CN112690081B

CN112690081B - Automatic mower

Info

Publication number: CN112690081B
Application number: CN201911011054.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 保罗·安德罗
Original assignee: Positec Power Tools Suzhou Co Ltd
Current assignee: Positec Power Tools Suzhou Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-10-23
Filing date: 2019-10-23
Publication date: 2023-06-06
Anticipated expiration: 2039-10-23
Also published as: WO2021078220A1; CN112690081A; DE202020005783U1

Abstract

The invention relates to a robotic lawnmower for movement and operation within a work area, comprising: a housing; the walking module drives the shell to move; a cutting module; the control module is connected with the walking module and the cutting module and used for controlling the automatic mower to move and work; the control module controls the cutting module to move outwards from the first position to the second position, and the cutting module works at the second position to form a cutting area. The beneficial effects of the invention are as follows: cutting to the edge is achieved without adding a cutting module.

Description

Automatic mower

Technical Field

The invention relates to a robotic mower and a cutting device thereof.

Background

Along with development of scientific technology, intelligent self-mobile devices are well known, and because the self-mobile devices can automatically preset programs to execute preset related tasks without manual operation and intervention, the self-mobile devices are widely applied to industrial applications and household products. Common self-moving devices can help users to complete indoor floor cleaning, outdoor garden maintenance and the like.

As intelligent garden equipment, a robotic mower generally works on a lawn, a user sets a working area of the robotic mower, and the robotic mower detects a relative positional relationship with the working area so as to keep the robotic mower in the working area and prevent the robotic mower from moving out of a boundary. The cutting mechanism of the automatic mower is generally a blade and other elements, and in the process of mowing by high-speed movement of the cutting mechanism, the cutting mechanism of the automatic mower and the outer edge of the automatic mower have a safe distance in order to avoid damage to human bodies or other objects. That is, when the robotic lawnmower walks over the work area boundary, including the obstacle boundary, there is still a distance between the cutting mechanism and the actual boundary that creates an area on the lawn that the robotic lawnmower cannot cut, requiring secondary treatment by the user.

Disclosure of Invention

To overcome the defects in the prior art, the invention aims to provide a robotic mower capable of cutting to the edge of a working area.

The technical scheme adopted for solving the problems in the prior art is as follows:

a robotic lawnmower for movement and operation within a work area, comprising: a housing; the walking module is arranged on the shell and drives the shell to move; a cutting module mounted to the housing; the control module is connected with the walking module and the cutting module and used for controlling the automatic mower to move and work; the control module controls the cutting module to move horizontally outwards from a first position to a second position, and the cutting module works at the second position to form a cutting area.

In one embodiment, the cutting area does not exceed the housing in the width direction and is at a distance of 2 cm or less from the outside of the housing.

In one embodiment, the cutting area extends beyond the housing in the width direction.

In one embodiment, the first position is spaced from the housing by 8 cm or more in the width direction.

In one embodiment, the control module controls the cutting module to be inactive during movement of the cutting module.

In one embodiment, in the second position, the control module controls the operation of the cutting module based on the received user control signal.

In one embodiment, the robotic lawnmower includes a communication module for receiving the user control signal.

In one embodiment, the control module controls the cutting module to move outwardly from a first position to a second position based on the user control signal.

In one embodiment, in the second position, the control module interrupts control of the cutting module to stop working based on the user control signal.

In one embodiment, the robotic lawnmower includes a edgewise mode in which the control module controls the robotic lawnmower to move along a work area boundary with the second position toward outside the boundary.

In one embodiment, in the edge mode, the control module controls the cutting module to move to the second position and controls the cutting module to operate.

In one embodiment, in the first position, the control module controls the cutting module to operate or not.

In one embodiment, the cutting module includes a blade for cutting.

In one embodiment, the blade is a metallic material.

In one embodiment, the cutting module includes a cutterhead for mounting the blade.

In one embodiment, the robotic lawnmower includes a movable assembly that moves the cutting module.

