CN219134468U - Docking station - Google Patents

Abstract

The application relates to a docking station, which comprises a main body, a communication module and a guide cover, wherein the projection area of the lower outline of the main body is larger than that of the upper outline; the communication module is connected to the main body, comprises a connecting unit, supplies power to the robot through the connecting unit and exchanges data with the robot; the guide cover comprises a first guide part and a second guide part, wherein the first guide part and the second guide part can be used for a robot to pass through, the inner side wall of the guide cover gradually contracts towards the second guide part through the first guide part, the second guide part is connected to the main body and is arranged in alignment with the connecting unit, and the first guide part is arranged away from the second guide part. In the process that the robot is close to, the robot first gets into first guide part to be close to the connecting unit gradually under the guide of direction cover self structure, and be connected with the connecting unit counterpoint in the space that is less relatively, be favorable to the robot more quick, accurately to be connected with communication module through the connecting unit, carry out operations such as charge and data exchange.

Description

Docking station

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of robot equipment, in particular to a docking station.

Background

Autonomous underwater robots rely on their own rechargeable batteries to provide energy while operating underwater, and these modes have limited energy storage and therefore need to be recovered for energy replenishment, information reading and maintenance. The docking station is used as an important component of the submarine observation network and is connected with a unified power supply and communication interface provided by the submarine observation network, and after the autonomous underwater robot enters the docking station, charging, data transmission and new task downloading can be automatically completed, so that complicated recovery processes are reduced.

At present, the docking station at home and abroad mostly adopts a guide cover type structure, and a conical bracket is designed at the bottom and is located on the sea floor, so that the docking station is easy to sink into a soft layer part of the sea floor, and the situation of difficult recovery and even fracture is caused. Of course, after the soft layer is partially sunk, the posture of the docking station is also changed, so that the preset docking position is offset, and the underwater robot is not easy to enter the docking station.

Disclosure of Invention

Based on this, it is necessary to provide a docking station that is stable in placement and that is capable of allowing a robot to quickly and accurately perform charging and data exchange.

The docking station comprises a main body, a communication module and a guide cover, wherein the projection area of the lower outline of the main body is larger than that of the upper outline; the communication module is connected to the main body, comprises a connection unit, supplies power to the robot through the connection unit, and exchanges data with the robot; the guide cover comprises a first guide part and a second guide part which can be used for the robot to pass through, the inner side wall of the guide cover gradually contracts from the first guide part to the second guide part, the second guide part is connected to the main body and is arranged in alignment with the connecting unit, and the first guide part is arranged away from the second guide part.

The docking station has the advantages that the main body is of a structure with a large bottom and a small top, and is more stable when placed on the seabed compared with a structure with a conical bottom. In addition, in the process that the robot is close to, the robot first gets into first guiding part, because first guiding part contracts gradually to the second guiding part, and the robot can be close to the connecting unit gradually under the guide of direction cover self structure to be connected with the connecting unit counterpoint in the space that is less relatively, be favorable to the robot more quick, accurately to be connected with communication module through the connecting unit, carry out operations such as charge and data exchange.

In one embodiment, the communication module includes a positioner, where the positioner is capable of sending a positioning signal to the robot to guide the robot to dock with the connection unit, a connection end of the positioner is connected to an outer side of the main body, and a working end of the positioner extends out of the main body.

In one embodiment, the docking station further includes an observation module connected to the main body and disposed toward the guide housing to observe a position and a state of the robot during approaching of the robot.

In one embodiment, the observation module comprises a camera shooting mechanism and an illumination mechanism, the camera shooting mechanism comprises a first camera and a second camera, the illumination mechanism comprises a first illumination lamp and a second illumination lamp, the shooting direction of the first camera is horizontal to the illumination direction of the first illumination lamp, and the shooting direction of the second camera and the illumination direction of the second illumination lamp are arranged at an acute angle with the horizontal direction.

In one embodiment, the docking station further comprises two fixing modules to fix the second camera and the second illumination lamp to the main body, respectively.

