KR20230078869A - Automatic movable charging robot with wireless charging function and wirelss charging method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An autonomous driving charging robot having a wireless charging function and a wireless charging method using the same are disclosed. The self-driving charging robot includes a body, a robot arm coupled to the body in a folded state and then unfolded during charging, a wheel for driving the autonomous charging robot, and a charging pad installed on the robot arm. Here, the self-driving charging robot autonomously moves to the front of the vehicle to be charged, the robot arm is spread in front of the vehicle, and the vehicle is wirelessly charged through interlocking of the charging pad on the robot arm and the receiving pad of the vehicle.

Description

Self-driving charging robot with wireless charging function and wireless charging method using the same

The present invention relates to a self-driving charging robot having a wireless charging function and a wireless charging method using the same.

Currently, electric vehicle charging is performed by removing the charging gun from the charger that is fixed and installed by the user. As a result, the user's labor is necessarily required and may cause inconvenience.

KR 10-2021-0124798 A

The present invention provides a self-driving charging robot having a wireless charging function and a wireless charging method using the same.

In order to achieve the above object, an autonomous charging robot according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a body; a robot arm coupled to the body in a folded state and then unfolded when charging; a wheel for driving the self-driving charging robot; and a charging pad installed on the robot arm. Here, the self-driving charging robot autonomously moves to the front of the vehicle to be charged, the robot arm is spread in front of the vehicle, and the vehicle is wirelessly charged through interlocking of the charging pad on the robot arm and the receiving pad of the vehicle.

An autonomous driving charging robot according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a body; A robotic arm with a charging pad installed; and a wheel for autonomous driving of the self-driving charging robot. Here, the self-driving charging robot moves to the front of the vehicle to be charged through the wheel, and the position of the charging pad is changed so that the distance between the charging pad and the receiving pad of the vehicle becomes a preset distance during charging.

An autonomous charging robot according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a body; charging pad; A first sensor installed on the body and capable of detecting 360 degrees; a second sensor installed on the body and capable of detecting a range smaller than 360 degrees; and a third sensor for detecting a distance from the vehicle or the receiving pad in order to adjust the distance between the charging pad and the receiving pad after the self-driving charging robot moves in front of the vehicle. Here, the sensing distance of the second sensor is smaller than that of the first sensor, and the sensing distance of the third sensor is smaller than that of the second sensor.

An autonomous charging robot according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a body; a control unit installed in the body; and a charging pad. Here, when information on a parking section where a vehicle to be charged is located or information on the number of the vehicle is received from the operation management system, the controller moves the autonomous driving in front of the parking section or a vehicle having the same number as the vehicle number. A charging robot is controlled, and the autonomously driving charging robot moves in a state where the charging pad is hidden in the body, and after the movement of the autonomously driving charging robot is completed, the charging pad is exposed to the outside.

A wireless charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes arranging a charging pad at a position corresponding to a receiving pad of a vehicle; and wireless charging after the charging pad is arranged. Here, the wireless charging is performed after placing the charging pad at a position corresponding to the receiving pad by raising or lowering the charging pad.

Since the self-driving charging robot according to the present invention autonomously moves to a vehicle to be charged in conjunction with an app and wirelessly charges, it is convenient because it does not require a separate manager and does not require user labor.

1 is a diagram illustrating a charging process using an autonomous driving charging robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a diagram schematically showing the entire charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating an autonomous driving charging robot according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an autonomous driving charging robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Singular expressions used herein include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "consisting of" or "comprising" should not be construed as necessarily including all of the various components or steps described in the specification, and some of the components or some of the steps It should be construed that it may not be included, or may further include additional components or steps. In addition, terms such as "...unit" and "module" described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software. .

The present invention relates to a self-driving charging robot, and the autonomous charging robot can autonomously move and charge a vehicle.

