WO2018210004A1

WO2018210004A1 - Visual positioning-based battery replacing method and system

Info

Publication number: WO2018210004A1
Application number: PCT/CN2018/074803
Authority: WO
Inventors: 陈炯; 杨潮; 郝战铎; 谭广志
Original assignee: 上海蔚来汽车有限公司
Priority date: 2017-05-18
Filing date: 2018-01-31
Publication date: 2018-11-22
Also published as: CN107264486A

Abstract

A visual positioning-based battery replacing method and system. The visual positioning-based battery replacing method comprises: obtaining first location information of a vehicle having a battery to be replaced; making a battery replacing robot arrive at a projection location of a target battery replacing location; and making the battery replacing robot replace an energy storage unit for the vehicle having the battery to be replaced. By obtaining the first location information of the vehicle having the battery to be replaced below the vehicle having the battery to be replaced, the method can make the battery replacing robot arrive at the projection location of the target battery replacing location without performing visual positioning multiple times, thereby not only reducing positioning steps in a battery replacing process, but also achieving high positioning precision and high battery replacing efficiency because of the reduction of the positioning steps.

Description

Visual positioning and changing method and system

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of power exchange, and in particular to a visual positioning method and system.

Background technique

With the rapid promotion of new energy vehicles, how to quickly and effectively replenish new energy vehicles has become a concern of major manufacturers and car owners. Taking electric vehicles as an example, replacing the power battery for electric vehicles is an effective method to solve the above problems. This method is highly respected by service providers and car owners because it can replace the power battery for electric vehicles in a short time. Usually, the replacement of the power battery is completed by the electric exchange car in the charging and replacing station, and the electric car is disassembled by the reciprocating movement between the power exchange platform and the power battery frame to remove the power battery in a depleted state and will be in a full battery state. The power battery is fixed in the action of the electric car. In the whole power exchange, the positioning of the electric trolley is one of the key steps to realize the rapid replacement of the power battery. The accuracy and success rate of the positioning directly determine the efficiency of the power exchange and the service quality of the service provider.

The invention patent of the publication number CN 104417382A discloses a visual positioning system. Specifically, the visual positioning system is applied to an electric vehicle battery replacement system, and the electric vehicle battery replacement system includes a host computer and a robot, a visual positioning system first visual sensor, a second visual sensor, and a visual control host. The first visual sensor and the second visual sensor are respectively disposed on two sides of the power changing area, and acquire image information of the power changing area. However, when the image information of the power-changing area is acquired, the first visual sensor and the second visual sensor are simultaneously sampled to obtain the first image information of the electric vehicle → three-dimensional reconstruction of the electric vehicle → obtaining the coordinates of the electric vehicle Information→Receiving vehicle type information of the electric vehicle from the host computer→Retrieving the first image information of the electric vehicle to obtain the position of the battery of the electric vehicle→ and obtaining coordinate information according to the coordinate information of the electric vehicle to determine the position information of the battery→first visual sensor Simultaneously acquiring the second image information of the electric vehicle with the second visual sensor, obtaining the position information of the battery compartment of the electric vehicle according to the second image information, and finally determining the position information of the battery and the position information of the battery compartment, and the number of positioning times is large. The positioning step is too cumbersome, and it is easy to cause a decrease in positioning accuracy. Further, the viewing angles of the first visual sensor and the second visual sensor are not less than 90°, that is, the first image information of the electric vehicle can be obtained only when the viewing angle is not less than 90°, and the universality of the system is reduced. Sex. Therefore, the positioning system positioning described above has the problems of low efficiency, poor precision, and poor universality.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a new positioning method to solve the above problems.

Summary of the invention

In order to solve the above problems in the prior art, in order to solve the problems of low efficiency, poor precision, and poor universality of the existing visual positioning system, the present invention provides a visual positioning power changing method, which includes the following step:

Obtaining first location information of the to-be-returned vehicle;

a projection position at which the power-changing robot reaches the target power-changing position;

The power changing robot is caused to replace the energy storage unit with the vehicle to be replaced.

In the preferred technical solution of the above-described visual positioning and power-changing method, the step of “acquiring the first location information of the to-be-returned vehicle” further includes:

The first position information of the to-be-returned vehicle is obtained from below the vehicle to be replaced.

In a preferred technical solution of the above-described visual positioning and power-changing method, the step of “replace the power-changing robot for the to-be-replaced vehicle to replace the energy storage unit” further includes:

Passing the power-changing robot to the target power-changing position;

In a preferred technical solution of the above-described visual positioning power conversion method, the step of "sending the power-changing robot to the target power-changing position" further includes:

Using a mechanical positioning manner to move the power-changing robot in a manner close to the target power-changing position;

The power changing robot is caused to reach the target power changing position.

In the preferred technical solution of the above-described visual positioning and power-changing method, before the step of “replace the power-changing robot for the vehicle to be replaced”, the method further includes:

Verify that the power-changing robot has reached the projected position.

