Charging gun clamping mechanical arm applied to new energy charging pile

Abstract

The application discloses a charging gun clamping mechanical arm applied to a new energy charging pile and relates to the technical field of new energy charging piles.Under the premise of not changing the basic structure of a charging port / gun, the charging gun clamping mechanical arm improves the problems of high-voltage electric shock exposure risk caused by unstable connection between the charging gun and the vehicle-mounted charging port during the charging process of a new energy vehicle, and slight current damage to the battery and charging port components caused by not pulling out the gun after the charging is completed, takes an inward clamping ring and symmetrically distributed rubber kinetic energy rings as key structures, realizes radial locking with the vehicle-mounted charging port through a gas pump assembly driven clamping support rod of the inward clamping ring, and realizes axial fixation and unlocking drive through inflation of the rubber kinetic energy ring, so that a "radial + axial" double locking structure is formed, the charging gun can be automatically driven to form a safety gap with the vehicle-mounted charging port when the charging is completed or is abnormal, and the stability of the charging process is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of new energy charging pile technology, and more specifically to a charging gun clamping robotic arm applied to new energy charging piles. Background Technology

[0002] The charging process for new energy vehicles is explained as follows: It mostly relies on manual (car owner) plugging and unplugging of the charging gun to complete the charging / power-off process. In order to take into account the potential hazards of high voltage electricity, both the charging pile and the charging gun have added protection mechanisms. For example, the charging pile is equipped with a communication protection mechanism, which requires the completion of a communication action before the charging / power-off process can be confirmed and the charging gun can be unplugged. Alternatively, a simple buckle is set between the charging gun head and the car charging port.

[0003] The outer shell of the charging gun is mostly made of PC / ABS lightweight flame-retardant plastic, while the cable assembly connected to the charging gun is relatively heavy. Depending on the type and design, the total weight of the cable and charging gun is about 1 to 20 kilograms, and usually about 5 to 6 kilograms. Therefore, it can be understood that the method of relying solely on the connection between the charging gun nozzle and the vehicle charging port to maintain the weight of the cable and charging gun has drawbacks. During continuous charging, if the vehicle charging port and the charging gun nozzle deviate slightly due to cable swing or other issues, there may be a high risk of high voltage exposure. Even if the probability is low, it may still pose a high risk of damaging the vehicle or even the charging station if it occurs.

[0004] Furthermore, leaving the charger plugged in after charging can also damage the battery. For example, even when fully charged, the charger may still provide a weak current, causing the battery to heat up, lose water, shorten its lifespan, and accelerate damage to the charging port components. To address this, the present invention proposes a solution. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a charging gun clamping robotic arm for use in new energy charging piles. It addresses two states during the charging process of new energy vehicles: fully charged and continuously charging. One is that the minute current that may be generated can accelerate the damage to the battery or charging port components. The other is that there is a high risk of high voltage exposure, which, although the probability of occurrence is low, can cause very serious damage when it does occur.

[0006] The objective of this invention can be achieved through the following technical solution: a charging gun clamping robotic arm applied to new energy charging piles, including a charging gun body, wherein an inward locking ring and a rubber kinetic energy ring symmetrically arranged along the inward locking ring are provided at the gun handle position of the charging gun body.

[0007] Multiple directional sliding sleeves are installed along the outline of the outer curved surface of the inward locking ring. A locking support rod is slidably installed in the directional sliding sleeve along its length. The new energy charging pile is equipped with an air pump assembly corresponding to the inward locking ring and the rubber kinetic ring. The locking support rod and the directional sliding sleeve complete the directional support action through the air pump assembly. A friction pad is provided at the end of the locking support rod.

[0008] The configuration is further defined as follows: the inward locking ring is slidably connected along the outer surface of the charging gun body in the direction of insertion and removal, and the two sides of the rubber kinetic energy ring are fixedly connected to the charging gun body and the inward locking ring.

[0009] The charging gun body is further configured such that a directional guide rod corresponding to an inward locking ring and a rubber kinetic energy ring is installed on the external position of the charging gun body, and the inward locking ring and the directional guide rod are slidably connected.

[0010] The rubber kinetic energy ring is further configured such that multiple rubber beads are arranged inside the ring along the position of the guide rod, and the outer diameter of the rubber beads matches the sliding stroke of the inward locking ring.

[0011] The directional sliding sleeve is further configured in a multi-angle annular arrangement along the horizontal plane of the inward locking ring, and the directional sliding sleeve is inclined along the side direction of the inward locking ring.

