An apparatus and method for plugging and unplugging a charging head

Abstract

According to embodiments of this disclosure, an apparatus and method for inserting and removing a charging head are provided. The apparatus includes: a robotic arm; a robotic hand rotatably connected to one end of the robotic arm; a vision recognition module disposed on the robotic hand and configured to recognize visual images of the environment surrounding the robotic hand; and a controller coupled to the vision recognition module and configured to: drive the robotic hand to grasp the charging head based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head; acquire the visual image recognized by the vision recognition module; determine the interface pose information of the interface to be charged based on the visual image; and drive the robotic hand to perform an insertion operation based on the interface pose information. Based on this approach, embodiments of this disclosure can automatically and accurately insert the charging head into the charging interface, improving charging convenience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to the field of computers, and particularly to an apparatus, method, device, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product for plugging and unplugging a charging head. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, charging stations have become a crucial part of their infrastructure. Currently, the most common charging method is still plug-in charging, which requires manually inserting the charging adapter into the car's charging dock and then manually unplugging it after charging is complete. There is a lack of a device on the market that can automatically and accurately connect and disconnect the charging adapter. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for inserting and removing a charging head is provided. The apparatus includes a robotic arm, a robotic hand, a vision recognition module, and a controller, wherein the robotic hand is rotatably connected to one end of the robotic arm; the vision recognition module is disposed on the robotic hand and configured to recognize visual images of the environment surrounding the robotic hand; the controller is coupled to the vision recognition module and configured to: drive the robotic hand to grasp the charging head based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head; acquire the visual image recognized by the vision recognition module; determine the interface pose information of the interface to be charged based on the visual image; and drive the robotic hand to perform an insertion operation based on the interface pose information.

[0004] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a method for inserting and removing a charging head is provided. The method includes: driving a robotic arm to grasp the charging head based on an initial position of the charging head; acquiring a visual image of the environment surrounding the robotic arm; determining interface pose information of the interface to be charged based on the visual image; and driving the robotic arm to perform an insertion operation based on the interface pose information.

[0005] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a control device for inserting and removing a charging head is provided. The device includes: a charging head gripping module, an image acquisition module, an information determination module, and a charging head insertion module. The charging head gripping module is configured to drive a robotic arm to grip the charging head based on its initial position; the image acquisition module is configured to acquire a visual image of the environment surrounding the robotic arm; the information determination module is configured to determine the interface pose information of the interface to be charged based on the visual image; and the charging head insertion module is configured to drive the robotic arm to perform an insertion operation based on the interface pose information.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The device includes at least one processing unit; and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processing unit and storing instructions for execution by the at least one processing unit. When executed by the at least one processing unit, the instructions cause the device to perform the method of the second aspect.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. This computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that can be executed by a processor to implement the method of the second aspect.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method of the second aspect.

[0009] It should be understood that the content described in this summary section is not intended to limit the key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to restrict the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The above and other features, advantages, and aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements, wherein:

[0011] Figures 1A to 1B A schematic diagram of a device for plugging and unplugging a charging head is shown in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0012] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating an implementation process for plugging and unplugging a charging head according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0013] Figure 3A and Figure 3B Timing diagrams for inserting and removing the charging head according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown respectively;

[0014] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method for plugging and unplugging a charging head according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 5 A schematic structural block diagram of an example device for identifying vehicle parking type according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0016] Figure 6 A block diagram of an apparatus capable of implementing several embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While some embodiments of this disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of this disclosure. It should be understood that the accompanying drawings and embodiments of this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0018] It should be noted that the headings of any section / subsection provided herein are not limiting. Various embodiments are described throughout this document, and embodiments of any type may be included under any section / subsection. Furthermore, embodiments described in any section / subsection may be combined in any way with any other embodiments described in the same section / subsection and / or different sections / subsections.

[0019] In the description of embodiments of this disclosure, the term "comprising" and similar terms should be understood as open-ended inclusion, i.e., "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on". The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "some embodiments" should be understood as "at least some embodiments". Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below. The terms "first", "second", etc., may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0020] The embodiments of this disclosure may involve user data, data acquisition, and / or use. All of these aspects comply with applicable laws, regulations, and relevant provisions. In the embodiments of this disclosure, all data collection, acquisition, processing, manipulation, forwarding, and use are conducted with the user's knowledge and confirmation. Accordingly, in implementing the embodiments of this disclosure, the type, scope of use, and usage scenarios of any data or information that may be involved should be communicated to the user and their authorization obtained in accordance with relevant laws and regulations through appropriate means. The specific methods of notification and / or authorization may vary depending on the actual situation and application scenario, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0021] In this specification and the embodiments, any processing of personal information will be carried out only under the premise of legality (such as obtaining the consent of the personal information subject, or being necessary for the performance of a contract), and will only be carried out within the scope stipulated or agreed upon. A user's refusal to process personal information other than that necessary for basic functions will not affect the user's use of basic functions.

[0022] As briefly mentioned earlier, with the rapid development of new energy vehicles, car owners need convenient and fast charging services. However, traditional manual plug-and-play charging guns are inconvenient to operate and pose safety hazards. For example, some charging guns require a lot of force during plugging and unplugging, which can easily lead to incomplete insertion, affecting charging efficiency and stability, and even affecting battery life.

[0023] Moreover, due to the differences in the height, orientation, and specifications of charging ports on different car models, the design of related charging equipment requires specific fixtures or a large number of pre-set designs, which lacks universality and is costly.

[0024] In addition, in existing devices that assist in plugging and unplugging charging heads, the robotic arms do not have a force feedback design or only use a simple rigid strategy when plugging and unplugging the charging head. This can easily generate excessive insertion force, and even a slight deviation may damage the charging head or the vehicle's charging interface, resulting in damage to the charging head or charging interface.

[0025] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a facility that can provide automatic plug-in and unplug charging head service.

[0026] Embodiments of this disclosure propose a scheme for inserting and removing a charging head. According to various embodiments of this disclosure, a robotic arm is driven to grasp the charging head based on its initial position coordinates; a visual image of the environment surrounding the robotic arm is acquired; the interface pose information of the interface to be charged is determined based on the acquired visual image; and then the robotic arm is driven to perform an insertion operation based on the interface pose information to complete the automatic insertion of the charging head.

[0027] In this way, embodiments of the present disclosure can improve the automation, safety and reliability of charging head insertion.

[0028] In addition, in the embodiments of this disclosure, a force feedback module can be provided to detect the force information of the robot during operation, thereby assisting in correcting the position and posture of the robot and the charging head and accurately determining whether the charging head is inserted in place, ensuring accurate and safe insertion of the charging head, ensuring charging efficiency, and ensuring the service life of the charging head and charging interface.

[0029] Example Structure

[0030] Figures 1A to 1B A schematic diagram of a device for plugging and unplugging a charging head according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. This device can be used to automatically grasp the charging head and insert it into the charging port, and automatically unplug the charging head after charging is complete.

[0031] like Figure 1AAs shown, the charging head 101 is the power output terminal of the charging mechanism 102, used to connect to the charging interface of the device to be charged (e.g., a new energy vehicle) to charge the device. The charging mechanism 102 can be a charging pile or a separate component of a charging pile. For example, a charging pile can have at least two charging arms 102, each equipped with a charging head 101. The device provided in this embodiment automatically grasps the charging head 101 according to charging demand and accurately inserts it into the charging interface; it can also remove and reset the charging head 101 after charging is complete.

[0032] Reference Figure 1A As shown, the device 100A may include a robotic arm 110, a robotic hand 120, a vision recognition module 130, and a controller 140.

[0033] In some implementations, the robotic arm 110 can be a fixed-length structure, such as a fixed-length support arm structure fixedly mounted on the charging arm 102.

[0034] In some implementations, the robotic arm 110 can be a variable-length structure, such as a telescopic structure. For example, the robotic arm 110 can be a foldable telescopic structure with at least one pivot point that can be folded in sections, or it can be an electrically or hydraulically telescopic structure. The position of the robotic hand 120 can be quickly or significantly adjusted by extending and retracting the robotic arm 110.

