Tracked Robotic Lawn Mower Cover for Safe Obstacle Climbing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robotic lawn-mowers with wheel-type travel mechanisms struggle with climbing and obstacle surmounting on complex terrains, and track-type mechanisms face issues with safety, friction, and maintenance due to increased mass and speed, leading to potential damage and operational inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A track-type robotic lawn-mower design incorporating a housing with a motor, moving module with tracks, control module, and sensors for obstacle detection, along with structural features like track resist members and a frame module to support the travel mechanism, ensuring safety and improved performance on complex terrains.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a top cover completely covers the housing to prevent contact with cutting elements, then safety is improved, but the track-type travel mechanism's climbing and obstacle surmounting performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The top cover is divided into a fixed portion and a movable portion. The movable portion can rotate between a protective position (covering the housing to prevent contact with cutting elements) and a retracted position (allowing track contact with obstacles). This segmentation allows the system to switch between safety mode and obstacle surmounting mode, resolving the contradiction between safety and climbing performance.
2Reliability
If the track-type robotic lawn-mower is provided with close-range obstacle detection structure, then safety is improved by preventing run-over damage, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The obstacle detection function is merged with the existing top cover structure. The movable portion of the top cover acts as both a protective shield and an obstacle detection element. When the movable portion contacts an obstacle, it rotates to trigger a sensor, providing obstacle detection capability without adding separate detection structures, thus improving safety while minimizing complexity increase.
3Loss of energy
If the bottom part of the housing is at a distance from the ground to reduce friction, then friction resistance is reduced, but safety deteriorates as human contact with cutting elements becomes possible
Solution Approach 1:
The top cover is segmented into fixed and movable portions. The movable portion can rotate to a protective position that extends downward to cover the housing and prevent human contact with cutting elements. This maintains the elevated bottom part of the housing for reduced friction while providing active safety protection when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The top cover transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one with a movable portion that can rotate between protective and retracted positions. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt between safety mode (cover extended) and obstacle surmounting mode (cover retracted), resolving the contradiction between safety and operational performance.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the track is exposed to contact with obstacles for good obstacle surmounting capability, then climbing performance is improved, but harmful factors increase due to potential run-over damage and blade contact with obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The movable portion of the top cover is positioned to provide preliminary protection before the track contacts an obstacle. When an obstacle is detected or contacted, the movable portion rotates to a protective position in advance, preventing the track from directly contacting the obstacle and reducing the risk of run-over damage and blade contact damage while maintaining obstacle surmounting capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A self-moving device, including: a housing, provided with a motor; a moving module, including a track, the track, driven by the motor, moving the self-moving device; a working module; a control module, configured to control movement of the moving module and working of the working module; and a first sensor and a second sensor, configured to detect an obstacle in a moving direction of the self-moving device. The first sensor is configured to detect a first area in the moving direction, the second sensor is configured to detect a second area in the moving direction, and the first area and the second area are arranged perpendicular to the moving direction. The control module controls a moving manner of the self-moving device according to sensing results of the first sensor and the second sensor.