KR102664333B1 - Method for leading charger for electric vehicle to charging inlet - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of guiding a vehicle charger to a charging port is provided. The method of guiding the vehicle charger to the charging port includes an alignment step of aligning the electric vehicle charging robot to a specific part of the vehicle using vehicle information received from the vehicle, and the electric vehicle charging robot aligns the charger with the first charging section of the vehicle. A position calculation step of calculating a relative position, and a charger induction step of the electric vehicle charging robot moving the charger by the first relative position and guiding the charger to the charging port.

Description

Method for leading a vehicle charger to a charging inlet {Method for leading charger for electric vehicle to charging inlet}

The present invention relates to vehicle charging technology, and more specifically, to a method of guiding a vehicle charger to a vehicle charging port.

Demand for vehicles has recently been rapidly increasing due to the problem of environmental pollution caused by vehicle exhaust gases and the burden of oil prices such as diesel and gasoline, which are vehicle fuels.

However, many potential consumers are hesitating to purchase a vehicle because the infrastructure for battery charging facilities inside the vehicle has not been sufficiently established until recently.

In addition, because vehicles still require frequent charging due to limitations in battery capacity, there is a problem in that vehicle users have to endure the inconvenience of having to check the status of the vehicle's battery and charge it almost every day.

Therefore, to solve this inconvenience, electric vehicle charging robots that move around the parking lot and charge vehicles, and automatic charging systems installed on the ceiling have been proposed.

However, in these cases, there is a disadvantage that additional devices such as an image camera and a signal detector must be installed in order to determine the location of the charging port by tracking the signal emitted from a sensor previously attached to the charging port in real time.

In addition, since charging robots, etc. must automatically connect the charger to the vehicle's charging port, the charging target vehicle, parking location, etc. change with each charge, so the technology to guide the charger to the vehicle's charging port requires a large amount of sensor and control technology. is required, which causes complex structures and increased costs.

1. Chinese Patent Publication No. 104933778A (Publication Date: 2015.09.23) 2. Korean Patent No. 10-1075944 (registration date: 2011.10.17)

The present invention was proposed to solve the problems caused by the above background technology, and its purpose is to provide a method of guiding a vehicle charger to the charging port of a vehicle without requiring additional devices such as an image camera or signal detector. .

In order to achieve the problems presented above, the present invention provides a method of guiding a vehicle charger to a charging port of a vehicle without providing additional devices such as an image camera or a signal detector.

The method of guiding the vehicle charger to the charging port is:

An alignment step of aligning an electric vehicle charging robot to specific parts of the vehicle using vehicle information received from the vehicle;

A position calculation step in which the electric vehicle charging robot calculates a first relative position of the charger and the charging section of the vehicle; and

and a charger induction step in which the electric vehicle charging robot moves the charger by the first relative position and guides the charger to the charging port.

At this time, the vehicle information is characterized in that it includes the specific part and the second relative position of the charging section.

In addition, the electric vehicle charging robot is characterized in that it is aligned on a center connection line connecting the centers of the specific components.

In addition, the electric vehicle charging robot is characterized in that, while aligned on the center connection line, the vehicle is aligned in a predetermined specific direction at a certain position with a preset distance interval from the center point orthogonal line.

Additionally, the second relative position is preset and stored for each vehicle.

In addition, the electric vehicle charging robot is characterized as being one of an electric vehicle charging robot that moves under the vehicle, an electric vehicle charging robot that moves in parallel with the vehicle, and an electric vehicle charging robot that moves while hanging from the ceiling.

Additionally, the specific part is characterized as being one of a rear wheel, a front wheel, and a side wheel.

On the other hand, another embodiment of the present invention includes an alignment step of aligning an electric vehicle charging robot to a specific part of the vehicle using vehicle information received from the vehicle; A position calculation step in which the electric vehicle charging robot calculates a first relative position between a wireless charger and a wireless charging terminal of the vehicle; and a charger induction step in which the electric vehicle charging robot moves the wireless charger by the first relative position to guide the wireless charger to the wireless charging terminal. to provide.

According to the present invention, a vehicle charger can be guided to the charging port of the vehicle without requiring additional devices such as an image camera or signal detector.

Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the relationship between a vehicle and an electric vehicle charging robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a structural block diagram of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a structural block diagram of the electric vehicle charging robot shown in FIG. 1.
Figure 4 is a general diagram showing the relative positions of the rear wheels and the charging port regardless of the state of the vehicle.
Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the process of guiding the charger to the charging port according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram of aligning an electric vehicle charging robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a conceptual diagram of moving the electric vehicle charging robot after being aligned according to Figure 6.
Figure 8 is a diagram showing the process of guiding the charger to the charging port after completing the movement of the electric vehicle charging robot to the bottom of the vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 is another application example of guiding a charger to a charging port according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described in detail below along with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and will be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments only serve to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete, and those skilled in the art It is provided to fully inform the person of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. The sizes and relative sizes of components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity of explanation.

Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification, and “and/or” includes each and all combinations of one or more of the referenced items.

The terms used in this specification are for describing embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, singular forms also include plural forms, unless specifically stated otherwise in the context. As used in the specification, “comprises” and/or “consisting of” mentioned components, steps, operations and/or elements do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations and/or elements. .

Although it is used to describe various components such as first and second, it goes without saying that these components are not limited to these terms. These terms are used to distinguish between only one component. Therefore, it goes without saying that the first component mentioned below may also be a second component within the technical spirit of the present invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification may be used with meanings that can be commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Additionally, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not interpreted ideally or excessively unless clearly specifically defined.

Hereinafter, a method of guiding a vehicle charger to a charging port according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the relationship between a vehicle and an electric vehicle charging robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, a vehicle 110 is located in a parking line, a charging port 111 is installed in the front, and a rear wheel 112 is installed in the rear. Vehicle information including the relative position of the rear wheel and charging section is transmitted from the vehicle 110 to the electric vehicle charging robot 120. A charger 121 is installed in the electric vehicle charging robot 120.

As shown in Figure 1, the relative position between the rear wheel 112 and the charging port 111 is always the same. Therefore, vehicle information including the relative position between the rear wheel 112 and the charging port 111 is stored in advance in the vehicle's storage unit (not shown), and then the vehicle information is transmitted to the electric vehicle charging robot 120 according to the charging instruction. do.

The electric vehicle charging robot 120 may be an electric vehicle charging robot that moves under the vehicle, an electric vehicle charging robot that moves in parallel with the vehicle, and an electric vehicle charging robot that moves while hanging from the ceiling.

When charging, the electric vehicle charging robot 120 aligns with the rear wheel 112 of the vehicle 110 to align the relative positions of the charger 121 and the charging port 111.

Since the relative positions aligned in this way are always the same, if the charger 121 is moved only as much as matches the vehicle information, the charger is automatically guided to the charging port.

In Figure 1, the relative position between the rear wheel 112 and the charging port 111 is explained, but this is for convenience of understanding. In addition to the rear wheel 112, front wheels and side wheels (i.e. front and rear wheels) are possible. In other words, the relative positions between the front wheels and the charging section are also possible.

FIG. 2 is a structural block diagram of the vehicle 110 shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the vehicle 110 includes a vehicle controller 210 that controls the vehicle, a vehicle communication unit 220 that communicates with the electric vehicle charging robot 120 to transmit vehicle information, and a battery (not shown) that charges the battery. It may be configured to include a charging unit 230, a storage unit 240 that stores vehicle information, etc.

The vehicle controller 210 is composed of a microprocessor, circuits, etc. to control the vehicle.

The vehicle communication unit 220 performs a function of transmitting vehicle information stored in the storage unit 240 to the electric vehicle charging robot 120 through wireless communication. For this purpose, it is composed of an antenna, a communication circuit, etc. Wireless communication includes IrDA (Infrared Data) communication, wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth, LiFi (Light Fidelity), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), and NFC (Near Field Control).

The storage unit 240 performs the function of storing programs, software, and data for controlling the vehicle, including vehicle information. Accordingly, the storage unit 240 is a storage unit 130 that has a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, and a card type memory (e.g. SD or XD memory, etc.), random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), readonly memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable readonly memory (EEPROM), programmable readonly memory (PROM), magnetic memory , may include at least one type of storage medium among a magnetic disk and an optical disk.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electric vehicle charging robot 120 shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 3, the electric vehicle charging robot 120 includes a robot controller 310 that controls the robot, a robot communication unit 320 that communicates with the vehicle 110 and receives vehicle information, and a charger 121 that supplies charging power. ), and a driving unit 330 that moves the robot.

The vehicle controller 210 is composed of a microprocessor, circuits, etc. to control the robot.

