JPH06233438A - Power supply for mobile body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stop a mobile body and prevent an excessive tension from being applied to a power supply cable, by deciding the operational state of the mobile body through the sensings of the current and tension of the power supply cable, and by controlling a cable winding device. CONSTITUTION:A controller 10 receives from a current sensor 8 the value of the current flowing in a power supply cable 3, and when a real current value is smaller than a preset current value, it makes the state of a driving device 5 free, and further, it waits the beginning of the work of a mobile body 1. When the mobile body 1 begins to move into operation, a large working current begins to flow in the power supply cable 3. Thereon, the controller 10 gives the driving device 5 the command of the power supply cable 3 to be wound around a cable drum in the case wherein the sensing value of the tension applied to the power supply cable 3 is smaller than the preset value of the tension, and it outputs to the driving device 5 the command for the power supply cable 3 to be drawn out from the cable drum in the inverse case thereof. Therefore, the controller 10 can control the driving device 5 so that the power supply cable 3 is prevented from being furled around the mobile body 1 by its excessive drawing-out or it is prevented from being damaged by its excessive winding.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a power supply device for a mobile unit, such as a self-propelled cleaner, which supplies power to a mobile unit that performs some work while self-propelled through a power cable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a power supply device for a mobile unit, such as a self-propelled vacuum cleaner, which supplies power to a mobile unit that performs some work while traveling by itself, a cable winding device is incorporated. By letting
In order to prevent the power cable from getting entangled with the moving body, the power cable is unwound or rolled up as the moving body travels.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional power supply apparatus for a mobile unit, simply connecting the power cable makes it possible to determine the operating state of the mobile unit, for example, whether some work is currently being performed or the power switch is simply turned on. Since the power supply unit cannot recognize whether it is in a non-working state when the power is turned on, a signal cable separate from the power cable is installed between the mobile unit and the power supply unit to operate. The worker sets the operating state of the moving body by knowing the state or providing a switch for starting work on the moving body side. For this reason, when the signal cable is separately provided, if it is coaxial with the power cable, the cable diameter becomes large and heavy, and the cable winding device becomes large in size. In addition, if the operator sets the operating state by operating the switch,
There was a problem that hindered automation.

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and detects the current flowing through the power cable and the tension applied to the power cable to free the power cable.
The winding or unwinding is controlled, and when a larger tension is applied, the power supply is stopped to stop the moving body safely, so that excessive tension on the power cable will not damage it. It is an object of the present invention to provide a power supply device for a moving body.

The present invention also provides a power supply device for a moving body, which determines the moving direction of the moving body and variably adjusts the tension of the power supply cable so that the power supply cable does not become entangled when the vehicle moves backward. The purpose is to

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power supply device for supplying power to a moving body which is self-propelled and working through a power cable, and a cable for controlling winding and unwinding of the power cable. In a power supply device for a moving body, which comprises a winding device, a current detecting means for detecting a value of a current flowing through a power cable, a tension detecting means for detecting tension of the power cable, a current detecting means and a tension detecting means. A moving body state judging means for judging an operating state of the moving body based on the detection signal of the moving body, and a control means for controlling the power supply cable winding or unwinding of the cable winding device based on the judgment result of the moving body state judging means. It is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the power supply device for a moving body according to the first aspect, when the tension detecting means detects a large tension exceeding a permissible value, the power supply cutoff control for stopping the power supply to the moving body. It is equipped with means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the power supply device for a moving body according to the first or second aspect, the moving body side is provided with signal transmitting means for transmitting a signal for identifying a moving direction during forward movement and during backward movement to the air. A signal receiving means for receiving a signal transmitted from the signal transmitting means to the power supply device side in the air, a moving direction determining means for determining the moving direction of the moving body from the signal received by the signal receiving means, and a moving direction determining means Based on the judgment result of forward and backward movement of the moving body by the control means, the tension set value changing means for switching the tension reference value of the cable winding and unwinding judged by the control means to a high value when moving forward and a low tension value when moving backward Is.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the power supply device for a movable body according to the third aspect, as a signal transmission means of the movable body, a light emitter that emits light backward when advancing to the rear portion of the movable body or a backward ultrasonic wave. An ultrasonic transmitter for transmitting
As a signal receiving means on the power supply device side, a light receiving device for receiving light from a light emitting device or an ultrasonic receiver for receiving ultrasonic waves from an ultrasonic transmitter is provided.

