Patent ID: 8352114

Claim:
A station for charging a mobile robotic device battery, the station comprising: a circular shaped platform having an upwardly facing surface connected to a substantially flat downwardly facing surface which rests upon a planar surface, the upwardly facing surface of the circular shaped platform comprising: a platform threshold disposing around the entire circumference of the circular shaped platform, the outer circumference of the platform threshold at substantially the same elevation as the planar surface and the platform threshold having an upwardly sloping contour on a radius moving away from the outer circumference of the platform to a maximum threshold height above the elevation of the planar surface; a circular wheel well formed in the circular shaped platform, the wheel well is disposed around the entire circumference of the circular shaped platform, is adjacent to and radially inward from the platform threshold and forms a circular depression having a depth and width to positively retain one or more wheels associated with the mobile robotic device; a circular charging post disposed centrally to the circular platform having an uppermost, substantially planar surface disposed at an elevation above the maximum threshold height, the charging post having at least one emitter for transmitting a homing signal over a three hundred and sixty degree radius with respect to the circular platform; and the circular charging post having power and ground contacts disposed on the top, planar surface of the post to which power and ground connections on the robotic device contact.