Charging system, robot, and charging device

Abstract

To provide a charging system, a robot, and a charger, capable of suitably charging an apparatus such as the robot.SOLUTION: A charging system includes: an apparatus (robot) 200 comprising a secondary battery and drive units (upper and lower motors) 222 for driving the apparatus; and a charger 300 for charging the secondary battery in a state in which the apparatus is placed on a placement surface (floor surface) 302. When placed on the placement surface of the charger, the apparatus drives the drive units so that contact between a drive part and the placement surface causes force in predetermined one direction and the apparatus's position on the placement surface becomes a predetermined position for charging.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging system, a robot, and a charging device. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to make the robot as familiar as a pet, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a robot that is provided with an exterior that covers the main body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-191276 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Many of these robots have built-in rechargeable secondary batteries. One method for charging the secondary battery of a robot is to notify the user when the remaining charge of the robot is low, and the user sets the robot in a dedicated charging station based on the notification. However, when charging such a robot by contact charging or non-contact charging, if the user sets the robot in an incorrect position, there is a risk that efficient charging will not be achieved.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a charging system, a robot, and a charging device that can suitably charge devices such as robots. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention The robot according to one embodiment of the present invention is a robot including a head and a torso, and is equipped with an identification unit that identifies that the robot has been placed on a charging device, a determination unit that, when the identification unit identifies that the robot has been placed on the charging device, determines whether or not the robot's position on the charging device is a position that satisfies predetermined conditions, and an operation unit that operates the head in accordance with the determination result by the determination unit, and is configured such that operation of the operation unit causes the head to come into contact with the charging device, generating a force in a direction from the head to the torso. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a charging system, a robot, and a charging device that can suitably charge a device such as a robot. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a top view of a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a robot is placed on the charging device. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a guiding operation process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining a guiding operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining a guiding operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining a guiding operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the robot is performing a guiding operation. [Figure 10] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining a guiding operation in a modified example. [Figure 11] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining a guiding operation in a modified example. [Figure 12] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining a guiding operation in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiment, the description will be made with reference to the front-rear directions in FIG. 1 and the top-bottom directions in FIG. 2 as appropriate.

[0010] (Embodiment) First, the configuration of the robot 200 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the robot 200 is a pet robot that imitates a small animal. Two decorative parts 202 having decorative parts imitating the eyes of a small animal are provided on the front side of the robot 200. In this way, the front side of the robot 200 forms the face of the small animal. As shown in FIG. 2, the robot 200 has a main body 207 and an exterior 201 that covers the main body 207.

[0011] 2, main body 207 has head 204, body 206 provided behind head 204, and connecting part 205 connecting head 204 and body 206. Main body 207 may be made of, for example, synthetic resin, and colored a light pink color so as not to give a mechanical impression to the user.

[0012] The head 204, which constitutes a part of the main body 207, is a part corresponding to the head of the robot 200 simulating a small animal. The body 206 has a shape long in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the body 206 is provided with a convex part 241 as a first engaged part. The convex part 241 as the first engaged part engages with a first engaging part (engagement plate) provided on the exterior 201. A second engaged part similar to the first engaged part is also provided on the head 204 (not shown). By engaging the first engaging part and the second engaging part provided on the exterior 201 with the first engaged part attached to the body 206 and the second engaged part attached to the head 204, respectively, the exterior 201 can be moved in accordance with the operation of the main body 207. Hereinafter, when the first engaging part and the second engaging part are not particularly distinguished from each other, they will simply be referred to as engaging parts. Moreover, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the first engaged portion and the second engaged portion, they will simply be referred to as engaged portions.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 2, the connecting part 205 connects the rear end of the head 204 and the front end of the body part 206. The connecting part 205 is provided with an up-down motor 222 for rotating the head up and down. Although not shown in the figure, other motors, such as a twisting motor, may also be provided. The twisting motor may be any motor that rotates the head 204 around an axis extending in the front-rear direction. By moving the head 204 in this way, it is possible to make the robot 200 simulating a small animal shown in Fig. 1 move as if it is tilting its head.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 2, the up-down motor 222 rotates the head 204 in the direction indicated by the arrow Y1 around an axis 103 parallel to the direction penetrating the figure. By moving the head 204 in this manner, the robot 200 imitating a small animal can be made to move as if shaking its head up and down. The connecting unit 205 connects the head 204 and the body unit 206 so that the head 204 can move on the axis of rotation of the up-down motor 222. Note that when a twist motor is provided, the connecting unit 205 may connect the head 204 and the body unit 206 so that the head 204 can move on two axes, that is, the axis of rotation of the twist motor and the axis of rotation of the up-down motor 222.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the exterior 201 is long in the front-rear direction and has a bag-like shape capable of accommodating the main body 207 (FIG. 2) inside. The exterior 201 is formed by sewing together sheet-like outer and inner fabrics with thread at multiple locations while overlapping each other. In this way, by sewing together the sheet-like outer and inner fabrics with thread at multiple locations, it is possible to handle the outer and inner fabrics as a whole without causing any misalignment between them. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the outer fabric is made of an artificial pile fabric that imitates the fur 203 of a small animal. This allows the texture of the robot 200 to resemble the texture of a small animal. The lining is made of a woven fabric made of synthetic fibers. The lining may also be made of natural leather, artificial leather, a sheet material made of synthetic resin, a sheet material made of rubber, or a cloth made of natural fibers. Also, an engagement plate 260 is provided as an engagement portion on the inside of the exterior 201 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0016] 1, line fastener 208 is attached to the rear of exterior 201. With main body 207 (FIG. 2) housed inside exterior 201, slider 208a is slid to a closed state, whereby main body 207 (FIG. 2) is maintained in a housed state. On the other hand, by sliding slider 208a to open line fastener 208, main body 207 (FIG. 2) housed inside can be removed or main body 207 (FIG. 2) can be housed inside exterior 201.

