Robot Mower Marker Triangulation for Wire-Free Boundary Setup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot mowers require significant user labor to set operation areas, as they need to be guided along boundaries to store position information, which is inefficient and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A robot mower equipped with cameras, sensors, and an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) that uses triangulation to acquire and store position information of markers, allowing it to autonomously determine its movement direction and set operation areas without physical barriers, reducing user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the robot mower uses physical barriers (wires) to define the operation area, then the boundary detection is reliable, but the device complexity and user labor increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical physical barrier system (wires) with an optical detection system using cameras and image processing. The robot mower captures images of the environment, detects markers or boundary features through image analysis, and determines its position and operation area boundaries without mechanical contact, thereby eliminating the need for physical barriers while maintaining boundary detection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital representation (map) of the operation area by capturing images and detecting marker positions. This digital map serves as a copy of the physical space, allowing the robot to navigate and define boundaries through information processing rather than physical structures, reducing device complexity and user labor
2Device complexity
If the robot mower is guided manually along the boundary to store position information, then the operation area can be set without physical barriers, but the user labor and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the robot mower to autonomously perform the operation area setup process. The robot independently captures images, detects markers, calculates its position using triangulation, and stores boundary information without requiring manual guidance. This self-service capability eliminates user labor and time consumption while maintaining the ability to set operation areas without physical barriers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements automatic marker detection and position calculation that occurs proactively during the robot's normal operation. The system continuously captures images and processes boundary information in advance, so the operation area is already established and stored before the robot begins mowing, eliminating the need for separate manual setup time
3Device complexity
If the robot mower uses manual guidance to set the operation area, then the setup can be done without physical barriers, but the ease of operation decreases due to user intervention requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the robot mower self-sufficient in the operation area setup process. The robot autonomously captures images, detects markers, calculates positions through triangulation, and stores boundary information without any user intervention. This dramatically improves ease of operation while maintaining the benefit of not requiring physical barriers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous image capture and marker detection that provides real-time feedback to the robot's navigation system. The robot monitors its own position relative to markers and automatically adjusts its understanding of the operation area boundaries, enabling autonomous setup without user intervention and improving ease of operation
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
The solution significantly reduces user labor in setting operation areas by enabling the robot mower to autonomously acquire and update position information, allowing it to operate efficiently within defined boundaries without the need for physical barriers.
Implementation Method 1
a survey unit that acquires position information of a marker by triangulation using an image obtained by capturing the outside by the camera and movement information acquired by a sensor
Data Source
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AI summary
An automatic operation vehicle that automatically performs an operation in an operation area is provided. The vehicle includes a moving direction determination unit configured to determine a moving direction of the vehicle, an image analysis unit configured to extract a marker included in an image captured by a camera provided on the vehicle, and a survey unit configured to acquire, by triangulation, position information of the marker extracted by the image analysis unit. When the survey unit starts acquiring the position information of the marker, the moving direction determination unit determines, as the moving direction, a direction in which the vehicle does not come into contact with the marker, and an angle difference with respect to a direction from a current position of the vehicle to the marker is smaller than 90°.