A remote-controlled mower and a full basket of grass collecting basket prompt method

Abstract

The application discloses a remote control mower, which comprises a vehicle body and a grass collecting basket arranged on the vehicle body, wherein the grass collecting basket is connected with a cutting element on the vehicle body through a connecting channel, the grass collecting basket and the vehicle body are movably connected, and the remote control mower further comprises a driving unit arranged between the grass collecting basket and the vehicle body, wherein the driving unit can rotate the grass collecting basket relative to the vehicle body, open a dumping window arranged on the grass collecting basket, and dump the grass clippings in the grass collecting basket.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to garden machinery, in particular to a remote-controlled lawn mower and a method for prompting a grass basket that is full of grass. Background Art

[0002] A lawn mower, a garden tool used for trimming lawns and vegetation, consists of a cutterhead, an engine, wheels, a travel mechanism, a cutting blade, and a control unit. The cutterhead is mounted on the wheels, which in turn is equipped with an engine. The cutting blade is mounted on the engine's output shaft. The high-speed rotation of the engine significantly increases the speed of the cutting blade, saving workers time and reducing labor costs.

[0003] In the prior art, lawn mowers need to mow grass in different scenarios. Under some special working conditions, the cut grass clippings need to be collected. To this end, lawn mowers are also equipped with a grass collection device that can automatically collect grass clippings. For remote-controlled lawn mowers, when the grass clippings in the grass collection basket are full, they need to be automatically dumped to start the next round of mowing. Existing equipment generally uses the preset working time in the main control unit to roughly determine whether the grass collection basket is full, and then stops cutting and starts dumping grass clippings. However, in actual operation, the following situations may occur, resulting in inaccurate judgment:

[0004] Due to the uncertainty of the working environment of the lawn mower, the amount of grass cut per unit time is not stable. Therefore, simply using the working time to judge whether the grass is full will lead to very inaccurate results.

[0005] Therefore, how to accurately determine whether the grass collection basket on the remote control lawn mower is full of grass is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In response to the above technical problems, the present invention proposes a remote-controlled lawn mower and a grass basket full grass prompt method, which can automatically dump grass clippings and determine whether the grass basket is full of grass based on the amount of grass clippings in the grass basket.

[0007] In order to achieve the above technical objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical means:

[0008] A remote-controlled lawn mower comprises a body and a grass collecting basket provided on the body, wherein the grass collecting basket is connected to a cutting element on the body via a connecting channel, and the grass collecting basket is movably connected to the body, and further comprises:

[0009] The driving unit is arranged between the grass collecting basket and the vehicle body. The driving unit can rotate the grass collecting basket relative to the vehicle body, open the dumping window arranged on the grass collecting basket, and dump out the grass clippings in the grass collecting basket.

[0010] The vehicle body includes a frame, and a mounting frame is provided on the frame;

[0011] The grass collecting basket includes: a main basket body, a movable plate and a connecting shaft, wherein,

[0012] The connecting shaft is rotatably connected to the mounting bracket, and a connecting piece for connecting to the driving unit is provided on the connecting shaft;

[0013] The movable plate is fixedly connected to the connecting shaft, and the movable plate is provided with the dumping window, which is connected to the interior of the main basket;

[0014] The main basket is movably connected to the connecting shaft, and at least the top portion thereof has a breathable structure or is made of a breathable material;

[0015] When the driving unit drives the connecting shaft and then drives the movable plate to swing outward, the movable plate supports the main basket body and lifts it together to expose the dumping window.

[0016] The main blue body includes:

[0017] Basket and cover, wherein

[0018] The basket body is provided with a connecting body made of hardware material, the connecting body is provided with a connecting joint, and the connecting joint is provided with an opening for movable engagement with the connecting shaft;

[0019] The cover body is rotatably connected to the connecting shaft, and a notch is provided on the cover body near the connecting shaft to avoid the connecting joint, so as to facilitate the insertion of the connecting joint; when the cover body is fully opened, the basket body can be removed, and at this time, the cover body can cover the dumping window on the movable plate; the cover body is provided with a breathable structure or is made of a breathable material.

[0020] The driving unit is a propulsion motor, the output end of the propulsion motor is hinged to the grass collecting basket, and the tail end of the propulsion motor is hinged to the vehicle body.

[0021] The driving unit is a propulsion motor, a connecting member on the connecting shaft is provided with a connecting groove, and a pushing pin is provided at the output end of the propulsion motor. When the output end of the propulsion motor is extended, the pushing pin can be embedded in the connecting groove, and the tail end of the propulsion motor is fixedly connected to the vehicle body;

[0022] When the output end of the pushing motor is not extended and the grass collecting basket is in a closed state, the angle α between the lower edge of the connecting groove and the horizontal direction is smaller than the angle β between the movable plate and the vertical direction.

