DE202022001391U1 - Autonomously operating device for removing weeds in horizontal joints - Google Patents

Abstract

Autonomously acting device for removing growth in horizontal joints, characterized in that it is passivated and removed by exposure to radiation and subsequent mechanical processing.

Description

Autonomously operating device for removing weeds in horizontal joints.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Weeds often grow in the joints of paved surfaces. This is universally considered annoying, distracting and unaesthetic, which is why most people with such surfaces want to get rid of this.

For a long time, glyphosate was considered a reliable weed killer, mainly due to its effectiveness and ease of use, as it can be sprayed. However, studies show that this is carcinogenic and should therefore be completely banned by the end of 2023.

The use of rakes and grout cleaners with steel bristles requires a lot of time and energy, and such machines damage the paving material if handled improperly.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a device by means of which the removal of weeds in joints can take place in a simple and environmentally friendly manner, without damaging the paving material.

SOLUTION

This is solved in that an autonomously acting device, controlled by optical sensors (e.g. image recognition), a position determination system (GPS, Galielo etc.) and gyroscopes, destroys weeds with ultraviolet radiation or laser radiation, and with a narrow, vertically arranged brush with abrasive trimmings is swept out.

For this purpose, a treatment area is determined from the GPS data, the data from the gyroscopes and the images from the front camera and the joints are detected. In the subsequent treatment step, the growth in the joints is recorded using scan lines before, during and after being driven over and irradiated with several lasers or UV-emitting diodes from different angles or scraped out with a narrow, vertically arranged brush system with abrasive bristles.

A subsequently installed rotating brush then cleans the joint mechanically, ash and dirt particles are sucked up. To improve the cleaning effect of the rotating brush, it oscillates vertically.

The device is assigned a control unit and a supply unit, into which it is regularly fed to automatically charge its battery and discharge the refuse.

STATE OF THE ART

EP2848120A1 describes a system for weed removal.

A three-dimensional imager captures and locates plants and recognizes whether they are desirable or undesirable as weeds. A laser beam is arranged in the system in such a way that a selected plant is to be damaged with it.

US20190248007A1 cleans joints of tiled and stone floors, among other things, with a brush-like abrasive attachment. The robot uses one or more of its built-in sensors to follow a grout line on the floor, an attachment drives along the grout line and cleans it with a friction/sanding motion.

KR20110086996A describes a machine for controlling soil pests.

A heating unit is mounted underneath a moving vehicle, which radiates a near-infrared light onto the area under the machine. The heat should be sufficient to destroy insects under the radiator.
A similar solution offers US10750736B2 , but with the addition of a control unit that regulates the electrical output of the infrared heating element depending on the level of unwanted growth.

WO2021055485A1 Methods and devices for automatic weed killing.

After the right configuration, the devices can independently locate and identify weeds and destroy them with a laser beam. The systems are suitable for both agriculture and private use.

In general, automatic cleaning robots are known which function mainly as vacuum cleaners. On the underside there are rotating brushes or rollers that stir up dirt, which is then sucked into a collection container. However, these robots are intended for dust and the like and are hardly suitable for removing weeds.

character list

• 1 shows the device (1) with the drive system installed in the chassis (2), consisting of the rear drive wheels (3) and the front steerable wheel (4). The device is controlled by a central processing unit (5), which orients itself spatially via a GPS receiver (6), stereoscopic front cameras (8) and a gyroscope (7).

The chassis also contains an energy store (9) and scan lines (10) and variable laser arrays (11) that can be aligned to the treatment area, a vertically oscillating rotating brush (12) for cleaning the joints, a suction opening (13) and a dirt container (14 ),

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• EP 2848120 A1 [0010]
• US20190248007A1 [0012]
• KR 20110086996 A [0013]
• US 10750736 B2 [0014]
• WO 2021055485 A1 [0015]

Claims (4)

Autonomously acting device for removing growth in horizontal joints, characterized in that it is passivated and removed by exposure to radiation and subsequent mechanical processing. Autonomously acting device for removing growth in horizontal joints claim 1 , characterized in that the exposure to radiation takes place via laser or ultraviolet radiation. Autonomously acting device for removing growth in horizontal joints claim 1 , characterized in that the mechanical processing takes place via a rotating, vertically oscillating brush which partially dips into the joint. Autonomously acting device for removing growth in horizontal joints claim 1 , characterized in that the orientation via satellite-based positioning is supported by optical detection devices and gyroscopic sensors.

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