WO2019082779A1

WO2019082779A1 - Robot charging station

Info

Publication number: WO2019082779A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/038774
Authority: WO
Inventors: 要林; 孝太根津
Original assignee: ＧｒｏｏｖｅＸ株式会社
Priority date: 2017-10-23
Filing date: 2018-10-18
Publication date: 2019-05-02
Also published as: JPWO2019082779A1; JP7137851B2

Abstract

A station 200 is provided with: a table 202 upon which a robot runs; and a charging unit that charges the robot which has reached a set position on the table 202. The table 202 includes a guide 220 that is provided to the advance-direction rear side of the robot and that guides a prescribed guided part of the robot along a shape thereof toward a target point, thereby guiding the robot to the set position, and a movable unit 212 that is provided to the advance-direction front side of the robot and that can be displaced in accordance with a moment of force acting on the basis of the operation of wheels and the guided part.

Description

Robot charging station

The present invention relates to a charging station for charging a robot.

Development of autonomous action type robots such as humanoid robots and pet robots that provide dialogue and healing with human beings is in progress. Such robots operate in accordance with a control program, but they are evolving their behavior by learning autonomously on the basis of the surrounding situation, and some robots have come to feel life.

Such robots also need to be charged as long as they operate with electrical energy. Therefore, when the remaining charge amount of the robot decreases, an alarm is output to the user. When the user notices the alarm, the user sets the robot to a dedicated charging station and waits for charging to be completed. Alternatively, a technology has also been proposed that enables the robot to communicate with the charging station, guides the robot to the station when the remaining charge level is below a reference value, and autonomously charges (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-1225641

The latter charging station is advantageous in that it does not bother the user. However, the terminals can not be connected to each other unless the robots approach the set position of the station at an accurate angle. Therefore, there is a problem that precise movement control of the robot is required especially when approaching the station, and the processing load becomes large and it takes time.

The present invention is an invention made on the basis of the above problem recognition, and its main object is to improve the ease of connection with a robot with a simple configuration at a charging station.

One embodiment of the present invention is a charging station for charging a robot traveling on wheels. The charging station includes a table on which the robot rides, and a charging unit that charges the robot that has reached the set position on the table. The table is provided on the back side of the entry direction of the robot, and guides the predetermined guidance portion of the robot toward the target point along the shape, thereby guiding the robot to the set position, and the entry direction of the robot And a movable portion provided on the front side and displaceable in response to a moment force acting based on the operation of the induction portion and the wheel.

Another aspect of the present invention is also a charging station for charging a robot. The charging station includes a table on which the robot rides and a charging unit for charging the robot on the table. The table includes a movable mechanism that is displaced with the robot placed thereon in a direction that reduces the restraint force on the movement of the robot.

According to the charging station of the present invention, the connection ease of the robot can be enhanced.

It is a figure showing the charge system of the robot concerning an embodiment. It is a figure showing the appearance of the robot concerning an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the structure of a robot. It is a figure which shows wheel accommodation operation typically. It is the schematic showing the structure of a station. It is the schematic showing the structure of a station. It is a functional block diagram of a charge system. It is a figure showing the approach operation | movement of a robot. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the slide mechanism of a movable part.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, for convenience, the positional relationship of each structure may be expressed based on the illustrated state. Further, in the following embodiments and their modifications, substantially the same components will be denoted by the same reference symbols, and the description thereof may be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a charging system 10 of a robot 100 according to an embodiment. The figure shows a state in which the robot 100 is set at a charging station (hereinafter simply referred to as “station”) 200. The station 200 has a table 202 to which only one robot 100 can enter. The feeding terminal 204 is exposed at the setting position on the table 202, and the charging terminal 302 is exposed at the bottom of the robot 100. When the robot 100 rides on the table 202 and takes a sitting posture at the set position, the charging terminal 302 abuts on the feeding terminal 204 and charging is started. The feed terminal 204 and the periphery thereof correspond to the “set position” to which the robot 100 requiring charging should be reached. The details of each configuration and operation of the robot 100 and the station 200 will be described later.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the appearance of the robot 100 according to the embodiment. 2 (a) is a front view, and FIG. 2 (b) is a side view.
The robot 100 is an autonomous behavior robot that determines behavior and gestures based on an external environment and an internal state. The external environment is recognized by various sensors such as a camera and a thermo sensor. The internal state is quantified as various parameters representing the emotion of the robot 100.