[0035] In this design, the robotic arm 120 is rotatably connected to one end (output end) of the robotic arm 110. The robotic arm 110 serves as the mounting and support structure for the robotic arm 120, allowing the robotic arm 120 to move with multiple degrees of freedom under its support. For example, the robotic arm 120 can be a multi-joint, multi-claw gripper structure, or a single-joint, multi-claw gripper structure; reference can be made to the structure of grasping robotic arms in related technologies, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0036] For example, the robotic arm 120 can be made of carbon fiber, which can not only strengthen the toughness of its joint components, but also reduce the weight of the robotic arm 120 itself, reduce the burden on the robotic arm 110, and improve control flexibility.

[0037] The visual recognition module 130 is arranged on the robot arm 120 and is configured to recognize visual images of the environment surrounding the robot arm 120.

[0038] In some implementations, the vision recognition module 130 includes at least one industrial camera to capture images of the area of ​​the interface to be charged, so as to calculate the interface pose information, such as interface orientation and interface coordinates, by using image analysis algorithms and combining the data of the subject to be charged (such as vehicle data such as vehicle height, interface type and layout).

[0039] In some implementations, the industrial camera can also capture images of the grabbed charging head 101 to analyze the pose information of the charging head 101. Combined with the interface pose information, the pose of the robot arm 120 is adjusted to ensure that the charging head 101 is precisely aligned with the interface to be charged before insertion, ensuring that the charging head 101 is inserted smoothly, reducing damage, and ensuring the service life of the charging head 101 and the interface to be charged.

[0040] As the core management component of the device 100A, the controller 140 is responsible for coordinating and controlling the operation and coordination of various parts of the device 100A, including the management of the workflow of each part, data (such as coordinate data, trajectory data, image data, force feedback data, etc.) analysis and processing, monitoring the operating status of each part and handling faults, etc., to ensure the safe and smooth operation of the device 100A.

[0041] In some implementations, the controller 140 can be an independent physical server or terminal, a server cluster or distributed system composed of multiple physical servers, a cloud server that provides basic cloud computing services, or a terminal device such as a mainframe, edge computing node, or computing device in a cloud environment, without any limitation.

[0042] For example, the controller 140 can be deployed in a charging system or in the environment of a charging scenario (such as in a parking lot or next to a parking space, near a charging pile, etc.), without limitation.

[0043] For example, the controller 140 can be configured to: drive the robot arm 120 to grasp the charging head 101 based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head 101; acquire the visual image recognized by the vision recognition module 130; determine the interface pose information of the interface to be charged based on the visual image; and drive the robot arm 120 to perform an insertion operation based on the interface pose information.

[0044] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the robotic arm 120 may be fixedly connected to the charging mechanism 102 or configured as an integral structure, for example... Figure 1A As shown, it can also be a separate structure from the charging mechanism 102, for example... Figure 1B As shown.

[0045] In some embodiments, the device 100A for plugging and unplugging a charging head disclosed herein may further include a force feedback module 150 for detecting the force information of the robot arm 120 during the insertion operation, so as to assist the controller 140 in correcting and adjusting the position and posture information of the robot arm 120, ensuring that the charging head 101 is smoothly inserted into the charging interface, and avoiding damage to the charging head 101 or the charging interface due to resistance caused by misalignment.

[0046] For example, the force feedback module 150 can be arranged on the robot arm 120. For instance, at least one force detection device of the force feedback module 150 can be arranged at each joint of the robot arm 120, and the force feedback module 150 can be coupled to the controller 140. The force feedback module 150 can be configured to monitor the force information of the robot arm 120 during operation and send it to the controller 140. Accordingly, the controller 140 can also be configured to pause the insertion operation of the robot arm 120 and / or adjust the pose information of the robot arm 120 based on the received force information.

[0047] In some embodiments, the force feedback module 150 includes at least one torque sensor or strain gauge. For example, the torque sensor or strain gauge may be disposed at the joint bearing of the robot 120 to detect the force information of the robot 120. The selection and configuration of the torque sensor and strain gauge can be adaptively chosen and configured according to the actual structure and specifications of the robot 120, and are not limited herein.

[0048] In some embodiments, the device 100A for plugging and unplugging a charging head disclosed herein may further include a joint drive mechanism (not shown) for driving the joints of the robotic arm 120 to perform gripping or releasing actions.

[0049] For example, the joint drive mechanism is drive-connected to the robot arm 120 and coupled to the controller 140. Accordingly, the controller 140 is also configured to drive the joint drive mechanism to perform a grasping or releasing operation.

[0050] In some implementations, the joint drive mechanism may include a servo motor and a transmission assembly. The servo motor is coupled to a controller 140, which controls the start and stop of the servo motor. The output of the servo motor is connected to the robot arm 120 through the transmission assembly to drive the robot arm 120 to grasp or release, thereby realizing the operation of grasping or releasing the charging head 101.

[0051] For example, a high torque density servo motor can be selected and used in conjunction with an absolute encoder to achieve closed-loop position control of the robot 120.

[0052] In some embodiments, depending on the arm length of the robotic arm 110 and the joint arrangement of the robotic hand 120, a servo motor with a rated power of 100-200W can be selected, and a high-precision harmonic reducer can be used to achieve a repeatability positioning accuracy of ±0.05-0.1mm, effectively ensuring the driving accuracy of the robotic hand and robotic arm, and ensuring the safety of plugging and unplugging the charging head.

[0053] Comprehensive reference Figure 1A and Figure 1BAs shown, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the device 100A for plugging and unplugging the charging head may further include a supplementary lighting module 160, which is used to supplement the lighting of the surrounding environment of the robot arm 120 and improve the brightness of the environment where the robot arm 120 is located when the recognition accuracy of the charging interface is affected by insufficient light.

[0054] In some embodiments, the supplementary lighting module 160 is disposed on the robotic arm 120 and coupled to the controller 140. The supplementary lighting module 140 is configured to monitor brightness information around the robotic arm 120. Accordingly, the controller 140 is also configured to control the supplementary lighting module 160 to turn on supplementary lighting based on the brightness information.

[0055] For example, the supplemental lighting module 160 may include a supplemental light and / or an infrared device. The supplemental light can help increase ambient brightness, and the infrared device can help increase contrast at different locations in the environment.

[0056] In scenarios where the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102 are separated, in order to improve the stability and convenience of the robotic arm 120 in operating the charging head 101, an association structure can be set between the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102 to associate and combine the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102, thereby achieving rigid docking between the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102 and eliminating redundant degrees of freedom. This is to avoid affecting the operating accuracy of the robotic arm 120 due to tilting or misalignment of the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102 during the operation of the robotic arm 120.

[0057] Reference Figure 1B As shown, the device 100B for plugging and unplugging the charging head disclosed herein may further include a first limiting mechanism 171 and a second limiting mechanism 172, wherein the first limiting mechanism 171 is disposed on the robotic arm 110, the second limiting mechanism 172 is disposed on the charging mechanism 102 to which the charging head 101 belongs, and the first limiting mechanism 171 and the second limiting mechanism 172 are adapted to each other.

[0058] For example, the first limiting mechanism 171 can be a protrusion, and the second limiting mechanism 172 can be a guide groove adapted to the first limiting mechanism 171. Alternatively, the first limiting mechanism 171 can be a guide groove, and the second limiting mechanism 172 can be a protrusion adapted to the first limiting mechanism 171.

[0059] In some embodiments, the device 100B for plugging and unplugging the charging head disclosed herein may further include an electromagnetic attraction mechanism 180, which is used to assist in the temporary fixation between the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102, improve the docking efficiency between the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102, thereby quickly realizing the adaptation and docking between the first limiting mechanism 171 and the second limiting mechanism 172, and ensuring the stability and movement accuracy of the robotic arm 120 during operation.

[0060] For example, the electromagnetic attraction mechanism 180 may be mounted on the robotic arm 110 and coupled to the controller 140. Accordingly, the controller 140 is also configured to control the power supply of the electromagnetic attraction mechanism 180 to be turned on or off.

[0061] In some embodiments, the device 100B for plugging and unplugging a charging head disclosed herein may further include an obstacle avoidance module (not shown in the figure). The obstacle avoidance module may be disposed on the robotic arm 110 to monitor obstacle information around the robotic arm 110 during its movement, thereby preventing the robotic arm 110 from colliding with other objects during its movement.

[0062] In this disclosure, an obstacle avoidance module is coupled to a controller 140 and sends detected obstacle information to the controller 140. The controller 140 is also configured to adjust the travel trajectory and / or extension stroke of the robotic arm 110 based on the received obstacle information.

[0063] In some implementations, an obstacle avoidance module can also be installed on the robotic arm 120 to monitor obstacle information around the robotic arm 120 and prevent the robotic arm 120 from colliding during movement, thus hindering its progress or affecting the accuracy of movement.

[0064] The specific process for plugging and unplugging the charging adapter will be explained below. Figures 2-4 Detailed description.

[0065] In some implementations, the communication protocol between the controller 140 and other mechanisms and components can be a high-speed real-time bus protocol, with the joint control cycle within 1ms, achieving a fast closed loop for both visual and non-visual feedback.

[0066] It should be understood that the structure and function of the device for plugging and unplugging the charging head are described for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure.

[0067] Example process

[0068] Figure 2 A flowchart of an example process 200 for plugging and unplugging a charging head according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. This process 200 can be implemented at a controller 140. The following is a continuation of the previous reference. Figure 1A and Figure 2 To describe process 200.

[0069] like Figure 2 As shown, in box 210, controller 140 drives robot arm 120 to grasp charging head 101 and activates vision recognition module 130.

[0070] refer to Figure 1AAs shown, when the charging port or the device to be charged approaches the charging head 101, or when the charging head 101 reaches the area where the device to be charged or the charging port is located, the controller 140 drives the robot arm 120 to grasp the charging head 101 and activates the vision recognition module 130 to acquire a visual image of the environment around the robot arm 120. On the one hand, this can be used to identify the position of the charging head 101 to ensure fast and accurate grasping of the charging head. On the other hand, it can be used to identify the position and posture information of the interface to be charged in order to adjust the posture of the robot arm 120 and plan the insertion trajectory of the robot arm 120, thereby ensuring that the posture of the charging head 101 matches the posture of the interface to be charged, and ensuring that the robot arm 120 can drive the charging head 101 to be inserted into the interface to be charged accurately and safely.

[0071] In some embodiments, the visual recognition module 130 may employ a high-resolution (≥2MP) industrial camera, combined with a calibration algorithm, to control the recognition error within ±2mm.

[0072] In some embodiments, the visual recognition module 130 may also add a feature matching module to the algorithm, such as the Speeded-Up Robust Features (SURF) recognition algorithm, which can effectively improve robustness and recognize special charging covers or charging interfaces to meet diverse recognition needs.

[0073] Return to reference Figure 2 As shown, in block 211, based on the visual image recognized by the visual recognition module 130, the controller 140 determines whether the position and orientation of the charging interface can be successfully recognized. If yes, block 220 is executed; if no, block 212 is executed.

[0074] In box 212, controller 140 initiates auxiliary measures, such as activating the supplementary lighting module for supplementary lighting, executing feature matching algorithms, fusing the sensing features of multiple sensors, and activating infrared assistance.

[0075] For example, in Figure 1A In the embodiment shown, if the controller 140 cannot accurately identify the position and orientation of the interface to be charged, and determines that the brightness of the environment around the robot arm 120 is too low, it can turn on the power of the supplementary lighting module 160 to turn on the supplementary lighting, and reacquire the visual image to identify the position and orientation of the interface to be charged.

[0076] In some implementations, the controller 140 can also adjust the brightness or color of the light output by the supplementary lighting module 160 (e.g., red light, blue light, white light, etc.) to meet the light and brightness requirements of different environments, thereby accurately identifying the position and orientation of the interface to be charged.

[0077] Return to continue reading Figure 2As shown, in block 220, the controller 140 performs inverse kinematics solution based on the identified position and orientation of the interface to be charged, and plans the insertion trajectory of the robot arm 120 driving the charging head 101, and then executes block 230.

[0078] For example, when the controller 140 identifies the position and orientation of the interface to be charged, it combines the position and orientation of the robot arm 120 and the position and orientation of the charging head 101 to perform inverse kinematics solution to determine the insertion trajectory of the robot arm 120 driving the charging head 101 to insert into the interface to be charged. During the movement along this trajectory, the robot arm 120 can drive the charging head 101 to adjust its orientation to match the orientation of the interface to be charged, thereby ensuring that the charging head 101 can be aligned with the interface to be charged and inserted smoothly.

[0079] In box 230, controller 140 drives robot arm 120 to slowly insert charging head 101 into the charging port. After detecting contact force, it enters compliant control mode and executes box 240.

[0080] The controller 140 moves the charging head 101 along the insertion trajectory until it aligns with the interface to be charged. Then, it slowly inserts the charging head 101 into the interface at a first preset speed, while monitoring the force information in real time. Upon detecting contact force or when the contact force reaches a first preset force threshold (e.g., 10N or 20N), it enters a compliant control mode. For example, it controls the charging head 101 to be inserted into the interface at a second preset speed more slowly, providing the controller 140 with sufficient reaction time to avoid damage to the charging head 101 and the interface to be charged due to misalignment or excessive insertion speed.

[0081] In some implementations, a torque sensor, such as a strain gauge or strain ring torque sensor, can be equipped at each joint of the robot 120. For example, the sensing accuracy of the selected torque sensor should be greater than or equal to 0.1 N·m. Sensing accuracy can be particularly enhanced at the end joint of the robot 120.

[0082] In some embodiments, in compliant control mode, the controller can achieve compliant control by adjusting the joint stiffness (K) and damping (B) parameters of the robotic arm 120 online. For example, the stiffness K can be adjusted in the range of 1000-5000 N / m according to real-time force; when the force approaches the safety upper limit, K is reduced to 50% of its initial value, providing the end effector with a 12 mm elastic displacement space to accommodate minor interface deviations. The damping B is adjusted in the range of 50-200 N·s / m to ensure no excessive oscillation during insertion and removal.

[0083] In frame 240, the controller 140 detects excessive contact force, fine-tunes the posture and position of the robotic arm 120 to ensure that the charging head 101 is accurately aligned with the interface to be charged, and continues to insert the charging head 101, executing frame 250.

[0084] In some embodiments, the force control loop of the controller 140 has a control cycle of ≤1ms, which ensures that the joint torque and position commands are adjusted within 1 to 2ms after a force change occurs. In this way, when the charging head 101 encounters slight resistance, the posture of the robotic arm 120 can be quickly and finely adjusted, rather than being rigidly bumped.

[0085] After entering compliant control mode, if the controller 140 detects that the contact force fed back by the robot arm 120 is too large (e.g., reaching 52N), for example, if the contact force is greater than a second preset force threshold (e.g., 40N or 50N) when the insertion stroke is less than a preset stroke threshold, the controller 140 can determine that there is a positional deviation between the charging head 101 and the interface to be charged. The controller 140 can reacquire the visual image and update the position and orientation information of the interface to be charged, and accordingly fine-tune (e.g., within the micrometer-millimeter range) the orientation and position of the robot arm, thereby achieving fine-tuning of the position and orientation of the charging head, so that the charging head is accurately aligned with the interface to be charged, and continue to insert the charging head.

[0086] The above fine-tuning process can be performed once or multiple times until the contact force of the charging head before the insertion stroke reaches the preset stroke threshold is less than the second preset force threshold.

