Charging base station of robot and charging method of robot

Abstract

The present invention relates to a charging base station for a robot and a charging method for a robot, the charging base station, which is an embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a base station main body having a space therein, the base station main body being disposed on the ground so that the robot can approach and climb; a rotating unit disposed in the base station main body and coupled to the base station main body so as to be capable of relative rotation; and a charging part coupled to an upper portion of the rotating part and rotated together with the rotating part by rotation of the rotating part, the charging part having a power supply terminal for charging the robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging base station for a robot and a charging method for the robot. More specifically, it relates to a charging base station configured such that when the robot climbs the charging base station, it enters the charging base station by moving forward, and when the robot leaves the charging base station after charging is completed, it also leaves the charging base station by moving forward, and a charging method for the robot using the charging base station. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the development of robot technology, the frequency of using robots at home has gradually increased not only in the industrial field.

[0003] As for household robots, there are robots that help with housework such as cleaning or control home appliances to perform household affairs instead of humans, robots that use artificial intelligence (AI) to act as secretaries for users or provide education to users, and robots that replace pets.

[0004] As for household robots, in addition to robots that perform functions in a state of being fixed in a specific position, there are also mobile robots that can move. In particular, household robots mainly use mobile robots that replace users or move around the home with users. Among mobile robots, two-wheeled robots with two wheels have the advantage of a small footprint.

[0005] Like the existing cleaning-dedicated mobile robot, the household robot is driven by a built-in battery, so the battery needs to be charged periodically. For this reason, the household robot can also have a charging base station similar to the charging base station of the existing cleaning robot.

[0006] In Korean Patent No. 0575703, which is a prior art document, a system and method for returning a cleaning robot to a charging station is disclosed.

[0007] The charging station return system disclosed in the existing literature is configured to use a support sensor to guide the sweeping robot to the charging station sensing area. After the sweeping robot is guided to a specific position, the support sensor and the charging station sensor are used to three-dimensionally identify the charging station, thereby docking with the charging station.

[0008] At this time, the sweeping robot guided to the specific position rotates 180 degrees and docks with the charging station in a backward movement.

[0009] However, the center of gravity of a household robot having two wheels and a main body, in which the main body and the wheels are connected by legs, is located at a higher position, and there is no additional support point on the ground except the two wheels. Therefore, the sweeping robot in the above-mentioned existing literature is not easy to rotate on the spot, and even if it tries to rotate on the spot, the position of the center point will deviate.

[0010] In order to improve the above problem, if the robot is configured to climb the charging base station by forward movement, then there is a problem that after charging is completed, the robot can only leave the charging base station by backward movement. Summary of the invention

[0011] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0012] An object of the present invention is to provide a charging base station in which the robot can enter and leave a charging base station in a forward moving manner and a charging method for the robot using the charging base station.

[0013] In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a charging base station fixedly coupled to a robot during charging and a charging method for the robot using the charging base station.

[0014] Technical solutions to the problem

[0015] An embodiment of the present invention is a charging base station for supplying power to a robot for charging, and may include: a base station body having a space provided inside, the base station body being placed on the ground so that the robot can approach and climb; a rotating part, arranged on the base station body and coupled to the base station body in a manner capable of relative rotation; and a charging part, coupled to an upper portion of the rotating part, rotating together with the rotating part through the rotation of the rotating part, the charging part having a power supply terminal for charging the robot.

[0016] In a charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention, the base station body may include an inclined portion, which is disposed at an entrance for the robot to climb and is inclined upwards toward the front of a direction in which the robot enters.

[0017] In a charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention, a wheel guide portion is provided on the inclined portion, and a groove is formed on the wheel guide portion to guide the movement of the wheel of the robot.

[0018] At this time, the wheel guide portion may be formed such that, at an entrance for the robot to climb, the width of the groove is wider than the width of the wheel, and the width of the groove relative to the entrance becomes narrower toward the front of the climbing path of the robot.

[0019] In a charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention, the rotating part may include: a placement plate, on which the wheels of the robot are placed, and the placement plate is rotated by the rotation of a motor; and a power transmission part, which is accommodated in the internal space of the base station body together with the motor, and transmits the power generated by the rotation of the motor to the placement plate.

[0020] In a charging base station of one embodiment of the present invention, the placement plate may include: a wheel insertion slot, configured at the stop positions of the left and right wheels of the robot so that the robot stops at a specified position; and a robot sensing button, configured in the wheel insertion slot to sense the weight of the robot.

[0021] In a charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention, the power transmission part may include: a first transmission part, which receives the rotational power of the motor to rotate; a belt, which is connected to the first transmission part; and a second transmission part, which is coaxially coupled to the placement plate and connected to the belt, and receives the rotational force of the first transmission part to rotate the placement plate.

[0022] In the charging base station of an embodiment of the present invention, the power transmission unit may further include a tensioner, and the tensioner adjusts the tension of the belt.

[0023] In a charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention, the rotating part may further include: a protrusion connected to the outer peripheral surface of the second transmission part to protrude outward in the circumferential direction of the second transmission part; and a micro switch arranged at a position contacting the protrusion through the rotation of the second transmission part.

[0024] In a charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention, the charging part may include: a charging part body, which is arranged between the left wheel and the right wheel of the robot based on the state in which the robot climbs to the rotating part; and a coupling groove, which is arranged at the upper part of the charging part body, for the coupling component of the robot to be inserted into the coupling groove.

[0025] In the charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention, the charging unit may further include a coupling hook, which is disposed in the coupling groove and is locked and coupled with a coupling member of the robot.

[0026] In a charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention, the charging part may further include: a hook link, one end of which is adjacent to the combining hook, and if one end of the combining hook is locked to the combining component of the robot, the other end of the combining hook is locked to the one end of the hook link; and a hook switch, which is adjacent to the other end of the hook link, and the combining hook is released by pressing the other end of the hook link.

[0027] An embodiment of the present invention is a robot charging method performed by a robot system including a robot and a charging base station for supplying power to the robot for charging, and may include: a climbing step in which the wheels of the robot climb the rotating part of the charging base station; a combining step in which the charging terminals of the robot and the power supply terminals of the charging base station are electrically combined with each other to supply power to the robot; and a rotation step in which the rotating part of the charging base station rotates together with the robot to change the direction in which the front of the robot faces by 180 degrees.

[0028] In a charging method for a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, the robot may include: a robot body having the charging terminal; leg parts respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the robot body and combined with the wheels rolling on the ground; and a suspension motor housed in the robot body and respectively connected to the left and right leg parts to provide driving force to the leg parts.

[0029] In a robot charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the coupling step may include: a robot body lowering step in which the leg portion drives the suspension motor to move the robot body downward so that the charging terminal and the power supply terminal are in contact with and coupled to each other; and a robot body fixing step in which a coupling component arranged on the lower side of the robot body and a coupling hook arranged on the upper side of the charging base station are locked and coupled to each other.

[0030] In the robot charging method of one embodiment of the present invention, it can also include: a releasing step in which the combination of the charging terminal and the power supply terminal is released; and a resetting rotation step in which the rotating part rotates to return to the initial position after the robot is detached from the charging base station.

[0031] Another embodiment of the charging method of the robot performed by the robot system may include: an entry step in which the robot moves close to the charging base station and climbs the base station body of the charging base station; a charging step in which a charging terminal provided on the robot and a power supply terminal provided on the charging base station are electrically contacted with each other; and a detachment step in which the robot moves away from the charging base station.

[0032] In another embodiment of the charging method of the robot, in the entering step, at least one of the wheel motor and the terminal rotation motor may be driven.

[0033] In another embodiment of the robot charging method, in the charging step, the robot body may move toward a direction close to the ground.

[0034] In another embodiment of the charging method of the robot, in the charging step, the suspension motor may be driven to shorten the distance between the robot body and the wheels.

[0035] In another embodiment of the robot charging method, in the detaching step, the robot body may move in a direction away from the ground.

[0036] In another embodiment of the charging method of the robot, the posture change of the robot body may occur more than once throughout the entering step, the charging step, and the separating step.

[0037] In another embodiment of the charging method of the robot, in the entering step and the separating step, the wheel motor may be rotationally driven in one direction.

[0038] In another embodiment of the charging method of the robot, a rotation direction of the suspension motor in the entering step and a rotation direction of the suspension motor in the separating step may be opposite directions to each other.

[0039] Effects of the Invention

[0040] According to the present invention, after the robot is combined with the charging base station, the placement plate is rotated 180 degrees, so the robot can enter the charging base station and detach from the charging base station in a forward movement. Therefore, it has the advantage that the robot can easily enter and detach from the charging base station.

[0041] In addition, according to the present invention, when the robot is coupled to the charging base station, the coupling hook of the charging base station and the coupling member of the robot are locked and coupled to each other, thereby achieving a fixed coupling between the robot and the charging base station. Therefore, the power supply to the robot can be stably maintained during charging.

[0042] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and those skilled in the art can more clearly understand other effects not mentioned through the description of the attached claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of a robot for explaining an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Exploded three-dimensional diagram.

[0045] Figure 3 2 is a front view of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 4 2 is a rear view of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 5 is a side view of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 6 4 is a bottom view of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 7 It is a diagram for explaining a state where an upper functional module is removed from the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 8 It is a diagram for explaining a leg portion of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Fig. 9 It is a diagram for explaining the connection relationship of the leg parts of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] Fig.10 It is a diagram for explaining the second link of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] Fig.11 It is a diagram for explaining a structure for hiding electric wires of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] Fig.12 and Fig.13 It is a diagram for explaining the position of the wheel that changes according to the movement of the leg part in the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] Fig.14 It is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the wheels of the robot according to an embodiment of the present invention and the configuration relationship for combining with the lower functional module.

[0056] Fig.15 is a block diagram of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] Fig.16 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a robot main body and a lower functional module of the robot according to an embodiment of the present invention are combined.

[0058] Fig.17 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] Fig.18 Yes Fig.17 An exploded view of some of the components.

[0060] Fig.19 It is a diagram for explaining the structure of a power transmission unit in a charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] Fig. 20 yes Fig.19 Stereoscopic diagram.

[0062] Fig.21 This is a development view in which the power transmission unit is exploded from the base station body.

[0063] Fig. 22 4 is a top view of a charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] Fig.23 It is a diagram for explaining the release of the locked connection between the robot and the charging base station in the charging base station according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] Fig.24 It is a diagram for explaining the locking connection between the robot and the charging base station in the charging base station according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] Fig.25 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of a charging method for a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] Fig.26 and Fig. 27 is shown with Fig.25 FIG. 1 is a diagram of an action corresponding to step S100.

[0068] Fig.28 is shown with Fig.25 FIG. 1 is a diagram of an action corresponding to step S200.

[0069] Fig.29 is shown with Fig.25 FIG. 1 is a diagram of an action corresponding to step S300.

[0070] Fig.30 is shown with Fig.25 FIG. 4 is a diagram of an action corresponding to step S400.

[0071] Fig.31 is shown with Fig.25 FIG. 5 is a diagram of an action corresponding to step S500.

[0072] Fig.32 : is a flowchart showing the flow of another embodiment of a method for charging a robot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0074] The present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, so specific embodiments are shown in the drawings and are specifically described in the detailed description. This is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, but should be interpreted as including all changes, equivalents and substitutes within the scope of the present invention.

[0075] Figure 1A perspective view of a robot for explaining an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 Exploded stereogram of Figure 3 A front view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, Figure 4 A rear view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, Figure 5 A side view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, Figure 6 FIG. 2 shows a bottom view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 A diagram for explaining a state in which an upper functional module is removed from the robot according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0076] Below, refer to Figures 1 to 7 , a robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0077] The robot 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is placed on the ground and moves along the ground B. Therefore, in the following description, the up-down direction is defined based on the state in which the robot 1 is placed on the ground.

[0078] Furthermore, the side where the mapping camera 531 described later is arranged with reference to the battery 600 is defined as the front and described. In addition, the direction opposite to the front with reference to the battery 600 is defined as the rear and described.

[0079] The “lowest part” of each component described in the embodiment of the present invention may be the lowest part of each component when the robot 1 of the embodiment of the present invention is placed on the ground for use, or the part closest to the ground.

[0080] The robot 1 of the embodiment of the present invention comprises a robot body 100, a leg part 200 and a wheel part 300. At this time, the leg parts 200 are combined on both sides of the robot body 100, and the wheel part 300 is combined on the leg part 200.

[0081] Robot body

[0082] The robot body 100 may form the appearance of the robot 1. Various components constituting the robot 1 may be combined with the robot body 100.

[0083] For example, the leg parts 200 are respectively connected to both side frames 130 of the robot body 100 . Also, the front cover 110 provided on the front side of the robot body 100 may be connected to the bumper 112 .

[0084] In particular, the functional modules 700 and 800 can be detachably coupled to the robot body 100 of an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the functional modules 700 and 800 may include: an upper functional module 700 coupled to the upper portion of the robot body 100; and a lower functional module 800 coupled to the space between the pair of wheels 310 (refer to Figure 1 and Fig.16 ).

[0085] Therefore, the upper functional module 700 may be detachably coupled to the top cover 140 disposed on the upper side of the robot body 100. The lower functional module 800 may be detachably coupled to the bottom cover 150 disposed on the lower side of the robot body 100.

[0086] The above-described configuration has the effect of enabling various functions to be executed by combining the function modules 700 and 800 with the robot body 100. In addition, it has the effect of enabling the function in use to be changed to a new function by replacing the function modules 700 and 800, or enabling the function in use to be added with a new function by additionally installing the function modules 700 and 800.

[0087] In an embodiment of the present invention, the robot body 100 may be formed in a form in which the horizontal width (or diameter) is larger than the vertical height. Such a robot body 100 helps the robot 1 to form a stable structure and can provide a structure that helps the robot 1 to be balanced during movement (travel).

[0088] Some components constituting the robot 1 may be accommodated inside the robot body 100. For example, one or more motors including the suspension motor MS, one or more sensors, and a battery 600 may be accommodated in the internal space of the robot body 100.

[0089] The robot body 100 includes a front cover 110. The front cover 110 constitutes the front appearance of the robot 1. That is, the front cover 110 may be arranged at the frontmost part of the robot 1 when the robot 1 moves forward.

[0090] For example, the front cover 110 of the robot body 100 may be formed in a flat plate form. As another example, the front cover 110 may be in a plate form with a curved surface. As another example, the front cover 110 may be in a plate form bent at a predetermined angle.

[0091] The front cover 110 may be provided with a window 111. The window 111 may be formed of a material through which light can pass. For example, the window 111 may be formed of a material through which infrared rays (IR), visible rays, or ultraviolet rays (UV) can pass.

[0092] The front cover 110 includes an outer side surface exposed to the outside of the robot 1 and an inner side surface disposed on the back side of the outer side surface.