The robot 100 includes three wheels for traveling three wheels. As shown, a pair of front wheels 102 (left front wheel 102a, right front wheel 102b) and one rear wheel 103 are included. The front wheel 102 is a driving wheel, and the rear wheel 103 is a driven wheel. Although the front wheel 102 does not have a steering mechanism, the rotational speeds and rotational directions of the left and right wheels can be individually controlled. The rear wheel 103 is a so-called caster, and is rotatable in order to move the robot 100 back and forth and left and right. By making the rotational speed of the right front wheel 102b larger than that of the left front wheel 102a, the robot 100 can turn left or rotate counterclockwise. By making the rotational speed of the left front wheel 102a larger than that of the right front wheel 102b, the robot 100 can turn to the right or rotate clockwise.

The front wheel 102 and the rear wheel 103 can be completely housed in the body 104 by a drive mechanism (a rotation mechanism, a link mechanism) described later. Even when traveling, most of the wheels are hidden by the body 104, but when the wheels are completely housed in the body 104, the robot 100 can not move. That is, the body 104 descends and is seated on the floor surface F along with the storing operation of the wheels. In this sitting state, the flat seating surface 108 (grounding bottom surface) formed on the bottom of the body 104 abuts on the floor surface F.

The robot 100 has two hands 106. The hand 106 does not have the function of gripping an object. The hand 106 can perform simple operations such as raising, shaking and vibrating by pulling or loosening a built-in wire (not shown). The two hands 106 are also individually controllable.

Two eyes 110 are provided on the front of the head (face) of the robot 100. The eyes 110 are displayed with various expressions by liquid crystal elements or organic EL elements. The robot 100 has a built-in speaker and can emit a simple voice. A horn 112 is attached to the top of the head of the robot 100. The omnidirectional camera is incorporated in the horn 112, and it is possible to photograph all directions in the vertical and horizontal directions at once. In addition, a high resolution camera is provided in front of the head of the robot 100 (not shown).

In addition, the robot 100 incorporates various sensors such as a temperature sensor for detecting an ambient temperature, a microphone array having a plurality of microphones, a shape measurement sensor (depth sensor) capable of measuring a shape of a measurement object, and an ultrasonic sensor.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of the robot 100. As shown in FIG.
The body 104 includes a base frame 308, a body frame 310, a pair of wheel covers 312 and an outer skin 314. The base frame 308 constitutes an axial center of the body 104 and supports an internal mechanism. The base frame 308 is configured by erecting a plurality of side plates 336 on the lower plate 334. Inside the base frame 308, a battery 118, a control circuit 342, various actuators and the like are accommodated. The bottom surface of the lower plate 334 forms a seating surface 108, and the pair of charging terminals 302 is exposed.

Body frame 310 includes a head frame 316 and a torso frame 318. The head frame 316 has a hollow hemispherical shape and forms a head skeleton of the robot 100. The body frame 318 has a stepped cylindrical shape and forms the body frame of the robot 100. The lower end portion of the body frame 318 is fixed to the lower plate 334. The head frame 316 is connected to the body frame 318 via the link structure 330.

The head frame 316 has a yaw axis 321, a pitch axis 322 and a roll axis 323. Swinging motion is realized by rotation (yawing) of the head frame 316 about the yaw axis 321, and turning motion (pitching) is realized by rotation around the pitch axis 322, and roll-up operation, look-up operation and look-down operation are realized. The action of tilting the neck to the left and right is realized by the rotation (rolling). Each axis may change in position or angle in the three-dimensional space depending on the driving mode of the link structure 330.

Torso frame 318 houses base frame 308 and wheel drive mechanism 370. The wheel drive mechanism 370 functions as a “moving mechanism” that drives the front wheel 102 and the rear wheel 103 and moves the robot 100. The front wheel 102 has a direct drive motor (hereinafter referred to as "DD motor") at its center. Therefore, the left front wheel 102a and the right front wheel 102b can be driven individually. The body frame 318 has a smooth curved upper half so that the outline of the body 104 is rounded. The lower half of the body frame 318 is narrowed to form a storage space S of the front wheel 102 with the wheel cover 312, and supports the pivot shaft 378 of the front wheel 102.

