An operation control method of an intelligent lawn mower and an intelligent lawn mower

Abstract

The present invention discloses an operation control method for an intelligent lawn mower and an intelligent lawn mower. The intelligent lawn mower has the functions of automatically adjusting the cutter disc height and recording the travel path. After entering a dense grass operation area, the intelligent lawn mower enters holiday mode, the cutter disc automatically rises to the highest position, and performs the first round of mowing operations within the operation area. Then, the cutter disc height is gradually lowered, and the mowing operations are performed round after round until the lawn height reaches a set height, and the holiday mode is exited. The intelligent lawn mower performs normal mowing operations in other operation areas at the set height until the end. The present invention adopts a progressive mowing strategy for dense grass, gradually lowering the cutter disc height, so that the dense grass is thinned layer by layer. The cut grass clippings are relatively short and fall into the lawn, which can form fertilizer to nourish the soil without affecting the aesthetics of the lawn.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an intelligent lawn mower, and in particular to an operation control method of the intelligent lawn mower and the intelligent lawn mower. Background Art

[0002] Smart lawn mowers can mow the lawn autonomously, without the need for direct human control or operation. They also offer low power consumption, low noise, and a compact and attractive appearance, significantly reducing manual labor. Consequently, more and more families are choosing smart lawn mowers for their homes.

[0003] The actual application scenarios of smart lawn mowers for home use are quite complex, and the types of grass within a lawn are also diverse. Some lawns may grow taller and denser after being uncut for an extended period (for example, due to a busy user or a long business trip), resulting in dense grass. However, existing lawn mowers do not have different mowing plans for each type of grass. For such dense grass, the user simply sets a cutting height manually and then lets the mower mow automatically.

[0004] Typically, lawn mowers operate with the cutterhead positioned low. In this position, the cutterhead encounters grass of varying thickness, height, and density (hereinafter referred to as high-density grass), creating significant resistance, making it difficult to cut and potentially damaging the cutterhead. Simultaneously, the cutterhead motor's torque increases with resistance, causing a sharp increase in motor current and power consumption 2-3 times greater than normal. Even so, optimal mowing performance remains limited.

[0005] When using a low-profile blade to cut dense grass, the grass tends to lie flat, making it difficult to cut and taking a long time to do so. Mowing large lawns often requires a long time, and dense grass requires even longer, resulting in a significant difference in mowing time between the beginning and end of the lawn. By the time the lawn is finished, the grass from the earlier mowing phase will have continued to grow, resulting in a different height than the later mowing phase, resulting in an uneven and unsightly lawn. Furthermore, the grass clippings from a single cut are long, making them difficult to clean, and if not cleaned, they can negatively impact the lawn's aesthetics. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an operation control method of an intelligent lawn mower, which adopts a progressive mowing strategy to perfectly complete the cutting operation of high-density grass.

[0007] To this end, the technical solution of the present invention is: a method for controlling the operation of an intelligent lawn mower, wherein the intelligent lawn mower has the function of automatically adjusting the height of the cutter head and recording the travel path; comprising the following steps:

[0008] 1) Determine whether the lawn mower has entered a high-density grass operation area. If the lawn mower has not entered the high-density grass operation area, execute step 2). If the lawn mower has entered the high-density grass operation area, execute step 3).

[0009] 2) The mower mows at the height set by the user;

[0010] 3) The mower enters holiday mode, the height of the cutter disc is adjusted to the highest setting, and the first round of mowing is performed within the operating area;

[0011] 4) After completing a round of mowing, determine whether the height of the cutter disc has reached the user's set height. If the cutter disc height is consistent with the set height, execute step 5); if the cutter disc height is greater than the set height, execute step 6);

[0012] 5) Exit holiday mode;

[0013] 6) The height of the cutter head is lowered by one level, and the next round of mowing is carried out within the working area;

[0014] 7) Repeat step 4) until the end.

[0015] The present invention automatically adjusts the height of the cutter disc to keep the motor in the best working state. When the cutter disc is at a high height, the dense grass can be cut with less grass cutting amount and less resistance. The cutter disc is automatically pressed down little by little to achieve the purpose of thinning the dense grass layer by layer, gradually completing the mowing operation. The lawn will be more beautiful, and at the same time, it will not damage the lawn and will protect the lawn.

