like Figure 1-9 As shown, preferably, a swing gap 5 is provided between the first charging gun body 6 and the second charging gun body 4. The swing gap 5 is used to prevent interference and mutual extrusion between the first charging gun body 6 and the second charging gun body 4 when the flexible component undergoes radial swing deformation. Figure 9 The figure shows the spatial position between the first charging gun body 6 and the second charging gun body 4 after the flexible component undergoes radial swing deformation. There is a spatial angle α between the central axes of the two. It should be noted that α here is a spatial angle, not a plane angle, and the central axes of the two do not necessarily intersect. Figure 9 It can be seen that the provision of the swing gap 5 is necessary. Otherwise, interference and mutual compression between the first charging gun body 6 and the second charging gun body 4 will hinder the radial swing deformation of the flexible component, thereby affecting the swing flexibility of the flexible plug head. The width of the swing gap 5 can be set according to actual needs. If dust prevention and aesthetic considerations are considered, the swing gap 5 can also be covered with a soft material.

[0063] <Implementation Method of Rigid-Flexible State Switching Component> Furthermore, the automatic charging robot also includes a rigid-flexible state switching component, which is used to constrain the flexibility of the flexible component when the charging plug part 8 does not need to swing flexibly, so that a rigid connection is formed between the first charging gun body 6 and the second charging gun body 4. When the charging plug part 8 needs to swing flexibly, the rigid-flexible state switching component releases the constraint on the flexibility of the flexible component, so that the flexible component restores flexibility.

[0064] Preferably, the rigid-flexible state switching component is a latch retractable module, comprising a retractable latch 2201 and a latch hole 603. Preferably, the retractable latch 2201 is a pin-shaped retractable structure on the latch retractable push rod 22. Preferably, the retractable latch 2201 is disposed on the second charging gun body 4, and the latch hole 603 is disposed on the first charging gun body 6. The retractable latch 2201 and the latch hole 603 are positioned correspondingly. When the charging plug unit 8 does not require swing flexibility, the latch retractable module drives the retractable latch 2201 to insert into the latch hole 603. When the charging plug unit 603 needs to restore swing flexibility, the latch retractable module drives the retractable latch 2201 to withdraw from the latch hole 603. Preferably, one or more latch retractable modules are provided.

[0065] In addition, due to the action of gravity or slight plastic deformation of the flexible component itself, when the flexible plug gun head and the charging plug part 8 are not subject to external force, the first charging gun body 6 and the second charging gun body 4 may not be completely coaxially aligned according to their initial state, which will cause the retractable pin 2201 and the pin hole 603 to be unable to be completely aligned. Preferably, a pin guide cone 6031 is provided at the entrance position of the pin hole 603, and the pin guide cone 6031 is used to play a guiding role when there is an alignment error between the retractable pin 2201 and the pin hole 603, thereby ensuring that the retractable pin 2201 can be inserted into the pin hole 603.

[0066] The purpose of setting up the rigid-flexible state switching component is to solve the following problem: when the automatic charging robot is walking and implementing the alignment operation of the charging plug part 8 and the vehicle charging interface 26, if the flexibility of the flexible component is not constrained, then the visual module and the charging plug part 8 will shake more or less due to walking or multi-axis movement, thereby affecting the image acquisition of the visual module and the alignment of the charging plug part 8 with the vehicle charging interface 26. Therefore, it is necessary to constrain the flexibility of the flexible component at this time. After the charging plug part 8 has been initially inserted into the vehicle charging interface 26, the charging plug part 8 needs to have swing flexibility to achieve adaptive passive adjustment of the insertion posture and angle, and the flexibility of the flexible component needs to be restored.

