CN116849018A

CN116849018A - Automatic mower and method for controlling same

Info

Publication number: CN116849018A
Application number: CN202310925142.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 焦石平; 查霞红; 赵凤丽; 周晓青
Original assignee: Positec Power Tools Suzhou Co Ltd
Current assignee: Positec Power Tools Suzhou Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-09-27
Filing date: 2019-09-27
Publication date: 2023-10-10
Also published as: CN111601498A; CN111601498B; CN211240850U; WO2020063811A1

Abstract

A robotic lawnmower (100) and a method of controlling the robotic lawnmower (100), the robotic lawnmower (100) comprising: a body provided with a housing (101) and a traveling mechanism (102) for driving the body to move; a main mowing unit (103) positioned below the housing (101) and having a first cutting area (108); the trimming unit (104) is positioned outside the main mowing unit (103) and provided with a second cutting area (112) which is different from the first cutting area (108), and one side of the second cutting area (112) away from the first cutting area (108) is at least flush with the outer side surface of the shell (101) and/or partially exceeds the outer side surface of the shell (101); and a protective cover configured to cover at least a portion of the edging unit (104) located outside the housing (101) and/or a portion flush with an outer side surface of the housing (101) when the edging unit (104) is in an operating state. The automatic mower (100) and the method for controlling the automatic mower (100) can avoid injury to personnel when the trimming unit (104) works, and improve the safety of the automatic mower (100).

Description

Automatic mower and method for controlling same

The application relates to a robotic mower and a method for controlling the robotic mower, which are filed by the applicant in 2019, 09 and 27, and are divided application of Chinese patent application with the application number of CN201980006074.7

Technical Field

The present application relates generally to mower safety protection technology, and more particularly to a robotic mower having a protective guard and a method of controlling the robotic mower.

Background

Currently, some garden tools are commonly used in daily life. However, these tools often have sharp blades and other potentially harmful components to the operator, and thus safety issues for the operator must be considered in designing the tools so that the likelihood of injury from mishandling is minimized. Industry standards may also dictate safety regulations on some tools to ensure operator safety.

The automatic mower is a common garden tool, and most of the current automatic mowers can not cut the edge area of lawns and the like well, so that the whole mowing effect is not satisfactory. For this purpose, a trimming unit is added to the main mower unit, and the trimming unit is used for cutting the edge area of the lawn. However, since the trimmer unit is typically disposed outside of, or at least partially outside of, the mower housing, the trimmer unit causes its mower blade to be directly exposed to the exterior of the mower housing during operation, which is prone to injury to nearby persons.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, the present application provides a robotic mower and a method for controlling the same, so as to improve safety of the mower and avoid injury to personnel during operation of a trimming unit.

According to one aspect of the present application, there is provided a robotic lawnmower comprising:

the device comprises a body, a driving device and a control device, wherein the body is provided with a shell and a running mechanism for driving the body to move;

the main mowing unit is positioned below the shell and provided with a first cutting area;

an edging unit located outside the main mowing unit and having a second cutting area different from the first cutting area, a side of the second cutting area remote from the first cutting area being at least flush with and/or partially beyond the outer side of the housing;

and a protective cover configured to cover at least a portion of the edging unit located outside the housing and/or a portion flush with an outer side surface of the housing when the edging unit is in an operative state.

In one embodiment according to the application, the edging unit is capable of switching between an active state and an inactive state automatically or by means of manual operation.

In one embodiment according to the present application, the device further comprises a detection unit and a control unit, wherein the control unit is electrically connected with the detection unit and the trimming unit, and the control unit automatically controls the trimming unit to automatically switch between an operating state and a non-operating state according to a detection signal of the detection unit.

In one embodiment according to the present application, the portable electronic device further comprises a control unit, an operation unit provided on the housing, the control unit being electrically connected to the operation unit; when the operation unit receives a preset signal, the control unit controls the trimming unit to switch between a working state and a non-working state.

In one embodiment according to the present application, the wireless signal receiving device further comprises a control unit, a wireless signal receiving unit; wherein the wireless signal receiving unit is used for receiving a preset signal transmitted from a user terminal; the control unit is electrically connected with the signal receiving unit; when the signal receiving unit receives the preset signal, the control unit controls the trimming unit to switch between a working state and a non-working state.