[0093] The bumper 112 may be combined with the outer side of the front cover 110. That is, the bumper 112 may be arranged in front of the robot body 100. For example, the bumper 112 may be provided at both ends of the outer side of the front cover 110 and a pair of bumpers 112 may be arranged side by side in the up-down direction.

[0094] The bumper 112 may be provided to be movable relative to the robot body 100. For example, the bumper 112 may be combined with the robot body 100 to be reciprocally movable along the front-rear direction of the robot body 100.

[0095] The bumper 112 may be coupled along a portion of the front edge of the front cover 110. Alternatively, the bumper 112 may be coupled along the entire edge of the front cover 110. With the above-described configuration, when the robot 1 collides with another object or a person, the bumper 112 can protect the robot body 100 and the components accommodated inside the robot body 100 by absorbing the impact applied to the robot body 100.

[0096] A mapping camera 531 may be disposed behind the inner side surface of the front cover 110. Specifically, the mapping camera 531 may be disposed directly behind the viewing window 111. With the above-described configuration, the mapping camera 531 may sense objects or people disposed in front of the robot 1.

[0097] On the other hand, although not shown in the figure, the front cover 110 may be provided with an input unit for receiving control commands input by the user, a display unit for visually transmitting information related to the operating state of the robot 1 to the user, etc. For example, the front cover 110 may be provided with a touch screen for visually displaying the operating state of the robot 1 and receiving control commands input by the user.

[0098] The robot body 100 includes a rear cover 120 .

[0099] The rear cover 120 constitutes the rear appearance of the robot 1. For example, the rear cover 120 may be formed in a flat plate form. As another example, the rear cover 120 may be in a plate form having a curved surface.

[0100] The rear cover 120 may be provided with an operation unit 553 for adjusting the power of the robot 1 .

[0101] The user can operate the operation part 553 , and by operating the operation part 553 , the power of the robot 1 can be turned on or off.

[0102] The operation portion 553 may be disposed at the rear cover 120 to pivot in the left-right direction, or may be disposed to pivot in the up-down direction according to an embodiment.

[0103] For example, when the user presses one side of the operation part 553 so that the operation part 553 pivots to one side, the power of the robot 1 can be turned on. When the user presses the other side of the operation part 553 so that the operation part 553 pivots to the other side, the power of the robot 1 can be turned off.

[0104] The rear bumper 122 may be combined with the outer side surface of the rear cover 120. That is, the rear bumper 122 may be arranged at the rear of the robot body 100. For example, the rear bumper 122 may be provided on the outer side surface of the rear cover 120 and arranged in the horizontal direction. With the above-described configuration, the rear bumper 122 can protect the robot body 100 and the components accommodated inside the robot body 100 by absorbing the impact applied to the robot body 100 when the robot 1 collides with other objects or people.

[0105] The robot body 100 includes a side frame 130 .

[0106] The side frames 130 constitute the appearance of both sides of the robot 1. For example, the side frames 130 may be configured to be respectively arranged on both sides of the robot 1 and face each other. For example, the side frames 130 may be formed in a flat plate form. That is, both sides of the robot body 100 may be formed in a flat plate form and arranged parallel to each other. As another example, at least a portion of the side frames 130 may be formed in a curved surface form.

[0107] The side frame 130 is combined with the front cover 110 and the rear cover 120. The side frame 130 can connect the front cover 110 and the rear cover 120. With the above configuration, the robot body 100 can form an internal space surrounded by the front cover 110, the rear cover 120 and the two side frames 130.

[0108] The leg portion 200 may be disposed on the outer side of the side frame 130. Specifically, the first link 210 and the second link 220 may be rotatably coupled to the outer side of the side frame 130.

[0109] Generally, in a two-wheeled robot, a supporting structure is arranged vertically below the robot body to support the load of the robot. However, when there is a supporting structure vertically below the robot body, there is a limitation that the space below the robot cannot be used.

[0110] In order to solve this problem, the robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is combined with a leg part 200 on the side frame 130 .

[0111] A suspension motor MS may be disposed inside the side frame 130 .

[0112] Link rod coupling holes 131 and 132 may be formed in the side frame 130 . The link rod coupling holes include a first link rod coupling hole 131 and a second link rod coupling hole 132 .

[0113] The first link coupling hole 131 is formed in a circular hole form in the side frame 130. At least a portion of the first link 210 may be rotatably received in the first link coupling hole 131. For example, one side end of the first link 210 may pass through the first link coupling hole 131 and be coupled to the shaft of the suspension motor MS.

[0114] The second link coupling hole 132 is formed in the form of a circular hole in the side frame 130. At least a portion of the second link 220 may be rotatably accommodated in the second link coupling hole 132. For example, a shaft formed on one side of the second link 220 may be rotatably penetrated and coupled to the second link coupling hole 132.

[0115] On the other hand, the first link coupling hole 131 may be formed to have a larger diameter than the second link coupling hole 132 .

[0116] The first link coupling hole 131 and the second link coupling hole 132 may be formed at a predetermined interval. For example, the center of the first link coupling hole 131 in a circular hole shape and the center of the second link coupling hole 132 in a circular hole shape may be arranged at a predetermined interval.

[0117] The first link coupling hole 131 and the second link coupling hole 132 may be configured to have a predetermined inclination with respect to the ground. For example, when the robot 1 is placed on the ground, the first link coupling hole 131 may be configured at the lower side of the side frame 130, and the second link coupling hole 132 may be configured at the upper rear side of the side frame 130.

[0118] With the above-described structure, the side frame 130 formed with the connecting rod coupling holes 131 and 132 can play a role as a connecting rod.

[0119] On the other hand, according to an embodiment, a handle hole 133 may be formed in the side frame 130. For example, the handle hole 133 may be formed in the upper front of the side frame 130. With the above-described configuration, the user can insert his hand into the handle hole 133 and then grasp the side frame 130 and lift the robot body 100 upward.

[0120] The top cover 140 constitutes the upper appearance of the robot 1. The top cover 140 is combined with the front cover 110, the rear cover 120, and the two side frames 130. Thus, the top cover 140 can cover the upper side of the internal space surrounded by the front cover 110, the rear cover 120, and the two side frames 130.

[0121] When the robot 1 is placed on the ground, the top cover 140 may be arranged to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the ground. For example, the top cover 140 may be arranged so that the front end is closer to the ground than the rear end.

[0122] The upper functional module 700 may be combined with the top cover 140. The upper functional module 700 may be detachably combined with the upper side of the top cover 140. For example, a hook receiving groove 141 may be formed on the top cover 140 to be hooked with the upper functional module 700. With the above-described configuration, the upper functional module 700 can be combined with the robot body 100 by a simple action of the user aligning the hook of the upper functional module 700 with the hook receiving groove 141 and pushing it in.

[0123] The robot body 100 can supply power to the upper functional module 700. Specifically, a terminal capable of supplying power to the upper functional module 700 may be provided on the top surface cover 140.

[0124] In addition, the robot body 100 can transmit and receive signals with the upper functional module 700. Specifically, the top surface cover 140 may be provided with a terminal capable of transmitting and receiving signals with the upper functional module 700.

[0125] On the other hand, in an embodiment of the present invention, terminals capable of supplying power to the upper functional module 700 and terminals capable of transmitting and receiving signals with the upper functional module 700 may be centrally configured on the top cover 140. For example, a pogo pin 142 including two power pins and four signal pins may be provided on the top cover 140.

[0126] At least one guide groove 143 may be formed on the top cover 140. The lower side of the upper functional module 700 may be coupled to the guide groove 143. With the above-mentioned structure, the guide groove 143 may guide the coupling position of the upper functional module 700.

[0127] The bottom cover 150 constitutes the lower appearance of the robot 1. The bottom cover 150 is combined with the front cover 110, the rear cover 120, and the two side frames 130. Thus, the bottom cover 150 can cover the lower side of the internal space surrounded by the front cover 110, the rear cover 120, and the two side frames 130.

[0128] The bottom cover 150 may be combined with the lower functional module 800. The lower functional module 800 may be detachably combined with the lower side of the bottom cover 150. Specifically, the bottom cover 150 may be provided with a combining rod 151 to be combined with the lower functional module 800 by latching.

[0129] The coupling rod 151 may be formed in a cylindrical shape and arranged along the left-right direction of the robot 1 . Also, a pair of protrusions connected to the coupling rod 151 may be protruded from the bottom cover 150 .

[0130] The bottom cover 150 may be provided with a charging terminal 152 . The charging terminal 152 may be disposed on the lower side of the bottom cover 150 .

[0131] At this time, the position of the charging terminal 152 may be configured to face the power supply terminal 936 provided at the charging base station 900. The charging terminal 152 may be electrically connected to the power supply terminal 936 provided at the charging base station 900. The robot 1 may receive power from the charging base station 900 through the charging terminal 152. And, the power supplied to the charging terminal 152 may be supplied to the battery 600.

[0132] On the other hand, in a two-wheeled robot, a supporting structure is usually arranged vertically below the robot body in order to support the load of the robot. However, when there is a supporting structure vertically below the robot body, there is a limitation that the space below the robot cannot be used.

[0133] To this end, the robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided with leg parts 200 on both sides of the robot body 100. Therefore, a module coupling space 153 for coupling the lower functional module 800 is formed on the lower side of the bottom cover 150.

[0134] The module combining space 153 may be formed between the pair of leg parts 200. For example, the module combining space 153 may refer to a space vertically below the combining rod 151. That is, the module combining space 153 may be a space having a predetermined width ΔS in the left-right direction.

[0135] Therefore, since the lower functional module 800 is incorporated in the space between the lower portion of the robot body 100 and the pair of leg parts 200 , there is an effect of being able to minimize the volume occupied by the robot 1 in a state where the lower functional module 800 is installed.

[0136] On the other hand, although not shown, according to an embodiment, the robot body 100 may further include an external shell. The external shell may constitute the overall appearance of the robot body 100. The external shell may cover the exterior of the front cover 110, the rear cover 120, the side frame 130, the top cover 140, and the bottom cover 150. For example, the external shell may be formed in an ellipsoidal shape extending in the left-right direction.

[0137] Leg

[0138] Figure 8 A diagram showing a leg portion of a robot for explaining an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Fig. 9 A diagram for explaining the connection relationship of the leg parts of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Fig.10 A diagram showing a second link of a robot for explaining an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Fig.11 A diagram showing a structure for hiding electric wires of a robot for explaining an embodiment of the present invention.

[0139] Below, refer to Figures 8 to 11 , the leg portion 200 of the robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0140] The leg part 200 may be combined with the robot body 100 and support the robot body 100. For example, a pair of leg parts 200 are provided and are respectively combined with the side frames 130 of the robot body 100. At this time, at least a portion of the leg part 200 is configured to be closer to the ground than the robot body 100. Therefore, the robot body 100 can travel in a standing position on the ground by means of a pair of leg parts 200. That is, the gravity applied to the robot body 100 can be supported by the leg parts 200, and the height of the robot body 100 can be maintained.

[0141] In the robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the leg parts 200 are only connected to the two side surfaces of the robot body 100. That is, the leg parts 200 are not connected to the bottom surface and the back surface of the robot body 100.

[0142] Therefore, if Figure 3 and Fig.14 As shown, a space is formed between the lower side of the bottom cover 150 and the pair of legs 200. For example, a space capable of accommodating the lower functional module 800 in a rectangular parallelepiped form may be formed between the lower side of the bottom cover 150 and the pair of legs 200.

[0143] The leg part 200 includes a first link 210, a second link 220, and a third link 230. At this time, the first link 210 and the second link 220 are rotatably coupled to the side frame 130 and the third link 230, respectively. That is, the first link 210 and the second link 220 are coupled to the side frame 130 and the third link 230, respectively.

[0144] The first link 210 is link-coupled with the side surface of the robot body 100. For example, the first link 210 may be link-coupled with the side surface frame 130.

[0145] The first link 210 is connected to the suspension motor MS. For example, the first link 210 may be connected to a shaft of the suspension motor MS directly or through a gear. By the configuration as described above, the first link 210 receives a driving force from the suspension motor MS.

[0146] The first link 210 includes a first link body 211 , a motor coupling portion 212 , and a link coupling portion 213 .

[0147] The first link body 211 is formed in a frame shape that connects and extends between the motor coupling part 212 and the link coupling part 213. The motor coupling part 212 is provided on one side in the length direction of the first link body 211, and the link coupling part 213 is provided on the other side in the length direction. At this time, the motor coupling part 212 can be configured to be farther away from the ground than the link coupling part 213.

[0148] The first link body 211 may be formed in a shape that is bent at least once. For example, the first link body 211 may be configured such that the other side where the link coupling portion 213 is provided is further away from the robot body 100 than the side where the motor coupling portion 212 is provided. Thus, the first link body 211 is formed such that the distance between a pair of first link bodies 211 increases as the upper side approaches the lower side in the vertical direction. With the configuration as described above, the first link 210 can stably support the robot body 100.

[0149] The first link body 211 may be formed with a rib 211a. For example, the first link body 211 may be formed with a rib protruding along the length direction. In this case, the rib 211a may be formed in a curved area of ​​the first link body 211. By the above-described configuration, the rib 211a has the effect of improving durability by reinforcing the first link 210.

[0150] The motor coupling portion 212 is formed and connected to one end portion of the first link body 211 .

[0151] The motor coupling part 212 is rotatably received in the first connecting rod coupling hole 131 of the side frame 130. For example, the motor coupling part 212 may be formed in a disc shape or a disk shape. In this case, the maximum diameter of the motor coupling part 212 may be the same as or smaller than the maximum diameter of the first connecting rod coupling hole 131. Thus, the motor coupling part 212 may pass through the first connecting rod coupling hole 131 and be connected to the suspension motor MS.

[0152] The motor coupling part 212 is connected to the suspension motor MS. For example, the motor coupling part 212 may be fixedly coupled to the shaft of the suspension motor MS. With the above-described configuration, when the suspension motor MS is driven, the motor coupling part 212 may rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the shaft of the suspension motor MS.

[0153] The link coupling portion 213 is formed at the other end portion of the first link body 211 .

[0154] The link coupling portion 213 is rotatably coupled to the third link 230. Specifically, the link coupling portion 213 is rotatably coupled to the third link 230 using the first link shaft 214. For example, the link coupling portion 213 may be formed in a disk shape, and the first link shaft 214 may be penetrated and coupled to the center of the link coupling portion 213. In addition, the first link shaft 214 may be rotatably penetrated and coupled to the third link 230. By the above-described configuration, the first link 210 and the third link 230 may be connected so as to be relatively rotatable.

[0155] The first connecting rod shaft 214 is provided to connect the first connecting rod 210 and the third connecting rod 230. For example, the first connecting rod shaft 214 may penetrate the connecting rod coupling portion 213 of the first connecting rod 210 and / or the third connecting rod 230 and be coupled. In this case, the first connecting rod shaft 214 may be rotatably coupled to the connecting rod coupling portion 213 and / or the third connecting rod 230. By the above-described configuration, the first connecting rod shaft 214 may become the axis for the third connecting rod 230 to rotate.

