Automatic Mower Auxiliary Cutting Control for Safe Boundary Trimming

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing automatic mowers struggle to completely trim the boundary around the working area while ensuring safety, as the high-speed rotating blades can cause injury and require a large protection distance, preventing effective cutting near the boundary.

Innovation Solution

The automatic mower incorporates a main cutting unit and an auxiliary cutting unit, with an electronic device that detects specific objects using sensors. Based on object detection, the mower switches to an obstacle working mode, reducing the cutting energy or stopping the auxiliary cutting unit to ensure safety and complete boundary trimming.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the blade on the cutter head rotates at a high speed to improve cutting efficiency, then the cutting performance is improved, but it may cause injury to people and requires a large protection distance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecutting efficiencyVSAvoidinjury risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting system is divided into two independent parts: a main cutting unit with high-speed rotating blades for efficient cutting, and an auxiliary cutting unit with low-speed rotating blades for boundary trimming. This segmentation allows each unit to operate at different speeds with different safety characteristics, resolving the contradiction between cutting efficiency and injury risk.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different cutting units are assigned different rotational speeds and cutting characteristics based on their specific functions. The main cutting unit uses high-speed blades for open area cutting, while the auxiliary cutting unit uses low-speed blades for boundary areas where safety is more critical. This local differentiation of cutting qualities resolves the contradiction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a large protection distance is maintained to ensure safety, then the injury risk is reduced, but the mower cannot cut the grass near the boundary

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinjury riskVSAvoidboundary trimming capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The rotational speed parameter of the cutting blades is changed based on the operating mode. The auxiliary cutting unit operates at a lower rotational speed when near boundaries, reducing the protection distance required and enabling safe boundary trimming, while the main cutting unit maintains high rotational speed for efficient cutting in open areas.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If the auxiliary cutting unit operates in normal working mode to maintain cutting efficiency, then the productivity is improved, but it may cause injury when specific objects are detected

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecutting efficiencyVSAvoidinjury risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The rotational speed of the auxiliary cutting unit is made dynamic rather than fixed. The control system adjusts the rotational speed in real-time based on sensor detection of specific objects. When objects are detected, the speed is reduced to a safe level; when no objects are present, the speed returns to normal for efficient cutting. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between productivity and safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

A feedback control system is implemented where sensors continuously detect the presence of specific objects and provide information to the control system, which then adjusts the rotational speed of the auxiliary cutting unit accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures that cutting efficiency is maintained when safe, while automatically reducing speed when safety risks are detected.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

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

This solution allows for complete trimming of the boundary while ensuring the safety of the mower and preventing potential injuries, by dynamically adjusting the cutting energy and operation mode based on detected objects.

Implementation Method 1

an electronic device that detects specific objects using sensors

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSensor detection:

Data Source

PatentUS20250181074A1Automatic mower, method and apparatus for operating and controlling same, and electronic device

Publication Date: 2025.06.05 POSITEC POWER TOOLS (SUZHOU) CO LTD

AI summary

An automatic mower includes a main cutting unit and an auxiliary cutting unit for trimming. The auxiliary cutting unit has a cutting range extending at least to be flush with a housing of the automatic mower. A method includes: detecting a specific object in a normal working mode of the auxiliary cutting unit; determining whether the specific object is detected; switching to an obstacle working mode based on at least the specific object being detected; and maintaining the normal working mode of the auxiliary cutting unit based on at least the specific object being not detected.