Electrical charging system and method for an autonomous robot

• US 10,401,864 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2017
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Locus Robotics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Locus Robotics Corporation
• Inventors: Sussman, Michael, Insinga, Aron Klair
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Omar, Ahmed H
• Application Number:
  US15/712,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20190092184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 320107
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/35 Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/22 The load being a portable electronic device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/40 The network being an on-board power network, i.e. within a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007186 obtained with the battery disconnected from the charge or discharge circuit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

An electrical charging system for charging an autonomous robot powered by a re-chargeable battery and having a first charging member. The charging station includes 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 the re-chargeable battery. There is a power supply configured to charge the re-chargeable battery of the robot and a sensor configured to measure an amount of charge transferred from the power supply to the robot. There is a processor configured to determine from the amount of charge transferred from the power supply to the robot measured by the sensor, a state of charge (SOC) of the autonomous robot. There is also a communications device configured to transmit to the robot the SOC of the robot while docked at the charging station.

Claims

1. An electrical charging system for charging an autonomous robot, comprising:

an autonomous robot powered by a re-chargeable battery and having a first charging member; and

a charging station, 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 the re-chargeable battery;

a power supply configured to charge the re-chargeable battery of the autonomous robot when docked at the charging station;

a sensor configured to measure an amount of charge transferred from the power supply to the autonomous robot during charging;

a processor, in communication with the sensor, configured to determine from the amount of charge transferred from the power supply to the autonomous robot measured by the sensor, a state of charge (SOC) of the autonomous robot; and

a communications device, in communication with the processor, configured to transmit to the autonomous robot the SOC of the autonomous robot while docked at the charging station;

wherein the autonomous robot further includes;

a communications device configured to communicate with the communications device on the charging station,

a motor drive powered by the re-chargeable battery and configured to propel the autonomous robot when the autonomous robot is undocked from the charging station, and

a sensor configured to measure the amount of charge provided to the motor drive by the re-chargeable battery to propel the autonomous robot when the autonomous robot is undocked from the charging station; and

wherein the communications device on the autonomous robot is configured to receive the SOC of the autonomous robot from the charging station and wherein the autonomous robot includes a memory to store the SOC received from the charging station; and

wherein the memory of the autonomous robot is further configured to store the amount of charge provided to the motor drive by the re-chargeable battery to propel the autonomous robot when the autonomous robot is undocked from the charging station.

2. The electrical charging system of claim 1 wherein the processor of the charging station is configured to periodically determine the SOC of the autonomous robot while docked at the charging station and to cause the communication device to transmit to the autonomous robot the periodically determined SOC of the autonomous robot.

3. The electrical charging system of claim 2 wherein the autonomous robot further includes a processor configured to periodically determine the SOC of the autonomous robot when undocked from the charging station by comparing the amount of charge provided to the motor drive by the re-chargeable battery to propel the autonomous robot to the SOC transferred to the autonomous robot by the charging station.

4. The electrical charging system of claim 3 wherein the SOC is determined at least in part from the number of coulombs transferred into or out of the re-chargeable battery.

5. The electrical charging system of claim 4 wherein the processor is configured to cause the autonomous robot to return to the charging station for charging when the SOC of the autonomous robot has reached a predetermined level.

6. A method for charging an autonomous robot powered by a re-chargeable battery at a charging station, comprising:

docking the autonomous robot with the charging station such that a first charging member of the autonomous robot and a second charging member of the charging station are mated;

charging, using a power supply of the charging station, the re-chargeable battery of the autonomous robot when docked at the charging station;

measuring an amount of charge transferred from the power supply to the autonomous robot during charging;

determining, from the amount of charge transferred from the power supply to the autonomous robot, a state of charge (SOC) of the autonomous robot;

transmitting from the charging station to the autonomous robot the SOC of the autonomous robot while docked at the charging station;

receiving by a communications device on the autonomous robot the SOC of the autonomous robot from the charging station and storing in a memory on the autonomous robot the SOC received from the charging station;

propelling the autonomous robot when undocked from the charging station using a motor drive powered by the re-chargeable battery;

measuring the amount of charge provided to the motor drive by the re-chargeable battery to propel the autonomous robot when the autonomous robot is undocked from the charging station; and

storing in the memory of the autonomous robot the amount of charge provided to the motor drive by the re-chargeable battery to propel the autonomous robot when the autonomous robot is undocked from the charging station,

wherein the step of determining the SOC of the autonomous robot includes periodically determining the SOC of the autonomous robot while docked at the charging station and the step of transmitting the SOC to the autonomous robot the includes periodically transmitting the SOC of the autonomous robot.

7. The method of claim 6 further including periodically determining the SOC of the autonomous robot when undocked from the charging station by periodically comparing the amount of charge provided to the motor drive by the re-chargeable battery to propel the autonomous robot to the SOC transferred to the autonomous robot by the charging station.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the SOC is determined at least in part from the number of coulombs transferred into or out of the re-chargeable battery.

9. The method of claim 8 further including causing the autonomous robot to return to the charging station for charging when the SOC of the autonomous robot has reached a predetermined level.