Automatic charging system
The automatic charging system addresses the risk of passenger-robot contact by controlling vehicle door and window locks during charging, ensuring safe and secure charging operations.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
- Filing Date
- 2023-06-30
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-02
Smart Images
Figure 0007868565000001 
Figure 0007868565000002 
Figure 0007868565000003
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic charging system.
Background Art
[0002] In Patent Document 1, a power supply robot holds a power supply connector of a power supply facility, moves to a vehicle parked in a parking space, and connects the power supply connector to an inlet provided in the vehicle, thereby supplying power from the power supply facility to the battery of the vehicle for charging. The technology is disclosed.
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, during the charging operation by the charging robot, if a passenger gets off from the door of the vehicle or a passenger puts out a hand or the like from the window of the vehicle, there is a risk of contact between the passenger of the vehicle and the charging robot.
[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an automatic charging system capable of suppressing contact between a passenger of a vehicle and a charging robot during a charging operation by the charging robot.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the automatic charging system according to the present invention comprises a vehicle driven by power supplied from a power storage device, a charger equipped with a charging cable having a charging connector, and an autonomous charging robot equipped with a robotic arm that grasps the charging connector and automatically inserts and removes the charging connector from the charging port of the vehicle located in a parking space. The automatic charging system charges by inserting the charging connector into the charging port and supplying power from the charger to the power storage device, and is characterized in that, at least during the charging operation from when the charging robot receives an instruction to start automatic charging and starts autonomous driving from a predetermined standby position until the charging of the power storage device is completed and the charging robot returns to the predetermined standby position, the system controls the vehicle to lock the door and window closest to the charging port.
[0007] This prevents vehicle occupants from getting in or out of the vehicle through the door closest to the charging port or sticking their hands out of the windows while the charging robot is charging, thereby minimizing contact between the vehicle occupants and the charging robot.
[0008] Furthermore, the automatic charging system according to the present invention comprises a vehicle driven by power supplied from a power storage device, a charger equipped with a charging cable having a charging connector, and an autonomous charging robot equipped with a robotic arm that grasps the charging connector and automatically inserts and removes the charging connector from the charging port of the vehicle located in a parking space. The automatic charging system charges by inserting the charging connector into the charging port and supplying power from the charger to the power storage device, and is characterized in that it includes a control device that controls the locking of all doors and windows on the charging port side of the vehicle during the charging operation, from when the charging robot receives an instruction to start automatic charging and starts autonomous driving from a predetermined standby position until the charging of the power storage device is completed and the charging robot returns to the predetermined standby position.
[0009] This prevents vehicle occupants from getting in or out of the vehicle through all doors on the charging port side or sticking their hands out of the windows while the charging robot is charging, thereby minimizing contact between the vehicle occupants and the charging robot.
[0010] Furthermore, the above-mentioned vehicle may be equipped with a vehicle detection device that detects whether or not there is another vehicle on the opposite side of the vehicle from the charging port, and the control device may, based on the detection result of the vehicle detection device, perform control to lock all doors and windows on the opposite side of the vehicle from the charging port, at least during the charging operation, if there is another vehicle.
[0011] This helps to prevent contact between the vehicle's occupants and other charging robots that perform automatic charging of other vehicles.
[0012] Furthermore, the above-mentioned vehicle may be equipped with a vehicle detection device that detects whether or not there is another vehicle in a position facing the charging port of the vehicle, and the control device may, based on the detection result of the vehicle detection device, perform control to lock all doors and windows on the side facing the charging port of the other vehicle, at least during the charging operation, if there is another vehicle.
[0013] This makes it possible to prevent contact between the charging robot and the occupants of other vehicles while the robot is automatically charging a vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]
[0014] The automatic charging system according to the present invention has the effect of suppressing contact between the vehicle occupant and the charging robot during charging operations performed by the charging robot. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0015] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a parking lot charging system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows the configuration of the automatic charging system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of automatic charging control according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of automatic charging control according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a diagram showing a parking lot to which the automatic charging system according to Embodiment 3 is applied. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of automatic charging control according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a diagram showing a parking lot to which the automatic charging system according to Embodiment 4 is applied. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of automatic charging control according to Embodiment 4.
Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
[0016] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the automatic charging system according to the present invention will be described. Note that the present invention is not limited by this embodiment.
[0017] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a parking lot 10 to which the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 1 is applied. Note that Figure 1 is a view of the parking lot 10 seen from above. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 1.
