Vehicle charging method, apparatus, device, and medium

Abstract

This application discloses a vehicle charging method, apparatus, device, and medium. The method belongs to the field of charging technology. It is executed by a charging robot, which includes a mechanical actuator for moving a charging connector. The method includes: when it is determined based on vehicle-side information that a target vehicle needs automatic charging, controlling the mechanical actuator to dock the charging connector with the target vehicle's charging interface; and after detecting that the charging connector and charging interface have formed a rechargeable connection, or receiving charging preparation completion information from the target vehicle, causing the target vehicle to enter a charging state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of charging, and in particular to a vehicle charging method, apparatus, equipment, medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of new energy vehicles, the charging system is the core link in realizing vehicle energy replenishment. Its level of automation and intelligence is directly related to the user's convenience of using the vehicle and the safety of charging, and is a key link affecting the intelligent experience of the vehicle.

[0003] In related technologies, the charging process for new energy vehicles largely relies on users manually performing operations such as plugging in the charging gun, starting the vehicle, and monitoring the process. Some solutions introduce automatic charging methods controlled by user terminals, such as sending charging commands via mobile terminals, to simplify on-site operations for users.

[0004] However, the above methods still rely heavily on manual labor and are not convenient enough. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a vehicle charging method, apparatus, device, medium, and program product, which includes at least: According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a vehicle charging method is provided, the method being performed by a charging robot, the charging robot including a mechanical actuator for moving a charging connector, the method comprising: Establish a communication connection with the target vehicle located within the charging area; Vehicle-side information is obtained based on the communication connection. The vehicle-side information includes information related to the target vehicle and used to determine whether to trigger the vehicle charging connection. When it is determined that the target vehicle needs to be automatically charged based on the vehicle-side information, the mechanical actuator controls the charging connector to connect to the charging interface of the target vehicle. Once a charging connection is detected between the charging connector and the charging interface, or once a charging preparation completion message is received from the target vehicle, the target vehicle is put into charging mode.

[0006] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a vehicle charging method is provided, the method being performed by a vehicle, the method comprising: When the vehicle is located in a rechargeable area corresponding to the charging robot, vehicle-side information is determined, including information related to the vehicle and used to determine whether to trigger the vehicle charging connection. Establish a communication connection with the charging robot; The system sends vehicle-side information to the charging robot via a communication connection, so that the vehicle can connect the charging connector to the vehicle's charging interface when it determines that automatic charging is needed. Once the charging connector and the charging interface form a rechargeable connection, or after receiving a docking completion message from the charging robot, the vehicle enters the charging state.

[0007] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, an automatic vehicle charging system is provided, the system including a vehicle, a charging robot, and a control module; The vehicle is used to determine vehicle-side information, which includes information related to the vehicle and used to determine whether to trigger a vehicle charging connection. The charging robot includes a mechanical actuator and a charging connector. The mechanical actuator is used to drive the charging connector to dock or disconnect from the vehicle's charging interface. The control module is deployed in one or more of the following: vehicle, charging robot, cloud server, edge gateway, charging operation platform, property service platform, vehicle-home interconnection platform, and energy management platform; The control module is used to determine whether the vehicle needs automatic charging based on vehicle-side information, and if it is determined that the vehicle needs automatic charging, it controls the charging robot to connect the charging connector to the charging interface, and puts the vehicle into charging state after a rechargeable connection is formed.

[0008] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a charging robot is provided, the charging robot including: a processor, a communication unit, a mechanical actuator and a charging connector; wherein the processor is configured to load and execute executable instructions to implement the vehicle charging method as described above.

[0009] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a vehicle is provided, the vehicle including: a processor, a communication unit, a vehicle state sensing unit, and a charging interface control unit; wherein the processor is configured to load and execute executable instructions to implement the vehicle charging method as described above.

[0010] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores at least one program that is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the vehicle charging method as described in the various aspects above.

[0011] The technical solutions provided in this application embodiment may include the following beneficial effects: By establishing a communication connection with the target vehicle and acquiring vehicle-side information, the charging robot can determine whether the vehicle needs automatic charging and control the mechanical actuators to automatically connect the charging interface. This overcomes the limitations of relying on manual labor in related technologies. Through a triggering logic that does not require real-time user input of the charging gun as a necessary condition, it achieves seamless charging based on the vehicle's objective state. This method enables a user experience of "stop and go, seamless charging after parking," significantly improving charging convenience and automation efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0012] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0013] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an automatic vehicle charging system provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a vehicle charging method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a charging robot structure provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 4 A flowchart of a vehicle charging method provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 5 This illustration shows an application scenario diagram of an automatic vehicle charging system provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This illustration shows an application scenario diagram of an automatic vehicle charging system provided by another exemplary embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This illustration shows an application scenario diagram of an automatic vehicle charging system provided in yet another exemplary embodiment of this application; Figure 8 This illustration shows an application scenario diagram of the automatic vehicle charging system provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application; Figure 9 This application also illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the vehicle automatic charging system provided in this embodiment. Figure 10 A block diagram of an automatic vehicle charging system provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a charging robot provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 12 A schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0014] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail here, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0015] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. The singular forms “a” and “the” as used in this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0016] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used in this disclosure to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "when," "when," or "in response to determination."

[0017] First, a brief introduction to the terms used in the embodiments of this application: Public charging refers to charging services deployed in open areas such as underground parking garages in shopping malls, highway service areas, public parking lots, office parks, or along municipal roads. These services are typically managed, maintained, and billed by a professional charging operation platform. They are compatible with various power levels, including AC slow charging, DC fast charging, and even high-power supercharging, to meet the diverse energy needs of users in different scenarios. During use, users can complete identity authentication and payment settlement through mobile applications, charging cards, or plug-and-charge methods. The charging process involves at least one of the following operational technologies: grid load management, multi-vehicle charging queue scheduling, remote equipment status monitoring, and fault emergency response, making it an important component of the urban charging infrastructure network.

[0018] Home charging: Home charging refers to the method of replenishing energy vehicles at one's own residence or a fixed parking space in a residential community, relying on the community's power distribution network, through wall-mounted AC charging piles or portable on-board charging equipment. Compared with public charging, home charging is mostly arranged during off-peak hours at night, with relatively lower charging power, less impact on the power grid, and can take full advantage of time-of-use electricity pricing policies to reduce vehicle operating costs. Implementing home charging requires comprehensive consideration of residential power distribution capacity, line load capacity, grounding protection, and the installation location and safety protection of charging equipment. In residential community scenarios, it is also necessary to coordinate power resource allocation and facility installation approval with property management. It is a basic charging mode for convenient replenishment of energy for daily commuting vehicles.

[0019] Charging piles: Charging piles are infrastructure devices that provide electrical energy replenishment for new energy vehicles. Their core function is to convert AC or DC power input from the power grid into electrical energy that meets the charging requirements of the vehicle's power battery, and in this process, complete energy metering, status monitoring, safety protection, and information exchange. According to the output current type, charging piles can be divided into AC charging piles and DC charging piles. The former requires an on-board charger to complete the AC-DC conversion and generally has lower power; the latter directly outputs DC power, with higher power, enabling rapid energy replenishment. Modern charging piles generally have communication interfaces, supporting data interaction with vehicles, operating platforms, and the power grid. They integrate at least one of the following functions: overvoltage protection, overcurrent protection, leakage protection, temperature monitoring, and emergency shutdown. They are key physical nodes for vehicle-charging pile collaboration and intelligent charging control.

[0020] Charging Robot: A charging robot is an intelligent charging device with autonomous movement and / or automatic charging gun insertion capabilities. It aims to replace manual labor in docking the charging gun with the vehicle's charging interface, enabling unmanned charging services in parking scenarios. These devices typically use visual recognition, LiDAR, or mechanical positioning devices to accurately identify the vehicle's charging interface location and utilize a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm to automatically grasp the charging gun, open the charging port cover, and complete the charging connection, thus improving the level of charging automation and user experience. In this application, the charging robot possesses robotic arm storage and operation capabilities. Its robotic arm supports folding storage, vertical lifting, and free movement, and can adapt to the charging interface locations of different vehicle models to perform the insertion and removal of the charging gun.

[0021] Charging Interface: The charging interface is an electrical interface located on the vehicle body, used to achieve the physical connection and energy transfer between the vehicle and external charging equipment. It is a key port for vehicle-to-charging station interaction. The charging interface can also be called a charging port. It is usually equipped with a charging port cover, also known as a charging port cover or protective cover. When not charging, the charging port cover remains closed, covering and protecting the internal terminals of the charging interface, providing dustproof, waterproof, foreign object intrusion prevention, and corrosion protection. When charging is needed, the charging port cover can be opened manually, by unlocking the vehicle, or by electric drive to expose the charging interface for the charging gun to be inserted.

[0022] The State of Charge (SOC) of a vehicle's battery refers to the percentage of its current usable capacity to its rated full-charge capacity. It characterizes the battery's energy state and can be understood as the remaining charge. The SOC value is estimated and corrected in real time by the vehicle's Battery Management System (BMS) based on cell voltage, current, temperature, and historical charge / discharge data. It influences charging strategy formulation, charging current adjustment, and the determination of charging cut-off timing. During charging, the BMS continuously monitors SOC changes and sends current and voltage requirements to the charging station to avoid overcharging or undercharging, ensuring battery safety and cycle life. Furthermore, SOC is a crucial basis for estimating vehicle range, controlling energy recovery, and determining overall vehicle power output; its estimation accuracy is significant for user trip planning and charging decisions.

[0023] Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Interface: The V2X interface refers to the human-machine interface display terminal installed in the vehicle's cockpit. It mainly includes at least one of the following: the central control screen, instrument panel display, in-vehicle display, and head-up display. It serves as the medium for drivers and passengers to obtain vehicle information and control in-vehicle functions. In charging scenarios, the V2X interface will display real-time charging information, including but not limited to at least one of the following: the charging robot's device status, remaining battery power, amount charged, estimated charging time, and charging cost. It will also receive user commands, including but not limited to at least one of the following: charging mode selection, charging reservation, charging limit setting, and charging stop command. Optionally, the V2X interface often uses touch, voice, or multimodal interaction methods, maintaining a network connection with mobile terminals and cloud servers to achieve visualized monitoring and remote collaborative control of the charging process.

[0024] Cloud servers: Cloud servers refer to large-scale computing and storage resource clusters deployed in remote data centers, playing a central role in data aggregation, business processing, and resource scheduling within the intelligent charging system. They receive operational data from vehicles, charging piles, mobile terminals, and edge gateways via wireless communication networks, completing at least one of the following tasks: charging order management, user account authentication, payment settlement processing, charging behavior analysis, remote equipment operation and maintenance, and software OTA upgrades. Leveraging cloud computing and big data technologies, cloud servers can achieve optimized allocation of charging resources across regions, charging load prediction, and intelligent recommendation services, supporting the efficient operation of the charging operation platform and providing powerful backend computing power and data storage guarantees for vehicle-charging pile collaboration, energy management, and user services.

[0025] Edge gateway: An edge gateway is a network access and computing node deployed close to the data source, such as near charging stations, parking lots, or community power distribution rooms. It is responsible for aggregating local device data, protocol conversion, edge computing, and secure communication with the cloud. In a charging system, the edge gateway supports connecting multiple charging piles, sensors, and / or vehicle terminals nearby, performing local preprocessing, caching, and real-time analysis of charging status, power information, and environmental parameter data, reducing reliance on cloud server bandwidth and communication latency. Optionally, when the network is interrupted, the edge gateway can perform offline operation and resume interrupted data transmission for local services, ensuring the real-time performance and reliability of charging control. Therefore, the edge gateway is a key network infrastructure for achieving cloud-edge-device collaboration and improving system response speed and stability.

[0026] Charging Operation Platform: The charging operation platform is a comprehensive business management system built and maintained by charging service providers to achieve networked monitoring, intelligent scheduling, and commercial operation of charging facilities. This platform connects to charging piles and auxiliary equipment distributed across different areas, collecting real-time data on charging voltage, current, SOC, fault status, and environmental information. It supports at least one of the following functions: remote start / stop control, charging rate configuration, order lifecycle management, user membership system operation, and financial report generation. In addition, the charging operation platform also possesses at least one of the following capabilities: equipment fault early warning, maintenance work order dispatch, site utilization analysis, and charging demand forecasting. It leverages big data and artificial intelligence algorithms to optimize charging resource allocation, improve equipment online rates and user satisfaction, and serves as a business hub connecting charging facilities, the power grid, vehicle owners, and service providers.

[0027] Property Service Platform: A property service platform refers to an information management system used by property management companies in residential communities, commercial buildings, or industrial parks. In private and community charging scenarios, the property service platform plays a crucial role in resource coordination and service support. This platform typically involves at least one of the following processes: parking space information management, resident identity authentication, charging facility installation approval, power capacity allocation, public area electricity metering, and fee collection and payment. With the increasing popularity of home charging for new energy vehicles, the property service platform needs to connect with charging operation platforms, power grid companies, and vehicle owners to handle various matters, such as charging pile installation applications, power distribution capacity expansion coordination, fire safety supervision, and mediation of neighborhood charging disputes. Therefore, the property service platform is an important management tool for ensuring the compliant construction, safe operation, and harmonious use of community charging facilities.

[0028] Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) Platform: The V2H platform is a technical architecture and service platform for achieving deep interconnection between new energy vehicles and home energy systems. It aims to establish energy and information channels between vehicles and home solar panels, energy storage batteries, smart appliances, and the home power grid. Through this platform, vehicles can utilize surplus home solar power or low-cost grid electricity for charging during off-peak hours. It also supports reverse power supply to the home (Vehicle-to-Home, V2H) during peak grid periods or home power outages, enabling peak shaving and valley filling for home energy and providing emergency backup power. The platform allows users to centrally schedule vehicle charging plans via mobile applications or voice assistants, making it a crucial component in building a Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) ecosystem within the home charging scenario.

[0029] Energy Management Platform: An energy management platform is an intelligent platform that unifies the monitoring, analysis, and optimization of charging load, grid operating status, distributed energy resources, and / or energy storage resources. Currently, energy management platforms are widely used in charging stations, industrial park microgrids, and city-level charging networks. This platform formulates charging scheduling strategies through intelligent algorithms, enabling orderly charging, demand response, and peak shaving and valley filling. In addition, the energy management platform also has functions such as load forecasting, energy efficiency diagnosis, carbon emission monitoring, and multi-energy complementarity coordination. While ensuring the safe and stable operation of the power grid, it reduces charging operating costs and user charging expenses, serving as a crucial technological support for promoting the coordinated development of charging infrastructure and new power systems.

[0030] Mobile Application (APP): An APP refers to a software program installed on a smartphone, tablet, or other mobile terminal. In the new energy vehicle charging service, it is the main entry point for users to access charging services, control the charging process, and interact with information. Charging APPs typically integrate multiple functions, such as at least one of the following: charging station map query, real-time charging pile status display, intelligent navigation, charging reservation, QR code start / stop, charging process monitoring, cost estimation, online payment, electronic invoice issuance, and historical order query. Optionally, some APPs also support value-added services such as extended community interaction, charging knowledge push, and remote vehicle status viewing. By maintaining a real-time connection with the mobile network, cloud server, and vehicle terminal, mobile applications achieve seamless connection between users and charging infrastructure, significantly improving the convenience and accessibility of charging services. In this application, the APP, as the control and interaction entry point running on the user terminal, not only provides real-time charging status monitoring and charging completion notification push services, but also grants users remote control permissions (such as remote one-click plugging / unplugging of the charging gun in inclement weather). More importantly, the app carries important system settings functions, allowing users to set scheduled charging time, target SOC, and enable or disable the underlying switch for "automatic charging gun insertion upon arrival at parking space".

[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an automatic vehicle charging system 100 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown. The automatic vehicle charging system 100 includes: a vehicle 110, a charging robot 120, a charging interface 130, and a robotic arm 140.

[0032] Vehicle 110 is an electric vehicle equipped with a power battery. It has a charging port 130 on its body for receiving electrical energy from an external charging device to replenish the power battery. Vehicle 110 is equipped with an onboard communication module, which can wirelessly interact with the charging robot 120 or a cloud server to transmit information such as vehicle location, charging port status, battery SOC, and charging enable conditions. Vehicle 110 can be a pure electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a commercial truck, or any other electric vehicle equipped with a charging port; this application does not limit its scope.

[0033] The charging robot 120 is a charging device deployed in parking scenarios. Its structure can be either autonomously mobile or fixedly installed, and its specific type may be the same as or different from conventional fixed charging piles. In its mobile form, the charging robot 120 is equipped with a mobile chassis at its bottom, carrying drive wheels, a steering mechanism, a positioning and navigation module, and environmental perception sensors. It can autonomously plan its path and move to the vicinity of vehicle 110 within parking lots, charging stations, or target parking spaces. In its fixed form, the charging robot 120 can be installed in designated charging spaces in private parking spaces, underground garages of residential communities, public parking lots, charging areas of commercial complexes, or highway service areas via anchor bolts, rail bases, or wall-mounted brackets. It can cover the vehicle 110 parked in the space simply by extending its robotic arm 140. The charging robot 120 integrates a charging power module, an energy metering unit, a communication unit, and a power access port, enabling it to output corresponding charging current and voltage according to the charging needs of vehicle 110.

[0034] At least one of the following locations of the charging robot 120—its upper body, side panels, bottom perimeter, robotic arm base, or edge of the mobile chassis—is equipped with a light strip. The number of light strips can be one or more, and their arrangement can be circular, linear, dot-matrix, or segmented. This light strip is used to provide status visualization and ambient lighting, such as using different colors or flashing patterns to represent the current operating status of the charging robot 120, and to provide auxiliary lighting for the vehicle driver or the charging robot 120's own visual recognition system at night or in low-light parking scenarios.

[0035] The charging robot 120 integrates an environmental perception module, which includes at least one of a camera, LiDAR, ultrasonic sensor, millimeter-wave radar, proximity sensor, tactile sensor, or structured light sensor. The camera, which can be a visible light camera, infrared camera, or depth camera, is used to acquire image information of the vehicle 110 to identify the vehicle model and the precise location of the charging port 130. The LiDAR and ultrasonic sensors are used to construct a point cloud map of the parking area and detect whether the vehicle 110 is accurately parked at the preset charging position. The proximity and tactile sensors are used to monitor the distance and contact force in real time as the robotic arm 140 approaches the vehicle 110 to prevent collision damage. Through the single or combined use of the above sensors, the charging robot 120 can automatically determine the vehicle's parking status after the vehicle 110 enters the charging area and accurately calculate the three-dimensional spatial coordinates and opening orientation of the charging port 130.

[0036] The charging interface 130 is located on the side, rear, or front of the vehicle 110 and serves as the electrical interface for physical connection and energy transfer between the vehicle 110 and external charging equipment. A charging port cover is fitted to the outside of the charging interface 130. This cover remains closed when not charging to protect the internal terminals. When a charging demand arises, it can be opened in response to a vehicle unlocking command, user operation, interactive signals from the charging robot 120, or physical triggering by the robotic arm 140. The charging interface 130 internally includes high-voltage power terminals, a grounding terminal, and a communication terminal. Its interface type, communication protocol, and protection level must comply with relevant national or international standards.

[0037] The robotic arm 140, mounted on the upper platform of the charging robot 120, is an automated operating device with multi-degree-of-freedom motion capabilities. It replaces manual labor in automatically docking the charging gun with the vehicle charging interface 130. The robotic arm 140 can switch between a retracted state and a working state. In the non-working state, the robotic arm 140 can be folded, retracted, rotated, sunken, or nested within the charging robot 120's body, top recess, side compartment, or chassis storage space to reduce overall height, minimize space occupation, and protect the end effector from external environmental corrosion. In the working state, the robotic arm 140 can extend, lift, rotate, pitch, and translate, using its joint modules and telescopic arm segments to cover the charging interface 130 at different orientations, heights, and angles. Optionally, the robotic arm 140 can also be a non-retractable, fixed, extended structure; this application does not limit this.

[0038] Optionally, the robotic arm 140 may also be other mechanical actuators with spatial pose adjustment and end effector functions, such as at least one of single-axis or multi-axis telescopic linear actuators, slide rail mobile actuators, gantry coordinate actuators, parallel motion platforms, horizontal multi-joint actuators (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm, SCARA), Cartesian coordinate actuators, flexible continuum robotic arms, snake-like bionic robotic arms, or collaborative robots, and this application does not limit it in this regard.

[0039] The end effector of the robotic arm 140 integrates a charging connector, which is used to realize the electrical connection and energy transfer between the charging robot 120 and the vehicle 110. This charging connector can be a charging gun, or at least one of a wireless charging transmitting coil, pantograph, flexible contact charging probe, magnetic charging docking device, or sliding contact power source; this application does not limit the specific type. In the embodiment where the charging connector is a charging gun, the charging gun forms a rigid connection or a flexible follow-up connection with the end effector of the robotic arm 140, moving synchronously with the extension, pitch, and rotation of the robotic arm 140 to insert into or remove from the charging interface 130 of the vehicle 110. Optionally, the end effector also integrates a visual recognition module, a force sensor, a lighting device, a dust removal blowing device, or a charging port cover opening assistance mechanism to assist in completing the charging connection operation in scenarios with insufficient light, interface dust accumulation, or a stuck charging port cover.

[0040] A two-way communication connection is established between vehicle 110 and charging robot 120, enabling data exchange between the two via wireless communication. This wireless communication method includes, but is not limited to, at least one of: Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Near Field Communication (NFC), cellular mobile communication (such as 4G / 5G), Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), or Ethernet wireless bridging. Through this communication connection, vehicle 110 can send vehicle location, charging interface 130 status, SOC value, charging enable conditions, and authorization verification information to charging robot 120; charging robot 120 can send its own location, robotic arm 140 movement status, charging gun confirmation signal, charging power parameters, and fault alarm information back to vehicle 110, achieving real-time coordination between vehicle and charging station and automatic triggering of the charging process.

[0041] Optionally, Figure 1 The diagram shown is merely an example of the basic architecture, including vehicle 110, charging robot 120, charging interface 130, and robotic arm 140. In actual implementation, the vehicle automatic charging system 100 may also include a cloud server, edge gateway, mobile application terminal, fixed charging pile, site monitoring equipment, and home energy management terminal, collectively forming a complete automatic charging service network covering vehicle positioning, robot scheduling, charging process monitoring, and payment settlement. This application does not limit this aspect.

[0042] Alternatively, vehicle 110 is not limited to Figure 1The passenger car shown can also be a sport utility vehicle (SUV), multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), pickup truck, van, driverless vehicle, electric motorcycle, or aircraft that has charging requirements; accordingly, the charging interface 130 can be provided on the left fender, right fender, front bumper, rear bumper, or other areas of the vehicle body that are easily accessible to the robotic arm 140, and the number of such interfaces can be one or more, which is not limited in this application.

[0043] Optionally, the mobile chassis of the charging robot 120 can adopt a wheeled, tracked, legged, rail-mounted, or Mecanum wheel omnidirectional movement structure to adapt to flat roads, slopes, gravel surfaces, or complex terrain; its upper platform can also integrate a lifting mechanism, a rotating gimbal, or a pitch support to adjust the working height and orientation of the robotic arm 140 to match the differences in ground clearance and horizontal orientation of the charging interface 130 of different vehicle models.

[0044] Optionally, the light strip configured on the charging robot 120 can also be linked with the movement of the robotic arm 140. For example, during the extension of the robotic arm 140, the light strip indicates the work area with flowing light effects, and after the robotic arm 140 is retracted, the light strip turns off or switches to a low-brightness standby mode to alert pedestrians or vehicles in the vicinity to avoid it.

[0045] Optionally, the environmental perception module of the charging robot 120 can also confirm the identity information and parking legitimacy of the vehicle 110 through license plate recognition, Bluetooth beacon matching or UWB tag ranging, so as to avoid performing plug-in operation on non-target vehicles.

[0046] Optionally, the vehicle 110 and the charging robot 120 can also establish a wired communication connection through the communication terminal inside the charging interface 130 of the vehicle 110, so as to achieve higher bandwidth and lower latency data transmission after the charging gun is inserted, for transmitting BMS real-time data and fine control commands for high-power charging.