In one embodiment, the movable assembly includes a guide portion mounted to the housing, and a movable portion coupled to the guide portion, and the control module controls the movable portion to move along the guide portion.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the beneficial effects that:

the cutting module of the robotic lawnmower is movable between a first position and a second position, and when the robotic lawnmower is required to cut a lawn at the edge of the work area, the cutting module is moved outwardly from the first position to the second position such that the cutting module is closer to the edge of the work area to facilitate finishing the trimming operation. When the automatic mower finishes cutting the edge of the working area, the cutting module moves inwards from the second position to the first position so as to ensure the working safety of the automatic mower. Thus, the robotic lawnmower of the present invention can achieve cut-to-edge without adding a cutting module.

Drawings

The above-mentioned objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention can be achieved by the following drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an automated working system of one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a robotic lawnmower according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a robotic lawnmower according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a robotic lawnmower according to one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

As shown in fig. 1, the automatic working system of the present embodiment includes a robot lawnmower 1, a boundary line 3, and a docking station 5. Wherein the working area boundaries 3 are used to limit the working area of the robotic work system, the robotic mower 1 walks and works within or between the working area boundaries 3, and the docking station 5 is used for docking the robotic mower 1 or for energizing the robotic mower 1.

The working area boundary 3 is an inner boundary or an outer boundary comprising the working area. The outer boundary is the outer periphery of the entire working area, typically end-to-end, closing the working area. The inner boundary may be an isolation region boundary set by the user in the work region, or may be a region where the automatic mower 1 cannot operate, such as an obstacle in the work region. The working area boundary 3 can be solid or electronic, and can be formed by objects in gardens such as walls, fences, rails and the like; a virtual boundary signal, such as an electromagnetic signal or an optical signal, may be emitted by the boundary signal generating means; the boundary may also be defined by relative or absolute coordinates, or the surface of the work area may be identified by the robotic lawnmower 1 such that the robotic lawnmower 1 remains within the work area.

As shown in fig. 2, the robotic lawnmower 1 includes a walking module 20, a boundary detection module (not shown), an energy module (not shown), a cutting module 30, a control module 50, and the like, and is mounted to the housing 10.

The energy module is used for providing energy for various operations of the automatic mower 1, and comprises a rechargeable battery and a charging structure, wherein in the embodiment, the charging structure is a charging electrode plate which can be exposed outside the automatic mower 1. In other embodiments, the charging structure may be other contact type charging electrodes, or may be a non-contact type induction coil.

The control module 50 is used for controlling the automatic walking and working of the automatic mower 1, and the functions performed by the control module include controlling the cutting module 30 to start working or stop working, generating a walking path and controlling the walking module 20 to receive an environment signal detected by the automatic mower 1 according to walking, judging the electric quantity of the energy module and timely controlling the automatic mower 1 to return to the docking station 5 for automatic docking and charging, etc.

The walking module 20 is used for driving the automatic mower 1 to walk in a working area, and consists of a wheel set arranged on the shell 10 and a walking motor for driving the wheel set. In this embodiment, the wheel set includes a driving wheel connected to the travel motor and an auxiliary wheel mainly serving as an auxiliary support. The number of driving wheels is two, which are positioned at the rear part of the shell 10, each driving wheel is connected with a walking motor, and the number of auxiliary wheels is one or two, which are positioned at the front part of the automatic mower 1. In other embodiments, the wheelset includes four drive wheels coupled to a travel motor to provide sufficient drive force for the robotic lawnmower 1 to accommodate complex terrain.

The boundary detection module is used for detecting the relative position relationship between the automatic mower 1 and the boundary 3 of the working area, and specifically may include one or more of coordinates, distance, angle and internal and external orientations of the boundary of the working area. The boundary detection module may be composed of various components and principles, such as infrared, ultrasonic, collision detection, magnetic induction, etc., and may also be in the form of receiving positioning signals, such as satellite positioning. In this embodiment, the control module 50 controls the robotic mower 1 to move within the boundary 3 of the working area or controls the robotic mower 1 to move along the boundary 3 of the working area according to the signal detected by the boundary detection module.

