Automatic charging robot

Abstract

To provide an automatic charging robot capable of coping with a charging port not corresponding to a charging connector.SOLUTION: An automatic charging robot of the present invention includes an arm mechanism capable of gripping a charging connector connected to a charging device via a charging cable, a control device that automatically performs control to operate the arm mechanism, and a camera capable of capturing an image of a charging port of a vehicle, wherein an attachment corresponding to a shape of the charging port can be attached to the charging connector in accordance with the shape of the charging port captured by the camera.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses an external charging device that charges an on-board secondary battery with power supplied from outside the vehicle, and that is equipped with a charging gun that is connected to the vehicle's charging port to supply power to charge the secondary battery.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a vehicle equipped with a charging inlet that is compatible with both AC charging connectors and DC charging connectors, a power storage device, a charging device that can charge the power storage device with at least one of AC and DC power input from the charging inlet, and an output unit that outputs an alarm signal to notify whether the charging device is compatible with AC charging. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-140782 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-065394 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is unclear how to deal with cases where the vehicle's charging port is not compatible with a charging connector.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide an automatic charging robot that can accommodate charging ports that are not compatible with charging connectors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the automatic charging robot of the present invention comprises an arm mechanism capable of grasping a charging connector connected to a charging device via a charging cable, a control device that automatically controls the operation of the arm mechanism, and a camera that can photograph the vehicle's charging port, and depending on the shape of the charging port photographed by the camera, an attachment corresponding to the shape of the charging port can be attached to the charging connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The automatic charging robot according to the present invention has the advantage of being able to accommodate charging ports that are not compatible with charging connectors. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a charging system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the charging system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the charging system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the charging system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an attachment that can be connected to a charging connector. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the attachment attached to the charging connector is connected to the charging port. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a charging system including an automatic charging robot according to the present invention will be described, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a charging system 100 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the charging system 100 according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the charging system 100 according to an embodiment. Fig. 4 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the charging system 100 according to an embodiment.

[0012] A charging system 100 according to an embodiment is for simultaneously charging multiple vehicles using chargers installed in, for example, a parking lot. As shown in FIG. 1 , the charging system 100 according to an embodiment includes a charger 1, an automatic charging robot 2, a control device 3, infrastructure equipment 4, and vehicles 5. The charger 1, the automatic charging robot 2, the control device 3, infrastructure equipment 4, and vehicles 5 all have communication functions and are configured to be able to communicate with each other and exchange various information via a network N. This network N is configured, for example, from an internet network, a mobile phone network, or the like.

[0013] The charger (charging stand, charging post) 1 is a charging device for supplying power to a vehicle 5 to be charged. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the charger 1 is installed on a stand 6. The charger 1 is also connected to a control panel 7. This control panel 7 is connected to, for example, a transformer facility (cubicle) that transforms the voltage of power from a power plant.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the charger 1 includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, a charging connector 13, and a charging cable 14.

[0015] The control unit 11 is realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory (main storage unit) such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. Based on instructions from the control device 3, the control unit 11 supplies power to the vehicle 5 to be charged.

[0016] The communication unit 12 is configured by, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board, a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication, etc. The communication unit 12 exchanges information with, for example, the automatic charging robot 2 and the control device 3 through communication via the network N.

[0017] The charging connector (charging gun, charging plug) 13 is used to supply power to the vehicle 5 to be charged. When not charging, the charging connector 13 is engaged with the side of the charger 1. When charging of the vehicle 5 begins, the charging connector 13 is grasped by the fixed automatic charging robot 2 and inserted into the charging port 53 of the vehicle 5. In this state, power is supplied from the charger 1 to the vehicle 5 through the charging connector 13. Thereafter, when charging of the vehicle 5 is completed, the charging connector 13 is grasped again by the automatic charging robot 2, removed from the charging port 53 of the vehicle 5, and then engaged with the side of the charger 1.