In a preferred technical solution of the above-described visual positioning power-changing method, the step of "validating whether the power-changing robot reaches the projection position" further includes:

Obtaining second location information of the power-changing robot;

Calculating relative position information of the to-be-returned vehicle and the power-changing robot based on the first location information and the second location information;

In a case where the relative position information is not greater than a set threshold, it is determined that the power-changing robot has reached the projected position.

In the preferred technical solution of the above-described visual positioning and power-changing method, the step of “acquiring the second position information of the to-be-replaced robot” further includes:

Collecting image data containing the second marker point;

Acquiring the second location information based on the image data;

The second marker point is disposed on the to-be-replaced robot.

In the preferred technical solution of the above-described visual positioning and power-changing method, before the step of “acquiring the first position information of the vehicle to be replaced”, the method further includes:

The vehicle to be replaced is brought to a set position of the power exchange platform.

In the preferred technical solution of the above-described visual positioning and power-changing method, the step of “acquiring first position information of the vehicle to be replaced” further includes:

Collecting image data containing the first marked point;

Acquiring the first location information based on the image data;

The first marker point is disposed on the to-be-returned vehicle.

The invention also provides a visual positioning power changing system, the system comprising:

a visual positioning unit, configured to acquire first position information of the vehicle to be replaced;

a control unit for causing the power-changing robot to reach a projected position of the target power-changing position;

In a preferred technical solution of the visual positioning power conversion system, the visual positioning unit is disposed below the power conversion platform.

In a preferred technical solution of the visual positioning power conversion system described above,

The control unit causes the power-changing robot to reach the target power-changing position;

The control unit causes the power-changing robot to replace the energy storage unit for the vehicle to be replaced.

In a preferred technical solution of the visual positioning power conversion system, the power changing system further includes a mechanical positioning unit, wherein the mechanical positioning unit is configured to move in a manner that the power changing robot approaches the target power changing position. Connected to the vehicle to be replaced.

In a preferred technical solution of the visual positioning power conversion system, the system further includes:

a judging unit for verifying whether the power changing robot reaches the projection position.

In a preferred technical solution of the visual positioning power conversion system, the system further includes a computing unit,

The visual positioning unit acquires second location information of the power-changing robot;

The calculating unit calculates relative position information of the to-be-returned vehicle and the power-changing robot based on the first location information and the second location information;

The determining unit determines that the power-changing robot has reached the projection position in a case where the relative position information is not greater than a set threshold.

In a preferred technical solution of the visual positioning power conversion system, the visual positioning unit further includes a visual collection subunit and a visual calculation subunit.

The visual collection subunit collects image data including a second marker point;

The visual calculation subunit calculates the second location information based on the image data;

The second marker point is disposed on the to-be-replaced robot.

In a preferred technical solution of the visual positioning power conversion system, the system further includes a vehicle positioning unit, and the vehicle positioning unit is configured to cause the to-be-returned vehicle to reach a set position of the power exchange platform.

The visual collection subunit collects image data including a first marker point;

The visual calculation subunit calculates the first location information based on the image data;

The first marker point is disposed on the to-be-returned vehicle.

It can be understood by those skilled in the art that, in a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the visual positioning power changing method includes acquiring first position information of the vehicle to be exchanged from below the vehicle to be replaced; and causing the power changing robot to reach the target power changing position The projection position; the replacement robot is replaced with an energy storage unit for the vehicle to be replaced. It can be seen that by acquiring the first position information of the vehicle to be exchanged under the vehicle to be replaced, the power-changing robot can directly reach the projection position of the target power-changing position, and then the power-changing robot can directly treat the position at the position. Change the vehicle to replace the energy storage unit. That is to say, compared with the literature in the background art, the method of the present invention can obtain the first position information of the vehicle to be exchanged under the vehicle to be replaced, and the power changing robot can reach the target exchange without multiple visual positioning. The projection position of the electric position not only simplifies the positioning step in the power-changing process, but also obtains the effect of high positioning accuracy and high power-changing efficiency due to the simplification of the positioning step.

Further, in a preferred technical solution of the present invention, before the power-changing robot replaces the energy storage unit for the vehicle to be replaced, the present invention further includes verifying whether the power-changing robot reaches the projection position, and the step setting is such that the power-changing robot is Before the energy-removing vehicle replaces the energy storage unit, the visual positioning unit may obtain the second position information of the power-changing robot and the first position information of the vehicle to be replaced, and verify whether the power-changing robot accurately reaches the projection position. Therefore, the implementation success rate of the current power conversion method is further improved, and the stability of the operation of the method is ensured.

