Manned Mower Obstacle Sensing and Speed-Direction Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manned mowers lack effective obstacle detection and avoidance systems, leading to potential collisions and user injuries due to uncontrolled movements during impacts.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a sensing device and controller to estimate obstacle information, adjust traveling speed or direction, and trigger alerts or maneuvers to avoid obstacles, along with a clutch and buffer assembly to manage impact forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If no sensing device or obstacle detection system is installed, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability and user safety deteriorate due to potential collisions and uncontrolled movements during impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing device detects obstacles in advance before the mower reaches them, allowing the controller to prepare and execute avoidance maneuvers proactively. This preliminary detection and response preparation ensures collision prevention while maintaining system reliability without requiring overly complex real-time reaction mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing device continuously provides feedback about obstacle presence and position to the controller. This feedback loop enables the controller to adjust traveling speed and direction in real-time, maintaining reliable obstacle avoidance while managing system complexity through intelligent control algorithms rather than mechanical complexity.
2Reliability
If automated obstacle avoidance control is implemented, then user safety improves, but the ease of operation deteriorates as the user loses direct control
Solution Approach 1:
The mower performs self-protection by automatically detecting obstacles and executing avoidance maneuvers without requiring user intervention. The sensing device and controller work together to enable the system to protect itself and the user, maintaining safety while simplifying operation. The user retains ultimate control through the ability to override or disable the automated system if needed.
3Reliability
If sensing device and automated control are added, then collision prevention improves, but the manufacturing cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing device and controller serve multiple functions: obstacle detection, distance measurement, avoidance maneuver control, and user alerting. By making these components multi-functional, the patent achieves high operational reliability without proportionally increasing system complexity. The same hardware infrastructure supports multiple safety and control functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing device and controller are integrated into the existing mower system, combining obstacle avoidance functionality with the traveling mechanism and power supply system. This merging approach allows the patent to achieve reliable automated obstacle prevention while minimizing the increase in device complexity by sharing existing system resources and infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A manned mower includes a vehicle body on which a support portion for supporting a user is mounted; a traveling mechanism including traveling wheels for supporting the vehicle body and a traveling motor for driving the traveling wheels to rotate; a power supply device including at least one battery pack for supplying power to the traveling motor; a controller for controlling the operation of the traveling motor; and a sensing device that senses an obstacle in the traveling direction of the manned mower. The controller estimates information related to the obstacle based on the output of the sensing device and adjust the traveling speed or direction of the manned mower when the information satisfies a preset condition.