[0018] Figure 1 shows three parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c out of a plurality of parking spaces provided in the parking lot 10, which is parking equipment, and the parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c are used as charging spaces. The three parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c are arranged side by side in the short side direction (vehicle left-right direction) of each parking space 11a, 11b, and 11c. In the following description, when the parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c are not particularly distinguished, they are simply referred to as the parking space 11.
[0019] In FIG. 1, a vehicle 100 to be charged is parked in a parking space 11b. The vehicle 100 includes a charging port 101, front, rear, left, and right doors 110FL, 110FR, 110RL, 110RR, and front, rear, left, and right windows 111FL, 111FR, 111RL, 111RR, etc. The charging port 101 is provided on the front side of the vehicle 100 rather than on the left side of the front door 110FL of the vehicle 100. The front, rear, left, and right doors 110FL, 110FR, 110RL, 110RR are provided to be openable and closable with respect to the vehicle body (body) via hinges. The front, rear, left, and right windows 111FL, 111FR, 111RL, 111RR are provided to be openable and closable on the front, rear, left, and right doors 110FL, 110FR, 110RL, 110RR, respectively. Further, the front, rear, left, and right doors 110FL, 110FR, 110RL, 110RR can be individually locked and unlocked by controlling a lock mechanism provided corresponding to each of them by a vehicle control device provided in the vehicle 100 or the like. Further, the front, rear, left, and right windows 111FL, 111FR, 111RL, 111RR can be individually locked and unlocked by controlling a lock mechanism provided corresponding to each of them by a vehicle control device or the like.
[0020] In the vicinity of the parking spaces 11a, 11b, 11c, a charging robot 20 and a charger 30 used for charging the vehicle 100 parked in the parking spaces 11a, 11b, 11c are provided. In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 1, the automatic charging device 2 is constituted by the charging robot 20 and the charger 30. The charging robot 20 and the charger 30 are configured to be communicable with each other.
[0021] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 1, the charging service control server 4 manages and implements the automatic charging of the vehicle 100 parked in the parking space 11 of the parking lot 10 by the automatic charging device 2. The charging service control server 4 includes a control device for implementing various controls related to automatic charging as shown at least in (1) to (6) in FIG. 2.
[0022] The charging service control server 4 is configured to communicate with a communication terminal owned by user 3 of a vehicle 100 parked in a parking space 11 of the parking lot 10. The charging service control server 4 is capable of receiving various information, such as charging reservations for vehicle 100, transmitted from user 3's communication terminal (Figure 2 (1)).
[0023] Furthermore, the charging service control server 4 is configured to communicate with the parking monitoring system 6, which monitors the parking lot 10. Based on the detection results of the vehicle detection device, which is composed of an imaging device and various sensors, the charging service control server 4 can confirm the presence or absence of a vehicle 100 (parking status) in the parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c (Figure 2 (2)).
[0024] Furthermore, the charging service control server 4 is configured to communicate with the vehicle 100 parked in the parking space 11 via a vehicle information server 5 that can communicate with the vehicle 100. The charging service control server 4 can receive various information from the vehicle 100 via the vehicle information server 5, such as information regarding the State of Charge (SOC) and power request amount of the battery, which is an energy storage device installed in the vehicle 100, and vehicle information regarding the location of the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 (Figure 2 (3)). In addition, the charging service control server 4 can send instruction signals to the vehicle 100 via the vehicle information server 5 to unlock the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 or to open and close the charging lid. Furthermore, the charging service control server 4 can transmit instruction signals to the vehicle 100 via the vehicle information server 5 to enable the opening and closing of the front, rear, left and right doors 110FL, 110FR, 110RL, 110RR and the front, rear, left and right windows 111FL, 111FR, 111RL, 111RR of the vehicle 100 (Figures (4) and (5) in Figure 2).
[0025] Furthermore, the charging service control server 4 is configured to communicate with the automatic charging device 2 (charging robot 20 and charger 30) installed in the parking lot 10. The charging service control server 4 is capable of transmitting various information to the automatic charging device 2 (charging robot 20 and charger 30), such as information regarding the amount of charge in the battery installed in the vehicle 100 and vehicle information regarding the location of the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100. In addition, the charging service control server 4 is capable of transmitting a signal to the automatic charging device 2 (charging robot 20 and charger 30) to instruct the start of charging based on a charging reservation from the user 3 ((6) in Figure 2).
[0026] The rechargeable robot 20 consists of a robot body 21 which is a mobile body capable of autonomous movement (autonomous driving), a robot arm 22 whose base end is connected to the robot body 21, and a robot hand 23 provided at the tip of the robot arm 22.
