Charging Stations and Charging Systems

Abstract

To manually charge a moving body in the event of an abnormality while preventing the moving body from tipping over or shifting in position during normal operation at a charging station.SOLUTION: A charge station 1 is for charging an autonomous mobile body 3. The charging station 1 includes a charging unit 11 and a plate unit 13. The charging unit 11 includes a power feeding terminal 15. The autonomous mobile body 3 rides on a rigid plate unit 13 during autonomous charging. The charging unit 11 is connected to the plate unit 13 by a removing mechanism 21 so as to be removed in the vertical direction but not to be displaced horizontally.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging station and a charging system, and more particularly to a charging station and a charging system for charging an autonomously moving vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known an autonomous vehicle system, whether for home or commercial use, that includes a robot capable of autonomously traveling and a target such as a charging station for charging the battery of the robot (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The robot moves to the charging station periodically or as needed and is automatically charged. The charging station is often fixedly installed in the area where the robot is used, and is large or heavy so as not to fall or become displaced due to contact with the robot or a human. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-049933 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the case of a large or heavy charging station as described above, when the battery of the robot runs out in a location other than the charging station, it is difficult to carry the charging station to the robot. On the other hand, autonomous robots used commercially, such as guide robots and transport robots, are larger and heavier than household robot vacuum cleaners, making it difficult to transport the robots to charging stations. To cope with this problem, it is conceivable to provide a new portable spare charger, but this is cumbersome and increases costs.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to enable a moving object to be manually charged in an abnormal state at a charging station while preventing the moving object from falling over or becoming displaced under normal circumstances. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In the following, several aspects will be described as means for solving the problems. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as necessary.

[0007] A charging station according to one aspect of the present invention is for charging a mobile object. The charging station includes a charging section and a plate section. The charging section has a power supply terminal. The plate portion is what the moving body climbs onto during autonomous charging, and is hard. The live portion is connected to the plate portion by a connecting portion so as to be removable in the vertical direction but not movable horizontally relative to the plate portion. In this charging station, the hard plate portion and the charging portion are separably connected. Since the plate portion is hard, the mobile object is less likely to tip over or become displaced during autonomous charging. In addition, since the charging unit can be separated from the plate unit, when the battery runs out in a location away from the plate unit, the charging unit can be easily carried to the mobile unit for charging.

[0008] The weight of the live part may be less than 10 kg. This charging station makes it easy to carry the charging unit.

[0009] In the charging section, the horizontal length intersecting the plane on which the charging terminal is provided may be 150 mm or less. In this charging station, if the charging unit is installed near a wall, people will not trip over the charging unit even when walking along the wall.

[0010] The charging station may further include a friction member provided on a rear surface of the plate portion. In this charging station, the plate portion is prevented from being displaced. The material of the friction member is not particularly limited, and may be a rubber sheet, a sponge, or a cork. The friction member may correspond to the entire surface of the plate portion or may correspond to a part of the plate portion. The charging station may further include a marking provided on the plate portion and indicating a position of an outer frame of the moving object when the moving object is connected to the power supply terminal. In this charging station, a mark indicating the outer frame position of the mobile object is provided on the plate portion of the charging station, so that when an operator manually docks the mobile object to the charging station, the operator can easily achieve docking by aligning the mobile object with the mark even if the power supply terminal cannot be seen from the front of the operating area.

[0011] A charging system according to another aspect of the present invention includes the charging station described above and the mobile object described above. The charging section further includes a charging circuit that supplies power to the power supply terminal, and a charging circuit switch that turns the charging circuit on and off. The mobile body has a power receiving terminal and a charging circuit activation protrusion. When a moving object approaches and touches the power supply terminal, the power supply terminal and the power receiving terminal come into contact with each other, and then the charging circuit activation protrusion turns on the charging circuit switch. In this charging system, when a mobile object approaches a charging station, first the power receiving terminal of the mobile object comes into contact with the power supply terminal. At this time, the charging circuit switch is off. When the mobile object approaches the charging station further, a charging circuit activation protrusion on the mobile object turns on the charging circuit switch. As a result, power is supplied from the charging circuit through the power supply terminal to the power receiving terminal of the mobile object. In the above case, power supply begins with the power receiving terminal and power supply terminal in contact, so problems such as arc generation are unlikely to occur. In this way, when the charging unit is made portable, charging control on the mobile unit side becomes unnecessary. Effect of the Invention

