阅读说明：本技术 自动割草机 (Automatic mower ) 是由 保罗·安德罗 于 2019-10-23 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种自动割草机,在工作区域内移动和工作,包括：壳体；带动所述壳体移动的行走模块；切割模块；控制模块,与行走模块和切割模块连接,控制自动割草机移动和工作；控制模块控制切割模块从第一位置向外移动至第二位置,切割模块在第二位置工作形成切割区域。本发明的有益效果是：在不增加切割模块的基础上实现切割到边。(The invention relates to an automatic mower, which moves and works in a working area, comprising: a housing; the walking module drives the shell to move; a cutting module; the control module is connected with the walking module and the cutting module and controls the automatic mower to move and work; the control module controls the cutting module to move outwards from the first position to the second position, and the cutting module works in the second position to form a cutting area. The invention has the beneficial effects that: the edge cutting is realized on the basis of not adding a cutting module.)

1. An robotic lawnmower that moves and works within a work area, comprising:

a housing;

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

a cutting module mounted to the housing;

the control module is connected with the walking module and the cutting module and controls the automatic mower to move and work; it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the control module controls the cutting module to move outwards from a first position to a second position, and the cutting module works in the second position to form a cutting area.

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

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

4. The robotic lawnmower according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the first position is spaced from the housing by a distance of 8 cm or more in the width direction.

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

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

7. The robotic lawnmower according to claim 6, wherein the robotic lawnmower comprises a communication module for receiving the user control signal.

8. The robotic lawnmower according to claim 6, wherein in the second position, the control module controls the cutting module to stop operating based on the user control signal interrupt.

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

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

11. The robotic lawnmower of claim 10, wherein in the edgewise mode, the control module controls the cutting module to move to the second position and controls the cutting module to operate.

12. The robotic lawnmower according to claim 1, wherein in the first position the control module controls the cutting module to be active or inactive.

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

14. The robotic lawnmower of claim 13, wherein the blade is a metallic material.

15. The robotic lawnmower of claim 13, wherein the cutting module comprises a cutter head for mounting the blades.

16. The robotic lawnmower according to claim 1, comprising a movable assembly that moves the cutting module.

17. The robotic lawnmower according to claim 16, wherein the movable assembly comprises a guide mounted to the housing, and a movable portion coupled to the guide, the control module controlling the movable portion to move along the guide.

Technical Field

The invention relates to an automatic mower and a cutting device thereof.

Background

With the development of scientific technology, intelligent self-moving equipment is well known, and the self-moving equipment can automatically execute preset related tasks in a preset program without manual operation and intervention, so that the self-moving equipment is widely applied to industrial application and household products. Common self-moving devices can help users to complete indoor floor cleaning, outdoor garden maintenance, and the like.

As an intelligent garden device, an automatic lawn mower generally works on a lawn, and a user sets a working area of the automatic lawn mower, and the automatic lawn mower detects a relative positional relationship with the working area, so that the automatic lawn mower is kept in the working area and prevented from moving out of a boundary. The cutting mechanism of the automatic mower is generally an element such as a blade, which may cause injury to human bodies or other objects during the high-speed movement of the cutting mechanism, and in order to avoid such injury, a safe distance exists between the cutting mechanism of the existing automatic mower and the outer edge of the automatic mower. That is, when the robotic lawnmower travels over a work area boundary, including an obstacle boundary, there is still a distance between the cutting mechanism and the actual boundary, and this distance causes an area on the lawn that the robotic lawnmower cannot cut, requiring the user to perform secondary processing.

Disclosure of Invention

To overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an automatic lawn mower capable of cutting to the edge of a work area.

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

an robotic lawnmower that moves and works within a work area, comprising: a housing; the walking module is arranged on the shell and drives the shell to move; a cutting module mounted to the housing; the control module is connected with the walking module and the cutting module and controls the automatic mower to move and work; the control module controls the cutting module to move horizontally outwards from a first position to a second position, and the cutting module works in the second position to form a cutting area.

In one embodiment, the cutting area does not exceed the shell in the width direction, and the distance between the cutting area and the outer side of the shell is less than or equal to 2 centimeters.

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

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

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

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

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

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

In one embodiment, in the second position, the control module discontinues controlling the cutting module to stop operating based on the user control signal.

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

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

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

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

In one embodiment, the blade is a metallic material.

In one embodiment, the cutting module includes a cutter head for mounting the blades.

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

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

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

the cutting module of the robotic lawnmower is movable between a first position and a second position, and when the robotic lawnmower needs to cut a lawn at the edge of the work area, the cutting module is moved outwardly from the first position to the second position such that the cutting module is closer to the edge of the work area to facilitate trimming. When the robotic lawnmower completes cutting the edge of the work area, the cutting module moves inward from the second position to the first position to ensure the working safety of the robotic lawnmower. Therefore, the automatic mower can realize edge cutting without adding a cutting module.