[0017] 2, by moving the exterior 201 in response to the movement of the main body 207 caused by the drive of the up-down motor 222, the robot 200 modeled after a small animal can be made to move as if it were alive. For this purpose, the exterior 201 is appropriately engaged with the main body 207 using the first and second engaging portions and the first and second engaged portions, so that the exterior 201 follows the movement of the main body 207.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, a convex part 241 is attached to the trunk part 206 constituting a part of the main body part 207 as a first engaged part that engages with the engagement plate 260. The trunk part 206 is also provided with a power receiving coil 101. The power receiving coil 101 is, for example, a planar coil wound in a spiral shape, and the coil surface is arranged so as to be parallel to a floor surface 302 of the charging device 300 described later. The power receiving coil 101 receives power by magnetic field coupling such as electromagnetic induction with a power transmitting coil 102 provided in the charging device 300 described later. The power received by the power receiving coil 101 is output to a charging circuit not shown. The charging circuit rectifies the AC power received by the power receiving coil 101 and converts it into a DC current, and charges a secondary battery not shown. This allows power to be supplied from the charging device 300 to the secondary battery of the robot 200 in a non-contact manner. The power charged in the secondary battery becomes the driving power for the up and down motor 222. Furthermore, a control unit 105 and a communication unit 106, which will be described later, function by consuming the power charged in the secondary battery. Hereinafter, the current supplied to the secondary battery is referred to as a charging current. Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which non-contact charging is performed using the power transmitting coil 102 and the power receiving coil 101, but for example, non-contact charging may be performed using an electric field coupling method by providing electrodes on each of the charging device 300 on the power transmitting side and the robot 200 on the power receiving side. Furthermore, non-contact charging is not limited to the electric field coupling method, and may be, for example, a magnetic field resonance method or a direct current resonance method.

[0019] Additionally, the body 206 is provided with at least a control unit 105 as a functional unit that controls the driving of the up / down motor 222, and a communication unit 106 as a functional unit that communicates with a charging device 300 described later.

[0020] The control unit 105 includes, for example, a microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and a memory for storing various information. The control unit 105 includes a storage unit. The storage unit is a storage device such as a flash memory or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and stores various information regarding the drive control of the up / down motor 222 performed by the control unit 105.

[0021] Specifically, when the remaining charge capacity of the built-in secondary battery falls below a predetermined remaining capacity, the robot 200 according to this embodiment notifies the user to charge the battery by sending a message to the user's terminal or outputting an alarm sound. For this purpose, the storage unit stores the remaining charge capacity of the secondary battery that triggers the notification. The control unit 105 transmits the message to the user's terminal via the communication unit 106. When outputting the alarm sound, the control unit 105 may output the alarm sound via an input / output unit (not shown). The remaining charge capacity stored in the storage unit is the remaining capacity that allows the robot 200 to perform a guiding operation (operation of moving the robot 200 to a suitable position in the charging device 300) described later. The storage unit also stores the current value of the allowable charging current (allowable current value) (described in detail later).