[0012] In the charging station according to the present invention, the moving object does not fall over or become displaced under normal circumstances, and the moving object can be manually charged in the event of an abnormality. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an autonomous vehicle system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an autonomous moving body. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control unit of an autonomous moving body. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a charging station and a charging structure for an autonomous moving object. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a detailed schematic diagram showing the charging station and the charging structure of an autonomous mobile object. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing an operation of docking an autonomous moving body with a charging station. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing an operation of docking an autonomous moving body with a charging station. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing an operation of docking an autonomous moving body with a charging station. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing an operation of docking an autonomous moving body with a charging station. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a detailed schematic diagram showing the charging station and the charging structure of an autonomous mobile object. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a detailed schematic diagram showing the charging station and the charging structure of an autonomous mobile object. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a charging station according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] 1. First embodiment (1) Overall configuration of autonomous vehicle system The overall configuration of an autonomous vehicle system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the autonomous vehicle system. The autonomous vehicle system 100 includes a charging station 1 (an example of a charging station). The charging station 1 is disposed near one wall W that forms a moving plane MS along which an autonomous moving body 3 (described later) of the autonomous vehicle system 100 moves. The charging station 1 functions as a charger for charging a battery 35 (described later) provided in the autonomous moving body 3.

[0015] The autonomous vehicle system 100 has an autonomous moving body 3 (an example of a moving body). The autonomous moving body 3 acquires information about the shape of an object O (for example, a pillar, a wall, a shelf on which goods are placed, or other moving object (other moving body, human, animal, etc.) moving on the moving plane MS) that exists around the autonomous moving body 3, and autonomously moves on the moving plane MS based on the acquired information about the shape of the object O.

[0016] The autonomous moving body 3 can autonomously move along any travel route according to data (called a travel schedule) that stores information (passing target points) about positions on multiple movement planes MS through which the autonomous moving body 3 must pass. A travel mode in which the autonomous moving body 3 autonomously moves along any travel route is called a "first travel mode." In the travel schedule, the start position of the travel route is particularly called the "autonomous travel start position," and the end position is particularly called the "autonomous travel end position." When the first driving mode is executed, the driving control unit 344 (described later) of the autonomous moving body 3 controls the driving unit 32 (described later) to pass through each position on the moving plane MS stored in the above-mentioned driving schedule, thereby enabling the autonomous moving body 3 (main body unit 31) to autonomously reproduce and drive the driving route indicated in the driving schedule.

[0017] On the other hand, when it is determined that the battery 35 of the autonomous moving body 3 needs to be charged, or after the execution of the above-mentioned first traveling mode, the autonomous moving body 3 autonomously moves to the charging station 1. The traveling mode in which the autonomous moving body 3 autonomously moves to the charging station 1 is referred to as the "second traveling mode." The second traveling mode is started when the autonomous moving body 3 reaches a predetermined position (hereinafter referred to as the second traveling mode start position) near the charging station 1. That is, the second traveling mode is a traveling mode in which the autonomous moving body 3 moves autonomously from the second traveling mode start position to the charging station 1. In the autonomous vehicle system 100, the autonomous moving body 3 is capable of executing the first driving mode and the second driving mode as described above, so that the autonomous moving body 3 can reliably move autonomously from any position on the movement plane MS to the charging station 1.

[0018] (2) Configuration of autonomous mobile unit (2-1) Overall structure The configuration of the autonomous moving body 3 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the autonomous moving body. First, a description will be given of the overall configuration of the autonomous moving body 3. The autonomous moving body 3 has a main body unit 31. The main body unit 31 is a housing that constitutes the main body of the autonomous moving body 3. The autonomous moving body 3 has a running unit 32. As shown in FIG. 2, the running unit 32 is disposed, for example, in approximately the center of the inner bottom surface of the main body unit 31. The running unit 32 moves the main body unit 31 of the autonomous moving body 3. Specifically, the running unit 32 moves the main body unit 31 by a forward movement and a rotation movement. The forward movement is a movement that moves the main body unit 31 forward and backward (FIG. 2). The rotation movement is a movement that changes the orientation (attitude) of the main body unit 31 by changing the attitude angle θ (described later).

[0019] The autonomous moving body 3 has a laser range sensor 33. The laser range sensor 33 is, for example, a laser range finder (LRF) that radially irradiates an object O with laser light pulsed by a laser oscillator and receives the light reflected from the object O with a laser receiver. The laser range sensor 33 is disposed at the front of the main body 31 on a front-rear axis (FIG. 2) that is an axis that defines the front-rear direction of the main body 31. The laser range sensor 33 radiates laser light in the left and right directions relative to the forward movement direction (FIG. 2) of the main body 31. In this embodiment, the laser range sensor 33 receives light reflected from an object O included within a circle having a radius of about 20 m that is centered on the laser range sensor 33 and extends in the forward movement direction.

