Automatic charging system

Abstract

To control an automatic charging robot in a cooperative mode, and to satisfy the insertion / extraction load of a charging connector.SOLUTION: An automatic charging system including a charger to which a charging cable having a charging connector is connected, an automatic charging robot having a robot arm provided with a robot hand at a distal end thereof and configured to perform charging by inserting the charging connector into a charging port of a vehicle, and a control device configured to control the automatic charging robot when automatic charging of the vehicle is performed, when the control device controls the operation of the robot arm, the control device executes a cooperative mode in which the robot arm is operated with the output of the robot arm limited to a predetermined value in a case where an execution condition is satisfied, and turns off the cooperative mode and operates the robot arm in a case where it is confirmed that there is no person or animal near the automatic charging robot according to a signal input from the detection device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic charging system that includes a charger connected to a charging cable including a charging connector, and an automatic charging robot that grasps the charging connector and automatically inserts it into a charging port of a vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-029652 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Industrial robots are installed in places surrounded by fences. When an automatic charging robot consisting of an industrial robot is installed in a place without a fence, it is necessary to operate in a cooperative mode that limits the output of the robot arm to allow people to be near the automatic charging robot. However, the output of the robot arm controlled in the cooperative mode may be insufficient to provide the load required to insert and remove the charging connector.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an automatic charging system that can control an automatic charging robot in a cooperative mode and can prevent insufficient insertion and removal load of the charging connector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides an automatic charging system comprising: a charger that is installed in a charging facility and is connected to a charging cable having a charging connector; an automatic charging robot that has a robot arm with a robot hand at its tip and that charges the vehicle by inserting the charging connector held by the robot hand into a charging port of the vehicle; and a control device that controls the automatic charging robot when automatically charging the vehicle.The system further comprises a detection device that is installed in infrastructure equipment near the charging facility and detects the distance between the automatic charging robot and a person, and when the control device controls the operation of the robot arm to charge the vehicle, if a predetermined execution condition is met, the control device executes a cooperative mode in which the output of the robot arm is limited to a predetermined value and the robot arm is operated, and if, while the cooperative mode is being executed, it is confirmed that there are no people or animals near the automatic charging robot based on a signal input from the detection device, the control device turns off the cooperative mode and operates the robot arm. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the automatic charging robot can be controlled to the cooperative mode, and the insufficient insertion / extraction load of the charging connector can be prevented. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an automatic charging system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the control flow of the automatic charging robot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An automatic charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below, although the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an automatic charging system according to an embodiment. The automatic charging system 1 includes a charging facility 2 and a control device 3. When a vehicle uses the charging facility 2 to charge, the automatic charging system 1 automatically charges the vehicle using a charger 4 and an automatic charging robot 5 provided in the charging facility 2. The vehicle is an electric vehicle capable of external charging. The automatic charging system 1 is configured to automatically insert and remove a charging connector 12 of the charger 4 into and from the vehicle's charging port.

[0011] The charging facility 2 includes a charger 4 and an automatic charging robot 5.

[0012] The charger 4 has a charging cable 11 and a charging connector 12. The charging cable 11 is a cable connected to the charger 4. The charging connector 12 is connected to the charging cable 11. The charger 4 and the charging connector 12 are connected via the charging cable 11.

[0013] The automatic charging robot 5 has a robot arm 21 and a robot hand 22. The automatic charging robot 5 is installed near the charger 4 and automatically inserts the charging connector 12 into the vehicle's charging port to charge the vehicle. The automatic charging robot 5 is configured, for example, by a vertical articulated robot with a six-axis mechanism. The automatic charging robot 5 is installed in a location that is not surrounded by fences.

[0014] The robot arm 21 automatically inserts and removes the charging connector 12 into and from the charging port of the vehicle. A robot hand 22 is provided at the tip of the robot arm 21. The robot hand 22 grasps the charging connector 12. The robot arm 21 operates to displace the position of the robot hand 22 to a desired position.

