KR102006760B1 - Method of guiding robot for automatic charge and charging station comprising suspension - Google Patents

Method of guiding robot for automatic charge and charging station comprising suspension Download PDF

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Publication number
KR102006760B1
KR102006760B1 KR1020180009788A KR20180009788A KR102006760B1 KR 102006760 B1 KR102006760 B1 KR 102006760B1 KR 1020180009788 A KR1020180009788 A KR 1020180009788A KR 20180009788 A KR20180009788 A KR 20180009788A KR 102006760 B1 KR102006760 B1 KR 102006760B1
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KR
South Korea
Prior art keywords
robot
charging station
charging
docking
signal
Prior art date
Application number
KR1020180009788A
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Korean (ko)
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KR20180088308A (en
Inventor
노학종
이민재
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(주)로보케어
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Publication of KR102006760B1 publication Critical patent/KR102006760B1/en

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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
    • B25J9/16—Programme controls
    • B25J9/1656—Programme controls characterised by programming, planning systems for manipulators
    • B25J9/1664—Programme controls characterised by programming, planning systems for manipulators characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
    • B25J9/16—Programme controls
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J19/00—Accessories fitted to manipulators, e.g. for monitoring, for viewing; Safety devices combined with or specially adapted for use in connection with manipulators
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J19/00—Accessories fitted to manipulators, e.g. for monitoring, for viewing; Safety devices combined with or specially adapted for use in connection with manipulators
    • B25J19/005—Accessories fitted to manipulators, e.g. for monitoring, for viewing; Safety devices combined with or specially adapted for use in connection with manipulators using batteries, e.g. as a back-up power source
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J50/00—Circuit arrangements or systems for wireless supply or distribution of electric power
    • H02J50/80—Circuit arrangements or systems for wireless supply or distribution of electric power involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J7/00—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
    • H02J7/02—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
    • H02J7/025—
    • H02J2007/0096—

Abstract

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a robot induction method that can automatically realize charging of a robot. In the induction method according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the battery of the robot needs to be charged, the robot is moved forward 300mm of the charging station, and the robot is moved through communication between the infrared sensor of the charging station and the infrared sensor of the robot. After the induction / docking operation is performed to the charging station, the docking sensor is confirmed by the contact sensor of the station, and then a signal is transmitted to the robot through infrared communication to terminate the induction operation. As a result, the docking operation of the robot is realized within an allowable range, thereby providing an automatic charging function of the mobile robot.

Description

Charging station device including suspension and induction method by wireless signal for automatic charging of mobile robot {METHOD OF GUIDING ROBOT FOR AUTOMATIC CHARGE AND CHARGING STATION COMPRISING SUSPENSION}

The present invention relates to an induction method and a charging station device for automatic charging of a mobile robot, and more particularly, to induce a method of providing an automatic charging function and to absorb shocks generated during docking and rotation of a robot when docked with a charging station. Suspension device for.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a mobile robot silbot (hereinafter, referred to as 'robot') currently being sold. The robot provides a user with dementia prevention, autism diagnosis, and guidance services, and is movable. That is, since the robot is driven by a built-in battery, it is necessary to charge the battery when the battery of the robot is discharged.

2 illustrates a charging state of a conventional robot. As shown in FIG. 2, the battery of the robot is charged by connecting the charging terminal of the charger to the robot.

In the conventional charging method, when the robot needs to charge, the user manually connects the charging terminal to the robot, and when charging is completed, the user needs to manually disconnect the charging terminal again.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a robot induction method that can automatically realize charging of a robot.

Induction method according to an embodiment of the present invention consists of the following steps.

If the robot's battery needs to be charged, move the robot 300mm ahead of the charging station

The robot is guided / docked to the charging station through communication between the infrared sensor of the charging station and the infrared receiver of the robot.

After confirming the docking completion with the contact sensor of the station, the induction operation is terminated by sending a signal to the robot through infrared communication.

As a result, the docking operation of the robot is realized within an allowable range, thereby providing an automatic charging function of the mobile robot.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

Automatic charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems, a movable robot including a plurality of receiving unit for receiving a wireless signal; And a charging station including a plurality of transmitters for transmitting a wireless signal, wherein each of the plurality of transmitters of the charging station distinguishes and transmits position signals, and the robot receives the respective signal patterns through a plurality of receivers. By checking the position and angle of the robot and the charging station, the robot is docked to the station.

