Apparatus for automatic refuelling of vehicles

(54) NAME Device for autonomous refueling of vehicles (56) PUBLICATIONS QUOTED:

WO Al 90/13512 (B67D 5/04), WO Al 91/17111 (B67D 5/04), EP Al 418 744 (B67D 5/04), FR Al 2 600 318 (B67D 5/14), US A 3 536 109 (141-98), US A 4 846 233 (141-94) (57) SUMMARY. Apparatus for autonomous refueling of vehicles, mainly cars, in which a robot (2) is provided comprising a robot head (3) which is movable relative to the robot for being poised to a predetermined position relative to the vehicle's tank tube, which positioning takes place by means of a positioning system comprising a transmitter and a robot head receiver unit, preferably arranged to operate at microwave frequency, and a passive transponder (13) located at a predetermined location on the vehicle; wherein the robot head comprises an outer tube (8) and an inside thereof and out of this displaced inner tube (9), which outer tube is arranged to be docked with an adapter (7) attached to the upper orifice of the tank tube and the free front of the inner tube end after docking is arranged to be ejected to a position down in the tank tube, after which fuel is replenished to the gene in the inner tube; and wherein the robot head (3) carries an opening means (11) arranged to open a tank door (12) of a vehicle by means of movements of the robot head.

The invention is characterized by the fact that a plurality of different transponders (13) exist of which a vehicle carries only one, that each of said transponders (13) is provided with a simple code scm the transponder is arranged to modulate on one of the transmitter and receiver units (14) transmitted and reflected by the transponder signal; a decoder (15) is provided to decode said code from the signal received by the transmitter and receiver unit (14) from the transponder (13) and arranged to deliver the code to a computer (23) belonging to the robot, by the computer (23) a specific memory scheme for each code has been stored in an associated memory and the computer is arranged to control the robot head (3) after the execution of a code, to execute the movement scheme scm belongs to the received code.

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The numbers in brackets indicate International Identification Code, INID code according to WIPO standard ST. 9th

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The present invention relates to a device for automated car mating, mainly cars.

Swedish patent no. 8901674-5 describes a device for automotive refueling cars.

According to the patent, a robot comprising a refueling gun or the like is arranged to automatically move the refueling gun from a rest position to the vehicle refueling point by means of a sensing and control device when the vehicle is placed in a predetermined position relative to the robot. The refueling gun comprises a rigid first tubular member arranged to be guided by the robot to an adapter provided with a hole belonging to the refueling point of the vehicle. A flexible second tube is slidably disposed within said first, rigid tube from a first end position where the outer free end of the second tube is positioned within the first tube to a second end position where the second tube projects from the first tube. A pipe connection exists between said holes and the vehicle's refueling pipe. The robot is arranged to extend the free end of the second pipe out of the first pipe down into said pipe connection, or down into the vehicle's refueling pipe, and puncture fuel through the second pipe down into the vehicle's tank.

Swedish patent no. 9001575-1 discloses a method for opening and closing a tank door on a vehicle, which door is in line with the vehicle body and which is pivotable between an open and a closed position around a vertical or horizontal axis and which covers the space in which the vehicle's refueling pipe opens. Cheap patent is the opening in two stages, where in the two steps different opening means are used.

One problem is that there are a large number of different locations and designs of tank hatches. The problem is that when an opening device is operated by the movements of the robot head, the robot head must be able to perform many different movements.

According to the latter patent, a transponder mounted on the vehicle, which cooperates with a transmitter and receiver unit on the robot head, provides information on the movement pattern that the robot head will perform for the vehicle in question 500 091. The transmitter and receiver unit also interact with the transponder to initially position the robot head relative to the vehicle.

It is a desire to simplify the opening process and cheapen the parts of an autcmatt refueling system mounted on the vehicle.

The present invention meets these requirements.

The present invention thus relates to a device for autonomous refueling of the fund, primarily cars, in which a robot is provided comprising a robot head, which is movable relative to the robot to be positioned at a predetermined position relative to the vehicle's tank tube, which positioning takes place by means of a positioning system comprising a transmitter and receiver unit at the robot head, preferably arranged to operate at microwave frequency, and a passive transponder located at a predetermined location of the vehicle, wherein the robot head comprises an outer tube and an inside thereof and out of this displaceable inner tube, which outer tube is arranged to be docked with an adapter attached to the upper orifice of the tank tube and the free front end of the inner tube after docking is arranged to be ejected to a position down in the tare tube, whereupon fuel is replenished through the inner tube; and wherein the robot head carries an orifice means arranged to open a tank door of a vehicle by means of movements of the robot head and is characterized by a plurality of different transponders, of which a vehicle carries only one, each of said transponders being provided with a simple code which the transponder is arranged to modulate on a signal transmitted by the transmitter and receiver unit and reflected by the transponder when the robot head is positioned in a predetermined position relative to the transponder, by that a decoder is arranged to decode said code from the signal received by the transmitter and receiver unit from the transponder and arranged to deliver the code to a computer belonging to the robot, that the computer has stored in a corresponding memory a specific operating scheme for each code and the computer is arranged, after receiving a code, to control the robot head to execute the operating scheme belonging to the received code in order to partly open the tank door; firstly, position the robot head relative to the vehicle's tank pipe.

