TWI747434B - Autonomous mobile device and autonomous mobile system - Google Patents

Abstract

A moving device adapted to connect to pads of a power supply base which has a protrusion. The moving device includes a casing, a first movable member, a second movable member and a connector. The first movable member is movably disposed in the casing and has a first inclined surface. The first movable member is pushed by the protrusion to move along a first direction to insert into the casing. The second movable member is movably disposed in the casing and has a second inclined surface. The first inclined surface leans against the second inclined surface. When the first movable member moves along the first direction, the first inclined surface pushes the second inclined surface such that the second movable member moves along a second direction. The connector is connected to the second movable member. When the second movable member moves along the second direction, the connector is driven to be protruded from the casing along the second direction so as to connect to the pads of the power supply base.

Description

Mobile device and mobile system

The present invention relates to a mobile device and a mobile system, and more particularly to a mobile device capable of selectively concealing or exposing an electrical connector and a mobile system having the mobile device.

Since the mobile device (such as a robot, etc.) may collide with other objects during walking, if the electrical connector of the mobile device is designed in an exposed way, although it is easy to dock with the charging base, it may be collided by other objects. The risk of damage will restrict the design of the mobile device and make it less aesthetically pleasing.

The present invention provides a mobile device, the electrical connector of which is concealed in the housing when it is not being charged, and there is no risk of collision, and the electrical connector is exposed to the housing when it is charged.

The present invention provides a mobile system having the above-mentioned mobile device.

The mobile device of the present invention is suitable for being connected to a charging contact of a charging base, and the charging base includes a protruding part. The mobile device includes a housing, a first movable part, a second movable part, and an electric Connector. The first movable element is movably disposed on the housing and corresponds to the protruding portion, and the first movable element has a first inclined surface. The first movable element is adapted to move along a first direction through the protruding part and extend into the casing. The second movable element is movably disposed on the housing, and the second movable element has a second inclined surface, wherein the first inclined surface of the first movable element abuts against the second inclined surface of the second movable element. When the first movable element moves in the first direction, the first inclined surface pushes against the second inclined surface to cause the second movable element to move in a second direction. The electrical connector is connected to the second movable element, and when the second movable element moves in the second direction, the electrical connector is driven to extend out of the housing to be connected to the charging contact of the charging base.

A mobile system of the present invention includes a charging stand and a mobile device. The charging base includes a charging contact and a protruding part. The mobile device is suitable for docking to the charging dock. The mobile device includes a housing, a first movable element, a second movable element, and an electrical connector. The first movable element is movably disposed on the housing and corresponds to the protruding portion, and the first movable element has a first inclined surface. The first movable element is adapted to move along a first direction through the protruding part and extend into the casing. The second movable element is movably disposed on the housing, and the second movable element has a second inclined surface. The first inclined surface of the first movable element abuts against the second inclined surface of the second movable element. When the first movable element moves in the first direction, the first inclined surface pushes against the second inclined surface to cause the second movable element to move in a second direction. The electrical connector is connected to the second movable element, and when the second movable element moves in the second direction, the electrical connector is driven to extend out of the housing in the second direction to be connected to the charging contact of the charging stand.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned moving device further includes a first elastic member disposed between the second movable member and the housing. When the first inclined surface pushes against the second inclined surface, the second movable member moves along the second When moving in the direction, the first elastic member deforms and accumulates elastic potential energy. When the protruding part leaves the housing, the first elastic member releases the accumulated elastic potential energy and retracts the electrical connector into the housing.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned moving device further includes a second elastic member, which is disposed between the first movable member and the housing, and when the protruding portion of the charging base pushes the first movable member to move in the first direction And when extending into the housing, the second elastic member deforms and accumulates elastic potential energy. When the protruding part leaves the housing, the second elastic member releases the accumulated elastic potential energy to reset the first movable member.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electrical connector includes a plurality of pogo pins, and the pogo pins extend and contract in the first direction.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned housing includes a first accommodating groove, a second accommodating groove, a first opening and a second opening, wherein the first accommodating groove extends from the first opening The first direction extends into the housing, the second accommodating groove extends from the second opening into the housing along the second direction, the first movable element is movably located in the first accommodating groove, and part of the second movable element is movable The ground is located in the second accommodating groove.