In one embodiment, the main body is connected with a support, the support is in a cylindrical shape and is welded with the support, and one end of the fixing module is rotatably connected with the support and can rotate around the axis of the support.

In one embodiment, the main body comprises a plurality of skeletons, welding pieces, angle plates and angle seats, the skeletons are welded to form a trapezoid structure which is contracted from bottom to top, the welding pieces are in a bent shape, the convex surfaces of the welding pieces are connected with the skeletons, the concave surfaces of the welding pieces are used for connecting electrical components, the angle plates are connected with the skeletons towards one side surface of the guide cover and are connected with the second guide parts, and the angle seats are connected with the bottom of the main body and are used for increasing the contact area with the ground.

In one embodiment, the guide cover further comprises a support rod, a first circular ring and a second circular ring, two ends of the support rod are respectively connected with the first circular ring and the second circular ring, the diameter of the first circular ring is larger than that of the second circular ring, one end, close to the first circular ring, of the support rod forms a first guide part with the first circular ring, one end, close to the second circular ring, of the support rod forms a second guide part with the second circular ring, the number of the support rods is multiple, and the support rods are distributed around the circumference of the first circular ring at intervals.

In one embodiment, the guide cover further comprises a third ring, a bending part is arranged at one end of the supporting rod, facing the second ring, of the supporting rod, the third ring is sleeved on the bending parts of the supporting rods, and the diameter of the third ring is smaller than that of the second ring.

In one embodiment, the docking station further comprises a guide lamp connected to the fixing bases arranged at intervals on the circumference of the first ring, and the guide lamp is arranged in an area of the first ring facing the main body.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the utility model and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the utility model.

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the utility model or the technical solutions of the prior art, the drawings which are used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described, and it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without inventive effort.

Fig. 1 is a schematic overall structure of a docking station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the overall structure of a docking station according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a part of the structure of the main body in the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the overall structure of the guide housing according to the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a fixing module and a second camera in an embodiment of the present application.

Description of the reference numerals

10. Docking station; 100. a main body; 101. a hanging ring; 110. a bracket; 120. a skeleton; 130. a welding member; 140. a corner plate; 150. a corner seat; 160. a baffle; 170. a magnetic plate; 180. a support plate; 200. a communication module; 210. a connection unit; 220. a battery compartment; 230. an electronic cabin; 240. a fixing hoop; 250. a positioner; 260. a transfer cabin; 300. a guide cover; 301. a first guide part; 302. a second guide part; 310. a first ring; 320. a second ring; 330. a third ring; 340. a support rod; 351. a first auxiliary lever; 352. a second auxiliary lever; 360. a connecting piece; 370. rib plates; 381. a fixing seat; 382. a support seat; 391. a clamping block; 392. a support plate; 400. an observation module; 411. a first camera; 412. a second camera; 421. a first illumination lamp; 422. a second illumination lamp; 500. a fixed module; 510. a fixing member; 511. a fixing hole; 520. u-shaped bolts; 600. a guide lamp; 700. a depth gauge.

Detailed Description

For the purposes of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without undue burden from the present disclosure, are within the scope of the present application based on the embodiments herein.

As shown in fig. 1, the present application provides a docking station 10 including a main body 100, a communication module 200, and a guide housing 300. The projected area of the lower profile of the body 100 is larger than the projected area of the upper profile. The communication module 200 is connected to the main body 100. The communication module 200 includes a connection unit 210. The communication module 200 supplies power to the robot through the connection unit 210 and exchanges data with the robot. The guide cover 300 includes a first guide 301 and a second guide 302 through which the robot can pass. The inner side wall of the guide cover 300 gradually contracts from the first guide portion 301 toward the second guide portion 302. The second guide portion 302 is connected to the main body 100 and aligned with the connection unit 210. The first guide 301 is arranged away from the second guide 302.

The docking station 10 described above has a structure in which the main body 100 is large and small at the bottom, and is more stable when placed on the seabed than a structure in which the bottom is tapered. In addition, in the process of approaching the robot, the robot first enters the first guiding portion 301, and as the first guiding portion gradually contracts toward the second guiding portion, the robot can gradually approach the connection unit 210 under the guidance of the structure of the guiding cover 300, and is aligned and connected with the connection unit 210 in a relatively smaller space, so that the robot can be connected with the communication module 200 through the connection unit 210 more quickly and accurately, and operations such as charging and data exchange can be performed.

