WO2007091967A1 - Method for controlling garden or domestic machines, and garden or domestic machine. - Google Patents

Method for controlling garden or domestic machines, and garden or domestic machine. Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2007091967A1
WO2007091967A1 PCT/SE2007/050069 SE2007050069W WO2007091967A1 WO 2007091967 A1 WO2007091967 A1 WO 2007091967A1 SE 2007050069 W SE2007050069 W SE 2007050069W WO 2007091967 A1 WO2007091967 A1 WO 2007091967A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
garden
machine
domestic
domestic machine
control unit
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/SE2007/050069
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Bo Pettersson
Original Assignee
Hexagon Metrology Ab
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Hexagon Metrology Ab filed Critical Hexagon Metrology Ab
Publication of WO2007091967A1 publication Critical patent/WO2007091967A1/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
    • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
    • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
    • G05D1/0231—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means
    • G05D1/0234—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means using optical markers or beacons
    • G05D1/0236—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means using optical markers or beacons in combination with a laser
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01B—SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL
    • A01B69/00—Steering of agricultural machines or implements; Guiding agricultural machines or implements on a desired track
    • A01B69/007—Steering or guiding of agricultural vehicles, e.g. steering of the tractor to keep the plough in the furrow
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
    • A01D34/00—Mowers; Mowing apparatus of harvesters
    • A01D34/006—Control or measuring arrangements
    • A01D34/008—Control or measuring arrangements for automated or remotely controlled operation
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S13/00—Systems using the reflection or reradiation of radio waves, e.g. radar systems; Analogous systems using reflection or reradiation of waves whose nature or wavelength is irrelevant or unspecified
    • G01S13/87—Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
    • G01S13/876—Combination of several spaced transponders or reflectors of known location for determining the position of a receiver
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
    • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
    • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
    • G05D1/0231—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means
    • G05D1/0244—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means using reflecting strips
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
    • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
    • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
    • G05D1/0276—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle
    • G05D1/0278—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S5/00—Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more direction or position line determinations; Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more distance determinations
    • G01S5/02—Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more direction or position line determinations; Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more distance determinations using radio waves
    • G01S5/14—Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method of controlling garden or domestic machines, in particular for controlling autonomous garden or domestic machines .
  • the invention concerns also such a garden or domestic machine.
  • the machines or equipment may, for example, be arranged to maintain their position within a deployed cable, which provides instructions concerning how they are to move. It may also be arranged such that the machines or equipment are arranged to move freely within a limited region. Such a limited region may be limited by purely physical obstacles, such as, for example, walls, or it may be limited by a conducting limiting cable that determines the outer boundary of the motion of the machines or equipment.
  • the machines or equipment are in this case normally arranged such that they stop when they arrive at the outer limiting line, and change their direction of motion either randomly or in a direction that has been pre-determined, and then continue motion until the next limiting line is encountered.
  • Machines for which the latter type of control is used include autonomous lawn mowers and autonomous vacuum cleaners .
  • a disadvantage of this random arrangement for the motion of such a machine is that it may pass over the same region several times, while other regions are passed over by the machine not at all, or very seldom.
  • a second disadvantage, in the case in which such autonomous machine of this type are powered by batteries, is that the consumption of energy will be higher than it needs to be, and that reserve power must be reserved in the battery such that the machine can return to a charging point that has been arranged. Thus, large batteries are required, and this increases the cost of the machine. It increases also the weight of the machine, and thus increases further its energy consumption.
  • a further disadvantage is that limiting cables must be deployed, and they must be burried in the case of, for example, lawn mowers. Furthermore, cables for lawn mowers must be buried around pathways, bushes and flower beds, such that the lawn mower remains outside of these regions. It is clear that these buried cables are sensitive and exposed, since they are buried in the ground. Damage or breakage of the cable may be difficult to determine and locate, and this means that the complete cable often must be exchanged when it ceases to function.
  • the above aim of the invention is achieved with a method in which, according to the invention, the garden or domestic machine is equipped with a position-determining arrangement that by measuring distances determines the position of the garden or domestic machine within a limited space, such that the garden or domestic machine can be caused to move within the limited area controlled by the position-determining arrangement .
  • a further aim of the invention is to achieve a garden or domestic machine that comprises an arrangement in order to determine the position of the machine, such that the motion of the machine can in this way be controlled.
