KR20200045596A - Robot loading arm system for filling fuel - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, a fuel filling robot loading system comprises: a base platform coming in contact with the ground; a loading arm comprising a first link formed in the upper part of the base platform to be slid forward and backward in an Y-axis direction, and at least one link formed at one end of the first link to be rotated around the Y-axis; an injection hose flange formed at one end of the loading arm to be rotated around the Y-axis, and combined with a flexible injection hose into which fuel is injected; a nozzle part formed at the front end of the injection hose flange to be connected to the injection hose, and formed opposite an inlet of a filling target; a position sensor part combined with the rear end of the nozzle part and sensing the position of the inlet; and a connector combined with the front end of the nozzle part and fastening or releasing the nozzle part with or from the inlet. Since the nozzle part is inserted into the position of the inlet sensed by the position sensor part and fastened by the connector to inject fuel, the system is capable of unmanning a fuel filling procedure through a robot loading arm and quickly conducting the fuel filling procedure through a position optimization algorithm built for an inlet of an injection target.

Description

Fuel loading robot loading arm system {ROBOT LOADING ARM SYSTEM FOR FILLING FUEL}

The present invention relates to a fuel filling technology by a nozzle, more specifically, to unmanned the fuel filling process by a robot loading arm, and to build a position optimization algorithm for the injection port of the injection target to quickly perform the fuel filling process. It relates to a fuel-filled robot loading arm system.

In general, in order to inject fuel for a vehicle or a ship, a worker connects a QC / DC (Quick Connect / Disconnect Coupler) connector to an inlet of a filling object at a stationary vehicle or at an anchored ship, by bolting by manual bunkering. Connect and connect to fill the liquid fuel or gas (gas fuel), and when the filling is completed, the bolt is released manually again to disconnect the connector from the inlet.

In addition, since the connection position and the shape of the inlet connected to the connector are different for each vehicle or ship to be filled with fuel, the process of preparing the fastening by the connector is delayed, and the connection position of each inlet and the expected filling time are visually observed. There is a hassle of checking and filling each time.

Accordingly, according to the aspect in which the fuel filling target is expanded and the types are diversified in addition to the vehicle or the ship, there is a need to develop a technology capable of accurately identifying the inlet positions of the various filling targets and rapidly performing the fuel filling process.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2011-0101056 (Nozzle and method for manufacturing the fuel injector for internal combustion engine. 2011. 09. 15.)

The technical problem to be achieved by the spirit of the present invention is to provide a fuel loading robot loading arm system capable of adaptively quickly identifying the inlet positions of various filling objects and quickly and safely performing a fuel filling process.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, the base platform in contact with the ground, the first link formed to be slidable back and forth in the Y-axis direction on the top of the base platform, and rotates the Y axis on one end of the first link as a rotation axis A loading arm composed of one or more links formed to be possible, an injection hose flange formed to be rotatable with a Y axis at one end of the loading arm, and a flexible injection hose injected with fuel, the front end of the injection hose flange It is formed in connection with an injection hose and is formed to face the injection port of the filling target, a nozzle unit coupled to the rear end of the nozzle unit and detecting a position of the injection port, and coupled to a front end of the nozzle unit and the nozzle unit to the injection port It is composed of a connector for fastening or releasing to, of the injection port detected by the position sensor Disclosed is a fuel filling robot loading arm system that inserts the nozzle portion into a position and fastens by the connector to inject fuel.

Here, the loading arm consisting of the one or more links, the second link is formed to be rotatable on the Y-axis at one end of the first link, and the second link is formed to be rotatable on the Y-axis at one end of the second link as the rotation axis. And a loading arm composed of a third link and a fourth link formed to be rotatable with the Y axis at one end of the third link, and the injection hose flange rotates the Y axis at one end of the fourth link with the rotation axis. It can be formed to be possible.

In addition, the injection hose flange is formed to be rotatable at a constant angle with the Y axis at the end of the fourth link to move the nozzle portion on the ZX plane according to the formation position of the injection port.

In addition, a fuel tank for storing fuel, a fuel supply facility composed of a fuel supply pump for supplying fuel from the fuel tank to the nozzle unit, the position information of the inlet and the movement of the loading arm detected by the position sensor unit Accumulate and database information to control the location information server implemented with a location optimization algorithm, and the fuel supply pump, and interlock with the location information server to position the nozzle unit against the injection port by the location optimization algorithm. It may include an HMI server for controlling the loading arm to fasten the nozzle portion and the injection port by a connector.

