Lawnmower Handle Displays for Real-Time Drive and Obstacle Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lawnmowers lack an effective display system to provide operators with real-time information about operating conditions, such as tilt, obstacle detection, and turning direction, leading to operator fatigue and reduced operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A drive-by-wire system with integrated display devices on operator handles that provide visual and audible feedback on the lawnmower's operational status, including tilt, obstacle detection, and turning conditions, enhancing operator awareness and reducing fatigue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If no display system is provided on the lawnmower, then the device complexity is reduced, but the operator awareness of operating conditions deteriorates leading to fatigue and reduced efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The display system is segmented into multiple independent display units distributed across different operator handles and control levers. Each display unit can independently show relevant information for its location, allowing operators to receive information at multiple points without requiring a single complex centralized display system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces display units as intermediary devices between the lawnmower's control systems and the operators. These displays act as mediators that translate complex operational data into simple visual indicators, providing information without requiring direct complex interaction between operators and the control systems.
2Ease of operation
If display devices are integrated on operator handles, then operator awareness and feedback are enhanced, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The display units are designed as universal components that can be mounted on multiple different operator interfaces including handles, control levers, and other operator-accessible locations. This multi-functionality allows the same display component to serve various operational contexts without requiring custom-designed displays for each location, simplifying manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The display system allows for parameter changes in terms of display location, orientation, and configuration to accommodate different mounting positions on operator handles and controls. This flexibility enables adaptation to various manufacturing constraints and operator preferences without redesigning the fundamental display components.
3Measurement precision
If multiple display patterns are provided for different operating conditions, then the information provided to operators is more precise and useful, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different display patterns and information types are assigned to specific locations and operating conditions. Each display unit provides locally optimized information relevant to its position and the current operational context, such as showing tilt information when tilting is detected or obstacle warnings when obstacles are present, rather than displaying all possible information uniformly across all displays.
Solution Approach 2:
The display system implements feedback mechanisms where the displayed information changes dynamically based on detected operating conditions. Sensors detect conditions such as tilting, obstacles, and turning directions, and the display units provide real-time feedback by adjusting their patterns and content accordingly, creating a closed-loop information system that responds to operational state changes.
Data Source
AI summary
A display system for a drive-by-wire lawnmower having first and second motors can include first and second operator inputs configured to transmit a first and second motor signals, respectively, first and second displays mounted on the first and second operator inputs, respectively, and a controller. The controller can be configured for electrical communication with the first motor, the second motor, and in electrical communication with the first operator input, the second operator input, the first display, and the second display. The controller can be configured to determine a respective drive speed and a respective drive direction for each of the first motor and the second motor based on both of the first drive signal and the second drive signal, and cause the first display and the second display to present a predetermined pattern based on the first motor signal and the second motor signal.