Autonomous robot charging station

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10399443-B2
Application number	US-201715712491-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2017
Priority date	Sep 22, 2017
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

An electrical charging station for charging an autonomous robot with first and second cameras used for docking the autonomous robot with the electrical charging station. There is a front side cover with a surface, the front side cover including a first charging member configured to receive a second charging member on the autonomous robot when the autonomous robot is docked with the charging station for charging. There is a first fiducial surface including a first fiducial marker affixed to the first surface. The first fiducial surface defines a plane disposed at a first non-zero angle relative to a plane defined by the surface of the front side cover. There is a second fiducial surface including a second fiducial marker affixed to the second surface. The second fiducial surface defines a plane disposed at a second non-zero angle relative to the plane defined by the surface of the front side cover.

First claim

We claim:

1. An electrical charging station for charging an autonomous robot with first and second cameras used for docking the autonomous robot with the electrical charging station, the electrical charging station comprising:
a front cover with a surface, the front cover including a first charging member configured to receive a second charging member on the autonomous robot when the autonomous robot is docked with the charging station for charging;
a first fiducial surface including a first fiducial marker affixed to the first fiducial surface, wherein the first fiducial surface defines a plane disposed at a first non-zero angle relative to a plane defined by the surface of the front cover; and
a second fiducial surface including a second fiducial marker affixed to the second fiducial surface;
wherein the second fiducial surface defines a plane disposed at a second non-zero angle relative to the plane defined by the surface of the front cover.

2. The charging station of claim 1 wherein the first non-zero angle and the second non-zero angle are selected such that when the autonomous robot is docked with the charging station for charging, an optical axis of the first camera intersects the plane defined by first fiducial surface at a perpendicular angle and an optical axis of the second camera intersects the plane defined by the second fiducial surface at a perpendicular angle.

3. The charging station of claim 1 wherein the first non-zero angle and the second non-zero angle are equal.

4. The charging station of claim 3 wherein the first non-zero angle and the second non-zero angle are obtuse angles.

5. The charging station of claim 1 , wherein the first and second fiducial surfaces are proximate a back side cover, opposite the front cover.

6. The charging station of claim 1 , wherein the first charging member is one of a male charging member or a female charging member and the second charging member is the other of the male or female charging member.

7. An electrical charging system, comprising:
an autonomous robot including:
a first optical camera having a first optical axis;
a second optical camera having a second optical axis; and
a first charging member; and
an electrical charging station including:
a front cover with a surface, the front cover including a second charging member configured to receive the first charging member on the autonomous robot when the autonomous robot is docked with the charging station for charging;
a first fiducial surface including a first fiducial marker affixed to the first fiducial surface, wherein the first fiducial surface defines a plane disposed at a first non-zero angle relative to a plane defined by the surface of the front cover; and
a second fiducial surface including a second fiducial marker affixed to the second fiducial surface, wherein the second fiducial surface defines a plane disposed at a second non-zero angle relative to the plane defined by the surface of the front cover.

8. The charging system of claim 7 wherein the first non-zero angle and the second non-zero angle selected such that when the autonomous robot is docked with the charging station for charging, the first optical axis of the first camera intersects the plane defined by first fiducial surface at a perpendicular angle and the second optical axis of the second camera intersects the plane defined by the second fiducial surface at a perpendicular angle.

9. The charging system of claim 7 wherein the first non-zero angle and the second non-zero angle are equal.

10. The charging system of claim 9 wherein the first non-zero angle and the second non-zero angle are obtuse angles.

11. The charging system of claim 7 , wherein the first and second fiducial surfaces are proximate a back side cover, opposite the front cover.

12. The charging system of claim 7 , wherein the first charging member is one of a male charging member or a female charging member and the second charging member is the other of the male or female charging member.

13. The charging system of claim 7 , wherein the first optical camera has a first field of view.

14. The charging system of claim 13 , wherein the second optical camera has a second field of view.

15. The charging system of claim 14 , wherein the first field of view and the second field of view are equal.

16. The charging system of claim 14 , wherein the first field of view and the second field of view are approximately 80 degrees.

17. The charging system of claim 16 , wherein the first field of view and the second field of partially overlap and the combined field of view of the autonomous robot is approximately 120 degrees.

Assignees

• Locus Robotics Corp

Inventors

• Kwa Hian Kai
• Sussman Michael
• Moore Thomas
• Powers Bradley
• Fong Christina Nicole

Classifications

• H02J2105/44

  Portable electronic devices · CPC title

• H02J7/751

  concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries · CPC title

• H02J7/70 Primary

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title

• B25J19/005

  using batteries, e.g. as a back-up power source · CPC title

• B60L11/1816 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic