Charging port positioning mechanism based on vision

Abstract

The utility model discloses a charging port positioning mechanism based on vision, which is applied to charging butt joint of a charging station and a charging connector of unmanned equipment. A lifting mechanism, a vertical moving mechanism, a transverse moving mechanism, a mounting shell and visual equipment are arranged on the charging station; the charging port positioning mechanism comprises an XY moving guide rail mechanism, a charging base is arranged at the upper end of the XY moving guide rail mechanism, and a spring is arranged between each side face of the charging base and the mounting shell; first inclined surfaces which are inclined inwards are arranged on the inner side edges of the charging base; a plurality of charging contacts are arranged at the bottom of the inner side of the charging seat; the charging port positioning mechanism further comprises a second inclined plane arranged on the side portion of the charging connector, and the second inclined plane is matched with the first inclined plane. The connecting end face of the charging connector is provided with a plurality of contact grooves. According to the utility model, the butt joint of the charging connector and the charging seat can be realized in a certain fault-tolerant range, the unmanned equipment can be conveniently and rapidly subjected to butt joint charging, and the characteristics of simplicity and practicability are realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a vision-based charging port positioning mechanism, belonging to the technical field of positioning mechanisms. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of technology, unmanned equipment has sprung up like mushrooms after rain, shining brightly in many fields. However, to truly achieve automation, autonomous charging capability is indispensable. This is not only related to the continuous operation of the equipment, but also a key link in the automation process. With autonomous charging capability, unmanned equipment can eliminate human intervention, automatically go to the charging area when the battery is low, efficiently replenish energy, and thus ensure its long-term stable operation.

[0003] For example, Chinese invention patent CN110103748A discloses a magnetic charging device for a small drone, specifically including a charging sub-terminal and a charging female-terminal. The charging sub-terminal is built into the bottom of the drone body, with a groove at its bottom containing several vertically fixed terminals. The charging female-terminal has several matching sockets at its top. Magnets are fixed to the bottom edges of the charging sub-terminal and the top edges of the charging female-terminal. The charging female-terminal has a second groove at its bottom, with a vertically fixed post at the center of its top, and a plug groove at the center of its bottom. This design requires the charging sub-terminal to be close to the charging female-terminal and the terminals to be inserted into the sockets for charging to begin. The terminals must be perfectly aligned with the corresponding sockets, requiring high precision in the connection between the charging sub-terminal and the charging female-terminal, making rapid charging difficult. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a vision-based charging port positioning mechanism. This invention can achieve docking between the charging connector and the charging base within a certain tolerance range, facilitating rapid docking and charging of unmanned equipment, and is simple and practical.

[0005] The technical solution of this utility model is as follows: A vision-based charging port positioning mechanism is applied to the charging docking of charging connectors in charging stations and unmanned equipment. The charging station is equipped with a lifting mechanism, the moving end of which has a vertical moving mechanism, and the moving end of which has a horizontal moving mechanism. The moving end of the horizontal moving mechanism has a mounting shell, and vision devices are respectively provided on the two adjacent outer sides of the mounting shell. The charging port positioning mechanism includes an XY moving guide rail mechanism disposed within the mounting shell. A square charging base is provided at the upper end of the XY moving guide rail mechanism, and a spring is provided between each side of the charging base and the mounting shell. Each inner side of the charging base has an inwardly inclined first slope. Multiple charging contacts are provided on the inner bottom of the charging base. The charging port positioning mechanism also includes a second inclined surface disposed on the side of the charging connector, which fits with the first inclined surface. Multiple contact grooves are provided on the connecting end face of the charging connector, and the contact grooves correspond to the charging contacts.

[0006] The aforementioned vision-based charging port positioning mechanism includes a lifting mechanism comprising cylinders symmetrically arranged on the charging station, with a base plate connected between the output ends of the cylinders, and the base plate being fixedly connected to a vertical moving mechanism; multiple telescopic guide rods are provided between the bottom surface of the charging station and the base plate.

[0007] The aforementioned vision-based charging port positioning mechanism includes a vertical movement mechanism comprising symmetrically arranged first sliding guide rails, on which a first slider is provided, and the first slider is connected to a horizontal movement mechanism; a first motor is provided on the outer side of one side of the first sliding guide rail, and a first groove is provided on the first sliding guide rail on that side, in which a first screw is rotatably connected, and the first screw is fixedly connected to the output end of the first motor; a first nut block is provided below the first slider connected to the first sliding guide rail, and the first nut block cooperates with the first screw.