The pair of wheel covers 312 is provided to cover the lower half of the body frame 318 from the left and right. The wheel cover 312 forms a smooth outer surface (curved surface) continuous with the upper half of the trunk frame 318. The upper end of the wheel cover 312 is connected along the lower end of the upper half. Thus, a storage space S opened downward is formed between the side wall of the lower half and the wheel cover 312.

The front wheel drive mechanism includes a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the front wheel 102 and a storage operation mechanism for advancing and retracting the front wheel 102 from the storage space S. By driving the front wheel drive mechanism, the front wheel 102 can be driven to move forward and backward from the storage space S. By driving the rear wheel drive mechanism, the rear wheel 103 can be driven to move forward and backward from the storage space S.

The outer cover 314 covers the main body frame 310 from the outside. The outer cover 314 has a thickness that allows a person to feel elasticity, and is formed of a stretchable material such as a urethane sponge. As a result, when the user holds the robot 100, it feels appropriate softness, and it is possible to take a natural skinship to make a person pet. Inside the body frame 310, a capacitive touch sensor is provided. The touch sensors are provided at a plurality of locations, and detect touch on substantially the entire area of the robot 100. In the modification, a touch sensor may be provided between the main body frame 310 and the outer cover 314. The hand 106 is integrally formed with the skin 314. An opening 390 is provided at the upper end of the outer skin 314. The lower end of the horn 112 is connected to the head frame 316 through the opening 390.

The drive mechanism for driving the hand 106 includes a wire 134 embedded in the outer skin 314 and a drive circuit 340 (energization circuit) thereof. The wire 134 is formed of a shape memory alloy wire in the present embodiment, and shrinks and hardens when heated, and relaxes and elongates when heated. Leads drawn from both ends of the wire 134 are connected to the drive circuit 340. When the switch of the drive circuit 340 is turned on, the wire 134 (shape memory alloy wire) is energized.

The wire 134 is molded or braided to extend from the skin 314 to the hand 106. Leads are drawn from both ends of the wire 134 to the inside of the body frame 318. One wire 134 may be provided on each of the left and right of the outer covering 314, or a plurality of wires 134 may be provided in parallel. The arm (hand 106) can be raised by energizing the wire 134, and the arm (hand 106) can be lowered by interrupting the energization.

FIG. 4 is a view schematically showing the wheel storing operation. FIG. 4 (a) is a side view, and FIG. 4 (b) is a front view. In the figure, dotted lines indicate that the wheels can move forward from the storage space S, and solid lines indicate that the wheels are stored in the storage space S.

Wheel drive mechanism 370 includes a front wheel drive mechanism 374 and a rear wheel drive mechanism 376. Front wheel drive mechanism 374 includes a pivot shaft 378 and an actuator 379. The axle 398 of the front wheel 102 is integrated with a pivot 378 via an arm 400. By driving the actuator 379, the front wheel 102 can be driven to move from the storage space S to the outside.

The rear wheel drive mechanism 376 includes a pivot shaft 404 and an actuator 406. A rotating shaft 407 is supported at the center of the rotating shaft 404. A bifurcated arm 408 extends from the rotation shaft 407, and an axle 410 is integrally provided at the tip thereof. The rear wheel 103 is rotatably supported by the axle 410. The rotation shaft 407 is rotatable around its own axis, and changes the direction (traveling direction) of the rear wheel 103 arbitrarily. By driving the actuator 406, the rear wheel 103 can be driven to move from the storage space S to the outside.

When the wheel is stored, the

actuators

379 and 406 are driven in one direction. At this time, the arm 400 pivots about the pivot shaft 378, and the front wheel 102 ascends from the floor surface F. Further, the arm 408 pivots about the pivot shaft 404, and the rear wheel 103 ascends from the floor surface F (see the dashed dotted arrow). Thereby, the body 104 descends, and the seating surface 108 contacts the floor surface F (see a solid arrow). Thereby, the state in which the robot 100 is seated is realized. By driving the

actuators

379 and 406 in the opposite direction, each wheel can be advanced from the storage space S and the robot 100 can be raised.

