Tracked Robotic Mower Obstacle Sensing for Safer Climbing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robotic lawn-mowers with wheel-type travel mechanisms face challenges in climbing, obstacle surmounting, safety, and maintenance due to friction, obstacle detection, and structural design limitations, particularly when transitioning to track-type mechanisms, which affect performance and safety.
Innovation Solution
A self-moving device with a track-type robotic lawn-mower design incorporating a housing, motor-driven tracks, sensors for obstacle detection, and a control module that adjusts movement to prevent collisions, along with structural features like track resist members and a lower gravity center to enhance climbing and obstacle surmounting capabilities, while ensuring safety and reducing maintenance issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a wheel-type travel mechanism is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the climbing and obstacle surmounting performance is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional wheel-type mechanical travel mechanism with a track-type mechanical system. The track mechanism, consisting of continuous tracks wrapping around drive and guide wheels, provides superior climbing and obstacle surmounting capabilities compared to conventional wheels, directly resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and terrain adaptability.
2Reliability
If a top cover is designed to completely cover the housing for safety, then operator safety is improved, but the climbing and obstacle surmounting performance is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the protective cover into a top cover and side covers, with the top cover providing safety protection while the side covers being selectively positioned. This segmentation allows the top cover to maintain operator safety by covering the housing, while the side covers can be adjusted or positioned to minimize interference with the track mechanism's climbing and obstacle surmounting operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the crawler is allowed to directly contact obstacles, then obstacle surmounting capability is improved, but run-over damage and collision damage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates an obstacle detection structure that performs preliminary detection of obstacles in the track's path before the track makes direct contact. This preliminary action allows the control system to detect obstacles and adjust the track's movement in advance, preventing run-over damage to obstacles and collision damage to the device itself, while still maintaining the ability to surmount legitimate terrain obstacles.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the gravity center is lowered to improve climbing performance, then climbing capability is improved, but the structural design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses the gravity center issue by utilizing the vertical dimension and the track system's inherent characteristics. The track mechanism, with its continuous contact surface and distribution of weight along the track length, naturally lowers the effective gravity center without requiring complex internal structural modifications. The track system's geometry and contact points with the ground provide inherent stability and climbing capability.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention provides 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.