KR102019285B1 - Charging connector, docking soket and docking assembly for electric vehicle charging - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to prevent an error from occurring during a docking process of an electric vehicle charging robot, the present invention provides a charging connector, a docking socket and a docking assembly including the same, wherein the docking socket of the charging robot can be precisely docked to a charging port of the electric vehicle. The docking assembly comprises: a charging connector electrically connected to the charging port of the electric vehicle; and the docking socket provided in the charging robot and driven according to position information of the charging connector to be docked to the charging connector. The charging connector includes a connector guide and a connector electrode portion. The docking socket includes a socket guide, a socket electrode portion and an actuator. The connector guide and the socket guide have corresponding shapes so as to be coupled to each other by a male and female coupling method. The socket guide is coupled to the connector guide by the driving of the charging robot, and then the socket electrode portion is connected to the connector electrode portion by the driving of the actuator, thereby achieving docking.

Description

Charging connectors, docking sockets and docking assemblies for electric vehicle charging {CHARGING CONNECTOR, DOCKING SOKET AND DOCKING ASSEMBLY FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING}

The present invention relates to a charging connector for charging an electric vehicle, a docking socket and a docking assembly.

Recently, due to various problems such as depletion of fossil fuels and environmental pollution, research and development of active vehicles for replacing them are being actively conducted.

In addition, although an electric vehicle is representative as a means of transportation that has already been commercialized, it is about charging of an electric vehicle that is mentioned together whenever an electric vehicle appears.

Installing an electric vehicle charging device in all parking spaces of a building parking lot, such as an apartment or a building, is too expensive and is inefficient in that a non-electric car is also present.

If so, it may be an alternative to install an electric vehicle charging device only in some parking spaces. In this case, there may be a problem of efficiency of leaving a parking space and a problem of insufficient charging device when a lot of electric vehicles enter the parking lot. do.

An alternative to the above problems is the passive mobile charging device. In the case of the manual mobile charging device, the user has to move the mobile charging device from the charging station to the vehicle.

As described above, in the situation in which the users of electric vehicles are rapidly increasing every year, the above problems should be solved. To this end, there may be a way to automate the charging process using a charging robot.

In a charging automation system using a charging robot, in order to minimize the occurrence of errors, it is important to precisely dock the docking socket of the charging robot to the charging port of the electric vehicle, and various studies have been conducted for this purpose.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a charging connector and docking socket and a charging docking assembly including the same that can accurately dock the docking socket of the charging robot to the charging port of the electric vehicle so that no error occurs during the docking process. It is.

Problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The charging connector according to an aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is electrically connected to the charging port of the vehicle, the charging connector in which the docking socket of the charging robot docked, the case; A connector guide formed in the case and having a shape corresponding to a male and female coupling with the socket guide of the docking socket; And a connector electrode portion for connecting with the socket electrode portion of the docking socket, wherein the socket guide of the docking socket is moved to engage with the connector guide, and then the socket electrode portion of the docking socket is moved to connect with the connector electrode portion, so that docking can be achieved. Can be.

A docking socket according to another aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is a docking socket for a charging robot docked to a charging port or a charging connector of an electric vehicle, the case; A socket guide disposed in the case and having a shape corresponding to a male and female coupling to a connector guide of a charging hole or a charging connector; A socket electrode part disposed to be movable in the socket guide and connected to a connector electrode part of a charging hole or a charging connector; And an actuator for moving the socket electrode part, wherein the socket guide and the connector guide of the charging port or the charging connector are coupled to each other, and then the socket electrode part is moved by driving the actuator to connect with the connector electrode part of the charging port or the charging connector. By connecting, docking can be accomplished.

Docking assembly according to another aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is a charging connector electrically connected to the charging port of the electric vehicle; A docking socket provided in a charging robot and driven according to position information of the charging connector and docked to the charging connector, wherein the charging connector includes a connector guide and a connector electrode part, and the docking socket includes a socket guide and a socket electrode. And an actuator, wherein the connector guide and the socket guide have a shape corresponding to male and female coupling, wherein the socket guide is coupled to the connector guide by driving the charging robot, and then, by driving of the actuator. Docking may be achieved by connecting the socket electrode portion with the connector electrode portion.

In the present invention, in order to minimize docking errors in a charging automation system using a charging robot, a charging connector electrically connected to a charging port of an electric vehicle is separately provided, and a docking socket of the charging robot senses a feature point to change the position of the charging connector. By docking by tracking, it provides a docking assembly that can increase the docking accuracy.

In addition, in the present invention, the docking process includes a primary docking in which the docking guide and the connector guide are male and female coupled by driving the robot arm, and a secondary docking in which the socket electrode portion and the connector electrode portion are connected by driving the actuator of the docking socket. By proceeding to a two-stage docking, it is possible to prevent the docking socket is separated from the docking path.

Further, in the present invention, by determining whether the actual docking is completed by the docking sensor provided in at least one of the charging connector or the docking socket and proceeds with the charging, it is possible to prevent the charging is started in the docking state is not completed and electric shock Accidents can also be prevented.

Effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a process in which a charging robot of the present invention charges an electric vehicle and is charged at a charging station.
2 is a conceptual diagram showing that the charging connector of the present invention mounted on the electric vehicle.
3 is a perspective view showing a charging connector of the present invention.
4 is an exploded perspective view showing a charging connector of the present invention.
5 is a perspective view showing a charging connector according to a modification of the present invention.
6 is a perspective view showing a charging robot of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the charging robot of the present invention from a different point of view.
8 is a plan view and a bottom view of the charging robot of the present invention.
9 is a side cross-sectional view showing a charging robot of the present invention.
10 is a perspective view showing a docking apparatus of the present invention.
11 is a perspective view of a docking socket of the present invention.
12 is an exploded perspective view showing a docking socket of the present invention.
13 is an operational state diagram showing that the docking socket of the present invention is docked to the charging connector.
Figure 14 (1) is a perspective view showing a case where the docking socket of the present invention is mounted on the electric vehicle facing forward, Figure 14 (2) is a docking socket of the present invention mounted on the electric vehicle so that the facing upwards The perspective view which showed the case.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but can be embodied in various different forms, and the present embodiments only make the disclosure of the present invention complete, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. It is provided to fully inform the skilled worker of the scope of the invention, which is defined only by the scope of the claims.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise in the phrase. As used herein, "comprises" and / or "comprising" does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components in addition to the mentioned components. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout, and "and / or" includes each and all combinations of one or more of the mentioned components. Although "first", "second", etc. are used to describe various components, these components are of course not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. Therefore, of course, the first component mentioned below may be a second component within the technical spirit of the present invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in the present specification (including technical and scientific terms) may be used in a sense that can be commonly understood by those skilled in the art. In addition, terms that are defined in a commonly used dictionary are not ideally or excessively interpreted unless they are specifically defined clearly.

