JP2009015611A - Charging system, charging unit, and system for automatically charging moving robot - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique capable of accurately coupling charging contacts together even if the position or approach angle of a moving robot is different when the robot returns to a charging station. <P>SOLUTION: A charging system includes: a first connection terminal part 13 provided on the moving robot 1; a second connection terminal part 14 provided on a charging unit 8; a misalignment detection means for detecting lateral misalignment between the first connection terminal part 13 and the second connection terminal part 14; a slide control means for correcting the misalignment between the two terminal parts 13, 14 by driving a slide drive means according to the misalignment detected; a back-and-forth drive means for moving the terminal of either the first or second connection terminal part 13, 14 back and forth in such a manner that the terminal can protrude and retract in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction; and a connection control means for causing both terminals to protrude using the back-and-forth drive means while both terminal parts face each other with no substantial misalignment, and connecting both terminals to each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging system, a charging unit, and an automatic charging system in a mobile robot.

As the prior art according to the present invention, various techniques have been proposed in which the mobile robot automatically returns to the charging station and automatically charges (see Patent Documents 1 to 3).
JP 2006-244020 (Abstract) JP 2006-236109 (Abstract) JP2006-231448 (abstract)

In Patent Document 1, by transmitting a directional search signal having a different signal pattern for each transmission direction from the charging station to the mobile robot, the position and direction of the mobile robot relative to the automatic charging station are recognized, and the charging station Guided.
In Patent Document 2, the position information of the charging station is stored in a plurality of RFID tags and arranged at various places, and the mobile robot reads it to return to the charging station. As another invention, conventional techniques such as guiding means using imaging means have been proposed.

  However, in the conventional techniques such as these, the mobile robot can be returned to the vicinity of the charging station due to the accuracy error of various sensors and the control error of the mobile robot, but the connection between the mobile robot and the charging station is not possible. It was technically difficult to connect the terminals with high accuracy.

  For this reason, as a conventional technique for solving this problem, there is a technique used on a wide charging connection surface so that a positional deviation between the mobile robot and the charging station is allowed. However, this has a large connection surface, and the number of terminals for charging a plurality of batteries simultaneously cannot be increased.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 3 proposes a means for correcting the shift of the approach angle of the mobile robot with an idler roller disposed on the floor surface in front of the charge station when the mobile robot enters the charge station. However, although this technique can correct the deviation of the approach angle, it cannot correct the positional deviation in the lateral direction, and there remains a problem that the connection terminals cannot be connected with high accuracy.

  Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to prevent positional deviation and approach angle deviation when the mobile robot returns to the charging station due to accuracy error of the distance measuring sensor of the mobile robot or accuracy error of the traveling control operation. The present invention provides a technique capable of accurately connecting charging contacts.

  Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to prevent the connection terminal on the mobile robot side and the connection terminal on the charging station from receiving an electric shock by touching a human hand or the like, or causing leakage due to dust or the like. Technology.

  In order to achieve the above object, a charging system of the present invention includes a mobile robot that travels on a floor surface by rotating a traveling wheel with electric power from a battery, and a charging unit installed on the floor surface or a wall surface. A charging system for charging the battery via the charging unit, wherein the robot is provided with a first connection terminal portion having a plurality of terminals, a plurality of terminals provided in the charging unit and connected to the terminals. A second connection terminal portion having a terminal, and a travel control means for controlling the travel of the robot such that the first connection terminal portion of the robot faces the second connection terminal portion of the charging unit. A slide support means for slidably supporting one of the first or second connection terminal portions in a lateral direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the robot, and the slide support means. A slide driving means for slidingly moving the connection terminal portion supported so as to be slidable in the lateral direction; a displacement detection means for detecting the lateral displacement between the first connection terminal portion and the second connection terminal portion; A slide control means for driving the slide drive means based on the detected deviation to correct the deviation between the two terminal portions, and a direction orthogonal to the lateral direction of the terminals of the first or second connection terminal portions A terminal support means for supporting the terminal so as to be able to project and retract, an advance / retreat driving means for advancing and retracting the terminal supported so as to project by the terminal support means in the projecting and retracting direction, and both the terminal portions face each other, and essentially Connection control means for projecting the terminal by the advance / retreat driving means to connect the two terminals to each other in a state in which there is no deviation or correction.

  According to the present invention, based on the displacement detected by the displacement detection means, one of the first or second connection terminal portions is slid in the lateral direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the robot, thereby causing the two terminal portions to move. By correcting the misalignment, the charging contacts can be coupled with high positional accuracy even if there is a misalignment or an approach angle misalignment when the mobile robot returns to the charging station.

  Further, the terminal of the first or second connection terminal portion is set so as to be able to protrude and retract in a direction orthogonal to the lateral direction, and the terminal is protruded in a state where there is essentially no deviation or in a corrected state. Thus, both terminals are connected to each other, so that it is possible to prevent an electric shock due to a human hand touching or a leakage due to dust or the like.

In this invention, the said slide support means may be provided in the said robot, and the said 1st connection terminal part may be provided in the slide part which can be slid with respect to the running part of the said robot via the said slide support means.
According to this aspect, the first connection terminal portion can be connected to the second connection terminal portion by sliding the slide portion provided in the robot.

  In the present invention, the slide part may be provided with a work part for performing a predetermined work. For example, in the case of a cleaning robot, the working unit provided on the slide unit can be provided with a function of collecting and cleaning dust on the floor surface.

  In the present invention, the terminal support means may be provided in the charging unit.

  In the present invention, there is further provided an inclination detecting means for detecting whether or not the two terminal portions face each other in a parallel state, and the travel control means is based on the inclination detected by the inclination detecting means. If the robot is rotated so that the posture of the robot is controlled so that the two terminal portions are parallel to each other, the two terminal portions can be more accurately connected.

  In the present invention, a mobile robot that travels on a floor surface by rotating a traveling wheel with electric power from a battery, and a charging unit installed on the floor surface or a wall surface, the battery is charged via the charging unit. A charging system for performing a first connection terminal portion provided on the robot and having a plurality of terminals; a second connection terminal portion provided on the charging unit and having a plurality of terminals connected to the terminals; A travel control means for controlling the travel of the robot such that the first connection terminal portion of the robot faces the second connection terminal portion of the charging unit; and the first or second connection terminal portion Terminal support means for supporting the terminal so that it can protrude and retract in a direction orthogonal to the lateral direction, and a terminal supported so as to be able to protrude by the terminal support means are advanced and retracted in the protrusion and retract direction. A retraction drive means, said while the state in which both terminal portions facing each other, may be provided with a connection control means for connecting together the two terminals is protruded to the terminal by the advancing drive means.