[0156] The gravity compensating unit 215 compensates for the vertical downward movement of the robot body 100 due to gravity. In other words, the gravity compensating unit 215 provides a force to support the robot body 100 upward.

[0157] For example, the gravity compensation part 215 may be a torsion spring. The gravity compensation part 215 may be wound to surround the outer peripheral surface of the first connecting rod shaft 214. In addition, one end of the gravity compensation part 215 is inserted and fixedly coupled to the first connecting rod 210, and the other end of the gravity compensation part 215 is inserted and fixedly coupled to the third connecting rod 230.

[0158] The gravity compensation part 215 applies a force in a direction in which the angle between the first link 210 and the third link 230 increases. For example, the angles of both side ends of the gravity compensation part 215 are pre-tightened to apply a restoring force in a direction in which the angle between the first link 210 and the third link 230 increases. Thus, even if the robot 1 is placed on the ground and gravity is applied to the robot body 100, the angle between the first link 210 and the third link 230 can be kept within a specified angle range.

[0159] The above configuration can prevent the robot body 100 from falling toward the ground even if the suspension motor MS is not driven. Therefore, the gravity compensation unit 215 can prevent energy loss caused by driving the suspension motor MS and keep the height of the robot body 100 above a predetermined distance from the ground.

[0160] The second link 220 is link-coupled with the side surface of the robot body 100. For example, the second link 220 may be link-coupled with the side surface frame 130. That is, the second link 220 may be coupled to the side surface frame 130 together with the first link 210.

[0161] The second link 220 includes a second link body 221, a frame coupling portion 222, and a link coupling portion 223. At this time, the frame coupling portion 222 may be configured to be farther from the ground than the link coupling portion 223.

[0162] The second link body 221 is formed in a frame shape extending between the frame coupling part 222 and the link coupling part 223. The frame coupling part 222 is provided on one side of the second link body 221 in the longitudinal direction, and the link coupling part 223 is provided on the other side in the longitudinal direction.

[0163] The second link body 221 may be formed in a shape that is bent at least once. For example, the second link body 221 may be configured such that the other side where the link coupling portion 223 is provided is further away from the robot body 100 than the side where the frame coupling portion 222 is provided. Thus, the second link body 221 is formed such that the distance between a pair of second link bodies 221 increases as the upper side approaches the lower side in the vertical direction. By the configuration as described above, the second link 220 can stably support the robot body 100.

[0164] The second link body 221 includes an inner side surface facing the robot body 100 and an outer side surface facing a direction away from the robot body 100 .

[0165] The second link body 221 may be formed with a rib 221a. For example, the rib 221a may be formed protruding along the length direction on the outer side surface of the second link body 221. In this case, the rib 221a may be formed in a curved area of ​​the second link body 221. With the above-described configuration, the rib 221a has the effect of improving durability by reinforcing the second link 220.

[0166] The second connecting rod body 221 may be formed with a wire accommodating wall 221b. For example, a pair of wire accommodating walls 221b may be formed protruding along the length direction on the inner side surface of the second connecting rod body 221. In this case, the pair of wire accommodating walls 221b may be formed parallel to each other with a predetermined interval. With the above-described configuration, wires may be accommodated in the space surrounded by the second connecting rod body 221 and the wire accommodating walls 221b. Thus, the wires can be prevented from being exposed to the outside.

[0167] In addition, a wire support pin 221c may be provided on the second link 220. The wire support pin 221c may penetrate a pair of wire accommodating walls 221b. The wire support pin 221c may be arranged in a direction that crosses a pair of wire accommodating walls 221b. With the above-described configuration, the wire accommodating wall 221b may block a portion of an open area in a space surrounded by the second link body 221 and the wire accommodating wall 221b. Thus, it is possible to prevent the wires from escaping from the space surrounded by the second link body 221 and the wire accommodating wall 221b.

[0168] The frame coupling portion 222 is connected to one end portion of the second link body 221 .

[0169] The frame coupling part 222 is rotatably coupled to the second link coupling hole 132 of the side frame 130. For example, the frame coupling part 222 may be provided with a coupling shaft 222a penetrating and coupled to the side frame 130.

[0170] The coupling shaft 222a may be formed in a cylindrical shape. For example, the outer diameter of the other end of the coupling shaft 222a may be larger than the outer diameter of the one end of the coupling shaft 222a coupled to the side frame 130 in the axial direction (length direction).

[0171] The coupling shaft 222a may be formed with a hollow space 222b. The electric wire may pass through the hollow space 222b. With the above-described configuration, it is possible to prevent the electric wire that supplies power from the battery 600 to the wheel motor MW from being exposed to the outside.

[0172] In addition, a wire passing hole 222c may be formed in the coupling shaft 222a. The wire passing hole 222c may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the other axial end of the coupling shaft 222a. With the above-described configuration, the wire passing through the hollow 222b from the robot body 100 may be accommodated in the second link body 221 via the wire passing hole 222c.

[0173] The coupling shaft 222a can be coupled to the rotating connecting plate 222d. For example, the rotating connecting plate 222d can be formed in a disc shape, and the diameter of the rotating connecting plate 222d can be smaller than the diameter of the other axial end of the coupling shaft 222a. Thus, the rotating connecting plate 222d can be accommodated and coupled to the other axial end of the coupling shaft 222a.

[0174] The rotating connecting plate 222d may be formed integrally with the second link body 221. The radially outer end of the rotating connecting plate 222d may be connected to the second link body 221. With the above-described configuration, the rotating connecting plate 222d may connect the second link body 221 and the coupling shaft 222a.

[0175] The link coupling portion 223 is formed at the other end portion of the second link body 221 .

[0176] The link joint 223 is rotatably coupled to the third link 230. Specifically, the link joint 223 is rotatably coupled to the third link 230 using the second link shaft 224. For example, the link joint 223 may be formed in a disk shape, and the second link shaft 224 may be penetrated and coupled in the center of the link joint 223. In addition, the second link shaft 224 may be rotatably penetrated and coupled to the third link 230. By the above-described configuration, the second link 220 and the third link 230 may be connected so as to be relatively rotatable.

[0177] The second connecting rod shaft 224 is configured to connect the second connecting rod 220 and the third connecting rod 230. For example, the second connecting rod shaft 224 may penetrate the connecting rod coupling portion 223 of the second connecting rod 220 and / or the third connecting rod 230 and be coupled. In this case, the second connecting rod shaft 224 may be rotatably coupled to the connecting rod coupling portion 223 and / or the third connecting rod 230. By the configuration described above, the second connecting rod shaft 224 may become the axis for the third connecting rod 230 to rotate.

[0178] The third link 230 is link-coupled with the first link 210 and the second link 220 , and is coupled with the wheel portion 300 .

[0179] The third link 230 includes a third link body 231. The third link body 231 is formed in a frame shape that connects and extends between the fourth link coupling hole 233 and the wheel coupling portion 234. The third link coupling hole 232 and the fourth link coupling hole 233 are formed on one side in the length direction of the third link 230, and the wheel coupling portion 234 is formed on the other side in the length direction.

[0180] The third link body 231 may be formed in a shape bent at least once. For example, in a pair of third link bodies 231, the distance between the other sides where the wheel coupling portion 234 is formed is shorter than the distance between the sides where the third link coupling hole 232 and the fourth link coupling hole 233 are formed.

[0181] At least one rib 231a may be formed protruding along the length direction of the third link body 231. The rib 231a may be formed in a curved region of the third link body 231. With the above configuration, the rib may reinforce the third link body 231.

[0182] A third connecting rod coupling hole 232 is formed in the third connecting rod body 231. Specifically, the third connecting rod coupling hole 232 is formed on one side in the length direction of the third connecting rod body 231. The first connecting rod shaft 214 can be rotatably penetrated and coupled to the third connecting rod coupling hole 232. For example, the third connecting rod coupling hole 232 can be formed in the form of a circular hole. Through the above-mentioned structure, the third connecting rod 230 can be rotatably connected to the first connecting rod 210 using the first connecting rod shaft 214.

[0183] The third link body 231 may have a hole formed therein to be coupled to the gravity compensation portion 215. For example, the other end of the torsion spring may be inserted and coupled to the hole.

[0184] A fourth connecting rod coupling hole 233 is formed in the third connecting rod body 231. Specifically, the fourth connecting rod coupling hole 233 is formed on one side in the length direction of the third connecting rod body 231. The second connecting rod shaft 224 can be rotatably penetrated and coupled to the fourth connecting rod coupling hole 233. For example, the fourth connecting rod coupling hole 233 can be formed in the form of a circular hole. Through the above-mentioned structure, the third connecting rod 230 can be rotatably connected to the second connecting rod 220 using the second connecting rod shaft 224.

[0185] The fourth link coupling hole 233 may be disposed farther from the wheel coupling portion 234 than the third link coupling hole 232 .

[0186] The third link 230 is coupled to the wheel 300. At this time, a wheel cover 320 is coupled to the inner side of the third link body 231 (the side facing the robot body 100), and the wheel 310 is rotatably coupled to the outer side of the third link body 231 (the back side of the inner side).

[0187] On the other hand, the wheel coupling portion 234 is formed on the third link body 231. Specifically, the wheel coupling portion 234 is formed on the other side of the third link body 231 in the longitudinal direction.

[0188] For example, the wheel coupling portion 234 may be formed in a circular hole shape. The wheel coupling portion 234 may accommodate the wheel motor MW.

[0189] On the other hand, when the robot 1 stands on the ground, the wheel coupling part 234 may be arranged vertically below the robot body 100. For example, when the robot 1 stands on the ground, the wheel coupling part 234 may be arranged vertically below the suspension motor MS.

[0190] The weight of the suspension motor MS is relatively heavy among the components accommodated in the robot main body 1. Therefore, the entire weight of the robot main body 1 may be concentrated vertically below the suspension motor MS.

[0191] With the above-described configuration, the wheel 310 coupled to the wheel coupling portion 234 supports the robot body 1 just below the center of gravity, thereby being able to maintain the balance of the robot body 1 .

[0192] Wheel

[0193] Reference Figures 1 to 7 The wheel portion 300 may be rotatably coupled to the leg portion 200 and roll on the ground to move the robot body 100 and the leg portion 200 .

[0194] The wheel unit 300 includes a wheel 310 that contacts the ground and rolls on the ground, and a wheel cover body 320 in which a wheel motor MW is accommodated.

[0195] The wheel 310 is configured to have a predetermined radius and a predetermined width along the axial direction. Figure 3 As shown, when the robot 1 is viewed from the front, the side frame 130 and the leg portion 200 may be arranged vertically above the wheel 310. Figure 2 A suspension motor MS, a first link coupling hole 131 , and a second link coupling hole 132 may be disposed on the vertical upper side of the wheel 310 .

[0196] The wheel 310 includes a wheel frame 311 formed in a circular shape. The wheel frame 311 may be formed in a cylindrical shape opened toward one side of the shaft of the wheel motor MW. Thus, the weight of the wheel frame 311 can be reduced.

[0197] However, when the wheel frame 311 is formed in a cylindrical shape, the overall rigidity of the wheel frame 311 may be reduced. In view of this, ribs (not shown) for reinforcing rigidity may be formed on the inner and outer sides of the wheel frame 311, respectively.

[0198] A tire 312 is coupled to the outer peripheral surface of the wheel frame 311. The tire 312 may be formed in a ring shape having a diameter capable of being inserted into the outer peripheral surface of the wheel frame 311.

[0199] Grooves of a predetermined pattern may be formed in the outer peripheral surface of the tire 311 so as to improve the grip of the tire 312 .

[0200] In one embodiment, the tire 312 may be formed of an elastic rubber material.

[0201] The wheel cover body 320 may be a cylindrical shape with one axial side open so that the wheel motor MW can be accommodated inside. At this time, the closed portion of the wheel cover body 320 can be combined with the inner side of the third connecting rod 230. By the above-mentioned structure, it is possible to prevent external foreign matter from flowing into the interior of the wheel cover body 320.

[0202] On the other hand, a sensor capable of measuring the distance to the ground may be provided on the wheel cover body 320. For example, the sensor may be a ToF sensor (Time of Flight sensor). With the above configuration, the control unit 500 may determine whether the wheel 310 is in contact with the ground.

[0203] The wheel 310 is rotatably coupled to the leg portion 200. Specifically, the wheel 310 is rotatably coupled to an outer side surface (a surface facing the outer side of the robot 1) of the third link 230.

[0204] The wheel motor MW may provide driving force to the wheel 310. The wheel motor MW may generate rotational force by receiving power from the battery 600.

[0205] The wheel motor MW may be accommodated in the wheel cover body 320. Also, the wheel motor MW may pass through the wheel coupling portion 234 of the third link 230, and the shaft of the wheel motor MW may be coupled to the wheel frame 311 of the wheel 310. That is, the wheel motor MW may be an in-wheel motor.

[0206] With the above-described configuration, when the wheel motor MW is driven, the wheel 310 can roll along the ground while rotating, and thus the robot 1 can move along the ground.

[0207] Balance of a robot based on a four-link

[0208] Fig.12 and Fig.13A diagram for explaining the position of the wheels that change according to the movement of the leg parts in the robot according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Fig.14 A diagram showing the configuration of the wheels of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention and the configuration relationship for combining with a lower functional module.

[0209] Below, refer to Figure 12 to Figure 14 , the balance of the robot 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0210] The robot 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can support the robot body 100 through a four-section connecting rod structure and maintain the balance of the robot body 100 .

[0211] Below, refer to Fig.12 and Fig.13 , the front-to-back balance of the robot 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0212] The leg parts 200 are respectively provided on both sides of the robot body 100. Specifically, the first link 210 and the second link 220 are rotatably connected to the side frames 130 provided on both sides of the robot body 100, and the first link 210 and the second link 220 are connected to the third link 230. That is, the robot 1 supports the robot body 100 through a four-section link consisting of the side frame 130, the first link 210, the second link 220 and the third link 230.

[0213] On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, the gravity compensation unit 215 generates a restoring force in the direction of lifting the robot body 100. Therefore, even when the suspension motor MS is not driven, the pair of legs 200 can maintain the state of lifting the robot body 100 to a predetermined height from the ground.

[0214] On the other hand, when any one of the pair of wheels 310 is raised to go over an obstacle or when the height of the robot body 100 is lowered for charging or the like, the robot 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can maintain balance by driving the suspension motor MS.

[0215] When the suspension motor MS is driven, the link coupling portion 213 moves upward as the first link 210 rotates about the motor coupling portion 212. Also, the third link 230 moves as the first link 210 rotates. In addition, the second link 220 is pushed by the third link 230 to rotate. As a result, one end of the third link 230 can move backward, and the other end of the third link 230 can move upward.

[0216] With the above-described configuration, even when the wheels 310 are moved in the up-down direction, the forward-backward movement range of the wheels 310 can be limited. Therefore, the robot 1 can maintain a stable balance.

