公开(公告)号：US20210347274A1

公开(公告)日：2021-11-11

申请号：US16869725

申请日：2020-05-08

Applicant: ABB Schweiz AG

Inventor： Jonah Kadoko ,  Matthew Hetrich ,  Gregory A. Cole ,  William J. Eakins

IPC: B60L53/35 ,  B60L53/16 ,  H02K7/116 ,  H02J7/00 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B25J13/08 ,  B25J9/10 ,  B25J18/00

Abstract: A charging device autonomously charges an electric vehicle. The charging device includes: a main body and an arm coupled to the main body. The main body is controllably moveable, and the arm is controllably extendable and retractable in a longitudinal direction. A charging plug is included at a distal end of the arm. The charging plug is controllably moveable and insertable into a charging portal of the electric vehicle. The arm comprises: a rigid chain, the rigid chain being compliant in a first direction from a neutral axis and resistant in an opposite second direction past the neutral axis, or at least one scissor arm.

公开(公告)号：US20240051416A1

公开(公告)日：2024-02-15

申请号：US17885847

申请日：2022-08-11

Applicant: ABB Schweiz AG

Inventor： Matthew Hetrich

IPC: B60L53/37 ,  B60L53/16 ,  B25J9/16 ,  G06T1/00

CPC classification number: B60L53/37 ,  B60L53/16 ,  B25J9/1697 ,  G06T1/0014

Abstract: An electric vehicle (EV) charging system that autonomously charges EV is provided. The method includes: capturing, by a control system and using an image capturing device, one or more first images, wherein the one or more first images indicates a position of an EV charging portal of the EV; maneuvering, by the control system, a robotic arm of the EV charging system based on the one or more first images; projecting, by the control system and using a fiducial marker device, one or more fiducial markers that are offset from the EV charging portal; capturing one or more second images using the image capturing device, wherein the one or more second images indicates a position of the one or more fiducial markers; and maneuvering, by the control system, the robotic arm of the EV charging system based on the one or more second images.

公开(公告)号：US20220383543A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-01

申请号：US17331222

申请日：2021-05-26

Applicant: ABB Schweiz AG

Inventor： Matthew Hetrich ,  Gregory A. Cole

IPC: G06T7/73 ,  H04N5/232 ,  B60L53/37

Abstract: An automated charging system for an electric vehicle is disclosed that includes a plug with a built-in camera assembly. The camera assembly captures images of a charging port of the electric vehicle, which are processed by one or more processors to estimate the location of the charging port relative to the plug. A multi-stage localization architecture is described that includes a gross localization procedure and a fine localization procedure. The gross localization procedure can implement a first convolutional neural network (CNN) to estimate a position of an object in the image. The fine localization procedure can implement a second CNN to estimate a position and orientation of the object. Actuators for moving the plug in a three-dimensional space can be controlled by the multi-stage localization architecture.

公开(公告)号：US20220379758A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-01

申请号：US17331243

申请日：2021-05-26

Applicant: ABB Schweiz AG

Inventor： Matthew Hetrich ,  Gregory A. Cole

IPC: B60L53/37 ,  B60L53/16 ,  B60L53/60 ,  H02J7/00 ,  H01R13/631 ,  H01R13/66 ,  G05B13/02 ,  G06K9/00 ,  G06T7/73 ,  B25J9/16

Abstract: An automated charging system for an electric vehicle is disclosed that includes a plug with a built-in camera assembly. The camera assembly captures images of a charging port of the electric vehicle, which are processed by one or more processors to estimate the location of the charging port relative to the plug. A control system generates signals for one or more actuators to move the plug relative to the charging port, thereby inserting the plug into the charging port to connect a power supply to the electric vehicle. The images may be processed via an image recognition algorithm and/or one or more machine learning algorithms. In an embodiment, the images are processed by a neural network to estimate the location of the charging port relative to the plug. The plug can also include a tapered structure to make fine adjustments to the position or orientation of the plug during connection.

公开(公告)号：US20190311822A1

公开(公告)日：2019-10-10

申请号：US15946999

申请日：2018-04-06

Applicant: ABB Schweiz AG

Inventor： Elio Alberto Perigo ,  Kathryn F. Murphy ,  Cherif Ghoul ,  Jonah Kadoko ,  Matthew Hetrich ,  Nikolaus Zant ,  Krzysztof Kasza ,  Lukasz Matysiak ,  Robert Sekula ,  Lukasz Malinowski ,  Jens Rocks

IPC: H01B17/28 ,  B29C64/124 ,  B29C64/218 ,  B29C64/241 ,  B29C64/393

Abstract: A method for forming an article of manufacture using additive manufacturing, includes: a processor executing program instructions to: (a) rotate an object continuously about a horizontal axis using a first rotational stage, wherein the object is partially submerged in a bath of energy curable liquid formulation during the rotation; (b) control a rate of rotation of the object to achieve a desired radial thickness of a sub layer of uncured liquid formulation at a desired rotational location on the object; (c) direct an energy source to provide an energy dose onto the object at a desired rotational location, wherein the energy dose is configured to cure and solidify the sub layer; and repeat (a), (b) and (c) until a desired radial thickness of a cured liquid formulation layer is a achieved.