Mobile robot charging system

Abstract

A mobile robot charging system (100). The mobile robot charging system (100) comprises a charging pile (10) and a mobile robot (20). When a second charging contact (211) of the mobile robot (20) is close to a first charging contact (111) of the charging pile (10), a first magnetic member (112) can slide upward along an oblique chute (1112) to approach a first contact surface (1111), and when the second charging contact (211) is away from the first charging contact (111), the first magnetic member (112) can slide downward away from the first contact surface (1111). When the mobile robot (20) moves to the charging pile (10) for charging, the first charging contact (111) and the second charging contact (211) are kept in contact under the action of a magnetic force between the first magnetic member (112) and a second magnetic member (212).

Description

Mobile robot charging system

[0001] Priority information

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application entitled “Mobile Robot Charging System” filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on December 27, 2023, with application number 202323610250.0, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of robot charging structures, and more specifically, to a mobile robot charging system. Background Art

[0004] When charging a mobile robot, it needs to move to a charging station for docking, so that the charging contact points of the mobile robot and the charging station touch each other before charging begins. However, due to slopes or uneven ground conditions and insufficient movement control accuracy of the mobile robot, the charging contact points of the mobile robot and the charging station are only partially in contact. As a result, after entering the charging state, the charging contact points of the mobile robot and the charging station may separate, making the charging of the mobile robot unstable. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An embodiment of the present application provides a mobile robot charging system.

[0006] The mobile robot charging system of the embodiment of the present application includes a mobile robot and a charging pile. The charging pile includes a first charging component, which includes a first charging contact and a first magnetic member; the mobile robot includes a second charging component, which includes a second charging contact and a second magnetic member; the first charging contact includes a first contact surface, and the first charging contact is internally provided with an inclined slot, and the first magnetic member is slidably arranged in the inclined slot, and the inclined slot is configured such that: when the second charging contact approaches the first charging contact, the first magnetic member can slide upward along the inclined slot to approach the first contact surface under the action of the magnetic force between the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member, and when the second charging contact moves away from the first charging contact, the first magnetic member can slide downward away from the first contact surface under the action of gravity; when the mobile robot moves to the charging pile for charging, the first charging contact maintains contact with the second charging contact under the action of the magnetic force between the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member.

[0007] When the mobile robot is charging, it moves to dock with the charging station, bringing the first charging contact into contact with the second charging contact. At this point, the first and second magnetic members attract each other through magnetic force, maintaining contact between the first and second charging contacts. This ensures that even when the mobile robot is powered off, the first and second charging contacts remain in contact, ensuring stable charging without charging losses. This improves the mobile robot's charging efficiency and is environmentally friendly.

[0008] In some embodiments, the first charging component includes a fixed seat, a skateboard and an elastic member, the fixed seat includes a smooth groove, the skateboard is slidably arranged in the smooth groove, the first charging contact is fixed on the skateboard, the first contact surface extends out of the smooth groove, and the elastic member is arranged in the smooth groove to connect the skateboard and the fixed seat; when the mobile robot moves to the charging pile for charging, under the action of the magnetic force between the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member, the first charging contact can drive the skateboard to slide to the outside of the smooth groove, and when the second charging contact is away from the first charging contact, the elastic member can pull the skateboard to slide to the inside of the smooth groove.

[0009] Thus, when the mobile robot is charging, the first charging contact, in conjunction with the first and second magnetic members, allows the slide to move within the second chute and partially extend outside the second chute, allowing the first charging contact to contact the second charging contact. During docking, the elastic member prevents the first charging contact from moving within the second chute under the pressure of the second charging contact. After the mobile robot is fully charged, the first charging contact moves into the charging pile as the slide moves within the second chute, preventing contamination of the first charging contact and thus ensuring stable charging between the mobile robot and the charging pile.

[0010] In some embodiments, a receiving groove is provided inside the second charging contact, and the second magnetic member is fixed in the receiving groove.

[0011] In this way, by setting a storage groove inside the second charging contact and fixing the second magnetic part in the storage groove, the second charging contact can cooperate with the first charging contact, and under the magnetic force of the first magnetic part and the second magnetic part, the first charging contact and the second charging contact remain in contact.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first charging contact and / or the second charging contact are made of copper or graphite.