[0016] Preferably, the method for determining whether to enter the high-density grass operation area in step 1) is as follows:

[0017] Record the current value A1 of the cutter motor at time T1 and the current value A2 of the cutter motor at time T1+△t1. When the difference △a1 between A2 and A1 is greater than the difference threshold β, it is determined that the smart lawn mower has entered the high-density grass operation area.

[0018] Preferably, in step 1), the user can independently set the lawn mower to enter a high-density grass operation area.

[0019] Preferably, in step 3), the scope of each round of mowing operation performed by the lawn mower is the entire lawn operation area.

[0020] Preferably, in step 4), the method for determining whether a round of mowing operation is completed is as follows:

[0021] S1) Recording the path of the mower and marking the fully covered area;

[0022] S2) comparing the marked full coverage area with the lawn operation area; if the two areas are consistent, executing step S3); otherwise, executing step S4);

[0023] S3) confirming that one round of mowing operation is completed, and executing step 4);

[0024] S4) Continue to carry out this round of mowing operation at the existing cutter head height.

[0025] Preferably, in step 2), when the user sets the height, the lawn is divided into multiple working areas, and different set heights are set for different working areas. When switching working areas, the lawn mower automatically adjusts the cutter disc height.

[0026] Another technical solution of the present invention is: an intelligent lawn mower, comprising a cutter disc, a cutter disc motor for driving the cutter disc to rotate, and a drive mechanism for controlling the rise and fall of the cutter disc; further comprising: a main control module, a data receiving module, and a height verification module;

[0027] The data receiving module is used to receive the input of the cutter head setting height;

[0028] The height verification module is used to compare the current height of the cutter head with the set height and send the comparison result to the main control module;

[0029] The main control module controls the operation of the drive mechanism and adjusts the height of the cutter head according to the comparison results.

[0030] Preferably, it also includes a current detection unit and a current comparison module;

[0031] The current detection unit is used to obtain the current value of the cutter head motor in real time and send the current value of the cutter head motor to the current comparison module;

[0032] The current comparison module is used to calculate the current change of the cutter motor per unit time, compare the current change with the preset difference threshold, and send the comparison result to the main control module;

[0033] The main control module controls the operation of the drive mechanism and adjusts the height of the cutter head.

[0034] This invention adaptively adjusts its mowing strategy for grass of varying thickness, height, and density (referred to as high-density grass) to achieve better mowing results and higher mowing efficiency. The cutterhead's height is adaptively adjusted for thick and dense grass areas. Each time the cutterhead completes a cut, it automatically lowers its height by one level, allowing the mower to achieve a more precise mowing experience. This reduces the intelligent mower's speed and adaptively adjusts the cutterhead's height, slowly adjusting it from top to bottom, achieving progressive mowing.

[0035] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0036] 1. For high-density grass, a progressive mowing strategy is adopted. The height of the cutter disc is gradually lowered, so that the high-density grass is thinned layer by layer. The cut grass clippings are relatively short and fall into the lawn. They can form fertilizer to nourish the soil without affecting the aesthetics of the lawn.

[0037] 2. Different default mowing heights can be set for different lawns. The cutter disc can automatically adjust the height. Different lawns can enter holiday mode, and the final cutter disc height can also be different to meet the needs of different lawns.

[0038] 3. Using a progressive mowing strategy can reduce the power consumption of the lawn mower motor, reduce the cutting resistance of the cutter disc, avoid damage to the cutter disc, and extend the service life of the cutter disc. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] The following is a further detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0040] Figure 1 This is a workflow diagram of Example 1;

[0041] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of automatically entering holiday mode in Example 1;

[0042] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of the components of the intelligent lawn mower in Example 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, for directional words, such as the terms "center", "horizontal (X)", "longitudinal (Y)", "vertical (Z)", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like, indicating directions and positional relationships, are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and cannot be understood as limiting the specific scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] Example 1

[0045] The smart lawn mower used in this embodiment automatically adjusts the cutter disc height and records its path. The cutter disc can be adjusted from 30mm to 60mm, with seven levels of adjustment, corresponding to 30mm, 35mm, 40mm, 45mm, 50mm, 55mm, and 60mm above the ground. The rotation and elevation of the cutter disc are based on established technologies and will not be further described.