In one embodiment according to the application, the preset signal is generated by a manual operation.

In one embodiment according to the application, the protective cover is configured to at least partially expose the edging unit when the edging unit is in a non-operative state.

In one embodiment according to the application, the protective cover comprises: a movable shroud configured to be switchable between an open state and a closed state, and to cover at least a portion of the edging unit located outside the housing and/or a portion flush with an outer side surface of the housing when the movable shroud is in the closed state.

In one embodiment according to the present application, the movable hood is configured to perform a rotational movement or a lifting movement in an axial direction of the edging unit to switch between an open state and a closed state.

In one embodiment according to the present application, the trimmer unit includes a mowing portion and a drive mechanism that drives the mowing portion in rotation.

In one embodiment according to the application, the movable shield is configured to rotate about a drive shaft of the drive mechanism to switch between the open state and the closed state.

In one embodiment of the present application, the device further comprises a gear set connected with the driving shaft of the driving mechanism, the movable shield is connected with the gear set, and the driving mechanism drives the driving shaft to rotate to drive the gear set to rotate, so as to drive the movable shield to rotate.

In one embodiment according to the application, the movable shield is arranged on the grass cutting part by a threaded connection and is configured to be helically rotatable around the grass cutting part for switching between the open state and the closed state.

In one embodiment according to the present application, the device further comprises a lifting mechanism arranged on the housing, the lifting mechanism comprises a lifting motor and a transmission mechanism, and the lifting motor drives the transmission mechanism to drive the movable shield to do lifting motion, so that the device is switched between the open state and the closed state.

In one embodiment according to the application, the transmission mechanism is a linkage mechanism.

In one embodiment according to the application, the front end of the movable shroud is configured in a comb-like structure.

In one embodiment according to the application, the protective cover further comprises: a stationary shroud configured such that when the movable shroud is in a closed state, the movable shroud and the stationary shroud cooperate to house the edging unit.

In one embodiment according to the application, the stationary shield is located inside the housing.

In one embodiment according to the application, the stationary shield is at least partially located outside the housing.

In one embodiment according to the application, the edging unit is arranged on the front, left or right side of the main mowing unit.

In one embodiment according to the application, the edging unit is operatively located outside the housing.

In one embodiment according to the present application, the trimming unit is disposed at an outer side of the housing through a connection structure, the protection cover is connected to the housing through a link mechanism, and the link mechanism is configured to be rotatable in a vertical direction to drive the protection cover to move in the vertical direction so as to cover the trimming unit when the trimming unit is in an operating state.

In one embodiment according to the application, the edging unit is arranged outside the housing by means of a mounting shaft, and the mounting shaft is configured in a telescopic configuration, the edging unit being retracted inside the housing in the retracted state; the trimmer unit protrudes outside the housing when the mounting shaft is in the extended state.

In one embodiment according to the application, the edging unit is operative at least partially inside the housing.

In one embodiment according to the present application, the trimming unit includes a mowing portion including a mowing element and a housing portion for housing and fixing the mowing element, and a driving mechanism driving the mowing portion to rotate, the housing portion being provided on a driving shaft of the driving mechanism.

In one embodiment according to the application, the drive mechanism and the receptacle are located at least partially inside the housing.

In one embodiment according to the application, the mowing element comprises a grass rope or a flail made of a metal material or a flexible material without cutting edges.

In one embodiment according to the application, the shield is of cylindrical or semi-cylindrical configuration.

According to another aspect of the present application there is provided a method of controlling mowing of a robotic lawnmower as described above, comprising:

switching the mower to a state of trimming the edge of the lawn;

when the trimming unit is in an operating state, the control protective cover covers at least the part of the trimming unit, which is positioned outside the shell, and/or the part of the trimming unit, which is flush with the outer side surface of the shell.

According to the automatic mower and the method for controlling the automatic mower, the protection cover is additionally arranged, and at least the part of the trimming unit located on the outer side of the shell and/or the part of the trimming unit flush with the outer side surface of the shell is controlled to be covered by the protection cover during trimming, so that injury to personnel during operation of the trimming unit can be avoided, and the safety of the automatic mower is improved.