[0008] The aforementioned vision-based charging port positioning mechanism includes a second sliding guide rail, on which a second slider is mounted and connected to a mounting shell; a second motor is mounted on the outer side of the second sliding guide rail; a second groove is mounted on the second sliding guide rail, and a second screw is rotatably connected within the groove, the second screw being fixedly connected to the output end of the second motor; a second nut block is mounted below the second slider, and the second nut block cooperates with the second screw.

[0009] The aforementioned vision-based charging port positioning mechanism includes a third sliding guide rail disposed within the mounting housing, a third slider on the third sliding guide rail, a fourth sliding guide rail above the third slider, a fourth slider on the fourth sliding guide rail, and the fourth slider being connected to the charging base.

[0010] In the aforementioned vision-based charging port positioning mechanism, each side of the charging base is provided with a slot, and a spring is disposed in the slot.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0012] 1. In this invention, the charging connector is installed on the unmanned equipment and connected to the internal battery of the unmanned equipment via a circuit. When the unmanned equipment needs charging, the charging connector is moved above the charging base. A vision device detects the position of the charging connector and positions it accordingly. The position of the charging base is adjusted by a horizontal and vertical moving mechanism so that the charging base and the charging connector are roughly aligned. Then, a lifting mechanism raises the charging base, and the first inclined surface of the charging base contacts the second inclined surface of the charging connector. As the charging base continues to rise, the interaction between the two inclined surfaces causes the charging base to move along its offset direction under the action of the XY moving guide mechanism until the charging connector is fully inserted into the charging base. At the same time, the charging contacts on the charging connector are also inserted into the contact slots of the charging base to charge the unmanned equipment. After charging is completed, the lifting mechanism lowers the charging base, separating the charging base from the charging connector. The charging base is then reset by the action of a spring. Thus, this invention achieves the effect of docking the charging connector and the charging base within a certain tolerance range, and has the advantages of fast and accurate docking efficiency.

[0013] 2. In this utility model, the vertical moving mechanism uses a first motor to rotate the first screw, and with the cooperation of the first sliding guide rails and the first slider on both sides, the first nut block moves along the guide of the first screw, thereby controlling the vertical movement of the charging base in the horizontal direction.

[0014] 3. In this utility model, the lateral movement mechanism causes the second screw to rotate through the second motor, and with the cooperation of the second sliding guide rail and the second slider, the second nut block moves along the guide of the second screw, thereby controlling the lateral movement of the charging base in the horizontal direction. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;

[0016] Figure 2 Top view of this utility model;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the nut block;

[0018] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the mounting shell;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the charging connector.

[0020] The labels in the attached diagram are as follows: 1-Lifting mechanism, 2-Vertical moving mechanism, 3-Horizontal moving mechanism, 4-Mounting shell, 5-Vision device, 6-XY moving guide rail mechanism, 7-Charging base, 8-Spring, 9-First inclined surface, 10-Charging contact, 11-Charging connector, 12-Second inclined surface, 13-Contact groove, 14-Gate, 20-Charging station, 21-Cylinder, 22-Base plate, 23-Telescopic guide rod, 30-First sliding guide rail, 31-First slider, 32-First motor, 33-First groove, 34-First screw, 35-First nut block, 40-Second sliding guide rail, 41-Second slider, 42-Second motor, 43-Second groove, 44-Second screw, 45-Second nut block, 50-Third sliding guide rail, 51-Third slider, 52-Fourth sliding guide rail, 53-Fourth slider. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, but this should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0022] Example: A vision-based charging port positioning mechanism, configured as follows Figure 1-5 As shown, this is used for charging docking between the charging station 20 and the charging connector 11 of the unmanned equipment. The charging station 20 is equipped with a lifting mechanism 1, a vertical moving mechanism 2 at the moving end of the lifting mechanism, a horizontal moving mechanism 3 at the moving end of the vertical moving mechanism 2, and a mounting shell 4 at the moving end of the horizontal moving mechanism 3. Vision devices 5 are respectively provided on the two adjacent outer sides of the mounting shell 4. In this embodiment, the vision devices 5 are cameras. A clear marker block is affixed to the charging connector 11 to facilitate image acquisition by the vision devices 5. The vertical moving mechanism 2 and the vertical moving mechanism 3 are used to adjust the position, allowing the vision devices 5 to gradually move below the marker block, thus aligning the charging base 7 approximately with the charging connector 11. A control box is located on the side of the charging station 20, and a control board is installed inside the control box. The control board is a PCBA board, which integrates a processor and electronic components such as capacitors and resistors. The processor can be an MCU. Since the control board is a common component in this field and is commercially available, its specific structure and circuit connections will not be described here. The control board receives and analyzes information from the vision device 5, and then controls the operation of the vertical movement mechanism 2, the horizontal movement mechanism 3, and the lifting mechanism 1. The charging port positioning mechanism includes an XY moving guide rail mechanism 6 housed within the mounting shell 4. A square charging base 7 is located at the upper end of the XY moving guide rail mechanism 6. A spring 8 is provided between each side of the charging base 7 and the mounting shell 4. Each inner side of the charging base 7 has an inwardly inclined first slope 9. Six charging contacts 10 are located at the bottom inner side of the charging base 7. Figure 5As shown, the charging port positioning mechanism further includes a second inclined surface 12 disposed on the side of the charging connector 11, the second inclined surface 12 fitting with the first inclined surface 9; the second inclined surface 12 makes the connecting end of the charging connector 11 into a frustum shape; the connecting end surface of the charging connector 11 is provided with six contact grooves 13, the contact grooves 13 corresponding to the charging contacts 10.