  • This aim of the invention is achieved with a garden or domes- tic machine
  • the garden or domestic machine comprises a position-determining arrangement comprising a rotating distance meter arranged to transmit measurement signals and to receive and record reflected measurement signals, in order to be able to calculate the position of the garden or domestic machine with the aid of a calculation unit, through the interaction of measurement signals reflected from several reflection points .
  • Figure 1 shows schematically the principle for the determination of position according to the invention
  • Figure 2 shows schematically a lawn with an autonomous lawn mower on the lawn
  • Figure 3 shows the outline of a lawn with an autonomous lawn mower on it and reflection posts located at three locations around the lawn
  • Figure 4 shows schematically the programming of the autonomous lawn mower with the aid of a PC.
  • Figure 1 shows the fundamental principle for the determination of position with the aid of a position-determining arrangement 1, which is located at a distance from two reference points 2 and 3.
  • the reference points 2 and 3 are located at a separation from each other of Dl, and the position- determining arrangement 1 is located at a distance of D2 from the reference point 2 and at a distance of D3 from the reference point 3.
  • More than two reference points may be arranged, as is shown with a putative reference point 4. All of the reference points 2, 3 and 4 are arranged in the drawing in a straight line, but this is not a requirement. If more than two refer- ence points are arranged, it is appropriate that these are arranged at distances that are not equidistant, as will be explained in more detail below.
  • More than three reference points may, in the same manner, be arranged, depending, among other factors, on the design of the area in which they are to be used, and any obstacles that may be located between the position-determining arrangement 1 and the reference points.
  • the position-determining arrangement 1 may be, for example, a laser distance meter, such as, for example, that marketed by Leica Geosystems, Switzerland, under the trade name DISTO. Other arrangements that measure distance may, however, be used, as long as they can present as an output signal the value of distance between the distance meter and a reflecting object .
  • the position-determining arrangement 1 Through the arrangement of the position-determining arrangement 1 as rotating, and through the transmission of measurement signals such that it is able to determine the distance to at least two reference points, 2 and 3, it is possible to determine the position of the position-determining arrangement 1 relative to the reference points 2 and 3. This is fully sufficient in many cases to carry out the determination of position that is required. If it is possible for the position-determining arrangement 1 to move fully around both of the two reference points 2 and 3, however, this is not sufficient for an unambiguous determination of position. Positions that are mirror images of each other in the plane through the reference points are located at the same distance from the reference points. It may for this reason be appropriate that the position-determining arrangement 1 comprises at least three reference points, 2, 3, 4, are used, the distances to which can be determined by the position-determining arrangement 1 at all positions that the arrangement 1 reaches.
  • Any reflecting objects can, in principle, be used as reference points. This means, for example, that walls, posts and trees can be used.
  • the use of special reflectors is preferred, possibly each reflector being provided with a unique identity. It will in this way be possible, by filtering of the signal received, to determine which of the deployed reflectors it is that has given rise to the reflection signal. However, even the use of special reflectors without a unique identity will allow it to be determined if the re- fleeted signal arises from such a reflector or from some other object.
  • the calculation of the current position is not complex: it is a simple geometric calculation.
  • Several reflectors or reference objects must normally be used in order to cover a large region. If this is carried out in such a manner that the reflectors or reference objects are located or selected with non-equidistant distances, it is possible by calculating the distances between the reference objects or reflectors to distinguish between the reflectors or reference objects. This means that a greater region has in this way been created than that which otherwise would have been obtained.
  • FIG. 2 shows schematically a lawn 10, the outer edge 11 of which can be said to correspond to the location of a buried limiting cable according to the prior art.
  • An autonomous lawn mower 12 is located on the lawn 10. The lawn mower will, according to the prior art, move forwards in the direction v until it encounters the edge or limiting cable 11, where it will change its direction either in a random manner or in a manner that is pre-determined, to take a new direction, and it will continue in this direction until it once again en- counters the edge or limiting cable 11.
  • Figure 3 shows the same lawn 10 with an outer edge 11, which, however, in this case does not have a buried limiting cable, since the autonomous lawn mower 12 can be controlled accord- ing to the method according to the invention.
  • a number of reflection posts 13, 14 and 15 are for this reason located at various positions around the lawn 10.
