Guide the outdoor robot operation tool to the outdoor robot operation tool interaction station

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an outdoor robot operation tool interaction station (200) having a longitudinally extending portion (E) and a vertically extending portion (V) perpendicular to the longitudinally extending portion (E), and the interaction station (200) is adapted to receive an upcoming outdoor robot operation tool (100) along the longitudinally extending portion. The interaction station (200) further includes at least one radar reflection target (211, 212, 213).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an outdoor robot work tool interaction station and an outdoor robot work tool, in particular to guiding an outdoor robot work tool to an outdoor robot work tool interaction station. The outdoor robot work tool can for example consist of a robotic lawn mower, and the outdoor robot work tool interaction station can for example consist of a charging station. Background Art

[0002] Automated or robot-powered tools such as robotic lawn mowers are becoming increasingly popular. In a typical deployment in a work area such as a garden, the work area is surrounded by a boundary line with the aim of keeping the robotic lawn mower within the work area. An electrical control signal can be transmitted through the boundary line, thereby generating an (electrical) magnetic field emanating from the boundary line. The robot work tool is typically arranged with one or more sensors adapted to sense the control signal.

[0003] The robotic lawn mower can then automatically cut the grass on the user's lawn and can automatically charge without user intervention and no longer requires manual management after being set up once. The robotic lawn mower 1 typically includes a charging cradle for contacting a corresponding contact plate in the charging station when docked to the charging station to receive a charging current through the charging station and may also be used to transfer information through electrical communication between the charging station and the robotic lawn mower.

[0004] Boundary lines are typically used to guide the robotic lawn mower to the charging station, but there is a desire for alternative means of guiding the robotic lawn mower to the charging station. This is particularly advantageous in cases where other types of guidance systems are used instead of the boundary line, such as navigation sensors for beacon navigation and / or satellite navigation. The beacon navigation sensor can be an RF receiver configured to receive signals from an RF beacon, and the satellite navigation sensor can be a GPS (Global Positioning System) device or other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) device.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need to provide improved and alternative means for guiding an outdoor robot work tool such as a robotic lawn mower to a charging station or any other type of interaction station. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present disclosure is to provide improved and alternative means for guiding an outdoor robot work tool such as a robotic lawn mower to a charging station or any other type of interaction station.

[0007] This object is achieved by an outdoor robot work tool interaction station which has a longitudinally extending portion (extension) and a vertically extending portion perpendicular to the longitudinally extending portion, and the interaction station is adapted to receive an incoming outdoor robot work tool along the longitudinally extending portion. The interaction station further includes at least one radar reflection target.

[0008] This enables the outdoor robot work tool to identify the outdoor robot work tool interaction station in a proper manner and move towards the outdoor robot work tool interaction station without the need for other guiding means such as boundary lines.

[0009] According to some aspects, the interaction station includes at least two radar reflection targets.

[0010] According to some aspects, the at least two radar reflection targets are spaced apart along the longitudinally extending portion.

[0011] In this way, these radar reflection targets are easily distinguishable from each other.

[0012] According to some aspects, the at least two radar reflection targets are spaced apart along the vertically extending portion.

[0013] In this way, the radar reflection targets do not block each other at certain angles.

[0014] According to some aspects, the interaction station is an outdoor robot work tool charging station which includes a charging transmission arrangement adapted to receive a charging receiving arrangement of the outdoor robot work tool and make electrical contact with the charging receiving arrangement so as to be able to supply a charging current to the outdoor robot work tool.

[0015] In this way, the outdoor robot work tool can easily find the charging station, move towards the charging station and connect to the charging station without the need for other guiding means such as boundary lines.

[0016] According to some aspects, the outdoor robot work tool interaction station includes a base portion and a top portion, wherein the top portion includes a contact plate. The base portion and the top portion are vertically separated along the vertically extending portion.

[0017] In this way, a compact and functional unit is provided.

[0018] According to some aspects, at least one radar reflection target is attached to the top portion.

[0019] In this way, the radar reflection target is easily detectable.

[0020] According to some aspects, the charging station includes an intermediate portion connecting the base portion and the top portion. For example, at least one radar reflection target is attached to the intermediate portion.

[0021] In this way, a vertical separation between the radar reflection targets is achieved.

[0022] According to some aspects, the outdoor robot work tool interaction station is a charging station for a robotic lawn mower.

[0023] According to some aspects, at least one radar reflection target is made of a metal or plastic material. For example, at least one radar reflection target is made as a corner radar reflector which is formed as an open pyramid having three wall sides and one open side.

[0024] This means that these radar reflection targets can be easily manufactured at low cost and standard corner reflectors can be used.