[0067] <Implementation Method of Pin Telescopic Assembly> like Figure 3-14As shown, further, the flexible plug gun head also includes a pin telescopic assembly and a plug gun positioning end face 803, the pin telescopic assembly includes a pin telescopic drive module and a pin male head 16, and the vehicle charging interface 26 includes a surface end face 2604 and a pin female head 2603. Preferably, after the charging plug part 8 is fully inserted into the vehicle charging interface 26, its insertion length is shorter than Figure 14 (a) shows the insertion length of the standard charging gun after it is fully inserted into the vehicle charging port 26. When the charging plug portion 8 is fully inserted into the vehicle charging port 26, the gun positioning end face 803 is aligned with the surface end face 2604 of the vehicle charging port 26, and the pin retracting assembly can push the male pin 16 into the female pin 2603 of the vehicle charging port 26, so that the male pin 16 and the female pin 2603 form a contact fit. The setting of the pin telescopic assembly can further improve the success rate and smoothness of automatic gun insertion under low alignment accuracy. Because if the male pin 16 is inserted into the car charging interface 26 together with the charging plug part 8 at the beginning, when the charging plug part 8 adaptively and passively adjusts the insertion posture and angle under the action of swinging flexibility, if the deviation angle is too large, the male pin 16 may interfere with the female pin 2603, thereby causing the angle adjustment of the charging plug part 8 to be obstructed and there is a risk of getting stuck. The setting of the pin telescopic assembly can completely avoid this problem, because the male pin 16 is pushed into the female pin 2603 only after the charging plug part 8 is fully inserted into the car charging port 26, and the above-mentioned interference phenomenon will not occur. The reason why the insertion length of the charging plug part 8 after being fully inserted into the vehicle charging interface 26 is shorter than the insertion length of the standard charging gun after being fully inserted into the vehicle charging interface 26 is to shorten the docking length when the insertion angle is not aligned. Under the action of the gun insertion force, the gun positioning end face 803 will automatically fit with the surface end face 2604 of the vehicle charging interface 26 to achieve secondary alignment of the insertion angle, thereby making the process of passive adjustment and alignment of the gun insertion angle shorter, smoother, and more successful. The technical effect of this setting has also been verified in the process of the applicant's actual implementation of the present invention.

[0068] like Figure 3 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 7 、 Figure 8 、 Figure 11 、 Figure 12As shown, preferably, the pin extension drive module includes a pin extension push rod 20, a guide pin 18, a linear bearing 19, and a pin bracket 23. The pin extension push rod 20 is mounted in the pin extension push rod mounting hole 606, the guide pin 18 is mounted on the pin bracket 23, and the linear bearing 19 is mounted in the linear bearing mounting hole 602. The linear bearing 19 cooperates with the guide pin 18 to provide guidance for the guide pin 18 through a sliding pair, thereby providing guidance for the movement of the pin bracket 23. The push rod extension portion 2001 of the pin extension push rod 20 is connected to the pin bracket 23, and the pin male connector 16 is mounted on the pin bracket 23. Under the extension and retraction drive of the pin extension push rod 20, the pin male connector 16 can extend or retract from the pin through hole 804 of the charging plug portion 8. Preferably, the activity space of the pin extension drive module is mainly located within the front cavity 601.

[0069] <Visual Module Implementation Method> like Figure 3 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 As shown, preferably, the visual module includes a visual acquisition unit 7, which is arranged near the charging plug part 8, and the direction of its visual acquisition is consistent with the direction in which the charging plug part 8 is inserted into the gun.

[0070] Preferably, the visual acquisition unit 7 is a two-dimensional camera. Preferably, the two-dimensional camera is a visible light camera. Preferably, the two-dimensional camera is an infrared camera. A two-dimensional camera is a relatively economical and low-cost visual acquisition hardware and is therefore the most recommended embodiment of the visual acquisition unit of the present invention.

[0071] Preferably, the visual acquisition unit 7 can also be other types of cameras or visual acquisition modules. The light targeted by visual acquisition can be visible light or invisible light. The source of the collected light can be an active light source or a passive light source. The active light source refers to the visual module actively emitting light, and then the visual module collects the light reflected from the target object. The passive light source refers to the visual module passively collecting the ambient light or natural light reflected by the target object.

[0072] Preferably, the visual acquisition unit 7 is a TOF 3D vision module based on time of flight. The TOF 3D vision module is an active light source 3D vision solution that determines the distance between the TOF sensor and the object being measured by calculating the time difference between the emission and reception of light pulses.

[0073] Preferably, the visual acquisition unit 7 is a structured light 3D vision module. This is also an active light source 3D vision solution that projects light with certain structural features, such as dot light, line light, or surface light, onto the object being measured. A dedicated camera then captures the image and calculates the object's 3D coordinates based on the system's geometric relationships.

[0074] Preferably, the visual acquisition unit 7 is a binocular or multi-camera. Binocular or multi-camera is based on the parallax principle, using two or more cameras to capture images of the object from different positions, and calculating the three-dimensional coordinate information of the object by calculating the parallax between the images captured by each camera.

[0075] The TOF three-dimensional vision module, structured light three-dimensional vision module, binocular or multi-eye camera all involve relatively complex hardware or algorithms, and have a high overall cost. Compared with the two-dimensional camera, they do not have a cost advantage, but the accuracy can be relatively high.