[0020] The autonomous moving body 3 has a control unit 34. The control unit 34 is installed in the main body unit 31. The control unit 34 is a computer system having a CPU, a storage device (e.g., a device for storing data such as a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk, or an SSD), an interface for wireless and / or wired communication with an external terminal, and various interfaces such as an A / D and / or D / A converter. The control unit 34 is also a motor driver that supplies driving power to control motors 321a, 321b (described later) of the traveling unit 32. The control unit 34 executes various information processing in the autonomous mobile body 3 and controls the traveling unit 32. Specifically, the control unit 34 receives a reception signal of reflected light from the laser range sensor 33 and processes the reception signal. The control unit 34 also generates drive power to be supplied to the motors 321a, 321b of the traveling unit 32 using power (voltage and / or current) supplied from a battery 35 (described later). This allows the control unit 34 to control the amount of rotation, torque, and the like of the motors 321a, 321b. Furthermore, the control unit 34 may receive an operation by an operator using an input device such as a controller wirelessly and / or via a wired connection, and control the driving power based on the operation. This allows the operator to operate the autonomous moving body 3.

[0021] The autonomous moving body 3 has a battery 35. The battery 35 is installed near the attachment position of a power receiving terminal 36 (described later) of the main body unit 31. The battery 35 drives the traveling unit 32. Specifically, the battery 35 is a secondary battery that supplies power to the control unit 34, and is, for example, a lithium ion battery. The battery 35 may supply power not only to the control unit 34 but also to other components requiring power, such as the laser range sensor 33 .

[0022] The autonomous moving body 3 has a power receiving terminal 36. The power receiving terminal 36 is attached to the rear end of the main body 31. When the main body 31 reaches the charging station 1, the power receiving terminal 36 is connected to the power supply terminal 15 of the charging station 1 so as to be capable of transmitting power. In this embodiment, the power supply terminal 15 is a pair of contacts, and the power receiving terminal 36 is a pair of contacts that can come into contact with the pair of contacts. As a modified example, when the power supply terminal of the charging station 1 is an electric socket, the power receiving terminal 36 is an electric plug that can be inserted into the electric socket. When the power supply side is a coil capable of contactless power transmission, the power receiving side is a coil capable of receiving a fluctuating electromagnetic field and generating electric power. The power receiving terminal 36 is connected to a battery 35 via a voltage regulation circuit (not shown).

[0023] The autonomous moving body 3 may have an auxiliary wheel unit 37. The auxiliary wheel unit 37 has two auxiliary wheels 37a and 37b. The two auxiliary wheels 37a and 37b are attached to the rear bottom of the main body unit 31 so as to be independently rotatable. The autonomous moving body 3 having the above-mentioned configuration can autonomously move on the movement plane MS based on information about the shape of an object O on the movement plane MS that exists around the autonomous moving body 3.

[0024] (2-2) Configuration of the Running Part The configuration of the traveling unit 32 of the autonomous moving body 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The traveling unit 32 has a pair of motors 321a, 321b. The pair of motors 321a, 321b are installed near the center of the bottom of the main body unit 31. The pair of motors 321a, 321b are electric motors such as brushless motors that output a rotation speed and / or torque corresponding to the driving power input from the control unit 34 to an output rotation shaft. The traveling unit 32 has a pair of wheels 323a, 323b. The pair of wheels 323a, 323b are installed near the center of the bottom of the main body 31 via the motors 321a and 321b so as to be in contact with the traveling surface of the moving plane MS. Specifically, the pair of wheels 323a, 323b are connected to the output rotating shaft of the motor 321a and the output rotating shaft of the motor 321b so as to be rotatable in response to the rotation of the output rotating shaft. As a result, the pair of wheels 323a, 323b can be rotated with the rotation speed and torque independently controlled.

[0025] The traveling unit 32 has encoders 325a and 325b (FIG. 3). The encoders 325a and 325b are, for example, incremental type encoders attached to the output rotating shafts of the motors 321a and 321b, respectively. The encoders 325a and 325b output the amount of rotation of the output rotating shafts of the motors 321a and 321b to the control unit 34 as the number of pulses of a pulse signal. With the above configuration, the running unit 32 can execute a forward movement and a rotation movement, which will be described later, based on the driving power input from the control unit 34, and move the main body unit 31. The running unit 32, which is configured with a pair of wheels whose rotation speed, torque, etc. can be independently controlled as described above, is called a "differential two-wheel type" running unit.

[0026] (2-3) Configuration of the control unit The configuration of the control unit 34 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control unit of the autonomous moving body. Note that some of the functions of the components of the control unit 34 described below may be realized as a program operable by a computer system constituting the control unit 34. Alternatively, some of the functions of the components of the control unit 34 may be realized by a custom IC or the like. The control unit 34 has a storage unit 341. The storage unit 341 is a part of a storage area of ​​a storage device of a computer system constituting the control unit 34. The storage unit 341 stores various data for controlling the autonomous moving body 3.