[0025] This object is also achieved by an outdoor robot work tool adapted to a forward travel direction, and the outdoor robot work tool includes a control unit, a charging receiving arrangement adapted to make electrical contact with a charging transmission arrangement of an outdoor robot work tool charging station, and at least one radar transceiver adapted to transmit signals and receive reflected signals that have been reflected by at least one object. The control unit is adapted to identify a radar detection originating from the received reflected signal that has been reflected by at least one radar reflection target located at the outdoor robot work tool interaction station. The control unit is also adapted to control the movement of the outdoor robot work tool such that the outdoor robot work tool moves towards the outdoor robot work tool interaction station based on the information obtained by the radar transceiver.

[0026] This enables the outdoor robot work tool to identify the outdoor robot work tool interaction station in a suitable manner and move towards the outdoor robot work tool interaction station without the need for other guiding means such as boundary lines.

[0027] According to some aspects, the outdoor robot work tool interaction station is an outdoor robot work tool charging station, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the movement of the outdoor robot work tool such that the outdoor robot work tool moves to a position at the outdoor robot work tool charging station where the charging receiving arrangement can make electrical contact with the charging transmission arrangement. This enables the outdoor robot work tool to receive a charging current from the outdoor robot work tool charging station.

[0028] This enables the outdoor robot work tool to identify the outdoor robot work tool charging station in a suitable manner and move towards the outdoor robot work tool charging station without the need for other guiding means such as boundary lines.

[0029] According to some aspects, the control unit is adapted to identify a radar detection originating from a reflected signal received that has been reflected by at least two radar reflection targets, which is achieved by comparing the configuration of the radar detection with a predetermined configuration of the radar reflection targets.

[0030] This enables the outdoor robotic work tool to distinguish between a radar detection originating from a reflected signal received that has been reflected by a radar reflection target and a radar detection originating from a reflected signal received that has been reflected by other objects. This reduces the risk of false detection.

[0031] According to some aspects, the control unit is adapted to distinguish between different outdoor robotic work tool interaction stations, which is achieved by comparing the configuration of the radar detection with different predetermined unique configurations of a plurality of radar reflection targets associated with corresponding outdoor robotic work tool interaction stations. This enables the control unit to identify a specific outdoor robotic work tool interaction station among at least two outdoor robotic work tool interaction stations.

[0032] According to some aspects, the outdoor robotic work tool includes at least one navigation sensor arrangement, and the at least one navigation sensor arrangement includes a beacon navigation sensor and / or a satellite navigation sensor.

[0033] According to some aspects, the control unit is adapted to identify a radar detection originating from a reflected signal received that has been reflected by at least one radar reflection target, which is achieved by comparing the calculated position of the radar reflection target with the predetermined position of the radar reflection target.

[0034] According to some aspects, the control unit is adapted to identify a radar detection originating from a reflected signal received that has been reflected by at least two radar reflection targets, which is achieved by comparing the calculated position of the radar reflection target with the predetermined position of the radar reflection target.

[0035] This means that it enables the outdoor robotic work tool to determine a preliminary position of the outdoor robotic work tool interaction station, which makes it easier to determine that certain radar detections originate from reflected signals received that have been reflected by radar reflection targets. This reduces the risk of false detection.

[0036] According to some aspects, the control unit is adapted to calibrate the position of the outdoor robotic work tool interaction station based on the determined position of at least one radar reflection target located at the outdoor robotic work tool interaction station.

[0037] This enables simple and reliable calibration.

[0038] The present disclosure also relates to a method associated with the above advantages. Description of the Drawings

[0039] The present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0040] Figure 1A A perspective side view of a robotic lawn mower is shown;

[0041] Figure 1B A schematic overview of a robotic lawn mower is shown;

[0042] Figure 2A A schematic side view of a charging station for a robotic lawn mower is shown;

[0043] Figure 2B A schematic top view of a charging station for a robotic lawn mower is shown;

[0044] Figure 3A A schematic front view of a radar reflection target is shown;

[0045] Figure 3B A schematic perspective side view of a radar reflection target is shown;

[0046] Figure 4A A first schematic top view of a lawn mower and a charging station is shown;

[0047] Figure 4B A second schematic top view of a lawn mower and a charging station is shown; Figure 5 A computer program product is shown; and

[0048] Figure 6 A flowchart of a method according to the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] Aspects of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the various devices, systems, computer programs, and methods disclosed herein may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the aspects set forth herein. Like numbers in the drawings always refer to like elements.

[0050] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing only the aspects of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0051] It should be noted that while the description given herein will focus on robotic lawn mowers, the teachings herein can also be applied to any type of outdoor robotic work tool, such as robotic ball collectors, robotic mine sweepers, and robotic tilling devices.