Drawings

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present application will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the application, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a schematic top view of a robotic lawnmower according to a first embodiment of the application, with a movable shroud in an open state;

FIG. 1B is a schematic side view of the robotic lawnmower shown in FIG. 1A with the movable shroud in an open state;

FIG. 1C is a schematic top view of a robotic lawnmower according to a first embodiment of the application, with the movable shroud in a closed state;

FIG. 1D is a schematic side view of the robotic lawnmower of FIG. 1C, with the movable shroud in a closed position;

FIG. 2A is a schematic view of an arrangement of a trimmer unit and a protective cover of a robotic lawnmower in accordance with a first embodiment of the present application, wherein the movable protective cover is in an open state;

FIG. 2B is a schematic illustration of the arrangement of the trimmer unit and the protective cover of the robotic lawnmower in accordance with the first embodiment of the present application, wherein the movable protective cover is in a closed state;

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of a robotic lawnmower according to a second embodiment of the present application, with the movable shroud in an open state;

FIG. 4A is a schematic top view of a robotic lawnmower according to a third embodiment of the present application, with a movable shroud in an open state;

FIG. 4B is a schematic top view of a robotic lawnmower according to a third embodiment of the application, with the movable shroud in a closed state;

FIG. 5A is a schematic front view of a robotic lawnmower according to a fourth embodiment of the present application, with the protective cover in an open state;

FIG. 5B is a schematic front view of a robotic lawnmower according to a fourth embodiment of the present application, with the protective cover in a closed state;

FIG. 6A is a schematic front view of a robotic lawnmower according to a fifth embodiment of the present application, with a movable guard in an open state;

FIG. 6B is a schematic top view of the robotic lawnmower shown in FIG. 6A with the protective cover in an open state;

FIG. 6C is a schematic front view of a robotic lawnmower according to a fifth embodiment of the present application, with the protective cover in a closed state;

fig. 6D is a schematic top view of the robotic lawnmower of fig. 6C with the hood in a closed position.

Detailed Description

The present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the drawings and detailed description for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to understand the application better.

Before the introduction, the meaning of the terms concerned is explained herein.

And the main mowing unit is used for finishing most mowing tasks by a main mowing component of the automatic mower.

And the trimming unit is used for mowing areas inconvenient or incapable of mowing by the main mowing unit, such as edge areas of a lawn, by the auxiliary mowing component of the automatic mowing machine.

'located outside of the housing' means outside of the housing footprint.

As described above, most of the conventional mowers cannot completely cut the edge of the blade, that is, the mowing effect on the edge area of the lawn or the like is poor, and some mowers are provided with a trimming unit capable of mowing the edge area, but the trimming unit is usually exposed to the outside at least partially or completely, so that there is a safety hazard and the mowing unit is liable to cause damage to the human body or the like. The application provides a self-powered mower which is provided with a trimming unit so as to mow the edge area of a lawn and the like, and a protective cover for preventing the trimming unit from damaging human bodies and the like, so that the safety of the self-powered mower is improved.

A robotic lawnmower according to embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with fig. 1A-6D to provide a better understanding of the present application.

Example 1

As shown in fig. 1A to 1D, a robotic lawnmower 100 according to a first embodiment of the present application includes a housing 101, a running gear 102, a main mowing unit 103, a trimming unit 104, a stationary shroud 105, and a movable shroud 106.

Wherein the housing 101 and the running gear 102 mounted on the housing constitute the body of the robotic lawnmower 100. The running gear 102 is used to drive the machine body to move, and includes, for example, left, right and front wheels, and a power mechanism (not shown), such as an electric motor, which may be powered by a battery, to drive the rotation of the left, right and front wheels and thereby drive the machine body to move.

The main mower unit 103 is arranged below the housing 101 and is completely covered by the housing 101, so that the main mower unit does not hurt human body and the like when working. Illustratively, the main mowing unit 103 comprises three symmetrically arranged blades 107, which three blades 107 can be rotated by a drive mechanism (e.g. a motor) to mow the lawn, which three blades form a first cutting area 108 as shown in fig. 1A and 1C, i.e. the main mowing unit 103 can mow the lawn in the first cutting area 108, in other words, when plants such as grass are located in the first cutting area 108, can be cut by the main mowing unit 103 to complete the mowing of the main lawn area.