The spatially relative terms " below ", " beneath ", " lower ", " above ", " upper " It can be used to easily describe a component's correlation with other components. Spatially relative terms are to be understood as including terms in different directions of components in use or operation in addition to the directions shown in the figures. For example, when flipping a component shown in the drawing, a component described as "below" or "beneath" of another component may be placed "above" the other component. Can be. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. Components may be oriented in other directions as well, so spatially relative terms may be interpreted according to orientation.

Hereinafter, one side and the other side of the z-axis illustrated in the drawings may be defined in the front-rear direction. In this case, the direction of the arrow on the z-axis may be defined backward, and the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow on the z-axis may be defined forward. On the other hand, the front may be mixed with the "autonomous driving direction of the charging robot", the front may be defined by the "autonomous driving direction of the charging robot".

Hereinafter, one side and the other side of the x-axis shown in the drawings may be defined in the left and right directions. In this case, the direction of the arrow on the x-axis may be defined as the right side, and the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow on the x-axis may be defined as the left axis.

Hereinafter, one side and the other side of the y axis illustrated in the drawings may be defined in the up and down direction. In this case, the direction of the arrow on the y-axis may be defined as the upper side, and the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow on the y-axis may be defined as the lower side. On the other hand, the vertical direction may be mixed with the "vertical direction".

Hereinafter, the charging robot 1000 and the charging connector 100 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a process in which the charging robot of the present invention charges an electric vehicle and is charged in a charging station, FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a charging connector of the present invention mounted on an electric vehicle, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a charging connector of the present invention, Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a charging connector of a modification of the present invention, Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a charging robot of the present invention, Figure 7 is a perspective view of the charging robot of the present invention from a different point of view, Figure 8 is a plan view and a bottom view showing the charging robot of the present invention, Figure 9 is a side cross-sectional view showing a charging robot of the present invention, Figure 10 is a perspective view showing a docking apparatus of the present invention, Figure 11 is a perspective view showing a docking socket of the present invention, Figure 12 is an exploded perspective view showing a docking socket of the present invention. 13 is an operational state diagram showing that the docking socket of the present invention is docked to the charging connector, Figure 14 (1) is a perspective view showing a case where the docking socket of the present invention is mounted on the electric vehicle facing forward, Figure 14 (2) is a perspective view showing a case where the docking socket of the present invention is mounted on the electric vehicle to face upward.

The charging robot 1000 of the present invention may perform a function of charging the parked electric vehicle 1. In this case, the electric vehicle 1 may not only be a vehicle that is driven by a driving force by a battery engine, but also includes a hybrid vehicle that is driven by a driving force by a battery engine and an internal combustion engine. Can be.

Hereinafter, a process in which the charging robot 1000 of the present invention charges the electric vehicle 1 and is charged in the charging station 20 will be described.

First, the user parks the electric vehicle 1, mounts the charging connector 100 on the license plate 3 of the electric vehicle 1, and then charges the charging connector 100 by the cable 100-1. It can electrically connect with the charging port 2 of (1) (refer FIG. 1 (1), FIG. 2). Alternatively, the charging robot 1000 of the present invention may be docked directly to the charging port of the electric vehicle 1, in this case, the charging connector 100 may be omitted. In addition, the charging port 2 and the charging connector 100 of the electric vehicle 1 may have a substantially identical structure. The charging port 2 of the electric vehicle 1 may be provided from the production manufacturing stage of the electric vehicle 1, or alternatively, the user may be provided by remodeling the charging hole 2 of the electric vehicle 1. have.

As a next step, the user may use the user device 10 to transmit an order signal for calling the charging robot 1000 of the present invention to a central server (robot management company server, parking lot management server, etc.). In this case, the user device 10 may include one or more of a telecommunication device such as a smart phone, a tablet, a PDA, a laptop, a remote controller, but is not limited thereto.

For example, the parking lot may be divided into a plurality of parking areas (on the other hand, a plurality of parking areas may be overlapped with each other), and the plurality of parking areas may be matched with smart tags (for example, NFC tags; Near field communication tag) may be provided (eg, attached to a pillar). The user can transmit the order signal to the central server by selecting the NFC tag located in the parking area of the electric vehicle 1 using the user device 10, but the order signal of the present invention is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, a parking lot may be mapped to a central server based on a drawing of a building. In the central server, the parking area of the electric vehicle 1 may be specified in the mapped parking lot by the user's order signal (processing the user's order signal). Thereafter, the central server may issue a control command to the charging robot 1000 so that the charging robot 1000 moves to the parking area of the electric vehicle 1.

According to the above-described process, the charging robot 1000 of the present invention can move autonomously from the standby position to the parking area of the electric vehicle 1 (a wide area including the position where the electric vehicle is parked) (see FIG. 1). (2-1) in (2)).

As a next step, the charging robot 1000 of the present invention senses a “feature point” by the position sensors 820 and 830 while moving in autonomous driving, and relates to the position of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of an electric vehicle). The location information may be generated, and thus, autonomous driving may be stopped, the attitude may be changed, and the vehicle may be driven to the vicinity of the electric vehicle 1. In more detail, the charging robot 100 has a charging direction 100 (rear) of the docking device 400 in the drawing direction according to the position information related to the position of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle). After the posture is changed to be aligned with the direction in which the charging port of the vehicle is located, the vehicle may move in a straight line to the vicinity of the electric vehicle 1.

In this case, the "features" may be located in various places in various numbers and forms. For example, the "feature point" may be a feature point (not shown) of the parking area located in the parking area, and the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) positioned in the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle). ) May be a feature point 140, but the position of the "feature point" of the present invention is not limited thereto.

In addition, the “feature point” may be identified as a two-dimensional image in the position sensors 820 and 830 by having a shape such as a smart code, or may be identified as three-dimensional depth information in the position sensor 820 and 830 by having a specific shape. 820 and 830 may be identified by communicating with a specific electronic signal (eg, beacon), but are not limited thereto.

In this case, " positional information related to the position of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) " is processed by a specific algorithm so that the position of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) on the space of the parking lot (coordinates) ) Can be interpreted as a concept encompassing all information that can be derived (calculated), and is not limited to the position (coordinate) of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) itself.

For example, the charging robot 1000 of the present invention may be provided with a remote location sensor 820, the remote location sensor 820 is a feature of the parking area (not shown) and the charging connector 100 (or charging of the electric vehicle) At least one of the feature points 140 of the sphere) may be sensed. As a result, the charging robot 1000 of the present invention is generated by at least one of the feature point (not shown) of the parking area and the feature point 140 of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) while moving in autonomous driving. According to the " positional information ", the posture of the docking device 400 of the charging robot 1000 is changed to be aligned with the direction in which the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) is positioned, and then the electric vehicle ( It can move to the vicinity of 1) by linear driving (refer to (2-2) of (2) of FIG. 1).

For example, when the docking socket 500 is drawn out rearward from the charging robot 1000 (the position of the docking device is irrelevant), the posture of the docking socket 500 may be changed so that the rear side of the charging robot 1000 faces the charging connector.

As a next step, the charging robot 1000 of the present invention may be docked to the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) by the driving of the docking device 400, it is possible to charge the electric vehicle (1). .