[0047] Optionally, the automatic vehicle charging system 100 can be deployed in indoor parking lots, open-air charging stations, park parking spaces, residential underground garages, or family courtyards. The charging robot 120 can move between multiple parking spaces and dynamically allocate a vehicle to a target parking space according to the charging request of the vehicle 110 or the platform's scheduling instructions; or it can be fixedly installed in a specific parking space to provide dedicated automatic charging services only to the vehicle 110 parked in that space, thereby improving the utilization rate and automation level of the charging facilities.

[0048] This application proposes a vehicle charging method and / or an automatic vehicle charging system: First, a detailed introduction to vehicle charging methods will be provided: Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a vehicle charging method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown. The method is performed by a charging robot, which includes a mechanical actuator for moving a charging connector. The method includes: Step 210: Establish a communication connection with the target vehicle located within the charging area.

[0049] In some embodiments, establishing a communication connection with a target vehicle located within a rechargeable area includes: establishing a communication connection with the target vehicle via one or more of short-range wireless communication, wireless local area network communication, cellular mobile network communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, ultra-wideband communication, near-field communication, visual recognition, vehicle network forwarding, and cloud server forwarding.

[0050] Optionally, short-range wireless communication refers to a wireless communication method that enables point-to-point or point-to-multipoint data transmission between devices within a limited spatial range (typically 10 to 100 meters), such as Bluetooth communication and Bluetooth Low Energy communication. Taking Bluetooth communication as an example, when a vehicle enters a charging area and comes within the Bluetooth signal coverage range of the charging robot, the charging robot scans and identifies the vehicle's Bluetooth broadcast signal, or the vehicle scans the charging robot's Bluetooth broadcast signal. Both parties establish a Bluetooth connection through a pairing request and pairing response. After the connection is established, the vehicle sends its vehicle identification identifier to the charging robot through the Bluetooth connection. The charging robot verifies whether the identifier matches a pre-stored or cloud-based list of allowed connections. If the match is successful, the communication connection is established.

[0051] In some embodiments, the communication connection includes a unique matching relationship, which is determined based on one or more of the following: vehicle identity identifier, user account, parking space identifier, robot identifier, charging order identifier, near-field authentication information, and relative location matching results.

[0052] In some embodiments, a vehicle identification identifier refers to an information code or mark used to uniquely identify the target vehicle. This vehicle identification identifier can be a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) pre-set and written into the in-vehicle communication module or body controller by the vehicle manufacturer at the factory; it can also be a license plate number entered and bound by the user when registering for a mobile application or connected vehicle service; or it can be the hardware address of the in-vehicle communication module (such as a Media Access Control (MAC) address or an IoT device serial number), determined by the device manufacturer during the production stage. The charging robot or cloud server confirms that the vehicle currently requesting communication is the target vehicle by comparing this vehicle identification identifier with the vehicle information bound to the reservation task, user account, or charging order.

[0053] In some embodiments, a parking space identifier refers to an information code or mark used to uniquely identify the physical location of a charging area or parking space. This identifier can be a parking space number assigned and painted on the ground by the property management department or parking lot operator during the construction or renovation phase (e.g., "Area A-108"); it can also be a unique code written in a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) floor sticker installed on the parking space floor; it can also be a location identifier broadcast by a Bluetooth beacon or UWB anchor deployed above the parking space; or it can be a logical parking space number stored locally by the charging robot and bound to its fixed installation location. By recognizing the parking space identifier corresponding to the vehicle's parking position, the charging robot confirms that the target vehicle has accurately entered the charging area served by the robot.

[0054] In some embodiments, a user account refers to a unique account identifier generated when a user registers on a charging operation platform, vehicle manufacturer's vehicle networking platform, mobile application, or smart home platform. This account is determined by the user upon first use of the service via mobile phone number, email address, or third-party authorized login. This user account is bound to at least one of a vehicle identifier, a charging robot identifier, and a parking space identifier. When a communication connection is established, the charging robot or cloud server verifies the user account's login status, authorization token, or membership permissions to confirm that the initiator of the current communication request has the authority to control the charging robot and the target vehicle.

[0055] In some embodiments, a robot identifier refers to an information code or mark used to uniquely identify the charging robot. This robot identifier can be a device serial number or hardware MAC address pre-set by the charging robot manufacturer during the production phase; it can also be an IoT device number assigned by the charging operation platform during device registration; or it can be a custom name identifier defined by the user when adding the charging robot as a home device in a mobile application. When establishing a communication connection, the target vehicle or cloud server identifies the robot identifier to confirm that the charging robot interacting with it is the service device specified by the user, preventing accidental connections with non-target robots.

[0056] In some embodiments, a charging order identifier is a unique business number automatically assigned by the charging operation platform, cloud server, or mobile application when a charging task is generated, such as an "order number," "transaction serial number," or "reservation task number." This identifier is generated by the platform system when a user initiates a charging request, completes payment, or confirms a reservation, and is then sent to the target vehicle and the charging robot, respectively. When establishing a communication connection, both parties exchange and compare the charging order identifiers to confirm that the communication service pertains to the same charging transaction, achieving precise business-level matching between the vehicle and the robot.

[0057] In some embodiments, near-field authentication information refers to authentication data exchanged via physical contact or near-field wireless transmission within an extremely short physical distance (e.g., less than 10 centimeters or 1 meter). For example, when a user holds a mobile terminal close to the Near Field Communication (NFC) sensing area of ​​a charging robot, the mobile terminal and the charging robot exchange encrypted tokens or dynamic pairing keys through the NFC channel; or, after confirming that the vehicle and the charging robot are within close range through ultra-wideband ranging, they exchange one-time authentication codes. This near-field authentication information is generated and verified by the mobile terminal's security chip, the vehicle's onboard security module, or the charging robot's local security unit, and is used to complete a high-security level of near-field identity verification before or during the establishment of a communication connection.

[0058] In some embodiments, the relative position matching result refers to the data conclusion that confirms, through spatial positioning technology, that the relative positional relationship between the target vehicle and the charging robot conforms to a preset charging area. This relative position matching result can be a successful matching signal generated after measuring the distance between the vehicle and the charging robot using ultra-wideband ranging technology and confirming that the distance is less than a preset working radius (e.g., 2 meters); it can also be a matching result generated after scanning the Bluetooth signal strength and confirming that the vehicle's signal strength is higher than a preset threshold (indicating that the vehicle has approached); it can also be location confirmation information generated after visual recognition by the charging robot's camera confirms that the vehicle has parked within the dotted line frame of the designated charging space on the ground; or it can be the location status reported after detecting that the vehicle occupies the space using a parking space geomagnetic sensor, pressure-sensing mat, or infrared beam detector. Based on this relative position matching result, the charging robot or cloud server determines that the target vehicle is physically located within the charging area, thereby allowing the establishment of a communication connection.

[0059] In summary, by establishing a communication connection with the target vehicle located within the charging area, a stable and reliable two-way data interaction channel can be established between the charging robot and the vehicle. This allows the charging robot to accurately obtain key information such as the target vehicle's identification, remaining battery power, charging interface status, and charging enable conditions. It also confirms that the vehicle is physically within the charging area served by the robot, thus providing the necessary communication foundation and command interaction support for subsequent coordinated operations such as automatic opening of the charging port cover, extension and alignment of the robotic arm, automatic insertion of charging connectors, and initiation of the charging process.

[0060] Step 220: Obtain vehicle-side information based on the communication connection, which includes information related to the target vehicle and used to determine whether to trigger the vehicle charging connection.

[0061] In some embodiments, the vehicle-side information includes vehicle-side condition information and / or automatic charging indication information. The vehicle-side condition information is used to characterize the parking status and / or charging demand status of the target vehicle in the charging area, and the automatic charging indication information is information generated based on the vehicle-side condition information to indicate whether the target vehicle needs automatic charging.

[0062] 1. Vehicle side condition information In some embodiments, the vehicle-side condition information includes at least one of the following: vehicle location information, parking status information, gear position information, driver behavior status information, occupant behavior status information, charging port status information, and battery charge information. Specifically, the vehicle location information indicates whether the target vehicle is located in a charging area or meets the docking location conditions; the parking status information indicates whether the target vehicle has completed automatic or manual parking; the gear position information indicates whether the target vehicle is in park; the driver behavior status information indicates whether the driver's seatbelt is unfastened, whether the driver has left the vehicle, whether the driver's door is open, or whether the driver's seat is unoccupied; the occupant behavior status information indicates the seatbelt status of the front passenger and / or rear passengers, the door opening status, the passenger's exit status, the seat occupancy status, or whether there are any remaining occupants in the vehicle; the charging port status information indicates whether the charging port cover is open or whether the charging port is dockable; and the battery charge information indicates the current battery SOC, the target SOC, or the remaining driving range.

[0063] Optionally, the vehicle position information includes the vehicle's azimuth angle and distance relative to the charging robot, the vehicle's posture angle (such as whether the rear of the vehicle is facing the charging robot), or the distance between each wheel of the vehicle and the boundary of the parking space, which is used to determine whether the vehicle's parking posture meets the spatial position requirements for the extension of the robotic arm and automatic docking of the charging connector.

[0064] In some embodiments, gear position status information includes at least one of the following: transmission gear position signals (such as Park (P), Reverse (R), Neutral (N), and Drive (D) gears), parking lock mechanism engagement status, electronic shifter gear position feedback, shift-by-wire system gear position confirmation code, or pure electric / fuel mode gear position status for hybrid / range-extended vehicles. Optionally, the gear position status information also includes gear shift history, such as a timestamp of shifting from a drive gear to a park gear, to confirm that the vehicle is stably stationary and will not move unexpectedly.

[0065] In some embodiments, the charging interface status information includes at least one of the following: charging port cover opening / closing sensor status, charging port cover motor drive status, and charging interface internal high-voltage terminal exposure status. Optionally, the charging interface status information also includes an identifier of the charging port cover opening method, such as whether the opening is triggered manually by the user, automatically by the vehicle, by a remote command, or by a robotic arm, and whether the charging interface has currently established an electrical connection with an external device or is in an idle, waiting-to-connect state.

[0066] Optionally, the current SOC, target SOC, or remaining driving range in the battery power information can be represented in at least one of the following formats: numerical, percentage, graphical, or hierarchical.

[0067] In some embodiments, the current SOC is expressed as a percentage. For example, if the battery management system reports a current SOC of 30%, it means that the remaining usable capacity of the power battery accounts for 30% of the rated full charge capacity. The target SOC is also expressed as a percentage. For example, if the user presets a target SOC of 80% through the vehicle's infotainment interface or mobile application, it means that the user expects the battery to be charged to 80% of the rated full charge capacity during this charge. In this case, the vehicle calculates the charging demand difference as 50 percentage points (80% minus 30%) and determines that the automatic charging indication conditions are met, requesting the charging robot to start charging.

[0068] In some embodiments, the current State of Charge (SOC) is expressed as the remaining available power (in kilowatt-hours, kWh). For example, if the current battery pack has a remaining available power of 20 kWh and the target SOC corresponds to an available power of 60 kWh (assuming the battery pack's rated capacity is 75 kWh and the target SOC is 80%), then the current charge requires an additional 40 kWh of power. The charging robot or cloud server estimates the charging time based on the required additional power and the charging power, and then provides the user with the estimated full charge time.

[0069] In some embodiments, the remaining driving range is expressed in kilometers (km). For example, the battery management system estimates the remaining driving range to be 150 kilometers based on the current SOC and the vehicle's historical energy consumption data. The target driving range is expressed as the minimum guaranteed mileage required for the user's travel plan for the next day. For example, if the user sets the target driving range to be 400 kilometers, the vehicle will use this to calculate the required target SOC (e.g., 60%) and determine that the current remaining driving range is insufficient, and generate automatic charging indication information.

[0070] In some embodiments, the current SOC, target SOC, or remaining range are presented graphically in the vehicle interface or mobile application, for example, as a circular progress bar, battery icon fill ratio, bar chart, or color partition (e.g., red indicates low battery 0%-20%, yellow indicates medium battery 20%-50%, and green indicates full battery 50%-100%), so that users can intuitively perceive the battery status and confirm charging needs.

[0071] In some embodiments, the battery power information also includes a difference range level between the SOC and the target SOC. For example, a difference greater than 50% is determined as "high charging demand", a difference between 20% and 50% is determined as "medium charging demand", and a difference less than 20% is determined as "low charging demand" or "no charging required". The vehicle sends charging requests of different priorities to the charging robot or adjusts the charging power strategy according to the level.

[0072] 2. Automatic charging indicator information In some embodiments, the automatic charging indication information is information generated based on vehicle-side condition information to indicate whether the target vehicle needs automatic charging.

[0073] Optionally, whether the target vehicle needs automatic charging is determined based on automatic charging indication conditions.

[0074] Optionally, the automatic charging indication conditions are determined based on at least one of the following: the target vehicle is located in a charging area or meets the docking position conditions; the target vehicle has completed automatic or manual parking; the target vehicle is in the park position; the driver's seatbelt is unfastened, the driver is out of the vehicle, the driver's door is open, or the driver's seat is unoccupied; the seatbelt status, door status, out-of-vehicle status, seat occupancy status, or occupant status of the front passenger and / or rear passenger meet preset safety conditions; the charging interface is dockable; the target vehicle has a charging need; the user-preconfigured automatic plug-in switch is enabled; one or more of the following conditions are met: scheduled charging time, target SOC, travel plan, off-peak electricity hours, home energy management strategy, parking space availability, and public charging order status.

[0075] In some embodiments, the rechargeable area refers to a circular or fan-shaped working space centered on the charging robot and with the maximum extension length of the robotic arm as the radius, or a physical parking space area marked by ground parking space boundary lines, parking space wheel chocks, RFID floor stickers, or Bluetooth beacons; meeting the docking position conditions means that after the vehicle is parked, its charging interface is within the reachable range of the charging connector at the end of the robotic arm, and the vehicle attitude angle, body tilt, or wheel track boundary deviation does not exceed the tolerance threshold for adaptive adjustment of the robotic arm.

[0076] In some embodiments, parking completion means that the vehicle has come to a complete stop and is stationary. The criteria for this determination include at least one of the following: the vehicle's longitudinal and lateral speeds remain zero; the Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) system is locked; the handbrake is engaged; the automatic parking function has output a completion indicator; the parking assist system has disengaged; or the vehicle stability system has not detected any tendency to roll. Optionally, parking completion also includes the vehicle remaining stationary for more than a preset time (e.g., 3 or 5 seconds) after coming to a complete stop, to eliminate false judgments due to short pauses during the parking process.

[0077] In some embodiments, the driver's seatbelt being unfastened, the driver being out of the vehicle, the driver's door being open, or the driver's seat being unoccupied are used to confirm that the driver has left the vehicle's driver's seat, preventing accidental injury to occupants from the automatic door latching action. Optional determination criteria include: the driver's seatbelt buckle sensor outputting an unlock signal, the driver's seat pressure sensor value being below an unoccupied threshold, the driver's side door switching from closed to open for more than a preset duration, the car key signal strength being below an in-vehicle threshold (indicating the key has been taken out of the vehicle), the mobile terminal's Bluetooth connection switching from in-vehicle to out-of-vehicle, or the driver's facial recognition camera not detecting a face in the driver's seat. Optionally, this condition may also require that the vehicle has locked or the rearview mirrors have folded after the driver leaves the vehicle, to further confirm the completion of the departure.

[0078] In some embodiments, the seatbelt status, door status, exit status, seat occupancy status, or presence of any occupant in the vehicle for the front passenger and / or rear passengers meets preset safety conditions. These preset safety conditions mean that all occupants have safely exited the vehicle, and no unaccompanied persons or other living beings remain. Optional criteria for determination include at least one of the following: pressure sensor values ​​for the front passenger and rear seats are all below the threshold for no occupancy; all doors have been opened and then closed again with the door locks engaged; rear-seat vital signs monitoring sensors (such as millimeter-wave radar or infrared sensors) have not detected breathing or heartbeat signals; child safety seats are not occupied; or the child safety locks are engaged and no children are confirmed to be unaccompanied. Optionally, if the vehicle detects any unaccompanied occupants or other living beings in the rear seats, the automatic charging indication conditions are not met, the vehicle sends an alarm to the user, and pauses the automatic charging process until the vehicle is emptied.

[0079] In some embodiments, if the charging port cover fails to open automatically due to a malfunction, the vehicle or charging robot may trigger a secondary opening command or the robotic arm-assisted opening mechanism may intervene. If it still cannot be opened, it is determined that the docking status is not met.

[0080] In some embodiments, charging demand refers to the vehicle's current battery state not meeting the user's expected charging target or being unable to meet subsequent travel plans. Optional determination criteria include at least one of the following: the current battery SOC is lower than the user-preset target SOC (e.g., current SOC is 30%, target SOC is 80%), the remaining driving range is lower than the user-set safe driving range threshold (e.g., less than 100 kilometers), the user actively initiates an immediate charging request through the vehicle's infotainment interface or mobile application, or the vehicle automatically calculates the required battery power based on the next day's navigation destination to be higher than the currently available battery power. Optionally, if the current SOC is equal to or higher than the target SOC, it is determined that there is no charging demand, and the automatic charging indication conditions are not met.

[0081] In some embodiments, the switch is a function enable switch set by the user through the vehicle's infotainment interface, mobile application, or voice assistant, used to control whether the charging robot is allowed to automatically perform the plug-in action after detecting a vehicle parking. The switch can have two modes: global enable (effective for all parking scenarios) or conditional enable (effective only for a specified parking space, a specified time period, or a specified vehicle). If the user sets the switch to the disabled state, the automatic charging indication condition will not be met regardless of whether other vehicle-side conditions are met, and the charging robot will remain in standby mode, only responding to user manual triggering or remote control commands.

[0082] In some embodiments, the scheduled charging time meeting the preset conditions means that the current time has reached the charging start time preset by the user in the mobile application or vehicle system (e.g., 23:00), or has reached the optimal charging period dynamically recommended by the cloud server based on grid load forecast; the target SOC meeting the preset conditions means that the current SOC is lower than the target value set in the scheduled task; the travel plan meeting the preset conditions means that the battery required for the next day's travel mileage, as determined by the vehicle calendar system, navigation history, or manually entered by the user, is higher than the current remaining battery, or the charging preparation time window calculated backward from the departure time has been opened; and the off-peak electricity period meeting the preset conditions means that the current time is during the off-peak hours of the local power grid. Within the specified timeframe (e.g., from 22:00 to 6:00 the next day), and the user has enabled the off-peak electricity priority strategy; the home energy management strategy meets the preset conditions, meaning that the current power generation of the home photovoltaic system is greater than the charging demand, the remaining power of the home energy storage battery is sufficient, or the total home electricity load is lower than the upper limit of the distribution capacity, allowing the allocation of charging power to the vehicle; the parking space availability meets the preset conditions, meaning that the target parking space is not occupied by other vehicles, the charging robot is not currently serving other vehicles and the robotic arm is in an available state; the public charging order status meets the preset conditions, meaning that the user has completed order creation, fee pre-authorization or member identity verification on the charging operation platform, and the order is in a valid pending execution state.

[0083] Optionally, the above conditions can be determined individually, or the vehicle or cloud server can combine multiple conditions logically to generate the final automatic charging indication information. This application does not limit this.

[0084] In summary, by acquiring vehicle-side information based on established communication connections, the charging robot can accurately and in real-time grasp multi-dimensional vehicle-side conditions, including the target vehicle's parking status, personnel status, interface status, and energy status within the charging area, and thus determine the automatic charging indication conditions. This not only provides the charging robot with data-driven decision-making basis for whether to trigger subsequent automatic plug-in and charging initiation operations, but also avoids equipment collisions, electrical risks, or invalid operations caused by blindly executing robotic arm actions under unsuitable conditions such as the vehicle not being fully stopped, personnel not having left the vehicle, the interface not being ready, or the battery already being fully charged. This significantly improves the safety and reliability of the automatic charging process and enhances the user's convenience and intelligent experience in charging.

[0085] Step 230: If it is determined that the target vehicle needs to be automatically charged based on the vehicle-side information, control the mechanical actuator to connect the charging connector to the charging interface of the target vehicle.

[0086] Optionally, determining that the target vehicle needs automatic charging includes determining that automatic charging indication conditions are met, including conditions that trigger the vehicle charging connection without requiring a real-time plug-in command entered by the user after parking.

[0087] 1. Structure of the charging robot Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a charging robot structure provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown.

[0088] like Figure 3 As shown on the left, in its stowed state, the charging robot has a storage cavity inside its body. This cavity can be one of the following: a closed chamber, a semi-open recess, a sliding guide rail, a rotary storage turntable, or a lifting storage well. The opening of the storage cavity is equipped with an opening and closing mechanism, shown in the illustration as a door. When closed, this door encloses the mechanical actuator and charging connector within the storage cavity. The mechanical actuator (such as a robotic arm) is in a folded, retracted, or collapsed state, with its joints folded and stacked together. The charging connector (such as a charging gun) at the end is integrated into the storage cavity along with the mechanical actuator. In the stowed state, the LED strip on the charging robot emits a white breathing light effect to indicate that the charging robot is in standby mode.

[0089] like Figure 3As shown on the right, in the working state (extended), the charging robot responds to charging control commands (such as automatic charging indication conditions being met or remote plug-in commands) by first controlling the opening and closing mechanism of the storage cavity to open. Specifically, the hatch switches from a closed state to an open state, exposing the internal storage space. Subsequently, the charging robot controls the mechanical actuator, which is in a folded, retracted, or collapsed state, to extend from the storage cavity. The extension action of the mechanical actuator includes: the articulated arm segments unfolding segment by segment from the folded state, the telescopic arm releasing from the retracted state and sliding forward along the guide rail, the nested structure unlocking segment by segment and extending to the working length, ultimately aligning the charging connector at the end with the charging port of the target vehicle. During the extension process, the light strip on the charging robot body switches from a white breathing light to a blue breathing light effect, indicating that the mechanical actuator is extending, about to begin, or is in the process of charging connection operation.

[0090] like Figure 3 As shown, the transition from the retracted state to the working state (extended) is as follows: the hatch opens → the mechanical actuator extends. The reverse process is the retraction process after charging is complete: the mechanical actuator, carrying the charging connector, retreats along the original path, each joint arm segment folds and retracts sequentially, the telescopic arm retracts section by section, and the end effector adjusts its posture to fit the shape of the storage space, ultimately nesting or overlapping in a fixed position within the storage cavity; subsequently, the hatch closes, forming a sealed or semi-sealed protective state, and the light strip returns to white breathing or goes out.

[0091] Optionally, Figure 3 The diagram shown is merely a basic example of the structure of the charging robot and does not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application. The charging robot of this application may also adopt other structural forms that can achieve the same or similar functions, and this application does not limit them.

[0092] (1) Before docking In some embodiments, the charging robot includes a storage cavity for housing a mechanical actuator and / or a charging connector. Before controlling the mechanical actuator to dock the charging connector with the charging interface of the target vehicle, the charging robot controls the opening and closing mechanism of the storage cavity to open and controls the mechanical actuator, which is in a folded, retracted, or collapsed state, to extend from the storage cavity. The mechanical actuator can be understood as a robotic arm, or it can be other mechanical actuators with spatial orientation adjustment and end effector functions; this application does not limit this to any particular type.

[0093] Optionally, the storage cavity of the charging robot is located in at least one of the following locations: inside the body, top, side, or bottom of the charging robot. Its structure can be at least one of the following: a closed compartment, a semi-open groove, a sliding rail guide groove, a rotary storage turntable, or a lifting storage well.

[0094] Optionally, the inner wall of the storage cavity is equipped with a buffer pad, positioning buckle, magnetic adsorption component or elastic clamping component, which are used to fix, limit and protect the mechanical actuator and charging connector after they are retracted, and prevent collision damage caused by movement or bumps; the opening of the storage cavity is also equipped with a sealing strip, waterproof edge or dustproof brush to improve the protection level in the storage state.

[0095] In some embodiments, the opening and closing element includes one or more of the following: a hatch, a cover, a sliding cover, a roller shutter, a flip cover, a telescopic baffle, a revolving door, a double door, a lifting top cover, or a flexible blind. The driving method of the opening and closing element can be at least one of the following: motor drive, electromagnetic drive, hydraulic drive, pneumatic drive, spring-assisted drive, or shape memory alloy drive. During the opening process, the movement trajectory of the opening and closing element can be at least one of the following: horizontal sliding, vertical lifting, axial rotation, arc swing, or roll-up and unfolding. For example, when the opening and closing element is a double door, the charging robot controls the left and right doors to slide open to the sides, exposing the internal storage space; when the opening and closing element is a roller shutter, the charging robot controls the roller shutter blades to roll up, providing an upward extension channel for the mechanical actuator.