[0010]

According to the power supply device for a moving body of the invention of claim 1,
The current value flowing in the power cable is detected by the current detection means,
The tension of the power cable is detected by the tension detecting means, and the moving body state judging means judges the operating state of the moving body, the working state or the non-working state based on these detection signals. Then, based on the judgment result of the moving body state judging means, the control means controls the winding or unwinding of the power cable of the cable winding device, and the power cable is unwound too much and entangled with the moving body, or conversely, too much winding is performed. Do not overtension and damage the power cable.

Further, in the power supply device for a moving body according to a second aspect of the present invention, when the tension detecting means detects a large tension exceeding the allowable value, the power cutoff control means stops the power supply to the moving body. In this way, disconnection of the power cable due to over tension is prevented.

Further, in the power supply device for a mobile object according to a third aspect of the present invention, a signal transmitted from the signal transmitting means provided on the mobile device side to the air for identifying the moving direction during forward movement and backward movement is supplied to the power supply device side. The signal is received by the signal receiving means provided in, and the moving direction judging means judges the moving direction of the moving body from the received signal. Then, based on the result of the judgment made by the moving direction judging means when the moving body is moving forward and backward, the tension setting value varying means switches the tension reference value to a high value when moving forward and a low tension value when moving backward to give it to the control means. The cable winding and unwinding control are performed based on the reference value. Thus
The tension of the power supply cable is made variable when the moving body moves forward and backward, and in particular, the power supply cable is prevented from being entangled with the moving body when the moving body loosens during the backward movement.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power supply device for a mobile body, which is used as a signal transmitting means for the mobile body. By providing a sound wave transmitter, as a signal receiving means on the side of the power supply device, by providing an ultrasonic receiver for receiving ultrasonic waves from a light receiver or an ultrasonic wave transmitter for receiving light from a light emitter on the moving body side, It is possible to determine the moving direction of the moving body based on the presence or absence of light or ultrasonic signals from the moving body.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of a power supply device for a moving body according to claims 1 and 2. 1 and 2
In order to supply electric power to the moving body 1, as shown in FIG. It contains the device 5. Further, the power supply device 2 includes a potentiometer 6 for detecting the rotation speed and the rotation position of the cable drum 4.
And a tension detector 7 for detecting the tension of the power cable 3,
Current detector 8 for detecting the current flowing through the power cable 3
And the rotation of the drive unit 5 of the cable drum 4 on the basis of the power switch 9 for turning on and off the power supply to the moving body 1 and the detection data input from the tension detector 7 and the current detector 8 described above. And a control device 10.

Next, the operation of the power supply device for a mobile unit having the above-mentioned structure will be described. FIG. 3 shows a current pattern flowing in the power cable 3, and FIG. 4 shows a control operation flowchart of the control device 10.

First, when the power cable 3 is pulled out from the power supply device 2 and connected to the moving body 1, the power cable 3
The current flowing through is zero. After this connection, the power switch 9 is supplied to the mobile unit 1 to supply the power necessary for its control.
By turning on the control current I1 to the moving body 1.
Comes to flow. Then, when the mobile unit 1 starts the original work while moving, a large work current I2 is supplied. Therefore, as the current setting value Ir, a value approximately intermediate between the work current I2 and the control current I1 is set.

The control device 10 inputs the current value flowing from the current detector 8 to the power cable 3 (step S1) and judges whether the current value is larger than the current set value Ir (step S2). In this determination, if the actual current value is smaller than the current setting value Ir, a command is issued to set the drive device 5 in the free state, and the mobile body 1 waits for the work to start (step S3). In this case, since the driving device 5 that drives the cable drum 4 is in the free state, the power cable 3 can be easily pulled out from the cable drum 4.

Next, when the moving body 1 starts moving and enters the working state after the control power source is turned on, the power cable 3
A large working current I2 will start to flow through. Therefore, in the determination of step S2, the actual current value is the current setting value I
It is determined that it is larger than r, and the drive device 5 is controlled so that the tension applied to the power cable 3 becomes constant. That is, it is determined whether the detected tension value detected by the tension detector 7 is less than or equal to the allowable value of the limit at which the power cable 3 is not disconnected (steps S4 and S5). If it is smaller than the allowable tension value, it is compared with a predetermined tension set value that is set in advance (step S
6).