[0046] Under normal circumstances, lawns are mowed regularly, and each time the grass is mowed, it doesn't grow too high. Therefore, the smart mower's blade is fixed at a set height, allowing you to start mowing immediately. Users can set different default mowing heights for different lawns. When switching between work areas, the smart mower automatically adjusts the blade height to match the set height for the current work area.

[0047] If the user has not mowed the lawn for a long time and the grass is too tall to be mowed by normal methods, the smart mower will be set to holiday mode.

[0048] The working logic of holiday mode is as follows:

[0049] 1) Before entering the lawn, set the blade height of the smart lawn mower to 60mm above the ground, that is, raise the blade to the highest position first;

[0050] 2) The smart lawn mower begins its first round of mowing, following the prescribed route to mow the lawn in the working area. During the mowing process, if the smart lawn mower pauses or charges midway, it will resume mowing from the last pause point when it resumes mowing, until the entire working area has completed a round of mowing.

[0051] The smart mower records its own travel path in real time and marks the fully covered area to determine whether the current mowing operation is completed; if it is completed and the blade height of the smart mower has not reached the set height, the blade will be lowered to carry out the next round of mowing; otherwise, the mowing operation will continue from the last recorded position.

[0052] 3) After the first round of mowing is completed, if the height of the cutter head does not reach the user's set height, the cutter head height is lowered one level, for example, to 55 mm above the ground, and the second round of mowing begins;

[0053] 4) After the second mowing cycle is complete, if the cutterhead reaches the user-set height, the holiday mode is exited. If the cutterhead does not reach the user-set height, the cutterhead is lowered one level, for example, to 50 mm above the ground, and the third mowing cycle begins.

[0054] 5) Repeat step 4) until the height of the cutter head reaches the user's set height and the grass in the lawn reaches the user's preset minimum height, exit holiday mode, and complete the mowing operation in the high-density grass operation area.

[0055] There are two ways to enter holiday mode:

[0056] ① The user manually controls the smart lawn mower to enter holiday mode through the APP. In this case, the user can generally determine that the grass in the lawn is in a high-density state and can directly enter holiday mode.

[0057] ② When a smart lawn mower is mowing grass of normal length, if it encounters dense grass, the blade disc's cutting resistance will increase, and the blade disc motor's torque will also increase with the resistance. At this time, the blade disc motor's current will rise sharply, and the power consumption will be 2-3 times greater than normal. The current of the smart lawn mower's travel motor will also rise sharply. The blade disc motor controls the rotation of the blade disc, and the travel motor controls the movement of the smart lawn mower.

[0058] Therefore, the current value of the cutter disc motor can be monitored in real time, and the changes in the current value of the cutter disc motor can be used to determine whether the smart lawn mower has entered a high-density grass operation area; the current changes of the travel motor can also be detected to assist in the judgment.

[0059] Record the current value A1 of the cutter disc motor at time T1 and the current value A2 of the cutter disc motor at time T1+△t1. When the difference △a1 between A2 and A1 is greater than the difference threshold β, the difference threshold β is the preset current change. If the change in the current value of the cutter disc motor per unit time exceeds the preset current change, the current of the cutter disc motor will rise sharply, and it is determined that the smart lawn mower has entered a high-density grass operation area.

[0060] This embodiment automatically adjusts the cutter disc height to keep the motor in the best working state. When the cutter disc height is high, the dense grass can be cut, the amount of grass cut is small, and the resistance is small. The cutter disc is automatically pressed down little by little to achieve the purpose of thinning the dense grass layer by layer, gradually completing the mowing operation. The lawn will be more beautiful, and at the same time, it will not damage the lawn and protect the lawn.

[0061] Example 2

[0062] This embodiment includes an intelligent lawn mower, including a cutter disc, a cutter disc motor that drives the cutter disc to rotate, and a drive mechanism that controls the rise and fall of the cutter disc; the cutter disc, the cutter disc motor, and the drive mechanism are all mature technologies and are not the protection technology points of this embodiment, so they will not be described in detail.

[0063] The intelligent lawn mower also includes a main control module, a data receiving module, and a height verification module.

[0064] The data receiving module is used to receive the input of the cutter disc setting height, and different heights can be set for different lawn users;

[0065] The height verification module is used to compare the current height of the cutterhead with the set height and send the comparison result to the main control module. In holiday mode, after completing a round of mowing operations, the height verification module can compare the cutterhead height with the set height and send the comparison result to the main control module.