[0013] In this way, by selecting copper or graphite as the material of the first charging contact and the second charging contact, the first charging contact and the second charging contact have high conductivity and low resistivity, and can effectively conduct current.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first charging component includes a first charging cable, a charging controller, and a first modulation and demodulation module; the second charging component includes a second charging cable, a battery manager, and a second modulation and demodulation module; the first charging cable is connected to the first charging contact, and the second charging cable is connected to the second charging contact; the first modulation and demodulation module is connected to the first charging cable and the charging controller, and the second modulation and demodulation module is connected to the second charging cable and the battery manager; the first modulation and demodulation module and the second modulation and demodulation module cooperate to modulate the communication signal generated by the charging controller or the battery manager onto the current signal transmitted by the first charging cable and the second charging cable, or to demodulate the communication signal from the current signal.

[0015] By installing modem modules within the mobile robot and charging station and coupling the communication signal with the current signal, communication between the mobile robot and the charging station can be achieved without the need for additional communication contacts, simplifying the structure and saving costs. Furthermore, by enabling communication through charging contacts, there is no need to worry about communication disconnection, thus improving communication stability.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first modulation and demodulation module includes a first modulation circuit, a first coupling circuit, and a first demodulation circuit; the second modulation and demodulation module includes a second modulation circuit, a second coupling circuit, and a second demodulation circuit; the first modulation circuit is used to modulate the communication signal generated by the charging controller into a first high-frequency carrier signal, the first coupling circuit is used to couple the first high-frequency carrier signal to the current signal, the second modulation circuit is used to modulate the communication signal generated by the battery manager into a second high-frequency carrier signal, the second coupling circuit is used to couple the second high-frequency carrier signal to the current signal, the first demodulation circuit is used to demodulate the second high-frequency carrier signal from the current signal, and the second demodulation circuit is used to demodulate the first high-frequency carrier signal from the current signal.

[0017] In this way, by setting up a modulation circuit, a coupling circuit and a demodulation circuit in the mobile robot and the charging pile, the communication signal can be modulated into a high-frequency carrier signal and coupled with the current signal, and then the high-frequency carrier signal can be demodulated from the current signal through the demodulation circuit. In this way, the mobile robot and the charging pile do not need to set up additional communication contacts, and communication between the mobile robot and the charging pile can be achieved, which simplifies the structure and saves costs.

[0018] In some embodiments, the first charging component further includes a first filter, and the second charging component further includes a second filter; the first filter is used to filter out noise for the second high-frequency carrier signal, and the second filter is used to filter out noise for the first high-frequency carrier signal.

[0019] In this way, by setting up a filter in the charging component, the noise mixed in when the communication signal is modulated into a high-frequency carrier signal in the modulation circuit can be filtered out, thereby ensuring the purity of the high-frequency carrier signal and preventing the loss of signal content.

[0020] In some embodiments, the second charging component further includes an ideal diode circuit, wherein a cathode of the ideal diode circuit is connected to a positive electrode of a battery of the mobile robot, and an anode of the ideal diode circuit is connected to a positive electrode of the second charging contact.

[0021] In this way, by connecting an ideal diode circuit in series on the circuit of the positive electrode of the mobile robot's battery, the current in the circuit can only flow into the positive electrode of the battery and cannot flow out from the positive electrode of the battery, thereby avoiding problems such as sparking, contact melting and deformation, contact scorching, and component damage caused by circuit short circuit. It can also avoid the problem that when the connection between the mobile robot and the charging pile is unstable, the current is likely to generate sparks between the contacts, causing oxides to adhere to the contacts, which will gradually increase the contact resistance between the contacts over time, causing the mobile robot to heat up during charging and reduce the charging efficiency.

[0022] In some embodiments, the ideal diode circuit includes a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor and a switch, and the switch controls the metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor to be turned on and off.

[0023] In this way, by forming the ideal diode circuit from a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor and a switch, the structure is simple and the volume is small, and a large amount of space in the charging component is not occupied, thereby reducing costs.

[0024] In some embodiments, the first magnetic member is a raw magnet, and the second magnetic member is a raw magnet and / or magnetic materials such as iron, nickel, and cobalt.

[0025] In this way, by determining the first magnetic part as a raw magnet and the second magnetic part as a magnetic material that can be affected by the magnetic force of the raw magnet, compared with using an electromagnet to maintain contact between the first charging contact and the second charging contact, using a raw magnet can simplify the structure and save costs.