DRAWINGS

The principles of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in conjunction with an electric vehicle replacement power battery that is electrically switched for bottom. Among them, the drawing is:

1 is a schematic flow chart of a visual positioning and power changing method of the present invention;

2A is a process diagram (1) of acquiring first position information in the visual positioning power changing method of the present invention;

2B is a process diagram (2) of acquiring first position information in the visual positioning power changing method of the present invention;

2C is a process diagram (3) of acquiring first position information in the visual positioning power changing method of the present invention;

3 is a flow chart of a complete power changing process of the visual positioning power changing method of the present invention;

4 is a schematic diagram showing the system structure of the visual positioning power changing system of the present invention.

detailed description

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are only used to explain the technical principles of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. For example, although the mechanical positioning unit is preferably a positioning pin disposed on the power-changing robot lifting mechanism, such an arrangement is not uniform, and those skilled in the art can adjust it as needed to suit a specific application.

Referring first to Figure 1, Figure 1 is a flow diagram of a visual positioning power change method of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the present invention provides a visual positioning power changing method, which mainly includes the following steps:

S100: The electric vehicle to be replaced is brought to a set position of the power exchange platform. For example, the electric vehicle to be replaced can reach the set position of the power exchange platform through the guiding and positioning mechanism provided on the power exchange platform. Based on the set position and in combination with the specific arrangement position of the power battery of the electric vehicle on the electric vehicle, the target power-changing position of the power-changing robot can be further determined.

S200. The visual positioning unit acquires first position information of the electric vehicle to be replaced. If the visual positioning unit is disposed on the ground below the power conversion platform, the visual positioning unit includes a plurality of cameras, and the bottom of the electric vehicle is provided with a first marking point corresponding to the plurality of cameras, such as may be set on the electric vehicle. The positioning hole for matching and positioning with the positioning pin provided on the power-changing robot during the power-changing process is used as the first marking point, and the visual positioning unit can collect and analyze the image containing the positioning hole in a certain range of the bottom of the electric vehicle through the camera. In the manner of processing, the position information of the positioning hole is obtained, and the position information of the positioning hole is used to characterize the first position information of the electric vehicle.

S300: a projection position that causes the power-changing robot to reach the target power-changing position. The control unit located on the power-changing robot causes the power-changing robot to be substantially below the target power-changing position in such a manner as to control the movement of the power-changing robot based on the obtained first position information.

S400, so that the power-changing robot replaces the power battery for the electric vehicle to be replaced. For example, the lifting mechanism (such as the scissor lift mechanism) that controls the power-changing robot reaches the target power-changing position by the control unit located on the power-changing robot, and after reaching the target power-changing position, the control unit controls the setting on the lifting mechanism. The unlocking mechanism (such as the fastening device for fastening the bolt) completes the action of replacing the power battery for the electric vehicle.

It should be noted that the set position of the power-changing platform may be a position where the electric vehicle to be replaced is parked during the power-exchange operation, and the position is generally limited by a corresponding guiding and positioning mechanism disposed on the power-changing platform. . For example, the guiding and positioning mechanism includes a V-shaped guiding positioning groove (V-shaped roller) and a centering positioning mechanism (transverse pusher) provided on the power-changing platform, wherein the V-shaped roller can limit the electric vehicle in the forward direction (referred to as the X direction). The upper movement causes the electric vehicle to reach the set position in the forward direction, and the lateral push rod can limit the electric vehicle in the direction perpendicular to the advancing direction on the horizontal plane (denoted as the Y direction, and will be composed of the X direction and the Y direction). The direction perpendicular to the plane is recorded as the movement in the Z direction, that is, the electric vehicle reaches the set position in the vertical direction of the horizontal plane in the forward direction. By limiting the movement of the electric vehicle in the X and Y directions, the electric vehicle is finally parked in a fixed position on the power exchange platform. The target power-changing position may be a position that enables the power-changing robot to replace the power battery for the electric vehicle. For example, the target power-changing position may be a position directly below the installation position of the power battery on the electric vehicle body, and the power-changing robot can reach the position and The power-changing action is successfully completed. For example, the lifting mechanism disposed on the power-changing robot reaches the position by lifting, and then the unlocking mechanism is completed by the unlocking mechanism provided on the power-changing robot, specifically, The action of the power battery in a de-energized state being detached from the mounting position or fixing the power battery in a fully charged state to the mounting position.

It should be noted that, although the bottom power changing mode described in the embodiment is based on the manner in which the power-changing robot reaches the projection position, the lifting mechanism performs the power-changing operation by reaching the target power-changing position by moving close to the electric vehicle. It is explained, but this description is merely exemplary. Those skilled in the art can understand that in the application scenario that the power-changing robot can directly perform the power-changing operation at the bottom of the electric vehicle without lifting the mechanism, the power is changed. When the robot reaches the projection position, it reaches the target power-changing position. That is to say, at this time, the projection position and the target power-changing position are the same position. If the power exchange unit is installed in the three-dimensional garage, the vehicle can be directly exchanged at the bottom of the parking space when the vehicle is parked to the parking space.

In a possible implementation, step S200 may further include the following steps:

S210. The visual positioning device collects image data including the first marker point. For example, the camera of the visual positioning device collects an image containing the positioning holes.