It should be noted that the docking station 10 in the present application can be used not only in water, but also in an environment where gravity is small and the robot position is difficult to control, such as in space. Of course, in different environments, the materials used for the various elements in the docking station 10 may be adjusted according to actual needs, and will not be described herein. The use of the docking station 10 in water is described below as an example. When used in water, the corresponding robot should be a "robot capable of working in water", hereinafter referred to simply as "robot" for the purpose of reducing reading disorders.

It will be appreciated that, in order to ensure that the robot can pass through the guide housing 300 smoothly and can move smoothly within the guide housing 300, the first guide 301 and the second guide 302 should each be provided with an opening, the opening of the first guide 301 is larger than the opening of the second guide 302, and the opening of the second guide 302 should be capable of allowing the robot to enter and leave. In addition, any longitudinal section of the inside of the guide cover 300 can be accessed by the robot. In this embodiment, the guide cover 300 has a conical revolving structure, and the minimum conical circumference is the opening of the second guide portion 302.

It should be noted that, the main body 100 and the guide cover 300 in the present application are hollow structures, so that the overall weight of the docking station 10 can be effectively reduced, the docking station 10 is flexible and portable, the flexible suspension and deployment of the water surface ship can be realized, and the deployment of the water surface ship can be realized through other buoyancy platforms. In addition, the hollow structure can facilitate the observation of the various components and the robots on the main body 100 and the guide cover 300 by the operator. In addition, the upper part of the main body 100 may be provided with a hanging ring 101 structure for connection of a steel cable or a nylon rope to hang the main body 100 into water.

Further, the communication module 200 also includes a battery compartment 220 and an electronics compartment 230. A lithium battery is installed in the battery compartment 220 to supply power to the entire docking station 10 and the robot in communication with the connection unit 210. The electronic cabin 230 is provided with a master control system, which is used for controlling the switching, storage and data transmission of each electronic component, and can be in communication connection with the shore-based platform so as to transmit the information of the docking station 10 and the robot to the shore-based platform. The battery compartment 220 and the electronic compartment 230 are both cylindrical pressure-resistant cabin structures, and have better cabin strength so as to adapt to the underwater high-pressure environment.

In addition, the battery compartment 220 and the electronic compartment 230 are fixedly coupled to the main body 100 by a fixing collar 240 made of a non-metallic material. The fixing hoop 240 is arranged in a semicircular shape, so that the contact area between the fixing hoop 240 and the outer wall of the cabin body is increased, and the connection stability is improved. The fixing collar 240 is detachably and fixedly connected with the main body 100 through a screw, so that connection stability can be ensured, and the difficulty of disassembly can be reduced when maintenance is required at a later stage.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the communication module 200 includes a locator 250. The locator 250 can transmit a locating signal to the robot to guide the robot to dock with the connection unit 210. The connection end of the retainer 250 is connected to the outside of the main body 100. The working end of the retainer 250 is disposed to protrude from the body 100.

The working end of the positioner 250 extends out of the main body 100, so that no object shielding exists around the positioner 250, and the positioner 250 is not interfered by the main body 100 in the process of sending positioning information to the robot.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the positioner 250 is an ultrashort baseline communication positioning integrated machine, and can integrate communication and positioning functions, send positioning information to the robot, and keep communication with the robot, so as to more effectively guide the robot to approach the main body 100, connect with the connection unit 210, and further quickly and accurately realize charging and data exchange.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, docking station 10 further includes an observation module 400. The observation module 400 is connected to the main body 100 and disposed toward the guide cover 300 to observe the position and state of the robot during the approach of the robot. The setting of the observation module 400 can facilitate the operator to observe the position and the running state of the robot in real time, so as to facilitate the operator to adjust the position of the robot in time, and further improve the efficiency and the accuracy of the butt joint of the robot and the connection unit 210.