  In the present invention, a mobile robot that travels on a floor surface by rotating a traveling wheel with electric power from a battery, and a charging unit installed on the floor surface or a wall surface, the battery is charged via the charging unit. A charging system for performing a first connection terminal portion provided on the robot and having a plurality of terminals; a second connection terminal portion provided on the charging unit and having a plurality of terminals connected to the terminals; A travel control means for controlling the travel of the robot such that the first connection terminal portion of the robot faces the second connection terminal portion of the charging unit; and the first or second connection terminal portion Slide support means for supporting one of the slides in a lateral direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the robot, and a connection supported to be slidable by the slide support means Based on the detected displacement, slide drive means for sliding the child portion in the lateral direction, displacement detection means for detecting the lateral displacement between the first connection terminal portion and the second connection terminal portion, and The slide control means for driving the slide driving means to correct the deviation between the two terminal portions, the both terminal portions facing each other, and the state in which the deviation is essentially absent or corrected, Connection control means for advancing one terminal toward the other terminal and connecting the two terminals to each other may be provided.

  In the present invention, a charging unit that charges the battery via a charging unit installed on a floor surface or a wall surface to a mobile robot that travels on the floor surface by rotating traveling wheels with electric power from the battery, A second connection terminal portion having a plurality of terminals connected to a plurality of terminals of the first connection terminal portion provided on the robot; and the second connection terminal portion is slid in a lateral direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the robot. Detecting the lateral displacement between the slide support means for movably supporting, the slide drive means for slidingly moving the second connection terminal portion in the lateral direction, and the first connection terminal portion and the second connection terminal portion. A displacement detecting means for performing the operation, a slide control means for driving the slide driving means based on the detected displacement to correct a displacement between the two terminal portions, and an end of the second connection terminal portion Terminal support means for supporting the terminal so as to be able to project and retract in a direction orthogonal to the lateral direction, advancing and retracting driving means for allowing the terminal supported by the terminal support means to project and retract in the projecting and retracting direction, and the both terminal portions. Connection control means for causing the terminals of the second connection terminal portion to project by the advancing / retreating driving means so as to connect the two terminals to each other in a state where they face each other and are essentially free of the deviation or are corrected. You may have.

  In the present invention, a charging unit that charges the battery via a charging unit installed on a floor surface or a wall surface to a mobile robot that travels on the floor surface by rotating traveling wheels with electric power from the battery, A second connection terminal portion having a plurality of terminals connected to a plurality of terminals of the first connection terminal portion provided in the robot, and a terminal of the second connection terminal portion project in a direction orthogonal to the lateral direction. The terminal support means for removably supporting, the advancing / retreating drive means for advancing / retreating the terminal supported by the terminal support means in a projecting and retracting direction, the both terminal portions face each other, and essentially the above There may be provided connection control means for projecting the terminals of the second connection terminal portion by the advance / retreat driving means to connect the both terminals to each other in a state where there is no deviation or in a corrected state.

  In the present invention, a charging unit that charges the battery via a charging unit installed on a floor surface or a wall surface to a mobile robot that travels on the floor surface by rotating traveling wheels with electric power from the battery, A second connection terminal portion having a plurality of terminals connected to a plurality of terminals of the first connection terminal portion provided on the robot; and the second connection terminal portion is slid in a lateral direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the robot. Detecting the lateral displacement between the slide support means for movably supporting, the slide drive means for slidingly moving the second connection terminal portion in the lateral direction, and the first connection terminal portion and the second connection terminal portion. A shift detecting means for driving, a slide control means for driving the slide driving means based on the detected shift to correct a shift between the two terminal portions, and the two terminal portions are mutually opposed. And connection control means for advancing the one terminal toward the other terminal so as to connect the two terminals to each other in a state in which there is essentially no deviation or in a corrected state. .

  In the automatic charging system for a mobile robot according to the present invention, the mobile robot includes a mobile robot capable of traveling on a floor surface with a battery, and a charging unit installed on the floor surface for charging the battery of the mobile robot, A traveling part having a battery and having traveling wheels, and a sliding part that can be slid laterally by a slide drive motor with respect to the traveling part, the sliding part is configured to remove an object close to the sliding direction of the sliding part. A pair of side object detection sensors for detecting, a rear object detection sensor for detecting an object approaching from a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction, and a plurality of first connection terminals for charging the battery. The charging unit protrudes forward from the front surface of the charging unit and has a width equal to or slightly wider than the width of the slide portion. A pair of guide portions sandwiching the slide portion and a plurality of second connection terminals provided at positions corresponding to the first connection terminals, with the slide portion of the mobile robot facing the charging unit When one of the side object detection sensors detects the guide part of the charging unit while traveling, the slide part is slid in a direction in which the one sensor does not detect the guide part, When the rear object detection sensor detects the charging unit, the traveling operation of the mobile robot and the sliding operation of the slide portion are stopped, and the first connection terminal is electrically connected to the second connection terminal. Connection control means may be provided.

Summary of the invention:
The mobile robot of the present invention is, for example, a cleaning robot that moves on a floor surface driven by a battery and collects dust on the floor surface, or performs a wiping operation, and a charging station for automatically charging the battery. It is concerned.

  However, a cleaning robot that performs dust collection work will be exemplified and will be described in detail below. However, the mobile robot is not limited to the cleaning robot, for example, a floor surface of a security robot, a guide robot, or the like. Anything that travels above is acceptable.

  The traveling part of the cleaning robot is equipped with a battery, and has a traveling part that can perform straight traveling, curve traveling, and in-situ rotation with independent drive wheels on the left and right and front and rear casters, and behind the traveling part. Is provided with a dust collecting work part for detaching the dust on the floor surface while sweeping it with a rotating brush. On the upper side of the traveling unit, a vacuum collecting device for sucking up dust on the floor surface in the dust collecting working unit is built in, and a dust collecting tank unit for collecting the dust is detachably disposed.

  Furthermore, in order to return the cleaning robot to the charging station, the traveling unit is provided with a remote signal transmitter and two ultrasonic receivers, and the charging station is provided with a remote signal receiver and two ultrasonic transmitters. ing.

