×

Wireless electrical connection to mobile robots or vehicles

  • US 5,963,002 A
  • Filed: 06/02/1997
  • Issued: 10/05/1999
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1997
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A robot and a surface along which said robot moves, comprising, in combination, a non-conductive surface, electrodes tiled contiguously on said surface, said electrodes being spaced apart to form non-conductive borders between said electrodes, a power source with positive and negative terminals, said positive and negative terminals being alternately connected to said electrodes of said surface so that said electrodes form alternating interspaced positive and negative electrodes, and a robot, said robot having a plurality of contacts against said surface, each of said contacts forming a contact area with said surface, said contact area being smaller than said nonconductive borders between said electrodes, a diode passing a positive current connected to each of said contacts and a diode passing a negative current connected to each of said contacts, robot powering means on said robot having two terminals, said diodes passing a positive current being connected to one of said terminals of said robot powering means and said diodes passing a negative current being connected to the other of said terminals of said robot powering means, said plurality of contacts contacting said electrodes so that at least one positive electrode and at least one negative electrode is contacted by said contacts to activate said robot powering means.

View all claims
  • 0 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×