[0018] Although FIGS. 2 to 4 show an example in which one charging connector 13 is provided for one charger 1, a plurality of charging connectors 13 may be provided for one charger 1.

[0019] Charging cable 14 is provided between charging connector 13 and charger 1 (charger main body). Charging cable 14 is configured with a length that allows charging connector 13 to be inserted into charging port 53 regardless of the position of charging port 53 on vehicle 5. For example, while FIG. 3 shows an example in which charging port 53 is located on the front left side of vehicle 5, depending on the vehicle model, charging port 53 may be located on the rear left side, front center, rear center, etc. of vehicle 5. Therefore, charging cable 14 is configured with a length that allows charging connector 13 to be inserted regardless of whether charging port 53 is located on the front left side, rear left side, front center, or rear center of vehicle 5.

[0020] Depending on the model of vehicle 5, the charging port 53 may be located on the front right side or the rear right side of vehicle 5. In this case, for example, in FIG. 3, the vehicles 5 in the left and right charging spaces Sp1 are parked in opposite front-to-rear directions, and charging is performed with each charging port 53 facing toward the charger 1. For example, the vehicle 5 on the right side of FIG. 3 is parked in the charging space Sp1 with the front of the vehicle facing downward and the rear of the vehicle facing upward. Similarly, the vehicle 5 on the left side is parked with the front of the vehicle facing upward and the rear of the vehicle facing downward.

[0021] The automatic charging robot 2 is for gripping the charging connector 13 when charging the vehicle 5 from the charger 1. The automatic charging robot 2 is installed and fixed to a stand 6.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic charging robot 2 includes an arm mechanism 20, a control unit 21, a communication unit 22, a camera 23, and a driving device.

[0023] The base end of the arm mechanism 20 is installed and fixed on the stand 6. The arm mechanism 20 is provided at an arm tip 24, which is the tip end of a robot arm 201 having multiple joints, and has a robot hand 241 that can grip the charging connector 13.

[0024] Control unit 21 is a control device realized by a processor such as a CPU and a memory (main storage unit) such as a RAM and a ROM. Based on instructions from control device 3, control unit 21 automatically controls the drive device to grip charging connector 13 with robot hand 241 of arm mechanism 20, and inserts and removes charging connector 13 from charging port 53. In other words, control unit 21 automatically controls the operation of arm mechanism 20 based on instructions from control device 3. Control unit 21 is also disposed, for example, within the base end of arm mechanism 20.

[0025] Furthermore, when inserting the gripped charging connector 13 into the charging port 53, the control unit 21 identifies the position of the charging port 53 and the distance to the charging port 53 (the distance between the charging connector 13 and the charging port 53) from an image captured by, for example, a camera 23 installed at the tip of the automatic charging robot 2. The shape of the charging port 53 of the vehicle 5 is standardized. Therefore, the position of the charging port 53 can be identified by performing pattern matching based on the image of the charging port 53 captured by the camera 23. Furthermore, the distance from the charging connector 13 gripped by the automatic charging robot 2 to the charging port 53 can be identified by using a 3D (three-dimensional) camera as the camera 23 to acquire information in the depth direction.

[0026] The communication unit 22 is configured by, for example, a LAN interface board, a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication, etc. The communication unit 22 exchanges information with, for example, the charger 1 and the control device 3 by communication via the network N.

[0027] Camera 23 is used to capture an image of charging port 53. Camera 23 is provided at the tip of automatic charging robot 2 (arm mechanism main body). It is preferable to use a 3D camera as camera 23, which is capable of acquiring information in the depth direction.

[0028] The control device 3 controls the charger 1, the automatic charging robot 2, and the plurality of vehicles 5. The control device 3 performs, for example, charging control of the charger 1, control of the operation of the automatic charging robot 2, control of the infrastructure equipment 4, and driving control of the vehicles 5. The control device 3 is realized, for example, by a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or a server located on the cloud. Note that the control device 3 may be configured with separate hardware depending on the objects to be controlled (the charger 1, the automatic charging robot 2, the infrastructure equipment 4, and the vehicles 5). Furthermore, the function of the control device 3 to control charging of the charger 1 may be performed by a control panel 7.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 3 includes a control unit 31 and a communication unit 32.

