Automatic charging system

Abstract

To provide an automatic charging system that can insert a charging connector into a charging port based on latest position information on the charging port.SOLUTION: An automatic chairing system includes: a vehicle that is driven by electric power supplied from a power storage device; a battery charger including a charging cable having a charge connector; a position information acquisition device that acquires position information on a charging port of the vehicle located in a parking space; and a charging robot including a robot arm that grips the charging connector and automatically inserts and removes a charging connector to and from the charging port of the vehicle. The charging robot inserts the charging connector into the charging port based on the position information, and charges the power storage device by supplying electric power from the electric charger. The automatic charging system includes a detector that detects motion in which the charging port can be vertically displaced. When the detector detects the motion in which the charging port can be vertically displaced during a period since the position information acquisition device acquires the position information until the insertion of the charging connector into the charging port is completed, the acquirement of the position information by the position information acquisition device is performed again.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic charging system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a power supply robot holds a power supply connector of a power supply equipment, moves to a vehicle parked in a parking space, and connects the power supply connector to an inlet provided on the vehicle, thereby supplying power from the power supply equipment to the vehicle's battery to charge it. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-032721 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If passengers get in and out of the vehicle or load or unload luggage while the vehicle is being charged by the power supply robot, causing a shift in the position of the charging port from what was initially recognized, it may not be possible to insert the power supply connector into the charging port.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide an automatic charging system that can insert a charging connector into a charging port based on the latest charging port position information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the automatic charging system of the present invention is composed of a vehicle powered by power supplied from a power storage device, a charger equipped with a charging cable having a charging connector, a position information acquisition device that acquires position information of the charging port of the vehicle located in a parking space, and a charging robot equipped with a robotic arm that grasps the charging connector and automatically inserts and removes the charging connector from the charging port, and the charging robot inserts the charging connector into the charging port based on the position information and supplies power from the charger to the power storage device to charge it.The automatic charging system has a detection device that detects movement that may cause the charging port to be displaced in the vertical direction, and if the detection device detects movement that may cause the charging port to be displaced in the vertical direction between the time when the position information acquisition device acquires the position information and the time when the insertion of the charging connector into the charging port is completed, the position information acquisition device re-acquires the position information.

[0007] This allows the charging connector to be inserted into the charging port based on the most recent charging port position information.

[0008] In the above, the position information acquisition device may be an imaging device provided on the robot arm for imaging the charging port.

[0009] This makes it possible to move the robot arm close to the charging port and obtain position information of the charging port by photographing the charging port with an imaging device.

[0010] In the above, the operation in which the charging port can be displaced in the vertical direction may be an opening and closing operation of a door provided on the vehicle.

[0011] This prevents the charging connector from being inserted into the charging port when the position of the charging port is shifted vertically due to passengers getting in and out of the vehicle when the door is opened and closed.

[0012] In the above, the operation in which the charging port can be displaced in the vertical direction may be an opening and closing operation of a trunk provided in the vehicle.

[0013] This prevents the charging connector from being inserted into the charging port when the charging port is vertically misaligned due to loading and unloading of luggage in the trunk when the trunk is opened or closed.

[0014] In the above, the operation in which the charging port can be displaced in the vertical direction may be a vehicle height adjustment operation by an electric air suspension provided on the vehicle.

[0015] This makes it possible to prevent the charging connector from being inserted into the charging port when the position of the charging port is shifted vertically due to vehicle height adjustment operation by the electric air suspension. Effect of the Invention

[0016] The automatic charging system according to the present invention has the advantage that the charging connector can be inserted into the charging port based on the latest charging port position information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a parking lot to which an automatic charging system according to an embodiment is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the automatic charging system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] Fig. 3(a) is a diagram showing the position of the charging port when the position information of the charging port is acquired, and Fig. 3(b) is a diagram showing a state in which the position of the charging port has shifted in the vertical direction after the position information of the charging port is acquired. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the automatic charging control according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an automatic charging system according to the present invention will be described below. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a parking lot 10 to which an automatic charging system 1 according to an embodiment is applied. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the parking lot 10 as viewed from above. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the automatic charging system 1 according to the embodiment.

[0020] 1 shows three parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c among a plurality of parking spaces provided in a parking lot 10, which is a parking facility, and the parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c are used as charging spaces. The three parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c are arranged side by side in the short direction (the left-right direction of the vehicle) of each of the parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c. In the following description, when there is no particular distinction between the parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c, they are also simply referred to as the parking spaces 11.

