Self-propelled charging device

Abstract

To provide a self-propelled charging device that can reduce costs by eliminating the number of sensors required to detect the position of the vehicle-side connector. [Solution] The self-propelled charging device includes a device-side connector that charges the vehicle's battery by being connected to a vehicle-side connector located at the bottom of the vehicle, a joint provided on the base of the device-side connector, a lower plate that supports the device-side connector from below when connecting the device-side connector to the vehicle-side connector, and an elastic member provided at the tip of the lower plate and positioned between the device-side connector and the tip of the lower plate when connecting the device-side connector to the vehicle-side connector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a self-propelled charging device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a self-propelled charging device that aligns a connector using a plurality of sensors.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, since a plurality of sensors for detecting the position of the vehicle-side connector are used, there is room for improvement in terms of cost.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a self-propelled charging device capable of reducing costs by reducing sensors for detecting the position of a vehicle-side connector.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The self-propelled charging device according to the present disclosure includes a device-side connector that charges a battery of the vehicle by being connected to a vehicle-side connector provided at a lower portion of the vehicle, a joint provided on a base of the device-side connector, a lower plate that supports the device-side connector from below when connecting the device-side connector to the vehicle-side connector, and an elastic member provided at a tip portion of the lower plate and disposed between the device-side connector and the tip portion of the lower plate when connecting the device-side connector to the vehicle-side connector.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to this disclosure, by providing a joint in the base of the device-side connector, alignment with the vehicle-side connector becomes easier, thus reducing the number of sensors required to detect the position of the vehicle-side connector and lowering costs. Furthermore, by providing an elastic member at the tip of the lower plate that supports the device-side connector, the impact when connecting the device-side connector to the vehicle-side connector and the impact when disconnecting the device-side connector from the vehicle-side connector can be mitigated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a self-propelled charging device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a side view showing the operation flow of a self-propelled charging device without elastic members. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a side view showing the operation flow of a self-propelled charging device according to an embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] A self-propelled charging device according to the embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable or substantially identical to those that are replaceable by those skilled in the art.

[0010] The configuration of the self-propelled charging device according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. The self-propelled charging device according to the embodiment is designed to approach a vehicle equipped with a battery by driving itself and to automatically perform charging. The self-propelled charging device may drive autonomously using sensing technologies such as various sensors, or it may be driven by remote control by an operator. Examples of vehicles that can be charged by the self-propelled charging device include plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

[0011] The self-propelled charging device 1 according to this embodiment comprises a main body 11, a plurality of wheels 12, a lower plate 13, a plurality of motors 14, a rotation mechanism 15, a device-side connector 16, a plurality of bases 17, a plurality of joints 18, and an elastic member 19. The vehicle to be charged comprises a vehicle-side connector 2 and a battery 3. The vehicle-side connector 2 is also provided with a guide portion (upper cover) 21 for guiding the device-side connector 16. Note that Figure 1 shows only a portion of the actual configuration of the vehicle.

[0012] Furthermore, the self-propelled charging device 1 is for charging via a vehicle-side connector 2 located at the bottom of the vehicle, and the lower plate 13, device-side connector 16, base 17, and joint 18 are arranged along the front-rear direction of the self-propelled charging device 1.

[0013] Multiple (for example, three) wheels 12 are attached to the main body 11. Inside each wheel 12, a drive motor 14 is provided. The motors 14 provided in the wheels 12 are used to move the self-propelled charging device 1 itself.

[0014] The lower plate 13 is a plate-shaped member and functions as a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the device-side connector 16. The lower plate 13 also supports the device-side connector 16 from below when connecting it to the vehicle-side connector 2. The lower plate 13 is rectangular in shape when viewed from above, for example, with its longer side facing the front-to-back direction of the self-propelled charging device 1. One end of the lower plate 13 is supported by the main body 11. A motor 14 is provided at one end of the lower plate 13 for moving the lower plate 13 up and down, using that end as a pivot point. The motor 14 on the lower plate 13 is for moving the device-side connector 16. The device-side connector 16, base 17, and joint 18 are not directly fixed (fastened) to the lower plate 13, but are positioned above the lower plate 13.

[0015] The rotating mechanism 15 is for rotatably supporting the base 17 and the joint 18 connected to the base 17. Bearings and the like are provided inside the rotating mechanism 15. The device-side connector 16 is used to charge the vehicle's battery 3 by being connected to the vehicle-side connector 2. A charging stand (not shown) is connected to the device-side connector 16.

[0016] Bases 17 are provided between the rotating mechanism 15 and the joint 18, between the two joints 18, and between the joint 18 and the device-side connector 16. The joint 18 is provided on the base 17 of the device-side connector 16. In other words, the joint 18 is provided between the two bases 17. The joint 18 is composed of a coupling component having two or more degrees of freedom, such as a universal joint or a ball joint.

[0017] The elastic member 19 is intended to mitigate the impact when connecting the device-side connector 16 to the vehicle-side connector 2, and the impact when disconnecting the device-side connector 16 from the vehicle-side connector 2. The elastic member 19 is provided at the tip of the lower plate 13. Furthermore, when connecting the device-side connector 16 to the vehicle-side connector 2, the elastic member 19 is positioned between the device-side connector 16 and the tip of the lower plate 13, supporting the device-side connector 16 from below. The elastic member 19 is composed of a material containing a spring component, such as a spring, leaf spring, or rubber material.

