System and method for docking a robotic lawn mower

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for docking a robot lawn mower (2) with a charging station (11) and a method for executing the system. The system comprises a robot lawn mower (2) having a control unit (22) and at least one sensor (12; 14; 16; 17; 19), a boundary line (4), a charging station loop (10), a charging station (11) and at least one wire (8), wherein the boundary line (4) forms a boundary line loop (4a) in the charging station (11) that is narrower than the charging station loop (10) and passes through the charging station loop (10). The robot lawn mower (2) receives a return signal from the control unit (22) to return to the charging station (11), at which time the robot lawn mower (2) moves along the wire (8) at a random distance until the charging station loop (10) is detected, and then the robot lawn mower (2) moves close to the wire (8) and detects whether the robot lawn mower (2) passes through the boundary line loop (4a). Finally, the robot lawn mower (2) moves along the boundary line loop (4a) until it reaches a charging position.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of a Chinese patent application which entered the Chinese national phase on April 3, 2020, with application number 201880064322.9, application date 2018.06.12, and invention name “System and method for docking a robotic lawn mower”. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a system and method for returning a robot lawn mower to a charging station when the battery of the robot lawn mower needs to be charged, and more particularly to a system and a method for executing the system for docking a robot lawn mower with a charging station. Background Art

[0003] Robotic lawn mowers, also known as self-propelled lawn mowers, have been widely used. These robotic lawn mowers are equipped with rechargeable batteries. When the remaining power of the battery in the robotic lawn mower is below a certain level, the robotic lawn mower is programmed to return to a charging station to charge the battery. In the prior art, there are many different methods for returning a robotic lawn mower to a charging station. One common method is that the robotic lawn mower continues to move upon receiving a command to return to the charging station until a boundary line is detected; and then moves along the boundary line to a charging station set somewhere beside the boundary line. When the robotic lawn mower approaches the charging station, a docking process is initiated to safely guide the robotic lawn mower into contact with the charging connector of the charging station.

[0004] U.S. Patent No. US8433468 discloses a robot lawn mower home search system, in which a charging station is connected to an outer boundary line ring. The robot lawn mower includes a plurality of sensors for associating each sensor with the distance between the outer boundary line rings. When the robot lawn mower is ordered to return to the charging station, it continues to move until the plurality of sensors find the outer boundary line ring, and then moves along the outer boundary line ring along a path that deviates from the outer boundary line by a specified distance and is parallel to the outer boundary line. When the plurality of sensors detect an inner line ring connected to the charging station, the robot lawn mower rotates in a direction perpendicular to the outer boundary line ring to enter the charging station. The specified distance of the robot lawn mower changes each time it returns to the charging station. By changing the specified distance, the robot lawn mower returns to the charging station along a different path each time, which can avoid damage to the lawn when the robot lawn mower moves along the outer boundary line ring.

[0005] US Patent No. US8942862 discloses a method for guiding a robotic gardening tool to a predetermined location, i.e., to a charging station. The robotic gardening tool includes a control unit and a sensor unit for wirelessly detecting a guide signal. The guide signal is generated in a guide wire so that the robotic gardening tool moves along the guide wire when returning to the charging station. Compared with moving along a boundary wire, the use of the guide wire generally enables the robotic gardening tool to return to the charging station by a shorter path and at a faster speed. When a first guide wire detects a first guide signal, the robotic gardening tool responds to a command of the control unit and follows the first guide signal to move along the first guide wire to the charging station at a variable distance. When the robotic gardening tool detects a second guide signal from a second guide wire, it will follow one of the first or second guide signals and move along the corresponding guide wire to the charging station at a predetermined distance, wherein the second guide signal can only be detected when the robotic gardening tool moves within a preset distance from the charging station.

[0006] Although there are many different methods in the prior art for controlling the robot lawn mower to return to the charging station for charging, there is still room for improvement, especially for the final stage, that is, when the robot lawn mower is docked with the charging station, there is still the problem of how to accurately move the robot lawn mower into position and ensure that the charging contacts of the robot lawn mower are firmly connected to the docking station. Summary of the invention

[0007] One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide a method for returning a robot lawn mower to a charging station when the robot lawn mower needs to be charged, so as to control its docking and docking process, making the process of the robot lawn mower docking with the charging connector of the charging station simple and reliable.