Based on the above, the mobile system of the present invention has a special design. When the mobile device is not yet close to the charging base, the electrical connector is hidden in the housing of the mobile device. When the mobile device approaches the charging base, the protruding part of the charging base extends into the housing of the mobile device and pushes the first movable part to move in the first direction, thereby driving the second movable part to move in the second direction, so that the electrical connector Extending from the casing in the second direction, it can be connected to the charging contact of the charging base for charging. Therefore, the mobile system of the present invention can effectively protect the electrical connector of the autonomous device, and prevent the electrical connector from being damaged by collision with other objects during walking.

Fig. 1 is a partial schematic diagram of a mobile device of a mobile system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a charging stand of a mobile system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a partial exploded schematic diagram of the mobile device of Fig. 1.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 to 3, the mobile system 10 of this embodiment includes a charging stand 20 (FIG. 2) and a mobile device 100. The mobile device 100 is, for example, a robot that can carry goods or provide information, or the mobile device 100 can also be a sweeping robot. The types and uses of the mobile device 100 are not limited by this.

The mobile device 100 is suitable for being docked to the charging stand 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the charging base 20 is used to charge the mobile device 100, and the charging base 20 includes a charging contact 22 and a protrusion 24. The protruding portion 24 is, for example, a protruding rib, but the form of the protruding portion 24 is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile device 100 includes a housing 110, a first movable element 120, a second movable element 130 and an electrical connector 140. The housing 110 includes a first accommodating groove 112, a second accommodating groove 114, a first opening 117 and a second opening 118.

The first accommodating groove 112 is close to the front edge of the housing 110. The first accommodating groove 112 extends from the front edge of the housing 110 from the first opening 117 to the inside of the housing 110 along the first direction D1. The slot 114 extends from the bottom of the housing 110 from the second opening 118 to the inside of the housing 110 along the second direction D2. The first accommodating groove 112 is connected to the second accommodating groove 114. The first direction D1 is perpendicular to the second direction D2, the first direction D1 is, for example, a horizontal direction, and the second direction D2 is, for example, a vertical direction, but the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are not limited thereto.

The first movable element 120 is movably disposed on the housing 110 and corresponds to the protrusion 24. Specifically, the first movable element 120 is located in the first accommodating groove 112 and is exposed from the housing 110 as shown in FIG. 1. The first movable element 120 has a first inclined surface 122 on the inner side. The first movable element 120 is adapted to move along a first direction D1 by pushing the protrusion 24 and extend into the housing 110.

The second movable element 130 is movably disposed on the housing 110. Specifically, the second movable element 130 includes two wings 134 protruding from both sides, and the two wings 134 extend into the second accommodating groove 114. The second movable element 130 has a second inclined surface 132, wherein the first inclined surface 122 of the first movable element 120 abuts against the second inclined surface 132 of the second movable element 130. When the first movable element 120 moves in the first direction D1, the first inclined surface 122 pushes against the second inclined surface 132 to move the second movable element 130 in a second direction D2.

The electrical connector 140 is connected to the lower surface of the second movable element 130, and the electrical connector 140 can be located in the housing 110 or protrude from the housing 110 as the second movable element 130 moves. In this embodiment, the electrical connector 140 includes a plurality of spring pins 142, which are spring pin electrical connectors, but the type of the electrical connector 140 is not limited thereto.

In addition, the mobile device 100 can further optionally include a first elastic element 150 and a second elastic element 160. The first elastic element 150 is disposed between the second movable element 130 and the housing 110, and the second elastic element 160 is disposed between Between the first movable element 120 and the housing 110.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of the charging dock of FIG. 1 just about to be in contact with the mobile device. Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view of the charging dock of Fig. 1 in contact with the mobile device. FIG. 6A is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view of the docking between the mobile device of FIG. 1 and the charging dock.

4A, 5 to 6A, in this embodiment, when the mobile device 100 is close to the charging base 20, the protruding portion 24 of the charging base 20 will extend into the housing 110 and push the first movable element 120 along the first Move in one direction D1. Since the first inclined surface 122 of the first movable element 120 abuts against the second inclined surface 132 of the second movable element 130, when the first movable element 120 moves along the first direction D1, the second movable element 130 will be pushed to drive the second movable element 130 The piece 130 moves in the second direction D2.

Furthermore, since the electrical connector 140 is connected to the second movable element 130 and moves together with the second movable element 130, the electrical connector 140 will gradually protrude from the housing 110 along the second direction D2. Therefore, when the mobile device 100 moves to the docking position relative to the charging dock 20 as shown in FIG. 6A, the electrical connector 140 of the mobile device 100 is docked to the charging contact 22 of the charging dock 20.