[0021] 1, vehicle 100 to be charged is parked in parking space 11b. Vehicle 100 is equipped with a charging port 101, a trunk 102, front, rear, left and right doors 110FL, 110FR, 110RL, 110RR, front, rear, left and right windows 111FL, 111FR, 111RL, 111RR, door opening / closing detection sensors, trunk opening / closing detection sensors, an electric air suspension, etc.

[0022] The charging port 101 is provided on the vehicle front side of the front left door 110FL of the vehicle 100. The front, rear, left and right doors 110FL, 110FR, 110RL, 110RR are provided to be openable and closable via hinges on the vehicle body. Door opening / closing detection sensors are provided corresponding to the front, rear, left and right doors 110FL, 110FR, 110RL, 110RR, respectively. The vehicle control device can detect the opening and closing operations of the front, rear, left and right doors 110FL, 110FR, 110RL, 110RR based on the detection results of the door opening / closing detection sensors. In the following description, when the front, rear, left and right doors 110FL, 110FR, 110RL, 110RR are not particularly distinguished from each other, they are also simply referred to as doors 110.

[0023] The trunk 102 is a luggage compartment provided at the rear of the vehicle, and is provided to be openable and closable via a hinge relative to the vehicle body. A trunk opening / closing sensor is provided corresponding to the trunk 102. The vehicle control device can detect the opening and closing operation of the trunk 102 based on the detection result of the trunk opening / closing detection sensor.

[0024] The front, rear, left and right windows 111FL, 111FR, 111RL, and 111RR are provided in the front, rear, left and right doors 110FL, 110FR, 110RL, and 110RR, respectively, so as to be able to be opened and closed.

[0025] For example, when a driver presses an up or down switch located near the driver's seat, the electric air suspension adjusts the vehicle height according to the number of times the switch is pressed by supplying compressed air to an air spring interposed between the vehicle body and the axle, or discharging compressed air from the air spring. When the up or down switch is pressed, the vehicle control device receives a press signal including the number of times the switch is pressed, and can thereby detect that the electric air suspension has been operated to adjust the vehicle height.

[0026] A charging robot 20 and a charger 30 used for charging the vehicles 100 parked in the parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c are provided near the parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c. In the automatic charging system 1 according to the embodiment, the charging robot 20 and the charger 30 configure an automatic charging device 2. The charging robot 20 and the charger 30 are configured to be able to communicate with each other.

[0027] In the automatic charging system 1 according to the embodiment, automatic charging by the automatic charging device 2 for a vehicle 100 parked in a parking space 11 in a parking lot 10 is managed and performed by a charging service control server 4. The charging service control server 4 includes at least a server control device for performing various controls relating to automatic charging as shown in FIG.

[0028] The charging service control server 4 is configured to be capable of communicating with a communication terminal owned by a user 3 of a vehicle 100 parked in a parking space 11 in a parking lot 10. The charging service control server 4 is capable of receiving various information, such as a charging reservation for the vehicle 100, transmitted from the communication terminal of the user 3.

[0029] The charging service control server 4 is also configured to be able to communicate with a parking lot monitoring system 6 that monitors the parking lot 10. The charging service control server 4 is able to check the presence or absence (parking state) of the vehicle 100 in the parking spaces 11a, 11b, 11c based on the detection results of a vehicle detection device constituted by an imaging device and various sensors that the parking lot monitoring system 6 has.

[0030] The charging service control server 4 is also configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle 100 parked in the parking space 11 via a vehicle information server 5 that is able to communicate with the vehicle 100. The charging service control server 4 is able to receive various information from the vehicle 100 via the vehicle information server 5, such as information relating to the SOC (State Of Charge) and required power amount of a battery, which is a power storage device mounted on the vehicle 100, and vehicle information relating to the position of the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100. The charging service control server 4 is also able to transmit, to the vehicle 100 via the vehicle information server 5, instruction signals for unlocking the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 and for freely opening and closing the charging lid.

[0031] Furthermore, the charging service control server 4 is configured to be able to communicate with the automatic charging device 2 (the charging robot 20 and the charger 30) provided in the parking lot 10. The charging service control server 4 is capable of transmitting various information to the automatic charging device 2 (the charging robot 20 and the charger 30), such as information relating to the amount of charging power of the battery mounted on the vehicle 100 and vehicle information relating to the position of the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the charging service control server 4 is capable of transmitting a signal to the automatic charging device 2 (the charging robot 20 and the charger 30) instructing the start of charging based on a charging reservation from the user 3.