S220. Acquire first location information based on image data. For example, the calculation unit of the visual positioning device performs processing according to the collected image containing the positioning hole to obtain position information of the positioning hole. For example, the correlation information between the image of the positioning hole and the target image set in advance may be used to obtain the coordinate information of the positioning hole, and the coordinate information is used as the first position information of the electric vehicle.

The following takes the correlation coefficient as an image correlation evaluation index as an example to explain the method of acquiring the first location information.

2A, FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C, FIG. 2A is a process diagram (1) for acquiring first position information in the visual positioning power-changing method of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is the first method for obtaining a visual positioning power-changing method according to the present invention. Process diagram (2) of the location information, FIG. 2C is a process diagram (3) of acquiring the first location information in the visual positioning power-changing method of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C, the electric vehicle has four positioning holes (first positioning hole, second positioning hole, third positioning hole, and fourth positioning hole respectively), and each positioning hole corresponds to one. The camera, the calculation method for obtaining the first location information may be:

The visual positioning unit collects an image containing the positioning hole (as shown in FIG. 2A);

The visual positioning unit calculates a correlation between the image to be matched and the actually acquired image, and obtains a correlation coefficient (as shown in FIG. 2B);

According to the calculated coordinates of the maximum point of the correlation coefficient, a matching image is obtained (as shown in Fig. 2C).

Specifically, the obtaining process of the first location information includes:

Establish a coordinate system. Since the visual positioning unit is disposed on the ground below the power-changing platform and the relative position of the power-changing platform is unchanged, the absolute coordinate system (X, Y, Z) of the power-changing station can be established based on the visual positioning unit.

Wherein, the direction corresponding to the X-axis is the forward direction of the electric vehicle, the direction corresponding to the Y-axis is the direction perpendicular to the X direction on the horizontal plane of the electric vehicle, and the direction corresponding to the Z-axis is determined perpendicular to the X-axis and the Y-axis. The direction of the plane.

The setting position of the first camera may be the coordinate origin, that is, the position coordinate of the first camera in the absolute coordinate system is C ₁ = (0, 0, 0), and accordingly, the second camera, the third camera, and the fourth are set. The corresponding position coordinates of the camera are: C ₂ = (X ₂ , Y ₂ , 0), C ₃ = (X ₃ , Y ₃ , 0), C ₄ = (X ₄ , Y ₄ , 0).

Assuming that the focal length of the first camera is Z, that is, the distance of the camera from the electric vehicle is Z, the coordinate of the center of the field of view on the position corresponding to the focal length of the first camera on the electric vehicle is C' ₁ = (0, 0, Z). Correspondingly, the coordinates of the center of view corresponding to the second camera, the third camera and the fourth camera on the power changing platform are: C' ₂ = (X ₂ , Y ₂ , Z), C' ₃ = (X ₃ , Y ₃ , Z), C'4 = (X ₄ , Y ₄ , Z).

After the four images of the corresponding positioning holes are calculated by the four cameras (ie, matching images), the image coordinates of the four positioning holes in the image coordinate system of the respective matching images can be obtained (normally, the unit of image coordinates is pixels) , respectively, are recorded as (R ₁ , C ₁ ), (R ₂ , C ₂ ), (R ₃ , C ₃ ), (R ₄ , C ₄ ). By converting the above image coordinates into absolute distances for the center of the camera's field of view and multiplying by the pixel resolution, the absolute coordinates of the four positioning holes in the absolute coordinate system can be obtained. Assume that the center of view of the four cameras is known as pixels (R _C1 , C _C1 ), (R _C2 , C _C2 ), (R _C3 , C _C3 ), (R _C4 , C _C4 ), and the pixels of each camera. If the resolution is Res, the above data can be combined to obtain the absolute coordinates of the four positioning holes corresponding to the four cameras in the absolute coordinate system:

T ₁ =[(R ₁ -R _C1 )×Res,(C ₁ -C _C1 )×Res,Z] (1)

_{_{T 2 = [(R 2 -R}} C2) × Res + X 2, (C 2 -C C2) × Res + Y 2, Z] (2)

T ₃ =[(R ₃ -R _C3 )×Res+X ₃ ,(C ₃ -C _C3 )×Res+Y ₃ ,Z] (3)

T ₄ =[(R ₄ -R _C4 )×Res+X ₄ ,(C ₄ -C _C4 )×Res+Y ₄ ,Z] (4)

Of course, there are still many evaluation indexes of image correlation, and those skilled in the art can adjust according to specific application scenarios, such as a mean square error, a correlation coefficient, a histogram matching coefficient, and a relative entropy. Moreover, in practical applications, it is possible to perform histogram equalization, binarization, denoising, etc. on the image obtained by the camera based on actual working conditions.

In a possible implementation, step S400 may further include:

S410, causing the power-changing robot to reach the target power-changing position. For example, a lifting mechanism (such as a scissor lift mechanism) that controls the power-changing robot by a control unit located on the power-changing robot drives an unlocking mechanism (such as a fastening device for fastening a bolt) on the lifting mechanism to approach The way of the electric vehicle is close to the target power-changing position, that is, within the range of visual positioning, and then the lifting position is further lifted by the lifting mechanism to reach the target power-changing position. Of course, it is also possible to provide a positioning pin on the lifting mechanism so that the positioning pin is close to the electric vehicle, and the lifting mechanism is inserted into the positioning hole so that the lifting mechanism reaches the target power changing position.

