Outdoor Power Equipment Presence Detection for Obstacle-Aware Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current autonomous navigation systems for outdoor power equipment, such as robots used for lawn mowing and snow blowing, face challenges in efficient area coverage, ease of setup, and effective obstacle avoidance within domestic and outdoor environments.
Innovation Solution
A mobile outdoor power equipment machine equipped with a drive system, a working apparatus, and a scanning system that uses sensors to detect physical elements, determine their proximity, and assess whether they are animate beings, allowing the machine to adjust its behavior accordingly for enhanced navigation and obstacle avoidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional control systems are used for autonomous navigation, then the system structure is simple, but the navigation efficiency and obstacle avoidance capability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation system is segmented into multiple functional modules: scanning system for environmental detection, control system for decision-making, and drive system for execution. This modular segmentation allows each component to specialize in specific tasks, improving overall navigation efficiency while maintaining manageable system complexity through clear functional separation.
Solution Approach 2:
A control system acts as an intermediary between the scanning system and drive system. The control system processes detection data from the scanning system and generates appropriate navigation commands for the drive system, enabling intelligent obstacle avoidance and path planning without requiring direct complex interaction between sensing and actuation components.
2Measurement precision
If basic scanning systems are used, then the device complexity is low, but the obstacle detection precision and animate being identification capability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sensing capabilities are merged into a single scanning system that can detect various physical elements and distinguish between animate beings and inanimate objects. This integration allows the system to achieve high detection precision for different target types without requiring separate specialized sensors for each function, thereby managing complexity through unified design.
Solution Approach 2:
The scanning system is designed with multi-functionality to perform various detection tasks: identifying physical elements, determining their proximity, classifying them as animate or inanimate, and providing spatial information. This universal scanning system replaces multiple specialized sensors, achieving comprehensive detection precision while avoiding the complexity of maintaining separate sensor systems.
3Productivity
If simple navigation algorithms are used, then the ease of operation is high, but the area coverage efficiency and task completion quality are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation system implements self-service through autonomous path planning and adaptive obstacle avoidance. The control system automatically processes environmental data from the scanning system and generates navigation commands without requiring manual intervention or complex user configuration, thereby achieving high area coverage efficiency while maintaining ease of operation through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-planning navigation paths and pre-identifying obstacles before executing movement. The scanning system continuously surveys the environment ahead, and the control system prepares navigation decisions in advance, enabling efficient area coverage while reducing the need for complex real-time user input or setup procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile outdoor power equipment machine for performing a controlled task within a work area includes a drive system for providing movement of the machine, a working apparatus for performing the task, and a scanning system for scanning an area surrounding the machine. The scanning system is configured to provide detection of physical elements in the environment to aid in navigation of the machine. In an embodiment, the scanning system and a control system are configured to scan the area, determine the presence of a physical element in the area, determine that the physical element is located within the work area, determine the proximity of the physical element to the machine, and direct a behavior of the machine.