Intelligent mower and intelligent control system

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of weeding equipment, and particularly relates to an intelligent mower and an intelligent control system.The intelligent mower comprises a chassis, an embedded controller, a cutterhead lifting assembly, a hard object detection assembly and an infrared obstacle avoidance assembly, and the embedded controller, the cutterhead lifting assembly, the hard object detection assembly and the infrared obstacle avoidance assembly are arranged on the chassis; a driving wheel and a steering wheel are arranged on the chassis, the cutter head lifting assembly comprises a blade, the blade can ascend and descend, the hard object detection assembly is arranged on the lower portion of the front end of the chassis, and the infrared obstacle avoidance assembly is arranged on the upper portion of the front end of the chassis. Hard objects on a path are detected through the hard object detection assembly, the blade is lifted through cooperation with the lifting assembly so that the blade can avoid the hard objects and cannot be clamped or damaged, obstacles on the path are detected through the infrared sensor, and obstacle avoidance of the whole machine is achieved through cooperation with the walking module and the steering module. The image processing module can identify an untrimmed area on the lawn, and the navigation positioning module is matched to realize no-dead-corner trimming of the lawn.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of weeding equipment, and in particular relates to an intelligent lawn mower and an intelligent control system. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of computer and microelectronic technology, the development of intelligent technology is getting faster and faster, the degree of intelligence is getting higher and higher, and the scope of application has also been greatly expanded. The smart lawn mower is actually a smart lawn mower used for outdoor weeding, similar to the principle of indoor cleaning by a sweeping robot. It is a device that can automatically complete weeding tasks in areas such as lawns or courtyards with a certain degree of artificial intelligence. Its working principle is usually to use the power of a gasoline engine (some smart lawn mowers) to drive the mowing disc to rotate at high speed through the transmission system, so that the mowing rope can be adjusted and rotated synchronously, generating a certain cutting force to cut off the weeds. However, there are also many electric smart lawn mowers that rely on batteries to provide power to drive the mowing components for weeding operations.

[0003] Existing smart lawn mowers generally operate according to preset routes. Although some lawn mowers have realized obstacle avoidance function, the trajectory changes after avoiding obstacles, resulting in large areas of missed lawns, and secondary operations are required, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. There are inevitably some hard objects such as stones in the lawn, which can easily damage the blades and increase the cost of use. In addition, the obstacle avoidance detection component cannot effectively detect stones in the grass, so an effective hard object detection method is urgently needed.

[0004] Therefore, the above problems need to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0005] Purpose of the invention: In order to overcome the above shortcomings, the present invention provides an intelligent lawn mower and an intelligent control system, aiming to solve the above technical problems.

[0006] Technical solution: In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides an intelligent lawn mower, including a chassis, an embedded controller, a blade lifting component, a hard object detection component and an infrared obstacle avoidance component, wherein the embedded controller, the blade lifting component, the hard object detection component and the infrared obstacle avoidance component are arranged on the chassis; The chassis is provided with a driving wheel and a steering wheel, the cutter disc lifting assembly includes a blade, and the blade can be raised and lowered, the hard object detection assembly is arranged at the lower front end of the chassis, and the infrared obstacle avoidance assembly is arranged at the upper front end of the chassis. The hard object detection can detect hard objects on the path, the cutter disc lifting assembly can lift the blade to avoid damage to the blade due to contact with the hard object, and the infrared obstacle avoidance assembly can detect obstacles on the path to achieve obstacle avoidance.

[0007] Furthermore, the cutter disc lifting assembly also includes a blade drive motor, a bracket, a rack and a lifting motor; The chassis is provided with a through hole, the blade is located below the through hole, a guide rail and a support member are vertically arranged at the edge of the through hole, both ends of the bracket are slidably connected to the guide rail through a slider, the blade drive motor is arranged below the bracket, and the blade drive motor is connected to the blade; The lifting motor is arranged on the support member, the rack is arranged on the upper part of the bracket, and a gear is arranged on the output shaft of the lifting motor, and the gear is meshed with the rack.

[0008] The lifting motor drives the gear to rotate and drives the rack to move up and down, and the bracket connected to the rack can move on the guide rail, thereby realizing the lifting function of the blade drive motor and the blade.

[0009] Furthermore, the hard object detection component includes an angle sensor, a rotating plate and a damping rod. The angle sensor is arranged on the chassis, one end of the rotating plate is rotatably arranged at the front end of the chassis, the angle sensor is connected to the rotating plate, one end of the damping rod is hinged to the chassis, and the other end is hinged to the middle part of the rotating plate.

[0010] When the lawn mower encounters a hard object while moving, the turntable first contacts the hard object, and then the turntable rotates under the action of the reaction force, and its rotation angle is captured by the angle sensor.

[0011] Furthermore, the infrared obstacle avoidance component includes at least one group of infrared sensors arranged at the front end of the chassis.

[0012] Infrared sensors are used to detect obstacles in the path.

[0013] Furthermore, the chassis is provided with a battery and a mounting bracket, the battery is located below the mounting bracket, the embedded controller is provided on the mounting bracket, and the mounting bracket is provided with a differential GPS. Using the differential GPS, the robot can be positioned and navigated without being restricted by the environment.

[0014] Furthermore, it also includes a driving motor and a reducer, wherein the driving motor is connected to the reducer and both are arranged on the chassis, and the reducer is connected to the driving wheel through a coupling.

[0015] Furthermore, the steering wheel is connected to the steering motor through a connecting rod crank structure.

[0016] Furthermore, it also includes a group of driving relays and lifting relays, the driving relays are connected to the driving motor, the lifting relays are connected to the lifting motor, a receiving antenna is also provided on the chassis, a 3D camera is provided at the front end of the chassis, and a transparent shell is provided on the chassis. The 3D camera collects image information and recognizes the uncut area through image processing.

[0017] An intelligent control system for an intelligent lawn mower, comprising: an embedded controller, a walking module connected to the embedded controller, a steering module, an obstacle avoidance module, a hard object detection module, an image processing module, an external receiving module, and a navigation and positioning module; The walking module includes a driving wheel and a driving motor; The steering module includes a steering wheel and a steering motor; The obstacle avoidance module includes an infrared sensor; The hard object detection module includes an angle sensor and a lifting motor; The image processing module includes a 3D camera; The external receiving module includes a receiving antenna; The navigation and positioning module includes differential GPS.

[0018] Furthermore, the walking module drives the whole machine to move, the steering module can realize the steering function, the obstacle avoidance module identifies obstacles on the path through an infrared sensor and feeds back to the embedded controller, the hard object detection module detects hard objects on the path and feeds back to the embedded controller, the embedded controller controls the action of the lifting motor, the image processing module collects images through a 3D camera, and identifies unmowed areas through the embedded controller; the external receiving module can receive the control signal of the remote control to realize remote control, and the navigation and positioning module completes the positioning and navigation of the lawn mower.

[0019] It can be seen from the above technical solution that the present invention has the following beneficial effects: The hard object detection component is used to detect hard objects on the path, and the lifting component is used to lift the blade so that the blade can avoid hard objects and not be stuck or damaged. The infrared sensor is used to detect obstacles on the path, and the walking module and steering module are used to achieve obstacle avoidance for the entire machine. The image processing module can identify uncut areas on the lawn, and the navigation and positioning module can be used to achieve lawn trimming without dead ends, further improving the use effect and degree of automation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of an intelligent lawn mower according to the present invention; Figure 2 A top view of an intelligent lawn mower according to the present invention; Figure 3 for Figure 2 Middle AA section (partial); Figure 4 This is a diagram of the architecture of an intelligent control system of an intelligent lawn mower according to the present invention.

[0021] In the figure: 1-chassis, 11-driving wheel, 12-steering wheel, 13-guide rail, 14-support, 15-battery, 16-mounting bracket, 17-driving motor, 171-driving relay, 18-reducer, 19-differential GPS, 111-receiving antenna, 112-3D camera, 2-embedded controller, 3-cutter disc lifting assembly, 31-blade, 32-blade driving motor, 33-bracket, 34-rack, 35-lifting motor, 351-lifting relay, 4-hard object detection assembly, 41-angle sensor, 42-turn plate, 43-damping rod, 5-infrared obstacle avoidance assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0023] like Figure 1-3 As shown, an intelligent lawn mower comprises a chassis 1, an embedded controller 2, a blade lifting component 3, a hard object detection component 4 and an infrared obstacle avoidance component 5, wherein the embedded controller 2, the blade lifting component 3, the hard object detection component 4 and the infrared obstacle avoidance component 5 are arranged on the chassis 1; The chassis 1 is provided with a driving wheel 11 and a steering wheel 12, the cutter disc lifting assembly 3 includes a blade 31, and the blade 31 can be raised and lowered. The hard object detection assembly 4 is arranged at the front lower part of the chassis 1, and the infrared obstacle avoidance assembly 5 is arranged at the front upper part of the chassis 1.

[0024] The cutter head lifting assembly 3 further includes a blade driving motor 32, a bracket 33, a rack 34 and a lifting motor 35; The chassis 1 is provided with a through hole, the blade 31 is located below the through hole, a guide rail 13 and a support member 14 are vertically arranged at the edge of the through hole, both ends of the bracket 33 are slidably connected to the guide rail 13 through a slider, and the blade drive motor 32 is arranged below the bracket 33, and the blade drive motor 32 is connected to the blade 31; The lifting motor 35 is disposed on the support member 14 , the rack 34 is disposed on the upper portion of the bracket 33 , and a gear is disposed on the output shaft of the lifting motor 35 , and the gear is meshed with the rack 34 .

[0025] Among them, the hard object detection component 4 includes an angle sensor 41, a rotating plate 42 and a damping rod 43. The angle sensor 41 is arranged on the chassis 1, one end of the rotating plate 42 is rotatably arranged at the front end of the chassis 1, the angle sensor 41 is connected to the rotating plate 42, one end of the damping rod 43 is hinged to the chassis 1, and the other end is hinged to the middle part of the rotating plate 42.

[0026] Specifically, the infrared obstacle avoidance assembly 5 includes at least one set of infrared sensors arranged at the front end of the chassis 1. In addition, an ultrasonic sensor can be used instead of the infrared sensor.

[0027] The chassis 1 is also provided with a battery 15 and a mounting bracket 16, the battery 15 is located below the mounting bracket 16, the embedded controller 2 is arranged on the mounting bracket 16, and the mounting bracket 16 is also provided with a differential GPS 19. The battery 15 provides power for the entire lawn mower. Further optimization scheme: a solar panel can be installed on the top of the shell to achieve energy saving and improve battery life.

[0028] In addition, it also includes a drive motor 17 and a reducer 18, the drive motor 17 is connected to the reducer 18 and both are arranged on the chassis 1, and the reducer 18 is connected to the drive wheel 11 through a coupling. Each drive wheel 11 is controlled by a separate motor, which has better passability and steering performance.

[0029] The steering wheel 12 is connected to the steering motor via a connecting rod crank structure, which is a commonly used steering drive structure and will not be described in detail here.

[0030] In addition, it also includes a set of driving relays 171 and lifting relays 351, the driving relays 171 are connected to the driving motor 17, the lifting relays 351 are connected to the lifting motor 35, the chassis 1 is also provided with a receiving antenna 111, the front end of the chassis 1 is provided with a 3D camera 112, and the chassis 1 is provided with a transparent shell. (The transparent shell is not shown in the figure) Relays can control the start, stop and running status of the motor, and can be used for electrical protection functions such as motor overload protection, short circuit protection, undervoltage protection, overvoltage protection, etc., which are very important for improving the stability and safety of the system.

[0031] An intelligent control system for an intelligent lawn mower, comprising: an embedded controller 2, a walking module connected to the embedded controller 2, a steering module, an obstacle avoidance module, a hard object detection module, an image processing module, an external receiving module, and a navigation and positioning module; The walking module includes a driving wheel 11 and a driving motor 17; The steering module includes a steering wheel 12 and a steering motor; The obstacle avoidance module includes an infrared sensor; The hard object detection module includes an angle sensor 41 and a lifting motor 35; The image processing module includes a 3D camera 112; The external receiving module includes a receiving antenna 111; The navigation and positioning module includes differential GPS19.

[0032] Among them, the walking module drives the whole machine to move, the steering module can realize the steering function, the obstacle avoidance module identifies obstacles on the path through an infrared sensor and feeds back to the embedded controller 2, the hard object detection module detects hard objects on the path and feeds back to the embedded controller 2, the embedded controller 2 controls the action of the lifting motor 35, the image processing module collects images through the 3D camera 112, and identifies the unmowed area through the embedded controller 2; the external receiving module can receive the control signal of the remote control to realize remote control, and the navigation and positioning module completes the positioning and navigation of the lawn mower.

[0033] The working principle of the present invention is as follows: Start the lawn mower, and it will automatically mow the lawn, during which the following functions can be achieved: Obstacle avoidance function: When the lawn mower is moving, the infrared sensor detects obstacles in front of it and obtains the distance to the obstacle in real time, transmits these data to the embedded controller 2 for processing, and controls the steering motor to avoid the obstacle when the distance reaches the set threshold.

[0034] Hard object detection function: When the lawn mower encounters some hard objects such as stones during operation, the rotating plate 42 first contacts the hard object and flips over. The flipping of the rotating plate 42 triggers the angle sensor 41. If the angle threshold is reached, the angle sensor 41 sends a signal to the embedded controller 2 to control the lifting motor 35 to start lifting the blade 31 and stop the blade drive motor 32 to avoid damaging the blade. When the rotating plate 42 returns to its original position under the action of the damping rod 43, the angle is less than the angle threshold. The lifting motor 35 puts down the blade 31 and starts the blade drive motor 32 to start normal operation. The user can change the angle threshold. The smaller the threshold, the more sensitive the lifting action is. In addition, the height of mowing can be adjusted by lifting and lowering the blade 31.

