132 results about "Robotic lawn mower" patented technology

The smart robotic lawn mowing system utilizes the ultrasonic and RF sensors installing on the mower base and stands to define the mowing region, to track the position of the robotic lawn mower base, and to control and monitor the mowing routs. The installed sensors form a network for the system to determine the relative distances in between stands and robotic lawn mower base, and therefore the mowing is done with a controlled manner. The sensors are coupled together, and users, based on the application of the invention, can define the mowing sequences of the mowing zones, the areas of the mowing zones, and the mowing routes. The control of the mower may be wireless and users are able to monitor and modify the settings with a computer, a cell phone, and a tablet through wireless network, a wifi, and an internet.

The present invention relates to an automatic grass-cutting robot for mowing lawn. It is characterized by that said automatic grass-cutting robot includes the following several portions: robot self-body, grass-cutting mechanism, control system and sensor unit. Said invention also provides the working principle of said automatic grass-cutting robot and its concrete operation method.

The flexible robotic lawn mower utilizes the ultrasonic sensor nodes installing on the border, inside the lawn yard, and outside the lawn yard, to define the lawn yard region, to detect the position of the robotic lawn mower base, and to program the mowing route and grass cutting depth. The system allows the users to freely vary the mowing regions and locations, and therefore provide the maximum flexibility.

A method and an electronic search system for operating an automatic device, preferably an automatic lawnmower. The system comprises at least one first electrical cable (1,4,5,6) connected to at least one first signal generator (3,7,8) and at least one sensing system arranged on said device. Said sensing system detects at least one magnetic field being transmitted via said cable (1,4,5,6) and propagating through the air, the sensing system transmitting a processed signal to at least one driving element which contributes to the movements of said device in relation to a surface.

An apparatus for cutting grass in a cut area delimited by a perimeter, the perimeter being defined by the presence of regions of grass surface, comprises a lawn-mower and a lawn-mower-recovery base, the lawn-mower comprising a motor unit, a cutting device, the lawn-mower-recovery base being disposed along the perimeter with an accessible aperture allowing the entry of the lawn-mower moving along it, the lawn-mower further comprising a proximity sensor able to detect the presence of a grass surface, a control unit associated with the sensor, the control unit being configured to detect the perimeter, the control unit being configured to determine a condition of alignment of the lawn-mower with the perimeter, the control unit being operatively connected to the motor unit to cause a displacement of the lawn-mower along the same perimeter, to operate the return of the lawn-mower into the lawn-mower-recovery base.

The present invention relates to a method and an electronic search system for operating an automatic device, preferably an automatic lawnmower. The system comprises at least one first electrical cable (1, 4, 5, 6) connected to at least one first signal generator (3, 7, 8) and at least one sensing system arranged on said device. Said sensing system detects at least one magnetic field being transmitted via said cable (1, 4, 5, 6) and propagating through the air, the sensing system transmitting a processed signal to at least one driving means which contributes to the movements of said device in relation to a surface. Said search system comprises means by which the first signal generator (3, 7, 8) of the present invention transmits a current through said first cable (3, 7, 8), said current during a part of time being is in a state of rest where it is substantially constant, said state periodically being interrupted by at least one first characteristic current pulse.

The invention provides an intelligentized precision automatic hay mower and a control device thereof. According to the intelligentized precision automatic hay mower and the control device thereof, a direct current accumulator serves as the power source, computer image processing, distributed beacon location, laser scanning displacement and angle measurement, ultrasonic distance measurement, wireless communication and intelligentized track movement control are combined together in an organic mode, the functions of precision location, automatic deviation rectification, track control, automatic anticollision and the like are achieved, and the purposes of lawn beautifying, energy conservation and environmental friendliness are achieved. The intelligentized precision automatic hay mower and the control device thereof are ingenious in structure, low in production cost, friendly in interface, convenient to operate, capable of saving energy, environmentally friendly and suitable for conducting finishing mowing on land parcels of medium-sized lawn or small-sized lawn.

