Path-Based Mower Deck Lifting at Turns and Boundaries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mowers with liftable mower decks lack efficient path-based control systems to predictively lift and lower decks during turns and boundary crossings, leading to suboptimal cutting performance.
Innovation Solution
A control system integrates lift instructions into path data to automatically manage mower deck lifting based on predefined paths, using GPS coordinates, orientation, and speed data to predictively lift decks at turns and boundaries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If mower decks are manually lifted during turns and boundary crossings, then cutting performance is improved, but operator intervention and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control system processes path data in advance to identify turns and boundary crossings, then predictively lifts mower decks before the mower actually reaches those locations. This preliminary action allows the system to prepare for upcoming maneuvers, ensuring optimal cutting performance without requiring reactive manual intervention, thereby reducing time consumption.
2Ease of operation
If path data is processed to automatically identify lift locations, then operator workload is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system automatically processes path data to identify turns and boundary crossings, and autonomously generates lift instructions without requiring operator intervention. The system serves itself by using its own path data to determine when and where to lift mower decks, reducing operator workload while the automation handles the complexity internally.
3Productivity
If mower decks are lifted predictively based on path data, then cutting efficiency is improved, but control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system uses path data to predictively identify upcoming turns and boundary crossings, then lifts mower decks in advance before the mower reaches those locations. This preliminary action enables smooth, efficient cutting operations without abrupt maneuvers, improving cutting efficiency while the system manages the control complexity through automated path processing.
4Extent of automation
If lift instructions are integrated into path data, then automation level is improved, but processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control system automatically processes path data to generate lift instructions, integrating these instructions directly into the path data structure. The system serves itself by using its own processing capabilities to create and execute the lift instructions, achieving high automation level while managing processing requirements through efficient path data analysis.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are provided for path-based mower deck lifting. A mower can include a control system that is configured to receive path data defining a path that the mower should traverse to cut an area of grass. The path data can include lift instructions that define where within the path the mower decks should be lifted. The control system can use the path data to cause the mower to traverse the path and to predictively cause the mower decks to be lifted at the defined locations within the path.