Charging gun for electric vehicle, robot charging apparatus for electric vehicle and charging of electric vehicle using the same
The robot charging device for electric vehicles addresses the inefficiencies of conventional systems by enabling simultaneous charging of multiple vehicles with a single robot, using advanced position detection and verification technology to enhance charging efficiency and accuracy.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- KR1020230000685
- Authority / Receiving Office
- KR · KR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-01-03
- Publication Date
- 2026-11-05
- Estimated Expiration
- 2043-01-03
AI Technical Summary
Conventional electric vehicle charging devices require manual operation, are inconvenient for elderly and female drivers due to increased weight and volume, and take longer than refueling at gas stations, with existing robotic charging systems only capable of charging one vehicle at a time.
A robot charging device equipped with multiple charging gun units, an electric vehicle charging robot, a terminal position detection unit, and a marker verification camera, allowing a single robot to charge multiple vehicles by accurately verifying the position of the charging gun and managing its retrieval.
Enables efficient charging of multiple electric vehicles simultaneously, reducing waiting time and improving charging efficiency while ensuring stable and accurate charging operations.
Smart Images

Figure 112023000781117-PAT00004_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technology Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a robot charging device for electric vehicles and a method for charging electric vehicles using the same, and more specifically, to a robot charging device for electric vehicles capable of charging multiple electric vehicles with a single robot and a method for charging electric vehicles using the same. Background Technology
[0002] The importance of using alternative energy is being highlighted due to environmental pollution problems caused by the excessive use of fossil fuels, the increase in automobiles and population, and the expansion of industrial facilities.
[0003] Furthermore, since automobiles, as a means of transportation, operate using internal combustion engines powered by petroleum, a fossil fuel, the development and demand for electric vehicles to replace conventional internal combustion engine vehicles have been gradually increasing in recent years.
[0004] Since electric vehicles are configured to drive the power system using electricity stored in a battery, they are equipped with a battery capable of supplying the electricity required for vehicle operation, and the vehicle operates by frequently charging the installed battery.
[0005] Electric vehicles charge their batteries using wired chargers after parking at electric vehicle charging stations, instead of at gas stations for internal combustion engine vehicles.
[0006] However, conventional electric vehicle charging devices include a wired charger equipped with a charging body and a charging terminal connected to the charging body via a charging cable, which caused the inconvenience of the user having to manually hold the wired charger, connect it to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle, and then disconnect it after charging.
[0007] In addition, wired chargers equipped with charging terminals have the problem of being inconvenient for the elderly and female drivers to use due to the increase in volume and weight of the charging device (e.g., charging gun and cable, etc.) as the charging capacity increases (e.g., 50kW class → 100kW class).
[0008] Furthermore, electric vehicle charging has the disadvantage of taking significantly longer than refueling at a gas station. Additionally, users spend a considerable amount of extra time holding the wired charger to connect it to the EV's charging port and disconnecting it after charging, and there is the inconvenience of having to constantly check the charging status.
[0009] Accordingly, an unmanned electric vehicle charging device that charges a vehicle unmanned using an electric vehicle charging robot has been proposed, such as Korean Patent Registration No. 1410272, "Robot for Electric Vehicle Charging."
[0010] Korean Patent Registration No. 1410272, "Robot for Electric Vehicle Charging," moves along an unmanned driving path to charge an electric vehicle parked in a parking lot and performs automatic battery status checks.
[0011] However, Korean Patent Registration No. 1410272 "Robot for charging electric vehicles" had a problem in that it could only charge one vehicle parked in a parking lot, so when multiple electric vehicles were parked in the parking lot, one robot had to be assigned to each electric vehicle. Prior art literature
[0012] Korean Patent Registration No. 1410272 "Robot for Electric Vehicle Charging" (Registered June 16, 2014) The problem to be solved
[0013] The objective of the present invention is to provide a robot charging device for electric vehicles and a method for charging electric vehicles using the same, which can charge multiple electric vehicles with a single robot, thereby reducing the waiting time for charging and improving charging efficiency.
[0014] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a robotic charging device for an electric vehicle and a method for charging an electric vehicle using the same, which can accurately verify the position of the charging gun through a marker when the charging gun is retrieved from an electric vehicle after charging is complete. means of solving the problem
[0015] To achieve the above-mentioned objective of the present invention, one embodiment of a robot charging device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention comprises: a plurality of charging gun units connected to a charging control main body by a charging cable and coupled with a charging terminal of an electric vehicle to charge the battery of the electric vehicle, and equipped with a marker unit; an electric vehicle charging robot capable of grasping or releasing the charging gun unit mounted on the charging control main body; an electric vehicle charging robot capable of grasping or releasing the charging gun unit mounted on the charging control main body; a terminal position detection unit equipped on the electric vehicle charging robot that photographs the charging terminal to confirm the position of the charging terminal; a force-torque (F / T) sensor unit equipped on the electric vehicle charging robot that detects the force and torque transmitted to the electric vehicle charging robot when the charging gun unit is coupled to the charging terminal; and a marker verification camera unit equipped on the electric vehicle charging robot that recognizes the marker unit, wherein when the direction in which the charging gun unit is coupled to the charging terminal is the Y-axis direction, the optical axis of the terminal position detection unit is the Y-axis direction and the optical axis of the marker verification camera unit is the Z-axis direction.
[0016] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned objective of the present invention, another embodiment of the electric vehicle robot charging device according to the present invention comprises a plurality of charging gun units connected to a charging control main body by a charging cable and coupled to a charging terminal of an electric vehicle to charge the battery of the electric vehicle, an electric vehicle charging robot capable of grasping or releasing the charging gun units mounted on the charging control main body, and a robot control unit controlling the operation of the electric vehicle charging robot, wherein the charging gun units are provided with a marker unit, and the electric vehicle charging robot is provided with a marker verification camera unit that recognizes the marker unit, and the robot control unit recognizes the marker unit with the marker verification camera unit to confirm the position of the charging gun units when the electric vehicle charging robot grasps the charging gun units again while they are coupled to the charging terminal.
[0017] In the present invention, the electric vehicle charging robot comprises a robot body part including a plurality of arm parts that rotate around a joint, a charger coupling jig part located at the end side of the robot body part and capable of grasping or releasing a charging gun part, and a robot moving part that moves the robot body part, and the charging gun part is equipped with a charging coupler that is grasped by the charger coupling jig part, and the marker part may be located on the upper surface of the charging coupler.
[0018] In the present invention, the electric vehicle charging robot includes a terminal position detection unit for confirming the location of a charging terminal of an electric vehicle, and the robot control unit can confirm the location of the charging terminal using the terminal position detection unit when the charging gun mounted on the charging control main body is grasped by the electric vehicle charging robot and coupled to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle to be charged.
[0019] In the present invention, the terminal position detection unit may include a 3D sensor that detects the shape of the charging terminal and a terminal imaging camera unit that photographs the charging terminal.
[0020] In the present invention, the robot control unit stores the position of the charging gun connected to the charging terminal when the charging gun is released after the charging gun is grasped by the electric vehicle charging robot and connected to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle, and when the charging gun released by the electric vehicle charging robot is grasped again by the electric vehicle charging robot and retrieved to its original position, the robot control unit moves the electric vehicle charging robot to a marker recognition position set through a first position or a second position and can photograph the marker part with the marker verification camera unit.
