Method for Docking an Autonomous Mobile Green Area Maintenance Robot to a Docking Station, Docking Station System, Green Area Maintenance System, and System

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020393844-A1
Application number	US-202016899688-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 12, 2020
Priority date	Jun 14, 2019
Publication date	Dec 17, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method docks an autonomous mobile green area maintenance robot to a docking station. An electrical conductor arrangement runs in the region of the docking station, wherein the conductor arrangement is designed such that a periodic current flows through the conductor arrangement, wherein the current generates a periodic magnetic field. The green area maintenance robot has two magnetic field sensors, wherein the two magnetic field sensors are designed such that the magnetic field respectively causes a periodic sensor signal in the magnetic field sensors. The method has the steps of: determining a phase shift between the two sensor signals or signals based on the sensor signals, and controlling movement of the green area maintenance robot for docking on the basis of the determined phase shift.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for docking an autonomous mobile green area maintenance robot to a docking station,
wherein an electrical conductor arrangement runs in a region of the docking station, wherein the conductor arrangement is designed such that a periodic current flows through the conductor arrangement, wherein the current generates a periodic magnetic field, wherein the green area maintenance robot has two magnetic field sensors, wherein the two magnetic field sensors are designed such that the periodic magnetic field respectively causes a periodic sensor signal in the magnetic field sensors, wherein the method comprises the steps of: a) determining a phase shift between the two sensor signals or signals based on the sensor signals; and b) controlling movement of the green area maintenance robot for docking based on the determined phase shift.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein step b) comprises:
carrying out control such that the phase shift is in a range between 0 and π.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the docking station has a station docking axis, and at least one conductor section of the conductor arrangement runs approximately parallel to the station docking axis.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein
the green area maintenance robot has a robot docking axis, and step b) comprises: carrying out control such that the green area maintenance robot moves to the docking station with its robot docking axis aligned approximately coaxially with the station docking axis.

5 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein
the green area maintenance robot has a movement plane, the two magnetic field sensors each have a capture direction approximately orthogonal to the movement plane and are designed such that only a component of the magnetic field that is parallel to the capture direction respectively causes the sensor signal in the magnetic field sensors, and step b) comprises: carrying out control such that one of the two magnetic field sensors is positioned above the at least one conductor section in the capture direction and another of the two magnetic field sensors is not positioned above the at least one conductor section in the capture direction.

6 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein
the conductor arrangement has at least two conductor sections, wherein the two conductor sections each run approximately parallel to the station docking axis and have a total conductor spacing from one another in a conductor spacing direction orthogonal to the station docking axis, the two magnetic field sensors have a total sensor spacing from one another in a sensor spacing direction orthogonal to the robot docking axis, and the total conductor spacing differs from the total sensor spacing.

7 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of:
the conductor arrangement has at least two conductor sections, wherein the two conductor sections each run approximately parallel to the station docking axis and have different conductor spacings from the station docking axis in a conductor spacing direction orthogonal to the station docking axis, and the two magnetic field sensors have identical sensor spacings from the robot docking axis in a sensor spacing direction orthogonal to the robot docking axis.

8 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of:
the docking station is designed as a charging station and has at least one station charging connection, wherein the docking station is designed to be charged by the at least one station charging connection, wherein the at least one station charging connection defines the station docking axis, and the green area maintenance robot is designed as a rechargeable green area maintenance robot and has at least one robot charging connection, wherein the green area maintenance robot is designed to be charged by the at least one robot charging connection, wherein the at least one robot charging connection defines a robot docking axis.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the two magnetic field sensors each have a capture direction and are designed such that only a component of the magnetic field that is parallel to the capture direction respectively causes the sensor signal in the magnetic field sensors, and step b) comprises: carrying out control such that the capture direction of one of the two magnetic field sensors is orthogonal to the magnetic field and the capture direction of another of the two magnetic field sensors is not orthogonal to the magnetic field.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the two magnetic field sensors each have a coil, wherein the two coils are designed such that the magnetic field respectively causes the sensor signal in the coils.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
positioning the green area maintenance robot in the region of the magnetic field such that the magnetic field causes the sensor signal in at least one of the two magnetic field sensors, and subsequently carrying out step a) and/or step b).

12 . A docking station system, comprising:
a docking station, wherein the docking station is designed to dock an autonomous mobile green area maintenance robot and has a station docking axis; and an electrical conductor arrangement in the region of the docking station, wherein the conductor arrangement has at least two conductor sections, wherein the two conductor sections each run approximately parallel to the station docking axis and have different conductor spacings from the station docking axis in a conductor spacing direction orthogonal to the station docking axis, and wherein the conductor arrangement is designed such that a periodic current flows through the conductor arrangement, wherein the current generates a periodic magnetic field.

13 . The docking station system according to claim 12 , wherein
the two conductor sections have the different conductor spacings from the station docking axis close to the docking station and have identical conductor spacings from the station docking axis remote from the docking station.

14 . A green area maintenance system, comprising:
an autonomous mobile green area maintenance robot, wherein the green area maintenance robot is designed to dock to a docking station and has two magnetic field sensors, wherein the two magnetic field sensors are designed such that a periodic magnetic field respectively causes a periodic sensor signal in the magnetic field sensors; a determination device, wherein the determination device is designed to determine a phase shift between the two sensor signals or signals based on the sensor signals; and a control device, wherein the control device is designed to control movement of the green area maintenance robot for docking on the basis of the determined phase shift.

15 . A system, comprising:
at least one green area maintenance system according to claim 14 ; at least one docking station system, wherein the docking station system has a docking station and an electrical conductor arrangement running in the region of the docking station, wherein the docking station is designed to dock the green area maintenance robot, and wherein the conductor arrangement is designed such that a periodic current flows through the conductor arrangement, wherein the current generates a periodic magnetic field.

16 . The system according to claim 15 , wherein
the conductor arrangement has at least two conductor sections, wherein the two conductor sections each run approximately parallel to the station docking axis a

Assignees

• Stihl Ag & Co Kg Andreas

Inventors

• Ritzer Peter
• Zoettl Samuel
• Horngacher Christian

Classifications

• H02J7/751

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

• G01C21/08 Primary

  involving use of the magnetic field of the earth · CPC title

• A01D34/006

  Control or measuring arrangements · CPC title

• Y02T10/70

  Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries · CPC title

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title