KR20230119509A - Wireless charging system for AGV - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, a wireless charger capable of wirelessly supplying power to an unmanned guided vehicle is movable in a parking area, so that a plurality of unmanned guided vehicles can be charged using only a small number of charging devices. It's about the system. In the wireless charging system for an unmanned guided vehicle according to the present embodiment, charging can be carried out wirelessly through a parking lot where a parking area is marked so that the unmanned guided vehicle can be parked, and a wireless power receiver of an unmanned guided vehicle parked in the parking area. A wireless charging unit is provided, and the wireless charging unit can perform wireless charging by automatically approaching an unmanned transport vehicle parked in the parking area while moving along the parking area of the parking lot.

Description

Wireless charging system for unmanned guided vehicles {Wireless charging system for AGV}

According to the present invention, a wireless charger capable of wirelessly supplying power to an unmanned guided vehicle is movable in a parking area, so that a plurality of unmanned guided vehicles can be charged using only a small number of charging devices. It's about the system.

In general, an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) is an unmanned transport system that transports cargo while driving under the control of a main computer without a driver. In order to reduce labor costs and improve work efficiency, a logistics system, an automatic production system or It can be applied to automation systems such as unmanned heavy equipment at construction sites.

Such an unmanned transport vehicle is in charge of transporting logistics according to the command of the main computer, and uses a battery as a power source. A charging device is prepared to move to a place and receive a charge.

Conventionally, when an unmanned guided vehicle runs with an internal battery and needs to be charged using the battery for a certain period of time, a battery down signal is generated to inform the main computer. Thereafter, the main computer guides the unmanned guided vehicle and moves it to the charging station, and the unmanned guided vehicle that needs to be recharged arrives at the charging station. The operator manually removes the discharged battery installed in the unmanned transport vehicle, replaces it with a pre-charged rechargeable battery, and recharges the discharged battery.

However, since the battery exchange method relying on manual work according to the prior art requires manpower for battery exchange, standardization of work is difficult and economical operation due to labor costs is difficult.

In the case of the plug-in method, which is another conventional unmanned guided vehicle charging technology, the interface for battery charging is inconvenient, and problems with space constraints and instability have emerged, hindering the vitalization of the EV market, requiring a new charging infrastructure. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a wireless charging system for an unmanned guided vehicle configured to sequentially charge a parked unmanned guided vehicle while the wireless charger for the unmanned guided vehicle automatically moves within a parking area.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects and advantages of the present invention not mentioned above can be understood by the following description and will be more clearly understood by the examples of the present invention. It will also be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized by means of the instrumentalities and combinations indicated in the claims.

The present invention can wirelessly charge an unmanned guided vehicle parked in a parking area automatically by moving a wireless charger for an unmanned guided vehicle along a rail provided in a parking lot.

According to the present invention, a wireless charging system for an unmanned guided vehicle charges a plurality of unmanned guided vehicles with a minimum wireless charger as a wireless charger capable of wirelessly charging an unmanned guided vehicle is formed to be movable in a parking area. It can be done economically.

In addition to the effects described above, specific effects of the present invention will be described together while explaining specific details for carrying out the present invention.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a wireless charging system for an unmanned guided vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 and 3 are views showing a wireless charging unit according to an embodiment of the present invention
Figure 4 is a view showing the bottom surface of the wireless charging unit according to an embodiment of the present invention
5 is a view showing a traveling driving unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The above objects, features and advantages will be described later in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and accordingly, those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs will be able to easily implement the technical spirit of the present invention. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that the detailed description of the known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar components.

In this specification, first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, but these components are not limited by these terms, of course. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component, and unless otherwise stated, the first component may be the second component, of course.

In addition, in the present specification, "upper (or lower)" or "upper (or lower)" of a component means that an arbitrary component is disposed in contact with the upper (or lower) surface of the component. In addition, it may mean that other components may be interposed between the component and any component disposed on (or under) the component.

In addition, in the present specification, when a component is described as being “connected”, “coupled” or “connected” to another component, the components may be directly connected or connected to each other, but other components may be present between each component. It should be understood that elements may be “interposed,” or that each element may be “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected” through other elements.

Also, singular expressions used in this specification include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, 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, in this specification, when "A and / or B", unless otherwise specified, it means A, B or A and B, and when "C to D", it means a special opposite Unless otherwise specified, it means more than C and less than D

The present invention forms a wireless charger capable of wirelessly supplying power to an unmanned transport vehicle in a movable manner in a parking area, and thus, a wireless charger for an unmanned transport vehicle capable of charging a large number of logistics transport vehicles with only a small number of charging devices. It's about the charging system.

