Vehicle charging apparatus, charging main unit, robotic-arm mounting platform and vehicle charging system

Abstract

A vehicle charging apparatus, a charging main unit, a robotic-arm mounting platform and a vehicle charging system. A rail-mounted vehicle charging apparatus is mounted on a traveling guide rail hoisted on the ceiling of a parking garage, and a plurality of charging base stations are arranged along the traveling guide rail in a manner of corresponding to parking spaces in the parking garage. The rail-mounted vehicle charging apparatus comprises: a mountable robotic-arm mounting platform (20), which comprises a platform body (200) and a robotic arm (210) fixed at the bottom of the platform body (200); a mountable charging main unit mounting platform (30), which comprises a platform body (300), and an extension-retraction module (305) and a traveling rail (306), which are arranged at the bottom of the platform body (300); a charging main unit (50) detachably mounted at the lower portion of the charging main unit mounting platform (30), wherein a charging gun (502) is housed in the charging main unit (50); and a sensing device (40), which comprises a robotic arm end visual positioning device (403). The robotic arm comprises a charging-gun grasping module (206) assembled at the tail end thereof, and the robotic arm can adjust its posture so as to operate the charging gun (502) by means of the charging-gun grasping module (206), and performs the actions of plugging and unplugging the charging gun (502) from a vehicle. The apparatus and the system can automatically plug and unplug the charging gun and can then perform automatic charging, and can automatically start for recharging when a charging interruption fault such as a gun release occurs.

Description

Automobile charging device, charging host and mechanical arm mounting platform and automobile charging system TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of new energy automobile charging, in particular to a rail-mounted automobile charging device, a charging host mounting platform, a mechanical arm mounting platform and an automobile charging system. BACKGROUND

[0002] By the end of 2023, China's new energy vehicle ownership has reached the first place in the world, but due to the current parking situation, future new energy vehicle charging still depends on shared charging. With the vigorous promotion of national public charging, the charging pile to parking space ratio of public parking will be higher and higher. Due to the structure and distribution of existing charging piles, the cost of single parking space is getting higher and higher, such as charging pile area, charging pile equipment quantity and standby power consumption, etc., resulting in high cost and high energy consumption of single charging pile, so there is an urgent need for low-cost, low-resource occupancy and high-efficiency charging piles.

[0003] The structure and site characteristics of existing public charging piles determine that various problems will occur when the vehicle owner charges, such as too few charging exclusive parking spaces, oil car occupying space, charging overtime occupying space, queuing for charging, and gun jumping, which makes the charging operation of the vehicle owner complicated, prone to errors, poor experience and waste of public resources.

[0004] Although there are new charging solutions such as battery swap stations and wheeled charging robots on the market to try to solve the above problems, but due to their characteristics, they cannot be popularized on a large scale. Specifically: the battery swap station occupies a large area, has few backup batteries per station, supports few vehicle models, and cannot be built in underground parking lots. Wheeled charging robots are all pile-type charging unmanned vehicles with their own energy storage, which has high single-pile cost, and needs to avoid a large number of obstacles when driving in a large area, which has safety and legal risks.

[0005] There are currently rail-mounted charging robots trying to solve the problems of existing pile-type charging devices, such as the rail-mounted charging device and its charging method described in Chinese patent application No. CN114954079A, which requires manual operation by the user to plug in the vehicle charging interface, resulting in complicated user operation. And for the gun jumping situation, this technology has the following problems: if the artificial does not pay continuous attention, it is easy to ignore the gun jumping and delay the completion of charging, which not only increases the parking time and increases the user's time load. Even if the user pays continuous attention to whether the gun jumps, after discovering the gun jump, the user still needs to manually operate to recharge, which not only increases the user's burden but also increases the degree of operation complexity. In the case of insufficient charging pile ratio, the gun jump cannot be solved in time, which will cause the vehicle owner to wait for a long time on the parking space or not to charge the battery. SUMMARY

[0006] In order to overcome the above problems of the existing charging robots, the present application aims to provide a rail-mounted automobile charging device, a charging host mounting platform, a mechanical arm mounting platform and an automobile charging system, which can automatically charge by automatically plugging and unplugging the charging gun through the mechanical arm and automatically start the charging when the charging is interrupted.

[0007] The first aspect of the present application provides a rail-mounted automobile charging device mounted on a walking rail hoisted on the top of a parking lot, wherein a plurality of charging base stations are arranged along the walking rail in correspondence with the positions of the parking spaces of the parking lot, and the automobile charging device comprises: a mechanical arm mounting platform mounted on the walking rail, comprising a platform body and a mechanical arm fixed to the bottom of the platform body; a charging host mounting platform mounted on the walking rail, comprising a platform body and a push-retraction module and a walking track arranged at the bottom of the platform body; a charging host mounted on the lower part of the charging host mounting platform in a detachable manner, capable of being electrically connected with the charging base station to receive power supply from the charging base station, and capable of housing the charging gun in a removable manner; and a sensing device comprising: a mechanical arm end visual positioning device mounted on the mechanical arm, wherein the mechanical arm comprises a charging gun grabbing module mounted at the end thereof, the mechanical arm can adjust the posture to operate the charging gun through the charging gun grabbing module, and the vehicle can be inserted and unplugged with the charging gun.

[0008] When the charging service for the vehicle to be charged (the vehicle to be charged) at the target parking space is needed, the automobile charging device according to the present application can transport the idle charging host to the charging base station (the target charging base station) corresponding to the target parking space through the charging host mounting platform mounted on the walking rail, and make the mechanical arm mounting platform mounted on the walking rail and equipped with the mechanical arm run above the target parking space, and make the mechanical arm take out and operate the charging gun housed in the charging host to insert the charging gun into the vehicle to be charged, so as to provide the automatic charging service without manual operation.

[0009] In addition, when the charging is completed or interrupted, the automobile charging device according to the present application can make the mechanical arm mounting platform equipped with the mechanical arm automatically run to the target parking space where the charging is completed or interrupted, and make the mechanical arm perform the action of pulling out the charging gun and recycling the charging gun to the storage mechanism of the charging host, or make the mechanical arm perform the action of reinserting the charging gun to restart the charging, so as to realize the automatic charging service without manual attention to the charging condition and manual participation in the operation of plugging and unplugging the charging gun. Therefore, not only the convenience of the user's charging operation is improved, but also the attention time of the user and the parking space occupation time are saved, and the use efficiency of the parking space and the charging efficiency and charging experience of the user are improved.

[0010] Moreover, since the charging host mounting platform and the mechanical arm mounting platform of the mountable charging host are both capable of walking along the walking guide rail between the parking spaces and the charging base stations, the charging host can not only move between the charging base stations as a mobile charging pile and charge itself when idle, but also supply power to vehicles at different charging base stations corresponding to different targets in response to vehicle charging requests at each parking space, and the mechanical arm mounting platform can also move flexibly and efficiently between different charging base stations to grasp, plug and unplug, and take and deliver the charging gun. Therefore, the vehicle charging equipment has high mobility, can effectively reduce the charging host parking space ratio while improving the pile searching efficiency and convenience of new energy vehicles, and improve the utilization rate of the charging host.

[0011] Preferably, in the vehicle charging equipment according to the present application, the platform body of each of the mechanical arm mounting platform and the charging host mounting platform comprises a walking module arranged at the top of the platform body, a positioning module, and a communication and power supply module, and the sensing device comprises a charging base station position identifier and an obstacle avoidance device respectively mounted on the mechanical arm mounting platform and the charging host mounting platform, and a mechanical arm end visual positioning device mounted on the mechanical arm mounting platform. The sensing device provides the two mounting platforms of the mechanical arm mounting platform and the charging host mounting platform with environmental sensing capability, and provides the two mounting platforms with obstacle avoidance, positioning, visual identification and other functions, thereby further improving the safety, operation efficiency and accuracy of the mechanical arm action of the two mounting platforms, and thus improving the reliability and operation efficiency of the vehicle charging equipment according to the present application.