According to one embodiment, the self-driving charging robot autonomously moves to a vehicle to be charged when a user requests charging through an app, includes a charging pad for wireless charging, and changes the position of the charging pad to charge the vehicle. A distance between the pad and the receiving pad of the vehicle may always be maintained at a preset distance. That is, the self-driving charging robot can always adjust the distance between the charging pad and the receiving pad so that the best charging can be performed.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram illustrating a charging process using an autonomous charging robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an entire charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an autonomous driving charging robot according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the autonomous driving charging robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the self-driving charging robot 100 of this embodiment is charged while docked at a fixedly installed charging station 102, and autonomously moves to a vehicle 104 when a user requests charging through an app. Afterwards, the vehicle 104 can be automatically wirelessly charged.

The self-driving charging robot 100 has a structure capable of autonomous driving, and the charging pad 120 is hidden inside until it reaches the vehicle 104 for safety during movement, and may be exposed to the outside during charging.

According to one embodiment, the charging pad 120 may be installed on the robot arm 110, and may be preferably arranged at the end of the robot arm 110.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 , the robot arm 110 may be folded to the robot body 110 and unfolded from the robot body 110 during charging. At this time, when the robot arm 110 is standing, the charging pad 120 is not exposed to the outside, and when the robot arm 110 is unfolded, the charging pad 120 may be exposed to the outside.

According to one embodiment, the robot arm 110 may be composed of a second part where the charging pad 120 is placed and a first part where the charging pad 120 is not placed. When the robot arm 110 is folded, the second part is arranged on the first part, and when the robot arm 110 is unfolded, the second part slides from the first part so that the robot arm 110 Length can be extended. Here, the sliding structure may be variously modified. For example, guides may be formed at both edges of the first part, and the second part may slide along the guide.

According to an embodiment, the robot arm 110 may move up and down, left and right, and rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. This is to keep the charging pad 120 constantly arranged during charging.

Specifically, the robot arm 110 may be moved such that the charging pad 120 is arranged at a predetermined position with the receiving pad of the vehicle 104 regardless of the type of vehicle 104 . For example, the robot arm 110 may be moved such that the charging pads 120 are arranged at intervals of 10 cm directly below the receiving pad of the vehicle 104 installed on the floor. Accordingly, if the floor of the vehicle 104 is high, the robot arm 110 may rise, and if the floor of the vehicle 104 is low, the robot arm 110 may descend.

For example, after the robotic arm 110 is positioned under the vehicle 104, the robotic arm 110 may move up and down. In this case, if the angles of the charging pad 120 and the receiving pad do not match the preset angle, that is, if they are distorted, the robot arm 110 may rotate, but the robot arm 110 does not rotate and the self-driving charging robot (100) itself may rotate. That is, after making the self-driving charging robot 100 look in a desired direction, the robot arm 110 enters the lower part of the vehicle 104, and the distance between the charging pad 120 and the receiving pad is a preset distance. The robot arm 110 may be raised or lowered as much as possible.

According to one embodiment, the self-driving charging robot 100 captures and analyzes an image of the vehicle 104 using an image sensor to identify the type of vehicle 104 and stops at a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle 104. After unfolding the robot arm 110, the robot arm 110 may be moved so that the charging pads 120 are arranged at an interval of 10 cm below the receiving pad.

According to another embodiment, a method for controlling the movement of the robot arm 110 is preset in the operation management system 202 or the self-driving charging robot 100, and the robot arm 110 moves according to the setting during charging. can be controlled Here, the motion control method of the robot arm 110 may be set differently for each vehicle, for example. Meanwhile, the type of vehicle 104 may be previously input by the user, and as a result, the movement of the robot arm 110 may be controlled based on the user's input.

According to another embodiment, a sensor is installed on the robot arm 110, and after the robot arm 110 enters the lower part of the vehicle 104, the sensor measures the distance between the charging pad 120 and the receiving pad. is detected, and the movement of the robot arm 110 may be controlled according to the detection result.