A rear cover 107 imitating a tail is provided outside the rear wheel 103, and interlocks with the rear wheel 103 to open and close the rear lower opening of the body 104. That is, when the rear wheel 103 is advanced, the rear cover 107 is opened, and when the rear wheel 103 is stored, the rear cover 107 is closed.

5 and 6 are schematic diagrams showing the configuration of station 200. FIG. 5 (a) is a perspective view, and FIG. 5 (b) is a plan view. FIG. 6 (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 5 (b). FIG. 6 (b) mainly shows the movable part and its drive mechanism. In the following description, for the sake of convenience of the description, in the station 200, the rear side of the entry direction of the robot 100 (the front side in the entry direction) is referred to as “rear side” and the front side in the entry direction (the rear side in the entry direction) is referred to as “front side”. is there.

As shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), the station 200 comprises a table 202 and a pair of stoppers 206. The table 202 is configured by assembling the base portion 210 and the movable portion 212 to the table main body 208. The table main body 208 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and the stepped portion 214 is formed by raising one side in three directions except for the front end. A slope 216, a movable portion 212, and a base portion 210 are disposed on the inner side of the step portion 214 from the front side, and an approach path of the robot 100 is formed by them. Semicircular recessed portions 218 are provided on the left and right of the base portion 210 in the table main body 208. The pair of recesses 218 are open toward the base portion 210.

The distance between the two sides of the step portion 214 is gradually narrowed toward the back on the back side of the recess 218, and the guide portion 220 is configured by the inner side walls of the both sides. The guide portion 220 has a tapered surface which is inclined with respect to the center line L of the table body 208. The base portion 210 has an upper surface (mounting surface) parallel to the floor surface F, and the pair of feed terminals 204 is exposed at the center thereof. A circular wheel bearing 222 is recessed in a narrow area at the far end of the base portion 210. The slope 216 has a gentle slope and is smoothly connected to the floor surface F.

The pair of stoppers 206 is provided upright in the far area of the table main body 208. The distance between the two stoppers 206 is smaller than the width of the robot 100 (body 104). The front end of each of the stoppers 206 is tapered, so that the body 104 can be received smoothly. These stoppers 206 temporarily prevent the robot 100 from riding on the guide portion 220 and crossing over the station 200. Inside the table body 208, a charging circuit 224 is disposed.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the wheel support 222 is relatively shallow and has a gently curved surface, and can smoothly receive the rear wheel 103 of the robot 100. The wheel support 222 corresponds to the "target point". The recess 218 has a bottom surface substantially parallel to the top surface of the base portion 210 and a tapered surface provided outside the bottom surface. The bottom surface of the recess 218 is slightly higher than the top surface of the base portion 210. The movable portion 212 has a base connection 226 parallel to the floor F and a slope connection 228 having the same slope as the slope 216. The base connection 226 is slightly lower than the top surface of the base 210, and the slope connection 228 is substantially flush with the slope 216.

As shown also in FIG. 6B, the movable portion 212 has a passage forming portion 230 in a fan shape in plan view, and a support portion 232 connected to the back of the passage forming portion 230 with a level difference. The passage forming portion 230 includes a base connection 226 and a slope connection 228. Slits 215 are formed in the inner wall of the step portion 214 at positions facing the passage forming portion 230 so that both ends of the passage forming portion 230 can be embedded (see broken line).

The support portion 232 extends rearward along the center line L of the table body 208, and the base portion 210 partially overlaps. At the bottom of the table main body 208, a pivot shaft 236 is projected on the back side of the central line L, and a guide shaft 238 is projected on the front side, and the shaft hole 240 and the guide hole 242 provided in the support portion 232 are provided. It is inserted. The guide hole 242 has a predetermined length in the width direction. With such a configuration, the movable portion 212 can be pivoted about the pivot shaft 236 while being guided by the guide shaft 238. That is, the passage forming portion 230 can slide in the width direction (left and right) of the table main body 208.

