CN112072749A

CN112072749A - Charging device, charging station and mowing system

Info

Publication number: CN112072749A
Application number: CN202010946351.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 成孟哲; 周国扬; 刘楷; 汪洋; 王近; 王夕雯
Original assignee: Nanjing Sumec Intelligent Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Nanjing Sumec Intelligent Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-09-10
Filing date: 2020-09-10
Publication date: 2020-12-11

Abstract

The invention provides a charging device, a charging station and a mowing system. The charging electrode of the invention can be switched between the charging position and the accommodating position of the charging station, so that the charging circuit is correspondingly connected or disconnected. The invention can enable the charging electrode of the charging station to be recovered into the charging station when the charging station is separated from the charging state, and keep the charging electrode uncharged. Therefore, the charging electrode can be effectively protected from being touched by mistake, and the electric energy loss of the charging station in a non-charging state can be reduced.

Description

Charging device, charging station and mowing system

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of automatic walking equipment, in particular to a charging device, a charging station and a mowing system.

Background

Automatic walking equipment such as a mowing robot is generally provided with a charging station which can be matched with the automatic walking equipment, so that the automatic walking equipment enters the charging station to realize butt joint charging. On the charging station, in order to realize the butt joint with the automatic walking equipment, a charging plug protruding out of the charging station is generally required to be arranged. Correspondingly, the machine body of the automatic walking equipment is also provided with a socket matched with the charging plug. The automatic walking equipment can be charged after the plug is in butt joint with the socket.

In the existing charging station, a charging plug of the charging station is usually implemented by two fixedly arranged electrodes protruding out of the charging station. The electrode plug is electrically connected to a power supply and is electrified in real time. Because the charging plug fixed position and expose all the time outside the charging station, consequently, there is certain danger in current charging plug structure so.

Disclosure of Invention

The charging electrode is movably arranged, so that the charging electrode can be accommodated in the charging station when the charging electrode is not charged, and the safety of the charging station is improved. The invention specifically adopts the following technical scheme.

First, in order to achieve the above object, a charging device is provided for docking and charging with an automatic traveling apparatus, including: a charging electrode that is switchable between a charging position and a storage position of the charging station; when in the charging position, the charging electrode is connected with the circuit; when the charging electrode is located at the storage position, the charging electrode is disconnected from the circuit.

Optionally, the charging device as described in any of the above, wherein when the charging electrode is located at the charging position, the charging electrode protrudes from the charging station; when the charging electrode is located at the accommodating position, the charging electrode is accommodated in the charging station.

Optionally, the charging device further includes a receiving slot, which is disposed on the charging station; when the charging electrode is positioned at the charging position, the charging electrode protrudes out of the accommodating groove; when the charging electrode is located at the storage position, the charging electrode is accommodated inside the storage groove.

Optionally, the charging device further comprises a driving system for driving the charging electrode to move from the storage position to the charging position or to return from the charging position to the storage position.

Optionally, the charging device as in any above, wherein the driving system includes: an actuator for outputting a torque for driving the charging electrode to rotate; the rotating shaft is fixedly connected with the tail end of the charging electrode and synchronously rotates with the charging electrode; and the transmission device is connected between the actuator and the rotating shaft and transmits the torque output by the actuator to the rotating shaft and the charging electrode.

Optionally, the charging device as described in any of the above, wherein a connecting portion is provided at a tail end of the charging electrode; the connecting part is connected with a circuit state switching device, and the circuit state switching device is used for switching on the circuit connection when the charging electrode moves to the charging position; the circuit connection is cut off when the charging electrode moves to the storage position.

Optionally, the charging device as described in any of the above, wherein the circuit state switching device includes: an insulating layer partially covering an outer surface of the connection portion; a contact piece fixedly arranged on the accommodating groove and abutted against the periphery of the connecting part; when the charging electrode is positioned at a charging position, the contact piece is directly abutted against the outer surface of the connecting part and is electrically connected with the connecting part, and charging voltage is output to the charging electrode; when the charging electrode is separated from the charging position, the contact piece is abutted against the insulating layer on the outer surface of the connecting part, and the output path of the charging voltage is cut off.

Optionally, the charging device as described above, wherein one end of the contact piece abuts against the connecting portion, and the other end of the contact piece is connected to a charging voltage.

Optionally, the charging device according to any one of the above claims, wherein the circuit state switching device includes an angle sensor or a position sensor disposed on the charging electrode, and is configured to trigger an output path for turning on a charging voltage on the charging electrode when the charging electrode is detected to rotate to the charging position; and triggering to cut off the output path of the charging voltage when the charging electrode is detected to be separated from the charging position.

Optionally, the charging device as described in any of the above, wherein the driving system is further connected to a charging range detection device, and is configured to trigger the driving system to drive the charging electrode to rotate from the storage position to the charging position when it is detected that the automatic walking device enters the charging range.

Optionally, the charging device according to any of the above, wherein the charging range detection device includes any one of an infrared detection unit, an image recognition unit, an ultrasonic detection unit, a magnetic induction element, a proximity sensor, or a combination thereof.

Meanwhile, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention further provides a charging station, which includes the charging device as described above.

Meanwhile, the invention also provides a mowing system which comprises the automatic walking equipment and a charging station matched with the automatic walking equipment, wherein the charging device is arranged on the charging station.

Advantageous effects

According to the invention, the charging electrode in the automatic walking equipment charging station is set to be capable of switching between the charging position and the accommodating position of the charging station, so that the charging electrode can be correspondingly communicated with the charging circuit at the charging position outside the charging station, and the butt joint charging with the automatic walking equipment is realized; the charging electrode can be correspondingly electrically connected with a charging circuit at a storage position in the charging station, so that the charging electrode is protected from being damaged easily, and the potential safety hazard caused by the non-charging state is reduced. The invention can enable the charging electrode of the charging station to be recovered into the charging station when the charging station is separated from the charging state, and keep the charging electrode uncharged. Therefore, the charging electrode can be effectively protected from being touched by mistake, and the electric energy loss of the charging station in a non-charging state can be reduced.

Furthermore, the invention can detect the position relation of the automatic walking equipment relative to the charging station through the charging range detection device, when the automatic walking equipment enters the charging range, the charging electrode is driven to be switched from the accommodating position to the charging position, and the charging station is switched to a state capable of providing butt charging for the automatic walking equipment in time in advance. Therefore, the charging efficiency of the charging station can be further improved.

The switching of the on-off state of the charging circuit can be realized by a mechanical structure of the connecting part of the charging electrode, and can also be realized by detecting the position of the charging electrode through a sensing device arranged on the charging electrode to trigger a corresponding control element. The method can avoid uncertainty caused by faults of electronic control elements by using mechanical structures such as contact plates, insulating layers and the like, and is simple in structure, simple in circuit wiring, low in cost and easy to realize.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention and not to limit the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the charging electrode of the present invention in a charging station charging position;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the charging electrode of the present invention in a charging station stowed position;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a drive system in a charging device;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a charging electrode configuration;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the charging electrode in a charging position of the charging station;

fig. 6 is a sectional view of the charging electrode in the charging station storage position.

Description of reference numerals: 1. a charging station; 2. a receiving groove; 3. a charging electrode; 4. a rotating shaft; 5. an actuator; 6. a gear; 7. a contact piece; 301. a connecting portion; 302. a plug; 303. connecting holes; 304. an insulating layer.

Detailed Description

In order to make the purpose and technical solution of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. It is to be understood that the embodiments described are only a few embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the described embodiments of the invention without any inventive step, are within the scope of protection of the invention.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the prior art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

The meaning of "inside and outside" in the present invention means that the direction pointing to the charging circuit inside the charging station is inside, and vice versa, with respect to the charging station itself; and not as a specific limitation on the mechanism of the device of the present invention.

The term "connected" as used herein may mean either a direct connection between the components or an indirect connection between the components via other components.

The term "up and down" as used herein means that the direction from the ground toward the charging electrode is up, and vice versa, when the user is facing the charging station, and is not limited to the mechanism of the device of the present invention.

In a first implementation manner, the invention provides a charging device for a charging station, which comprises a charging electrode, wherein the charging electrode is movably arranged on the charging station, and the charging electrode can be switched between a storage position and a charging position.

