Robotic Garden Tool Virtual Boundary Creation Using Radar and GNSS
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic garden tools face challenges in creating accurate and efficient virtual boundaries within operating areas, requiring complex calculations and manual user intervention, which can be cumbersome and inaccurate, especially in complex environments like lawns with obstacles.
Innovation Solution
A communication system for robotic garden tools that includes a housing with wheels, wheel motors, and an electronic processor to determine relative distances and locations, generating virtual boundaries using data from cameras, millimeter wave radar, and RTK GNSS receivers, allowing the tool to be confined within the operating area without manual boundary definition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual boundary definition is used, then the robotic garden tool can be confined within operating area, but the process becomes cumbersome and inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic garden tool automatically determines its own locations and creates virtual boundaries without manual intervention. The electronic processor captures images, determines relative distances to objects, and generates waypoints autonomously, eliminating the need for users to manually define boundaries while maintaining high accuracy through multiple sensing modalities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical boundary definition with an automated vision-based system. Instead of physically marking boundaries or using mechanical guidance systems, the robotic tool uses cameras, millimeter wave radar, and electronic processors to detect objects, calculate distances, and generate virtual boundaries through computational methods.
2Measurement precision
If complex calculations are used for virtual boundary creation, then boundary accuracy improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The boundary creation process is divided into distinct functional modules: image capture by camera, distance measurement by millimeter wave radar, location determination by RTK GNSS, relative distance calculation by electronic processor, and waypoint generation. Each module handles a specific aspect of the task, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining accuracy through specialized processing at each stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces waypoints as intermediary elements between object detection and virtual boundary creation. The electronic processor determines relative distances to multiple objects, converts these to waypoint locations, and then uses the collection of waypoints to define the virtual boundary. This intermediary step simplifies the overall calculation by breaking down the complex boundary definition into manageable waypoint generation tasks.
3Reliability
If multiple sensing modalities are used, then navigation accuracy in complex environments improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensing modalities (camera for visual detection, millimeter wave radar for distance measurement, RTK GNSS for location tracking) into a unified navigation system. The electronic processor integrates data from all three sources to determine relative distances and generate waypoints, creating a robust multi-sensory system that maintains reliable navigation in complex environments while managing complexity through coordinated integration of complementary sensing technologies.
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
Enables efficient and accurate creation of virtual boundaries, allowing the robotic garden tool to operate autonomously within defined areas, reducing user intervention and improving navigation in complex environments.
Implementation Method 1
receive a location signal from a satellite and transmit calibration information regarding the location signal to the robotic garden tool
Implementation Method 2
data captured by a millimeter wave radar device
Implementation Method 3
images captured by a camera
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
A communication system may include a robotic garden tool with an electronic processor that may be configured to determine (i) a plurality of relative distances between the robotic garden tool and an object as the object moves in the operating area, and (ii) one or more locations of the robotic garden tool as the object moves in the operating area. The electronic processor may be further configured to determine a respective location of the one or more locations of the robotic garden tool at a respective time at which data was captured that allowed for the determination of each relative distance of the plurality of relative distances. A virtual boundary may be generated using each relative distance in combination with the respective location of the robotic garden tool at the respective time at which the data was captured that allowed for the determination of each relative distance.