JP2006231448A - Charging station for autonomous mobile robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reliably connect a charging terminal of an autonomous mobile robot guided to a charging station and a power supply terminal on the charging station side, and the robot side charging terminal does not interfere with the design of the robot. The challenge is to provide a charging station for an autonomous mobile robot that is so small in size that the charging device on the side of the charging station is simple and inexpensive, and yet does not cause electrical conduction, short-circuiting, or poor conduction due to dirt. .
A charging device having a power feeding terminal at a charging station, a robot driving wheel on a robot approaching side relative to the charging device, a distance between the power feeding terminal and the robot side charging terminal, and a robot approaching An approach angle correcting means for controlling the angle to substantially face the power feeding terminal and the charging terminal is provided.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging station in an autonomous mobile robot having two driving wheels, and in particular, a charging connector provided in an autonomous mobile robot having two driving wheels is provided in a charging station side charging device. The present invention relates to a charging station in an autonomous traveling robot having a mechanism capable of accurately connecting to a power feeding connector.

  Industrial robots such as articulated arm robots and transfer robots have been known for a long time and are often used in factories and the like. However, these industrial robots are limited in their purpose of use such as welding, painting, transportation, etc., and are fixed in one place such as an arm robot or a route determined like a transport robot. Most of them moved in a predetermined order.

  However, in recent years, autonomous mobile robots have been announced. This autonomous mobile robot is configured to be able to move freely within a predetermined space, coexists with humans in a human living environment, and performs simple work, dangerous work, difficult work in industrial activities and production activities, etc. It is intended to help and act on behalf of. Examples of the work include maintenance work in a nuclear power plant, a thermal power plant, etc., cleaning work in a high-rise building, rescue activity at a disaster site such as a fire site, and the like.

  In addition, the range of use of autonomous mobile robots is, for example, installed in the homes of elderly people living alone, such as cleaning the room, managing the physical condition of the resident, or checking indoor safety when the resident is away from the house. A robot designed to support daily life and to support life has also been announced. Such life-supporting robots are positioned as robots that can be applied to general households.

  By the way, as a power source of such an autonomous mobile robot, all of them use electricity, and in this case, it is necessary to supply electric power to the robot by some method.

  In the case of a fixed robot such as the arm robot described above, it is possible to always supply power from a power source. Even in the case of a robot that moves along a predetermined route such as a transfer robot, a power cable must be connected. Thus, it is possible to always supply power via a power supply device provided in the middle of the route.

  On the other hand, in the case of an autonomous mobile robot, it is possible to always supply power via a power cable, but it becomes unintentionally crafted and the power cable is pulled, and it is pulled out and entangled with obstacles and damaged. There is a risk that. Therefore, many autonomous mobile robots as described above use a rechargeable battery as a power source.

  The problem here is charging work. Most of the autonomous mobile robots used for the above-mentioned applications perform predetermined work by continuing to operate automatically, and from this point of view, it is a problem in automating the charging work. Become. If the robot user replaces the battery each time it is charged, or connects the battery to the charger each time, it will bother the user and reduce the work efficiency. Since it is necessary to always check the status of the resident and the house, automatic charging is an essential function especially when using the answering machine function.

  Therefore, an autonomous mobile robot using a rechargeable battery as a power source generally uses a charging station for automatically charging the battery. This charging station is not used for a certain period of time, for example, when the robot is on standby before moving to the next operation, or when the user is sleeping, etc., or when the remaining battery level, continuous drive time, command from the user, etc. When the predetermined condition is met, the work currently in progress is interrupted, and the battery can be charged by connecting to the charging device at the charging station by itself.

  What is needed at this time is a technique for accurately guiding the autonomous mobile robot to the charging station and securely connecting the power supply terminal provided in the charging device at the charging station and the charging terminal on the robot side. With regard to such a technique, for example, in Patent Document 1, in order to guide and charge a charging station to a dog-shaped robot, the visibility identification data arranged in a predetermined part is imaged by an imaging means provided in the robot, The distance and direction from the mobile robot to the charging station is calculated and directed to the charging station, and on the charging station side, the charging contact provided on the abdomen and buttocks with the dog-type robot lying down or sitting down The charging station side power supply terminal is connected so that power can be supplied to the robot.