[0012] Preferably, in the vehicle charging equipment according to the present application, the positioning module of each of the mechanical arm mounting platform and the charging host mounting platform is a clamping mechanism and can be extended and retracted by a screw rod drive. When the positioning module clamps the parking fixed beam of the charging base station, the corresponding mounting platform and the charging base station form a locked state, and in this state, the corresponding mounting platform and the charging base station are electrically connected through the communication and power supply module to supply power from the charging base station to the corresponding mounting platform. When the positioning module releases the parking fixed beam of the charging base station, the locked state of the corresponding mounting platform and the charging base station is released. By supplying power when the positioning module and the parking fixed beam form a locked state, the stability of power supply can be ensured.

[0013] Preferably, in the vehicle charging equipment according to the present application, the walking module of each of the mechanical arm mounting platform and the charging host mounting platform comprises two groups of rollers symmetrically arranged along the longitudinal direction of the corresponding platform body and a walking motor electrically connected to at least one of the two groups of rollers.

[0014] Preferably, in the automobile charging device according to the present application, the mechanical arm comprises: a lifting module fixed to the bottom of the platform body and capable of adjusting the height of the mechanical arm module, a mechanical arm module assembled to the lower part of the lifting module and connected with the lifting module, and a charging gun grabbing module connected with the end of the mechanical arm module. The height of the mechanical arm is adjusted by the lifting module, the arm span and the action space of the mechanical arm are expanded, the automobile charging device can adapt to complex parking conditions, various parking space arrangements and more types of vehicles, and even can efficiently cooperate with the automatic charging using traditional charging facilities, the resource utilization rate is improved, and the layout cost of the single parking space charging pile is reduced.

[0015] Preferably, in the automobile charging device according to the present application, the charging host comprises a positioning assembly arranged at the top of the charging host, the charging host mounting platform comprises a limiting assembly fixed to the side end of the charging host mounting platform close to the charging base station, the limiting assembly is a movable mechanism and is matched with the positioning assembly of the charging host, the positioning assembly is locked or released by opening or releasing the limiting assembly, when the locking state of the charging host and the charging host mounting platform or the locking state of the charging host and the charging base station is to be formed, the limiting assembly is opened and the positioning assembly of the charging host is pushed out along the longitudinal direction to the outside, so that the limiting assembly is locked with the positioning assembly of the charging host; when the locking state of the charging host and the charging host mounting platform or the locking state of the charging host and the charging base station is to be released, the limiting assembly is released and the positioning assembly of the charging host is retracted along the longitudinal direction to the inside, so that the limiting assembly is released from the locking with the positioning assembly of the charging host. Through the cooperation of the limiting assembly of the charging host mounting platform and the positioning assembly of the charging host, the locking state of the charging host and the charging host mounting platform or the charging base station can be released, and the locking state of the charging host and the charging host mounting platform can be released, so that the charging host mounting platform pushes out or retracts the charging host.

[0016] Preferably, in the automobile charging device according to the present application, the running track of the charging host mounting platform is matched with the locking track of the charging base station, when the charging host mounting platform is locked with the charging base station, the running track of the charging host mounting platform and the locking track of the charging base station are connected to form a horizontal track. Through the connection of the running track and the locking track of the charging base station, the charging host can be smoothly moved between the charging host mounting platform and the charging base station by the pushing and retracting module.

[0017] Preferably, in the automobile charging device according to the present application, the charging host further comprises: a running module, a dynamic plug-in, a charging gun storage mechanism and a wire winding and unwinding module, and in the case that the dynamic plug-in of the charging host is connected with the static plug-in of the charging base station, the charging base station can supply power to the charging host.

[0018] According to a second aspect of the present application, a charging host mounting platform for a rail-mounted automobile charging device is provided, which comprises a platform body comprising a walking module, a positioning module and a communication and power supply module arranged on the top of the platform body, a push-retraction module arranged at the bottom of the platform body, a walking rail arranged at the bottom of the platform body, and a charging host mounted in a detachable manner at the lower part of the charging host mounting platform, wherein a charging gun is detachably arranged on the charging host. The charging host mounting platform can move along the walking rail with the charging host mounted thereon between the parking spaces and the charging base stations, so that the charging host can be used as a mobile charging pile, thereby improving the utilization rate of the parking lot and solving the problems of low utilization rate of traditional charging facilities and large workload of parking space ground reconstruction.

[0019] Preferably, in the charging host mounting platform according to the present application, the charging host comprises a positioning assembly arranged on the top of the charging host, and the push-retraction module comprises a limiting assembly which is a movable mechanism and matches the positioning assembly of the charging host, and the limiting assembly is used to lock or release the positioning assembly by being opened or released.

[0020] Preferably, in the charging host mounting platform according to the present application, when the locking state of the push-retraction module and the charging host is to be formed, the limiting assembly is opened and the positioning assembly of the charging host is pushed out along the longitudinal direction to the outside, so that the limiting assembly is locked with the positioning assembly of the charging host; and when the locking state of the push-retraction module and the charging host is to be released, the limiting assembly is released and the positioning assembly of the charging host is retracted along the longitudinal direction to the inside, so that the limiting assembly is released from the locking with the positioning assembly of the charging host.

[0021] According to a third aspect of the present application, a mechanical arm mounting platform for a rail-mounted automobile charging device is provided, which comprises a platform body and a liftable mechanical arm fixed to the bottom of the platform body, wherein the platform body of the mechanical arm mounting platform comprises a walking module, a positioning module and a communication and power supply module arranged on the top of the platform body, and the mechanical arm comprises a lifting module for adjusting the height of the mechanical arm module, a mechanical arm module connected to the lifting module at the lower part of the lifting module, a charging gun grabbing module connected to the end of the mechanical arm module, and a visual positioning device at the end of the mechanical arm.

[0022] The mechanical arm mounting platform of the application can walk along the walking guide rail between the parking spaces and the charging base station, and the mechanical arm carried thereby can be flexibly and efficiently moved between different charging base stations to grab, plug and take the charging gun. Not only the problem of gun jumping in the charging process is effectively solved, but also the charging experience is improved. Moreover, through the automatic gun pulling design of the mechanical arm, the problem of occupancy timeout after the new energy vehicle is charged is effectively solved, the charging experience of the vehicle owner is improved, and the utilization rate of the parking lot resources is improved.

[0023] Preferably, in the mechanical arm mounting platform according to the application, it further comprises a charging base station position identifier and an obstacle avoidance device arranged on the platform body.

[0024] According to a fourth aspect of the application, a rail-mounted automobile charging system is provided, which comprises a guide rail structure installed on the top of a parking lot, including a walking guide rail arranged in a through type suspension above the parking spaces of the parking lot, an automobile charging device according to the first aspect of the application, a plurality of charging base stations arranged along the walking guide rail corresponding to the parking spaces, and a server capable of communicating with the automobile charging device and the charging base station respectively. The charging base station comprises a parking fixed beam, a communication and power supply module and a static plug, in the case that the mechanical arm mounting platform or the charging host mounting platform of the automobile charging device clamps the parking fixed beam through the positioning module to form a locking state with the charging base station, the communication and power supply module of the charging base station is docked with the communication and power supply module of the corresponding mounting platform to form an electrical connection, so that the charging base station can supply power to the corresponding mounting platform, and in the case that the static plug of the charging base station is docked with the dynamic plug of the charging host of the automobile charging device, the charging base station can supply power to the charging host.

[0025] In summary, the application has at least the following advantages:

[0026] 1. The application solves the problems of low utilization rate of traditional charging facilities and large amount of ground reconstruction work of parking spaces by using the high mobility of the rail-mounted charging device. The application can effectively reduce the ratio of charging host to parking space while improving the efficiency and convenience of new energy vehicle searching, and improve the utilization rate of charging host.

[0027] 2. The problem of gun jumping in the charging process is effectively solved by the mechanical arm, and the charging experience is improved.

[0028] 3. The problem of occupancy timeout after the new energy vehicle is charged is effectively solved by the automatic gun pulling design of the mechanical arm, and the charging experience of the vehicle owner is improved.