[0012] The configuration is further defined as follows: the two directional sleeves between adjacent positions have opposite inclination directions, and the sliding stroke of the locking rod relative to the directional sleeve is not equal.

[0013] A further configuration is provided: a limiting sleeve corresponding to the inward locking ring and the directional sliding sleeve is installed on the outer surface of the charging gun body.

[0014] The configuration is further defined as follows: the rubber kinetic ring near the handle of the charging gun body is set to the unlock position, and the other rubber kinetic ring is set to the lock position.

[0015] Further settings include the following stages during use:

[0016] Locking phase: After inserting the charging gun body into the vehicle charging port, the charging gun body is initially locked through the vehicle charging port. Then, the air pump assembly injects protective gas into the locking ring to drive the locking rod to slide outward, completing the locking action between the inner locking ring and the vehicle charging port. Finally, protective gas is injected into the rubber kinetic energy ring of the locking position to complete the locking action between the charging gun body and the vehicle charging port.

[0017] Unlocking phase: When charging is completed or an abnormal state occurs, the rubber kinetic energy ring in the locked position releases protective gas and injects protective gas into the rubber kinetic energy ring in the unlocked position. After the initial lock is released, the charging gun body moves a distance outward based on the inward locking ring.

[0018] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] 1. The addition of a "radial + axial" dual locking structure design, with the locking support rod of the inward locking ring forming a wrap-around support in a multi-angle annular space and reverse tilting manner, has a larger contact area and more uniform force distribution. It can effectively offset the downward force and swing impact brought by the charging gun and cable itself, avoid the risk of high voltage exposure caused by slight misalignment of the interface during continuous charging, and reduce the risk of serious safety accidents such as damage to vehicles and charging stations. At the same time, the cooperation between the rubber kinetic ring and the rubber contact ball can buffer the impact force during the insertion and removal process, reducing hard collision damage to components at the interface.

[0020] 2. When charging is complete or an abnormality is detected, the device can automatically start the unlocking procedure. Through the coordinated action of deflating the rubber kinetic ring in the locking position and inflating the rubber kinetic ring in the unlocking position, the charging gun body is driven to quickly separate from the vehicle charging port and form a safe gap, cutting off residual minute current, avoiding battery overheating, water loss and aging and wear of charging port components, significantly extending the service life of the battery and charging pile equipment, reducing maintenance and replacement costs, and without changing the basic structure of the existing charging gun and vehicle charging port. It uses high-strength plastic and rubber materials that are suitable for high-voltage environments, and the initial state does not affect manual insertion and removal operations. It can also reduce the interface suction force when unlocking. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the charging gun clamping robotic arm proposed in this invention for use in new energy charging piles;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the inward locking ring and the rubber kinetic energy ring in this invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the rubber kinetic energy ring in this invention;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a frontal schematic diagram of the inward positioning ring in this invention;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the inward positioning ring in this invention;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a side view of the inner core retaining ring in this invention.

[0028] In the diagram: 1. Charging gun body; 2. Inward locking ring; 3. Rubber kinetic ring; 201. Locking support rod; 202. Directional sliding sleeve; 301. Rubber ball bearing. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] Example 1: Regarding the two states of new energy vehicle charging—fully charged but not disconnected, and continuously charging—two issues arise: firstly, the potential for minute currents to accelerate damage to the battery or charging port components; secondly, there is the high risk of high-voltage exposure, which, even though the probability is low, can cause significant damage when it does occur. The following technical solution is proposed to address these issues:

[0031] Reference Figures 1-6 The charging gun clamping robotic arm applied to new energy charging piles in this embodiment includes a charging gun body 1, an inward locking ring 2 and a rubber kinetic energy ring 3 symmetrically arranged along the inward locking ring 2 at the gun handle position of the charging gun body 1.

[0032] Multiple directional sliding sleeves 202 are installed on the outer curved surface of the inward positioning ring 2 along its contour line. A positioning support rod 201 is slidably installed in the directional sliding sleeve 202 along its length direction. The new energy charging pile is equipped with an air pump assembly corresponding to the inward positioning ring 2 and the rubber kinetic ring 3. The positioning support rod 201 and the directional sliding sleeve 202 complete the directional support action through the air pump assembly. A friction pad is provided at the end of the positioning support rod 201.

[0033] The usage process includes the following stages:

[0034] Locking stage: After the charging gun body 1 is inserted into the vehicle charging port, the vehicle charging port and the charging gun body 1 are initially locked together. Then, the air pump assembly injects protective gas into the locking ring 2 to drive the locking rod 201 to slide outward, thus completing the locking action between the inner locking ring 2 and the vehicle charging port. Finally, protective gas is injected into the rubber kinetic energy ring 3 at the locking position to complete the locking action between the charging gun body 1 and the vehicle charging port.

