Charging system, vehicular charging inlet, charging device, and charging method

Abstract

To stably maintain the positioning accuracy of a charging gun with respect to a connection port.SOLUTION: A charging system includes a vehicular charging inlet that is provided in a vehicle and has a connection port exposable to vehicle-body outside, and a charging device that is provided outside the vehicle and has a charging gun having a connector portion to be inserted into the connection port at the time of charging the vehicle and a movement mechanism unit for moving the position of the charging gun. The vehicular charging inlet has a marker that is exposed to the vehicle-body outside and serves as a reference in positioning of the charging gun with respect to the connection port before the charging gun is inserted into the connection port. The charging device includes an infrared camera for capturing an image of an area including the marker. The movement mechanism unit moves the position of the charging gun toward the connection port in accordance with the position of the marker in the image captured by the infrared camera.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging system, a vehicle charging inlet, a charging device, and a charging method that enable charging of a vehicle by inserting a charging gun installed outside the vehicle into a connection port of a vehicle charging inlet provided on the vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a charging system in which a charging gun provided on a charging device outside the vehicle is inserted into a connection port of a charging inlet provided on the vehicle to charge the vehicle (for example, Patent Document 1). In the charging system described in Patent Document 1, the charging device has a camera capable of photographing the area surrounding the connection port of the charging inlet, and a movement mechanism such as an arm that moves the position of the charging gun. The movement mechanism moves the charging gun toward a connection port whose position has been identified by processing the image captured by the camera, and the charging gun is inserted into the connection port. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-162362 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a configuration in which the charging gun is moved toward the connection port based on camera images, such as the charging system described in Patent Document 1, the accuracy of detecting the position of the connection port by processing the images captured from the camera is important. However, if the camera detects typical visible light wavelengths, the camera image is easily affected by sunlight, and underexposure occurs in dark places or overexposure (so-called whiteout) occurs in direct sunlight, making it difficult to detect the connection port, and there is a risk of reducing the accuracy of positioning the charging gun to the connection port.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to provide a charging system, a vehicle charging inlet, a charging device, and a charging method that can stably ensure the positioning accuracy of the charging gun relative to the connection port. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a charging system comprising: a charging device having a vehicle charging inlet that is provided on a vehicle and has a connection port that can be exposed to the outside of the vehicle body; a charging gun that is installed outside the vehicle and has a connector portion that is inserted into the connection port when charging the vehicle; and a movement mechanism that can move the position of the charging gun, wherein the vehicle charging inlet is provided so as to be exposed to the outside of the vehicle body and has a marker that serves as a reference for positioning the charging gun relative to the connection port before the charging gun is inserted into the connection port, the charging device has an infrared camera that can photograph an area including the marker, and the movement mechanism that moves the charging gun toward the connection port according to the position of the marker in an image captured by the infrared camera.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle charging inlet that has a connection port that can be exposed to the outside of the vehicle body and into which a charging gun of a charging device installed outside the vehicle is inserted when charging the vehicle, and a marker that is exposed to the outside of the vehicle body, is photographed by an infrared camera attached to the charging gun before the charging gun is inserted into the connection port, and serves as a reference for positioning the charging gun relative to the connection port in order to move the position of the charging gun by a movement mechanism of the charging device.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a charging device installed outside a vehicle that has a charging gun that is inserted into a connection port of a vehicle charging inlet provided on the vehicle when charging the vehicle, an infrared camera that can image an area including a marker that is exposed to the outside of the vehicle body of the vehicle charging inlet, and a movement mechanism that moves the charging gun toward the connection port according to the position of the marker in the image captured by the infrared camera.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is a charging method for charging a vehicle by inserting a charging gun of a charging device installed outside the vehicle into a connection port of a vehicle charging inlet provided on the vehicle, the charging method comprising: a first step of using an infrared camera of the charging device to capture an image of an area including a marker on the vehicle charging inlet that is exposed to the outside of the vehicle body; and a second step of using a movement mechanism of the charging device to move the charging gun toward the connection port according to the position of the marker in the image captured by the infrared camera.

[0010] With this configuration, the positioning accuracy of the charging gun relative to the connection port can be ensured stably. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a charging device included in the charging system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a front view of a vehicle charging inlet provided in a charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart of an example of a control routine executed in the charging system of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments of a charging system, a vehicle charging inlet, a charging device, and a charging method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0013] A charging system 1 according to one embodiment is a system for charging a vehicle by inserting a charging gun of a charging device outside the vehicle into a connection port of a charging inlet of the vehicle. The vehicle to be charged by the charging system 1 may be any vehicle that runs on electricity, and may be an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle.

[0014] The charging system 1 includes a vehicle charging inlet 10 and a charging device 20, as shown in FIGS.

[0015] The vehicle charging inlet 10 is a modularized component for charging the vehicle 2. The vehicle charging inlet 10 is provided on the vehicle 2. The vehicle charging inlet 10 is attached to a vehicle body surface 2a, such as a side surface or a front surface of the vehicle 2. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the vehicle charging inlet 10 has a base material 11, a cover 12, a connection port 13, and a marker 14.

[0016] The base material 11 is a container- or box-shaped box member. The base material 11 is attached and fixed in a state where it is fitted into an attachment hole provided on the body surface 2a of the vehicle 2. The base material 11 is a bottomed cylindrical member in which a bottom wall portion is formed on the back side, a side wall portion is formed to surround the periphery of the bottom wall portion to form a storage space, and an opening portion is formed on the front side. The base material 11 is molded from resin or the like.

[0017] The cover 12 is a plate-shaped lid member that opens and closes the opening of the base material 11. The cover 12 can protect the above-mentioned storage space and thus the connection port 13 from the outside of the vehicle body. The cover 12 can move between a closed position where the opening of the base material 11 is closed and an open position where the opening is opened. The movement of the cover 12 may be, for example, that the cover 12 rotates around a hinge axis or that the cover 12 moves along the vehicle body surface 2a.

[0018] The cover 12 may be moved from the closed position to the open position by, for example, a predetermined charging start operation or cover opening operation by a vehicle occupant or an operator. The cover 12 may be moved from the closed position to the open position by, for example, first moving from the closed position to an intermediate position between the closed position and the open position (so-called half-open position) by an elastic force such as a spring, and then moving from the intermediate position to the open position by hooking and moving an arm provided on the charging device 20. The cover 12 may be moved from the open position to the closed position by, for example, a predetermined charging end operation or cover closing operation by a vehicle occupant or an operator. The cover 12 is supported so as to be movable relative to the base material 11.

[0019] The connection port 13 is a connector that exposes a terminal provided at one end of a wire or cable that is connected to an in-vehicle battery. A connector portion 22a of a charging gun 22 of the charging device 20 (described later) is inserted into the connection port 13. The connection port 13 is accommodated in the accommodation space so as to be exposed from the bottom wall of the base material 11 to the accommodation space. The in-vehicle battery is disposed on the inner side of the bottom wall of the base material 11. The connection port 13 is hidden at the inner side of the cover 12 when the cover 12 is in the closed position, and is exposed to the outside of the vehicle through an opening in the base material 11 so as to enable charging of the vehicle 2 when the cover 12 is in the open position.

[0020] Marker 14 is a mark that serves as a reference for positioning charging gun 22 relative to connection port 13. Marker 14 is a light-emitting member that emits light with a wavelength in the near-infrared region. Marker 14 is, for example, an LED light. Light with a wavelength in the near-infrared region is electromagnetic waves with a wavelength of, for example, 0.75 μm to 1.5 μm. Taking into account that sunlight tends to attenuate around these wavelengths, the wavelength of the light emitted by marker 14 is preferably set to be near 820 nm, 860 nm, and 940 nm.

[0021] Furthermore, the marker 14 may, for example, emit light with a wavelength in the near-infrared region in conjunction with the timing when the cover 12 is opened from the closed position or when the cover 12 reaches the open position, and may further stop emitting light in conjunction with the timing when the cover 12 reaches the closed position from the open position side or when the cover 12 is closed to such an extent that the presence of the connection port 13 cannot be confirmed from outside the vehicle.