[0029] 4、The parking lot parking space can be covered in a large area, and there is no need to specially set new energy vehicle exclusive parking spaces, and oil vehicles and electric vehicles can be mixed and parked, thereby improving resource utilization. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] FIG. 1A is a structural block diagram of a vehicle charging system according to the present application;

[0031] FIG. 1B is a structural schematic diagram of a vehicle charging device according to the present application;

[0032] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a frame guide rail of a vehicle charging system according to the present application;

[0033] FIG. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a mechanical arm mounting platform according to the present application;

[0034] FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a charging host mounting platform according to the present application;

[0035] FIGS. 5A to 5D are structural schematic diagrams of a sensing device of a vehicle charging device according to the present application;

[0036] FIG. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a charging host of a vehicle charging device according to the present application;

[0037] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a charging base station of a vehicle charging system according to the present application;

[0038] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a locking state of a charging host mounting platform and a charging base station according to the present application;

[0039] FIGS. 9A to 9C are flowcharts of a charging operation of a vehicle charging device according to the present application;

[0040] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a jump gun problem solving operation of a vehicle charging device according to the present application;

[0041] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an end charging operation of a vehicle charging device according to the present application.

[0042] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0043] 1000 - vehicle charging system; 1 - frame rail structure; 101 - walking rail; 102 - wire slot; 103 - hoisting framework; 2 - vehicle charging device; 20 - mechanical arm mounting platform; 200 - platform main body; 200A, 200B - main body protruding part; 201 - walking module; 201A, 201B - roller set; 201C - walking motor; 202 - communication and power supply module; 203 - positioning module; 204 - lifting module; 205 - mechanical arm module; 206 - charging gun grabbing module; 210 - mechanical arm; 30 - charging host mounting platform; 300 - platform main body; 300A, 300B - main body protruding part; 301 - walking module; 301A, 301B - roller set; 301C - walking motor; 302 - communication and power supply module; 303 - positioning module; 304 - limiting assembly; 305 - push-in module; 306 - walking track; 40 - sensing device; 401 - base station position identifier; 402 - obstacle avoidance device; 403 - mechanical arm end visual positioning device; 50 - charging host; 501 - wire winding and unwinding module; 502 - charging gun; 503 - charging gun storage mechanism; 504 - dynamic insert; 505 - walking module; 506 - positioning assembly; 6 - charging base station; 600 - support frame; 600W - side frame; 601 - locking rail; 601H - locking hole; 602 - parking fixing beam; 603 - communication and power supply module; 604 - static insert; 7 - server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the relative arrangement of the components, numerical expressions, and numerical values described in these embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present application unless otherwise specified. For the sake of simplicity, the same reference numerals or symbols are used for the same structural parts or steps, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0045] [Structure of the vehicle charging system of the present application]

[0046] The structure of the automobile charging system of the present application will be described below with reference to FIG. 1A. The automobile charging system 1000 includes a guide rail structure 1 arranged in a parking lot, a hanging rail type automobile charging device 2, a plurality of charging bases 6 hoisted above parking spaces in the parking lot by the guide rail structure 1 in a manner corresponding to the positions of the parking spaces, and a server 7 capable of communicating with a user terminal, the automobile charging device 2 and the charging bases 6, respectively. The user issues a charging request to the server 2 of the automobile charging system 1000 by operating a user terminal (an on-board terminal or a portable user terminal (such as a mobile phone) or the like). The charging request includes at least the model information of the automobile to be charged, the position information of the parking space where the automobile is to be parked for charging and the parking direction of the vehicle. After receiving the charging request, the server 2 locates the charging space (target space) of the automobile to be charged and the charging base 6 (target charging base) corresponding to the target space, dispatches the automobile charging device 2 in an idle state to run to the target space, and the automobile charging device 2 automatically charges the automobile to be charged, without further manual operation by the user.

[0047] The specific structure of the guide rail structure 1 will be described below with reference to FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the guide rail structure 1 includes a walking guide rail 101 arranged above the parking spaces in the parking lot in a through-type hoisting manner, a wire slot 102 for interfacing with the charging bases 6 arranged along the walking guide rail, and a hoisting framework 103 for fixing the walking guide rail 101 to the top of the parking lot. The wires for supplying power to the automobile charging system are routed through the wire slot 102, covering all the charging bases. As an example, the cross section of the walking guide rail 101 shown in the present application is in the shape of an I-beam, and obviously other shapes can also be used.

[0048] The charging bases 6 can be arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the parking spaces, above each parking space along the walking guide rail. Of course, other arrangement manners can also be used, for example, arranged in a two-to-one correspondence for the middle of two parking spaces parked in a manner with the rear ends adjacent to each other, or arranged in a three-to-one, four-to-one or the like correspondence according to the specific arrangement manner of the parking spaces, or a combination of two or more of the above arrangement manners.

[0049] The automobile charging device 2 can be mounted on the walking guide rail of the guide rail structure 1 and can communicate with the server 7 and the charging bases 6 to run along the walking guide rail 101 between the charging bases according to the instructions of the server 7.

[0050] The specific structures of the charging bases and the automobile charging device included in the automobile charging system of the present application will be described in detail below, respectively.

[0051] [Structure of the charging base of the present application]

[0052] The structure of the charging base station according to the present application is described below with reference to FIG. 7. The charging base station 6 comprises a support frame 600, a locking rail 601, a parking fixing beam 602, a communication and power supply module 603 and a static plug-in 604. The support frame 600 adopts a frame structure, and the side frame 600W on the side of the support frame 600 away from the walking rail 101 extends downward, and the static plug-in 604 is arranged on the extended part of the side frame 600W. As a preferred example, the static plug-in 604 in FIG. 7 is located in the center of the side frame 600W, and it is obvious that it can also be located on one side of the side frame 600W as long as it can correspond to the position of the matched dynamic plug-in.

[0053] The locking rail 601 comprises two U-shaped rails arranged in parallel with the opening facing each other, and arranged at the two side ends of the bottom of the support frame 600 in a perpendicular manner to the walking rail 101 in the installed state, so as to bear the charging host. The locking rail 601 has a locking hole 601H opened in the middle of the axial direction, which can be docked with the positioning assembly (to be described later) of the charging host to form a locking state. The parking fixing beam 602 can adopt a straight beam column structure, and is arranged in parallel with the locking rail 601 at the middle upper part of the support frame 600, and in the installed state, the parking fixing beam 602 protrudes to the side of the walking rail 101 along the length direction.

[0054] And as an example, in the horizontal direction, the parking fixing beam 602 is arranged at the center between the two U-shaped rails of the locking rail 601. Obviously, it can also be arranged close to one side of the locking rail 601. The communication and power supply module 603 is fixed to the bottom of the protruding end of the parking fixing beam 602, and can cooperate with the positioning module 203 (see FIG. 3) of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 or the positioning module 303 of the charging host mounting platform 30 to form a locking state (see FIG. 8) of embracing, and in this state, the communication and power supply module 603 of the charging base station 6 is docked with the communication and power supply modules of the two mounting platforms to form an electrical connection. In addition, the static plug-in 604 can be docked with the dynamic plug-in of the charging host to form an electrical connection.

[0055] Structure of the automobile charging equipment of the present application

[0056] The structure of the vehicle charging device of the present application is described below with reference to FIG. IB. The vehicle charging device 2 according to the present application comprises a mechanical arm mounting platform 20, a charging host mounting platform 30, a sensing device 40, and a charging host 50 mounted in a detachable manner to the lower part of the charging host mounting platform 30. In the working state, the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 and the charging host mounting platform 30 are suspended below the frame walking guide rail 101. The charging host mounting platform 30 is capable of moving along the walking guide rail 101 of the frame guide rail structure 1 between the various charging bases 6 in a manner that the charging host 50 can be mounted, and can push the charging host 50 to the side of the charging base 6.

[0057] The mechanical arm mounting platform 20 is capable of moving between the various charging bases 6 and adjusting the posture of the mechanical arm to operate the charging gun, and performing actions such as plugging and unplugging the charging gun on the vehicle, such as the charging operation of taking out the charging gun and inserting the charging gun into the vehicle, the restart charging operation of unplugging and inserting the charging gun for the gun jump problem, and the end charging operation of unplugging the charging gun and returning the charging gun, etc.

[0058] The sensing device 40 is capable of communicating with the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 and the charging host mounting platform 30, and providing environmental sensing, positioning, obstacle avoidance control, etc. The specific structure of the sensing device 40 will be described later.

[0059] The specific structure of each part included in the vehicle charging device of the present application is described in detail below.