Further, the observation module 400 includes a camera mechanism and an illumination mechanism. The camera mechanism includes a first camera 411 and a second camera 412. The illumination mechanism includes a first illumination lamp 421 and a second illumination lamp 422. Wherein, the shooting direction of the first camera 411 is horizontal to the illumination direction of the first illumination lamp 421. The shooting direction of the second camera 412 and the illumination direction of the second illumination lamp 422 are both disposed at an acute angle to the horizontal direction.

The first illumination lamp 421 is used for illuminating a shooting path for the first camera 411, so that the first illumination lamp 421 and the first camera 411 are matched for use to increase the sight distance under water, so that an operator can observe a short-distance view angle of the robot after the robot enters the guide cover 300, and the bow of the robot can be observed; the second illumination lamp 422 lights the shooting path for the second camera 412, so that the second illumination lamp 422 and the second camera 412 are matched for use, and an operator can conveniently observe the overlook view angle of the robot when approaching to the first guide part 301 from a distance and after entering the first guide part 301, thereby being convenient for the operator to more comprehensively observe the position and the running state of the robot in the guide cover 300.

In one embodiment, the docking station 10 further includes two securing modules 500 to secure the second camera 412 and the second illumination lamp 422, respectively, to the main body 100.

The fixing module 500 includes a fixing member 510 and a U-bolt 520. The fixing member 510 is provided with a fixing hole 511 through which the second camera 412 and the second illumination lamp 422 pass. As shown in fig. 5, the installation of the second camera 412 is now taken as an example: after the second camera 412 passes through the fixing hole 511, the second camera 412 and the fixing member 510 are fixed firmly by using a screw, the fixing member 510 is clamped by using a U-shaped bolt 520, and then the U-shaped bolt 520 is fixed on the main body 100 by using the screw, so that the fixing member 510 and the second camera 412 are fixed on the main body 100. The installation process of the second illumination lamp 422 can refer to the installation process of the second camera 412, and will not be described herein.

It should be noted that, the first camera 411 and the first illumination lamp 421 may be directly welded on the main body 100, so as to keep the shooting direction of the first camera 411 and the illumination direction of the first illumination lamp 421 horizontal, so as to improve the stability of installation and detection.

Further, as shown in fig. 1 to 3, a bracket 110 is coupled to the main body 100. The bracket 110 is cylindrically disposed and is welded to the fixing module 500, and one end of the fixing module 500 is rotatably connected to the bracket 110 and is rotatable about an axis of the bracket 110.

Therefore, the second illumination lamp 422 and the second camera 412 can rotate on the bracket 110, so that an operator can flexibly adjust the photographing angle of the second camera 412 and the illumination angle of the second illumination lamp 422 according to actual needs.

The number of the brackets 110 is two, and the brackets are all arranged in a T shape. One of the brackets 110 is located at the top of the main body 100, and the other bracket 110 is located at the lower portion of the main body 100. The bracket 110 at the upper portion is used for mounting the second camera 412, and the bracket 110 at the lower portion is used for mounting the second illumination lamp 422.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 to 5, the main body 100 includes a plurality of skeletons 120, welding members 130, a corner plate 140, and a corner base 150, wherein the skeletons 120 are welded to form a trapezoid structure which is contracted from bottom to top, the welding members 130 are curved, the convex surfaces of the welding members 130 are connected with the skeletons 120, the concave surfaces of the welding members 130 are used for connecting electrical components, the corner plate 140 is connected to a side surface of the skeletons 120 facing the guide cover 300 and is connected with the second guide portion 302, and the corner base 150 is connected to the bottom of the main body 100 for increasing the contact area with the ground.

The skeleton 120 may be cut from standard channel steel, which is beneficial to reducing manufacturing cost. In addition, a plurality of laterally disposed skeletons 120 are welded at intervals along the vertical direction to promote the overall stability and firmness of the main body 100, and in addition, the laterally disposed skeletons 120 can also facilitate the carrying of various electronic devices. In addition, the main body 100 may be welded with a plurality of obliquely arranged skeletons 120 to form diagonal lacing wires, thereby further improving the overall strength and stability of the main body 100.

In this embodiment, the number of the corner plates 140 is four, and four corners of a square shape are provided for mounting the fixed guide cover 300. The number of the corner seats 150 is four, and the corner seats are respectively and fixedly connected to the bottom of the main body 100, so that the contact area between the main body 100 and the ground is increased, and the stability of installation and landing is improved.

Further, as shown in fig. 1-5, the body 100 also includes a baffle 160. The baffle 160 is mounted to the backbone 120 by screws. The number of the baffle plates 160 is two, and they are disposed at intervals in the vertical direction. Both the baffles 160 are located at one side of the main body 100 facing the guide cover 300, and the interval H in the vertical direction is smaller than the width L of the robot in the numerical direction, so as to prevent the robot from entering into the interior of the main body 100 more to cause collision damage. Wherein, baffle 160 can adopt the non-metallic material that has better deformability to reduce the impulsive force that robot and baffle 160 collide the atress, be favorable to protecting the surface of robot not by the fish tail, can also effectively protect each components and parts in the robot not impaired.

Further, the main body 100 is further provided with a magnetic plate 170 disposed in a fan-shaped structure. The magnetic plate 170 has magnetism, and can provide a magnetic field signal for the robot in the process that the robot approaches the connection unit 210, so that the robot can judge whether the docking is successful or not through the magnetic induction signal. The magnetic plate 170 is fixedly connected to the outside of the baffle 160, and may be formed by splicing a plurality of magnets.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, the body 100 further includes a support plate 180. The support plate 180 is coupled to the backbone 120 and serves to fix the electronic compartment 230 and the battery compartment 220 to prevent the electronic compartment 230 and the battery compartment 220 from shaking in water. The support plate 180 may be made of a non-metal material and is fixedly connected to the frame 120 by a set screw.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, the guide housing 300 further includes a support bar 340, a first ring 310, and a second ring 320. The support rods 340 are connected at both ends to the first ring 310 and the second ring 320, respectively. The diameter of the first ring 310 is greater than the diameter of the second ring 320. One end of the support rod 340, which is close to the first ring 310, forms a first guide portion 301 with the first ring 310. One end of the support rod 340, which is close to the second ring 320, forms a second guiding portion 302 with the second ring 320. The number of the support rods 340 is plural, and the plurality of support rods 340 are arranged around the circumference of the first ring 310 at intervals.

In the present application, the guide housing 300 is provided in a conical structure, and is formed by welding individual elements.

It should be noted that, the number of the support rods 340 is eight, and the eight support rods 340 are disposed at intervals along the circumferential direction, and gradually fold from the first ring 310 toward the second ring 320, and connect the first ring 310 and the second ring 320 into a whole. The support bar 340 can guide the robot to approach the connection unit 210, for example, as the robot enters the guide housing 300 and continues to approach the connection unit 210: when the robot deviates upwards, the supporting rods 340 above the robot can limit the robot to continue to move upwards, and when the robot continues to move forwards, the plurality of supporting rods 340 gradually folded towards the second circular ring 320 can smoothly guide the robot to move towards the second circular ring 320, and when the robot moves to the second circular ring 320, the space reserved for the robot to deviate from the connecting unit 210 is not much, namely the robot is close to the connecting unit 210, so that the accuracy of the butt joint of the robot and the connecting unit 210 is improved.

As shown in fig. 4, two ends of the first auxiliary rod 351 are also connected to the first ring 310 and the second ring 320, respectively, and disposed between the adjacent support rods 340. The number of the first auxiliary rods 351 is 8, and the auxiliary reinforcing function is achieved.

Further, in one embodiment, a second auxiliary lever 352 may be provided on the guide housing 300. One end of the second auxiliary lever 352 is connected to the support lever 340 and the other end is connected to the first auxiliary lever 351 near the support lever 340 to prevent the robot from being separated from the region where the guide cover 300 is located from the gap between the support lever 340 and the first auxiliary lever 351. It should be noted that, the gaps between the second auxiliary rod 352 and the first auxiliary rod 351, the support rod 340, the first ring 310 and the second ring 320 should be small enough that the robot cannot be separated from the region where the guide cover 300 is located.