[0023] Preferably, such as Figure 1-3 As shown, the lifting mechanism 1 includes cylinders 21 symmetrically arranged on the charging station 20. The output ends of the cylinders 21 are connected to a base plate 22, and the base plate 22 is fixedly connected to the vertical moving mechanism 2. Two telescopic guide rods 23 are provided between the charging station 20 and the base plate 22. The cylinders 21 control the lifting of the charging base 7, and the telescopic guide rods 23 ensure stability during the lifting process.

[0024] Preferably, such as Figure 2 and 3 As shown, the vertical moving mechanism 2 includes symmetrically arranged first sliding guide rails 30, with a first slider 31 on each first sliding guide rail 30. The first slider 31 is connected to the horizontal moving mechanism 3. A first motor 32 is located on the outer side of one side of the first sliding guide rail 30. A first groove 33 is located on this side of the first sliding guide rail 30, and a first screw 34 is rotatably connected within the first groove 33. The first screw 34 is fixedly connected to the output end of the first motor 32. A first nut block 35 is located below the first slider 31 connected to the first sliding guide rail 30, and the first nut block 35 cooperates with the first screw 34. The vertical moving mechanism 2 causes the first screw to rotate via the first motor 32, and with the cooperation of the first sliding guide rails 30 and the first slider 31 on both sides, the first nut block 35 moves along the guide of the first screw 34, thereby controlling the vertical movement of the charging base 7 in the horizontal direction.

[0025] Preferably, such as Figure 2 and 3 As shown, the lateral movement mechanism 3 includes a second sliding guide rail 40, on which a second slider 41 is mounted, and the second slider 41 is connected to the mounting shell 4. A second motor 42 is mounted on the outer side of the second sliding guide rail 40. A second groove 43 is mounted on the second sliding guide rail 40, and a second screw 44 is rotatably connected within the second groove 43. The second screw 44 is fixedly connected to the output end of the second motor 42. A second nut block 45 is located below the second slider 41, and the second nut block 45 cooperates with the second screw 44. The lateral movement mechanism 3 causes the second screw 44 to rotate via the second motor 42, and with the cooperation of the second sliding guide rail 40 and the second slider 41, the second nut block 45 moves along the guide of the second screw 44, thereby controlling the lateral movement of the charging base 7 in the horizontal direction.

[0026] Preferably, such as Figure 4 As shown, the XY moving guide rail mechanism 6 includes a third sliding guide rail 50 disposed within the mounting housing 4. A third slider 51 is mounted on the third sliding guide rail 50, and a fourth sliding guide rail 52 is disposed above the third slider 51. A fourth slider 53 is mounted on the fourth sliding guide rail 52 and connected to the charging base 7. The orientation of the third sliding guide rail 50 is perpendicular to the orientation of the fourth sliding guide rail 52. The charging base 7 moves laterally in the horizontal direction by the movement of the third slider 51 on the third sliding guide rail 50, and moves vertically in the horizontal direction by the movement of the fourth slider 53 on the fourth sliding guide rail 52.

[0027] Preferably, such as Figure 1 As shown, each side of the charging base 7 is provided with a slot 14, and a spring 8 is disposed in the slot 14. When the side of the charging base 7 is in contact with the inner wall of the mounting shell 4, the spring 8 is accommodated in the slot 14.