S420, replacing the power battery with the electric changing robot for the electric vehicle to be replaced. For example, after the lifting mechanism reaches the target power-changing position, the unlocking mechanism provided on the power-changing robot directly unlocks the power battery in the de-energized state on the electric vehicle, and carries the power battery in a de-energized state. Lifting the body.

That is to say, the visual positioning device is disposed on the ground below the power-changing platform, and when the power battery is replaced by the electric vehicle for the bottom-switching mode, the image of the positioning hole is collected by the visual positioning device and calculated based on the image. By locating the coordinate information of the hole, the first position information of the electric vehicle can be directly obtained, and the control unit of the power-changing robot can control the projection position of the power-changing robot accurately reaching the target power-changing position based on the first position information, and does not need to Other positioning devices can directly replace the power battery with the electric vehicle. Compared with the visual positioning system mentioned in the background art, such a setting manner and a power changing method reduce the number of positioning of the visual positioning unit, improve the accuracy of the result of the first position information, and further improve the replacement process of the power battery. Positioning accuracy and success rate. Moreover, due to the high positioning accuracy, no other positioning device is needed, and the mechanical structure of the power-changing robot and the effect of streamlining the power-changing process can be simplified, so that the power-changing robot can directly power the electric vehicle when reaching the projection position. Battery replacement.

Further, in order to further improve the positioning accuracy and the stability of the power-changing system, the power-changing robot may also be the electric vehicle to be replaced after the power-changing robot reaches the projection position or the target power-changing position based on the first position information. Before the replacement of the power battery, that is, between steps S300 and S400, a step of verifying whether or not the power-changing robot has reached the projection position is provided (step S350).

In a possible implementation, the current position of the power-changing robot can be further calibrated and verified by using a visual positioning unit. The method for verifying whether the power-changing robot reaches the projection position specifically includes:

S350. After the power-changing robot reaches the projection position, the visual positioning unit acquires the second position information of the power-changing robot. Similar to the method of collecting the first position information, the bottom of the power-changing robot is provided with a second marking point, for example, the second marking point may be a bottom corner point of the power-changing robot or a marking pattern set at the bottom of the power-changing robot, or In the case of the positioning pin, the second marking point may also be a mechanical positioning structure provided on the power changing robot, such as a positioning pin for matingly connecting with the positioning hole. The visual positioning unit captures the position information of the positioning pin indirectly by taking the image of the positioning mark in a certain range of the bottom of the power-changing robot through the camera, and indirectly obtains the position information of the positioning pin by using the position information of the positioning pin. Two location information. Of course, the premise of this step is that the bottom corner point of the power-changing robot or the mark pattern and the positioning pin have a fixed positional relationship conversion.

Step S350 may further include the following steps:

S351. The visual positioning device collects image data including the second marker point. A camera such as a visual positioning device captures an image containing a bottom corner point or a marker graphic.

S352. Acquire second location information based on the image data. For example, the calculation unit of the visual positioning device processes the image containing the bottom corner point or the marking pattern to obtain the position information including the bottom corner point or the marking pattern, and then uses the bottom corner point or the marking pattern and the positioning pin. The positional relationship calculates the coordinate information of the positioning pin. If the processing method such as correlation calculation is still available, the coordinate information of the bottom corner point or the mark pattern is calculated, and the position information of the positioning pin obtained based on the coordinate information is used as the second position information of the power-changing robot.

S353. Calculate relative position information of the to-be-returned vehicle and the power-changing robot based on the first location information and the second location information. For example, the calculation unit of the power-changing robot obtains the difference between the coordinate value in the coordinate information of the second marked point and the coordinate value in the coordinate information of the first marked point (positioning hole), and extracts the difference in the X-axis direction and Y The coordinate difference in the direction of the axis, and the two coordinate differences are used as relative position information.

Of course, the manner of obtaining the relative location information is not unique, and those skilled in the art can also adjust the foregoing method based on the specific application environment. For example, the method for calculating relative position information may be: establishing a robot coordinate system based on the power-changing robot → establishing a mapping relationship between the robot coordinate system and the absolute coordinate system → obtaining coordinate information of the second marked point in the robot coordinate system → using the mapping relationship Mapping the coordinate information of the second marker point in the robot coordinate system to the absolute coordinate system, thereby obtaining coordinate information of the second marker point in the absolute coordinate system → coordinate information based on the first marker point and coordinates of the second marker point Information gets relative position information.

S354. Compare the relative position information with the set threshold/threshold interval. For example, the set threshold interval may be a certain interval based on the allowable error setting in the process of adding and unlocking the fastening bolt of the power battery based on the fastening device, and the set threshold may be (-0.5 mm, +0.5 mm).