[0015] The control device 3 is a control device for the automatic charging system 1. The control device 3 controls the automatic charging robot 5. When a vehicle uses the charging facility 2 for automatic charging, the control device 3 controls the operation of the robot arm 21 of the automatic charging robot 5.

[0016] For example, the control device 3 controls the automatic charging robot 5 in a cooperative mode. The cooperative mode is a mode in which the robot arm 21 moves only at an output below a certain level. In other words, the cooperative mode is a mode in which the output of the robot arm 21 is limited to a predetermined value and the robot arm 21 is operated. When the control device 3 executes the cooperative mode, the output of the robot arm 21 in the automatic charging robot 5 becomes weaker than normal. In the cooperative mode, the control device 3 operates the robot arm 21 by limiting the output of the robot arm 21 to a predetermined value. This predetermined value is a value set in advance. The output of the robot arm 21 is determined by the payload and the operating speed. In the cooperative mode, at least one of the payload and the operating speed of the robot arm 21 is limited. The predetermined value for the cooperative mode can be set separately for the payload limit value and the operating speed limit value.

[0017] In the automatic charging system 1 configured as described above, because the robot arm 21 is controlled in cooperative mode, the load with which the robot arm 21 and the robot hand 22 come into contact with a person or animal can be reduced even if the person or animal approaches the automatic charging robot 5 out of curiosity. However, the output of the robot arm 21 controlled in cooperative mode may be insufficient to withstand the insertion and removal load of the charging connector 12. For example, when inserting the charging connector 12 into a vehicle charging port, if the automatic charging robot 5 inserts the charging connector 12 at an angle and causes strain, it is conceivable that a large load would be required from the robot arm 21. The same is true when removing the charging connector 12 from the vehicle charging port. Therefore, the control device 3 controls the output of the robot arm 21 of the automatic charging robot 5 based on information acquired by the laser scanner 31 of the infrastructure facility 6. A signal is input to the control device 3 from the infrastructure facility 6. Since a detection device such as a laser scanner 31 is installed in the infrastructure equipment 6, the control device 3 can detect the presence of a person or animal near the automatic charging robot 5 by using the laser scanner 31 installed in the infrastructure equipment 6 near the charging equipment 2 without installing a dedicated detection sensor.

[0018] The infrastructure facility 6 includes a laser scanner 31 , a control device 32 , and a communication device 33 .

[0019] The laser scanner 31 emits pulsed laser light and measures the time difference between hitting an object and bouncing back, thereby measuring distance, position, and shape in three dimensions. The laser scanner 31 is configured, for example, with a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device. The laser scanner 31 is an infrastructure device installed in the charging facility 2, and is a detection device that detects vehicles using the charging facility 2. The laser scanner 31 is installed in the infrastructure facility 6 near the charging facility 2, and detects the distance between the automatic charging robot 5 and a person. Information related to the distance detected by the laser scanner 31 is output to the control device 32.

[0020] The control device 32 is a control device on the infrastructure side. The control device 32 controls the laser scanner 31 and the communication device 33. The control device 32 provides the distance information acquired by the laser scanner 31 to the control device 3 from the communication device 33.

[0021] The communication device 33 communicates with the control device 3. The communication device 33 transmits information acquired on the infrastructure equipment 6 side to the control device 3.

[0022] The automatic charging system 1 is configured to control the operation of the automatic charging robot 5 based on distance information acquired from a laser scanner 31 installed in infrastructure equipment 6 near the charging facility 2. In other words, the control device 3 can change at least one of the payload capacity and operating speed of the robot arm 21 depending on the distance between the automatic charging robot 5 and a person.

[0023] Specifically, the control device 3 determines whether or not there is a person or animal near the automatic charging robot 5 based on distance information obtained from the infrastructure facility 6 by the laser scanner 41. If it is determined that there is no person or animal near the automatic charging robot 5 during automatic charging, the control device 3 can turn off the cooperative mode and operate the robot arm 21. When the cooperative mode is turned off, the control device 3 can operate the robot arm 21 with a higher output than in the cooperative mode. By turning off the cooperative mode, the control device 3 can relax the output restriction on the robot arm 21 and increase the insertion / removal load of the charging connector 12 as necessary.