[0022] Furthermore, the control unit 105 is capable of detecting the current value of the receiving current. The charging efficiency varies depending on the position of the robot 200 on the charging device 300. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the charging efficiency is highest at the position where the center O of the receiving coil 101 provided on the robot 200 and the center O' of the transmitting coil 102 of the charging device 300 overlap. That is, the charging efficiency is higher as the position where the center O of the receiving coil 101 provided on the robot 200 is placed is closer to the center O' of the transmitting coil 102 of the charging device 300. Therefore, the control unit 105 compares the allowable current value stored in advance in the storage unit with the current value of the charging current actually detected by the control unit 105, and if the current value of the detected charging current is less than the allowable current value, the control unit 105 determines that the center O of the receiving coil 101 provided on the robot 200 and the center O' of the transmitting coil 102 of the charging device 300 are separated from each other, that is, the robot 200 is not placed at a suitable position on the charging device 300. In this case, the control unit 105 executes a guidance operation process (operation of moving to a suitable position in the charging device 300) described below, thereby controlling the drive of the up / down motor 222 and moving the robot 200 to a suitable position. The allowable current value is a current value of the charging current when the charging efficiency satisfies a predetermined level, and is set in advance. In this embodiment, the position where the current value of the detected charging current is equal to or greater than the allowable current value is determined to be the suitable position for charging.

[0023] The communication unit 106 includes an interface for communicating with the communication unit 306 of the charging device 300 and the user's terminal by wireless communication means such as radio waves and infrared rays. In this embodiment, the communication unit 106 performs wireless communication with the communication unit 306 of the charging device 300 by NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or the like, and specifies that the robot 200 has been placed on the charging device 300. Note that the method of specifying that the robot 200 has been placed on the charging device 300 is not limited to the method using wireless communication, and may be any method, such as specifying by inputting a voice predetermined by the user to an input / output unit (not shown), specifying by an optical sensor, specifying by a mechanical switch or weight sensor, or the like. Also, in this embodiment, the robot 200 executes a constant guidance operation process, and the robot 200 constantly determines whether or not it has been placed on the charging device 300. Note that the entity that specifies that the robot 200 has been placed on the charging device 300 may be the robot 200, may be the charging device 300, or may be both.

[0024] The above is the configuration of the robot 200 according to this embodiment. Next, the configuration of the charging device 300 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the charging device 300 according to this embodiment from above. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the charging device 300 according to this embodiment from the side with the robot 200 placed on it. As shown in FIG. 3, the charging device 300 has an elliptical shape, and includes an outer frame 301, a floor surface 302, and a guide 305. The floor surface 302 includes a guide portion 304.

[0025] Outer frame 301 is made of an insulating material such as plastic. Floor surface 302 is a surface on which body 206 of robot 200 is placed, and is configured to be parallel to power receiving coil 101 provided on body 206 when robot 200 is placed thereon. Floor surface 302 may be made of a smooth material that has little friction with exterior 201 and fur 203 of robot 200, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), so as not to impede the induction operation of robot 200.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, a power transmitting coil 102 is provided inside the charging device 300 below the floor surface 302. The power transmitting coil 102 is, for example, a spirally wound planar coil, and the coil surface is arranged so as to be parallel to the floor surface 302. That is, the power transmitting coil 102 is arranged so as to face the power receiving coil 101 in parallel, as shown in Fig. 4. In this manner, the charging device 300 is provided with a configuration for transmitting power in a non-contact manner, including the power transmitting coil 102. In this embodiment, a DC voltage supplied from an AC adapter provided outside or inside the charging device 300 and connected to a household outlet is converted into AC, and the power is transmitted from the power transmitting coil 102.

[0027] The guiding part 304 is provided in front of the floor surface 302, and as shown in FIG. 3, has a shape like a part of Baumkuchen (approximately a fan shape) centered on the center position of the charging device 300. The guiding part 304 is formed so that the cross section is sawtooth and the back blade 304B of the sawtooth faces the body direction (retraction direction) so that the head 204 of the robot 200 moves up and down in the guiding operation described later, so that the exterior 201 and the bristles 203 of the tip part of the robot 200 (the front tip part of the robot 200) come into contact with each other and the robot 200 retreats reliably, as shown in FIG. 4. Of the guiding part 304 with a sawtooth cross section, the part formed obliquely with respect to the floor surface 302 is referred to as the front blade 304A, and the part formed perpendicularly with respect to the floor surface 302 is referred to as the back blade 304B. The guiding part 304 may be made of a material that has a large friction with the exterior 201 and the bristles 203 of the front tip part of the robot 200, such as rubber. The guiding unit 304 may be fan-shaped instead of being approximately fan-shaped. Also, as long as the guiding unit 304 can come into contact with the front end of the robot 200, the guiding unit 304 may not be approximately fan-shaped with the center position of the charging device 300 as the center, but may be centered at another position. Also, the front end of the robot 200 may be, for example, a part that corresponds to the nose of the robot 200 that is a small dog.