The robot communication unit 320 performs a function of receiving vehicle information through wireless communication. For this purpose, it is composed of an antenna, a communication circuit, etc. Wireless communication includes IrDA (Infrared Data) communication, wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth, LiFi (Light Fidelity), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), and NFC (Near Field Control).

The driving unit 330 performs a function of moving the charger 121 according to instructions from the vehicle controller 210. For this purpose, it is composed of a rotation actuator, a movement actuator, and a circuit that controls these actuators.

The charger 121 is a wired charger with a plug at the front end. This plug is inserted into the charging port 111. Of course, in FIG. 1, the charger 121 is described as a wired charger, but a wireless charger is also possible. In this case, a wireless charging terminal may be configured on the vehicle 110 side to receive wireless power from a wireless charger.

In this case, wireless charging is generally performed using a magnetic resonance method, but is not limited to this and a magnetic induction method is also possible.

Generally, the magnetic resonance method uses a resonance phenomenon that vibrates with a large amplitude at a specific frequency, and connects power to one of the two coils and connects the other to an electronic device to charge using the current generated by resonance. This is the way to do it.

The magnetic induction method uses the primary coil as the transmitter of the wireless charging device and the secondary coil as the receiver of the charging device inside the vehicle, and the magnetic field generated from the primary coil of the transmitter of the wireless charging device is formed in the vehicle. It is induced into the secondary coil of the receiver of the device being charged and supplies current.

Accordingly, the wireless charging unit 230 serves to transmit wireless power, and correspondingly, a wireless charging terminal (not shown) for receiving wireless power is provided on the bottom of the vehicle.

In addition, the electric vehicle charging robot 120 includes general wheels for movement and a motor to rotate the wheels. Of course, if the electric vehicle charging robot 120 is a type of electric vehicle charging robot that moves while hanging from the ceiling, it is composed of rail wheels.

Figure 4 is a general diagram showing the relative positions of the rear wheels and the charging port regardless of the state of the vehicle. Referring to FIG. 4, the state of the vehicle may be parked diagonally to the left of the parking line (410), parked diagonally to the right (420), and parked in the exact center (430). Regardless of the parking state of the vehicle, the relative position between the charging port and the rear wheels is always the same.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the process of guiding the charger 121 to the charging port 111 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, the electric vehicle charging robot 120 receives vehicle information from the vehicle 110 (step S510).

Afterwards, the electric vehicle charging robot 120 is aligned to the rear wheel center line (step S520).

Afterwards, the electric vehicle charging robot 120 calculates the relative positions of the charger 121 and the charging port 111 (step S530).

Afterwards, the electric vehicle charging robot 120 moves the charger by the calculated relative position to proceed with the charging operation (step S540).

Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram of aligning an electric vehicle charging robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6 , a case 610 of aligning from the bottom of the vehicle and a case of aligning from the outside of the vehicle 620 are illustrated. In the case of alignment at the bottom of the vehicle (610), the electric vehicle charging robot 120 is located on the bottom surface of the vehicle (110). To elaborate, the position of the bottom surface of the vehicle 110 is a certain distance from the center point orthogonal line, which is the exact center of the vehicle 110, with the electric vehicle charging robot 120 aligned to the rear wheel center connection line connecting the centers of the rear wheels. Sort by Of course, a certain distance is set in advance for each vehicle.

Meanwhile, in the case of alignment outside the vehicle (620), the electric vehicle charging robot 120 is located outside the vehicle 110. To elaborate, the electric vehicle charging robot 120 is aligned to the rear wheel center connection line connecting the centers of the rear wheels, and is positioned outside the vehicle 110 at a certain distance from the center point orthogonal line, which is the exact center of the vehicle 110. Sort.

Figure 7 is a conceptual diagram of moving the electric vehicle charging robot after being aligned according to Figure 6. Referring to FIG. 7, after the electric vehicle charging robot 120 is aligned according to FIG. 6, when the charger 121 is moved as shown by the arrow, the charger 121 is automatically guided to the charging port 111.

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate two rear wheels, but the method of using the front and rear side wheels is similar, creating a wheel center connection line connecting the centers of the front and rear wheels, and then creating a perpendicular line to this wheel center connection line. Afterwards, it is possible to move the charger 121 after the electric vehicle charging robot is aligned at a position outside the vehicle at a certain distance from this orthogonal line.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing the process of guiding the charger to the charging port after completing the movement of the electric vehicle charging robot to the bottom of the vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 8, after moving to the bottom of the vehicle, when the electric vehicle charging robot 120 receives vehicle information from the vehicle 110, the X and Y axis coordinate information of the charger 121 and the X and Y axes of the vehicle 110 Compare coordinate information (810).