[0217] Therefore, the robot 1 according to the present invention has the effect of being able to climb over obstacles of various heights using the four-link structure.

[0218] In the robot 1 of the embodiment of the present invention, the center C1 of the first link coupling hole 131 and the center C2 of the second link coupling hole 132 can be configured to be separated by a prescribed first distance d1. Furthermore, the center C1 of the motor coupling portion 212 of the first link 210 and the center C3 of the link coupling portion 213 of the first link 210 can be configured to be separated by a prescribed second distance d2. Furthermore, the center C2 of the frame coupling portion 222 of the second link 220 and the center C4 of the link coupling portion 223 of the second link 220 can be configured to be separated by a prescribed third distance d3. Furthermore, the center C3 of the third link coupling hole 232 of the third link 230 and the center C4 of the fourth link coupling hole 233 of the third link 230 can be configured to be separated by a prescribed fourth distance d4. Furthermore, the center C3 of the third link coupling hole 232 of the third link 230 and the center C5 of the wheel coupling portion 234 of the third link 230 can be configured to be separated by a prescribed fifth distance d5.

[0219] At this time, the first distance d1, the second distance d2, the third distance d3, the fourth distance d4, and the fifth distance d5 may be set to have a specified length ratio. For example, the first distance d1 may be greater than 0.5 times and less than 0.6 times the fifth distance d5. The second distance d2 may be greater than 0.95 times and less than 1.05 times the fifth distance d5. The third distance d3 may be greater than 1.1 times and less than 1.2 times the fifth distance d5. The fourth distance d4 may be greater than 0.2 times and less than 0.3 times the fifth distance d5.

[0220] With the above configuration, even if the suspension motor MS is driven to move the third link 230, the front-rear movement distance of the wheel coupling portion 234 can be kept within the predetermined deviation ΔD. For example, even if the third link 230 moves, the front-rear movement distance of the center C5 of the wheel coupling portion 234 can be kept within 2% of the fifth distance d5.

[0221] Thus, during the movement of the robot 1, the center of gravity of the robot body 100 can be arranged vertically above the wheel 310. Therefore, the robot 1 can be prevented from shaking in the front-rear direction during the movement, and the balance can be maintained.

[0222] Furthermore, according to the robot 1 of the present invention, even when the wheel 310 is lifted upward when crossing an obstacle, the front-rear direction position of the wheel 310 does not change and the balance is maintained.

[0223] Below, refer to Fig.14, the left-right balance of the robot 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0224] like Fig.14 As shown, the robot body 100 is supported by a pair of leg parts 200 and a wheel part 300 .

[0225] The load of the robot body 100 may be transferred to the wheel 310 through the leg part 200 , and the wheel 310 may support the leg part 200 and the robot body 100 .

[0226] At this time, the pair of leg parts 200 can be arranged symmetrically (line symmetrically) to each other. In particular, the portions of the pair of leg parts 200 where the connecting rods are connected can be arranged parallel to each other.

[0227] Specifically, the motor coupling parts 212 of the pair of first connecting rods 210 can be configured to be parallel to each other. The connecting rod coupling parts 213 of the pair of first connecting rods 210 can be configured to be parallel to each other. The frame coupling parts 222 of the pair of second connecting rods 220 can be configured to be parallel to each other. The connecting rod coupling parts 223 of the pair of second connecting rods 220 can be configured to be parallel to each other. The wheel coupling parts 234 of the pair of third connecting rods 230 can be configured to be parallel to each other.

[0228] With the above configuration, a module connection space 153 having a predetermined width ΔS is formed at the lower side of the robot body 100 . The module connection space 153 may be formed in parallel with the pair of legs 200 . Also, the module connection space 153 may be formed in parallel with the pair of wheels 310 .

[0229] At least one motor including a suspension motor MS and a battery 600 may be provided inside the robot body 100 , and if the robot 1 is placed on the ground, the entire load of the robot body 100 accommodating the motor and the battery 600 may be applied to the leg part 200 .

[0230] In particular, in the robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the leg parts 200 are provided on both side surfaces of the robot body 100 , the load of the robot body 100 is concentrated on the pair of side frames 130 and the pair of leg parts 200 .

[0231] At this time, if Fig.14 As shown, the side frame 130 and the leg part 200 may be disposed vertically above the wheel 310 , based on the time when the front of the robot 1 is viewed from the front of the robot 1 .

[0232] That is, Fig.14 As shown, the side frame 130 and the leg portion 200 may be disposed between an imaginary line a1 extending along the axial outer end of the wheel 310 in the vertical direction and an imaginary line a2 extending along the axial inner end of the wheel 310 in the vertical direction.

[0233] Furthermore, the thickness of the leg portion 200 and the side frame 130 (the length of the robot 1 in the left-right direction) is smaller than the thickness of the wheel 310 (the length of the robot 1 in the left-right direction) ΔW.

[0234] With the above-described configuration, the entire load of the robot body 100 applied to the side frame 130 and the leg part 200 can be stably supported by the wheel 310 disposed on the lower side in the gravity direction.

[0235] Therefore, the robot 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has an effect of being able to stably maintain the balance of the robot body 100 by concentrating the load of the robot body 100 on the vertical upper side of the pair of wheels 310 .

[0236] In addition, the load of the robot body 100 can pressurize the leg portion 200 vertically downward, and the robot 1 can be prevented from shaking in the left-right direction by preventing the load from being applied in the left-right direction of the robot 1 .

[0237] Fig.15 is a block diagram of the robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0238] Reference Fig.15 The robot 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a control unit 510 , a motor unit 520 , a sensor unit 530 , an interface unit 550 , a battery 560 , a memory 570 , and a communication unit 580 .

[0239] For the realization of robot 1, Fig.15 The components shown in the block diagram are not essential, and the robot 1 described in this specification may have more or fewer components than the components listed above.

[0240] First, the control unit 510 can control the overall operation of the robot 1. The control unit 510 can control the robot 1 to perform various functions according to setting information stored in a memory 570 described later.

[0241] The control part 510 may be configured at the robot body 100 . More specifically, the control part 510 may be installed and disposed on a PCB configured between the left wheel 310 and the right wheel 310 .

[0242] The control unit 510 may include all types of devices that can process data, such as a processor. Here, the "processor" may refer to, for example, a data processing device built into hardware, which has a physical structure circuit for executing functions expressed as codes or instructions contained in a program. As an example of a data processing device built into hardware, it may include a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), a processor core, a multiprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), and other processing devices, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to this.

[0243] The control unit 510 may receive information about the external environment of the robot 1 from at least one of the components of the sensor unit 530 described later. In this case, the information about the external environment may be, for example, information about the temperature, humidity, dust volume, etc. of the room where the robot 1 is traveling. Or it may be, for example, cliff information. Or it may be, for example, indoor map information. Of course, the information about the external environment is not limited to the above examples.

[0244] The control unit 510 may receive information on the current state of the robot 1 from at least one of the various components of the sensor unit 530 described later. At this time, the current state may be, for example, information on the inclination of the robot body 100. Or it may be, for example, information on the separation state between the wheel 310 and the ground. Or it may be, for example, position information of the wheel motor MW. Or it may be, for example, position information of the suspension motor MS. Of course, the information on the current state of the robot 1 is not limited to the above examples.

[0245] The control unit 510 may transmit a drive control instruction to at least one of the components of the motor unit 520 described later. For example, the rotation of the wheel motor MW may be controlled for the travel of the robot 1. Or, for example, the rotation of the wheel motor MW may be controlled for maintaining the horizontal posture of the robot 1. Or, for example, the rotation of the suspension motor MS may be controlled for maintaining the horizontal posture of the robot 1. Or, for example, the rotation of the upper plate motor 525 may be controlled for adjusting the angle of the upper functional module 700 of the robot 1.

[0246] The control unit 510 may receive a user's instruction through at least one of the various components of the interface unit 550 described later. For example, the instruction may be an instruction for turning on / off the robot 1. Or, for example, the instruction may be an instruction for manually controlling various functions of the robot 1.

[0247] The control unit 510 may output information related to the robot 1 through at least one of the components of the interface unit 550 described later. For example, the output information may be visual information. Or, for example, the output information may be auditory information.

[0248] The motor unit 520 may include at least one motor and provide driving force to components connected to each motor.

[0249] The motor unit 520 may include a wheel motor MW providing driving force to the left and right wheels 310. More specifically, the motor unit 520 may include a left wheel motor MW_L transmitting driving force to the left wheel 310 and a right wheel motor MW_R transmitting driving force to the right wheel 310.

[0250] The wheel motors MW may be respectively arranged on the wheel parts 300. More specifically, the wheel motors MW may be accommodated in the wheel cover body 320. The wheel motors MW may be accommodated in the wheel coupling part 234.

[0251] The wheel motor MW is connected to the wheel 310. More specifically, the final output end of the shaft or gear of the left wheel motor MW_L is connected to the left wheel 310. The final output end of the shaft or gear of the right wheel motor MW_R is connected to the right wheel 310. The left and right wheel motors MW are driven to rotate according to the control command of the control unit 510, and the wheel 310 rotates with the rotation of the wheel motor MW, so that the robot 1 travels along the ground.

[0252] The motor part 520 may include a suspension motor MS providing driving force to the left and right leg parts 200. More specifically, the motor part 520 may include a left suspension motor MS_L transmitting driving force to the left leg part 200 and a right suspension motor MS_R transmitting driving force to the right leg part 200.

[0253] The suspension motors MS may be disposed in the robot body 100 . More specifically, the suspension motors MS may be disposed inside the side frames 130 , respectively.

[0254] The suspension motor MS is connected to the first link 210. More specifically, the final output end of the shaft or gear of the left suspension motor MS_L is connected to the left first link 210. The final output end of the shaft or gear of the right suspension motor MS_R is connected to the right first link 210. The respective suspension motors MS on the left and right sides are driven to rotate according to the control command of the control unit 510, and the first link 210 rotates as the suspension motor MS rotates, and as the third link 230 connected to the first link 210 rotates, the wheel 310 connected to the third link 230 finally rises or falls.

[0255] Thus, the robot 1 can move the wheels 310 upward or downward, and can maintain a horizontal posture when climbing an obstacle or traveling on an uneven ground. The detailed control method for this will be described in detail later.

[0256] The motor unit 520 may include an upper plate motor 525 that provides driving force to the upper functional module 700. The upper plate motor 525 may be a servo motor. The servo motor is a well-known motor used for the need to control the rotation angle, and has the advantage of having a limited range of motion but being able to accurately control the position.

[0257] As described above, the upper functional module 700 can be detachably coupled to the top cover 140 of the robot body 100. The upper functional module 700 can be provided in various forms according to the function. For example, the upper functional module 700 can be in the form of a flat plate so that objects such as mobile phones can be placed on it. For example, the upper functional module 700 can be in the form of a receiving groove so that cans, bottles, cups, etc. containing fluids can be placed on it for transportation. For example, the upper functional module 700 can be an interactive upper functional module 700 that is configured to be able to visually and auditorily represent the reaction of the robot 1 for emotional interaction with the user.

[0258] At this time, the interactive upper functional module 700 may include a display. The display may display facial expressions or eye shapes so that the user can feel that he or she is interacting with the robot 1. At this time, the display of the interactive upper functional module 700 may rotate at a preset angle.

[0259] The upper plate motor 525 can provide driving force to the display of the interactive upper functional module 700. The upper plate motor 525 can be configured in the upper functional module 700. More specifically, the final output end of the shaft or gear of the upper plate motor 525 is connected to the display. The upper plate motor 525 can be driven to rotate according to the control instruction of the control unit 510, and the display can rotate with the rotation of the upper plate motor 525.

[0260] The sensor part 530 includes at least one sensor, each of which may measure or sense information on an external environment of the robot 1 and / or information on a current state of the robot 1 .

[0261] The sensor part 530 may include a first camera 531 .

[0262] The first camera 531 may be the aforementioned mapping camera. The first camera 531 is provided for mapping the indoor environment in which the robot 10 travels.

[0263] To this end, the first camera 531 may be disposed in front of the robot body 100. More specifically, the first camera 531 may be disposed behind the inner side surface of the front cover 110. The first camera 531 may be disposed behind the window 111.

[0264] In order to perform SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), the first camera 531 may capture the interior of the room while the robot is driving. The control unit 510 may implement SLAM based on the information about the surrounding environment captured by the first camera 531 and the information about the current position of the robot 1 .

[0265] On the other hand, the robot 1 of the embodiment of the present invention can implement SLAM by only using the first camera 531, but is not limited thereto. For example, the robot 1 can also implement SLAM using an additional sensor. For example, the additional sensor can be an LDS (Laser Distance Sensor).

[0266] The sensor portion 530 may include a second camera 532 .

[0267] The second camera 532 is provided to recognize the position and / or face of the user.

[0268] To this end, the second camera 532 can be configured on the upper functional module 700. More specifically, the second camera 532 can be configured adjacent to the display of the upper functional module 700. The second camera 532 can be configured on the upper part of the display. The second camera 532 can be configured between the left speaker 552 and the right speaker 552.

[0269] The second camera 532 can identify the user's position by shooting the front of the display. To this end, the second camera 532 can be provided with a depth module and an RGB module respectively.

[0270] The depth module can obtain the depth information of the image. For example, the depth information can be obtained by measuring the delay or phase shift of the modulated light signal for all pixels of the captured image to obtain the movement time information.

[0271] The RGB module can obtain color images (images), and can extract edge characteristics, color distribution, frequency characteristics or wavelet transform, etc. from color images.

[0272] As described above, the distance information for the identification target object can be obtained from the front image taken by the second camera 532 through depth information, and by operating together with the boundary characteristics extracted from the color image, etc., it is possible to identify whether there is a user in front and / or his / her position.

[0273] The sensor part 530 may include an IR sensor 533 for sensing infrared rays.

[0274] The IR sensor 533 may be an IR camera that senses infrared light.

[0275] The IR sensor 533 may be disposed on the robot body 100. More specifically, the IR sensor 533 may be disposed behind the inner side surface of the front cover 110. The IR sensor 533 may be disposed behind the window 111. The IR sensor 533 and the first camera 532 may be disposed left and right or up and down.

[0276] The IR sensor 533 can access the module by sensing the infrared light emitted by the IR LED provided in the specific module. For example, the module can be a charging base station 900 for charging the robot 1. For example, the module can be a lower functional module 800 detachably provided on the bottom cover 150 of the robot 1.

[0277] The control unit 510 may control the IR sensor 533 to start sensing the IR LED when the charging state of the robot 1 is below a preset level. The control unit 510 may control the IR sensor 533 to start sensing the IR LED when receiving an instruction from the user to search for a specific module.

[0278] The sensor portion 530 may include a wheel motor sensor 534 .

[0279] The wheel motor sensor 534 can measure the position of the wheel motor MW. For example, the wheel motor sensor 534 can be an encoder. As is well known, the encoder can sense the position of the motor and can also detect the rotation speed of the motor.