According to another embodiment, charging starts after the robot arm 110 enters the lower part of the vehicle 104, and the movement of the robot arm 110 can be controlled according to the charging situation. For example, when charging starts but the charging speed is slower than normal charging or charging is not possible at all, the self-driving charging robot 100 determines that the distance between the charging pad 120 and the receiving pad is long and the robot arm 110 ) can be increased. In this case, normal charging may be possible even if the type of vehicle 104 is not known.

According to another embodiment, in order to maintain a constant distance between the charging pad 120 and the receiving pad, the charging pad 120, not the robot arm 110, may be moved. For example, while the robot arm 110 is positioned under the vehicle 104 , the charging pad 120 may lift, move left and right, or rotate clockwise/counterclockwise. This structure in which the charging pad 120 can move can be implemented on the robot arm 110, and the implementation method is not limited. For example, a shaft may be coupled to a lower surface of the charging pad 120, and the shaft may move up and down from the robot arm 110.

According to another embodiment, the self-driving charging robot 100 further includes a sensor capable of detecting the number of the vehicle 104, but moves to a specific parking area based on information provided from the operation management system 202. Then, the number of the vehicle 104 is detected using the sensor, and charging can be performed when the number of the vehicle 104 is the same as the number of the vehicle provided from the operation management system 202.

Meanwhile, although the self-driving charging robot 100 is illustrated as performing charging from the front of the vehicle 104, charging may be performed from the side. That is, there is no positional limitation, and the self-driving charging robot 100 can be positioned at an appropriate location in consideration of the position of the receiving pad of the vehicle 104 .

In addition, when the distance between the charging pad 120 and the receiving pad cannot be arranged at an optimal distance due to damage to the vehicle 104 or the like, the charging pad 120 and the receiving pad are arranged at a distance closest to the optimal distance. The movement of the robot arm 110 or the charging pad 120 may be controlled so that the receiving pad is arranged.

Hereinafter, a detailed charging process will be described with reference to FIG. 2 .

When the user requests charging to the server of the operation management system 202 using the terminal 200, that is, when the user requests charging using the charging application of the terminal 200, the server sends a self-driving charging robot ( 100) may control the self-driving charging robot 100 to charge the corresponding vehicle.

According to an embodiment, upon requesting the charging, the terminal 200 may transmit charging information including vehicle information to the server. For example, the vehicle information may include at least one of vehicle number, parking area, and charging rate information. That is, the user may directly input information about a vehicle number, a parking section, a charging rate, and the like using the charging application.

According to another embodiment, when the user is subscribed as a member of a charging application operated by the server and information such as a vehicle number is stored in advance, the server reads the stored vehicle information when the terminal 200 requests charging. It can be provided as an autonomous driving charging robot 100. However, even in this case, information on charging rates or parking intervals may be input by the user.

According to another embodiment, a camera may be installed in parking sections for charging, the camera may acquire a license plate number by photographing a parked vehicle, and provide the obtained information to the server. However, even in this case, information on charging rates may be input by the user.

That is, the server may obtain charging information including vehicle information in various ways and provide the obtained charging information to the autonomous driving charging robot 100 .

The self-driving charging robot 100 analyzes the provided charging information to determine the location of the vehicle and the charging rate, autonomously moves to the location of the vehicle, and can charge the vehicle by the determined charging rate. The charging may be done wired or wirelessly.

Specifically, the self-driving charging robot 100 moves near a vehicle, stops at a location spaced a predetermined distance from the vehicle, spreads the robot arm 110, and extends the robot arm 110 to the robot arm ( 110) may be arranged to face the receiving pad of the vehicle. That is, charging may be performed after the charging pad 120 is arranged in a predetermined position.

While the charging is in progress or after the charging is completed, the self-driving charging robot 100 provides charging status information to the server, and the server may transmit the provided charging status information to the terminal 200. Here, the charging status information may include information about a charging level, remaining charging time, and the like.