Further, a spring 246 is interposed between a spring receiver 244 provided on the central line L of the table main body 208 and the tip of the support portion 232. After the movable portion 212 receives an external force and is rotated, the spring 246 returns the movable portion 212 to the initial position shown in the figure (the center line of the movable portion 212 follows the central line L) when the external force is released. It is

A wire extending from the charging circuit 224 is connected to the pair of feed terminals 204. The charging circuit 224 is connected to the power supply via a power cable (not shown). The charging circuit 224 and the feeding terminal 204 function as a "charging unit".

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the charging system 10.
As mentioned above, charging system 10 includes robot 100 and station 200. Each component of the robot 100 is stored in a storage device such as a CPU (central processing unit) and computing units such as various co-processors, storage devices such as memory and storage, wired or wireless communication lines connecting them, And implemented by software that supplies processing instructions to the computing unit. The computer program may be configured by a device driver, an operating system, various application programs located in upper layers of them, and a library that provides common functions to these programs. Each block described below indicates not a hardware unit configuration but a function unit block.

The robot 100 includes an internal sensor 128, a communication unit 142, a data processing unit 136, a data storage unit 148, a drive mechanism 120, a battery 118, and a charging circuit 420. The internal sensor 128 is an assembly of various sensors, and includes a camera, a microphone array, a temperature sensor, a shape measurement sensor, a charge remaining sensor, and the like.

The communication unit 142 takes charge of communication processing with an external server (external terminal) (not shown), another robot, and the like. The data storage unit 148 is a storage device that stores various data. The data processing unit 136 executes various processes based on the data acquired by the communication unit 142 and the data stored in the data storage unit 148. The data processing unit 136 corresponds to a processor and a computer program executed by the processor. The data processing unit 136 also functions as an interface of the communication unit 142, the internal sensor 128, the drive mechanism 120, and the data storage unit 148.

The data storage unit 148 includes a motion storage unit 160 that defines various motions of the robot 100. In the motion storage unit 160, various motions by the robot 100 are defined. Motion is identified by motion ID. A state in which the front wheel 102 is accommodated, which causes the robot 100 to rotate by having only the front wheel 102 housed and seated, lifting the hand 106, rotating the two front wheels 102 in reverse, or rotating only one front wheel 102 In order to express various motions such as shaking by rotating the front wheel 102 at a time, stopping and turning back once when leaving the user, operation timing, operation time, operation direction, etc. of various actuators (drive mechanism 120) Temporarily defined in motion file. In addition, a charging attitude and the like performed after the robot 100 enters the station 200 are also defined.

The data processing unit 136 includes a recognition unit 156 and a control unit 150. Control unit 150 includes a movement control unit 152 and an operation control unit 154. The movement control unit 152 determines the movement direction of the robot 100. The drive mechanism 120 drives the front wheel 102 according to the instruction of the movement control unit 152 to direct the robot 100 to the movement target point.

The motion control unit 154 determines the motion of the robot 100. The operation control unit 154 instructs the drive mechanism 120 to execute the selected motion. The drive mechanism 120 controls each actuator according to the motion file.

The recognition unit 156 interprets external information obtained from the internal sensor 128. The recognition unit 156 is capable of visual recognition (visual unit), odor recognition (olfactory unit), sound recognition (hearing unit), and tactile recognition (tactile unit). The recognition unit 156 periodically acquires detection information of a camera, a temperature sensor, and a shape measurement sensor, and can detect a moving object such as a person or a pet or a fixed object such as an audio or a television. The recognition unit 156 can extract features (physical features and behavioral features) of moving objects, and perform cluster analysis of a plurality of moving objects based on these features.

The recognition unit 156 also measures the three-dimensional shape of the subject using the shape measurement sensor, and determines whether the subject is an object having a predetermined shape. For example, the recognition unit 156 determines whether the subject has a concavo-convex shape. When there is no uneven shape, it can be estimated that the subject is a flat body such as a television, a wall, or a mirror.