Drawings

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

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

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an robotic lawnmower according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an robotic lawnmower according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an robotic lawnmower according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

As shown in fig. 1, the automatic working system of the present embodiment includes an automatic lawnmower 1, a boundary line 3, and a stop 5. The working area boundary 3 is used for limiting the working area of the automatic working system, the automatic mower 1 walks and works in or between the working area boundaries 3, and the stop station 5 is used for stopping the automatic mower 1 or supplementing energy to the automatic mower 1.

The working area boundary 3 is an inner or outer boundary that includes the working area. The outer boundary is the periphery of the entire working area, usually connected end to end, enclosing the working area. The inner boundary may be an isolated area boundary set in the work area by the user, or may be an area in which the automatic mower 1 cannot work, such as an obstacle in the work area. The working area boundary 3 can be solid or electronic in form, and can be formed by objects in gardens such as walls, fences, railings and the like; a virtual boundary signal, such as an electromagnetic signal or an optical signal, may be emitted by the boundary signal generating device; the boundary may also be defined by relative or absolute coordinates, or the surface of the work area may be identified by the robotic lawnmower 1 such that the robotic lawnmower 1 remains within the work area.

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

The energy module is used for providing energy for various operations of the robotic lawnmower 1, and includes a rechargeable battery and a charging structure, in this embodiment, the charging structure is a charging electrode sheet capable of being exposed outside the robotic lawnmower 1. In other embodiments, the charging structure may be other contact type charging electrodes, or may be a non-contact type induction coil, etc.

The control module 50 is used for controlling the automatic mower 1 to automatically travel and work, and the functions executed by the control module include controlling the cutting module 30 to start or stop, generating a travel path, controlling the travel module 20 to receive an environmental signal detected by the automatic mower 1 according to the travel, judging the electric quantity of the energy module, timely controlling the automatic mower 1 to return to the stop station 5 for automatic butt joint charging, and the like.

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

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

The cutting module 30 is used for performing cutting tasks of the robotic lawnmower 1, and includes a cutting motor 41, a cutting assembly 43 driven by the cutting motor, and the like. Cutting assembly 43 includes a cutting element 45 that generates energy to cut grass when moving at high speeds. In this embodiment, the cutting module 30 includes at least two positions: a first position 11 and a second position 13. In order to prevent injury by a person or animal coming into contact with the cutting element 45 during operation of the cutting module 30, the first position 11 of the cutting module 30 is located inside the housing 10, protected by the distance between the edge of the housing 10 and the cutting module 30, preventing the person or animal from reaching the cutting module 30 from the side. The second position 13 of the cutting module 30 is offset to the outside of the housing 10 relative to the first position 11. In operation in the second position 13, the cutting module 30 is capable of cutting substantially to the edge of the work area or completely to the edge of the work area, thereby reducing manual trimming by the user. The control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to move from the first position 11 to the second position 13 based on the operating state of the robotic lawnmower 1 or received external signals, or the like.

As shown in fig. 2, the cutting module 30 is in the first position 11, and as shown in fig. 3, the cutting module 30 is in the second position 13. In one embodiment, when in the second position 13, horizontally, the cutting module 30 is located within the housing 10 closer to the edge of the housing 10 than the first position 11. Specifically, the distance between the cutting module 30 and the edge of the housing 10 is less than or equal to 2 cm. The cutting module 30 in this embodiment is located in the housing 10, and can perform a certain degree of safety protection by using the housing 10, and can prevent the cutting element 45 from directly contacting a hard obstacle, thereby prolonging the service life of the cutting element 45.

In one embodiment, when in the second position 13, horizontally, the cutting module 30 is at least partially outside the housing 10. When the robotic lawnmower 1 is moved along the work area boundary 3 with the cutting module 30 facing outside the work area, the cutting module 30 is able to cut the grass at the edge of the work area boundary 3 clean. In particular, when the robotic lawnmower 1 is moved along the obstacle edge, the cutting module 30 is able to completely cover the grass on the obstacle edge and cut it clean if the housing 10 is maximally close to the obstacle edge. Grass at the boundary of the work area may have an outward lodging problem, which the cutting module 30 of the present embodiment is able to better address.

In one embodiment, the control module 50 controls the cutting module to be in the first position 11 under normal operating conditions. In order to ensure the operational safety of the cutting module 30, the first position 11 of the cutting module 30 is located within the housing 10. In the width direction, the distance between the cutting module 30 and the edge of the housing 10 is greater than or equal to 8 cm, so that the user is ensured not to contact the cutting module 30 when extending into the lower part of the housing 10 from the side, and the cutting module 30 can be safely cut in the first position 11.