[0035] Unlocking phase: When charging is completed or an abnormal state occurs, the rubber kinetic ring 3 in the locked position releases protective gas and injects protective gas into the rubber kinetic ring 3 in the unlocked position. After the initial lock is released, the charging gun body 1 moves a distance outward based on the inward locking ring 2.

[0036] Basic Principles / Structure Explanation: First, a brief explanation of the new energy charging pile: The charging gun head 1 is connected to the vehicle charging port. During the circuit connection, it completes the continuous charging process. Because it is a high-voltage charging process, a protection mechanism must be set up. For example: First, a system check must be completed when plugging or unplugging the charging gun head 1. The gun can be unplugged / charged after the system confirms that there are no abnormalities. Second, a locking structure is set at a local position of the charging gun head 1 or the vehicle charging port to prevent the charging gun from accidentally falling off or making poor contact during charging. It should be noted that the charging gun head itself is quite heavy, especially the fast charging gun head. On the one hand, there is the weight of the gun head itself, and on the other hand, there is the weight of the cable connected to it. If it only relies on the locking structure, it is difficult to meet the requirement of complete locking. Taking the risk of high voltage exposure as an example, it manifests as: during continuous charging, the gun head and the charging port vibrate slightly and deviate, resulting in high voltage exposure. The probability of a safety accident caused by high voltage exposure is not high, but the danger of such an accident is very high.

[0037] The key content of this invention is as follows: without changing the shape of the vehicle charging port and the basic structure of the charging gun body 1, a support structure is added to the outside of the charging gun body 1. It is essentially similar to a robotic arm structure. However, considering that the charging process is in a high-voltage environment, if conventional metal materials or magnetic adsorption structures are used, it may damage the high-voltage charging environment. Therefore, this invention mainly uses high-strength plastic and rubber materials. The key is to use the inward locking ring 2 to complete the fixing process of the vehicle charging port, and to maintain the relative position of the charging gun body 1 through two rubber kinetic energy rings 3, so as to maintain the full connection between the charging gun body 1 and the vehicle charging port during continuous charging.

[0038] Example 2: Supplementing the structure and operation process of the inward positioning ring and the rubber kinetic energy ring:

[0039] Specifically, the actual charging process will be explained in stages as follows:

[0040] S1: In the initial stage, when the charging gun body 1 is not inserted into the vehicle charging port, the air pump assembly is in standby mode (not started). Under the limiting action of the directional guide rod, the inward locking ring 2 is held in the initial position near the handle. At this time, the locking support rod 201 inside the directional sliding sleeve 202 is in a retracted state, and the friction pad at the end is in contact with the outer curved surface of the inward locking ring 2. Essentially, this ensures that multiple locking support rods 201 are not in an extended state, avoiding collisions or interference with insertion and removal operations when idle. In addition, neither of the two rubber kinetic energy rings 3 is injected with protective gas, and the internal rubber contact beads 301 are in a naturally relaxed state. The rubber kinetic energy rings 3 as a whole remain flexible and do not affect the insertion and removal operation of the charging gun body 1.

[0041] S2: When the user inserts the charging gun body 1 into the vehicle charging port, the charging gun body 1 is pushed forward in the insertion direction, and the inward locking ring 2 moves synchronously with the charging gun body 1. The directional guide rod provides a limit guide for the inward locking ring 2 to prevent it from deviating or jamming during the movement. During this process, the rubber kinetic ring 3 is fixedly connected with the charging gun body 1 and the inward locking ring 2, and moves synchronously with the inward locking ring 2. The rubber ball 301 makes slight contact with the surface of the directional guide rod and produces elastic deformation, which not only plays an auxiliary guiding role, but also buffers the impact force when inserted through its own elasticity, reduces the hard collision between the charging gun body 1 and the vehicle charging port, protects the components at the interface of the two, and also needs to use the buckle structure between the charging gun body 1 and the vehicle charging port to complete the initial locking.