The charge remaining amount sensor detects the charge remaining amount of the battery 118. The data processing unit 136 starts control processing for charging, which will be described later, when the remaining charge amount becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value. The movement control unit 152 moves the robot 100 to the station 200. The charging circuit 420 is connected to the charging circuit 224 of the station 200 so that the battery 118 can be charged.

On the other hand, the station 200 has a simple configuration including the charging circuit 224. When the robot 100 is seated at the set position of the station 200, the feeding terminal 204 and the charging terminal 302 abut each other, the charging circuit 224 of the station 200 and the charging circuit 420 of the robot 100 are connected to start charging. In the present embodiment, in order to realize the station 200 simply and at low cost, the communication unit with the robot 100 and the control unit of each mechanism are not provided, but in a modification, these may be provided.

Next, characteristic functions of the station 200 will be described.
FIG. 8 is a view showing the approach operation of the robot 100. As shown in FIG. 8 (a) to 8 (c) show the operation process.
When the charge remaining amount of the battery 118 becomes less than a predetermined value, the robot 100 moves toward the station 200. At this time, the vehicle travels to the station 200 while avoiding an obstacle based on information of a camera, a shape measurement sensor, and the like. When the robot 100 approaches the station 200 as shown in FIG. 8A, the robot 100 reverses its direction to back and enters the station 200.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the traveling direction (backward movement direction) of the robot 100 is inclined with respect to the center line L of the station 200, even if the robot 100 is made to go straight on the base portion 210 I can not get to the set position. In this respect, in the present embodiment, the movable portion 212 rotates (slides) when the rear wheel 103 abuts against the guide portion 220, and guides the traveling direction of the robot 100 along the central line L. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8C, the robot 100 can be guided to the back of the station 200, and can reach the set position.

At this time, the rear wheel 103 is received by the wheel support 222, whereby the robot 100 is positioned. By accommodating the front wheel 102 and the rear wheel 103 from this state, the robot 100 is in the sitting posture. In addition, since there are a pair of recessed portions 218 on the left and right of the robot 100, the wheel cover 312 does not interfere with the step portion 214 or the like to prevent the seating operation. By taking this sitting posture, the charging terminal 302 abuts on the feeding terminal 204, and charging is started (see FIG. 1).

FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating the slide mechanism of the movable portion 212. As shown in FIG. 9 (a) to 9 (c) show the operation process. In the drawing, for convenience of explanation, only the positional relationship between the front wheel 102 and the rear wheel 103 is shown for the robot 100, and only the approach path of the robot 100 is shown for the station 200.

Here, as shown in FIG. 9A, the station 200 is in a state where the approach direction of the robot 100 and the direction of the approach path of the station 200 are shifted, that is, the robot 200 is inclined at a predetermined angle or more with respect to the central line L. Suppose that you have entered the In the illustrated example, when the rear wheel 103 abuts on the guide portion 220, the ground contact surface PR of the right front wheel 102b is located at the movable portion 212, and the ground contact surface PL for the left front wheel 102a is located at the slope 216. That is, with the rear wheel 103 approaching the guide portion 220, the right front wheel 102b rides on the movable portion 212, and the left front wheel 102a does not ride on the movable portion 212. In this case, since the guide portion 220 is inclined with respect to the central line L, the rear wheel 103 comes in contact with the guide portion 220, thereby generating a force f1 for directing the rear wheel 103 to the central line L side. On the other hand, since the positional relationship between the rear wheel 103 and the front wheel 102 is fixed, a frictional force by the rotation of the right front wheel 102b acts on the guide portion 220. A rotational force (momentary force) is generated in the movable portion 212 by the component force f2 of this frictional force, and the movable portion 212 rotates counterclockwise in the figure about the rotational shaft 236 as shown in FIG. 9B. (Slide)

The rotation of the movable portion 212 turns the robot 100 to the left. The robot 100 is guided to a set position on the table 202 by the rear wheel 103 being guided toward the wheel support 222. In other words, the movable portion 212 is displaced in the direction to reduce the reaction force from the step portion 214, that is, the restraint force on the movement of the robot 100. When the left front wheel 102a rides on the movable portion 212, the approach direction of the robot 100 is almost parallel to the central line L of the station 200, and the robot 100 can be smoothly guided to the set position.