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

As shown in FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the robotic lawnmower 1 includes a communication module 60 for receiving user control signals generated by a user device. If the structure of the cutting module 30 is not sufficient by itself to guarantee operational safety, the user may be at risk by touching the cutting elements 45 of the cutting module 30 when the cutting module 30 is in the second position 13. In this embodiment, the control module 50 controls the operation of the cutting module 30 based on the user control signal received by the communication module 60. The communication module 60 may be in the form of bluetooth communication, Wi-Fi communication, or the like. The user device may be a cell phone, laptop or other portable handheld device. When a user control signal sent by user equipment is received, the distance between the automatic mower 1 and a user is within a preset range, and the automatic mower 1 can be ensured to be in a safe state by monitoring by the user. Therefore, the control module 50 controls the cutting module to work at the second position 13 based on the user control signal, so that the automatic mower 1 can cut the edge of the working area, and the safety can be improved. Optionally, the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to move from the first position to the second position based on the user control signal.

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

In one embodiment, the robotic lawnmower 1 includes an edgewise mode in which the control module 50 controls the robotic lawnmower 1 to move along the preset path. The preset path includes the work area boundary 3 or other set path. Alternatively, in the edgewise mode, the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to move outward to the second position and controls the cutting module 30 to operate. When the robotic lawnmower 1 is moved along the work area boundary 3 such that the second position is outside the work area, and the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to work, the cutting module 30 can cut the grass on the robotic work area boundary 3 clean. Optionally, the control module 50 controls to start the edge mode based on a preset signal, where the preset signal includes a user control signal or a cutting completion signal in the working area, and the like.

In one embodiment, the control module 50 automatically controls the operation or non-operation of the cutting module 30 when in the first position 11. With the cutting module 30 remaining in the first position 11, the robotic lawnmower 1 moves and cuts within a work area, the manner of which is well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail herein. In this embodiment, the robotic lawnmower includes a cutting mode and a trimming mode, in the cutting mode, the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to move to the first position 11, the robotic lawnmower 1 moves within the working area, and controls the cutting module 30 to work; in the trimming mode, the control module 50 controls the cutting module to move to the second position 13, the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to work based on the user control signal, and controls the robotic lawnmower 1 to move along the working area boundary 3 based on the detection signal of the working area boundary detection module, thereby completing the cutting of the working area boundary. The structure solves the problem of edge cutting on the basis of not adding a new cutting module, does not increase extra cost, and does not bring new technical problems due to the new cutting module.

In one embodiment, cutting element 45 is a blade. The working area of the robotic lawnmower 1 is a lawn, and in many cases, one or more sides surrounding the lawn are a hard surface, such as a roadway, sidewalk, fence, or the like. The cutting element 45, which is more flexible, is more likely to break when operated in these scenarios, while the blade is relatively more ductile and less likely to break. Furthermore, the blade is a general cutting element of the existing automatic mower, and for the automatic mower, the cutting performance of the blade is good, and the automatic cutting work can be efficiently completed. Optionally, the blades are arranged on the cutter disc in a circumferentially distributed manner, and the blades are driven to rotate by the rotation of the cutter disc to cut the lawn.

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

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

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

In one embodiment, the guide portion 71 includes a guide rail, and fixing positions for fixing the moving member are formed at both ends of the guide rail at the first position 11 and the second position 13, respectively. The movable assembly 70 includes a guide motor for moving and stopping the movable portion 73. The control module 50 controls the position of the cutting module 30 by controlling the guide motor. In this embodiment, the guide rail is a linear guide rail, and the guide motor is specifically a linear motor, and drives the movable portion 73 to perform linear movement along the guide rail. In other embodiments, the guide rail is a circular arc-shaped guide rail, and the movable portion 73 includes a swing link, so that the motor is guided to drive the swing link to drive the cutting module 30 to swing along the guide rail. It will be appreciated that the above-described,

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

In one embodiment, the control module 50 controls the cutting module 30 to perform the cutting operation if the user control signal is continuously received, and controls the cutting module 30 to stop the cutting operation if the user control signal is interrupted. Optionally, if the time for the user control signal to be interrupted exceeds the preset time, the control module 50 controls the guide motor to drive the interaction block 73 to move, so that the cutting module 30 moves from the second position 13 to the first position 11. Optionally, if the time for the user to control the signal interruption exceeds the preset time, the control module 50 controls the walking module 20 to return the robotic lawnmower 1 to the working area for working, or to return to the stop station 5, and the control module 50 automatically controls the robotic lawnmower 1 to work in the working area.

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

The above-described embodiments represent only a few embodiments of the present invention, and there are objectively unlimited possible structures due to the limited character of the present invention, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements should be considered as the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent shall be subject to the appended claims.