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned invention object, the present invention provides a system execution method for docking a robot mower with a charging station, the system comprising a robot mower having a control unit and at least one sensor, a boundary line, a charging station loop and a charging station, wherein the boundary line forms a boundary line loop in the charging station that is narrower than the charging station loop and passes through the charging station loop. The robot mower of the method returns to the charging station for charging by receiving a return signal from the control unit. The method specifically comprises: controlling the robot mower to maintain a certain distance from the boundary line and move along the boundary line until the charging station loop is detected by at least one sensor; then, controlling the mower robot to move along the charging station loop in a direction away from the boundary line until at least one sensor detects an intersection between the charging station loop and the boundary line loop; after detecting the intersection, controlling the robot mower to move along the charging station loop for a first distance, and then continuing to drive the robot mower to move forward in a straight line for a second distance. After the robot mower moves the second distance, the control unit controls the robot mower to turn to the charging station, and then controls the robot mower to move along the boundary line loop by at least one sensor until it reaches the charging position.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the step of controlling the robot lawn mower to turn toward the charging station includes: controlling the robot lawn mower to turn toward the charging station by a first preset angle, controlling the robot lawn mower to retreat a third distance, and controlling the robot lawn mower to turn toward the charging station by a second preset angle. Preferably, the steps are repeated until the robot lawn mower is aligned with the boundary line loop.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, the robotic lawn mower moves along the boundary line at a random distance.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, when at least one sensor is located at a specific position in front of the charging station, the robotic lawn mower moves a first distance and a second distance; the first and second distances are preset distances.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, the robotic lawn mower rotates toward the charging station until at least one of the sensors passes through the boundary line loop.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention, the robot lawn mower is provided with three sensors, including two front sensors and one rear sensor, and when one of the front sensors passes through the charging station loop, it is determined that the charging station loop is detected.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, the robot lawn mower is provided with four sensors, including two front sensors and two rear sensors, and when one of the rear sensors passes through the charging station loop and the boundary line loop, the robot lawn mower moves the first distance and the second distance in sequence.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, the front sensor farthest from the boundary line is used to control the robot mower to move along the charging station loop.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system that makes the charging docking process of a robotic lawn mower and a charging station simple and reliable; that is, a system that docks a robotic lawn mower with a charging station.

[0017] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a system for docking a robot lawn mower with a charging station, comprising a robot lawn mower, a boundary line, a charging station loop, and a charging station, wherein the boundary line forms a boundary line loop in the charging station that is narrower than the charging station loop and passes through the charging station loop, and the robot lawn mower further comprises a control unit and at least one sensor, wherein the control unit comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store instructions executed by the processor, and when the processor executes these instructions, the system will execute:

[0018] - the robotic lawn mower receives a return signal from the control unit to return to the charging station;

[0019] - controlling the robotic lawn mower to maintain a certain distance from the boundary line and move along the boundary line;

[0020] - detecting said charging station loop by means of at least one sensor;

[0021] - controlling the robot mower to move along the charging station loop in a direction away from the boundary line by means of at least one sensor,

[0022] - detecting the intersection between the charging station loop and the border line loop by means of at least one sensor,

[0023] - after detecting said intersection, controlling the robotic lawn mower to move a first distance along the charging station loop,

[0024] - continue to drive the robotic lawn mower forward in a straight line for a second distance,

[0025] - controlling the robot lawn mower to turn towards the charging station via the control unit, and

[0026] - The robotic lawn mower is controlled by at least one sensor to move along a boundary line loop until it reaches a charging position.

[0027] As a further improvement of the present invention, the system further performs: controlling the robot mower to rotate toward the charging station by a first preset angle, controlling the robot mower to retreat a third distance, and controlling the robot mower to rotate toward the charging station by a second preset angle. Preferably, the system is configured to repeat this step until the robot mower is aligned with the boundary line loop.