[0052] Figure 1Ashows a perspective view of a robotic lawn mower 100, and Figure 1B shows a schematic overview of a robotic lawn mower 100. The robotic lawn mower 100 is adapted to a forward travel direction D and has a body 140 and a plurality of wheels 130; in this example, the robotic lawn mower 100 has four wheels 130, namely, two front wheels and two rear wheels. The robotic lawn mower 100 includes a control unit 110 and at least one electric motor 150, wherein at least some of the wheels 130 are drivably connected to at least one electric motor 150. It should be noted that even though the description herein focuses on electric motors, a combustion engine may alternatively be used in combination with the electric motor arrangement. The robotic lawn mower 100 can be of a multi-chassis type or a single-chassis type. The multi-chassis type includes more than one body part that can move relative to each other. The single-chassis type includes only one main body part.

[0053] Also refer to Figure 2A , which shows a side view of the robotic lawn mower 100 docked to a robotic lawn mower charging station 200. The robotic lawn mower 100 includes a charging stand 156 for contacting a contact plate 210 of the charging station 200 when docked to the charging station 200 to receive a charging current and may also be used to transmit information through electrical communication between the charging station and the robotic lawn mower 100.

[0054] In this example embodiment, the robotic lawn mower 100 is of the single-chassis type and has a body part 140. The body part 140 substantially houses all the components of the robotic lawn mower 100.

[0055] The robotic lawn mower 100 further includes a mowing device 160, such as a rotary blade 160 driven by a cutter motor 165. The mowing device is an example of a working tool 160 for the robotic working tool 100. The robotic lawn mower 100 also has at least one rechargeable power source, such as a battery 155, for supplying power to the motor arrangement 150 and / or the cutter motor 165. The battery 155 is arranged to be charged by a charging current received from the charging station 200, received through the charging stand 156 or other suitable charging connectors. Inductive charging without current contact only through electrical contact is also conceivable; the charging stand 156 and the contact plate 210 generally consist of a charging receiving arrangement 156 and a charging transmission arrangement 210. The battery usually consists of a rechargeable power source 155, which includes one or more batteries that can be arranged individually or in an integrated manner to form a combined battery.

[0056] In one embodiment, the robotic lawn mower 100 may further include at least one navigation sensor arrangement 175. In one embodiment, the navigation sensor arrangement 175 includes one or more sensors for dead reckoning navigation. By way of example only, examples of sensors for dead reckoning navigation are an odometer, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a compass. In one embodiment, the navigation sensor arrangement 175 includes a beacon navigation sensor and / or a satellite navigation sensor 190. The beacon navigation sensor may be a radio frequency receiver, such as an ultra-wideband (UWB) receiver or sensor, configured to receive signals from a radio frequency beacon (such as a UWB beacon). Alternatively or additionally, the beacon navigation sensor may be an optical receiver configured to receive signals from an optical beacon. The satellite navigation sensor may be a GPS (Global Positioning System) device or other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) device.

[0057] The robotic lawn mower 100 further includes a radar transceiver 170 adapted to transmit signals 180a, 181a and receive reflected signals 180b, 181b that have been reflected by an object 182. To achieve this, according to some aspects, each detector transceiver 170 includes a corresponding transmitter arrangement and receiver arrangement and other necessary circuitry in a known manner.

[0058] For this purpose, the control unit 110 is adapted to control the radar transceiver 170 and is adapted to control the speed and direction of the robotic lawn mower 100 based on the information obtained through the radar transceiver 170 when the robotic lawn mower 100 is moving. The control unit 110 may be constituted by several separate control sub-units or a single integrated control unit. The control unit 110 is adapted to perform all the necessary signal processing required to control the radar transceiver 170 and is adapted to obtain the desired information from the detected measurements.

[0059] Through the radar transceiver 170, objects and obstacles can be detected well in advance, preventing collisions from occurring.

[0060] Also referring to Figure 2B which shows a top view of the charging station 200, the charging station 200 has a longitudinal extension E, and the charging station 200 is adapted to receive the upcoming outdoor robotic work tool 100 along this longitudinal extension. According to the present disclosure, the charging station 200 further includes at least one radar reflection target 211, 212, 213, in this example a first radar reflection target 211, a second radar reflection target 212, and a third radar reflection target 213.

[0061] According to some aspects, at least two radar reflection targets are separated along a longitudinal extension E, where all three radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 are separated along the longitudinal extension E, with the first radar reflection target 211 and the second radar reflection target 212 being separated by a first distance d1 along the longitudinal extension E, and the second radar reflection target 212 and the third radar reflection target 213 being separated by a second distance d2 along the longitudinal extension E. It is important that the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 are separated along the longitudinal extension E so that the radar transceiver 170 can distinguish between the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 and determine how the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 are configured at the charging station 200.

[0062] According to some aspects, the charging station 200 includes a base portion 201 and a top portion 202, where the top portion 202 includes a contact plate 210. The base portion 201 and the top portion 202 are vertically separated along a vertical extension V that is perpendicular to the longitudinal extension E. At least two radar reflection targets are separated along the vertical extension V. In this example, the first radar reflection target 211 and the second radar reflection target 212 are at the same vertical level along the vertical extension V and are vertically separated from the third radar reflection target 213 by a vertical interval h along the vertical extension V. The main reason for the vertical interval h is to prevent the radar reflection targets from obscuring each other when detected from certain angles.