[0096] In some embodiments, the extension of the mechanical actuator from the storage cavity includes: first, unfolding the articulated arm segment from a folded state; then, releasing the telescopic arm from a retracted state; then, sliding forward along the guide rail from a retracted state; and finally, unlocking and extending to the working length segment by segment from a nested state. This extension process is segmentally controlled by the motion controller built into the charging robot according to a preset unfolding sequence, joint angle sequence, and extension speed curve to avoid interference between the mechanical actuator and the inner wall of the storage cavity or the opening and closing parts. Optionally, during the extension process, the charging robot simultaneously illuminates the body light strip or the internal lighting device of the storage cavity to provide ambient lighting for the working area, and displays a visual prompt "Mechanical actuator extending" through the status prompt unit.

[0097] (2) Store after charging is complete. In some embodiments, after the mechanical actuator pulls the charging connector out of the charging port, the charging robot controls the mechanical actuator to retract the charging connector into the storage cavity and controls the opening and closing mechanism of the storage cavity to close. The opening and closing mechanism includes one or more of a hatch, cover, sliding cover, roller shutter, flip cover, and telescopic baffle.

[0098] In some embodiments, during the extension or retraction of the mechanical actuator, the charging robot detects one or more of the following: the opening and closing state of the storage cavity, the folding state of the mechanical actuator, the storage position of the charging connector, and the state of foreign objects in the storage cavity; if it detects that the storage cavity is not fully opened, the mechanical actuator is not fully retracted, or there are foreign objects in the storage cavity, the charging robot stops the action of the mechanical actuator, or causes the charging robot to enter a fault state or an emergency stop state.

[0099] Optionally, the retraction action of the mechanical actuator is the reverse process of the extension action, including: the mechanical actuator carrying the charging connector moves backward along the original path, each joint arm segment folds and retracts sequentially, the telescopic arm retracts section by section, and the end effector adjusts its posture to adapt to the shape of the storage space, ultimately nesting or overlapping in a fixed position within the storage cavity. After retraction, the charging robot controls the opening and closing components to perform closing actions, such as sliding the hatch to close, flipping the cover to close, or lowering the roller shutter to shield; after closing, a sealed or semi-sealed state is formed between the opening and closing components and the body to prevent external dust, rainwater, corrosive gases, or foreign objects from intruding, protecting the internal mechanical actuator and charging connector.

[0100] In some embodiments, during the extension or retraction of the mechanical actuator, the charging robot detects one or more of the following: the opening / closing state of the storage cavity, the folding state of the mechanical actuator, the storage position of the charging connector, and the state of foreign objects within the storage cavity. This detection is achieved using sensors disposed at the edge of the storage cavity opening, the inner wall, the pivot of the opening / closing component, or the base of the mechanical actuator. These sensors include at least one of the following: microswitches, Hall effect sensors, photoelectric sensors, limit switches, pressure sensors, strain gauges, capacitive proximity sensors, ultrasonic ranging sensors, visual cameras, infrared beam sensors, or laser displacement sensors.

[0101] Optionally, detecting the opening and closing status of the storage cavity refers to: detecting whether the opening and closing parts are fully open or fully closed using a microswitch or Hall sensor. If the opening and closing parts are not fully open (e.g., the door is only half open or the sliding cover is stuck), it is determined that the storage cavity is not in a safe state that allows the mechanical actuator to extend. Detecting the folding status of the mechanical actuator refers to: detecting whether each joint arm segment has been fully extended or fully folded at a preset angle using a joint encoder, posture sensor, or visual recognition. If any joint is not fully extended or misfolded, it is determined that the mechanical actuator's posture is abnormal. Detecting the charging connector's retraction... The storage position refers to whether the charging connector has been accurately positioned in the preset storage position by using a pressure sensor at the bottom of the storage cavity, a positioning buckle trigger switch, or visual positioning. If the charging connector is offset, tilted, or not fully inserted into the storage cavity, it is determined that the retraction is not in place. The detection of foreign objects in the storage cavity refers to using a visual camera to capture an image of the inside of the storage cavity and analyze it through an image recognition algorithm, or using an infrared beam sensor to detect whether there are any abnormal obstructions (such as stones, leaves, animals, water, or ice) in the cavity. If there are foreign objects obstructing the movement path of the mechanical actuator, it is determined that there is foreign object intrusion in the storage cavity.

[0102] If the robot detects that the storage cavity is not fully open, the mechanical actuator is not fully retracted, or there is a foreign object inside the storage cavity, the charging robot will stop the movement of the mechanical actuator, or enter a fault state or emergency stop state. Optionally, the stopping action includes: immediately cutting off the power supply to the mechanical actuator, triggering the brake to lock the joint movement, maintaining the current posture still, or retracting back to the previous safe position according to a preset safe path; entering a fault state includes: the charging robot outputting a fault alarm code, indicating the abnormality with a red flashing light effect through the light strip, pushing a fault notification to the user's mobile terminal (such as "The storage cavity is not opening properly, please check the door" or "Foreign object detected in the storage cavity, please clean and try again"), recording a fault log and uploading it to the cloud server; entering an emergency stop state includes: the charging robot cutting off the high-voltage power supply to the whole machine, locking the opening and closing parts, disabling all motion functions, and waiting for manual reset or remote diagnostic commands. Optionally, when the foreign object is in a state that can be automatically removed (such as slight water accumulation that can be drained through the bottom drain hole, or a small amount of dust that can be cleaned through the built-in blower), the charging robot can first perform a self-cleaning or self-recovery program, and then enter the fault state if the self-recovery fails. This application does not limit this.

[0103] Optionally, throughout the entire process of extending or retracting the mechanical actuator, the charging robot also uses current monitoring, torque monitoring, or vibration monitoring to determine whether the mechanical actuator experiences motion jamming, motor overload, or structural collision. For example, when the drive motor current continuously exceeds the overload threshold, the joint torque sensor detects an abnormal resistance peak, or the body vibration acceleration exceeds the safety limit, the charging robot determines that the mechanical actuator's movement is abnormal, immediately stops its operation, and enters a fault state to avoid damage to the mechanical structure or deformation of the charging connector due to external forces.

[0104] Optionally, the storage cavity is also equipped with a temperature and humidity control device (such as a heating element, a cooling fan, or a desiccant box) to prevent ice formation inside the storage cavity from freezing the mechanical actuator in extremely cold environments, or to prevent condensation from corroding electrical contacts in high temperature and high humidity environments. Before extending the mechanical actuator, the charging robot first checks whether the temperature and humidity inside the storage cavity are within the allowable range for normal operation of the mechanical actuator. If they exceed the allowable range, it first performs temperature and humidity control, and then performs the extension action after the environmental parameters meet the standards. This application does not limit this.

[0105] 2. Pre-docking confirmation procedures In some embodiments, before the control mechanical actuator docks the charging connector with the charging interface of the target vehicle, the charging robot also performs at least one of the following: sending a charging interface opening request to the target vehicle; receiving information from the target vehicle that the charging interface is open; detecting that the charging interface is in a dockable state using sensors or cameras on the charging robot; and determining the location of the charging interface based on the image, depth information, positioning tag information, or charging interface identification information of the target vehicle.

[0106] Optionally, opening the charging port includes two scenarios: (1) The vehicle opens automatically. In some embodiments, the charging port of the target vehicle is automatically opened by the target vehicle upon determining that it will perform automatic charging. The target vehicle determines to perform automatic charging based on vehicle-side information or confirmation information from the charging robot.

[0107] For example, the target vehicle confirms that it needs to be charged automatically and sends a charging request to the charging robot. The charging robot confirms the charging request and sends a confirmation message. Based on the confirmation message, the target vehicle determines to perform automatic charging and opens the charging interface by itself.

[0108] In some embodiments, the target vehicle determines to perform self-charging based on vehicle-side information and automatically opens the charging interface.

[0109] Optionally, including but not limited to one or more of the following: The target vehicle automatically opens its charging port after entering the docking area of ​​the charging robot, or after entering the charging area.

[0110] Based on Bluetooth signal strength indication or ultra-wideband ranging results, the target vehicle determines that the charging robot has entered a preset distance range around the vehicle and automatically opens the charging interface. For example, if the distance between the charging robot and the target vehicle or its charging interface is within the preset distance range (e.g., 3 meters), the target vehicle will automatically open the charging interface.

[0111] Based on image data collected by the vehicle-mounted camera, the target vehicle uses machine vision algorithms to identify the outline, markings, distinctive QR codes, or robotic arm structure of the charging robot and automatically opens the charging interface. Optionally, in this case, it indicates that the charging robot is ready to charge or is performing the extension or movement of its robotic arm, and the target vehicle detects the charging robot's pre-charging behavior and automatically opens the charging interface.

[0112] The target vehicle determines that the charging robot has entered the effective sensing range and identifies its legitimate identity based on the reading signals of near-field communication tags, radio frequency identification tags, or positioning tags, and then opens the charging interface on its own.

[0113] The target vehicle automatically opens the charging interface after verifying the legitimacy of the charging task by receiving the charging robot's identity identifier, service order number, digital signature, or encrypted token based on Wi-Fi Direct or cellular network connection.

[0114] If the target vehicle's battery state of charge is lower than the user-preset or system-default charging threshold, and the charging robot is detected to be within docking range, the charging interface will automatically open.

[0115] When the scheduled charging time arrives, such as the off-peak electricity start time, the charging start time calculated backward from the user-set departure time, or the period of low grid load, and the charging robot is detected to be within docking range, the charging interface will automatically open.

[0116] The target vehicle automatically opens its charging port when it receives an active opening command sent by the user through a mobile terminal application, vehicle interface, voice assistant, or smart key.

[0117] The target vehicle receives a remote start command from a cloud control platform, charging operation platform, vehicle manufacturer service platform, or home energy management system and automatically turns on the charging interface.

[0118] The target vehicle uses a machine learning model to predict the user's charging intentions based on historical charging behavior data. When the user's usual charging time is detected and a charging robot appears, the vehicle automatically opens the charging port.

[0119] Optionally, the target vehicle may also make a comprehensive decision on whether to automatically open the charging port based on a variety of factors, but this application does not limit this.

[0120] It should be noted that, for safety reasons, or to prevent theft and accidental activation, the charging port will not open automatically immediately after the target vehicle enters the charging area, in order to avoid the following situations: the charging port cover may collide with pedestrians, cyclists or adjacent vehicles during the pop-up process; or the charging port may be exposed prematurely before the charging robot is fully in place, resulting in foreign objects entering, liquids splashing in or dust accumulating; or the charging port may be damaged.

[0121] (2) The charging robot is turned on. In some embodiments, when it is determined that automatic charging of the target vehicle is to be performed, the charging robot sends a charging interface opening request to the target vehicle; or, the charging robot opens the charging interface on the target vehicle through a mechanical actuator.

[0122] Optionally, the charging port on the target vehicle can be opened by means of a mechanical actuator, including but not limited to: suction cup adsorption, electromagnetic adsorption, magnetic adsorption, flexible clamping, press unlocking, push opening, and adhesive extraction.

[0123] For example, after the charging robot moves to the vicinity of the charging port of the target vehicle, it uses a suction cup to attach the charging port cover of the charging port, contacts the buckle and opens the charging port cover, so that the charging port is fully exposed.

[0124] In some embodiments, if the communication link between the target vehicle and the charging robot is interrupted, the charging robot opens the charging interface on the target vehicle via a mechanical actuator.

[0125] Optionally, communication link interruptions include, but are not limited to: the target vehicle's Bluetooth being turned off, Bluetooth connection failure or interruption between the target vehicle and the charging robot, vehicle-side communication module going into sleep or power failure, network signal obstruction or attenuation in the underground parking garage causing cellular and Wi-Fi link interruptions, and vehicle system software not responding or crashing. Upon detecting the above-mentioned communication link interruptions, the charging robot abandons the command interaction mode and switches to the local physical operation mode, directly controlling the mechanical actuator to open the target vehicle's charging interface.

[0126] In some embodiments, the charging port opening request is sent to the vehicle's body controller or charging port controller via a vehicle-to-charging-port communication link (such as Bluetooth). The request content includes at least the charging robot's identity identifier, current timestamp, request type code, and security verification token. After receiving the request, the vehicle verifies the legitimacy of the charging robot's identity. If the verification is successful, the charging port cover is driven to open. Optionally, if the vehicle fails to respond to the opening request due to a malfunction, insufficient power, or software abnormality, the charging robot may trigger a retransmission mechanism after a preset timeout period (such as 5 or 10 seconds), with the number of retransmissions not exceeding a preset threshold (such as 3 times). If no response is received after retransmission, the charging robot determines that automatic opening has failed, pushes an alarm prompt to the user (such as "Charging port cover opening failed, please open manually or check the vehicle"), and suspends the plug-in process. This application does not limit this aspect.

[0127] In some embodiments, the charging port open information is actively reported by the vehicle after the charging port cover is fully opened and locked in the open position. The information includes at least one of the following: charging port cover open / close status code (such as "open"), opening completion timestamp, internal image of the charging port (taken by an in-vehicle camera or a camera around the charging port), interface temperature value, and interface availability flag.

[0128] Optionally, after receiving the information, the charging robot confirms that the charging interface is indeed exposed by comparing the outline position of the charging port cover in the interface image with the preset opening template, or by verifying the matching of the opening / closing status code with the Hall sensor signal. If the received information indicates that the charging port cover is only partially open, not locked after opening, or jammed during opening, the charging robot determines that the charging interface is not fully ready and sends a second opening command to the vehicle or requests manual intervention. This application does not limit this.

[0129] In some embodiments, detecting the docking readiness status includes at least one of the following: capturing an image of the charging interface area using a binocular camera, and using an image recognition algorithm to detect whether the charging port cover is fully open, whether the high-voltage terminals inside the charging interface are exposed, and whether there are foreign objects obstructing the interface (such as plastic bags, leaves, snow, or water); scanning the three-dimensional contour of the charging interface using a lidar or structured light sensor to detect whether the interface plane is deformed, damaged, or has abnormal protrusions; detecting whether there are obstacles (such as walls, pillars, adjacent vehicles, or pedestrians) within a preset range in front of the charging interface using an ultrasonic sensor or proximity sensor; detecting whether the surface temperature of the charging interface is within the normal operating range (such as below 60 degrees Celsius) using a temperature sensor (such as an infrared thermal imager or a contact temperature probe); and determining whether there is condensation, ice, or liquid intrusion inside the interface using a humidity sensor or visual inspection. If the above detection items meet a preset safety threshold, the charging robot determines that the charging interface is in a docking readiness state; optionally, if any detection is abnormal, the charging robot pauses docking and outputs a corresponding alarm code, which is not limited in this application.

[0130] In some embodiments, determining the location based on the target vehicle's image means: the charging robot acquires images of the vehicle body using a visible light camera, infrared camera, or multi-view stereo vision system; it then uses a deep learning object detection model to identify the installation area of ​​the charging interface on the vehicle body (such as the left fender, right fender, front bumper, or rear bumper), and outputs the two-dimensional or three-dimensional spatial coordinates of the charging interface's center point in the image coordinate system. Determining the location based on depth information means: the charging robot uses lidar, a structured light projector, or a time-of-flight (TOF) sensor to determine the location. (Flight-to-Flight, ToF) depth cameras or binocular stereo vision systems acquire point cloud data or depth maps of the vehicle body. Point cloud segmentation and feature matching algorithms are used to extract the plane containing the charging interface and its normal vector. The three-dimensional spatial coordinates (X, Y, Z) of the charging interface center point relative to the charging robot's base, as well as the interface orientation angles (pitch, yaw, roll), are calculated. Location determination based on positioning tag information refers to the presence of positioning tags (such as QR codes or reflective markers) affixed or embedded around the charging interface or at specific locations on the vehicle body. The charging robot identifies the tag images using a camera and calculates the tag center coordinates, or uses an RFID reader for distance measurement and positioning, indirectly estimating the precise location of the charging interface. Location determination based on charging interface identification information refers to the presence of specific colors, textures, patterns, or luminous markings (such as LED ring lights, fluorescent coatings, or brand logos) on or around the charging interface surface. The charging robot visually identifies these marking features and matches them with a pre-set interface template library to locate the charging interface. After determining the location of the charging interface, the charging robot further calculates the relative pose deviation between the charging connector at the end of the mechanical actuator and the charging interface, and generates a docking command that includes the target coordinates, target posture and motion path planning, providing a precise spatial positioning basis for the subsequent automatic gun insertion action. This application does not limit this.

[0131] Optionally, during the entire process of determining the docking operation, the charging robot also monitors the current posture of its mechanical actuator, the coordinates of the end effector, and the kinematic accessibility in real time to confirm that there is an unobstructed and feasible movement path from the current position to the target position of the charging interface. If interference is detected on the path (such as vehicle body curved surface obstruction, ground obstacles, or robotic arm joint limit), the obstacle avoidance path is replanned or the position of the charging robot as a whole is adjusted (such as fine adjustment of the mobile chassis, rotation of the rotating gimbal, or adjustment of the height of the lifting platform) to ensure that the docking action is safe and accessible. This application does not limit this aspect.

[0132] 3. Docking Operation In some embodiments, controlling the mechanical actuator to dock the charging connector with the charging interface of the target vehicle includes: based on the relative position and / or relative posture between the charging robot and the target vehicle, controlling the mechanical actuator to perform one or more actions such as extending, lifting, folding, rotating, translating, posture adjustment, and inserting to dock the charging connector with the charging interface.

[0133] The extension action refers to controlling the mechanical actuator to extend from its retracted state to its working length along its longitudinal axis. This extension can be a uniform extension of a single-stage linear telescopic arm, a sequential extension of a multi-stage sleeve arm, or a linear displacement of a slide driven by a lead screw / synchronous belt. The target extension length is determined by calculating the horizontal distance and height difference between the charging interface and the charging robot base. The lifting action refers to controlling the overall or partial arm segment of the mechanical actuator to adjust its height in the vertical direction. This lifting can be achieved through a lifting column, scissor mechanism, linkage lifting, or base pitching to match the ground clearance differences of the charging interface on different vehicle models. The folding and unfolding action refers to controlling the multi-joint mechanical actuator to switch the folded arm segment from a folded posture to an unfolded posture. For example, controlling the shoulder joint to unfold from 0 degrees close to the body to 90 degrees horizontally, and controlling the elbow joint to extend from a flexed state to 180 degrees, so that the end effector obtains sufficient working radius and operating space. Rotation refers to controlling the base, waist joint, or end effector of the mechanical actuator to rotate around a vertical or horizontal axis to adjust the horizontal orientation or pitch angle of the end charging connector, aligning it with the opening direction of the charging interface. Translation refers to controlling the mechanical actuator to make a slight lateral movement along the X or Y axis in the horizontal plane to compensate for lateral position deviations when the vehicle is parked. This translation can be achieved through micro-motion of the base wheel system, lateral movement of the waist slide rail, or end floating platform. Attitude adjustment refers to controlling the end effector to perform pitch, yaw, roll, or a combination thereof, so that the angle between the insertion axis of the charging connector and the receiving axis of the charging interface is less than a preset alignment threshold (e.g., ±3 degrees), ensuring that the two are coaxial or approximately coaxial. Insertion refers to controlling the mechanical actuator to advance forward along the aligned axis direction, so that the charging connector gradually enters the receiving cavity of the charging interface until it reaches the preset insertion depth or triggers the positioning detection signal.

[0134] Optionally, the execution order of the above actions is not fixed, and not all actions are executed. Instead, at least one or more actions are selectively executed based on the initial relative pose difference between the charging robot and the target vehicle. For example, when the vehicle is parked directly opposite each other and the height matches, the mechanical actuator only needs to perform the extension and insertion actions to complete the docking, without needing to perform lifting, translation, or folding / unfolding actions. When the vehicle is parked with a lateral offset but the height matches, only translation, attitude adjustment, and insertion actions need to be performed. When the vehicle is parked with a large height difference but the horizontal orientation is correct, only lifting, extension, and insertion actions need to be performed. Only when the vehicle is parked with an orientation deviation, height difference, and lateral offset at the same time does it need to perform a combination of multiple actions such as rotation, lifting, folding / unfolding, translation, attitude adjustment, and insertion in sequence.

[0135] In some embodiments, after docking is completed, the charging robot also performs a docking status confirmation operation. This confirmation operation includes: detecting whether the charging connector is fully inserted through a microswitch, Hall sensor, or proximity sensor inside the charging connector; confirming that the two are reliably locked through feedback signals from the locking mechanism between the charging interface and the charging connector (such as an electromagnetic lock engagement signal, a mechanical latch trigger signal, or a rotary lock positioning signal) to prevent accidental detachment due to vibration or pulling during charging; and confirming that the electrical connection is established and communication is normal through voltage detection, insulation detection, or communication handshake signals in the charging circuit. After confirming successful docking and reliable electrical connection, the charging robot outputs a docking completion signal and reports the status information "plugging complete, charging ready" to the vehicle or cloud server, and then starts the charging process.

[0136] Optionally, if the docking status confirmation operation fails (e.g., insertion not in place, locking not triggered, or electrical handshake failure), the charging robot will perform a second docking attempt: first, control the mechanical actuator to slightly retract, and re-execute the posture adjustment and insertion actions, with the number of attempts not exceeding a preset limit (e.g., 3 times); if the second attempt still fails, the charging robot will determine that the docking is abnormal, control the mechanical actuator to fully retract the charging connector into the storage cavity, control the opening and closing parts to close, output a fault alarm, and push a notification to the user (e.g., "Automatic insertion failed, please check the charging interface or contact customer service"). This application does not limit this.

[0137] In summary, by automatically controlling the mechanical actuator to connect the charging connector to the charging interface of the target vehicle when the automatic charging indication conditions are met based on vehicle-side information, and since these automatic charging indication conditions do not require the user to input a real-time plug-in command after parking, the entire process from the vehicle entering the charging area to the establishment of the charging connection does not require the user to perform any real-time operations such as manually plugging in the charging gun, scanning a code to start, or confirming via a mobile terminal. This truly achieves a "seamless" automatic charging experience where you can leave the vehicle immediately after parking and do not need to wait, effectively improving the automation level, execution reliability, and user convenience of recharging.

[0138] Step 240: After detecting that the charging connector and the charging interface have formed a rechargeable connection, or after receiving the charging preparation information sent by the target vehicle, the target vehicle is put into charging state.

[0139] In some embodiments, detecting that the charging connector and the charging interface form a rechargeable connection includes detecting at least one of the following connection states: mechanical connection, electrical connection, communication handshake connection, charging protocol handshake completion, and insulation detection passed.

[0140] Optionally, mechanical connection refers to confirming, through feedback signals from microswitches, Hall sensors, proximity sensors, or mechanical locking mechanisms configured within the charging connector or charging interface, that the charging connector has been fully inserted into the charging interface to the preset insertion depth, and that the physical locking structure between the two has reliably engaged, preventing accidental detachment due to vehicle vibration or external pulling during charging; electrical connection refers to confirming, through voltage detection circuits or impedance detection circuits, that a low-impedance electrical path has been established between the high-voltage terminals of the charging connector and the high-voltage terminals of the charging interface, and that the pre-charge voltage difference is within the allowable range; communication handshake connection refers to the connection between the charging robot and the target vehicle's battery management system. The two devices complete a handshake between the physical layer and the data link layer via a controller area network bus, power line carrier communication, or wireless communication link to confirm that a bidirectional data transmission channel has been established. The charging protocol handshake is completed when the charging robot and the vehicle BMS complete version negotiation, capability exchange, and security authentication according to the national or industry standard charging protocol, confirming that the charging parameter range supported by both parties is compatible with the communication protocol. The insulation test is passed when the charging robot measures the insulation resistance value of the positive and negative terminals of the charging circuit to ground through the insulation resistance detection circuit, confirms that the resistance value is higher than the preset safety threshold (such as 500 ohms / volt or 1000 ohms / volt), and high voltage can be allowed to be applied only after the risk of leakage is eliminated.