[0030] The control unit 31 is realized by a processor such as a CPU, and a memory (main storage unit) such as a RAM, a ROM, etc. Specific processing contents of the control unit 31 will be described below.

[0031] The control unit 31 controls the driving of the vehicle 5 based on information (e.g., location information of the vehicle 5, etc.) acquired from the infrastructure facility 4. For example, the control unit 31 accepts a charging reservation for the vehicle 5 from a user (e.g., a driver) of the vehicle 5. This charging reservation may be accepted based on information input into an information terminal carried by the user (e.g., a smartphone connected to the network N), or may be accepted based on information input into an in-vehicle terminal (e.g., a car navigation system connected to the network N) by the user.

[0032] When the vehicle 5's turn to be charged approaches, the control unit 31 uses the location information of the vehicle 5 acquired from the infrastructure 4, etc., to automatically drive the vehicle 5 from the parking space where the vehicle 5 is parked to a waiting space, and then automatically parks the vehicle 5. By moving the vehicle 5 to be charged to the waiting space in advance and leaving it waiting, the time required to switch vehicles 5 to be charged can be minimized, and the availability of the charger 1 can be improved.

[0033] Subsequently, when it is the vehicle 5's turn to be charged, the control unit 31 uses the location information of the vehicle 5 acquired from the infrastructure 4 to automatically drive the vehicle 5 from the waiting space to the charging space Sp1 and then automatically parks the vehicle 5. Then, the control unit 31 causes the automatic charging robot 2 to grasp the charging connector 13, and causes the automatic charging robot 2 to insert the grasped charging connector 13 into the charging port 53, thereby starting charging by the charger 1.

[0034] Next, when charging of the vehicle 5 is completed, the control unit 31 causes the automatic charging robot 2 to grip the charging connector 13 again and remove the gripped charging connector 13 from the charging port 53. Next, using the position information of the vehicle 5 acquired from the infrastructure facility 4, the control unit 31 causes the vehicle 5 to automatically drive from the charging space Sp1 to a waiting space, and then automatically parks the vehicle 5.

[0035] When parking the vehicle 5 in the charging space Sp1, the control unit 31 parks the vehicle 5 so that the charging port 53 faces the charger 1. For example, when charging a vehicle 5 whose charging port 53 is located on the front left side, as shown in Fig. 3 , the vehicle 5 is parked in the charging space Sp1 to the right of the charger 1 with the front of the vehicle facing upward on the paper and the rear of the vehicle facing downward on the paper so that the charging port 53 is on the left side. Conversely, the vehicle 5 is parked in the charging space Sp1 to the left of the charger 1 with the front of the vehicle facing downward on the paper so that the charging port 53 is on the right side.

[0036] Depending on the model of vehicle 5, charging port 53 may be located on the front right side or rear right side of vehicle 5, opposite to that shown in Figure 3. In this case, for example, in the example of two vehicles 5 shown in Figure 3, vehicle 5 is parked in charging space Sp1 on the right side of charger 1 with the front of the vehicle facing downward on the paper and the rear of the vehicle facing upward on the paper so that charging port 53 is on the left side. Conversely, vehicle 5 is parked in charging space Sp1 on the left side of charger 1 with the front of the vehicle facing upward on the paper so that charging port 53 is on the right side.

[0037] The control unit 31 can charge two or more vehicles 5 simultaneously using one automatic charging robot 2. In this case, the control unit 31 moves a first vehicle 5 (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle A") to one of the charging spaces Sp1. Next, the control unit 31 causes the automatic charging robot 2 to hold the charging connector 13 of the first charger 1. Next, the control unit 31 inserts the charging connector 13 held by the automatic charging robot 2 into the charging port 53 of vehicle A, and starts charging the vehicle A.

