Robotic Arm Mechanism for Multi-Cable EV Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing charging systems require as many robot arms as charging cables to charge multiple vehicles, leading to increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A charging system with a reduced number of arm mechanisms that can automatically insert and remove charging plugs from vehicle charging ports, using a single or fewer robot arms to manage multiple charging cables, allowing for efficient charging of multiple vehicles while minimizing the number of arm mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the number of arm mechanisms is increased to match the number of charging cables, then each charging cable can be managed independently, but the system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
A single arm mechanism is designed to perform multiple functions by sequentially serving different charging cables. The arm mechanism can grasp charging plugs from different cables, insert them into vehicle charging ports, and remove them after charging. This multi-functional design allows one arm mechanism to replace what would traditionally require multiple dedicated arm mechanisms, thereby reducing system complexity and cost while maintaining the ability to independently manage multiple charging operations.
2Device complexity
If the number of arm mechanisms is reduced, then system cost decreases, but the ability to simultaneously manage multiple charging cables is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The single arm mechanism operates through periodic sequential actions, systematically serving different charging cables in turn. The control unit coordinates the arm mechanism to grasp charging plugs from multiple cables at different time points, insert them into vehicles, perform charging, and then remove them. This periodic operation pattern allows the system to maintain high charging throughput by efficiently utilizing the single arm mechanism across multiple charging tasks, preventing idle time and ensuring continuous productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic task allocation and scheduling to adapt the single arm mechanism's operations in real-time. The control unit dynamically determines the sequence in which the arm mechanism serves different charging cables based on charging status, vehicle availability, and cable readiness. This dynamic approach allows the system to optimize productivity by minimizing waiting times and ensuring the arm mechanism is always engaged in productive charging operations rather than remaining idle.
Data Source
AI summary
A charging system includes: a plurality of charging devices, each including a device main body having one or more charging cables connected to the main body, the charging cables being equipped with respective charging plugs; and one or more arm mechanisms each being configured to grasp any one of the charging plugs of the charging devices and automatically insert and remove the grasped charging plug to and from a charging port of a vehicle located in a charging space. Further, a number of arm mechanisms is smaller than a number of charging cables.