JP7154852B2 - vehicle charger - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle charging device.

In recent years, in addition to hybrid vehicles (HEV), vehicles such as electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) have been put into practical use. Since such a vehicle runs by driving a drive motor with electric power charged in a battery or the like, it is necessary to charge the battery by supplying electric power from a charging device outside the vehicle.

As for the method of charging the battery mounted on the vehicle from the outside of the vehicle, for example, there is a non-contact power supply system (for example, There are Patent Documents 1 and 2). Further, there is a power feeding method (for example, Patent Document 3) in which charging is performed by fitting a power receiving coupler on the vehicle side and a power transmitting coupler on the charging device side.

Patent Literature 1 discloses an automatic charging device that adjusts the position of the vehicle using a car stop so that the power receiving coil is positioned directly above the power transmitting coil when the vehicle is parked. In Patent Document 2, a regulation plate that regulates the movement of wheels and a power transmission coil on the charging device side are integrated, and when the regulation plate stands upright, the power transmission coil and the power reception coil face each other. An apparatus is disclosed. Patent Literature 3 discloses a vehicle charging device in which a power transmission coupler moves back and forth after the vehicle is parked to align with a power reception coupler, and the power transmission coupler rises to engage with the power reception coupler.

JP-A-9-182212 JP-A-10-28332 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-178000

By the way, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the contactless power supply system is used, the demand for the accuracy of the stopping position of the vehicle is not so high, and it is difficult to say that the power transmitting coil and the power receiving coil are accurately aligned. In Patent Document 3, accurate alignment of the power transmission coupler and the power reception coupler is possible. has become complex and expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to accurately stop a vehicle at a stop position by a simple method and to reliably fit a power receiving port on the vehicle side and a power feeding port on the charging device side. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle charging device capable of

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle charging device according to the present invention includes: a wheel stopper for stopping the vehicle by coming into contact with a wheel of the vehicle; a communication unit for performing wireless communication with the vehicle; a controller for driving and controlling the car stop based on connector position information received from the vehicle by a control unit; a connector elevating unit that moves a device-side connector provided in a charging device from a standby position to a fitting position to fit the device-side connector into a vehicle-side connector provided in the vehicle; and the device-side connector. a charging unit for charging the vehicle according to a charging signal from the control unit in a fitted state in which the is fitted to the vehicle-side connector, wherein the connector position information is provided for each vehicle is the separation distance between the vehicle-side connector and the reference position in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the reference position is the position of a vertical imaginary line passing through the axle of the front wheels of the vehicle, and the A plurality of car stop portions are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and have car stop members that protrude from the ground in response to a projecting signal from the control portion. The connector determines a stop position of the vehicle that can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector, and outputs the projection signal for projecting the wheel stop member capable of stopping the vehicle at the stop position. .

In the vehicle charging device described above, the car stop member is a plate-like member that is continuously arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and that can protrude from the ground such that the adjacent car stop members protrude from the ground at different heights. wherein the car stop portion moves a plate-like member group including at least two adjacent plate-like members to a position where the protrusion height of the plate-like member group is in front of the vehicle in response to a protrusion signal from the control portion. The control unit determines a stop position of the vehicle where the device-side connector can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector based on the connector position information, and the stop It outputs the projection signal for projecting the group of plate-like members capable of stopping the vehicle at a position.

According to the vehicle charging device according to the present invention, the vehicle can be accurately stopped at the stop position by a simple method, and the power receiving port on the vehicle side and the power feeding port on the charging device side can be securely fitted. Effective.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle charging device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a parking lot in which the vehicle charging device according to the first embodiment is arranged. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle charging device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the vehicle charging device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wheel stopper according to a modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle charging device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle charging device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the vehicle charging device according to the second embodiment.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, it demonstrates in detail, referring drawings for embodiment of the charging device for vehicles which concerns on this invention. In addition, this invention is not limited by the following embodiment. Components in the following embodiments include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same. Also, the constituent elements in the following embodiments can be omitted, replaced, and changed in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention.