[0018] Here, an example of the operation of a self-propelled charging device 101 without an elastic member 19 will be explained with reference to Figure 2. First, as shown in Figure 2(a), the self-propelled charging device 101 lifts the lower plate 13 upward with the motor 14, and the lower plate 13 lifts the device-side connector 16 upward with the motor 14.

[0019] Subsequently, as shown in (b) of FIG. 2, the self-propelled charging device 101 operates each joint 18 (see part A) by further moving the lower plate 13 upward by the motor 14. Then, by bringing the upper surface of the device-side connector 16 into contact with the guide portion 21 of the vehicle-side connector 2, the device-side connector 16 and the vehicle-side connector 16 are made parallel.

[0020] Subsequently, as shown in (c) of FIG. 2, the self-propelled charging device 101 moves forward from the current position to push the device-side connector 16 into the vehicle-side connector 2 for connection. However, if the lower plate 13 is lifted too much at that time, the device-side connector 16 may be damaged. Therefore, in the self-propelled charging device 1 according to the embodiment, an elastic member 19 is provided at the tip of the lower plate 13 to mitigate the impact when connecting the device-side connector 16 to the vehicle-side connector 2 or when extracting the device-side connector 16 from the vehicle-side connector 2.

[0021] In the self-propelled charging device 1, as shown in (a) of FIG. 3, when pushing the device-side connector 16 into the vehicle-side connector 2 for connection, the device-side connector 16 is supported by the elastic member 19 (here, a spring). That is, when the lower plate 13 is lifted upward, the elastic member 19 is brought into contact with and presses the lower surface of the device-side connector 16.

[0022] Thereby, while the elastic member 19 is in contact with and contracted by the device-side connector 16, the device-side connector 16 can be kept parallel to the vehicle-side connector 2. As a result, when connecting the device-side connector 16 to the vehicle-side connector 2, the requirement for the accuracy of vertical alignment (positioning) can be reduced. Furthermore, by bringing the elastic member 19 into contact with the lower surface of the device-side connector 16, the impact when the device-side connector 16 contacts the guide portion 21 can be mitigated.

[0023] Also, in the self-propelled charging device 1, as shown in (b) of FIG. 3, when the device-side connector 16 is pulled out from the vehicle-side connector 2, the pulled-out device-side connector 16 is received by the elastic member 19. Thereby, when the device-side connector 16 is pulled out from the vehicle-side connector 2, the lower plate 13 can be applied without damaging the device-side connector 16. Further, as shown in (b) of FIG. 3, even when there is a gap between the device-side connector 16 and the lower plate 13 when the device-side connector 16 is pulled out from the vehicle-side connector 2, the impact can be mitigated by receiving the device-side connector 16 with the elastic member 19.

[0024] As described above, in the self-propelled charging device 1, by providing a plurality of joints 18 with two or more degrees of freedom on the base 17 of the device-side connector 16, the tolerance can be absorbed by the joints 18. Thereby, the alignment between the device-side connector 16 and the vehicle-side connector 2 becomes easy, so that the cost can be reduced by reducing the sensors for detecting the position of the vehicle-side connector 2.

[0025] Also, since the self-propelled charging device 1 is self-propelled and the device itself moves, it can wait at a separate position until the vehicle is parked and then move under the vehicle after parking. Thereby, there is no risk of being stepped on (contacted) by the vehicle, and it becomes possible to charge various vehicles with different connector positions.

[0026] Also, in the self-propelled charging device 1, by providing the elastic member 19 at the tip of the lower plate 13 that supports the device-side connector 16, as shown in FIG. 3, the impact when connecting the device-side connector 16 to the vehicle-side connector 2 and the impact when pulling out the device-side connector 16 from the vehicle-side connector 2 can be mitigated.

[0027] Furthermore, in order to charge the vehicle, it is necessary to connect the device-side connector 16, which is connected to the charging station, with the vehicle-side connector 2. To do this, it is necessary to detect the position of the vehicle-side connector 2 with high precision and to finely control the position of the device-side connector 16. On the other hand, in the self-propelled charging device 1, by placing an elastic member 19 containing a spring component such as a spring, leaf spring, or rubber on the lower plate 13 that supports the device-side connector 16, high-precision position control becomes unnecessary.

[0028] Further effects and modifications can be readily derived by those skilled in the art. Therefore, broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments expressed and described above. Accordingly, various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the overall concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0029] 1,101 Self-propelled charging equipment 11 Main body 12 wheels 13 Lower plate 14 motors 15 Rotation mechanism 16. Device-side connector 17. Base 18 joints 19 Elastic members 2. Vehicle-side connector 21 Guide Section 3 Batteries

Claims

[Claim 1] A device-side connector that charges the vehicle's battery by being connected to a vehicle-side connector located at the bottom of the vehicle, A joint provided on the base of the connector on the device side, When connecting the device-side connector to the vehicle-side connector, a lower plate supports the device-side connector from below, An elastic member provided at the tip of the lower plate, which is positioned between the device-side connector and the tip of the lower plate when connecting the device-side connector to the vehicle-side connector, A self-propelled charging device equipped with [a specific feature].

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