# US 10,482,786 B2 · Modular robot system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,482,786 B2 - Document ID: US10482786B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/772,310 - Filed: 2014-03-03 - Published: 2016-01-07 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2013-03-04 - Assignees: Barobo, Inc. - Applicants: Barobo, Inc. - Inventors: Graham G. Ryland - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10482786B2 ## CPC - G09B 19/10: Modelling - B25J 9/08: characterised by modular constructions - B25J 9/1617: {Cellular, reconfigurable manipulator, e.g. cebot} - F16H 1/12: with non-parallel axes - G09B 5/00: Electrically-operated educational appliances (working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F) - Y10S 901/02: Arm motion controller - Y10S 901/09: Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement - G09B: EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS (devices for psychotechnics or for testing reaction times A61B5/16; games, sports, amusements A63; projectors, projector screens G03B) - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - F16H: GEARING - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract A modular robot for use as an educational robot system having multiple degrees of freedom and mounting features that allow multiple modules to be assembled with accessories to form a multitude of configurations. Each module is independently mobile and useful when alone or assembled with other modules. An encoder gear and encoder gear track is used to sense multiple degrees of freedom with parallel and perpendicular axis of rotation using a single printed circuit board. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A robot module, the module comprising: a housing having a first side, a second side, and a third side; a fourth surface having a first edge in common with the first side, a second edge in common with the second side, and a third edge in common with the third side, wherein the fourth surface is curved and smooth; a first hub configured to be rotatably connected to the first side of the housing; a second hub configured to be rotatably connected to the second side of the housing; a third hub configured to be rotatably connected to the third side of the housing; a drive unit disposed within the housing, wherein the drive unit is configured to rotate the first hub, the second hub and the third hub independently of each other, and wherein the drive unit further comprises a carrier configured to hold a first motor configured to rotate the first hub and a second motor configured to rotate the second hub; a controller unit disposed within the housing, wherein the controller unit is configured to control the drive unit to rotate the first hub, the second hub and the third hub independently of each other to provide three degrees of freedom for the module, wherein the controller unit is configured to hold a third motor connected to the third hub, and wherein the controller unit is configured to attach to the carrier. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The module of claim 1, wherein the carrier is configured to position the first motor to drive the first hub along a first axis of rotation, wherein the carrier is configured to position the second motor to drive the second hub along a second axis of rotation parallel to the first axis, and wherein the controller unit is configured to position the third motor to drive the third hub along a third axis of rotation perpendicular to the first and second axes. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The module of claim 1, wherein the controller unit comprises: a first encoder gear configured to engage with the first hub and rotate in response to the first hub rotating; a first encoder configured to mate with the first encoder gear; a second encoder gear configured to engage with the second hub and rotate in response to the second hub rotating; and a second encoder configured to mate with the second encoder gear. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The module of claim 3, wherein the first encoder gear is configured to rotate a first angular distance in response to the first hub rotating a second angular distance that is equal to the first angular distance, and wherein the second encoder gear is configured to rotate a third angular distance in response to the second hub rotating a fourth angular distance that is equal to the third angular distance. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The module of claim 3, wherein the controller unit comprises: a printed circuit board; wherein the first encoder is configured to provide a first signal to the printed circuit board indicative of a rotary position of the first hub, and wherein the second encoder is configured to provide a second signal to the printed circuit board indicative of a rotary position of the second hub. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The module of claim 5, wherein the printed circuit board is configured to position the first and second encoders and encoder gears in a first configuration in which the first and second hubs rotate with parallel axis of rotation, and wherein the printed circuit board is configured to position the first and second encoders and encoder gears in a second configuration in which the first and second hubs rotate with perpendicular axis of rotation. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The module of claim 3, wherein the first hub has a first encoder track, which is concentric to the first hub and configured to engage with the first encoder gear, and wherein the second hub has a second encoder track, which is concentric to the second hub and configured to engage with the second encoder gear. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The module of claim 1, wherein the first hub comprises: a front member joined with a back member; and a recessed track around an outer circumference of the hub and disposed between the front member and the back member, wherein a portion of the first side of the housing is positioned in the recessed track and between the front member and the back member. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The module of claim 8, wherein the front member has one or more mounting features configured to mate with a connector plate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The module of claim 8, wherein the back member has an encoder track configured to mate with an encoder gear of the controller unit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The module of claim 1, wherein the first side is opposite to the second side, and wherein the first hub is configured to rotate with respect to a first axis and the second hub is configured to rotate with respect to a second axis that is parallel to the first axis. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The module of claim 1, wherein the first side is perpendicular to the third side, and wherein the first hub is configured to rotate with respect to a first axis and the third hub is configured to rotate with respect to a third axis that is perpendicular to the first axis. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The module of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to position the first hub at a fixed angle with respect to the second hub. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The module of claim 1, wherein the first hub and the second hub are configured to rotate continuously in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction with respect to a center axis of the first hub and a center axis of the second hub, respectively. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The module of claim 1, wherein the third hub has one or more mounting features configured to mate with a connector plate, and wherein the first side is opposite the second side and the third side is perpendicular to the first side and the second side. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The module of claim 1, wherein the third hub has one or more mounting features configured to mate with a connector plate, and wherein the first side is opposite the third side and the second side is perpendicular to the first side and the third side. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The module of claim 1, wherein the module is D-shaped. ### Claim 18 A method of making a reconfigurable robot module, the method comprising: obtaining a housing having a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth surface having a first edge common with the first side, a second edge common with the second side, and a third edge common with the third side, wherein the fourth surface is curved and smooth; obtaining a first hub; rotatably connecting the first hub to the first side of the housing; obtaining a second hub; rotatably connecting the second hub to the second side of the housing; obtaining a third hub; rotatably connecting the third hub to the third side of the housing; obtaining a drive unit; disposing the drive unit within the housing, wherein the drive unit is configured to rotate the first hub, the second hub, and the third hub independently of each other, and wherein the drive unit further comprises a carrier configured to hold a first motor configured to rotate the first hub and a second motor configured to rotate the second hub; obtaining a controller unit; and disposing the controller unit within the housing, wherein the controller unit is configured to control the drive unit to rotate the first hub, the second hub, and the third hub independently of each other to provide three degrees of freedom for the module, wherein the controller unit is configured to hold a third motor connected to the third hub, and wherein the controller unit is configured to attach to the carrier. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the carrier is configured to position the first motor to drive the first hub along a first axis of rotation, wherein the carrier is configured to position the second motor to drive the second hub along a second axis of rotation parallel to the first axis, and wherein the controller unit is configured to position the third motor to drive the third hub along a third axis of rotation perpendicular to the first and second axes. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the controller unit comprises: a first encoder mated to a first encoder gear; and a second encoder mated to a second encoder gear, wherein the method further comprises: engaging the first encoder gear with a first encoder track of the first hub; and engaging the second encoder gear with a second encoder track of the second hub, wherein the first encoder gear is configured to rotate in response to the first hub rotating and the second encoder gear is configured to rotate in response to the second hub rotating. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the controller unit further comprises: a printed circuit board, wherein the first encoder is configured to provide a first signal to the printed circuit board indicative of a rotary position of the first hub, and wherein the second encoder is configured to provide a second signal to the printed circuit board indicative of a rotary position of the second hub. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the printed circuit board is configured to position the first and second encoders and encoder gears in a first configuration in which the first and second hubs rotate with parallel axis of rotation, and wherein the printed circuit board is configured to position the first and second encoders and encoder gears in a second configuration in which the first and second hubs rotate with perpendicular axis of rotation. ### Claim 23 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the first side is opposite to the second side, wherein the drive unit is configured to rotate the first hub with respect to a first axis, and wherein the drive unit is configured to rotate the second hub with respect to a second axis that is parallel to the first axis. ### Claim 24 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the first side is perpendicular to the third side, wherein the drive unit is configured to rotate the first hub with respect to a first axis, and wherein the drive unit is configured to rotate the third hub with respect to a third axis that is perpendicular to the first axis. ### Claim 25 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the third hub is fixed with respect to the housing, and wherein the third hub has one or more mounting features configured to mate with a connector plate.