  Patent Document 2 also captures the surrounding situation at the highest part of an autonomous mobile robot so that the autonomous mobile robot can enter an arbitrary place from an arbitrary direction in an arbitrary direction with a smooth operation. An imaging device having a fish-eye lens is attached, and the height that can be imaged by the imaging device is specified above the specific position of the charging device arbitrarily set by the user of the robot regardless of the position and orientation of the robot A specific position guidance control method is provided in which a marker for indicating a position is provided so as to be guided.

JP 2001-125641 A JP 2004-303137 A

  However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses a dog-type robot, and even though the technique for guiding the robot to the charging station can be applied, the connection between the charging contact on the robot side and the charging terminal on the charging station side is This is a method that is performed based on the weight of the robot body in a “bottom” posture or a “sitting” posture in a dog-type robot, and is simple and reliable. In a robot that uses a driving wheel or auxiliary wheel of a wheel to run, it cannot be applied as it is because it cannot take such a “down” or “sitting” posture. In addition, the charging station side contacts are exposed on the top surface, and there is a danger of being touched by a person or dropping a metal to cause a short circuit. May cause poor continuity.

  Moreover, although the technique shown in Patent Document 2 uses a humanoid autonomous mobile robot, it is a technique for guiding this robot to a charging device provided at a specific position. There is no mention of the connection of the charging station side power supply terminal, and it cannot be used as a reference.

  In particular, as described above, for example, an autonomous mobile robot that has a certain human shape and travels with two driving wheels or auxiliary wheels instead of feet and does not have a specific movement path, goes to the charging station. Advanced position detection and positioning techniques are required for guiding the robot and for connecting the charging contact on the robot side and the power supply terminal on the charging station side.

  This indicates that the smaller the power supply connector terminal in the charging device is, the more accurate position detection / positioning is required, and the highly accurate image recognition and GPS (Global Positioning System). ), Etc., and it is necessary to accurately control and guide the robot with the correction value obtained as a result. Accordingly, the complexity of the device, the complexity of the control program, and the increase in cost are inevitable.

  In addition, it is possible to relax the position detection and positioning accuracy by increasing the connector shape or positioning using a tapered outer shape between the robot and the charging device, but this has hindered the design of the robot, When the connector shape is increased, the size of the charging device may become unintentionally large and may be disliked.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the robot-side charging terminal in the autonomous mobile robot guided to the charging station and the power supply terminal on the charging station side can be reliably connected, and the robot-side charging terminal has an obstacle to the design of the robot. A charging station for an autonomous mobile robot that is so small that it does not come and the structure of the charging device on the charging station side is simple and inexpensive, yet it does not cause electric shock, short circuit, or poor continuity due to dirt. It is a problem to do.

In order to achieve the above object, the charging station in the autonomous mobile robot according to the present invention is:
An autonomous mobile robot having a charging terminal for a battery provided in the main body and configured to be movable by two drive wheels that can be independently driven and at least one driven auxiliary wheel. A charging station,
The charging station includes a charging device having a power feeding terminal, and controls the driving wheel to control the driving wheel and the robot approaching angle on the robot approaching side with respect to the charging device, thereby controlling the robot approaching angle. An approach angle correcting means is provided to make the power feeding terminal and the charging terminal substantially face each other.

  The robot approach angle correcting means is an idler roller disposed on the floor surface of the charging station and separately abutting against the driving wheels of the autonomous mobile robot.

  In this way, by providing the robot approach angle correcting means that substantially faces the power supply terminal in the charging station and the charging terminal on the robot side, if the robot is guided to the charging station, the power supply terminal provided in the charging device and the robot The charging terminal on the side can be securely connected. Further, when the robot approach angle correcting means is arranged on the floor surface of the charging station and is an idler roller that comes into contact with each of the drive wheels separately, the drive wheel that first comes into contact with the idler roller tries to get over the idler roller. Sometimes the idler roller rotates to idle on the spot and cannot move any further, and the opposite drive wheel advances as it is, so until the two drive wheels abut against the idler roller Thus, it is possible to provide a charging station that can reliably connect the charging device side power supply terminal and the robot side charging terminal to face each other with a simple and inexpensive configuration without performing complicated control.