For example, the charging robot 1000 of the present invention may be provided with a near position sensor 830, the near position sensor 830 in the vicinity of the electric vehicle 1, the charging connector 100; or charging of the electric vehicle The feature point 140 of the sphere may be sensed.

In addition, the docking device 400 of the charging robot 1000 of the present invention is a robot arm 410 for linear driving in three axes, the robot arm 410 is disposed on the charging connector 100 (or charging port of an electric vehicle) It may include a docking socket 500 that is docked to).

Accordingly, the docking device 400 moves to the vicinity of the electric vehicle 1, the charging robot 1000, and then the "position" generated by the feature point 140 of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) Information ". In more detail, the primary docking of the robot arm 410 is driven according to the "location information" of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle), and the actuator 540 of the docking socket 500 is connected to the charging connector ( The docking socket 500 may be docked to the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) by the second docking driving according to the “location information” of the charging hole of the electric vehicle.

After docking, the charging robot 1000 of the present invention collects the electrical energy of the electrical energy storage device 300 from the docking socket 500, the charging connector 100, the cable 100-1, and the charging port of the electric vehicle 1. The electric vehicle 1 may be charged through the process of transferring the electric vehicle 1 through (2) (see (3) of FIG. 1).

As a next step, when the charging robot 1000 of the present invention is discharged, the charging robot 1000 of the present invention moves to the charging station 20 and is charged in the same manner as docked to the charging connector 100. The connector 20-1 may be docked and charged. To this end, the charging station connector 20-1 and the charging connector 100 may have substantially the same structure.

In summary, the charging robot 1000 of the present invention may move autonomously from the standby position to the parking area of the electric vehicle 1, in which case the parking area of the electric vehicle 1 is a user's order signal. It may be an area specified in the parking lot mapped by.

Furthermore, when the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) is found during autonomous driving, the charging robot 1000 changes its posture according to "location information" and then the electric vehicle in the parking area of the electric vehicle 1. It can be moved to the neighborhood of (1), the docking device 400 may be driven according to the "location information" docking.

Meanwhile, the remote position sensor 820 may generate "location information" when the charging robot 1000 moves to the vicinity of the electric vehicle 1, and the near position sensor 830 may include the docking device 400. In the case of driving, "location information" can be generated.

However, the process of charging the electric vehicle 1 by the charging robot 1000 of the present invention is not limited thereto, and some processes may be omitted. For example, the charging robot 1000 of the present invention moves autonomously to the vicinity of the electric vehicle 1 by the user's order signal, and then docks the device according to the position information generated by the near position sensor 830. 400 may be driven and docked in the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle), in which case, the remote position sensor 820 may be omitted.

Hereinafter, the charging connector 100 of the present invention will be described. As described above, the charging connector 100 of the present invention may be electrically connected to the charging port 2 of the electric vehicle 1 by the cable 100-1, the license plate 3 of the electric vehicle 1 It can be mounted on and fixed to it (see FIG. 2).

The charging connector 100 of the present invention may include a case 110, a connector guide 120, a connector electrode unit 130, a feature point 140, a base 150, and a posture change unit (not shown).

The case 110 of the charging connector 100 is a member for forming an appearance of the charging connector 100 and may be manufactured by injection molding of a synthetic resin.

The connector guide 120 of the charging connector 100 may have a shape corresponding to the male and female coupling with the socket guide 520 of the docking socket 500. Accordingly, the connector guide 120 may be formed to protrude, or may be formed to be recessed, and some may be formed to protrude and some may be recessed.

Hereinafter, the case where the connector guide 120 is formed in recess is demonstrated for example. For example, the connector guide 120 may have a groove shape recessed in the front surface of the case 110.

The connector guide 120 may be coupled to the socket guide 520 of the docking socket 500 during the first docking. That is, the connector guide 120 may accommodate the socket guide 520 of the docking socket 500 when the first docking. On the other hand, during the first docking, the charging robot 1000 drives the robot arm 410 linearly in three axes according to the "positional information" of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) of the docking socket 500. The socket guide 520 may be inserted into the connector guide 120.

When the primary docking is completed, that is, when the male and female coupling of the connector guide 120 and the socket guide 520 of the docking socket 500 is completed, the connector electrode part 130 and the socket electrode part of the docking socket 500 ( 530 may be arranged to face each other. Therefore, when the first docking is completed, the movement path of the socket electrode portion 530 of the docking socket 500 during the second docking can be correctly formed.

That is, in the charging connector 100 of the present invention, the connector guide 120 is provided and the first docking is performed, so that the docking path of the docking socket 500 of the charging robot 1000 is slightly removed from the normal path and the first docking is performed. Although proceeding, the movement path of the socket electrode portion 530 of the docking socket 500 during the second docking can be formed correctly.

Furthermore, in the charging connector 100 of the present invention, the groove of the connector guide 120 may have a taper formed at least in part so that the cross-sectional area of the bottom surface is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the ceiling opening. That is, the groove of the connector guide 120 may have a taper having a narrow cross-sectional area toward the primary docking direction.

Due to the tapered shape of the groove of the connector guide 120, as the docking socket 500 is drawn out during the first docking, the gap between the connector guide 120 and the socket guide 520 of the docking socket 500 is gradually narrowed. The docking socket 500 may be naturally guided.

The connector electrode 130 of the charging connector 100 may be disposed to be exposed to the outside on the bottom surface of the connector guide 120. The connector electrode unit 130 may be electrically connected to the socket electrode unit 530 of the docking socket 500 during the second docking. Meanwhile, during the second docking, the charging robot 1000 controls the actuator 540 of the docking socket 500 to slide the socket electrode 3300 of the docking socket 500 to dock with the connector electrode 130. The socket electrode 3300 of the socket 500 can be connected. Meanwhile, as described above, when the first docking is completed, the connector electrode 130 and the socket electrode 530 of the docking socket 500 are aligned to face each other, and thus, a separate charging connector 100 or an electric vehicle. Without simply "sliding" the socket electrode portion 530 of the docking socket 500, without the "position information" for the charging port of, the connector electrode portion 130 and the socket electrode portion 530 of the docking socket 500 ) Can be docked.

The connector electrode 130 of the charging connector 100 may include a connector charging electrode 131, a connector signal electrode 132, and a connector ground electrode 133.

In the second docking, the connector charging electrode 131 may be electrically connected to the docking charging electrode 531 of the docking socket 500, and the connector signal electrode 132 may be a docking signal electrode of the docking socket 500. The connector ground electrode 133 may be electrically connected to the docking ground electrode 533 of the docking socket 500.

Meanwhile, the connector charging electrode 131 may be an electrode used as a channel for charging, the connector signal electrode 132 may be an electrode for generating a signal for confirming docking, and the connector ground electrode 133 may be a reference. It may be an electrode provided for providing voltage or grounding.

Therefore, in the second docking, a "connection signal" occurs through the connector signal electrode 132 and the docking signal electrode 532 (or at the same time), and then charging starts through the connector charging electrode 131 and the docking charging electrode 531. Can be.