[0026] Additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of the present application will be given in part in the description below, and in part will become obvious from the description below, or will be learned through practice of the embodiments of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and easily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0028] FIG1 is a schematic plan view of a mobile robot charging system according to certain embodiments of the present application;

[0029] FIG2 is a schematic plan view of a mobile robot charging system according to certain embodiments of the present application;

[0030] FIG3 is a plan view of a first modem module and a second modem module according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0031] FIG4 is a schematic plan view of a mobile robot according to certain embodiments of the present application;

[0032] FIG5 is a plan view schematic diagram of an ideal diode circuit according to certain embodiments of the present application.

[0033] Reference numerals: 100, mobile robot charging system; 10, charging pile; 11, first charging component; 111, first charging contact; 1111, first contact surface; 1112, inclined slide; 112, first magnetic member; 113, fixing seat; 1131, smooth groove; 1132, limit groove; 114, slide; 115, elastic member; 116, first charging line; 117, charging controller; 118, first modulation and demodulation module; 1181, first modulation circuit; 1182, first coupling circuit; 1183, first demodulation circuit; 119, first filter; 2 0. Mobile robot; 21. Second charging component; 211. Second charging contact; 2111. Second contact surface; 2112. Storage slot; 212. Second magnetic component; 22. Controller; 213. Second charging cable; 214. Battery manager; 215. Second modulation and demodulation module; 2151. Second modulation circuit; 2152. Second coupling circuit; 2153. Second demodulation circuit; 216. Second filter; 23. Ideal diode circuit; 231. Metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor; 232. Switch; 24. Battery; 30. Wire. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions from beginning to end. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the embodiments of the present application, and should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present application.

[0035] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "thickness", "upper", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of the present application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0036] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. In an example, it can be a fixed connection, or a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection, or they can communicate with each other; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, and it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements.

[0037] In the embodiments of the present application, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may include the first and second features being in contact not directly but through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "above," and "above" a second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below," "below," and "below" a second feature includes the first feature being directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0038] At present, in order to meet the requirements of continuous operation, mobile robots usually need to dock with charging piles to replenish the power of the mobile robots during idle time. When the mobile robot docks with the charging pile, due to the elastic parts set in the charging contacts of both, the mobile robot will squeeze the elastic parts to generate elastic force when moving toward the charging pile. After the mobile robot stops docking, the connection between the charging contacts is maintained by the elastic force of the elastic parts and the friction of the mobile robot's wheels. However, the current mobile robots need to consume additional electricity to keep the friction of the wheels and the elastic force the same during the charging process, resulting in low charging efficiency and environmental pollution of the mobile robots. In addition, when the error of the mobile robot's motion control is large, continuous movement may cause unstable contact of the charging contacts, resulting in unstable charging.

[0039] To this end, referring to FIG1 , a mobile robot charging system 100 according to an embodiment of the present application includes a mobile robot 20 and a charging pile 10. The charging pile 10 includes a first charging component 11, the first charging component 11 includes a first charging contact 111 and a first magnetic member 112; the mobile robot 20 includes a second charging component 21, the second charging component 21 includes a second charging contact 211 and a second magnetic member 212; the first charging contact 111 includes a first contact surface 1111, an inclined groove 1112 is provided inside the first charging contact 111, and the first magnetic member 112 is slidably provided in the inclined groove 1112, and the inclined groove 1112 is configured to: when the second charging contact 211 is close to the first charging contact 111, In this case, the first magnetic part 112 can slide upward along the inclined slot 1112 under the action of the magnetic force between the first magnetic part 112 and the second magnetic part 212 to approach the first contact surface 1111. When the second charging contact 211 is away from the first charging contact 111, the first magnetic part 112 can slide downward away from the first contact surface 1111 under the action of gravity; when the mobile robot 20 moves to the charging pile 10 for charging, under the action of the magnetic force between the first magnetic part 112 and the second magnetic part 212, the first charging contact 111 maintains contact with the second charging contact 211.

[0040] Thus, when the mobile robot 20 is charging, it moves to dock with the charging station 10, bringing the first charging contact 111 into contact with the second charging contact 211. At this point, the first magnetic member 112 and the second magnetic member 212 attract each other through magnetic force, maintaining contact between the first charging contact 111 and the second charging contact 211. This ensures that even when the mobile robot 20 is powered off, the first charging contact 111 and the second charging contact 211 remain in contact, ensuring charging stability and eliminating charging losses. This improves the charging efficiency and environmental friendliness of the mobile robot 20.