[0280] The wheel motor sensor 534 may be respectively configured at the left wheel motor MW and the right wheel motor MW. More specifically, the wheel motor sensor 534 may be connected to the final output end of the shaft or gear of the wheel motor MW and housed inside the wheel cover body 320 together with the wheel motor MW.

[0281] The sensor part 530 may include an upper plate motor sensor 535 .

[0282] The upper plate motor sensor 535 can measure the angle of rotation of the display of the interactive upper functional module 700. For example, the upper plate motor sensor 535 can be a variable resistor (Potentiometer) that measures the rotation angle.

[0283] The upper plate motor sensor 535 may be configured in the interactive upper functional module 700. More specifically, the upper plate motor sensor 535 may be connected to the final output end of the shaft or gear of the upper plate motor 525 and configured behind the display together with the upper plate motor 525.

[0284] The sensor portion 530 may include a tilt sensing sensor 536 .

[0285] The inclination sensing sensor 536 may measure the inclination angle of the robot body 100 .

[0286] The inclination sensing sensor 536 may be, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor. An acceleration sensor is a sensor that senses the gravitational acceleration of an object in a stationary state. Since the gravitational acceleration changes according to the angle at which the object is tilted, the angle of inclination can be obtained by measuring the gravitational acceleration. However, there is a disadvantage that an accurate value cannot be obtained in an accelerated state of movement in a non-stationary state.

[0287] The inclination sensing sensor 536 may be, for example, a three-axis gyro sensor. A gyro sensor is a sensor that measures angular velocity. When the angular velocity is integrated over time, the inclination angle is obtained. However, due to noise, etc., the angular velocity measured by the gyro sensor generates a continuous error, and due to this error, it accumulates over time and generates an error in the integrated value.

[0288] As a result, when the robot 1 is in a stationary standby state for a long time, the robot 1 can accurately measure the inclination through the acceleration sensor, but the gyro sensor generates an error. When the robot 1 is traveling, the robot 1 can measure an accurate inclination value through the gyro sensor, but cannot obtain an accurate value through the acceleration sensor.

[0289] Preferably, the inclination sensing sensor 536 can be an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) sensor. As is well known, an IMU sensor is a sensor with a built-in three-axis acceleration sensor, a three-axis gyroscope sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor, and is also called an inertial measurement sensor. When an IMU sensor is used, the shortcomings of the above-mentioned acceleration sensor and gyroscope sensor can be compensated.

[0290] In the following description of this specification, an example in which an IMU sensor is provided as the inclination sensing sensor 536 is described.

[0291] The IMU sensor may be configured in the robot body 100. More specifically, the IMU sensor may be configured adjacent to the control unit 510. The IMU sensor may be mounted and disposed on a PCB inside the robot body 100. Preferably, the IMU sensor is configured near the central area of ​​the robot body 100 to improve the measurement accuracy of the tilt angle and direction.

[0292] The IMU sensor can measure at least one of the three-axis acceleration, three-axis angular velocity, and three-axis geomagnetic data of the robot body 100 and transmit the data to the control unit 510 .

[0293] The control unit 510 can use at least one of the acceleration, angular velocity, and geomagnetic data received from the IMU sensor to calculate the tilt direction and tilt angle of the robot body 100. Based on this, the control unit 510 can perform the horizontal posture maintenance control of the robot body 100 described later.

[0294] The sensor part 530 may include a fall prevention sensor 537 for sensing a cliff.

[0295] The fall prevention sensor 537 can sense the distance from the ground in front of the robot 1. The fall prevention sensor 537 can be configured in various ways as long as it can sense the relative distance between the place where the fall prevention sensor 537 is formed and the ground.

[0296] For example, the fall prevention sensor 537 may include a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit into which the reflected light enters. The fall prevention sensor 537 may be composed of an infrared sensor. The fall prevention sensor 537 may be called a cliff sensor.

[0297] The fall prevention sensor 537 may be disposed on the robot body 100. More specifically, the fall prevention sensor 537 may be disposed on the inner side of the front cover 110 of the robot body 100. Preferably, the fall prevention sensor 537 may be disposed on the inner side of the downwardly inclined surface provided on the front cover 110. Thus, the fall prevention sensor 537 may irradiate light toward the ground in front of the robot 1. That is, the fall prevention sensor 537 disposed on the inner side of the front inclined surface may sense in advance whether there is a cliff in front of the traveling direction of the robot 1.

[0298] The light emitting part of the fall prevention sensor 537 may irradiate light obliquely toward the front ground. The light receiving part of the fall prevention sensor 537 may receive light reflected from the ground and incident thereon. The distance between the front ground and the fall prevention sensor 537 may be measured based on the difference between the irradiation time point and the reception time point of the light.

[0299] When the distance measured by the fall prevention sensor 537 exceeds a preset value or exceeds a prescribed range, it may be that the ground ahead suddenly becomes lower. By this principle, a cliff can be sensed.

[0300] When a cliff is sensed ahead, the control unit 510 can control the wheel motor MW to make the robot 1 travel around the sensed cliff. At this time, the control of the wheel motor MW can be a stop control. Alternatively, the control of the wheel motor MW can be a rotation direction conversion control.

[0301] The fall prevention sensor 537 can be additionally arranged inside the rear cover 120 of the robot body 100. Preferably, it can be arranged inside the downwardly inclined surface provided on the rear cover 120. Thus, the fall prevention sensor 537 can irradiate light toward the ground behind the robot 1. That is, when the robot 1 moves backward, the fall prevention sensor 537 arranged inside the inclined surface at the rear can sense in advance whether there is a cliff at the rear.

[0302] The sensor portion 530 may include a contact sensing sensor 538 .

[0303] The contact sensing sensor 538 may sense whether the wheel 310 is in contact with the ground.

[0304] The contact sensing sensor 538 may include a TOF sensor 538a for measuring the distance between the wheel 310 of the robot 1 and the ground. The TOF sensor 538a may be a three-dimensional camera using TOF (Time OF Flight) technology. As is well known, TOF technology is a technology for measuring the distance to an object based on the round-trip flight time of light irradiated toward the object and then reflected and returned.

[0305] The TOF sensor 538a may be disposed on the wheel portion 300. For example, the contact sensing sensor 538 may be disposed on the left wheel cover body 320 and the right wheel cover body 320, respectively. By measuring the distance to the ground by the TOF sensor 538a, it can be determined whether the wheel 310 is in contact with the ground. If the distance measured by the TOF sensor 538a is less than a preset distance (or less than a lower limit of a preset distance range), the wheel 310 is in contact with the ground. If the distance measured by the TOF sensor 538a is greater than a preset distance (or greater than an upper limit of a preset distance range), the wheel 310 is separated from the ground.

[0306] The contact sensing sensor 538 may include a load cell 538 b that measures the magnitude of a force applied to a part of the robot 1 .

[0307] As is known to all, when a force is applied to the weighing sensor 538b, the resistance value of the strain gauge (Strain Gauge) disposed on the surface changes. At this time, the magnitude of the force applied to the weighing sensor 538b can be measured by the change in the resistance value.

[0308] The weighing sensor 538b can be arranged on the leg part 200. Preferably, the weighing sensor 538b can be respectively arranged on the left third link body 231 and the right third link body 231. When the wheel 310 is in contact with the ground, the third link 230 is deformed by the vertical resistance force applied from the ground. The measured value of the weighing sensor 538b shows a value different from the initial value according to the deformation of the third link 230. Therefore, it can be judged whether the wheel 310 is in contact with the ground.

[0309] The sensor portion 530 may include an environmental sensor 539 .

[0310] The environmental sensor 539 may be configured to measure various environmental conditions outside the robot 1, that is, inside the home where the robot 1 travels. The environmental sensor 539 may include at least one of a temperature sensor 539a, a humidity sensor 539b, and a dust sensor 539c.

[0311] The environment sensor 539 may be disposed on the robot body 100. More specifically, the environment sensor 539 may be disposed at the rear of the robot body 100. As a possible embodiment, the information measured by the environment sensor 539 may be visually displayed on the display unit 554.

[0312] The interface part 550 includes at least one component for interaction between the user and the robot 1 , and each component may be configured to receive instructions from the user and / or output information to the user.

[0313] The interface portion 550 may include a microphone 551 .

[0314] Microphone 551 is a component for recognizing the user's voice, and a plurality of microphones may be provided. Microphone 551 may be configured in the upper functional module 700. More specifically, microphone 551 may be configured in the interactive upper functional module 700. Microphone 551 may be configured to be adjacent to the interactive upper functional module 700 display. Preferably, microphone 551 may be configured with a total of four, two of which are respectively configured in the upper and lower parts of the display.

[0315] The voice signal received by microphone 551 can be used to track the user's position. In this case, a known sound source tracking algorithm can be applied. For example, the sound source tracking algorithm can be a three-point measurement method (triangulation method) using the time difference of receiving the voice signal by multiple microphones 551. It is a principle that uses the position of each microphone 551 and the speed of the sound wave to calculate the position of the voice source.

[0316] On the other hand, if the microphone 551 and the second camera 532 cooperate with each other, it can be achieved that the robot 1 can find the user's location even when the user calls the robot 1 from a distance.

[0317] The interface portion 550 may include a speaker 552 .

[0318] The speaker 552 may be configured on the upper functional module 700. For example, the speaker 552 may be configured adjacent to the display of the interactive upper functional module 700. The speaker 552 may be configured on the upper portion of the display and may be disposed on the left and right sides, respectively.

[0319] The speaker 552 can send information of the robot 1 in the form of sound. The source of the sound sent by the speaker 552 may be sound data pre-stored in the robot 1. For example, the pre-stored sound data may be voice data of the robot 1. For example, the pre-stored sound data may be a notification sound for guiding the status of the robot 1.

[0320] The interface portion 550 may include an operation portion 553 .

[0321] The operation unit 553 may receive an instruction to switch on / off the power of the robot 1 from the user.

[0322] The power-on action may refer to supplying power to the control unit 510. The power-off action may refer to blocking the power supply to the control unit 510. The power is supplied from the battery 560.

[0323] Turning off the power of the robot 1 by the operation unit 553 means completely shutting off the power, which may be different from the power saving mode of temporarily stopping the power supply to each functional module. The power saving mode can be controlled by the control unit 510 in the power-on state.

[0324] On the other hand, since the power of the robot 1 that functions as a pet or a housekeeper is rarely completely turned off, it is preferable that the operation unit 553 is disposed at the rear of the robot body 100 .

[0325] The user's instruction to the operating part 553 may be an action to pivot the operating part 553 in the up-down direction or the left-right direction. If the operating part 553 is pivoted to one side by the user's operation, the power of the robot 1 may be turned on. If the operating part 553 is pivoted to the other side, which is the opposite direction to the one side, by the user's operation, the power of the robot 1 may be turned off.

[0326] However, the form of the operating unit 553 is not limited. As another example, the operating unit 553 may be a button that receives an on / off instruction through a user's push action. As another example, the operating unit 553 may be a sliding button that receives an on / off instruction through a user's sliding action. As another example, the operating unit 553 may be a touch screen that receives an on / off instruction through a user's touch action.

[0327] The interface portion 550 may include a display portion 554 and an input portion 555 .

[0328] The display unit 554 may include displays disposed in more than one module. The display unit 554 may include a first display disposed in the front cover 110 of the robot body 100. The display unit 554 may include a second display disposed in the upper functional module 700.

[0329] The first display and the second display may be formed by any one of a light emitting diode (LED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel, and an organic light emitting diode (OLED).

[0330] The first display or the second display may display information such as the action time information of the robot 1 and the power information of the battery 560 .

[0331] The second display may display the facial expression of the robot 1. Alternatively, the second display may display the eyes of the robot 1. By displaying the facial shape or eye shape on the second display, the current state of the robot 1 can be personified and displayed from the emotional aspect. For example, when the user returns home from outside, a smiling facial expression or smiling eye shape can be displayed on the second display. This has the effect that the user feels that he is communicating with the robot 1.

[0332] The input unit 555 may be configured to receive a control instruction from the user for controlling the robot 1. For example, the control instruction may be an instruction to change various settings of the robot 1. For example, the settings may be voice volume, display brightness, power saving mode settings, and the like.

[0333] The input unit 555 may be disposed on the front cover 110 of the robot body 100. The input unit 555 may be disposed at a position adjacent to the first display, or may be disposed on the first display.

[0334] The input unit 555 generates key input data input by the user to control the action of the robot 1. To this end, the input unit 555 can be composed of a key pad, a dome switch, a touch panel (static pressure / static electricity), etc. In particular, when the touch panel and the first display form an interlayer structure, it can be called a touch screen.

[0335] The battery 560 is configured to supply power to other components constituting the robot 1 .

[0336] The battery 560 may be disposed in the robot body 100. More specifically, the battery 560 may be disposed on the rear side of the robot body 100. The battery 560 may be disposed at a position further rearward than the suspension motor MS.

[0337] The battery 560 can be charged by an external power source, and for this purpose, a charging terminal 152 for charging the battery 560 can be provided on one side of the robot body 100 or on the battery 560 itself. As in the embodiment of the present invention, the charging terminal 152 can be configured on the bottom cover 150 of the robot body 100. Thus, the robot 1 can be easily combined with the charging base station 900 by moving to the charging base station 900 and placing the charging terminal 152 on the power supply terminal 936 of the charging base station 900 from the top.

[0338] The memory 570 is a component for storing various data used for driving and operating the robot 1 .

[0339] The memory 570 may store an application program and various related data for autonomous driving of the robot 1. The memory 570 may also store various data sensed by the sensor unit 530, and may store setting information for various settings selected or input by the user.

[0340] The memory 570 may include a magnetic storage medium or a flash storage medium, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Such a memory 570 may include a built-in memory and / or an external memory, and may also include a volatile memory such as a DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, or may also include a non-volatile memory such as an OTPROM (one time programmable ROM), a PROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, a mask ROM, a flash ROM, a NAND flash memory, or a NOR flash memory, and may also include a flash drive such as an SSD, a CF (compact flash) card, an SD card, a Micro-SD card, a Mini-SD card, an Xd card, a memory stick, or a storage device such as a HDD.

[0341] The memory 570 may be included in the control unit 510 or provided as an independent component.

[0342] The communication unit 580 may be provided for signal transmission between various components within the robot 1. For example, the communication unit 580 may support CAN (Controller Area Network) communication. For example, the signal may be a control instruction transmitted from the control unit 510 to other components.

[0343] The communication unit 580 may support wireless communication with other devices existing outside the robot 1. As a wireless communication module for supporting wireless communication, a short-distance communication module or a long-distance communication module may be provided.

[0344] The short-range communication may be, for example, Bluetooth communication, NFC (Near Field Communication) communication, or the like.

[0345] Long-distance communication may be, for example, wireless local area network (WLAN), Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), wireless broadband (Wibro), World Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), GSM (Global System for Mobile communication), CDMA (Code Division Multi Access), CDMA2000 (Code Division Multi Access 2000), EV-DO (Enhanced Voice-Data Optimized or Enhanced Voice-Data Only), WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), HSDPA (High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access), HSUPA (High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.16, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and LTE-DO. Evolution), LTE-A (Long Term Evolution-Advanced), Wireless Mobile Broadband Service (WMBS), BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), Zigbee, RF (Radio Frequency), LoRa (Long Range), etc.

[0346] Below, refer to Fig.17 The following figure illustrates a charging base station 900 for a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0347] Fig.17 is a three-dimensional diagram of a charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig.18 Yes Fig.17An exploded view of some of the components.

[0348] Reference Fig.17 and Fig.18 The charging base station 900 is provided for supplying power to and charging the robot 1 , and may include a base station body 910 , a rotating part 920 , and a charging part 930 .

[0349] Before describing each structure, the direction of the charging base station 900 is first defined. The direction where the inclined portion 911 described later is arranged or the direction where the entrance that the robot 1 enters to climb to the charging base station 900 is arranged can be defined as the front. In addition, the direction where the second accommodation portion 915 described later is arranged can be defined as the rear.

[0350] A space is provided inside the base station body 910 , and the base station body 910 is placed on the ground so that the robot 1 can approach and climb.

[0351] The base station body 910 may include an inclined portion 911 disposed at an entrance for the robot 1 to climb.

[0352] The inclined portion 911 may be inclined upward toward the front of the direction in which the robot 1 enters. More specifically, the front side end of the entrance side of the inclined portion 911 is connected to the ground without a height difference, and the inclined portion 911 may be inclined upward toward the front of the direction in which the robot 1 enters. At this time, the front of the direction in which the robot 1 enters refers to the rear with the charging base station 900 as a reference. Thus, the robot 1 can easily climb from the ground to the charging base station 900.

[0353] The inclined portion 911 may be provided with a wheel guide portion 911 a .

[0354] The wheel guide 911a may be formed in a groove shape to guide the movement of the wheel 310 of the robot 1. More specifically, the wheel guide 911a may be formed such that the width of the groove is wider than the width of the wheel 310 at the entrance of the robot 1 climbing, and the width of the groove may be formed such that the width of the groove becomes narrower relative to the entrance as it moves forward along the climbing path of the robot 1. Thus, the wheel 310 of the robot 1 can easily enter the charging base station 900, and the left and right movement can be restricted by using the groove with a gradually narrowing width, so that the wheel 310 can be guided to a specified position.

[0355] The base station body 910 may include a first accommodation portion 913 .

[0356] The first receiving portion 913 may be connected to the inclined portion 911 and a space formed therein may be formed to receive a portion of a power transmission portion 923 described later. A placement plate 921 and a charging portion 930 described later may be disposed on the upper portion of the first receiving portion 913 .

[0357] The base station body 910 may include a second receiving portion 915 .

[0358] The second receiving portion 915 can be connected to the first receiving portion 913 and the space formed therein can accommodate the control unit 940 of the charging base station 900. Although not shown in the figure, a plug connected to a socket in the house can be led out from the back of the second receiving portion 915. Usually, in a house, the socket is set on the wall, so the second receiving portion 915 can be configured so that its back faces the wall.

[0359] The rotating unit 920 may be disposed on the base station body 910 , and may be coupled to the base station body 910 in a relatively rotatable manner.

[0360] The rotating portion 920 may include a seating plate 921 on which the wheel 310 of the robot 1 is seated.

[0361] The placement plate 921 is disposed on the upper portion of the first receiving portion 913 and may form a part of the appearance of the first receiving portion 913. The top surface of the placement plate 921 may be connected to the top surface of the first receiving portion 913 without a step. As an example, the placement plate 921 may be formed in a circular flat plate shape.

[0362] A wheel guide 921a having a groove shape may be formed on the placement plate 921 to guide the movement of the wheel 310 of the robot 1. The wheel guide 921a of the placement plate 921 may be connected to the wheel guide 911a of the inclined portion 911 without a step. Thus, the robot 1 can easily move to the placement plate 921 through the inclined portion 911.

[0363] The placement plate 921 can be rotated by the rotation of the motor 9231. The placement plate 921 can rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction with respect to a rotation axis A1 disposed at the center of the placement plate 921 in the up-down direction as a reference. When the robot 1 is coupled to the charging unit 930 described later, the placement plate 921 can rotate 180 degrees together with the charging unit 930. Thus, the robot 1 can easily climb the charging base station 900 in a forward movement manner when climbing the charging base station 900 for charging, and can also easily detach from the charging base station 900 in a forward movement manner when detaching from the charging base station 900 after charging is completed. That is, there is an advantage that the robot 1 can easily enter and detach from the charging base station 900.

[0364] The placement plate 921 may include wheel insertion grooves 921b respectively arranged on the left and right sides. The wheel insertion grooves 921b may be arranged at the stop positions of the left and right wheels 310 of the robot 1 so that the robot 1 stops at a predetermined position. Here, the stop position of the wheel 310 refers to a predetermined position where the robot 1 stops in order to be combined with the charging unit 930.

[0365] As an example, the wheel insertion groove 921b can be arranged at the approximate center of the wheel guide 921a. The depth of the wheel insertion groove 921b is formed to be deeper than the depth of the groove of the wheel guide 921a, and is formed into a shape corresponding to the shape of the wheel 310 of the robot 1, that is, an arch shape. With such a configuration, the robot 1 can move along the wheel guide 921a and stop while the wheel 310 is inserted into the wheel insertion groove 921b, and the wheel 310 can be stably placed in the arched wheel insertion groove 921b.

[0366] The placement plate 921 may include a robot sensing button 921c. The robot sensing button 921c may be respectively disposed at the left and right wheel insertion grooves 921b. The robot sensing button 921c may be pressed by the weight of the robot 1.

[0367] If the robot sensing button 921c senses the weight of the robot 1 and is pressed, an electrical signal corresponding to the on state of the robot sensing button 921c may be transmitted to the control unit 940 of the charging base station 900. Thus, it may be determined that the robot has climbed to the charging base station 900 for charging.

[0368] Fig.19 1 is a diagram for explaining the structure of a power transmission unit in a charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 20 yes Fig.19 A stereogram of Fig.21 This is a development view in which the power transmission unit is exploded from the base station body.

[0369] The rotating part 920 may further include a power transmission part 923 that transmits power for rotating the seating plate 921 .

[0370] Reference Figures 19 to 21 , the power transmission part 923 can be arranged at the lower part of the placement plate 921, and can be accommodated in the internal space of the base station body 910. More specifically, the power transmission part 923 can be accommodated in the internal space of the first accommodation part 913 and the internal space of the second accommodation part 915 together with the motor 9231 that generates the rotational power of the placement plate 921. At least a part of the power transmission part 923 can be covered by the placement plate 921 so as not to be exposed to the outside. Among them, in order to distinguish it from other motors provided in the robot 1, the motor 9231 can be called a terminal rotation motor 9231.

[0371] The power transmission part 923 may be composed of a plurality of power transmission members to transmit the power generated by the rotation of the motor 9231 to the placement plate 921. The power transmission part 923 may be composed of a belt and a pulley as in the embodiment illustrated in this specification. However, it is not limited thereto and may also be composed of a combination of gear components that are directly gear-engaged with each other.

[0372] The power transmission part 923 may include a first transmission part 9232 , a belt 9233 , and a second transmission part 9234 .

[0373] The first transmission part 9232 can receive the rotational power of the motor 9231 to rotate (see Fig. 20 ). The first transmission part 9232 may be a pulley disposed on the side of the motor 9231. The first transmission part 9232 may be coaxially connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 9231 according to the configuration of the motor 9231, or may be indirectly connected to the motor 9231 through other gear components configured to convert the direction of the rotating shaft of the motor 9231.

[0374] The second transmission part 9234 can receive the rotational force of the first transmission part 9232 to rotate the placement plate 921. The second transmission part 9234 can be a pulley disposed on the side of the placement plate 921. The second transmission part 9234 can be coaxially connected to the placement plate 921 to rotate the placement plate 921. That is, the second transmission part 9234 can rotate around the rotation axis A1 of the placement plate 921.

[0375] The belt 9233 may be connected to the first transmission part 9232 and the second transmission part 9234. The belt 9233 is a medium for transmitting power from the first transmission part 9232 to the second transmission part 9234, and may be a synchronous belt as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the belt 9233 may also be a V-belt or a flat belt. Depending on the type of the belt 9233, the shapes of the first transmission part 9232 and the second transmission part 9234 may also be deformed accordingly. For example, when the belt 9233 is a synchronous belt 9233, gear teeth are provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the first transmission part 9232 and the second transmission part 9234.

[0376] The power transmission unit 923 may further include a tensioner 9235. The tensioner 9235 may be disposed adjacent to the first transmission unit 9232 corresponding to the drive pulley. The tensioner 9235 may be configured to apply tension from the outside of the belt 9233. With such a configuration, the tensioner 9235 can absorb the tension change of the belt 9233 and adjust the tension of the belt 9233 to be constant at all times.

[0377] The rotating portion 920 may further include a protrusion 925 connected to the outer circumferential surface of the second transmitting portion 9234 .

[0378] The protrusion 925 may be formed to protrude outward in the circumferential direction of the second transmission part 9234. The protrusion 925 may be connected to the lower end of the outer circumferential surface of the second transmission part 9234 to avoid interference with the connection between the belt 9233 and the second transmission part 9234. As an example, the protrusion 925 may be in the form of a pin extending in the up-down direction.

[0379] The rotating portion 920 may further include a micro switch 927 .

[0380] The micro switch 927 may be disposed in the inner space of the first accommodating portion 913. The micro switch 927 is disposed adjacent to the second transmission portion 9234 and may be disposed at a position further outside the rotation radius of the second transmission portion 9234. As is well known, the micro switch 927 is a well-known electrical switch called a limit switch. The micro switch 927 is turned on when its operating rod is pressed by a mechanical action of other components.

[0381] The micro switches 927 may be respectively arranged at positions facing each other across the second transmission part 9234. That is, two micro switches 927 may be provided on the rotating part 920. In the embodiment of the present invention, the actuating rods of the micro switches 927 may be respectively arranged at positions contacting with the protruding part 925 by the rotation of the second transmission part 9234. That is, as the second transmission part 9234 rotates, the protruding part 925 may contact with the actuating rod of the micro switch 927, and the actuating rod may be pressed by the protruding part 925.

[0382] On the other hand, when it is assumed that an imaginary straight line a5 connects the contact points of the operating rods of the micro switches 927 that contact the protrusions 925, the straight line a5 can pass through the rotation axis A1 of the second transmission unit 9234 (see Fig.19 ).

[0383] With such a configuration, when one of the micro switches 927 is referred to as a first micro switch 927 a and the other is referred to as a second micro switch 927 b , the first micro switch 927 a and the second micro switch 927 b can sense a 180-degree rotation of the protrusion 925 .

[0384] More specifically, when the protrusion 925 presses the operating rod of the first micro switch 927a, the first micro switch 927a is turned on. Thereafter, when the protrusion 925 rotates 180 degrees and presses the operating rod of the second micro switch 927b, the second micro switch 927b is turned on.

[0385] When the first micro switch 927a and the second micro switch 927b are turned on, an electrical signal corresponding to the turning on of the micro switches 927a and 927b may be transmitted to the control unit 940 of the charging base station 900. Thus, it may be sensed that the seating plate 921 has rotated 180 degrees.

[0386] Fig. 22 4 is a top view of a charging base station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0387] The charging unit 930 is configured to include a power supply terminal 936 for charging the robot 1 .

[0388] and Fig. 22 Re-reference together Fig.17 and Fig.18 , the charging unit 930 may be combined with the upper portion of the rotating unit 920. More specifically, the charging unit 930 may be combined with and arranged on the top surface of the placement plate 921. Thus, when the placement plate 921 of the rotating unit 920 rotates, the charging unit 930 may rotate together. Moreover, when the charging unit 930 and the robot 1 are combined, the robot 1 may also rotate together through the rotation of the placement plate 921.

[0389] The charging portion 930 may include a charging portion body 931 and a coupling groove 932 .

[0390] The charging unit body 931 forms the appearance of the charging unit 930. As an example, the charging unit body 931 may be configured as a hexahedron having a space formed therein. The power supply terminal 936 may be provided on the top surface of the charging unit body 931. The charging unit body 931 is disposed between the left and right wheels 310 of the robot 1, based on the state in which the robot 1 climbs up to the rotating unit 920, i.e., the state in which the robot 1 climbs onto the placement plate 921 and stops.

[0391] In addition, when the robot 1 is traveling, the height from the top surface of the mounting plate 921 to the top surface of the charging unit body 931 where the power supply terminal 936 is arranged is lower than the height from the ground to the lower end of the coupling rod 151 of the robot 1 .

[0392] When the robot 1 is mounted on the installation plate 921 and the movement of the robot 1 is stopped after the wheels of the robot 1 are inserted into the wheel insertion grooves 921 b , the charging terminals 152 of the robot 1 and the power supply terminals 936 of the charging part 930 may be in a state of facing each other up and down.

[0393] At this time, by driving the robot 1 so as to seat it on the power supply terminal 936 , the charging terminal 152 and the power supply terminal 936 can be connected.

[0394] The coupling groove 932 is a structure into which the coupling member of the robot 1 is inserted when the charging terminal 152 of the robot 1 and the power supply terminal 936 of the charging base station 900 are coupled to each other, and is arranged on the upper part of the charging unit body 931. At this time, in the embodiment of the present invention, the coupling member of the robot 1 may refer to the coupling rod 151 provided on the bottom cover 150 of the robot 1.

[0395] The shape of the coupling groove 932 may be formed in a V shape or a U shape, but is not limited thereto, and may be deformed within the limit of a corresponding shape that allows the coupling member 151 of the robot 1 to be inserted.

[0396] When the coupling member 151 of the robot 1 is in the form of a round bar as in the embodiment of the present invention, the coupling groove 932 is preferably in a U-shape so that the coupling member 151 can be stably inserted.

[0397] The charging base station 900 of the present invention is configured to have a coupling groove 932 and the coupling member 151 is inserted into the coupling groove 932 , so that the contact between the charging terminal 152 and the power supply terminal 936 can be guided to be achieved at a predetermined position.

[0398] Fig.23 is a diagram for explaining the release of the locking connection between the robot and the charging base station in the charging base station of the embodiment of the present invention, Fig.24 It is a diagram for explaining the locking connection between the robot and the charging base station in the charging base station according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0399] The charging portion 930 may further include a coupling hook 933 .

[0400] The coupling hook 933 is disposed in the coupling groove 932. The coupling hook 933 is a structure that is locked and coupled with the inserted coupling member 152, and plays a role in fixing the coupling member 151 to the coupling groove 932. That is, the coupling member 151 of the bottom cover 150 is locked to the coupling hook 933 of the charging base station 900, so that the charging base station 900 and the robot body 100 are physically coupled.