The connector charging electrode 131, the connector signal electrode 132, and the connector ground electrode 133 may be provided in various forms. For example, the connector charging electrode 131 and the connector signal electrode 132 may have two pin shapes. Electrodes of the two pin holes (2 pin electrode, 2 pin hole electrode) (dock charging electrode and docking signal electrode and male and female engagement type), and the connector ground electrode 133 is a one pin electrode Or one pin hole type electrode (1 pin electrode, 1 pin hole electrode), but the docking ground electrode and the male and female coupling type, but are not limited thereto. According to the above, the connector electrode 130 may be a 5 pin, 5 pin hole type electrode.

The feature point 140 is sensed by the position sensors 820 and 830 of the charging robot 1000 to provide “position information” for the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) to the charging robot 1000. have. The feature point 140 may be disposed adjacent to the clean opening surface of the connector guide 120. As an example, the feature point 140 may be disposed above the connector guide 120.

As described above, various types of identification structures that may be sensed by the position sensors 820 and 830 may be used for the feature point 140, and may be contacted or contactless. For example, a smart cord or the like may be used as the feature point 140. In this case, the feature point 140 is formed on a two-dimensional plane in the charging connector 100 (or a charging port of an electric vehicle), and the charging robot 1000 is used. May provide “location information” of the charging connector 2000 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) in three-dimensional coordinates. For example, the “location information” may be data about the distance d and the angle θ between the position sensors 820 and 830 and the charging connector 100 (coordinate values of the charging connector on the three-dimensional coordinates).

The base 150 of the charging connector 100 may be disposed adjacent to the case 110. For example, the base 150 may be disposed to face the rear surface of the case 110.

An attitude change unit (not shown) of the charging connector 100 may elastically connect the case 110 and the base 150. For example, the posture change part may be provided in the form of "spring".

The posture changing part may include a connector guide 120 such that the connector guide 120 and the socket guide 520 of the docking socket 500 are aligned when the connector guide 120 and the socket guide 520 of the docking socket 500 are first docked. 120 may be changed.

For example, the posture change part is provided in the form of a torsion spring, by rotating the case 110 about an axis perpendicular to the direction in which the socket guide 520 of the docking socket 500 moves to engage the connector guide 120. The posture of the guide 120 may be changed.

On the other hand, the charging connector 100 of the present invention is provided with a plurality of hooks on the rear surface of the case 110 can be mounted on the license plate 3 of the electric vehicle (1). On the other hand, the charging connector 100 of the electric vehicle (1) by the external force due to the movement of the socket guide 520 and the socket electrode portion 530 of the docking socket 500, when the first and second docking. The problem of falling from the license plate 3 may occur.

To prevent this, the charging connector 100 has a socket of the docking socket 500 in a direction opposite to the movement direction of the socket electrode 3300 of the docking socket 500 in at least one of the case 110 and the connector guide 120. A retaining part (not shown) supporting the guide 520 may be formed. The retaining unit primarily supports the socket guide 520 of the docking socket 500, so that an external force caused by the movement of the socket guide 520 and the socket electrode part 530 of the docking socket 500 may be changed from that of the charging connector 100. It can be prevented from being transmitted directly to the connecting portion (plural hooks) of the license plate 3 of the electric vehicle 1.

Hereinafter, the charging connector 100 of the modification of this invention is demonstrated. Unlike the charging connector 100 of the present invention, the charging connector 2000 of the modified example of the present invention does not need the cable 100-1, and does not need to be mounted on the license plate 3 to charge the electric vehicle 1. It can be docked directly to the sphere 2 (see FIG. 6; simple).

Therefore, the mounting structure (for example, a plurality of hooks) of the charging connector 100 of the present invention can be omitted in the charging connector 2000 of the modification of the present invention. However, the charging connector 2000 of the modified example of the present invention may include another configuration of the charging connector 100 of the present invention. In this case, the configuration of the charging connector 100 of the present invention may be inferred and applied. .

Meanwhile, the charging connector 2000 according to a modified example of the present invention may further include a sub connector 2200 and a hinge link 2300. The sub connector 2200 may be docked at the charging port 2 of the electric vehicle 1, and the hinge link 2300 may hinge-connect the case 110 and the sub connector 2000 to be hinged. Therefore, the charging connector 100 according to the modified example of the present invention may be changed in posture while docked with the charging port 2 of the electric vehicle 1. Further, the hinge connector 2300 may change the posture of the case 110 based on various axes, and may be replaced with various kinds of connectors such as spherical connectors.

Hereinafter, the charging robot 1000 of the present invention will be described. Charging robot 1000 of the present invention, the case 200, the electric energy storage device 300, the docking device 400, the base 600, the moving device 700, the sensing device 800, the emergency button 900 , A bumper 1100 and an electronic controller (not shown).

The case 200 may be configured to form an appearance of the charging robot 1000. Meanwhile, the shutter 210 may be disposed behind the case 200 of the charging robot 1000. The shutter 210 may be selectively opened at the time of docking driving and charging of the charging robot 1000, and may provide an open portion to draw the docking device 400 to the outside.

Meanwhile, the case 200 may include a first compartment 201 in which the electric energy storage device 300 is accommodated and a second compartment 202 in which the docking device 400 is accommodated. In this case, the first compartment 201 may be disposed in front of the second compartment 202, whereby the relatively heavy electrical energy storage device 300 is located in front of the docking device is relatively light weight. 400 is located at the rear, the overall center of gravity of the charging robot 1000 may be deflected forward.

The electric energy storage device 300 may store electric energy for charging the electric vehicle 1. The electrical energy storage device 300 may be built in the case 200. In this case, the electrical energy storage device 300 may be disposed in front of the docking device 400. On the other hand, the electrical energy storage device 300 may be a rechargeable battery.

The docking device 400 may be docked at the charging port 2 or the charging connector 100 of the electric vehicle 1, and may be configured to charge the electric vehicle 1. To this end, the docking device 400 may be electrically connected to the electrical energy storage device 300, and may include a robot arm 410 and a docking socket 500.

The robot arm 410 may drive linearly in three axes (x, y, z axis). A docking socket 500 may be disposed in the robot arm 410, and the docking socket 500 may move according to the docking driving of the robot arm 410 when the first docking is performed, and thus the charging port 2 of the electric vehicle 1 may be disposed. Or docked to the charging connector 100.

The robot arm 410 includes a first rail 411, a second rail 412, an arm 413, a first robot arm driver 414, a second robot arm driver 415, and a third axis for driving three axes. The robot arm driver 416 may be included.

The first rail 411 may extend in a left and right direction (x axis), and the second rail 412 may be in a left and right direction (x axis) along the first rail 411 by the first robot arm driver 414. Can be moved straight.

The second rail 412 may extend in the vertical direction (y axis; vertical direction), and the arm part 413 is vertically along the second rail 412 by the second robot arm driver 415. ) Can be moved straight.

The arm 413 may linearly move in the front-rear direction (z-axis) by the third robot arm driver 416.