[0063] According to some aspects, at least one of the radar reflection targets 211, 212 is attached to the top portion 202. In this example, the first radar reflection target 211 and the second radar reflection target 212 are attached to the top portion 202.

[0064] The base portion 201 and the top portion 202 can be directly connected to each other. Alternatively, according to some aspects, the charging station 200 includes an intermediate portion 203 that connects the base portion 201 and the top portion 202, and according to some additional aspects, at least one of the radar reflection targets 211, 212 is attached to the intermediate portion 203. In this example, the third radar reflection target 213 is attached to the intermediate portion 203.

[0065] According to some aspects, as Figure 2B shown, at least two radar reflection targets are separated along a transverse extension L that is perpendicular to the longitudinal extension E and the vertical extension V. In this example, all three radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 are separated along the transverse extension L.

[0066] Also refer to Figure 3A, which shows a front view of the first radar reflection target 211. According to some aspects, the first radar reflection target is made of a metallic material and is a so-called corner reflector, which is made as an open pyramid having three wall sides 214a, 214b, 214c and an open side 215. This configuration applies to all radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213.

[0067] Of course, other shapes of radar reflection targets are conceivable, such as rectangular plates, triangular plates, and cubes with an open side. Other materials are also conceivable, such as plastic materials with radar reflection properties, such as plastic materials with a certain carbon content. Such materials may be suitable for 3D printing techniques applicable during the manufacturing process.

[0068] According to the present disclosure, the control unit 110 is adapted to identify radar detections originating from the received reflected signals 180b, 181b, which have been reflected by at least one radar reflection target 211, 212, 213 located at the charging station 200. The control unit is also adapted to control the movement of the outdoor robotic lawn mower 100 such that the outdoor robotic lawn mower moves towards the charging station 200 based on the information obtained by the radar transceiver 170, such that the charging stand 156 can make electrical contact with the contact plate 210, enabling the outdoor robotic lawn mower 100 to receive a charging current from the charging station 200.

[0069] This means that the control unit 110 is adapted to turn the lawn mower 100 towards the charging station 200 and park the lawn mower 100 in the Figure 2A shown charging position without the need for any additional equipment, such as boundary lines. This means that the present disclosure is particularly well-suited for lawn mower systems without boundary lines, as is the case in this example.

[0070] For example, this is the case where the outdoor robotic lawn mower 100 includes at least one navigation sensor arrangement 175 as described above.

[0071] The control unit 110 is adapted to control the movement of the robotic lawn mower 100 such that the robotic lawn mower moves towards the charging station 200 using the input from the radar transceiver 170. This can be achieved in various ways, and an example is provided below with reference to Figure 4A which shows a schematic top view of the lawn mower 100 and the charging station 200 having one radar transceiver 170. Only the first two radar reflection targets 211, 212 are shown here, which are mounted to the charging station 200 along a longitudinal extension E at a first distance d1 from each other, the longitudinal extension extending centrally through the charging station 200, where the first distance d1 is predetermined and known to the control unit 110.

[0072] There are more than one radar reflection targets, here two radar reflection targets 211, 212 included in the charging station 200, which are separated from each other by a predetermined first distance d, allowing the control unit 110 to identify the charging station 200. There is a first distance R1 between the radar transceiver 170 and the first radar reflection target 211, and a second distance R2 between the radar transceiver 170 and the second radar reflection target 212, wherein the control unit 110 is adapted to determine the distances R1, R2 and the corresponding azimuth angles α1, α2 in a previously known manner based on the detected radar data regarding the transmitted and received reflected signals.

[0073] According to some aspects, the control unit 110 is adapted to identify a radar detection originating from a reflected signal received and reflected by at least two radar reflection targets 211, 212 by comparing the configuration detected by the radar with a predetermined configuration of the radar reflection targets 211, 212.

[0074] According to some additional aspects, as a supplement to the above, or as the only means for identifying a radar detection, the control unit 110 is adapted to use data from the navigation sensor arrangement 175 to determine that a radar detection originates from a reflection from the radar reflection targets 211, 212 of the charging station 200. To achieve this, the control unit 110 is adapted to identify a radar detection originating from a reflected signal received and reflected by at least one radar reflection target 211, 212 by comparing the calculated positions of the radar reflection targets 211, 212 with the predetermined positions of the radar reflection targets 211, 212. This ensures that the radar detection originates from the approximate positions of the charging station 200 and its associated radar reflection targets 211, 212, rather than from any other reflecting objects in the environment.

[0075] Furthermore, also to achieve this, the control unit 110 is adapted to identify a radar detection originating from a reflected signal received and reflected by at least one radar reflection target 211, 212 by comparing the calculated positions of the radar reflection targets 211, 212 with the predetermined positions of the radar reflection targets 211, 212. This ensures that the radar detection originates from the approximate positions of the charging station 200 and its associated radar reflection targets 211, 212, rather than from any other reflecting objects in the environment.