[0401] The coupling hook 933 is rotatably coupled to the coupling groove 932. When the charging base station 900 is coupled to the robot body 100, the coupling hook 933 is locked to the coupling member 151 of the robot body 100. More specifically, one end of the coupling hook 933 is locked and fixed to the coupling member 151. A locking portion that is locked to the hook link 934 is formed at the other end of the coupling hook 933.

[0402] The charging portion 930 may further include a hook link 934 .

[0403] The hook link 934 can prevent the locking connection between the connecting hook 933 and the connecting member 151 from being released when the connecting hook 933 is locked to the connecting member 151 of the robot 1. The hook link 934 is arranged in the internal space of the charging unit body 931. More specifically, the hook link 934 is rotatably arranged inside the charging unit body 931.

[0404] A locking portion that is locked with the locking portion of the coupling hook 933 is formed at one end of the hook link 934. In other words, the locking portion of the coupling hook 933 is locked with the locking portion of the hook link 934. The other end of the hook link 934 is disposed adjacent to a hook switch 935 described later.

[0405] The charging portion 930 may further include a hook switch 935 .

[0406] The hook switch 935 serves to release the locking connection between the connection hook 933 and the connection member 151. One end of the hook switch 935 is exposed to the outside of the charging unit body 931, and the other end of the hook switch 935 is accommodated in the internal space of the charging unit body 931. More specifically, the hook switch 935 is configured so that if one end thereof is pressed by an external force, the other end can move linearly toward the inside of the charging unit body 931. The other end of the hook switch 935 is adjacent to the other end of the hook link 934.

[0407] Reference Fig.23 , indicating that the connection between the robot 1 and the charging base station 900 is released.

[0408] If one end of the hook switch 935 is pressed, the other end of the hook link 934 is pushed, so that the hook link 934 rotates counterclockwise. At this time, as the locking connection between the locking portion of the hook link 934 and the locking portion of the coupling hook 933 is released, the coupling hook 933 also rotates counterclockwise. As a result, the locking connection between the coupling hook 933 and the coupling member 151 is also released, and the robot 1 can be separated from the charging base station 900.

[0409] Reference Fig.24 , illustrating the locking connection between the robot 1 and the charging base station 900.

[0410] The locking connection between the connecting member 151 and the connecting hook 933 is performed in the opposite process to the above-mentioned connection release. The connecting member 151 is inserted into the connecting groove 932 and presses one end of the connecting hook 933. The connecting member 151 is inserted into the U-shaped groove formed at one end of the connecting hook 933 and the connecting hook 933 is rotated in the clockwise direction. The connecting member 151 is inserted into the connecting groove 932 of the charging unit 930 in a state of being locked in the U-shaped groove of the connecting hook 933.

[0411] When the coupling member 151 cannot be inserted any further, the U-shaped groove of the coupling hook 933 opens toward the side, while the coupling groove 932 opens toward the top. Therefore, the coupling member 151 is blocked from moving upward by the coupling hook 933, and is blocked from moving sideways by the coupling groove 932, and is thus fixed to the coupling groove 932. At this time, the locking portion formed at the other end of the coupling hook 933 and the locking portion of the hook link 934 are locked and coupled to each other.

[0412] While the coupling member 151 of the robot 1 is inserted and fixed to the coupling groove 932 of the charging base station 900, the charging terminal 152 of the robot 1 and the power supply terminal 936 of the charging base station 900 are in contact with each other. That is, the robot 1 and the charging base station 900 are electrically connected, and power is supplied from the charging base station 900 to the robot 1. In other words, the battery 600 of the robot 1 is charged.

[0413] On the other hand, re-referencing Fig. 22 In the embodiment of the present invention, the power supply terminal 936 is shown to be arranged at a position further back than the coupling slot 932 (in front of the entry direction of the robot 1), but the power supply terminal 936 can also be arranged at a position further forward than the coupling slot 932.

[0414] In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, it is described that the locking connection between the coupling hook 933 and the coupling member 151 is released only by the physical pressing of the hook switch 935, and the locking connection between the coupling hook 933 and the coupling member 151 can also be released by an electrical signal. In this case, an additional power transmission member can be provided and configured in the internal space of the charging unit body 931 and connected to the coupling hook 933 so that the coupling hook 933 can rotate. The electrical signal for releasing the locking connection can be generated by the control unit 940.

[0415] Re-reference Fig.18 , the charging unit 930 may further include a light emitting unit 937 .

[0416] The light emitting unit 937 is disposed in the internal space of the charging unit body 931, and the light irradiated from the light emitting unit 937 can be irradiated to the outside of the charging unit body 931. The light emitting unit 937 can be an IR LED that irradiates infrared rays. In this case, the IR LED can be exposed to the front of the charging unit body 931.

[0417] The IR sensor 533 of the robot may sense the infrared ray irradiated by the light emitting portion 937. When the IR sensor 533 senses the infrared ray, the robot 1 may move in the direction of the sensed infrared ray to approach the charging base station 900.

[0418] The robot 1 can rely on the IR sensor 533 to approach the charging base station 900 until the first camera 531 or the second camera 532 recognizes the charging base station 900. After the first camera 531 or the second camera 532 of the robot 1 recognizes the charging base station 900, the robot 1 can accurately align the posture and climb the charging base station 900 through the first camera 531 or the second camera 532.

[0419] Therefore, compared with the case where the charging base station 900 is sensed only by the vision of a camera, the time for searching the charging base station 900 can be saved.

[0420] Re-reference Fig.19 and Fig. 20 The charging base station 900 may further include a control unit 940 .

[0421] The control unit 940 may be disposed in the inner space of the second receiving portion 915. The control unit 940 may be provided on a PCB disposed in the inner space of the second receiving portion 915. The control unit 940 may control the overall operation of the charging base station 900.

[0422] As an example, the control unit 940 can control the driving of the motor 9231 to rotate the placement plate 921. When the charging terminal 152 of the robot is electrically connected to the power supply terminal 936, the control unit 940 can control the placement plate 921 to rotate. When the placement plate 921 rotates 180 degrees and the micro switch 927 is turned on, the control unit 940 can control the placement plate 921 to stop rotating.

[0423] On the other hand, the control unit 940 may include all types of devices capable of processing data, such as a processor. Here, "processor" may refer to, for example, a data processing device built into hardware, which has a physical structure circuit for executing functions expressed as codes or instructions contained in a program. As an example of a data processing device built into hardware, it may include a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), a processor core, a multiprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), and other processing devices, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to this.

[0424] Below, refer to Fig.25 The following figures illustrate the charging method of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention in steps.

[0425] Fig.25 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of a charging method for a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0426] The robot charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention may be performed by a robot system including a robot 1 and a charging base station 900 for supplying power to the robot 1 for charging.

[0427] Reference Fig.25 , the charging method of the robot may include a climbing step S100, a combining step S200, and a rotating step S300.

[0428] The climbing step S100 is a step in which the wheels 310 of the robot 1 climb toward the rotating part 920 of the charging base station 900 ( S100 ).

[0429] The robot 1 can start searching for the charging base station 900 by the user's instruction or when the remaining charge is below a set level. As described above, the search for the charging base station 900 is achieved through the cooperation of the IR sensor 533 and the first camera 531 or the second camera 532. The position of the charging base station 900 can be obtained using the direction vector of the robot 1. In this way, the robot 1 can align its posture so that the charging base station 900 is configured in front of itself (refer to Fig.26 ).

[0430] The robot 1 can move forward to climb the charging base station 900. As described above, the climbing of the charging base station 900 is guided by the wheel guides 911a, 921a provided on the inclined portion 911 and the installation plate 921 until the wheels 310 of the robot 1 are inserted into the wheel insertion grooves 921b of the installation plate 921.

[0431] In a feasible embodiment, the robot 1 can sense the vibration when the wheel 310 is inserted into the wheel insertion groove 921 b. In this case, the robot body 100 can also be provided with a sensing means for sensing the vibration of the wheel 310.

[0432] In another feasible embodiment, when the robot sensing button 921c configured in the wheel insertion slot 921b is pressed, the charging base station 900 can transmit a corresponding control signal to the robot 1.

[0433] As described above, the robot 1 can stop in the wheel insertion slot 921b (refer to Fig. 27 ).

[0434] Next, the combining step S200 is a step in which the charging terminal 532 of the robot 1 and the power supply terminal 936 of the charging base station 900 are electrically combined with each other to supply power to the robot 1 ( S200 ).

[0435] More specifically, this step S200 may include a robot body lowering step S210 and a robot body fixing step S220.

[0436] The robot body lowering step S210 is a step in which, after the robot 1 stops in the wheel insertion slot 921b, the robot body 100 moves downward so that the charging terminal 152 and the power supply terminal 936 contact and combine with each other. The lowering of the robot body 100 is achieved by driving the suspension motor MS.

[0437] At this time, the suspension motor MS is driven to rotate so as to reduce the angle between the first link 210 and the third link 230. The reduction in the angle between the first link 210 and the third link 230 means that the distance between the wheel 310 and the robot body 100 becomes closer, that is, the robot body 100 descends.

[0438] The rotation drive of the suspension motor MS continues until the charging terminal 152 and the power supply terminal 936 are brought into contact with each other. Thus, the robot 1 and the charging base station 900 can be electrically connected to each other, and the battery 600 of the robot 1 can be charged.

[0439] On the other hand, in step S210, the bottom cover 150 of the robot 1 is in contact with the top surface of the charging unit 930, and the robot 1 is placed on the charging unit 930 in a manner leaning against the charging unit 930 (see Fig.29 ).

[0440] The robot main body fixing step S220 is a step of locking and coupling the coupling member 151 of the robot 1 and the coupling hook 933 of the charging base station 900 to each other.

[0441] As described above, if the robot body 100 descends, the coupling member 151 of the robot 1 is inserted into the coupling groove 932 of the charging base station 900 and is locked and coupled with the coupling hook 933. As a result, the robot 1 can be fixed to the charging base station 900 without being affected by the restoring force of the gravity compensation part 215. Since the robot 1 and the charging base station 900 are fixed, the suspension motor MS does not need to be driven, thereby saving electricity usage. In addition, when the robot 1 and the charging base station 900 are fixed, the electrical connection between the robot 1 and the charging base station 900 can be stably maintained without shaking.

[0442] On the other hand, in this step S220, the display unit 554 of the robot 1 may be tilted backward. As described above, when the robot 1 is being charged, the user can intuitively understand that the robot 1 is currently in a standby state and does not execute a command through the form in which the robot body 100 is lowered and leans against the charging unit 930 and / or the form in which the display unit 554 of the robot 1 is tilted backward.

[0443] Next, in the rotating step S300 , the rotating unit 920 of the charging base station 900 rotates together with the robot 1 to change the direction in which the front of the robot 1 faces by 180 degrees.

[0444] More specifically, in step S300, the control unit 940 of the charging base station 900 drives the control motor 9231 to rotate the placement plate 921. The placement plate 921 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise and stops after rotating 180 degrees based on the previous state. As described above, the micro switch 927 can be pressed by the protrusion 925 to sense whether it has rotated 180 degrees.

[0445] Regarding the time point of rotation of the placement plate 921, when it is sensed that the wheel 310 of the robot 1 is inserted into the wheel insertion groove 921b, the rotation of the placement plate 921 can be performed. In order to stabilize the rotation, preferably, after the wheel 310 of the robot 1 is inserted into the wheel insertion groove 921b and the robot 1 is fixed to the charging base station 900, the rotation of the placement plate 921 is performed (refer to Fig.29 ).

[0446] On the other hand, the front of the robot 1 refers to the direction in which the display unit 554 faces. Alternatively, it refers to the direction in which the first camera 531 faces. As described above, usually in a residence, the charging base station 900 is configured so that the second accommodating portion 915 faces the wall. That is, before the placement plate 921 rotates, the front of the robot 1 faces the wall, and after the placement plate 921 rotates, the front of the robot 1 faces away from the wall. Thus, after charging is completed, the robot 1 can come out of the charging base station 900 in a forward movement manner without having to come out in a backward movement manner.

[0447] The robot charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a release step S400 .

[0448] In this step S400, the connection between the charging terminal 152 and the power supply terminal 936 is released. That is, the electrical connection between the robot 1 and the charging base station 900 is released. Here, the release can be achieved by the user pressing the hook switch 935. Alternatively, the release can also be achieved by an electrical signal generated by the control unit 940.

[0449] If the locking connection between the robot 1 and the charging base station 900 is released, the robot body 100 moves upward under the restoring force of the gravity compensation unit 215. At the same time or in sequence, the display unit 554, which was originally tilted backward, rotates forward (see Fig.30 ).

[0450] The robot charging method may further include a reset rotation step S500.

[0451] If the robot 1 is completely charged or leaves the charging base station 900 based on the user's instruction, the rotating part 920 rotates to return to the initial position. In other words, the rotating part 920 rotates 180 degrees to return to the original position (refer to Fig.31 ).

[0452] As described above, whether the rotation is 180 degrees can be sensed by pressing the micro switch 927 by the protrusion 925. At this time, the micro switch 927 sensing the rotation in the rotating step S400 and the micro switch 927 sensing the rotation in the resetting rotation step S500 can be arranged at positions facing each other.

[0453] Thus, when the robot 1 re-enters the charging base station 900 for charging, it can enter in a forward movement manner.

[0454] Fig.32 is a flowchart showing the flow of another embodiment of a charging method.

[0455] Fig.32 The embodiment may be performed by a robot system including a robot 1 and a charging base station 900 for supplying power to the robot 1 for charging.

[0456] Reference Fig.32 The charging method of the robot may include an entry step S1000, a charging step S2000, and an exit step S3000.

[0457] Entering step S1000 is a step in which the robot 1 moves close to the charging base station 900 and climbs the base station body 910 of the charging base station 900 (refer to Fig.26 and Fig. 27 ).

[0458] In this step S1000, at least one of the wheel motor MW and the terminal rotation motor 9231 included in the robot system can be driven.

[0459] The wheel motor MW may be driven as the robot 1 moves toward the charging base station 900 or as the robot 1 moves to climb the base station body 910 .

[0460] In a feasible embodiment, the driving of the terminal rotation motor 9231 may be performed simultaneously with or before the robot 1 approaches the charging base station 900. As described above, as the terminal rotation motor 9231 is driven, the rotating portion 920 and the charging portion 930 rotate, thereby changing the direction of the power supply terminal 936 configured in the charging portion 930. By rotating the power supply terminal 936, the charging terminal 152 and the power supply terminal 936 can be aligned with each other in a direction in which they can be combined.

[0461] The rotation of the charging unit 930 performed simultaneously with or before the robot approaches the charging base station means that the light emitting unit 937 originally facing backward is rotated to face forward (with reference to the charging base station) (first rotation).

[0462] Through such a first rotation, the robot 1 can easily search for the charging base station 900 .