In the case where the relative position information is not in the set threshold interval, the determination result is that the power-changing robot has reached the projection position, and step S400 is performed. That is, when the relative position information is within the set threshold interval, the power-changing robot performs an action of replacing the power battery for the electric vehicle.

In the case where the relative position information is not at the set threshold, it is determined that the power-changing robot has not reached the projection position, and step S300 is performed based on the relative position information. That is, when the relative position information does not fall within the interval corresponding to the set threshold, the power-changing robot is not aligned with the electric vehicle, and thus the lifting platform cannot accurately reach the target power-changing position to perform the unlocking action. At this time, based on the relative position information, Fine-tune the power-changing robot so that the adjusted relative position information is within the set threshold interval.

Of course, in the case that the relative position information is greater than the set threshold, the adjustment of the power-changing robot may be performed by manually adjusting the power-changing robot, that is, after obtaining the relative position information, manually. The control unit controls the position of the power-changing robot to be fine-tuned until the relative position information of the power-changing robot and the electric vehicle is within a set threshold interval.

It can be seen that, by using the visual positioning unit to obtain the second position information of the power-changing robot and comparing with the first position information of the electric vehicle, the power-changing method of the present invention can be performed after the power-changing robot reaches the projection position. The positioning accuracy is verified again by the visual positioning unit. That is to say, by means of redundant design of the positioning step, the success rate of the power-changing method of the present invention is improved, and the operational stability of the power-changing method is ensured. The above method is intended to explain the principles of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art may also make corresponding adjustments, such as additions, deletions, and the like.

Referring now to Figure 3, Figure 3 is a flow diagram of a complete power-changing process of the visual positioning power-changing method of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, in a preferred embodiment, the complete process of the visual positioning power conversion method of the present invention may be:

The electric vehicle enters the power exchange platform → the electric vehicle completes the coarse positioning on the power exchange platform (stops to the set position) → the camera acquires the first position information of the electric vehicle → the control system controls the projection position of the power-changing robot to reach the target power-changing position → The camera acquires the second position information of the power-changing robot → determines whether the power-changing robot accurately reaches the projection position → the lifting mechanism moves in a manner close to the electric vehicle, performs mechanical positioning → adds an unlocking mechanism to unlock the electric vehicle.

It should be noted that the above-described process is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is only used to explain the principle of the method of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can carry out the method of the present invention. Appropriate additions, deletions or modifications are made so that the method of the invention can be applied to more specific application scenarios. For example, the process of driving an electric vehicle into a power exchange platform and coarse positioning is not a necessary step of the power conversion method of the present invention.

Referring now to Figure 4, Figure 4 is a block diagram of the system of the vision positioning power conversion system of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the present invention also provides a visual positioning power changing system, which mainly includes a visual positioning unit, a control unit, a mechanical positioning unit, a judging unit, a calculating unit, and a vehicle positioning unit. among them:

The visual positioning unit is mainly used to acquire first position information of the electric vehicle to be replaced and second position information of the power changing robot. Further, the visual positioning unit further includes a visual acquisition subunit and a visual calculation subunit, and the visual acquisition subunit is mainly used to collect image data including the first marker point or the second marker point, and the visual calculation subunit is mainly used to Image data, calculating first location information and second location information.

The mechanical positioning unit is preferably a positioning pin disposed on the power-changing robot lifting mechanism, and the positioning pin can be matingly coupled with the positioning hole provided on the electric vehicle.

Preferably, the visual acquisition subunit may be a camera disposed on the ground below the power conversion platform, and the visual calculation subunit may be a processor integrated in the camera. After the electric vehicle stops at the set position of the power changing platform, the visual positioning unit is substantially at the projection position of the first marking point, that is, the visual positioning unit is capable of collecting image data including the first marking point substantially directly above the optical positioning unit. . Further, after the power-changing robot reaches the target power-changing position, the visual positioning unit is further capable of acquiring image data including the second marking point at the bottom of the power-changing robot substantially directly above, that is, the setting position of the visual positioning unit is substantially Outside the projection position of the first marker point, it is also substantially at the projection position of the second marker point.

Preferably, the visual positioning unit may be four cameras with a processor, and the first marking point and the second marking point may be set to four positioning holes respectively disposed on the bottom of the electric vehicle and two at the bottom of the power changing robot. Mark the graphic. Preferably, the positioning pins may be set to two, and the two positioning pins respectively correspond to the two second marking points at the bottom of the power-changing robot. Preferably, when the positioning pin is coupled to the positioning hole, the floating unit may be disposed at a connection position between the lifting mechanism of the power changing robot and the power changing robot, and the floating unit may be in the process of aligning the positioning pin with the positioning hole. The connection between the positioning pin and the positioning hole is made easier by a small movement, thereby increasing the success rate of the alignment. For example, the floating unit may be an elastic member such as a spring, a leaf spring, or an elastic rubber block.