The trimming unit 104 is located outside the main mower unit 103, and illustratively, in the present embodiment, the trimming unit 104 is located on the right side of the main mower unit 103 and in the right side edge area of the housing 101. It should be appreciated that although in the present embodiment, the trimming unit 104 is located on the right side of the main mowing unit 103, in other embodiments according to the present application, the trimming unit 104 may be located on the front side or the left side of the main mowing unit 103, etc., which may be arranged as desired, and is not limited to the manner in which the present application is presented.

As shown in fig. 1B and 1D, the trimming unit 104 includes a mowing portion including a mowing element 111 and a housing portion 110 for housing the fixed mowing element 111, and a driving mechanism 109 driving the mowing portion to rotate, that is, the trimming unit 104 includes the driving mechanism 109, the housing portion 110, and the mowing element 111. The driving mechanism 109 is a power device such as a motor, for example, and has a rotatable drive shaft. The housing 110 is provided on the drive shaft of the drive mechanism 109 and is rotatable by the drive shaft. The mowing member 111 is mounted on the housing 110 and is rotatable with the rotation of the housing 110, thereby mowing. Illustratively, the mowing element 111 comprises a lacing or blade. Illustratively, the cord is made of a material such as nylon, and the blade is made of a metal material or a flexible material without a cutting edge. By adopting the manufacturing method, the potential injury of the mowing element 111 to operators and the like can be reduced, and the situation that the mowing element is cut carelessly is avoided.

As shown in fig. 1A and 1C, the mowing member 111 forms a second cutting area 112, that is, the trimming unit 104 can mow the lawn in the second cutting area 112, in other words, when plants such as grass are located in the second cutting area 112, the plants such as grass can be cut by the trimming unit 104, and trimming of the lawn edge area is completed.

Further, in the present embodiment, the driving mechanism 109 and the accommodating portion 110 are substantially located inside the housing 101, that is, the driving mechanism 109 and the accommodating portion 110 are mostly located inside (or inside) the housing 101, and only partially located outside (or outside) the housing 101. Accordingly, unlike the first cutting region 108 being entirely within the housing 101, the second cutting region 112 is located partially within the housing 101 and partially outside the housing 101. Therefore, if no protection is necessary, there is a safety hazard when the edging unit 104 is in the working state, and damage to the human body or the like is easily caused. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the drive mechanism 109 and receptacle 110 may be located entirely within the housing 101, or more may be located outside of the housing 101, or entirely outside of the housing 101, and accordingly the second cutting region 112 may vary, but the side of the second cutting region 112 remote from the first cutting region 108 is at least flush with the outside surface of the housing 101. As shown in fig. 1A and 1C, in the present embodiment, the second cutting area 112 partially exceeds the outer side surface (more specifically, the right side surface) of the housing 101, but in order to meet the operation requirement of the trimming unit, in other embodiments, the side of the second cutting area 112 remote from the first cutting area 108 (the right side of the second cutting area 112 in the present embodiment) is at least flush with the outer side surface (the right side surface of the housing 101 in the present embodiment) of the housing 101.