It is worth mentioning that, generally speaking, the pogo pin can only withstand the positive force, that is, the force along the extension direction of the pogo pin. If the pogo pin is subjected to lateral force, the structure of the pogo pin will be damaged. Currently, devices on the market that use pogo pins usually adapt to this feature and place the pogo pins on the side of the device and expose the pogo pins so that the other devices can exert a positive force on the pogo pins when they are docked with other devices. However, such a design will limit the position of the electrical connector to the side of the device, and the exposed spring pin will also be easily damaged in a collision.

In this embodiment, when the mobile device 100 is not yet close to the charging dock 20, the electrical connector 140 is arranged inside the housing 110. Such a design can protect the pogo pin 142 from being impacted and avoid damage to the pogo pin 142.

Fig. 4B is a schematic diagram of another cross-section at the stage of Fig. 4A. Fig. 6B is a schematic diagram of another cross-section at the stage of Fig. 6A. Please refer to FIGS. 4B and 6B. In this embodiment, the spring pins 142 extend along the first direction D1 and can expand and contract along the first direction D1. When the mobile device 100 is close to the charging dock 20, the electrical connector 140 can move in the second direction D2 and protrude from the housing 110. Since the extension direction of the pogo pin 142 is parallel to the moving direction of the mobile device 100, these first directions D1 When the extended spring pin 142 is connected to the charging contact 22 of the charging base 20, it will generally receive the positive force of the charging contact 22 and less lateral force. Therefore, these pogo pins 142 may not be easily damaged.

In addition, because the first elastic element 150 is disposed between the second movable element 130 and the housing 110, and the electrical connector 140 is fixed to the second movable element 130. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower end of the first elastic element 150 abuts against the bottom surface of the housing 110, and the upper end of the first elastic element 150 abuts against the wing portion 134 of the second movable element 130. When the first inclined surface 122 pushes against the second inclined surface 132 to move the second movable element 130 in the second direction D2, the first elastic element 150 is deformed to accumulate elastic potential energy. Therefore, when the mobile device 100 leaves the charging base 20, the protrusion 24 leaves the housing 110, and the first elastic member 150 releases the stored elastic potential energy, and the electrical connector 140 is retracted into the housing 110.

In addition, the second elastic element 160 is disposed between the first movable element 120 and the housing 110. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4B, the right end of the second elastic element 160 abuts against the first movable element 120, and the left end of the second elastic element 160 abuts against the vertical wall 116 forming the second accommodating groove 114. When the protruding portion 24 of the charging base 20 pushes the first movable member 120 to move in the first direction D1 and extends into the housing 110, the second elastic member 160 deforms to accumulate elastic potential energy. When the mobile device 100 leaves the charging base 20 , The protruding part 24 leaves the housing 110, the second elastic member 160 releases the stored elastic potential energy, and the first movable member 120 is reset.

Therefore, when the mobile device 100 leaves the charging dock 20, the electrical connector 140, the second movable element 130, and the first movable element 120 can be reset by themselves without manual reset, which is quite convenient in use. Of course, in an embodiment, the mobile device 100 may also have only the first elastic member 150 or only the second elastic member 160, or alternatively, the mobile device 100 may not have the first elastic member 150 and the second elastic member. 160, instead of resetting the electrical connector 140, the second movable element 130, and the first movable element 120 manually or by other means.

In summary, the mobile system of the present invention has a special design. When the mobile device is not yet close to the charging base, the electrical connector is hidden in the casing of the mobile device. When the mobile device is close to the charging base, the protruding part of the charging base extends into the housing of the mobile device and pushes the first movable part to move in the first direction, thereby driving the second movable part to move in the second direction, so that the electrical connector Extending from the casing in the second direction, it can be connected to the charging contact of the charging base for charging. Therefore, the mobile system of the present invention can effectively protect the electrical connector of the autonomous device, and prevent the electrical connector from being damaged by collision with other objects during walking.

D1: First direction D2: second direction 10: Mobile system 20: Charging dock 22: Charging contact 24: Protruding part 100: mobile device 110: shell 112: The first accommodating slot 114: second holding tank 116: vertical wall 117: The first opening 118: second opening 120: The first movable part 122: first slope 130: second movable part 132: second slope 134: Wing 140: electrical connector 142: pogo pin 150: The first elastic part 160: second elastic part

Fig. 1 is a partial schematic diagram of a mobile device of a mobile system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a charging stand of a mobile system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a partial exploded schematic diagram of the mobile device of Fig. 1. FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of the charging dock of FIG. 1 just about to be in contact with the mobile device. Fig. 4B is a schematic diagram of another cross-section at the stage of Fig. 4A. Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view of the charging dock of Fig. 1 in contact with the mobile device. FIG. 6A is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view of the docking between the mobile device of FIG. 1 and the charging dock. Fig. 6B is a schematic diagram of another cross-section at the stage of Fig. 6A.