The invention is described in more detail in part in connection with embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, in which

- Figure 1 shows schematically a top view of a robot of the subject in question

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- figure 2 shows the rear part of a vehicle side

- figure 3 shows the front part of a robot belonging to the robot head as well as an adapter attached to the upper orifice of a vehicle's tank pipe

Figure 4 schematically shows a closed tank cap and an opening member

Figure 5 shows schematically a tank lid opened by the opening means

- Figure 6 is a vector diagram showing the movement of the robot head to open the tank door

Figure 7 shows a schematic block diagram of a transmitter and receiver unit as well as a transponder.

Fig. 1 schematically shows a statistic for autonomous refueling of vehicles, mainly cars 1, where a robot 2 is provided comprising a robot head 3, which is movable relative to the robot in order to be positioned to a predetermined position relative to the vehicle's tank tube. The robot may be movable in the direction shown by arrow 4. Robot head 3 is partly movable in the directions indicated by arrows 5 and 6, and partly in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper.

Positioning of the robot head 3 relative to the tankers 7 of the vehicle is accomplished by a positioning system comprising a transmitter and receiver unit at the RCB head, which is preferably arranged to operate at microwave frequency, and a passive transponder located at a predetermined location on the vehicle. Preferably, a positioning system is used, as described in Swedish Patent No. 8403564-1. By passive transponder is meant a transponder which receives a signal from the transmitter and receiver unit and transmits it without adding any new energy to the signal, ie reflects the signal.

By predetermined location of the transponder is meant a position at a certain horizontal distance 24 and at a certain vertical distance 25 relative to the tank tube 7 of the vehicle.

The front part of the rotor head is shown on a larger scale in Figure 3. The robot head 3 comprises an outer pipe 8 and an inside thereof and out of this displaceable inner pipe 9, which outer pipe 8 is arranged to be docked with an adapter 10 attached to the upper mouth of the tank pipe 7 . The free front end of the inner tube 9, after docking, is arranged to be extended to a position down in the tank tube,

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after which fuel is refilled through the inner tube 9.

The robot head 3 further carries an opening member 11, which is shown on a larger scale in Figure 4. The opening means 11 is arranged to open a tank cover 12 of a vehicle 1 by means of movements of the robot head.

According to the invention, there are a plurality of different transponders 13, of which a vehicle 1 carries only one, each of said transponders being provided with a simple code scm the transponder is arranged to modulate on a transmitter and receiver unit 14 transmitted and reflected by the transponder. signal. In Figure 7, a transponder 13 is shown down associated antenna as well as a transmitter and receiver unit 14 with associated antenna. The transmitter and receiver unit comprises a decoder 15 of a suitable known type arranged to decode said code from the signal received by the transmitter and receiver unit from the transponder. The decoder is further arranged to deliver the code to a computer 23 belonging to the robot. The computer 23 has stored in a memory a specific movement scheme for each code. When the computer 23 receives a code from the decoder, the computer is arranged to control the robot head to execute the movement scheme scm belonging to the received code.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, each of said transponders 13 comprises a modulator 16 arranged to modulate the received signal with a code specific for each transponder.

In this embodiment, said decoder is arranged in a known manner to detect which out of a number of different frequencies, namely equal to the number of different transponders, together with the received signal being modulated and arranged to output a signal to said computer, the code scm belonging to the detected modulation frequency.

According to another alternative and preferred embodiment, each of said transponders 13 comprises firstly said modulator 16 and partly a pulse train generator 17 arranged to control modulator 16 to modulate the received signal with a specific train for each transponder 13 constituting said code. In this embodiment, the communication technology described in the Swedish patent no. 7503620-2 can be used advantageously. The pulse train may preferably contain the current code in binary form.

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It should generally be said that this type of communication technology is well known in itself, i.a. by the above-mentioned patents, why it is not described in more detail in this context.