  When the remote signal transmitter of the mobile robot transmits a signal and the remote signal receiver receives the signal, the two ultrasonic transmitters of the charging station are transmitted. When the two ultrasonic receivers of the mobile robot receive these ultrasonic waves, the distance and angle between the mobile robot and the charging station are calculated and recognized. While repeating this several times, the mobile robot can return to a predetermined position in front of the charging station and stop.

Further, in the present invention, the traveling unit 2 in FIGS. 4A to 4C has a dust collection working unit 6 that can slide to the left and right in order to perform traveling while avoiding obstacles and traveling along the wall. . The dust collection working unit 6 includes a side object detection sensor for detecting an object close to the sliding direction such as an obstacle or a wall, and an object close to the sliding direction perpendicular to the sliding direction such as when traveling backward. The rear object detection sensor is provided. As for these detection sensors, the present applicant has filed an application in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-079145.
In addition, the rear surface of the dust collection working unit is provided with a first connection terminal for charging the battery.

  On the other hand, the both sides of the charging station protrude from the front surface of the charging unit for guiding the dust collecting working part to a predetermined position, and the sliding parts are fitted with a width equal to or slightly wider than the width of the dust collecting working part. A guide portion having a shape is provided, and a plurality of second connection terminals are provided at positions corresponding to the first connection terminals.

  As described above, the mobile robot returns to a predetermined position in front of the charging station and stops. Then, after rotating 180 ° on the spot, the vehicle starts to move backward with the dust collection unit facing the charging station. At this time, when the side object detection sensor of the dust collection working unit detects contact with the guides disposed at both ends of the charging station, the dust collection working unit slides in a direction away from the contacted guide. When the vehicle further moves backward, the rear surface object detection sensor of the dust collection work unit detects contact with the charging station, stops the backward movement operation and the sliding operation of the mobile robot, and then electrically connects the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal. It is characterized in that it is made to connect automatically. As a result, the positions of the first connection terminal of the cleaning robot and the second connection terminal of the charging station correspond to each other with high accuracy.

Further, at least two rear surface object detection sensors may be arranged at positions separated from each other in the sliding direction of the dust collection working unit. When one rear object detection sensor detects that the charging unit has come into contact with the dust collecting work part, the traveling part is rotated in a direction to detect another undetected rear sensor, and at least two rear parts are detected. The rotation operation is stopped when the detection sensor is in the detected state.
Thereby, the angle which faces the position of the 1st connection terminal of a cleaning robot and the 2nd connection terminal of a charging station respond | corresponded with sufficient precision.

  In addition, the first connection terminal is disposed at a position facing the first exposure connection terminal and the plurality of first exposure connection terminals that are partially exposed to the outside of the dust collection working unit, and is connected to the battery. In addition, a plurality of first spaced connection terminals may be included. When the second connection terminal on the charging station side is close to the dust collection working part and is pressed in contact with the first exposed connection terminal, the first exposed connection terminal and the first separated connection terminal come into contact with each other and are electrically Connected to.

  As a result, when the first exposed terminal is not in contact with the second connection terminal of the charging station, the first exposed terminal and the battery are not electrically connected. Electric leakage due to electric shock or dust can be prevented.

In addition, the second connection terminal of the charging station is disposed apart from the plurality of second exposed connection terminals that are pushed out of the charging unit by the connection terminal drive motor, and the second exposed connection terminals, and is electrically connected to the charger. The second exposed connection terminal and the second spaced connection terminal are electrically connected only when the second exposed connection terminal is pushed out by the connection terminal drive motor. It may be.
As a result, when the second exposed terminal is not in contact with the first connection terminal of the dust collection working unit, the second exposed terminal and the charger are not electrically connected. It is possible to prevent electric shock due to touching or leakage due to dust or the like.

  In addition, the automatic charging system for mobile robots is not limited to cleaning robots, but it is more effective in terms of function by making the slide part a working part for collecting and cleaning dust on the floor. Is.

  In addition, the dust collection working unit connected to the traveling unit has a lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the floor surface with a lifting drive motor, so that the dust collection working unit is brought close to the floor surface during cleaning of the floor surface. You may enable it to perform cleaning work in the made state. When moving without performing the cleaning work, it is possible to reduce the load on the traveling operation for moving by lifting in the direction away from the floor surface.

  By using this lifting mechanism, when the mobile robot comes to a predetermined position with respect to the charging unit, the sliding part is moved down or raised from the floor by the lifting mechanism, and this operation The one connection terminal and the second connection terminal may be electrically connected in the vertical direction. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the connection terminal drive motor.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 to 10 show a first embodiment.

overall structure:
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show the configuration of the main parts of a cleaning robot (an example of a mobile robot) 1 and a charging station 8 according to the present invention. The traveling unit 2 incorporates two batteries 3 and can perform straight traveling, curved traveling, and rotation on the spot with the left and right independent drive wheels (traveling wheels) 4 and the front and rear free casters 5.

A dust collection work part (slide part) 6 for sucking the dust on the floor surface while sweeping it with a rotating brush is detachably disposed behind the traveling part 2. On the upper side of the traveling unit 2, a dust collecting tank unit 7 for collecting dust by incorporating a vacuum device for sucking up dust on the floor surface by the dust collecting unit 6 is detachably disposed. The dust collection working part 6 is provided with a first connection terminal part 13 for charging the cleaning robot 1.
On the other hand, the charging station 8 includes a charging unit 14a that is provided in advance on a floor surface or a wall surface and is provided with a second connection terminal portion 14 for charging the cleaning robot 1.

Cleaning robot 1:
As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning robot 1 is provided with a pair of drive motors Mr that rotate the left and right traveling wheels 4 via a traveling timing belt 45.

Behind the cleaning robot 1, there is provided a slide support means 52 that supports the dust collection working unit 6 so as to be slidable in a lateral direction W orthogonal to the traveling direction Y of the cleaning robot 1. The slide support means 52 includes a slide guide 50 provided in the traveling unit 2 of the cleaning robot 1, and a slide plate 51 that supports the dust collection working unit 6 movably in the lateral direction W along the slide guide 50. Yes.
The dust collection working unit 6 is slid in the lateral direction W when the slide plate 51 is slid in the lateral direction W by the slide drive motor Ms via the sliding timing belt 55. Accordingly, the slide timing belt 55 and the slide drive motor Ms constitute the slide moving means 56 that slides the dust collection working part 6 and the first connection terminal part 13 provided in the dust collection work part 6 in the lateral direction W. is doing.