[0022] The marker 14 is provided so as to be exposed to the outside of the vehicle body. Specifically, the marker 14 is attached to the bottom wall of the base material 11. The marker 14 is configured so that, when the connector portion 22a of the charging gun 22 is inserted into the connection port 13, a control portion 27 of the charging device 20, which will be described later, can identify the position of the connection port 13 and the direction in which the axis of the connection port 13 extends (hereinafter referred to as the axial direction). The marker 14 may be any marker that emits light toward the outside of the vehicle body, and may be attached so as to be exposed to the surface of the bottom wall of the base material 11 and emit light directly, or may be disposed on the back side of the bottom wall of the base material 11 and emit light via a transparent material on the bottom wall.

[0023] The markers 14 are arranged at at least three points on the base material 11. The "points" at which the markers 14 are arranged refer to points that are a predetermined distance or more away from other "points" to such an extent that the relative position of the connection port 13 as seen from the charging device 20 side, the axial direction of the connection port 13, and the angular position around the axis of the connection port 13 can be identified by processing an image captured by the camera of the charging device 20. Also, for example, the three markers 14 may be composed of only point light sources that exist separately at each of the three "points", or may be composed of a linear light-emitting body that extends linearly and includes the three "points".

[0024] For example, as shown in Fig. 3, the markers 14 may be point light sources arranged at three different points. In this case, the three markers 14 may be arranged such that the shape obtained by connecting the three markers 14 with line segments forms an equilateral triangle when viewed from the axis of the connection port 13 on the outside of the vehicle body.

[0025] For example, two markers 14, each of which is a point light source, are arranged horizontally (for example, in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle when vehicle charging inlet 10 is arranged on the side of the vehicle body) at a predetermined distance or more (for example, 30 mm or more, 50 mm or more, 100 mm or more), and the remaining marker 14, which is a point light source, is arranged at an equal distance (for example, 30 mm or more, 50 mm or more, 100 mm or more) from the two markers 14 as the separation distance between the two markers 14, and at a position higher than the vertical height positions of the two markers 14. In this case, the three markers 14 may be arranged such that a collection of points at equal distances from the three markers 14 forms the axis of connection port 13.

[0026] Also, instead of arranging point light sources at three different points forming an equilateral triangle as described above, the marker 14 may be arranged in a V-shape obtained by connecting one of the three points as an intersection with each of the remaining two points with line segments, and arranging linear light-emitting bodies in the V-shape obtained by connecting the one point with each of the remaining two points with line segments. Furthermore, instead of arranging three different points forming an equilateral triangle, the marker 14 may be arranged at three points to form an isosceles triangle as long as the arrangement is stored in advance on the charging device 20 side, or may be arranged at four points to form a square with four different points.

[0027] The charging device 20 is a device that supplies electric energy to the vehicle 2 to charge the vehicle 2. The charging device 20 is installed outside the vehicle 2, for example, at a charging station, a home or a parking lot at a shopping center, a service area, a vehicle maintenance shop, etc. The charging device 20 may be a fixed stand type device that is fixed to the ground, or may be a mobile device such as an AGV.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the charging device 20 has a stand body 21, a charging gun 22, a movement mechanism unit 23, an infrared camera 24, a visible light camera 25, an operation unit 26, and a control unit 27.

[0029] The stand body 21 is a platform on which the charging gun 22, the moving mechanism 23, the infrared camera 24, and the visible light camera 25 are mounted. The stand body 21 is formed in a cylindrical or prismatic shape. The stand body 21 includes a supply source for storing electric energy and a charger for outputting the electric energy of the supply source. The charger may be compatible with quick charging or may be compatible with DC charging. The stand body 21 is fixed to the ground or mounted on an AGV or the like.

[0030] The charging gun 22 is a member through which electrical energy flows to be supplied to the vehicle 2 when the vehicle 2 is being charged. The charging gun 22 is formed in a hose shape. The charging gun 22 is composed of metal wiring and a covering portion that covers the metal wiring. One end of the charging gun 22 is connected to a power supply source within the stand main body 21. The charging gun 22 is flexible and malleable, and the other end, i.e., the tip, can be freely moved relative to the stand main body 21.

