Autonomous Lawn Robot Stuck Detection With Two-Stage Confirmation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Autonomous mobile green area processing robots face challenges in efficiently detecting and addressing stuck situations, leading to unnecessary energy consumption and logic capacity usage, as existing methods lack a reliable two-stage detection mechanism to confirm stuckness before initiating countermeasures.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that monitor for stuck presumption criteria, change the robot's movement, and confirm stuckness using specific criteria, allowing for a targeted and energy-efficient initiation of stuck countermeasures, such as adjusting the processing height and movement direction, to free the robot without user intervention.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a single-stage detection method is used to detect stuck situations, then the detection speed is fast, but the reliability of stuck detection is low leading to unnecessary countermeasure initiation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereliability of stuck detectionVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The stuck detection process is segmented into two distinct stages: a first presumption stage that quickly identifies potential stuck situations using initial criteria, and a second confirmation stage that verifies actual stuckness before triggering countermeasures. This segmentation allows the system to filter out false positives while maintaining efficient energy consumption by only performing comprehensive checks when initially suspected.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If a two-stage detection mechanism is implemented to confirm stuckness, then the reliability of detection is improved, but the logic capacity and response time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereliability of stuck detectionVSAvoidlogic capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary assessment in the first stage by evaluating presumption criteria before committing to the more resource-intensive second stage. This preliminary action filters out non-stuck situations early, reducing the overall logic capacity required while maintaining high detection reliability through the two-stage verification process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4381924A1Method and system for operating an autonomous mobile green area processing robot
Publication Date: 2024.06.12 ANDREAS STIHL AG & CO KG
  • EP4381924A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4381924A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4381924A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for operating an autonomous mobile green space maintenance robot (1), wherein the green space maintenance robot (1) has a drive system (2), the drive system (2) being configured to move the green space maintenance robot (1), the method comprising the steps of: a) monitoring whether a stuck-presumption criterion (SPC) is met, wherein the stuck-presumption criterion (SPC) is characteristic of a presumed stuckness of the green space maintenance robot (1), b) if the stuck-presumption criterion (SPC) is met, operating the drive system (2) to change the movement (RO) of the green space maintenance robot (1) and monitoring whether a stuck-confirmation criterion (SCC) is met, wherein the stuck-confirmation criterion (SCC) is that the change in movement (RO) does not occur, and c) if the The stuck-confirmation criterion (FBK) is met.Initiating a stuck-countermeasure (PC) of the green space maintenance robot (1).