Mobile robot calling system

• US 4,672,280 A
• Filed: 12/18/1984
• Issued: 06/09/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Honjo, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Keane, Patrick C.
• Application Number:
  US06/682,800
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 318/587, 318/16, 318/606, 318/607, 318/562, 364/424, 364/478, 307/140, 307/2, 307/1, 340/310 A, 340/310 CP, 340/310 R, 340/991, 340/993, 340/998, 340/999, 180/167, 180/168, 414/227, 414/231, 414/234, 414/252, 414/253, 414/265, 414/349, 414/274, 414/279, 414/572, 414/909, 198/341, 198/358, 198/348
• US Class Current: 318/587
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• 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 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A mobile robot calling system has a mobile robot normally waiting at a home position and connected to an AC power supply such that its battery is charged by the AC power supply in the wait status, and a calling oscillator for generating a calling signal to the mobile robot. The calling signal is supplied from the calling oscillator to the mobile robot through indoor AC power supply wiring. Relay transmitters are respectively arranged for a plurality of AC receptacles to relay the calling signal. A controller is arranged to control a plurality of calling devices and robot waiting stations. The controller cyclically checks the robot calling states of the calling devices and robot wait status in the waiting stations. The controller generates a robot calling command to the waiting stations in accordance with the robot wait status in the waiting stations when the robot calling signals are generated from the calling devices.

Claims

1. A mobile robot system, comprising:

a plurality of robot waiting stations, adapted to be connected to alternating-current power supply wiring, each of said plurality of robot waiting stations including means for exchanging a waiting signal and a calling signal with an associated robot when the corresponding robot remains at a home position at said waiting station, and each of said plurality of robot waiting stations having a unique station-identification code;

a plurality of mobile robots, each arranged for waiting at said home position at the corresponding waiting station, and including means for providing respective robot-waiting signals to the corresponding waiting stations, and means for receiving corresponding robot calling signals via said waiting stations;

a plurality of calling devices, each calling device including means for generating a corresponding calling signal including a unique device-identification code to be received by a selected one of said plurality of mobile robots; and

a controller coupled to each of said calling devices and the said waiting stations, for cyclically checking the robot-calling state of each of said plurality of calling devices, by using each of said unique station-identification codes, and for cyclically checking the robot-waiting status of said plurality of mobile robots at said waiting stations, by using each of said unique device-identification code, and including means for generating the robot-calling signal to a designated one of said waiting stations, in accordance with the robot-waiting signal in said designated waiting station when the robot-calling signal is generated from one of said calling devices, thereby instructing the corresponding one of the plurality of mobile robots to come to said one of said calling devices.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein each of said waiting stations comprising a signal receiver and an electrical charging device, said mobile robot in the waiting state being electrically charged by said charging device.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said controller comprises:

input/output means for exchanging signals between said waiting stations and said calling devices;

central processing unit means for controlling components connected thereto;

first memory means coupled to said central processing unit means for storing a control program;

second memory means coupled to said central processing unit means for receiving setting data and external data supplied through said input/output means; and

input means for entering the setting data.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein each of said calling devices comprises:

an input/output interface means for exchanging signals with said controller;

robot operation-start data output means for supplying an answerback signal, which represents the starting of operation of the designated mobile robot, to a caller;

central processing unit means for controlling respective components connected thereto;

first memory means coupled to said central processing unit means for storing a control program;

second memory means coupled to said central processing unit means for storing control data;

a calling switch for calling one of said plurality of mobile robots;

a cancel switch for cancelling calling of said one of said plruality of mobile robots; and

a calling device code setting section for setting said unique device identication code of the calling device.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein each of said waiting stations comprises:

input/output means for exchanging signals with said controller;

robot wait signal and destination signal input/output means for supplying a control command to said mobile robot;

central processing unit means for controlling respective components connected thereto;

first memory means coupled to said central processing unit means for storing a control program;

second memory means coupled to said central processing unit means for storing control data; and

waiting station code setting means for setting said unique station identification code of the waiting station.