[0041] Specifically, the charging pile 10 can be a charging device that stores electrical energy and can provide electrical energy supplement to electrical equipment. The charging pile 10 includes a first charging component 11, which can be used to connect to the electrical equipment and transmit the electrical energy stored in the charging pile 10 to the electrical equipment. The first charging component 11 includes a first charging contact 111 and a first magnetic part 112. Among them, the first charging contact 111 can be made of a conductive material such as copper or graphite, so that the first charging contact 111 has high conductivity and low resistivity and can effectively conduct current. After the first charging contact 111 is connected to the charging contact of the electrical equipment, the current can flow into the charging contact of the electrical equipment through the first charging contact 111. And the shape of the first charging contact 111 can be cylindrical or circular.

[0042] The first magnetic member 112 can be a raw magnet, so that the first magnetic member 112 can be used to attract the magnetic material of the electrical device and maintain contact between the charging contacts when the electrical device is charging. Compared to using an electromagnet to maintain contact between the first charging contact 111 and the second charging contact 211, using a raw magnet can simplify the structure and save costs.

[0043] The mobile robot 20 can be an autonomous mobile robot (AMR), an automated guided vehicle (AGV), a gripper, a tractor, a forklift, a reach stacker, a warehouse robot, or other mobile device. The mobile robot 20 includes a second charging component 21, which can be used to connect to the charging pile 10 and receive and store the electrical energy transmitted by the charging pile 10 into the battery 24 of the mobile robot 20. The second charging component 21 includes a second charging contact 211 and a second magnetic member 212. The second charging contact 211 can be made of a conductive material such as copper sheet or graphite, so that the second charging contact 211 has high conductivity and low resistivity and can effectively conduct current. After the second charging contact 211 is connected to the first charging contact 111 of the charging pile 10, the current of the first charging contact 111 can flow into the second charging contact 211. Furthermore, the shape of the second charging contact 211 may be cylindrical or circular, so that the shape of the second charging contact 211 can match the shape of the first charging contact 111 .

[0044] A receiving groove 2112 is provided within the second charging contact 211, and the second magnetic member 212 is fixed in the receiving groove 2112. The second magnetic member 212 can be a raw magnet with a magnetic pole opposite to that of the first magnetic member 112, or a magnetic material such as iron, nickel, or cobalt. This allows the second magnetic member 212 and the first magnetic member 112 to attract each other. When the mobile robot 20 moves to the charging station 10 for charging, the first magnetic member 112 can cooperate with the second magnetic member 212 through magnetic force, so that the first charging contact 111 and the second charging contact 211 maintain contact. Compared to using an electromagnet to maintain contact between the first charging contact 111 and the second charging contact 211, the use of a raw magnet can simplify the structure and save costs.

[0045] The first charging contact 111 includes a first contact surface 1111, and the second charging contact 211 includes a second contact surface 2111. When the first contact surface 1111 contacts the second contact surface 2111, the first charging contact 111 and the second charging contact 211 can be brought into contact. An inclined slot 1112 is formed inside the first charging contact 111. The size of the inclined slot 1112 matches the size of the first magnetic member 112, allowing the first magnetic member 112 to move within the inclined slot 1112. Furthermore, the guide of the inclined slot 1112 intersects with the horizontal direction, i.e., the inclined slot 1112 has a slope, allowing the first magnetic member 112 to move within the inclined slot 1112 under the action of gravity.

[0046] When the mobile robot 20 is docked with the charging pile 10, that is, when the first charging contact 111 is in contact with the second charging contact 211, the first magnetic part 112 and the second magnetic part 212 attract each other under the action of magnetic force. Since the second magnetic part 212 is fixed on the second charging contact 211, the first magnetic part 112 can slide in the inclined groove 1112 toward the first contact surface 1111 under the action of magnetic force.

[0047] When the mobile robot 20 is fully charged, that is, the first charging contact 111 and the second charging contact 211 are separated from each other, the distance between the first magnetic part 112 and the second magnetic part 212 increases, so that the magnetic force between the first magnetic part 112 and the second magnetic part 212 decreases, and the first magnetic part 112 slides away from the first contact surface 1111 in the inclined groove 1112 under the action of gravity.

