Robot system

• US 20040015266A1
• Filed: 06/03/2003
• Published: 01/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unibap AB
• Original Assignee: ABB AB (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Skoog, Hans
• Granted Patent: US 7,082,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0891 specially adapted for land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

An autonomous wheeled mobile robot (1) comprising at least one wheel-driving motor, an on-board computer, means for navigation, orientation, and maneuvering in an environment with moving obstacles; a sensor system; and a wireless communication system for receiving and sending.

Claims

1. Autonomous wheeled mobile robot (1) comprising at least one wheel-driving motor, an on-board computer;

means for navigation, orientation, and maneuvering in an environment with moving obstacles;

a sensor system; and

a wireless communication system for receiving and sending, characterized in-that said robot comprises supporting means composed of a single pair of coaxial driven wheels (2) only, a pendulum dependent oscillation balancing system, and a steering and drive system that superimposes the balancing system.

2. A mobile robot according to claim 1, characterized in that the center of gravity of said robot lies above the co-axis of said single pair of coaxial wheels.

3. A mobile robot according to claim 1, characterized in that the center of gravity of said robot lies below the co-axis of said single pair of coaxial wheels and that the pendulum oscillation balancing system is disposed to attenuate excessive oscillation.

4. A mobile robot according to one of claims 1-2, characterized in that the balancing system is disposed to maintain the center of gravity of the robot substantially vertically above the line of contact (c) between said single pair of drive wheels and an underlying surface even when that surface is not level.

5. A mobile robot according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that said robot is provided, at a distance from said co-axis, with at least one downwardly depending fixed support, disposed to normally remain out of contact with the underlying surface when the robot is in upright balance, but come into contact with the underlying surface should the robot lose balance, thereby preventing the robot from tipping over.

6. A mobile robot according to any of claims 1-5 characterized in that said robot also comprises a coupling hitch frame (14) for autonomous selective mechanical and/or electrical coupling to, and uncoupling from, one of a plurality of different interchangeable wheeled implement modules.

7. A mobile robot according to claim 6, characterized in that said coupling hitch comprises a mechanical gripping means (5, 6) which can establish a coupling to an implement module (3a) having a single pair of wheels (8), which permits free pivoting between the robot and the implement module about the vertical axis (z) passing through the robot-implement coupling but no pivoting between the robot and the implement module about the transverse axis (y) passing through the robot-implement coupling.

8. A mobile robot according one of claims 1-7, characterized in that said coupling hitch comprises a mechanical gripping means (5, 6) which can establish a coupling to an implement module (3b) having one front pair of free running swivelable wheels (10) and one rear pair of free running non-swivelable wheels (9), which permits free pivoting between the robot (1) and the implement module (3b) about the vertical axis (z) passing through the robot-implement coupling maintaining a substantially fixed height between said swivelable wheels (10) and said coupling.

9. A mobile robot according one of claims 1-8, characterized in that said coupling hitch (4) comprises a mechanical gripping means (5, 6) which can establish a coupling to an implement module (3c) having two pairs of free-running swivelable wheels (10, 12), which permits no pivoting about the vertical axis (z) passing though the robot-implement coupling.

10. A mobile robot according one of claims 7-9, characterized in that said coupling hitch comprises two spaced mechanical gripping means (5, 6) rotatable in fixed spaced relationship in a plane normal to a longitudinal axis (x) passing through the robot.

11. A mobile robot according to claim 10, characterized in that the coupling hitch frame (14) is pivoted about a vertical axis (a) passing through the midpoint between said single pair of drive wheels.

15. Robot system according to one of claims 6-14, characterized in that the autonomous mobile robot is provided with at least a pair of rearwardly directed sensors, laterally mounted on either side of the autonomous mobile robot or its coupling hitch frame, whereby the orientation, length and position of an implement module and surrounding obstacles are sensed and processed by the on-board central processing unit.

16. Robot system according to claim 15, characterized in that said rearwardly directed sensors are laterally telescopically mounted to be extended beyond the width of the implement module which is coupled to the autonomous mobile robot.

21. The use of a mobile robot according to any of claims 1-11, a mobile system according to any of claims 12-16, or a method according to claim 17 for transports in a peopled environment.

12. Mobile robot system for performing a plurality of separate operations comprising at least one autonomous wheeled mobile robot (1) having at least one wheel-driving motor;

an on-board computer;

means for navigation, orientation, and maneuvering in an environment with moving obstacles;

a sensor system; and

a wireless communication system for receiving and sending signals, characterized in that said robot comprises supporting means composed of a single pair of coaxial driven wheels (2) only, a pendulum dependent oscillation balancing system, a steering and drive system that superimposes the balancing system and that said robot system also comprises a plurality of dockable operation modules (3a-c), which are selectively couplable with the autonomous mobile robot to form an operation unit.

13. Robot system according to claim 12, characterized in that said balancing system is automatically deactivated when said robot is coupled to a wheeled implement module whereupon the steering and drive system controls the transport of the operation unit.

14. Robot system according to claim 13, characterized in that said balancing system is automatically activated when said robot is decoupled from a wheeled implement module.

17. Method of robotic performance including a plurality of separate operations by means of a mobile robot system comprising at least one autonomous wheeled mobile robot (1) having at least one wheel-driving motor;

an on-board computer, means for navigation, orientation, and maneuvering in an environment with moving obstacles;

a sensor system; and

a wireless communication system for receiving and sending signals, characterized in that

an operation module (3) in a module store is chosen for a predetermined operation the robot docks with the operation module and forms an operation unit,

the operation unit transports itself to an ordered location by intelligence of the robot,

the operation is carried out by the operation module at the location, the operation unit returns to the module store where the robot and the operating module are undocked

18. Computer program product including a software program comprising instructions for a computer to perform a method according to claim 18.

20. Computer readable medium containing a computer program product according to claim 18.

19. Computer program product according to claim 19 supplied at least in part over a network such as the Internet.