A robotic mower navigation system includes a plurality of sensors on a robotic mower that detect strength and polarity of a magnetic field from an electric current through a boundary wire. An electronic control unit receives data concerning the magnetic field from the plurality of sensors as the robotic mower follows the boundary wire, tracks the data provided by the sensors, compares the data with a reference pattern that defines at least one specified feature of the boundary wire, and provides commands to the robotic mower based on the comparison. The electronic control unit may command the robotic mower to follow a second boundary wire to a remotely located charging station instead of the first boundary wire based on detected features of the boundary wire such as sharp corners or crossings.

A robotic mower home finding system includes a charging station connected to an outer boundary wire loop, and a vehicle control unit on the robotic mower that directs a traction drive system to drive the robotic mower along a path offset a specified distance from an outer boundary wire loop toward the charging station. The vehicle control unit changes the specified distance randomly or incrementally so that the robotic mower does not take the same path to the charging station each time.

The invention discloses an automatic lawn mower for moving and mowing in a preset working area. At least part of the boundary of the working area is a physical boundary. The automatic lawn mower is provided with a physical boundary signal generator, a physical boundary signal receiver and a controller. A first boundary signal is reflected when the first boundary signal reaches the physical boundary. The controller determines the distance between the automatic lawn mower and the physical boundary after the physical boundary receiver receives the reflected first boundary signal. Therefore, additional boundary arrangement is omitted, and the cost is low.

At least some embodiments of the present invention disclose a robotic lawn mowing system coupled with boundary stands to control and to monitor the moving of the robotic lawn mower. The robotic lawn mower uses boundary stands to identify the lawn boundary, to determine the position of the robotic lawn mower in a lawn, and to define the mowing routes. The ultrasonic and RF devices are placed on the robotic lawn mower and on the boundary stands. Based on the disclosed technology, users can define and design the mowing routes to mow the lawn according to their preferences. The control of the robotic lawn mower may be wireless, and users may monitor and control the robotic lawn mower with a computer, a cell phone, or a tablet through a wireless network.

An automated lawn cutting and vacuum system is disclosed. The system includes an automated lawnmower comprising a mower housing. A control panel provided on the mower housing automatically controls the mowing, driving and steering functions of the automated lawnmower.

The invention discloses an automatic mowing system which comprises an automatic mowing machine and a boundary device. The boundary device comprises a plurality of wireless emitters, and rays emitted by the wireless emitters are taken as boundary lines to form a closed or basically closed polygon by surrounding so as to define a working area. Consequently, a user is enabled to quickly replacing or changing the working area.

The present invention proposes a profound user-mower interaction, which enables the user to teach a robotic lawn mower for improving its visual obstacle detection. The main idea of the invention is that the user can show some typical obstacles from his garden to the mower. This will increases the performance of the visual obstacle detection. In the simplest scenario the user just places the mower in front of an obstacle, and activates the learning mechanism of the classification means (module) of the mower. The increasing use of smart devices such as smart phones or tablets enables also more elaborated learning. For example, the mower can send the input image to the smart device, and the user can provide a detailed annotation of the image. This will drastically improve the learning, because the mower is provided with ground truth information.

The invention discloses an automatic mowing system which comprises a stop station and an automatic mowing machine. The automatic mowing machine comprises a controller and a storer, a working program is stored in the storer, and the controller executes the working program after receiving a starting instruction input by a user to control the automatic mowing machine to automatically repeat mowing work and return to the stop station for charging until receiving a stop instruction. Consequently, the automatic mowing system does not need the user to input working parameters and is low in cost.

The invention relates to an autonomous lawn mower comprising a control unit in electrical connection with electrical connection means, and at least one replaceable part. The electrical connection means is located such that connection and disconnection of the electrical connection means and its counterpart of the replaceable part can be performed when replacing the replaceable part. The module for such autonomous lawn mower can replace the replaceable part of the lawn mower and comprises a signal generation unit and a counterpart for the electrical connection means of the lawn mower for transmitting electrical signals to a control unit of the autonomous lawn mower. The autonomous lawn mower forms an autonomous lawn mower system together with the module.