[0027] The charger 30 consists of a charger body 31, a charging cable 32, and a charging connector 33. As shown in Figure 1(b), the charger body 31 is fixed to the ground.
[0028] In the charging system for the parking lot 10 according to Embodiment 1, the chargers 30 are arranged to correspond to the three parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c. In the state shown in Figure 1, a vehicle 100 parked in parking space 11b can be charged using the chargers 30.
[0029] For example, when automatically charging a vehicle 100 parked in a parking space 11b using the charger 30, the robot body 21 of the charging robot 20 autonomously moves to a position where it can extend its robot arm 22 and grasp the charging connector 33 of the charger 30 with its robot hand 23. The charging robot 20 recognizes the charging connector 33 with a camera, which is an imaging device provided on the robot arm 22, and grasps the charging connector 33 with the robot hand 23. After that, the robot body 21 of the charging robot 20 autonomously moves to a position where it can insert the charging connector 33 into the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100. Then, the charging robot 20 recognizes the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 with a camera provided on the robot arm 22, extends the robot arm 22, and inserts the charging connector 33 into the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100. When the charging connector 33 is inserted into the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100, the charger 30 supplies power to the vehicle 100 from the power supply unit provided in the charger body 31 via the charging cable 32 and the charging connector 33, and charges the battery, which is an energy storage device provided in the vehicle 100. In addition, after inserting the charging connector 33 into the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100, the charging robot 20 releases the robot hand 23 from the charging connector 33 and returns the robot arm 22 to a preset arm reference position.
[0030] When the vehicle 100 is fully charged, the robot body 21 of the charging robot 20 autonomously moves to a position where it can extend its robot arm 22 and grasp the charging connector 33 inserted into the vehicle 100 with its robot hand 23. The charging robot 20 then grasps the charging connector 33 with its robot hand 23 and removes it from the vehicle 100. After that, the robot body 21 of the charging robot 20 moves towards the charger 30 to return the charging connector 33 to a pre-set plug reference position on the charger 30. The charging robot 20 then extends its robot arm 22 and returns the charging connector 33 to the plug reference position.
[0031] In this way, each vehicle 100 parked in parking spaces 11a, 11b, and 11c of the parking lot 10 can be automatically charged by the automatic charging device 2 (charging robot 20 and charger 30).
[0032] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 1, the charging service control server 4 controls the opening and closing of the doors 110 and windows 111 of the vehicle to be charged 100 according to the content of the automatic charging work performed by the charging robot 20. Specifically, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 1, when the charging service control server 4 receives a charging reservation from the user 3, it executes a control to lock the door 110FL and window 111FL closest to the charging port 101 of the vehicle to be charged 100. Then, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 1, after locking the door 110FL and window 111FL closest to the charging port 101, the charging robot 20 starts the charging work.
[0033] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 1, when the charging robot 20 inserts and removes the charging connector 33, the door 110FL closest to the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 is locked, thereby preventing occupants inside the vehicle from exiting through the door 110FL and reducing the risk of contact between occupants of the vehicle 100 and the charging robot 20 (robot arm 22). Furthermore, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 1, the opening operation of the window 111FL closest to the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 is locked, thereby preventing occupants inside the vehicle from reaching out through the window 111FL and coming into contact with the charging robot 20 (robot arm 22).
[0034] Furthermore, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 1, the charging robot 20 is equipped with a contact detection sensor to detect when an occupant or other person comes into contact with the charging robot 20. During the charging operation by the charging robot 20, control is performed to constantly monitor whether or not there is contact with the charging robot 20. If contact with the charging robot 20 is detected, the autonomous movement of the robot body 21 is stopped, the movement of the robot arm 22 is stopped, or the power supply from the charger 30 is stopped, thereby halting the charging operation. After that, once no contact with the charging robot 20 is detected, the charging operation is resumed, for example, after a certain period of time has elapsed.
[0035] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of automatic charging control according to Embodiment 1.
[0036] First, in step S1, the charging service control server 4 obtains a charging reservation from user 3. Next, in step S2, the charging service control server 4 obtains the location of the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 to be charged from the vehicle information server 5. Next, in step S3, the charging service control server 4, via the vehicle information server 5, instructs the vehicle 100 to lock the door 110FL and window 111FL closest to the charging port 101. Next, in step S4, the charging service control server 4 instructs the automatic charging device 2 to start charging.