[0021] In the present invention, the robot control unit can repeatedly move the electric vehicle charging robot and, when the relative position from the marker verification camera unit to the center of the marker unit satisfies all of the following conditions, such as being within a preset distance range in the X-axis direction, within a preset distance range in the Y-direction, within a preset distance range in the Z-direction, within a preset angle range in the Rx rotation direction, within a preset angle range in the Ry rotation direction, and within a preset angle range in the Rz rotation direction, terminate the recognition of the marker unit and stop the movement of the electric vehicle charging robot to position the electric vehicle charging robot at the retrieval position of the charging gun unit.
[0022] In the present invention, the robot control unit stores the motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot as the charging robot motion path when the electric vehicle charging robot grasps the charging gun and connects it to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle, and the robot control unit generates a retrieval motion path of the charging robot for retrieving the charging gun by interpolating the amount of change for the previously stored charging robot motion path based on the retrieval position of the charging gun, and can retrieving the charging gun by operating the electric vehicle charging robot along the retrieval motion path.
[0024] In addition, one embodiment of the electric vehicle charging method according to the present invention comprises: a charging gun coupling step in which an electric vehicle charging robot grasps one of a plurality of charging guns that are mounted and couples it to a charging terminal of an electric vehicle, releases the grasped charging terminal, grasps another charging gun, and couples it to a charging terminal of another electric vehicle to charge a plurality of electric vehicles; and a charging gun retrieval step in which the electric vehicle charging robot grasps the charging gun that was released, separates it from the charging terminal of the electric vehicle, and returns it to its original position. The charging gun retrieval step is characterized by confirming the position of the charging gun by photographing and recognizing a marker portion provided on the charging gun with a marker verification camera unit provided on the electric vehicle charging robot when the electric vehicle charging robot grasps the charging gun in a state coupled to the charging terminal.
[0025] In the present invention, the charging gun coupling step may include a charging gun gripping process in which a charging gun mounted on a charging control main body is grasped by an electric vehicle charging robot, a terminal position verification process in which the electric vehicle charging robot is moved to a charging terminal of an electric vehicle after the charging gun gripping process to verify the position of the charging terminal, and a charging gun connection process in which the charging terminal is moved by the electric vehicle charging robot after the terminal position verification process to connect the charging gun.
[0026] In the present invention, the terminal position verification process may include a first charging terminal recognition process in which the charging terminal is moved close to the charging terminal while the charging terminal is photographed by a terminal photographing camera unit equipped on the electric vehicle charging robot and the charging gun unit is moved to a preset coupling preparation position, and a second charging terminal recognition process in which the charging gun unit is moved to a preset coupling final position by simultaneously utilizing a 3D sensor equipped on the electric vehicle charging robot and a terminal photographing camera unit after the first charging port position verification step.
[0027] In the present invention, the charging gun retrieval step may include a marker recognition process in which the marker part is recognized by photographing with the marker verification camera part; a robot position adjustment process in which the electric vehicle charging robot is moved to a final retrieval position to re-grab the charging gun part through the relative position from the marker verification camera part to the center of the marker part; a retrieval motion path generation process in which a retrieval motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot is generated after the robot position adjustment process; and a charging gun retrieval process in which the motion of the electric vehicle charging robot is controlled by the retrieval motion path generated through the retrieval motion path generation process to re-grab the charging gun part and re-retriev it to its original position.
[0028] In the present invention, the robot position adjustment process involves repeatedly moving the electric vehicle charging robot, and if the relative position from the camera unit for marker verification to the center of the marker unit satisfies all of the following conditions: within a preset distance range in the X-axis direction, within a preset distance range in the Y-direction, within a preset distance range in the Z-direction, within a preset angle range in the Rx rotation direction, within a preset angle range in the Ry rotation direction, and within a preset angle range in the Rz rotation direction, the recognition of the marker unit can be terminated.
[0029] In the present invention, the charging gun coupling step stores the motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot generated during the process of coupling the charging gun part to the charging terminal as the charging robot motion path, and the retrieval motion path generation process can generate the retrieval motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot for retrieving the charging gun part by interpolating the amount of change for the previously stored charging robot motion path based on the final retrieval position.
[0030] In the present invention, the charging gun coupling step further includes a charging position storage process in which the position of the charging gun coupled to the charging terminal is stored in a robot control unit that controls the operation of an electric vehicle charging robot when the gripped charging gun is released, and the charging gun retrieval step may further include a marker recognition position movement process in which a marker recognition position is set using the position of the charging gun previously stored in the charging position storage process so that the marker part can be recognized as the marker verification camera part, and the electric vehicle charging robot is moved to the marker recognition position.
[0031] In the present invention, the charging gun retrieval step may further include an initial position movement process in which an electric vehicle charging robot is moved to an initial position for retrieving the charging gun part according to the electric vehicle model prior to the marker recognition process. Effects of the invention
[0032] The present invention enables a single robot to charge multiple electric vehicles, thereby reducing the waiting time for charging and improving charging efficiency.
[0033] In addition, the present invention allows the position of the charging gun to be accurately verified via a marker when the charging gun is retrieved from an electric vehicle after charging is complete, thereby preventing malfunctions when charging multiple electric vehicles using a single robot, enabling stable charging of multiple electric vehicles, and maximizing the efficiency of the electric vehicle charging system. Brief explanation of the drawing
[0034] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of a robot charging device for electric vehicles according to the present invention. FIGS. 2 and FIGS. 3 are enlarged perspective views illustrating an embodiment of a robot for charging an electric vehicle in a robot charging device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of an electric vehicle charging method according to the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention
[0035] The present invention will be explained in more detail.
[0036] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows. Prior to the detailed description of the present invention, terms and words used in the specification and claims described below should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings. Accordingly, the embodiments described in the specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all technical concepts of the present invention; therefore, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications capable of replacing them may exist at the time of filing this application.
[0037] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a robot charging device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are enlarged perspective views illustrating an embodiment of an electric vehicle charging robot (200) in a robot charging device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention.
[0038] More specifically, FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating an example in which an electric vehicle charging robot (200) and a charging gun (100) are separated, and FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating an example in which the electric vehicle charging robot (200) holds the charging gun (100).
[0039] An embodiment of a robot charging device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
[0040] One embodiment of the electric vehicle (1) charging device according to the present invention includes a plurality of charging gun parts (110, 120) that are connected to a charging control main body (10) by a charging cable (100a) and are coupled to a charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) to charge the battery of the electric vehicle (1).
[0041] The charging control main body (10) is equipped with a display unit that displays the charging amount, time, charging amount, etc., and a charging gun mounting unit (100) that can be mounted thereon. It is a charging station that controls the charging of an electric vehicle (1), and further detailed description is omitted as it is a known device.
[0042] As an example, the charging control main body (10) is provided in multiple units equal to the number of charging gun units (100) and is positioned at each of the multiple parking locations within the charging station, and the multiple charging gun units (110, 120) are individually connected.
[0043] Although not shown, the charging control main body (10) may have a structure in which a plurality of charging control units (not shown) capable of controlling the operation of the charging gun unit (100) and a plurality of charging gun mounting units (not shown) capable of individually mounting a plurality of charging gun units (110, 120) are connected and mounted.
