# US 10,871,778 B2 · Robot charging control method, apparatus, and robot thereof

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- Number: US 10,871,778 B2
- Document ID: US10871778B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/195,863
- Filed: 2018-11-20
- Published: 2019-06-27
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-27
- Assignees: Ubtech Robotics Corp Ltd
- Applicants: UBTECH Robotics Corp
- Inventors: Youjun Xiong; Yongsheng Zhao; Zhichao Liu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10871778B2

## CPC

- B60L 53/36: by positioning the vehicle
- G05D 1/0225: {involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay (parking aids B62D15/027)}
- B60L 53/35: Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
- G05D 1/00: Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00)
- G05D 1/028: {using a RF signal}
- B60L 2240/12: Speed
- B60L 2240/32: Driving direction
- B60L 2240/62: Vehicle position
- B60L 2260/32: Auto pilot mode
- Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
- Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility
- Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

The present disclosure provides a robot charging control method, apparatus, and robot thereof. The method includes: obtaining a linear distance between a charging portion of the robot and a charging station of a charging device, if a charging instruction is detected; determining polar coordinate information of a preset target position in a polar coordinate system taking the position of the charging portion as a pole based on the linear distance; moving the robot to the preset target position according to the polar coordinate information; rotating the robot in situ at the preset target position to a position the charging portion matching the charging station; and moving the robot from the preset target position to the charging station to establish an electrical connection for charging the robot between the charging portion and the charging station. The present disclosure realizes that a navigation route is unnecessary to be made in advance.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented robot charging control method for a robot, comprising executing on a processor the steps of:
obtaining a linear distance between a charging portion of the robot and a charging station of a charging device, in response to detecting a charging instruction;
determining polar coordinate information of a preset target position in a polar coordinate system taking the position of the charging portion as a pole based on the linear distance, wherein the preset target position and the charging station are on a same vertical line that is vertical to the charging station;
moving the robot to the preset target position according to the polar coordinate information;
rotating the robot in situ at the preset target position to a position the charging portion facing the charging station; and
moving the robot from the preset target position to the charging station to establish an electrical connection for charging the robot between the charging portion and the charging station.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the robot is further provided with a first communication antenna;
wherein the step of obtaining a linear distance between a charging portion of the robot and a charging station of a charging device, in response to detecting the charging instruction comprises:
calculating a first linear distance between the first communication antenna and the second communication antenna of the charging device based on the height of the first communication antenna and the height of the second communication antenna;
calculating a second linear distance between the first communication antenna and the third communication antenna based on the height of the first communication antenna and the height of the third communication antenna of the charging device, wherein the distance between the second communication antenna and the charging station is equal to the distance between the third communication antenna and the charging station; and
calculating the linear distance between the charging portion and the charging station based on the distance between the first communication antenna and the charging portion, the first linear distance, and the second linear distance.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the step of calculating the first linear distance between the first communication antenna and the second communication antenna based on the height of the first communication antenna and the height of the second communication antenna comprises:
calculating the first linear distance by the following formula:
L1=√{square root over (D12−(H1−H2)2)};
where, L1 is the first linear distance; D1 is the length of a height difference reflection between the first communication antenna and the second communication antenna on a horizontal plane; H1 is the height of the first communication antenna, where H1>0; H2 is the height of the second communication antenna, where H2>0;
wherein the step of calculating the second linear distance between the first communication antenna and the third communication antenna based on the height of the first communication antenna and the height of the third communication antenna comprises:
measuring and calculating the second linear distance by the following formula:
L2=√{square root over (D22−(H1−H3)2)};
where, L2 is the second linear distance; D2 is the length of a height difference reflection between the first communication antenna and the third communication antenna on a horizontal plane; H1 is the height of the first communication antenna, where H1>0; H3 is the height of the third communication antenna, where H3>0.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the step of calculating the linear distance between the charging portion and the charging station based on the distance between the first communication antenna and the charging portion, the first linear distance, and the second linear distance comprises:
calculating the linear distance by the following formula:
R
=
S
+
(
L
1
+
L
2
)
2
;
where, R is the linear distance; S is the distance between the first communication antenna and the charging portion, where S≥0; L1 is the first linear distance, L1≥0; L2 is the second linear distance, where L2>0.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the step of determining the polar coordinate information of the preset target position in the polar coordinate system taking the position of the charging portion as the pole based on the linear distance comprises:
determining a first pole diameter and a second pole diameter in the polar coordinate system, wherein the first pole diameter is equal to the linear distance, and the second pole diameter is equal to the distance between the charging station and the preset target position;
measuring and calculating a first polar angle corresponding to the first pole diameter and an included angle between the first pole diameter and the second pole diameter; and
calculating polar coordinate information of the target position in the polar coordinate system based on the first polar diameter, the second polar diameter, an angle of the first polar angle, and the included angle.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the polar coordinate information of the preset target position comprises a third polar diameter and a second polar angle;
the step of calculating the polar coordinate information of the target position in the polar coordinate system based on the first polar diameter, the second polar diameter, the first polar angle, and the included angle comprises:
calculating the polar coordinate information of the preset target position by the following formula:
r
=
R
2
+
1
-
2
⁢
R
⁢
⁢
cos
⁡
(
α
)
;
a
⁢
⁢
nd
θ
=
{
β
+
arccos
⁡
(
R
2
+
r
2
-
1
2
*
R
*
r
)
β
-
arccos
⁡
(
R
2
+
r
2
-
1
2
*
R
*
r
)
;
where, r is the third polar diameter; R is the first polar diameter; α is the included angle,
-
π
2
>
α
>
π
2
;
where θ is the second polar angle; β is the first polar angle, −π>β>π or −0>β>2π.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the step of rotating the robot in situ at the preset target position to a position the charging portion facing the charging station comprises:
obtaining a plurality of the linear distances while rotating the robot for one turn in situ at the target position;
utilizing a preset fitting model to fit each of the plurality of linear distances to obtain a plurality of fitting results, wherein the preset fitting model is a fitting model of a least squares based on sine function, the offset of the sine function is the linear distance, and the amplitude of the sine function is the distance between the first communication antenna and the charging portion;
determining the fitting result with a minimum value as a target distance; and
rotating the robot to a position the linear distance being equal to the target distance, such that charging portion faces the charging station.