[0032] The charging robot 20 is composed of a robot body 21, a robot arm 22, a robot hand 23, a camera 24, and a robot control device. The robot body 21 is a mobile body that can move autonomously (can run autonomously). The robot arm 22 has a base end connected to the robot body 21. The robot hand 23 is provided at the tip of the robot arm 22. The camera 24 is an imaging device provided at the tip of the robot arm 22 near the robot hand 23. For example, a stereo camera can be used as the camera 24. The robot control device is provided in the robot body 21 and can execute various controls and various calculations related to the charging operation by the charging robot 20. For example, the left-right direction (short side direction) of the vehicle in the parking lot 10 is the X axis, the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction) of the vehicle in the parking lot 10 is the Y axis, and the height direction of the vehicle from the ground in the parking lot 10 is the Z axis. The robot control device can then calculate the position coordinates (for example, YZ coordinates) of the charging port 101 in the image data of the charging port 101 in the vehicle 100 captured by the camera 24.

[0033] The charger 30 is composed of a charger main body 31, a charging cable 32, and a charging connector 33. The charger main body 31 is fixed to the ground.

[0034] In the charging system for parking lot 10 according to the embodiment, chargers 30 are arranged corresponding to three parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c. In the state shown in Fig. 1, a vehicle 100 parked in parking space 11b can be charged using charger 30.

[0035] For example, when the charger 30 is used to automatically charge the vehicle 100 parked in the parking space 11b, the robot body 21 of the charging robot 20 moves autonomously to a position where the robot arm 22 of the charging robot 20 can be extended and the robot hand 23 can grasp the charging connector 33 of the charger 30. The charging robot 20 recognizes the charging connector 33 with the camera 24 provided on the robot arm 22, and grasps the charging connector 33 with the robot hand 23. Thereafter, the robot body 21 of the charging robot 20 moves autonomously to a position where the charging connector 33 can be inserted into the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100. The charging robot 20 recognizes the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 with the camera 24 provided on the robot arm 22, acquires position information of the charging port 101, and extends the robot arm 22 to insert the charging connector 33 into the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 based on the acquired position information (position coordinates) of the charging port 101. When the charging connector 33 is inserted into the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100, the charger 30 supplies power from a power supply device provided in the charger main body 31 to the vehicle 100 via the charging cable 32 and the charging connector 33, and charges a battery, which is a power storage device, provided in the vehicle 100. After inserting the charging connector 33 into the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100, the charging robot 20 releases the robot hand 23 from the charging connector 33 and returns the robot arm 22 to a preset arm reference position.

[0036] When charging of the vehicle 100 is completed, the robot body 21 of the charging robot 20 moves autonomously to a position where the robot arm 22 can be extended to grasp the charging connector 33 inserted into the vehicle 100 by the robot hand 23. The charging robot 20 then grasps the charging connector 33 with the robot hand 23 and removes the charging connector 33 from the vehicle 100. Thereafter, the robot body 21 of the charging robot 20 moves toward the charger 30 in order to return the charging connector 33 to a plug reference position that is preset in the charger 30. The charging robot 20 then extends the robot arm 22 to return the charging connector 33 to the plug reference position.

[0037] In this manner, each vehicle 100 parked in the parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c of the parking lot 10 can be automatically charged by the automatic charging device 2 (the charging robot 20 and the charger 30).

[0038] Fig. 3(a) is a diagram showing the position of charging port 101 when position information is acquired on charging port 101. Fig. 3(b) is a diagram showing a state in which the position of charging port 101 has shifted in the vertical direction after the position information of charging port 101 is acquired.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 3(a), after setting the target coordinates of charging port 101 of vehicle 100, the position of charging port 101 may change in the vertical direction as shown in Fig. 3(b). Note that Fig. 3(b) shows a state in which the position of charging port 101 has shifted upward in the vertical direction compared to the position of charging port 101 in Fig. 3(a).

[0040] The position of charging port 101 shifts vertically, for example, when door 110 is opened to allow passengers to get in and out of vehicle 100, when trunk 102 is opened to allow luggage to be loaded or unloaded, or when the vehicle height of vehicle 100 is adjusted by an electric air suspension. When charging port 101 is in a vertically shifted position, charging connector 33 cannot be connected to charging port 101 correctly. Furthermore, if charging port 101 shifts vertically while charging connector 33 is in the middle of fitting into charging port 101, this may lead to damage to vehicle components.

[0041] For example, if the door 110 is opened between the time when the camera 24 of the charging robot 20 acquires position information of the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 and the time when the insertion of the charging connector 33 into the charging port 101 is completed, passengers may get in and out of the vehicle, causing a change in the weight and height of the vehicle 100, which may cause the position of the charging port 101 to be misaligned. Also, if the trunk 102 is opened between the time when the camera 24 of the charging robot 20 acquires position information of the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 and the time when the insertion of the charging connector 33 into the charging port 101 is completed, luggage may be loaded or unloaded from the trunk 102, causing a change in the weight and height of the vehicle 100, which may cause the position of the charging port 101 to be misaligned. In addition, if a vehicle height adjustment is performed to raise the vehicle height of vehicle 100 using the electric air suspension between the time when camera 24 of charging robot 20 acquires position information of charging port 101 of vehicle 100 and the time when charging connector 33 is completely inserted into charging port 101, the position of charging port 101 may be shifted due to the change in vehicle height.

[0042] Therefore, in the automatic charging system according to the embodiment, if the detection device detects an operation that may cause the charging port 101 to be displaced in the vertical direction during the period from when the position information acquisition device acquires the position information of the charging port 101 until the insertion of the charging connector 33 into the charging port 101 is completed, the charging operation by the charging robot 20 is temporarily stopped, and control is performed to reacquire the position information of the charging port 101. Note that, for example, the camera 24 provided on the robot arm 22 of the charging robot 20 can be used as the position information acquisition device. Also, for example, a door opening / closing detection sensor, a trunk opening / closing detection sensor, and an up switch and a down switch can be used as the detection device. The detection result of the detection device is transmitted to the charging service control server 4 by wireless communication via a communication device provided in the vehicle 100.

[0043] The charging service control server 4 can determine whether or not there is an operation that may cause the charging port 101 to be displaced in the up and down direction, based on the detection result of the detection device received from the vehicle 100. For example, the charging service control server 4 can determine whether or not the door 110 has been opened or closed, based on the detection result of a door open / close detection sensor. The charging service control server 4 can also determine whether or not the trunk 102 has been opened or closed, based on the detection result of a trunk open / close detection sensor. The charging service control server 4 can also determine whether or not the electric air suspension has been operated, based on a push signal of an up switch or a down switch.

[0044] As a result, in the automatic charging system according to the embodiment, even if the door 110 is opened or closed, the trunk 102 is opened or closed, or the vehicle height is adjusted using the electric air suspension between the time when the camera 24 of the charging robot 20 acquires position information of the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 and the time when the charging connector 33 is completely inserted into the charging port 101, the charging connector 33 can be inserted into the charging port 101 based on the latest correct position information of the charging port 101.

[0045] The position information acquisition device that acquires the position information of the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 to be charged parked in the parking space 11 is not limited to the camera 24 provided on the robot arm 22 of the charging robot 20. For example, a camera provided on the robot body 21 of the charging robot 20 or a camera provided in the parking lot 10 may be used as the position information acquisition device that acquires the position information of the charging port 101.

[0046] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the automatic charging control according to the embodiment.

[0047] First, in the process of step S1, the charging service control server 4 acquires a charging reservation from the user 3. Next, in the process of step S2, the server control device of the charging service control server 4 instructs the automatic charging device 2 to start charging. Next, in the process of step S3, the robot control device of the charging robot 20 executes control to move the charging connector 33 to the vicinity of the charging port 101 by the robot arm 22. Next, in the process of step S4, the robot control device photographs the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 with the camera 24 of the robot arm 22. Next, in the process of step S5, the robot control device acquires position information of the charging port 101 based on image data of the charging port 101 photographed by the camera 24 and calculates the position coordinates of the charging port 101.

[0048] Next, in the process of step S6, the server control device determines whether the door 110 has been opened / closed, the trunk 102 has been opened / closed, or the electric suspension has been operated based on the detection result of the detection device received from the vehicle 100. If the server control device determines that the door 110 has been opened / closed, the trunk 102 has been opened / closed, or the electric suspension has been operated (Yes in step S6), the process proceeds to step S14. In the process of step S14, the server control device causes the robot control device to execute control to temporarily suspend the charging operation by the charging robot 20. Then, the process proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, if the server control device determines that the door 110 has not been opened / closed, the trunk 102 has not been opened / closed, or the electric suspension has not been operated (No in step S6), the process proceeds to step S7. In the process of step S7, the server control device causes the robot control device to execute control to move the tip of the charging connector 33 to the center of the charging port 101 by moving the robot arm 22, etc. based on the position information (position coordinates) of the charging port 101.