  • the reflecting posts 13, 14 and 15 have been drawn in the drawing as being positioned exactly at the edge 11 of the lawn 10, but this is not a required location for these posts. They can, as has been described above, be located in principle at any location on, around or outside of the lawn 10, and thus, as has been mentioned previously, they do not need to be specially placed posts. It is possible that the reflecting points are, for example, trees that grow naturally, walls, fences, and similar objects.
  • the autonomous lawn mower 12 comprises a rotating distance meter 16, of the type that has been described above, and it thus continuously transmits distance measurement signals.
  • v When the lawn mower 12 on the lawn 10 moves in the direction denoted by v, it transmits at the same time measurement signals that are reflected by the three reflection posts 13, 14 and 15, and a calculation unit in the distance meter can in this way determine the distances Ll, L2 and L3 to the three reflection posts 13, 14 and 15.
  • the position of the lawn mower 10 on the lawn can be determined at all times with a high precision and high reliability by only using distance measurements .
  • the lawn mower 12 is able in this manner always to maintain knowledge about its position on the lawn 10, and it will therefore be possible to program in detail the movement of the lawn mower 12 on the lawn.
  • the lawn mower may, for example, be equipped with a control unit 17 that comprises a learning procedure.
  • the lawn mower 12 may, for example, be placed into this learning procedure by the activation of a learning button.
  • the lawn mower 12 may then be moved manually around the lawn 10 in the pattern of motion that it is desired that the lawn mower is to take, and the lawn mower then continuously records its position, such that when the learning procedure has been completed and the pattern of motion stored in the memory of the control unit 17, the lawn mower 12 can be activated such that it autonomously reproduces the learned pattern of motion.
  • the lawn mower 12 may have, in a known manner, a base station at the lawn 10, where the lawn mower is located when it is not active, and where a charging station may be arranged for recharging the batteries of the lawn mower.
  • the control unit 17 in the lawn mower may also comprise a timer, which can be used to set the times at which it is desired that the lawn mower is to be activated and mow the lawn as specified by the learned pattern of motion.
  • the lawn mower 12 follows the learned pattern of motion, and thus it is also possible to ensure that the mower passes the same places on the lawn 10 several times, in, for example, different directions, as specified by the learned pattern of motion.
  • control unit 17 such that it can be programmed with the aid of a PC 18, and such programming may be carried out using a wireless communication link 19.
  • Knowledge of the shape and size of the lawn and the locations of the reflection posts 13, 14 and 15 allows the pattern of motion to be programmed with the aid of the PC 18, and the mowing pattern that has been constructed to be transmitted to the control unit 17 of the lawn mower 12.
  • the control unit 17 of the lawn mower 12 may also be provided with a registration unit that records any obstacles or interruptions, which also can be transmitted to the supervisor PC 18 with the aid of a wireless transmission link 19.
  • the control unit 17 of the lawn mower 12 may also be provided with a function that reports to the supervisor PC or in its registration unit the occasions on which mowing has been carried out, the time required for the mowing operation, etc.
  • the machine may be equipped also with an electronic compass, which ensures that the machine can con- tinue to travel in the current direction until contact with the position-determining system can be re-established.
  • the method for determining position may also be used together with a sensor of gradient, also known as an "inclinometer", for the control of hedge trimmers and similar. It may not in this case be possible to use a fully autonomous hedge trimmer, but a hedge trimmer can, with the aid of a position sensor and an inclinometer, be equipped with control aids, in the form of, for example, indicator lamps that indicate to a user that the hedge trimmer is used within or outside of predetermined limits .
  • the invention is not limited to lawn mow- ers, even though it is this that has been specified as embodiment.
  • the method according to the invention can be used for all types of machine and equipment that is to be regularly moved within limited areas or spaces .
  • One example that has been mentioned above is that of vacuum cleaners. These are in this case not limited solely to domestic or indoor use: they may also be of the type that is used outdoors for large areas.
  • a further example is that of sweeper machines, which are used for, for example, the sweeping of factory- premises, parks, squares or car-parking garages.
  • Further examples for which the invention can be used are further types of cleaning machine such as floor-cleaning machines . It would be possible to use the invention also for autonomous machines for painting, and in particular machines for spray painting.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Soil Sciences (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Harvester Elements (AREA)
  • Guiding Agricultural Machines (AREA)

Abstract

A method for the control of garden or domestic machines, where the garden or domestic machine (12) is provided with a position-determining arrangement that by measuring distances determines the position of the garden or domestic machine within a limited area (10) or a limited space, such that the garden or domestic machine (12) can be caused to move within the limited area (10) controlled by the position-determining arrangement. The invention concerns also a garden or domestic machine (12) for use within a limited area (10) or a limited space, where the garden or domestic machine (12) comprises a rotating distance meter (16) arranged to transmit measurement signals and to receive and record reflected measurement signals (L1, L2, L3), in order to be able to calculate the position of the garden or domestic machine (12) with the aid of a calculation unit, and is equipped with a control unit that is arranged to control the machine based on the position that has been calculated.