[0060] [Structure of the mechanical arm mounting platform of the present application]

[0061] The structure of the mechanical arm mounting platform is described below with reference to FIG. 3. The mechanical arm mounting platform 20 comprises a platform body 200 and an extendable mechanical arm 210 fixed to the bottom of the platform body. Two walking modules 201 are arranged on the top surface of the platform body 200. As a preferred example, two walking modules 201 are arranged on the top surface of the platform body 200 in a symmetrical manner along the two sides of the transverse direction of the platform body 200 (the direction parallel to the walking guide rail 101 in the mounted state). Obviously, the number and arrangement of the walking modules 201 are not limited to this, and other numbers and arrangements can also be used.

[0062] As a preferred example, in the present embodiment, each walking module 201 uses a roller set arranged symmetrically along the two sides of the transverse direction of the platform body 200 (the direction perpendicular to the walking guide rail 101 in the mounted state). In the mounted state, the walking guide rail 101 is tightly held in the middle position of each roller set. Obviously, the number of roller sets is not limited to 2 sets, for example, it can be 1 set, or more than 2 sets. The arrangement of the roller sets is also not limited to the above arrangement.

[0063] The walking module 201 further comprises a walking motor 201C, and the wheel set connected with the walking motor 201C is the driving wheel set 201B, while the wheel set not connected with the walking motor is the driven wheel set 201A. As a preferred example, in the present embodiment, two wheel sets 201A are respectively configured with a set of driving wheels and a set of driven wheels. In the working state, the driving wheel set and the driven wheel set of the walking module respectively clamp the walking guide rail in the middle, and drive the driving wheel set to move the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 along the walking guide rail 101 forward and backward through the driving of the walking motor.

[0064] The mechanical arm mounting platform 20 further comprises a positioning module 203 arranged on the top surface of the platform body 200 and a communication and power supply module 202 arranged on the top of the positioning module 203. Preferably, the positioning module 203 is arranged on the side of the platform body 200 close to the base station 6, and obviously, it can also be arranged on the side of the platform body 200 away from the base station 6, as long as it can realize locking with the parking fixed beam 602 of the charging base station 6.

[0065] Preferably, the positioning module 203 is a clamping mechanism, which can perform a locking action (clamping action) upwardly through the driving of a lead screw, so as to be able to clamp the mechanism located at the center of the clamping mechanism of the positioning module 203. As a preferred example, when the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 runs to the appropriate position, the parking fixed beam 602 of the charging base station 6 can be overlapped with the position of the positioning module 203 up and down, the positioning module 203 performs a clamping action, and the communication and power supply module 603 fixed at the bottom of the protruding end of the parking fixed beam 602 can be locked, so that the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 and the parking fixed beam 602 (and the charging base station 6) form a locked state. When the positioning module 203 and the parking fixed beam 602 of the charging base station 6 form a locked state, the communication and power supply module 202 of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 and the communication and power supply module 603 of the charging base station 6 form an electrical connection and communicate. In addition, the communication and power supply module 202 can not only communicate with the charging base station, but also signal communicate with the server 7.

[0066] In addition, as an example, the platform body 200 of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 extends upward on the top surface with two protruding portions 200A (located on the side away from the charging base station 6) and 200B (located on the side close to the charging base station 6), and obviously the shape of the platform body 200 is not limited thereto, and other shapes can be adopted, such as a shape without the protruding portions, etc. In addition, devices such as a rechargeable battery, a processor, a memory (not shown), etc. can be installed in the protruding portions 200A and 200B. The rechargeable battery can provide power for the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 to walk on the walking track, transmit and receive instructions and information, etc. in the case where the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 and the charging base station are not powered on. The computer program for controlling various operations or processes of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20, such as rail-mounted walking, power-on, communication, locking of the charging base station, adjustment of the mechanical arm posture, plugging and unplugging of the charging gun, etc. can be stored in the memory.

[0067] The mechanical arm 210 includes a charging gun grabbing module 206 mounted at the end thereof, and a mechanical arm module 205 connected to the charging gun grabbing module at the upper portion of the charging gun grabbing module. Preferably, the charging gun grabbing module 206 adopts an electromagnetic mechanism with power-on magnetism, and correspondingly, the end of the charging gun includes a guided iron structure. When the charging gun grabbing module 206 is powered on, a stable linking relationship in the correct direction can be formed with the charging gun, so that the charging gun can be grabbed and operated to perform plugging and unplugging actions, etc. Thus, the mechanical arm 210 can realize docking, fixing, etc. of the mechanical arm and the charging gun through the charging gun grabbing module 206.

[0068] In addition, as a preferred mode, in order to cope with the case of insufficient arm span, the mechanical arm 210 can further include a lifting module 204, which can be arranged at the upper portion of the mechanical arm module 205 to adjust the height of the mechanical arm module, so that the mechanical arm 210 can have sufficient arm span to cope with various parking space arrangements, vehicle parking directions and vehicle models (positions of the vehicle charging interfaces), so as to be able to perform operations such as plugging and unplugging of the charging gun to the vehicle to be charged under different conditions.

[0069] In summary, when it is necessary to provide charging service to the vehicle to be charged (vehicle to be charged) at the target parking space, the automobile charging device according to the present application can run above the target parking space through the mechanical arm mounting platform mounted on the walking guide rail and equipped with the mechanical arm, and the charging gun can be taken out and operated by the mechanical arm to perform the action of plugging the charging gun to the vehicle to be charged, so as to be able to perform automatic charging service without manual operation.

[0070] In addition, when the charging is completed or an interrupting fault such as a gun jump occurs, the automobile charging device according to the present application can make the mechanical arm mounting platform equipped with the mechanical arm automatically move to the target parking space where the charging is completed or the interrupting fault such as the gun jump occurs, and make the mechanical arm perform the action of pulling out the charging gun and recycling the charging gun to the storage mechanism of the charging host or the action of reinserting the charging gun to restart the charging, so that the automatic energy supplement service without manual continuous attention to the charging condition and manual participation in the operation of inserting and pulling out the charging gun can be realized.

[0071] Therefore, not only the convenience of the charging operation of the user is improved, but also the attention time of the user and the parking space occupation time are saved, and the use efficiency of the parking space and the charging efficiency and charging experience of the user are improved.

[0072] [Structure of the charging host mounting platform]

[0073] The structure of the charging host mounting platform will be described below with reference to FIG. 4. The upper part of the charging host mounting platform 30 can adopt the same structure as the mechanical arm mounting platform 20, and thus will not be described again. Specifically, the charging host mounting platform 30 includes a platform body 300, two groups of walking modules 301 (301A and 301B) symmetrically arranged on both sides of the longitudinal direction of the walking rail, which tightly hold the walking rail in the middle position through left and right arrangement. The walking module 301 includes a walking motor 301C, which drives the charging host mounting platform to move forward and backward along the walking rail through the walking motor. The charging host mounting platform 30 further includes a positioning module 303 located on the top surface of the platform body 300 and a communication and power supply module 302 arranged on the top of the positioning module 303. When the positioning module 303 is locked with the parking fixed beam 602 of the charging base station 6, the communication and power supply module 302 is connected with the communication and power supply module on the parking fixed beam to supply power and communicate. The positioning module 303 is a clamping mechanism, which is driven to stretch and retract through a screw rod to tightly hold the parking fixed beam 602, so that the charging host mounting platform 30 is locked with the charging base station 6.

[0074] As an example, the platform body 300 of the charging host mounting platform 30 extends upwardly on the top surface with two protruding parts 300A (which is located away from the charging base station 6) and 300B (which is located close to the charging base station 6). The protruding parts 300A and 300B are internally provided with chargeable batteries, processors, memories (not shown) and other devices. The chargeable batteries can provide power for the charging host mounting platform 30 to walk on the walking rail, transmit and receive instructions and information and other operations when the charging host mounting platform 30 is not powered with the charging base station. The memory can store computer programs of various operations or processes of the charging host mounting platform 30, such as rail walking, power supply, communication, mounting of the charging host, unloading of the charging host, locking of the charging base station and the like.

[0075] In addition, the charging host mounting platform 30 further comprises a push-retract module 305 and a walking track 306 arranged at the bottom of the platform body 300. A limiting assembly 304 is arranged at the end of the push-retract module 305 close to the charging base station, which is a movable mechanism. As a preferred example, the limiting assembly 304 of the present application is a latch structure, but obviously, other limiting mechanisms can also be used.