Said opening member 11 comprises an elastic bellows 18 which, pivotally against a spring force in the form of a spring 19, is pivotally suspended about an axis 20 located perpendicular to the plane in which the robot head moves during an opening operation. The shaft 20 is thus normally vertical. The rest position of the bellows 18 is parallel to the aforementioned outer tube of the robot head 8. The front free end 21 of the bellows 18 is open while its other end 22 is connected to a source of negative pressure not shown.

In Figure 4, the opening means is shown in a position where, by means of the robot head, it is moved to a position where the front end 21 of the bellows abuts against a vehicle's tank cover 12, ie a position where the opening operation is to begin.

The opening and docking sequence is as follows. The vehicle is placed in a predetermined location relative to the robot, where reasonable deviations are allowed. Then the robot starts scm by means of its transmitter and receiver unit seeks out the transponder, whereby the robot's computer directs the robot and its robot head to a position where the antenna of the transmitter and receiver unit is in a position very close to the antenna of the transponder. This is the starting position. The robot then reads the current code, after which the robot's computer translates the code into a movement diagram which the robot's computer retrieves in its memory. When this has happened, the robot's computer controls the movement of the robot head according to the diagram, which means that the cutting means is moved, by means of the robot head, to the position shown in Figure 4. Subpressure is then generated in the bellows 18, which thereby sucks itself into the fuel cap.

Thereafter, the robot head continues to move according to the diagram, which is exemplified by the vectors in Figure 6. The vector 140 illustrates that the last movement before the position in Figure 4 was to move the robot head straight against the tank cover a distance of 140 millimeters for the bellows to come into contact with the tank lid. . Then the robot head is moved 110 millimeters in a direction according to the vector in the middle and finally 75 millimeters straight to the side according to the vector in figure 6. When this has been done, the position according to Figure 5 has been achieved, thus opening the fuel cap.

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The mutual positioning of the outer tube 8 and the opening member of the robot head is such that when the position of Figure 5 is reached, the outer tube is positioned opposite the adapter 7.

The next move is for the robot head of the outer tube 8 to dock with the adapter, after which the inner tube 9 is inserted into the vehicle's tank tube. Refueling takes place as fuel is brought down through the inner tube of the fuel tube.

After the refueling is completed, the movements are re-used in the order in which the fuel filler door is closed and the robot returns to its original position.

In Figures 4 and 5, an example is shown when the tank cap is pivoted around a vertical axis at one edge of the cap. Of course, however, motion diagrams can be stored to open both gaps, which are guided around a vertical axis of such gates, which are guided around a horizontal axis or an axis of different orientation.

The transducer can be placed at any predetermined location at or at the refueling hatch, because after the robot head has visited the transponder so that the communication link's antennas are close to each other, ie in the said initial position, the code head is placed by means of the code which places the robot head the opening means in that position is shown in Figure 4.

It is clear that the genome that the movement schedule for each code is stored in the robot's computer can store a large number of movement schedules, so that in practice every vehicle's required movement scheme is available.

The amount of information of each transponder is very low. This means that the transponder frames can be made very simple and cheap in production.

While it is possible to store a movement chart for each vehicle individually, it is likely that there are enough 5 to 15 different movement schedules, because a particular movement scheme allows a particular vehicle to be used for another vehicle. This means that only 5 to 15 different transponders need to be present in order to serve virtually all vehicles.

According to a preferred embodiment, said transponder is located on the vehicle

500 091 in a position in front of the robot head transmitter and receiver unit antenna when the robot head has docked with said adapter. This means, therefore, that when the robot head has executed the part of the movement diagram that causes docking to occur, the characteristic link is in said initial position.

This embodiment is particularly preferred for vehicles which do not have a stable elevation position immediately after the engine is switched off. Citroen is an example of such a vehicle. Furthermore, the embodiment is advantageous for vehicles that sink a piece exceeding about 2 to 3 centimeters while filling a full tank.

The gene that the communication link is in said initial position after completed docking, the robot's computer may be programmed to control the robot head during ongoing refueling so that this starting position is maintained, whereby the robot head is able to follow vertical movements of the vehicle and thus the adapter. That the robot head should be controlled in the aforementioned manner is given by the transponder code, which causes the computer to retrieve instructions for controlling the robot head's movements during the refueling operation in the aforementioned manner, prior to retrieving a certain movement scheme.

It will be apparent that by the above-described technique, both the transponder and the opening method are significantly simplified compared to prior art.

A number of embodiments have been described above. However, it will be apparent that these can be modified by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Therefore, the present invention is not to be considered limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be varied within the scope of the appended claims.

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