[0037] Next, in step S5, it is determined whether or not contact with the charging robot 20 has been detected. If it is determined that contact with the charging robot 20 has been detected (Yes in step S5), the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the charging operation by the charging robot 20 is stopped. After that, the process proceeds to step S5.
[0038] On the other hand, if contact by the charging robot 20 is not detected in step S5 (No in step S5), the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, the charging robot 20 continues the charging operation. Next, in step S7, power is supplied to the vehicle 100's battery, and once charging is complete, the charging operation by the charging robot 20 is terminated. Next, in step S8, the charging service control server 4, via the vehicle information server 5, instructs the vehicle 100 to unlock the door 110FL and window 111FL closest to the charging port 101 on the vehicle 100. After that, the charging service control server 4 terminates the series of automatic charging controls.
[0039] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 1, when the charging robot 20 performs charging work, control is performed to lock only the door 110FL and window 111FL closest to the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100. As a result, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 1, when the charging robot 20 is closest to the charging port 101 during charging work, it is possible to prevent occupants from opening the door 110FL near the charging port 101 and getting in or out of the vehicle. It is also possible to prevent occupants inside the vehicle from opening the window 111FL near the charging port 101 and putting their hands or other body parts outside the vehicle. As a result, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 1, it is possible to prevent contact between the charging robot 20 and the charging cable 32 and the occupants and doors 110FL of the vehicle 100 during charging work by the charging robot 20.
[0040] (Embodiment 2) The following describes Embodiment 2 of the automatic charging control device according to the present invention. Note that in Embodiment 2, the same configurations as in Embodiment 1 will be omitted from the explanation as appropriate.
[0041] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 2, when the charging service control server 4 receives a charging reservation from user 3, it executes a control to lock the front and rear (all) doors 110FL, 110RL and windows 111FL, 111RL on the charging port 101 side of the vehicle 100. Then, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 2, after locking the front and rear (all) doors 110FL, 110RL and windows 111FL, 111RL on the charging port 101 side of the vehicle 100, the charging robot 20 starts automatic charging.
[0042] Furthermore, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 2, the presence or absence of contact with the charging robot 20 is constantly monitored using a contact detection sensor during the charging operation by the charging robot 20. In addition, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 2, control is performed to constantly monitor the presence or absence of contact with the charging cable 32 using a load sensor.
[0043] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 2, a load sensor is provided on the robot arm 22 of the charging robot 20 to detect the load applied to the robot arm 22. During charging by the charging robot 20, if the load sensor detects a load exceeding a preset threshold, the system performs control to determine that the charging cable 12 has come into contact with something. If it is determined that the charging cable 12 has come into contact with something (i.e., the load sensor detects a load exceeding the threshold), the charging operation is stopped, and the charging operation is resumed when the load sensor no longer detects a load exceeding the threshold.
[0044] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of automatic charging control according to Embodiment 2.
[0045] First, in step S11, the charging service control server 4 obtains a charging reservation from user 3. Next, in step S12, the charging service control server 4 obtains the location of the charging port 101 of the vehicle 100 to be charged from the vehicle information server 5. Next, in step S13, the charging service control server 4, via the vehicle information server 5, instructs vehicle 100 to lock all of the front and rear doors 110FL, 110RL and windows 111FL, 111RL on the charging port 101 side of vehicle 100. Next, in step S14, the charging service control server 4 instructs the automatic charging device 2 to start charging.
[0046] Next, in step S15, it is determined whether contact with the charging robot 20 or contact with the charging cable 32 has been detected. If it is determined that contact with the charging robot 20 or contact with the charging cable 32 has been detected (Yes in step S15), the process proceeds to step S19. In step S19, the charging operation by the charging robot 20 is stopped. After that, the process proceeds to step S15.
[0047] On the other hand, if, in step S15, contact of the charging robot 20 is not detected and contact of the charging cable 32 is not detected (No in step S15), the process proceeds to step S16. In step S16, the charging robot 20 continues the charging work. Next, in step S17, power is supplied to the vehicle 100's battery and, once charging is complete, the charging work by the charging robot 20 is terminated. Next, in step S18, the charging service control server 4, via the vehicle information server 5, instructs the vehicle 100 to unlock the front and rear (all) doors 110FL, 110RL and windows 111FL, 111RL on the charging port 101 side of the vehicle 100. After that, the charging service control server 4 terminates the series of automatic charging controls.