[0076] Also refer to Figure 4B, after determining the distances R1, R2 and the corresponding azimuth angles α1, α2, the control unit 110 is enabled to calculate the deviation angle β between the extension 420 of the forward travel direction D and the longitudinal extension E towards the charging station 200. When the configuration of the radar reflection target is pre-known, the more radar reflection targets used at a specific charging station, the more precisely the position of the specific charging station relative to the lawn mower 100 can be determined. With this information, the control unit 110 can control the movement of the robotic lawn mower 100 such that the robotic lawn mower 100 may dock with the charging station 200 at an optimal angle.

[0077] According to some aspects, the control unit 110 is adapted to calibrate the position of the outdoor robotic tool charging station 200 based on the determined positions of at least one radar reflection target 211, 212, 213 located at the outdoor robotic tool charging station 200.

[0078] According to some aspects, the charging station is merely an example and is generally constituted by the outdoor robotic tool interaction station 200. In addition to charging, such an interaction station may be constituted by a maintenance station, such as a knife sharpening station or a dumping station. The latter may be the case, for example, when the outdoor robotic tool is adapted to collect items such as leaves or golf balls. Another example of the interaction station is the marking of the out-of-bounds area of the lawn mower, such as the area around the plants that should be left.

[0079] Of course, there may be two or more different outdoor robotic tool interaction stations 200, which may have different purposes. In this case, the control unit 110 is adapted to distinguish between different outdoor robotic tool interaction stations 200 by comparing the configuration detected by the radar with different predetermined unique configurations of the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 associated with the corresponding outdoor robotic tool interaction stations 200, such that the control unit 110 can identify a specific outdoor robotic tool interaction station 200 among at least two outdoor robotic tool interaction stations 200.

[0080] In Figure 1B , in terms of multiple functional units, the components of the control unit 110 according to the embodiments discussed herein are schematically shown. The processing circuit 115 is provided using any combination of one or more of a suitable central processing unit CPU, a multi-processor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor DSP, etc. that can execute software instructions stored in a computer program product in the form of, for example, a storage medium 150. The processing circuit 115 may also be provided as at least one application specific integrated circuit ASIC or a field programmable gate array FPGA. Thus, the processing circuit includes a plurality of digital logic components.

[0081] In particular, the processing circuit 115 is configured to cause the control unit 110 to perform a set of operations or steps to control the operation of the robotic lawn mower 1, including but not limited to controlling the radar transceiver 170, processing the measurements received via the radar transceiver 170, and the propulsion of the robotic lawn mower 100. For example, the storage medium 120 may store this set of operations, and the processing circuit 115 may be configured to retrieve this set of operations from the storage medium 120 to cause the control unit 110 to perform this set of operations. This set of operations may be provided as a set of executable instructions. Thus, the processing circuit 115 is thereby arranged to perform the method as disclosed herein.

[0082] The storage medium 120 may also include a permanent storage device, which may be, for example, any single or combination of magnetic memory, optical memory, solid-state memory, or even remotely mounted memory.

[0083] According to some aspects, the control unit 110 further includes an interface 111 for communicating with at least one external device such as a control panel or an external device. Thus, the interface 111 may include one or more transmitters and receivers, including analog and digital components and an appropriate number of ports for wired communication. The interface 111 may be adapted to communicate with other devices 111, such as servers, personal computers or smart phones, charging stations, and / or other robotic work tools. Just to name a few examples, examples of such wireless communication devices are (IEEE802.11b), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and LTE (Long Term Evolution).

[0084] Figure 5 A computer program product 500 is shown, which includes computer-executable instructions 510 stored on a medium 520 to perform any method disclosed herein.

[0085] Generally, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the present disclosure relates to an outdoor robotic work tool interaction station 200 having a longitudinal extension E and a vertical extension V perpendicular to the longitudinal extension E, and the interaction station 200 is adapted to receive an upcoming outdoor robotic work tool 100 along the longitudinal extension. The interaction station 200 further includes at least one radar reflection target 211, 212, 213.

[0086] According to some aspects, at least two radar reflection targets 211, 212 are separated along the longitudinal extension E, and according to some additional aspects, at least two radar reflection targets 211, 212; 213 are separated along the vertical extension V.

[0087] According to some aspects, the interaction station is an outdoor robot work tool charging station 200, which includes a charging transmission arrangement 210 adapted to receive and make electrical contact with a charging receiving arrangement 156 of the outdoor robot work tool 100 so as to be able to provide a charging current to the outdoor robot work tool 100.

[0088] According to some aspects, the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200 includes a base portion 201 and a top portion 202, wherein the top portion 202 includes a contact plate 210, and the base portion 201 and the top portion 202 are vertically separated along a vertical extension V. For example, at least one radar reflection target 211, 212 is attached to the top portion 202.