  Furthermore, by providing a roller cover on the charging device side of the idler roller, it is possible to prevent a person from riding on the idler roller and falling over. The idler roller may have a small diameter by a structure in which a portion of the idler roller exposed from the roller cover is in contact with the driving wheel partially exposed at a lower part of a body cover of the autonomous mobile robot. In addition, in combination with the presence of the roller cover, it is possible to provide a charging station that does not impair the design of the charging station and can prevent people from tripping.

  The length of the idler roller in the axial direction is substantially the width of the power supply terminal in the charging device, so that if one drive wheel comes into contact with the idler roller on the same side, the charging device side power supply terminal and the robot side charging are always provided. A charging station to which a terminal can be connected can be provided.

Moreover, the charging station in the autonomous mobile robot according to the present invention to achieve the above-described problem is
An autonomous mobile robot having a charging terminal for a battery provided in the main body and configured to be movable by two drive wheels that can be independently driven and at least one driven auxiliary wheel. A charging station,
The charging station includes a charging device provided with a power feeding terminal, and the power feeding terminal has a plurality of terminals arranged upward in the charging device.

  By configuring the charging station in this way, the autonomous mobile robot moves between the two driving wheels and the driven auxiliary wheel, so the height in the vertical direction is substantially constant. The charging device side power supply terminal and the robot side charging terminal in which the power supply terminal exists can provide a charging station that can be connected with high accuracy.

  The charging device has an upper part inclined from the base toward the autonomous mobile robot, so that the charging device can be touched easily by a person like the conventional device, or the metal can fall and short-circuit. It is possible to provide a charging station in an autonomous mobile robot that can prevent the occurrence of poor conduction due to dirt because the possibility of dust adhesion is low.

  In addition, the charging terminal provided in the autonomous mobile robot has a connector terminal, and the connector terminal is applied with a force protruding outward from the autonomous mobile robot cover by a spring, and is in contact with the power supply terminal. By storing a part inside the robot cover, the charging terminal and the power feeding terminal can be reliably brought into contact with each other.

  Further, the autonomous mobile robot and the charging device are provided with a convex hook on one side and a concave hook on the other side, and the convex hook is engaged with the concave hook when the autonomous mobile robot is charged. By configuring so that the autonomous mobile robot is captured by the charging device during charging, the autonomous mobile robot receives a force in the direction away from the charging device by using a spring or the like. In addition, it is possible to provide a charging station that can continue to be reliably charged.

  According to the present invention described above, by providing the robot approach angle correcting means for controlling the power supply terminal in the charging station and the charging terminal on the robot side to face each other, if the robot is guided to the charging station, The power supply terminal provided in the charging device and the charging terminal on the robot side can be reliably connected. Further, when the robot approach angle correcting means is arranged on the floor surface of the charging station and is an idler roller that comes into contact with each of the drive wheels separately, the drive wheel that first comes into contact with the idler roller tries to get over the idler roller. Sometimes the idler roller rotates to idle on the spot and cannot move any further, and the opposite drive wheel advances as it is, so until the two drive wheels abut against the idler roller Thus, it is possible to provide a charging station that can reliably connect the charging device side power supply terminal and the robot side charging terminal to face each other with a simple and inexpensive configuration without performing complicated control.

  In addition, by arranging a plurality of power supply terminals in the charging device arranged at the charging station upward in the charging device, the autonomous mobile robot moves between the two driving wheels and the driven auxiliary wheel, so that the vertical direction The height is almost constant. Therefore, a charging station that can be connected to the charging device side power supply terminal and the robot side charging terminal, which generally have a ground and a plurality of power supply terminals, can be provided with high accuracy. .

  Furthermore, by providing a roller cover on the charging device side of the idler roller, it is possible to prevent a person from riding on the idler roller and falling over. In addition, since the portion of the idler roller exposed from the roller cover is in contact with the driving wheel of the autonomous mobile robot, the idler roller can have a small diameter, coupled with the presence of the roller cover. Thus, it is possible to provide a charging station that does not impair the design of the charging station and can prevent people from tripping.

