Robotic mowing of separated lawn areas

• US 10,159,180 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Balutis, Paul C., Beaulieu, Andrew, Yamauchi, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US15/794,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20180116105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 2101/00 Lawn-mowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0081 with master teach-in means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1674 characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0221 involving a learning process
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0265 using buried wires
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A method of mowing multiple areas includes training a robotic mower to mow at least two areas separated by a space, including moving the robotic mower about the areas while storing data indicative of location of boundaries of each area relative to boundary markers, training the robotic mower to move across the space separating the areas, and initiating a mowing operation. Training the robotic mower to move across the space separating the areas includes moving the robotic mower to a traversal launch point of a first of the areas and moving the robotic mower to a traversal landing point of a second of the areas. The mowing operation causes the robotic mower to move to the traversal launch point, move from the traversal launch point across the space to the traversal landing point, and then mow the second of the areas.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initiating a training mode of an autonomous lawnmower robot; and

presenting, on a user interface of a user computing device,

a map indicative of a first mowable area, a second mowable area, and a space between the first mowable area and the second mowable area,

a representation of a route through the space along which the robot is navigated without mowing during a mowing operation to mow at least one of the first mowable area or the second mowable area,

a representation of a boundary of the first mowable area navigated by the robot in the training mode, and

a representation of a boundary of the second mowable area navigated by the robot in the training mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the representation of the route comprises presenting a representation of a launch point defining a start of the route along the boundary of the first mowable area and a representation of a landing point defining an end of the route along the boundary of the second mowable area.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the user computing device to the robot, a user-selected schedule such that the robot mows at least one of the first mowable area or the second mowable area in accordance with the user-selected schedule.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the schedule comprises transmitting instructions to cause the robot to mow the first mowable area at a first time and to mow the second mowable area at a second time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the map comprises imagery representing the first mowable area and the second mowable area.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising identifying, by the user computing device, data indicative of the boundary of the first mowable area and indicative of the boundary of the second mowable area from the imagery.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the route is a first route, and the method further comprises presenting, on the user interface of the user computing device, a representation of a second route through the first mowable area navigated by the robot in the training mode.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting, on the user interface of the user computing device, an indicator of a current location of the robot on the map.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting, on the user interface of the user computing device, an indicator of a location of a charging dock configured to charge a battery of the robot on the map.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly transmitting, from the user computing device to the robot, an instruction to cause the robot to initiate the mowing operation in which the robot

disables a mowing function,

subsequent to disabling the mowing function, navigates through the space and to the second mowable area by following the route, and

subsequent to navigating to the second mowable area, activates the mowing function to mow the second mowable area.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the robot autonomously mows the first mowable area before disabling the mowing function.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the route further extends through the first mowable area, and the robot autonomously navigates along the route through the first mowable area and through the space by following the route.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, from the user computing device to the robot, data indicative of a user selection of the route through the space.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the user selection of the route overrides an automatically selected route through the space.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, from the user computing device to the robot, data indicative of a plurality of user-selected points defining at least a start of the route and an end of the route.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising, during the training mode, wirelessly transmitting, from the user computing device to the robot, an instruction to store a current position of the robot defining a point along the route, along the boundary of the first mowable area, or along the boundary of the second mowable area.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, from the user computing device to the robot, a selection of a movement pattern to cover the first mowable area or a selection of a movement pattern to cover the second mowable area.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the user computing device from the robot, data indicative of the boundary of the first mowable area, data indicative of the boundary of the second mowable area, and data indicative of the route,

wherein the representations of the route, the boundary of the first mowable area, and the boundary of the second mowable area are presented based on the data indicative of the boundary of the first mowable area, the data indicative of the boundary of the second mowable area, and the data indicative of the route.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising, during the training mode, transmitting instructions to cause the robot to store the data indicative of the boundary of the first mowable area, the data indicative of the boundary of the second mowable area, and the data indicative of the route in the training mode.

20. A system comprising:

a computing device comprising;

a user interface;

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising;

initiating a training mode of an autonomous lawnmower robot; and

presenting, on the user interface,

a map indicative of a first mowable area, a second mowable area, and a space between the first mowable area and the second mowable area,

a representation of a route through the space along which the robot is navigated without mowing during a mowing operation to mow at least one of the first mowable area or the second mowable area,

a representation of a boundary of the first mowable area navigated by the robot in the training mode, and

a representation of a boundary of the second mowable area navigated by the robot in the training mode.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the computing device is a smartphone, a pair of smart glasses, or a smart watch.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein presenting the representation of the route comprises presenting a representation of a launch point defining a start of the route along the boundary of the first mowable area and a representation of a landing point defining an end of the route along the boundary of the second mowable area.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the route is a first route, and the operations further comprise presenting, on the user interface, a representation of a second route through the first mowable area navigated by the robot in the training mode.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the operations further comprise presenting, on the user interface, an indicator of a current location of the robot on the map.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the operations further comprise presenting, on the user interface, an indicator of a location of a charging dock configured to charge a battery of the robot on the map.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting, from the computing device to the robot, data indicative of a user selection of the route through the space.

28. The system of claim 20, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting, from the computing device to the robot, a selection of a movement pattern to cover the first mowable area or a selection of a movement pattern to cover the second mowable area.

22. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

initiating a training mode of an autonomous lawnmower robot; and

presenting, on a user interface of a user computing device,

a map indicative of a first mowable area, a second mowable area, and a space between the first mowable area and the second mowable area,

a representation of a route through the space along which the robot is navigated without mowing during a mowing operation to mow at least one of the first mowable area or the second mowable area,

a representation of a boundary of the first mowable area navigated by the robot in the training mode, and

a representation of a boundary of the second mowable area navigated by the robot in the training mode.

29. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 22, wherein presenting the representation of the route comprises presenting a representation of a launch point defining a start of the route along the boundary of the first mowable area and a representation of a landing point defining an end of the route along the boundary of the second mowable area.

30. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 22, wherein the route is a first route, and the operations further comprises presenting, on the user interface of the user computing device, a representation of a second route through the first mowable area navigated by the robot in the training mode.

31. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 22, wherein the operations further comprise presenting, on the user interface of the user computing device, an indicator of a current location of the robot on the map.

32. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 22, wherein the operations further comprise presenting, on the user interface of the user computing device, an indicator of a location of a charging dock configured to charge a battery of the robot on the map.

33. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 22, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting, from the user computing device to the robot, data indicative of a user selection of the route through the space.

34. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 22, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting, from the user computing device to the robot, a selection of a movement pattern to cover the first mowable area or a selection of a movement pattern to cover the second mowable area.