[0048] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 2, control is performed to lock the front and rear (all) doors 110FL, 110RL and windows 111FL, 111RL on the charging port 101 side of the vehicle 100. This prevents occupants from getting in and out of the vehicle 100 through the front and rear (all) doors 110FL, 110RL on the charging port 101 side. It also prevents occupants inside the vehicle 100 from putting their hands or other body parts out through the front and rear (all) windows 111FL, 111RL on the charging port 101 side. As a result, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 2, contact between the charging robot 20 and the charging cable 32 and occupants can be prevented during charging by the charging robot 20.
[0049] (Embodiment 3) The following describes Embodiment 3 of the automatic charging control device according to the present invention. Note that in Embodiment 3, the same configurations as in Embodiment 1 will be omitted from the explanation as appropriate.
[0050] Figure 5 shows a parking lot 10 to which the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 3 is applied.
[0051] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 3, as shown in Figure 5, vehicle 100a is parked in parking space 11b, and vehicle 100b is parked in parking space 11c. Vehicle 100a is equipped with a charging port 101a, front and rear doors 110aFL, 110aFR, 110aRL, 110aRR, and front and rear windows 111aFL, 111aFR, 111aRL, 111aRR, etc. Vehicle 100b is equipped with a charging port 101b, front and rear doors 110bFL, 110bFR, 110bRL, 110bRR, and front and rear windows 111bFL, 111bFR, 111bRL, 111bRR, etc. Furthermore, since the configurations of vehicles 100a and 100b are the same as those of vehicle 100 in Embodiment 1, a detailed explanation will be omitted.
[0052] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 3, automatic charging is performed on a vehicle 100a parked in parking space 11b by the charging robot 20a and charger 30a that constitute the automatic charging device. Similarly, automatic charging is performed on a vehicle 100b parked in parking space 11c by the charging robot 20b and charger 30b that constitute the automatic charging device. The charging robots 20a and 20b consist of robot bodies 21a and 21b, robot arms 22a and 22b, and robot hands 23a and 23b. The chargers 30a and 30b consist of charger bodies 31a and 31b, charging cables 32a and 32b, and charging connectors 33a and 33b. The configurations of the charging robots 20a and 20b and the chargers 30a and 30b are the same as those of the charging robot 20 and charger 30 in Embodiment 1, so a detailed explanation is omitted.
[0053] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 3, when it receives an instruction from user 3 to start automatic charging of a vehicle 100a parked in parking space 11b, it acquires the position of the charging port 101a of the vehicle 100a. Then, the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 3 executes control to lock the front and rear doors 110aFL, 110aRL and windows 111aFL, 111aRL on the charging port 101a side of the vehicle 100a.
[0054] Furthermore, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 3, it is determined whether or not another vehicle 100 is parked in the parking space 11c opposite to the charging port 101a of vehicle 100a parked in parking space 11b (the presence or absence of another vehicle 100). If it is determined that another vehicle 100 (vehicle 100b in Figure 5) is parked in the parking space 11c opposite to the charging port 101a of vehicle 100a (there is another vehicle 100), then control is performed to lock all (front and rear) doors 110aFR, 110aRR and windows 111aFR, 111aRR on the side of vehicle 100a opposite to the charging port 101a. On the other hand, if it is determined that no other vehicle 100 is parked in the parking space 11c on the opposite side of the charging port 101a of vehicle 100a (i.e., there are no other vehicles 100), then the control to lock all (front and rear) doors 110aFR, 110aRR and windows 111aFR, 111aRR on the opposite side of the charging port 101a of vehicle 100a will not be performed.
[0055] Furthermore, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 3, similar to the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 2, the presence or absence of contact with the charging robot 20 during the charging operation by the charging robot 20 is constantly monitored using a contact detection sensor. In addition, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 3, control is performed to constantly monitor the presence or absence of contact with the charging cable 32 using a load sensor.
[0056] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of automatic charging control according to Embodiment 3.
[0057] First, in step S21, the charging service control server 4 obtains a charging reservation from user 3. Next, in step S22, the charging service control server 4 obtains the location of the charging port 101a of the vehicle 100a to be charged from the vehicle information server 5. Next, in step S23, the charging service control server 4, via the vehicle information server 5, locks all of the front and rear doors 110aFL, 110aRL and windows 111aFL, 111aRL on the side of the charging port 101a of vehicle 100a. Next, in step S24, based on the detection result of the parking monitoring system 6, the charging service control server 4 determines whether or not another vehicle is parked on the opposite side of the charging port 101a of vehicle 100a. If it is determined that no other vehicle is parked on the opposite side of the charging port 101a of vehicle 100a (No in step S24), the process proceeds to step S26. On the other hand, if it is determined that another vehicle (vehicle 100b) is parked on the opposite side of vehicle 100a from the charging port 101a (Yes in step S24), the process proceeds to step S25. In step S25, the front and rear (all) doors 110aFR, 110aRR and windows 111aFR, 111aRR on the opposite side of vehicle 100a from the charging port 101a are locked. Next, in step S26, the charging service control server 4 instructs the automatic charging device, which consists of the charging robot 20a and the charger 30a, to start charging.