D1: First direction

D2: second direction

10: Mobile system

20: Charging dock

24: Protruding part

112: The first accommodating slot

114: second holding tank

116: vertical wall

120: The first movable part

130: second movable part

134: Wing

150: The first elastic part

160: second elastic part

Claims (10)

A mobile device is suitable for being connected to a charging contact of a charging base, and the charging base includes a protruding part. The mobile device includes: a casing; and a first movable member movably arranged on the casing Corresponding to the protruding portion, the first movable element has a first inclined surface, and the first movable element is adapted to move in a first direction through the protruding portion and extend into the housing; a second movable element , Movably disposed on the housing, and the second movable element has a second inclined surface, wherein the first inclined surface of the first movable element abuts against the second inclined surface of the second movable element, when the first When the movable element moves in the first direction, the first inclined surface pushes against the second inclined surface to move the second movable element in a second direction, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction; and an electrical connector , Connected to the second movable element, and when the second movable element moves along the second direction, the electrical connector is driven to extend out of the housing to be connected to the charging contact of the charging stand. The mobile device according to claim 1, further comprising: a first elastic member disposed between the second movable member and the housing, and when the first inclined surface pushes against the second inclined surface, the second movable member When moving in the second direction, the first elastic member deforms to accumulate elastic potential energy. When the protruding portion leaves the housing, the first elastic member releases the accumulated elastic potential energy, and the electrical connector Retract into the shell. The mobile device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second elastic member disposed between the first movable member and the housing, and when the protruding portion of the charging base pushes the first movable member along the When moving in the first direction and extending into the housing, the second elastic member deforms and accumulates elastic potential energy. When the protruding portion leaves the housing, the second elastic member releases the accumulated elastic potential energy, thereby causing The first movable element is reset. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connector includes a plurality of pogo pins, and the pogo pins expand and contract along the first direction. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a first accommodating groove, a second accommodating groove, a first opening, and a second opening, wherein the first accommodating groove is from the first The opening extends into the housing along the first direction, the second accommodating groove extends from the second opening into the housing along the second direction, and the first movable element is movably located in the first housing And part of the second movable element is movably located in the second accommodating groove. A mobile system includes: a charging base, including a charging contact and a protruding part; a mobile device adapted to be docked to the charging base, the mobile device including: a housing; a first movable part, which is movable The first movable element has a first inclined surface, and the first movable element is adapted to move in a first direction through the protruding part and extend into the housing ； A second movable element is movably disposed on the housing, and the second movable element has a second inclined surface, wherein the first inclined surface of the first movable element abuts against the second inclined surface of the second movable element , When the first movable element moves in the first direction, the first inclined surface pushes against the second inclined surface to cause the second movable element to move in a second direction, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction; And an electrical connector connected to the second movable element, and when the second movable element moves along the second direction, the electrical connector is driven to extend out of the housing to be connected to the charging contact of the charging base. According to the mobile system of claim 6, the mobile device further includes: a first elastic member disposed between the electrical connector and the housing, and when the first inclined surface pushes against the second inclined surface, the second inclined surface When the movable element moves along the second direction, the first elastic element deforms and accumulates elastic potential energy. When the protruding portion leaves the housing, the first elastic element releases the accumulated elastic potential energy, and the electric The connector is retracted into the housing. According to the mobile system according to claim 6, the mobile device further includes: a second elastic member disposed between the first inclined surface of the first movable member and the housing, when the protruding portion of the charging stand When the first movable element is pushed to move along the first direction and extend into the housing, the second elastic element deforms and accumulates elastic potential energy. When the protruding part leaves the housing, the second elastic element releases The accumulated elastic potential energy resets the first movable element. The mobile system according to claim 6, wherein the electrical connector includes a plurality of pogo pins, and the pogo pins expand and contract in the first direction. The mobile system according to claim 6, wherein the housing includes a first accommodating groove, a second accommodating groove, a first opening, and a second opening, wherein the first accommodating groove is from the first The opening extends into the housing along the first direction, the second accommodating groove extends from the second opening into the housing along the second direction, and the first movable element is movably located in the first housing And part of the second movable element is movably located in the second accommodating groove.

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