Riding Lawn Mower Obstacle Sensing for Speed and Direction Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manned mowers lack effective safety measures to ensure user deceleration and obstacle avoidance, potentially leading to accidents due to user inattention or failure to react in time.
Innovation Solution
A manned mower equipped with a sensing device to detect obstacles, a controller to adjust speed or direction based on sensed information, and an alert device to prompt the user, with automatic deceleration or direction change if no user response is detected within a preset time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sensing device and automatic control system are added to detect obstacles and adjust traveling speed, then driving safety and obstacle avoidance capability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing device detects obstacles in advance before the mower reaches them, and the controller pre-adjusts traveling speed or activates alert devices before collision risk becomes critical. This preliminary detection and preparation allows safety improvements without requiring complex real-time emergency response systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing device continuously monitors the environment and feeds obstacle information back to the controller, which then adjusts traveling speed or activates alert devices. This closed-loop feedback system improves safety through automatic adaptation while keeping the control architecture relatively simple and manageable.
2Reliability
If the controller automatically adjusts traveling speed or direction when obstacles are detected, then collision risk is reduced, but user flexibility and control autonomy are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements partial automation by providing multiple levels of intervention: alert devices first (less intrusive), then automatic speed adjustment (more intrusive). This graduated approach allows collision avoidance while preserving user flexibility for non-critical situations.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller dynamically adjusts its level of intervention based on obstacle characteristics and situation severity. The system transitions from passive alerting to active control only when necessary, maintaining user flexibility for routine operations while ensuring safety when needed.
3Reliability
If alert devices are activated to remind users of obstacles, then user awareness and reaction time are improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alert devices are activated periodically or event-driven based on obstacle detection rather than continuously. The controller monitors sensing device output and triggers alert devices only when obstacles are detected, providing user awareness improvements while minimizing unnecessary energy consumption during obstacle-free operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a manned mower. The 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 configured to sense an obstacle in the traveling direction of the manned mower. The controller is configured to estimate 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. Through the preceding technical solutions, the manned mower with an early warning function and an automatic obstacle avoidance function can be provided, thereby providing the user with more flexibility and ensuring driving safety.