[0028] As a further improvement of the present invention, the robotic lawn mower moves along the boundary line at a random distance.

[0029] As a further improvement of the present invention, when at least one sensor is located at a specific position in front of the charging station, the robotic lawn mower moves a first distance and a second distance; the first and second distances are preset distances.

[0030] As a further improvement of the present invention, the robotic lawn mower rotates toward the charging station until at least one of the sensors passes through the boundary line loop.

[0031] As a further improvement of the present invention, the robot lawn mower is provided with three sensors, including two front sensors and one rear sensor, and when one of the front sensors passes through the charging station loop, it is determined that the charging station loop is detected.

[0032] As a further improvement of the present invention, the robot lawn mower is provided with four sensors, including two front sensors and two rear sensors, and when one of the rear sensors passes through the charging station loop and the boundary line loop, the robot lawn mower moves the first distance and the second distance in sequence.

[0033] As a further improvement of the present invention, the robot lawn mower is controlled by two front sensors so that the robot lawn mower reaches the charging position along a boundary line loop.

[0034] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system execution method for controlling a robot lawn mower to dock with a charging station through a wire, and the method is simple and reliable. When the robot lawn mower needs to be charged and the robot lawn mower returns to the charging station using a wire, the robot lawn mower is docked with the charging station.

[0035] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the invention, the present invention provides a system execution method for controlling a robot mower to dock with a charging station, the system comprising a robot mower having a control unit and at least one sensor, a boundary line, a charging station loop, a charging station, and at least one wire. The boundary line forms a boundary line loop in the charging station that is narrower than the charging station loop and passes through the charging station loop. In the method, the robot mower receives a return signal from the control unit to return to the charging station. The robot mower is controlled to move along the wire at a random distance until the robot mower detects the charging station loop through at least one sensor. When the charging station loop is detected, the robot mower is controlled to move close to the wire until at least one sensor detects that the robot mower passes through the boundary line loop, and at least one sensor controls the robot mower to move along the boundary line loop until it reaches the charging position.

[0036] As a further improvement of the present invention, the robot lawn mower is provided with three sensors, including two front sensors and one rear sensor, and when one of the front sensors passes through the charging station loop, it is determined that the boundary line loop is detected. Further, during the docking process, both front sensors are used to control the robot lawn mower so that the robot lawn mower moves along the boundary line loop to the charging position.

[0037] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for controlling a robotic lawn mower to dock with a charging station through a wire, and the system is simple and reliable.

[0038] To achieve the above-mentioned object of the invention, the present invention provides a system for controlling a robot lawn mower to dock with a charging station, comprising a robot lawn mower, a boundary line, at least one wire, a charging station loop, and a charging station, wherein the boundary line forms a boundary line loop in the charging station that is narrower than the charging station loop and passes through the charging station loop; the robot lawn mower further comprises a control unit and at least one sensor, wherein the control unit comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store instructions executed by the processor to control the system to execute:

[0039] - the robotic lawn mower receives a return signal from the control unit to return to the charging station,

[0040] - controlling the robotic lawn mower to move along the wire at random distances,

[0041] - detecting said charging station loop by means of at least one sensor,

[0042] - controlling the robotic lawn mower to move close to the wire,

[0043] - detecting by at least one sensor whether the robotic lawn mower passes through a boundary line loop, and

[0044] - The robotic lawn mower is controlled by at least one sensor to move along a boundary line loop until it reaches a charging position.

[0045] As a further improvement of the present invention, the robot lawn mower is provided with three sensors, including two front sensors and one rear sensor, and when one of the front sensors passes through the charging station loop, it is determined that the charging station loop is detected. Furthermore, during the docking process, both front sensors are used to control the robot lawn mower to move along the boundary line loop to the charging position.

[0046] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the invention, the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. The computer program can be executed by a processor in a control unit to implement the system execution method for docking the aforementioned robot lawn mower with a charging station.