[0044] That is, the plurality of charging gun parts (110, 120) may be configured to be individually connected to each of the plurality of charging control main body parts (11, 12), or may be configured to be connected to a single charging control main body part (10).
[0045] A plurality of charging gun parts (110, 120) are connected to the charging terminals of the electric vehicle (1) by the electric vehicle charging robot (200) to charge the electric vehicle (1).
[0046] The electric vehicle charging robot (200) can simultaneously charge multiple electric vehicles (1a, 1b) by grasping one of the multiple charging gun parts (110, 120) and connecting it to the charging terminal of one electric vehicle (1a), and by placing one of the charging gun parts (110) and grasping another of the multiple charging gun parts (120) and connecting it to the charging terminal of another electric vehicle (1b).
[0047] Then, the electric vehicle charging robot (200) takes the charging gun part (100) that is connected to the charging terminal after the electric vehicle (1) is fully charged, separates it from the charging terminal, and retrieves it to its original position, that is, places it back on the mounting part of the charging control main body (10).
[0048] The electric vehicle charging robot (200) includes a robot body part (210) comprising a plurality of arm parts (211) that rotate around a joint, a charger coupling jig part (220) located at the end side of the robot body part (210) that can grasp or release a charging gun part (100), and a robot moving part (230) that moves the robot body part (210).
[0049] The robot moving part (230) can be installed by being mounted on the ceiling side of the charging station, and in addition, it can be installed by being mounted on a vertically erected support, etc., as an example, and it is noted that it can also be installed on the ground of the charging station, although not shown.
[0050] The robot movement unit (230) may include a first robot linear movement unit (231) that moves the robot body unit (210) in the X-axis direction and a second robot linear movement unit (232) that moves the robot body unit (210) in the Y-axis direction.
[0051] The second robot linear movement unit (232) moves the first robot linear movement unit (231) in the Y-axis direction as an example, and the robot body (210) can be moved in the X-axis direction by the first robot linear movement unit (231) and can be moved in the Y-axis direction by the second robot linear movement unit (232) which moves the first robot linear movement unit (231) in the Y-axis direction.
[0052] The second robot linear movement unit (232) can move the robot body unit (210) holding the charging gun unit (100) in a straight line forward and backward toward the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1b) to connect the charging gun unit (100) to the charging terminal or to detach the charging gun unit (100) from the charging terminal.
[0053] The first robot linear movement unit (231) moves the robot body (210) back and forth between the charging control unit (10) and the electric vehicle (1), that is, moves the robot body (210) in a linear reciprocating motion in the width direction of the electric vehicle (1), as an example, and the second robot linear movement unit (232) moves the robot body (210) in the length direction of the electric vehicle (1), and moves the first robot linear movement unit (231) in the length direction of the electric vehicle (1) so that the robot body (210) can be moved in the length direction of the electric vehicle (1).
[0054] The robot main body (210) can be moved forward and backward and left and right by the robot moving part (230) to hold the charging gun part (100) mounted on the charging control main body (10) with the charger coupling jig part (220), and the charging gun part (100) held by the charger coupling jig part (220) can be coupled to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1).
[0055] Additionally, the robot moving part (230) further includes a robot lifting / lowering part (233) that moves the robot body part (210) up and down.
[0056] The robot lifting / lowering unit (233) moves the robot body (210) in a straight line in the Z-axis direction to adjust the height of the charging gun (100) connected to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1), so that the height of the charging gun (100) matches the height of the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) to be charged.
[0057] It should be noted that the robot lifting / lowering unit (233) is exemplified as a hydraulic cylinder, and can be implemented in various modified forms using known lifting / lowering devices, such as a ball screw type linear actuator, a rack gear and a pinion gear that is meshed with the rack gear and rotated by a motor, and a rack and pinion structure that converts the motor's rotational force into linear movement, so further detailed description is omitted.
[0058] The robot moving part (230) is installed on the ceiling side, that is, on the upper side of the charging station, and moves the robot main body part (210) from the charging control main body part (10) to the electric vehicle (1) side, and connects the charging gun part (100) held by the robot main body part (210) to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1).
[0059] The robot moving part (230) can be installed by being mounted on the ceiling side of the charging station, and in addition, it can be installed by being mounted on a vertically erected support, etc., as an example, and it is noted that it can also be installed on the ground of the charging station, although not shown.
[0060] In addition, the robot body (210) is a multi-joint robot having a structure in which the arm (211) rotates around each joint, including a plurality of arm (211) and a plurality of joints connecting the plurality of arm (211), and is exemplified as a known 6-axis robot.
[0061] It should be noted that a 6-axis robot is known to have a structure in which the robot arm can rotate in 6 axes and has joints capable of performing movements similar to those of a human shoulder, arm, elbow, and wrist, and thus can move in a manner similar to human movement, so further detailed explanation is omitted.
[0062] The charging gun part (100) is provided with a charging coupler (100b) that is held by a charger coupling jig part (220), and the charger coupling jig part (220) holds or releases the charging gun part (100) by holding or releasing the charging coupler (100b).
[0063] The jig portion (220) for connecting the charger includes a pair of jig members (221) that hold both sides of the charging coupler (100b), and as an example, the pair of jig members (221) may move in a direction facing each other to narrow the gap or move in opposite directions to widen the gap to hold or release both sides of the charging coupler (100b).
[0064] Although not shown, the jig part (220) for connecting the charger may include a jig moving part (not shown) that moves a pair of jig members (221) in a direction facing each other or moving them away from each other.
[0065] The unillustrated jig moving part (unillustrated) includes a screw that is screwed through a pair of jig members (221) and screwed in opposite directions to each other and rotates by a motor.
[0066] A pair of jig members (221) are screw-coupled to a screw in opposite directions so that they can move in opposite directions or in opposite directions depending on the rotation direction of the screw to hold or release the charging coupler (100b) at a distance.
[0067] A charging coupler (100b) is provided with gripping grooves (100c) on both sides, and a pair of jig members (221) have gripping protrusions (221a) protruding from their mutually facing surfaces that can be coupled to the gripping grooves (100c) formed on both sides of the charging coupler (100b), and the gripping protrusions (221a) are formed with a tapered outer surface so that they can be smoothly coupled into the gripping grooves (100c) and stably grip the charging coupler (100b).
[0068] Additionally, the electric vehicle charging robot (200) further includes a force torque (F / T) sensor unit (250) that is provided between the charger coupling jig unit (220) and the robot body unit (210) and detects the force generated from the charger coupling jig unit (220).
[0069] The force / torque (F / T) sensor unit (250) detects the torque and force transmitted to the robot body unit (210) when the charging gun unit (100) is connected to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) while the charger coupling jig unit (220) holds the charging gun unit (100), thereby enabling the charging gun unit (100) to be accurately connected to the charging terminal with an appropriate force.
[0070] It should be noted that the force / torque (F / T) sensor unit (250) is a known 6-axis force / torque sensor capable of detecting force and torque transmitted to the robot during operation, and further detailed explanation is omitted.
