Autonomous Lawn Mower Navigation With Multi-Sensor Terrain Adaptation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous lawn mowers face challenges in navigating diverse and complex garden landscapes due to unpredictability and varying terrain, leading to inadequate performance and reliance on manual control.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous lawn mower equipped with a navigation system that includes odometry, inertial measurement, optical surveying, sonic obstacle detection, and other sensors, which processes data to generate commands for movement and operation within a predefined area, allowing for autonomous navigation and grass cutting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If autonomous lawn mowers use basic navigation systems, then automation is achieved, but navigation performance deteriorates on diverse and complex garden landscapes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple navigation technologies (odometry, inertial measurement, optical surveying, sonic obstacle detection) into an integrated navigation system. This merging of different sensing and navigation methods allows the autonomous lawn mower to achieve reliable navigation performance across diverse garden landscapes while maintaining full automation, resolving the contradiction between automation extent and navigation reliability.
2Measurement precision
If a navigation system with multiple sensors is used, then navigation accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation system is designed as a multi-functional integrated system where a single navigation module performs multiple functions: odometry for position tracking, inertial measurement for orientation, optical surveying for environmental mapping, and sonic detection for obstacle avoidance. This multi-functionality approach achieves high measurement precision while managing device complexity by consolidating navigation capabilities into a unified system rather than separate independent components.
3Ease of operation
If manual control is used, then control precision improves on varying terrain, but labor effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous navigation system dynamically adapts to varying terrain conditions by processing real-time data from multiple sensors and adjusting navigation commands accordingly. The system can handle diverse landscape profiles, elevations, and obstacles autonomously, providing control adaptability comparable to manual operation while eliminating the need for continuous human intervention, thus maintaining high mowing efficiency without sacrificing control precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables the autonomous lawn mower to effectively navigate and cut grass in various terrain conditions, reducing manual intervention and improving performance by using a combination of sensors to accurately determine location and avoid obstacles.
Implementation Method 1
the navigation system 204 includes an optical surveying module 222 arranged to scan and survey the proximate area around the mower 100
Implementation Method 2
a sonic obstacle detection module 224 arranged to detect obstacles in the environment
Implementation Method 3
an inertial measurement unit 226 arranged to measure the force of movement of the mower
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
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. 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. The mower body further includes a height adjustment system arranged to assist the controller to restrict the operation of the cutting blade within a predefined operating height.