[0028] Returning to FIG. 3, the guide 305 is a guide plate for guiding the robot 200 so that it can move to a suitable position in the charging device 300 in the guiding operation described later, that is, so that the center O of the power receiving coil 101 approaches the center O' of the power transmitting coil 102. Furthermore, the guide 305 also functions as a stopper that prevents the robot 200 from moving further back after it has moved to a suitable position for charging. In this embodiment, the operation of the robot 200 is stopped by detecting that it has moved to a suitable position for charging. However, even if the robot 200 is operated a predetermined number of times without detecting the position of the robot 200, the guide 305 allows the robot 200 to be stopped at a suitable position. The guide 305 may be made of a smooth material that has little friction with the exterior 201 and hair 203 of the robot 200, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), so as not to interfere with the guiding operation of the robot 200. The guide 305 is configured to be adjustable in angle θ shown in the figure according to the size of the robot 200. According to this, robots 200 of different sizes can be suitably charged using the charging device 300.

[0029] In the illustrated example, the charging device 300 has an elliptical shape, that is, the outer frame 301 has an elliptical shape, but this is only an example and is not limited to an elliptical shape. For example, the charging device may have a shape that is so-called egg-shaped, in which the front is more bulging than the rear. In this case, since the rear is more deflated than the front, the inner wall of the charging device functions as a guide plate and a stopper, and the charging device 300 does not need to be provided with a separate guide 305.

[0030] The charging device 300 also includes a communication unit 306 as a functional unit that communicates with the robot 200. The communication unit 306 includes an interface that communicates with the communication unit 106 of the robot 200 by wireless communication means such as radio waves or infrared rays. In addition, although not shown, a control unit is provided as a functional unit that controls communication with the communication unit 106 of the robot 200 via the communication unit 306 and controls the power to be transmitted. The control unit includes, for example, a microcomputer or FPGA equipped with a CPU, ROM, and RAM, and a memory that stores various information.

[0031] The above is the configuration of the charging device 300 according to this embodiment. Next, charging by the robot 200 and the charging device 300 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the robot 200 placed on the charging device 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the side. Specifically, Fig. 4 shows the robot 200 placed in a suitable position on the charging device 300. The robot 200 and the charging device 300 together are also referred to as a charging system for the robot 200.

[0032] In this embodiment, the charging device 300 is provided outside or inside the charging device 300, converts a direct current voltage supplied from an AC adapter connected to a household power outlet into alternating current, and transmits the power from the transmitting coil 102 to the robot 200. The receiving coil 101 provided in the robot 200 receives the power by magnetic field coupling such as electromagnetic induction, outputs the power to a charging circuit (not shown), and charges a secondary battery (not shown). In this way, the charging device 300 supplies power to the secondary battery of the robot 200 in a non-contact manner. As described above, the charging efficiency is highest at the position where the center O of the receiving coil 101 provided in the robot 200 and the center O' of the transmitting coil 102 of the charging device 300 overlap. Therefore, the charging efficiency changes depending on the position in the charging device 300 where the robot 200 is placed.

[0033] In this way, since the charging efficiency changes depending on the position of the robot 200 in the charging device 300 when charging the robot 200, in this embodiment, a guiding operation is performed to move the robot 200 to a suitable position in the charging device 300, thereby enabling charging to be performed suitably. The guiding operation is performed by executing the guiding operation process shown in Fig. 5. As described above, the guiding operation process is a process that is constantly executed in the robot 200.

[0034] Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of the guidance operation process. In the following, as shown in Fig. 6, a case will be described in which the robot 200 is placed on the charging device 300 so that the tip portion of the robot 200 (hereinafter, the front tip of the robot 200) is at the position X shown in the figure. Also, it is assumed that the current value of the charging current detected when the front tip of the robot 200 is at the position X shown in the figure is less than the allowable current value stored in the storage unit.