[0089] According to some aspects, the charging station 200 includes an intermediate portion 203 connecting the base portion 201 and the top portion 202. For example, at least one radar reflection target 211, 212 is attached to the intermediate portion 203.

[0090] According to some aspects, the outdoor robot work tool interaction station is a robot lawn mower charging station 200.

[0091] According to some aspects, at least one radar reflection target 211, 212, 213 is made of a metal or plastic material. For example, at least one radar reflection target 211, 212, 213 is formed as an angular radar reflector in the shape of an open pyramid having three wall sides 214a, 214b, 214c and an open side 215.

[0092] Generally, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the present disclosure also relates to an outdoor robot work tool 100 adapted to a forward travel direction D, which includes a control unit 110, a charging receiving arrangement 156 adapted to make electrical contact with a charging transmission arrangement 210 of the outdoor robot work tool charging station 200, and at least one radar transceiver 170 adapted to transmit signals 180a, 181a and receive reflected signals 180b, 181b reflected by at least one object 182; 211, 212, 213. The control unit 110 is adapted to identify a radar detection of the reflected signals 180b, 181b received and reflected by at least one radar reflection target 211, 212, 213 located at the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200, and is adapted to control the movement of the outdoor robot work tool 100 such that the outdoor robot work tool moves towards the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200 according to the information obtained by the radar transceiver 170.

[0093] According to some aspects, the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200 is an outdoor robot work tool charging station, wherein the control unit 110 is adapted to control the movement of the outdoor robot work tool 100 such that the outdoor robot work tool moves to a position at the outdoor robot work tool charging station 200 where the charging receiving arrangement 156 can make electrical contact with the charging transmission arrangement 210. The outdoor robot work tool 100 can then receive a charging current from the outdoor robot work tool charging station 200.

[0094] According to some aspects, the control unit 110 is adapted to identify a radar detection originating from reflected signals 180b, 181b that have been received and reflected by at least two radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 by comparing the configuration of the radar detection with a predetermined configuration of the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213.

[0095] According to some aspects, the control unit 110 is adapted to distinguish between different outdoor robot work tool interaction stations 200 by comparing the configuration of the radar detection with different predetermined unique configurations of the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 associated with the corresponding outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200. This enables the control unit 110 to identify a specific outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200 among at least two outdoor robot work tool interaction stations 200.

[0096] According to some aspects, the outdoor robot work tool 100 includes at least one navigation sensor arrangement 175, which includes a beacon navigation sensor and / or a satellite navigation sensor.

[0097] According to some aspects, the control unit 110 is adapted to identify a radar detection originating from reflected signals 180b, 181b that have been received and reflected by at least one radar reflection target 211, 212, 213 by comparing the calculated positions of the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 with the predetermined positions of the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213.

[0098] According to some aspects, the control unit 110 is adapted to calibrate the position of the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200 based on the determined positions of at least one radar reflection target 211, 212, 213 located at the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200.

[0099] According to some aspects, the control unit 110 is adapted to identify a radar detection originating from the received reflected signals 180b, 181b that have been reflected by at least two radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213, which is achieved by comparing the calculated positions of the at least two radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 with the predetermined positions of the at least two radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213.

[0100] According to some aspects, the control unit 110 is adapted to calibrate the position of the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200 based on the determined positions of at least two radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 located at the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200.

[0101] Reference Figure 6 , the present disclosure also relates to a method in an outdoor robot work tool 100 adapted to a forward travel direction D, wherein the method includes transmitting a S100 signal and receiving S200 reflected signals 180b, 181b, wherein the transmitted signals 180a, 181a have been reflected by at least one object 182; 211, 212, 213. The method further includes identifying S300 a radar detection originating from the received reflected signals 180b, 181b that have been reflected by at least one radar reflection target 211, 212, 213 located at the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200, and controlling S400 the movement of the outdoor robot work tool 100 such that the outdoor robot work tool moves towards the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200 based on the information obtained by the radar transceiver 170.

[0102] According to some aspects, the outdoor robot work tool interaction station is an outdoor robot work tool charging station 200, wherein the method includes making an electrical contact between the charging receiving arrangement 156 and the charging transmission arrangement 210 such that the outdoor robot work tool 100 can receive a charging current from the outdoor robot work tool charging station 200.

[0103] According to some aspects, the method includes identifying S300 a radar detection originating from the received reflected signals 180b, 181b that have been reflected by at least two radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213, which is achieved by comparing S310 the configuration of the radar detection with the predetermined configuration of the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213.

[0104] According to some aspects, the method includes differentiating between different outdoor robot work tool interaction stations 200 by comparing the configuration of the radar detection with different predetermined unique configurations of radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 associated with the corresponding outdoor robot work tool interaction stations 200. This enables identification of a specific outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200 among at least two outdoor robot work tool interaction stations 200.