[0087] In some embodiments, if the received force information is large and continuous, for example, a force greater than 100N lasting for 50ms, the controller 140 can immediately drive the robot arm 120 to stop the insertion operation and retract slightly, and then reacquire the visual image to analyze and update the interface pose information, so as to avoid damage to the interface to be charged or the charging head 101 caused by forced insertion.

[0088] In box 250, controller 140 detects that charging head 101 is inserted in place, stops the insertion operation and releases charging head 101, and executes box 260.

[0089] When the contact force is less than the second preset force threshold, the controller 140 controls the charging head insertion stroke to reach the preset stroke threshold, and then continuously drives the robot arm 120 to insert the charging head 101 until the contact force is greater than the second preset force threshold. Once the charging head 101 is confirmed to be inserted in place, the controller 140 controls the robot arm 120 to stop the insertion operation and drives the robot arm 120 to release the charging head 101, for example, by driving the joint drive mechanism to make the robot arm 120 release the charging head 101.

[0090] In some implementations, after the controller 140 drives the robotic arm 120 to release the charging head 101, it can drive the robotic arm 120 to reset, for example... Figure 1B The robotic arm 110 and charging mechanism 102 are shown as separate units; alternatively, the robotic arm 120 can be left uncontrolled, waiting to unplug the charging head 101, for example... Figure 1A The robotic arm 110 shown is integrated with the charging mechanism 102.

[0091] In box 260, controller 140 can control the charging of charging head 101 to start, and execute box 261.

[0092] After the controller 140 determines that the charging head 101 is inserted in place, it can control the charging switch of the charging mechanism 102 to turn on, so as to charge the interface to be charged through the charging head 101, thereby realizing the charging of the device to be charged (such as a new energy vehicle).

[0093] In box 261, controller 140 monitors in real time whether a charging abnormality occurs or charging is complete during the charging process; if yes, execute box 270; if no, continue executing box 260.

[0094] During the process of powering the charging head 101, the controller 140 monitors the charging amount and charging abnormalities in real time. If there are no abnormalities or the charging is not completed, the controller continues to execute box 260. If a charging abnormality is detected or the charging is completed, the controller executes box 270.

[0095] In block 270, controller 140 drives robot arm 120 to pull out charging head 101 in reverse order, resets charging head 101, and executes block 280.

[0096] The controller 140 drives the robot arm 120 to move in reverse order and grab the charging head 101 according to the position information of the charging interface where the charging head 101 is located. Then the controller pulls out the charging head 101 and resets the charging head 101. Then the controller executes block 280.

[0097] In some embodiments, in block 250, after the controller 140 determines that the charging head 101 is inserted in place, it may not control the robot arm 120 to release the charging head 101 and directly execute block 260. At this time, if charging is completed or a charging abnormality occurs, the controller 140 may directly control the robot arm 120 to pull out the charging head 101 in the reverse direction of insertion and move in reverse along the insertion trajectory to reset the charging head 101.

[0098] In some embodiments, in block 250, after the controller 140 determines that the charging head 101 is inserted in place, if it controls the robot arm to release the charging head 101 and reset it, it needs to control the robot arm 120 to reach the position of the charging head 101 and grab the charging head 101 again, and then pull out the charging head 101 in the reverse direction of insertion, and then drive the robot arm 120 to move in reverse along the insertion trajectory to reset the charging head 101.

[0099] It should be noted that during the process of driving the robotic arm 120 to pull out the charging head 101, the controller 140 can also monitor the force information of the robotic arm 120 to avoid excessive force on the robotic arm 120 due to collisions or other reasons, which would affect the safety of pulling out the charging head 101.

[0100] In frame 280, controller 140 drives robot arm 120 to reset, awaiting the next task.

[0101] After the robot arm 120 resets the charging head 101, the controller 140 drives the robot arm 120 to reset according to the initial position coordinates of the robot arm 120 on the robot arm 110, so as to wait for the next task of plugging and unplugging the charging head.

[0102] Figure 3A A flowchart of a timing process 300A for inserting a charging head according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. This process 300A can be implemented at controller 140. The following is a continuation of the above. Figure 1B and Figure 3A To describe process 300A.

[0103] like Figure 3A As shown, in step 310A, the controller 140 drives the robotic arm 110 to approach the charging mechanism 102 and activates the electromagnetic attraction mechanism 180 on the robotic arm 110.

[0104] refer to Figure 1B As shown, after receiving a charging head insertion request, the controller 140 determines the charging mechanism 102 to which the charging head 101 to be inserted belongs, as well as the robotic arm 110 that is close to the charging head 101 and is in an idle state (non-working state). Then, based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head 101 or the charging mechanism 102 and the current position coordinates of the robotic arm 110, the controller 140 determines the travel trajectory of the robotic arm 110.

[0105] It should be noted that the travel trajectory of the robotic arm 110 can include either a planar movement trajectory where the robotic arm 110 moves along a track or road, or a height adjustment trajectory where the robotic arm 110 extends or retracts, folds or unfolds, etc.

[0106] After determining the travel trajectory of the robotic arm 110, the controller 140 drives the robotic arm 110 to move closer to the charging mechanism 102 according to the travel trajectory. After the robotic arm 110 moves to the end of the travel trajectory, the controller 140 controls the power supply of the electromagnetic attraction mechanism 180 on the robotic arm 110 to turn on, so that the electromagnetic attraction mechanism 180 generates a magnetic attraction force, causing the first limiting mechanism 171 on the robotic arm 110 to engage with the second limiting mechanism 172 on the charging mechanism 102, realizing a rigid docking between the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102, and preventing relative displacement or tilting between the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102.

[0107] Return to reference Figure 3A As shown, in step 320A, the controller 140 drives the robotic arm 120 to grasp the charging head 101.

[0108] In some embodiments, after the controller 140 assists the robotic arm 110 in docking and stabilizing with the charging mechanism 102 via the electromagnetic attraction mechanism 180, it determines the position coordinates of the robotic arm 120 at this time. Then, combined with the initial position coordinates of the charging head 101, it determines the grasping trajectory of the robotic arm 120 and drives the robotic arm 120 to move towards the charging head 101, and drives the joint drive mechanism of the robotic arm 120 to perform the grasping operation, thereby completing the grasping operation of the robotic arm 120 on the charging head 101.

[0109] In step 330A, the controller 140 activates the vision recognition module 130 on the robot arm 120 and obtains a visual image of the surrounding environment of the robot arm 130 from the vision recognition module 130.

[0110] In some embodiments, after the robotic arm 120 successfully grasps the charging head 101, the controller 140 activates the vision recognition module 130 located on the robotic arm 120 to obtain a visual image of the surrounding environment of the robotic arm 120, monitor the surrounding environment of the robotic arm 120 in real time, avoid collisions during subsequent movement of the robotic arm 120, and identify the interface pose information of the interface to be charged.

[0111] In step 340A, the controller 140 determines the interface pose information of the interface to be charged based on the acquired visual image, and plans the insertion trajectory of the robot arm 120 accordingly.

[0112] In the process of determining the interface pose information of the interface to be charged based on the visual image, if the controller 140 detects that the recognition fails due to insufficient ambient brightness in the visual image or the confidence of the recognition result is lower than the preset confidence threshold, it will activate the supplementary lighting module 160 to supplement the ambient light of the robot arm 120, so as to improve the contrast or difference between the image features in the acquired visual image, thereby improving the confidence and reliability of the interface pose information.

[0113] In some implementations, the controller 140 can also analyze the pose information of the charging head 101 grasped by the robot arm 120 based on the visual image, and perform trajectory planning based on the pose information of the charging head 101, the pose information of the robot arm 120 and the interface pose information to obtain the insertion trajectory of the robot arm 120.

[0114] For example, the insertion trajectory includes not only the movement trajectory of the robotic arm 120, but also the movement direction of the robotic arm 120 and the insertion direction of the charging head 101.

[0115] In step 350A, the controller 140 drives the robot to perform the insertion operation according to the determined insertion trajectory.