[0042] S3: The key point is that after the initial locking is completed, the air pump assembly starts. First, a protective gas, such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen (non-flammable or flame-retardant gas), is injected into the inner locking ring 2. After the air pressure is formed inside the inner locking ring 2, it pushes the locking support rods 201 in the multiple directional sliding sleeves 202 to slide outward along the length of the directional sliding sleeves 202. Because the directional sliding sleeves 202 are arranged in a multi-angle annular shape with different spacing along the horizontal plane of the inner locking ring 2, and are inclined in the side direction, the inclination direction of adjacent directional sliding sleeves 202 is opposite. This allows multiple locking rods 201 to extend in a "multi-directional, asymmetrical" support state. The friction pads at the ends are tightly attached to the inner wall of the vehicle charging port. The key is that the tilting directions are opposite in the staggered manner. After locking is completed by the inward locking ring 2, the locking rods 201 tilted inward can form an anti-inward tilting support force, while the locking rods 201 tilted outward can form an anti-outward tilting support force. The locking state can only be released when the locking rods 201 are fully retracted.

[0043] This structure allows the locking rod 201 to provide wrap-around support to the vehicle charging port from different angles. Compared with the traditional single-direction buckle fixation, the contact area is larger and the force is more even, which effectively counteracts the downward force caused by the weight of the charging gun body 1 and the cable itself, and avoids the interface displacement caused by the cable swing during continuous charging.

[0044] Furthermore, the total length of each locking rod 201 can be limited according to the shape of a conventional vehicle charging port. The sliding stroke of the locking rod 201 relative to the directional sliding sleeve 202 is not equal, so that some locking rods 201 first contact the inner wall of the vehicle charging port and form initial support, while the remaining locking rods 201 continue to extend until they are fully fitted, forming a "step-by-step locking and layer-by-layer reinforcement" effect, which further improves the fixing stability. This is mainly to adapt to various vehicle charging ports.

[0045] S4: After the inward locking ring 2 is locked to the vehicle charging port, the air pump assembly injects protective gas into the locked rubber kinetic ring 3. After the rubber kinetic ring 3 is inflated, it expands, and the internal rubber ball 301 is pressed tightly against the surface of the guide rod due to the air pressure. The high friction of the rubber restricts the sliding of the inward locking ring 2 along the guide rod, thereby locking the axial position of the charging gun body 1. At this time, the inward locking ring 2 is radially fixed through the locking support rod 201, and the locked rubber kinetic ring 3 is axially fixed through the rubber ball 301. The two work together to form a double locking structure of "radial + axial", avoiding the high risk of high voltage exposure caused by the relative displacement between the charging gun body 1 and the vehicle charging port.

[0046] The explanation for the two rubber kinetic energy rings 3 is: the limiting sleeve installed on the outer surface of the charging gun body 1 ( Figure 1 (Not shown in the text) During the extension and retraction of the locking support rod 201, it serves to prevent dust and debris from entering the connection between the inner locking ring 2 and the directional sliding sleeve 202, while also preventing external collisions from damaging the locking support rod 201 and extending the service life of the component. However, its key purpose is to limit the inflation and expansion deformation of the two rubber kinetic energy rings 3.

[0047] S4-1: In the charging lock-up state, the main function is to inflate the rubber kinetic ring 3 in the lock-up position. See details below. Figure 1 The rubber kinetic ring 3 on the left side of the middle is specifically designed as follows: because the inward locking ring 2 is "fixedly connected" to the vehicle charging port, when the locked rubber kinetic ring 3 deforms and expands, it can only move along the insertion direction of the charging gun body 1. Therefore, the rubber kinetic ring 3 at the corresponding unlocking position does not need to be inflated. The purpose is to ensure that the charging gun body 1 and the vehicle charging port are locked.

[0048] S4-2: Conversely, when charging is complete or a local abnormality occurs, the rubber kinetic ring 3 in the locked position deflates, while the rubber kinetic ring 3 in the unlocked position inflates. After the process of releasing the latch between the charging gun body 1 and the vehicle charging port, the charging gun body 1 is moved slightly in the direction of pulling out the gun, so that there is no contact between the charging gun body 1 and the vehicle charging port, thus no weak current is generated.

[0049] The explanation based on S1~S4 above is as follows: The overall operation process depends on the charging pile. When charging is complete or an abnormal state is detected, the system issues an unlocking command. The air pump assembly first controls the rubber kinetic energy ring 3 in the locked position to discharge protective gas. The rubber kinetic energy ring 3 contracts, and the rubber ball 301 disengages from the guide rod, releasing the axial lock. At the same time, the air pump assembly injects protective gas into the rubber kinetic energy ring 3 in the unlocked position. The rubber kinetic energy ring 3 in the unlocked position expands, pushing the inward locking ring 2 to move away from the vehicle charging port along the guide rod. The vehicle charging port and the charging gun body 1 initially... When the lock is released, the inward locking ring 2 drives the locking support rod 201 to move synchronously. Under the reaction force of the inner wall of the vehicle charging port, the locking support rod 201 gradually retracts into the directional sliding sleeve 202. Due to the thrust of the unlocking position rubber kinetic energy ring 3, the charging gun body 1 moves a distance outward based on the inward locking ring 2 to form a safety gap. This not only avoids excessive force caused by excessive interface suction when manually pulling out the gun, but also quickly cuts off the fine current, preventing battery overheating, water loss, and damage to charging port components caused by continuous power supply after charging is completed, thus extending the service life of the battery and charging equipment.

