Automated guided vehicle charge shoe cleaner

A charging contact cleaner for an automated guided vehicle (AGV), comprising:

• a charging contact cleaning station located along a travel path of one or more AGVs, wherein the charging contact cleaning station comprises:
• at least one cleaning brush;
• and
• an actuator operatively connected to the at least one cleaning brush, wherein the at least one cleaning brush simultaneously engages first and second charging contacts deployed from the AGV at the charging contact cleaning station, and wherein the at least one cleaning brush is automatically moved by the actuator relative to the first and second charging contacts for a predetermined cleaning duration to clean respective surfaces of the first and second charging contacts,
• wherein the charging contact cleaning station further comprises:
• a flush-to-floor enclosure;
• and
• a debris catch tray located within the flush-to-floor enclosure, wherein the debris catch tray is operatively connected to the actuator, and the at least one cleaning brush is mounted within the debris catch tray.

A charging contact cleaner for an automated guided vehicle (AGV), comprising:

• a charging contact cleaning station located along a travel path of one or more AGVs and recessed in a floor on which the AGV travels, wherein the charging contact cleaning station comprises:
• a flush-to-floor enclosure;
• a first cleaning brush located within the flush-to-floor enclosure;
• a second cleaning brush located within the flush-to-floor enclosure, wherein the second cleaning brush is electrically insulated from the first cleaning brush during a charging contact cleaning operation;
• and
• an actuator located within the flush-to-floor enclosure and operatively connected to the first cleaning brush and the second cleaning brush, wherein the first cleaning brush and the second cleaning brush, respectively, simultaneously engage first and second charging contacts deployed from the AGV at the charging contact cleaning station, and wherein the first cleaning brush and the second cleaning brush are automatically moved by the actuator relative to the first and second charging contacts to clean respective surfaces of the first and second charging contacts.

A charging contact cleaner for an automated guided vehicle (AGV), comprising:

• a charging contact cleaning station located along a travel path of one or more AGVs and recessed in a floor on which the AGV travels, wherein the charging contact cleaning station comprises:
• a flush-to-floor enclosure;
• at least one cleaning brush located within the flush-to-floor enclosure;
• and
• an actuator located within the flush-to-floor enclosure and operatively connected to the at least one cleaning brush, wherein the at least one cleaning brush simultaneously engages first and second charging contacts deployed from the AGV at the charging contact cleaning station, and wherein the at least one cleaning brush is automatically moved by the actuator relative to the first and second charging contacts to clean respective surfaces of the first and second charging contacts, wherein the actuator is a pneumatic linear actuator;
• and
• a mobile carriage and a rail that supports movements of the carriage, wherein the actuator is operatively connected to the at least one cleaning brush through the mobile carriage;
• and a debris catch tray located within the flush-to-floor enclosure, wherein the debris catch tray is attached to the mobile carriage, and the at least one cleaning brush is mounted within the debris catch tray.

A charging contact cleaner for an automated guided vehicle (AGV), comprising:

• a charging contact cleaning station located along a travel path of one or more AGVs and recessed in a floor on which the AGV travels, wherein the charging contact cleaning station comprises:
• a flush-to-floor enclosure;
• at least one cleaning brush located within the flush-to-floor enclosure;
• and
• an actuator located within the flush-to-floor enclosure and operatively connected to the at least one cleaning brush, wherein the at least one cleaning brush simultaneously engages first and second charging contacts deployed from the AGV at the charging contact cleaning station, and wherein the at least one cleaning brush is automatically moved by the actuator relative to the first and second charging contacts to clean respective surfaces of the first and second charging contacts, wherein the flush-to-floor enclosure includes a cover plate, and the cover plate has an opening aligned with the at least one cleaning brush such that the at least one cleaning brush is exposed when the cover plate is attached to the flush-to-floor enclosure.

An automated guided vehicle (AGV) fleet system, comprising:

• a plurality AGVs located within a facility, each AGV having first and second deployable charging contacts for receiving charging current to charge a battery of the AGV;
• a charging contact cleaning station located along a travel path of the plurality of AGVs within the facility;
• and
• a facility supervisory system in communication with the plurality of AGVs and the charging contact cleaning station,
• wherein the charging contact cleaning station comprises at least one cleaning brush and an actuator operatively connected to the at least one cleaning brush, and
• wherein the facility supervisory system is configured to automatically initiate a cleaning routine by the charging contact cleaning station upon an AGV arriving at the charging contact cleaning station, and wherein during the cleaning routine the at least one cleaning brush simultaneously engages the first and second charging contacts deployed from the AGV, and the at least one cleaning brush is automatically moved by the actuator relative to the first and second charging contacts to clean respective surfaces of the first and second charging contacts.