[0116] After determining the insertion trajectory of the robot arm 120, the controller 140 drives the robot arm 120 to move along the insertion trajectory to perform the insertion operation and insert the charging head 101 into the charging interface.

[0117] During the insertion operation, controller 140 executes steps 360-380.

[0118] In step 360A, the controller 140 receives the force information of the robot arm 120.

[0119] During the insertion operation, the controller 140 receives the force information of the robot 120 in real time to determine the accuracy of the insertion of the charging head 101 and whether it is inserted in place.

[0120] In some embodiments, a preset travel threshold can be set in the controller 140 to characterize the effective insertion depth of the interface to be charged. A preset force threshold can also be set in the controller 140 to characterize the resistance threshold during the process of the charging head 101 being smoothly inserted into the interface to be charged. If the resistance threshold is exceeded, it is determined that the charging head has been misaligned or properly inserted.

[0121] For example, if the insertion stroke of the robotic arm 120 is less than the preset stroke threshold and generates force information greater than the force generated by grasping the charging head 101, it is determined that the charging head 101 is in contact with the interface to be charged. The moving speed and insertion force of the robotic arm 120 can be adjusted to perform a compliant insertion operation. If the force information received during this process is greater than the preset force threshold, it can be determined that the insertion of the charging head 101 is abnormal, such as misalignment due to misalignment with the interface to be charged. In this case, the insertion operation of the robotic arm 120 can be paused, and step 370A can be executed; otherwise, step 380A can be executed.

[0122] In step 370A, after the controller 140 fine-tunes the pose information of the robot arm 120, it continues to perform the insertion operation.

[0123] The controller 140 determines that a force greater than a preset force threshold is generated before the charging head 101 is inserted into place. It then controls the robot arm 120 to pause the insertion operation. The robot arm 120 can then be finely adjusted based on the force direction information and other factors to correct the alignment between the charging head 101 and the interface to be charged. The insertion operation can then continue.

[0124] After the controller 140 controls the robot arm 120 to temporarily insert, it can first retract the robot arm 120 along the insertion trajectory by a preset distance to disengage the charging head 101 from the interface to be charged, providing sufficient adjustment space to avoid aggravating the impact or friction between the charging head 101 and the interface to be charged due to the adjustment of the robot arm 120's posture, thus avoiding unnecessary damage.

[0125] In step 380A, the controller 140 determines whether the charging head 101 is inserted in place.

[0126] In some embodiments, the controller 140 may use the position where the robot arm initially generates force information greater than the force generated when grasping the charging head 101 as the initial position for inserting into the charging interface, and measure the insertion stroke of the charging head 101 from this initial position. For example, the controller 140 may use the stroke generated by the robot arm 120 from the moment the force information is generated as the insertion stroke of the charging head 101.

[0127] If the insertion stroke is less than the preset stroke threshold, it is determined that the charging head 101 has not been inserted into place, and the robot arm 120 can continue to be driven to perform the insertion operation.

[0128] If, after the insertion stroke reaches the preset stroke threshold, a force information greater than the preset force threshold is suddenly received, it can be determined that the force information is the feedback force generated by the impact between the charging head 101 and the bottom of the interface to be charged. It can be determined that the charging head 101 is inserted in place, and step 390A can continue to be executed.

[0129] In step 390A, the controller 140 controls the robot arm 120 to stop the insertion operation, release the charging head, and then reset.

[0130] After determining that the charging head 101 is inserted in place, the controller 140 controls the robot arm 120 to stop the insertion operation and drives the joint drive mechanism of the robot arm 120 to perform the release operation.

[0131] After the robotic arm 120 fully releases the charging head 101, the controller 140 continues to drive the robotic arm 120 to perform a reset operation. For example, based on the current position coordinates of the robotic arm 120, the current position coordinates of the robotic arm 110, and the relative coordinate distance between the robotic arm 120 and the robotic arm 110, the relative reset trajectory of the robotic arm 120 is determined, and the robotic arm 120 is driven to perform a reset operation along the relative reset trajectory to restore its initial position on the robotic arm 110.

[0132] In step 391A, the controller 140 shuts down the electromagnetic suction mechanism 180 and drives the robotic arm 110 to reset.

[0133] After the controller 140 drives the robotic arm 120 to reset relative to the robotic arm 110, it turns off the power to the electromagnetic attraction mechanism 180 on the robotic arm 110 to eliminate the magnetic attraction between the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102. Then, based on the current position and initial position of the robotic arm 110, it plans the reset trajectory of the robotic arm 110 and drives the robotic arm 110 to detach from the charging mechanism 102 along the reset trajectory to reset, so as to wait for the next task.

[0134] exist Figure 1B In the structural scenario shown, the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102 are separate structures and do not require continuous binding. Therefore, a set of robotic arms 110 and robotic hands 120 can perform insertion or removal operations on multiple charging heads within the scenario. That is, after the controller 140 controls a set of robotic arms 110 and robotic hands 120 to complete the insertion operation on a charging head, it can reset the robotic hand 120 and the robotic arm 110 to wait for the insertion or removal of the next charging head, without having to wait in place to remove the inserted charging head. This improves the utilization rate of the robotic arms 110 and robotic hands 120 and appropriately reduces equipment costs.

[0135] In this scenario, once the charging head 101 completes its charging task, the controller 140 can receive information indicating that charging is complete by monitoring the charging progress of the charging head 101. At this time, it can search for an idle robotic arm 110 in the scene. If there are multiple idle robotic arms, it can select the closest idle robotic arm to plan its trajectory and execute the task of unplugging the charging head.

[0136] If no charging arm is available, the task of unplugging the charging head is added to a task queue, waiting for an available charging arm to execute the task sequentially according to the task queue. The task queue can include both tasks of inserting and unplugging the charging head. For example, the task queue can be sorted according to the task generation time to balance the waiting time of all tasks, improve task execution efficiency, thereby improving charging efficiency and enhancing the user experience.

[0137] Figure 3B A flowchart of a timing process 300B for unplugging a charging head according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. This process 300B can be implemented at controller 140. The following is a continuation of the above. Figure 1B and Figure 3B To describe process 300B.

[0138] like Figure 3B As shown, in step 310B, the controller 140 drives the robotic arm 110 to approach the charging mechanism 102 and activates the electromagnetic attraction mechanism 180 on the robotic arm 110.

[0139] refer to Figure 1B As shown, after receiving the request to unplug the charging head, the controller 140 determines the charging interface where the charging head 101 to be unplugged is located and the interface pose information of the charging interface, and determines the robotic arm 110 that is in an idle state and closest to the charging head 101.

[0140] For example, during or after inserting the charging head into the charging port, the controller 140 can associate and store the interface pose information of the charging port with the charging head, so that the interface pose information of the charging port can be quickly and accurately obtained when a pull-out task is generated, without the need for re-identification, thereby improving the pull-out efficiency.

[0141] In some implementations, after receiving a request to unplug the charging head, the controller 140 can determine whether the charging head 101 has stopped charging. If so, it can locate the robotic arm 110 and the robotic hand 120 and perform the unplugging operation. If not, the controller 140 can first notify or control the charging mechanism 102 to stop supplying power to the charging head 101, and then locate the robotic arm 110 and the robotic hand to perform the unplugging operation.

[0142] The controller 140 can determine the trajectory of the robotic arm 110 based on the interface pose information carried by the charging head during the unplugging task and the current position coordinates of the robotic arm 110.

[0143] It should be noted that the travel trajectory of the robotic arm 110 can include either a planar movement trajectory where the robotic arm 110 moves along a track or road, or a height adjustment trajectory where the robotic arm 110 extends or retracts, folds or unfolds, etc.