[0050] The preferred embodiments of the present invention disclosed above are merely illustrative of the invention. These preferred embodiments do not exhaustively describe all details, nor do they limit the invention to specific implementations. Clearly, many modifications and variations can be made based on the content of this specification. This specification selects and specifically describes these embodiments to better explain the principles and practical applications of the invention, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and utilize the invention. The invention is limited only by the claims and their full scope and equivalents.

Claims

1. A charging gun clamping robotic arm for use in new energy charging piles, comprising a charging gun body (1), characterized in that, An inward locking ring (2) and a rubber kinetic energy ring (3) symmetrically arranged along the inward locking ring (2) are provided at the handle position of the charging gun body (1). Multiple directional sliding sleeves (202) are installed on the outer curved surface of the inward positioning ring (2) along its contour line. A positioning support rod (201) is slidably installed in the directional sliding sleeve (202) along its length direction. The new energy charging pile is equipped with an air pump assembly corresponding to the inward positioning ring (2) and the rubber kinetic ring (3). The positioning support rod (201) and the directional sliding sleeve (202) complete the directional support action through the air pump assembly. A friction pad is provided at the end of the positioning support rod (201).

2. The charging gun clamping robotic arm for new energy charging piles according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inward locking ring (2) is slidably connected along the outer surface of the charging gun body (1) in the direction of insertion and removal, and the two sides of the rubber kinetic energy ring (3) are fixedly connected to the charging gun body (1) and the inward locking ring (2).

3. The charging gun clamping robotic arm for new energy charging piles according to claim 2, characterized in that, The charging gun body (1) has a directional guide rod installed on its external position corresponding to the inward locking ring (2) and the rubber kinetic energy ring (3), and the inward locking ring (2) and the directional guide rod are in a sliding connection.

4. The charging gun clamping robotic arm for new energy charging piles according to claim 3, characterized in that, The rubber kinetic ring (3) has multiple rubber beads (301) arranged inside along the setting position of the guide rod. The outer diameter of the rubber beads (301) matches the sliding stroke of the inward locking ring (2).

5. The charging gun clamping robotic arm for new energy charging piles according to claim 4, characterized in that, The directional sliding sleeve (202) is arranged in a multi-angle annular space along the horizontal direction of the inward positioning ring (2), and the directional sliding sleeve (202) is inclined along the side direction of the inward positioning ring (2).

6. The charging gun clamping robotic arm for new energy charging piles according to claim 5, characterized in that, The two directional sleeves (202) between adjacent positions are tilted in opposite directions, and the sliding stroke of the locking rod (201) relative to the directional sleeves (202) is not equal.

7. The charging gun clamping robotic arm for new energy charging piles according to claim 6, characterized in that, The charging gun body (1) has a limiting sleeve installed on its outer surface, corresponding to the inward locking ring (2) and the directional sliding sleeve (202).

8. The charging gun clamping robotic arm for new energy charging piles according to claim 7, characterized in that, The rubber kinetic ring (3) near the handle of the charging gun body (1) is set to the unlock position, and the other rubber kinetic ring (3) is set to the lock position.

9. The charging gun clamping robotic arm for new energy charging piles according to claim 8, characterized in that, The usage process includes the following stages: Locking stage: After inserting the charging gun body (1) into the vehicle charging port, the vehicle charging port and the charging gun body (1) are initially locked together. Then, the air pump assembly injects protective gas into the locking ring (2) to drive the locking rod (201) to slide outward, thus locking the locking ring (2) and the vehicle charging port together. Finally, protective gas is injected into the rubber kinetic energy ring (3) at the locked position to complete the locking action between the charging gun body (1) and the vehicle charging port. Unlocking phase: When charging is completed or an abnormal state occurs, the rubber kinetic ring (3) in the locked position discharges protective gas and injects protective gas into the rubber kinetic ring (3) in the unlocked position. After the initial lock is released, the charging gun body (1) moves a distance to the outside based on the inward locking ring (2).

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