[First embodiment]
A vehicle charging device 1A according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. The vehicle charging device 1A is provided, for example, in a parking area 3 in a parking lot, and charges a vehicle 100 stopped in the parking area 3 . The vehicle charging device 1A is connected to a battery mounted on the vehicle 100 by a connection means such as a connector and supplies electric power. In addition to the function of charging the battery of the vehicle 100, the vehicle charging device 1A has a wireless communication function of performing wireless communication with the vehicle 100 and a car stop function of stopping the vehicle 100 at a predetermined stop position within the parking area 3. and

In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the X direction in FIGS. , and the Z direction is called the “vertical direction” of the vehicle 100 . The width direction, the front-back direction, and the up-down direction are orthogonal to each other. Here, the forward direction and the rearward direction in the longitudinal direction are also referred to as the rear. Note that the vertical direction is not limited to the vertical direction.

The vehicle 100 will now be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle 100 is an automobile having front wheels 101, rear wheels 102, and a vehicle body 103. It is equipped with a battery (not shown) and uses electric power stored in the battery. It is intended to run. Vehicle 100 includes, for example, an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), and the like. Vehicle 100 includes vehicle-side connector 105 at the bottom of vehicle body 103 and between front wheel 101 and rear wheel 102 . Vehicle-side connector 105 is a power receiving port on vehicle 100 side and is electrically connected to a battery in vehicle 100 . In the vehicle 100, the battery is electrically connected to the vehicle charging device 1A by fitting the vehicle-side connector 105 to the device-side connector 31 provided in the vehicle charging device 1A. The battery is charged by supplying power to the battery. Vehicle 100 includes a communication unit 110 and a control unit 111, as shown in FIG. The communication unit 110 performs wireless communication with, for example, a wireless communication device outside the vehicle. The communication unit 110 has an antenna 110a. The communication unit 110 performs wireless communication with the vehicle charging device 1A via the antenna 110a, and transmits predetermined information (for example, connector position information described later) to the vehicle charging device 1A. The control unit 111 is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) mounted on the vehicle 100, and is connected to various electronic devices, drive motors, etc. in the vehicle 100 including the communication unit 110, and controls these. do. Control unit 111 can output a control signal to communication unit 110 so as to transmit predetermined information to vehicle charging device 1A.

A vehicle charging device 1A of the present embodiment includes a communication section 11, a car stop section 12A, a connector lifting section 14, a charging section 15, and a control section 16, as shown in FIG. These parts are stored in the space under the ground 120 within the parking area 3 . The ground 120 in the parking area 3 is suitable for running and parking the vehicle 100, and is made of a material capable of protecting devices and various mechanisms stored under the ground 120.

The communication unit 11 performs wireless communication with the vehicle 100 . The communication unit 11 exchanges information with the communication unit 110 in the vehicle 100 using various wireless communication methods such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), and ZigBee (registered trademark). conduct. The communication unit 11 has an antenna 11a. Communication unit 11 receives connector position information transmitted from communication unit 110 in vehicle 100 via antenna 11a. The communication unit 11 is electrically connected to the control unit 16 and outputs the received connector position information to the control unit 16 .

Here, the connector position information will be explained. The connector position information is information for specifying the position of vehicle-side connector 105 in the longitudinal direction of vehicle 100 . The connector position information is, for example, the distance L between the reference position in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 and the vehicle-side connector 105 . For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the separation distance L is defined between a vertical imaginary line P passing through the axle of the front wheel 101 and a vertical imaginary line R passing through the longitudinal center of the vehicle-side connector 105. Distance. Therefore, the reference position in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 is the position of the imaginary line P, and the position of the vehicle-side connector 105 is the position of the imaginary line R. The separation distance L may differ depending on the vehicle type of the vehicle 100 and is therefore set for each vehicle type. For example, a vehicle whose reference position in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 is at the position of the virtual line P1 and a vehicle whose reference position is at the position of the virtual line P2 have a relationship of L2>L1 in the separation distance L. FIG.