[0048] In this way, when the mobile robot 20 is docked with the charging pile 10, the first magnetic part 112 can move to the end close to the first contact surface 1111 in the inclined slot 1112 under the action of magnetic force, thereby driving the first charging contact 111 to contact the second charging contact 211. When the mobile robot 20 is fully charged and leaves, since the first magnetic part 112 does not have the suction force of the second magnetic part 212, the first magnetic part 112 moves to the end away from the first contact surface 1111 in the inclined slot 1112 under the action of gravity, which can reduce the magnetic force on the first contact surface 1111, thereby removing magnetic debris adsorbed on the surface of the first charging contact 111 by the magnetic force of the first magnetic part 112, and preventing the resistance of the first charging contact 111 from increasing.

[0049] Optionally, referring to FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, the mobile robot 20 includes a controller 22 , and the controller 22 is used to control the mobile robot 20 to stop moving after docking with the charging pile 10 .

[0050] In this way, the controller 22 in the mobile robot 20 can control the battery 24 of the mobile robot 20 to shut down after the mobile robot 20 docks with the charging pile 10, thereby stopping the mobile robot 20 from moving. The mobile robot 20 does not need to consume additional power to maintain docking, thereby improving the charging efficiency and environmental protection of the mobile robot 20.

[0051] Specifically, the mobile robot 20 further includes a controller 22, which may be a central processing unit (CPU). The controller 22 is capable of controlling the movement of the mobile robot 20. For example, after the mobile robot 20 successfully docks with the charging station 10, that is, after the first charging contact 111 contacts the second charging contact 211, the controller 22 controls the mobile robot 20 to stop supplying power to its motor, thereby stopping the mobile robot 20 from moving.

[0052] Please refer to Figure 1. In some embodiments, the first charging component 11 includes a fixed base 113, a slide 114 and an elastic member 115. The fixed base 113 includes a smooth groove 1131. The slide 114 is slidably set in the smooth groove 1131. The first charging contact 111 is fixed on the slide 114. The first contact surface 1111 extends out of the smooth groove 1131. The elastic member 115 is set in the smooth groove 1131 to connect the slide 114 and the fixed base 113; when the mobile robot 20 moves to the charging pile 10 for charging, under the action of the magnetic force between the first magnetic member 112 and the second magnetic member 212, the first charging contact 111 can drive the slide 114 to slide to the outside of the smooth groove 1131. When the second charging contact 211 is away from the first charging contact 111, the elastic member 115 can pull the slide 114 to slide to the inside of the smooth groove 1131.

[0053] Thus, when the mobile robot 20 is charging, the first charging contact 111, in conjunction with the first magnetic member 112 and the second magnetic member 212, allows the slide plate 114 to move within the smooth groove 1131 and partially extend outside the smooth groove 1131, allowing the first charging contact 111 to contact the second charging contact 211. During docking, the elastic member 115 prevents the first charging contact 111 from moving within the smooth groove 1131 under the pressure of the second charging contact 211. After the mobile robot 20 is fully charged, the first charging contact 111 can enter the interior of the charging pile 10 as the slide plate 114 moves within the smooth groove 1131, preventing the first charging contact 111 from becoming contaminated, thereby ensuring the stability of charging between the mobile robot 20 and the charging pile 10.

[0054] Specifically, the first charging component 11 also includes a fixed base 113 and a slide 114. A smooth groove 1131 is formed inside the fixed base 113. The direction of the smooth groove 1131 is substantially the same as the moving direction of the mobile robot 20, so that the first charging contact 111 can be directly opposite the second charging contact 211. The smooth groove 1131 also includes a limiting groove 1132. The slide 114 is slidably arranged in the smooth groove 1131, that is, the two ends of the slide 114 are arranged in the limiting groove 1132. The first charging contact 111 is fixed to the slide 114, so that the slide 114 slides in the limiting groove 1132, which can be used to limit the movement of the first charging contact 111, so that at least a portion of the first charging contact 111 is deep outside the smooth groove 1131.