[0027] Specifically, the storage unit 341 stores the above-mentioned running schedule. The storage unit 341 stores an environmental map. The environmental map is a collection of information about the position of the object O present on the moving plane MS (the coordinate values ​​of the object O on the moving plane MS). In other words, the environmental map is map information indicating the position (coordinate values) of the object O on the moving plane MS. As will be described later, the environmental map is used as a reference when the position estimation unit 343 (described later) estimates the position of the main body unit 31 by using a local map (described later).

[0028] The storage unit 341 stores information about the charging station 1. Specifically, information about the shape of a landmark 25 (described later) of the charging station 1 is stored as information about the target object in the storage unit 341. The information about the shape of the landmark 25 is, for example, a collection of coordinate values ​​indicating the position of the landmark 25 on the movement plane MS. The storage unit 341 stores information about a second driving mode start area on a plate portion 13 (described later) of the charging station 1. Additionally, the storage unit 341 stores various setting values ​​related to the autonomous moving object 3 and / or the charging station 1, programs for implementing the various functions of the control unit 34, and the like.

[0029] The control unit 34 has a sensor control unit 342. The sensor control unit 342 controls the laser range sensor 33. The sensor control unit 342 also calculates the relative position of the object O from the main body unit 31. Specifically, the sensor control unit 342 calculates the distance between the laser range sensor 33 and the object O from the time difference between the timing when the laser light is emitted from the laser range sensor 33 and the timing when the reflected light is received by the laser range sensor 33 (laser receiver). Also, for example, the direction in which the object O exists as seen from the main body 31 is calculated from the relative angle when the front-rear axis of the light receiving surface of the laser receiver when the reflected light is received is used as a reference. The sensor control unit 342 converts the information regarding the relative distance and direction of the object O into coordinate values ​​on the moving plane MS. By expressing the position of the object O by coordinate values ​​on the moving plane MS, the position and shape of the object O can be projected onto the coordinate plane representing the moving plane MS.

[0030] The control unit 34 has a position estimation unit 343. The position estimation unit 343 estimates the position of the main body unit 31 on the movement plane MS. Specifically, the position estimation unit 343 estimates the position of the autonomous moving body 3 based on information (called a local map) about the object O present around the main body unit 31 acquired by the laser range sensor 33 and the sensor control unit 342, and the rotation amounts of the motors 321a and 321b acquired from the encoders 325a and 325b. More specifically, for example, the position of the main body unit 31 is estimated as follows. First, the moving distance and attitude angle change of the main body unit 31 are calculated from the rotation amount of the motors 321a, 321b obtained from the encoders 325a, 325b. Next, the current position is estimated by adding the calculated moving distance and attitude angle change to the previously estimated position in the position estimation unit 343 (position estimation by dead reckoning). At this time, multiple position and attitude angle "candidates" are estimated in advance, taking into consideration slippage between the wheels 323a, 323b and the running surface of the movement plane MS, etc. Each of the plurality of "candidates" for the position and estimated angle may be associated with a probability that the main body unit 31 will reach each of the "candidate" positions and attitude angles.

[0031] Next, at each of the multiple position "candidates," a local map tilted by an angle corresponding to the attitude angle at the position "candidate" is placed. After that, the local map placed at the position "candidate" and the environmental map are map-matched by, for example, executing a "likelihood calculation," and the "candidate" for the position and attitude angle at which the local map that best matches the environmental map is placed is estimated to be the final position and attitude angle of the main body unit 31 (position estimation by map matching).

[0032] The control unit 34 has a travel control unit 344. The travel control unit 344 controls the travel unit 32 based on the position and / or attitude angle of the main body unit 31 on the movement plane MS estimated based on information about the shape of the object O acquired by the laser range sensor 33 and the sensor control unit 342. For example, the traveling control unit 344 is a motor driver that calculates the control amount of each of the motors 321a, 321b of the traveling unit 32 and outputs driving power based on the control amount to each of the motors 321a, 321b. The traveling control unit 344 calculates the control amount of the motors 321a, 321b so that the rotation amount (rotation speed) per unit time of the motors 321a, 321b input from the encoders 325a, 325b becomes a desired rotation speed (feedback control).

[0033] The driving control unit 344 can execute a first driving mode and a second driving mode. When executing the first driving mode, the driving control unit 344 calculates the control amount of each of the motors 321a, 321b based on the difference between each passing position shown in the driving schedule and the current position of the main body unit 31 estimated by the position estimation unit 343, and outputs the drive power based on the calculated control amount to each of the motors 321a, 321b. As a result, when the first driving mode is being executed, the driving control unit 344 can move the main body unit 31 from the autonomous driving start position described above to a predetermined position within the second driving mode start area by a rotational motion and / or a forward motion. On the other hand, when the second traveling mode is being executed, the traveling control unit 344 calculates the control amount for each of the motors 321a, 321b based on the difference between a position to be passed in the second traveling mode (for example, the position of the charging station 1) and the current position of the main body unit 31 estimated by the position estimation unit 343 using a local map that fully reflects the shape of the landmark 25. The traveling control unit 344 outputs the drive power based on the calculated control amount to each of the motors 321a, 321b.