[0144] After determining the travel trajectory of the robotic arm 110, the controller 140 drives the robotic arm 110 to move closer to the charging mechanism 102 to which the charging head belongs. After the robotic arm 110 moves to the end of the travel trajectory, the controller 140 controls the power supply of the electromagnetic attraction mechanism 180 on the robotic arm 110 to turn on, so that the electromagnetic attraction mechanism 180 generates a magnetic attraction force, causing the first limiting mechanism 171 on the robotic arm 110 to engage with the second limiting mechanism 172 on the charging mechanism 102, realizing a rigid docking between the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102, and preventing relative displacement or tilting between the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102.

[0145] Return to reference Figure 3B As shown, in step 320B, the controller 140 drives the robotic arm 120 to grasp the charging head 101.

[0146] In some embodiments, after the controller 140 assists the robotic arm 110 in docking and stabilizing with the charging mechanism 102 via the electromagnetic attraction mechanism 180, it determines the position coordinates of the robotic arm 120 at this time. Then, combined with the position coordinates of the charging head 101 in the charging interface, it determines the grasping trajectory of the robotic arm 120 and drives the robotic arm 120 to move towards the charging head 101, and drives the joint drive mechanism of the robotic arm 120 to perform the grasping operation, thereby completing the grasping operation of the robotic arm 120 on the charging head 101.

[0147] In step 330B, the controller 140 drives the robot arm 120 to perform the pull-out operation.

[0148] In some embodiments, the controller 140 can determine the pull-out trajectory of the robotic arm 120, including the pull-out stroke and pull-out direction, based on the interface pose information of the charging interface and the initial position information of the charging head 101 on the charging mechanism 102. Based on this pull-out trajectory, after determining that the robotic arm 120 has successfully grasped the charging head 101, the controller 140 drives the robotic arm 120 to perform a pull-out operation, thereby disengaging the charging head 101 from the charging interface and resetting the charging head 101 to its initial position on the charging mechanism 102.

[0149] In step 340B, the controller 140 acquires a visual image of the environment surrounding the robot arm 120.

[0150] During the pulling operation, the controller 140 acquires real-time visual images of the environment surrounding the robot 120 to avoid collisions with other equipment or obstacles. When an obstacle is detected, the controller can replan and update the pulling trajectory of the robot 120.

[0151] In step 350B, the controller 140 receives the force information of the robot arm 120.

[0152] During the process of driving the robotic arm 120 to pull out the charging head 101 along the pulling trajectory, the controller 140 monitors the force information of the robotic arm 120 in real time. Considering that the visual image may not cover the positions not traversed by the robotic arm 120 on the pulling trajectory, the controller 140 can determine whether the robotic arm 120 has collided during the pulling process by monitoring the force information of the robotic arm 120. This allows the controller to promptly detect obstacles not detected by the visual image, stop the current pulling operation in time, and continue to perform the pulling operation according to the new pulling trajectory after replanning and updating the pulling trajectory.

[0153] In step 360B, the controller 140 controls the robot arm 120 to stop the pull-out operation and release the charging head and reset.

[0154] After determining that the robot arm 120 has moved the charging head 101 to the end of the pull-out trajectory, the controller 140 drives the robot arm to stop the pull-out operation and drives the joint drive mechanism of the robot arm 120 to make the robot arm 120 perform the release operation.

[0155] After the robotic arm 120 fully releases the charging head 101, the controller 140 continues to drive the robotic arm 120 to perform a reset operation. For example, based on the current position coordinates of the robotic arm 120, the current position coordinates of the robotic arm 110, and the relative coordinate distance between the robotic arm 120 and the robotic arm 110, the relative reset trajectory of the robotic arm 120 is determined, and the robotic arm 120 is driven to perform a reset operation along the relative reset trajectory to restore its initial position on the robotic arm 110.

[0156] In step 370B, the controller 140 turns off the power to the electromagnetic suction mechanism 180 and drives the robotic arm 110 to reset.

[0157] After the controller 140 drives the robotic arm 120 to reset relative to the robotic arm 110, it turns off the power to the electromagnetic attraction mechanism 180 on the robotic arm 110 to eliminate the magnetic attraction between the robotic arm 110 and the charging mechanism 102. Then, based on the current and initial positions of the robotic arm 110, it plans the reset trajectory of the robotic arm 110 and drives it to detach from the charging mechanism 102 along this reset trajectory to reset, awaiting the next task. The next task could be a charging head insertion or removal task.

[0158] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method 400 for plugging and unplugging a charging head according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 400 can... Figure 1A and Figure 1B The implementation of method 400 is shown at controller 140. The implementation process of method 400 is described below.

[0159] Reference Figure 4As shown in box 410, the robotic arm is driven to grasp the charging head based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head;

[0160] In box 420, obtain a visual image of the environment surrounding the robotic arm;

[0161] In box 430, the interface pose information of the interface to be charged is determined based on the visual image;

[0162] In box 440, the robot arm is driven to perform the insertion operation based on the interface pose information.

[0163] In this way, a robotic arm can automatically grasp the charging head and accurately identify the interface to be charged, and then drive the charging head to be accurately inserted into the interface to be charged, which improves the convenience, safety and stability of the charging head insertion, improves charging efficiency, and avoids low charging efficiency caused by improper insertion of the charging head.

[0164] In some embodiments, driving a robotic arm to grasp a charging head based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head includes: determining a first grasping trajectory of the robotic arm based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head; and driving the robotic arm to move and driving a joint drive mechanism to perform a grasping operation based on the first grasping trajectory.

[0165] In some embodiments, determining a first grasping trajectory of a robotic arm based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head includes: determining a first traveling trajectory of the robotic arm based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head; driving the robotic arm to move along the first traveling trajectory; controlling the power supply of the electromagnetic suction mechanism on the robotic arm to be turned on in response to the robotic arm moving to the end point of the first traveling trajectory; and determining the first grasping trajectory of the robotic arm based on the current coordinates and the initial position coordinates of the robotic arm.

[0166] In some embodiments, driving a robot to perform an insertion operation based on interface pose information includes: determining the insertion trajectory of the robot based on the interface pose information; and driving the robot to perform the insertion operation based on the insertion trajectory.

[0167] In some embodiments, the method for plugging and unplugging a charging head further includes: controlling the robot to stop the insertion operation in response to the occurrence of force information exceeding a preset force threshold after the robot has an insertion stroke greater than a preset stroke; driving the joint drive mechanism to perform an operation; and driving the robot to reset.

[0168] In some embodiments, the method for plugging and unplugging the charging head further includes: controlling the power supply to the electromagnetic attraction mechanism on the robotic arm to turn off; and driving the robotic arm to reset.

[0169] In some embodiments, the method for plugging and unplugging a charging head further includes: pausing the insertion operation of the robotic arm in response to receiving force information greater than a preset force threshold during the insertion stroke of the robotic arm being less than a preset stroke threshold; and driving the robotic arm to continue performing the insertion operation after adjusting the pose information of the robotic arm based on the force direction information in the force information.

[0170] In some embodiments, the method for inserting and removing a charging head further includes: pausing the insertion operation of the robot arm into the charging head in response to an update of the interface pose information; updating the pose information of the robot arm based on the updated interface pose information; and driving the robot arm to continue performing the insertion operation.

[0171] In some embodiments, the method for plugging and unplugging the charging head further includes: controlling the supplementary lighting module to turn on supplementary lighting in response to the brightness information around the robotic arm being lower than a preset brightness threshold.

[0172] In some embodiments, the method for plugging and unplugging the charging head further includes: controlling the supplementary lighting module to turn off the supplementary lighting in response to whether the robotic arm is charging the charging head.

[0173] In some embodiments, the method for plugging and unplugging a charging head further includes: in response to receiving a notification message that the charging head has been unplugged, determining the current position coordinates of the charging head; driving a robotic arm to perform a grasping operation based on the current position coordinates; driving the robotic arm to perform a unplugging operation based on interface pose information; driving the robotic arm to reset the charging head based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head; and driving the robotic arm to reset.

[0174] In some embodiments, driving a robotic arm to perform a grasping operation based on the current position coordinates includes: determining a second grasping trajectory of the robotic arm based on the current position coordinates of the charging head; and driving the robotic arm to move and driving the joint drive mechanism to perform the grasping operation based on the second grasping trajectory.