[0076] In addition, the limiting assembly 304 matches the positioning assembly 506 of the charging host 50. When the limiting assembly 304 is opened (the latch is ejected in a way of protruding to both sides), the positioning assembly 506 of the charging host 50 is tightly locked outward, so that the push-retract module 305 and the charging host 50 form a locked state, and the push-retract module 305 continues to push out from the charging host mounting platform 30 to the charging base station 6 side (or retract from the charging base station 6 to the charging host mounting platform 30 side) in a way of locking the charging host 50, which can make the charging host 50 and the charging host mounting platform 30 (or the charging base station 6) out of the locked state. In addition, when the charging host mounting platform 30 and the charging base station 6 are locked, the walking track 306 and the locking track 601 of the charging base station 6 form a horizontal track, so that the push-retract module 305 can move the charging host 50 between the charging host mounting platform 30 and the charging base station 6, and bear the weight of the charging host through the walking track 306 in the charging host mounting state.

[0077] When the locked state of the push-retract module 305 and the charging host 50 is to be released, the limiting assembly 304 is released and the positioning assembly 506 of the charging host is retracted inward along the longitudinal direction, so that the limiting assembly 304 is unlocked with the positioning assembly 506 of the charging host 50.

[0078] In addition, the charging host also has functions such as AC / DC conversion, billing, safety switch and the like.

[0079] In addition, the charging host mounting platform and the mechanical arm mounting platform that can mount the charging host can walk along the walking guide rail between each parking space above the parking lot and the charging base station, so that the charging host not only can move between each charging base station as a mobile charging pile and charge itself when idle, but also can supply power to the vehicle at different charging base stations corresponding to different target vehicles in response to the vehicle charging request at each parking space, and the mechanical arm mounting platform can also move flexibly and efficiently between different charging base stations to grab, plug and take the charging gun. Therefore, the automobile charging equipment of the present application has high mobility, which can effectively reduce the charging host parking space ratio while improving the pile searching efficiency and convenience of new energy vehicles, and improve the utilization rate of the charging host.

[0080] [Structure of the sensing device of the present application]

[0081] The structure of the sensing device is described below with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5D. The sensing device 40 includes a base station position identifier 401 arranged on the platform body 200 of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 and the platform body 300 of the charging host mounting platform 30 facing the charging base station side, which identifies the two-dimensional code on the charging base station side through the identifier 401 to determine the position of the charging base station, thereby performing the positioning operation of the relative position between the platform (the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 or the charging host mounting platform 30) and the base station.

[0082] In addition, the sensing device 40 further includes an obstacle avoidance device 402 including sensing components installed on the outer surface of the platform body of each platform (the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 and the charging host mounting platform 30). The sensing components can be a camera, a distance sensor, etc. As a preferred mode, the sensing components can be arranged on the longitudinal (the direction parallel to the walking guide rail 101 in the mounted state) two side end surfaces of the platform body and the platform body bottom surface close to the outer end edge (for example, the central position of the platform body bottom surface in the longitudinal direction and the end edge away from the charging base station side in the transverse direction in FIGS. 5B and 5D), so as to perform the environmental sensing and obstacle avoidance control of the platform during the on-track movement through the sensing results of the environment by the sensing components.

[0083] In addition, the sensing device 40 can further include a mechanical arm end visual positioning device 403 installed at the end of the mechanical arm, which can perform the environmental sensing and obstacle avoidance during the movement of the mechanical arm, and the orientation identification of the charging gun, the vehicle body charging cover and the charging head, so as to provide positioning control when the charging gun grabbing module is connected with the charging gun, so that the mechanical arm can hold the charging gun at the correct angle and plug in and pull out the charging gun. As an example, the mechanical arm end visual positioning device 403 can be a visual sensing device such as a camera.

[0084] [Structure of the charging host of the present application]

[0085] Referring to Fig. 6, the structure of the charging host is described. The charging host 50 comprises a positioning assembly 506 located at the top of the charging host and close to the side end of the charging base in the transverse direction (perpendicular to the walking rail in the hanging state). As a preferred example, it adopts a bayonet structure matched with the limiting assembly 304, which is obviously not limited thereto, and other interlocking structures matched with the limiting assembly 304 can also be adopted. The positioning assembly 506 is operable to cooperate with the limiting assembly 304 of the charging host hanging platform 30, and when the limiting assembly 304 is opened (protruded outward), the positioning assembly 506 is tightly pushed outward, so that the positioning assembly 506 is locked with the limiting assembly 304 to achieve the locking of the push-retraction module 305 and the charging host 50, and when the limiting assembly 304 is released and retracted, the positioning assembly 506 is unlocked, so that the charging host is locked with the locking rail on the charging host hanging platform 30 or the charging base. The positioning assembly of the charging host cooperates with the limiting assembly of the charging host hanging platform to form the locking and fixing between the charging host and the push-retraction module, the locking rail on the charging base, and the charging host hanging platform.

[0086] The charging host 50 further comprises two groups of walking wheels (walking modules) 505 installed on the left and right sides thereof, which can tightly push the locking rail of the charging base or the walking rail 306 of the charging host hanging platform at the side end, so that the charging host can move on the walking rail; a dynamic plug 504 which forms an electrical connection with the static plug 604 of the charging base 6 to supply power to the charging host; a charging gun storage mechanism 503 which cooperates with the charging gun 502 through the left and right side rails to achieve the assisted alignment when the charging gun is inserted (which includes a guide rail which cooperates with the charging gun to assist the alignment of the posture of the inserted charging gun); and a wire winding and unwinding module 501 which stores the charging wire in the charging host through a turntable structure and can perform winding and unwinding actions according to signal instructions. As an example, the wire winding and unwinding module 501 can be driven by a motor to wind and unwind the charging wire.

[0087] Referring to Fig. 8, the positioning module 303 of the charging host hanging platform 30 tightly holds the communication and power supply module 603 on the parking fixing beam 602 to form a locking state, and the communication and power supply module 302 on the charging host hanging platform 30 forms an electrical connection with the communication and power supply module 603 on the parking fixing beam 602 to supply power to the charging host hanging platform 30 and communicate with it.

[0088] In order to better understand the operation process of the automobile charging system and the automobile charging equipment of the present application, the control method thereof is described in detail as follows.

[0089] [Charging method of the automobile charging system / automobile charging equipment of the present application]

[0090] First, the charging method of the automobile charging system of the present application is described with reference to Figs. 9A to 9C and Figs. 1B to 8.

[0091] In the state that the mechanical arm mounting platform and the charging host mounting platform are mounted on the walking guide rail, after receiving the charging instruction of the vehicle owner, an idle charging host is identified and locked, the charging host mounting platform is operated to the charging base station to take out the charging host and deliver it to the target charging base station, and the charging host is pushed onto the charging base station to complete the delivery of the charging host, after which the charging host mounting platform leaves the target charging base station and stops at the nearest base station to replenish energy. The mechanical arm mounting platform moves to the target charging base station, the mechanical arm holds the charging gun on the charging host to automatically charge the vehicle, the mechanical arm mounting platform completes the current instruction, and starts to process the next charging instruction. Specifically, the charging method of the present application includes the following processing steps.

[0092] As shown in Fig. 9A, in step S10, the server receives the charging instruction for charging the vehicle parked in the parking space from the terminal used by the user to be charged, and then enters step S20.

[0093] In step S20, the server 7 informs the charging host mounting platform 30 of the automobile charging device to start the pile taking operation. In the pile taking operation, first, the charging host mounting platform 30 moves to the nearby idle charging host 50 and mounts the charging host, the charging host mounting platform 30 mounted with the charging host 50 is operated to the target charging base station corresponding to the vehicle to be charged, the charging host is pushed to the target charging base station to form an electrical connection with it, and the charging host mounting platform 30 unloaded with the charging host 50 is operated to the adjacent idle base station for charging, and the pile taking operation is completed.

[0094] In step S30, the server 7 informs the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 of the automobile charging device to start the mechanical arm charging operation. In the mechanical arm charging operation, the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 is operated to the target charging base station, the mechanical arm is released after forming an electrical connection with it, the mechanical arm operates the charging gun to perform the gun insertion action against the charging interface of the vehicle to be charged, the mechanical arm is recovered after the charging host starts to charge the automobile, and the charging operation is completed.

