Magnetically coupled accessory for a self-propelled device

• US 9,481,410 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sphero Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sphero Inc.
• Inventors: Bernstein, Ian H., Wilson, Adam, Kong, Chun
• Primary Examiner(s): TO, TOAN C
• Application Number:
  US14/968,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20160090133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: 180/7.1, 180/7.4, 180/210, 180/212, 701/99, 901/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 23/04 Self-propelled boats, ships or submarines
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/02 Model aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/10 Balloons connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00; other than toy aspects B64B1/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/12 Helicopters A63H27/04 takes precedence; Flying tops
• 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: B60R 11/00 Arrangements for holding or mounting articles, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/007 using magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 11/003 Electric or electronic control systems
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 39/00 Vehicle bodies not otherwise provided for , e.g. safety vehicles safety equipment B60R21/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 61/00 Motor vehicles or trailers, characterised by the arrangement or number of wheels, not otherwise provided for, e.g. four wheels in diamond pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0259 using magnetic or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A system comprising a self-propelled device and an accessory device. The self-propelled device includes a spherical housing, and a drive system provided within the spherical housing to cause the self-propelled device to roll. When the self-propelled device rolls, the self-propelled device and the accessory device magnetically interact to maintain the accessory device in contact with a top position of the spherical housing relative to an underlying surface on which the spherical housing is rolling on.

Claims

1. A self-propelled device comprising:

a spherical housing;

an internal drive system provided within the spherical housing;

a biasing component coupled to the internal drive system to cause a pair of wheels of the internal drive system to continuously engage an inner surface of the spherical housing;

a first magnetic coupling component coupled to the biasing component, the first magnetic coupling component to provide a magnetic field that extends through the spherical housing; and

an accessory device external to the spherical housing and comprising (i) a second magnetic coupling component to magnetically couple with the first magnetic coupling component through the spherical housing, and (ii) a contact surface to engage an exterior surface of the spherical housing.

2. The self-propelled device of claim 1, wherein the first magnetic coupling component and the second magnetic coupling component each comprise one or more magnets.

3. The self-propelled device of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless communication interface to receive command instructions from a controller device; and

one or more processors to implement the command instructions on the internal drive system to maneuver the self-propelled device.

4. The self-propelled device of claim 3, wherein the command instructions correspond to voice inputs by a user.

5. The self-propelled device of claim 3, wherein the command instructions comprise an instruction to operate autonomously, and wherein the one or more processors execute the instruction to operate the self-propelled device in a full or partial autonomous mode.

6. The self-propelled device of claim 1, wherein the internal drive system comprises a pair of independent motors, each of the pair of independent motors to drive a respective one of the pair of wheels.

7. The self-propelled device of claim 1, further comprising:

a power source; and

an inductive charge port to inductively charge the power source when the self-propelled device is in inductive contact with an external inductive charging device.

8. The self-propelled device of claim 1, wherein the contact surface of the accessory device comprises a radius of curvature substantially equivalent to a radius of curvature of the spherical housing.

9. A system comprising:

a controller device; and

a self-propelled device in wireless communication with the controller device, the self-propelled device comprising;

a spherical housing;

an internal drive system provided within the spherical housing;

a biasing component coupled to the internal drive system to cause a pair of wheels of the internal drive system to continuously engage an inner surface of the spherical housing;

a first magnetic coupling component coupled to the biasing component, the first magnetic coupling component to provide a magnetic field that extends through the spherical housing; and

an accessory device external to the spherical housing and comprising (i) a second magnetic coupling component to magnetically couple with the first magnetic coupling component through the spherical housing, and (ii) a contact surface to engage an exterior surface of the spherical housing.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first magnetic coupling component and the second magnetic coupling component each comprise one or more magnets.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the internal drive system comprises a pair of independent motors, each of the pair of independent motors to drive a respective one of the pair of wheels.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the self-propelled device further comprises:

a power source; and

an inductive charge port to inductively charge the power source when the self-propelled device is in inductive contact with an external inductive charging device.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the contact surface of the accessory device comprises a radius of curvature substantially equivalent to a radius of curvature of the spherical housing.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller device comprises one of a smart phone or a tablet computer.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller device executes an application program to establish a wireless connection with the self-propelled device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the wireless connection comprises a BLUETOOTH connection.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the self-propelled device further comprises:

a wireless communication interface to receive command instructions from the controller device over the wireless connection; and

one or more processors to implement the command instructions on the internal drive system to maneuver the self-propelled device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the command instructions correspond to voice commands received by the controller device from a user.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the command instructions comprise an instruction to operate autonomously, and wherein the one or more processors execute the instruction to operate the self-propelled device in a full or partial autonomous mode.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the command instructions correspond to motion input based on a user moving the controller device.