Equipment configuration of cleaning robot 1:
As shown in FIG. 6, the traveling unit 2 of the cleaning robot 1 is provided with a traveling control means 61 for controlling the drive motor Mr. The travel of the cleaning robot 1 is controlled by the travel control means 61, and the cleaning robot 1 is traveled in various travel patterns. As will be described later, the cleaning robot 1 is connected to the second connection terminal portion 14 of the dust collecting work unit 6. The traveling of the cleaning robot 1 is controlled so that the first connection terminal portion 13 is in a facing state.

A bumper 15 is provided around the dust collection working unit 6. Bumper sensors 63 for detecting whether or not the bumper 15 has come into contact with an obstacle, the charging station 8 or the like are provided in the dust collection work unit 6 on the left and right in the lateral direction W of the dust collection work unit 6, respectively. It has been.
When the cleaning robot 1 charges the battery 3 via the charging station 8, the bumper sensor 63 detects a displacement in the lateral direction W between the first connection terminal portion 13 and the second connection terminal portion 14. Means.

  The traveling unit 2 is provided with a slide control means 62 for controlling the slide drive motor Ms, and the slide control means 62 is based on the displacement detected by the bumper sensor 63 and is responsive to the slide movement means 56 (FIG. 5). ) To correct the misalignment between the two connection terminals 13 and 14.

Return action for charging cleaning robot 1:
In order to return the cleaning robot 1 shown in FIG. 2 to the charging station 8, the traveling unit 2 includes a remote signal transmitter 9 and two ultrasonic receivers 10 (FIG. 1). A remote signal receiver 11 and two ultrasonic transmitters 12 are provided. As a result, when the remote signal transmitter 9 of the cleaning robot 1 transmits a signal and the remote signal receiver 11 receives the signal, the two ultrasonic transmitters 12 are shifted at predetermined timings so as not to interfere with each other. Let
When the two ultrasonic receivers 10 of the cleaning robot 1 receive these ultrasonic waves, the distance and angle between the cleaning robot 1 and the charging station 8 are calculated and recognized. While repeating this several times, the cleaning robot 1 returns to a predetermined position in front of the charging station 8 and stops.

A first connection terminal portion 13 having six terminals 18 (FIG. 8) is disposed on the rear surface of the dust collection working portion 6. Similarly, a second connection terminal portion 14 having six terminals 24 (FIG. 10) is disposed.
In order to charge the battery 3 (FIG. 1), in addition to the positive and negative terminals, a temperature sensor terminal is generally required for timing the completion of charging so as not to overcharge. In this embodiment, two batteries are provided, and a total of six connection terminals are provided so that each battery can be charged independently so as to be able to cope with individual differences of batteries.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which a return operation is being performed while confirming the distance and angle between the cleaning robot 1 and the charging station 8 and a state in which the cleaning robot 1 returns toward a predetermined position on the front surface of the charging station 8.
When a signal is transmitted from a plurality of remote signal transmitters 9 disposed around the cleaning robot 1 and the remote signal receivers 11a, 11b, and 11c of the charging station 8 receive the signals, the distance R of the charging station 8 is separated by 2 The ultrasonic transmitters 12a and 12b transmit with a predetermined time shift. These ultrasonic waves are received by two ultrasonic receivers 10a and 10b which are separated by the left and right distribution of the cleaning robot 1, and the distances M1, M2 between the cleaning robot 1 and the charging station 8 are determined from the arrival time of the ultrasonic waves. The distance between N1 and N2 is measured.
The reason why three remote signal receivers 11a, 11b and 11c are provided is to widen the directivity angle of reception.

The center of the charging station 8 is the origin of the XY coordinates (0, 0), the coordinates of the ultrasonic receiver 10a of the cleaning robot 1 are (X1, Y1), and the coordinates of the ultrasonic receiver 10b are (X2, Y2). Then, the following relational expressions (1) and (2) are established.
M1 ² = (X1 + R / 2) ² + Y1 ² (1)
M2 ² = (X1−R / 2) ² + Y1 ² (2)

From these two equations, the coordinates (X1, Y1) of the ultrasonic receiver 10a can be calculated based on the following equations (3) and (4).
X1 = (M1 ² −M2 ² ) / (2R) (3)
Y1 = [M1 ² − {(M1 ² −M2 ² ) / (2R) + (R / 2)} ² ] ^1/2 (4)
Similarly, the coordinates (X1, Y1) of the ultrasonic receiver 10b can also be calculated based on the following equations (5), (6): X2 = (N1 ² −N2 ² ) / (2R) ( Five)
Y2 = [N1 ² − {(N1 ² −N2 ² ) / (2R) + (R / 2)} ² ] ^1/2 (6)
The central coordinates (Xo, Yo) of the ultrasonic receivers 10a and 10b and the facing angle θ with respect to the charging station can also be calculated based on the following equations (7) to (9).
Xo = (X1 + X2) / 2 (7)
Yo = (Y1 + Y2) / 2 (8)
θ = tan ⁻¹ {(Y2−Y1) / (X1−X2)} (9)

  Thus, the position and angle of the cleaning robot 1 with respect to the charging station 8 can be recognized. This is repeated several times, and as shown on the right side of FIG. 3, the cleaning robot 1 can travel and return to a predetermined position on the front surface of the charging station 8 and can be stopped on the spot.

  FIG. 4A shows a state where the cleaning robot 1 stops at a predetermined position on the front surface of the charging station 8 and then rotates 180 degrees on the spot and travels backward. However, at this time, the cleaning robot 1 is displaced due to an ultrasonic measurement error, a traveling control error, or the like during return traveling to the charging station 8, or a positional displacement ΔX is generated by 180 ° rotation on the spot. Shows the case. Then, the cleaning robot 1 starts back traveling with the dust collection working unit 6 in the direction of the arrow in the forward direction in the state.

  FIG. 4B shows that the bumper 15 disposed in the dust collection work unit 6 is located in the two guides 16 a and 16 b provided on both sides of the charging station 8 when the cleaning robot 1 performs the back running from the state of FIG. The place which contacted the guide 16a is shown.

  When the bumper 15 hits an obstacle, the bumper 15 can slide in the lateral direction W perpendicular to the back travel direction Y1 of the cleaning robot 1 with respect to the dust collection work unit 6. As described above, a bumper sensor 63 (FIG. 6) is incorporated so that it can be detected from which direction it hits.