Description

Method for Controlling Garden or Domestic Machines, and Garden or Domestic Machine
The present invention relates to a method of controlling garden or domestic machines, in particular for controlling autonomous garden or domestic machines . The invention concerns also such a garden or domestic machine.
It is necessary that, for example, autonomous machines and equipment in some manner maintain knowledge of where the machine or equipment is located, at least to a certain precision. Thus, the machines or equipment may, for example, be arranged to maintain their position within a deployed cable, which provides instructions concerning how they are to move. It may also be arranged such that the machines or equipment are arranged to move freely within a limited region. Such a limited region may be limited by purely physical obstacles, such as, for example, walls, or it may be limited by a conducting limiting cable that determines the outer boundary of the motion of the machines or equipment. The machines or equipment are in this case normally arranged such that they stop when they arrive at the outer limiting line, and change their direction of motion either randomly or in a direction that has been pre-determined, and then continue motion until the next limiting line is encountered. Machines for which the latter type of control is used include autonomous lawn mowers and autonomous vacuum cleaners .
One disadvantage of this random arrangement for the motion of such a machine is that it may pass over the same region several times, while other regions are passed over by the machine not at all, or very seldom. A second disadvantage, in the case in which such autonomous machine of this type are powered by batteries, is that the consumption of energy will be higher than it needs to be, and that reserve power must be reserved in the battery such that the machine can return to a charging point that has been arranged. Thus, large batteries are required, and this increases the cost of the machine. It increases also the weight of the machine, and thus increases further its energy consumption.
A further disadvantage is that limiting cables must be deployed, and they must be burried in the case of, for example, lawn mowers. Furthermore, cables for lawn mowers must be buried around pathways, bushes and flower beds, such that the lawn mower remains outside of these regions. It is clear that these buried cables are sensitive and exposed, since they are buried in the ground. Damage or breakage of the cable may be difficult to determine and locate, and this means that the complete cable often must be exchanged when it ceases to function.
It is therefore one aim of the present invention to achieve a method for the control of such garden or domestic machines with which the above-mentioned problems of the prior art technology can be removed.
The above aim of the invention is achieved with a method in which, according to the invention, the garden or domestic machine is equipped with a position-determining arrangement that by measuring distances determines the position of the garden or domestic machine within a limited space, such that the garden or domestic machine can be caused to move within the limited area controlled by the position-determining arrangement .
A further aim of the invention is to achieve a garden or domestic machine that comprises an arrangement in order to determine the position of the machine, such that the motion of the machine can in this way be controlled.
This aim of the invention is achieved with a garden or domes- tic machine where the garden or domestic machine comprises a position-determining arrangement comprising a rotating distance meter arranged to transmit measurement signals and to receive and record reflected measurement signals, in order to be able to calculate the position of the garden or domestic machine with the aid of a calculation unit, through the interaction of measurement signals reflected from several reflection points .
The invention will now be described in more detail in the form of a non-limiting embodiment and with the aid of the attached drawings, where Figure 1 shows schematically the principle for the determination of position according to the invention, Figure 2 shows schematically a lawn with an autonomous lawn mower on the lawn, Figure 3 shows the outline of a lawn with an autonomous lawn mower on it and reflection posts located at three locations around the lawn, and Figure 4 shows schematically the programming of the autonomous lawn mower with the aid of a PC.
Thus Figure 1 shows the fundamental principle for the determination of position with the aid of a position-determining arrangement 1, which is located at a distance from two reference points 2 and 3. The reference points 2 and 3 are located at a separation from each other of Dl, and the position- determining arrangement 1 is located at a distance of D2 from the reference point 2 and at a distance of D3 from the reference point 3. More than two reference points may be arranged, as is shown with a putative reference point 4. All of the reference points 2, 3 and 4 are arranged in the drawing in a straight line, but this is not a requirement. If more than two refer- ence points are arranged, it is appropriate that these are arranged at distances that are not equidistant, as will be explained in more detail below. More than three reference points may, in the same manner, be arranged, depending, among other factors, on the design of the area in which they are to be used, and any obstacles that may be located between the position-determining arrangement 1 and the reference points.