[0035] 5 is started, the control unit 105 of the robot 200 determines whether the robot 200 is placed on the charging device 300 by determining whether communication between the communication unit 106 and the communication unit 306 of the charging device 300 is established (step S100). If communication between the communication unit 106 and the communication unit 306 is not established, that is, if it is determined that the robot 200 is not placed on the charging device 300 (step S100; No), the control unit 105 ends the guiding operation process.

[0036] On the other hand, when communication between the communication unit 106 and the communication unit 306 is established, that is, when it is determined that the robot 200 is placed on the charging device 300 (step S100; Yes), the control unit 105 determines whether or not the current value of the actually detected charging current is equal to or greater than the allowable current value previously stored in the storage unit (step S101). Specifically, in step S101, when the current value of the actually detected charging current is less than the allowable current value previously stored in the storage unit, it is determined that the center O of the power receiving coil 101 provided in the robot 200 and the center O' of the power transmitting coil 102 of the charging device 300 are separated from each other, that is, the robot 200 is not placed at a suitable position in the charging device 300. On the other hand, when the current value of the actually detected charging current is equal to or greater than the allowable current value previously stored in the storage unit, it is determined that the robot 200 is placed at a suitable position in the charging device 300. The allowable current value may be changeable by the user. Furthermore, in step S101, if it is determined that the current value of the detected charging current is equal to or greater than the allowable current value (step S101; Yes), the control unit 105 determines that the device is placed in a suitable position and terminates the guidance operation process.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 6, when the front tip of the robot 200 is at the position X shown in the figure, in the processing of step S101, the control unit 105 determines that the current value of the detected charging current is less than the allowable current value (step S101; No), and proceeds to the processing of step S102 shown in FIG. 5.

[0038] Next, the control unit 105 controls the drive of the up-down motor 222 to move the head 204 of the robot 200 up and down (step S102). That is, in the process of step S102, the up-down motor 222 is driven to perform an action of shaking the head of the robot 200 imitating a small animal up and down. Specifically, in the process of step S102, the drive control of the up-down motor 222 first rotates the head 204 of the robot 200 in the direction of the arrow Y2 shown in FIG. 7. As a result, as shown in the figure, the exterior 201 and the hair 203 at the front end of the robot 200 come into contact with the guide unit 304. Next, the drive control of the up-down motor 222 rotates the head 204 of the robot 200 in the direction of the arrow Y3 shown in FIG. 8. As a result, a backward force is generated in the part A shown in FIG. 7. Therefore, by executing the process of step S102 shown in Fig. 5, head 204 of robot 200 changes from the state shown in Fig. 7 to the state shown in Fig. 8, from facing downward to facing forward, and at this time, a backward force generated at part A in Fig. 7 is received, and robot 200 moves a distance from X to Y as shown in Fig. 8. That is, an operation is performed to bring center O of power receiving coil 101 provided in robot 200 closer to center O' of power transmitting coil 102 of charging device 300.

[0039] Returning to FIG. 5, after executing the process of step S102, the control unit 105 returns to the process of step S101 and determines whether the current value of the charging current detected again is equal to or greater than the allowable current value previously stored in the storage unit. If the detected current value of the charging current is less than the allowable current value, the control unit 105 executes the process of step S102 again, and repeats the process of steps S101 and S102 until the detected current value of the charging current is equal to or greater than the allowable current value. As a result, the robot 200 moves to a position where the detected current value of the charging current is equal to or greater than the allowable current value. Moving the robot 200 to a position where the current value of the charging current is equal to or greater than the allowable current value in this manner is called a guiding operation.

[0040] 9 is a top view of the robot 200 performing a guiding operation as a result of the guiding unit 304 being executed in the state shown in FIG. 6. As shown in the figure, since the guiding unit 304 is formed in a substantially fan-like shape, even if the robot 200 is placed at an angle to the front-to-rear direction, the guiding operation is executed to guide the center O of the power receiving coil 101 closer to the center O' of the power transmitting coil 102. Also, since the guide 305 is provided, the robot 200 can be guided to a more suitable charging position.

[0041] Thus, in this embodiment, when the robot 200 is not placed in a suitable position in the charging device 300, the guidance operation process is executed to guide the robot 200. This brings the center O of the power receiving coil 101 closer to the center O' of the power transmitting coil 102, enabling charging to be performed suitably.