The cutting module 30 is used for performing cutting tasks of the robotic lawnmower 1, including a cutting motor 41, a cutting assembly 43 driven by the cutting motor, and the like. The cutting assembly 43 includes a cutting element 45 that produces energy to cut grass when moving at high speed. In this embodiment, the cutting module 30 includes at least two positions: a first position 11 and a second position 13. In order to prevent injury caused by a person or animal contacting the cutting element 45 during operation of the cutting module 30, the first position 11 of the cutting module 30 is located inside the housing 10, and protection is achieved by the distance between the edge of the housing 10 and the cutting module 30, preventing the person or animal from extending sideways into contact with the cutting module 30. The second position 13 of the cutting module 30 is offset to the outside of the housing 10 relative to the first position 11. In operation at the second location 13, the cutting module 30 is able to cut substantially to the edge of the work area or completely to the edge of the work area, thereby reducing the manual edging effort by the user. The control module 50 controls the movement of the cutting module 30 from the first position 11 to the second position 13 based on the operating state of the robotic lawnmower 1 or a received external signal or the like.

As shown in fig. 2, the cutting module 30 is located in the first position 11, and as shown in fig. 3, the cutting module 30 is located in the second position 13. In one embodiment, when in the second position 13, the cutting module 30 is positioned within the housing 10 horizontally, closer to the edge of the housing 10 than the first position 11. Specifically, the distance between the cutting module 30 and the edge of the housing 10 is less than or equal to 2 cm. The cutting module 30 in this embodiment is located within the housing 10, and is capable of utilizing the housing 10 for a degree of safety protection and preventing the cutting element 45 from directly contacting a hard obstacle, thereby extending the useful life of the cutting element 45.

In one embodiment, when in the second position 13, the cutting module 30 is at least partially positioned outside the housing 10 in a horizontal direction. When the robotic lawnmower 1 is moved along the work area boundary 3 with the cutting module 30 facing outside the work area, the cutting module 30 can cut the grass off the edge of the work area boundary 3. In particular, when the robotic lawnmower 1 is moved along the obstacle edge, if the housing 10 is maximally closed to the obstacle edge, the cutting module 30 can completely cover the grass to the obstacle edge and cut it clean. The grass at the boundary of the working area may have a problem of falling to the outside, and the cutting module 30 of the present embodiment can solve the problem well.

In one embodiment, the control module 50 controls the cutting module to be located at the first position 11 under normal operation. In order to secure the operation of the cutting module 30, the first position 11 of the cutting module 30 is located within the housing 10. In the width direction, the distance between the cutting module 30 and the edge of the housing 10 is 8 cm or more, so that the user can not contact the cutting module 30 when the user stretches into the lower part of the housing 10 from the side, and the cutting module 30 can safely cut in the first position 11.

In one embodiment, to ensure the safety of the operation of the cutting module 30, the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to stop operating when the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to move from the first position 11 to the second position 13. Likewise, the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to stop working when the cutting module 30 moves from the second position 13 to the first position 11.

As shown in fig. 2, in one embodiment, the robotic lawnmower 1 includes a communication module 60 for receiving user control signals generated by the user device. If the structure of the cutting module 30 is not sufficient for safety of operation, the user may be at risk by touching the cutting element 45 of the cutting module 30 when the cutting module 30 is in the second position 13. In this embodiment, the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to operate based on the user control signal received by the communication module 60. The communication module 60 may be in the form of bluetooth communication, wi-Fi communication, or the like. The user device may be a cell phone, a portable computer or other portable handheld device. When receiving the user control signal sent by the user equipment, the distance between the automatic mower 1 and the user is within a preset range, and the automatic mower 1 can be ensured to be in a safe state by monitoring the distance by the user. Accordingly, the control module 50 controls the cutting module to operate at the second position 13 based on the user control signal, enabling the robotic lawnmower 1 to cut to the edge of the work area, and also improving safety. Optionally, the control module 50 controls the movement of the cutting module 30 from the first position to the second position based on a user control signal.

In one embodiment, if the control signal received by the control module 50 is interrupted, the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to stop working. The control signal interruption may specifically be that the time during which the communication module 60 cannot receive the control signal is longer than the preset interruption time. In this embodiment, the preset interruption time is less than or equal to 3 seconds. The preset interruption time may be 4 seconds, 5 seconds, etc. according to actual needs. Here, the case where the communication module 60 cannot receive the control signal includes that the user releases the key of the user device, or the user device loses connection with the robotic lawnmower 1, or the user device loses power, or there is an obstacle shielding between the user device and the robotic lawnmower 1, and so on.