In addition, a leak detection sensor is formed in the nozzle part to detect a leak of liquid fuel or gas when fuel is injected, and when leaks are detected by the leak detection sensor, the HMI server shuts off the fuel supply pump urgently and leak warning. Information can be provided.

Further, the connector may be a QC / DC connector.

In addition, the corresponding joint by each link of the loading arm may be composed of a servo motor, a reducer and an encoder according to the explosion-proof standard.

In addition, the first link may be formed to be slidable back and forth in the X axis direction from the top of the base platform, or the injection hose flange may be formed to be slidable back and forth in the X axis direction.

According to the present invention, the position of the inlet of the filling object is detected and identified, and the nozzle part is moved to the corresponding inlet position to be fastened to securely unattend the combustible fuel filling process.

In addition, it is possible to quickly perform the fuel filling process by a location optimization algorithm implemented by databaseizing the location information of the inlet according to the fuel filling process and the movement information of the nozzle part by the loading arm.

Furthermore, there is an effect of interlocking with the fuel supply facility and the HMI server to quickly and safely perform the fuel filling process of the filling target.

1 is a fuel filling robot loading arm system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 and 3 illustrate a fuel filling process by the fuel filling robot loading arm system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 shows an interlocking control configuration of the fuel filling robot loading arm system of FIG. 1.
5A and 5B illustrate different configurations of the base platform of the fuel-filling robot loading arm system of FIG. 1, respectively.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may easily practice. The present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Figure 1 shows a fuel filling robot loading arm system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the fuel filling process by the fuel filling robot loading arm system of Figure 1, Figure 4 is a 1 shows the interlocking control configuration of the fuel loading robot loading arm system.

1 to 4, the fuel filling robot loading arm system according to an embodiment of the present invention, as a whole, the base platform 110, the loading arm 120, the injection hose flange 130, and the nozzle unit Consisting of 140, position sensor unit 150, and connector 160, the fuel filling process is unmanned by the robot loading arm, and a position optimization algorithm for the injection port of the injection target is built to expedite the fuel filling process. The main thing to do.

First, the loading arm 120, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the first link 121 formed to be slidable back and forth in the Y-axis direction on the top of the base platform 110 in contact with the ground (Refer to (b) of FIG. 5), a second link 122 formed to be rotatable with the Y axis at one end of the first link 121, and a rotation axis with the Y axis at one end of the second link 122 It is composed of a third link 123 formed to be rotatable, and a fourth link 124 formed to be rotatable with the Y axis at one end of the third link 123.

For example, the first link 121 determines the Y-axis position of the nozzle unit 140 according to the position of the injection port to be filled, and the second to fourth links 122 to 124 are X of the nozzle unit 140 The axial position and the Z-axis position are determined, and the nozzle unit 140 is positioned and inserted into the position of the injection port by the joint operation of the corresponding links 121 to 124 of the loading arm 120.

In addition, the corresponding joint by each link (121 to 124) of the loading arm 120, may be composed of a servo motor and a reducer and encoder according to the explosion-proof standards of ATEX or ICEEX. Here, the servo motor and the reducer rotate the corresponding link, and the encoder senses the rotation angle to accurately control the rotation of the link for approaching the injection port.

For reference, since flammable liquid fuel or gas is accompanied by a risk of explosion, in order to prevent secondary damage due to explosion, such as scattering of debris, the related configuration adjacent to the inlet must meet the explosion-proof standard.

In addition, the loading arm 120 may be configured to have six degrees of freedom by a link, but is not limited thereto, and may be any specific degree of freedom capable of quickly moving the nozzle unit 140 to the position of the injection port.

On the other hand, although not shown, for the X-axis position of the injection hole, the first link 121 is formed to be slidable back and forth in the X-axis direction from the top of the base platform 110, or the injection hose flange 130 is X-axis It is formed to be slidable back and forth in the direction, so that the nozzle unit 140 can be positioned at the corresponding position on the X axis of the injection port.

Next, the injection hose flange 130 is formed to be rotatable with the Y axis on one end of the fourth link 124, the flexible injection hose 131 is injected with fuel is coupled.

On the other hand, the injection hose flange 130 is formed so as to be rotatable at a certain angle to the Y axis at the end of the fourth link 124, the nozzle portion 140 to be described later on the ZX plane according to the formation position of the injection port to the corresponding position Can be moved.

For example, as shown in (b) of FIG. 2, when the injection hole is formed to be inclined at a constant angle with the Y axis as the rotation axis, the nozzle unit 140 may rotate to correspond to the inclination angle of the injection hole.