[0047] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: by providing a method and system for docking a robot lawn mower with a charging station, the docking process of the robot lawn mower with the charging station is made reliable and simple, and safe contact between the charging contacts of the robot lawn mower and the charging station is ensured.

[0048] Compared with a charging station that uses an independent loop to guide the mower to the charging position, the present invention effectively reduces the component cost of the charging station, reduces the number of loops, and reduces the number of computer programs required and used by the system, further reducing the complexity of the system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] The present invention will be described below with reference to the exemplary drawings.

[0050] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for docking a robotic lawn mower with a charging station.

[0051] Figure 2a is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a robotic lawn mower.

[0052] Figure 2b is a schematic diagram of another exemplary embodiment of a robotic lawn mower.

[0053] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a control unit in a robotic lawn mower.

[0054] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a signal generator.

[0055] Figure 5a to Figure 5m The docking steps are shown when the robotic lawn mower is docked with the charging station via a boundary line.

[0056] Figures 6a to 6d The docking steps are shown when the robotic lawn mower is docked with the charging station via a wire.

[0057] Figure 7 is a flow chart of an exemplary method of docking a robotic lawn mower with a charging station.

[0058] Figure 8 is a flow chart of another exemplary method of docking a robotic lawn mower with a charging station. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The following description section will describe in detail an exemplary embodiment of docking a robotic lawn mower with a charging station.

[0060] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for docking a robotic lawn mower 2 with a charging station 11. To make the figure clearer, Figure 1The robot lawn mower 2 is shown enlarged in the figure. The robot lawn mower 2, also known as a self-propelled lawn mower, is an electric tool that is battery-powered and requires regular charging. The robot lawn mower 2 can move on an area A surrounded by a boundary line 4 during use. The boundary line 4 can be set in a variety of different ways to define the movable area A of the robot lawn mower 2. Preferably, the boundary line 4 is set under the ground of the lawn to hide the boundary line 4. Of course, the boundary line 4 can also be set on the surface or on the ground. The boundary line 4 is a single-core ordinary copper wire. Of course, in other embodiments, the boundary line 4 can also be a multi-strand wire known to those skilled in the art. Please refer to Figure 1 As shown, the boundary line 4 forms a boundary line loop 4a in the charging station 11, and the boundary line loop 4a is used to guide the robot mower 2 to contact the charging station 11 for charging, which will be described in detail in the following specification.

[0061] The system also includes the aforementioned charging station 11. The charging station 11 is as follows Figure 1 The charging station 11 is a place where the robot lawn mower 2 is charged. In one embodiment of the present invention, the charging station 11 is configured as a charging plate to facilitate the robot lawn mower 2 to dock with the charging plate for charging. The configuration of the charging plate enables the robot lawn mower 2 to be on a uniform and continuous plane during the docking process, ensuring a more accurate docking process. Figure 1 As shown, in order to identify the location of the charging station 11 , a charging station loop 10 is arranged around the charging station 11 , and the boundary line loop 4 a is narrower than the charging station loop 10 and passes through the charging station loop 10 .

[0062] In one embodiment of the present invention, the system is further provided with one or more wires 8. The wires 8 are used to guide the robot mower 2 back to the charging station 11. Usually, the robot mower 2 returns to the charging station 11 along the boundary line 4, and the moving distance of the robot mower 2 depends on the position where it starts to move along the boundary line 4, which may be a considerable distance. It is well known that by using the wires 8, the robot mower 2 can return to the charging station 11 in a faster and less energy-consuming manner.

[0063] The boundary line 4, the charging station loop 10 and optionally one or more wires 8 are all connected to the signal generator 6. As is well known, the signal generator 6 can be used to provide alternating current and AC signals to the boundary line 4, the charging station loop 10 and the wires 8. When the robot mower 2 is within the sensing distance, it can identify the boundary line 4, the charging station loop 10 and the wires 8 that it is detecting.