The wheel stop portion 12A has a wheel stop mechanism including an actuator, a sensor, and the like (not shown), and stops the vehicle 100 in contact with the wheels of the vehicle 100 by the wheel stop mechanism. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the car stop portion 12A is stored, for example, in a space below the ground 120 in front of the parking area 3 in the front-rear direction, and stops the front wheels 101 of the vehicle 100. As shown in FIG. The wheel stop portion 12A of the present embodiment is provided for each of the right front wheel 101 and the left front wheel 101 in the width direction of the vehicle 100 . The wheel stop portion 12A is electrically connected to the control portion 16 and is driven according to a protrusion signal received from the control portion 16, for example. The car stop portion 12</b>A has a plurality of car stop members 20 a , 20 b , 20 c that are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 and protrude from the ground 120 in response to a projecting signal received from the control portion 16 . The wheel stop portion 12A causes one of the three wheel stop members 20a to 20c to protrude from the ground 120 in response to a projecting signal from the control portion 16. As shown in FIG. For example, when the car stop portion 12A receives a protrusion signal based on the connector position information for the separation distance L1 from the control portion 16, the car stop member 20c, which is the rearmost of the three car stop members 20a to 20c, projects from the ground 120. Let On the other hand, when the car stop portion 12A receives the protrusion signal based on the connector position information for the separation distance L2 from the control portion 16, the car stop member 20b located in the center of the three car stop members 20a to 20c projects from the ground 120. Let

Each wheel stop member 20 is made of metal such as iron or stainless steel, hard plastic, or the like. Each wheel stop member 20 has a triangular cross-sectional shape when viewed from the width direction. Each wheel stop member 20 is configured such that one surface of the outer peripheral surface contacts a part of the outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 101 in a projecting state protruding from the ground 120 . On the other hand, each wheel stop member 20 is configured so that the surface that has been in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 101 is flush with the ground 120 in the stored state under the ground 120 . Each wheel stop member 20 is configured to rotate around one of the three corners on the outer peripheral surface, for example, when transitioning between the housed state and the projected state. It is preferable that each wheel stop member 20 is set to a height such that it cannot easily get over the front wheel 101 in the projecting state described above. Each car stop member 20 , for example, protrudes from the ground 120 when the vehicle 100 enters the parking area 3 and is stored in a space below the ground 120 when leaving the parking area 3 . Each wheel stop member 20 has a piezoelectric sensor or the like on the surface with which the wheel abuts as detection means for detecting the abutment of the wheel. A sensing means such as a piezoelectric sensor is electrically connected to the control section 16 and outputs a sensor output signal to the control section 16 .

The connector elevating unit 14 is extendable in the vertical direction of the vehicle 100 and has a connector elevating mechanism including actuators and sensors (not shown). It is a thing. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector elevating section 14 is, for example, housed in a space under the ground 120 communicating with an opening 3a provided substantially in the center of the parking area 3 in the longitudinal direction and width direction. For example, when the connector elevating mechanism is composed of a pantograph or the like, the connector elevating section 14 is provided with the device-side connector 31 at the extension end of the pantograph in the expansion/contraction direction. The device-side connector 31 is a power supply port on the vehicle charging device 1A side, and is electrically connected to the charging section 15 via a cable or the like (not shown). The device-side connector 31 fits into the vehicle-side connector 105 and is electrically connected to the vehicle-side connector 105 . The connector elevation unit 14 is electrically connected to the control unit 16 and driven according to an elevation signal received from the control unit 16, for example. The connector elevating unit 14 raises the device-side connector 31 from the waiting position to the fitting position in response to an elevating signal from the control unit 16 while the vehicle 100 is stopped by the car stopper 12A. are fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105 . The device-side connector 31 is moved between the waiting position and the fitting position through the opening 3a by the connector raising/lowering part 14. As shown in FIG. At this standby position, the connector elevating mechanism of the connector elevating section 14 is bent and the device-side connector 31 is stored in the space under the ground 120 . The fitting position is a position where the connector elevating mechanism of the connector elevating section 14 is in an extended state and the device-side connector 31 is fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105 . It is preferable that the device-side connector 31 and the vehicle-side connector 105 have a structure in which they can be securely fitted even when their relative positions are slightly shifted in the width direction.