In one embodiment, the robotic lawnmower 1 includes a edgewise mode in which the control module 50 controls the robotic lawnmower 1 to move along a preset path. The preset path includes the working area boundary 3 or other paths set. Optionally, in the edgewise mode, the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to move outwardly to the second position and controls the cutting module 30 to operate. When the robotic lawnmower 1 moves along the work area boundary 3, the second position is directed out of the work area, and the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to operate, the cutting module 30 is capable of cutting grass off the robotic work area boundary 3. Optionally, the control module 50 controls the initiation of the edgewise mode based on preset signals, including user control signals or in-zone cutting completion signals, etc.

In one embodiment, the control module 50 automatically controls the cutting module 30 to operate or not to operate when in the first position 11. While the cutting module 30 is maintained in the first position 11, the robotic lawnmower 1 is moved and cut within the work area in a manner well known to those skilled in the art and not described in detail herein. In this embodiment, the robotic lawnmower includes a cutting mode and a trimming mode, wherein in the cutting mode, the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to move to the first position 11, the robotic lawnmower 1 moves within the work area, and controls the cutting module 30 to operate; in the trimming mode, the control module 50 controls the cutting module to move to the second position 13, the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to work based on the user control signal, and controls the automatic mower 1 to move along the working area boundary 3 based on the detection signal of the working area boundary detection module, thereby completing the cutting of the working area boundary. The structure solves the problem of cutting edges on the basis of not adding a new cutting module, does not increase extra cost, and can not bring new technical problems due to the new cutting module.

In one embodiment, cutting element 45 is a blade. The working area of the robotic lawnmower 1 is a lawn, and in many cases a hard road surface, such as a roadway, sidewalk, fence, etc., surrounding one or more sides of the lawn. The more flexible cutting element 45 operates in these situations more easily resulting in breakage, while the blade toughness is relatively high and breakage does not easily occur. Further, the blade is a cutting element commonly used in the current automatic mower, and for the automatic mower, the cutting performance of the blade is good, and the automatic cutting work can be efficiently completed. Optionally, the blades are mounted on the cutterhead in a circumferentially distributed manner, and the blades are driven to rotate by rotation of the cutterhead to cut the lawn.

In one embodiment, the material of the blade is metal. Alternatively, the blade body and the blade edge portion are made of the same material, such as high speed steel, alloy steel, or the like. Alternatively, the blade body 110 is made of carbon steel or equivalent performance steel; blade 120 is made of high speed steel, alloy tool steel, or equivalent performance steel. The metal material enables the blade to meet the requirements of hardness, toughness and the like, and frequent replacement is avoided.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, the robotic lawnmower 1 includes a movable assembly 70 mounted below the housing 10, the movable assembly 70 being coupled to the cutting module 30. The control module 50 controls the movable assembly 70 to move at least in the horizontal direction, thereby driving the cutting module 30 to move in the horizontal direction.

In one embodiment, the movable assembly 70 includes a guide portion 71 and a movable portion 73, the guide portion 71 is mounted under the housing 10, and the movable portion 73 is coupled to the guide portion 71 to be movable under the guide of the guide portion 71. The cutting module 30 is mounted on the movable portion 73, and the control module 50 drives the cutting module 30 to move by controlling the movable portion 73. Alternatively, as shown in fig. 4, if the front space of the housing 10 is small, such as the walking module 20 includes four walking wheels, the guide portion 71 extends in the lateral direction, so that the movable portion 73 moves the cutting module 30 in the lateral direction to avoid contacting the walking module 20 or other structures. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, alternatively, if the front space of the housing 10 is relatively large, such as the traveling module 20 includes three traveling wheels, i.e., the front of the housing 10 includes 1 traveling wheel, the guide 71 may extend in the lateral direction or may extend in both the lateral and longitudinal directions.

