Docking and Charging System for Autonomous Mobile Robots

Abstract

In this paper we describe a safe and reliable system for the autonomous batteries’ charging of a mobile robot. The project includes an electro-mechanical part, consisting of a station into which the robot can dock and wait during the charge, and a software part, to program the robot with the essential operations it has to execute to reach the dockingcharging station. The main part of the resarch is in the docking algorithm, based on a low-cost, simple and reliable alignment method inspired by an old aid to navigation: the use of range lights.