[0141] In some embodiments, receiving a charging preparation completion message from the target vehicle refers to the vehicle actively reporting a charging permission signal to the charging robot after confirming that its high-voltage system is ready. This charging preparation completion message includes at least: a battery management system ready flag, the high-voltage relay's closed state, current battery status parameters (such as current battery SOC, battery temperature, and individual cell voltage range), the maximum allowable charging voltage and current, the target charging voltage, a charging mode request (such as constant current charging or constant voltage charging), and a vehicle-side fault status code. Optionally, this information may also include the readiness status of the vehicle's thermal management system, such as whether the battery preheating or cooling system has reached the target temperature range to ensure the safety and efficiency of the charging process.

[0142] In some embodiments, putting the target vehicle into a charging state includes: after detecting that the charging connector and the charging interface have formed one or more of the following: mechanical connection, electrical connection, communication handshake connection, charging protocol handshake completion, and insulation detection pass, controlling the output of the charging power supply, or sending a charging start request to the target vehicle, the charging pile connected to the charging robot, the energy management device, or the cloud server.

[0143] Optionally, before or simultaneously with putting the target vehicle into charging mode, the charging robot also performs charging parameter negotiation. This negotiation process includes: the charging robot reporting its maximum output capacity (such as maximum output voltage, maximum output current, rated power, and currently available power) to the vehicle; the vehicle's BMS calculating and responding with permissible charging parameters (such as maximum permissible current, target voltage, and required current) based on the current battery state and charging requirements; and both parties dynamically matching these parameters to determine the actual charging output curve (such as the current value in the constant current phase, the voltage value in the constant voltage phase, and the conversion SOC threshold). Optionally, this negotiation process can also be dynamically adjusted in conjunction with grid time-of-use pricing, home energy management strategies, or grid load dispatch instructions, for example, allowing full power output during off-peak hours and limiting power or suspending charging during peak hours; this application does not limit this.

[0144] In some embodiments, after the target vehicle enters the charging state, the charging robot also performs charging status monitoring and visual feedback. The charging robot monitors the charging voltage, charging current, output power, charging connector temperature, charging interface temperature, and mechanical lock status in real time, and presents visual prompts corresponding to the charging status through body light strips; at the same time, the charging robot feeds back the vehicle-side charging status information (such as current SOC, amount charged, charging power, and estimated remaining charging time) to the vehicle through the vehicle-to-pile communication link, which is displayed in real time on the vehicle-machine interface (such as the central control screen or the dynamic island area), and / or pushed to the user's mobile terminal through the cloud server, allowing the user to remotely monitor the charging progress. Optionally, if a decrease in insulation resistance, abnormal temperature rise of connectors, communication interruption, or the vehicle BMS actively requests current reduction / shutdown is detected during the charging process, the charging robot immediately performs protective power reduction or emergency shutdown, disconnects the charging output, and reports the cause of the fault. This application does not limit this.

[0145] In summary, by only initiating charging of the target vehicle after detecting a rechargeable connection between the charging connector and the charging interface, or receiving a charging preparation completion message from the target vehicle, the system ensures high-voltage energization of the charging circuit under the premise of reliable physical locking, good electrical contact, unobstructed communication links, protocol compatibility, and adequate insulation safety. This effectively avoids safety hazards such as arc discharge, equipment burnout, leakage risks, or battery damage caused by blindly starting charging due to improper insertion, poor contact, communication abnormalities, or insulation failure. Furthermore, it achieves a fully automated closed-loop process from automatic insertion to charging initiation, eliminating the need for manual confirmation or operation of the start button by the user, significantly improving the safety, reliability, and intelligence of the automatic charging system.

[0146] Next, let's describe the gun-drawing situation: In some embodiments, when charging termination conditions are met, the control mechanical actuator pulls the charging connector out of the charging interface. These charging termination conditions include one or more of the following: target SOC reached, charging completed, scheduled charging ended, receiving a user interruption command, detecting vehicle travel demand, detecting user vehicle usage intent, detecting a fault, detecting an emergency stop, or detecting a foreign object or living person entering the risk area.

[0147] The user's intent to use the vehicle includes, but is not limited to, unlocking the vehicle, opening the door, fastening the user's seatbelt, and powering on the vehicle; this application does not limit this.

[0148] Optionally, achieving the target SOC means that the current battery SOC, as monitored and reported in real time by the vehicle battery management system, has reached the user-preset target SOC value (such as 80%, 90%, or 100%), or has reached the target SOC value dynamically adjusted based on the next day's travel plan, battery health protection strategy, or grid load dispatch instructions. This determination is made autonomously by the vehicle BMS and sends an SOC compliance signal to the charging robot through the vehicle-to-charging-router communication link, or is determined by the charging robot based on the received real-time SOC data.

[0149] Charging completion means that the charging current in the charging circuit has decayed to the preset cutoff current threshold (e.g., the current in the constant voltage charging stage is less than 0.05 times the current value corresponding to the battery capacity) and has remained stable for more than the preset time, indicating that the power battery has been fully charged or has reached the charging limit under the current charging strategy; this determination is jointly confirmed by the vehicle BMS or the charging robot according to the charging end criteria in the charging protocol.

[0150] The scheduled charging end time refers to the current time reaching the charging end time set by the user in the scheduled charging task (such as 7:00 AM the next day), or reaching the upper limit of the charging duration set in the scheduled task. Regardless of whether the SOC has reached the target value, the charging end time is triggered. This determination is triggered by the charging robot's built-in timing module, the vehicle's on-board timer, or the cloud server after comparing the time with the scheduled task parameters.

[0151] Receiving a user interruption command means that the user actively sends a request to stop charging through the vehicle's infotainment interface, mobile application, smart home voice assistant, or physical emergency stop button; the command is forwarded to the charging robot through the vehicle-charging communication link or cloud server, and the charging robot responds immediately and terminates the charging process upon receiving it.

[0152] Detecting vehicle travel demand means that the vehicle detects the approach of a user (such as the recovery of the car key signal, the reconnection of the mobile terminal Bluetooth, the request to unlock the car door, or the seat pressure sensor detecting that the occupant has taken a seat), the user sends an immediate request to use the vehicle through a mobile application, or the preset departure time in the vehicle navigation system is approaching and the current SOC has met the minimum travel power requirement; in this case, even if the target SOC has not been fully reached, the vehicle or charging robot can trigger the end of charging in advance to shorten the user's waiting time.

[0153] A detected fault refers to an abnormal situation that affects safety or normal charging during the charging process, such as a sudden drop in insulation resistance, a charging interface temperature rise exceeding a safety threshold (e.g., 85 degrees Celsius), overheating of charging connectors, BMS communication interruption, abnormal fluctuations in grid voltage, charging module fault code reporting, vehicle high-voltage system failure, or abnormality in the charging robot's own motion mechanism. In this case, the charging robot immediately terminates the charging output and triggers the gun removal process to isolate the fault point.

[0154] Emergency stop detection refers to the activation of the emergency stop button, emergency stop cord, collision sensor, overturning sensor, or remote emergency stop command of the charging robot or vehicle. In this case, the system immediately and unconditionally cuts off the charging output and pulls the charging gun to ensure the safety of personnel and equipment.

[0155] The detection of foreign objects or living beings entering the risk area means that the charging robot detects people, pets, other vehicles, moving obstacles, or fallen foreign objects within the movement range of the mechanical actuator through a vision camera, infrared sensor, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensor, or lidar. In this case, the charging robot immediately pauses or terminates its current action. If it is in a charging state, it triggers the charging end and gun removal process. It can only resume after the risk has been eliminated and confirmed.

[0156] In some embodiments, controlling the mechanical actuator to pull the charging connector out of the charging interface includes: the charging robot first sends a charging stop request to the vehicle BMS, the vehicle BMS responds and controls the on-board high-voltage relay to disconnect the main circuit, and after the charging robot confirms that the charging current has dropped to zero or below the safety threshold, it controls the mechanical actuator to perform the gun-pulling action.

[0157] In some embodiments, after the control mechanical actuator pulls the charging connector out of the charging interface, the charging robot also performs at least one of the following: sending a pull-out completion message to the target vehicle; requesting the target vehicle to close the charging port cover; controlling the charging robot to return to the standby position or to retract the mechanical actuator; and pushing charging completion information to the user terminal, wherein the charging completion information includes one or more of the following: charging amount, increased driving range, charging time, charging cost, and completion time.

[0158] In some embodiments, the charging robot sends a disconnection completion message to the target vehicle. This message includes at least: a timestamp indicating disconnection was completed, the total charge amount for this charging session, the State of Charge (SOC) value at the end of charging, the charging robot's status code, and a reset flag indicating that the mechanical actuator has been reset. Upon receiving this message, the vehicle's BMS records the charging completion status, controls the vehicle body controller to prepare for closing the charging port cover, and sends a charging completion notification to the user.

[0159] In some embodiments, the charging robot requests the target vehicle to close the charging port cover. This request is sent to the vehicle's body controller or charging interface controller via the vehicle-to-charging-port communication link. Upon receiving the request, the vehicle drives the charging port cover motor to perform the closing action and uses the charging port cover opening / closing sensor to provide feedback on the closed status. Optionally, if the vehicle fails to respond to the closing request due to a malfunction, the charging robot can output an alarm prompt; if the charging port cover fails to close and the user has set automatic closing as a mandatory option, the charging robot remains in standby mode and continues to issue alarms until manual intervention or the malfunction is resolved.

[0160] Alternatively, closing the charging cover includes two scenarios: (1) The vehicle shuts down automatically. In some embodiments, the charging port cover of the target vehicle is automatically closed by the target vehicle upon determining that it is ending automatic charging. The target vehicle determines to end automatic charging based on vehicle-side information or confirmation information from the charging robot.

[0161] For example, when the target vehicle confirms that charging is complete or needs to end automatic charging, it sends a charging end request to the charging robot. The charging robot confirms the charging end request and sends a confirmation message. Based on the confirmation message, the target vehicle determines to end automatic charging and automatically closes the charging port cover.

[0162] Alternatively, when the target vehicle recognizes that charging is complete or needs to end automatic charging, it sends a charging end request to the charging robot. The charging robot confirms the charging end request, disconnects the charging connector, and in response to the disconnection, the target vehicle confirms that automatic charging has ended and automatically closes the charging port cover.

[0163] In some embodiments, the target vehicle determines to end automatic charging based on vehicle side information and automatically closes the charging port cover.

[0164] Optionally, including but not limited to one or more of the following: Based on Bluetooth signal strength indication or ultra-wideband ranging results, the target vehicle determines that the charging robot has left the preset distance range around the vehicle and automatically closes the charging port cover. For example, if the distance between the charging robot and the target vehicle or its charging port exceeds the preset distance range (e.g., 3 meters), the target vehicle will automatically close the charging port cover.

[0165] Based on image data collected by the vehicle-mounted camera, the target vehicle uses machine vision algorithms to identify that the charging robot has moved away, the robotic arm has retracted, or the end effector has reset, and then automatically closes the charging port cover. Optionally, in this case, it indicates that the charging robot has completed charging preparation and is withdrawing or is performing the robotic arm retraction process, and the target vehicle detects the charging robot's charging completion behavior and automatically closes the charging port cover.

[0166] When the target vehicle's reading signal based on the near-field communication tag, radio frequency identification tag, or positioning tag disappears or weakens, it determines that the charging robot has left the effective sensing range and automatically closes the charging port cover.

[0167] The target vehicle receives charging completion information, departure information, service order completion identifier, or encryption token sent by the charging robot via Wi-Fi Direct or cellular network, verifies that the charging task has been completed, and then automatically closes the charging port cover.

[0168] The target vehicle's battery charge status reaches the user-preset or system-default target charging threshold (e.g., 100%, 90%, or 80%), and the charging robot detects that it has unplugged the charging connector and automatically closes the charging port cover.

[0169] When the scheduled end time for charging arrives, such as the end time of off-peak electricity, the departure time set by the user, or the peak period of grid load, and the charging robot detects that it has unplugged the charging connector, it will automatically close the charging port cover.

[0170] The target vehicle receives a user's active closing command sent via mobile terminal application, vehicle infotainment interface, voice assistant, or smart key, and automatically closes the charging port cover.

[0171] The target vehicle receives a remote shutdown command from a cloud control platform, charging operation platform, vehicle manufacturer service platform, or home energy management system and automatically closes the charging port cover.

[0172] The target vehicle uses a machine learning model to predict the end time of charging based on historical charging behavior data. After detecting that the charging robot has unplugged the charging connector, it automatically closes the charging port cover.

[0173] Optionally, the target vehicle may also make a comprehensive decision on whether to close the charging port cover based on a variety of factors, but this application does not limit this.

[0174] It should be noted that, for safety reasons, or for dust, water, and theft prevention, the charging port cover should automatically close after the charging robot leaves the charging area to prevent the following situations: injury to passersby during the closing process; foreign objects entering, liquid splashing, dust accumulation, or condensation corrosion due to prolonged exposure of the charging interface; damage to the charging interface; or collision with the robot's robotic arm caused by prematurely closing the charging port cover before the charging robot has completely left.

[0175] (2) The charging robot is turned off. In some embodiments, when it is determined that the automatic charging of the target vehicle is to be terminated, the charging robot sends a charging port closure request to the target vehicle; or, the charging robot closes the charging port cover on the target vehicle via a mechanical actuator.

[0176] Optionally, the charging port cover on the target vehicle can be closed by means of a mechanical actuator, including but not limited to: suction cup adsorption pressing, electromagnetic adsorption pressing, magnetic adsorption pressing, flexible clamping pressing, pressing locking, pushing and pressing, and adhesive pressing.

[0177] For example, after the charging robot finishes charging, it moves to the vicinity of the charging port interface of the target vehicle, uses a suction cup to attach the charging port cover of the charging port, presses the cover until the latch locks, so that the charging port cover is completely closed.

[0178] In some embodiments, if the communication link between the target vehicle and the charging robot is interrupted, the charging robot closes the charging port cover on the target vehicle via a mechanical actuator.

[0179] Optionally, communication link interruption includes, but is not limited to: the target vehicle's Bluetooth being turned off, the Bluetooth connection between the target vehicle and the charging robot failing or being interrupted, the vehicle-side communication module going into sleep mode or being powered off, network signal obstruction or attenuation in the underground parking garage causing cellular and Wi-Fi link interruption, and the vehicle's infotainment system software not responding or crashing. Upon detecting the above-mentioned communication link interruption, the charging robot abandons the command interaction mode and switches to the local physical operation mode, directly controlling the mechanical actuator to close the charging port cover of the target vehicle.

[0180] In some embodiments, returning the charging robot to the standby position means: for mobile charging robots, controlling its mobile chassis to travel to a preset standby coordinate point in the parking space (such as a corner of the parking space or a position against the wall), and adjusting the robot's orientation to prepare for the next service; for fixed charging robots, controlling its rotating gimbal to return to the zero position, lowering the lifting platform to the lowest position, or switching the robot's indicator light to a low-power standby light effect; the storage mechanical actuator means: controlling the mechanical actuator to perform retraction, folding, stacking, nesting, or sinking actions, so that the end charging connector is completely inserted into the storage cavity, and controlling the opening and closing parts of the storage cavity (such as a hatch, cover, or roller shutter door) to close, forming a sealed or semi-sealed protective state.

[0181] In some embodiments, the charging robot or vehicle pushes charging completion information to the user's terminal. This charging completion information is pushed to the user's mobile terminal via a cloud server or mobile application, and includes at least one of the following: charging amount (unit: kilowatt-hours, kWh), increased driving range (unit: kilometers, km), charging time (unit: hours or minutes), charging cost (unit: yuan, including electricity price details and service fees), completion time (accurate to minutes or seconds), initial and final SOC of charging, average charging power, and charging station name.

[0182] Optionally, this information may also include carbon emission reductions, off-peak electricity usage ratios, recommended next charging time, or battery health status updates to enrich users' charging consumption experience and inform their vehicle usage decisions.

[0183] Optionally, after unplugging the charging gun, if the charging robot detects that the target vehicle is still in the charging area and the user does not use the vehicle immediately, the charging robot can maintain a low-power standby state and continuously monitor the vehicle status; if it detects that the user has a charging need again (such as the SOC's static power consumption decreases or the user re-initiates the request through the mobile application), the charging robot can be directly woken up from the standby state and perform plugging in the charging gun again without the user having to re-park the vehicle, and this application does not limit this.

[0184] In summary, by setting diverse charging termination conditions such as target SOC achievement, charging completion, scheduled termination, user-initiated interruption, vehicle travel needs, fault detection, emergency stop triggering, and foreign object / living object risk, and automatically controlling the mechanical actuator to perform subsequent operations such as removing the charging gun, retracting and storing it, closing the charging port cover, and charging metering and settlement after the termination conditions are met, the timing of the charging process termination can accurately match the user's preset target, the actual state of the vehicle, and environmental safety requirements. This effectively avoids the risk of overcharging and unnecessary energy consumption, and significantly improves the integrity of the automatic charging system and the user experience.

[0185] Optionally, the operations in the above steps are triggered via remote control, i.e.: In some embodiments, the charging robot receives remote control commands from a user terminal, vehicle-mounted interface, intelligent voice assistant, vehicle-home interconnection platform, property service terminal, or charging operation platform; and performs one or more operations such as insertion, removal, pause, resume charging, scheduled charging, cancel scheduled charging, and emergency stop release based on the remote control commands.

[0186] Optionally, the user terminal refers to a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, or laptop held by the user, running a mobile application bound to the charging robot or vehicle. The user generates commands by clicking function buttons on the touch interface or through voice input. The vehicle-mounted interface refers to the vehicle's central control screen, instrument panel display, head-up display, or top status bar floating notification area (such as the "Dynamic Island" area). The driver or passengers generate commands in the vehicle through touch, knobs, or voice interaction, or trigger them with one click through shortcuts in the floating notification area (such as the "Dynamic Island Capsule," floating card, or top pop-up). The intelligent voice assistant refers to a smart speaker, in-vehicle voice system, or mobile terminal voice assistant deployed indoors or in the vehicle. Users can use natural language commands (such as "Charge my car," "Stop charging," or "Unplug"). The system generates control intentions (such as removing the charging gun) and converts them into standardized remote control commands after voice recognition and semantic parsing; the vehicle-home interconnection platform refers to the interconnection platform connecting vehicles and home smart home systems, where users generate commands through home central control screens, smart panels, or automated scene triggers (such as the linkage of "home mode" and "away mode"); the property service terminal refers to the property management information system of residential communities or commercial parks, where property management personnel issue unified control commands to charging robots for designated parking spaces or designated users through the back-end terminal (such as unified removal of charging guns before typhoon warnings or unified suspension before power grid maintenance); the charging operation platform refers to the cloud business system of charging service operators, where the platform automatically issues load adjustment commands or charging strategy update commands to charging robots based on power grid load scheduling, time-of-use pricing strategies, or user membership benefits.

[0187] In some embodiments, the remote control command distribution path includes at least one of the following: the user terminal sends the command to the cloud server via a cellular mobile communication network (such as 4G, 5G), and the cloud server forwards it to the charging robot via the Internet or a designated data channel; the user terminal sends the command to the vehicle's onboard gateway via home Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or ultra-wideband, and the vehicle transmits the command to the charging robot via a vehicle-to-charging-robot communication link; the user terminal directly sends the command to the charging robot located in the same local area network as the mobile terminal via a local area network gateway or edge computing node; the user terminal sends the command to the communication module built into the charging robot via SMS, voice call dialing key commands, or IoT narrowband communication channels. Optionally, when the charging robot is in a low-power sleep or deep standby state, the remote control command may carry a wake-up beacon. After detecting the wake-up beacon bound to itself, the charging robot's communication module first exits the sleep state, restores the main control power supply, and then executes command parsing and response.

[0188] In some embodiments, after receiving a remote control command, the charging robot first performs command validity verification and security authentication before executing the corresponding operation. The validity verification includes: verifying the validity of the digital signature or dynamic token of the command source device; verifying whether the user account has the authority to control the charging robot (e.g., by comparing the user's identity with the charging robot's pre-stored authorization list); verifying whether the command's timestamp is within the allowed validity window; and verifying whether the charging robot's current state allows the execution of the command (e.g., refusing to receive new insertion commands while currently performing a plug-in action, or refusing to receive emergency stop release commands when not currently in a fault state). After all verifications pass, the charging robot sends a confirmation message to the command sender stating "Command received, execution started"; if the verification fails, it sends a rejection reason code (e.g., "insufficient permissions," "state conflict," or "authentication failure") and discards the command.

[0189] In some embodiments, the insertion operation is performed based on remote control commands, including: the charging robot waking up from standby mode, sending a charging interface opening request to the target vehicle or waiting for the vehicle to automatically open the charging port cover, controlling the mechanical actuator to extend from the storage cavity and dock the charging connector with the vehicle's charging interface, and starting the charging process after confirming successful docking. This insertion operation is consistent with the plug-in process in an automatic charging scenario at the mechanical action level, the difference being that the trigger source is changed from "vehicle-side automatic enable" to "remote manual trigger." Before execution, the charging robot confirms with the vehicle via the vehicle-to-charging communication link that a valid communication connection has been established and that the vehicle is within the charging area.

[0190] In some embodiments, the unplugging operation based on remote control commands includes: the charging robot sending a charging stop request to the target vehicle; after confirming that the charging current has dropped to a safe threshold, controlling the mechanical actuator to unplug the charging connector from the charging port, performing retraction and storage, sending unplugging completion information to the vehicle and requesting the charging port cover to be closed, and finally pushing charging completion information to the user terminal. Optionally, if the user clicks "Temporarily Unplug" (without unplugging the connector and leaving the vehicle, only pausing charging), the charging robot can perform the unplugging operation and keep the charging connector in a standby position outside the storage cavity without performing full retraction, so that the user can remotely trigger quick plugging again.

[0191] In some embodiments, the charging pause operation is executed based on a remote control command, including: the charging robot sending a pause request to the vehicle's BMS; the vehicle's BMS controlling the on-board high-voltage relay to disconnect the main circuit; the charging robot reducing the output of the charging power module to zero while maintaining the mechanical connection between the charging connector and the charging interface (i.e., maintaining the plug-in state); and the robot's light strip switching to a paused lighting effect. During the pause, the charging robot continuously monitors the connection status and vehicle demand. Upon receiving a command to resume charging, it re-executes charging parameter negotiation and restores power output without needing to re-perform the plug-in action, achieving a seamless continuation of the charging process.

[0192] In some embodiments, executing a continue charging operation based on a remote control command refers to the charging robot responding to a user's remotely triggered request to continue charging while in a paused charging state or a state where charging is complete but the charging gun has not yet been unplugged, restarting power output or entering a supplementary charging mode. This operation is suitable for situations where the user temporarily pauses charging during the charging process (such as pausing during peak grid power hours or allowing power to flow when high-power household appliances are on), and remotely resumes charging when conditions permit.

[0193] In some embodiments, executing a scheduled charging operation based on a remote control command includes: the charging robot receiving scheduled task parameters including the scheduled charging start time, target SOC, charging power limit, or charging mode preference; storing the scheduled task in local memory or synchronizing it to a cloud server; entering a scheduled waiting state; and automatically triggering plugging in and charging upon arrival of the scheduled time. This scheduled command can be manually set by the user via a mobile application, or it can be automatically generated by the vehicle-home interconnection platform based on home photovoltaic power generation forecasts, grid off-peak electricity schedules, or the user's next day's travel calendar, and then issued after user confirmation. Executing a scheduled cancellation operation based on a remote control command includes: after receiving a scheduled cancellation command, the charging robot clears the corresponding scheduled task stored locally, exits the scheduled waiting state, and returns to a normal standby state; if the cancellation command is issued after the scheduled time has arrived and the mechanical actuator has extended, the charging robot interrupts the current plugging in or charging process, retracts the charging nozzle, and reports a "schedule cancelled" status.

[0194] In some embodiments, performing an emergency stop release operation based on remote control commands refers to the charging robot, after entering an emergency stop locked state due to an emergency stop button trigger, collision detection, or a remote emergency stop command, receiving a release command from an authorized user terminal, maintenance server, or physical reset switch, and gradually returning to standby state after safety verification. This release operation includes: the charging robot performing a self-test procedure (such as checking for no jamming in the mechanical actuator, normal insulation of the high-voltage circuit, and restoration of the communication link); after passing the self-test, unlocking motion control permissions, and reporting "emergency stop released, equipment ready" information to the user terminal. Optionally, for emergency stop events involving personal safety (such as detecting a living person entering), emergency stop release also requires manual confirmation on a mobile terminal that "risk has been eliminated" or visual confirmation on-site before remote release can be performed to prevent secondary risks caused by misoperation.