[0035] Trimming function: The 3D camera 112 in the image processing module collects image information and sends the image information to the embedded controller 2 for processing, identifies the untrimmed areas on the lawn, and then cooperates with the differential GPS 19 to obtain location information, plans the path for trimming to ensure that nothing is missed.

[0036] Remote control function: Users can also send commands through the remote control, and the receiving antenna receives the commands to complete the control, which is often more efficient when the lawn mower is transferred.

[0037] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that a person skilled in the art can make several improvements without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements should also be regarded as within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent lawn mower, characterized in that: It comprises a chassis (1), an embedded controller (2), a cutter head lifting component (3), a hard object detection component (4) and an infrared obstacle avoidance component (5), wherein the embedded controller (2), the cutter head lifting component (3), the hard object detection component (4) and the infrared obstacle avoidance component (5) are arranged on the chassis (1); The chassis (1) is provided with a driving wheel (11) and a steering wheel (12); the blade disc lifting assembly (3) comprises a blade (31); the blade (31) is liftable; the hard object detection assembly (4) is arranged at the lower front end of the chassis (1); and the infrared obstacle avoidance assembly (5) is arranged at the upper front end of the chassis (1).

2. The intelligent lawn mower according to claim 1, characterized in that: The blade disc lifting assembly (3) further comprises a blade drive motor (32), a bracket (33), a rack (34) and a lifting motor (35); The chassis (1) is provided with a through hole, the blade (31) is located below the through hole, a guide rail (13) and a support member (14) are vertically arranged at the edge of the through hole, both ends of the bracket (33) are slidably connected to the guide rail (13) via a slider, the blade drive motor (32) is arranged below the bracket (33), and the blade drive motor (32) is connected to the blade (31); The lifting motor (35) is arranged on the support member (14), the rack (34) is arranged on the upper part of the bracket (33), and a gear is arranged on the output shaft of the lifting motor (35), and the gear is meshed with the rack (34).

3. The intelligent lawn mower according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hard object detection assembly (4) comprises an angle sensor (41), a rotating plate (42) and a damping rod (43); the angle sensor (41) is arranged on the chassis (1); one end of the rotating plate (42) is rotatably arranged at the front end of the chassis (1); the angle sensor (41) is connected to the rotating plate (42); one end of the damping rod (43) is hinged to the chassis (1) and the other end is hinged to the middle of the rotating plate (42).

4. The intelligent lawn mower according to claim 1, characterized in that: The infrared obstacle avoidance component (5) comprises at least one group of infrared sensors arranged at the front end of the chassis (1).

5. The intelligent lawn mower according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chassis (1) is also provided with a storage battery (15) and a mounting bracket (16); the storage battery (15) is located below the mounting bracket (16); the embedded controller (2) is disposed on the mounting bracket (16); and a differential GPS (19) is also provided on the mounting bracket (16).

6. The intelligent lawn mower according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a drive motor (17) and a reducer (18), wherein the drive motor (17) is connected to the reducer (18) and both are arranged on the chassis (1), and the reducer (18) is connected to the drive wheel (11) via a coupling.

7. The intelligent lawn mower according to claim 2, characterized in that: The steering wheel (12) is connected to the steering motor via a connecting rod crank structure.

8. The intelligent lawn mower according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes a group of driving relays (171) and lifting relays (351), wherein the driving relays (171) are connected to the driving motor (17), and the lifting relays (351) are connected to the lifting motor (35). A receiving antenna (111) is also provided on the chassis (1), a 3D camera (112) is provided at the front end of the chassis (1), and a transparent shell is provided on the chassis (1).

9. An intelligent control system for an intelligent lawn mower, used to implement the intelligent control of the intelligent lawn mower according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: include: An embedded controller (2), a walking module, a steering module, an obstacle avoidance module, a hard object detection module, an image processing module, an external receiving module, and a navigation and positioning module connected to the embedded controller (2); The walking module comprises a driving wheel (11) and a driving motor (17); The steering module comprises a steering wheel (12) and a steering motor; The obstacle avoidance module includes an infrared sensor; The hard object detection module comprises an angle sensor (41) and a lifting motor (35); The image processing module includes a 3D camera (112); The external receiving module comprises a receiving antenna (111); The navigation and positioning module includes a differential GPS (19).

10. The intelligent control system of an intelligent lawn mower according to claim 1, characterized in that: The walking module drives the whole machine to move; the steering module can realize a steering function; the obstacle avoidance module identifies obstacles on the path through an infrared sensor and feeds back to the embedded controller (2); the hard object detection module detects hard objects on the path and feeds back to the embedded controller (2); the embedded controller (2) controls the action of the lifting motor (35); the image processing module collects images through a 3D camera (112) and identifies unmowed areas through the embedded controller (2); the external receiving module can receive control signals from a remote controller to realize remote control; and the navigation and positioning module completes the positioning and navigation of the lawn mower.

Images