The position-determining arrangement 1 may be, for example, a laser distance meter, such as, for example, that marketed by Leica Geosystems, Switzerland, under the trade name DISTO. Other arrangements that measure distance may, however, be used, as long as they can present as an output signal the value of distance between the distance meter and a reflecting object .
Through the arrangement of the position-determining arrangement 1 as rotating, and through the transmission of measurement signals such that it is able to determine the distance to at least two reference points, 2 and 3, it is possible to determine the position of the position-determining arrangement 1 relative to the reference points 2 and 3. This is fully sufficient in many cases to carry out the determination of position that is required. If it is possible for the position-determining arrangement 1 to move fully around both of the two reference points 2 and 3, however, this is not sufficient for an unambiguous determination of position. Positions that are mirror images of each other in the plane through the reference points are located at the same distance from the reference points. It may for this reason be appropriate that the position-determining arrangement 1 comprises at least three reference points, 2, 3, 4, are used, the distances to which can be determined by the position-determining arrangement 1 at all positions that the arrangement 1 reaches.
If the positions of the two reference points 2 and 3, either their absolute positions or their relative positions within a limited space, are known, it is possible with the aid of the simple measurement of distance to determine also the exact position of the position-determining arrangement 1 based solely on this information, with the exception of a risk that the mirror image point may be specified instead, if this is possible. This risk can, however, be eliminated by the use of more than two reference points .
Any reflecting objects can, in principle, be used as reference points. This means, for example, that walls, posts and trees can be used. The use of special reflectors, however, is preferred, possibly each reflector being provided with a unique identity. It will in this way be possible, by filtering of the signal received, to determine which of the deployed reflectors it is that has given rise to the reflection signal. However, even the use of special reflectors without a unique identity will allow it to be determined if the re- fleeted signal arises from such a reflector or from some other object.
The use of more than two reference points increase the precision of the measurement and that of the position calculated by the calculation unit.
The calculation of the current position is not complex: it is a simple geometric calculation. Several reflectors or reference objects must normally be used in order to cover a large region. If this is carried out in such a manner that the reflectors or reference objects are located or selected with non-equidistant distances, it is possible by calculating the distances between the reference objects or reflectors to distinguish between the reflectors or reference objects. This means that a greater region has in this way been created than that which otherwise would have been obtained.
Figure 2 shows schematically a lawn 10, the outer edge 11 of which can be said to correspond to the location of a buried limiting cable according to the prior art. An autonomous lawn mower 12 is located on the lawn 10. The lawn mower will, according to the prior art, move forwards in the direction v until it encounters the edge or limiting cable 11, where it will change its direction either in a random manner or in a manner that is pre-determined, to take a new direction, and it will continue in this direction until it once again en- counters the edge or limiting cable 11.
Figure 3 shows the same lawn 10 with an outer edge 11, which, however, in this case does not have a buried limiting cable, since the autonomous lawn mower 12 can be controlled accord- ing to the method according to the invention. A number of reflection posts 13, 14 and 15 are for this reason located at various positions around the lawn 10. The reflecting posts 13, 14 and 15 have been drawn in the drawing as being positioned exactly at the edge 11 of the lawn 10, but this is not a required location for these posts. They can, as has been described above, be located in principle at any location on, around or outside of the lawn 10, and thus, as has been mentioned previously, they do not need to be specially placed posts. It is possible that the reflecting points are, for example, trees that grow naturally, walls, fences, and similar objects.
The autonomous lawn mower 12 comprises a rotating distance meter 16, of the type that has been described above, and it thus continuously transmits distance measurement signals. When the lawn mower 12 on the lawn 10 moves in the direction denoted by v, it transmits at the same time measurement signals that are reflected by the three reflection posts 13, 14 and 15, and a calculation unit in the distance meter can in this way determine the distances Ll, L2 and L3 to the three reflection posts 13, 14 and 15. Thus, the position of the lawn mower 10 on the lawn can be determined at all times with a high precision and high reliability by only using distance measurements .