### Claim 8

A robot comprising:
one or more processors;
a memory; and
one or more computer programs stored in the memory and executed by the one or more processor, wherein the one or more computer programs comprises:
instructions for obtaining a linear distance between a charging portion of the robot and a charging station of a charging device, in response to detecting a charging instruction;
instructions for determining polar coordinate information of a preset target position in a polar coordinate system taking the position of the charging portion as a pole based on the linear distance, wherein the preset target position and the charging station are on a same vertical line that is vertical to the charging station;
instructions for moving the robot to the preset target position according to the polar coordinate information;
instructions for rotating the robot in situ at the preset target position to a position the charging portion facing the charging station; and
instructions for moving the robot from the preset target position to the charging station to establish an electrical connection for charging the robot between the charging portion and the charging station.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The robot of claim 8, wherein the robot further comprises:
a first communication antenna;
wherein the instructions for obtaining the linear distance between the charging portion of the robot and the charging station of the charging device, in response to detecting the charging instruction comprise:
instructions for calculating a first linear distance between the first communication antenna and a second communication antenna of the charging device based on the height of the first communication antenna and the height of the second communication antenna;
instructions for calculating a second linear distance between the first communication antenna and the third communication antenna based on the height of the first communication antenna and the height of a third communication antenna of the charging device, wherein the distance between the second communication antenna and the charging station is equal to the distance between the third communication antenna and the charging station; and
instructions for calculating the linear distance between the charging portion and the charging station based on the distance between the first communication antenna and the charging portion, the first linear distance, and the second linear distance.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The robot of claim 9, wherein the instructions for calculating the first linear distance between the first communication antenna and the second communication antenna based on the height of the first communication antenna and the height of the second communication antenna comprise:
instructions for calculating the first linear distance by the following formula:
L1=√{square root over (D12−(H1−H2)2)};
where, L1 is the first linear distance; D1 is the length of a height difference reflection between the first communication antenna and the second communication antenna on a horizontal plane; H1 is the height of the first communication antenna, where H1>0; H2 is the height of the second communication antenna, where H2>0;
wherein the instructions for calculating the second linear distance between the first communication antenna and the third communication antenna based on the height of the first communication antenna and the height of the third communication antenna comprise:
instructions for measuring and calculating the second linear distance by the following formula:
L2=√{square root over (D22−(H1−H3)2)};
where, L2 is the second linear distance; D2 is the length of a height difference reflection between the first communication antenna and the third communication antenna on a horizontal plane; H1 is the height of the first communication antenna, where H1>0; H3 is the height of the third communication antenna, where H3>0.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The robot of claim 10, wherein the instructions for calculating the linear distance between the charging portion and the charging station based on the distance between the first communication antenna and the charging portion, the first linear distance, and the second linear distance comprise:
instructions for calculating the linear distance by the following formula:
R
=
S
+
(
L
1
+
L
2
)
2
;
where, R is the linear distance; S is the distance between the first communication antenna and the charging portion, where S≥0; L1 is the first linear distance, L1≥0; L2 is the second linear distance, where L2≥0.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The robot of claim 11, wherein the instructions for determining the polar coordinate information of the preset target position in the polar coordinate system taking the position of the charging portion as the pole based on the linear distance comprise:
instructions for determining a first pole diameter and a second pole diameter in the polar coordinate system, wherein the first pole diameter is equal to the linear distance, and the second pole diameter is equal to the distance between the charging station and the preset target position;
instructions for measuring and calculating a first polar angle corresponding to the first pole diameter and an included angle between the first pole diameter and the second pole diameter; and
instructions for calculating polar coordinate information of the target position in the polar coordinate system based on the first polar diameter, the second polar diameter, an angle of the first polar angle, and the included angle.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The robot of claim 12, wherein the polar coordinate information of the preset target position comprises a third polar diameter and a second polar angle; and
the instructions for calculating the polar coordinate information of the target position in the polar coordinate system based on the first polar diameter, the second polar diameter, the first polar angle, and the included angle comprise:
instructions for calculating the polar coordinate information of the preset target position by the following formula:
r
=
R
2
+
1
-
2
⁢
R
⁢
⁢
cos
⁡
(
α
)
;
a
⁢
⁢
nd
θ
=
{
β
+
arccos
⁡
(
R
2
+
r
2
-
1
2
*
R
*
r
)
β
-
arccos
⁡
(
R
2
+
r
2
-
1
2
*
R
*
r
)
;
where, r is the third polar diameter; R is the first polar diameter; α is the included angle, where
-
π
2
>
α
>
π
2
;
θ is the second polar angle; β is the first polar angle, −π>β>π or −0>β>2π.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The robot of claim 12, wherein the instructions for rotating the robot in situ at the preset target position to a position the charging portion facing the charging station comprise:
instructions for obtaining a plurality of the linear distances while rotating the robot for one turn in situ at the target position;
instructions for utilizing a preset fitting model to fit each of the plurality of linear distances to obtain a plurality of fitting results, wherein the preset fitting model is a fitting model of a least squares based on sine function, the offset of the sine function is the linear distance, and the amplitude of the sine function is the distance between the first communication antenna and the charging portion;
instructions for determining the fitting result with a minimum value as a target distance; and
instructions for rotating the robot to a position the linear distance being equal to the target distance, such that charging portion faces the charging station.