[0034] The control unit 34 has a driving schedule creation unit 345. The driving schedule creation unit 345 creates a driving schedule and stores it in the storage unit 341. Specifically, the travel schedule creation unit 345 receives operations by an operator using a controller or computer system capable of wirelessly or wired communication with the autonomous moving body 3, or an operation handle (not shown) provided on the autonomous moving body 3, and outputs the operation by the operator to the travel control unit 344. This makes it possible for the autonomous moving body 3 to be operated by the operator.

[0035] While the operator is operating the autonomous moving body 3 using a controller or an operating handle, the travel schedule creation unit 345 inputs the position and attitude angle of the main body unit 31 estimated by the position estimation unit 343 at predetermined time intervals. Thereafter, the travel schedule creation unit 345 creates a travel schedule by associating the position and attitude angle input from the position estimation unit 343 with the time when the position and attitude angle were estimated, and stores the travel schedule in the storage unit 341. The control unit 34 includes the above-mentioned driving schedule creation unit 345, so that the operation of the operator can be stored as a driving schedule.

[0036] (3) Charging station configuration The configuration of the charging station 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 6. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the charging station. Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view of the charging station. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the charging station and the charging structure of the autonomous moving body. The charging station 1 includes a charging section 11 (an example of a charging section) and a plate section 13 (an example of a plate section).

[0037] (3-1) Live part The charging unit 11 is mainly composed of a housing 17 and a charging power source 19. The housing 17 has a square box shape and constitutes the main body of the charging station 1. The charging power source 19 is connected to, for example, a home outlet. As a modified example, the charging station 1 may be equipped with a battery. In that case, the autonomous moving object 3 can be charged even if there is no outlet nearby.

[0038] Housing 17 is small and thin. Housing 17 has a thickness (horizontal length intersecting front surface 17a) of 15 cm or less. Therefore, when charging unit 11 is installed near a wall, a person walking along the wall will not trip over charging unit 11. Incidentally, charging unit 11 has a height of 355 mm, a width of 250 mm, and a thickness of 80 mm, for example. The weight of charging unit 11 is 10 kg or less, so charging unit 11 is easy to carry.

[0039] A landmark 25 is provided on the front surface 17a of the housing 17. The landmark 25 can reflect laser light and the like. Specifically, the landmark 25 is composed of three members. For example, the landmark 25 is a white prism provided on a wall surface painted white. The wall surface may be painted another color such as black, and the landmark may have another configuration such as black beads. The landmark may also be a plate-like member made of metal, plastic, or the like. Note that the number and shapes of the members constituting the landmark 25 are not limited to the above example. As described above, since the charging station 1 has the landmark 25 having a characteristic shape, the autonomous moving body 3 can estimate the position and orientation (attitude angle θ) of the autonomous moving body 3 based on the characteristic shape of the landmark 25, even if the housing 17 has an uncharacteristic shape such as a hollow rectangular parallelepiped as shown in FIG. 4.

[0040] The charging unit 11 further has a power supply terminal 15 (one example of a power supply terminal). The power supply terminal 15 is provided on the front surface 17a of the housing 17. The power supply terminal 15 is a terminal that supplies power from a charging power source 19. The power supply terminal 15 outputs charging power for charging the battery 35 of the autonomous moving body 3. Therefore, the power supply terminal 15 is disposed on the front surface 17a of the housing 17 at the same height as a power receiving terminal 36 (described later) of the autonomous moving body 3. The power supply terminal 15 is a pair of contacts that can come into contact with a pair of contacts of the power receiving terminal 36. As a modified example, the power supply terminal may be a socket that outputs electric power. Alternatively, the power supply terminal may be a coil through which a time-varying current (AC current) flows, which allows contactless power transmission.

[0041] (3-2) Plate section The plate portion 13 is hard and the autonomous moving body 3 climbs on it during autonomous charging. Specifically, the plate portion 13 is made of a metal such as steel. The plate portion 13 is circular in plan view. However, the plate portion may be in any other shape, such as a triangle, a rectangle, or a polygon. The plate portion 13 has a size that allows the autonomous moving body 3 to rotate on the spot. Specifically, the plate portion 13 is larger than a circle having the major axis of the autonomous moving body 3 as a diameter. The charging unit 11 is connected to the plate unit 13 by a removal mechanism 21 so as to be removable in the vertical direction but not movable horizontally relative thereto (described later).