Further, in the present embodiment, the edging unit can be switched between the operative state and the non-operative state automatically or by means of manual operation. Specifically, the robotic lawnmower 100 further includes a detection unit (not shown), and a control unit (not shown) that automatically controls the trimming unit to automatically switch between the operating state and the non-operating state according to a detection signal of the detection unit. In one embodiment, the detecting unit includes a boundary detecting sensor, and when the boundary detecting sensor detects a boundary, a signal is sent to the control unit, and the control unit controls the trimming unit 104 to start the working state; in another embodiment, the detecting unit includes a station-arrival detecting sensor, and when the station-arrival detecting sensor detects the base station, a signal is sent to the control unit, and the control unit controls the trimming unit 104 to start the non-working state; in another embodiment, the detecting unit includes an obstacle detecting sensor, and when the obstacle detecting sensor detects an obstacle, a signal is sent to the control unit, and the control unit controls the trimming unit 104 to start the inactive state. Edging unit 104 is also capable of being switched between an active state and an inactive state by manual operation. In one embodiment, the robotic lawnmower 100 further includes a control unit, and an operation unit disposed on the housing, where the control unit is electrically connected to the operation unit; when the operation unit receives a preset signal, the control unit controls the trimming unit to switch between a working state and a non-working state. More specifically, the operation unit includes keys or buttons, and the switching between the working state and the non-working state of the trimming unit is achieved by manually operating the corresponding control keys/buttons. In another embodiment, the robotic lawnmower 100 further includes a control unit, a wireless signal receiving unit, wherein the wireless signal receiving unit is configured to receive a preset signal transmitted from the user terminal; the control unit is electrically connected with the signal receiving unit; when the signal receiving unit receives the preset signal, the control unit controls the trimming unit to switch between a working state and a non-working state. In particular, the preset signal is generated by a manual operation, the preset signal comprising a start signal and/or a stop signal. When a starting signal is generated through manual operation, the control unit controls the trimming unit to be switched to a working state; when a stop signal is generated by manual operation, the control unit controls the trimming unit to switch to a non-operating state.

In this embodiment, in order to avoid safety hazards when the edging unit 104 is in the operating state, the edging unit 104 is provided with a protective cover configured to cover at least a portion of the edging unit 104 located outside the housing 101 and/or a portion flush with the outer side surface of the housing 101 when the edging unit is in the operating state.

Referring again to fig. 1A to 1D, in the present embodiment, the shield includes a fixed shield 105 and a movable shield 106, and the fixed shield 105 and the movable shield 106 are illustratively in a generally semi-cylindrical structure, which may be made of hard materials. The stationary shroud 105 is disposed in such a way that it is partially inside the housing 101 and partially outside the housing 101. The movable hood 106 is configured to be switchable between an open state (as shown in fig. 1A and 1B) and a closed state (as shown in fig. 1C and 1D), and is switched to a closed state when the edging unit 104 is in an operating state, so as to cover at least a portion of the edging unit 104 located outside the housing 101 and/or a portion flush with an outer side surface of the housing 101. The stationary shroud 105 is configured such that when the movable shroud 106 is in a closed state, the movable shroud 106 and the stationary shroud 105 cooperate to house the edging unit 104.

Further, when the movable hood 106 is in the open state, a partial region of the edging unit 104 may be exposed (i.e., exposed outside the housing 101). Illustratively, in the present application, the protective cover may be configured to expose or partially expose the edging unit 104 when the edging unit 104 is in a non-operative state. Therefore, the protective cover can be prevented from touching the ground or an obstacle when the automatic mower travels, and the trafficability of the automatic mower is prevented from being influenced.

Preferably, in this embodiment, as shown in fig. 1C, the front end of the movable shroud 106 is configured in a comb-like structure, so that grass can be better combed into the interior of the protective cover when the movable shroud 106 is rotatably switched from the open state to the closed state. Further, the gap between the combs of the dressing structure is less than 8.6mm.

Referring again to fig. 1A-1D, in this embodiment, the movable shroud 106 is configured to rotationally switch between the open state and the closed state. More specifically, the movable shroud 106 is configured to rotate about a drive shaft of the drive mechanism 109 to switch between the open state and the closed state.

The arrangement of the protection cover and the trimming unit in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to fig. 2A and 2B.

As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the stationary shroud 105 is disposed below the drive mechanism 109 in the present embodiment, and covers a portion of the accommodation portion 110. The movable shroud 106 is provided on a drive shaft 113 of a drive mechanism (e.g., a motor) 109 via a gear set 114 and a connecting member 115, and is switchable between an open and a closed state by the drive of the drive shaft 113. Specifically, the gear set 114 includes a first gear 116, a second gear 117, a rotating shaft 118, and a third gear 119, where the first gear 116 is fixed on the driving shaft 113 and can rotate with the driving shaft 113, and the third gear 119 can freely rotate around the driving shaft; the second gear 117 is a double gear and can freely rotate around the rotating shaft 118; the connecting piece 115 is connected with the third gear 119 and the movable shield 106, and when the third gear 119 rotates, the movable shield 106 is driven to rotate around the driving shaft 113.