[0064] See also Figure 2a, which is an exemplary embodiment of the robot lawn mower 2 of the present invention. The robot lawn mower 2 includes a control unit 22, a roller 20, at least one sensor 12, 14 and / or 16, and a battery 18. Figure 3 , the control unit 22 includes a processor 80 for controlling the movement of the robotic lawn mower 2. When the robotic lawn mower 2 is working, the sensors 12, 14 and 16 can sense the magnetic field generated by the boundary line 4, the charging station loop 10 and the wire 8. The sensed magnetic field (signal) is decoded in the control unit 22 to determine from which loop or line the magnetic field (signal) is received. Preferably, the robotic lawn mower 2 is provided with three sensors, including two front sensors 12, 14 and one rear sensor 16. In this exemplary embodiment, one of the two front sensors 12, 14 is used to detect the presence of the charging station loop 10. Such a configuration is conducive to improving the accuracy of the docking process.

[0065] See also Figure 2b , is another exemplary embodiment of the robot lawn mower 2 of the present invention. Compared with the aforementioned exemplary embodiments, the difference between the two is that the robot lawn mower 2 of this embodiment includes two rear sensors 17, 19 instead of one. Therefore, the other similar parts are not repeated here. In this embodiment, the provision of two rear sensors 17, 19 can further improve the accuracy of the docking process. For example, during the docking process, the two rear sensors 17, 19 can be used one or both to determine whether the robot lawn mower 2 has reached the first distance and the second distance relative to the charging station loop 10 and the boundary line loop 4a, respectively; the following specification section will describe this in detail.

[0066] See also Figure 3 , which is a schematic diagram of the control unit 22 of the robot lawn mower 2. The control unit 22 includes a processor 80 and a memory 82. The memory 82 includes a computer program 84 containing computer program code, i.e., instructions. When the code is executed on the processor 80, the computer program code is suitable for controlling the robot lawn mower 2 to perform the method steps. The control unit 22 also includes an interface 86 for communicating with the sensors 12, 14 and 16 (or sensors 12, 14, 17 and 19) and a motor for controlling the movement of the robot lawn mower 2.

[0067] The processor 80 may include a single central processing unit (CPU), or may include two or more central processing units. For example, the processor 80 may include a general-purpose microprocessor, an instruction set processor and / or a related chipset and / or a special-purpose microprocessor, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD device). The processor 80 may also include a memory for high-speed caching.

[0068] Figure 4 Shown is a schematic diagram of a signal generator 6. The signal generator 6 comprises a processor 60 and a memory 62. The memory 62 comprises a computer program 64 containing computer program code, i.e. instructions. When the computer program code is executed on the processor 60, the computer program code is suitable for implementing the method steps performed by the signal generator 6. The signal generator 6 also comprises an interface 66 for sending the generated AC signal to the boundary line 4, the charging station loop 10 and the conductor 8.

[0069] Like processor 80, processor 60 may include a single central processing unit (CPU), or may include two or more central processing units. For example, processor 60 may include a general-purpose microprocessor, an instruction set processor and / or a related chipset and / or a special-purpose microprocessor, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD device). Processor 60 may also include a memory for high-speed caching.

[0070] Please also read Figure 5a to Figure 5k Combined with Figure 7 As shown, an exemplary embodiment of the system execution method of docking the robot mower 2 with the charging station 11 of the present invention will be described in more detail. The method starts at step S100, and the robot mower 2 receives a return signal from the control unit 22, which returns the robot mower 2 to the charging station 11. Step S100 can be triggered by detecting that the power of the battery 18 is lower than a threshold. The threshold is preset to enable the robot mower 2 to safely return to the charging station 11 before the battery is exhausted, even when the path to return to the charging station 11 is the longest.

[0071] When the robot mower 2 receives a command to return to the charging station 11, it starts to move in the area A until one or more of the sensors 12, 14 and 16 (or 12, 14, 17 and 19) detects the boundary line 4. In step S102, when the boundary line 4 is detected, the robot mower 2 is controlled to move along the boundary line 4 at a fixed or random distance Rd. Each time the robot mower 2 receives a command to return to the charging station 11, the random generator in the control unit 22 can randomly determine the above-mentioned random distance. Therefore, the control unit 22 can determine that the robot mower 2 should return to the charging station 11, generate a random distance, and send a return command and the distance between the robot mower 2 and the boundary line 4 during the return process to the robot mower 2. By using different distances to control the robot mower 2 to return to the charging station 11, it is possible to avoid leaving the path of the robot mower 2 on the lawn.