[0071] The electric vehicle charging robot (200) uses force control technology through the force measured by the force / torque (F / T) sensor unit (250) to enable the charging gun unit (100) to be accurately coupled to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) with appropriate force.
[0072] Meanwhile, the electric vehicle charging robot (200) includes a terminal position detection unit (260) for confirming the location of the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1), thereby enabling the charging gun unit (100) to be accurately connected to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1).
[0073] The terminal position detection unit (260) checks the position of the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) to be charged, thereby enabling the charging gun unit (100) to be accurately connected to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1).
[0074] The terminal position detection unit (260) includes a 3D sensor (261) that detects the shape of the charging terminal and a terminal shooting camera unit (262) that photographs the charging terminal.
[0075] The camera unit (262) for capturing terminals has an optical axis in the Y-axis direction and can accurately capture the shape of the charging terminal in the direction of movement of the charging gun unit (100) moving to the second robot linear movement unit (232).
[0076] That is, the camera unit (262) for capturing terminals has an optical axis in the Y-axis direction, so that the shape of the charging terminal can be accurately captured in the Y-axis direction where the charging gun unit (100) is coupled to the charging terminal.
[0077] Additionally, the terminal position detection unit (260) further includes a light-emitting lighting lamp unit (263) so that the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) is illuminated by the lighting lamp unit (263), allowing the charging terminal to be photographed and verified by the terminal photographing camera unit (262) even at night.
[0078] It should be noted that the 3D sensor (261) is a known 3D sensor capable of detecting the shape of a target object, and further detailed description is omitted.
[0079] In addition, the camera unit (262) for photographing the terminal is exemplified as an industrial vision camera, and can be modified in various ways using any known camera capable of photographing a charging terminal equipped in an electric vehicle.
[0080] The location of the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) to be charged is confirmed by a 3D sensor and a camera unit (262) for capturing the terminal.
[0081] Additionally, the charging gun (100) is equipped with a marker (101), and the electric vehicle charging robot (200) is equipped with a marker verification camera (240) that recognizes the marker (101) and confirms the location of the charging gun (100).
[0082] The marker part (101) may be a two-dimensional marker or a three-dimensional marker, and in the present invention, it is exemplified as a two-dimensional marker located on a plane.
[0083] The marker verification camera unit (240) verifies the marker unit (101) to verify the location of the charging terminal connected to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1).
[0084] The marker part (101) is positioned on the upper surface of the charging coupler (100b) so that the position of the charging coupler (100b), which is captured by the charger coupling jig part (220), can be accurately confirmed by the marker verification camera part (240).
[0085] The charging coupling jig part (220) is configured to grasp or release the charging coupler (100b) as the robot body part (210) moves linearly in the Z-axis direction by the robot lifting / lowering part (233).
[0086] The marker part (101) is positioned in a flat plane on the upper surface of the charging coupler (100b), and the camera part (240) for verifying the marker has an optical axis different from the position detection part (260), such as an optical axis in the Z-axis direction, so that when the robot body part (210) is moved linearly in the Z-axis direction by the robot lifting / lowering part (233) and the charger coupling jig part (220) grasps the charging coupler (100b), the marker part (101) can be accurately captured and recognized.
[0087] The terminal position detection unit (260) checks the position of the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) when the charging gun unit (100) mounted on the charging control main body (10) is grasped by the electric vehicle charging robot (200) and connected to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) to be charged.
[0088] And, the electric vehicle charging robot (200) can connect a charging gun (100) to a charging terminal of one electric vehicle (1a), then place the charging gun (100) on a stand and hold another charging gun (100) to connect it to a charging terminal of another electric vehicle (1b), and by repeating this, multiple electric vehicles (1a, 1b) can be charged simultaneously.
[0089] That is, the electric vehicle charging robot (200) connects the charging gun (100) to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1), then releases the charging gun (100) that was held to charge another electric vehicle (1b), and when the charging of the electric vehicle (1) to be charged is completed, it picks up the released charging gun (100) again, separates it from the charging terminal, and returns it to the charging control main body (10).
[0090] The position of the charging gun (100) connected to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) varies due to reasons such as the position of the electric vehicle (1) that is parked for charging, the type of electric vehicle (1), the direction of the force generated when the electric vehicle charging robot (200) places the charging gun (100), the tension of the charging cable (100a), and the movement of the charging cable (100a) caused by the force generated when placing the charging gun.
[0091] The marker unit (101) and the marker verification camera unit (240) enable the electric vehicle charging robot (200) to accurately verify the position of the charging gun unit (100) coupled to the charging terminal when the charging gun unit (100) that was placed is picked up again by the charger coupling jig unit (220).
[0092] Additionally, although not shown, the robot charging device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention further includes an electric vehicle recognition unit (not shown) that confirms when an electric vehicle (1) to be charged into a charging station stops at a charging position.
[0093] The electric vehicle recognition unit (not shown) includes a license plate recognition camera that recognizes the license plate of the electric vehicle (1) when the electric vehicle (1) enters the charging station, and an electric vehicle location detection unit that confirms that the electric vehicle (1) is parked at a parking location within the charging station.
[0094] The license plate recognition camera can be implemented in various modified forms with a known structure that recognizes the license plate of a vehicle using a camera in a parking facility, and the electric vehicle position detection unit can be implemented in various modified forms with a known detection structure that recognizes a vehicle parked within a designated parking line.
[0095] The electric vehicle robot charging device according to the present invention includes a robot control unit (300) that controls the operation of an electric vehicle charging robot (200).
[0096] The terminal position detection unit (260) and the marker verification camera unit (240) are positioned in the charger coupling jig unit (220) that substantially holds the charging gun unit (100), so that the relative position between the charger coupling jig unit (220) and the charging coupler held by the charger coupling jig unit (220) can be confirmed.
[0097] The robot control unit (300) controls the operation of the electric vehicle charging robot (200), that is, the operation of the robot body unit (210), the jig unit (220) for connecting the charger, and the robot movement unit (230), using information received from the electric vehicle recognition unit, the force / torque (F / T) sensor unit (250), the terminal position detection unit (260), and the camera unit (240) for verifying the marker.
[0098] When the electric vehicle (1) is detected by the electric vehicle recognition unit, the robot control unit (300) operates the electric vehicle charging robot (200) to connect the charging gun (100) to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) to charge the electric vehicle (1) to be charged, and when another electric vehicle (1b) is parked in the charging station while the electric vehicle (1) is charging, the charging gun (100) that was held is released, and the other charging gun (100) that is being held is held and connected to the charging terminal of the other electric vehicle (1b) to charge multiple electric vehicles (1a, 1b) simultaneously.
[0099] More specifically, within the robot control unit (300), the positions of a plurality of charging gun units (110, 120) in a mounted state, the shape of a charging terminal according to the type of electric vehicle (1), and the shape of a charging port according to the position of the electric vehicle (1) are each stored.
[0100] Additionally, the robot control unit (300) stores the position of the charging gun (100) connected to the charging terminal when the charging gun (100) that was held is released after the charging gun (100) is connected to the charging terminal by the electric vehicle charging robot (200).
[0101] And, the shape of the charging terminal corresponding to the position of the electric vehicle (1) is learned through deep learning and stored in the robot control unit (300).