[0042] In this embodiment, the robot 200 is judged to be in a suitable position for charging by comparing the allowable current value with the charging current in the process of step S101 in FIG. 5, and the guiding operation is started and stopped accordingly. However, a method that does not compare the current value may be adopted. For example, the guide 305 may be used as a stopper. Specifically, based on the detection that the robot 200 is placed on the charging device 300, the robot 200 is made to perform a motion of shaking its head up and down a predetermined number of times, and the robot 200 is made to move backward in the same manner as described above. At this time, the guide 305 is appropriately set so that the robot 200 stops at a suitable position for charging. This allows the robot 200 to stop at a suitable position for charging. In addition, although an example in which non-contact charging is performed is shown in this embodiment, contact charging may also be performed. In this case, contact terminals for charging are provided on both the robot 200 and the charging device 300, and a guiding operation is performed to guide the robot 200 to a position where the contact terminals of both are in contact with each other.

[0043] In this case, the number of times that the head 204 of the robot 200 is operated may be the number of times that the robot 200 can move to the suitable charging position when placed at the tip of the charging device 300 (the position farthest from the suitable charging position). Note that the robot 200 will also operate when placed at the suitable charging position from the beginning, but the movement can be suppressed by installing the guide 305.

[0044] (Modification) This invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications and applications are possible. For example, the robot 200 and the charging device 300 do not have to have all the technical features shown in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may have some of the configurations described in the above-mentioned embodiment so as to solve at least one problem in the conventional technology. In addition, at least a part of each of the following modifications may be combined.

[0045] In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the guide portion 304 having a sawtooth cross section is provided in a substantially fan-shaped manner in front of the floor surface 302 of the charging device 300, but this is just one example. If a backward force is generated at a contact portion between the front end of the robot 200 and the floor surface 302 of the charging device 300 by the head 240 of the robot 200 moving up and down in the guiding operation process, the guiding portion 304 may not be provided on the charging device 300. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a contact portion 299 may be provided at the tip portion of the robot 200 (the front end of the robot 200) so that a backward force is generated at a contact portion between the contact portion 299 and the floor surface 302 by the head 240 of the robot 200 moving up and down in the guiding operation process. The contact portion 299 may be, for example, an elastic member having a large friction, such as rubber. When the contact portion 299 is provided at the front end of the robot 200, a portion of the floor surface 302 of the charging device 300 that comes into contact with the contact portion 299 (a portion corresponding to the guiding portion 304 in the above embodiment) may be made of a resin that has high friction with the contact portion 299. In combination with the above embodiment, the contact portion 299 may be provided at the tip portion of the robot 200 (the front end of the robot 200), and the guiding portion 304 having a sawtooth cross section may be provided in front of the floor surface 302 of the charging device 300. In this case, it is desirable that the size of the contact portion 299 is large enough to come into contact with the guiding portion 304.

[0046] 10, a case will be described in which the robot 200 is placed on the charging device 300 so that the contact portion 299 of the robot 200 is at the position X' shown in the figure, and the guidance operation process is executed. Also, it is assumed that the current value of the charging current detected when the contact portion 299 of the robot 200 is at the position X' shown in the figure is less than the allowable current value.

[0047] When the process of step S102 in the guiding operation process shown in Fig. 5 is executed, the robot 200 moves the head 204 up and down. Specifically, in the process of step S102, the head 204 of the robot 200 is first rotated in the direction of the arrow Y2 shown in Fig. 11 by the drive control of the up-down motor 222. As a result, the contact portion 299 of the robot 200 comes into contact with the floor surface 302 as shown in the figure. Next, the head 204 of the robot 200 is rotated in the direction of the arrow Y3 shown in Fig. 12 by the drive control of the up-down motor 222. As a result, a backward force is generated at the contact portion between the contact portion 299 of the robot 200 and the floor surface 302 shown in Fig. 11. 5, the head 204 of the robot 200 changes from the state shown in FIG. 11 to the state shown in FIG. 12, from facing downward to facing forward, and at this time, the robot 200 receives a force generated between the contact portion 299 and the floor surface 302 in FIG. 11, and moves a distance from X' to Y' as shown in FIG. 12. That is, an operation is performed to bring the center O of the power receiving coil 101 provided in the robot 200 closer to the center O' of the power transmitting coil 102 of the charging device 300. This allows the robot 200 to perform an induction operation without providing the charging device 300 with the induction portion 304 having a sawtooth cross section. In addition, since it is only necessary to provide the contact portion 299 in the robot 200, the charging device 300 can be used to charge a plurality of types of robots 200.