The first ring 310, the second ring 320, the supporting rod 340, the first auxiliary rod 351, the second auxiliary rod 352 and the third ring 330 may be made of solid steel rod materials, so as to improve the strength and stability of the guide cover 300.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a connector 360 is attached to the second ring 320. The connection plate is screwed with the angle plate 140 to fixedly connect the second ring 320 with the main body 100, and further fixedly connect the guide cover 300 with the main body 100. In addition, the connection stability of the main body 100 and the guide cover 300 can be improved by the screw connection method, and the main body 100 and the guide cover 300 can be detached when the disassembly and the adjustment are needed, so that the later maintenance and repair are convenient. It will be appreciated that the specific shape of the connector 360 may be set as desired. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the connection member 360 is provided in a trapezoidal plate shape.

Further, a rib plate 370 may be connected to the support bar 340. One side of the rib plate 370 is fixedly connected with the support rod 340, and the other side of the rib plate 370 is fixedly connected with the connecting piece 360 so as to play a role of a reinforcing rib, and the rib plate is prevented from being separated from the second circular ring 320 when the connecting piece 360 is subjected to a large shearing force, so that the connection stability of the connecting piece 360 and the second circular ring 320 is improved, and the connection stability of the guide cover 300 and the main body 100 is further improved.

It should be noted that, the rib plate 370 has a right triangle structure, and two right-angle sides thereof are welded with the support rod 340 and the connecting piece 360, respectively.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, the guide housing 300 further includes a third ring 330. The support rod 340 is provided with a bending part towards one end of the second ring 320. The third ring 330 is sleeved on the bending parts of the plurality of support rods 340. The diameter of the third ring 330 is smaller than the diameter of the second ring 320. Therefore, the third ring 330 can further improve the connection stability between the support rod 340 and the second ring 320. It should be noted that, the first ring 310, the second ring 320, the third ring 330, the supporting rod 340, the first auxiliary rod 351 and the second auxiliary rod 352 may be fixed by welding, so as to improve the overall connection stability of the guide cover 300.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, docking station 10 further includes a guide light 600. The guide lamp 600 is connected to fixing seats 381 spaced apart from each other on the circumference of the first ring 310. The guide lamp 600 is disposed in an area of the first ring 310 facing the main body 100, so as to prevent the guide lamp 600 from being knocked by the robot and being damaged by each other. In the present embodiment, the number of the guide lamps 600 is 8, and the number of the fixing seats 381 is also 8. The fixing seats 381 are disposed at intervals along the circumferential direction of the first ring 310. The illumination direction of the guide lamp 600 is disposed away from the main body 100.

It should be noted that the fixing seat 381 is arranged in a semicircular shape (concave inward) to accommodate the guide lamp 600 having a cylindrical shape. The pilot lamp is attached to the holder 381 by a hose clamp connection to provide optical pilot signals to the robot during the docking process.

It should be further noted that the communication module 200 further includes a pod 260 detachably connected to the main body 100, and a patch panel is disposed in the pod 260 to control the on/off of the guide lamp 600. The transfer pod 260 also has a cylindrical pressure-resistant pod structure with good pod strength to accommodate high pressure environments under water.

Further, the guide cover 300 may further be connected to a stand 382 below the first ring 310 to adjust the height of the guide cover 300 according to the height of the main body 100. In addition, the projection area of the stand 382 in the vertical direction is larger to increase the stability of the guide housing 300 on the ground on the basis of supporting the guide housing 300.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a depth gauge 700 may also be provided on the guide housing 300 to measure the depth of the guide housing 300 in the water. The depth gauge 700 may be fixed to the first ring 310 by using a clamping block 391 and a support plate 392. The support plate 392 may be formed by cutting a steel plate, and one end of the support plate is welded to the outer portion of the first ring 310. One end of the clamping block 391 is fixedly connected with the support plate 392 and is used for clamping the outer circumference of the depth gauge 700 to fix the depth gauge 700 on the first circular ring 310.