As shown in FIG. 9C, when the rear wheel 103 reaches the wheel support 222, the ground contact surfaces PR and PL of the front wheel 102 are separated from the movable portion 212. That is, before the rear wheel 103 reaches the target point, there is a positional relationship in which the front wheel 102 separates from the movable portion 212. Therefore, before the robot 100 starts charging, the movable portion 212 can be returned to the initial position. Therefore, when the robot 100 exits from the station 200 after completion of charging, the front wheel 102 can smoothly escape without receiving any reaction force from the movable portion 212.

The robot 100, the station 200, and the charging system 10 including them have been described above based on the embodiment. According to the station 200, even if the approach angle of the robot 100 is deviated, the traveling direction can be corrected by the operation of the movable portion 212, and can be smoothly guided to the set position. That is, the movable portion 212 is slid to effectively rotate the robot 100 by utilizing the frictional force acting between the robot 100 and the movable portion 212 effectively. Thereby, the traveling direction of the robot 100 is corrected naturally.

Since the robot 100 can drive the left front wheel 102a and the right front wheel 102b separately, it is not impossible to reach the set position if fine correction is repeated for the control of each wheel at the time of entry control to the station 200. However, it is not preferable in operation that the processing load becomes excessive for entering the station 200 or it takes a long time. In this respect, according to the present embodiment, the movable portion 212 slides naturally to assist the entry of the robot 100 without finely controlling each wheel, so that simple and low-cost operation is possible.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and modification, and the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the scope of the invention. Various inventions may be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the above-described embodiment and modifications. Moreover, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the above-mentioned embodiment and modification.

Although not described in the above embodiment, the rear wheel 103 may be configured by a ball-shaped caster. Alternatively, as the rear wheel 103, another wheel, such as an omni wheel, movable back and forth and right and left may be adopted.

In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the guide portion 220 guides the rear wheel 103 as the “guide portion” is exemplified. In a modification, a part other than the wheel may be guided by the guide part, such as using a part (for example, a protruding part) of the robot as a guiding part. The height (position) of the guide portion can be determined according to the position of the guiding portion.

In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the robot 100 enters the station 200 by back. That is, an example is shown in which the rear wheel 103 is the front wheel in the entry direction (the entry destination wheel) and the front wheel 102 is the rear wheel in the entry direction (the entry rear wheel). In a modification, the robot may enter the station by advancing. When the robot has three wheels as in the above embodiment, the front wheel may be one wheel, the rear wheel may be two wheels, the rear wheel may be a drive wheel, and the front wheel may be a follower wheel. Alternatively, four wheels may be used, the entry destination wheel may be a driven wheel, and the entry rear wheel may be a drive wheel. In that case, the wheel width (the distance between the left wheel and the right wheel) of the entry destination wheel may be smaller than that of the entry rear wheel.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the robot 100 travels on the wheel has been shown. In a modification, a station based on the above-described embodiment may be configured for a biped robot. In that case, when a guiding part (a part of the body or the like) of the robot reaches the guide part, a part (one leg) of the leg part is placed on the movable part. Even if such a configuration is adopted, the traveling direction of the robot can be corrected by displacing the guide portion.

In the embodiment described above, the charging terminal 302 is provided on the bottom surface of the robot 100, and the feeding terminal 204 is provided on the top surface of the table 202. In a modification, the charging terminal may be provided at a specific site such as the back of the robot, the lower back (bottom), the inside of the hand (armpit) or the like. Depending on the position of the charging terminal, the position of the feeding terminal in the station is also set appropriately. The set position on the table to which the robot should be guided is determined according to the position of the power supply terminal.

Although not described in the above embodiment, the coefficient of friction of the guide portion 220 is reduced to such an extent that the rear wheel 103 can slide when it abuts. On the other hand, the friction coefficient of the movable portion 212 is increased to such an extent that the front wheel 102 does not slip, so that the frictional force of the front wheel 102 can be converted to the rotational force of the movable portion 212. That is, as the material of each of the guide portion 220 and the movable portion 212, one having such a friction coefficient is adopted.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the guide portion 220 has a shape that narrows in the direction of the entry direction of the robot 100, but has an equal width from near the front to the rear of the wheel support 222. As shown in FIG. 9C, in the equal width portion, the interval is slightly larger than the lateral width of the rear wheel 103, and the length (depth) is slightly larger than the longitudinal width of the rear wheel 103. In the illustrated example, since a ball-shaped (spherical) caster is adopted as the rear wheel 103, the interval and the length of the equal width portion are set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the rear wheel 103. With such a configuration, the rear wheel 103 can travel along the central line L after reaching the equal width portion.