[0042] Since the plate portion 13 is hard as described above, the autonomous moving object 3 is less likely to tip over or become displaced during autonomous charging. In addition, since the charging unit 11 can be separated from the plate unit 13, when the autonomous moving body 3 runs out of battery at a location away from the plate unit 13, the charging unit 11 can be easily carried to the autonomous moving body 3 for charging.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, the charging station 1 further has a friction member 23 (an example of a friction member) provided on the back surface of the plate portion 13. This prevents the plate portion 13 from shifting out of position. The material of the friction member is not particularly limited, and may be a rubber sheet, a sponge, or cork. The friction member 23 may correspond to the entire surface of the plate portion 13, or may correspond to only a part of it. The friction member is not essential, and may be omitted as appropriate. In this way, since the plate portion 13 is unlikely to shift in position relative to the floor surface, the position of the charging portion 11 is unlikely to shift between the environmental map of the autonomous moving body 3 and reality.

[0044] (3-3) Connection structure The connection structure between plate portion 13 and charging portion 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Plate portion 13 has a disk portion 13A and a charging portion storage portion 13B. Charging portion storage portion 13B is formed integrally and continuously with disk portion 13A. Charging portion storage portion 13B has a bottom portion and a peripheral edge protrusion portion, which stores the lower portion of charging portion 11 and supports charging portion 11 so that it cannot move horizontally in this state. Removal mechanism 21 is a mechanism for locking and unlocking charging unit 11 when it is placed on plate part 13. In the locked state, charging unit 11 cannot be separated upward from charging unit storage part 13B of plate part 13. In the unlocked state, charging unit 11 cannot be separated upward from charging unit storage part 13B of plate part 13. The removal mechanism 21 is a known metal belt, and the type thereof is not particularly limited.

[0045] (4) Charging structure The charging structure of the charging station 1 and the autonomous moving body 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the charging structure of the charging station and the autonomous moving body. Fig. 7 is a detailed schematic diagram showing the charging structure of the charging station and the autonomous moving body. 6, the charging station 1 has a charging power source 19 (an example of a charging circuit), a power supply terminal 15, and a microswitch 51 (a charging circuit switch). The microswitch 51 turns the charging power source 19 on and off. The microswitch 51 is provided on the front surface 17a of the housing 17 in the vicinity of the power supply terminal 15. As shown in FIG. 6, the autonomous moving object 3 has a battery 35, a power receiving terminal 36, a control unit 34, a voltage detection circuit 55, motors 321a and 321b, and a charging power supply activation protrusion 53 (an example of a charging circuit activation protrusion).

[0046] The voltage detection circuit 55 detects the voltage at the power receiving terminal 36. The control unit 34 controls the motors 321a and 321b by referring to the detected voltage. The charging power supply starting projection 53 is a member for turning on and off the microswitch 51. The charging power supply starting projection 53 is provided at the rear end of the main body 31 in the vicinity of the power receiving terminal . Fig. 7 is a detailed diagram of Fig. 6, and shows that the power supply terminal 15 and the power receiving terminal 36 are each a pair of terminals. Note that Fig. 7 shows the state before the autonomous moving body 3 is docked with the charging station 1, and therefore the power supply terminal 15 and the power receiving terminal 36 are separated. In addition, the microswitch 51 and the charging power supply activation protrusion 53 are also separated, and therefore the microswitch 51 is in the OFF state, and accordingly the charging power supply 19 is also OFF.

[0047] (5) Charging operation (5-1) Operation of autonomous vehicles An operation in which the autonomous moving body 3 docks with the charging station 1 and starts charging will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 11. Figures 8 to 11 are schematic plan views showing the operation in which the autonomous moving body docks with the charging station. When the second traveling mode is started, the autonomous moving body 3 moves onto the plate unit 13 as shown in Fig. 8. Specifically, in the second traveling mode, the autonomous moving body 3 moves from the second traveling mode start position to just before the charging station 1 while estimating the position of the main body unit 31 using information on the characteristic shape of the landmark 25 of the charging station 1 acquired by the laser range sensor 33. Then, the autonomous moving body 3 stops on the plate unit 13 with the front part of the main body unit 31 facing the charging station 1 directly.

[0048] 9, the autonomous moving body 3 rotates on the plate portion 13. In detail, the main body portion 31 is rotated around the center point C of the main body portion 31 to change the attitude angle θ. 10, the rear part of the main body part 31 of the autonomous moving object 3 faces the charging station 1 on the plate part 13. As a result, the power receiving terminal 36 and the power supply terminal 15 of the charging station 1 face each other.

[0049] Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the autonomous moving body 3 moves backward with the rear of the main body 31 facing the charging station 1, thereby approaching the charging station 1. When the main body 31 reaches the charging station 1, the power receiving terminal 36 and the power supplying terminal 15 are connected. As a result, charging power for charging the battery 35 is output from the power supplying terminal 15 to the power receiving terminal 36. As a result, the battery 35 is charged. Note that the autonomous moving object 3 remains stopped at the location until charging is completed.