[0175] In some embodiments, determining the second grasping trajectory of the robotic arm based on the current position coordinates includes: acquiring the current position coordinates of the charging head to determine the second travel trajectory of the robotic arm; driving the robotic arm to move along the second travel trajectory; controlling the power supply of the electromagnetic suction mechanism on the robotic arm to be turned on in response to the robotic arm moving to the end point of the second travel trajectory; and determining the second grasping trajectory of the robotic arm based on the current coordinates of the robotic arm and the current position coordinates of the charging head.

[0176] In some embodiments, the method for plugging and unplugging the charging head further includes: controlling the power supply of the electromagnetic suction mechanism to be turned off in response to the charging head being reset; and driving the robotic arm to reset.

[0177] In this way, the embodiments of this disclosure can automatically assist in inserting or removing the charging head, improve charging efficiency, and avoid collisions caused by obstacles or misaligned charging interfaces, thereby avoiding unnecessary damage and ensuring the service life of the charging head and charging interface.

[0178] Example devices and equipment

[0179] Figure 5 A schematic structural block diagram of a control device 500 for plugging and unplugging a charging head according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The various modules / components in the control device 500 can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0180] As shown in the figure, the control device 500 includes: a charging head grasping module 510, an image acquisition module 520, an information determination module 530, and a charging head insertion module 540. The charging head grasping module 510 is configured to drive a robotic arm to grasp the charging head based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head; the image acquisition module 520 is configured to acquire visual images of the environment surrounding the robotic arm; the information determination module 530 is configured to determine the interface pose information of the interface to be charged based on the acquired visual images; and the charging head insertion module 540 is configured to drive the robotic arm to perform an insertion operation based on the interface pose information.

[0181] In some embodiments, the charging head gripping module 510 is configured to: determine a first gripping trajectory of the robot arm based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head; and drive the robot arm to move and drive the joint drive mechanism to perform a gripping operation based on the first gripping trajectory.

[0182] In some embodiments, determining a first grasping trajectory of a robotic arm based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head includes: determining a first traveling trajectory of the robotic arm based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head; driving the robotic arm to move along the first traveling trajectory; controlling the power supply of the electromagnetic suction mechanism on the robotic arm to be turned on in response to the robotic arm moving to the end point of the first traveling trajectory; and determining the first grasping trajectory of the robotic arm based on the current coordinates and the initial position coordinates of the robotic arm.

[0183] In some embodiments, the charging head insertion module 540 is configured to: determine the insertion trajectory of the robot arm based on the interface pose information; and drive the robot arm to perform the insertion operation based on the insertion trajectory.

[0184] In some embodiments, the control device for inserting and removing the charging head further includes an insertion monitoring module, a charging head release module, and a robot arm reset module. The insertion monitoring module is configured to: control the robot arm to stop the insertion operation in response to the occurrence of force information exceeding a preset force threshold after the robot arm's insertion stroke exceeds a preset stroke; the charging head release module is configured to drive the joint drive mechanism to perform a release operation; and the robot arm reset module is configured to drive the robot arm to reset.

[0185] In some embodiments, the control device for plugging and unplugging the charging head further includes a robotic arm reset module, which is configured to: control the power supply to the electromagnetic attraction mechanism on the robotic arm to be turned off; and drive the robotic arm to reset.

[0186] In some embodiments, the control device for plugging and unplugging the charging head further includes a posture correction module, which is configured to: suspend the insertion operation of the robot arm in response to the force information received during the insertion stroke of the robot arm being less than a preset stroke threshold being greater than a preset force threshold; and drive the robot arm to continue performing the insertion operation after adjusting the posture information of the robot arm based on the force direction information of the force information.

[0187] In some embodiments, the control device for plugging and unplugging the charging head further includes a pose adjustment module, which is configured to: pause the insertion operation of the robot arm into the charging head in response to an update of the interface pose information; update the pose information of the robot arm based on the updated interface pose information; and drive the robot arm to continue performing the insertion operation.

[0188] In some embodiments, the control device for plugging and unplugging the charging head further includes a supplementary light control module, which is configured to control the supplementary light module to turn on supplementary light in response to the brightness information around the robotic arm being lower than a preset brightness threshold.

[0189] In some embodiments, the supplementary lighting control module further includes: controlling the supplementary lighting module to turn off supplementary lighting in response to the robotic arm releasing the charging head.

[0190] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the control device for plugging and unplugging the charging head further includes a charging head unplugging module, which is configured to: determine the current position coordinates of the charging head in response to receiving a notification that the charging head has been unplugged; drive a robot to perform a grasping operation based on the current position coordinates; drive the robot to perform a unplugging operation based on interface pose information; and drive the robot to reset the charging head based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head; and drive the robot to reset.

[0191] In some embodiments, driving a robotic arm to perform a grasping operation based on the current position coordinates includes: determining a second grasping trajectory of the robotic arm based on the current position coordinates; and driving the robotic arm to move and driving a joint drive mechanism to perform a grasping operation based on the second grasping trajectory.

[0192] In some embodiments, determining the second grasping trajectory of the robotic arm based on the current position coordinates includes: determining the second travel trajectory of the robotic arm based on the current position coordinates; driving the robotic arm to move along the second travel trajectory; controlling the power supply of the electromagnetic suction mechanism on the robotic arm to be turned on in response to the robotic arm moving to the end point of the second travel trajectory; and determining the second grasping trajectory of the robotic arm based on the current coordinates of the robotic arm and the current position coordinates of the charging head.

[0193] In some embodiments, the control device for plugging and unplugging the charging head further includes a robotic arm reset module, which is configured to: control the power supply of the electromagnetic suction mechanism to be turned off in response to the charging head being reset; and drive the robotic arm to reset.

[0194] For example, resetting a robotic arm may include resetting the robotic hand and resetting the robotic arm.

[0195] Figure 6 A block diagram is shown illustrating a computing device 600 in which one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. It should be understood that... Figure 6 The computing device 600 shown is merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the functionality and scope of the embodiments described herein. Figure 6 The computing device 600 shown can be used to implement Figures 1A-1B Example controller 140 or execution Figure 4 Example methods.

[0196] like Figure 6 As shown, computing device 600 is in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Components of computing device 600 may include, but are not limited to, one or more processors or processing units 610, memory 620, storage devices 630, one or more communication units 640, one or more input devices 650, and one or more output devices 660. Processing unit 610 may be a physical or virtual processor and is capable of performing various processes according to programs stored in memory 620. In a multiprocessor system, multiple processing units execute computer-executable instructions in parallel to improve the parallel processing capability of computing device 600.

[0197] Computing device 600 typically includes multiple computer storage media. Such media can be any accessible media that is accessible to computing device 600, including but not limited to volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. Memory 620 can be volatile memory (e.g., registers, cache, random access memory (RAM)), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory), or some combination thereof. Storage device 630 can be removable or non-removable media and can include machine-readable media, such as flash drives, disks, or any other media that can be used to store information and / or data (e.g., training data for training) and can be accessed within computing device 600.

[0198] The computing device 600 may further include additional removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile storage media. Although not explicitly stated... Figure 6 As shown, disk drives for reading from or writing to removable, non-volatile disks (e.g., "floppy disks") and optical disk drives for reading from or writing to removable, non-volatile optical disks can be provided. In these cases, each drive can be connected to a bus (not shown) via one or more data media interfaces. Memory 620 may include computer program product 625 having one or more program modules configured to perform various methods or actions of various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0199] The communication unit 640 enables communication with other computing devices via a communication medium. Additionally, the components of the computing device 600 can function as a single computing cluster or multiple computing machines capable of communicating via communication connections. Therefore, the computing device 600 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more other servers, networked personal computers (PCs), or another network node.