It should be noted that the above setting manner is not static, and those skilled in the art can make flexible adjustments to the above setting manner without departing from the principle of the present invention. For example, the camera can also be set to 2, 3 or any number, in the form of a binocular vision camera, etc., and the setting position of the camera can also be any fixed position below the power exchange platform, such as being disposed on the fixed frame. Alternatively, the camera can be simultaneously disposed on the lower side of the power exchange platform and the ground below the power exchange platform, and the image of the positioning hole is still collected by using the camera on the ground, and the camera is directly collected by using the camera disposed on the bottom surface of the lower side of the power exchange platform. The reversing robot contains an image of the locating pin. For example, the first marking point may also be a marking pattern disposed on the bottom of the electric vehicle or any other shape that can be used as a marking point, and the second marking point may also be directly replaced by a bottom corner point of the power-changing robot.

Preferably, the light source can also be separately disposed on the four cameras, and the light source can be automatically turned on when the camera is working, so as to provide auxiliary light when the camera collects image data, so that the camera can collect better quality image data. Improve the accuracy of image analysis, thereby increasing the accuracy and success rate of positioning. The auxiliary light source can also be disposed at any position that can improve the quality of the captured image, such as being placed on the lower ground of the power exchange platform. Or the auxiliary light source can also be directly replaced by a camera with infrared function.

It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the above preferred setting manner enables the visual positioning unit to further acquire the second position information of the power-changing robot on the basis of acquiring the first position information of the electric vehicle, and realize the foregoing arrival of the electric vehicle. The verification function of the projection position, that is, the positioning accuracy and the success rate of the method of the present invention are improved, and the redundant setting method can also prevent the occurrence of inaccurate positioning due to system errors, etc., and the method is improved. System stability at the time of application. The one-to-one setting method of the camera and the marking point can be used without increasing the limitation of the viewing angle range of the camera, thereby increasing the selection range of the camera, that is, increasing the universality of the method.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, the control unit is mainly used to control the power-changing robot to complete the entire power-changing action, such as causing the power-changing robot to reach the projection position of the target power-changing position, causing the lifting mechanism to reach the target power-changing position, and making the unlocking mechanism The operation of replacing the power battery of the electric vehicle to be replaced.

The calculating unit is mainly configured to calculate relative position information of the vehicle to be replaced and the power changing robot based on the first position information and the second position information. For example, the first position information and the second position information are acquired according to the visual positioning unit, the coordinate difference values of the first position information and the second position information are calculated, and the coordinate difference values in the X direction and the Y direction among the difference values are extracted.

The judging unit is mainly used to verify whether the power changing robot reaches the projection position. After the first positioning information and the second position information are acquired by the visual positioning unit, determining whether the coordinate difference is in the set threshold interval according to the comparison result between the coordinate difference between the first position information and the second position information and the set threshold That is, whether the power-changing robot is accurately in the projection position.

The vehicle positioning unit is mainly used for setting the position of the electric vehicle to be replaced by the electric vehicle to be replaced. The vehicle positioning unit is a V-shaped guide groove and a guiding mechanism provided on the power exchange platform, and the electric vehicle that is to be replaced by the V-shaped guiding groove and the guiding mechanism is restricted in the X and Y directions, so that the electric vehicle to be replaced arrives. The setting position of the power exchange platform.

In summary, in the visual positioning power-changing method and system of the present invention, the power-changing method mainly includes: the electric vehicle to be replaced reaches the set position of the power-changing platform; and the visual positioning unit acquires the electric vehicle to be replaced. a position information; a projection position of the power-changing robot to the target power-changing position; verifying whether the power-changing robot reaches the projection position; verifying whether the power-changing robot reaches the target power-changing position; and causing the power-changing robot to replace the power of the electric vehicle to be replaced battery. The power changing system mainly comprises a visual positioning unit, a control unit, a judging unit, a calculating unit and a mechanical positioning unit which are arranged on the ground below the power changing platform, and the visual positioning unit further comprises a visual collecting subunit and a visual computing subunit. Compared with the literature cited in the background art, the above-mentioned visual positioning and power-changing method can complete the power-changing only by acquiring the first position information, has the effect of streamlined and high efficiency, and is set to be replaced by the visual positioning unit. The manner of setting the ground below the platform can also be a visual positioning unit for verifying whether the power-changing robot reaches the projection position, further increasing the positioning accuracy and success rate of the method of the present invention. In addition, the visual positioning unit and the marking point adopt a one-to-one setting manner, and the universality of the method is also added, so that the method can be applied to a wider application scenario and has a better promotion effect.