[0048] In the above embodiment, in the process of step S101 in FIG. 5, the control unit 105 of the robot 200 determines whether the robot 200 is placed in a suitable position on the charging device 300, and controls the driving of the up-down motor 222 when the robot 200 is not placed in the suitable position. However, this is just an example. For example, the charging device 300 may determine whether the robot 200 is placed in a suitable position on the charging device 300. In this case, the allowable current value may be stored in the storage unit of the charging device 300. Specifically, the charging device 300 receives from the robot 200 the current value of the charging current actually detected by the control unit 105. Then, the charging device 300 determines whether the received current value is equal to or greater than the allowable current value stored in the storage unit, and determines whether the robot 200 is placed in a suitable position. When it is determined that the robot 200 is not placed in a suitable position, the control unit 105 of the robot 200 transmits a driving command to control the driving of the up-down motor 222 to the control unit 105 of the robot 200, and causes the control unit 105 to execute the process of step S102 in FIG. 5.

[0049] Furthermore, the current value of the charging current received by the charging device 300 may be associated with robot information indicating the type of the robot 200, and the allowable current value stored in advance on the charging device 300 side may be a different allowable current value for each type of robot 200. In this way, even if the allowable current value differs for each type of robot 200, the same charging device 300 can determine whether or not different types of robots 200 are in a suitable position.

[0050] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the guiding operation is performed by the up and down movement of the head 204 of the robot 200, but this is just one example. In addition, for example, the guiding operation may be performed by the left and right movement of the head 204 of the robot 200. In this case, it is sufficient that the guiding parts 304 having a sawtooth cross section are provided on both side surfaces of the charging device 300 so that the guiding parts 304 come into contact with the front end of the robot 200 when the head 204 is moved left and right.

[0051] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the robot 200 is moved to a suitable position in the charging device 300 by operating the robot 200. Alternatively, for example, a conveyor belt may be provided on the side of the charging device 300, and when it is determined that the robot 200 is not placed in a suitable position on the side of the charging device 300, the conveyor belt may be operated to move the robot 200 to a suitable position in the charging device 300.

[0052] In this embodiment, an example of charging a small animal-like robot is shown, but the device to be charged is not limited to a robot, and the present disclosure can be applied to any device with a drive unit. For example, when a toy car with wheels or a toy tank with caterpillar tracks is detected to be placed on a charging stand, the wheels or tracks can be driven to guide the toy to an appropriate charging position. Furthermore, the present disclosure can be applied to a beauty tool with a massage function by the movement of the drive unit, as long as the drive unit and the charging device are in appropriate contact with each other.

[0053] The present invention allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention. The above-mentioned embodiments are for explaining the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the scope of the invention equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. The invention described in the original claims of this application is appended below.

[0054] (Appendix 1) A device including a secondary battery and a drive unit that drives the device itself; a charging device that includes a placement surface on which the device is placed and that charges the secondary battery while the device is placed on the placement surface, A charging system characterized in that, when the device is placed on the placement surface of the charging device, the drive unit is driven, and a force in a predetermined direction is generated by contacting the driven part with the placement surface, thereby positioning the device on the placement surface at a predetermined position for charging.

[0055] (Appendix 2) The charging system of claim 1, wherein the charging device further includes an inner wall surface formed so that both inner surfaces become gradually narrower in the one direction.

[0056] (Appendix 3) the charging device further includes a guide portion for guiding the device in the one direction on a part of the placement surface on which the device is placed, The charging system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the induction portion has a longitudinal section formed into a sawtooth shape with the back edge of the saw facing in the one direction.

[0057] (Appendix 4) The charging system of claim 3, wherein the induction portion is formed on the placement surface in a fan-shaped form when viewed from a direction facing the placement surface, and the arc of the fan shape faces in a direction opposite to the one direction.

[0058] (Appendix 5) The charging system according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, further comprising a placement position acquisition unit that acquires the position of the device on the placement surface when the device is placed on the placement surface, and drives the drive unit when the placement position acquired by the placement position acquisition unit satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0059] (Appendix 6) The charging system of any one of Appendices 1 to 5, wherein the device is a robot having a head and a torso, the drive unit drives the head, and the one direction is a direction from the head to the torso when the robot is placed on the placement surface.

[0060] (Appendix 7) 7. The charging system of claim 6, wherein the moving head comes into contact with the placement surface, so that a force in the one direction is generated in the robot.

[0061] (Appendix 8) 8. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein the charging device charges the secondary battery of the device by non-contact charging.

[0062] (Appendix 9) A robot including a head and a torso, An identification unit that identifies that the robot is placed on a charging device; a determination unit that, when the identification unit identifies that the robot has been placed on the charging device, determines whether or not the position of the robot on the charging device satisfies a predetermined condition; an operation unit that operates the head in response to a determination result by the determination unit, The operation of the operating unit causes the head to come into contact with the charging device, generating a force in a direction from the head to the torso. robot.