In the comparison of this step S6, if the detected tension value is smaller than the set tension value, it means that the cable is slack. Therefore, the command to rotate the cable drum 4 in the direction of winding the power cable 3 is driven. Output to the device 5 (step S7). Conversely, if the detected tension value is larger than the set tension value in step S6, the cable is too tight. A command to rotate 4 is output to the driving device 5 (step S8).

If the detected tension value is larger than the allowable tension value in step S5, the power supply cable 3 may be abnormally stretched and cut off. 9 is turned off to stop the power supply to the moving body 1 to prevent the power cable 3 from being damaged (step S9).

In this way, when the mobile unit 1 is self-propelled and does some work, if the mobile unit 1 moves away from the power supply unit 2 during the work, the power cable 3 is stretched and the tension is set to the set value. However, in such a case, since the cable drum 4 is rotated by the drive device 5 so as to feed the power supply cable 3, the tension of the power supply cable 3 is relaxed. Also mobile 1
When the user moves to approach the power supply device 2 while working, the power cable 3 loosens and the tension becomes smaller than the set value. In such a case, the power cable 3 should be wound up. Since the cable drum 4 is rotated by the drive device 5, the tension of the power cable 3 is increased. As a result, while the moving body 1 is working while traveling on its own, the power cable 3 is moved regardless of whether the moving body 1 moves away from the power supply device 2 or vice versa.
It is possible to control so that the tension of is almost constant. In addition, when excessive tension is applied to the power cable 3 for some reason, the power supply is stopped as an abnormal situation, so that the moving body 1 is stopped in an emergency and the power cable 3 can be protected.

In this way, in the power supply device for a mobile unit of this embodiment, the operating state of the mobile unit, that is, working or non-working state is judged from the current value flowing in the power cable 3, and when the work is started, the power cable 3 It is possible to control so that the tension of the power cable 3 is always kept constant by starting the winding and unwinding operations.

The inventions of claims 1 and 2 are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the value of the current flowing through the power cable 3 is not divided into two stages, but is divided into three or more appropriate stages. Alternatively, the tension set value of the power cable 3 may be made variable depending on each stage.

5 to 7 show an embodiment of a power supply device for a moving body according to claims 3 and 4. In order to supply electric power to the moving body 1 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6,
The power supply device 2 includes a power cable 3, a cable drum 4 for feeding and winding the power cable 3, and a drive device 5 for driving the cable drum 4 in forward and reverse directions. Further, the power supply device 2 includes a potentiometer 6 for detecting the rotation speed and the rotation position of the cable drum 4, and a tension detector 7 for detecting the tension of the power cable 3.
A current detector 8 for detecting a current flowing through the power cable 3, a power switch 9 for turning on / off the power supply to the moving body 1, the tension detector 7 and the current detector 8 described above.
The control device 10 controls the rotation of the drive device 5 of the cable drum 4 based on the detection data input from the.

As a feature of this embodiment, the moving body 1
A light emitter 11 that emits light when the moving body 1 is moving forward and does not emit light when retracting or stopping is attached to the back of the vehicle, while the light source 11 is attached to the power supply device 2. Receiver 12 for receiving the optical signal from the
Is provided.

Next, the operation of the power supply device for the moving body having the above-mentioned structure will be described. FIG. 7 shows a control operation flowchart of the control device 10. First, when the power cable 3 is pulled out from the power supply device 2 and connected to the moving body 1, the current flowing through the power cable 3 is zero. After this connection, the power switch 9 is turned on to supply the electric power necessary for controlling the moving body 1 so that the same control current I1 as shown in FIG. Become. Then, when the mobile unit 1 starts the original work while moving, a large work current I2 is supplied. Therefore, also in this embodiment, the current setting value Ir
As a result, an approximately intermediate value between the work current I2 and the control current I1 is set. In addition, in this embodiment, the tension of the power cable 3 is variably adjusted when the moving body 1 moves forward and backward.
In particular, when the power cable 3 is retracted, the tension of the power cable 3 is slightly increased so that the loosened power cable 3 can be quickly wound up and the entanglement with the moving body 1 can be reliably prevented. T1 and the tension set value T2 (> T1) at the time of retreat are set.