[0055] The first charging assembly 11 further includes an elastic member 115 , which may be an elastic object such as a spring or a rubber gasket. The elastic member 115 is arranged in the smooth groove 1131, and one end of the elastic member 115 is connected to the slide plate 114, and the other end of the elastic member 115 is connected to the fixed seat 113. Therefore, when the mobile robot 20 is docked with the charging pile 10, due to the magnetic force between the first magnetic member 112 and the second magnetic member 212, the second charging contact 211 will move toward the first charging contact 111. After the first charging contact 111 contacts the second charging contact 211, the second charging contact 211 will squeeze the first charging contact 111 so that the slide plate 114 moves in the smooth groove 1131. Since a spring is provided, the movement of the slide plate 114 in the smooth groove 1131 will squeeze the spring. When the spring is compressed, the first charging contact 111 moves toward the second charging contact 211, so that the first charging contact 111 and the second charging contact 211 can move back and forth under the action of the elastic force, thereby ensuring that the first charging contact 111 and the second charging contact 211 always maintain contact, thereby ensuring the stability of charging. Furthermore, the elastic member 115 can prevent the first charging contact 111 from being unable to partially extend out of the smooth groove 1131 due to external force when the first charging contact 111 is not in contact with the second charging contact 211 , thereby affecting the contact with the second charging contact 211 .

[0056] Optionally, referring to FIG1 , in some embodiments, the mobile robot charging system 100 further includes a wire 30 movably disposed in the smooth groove 1131 and passing through the slide 114 to connect to the first charging contact 111 to connect the first charging contact 111 to the charging circuit.

[0057] In this way, when the mobile robot 20 is charging, by keeping the first charging contact 111 in contact with the second charging contact 211, the current in the charging pile 10 can flow through the first charging contact 111 through the wire 30, and then flow from the first charging contact 111 to the wire 30 connected to the second charging contact 211, thereby enabling the mobile robot 20 to be charged.

[0058] Specifically, the mobile robot charging system 100 further includes a conductor 30, i.e., both the first charging assembly 11 and the second charging assembly 21 include a conductor 30, which can be used to transport current. The conductor 30 included in the first charging assembly 11 can be movably disposed within the smooth groove 1131, and one end of the conductor 30 can pass through the slide 114 and connect to the first charging contact 111. The other end of the conductor 30 can be connected to the charging circuit within the charging pile 10, thereby connecting the first charging contact 111 to the charging circuit within the charging pile 10 through the conductor 30.

[0059] One end of the wire 30 included in the second charging component 21 can be connected to the second charging contact 211, and the other end of the wire 30 can be connected to the charging circuit of the mobile robot 20, so that the second charging contact 211 can be connected to the charging circuit in the mobile robot 20 through the wire 30.

[0060] Please refer to Figures 2 and 3. In some embodiments, the first charging component 11 includes a first charging line 116, a charging controller 117 and a first modulation and demodulation module 118, and the second charging component 21 includes a second charging line 213, a battery manager 214 and a second modulation and demodulation module 215. The first charging line 116 is connected to the first charging contact 111, and the second charging line 213 is connected to the second charging contact 211. The first modulation and demodulation module 118 connects the first charging line 116 and the charging controller 117, and the second modulation and demodulation module 215 connects the second charging line 213 and the battery manager 214. The first modulation and demodulation module 118 and the second modulation and demodulation module 215 cooperate to modulate the communication signal generated by the charging controller 117 or the battery manager 214 to the current signal transmitted by the first charging line 116 and the second charging line 213, or to demodulate the communication signal from the current signal.

[0061] By installing modem modules within the mobile robot 20 and the charging station 10 and coupling the communication signal with the current signal, communication between the mobile robot 20 and the charging station 10 can be achieved without requiring additional communication contacts, simplifying the structure and saving costs. Furthermore, by enabling communication through the charging contacts, there is no need to worry about disconnection, thereby improving communication stability.