[0023] An air duct cavity is provided inside the cover body, and an end opening of the air duct cavity located inside the grass collecting basket is connected to a filter cover;

[0024] A sensing element is provided in the air duct cavity;

[0025] A swinging piece is provided at the opening of the air duct cavity, and one end of the swinging piece is connected to the air duct cavity. When the mowing unit is not started, there is no gas flow in the connecting channel between the grass collecting basket and the cutting element on the vehicle body, and the swinging piece naturally hangs down and covers the lower side of the filter cover; when the mowing unit is started, the swinging piece can touch the sensing element during the swinging process to trigger a corresponding signal, and send the signal to the main control unit on the vehicle body.

[0026] The filter cover is a fan-shaped box structure, one side of which is open and connected to the air duct cavity, and the other side is the air inlet side, and the side surface of the air inlet side is tilted downward;

[0027] A vertical support plate is provided in the middle of the air duct cavity, and the sensing element is provided in the middle of the support plate.

[0028] The induction element is a micro switch having a switch contact for contact with the swing member.

[0029] The induction element is a Hall element, and a magnet is correspondingly provided on the swinging member.

[0030] The filter cover is configured so that only the side wall near the grass inlet has a hole structure or is provided with a filter mesh material, and the side wall is aligned with the grass inlet while being kept tilted downward.

[0031] The present invention further discloses a method for prompting a grass basket to be full of grass, which is based on the remote control lawn mower and includes the following steps:

[0032] S1. When the machine is powered on, the main control unit detects whether it has collected the micro switch trigger signal. If it has, it will report an error; if not, the machine will operate normally.

[0033] S2. When the mowing unit is started and the continuous operation time is less than the preset time, the main control unit detects whether it has collected the trigger signal of the sensor element. If it has collected it, the machine will operate normally; if not, it will prompt that the grass is full;

[0034] S3, when the mowing unit is started and the continuous operation time exceeds the preset time, if the main control unit does not detect the trigger signal of the sensing element, the mowing unit stops running and restarts, and enters step S2;

[0035] In the above steps S2 and S3, the condition for the main control unit to collect the trigger signal of the sensing element is that the interval between two consecutive trigger signals of the sensing element does not exceed the preset interval.

[0036] In step S2, the preset time is not less than 1 minute;

[0037] In step S3, the preset interval time is between 1s and 5s.

[0038] Beneficial effects:

[0039] The present invention provides a remote-controlled lawn mower and a method for prompting whether a grass collecting basket is full of grass. The method can accurately judge whether the grass collecting basket is full of grass through a sensing element and give a prompt, so that the user can accurately understand the grass collecting status of the grass collecting basket. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Figure 1 The overall appearance structure of the remote control lawn mower of the present invention;

[0041] Among them, 100 are remote-controlled vehicles; 200 are grass collection baskets;

[0042] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the remote-controlled lawn mower of the present invention; 102 is a cutting element; 103 is a hard channel; 104 is a flexible channel;

[0043] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the upper frame and the grass collecting basket of the remote-controlled lawn mower of the present invention;

[0044] Among them, 3 is an electric push rod; 202 is a cover;

[0045] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the connection between the output end of the propulsion motor and the upper connecting piece of the grass collecting basket of the present invention;

[0046] Among them, 203 is a connecting piece; 301 is the output end of the propulsion motor;

[0047] Figure 5 Open the state diagram for the grass basket;

[0048] Among them, 101 is the frame;

[0049] Figure 6 This is an exploded view of the frame and grass basket;

[0050] Among them, 105 is the mounting frame; 201 is the main basket; 204 is the movable plate; 205 is the connecting shaft; 2021 is the top of the cover;

[0051] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of a grass collecting basket;

[0052] Among them, 2011 is the connecting body; 2012 is the basket body; 2013 is the connecting joint;

[0053] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the motor output end when the propulsion motor of the present invention is connected in the second manner;

[0054] Among them, 302 is a push pin;

[0055] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the air duct cavity inside the grass collecting basket;

[0056] Among them, 2022 is the air duct cavity; 4 is the filter cover;

[0057] Figure 10 This is an exploded view of the air duct cavity and filter cover;

[0058] Among them, 5 is a fixed part and 6 is a swing part;

[0059] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the sensing element inside the air duct cavity;