[0102] When the first electric vehicle (1a) is parked at the first parking position within the charging station, the robot control unit (300) takes the first charging gun unit (110) mounted at the position closest to the first electric vehicle (1a) with the electric vehicle charging robot (200) and connects it to the charging terminal of the first electric vehicle (1a).
[0103] The robot control unit (300) has the positions of a plurality of charging gun units (110, 120) mounted on the charging control main body (10) stored in advance, and can hold the first charging gun unit (110) mounted on the first charging control main body (11) with the electric vehicle charging robot (200), and can accurately connect the first charging gun unit (110) to the charging terminal of the first electric vehicle (1a) by detecting the position of the charging terminal using a 3D sensor (261) and a terminal shooting camera unit (262).
[0104] Here, the charging robot (200) according to the present invention can grasp the charging gun parts (110, 120) through marker recognition. For example, marker recognition may utilize at least one of a first method using the distance range in the X, Y, and Z directions and the angle range in the Rx, Ry, and Rz rotation directions of the marker part (101) to be described later, and a second method using the shape and area of the marker part (101). Accordingly, the charging robot (200) according to the present invention can grasp the charging gun parts (110, 120) with improved accuracy and speed. The first and second methods will be described later.
[0105] Additionally, when the first electric vehicle (1a) is being charged and the second electric vehicle (1b) is parked at the second parking position within the charging station, the robot control unit (300) controls the operation of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) so that the electric vehicle charging robot (200) moves with the first charging gun unit (110) placed thereon, grasps the second charging gun unit (120) which is mounted at the position closest to the second electric vehicle (1b), and connects it to the charging terminal of the second electric vehicle (1b), thereby charging the first electric vehicle (1a) and the second electric vehicle (1b) simultaneously.
[0106] The robot control unit (300) has the positions of a plurality of charging gun units (110, 120) in a mounted state stored in advance, and can hold the second charging gun unit (120) mounted on the second charging control main body (12) with the electric vehicle charging robot (200), and can accurately connect the second charging gun unit (120) to the charging terminal of the second electric vehicle (1b) by detecting the position of the charging terminal of the second electric vehicle (1b) using a 3D sensor (261) and a terminal shooting camera unit (262).
[0107] The robot control unit (300) stores the motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) that operates when the electric vehicle charging robot (200) grasps the charging gun unit (100) and connects it to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) as the charging robot motion path.
[0108] When the charging of the first electric vehicle (1a) is completed while the second electric vehicle (1b) is being charged, the robot control unit (300) controls the operation of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) so that the electric vehicle charging robot (200) places the second charging gun unit (120) and moves to pick up the first charging gun unit (110) again and retrieves it from the charging terminal to the mounting unit of the first charging control main body (11).
[0109] Additionally, when the second electric vehicle (1b) is fully charged, the robot control unit (300) controls the operation of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) so that the electric vehicle charging robot (200) moves away from the first charging gun unit (110) that has been recovered, takes hold of the second charging gun unit (120) again, and recovers it from the charging terminal to the mounting unit of the second charging control main body (12).
[0110] That is, the robot control unit (300) stores the first position of the first charging gun (110) or the second position of the second charging gun (120) coupled to the charging terminal when the electric vehicle charging robot (200) places the first charging gun (110) or the second charging gun (120).
[0111] And, when the robot control unit (300) retrieves the first charging gun unit (110) or the second charging gun unit (120) to the original position using the electric vehicle charging robot (200), it moves the electric vehicle charging robot (200) to a marker recognition position set through the first position or the second position, and then photographs the marker unit (101) with the marker verification camera unit (240) to accurately confirm the position of the first charging gun unit (110) or the second charging gun unit (120) connected to the charging terminal through the position of the marker unit (101), and can accurately retrieve the first charging gun unit (110) and the second charging gun unit (120) using the electric vehicle charging robot (200).
[0112] The marker recognition position is a position where the marker part (101) can be recognized by photographing it with the marker verification camera part (240), and is pre-set based on the first position or the second position.
[0113] The robot control unit (300) repeatedly moves the electric vehicle charging robot (200) and, when the relative position from the marker verification camera unit (240) to the center of the marker unit (101) is within a preset distance range in the X-axis direction, within a preset distance range in the Y-direction, within a preset distance range in the Z-direction, within a preset angle range in the Rx rotation direction, within a preset angle range in the Ry rotation direction, and within a preset angle range in the Rz rotation direction, the recognition of the marker unit (101) is terminated, and the electric vehicle charging robot (200) is stopped at the retrieval position of the charging gun unit (100), that is, at the retrieval positions of the first charging gun unit (110) and the second charging gun unit (120).
[0114] Alternatively, the robot control unit (300) can repeatedly move the electric vehicle charging robot (200) to detect the marker unit (101) within the field of view (FOV) of the marker verification camera unit (240). At this time, the robot control unit (300) can determine the relative position and degree of tilt of the charging gun unit (100) using the shape and area information of the marker unit (101) obtained from the marker verification camera unit (240), and if the area and shape of the obtained marker unit (101) satisfy a set range, the recognition of the marker unit (101) is terminated, and the electric vehicle charging robot (200) is stopped at the retrieval position of the charging gun unit (100), that is, at the retrieval positions of the first charging gun unit (110) and the second charging gun unit (120).
[0115] Here, marker recognition according to the present invention may utilize at least one of the first method using the distance range in the X, Y, and Z directions and the angle range in the Rx, Ry, and Rz rotation directions described above, and the second method using shape and area.
[0116] Then, the robot control unit (300) interpolates the amount of change for the stored charging robot motion path based on the retrieval positions of the first charging gun unit (110) and the second charging gun unit (120) to generate an optimal retrieval motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) for retrieving the charging gun unit (100), and retrieves the first charging gun unit (110) or the second charging gun unit (120) using the retrieval motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot (200).
[0118] Meanwhile, FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of an electric vehicle charging method according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, an embodiment of an electric vehicle charging method according to the present invention includes a charging gun coupling step (S200) in which one of a plurality of charging gun parts (110, 120) being mounted is grasped by an electric vehicle charging robot (200) and coupled to a charging terminal of an electric vehicle (1), and the grasped charging terminal is released, and another charging gun part (120) is grasped and coupled to a charging terminal of another electric vehicle (1b) to charge a plurality of electric vehicles (1a, 1b); and a charging gun retrieval step (S300) in which the electric vehicle charging robot (200) grasps the charging gun part (100) that was placed again, separates it from the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1), and returns it to its original position.
[0119] And, in the charging gun retrieval step (S300), when the electric vehicle charging robot (200) catches the charging gun part (100) which is connected to the charging terminal again, the position of the charging gun part (100) is confirmed by photographing the marker part (101) provided on the charging gun part (100) with the marker verification camera part (240) provided on the electric vehicle charging robot (200).
[0120] One embodiment of the electric vehicle charging method according to the present invention further includes a parking confirmation step (S100) that detects entry into a charging station and parking in a parking position before the charging gun coupling step (S200), and the charging gun coupling step (S200) combines the charging gun part (100) to the charging terminal in the order of the electric vehicle (1) that entered the charging station in the parking confirmation step.
[0121] The parking verification step (S100) recognizes and stores the license plate of the electric vehicle (1) that has entered the charging station, and verifies the location of the electric vehicle (1) parked in a preset parking position.
