Robotic Tool Display for Perimeter Setup and Start Point Mapping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic tools lack efficient methods for determining and setting accurate start points and perimeter boundaries for operating areas, which can lead to inefficiencies and incomplete coverage during operation.
Innovation Solution
An external device with a display and electronic processor that communicates wirelessly with robotic tools, allowing users to set start points and adjust boundaries using an initiate setup button and add start point button, utilizing odometry data to calculate and display perimeter lengths and positions, enabling precise robotic tool operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If robotic tools operate without accurate start point and perimeter boundary determination, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision and measurement precision deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a boundary wire as an intermediary element that physically defines the perimeter boundary of the operating area. This wire acts as a mediator between the robotic tool and the environment, providing a simple yet effective reference for the tool to detect and follow, thereby achieving accurate boundary determination without complex sensing systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-establishing the perimeter boundary using boundary wires before the robotic tool begins operation. The boundary is defined in advance through physical installation of wires, and start points are predetermined, allowing the tool to simply follow these pre-set references during operation rather than determining them dynamically.
2Productivity
If robotic tools use simple boundary detection methods, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity and coverage completeness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The boundary wire serves as an intermediary that enables the robotic tool to efficiently detect and follow the perimeter boundary. This simple wire-based approach provides clear directional guidance to the tool, ensuring complete coverage of the operating area while maintaining low system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex electronic boundary detection systems with a simple mechanical wire-based boundary definition. The physical wire provides tactile and electromagnetic guidance to the robotic tool, substituting sophisticated sensors and algorithms with a straightforward mechanical reference that the tool can easily follow.
3Productivity
If multiple start points are established along the perimeter, then productivity is improved through optimized operation, but device complexity and ease of operation worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the operating area into multiple segments, each with its own start point along the perimeter. This allows the robotic tool to operate more efficiently by starting from optimally positioned locations rather than a single fixed point, reducing travel time and improving coverage efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple start points are established in advance along the perimeter boundary, allowing the system to pre-determine optimal starting locations for different operating scenarios. This preliminary configuration enables the tool to select the most appropriate start point based on current conditions without requiring complex real-time decision-making.
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 accurate and efficient setting of start points and perimeter boundaries, ensuring complete coverage and optimized operation of robotic tools within defined areas.
Implementation Method 1
the first robotic garden tool includes an odometry unit, which, while the first robotic garden tool travels along the boundary of the operating area, gathers data indicative of the position of the first robotic garden tool
Data Source
AI summary
An external device for use with one or more robotic tools, the external device including a display and an electronic processor, where when an initiate setup button is selected by a first user input, the processor is configured to send a signal to the first robotic garden tool to travel from a dock and along a perimeter of an operating area. When the add start point button is selected by a second user input, the processor is configured to retrieve a first position of the first robotic garden tool, the first position being indicative of a first start point remote of the dock, and where the first robotic garden tool is configured to return to the dock after traveling along the perimeter and to communicate a calculated boundary length based on the data gathered by the odometry unit to the processor.