[0076] The present invention does not limit the type, form, quantity, specifications and type of light collected by the visual acquisition unit of the automatic charging robot, nor does it limit active light sources or passive light sources. Simply changing the above-mentioned features of the visual acquisition unit on the basis of the present invention should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0077] 〈Implementation Method of Fill Light Source〉 Furthermore, when the visual acquisition unit 7 is a common two-dimensional camera or a binocular camera, the automatic charging robot further includes a fill light source, which is used to provide supplementary light for the operation of the visual module when the ambient light is low. In this way, automatic charging services can be provided for electric vehicles regardless of day or night. Figure 5 、 Figure 6 As shown, the fill light source includes a high beam light source 14 and a low beam light source 13. The high beam light source 14 has a higher brightness and a larger illumination range, and is used for fill light at a slightly longer distance. The low beam light source 13 has a lower brightness and a smaller illumination range, and is used for fill light at a close distance. In actual implementation, the visual module is used to determine the distance between the automatic charging robot and the vehicle charging port 26. When the distance is far, the high beam light source 14 is used for fill light. When the distance is close, the high beam light source 14 is turned off, and only the low beam light source 13 is used for fill light. The advantage of doing this is that it can prevent the problem of the light source not being bright enough at a long distance affecting visual acquisition, and it can also prevent the light from being too strong at a close distance causing overexposure.

[0078] Communication Module Implementation Method The communication module is used to provide the automatic charging robot with the ability to transmit and interact communication information. In terms of the choice of communication method, if wireless communication is adopted, long-distance and large-scale communication can adopt common mobile communication networks, such as 5G communication, 4G communication, 3G communication, etc., and short-distance and small-scale communication can adopt Wifi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, transparent transmission and other communication methods. Wired communication methods usually use network cables. Preferably, the communication between the automatic charging robot and the car to be charged can adopt Bluetooth communication method, and the communication between the automatic charging robot and the user's mobile phone can adopt mobile communication network or Bluetooth. Preferably, if the automatic charging robot is uniformly managed by a background server, the communication between the automatic charging robot and the background server can adopt mobile communication network, WiFi and other wireless communication methods, or wired communication methods.

[0079] <Charging Unit Implementation Method> The charging unit is used to realize the function of charging the car. The common types of the charging unit are mainly divided into two categories: one is an AC charging unit and the other is a DC charging unit. Taking the Chinese national standard for electric vehicle charging as an example, the AC charging unit directly transmits 220V AC power to the charger inside the car, and the car charger converts the 220V AC power into DC power that can directly charge the car battery to realize the charging function; the DC charging unit can convert 380V AC power or DC power at a certain voltage into DC power that matches the charging voltage and current requirements of the car battery through a power module conversion unit, and then transmit it to the car battery to realize the charging function. The present invention does not limit the type, specifications, input and output power type, and input and output mode of the charging unit. On the basis of the present invention, simply changing the type, specifications, or input and output power type, input and output mode of the charging unit should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0080] <Control Processing Unit Implementation Method> The control processing unit should at least have data analysis, processing, and control capabilities. It can be a general-purpose chip, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor (MCU), or a dedicated processing and control chip, or a circuit board module with one of these chips as the main control chip. The control processing unit typically carries programs or software that implement the corresponding functions. The control processing unit can be a single integrated control processor or composed of multiple control processors.

[0081] Preferably, the multi-axis motion module, vision module, walking module, charging unit, and communication module are all directly or indirectly connected to the control processing unit.

[0082] In addition, the walking, movement and function realization of the automatic charging robot require the participation of some feedback sensors, such as limit sensors, position sensors, contact sensors, micro switches, etc., which are used to feedback the position or state of the automatic charging robot, a certain action execution device or component under certain working conditions. The setting of feedback sensors belongs to the routine operation in the field of automatic control. It is usually set on demand. Wherever a certain feedback signal is required, the corresponding feedback sensor is set. Therefore, the specific setting details of the feedback sensor are not repeated here. Preferably, the feedback sensor is connected to the control processing unit directly or indirectly.

[0083] <Power supply module implementation> The power supply module is used to supply power to the automatic charging robot. The power supply method can be to draw power directly from the power supply network in a wired manner, or to supply power with its own battery, or to draw power through electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic resonance wireless power supply. The power supply module can be powered by a single one of the above-mentioned power supply methods, or by a combination of several of them. The power supply of the power supply module can be divided into two parts, one part is to provide power for the driving, movement and basic operation of the automatic charging robot itself, and the other part is to supply power to the charging unit. The power supply sources of these two parts can be the same or different. The power source of the power supply module can be AC or DC.

[0084] Preferably, Figure 1 As shown, the power supply module adopts a wired power supply mode, and directly draws power from the AC power supply network through a power supply cable 10. Preferably, the power supply cable 10 is connected to the AC power supply network through a power plug 11.