Thereafter, according to the comparison, the electric vehicle charging robot 120 moves backwards and aligns the X-axis of the charging robot with the rear wheels of the vehicle (820). Of course, during alignment, the X-axis coordinate information of the charger 121 and the

Afterwards, it moves left and right and performs Y-axis alignment using sensors attached to the left and right (840).

Of course, while performing alignment, the X-axis coordinate information of the charger 121 and the

When the XY axis alignment is completed, the relative distance to the charging port is calculated based on the vehicle information received in advance, and the charger 121 is guided through rotation and movement control of the charger 121 to the charging port 111 of the vehicle 110. Plug it in.

In the case of the guidance process shown in FIG. 8, the case where the electric vehicle charging robot 120 is a type of electric vehicle charging robot that moves under the vehicle is used as an example. For this purpose, sensors to sense location information are placed on the electric vehicle charging robot 120. The sensor may be a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, a gyro sensor, an inertial navigation sensor, etc. In particular, in the case of FIG. 8, a wireless charging method can also be applied. To elaborate, the wireless charger (not shown) of the electric vehicle charging robot 120 is guided to the wireless charging terminal (not shown) of the vehicle 110.

Figure 9 is another application example of guiding a charger to a charging port according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 9, the electric vehicle charging robot 910 moves left and right along the rail 920 placed on the ceiling and charges the vehicle in the parking line 930. Of course, the communication unit 912 is configured to receive vehicle information from the vehicle. In this case, as previously described, the charger of the electric vehicle charging robot 910 is guided to the charging port of the vehicle. Of course, in Figure 9, the rail 920 is a straight line, but it is also possible to arrange the rail in a polygonal shape such as a curve, square, or triangle.

Additionally, the steps of the method or algorithm described in relation to the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program (instruction) codes, data files, data structures, etc., singly or in combination.

The program (instruction) code recorded on the medium may be specially designed and constructed for the present invention, or may be known and usable by those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROM, DVD, and Blu-ray, and ROM and RAM. Semiconductor memory elements specially configured to store and execute program (instruction) code, such as RAM), flash memory, etc., may be included.

Here, examples of program (instruction) code include not only machine language code such as that created by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

110: vehicle
111: Charging port
120: Electric vehicle charging robot
121: charger

Claims (8)

An alignment step of aligning an electric vehicle charging robot to specific parts of the vehicle using vehicle information received from the vehicle;
A position calculation step in which the electric vehicle charging robot calculates a first relative position of the charger and the charging section of the vehicle; and
A charger induction step in which the electric vehicle charging robot moves the charger by the first relative position and guides the charger to the charging port,
A method of guiding a vehicle charger to a charging port, wherein the vehicle information includes specific parts of the vehicle that are always the same and a second relative position of the charging section of the vehicle.
delete According to claim 1,
A method of guiding a vehicle charger to a charging port, wherein the electric vehicle charging robot is aligned on a center connection line connecting centers of the specific component.
According to claim 3,
The electric vehicle charging robot is aligned on the center connection line and at a predetermined position with a preset distance between the center point orthogonal line that crosses the vehicle in a predetermined specific direction. How to induce.
According to claim 1,
A method of guiding a vehicle charger to a charging port, wherein the second relative position is preset and stored for each vehicle.
According to claim 1,
The electric vehicle charging robot is one of an electric vehicle charging robot that moves under the vehicle, an electric vehicle charging robot that moves in parallel with the vehicle, and an electric vehicle charging robot that hangs on the ceiling. How to induce a sphere.
According to claim 1,
A method of guiding a vehicle charger to a charging port, wherein the specific part is one of a rear wheel, a front wheel, and a side wheel.
An alignment step of aligning an electric vehicle charging robot to specific parts of the vehicle using vehicle information received from the vehicle;
A position calculation step in which the electric vehicle charging robot calculates a first relative position between a wireless charger and a wireless charging terminal of the vehicle; and
A charger induction step in which the electric vehicle charging robot moves the wireless charger by the first relative position and guides the wireless charger to the wireless charging terminal,
A method of guiding a vehicle charger to a charging port, wherein the vehicle information includes specific parts of the vehicle that are always the same and a second relative position of the charging section of the vehicle.

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