[0024] For example, when the control device 3 turns off the cooperative mode, it switches the mode of the automatic charging robot 5 from the cooperative mode to the standard operation mode. The standard operation mode is a mode in which the automatic charging robot 5 maximizes its capabilities. The control device 3 can switch between the cooperative mode and the standard operation mode when controlling the operation of the robot arm 21 to charge a vehicle. The predetermined value for the cooperative mode is a value smaller than the output in the standard operation mode. In the cooperative mode, the output of the robot arm 21 is limited to a value smaller than the output in the standard operation mode. When the output of the robot arm 21 in the cooperative mode becomes smaller than in the standard operation mode, the payload capacity and operating speed of the robot arm 21 become smaller than in the standard operation mode.

[0025] 2 is a flow chart showing the control flow of the automatic charging robot. The control shown in FIG. 2 is repeatedly performed by the control device 3 during automatic charging.

[0026] The control device 3 controls the automatic charging robot 5 to enter cooperative mode during automatic charging (step S1). In step S1, when predetermined execution conditions are met, the automatic charging robot 5 is operated in cooperative mode. An example of the execution condition for executing cooperative mode is a charging start condition. When the execution condition is a charging start condition, the operation of the robot arm 21 in cooperative mode begins when the charging start condition is met. The charging start condition includes the vehicle being parked at a predetermined stopping position and the laser scanner 31 confirming that the surrounding area is safe.

[0027] The control device 3 determines whether the cancellation conditions for canceling the cooperative mode are met (step S2). In step S2, it determines whether the cancellation conditions are met based on the distance between the automatic charging robot 5 and a person measured by the laser scanner 31. The cancellation conditions are conditions for turning off the cooperative mode. The cancellation conditions include confirmation by the laser scanner 31 that there are no people or animals around the automatic charging robot 5. For example, the cancellation conditions are met when there are no people or animals within 10 meters of the automatic charging robot 5. In step S2, the control device 3 determines whether there are no people or animals within 10 meters of the automatic charging robot 5 during automatic charging.

[0028] If it is determined that the cancellation condition is not met (step S2: No), this control routine executes the process of step S2 again.

[0029] If it is determined that the cancellation condition is met (step S2: Yes), the control device 3 turns off the cooperative mode (step S3). In step S3, the control device 3 turns off the cooperative mode and increases the output of the robot arm 21 compared to that in the cooperative mode. The control device 3 turns off the cooperative mode and increases at least one of the payload and the operating speed of the robot arm 21 compared to that in the cooperative mode. For example, the control device 3 controls the operation of the robot arm 21 so that the operating speed of the robot arm 21 does not change whether the cooperative mode is on or off, but the payload of the robot arm 21 changes whether the cooperative mode is on or off. In this case, in step S3, the control device 3 changes the payload of the robot arm 21 to a value greater than that in the cooperative mode.

[0030] The control device 3 determines whether the return conditions are met with the cooperative mode turned off (step S4). The return conditions are conditions for returning from a state in which the cooperative mode is turned off to a state in which the cooperative mode is turned on. The return conditions include the laser scanner 31 confirming that there are people or animals around the automatic charging robot 5. While the cooperative mode is being executed, the return conditions are met if there are people or animals within a 5-meter radius of the automatic charging robot 5, for example. In step S4, it is determined whether there are people or animals near the automatic charging robot 5 during automatic charging. In step S4, the control device 3 determines whether there are people or animals within a 5-meter radius of the automatic charging robot 5.

[0031] If it is determined that the return condition is not met (step S4: No), this control routine executes the process of step S4 again.

[0032] If it is determined that the return condition is met (step S4: Yes), this control routine returns to step S1, and the control device 3 resumes the cooperative mode.