[0105] According to some aspects, the outdoor robot work tool 100 uses at least one navigation sensor arrangement 175 having a beacon navigation sensor and / or a satellite navigation sensor.

[0106] According to some aspects, the method includes identifying S300 the radar detection from the received reflected signals 180b, 181b that have been reflected by at least one of the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 by comparing S320 the calculated positions of the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 with the predetermined positions of the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213.

[0107] According to some aspects, the method includes calibrating the position of the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200 based on the determined positions of at least one of the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 located at the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200.

[0108] According to some aspects, the method includes identifying S300 the radar detection from the received reflected signals 180b, 181b that have been reflected by the at least two radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 by comparing S320 the calculated positions of the at least two radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 with the predetermined positions of the at least two radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213.

[0109] According to some aspects, the method includes calibrating the position of the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200 based on the determined positions of at least two of the radar reflection targets 211, 212, 213 located at the outdoor robot work tool interaction station 200.

[0110] The present disclosure is not limited to the above, but may vary freely within the scope of the appended claims. For example, each radar transceiver 170 includes associated well-known components such as a signal generator, transmitting and receiving means such as a transmit / receive antenna arrangement, and a receiver circuit. Each radar transceiver 170 may be directly controlled by the control unit 110 or include a sub-controller controlled by the control unit 110 and adapted to communicate with the control unit.

[0111] Typically, a robotic lawn mower is an outdoor robotic work tool 100, and a robotic lawn mower charging station is an outdoor robotic work tool charging station 200.

[0112] In FIG. 2b, four radar transceivers 170 are shown, two at the front of the lawn mower 100 and two at the rear of the lawn mower. Any number of radar transceivers 170 may be present at any suitable location, but there is at least one radar transceiver 170.

Claims

1. An outdoor robot operation tool interaction station (200) having a longitudinally extending portion (E) and a vertically extending portion (V) perpendicular to the longitudinally extending portion (E), the interaction station (200) being adapted to receive an incoming outdoor robot operation tool (100) along the longitudinally extending portion, wherein, The described outdoor robot work tool interaction station (200) includes a base portion (201) and a top portion (202), wherein the base portion (201) and the top portion (202) are vertically separated along the vertical extension (V), and wherein the interaction station (200) further includes at least a first radar reflection target, a second radar reflection target, and a third radar reflection target, wherein the first radar reflection target and the second radar reflection target are attached to the top portion (202) and are located above the top portion (202), and wherein the first radar reflection target and the second radar reflection target are separated by a first distance (d1) along the longitudinal extension (E), and the second radar reflection target and the third radar reflection target are separated by a second distance (d2) along the longitudinal extension (E), wherein the first distance is predetermined and known, and wherein the third radar reflection target is separated from the first radar reflection target and the second radar reflection target along the vertical extension (V).

2. The outdoor robot operation tool interaction station (200) according to claim 1, wherein, The interaction station is an outdoor robot work tool charging station including a charging transfer arrangement (210) adapted to receive a charging receiving arrangement (156) of an outdoor robot work tool (100) and to make electrical contact therewith in order to be able to supply a charging current to the outdoor robot work tool (100).

3. The outdoor robot work tool interaction station (200) according to claim 2, wherein the top portion (202) includes the charging transfer arrangement (210).

4. The outdoor robot operation tool interaction station (200) according to claim 3, wherein, At least one radar reflection target (211, 212) is attached to the top portion (202).

5. The outdoor robot operation tool interaction station (200) according to claim 3, wherein, The charging station includes an intermediate portion (203) connecting the base portion (201) and the top portion (202).

6. The outdoor robot operation tool interaction station (200) according to claim 5, wherein, At least one radar reflection target (211, 212) is attached to the intermediate portion (203).

7. The outdoor robot operation tool interaction station (200) according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein, The outdoor robot work tool interaction station is a robot lawn mower charging station (200).

8. The outdoor robot operation tool interaction station (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, At least one radar reflection target (211, 212, 213) is made of a metal or plastic material.

9. The outdoor robot operation tool interaction station (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, At least one radar reflection target (211, 212, 213) is made into an angular radar reflector formed as an open pyramid having three wall sides (214a, 214b, 214c) and one open side (215).