[0122] Then, the charging gun coupling step (S200) takes the charging gun part (100) located closest to the parked electric vehicle (1) among the plurality of charging gun parts (110, 120) and coupling it to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1).
[0123] The charging gun coupling step (S200) includes a charging gun gripping process (S210) in which the charging gun part (100) mounted on the charging control main body (10) is grasped by the electric vehicle charging robot (200); a terminal position verification process (S220) in which the electric vehicle charging robot (200) is moved to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) after the charging gun gripping process (S210) to verify the position of the charging terminal; and a charging gun connection process (S230) in which the charging terminal is moved by the electric vehicle charging robot (200) after the terminal position verification process (S220) to connect the charging gun part (100).
[0124] A robot control unit (300) that controls the operation of an electric vehicle charging robot (200) has a pre-stored mounting position for each charging gun (100), and the charging gun gripping process (S210) moves the electric vehicle charging robot (200) to the pre-stored mounting position of each charging gun (100) in the control unit and grips the charging gun (100).
[0125] Additionally, the terminal position verification process (S220) includes a first charging terminal recognition process (S221) in which the charging terminal is photographed by a terminal photographing camera unit (262) equipped on the electric vehicle charging robot (200) while moving the electric vehicle charging robot (200) close to the charging terminal, and the charging gun unit (100) is moved to a preset coupling preparation position; and a second charging terminal recognition process (S222) in which the charging gun unit (100) is moved to a preset coupling final position by simultaneously utilizing a 3D sensor (261) equipped on the electric vehicle charging robot (200) and a terminal photographing camera unit (262) after the first charging port position verification step.
[0126] In the robot control unit (300), the pre-prepared shape of a charging terminal for a coupling pre-position captured by a terminal-capturing camera unit (262) according to the vehicle type of the electric vehicle (1) and the parking position of the electric vehicle (1) is learned through deep learning and stored, and the first charging terminal recognition process (S221) compares and analyzes the pre-stored pre-prepared shape and the shape of the charging terminal captured by the terminal-capturing camera unit (262) while moving the electric vehicle charging robot (200), and positions the charging gun unit (100) at the point where the pre-stored pre-prepared shape and the shape of the charging terminal captured by the terminal-capturing camera unit (262) match.
[0127] Additionally, the robot control unit (300) has the final shape of the charging terminal for the final combined position learned through deep learning according to the vehicle type of the electric vehicle (1) and the parking position of the electric vehicle (1), and the second charging terminal recognition process (S222) compares and analyzes the final shape of the charging terminal stored in advance with the shape of the charging terminal captured by the 3D sensor and the terminal capturing camera unit (262) while moving the electric vehicle charging robot (200), and positions the charging gun unit (100) at the combined preparation position where the shape of the charging terminal captured by the terminal capturing camera unit (262) stored in advance matches.
[0128] The charging gun connection process (S230) involves moving the charging gun part (100) located at the final connection position in a straight line toward the charging terminal to connect the charging gun part (100) to the charging terminal, and at this time, the charging gun part (100) is connected to the charging terminal by applying an appropriate force using the force and torque values in the 6-axis direction of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) detected by the force / torque (F / T) sensor part (250) provided in the electric vehicle charging robot (200).
[0129] The charging gun connection process (S230) converts the force value and torque value transmitted to the force / torque (F / T) sensor unit (250) based on the charging coupler of the charging gun unit (100) that the electric vehicle charging robot (200) holds, and changes the posture of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) to reduce the repulsion force when a repulsion force greater than the preset force value or preset torque value occurs.
[0130] Additionally, the charging gun connection process (S230) stores the charging robot motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot (200), including the movement path and operation path of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) that occur during the process of connecting the charging gun part (100) to the charging terminal, and the sensor value detected by the force / torque (F / T) sensor part (250) in the robot control part (300), and finally confirms the movement distance of the charging gun part (100) based on the time when the repulsion force occurs and the repulsion force generated from the charging gun part (100) when connected to the charging terminal, thereby completing the connection of the charging gun part (100).
[0131] The charging gun coupling step (S200) further includes a charging position storage process (S240) in which the charging gun part (100) is grasped by the electric vehicle charging robot (200) and coupled to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1), and when the grasped charging gun part (100) is released, the position of the charging gun part (100) coupled to the charging terminal is stored in the robot control unit (300) that controls the operation of the electric vehicle charging robot (200).
[0132] The charging location storage process (S240) recognizes the marker unit (101) provided in the charging gun unit (100) using the marker verification camera unit (240) provided in the electric vehicle charging robot (200) to verify and store the location of the charging gun unit (100) coupled to the charging terminal.
[0133] Additionally, the charging gun retrieval step (S300) includes a marker recognition process (S310) that recognizes the marker part (101) by capturing it with a marker verification camera part (240); a robot position adjustment process (S320) that moves the electric vehicle charging robot (200) to a final retrieval position to re-grab the charging gun part (100) through the relative position from the marker verification camera part (240) to the center of the marker part (101); a retrieval motion path generation process (S330) that generates a retrieval motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) after the robot position adjustment process (S320); and a charging gun retrieval process (S340) that controls the motion of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) through the retrieval motion path generated through the retrieval motion path generation process (S330) to re-grab the charging gun part (100) and re-retriev it to its original position.
[0134] Additionally, the charging gun retrieval step (S300) further includes a marker recognition position movement process (S302) in which a marker part (101) can be recognized by a marker verification camera part (240) by using the position of the charging gun part (100) stored in the charging position storage process (S240), and a marker recognition position movement process (S302) in which the electric vehicle charging robot (200) is moved to the set marker recognition position.
[0135] In the charging gun retrieval step (S300), it is virtually impossible to re-grab the charging gun (100) with the electric vehicle charging robot (200) using the location of the charging gun (100) previously stored in the charging location storage process (S240) due to external factors.
[0136] That is, the position of the charging gun (100) connected to the charging terminal differs from the position of the charging gun (100) previously stored in the charging position storage process (S240) due to reasons such as the direction of the force generated when the electric vehicle charging robot (200) places the charging gun, the tension of the charging cable (100a), and the movement of the charging cable (100a) caused by the force generated when placing the charging gun.
[0137] Therefore, in the charging gun retrieval step (S300), since it is impossible to retrieve the charging gun part (100) that is the target of retrieval coupled to the charging terminal by confirming the location of the charging gun part (100) that is the location of the charging gun part (100) that is the location of the charging gun part (100) that is the target of retrieval in the charging location storage process (S240), the charging gun part (100) is moved to a preset marker recognition location so that the marker part (101) can be recognized by the marker verification camera part (240) through the marker recognition location movement process (S302), and the change in the location of the charging gun part (100) is confirmed through the relative position from the marker verification camera part (240) to the center of the marker part (101), so that the charging gun part (100) that is the target of retrieval can be accurately recaptured by the electric vehicle charging robot (200).
[0138] Additionally, the charging gun retrieval step (S300) further includes an initial position movement process (S301) for moving the electric vehicle charging robot (200) to an initial position for retrieving the charging gun part (100) for each electric vehicle (1) before the marker recognition process (S310).