Hereinafter, a wireless charging system for an unmanned guided vehicle according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 .

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a wireless charging system for an unmanned guided vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 3 are views showing a wireless charging unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a view showing the bottom surface of the wireless charging unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view showing a traveling driving unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 3, the wireless charging system 10 for an unmanned guided vehicle may include a parking lot 100 and a wireless charging unit 200. Meanwhile, the wireless charging unit 200 may include a traveling body 210, a traveling driving unit 220, and a wireless power transmission unit 230. However, the wireless charging system 10 for an unmanned guided vehicle shown in FIG. 1 is according to an embodiment, and its components are not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and some components are added as needed. may be changed or deleted.

Automatic guided vehicle (AGV) is a technology that replaces the conveyor system, which is an existing logistics transportation method. It operates independently with its own power and moves along a defined path, such as material handling vehicles and heavy equipment at construction sites. All industrial electric vehicles in which unmanned driving is performed through automatic control while driving can be applied.

The wireless charging system 10 for an unmanned transport vehicle of the present invention moves between a parking lot 100 where an unmanned transport vehicle (not shown) can park, and an unmanned transport vehicle movably installed in the parking lot 100 and parked It may include a wireless charging unit 200 formed to wirelessly charge the unmanned transport vehicle while doing so.

The parking lot 100 displays a parking area for parking an unmanned guided vehicle, and the parking area may include a first parking area 110 and a second parking area 120 . In addition, in each parking line 140, when the unmanned transport vehicle is parked forward or backward, a car stopper (130) for preventing collision with another unmanned transport vehicle by entering the parking line 140 too much can be formed. Two car stoppers 130 are formed so that the left and right wheels of the unmanned transport vehicle parked in each parking line 140 can be supported one by one.

In the first parking area 110, a parking line 140 is formed so that a plurality of unmanned guided vehicles can be parked along the width direction of the unmanned guided vehicle, and may be continuous along the width direction of the unmanned guided vehicle. The second parking area 120 may be formed parallel to the first parking area 110 at a location spaced apart from the first parking area 110 by a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Hereinafter, for convenience of description of the present invention, the width direction of an unmanned guided vehicle parked in a parking area is a first direction, and the longitudinal direction of the unmanned guided vehicle intersects the first direction (x) in a second direction (y). ) is defined as

A first separation space is formed in a first direction between the first parking area 110 and the second parking area 120, and an unmanned guided vehicle parked in the first parking area 110 or the second parking area 120. A second separation space may be formed in a second direction by being spaced apart along the width direction of the.

The first guide rail 300 may be extended and provided in the first spaced apart space, and the second guide rail 310 may be extended and provided in the second spaced space.

The first guide rail 300 and the second guide rail 310 are paths along which the wireless charging unit 200 can move, and are formed to cross each other. When the wireless charging unit 200 moves in the first direction (x), it can move along the first guide rail 300 and when it moves in the second direction, it can move along the second guide rail 310. The wireless charging unit 200 may change direction from the first direction (x) to the second direction (y) in the intersection area, and the shape change of the wireless charging unit 200 when changing the direction will be described later. The first guide rail 300 and/or the second guide rail 310 may be a protruding type protruding upward from the ground or a buried type buried in the ground.

The wireless charging unit 200 can perform wireless charging by automatically approaching an unmanned transport vehicle parked in the parking area while moving along the parking area of the parking lot 100, and the driving body 210 and the driving driving unit 220 , a wireless power transmitter 230 and a battery.

The traveling body 210 may travel along the first guide rail 300 and the second guide rail 310 .

Referring to FIG. 4 , the traveling driving unit 220 is installed on the traveling body 210 and can drive the traveling body 210 to travel. The travel driving unit 220 may include a first plate 221 , a second plate 222 , a first actuator 223 and a second actuator 224 .

The first plate 221 is installed below the driving body 210 and may include two first wheels a that can travel along the first guide rail 300 . At this time, in the case of the present embodiment, the two first plates 221 are spaced apart from each other along the first direction (x) of the traveling body 210, but two or more first plates 221 may be provided.

The second plate 222 is installed below the driving body 210 and may include two second wheels b that can travel along the second guide rail 310 . At this time, in the case of the present embodiment, the second plate 222 is spaced apart from each other along the second direction (y) of the traveling body 210 in a direction crossing the two first plates 221, but the second plate 222 ) may be provided with two or more.

