Autonomous Riding Lawn Mower Control for Complete Lawn Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional riding lawn mowers require user operation, which is burdensome and can lead to inefficiencies in lawn mowing, with autonomous systems often failing to cover all areas effectively due to detection accuracy limitations.
Innovation Solution
A lawn mower with an autonomous traveling function, equipped with a traveling motor, mower motor, controller, lawn detection device, and position acquisition system, allowing for user-operated and autonomous driving modes by prioritizing mowing based on detected lawn conditions and self-position information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the lawn mower is equipped with autonomous traveling function using position acquisition device and lawn detection device, then work efficiency is improved and user burden is reduced, but detection accuracy limitations cause unmowed portions to be left behind or re-mowing of already mowed areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple detection devices (lawn detection device for detecting lawn conditions and position acquisition device for acquiring self-position information) with the controller that integrates their data. This merging of detection systems allows the lawn mower to make more accurate travel decisions by considering both lawn mowing status and position information together, rather than relying on a single detection method.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller dynamically adjusts the traveling route based on real-time detection information from the lawn detection device and position acquisition device. The system can adaptively change the mowing path to ensure all areas are covered, preventing both unmowed portions from being left behind and re-mowing of already mowed areas by continuously updating the travel plan based on current detection data.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the lawn mower is designed to support both user-operated and autonomous driving modes, then versatility and ease of operation are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is designed to perform multiple functions: it can control the traveling driver in accordance with user operations when a user is onboard, and simultaneously control the traveling driver to cause the lawn mower to travel autonomously based on detection information when operating in autonomous mode. This multi-functionality allows the same controller to handle both manual and autonomous operations without requiring separate control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
When operating in autonomous mode, the lawn mower serves itself by using the lawn detection device to detect lawn conditions and the position acquisition device to acquire self-position information, then the controller automatically determines the traveling route and controls the traveling driver without user intervention. The system performs the mowing task autonomously based on its own detection capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A lawn mower includes a traveling driver, a mower motor, and at least one controller. At least one controller is configured to control the traveling driver in accordance with an operation of a user getting on the lawn mower, control the traveling driver to cause the lawn mower to travel autonomously, on a basis of information detected on the lawn mower, and control the mower motor. The lawn mower includes a lawn detection device configured to detect a condition of a portion of lawn on a front side in a traveling direction, and a position acquisition device configured to acquire self-position information. The at least one controller controls the traveling driver in such a manner that the lawn mower preferentially travels on a portion of lawn that needs to be mowed.