When charging is completed, the self-driving charging robot 100 can be docked by moving to the charging station 102 after folding the robot arm 110 . When the docking is performed, the self-driving charging robot 100 can be automatically charged.

Meanwhile, when a user makes a reservation for charging through the charging application, the self-driving charging robot 100 may autonomously move and charge the vehicle 104 according to the reserved time. In this case, the user can park the vehicle 104 in the parking area according to the reservation time.

Hereinafter, the structure of the autonomous driving charging robot 100 according to another embodiment will be described.

3 and 4, the self-driving charging robot 100 includes a 3D lidar sensor (①), a 2D lidar sensor (②), a short-range measurement sensor (③), a wired charging gun (④), and an emergency button. (⑤), a charging indicator (⑥), an upper cover (⑦), a body (⑧), a joystick (⑨), a display unit (⑩), and a mecanum wheel (⑪). Of course, although not shown, a robot arm having a charging pad for wireless charging arranged on one side of the body ⑧ of the autonomous driving charging robot 100 may be formed in a structure in which it is folded and unfolded. In this case, the autonomous driving charging robot 100 can perform both wireless charging and wired charging.

The 3D lidar sensor (①) may be installed at the top of the self-driving charging robot 100, for example, to perform a function of detecting the entire 360 degrees. For example, the 3D lidar sensor (①) can detect 30 m in all directions.

The 2D lidar sensor (②) is for detecting obstacles in front and can detect a range smaller than that of the 3D lidar sensor (①), for example, a range of 270 degrees. This 2D lidar sensor (②) can detect, for example, 5 m ahead.

That is, when the self-driving charging robot 100 moves for charging, the 3D lidar sensor (①) is used to detect the entire surroundings, and if there is an obstacle in the moving direction, the 2D lidar sensor (②) is used to detect the obstacle. distance can be detected accurately. The self-driving charging robot 100 can safely move to the vehicle to be charged through this method.

The short-distance measurement sensor ③ may perform a function of detecting a fine distance so that the charging pad can be accurately positioned at a desired position after the autonomous charging robot 100 is moved in front of the vehicle. As a result, the self-driving charging robot 100 may rotate by a predetermined angle or move the robot arm up and down or left and right based on the detection result of the short distance measurement sensor ③.

The wired charging gun ④ is a gun used for wired charging, and the user can manually charge the vehicle using the wired charging gun ④.

The emergency button ⑤ is a button that the user can press when the self-driving charging robot 100 is out of order. When the user presses the emergency button ⑤, the operation management system 202 detects a failure of the self-driving charging robot 100 and puts a maintenance manager to the location of the self-driving charging robot 100 immediately upon detection. .

The display unit ⑩ may display the amount of charge, the remaining charge time, and the like.

The wheel ⑪ is a means used for autonomous driving and may be a mecanum wheel that can be freely and safely moved.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the self-driving charging robot 100 having this structure may internally include a rechargeable battery, a driving battery, an autonomous driving controller, a robot control unit (RCU), and the like.

The rechargeable battery may be a battery used for charging the vehicle, and the driving battery may be a battery used for driving, particularly driving, the self-driving charging robot 100 .

It does not matter if the rechargeable battery is exhausted by charging, but since the driving battery must be moved to its original position after the autonomous driving charging robot 100 is charged, the minimum battery capacity can be maintained.

The self-driving controller may control the driving of the self-driving charging robot 100 .

The robot control unit may control other functions of the autonomous driving charging robot 100 except for autonomous driving.

In summary, the self-driving charging robot 100 of this embodiment moves autonomously, and moves the robot arm 110 on which the charging pad 120 is arranged to move the distance between the charging pad 120 and the receiving pad of the vehicle 104. After maintaining at a preset distance, it can be charged. As a result, the manager's labor for managing charging of the vehicle 104 may not be required, and the user's labor for charging may not be required. Here, the distance and arrangement between the charging pad 120 and the receiving pad may vary depending on the type of vehicle, and information on the distance and arrangement may be pre-stored according to the type of vehicle.

