DOCKING STATION FOR A MOBILE ROBOT

• US 20140203776A1
• Filed: 01/22/2014
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Inventors: IRELAND, Simon Edward, GARNER, Leanne Joyce, LAMBERT, Adam David
• Granted Patent: US 9,929,588 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/02 Docking stations; Docking operations
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02

Abstract

A docking station for a mobile robot comprising a base portion that is locatable on a floor surface and a rear portion that is pivotable with respect to the base portion, thereby permitting a user to place the docking station on the floor in an unfolded configuration but to store the docking station in a folded configuration.

Claims

1. A docking station for a mobile robot, the docking station comprising a base portion that is locatable on a floor surface and a rear portion that is pivotable with respect to the base portion.

2. The docking station of claim 1, wherein a pivot region of the base portion comprises an interface that mates with a complementary interface provided on the rear portion so that the rear portion is pivotably movable with respect to the base portion.

3. The docking station of claim 2, wherein the interface includes a detent formation to releasably hold rotation of the rear portion in an upright position relative to the base portion.

4. The docking station of claim 3, wherein the detent formation is configured such that the rear portion disengages from the stop region when a predetermined torque is applied to the interface.

5. The docking station of claim 2, wherein the rear portion is snap-fitted to the pivot region of the base portion.

6. The docking station of claim 2, wherein the rear portion includes at least one pivot axle onto which a sleeve member associated with the rear portion is received in a sliding fit.

7. The docking station of claim 1, further including a charging contact part for providing electrical charge to a device when docked onto the docking station.

8. The docking station of claim 7, wherein the charging contact part includes at least one electrically conductive contact part.

9. The docking station of claim 7, wherein the at least one contact extends transversely to the longitudinal axis of the docking station.

10. The docking station of claim 7, wherein the at least one contact are resiliently-mounted.

11. The docking station of claim 7, wherein the charging part are provided on the base portion of the docking station.

12. The docking station of claim 7, wherein the docking station includes an activating mechanism for selectively energising the charging contact part.

13. The docking station of claim 12, wherein the activating mechanism is activated mechanically by a robotic device manoeuvring into a suitable docking position on the docking portion.

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)