Robotic Lawnmower Navigation in Satellite-Shadowed Areas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robotic lawnmowers face challenges in navigating with high accuracy, especially in areas with many structures or foliage, where satellite navigation is disrupted, leading to reduced positional accuracy and inefficient operation.
Innovation Solution
The robotic lawnmower system employs a combination of satellite navigation, deduced reckoning, and object sensors to navigate to reference objects with known positions, allowing it to confirm its location and continue operating even in satellite shadowed areas by using deduced reckoning sensors and object sensors to determine its position and adjust navigation accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the robotic lawnmower uses satellite navigation sensor for operation, then navigation accuracy is improved, but it cannot operate properly in satellite shadowed areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines satellite navigation sensor, deduced reckoning sensor, and object sensor into an integrated navigation system. The controller merges data from multiple sensors to determine position, allowing the robotic lawnmower to maintain navigation accuracy in satellite shadowed areas by switching to or supplementing with deduced reckoning and object-based positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces reference objects with known positions as intermediary elements in satellite shadowed areas. The robotic lawnmower navigates to these reference objects using deduced reckoning, confirms its position relative to them using object sensors, and uses this confirmed position to recalibrate and continue operation, thus mediating the navigation problem in areas without satellite coverage.
2Reliability
If the robotic lawnmower navigates to reference objects using deduced reckoning sensor, then it can operate in satellite shadowed areas, but navigation accuracy may deteriorate over distance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by having the robotic lawnmower navigate to reference objects, detect them using object sensors, and confirm its position based on the known position of the reference object. This confirmed position serves as feedback to recalibrate the deduced reckoning system, correcting any drift that occurred during navigation in the satellite shadowed area.
3Measurement precision
If the robotic lawnmower frequently confirms position using reference objects, then navigation accuracy is maintained, but operation time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by having the robotic lawnmower navigate to reference objects only when needed - specifically when satellite coverage is unavailable or when navigation accuracy needs verification. The system determines whether to initiate a reference object navigation based on satellite signal availability, thus performing the position confirmation action only partially rather than continuously, minimizing time loss while maintaining accuracy when required.
Data Source
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Figure 4B~4C
AI summary
A method for use in a robotic lawnmower system (200) comprising a robotic lawnmower (100) arranged to operate in an operational area (205) based on the satellite navigation sensor (175), determining (520) that the robotic lawnmower (100) is in a satellite shadowed area and in response thereto querying (530) the map application (120A) for a reference object, and navigate (540) to the reference object based on the deduced reckoning sensor (180), determining (550) that the reference object has been reached based on the object sensor (185) and, if so, confirming (560) a new position of the robotic lawnmower (100), determining that the robotic lawnmower (100) is not in the satellite shadowed area and in response thereto again operate (570) based on the satellite navigation sensor (175).