The driving driving unit 220 may move the first plate 221 or the second plate 222 up and down according to the moving direction of the wireless charging unit 200, and the first plate 221 and the second plate 222 The lifting and lowering driving may be driven by the first actuator 223 and the second actuator 224 .

For example, when the wireless charging unit 200 moves in the first direction (x), the driving driving unit 220 drives the first actuator 223 to lower the first plate 221, and the second actuator 224 ) to move the second plate 222 up and down. As a result, only the first wheel (a) is in contact with the first guide rail 300, so that the wireless charging unit 200 can move along the first guide rail 300.

Conversely, when the wireless charging unit 200 moves in the second direction (y), the driving driving unit 220 drives the first actuator 223 to elevate the first plate 221, and the second actuator 224 The second plate 222 may be lowered by driving. As a result, only the second wheel (b) is in contact with the second guide rail 310, so that the wireless charging unit 200 can move along the second guide rail 310.

Referring to FIG. 5, a configuration for driving the provided second wheel (b) is shown. At this time, the second plate 222 may be provided with a motor 400, a reduction gear 410, a rotation shaft 420, and a pillow block 430.

The motor 400 may rotate in one direction in the direction in which the wheels move.

The reducer 410 may be connected to the motor 400 to receive power from the motor 400, and may control the power and speed of the power in some cases.

The rotation shaft 420 may connect the reducer 410, the wheel b, and the pillow block 430, and may be fixed to a part of the reducer 410 to rotate together when the reducer 410 rotates. Thus, the rotational power of the reducer 410 can be transmitted to the wheel b.

The pillow block 430 may be a bearing capable of supporting one end of the rotating shaft 420 .

Although not shown in the drawings, the configuration for driving the first wheel (a) may be the same as the configuration for driving the second wheel (b).

In this embodiment, as a driving method of the driving drive unit 220, wheels moving along the first guide rail 300 and the second guide rail 310 have been taken as an example, but in addition to this, the driving drive unit 220 is in the art. Various driving methods used in may be applied.

Referring back to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the wireless power transmitter 230 may include a body 231, a transmission coil pad 232, a pad support 233, a camera 234, and a processor (not shown). .

The body 231 may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape and may have slots c formed in the vertical direction.

The transmission coil pad 232 may transmit power to the wireless power receiver over a short distance wirelessly. There are magnetic induction and magnetic resonance methods for short-distance wireless power transmission. In the case of magnetic induction, more efficient wireless charging is possible, but there are limitations in that the transmitter and receiver must be in contact with each other and the positions of both sides must be precisely aligned. In the case of the magnetic resonance method, wireless charging is possible even if the transmitter and receiver are somewhat separated.

In the case of the present invention, although access to the wireless power receiver is possible by the pad support 233, contact cannot be made, so even if the transmission coil pad 232 and the wireless power receiver are somewhat spaced apart, power can be supplied. A resonance method may be applied. However, a magnetic induction type wireless charging method may be applied by further providing an auxiliary actuator so that the pad support unit 233 can more closely contact the wireless power receiver.

The pad support part 233 is provided on one side of the body 231, moves up and down along the slot c, and can support the transmission coil pad 232. also. The pad support unit 233 may be formed to be retractable from the body 231 toward the unmanned transport vehicle to be charged so that the wireless power receiver and the transmission coil pad 232 may be adjacent to each other.

The wireless power transmitter 230 is provided above the driving body 210 and can supply power to a wireless power receiver (not shown) of the unmanned guided vehicle.

The camera 234 may capture a QR code (not shown) attached to the unmanned transport vehicle. The QR code is a code containing information of the corresponding unmanned transport vehicle and may be provided on one side of the unmanned transport vehicle.

The processor may recognize the vehicle identification number through the photographed QR code, receive vehicle information corresponding to the corresponding vehicle identification information from the server, and generate a signal for controlling the position of the pad support unit 233 . Processors include application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and controllers to perform the operations described below. ), and at least one physical element of micro-controllers.

The processor may determine the position of the wireless power receiving unit of the unmanned guided vehicle according to the vehicle information. In this case, the processor may identify the location of the wireless power receiver of the corresponding automatic guided vehicle by referring to a server in which the location of the wireless power receiver of each unmanned guided vehicle is stored in advance.