[0058] Next, in step S27, it is determined whether contact with the charging robot 20a or contact with the charging cable 32a has been detected. If it is determined that contact with the charging robot 20a or contact with the charging cable 32a has been detected (Yes in step S27), the process proceeds to step S31. In step S31, the charging operation by the charging robot 20a is stopped. After that, the process proceeds to step S27.
[0059] On the other hand, if, in step S27, contact of the charging robot 20a is not detected, and contact of the charging cable 32a is not detected (No in step S27), the process proceeds to step S28. In step S28, the charging robot 20a continues the charging work. Next, in step S29, power is supplied to the battery of vehicle 100a, and once charging is complete, the charging work by the charging robot 20a is terminated. Next, in step S30, the charging service control server 4, via the vehicle information server 5, instructs vehicle 100 to unlock the front and rear (all) doors 110aFL, 110aRL and windows 111aFL, 111aRL on the charging port 101a side of vehicle 100a. Furthermore, if, during step S25, the front and rear doors 110aFL, 110aRL and windows 111aFL, 111aRL on the opposite side of the charging port 101a of the vehicle 100a are locked, the locks on the doors 110aFL, 110aRL and windows 111aFL, 111aRL will also be released. After that, the charging service control server 4 will terminate the series of automatic charging control operations.
[0060] In the automatic charging control device according to Embodiment 3, when vehicle 100b is parked on the opposite side of the charging port 101a of vehicle 100a which is being automatically charged by charging robot 20a, and vehicle 100b is being charged by another charging robot 20b, it is possible to suppress people getting in and out of vehicle 100a through the doors 110aFR, 110aRR on the side of vehicle 100a that is closer to the charging robot 20b. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress occupants inside vehicle 100a from sticking their hands or other body parts out of the windows 111aFR, 111aRR.
[0061] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 3, contact between the occupants of the vehicle 100a and the charging robots 20a, 20b and charging cables 32a, 32b can be suppressed during the charging operation of the vehicle 100a by the charging robot 20a.
[0062] In addition, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 3, when the charging robot 20a performs the charging work on the vehicle 100a, control may be performed to lock only the door 110aFL and window 111aFL closest to the charging port 101a of the vehicle 100a.
[0063] (Embodiment 4) The following describes Embodiment 4 of the automatic charging control device according to the present invention. In Embodiment 4, the same configurations as in Embodiment 1 will be omitted from the explanation as appropriate.
[0064] Figure 7 shows a parking lot 10 to which the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 4 is applied.
[0065] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 4, as shown in Figure 7, vehicle 100a is parked in parking space 11b, and vehicle 100c is parked in parking space 11a. Vehicle 100a is equipped with a charging port 101a, front and rear doors 110aFL, 110aFR, 110aRL, 110aRR, and front and rear windows 111aFL, 111aFR, 111aRL, 111aRR, etc. Vehicle 100c is equipped with a charging port 101c, front and rear doors 110cFL, 110cFR, 110cRL, 110cRR, and front and rear windows 111cFL, 111cFR, 111cRL, 111cRR, etc. Furthermore, since the configurations of vehicles 100a and 100c are the same as those of vehicle 100 in Embodiment 1, a detailed explanation will be omitted.
[0066] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 4, when the system receives an instruction from the user 3 of a vehicle 100a parked in the parking space 11b to start automatic charging, it acquires the position of the charging port 101a of the vehicle 100a. The automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 4 then executes a control to lock all (front and rear) doors 110aFL, 110aRL and windows 111aFL, 111aRL on the charging port 101a side of the vehicle 100a.
[0067] Furthermore, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 4, it is determined whether or not another vehicle 100 is parked in the parking space 11a on the side of the charging port 101a of vehicle 100a parked in parking space 11b (the presence or absence of another vehicle 100). If it is determined that another vehicle 100 (vehicle 100c in Figure 7) is parked in the parking space 11a on the side of the charging port 101a of vehicle 100a (there is another vehicle 100), then control is performed to lock all (front and rear) doors 110cFR, 110cRR and windows 111cFR, 111cRR on the side of the other vehicle 100 (vehicle 100c in Figure 7) facing the charging port 101a of vehicle 100a.