[0095] The specific control process of the pile taking operation and the mechanical arm charging operation of the automobile charging device of the present application is described in detail below with reference to Fig. 9B.

[0096] [Pile taking operation of the automobile charging system / device of the present application]

[0097] First, the operation process of the charging host mounting platform 30 of the automobile charging device 2 of the present application performing the pile taking operation is described in detail with reference to Fig. 9B.

[0098] Step 1, the positioning module 303 on the charging host mounting platform 30 retracts to release the parking fixed beam 602, ending the locking state with the charging base station 6 (step S902).

[0099] Step 2, the walking module 301 on the charging host mounting platform 30 drives the platform to move along the walking guide rail 101 to the nearest idle charging host 50 on the charging base station 6, and positions the target charging base station 6 according to the base station position identifier 401 to reach the target charging base station side (step S903).

[0100] In the present application, the idle charging host refers to the charging host in a non-charging state, which can be in a state of being mounted on the charging host mounting platform 30 or separated from the charging host mounting platform 30, and is usually in a state of being connected to the charging base station for charging.

[0101] Step 3, the positioning module 303 on the charging host mounting platform 30 performs a clamping action to lock with the parking fixed beam 602 of the charging base station 6 to form a locking state (step S904). The communication and power supply module 302 of the charging host mounting platform 30 is connected to the communication and power supply module 603 of the charging base station 6 for power supply and communication of the charging host mounting platform 30.

[0102] Step 4, the limiting assembly 304 on the charging host mounting platform 30 moves above the push-retraction module 305 along with the push-retraction module 305. The push-retraction module 305 pushes towards the charging base station 6 (step S905), the sensing device 40 senses the distance between the push-retraction module 305 and the charging host 50 (step S906), and determines whether the predetermined position is reached (step S907). When it is determined that the predetermined position is reached, the limiting assembly 304 is opened to lock the charging host 50 with the push-retraction module 305 (step S908), and the push-retraction module 305 with the charging host 50 passes through the locking rail 601 and the walking rail 306 to the charging host mounting platform 30 side for retraction (step S909).

[0103] Step 5, the sensing device 40 senses the position of the push-retraction module 305 (step S910), and determines whether the predetermined position is reached (step S911). When it is determined that the charging host 50 reaches the predetermined position, the limiting assembly 304 is released (step S912), and the positioning assembly 506 of the charging host 50 is locked with the charging host mounting platform 30 (step S913), completing the pile searching process.

[0104] The above describes the pile searching process of the automobile charging equipment of the present application, which includes steps 1-5 (S901-S913). In summary, the charging host mounting platform 30 finds an idle charging host and mounts the charging host 50.

[0105] Next, the process of the charging device of the application is described, which includes the following steps 6-9 (S914-S931).

[0106] Step 6, the positioning module 303 of the charging host mounting platform 30 releases the parking fixed beam 602, and the locking state with the parking fixed beam 602 is released (step S914). The charging host mounting platform 30 carrying the charging host 50 runs on the walking guide rail 101 through the walking module 301 to the target charging base station 6 corresponding to the target parking space of the target charging vehicle (step S915), and the relative position between the charging host mounting platform 30 and the charging base station 6 is accurately adjusted to the alignment state through the base station position identifier 401 of the sensing device 40. The positioning module 303 holds the parking fixed beam 602, and the locking state with the parking fixed beam 602 of the target charging base station 6 is formed (step S916).

[0107] Step 7, the limiting assembly 304 on the push-retraction module 305 is opened (step S917), so that the charging host 50 and the push-retraction module 305 form a locking state (step S918). The push-retraction module 305 pushes the charging host 50 to the target charging base station 6 side (step S919). The walking module 505 of the charging host 50 runs on the locking rail 601 of the charging base station 6 through the walking rail 306 of the charging host mounting platform 30. The position of the push-retraction module 305 is sensed by the sensing device 40 (step S920), and it is judged whether the charging host 50 reaches the target position (step S921). After determining that the target position is reached (YES in step S921), the limiting assembly 304 is released (step S922), the positioning assembly 506 of the charging host 50 and the locking rail 601 of the charging base station 6 form a locking state, and the dynamic plug 504 and the static plug 604 form an electrical connection, so that the charging host 50 and the target charging base station 6 are powered (step S923).

[0108] Step 8, the push-retraction module 305 is retracted to the charging host mounting platform 30 side (step S924), the position of the push-retraction module 305 is sensed by the sensing device 40 (step S925), and it is judged whether the sensing push-retraction module 305 reaches the predetermined position (step S926). After determining that the predetermined position is reached (YES in step S926), the push-retraction module 305 returns to the initial state (step S927).

[0109] Step 9, the positioning module 303 on the charging host mounting platform 30 retracts to release the parking fixing beam 602, and the locking state with the parking fixing beam 602 is released (step S928). The walking module 301 on the charging host mounting platform 30 drives the platform to move to the nearest idle charging base station through the walking guide rail 101 (step S929). The base station position identifier 401 (on the charging host mounting platform 30) of the sensing device 40 accurately identifies the position of the charging base station 6, and after reaching the target position (for example, the nearby idle charging base station), the positioning module 303 holds the parking fixing beam 602 of the target charging base station to form a locking state with the target charging base station 6 (step S929), and the server 7 changes the charging host mounting platform state to idle (step S931), and thus the pile taking operation is completed.

[0110] In summary, the charging host mounting platform 30 transports the charging host to the target charging base station, and pushes the charging host to the target charging base station to form a locking state, and the charging host mounting platform 30 runs to the adjacent idle base station for charging.

[0111] [Charging operation of the automobile charging system / equipment of the application]

[0112] Next, the operation process (including steps 10-15 (S932-S953)) of the mechanical arm operation charging gun charging operation of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 of the automobile charging system of the application is described with reference to FIG. 9C.

[0113] Step 10, the server 7 informs the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 to perform a charging task on the side of the target charging base station 6 (step S932). The positioning module 203 of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 releases the currently locked parking fixing beam 602 to release the locking state with the currently electrically connected charging base station (step S933). The walking module 201 on the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 drives the platform to move to the target charging base station 6 (the target charging base station 6 that is powered on in step S923) through the walking guide rail 101 (step S934). The base station position identifier 401 (on the mechanical arm mounting platform 20) of the sensing device 40 accurately identifies the relative position of the charging base station 6, and adjusts the position of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20, so that the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 is aligned with the charging base station 6. After reaching the target position (position alignment), the positioning module 203 locks the parking fixing beam 602 of the target position to form a locking state with the target charging base station 6, and the communication and power supply module 603 of the charging base station 6 forms an electrical connection with the communication and power supply module 202 on the side of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 (step S935).

[0114] Step 11, the mechanical arm module 205 is released (step S936), the charging gun grabbing module 206 is guided to dock with the charging gun 502 by the mechanical arm end vision positioning device 403 (step S937), and then it is judged whether the docking is successful (step S938). If the docking is successful (step S938 "Yes"), the charging gun grabbing module 206 is locked with the charging gun 502 (step S938).

[0115] Step 12, the charging line releasing module 501 of the charging host 50 releases the charging line (step S940), and it is judged whether the release is completed (step S941). If the charging line is completely released (step S942), the locking state of the charging gun to the charging host is ended (step S943).

[0116] Step 13, the mechanical arm module 205 takes off the charging gun 502 from the charging host 50 (step S944), finds the charging interface of the target vehicle through the mechanical arm end vision positioning device 403, adjusts the attitude of the charging gun 502 relative to the charging interface according to the accurate positioning information fed back by the mechanical arm end vision positioning device 403, and inserts the charging gun into the charging interface (step S945). It is judged whether the docking is successful (step S946). If the docking is successful (step S946 "Yes"), the charging gun and the vehicle charging interface form a locking state (step S947), and the charging host and the vehicle complete the handshake of the charging protocol (step S948).

[0117] Step 14, the charging gun grabbing module 206 releases the charging gun 502 (step S949), and recovers to the side of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 (step S950). After reaching the predetermined position, the mechanical arm module 205 returns to the initial state (step S951).

[0118] Step 15, the charging host 50 starts to supply power to the vehicle and charge (step S952), and the server 7 changes the state of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 to an idle state (step S953). Thus, the charging operation is completed.

[0119] Therefore, when the charging service for the vehicle to be charged (the vehicle to be charged) at the target parking space is needed, the automobile charging equipment according to the present application can carry the idle charging host to the charging base station (the target charging base station) corresponding to the target parking space by mounting the charging host mounting platform on the walking rail, and make the mechanical arm mounting platform mounted on the walking rail and equipped with the mechanical arm run above the target parking space, and take out and operate the charging gun accommodated by the charging host by the mechanical arm to perform the action of inserting the charging gun into the vehicle to be charged, so that the automatic charging service without manual operation can be performed.

[0120] The process of solving the jump gun problem in the charging process by the automobile charging equipment according to the present application is described in detail as follows.

[0121] [The automobile charging system / equipment of the present invention solves the problem of jump gun]

[0122] The following refers to FIG. 10 and FIG. 1B to FIG. 8, and describes the operation flow of the automobile charging equipment of the present invention to solve the problem of jump gun, specifically, including the following steps:

[0123] Step 1, when it is determined that a jump gun problem occurs in a certain charging host 50 (step S1001), it is detected whether the target parking fixed beam (target parking fixed beam) 602 of the target charging base corresponding to the charging parking space where the vehicle with the jump gun problem is parked is occupied (step S1002). If not, go to step 3 to inform the mechanical arm mounting platform to come to execute the solution to the jump gun problem (step S1008), and if it is occupied, it is determined whether the occupant is the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 or the charging host mounting platform 30 (step S1003). If the occupant is the mechanical arm mounting platform 20, go to step 4 (step S1011) to execute the solution to the jump gun problem, and if it is the charging host mounting platform 30, go to step 2 (step S1004) to move the charging host mounting platform 30 to the parking fixed beam (free parking fixed beam) 602 of the nearest free charging base.

[0124] Step 2, the positioning module 303 of the charging host mounting platform 30 is released, and the locking state with the parking fixed beam 602 is released (step S1004). The walking module 301 of the charging host mounting platform 30 drives the platform to move along the walking guide rail 101 to the nearest free parking fixed beam 602 (step S1005). The base position identifier 401 of the sensing device 40 (the base position identifier 401 of the charging host mounting platform 30) accurately identifies the position of the charging base 6 and adjusts the position, and after reaching the target position, the positioning module 303 locks the parking fixed beam 602 of the target position to form a locking state with the free charging base (step S1006), and informs the server to change the state of the charging host mounting platform to free (step S1007).

[0125] Step 3, inform the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 to run to the target charging base 6 to handle the jump gun problem (step S1008). The mechanical arm mounting platform moves to the target charging base 6 (step S1009), and the base position identifier 401 of the sensing device 40 (the base position identifier 401 of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20) accurately identifies the position of the charging base 6 and adjusts the position, and after reaching the target position, the positioning module 203 locks the parking fixed beam 602 of the target position to form a locking state with the corresponding target charging base (step S1010).

[0126] Step 4, the mechanical arm 210 is stretched and adjusted to a suitable posture (step S1011), and the charging gun grabbing module 206 is guided to dock with the charging gun 502 by positioning of the mechanical arm end vision positioning device 403 (step S1012). It is determined whether the docking is successful (step S1013), and if the docking with the charging gun 502 is successful, the charging gun grabbing module 206 is locked with the charging gun 502.

[0127] Step 5, the charging gun 502 is unlocked from the vehicle charging interface (step S1014), the mechanical arm module 205 drives the charging gun 502 to perform the gun pulling and inserting actions (step S1015), and the charging gun 502 is re-locked to the charging interface (step S1016).

[0128] Step 6, it is determined whether the charging host 50 and the vehicle resume the charging handshake protocol (step S1017). If it is determined that the charging handshake protocol is not resumed, the server 7 is notified to mark that the problem is not solved (step S1020), the billing of the current order is ended (step S1021), and an error is reported to the vehicle owner, and the problem is listed as a state to be repaired (step S1022), and then step 7 is entered. If it is determined that the charging handshake protocol is resumed, the charging host 50 recharges the vehicle (step S1018). The billing is continued on the basis of the billing amount of the previous order (step S1019).

[0129] Step 7, the charging gun grabbing module 206 releases the charging gun 502 (step S1023), the mechanical arm 210 is recovered to the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 (step S1024), and is restored to the initial state (step S1025).

[0130] Step 9, the server 7 changes the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 to an idle state (step S1026), and the operation of solving the gun jumping problem is ended.

[0131] In summary, by sending the rail-mounted mechanical arm mounting platform 20 to the charging base station corresponding to the parking space where the problem vehicle is parked when the gun jumping is detected, and operating the charging gun by the control mechanical arm to perform the gun pulling and inserting actions, the vehicle is automatically recharged without manual monitoring and manual operation, so that not only the gun jumping problem in the charging process is effectively solved, but also the user charging experience is improved.

[0132] [Charging end operation of the charging system / equipment of the vehicle of the present application]

[0133] The charging end operation control flow of the charging system / equipment of the vehicle of the present application is described below with reference to FIG. 11 and FIGS. 1B to 8. Specifically, the following steps are included:

[0134] Step 1, the vehicle is full to the end of the predetermined value, notify the charging host 50 end of charging (step S1101). The charging host 50 receives the information and carries out power-off, end of charging for the vehicle (step S1102). End of billing and generate order sent to the owner (step S1103). Wherein, step S1101 and step S1103 can be carried out at the same time.

[0135] Step 2, detect whether the target parking fixed beam (target parking fixed beam) corresponding to the target charging base station of the full charged vehicle is occupied (step S1104), if not, enter step 4, notify the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 to the target charging base station 6 side to execute the end of charging service operation (step S1110). If it is occupied, it is judged whether the charging host mounting platform 30 or the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 is occupied (step S1105). If the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 is occupied, it enters step 5 to start the gun operation (step S1117), if the charging host mounting platform 30 is occupied, it enters step 3, moves the charging host mounting platform 30 to the nearest idle parking fixed beam (idle parking fixed beam) 602 of the charging base station (step S1107).

[0136] Step 3, the positioning module 303 on the charging host mounting platform 30 retracts to release the parking fixed beam 602, and releases the locking state with the charging base station 6 (step S1106). The walking module 301 on the charging host mounting platform 30 drives the platform to move to the nearest idle parking fixed beam (idle parking fixed beam) 602 of the charging base station through the walking guide rail 101 (step S1107). The base station position identifier 401 of the sensing device 40 (the base station position identifier 401 of the charging host mounting platform 30) accurately identifies the position of the charging base station 6, and after adjusting the relative position to reach the target position, the positioning module 303 locks the parking fixed beam 602 of the target position to form a locking state with the corresponding charging base station (step S1108), and the state of the charging host mounting platform is changed to idle (step S1109).

[0137] Step 4, the server 7 notifies the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 to the target charging base station 6 to execute the end of charging service operation (step S1110). The mechanical arm mounting platform 20 moves to the target charging base station 6 (step S1111), and the base station position identifier 401 of the sensing device 40 (the base station position identifier 401 of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20) accurately identifies the position of the charging base station 6, and adjusts the relative position to reach the target position (align with each other), and the positioning module 203 locks the parking fixed beam 602 of the target position to form a locking state with the target charging base station 6 (step S1112).

[0138] Step 5, the mechanical arm 210 is extended (step S1113), and the charging gun grabbing module 206 is docked with the charging gun 502 through the positioning of the mechanical arm end vision positioning device 403 (step S1114). It is determined whether the docking is successful (step S1115), if it is determined that the docking is successful, it is locked (step S1115 "yes"). If it is determined that it is not successful, it is returned to step S1114 to re-dock.

[0139] Step 6, the charging gun 502 is released from the locked state with the charging interface (step S1116), the mechanical arm 210 performs the gun pulling operation, that is, the charging gun 502 is pulled off the vehicle (step S1117), and through the positioning of the mechanical arm end vision positioning device 403, the mechanical arm 210 inserts the charging gun 502 into the charging gun storage mechanism 503 (step S1118). The charging gun storage mechanism 503 realizes assisted alignment when the charging gun is inserted through the cooperation of the left and right guide rails with the charging gun 502. The assisted alignment mechanism can be a guide rail that cooperates with the charging gun to assist in aligning the posture of the inserted charging gun. The charging gun 502 and the charging gun storage mechanism 503 automatically form a locked state (step S1119), the charging gun grabbing module 206 releases the locking of the charging gun 502, and releases the charging gun 502 (step S1120), the mechanical arm 210 is recovered to the side of the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 (step S1121) and the mechanical arm returns to the initial state (step S1122).

