Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Serially connected batteries or cells – With discharge of cells or batteries
Patent
1991-10-29
1994-03-29
Hickey, R. J.
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Serially connected batteries or cells
With discharge of cells or batteries
320 37, 320 44, H02J 700
Patent
active
052988490
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an arrangement for charging an accumulator of a transporting device More particularly, it relates to such an arrangement in which the transporting device is moved from one station to the other in a controlled manner and the power coupling to an external charging station is provided for the accumulator. The invention further relates to a method in which the transporting device is moved from one station to the other in a controlled manner, and the accumulator is charged via a power coupling by an external charging station.
A transfer line is known, according to EP-A 285 527, in which workpiece transport cars move from one machining station to the other on a guide path. The machining stations comprise a stopping device in each instance for stopping the workpiece transport car. The workpiece transport car is moved by means of an electric motor which draws its power from an accumulator carried along in the workpiece transport car. When the workpiece transport car is stopped in the machining station, charging contacts which are arranged at the underside of the workpiece transport car and electrically connected with the accumulator are connected with corresponding charging contacts of the charging station arranged in the machining station. The recharging of the accumulator is then effected during the machining in the machining station. No special means are indicated in the aforementioned prior publication for recharging the accumulator as a function of capacity.
It has turned out that a problem in transfer lines supplied by an accumulator consists in that the machining times in the machining stations are not always sufficient for achieving the required charging. For this reason, the dwell time of the workpiece transport car in the machining stations is often determined by the charging time required for achieving the necessary charge of the accumulator. The charging time accordingly unnecessarily prolongs the machining passage of the workpiece transport cars.
In connection with other areas of application, a plurality of arrangements and methods for implementing a recharging of accumulators as a function of the charge state are already known. In all of the known arrangements and methods of this kind the fully charged state of the accumulator is provided as a limiting value for the charging process under the criteria of a rapid charging and prevention of an overcharging of the accumulator.
These arrangements and methods for charging accumulators can accordingly not be applied to the aforementioned problems in accumulators in self-propelled workpiece transport cars in transfer lines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for charging an accumulator which does not have the above described disadvantages.
According to the invention, the arrangement for charging an accumulator of a transporting device having electric drive means and movable from one station to another in a controlled manner at an external charging station having a machining station, includes a power coupling for coupling the accumulator in the transport device to a charging means when the transport device is at the external charging station; external control means for controlling the machining station and the charging, the external control means not being located in the transporting device and including means for detecting occurrence and termination of machining at the machining station; charge regulating means located in the transporting device and containing a processor, at least one storage unit connected with the processor, means for determining an actual charge of the accumulator, and charging current changing means for changing a charging current passing through the accumulator during charging connected to the processor, wherein the processor is structured to compare an actual charge in the accumulator with at least one charge reference value stored in the at least one storage unit and to act on the charging current changing means
REFERENCES:
patent: 3955657 (1976-05-01), Bossi
patent: 4307330 (1981-12-01), Belot
patent: 4672280 (1987-06-01), Honjo
patent: 5049802 (1991-09-01), Mintus et al.
patent: 5119011 (1992-06-01), Lambert
patent: 5144218 (1992-09-01), Bosscha
Drexel Peter
Erne Hans
Mueller Ulrich
Reitmeier Stefan
Utz Rainer
Hickey R. J.
Robert & Bosch GmbH
Striker Michael J.
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