Battery and hard drive exchange station for robots

• US 9,776,326 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2015
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Dynamics, Inc. (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Zevenbergen, John William, Rublee, Ethan
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US14/876,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20170100837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 700245, 700253
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/005 using batteries, e.g. as a back-up power source
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/00 Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages B25J1/00 takes precedence; programme-controlled manipulators B25J9/00 ; vehicle aspects B60, B62, e.g. remote-controlled steering for motor vehicles B62D1/24; control of position of vehicles G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1674 characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/42 Fork lift trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• 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: Y02P 90/60 Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/50 Miscellaneous

Abstract

An example method includes receiving, by a mobile robotic device, power from a battery of a first battery pack in order to operate within an environment. The method further includes establishing a first data channel between the mobile robotic device and the first battery pack. The method also includes using the first data channel to transfer sensor data acquired by the mobile robotic device during operation to a local data storage component of the first battery pack. The method additionally includes navigating, by the mobile robotic device, to a battery exchange station to transfer the first battery pack containing the battery and the local data storage component with the sensor data to the battery exchange station. The method further includes after transferring the first battery pack to the battery exchange station, receiving a second battery pack from the battery exchange station to continue operation within the environment.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a mobile robotic device, power from a battery of a first battery pack in order to operate within an environment;

establishing, by the mobile robotic device, a first data channel between the mobile robotic device and the first battery pack;

using the first data channel to transfer sensor data acquired by the mobile robotic device during operation to a local data storage component of the first battery pack;

navigating, by the mobile robotic device, to a battery exchange station to transfer the first battery pack containing the battery and the local data storage component with the sensor data to the battery exchange station;

after transferring the first battery pack from the mobile robotic device to the battery exchange station, capturing and erasing, by the battery exchange station, the sensor data from the local data storage component of the first battery pack while charging the battery of the first battery pack; and

receiving, by the mobile robotic device, a second battery pack from the battery exchange station to continue operation within the environment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the battery of the first battery pack is depleted; and

in response to determining that the battery of the first battery pack is depleted, navigating to the battery exchange station.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the local data storage component of the first battery pack is full; and

in response to determining that the local data storage component of the first battery pack is full, navigating to the battery exchange station.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving power from a battery of the second battery pack in order to continue operation within the environment;

establishing a second data channel between the mobile robotic device and the second battery pack; and

using the second data channel to transfer sensor data acquired by the mobile robotic device during continued operation to a local data storage component of the second battery pack.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing the first data channel by communicating with a local control system of the first battery pack.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an error in robotic operation; and

in response to identifying the error in robotic operation, using the first data channel to transfer sensor data acquired by the mobile robotic device during a period of time when the error was identified to the local data storage component of the first battery pack.

7. A battery exchange station, comprising:

a data storage system;

a plurality of ports for receiving battery packs from mobile robotic devices, wherein a port comprises;

a battery charger to charge a battery of a battery pack that is coupled to the port; and

a communication interface to transfer data from a local data storage component of the battery pack to the data storage system; and

a control system configured to;

cause the communication interface of a given port of the plurality of ports to establish a data channel with a given battery pack that is coupled to the given port; and

use the data channel to transfer stored sensor data from a local data storage component of the given battery pack to the data storage system and erase the stored sensor data from the local data storage component of the given battery pack while charging a battery of the given battery pack with the battery charger of the given port at the battery exchange station.

8. The battery exchange station of claim 7, wherein the control system is further configured to:

determine that a battery of a particular battery pack has been recharged, wherein the particular battery pack is coupled to a particular port of the plurality of ports;

determine that a local data storage component of the particular battery pack has been emptied; and

after determining that the battery of the particular battery pack has been recharged and that the local data storage component of the particular battery pack has been emptied, cause the particular battery pack to be transferred to a first robot located proximate to the battery exchange station.

9. The battery exchange station of claim 8, wherein the particular battery pack was received at the particular port from a second robot different from the first robot.

10. The battery exchange station of claim 7, further comprising a robotic manipulator, wherein the robotic manipulator is configured to:

remove a particular battery pack from a mobile robotic device located proximate to the battery exchange station; and

attach the particular battery pack to at least one available port of the plurality of ports.

11. The battery exchange station of claim 7, wherein the plurality of ports comprise a plurality of types of battery chargers to charge batteries for a corresponding plurality of different types of mobile robotic devices within a fleet of robotic devices.

12. The battery exchange station of claim 7, wherein the control system is further configured to cause the communication interface of the given port to communicate with a local control system of the given battery pack.

13. The battery exchange station of claim 7, wherein the control system is further configured to:

store usage data indicative of usage histories of individual battery packs; and

based on the usage data, select particular battery packs with recharged batteries and empty local data storage components to transfer to particular mobile robotic devices located proximate to the battery exchange station.

14. The battery exchange station of claim 7, wherein the communication interface of each of the plurality of ports comprises an Ethernet interface.

15. A battery pack, comprising:

a battery configured to provide power to a robot;

a local data storage component configured to store data acquired during robotic operation; and

a controller configured to;

establish a first data channel between the battery pack and a given robot while the battery pack is physically coupled to the given robot such that the battery of the battery pack provides power to the given robot;

use the first data channel to transfer sensor data from the given robot to the local data storage component of the battery pack for storage;

establish a second data channel between the battery pack and a battery exchange station while the battery pack is physically coupled to the battery exchange station to charge the battery of the battery pack by the battery exchange station; and

use the second data channel to transfer the sensor data stored in the local data storage component of the battery pack to the battery exchange station and erase the sensor data from the local data storage component of the battery pack while the battery of the battery pack is charged by the battery exchange station.

16. The battery pack of claim 15, further comprising a sealed container that contains the battery, the local data storage component, and the controller.

17. The battery pack of claim 15, wherein a battery life of the battery corresponds to a size of the local data storage component, such that the local data storage component is large enough to store an amount of data acquirable during robotic operation over a period of time indicated by the battery life of the battery.

18. The battery pack of claim 15, wherein the battery of the battery pack is further configured to provide power to the controller of the battery pack.

19. The battery pack of claim 15, further comprising an Ethernet interface to establish the first data channel and the second data channel.

20. The battery pack of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to:

after the battery is recharged and the local data storage component is emptied at the battery exchange station, establish a third data channel between the battery pack and a different robot while the battery pack is physically coupled to the different robot such that the battery of the battery pack provides power to the different robot; and

use the third data channel to transfer data from the different robot to the local data storage component of the battery pack for storage.