[0140] Step 7, the charging line is retracted by the charging line module 501 (step S1123), and when it is determined that it is all retracted (step S1124 "yes"), the mechanical arm mounting platform 20 is changed to an idle state (step S1125), and the charging operation ends.

[0141] As described above, by detecting full charging and powering off the charging host, and performing the gun pulling operation by the mechanical arm, the user experience is improved without manual operation, and by sending a billing notification to the user, the user can be timely notified to end the charging, and the problem of occupying the space after the new energy vehicle is charged can be effectively solved, the parking space utilization rate is improved, and the charging experience of the vehicle owner is improved.

[0142] Although the present application has been described with reference to the example embodiments, the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and characteristics of the present application, and cannot limit the protection scope of the present application. Any equivalent variations or modifications made according to the spirit and essence of the present application shall be covered within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A hanging rail type vehicle charging device, which is hung on a walking rail hung on the top of a parking lot, and a plurality of charging base stations are arranged along the walking rail in correspondence with the positions of parking spaces in the parking lot, the vehicle charging device comprising: a mechanical arm hanging platform (20) which can be hung on the walking rail, comprising a platform body (200) and a mechanical arm (210) fixed to the bottom of the platform body; a charging host hanging platform (30) which can be hung on the walking rail, comprising a platform body (300) and a push-retraction module (305) and a walking track (306) arranged at the bottom of the platform body; a charging host (50) which is detachably hung on the lower part of the charging host hanging platform, can be electrically connected with the charging base station to receive power supply from the charging base station, and has a charging gun (502) which can be taken out; and a sensing device (40) comprising: a mechanical arm end vision positioning device (403) mounted on the mechanical arm, wherein the mechanical arm comprises a charging gun grabbing module (206) mounted at the end thereof, and the mechanical arm can adjust the posture to operate the charging gun through the charging gun grabbing module and perform the action of inserting and pulling out the charging gun to the vehicle.

2. The vehicle charging device according to claim 1, wherein: the platform body of each of the mechanical arm hanging platform and the charging host hanging platform comprises: a walking module (201, 301), a positioning module (203, 303) and a communication and power supply module (202, 302) arranged at the top of the platform body, and the sensing device further comprises: a charging base station position identifier (401) and an obstacle avoidance device (402) mounted on the mechanical arm hanging platform and the charging host hanging platform, respectively.

3. The vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The positioning module of each of the mechanical arm hanging platform and the charging host hanging platform is a clamping mechanism and can be retracted and extended by a screw rod drive, when the positioning module clamps the parking fixed beam of the charging base station, the corresponding hanging platform forms a locked state with the charging base station, and in this state, the corresponding hanging platform is electrically connected with the charging base station through the communication and power supply module to supply power from the charging base station to the corresponding hanging platform; and when the positioning module releases the parking fixed beam of the charging base station, the locked state of the corresponding hanging platform and the charging base station is released.

4. The vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein The walking module of each of the mechanical arm hanging platform and the charging host hanging platform comprises: two groups of roller sets (201A and 201B) arranged symmetrically along the longitudinal direction of the corresponding platform body and a walking motor (201C) electrically connected with at least one of the two groups of roller sets.

5. The vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The mechanical arm comprises: a lifting module (204) fixed to the bottom of the platform body and capable of adjusting the height of the mechanical arm module, a mechanical arm module (205) mounted on the lower part of the lifting module and connected with the lifting module, and a charging gun grabbing module (206) connected with the end of the mechanical arm module.

6. The vehicle charging device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: the charging host comprises a positioning assembly (506) arranged at the top of the charging host, The push-retract module of the charging host mounting platform comprises a limiting component (304) fixed to the side end close to the charging base station, the limiting component is a movable mechanism and matches the positioning component of the charging host, and the positioning component is locked or released by opening or releasing the limiting component, When the locking state of the push-retract module and the charging host is to be formed, the limiting component is opened and the positioning component of the charging host is pushed out along the longitudinal direction to the outside until the limiting component is locked with the positioning component of the charging host; When the locking state of the push-retract module and the charging host is to be released, the limiting component is released and the positioning component of the charging host is retracted along the longitudinal direction to the inside, so that the limiting component is released from the locking with the positioning component of the charging host.

7. The vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein The walking track of the charging host mounting platform matches the locking track of the charging base station, When the charging host mounting platform is locked with the charging base station, the walking track of the charging host mounting platform and the locking track of the charging base station are connected to form a horizontal track.

8. The vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The charging host further comprises a walking module (505), a movable plug-in component (504), a charging gun storage mechanism (503), and a wire winding and unwinding module (501), And in the case that the movable plug-in component of the charging host is connected with the static plug-in component of the charging base station, the charging base station can supply power to the charging host.

9. A charging host mounting platform for a rail-mounted automobile charging device, comprising: a platform body (300) comprising a walking module (201, 301), a positioning module (203, 303), and a communication and power supply module (202, 302) arranged on the top of the platform body, a push-retract module (305) arranged on the bottom of the platform body; a walking track (306) arranged on the bottom of the platform body; and a charging host (50) mounted on the lower part of the charging host mounting platform in a detachable manner, and a charging gun (502) is arranged on the charging host in a removable manner.

10. The charging host mount platform of claim 9, wherein, The charging host comprises a positioning component (506) arranged on the top of the charging host, And the push-retract module comprises a limiting component (304), which is a movable mechanism and matches the positioning component of the charging host, and the positioning component is locked or released by opening or releasing the limiting component.

11. The charging host mounting platform according to claim 10, wherein, When the locking state of the push-retract module and the charging host is to be formed, the limiting component is opened and the positioning component of the charging host is pushed out along the longitudinal direction to the outside, so that the limiting component is locked with the positioning component of the charging host; And when the locking state of the push-retract module and the charging host is to be released, the limiting component is released and the positioning component of the charging host is retracted along the longitudinal direction to the inside, so that the limiting component is released from the locking with the positioning component of the charging host.

12. A mechanical arm mounting platform for a rail-mounted automobile charging device, comprising a platform body (200) and a liftable mechanical arm (210) fixed to the bottom of the platform body, wherein The platform body of the mechanical arm mounting platform comprises a walking module (201, 301), a positioning module (203, 303), and a communication and power supply module (202, 302) arranged on the top of the platform body, The mechanical arm comprises a lifting module (204) fixed to the bottom of the platform body and capable of adjusting the height of the mechanical arm module, a mechanical arm module (205) assembled to the lower part of the lifting module and connected to the lifting module, a charging gun grabbing module (206) connected to the end of the mechanical arm module, and a mechanical arm end visual positioning device (403).

13. The robotic arm mount platform of claim 12, further comprising: A charging base station position identifier (401) and an obstacle avoidance device (402) arranged on the platform body, and a mechanical arm collision sensor arranged on the mechanical arm.

14. A hanging rail type automobile charging system, comprising: a guide rail structure mounted on the top of the parking lot, comprising a walking guide rail arranged above the parking spaces of the parking lot in a through type suspension; the automobile charging device according to claims 1-8; a plurality of charging base stations arranged along the walking guide rail corresponding to the parking spaces; and a server capable of communicating with the automobile charging device and the charging base station respectively, wherein the charging base station comprises a parking fixed beam, a communication and power supply module, and a static plug-in, in the case that the mechanical arm mounting platform or the charging host mounting platform of the automobile charging device forms a locking state with the charging base station by the positioning module of the mechanical arm mounting platform or the charging host mounting platform embracing the parking fixed beam, the communication and power supply module of the charging base station is docked with the communication and power supply module of the corresponding mounting platform to form an electrical connection, so that the charging base station can supply power to the corresponding mounting platform, in the case that the static plug-in of the charging base station is docked with the dynamic plug-in of the charging host of the automobile charging device, the charging base station can supply power to the charging host.

Images