Abstract
Research and/or Engineering Questions/Objective
With the increasing number of electric and hybrid vehicles, the demand for customer-friendly and innovative solutions in terms of charging infrastructure and charging stations are growing. By faster loading systems the charging cables are getting more bulky. The objective of this study is to examine how we can address this problem properly and to develop a concept that can charge several and different vehicles without human help.
Methodology
First of all an overview of all charging modes and cables has been determined. This is necessary because every car manufacturer has its own charging connection. Because every charging cable has its own geometry a gripper system had to be developed which can handle every cable. Based on that the best suitable robot has been selected which fulfil several requirements. The requirements are low weight, mobility, different gripper systems must fit, and the Human Machine Interface must be fulfilled. The last step is to develop a concept that makes it possible to transport the robot to different vehicles. That can be a mobile manipulator or a linear transport system. For all of these points the best solution is taken and finally combined.
Results
The submitted paper presents an alternative for inductive charging by a direct cable connection between a fixed charging station and the vehicle, wherein the video-controlled robot system can detect different vehicle models and refuel automatically. In conclusion, a standardization of the charging cable and the position of the charging socket would simplify the automated charging, which is up to now not likely to be integrated by the different manufactures.
Limitations of this study
To know which vehicle is in the parking station, a communication between the vehicle and the charging station is necessary. With that information every car could be charged. It might occur that the communication between vehicle and charging station is interrupted and therefore the car could not be charged fully. Every robot has a limited range of motion. In some cases it might be a problem that the motion range of the robot is not sufficient and therefore the vehicle could not be charged.
What does the paper offer that is new in the field in comparison to other works by the author?
A range of manufacturers develop automatic, robot-based charging systems, which allows users to charge their vehicle without any manual step. The key aspect of this concept is to enable the usage of different charging sockets. Therefore this proposed system is manufacturer-independent and does not require precise parking.
Conclusion
So far, charging is done via cables, which has to be put into the vehicle for the charging period. This insures minor or no electric losses, high charging capacities and comparatively low costs. However, each vehicles has different charging positions (on the left or right side, in front, etc.) and cable-charging is somehow uncomfortable, the cables can be polluted or damaged and present a tripping hazard. Sometimes electric vehicle users forget to plug in the charging cable, so the car is not loaded when they come back. Therefore, it makes perfect sense.
KEYWORDS : electrical charging system, layout and design concept for automated robot-based charging systems, prototype robot-based electrical vehicle charging system to develop automated, robot-based charging systems for more comfort and safety reasons.