As shown in fig. 1, when the charging electrode 3 is in the charging position, the charging electrode 3 protrudes outside the charging station 1, so that the robot can be docked conveniently. At this time, the charging electrode 3 is connected to a power supply provided by a charging circuit, and can be docked and charged with a charging socket of the automatic traveling apparatus. As shown in fig. 2, when the charging electrode 3 is in the storage position, the charging electrode 3 is stored in the charging station 1 and can be disconnected from the power supply provided by the charging circuit inside the charging station. At the moment, the charging electrode is not electrified and cannot be directly in butt contact with an external device, so that electric shock danger is not easy to occur, the operation safety of a mowing system consisting of the automatic walking equipment and the charging station can be effectively ensured, and accidents are avoided.

In particular, the charging electrode 3 can be moved by an actuator 5 inside the charging station. Fig. 3 shows a structure in which the actuator 5 drives the charging electrode 3 to move. The structure of the charging electrode 3 is shown in fig. 4. The charging electrode 3 may be configured to include a plug 302 and a connection portion 301 provided at a rear end of the plug 302. The center of the connection portion 301 may be provided with a connection hole 303. Two charging electrodes used for being in butt joint with the automatic walking equipment on the charging station can be respectively installed on the same rotating shaft 4 through connecting holes of the two charging electrodes, and an actuator is connected through the rotating shaft, so that linkage control is realized. The connecting hole can be connected with the rotating shaft 4 through a limiting structure with an angle limiting function or along the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft such as a pin or a key, so that the rotating shaft and the charging electrode can synchronously rotate. The rotating shaft 4 can be connected with an actuator 5 through a transmission device such as a gear 6 and the like, and is driven by the actuator 5 to rotate. In this embodiment, the actuator 5 may be a motor, and the motor rotates to drive the charging electrode 3 to swing.

The charging station 1 is provided with the storage groove 2, the connecting part of the charging electrode 3 can be arranged at one end of the storage groove 2, and the charging electrode 3 rotates by taking a rotating shaft connected with the connecting part as a rotating center, so that the charging electrode can be switched between two states of being stored in the storage groove 2 or protruding out of the charging station 1.

As shown in fig. 4, the entire charging electrode 3 is made of a metal material. The outer surface of the connection portion 301 thereof may be partially provided with an insulating layer 304. The insulating layer 304 may be an insulating material coated on the outer wall of the connection portion 301, or an insulating material attached to the outer wall of the connection portion 301 by injection molding, compression molding, or the like.

As shown in fig. 5, a contact 7 may be further disposed on the receiving slot in the charging station 1, and the contact 7 is connected to a charging power signal provided by the charging circuit. When the charging electrode 3 is in the charging position, the contact piece 7 is directly abutted with the part without the insulating layer 304 on the connecting part 301 of the charging electrode 3, and the charging electrode is electrically connected with a charging circuit to be connected with charging voltage; as shown in fig. 6, when the charging electrode 3 is in the storage position, the contact 7 abuts against the insulating layer 304 outside the charging electrode 3, and the electrical connection between the charging electrode and the charging circuit is broken.

A charging method corresponding to the structure of the charging station 1:

1. the automatic walking equipment and the charging station 1 are in wireless communication;

2. collecting electric quantity information of automatic walking equipment;

3. when the electric quantity of the automatic walking equipment does not reach a threshold value required to be charged, the charging electrode 3 of the charging station 1 is positioned at a storage position;

4. when the electric quantity of the automatic walking equipment reaches the threshold value required to be charged, the charging electrode 3 of the charging station 1 moves to the charging position, and the automatic walking equipment returns to the charging station 1 to be charged.

In the step 4, when the electric quantity of the automatic traveling equipment reaches the threshold value required to be charged and the automatic traveling equipment moves to the charging range, the charging electrode 3 of the charging station 1 moves to the charging position, and the automatic traveling equipment returns to the charging station 1 to be charged. The charging range may be a small area around the charging station 1 set by a person, and the charging electrode 3 may be prevented from moving to the charging position too early. The determination of whether the automatic traveling apparatus reaches the charging range may be performed by using conventional detection means, such as a magnetic induction element, a proximity sensor, infrared detection, image recognition, ultrasonic detection, or the like. When the technical means of controlling the movement of the charging electrode by judging whether the self-walking equipment reaches the charging range is adopted, the communication connection between the charging station and the self-walking equipment is not required to be established.