In this case, the first rail 411 and the second rail 412 may be provided in the form of a ball screw or lead screw, the arm portion 413 may be provided in the form of "x-link lift". In addition, as the first robot arm driver 414, the second robot arm driver 415, and the third robot arm driver 416, various types of electric motors (eg, step motors) or oil presses may be used.

The reason why the first rail 411 and the second rail 412 are provided in the form of a ball screw or a lead screw is to stably support the arm part 413 and move it precisely. In addition, the reason why the arm portion 413 is provided in the form of an "x-link lift" does not require much storage space when folded compared to other take-out devices (reduces the full length of the charging robot), and can secure a sufficient take-out length when unfolded. Because.

When the docking device 400 is driven, the first robot arm driver 414 and the second robot arm driver 415 are driven first (x, y-axis driving), and thus, in two-dimensional coordinates (eg, xy coordinates). The docking socket 500 may be aligned with the charging port 2 or the charging connector 100 of the electric vehicle 1.

Then, the third robot arm drive unit 416 is driven (z-axis drive), the arm portion 413 is pulled out rearward (in the direction of the arrow on the z-axis), the docking socket 500 of the electric vehicle 1 Primary docking may be performed on the charging port 2 or the charging connector 100.

On the other hand, in the modified example of the charging robot 1000 of the present invention, the docking device 400 may be disposed in front of the electric energy storage device 300 in the rear, in this case, the arm portion 413 may be drawn out to the front. have.

The robot arm 410 of the driving device 400 has been described above, and the detailed description of the docking socket 500 will be described later.

The base 600 may perform one of forming a lower surface (lower plate) of the case 200 and supporting the case 200. That is, the base 600 may be a member integrally formed with the case 200 or may be disposed below the case 200 as a member separate from the case 200 to support the case 200. Further, the base 600 may be a member composed of a single layer, or may be a member stacked on top of one another to form a plurality of layers.

The base 600 may include a main body 610 overlapping the case 200 in a vertical direction (y-axis) and a protrusion 620 not overlapping the case 200 in the vertical direction (y-axis). In this case, the protrusion 620 may protrude rearward from the main body 610 of the base 600. On the other hand, the protrusion 620 may be drawn under the vehicle body of the electric vehicle 1, when the charging robot 1000 of the present invention moves adjacent to the electric vehicle (1).

As described above, since the center of gravity of the charging robot 1000 of the present invention is positioned to be deflected forward by the relatively heavy energy storage device 300, the base 600 is protruded rearward and thus charged. The robot 1000 prevented it from falling easily during driving and charging (especially from falling forward).

On the other hand, the portion 611 of the main body 610 of the base 600 that overlaps the first compartment 201 in the vertical direction overlaps with the second compartment 202 of the main body 610 of the base 600 in the vertical direction. It may be located above the portion 612. That is, a step may be formed in the main body 610 of the base 600.

This is because the docking device 400 accommodated in the second compartment 202 is relatively lower than the first compartment 201 to be docked with the charging port 2 or the charging connector 100 of the electric vehicle 1. This may be because it must be located. In addition, since the main driving direction of the charging robot 1000 is front (autonomous driving direction; however, after changing the posture, the driving direction is rearward), the diameter of the front of the charging robot 1000 is increased as the driving power must be transmitted efficiently. By arranging the large wheels, it may be because the first compartment 201 moves upward as much as the arrangement space occupied by the wheel with the large diameter (or as the accommodation space of the wheel drive unit).

Meanwhile, the main body 610 of the base 600 includes a portion 611 overlapping in the vertical direction with the first compartment 201 in the main body 610 of the base 600 and the main body 610 of the base 600. A reinforcement frame 610-1 may be formed to obliquely connect the portion 612 overlapping the two compartments 202 in the vertical direction.

In this case, the reinforcement frame 610-1 is formed to be inclined downward toward the portion 612 overlapping in the vertical direction with the second compartment 202 in the main body 610 of the base 600, and positioned relatively upward. The heavy second compartment 202 can be stably supported.

The moving device 700 may be a configuration for moving the charging robot 1000 of the present invention. To this end, the moving device 700 may include a first wheel 710, a second wheel 720, a third wheel 730, a fourth wheel 740, and a wheel driver 750.

The first wheel 710 and the second wheel 720 may be driving wheels driven by the wheel driver 750, and the third wheel 730 and the fourth wheel 740 may be formed of the first wheel 710 and the first wheel 710. It may be a driven wheel driven by the driving of the two wheels 720.

On the other hand, as described above, since the main driving direction of the charging robot 1000 of the present invention is the front, reflecting this, the first wheel 710 and the second wheel 720 is the main body 610 of the base 600 Can be arranged to generate moving power from the front. In contrast, the third wheel 730 and the fourth wheel 740 are disposed on the protrusion 620 of the base 600 to support the base 600 from the rear and the first wheel 710 and the second wheel 720. ) Can be assisted.

More specifically, the first wheel 710 may be located on the right side of the edge of the body 610 of the base 600, and the second wheel 720 may be located on the edge of the body 610 of the base 600. The third wheel 730 may be located at the right side of the edge of the protrusion 620 of the base 600, and the fourth wheel 740 may be positioned at the left side of the protrusion 620 of the base 600. It may be located on the left side of the edge.

Meanwhile, the first wheel 710 and the second wheel 720 which are driving wheels may have larger diameters than the third wheel 730 and the fourth wheel 740 which are driven wheels.

In addition, as described above, the protrusion 620 of the base 600 may be drawn under the vehicle body of the electric vehicle 1 when the charging robot 1000 of the present invention moves adjacent to the electric vehicle 1. have. In this case, in order to prevent the protrusion 620 of the base 600 from colliding with the vehicle body of the electric vehicle 1, the upper end of the protrusion 620 from the bottom of the third wheel 730 and the fourth wheel 740. The length up to may be shorter than the length of the lowest ground elevation of the electric vehicle 1. On the other hand, the length from the bottom of the third wheel 730 and the fourth wheel 740 to the top of the protrusion 620 may vary depending on the minimum ground height according to the laws of the individual country, for example, may be less than 15cm.

The sensing device 800 may include an obstacle sensor 810, position sensors 820 and 830, and a bumper sensor (not shown).

The obstacle sensor 810 may be disposed in the case 200, and may sense an obstacle. The obstacle sensor 810 may mainly sense an obstacle during movement.

For example, the obstacle sensor 810 may be configured to move in a straight line (driving after changing position) so that the charging robot 1000 may move autonomously to the parking area of the electric vehicle 1 and adjacent to the electric vehicle 1. In at least one of the cases, an obstacle may be detected.

When the obstacle is sensed, the charging robot 1000 may move by changing the path after stopping the movement or searching for another path.

Meanwhile, various types of sensors may be used for the obstacle sensor 810. For example, at least one of a lidar, an ultrasonic sensor, a 3D camera module, an RGBD camera module, and a Kinect sensor may be used as the obstacle sensor 810, but is not limited thereto.