In addition, the charging station is fixed; A moving part connected to the fixed part and movable; And a suspension installed between the fixed portion and the flow portion.

In addition, the flow portion receiving portion for receiving the robot; And bearings mounted to both ends of the flow portion and partially protruding from the receiving surface.

The automatic charging system may further include a contact sensor installed on a surface of the accommodating part to determine whether the robot is docked. When the docking of the robot and the charging station is completed, the plurality of transmitters may include the plurality of transmitters. The docking completion signal is transmitted to a receiving unit.

The automatic charging system may further include an insulating member attached to an output end of the plurality of transmitters of the charging station to limit the radiation angle of the radio signal.

In addition, the automatic charging method of the robot according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of moving the robot in front of the charging station spaced a predetermined distance; The robot approaching the charging station through communication regarding a position signal between the plurality of transmitters of the charging station and the plurality of receivers of the robot; Docking the charging station with the robot approaching the charging station; And after docking the robot, transmitting a signal from the charging station to the robot, ending the approach and docking operation, and starting charging of the robot.

In addition, the step of the robot approaching the charging station, each of the plurality of transmitters of the charging station for transmitting the location signal separately; The robot receiving the respective signal patterns through a plurality of receivers; And checking the position and angle of the robot and the charging station.

In addition, the automatic charging method of the robot is characterized in that the automatic battery charging is performed by determining whether the battery in which the robot is built is below a predetermined ratio of the maximum capacity.

In addition, the automatic charging method of the robot includes the step of the robot storing the location of the charging station in the memory built into the robot; And checking the position of the charging station at the time of automatic charging.

The induction method by the wireless signal of the charging station of the mobile robot according to the present invention has an effect of improving the inconvenience caused during manual charging by providing an automatic charging function to the user.

1 is a front view showing a robot according to the present invention.
2 is a rear perspective view illustrating a manual charging state of a conventional robot.
3 shows an infrared sensor mounted on the robot and the charging station and a contact sensor mounted on the charging station.
4 shows a flow chart of the induction operation of the robot to the charging station.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view in which the contact sensor (circular area) of FIG. 4 is enlarged.
6 is a diagram illustrating a signal transmission and reception according to the presence or absence of an insulating member of the infrared sensor.
7 is a side view illustrating a state of the robot when docked.
8 is a sectional view showing a robot entering a charging station.
9 is a sectional view of a charging station.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail with the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

The shapes, sizes, ratios, angles, numbers, and the like disclosed in the drawings for describing the embodiments of the present invention are illustrative, and thus the present invention is not limited thereto. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. Where the terms "comprises", "having", "done", and the like are used in this specification, other portions may be added unless "only" is used. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, including the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In interpreting the constituent elements, it is construed to include the error range even if there is no separate description.

In the case of a description of the positional relationship, for example, if the positional relationship between two parts is described as 'on', 'on top', 'under', and 'next to' Or " direct " is not used, one or more other portions may be located between the two portions.

It is to be understood that elements or layers are referred to as being "on " other elements or layers, including both intervening layers or other elements directly on or in between. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Although the first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, it goes without saying that these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another. Therefore, it goes without saying that the first component mentioned below may be the second component within the technical scope of the present invention.

The sizes and thicknesses of the individual components shown in the figures are shown for convenience of explanation and the present invention is not necessarily limited to the size and thickness of the components shown.

It is to be understood that each of the features of the various embodiments of the present invention may be combined or combined with each other partially or entirely and technically various interlocking and driving is possible as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, It may be possible to cooperate with each other in association.

1 shows a front view of the robot 1. The robot 1 is movable.

2 shows a charging state of the conventional robot 100. The conventional robot 100 charges the battery by connecting the charging terminal 101 of the charger to the robot 100. The conventional robot 100 requires a user to manually connect and disconnect the charging terminal 101 to the robot 100.

Figure 3 is a plurality of receivers (infrared sensor (Receiver) in the embodiment of the present invention) 10 mounted on the robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention and a plurality of transmitters mounted on the charging station ( In the embodiment of the present invention, an infrared sensor 20 and a contact sensor 23 are shown. In the embodiment of the present invention, three infrared sensors 10 are mounted on the rear surface of the robot 1, and five infrared sensors 20 are mounted on the charging station 2. In this case, the positions of the infrared sensor 10 of the robot 1 and the infrared sensor 20 of the charging station 2 correspond to each other so that the robot 1 may receive a signal pattern transmitted from the charging station 2. It is in a position to do it.