An autonomous lawn mower, comprising a traveling frame provided with traveling wheels, a motor holding member for vertically moving while holding a cutter blade driving motor, a vertical driving member vertically moving the motor holding member, and one of a vertical driving motor or a manual driving mechanism, the vertical driving motor electrically driving the vertical driving member, the manual driving mechanism manually driving the vertical driving member, the frame including a support portion for supporting the vertical driving member, a motor mounting portion for mounting the vertical driving motor, and a manual driving mechanism mounting portion for mounting the manual driving mechanism, and, when the frame is viewed from above, the motor mounting portion and the manual driving mechanism mounting portion are positioned in different phases around the support portion.

The present invention provides a precise automatic lawnmower distributed beacon laser positioning and trajectory control system. In the aspect of hardware, a distributed communication structure formed by an RS485 bus and a radio frequency module is employed, each module internal algorithm runs independently, the data traffic of the system is reduced greatly, the communication block is eliminated, and the system processing speed is improved. In the aspect of software, the functions of laser automatic scanning, distributed beacon distance measurement, motion trend judgment, ultrasonic distance measurement, wireless communication, trajectory control, automatic collision prevention are combined together, the precise automatic mowing function of the intelligent precise automatic lawnmower is realized, and the requirements of beautifying a lawn and the purpose of saving energy and protecting environment are achieved through intelligent precise and automatic lawn mowing. The system is also applicable to the automatic navigation and track control of an automated guided vehicle (AGV).

The invention regards an autonomous working machine comprising drive means, current position estimation means, control means including a driving control unit and a camera. With aid of the current position estimation means the current position of the autonomous working machine is estimated. Furthermore, the driving control unit generates driving commands for the driving means on the basis of an intended movement of the autonomous working machine and the estimated current position. The camera is configured to capture images of the environment of the working machine. For estimating the current position, the current position estimation means is formed by the control means, which is configured to apply visual odometry on the captured images for estimating the current position of the working machine.

The invention relates to self-driven equipment, in particular to an automatic mower with drive and control systems. The automatic mower comprises a shell, wheels supporting the shell, a driving device arranged on the shell and used for controlling the automatic mower to move, a cutting device, obstacle detection devices and a control device, wherein the control device is connected with the driving device and the obstacle detection devices and is used for controlling the driving device to move the automatic mower when the obstacle detection devices receive the information indicating existence of obstacles; and the driving device comprises a driving motor which drives one or two of a pair of parallel wheels in an operable manner. The automatic mower has the advantages of low cost and light weight and is efficient and energy-saving.

The invention discloses a 360-degree all-around obstacle detection mechanism and an intelligent hey mower with the 360-degree all-around obstacle detection mechanism. The 360-degree all-around obstacle detection mechanism and the intelligent hey mower with the 360-degree all-around obstacle detection mechanism are simple in structure, high in detecting sensitivity and capable of precisely detecting obstacle information in the horizontal moving process and being automatically controlled to turn through feedback information. The technical problems that an automatic hey mower existing in the prior art is small in obstacle information detecting range, the phenomenon of turning misjudgment and rotating on site is prone to occurring, and mowing efficiency and normal use are seriously influenced are solved. The 360-degree all-around obstacle detection mechanism comprises a base and an obstacle detecting cover arranged above the base, the obstacle detecting cover is hinged to and horizontally supported on the base through a plurality of hinge rods, a displacement sensor connected with a controller is arranged on the base, a displacement testing rod pointing to the obstacle detecting cover is arranged on the displacement sensor, a displacement conduction pipe is arranged on the obstacle detecting cover, and the displacement testing rod extends into the displacement conduction pipe.

