Adjustable charging robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10696167-B2
Application number	US-201715827500-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2017
Priority date	Dec 1, 2016
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A charging robot connects a contact-making device of an electric charging apparatus to an electric charging interface of a vehicle. The charging robot has a robot arm, which can be connected to the contact-making device. The robot arm is movable in at least three degrees of freedom in order to connect the contact-making device to the charging interface. The charging robot has a detection device for detecting an alignment of the vehicle charging interface. The robot arm has an adjuster for adjusting the contact-making device on the robot. Also described is a charging system for charging an electric energy store of a vehicle, and a method for adjusting the charging robot. The method includes detecting an alignment of the charging interface on the vehicle, and adjusting the contact-making device on the charging robot on the basis of the detected alignment of the charging interface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A charging robot for connecting a contact-making device of an electric charging apparatus to an electric charging interface of a vehicle, the charging robot having a robot arm, which is configured to be connected to the contact-making device, and the robot arm being movable in at least three degrees of freedom in order to connect the contact-making device to the charging interface, wherein the charging robot has a detection device for detecting an alignment of the charging interface on the vehicle, and the robot arm has adjusting means extending between the robot arm and the contact-making device for adjusting an inclination and a rotational position of the contact-making device on the charging robot, wherein movement the robot arm is automated and controlled by the charging robot, wherein the charging robot has a user interface in the form of a display for outputting the alignment of the charging interface detected by the detection device to a user, and wherein the adjusting means are manually operable for connection to the charging interface.

2. The charging robot as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the detection device for detecting an alignment of the charging interface on the vehicle is an optical detection device.

3. The charging robot as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the charging robot has a vehicle detection device and an assignment unit, wherein the assignment unit is configured to carry out an assignment of a detected alignment of the charging interface to the detected vehicle.

4. The charging robot as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the adapter plug is configured with a reference mark for detection by the detection device.

5. The charging robot as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the charging robot has an adapter plug, which is separate from the contact-making device and the electric charging interface, for mechanical connection to the charging interface, and the detection device is configured to detect an alignment of the charging interface on the vehicle via a detection of an alignment of the adapter plug when connected to the charging interface.

6. A charging system for charging an electric energy store of a vehicle, comprising the charging apparatus with contact-making device, which is configured to be connected to the electric charging interface of the vehicle, and the charging robot as claimed in claim 1 .

7. A charging robot for connecting a contact-making device of an electric charging apparatus to an electric charging interface of a vehicle, the charging robot having a robot arm, which is configured to be connected to the contact-making device, and the robot arm being movable in at least three degrees of freedom in order to connect the contact-making device to the charging interface, wherein the charging robot has a detection device for detecting an alignment of the charging interface on the vehicle, and the robot arm has adjusting means for adjusting the contact-making device on the charging robot,
wherein the charging robot has a user interface in the form of a display for outputting the alignment of the charging interface detected by the detection device to a user,
wherein the adjusting means for adjusting the contact-making device on the charging robot are configured for manual adjustment on the basis of the alignment of the charging interface output by the user interface.

8. A method for adjusting a charging robot for connecting a contact-making device of an electric charging apparatus to an electric charging interface of a vehicle, wherein the charging robot has (i) a robot arm which is configured to be connected to the contact-making device, and the robot arm is movable in at least three degrees of freedom in order to connect the contact-making device to the charging interface, and (ii) adjusting means extending between the robot arm and the contact-making device for adjusting an inclination and a rotational position of the contact-making device on the charging robot, said method comprising the steps of:
detecting an alignment of the charging interface on the vehicle using a detection device;
adjusting the robot arm on the charging robot on the basis of the detected alignment of the charging interface;
outputting the alignment of the charging interface detected by the detection device to a user interface in the form of a display;
manually adjusting the adjusting means to align the contact-making device on the robot arm to the electric charging interface of the vehicle; and
connecting the contact-making device on the robot arm to the electric charging interface of the vehicle.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the step of detecting an alignment of the charging interface on the vehicle comprises detecting the movement of the vehicle relative to the charging robot.

Assignees

• Porsche Ag

Inventors

• Wetzel Timo

Classifications

• B60L53/22

  Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles · CPC title

• Y02T90/167

  Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV] · CPC title

• Y02T90/16

  Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles · CPC title

• Y02T90/12

  Electric charging stations · CPC title

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title