4 shows a flow chart for the operation when the robot 1 is guided to the charging station 2. First, the position of the charging station 2 is previously designated on the map stored in the memory of the robot 1. Whether the battery of the robot 1 needs to be charged is determined based on whether or not the electricity charged in the battery is below a predetermined ratio of the maximum capacity. Subsequently, when the robot 1 determines that the battery needs to be charged, the robot 1 moves forward of the charging station 2 spaced apart by a predetermined distance L (about 300 mm in one embodiment of the present invention). Go to.

Next, the robot 1 executes an induction / docking operation to the charging station 2 through communication between the infrared sensor 20 of the charging station 2 and the infrared sensor 10 of the robot 1. Specifically, the infrared sensors 20 of the charging station 2 separately transmit signal patterns for each sensor, and the infrared sensors 10 of the robot 1 receive these signal patterns. The position and angle relationship between the robot 1 and the charging station 2 are grasped based on the received signal pattern. The robot 1 approaches the docking position based on the positional and angular relationship obtained through the infrared sensor 10.

When the robot 1 is located at the docking position, the charging terminal (not shown) of the robot 1 and the charging terminal 28 of the charging station 1 are connected to each other. In addition, the robot 1 is in contact with a contact sensor 23 provided on the surface of the receiving portion 22 in which the charging station 2 receives the robot 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the contact sensor 23 includes a contact arm 230 and a limit switch 231, and by the operation of the limit switch 231, the contact sensor 23 is connected to the robot 1. Determine if docked. In the embodiment of the present invention, the robot 1 operates the limit switch 231 by retracting the contact arm 230 of the contact sensor 24. Therefore, by the operation of the limit switch 231, the contact sensor 23 can confirm the docking completion, and the charging station 2 transmits a signal indicating the docking completion to the robot 1.

The infrared sensor 10 of the robot 1 detects the docking completion signal transmitted from the charging station 2, and when the docking completion signal is detected, the robot 1 completes the induction / docking operation and performs automatic charging. To start.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating how signals are transmitted and received according to the presence or absence of the insulating member 21 of the infrared sensor. FIG. 6A illustrates a case in which an infrared signal is transmitted to the infrared receiver 10 when the insulating member is not attached to the output terminal of the infrared transmitter 20. In this case, since the radiation angle of the infrared signal is not limited, the infrared signal spreads widely during the transmission process. Therefore, the reflection is generated on the object 3 disposed in the periphery, which not only prevents the smooth transmission of the infrared signal but also overlaps the waveform of the infrared signal, thereby transmitting the wrong signal. FIG. 6 (b) shows how an infrared signal is transmitted to the infrared receiver 10 when the insulating member 21 is attached to the output terminal of the infrared transmitter 20. In this case, since the radiation angle of the infrared signal is limited, the diffuse reflection of the infrared signal is prevented in the transmission process, so that the infrared signal is smoothly and accurately transmitted.

7 is a side view of the charging station 2, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the charging station 2. As shown in the figures, the charging station 2 includes a fixed portion 24, a movable portion 25 connected to the fixed portion 24, and a movable flow portion 25, which is connected to the fixed portion 24. A suspension 26 is mounted between the eastern portions 25. The flow part 25 includes the accommodating part 22 which accommodates the robot 1, and the bearing 27 is mounted on the surface of the accommodating part 22 of the both ends of the flow part 25. Therefore, the bearing 27 slides when the robot 1 is accommodated, so that the robot 1 can be stably connected to the charging station 2. When the robot 1 moves to access the charging terminal 28 installed in the flow part 25, an impact may occur during docking if the flow part 25 of the charging station 2 is fixed. Therefore, the suspension 26 is mounted between the fixing part 24 and the flow part 25 to absorb the shock generated when docking, and the robot 1 or the charging station 2 may be damaged by the shock. Prevent in advance.