[0062] Specifically, the first charging assembly 11 includes a first charging cable 116, a charging controller 117, and a first modem module 118. The first charging cable 116 is connected to the charging circuit of the charging station 10 and can be used to transmit current signals. The charging controller 117, which can be a microcontroller unit (MCU) or a communication chip, can be connected to the first modem module 118 and can send communication signals generated to control the charging of the charging station 10 to the first modem module 118. The first modem module 118 is connected in parallel to the first charging cable 116 and can encode received communication signals into high-frequency carrier signals coupled to the current signals on the first charging cable 116, demodulate and separate the communication signals coupled to the first charging cable 116 into high-frequency carrier signals and current signals, and send the high-frequency carrier signals to the charging controller 117. The first modulation and demodulation module 118 includes a first modulation circuit 1181, a first coupling circuit 1182, a first demodulation circuit 1183, and a first filter 119. The first modulation circuit 1181 is connected to the first filter 119, and the first demodulation circuit 1183 is connected to the first filter 119. The first modulation circuit 1181 modulates the communication signal generated by the charging controller 117 into a first high-frequency carrier signal. The first filter 119 is capable of filtering out noise included in the first high-frequency carrier signal. The first coupling circuit 1182 then couples the first high-frequency carrier signal to the current signal on the first charging line 116. The first demodulation circuit 1183 is used to demodulate the current signal to obtain a second high-frequency carrier signal.

[0063] The second charging assembly 21 includes a second charging cable 213, a battery manager 214, and a second modem module 215. The second charging cable 213 is connected to the charging circuit of the mobile robot 20 and can be used to transmit current signals. The battery manager 214, which can be a battery management system (BMS), can be connected to the second modem module 215 and can send communication signals generated to control the charging of the mobile robot 20 to the second modem module 215. The second modem module 215 is connected in parallel to the second charging cable 213 and can encode received communication signals into a high-frequency carrier signal, couple it to the current signal on the second charging cable 213, demodulate the communication signal coupled to the second charging cable 213 into a high-frequency carrier signal and a current signal, and send the high-frequency carrier signal to the battery manager 214. The second modem module 215 includes a second modulation circuit 2151, a second coupling circuit 2152, a second demodulation circuit 2153, and a second filter 216. The second modulation circuit 2151 is connected to the second filter 216, and the second demodulation circuit 2153 is connected to the second filter 216. The second modulation circuit 2151 modulates the communication signal generated by the battery manager 214 into a second high-frequency carrier signal. The second filter 216 can filter out the noise included in the second high-frequency carrier signal. Then, the second coupling circuit 2152 couples the second high-frequency carrier signal to the current signal on the second charging line 213. The second demodulation circuit 2153 is used to demodulate the first high-frequency carrier signal from the current signal.

[0064] 4 and 5 , in some embodiments, the second charging component 21 includes an ideal diode circuit 23 , the cathode of the ideal diode circuit 23 is connected in series with the positive electrode of the battery 24 , and the anode of the ideal diode circuit 23 is connected to the positive electrode of the second charging contact 211 .

[0065] In this way, by connecting an ideal diode circuit 23 in series on the circuit of the positive electrode of the battery 24 of the mobile robot 20, the current in the circuit can only flow into the positive electrode of the battery 24 and cannot flow out from the positive electrode of the battery 24, thereby avoiding problems such as sparking, contact melting and deformation, contact scorching, and component damage caused by line short circuit. It can also avoid the problem that when the connection between the mobile robot 20 and the charging pile 10 is unstable, the current is likely to generate sparks between the contacts, causing oxides to adhere to the contacts, which will gradually increase the contact resistance between the contacts over time, causing the mobile robot 20 to heat up during charging and reduce the charging efficiency.

[0066] Specifically, the second charging component 21 also includes an ideal diode circuit 23, which can be composed of components such as diodes, resistors, capacitors, field-effect transistors, and transformers. For example, the ideal diode circuit 23 can be composed of a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor 231 and a switch 232. The metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor 231 can be an NMOS transistor, and the switch 232 can be a high-voltage ideal diode controller. The ideal diode circuit 23 is connected in series between the positive electrode of the second charging contact 211 and the positive electrode of the battery 24 of the mobile robot 20. That is, the cathode of the ideal diode circuit 23 is connected to the positive electrode of the battery 24 of the mobile robot 20, and the anode of the ideal diode circuit 23 is connected to the positive electrode of the second charging contact 211. This ensures that current can only flow from the positive electrode of the second charging contact 211 to the positive electrode of the battery 24 of the mobile robot 20, and current cannot flow from the positive electrode of the battery 24 to the positive electrode of the second charging contact 211.

[0067] In the description of this specification, the reference terms "certain embodiments", "in an example", "exemplarily", etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiments or examples are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, unless they are mutually inconsistent.

[0068] Any process or method description in a flowchart or otherwise described herein may be understood to represent a module, segment or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing the steps of a specific logical function or process, and the scope of the preferred embodiments of the present application includes alternative implementations in which functions may be performed out of the order shown or discussed, including performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in the reverse order depending on the functions involved, which should be understood by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments of the present application belong.