[0050] (5-2) Operation of the power supply structure The operation of the power supply structure of the charging station 1 and the autonomous moving body 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 7, Fig. 12, and Fig. 13. Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 are detailed schematic diagrams showing the charging structure of the charging station and the autonomous moving body, similar to Fig. 7. When the autonomous moving object 3 approaches the charging station 1 from the state in Fig. 7, the power receiving terminal 36 comes into contact with the power supply terminal 15, as shown in Fig. 12. At this time, the charging power supply activation protrusion 53 has not turned on the microswitch 51, so the microswitch 51 is off. Thereafter, when the autonomous moving object 3 approaches the charging station 1 further, the charging power supply activation protrusion 53 turns on the microswitch 51 as shown in FIG. As a result, charging power source 19 is turned on, and power is supplied from charging power source 19 to power receiving terminal 36 of autonomous moving body 3 through power supply terminal 15. In the above case, power supply starts with power receiving terminal 36 and power supply terminal 15 in contact with each other, so that defects such as arc generation are unlikely to occur. As described above, in this charging system, when the charging unit 11 is portable, control on the autonomous moving body 3 side becomes unnecessary. Note that when the control unit 34 detects the start of power supply through the voltage detection circuit 55, it stops the movement of the autonomous moving body 3 (approaching the charging station 1). Alternatively, the autonomous moving body 3 may be stopped when a predetermined time has elapsed or the number of motor steps has reached a predetermined number after the microswitch 51 was turned on. The operation of the autonomous moving object 3 to leave the charging station 1 is performed in the reverse order of the docking operation.

[0051] (6) Problems in the past and their solutions according to this embodiment (6-1) When the floor is made of soft material (part 1) Previously, when the floor was made of soft material such as carpet, the charging station and the robot sank into the floor material to different degrees, so the height of the charging terminal on the robot and the charging terminal on the station were not aligned. Also, when the robot rotated in front of the charging station, the robot's rotation accuracy was poor if the floor material was soft. As a result of the above, the docking accuracy of the robot and the charging terminal of the charging station was poor. In contrast, in this embodiment, the docking accuracy of the autonomous moving body 3 and the charging station 1 is improved. Specifically, by providing the charging station 1 with a hard plate portion 13 made of metal or the like on which the autonomous moving body 3 rests when docking, the charging station 1 and the autonomous moving body 3 are arranged on the same plane, and the heights of the power supply terminal 15 and the power receiving terminal 36 are aligned. Furthermore, since the support surface is hardened by the plate portion 13, the rotation accuracy of the autonomous moving body 3 is improved.

[0052] (6-2) When the floor is made of soft material (part 2) Conventionally, if the flooring is soft, the parts that bear the weight continuously, such as the feet of the charging station and the wheels of the robot, will become dented. Also, the robot will rotate in the same place in front of the charging station, leaving wheel marks. In contrast, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce damage to the floor material caused by the charging station 1 and the autonomous moving body 3. Specifically, the weight of the charging station 1 and the autonomous moving body 3 is distributed onto the floor material by the plate portion 13, so that dents are less likely to occur. Furthermore, because the plate portion 13 is where the autonomous moving body 3 rotates, wheel marks are not left on the floor material.

[0053] (6-3) In the case of a thin charging station Previously, when charging stations were made thin so as not to get in the way, they became less stable and were more likely to tip over when a robot was docked or when a person came into contact with them. In contrast, in this embodiment, the charging section 11 is integrated with the plate section 13, so that the charging section has improved stability and is less likely to tip over.

[0054] (6-4) When the robot battery runs out (an example of an abnormality) Conventionally, if a robot's battery runs out in a location far from a charging station, the charging station must be moved to the robot or a portable charger must be used. In contrast, in this embodiment, the charging unit 11 can be used as a portable charger, improving convenience. Specifically, by making the charging unit 11 separable from the plate unit 13, the charging unit 11 can be used as a portable charger.

[0055] 2. Second embodiment The charging station of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the charging station of the second embodiment. The charging station 1 has the same basic configuration as the charging station of the first embodiment.

[0056] The charging station 1 further includes a mark 14. The mark 14 is formed on the upper surface of the plate portion 13. The mark 14 indicates the outer frame position of the autonomous moving body 3 when the autonomous moving body 3 is connected to the power supply terminal 15. Specifically, the mark 14 is an outline consisting of a plurality of lines corresponding to the entire outer frame position of the autonomous moving body 3, and is formed as a slit in the plate portion 13. More specifically, the number of the plurality of lines is six. Therefore, when an operator manually docks the autonomous moving body 3 to the charging station 1, even if the operator cannot see the power supply terminal 15 from the front of the operation, the operator can easily achieve docking by aligning the autonomous moving body 3 with the mark 14. In particular, since the mark 14 is a slit, visibility is good.