  The bumper sensor 63 (FIG. 6) detects that the bumper 15 has come into contact with the guide 16a, and the dust collection working unit 6 performs a sliding operation in the lateral direction W (in the direction of the arrow) in which the bumper 15 is separated from the guide 16a. Continue running back. That is, since the distance between the guides 16a and 16b is set to be approximately the same as or slightly wider than that of the dust collection work unit 6, the vehicle travels back so that the dust collection work unit 6 is accommodated between the guides 16a and 16b.

  FIG. 4C shows that the bumper 15 of the dust collection working unit 6 contacts the stopper pins 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d on the four stopper pins 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d provided on the front surface of the charging station 8. However, it shows. At this time, the back running of the cleaning robot 1 is stopped in order to detect that the bumper sensor 63 (FIG. 6) has come into contact with the stopper pins 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d.

  By the way, if not only the positional deviation ΔX (FIG. 4A) but also the facing angle θ with respect to the charging station, the outer stopper pin among the four stopper pins 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d. 17a or 17d contacts first. Therefore, the traveling unit 2 may be rotated slowly so as to approach the non-contact side, and the rotation operation may be stopped when the stopper pin 17a or 17d on the non-contact side also contacts the bumper 15. Thus, the dust collection unit 6 of the cleaning robot 1 is accurately returned to the predetermined position with respect to the charging station 8.

A contact detection sensor 64 is provided at the tip of the stopper pins 17b and 17c among the four stopper pins 17a, 17b, 17c and 17d shown in FIG. When the stopper pins 17b and 17c come into contact with the bumper 15, the contact detection sensor 64 detects that the cleaning robot 1 has returned to the charging station 8, and the first connection terminal portion 13 of the dust collection working unit 6 and the charging station 8 are detected. The operation shifts to the connecting operation of the second connection terminal portion 14.
Therefore, the contact detection sensor 64 constitutes an inclination detection means for detecting whether or not the two terminal portions 13 and 14 are facing each other in a parallel state. The traveling control means 61 controls the posture of the cleaning robot 1 so that the two terminal portions 13 and 14 are parallel to each other by rotating the cleaning robot 1 based on the inclination detected by the contact detection sensor 64. .

  The four stopper pins 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d are only the two stopper pins 17a and 17d. A contact detection sensor 64 is provided at each of the tips, and the two stopper pins 17a, 17d at both ends are provided. When the two contact detection sensors 64 detect the first connection terminal portion 13 of the dust collection working unit 6 and the second connection terminal portion 14 of the charging station 8, the connection operation may be shifted.

  Furthermore, the stopper pins 17b and 17c having built-in contact detection sensors (not shown) are eliminated, and the bumper 15 detects the stopper pins 17a and 17d at both ends in the lateral direction W, and the dust collecting unit 6 of the cleaning robot 1 is charged. The station 8 is accurately returned to a predetermined position and controlled to stop, and a remote signal transmitter 9 on the cleaning robot 1 side transmits a feedback completion signal, and the remote signal receiver 11 of the charging station 8 transmits the signal. May be transferred to the connecting operation of the first connection terminal portion 13 of the dust collection working unit 6 and the second connection terminal portion 14 of the charging station 8.

First connection terminal portion 13:
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cleaning robot 1 obliquely from behind, with a part of the dust collecting case 6a of the dust collecting working unit 6 being drawn through, and six first connection terminals arranged on the rear surface of the dust collecting working unit 6 The structure of the part 13 is shown. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the first connection terminal portion 13 of FIG. 7 and the vicinity thereof.

As shown in FIG. 8, six case holes 6 b are formed in the dust collecting case 6 a corresponding to the terminals 18 of the first connection terminal portion 13. The first connection terminal portion 13 has an exposed connection terminal 18 partially exposed to the outside so as to close the case hole 6b from the inside, and is electrically insulated from the base plate 19 fixed to the dust collecting case 6a. The base plate 20 is fixed to the base plate 20 so as to be rotatable by a rotary shaft 21.
A spring (not shown) is disposed on the inner side of the rotating shaft 21, and the exposed connection terminal 18 is urged so as to close the case hole 6b. A section 22 is disposed on the inner surface side of the exposed connection terminal 18 so as to face each other with a gap, and the section 22 is electrically connected to the battery 3 disposed in the traveling unit 2 shown in FIG. Has been.

  FIG. 9 shows the charging station 8 of FIG. 2 obliquely from behind, and is shown in a watermark so that the inside of the case 8a can be seen. Corresponding to the two batteries 3 (FIG. 5) of the cleaning robot 1 of FIG. 5, the charging station 8 of FIG. 6 includes two chargers 23, remote signal receivers 11a, 11b, 11c, and ultrasonic transmission. Machines 12a and 12b and guides 16a and 16b are arranged. Further, six terminals 24 shown in FIG. 10 are arranged on the second connection terminal portion 14 at positions corresponding to the six terminals 18 of the first connection terminal portion 13 of the dust collection working portion 6 of FIG. Yes.

Charging unit 14a:
FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the charging unit 14a shown in FIG. 9 and the vicinity thereof. As shown in FIG. 10, the second connection terminal portion 14 includes a terminal 24 composed of six connection terminal shafts slidable in the axial direction Y, and six discs 25 respectively fixed to the end portions. The disc 25 is composed of six bifurcated sections 26 which face each other with a gap therebetween and can contact each other.

Of the six connection terminal shafts 24, two adjacent connection terminal shafts 24 are used as one unit to constitute two units. Each of the three connection terminal shafts 24 is electrically insulated from each other. The base plate 27a, the base plate 28a, the base plate 27b, and the base plate 28b (not shown) are vertically shown on the drawing because of shadows. It is sandwiched and connected.
Accordingly, the base plates 27a, 27b, 28a, 28b constitute terminal support means for supporting the terminal 24 of the second connection terminal portion 14 so as to be able to protrude and retreat in the direction Y orthogonal to the lateral direction W.

  The springs 29 are respectively hung on the upper portions of the upper base plates 27a and 27b between the case 8a (FIG. 9) and the six connection terminal shafts 24 are pushed out of the charging station 8 in the direction Y1. Is energized. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the base plates 27 a and 27 b pulled by the spring 29 are biased against the spring 29 by the sliding restriction plate 30.

  The sliding restriction plate 30 is supported by the inclination prevention plates 31a and 31b, is fitted to the shaft 32 so as to be slidable in the axial direction Y of the shaft 32, and is rotatably connected to the crank 33 by the shaft 34. . The crank 33 is rotatably connected to a shaft 37 that is eccentric with respect to a disc 36 that is coupled to the motor 35. There are two holes 36a and 36b at positions where the distances from the rotation center of the disk 36 are different from each other, and a reflection type photosensor 38a for detecting the hole is fixed directly below the hole 36a. ing.