  And by tilting the upper part of the charging device from the base to the robot side, it is possible to prevent electric shock or metal from falling due to a simple touch, and the possibility of dust being attached is small. Therefore, it is possible to provide a charging station in an autonomous mobile robot that does not cause poor conduction due to dirt.

  Further, the charging terminal has a connector terminal, and the connector terminal is applied with a force that protrudes outward from the autonomous mobile robot cover by a spring, and a part of the connector terminal is stored inside the robot cover by contact with the power supply terminal. As a result, the charging terminal and the feeding terminal can be reliably brought into contact with each other, and a convex hook is provided on one side of the robot and the charging device, and a concave hook is provided on the other side. By configuring the hook to engage with the concave hook, it is possible to provide a charging station in which the autonomous mobile robot is captured by the charging device during charging and can continue to be reliably charged. it can.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified, but are merely illustrative examples. Not too much.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an autonomous mobile robot and its charging station according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an autonomous mobile robot configured to be movable with two independently driven wheels and driven auxiliary wheels. A front view (A), a side view (B), a rear view (C), a bottom view (D), a diagram (E) showing the position of the charging terminal to the battery, and FIG. A perspective view (A), a perspective view (B) showing the state of attachment to the robot body cover, a cross-sectional view (C) of the terminal, a view (D) showing the range of movement of the charging terminal by the spring, and FIG. Front view (A) and side view (B) of the charging station, and a sectional view (C) of the idler roller and cover for causing the driving wheel to idle when the driving wheel of the robot is brought into contact, an autonomous mobile robot during charging Cross section of hook for catching ( ), FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view (A), a front view (B), and a perspective view (C) of the charging device, and FIG. 6 shows a contact state between the driving wheel and the charging station side idler roller in the autonomous mobile robot. FIGS. 7 and 7 are a perspective view (A) and a side view (B) showing a charging state at a charging station of the autonomous mobile robot, and a connection state between the autonomous mobile robot side charging terminal and the charging device side power supply terminal. FIGS. 8 (C) and 8 are explanatory diagrams when the autonomous mobile robot enters while facing the charging device at the charging station, and FIG. 9 shows the autonomous mobile robot 1 entering the charging station 2 at an angle. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining how the autonomous mobile robot 1 can face the charging station 2 side charging device when the autonomous mobile robot is in contact with the charging station 2 side charging device. Is a diagram for explaining an acceptable approach angle is to become ready to face the Shon side power supply terminal. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The autonomous mobile robot 1 and its charging station 2 according to the present invention are schematically shown in FIG. 1 as a schematic perspective view of the both, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show the schematic configuration of the autonomous mobile robot 1, and FIG. 4 and FIG. As shown in the schematic configuration of the station 2, the autonomous movement of the two independent drive wheels 10 and at least one driven auxiliary wheel 11 (two in FIG. 2) shown in FIG. The possible robot 1 is guided to the charging station 2 provided at a predetermined position, and the autonomous mobile robot 1 enters the charging device 5 at the charging station 2 so as to connect the charging terminal 12 provided behind. And charge it.

  As for the guidance of the autonomous mobile robot 1 to the charging station 2, as described in detail in Patent Document 2 described above, for example, an imaging device provided with a fisheye lens capable of widely photographing around the robot 3 is attached to the highest part of the robot 1 so that it is directly above, while the charging station 2 provided at a specific position by the user is connected to the imaging device regardless of the position or orientation of the autonomous mobile robot 1 by a pole 20 or the like. 3 is provided with a marker 21 for indicating the location of the specific position at a height that can be imaged, and the positional relationship and distance between the robot 1 and the charging station 2 are calculated by imaging the marker 21 with the imaging device 3. What is necessary is just to make the robot 1 go to the charging station 2.

  First, the configuration of the autonomous mobile robot 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The autonomous mobile robot 1 used in the present invention is a front view in FIG. 2A, a side view in FIG. ) Is a rear view, (D) is a bottom view, (E) is a battery charging terminal 12 built in the autonomous mobile robot, and a hook for capturing the autonomous mobile robot 1 at the charging station 2 during charging. As shown in FIG. 13, the head, chest, abdomen and the like are substantially human-shaped, and the imaging device 3 having the above-described fish-eye lens at the top of the head is independently placed inside the cover 4 at the lower part of the main body. It has two drive wheels 10 that can be driven and at least one driven auxiliary wheel 11 (two in this case).