[0057] The mark may be a single solid line, a dashed line, a dotted line, or other line types. The mark may be a mark consisting of a plurality of dots or a figure, rather than a line. The mark may be formed on the plate portion by printing or engraving. Furthermore, the mark may be a sheet on which the outline of the autonomous moving body is printed, and the sheet may be attached to the plate portion. The mark may be formed on the friction material.

[0058] 3. Features of the embodiment The above embodiment can also be explained as follows. The charging station 1 (an example of a charging station) is for charging an autonomous moving body 3 (an example of a moving body). The charging station 1 includes a charging unit 11 and a plate unit 13. Charging section 11 (an example of a charging section) has a power supply terminal 15 (an example of a power supply terminal). The plate portion 13 (an example of a plate portion) is what the autonomous moving body 3 climbs on during autonomous charging, and is hard. The charging section 11 is connected to the plate section 13 by a detachment mechanism 21 (an example of a connection section) so as to be detachable in the vertical direction but not movable horizontally relative to the plate section 13. In this charging station 1, a hard plate portion 13 and a charging portion 11 are separably connected. Since the plate portion 13 is hard, the autonomous moving body 3 is less likely to tip over or become displaced during autonomous charging. In addition, since the charging unit 11 can be separated from the plate unit 13, when the autonomous moving body 3 runs out of battery at a location away from the plate unit 13, the charging unit 11 can be easily carried to the autonomous moving body 3 for charging.

[0059] 4. Other embodiments Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. In particular, the multiple embodiments and modifications described in this specification can be arbitrarily combined as necessary. A guide for positioning the plate part and the charging part in the planar direction may further be provided. For example, a recess corresponding to the foot of the charging part may be provided in the charging part storage part of the plate part. The autonomous moving body may have a backward laser range sensor that radiates laser light in the left and right directions relative to the backward direction of the main body 31. In that case, the autonomous moving body 3 does not need to rotate on the plate portion 13 when docking with the charging station. The autonomous moving body is not particularly limited, and may be a cleaning robot, a signage robot, or an unmanned guided vehicle used in a logistics system in a factory. [Industrial Applicability]

[0060] The present invention can be widely applied to charging stations that charge autonomously moving objects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1: Charging station 3: Autonomous mobile object 11:Charge part 13: Plate section 13A: Disc section 13B: Charging compartment 14: Mark 15: Power supply terminal 17: Housing 17a:Front 19: Charging power supply 21: Removal mechanism 23: Friction materials 25: Landmark 31: Main body 32: Running part 33: Laser range sensor 34: Control section 35: Battery 36: Power receiving terminal 37: Auxiliary wheel part 37a: Auxiliary wheel 37b: Auxiliary wheel 51: Microswitch 53: Charging power supply activation protrusion 55: Voltage detection circuit 100: Autonomous Vehicle Systems 321: Motor 321a: Motor 321b: Motor 323a :wheel 323b :Wheel 325a :Encoder 325b : Encoder 341: Storage section 342: Sensor control unit 343:Position estimation part 344: Driving control unit 345: Driving Schedule Creation Department

Claims

1. A charging station for charging a mobile object, A charging unit having a power supply terminal; A hard plate portion on which the moving body rides during autonomous charging, the charging part is connected to the plate part by a connecting part so as to be removable in the up and down direction but not movable horizontally relative to the plate part; The charging station further comprises a mark on the plate portion that indicates an outer frame position of the moving object when the moving object is connected to the power supply terminal.

2. 2. The charging station according to claim 1, wherein the weight of the charging portion is 10 kg or less.

3. The charging station according to claim 2 , wherein the charging unit includes a housing, and a length of the housing in a horizontal direction intersecting a surface on which the power supply terminal is provided is 150 mm or less.

4. The charging station according to claim 1 , further comprising a friction member provided on a rear surface of the plate portion.

5. A charging system comprising a mobile object and a charging station for charging the mobile object, The charging station includes: A charging unit having a power supply terminal; A hard plate portion on which the moving body rides during autonomous charging, the charging part is connected to the plate part by a connecting part so as to be removable in the up and down direction but not movable horizontally relative to the plate part; The charging unit further includes a charging circuit that supplies power to the power supply terminal and a charging circuit switch that turns on and off the charging circuit, The moving body has a power receiving terminal and a charging circuit activation protrusion, When the moving object approaches and contacts the power supply terminal, the power supply terminal and the power receiving terminal come into contact with each other, and then the charging circuit activation protrusion turns on the charging circuit switch.

Images