As the robot 100 makes the above-mentioned equal-width portion of the guide portion 220 longer, it becomes easier to adjust the traveling direction along the central line L, and it becomes easier to make the charging terminal 302 face the feeding terminal 204. On the other hand, if the equal width portion is short, it is difficult to make both terminals face each other, so it is necessary to make the width of the feed terminal 204 considerably larger than the charge terminal 302 or move the feed terminal 204 to match the charge terminal. Can occur. In this respect, although the length of the equal-width portion is not necessarily sufficient in the above embodiment, by utilizing the pivoting of the movable portion 212, the traveling direction of the robot 100 is adjusted to make it easy to make both terminals face each other. ing. In other words, according to the above embodiment, the connection easiness of the robot 100 can be enhanced while keeping the station 200 compact in the depth direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the side wall forming the guide portion 220 is perpendicular (substantially vertical) to the upper surface of the base portion 210. That is, the side surface (also referred to as “guide surface”) of the guide portion 220 has a tapered shape which is inclined with respect to the center line L in the depth direction, but does not have the tapered shape in the height direction. The guide portion 220 has a tapered shape that guides the rear wheel 103 in the depth direction toward the wheel support 222 and a guide surface with which the rear wheel 103 contacts.

In the above embodiment, the rear wheel 103 is pressed against the side wall of the guide portion 220, and the side wall is inclined with respect to the central line L, so that the force in the direction toward the central line L to the contact portion of the side wall of the rear wheel 103 An ingredient arises. Thereby, the rear wheel 103 is swung in the direction toward the central line L while sliding on the side wall, and the rear wheel 103 is gradually turned. That is, it pivots about a pivot axis provided orthogonal to the wheel axle of the caster (axle 410 of rear wheel 103). That is, the rear wheel 103 is guided to the center (center line) of the station 200 by bringing the rear wheel 103 into contact with the wall inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the robot 100. It is necessary to secure the driving force of the front wheel 102 so that an appropriate pressing force can be applied to the side wall. On the other hand, it must be prevented that the rear wheel 103 gets over the guide portion 220 by this driving force. Therefore, it is preferable to make the height of the guide surface equal to or greater than the height of the rotation shaft of the rear wheel 103 so that the rear wheel 103 does not easily get on the guide surface. As described above, this can be realized by making the guide surface a vertical surface and sufficiently securing its height.

Claims

A charging station for charging a robot traveling on wheels,
A table on which the robot rides;
A charging unit for charging the robot that has reached the set position on the table;
Equipped with
The table is
A guide portion which is provided on the back side in the approach direction of the robot and guides the predetermined guidance portion of the robot toward a target point along the shape, thereby guiding the robot to the set position;
A movable portion provided on the front side in the approach direction of the robot and displaceable according to a moment force acting based on the operation of the induction portion and the wheel;
A charging station characterized by including.
2. The charging station according to claim 1, wherein the movable portion rotates around a rotation axis provided on the table and slides in the width direction of the table.
The charging station according to claim 2, further comprising a spring for holding the movable part at an initial position in a state where no external force acts on the movable part.
The charging station according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the guide portion has a shape that narrows in the direction of the entry direction of the robot.
The charging station according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the wheel has a positional relationship in which the wheel rides on the movable portion in a state where the guiding portion reaches the guide portion.
The charging station according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the wheel has a positional relationship in which the wheel is disengaged from the movable portion before the induction portion reaches the target point.
A charging station for charging the robot,
A table on which the robot rides;
A charging unit for charging the robot on the table;
Equipped with
The table is
A charging station comprising: a movable part which is displaced with the robot placed thereon in a direction to reduce a restraint force on the movement of the robot.