Meanwhile, while charging using the self-driving charging robot 100, the self-driving charging robot 100 transmits information such as the charging status and remaining charging time to the charging application of the terminal 200 through the operation management system 202. can As a result, the user can grasp the charging level of the vehicle 104 from the outside even when not in a position to charge the vehicle 104 .

Looking at the driving process of the autonomous driving charging robot 100, the moving path of the autonomous driving charging robot 100 may be defined in advance, and the autonomous driving charging robot 100 responds to the request of the operation management system 202. When moving by vehicle, it may move along the previously defined movement path.

According to an embodiment, the self-driving charging robot 100 may perform an avoidance operation when an obstacle appears when moving along a predefined movement path, and after avoiding the obstacle, return to the original movement path and reach in front of the vehicle to be charged. can move Of course, the self-driving charging robot 100 may adjust the moving speed in consideration of the obstacle.

According to another embodiment, the structure of the parking lot may be pre-stored in the operation management system 202 or the self-driving charging robot 100, and the self-driving charging robot 100 may move to an undesirable location, for example, the moving route. Even if it is out of position, it is possible to move to the movement route or basic position (point where the charging station is located) based on the previously stored structure of the parking lot. That is, the self-driving charging robot 100 can move to a desired location by artificial intelligence.

On the other hand, the components of the above-described embodiment can be easily grasped from a process point of view. That is, each component can be identified as each process. In addition, the process of the above-described embodiment can be easily grasped from the viewpoint of components of the device.

In addition, the technical contents described above may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. Program commands recorded on the medium may be specially designed and configured for the embodiments or may be known and usable to those skilled in computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic media such as floptical disks. - includes hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as magneto-optical media, and ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, as well as machine language codes such as those produced by a compiler. A hardware device may be configured to act as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments and vice versa.

The embodiments of the present invention described above have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art having ordinary knowledge of the present invention will be able to make various modifications, changes, and additions within the spirit and scope of the present invention, and such modifications, changes, and additions will be considered to fall within the scope of the following claims.

100: autonomous driving charging robot 102: charging station
104: vehicle 110: robot arm
120: charging pad 200: terminal
202: operation management system

Claims (19)