When the motor 35 is rotated and the disk 36 is rotated 180 ° from the standby state of FIG. 10, it is possible to detect that the disk 36 is rotated 180 ° by the hole 36b coming directly above the reflective photosensor 38b. .
At this time, the sliding restricting plate 30 interlocked with the operation of the crank 33 is fitted to the shaft 32 and pushed forward. Then, the two connection terminal units that have been regulated by the base plates 27 a and 27 b coming into contact with the sliding regulation plate 30 are pushed forward by the biasing force of the spring 29. As a result, the six connection terminal shafts 24 protrude from the front surface of the charging station 8 and the six discs 25 at the opposite ends contact the six pieces 26, respectively.
Therefore, the crank 33, the motor 35, and the disc 36 constitute advancing / retreating driving means for advancing and retracting each terminal 18 supported by the terminal supporting means in a projecting and retracting direction Y.

Here, when the photosensors 38a and 38b detect the positions of the holes 36a and 36b of the disc 36, it is determined whether or not the current state is the protruding state of the second connection terminal portion 14. The connection control means 65 shown in FIG. 6 operates the advancing / retreating drive means so that the photosensor 38a shown in FIG. 10 is positioned to detect the hole 36a of the disk 36 in the standby state where charging is not performed. .
On the other hand, when the terminal portions 13 and 14 of the cleaning robot 1 and the charging station 8 face each other and are essentially in a state of no shift or a corrected state, the connection control means 65 moves forward and backward. The drive means is operated to move the photosensor 38b to the filling state so that the photosensor 38b detects the hole 36b of the disk 36, thereby projecting the terminal 24 and connecting the terminals 18 and 24 to each other. Let

At this time, since the segment 26 is always electrically connected to the charger 23 (FIG. 9), the connection terminal shaft 24 is electrically connected to the charger 23 via the segment 26.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 4C, the cleaning robot 1 returns to the charging station 8 and is ready to charge, and the connection terminal shaft of FIG. 10 is electrically connected to the charger 23 (FIG. 9). When the protrusion 24 moves, the connection terminal shaft 24 pushes the exposed connection terminal 18 around the rotation shaft 21 through the case hole 6b of the dust collecting case 6a of FIG. Pressed against.
Thereby, the charger 23 of FIG. 9 and the battery 3 of FIG. 6 are electrically connected, and charging is started.

  Therefore, when there is an accuracy error of the distance measuring sensor of the cleaning robot 1 that autonomously moves on the floor surface or an accuracy error of the traveling control, when the cleaning robot 1 returns to the charging station for charging, a positional shift or an angle shift. Even if there is, the cleaning robot 1 and the connection terminals 18 and 24 of the charging station can be accurately combined.

As for the completion of charging, two of the six connection terminals 18 and 24 in FIG. 8 and FIG. 10 are terminals for informing the timing of charging completion of the two batteries 3 (FIG. 6). Based on this, the charger 23 of FIG. 9 determines and completes the charging.
When the charging is completed, the motor 35 of FIG. 10 is rotated again, and when the disk 36 is rotated 180 °, the photosensor 38a detects the hole 36a of the disk 36, and the rotation of the motor 35 is stopped. The standby state is set such that the cleaning robot 1 can be dispatched at any time to perform the dust collection operation.

  If the cleaning robot 1 must be dispatched from the charging station 8 in FIG. 6 before charging is complete, a signal indicating that the cleaning robot 1 in FIG. It is sufficient to send the cleaning robot 1 to the remote signal receiver 11 of the charging station 8 of No. 2 and return to the standby state of FIG.

  The signal transmission to be dispatched before the completion of charging is performed by the remote signal transmitter 9 and the remote signal receiver 11 of FIG. 2, but the connection terminals of the first connection terminal portion 13 and the second connection terminal 14 are increased, The output signal may be transmitted through the connection terminal.

  As described above, when the battery is not charged, the exposed connection terminal 18 and the battery 3 of the dust collection working unit 6 of FIG. 8 are electrically disconnected, and the charging connection terminal shaft 24 (see FIG. 9) of the charging station 8 of FIG. 10) and the charger 23 are also electrically disconnected. Therefore, even if the exposed connection terminal 18 (FIG. 8) or the charging connection terminal shaft 24 (FIG. 10) is inadvertently touched by hand, no electric shock is caused, and dust or the like adheres to prevent the occurrence of electric leakage.

  Here, in the embodiment described above, the six second connection terminals 14 of the charging station 8 of FIG. 10 are connected to the first connection of the dust collection working unit 6 of FIG. In order to connect to the terminal portion 13, it is sufficient that the two batteries 3 (FIG. 1) mounted on the cleaning robot 1 are used in substantially the same state, but a new battery and an old battery may be incorporated. In the case where it is assumed, two motors 35 are mounted on the charging unit 14a of FIG. 10 so as to correspond to each battery so that each of the three connection terminals 24 performs a connection operation independently. If so, it is possible to cope with the time lag of each battery charging time.

11 and 12 show a second embodiment.
The dust collection work unit 8 includes an elevating unit 39 for moving the dust collection work unit 6 up and down with respect to the traveling unit 2 of the cleaning robot 1. The elevating unit 39 has an original function of lowering the dust collecting unit when performing the dust collecting operation, and moving the dust collecting unit 39 without performing the dust collecting operation or raising it when the operation is stopped. This embodiment is an example in which this elevating function is also used for the connection operation of the connection terminals.

When the cleaning robot 1 returns to the charging station 8, the dust collection working unit 8 is lifted up by the lifting unit 39 as shown in FIG. 11. At this time, the connection terminal 40 of the dust collection working unit 6 and the connection terminal 41 of the charging station 8 are in a state of being separated in the vertical direction.
When it is detected by the bumper sensor 63 (FIG. 6) that the bumper 15 of the dust collecting work unit 6 has come into contact with the stopper pin 17 of the charging station 8, the return traveling operation of the cleaning robot 1 to the charging station 8 is stopped and the elevator is moved up and down. The part 39 is operated to start the operation of lowering the dust collecting work part 6. As shown in FIG. 12, when the connection terminal 40 and the connection terminal 41 are lowered to a position where they are connected, the lowering operation is stopped and charging is started. When the charging is completed, the ascending operation is performed again to enter the dispatch standby state.