The charging section 15 charges the vehicle 100 according to a charging signal from the control section 16 in a fitted state in which the device-side connector 31 is fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105 . Charging unit 15 is electrically connected to an external power supply (not shown) including commercial power supply. In the fitted state, the charging unit 15 starts charging the battery on the vehicle 100 side from the external power supply in accordance with the charging signal received from the control unit 16 or ends the charging. In addition, the charging section 15 can measure the current flowing from the external power supply to the vehicle battery in the fitted state and transmit the current value to the control section 16 .

The control unit 16 drives and controls the wheel stopper 12A based on the connector position information received from the vehicle 100 by the communication unit 11 . The control unit 16 includes, for example, a central processing unit such as an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an electronic circuit mainly composed of a well-known microcomputer including an interface. Configured.

Based on the connector position information, the control unit 16 determines a stop position of the vehicle 100 where the device-side connector 31 can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105, and places the wheel stop member 20 capable of stopping the vehicle 100 at the stop position. Outputs a projecting signal for projecting. For example, the control unit 16 compares preset reference values S1 and S2 with the separation distance L, sets the stop position to N when L<S1, and stops when S1<L<S2. Position M, and stop position F if L>S2. Subsequently, the control unit 16 selects a wheel stop member 20 capable of stopping the vehicle 100 at the determined stop position from among the plurality of wheel stop members 20a to 20c, and outputs a projecting signal corresponding to the selected wheel stop member 20. Output to the unit 12A. For example, when the stop position N is determined, the control unit 16 selects the wheel stop member 20c corresponding to the stop position N, and outputs a protrusion signal corresponding to the wheel stop member 20c. Alternatively, when the stop position M is determined, the control unit 16 selects the wheel stop member 20b corresponding to the stop position M, and outputs a protrusion signal corresponding to the wheel stop member 20b. Alternatively, when the stop position F is determined, the control unit 16 selects the wheel stop member 20a corresponding to the stop position F, and outputs a protrusion signal corresponding to the wheel stop member 20a. That is, the wheel stop portion 12A causes one of the three wheel stop members 20a to 20c to protrude from the ground 120 in response to the protrusion signal from the control portion 16. FIG.

The control unit 16 receives a sensor output signal output from a piezoelectric sensor or the like of the car stop member 20 projecting from the ground 120 and determines whether or not the wheel comes into contact with the car stop member 20 . In the stopped state, the control unit 16 transmits an elevation signal to the connector elevation unit 14 to drive the connector elevation unit 14 and raise the device-side connector 31 from the standby position to the fitting position, thereby lifting the device-side connector. 31 is fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105 . In the fitted state, the control unit 16 transmits a charging signal to the charging unit 15 to cause the charging unit 15 to start charging the battery on the vehicle 100 side. Control unit 16 determines the state of charge of the vehicle-side battery based on the current value received from charging unit 15, and terminates charging of the vehicle 100-side battery according to the determined state of charge.

Next, the charging operation of the vehicle charging device 1A will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In principle, each step described below is executed by the control unit 16 .

First, in step S1, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the communication unit 11 has received the connector position information. When receiving connector position information from communication unit 110 of vehicle 100 , communication unit 11 outputs the received connector position information to control unit 16 . The control unit 16 determines that the connector position information has been received according to the connector position information input from the communication unit 11, and proceeds to step S2.

Next, in step S2, the control unit 16 causes the wheel stop corresponding to the connector position information to protrude. For example, when the connector position information is the separation distance L1, the control unit 16 determines the stop position N of the vehicle 100 where the device-side connector 31 can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105 based on the separation distance L1. The control unit 16 sends a projecting signal to the car stop 12A to project the rearmost car stop member 20c of the three car stop members 20a to 20c as the car stop member 20 capable of stopping the vehicle 100 at the determined stop position N. Output for Further, for example, when the connector position information is the separation distance L2, the control unit 16 determines the stop position M of the vehicle 100 where the device-side connector 31 can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105 based on the separation distance L2. . The control unit 16 outputs a protrusion signal to the wheel stopper 12A to project the wheel stopper 20b positioned at the center of the three wheel stoppers 20a to 20c as the wheel stopper 20 capable of stopping the vehicle 100 at the determined stop position M. Output for

Next, in step S3, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the wheels of the vehicle 100 (here, the front wheels 101) come into contact with the wheel stopper member 20 projecting from the wheel stopper portion 12A. For example, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 has stopped in response to receiving a sensor output signal from a piezoelectric sensor or the like provided on the car stop member 20 . When the controller 16 determines that the wheel has come into contact with the wheel stop member 20, the controller 16 proceeds to step S4.