The present invention presents a method and system for an autonomous mower attached with a camera, wherein the control of the parameters of the camera and the control of the mower movement and grass detection are optimized holistically during operation. The present invention mitigates the camera sensing limits by adapting the movement speed of the mower. Furthermore, the camera control optimizes the visibility of grass by using the grass mask of a grass segmentation to calculate updated exposure, gain and aperture values only from grass pixels. The grass segmentation tracks changes in the grass color that are caused by illumination differences. Optionally, the system is equipped with a head light used to further improve the camera signal quality in conjunction with the control of the camera parameters and the movement speed of the mower.

A method for autonomous mower navigation includes receiving a return-to-zero encoded signal including a pseudo-random sequence, transforming the received signal to a non-return-to-zero representation, digitally sampling the non-return-to-zero signal representation in a time domain, filtering the sampled signal utilizing a reference data array based on the return-to-zero encoded signal to produce a filter output, and determining a location of the autonomous mower relative to a defined work area based on an evaluation of the filter output.

The present invention relates to an airflow management system, particularly for a lawn mower, especially a robotic lawn mower. We describe a battery-operated robotic lawn mower with an active airflow management system, said active airflow management system comprising: at least one first air vent (303) positioned on an underside of said mower; at least one second air vent (302); an internal housing surrounding a motor (102); a fan (201); and at least one cooling air channel located within said housing and around said motor. An air flow path is defined between the first (303) and the second (302) vents; and said at least one second vent (302) has a lower air flow capacity than an air flow capacity of said at least one cooling air channel, such that in operation, a greater volume of air is drawn through the first vent (303) than the second. (302)

An autonomous lawn mower (100) comprises a mower body (102) having at least one motor (210) arranged to drive a cutting blade (212b) and to propel the mower body (102) on an operating surface via a wheel arrangement. The mower body (102) includes a navigation system (204) arranged to assist a controller (202) to control the operation of the mower body (102) within the predefined operating area (208). The navigation system includes an odometry module (106, 220), a rotatable optical surveying module (222), a sonic obstacle detection module (224), a heat absorbing unit set on the outer surface of the mower body (102) for directing the heat generated within the mower body towards the atmosphere, and a detachable docking module (816) arranged to receive the mower body (102).

The invention discloses an automatic hay mower. The automatic hay mower comprises a hay mower body capable of automatically walking in the hay mowing boundary range, a motor arranged in the hay mower body, a hay mowing device arranged at the bottom of the hay mower body and connected with the motor in a transmission mode and a first control element. The first control element is used for controlling the moving direction of the hay mower body, and when the front end of the hay mower body is close to the hay mowing boundary, the first control element controls the hay mower body to turn. The automatic hay mower further comprises a hay mowing device arranged at the front end of the hay mower body and a second control element used for controlling the working state of the hay mowing device. When the front end of the hay mower body is close to the hay mowing boundary, the second control element controls the hay mowing device to work. By means of the automatic hay mower, the lawn with the mowing dead corner on the hay mowing boundary can be effectively mowed, the haw mowing efficiency is improved, and convenience is brought to users.

A system and method for an autonomous lawn mower comprising a mower body having at least one motor arranged to drive a cutting blade and to propel the mower body on an operating surface via a wheel arrangement, wherein the mower body includes a navigation system arranged to assist a controller to control the operation of the mower body within a predefined operating area.

An automatic mower includes a shell, a mowing device, a driving device, a motor device, a boundary line signal detection device, an energy storage battery used for supplying power to the motor device,and a control device. The energy storage battery comprises multiple battery units, the battery units are arranged in series and the voltage of the energy storage battery units is higher than the safevoltage. The control device is used for controlling the battery units in the energy storage battery to be connected in series in order to supply power to the motor device after the voltage of the energy storage battery units is higher than the safe voltage. According to the automatic mower, the control device is used for controlling the battery units in the energy storage battery to be connectedin series in order to supply power to the motor device after the voltage of the energy storage battery units is higher than the safe voltage, therefore, the effect of reducing the work current of themotor device is achieved, the interference of the motor device to the boundary signal detection device is effectively reduced, and it is ensured that the automatic mower can normally work. The invention further provides an automatic mower system.