[0072] In step S104, the robot mower 2 will move along the boundary line 4 at a random distance Rd until the charging station loop 10 is detected by at least one sensor 12, 14, 16, 17 or 19. In this exemplary embodiment, when one of the front sensors 12, 14 passes through the charging station loop 10, it can be determined that the charging station loop 10 is detected. In response, in step S106, the control unit 22 controls the robot mower 2 to move along the charging station loop 10 in a direction away from the boundary line 4 through at least one sensor 12, 14, 16, 17 or 19. In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, after detecting the charging station loop 10, the robot mower 2 moves in a direction close to the boundary line 4 under the control of step S105 to better control the docking process. However, this is only an option. Figure 7 Shown in a dotted box.

[0073] In step S108, the robot mower 2 moves along the charging station loop 10 and makes a 90-degree turn when the charging station loop 10 turns 90 degrees until at least one sensor 12, 14, 16 detects the intersection between the charging station loop 10 and the boundary line loop 4a. In step S110, the detection of the intersection will trigger the robot mower 2 to move a first distance along the charging station loop 10. The first distance is long enough to make the robot mower 2 parallel to the side of the charging station loop 10 away from the boundary line 4. In step S112, after the robot mower 2 moves the first distance, the robot mower 2 is controlled to continue to move forward in a straight line direction for a second distance. The first distance and the second distance are preset distances. And after step S112, the position of the robot mower 2 is usually the same, which will ensure that the docking between the robot mower 2 and the charging contacts of the charging station 11 can run smoothly.

[0074] In step S114, the robot mower 2, under the control of the control unit 22, rotates or turns a predetermined angle from the position in step S112 to face the charging station 11. The robot mower 2 will also be controlled to rotate until the front sensors 12, 14 pass through the boundary line 4 and face the charging station 11. In step S116, the control unit 22 can guide the robot mower 2 to move along the boundary line loop 4a after turning through at least one sensor 12, 14, 16 until it moves to the charging position.

[0075] Typically, the charging station loop 10 and / or the boundary line loop 4a will generate a magnetic field, and the magnetic field strength near the charging station loop 10 and / or the boundary line loop 4a is higher than the magnetic field strength directly above the loop. This may be caused by the strong magnetic field inside and around the charging plate of the charging station 11, because there is limited space for all the cables and wires. In order to ensure that the robot mower 2 can move correctly along the charging station loop 10, the front sensors 12 and 14 farthest from the boundary line 4 can be used to control the movement of the robot mower 2 to achieve docking with the charging station 11. However, this may result in the robot mower 2 being unable to turn after step S112 due to being too close to the charging station 11, such as Figure 5h shown.

[0076] In order to smoothly dock the robot mower 2 with the charging station 11, step S114 can be divided into the following steps and executed in sequence. First, the robot mower 2 is controlled to rotate or turn a first preset angle toward the charging station 11. Figure 5i Then, the robot lawn mower 2 is controlled to retreat a predetermined distance away from the charging station 11. Figure 5j Finally, the robot mower 2 is controlled to rotate or turn a second preset angle toward the charging station 11, see Figure 5k This series of steps is to ensure that the robotic lawn mower 2 is aligned with the boundary line loop 4a, and thus aligned with the charging contacts of the charging station 11 before executing step S116. If necessary, the above steps can be repeated until the best alignment is achieved.

[0077] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the robot lawn mower 2 is provided with three sensors, including two front sensors 12, 14 and a rear sensor 16. When at least one of the front sensors 12, 14 passes through the charging station loop 10, it is determined that the charging station loop 10 is detected. As understood by those skilled in the art, when three or four sensors are used to control the robot lawn mower 2 for charging and docking, the arrangement and setting of the sensors are various. For example, in step S116, both the front sensors 12, 14 can be used to control the robot lawn mower 2 to improve the movement accuracy of the robot lawn mower 2 when it moves along the boundary line loop 4a to the charging position. In addition, the width of the boundary line loop 4a can be adjusted according to the actual distance between the two front sensors 12, 14 to increase the robustness of the docking process.