[0195] In some embodiments, throughout the execution of remote control commands, the charging robot pushes execution progress and status feedback to the command initiator in real time. For example, during the insertion operation, it sequentially pushes "Awake," "Charging port cover open," "Robotic arm extending," "Inserting gun," and "Charging started"; during the removal operation, it sequentially pushes "Charging stopped," "Removing gun," "Removing gun complete," "Charging port cover closed," and "Robotic arm retracted." This push is relayed to the user's mobile terminal via a cloud server or synchronized to the vehicle's infotainment interface via the vehicle-to-charging station communication link, allowing users to monitor the charging robot's progress and execution results in real time, even when they are in a different location.

[0196] Optionally, remote control commands also support batch issuance and conditional triggering. For example, a user can select multiple vehicles or multiple charging robots at once through a mobile application and issue a unified "start charging tomorrow morning" reservation command; or, the user can set conditional triggering rules, such as "automatically remotely plug in when the battery SOC is below 20%", "automatically start charging when the electricity price enters off-peak hours", and "automatically remotely unplug when a typhoon warning is issued". The charging robot or cloud server will automatically convert the corresponding conditions into remote control commands and execute them after detecting that they are met. This application does not limit this.

[0197] In summary, by supporting the issuance of remote control commands from multiple sources and delivering these commands to the charging robot via various paths or communication methods, users can flexibly trigger operations such as plugging in / out, pausing, resuming, scheduling, canceling scheduling, and emergency stop release through touch, voice, or automated linkage, regardless of whether they are indoors, in an office, or in a remote location. This significantly improves the flexibility, convenience, and safety of charging control.

[0198] For remote control scenarios, the following are some possible implementation methods: 1. Remotely control the insertion of the gun and automatically execute the withdrawal. In some embodiments, a user sends a remote plug-in request to one or more of the target vehicle, charging robot, or cloud control platform via a user terminal. In response to the remote plug-in request, the target vehicle and the charging robot perform a plug-in operation to start vehicle charging.

[0199] During the charging process, the charging robot and / or vehicle monitor the current SOC of the target vehicle in real time. In response to the current SOC reaching the user-preset target charging capacity or the preset charging cutoff threshold, the charging robot automatically performs the gun removal operation, controls the mechanical actuator to pull the charging connector out of the charging interface, and retracts and resets the mechanical actuator.

[0200] Alternatively, the charging robot and / or the target vehicle may automatically disconnect the charging gun after detecting the user's intention to use the vehicle, or after triggering other automatic disconnection conditions. This application does not limit this.

[0201] 2. Automatic gun insertion and remote-controlled gun drawing. In some embodiments, after the target vehicle is parked and turned off, the vehicle's onboard system or charging robot determines that there is a charging need based on vehicle-side information; the charging robot automatically performs a plug-in operation with the target vehicle, and the charging robot connects the charging connector to the target vehicle's charging interface and begins charging.

[0202] During the charging process, the user sends a remote unplug request to one or more of the target vehicle, the charging robot, or the cloud control platform via the user terminal. In response to the remote unplug request, the charging robot controls the mechanical actuator to perform the unplug operation and reset the charging connector.

[0203] Optionally, the application scenarios in which users send remote unplugging requests in advance during the charging process include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: users need to use the vehicle earlier due to changes in their travel plans, users decide to terminate the current charging based on electricity price time-based strategies, and users decide to terminate the current charging based on advance power outage warnings.

[0204] 3. Fully remote control for inserting and removing the gun. In some embodiments, a user sends remote charging requests and remote uncharging requests to one or more of the target vehicle, charging robot, or cloud control platform via a user terminal to perform remote vehicle charging operations.

[0205] For example, when a user receives a temporary business trip notification, they can remotely check on their terminal that the vehicle's current State of Charge (SOC) is insufficient to cover the trip's distance. They can then send a remote charging request to the charging robot via their terminal to start charging. Subsequently, once the user sees that the charging progress has reached the target level, meaning the SOC is sufficient to cover the trip's distance, they can send a remote charging termination request to the charging robot via their terminal to end the charging process.

[0206] Next, we will discuss in detail the abnormal environmental events (such as the entry of living beings) described above: In some embodiments, during docking, charging, or unplugging, in response to the detection of an abnormal environmental event, the charging robot stops the current action of its mechanical actuators, or puts the charging robot into a fault state or an emergency stop state. The abnormal environmental event includes one or more of the following: an obstacle exists between the charging robot and the target vehicle; a living object enters a risk area; a collision with a foreign object occurs; the vehicle moves; the charging interface position is abnormal; the charging current is abnormal; or communication is interrupted.

[0207] In some embodiments, the presence of an obstacle between the charging robot and the target vehicle refers to the detection by a visual camera, lidar, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensor, or infrared beam sensor of an obstruction in the movement path of the mechanical actuator, within the docking channel between the charging connector and the charging interface, or in the gap between the charging robot and the vehicle body. This obstacle can be a static obstacle (such as a ground depression, a displaced wheel chock, a protruding wall, a fire hydrant, an adjacent vehicle opening its door and intruding, or tools or stones scattered on the ground) or a dynamic obstacle (such as a moving pedestrian, cyclist, other vehicle, rolling tire, or a lightweight object carried by the wind). Upon detecting an obstacle, the charging robot immediately stops the current movement of its mechanical actuator and maintains its current posture. It uses flashing red or yellow warning lights on its body to indicate the abnormality, and simultaneously outputs a local alarm tone (such as "Obstacle detected, operation paused, please maintain a safe distance") via a buzzer or voice broadcast module.

[0208] In some embodiments, a live intrusion risk area refers to the presence of a person (including adults, children, infants), pet (such as cats, dogs), or other live animal within the working radius of the mechanical actuator (e.g., a spherical / cylindrical area with a radius of 1.5 meters or 2 meters centered on the charging robot), confirmed by at least one of the following methods: a visual camera (combined with human detection, animal recognition, or facial recognition algorithms), millimeter-wave radar (detecting breathing and micro-motion characteristics), infrared thermal imaging sensor (detecting body temperature heat sources), or lidar (detecting dynamic point clouds). The boundary of this risk area can be a fixed safety fence preset by the charging robot at the factory, or a real-time working area dynamically calculated based on the current extension length of the mechanical actuator. Upon detecting a live intrusion, the charging robot immediately stops all movement and cuts off power to the end effector. If it is charging, it simultaneously terminates charging output and enters an emergency stop lockout state. At the same time, it sends a "live intrusion alarm" to the vehicle via the vehicle-to-pile communication link, prompting people in or near the vehicle to pay attention to safety via a pop-up window, floating notification, or voice broadcast on the vehicle-machine interface.

[0209] In some embodiments, a foreign object collision refers to an abnormal mechanical impact detected by a torque sensor, six-dimensional force / torque sensor, accelerometer, vibration sensor, or collision switch configured on the joints of the mechanical actuator, the end effector, or the outer shell of the robot. This abnormal mechanical impact could be a scrape between the robotic arm and the vehicle body, a collision between the charging connector and the sheet metal surrounding the charging interface, a push or pull on the end effector, obstruction of the opening and closing mechanism of the storage cavity, or a direct impact to the entire charging robot. Upon detection of a collision, the charging robot immediately performs a reverse retreat or compliant avoidance maneuver to release contact stress. If the collision force exceeds a safety threshold (e.g., 100 Newtons or a joint torque exceeding 150% of the rated value), an emergency stop is triggered, locking the mechanical actuator and cutting off the power supply to the entire robot to prevent further damage.

[0210] In some embodiments, vehicle movement refers to an unexpected change in the target vehicle's position during charging. This change in position can be due to the vehicle rolling away because the handbrake is not engaged or the parking system malfunctions, slow slippage due to ground incline or uneven tire pressure, passive displacement due to a collision with an external vehicle, or shaking due to environmental factors such as earthquakes or strong winds. Upon detecting vehicle movement, the charging robot immediately terminates charging and disconnects the charging gun (if the charging connector is still in the docking state), while simultaneously sending a parking alarm to the vehicle. If the vehicle's movement exceeds the adaptive compensation range of the robotic arm (e.g., lateral displacement exceeding 10 cm or longitudinal displacement exceeding 5 cm), the charging robot determines that the docking has failed, stops subsequent actions, and enters a fault state.

[0211] In some embodiments, an abnormal charging port position refers to a deviation between the actual spatial position of the charging port and the position recorded during the pre-dating operation, or a structural abnormality in the port itself. This abnormality could be due to changes in the vehicle's suspension system's posture during charging caused by load changes (such as passengers getting in and out of the vehicle, or luggage loading and unloading), resulting in a change in the height or angle of the charging port; it could also be due to the charging port cover not being fully open, the cover drooping and obstructing the port, deformation / burning of the internal terminals of the port, dents in the sheet metal around the port, or the port being blocked by foreign objects (such as ice, snow, mud, or chewing gum). Upon detecting an abnormal position, the charging robot attempts adaptive compensation through slight posture adjustments or rescanning and repositioning; if compensation fails or the port is structurally damaged, the docking attempt is stopped, and an alarm message "Charging port abnormal, please check or contact after-sales service" is sent to the user.

[0212] In some embodiments, abnormal charging current refers to electrical parameters exceeding the normal charging protocol range detected by current sensors, voltage sensors, insulation detection circuits, or power modules in the charging circuit. This abnormality includes: a sudden increase in charging current exceeding the maximum current allowed by the vehicle's BMS (overcurrent); an abnormal drop in charging current to near zero during the constant current phase (undercurrent or poor contact); drastic fluctuations in charging voltage; insulation resistance between the DC bus positive and negative terminals and ground below a safe threshold (e.g., 500 ohms / volt); a temperature rise rate of the charging connector or charging interface exceeding a preset value (e.g., a rise of 10 degrees Celsius per minute exceeding 85 degrees Celsius); or harmonic distortion in the charging module output. Upon detecting an abnormal current, the charging robot immediately performs tiered protection: first, it reduces power output; if the abnormality persists, it completely cuts off the output and disconnects the high-voltage relay; then, it performs a gun disconnection operation to isolate the faulty circuit and reports fault codes and real-time electrical data to the vehicle's BMS and the cloud server.

[0213] In some embodiments, communication interruption refers to a data transmission error or complete disconnection in the communication connection between the charging robot and the target vehicle. This interruption can be caused by signal obstruction (e.g., the vehicle's metal body shielding Bluetooth signals), electromagnetic interference (e.g., the start-up and shutdown of a high-power inverter), communication module hardware failure, weak base station signal, network congestion, or software protocol stack anomalies. Upon detecting a communication interruption, the charging robot initiates a communication maintenance mechanism: attempting to switch to a backup communication channel (e.g., switching from Bluetooth to Wi-Fi, or from cellular network to local area network); if the backup channel is also unavailable, the charging robot enters a safety degradation mode—if it is already charging, it continues charging to the target SOC according to a preset safety strategy, then automatically stops and disconnects the charging gun, or immediately terminates charging and disconnects the charging gun; simultaneously, the charging robot records a complete status log and sensor data at the moment of the communication interruption, caches it in local memory, and retransmits it after the network is restored.

[0214] In some embodiments, after detecting the aforementioned abnormal environmental events, the charging robot also executes an anomaly classification and alarm notification strategy. This strategy includes classifying abnormal events into four levels: minor anomalies, general anomalies, severe anomalies, and fatal anomalies. Minor anomalies (such as brief communication packet loss or minor obstacles that can be adaptively avoided) can be autonomously recovered by the charging robot, with only logs recorded and a brief notification pushed to the user terminal. General anomalies (such as slight displacement of the charging interface or a living organism briefly entering and then leaving) suspend the current action, waiting for the anomaly to be resolved and then resumed after remote confirmation by the user or automatic detection. Severe anomalies (such as overcurrent in charging, vehicle movement, or mechanical collision) stop the action and enter a fault state, pushing an alarm notification to the user terminal and requesting remote confirmation or on-site inspection by the user. Fatal anomalies (such as insulation failure, a living organism continuously remaining in the robotic arm's movement area, or emergency stop button triggering) immediately enter an emergency stop lockout state, cutting off the high voltage and power to the entire machine, and simultaneously sending emergency alarms to the user terminal, property service platform, charging operation platform, and emergency contacts.

[0215] In some embodiments, when an abnormal environmental event is detected and it is determined that human intervention is required, the charging robot sends an anomaly handling request to the property service platform. This property service platform refers to the information management system of the residential community, commercial park, office building, or parking lot management entity. The receiving end can be a monitoring terminal in the property control room, a security guard's handheld walkie-talkie, a mobile application for property management personnel, or a smart operation and maintenance platform for the park. The anomaly handling request includes at least: the type of abnormal event (e.g., "live object entering a risk area," "mechanical collision," "vehicle rolling away," or "charging interface failure"), the time of occurrence (optionally accurate to the second), the location of occurrence (e.g., "charging parking space 108, Area A, underground parking garage of Community X"), identification of the involved equipment (charging robot number, vehicle license plate number, or VIN), the severity level of the anomaly, suggested handling measures (e.g., "Please have security personnel confirm that the personnel have left," "Please have engineering personnel check the charging interface," "Please assist in contacting the vehicle owner to move the vehicle"), and real-time images or short video clips of the scene (captured and uploaded by the charging robot's camera). This request is relayed to the property service platform via a cloud server or sent to the property's local edge gateway via a direct IoT connection.

[0216] Optionally, the charging robot also supports an automatic recovery mechanism for certain abnormal environmental events. For example, if a living organism enters a risk area and then automatically leaves, and the area has been cleared for more than a preset time (e.g., 30 seconds) as confirmed by vision or radar, the charging robot can automatically lift the pause and push a confirmation prompt to the user terminal: "The risk has been automatically lifted. Do you want to continue charging?" The user can then confirm with one click to resume the previously interrupted process without human intervention. In the event that the network automatically recovers after a brief communication interruption, the charging robot automatically retransmits the status cache data from the network outage and resumes the normal business process. This application does not limit this aspect.

[0217] In summary, by monitoring multiple types of environmental anomalies in real time throughout the docking, charging, and unplugging processes, and by implementing graded response strategies based on the severity of the anomalies (including action pause, fault state switching, emergency stop locking, local alarms, remote notifications, and work order dispatch linked to the property management platform), the charging robot can quickly and accurately take protective measures when faced with sudden safety risks. This effectively avoids collision damage between the mechanical actuators and personnel, vehicles, or obstacles, prevents safety accidents caused by electrical faults, and significantly improves the safety redundancy, risk handling efficiency, and maintenance traceability of the automatic charging system in complex parking environments.

[0218] Optionally, the vehicle charging method is achieved collaboratively by one or more of the following: a charging robot, a target vehicle, and a cloud control platform. In some embodiments, at least one of the following is achieved collaboratively by one or more of the following: determining the automatic charging indication conditions, controlling the docking of the mechanical actuator, controlling the target vehicle to enter the charging state, determining the charging end conditions, and controlling the removal of the mechanical actuator.

[0219] For example, the determination of automatic charging indication conditions can be achieved by the target vehicle performing local logic calculations based on vehicle-side information (such as SOC, gear position, and occupant status) to generate an enable flag and report it. Alternatively, the charging robot can perform a fusion judgment based on collected environmental perception data and vehicle status information. Furthermore, the cloud control platform can perform global optimization by combining user-reserved tasks, grid load forecasts, time-of-use pricing strategies, and home energy management plans before issuing an enable command. The docking control of the mechanical actuators is mainly achieved through local closed-loop control by the charging robot's built-in motion controller and vision servo system. However, the cloud control platform can push optimal path planning parameters or interface position calibration compensation values ​​to the charging robot based on a digital twin model or historical docking data. The control of the target vehicle entering the charging state can be achieved by the vehicle's BMS confirming charging... After the electrical circuit is safe, the high-voltage relay will automatically close. Alternatively, the charging robot can control the power module output after detecting a rechargeable connection. Or, the cloud control platform can send a charging start permission to both parties after confirming the order validity and electricity pricing strategy. The determination of the charging end condition can be initiated by the vehicle's BMS when the SOC reaches the target value, or it can be triggered autonomously by the charging robot after detecting abnormal charging current or insulation fault. Alternatively, the cloud control platform can schedule it uniformly after reaching the scheduled end time or receiving a grid demand response command. The removal control of the mechanical actuator can be executed autonomously by the charging robot after meeting the locally detected end condition, or it can be triggered after receiving a stop charging request from the target vehicle or a remote gun removal command forwarded by the user from the cloud control platform. This application does not limit this.

[0220] Optionally, the cloud control platform includes one or more of the following: cloud server, charging operation platform, property service platform, vehicle-home interconnection platform, energy management platform, edge gateway, and parking management platform.

[0221] In some embodiments, the charging robot receives a charging control command from at least one of the target vehicle, the cloud control platform, or the user terminal, and performs one or more operations based on the charging control command, such as docking, starting charging, pausing, continuing charging, unplugging, storing, emergency stop, or fault clearing.

[0222] Instructions from the target vehicle include: charging interface opening requests, charging preparation completion information, charging stop requests, BMS-permitted charging parameters (such as maximum allowable voltage and maximum allowable current), vehicle status synchronization frames (such as real-time SOC and battery temperature), and vehicle-side fault alarms. Instructions from the cloud control platform include: user remote charging gun insertion / removal commands, scheduled charging task parameters (such as scheduled start time and target SOC), electricity pricing strategy updates (such as off-peak electricity period changes and dynamic electricity price adjustments), load scheduling commands (such as power limits and off-peak charging requests), software configuration updates (such as firmware upgrade packages and security certificates), and third-party platform linkage commands (such as unified shutdown commands issued by the property management platform and demand response signals issued by the energy management platform). After receiving the above commands, the charging robot arbitrates and executes the commands according to the command source priority (such as local safety emergency stop commands taking precedence over remote control commands, and vehicle BMS stop requests taking precedence over cloud-based continue charging commands) and current state machine constraints.

[0223] In some embodiments, the charging robot reports one or more of the following information to at least one of the target vehicle, cloud control platform, or user terminal: robot status information, docking status information, charging status information, safety detection information, fault information, unplugging completion information, and storage completion information. The cloud control platform generates or updates charging control strategies based on the reported information, such as optimizing the robotic arm path planning algorithm based on historical docking success rates, adjusting the recommended appointment time based on charging duration distribution, predicting equipment maintenance cycles based on fault type statistics, and generating personalized charging plans based on user charging habits. This application does not limit the scope of these measures.

[0224] In some embodiments, if direct communication between the charging robot and the target vehicle is interrupted, the charging robot may continue to execute the charging process based on forwarded information or control instructions from the cloud control platform, or based on control instructions from the user terminal, or enter a pause, standby, fault, or emergency stop state.

[0225] Optionally, direct communication interruption may be caused by at least one of the following: the vehicle's Bluetooth module going into sleep mode, Wi-Fi signal obstruction, UWB ranging loss of synchronization, abnormal vehicle-charging station communication protocol, or vehicle gateway failure leading to the unavailability of the vehicle-charging station point-to-point link. In this case, the charging robot switches to cloud relay communication mode: the charging robot reports its local status data to the cloud server, which caches and forwards it to the target vehicle; simultaneously, the target vehicle reports its vehicle-side status data (such as real-time BMS data and charging port cover status) to the cloud server, which forwards it to the charging robot, thereby achieving information synchronization and command transmission under the vehicle-cloud-charging station triangular architecture.

[0226] Optionally, if cloud relay communication is also unavailable (e.g., weak cellular network signal, cloud server failure), the charging robot initiates a local autonomous strategy: If a charging connection has been established and the charging process is normal, the charging robot continues charging to a safe node based on locally preset safety rules (e.g., charging current limit, charging time limit, target SOC threshold), and then automatically removes and retracts the charging gun; if docking has not yet begun or a direct communication interruption occurs during docking, the charging robot pauses its mechanical actuators and enters a waiting state. If communication is restored within a preset waiting time limit (e.g., 5 or 10 minutes), it continues execution; if the timeout occurs, it enters a fault state and pushes an alarm message to the user terminal: "Vehicle-charging station communication interrupted, please check the vehicle or network"; if a direct communication interruption is detected and accompanied by other abnormalities (e.g., sudden drop in insulation resistance, live intrusion, or emergency stop button triggering), the charging robot prioritizes safety protection, immediately enters an emergency stop state, and cuts off the high-voltage output. The lock is released after manual confirmation or remote diagnosis. This application does not limit this aspect.

[0227] In summary, by constructing a distributed control system in which charging robots, target vehicles, and cloud control platforms collaborate, the determination of automatic charging indication conditions, the docking and control of mechanical actuators, the management of charging start and end, the handling of anomalies, and the settlement of fees can be flexibly allocated and dynamically coordinated among the cloud, vehicles, and charging piles according to the complexity of business and the needs of the scenario. This significantly improves the architectural flexibility and resource utilization efficiency of the automatic charging system.

[0228] Optionally, the above method can be extended to public charging locations: In some embodiments, when the charging robot is used in a public charging scenario, the charging robot establishes a charging order corresponding to the current charging process based on one or more of the following: vehicle identification, user account, parking space identification, robot identification, charging order identification, and payment account.

[0229] In some embodiments, after detecting that the target vehicle has entered the charging state, the charging robot records one or more of the following: charging start time, power change, charging power, charging duration, charging fee calculation rules, and charging order status. After detecting that the charging operation is completed or the charging connector has been unplugged, the charging robot generates a charging fee based on the recorded information.

[0230] In some embodiments, the charging robot sends a deduction request corresponding to the charging fee to the user terminal, vehicle, cloud control platform, charging operation platform, or payment platform; after receiving payment success information, it updates the charging order status and sends payment completion information to the target vehicle or user terminal.

[0231] Optionally, the deduction request is automatically triggered based on the payment account linked to the target vehicle, user account, charging order identifier, parking space identifier, or robot identifier.

[0232] Optionally, the charging order status is used to determine the automatic charging indication conditions, charging start control logic, or unplug control logic. Specifically, if the charging order status indicates authentication failure, insufficient balance, order cancellation, or payment abnormality, the charging robot is prohibited from performing docking operations, pausing charging operations, or controlling the mechanical actuator to perform an unplug operation.

[0233] In some embodiments, the process of establishing a charging order includes: when a target vehicle enters the charging area of ​​a public charging station, the charging robot obtains the vehicle's identity identifier through the vehicle-to-charging pile communication link and obtains the parking space identifier through visual recognition or radio frequency identification; simultaneously, the charging robot matches the vehicle's identity identifier with the registered user database in the cloud control platform to obtain the bound user account and payment account information; if the match is successful and the user account has the permission to use the public charging facility (e.g., membership valid, credit score meets the requirements, no outstanding fees), the charging operation platform or the charging robot's local control system automatically generates a unique charging order identifier and establishes a multi-dimensional binding relationship between the order and the vehicle's identity identifier, user account, parking space identifier, robot identifier, and payment account to form a complete charging order record. Optionally, if there are multiple vehicles or multiple charging robots in the same charging area, the establishment of a charging order also includes a conflict arbitration mechanism: determining the service queue based on the order of vehicle arrival time, reservation priority, membership level, or order creation timestamp to prevent the same charging robot from being assigned to multiple conflicting orders in the same time period.

[0234] Optionally, the charging start time refers to the moment when the charging circuit is officially established and the power module begins to output electrical energy, accurate to the second or millisecond; the energy change refers to the cumulative electrical energy delivered during the charging process, which is sampled and accumulated in real time by the energy metering unit built into the charging robot (meeting the accuracy requirements of legal measuring instruments). The recorded content includes the initial energy reading, the final energy reading, the energy of this charging (unit: kilowatt-hour, kWh), and time-of-use energy details (such as peak period energy, valley period energy, and normal period energy); the charging power refers to the real-time output power and average power during the charging process, and the recorded content includes peak power, valley power, average power, and power change curve; charging The duration refers to the cumulative time from the start to the end of charging, accurate to the minute or second. The charging fee calculation rules refer to the electricity pricing strategy and cost structure applicable to this charging session, including the base electricity price (such as time-of-use pricing, fixed pricing, or dynamic pricing), service fees (charged by electricity consumption, by duration, or by usage), parking fees (if the charging space also serves as parking), discounts and exemptions (such as membership discounts, coupons, points redemption, or carbon credit rewards), and taxes. The charging order status refers to the current stage of the order's lifecycle, including pending payment, payment in progress, payment successful, payment failed, refund in progress, refunded, cancelled, abnormal pending, or completed. Optionally, the charging robot also records key event logs during the charging process, including the time for plugging in the charging gun, the time for unplugging the charging gun, the number of charging interruptions and their causes, fault alarm codes, power adjustment records, and communication quality data, for subsequent reconciliation, dispute resolution, and maintenance analysis.