[0060] Among them, 2023 is the support plate 7 is the sensing element; 701 is the switch contact;

[0061] Figure 12 This is a diagram of the state of the swinging parts in the grass collection basket when the mowing unit is not started;

[0062] Figure 13 This is a diagram of the status of the swinging parts in the grass collection basket when the mowing unit is started;

[0063] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of the angle β between the movable plate and the vertical direction when the grass collecting basket is closed;

[0064] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of the angle α between the lower edge of the connecting groove and the horizontal direction when the grass collecting basket is closed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0066] Example 1

[0067] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , the overall appearance structure of the remote-controlled lawn mower of the present invention includes a remote-controlled vehicle body 100 and a grass collecting basket 200 arranged at the rear.

[0068] like Figure 2 As shown, the grass collecting basket 200 is connected to the cutting element 102 on the vehicle body through a connecting channel. Usually, a hard channel 103 is provided on the blade shield of the cutting element, and a flexible channel 104 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body to connect the grass collecting basket and the hard channel 103.

[0069] like Figure 3 As shown, a propulsion motor 3 is provided on the vehicle frame for pushing the grass collecting basket 200 to open.

[0070] like Figure 4 As shown, this is a conventional connection method between the propulsion motor and the grass collecting basket of the present invention:

[0071] The output end 301 of the propulsion motor 3 is hinged to the upper connecting piece 203 of the grass collecting basket;

[0072] In this structure, the propulsion motor 3 needs to be movably connected to the vehicle frame. In this embodiment, in this solution, the rear end of the propulsion motor 3 is hinged to the vehicle frame.

[0073] like Figure 5 As shown, the grass collecting basket 200 is movably connected to the vehicle frame 101, and the propulsion motor 3 drives the grass collecting basket 200 to rotate and open, thereby realizing grass dumping.

[0074] like Figure 6 As shown, the specific connection structure between the remote control lawn mower and the grass collection basket of the present invention is:

[0075] The frame 101 is provided with a mounting frame 105. The grass collecting basket 200 comprises a main basket body 201, a cover body 202, a movable plate 204, and a connecting shaft 205. The connecting shaft 205 is provided with a connector 203 for connecting to the propulsion motor. The connecting shaft 205 is movably connected to the mounting frame 105. The movable plate 204 is fixedly connected to the connecting shaft 205 and swings in conjunction with the rotation of the connecting shaft. The main basket body 201 and the cover body 202 are both movably connected to the connecting shaft 205. The movable plate 204 is provided with a dumping window that is connected to the interior of the main basket body. When the movable plate body swings outward, it lifts the main basket body together, exposing the dumping window and dumping the grass clippings inside the main basket body.

[0076] As a preferred embodiment of the technical solution of Example 1 of the present invention, the cover body 202 has a breathable structure or is made of breathable material at least at the top 2021 thereof, for example, there are breathable holes distributed on the plate body, or the cover body itself is made of a material with a mesh structure such as a filter net.

[0077] Example 2

[0078] like Figure 7 As shown, the difference from Example 1 is that the main basket is divided into a connecting body 2011 and a basket body 2012. The connecting body 2011 is composed of a hard material, while the basket body 2012 can be made of a flexible material, such as a waterproof cloth and a hard frame. The connecting body 2011 is provided with a connecting joint 2013, which has an opening and can be directly connected to the connecting shaft 205. As shown in the figure, the cover 202 has a notch near the connecting shaft 205 to facilitate the connection of the connecting joint 2013. When the cover 202 is fully opened, the main basket can be removed, and the cover 202 is used to cover the tilting window on the movable plate 204 to complete the sealing of the rear end of the lawn mower.

[0079] Example 3

[0080] like Figure 8As shown, the difference from Examples 1 and 2 is that, as another connection method between the propulsion motor and the grass collecting basket of the present invention, the end of the connecting member 203 is an open structure, forming a connecting groove 2031. Under this connection method, the propulsion motor is fixedly connected to the frame, and a push pin 302 is provided at the output end 301 of the propulsion motor. When the output end 301 of the propulsion motor is extended, the push pin 302 is embedded in the connecting groove 2031. It should be noted that when the grass collecting basket 200 is closed, the angle α between the lower edge of the connecting groove 2031 and the horizontal direction is smaller than the angle β between the movable plate 204 and the vertical direction. This setting is to prevent the connecting groove from being separated from the output end of the propulsion motor when the grass collecting basket 200 is opened.