[0078] When the robot lawn mower 2 is provided with four sensors 12, 14, 17 and 19, steps S110 and S112 are performed in different ways. In step S110, when any one of the rear sensors 17, 19 is located at a specific position (known position) in front of the charging station 11, for example, when any one of the rear sensors 17, 19 reaches the charging station loop 10, it moves a first distance. In step S112, when any one of the rear sensors 17, 19 is located at another known position in front of the charging station 11, it moves a second distance, for example, when any one of the rear sensors 17 or 19 reaches the boundary line loop 4a. These alternative steps are described in detail in detail. Figure 5l and 5m Displayed in.

[0079] Please also read Figure 6a to Figure 6d Combined with Figure 8 , another exemplary embodiment of the system execution method of docking the robot mower 2 with the charging station 11 of the present invention will be described in more detail. The difference between the previously described method and this method is that in this exemplary embodiment, the robot mower 2 returns to the charging station 11 through the wire 8 instead of the boundary line 4, which makes the time for the robot mower 2 to return to the charging station 11 shorter. The method starts at step S200, and the robot mower 2 receives a return signal from the control unit 22. The robot mower 2 returns to the charging station 11 after receiving the return signal. As described above, step S200 can be triggered by detecting that the power of the battery 18 is lower than a threshold. Of course, step S200 can also be triggered by other triggering events, for example, a rain sensor detects rain.

[0080] When the robot mower 2 receives the command to return to the charging station 11, it starts to move in the mowing area A until one or more of the sensors 12, 14 and 16 detect the wire 8. In step S202, when the wire 8 is detected, the robot mower 2 is controlled to move along the wire 4 at a random distance Rd. As described above, the random generator in the control unit 22 can determine the randomness of the random distance.

[0081] In step S204, the robot mower 2 moves along the wire 8 at a random distance Rd until at least one sensor 12, 14, 16 detects the charging station loop 10. In the exemplary embodiment, any of the front sensors 12, 14 can detect the charging station loop 10 when passing through it. As described above, in step S206, the control unit 22 controls the robot mower 2 to move close to the wire 8. This arrangement ensures that the robot mower 2 passes through the boundary line loop 4a along the wire 8. Therefore, the size of the distance between the robot mower 2 and the wire 8 during movement depends on the width of the boundary line loop 4a.

[0082] In step S208, the robot mower 2 continues to move along the wire 8 at a closer distance until at least one sensor 12, 14, 16 detects that the robot mower 2 passes through the boundary line loop 4a. Further, in step 210, the robot mower 2 is controlled to move along the boundary line loop 4a through at least one sensor 12, 14, 16 until it reaches the charging position. As described above, when the three sensors 12, 14, 16 are used to control the robot mower 2 for charging and docking, the arrangement and setting of the sensors 12, 14, 16 are various. For example, in step S210, both front sensors 12, 14 are used to control the robot mower 2 to move along the boundary line loop 4a to improve the movement accuracy of the robot mower 2 when it moves along the boundary line loop 4a to the charging position. In addition, the width of the boundary line loop 4a can be adjusted according to the actual distance between the two front sensors 12, 14 to increase the robustness of the docking process.

[0083] It should be noted that, although the present invention is described in conjunction with specific exemplary embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above exemplary embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

[0084] It should be noted that the terms "comprises" and "including" are intended to not exclude other factors or steps. In addition, the present invention lists one or more embodiments to implement the present invention, such as a single unit or processor to implement multiple devices or elements. Although different technical features are included in different embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these technical features can be advantageously combined, and the inclusion in different claims does not mean that the combination of features is not feasible and / or disadvantageous. In addition, a singular setting does not exclude embodiments of multiple settings. The terms "one", "first", "second", etc. do not exclude a plurality. The figure marks in the claims are provided only as an example and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the claims in any way.