[0068] Furthermore, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 4, similar to the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 2, the presence or absence of contact with the charging robot 20 during the charging operation by the charging robot 20 is constantly monitored using a contact detection sensor. In addition, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 4, control is performed to constantly monitor the presence or absence of contact with the charging cable 32 using a load sensor.
[0069] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of automatic charging control according to Embodiment 4.
[0070] First, in step S41, the charging service control server 4 obtains a charging reservation from user 3. Next, in step S42, the charging service control server 4 obtains the location of the charging port 101a of the vehicle 100a to be charged from the vehicle information server 5. Next, in step S43, the charging service control server 4, via the vehicle information server 5, instructs vehicle 100 to lock all of the front and rear doors 110aFL, 110aRL and windows 111aFL, 111aRL on the charging port 101a side of vehicle 100a. Next, in step S44, based on the detection results of the parking monitoring system 6, the charging service control server 4 determines whether or not another vehicle is parked on the charging port 101a side of vehicle 100a. If it is determined that no other vehicle is parked on the charging port 101a side of vehicle 100a (No in step S44), the process proceeds to step S46. On the other hand, if it is determined that another vehicle (vehicle 100c) is parked on the side of vehicle 100a's charging port 101a (Yes in step S44), the process proceeds to step S45. In step S45, the front and rear (all) doors 110cFR, 110cRR and windows 111cFR, 111cRR of the other vehicle (vehicle 100c) on the side of vehicle 100a's charging port 101a are locked. Next, in step S46, the charging service control server 4 instructs the automatic charging device 2 to start charging.
[0071] Next, in step S47, it is determined whether contact with the charging robot 20 or contact with the charging cable 32 has been detected. If it is determined that contact with the charging robot 20 or contact with the charging cable 32 has been detected (Yes in step S47), the process proceeds to step S51. In step S51, the charging operation by the charging robot 20 is stopped. After that, the process proceeds to step S47.
[0072] On the other hand, if, in step S47, contact of the charging robot 20 is not detected and contact of the charging cable 32 is not detected (No in step S47), the process proceeds to step S48. In step S48, the charging robot 20 continues the charging work. Next, in step S49, power is supplied to the battery of vehicle 100a and once charging is complete, the charging work by the charging robot 20 is terminated. Next, in step S50, the locks on the front and rear (all) doors 110aFL, 110aRL and windows 111aFL, 111aRL on the charging port 101a side of vehicle 100a are released. Furthermore, if, during the process in step S45, the front and rear (all) doors 110cFL, 110cRL and windows 111cFL, 111cRL on the charging port 101a side of vehicle 100a on another vehicle (vehicle 100c) are locked, the locks on the doors 110cFL, 110cRL and windows 111cFL, 111cRL will also be released. After that, the charging service control server 4 will terminate the series of automatic charging control operations.
[0073] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 4, control is performed to lock all (front and rear) doors 110aFL, 110aRL and windows 111aFL, 111aRL on the charging port 101a side of vehicle 100a. This prevents occupants from getting in and out of vehicle 100a through all (front and rear) doors 110aFL, 110aRL on the charging port 101a side. It also prevents occupants inside vehicle 100a from putting their hands or other body parts out through all (front and rear) windows 111aFL, 111aRL on the charging port 101a side. Furthermore, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 4, control is performed to lock all (front and rear) doors 110cFL, 110cRL and windows 111cFL, 111cRL on the charging port 101a side of vehicle 100a in vehicle 100c. This makes it possible to prevent people from getting in and out of vehicle 100c through the doors 110aFR and 110aRR on the charging port 101a side of vehicle 100a. It also makes it possible to prevent occupants inside vehicle 100c from putting their hands or other body parts out of the front and rear (all) windows 111cFR and 111cRR on the charging port 101a side of vehicle 100a. Therefore, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 4, it is possible to prevent contact between occupants of vehicles 100a and 100c and the charging robot 20 and the charging cable 32 during the charging operation of vehicle 100a by the charging robot 20.