[0081] Example 4

[0082] like Figures 9 and 10 As shown, this embodiment differs from the previous embodiment in that an air duct cavity 2022 is provided inside the cover body 202. The end opening of the air duct cavity 2022 is connected to a filter cover 4. The filter cover 4 is made of a filter material, such as a metal mesh with mesh formed by stamping or bending. The filter cover 4 is connected to the air duct cavity 2022 via a fixing member 5. A swinging member 6 is provided at the opening of the air duct cavity 2022.

[0083] like Figure 11 As shown, a vertical support plate 2023 is provided in the middle of the air duct cavity 2022, and a sensing element 7 is provided in the middle of the support plate. One end of the swing member 6 is connected to the support plate 2023 or the side wall of the accommodating cavity.

[0084] The specific sensing element may be a micro switch or a Hall element. If the sensing element 7 is a Hall element, a magnet is correspondingly provided on the swinging member.

[0085] In this embodiment, the sensing element 7 is a micro switch having a switch contact 701 . The swinging member 6 can touch the switch contact 701 during its swinging process to trigger a corresponding signal.

[0086] like Figure 13 As shown in the figure, after the mowing unit is started, the gas flow in the mowing unit and the grass collection basket is as follows: Figure 13 As shown, when the grass basket is low in grass, the airflow rate and velocity are high, pushing the swinging member upward. When the swinging member contacts the microswitch, further upward swinging stops. The swinging member is slightly smaller than the air duct cavity opening. Furthermore, only the portion of the cover 202 that connects to the air duct cavity has an opening for ventilation. This swinging member, in conjunction with a sensor, determines whether the grass basket is full of grass.

[0087] Example 5

[0088] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 4 is that the filter cover 4 is a fan-shaped box structure, one side of which is open and connected to the air duct cavity 2022, and the other side is the air inlet side, and the side of the air inlet side is tilted downward; after the machine mowing unit has been running for a long time, the grass clippings in the grass collecting basket are affected by the air flow and fly everywhere, which may cover a lot of grass clippings on the filter cover, resulting in misjudgment. During the shutdown and restart process, some grass clippings fall off, eliminating the influence of grass clippings covering the air inlet of the filter cover, so the air inlet side of the filter cover is tilted downward.

[0089] like Figure 12 The figure shows the state in which the mowing unit is not started. At this time, there is no gas flow in the passage connecting the blade guard to the grass collecting basket, and the swing member 6 hangs down naturally and covers the lower side of the filter cover 4.

[0090] In this solution, the swinging member is arranged as close as possible to the grass inlet of the grass collection basket through structures such as the air duct cavity and the filter cover.

[0091] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, in order to increase the gas flow rate and flow in the air duct cavity as much as possible, the filter cover 4 is configured so that only the side wall near the grass inlet has a hole structure or is provided with a filter mesh material (to filter grass clippings and branches while ventilating), and at the same time, the side wall is kept tilted downward and roughly aligned with the grass inlet.

[0092] Specifically, when determining whether the grass collecting basket is full of grass, the following determination method is used:

[0093] 1. When the machine is powered on, the main control detects whether the micro switch trigger signal is collected. If it is collected, an error reminder will be given; if not, the machine will operate normally;

[0094] 2. When the mowing unit is started and the continuous running time is less than the preset time, the main control detects whether it has collected the micro switch trigger signal. If it has collected it, the machine will operate normally; if not, it will prompt that the grass is full;

[0095] 3. When the mowing unit starts and continues to run for more than the preset time, if the main control does not detect the micro switch trigger signal, the mowing unit will stop running and restart, and go to step 2.

[0096] In the above steps 2 and 3, the condition for the main control to collect the micro switch trigger signal is that the interval between two consecutive micro switch trigger signals does not exceed the preset interval.

[0097] The purpose of step 3 above is that after the mowing unit of the machine has been running for a long time, the grass clippings in the grass collection basket are affected by the airflow and fly everywhere, which may cover a lot of grass clippings on the filter cover, causing misjudgment. During the shutdown and restart process, some grass clippings fall off to eliminate the impact of grass clippings covering the air inlet of the filter cover. This is why the air inlet side of the filter cover needs to be tilted downward.

[0098] The above preset time is not less than 1 minute, and can be 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes. The above preset interval is not more than 5 seconds and not less than 1 second.

