Blade assembly for a grass cutting mobile robot

• US 10,426,083 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2018
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Doughty, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Torres, Alicia
• Application Number:
  US16/007,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20180352738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 2101/00 Lawn-mowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/661 Mounting means
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/664 Disc cutter bars
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/733 Cutting-blade mounting means
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/736 Flail type
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/78 electric
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/81 Casings; Housings A01D34/71 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/828 Safety devices

Abstract

A grass cutting mobile robot includes a body and a blade assembly connected to the body and rotatable about a drive axis. The blade assembly includes blades, a housing to hold the blades, and a spring that connects the blade to the housing. The housing includes a slot in which to mount a blade so that a portion of the blade is movable through the slot towards another blade in response to an impact. The slot slopes upwards in the housing towards the body, thereby enabling the blade to move upwards relative to a ground surface toward the body in response to the impact. The spring is for constraining movement of the blade relative to the housing.

Claims

1. A grass cutting mobile robot comprising:

a drive system operable to navigate the robot about a mowable area; and

a blade assembly comprising a housing and a blade to cut vegetation on the mowable area, the blade comprising;

a first portion extending outwardly from the housing and defining a longitudinal axis, a proximal end of the first portion mounting the blade to the housing on a mounting axis at a non-parallel angle to a vertical axis;

a second portion extending from a distal end of the first portion at an angle to the longitudinal axis; and

a third portion extending from a distal end of the second portion in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis, the third portion being offset by a distance from the first portion, and a distal end of the third portion being angled in a first direction with respect to the longitudinal axis and tapered in a second direction with respect to the longitudinal axis to form a blade cutting tip, the third portion of the blade comprising a cutting portion configured to cut the vegetation on the mowable area, the cutting portion of the blade being coincident with a radial axis of the blade assembly.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein the third portion of the blade is positioned at a maximum distance from the housing.

3. The robot of claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third portions of the blade are each substantially planar.

4. The robot of claim 1, wherein the cutting portion extends along an entire length of the third portion of the blade, the entire length of the third portion of the blade being between 10% and 50% of an overall horizontal length of the blade, and the overall horizontal length of the blade being between 5 and 30 centimeters.

5. The robot of claim 1, wherein:

the blade comprises a first edge and a second edge, the first edge and the second edge connected by a surface, and

the blade is tilted upward relative to the mowable area at a tilt angle such that the second edge is higher than the first edge relative to the mowable area.

6. The robot of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the blade extends upwardly from the housing away from the mowable area.

7. The robot of claim 1, wherein:

the first portion of the blade extends outwardly from the housing at a nonparallel angle with the radial axis of the blade assembly, and

the blade cutting tip corresponds to an outermost point of the blade.

8. The robot of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the blade comprises an opening to couple the first portion of the blade to a spring of the blade assembly.

9. The robot of claim 1, wherein a top surface of the blade comprises an embossment extending along the blade through the first portion of the blade and the second portion of the blade, the embossment extending along 50% to 90% of a horizontal length of the blade.

10. The robot of claim 1, wherein:

the blade is a first blade,

the blade assembly comprises a second blade, the second blade comprising;

a first portion extending outwardly from the housing and defining another longitudinal axis, a proximal end of the first portion mounting the blade to the housing;

a second portion extending from a distal end of the first portion of the second blade at an angle to the other longitudinal axis; and

a third portion extending from a distal end of the second portion of the second blade in a direction parallel to the other longitudinal axis, the third portion of the second blade being offset by a distance from the first portion of the second blade, and a distal end of the third portion of the second blade being angled in a first direction with respect to the other longitudinal axis and tapered in a second direction with respect to the other longitudinal axis to form a blade cutting tip.

19. The robot of claim 5, wherein the proximal end of the first portion of the blade is mounted to the housing on a mounting axis, wherein the tilt angle corresponds to an angle between the mounting axis and a drive axis of the blade assembly.

11. A blade assembly for a grass cutting mobile robot, the blade assembly comprising:

a blade; and

a housing to hold the blade, the housing configured for coupling to an actuator of the grass cutting mobile robot so that the housing is rotatable about a drive axis and so that the blade cuts vegetation on a mowable area,

wherein the blade comprises;

a first portion extending outwardly from the housing and defining a longitudinal axis, a proximal end of the first portion mounting the blade to the housing;

a second portion extending from a distal end of the first portion at an angle to the longitudinal axis; and

a third portion extending from a distal end of the second portion in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis, the third portion being offset by a distance from the first portion, and a distal end of the third portion being angled in a first direction with respect to the longitudinal axis and tapered in a second direction with respect to the longitudinal axis to form a blade cutting tip, the third portion of the blade comprising a cutting portion configured to cut the vegetation on the mowable area, the cutting portion of the blade being coincident with a radial axis of the blade assembly.

12. The blade assembly of claim 11, wherein the third portion of the blade is positioned at a maximum distance from the housing.

13. The blade assembly of claim 11, wherein the first, second, and third portions of the blade are each substantially planar.

14. The blade assembly of claim 11, wherein the cutting portion extends along an entire length of the third portion of the blade, the entire length of the third portion of the blade being between 10% and 50% of an overall horizontal length of the blade, and the overall horizontal length of the blade being between 5 and 30 centimeters.

15. The blade assembly of claim 11, wherein:

the blade comprises a first edge and a second edge, the first edge and the second edge connected by a surface, and

the blade is tilted upward relative to the mowable area at a tilt angle such that the second edge is higher than the first edge relative to the mowable area.

16. The blade assembly of claim 15, wherein the proximal end of the first portion of the blade is mounted to the housing at a mounting axis, wherein the tilt angle corresponds to an angle between the mounting axis and a drive axis of the blade assembly.

17. The blade assembly of claim 11, wherein the first portion of the blade extends upwardly from the housing away from the mowable area.

18. The blade assembly of claim 11, wherein:

the first portion of the blade extends outwardly from the housing at a nonparallel angle with a radial axis of the blade assembly, and

the blade cutting tip corresponds to an outermost point of the blade.

20. A grass cutting mobile robot comprising:

a drive system operable to navigate the robot about a mowable area; and

a blade assembly comprising a housing and a blade to cut vegetation on the mowable area, the blade comprising;

a first portion extending outwardly from the housing at a nonparallel angle with a radial axis of the blade assembly and defining a longitudinal axis, a proximal end of the first portion mounting the blade to the housing;

a second portion extending from a distal end of the first portion at an angle to the longitudinal axis; and

a third portion extending from a distal end of the second portion in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis, the third portion being offset by a distance from the first portion, and a distal end of the third portion being angled in a first direction with respect to the longitudinal axis and tapered in a second direction with respect to the longitudinal axis to form a blade cutting tip corresponding to an outermost point of the blade, wherein the third portion comprises a cutting portion configured to cut vegetation on the mowable area and coincident with the radial axis of the blade assembly.

21. The robot of claim 20, wherein the blade is mounted to the housing on a mounting axis at a non-parallel angle to a drive axis of the blade assembly, wherein the blade assembly is rotatable about the drive axis.

22. The robot of claim 20, wherein:

the blade comprises a first edge and a second edge, the first edge and the second edge connected by a surface, and

the blade is tilted upward relative to the mowable area at a tilt angle such that the second edge is higher than the first edge relative to the mowable area.

23. The robot of claim 20, wherein the blade is rotatable relative to the housing.