[0235] In some embodiments, the process by which the charging robot generates charging fees based on recorded information includes: the charging robot or cloud control platform calculating fees according to the recorded changes in electricity consumption and charging fee billing rules. For example, in a time-of-use pricing scenario, the charging amount is divided into peak, valley, and normal periods corresponding to the start and end of the charging period, multiplied by the electricity price for each period, and then summed to obtain a basic electricity fee; then a service fee calculated based on the proportion of electricity consumption or a fixed rate is added; then an applicable discount is subtracted; and finally, a parking fee (if incurred) is added to generate the total fee payable. Optionally, the fee calculation can also be combined with dynamic pricing strategies, such as adjusting electricity prices based on real-time grid load, station congestion, or renewable energy consumption demand; or combined with carbon emission reduction incentive mechanisms, providing fee reductions or carbon credit rewards based on the proportion of clean electricity in the grid during the charging period. This application does not limit this. The generated charging fee and order details (including electricity consumption, duration, rate, discount, amount payable, and payment deadline) are packaged together into an electronic bill.

[0236] In some embodiments, the charging robot sends a deduction request corresponding to the charging fee to the user terminal, vehicle, cloud control platform, charging operation platform, or payment platform. The sending path of this deduction request includes: the charging robot sending the deduction request to the cloud control platform via a cellular network, which then forwards it to a third-party payment platform; or, the charging robot sending the deduction request to the target vehicle via a vehicle-to-charging-pile communication link, where the vehicle's in-vehicle infotainment system displays a payment confirmation pop-up on the vehicle's interface, and the user confirms and completes the deduction through the in-vehicle payment module; or, the charging robot sending the deduction request to the parking management platform's charging system via a local area network gateway, where it is combined with the parking fee for unified settlement. Optionally, the deduction request supports multiple payment methods: contactless payment (based on the user's pre-bound payment account and password-free payment agreement, automatically deducting payment after charging is completed without manual confirmation from the user); pre-authorized payment (freezing a preset amount in the user's account before charging begins, deducting the actual cost after charging is completed and unfreezing the remaining amount); credit payment (charging first and paying later based on the user's credit score, with repayment completed within a preset billing period); QR code payment (pushing a payment QR code to the user's terminal, which the user scans and is redirected to the payment page to complete the payment); and token payment (using virtual currency or points issued by the charging operation platform for deduction). This application does not limit the specific methods used in this application.

[0237] Optionally, the deduction request is automatically triggered based on the payment account linked to the target vehicle, user account, charging order identifier, parking space identifier, or robot identifier. For example, when a charging order is generated, the system automatically extracts the default payment account (such as a linked bank card, credit card, or third-party payment account) from the user account information and automatically initiates the deduction after charging is completed; if the default payment account fails to deduct (such as insufficient balance, expired bank card, or exceeding payment limit), the system automatically switches to the backup payment account (such as a second bank card preset by the user or a family member's payment account) for a second deduction; if all linked accounts fail to deduct, the charging order status is updated to payment failure, and a payment failure notification and a supplementary payment link are pushed to the user's terminal.

[0238] Optionally, the charging order status is used to determine the automatic charging indication conditions, charging start control logic, or unplug control logic. Specifically, if the charging order status indicates authentication failure, the charging robot will be prohibited from performing docking operations and will send a "Authentication failed, please confirm account permissions" message to the user terminal. If the charging order status indicates insufficient balance or insufficient pre-authorized amount, the charging robot will be prohibited from performing docking operations, or if it is already charging, it will pause charging operations and control the mechanical actuator to perform a disconnection operation, while simultaneously sending a "Insufficient balance, please recharge and try again" message to the user terminal. If the charging order status indicates order cancellation (e.g., the user actively cancels the order in the mobile application, the order is automatically canceled due to failure to pay within the time limit, or the operating platform forces cancellation), the charging robot will remain in standby mode if it has not yet started docking, pause charging and perform a disconnection operation if it is already charging, and archive the order if it has been disconnected. If the charging order status indicates payment abnormality (e.g., payment failure, payment channel failure, or reconciliation discrepancy), the charging robot will pause charging operations or prohibit the initiation of a new charging process, and will simultaneously report the abnormality to the charging operation platform and the user terminal. Service will resume after the payment abnormality is resolved or manual review is approved. Optionally, the charging order status can also be used for power limitation decisions in the charging start control logic. For example, for orders in the "credit payment" status and with a credit score below the threshold, the charging robot may limit the charging power to a low speed or require pre-authorization before charging at full power to reduce the operator's financial risk. This application does not limit this.

[0239] In summary, by extending the aforementioned automatic charging methods to public charging locations, charging robots can establish complete and unique charging orders based on multi-dimensional information such as vehicle identification, user account, parking space identification, and payment account when providing charging services to the public. This enables a fully digital and unmanned closed loop from vehicle parking recognition, automatic plugging, energy metering to payment settlement, avoiding the cumbersome operations of on-site scanning and manual confirmation required by traditional public charging, and significantly improving the operational efficiency and user experience of public charging facilities.

[0240] The following is an exemplary description of an implementation method for a charging robot to present visual status prompts through status prompting units (such as light strips): In some embodiments, the charging robot sends robot status information to the target vehicle or user terminal. The robot status information includes one or more of the following states: standby, matching, docking, charging, charging complete, paused, fault, emergency stop, and driverless.

[0241] In some embodiments, a visual status prompt corresponding to the robot's status information is presented through a status prompt unit disposed on the charging robot. The visual status prompt includes at least one of the following: a first color or a first dynamic effect for standby status, a second color or a second dynamic effect for matching status, a third color or a third dynamic effect for docking status, a fourth color or a fourth dynamic effect for charging status, a fifth color or a fifth dynamic effect for charging complete or paused status, and a sixth color or a sixth dynamic effect for fault or emergency stop status.

[0242] In some embodiments, the status indicator unit includes a multi-color light strip disposed on the top and / or bottom of the charging robot; the visual status indicator includes one or more of the following: white breathing light in standby mode, solid white light after the communication connection between the vehicle and the charging robot is established, blue breathing light in docking or unplugging, green breathing light in charging, solid green light when charging is completed or paused and not unplugged, solid yellow light in driverless mode, and solid red light in fault or emergency stop mode.

[0243] Optionally, the driverless state refers to the charging robot being in a dormant or offline state where it does not require driving and therefore does not respond to external control commands.

[0244] For example, in a scenario of automatic charging after parking, the charging robot is fixed in the garage and in standby mode, at which point the light strip is in a white breathing state. When the vehicle automatically parks itself, the vehicle and the charging robot establish a communication connection via Bluetooth, and the light strip immediately changes from white breathing to solid white. The charging port cover automatically opens, the robot wakes up, and the robotic arm extends from the storage cavity, with the charging gun at its end aligned with the vehicle's charging port. At this point, the light strip switches to blue breathing. Once the charging gun is inserted into place, the electrical handshake is completed, and charging officially begins, with the light strip turning green breathing. When the battery SOC reaches the preset target value (e.g., 80% or 100%), charging is complete, and the light strip changes from green breathing to solid green. The robot then begins the gun removal action, the charging gun is withdrawn from the port, the robotic arm folds back, and the light strip returns to blue breathing. Once the gun removal is complete, the robotic arm is fully retracted into the body, and the charging robot's light strip returns to white breathing.

[0245] In summary, by using a status indicator unit (such as a multi-color light strip) on the charging robot to present visual status prompts corresponding to the robot's status information, users and on-site personnel can receive real-time feedback on the charging robot's current working stage (standby, matching, docking, charging, charging complete, paused, faulty, or emergency stop) in an intuitive and contactless manner. This allows users to quickly grasp the charging progress simply by visually recognizing the colors and dynamic lighting effects from a distance, without needing to approach the device, operate a mobile terminal, or check the vehicle's infotainment system. This significantly improves the convenience and immediacy of charging status perception. In scenarios with limited visibility, such as at night, in poorly lit underground parking garages, during heavy rain or snow, or at public charging stations, the high visibility of the light strip effectively compensates for glare from mobile phone screens, obstructed vehicle infotainment systems, or interrupted voice broadcasts. The lack of environmental noise masking ensures the reliability and all-weather adaptability of charging status information transmission. Simultaneously, by presenting faults or emergency stop states with striking warning colors and dynamic effects, visual alarms can be issued to surrounding personnel immediately in case of abnormal mechanical actuator movement, intrusion, electrical faults, or emergency shutdowns. This serves as a safety boundary warning and a danger warning, effectively reducing the risk of personal injury caused by personnel accidentally entering the robotic arm's working area, accidentally touching operating equipment, or ignoring abnormal conditions. In public charging scenarios, maintenance personnel can also quickly locate problematic equipment and determine the type of fault through the light strip's illumination, shortening on-site inspection and anomaly response time. Therefore, the overall intelligence and humanization level of the automatic charging system are improved from three dimensions: user experience, safety protection, and maintenance efficiency.

[0246] Figure 4 A flowchart of a vehicle charging method provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application is shown. The method is performed by a vehicle and includes: Step 410: If the vehicle is located within the charging area corresponding to the charging robot, determine the vehicle-side information.

[0247] The vehicle-side information includes vehicle-related information used to determine whether to trigger a vehicle charging connection.

[0248] In some embodiments, the vehicle-side information includes vehicle-side condition information and / or automatic charging indication information. The vehicle-side condition information is used to characterize the parking status and / or charging demand status of the target vehicle in the charging area, and the automatic charging indication information is information generated based on the vehicle-side condition information to indicate whether the automatic charging indication conditions are met.

[0249] 1. Vehicle side condition information In some embodiments, vehicle-side condition information includes at least one of the following: vehicle location information, parking completion information, parking gear information, driver's seatbelt unfastened information, driver exit information, driver's door status information, driver's seat occupancy status information, occupant seatbelt status information, occupant door status information, occupant exit status information, occupant seat occupancy status information, occupant remaining in vehicle status information, charging port cover status information, battery SOC information, target SOC information, automatic charging gun switch status, scheduled charging time, travel plan information, and public charging order information.

[0250] 2. Automatic charging indicator information In some embodiments, the automatic charging indication information is information generated based on vehicle-side condition information to indicate whether the automatic charging indication conditions are met.

[0251] Optionally, the automatic charging indication conditions include one or more of the following: the vehicle is located in a charging area; the vehicle has completed parking; the vehicle is in the park position; the driver's seatbelt is unfastened, the driver is out of the vehicle, the driver's door is open, or the driver's seat is unoccupied; the seatbelt status, door status, out-of-vehicle status, seat occupancy status, or occupant status of the front passenger and / or rear passenger meet preset safety conditions; the vehicle has a charging need; the automatic plug-in function is enabled; and the automatic charging indication conditions do not require a real-time plug-in command input by the user after parking.

[0252] Step 420: Establish a communication connection with the charging robot.

[0253] In some embodiments, establishing a communication connection with the charging robot includes: establishing a communication connection with the charging robot through one or more of short-range wireless communication, wireless local area network communication, cellular mobile network communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, ultra-wideband communication, near-field communication, visual recognition, vehicle network forwarding, and cloud server forwarding.

[0254] Step 430: Send vehicle-side information to the charging robot based on the communication connection so that when the vehicle determines that automatic charging is needed, control the charging robot to connect the charging connector to the vehicle's charging interface.

[0255] In some embodiments, before sending vehicle-side information to the charging robot, the vehicle also performs the following actions: if it is determined that the vehicle has completed parking and there is a charging requirement, it controls the charging port cover of the vehicle to open automatically, or controls the charging port cover to open in response to a charging interface opening request sent by the charging robot.

[0256] Step 440: After the charging connector and the charging interface form a rechargeable connection, or after receiving the docking completion information sent by the charging robot, the vehicle enters the charging state.

[0257] In some embodiments, the vehicle displays charging robot status information or charging process status information on the vehicle-mounted interactive interface; wherein, the charging process status information includes one or more of the following: standby, matching, inserting, preparing to charge, charging, scheduling, unplugging, charging complete, paused, fault, and emergency stop.

[0258] Optionally, the vehicle-mounted interface displays charging status information in one or more of the following ways: floating window, status bar, card, dynamic island style area, full-screen prompt, voice prompt, and icon prompt, and provides one or more operation entry points: start, pause, interrupt, unplug, emergency stop, and cancel reservation.

[0259] In some embodiments, the vehicle displays charging status information in a dynamic island-style area on the vehicle's infotainment interface (such as the central control screen). When the charging robot is in standby mode, the dynamic island area displays the text "Waiting for Connection" and a white icon; after the charging robot establishes a communication connection with the vehicle, the dynamic island area automatically expands into a card-style notification, displaying "Connected" and the charging robot number; when the charging robot is performing the insertion operation, the card expands to display the text "Inserting Gun" and an animation effect, and provides an "Interrupt" operation button; when charging officially starts, the card displays the current SOC progress bar, charging power, amount charged, estimated remaining time, and "Pause" and "Unplug Gun" operation buttons.

[0260] While displaying charging status information in a floating window or dynamic island area, users can click on the area to expand to a full-screen charging details page. This details page includes: real-time SOC percentage and a circular progress bar, charging power curve, amount charged and increased range, estimated charging cost, entry to scheduled charging settings, and entry to charging history.

[0261] In some embodiments, the vehicle synchronizes charging process data with the user terminal and receives system setting parameters or remote control commands from the user terminal; wherein, the system setting parameters include one or more of the following: automatic plug-in function switch, target SOC, scheduled charging time, off-peak electricity period, travel plan, and notification method; the remote control commands include one or more of the following: remote plug-in, remote unplug, pause charging, resume charging, cancel reservation, and emergency stop.

[0262] In some embodiments, when the charging termination conditions are met, the vehicle sends a disconnect request or charging termination information to the charging robot, so that the charging robot disconnects the charging connector from the charging interface; wherein the charging termination conditions include one or more of the following: target SOC reached, scheduled charging terminated, receiving a user interruption command, detecting travel demand, detecting a fault, and detecting a risk of vehicle movement.

[0263] In some embodiments, after the charging robot has finished unplugging the device, the vehicle performs the following actions: controls the charging port cover to close; displays the charging details on the vehicle interface or user terminal, including one or more of the following: charging amount, increased driving range, charging time, charging cost, and completion time.

[0264] In some embodiments, at least one of the following: generating vehicle-side information, controlling the vehicle to enter the charging state, determining the charging end conditions, and generating a disconnection request, is achieved collaboratively by one or more of the vehicle, the charging robot, and the cloud control platform.

[0265] In some embodiments, the vehicle sends one or more of the following to the cloud control platform: vehicle-side information, charging demand information, user account information, vehicle identification, reserved charging information, and public charging order information, and receives charging authorization information, charging control information, order status information, billing information, or payment status information returned by the cloud control platform.

[0266] Optionally, in public charging scenarios, the vehicle can automatically trigger order creation, fee settlement, or deduction confirmation for the current charging process based on one or more of the user account bound to the vehicle, vehicle identity identifier, payment account, parking space identifier, charging robot identifier, and charging order identifier.

[0267] Among them, one or more of the following can be displayed on the vehicle-mounted interactive interface or user terminal: charging order information, billing rules, estimated cost, actual cost, payment status, and electronic voucher.

[0268] The specific implementation details involved in steps 410 to 440, such as vehicle-side information determination, communication connection establishment, vehicle-side information transmission and reception, charging port cover control, charging status management, charging end condition determination, remote control response, and public charging order coordination, can be found in the corresponding content on the charging robot side in steps 210 to 240. The two are only opposite sides of the execution subject and information flow, and the core method logic is the same, so they will not be repeated here.

[0269] Next, we will introduce some exemplary application scenarios: Scenario 1: Automatic charging after parking Figure 5 This illustration shows an application scenario of an automatic vehicle charging system provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The application scenario is automatic charging after parking. Figure 5 As shown, in the home garage, charging spaces are marked on the garage floor with dashed lines, and the vehicle has automatically parked in the charging space. The charging port on the side of the vehicle is exposed, and the charging port cover has automatically opened, ready for charging connection.

[0270] A charging robot is deployed on one side of the charging space (e.g., the left side or rear of the vehicle), and is fixedly installed in the charging space of the home garage. The garage may also be equipped with ground guidance markings to ensure the vehicle is accurately parked in the charging area. Optionally, these ground guidance markings may be wheel chocks, or at least one of the following: parking space boundary lines painted on the ground, directional arrows, charging symbols, reflective marking strips, magnetic positioning strips, RFID-sensing floor stickers, pressure-sensing mats, infrared beam positioning devices, laser guidance projections, or ground-embedded LED light strips. This application does not limit the specific type of markings. An LED strip is positioned above or below the charging robot to provide visual status indication and ambient lighting during the charging process.

[0271] In this application scenario, the vehicle automatically drives into and parks in the charging area of ​​the parking space. Optionally, the vehicle can automatically park itself in the charging space after the driver unbuckles their seatbelt; or, the vehicle can first automatically park itself in the charging space using the automatic parking function, and then the driver can unbuckle their seatbelt and leave after the vehicle has come to a complete stop; or, the vehicle can be manually driven into the charging space by the driver, and this application does not limit this option.

[0272] When the vehicle is manually driven into the charging space by the driver, the vehicle-mounted interface displays a guidance area that includes parking space boundary prompts, parking distance guidance, or direction calibration marks, to guide the driver to accurately park the vehicle in the target location of the charging area. This application does not limit this aspect.

[0273] After the vehicle comes to a complete stop, the charging port cover automatically opens, exposing the charging interface. This cover automatically activates after detecting that the user's seatbelt is unfastened and the vehicle's battery SOC is lower than the user-set target SOC.

[0274] Optionally, the charging port cover may be automatically triggered after detecting that the user has left the vehicle (such as when the car door is closed, the key is moved away, the Bluetooth connection of the mobile terminal is disconnected, or the seat pressure is lost); it may also be triggered autonomously after the vehicle determines that the current parking space is a charging parking space and meets the charging enable conditions; or it may be executed after receiving an opening command sent by the charging robot or the cloud server. This application does not limit this.

[0275] Once the charging port cover is opened, the charging robot is awakened from standby mode. This awakening can be triggered via wireless communication signals between the vehicle and the charging robot (such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or UWB); or it can be triggered autonomously by the charging robot's own sensors detecting that the vehicle has stopped, the charging port cover is open, or the vehicle has entered the communication range. After the charging robot is awakened, the light strip on its body switches from standby light effect (such as white breathing) to the vehicle-charging station matched light effect (such as solid white), indicating that the charging connection operation is about to begin.

[0276] Subsequently, the charging robot's robotic arm switches from a retracted state to an extended state. This extended state can be achieved through at least one combination of single-axis linear extension, multi-joint rotation, pitch adjustment, or horizontal translation, to adapt to the charging port position and orientation of different vehicles.

[0277] The charging connector (such as a charging gun) at the end of the robotic arm automatically docks with the vehicle's charging interface. This docking process can achieve precise alignment and flexible insertion using at least one of the following methods: visual recognition module, laser ranging, structured light positioning, force feedback, or proximity sensor. During this process, the charging robot's LED strip displays a blue breathing light to indicate that the charging gun is being inserted. After docking is complete, the charging circuit is established, and the charging robot starts the charging process to deliver electrical energy to the vehicle's power battery.

[0278] Once charging is initiated, the charging robot's light strip switches to a charging status light effect (such as green breathing flashing), and the vehicle's infotainment interface (such as the central control screen or the dynamic island area) simultaneously displays "Charging" or a similar charging status prompt, and / or pushes a charging notification to the user's terminal, indicating that the device is currently charging.

[0279] The beneficial effects of this application scenario are that users do not need to perform any operations such as searching for charging equipment, manually opening the charging port cover, grabbing the charging gun, manually plugging in the charging gun, scanning a code to start the process, or on-site confirmation during the entire process from driving home, parking, to leaving the garage. Through vehicle-charging robot information interaction and automatic coordination, the entire process—from parking recognition, opening the charging port cover, robot wake-up, extension of the robotic arm, automatic plugging in, to charging initiation—is fully automated, achieving a smart charging experience of "seamless parking and seamless charging." This scenario is suitable for everyday home parking, dedicated charging in fixed parking spaces, and immediate charging after automatic parking, significantly improving user convenience and the level of charging automation.

[0280] Scenario 2: Automatic gun removal after full charge Figure 6 This illustration shows an application scenario diagram of an automatic vehicle charging system provided by another exemplary embodiment of this application. This application scenario involves automatically disconnecting the charging gun after the battery is fully charged. Figure 6 As shown, in a home garage (at night), charging spaces are marked on the garage floor with dashed lines. The vehicle is parked in the charging space and is fully charging. The charging port on the side of the vehicle is still connected to the charging robot's charging connector, awaiting the unplugging operation.

[0281] A charging robot is deployed on one side of the charging space (e.g., the left side or rear of the vehicle) and is permanently installed in the charging space of the home garage. The charging robot is equipped with light strips above or below its body to provide visual indication of its status and ambient lighting during the charging process and at night. The garage may also be equipped with night vision supplementary lighting devices or low-light visual assistance equipment to aid the charging robot's environmental perception and visual recognition at night.

[0282] In this application scenario, the vehicle is already charging, and the remaining charge of its power battery continues to increase. When the battery's State of Charge (SOC) reaches the target value, the charging process enters the completion phase. This target value can be 100% of the battery's rated capacity, or it can be a charging upper limit (such as 80%, 90%, or other custom thresholds) preset by the user through the vehicle's infotainment interface or mobile application; alternatively, the target value can be a charging cutoff condition dynamically determined based on the end time of off-peak electricity hours, the user's travel plan for the next day, battery health protection strategies, or grid load dispatch instructions. This application does not limit this.

[0283] Once the battery's State of Charge (SOC) reaches the target value, the vehicle's Battery Management System (BMS) determines that charging is complete and sends a charging completion signal to the vehicle's infotainment interface, the user's mobile terminal, or a cloud server. The infotainment interface (such as the central control screen or the smart island area) displays a "Charging Complete" message; and / or, the user's mobile terminal receives a "Charging Complete" push notification via a mobile application; and / or, the vehicle informs the user of the charging status via SMS, voice call, in-vehicle voice announcement, or smart home integration prompts—this application does not limit the scope of these methods. At this time, the user can be away from the vehicle, asleep, or resting, without needing to be present or wait.

[0284] Optionally, once charging is complete, the charging robot's waiting light effect will be a solid green to indicate that charging is finished.

[0285] After the charging completion signal is triggered, the charging robot automatically performs the gun removal operation. The charging robot receives removal commands from the vehicle, cloud server, or local control unit, and controls the robotic arm to perform the removal action. This removal action includes: the charging connector at the end of the robotic arm retracting from the vehicle's charging port, disconnecting the electrical connection, the robotic arm retracting with the charging connector, resetting, and finally switching to the retracted state. This removal process utilizes force sensors to monitor the removal resistance, a visual recognition module to confirm the interface disengagement, and proximity sensors to detect obstacles in the retraction path to avoid removing the gun under load, arcing damage, or mechanical collisions. During this removal process, the charging robot's light strip can switch to a removal status lighting effect (such as blue breathing) to indicate that a removal operation is in progress.

[0286] Optionally, the vehicle's charging port cover automatically closes after the charging gun is unplugged to protect the charging interface. This closing action can be performed autonomously by the vehicle, triggered after receiving a confirmation signal from the charging robot indicating that the charging gun has been unplugged, or remotely controlled by the user via car key, mobile terminal, or voice command before using the vehicle the next day. This application does not limit this action.

[0287] Optionally, after the charging gun is removed, the charging robot can enter a low-power standby mode or a hibernation mode to reduce standby power consumption at night; the robotic arm can be completely stored inside the body, in the top recess or the side compartment, and the charging robot's light strip is turned off or switched to standby light effect (such as white breathing).