[0028] Working principle:

[0029] When the unmanned device needs charging, the charging connector 11 is moved above the charging base 7. The vision device 5 detects the position of the charging connector 11 and positions it accordingly. The position of the charging base 7 is adjusted by the horizontal moving mechanism 3 and the vertical moving mechanism 2 so that the charging base 7 is roughly aligned with the charging connector 11. Then, the lifting mechanism 1 raises the charging base 7, and the first inclined surface 9 of the charging base 7 contacts the second inclined surface 12 of the charging connector 11. As the charging base 7 continues to rise, the interaction between the two inclined surfaces causes the charging base 7 to move along its offset direction under the action of the XY moving guide rail mechanism 6 until the charging connector 11 is fully inserted into the charging base 7. At the same time, the charging contacts 10 on the charging connector 11 are also inserted into the contact slots 13 of the charging base 7 to charge the unmanned device. After charging is completed, the lifting mechanism 1 lowers the charging base 7, and the charging base 7 separates from the charging connector 11. Under the action of the spring 8, the charging base 7 returns to its original position.

Claims

1. A vision-based charging port positioning mechanism, applied to the charging docking of a charging station (20) and a charging connector (11) of an unmanned device; wherein the charging station (20) is provided with a lifting mechanism (1), the moving end of the lifting mechanism is provided with a vertical moving mechanism (2), the moving end of the vertical moving mechanism (2) is provided with a horizontal moving mechanism (3), the moving end of the horizontal moving mechanism (3) is provided with a mounting shell (4), and the two adjacent outer sides of the mounting shell (4) are respectively provided with vision devices (5); characterized in that: The charging port positioning mechanism includes an XY moving guide rail mechanism (6) disposed in the mounting shell (4), the upper end of the XY moving guide rail mechanism (6) is provided with a square charging base (7), and each side of the charging base (7) is provided with a spring (8) between it and the mounting shell (4); the inner side of the charging base (7) is provided with an inwardly inclined first slope (9); the inner bottom of the charging base (7) is provided with a plurality of charging contacts (10); the charging port positioning mechanism also includes a second slope (12) disposed on the side of the charging connector (11), the second slope (12) fitting with the first slope (9); the connecting end face of the charging connector (11) is provided with a plurality of contact grooves (13), the contact grooves (13) corresponding to the charging contacts (10).

2. The vision-based charging port positioning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism (1) includes cylinders (21) symmetrically arranged on the charging station (20), with a base plate (22) connected between the output ends of the cylinders (21), and the base plate (22) is fixedly connected to the vertical moving mechanism (2); multiple telescopic guide rods (23) are provided between the bottom surface of the charging station (20) and the base plate (22).

3. The vision-based charging port positioning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vertical moving mechanism (2) includes symmetrically arranged first sliding guide rails (30), and a first slider (31) is provided on the first sliding guide rails (30). The first slider (31) is connected to the horizontal moving mechanism (3). A first motor (32) is provided on the outer side of one side of the first sliding guide rail (30). A first groove (33) is provided on the first sliding guide rail (30) on this side. A first screw (34) is rotatably connected in the first groove (33). The first screw (34) is fixedly connected to the output end of the first motor (32). A first nut block (35) is provided below the first slider (31) connected to the first sliding guide rail (30). The first nut block (35) cooperates with the first screw (34).

4. The vision-based charging port positioning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lateral movement mechanism (3) includes a second sliding guide rail (40), a second slider (41) on the second sliding guide rail (40), and the second slider (41) is connected to the mounting shell (4); a second motor (42) is provided on the outer side of the second sliding guide rail (40); a second groove (43) is provided on the second sliding guide rail (40), and a second screw (44) is rotatably connected in the second groove (43), and the second screw (44) is fixedly connected to the output end of the second motor (42); a second nut block (45) is provided below the second slider (41), and the second nut block (45) cooperates with the second screw (44).

5. The vision-based charging port positioning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The XY moving guide rail mechanism (6) includes a third sliding guide rail (50) disposed in the mounting shell (4), a third slider (51) disposed on the third sliding guide rail (50), a fourth sliding guide rail (52) disposed above the third slider (51), a fourth slider (53) disposed on the fourth sliding guide rail (52), and the fourth slider (53) is connected to the charging base (7).

6. The vision-based charging port positioning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each side of the charging base (7) is provided with a slot (14), and a spring (8) is provided in the slot (14).

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