The lawn mower 12 is able in this manner always to maintain knowledge about its position on the lawn 10, and it will therefore be possible to program in detail the movement of the lawn mower 12 on the lawn. The lawn mower may, for example, be equipped with a control unit 17 that comprises a learning procedure. The lawn mower 12 may, for example, be placed into this learning procedure by the activation of a learning button. The lawn mower 12 may then be moved manually around the lawn 10 in the pattern of motion that it is desired that the lawn mower is to take, and the lawn mower then continuously records its position, such that when the learning procedure has been completed and the pattern of motion stored in the memory of the control unit 17, the lawn mower 12 can be activated such that it autonomously reproduces the learned pattern of motion.
The lawn mower 12 may have, in a known manner, a base station at the lawn 10, where the lawn mower is located when it is not active, and where a charging station may be arranged for recharging the batteries of the lawn mower. The control unit 17 in the lawn mower may also comprise a timer, which can be used to set the times at which it is desired that the lawn mower is to be activated and mow the lawn as specified by the learned pattern of motion.
The lawn mower 12 follows the learned pattern of motion, and thus it is also possible to ensure that the mower passes the same places on the lawn 10 several times, in, for example, different directions, as specified by the learned pattern of motion.
It is possible also to design the control unit 17 such that it can be programmed with the aid of a PC 18, and such programming may be carried out using a wireless communication link 19. Knowledge of the shape and size of the lawn and the locations of the reflection posts 13, 14 and 15 allows the pattern of motion to be programmed with the aid of the PC 18, and the mowing pattern that has been constructed to be transmitted to the control unit 17 of the lawn mower 12.
It is possible to measure the shape and size of the lawn using, for example, the distance meter 16 of the lawn mower 12, by moving the lawn mower around all extreme positions of the lawn, and to any obstacles that may be present; this information being subsequently stored in the control unit 17 of the lawn mower, to be subsequently transferred to the PC 18, possibly over a wireless link, in order to form the basis of the creation in the PC of a mowing pattern that the lawn mower 12 subsequently can follow.
It is also possible with the aid of the PC to determine different mowing frequencies for different parts of the lawn. The control unit 17 of the lawn mower 12 may also be provided with a registration unit that records any obstacles or interruptions, which also can be transmitted to the supervisor PC 18 with the aid of a wireless transmission link 19.
The control unit 17 of the lawn mower 12 may also be provided with a function that reports to the supervisor PC or in its registration unit the occasions on which mowing has been carried out, the time required for the mowing operation, etc.
Although it is preferred that transmission of programs and information between the control unit 17 of the lawn mower 12 and the PC take place in a wireless manner, it is of course possible also to transmit this information in another manner, such as, for example, through a connecting cable or with the aid of a memory card that can be inserted into the control unit 17 of the lawn mower 12.
In order to increase the security of the function of the autonomous machine and to be able simply to cope with interruptions in the form of the lack of a line of sight to the expected target, the machine may be equipped also with an electronic compass, which ensures that the machine can con- tinue to travel in the current direction until contact with the position-determining system can be re-established.
The method for determining position may also be used together with a sensor of gradient, also known as an "inclinometer", for the control of hedge trimmers and similar. It may not in this case be possible to use a fully autonomous hedge trimmer, but a hedge trimmer can, with the aid of a position sensor and an inclinometer, be equipped with control aids, in the form of, for example, indicator lamps that indicate to a user that the hedge trimmer is used within or outside of predetermined limits .
It is obvious that the invention is not limited to lawn mow- ers, even though it is this that has been specified as embodiment. The method according to the invention can be used for all types of machine and equipment that is to be regularly moved within limited areas or spaces . One example that has been mentioned above is that of vacuum cleaners. These are in this case not limited solely to domestic or indoor use: they may also be of the type that is used outdoors for large areas. A further example is that of sweeper machines, which are used for, for example, the sweeping of factory- premises, parks, squares or car-parking garages. Further examples for which the invention can be used are further types of cleaning machine such as floor-cleaning machines . It would be possible to use the invention also for autonomous machines for painting, and in particular machines for spray painting.
There are thus a number of different opportunities for using the method according to the invention, based on a simple determination of position and motion within a limited area or a limited space.
Thus new possibilities are achieved with the method and the arrangement according to the invention for particular autonomous machines, and the method and arrangement according to the invention makes it possible to optimise the use of these machines .