11 and 12, the connection terminal 41 on the charging station 8 side has a structure as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and the connection terminal 40 on the dust collection work unit 6 side is moved up and down. If the structure is configured to be electrically connected to the battery in conjunction with each other, it is possible to prevent the above electric shock and leakage.
11 and 12 are connected by the lowering operation of the dust collection working unit 6, but conversely, they may be connected by the upward operation of the dust collection working unit 6.
Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the same portions or corresponding portions, and the description thereof is omitted.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the terminal 24 of the second connection terminal portion 14 is advanced and retracted in the protruding and retracting direction Y, but instead of the terminal 24 of the second connecting terminal portion 14 protruding and retracted, the first connection The terminal 18 of the terminal portion 13 may be protruded and retracted.
In addition, as a charging method, a trickle charging method in which a minute current is continuously supplied after being disconnected from the load may be employed in order to compensate for the spontaneous discharge of the battery.

  Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the cleaning robot is exemplified and described as an example of the mobile robot. However, the present invention is not limited to the cleaning robot, and the present invention is not limited to the robot that moves autonomously on the floor surface. Can be applied. As a mobile robot, you may provide the traveling part which can move to all directions, for example.

Variations:
In each of the above-described embodiments, the cleaning robot 1 in which the first connection terminal unit 13 is provided in the dust collection working unit 6 slidable in the lateral direction W has been described. However, the first connection terminal unit 13 is not necessarily disposed in the lateral direction W. There is no need to provide a mechanism for sliding the lens.
In each modification described below, a charging unit that joins the terminals 18 and 24 of the first connection terminal portion 13 and the second connection terminal portion 14 without sliding the first connection terminal portion 13 in the lateral direction W. The configuration of 14a will be described.

Modification 1;
As shown in FIG. 13A, the charging unit 14 a is set so as to be movable along a rail 70 provided along the lateral direction W. The charging unit 14 a is provided with a driving device including a moving motor M and driving wheels 71 for moving the charging unit 14 a in the lateral direction W.

When a deviation occurs between the first connection terminal portion 13 and the second connection terminal 14 of the cleaning robot 1, the first connection terminal portion 13 of the cleaning robot 1 is moved in the lateral direction W without moving the first connection terminal portion 13 in the lateral direction W. As shown in FIG. 13B, the first connection terminal provided in the cleaning robot 1 by moving the charging unit 14 a in the lateral direction W and projecting the terminal 24 of the second connection terminal portion 14 according to the deviation. The terminal 18 of the part 13 and the terminal 24 of the second connection terminal 14 can be connected to each other.
Therefore, the first connection terminal portion 13 can be provided in the main body of the cleaning robot 1 and can be smoothly charged even in various mobile robots that do not have a portion that moves in the lateral direction W, such as the dust collection work portion 6. It becomes.

Modification 2;
As illustrated in FIG. 13C, the charging unit 14a is fixed to a floor surface, a wall surface, or the like.
The cleaning robot 1 in FIG. 1 drives only the traveling unit 2 without sliding the dust collection working unit 6, thereby providing a first connection terminal unit 13 and a second connection terminal 14 provided on the cleaning robot 1. After the alignment, the terminal 24 of the second connection terminal portion 14 protrudes, and both the terminals 18 and 24 are joined to each other.

Modification 3;
As shown in FIG. 13D, the charging unit 14 a is set so as to be movable in the lateral direction W along a rail 70 provided along the lateral direction W. The charging unit 14a is provided with a driving device for moving the charging unit 14a in the lateral direction W. On the other hand, the terminal 24 provided on the second connection terminal 14 is fixedly provided in a protruding state.

  The present invention is particularly applicable to mobile robot charging systems and charging units.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows the mobile robot concerning Example 1 of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the mobile robot and charging unit. It is a schematic plan view which shows the return method to the charging unit of a mobile robot. It is a schematic plan view which shows the return method to the charging unit of a mobile robot. It is the schematic plan view partly broken showing the mobile robot. It is a schematic block diagram of a mobile robot and a charging unit. It is a schematic perspective view which shows a mobile robot. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the 1st connection terminal part vicinity. It is a schematic perspective view which shows a charging station. It is a schematic perspective view which shows a charging unit. It is a schematic side view which shows the mobile robot and charging unit concerning Example 2 of this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows the mobile robot and charging unit concerning Example 2 of this invention. 13A to 13D are a schematic front view and a schematic plan view showing a charging unit according to a modification of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: Cleaning robot (mobile robot)
2: traveling unit 3: battery 4: traveling wheel 6: dust collection working unit (sliding unit)
13: 1st connection terminal part 14: 2nd connection terminal part 14a: Charging unit 18, 24: Terminal 27a, 27b, 28a, 28b: Base plate (terminal support means)
33: Crank (advance / retreat driving means)
35: Motor (advance / retreat driving means)
36: Disc (advance / retreat drive)
52: Slide support means 56: Slide movement means 61: Travel control means 62: Slide control means 63: Bumper sensor (deviation detection means)
64: Contact detection sensor (tilt detection means)
65: Connection control means W: Lateral direction

Claims (11)

