Coordinated Lawn Mower Robots to Prevent Redundant Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic lawn mower robots often waste resources by cutting areas that have already been mowed, especially when multiple robots are used on large lawns, as they continue to operate unnecessary cutting and movement motors, leading to battery discharge.
Innovation Solution
An electronic system comprising remote memory units and lawn mower robots equipped with sensors, a localization module, and a data transceiver module that optimizes lawn cutting strategies by using ambient and position data to prevent re-cutting of already mowed areas, with features like satellite GPS, shear force sensors, and stereoscopic video cameras to adapt movement paths in real-time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple automatic lawn mower robots are used simultaneously on large lawns, then the productivity of lawn cutting is improved, but the loss of energy increases due to re-cutting already mowed areas
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback through sensors that detect already-cut grass areas and transmit this information to the central controller. The controller then adjusts the movement paths of multiple robots in real-time based on this feedback, preventing them from re-cutting areas that have already been mowed by other robots. This feedback mechanism resolves the contradiction by enabling high productivity through multiple robots while eliminating energy waste from redundant cutting operations.
Solution Approach 2:
A central controller acts as an intermediary between multiple lawn mower robots, coordinating their movements and assigning optimal paths. The controller receives data from sensors on each robot about the state of the lawn and distributes updated cutting paths to prevent overlap. This intermediary coordination enables multiple robots to work simultaneously at high productivity while avoiding the energy waste of re-cutting, as the controller optimizes the distribution of cutting tasks across all robots.
2Ease of operation
If multiple automatic lawn mower robots operate autonomously without coordination, then the ease of operation is improved, but the loss of time increases due to redundant cutting operations
Solution Approach 1:
The central controller serves as an intermediary that maintains autonomous operation while coordinating multiple robots. Each robot continues to operate autonomously on its assigned path, but the controller periodically updates these paths based on sensor feedback about already-cut areas. This intermediary coordination eliminates time waste from re-cutting while preserving the ease of autonomous operation, as robots receive updated instructions without requiring manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback loops where sensors continuously monitor the lawn state and report to the central controller, which then redistributes cutting tasks to eliminate redundant operations. This feedback mechanism allows robots to maintain autonomous operation while dynamically adjusting their paths to avoid re-cutting, thereby reducing time loss without compromising operational simplicity.
3Measurement precision
If traditional lawn mowers require continuous user control, then the measurement precision of cutting quality is improved, but the loss of time increases due to continuous user monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service through autonomous robots equipped with sensors and a central controller that automatically monitor and adjust cutting operations. The sensors detect cutting quality parameters and the controller makes real-time adjustments to robot paths and cutting parameters without user intervention. This self-service capability maintains high measurement precision for cutting quality while eliminating the time loss associated with continuous user monitoring, as the system autonomously optimizes its own performance.
Data Source
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Figure 3
AI summary
An electronic system comprising a remote memory unit (200) and a plurality of lawn mower robots (100) remotely accessing the remote memory unit (200), each comprising: - at least one motor (101) designed to allow the movement of the robot in a substantially automatic manner; - grass cutting means (102), positioned in a position substantially in contact in use with a turf to be cut; and - a plurality of sensors (103, 104, 110) comprising at least contact or proximity sensors (103), fixed on the body of the lawn mower robot (100) designed to identify the presence of obstacles around the lawn mower robot (100); - a localisation module (105), allowing the geographical localisation of the lawn mower robot (100) inside an area (A) by the acquisition of position data (109), the localisation module (105) being electronically interfaced with the at least one motor (101) and selectively controlling the switching ON and OFF; and - a data transceiver module (106), designed to allow the sending of electronic ambient data (107, 108, 109) towards the remote memory unit (200); and wherein the strategy for moving the plurality of lawn mower robots (100) is defined at least according to combined parameters stored in the remote memory unit (200) and/or the electronic ambient data (107, 108, 109) and/or according to a position datum (109) adopted by the lawn mower robot (100) in the area (A).