Multi-body self propelled device with magnetic yaw control

• US 9,968,864 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2016
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sphero Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sphero Inc.
• Inventors: Clarke, David, Webster, Douglas, Nutting, Judd, Keeney-Ritchie, Miles, Short, Adam, MacGregor, Ross
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hylinski, Alyssa
• Application Number:
  US15/156,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20170266577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 29/22 Electric drives power supply through track A63H18/12
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/005 Motorised rolling toys
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/26 Magnetic or electric toys electric drives A63H29/22 ; indoor games played with small balls using magnetic power A63F7/0088, A63F7/068
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 57/00 Vehicles characterised by having other propulsion or other ground- engaging means than wheels or endless track, alone or in addition to wheels or endless track sledges B62B; motor sledges B62M
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• 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: 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A multi-body self-propelled device can include a drive body and a coupled head. The drive body can include a spherical housing and an internal drive system within the spherical housing to propel the multi-body self-propelled device. The drive body can further include a magnet support assembly comprising a rotating portion including a plurality of magnets and a stationary portion comprising one or more magnets. The drive body can further include a yaw motor to drive the rotating portion of the magnet support assembly. The coupled head can include (i) a corresponding rotating portion comprising a plurality of magnets in magnetic interaction, through the spherical housing, with the plurality of magnets of the magnet support assembly, and (ii) a corresponding stationary portion comprising one or more magnets in magnetic interaction with the one or more magnets of the magnet support assembly.

Claims

1. A multi-body self-propelled device comprising:

(i) a drive body comprising;

a spherical housing;

an internal drive system within the spherical housing to propel the multi-body self-propelled device;

a magnet support assembly comprising a rotating portion including a plurality of magnets and a stationary portion comprising one or more magnets; and

a yaw motor to drive the rotating portion of the magnet support assembly, wherein the rotating portion of the magnet support assembly comprises a rotatable outer ring driven by the yaw motor and holding the plurality of magnets of the rotating portion, the rotatable outer ring surrounding an inner holder that holds the one or more magnets of the stationary portion of the magnet support assembly; and

(ii) a coupled head comprising;

a corresponding rotating portion comprising a plurality of magnets in magnetic interaction, through the spherical housing, with the plurality of magnets of the magnet support assembly; and

a corresponding stationary portion comprising one or more magnets in magnetic interaction with the one or more magnets of the magnet support assembly.

2. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 1, further comprising (i) a wireless communication interface to receive control inputs from a controller device, and (ii) one or more processors that translate the control inputs into control commands executable on at least the internal drive system to accelerate and maneuver the multi-body self-propelled device.

3. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 2, wherein the control commands comprise yaw commands executable on the yaw motor to independently rotate the rotating portion of the magnet support assembly and the corresponding rotating portion of the coupled head.

4. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 3, wherein the corresponding stationary portion of the coupled head comprises a base plate to, via the magnetic interaction between the stationary portion of the magnet support assembly and the corresponding stationary portion of the coupled head, remain in continuous contact with an exterior surface of the spherical housing as the multi-body self-propelled device accelerates and maneuvers.

5. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 4, wherein the corresponding rotating portion of the coupled head comprises a dome structure that rotates, via the magnetic interaction between the rotating portion of the magnet support assembly and the corresponding rotating portion of the coupled head, based on the yaw motor driving the rotating portion of the magnet support assembly.

6. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 1, wherein the corresponding rotating portion of the coupled head comprises a corresponding rotatable outer ring that holds the plurality of magnets of the corresponding rotating portion, the corresponding rotatable outer ring surrounding an inner holder that holds the one or more magnets of the corresponding stationary portion of the coupled head.

7. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of magnets of the rotating portion and the plurality of magnets of the corresponding rotating portion are arranged to be magnetically attractive, and wherein the one or more magnets of the stationary portion and the one or more magnets of the corresponding stationary portion are arranged to be magnetically attractive.

8. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of magnets of the rotating portion and the plurality of magnets of the corresponding rotating portion are arranged to be magnetically repulsive, and wherein the one or more magnets of the stationary portion and the one or more magnets of the corresponding stationary portion are arranged to be magnetically attractive.

9. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 3, wherein the one or more magnets of the stationary portion comprises a first single magnet, and wherein the one or more magnets of the corresponding stationary portion comprises a second single magnet, and wherein the first single magnet and the second single magnet are oppositely oriented to be magnetically attractive.

10. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 3, wherein the internal drive system comprises a pair of wheels powered by a pair of independent motors.

11. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 10, wherein the drive body further includes a biasing mechanism coupled to the internal drive system, the biasing mechanism providing a continuous force against an inner surface of the spherical housing, causing the pair of wheels to continuously engage the inner surface in order to accelerate and maneuver the multi-body self-propelled device.

12. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 11, wherein the magnet support assembly is also coupled to the internal drive system.

13. A multi-body self-propelled device comprising:

(i) a drive body comprising;

a spherical housing;

an internal drive system within the spherical housing to propel the multi-body self-propelled device;

a magnet support assembly comprising a rotating portion including a plurality of magnets and a stationary portion comprising one or more magnets; and

a yaw motor to drive the rotating portion of the magnet support assembly, wherein the rotating portion of the magnet support assembly comprises a rotatable inner holder driven by the yaw motor and holding the plurality of magnets of the rotating portion, the rotatable inner holder being surrounded by an outer ring that holds the one or more magnets of the stationary portion of the magnet support assembly; and

(ii) a coupled head comprising;

a corresponding rotating portion comprising a plurality of magnets in magnetic interaction, through the spherical housing, with the plurality of magnets of the magnet support assembly; and

a corresponding stationary portion comprising one or more magnets in magnetic interaction with the one or more magnets of the magnet support assembly.

14. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 13, wherein the corresponding rotating portion of the coupled head comprises a corresponding rotatable inner holder that holds the plurality of magnets of the corresponding rotating portion, the corresponding rotatable inner holder being surrounded by a corresponding outer ring that holds the one or more magnets of the corresponding stationary portion of the coupled head.

15. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 14, wherein the inner holder is coupled to the dome structure via an internal column that rotates the dome structure when the motor drives the rotating and corresponding rotating portions.

16. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of magnets of the rotating portion and the plurality of magnets of the corresponding rotating portion are arranged to be magnetically attractive, and wherein the one or more magnets of the stationary portion and the one or more magnets of the corresponding stationary portion are arranged to be magnetically attractive.

17. The multi-body self-propelled device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of magnets of the rotating portion and the plurality of magnets of the corresponding rotating portion are arranged to be magnetically repulsive, and wherein the one or more magnets of the stationary portion and the one or more magnets of the corresponding stationary portion are arranged to be magnetically attractive.

18. A multi-body self-propelled device comprising:

(i) a drive body comprising;

a spherical housing;

an internal drive system within the spherical housing to propel the multi-body self-propelled device;

a magnet support assembly comprising a rotating portion including a plurality of magnets and a stationary portion comprising one or more magnets; and

a yaw motor to drive the rotating portion of the magnet support assembly; and

(ii) a coupled head comprising;

a corresponding rotating portion comprising a plurality of magnets in magnetic interaction, through the spherical housing, with the plurality of magnets of the magnet support assembly; and

a corresponding stationary portion comprising one or more magnets in magnetic interaction with the one or more magnets of the magnet support assembly, wherein the one or more magnets of the stationary portion comprises a first asymmetrical programmable magnet, and wherein the one or more magnets of the corresponding stationary portion comprises a second asymmetrical programmable magnet, and wherein the first and the second asymmetrical programmable magnets provide a net compassing force to settle the coupled head in a default orientation.

19. A multi-body self-propelled device comprising:

(i) a drive body comprising;

a spherical housing;

an internal drive system within the spherical housing to propel the multi-body self-propelled device;

a magnet support assembly comprising a rotating portion including a plurality of magnets and a stationary portion comprising one or more magnets; and

a yaw motor to drive the rotating portion of the magnet support assembly; and

(ii) a coupled head comprising;

a corresponding rotating portion comprising a plurality of magnets in magnetic interaction, through the spherical housing, with the plurality of magnets of the magnet support assembly; and

a corresponding stationary portion comprising one or more magnets in magnetic interaction with the one or more magnets of the magnet support assembly, wherein the one or more magnets of the stationary portion and the one or more magnets of the corresponding stationary portion each comprise a plurality of magnets attractively arranged to generate an asymmetrical field, and wherein the asymmetrical field provides a net compassing force to settle the coupled head in a default orientation.