[0069] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described above, it can be understood that the above embodiments are optional and cannot be understood as limitations on the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can change, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A mobile robot charging system, wherein, Including: A charging pile, the charging pile includes a first charging component, and the first charging component includes a first charging contact and a first magnetic member; A mobile robot, the mobile robot includes a second charging component, and the second charging component includes a second charging contact and a second magnetic member; The first charging contact includes a first contact surface, an inclined chute is arranged inside the first charging contact, the first magnetic member is slidably arranged in the inclined chute, and the inclined chute is configured to: when the second charging contact approaches the first charging contact, the first magnetic member can slide upward along the inclined chute under the magnetic force between it and the second magnetic member to approach the first contact surface; when the second charging contact moves away from the first charging contact, the first magnetic member can slide downward away from the first contact surface under the action of gravity; When the mobile robot moves to the charging pile for charging, under the magnetic force between the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member, the first charging contact and the second charging contact remain in contact.

2. The mobile robot charging system according to claim 1, wherein, The first charging component includes a fixed seat, a sliding plate and an elastic member. The fixed seat includes a smooth groove. The sliding plate is slidably arranged in the smooth groove. The first charging contact is fixed on the sliding plate. The first contact surface extends out of the smooth groove. The elastic member is arranged in the smooth groove and connects the sliding plate and the fixed seat; When the mobile robot moves to the charging pile for charging, under the magnetic force between the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member, the first charging contact can drive the sliding plate to slide out of the smooth groove. When the second charging contact moves away from the first charging contact, the elastic member can pull the sliding plate to slide into the smooth groove.

3. The mobile robot charging system according to claim 1, wherein, A receiving groove is arranged inside the second charging contact, and the second magnetic member is fixed in the receiving groove.

4. The mobile robot charging system according to claim 1, wherein The first charging contact and / or the second charging contact is made of copper or graphite.

5. The mobile robot charging system according to claim 1, wherein, The first charging component includes a first charging wire, a charging controller and a first modulation and demodulation module. The second charging component includes a second charging wire, a battery manager and a second modulation and demodulation module. The first charging wire is connected to the first charging contact. The second charging wire is connected to the second charging contact. The first modulation and demodulation module is connected to the first charging wire and the charging controller. The second modulation and demodulation module is connected to the second charging wire and the battery manager; The first modulation and demodulation module and the second modulation and demodulation module cooperate to modulate the communication signal generated by the charging controller or the battery manager onto the current signal transmitted on the first charging wire and the second charging wire, or demodulate the communication signal from the current signal.

6. The mobile robot charging system according to claim 5, wherein, The first modulation and demodulation module includes a first modulation circuit, a first coupling circuit and a first demodulation circuit. The second modulation and demodulation module includes a second modulation circuit, a second coupling circuit and a second demodulation circuit; The first modulation circuit is used to modulate the communication signal generated by the charging controller into a first high-frequency carrier signal. The first coupling circuit is used to couple the first high-frequency carrier signal to the current signal. The second modulation circuit is used to modulate the communication signal generated by the battery manager into a second high-frequency carrier signal. The second coupling circuit is used to couple the second high-frequency carrier signal to the current signal. The first demodulation circuit is used to demodulate the second high-frequency carrier signal from the current signal. The second demodulation circuit is used to demodulate the first high-frequency carrier signal from the current signal.

7. The mobile robot charging system according to claim 6, wherein, The first charging component further includes a first filter, and the second charging component further includes a second filter; The first filter is used to filter noise for the second high-frequency carrier signal, and the second filter is used to filter noise for the first high-frequency carrier signal.

8. The mobile robot charging system according to claim 1, wherein, The second charging component further includes an ideal diode circuit. The cathode of the ideal diode circuit is connected to the positive electrode of the storage battery of the mobile robot, and the anode of the ideal diode circuit is connected to the positive electrode of the second charging contact.

9. The mobile robot charging system according to claim 8, wherein, The ideal diode circuit includes a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor and a switch, and the switch controls the on and off of the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor.

10. The mobile robot charging system according to claim 1, wherein, The first magnetic member is a permanent magnet, and the second magnetic member is a permanent magnet and / or magnetic substances such as iron, nickel, and cobalt.

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