In FIG. 9, the robot 1 docks to the charging station 2. In this case, (a) of FIG. 9 shows the robot 1 docking in the exact docking position with the charging station 2, and (b) and (c) of FIG. 9 shows that the robot 1 is charging station The docking in the position biased to one side of (2) is shown. As shown in the figure, in the case of (a) docking in the correct docking position, the suspension 26 absorbs the shock evenly on both sides of the flow section 25. However, in the case of (b) and (c) docking in the docked position biased to one side of the flow part 25, the suspension 26 absorbs more impact on one side of the flow part 25. That is, the robot 1 and the charging station in the case where the robot 1 does not have access to the correct docking position of the charging station 2 when the robot 1 does not absorb the shock between the fixing part 24 and the flow part 25. (2) may be damaged. In particular, the risk of breakage is greater when the robot 1 docks in an incorrect position. Accordingly, the present invention provides the robot 1 or the charging station 2 by mounting the suspension 26 between the fixing part 24 and the flow part 25 so as to sufficiently absorb the shock even if an error in the docking position occurs. This risk of breakage is prevented in advance.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. . Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

1: robot
2: charging station
3: object
10: a plurality of receivers (infrared sensors)
20: a plurality of transmitters (infrared sensors)
21: insulating member
22: receptacle
23: contact sensor
24: fixing part
25: flow part
26: Suspension
27: bearing
28: charging terminal
100: conventional robot
101: charging terminal
230: contact arm
231: limit switch

Claims (9)

Automatic charging system,
A movable robot including a plurality of receivers for receiving a radio signal; And
A charging station including a plurality of transmitters for transmitting a radio signal,
Each of the plurality of transmitters of the charging station distinguishes and transmits a position signal, and the robot receives the respective signal patterns through a plurality of receivers and checks the position and angle of the robot and the charging station. Dock to the station,
The charging station includes a fixed portion, a flow portion connected to the fixed portion, a movable portion movable back and forth with respect to the fixed portion, and a suspension installed between the fixed portion and the flowing portion,
The moving part includes an accommodating part accommodating the robot, a charging terminal installed at a bottom surface connected to the accommodating part, and a bearing mounted on both ends of the moving part and partially bearing to the surface of the accommodating part. . delete delete The method of claim 1,
Is installed on the surface of the receiving portion, further comprising a touch sensor for determining whether the robot is docked,
And when the docking of the robot and the charging station is completed, the plurality of transmitters transmit a docking completion signal to the plurality of receivers. The method according to claim 1 or 4,
And an insulating member attached to an output end of the plurality of transmitters of the charging station, the insulating member limiting the radiation angle of the radio signal. As an automatic charging method of the robot,
The robot moving in front of the charging station spaced a predetermined distance apart;
The robot approaching the charging station through communication regarding a position signal between the plurality of transmitters of the charging station and the plurality of receivers of the robot;
Docking the robot and the flow unit of the charging station in proximity to the charging station, the robot being connected to the stationary part and including a moving part movable to and fro relative to the stationary part; And
After docking of the robot, the robot receiving a signal from the charging station to terminate the approach and docking operation, and starting charging of the robot,
The charging station further includes a suspension installed between the fixed portion and the flow portion,
The moving part includes an accommodating part accommodating the robot, a charging terminal installed on a bottom surface connected to the accommodating part, and a bearing mounted on both ends of the moving part and partially protruding from the accommodating part surface. Charging method. The method according to claim 6,
The robot approaching the charging station,
Transmitting each of the plurality of transmitters of the charging station by dividing a position signal;
The robot receiving the respective signal patterns through a plurality of receivers; And
Checking the position and angle of the robot and the charging station. The method according to claim 6 or 7,
And determining whether the battery in which the robot is built is less than or equal to a predetermined ratio of the maximum capacity, and performing automatic charging of the robot. The method of claim 8,
The robot storing the location of the charging station in a memory built into the robot; And
The automatic charging method of the robot, characterized in that further comprising the step of checking the position of the charging station when the automatic charging.
KR1020180009788A 2017-01-26 2018-01-26 Method of guiding robot for automatic charge and charging station comprising suspension KR102006760B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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KR1020170012683 2017-01-26
KR20170012683 2017-01-26

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN114256940B (en) * 2022-02-28 2022-05-24 北京蒙帕信创科技有限公司 Multi-robot charging scheduling method, device and system

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR100765847B1 (en) * 2006-12-26 2007-10-10 (주)다사로봇 Charging station equipped with caster guide

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5646494A (en) * 1994-03-29 1997-07-08 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Charge induction apparatus of robot cleaner and method thereof
KR20080060535A (en) * 2006-12-27 2008-07-02 주식회사 유진로봇 Apparatus for automatic charging of the autonomous mobile robot and method for automatic charging used the same

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR100765847B1 (en) * 2006-12-26 2007-10-10 (주)다사로봇 Charging station equipped with caster guide

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