Next, in step S<b>4 , the control section 16 outputs an elevation signal to the connector elevation section 14 . The connector raising/lowering part 14 raises the device-side connector 31 according to the received raising/lowering signal, thereby fitting the device-side connector 31 to the vehicle-side connector 105 .

Next, in step S<b>5 , the controller 16 determines whether or not the device-side connector 31 is fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105 . The control unit 16 performs, for example, a continuity test between the device-side connector 31 and the vehicle-side connector 105 to determine whether they are fitted. When the control unit 16 determines that the device-side connector 31 is fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105, the process proceeds to step S6.

Next, in step S<b>6 , control unit 16 outputs a charging signal to charging unit 15 to cause charging unit 15 to start charging the battery in vehicle 100 .

Next, in step S7, control unit 16 determines whether charging of the battery in vehicle 100 by charging unit 15 has been completed. The control unit 16 determines whether or not the charging is completed based on, for example, the current supplied to the charging unit 15 . When the control unit 16 determines that the charging has been completed, the control unit 16 proceeds to step S8.

Next, in step S<b>8 , the control section 16 outputs a descending signal as an ascending/descending signal to the connector ascending/descending section 14 . The connector elevating section 14 lowers the device-side connector 31 in response to the received lowering signal, thereby separating the device-side connector 31 from the vehicle-side connector 105 . When the device-side connector 31 is completely stored under the ground 120 , the connector lifting section 14 outputs a completion signal to the control section 16 .

In step S9, when the housing of the device-side connector 31 by the connector elevating section 14 is completed, the control section 16 outputs a housing signal to the car stop section 12A. 12 A of car stop parts store the car stop member 20 protruding from the ground 120 under the ground according to the received retraction signal, and this process is complete|finished.

In the vehicle charging device 1A described above, the control unit 16 determines the stop position of the vehicle 100 where the device-side connector 31 can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105 based on the connector position information received from the vehicle 100. A projection signal for projecting the wheel stop member 20 capable of stopping the vehicle 100 at the stop position is output to the wheel stop portion 12A. The wheel stop portion 12</b>A has a plurality of wheel stop members 20 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 , and causes the corresponding wheel stop member 20 to protrude from the ground 120 in response to a protrusion signal from the control portion 16 . With the above configuration, the vehicle 100 can be stopped at a plurality of stop positions corresponding to the plurality of car stop members 20, and the vehicle 100 can be stopped at a stop position where the device-side connector 31 can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105. be able to. As a result, the power receiving port on the vehicle 100 side and the power feeding port on the vehicle charging device 1A side can be reliably fitted.

Further, the vehicle charging device 1A is configured such that each car stop member 20 can be stored under the ground 120 when the charging of the battery in the vehicle 100 is completed. Accordingly, after the vehicle 100 enters the parking area 3 from the front and is charged, the vehicle 100 can exit the parking area 3 toward the front. Since it is generally easier for the driver of vehicle 100 to move vehicle 100 forward than to move vehicle 100 backward, usability of vehicle charging device 1A can be improved. Further, when the vehicle 100 is a bus or the like, it is possible to reduce the burden on the driver if the vehicle 100 can move forward and leave the parking area 3 .

In the above-described first embodiment, the wheel stop portion 12A has three wheel stop members 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. of the wheel stop member 20.

Next, a wheel stop portion 12B according to a modified example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The wheel stop portion 12B according to the modification is different from the wheel stop portion 12A in terms of the shape and arrangement interval of the wheel stop members 40 and the projecting form from the ground 120 . In addition, in the modified example of the first embodiment described below and the second embodiment described later, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as in the first embodiment, and the common configurations, actions, and effects are described. Omit redundant explanations as much as possible.