Claims

Claims
1. A method for the control of garden or domestic machines, characterised in that the garden or domestic machine (12) is provided with a position-determining arrangement (16) that by measuring distances determines the position of the garden or domestic machine within a limited area (10) or a limited space, such that the garden or domestic machine (12) can be caused to move within the limited area (10) controlled by the position-determining arrangement (16) .
2. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the garden or domestic machine is controlled by a control unit (17) in which a pattern of motion for the garden or domestic machine (12) has been stored while moving the garden or domestic machine (12) over the area (10) or the space in which the machine is to move.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the garden or domestic machine (12) is controlled by a control unit (17) in which a pattern of motion for the garden or domestic machine (12) has been stored by programming operations in a computer (18) .
4. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the position-determining arrangement (16) gives a signal for the manual operation of the garden or domestic machine (12) .
5. A garden or domestic machine (12) for use within a limited area (10) or a limited space, characterised in that the garden or domestic machine (12) comprises a rotating distance meter (16) arranged to transmit measurement signals and to receive and record reflected measurement signals (Ll, L2, L3) , in order to be able to calculate the position of the garden or domestic machine (12) with the aid of a calculation unit, through the interaction of measurement signals reflected from several reflection points (13, 14, 15), and in 5 that the garden or domestic machine (12) is equipped with a control unit (17) that is arranged to control the machine (12) based on the position that has been determined.
6. The garden or domestic machine according to claim 5, W characterised in that that control unit (17) is arranged to record the positions of the garden or domestic machine (12) during its motion, in order subsequently to be able to control the garden or domestic machine (12) such that it moves along the same pathway.
15
1. The garden or domestic machine according to claim 5 or claim 6, characterised in that the control unit (17) is arranged such that it is programmed with the aid of a PC (18) . 0
8. The garden or domestic machine according to claim 7, characterised in that the programming is arranged to be transferred over a wireless link (19) from the PC (18) to the control unit (17) . 5
9. The garden or domestic machine according to any one of claims 5-8, characterised in that the control unit (17) is equipped with a registering unit that is arranged to record any obstacles or interruptions that occur during op- 0 eration of the machine.
10. The garden or domestic machine according to any one of claims 5-9, characterised in that the garden or domestic machine (12) is an autonomous machine.
11. The garden or domestic machine according to claim 10, characterised in that the autonomous machine is equipped also with an electronic compass, which makes it possible, in the event that contact is lost with the position-determining arrangement, for the machine to continue motion in the current direction until the contact is reestablished.
12. The garden or domestic machine according to any one of claims 5-11, characterised in that the garden or domestic machine (12) is a lawn mower.
13. The garden or domestic machine according to any one of claims 5-12, characterised in that the garden or domestic machine is a vacuum cleaner.
14. The garden or domestic machine according to any one of claims 5-9, characterised in that the garden or domes- tic machine is a manually operated machine in which the control unit is arranged to provide a signal to the one operating the machine in order to give instructions concerning the operation of the machine.
PCT/SE2007/050069 2006-02-07 2007-02-05 Method for controlling garden or domestic machines, and garden or domestic machine. WO2007091967A1 (en)

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SE0600259A SE0600259L (en) 2006-02-07 2006-02-07 Procedure for control of garden or home appliances, as well as garden or home appliances
SE0600259-6 2006-02-07

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CN103891463A (en) * 2012-12-28 2014-07-02 苏州宝时得电动工具有限公司 Automatic mowing system
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EP3889717A1 (en) * 2014-03-31 2021-10-06 iRobot Corporation Autonomous mobile robot
CN111273666A (en) * 2014-03-31 2020-06-12 美国iRobot公司 Robot lawn mower and mowing system and method therefor
CN111273666B (en) * 2014-03-31 2023-10-24 美国iRobot公司 Operator feedback unit and method for robot lawn mowing
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US11172605B2 (en) 2016-06-30 2021-11-16 Tti (Macao Commercial Offshore) Limited Autonomous lawn mower and a system for navigating thereof
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WO2020156519A1 (en) * 2019-02-02 2020-08-06 苏州宝时得电动工具有限公司 Working method and device for self-moving apparatus, and self-moving apparatus
SE1951449A1 (en) * 2019-12-13 2021-06-14 Husqvarna Ab Improved scheduling for a robotic work tool
SE544665C2 (en) * 2019-12-13 2022-10-11 Husqvarna Ab Scheduling for a robotic work tool for avoiding disturbing a user

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