Movable Shroud and Reed Switches for Safe Mobile Robot Charging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile robot charging systems face safety hazards due to electrical arcing, premature electrical flow, and power management issues, particularly when dirt or debris contaminate the charging contacts, and lack effective safety features to prevent unintended charging.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a charging interface with a movable shroud, electromagnetic switches, and a momentary switch that ensures proper electrical contact and orientation verification before enabling charging, along with a temperature sensor to monitor and prevent overheating, thereby preventing arcing and ensuring safe charging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If electrical contacts are exposed for charging, then charging efficiency is improved, but electrical safety deteriorates due to arcing and contamination risks
Solution Approach 1:
The shroud is moved to the open position in advance to expose the electrical contacts before charging begins. This preliminary action ensures that the contacts are ready for immediate electrical connection, improving charging efficiency while the shroud remains in place to protect against contamination until needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The shroud acts as an intermediary element between the electrical contacts and the external environment. It provides physical protection against dirt and debris while allowing controlled access to the contacts when charging is required, thus maintaining both safety and functionality.
2Productivity
If charging is enabled without verification, then charging speed is improved, but safety deteriorates due to premature electrical flow
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification actions before enabling charging. The shroud must be opened first, then the reed switches verify proper orientation and contact alignment. Only after these preliminary checks pass does the system enable electrical flow, ensuring safety without significantly delaying the charging process.
Solution Approach 2:
The reed switches and momentary switch create preliminary anti-actions that prevent premature charging. The system actively verifies correct positioning and connection before allowing electrical flow, counteracting any tendency toward unintended charging activation.
3Reliability
If multiple safety verification steps are implemented, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shroud serves multiple functions: it protects the electrical contacts from contamination, acts as a mechanical guide for proper alignment, and triggers the verification sequence through its movement. The reed switches simultaneously detect both the shroud position and robot orientation. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, maintaining safety without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple safety verification functions into integrated components. The reed switches perform both orientation detection and charging authorization. The momentary switch integrates the final authorization step into the existing verification sequence. This merging approach maintains comprehensive safety verification while minimizing the number of discrete components.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the shroud remains closed to protect contacts, then contamination resistance is improved, but charging access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shroud is opened in advance before charging begins, exposing the electrical contacts to the robot. This preliminary opening action ensures that the contacts are accessible for charging while minimizing their exposure time to potential contamination. The shroud remains closed during non-charging periods to maintain protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The shroud transitions from a static protective cover to a dynamic component that opens and closes based on charging needs. This dynamic behavior allows the system to maintain contamination resistance during storage and transport while providing easy access during charging operations, resolving the contradiction between protection and accessibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents electrical hazards by ensuring proper contact and orientation verification, reducing the risk of arcing and overheating, thus ensuring safe and reliable charging of mobile robots while maintaining system integrity.
Implementation Method 1
a magnetic field produced by a magnet on the mobile robot turns on one or more reed switches on the charger
Implementation Method 2
The shroud is biased toward the closed position
Implementation Method 3
actuate a momentary switch from an off position to an on position to activate the momentary switch, wherein the momentary switch is biased toward the off position
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile robot charger can have one or more charger electrical contacts. A shroud can be movable between a closed position and an open position, and can be configured to cover the charger electrical contact(s) in the closed position and to expose the charger electrical contact(s) in the open position. The shroud can be configured to move from the closed position to the open position when the mobile robot engages the charger. A switch, such as a momentary switch, can be movable between an off position and an on position, and can be moved from the off position to the on position when the mobile robot engages the charger. One or more electromagnetic switches (e.g., reed switches) can have an on configuration and an off configuration, and can be turned to the on configuration by one or more magnets on the mobile robot when the mobile robot engages the charger.