  Behind that, a charging terminal 12 shown in detail in FIG. 3 and a hook 13 that engages with a charging station 2 side hook 51 whose connection status will be described later in FIG. 7C are provided. 3A is a perspective view, FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing a state of attachment to the robot body cover 4, FIG. 3C is a sectional view of the charging terminal, and FIG. ), The connector terminal 121 is held by the charging terminal housings 126 and 127, and the spring 122 is applied with a force protruding outward from the autonomous mobile robot cover 4 as shown in FIG. ing. Reference numeral 123 denotes a washer for preventing the spring 122 from being caught in the E ring 124, reference numeral 125 denotes a terminal cover, and reference numeral 128 denotes a cable for connecting the connector terminal 121 to the battery inside the robot 1.

  The charging connector terminal 121 is covered with a terminal cover on the outside of the cover 4 of the robot 1 as shown in FIG. 3 (B), and inside the housing as shown in the sectional view of FIG. 3 (C). 126, 127, and a spring 122 that abuts against the housing 127 at one end and the washer 122 at the other end that is stopped by the convex portion of the connector terminal 121. It has been. Therefore, the connector terminal 121 is accommodated for a distance indicated by s in FIG. 3D when a force in the cover 4 internal direction is applied from the outside.

  On the other hand, the charging station 2 is provided with a pole 20 provided with a marker 21 for guiding the autonomous mobile robot 1 as shown in the schematic configuration in FIGS. 4 (A) and 4 (B). 5 is provided on the side on which the autonomous mobile robot 1 enters the charging device 5 shown in detail in FIG. 5, and contacts the driving wheels 10 in the autonomous mobile robot 1. The idler roller 6 shown in FIG. 4 (C) is an approach angle correction means for controlling the distance between the charging terminal 12 and the charging device 5 and the approach angle of the robot 1 and making the charging terminal 12 and the charging device 5 substantially face each other. Is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, the idler roller 6 protects the idler roller 61 provided at both ends so as not to contact the floor surface 7 in the charging station 2 and the idler roller 61. The roller cover 62 is configured to prevent the motor from being overturned by stepping on the 61 and the bearing 63 that supports the idler roller 61 at both ends. The roller roller cover 62 is an autonomously movable type where a portion not covered by the roller cover 62 is provided. It contacts with the driving wheel 10 in the robot.

  Further, as shown in detail in FIG. 5, the charging device 5 is tilted toward the side on which the autonomous mobile robot 1 enters, and is formed of, for example, a copper plate and connected to a power source in the charging device 5. The power supply terminal 50 is arranged upward, and under this power supply terminal 50, the state of connection is engaged with the hook 13 in the autonomous mobile robot 1 described later in FIG. A hook 51 having a concave shape as shown in FIG. 4D for capturing the robot 1 is provided.

  If the width d of the power supply terminal 50 is increased, positioning accuracy can be relaxed. However, since the size of the charging device is increased unintentionally, it is set to about 100 mm, for example. Further, as described later in the description of FIG. 7C, the hook 51 shown in FIG. 4D is a concave hook, and the hook 13 on the autonomous mobile robot 1 side is a convex hook. Of course, it's okay.

  FIG. 6 is an abutment angle at which the charging terminal 12 and the charging device 5 substantially face each other by controlling the distance between the charging terminal 12 and the charging device 5 and the approach angle of the robot 1 by contacting the driving wheel 10 in the autonomous mobile robot 1. It is the figure which showed the contact condition with the driving wheel of the idler roller 61 shown in FIG.4 (C) which is a correction means. In FIG. 6, 4 is a cover of the autonomous mobile robot 1, 7 is a floor of the charging station 2, 10 is a driving wheel of the autonomous mobile robot 1, 61 is an idler roller, and 62 is a roller cover. As can be seen, the idler roller 61 and the roller cover 62 are sized to fit below the main body cover 4 of the autonomous mobile robot 1, and the roller cover 62 is when the drive wheel 10 and the idler roller 61 come into contact with each other. It does not come into contact with the drive wheel 10.