Claims

1. A method for indicating when a grass collecting basket is full of grass, based on a remote-controlled lawn mower, comprising a body and a grass collecting basket disposed on the body, the grass collecting basket being connected to a cutting element on the body via a connecting channel, the grass collecting basket being movably connected to the body, and further comprising: a driving unit disposed between the grass collecting basket and the vehicle body, the driving unit being capable of rotating the grass collecting basket relative to the vehicle body, opening a dumping window disposed on the grass collecting basket, and dumping grass clippings in the grass collecting basket; The vehicle body includes a frame, and a mounting frame is provided on the frame; The grass collecting basket comprises: a main basket body, a movable plate and a connecting shaft, wherein: The connecting shaft is rotatably connected to the mounting bracket, and a connecting piece for connecting to the driving unit is provided on the connecting shaft; The movable plate is fixedly connected to the connecting shaft, and the movable plate is provided with the dumping window, which is connected to the interior of the main basket; The main basket is movably connected to the connecting shaft, and at least the top portion thereof has a breathable structure or is made of a breathable material; When the driving unit drives the connecting shaft and drives the movable plate to swing outward, the movable plate supports the main basket body and lifts it together to expose the dumping window; The main basket body includes: a basket body and a cover body, wherein, The basket body is provided with a connecting body made of hardware material, the connecting body is provided with a connecting joint, and the connecting joint is provided with an opening for movable engagement with the connecting shaft; The cover is rotatably connected to the connecting shaft, and a notch is provided on the cover near the connecting shaft to avoid the connecting joint, so as to facilitate the insertion of the connecting joint; when the cover is fully opened, the basket can be removed, and at this time, the cover can cover the tilting window on the movable plate; the cover is provided with a breathable structure or is made of a breathable material; An air duct cavity is provided inside the cover body, and an end opening of the air duct cavity located inside the grass collecting basket is connected to a filter cover; A sensing element is provided in the air duct cavity; A swinging member is provided at the opening of the air duct cavity, one end of which is connected to the air duct cavity. When the mowing unit is not activated, there is no air flow in the connecting channel between the grass collecting basket and the cutting element on the vehicle body, and the swinging member naturally hangs down and covers the lower side of the filter cover. When the mowing unit is activated, the swinging member can touch the sensing element during the swinging process to trigger a corresponding signal, and the signal is sent to the main control unit on the vehicle body. The filter cover is configured such that only the side wall near the grass inlet has a hole structure or is provided with a filter mesh material, and the side wall is aligned with the grass inlet while being tilted downward; and the filter cover is characterized by comprising the following steps: S1. When the machine is powered on, the main control unit detects whether the micro switch trigger signal is collected. If it is collected, an error reminder is given; if not, the machine operates normally. S2. When the mowing unit is started and the continuous operation time is less than the preset time, the main control unit detects whether it has collected the trigger signal of the sensor element. If it has collected it, the machine will operate normally; if not, it will prompt that the grass is full; S3, when the mowing unit is started and the continuous operation time exceeds the preset time, if the main control unit does not detect the trigger signal of the sensing element, the mowing unit stops running and restarts, and enters step S2; In the above steps S2 and S3, the condition for the main control unit to collect the trigger signal of the sensing element is that the interval between two consecutive trigger signals of the sensing element does not exceed the preset interval time.

2. The method for indicating that a grass collecting basket is full of grass according to claim 1, wherein: The driving unit is a propulsion motor, the output end of the propulsion motor is hinged to the grass collecting basket, and the tail end of the propulsion motor is hinged to the vehicle body.

3. The method for indicating that the grass collecting basket is full of grass according to claim 1, wherein: The driving unit is a propulsion motor, a connecting member on the connecting shaft is provided with a connecting groove, and a pushing pin is provided at the output end of the propulsion motor. When the output end of the propulsion motor is extended, the pushing pin can be embedded in the connecting groove, and the tail end of the propulsion motor is fixedly connected to the vehicle body; When the output end of the pushing motor is not extended and the grass collecting basket is in a closed state, the angle α between the lower edge of the connecting groove and the horizontal direction is smaller than the angle β between the movable plate and the vertical direction.

4. The method for indicating that a grass collecting basket is full of grass according to claim 1, wherein: The filter cover is a fan-shaped box structure, one side of which is open and connected to the air duct cavity, and the other side is the air inlet side, and the side surface of the air inlet side is tilted downward; A vertical support plate is provided in the middle of the air duct cavity, and the sensing element is provided in the middle of the support plate.

5. The method for prompting a full grass basket according to claim 1, wherein: The induction element is a micro switch having a switch contact for contact with the swing member.

6. The method for prompting a full grass basket according to claim 1, wherein: The induction element is a Hall element, and a magnet is correspondingly provided on the swinging member.

7. The method for indicating that a grass collecting basket is full of grass according to claim 1, wherein: In step S2, the preset time is not less than 1 minute; In step S3, the preset interval time is between 1s and 5s.

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