[0463] In a feasible embodiment, the terminal rotation motor 9231 may be driven after the robot 1 climbs the charging base station 900. As the terminal rotation motor 9231 is driven, the rotating part 920 and the charging part 930 rotate, and the light emitting part 937 originally facing forward may be rotated to face backward (second rotation).

[0464] As described above, the placement plate 921 rotates together with the charging unit 930. The second rotation is performed after the robot 1 climbs on the placement plate 921, so the robot 1 can also rotate together with the charging unit 930 through the second rotation.

[0465] With such a configuration, the robot 1 faces forward with respect to the charging base station 900 , and thus in the separation step S3000 described later, the robot 1 can separate from the charging base station 900 by moving forward.

[0466] Furthermore, with such a configuration, the charging unit 930 rotates in one direction together with the robot 1 , so that the connection directions of the charging terminal 152 and the power supply terminal 936 are kept aligned.

[0467] The charging step S2000 is a step in which the charging terminal 152 provided in the robot 1 and the power supply terminal 936 provided in the charging base station 900 are electrically contacted with each other. That is, in this step S2000, power is supplied to the battery 600 of the robot 1, and the robot 1 is charged.

[0468] In this step S2000, the robot body 100 may move toward the direction close to the ground. The movement of the robot body 100 toward the direction close to the ground means that the height of the robot body 100 becomes lower, that is, the relative height of the top surface or the bottom surface of the robot body 100 with respect to the ground becomes lower. From another perspective, this can be referred to as the "action of the robot body 100 sitting on the charging unit 930" (refer to Fig.28 ).

[0469] When the height of the robot body 100 is lowered, the charging terminal 152 disposed on the bottom surface of the robot body 100 and the power supply terminal 936 disposed on the top surface of the charging part 930 may gradually approach each other and may eventually contact each other.

[0470] The action of the robot body 100 sitting on the charging part 930 can be realized by the suspension motor MS. More specifically, the suspension motor MS can be driven to rotate to reduce the angle formed by the first link 210 and the third link 230. From another perspective, the suspension motor MS can be driven to rotate to bring the wheel 310 and the robot body 100 closer.

[0471] On the other hand, the aforementioned second rotation can also be performed in this step S2000.

[0472] That is, the second rotation may be performed after the height of the robot body 100 is lowered and the charging terminal 152 and the power supply terminal 936 are in contact with each other (refer to Fig.29 ).

[0473] With such a configuration, the robot 1 rotates in a state coupled to the charging unit 930 , thereby achieving an effect of reducing the shaking of the robot body 100 due to the rotation.

[0474] The detaching step S3000 is a step in which the robot 1 moves to detach from the charging base station 900 .

[0475] The movement of the robot 1 away from the charging base station 900 may be performed immediately after the charging of the robot 1 is completed. Alternatively, after the charging of the robot 1 is completed, the robot 1 may stand by at the charging base station 900, and then detach from the charging base station 900 at the call of the user. Alternatively, after the charging of the robot 1 is completed, the robot 1 may stand by at the charging base station 900, and then detach from the charging base station 900 after a prescribed time has passed. Alternatively, after the charging of the robot 1 is completed, the robot 1 may stand by at the charging base station 900, and then detach from the charging base station 900 based on the occurrence of a specific event. At this time, the user's call, the return sensing of the outgoing user, etc. may be equivalent to such a specific event.

[0476] In order to make the robot 1 detach from the charging base station 900, the electrical connection between the charging terminal 152 and the power supply terminal 936 in contact needs to be released. In order to release the electrical connection, the robot body 100 can move in a direction away from the ground.

[0477] The movement of the robot body 100 in a direction away from the ground means that the height of the robot body 100 increases, that is, the relative height of the top surface or the bottom surface of the robot body 100 with respect to the ground increases. From another perspective, this can be referred to as the "movement of the robot body 100 standing up from the charging unit 930" (see Fig.30 ).

[0478] When the height of the robot body 100 increases, the charging terminal 152 disposed on the bottom surface of the robot body 100 and the power supply terminal 936 disposed on the top surface of the charging unit 930 move away from each other, and the electrical contact between them is released.

[0479] The action of the robot body 100 standing up from the charging unit 930 can be realized by the suspension motor MS. More specifically, the suspension motor MS can be driven to rotate so as to increase the angle formed by the first link 210 and the third link 230. From another perspective, the suspension motor MS can be driven to rotate so as to move the wheel 310 and the robot body 100 away from each other.

[0480] The action of the robot body 100 standing up from the charging unit 930 can be achieved by utilizing the restoring force of the gravity compensation unit 215. At this time, the angle formed by the first link 210 and the third link 230 also increases, so the suspension motor MS can be driven to rotate.

[0481] exist Fig.32In the embodiment, during the entire entering step S1000, the charging step S2000 and the disengaging step S3000, the posture change of the robot body 100 may occur at least once.

[0482] At this time, the posture change of the robot body 100 may include a height change of the robot body 100. The height change of the robot body 100 may be performed in the charging step S2000 or the detaching step S3000. When the height of the robot body 100 when traveling on the ground without an event is referred to as a reference height, the height change of the robot body 100 may include a case where the height becomes higher than the reference height or a case where the height becomes lower than the reference height.

[0483] The posture change of the robot body 100 may include the rotation of the robot body 100. Here, the rotation of the robot body 100 may be performed in the step S1000. Alternatively, the rotation of the robot body 100 may be performed in the charging step 2000 (refer to Fig.29 ).

[0484] The posture change of the robot body 100 may mean that the display unit 554 of the robot body 100 rotates. Here, the rotation of the display unit 554 may mean that the display unit 554 rotates backward and tilts. Alternatively, it may mean that the display unit 554 in a tilted state rotates forward and stands up. The rotation of the display unit 554 may be performed in the charging step S2000 or the extraction step S3000 (refer to Fig.28 and Fig.30 ).

[0485] In entering step S1000 and exiting step S3000 , the rotation direction of the wheel motor MW may be one direction.

[0486] At this time, in both the entering step S1000 and the leaving step S3000, the wheel motor MS can rotate in the direction of the robot body 100 moving forward. Such a rotation in one direction can be achieved by the rotation (second rotation) of the robot body 100 performed in the entering step S1000 or the charging step S2000.

[0487] The rotation direction of the suspension motor MS in the entering step S1000 and the rotation direction of the suspension motor MS in the exiting step S3000 may be opposite directions to each other.

[0488] More specifically, in the entering step S1000 , the suspension motor MS may rotate in the direction of the robot body 100 sitting down, and in the leaving step S3000 , the suspension motor MS may rotate in the direction of the robot body 100 standing up.

[0489] At this time, as another feasible embodiment, in the step S1000, the suspension motor MS may rotate in the direction of the robot body 100 standing up, and in the step S3000, the suspension motor MS may rotate in the direction of the robot body 100 sitting down. Such an embodiment can be realized when the relative height of the power supply terminal 936 relative to the ground is higher than the relative height of the charging terminal 152 relative to the ground, based on the state in which the wheels 310 of the robot 1 climb the placement plate 921.

[0490] As described above, according to the present invention, after the robot is combined with the charging base station, the placement plate rotates 180 degrees, so the robot can enter the charging base station and detach from the charging base station in a forward movement manner. Therefore, it has the advantage that the robot can easily enter and detach from the charging base station.

[0491] In addition, according to the present invention, when the robot is coupled to the charging base station, the coupling hook of the charging base station and the coupling member of the robot are locked and coupled to each other, thereby achieving a fixed coupling between the robot and the charging base station. Therefore, the power supply to the robot being charged can be stably maintained.

[0492] On the other hand, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the block diagrams disclosed in the present invention are circuits for implementing the principles of the present invention in a conceptual manner. Similarly, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any flow chart, flow chart, state transition diagram, pseudo code, etc. substantially expressed in a computer-readable medium, whether or not a computer or processor is explicitly shown, represents various processes that can be executed by such a computer or processor.

[0493] Therefore, the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention can be written into a program that can be run in a computer, and can be implemented in a general-purpose digital computer that runs the program using a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium can include storage media such as magnetic storage media (such as ROM, floppy disk, hard disk, etc.), optical reading media (such as optical disk, DVD, etc.), etc.

[0494] The functions of the various elements shown in the figure are related to appropriate software and can be provided using hardware that can run the software as well as dedicated hardware. When provided by a processor, such functions can be provided by a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or a plurality of single processors that can be partially shared.

[0495] In addition, the explicit use of the term "processor" or "control unit" should not be interpreted as referring exclusively to hardware that can run software, but may imply, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile storage devices.

[0496] Although a specific embodiment of the present invention is described and illustrated above, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiment, and a person skilled in the art can understand that other specific embodiments can be variously modified and transformed without departing from the concept and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be determined by the described embodiment, but should be determined by the technical concept recorded in the claims.

Claims

1. A charging base station, the charging base station supplies power to a robot for charging, wherein: include: A base station body, with a space inside, the base station body is placed on the ground so that the robot can approach and climb; A rotating unit, arranged on the base station body and coupled to the base station body in a relatively rotatable manner; as well as The charging unit is coupled to the upper portion of the rotating unit and rotates together with the rotating unit through the rotation of the rotating unit. The charging unit has a power supply terminal for charging the robot.

2. The charging base station according to claim 1, wherein: The base station body includes an inclined portion, which is disposed at an entrance for the robot to climb and is inclined upward toward the front of a direction in which the robot enters.

3. The charging base station according to claim 2, wherein: A wheel guide portion is provided on the inclined portion; The wheel guide is formed with a groove to guide the movement of the wheel of the robot; The wheel guide portion is formed such that the width of the groove is wider than the width of the wheel at an entrance for the robot to climb, and the width of the groove relative to the entrance becomes narrower toward the front of the climbing path of the robot.

4. The charging base station according to claim 1, wherein: The rotating part comprises: a placement plate on which the wheels of the robot are placed, the placement plate being rotated by rotation of a motor; and The power transmission unit is accommodated in the internal space of the base station body together with the motor, and transmits power generated by the rotation of the motor to the placement plate.

5. The charging base station according to claim 4, wherein: The placement plate comprises: wheel insertion slots, arranged at the stop positions of the left and right wheels of the robot so that the robot stops at a specified position; and The robot sensing button is arranged in the wheel insertion slot to sense the weight of the robot.

6. The charging base station according to claim 4, wherein: The power transmission unit comprises: A first transmission part receives the rotational power of the motor to rotate; a belt connected to the first transmission part; and The second transmission part is coaxially combined with the placement plate and connected to the belt, and receives the rotational force of the first transmission part to rotate the placement plate.

7. The charging base station according to claim 6, wherein: The power transmission portion further includes a tensioner that adjusts tension of the belt.

8. The charging base station according to claim 6, wherein: The rotating part further comprises: a protrusion connected to the outer peripheral surface of the second transmission part so as to protrude toward the outer side in the circumferential direction of the second transmission part; and The micro switch is arranged at a position where the micro switch comes into contact with the protrusion due to the rotation of the second transmission part.

9. The charging base station according to claim 1, wherein: The charging unit comprises: a charging unit body, which is disposed between the left wheel and the right wheel of the robot, based on a state in which the robot climbs onto the rotating unit; and A coupling groove is arranged on the upper part of the charging unit body, and a coupling member of the robot is inserted into the coupling groove.

10. The charging base station according to claim 9, wherein: The charging unit further includes a coupling hook, which is disposed in the coupling groove and is locked and coupled with a coupling member of the robot.

11. The charging base station according to claim 10, wherein: a hook link, one end of which is adjacent to the coupling hook, and if the one end of the coupling hook is locked to the coupling member of the robot, the other end of the coupling hook is locked to the one end of the hook link; and The hook switch is adjacent to the other end of the hook link, and the locking of the coupling hook is released by pressing the other end of the hook link.

12. A method for charging a robot, the method for charging the robot being performed by a robot system comprising a robot and a charging base station for supplying power to the robot for charging, wherein: The charging method of the robot comprises: A step of climbing the wheels of the robot to climb the rotating part of the charging base station; A combining step of electrically combining a charging terminal of the robot and a power supply terminal of the charging base station to supply power to the robot; and The rotating part of the charging base station rotates together with the robot to change the direction in which the front of the robot faces by 180 degrees.

13. The robot charging method according to claim 12, wherein: The robot comprises: A robot body having the charging terminal; Leg parts, respectively arranged on the left side and the right side of the robot body, and combined with the wheels that roll on the ground; and A suspension motor is accommodated in the robot body and is respectively connected to the left and right supporting legs to provide driving force to the supporting legs; The combining step comprises: The leg portion is driven by the suspension motor to move the robot body downward so that the charging terminal and the power supply terminal are brought into contact with each other and the robot body descends; and A robot body fixing step is performed in which a coupling member arranged on the lower side of the robot body and a coupling hook arranged on the upper side of the charging base station are locked and coupled to each other.

14. The robot charging method according to claim 12, wherein: Also includes: A releasing step in which the connection between the charging terminal and the power supply terminal is released; as well as After the robot is separated from the charging base station, the rotating part rotates to return to an initial position.

15. A method for charging a robot, the method being performed by a robot system comprising a robot and a charging base station for supplying power to the robot for charging, wherein: The charging method of the robot comprises: The robot moves close to the charging base station and climbs onto a base station body of the charging base station; A charging step in which a charging terminal provided at the robot and a power supply terminal provided at the charging base station are in electrical contact with each other; and A step of disengaging the robot from the charging base station; The robot comprises: a robot body, provided with the charging terminal; and A wheel motor connected to a wheel that rolls on the ground to provide driving force; The charging base station comprises: A base station body, with a space inside, the base station body is placed on the ground so that the robot can approach and climb; a charging unit, arranged in the base station body, having the power supply terminal; and A terminal rotation motor rotates the charging unit to change the direction of the power supply terminal; In the entering step, at least one of the wheel motor and the terminal rotating motor is driven.

16. The robot charging method according to claim 15, characterized in that: In the charging step, the robot body moves in a direction close to the ground.

17. The robot charging method according to claim 15, characterized in that: The robot further comprises a suspension motor, wherein the suspension motor is connected to a connecting rod structure connecting the wheel and the robot body, and provides a driving force for the robot body to move in an up-and-down direction; In the charging step, the suspension motor is driven to close the distance between the robot body and the wheel.

18. The robot charging method according to claim 15, characterized in that: In the disengaging step, the robot body moves in a direction away from the ground.

19. The robot charging method according to claim 15, characterized in that: Throughout the entering step, the charging step, and the separating step, the posture of the robot body is changed one or more times.

20. The robot charging method according to claim 15, characterized in that: In the entering step and the leaving step, the wheel motor is rotationally driven in one direction.

21. The robot charging method according to claim 15, characterized in that: Also includes a suspension motor, the suspension motor is connected to the connecting rod structure connecting the wheel and the robot body, providing a driving force for the robot body to move up and down; A rotation direction of the suspension motor in the entering step and a rotation direction of the suspension motor in the disengaging step are opposite directions to each other.

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