Mower Blade Position Adjustment for Obstacle Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mowers are unable to effectively cut grass in areas near obstacles like walls, resulting in uncut grass remaining due to a design clearance that prevents the blade from reaching these areas.
Innovation Solution
A mower design featuring a cutting part, a machine body with a cover, and a state control system that adjusts the position of the cutting part and cover to reach grass in areas previously inaccessible, using detection systems like image sensors or contact sensors to navigate around obstacles and cut grass in desired directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a clearance is provided between the blade and the cover, then safety is improved by keeping the blade out of reach, but the cutting capability deteriorates as grass near walls cannot be reached
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is made movable relative to the cover, transitioning from a fixed clearance configuration to a dynamic configuration where the blade can extend toward the cover when needed. This allows the system to adapt between safety mode (blade retracted) and cutting mode (blade extended), resolving the contradiction between safety and cutting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The clearance parameter between the blade and cover is made variable rather than fixed. The control unit adjusts the blade position parameter dynamically, increasing the clearance when safety is prioritized and decreasing it when cutting capability is needed, thus resolving the contradiction through parameter optimization.
2Reliability
If the blade position is fixed to maintain safety clearance, then safety is improved, but the adaptability deteriorates as the mower cannot handle different cutting scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The blade positioning system transitions from static to dynamic, allowing real-time adjustment of blade position based on detected obstacles and cutting requirements. This enables the mower to adapt to various scenarios (grass near walls, open areas, different obstacle types) while maintaining safety through controlled blade movement only when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection unit provides feedback about obstacles and grass conditions to the control unit, which then adjusts the blade position accordingly. This feedback loop enables adaptive behavior where the blade position is continuously optimized based on real-time environmental information, resolving the contradiction between fixed safety clearance and cutting adaptability.
3Productivity
If the blade is moved closer to the cover to cut grass near obstacles, then cutting capability is improved, but safety deteriorates by reducing the protective clearance
Solution Approach 1:
The blade clearance is made dynamically adjustable rather than permanently reduced. The blade moves closer to the cover only when the detection unit identifies grass near obstacles that requires enhanced cutting capability, and returns to the safe retracted position when not needed, thus achieving improved cutting capability without permanent safety compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade position adjustment occurs periodically or event-driven based on detection unit input, alternating between safe retracted position and extended cutting position. This periodic adjustment allows the system to achieve enhanced cutting capability temporarily when needed while maintaining safety as the default state, resolving the contradiction between cutting capability and safety.
Data Source
AI summary
A mower includes: a cutting part which is able to cut grass; a machine body which includes the cutting part and a cover configured to cover the cutting part from above; and a state control part which controls a state of at least one of the cutting part and the cover such that at least one of grass in a space provided between the cutting part and the cover and grass outside the cover is able to be cut in the cutting part in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied.