JP2640291B2 - Connection confirmation device in power supply device for mobile vehicles - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a mobile vehicle provided with a power receiving electrode, which is connected to the power receiving electrode in a state where the mobile vehicle is stopped at a predetermined position for power supply. The present invention relates to a connection confirmation device in a power supply device for a mobile vehicle, which is provided such that a power supply electrode is operated to move in a distance direction with respect to the power reception electrode by a moving operation means provided on the ground side.

[Conventional technology]

In order to charge the battery mounted on the mobile vehicle from the ground side, or to appropriately supply power from the ground side to a work device such as a transfer device mounted on the mobile vehicle, the mobile vehicle is stopped at a predetermined position for power supply. In such a state, the power supply electrode provided on the ground side is brought close to and connected to the power reception electrode on the moving vehicle side by the moving operation means.

In order to make this connection confirmation, a pair of connection confirmation electrodes are juxtaposed near the power supply electrode and the power reception electrode, respectively.
The two electrodes for connection confirmation are configured to be in contact with the connection between the power supply electrode and the power reception electrode, and the connection between the power supply electrode and the power reception electrode is properly confirmed. It has been considered to judge from the contact state and then start energization (that is, power supply) to the power supply electrode. this is,
If power is supplied while the power supply electrode and the power receiving electrode are not properly connected, the discharge between the electrodes may cause problems such as deterioration of the electrodes and oxidation of the contact surface, increasing the contact resistance. This is done for the purpose of avoiding.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, it is difficult to completely achieve the above-mentioned object only by the above method. For example, when the moving vehicle is stopped at a predetermined position for power supply with a slight inclination, the power supply electrode and the power reception electrode are completely connected. Before the connection, the contact state of the connection confirmation electrode is detected, and there is a possibility that power supply is started.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned fear and to more reliably confirm the connection between the power feeding electrode and the power receiving electrode.

[Means for solving the problem]

A connection confirming device in a power supply device for a mobile vehicle according to the present invention includes a power supply electrode connected to the power reception electrode in a state where the mobile vehicle is provided with a power receiving electrode and the mobile vehicle is stopped at a predetermined power supply position. Is provided so as to be moved in the direction toward and away from the power receiving electrode by moving operation means provided on the ground side. The first characteristic configuration is that A contact electrode is provided, and a contact electrode for connection confirmation connected to the contacted electrode is provided so as to be moved by the moving means in a distance direction with respect to the contacted electrode. In a state where the two electrodes for connection confirmation are separated from each other by the moving operation means, the distance between the two electrodes for connection confirmation is wider than the distance between the two electrodes for power supply. It is location, at least one of two electrodes for the power supply is in that it is retreating freely elastically supported.

The second characteristic configuration is added to the first characteristic configuration, in which a rod is elastically supported by one of the moving vehicle and the moving operation means so as to be capable of being displaced backward, and the other is provided with the power supply. A hole or a hole is provided to allow the rod to escape in a state where both electrodes for connection and both electrodes for connection confirmation are properly connected, and a detecting means for detecting whether the rod is retracted is provided. It is in that point.

(Operation)

According to the first characteristic configuration, in a state where the mobile vehicle is stopped at the predetermined position for power supply, when the power supply electrode on the ground side is connected to the power reception electrode by moving forward with the moving operation means, The contact electrode for connection confirmation and the contacted electrode are also connected. And it is arrange | positioned so that the space | interval of a contact electrode and a contacted electrode may become wider than the space | interval of a power receiving electrode and a power supply electrode in the separated state, and at least one of a reception electrode and a power supply electrode. Is elastically supported so as to be able to be displaced backward, so that the power supply electrode and the power reception electrode are connected first, and after being further pressed, the contact electrode and the contacted electrode come into contact. Therefore, even when the mobile vehicle is inclined and stops at the predetermined position for power supply, the connection is more reliably confirmed.

According to the second characteristic configuration, when the power supply electrode and the contact electrode approach to be connected to the passive electrode and the contacted electrode of the vehicle by the moving operation means on the ground side, they intersect at right angles with the moving direction. When the relative position between the electrodes on the plane is proper, the rod-shaped body provided on either the ground side or the moving vehicle is relieved by the hole or hole provided on the other side, but is shifted from the proper position In this case, the rod-shaped body hits the other front surface and retreats, and the retreat is detected by the detecting means.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the first characteristic configuration, in the connection operation in which the power supply electrode approaches and is connected to the power reception electrode, when the contact state between the connection confirmation electrodes is confirmed, the power supply electrodes are surely connected. It is connected to the. Therefore, it is possible to avoid deterioration of the electrode connection surface due to energization in an incomplete connection state,
This is advantageous in improving the durability of the electrode.