The diameter φ ₂ of the idler roller 61 may be less than the diameter φ ₁ of the drive wheel 10 because of its function, but it needs to be stored below the main body cover 4 in the autonomous mobile robot 1 and becomes too large. If this happens, an accident such as a person getting caught and falling may occur. Therefore, the diameter φ ₂ of the idler roller 61 must be determined in consideration of the size of the distance a between the main body cover 4 and the floor surface 7 of the charging station 2 and the size at which no accident occurs. height b from the center of the floor surface 7 in 61 may be any height idler roller 61 can be idle, but the distance between the centers of the idler roller 61 from the center of the height b and the diameter phi ₂ is the drive wheel 10 Therefore, it is necessary to determine in consideration of these points.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view (A) and a side view (B) of the autonomous mobile robot 1 configured as described above being charged by the charging device 5 in the charging station 2, and an autonomous mobile robot side charging terminal. 12 is a diagram (C) showing a connection state between the connector terminal 121 and the charging device side power supply terminal 50 that constitute the battery 12, and the autonomous mobile robot 1 enters the charging station 2 from the back side, and FIG. As shown in (E), charging is performed by bringing the connector terminal 121 constituting the robot side charging terminal 12 provided on the back side into contact with the charging device side feeding terminal 50.

  At that time, the connector terminal 121 constituting the autonomous mobile robot side charging terminal 12 is in contact with the charging device side power supply terminal 50 as described with reference to FIG. The autonomous mobile robot 1 is reliably charged. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7D, the convex hook 13 on the autonomous mobile robot 1 side is captured by the concave hook 51 provided on the charging device 5 side, and the autonomous mobile robot 1 of the autonomous mobile robot 1 is charged during charging. The accident that the autonomous mobile robot 1 is pushed back by the charging terminal side spring 122 and the charging is interrupted can be prevented.

  It should be noted that the convex hook 13 and the concave hook 51 may be reversed as described above, and the fact that the catching means is a hook without using a magnet or the like does not require a power source. This is to prevent accidents such as short-circuits due to the fact that metal is attracted to the magnet.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram when the charging terminal 12 in the autonomous mobile robot 1 configured as described above enters in a state of facing the charging device 5 in the charging station 2. In this case, (shown with a cover 4 ₁₎ the autonomous mobile robot 1 as shown in FIG. 8 (A) is, in its substantially equal state distance from the two drive wheels 10 ₁ to both the idler roller 6 in the charging station 2 enters the charging station 2, substantially at the same time both driving wheels 10 ₁ is brought into contact with both the idler roller 61. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8C, the drive wheel 10 tries to ride on the idler roller 61, but at that time, the idler roller 61 idles and stops at a position where the drive wheel 10 contacts the idler roller 61. It will be.

  On the other hand, when the driving wheel 10a comes into contact with the fixed wheel stopper 600 that does not idle as shown in FIG. 8B, the driving wheel 10b gets over the wheel stopper 600 and does not stop at the contacted position.

  Further, FIG. 9 illustrates how the autonomous mobile robot 1 can face the charging station 2 side charging device when the autonomous mobile robot 1 enters the charging station 2 at an angle. It is a figure for doing.

Now, as an autonomous mobile robot 1 shown in 4 _3, when entering obliquely with respect to the charging station 2, one of the drive wheels 10 ₄ when advanced to the position of the 4 ₄ abuts the idler roller 61 . Then the driving wheel 10 towards the abutting _4, FIG 8 (C) does not proceed further because the idler roller 61 is idle as described in, autonomous mobile like the drive wheels 10 on the opposite side is 10 ₅ leads that while rotating to change the orientation of the robot 1 as 4 _5, further ₁₀₆ orientation of the autonomous mobile robot 1 is changed as 4 ₆ as the drive becomes 4 ₇ states wheel ₁₀₇ comes into contact with the idler roller 61.

  Therefore, the autonomous mobile robot 1 is in a state where the charging terminal 12 faces the charging device 5 in the charging station 2 in the state of 47, and the charging terminal 12 of the autonomous mobile robot 1 is charged in the charging station 2 as described above. Charging is performed reliably by contacting the power supply terminal 50 of the device 5 and engaging the convex hook 13 and the concave hook 51.