For reference, in addition to the injection hose to which the fuel is injected, a return line hose (not shown) of a flash gas, that is, a BOG (Boil Off Gas), may be connected to the injection hose flange 130.

Next, the nozzle unit 140 is formed to be connected to the injection hose 131 at the front end of the injection hose flange 130 and is formed to face the injection port of the filling target.

Next, the position sensor unit 150 is coupled to the rear end of the nozzle unit 140 and detects the position of the injection port, measures the position according to the XYZ coordinates of the injection port, and the separation distance between the nozzle unit 140 and the injection port, , The sensor for sensing the position and the sensor for sensing the separation distance may be integrally formed or separately formed.

Here, the position sensor unit 150 may be a magnetic proximity switch including a permanent magnet and a magnetic sensor, or an optical photoelectric switch including a light source and a photoelectric element.

For example, a ring-shaped permanent magnet is formed around the injection port of the filling target, and a magnetic sensor is formed around the nozzle unit 140 facing the permanent magnet of the injection port, so that when the nozzle unit 140 approaches, the magnetic sensor Through this, it is possible to detect the exact position of the inlet and the amount of magnetic force by the permanent magnet to detect the separation distance (the separation distance in the X-axis direction).

Alternatively, a light source is disposed at a specific position around the injection port of the filling target, and a photoelectric element is formed around the nozzle unit 140 facing the light source of the injection port, so that when the nozzle unit 140 is approached, the injection port through the photoelectric element It can detect the exact position of the, and detect the separation distance (the separation distance in the X-axis direction) by sensing the magnitude of the current of the photoelectric element by the light source.

Alternatively, an image camera is formed in the nozzle unit 140, and the position information server 220 or the HMI server 230, which will be described later, identifies the shape of the injection port from the image transmitted from the image camera, specifies the position of the injection port, and shapes the pattern. It is also possible to detect the separation distance (X-axis separation distance) by analyzing the size of.

In addition, the HMI server 230 displays an image of the injection situation from the image camera, the estimated filling time, the filling fuel amount, the remaining fuel amount of the fuel tank 211, and the operating state information of the fuel supply pump 212. It can also be provided.

Next, the connector 160 is coupled to the front end of the nozzle unit 140 and fixed by releasing the nozzle unit 140 to the injection port and releasing it.

For example, the connector 160 is a QC / DC (Quick Connect / Disconnect Coupler) connector, and when the injection port to be filled and the nozzle unit 140 are coupled, the nozzle unit 140 is tightly sealed to the injection port.

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the fuel filling robot loading arm system further includes a fuel supply facility 210, a location information server 220, and an HMI server 230, to the nozzle unit 140. It is possible to optimize the fuel injection process of the inlet of the ship 300.

Here, the fuel supply facility 210 is composed of a fuel tank 211 for storing fuel, and a fuel supply pump 212 for supplying fuel from the fuel tank 211 to the nozzle unit 140.

In addition, the location information server 220 implements a location optimization algorithm by accumulating and database location information of the injection port detected by the location sensor unit 150 and movement information of the loading arm 120.

For example, the location optimization algorithm is categorized by various filling targets such as coastal ships, tank lorry, CNG / LNG vehicles, or according to the location information of the inlet accordingly, and databased in advance, and the current location coordinate information of the nozzle unit 140 and the inlet Analyze the location information of to calculate the optimum access route of the shortest time to be coupled to the nozzle unit 140 with the injection port, and track the calculated optimal access route to link each link of the loading arm 120 so that the nozzle unit 140 approaches It is possible to control (121 to 124).

Alternatively, the position optimization algorithm can optimize the route of the loading arm 120 that quickly identifies the unique position of the inlet and approaches the inlet by databaseizing the inlet position information of various filling objects by means of learnable AI. It is also possible to optimize the position control of the nozzle unit 140 by accumulating the access route of the shortest time inlet by interlocking the first to fourth links.

In addition, the HMI (Human Machine Interface) server 230 controls the fuel supply pump 212, and works in conjunction with the location information server 220 to position the nozzle unit 140 against the injection port by a position optimization algorithm and connect the connector. The loading arm 120 is controlled to engage the nozzle 140 with the injection port by 160.

Alternatively, the nozzle unit 140 is formed with a leak detection sensor (not shown) that detects leakage of liquid fuel or gas when fuel is injected, and when leaks are detected by the leak detection sensor, the HMI server 230 supplies a fuel supply pump ( 212) can be urgently blocked, and leak warning information can be provided to respond quickly.

5A and 5B illustrate different configurations of the base platform of the fuel-filling robot loading arm system of FIG. 1, respectively.