[0200] Input device 650 can be one or more input devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, trackball, etc. Output device 660 can be one or more output devices, such as a monitor, speaker, printer, etc. Computing device 600 can also communicate as needed with one or more external devices (not shown) via communication unit 640. These external devices, such as storage devices, display devices, etc., can communicate with one or more devices that enable user interaction with computing device 600, or with any device (e.g., network card, modem, etc.) that enables computing device 600 to communicate with one or more other computing devices. Such communication can be performed via input / output (I / O) interfaces (not shown).

[0201] According to an exemplary implementation of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores computer-executable instructions thereon, wherein the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor to implement the methods described above. According to an exemplary implementation of this disclosure, a computer program product is also provided, which is tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and includes computer-executable instructions, which are executed by a processor to implement the methods described above.

[0202] Various aspects of this disclosure are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatuses, devices, and computer program products implemented according to this disclosure. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0203] These computer-readable program instructions can be provided to a processing unit of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable pluggable charging head type device to produce a machine such that, when executed by the processing unit of the computer or other programmable pluggable charging head type device, they create means for implementing the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram. These computer-readable program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that causes a computer, programmable pluggable charging head type device, and / or other device to operate in a particular manner. Thus, the computer-readable medium storing the instructions comprises an article of manufacture that includes instructions for implementing aspects of the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0204] Computer-readable program instructions can be loaded onto a computer, other programmable pluggable charging head type device, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable pluggable charging head type device, or other device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby causing the instructions executed on the computer, other programmable pluggable charging head type device, or other device to perform the functions / actions specified in one or more boxes of a flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0205] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of this disclosure. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of an instruction, which contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. In some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may occur in a different order than those indicated in the drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, may be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or action, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0206] Various implementations of this disclosure have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed implementations. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described implementations. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical applications, or improvements to technology in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the various implementations disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A device for plugging and unplugging a charging head, comprising: robotic arm; A robotic arm is rotatably connected to one end of the robotic arm; A visual recognition module is disposed on the robotic arm and configured to recognize visual images of the environment surrounding the robotic arm; as well as The controller, coupled to the visual recognition module, is configured to: Based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head, the robotic arm is driven to grasp the charging head; Acquire the visual image recognized by the visual recognition module; The interface pose information of the interface to be charged is determined based on the visual image; as well as The robot arm is driven to perform an insertion operation based on the interface pose information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A force feedback module is disposed on the robotic arm and coupled to the controller. The force feedback module is configured to monitor the force information of the robotic arm during operation and send it to the controller. The controller is also configured to, based on the force information, pause the insertion operation of the manipulator and / or adjust the pose information of the manipulator.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, The force feedback module includes: A torque sensor or strain gauge is installed at the joint bearing of the robot to monitor the force information of the robot.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The joint drive mechanism is connected to the robotic arm via a transmission and coupled to the controller; The controller is also configured to drive the joint drive mechanism to perform a gripping or releasing operation.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A supplementary lighting module is disposed on the robotic arm and coupled to the controller. The supplementary lighting module is configured to monitor the brightness information around the robotic arm. The controller is also configured to control the fill light module to turn on the fill light based on the brightness information.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A first limiting mechanism is provided on the robotic arm; as well as The second limiting mechanism is disposed on the charging mechanism to which the charging head belongs, and the first limiting mechanism is adapted to the second limiting mechanism.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: An electromagnetic attraction mechanism is mounted on the robotic arm and coupled to the controller; and The controller is also configured to control the power supply of the electromagnetic attraction mechanism to be turned on or off.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The robotic arm is fixedly connected to the charging mechanism to which the charging head belongs.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: An obstacle avoidance module is mounted on the robotic arm and configured to monitor obstacle information around the robotic arm during its operation and send it to the controller.

10. A method for plugging and unplugging a charging head, comprising: Based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head, the robotic arm is driven to grasp the charging head; Obtain a visual image of the environment surrounding the robotic arm; The interface pose information of the interface to be charged is determined based on the visual image; as well as The robot arm is driven to perform an insertion operation based on the interface pose information.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The process of driving the robotic arm to grasp the charging head based on its initial position coordinates includes: Based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head, the first grasping trajectory of the robotic arm is determined; and Based on the first grasping trajectory, the robotic arm is driven to move forward and the joint drive mechanism is driven to perform the grasping operation.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Determining the first grasping trajectory of the robotic arm based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head includes: Based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head, the first travel trajectory of the robotic arm is determined; Drive the robotic arm to move along the first travel trajectory; In response to the robotic arm moving to the end of the first travel trajectory, the power supply to the electromagnetic attraction mechanism on the robotic arm is turned on; and Based on the current coordinates and the initial position coordinates of the robotic arm, the first grasping trajectory of the robotic arm is determined.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The step of driving the robotic arm to perform an insertion operation based on the interface pose information includes: The insertion trajectory of the robotic arm is determined based on the interface pose information; The robotic arm is driven to perform the insertion operation based on the insertion trajectory.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising: In response to the robotic arm experiencing force information exceeding a preset force threshold after its insertion stroke exceeds a preset stroke, the robotic arm is controlled to stop the insertion operation. The drive joint mechanism performs a release operation; as well as Drive the robotic arm to reset.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: The power supply to the electromagnetic attraction mechanism on the robotic arm is turned off. as well as Drive the robotic arm to reset.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising: In response to the force information received during the insertion stroke of the robotic arm being less than a preset stroke threshold being greater than a preset force threshold, the insertion operation of the robotic arm is paused; as well as Based on the force direction information in the force information, the position information of the manipulator is adjusted, and then the manipulator is driven to continue to perform the insertion operation.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising: In response to the update of the interface pose information, the insertion operation of the robotic arm into the charging head is paused; The pose information of the robotic arm is updated based on the updated interface pose information; as well as The robotic arm is then driven to continue performing the insertion operation.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising: In response to the brightness information around the robotic arm being lower than a preset brightness threshold, the supplementary lighting module is controlled to turn on supplementary lighting.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: In response to the robotic arm releasing the charging head, the supplementary lighting module is controlled to turn off the supplementary lighting.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising: In response to receiving a notification that the charging head has been unplugged, the current position coordinates of the charging head are determined; The robotic arm is driven to perform a grasping operation based on the current position coordinates; The robotic arm is driven to perform a pull-out operation based on the interface pose information; Based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head, the robotic arm is driven to reset the charging head; as well as Drive the robotic arm to reset.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein, The step of driving the robotic arm to perform a grasping operation based on the current position coordinates includes: The second grasping trajectory of the robotic arm is determined based on the current position coordinates; and Based on the second grasping trajectory, the robotic arm is driven to move forward and the joint drive mechanism is driven to perform the grasping operation.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein, Determining the second grasping trajectory of the robotic arm based on the current position coordinates includes: The second travel trajectory of the robotic arm is determined based on the current position coordinates; Drive the robotic arm to move along the second travel trajectory; In response to the robotic arm moving to the end of the second travel trajectory, the power supply to the electromagnetic attraction mechanism on the robotic arm is turned on; and Based on the current coordinates and the current position coordinates of the robotic arm, the second grasping trajectory of the robotic arm is determined.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising: In response to the completion of the charging head reset, the power supply of the electromagnetic suction mechanism is turned off. as well as Drive the robotic arm to reset.

24. A control device for plugging and unplugging a charging head, comprising: The charging head grasping module is configured to drive the robotic arm to grasp the charging head based on the initial position coordinates of the charging head; The image acquisition module is configured to acquire visual images of the environment surrounding the robotic arm; The information determination module is configured to determine the interface pose information of the interface to be charged based on the visual image; as well as The charging head insertion module is configured to drive the robotic arm to perform an insertion operation based on the interface pose information.

25. An electronic device, comprising: At least one processing unit; as well as At least one memory is coupled to at least one processing unit and stores instructions for execution by the at least one processing unit, which, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the electronic device to perform the method according to any one of claims 10 to 23.

26. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being executable by a processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 10 to 23.

27. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the method according to any one of claims 10 to 23.

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