[0031] The charging gun 22 has a connector portion 22a. The connector portion 22a is provided at the other end of the charging gun 22. The connector portion 22a is inserted into the connection port 13 of the vehicle charging inlet 10. The connector portion 22a is configured in accordance with a predetermined standard such as the Combined Charging System (CCS; see FIG. 3) or CHAdeMO. The charging gun 22 directs electric energy from a supply source to the vehicle 2's on-board battery through the connector portion 22a.

[0032] The movement mechanism 23 is a mechanism for moving the charging gun 22. When the vehicle 2 is parked in a predetermined area relative to the stand body 21, the movement mechanism 23 can move the connector 22a of the charging gun 22 to the connection port 13 of the vehicle charging inlet 10 of the vehicle 2. The movement mechanism 23 can move the connector 22a of the charging gun 22 in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions relative to the stand body 21, and can rotate the connector 22a about its axis. The movement mechanism 23 is, for example, an articulated robot or a Cartesian coordinate system robot having a structure that allows it to rotate at its wrist.

[0033] The infrared camera 24 is a camera that detects light with wavelengths in the infrared region (particularly the near-infrared region). The wavelengths to be detected by the infrared camera 24 are, for example, 0.75 μm to 1.5 μm. Specifically, the wavelengths to be detected by the infrared camera 24 are preferably set near 820 nm, 860 nm, and 940 nm, taking into consideration that sunlight tends to attenuate near these wavelengths.

[0034] The infrared camera 24 may have, for example, a light receiving element (e.g., indium gallium arsenide phosphide InGaAsP) having sensitivity in a wavelength range including the near-infrared region, or may have a light receiving element (e.g., silicon photodiode Si-PD) having sensitivity in a wavelength range including not only the visible light region but also the near-infrared region, and a filter that cuts visible light.

[0035] The infrared camera 24 is attached to the movement mechanism 23 or the stand body 21 of the charging device 20. In order to accurately identify the position of the marker 14, it is preferable that the infrared camera 24 is attached to a position close to the connector 22a of the charging gun 22, such as the tip of the arm of the movement mechanism 23.

[0036] The infrared camera 24 can capture an image of the vehicle charging inlet 10 of the vehicle 2 parked in a predetermined area relative to the stand main body 21. In particular, the infrared camera 24 can capture an image of an area including the marker 14 of the vehicle charging inlet 10 and an area around the connection port 13. The infrared camera 24 is used to identify the position of the marker 14 relative to the charging gun 22 of the charging device 20, and is also used to detect a foreign object that impedes the movement of the charging gun 22 when inserted into the connection port 13. Note that the foreign object is, for example, the cover 12 that is not in the open position, a towel or a plastic bag that is sandwiched between the cover 12 in the open position and the base material 11, a person between the charging gun 22 and the connection port 13 that impedes the movement of the connector portion 22a of the charging gun 22 to the connection port 13, etc.

[0037] The visible light camera 25 is a camera that detects light with wavelengths in the visible light region. The visible light camera 25 is, for example, a CCD camera, and has a light receiving element (for example, a silicon photodiode Si-PD) that has sensitivity in a wavelength region including the visible light region. The visible light camera 25 is attached to the movement mechanism unit 23 or the stand main body 21 of the charging device 20. The visible light camera 25 may be disposed adjacent to the infrared camera 24.

[0038] Visible light camera 25 is capable of photographing vehicle charging inlet 10 of vehicle 2 parked in advance in a predetermined area with respect to stand main body 21, and in particular is capable of photographing the area around connection port 13. Visible light camera 25 is used to detect foreign objects that may impede the movement of charging gun 22 when inserted into connection port 13, or as a substitute for infrared camera 24 when it breaks down.