A plurality of car stop portions 12B according to the modification are arranged continuously in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 as the car stop members 40, and are plates that can protrude from the ground 120 so that the adjacent car stop members 40 project from the ground 120 at different heights. It has a shaped member. In response to a protrusion signal from the control unit 16, the wheel stop part 12B moves two or more adjacent plate-shaped member groups (wheel stop members 40c to 40g) so that the protrusion height of the plate-shaped member group is as shown in FIG. Project from the front of the vehicle 100 toward the rear so as to gradually decrease. The protrusion height of the group of plate-like members is set in accordance with the curved surface of the outer circumference of the wheel between the horizontal plane and the vertical plane passing through the axle O and between the horizontal plane and the ground 120 on the outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 101 of the vehicle 100. be done.

The control unit 16 according to the modification can determine a stop position of the vehicle 100 where the device-side connector 31 can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105 based on the connector position information, and can stop the vehicle 100 at the stop position. A projecting signal for projecting the group of plate members is output. For example, the control unit 16 compares a plurality of preset reference values Sn (n=1, 2, . . . , i+1) with the distance L, and if Sn<L<S(n+1), Let the stop position be N. Subsequently, the control unit 16 selects a group of two or more adjacent plate-shaped members including the wheel stop member 40n capable of stopping the vehicle 100 at the determined stop position N from the plurality of wheel stop members 40a to 40i. A protrusion signal corresponding to the group of plate-like members is output.

In the vehicle charging device 1</b>A according to the modification, the car stop portion 12</b>B has a plurality of plate-like car stop members 40 continuously arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 . , two or more adjacent plate-shaped member groups are projected so that the projection height of the plate-shaped member group gradually decreases from the front to the rear of the vehicle 100 . As a result, the protrusion height of the plate member group is formed in accordance with the outer peripheral curved surface of the wheel, so that the number of abutment points between the outer peripheral curved surface of the wheel and the plate member group can be increased, thereby effectively stopping the vehicle. be able to. In the vehicle charging device 1A according to the modification, the control unit 16 determines the stop position of the vehicle 100 where the device-side connector 31 can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105 based on the connector position information. , a projecting signal for projecting a group of plate-like members capable of stopping the vehicle 100 is output. Thereby, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a vehicle charging device 1B according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. Vehicle charging device 1B is configured such that car stop portion 12C has one car stop member 24, and connector lifting portion 14 is configured to be movable in the longitudinal direction of vehicle 100 by connector moving portion 13. Different from 1A.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the vehicle charging device 1B includes a communication section 11, a car stop section 12C, a connector moving section 13, a connector lifting section 14, a charging section 15, and a control section 16. .

The wheel stop portion 12C has a wheel stop mechanism including an actuator, a sensor, and the like, and stops the vehicle 100 in contact with the wheels of the vehicle 100 by the wheel stop mechanism. The car stop portion 12</b>C is stored, for example, in a space under the ground 120 in front of the parking area 3 in the front-rear direction, and stops the front wheels 101 of the vehicle 100 . The wheel stop portion 12</b>C is provided for each of the right front wheel 101 and the left front wheel 101 in the width direction of the vehicle 100 . The wheel stop portion 12C is electrically connected to the control portion 16, and is driven according to a protrusion signal received from the control portion 16, for example. The wheel stop portion 12</b>C is arranged in front of the vehicle 100 and has a wheel stop member 24 that protrudes from the ground 120 in response to a protrusion signal received from the control portion 16 . In other words, the car stop portion 12</b>C causes the car stop member 24 to protrude from the ground 120 in response to the protrusion signal from the control portion 16 .