6. A mobile robot system, comprising:

alternating current power supply wiring for supplying alternating current power from an outside AC voltage source;

robot calling signal generating means for generating a robot calling signal;

superposing means adapted to be coupled to said power supply wiring, for superposing the robot calling signal from said robot calling signal generating means on an alternating current power supply voltage applied to said power supply wiring by said AC voltage source; and

a mobile robot adapted to be connected to said alternating current power supply wiring so as to receive the robot calling signal supplied through said power supply wiring, for performing a predetermined operation;

wherein said mobile robot comprises;

a power supply;

demodulating means for receiving the supplied robot calling signal superposed on said alternating current power supply voltage, and for demodulating the robot calling signal;

a robot computing block for performing a predetermined operation; and

charging means for charging said power supply of said mobile robot;

and wherein said demodulating means comprises;

a high frequency transformer for extracting the superposed robot calling signal from said alternating current power supply wiring;

a filter for eliminating a harmonic component of an output signal from said high frequency transformer;

a phase locked loop circuit for receiving an output signal from said filter to generate a phase-locked frequency-modulated signal;

comparing means for receiving the output signal from said filter and for comparing the signal from said filter with a reference signal to produce a predetermined pulse; and

a gate for performing a logical AND operation of the pulse from said comparing means and the frequency-modulated signal generated from said phase-locked loop circuit.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein said robot calling signal generating means comprises:

a calling switch;

an identification code generator for generating an identification code of said robot calling signal generating means;

a decoder, connected to said calling switch and said identification code generator, for decoding the identification code in accordance with a signal from said calling switch and for generating a plurality of signals after the decoding; and

a phase locked loop circuit for generating a frequency-modulated signal which is phase-locked with an output signal from said decoder.

8. A system according to claim 6, wherein said robot computing block comprises:

a servo control microcomputer; and

a main microcomputer, responsive to a signal from said demodulating means, for supplying control data to said servo control microcomputer.

9. A system according to claim 8, further comprising:

an input device connected to said main microcomputer and having a route map data input key, a destination designation key, a start key and a home position return switch; and

a direction discrimination sensor, connected to said main microcomputer, for detecting a moving direction of said mobile robot.

10. A mobile robot system, comprising:

alternating current power supply wiring for supplying alternating current power from an outside AC voltage source;

robot calling signal generating means for generating a robot calling signal;

superposing means adapted to be coupled to said power supply wiring for superposing the robot calling signal from said robot calling signal generating means on an alternating current power supply voltage applied to said power supply wiring by said AC voltage source;

relay transmitting means, including an antenna and adapted to be connected to said alternating current power supply wiring, for relaying the robot calling signal from said robot calling signal generating means and transmitting the robot calling signal to said mobile robot through said antenna; and

a mobile robot, including receiving means, for receiving the robot calling signal relayed by said relay transmitting means and for performing a predetermined operation;

wherein said relay transmitting means comprises;

a high frequency transformer for extracting the superposed robot calling signal from said alternating current power supply wiring;

a filter for eliminating a harmonic component of an output signal from said high frequency transformer;

a phase-locked loop circuit for receiving an output signal from said filter to generate a phase-locked frequency-modulated signal;

comparing means for receiving the output signal from said filter and comparing the signal from said filter with a reference signal to produce a predetermined pulse;

a gate for performing a logical AND operation of the pulse from said comparing means and the frequency-modulated signal generated from said phase-locked loop circuit; and

a transmitter for transmitting an output signal from said gate to said mobile robot.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein said robot calling signal generating means comprises:

a calling switch;

an identification code generator for generating an identification code of said robot calling signal generating means;

a decoder, connected to said calling switch and said identification code generator, for decoding the identification code in accordance with a signal from said calling switch and for generating a plurality of signals after the decoding; and

a phase locked loop circuit for generating a frequency-modulated signal which is phase-locked with an output signal from said decoder.

12. A system according to claim 10, including a plurality of said relay transmitting means so as to cover a predetermined space.