On the other hand, the lidar 811 has a sensing area (scanning area) can be two-dimensional (xz plane), the obstacle at a specific height (for example, approximately 60cm from the ground; can be adjusted to the height of the young child) It determines whether there is, and can produce the effect that the sensing area is substantially three-dimensional.

On the other hand, when different types of sensors are used as the obstacle sensor 810, there is an advantage of covering the sensing conditions (e.g., peripheral illumination, etc.) and the sensing area that are insufficient to each other (for example, lidar and ultrasound Combination of sensors).

The obstacle sensor 810 may be disposed on the front surface (front plate) of the case 200. As described above, since the charging robot 1000 travels mainly in the front (autonomous driving direction) throughout the charging process, the main sensing direction of the obstacle sensor 810 (see (1-1) of FIG. 8; The direction in which the sensing region is gradually expanded, the direction in which the center of the sensing region is formed, and the like may be an autonomous driving direction (forward) of the charging robot 1000 on the plan view. However, the main sensing direction of the obstacle sensor 810 is forward, not that the obstacle sensor 810 may not sense the left and right of the charging robot 1000.

That is, the obstacle sensor 810 may also cover the left side (front left side) and the right side (front right side) of the charging robot 1000, so that the charging robot 1000 is adjacent to the electric vehicle 1 after changing the posture. Even when driving backwards, obstacles may be detected on the left and right sides.

The position sensors 820 and 830 may generate “location information” of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) by sensing the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle). The position sensors 820 and 830 may be provided as a single type of sensor, and may include heterogeneous sensors such as the remote position sensor 820 and the near position sensor 830, but are not limited thereto.

In this case, the position sensors 820 and 830 may perform sensing in various ways. For example, at least one of a lidar, an ultrasonic sensor, a 3D camera module, an RGBD camera module, and a Kinect sensor may be used as the position sensors 820 and 830, and the position sensors 820 and 830 may have various kinds of "feature points." "May be generated to generate" location information ", but is not limited thereto.

On the other hand, when the camera module is used as the position sensors 820 and 830, the feature point 140 may be imaged to generate "position information" (applied with a captured image analysis algorithm).

The position sensors 820 and 830 may include a far position sensor 820 and a near position sensor 830 according to a distance from a sensing target.

For example, the remote location sensor 820 may generate “location information” when the charging robot 1000 moves to autonomous driving and when it moves to the vicinity of the electric vehicle 1, and the near location sensor 830. ) May generate "location information" when the charging robot 1000 moves to the vicinity of the electric vehicle 1 and then the docking apparatus 400 is driven.

The remote location sensor 820 may sense the feature point 140 and generate location information related to the location of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle).

In this case, the position of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) may be derived by sensing the feature point 140 located at the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle). It can also be derived by processing and analyzing the location information generated by sensing the feature point (not shown) located in the parking area of (1) (for example, by sensing the QR code disposed on the building structure of the parking area of the electric vehicle QR code After acquiring position coordinates for, the position of the charging connector can be derived by substituting the distance between the building structure already stored in the database and the expected parking position of the electric vehicle from the coordinates of the QR code).

The remote position sensor 820 may be disposed on at least one of the right side (right side plate) and the left side (left side plate) of the case 200. To this end, the far position sensor 820 may include a first far position sensor 821 and a second far position sensor 822.

Main sensing direction of the remote position sensor 820 (see (1-2) and (1-3) of FIG. 8; for example, the direction in which the sensing region is gradually extended, the center of the sensing region (the optical axis in the case of the camera module)) The direction, etc.) may be inclined with the autonomous driving direction (front) of the charging robot 1000 on the plan view. Furthermore, the main sensing direction of the remote position sensor 820 may be perpendicular to the autonomous driving direction of the charging robot 1000 in the plan view.

The charging robot 1000 first runs autonomously toward the parking area of the electric vehicle 1, and senses the characteristic points of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) during the autonomous driving process. Or change the posture so that the rear surface toward the charging connector (100 (or charging port of the electric vehicle)) according to the "positional information" of the charging port of the electric vehicle, and drive backward to drive the charging connector (100 of the electric vehicle) Inlet).

Therefore, in the autonomous driving process of the charging robot 1000, in order to sense the characteristic points of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) located on the left and right sides of the autonomous driving path of the charging robot 1000, a remote position sensor ( It is preferable that the main sensing direction of 820 is inclined or perpendicular to the autonomous driving direction (front) of the charging robot 1000.

For example, the first remote position sensor 821 may be disposed on the right side (right side plate) of the case 200 of the charging robot 1000, and the main sensing direction may correspond to the autonomous driving direction of the charging robot 1000 in a plan view. It can be inclined or vertical to the right. In addition, the second remote position sensor 822 may be disposed on the left side (left side plate) of the case 200 of the charging robot 1000, and the main sensing direction is the autonomous driving direction and the left side of the charging robot 1000 in a plan view. It can be inclined or vertical.

However, like the obstacle sensor 810, the main sensing direction of the remote position sensor 820 is inclined or perpendicular to the autonomous driving direction (forward) of the charging robot 1000, and the remote position sensor 820 is a charging robot ( It does not mean that it does not sense the front or rear of the 1000).

Meanwhile, a detailed description of the near position sensor 830 will be described later along with the docking socket 500. In addition, a detailed description of the bumper sensor (not shown) will be described later together with the bumper 1100.

The emergency button 900 may be disposed to be exposed to the outside from the case 200 of the charging robot 1000. The emergency button 900 may be operated by a touch operation of a user, a manager, or a neighboring person. When the emergency button 900 is touched, the emergency button 900 stops the movement of the charging robot 1000 and charges the electric vehicle 1. At least one of stopping may be performed.

That is, the emergency button 900 is charged in case of emergency (for example, when the charging robot keeps driving despite the obstacle, when the young children approach the socket and connector while charging, there is a risk of electric shock), charging It may be used in the case of suddenly stopping the operation of the robot 1000.

On the other hand, the emergency button 900 may include at least one of the first emergency button 910 and the second emergency button 920, the first emergency button 910 is the right side (right side plate) of the case 200 The second emergency button 910 may be located above the left side (left plate) of the case 200.

The bumper 1100 may be configured to perform a function of cushioning the shock of the charging robot 1000. When an impact accident of the charging robot 1000 occurs, the charging robot 1000 may be prevented from falling down due to the bumper 1100 or an injury to the impact object may be prevented.

The bumper 1100 may be disposed on the base 600. The bumper 1100 may be supported by the elastic member to perform buffer driving by a reciprocating motion according to elastic deformation and restoration of the elastic member during impact (air bumper).

Meanwhile, a bumper sensor (not shown) may be disposed in the bumper 1100 and may sense an impact of the bumper 1100. Bumper sensors can primarily sense shock during movement.

For example, the bumper sensor may include at least one of a case where the charging robot 1000 moves autonomously to the parking area of the electric vehicle 1 and a case where the charging robot 1000 moves in a straight line (driving after changing the position) to be adjacent to the electric vehicle 1. In one case, the shock of the bumper 1100 may be sensed.

Meanwhile, when the impact of the bumper 1100 is sensed, the charging robot 1000 may move by changing the path after stopping the movement or searching for another path.

According to the above, the charging robot 1000 of the present invention can detect the obstacle by the obstacle sensor 810 and the bumper sensor, and when shocked with the obstacle in a sudden situation, the shock absorbing action and can detect the impact Accordingly, the movement may be changed after stopping the movement or searching for another route.

The bumper 1100 is disposed at the rear of the base 600 to buffer the rear shock and the first bumper 1100 and the right side of the base 600 to buffer the right bump and the second bumper 1200 and the base 600. It may include a third bumper (1300) disposed on the left side of the shock absorber to cushion the left impact, the bumper sensor is independently provided in the first bumper 1100, the second bumper 1200 and the third bumper (1300). Can be.

In this case, the first bumper 1100 may be disposed on the protruding portion 620 of the base 600, and the shock absorber 1100 may be buffered in the front-rear direction (z-axis) during the impact. The second bumper 1200 and the third bumper 1300 may be disposed on the main body 610 of the base 600, and may perform a shock driving in a left and right direction (x-axis) during an impact.

The electronic controller (not shown) communicates with other components of the central server and the charging robot 1000 to process various signals and information, and accordingly, controls the components of the charging robot 1000 to control the charging robot 1000. Can be operated.

For example, the electronic controller may receive information on the runner region of the electric vehicle 1 from the central server, process the same, and control the charging robot 1000 to autonomously drive to the parking area of the electric vehicle 1. have. In addition, the electronic controller processes the "obstacle information" generated from the sensing device 600 and the "location information" associated with the position of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle), thereby docking device 400 ) And the mobile device 700 may be controlled to perform a docking drive, a driving stop, and a route rescanning function. In addition, the electronic control device receives the touch signal of the emergency button 900 and, accordingly, controls the electric energy storage device 300 and the mobile device 700 to perform a function of stopping charging or stopping driving. can do.

Hereinafter, the docking socket 500 and the near position sensor 830 will be described.

The docking socket 500 is driven by the robot arm 410 according to the position information associated with the position of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle), the charging connector 100 (or charging port of the electric vehicle) The configuration may be docked to.

Docking socket 500 is a socket electrode 530 after the first docking is coupled (accommodating) to the connector guide 120 of the charging connector 100 (or charging port of the electric vehicle) is performed, the socket electrode portion 530 Is moved by driving of the actuator 540 to perform secondary docking, which is coupled (connected) to the connector electrode portion 130 of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle), thereby performing the charging connector 100. Can be docked to.

The docking socket 500 may include a case 510, a socket guide 520, a socket electrode 530, an actuator 540, and a near position sensor 830.

The case 510 of the docking socket 500 may be a member that forms an appearance of the docking socket 500, and may be manufactured by injection molding of a synthetic resin.

The socket guide 520 of the docking socket 500 may have a shape corresponding to male and female coupling with the connector guide 120 of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of an electric vehicle). Accordingly, the socket guide 520 may be formed to protrude, or may be formed to be recessed, and some of the socket guide 520 may be formed to be recessed.

Hereinafter, an example in which the socket guide 520 is formed to protrude is described. For example, the socket guide 520 may protrude rearward from the rear surface of the case 510.

The socket guide 520 may be accommodated in the connector guide 120 of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) when the first docking.

On the other hand, during the first docking, the charging robot 1000 drives the robot arm 410 in three straight lines according to the "position information" associated with the position of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle), thereby charging the charging connector 100. Or a socket guide 520 of an electric vehicle charging port) may be inserted into the connector guide 120.

When the primary docking is completed, that is, when the male and female coupling of the connector guide 120 of the socket guide 520 and the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) is completed, the socket electrode part 530 and the charging connector ( Since the connector electrode portions 130 of the 100; or the charging port of the electric vehicle are aligned to face each other, when the primary docking is completed, the movement path of the socket electrode portion 530 during the secondary docking may be correctly formed. .

Further, in the docking socket 500, the socket guide 520 tapers at least in part so that the cross-sectional area of the rear end is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the front end so that the socket guide 520 corresponds to the socket guide 520 of the charging connector 2000 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle). Can be formed. That is, a taper having a narrow cross-sectional area in the primary docking direction may be formed at the protrusion of the socket guide 520.

The socket electrode part 530 of the docking socket 500 may be disposed to be movable in the socket guide 520. In this case, the movement of the socket electrode part 530 may be performed by an actuator 540 separately provided in the docking socket 500. For example, in the second docking, the socket electrode part 530 is slidably moved by the driving of the actuator 540 to be electrically coupled with the connector electrode part 130 of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of an electric vehicle). Can be connected.

Meanwhile, as described above, when the primary docking is completed, the socket electrode part 530 is aligned to face the connector electrode part 130 of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle). Or the position of the charging port of the electric vehicle) can be precisely docked by a linear sliding movement.

At least a portion of the socket electrode part 530 may be accommodated in the case 510 in an initial state. When the secondary docking is performed, the socket electrode part 530 may be slid and moved by driving of the actuator 540 to externally the case 510. May be exposed.

The socket electrode part 530 corresponds to the connector electrode part 130 of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) similarly to the connector electrode part 130 of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle). The docking charging electrode 531, the docking signal electrode 532, and the docking ground electrode 533 may be included. Thus, during the second docking, charging is initiated through the docking charging electrode 533 and the connector charging electrode 133 after a "connection signal" occurs (or at the same time) through the docking signal electrode 532 and the connector signal electrode 132. Can be.

The actuator 540 of the docking socket 500 may be a driving member for moving the socket electrode part 530. The actuator 540 may be disposed inside the case 510. Various driving members may be used as the actuator 540. For example, the actuator 540 may be a linear step motor, but is not limited thereto.

An attitude change unit (not shown) of the docking socket 500 may elastically connect the case 510 and the socket guide 520. For example, the posture change part may be provided in the form of "spring".

The posture change unit may perform the first docking of the socket guide 520 and the connector guide 120 of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle), when the socket guide 520 and the charging connector 100 are electrically connected. The posture of the socket guide 520 may be changed such that the connector guide 120 of the charging port of the vehicle is aligned.

For example, the posture change part is provided in the form of a torsion spring, and the socket guide 520 is rotated about an axis perpendicular to the direction in which the socket guide 520 moves to engage the connector guide 120. You can change your posture.

The near position sensor 830 senses a feature point 140 of the charging connector 100 (charging port of an electric vehicle) to generate “location information” regarding the position of the charging connector 100 (or charging port of an electric vehicle). Can be.

Various types of sensors may be used as the near position sensor 830. For example, a lidar, an ultrasonic sensor, a 3D camera module, an RGBD camera module, a Kinect sensor, or the like may be used, but is not limited thereto.