The wheel stop member 24 is made of metal such as iron or stainless steel, hard plastic, or the like. The wheel stop member 24 is formed to have a triangular cross-sectional shape when viewed from the width direction. The wheel stop member 24 is arranged so that one of its outer peripheral surfaces contacts the outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 101 in a projecting state protruding from the ground 120 . On the other hand, the wheel stop member 24 is installed so that the surface that was in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 101 in the stored state under the ground 120 is flush with the ground 120 . The wheel stop member 24 is configured to rotate around one of the three corners on the outer peripheral surface, for example, when transitioning between the housed state and the projected state. It is preferable that the car stop member 24 is set to a height such that the front wheels 101 of the vehicle 100 cannot easily get over it from the ground 120 in the projecting state. In addition, it is preferable that the wheel stop member 24 is set so that the protrusion height upward from the ground 120 is substantially the same in the protruded state. The car stop member 24 , for example, protrudes from the ground 120 when the vehicle 100 enters the parking area 3 and is stored in a space below the ground 120 when leaving the parking area 3 . The wheel stop member 24 has a piezoelectric sensor or the like on the surface with which the wheel abuts as detection means for detecting the abutment of the wheel. A sensing means such as a piezoelectric sensor is electrically connected to the control section 16 and outputs a sensor output signal to the control section 16 .

The connector moving section 13 includes an actuator, a sensor, and the like, and has a moving mechanism that moves the connector lifting section 14 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 parked in the parking area 3 . As shown in FIG. 6, the connector moving part 13 is housed in a space under the ground 120 that communicates with an opening 3a that is provided substantially in the center of the parking area 3 in the longitudinal direction and the width direction. The connector movement section 13 is electrically connected to the control section 16 and driven according to a movement signal received from the control section 16, for example. In the stopped state where the vehicle 100 is stopped by the car stop portion 12C, the connector moving portion 13 moves the connector lifting portion 14 from the standby position to fit the device side connector 31 to the vehicle side connector 105 in response to a movement signal from the control portion 16. move to the desired destination position.

Based on the connector position information, the control unit 16 determines the destination position of the connector elevating unit 14 where the device-side connector 31 can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105, and moves the connector elevating unit 14 to the destination position. Outputs a movement signal that can be For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 16 compares the distance between the virtual line P and the connector elevating unit 14 at the initial position with the separation distance L to calculate the difference. The control unit 16 calculates the moving direction and the moving distance of the connector lifting unit 14 based on the calculated difference, and determines the destination position corresponding to the moving direction and the moving distance. The control unit 16 outputs to the connector moving unit 13 a destination signal for moving the connector elevating unit 14 to the destination position. After the connector moving section 13 moves the connector lifting section 14 to the destination position, the control section 16 transmits a lifting signal to the connector lifting section 14 to lift the device-side connector 31 from the destination position to the fitting position. Let

Next, the charging operation of the vehicle charging device 1B will be described with reference to FIG. Note that steps S11, S13, and S15 to S20 in FIG. 8 are the same as steps S1 and S3 to S9 shown in FIG. 4, and description thereof will be omitted.

In step S<b>12 , the control unit 16 outputs a protrusion signal to the car stopper 12</b>C according to the connector position information received by the communication unit 11 from the communication unit 110 of the vehicle 100 . The wheel stop portion 12</b>C projects the wheel stop member 24 from the ground 120 .

In step S<b>14 , based on the connector position information, the control unit 16 drives and controls the connector moving unit 13 so that the connector lifting unit 14 moves to a position where the device-side connector can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105 .

In the vehicle charging device 1</b>B described above, the controller 16 determines the movement destination position of the connector elevation unit 14 where the device-side connector 31 can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105 based on the connector position information received from the vehicle 100 . Then, a movement signal for moving the connector raising/lowering part 14 to the destination position is output to the connector moving part 13 . The connector moving portion 13 moves the connector raising/lowering portion 14 from the waiting position to the fitting position in response to a movement signal from the control portion 16 while the vehicle 100 is stopped by the car stop portion 12C. With the above configuration, the device-side connector 31 can be moved to a position where it can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector 105, and the power receiving port on the vehicle 100 side and the power feeding port on the vehicle charging device 1A side can be securely fitted. can be made

(Modification)
In the first embodiment, its modification, and the second embodiment, the vehicle charging apparatuses 1A and 1B charge the battery in the vehicle 100. However, the battery is not limited to this. The configuration may be such that it is also possible to receive power supply (discharge).