Figure 10 is a diagram for explaining the approach angle allowed for autonomous mobile robot 1 in this way is ready for facing the charging device 5 for charging station 2 side, autonomously as 4 ₁ As described above, when the mobile robot 1 enters at an angle 4 ₈ , 4 ₉ , 4 ₁₀ , 4 ₁₁ up to approximately 45 °, centering on the state where the charging terminal 12 of the mobile robot 1 faces the charging device 5. The charging terminal 12 can face the charging device 5, but when the approach angle is larger than that, the driving wheel 10 and the idler roller 61 slip and the driving wheel 10 becomes parallel to the idler roller 61, and the charging terminal 12. Cannot face the charging device 5.

  The effective length of the idler roller 61 in the axial direction is preferably substantially the same as or slightly longer than the width d of the power supply terminal 50 in the charging device 5. In this way, when the driving wheel 10 comes into contact with the idler roller 61, the charging terminal 12 of the autonomous mobile robot 1 can reliably face the charging device 5. However, if the driving wheel 10 is too long, for example, the autonomous mobile robot 1 Even if the charging terminal 12 of the charging device 5 faces the charging device 5 side, the charging terminal 12 is in a position away from the power supply terminal 50 of the charging device 5, and charging may not be possible.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the robot approach angle correcting means for controlling the power feeding terminal 50 of the charging device 5 in the charging station 2 and the charging terminal 12 on the robot 1 side to face each other is provided. Thus, if the robot 1 is guided to the charging station 2, the power supply terminal 50 provided in the charging device 5 and the charging terminal 12 on the robot 1 side can be reliably connected. If the robot approach angle correcting means is an idler roller 61 that is arranged on the floor surface of the charging station and abuts against the driving wheel 10 separately, the driving wheel 10 that first contacts the idler roller 61 is provided with the idler roller 61. When trying to get over, the idler roller 61 rotates on the spot and cannot move any further, and the opposite driving wheel 10 advances as it is, so the two driving wheels 10 This continues until it abuts against the idler roller 61, and the charging device 5 side power supply terminal 50 and the robot 1 side charging terminal 12 can be reliably connected to each other with a simple and inexpensive configuration without performing particularly complicated control. Charging station can be provided.

  Further, by arranging a plurality of power supply terminals 12 in the charging device 5 arranged in the charging station 2 so as to face upward in the charging device 5, the autonomous mobile robot 1 has two driving wheels 10, driven auxiliary wheels 11, and the like. Therefore, the charging device 5 side power supply terminal 50 and the robot 1 side charging terminal 12, which generally have a ground and a plurality of power supply terminals, are connected with high accuracy. The charging station 2 that can be provided can be provided.

  Further, by providing the roller cover 62 on the charging device 5 side of the idler roller 61, it is possible to prevent a person from riding on the idler roller 61 and falling over. In addition, since the portion of the idler roller 61 exposed from the roller cover 62 is in contact with the drive wheel 10 in the autonomous mobile robot 1, the idler roller 61 can have a small diameter. Combined with the existence, it is possible to provide the charging station 2 that does not impair the design of the charging station 2 and can prevent people from tripping.

  And the charging device 5 can prevent the electric shock or the metal from falling and being short-circuited by human touching easily by inclining the upper part from the base toward the robot 1 side. Therefore, it is possible to provide the charging station 2 in the autonomous mobile robot 1 that does not cause poor conduction due to dirt.

  Further, the charging terminal 12 has a connector terminal 121, and the connector terminal 121 is applied with a force protruding outward from the cover 4 of the autonomous mobile robot 1 by a spring 122, and is in contact with the power supply terminal 50. Since part of the robot cover 4 is housed inside, the charging terminal 12 and the power feeding terminal 50 can be reliably brought into contact with each other, and the convex hook 13 is provided on one of the robot 1 and the charging device 5. In addition, a concave hook 51 is provided on the other side so that when the robot 1 is charged, the convex hook 13 is engaged with the concave hook 51 so that the autonomous mobile robot 1 is captured by the charging device 5 during charging. Therefore, it is possible to provide the charging station 2 that can reliably continue charging.