As shown in fig. 2A, when the driving mechanism 109 is driven, the driving shaft 113 drives the first gear 116 to rotate, the first gear 116 drives the second gear 117 to rotate, the second gear 117 drives the third gear 119 to rotate, and the third gear 119 drives the movable shield 106 to rotate around the driving shaft 113 through the connecting piece 115, until the movable shield 106 rotates to completely cover the mowing element 111, as shown in fig. 2B, and the movable shield 106 is closed; the driving mechanism 109 is reversed to reset the movable shield 106 to the open state.

It should be appreciated that while in the present embodiment the gear of gear set 114 is a 2-stage gear reduction, in other embodiments other multi-stage gear reductions are possible, such as a 3-stage or 4-stage gear reduction.

Of course, it is understood that the movable hood 106 may also be moved up and down along the axis of the edging unit 104 to switch between the open and closed states. More specifically, the robotic lawnmower 100 further includes a lifting mechanism (not shown) disposed on the housing 101, the lifting mechanism including a lifting motor, a transmission mechanism, the lifting motor driving the transmission mechanism to move the movable shroud 106 up and down, thereby switching between the open state and the closed state. In one embodiment, the transmission is a linkage, and in another embodiment, the transmission is a rack and pinion mechanism.

The trimming process of the robot lawnmower 100 according to the present embodiment is, for example: when the automatic mower 100 is driving, the driving mechanism 109 stops running, the movable shield 106 is opened, the automatic mower 100 stops after driving for a certain distance according to a set program, grass is gathered in the fixed shield 105, the movable shield 106 is closed, the driving mechanism 109 starts to mow, after mowing is completed, the driving mechanism 109 stops running, the movable shield 106 is opened, the automatic mower 100 continues to run, and the edge mowing function is realized in a reciprocating manner.

Example two

As shown in fig. 3, a robotic lawnmower 200 according to a second embodiment of the present application includes a housing 201, a running gear 202, a main mowing unit 203, a trimming unit 204, a stationary shroud 205, and a movable shroud 206. The robotic lawnmower 200 of this embodiment is generally identical in construction to the robotic lawnmower 100 of embodiment one, with the main mower unit 203 having a first cutting area 207 located within the housing 201 and the trimmer unit 204 having a second cutting area 208 located at least partially outside of the housing 201. Unlike the robotic lawnmower 100 of the first embodiment, in this embodiment, the fixed shroud 205 is located entirely inside the housing 201, when the movable shroud 206 is in the open state, it is located inside the housing 201 (as shown in fig. 3), when the movable shroud 206 is in the closed state, the movable shroud 206 is located outside the housing, and the movable shroud 206 and the fixed shroud 205 together completely encase the mowing elements of the trimming unit, at this time, the mowing elements of the trimming unit mow the grass, thereby avoiding damage to the human body and the like when the mowing elements are in operation.

The structure of the components of the robotic lawnmower and the arrangement and driving of the stationary shroud 205 and the movable shroud 206 are the same as or similar to those described in the first embodiment, and will not be described again.

Example III

As shown in fig. 4A and 4B, a robotic lawnmower 300 according to a third embodiment of the present application includes a housing 301, a running gear 302, a main mowing unit 303, a trimming unit 304, a stationary shroud 305, and a movable shroud 306. The robotic lawnmower 300 of this embodiment is substantially identical in structure to the robotic lawnmower 100 of the first embodiment, except that in this embodiment, the trimming unit 304 is disposed outside the housing 301 via a mounting shaft 307, i.e., the trimming unit 304 is located entirely outside the housing 301.

Preferably, in the present embodiment, the mounting shaft 307 is configured in a telescopic structure, and the trimming unit 304 is retracted inside the housing 301 in a retracted state; the trimmer unit 304 protrudes outside the housing 301 when the mounting shaft 307 is in the extended state. Of course, in this or other embodiments, the mounting shaft 307 may also be configured as a non-telescoping structure, such as a fixed structure, i.e., the edging unit 304 is always located outside the housing 301.