Therefore, the controller 10 inputs the value of the current flowing from the current detector 8 to the power cable 3 (step S1).
1) It is determined whether the current value is larger than the current set value Ir (step S12). In this determination, if the actual current value is smaller than the current setting value Ir, a command is issued to set the driving device 5 in the free state, and the mobile body 1 waits for the work to start (step S13). in this case,
Since the drive device 5 that drives the cable drum 4 is in a free state, the power cable 3 can be easily pulled out from the cable drum 4.

When the moving body 1 starts working, a large working current I2 starts to flow through the power cable 3.
Therefore, in the determination of step S12, it is determined that the actual current value is larger than the current setting value Ir, and the drive device 5 is controlled so that the tension applied to the power cable 3 becomes constant. In this case, when the moving body 1 starts moving and enters the working state, the moving body 1 emits light backward from the light emitter 11 when moving forward, and stops emitting light when stopping or moving backward. This is the light receiver 12 on the side of the power supply device 2.
It is checked whether or not the light is received at (step S14).
Therefore, when the light from the moving body 1 is received by the light receiver 12, T1 is used as the tension setting value T (step S1).
5) If no light is received, T2 is used as the tension setting value T (step S16).

After setting the tension setting value T to either T1 or T2 in this way, it is first judged whether or not the tension detection value detected by the tension detector 7 is equal to or less than the allowable value of the limit at which the power cable 3 is not disconnected. (Steps S18 and S1
9). If it is smaller than the allowable tension value, it is compared with the tension setting value T (step S20).

In the comparison in step S20, if the detected tension value is smaller than the set tension value T, the cable is slack, so a command to rotate the cable drum 4 in the direction for winding the power cable 3 is issued. Drive device 5
To step S21, and conversely step S2
If the detected tension value is greater than the set tension value T at 0, the cable is too tight, so a command to rotate the cable drum 4 in the direction in which the power cable 3 is fed is output to the drive device 5 (step S22).

If the detected tension value is larger than the allowable tension value in step S19, the power cable 3 may be abnormally stretched and cut.
The control device 10 turns off the power switch 9 to stop the power supply to the moving body 1 to prevent the power cable 3 from being damaged (step S23).

In this way, in this embodiment, when the mobile unit 1 is self-propelled and does some work, the power cable 3 is stretched when the mobile unit 1 moves away from the power supply unit 2 during the work. Tension becomes larger than the set value T (= T1), but in such a case the power cable 3
Drive device 5 so that the cable drum 4
Is rotated, the tension of the power cable 3 is relaxed, and when the moving body 1 moves to approach the power supply device 2 while working, the power cable 3
Becomes loose and the tension becomes smaller than the set value T (= T2), but in such a case, since the cable drum 4 is rotated by the drive device 5 so as to wind up the power cable 3, the power cable 3 The tension of the power supply cable 3 is increased, and the power supply cable 3 can be extended and wound in accordance with the movement of the moving body 1 while maintaining the tension T1 at the time of forward movement and the tension T2 at the time of backward movement, respectively. Become.

As a result, while the moving body 1 is working while traveling by itself, the moving body 1 is in the forward movement state and the power supply device 2
When moving in a direction away from the power cable 3, the tension applied to the power cable 3 is weakened to T1 so that the power cable 3 can be smoothly fed out. On the contrary, the moving body 1 is in the retracted state. When the power cable 3 is moved toward the power supply device 2, the power cable 3 is slackened and easily entangles with the moving body 1. Therefore, the tension applied to the power cable 3 is increased to T2 to loosen the power cable 3. The remaining portion can be reliably wound around the cable drum 4.

In addition, if excessive tension is applied to the power cable 3 for some reason, the power supply is stopped as an abnormal situation to stop the mobile unit 1 in an emergency and protect the power cable 3. You can also

The inventions of claims 3 and 4 are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and the value of the current flowing through the power cable 3 is not divided into two stages, but is divided into three or more appropriate stages. Alternatively, the tension set value of the power cable 3 may be made variable depending on each stage.

Further, a signal transmitting means for transmitting a signal to the air for detecting the moving direction of the moving body 1, and a light emitting device 11 provided in the moving body 1 and a light receiving device 12 in the power supply device 2 as a receiving means of the signal. Instead of providing the above, it is also possible to provide the moving body 1 with an ultrasonic transmitter and the power supply device 2 with an ultrasonic receiver.