[0063] (Appendix 10) A charging device on which a robot including a head and a torso is placed, An identification unit that identifies that the robot has been placed; a determination unit that, when the identification unit identifies that the robot has been placed, determines whether or not the position of the robot is a position that satisfies a predetermined condition; a command transmission unit that transmits to the robot a movement command for moving the head in accordance with a result of the determination by the determination unit; a floor surface portion configured to generate a force in the robot in a direction from the head to the torso portion by contacting the head when the robot performs an action based on the action command; A charging device comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 101... power receiving coil, 102... power transmitting coil, 103... shaft, 105... control unit, 106, 306... communication unit, 200... robot, 201... exterior, 202... decorative part, 203... hair, 204... head, 205... connecting part, 206... body part, 207... main body part, 208... wire fastener, 208a... slider, 222... up and down motor, 241... convex part, 260... engagement plate, 299... contact part, 300... charging device, 301... outer frame, 302... floor surface, 304... guidance part, 304A... front blade, 304B... back blade, 305... guide

Claims

1. A robot including a head and a torso, An identification unit that identifies that the robot is placed on a charging device; a determination unit that, when the identification unit identifies that the robot has been placed on the charging device, determines whether or not the position of the robot on the charging device satisfies a predetermined condition; an operation unit that operates the head in response to a determination result by the determination unit, The operation of the operating unit causes the head to come into contact with the charging device, generating a force in a direction from the head to the torso. robot.

2. A charging device on which a robot including a head and a torso is placed, An identification unit that identifies that the robot has been placed; a determination unit that, when the identification unit identifies that the robot has been placed, determines whether or not the position of the robot is a position that satisfies a predetermined condition; a command transmission unit that transmits to the robot a movement command for moving the head in accordance with a result of the determination by the determination unit; a floor surface portion configured to generate a force in the robot in a direction from the head to the torso portion by contacting the head when the robot performs an action based on the action command; A charging device comprising:

3. A device including a secondary battery and a drive unit that drives the device; a charging device including a mounting surface on which the device is mounted, the charging device charging the secondary battery while the device is mounted on the mounting surface; Including, a charging system in which, when the device is placed on the placement surface of the charging device, the driving unit is driven, and a force in a predetermined direction is generated by contacting the driven part with the placement surface, so that the position of the device on the placement surface becomes a predetermined position for charging, The charging system is characterized in that the device is a robot having a head and a torso, the drive unit drives the head, and the specified direction is a direction from the head to the torso when the robot is placed on the placement surface.

4. A charging system as described in claim 3, configured so that contact between the driven head and the support surface generates a force in the specified direction on the robot.

5. An apparatus including a secondary battery and a drive unit for driving the apparatus; a charging device including a mounting surface on which the device is mounted, the charging device charging the secondary battery while the device is mounted on the mounting surface; Including, The charging device further includes an inner wall surface formed so that both inner sides are gradually narrowed toward a predetermined direction, A charging system characterized in that, when the device is placed on the placement surface of the charging device, the drive unit is driven, and the driven part comes into contact with the placement surface to generate a force in the specified direction, thereby positioning the device on the placement surface at a specified position for charging.

6. A device including a secondary battery and a drive unit for driving the device; a charging device including a mounting surface on which the device is mounted, the charging device charging the secondary battery while the device is mounted on the mounting surface; Including, the charging device further includes a guide portion for guiding the device in a predetermined direction on a part of the placement surface on which the device is placed, The guide portion has a sawtooth shape in a longitudinal section with a back edge of the saw facing the predetermined direction, A charging system characterized in that, when the device is placed on the placement surface of the charging device, the drive unit is driven, and the driven part comes into contact with the placement surface to generate a force in the specified direction, thereby positioning the device on the placement surface at a specified position for charging.

7. A charging system as described in Claim 6, wherein the induction portion is formed on the placement surface in a fan-shaped form when viewed from a direction opposite the placement surface, and the fan-shaped arc faces in a direction opposite to the specified direction.

8. A charging system as described in any one of claims 3 to 7, further comprising a placement position acquisition unit that acquires the position of the device on the placement surface when it is placed on the placement surface, and drives the drive unit when the placement position acquired by the placement position acquisition unit satisfies a predetermined condition.

9. A charging system described in any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the charging device charges the secondary battery of the equipment by contactless charging.

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