[0038] Next, the control unit 31 moves the second vehicle 5 (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle B") to the other charging space Sp1. Next, the control unit 31 causes the automatic charging robot 2 to hold the charging connector 13 of the second charger 1. Next, while vehicle A is being charged, the control unit 31 inserts the charging connector 13 held by the automatic charging robot 2 into the charging port 53 of vehicle B, and starts charging vehicle B.

[0039] In this way, in the charging system 100 according to the embodiment, two or more vehicles 5 can be charged simultaneously by one automatic charging robot 2, regardless of the location of the charging port 53 of the vehicle 5 or the type of parking lot. As a result, the charging turnover rate can be increased.

[0040] However, because there are multiple vehicle charging standards (charging port standards), a single charger may have multiple charging cables for each charging standard (charging port standard). Chargers must select a charging connector that matches the charging standard (charging port standard).

[0041] Therefore, in the charging system 100 according to the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, an attachment 8 conforming to the charging standard (standard of the charging port) is prepared by being detachably held on an attachment stand 80 provided on the base 6.

[0042] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an attachment 8 that can be connected to the charging connector 13. As shown in FIG. 5(a), the attachment 8 has an attachment main body 81, a charging connector side connection portion 82, and a charging port side connection portion 83. The charging connector side connection portion 82 is provided on the base end side of the attachment main body 81 in the longitudinal direction, and has a connector portion 821 that can be connected to the charging connector 13 as shown in FIG. 5(b). Note that FIG. 5(b) is a view of the charging connector side connection portion 82 as viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 5(a). The charging port side connection portion 83 is provided on the tip end side of the attachment main body 81 in the longitudinal direction, and has a connector portion 831 that can be connected to the charging port 53 of the vehicle 5 as shown in FIG. 5(c). Note that FIG. 5(c) is a view of the charging port side connection portion 83 as viewed from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 5(a).

[0043] 5(b) and 5(c), the connector portion 821 of the charging connector side connection portion 82 has a different shape from the connector portion 831 of the charging port side connection portion 83. In this way, in the charging system 100 according to the embodiment, the charging standard that the charging connector 13 alone complies with (the standard of the charging port 53) is different from the charging standard that the attachment 8 complies with (the standard of the charging port 53).

[0044] Then, automatic charging robot 2 determines the charging standard (charging port standard) that charging port 53 complies with, using control unit 21, based on image information that enables identification of the shape of charging port 53 captured by camera 23. Control unit 21 then determines whether to connect charging connector 13 to charging port 53 alone or to connect charging connector 13 to charging port 53 by attaching attachment 8 to charging connector 13, and attaches attachment 8 to charging connector 13 as necessary. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , charging connector 13 held by robot hand 241 provided at arm tip 24 is inserted into charging connector side connecting portion 82 of attachment 8 to be attached, and then charging port side connecting portion 83 of attachment 8 is inserted into charging port 53 of vehicle 5 to connect them.

[0045] As described above, the charging system 100 according to the embodiment can accommodate multiple charging standards (charging port standards) while using a single charging cable 14 connected to the charging connector 13. This allows the charging system 100 according to the embodiment to accommodate charging ports 53 that are not compatible with the charging connector 13 while reducing the equipment cost of the charger 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 2. Automatic charging robot 5 vehicles 8 Attachments 13 Charging connector 14 Charging cable 20 Arm mechanism 21 Control section 22 Communications Department 23 Camera 24 Arm tip 53 Charging port 100 Charging System 201 Robot Arm 241 Robot Hand

Claims

[Claim 1] an arm mechanism capable of gripping a charging connector connected to the charging device by a charging cable; a control device that automatically controls the operation of the arm mechanism; A camera capable of photographing the vehicle's charging port; Equipped with An attachment corresponding to the shape of the charging port can be attached to the charging connector according to the shape of the charging port photographed by the camera. Automatic charging robot.

Images