[0139] In the control unit, the position of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) for retrieving the charging gun (100) coupled to the charging terminal according to the electric vehicle (1) type, that is, the initial position for retrieving the charging gun of the charger coupling jig part (220) that holds the charging gun (100), is stored in advance, and the initial position movement process (S301) controls the operation of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) by the control unit to move the position of the charger coupling jig part (220) to the initial position for retrieving the charging gun stored in advance according to the electric vehicle (1) type.
[0140] The charging gun retrieval step (S300) can shorten the time required to retriev the charging gun (100) that charged the electric vehicle (1) after the charging of the electric vehicle (1) is completed by positioning the electric vehicle charging robot (200) at an optimal location where the dimensional marker part can be recognized by the marker verification camera part (240) for each type of electric vehicle (1) through the initial position movement process (S301) and the marker recognition position movement process (S302).
[0141] The robot position adjustment process (S320) repeatedly moves the electric vehicle charging robot (200) until the relative position from the marker verification camera unit (240) to the center of the marker unit (101) is within a preset distance range in the X-axis direction, within a preset distance range in the Y-direction, within a preset distance range in the Z-direction, within a preset angle range in the Rx rotation direction, within a preset angle range in the Ry rotation direction, and within a preset angle range in the Rz rotation direction, and when the relative position from the marker verification camera unit (240) to the center of the marker unit (101) is within a preset distance range in the X-axis direction, within a preset distance range in the Y-direction, within a preset distance range in the Z-direction, within a preset angle range in the Rx rotation direction, within a preset angle range in the Ry rotation direction, and within a preset angle range in the Rz rotation direction, the recognition of the marker unit (101) is terminated.
[0142] In the robot position adjustment process (S320), the preset distance range of the X-axis and Y-axis is 0mm±0.3mm, the preset distance range of the Z-axis is 200mm±0.3mm, and the Rx rotation direction, Ry rotation direction, and Rz rotation direction is 0°±0.1° as an example.
[0143] That is, the robot position adjustment process (S320) involves repeatedly moving the electric vehicle charging robot (200) and, when the relative position from the marker verification camera unit (240) to the center of the marker unit (101) is within 0mm±0.3mm in the X-axis direction, within 0mm±0.3mm in the Y-direction, within 200mm±0.3mm in the Z-direction, within 0°±0.1° in the Rx rotation direction, within 0°±0.1° in the Ry rotation direction, and within 0°±0.1° in the Rz rotation direction, the recognition of the marker unit (101) is terminated and the movement of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) is stopped so that the electric vehicle charging robot (200) is positioned at the final retrieval position.
[0144] Since the location of the charging terminal differs depending on the type of electric vehicle (1), the retrieval motion of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) that re-grabs the charging gun (100) may differ, but the relative position from the center of the flat marker part (101) attached to the upper surface of the charging coupler to the marker verification camera part (240) is guaranteed within a preset range.
[0145] Even if the vehicle type of the electric vehicle (1) is different, the relative position from the center of the marker part (101) to the marker verification camera part (240) is always the same, and the electric vehicle charging robot (200) is positioned at a final retrieval position where the relative position from the center of the marker part to the marker verification camera part (240) is located within a preset range.
[0146] And, the retrieval motion path generation process (S330) generates an optimal retrieval motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) for retrieving the charging gun part (100) by interpolating the amount of change in the charging robot motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot (200) stored in the charging gun combination step (S200) based on the final retrieval position after the electric vehicle charging robot (200) is moved to the final retrieval position.
[0147] Accordingly, the electric vehicle charging method according to the present invention allows the charging gun (100), which was placed after being coupled to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle (1) by the electric vehicle charging robot (200) to charge a plurality of electric vehicles (1a, 1b) with one electric vehicle charging robot (200), to be accurately recaptured in the shortest possible time after the charging of the electric vehicle (1) is completed.
[0148] The present invention allows a single robot to charge multiple electric vehicles (1a, 1b), thereby reducing the waiting time for charging and improving charging efficiency when charging electric vehicles (1).
[0149] In addition, the present invention can significantly reduce the retrieval time by retrieving the charging gun (100) from the electric vehicle (1) after charging is complete, based on the location of the charging gun (100) stored during charging. Furthermore, when retrieving, the location of the charging gun (100) can be accurately verified through the marker (101). As a result, when charging multiple electric vehicles (1a, 1b) using a single robot, malfunctions are prevented, enabling stable charging of multiple electric vehicles (1a, 1b) and maximizing the efficiency of the charging system of the electric vehicle (1).
[0150] In addition, the present invention includes a terminal position detection unit (260) so that the charging gun unit (100) can be connected to and retrieved from a charging terminal of an electric vehicle (1) placed at various locations, regardless of the type of electric vehicle (1).
[0151] In addition, the present invention allows the charging gun (100) to provide optimal force to the electric vehicle (1) by means of a 3D sensor (262) that measures the distance between the electric vehicle (1) and the charging gun (200) when the charging gun (100) is connected to and removed from the electric vehicle (1) and a force torque (F / T) sensor (250) that detects the applied force. Accordingly, the present invention can prevent damage to the outside of the electric vehicle (1), such as the charging terminal and the charging gun (100), when the charging gun (100) is connected and removed.