The structure of the components of the robotic lawnmower and the arrangement and driving of the stationary shield 305 and the movable shield 306 are the same as or similar to those described in the first embodiment, and will not be described again.

Example IV

As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, a robotic lawnmower 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present application includes a housing 401, a running gear 402, a main mowing unit 403, a trimming unit 404, and a protective cover 405. The robotic lawnmower 400 of this embodiment is substantially identical to the robotic lawnmower 300 of the third embodiment, except that in this embodiment, the protective cover 405 is integrally provided, and is not subdivided into a movable cover and a fixed cover, or in this embodiment, the protective cover 405 is integrally a movable cover. In this embodiment, the hood 405 is configured to be switched between the open state and the closed state in a lifting manner, and when in the closed state, fully covers all parts of the trimmer unit 404 including the drive mechanism, the mowing portion, and the like. Illustratively, in this embodiment, the guard 405 is configured to be liftable along the axis of the edging unit 404 to switch between the open state and the closed state. Illustratively, in the present embodiment, the trimming unit 404 is disposed outside the housing 401 through the connection structure 407, the protection cover 405 is in a cylindrical structure, and is connected to the housing 401 through the link mechanism 406, and the link mechanism 406 is configured to be capable of rotating in a vertical direction to drive the protection cover to perform a lifting motion in the vertical direction, so as to cover the trimming unit 404 when the trimming unit 404 is in an operating state.

The structures of the housing 401, the travelling mechanism 402, the main mowing unit 403 and the trimming unit 404 of the robotic mower are the same as or similar to those of the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated herein. The driving method of the link may be a motor driving method or the like, and is not particularly limited herein.

The trimming process of the robotic lawnmower 400 according to this embodiment is, for example: when the mower is driven, the driving mechanism of the trimming unit 404 stops running, the protective cover 405 is lifted by the driving device, the mower stops driving according to a set program, the driving device controls the protective cover 405 to fall down to completely cover the head area of the mowing part of the trimming unit 404, the driving mechanism of the trimming unit 404 starts mowing, after mowing is completed, the protective cover 405 is lifted by the driving device, and the mower continues to run, so that the edge mowing function is realized reciprocally.

Example five

As shown in fig. 6A to 6D, a robotic lawnmower 500 according to a fifth embodiment of the present application includes a housing 501, a running gear 502, a main mowing unit 503, a trimming unit 504, and a protective cover 505. The robotic lawnmower 500 of this embodiment is generally identical in construction to the robotic lawnmower 100 of embodiment one, with the main mower unit 503 having a first cutting area 506 located within the housing 501, and the trimmer unit 504 having a second cutting area 507 located at least partially outside of the housing 501. Unlike the robotic lawnmower 100 of the first embodiment, the guard 505 is integrally provided in this embodiment, and is not subdivided into a movable guard and a fixed guard, or in this embodiment, the guard 505 includes only a movable guard. In this embodiment, the shield 505 is of a generally semi-cylindrical configuration configured to rotationally switch between the open state and the closed state. Specifically, the protector 505 is provided on the mowing portion of the trimming unit 504 by a screw connection, and is configured to be spirally rotatable around the mowing portion to switch between the open state and the closed state.

The structures of the housing 501, the travelling mechanism 502, the main mowing unit 503 and the trimming unit 504 of the robotic mower are the same as or similar to those of the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated herein. The protective cover 505 may be driven by a driving mechanism of the trimming unit 504 similar to the embodiment, or may be driven by a separate motor, which is not particularly limited herein.

The trimming process of the robotic lawnmower 400 according to this embodiment is, for example: when the mower is driven, the driving mechanism of the trimming unit 504 stops running, the protective cover 505 is controlled by the driving device to rotate to the upper part of the trimming unit 504, the mower stops running for a certain distance according to a set program, the driving device controls the protective cover 505 to rotate and fall down, the mowing part of the trimming unit 504 outside the shell 501 is covered, the driving mechanism of the trimming unit 504 is started to mow, after mowing is finished, the protective cover 505 is controlled by the driving device to rotate and rise, and the mower continues to run, so that the edge mowing function is realized in a reciprocating manner.