Claims

1. A system execution method for docking a robot lawn mower (2) with a charging station (11), the system comprising a robot lawn mower (2) having a control unit (22) and at least one sensor (12; 14; 16; 17; 19), a boundary line (4), a charging station loop (10), a charging station (11), and at least one wire (8), wherein the boundary line (4) forms a boundary line loop (4a) in the charging station (11) that is narrower than the charging station loop (10) and passes through the charging station loop (10), the system execution method comprising: a) Step S200, the robotic lawn mower (2) receives a return signal from the control unit (22) to return to the charging station (11), b) Step S202, controlling the robotic lawn mower (2) to move along the wire (8) at a random distance, c) step S204, when the robotic lawn mower (2) moves along the wire (8) at a random distance, detecting the charging station loop (10) by at least one sensor (12; 14; 16; 17; 19), d) Step S206, after detecting the charging station loop (10), controlling the robot lawn mower (2) to move close to the wire (8), e) Step S208, the robotic lawn mower (2) moves close to the wire (8) until at least one sensor (12; 14; 16; 17; 19) detects that the robotic lawn mower (2) passes through the boundary line loop (4a), f) Step S210, after detecting that the robot lawn mower (2) passes through the boundary line loop (4a), controlling the robot lawn mower (2) to move along the boundary line loop (4a) through at least one sensor (12; 14; 16; 17; 19) until reaching a charging position.

2. The method for implementing the system of docking a robotic lawn mower with a charging station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot lawn mower (2) is provided with three sensors, including two front sensors (12, 14) and one rear sensor (16), and when one of the front sensors (12; 14) passes through the charging station loop (10), it is determined that a boundary line loop (4a) is detected.

3. The method for implementing the system for docking a robotic lawn mower with a charging station according to claim 2, characterized in that: The two front sensors (12, 14) are used to control the robot lawn mower (2) so that the robot lawn mower (2) moves along the boundary line loop (4a) to a charging position.

4. A system for docking a robot lawn mower (2) with a charging station (11), comprising a robot lawn mower (2), a boundary line (4), at least one wire (8), a charging station loop (10), and a charging station (11), wherein the boundary line (4) forms a boundary line loop (4a) in the charging station (11) that is narrower than the charging station loop (10) and passes through the charging station loop (10); the robot lawn mower (2) further comprises a control unit (22) and at least one sensor (12; 14; 16; 17; 19), wherein the control unit (22) comprises a processor (80) and a memory (82), wherein the memory (82) is used to store instructions executed by the processor (80) to control the system to execute: a) the robot lawn mower (2) receives a return signal sent by the control unit (22) to return to the charging station (11), b) controlling the robotic lawn mower (2) to move along the wire (8) at random distances, c) detecting the charging station loop (10) by at least one sensor (12; 14; 16; 17; 19) when the robotic lawn mower (2) moves along the wire (8) at random distances, d) after detecting the charging station loop (10), controlling the robotic lawn mower (2) to move close to the wire (8), e) the robotic lawn mower (2) moves close to the wire (8) until at least one sensor (12; 14; 16; 17; 19) detects that the robotic lawn mower (2) passes through the boundary line loop (4a), f) after detecting that the robot lawn mower (2) passes through the boundary line loop (4a), controlling the robot lawn mower (2) to move along the boundary line loop (4a) through at least one sensor (12; 14; 16; 17; 19) until it reaches a charging position.

5. The system for docking a robotic lawn mower with a charging station according to claim 4, characterized in that: The robot lawn mower (2) is provided with three sensors, including two front sensors (12, 14) and one rear sensor (16), and when one of the front sensors (12; 14) passes through the charging station loop (10), it is determined that the charging station loop (10) is detected.

6. The system for docking a robotic lawn mower with a charging station according to claim 5, characterized in that: The two front sensors (12, 14) are used to control the robot lawn mower (2) so that the robot lawn mower (2) moves along the boundary line loop (4a) to a charging position.

7. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program can be executed by a processor (80) in a control unit (22) to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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