The location of the wireless power receiver of each vehicle model may be stored in the server as shown in Table 1 below.

vehicle model Location of wireless power receiver A P1 B P2 C P3 D P4

In this case, the processor may calculate the position of the wireless power receiver based on a reference marker provided on one side of the unmanned guided vehicle.

For example, if the model of vehicle A is recognized in the QR code recognized by the camera 234, the processor may calculate P1 based on the reference marker.

The battery is provided inside the body 231 and can supply power capable of driving the driving driving unit 220, the wireless power transmission unit 230, and the camera 234 of the wireless charging unit 200.

As a method for the wireless charging unit 200 to supply the wireless power receiver, the power supply unit 500 supplies power to the first guide rail 300 and the second guide rail 310 made of a conductive material, and the first guide rail 300 and / or one side of the wireless charging unit 200 in contact with the second guide rail 310 is made of a conductive material, the wireless charging unit 200 can be supplied with power in real time.

Alternatively, the power supply unit 500 and the wireless charging unit 200 may be connected with a power cable. In addition to this, a technology for supplying power to the wireless charging unit 200 by the power supply unit 500 may be various technologies that can be applied in the art.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings illustrated, but the present invention is not limited by the embodiments and drawings disclosed in this specification, and various modifications are made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. It is obvious that variations can be made. In addition, although the operational effects according to the configuration of the present invention have not been explicitly described and described while describing the embodiments of the present invention, it is natural that the effects predictable by the corresponding configuration should also be recognized.

Claims (5)

A parking lot in which a parking area is marked so that an unmanned transport vehicle can be parked there;
A wireless charging unit capable of wirelessly charging the unmanned transport vehicle parked in the parking area through a wireless power receiver,
The wireless charging unit can perform wireless charging by automatically approaching an unmanned transport vehicle parked in the parking area while moving along the parking area of the parking lot.
Wireless charging system for driverless guided vehicles.
According to claim 1,
The parking area includes a first parking area in which parking lines are formed so that a plurality of unmanned guided vehicles can be parked along the width direction of the vehicle and are continuous along the width direction of the unmanned guided vehicle;
And a second parking area formed parallel to the first parking area at a position spaced apart from the first parking area by a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle,
When the width direction of the automatic guided vehicle parked in the parking area is a first direction (x), and the first direction (x) is intersected, the length direction of the automatic guided vehicle is referred to as a second direction (y),
A first separation space is formed between the first parking area and the second parking area,
A second separation space is formed by being spaced apart along the width direction of the unmanned transport vehicle parked in the first parking area or the second parking area,
A first guide rail is extended and provided in the first separation space along the first direction (x), and a second guide rail is extended and provided in the second separation space along the second direction (y)
Wireless charging system for driverless guided vehicles.
According to claim 2,
The wireless charging unit
A traveling body traveling along the first guide rail and the second guide rail;
A traveling driving unit installed on the traveling body and driving the traveling body to travel; and
It is provided on the upper part of the driving body and includes a wireless power transmitter for supplying power to the wireless power receiver of the unmanned guided vehicle,
the drive unit
A first plate installed on the lower part of the traveling body and provided with a first wheel capable of traveling along the first guide rail;
A second plate installed on the lower part of the traveling body and provided with a second wheel capable of traveling along the second guide rail;
A first actuator for driving the first plate up and down;
And a second actuator for driving the second plate up and down,
The first plate is provided with a plurality of spaced apart from each other along the first direction (x) of the traveling body,
The second plate is provided with a plurality of spaced apart from each other along the second direction (y) of the traveling body in a direction crossing the first plate
Wireless charging system for driverless guided vehicles.
According to claim 3,
The wireless power transmitter
A body with slots formed in the vertical direction;
A transmission coil pad for transmitting power to the wireless power receiver;
A pad support part provided on one side of the body to move up and down along the slot and to support the transmission coil pad;
The pad support portion is formed to be retractable from the body toward the unmanned transport vehicle to be charged so that the wireless power receiver and the transmission coil pad can be adjacent to each other.
Wireless charging system for driverless guided vehicles.
According to claim 4
The wireless power transmitter
A camera that photographs the QR code attached to the unmanned transport vehicle;
A processor for receiving vehicle information from a server based on the photographed QR code information and generating a signal for controlling the position of a pad support unit;
The processor calculates the location of the wireless power receiver based on a reference marker provided on one side of the unmanned transport vehicle.
Wireless charging system for driverless guided vehicles.

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