[0288] Optionally, if the vehicle's SOC naturally drops after the charging gun is disconnected (e.g., due to changes in ambient temperature, battery self-discharge, or static power consumption), the charging robot can be reawakened and perform recharging after detecting that the SOC is lower than a preset hysteresis threshold, in order to maintain the battery within the target charge range. This application does not limit this.

[0289] The beneficial effects of this application scenario are as follows: After parking and charging overnight, users do not need to wait until charging is complete, nor do they need to manually perform any operations such as unplugging the charging gun, storing the charging equipment, or closing the charging port cover late at night or in the early morning. Through SOC monitoring and automatic collaboration, the vehicle and the charging robot can complete the entire process of charging completion determination, remote user notification, automatic unplugging of the charging gun, storage by the robotic arm, and closing of the charging port cover, truly achieving an intelligent charging experience of "no waiting and seamless unplugging." This scenario is particularly suitable for situations such as charging at night, charging during off-peak hours, and when users are resting or not present, making full use of off-peak electricity prices to reduce vehicle usage costs, and users can directly get into the car and leave the next day, significantly improving charging convenience, automation level, and user experience.

[0290] Scenario 3: Remote Control Figure 7 This illustration shows an application scenario diagram of an automatic vehicle charging system provided in yet another exemplary embodiment of this application. This application scenario is a remote control scenario. For example... Figure 7 As shown, in a home garage, charging spaces are marked on the garage floor with dashed lines. The vehicle has been automatically parked or manually driven into the charging space and parked properly. The charging port on the side of the vehicle is covered and protected by a charging port cover and is in a closed state; or, after the vehicle determines that the charging enable conditions are met, the charging port cover has automatically opened to expose the charging port. This application does not limit this.

[0291] A charging robot is deployed on one side of the charging space (e.g., the left side or rear of the vehicle) and is permanently installed in the charging space of the home garage. An LED strip is installed above or below the charging robot to provide visual indication of its status and ambient lighting during the charging process.

[0292] In an indoor environment (such as an office, home, hotel, or any indoor environment away from a garage), the user holds a mobile terminal that runs an app to present a remote control interface and receive the user's control commands. The mobile terminal can be a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, laptop, or any portable device with network connectivity and a human-computer interaction interface; this application is not limited to this.

[0293] In this application scenario, the vehicle is already in the charging space. The user does not need to be near the vehicle or the charging robot, but can initiate a remote control command from indoors via a mobile terminal to trigger the charging robot to insert or remove the charging gun. This scenario is applicable to situations where users are unable to go to the garage due to extreme weather (such as heavy rain, heavy snow, extreme heat, extreme cold, strong winds, hail, sandstorms, or strong lightning); or situations where users have temporary charging needs (such as needing to replenish energy before going out, needing to start charging when the off-peak electricity period is about to end, needing to charge the battery immediately when the remaining power is below the safety threshold, or needing to fully charge the battery in advance due to changes in the next day's itinerary); or situations where users are in a different location (such as on a business trip, travel, work, or vacation) and need to remotely control the charging of their vehicle at home; or situations where users are unable to frequently go to the garage due to physical reasons (such as mobility issues, illness, recuperation, pregnancy, or the elderly). This application does not limit this to these situations.

[0294] Optionally, users can also initiate remote control commands through the vehicle-home interconnection platform, such as through a smart home voice assistant, for example, "Charge the vehicle," "Start the garage charging," or "Stop charging the vehicle." The smart home voice assistant parses the voice commands into standardized control signals and forwards them to the charging robot via home Wi-Fi, a local area network gateway, or a cloud server, triggering the robot to execute the corresponding action. This method eliminates the need for users to hold or operate a mobile terminal, making it suitable for scenarios where users have limited hands, visual impairments, mobility issues, or prefer voice interaction; this application does not limit this aspect.

[0295] After a user opens the mobile application, the application interface displays a remote control entry point. This entry point can be a functional button for "remotely inserting the charging gun," "remotely removing the charging gun," "one-click charging," or "stop charging," or it can be a voice command input box or a gesture trigger area. After the user clicks the corresponding button or issues a voice command, the mobile terminal generates a remote control command.

[0296] The remote control command is issued via a communication network. Optionally, the command can be issued to a cloud server via a cellular mobile communication network (such as 4G, 5G, or future 6G networks), and then forwarded by the cloud server to the charging robot deployed in a home garage via the Internet or a dedicated data channel; alternatively, the command can be issued directly from the mobile terminal to the vehicle via short-range communication methods such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB, or NFC, and then forwarded by the vehicle's onboard communication module to the charging robot via the vehicle-to-charging-robot communication link; alternatively, when the mobile terminal and the charging robot are on the same local area network or within the communication coverage area, the command can be issued directly to the charging robot via home Wi-Fi, a local area network gateway, or an edge computing node; alternatively, the command can be issued via SMS, voice dialing, or a narrowband IoT communication channel, and this application does not limit this.

[0297] After receiving a remote control command, the charging robot is awakened from standby mode. This awakening operation can be triggered directly by the remote control command; alternatively, it can be triggered autonomously by the charging robot itself after receiving network signaling through its communication module. This application does not limit the specific triggering method. After the charging robot is awakened, the light strip on its body switches from standby light effect to working light effect to indicate that the remote control operation is about to begin.

[0298] If the command is a remote plug-in command, the vehicle's charging port cover automatically opens, exposing the charging interface. This opening can be triggered autonomously by the vehicle upon receiving the remote plug-in command; it can also be executed after receiving a command forwarded by the charging robot; or it can be executed after the user sends an opening command separately via a mobile application; this application does not limit this. Subsequently, the charging robot's robotic arm switches from a retracted state to an extended state. This extended state can be achieved through at least one combination of single-axis linear extension, multi-joint rotation, pitch adjustment, or horizontal translation to adapt to the charging interface position and orientation of different vehicles. The charging connector (such as a charging gun) at the end of the robotic arm automatically docks with the vehicle's charging interface. This docking process can achieve precise alignment and flexible insertion using at least one of the following methods: visual recognition module, laser ranging, structured light positioning, force feedback, or proximity sensor. During the remote plug-in execution, the charging robot's light strip can switch to a plug-in status light effect (such as blue breathing) to indicate that a plug-in operation is being performed; after docking is completed, the charging circuit is established, and the charging robot starts the charging process, supplying power to the vehicle's battery.

[0299] If the instruction is a remote gun removal instruction, the charging robot controls the robotic arm to perform the gun removal action. This action includes: the charging connector at the end of the robotic arm retracting from the vehicle's charging port, disconnecting the electrical connection, the robotic arm retracting with the charging connector, resetting, and finally switching to a retracted state. This removal process can utilize force sensors to monitor the resistance to removal, a visual recognition module to confirm the port's disengagement, and proximity sensors to detect obstacles on the retraction path. During this remote gun removal, the charging robot's light strip can switch to a gun removal status lighting effect (such as blue breathing) to indicate that a gun removal operation is in progress. Optionally, after gun removal is complete, the vehicle's charging port cover automatically closes to protect the charging port; this closing action can be performed autonomously by the vehicle, triggered upon receiving a gun removal completion confirmation signal from the charging robot, or controlled by a user's closing command sent via a mobile application; this application does not limit the specific actions involved.

[0300] Throughout the robot's remote-controlled actions, the mobile application displays real-time progress and status information, such as text prompts like "Inserting the gun," "Removing the gun," "Robotic arm extending," "Charging connection established," "Charging started," or "Gun removal completed," and / or visual elements like progress bars, animations, simulated robotic arm movements, or countdown timers. The charging robot's light strips synchronously switch to corresponding status lighting effects during the process to provide visual alerts to other personnel who may be present in the garage.

[0301] After the remote control action is completed, the mobile terminal receives the execution result from the charging robot or cloud server and pushes a notification to the user through the mobile application, such as "Remote plugging in complete, charging has started," "Remote unplugging complete, charging port cover closed," or "Remote control execution failed, please check vehicle status." Optionally, the vehicle's infotainment interface (such as the central control screen or the smart island area) also displays the charging status after remote control; and / or, the user can receive execution result notifications in the form of voice broadcasts through a smart home hub, smart speaker, or in-vehicle voice assistant, which is not limited in this application.

[0302] Optionally, users can also temporarily authorize remote control permissions to other users (such as family members, designated drivers, or maintenance personnel) through a mobile application. Authorized users can perform remote insertion or removal of the gun on their mobile terminals. This application does not limit this.

[0303] The beneficial effects of this application scenario are as follows: users do not need to go to the garage in person; they can remotely control the charging robot to perform charging gun insertion or removal operations via mobile terminal from a comfortable indoor environment, office space, or remote location. Through remote communication and automatic collaboration, the vehicle and the charging robot can achieve a fully remote process, from command issuance, robot wake-up, opening and closing of the charging port cover, extension and retraction of the robotic arm, automatic charging gun insertion / removal, to status feedback, truly realizing an intelligent charging experience of "remote control from home." This scenario is particularly suitable for extreme weather, temporary energy replenishment needs, remote management in different locations, and situations where mobility is limited, avoiding the inconvenience and safety hazards of users being exposed to harsh environments, and significantly improving the flexibility, convenience, and user experience of charging control.

[0304] Scenario 4: Scheduled Charging Figure 8 This illustration shows an application scenario of an automatic vehicle charging system provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application. This application scenario is a scheduled charging scenario. Figure 8 As shown, in a home garage, charging spaces are marked on the garage floor with dashed lines. The vehicle has been automatically parked or manually driven into the charging space and parked properly. The charging port on the side of the vehicle is covered and protected by a charging port cover and is in a closed state; or, after the vehicle determines that the charging enable conditions are met, the charging port cover has automatically opened to expose the charging port. This application does not limit this.

[0305] A charging robot is deployed on one side of the charging space (e.g., the left side or rear of the vehicle) and is permanently installed in the charging space of the home garage. Optionally, a light strip is provided above or below the charging robot to provide status visualization and ambient lighting during the charging process.

[0306] In this application scenario, the vehicle enters and parks in the charging area of ​​the parking space at the first moment (e.g., 18:00 in the evening). Optionally, the vehicle can automatically park itself in the charging space after the driver unbuckles their seatbelt; or, the vehicle can first automatically park itself in the charging space using the automatic parking function, and the driver can unbuckle their seatbelt and leave after the vehicle has come to a complete stop; or, the vehicle can be manually driven into the charging space by the driver. In the case of manual parking, the vehicle-mounted interface displays a guidance area including parking space boundary prompts, parking distance guidance, or direction calibration marks to guide the driver to accurately park the vehicle in the target position of the charging area. This application does not limit this aspect.

[0307] After the vehicle comes to a complete stop, the user can set up a scheduled charging task at a second time (e.g., 18:30) through the vehicle's infotainment interface or a mobile application on their mobile device. This scheduled charging task includes at least the scheduled charging start time (e.g., 23:00), and the user can optionally set the charging end time, target battery SOC, charging power limit, charging mode (e.g., slow charging or fast charging), or electricity pricing policy preference. This setting can be completed through the scheduled charging menu on the vehicle's touchscreen; or through the scheduled charging interface within the mobile application; or by issuing a natural language command to a smart home voice assistant (e.g., "Start charging the car at 11 PM tonight"); or by having a cloud server automatically recommend and generate a scheduled plan based on the user's historical charging habits, the next day's travel plans, local time-of-use electricity pricing policies, or grid load forecast data, which takes effect after user confirmation. This application does not limit the scope of this method.

[0308] Optionally, the order in which scheduled charging tasks are set can be flexibly adjusted according to the vehicle parking order. Users can set up scheduled charging tasks in advance via a mobile application, vehicle-mounted interface, or voice assistant before the vehicle is parked in a charging space. These scheduled tasks are already bound to the target vehicle information, target parking space information, or vehicle identification number. When the vehicle subsequently enters and parks in the charging area of ​​that space, the vehicle and the charging robot automatically match the stored scheduled task through vehicle-to-charging station communication. No further user intervention is required; the system directly enters the scheduled waiting state and automatically performs plugging in and charging according to the preset time. This method is suitable for situations where users set up tasks in advance on their way home from get off work and can leave the car directly without any additional operation upon arrival; this application does not limit this approach.

[0309] After the scheduled charging task is set, the vehicle's automatic charging system and charging robot enter a scheduled waiting state. During this waiting phase, the charging robot's light strip switches to a standby light effect (such as a white breathing light) to indicate that the scheduled instruction has been received and it is in a timed waiting state; the vehicle's infotainment interface or mobile application displays the scheduled countdown, the scheduled start time, and the current waiting status, providing feedback to the user that the scheduled appointment has been successfully established. Optionally, during the waiting phase, the vehicle's charging port cover remains closed, and the charging robot remains in a low-power standby or sleep state to save energy and avoid accidental triggering.

[0310] When the scheduled charging start time (e.g., 23:00) arrives, the scheduled charging task is automatically triggered. This triggering can be initiated autonomously by the vehicle's onboard timer or battery management system upon reaching the preset time; it can also be initiated autonomously by the timing module inside the charging robot upon reaching the preset time; or it can be triggered by the cloud server sending a start command to the vehicle or charging robot after detecting that the time has arrived. This application does not limit the triggering to any of these methods. After triggering, the charging robot is awakened from standby mode, and the light strip on its body switches from the scheduled standby light effect to the working light effect to indicate that the scheduled charging operation is about to begin.

[0311] Subsequently, the vehicle's charging port cover automatically opens, exposing the charging interface. The opening of the charging port cover can be initiated autonomously by the vehicle after a scheduled trigger, or it can be executed after receiving instructions from the charging robot or a cloud server; this application does not limit this. The charging robot's robotic arm switches from a retracted state to an extended state. This extended state can be achieved through at least one combination of single-axis linear extension, multi-joint rotation, pitch adjustment, or horizontal translation to adapt to the charging interface position and orientation of different vehicles. The charging connector (such as a charging gun) at the end of the robotic arm automatically docks with the vehicle's charging interface. This docking process can achieve precise alignment and flexible insertion using at least one of the following methods: visual recognition module, laser ranging, structured light positioning, force feedback, or proximity sensor. During this automatic gun insertion, the charging robot's light strip can switch to a gun insertion status light effect (such as a rapid blue breathing pattern) to indicate that a gun insertion operation is in progress. After docking is complete, the charging circuit is established, and the charging robot initiates the charging process, supplying electrical energy to the vehicle's power battery.

[0312] Once charging is initiated, the charging robot's light strip switches to a charging status light effect (such as green breathing), and the vehicle's infotainment interface (such as the central control screen or the dynamic island area) simultaneously displays "Charging" or other charging status prompts, and / or pushes a notification to the user terminal indicating that charging has started, providing feedback that the vehicle is currently in the charging phase.

[0313] Charging continues until the third time (e.g., 06:00 the next day) when the battery SOC reaches the target value set in the scheduled task. This target value can be a user-preset charging upper limit (e.g., 80%, 90%, or 100%); it can also be a safety charging threshold dynamically adjusted based on battery health protection strategies; or it can be the minimum necessary charge estimated based on the next day's travel mileage requirements. This application does not limit this. After the battery SOC reaches the target value, the vehicle's battery management system determines that charging is complete, and the charging robot automatically performs the gun removal operation. This gun removal operation includes: the charging connector at the end of the robotic arm retracting from the vehicle's charging interface, disconnecting the electrical connection, the robotic arm retracting with the charging connector, resetting, and finally switching to the storage state. This gun removal process can use force sensors to monitor the gun removal resistance, a visual recognition module to confirm the interface disengagement state, and proximity sensors to detect obstacles on the retraction path. After the gun removal is completed, optionally, the vehicle's charging port cover automatically closes to protect the charging interface; the charging robot's light strip switches to a charging completion status light effect (e.g., solid green) to indicate that the scheduled charging task has been completed.

[0314] Throughout the entire process of the scheduled charging task, the mobile application records and displays the status of each stage in real time, such as displaying text prompts like "Reservation set," "Waiting," "Automatic insertion of charging gun at the appointed time," "Charging," "Estimated full charge time: 06:00," and "Charging complete, charging gun automatically removed." After charging is complete, the mobile terminal receives the execution result from the charging robot or cloud server and pushes a notification to the user via the mobile application, such as "Scheduled charging complete, vehicle fully charged, robotic arm retracted" or "Scheduled charging failed, please check vehicle status." Optionally, users can receive execution result notifications in the form of voice broadcasts through a smart home hub, smart speaker, or in-vehicle voice assistant; this application does not limit this.

[0315] Optionally, during the reservation waiting phase, users can modify the scheduled charging start time, cancel the current reservation task, or start charging immediately ahead of schedule at any time through the vehicle's infotainment interface, mobile application, or voice command. If the user cancels the reservation, the charging robot remains in standby mode, and the light strip returns to standby lighting effects; if the user starts charging ahead of schedule, the system immediately interrupts the waiting and switches to the automatic charging gun insertion process. This application does not limit this aspect.

[0316] Optionally, the scheduled charging task can also be deeply integrated with the grid's time-of-use pricing strategy. The system can automatically obtain the peak-valley-flat electricity price information of the local power grid, recommend the optimal charging time to users (such as the start of the off-peak electricity period), or automatically trigger charging after the electricity price enters the off-peak period, so as to maximize the reduction of users' electricity costs. Optionally, the scheduled charging task can also be integrated with the home energy management system, for example, prioritizing the use of clean energy for charging when there is sufficient surplus photovoltaic power, or allocating more charging power during off-peak hours of household electricity consumption; this application does not limit this.

[0317] The beneficial effects of this application scenario are as follows: users can pre-set a charging plan at any convenient time after parking their car at home (such as before going to bed at night), eliminating the need to personally go to the garage late at night or in the early morning to plug in the charging gun, or manually unplug it after charging is complete. Through timed scheduling and automatic collaboration, the vehicle and the charging robot can automate the entire process from scheduling, timed wake-up, automatic plugging in, nighttime charging, to automatic unplugging when fully charged. This fully utilizes off-peak electricity hours to reduce charging costs, truly achieving an intelligent charging experience of "timed scheduling, on-time execution, automatic shut-off when fully charged, and immediate use the next day." This scenario is particularly suitable for areas with time-of-use pricing, users who are accustomed to charging at night, families seeking to optimize electricity costs, and users with regular schedules who want a fully charged vehicle the next morning, significantly improving the economy, convenience, and automation of charging.

[0318] Scenario 5: Automated charging at public charging stations Figure 9This illustration shows an application scenario of an automatic vehicle charging system provided by an exemplary embodiment of this application. This application scenario is an automatic charging scenario at a public charging station. Figure 9 As shown, in public charging stations (such as underground parking garages in shopping malls or public parking lots), multiple charging spaces are marked on the ground, indicated by dashed lines, and arranged along both sides of the passageway. Each charging space is equipped with a fixed charging robot, and each charging robot communicates with the station-level charging operation platform via wired or wireless network.

[0319] Once a vehicle enters a public charging station, it obtains information about available charging spaces through its in-vehicle navigation or a mobile application and navigates to the corresponding space. After parking, the vehicle establishes a communication connection with the charging robot associated with that space via Bluetooth, UWB, or visual recognition. The charging robot verifies the vehicle's identity through license plate recognition, VIN code reading, or mobile application account matching, and matches the vehicle's identification against the registered user database on the charging operation platform.

[0320] Once a match is successful, the charging operation platform automatically creates a charging order and associates the order with the vehicle's identification, user account, parking space identifier, charging robot identifier, and the user's linked payment account. After the charging order is created, the charging robot performs automatic plug-in and charging start operations following a process similar to Scenario 1.

[0321] After charging is complete, the charging operation platform automatically generates the charging fee based on the recorded electricity consumption changes and time-of-use pricing rules, and initiates a seamless deduction through the user's linked payment account. Upon successful deduction, the charging robot automatically disconnects the charging gun, closes the charging port cover, and updates the charging order status to "Completed." The user receives a charging completion notification and electronic bill in the mobile application and can immediately get into their vehicle and leave without any on-site intervention.

[0322] The beneficial effects of this application scenario are as follows: By deploying multiple fixed charging robots in public charging stations, each corresponding to a charging space, and through the charging operation platform, a closed-loop process is achieved, including vehicle navigation guidance, parking space allocation, vehicle-charging station identification matching, automatic creation of charging orders, automatic plugging in charging, time-of-use electricity pricing, contactless payment deduction, and automatic unplugging of charging guns to complete the order. This eliminates the need for users to perform operations such as finding an available parking space, getting out of the car to scan the code, manually plugging in the charging gun, waiting for the battery to fully charge, manually settling the bill, and unplugging the charging gun and returning it to its original position in public charging scenarios. This significantly improves the convenience, intelligence, and commercial operation efficiency of public charging services.

[0323] Optionally, the above five scenarios are merely illustrative examples and do not constitute a limitation on the application scenarios of this application. In actual implementation, the vehicle automatic charging system can also be applied to other scenarios not shown or described in detail above, and this application does not limit such applications.

[0324] Figure 10 A block diagram of an automatic vehicle charging system 1000 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown. The automatic vehicle charging system 1000 includes: a vehicle 1010, a charging robot 1020, and a control module 1030.

[0325] Vehicle 1010 is used to: determine vehicle-side information, which includes information related to vehicle 1010 and used to determine whether to trigger vehicle charging connection.

[0326] The charging robot 1020 includes a mechanical actuator and a charging connector. The mechanical actuator is used to drive the charging connector to dock or disconnect from the vehicle's charging interface.

[0327] The control module 1030 is deployed in one or more of the following: vehicles, charging robots, cloud servers, edge gateways, charging operation platforms, property service platforms, vehicle-home interconnection platforms, and energy management platforms.

[0328] The control module 1030 is used to: determine whether the vehicle needs to be automatically charged based on vehicle-side information, and if it is determined that the vehicle needs to be automatically charged, control the charging robot to connect the charging connector to the charging interface, and enable the vehicle to enter the charging state after a rechargeable connection is formed.

[0329] Determining that the vehicle needs to be automatically charged includes determining that the automatic charging indication conditions are met. These automatic charging indication conditions include conditions that trigger the vehicle charging connection without requiring a real-time plug-in command input by the user after parking.

[0330] In some embodiments, the control module 1030 is further configured to implement one or more of the following: charging start control, determination of charging end conditions, unplugging control, charging order creation, fee settlement, and deduction request.

[0331] In some embodiments, the vehicle 1010, the charging robot 1020, and the control module 1030 transmit vehicle-side information, robot status information, charging process status information, remote control commands, system setting parameters, order status information, or payment status information through one or more of the following: short-range wireless communication, wireless local area network communication, cellular mobile network communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, ultra-wideband communication, near-field communication, vehicle network forwarding, and cloud server forwarding.

[0332] In some embodiments, the charging robot 1020 further includes a storage cavity for housing a mechanical actuator and / or a charging connector. The mechanical actuator is stored in the storage cavity in a folded, curled, or retracted state when not charging, and extends out of the storage cavity when charging to drive the charging connector to dock with the vehicle's charging interface.

[0333] Optionally, the storage cavity includes an opening and closing element, which includes one or more of the following: a door, a cover, a sliding cover, a roller shutter, a flip cover, and a telescopic baffle.

[0334] Optionally, the control module 1030 can be deployed in at least one of the vehicle 1010, the charging robot 1020, and the cloud server.

[0335] When the control module 1030 is deployed on the vehicle: The control module 1030 is integrated into the vehicle body controller, on-board gateway, or battery management system of the vehicle 1010. The vehicle 1010 collects vehicle-side information in real time through the in-vehicle sensor network, including gear position, seat pressure, seat belt status, charging port cover status, and battery SOC, and performs logical calculations and judgments on automatic charging indication conditions locally. When the enable condition is determined to be met, the vehicle 1010 sends a charging interface opening request and enable confirmation signal to the charging robot 1020 via short-range wireless communication methods such as Bluetooth, ultra-wideband, or Wi-Fi. After receiving the signal, the charging robot 1020 executes the extension and docking action of the mechanical actuator through its local motion controller, and sends the docking status back to the vehicle 1010 after docking is completed. After confirming that a rechargeable connection has been established, the vehicle 1010 controls the on-board high-voltage relay to close, putting the vehicle into charging mode.