[0074] In the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 4, when the charging robot 20a performs the charging work on the vehicle 100a, control may be performed to lock only the door 110aFL and window 111aFL closest to the charging port 101a of the vehicle 100a. In addition, in the automatic charging system 1 according to Embodiment 4, when the charging robot 20a performs the charging work on the vehicle 100a, control may be performed to lock only the door 110cFR and window 111cFR on the vehicle 100c closest to the charging port 101a of the vehicle 100a. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0075] 1. Automatic charging system 10 Parking 11a, 11b, 11c Parking spaces 20, 20a, 20b Rechargeable Robot 21, 21a, 21b Robot body 22, 22a, 22b Robot Arm 23, 23a, 23b Robot Hand 30,30a,30b charger 31,31a,31b Charger body 32, 32a, 32b charging cable 33, 33a, 33b charging connector 100, 100a, 100b, 100c Vehicles 110FL, 110FR, 110RL, 110RR Doors 111FL, 111FR, 111RL, 111RR windows
Claims
1. A vehicle powered by electricity supplied from a power storage device, A charger equipped with a charging cable having a charging connector, An autonomous charging robot equipped with a robotic arm that grasps the charging connector and automatically inserts and removes the charging connector from the charging port of the vehicle located in the parking space, It is composed of, An automatic charging system that charges by inserting the charging connector into the charging port and supplying power from the charger to the energy storage device, At a minimum, the charging robot is equipped with a control device that locks the doors and windows closest to the charging port on the vehicle during the charging process, from when it receives an instruction to start automatic charging and begins autonomous driving from a predetermined standby position until the charging of the energy storage device is complete and the charging robot returns to the predetermined standby position. The vehicle is equipped with a vehicle detection device that detects whether or not there is another vehicle at a position opposite to the charging port of the aforementioned vehicle. The control device is characterized in that, based on the detection result of the vehicle detection device, if another vehicle is present, it controls the vehicle to lock all doors and windows on the side opposite to the charging port, at least during the charging operation.
2. A vehicle powered by electricity supplied from a power storage device, A charger equipped with a charging cable having a charging connector, An autonomous charging robot equipped with a robotic arm that grasps the charging connector and automatically inserts and removes the charging connector from the charging port of the vehicle located in the parking space, It is composed of, An automatic charging system that charges by inserting the charging connector into the charging port and supplying power from the charger to the energy storage device, At a minimum, the charging robot is equipped with a control device that locks all doors and windows on the charging port side of the vehicle during the charging process, from when it receives an instruction to start automatic charging and begins autonomous driving from a predetermined standby position until the charging of the energy storage device is complete and the charging robot returns to the predetermined standby position. The vehicle is equipped with a vehicle detection device that detects whether or not there is another vehicle at a position opposite to the charging port of the aforementioned vehicle. The control device is characterized in that, based on the detection result of the vehicle detection device, if another vehicle is present, it controls the vehicle to lock all doors and windows on the side opposite to the charging port, at least during the charging operation.
3. A vehicle driven by power supplied from an energy storage device, A charger equipped with a charging cable having a charging connector, An autonomous charging robot equipped with a robotic arm that grasps the charging connector and automatically inserts and removes the charging connector from the charging port of the vehicle located in the parking space, It is composed of, An automatic charging system that charges by inserting the charging connector into the charging port and supplying power from the charger to the energy storage device, At a minimum, the charging robot is equipped with a control device that locks the doors and windows closest to the charging port on the vehicle during the charging process, from when it receives an instruction to start automatic charging and begins autonomous driving from a predetermined standby position until the charging of the energy storage device is complete and the charging robot returns to the predetermined standby position. The vehicle is equipped with a vehicle detection device that detects whether or not there is another vehicle in a position facing the charging port of the aforementioned vehicle. The control device is characterized in that, based on the detection result of the vehicle detection device, if another vehicle is present, it performs control to lock all doors and windows on the side facing the charging port of the other vehicle, at least during the charging operation.
4. A vehicle driven by power supplied from an energy storage device, A charger equipped with a charging cable having a charging connector, An autonomous charging robot equipped with a robotic arm that grasps the charging connector and automatically inserts and removes the charging connector from the charging port of the vehicle located in the parking space, It is composed of, An automatic charging system that charges by inserting the charging connector into the charging port and supplying power from the charger to the energy storage device, At a minimum, the charging robot is equipped with a control device that locks all doors and windows on the charging port side of the vehicle during the charging process, from when it receives an instruction to start automatic charging and begins autonomous driving from a predetermined standby position until the charging of the energy storage device is complete and the charging robot returns to the predetermined standby position. The vehicle is equipped with a vehicle detection device that detects whether or not there is another vehicle in a position facing the charging port of the aforementioned vehicle. The control device is characterized in that, based on the detection result of the vehicle detection device, if another vehicle is present, it performs control to lock all doors and windows on the side facing the charging port of the other vehicle, at least during the charging operation.