Furthermore, according to the second characteristic configuration, the power supply electrode and the contact electrode intersect at right angles with the movement direction when the power supply electrode and the contact electrode approach to be connected to the power reception electrode and the contacted electrode of the mobile vehicle by the ground operation means. Since the relative positional deviation between the electrodes on the plane can also be detected, mechanical damage, etc., when the power supply electrode and the contact electrode approach the power receiving electrode and the contacted electrode by the moving operation means while the relative position is displaced, is avoided. I can do it.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the moving vehicle (A) traveling along the guide (G) provided on the traveling surface is stopped at a predetermined position for power supply, and the mounted battery (E) is stopped. Power is supplied from a station (B) provided on the ground side for the purpose of charging, for example.

The mobile vehicle (A) has a power receiving connector (1) attached to the side of the vehicle body, and a power feeding connector (2) provided at a position opposite to the station (B). The power supply connector (2) is attached to the tip of an arm (3), and the arm (3) is driven by a motor (5) via a rack and pinion (4). That is, the power supply connector (2) is moved by the moving operation means (MS) including the motor (5), the rack and pinion (4), and the arm (3), and is connected to the power receiving connector (1) of the moving vehicle (A). Move closer or further away to be connected.

As shown in FIG. 4, the power receiving connector (1) is provided with a pair of power receiving electrodes (11) and contacted electrodes (12). Then, opposite to these electrodes, a pair of power supply electrodes (21) are provided on the power supply connector (2) as shown in FIG.
And a contact electrode (22) are provided, each of which is urged by a coil spring (b) to be displaced backward as shown in FIG.

The projecting dimension of the power supply electrode (21) is longer than the contact electrode (22) by the dimension d. Thereby, when the power supply connector (2) approaches and is connected to the power reception connector (1) by the moving operation means (MS), the power supply electrode (21) is first connected to the power reception electrode (11), Thereafter, the contact electrode (22) comes into contact with the contacted electrode (12). As will be described in detail later, when the contact between the contact electrode (22) and the contacted electrode (12) is detected, power is supplied from the power supply power supply (6) of the station (B) to the power supply power supply (21). Be started.

The power supply connector (3) further includes a rod-shaped body (hereinafter referred to as a dog) (23) which is displaced backward while being urged by the coil spring (b) similarly to the electrodes (21) and (22). Mounted freely. A limit switch (24) is attached to a protruding portion on the back of the connector as a detecting means for detecting the backward displacement. This dog (23)
Is to check whether the relative positions of the two connectors in a plane perpendicular to the approach direction when the power supply connector (2) approaches the power reception connector (1) are appropriate. is there. That is, in a proper case, the distal end of the dog (23) is released by the hole (13) provided in the power receiving connector (1) as shown in FIG. The contact at (24) remains open. On the other hand, if it is not proper, that is, if the relative positions of both connectors are misaligned, the tip (23a) of the dog (23)
Hits the front of the power receiving connector (1), and the dog (23) moves backward, so that the contact of the limit switch (24) is closed.

Next, a process in which the mobile vehicle (A) stops at the station (B) and power is supplied from the station (B) to charge the on-board battery (E) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the moving vehicle (A) stops at a predetermined position for charging. After it is confirmed that the optical sensor (PH) including the light emitting element and the light receiving element and the reflector (R) provided in the station (B) have stopped at a predetermined position, a power supply request signal is sent to the station (B). Send. Optical communication devices (8) and (9) are provided so that bidirectional communication can be performed between the mobile vehicle (A) and the station (B).

The station (B) that has received the power supply request signal transmits an active signal. This signal is transmitted to the mobile vehicle (A) at regular intervals during power supply. After this, station (B)
The control device (7) rotates the motor (5) forward to move the power supply connector (2) forward so as to approach the power receiving connector (1) of the moving vehicle (A). At this time, as described above, if the relative positional relationship between the power supply connector (2) and the power reception connector (1) is deviated, the contact of the limit switch (24) is caused by the backward displacement of the dog (23). close. Upon detecting this, the control device (7) immediately stops the motor (5), reverses the direction, reverses the power supply connector (2), and turns on the abnormal lamp (not shown) or sounds a buzzer (not shown). Perform processing.

When the relative positional relationship between the power supply connector (2) and the power reception connector (1) is proper, the power supply electrode (21) is first moved to the power reception electrode (11) as the power supply connector (2) advances. ), And then the contact electrode (22) for connection confirmation comes into contact with the contacted electrode (12). The control device (7) monitors the contact / non-contact between the contact electrode (22) and the contacted electrode (12). When the contact state is detected, the control device (7) stops the motor (5), and the power supply electrode ( Start energizing 21). If the contact state is not detected even when the power supply connector (2) advances to the forward limit, the above-described abnormality processing is performed.

When the completion of charging is detected on the mobile vehicle (A) side after the predetermined charging time has elapsed, a charging end signal is transmitted from the mobile vehicle (A) to the station (B). When the station (B) receives this charging end signal, the control device (7) stops supplying power to the power supply electrode (21), drives the motor (5) in reverse, and retreats the power supply connector (2). Let it. When the reverse limit is detected (the description of the detecting means is omitted), the motor (5) is stopped, and the transmission of the in-operation signal from the station (B) to the moving vehicle (A) is stopped.
The moving vehicle (A) moves to another vehicle after confirming the stop of the operating signal.

In addition, the station (B) supplies temporary large electric power necessary for the transfer work and the like from the station (B) to the mobile vehicle (B), not for charging the battery (E) mounted on the mobile vehicle (A). In this case, power is supplied basically in the same manner as described above.

(Another embodiment)

In the above embodiment, the power supply electrode (21) and the power reception electrode (11) are used.
In order to ensure the connection with the contact electrode, a contact electrode (22) and a contact electrode (12) for confirming the connection are provided, and their contact is made between the power supply electrode (21) and the power reception electrode (11). First means configured to take place after contact with the dog;
And a second means for detecting a displacement between the power supply connector (2) and the power receiving connector (1) based on the positional relationship between the power supply connector (2) and the power receiving connector (1). Since the means function independently, a configuration using only one of the means may be used, or the means may be combined with other known means.

Further, in the above embodiment, the projecting dimension of the power supply electrode (21) is longer than the contact electrode (22) by d when the power supply connector (2) and the power receiving connector (1) are separated from each other. Alternatively, the power receiving connector (1) may have a configuration in which the projecting dimensions of the power receiving electrode (11) and the contacted electrode (12) are different. In short, the technical idea of the present invention should be considered as a connector set in the relative relationship between the power supply connector (2) and the power receiving connector (1).

For the same reason, the dog (23) is connected to the power receiving connector (1).
And the hole (13) may be provided in the power supply connector (2), or each electrode on the power receiving connector (1) side may be provided with an elastic support structure using a coil spring (b).

In the claims, reference numerals are provided for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in the attached drawings.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 to 6 show an embodiment of a power supply device for a mobile vehicle according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a plan view thereof, FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of both connectors, FIG. 4 is a front view and a side sectional view showing a power receiving connector, FIG. 5 is a front view showing a power feeding connector, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a power feeding operation. (11) ... Power receiving electrode, (12) ... Contacted electrode, (13)
... holes, (21) ... power supply electrodes, (22) ... contact electrodes,
(23) ... rod-shaped body, (24) ... detection means, (A) ... moving vehicle, (MS) ... movement operation means.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An electric power receiving electrode (11) is provided on a moving vehicle (A), and power is supplied to the electric power receiving electrode (11) when the moving vehicle (A) is stopped at a predetermined position for electric power feeding. A connection confirming device in a power supply device for a mobile vehicle, which is provided so that the operating electrode (21) is operated to move in a distance direction with respect to the power receiving electrode (11) by a moving operation means (MS) provided on the ground side. A contact electrode (12) for connection confirmation is provided on the moving vehicle (A), and a contact electrode (22) for connection confirmation connected to the contact electrode (12) is provided on the moving means (MS). ) So as to be moved in the direction of perspective with respect to the contacted electrode (12), the power supply electrodes (11) and (21) and the connection confirmation electrodes (12) and (22). ), When they are separated by the moving operation means (MS), The two electrodes (11) and (21) are arranged so that the distance between the two electrodes (12) and (22) for connection confirmation is wider than the distance between the two electrodes (11) and (21). , (21) is a connection confirmation device in a power supply device for a mobile vehicle, wherein at least one of the power supply devices is elastically supported so as to be displaced backward. 2. A power supply device for a mobile vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a rod-like body (23) is resiliently displaceable to one of the mobile vehicle (A) and the mobile operation means (MS). The rod-like body (23) is released while the two electrodes (11) and (21) for power supply and the two electrodes (12) and (22) for connection confirmation are properly connected to the other. A connection confirmation device in a power supply device for a mobile vehicle, comprising a hole or a hole (13), and further provided with a detection means (24) for detecting whether or not the rod-shaped body (23) is retracted.