10. An outdoor robot working tool (100), adapted to a forward travel direction (D) and comprising a control unit (110), a charging receiving arrangement (156) and at least one radar transceiver (170), the charging receiving arrangement being adapted to make electrical contact with a charging transmission arrangement (210) of an outdoor robot working tool charging station (200), the radar transceiver being adapted to transmit signals (180a, 181a) and to receive reflected signals (180b, 181b) that have been reflected by at least one object (182; 211, 212, 213), wherein, The control unit (110) is adapted to identify a radar detection originating from reflected signals (180b, 181b) received and reflected by at least one radar reflection target (211, 212, 213) located at an outdoor robot work tool interaction station (200), and the control unit is adapted to control the movement of the outdoor robot work tool (100) such that the outdoor robot work tool moves towards the outdoor robot work tool interaction station (200) based on information obtained by the radar transceiver (170), and wherein the control unit (110) is adapted to distinguish between different outdoor robot work tool interaction stations (200) by comparing the configuration of the radar detection with different predetermined unique configurations of the radar reflection targets (211, 212, 213) associated with the corresponding outdoor robot work tool interaction stations (200), such that the control unit (110) is able to identify a specific outdoor robot work tool interaction station (200) among at least two outdoor robot work tool interaction stations (200).

11. The outdoor robot working tool (100) according to claim 10, wherein, The outdoor robot work tool interaction station (200) is an outdoor robot work tool charging station, wherein the control unit (110) is adapted to control the movement of the outdoor robot work tool (100) such that the outdoor robot work tool moves to a position at the outdoor robot work tool charging station (200) where the charging reception arrangement (156) makes electrical contact with the charging transmission arrangement (210), enabling the outdoor robot work tool (100) to receive a charging current from the outdoor robot work tool charging station (200).

12. The outdoor robot working tool (100) according to claim 10 or 11, wherein, The control unit (110) is adapted to identify a radar detection originating from reflected signals (180b, 181b) received and reflected by at least two radar reflection targets (211, 212, 213) by comparing the configuration of the radar detection with a predetermined configuration of the radar reflection targets (211, 212, 213).

13. The outdoor robot working tool (100) according to claim 10, wherein, The outdoor robot work tool (100) includes at least one navigation sensor arrangement (175), and the navigation sensor arrangement includes a beacon navigation sensor and / or a satellite navigation sensor.

14. The outdoor robot working tool (100) according to claim 13, wherein, The control unit (110) is adapted to identify a radar detection originating from reflected signals (180b, 181b) received and reflected by at least one radar reflection target (211, 212, 213) by comparing the calculated position of the radar reflection target (211, 212, 213) with a predetermined position of the radar reflection target (211, 212, 213).

15. The outdoor robot working tool (100) according to claim 13 or 14, wherein, The control unit (110) is adapted to: calibrate the position of the outdoor robot work tool interaction station (200) based on the determined position of at least one radar reflection target (211, 212, 213) located at the outdoor robot work tool interaction station (200).

16. A method used in an outdoor robotic work tool (100), the outdoor robotic work tool being adapted to a forward travel direction (D) and including at least one radar transceiver (170), wherein the method includes: Transmitting (S100) a signal; And Receiving (S200) reflected signals (180b, 181b), wherein the transmitted signal (180a, 181a) has been reflected by at least one object (182; 211, 212, 213); Wherein, the method includes: Identifying (S300) a radar detection originating from the received reflected signals (180b, 181b) that have been reflected by at least one radar reflection target (211, 212, 213) located at an outdoor robotic work tool interaction station (200), Controlling (S400) the movement of the outdoor robotic work tool (100) such that the outdoor robotic work tool moves towards the outdoor robotic work tool interaction station (200) based on the information obtained through the radar transceiver (170), and Distinguishing between different outdoor robotic work tool interaction stations (200), which is achieved by comparing the configuration of the radar detection with different predetermined unique configurations of radar reflection targets (211, 212, 213) associated with the corresponding outdoor robotic work tool interaction station (200), such that a specific outdoor robotic work tool interaction station (200) can be identified among at least two outdoor robotic work tool interaction stations (200).

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The outdoor robotic work tool interaction station is an outdoor robotic work tool charging station (200) including a charging transfer arrangement (210), the outdoor robotic work tool including a charging receiving arrangement (156), wherein the method includes making electrical contact between the charging receiving arrangement (156) and the charging transfer arrangement (210) such that the outdoor robotic work tool (100) can receive a charging current from the outdoor robotic work tool charging station (200).

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein, The method includes identifying (S300) a radar detection originating from the received reflected signals (180b, 181b) that have been reflected by at least two radar reflection targets (211, 212, 213), which is achieved by comparing the configuration of the radar detection with the predetermined configuration of the radar reflection targets (211, 212, 213) (S310).

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The outdoor robotic work tool (100) uses at least one navigation sensor arrangement (175) having a beacon navigation sensor and / or a satellite navigation sensor.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The method includes identifying (S300) a radar detection originating from the received reflected signals (180b, 181b) that have been reflected by at least one radar reflection target (211, 212, 213), which is achieved by comparing the calculated position of the radar reflection targets (211, 212, 213) with the predetermined position of the radar reflection targets (211, 212, 213) (S320).

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, wherein The method includes calibrating the position of the outdoor robot operation tool interaction station (200) according to the determined positions of at least one radar reflection target (211, 212, 213) located at the outdoor robot operation tool interaction station (200).

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