[0033] As described above, according to the embodiment, the cooperative mode can be turned off when there are no people or animals near the automatic charging robot 5 during automatic charging, and the insertion / removal load of the charging connector 12 can be increased as needed.

[0034] The detection device in the automatic charging system 1 is not limited to the laser scanner 31, but may also be an infrastructure camera. The infrastructure camera is a camera installed in the infrastructure facility 6, and includes multiple cameras installed in the parking lot where the charger 4 and the automatic charging robot 5 are installed. In this case, the control device 3 calculates the distance between the automatic charging robot 5 and a person based on the image captured by the infrastructure camera, and controls the operation of the automatic charging robot 5.

[0035] Furthermore, the range indicated by the return condition is not limited to a 5-meter radius from the automatic charging robot 5. This radius is not limited to 5 meters, and may be a few meters to approximately 10 meters. Furthermore, this range does not have to be a range centered on the automatic charging robot 5. For example, it may be a range of a few meters from the operating range of the robot arm 21.

[0036] Furthermore, output change control may be implemented to change the output of the robot arm 21 according to the relative distance between the automatic charging robot 5 and a person. Output change control is control that gradually increases the output of the robot arm 21 as the relative distance between the automatic charging robot 5 and a person increases. When the control device 3 implements output change control, the mode of the automatic charging robot 5 becomes the output change mode. In this case, the control device 3 can execute the cooperative mode, the output change mode, and the standard operation mode. When the control device 3 turns off the cooperative mode, it executes either the output change mode or the standard operation mode. The control device 3 can turn off the cooperative mode and turn on the output change mode. The control device 3 can switch the mode of the automatic charging robot 5 from the cooperative mode to the output change mode. In short, although turning off the cooperative mode includes the standard operation mode, turning off the cooperative mode does not necessarily mean that it is the standard operation mode.

[0037] Furthermore, the execution condition for the cooperative mode is not limited to the charge start condition. The predetermined execution condition may be a switching condition for switching from the standard operation mode to the cooperative mode. In other words, the standard operation mode may be executed before executing the cooperative mode. When the execution condition is a switching condition, in step S1 shown in FIG. 2, the switching condition is met, and control is switched from control in the standard operation mode to control in the cooperative mode. In this case, the cancellation condition in steps S2 to S4 shown in FIG. 2 may be a condition for switching from the cooperative mode to the standard operation mode. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 Automatic charging system 2 Charging equipment 3. Control device 4 charger 5. Automatic charging robot 6. Infrastructure 11 Charging cable 12 Charging connector 21 Robotic Arm 22 Robot Hand 31 Laser scanner

Claims

1. a charger installed in the charging facility and connected to a charging cable having a charging connector; an automatic charging robot having a robot arm with a robot hand at its tip, the robot arm holding the charging connector and inserting the charging connector into a charging port of a vehicle to charge the vehicle; a control device that controls the automatic charging robot when automatically charging the vehicle; An automatic charging system comprising: a detection device that is provided in infrastructure equipment near the charging facility and detects a distance between the automatic charging robot and a person; The control device When controlling the operation of the robot arm to charge the vehicle, if a predetermined execution condition is met, a cooperative mode is executed in which the output of the robot arm is limited to a predetermined value and the robot arm is operated; When the cooperative mode is being executed and it is confirmed that there is no person or animal near the automatic charging robot in response to a signal input from the detection device, the cooperative mode is turned off and the robot arm is operated. An automatic charging system.

2. The detection device is a laser scanner that detects the presence of people or animals around the automatic charging robot.

2. The automatic charging system according to claim 1.

3. The detection device is an infrastructure camera installed in a parking lot where the charger and the automatic charging robot are installed.

2. The automatic charging system according to claim 1.

4. The control device changes at least one of the payload and the operating speed of the robot arm according to the distance between the automatic charging robot and the person.

4. An automatic charging system according to claim 1, wherein the charging system is a power supply.

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