In the self-driving charging robot,
body;
a robot arm coupled to the body in a folded state and then unfolded when charging;
a wheel for driving the self-driving charging robot; and
Including a charging pad installed on the robot arm,
The self-driving charging robot autonomously moves to the front of the vehicle to be charged, the robot arm is spread in front of the vehicle, and the vehicle is wirelessly charged through the interlocking of the charging pad on the robot arm and the receiving pad of the vehicle. self-driving charging robot. The method of claim 1, wherein the robot arm is capable of vertical movement,
The autonomous driving charging robot, characterized in that the robot arm is raised or lowered so that the charging pad and the receiving pad are spaced apart by a predetermined distance in a state in which the robot arm enters the lower part of the vehicle. The autonomously driving charging robot according to claim 2, wherein the autonomously driving charging robot itself rotates clockwise or counterclockwise when an angle between the charging pad and the receiving pad does not match a preset angle. The self-driving charging robot according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined distance may vary according to the type of vehicle. According to claim 2, Autonomous driving charging robot characterized in that the movement operation of the robot arm is set in advance according to the type of the vehicle. According to claim 2,
Further comprising a sensor for detecting a distance between the charging pad and the receiving pad in a state in which the robot arm enters the lower part of the vehicle,
The autonomous driving charging robot, characterized in that the robot arm rises or descends based on the detection result of the sensor. According to claim 2,
Further comprising a sensor for detecting a charging situation during the charging,
The autonomous driving charging robot, characterized in that the robot arm rises or descends according to the detection result of the sensor. The method of claim 1, wherein the charging pad is capable of moving up and down while positioned on the robot arm,
The autonomous driving charging robot, characterized in that the charging pad is raised or lowered so that the charging pad and the receiving pad are spaced apart by a predetermined distance in a state in which the robot arm enters the lower part of the vehicle. The method of claim 1, wherein the robot arm moves in a folded state, and is unfolded after stopping in front of the vehicle,
The robot arm is extended in length through a sliding method, and the autonomous driving charging robot, characterized in that the charging pad is located in the extended portion. According to claim 1,
Further comprising an autonomous driving controller for controlling driving of the autonomous driving charging robot,
The self-driving controller moves the self-driving charging robot along a predetermined movement path, and when an obstacle is detected during the movement, the autonomous driving controller avoids the obstacle or adjusts the moving speed of the autonomous charging robot. robot. According to claim 1,
Further comprising a sensor capable of detecting the number of the vehicle,
The self-driving charging robot detects the number of the vehicle using the sensor after moving to a specific parking area based on information provided from the operation management system, and the vehicle number corresponds to the number of the vehicle provided from the operation management system. An autonomous driving charging robot characterized in that it performs charging in the same case. According to claim 1,
A first sensor installed at the top of the body and capable of detecting 360 degrees;
a second sensor installed on the body and capable of detecting a range smaller than 360 degrees; and
In order to adjust the distance between the charging pad and the receiving pad after the autonomous charging robot moves in front of the vehicle, a third sensor for detecting a distance from the vehicle or the receiving pad is further included,
The detection distance of the second sensor is smaller than that of the first sensor, the first sensor and the second sensor are used when the autonomous charging robot moves, and the detection distance of the third sensor is equal to that of the second sensor. Self-driving charging robot characterized in that it is smaller than the sensing distance. According to claim 1,
Further including a wired charging gun,
An autonomous driving charging robot, characterized in that the user can perform wired charging using the wired charging gun. In the self-driving charging robot,
body;
A robotic arm with a charging pad installed; and
Including a wheel for autonomous driving of the autonomous driving charging robot,
The self-driving charging robot moves to the front of the vehicle to be charged through the wheel, and the position of the charging pad is changed so that the distance between the charging pad and the receiving pad of the vehicle becomes a preset distance during charging. Characterized in that Autonomous driving charging robot. The autonomous driving charging robot according to claim 14, wherein the position change of the charging pad is performed by raising or lowering the robot arm. In the self-driving charging robot,
body;
charging pad;
A first sensor installed on the body and capable of detecting 360 degrees;
a second sensor installed on the body and capable of detecting a range smaller than 360 degrees; and
In order to adjust the distance between the charging pad and the receiving pad after the autonomous charging robot moves in front of the vehicle, a third sensor for detecting a distance from the vehicle or the receiving pad is further included,
The sensing distance of the second sensor is smaller than that of the first sensor, and the sensing distance of the third sensor is smaller than that of the second sensor. The method of claim 16, wherein the charging pad is installed on a robot arm connected to the body,
The self-driving charging robot, characterized in that the self-driving charging robot moves or the robot arm rises or falls according to the detection result of the third sensor. In the self-driving charging robot,
body;
a control unit installed in the body; and
Including a charging pad,
When information on a parking section where a vehicle to be charged is located or the number of the vehicle is received from the operation management system, the controller moves the self-driving charging robot in front of the parking section or a vehicle having the same number as the vehicle number. to control,
The self-driving charging robot is characterized in that the charging pad moves in a state hidden in the body, and the charging pad is exposed to the outside after the movement of the self-driving charging robot is completed. arranging the charging pad at a position corresponding to the receiving pad of the vehicle; and
Including wireless charging after the charging pad is arranged,
Wireless charging method characterized in that the wireless charging is performed after placing the charging pad in a position corresponding to the receiving pad by raising or lowering the charging pad.

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