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US 12,728,519 B2Granted
Dynamically reconfigurable robot
AssigneeIdealab Studio, LLC
InventorWilliam Tod Gross
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dynamically reconfigurable robot includes a base selected from a plurality of different bases, one or more tools selected from a plurality of different tools, and a battery pack selected from a plurality of different battery packs. The robot is reconfigured in a cabinet having one or more actuatable arms operable to swap the base with one or more other bases, swap the one or more tool attachments with one or more other tool attachments, and swap the battery pack with one or more other battery packs to build the robot for performing a given task.
Claims20
A dynamically reconfigurable robot system, comprising:
- a robot, comprising:
- a base configured to move over a surface;
- one or more tool attachments removably couplable to the base, each of the tool attachments configured to perform a different task;
- and
- a battery pack detachably coupled to the base and configured to provide power to the base and the one or more tool attachments;
- and
- a cabinet comprising:
- a plurality of storage locations in the cabinet housing a plurality of bases, a plurality of tool attachments and a plurality of battery packs;
- one or more actuatable arms in the cabinet operable to access the plurality of bases, the plurality of tool attachments and the plurality of battery packs from the plurality of storage locations in the cabinet;
- and
- a controller configured to receive a task request, and based on the task request to:
- determine one or more constraints derived from task request,
- select from the plurality of bases, the plurality of tool attachments and the plurality of battery packs a selected base, one or more selected tool attachments and a selected battery pack that meet the one or more constraints, and
- operate the one or more actuatable arms to swap, within the cabinet, the base with the selected base, the one or more tool attachments with the one or more selected tool attachments, and the battery pack with the selected battery pack to dynamically configure the robot so that the robot has an optimal configuration with the one or more selected tool attachments being a minimal number of tool attachments, and the selected battery pack having a minimal power capacity, to perform the requested task,
- wherein the dynamically configured robot is configured to exit the cabinet to perform the requested task.
12 more elements
A dynamically reconfigurable robot kit, comprising:
- a plurality of bases, each configured to move over a surface;
- a plurality of tool attachments, each configured to perform a task and to be selectively coupled to one of the plurality of bases;
- a plurality of battery packs, each configured to be selectively coupled to one of the plurality of bases and to provide power to said one of the plurality of bases and to one or more tool attachments coupled to said one of the plurality of bases, at least two of the plurality of battery packs having a different power capacity;
- and
- a cabinet configured to house the plurality of bases, the plurality of tool attachments and the plurality of battery packs, the cabinet comprising:
- a plurality of storage locations in the cabinet housing the plurality of bases, the plurality of tool attachments and the plurality of battery packs;
- one or more actuatable arms in the cabinet operable to access the plurality of bases, the plurality of tool attachments and the plurality of battery packs from the plurality of storage locations in the cabinet;
- and
- a controller configured to receive a task request, and based on the task request to:
- determine one or more constraints derived from task request,
- select from an inventory of the plurality of bases, the plurality of tool attachments and the plurality of battery packs a selected base, one or more selected tool attachments and a selected battery pack that meet the one or more constraints, and
- operate the one or more actuatable arms to couple, within the cabinet, the selected base, the one or more selected tool attachments, and the selected battery pack to form a robot having an optimal configuration with the one or more selected tool attachments being a minimal number of tool attachments, and the selected battery pack having a minimal power capacity, to perform the requested task,
- wherein the robot is configured to exit the cabinet to perform the requested task.
10 more elements
A method for building and operating a dynamically reconfigurable robot, comprising:
- receiving via a computer processor of a cabinet, a task request, the cabinet housing a plurality of different bases, a plurality of different tools and a plurality of different battery packs;
- determining via the computer processor one or more constraints from the task request;
- identifying via the computer processor a base from the plurality of different bases for performing the task;
- identifying via the computer processor one or more tools from the plurality of different tools for performing the task;
- identifying via the computer processor a battery pack from the plurality of different battery packs for performing the task, wherein the identified base, the identified one or more tools and the identified battery pack meet the one or more constraints;
- communicating via the computer processor the identified base, identified one or more tools and identified battery pack to one or more actuatable arms in the cabinet;
- automatically building, within the cabinet and using the one or more actuatable arms, a robot for performing the task by retrieving and coupling together the identified base, the identified one or more tools and the identified battery pack so that the robot has an optimal configuration with the one or more identified tools being a minimal number of tools, and the identified battery pack having a minimal power capacity, to perform the requested task;
- and
- causing the robot to exit the cabinet to perform the requested task.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.