[0037]

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1,
The current value flowing in the power cable is detected by the current detection means,
The tension of the power cable is detected by the tension detecting means, and based on these detection signals, the moving body state judging means judges the operating state of the moving body, the working state or the non-working state, and the moving body state judging means. Based on the result of the judgment, the control means controls the power supply cable winding or unwinding of the cable winding device.Therefore, the power cable is unwound too much and entangled with the moving body. The tension of the power supply cable can be controlled to be almost constant at all times so that the power supply cable is not damaged due to the addition of force.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the tension detecting means detects a large tension exceeding the allowable value, the power interruption control means stops the power supply to the moving body. It is possible to prevent disconnection due to over tension of the cable.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the signal receiving unit provided on the power supply unit side receives a signal transmitted from the signal transmitting unit provided on the mobile unit side for identifying the moving direction during forward movement and backward movement. The moving direction determination means determines the moving direction of the moving body from the received signal, and the tension set value varying means determines the moving direction determination means based on the determination result of the moving body moving forward or backward. The tension reference value is switched to a higher value when moving forward and a lower value when moving backward, and is given to the control means, and the cable winding and unwinding control is performed based on this tension reference value. The tension of the power cable can be varied with, and the tension of the power cable is controlled to be stronger especially when the vehicle retreats, so that the power cable can be securely prevented from being entangled with the moving body due to slack. It can be.

According to the invention of claim 4, as a signal transmitting means of the moving body, a light emitting device which emits light backward when moving forward or an ultrasonic wave transmitting device which emits ultrasonic wave backward is provided at the rear part of the moving body. As a signal receiving means on the side of the power supply device, a light receiver for receiving light from a light emitter on the moving body side or an ultrasonic receiver for receiving ultrasonic waves from an ultrasonic transmitter is provided, so that light from the moving body is provided. Alternatively, the moving direction of the moving body can be determined based on the presence / absence of the ultrasonic signal, and the moving direction of the moving body can be reliably determined and the tension can be variably adjusted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a device configuration diagram of an embodiment of the inventions of claims 1 and 2. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of the power supply device in the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a current set value pattern in the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the above embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of an embodiment of the inventions of claims 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram of the power supply device in the above embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the above embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Moving body 2 Power supply device 3 Power cable 4 Cable drum 5 Driving device 7 Tension detector 8 Current detector 9 Power switch 10 Control device 11 Light emitter 12 Light receiver

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A moving body comprising a power supply device that supplies power to a moving body that is self-propelled and works through a power cable, and a cable winding device that controls winding and unwinding of the power cable. In the power supply device of, the current detection means for detecting the current value flowing in the power cable, the tension detection means for detecting the tension of the power cable, the current detection means based on the detection signal of the tension detection means A movement provided with a moving body state judging means for judging an operating state of the moving body, and a control means for controlling power supply cable winding or unwinding of the cable winding device based on the judgment result of the moving body state judging means. Power supply for the body. 2. The power supply device for a moving body according to claim 1, wherein when the tension detecting means detects a large tension exceeding an allowable value, a power cutoff control means for stopping the power supply to the moving body. A power supply device for a mobile body, comprising: 3. The power supply device for a moving body according to claim 1, wherein the moving body side is provided with signal transmitting means for transmitting a signal for identifying a moving direction during forward movement and during backward movement to the air, Signal receiving means for receiving a signal transmitted to the power supply device side from the signal transmitting means in the air; moving direction determining means for determining the moving direction of the moving body from the signal received by the signal receiving means; A tension set value variable that switches the tension reference value of the cable winding and unwinding determined by the control means to a high value when moving forward and a low tension value when moving backward based on the result of judgment by the direction judging means when the moving body is moving forward or backward. A power supply device for a mobile body, characterized by comprising means. 4. The power supply device for a moving body according to claim 3, wherein as a signal transmitting means of the moving body, a light emitter that emits light backward when advancing to the rear part of the moving body or emits ultrasonic waves backward. And an ultrasonic receiver for receiving the light from the light emitter or an ultrasonic receiver for receiving the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic transmitter is provided as the signal receiving means on the power supply device side. A power supply device for a mobile body characterized by the above.