Pivotable Contact Assembly for Robotic Garden Tool Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robotic garden tools face challenges in efficient charging due to potential misalignment and lateral displacement when docking with charging devices, which can disrupt the electric current transfer and lead to inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A contact assembly with a helical spring biasing member and integrally formed mounting and contact portions, allowing for adjustable and resilient contact points that enable both translation and rotation, ensuring efficient charging even during non-ideal docking conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the robotic garden tool approaches the charging device autonomously on rough or inclined ground, then the robotic garden tool can perform charging operations, but misalignment and lateral displacement occur between the contact members, reducing charging reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The contact member is designed with dynamic movement capabilities, allowing it to translate and rotate relative to the body portion. This dynamic adjustment enables the contact member to maintain proper alignment and contact with the charging device even when the robotic garden tool approaches with misalignment or lateral displacement, thereby resolving the contradiction between charging capability and contact reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The contact assembly changes its geometric parameters (position and orientation) through translation and rotation movements. By adjusting these parameters dynamically, the contact member adapts to varying docking conditions while maintaining reliable electrical contact, thus resolving the reliability issue under diverse charging scenarios
2Device complexity
If a fixed contact assembly is used, then the structure is simple, but misalignment between contact members prevents efficient electric current transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The contact member transitions from a fixed structure to a dynamic one capable of translation and rotation. This dynamic capability allows the contact member to self-adjust and achieve proper alignment with the charging device, ensuring efficient electric current transfer without requiring complex alignment mechanisms or procedures
3Ease of manufacture
If the contact member is rigidly fixed, then manufacturing is simple, but the contact assembly cannot accommodate angular or lateral displacement
Solution Approach 1:
The contact member is designed with movable degrees of freedom, allowing it to translate and rotate to accommodate angular and lateral displacements. This dynamic design maintains relative manufacturing simplicity while significantly improving adaptability to various docking conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The contact assembly is segmented into movable and fixed portions, with the contact member capable of independent movement relative to the body portion. This segmentation allows the contact member to adapt to displacement while keeping the overall structure manufacturable
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 provides a robust, cost-efficient, and flexible contact assembly that maintains multiple points of contact, reducing sensitivity to misalignment and displacement, thus ensuring efficient electric current transfer and improved charging reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing member (140) arranged to bias the contact member (110) towards a docking direction
Implementation Method 2
According to an embodiment the biasing member is a helical spring
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 6~7
AI summary
A contact assembly of a robotic garden tool charging device 10. The contact assembly 100 is arranged to engage a contact element 200 of a robotic garden tool 20 for a charging operation. The contact assembly 100 comprises a contact member 110 having a plurality of connection points 121, arranged to provide a plurality of points of contact 30 between the contact member 110 and the contact element 200. The contact member is configured to be pivotably and translatably connected to a body portion 11 of the charging device 10. The contact assembly 100 comprises a biasing member 140 arranged to interconnect the contact member 110 and the body portion 11, so as to bias the contact member 110 towards the contact element 200 during the charging operation.