A charging system comprising: a mobile robot that travels on a floor surface by rotating a traveling wheel with electric power from a battery; and a charging unit installed on the floor surface or a wall surface, and the battery is charged via the charging unit. There,
A first connection terminal portion provided on the robot and having a plurality of terminals;
A second connection terminal portion provided in the charging unit and having a plurality of terminals connected to the terminals;
Travel control means for controlling the travel of the robot so that the second connection terminal portion of the charging unit faces the first connection terminal portion of the robot;
Slide support means for supporting one of the first or second connection terminal portions so as to be slidable in a lateral direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the robot;
Slide drive means for slidingly moving the connection terminal portion supported by the slide support means so as to be slidable in the lateral direction;
A displacement detecting means for detecting the lateral displacement between the first connection terminal portion and the second connection terminal portion;
Slide control means for driving the slide drive means based on the detected deviation to correct the deviation between the two terminal portions;
Terminal support means for supporting the terminal of the first or second connection terminal portion so as to protrude and retract in a direction orthogonal to the lateral direction;
Advancing and retracting drive means for advancing and retracting the terminal supported by the terminal supporting means so as to be able to protrude;
Connection control means for projecting the terminals by the advance / retreat driving means to connect the terminals to each other in a state where the both terminal portions face each other and are essentially free from or displaced. Charging system. In claim 1,
A charging system in which the slide support means is provided in the robot, and the first connection terminal part is provided in a slide part that is slidable with respect to a traveling part of the robot via the slide support means. In claim 2,
A charging system in which the slide unit is provided with a working unit for performing a predetermined work. In claim 1, 2 or 3,
A charging system in which the terminal support means is provided in the charging unit. In claim 1,
Further comprising an inclination detecting means for detecting whether or not the two terminal portions face each other in a parallel state;
The traveling control means controls the posture of the robot so that the two terminal portions are parallel to each other by rotating the robot based on the inclination detected by the inclination detecting means. . A charging system comprising: a mobile robot that travels on a floor surface by rotating a traveling wheel with electric power from a battery; and a charging unit installed on the floor surface or a wall surface, and the battery is charged via the charging unit. There,
A first connection terminal portion provided on the robot and having a plurality of terminals;
A second connection terminal portion provided in the charging unit and having a plurality of terminals connected to the terminals;
Travel control means for controlling the travel of the robot so that the second connection terminal portion of the charging unit faces the first connection terminal portion of the robot;
Terminal support means for supporting the terminal of the first or second connection terminal portion so as to protrude and retract in a direction orthogonal to the lateral direction;
Advancing and retracting drive means for advancing and retracting the terminal supported by the terminal supporting means so as to be able to protrude;
A charging system comprising: connection control means for projecting the terminals by the advance / retreat driving means to connect the terminals to each other in a state where the both terminal portions face each other. A charging system comprising: a mobile robot that travels on a floor surface by rotating a traveling wheel with electric power from a battery; and a charging unit installed on the floor surface or a wall surface, and the battery is charged via the charging unit. There,
A first connection terminal portion provided on the robot and having a plurality of terminals;
A second connection terminal portion provided in the charging unit and having a plurality of terminals connected to the terminals;
Travel control means for controlling the travel of the robot so that the second connection terminal portion of the charging unit faces the first connection terminal portion of the robot;
Slide support means for supporting one of the first or second connection terminal portions so as to be slidable in a lateral direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the robot;
Slide drive means for slidingly moving the connection terminal portion supported by the slide support means so as to be slidable in the lateral direction;
A displacement detecting means for detecting the lateral displacement between the first connection terminal portion and the second connection terminal portion;
Slide control means for driving the slide drive means based on the detected deviation to correct the deviation between the two terminal portions;
Connection control means for connecting the two terminals to each other by advancing the one terminal toward the other terminal in a state where the both terminal portions face each other and are essentially free from or displaced. And a charging system. A charging unit that charges the battery via a charging unit installed on a floor surface or a wall surface to a mobile robot that travels on the floor surface by rotating traveling wheels with electric power from the battery,
A second connection terminal part having a plurality of terminals connected to a plurality of terminals of the first connection terminal part provided in the robot;
Slide support means for slidably supporting the second connection terminal portion in a lateral direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the robot;
Slide driving means for slidingly moving the second connection terminal portion in the lateral direction;
A displacement detecting means for detecting the lateral displacement between the first connection terminal portion and the second connection terminal portion;
Slide control means for driving the slide drive means based on the detected deviation to correct the deviation between the two terminal portions;
Terminal support means for supporting the terminal of the second connection terminal portion so as to be able to protrude and retract in a direction orthogonal to the lateral direction;
Advancing and retracting drive means for advancing and retracting the terminal supported by the terminal supporting means so as to be able to protrude;
In a state where the both terminal portions face each other and there is essentially no deviation or a corrected state, the terminals of the second connection terminal portion are projected by the advance / retreat driving means to connect the two terminals to each other. A charging unit comprising connection control means. A charging unit that charges the battery via a charging unit installed on a floor surface or a wall surface to a mobile robot that travels on the floor surface by rotating traveling wheels with electric power from the battery,
A second connection terminal part having a plurality of terminals connected to a plurality of terminals of the first connection terminal part provided in the robot;
Terminal support means for supporting the terminal of the second connection terminal portion so as to be able to protrude and retract in a direction orthogonal to the lateral direction;
Advancing and retracting drive means for advancing and retracting the terminal supported by the terminal supporting means so as to be able to protrude;
In a state where the both terminal portions face each other and there is essentially no deviation or a corrected state, the terminals of the second connection terminal portion are projected by the advance / retreat driving means to connect the two terminals to each other. A charging unit comprising connection control means. A charging unit that charges the battery via a charging unit installed on a floor surface or a wall surface to a mobile robot that travels on the floor surface by rotating traveling wheels with electric power from the battery,
A second connection terminal part having a plurality of terminals connected to a plurality of terminals of the first connection terminal part provided in the robot;
Slide support means for slidably supporting the second connection terminal portion in a lateral direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the robot;
Slide driving means for slidingly moving the second connection terminal portion in the lateral direction;
A displacement detecting means for detecting the lateral displacement between the first connection terminal portion and the second connection terminal portion;
Slide control means for driving the slide drive means based on the detected deviation to correct the deviation between the two terminal portions;
Connection control means for connecting the two terminals to each other by advancing the one terminal toward the other terminal in a state where the both terminal portions face each other and are essentially free from or displaced. And a charging unit. A mobile robot capable of running on the floor with a battery, and a charging unit installed on the floor for charging the battery of the mobile robot,
The mobile robot is equipped with a traveling unit having a battery and having traveling wheels, and a slide unit that can slide and move laterally with a slide drive motor with respect to the traveling unit.
The slide part includes a pair of side object detection sensors for detecting an object approaching from the slide direction of the slide part, and a rear object detection sensor for detecting an object approaching from a direction perpendicular to the slide direction; A plurality of first connection terminals for charging the battery;
The charging unit protrudes forward from the front surface of the charging unit, and has a pair of guide portions sandwiching the slide portion with a width equal to or slightly wider than the slide portion, and a position corresponding to the first connection terminal A plurality of second connection terminals provided in the
When one of the side object detection sensors detects the guide portion of the charging unit while the slide portion of the mobile robot is running in a state of facing the charging unit, the one sensor is Slide the slide part in a direction that stops detecting the guide part,
When the rear object detection sensor detects the charging unit, the traveling operation of the mobile robot and the sliding operation of the slide portion are stopped, and the first connection terminal is electrically connected to the second connection terminal. An automatic charging system for a mobile robot, characterized in that a connection control means is provided.

Images