The foregoing description of embodiments of the application has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the various embodiments described. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A robotic lawnmower, the lawnmower comprising:

the trimming unit is positioned outside the main mowing unit and provided with a second cutting area which is different from the first cutting area and is used for mowing the lawn edge area; the side of the second cutting area away from the first cutting area is at least flush with and/or partially beyond the outer side of the housing; the trimming unit comprises a mowing part and a driving mechanism for driving the mowing part to rotate; the trimming unit comprises an operating state and a non-operating state, wherein in the operating state, the driving mechanism drives the mowing part to rotate so as to mow, and in the non-operating state, the driving mechanism stops operating;

2. The mower of claim 1 wherein the first cutting zone is located within a housing and the second cutting zone is located partially within the housing and partially beyond an outer side of the housing.

3. The mower of claim 1, further comprising a control unit and a boundary detection sensor, wherein when the boundary detection sensor detects a boundary, the control unit controls the trimming unit to start an operating state according to a detection signal of the boundary detection sensor.

4. The mower of claim 1, further comprising a control unit and an arrival detection sensor, wherein when the arrival detection sensor detects a base station, the control unit controls the trimming unit to start a non-operating state according to a detection signal of the arrival detection sensor.

5. The mower of claim 1, further comprising a control unit and an obstacle detection sensor, wherein when the obstacle detection sensor detects an obstacle, the control unit controls the trimming unit to start a non-operating state according to a detection signal of the obstacle detection sensor.

6. The mower of claim 1 wherein the guard is configured to at least partially expose the trimmer unit when the trimmer unit is in a non-operational state.

7. The mower of claim 1, wherein the guard comprises:

a movable shroud configured to be switchable between an open state and a closed state, and to cover at least a portion of the edging unit beyond the housing outer side face when the movable shroud is in the closed state.

8. The mower of claim 7 wherein the movable guard is configured to move in a rotational or lifting motion along an axis of the trimmer unit to switch between an open condition and a closed condition.

9. The mower of claim 8, wherein the movable guard is configured to rotate about a drive shaft of the drive mechanism to switch between the open state and the closed state.

10. The mower of claim 9 further comprising a gear set coupled to the drive shaft of the drive mechanism, the movable guard coupled to the gear set, the drive mechanism driving the drive shaft to rotate the gear set and thereby the movable guard.

11. The mower of claim 8 wherein the movable guard is threadably disposed on the mower portion and is configured to rotate helically about the mower portion to switch between the open and closed conditions.

12. The mower of claim 8, further comprising a lift mechanism disposed on the housing, the lift mechanism comprising a lift motor, a transmission mechanism, the lift motor driving the transmission mechanism to move the movable guard up and down to switch between the open and closed states.

13. The mower of claim 12 wherein the transmission mechanism is a linkage mechanism.

14. The mower of claim 7 wherein the front end of the movable guard is configured in a comb-like configuration.

15. The mower of claim 7, wherein the guard further comprises:

a stationary shroud configured such that when the movable shroud is in a closed state, the movable shroud and the stationary shroud cooperate to house the edging unit.

16. The mower of claim 15 wherein the stationary shield is located inside the housing.

17. The mower of claim 15 wherein the stationary shield is at least partially outside of the housing.

18. The mower of claim 1, wherein the mowing portion comprises a mowing element and a receiving portion for receiving and securing the mowing element, the receiving portion being disposed on a drive shaft of the drive mechanism.

19. The mower of claim 18, wherein the drive mechanism and the receiver are at least partially inside the housing.

20. The mower of claim 18, wherein the mowing element comprises a cord or a blade made of a metal material or a flexible material without a cutting edge.

21. The mower of claim 1, wherein the guard is of a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical configuration.

22. A robotic lawnmower, the lawnmower comprising:

the main mowing unit is positioned below the shell and provided with a first cutting area, and the first cutting area is positioned in the shell;

the trimming unit is positioned outside the main mowing unit and provided with a second cutting area which is different from the first cutting area, and the second cutting area is positioned in the shell partially and partially beyond the outer side surface of the shell;

and a protective cover configured to cover at least a portion of the edging unit beyond the housing outer side surface when the edging unit is in an operative state.