It should be noted that, the support plate 392 should be connected below the first ring 310, and avoid interference with the fixing seat 381, and at the same time, avoid the depth gauge 700 from blocking the light path of the guiding lamp.

It should be noted that references in the specification to "one embodiment," "an example embodiment," "some embodiments," etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It should be readily understood that the terms "on … …", "above … …" and "above … …" in this disclosure should be interpreted in the broadest sense such that "on … …" means not only "directly on something", but also includes "on something" with intermediate features or layers therebetween, and "above … …" or "above … …" includes not only the meaning "on something" or "above" but also the meaning "above something" or "above" without intermediate features or layers therebetween (i.e., directly on something).

Further, spatially relative terms, such as "below," "beneath," "above," "over," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element or feature as illustrated. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The device may have other orientations (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

It should be noted that in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" and the like are used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one … …" does not exclude the presence of other like elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present application, and not for limiting the same; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical scheme described in the foregoing embodiments can be modified or some or all of the technical features thereof can be replaced by equivalents; such modifications and substitutions do not depart from the spirit of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims (10)

1. A docking station, comprising:

a main body, the projection area of the lower contour is larger than that of the upper contour;

the communication module is connected to the main body, comprises a connection unit, supplies power to the robot through the connection unit, and exchanges data with the robot;

the guiding cover comprises a first guiding part and a second guiding part, wherein the first guiding part and the second guiding part can be used for the robot to pass through, the inner side wall of the guiding cover gradually contracts from the first guiding part to the second guiding part, the second guiding part is connected to the main body and is arranged in alignment with the connecting unit, and the first guiding part is arranged away from the second guiding part.

2. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the communication module comprises a locator capable of sending a locating signal to the robot to guide the robot to dock with the connection unit, a connection end of the locator being connected to an outside of the main body, and a working end extending out of the main body.

3. The docking station of claim 1, further comprising an observation module coupled to the body and disposed toward the guide housing to observe the position and state of the robot during the approaching of the robot.

4. The docking station of claim 3, wherein the observation module comprises a camera mechanism and an illumination mechanism, the camera mechanism comprising a first camera and a second camera, the illumination mechanism comprising a first illumination lamp and a second illumination lamp,

the shooting direction of the first camera is horizontal to the illumination direction of the first illumination lamp, and the shooting direction of the second camera and the illumination direction of the second illumination lamp are arranged at an acute angle to the horizontal direction.

5. The docking station of claim 4, further comprising two securing modules to secure the second camera and the second illumination lamp, respectively, to the body.

6. The docking station of claim 5, wherein the body is coupled to a bracket, the bracket is cylindrically configured and welded to the bracket, and one end of the stationary module is rotatably coupled to the bracket and rotatable about an axis of the bracket.

7. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the main body comprises a plurality of skeletons, welding pieces, angle plates and angle seats, the skeletons are welded to form a trapezoid structure which is contracted from bottom to top, the welding pieces are bent, the protruding surfaces of the welding pieces are connected with the skeletons, the recessed surfaces of the welding pieces are used for connecting electrical components, the angle plates are connected to one side surface of the skeletons, which faces the guide cover, and are connected with the second guide portions, and the angle seats are connected to the bottom of the main body and are used for increasing contact area with the ground.

8. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the guide cover further comprises a support bar, a first ring and a second ring, two ends of the support bar are respectively connected with the first ring and the second ring, a diameter of the first ring is larger than a diameter of the second ring, one end, close to the first ring, of the support bar forms the first guide portion with the first ring, one end, close to the second ring, of the support bar forms the second guide portion with the second ring, the number of the support bars is multiple, and the support bars are distributed around a circumference of the first ring at intervals.

9. The docking station of claim 8, wherein the guide housing further comprises a third ring, a bend is provided at an end of the support rod facing the second ring, the third ring is sleeved on the plurality of bends of the support, and a diameter of the third ring is smaller than a diameter of the second ring.

10. The docking station of claim 8, further comprising guide lights coupled to the circumferentially spaced holders of the first ring, the guide lights disposed in an area of the first ring facing the body.

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