The near position sensor 830 may be used when the charging robot 1000 performs docking driving to the docking apparatus 400 in the vicinity of the electric vehicle 1. The near position sensor 830-1 may be a sensor for three-axis linear driving of the docking device 400 when the first docking is performed, and the robot arm 410 may be configured as a charging connector 100 on three-dimensional coordinates. The primary docking may be completed by moving the docking socket 500 toward the coordinate where the filling hole) is located.

Hereinafter, the sensing of the completion of the primary docking and the secondary docking in the modification of the present invention will be described. To this end, at least one (one, the other, or both) of the charging connector 100 and the docking socket 500 of the present invention may further include a first docking sensor 4100 and a second docking sensor 4200.

The first docking sensor 4100 senses whether or not the connector guide 120 of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) is coupled with the socket guide 520 of the docking socket 500 when the first docking sensor 4 is docked. First docking completion signal ". The socket electrode part 530 is connected (coupled) with the connector electrode part 130 of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of an electric vehicle) by driving the actuator 540 after the "first docking completion signal" is generated. Can be moved.

The second docking sensor 4200 senses whether the connector electrode 130 of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) is connected to the socket electrode 530 of the docking socket 500 during the second docking. "Second docking completion signal" can be generated. The charging robot 1000 may start charging after the "second docking completion signal" occurs. Meanwhile, the second docking sensor 4200 may perform a function substantially similar to that of the connector signal electrode 132 and the docking signal electrode 532 described above. Accordingly, the other docking sensor 4200 may be omitted. .

Various contact and non-contact sensors may be used for the first docking sensor 4100 and the second docking sensor 4200. For example, the first docking sensor 4100 and the second docking sensor 4200 may include a load cell, It may be an infrared / ultrasound distance sensor or the like, but is not limited thereto.

In the modified example of the present invention, the first docking sensor 4100 and the second docking sensor 4200 can perform a stable docking procedure in a step-by-step manner, and the charging current is applied when the docking is not completed. To prevent safety accidents.

On the other hand, the charging connector 100 of the present invention can be mounted on the electric vehicle 1 so that the connector guide 120 and the connector electrode portion 130 to the front (see (1) of Figure 14), but is not limited to this It doesn't happen.

For example, the charging connector 100 of the present invention may be mounted on the electric vehicle 1 such that the connector guide 120 and the connector electrode 130 face upward. In this case, the robot arm 410 may perform two-axis driving, and then the first docking may be performed by moving the docking socket 500 downward. In addition, the socket electrode part 530 may be moved downward by the actuator 540 to perform secondary docking.

On the other hand, in order to smoothly obtain "positional information" of the charging connector 100 at each time point when the two-axis driving of the robot arm 410 and the lower movement of the docking socket 500 during the first docking, the charging connector ( The feature point 140 of the 100 is a first feature point 141 (for example, located in the front surface) and a second feature point 142 (for example, the upper surface) which are positioned on different surfaces of the case 110 of the charging connector 100. Location). Accordingly, the near position sensor 830 senses the first feature point 141 when the robot arm 410 is driven in two axes, and provides “position information”, and the second feature point 142 during the first docking. ) May be provided to provide "location information".

On the other hand, the configuration of the present invention described above may have a variety of embodiments within the scope that the skilled person does not change the essential features. For example, some components of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle) may be provided in the docking socket 500 instead of the charging connector 100 (or the charging port of the electric vehicle), or part of the docking socket 500. The configuration may be provided in the charging connector 100 (or charging port of the electric vehicle) instead of the docking socket 500.

In the above, embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may implement the present invention in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features. I can understand that. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive.

Claims (26)

A charging connector electrically connected to the charging port of the vehicle;
A docking socket disposed on a robot arm of a charging robot and docked to the charging connector by linear driving of the robot arm to x, y, and z axes; And
An attitude control member disposed on at least one of the charging connector and the docking socket;
The charging connector,
case;
A connector guide formed on a case of the charging connector;
A smart cord disposed adjacent to the connector guide in a case of the charging connector, the smart cord being a two-dimensional plane image; And
A connector electrode part positioned on the connector guide;
The docking socket,
case;
A socket guide disposed on the case of the docking socket and having a shape corresponding to a male and female coupling to the connector guide;
A socket electrode part disposed on the socket guide to be movable from the inside to the outside, and connected to the connector electrode part;
An actuator for moving the socket electrode part; And
It is disposed spaced apart from the socket guide, and comprises a position sensor for sensing the smart code to generate position information,
The robot arm is driven according to the position information generated by the position sensor to couple the socket guide to the connector guide, and then the actuator slides the socket electrode part from the inside of the socket guide to the outside on the z axis to the outside. By connecting with the said connector electrode part, docking is performed,
The posture control member may be docked on at least one of the case and the socket guide of the charging connector such that at least one of the case and the socket guide of the charging connector is rotatable about at least one axis of the x and y axes. assembly.
delete The method of claim 1,
The smart cord includes a docking assembly including a first smart cord and a second smart cord located on different sides of the case of the charging connector.
delete delete The method of claim 1,
The connector guide is in the form of a groove recessed in the case of the charging connector, the groove of the connector guide is a docking assembly having a tapered on at least a portion so that the cross-sectional area of the bottom surface is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the ceiling opening.
delete delete The method of claim 1,
The charging connector further includes a first docking sensor configured to sense whether the socket guide and the connector guide are coupled to generate a first docking completion signal,
And the socket electrode part moves to connect with the connector electrode part after a first docking completion signal is generated.
The method of claim 1,
The charging connector further includes a second docking sensor that senses whether the socket electrode part is connected to the connector electrode part and generates a second docking completion signal.
And the charging robot initiates charging after the second docking completion signal is generated.
The method of claim 1,
The connector electrode part includes a connector charging electrode and a connector signal electrode,
And a charging robot initiates charging through the connector charging electrode after a connection signal is generated at the connector signal electrode.
The method of claim 1,
At least one of the case of the charging connector and the connector guide is a docking assembly having a retaining portion for supporting the socket guide in a direction opposite to the movement direction of the socket electrode.
The method of claim 1,
The charging connector,
Further comprising a plurality of hooks on the opposite side of the connector guide in the case of the charging connector,
A docking assembly electrically connected to the charging port of the electric vehicle by a cable, and is mounted to the license plate of the electric vehicle by the plurality of hooks.
The method of claim 1,
The charging connector further comprises a docking connector for docking with the charging port of the electric vehicle, and a hinge link for connecting the case of the docking connector and the charging connector and changing the attitude of the case of the charging connector.
delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete The method of claim 1,
The docking socket further includes a first docking sensor configured to sense whether the socket guide and the connector guide are coupled to generate a first docking completion signal,
And the socket electrode part moves to connect with the connector electrode part after a first docking completion signal is generated.
The method of claim 1,
The docking socket further includes a second docking sensor configured to generate a second docking completion signal by sensing whether the socket electrode unit and the connector electrode unit are connected.
And the charging robot initiates charging after the second docking completion signal is generated.
The method of claim 1,
The socket electrode unit includes a docking charging electrode and a docking signal electrode,
And a charging robot to start charging through the docking charging electrode after a connection signal is generated from the docking signal electrode. delete

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