Another scheme for controlling whether the electrodes are electrified is as follows:

the electrode can move among a plurality of positions, a sensor is arranged in the charging station, and the position of the charging electrode is detected through the sensor. The sensor for detecting the position of the electrode may be an angle sensor, a hall, or the like. The position of the electrode can be judged through sensor parameters. When the electrode is detected to be in the charging position, the electrode is controlled to be electrified through the circuit, and when the electrode is not in the charging position, the electrode is controlled to be powered off through the circuit. Specifically, the electrodes may be controlled to be turned on or off by an electronic switch or the like.

In the invention, the charging electrode only protrudes out of the charging station when charging is needed, and the charging electrode can be accommodated in the charging station when charging is not needed. The invention greatly protects the charging electrode, so that the charging electrode is not easy to damage. The charging electrode is electrified at the charging position, so that the potential safety hazard can be greatly reduced.

The above are merely embodiments of the present invention, which are described in detail and with particularity, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and these changes and modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. The utility model provides a charging device for with automatic walking equipment butt joint charge, its characterized in that includes:

a charging electrode (3) that can be switched between a charging position and a storage position of a charging station;

when in the charging position, the charging electrode (3) is connected with the circuit;

when in the storage position, the charging electrode (3) is disconnected from the circuit.

2. A charging arrangement as claimed in claim 1,

when the charging electrode (3) is positioned at the charging position, the charging electrode (3) protrudes out of the charging station;

when the charging electrode (3) is located at the storage position, the charging electrode (3) is stored in the charging station.

3. A charging device according to claim 2, further comprising a receiving groove (2) provided on said charging station;

when the charging electrode (3) is positioned at the charging position, the charging electrode (3) protrudes out of the accommodating groove (2);

when the charging electrode (3) is located at the storage position, the charging electrode (3) is accommodated inside the storage groove (2).

4. A charging arrangement as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a drive system for driving the charging electrode (3) from the stowed position to the charging position, or for driving the charging electrode (3) from the charging position back to the stowed position.

5. A charging arrangement as claimed in claim 4, in which the drive system comprises:

an actuator (5) for outputting a torque for driving the charging electrode (3) to rotate;

the rotating shaft (4) is fixedly connected with the tail end of the charging electrode (3) and synchronously rotates with the charging electrode (3);

and a transmission device connected between the actuator (5) and the rotating shaft (4) and transmitting the torque output by the actuator (5) to the rotating shaft (4) and the charging electrode (3).

6. A charging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the trailing end of the charging electrode (3) is provided with a connecting portion (301);

the connecting part (301) is connected with a circuit state switching device, and the circuit state switching device is used for switching on circuit connection when the charging electrode (3) moves to a charging position; when the charging electrode (3) moves to the storage position, the circuit connection is cut off.

7. The charging device according to claim 6, wherein the circuit state switching device comprises:

an insulating layer (304) partially covering an outer surface of the connection portion (301);

a contact piece (7) which is fixedly arranged on the accommodating groove (2) and is abutted against the periphery of the connecting part (301);

when the charging electrode (3) is positioned at a charging position, the contact piece (7) is directly abutted against the outer surface of the connecting part (301) and is electrically connected with the connecting part (301), and charging voltage is output to the charging electrode (3);

when the charging electrode (3) is separated from the charging position, the contact piece (7) is abutted on the insulating layer (304) on the outer surface of the connecting part (301), and the output path of the charging voltage is cut off.

8. A charging device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that said contact (7) is in abutment with the connecting portion (301) at one end and connected to a charging voltage at the other end.

9. A charging arrangement as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the circuit-state switching means comprise an angle sensor or a position sensor arranged on the charging electrode (3) for triggering an output path for switching on the charging voltage on the charging electrode (3) upon detection of a rotation of the charging electrode (3) into the charging position; and triggering to cut off the output path of the charging voltage when the charging electrode (3) is detected to be separated from the charging position.

10. A charging device according to claim 4, characterized in that the drive system is further connected with a charging range detection device for triggering the drive system to drive the charging electrode (3) to rotate from the storage position to the charging position when the automatic walking device is detected to enter the charging range.

11. The charging device according to claim 10, wherein the charging range detection means includes any one of an infrared detection unit, an image recognition unit, an ultrasonic detection unit, a magnetic induction element, a proximity sensor, or a combination thereof.

12. A charging station comprising a charging apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A mowing system comprising an automatic walking device and a charging station matched with the automatic walking device, wherein the charging device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is arranged on the charging station.