[0336] The advantage of this deployment method is that the enable determination and charging start decision are close to the vehicle-side data source, with low response latency. Even if the wide area network between the vehicle, charging station and the cloud is interrupted, the vehicle and the charging robot can still complete the automatic charging closed loop based on local direct communication.

[0337] When the control module 1030 is deployed on the robot: The control module 1030 is integrated into the industrial control computer or main control unit of the charging robot 1020. The charging robot 1020 initiates a vehicle-side information query request to the vehicle 1010 via the vehicle-to-charging-pile communication link. The vehicle 1010 responds and reports the vehicle-side information (such as SOC, charging interface status, and occupant departure status) to the charging robot 1020. Based on the received vehicle-side information and combined with locally preset enabling judgment rules (such as SOC below a threshold, interface already opened, and no occupants remaining), the charging robot 1020 completes the determination of automatic charging indication conditions on the robot side. After the determination is met, the charging robot 1020 directly controls the mechanical actuator to perform extension, alignment, and insertion actions. After detecting that the mechanical connection and electrical handshake are completed, it sends a charging start command to the vehicle 1010 or controls its own power module output to put the vehicle into charging state.

[0338] The advantage of this deployment method is that the charging robot, as the on-site execution entity, has complete autonomous decision-making capabilities and can adapt to vehicles of different brands and communication protocols, reducing the dependence on the level of vehicle intelligence.

[0339] When the control module 1030 is deployed in the cloud: The control module 1030 runs as a software module on a cloud server, charging operation platform, or energy management platform. Vehicle 1010 and charging robot 1020 report their respective status information (vehicle-side condition information, robot position and attitude information) to the cloud control module 1030 in real time via a cellular mobile network or local area network gateway. The cloud control module 1030 aggregates data from both sides, combining user reservation tasks, grid time-of-use pricing strategies, station scheduling plans, and payment account status to perform global automatic charging indication condition determination and charging strategy generation. When the cloud determines that the enabling conditions are met, it issues a charging nozzle control command to the charging robot 1020 and a charging interface opening and high-voltage ready command to the vehicle 1010. After each executing its local actions, the charging robot 1020 and vehicle 1010 transmit the execution results back to the cloud, which confirms the establishment of a charging connection and records the charging start time.

[0340] The advantage of this deployment method is that it can realize centralized scheduling of charging resources across regions and multiple sites, big data analysis of user behavior, dynamic electricity price optimization, and deep integration with third-party platforms (such as property service platforms and vehicle-home interconnection platforms), which facilitates unified management and strategy iteration for operators.

[0341] In some embodiments, the control module 1030 adopts a distributed collaborative deployment, that is, functional sub-modules are deployed on the vehicle side, robot side, and cloud side respectively, and the three work together in a hierarchical manner to complete the overall control of the vehicle automatic charging system 1000. For example, the vehicle-side control sub-module is responsible for high-frequency, low-latency vehicle-side information collection and preliminary safety verification (such as whether the gear is in P gear, whether the occupants have left the vehicle); the robot-side control sub-module is responsible for real-time motion planning of mechanical actuators, visual servo closed-loop, and local safety protection (such as collision detection and emergency stop response); the cloud-side control sub-module is responsible for low-frequency, global business decisions (such as user authentication, order creation, payment settlement, charging strategy optimization, and cross-device command relay). The vehicle and robot maintain millisecond-level state synchronization via short-range wireless communication, while the robot and cloud maintain second-level business interaction via cellular network or Ethernet. When the vehicle-to-charging direct communication is interrupted, the cloud control submodule can act as a relay to forward data between the two parties, or execute a security degradation strategy based on the state cache of the last synchronization. When the cloud network is interrupted, the vehicle and robot can continue to complete the current charging process based on locally preset enabling rules and security protection mechanisms, ensuring that the system still has basic autonomy and reliability in weak network or network outage scenarios.

[0342] It should be noted that the specific limitations of the above-described embodiments of the automatic vehicle charging system can be found in the limitations of the vehicle charging method described above (e.g., Figures 2 to 7 (This will not be elaborated upon here.)

[0343] In summary, through the aforementioned automatic vehicle charging system, the charging robot can establish a connection with the vehicle and automatically plug or unplug the charging gun, overcoming the limitations of relying on manual labor in related technologies and realizing seamless charging based on the objective state of the vehicle.

[0344] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a charging robot 1100 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown. The charging robot 1100 can be used to execute the method steps in the above embodiments. The charging robot 1100 includes: a processor 1101, an input / output device 1102, a memory 1103, and a peripheral execution device 1104.

[0345] The processor 1101 includes one or more processing cores. The processor 1101 executes various functional applications and information processing by running software programs and modules.

[0346] The memory 1103 can be connected to the processor 1101 and the input / output device 1102.

[0347] The memory 1103 can be used to store a computer program executed by the processor, and the processor 1101 is used to execute the computer program to implement the various steps in the above method embodiments.

[0348] The peripheral actuator 1104 includes a mechanical actuator, a charging connector, a status indicator unit (such as an LED strip), and an environmental perception module. The mechanical actuator is used to perform extension, retraction, folding, rotation, translation, and insertion / extraction actions; the charging connector is integrated at the end of the mechanical actuator for docking with the vehicle charging interface; the status indicator unit is used to present visual status prompts corresponding to the robot's status; the environmental perception module includes a camera, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensors, and proximity sensors for detecting the vehicle position, charging interface position, obstacles, living objects, and the status of the storage cavity.

[0349] The input / output device 1102 includes a communication module (such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular network, UWB, CAN bus interface), an energy metering unit, a charging power module, and a human-machine interface, used for data interaction with the target vehicle, cloud control platform, and user terminal.

[0350] Furthermore, memory 1103 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, including but not limited to: magnetic disks or optical disks, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, static on-demand memory, read-only memory, magnetic memory, flash memory, and programmable read-only memory.

[0351] For details not described in this embodiment, please refer to the method-side embodiment above, which will not be repeated here.

[0352] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of a vehicle 1200 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown. The vehicle 1200 can be used to perform the method steps in the above embodiments. The vehicle 1200 includes: a processor 1201, an input / output device 1202, a memory 1203, and a touchscreen 1204.

[0353] The processor 1201 includes one or more processing cores. The processor 1201 executes various functional applications and information processing by running software programs and modules.

[0354] The memory 1203 can be connected to the processor 1201 and the input / output device 1202.

[0355] The memory 1203 can be used to store a computer program executed by the processor, and the processor 1201 is used to execute the computer program to implement the various steps in the above method embodiments.

[0356] Furthermore, the memory 1203 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, including but not limited to: magnetic disks or optical disks, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, static on-demand memory, read-only memory, magnetic memory, flash memory, and programmable read-only memory.

[0357] In some embodiments, when the processor 1201 of the vehicle 1200 is configured to execute the vehicle-side charging method, it specifically includes the following functional modules: The status perception module is used to collect vehicle-side condition information in real time through the vehicle status perception unit and generate automatic charging indication information based on the condition information. The communication control module is used to establish a two-way communication connection with the charging robot through the communication unit, and to send vehicle-side information and receive robot status information. The vehicle-machine interaction module is used to display charging status information via the touch screen 1204 in a dynamic island-style area or a floating window, and to provide an operation entry point. The charging control module is used to control the opening and closing of the charging port cover, BMS communication handshake, and the closing and opening of the high-voltage relay through the charging interface control unit. The remote synchronization module is used to maintain data synchronization with the user terminal via cellular network or Wi-Fi, and to receive system setting parameters and remote control commands.

[0358] The aforementioned functional modules enable the vehicle to autonomously perform operations such as determining charging status, controlling the charging port cover, monitoring the charging process, and handling the end of charging, thus achieving automatic charging in conjunction with the charging robot.

[0359] For details not described in this embodiment, please refer to the method-side embodiment above, which will not be repeated here.

[0360] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for execution by a processor to implement the vehicle charging method performed by the aforementioned computer device. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may include ROM (Read-Only Memory), RAM (Random-Access Memory), SSD (Solid State Drives), or optical disc, etc. The random access memory may include ReRAM (Resistance Random Access Memory) and DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0361] This application also provides a chip, which includes programmable logic circuits and / or program instructions, and is used to implement the above-described vehicle charging method when the chip is running.

[0362] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor reads from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer program to implement the above-described vehicle charging method.

[0363] It should be understood that the term "instruction" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct instruction, an indirect instruction, or an indication of a relationship. For example, A instructing B can mean that A directly instructs B, such as B being able to obtain information through A; it can also mean that A indirectly instructs B, such as A instructing C, so B can obtain information through C; or it can mean that there is a relationship between A and B.

[0364] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "correspondence" may indicate that there is a direct or indirect correspondence between two things, or that there is an association between two things, or that there is a relationship of instruction and being instructed, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0365] In some embodiments of this application, "predefined" can be achieved by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other means of indicating relevant information in the device (e.g., including sensing signal receiving nodes and sensing signal transmitting nodes). This application does not limit the illustrative implementation method. For example, "predefined" can refer to what is defined in the protocol.

[0366] In this article, "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0367] In this article, "greater than or equal to" can mean greater than or equal to, and "less than or equal to" can mean less than or equal to.

[0368] Furthermore, the step numbers described herein are merely illustrative of one possible execution order between steps. In some other embodiments, the steps may not be executed in the order of their numbers, such as two steps with different numbers being executed simultaneously, or two steps with different numbers being executed in the reverse order of the illustration. This application does not limit this.

[0369] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the functions described in the embodiments of this application in one or more of the above examples can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0370] It should be noted that the user data collection and transmission involved in each embodiment of this application have been encrypted and are executed or used in accordance with the laws and regulations of each country or region and with the authorization of the user.

[0371] The above are merely exemplary embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application shall be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A vehicle charging method, characterized in that, The method is performed by a charging robot, which includes a mechanical actuator for moving the charging connector. The method includes: Establish a communication connection with the target vehicle located within the charging area; Based on the communication connection, vehicle-side information is obtained, including information related to the target vehicle and used to determine whether to trigger the vehicle charging connection. If it is determined based on the vehicle-side information that the target vehicle needs to be automatically charged, the mechanical actuator is controlled to connect the charging connector to the charging interface of the target vehicle. Upon detecting that the charging connector has formed a rechargeable connection with the charging interface, or upon receiving a charging preparation completion message from the target vehicle, the target vehicle is brought into charging mode.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vehicle-side information includes vehicle-side condition information and / or automatic charging indication information. The vehicle-side condition information is used to characterize the parking status and / or charging demand status of the target vehicle in the charging area. The automatic charging indication information is generated based on the vehicle-side condition information and is used to indicate whether the target vehicle needs automatic charging.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The vehicle-side condition information includes at least one of the following: Vehicle location information, which is used to indicate whether the target vehicle is located in the charging area or whether the docking location conditions are met; Parking status information, which is used to indicate whether the target vehicle has completed automatic parking or manual parking; Gear status information, which is used to indicate whether the target vehicle is in parking gear; Driver behavior status information, which is used to indicate whether the driver's seat belt is unfastened, whether the driver has left the vehicle, whether the driver's door is open, or whether the driver's seat is unoccupied. Occupant behavior status information, which is used to indicate the seat belt status, door opening status, exit status, seat occupancy status, or whether there are any occupants left in the vehicle for the front passenger and / or rear passengers. Charging interface status information, which is used to indicate whether the charging port cover is open or whether the charging interface can be connected. Battery power information, which is used to indicate the current battery state of charge, the target battery state of charge, or the remaining driving range.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Before controlling the mechanical actuator to dock the charging connector with the charging interface of the target vehicle, the method further includes at least one of the following: Send a charging interface activation request to the target vehicle; Receive information from the target vehicle indicating that the charging interface is enabled; The charging robot detects that the charging interface is in a dockable state using sensors or cameras.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The charging port of the target vehicle is automatically opened by the target vehicle when it is determined to perform automatic charging. The target vehicle determines to perform automatic charging based on the vehicle-side information or the confirmation information from the charging robot.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: If it is determined that automatic charging of the target vehicle will be performed, a charging interface opening request is sent to the target vehicle; or, the charging interface on the target vehicle is opened by the mechanical actuator.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Before controlling the mechanical actuator to dock the charging connector with the charging interface of the target vehicle, the method further includes: The location of the charging interface is determined based on one or more of the following: image of the target vehicle, depth information, location tag information, or charging interface identification information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method of controlling the mechanical actuator to connect the charging connector to the charging interface of the target vehicle includes: Based on the relative position and / or relative posture between the charging robot and the target vehicle, the mechanical actuator is controlled to perform one or more actions such as extending, lifting, folding and unfolding, rotating, translating, posture adjustment and insertion, so as to make the charging connector dock with the charging interface.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The step of putting the target vehicle into a charging state includes: After detecting that the charging connector and the charging interface have formed one or more of the following connections: mechanical connection, electrical connection, communication handshake connection, charging protocol handshake completion, and insulation detection pass, the system controls the output of the charging power supply or sends a charging start request to one or more of the target vehicle, the charging pile connected to the charging robot, the energy management device, or the cloud server.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send robot status information to the target vehicle or user terminal. The robot status information includes one or more of the following: standby status, matching status, docking status, charging status, charging completed status, paused status, fault status, emergency stop status, and driverless status.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: Visual status prompts corresponding to the robot's status information are presented through the status prompt unit set in the charging robot; The visual status prompts include at least one of the following: standby state corresponds to a first color or a first dynamic effect; matching state corresponds to a second color or a second dynamic effect; docking state corresponds to a third color or a third dynamic effect; charging state corresponds to a fourth color or a fourth dynamic effect; charging completed or paused state corresponds to a fifth color or a fifth dynamic effect; and fault or emergency stop state corresponds to a sixth color or a sixth dynamic effect.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the charging end conditions are met, the mechanical actuator is controlled to pull the charging connector out of the charging interface; The charging termination conditions include one or more of the following: the target battery state of charge is reached, charging is completed, scheduled charging ends, user interruption command is received, vehicle travel demand is detected, user vehicle usage intention is detected, fault is detected, emergency stop is detected, or foreign object or living person enters the risk area.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, After controlling the mechanical actuator to disconnect the charging connector from the charging interface, the method further includes at least one of the following: Send a disconnection completion message to the target vehicle; The target vehicle is requested to close the charging port cover. Control the charging robot to return to the standby position or to store the mechanical actuator; The system pushes charging completion information to the user terminal. The charging completion information includes one or more of the following: charging amount, increased driving range, charging time, charging cost, and completion time.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, Whether the target vehicle requires automatic charging is determined based on at least one of the following: The target vehicle is located in the charging area or meets the docking position conditions; The target vehicle completes automatic parking or manual parking; The target vehicle is in the parking position; The driver's seatbelt is unfastened, the driver is out of the vehicle, the driver's door is open, or the driver's seat is unoccupied. The seat belt status, door status, exit status, seat occupancy status, or status of any occupants remaining in the vehicle for the front passenger and / or rear passengers meet the preset safety conditions. The charging interface is in a dockable state; The target vehicle has a charging requirement; The user-pre-configured automatic gun insertion switch is enabled; One or more of the following preset conditions must be met: scheduled charging time, target battery state of charge, travel plan, off-peak electricity hours, home energy management strategy, parking space availability, and public charging order status.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive remote control commands from user terminals, vehicle-mounted interfaces, intelligent voice assistants, vehicle-home interconnection platforms, property service terminals, or charging operation platforms; Based on the remote control command, one or more of the following operations are executed: insertion, removal, pause, resume charging, scheduled charging, cancel scheduled charging, and emergency stop release.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: During docking, charging, or unplugging, in response to the detection of an abnormal environmental event, the current action of the mechanical actuator is stopped, or the charging robot is put into a fault state or emergency stop state. The abnormal environmental events include one or more of the following: obstacles between the charging robot and the target vehicle, a living person entering a risk area, collision with a foreign object, vehicle movement, abnormal charging interface position, abnormal charging current, and communication interruption.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, The determination of whether the target vehicle needs automatic charging, the docking control of the mechanical actuator, the control of the target vehicle entering the charging state, the determination of the charging end condition, and the removal control of the mechanical actuator are at least one of the following collaboratively implemented by the charging robot, the target vehicle, and the cloud control platform.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The cloud control platform includes one or more of the following: cloud server, charging operation platform, property service platform, vehicle-home interconnection platform, energy management platform, edge gateway, and parking management platform.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: The charging robot receives charging control commands from the target vehicle and / or the cloud control platform, and performs one or more operations based on the charging control commands, including docking, starting charging, pausing, continuing charging, unplugging, storing, emergency stop, or fault clearing.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: The charging robot reports one or more of the following information to at least one of the target vehicle, the cloud control platform, or the user terminal: robot status information, docking status information, charging status information, safety detection information, fault information, unplugging completion information, and storage completion information; so that the cloud control platform can generate or update the charging control strategy based on the reported information.

21. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that, In the event of a direct communication interruption between the charging robot and the target vehicle, the charging robot may continue the charging process or enter a pause, standby, fault, or emergency stop state based on forwarded information or control commands from the cloud control platform or control commands from the user terminal.

22. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that, The charging robot includes a housing cavity for housing the mechanical actuator and / or the charging connector; Before controlling the mechanical actuator to dock the charging connector with the charging interface of the target vehicle, the method further includes: The opening and closing mechanism of the storage cavity is controlled to open, and the mechanical actuator, which is in a folded, curled, or retracted state, is controlled to extend out of the storage cavity.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, After controlling the mechanical actuator to disconnect the charging connector from the charging interface, the method further includes: The mechanical actuator is controlled to retract the charging connector into the storage cavity, and the opening and closing mechanism of the storage cavity is controlled to close. The opening and closing components include one or more of the following: hatch, cover plate, sliding cover, roller shutter door, flip cover, and telescopic baffle.

24. The method according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that, The method further includes: During the extension or retraction of the mechanical actuator, one or more of the following are detected: the opening and closing state of the storage cavity, the folding state of the mechanical actuator, the storage position of the charging connector, and the state of foreign objects in the storage cavity. If it is detected that the storage cavity is not fully opened, the mechanical actuator is not fully retracted, or there is a foreign object in the storage cavity, the operation of the mechanical actuator shall be stopped, or the charging robot shall be put into a fault state or emergency stop state.

25. A method for charging a vehicle, characterized in that, The method is performed by a vehicle, and the method includes: When the vehicle is located in a rechargeable area corresponding to the charging robot, vehicle-side information is determined, including information related to the vehicle and used to determine whether to trigger a vehicle charging connection. Establish a communication connection with the charging robot; The vehicle-side information is sent to the charging robot based on the communication connection, so that when the vehicle determines that automatic charging is needed, the charging robot controls the charging robot to dock the charging connector with the vehicle's charging interface. After the charging connector forms a rechargeable connection with the charging interface, or after receiving docking completion information sent by the charging robot, the vehicle enters the charging state.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, The vehicle-side information includes vehicle-side condition information and / or automatic charging indication information. The vehicle-side condition information is used to characterize the vehicle's parking status and / or charging demand status within the charging area. The automatic charging indication information is generated based on the vehicle-side condition information and is used to indicate whether the vehicle needs automatic charging.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that, The vehicle-side condition information includes at least one of the following: Vehicle location information, parking completion information, parking gear information, driver's seatbelt unfastened information, driver exit information, driver's door status information, driver's seat occupancy status information, passenger seatbelt status information, passenger door status information, passenger exit status information, passenger seat occupancy status information, status of passengers remaining in the vehicle, charging port cover status information, battery charge status information, target battery charge status information, automatic charging gun switch status, scheduled charging time, travel plan information, and public charging order information.

28. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, Before sending the vehicle-side information to the charging robot, the method further includes: If it is determined that the vehicle has completed parking and there is a charging need, the charging port cover of the vehicle is automatically opened, or the charging port cover is opened in response to a charging interface opening request sent by the charging robot.

29. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 28, characterized in that, The vehicle's charging port is automatically opened by the vehicle when it is determined to perform automatic charging. The vehicle determines to perform automatic charging based on the vehicle-side information or the confirmation information from the charging robot.

30. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, Whether the vehicle requires automatic charging is determined based on one or more of the following: The vehicle is located in the charging area; The vehicle has completed parking; The vehicle was in the parking position; The driver's seatbelt is unfastened, the driver is out of the vehicle, the driver's door is open, or the driver's seat is unoccupied. The seat belt status, door status, exit status, seat occupancy status, or status of any occupants remaining in the vehicle for the front passenger and / or rear passengers meet the preset safety conditions. The vehicle has a charging requirement. The automatic gun insertion function is enabled.

31. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, The method further includes: Display charging robot status information or charging process status information on the vehicle's infotainment interface; The charging process status information includes one or more of the following: standby, matching, insertion, charging preparation, charging, scheduled, removal, charging complete, paused, fault, and emergency stop.

32. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that, The vehicle-mounted interactive interface displays the charging process status information in one or more of the following ways: floating window, status bar, card, dynamic island style area, full-screen prompt, voice prompt, and icon prompt, and provides one or more operation entry points: start, pause, interrupt, unplug, emergency stop, and cancel reservation.

33. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, The method further includes: Synchronize charging process data with the user terminal and receive system setting parameters or remote control commands from the user terminal; The system settings parameters include one or more of the following: automatic charging gun switch, target battery state of charge, scheduled charging time, off-peak electricity hours, travel plan, and notification method; the remote control commands include one or more of the following: remote insertion, remote removal, pause charging, resume charging, cancel scheduled charging, and emergency stop.

34. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the charging end conditions are met, a pull-out request or charging end information is sent to the charging robot so that the charging robot pulls the charging connector out of the charging interface. The charging termination conditions include one or more of the following: the target battery state of charge is reached, the scheduled charging ends, a user interruption command is received, a travel demand is detected, a user's vehicle usage intention is detected, a fault is detected, or a vehicle movement risk is detected.

35. The method according to claim 34, characterized in that, After the charging robot has finished unplugging, the method further includes: Control the charging port cover to close; The charging details are displayed on the vehicle's infotainment interface or user terminal. These details include one or more of the following: charging amount, increased driving range, charging time, charging cost, and completion time.

36. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 35, characterized in that, At least one of the following: the generation of vehicle-side information, the control of the vehicle entering the charging state, the determination of the charging end condition, and the generation of the unplug request, is achieved collaboratively by one or more of the vehicle, the charging robot, and the cloud control platform.

37. The method according to claim 36, characterized in that, The vehicle sends one or more of the following to the cloud control platform: vehicle-side information, charging demand information, user account information, vehicle identification, reserved charging information, and public charging order information. It also receives charging authorization information, charging control information, order status information, billing information, or payment status information returned by the cloud control platform.

38. An automatic charging system for vehicles, characterized in that, Includes vehicles, charging robots, and control modules; The vehicle is used to determine vehicle-side information, which includes information related to the vehicle and used to determine whether to trigger a vehicle charging connection. The charging robot includes a mechanical actuator and a charging connector. The mechanical actuator is used to drive the charging connector to dock or disconnect with the charging interface of the vehicle. The control module is deployed in one or more of the vehicle, the charging robot, the cloud server, the edge gateway, the charging operation platform, the property service platform, the vehicle-home interconnection platform, and the energy management platform; The control module is used to determine whether the vehicle needs to be automatically charged based on the vehicle-side information, and if it is determined that the vehicle needs to be automatically charged, control the charging robot to connect the charging connector to the charging interface, and enable the vehicle to enter the charging state after a rechargeable connection is formed.

39. The system according to claim 38, characterized in that, The control module is also used to implement one or more of the following: charging start control, determination of charging end conditions, unplugging control, charging order creation, fee settlement, and deduction request.

40. The system according to claim 38 or 39, characterized in that, The charging robot also includes a storage cavity for housing the mechanical actuator and / or the charging connector. The mechanical actuator is folded, curled up or retracted in the storage cavity when not charging, and extends out of the storage cavity when charging to drive the charging connector to dock with the charging interface of the vehicle.

41. The system according to claim 40, characterized in that, The storage cavity includes opening and closing components, which include one or more of the following: a hatch, a cover, a sliding cover, a roller shutter, a flip cover, and a telescopic baffle.

42. A charging robot, characterized in that, It includes a processor, a communication unit, a mechanical actuator, and a charging connector, wherein the processor is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 24.

43. A vehicle, characterized in that, It includes a processor, a communication unit, a vehicle status sensing unit, and a charging interface control unit, wherein the processor is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 25 to 37.

44. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 37.

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