[0085] <Charging Workflow Implementation Method> like Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 9 、 Figure 10 As shown, the general workflow of the automatic charging robot based on the flexible plug-in gun head to achieve automatic charging is as follows: The automatic charging robot is deployed on the ground next to a parking space. When an electric vehicle 25 in the parking space requests automatic charging, the robot, guided by the vision module and using the walking module, moves to the vehicle's charging port 26. The electric vehicle 25 automatically opens the charging port cover, or opens the cover under the control of the automatic charging robot. Then, guided by the vision module, the multi-axis motion module first aligns the charging plug 8 with the vehicle's charging port 26, and then drives the charging plug 8 along its axis to perform the insertion operation. Because the charging plug 8 has swinging flexibility, even if there is a deviation in the initial insertion angle or posture, the charging plug 8 will automatically move in the direction of less resistance during the insertion process, thereby adaptively and passively adjusting the insertion posture and angle, ultimately achieving accurate docking of the charging plug 8 with the vehicle's charging port 26. After the insertion operation is completed, the charging unit is activated to charge the electric vehicle 25. After charging is complete, the multi-axis motion module completes the withdrawal operation, and the electric vehicle 25 then closes the charging port cover. Finally, the automatic charging robot, guided by the walking module, returns to its initial position and resumes its initial state.

Claims

1. A flexible plug-in gun head for an automatic charging robot, characterized in that: It includes a charging plug part, a flexible component, a first charging gun body, and a second charging gun body. The charging plug part is located at the head of the first charging gun body and is used to dock with the car charging interface. The first charging gun body and the second charging gun body are connected through the flexible component. The flexible component is elastic, which enables the charging plug part to have swing flexibility when subjected to external force. When the external force is removed, the flexible component can spontaneously return to its initial state when not subject to external force.

2. The flexible plug-in gun head for an automatic charging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible component is a spring component.

3. The flexible plug-in gun head for an automatic charging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible component is an elastic structural member made of elastic material.

4. The flexible plug-in gun head for an automatic charging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible component is a combined flexible structure.

5. The flexible plug-in gun head for an automatic charging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The charging plug portion includes a guide portion, which can provide an insertion guide when the charging plug portion is plugged into the vehicle charging interface.

6. The flexible plug-in gun head for an automatic charging robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The guide portion is a guide conical surface. The characteristic of the guide conical surface is that in the direction of the charging plug portion toward the plug gun, the cross-section of the charging plug portion presents a conical surface structure feature that gradually becomes thinner. This conical surface structure feature allows a certain alignment error between the charging plug portion and the vehicle charging interface when the automatic charging robot performs the automatic charging plug gun action.

7. The flexible gun plug for an automatic charging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a pin telescopic assembly and a gun positioning end face. The pin telescopic assembly includes a pin telescopic drive module and a male pin. The car charging interface includes a surface end face and a female pin. After the charging plug is fully inserted into the car charging interface, its insertion length is shorter than the insertion length of the standard charging gun after it is fully inserted into the car charging interface. When the charging plug is fully inserted into the car charging port, the gun positioning end face fits with the surface end face of the car charging interface. The pin telescopic assembly can push the male pin into the female pin of the car charging interface, so that the male pin and the female pin form a contact fit.

8. The flexible gun plug for an automatic charging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A swing gap is provided between the first charging gun body and the second charging gun body, and the swing gap is used to prevent interference and mutual squeezing between the first charging gun body and the second charging gun body when the flexible component undergoes radial swing deformation.

9. The flexible plug-in gun head for an automatic charging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a rigid-flexible state switching component, which is used to constrain the flexibility of the flexible component when the charging plug part does not need to swing flexibly, so that a rigid connection is formed between the first charging gun body and the second charging gun body. When the charging plug part needs to swing flexibly, the rigid-flexible state switching component releases the constraint on the flexibility of the flexible component, so that the flexible component recovers its flexibility.

10. The flexible gun plug for an automatic charging robot according to claim 9, characterized in that: The rigid-flexible state switching component is a pin telescopic module, which includes a telescopic pin and a pin hole. One of the telescopic pin and the pin hole is set on the first charging gun body, and the other is set on the second charging gun body. The positions of the telescopic pin and the pin hole correspond to each other. When the charging plug part does not need swing flexibility, the pin telescopic module drives the telescopic pin to be inserted into the pin hole. When the charging plug part needs to restore swing flexibility, the pin telescopic module drives the telescopic pin to be pulled out of the pin hole.

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