[0152] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but can be implemented with various modifications within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the invention, and such modifications are included in the composition of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols
[0153] 1 : Electric vehicle 1a : First electric vehicle 1b : Second electric vehicle 10 : Charging control main body 11: First charging control main body 12: Second charging control main body 100 : Charging gun 100a : Charging cable 100b: Charging coupler 100c: Grip groove 101: Marker unit 110: First charging gun unit 120 : Second charging gun unit 200 : Electric vehicle charging robot 210: Robot main body 211: Arm part 220: Jig part for charger assembly 221: Jig member 221a: Grasping projection 230: Robot movement part 231: 1st Robot Linear Movement Unit 232: 2nd Robot Linear Movement Unit 233: Robot lifting / lowering unit 240: Camera unit for marker verification 250: Force / Torque (F / T) Sensor Unit 260: Terminal Position Detection Unit 261: 3D sensor 262: Terminal camera unit for shooting 263 : Lighting lamp unit 300 : Robot control unit S100: Parking confirmation step S200: Charging gun connection step S210: Charging gun gripping process S220: Terminal position verification process S221: First charging terminal recognition process S222: Second charging terminal recognition process S230: Charging gun connection process S240: Charging location saving process S300: Charging gun retrieval step S301: Initial position movement process S302: Marker recognition position movement process S310: Marker recognition process S320: Robot position adjustment process S330: Retrieval motion path generation process S340: Charging gun retrieval process
Claims
Claim 1 A charging device for an electric vehicle robot, comprising: a plurality of charging gun units connected to a charging control main body by a charging cable and combined with a charging terminal of an electric vehicle to charge the battery of the electric vehicle, and equipped with a marker unit; an electric vehicle charging robot capable of grasping or releasing the charging gun unit mounted on the charging control main body; a robot control unit for controlling the operation of the electric vehicle charging robot; and a marker verification camera unit provided on the electric vehicle charging robot for recognizing the marker unit, wherein the robot control unit repeatedly moves the electric vehicle charging robot and, when the relative position from the marker verification camera unit to the center of the marker unit is within a preset distance range in the X-axis direction, within a preset distance range in the Y-direction, within a preset distance range in the Z-direction, within a preset angle range in the Rx rotation direction, within a preset angle range in the Ry rotation direction, and within a preset angle range in the Rz rotation direction, terminates the recognition of the marker unit and stops the movement of the electric vehicle charging robot to position the electric vehicle charging robot at the retrieval position of the charging gun unit. Claim 2 A plurality of charging gun units connected to a charging control main body via a charging cable and coupled with a charging terminal of an electric vehicle to charge the battery of the electric vehicle; an electric vehicle charging robot capable of grasping or releasing the charging gun units mounted on the charging control main body; The electric vehicle robot charging device comprises a robot control unit that controls the operation of the electric vehicle charging robot, wherein the charging gun is equipped with a marker unit, and the electric vehicle charging robot is equipped with a marker verification camera unit that recognizes the marker unit, and the robot control unit recognizes the marker unit with the marker verification camera unit when the charging gun, which is in a state coupled to the charging terminal, is grasped again by the electric vehicle charging robot to confirm the position of the charging gun, and when the electric vehicle charging robot is repeatedly moved and the relative position from the marker verification camera unit to the center of the marker unit is within a preset distance range in the X-axis direction, within a preset distance range in the Y-direction, within a preset distance range in the Z-direction, within a preset angle range in the Rx rotation direction, within a preset angle range in the Ry rotation direction, and within a preset angle range in the Rz rotation direction, the recognition of the marker unit is terminated, and the movement of the electric vehicle charging robot is stopped to position the electric vehicle charging robot at the retrieval position of the charging gun. Claim 3 The electric vehicle charging robot according to claim 2 comprises: a robot body part including a plurality of arm parts that rotate around a joint; a charger coupling jig part located at the end side of the robot body part and capable of grasping or releasing a charging gun part; and a robot moving part that moves the robot body part, wherein the charging gun part is provided with a charging coupler grasped by the charger coupling jig part, and the marker part is located on the upper surface of the charging coupler. Claim 4 A robot charging device for an electric vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the electric vehicle charging robot includes a terminal position detection unit for confirming the position of a charging terminal of an electric vehicle, and the robot control unit confirms the position of the charging terminal using the terminal position detection unit when the charging gun unit mounted on the charging control main body is grasped by the electric vehicle charging robot and coupled to the charging terminal of an electric vehicle to be charged. Claim 5 A robot charging device for an electric vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the terminal position detection unit comprises: a 3D sensor that detects the shape of the charging terminal; and a terminal imaging camera unit that images the charging terminal. Claim 6 A robot charging device for an electric vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the robot control unit stores the position of the charging gun connected to the charging terminal when the charging gun is released after the charging gun is grasped by the electric vehicle charging robot and connected to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle, and the robot control unit moves the electric vehicle charging robot to a marker recognition position set through a first position or a second position when the charging gun released by the electric vehicle charging robot is grasped again by the electric vehicle charging robot and retrieved to its original position, and photographs the marker part with the marker verification camera unit. Claim 7 delete Claim 8 A robot charging device for an electric vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the robot control unit stores the motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot as a charging robot motion path when the electric vehicle charging robot grasps the charging gun and connects it to the charging terminal of the electric vehicle, the robot control unit generates a retrieval motion path of the charging robot for retrieving the charging gun by interpolating the amount of change for the previously stored charging robot motion path based on the retrieval position of the charging gun, and operates the electric vehicle charging robot along the retrieval motion path to retrieving the charging gun. Claim 9 A charging gun coupling step in which a charging robot for electric vehicles grasps one of a plurality of charging guns that are mounted and connects it to a charging terminal of an electric vehicle, releases the grasped charging terminal, grasps another charging gun, and connects it to a charging terminal of another electric vehicle to charge a plurality of electric vehicles; and a charging gun retrieval step in which the charging robot for electric vehicles grasps the released charging gun again, separates it from the charging terminal of the electric vehicle, and returns it to its original position, wherein the charging gun retrieval step includes a marker recognition process in which a marker is recognized by photographing it with a camera unit for marker verification. The electric vehicle charging method includes a robot position adjustment process for moving the electric vehicle charging robot to a final retrieval position for re-grabbing the charging gun through a relative position from the camera unit for verifying the marker to the center of the marker unit, wherein the robot position adjustment process involves repeatedly moving the electric vehicle charging robot and terminating the recognition of the marker unit when the relative position from the camera unit for verifying the marker to the center of the marker unit satisfies all of the following conditions: within a preset distance range in the X-axis direction, within a preset distance range in the Y-direction, within a preset distance range in the Z-direction, within a preset angle range in the Rx rotation direction, within a preset angle range in the Ry rotation direction, and within a preset angle range in the Rz rotation direction. Claim 10 The electric vehicle charging method according to claim 9, wherein the charging gun coupling step comprises: a charging gun gripping process in which a charging gun mounted on a charging control main body is grasped by an electric vehicle charging robot; a terminal position verification process in which, after the charging gun gripping process, the electric vehicle charging robot is moved to a charging terminal of the electric vehicle to verify the position of the charging terminal; and a charging gun connection process in which, after the terminal position verification process, the charging terminal is moved by the electric vehicle charging robot to connect the charging gun. Claim 11 The electric vehicle charging method according to claim 10, wherein the terminal position verification process comprises: a first charging terminal recognition process of moving an electric vehicle charging robot close to a charging terminal while photographing the charging terminal with a terminal photographing camera unit provided on the electric vehicle charging robot and moving the charging gun unit to a preset coupling preparation position; and a second charging terminal recognition process of moving the charging gun unit to a preset coupling final position by simultaneously utilizing a 3D sensor provided on the electric vehicle charging robot and the terminal photographing camera unit. Claim 12 The electric vehicle charging method according to claim 9, wherein the charging gun retrieval step further comprises: a retrieval motion path generation process for generating a retrieval motion path of an electric vehicle charging robot after the robot position adjustment process; and a charging gun retrieval process for controlling the motion of the electric vehicle charging robot through the retrieval motion path generated through the retrieval motion path generation process to grasp the charging gun again and retriev it to its original position. Claim 13 delete Claim 14 An electric vehicle charging method according to claim 9, wherein the charging gun coupling step stores the motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot generated during the process of coupling the charging gun part to the charging terminal as a charging robot motion path, and the retrieval motion path generation process generates a retrieval motion path of the electric vehicle charging robot for retrieving the charging gun part by interpolating the amount of change for the previously stored charging robot motion path based on the final retrieval position. Claim 15 The electric vehicle charging method according to claim 9, wherein the charging gun coupling step further includes a charging position storage process in which the position of the charging gun coupled to the charging terminal is stored in a robot control unit that controls the operation of an electric vehicle charging robot when the gripped charging gun is released, and the charging gun retrieval step further includes a marker recognition position movement process in which a marker recognition position is set using the position of the charging gun previously stored in the charging position storage process so that the marker part can be recognized as the marker verification camera part, and the electric vehicle charging robot is moved to the marker recognition position. Claim 16 The electric vehicle charging method according to claim 9, wherein the charging gun retrieval step further comprises an initial position movement process of moving an electric vehicle charging robot to an initial position for retrieving a charging gun portion according to the electric vehicle model prior to the marker recognition process.
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