In addition, in the first embodiment, its modification, and the second embodiment, the wheel stoppers 12A to 12C are provided respectively for the right front wheel 101 and the left front wheel 101 in the width direction of the vehicle 100. However, it is not limited to this, and one wheel stopper may be provided for the two front wheels 101 .

In addition, in the first embodiment, its modification, and the second embodiment, the vehicle-side connector 105 is arranged at the bottom of the vehicle body 103 between the front wheels 101 and the rear wheels 102. It is not limited. For example, it may be arranged behind the rear wheel 102 or may be arranged forward of the front wheel 101 .

Further, in the first embodiment, its modification, and the second embodiment, it is preferable that the opening 3a has a shutter opening/closing mechanism so that the shutter opens in conjunction with receiving the connector position information.

Further, in the first embodiment, its modification, and the second embodiment, the vehicle 100 is assumed to be a four-wheeled vehicle, but is not limited to this, and may be a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, or the like. There may be.

In addition, in the first embodiment, its modification, and the second embodiment, the vehicle 100 transmits the connector position information from the communication unit 110, but it may be transmitted all the time or at a predetermined timing. It may be configured to For example, the communication unit 11 of the vehicle charging device 1A, 1B transmits a non-directional signal at regular intervals (for example, several seconds), and the communication unit 110 of the vehicle 100 receives the signal at the timing of receiving the signal. may be configured to transmit the connector position information as . Further, the vehicle 100 may be configured to transmit the connector position information from the communication unit 110 by manual operation by the driver of the vehicle 100 .

Further, in the first embodiment, its modification, and the second embodiment, when the relative positions of the device-side connector 31 and the vehicle-side connector 105 are shifted in the width direction, the structure of the connector itself absorbs the shift. However, it is not limited to this. For example, a guide described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-82849 may be used to suppress relative positional deviation between connectors. In this case, for example, information for specifying the position of the vehicle-side connector 105 in the width direction of the vehicle 100 is added as the connector position information, and the guide described in the above publication is moved or the width of the guide is changed. or

1A, 1B Vehicle charging device 11 Communication unit 12A, 12B, 12C Car stop 13 Connector movement unit 14 Connector lifting unit 16 Control unit 20, 40 Car stop member 31 Device-side connector 100 Vehicle 105 Vehicle-side connector 110 Communication unit 111 Control unit

Claims (2)

a wheel stopper for stopping the vehicle by coming into contact with the wheel of the vehicle;
a communication unit that performs wireless communication with the vehicle;
a control unit that drives and controls the wheel stopper based on connector position information received from the vehicle by the communication unit;
When the vehicle is stopped by the car stop portion, the device side connector provided in the vehicle charging device is raised from the standby position to the mating position in response to an elevation signal from the control portion. a connector elevating unit for fitting the connector to a vehicle-side connector provided on the vehicle;
a charging unit that charges the vehicle according to a charging signal from the control unit in a fitted state in which the device-side connector is fitted to the vehicle-side connector,
The connector position information is
is a separation distance between a reference position in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the vehicle-side connector, which is set for each vehicle;
The reference position is
The position of a virtual line in the vertical direction passing through the axle of the front wheels of the vehicle,
The car stop portion
A plurality of car stop members arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and projecting from the ground in response to a projecting signal from the control unit,
The control unit
Based on the connector position information, the device-side connector determines a stop position of the vehicle that can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector, and projects the wheel stop member capable of stopping the vehicle at the stop position. outputting a protruding signal,
A vehicle charging device characterized by: The wheel stop member
A plurality of plate-shaped members arranged continuously in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and capable of protruding from the ground such that the adjacent car stop members protrude from the ground at different heights;
The car stop portion
In response to a projection signal from the control unit, a plate-shaped member group including at least two adjacent plate-shaped members is gradually reduced in height from the front toward the rear of the vehicle. protrude like
The control unit
Based on the connector position information, the device-side connector determines a stop position of the vehicle that can be fitted to the vehicle-side connector, and projects the plate-like member group capable of stopping the vehicle at the stop position. outputting the salient signal that causes
The vehicle charging device according to claim 1 .

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