Robot Mower Turning Control for Largest Unmowed Areas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robot mowers operate inefficiently due to low work efficiency and often leave unmowed regions or fail to cut grass to a sufficient height, leading to unsatisfied user requirements.
Innovation Solution
A control method for a robot mower that detects boundaries and obstacles, calculates a turning angle to target the largest unmowed region, and moves towards it, using low-precision navigation to efficiently cover unmowed areas by determining the unmowed region with the largest area based on grid coverage and grass height data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the robot mower moves randomly in the lawn, then the navigation system is simple, but the work efficiency is low and mowing duration is long
Solution Approach 1:
The robot mower uses a visual sensor to detect grass height in real-time and feeds back this information to the controller. The controller processes the visual data to identify unmowed regions and adjusts the movement path accordingly, creating a closed-loop feedback system that improves mowing efficiency without requiring complex pre-programmed navigation
Solution Approach 2:
The robot mower autonomously identifies its own unmowed regions using onboard visual sensors and automatically adjusts its path to target these regions. The system serves itself by detecting grass height variations and independently determining optimal mowing paths without external intervention or complex centralized control
2Duration of action of moving object
If the robot mower operates for a long time to cover all regions, then more area is mowed, but unmowed regions remain and grass height is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The robot mower performs preliminary detection of grass height using visual sensors before completing the mowing task. By identifying unmowed regions in advance through visual feedback, the system can adjust its path proactively to target these areas, ensuring complete coverage and sufficient grass cutting height before the mowing duration ends
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical or time-based mowing control with vision-based detection and intelligent path planning. Instead of relying on fixed-duration operation or simple random movement, the system uses visual feedback to dynamically adjust movement paths, substituting mechanical randomness with intelligent, perception-driven navigation
3Measurement precision
If the robot mower uses high-precision positioning, then mowing accuracy is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes complex mechanical or electronic positioning systems with a vision-based detection system. The visual sensor captures images of the lawn, and the controller processes these images to identify unmowed regions and calculate optimal paths, achieving effective positioning precision without requiring sophisticated hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses affordable visual sensors and simple image processing algorithms instead of expensive high-precision positioning hardware. The approach accepts that individual position measurements may have limitations, but achieves overall mowing accuracy through continuous visual feedback and adaptive path adjustment, utilizing simpler, more cost-effective components
Data Source
AI summary
A control method for a robot mower includes controlling the robot mower to work within a lawn having a plurality of unmowed areas, and controlling the robot mower to turn upon detecting either a boundary of the lawn or an obstacle. When controlling the robot mower to turn, the method includes obtaining a target position determined according to the unmowed region with the largest area. The method then calculates a turning angle of the robot mower according to a current position and a current orientation of the robot mower and the target position; controls the robot mower to turn according to the turning angle; and control the robot mower to move forward.