Heretofore, the technical solutions of the present invention have been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings, but it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention is obviously not limited to the specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or substitutions to the related technical features without departing from the principles of the present invention, and the technical solutions after the modifications or replacements fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

A visual positioning power changing method, characterized in that the method comprises the following steps:

Obtaining first location information of the vehicle to be replaced;

a projection position at which the power-changing robot reaches the target power-changing position;

In a case where the power-changing robot reaches the projection position, the power-changing robot replaces the energy storage unit with the vehicle to be replaced.
The visual positioning power conversion method according to claim 1, wherein the step of: acquiring the first location information of the to-be-returned vehicle further comprises:

The first position information of the to-be-returned vehicle is obtained from below the vehicle to be replaced.
The visual positioning power-changing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of: "replace the power-changing robot to replace the energy storage unit with the vehicle to be replaced" further comprises:

Passing the power-changing robot to the target power-changing position;

The power changing robot is caused to replace the energy storage unit with the vehicle to be replaced.
The visual positioning power-changing method according to claim 3, wherein the step of "sending the power-changing robot to the target power-changing position" further comprises:

Using a mechanical positioning manner to move the power-changing robot in a manner close to the target power-changing position;

The power changing robot is caused to reach the target power changing position.
The visual positioning power-changing method according to claim 3, wherein before the step of "replace the power-changing robot for the vehicle to be replaced", the method further comprises:

Verify that the power-changing robot has reached the projected position.
The visual positioning power-changing method according to claim 5, wherein the step of "validating whether the power-changing robot reaches the projection position" further comprises:

Obtaining second location information of the power-changing robot;

Calculating relative position information of the to-be-returned vehicle and the power-changing robot based on the first location information and the second location information;

In a case where the relative position information is not greater than a set threshold or is in a threshold interval, it is determined that the power-changing robot has reached the projected position.
The visual positioning power conversion method according to claim 6, wherein in a case where the relative position information is greater than a set threshold or not in a set threshold interval, it is determined that the power-changing robot does not reach the projection position.
The visual positioning power-changing method according to claim 7, wherein in the case where the power-changing robot does not reach the projection position, the relative position information is not changed by moving the power-changing robot Greater than the set threshold or in the threshold interval.
The visual positioning power conversion method according to claim 6, wherein the step of: acquiring the second position information of the to-be-replaced robot further comprises:

Collecting image data containing the second marker point;

Acquiring the second location information based on the image data;

The second marker point is disposed on the to-be-replaced robot.
The visual positioning power changing method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein before the step of "acquiring first position information of the vehicle to be replaced", the method further comprises:

The vehicle to be replaced is brought to a set position of the power exchange platform.
The visual positioning power changing method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the step of "acquiring first position information of the vehicle to be replaced" further comprises:

Collecting image data containing the first marked point;

Acquiring the first location information based on the image data;

The first marker point is disposed on the to-be-returned vehicle.
A visual positioning power changing system, characterized in that the system comprises:

a visual positioning unit, configured to acquire first position information of the vehicle to be replaced;

a control unit for causing the power-changing robot to reach a projected position of the target power-changing position;

In a case where the power-changing robot reaches the projection position, the power-changing robot replaces the energy storage unit with the vehicle to be replaced.
The visual positioning power conversion system according to claim 12, wherein the visual positioning unit is disposed below the power conversion platform.
A visual positioning power changing system according to claim 13 wherein:

The control unit causes the power-changing robot to reach the target power-changing position;

The control unit causes the power-changing robot to replace the energy storage unit for the vehicle to be replaced.
The visual positioning power conversion system according to claim 14, wherein the power changing system further comprises a mechanical positioning unit, wherein the mechanical positioning unit is configured to be in proximity to the target power changing position of the power changing robot In the case of a mode shift, the vehicle is aligned with the to-be-returned vehicle.
The visual positioning power conversion system according to claim 15, wherein the system further comprises:

a judging unit for verifying whether the power changing robot reaches the projection position.
A visual positioning power changing system according to claim 16, wherein said system further comprises a computing unit,

The visual positioning unit acquires second location information of the power-changing robot;

The calculating unit calculates relative position information of the to-be-returned vehicle and the power-changing robot based on the first location information and the second location information;

The determining unit determines that the power-changing robot has reached the projection position if the relative position information is not greater than a set threshold or is within a set threshold interval.
The visual positioning power-changing system according to claim 17, wherein the determining unit determines that the power-changing robot is not in a situation where the relative position information is greater than a set threshold or not within a set threshold interval Arrived at the projected position.
The visual positioning power changing system according to claim 18, wherein the control unit is further configured to: when the power changing robot does not reach the projection position, the control unit changes the power by The way the robot moves is such that the relative position information is not greater than a set threshold or is within a threshold interval.
The visual positioning power conversion system according to claim 17, wherein the visual positioning unit further comprises a visual acquisition subunit and a visual calculation subunit.

The visual collection subunit collects image data including a second marker point;

The visual calculation subunit calculates the second location information based on the image data;

The second marker point is disposed on the to-be-replaced robot.
A visual positioning power changing system according to any one of claims 12 to 20, characterized in that

The system also includes a vehicle positioning unit for causing the vehicle to be replaced to reach a set position of the power exchange platform.
A visual positioning power changing system according to any one of claims 12 to 20, characterized in that

The visual collection subunit collects image data including a first marker point;

The visual calculation subunit calculates the first location information based on the image data;

The first marker point is disposed on the to-be-returned vehicle.