As described above, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the caterpillar 111 is easily accessed to easily approach the robot having the loading arm 120 at the anchoring position and the stopping position of a ship or vehicle that is not easily moved. By this, it can be formed in a structure free to move on the XY plane, that is, on the ground.

Or, as shown in Figure 5 (a), the base platform 110 is formed of a structure fixed to the ground, the first link 121 is on the XY plane based on the Z axis from the top of the base platform 110 It can be formed to be rotatable at a certain angle.

Alternatively, as shown in (b) of FIG. 5, the base platform 110B may be formed such that the first link 121 is slidable back and forth in the Y-axis direction on the top of the base platform 110B.

Therefore, by the configuration of the fuel filling robot loading arm system as described above, the position of the inlet of the filling object is detected and identified, and the nozzle part is moved to the corresponding inlet position to be fastened to securely unattend the combustible fuel filling process, and fuel filling. It is possible to quickly perform the fuel filling process by the location optimization algorithm implemented by databaseizing the location information of the inlet according to the process and the movement information of the nozzle part by the loading arm, and in conjunction with the fuel supply facility and the HMI server, The fuel filling process can be performed quickly and safely.

The configurations shown in the embodiments and drawings described in this specification are only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all of the technical spirit of the present invention, and various equivalents that can replace them at the time of this application It should be understood that there may be water and variations.

110: base platform 111: caterpillar
120: loading arm 121: first link
122: second link 123: third link
124: fourth link 130: injection hose flange
131: Injection hose 140: Nozzle part
150: position sensor unit 160: connector
210: fuel supply facility
211: fuel tank 212: fuel supply pump
230: HMI server 300: ship

Claims (8)

A base platform in contact with the ground;
A loading arm consisting of a first link formed to be slidable back and forth in the Y-axis direction on the upper end of the base platform, and one or more links formed to be rotatable with a Y-axis on one end of the first link;
An injection hose flange formed to be rotatable with a Y-axis on one end of the loading arm and a flexible injection hose to which fuel is injected;
A nozzle unit formed to be connected to the injection hose at the front end of the injection hose flange, and facing the injection port of the filling target;
A position sensor unit coupled to the rear end of the nozzle unit and sensing the position of the injection port; And
It is composed of; a connector coupled to the front end of the nozzle portion and fastening or releasing the nozzle portion to the injection port;
A fuel filling robot loading arm system for injecting fuel by inserting the nozzle part opposite to the position of the injection port sensed by the position sensor part and fastening by the connector. According to claim 1,
The loading arm consisting of the one or more links,
A second link formed to be rotatable with the Y axis at one end of the first link, and a third link formed to be rotatable with the Y axis at one end of the second link, and at one end of the third link. A loading arm composed of a fourth link formed to be rotatable on the Y-axis, and
The injection hose flange is formed to be rotatable on the one end of the fourth link with the Y-axis rotating shaft, the fuel filling robot loading arm system. According to claim 2,
The injection hose flange is formed to be rotatable at a certain angle with the rotation axis of the Y-axis at the end of the fourth link, characterized in that to move the nozzle portion on the ZX plane according to the formation position of the injection port, fuel filling robot loading arm system . The method of claim 3,
A fuel supply facility composed of a fuel tank for storing fuel and a fuel supply pump for supplying fuel from the fuel tank to the nozzle unit;
A location information server in which a location optimization algorithm is implemented by accumulating and database location information of the injection port detected by the location sensor unit and movement information of the loading arm; And
Controlling the fuel supply pump, and controlling the loading arm to interlock with the location information server to position the nozzle portion against the injection hole by the location optimization algorithm and to engage the nozzle portion and the injection hole by the connector It characterized in that it comprises an HMI server, the fuel loading robot loading arm system. The method of claim 4,
In the nozzle part, a leak detection sensor is formed to detect a leak of liquid fuel or gas when fuel is injected,
When the leak is detected by the leak detection sensor, the HMI server shuts off the fuel supply pump and provides leak warning information, a fuel filling robot loading arm system. According to claim 2,
The connector is characterized in that the QC / DC connector, the fuel loading robot loading arm system. According to claim 2,
Corresponding joint by each link of the loading arm, characterized in that it consists of a servo motor and a reducer and an encoder according to the explosion-proof standards, fuel-filled robot loading arm system. According to claim 2,
The first link is formed to be slidable back and forth in the X-axis direction from the top of the base platform, or the injection hose flange is formed to be slidable back and forth in the X-axis direction, the fuel filling robot loading arm system.

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