According to the present invention, an autonomous mobile type that is small enough not to interfere with the design of the robot, that is simple in structure and inexpensive, and that does not cause electric shock, short circuit, poor conduction due to dirt, etc. A charging station in a robot can be provided, and a charging station suitable for application to a charging device for a home robot can be provided.
It is a problem.

It is a schematic perspective view of the autonomous mobile robot and its charging station according to the present invention. Front view (A), side view (B), rear view (C), and bottom view (D) of an autonomous mobile robot configured to be movable with two independently driven wheels and driven auxiliary wheels It is the figure (E) which showed the position of the charge terminal to a battery. The perspective view (A) of the charging terminal in the autonomous mobile robot, the perspective view (B) showing the state of attachment to the robot body cover, the sectional view (C) of the terminal, and the movement range of the charging terminal by the spring are shown. It is a figure (D). Front view (A) and side view (B) of the charging station, and a sectional view (C) of the idler roller and cover for causing the driving wheel to idle when the driving wheel of the robot is brought into contact, an autonomous mobile robot during charging It is sectional drawing (D) of the hook for catching. It is sectional drawing (A), a front view (B), and a perspective view (C) of a charging device. It is the figure which showed the contact state of the driving wheel and charging station side idler roller in an autonomous mobile robot. The perspective view (A) and side view (B) which showed the charge state in the charging station of an autonomous mobile robot, and the figure (C) which showed the connection state of the autonomous mobile robot side charge terminal and the charging device side power supply terminal It is. It is explanatory drawing when an autonomous mobile robot enters in the state which faces the charging device in a charging station. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining how the autonomous mobile robot 1 can face the charging station 2 side charging device when the autonomous mobile robot 1 enters the charging station 2 at a certain angle. is there. It is a figure for demonstrating the allowable approach angle for becoming a state which an autonomous mobile robot can face a charging terminal and a charging station side electric power feeding terminal.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Autonomous mobile robot 2 Charging station 3 Imaging device 4 Cover 5 Charging device 6 Idler roller 7 Charging station floor 10 Drive wheel 11 Drive auxiliary wheel 12 Charging terminal 13 Hook 20 Pole 21 Marker

Claims (9)

An autonomous mobile robot having a charging terminal for a battery provided in the main body and configured to be movable by two drive wheels that can be independently driven and at least one driven auxiliary wheel. A charging station,
The charging station includes a charging device having a power feeding terminal, and controls the driving wheel to control the driving wheel and the robot approaching angle on the robot approaching side with respect to the charging device, thereby controlling the robot approaching angle. A charging station for an autonomous mobile robot, characterized in that an approach angle correcting means is provided to make the power feeding terminal and the charging terminal substantially face each other.   2. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the robot approach angle correcting means is an idler roller disposed on the floor surface of the charging station and separately abutting a drive wheel of the autonomous mobile robot. charging station.   The charging station in the autonomous mobile robot according to claim 2, wherein a roller cover is provided on the charging device side of the idler roller.   4. The autonomous movement according to claim 3, wherein a portion of the idler roller exposed from the roller cover is in contact with the driving wheel partially exposed at a lower part of a body cover of the autonomous mobile robot. Charging station for a robot.   5. The charging station for an autonomous mobile robot according to claim 2, wherein the length of the idler roller in the axial direction is substantially the width of a power feeding terminal in the charging device. An autonomous mobile robot having a charging terminal for a battery provided in the main body and configured to be movable by two drive wheels that can be independently driven and at least one driven auxiliary wheel. A charging station,
The charging station includes a charging device provided with a power supply terminal, and the power supply terminal has a plurality of terminals arranged upward in the charging device.   The charging station for an autonomous mobile robot according to claim 6, wherein an upper portion of the charging device is inclined to the autonomous mobile robot side from a base portion.   The charging terminal provided in the autonomous mobile robot has a connector terminal, and the connector terminal is applied with a force that protrudes outward from the autonomous mobile robot cover by a spring, and is partially in contact with the power supply terminal. The charging device for an autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the battery is housed inside the robot cover.   The autonomous mobile robot and the charging device are provided with a convex hook on one side and a concave hook on the other side so that the convex hook engages with the concave hook when the autonomous mobile robot is charged. The charging device for an autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the charging device is configured as follows.

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