Robot Docking Assembly With Elastic Alignment and Multi-Point Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing docking assemblies for charging legged robots face challenges with contamination, such as dirt or water, which can interrupt the electrical connection between the docking socket and port, especially in rough terrain environments, leading to unreliable recharging.
Innovation Solution
A robust docking assembly featuring a first docking element with a concave recess and a second docking element with a convex protrusion, integrated with an elastic element that allows for misalignment compensation and multiple electrical contact points, ensuring a stable connection even with contamination, and a method for autonomous robots to detect and align with the docking port using a camera and elastic swiveling mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a docking socket and docking port are used for charging, then battery recharging is enabled, but electrical connection is interrupted by contamination in rough terrain environments
Solution Approach 1:
The docking interface is divided into multiple electrical contact parts distributed across the concave and convex surfaces. This segmentation ensures that if some contacts are contaminated, others remain functional, maintaining reliable electrical connection for charging.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of relying on a single electrical contact point, the invention implements multiple electrical contact parts across the docking surfaces. This excessive action (more contacts than minimally needed) ensures that partial contamination does not prevent charging, as long as sufficient contacts remain clean and functional.
2Manufacturing precision
If a rigid docking structure is used, then manufacturing precision is improved, but misalignment between docking socket and port cannot be compensated
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic element introduces dynamics to the docking structure, allowing the concave recess to deform and adapt to misalignments between the docking socket and port. This dynamic capability compensates for positioning errors while maintaining stable electrical contacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic element changes the physical parameters of the docking interface by allowing controlled deformation of the concave recess. This parameter change (shape adaptation) enables the structure to accommodate misalignments while preserving manufacturing precision benefits.
3Reliability
If multiple electrical contact parts are integrated into the docking surfaces, then connection reliability under contamination is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple electrical contact parts are merged into the geometric structures of the concave recess and convex protrusion surfaces. This combining approach integrates the electrical contacts with the mechanical docking features, achieving reliable multi-point contact without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
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 reliable and robust charging system capable of maintaining electrical contact despite misalignment and contamination, ensuring efficient battery recharging for legged robots in challenging environments.
Implementation Method 1
the first docking element comprises an elastic element with a geometry adapted to swivel the concave recess around a pivot point to compensate for the misalignment
Data Source
AI summary
Docking assembly 1000 for charging a battery of an electronic device, in particular a robot, comprising a first docking element 1 and a second docking element 2. If the first docking element 1 docks to the second docking element 2, a concave recess of the first docking element 1 positively fits into a convex protrusion of the second docking element 2 in a direction of a center axis 100 of the concave recess.