[0039] Operation unit 26 is a component that includes a panel that is operated by the driver or a station employee to input information to start charging of vehicle 2 or to make a payment after charging is completed, and a sensor that detects the position of vehicle 2. Operation unit 26 is provided in station main body 21, charging gun 22, etc. Note that operation unit 26 may include a portable device such as a smartphone carried by an occupant of vehicle 2 in addition to or instead of being provided in station main body 21 or charging gun 22.

[0040] Furthermore, the entire charging process, from the movement of the charging gun 22 by the moving mechanism unit 23 to the supply of electrical energy to the vehicle 2 and ultimately to the payment processing, may be started automatically when the vehicle 2 is parked in a specified area relative to the stand main body 21, when the cover 12 of the vehicle 2 is opened, when a charging start operation or a payment operation is performed using an app in a smartphone, instead of being conditional on a human operation being performed on the operation unit 26, or may be performed completely automatically without human operation.

[0041] The control unit 27 is a part that performs various controls of the charging device 20. The control unit 27 is mainly composed of a microcomputer. The control unit 27 is connected to the infrared camera 24, the visible light camera 25, and the operation unit 26, and is also connected to an operating actuator of the movement mechanism unit 23. The control unit 27 starts a charging process (for example, operation of the infrared camera 24 and the visible light camera 25) according to an input operation on the operation unit 26.

[0042] After starting the charging process, first, when the control unit 27 receives the infrared image taken by the infrared camera 24 and the visible light image taken by the visible light camera 25, the control unit 27 processes the infrared image to identify the position of the marker 14 of the vehicle charging inlet 10 of the vehicle 2, and processes the infrared image and the visible light image to determine the presence or absence of a foreign object that may hinder the movement of the charging gun 22. Then, when the control unit 27 detects that there is no foreign object in the area surrounding the connection port 13, it issues a drive command to the movement mechanism unit 23 to move the charging gun 22 according to the position of the marker 14 and insert the connector unit 22a into the connection port 13.

[0043] Next, the operation of the charging system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. When charging of the vehicle 2 is requested, the vehicle 2 is parked in a predetermined area relative to the stand body 21 of the charging device 20. After the vehicle 2 is parked, the marker 14 is illuminated when a marker illumination condition is met, such as the cover 12 being opened from the closed position or subsequently reaching the open position. In this case, the marker 14 emits light with a wavelength in the near-infrared region.

[0044] In charging system 1, when control unit 27 determines that a charging start condition for charging vehicle 2 is met by an input operation to operation unit 26 (positive determination in step 100 in FIG. 4), control unit 27 causes infrared camera 24 and visible light camera 25 to start capturing images (step 110). In this case, infrared camera 24 and visible light camera 25 each capture images of vehicle charging inlet 10 of parked vehicle 2 (specifically, an area including marker 14 and an area around connection port 13), and these images are processed by control unit 27.

[0045] As a result of processing each image, the control unit 27 determines whether or not there is a foreign object that would prevent the charging gun 22 from moving when the charging gun 22 is inserted into the connection port 13 of the vehicle 2 (step 120). If the control unit 27 determines that there is a foreign object, it ends the current routine without proceeding with any further processing. In this case, the charging gun 22 is prohibited from moving to the connection port 13 of the vehicle 2, and charging of the vehicle 2 is not performed.

[0046] On the other hand, if the control unit 27 determines that no foreign object is present, it then identifies the positions of the three markers 14 present in the infrared image captured by the infrared camera 24 (step 130). Based on the identified positions of the three markers 14 in the infrared image, the control unit 27 positions the charging gun 22 with respect to the connection port 13. Specifically, it identifies the relative position of the connection port 13 as seen from the charging device 20 side, the axial direction of the connection port 13, and the angular position around the axis of the connection port 13, and calculates the trajectory along which the connector portion 22a of the charging gun 22 should move when inserting the connector portion 22a into the connection port 13.

[0047] The control unit 27 may store in advance the positions of the three markers 14 relative to the connection port 13 and the two-dimensional shape formed by the three markers 14, and may compare the positions of the three markers 14 present in the infrared image with the stored data to calculate the movement trajectory of the charging gun 22. The movement trajectory may be such that the connector portion 22a of the charging gun 22 is first moved away from the connection port 13 and positioned on the axis of the connection port 13, and then moved linearly along the axis toward the connection port 13 to insert it into the connection port 13.