[0049] Next, in the process of step S8, after the tip of the charging connector 33 is moved to the center of the charging port 101, the server control device determines whether the door 110 has been opened / closed, the trunk 102 has been opened / closed, or the electric suspension has been operated based on the detection result of the detection device newly received from the vehicle 100. If the server control device determines that the door 110 has been opened / closed, the trunk 102 has been opened / closed, or the electric suspension has been operated (Yes in step S8), the process proceeds to step S15. In the process of step S15, the server control device causes the robot control device to execute control to temporarily suspend the charging operation by the charging robot 20. Then, the process proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, if the server control device determines that the door 110 has not been opened / closed, the trunk 102 has not been opened / closed, or the electric suspension has not been operated (No in step S8), the process proceeds to step S9. In the process of step S9, the server control device causes the robot control device to execute control to start the insertion operation of the charging connector 33 into the charging port 101.

[0050] Next, in the process of step S10, after starting the operation of inserting the charging connector 33 into the charging port 101, the server control device determines whether the door 110 has been opened / closed, the trunk 102 has been opened / closed, or the electric suspension has been operated based on the detection result of the detection device newly received from the vehicle 100. If the server control device determines that the door 110 has been opened / closed, the trunk 102 has been opened / closed, or the electric suspension has been operated (Yes in step S10), the process proceeds to step S16. In the process of step S16, the server control device causes the robot control device to execute control to temporarily suspend the charging operation by the charging robot 20. Then, the process proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, if the server control device determines that the door 110 has not been opened / closed, the trunk 102 has not been opened / closed, or the electric suspension has not been operated (No in step S10), the process proceeds to step S11.

[0051] In the process of step S11, the charging robot 20 completes the operation of inserting the charging connector 33 into the charging port 101. Next, in the process of step S12, the server control device supplies power from the charger 30 to the battery of the vehicle 100 to charge the battery. Next, in the process of step S13, when charging of the battery of the vehicle 100 is completed, the server control device ends the charging operation by the charging robot 20. Thereafter, the server control device ends the series of automatic charging control.

[0052] The automatic charging system 1 of the embodiment can insert the charging connector 33 into the charging port 101 based on the latest position information of the charging port 101, even if the charging port 101 is displaced in the vertical direction between acquiring the position information of the charging port 101 and completing the insertion of the charging connector 33 into the charging port 101. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1 Automatic charging system 10. Parking Parking spaces 11a, 11b, 11c 20 Charging Robot 21 Robot body 22 Robot Arm 23 Robot Hand 24 Camera 30 charger 31 Charger body 32 Charging cable 33 Charging connector 100 vehicles 101 Charging port 102 Trunk 110FL, 110FR, 110RL, 110RR Door 111FL, 111FR, 111RL, 111RR Windows

Claims

1. a vehicle driven by electric power supplied from a power storage device; A charger including a charging cable having a charging connector; a position information acquisition device that acquires position information of a charging port of the vehicle located in a parking space; a charging robot including a robot arm that grasps the charging connector and automatically inserts and removes the charging connector from the charging port; It is composed of an automatic charging system in which the charging robot inserts the charging connector into the charging port based on the position information and supplies power from the charger to the power storage device to charge the power storage device, A detection device for detecting an operation in which the charging port may be displaced in the vertical direction, An automatic charging system characterized in that, when the detection device detects an action that may cause the charging port to be displaced in the vertical direction between the time when the position information acquisition device acquires the position information and the time when the charging connector is completely inserted into the charging port, the position information acquisition device re-acquires the position information.

2. The automatic charging system according to claim 1 , wherein the position information acquisition device is an imaging device provided on the robot arm and configured to capture an image of the charging port.

3. 3. The automatic charging system according to claim 1, wherein the action that can cause the charging port to be displaced in the vertical direction is the opening and closing of a door provided on the vehicle.

4. 3. The automatic charging system according to claim 1, wherein the action that can cause the charging port to be displaced in the vertical direction is an opening and closing action of a trunk provided in the vehicle.

5. 3. The automatic charging system according to claim 1, wherein the vertical displacement of the charging port is a vehicle height adjustment operation performed by an electric air suspension provided on the vehicle.

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