In one embodiment, the guide portion 71 includes a guide rail, and fixing positions for fixing the moving member are formed at both ends of the guide rail at the first position 11 and the second position 13, respectively. The movable assembly 70 includes a guide motor for driving the movable portion 73 to move and stop. The control module 50 controls the position of the cutting module 30 by controlling the guide motor. In this embodiment, the guide rail is a linear guide rail, and the guiding motor is specifically a linear motor, so as to drive the movable portion 73 to linearly move along the guide rail. In other embodiments, the guide rail is a circular arc guide rail, and the movable portion 73 includes a swing rod, and the guiding motor drives the swing rod to drive the cutting module 30 to swing along the guide rail. It will be appreciated that the number of components,

in one embodiment, if the control module 50 receives the user control signal, the control module 50 controls the guiding motor to drive the interaction part to move, so that the cutting module moves from the first position 11 to the second position 13. The control module 30 controls the walking module 20 to walk along the working area boundary such that the second position 13 is toward the outside of the working area. In the second position, if the control module 50 is based on the received user control signal, the control module 50 controls the cutting module to perform cutting. In this embodiment, the user control signal may not be limited to the same signal, and may include the same signal or different signals.

In one embodiment, if the control module 50 receives a continuous user control signal, the control module controls the cutting module 30 to perform cutting, and if the user control signal is interrupted, the control module controls the cutting module 30 to stop cutting. Alternatively, if the time of interruption of the user control signal exceeds the preset time, the control module 50 controls the guiding motor to drive the interaction 73 not to move, so that the cutting module 30 moves from the second position 13 to the first position 11. Alternatively, if the time of interruption of the user control signal exceeds the preset time, the control module 50 controls the walking module 20 so that the robotic mower 1 returns to work in the work area or returns to the docking station 5, and the control module 50 automatically controls the robotic mower 1 to work in the work area.

In one embodiment, the robotic lawnmower 1 includes a height adjustment module for adjusting the ground clearance of the cutting module 30. In this embodiment, the height adjustment module includes a screw or cam adjustment mechanism or turbine adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height of the cutting motor 41 to maintain the height of the cutting module 30 at the first position 11 and the second position 13 consistent.

The above-described embodiments represent only a few embodiments of the present invention, and there are objectively unlimited possible structures due to the limited text expression, and it is also possible for a person skilled in the art to make several improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered as the protection scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present invention is to be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A robotic lawnmower for movement and operation within a work area, comprising:

a housing;

the walking module is arranged on the shell and drives the shell to move;

a cutting module mounted to the housing;

the control module is connected with the walking module and the cutting module and used for controlling the automatic mower to move and work; it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the control module controls the cutting module to move outwards from a first position to a second position, and the cutting module works at the second position to form a cutting area; in a cutting mode, the automatic mower moves in a working area, and the control module controls the cutting module to move to the first position and controls the cutting module to work; in the edgewise mode, the robotic lawnmower moves along a work area boundary, and the control module controls the cutting module to move to the second position and controls the cutting module to operate.

2. The robotic lawnmower of claim 1, wherein the cutting area does not extend beyond the housing in a width direction and is at a distance of 2 cm or less from the housing exterior.

3. The robotic lawnmower of claim 1, wherein the cutting area extends beyond the housing in a width direction.

4. A robotic lawnmower as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the first location is spaced from the housing by 8 cm or more in the width direction.

5. The robotic lawnmower of claim 1, wherein the control module controls the cutting module to be deactivated during movement of the cutting module.

6. The robotic lawnmower of claim 1, wherein in the second position, the control module controls operation of the cutting module based on received user control signals.

7. The robotic lawnmower of claim 6, comprising a communication module for receiving the user control signal.

8. The robotic lawnmower of claim 6, wherein in the second position, the control module controls the cutting module to cease operation based on the user control signal interrupt.

9. The robotic lawnmower of claim 6, wherein the control module controls movement of the cutting module from a first position to a second position based on the user control signal.

10. The robotic lawnmower of claim 1, comprising a limbed mode in which the control module controls the robotic lawnmower to move along a work area boundary with the second position toward outside of the work area.

11. The robotic lawnmower of claim 1, wherein the cutting module comprises a blade for cutting.

12. The robotic lawnmower of claim 11, wherein the blade is a metallic material.

13. The robotic lawnmower of claim 11, wherein the cutting module comprises a cutterhead for mounting the blade.

14. The robotic lawnmower of claim 1, comprising a movable assembly that moves the cutting module.

15. The robotic lawnmower of claim 14, wherein the movable assembly comprises a guide mounted to the housing, and a movable portion coupled to the guide, the control module controlling the movable portion to move along the guide.