[0048] When the control unit 27 calculates the movement trajectory as described above, it drives the movement mechanism unit 23 so that the charging gun 22 moves toward the connection port 13 according to the position of the marker 14. The movement mechanism unit 23 moves the charging gun 22 toward the connection port 13 along the movement trajectory according to a drive command from the control unit 27 (step 140).

[0049] Then, when the insertion of the charging gun 22 into the connection port 13 is completed, the control unit 27 next operates the charger to supply electric energy to the vehicle 2 (step 150). When such power supply is performed, electric energy flows through the charging gun 22, and the vehicle 2 is charged.

[0050] Thus, in charging system 1, vehicle charging inlet 10 provided on vehicle 2 has marker 14 that serves as a reference for positioning charging gun 22 relative to connection port 13 before charging gun 22 is inserted into connection port 13. Also, charging device 20 has infrared camera 24 that can capture an image of an area including marker 14. Then, movement mechanism 23 of charging device 20 moves charging gun 22 toward connection port 13 according to the position of marker 14 in the infrared image captured by infrared camera 24.

[0051] In this charging system 1, an infrared camera 24 is used to identify the position of the marker 14. With this configuration, images obtained by the infrared camera 24 are less susceptible to the effects of sunlight compared to images obtained by a general visible light camera, and underexposure in dark places is suppressed, while overexposure (so-called whiteout) in direct sunlight is suppressed. This allows stable detection of the connection port 13, and ensures stable positioning accuracy of the charging gun 22 to the connection port 13.

[0052] In particular, the infrared camera 24 detects light with wavelengths in the near-infrared region. Therefore, the charging system 1 can eliminate the effects of sunlight, so that the connection port 13 can be stably detected and the positioning accuracy of the charging gun 22 relative to the connection port 13 can be improved.

[0053] Furthermore, in charging system 1, marker 14 is a light-emitting member that emits light with a wavelength in the near-infrared region. Therefore, the position of marker 14 can be accurately identified using infrared camera 24, thereby improving the detection accuracy of connection port 13 and thereby improving the positioning accuracy of charging gun 22 to connection port 13. Furthermore, even if marker 14 is lit, the light with a wavelength in the near-infrared region of marker 14 is not perceptible to the human eye, so it is possible to avoid situations in which the design of vehicle charging inlet 10 is degraded due to the lighting of marker 14.

[0054] In addition, the markers 14 are arranged at at least three points. Therefore, the relative position of the connection port 13 as seen from the charging device 20 side, the axial direction of the connection port 13, and the angular position around the axis of the connection port 13 can be identified, improving the positioning accuracy of the charging gun 22 to the connection port 13.

[0055] Furthermore, in the charging system 1, the charging device 20 has a visible light camera 25 capable of capturing images of the area around the connection port 13, separate from the infrared camera 24. The visible light image captured by the visible light camera 25 is processed to detect a foreign object that may hinder the movement of the charging gun 22 when the charging gun 22 is inserted into the connection port 13. If a foreign object is detected, the movement of the charging gun 22 is prohibited, whereas if no foreign object is present, the charging gun 22 is moved toward the connection port 13 and inserted into the connection port 13. This ensures safety when moving the charging gun 22 toward the connection port 13.

[0056] In particular, even if the infrared camera 24 breaks down, foreign objects in the area surrounding the connection port 13 can be detected based on the visible light image, so that the position of the charging gun 22 can be moved to the connection port 13 and the safety of the positional movement can be ensured.

[0057] The infrared camera 24 is also used to detect foreign objects that may impede the movement of the charging gun 22 when it is inserted into the connection port 13. That is, the infrared image captured by the infrared camera 24 is processed to detect foreign objects that may impede the movement of the charging gun 22 when it is inserted into the connection port 13. With this configuration, the influence of sunlight can also be eliminated when detecting foreign objects around the connection port 13, improving the accuracy of foreign object detection and improving safety when moving the charging gun 22 toward the connection port 13.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the marker 14, which serves as a reference for positioning the charging gun 22 relative to the connection port 13 before the charging gun 22 is inserted into the connection port 13, is a light-emitting member that emits light with a wavelength in the near-infrared region. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the marker 14 does not have to emit light with a wavelength in the near-infrared region. In this case, for example, the marker 14 may be formed from a material that easily reflects light with a wavelength in the near-infrared region, and an infrared illumination unit that irradiates light with a wavelength in the near-infrared region toward an area including the marker 14 may be disposed on the base material 11 of the vehicle charging inlet 10 or on the tip of the charging gun 22 of the charging device 20.

[0059] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, both the visible light camera 25 and the infrared camera 24 are used to detect a foreign object that impedes movement of the charging gun 22 when the charging gun 22 is inserted into the connection port 13. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only the visible light camera 25 may be used to detect a foreign object that impedes movement of the charging gun 22 when the charging gun 22 is inserted into the connection port 13.

[0060] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, this specification discloses not only the technical ideas shown by the citation relationships described in each claim at the time of filing, but also the technical ideas obtained by appropriately combining the matters described in each claim. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1: charging system, 2: vehicle, 10: vehicle charging inlet, 13: connection port, 14: marker, 20: charging device, 22: charging gun, 22a: connector unit, 23: moving mechanism unit, 24: infrared camera, 25: visible light camera, 27: control unit.

Claims

1. a vehicle charging inlet provided in a vehicle and having a connection port that can be exposed to an outside of the vehicle body; a charging device including a charging gun that is installed outside a vehicle and has a connector that is inserted into the connection port when charging the vehicle, and a movement mechanism that can move the charging gun; Equipped with the vehicle charging inlet is provided so as to be exposed to an outside of a vehicle body and has a marker that serves as a reference for positioning the charging gun with respect to the connection port before the charging gun is inserted into the connection port; the charging device has an infrared camera capable of photographing an area including the marker, The movement mechanism moves the charging gun toward the connection port according to the position of the marker in the image captured by the infrared camera.

2. The charging system according to claim 1 , wherein the infrared camera detects light having a wavelength in the near infrared region.

3. The charging system according to claim 2 , wherein the marker is a light-emitting member that emits light having a wavelength in the near-infrared region.

4. The charging system according to claim 1 , wherein the markers are arranged at at least three points.

5. 2. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the charging device has a visible light camera capable of photographing the area surrounding the connection port in order to detect foreign objects that may hinder movement of the charging gun when the charging gun is inserted into the connection port or to serve as an alternative to the infrared camera in the event of a malfunction.

6. a connection port that can be exposed to the outside of the vehicle body and into which a charging gun of a charging device installed outside the vehicle is inserted when charging the vehicle; a marker that is provided so as to be exposed to the outside of a vehicle body, that is an object to be photographed by an infrared camera attached to the charging gun before the charging gun is inserted into the connection port, and that serves as a reference for positioning the charging gun relative to the connection port in order to move the position of the charging gun by a movement mechanism of the charging device; A vehicle charging inlet comprising:

7. a charging gun that is inserted into a connection port of a vehicle charging inlet provided in the vehicle when charging the vehicle; an infrared camera capable of capturing an image of an area including a marker provided on the vehicle charging inlet so as to be exposed to an outside of the vehicle body; a movement mechanism that moves the charging gun toward the connection port according to the position of the marker in the image captured by the infrared camera; A charging device installed outside a vehicle.

8. A charging method for charging a vehicle by inserting a charging gun of a charging device installed outside the vehicle into a connection port of a vehicle charging inlet provided in the vehicle, the charging method comprising the steps of: a first step of capturing an image of an area including a marker provided on the vehicle charging inlet so as to be exposed to an outside of the vehicle body by an infrared camera of the charging device; a second step of moving the charging gun toward the connection port according to the position of the marker in the image captured by the infrared camera using a movement mechanism of the charging device; A charging method comprising:

Images