[0066] If the comparison result shows that the cutter head height is greater than the set height, the main control module controls the drive mechanism to work and adjust the cutter head height down one gear;

[0067] If the comparison result shows that the cutter head height is consistent with the set height, the main control module controls the drive mechanism to stop working, keeps the cutter head height unchanged, and exits the holiday mode.

[0068] To determine whether to enter the high-density grass operation area:

[0069] The smart lawn mower also includes a current detection unit and a current comparison module;

[0070] The current detection unit is used to obtain the current value of the cutter motor in real time and send the current value to the current comparison module;

[0071] The current comparison module is used to calculate the current change △a1 of the cutter motor within the unit time △t1, compare the current change △a1 with the preset difference threshold β, and send the comparison result to the main control module;

[0072] If the current change △a1 is greater than the preset difference threshold β, it means that the current of the cutter disc motor has risen rapidly, entering the high-density grass operation area and entering the holiday mode; the main control module controls the operation of the drive mechanism, adjusts the cutter disc height to the highest level, and then operates according to the holiday mode.

[0073] If the current change △a1 does not exceed the preset difference threshold β, it means that the current of the cutter disc motor is stable and has not entered the high-density grass operation area. The main control module will not control the drive mechanism to work, the cutter disc height remains unchanged, and the mowing operation is normal.

[0074] This embodiment automatically adjusts the cutter disc height to keep the motor in the best working state. When the cutter disc height is high, the dense grass can be cut, the amount of grass cut is small, and the resistance is small. The cutter disc is automatically pressed down little by little to achieve the purpose of thinning the dense grass layer by layer, gradually completing the mowing operation. The lawn will be more beautiful, and at the same time, it will not damage the lawn and protect the lawn.

[0075] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. All technical solutions based on the concept of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, various improvements and modifications that do not depart from the principles of the present invention should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the operation of an intelligent lawn mower, wherein the intelligent lawn mower has the functions of automatically adjusting the height of the cutter head and recording the travel path; characterized in that: The following steps are involved: 1) Determine whether the mower has entered a high-density grass operation area. If the mower has not entered the high-density grass operation area, execute step 2). If the mower has entered the high-density grass operation area, execute step 3). 2) The mower mows at the height set by the user; 3) The mower enters holiday mode, the height of the cutter disc is adjusted to the highest setting, and the first round of mowing is performed within the operating area; 4) After completing a round of mowing, determine whether the height of the cutter disc has reached the user's set height. If the cutter disc height is consistent with the set height, execute step 5); if the cutter disc height is greater than the set height, execute step 6); 5) Exit holiday mode; 6) The height of the cutter head is lowered by one level, and the next round of mowing is carried out within the working area; 7) Repeat step 4) and the cutter head automatically presses down little by little to achieve the purpose of thinning the dense grass layer by layer, gradually completing the mowing operation until it is finished.

2. The method for controlling an intelligent lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein: The method for determining whether to enter the high-density grass operation area in step 1) is as follows: Record the current value A1 of the cutter motor at time T1 and the current value A2 of the cutter motor at time T1+△t1. When the difference △a1 between A2 and A1 is greater than the difference threshold β, it is determined that the smart lawn mower has entered the high-density grass operation area.

3. The method for controlling an intelligent lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein: In step 1), the user can independently set the lawn mower to enter the high-density grass operation area.

4. The method for controlling an intelligent lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein: In step 3), the scope of each round of mowing operation performed by the lawn mower is the entire lawn operation area.

5. The method for controlling an intelligent lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein: In step 4), the method for determining whether a round of mowing operation is completed is as follows: S1) Recording the path of the mower and marking the fully covered area; S2) comparing the marked full coverage area with the lawn operation area; if the two areas are consistent, executing step S3); otherwise, executing step S4); S3) confirming that one round of mowing operation is completed, and executing step 4); S4) Continue to carry out this round of mowing operation at the existing cutter head height.

6. The method for controlling an intelligent lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein: In step 2), when the user sets the height, the lawn is divided into multiple working areas, and different set heights are set for different working areas. When switching working areas, the lawn mower automatically adjusts the height of the cutter head.

Images