Lawn mower robot

• US 10,555,457 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2017
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Song, Hyunsup, Jeong, Jaehoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Condra, Darlene P
• Application Number:
  US15/856,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20180184584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 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 34/58 electric
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/64 mounted on a vehicle, e.g. a tractor, or drawn by an animal or a vehicle A01D34/695 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/73 Cutting apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/733 Cutting-blade mounting means
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/74 Cutting-height adjustment
• 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

The present disclosure relates to a lawn mower robot, including an inner body; an outer cover configured to surround an outer side of the inner body; a plurality of blades rotatably provided on a bottom surface of the inner body to cut grass; casters pivotably installed at both front sides of the inner body, respectively, to be pivotable about a rotation shaft; wheels rotatably mounted at both rear sides of the inner body, respectively; a driving unit configured to drive the wheels; and a sensor unit configured to sense whether or not the caster is lifted from the ground, wherein the sensor unit comprises a drop switch configured to sense the lowering of the caster when the caster is lowered in a state of being floated in the air.

Claims

1. A lawn mower robot, comprising:

an inner body;

an outer cover configured to surround an outer side of the inner body;

a plurality of blades rotatably provided on a bottom surface of the inner body to cut grass;

casters pivotably provided near front sides of the inner body to be pivotable about a rotation shaft;

wheels rotatably provided near rear sides of the inner body and configured to roll on a surface;

a driving unit configured to drive the wheels; and

a sensor unit configured to sense whether one or more of the casters is lifted off the surface to stop rotation of the wheels by the driving unit,

wherein the sensor unit includes a drop switch configured to sense a downward movement of one or more of the casters when the one or more of the casters is lifted off the surface to be suspended in air,

wherein the sensor unit includes;

a shaft supporter received in a lower portion of the inner body and configured to be movable up and down, the shaft supporter provided to surround the rotation shaft of each caster and support the rotation shaft to rotate in place; and

a lowering protrusion formed on an outer circumferential surface of the shaft supporter,

wherein, when one or more of the casters is lowered relative to the inner body, the lowering protrusion is brought into contact with the drop switch to activate the drop switch and stop rotation of the wheels.

2. The lawn mower robot of claim 1, wherein a supporter receiving portion configured to receive the shaft supporter is formed on a bottom surface of the inner body, the supporter receiving portion including:

a height restricting portion provided at an upper portion of the shaft supporter to restrict an upward movement of the shaft supporter to a prescribed upper height, and

a bracket coupled to a lower end of the supporter receiving portion configured to restrict a downward movement of the shaft supporter to a prescribed lower height.

3. The lawn mower robot of claim 2, wherein

the supporter receiving portion includes a plurality of guide protrusions spaced apart from each other along an inner circumferential surface of the supporter receiving portion;

and

the shaft supporter includes a plurality of rotation preventing protrusions spaced apart from each other along an outer circumferential surface of the shaft supporter and configured to be inserted between the plurality of guide protrusions.

4. The lawn mower robot of claim 1, wherein the shaft supporter includes:

an insertion hole formed within the shaft supporter to accommodate the rotation shaft of the caster;

a supporting groove formed at an upper end of the insertion hole to have a width greater than that of the insertion hole; and

a release preventing member coupled to an upper end portion of the rotation shaft of the caster and supported by the supporting groove to prevent the rotation shaft of the caster from being released from the shaft supporter in a downward direction.

5. The lawn mower robot of claim 1, wherein the lowering protrusion is provided adjacent to the drop switch and includes an angled surface that protrudes toward the drop switch and the drop switch includes a lever configured to be lowered by the angled surface, wherein the lever is configured to contact the angled surface of the lowering protrusion when one or more of the casters is lifted off the surface to be lowered relative to the inner body.

6. The lawn mower robot of claim 1, wherein the driving unit includes:

a housing configured to receive a drive motor and a plurality of gears for transmitting power of the drive motor to the wheels, a portion of the housing being received in the inner body; and

a housing supporter configured to fasten the housing to a side surface of the inner body,

wherein the housing supporter includes;

a housing coupling portion that surrounds an outer circumferential surface of the housing and coupled to the housing; and

a flange portion formed to protrude radially from an outer circumferential surface of the housing coupling portion to be fastened to the inner body.

7. The lawn mower robot of claim 6, wherein the flange portion is formed in a rectangular plate structure, and a corner portion of the flange portion is fastened to the inner body with a bolt, and wherein a plurality of fastening portions are provided to protrude from a side surface of the inner body and configured to accommodate the bolt for fastening the flange portion to the side surface of the inner body.

8. The lawn mower robot of claim 6, wherein the housing supporter includes:

a plurality of ribs disposed to extend from a first surface of the flange portion to an outer circumferential surface of the housing coupling portion to connect the flange portion to the housing coupling portion, the plurality of ribs being spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction around the housing coupling portion;

a spacer formed to protrude from a second surface of the flange portion that is opposite the first surface, the spacer having a circumference greater than the housing; and

a guide portion formed to protrude from the second surface at a corner portion of the flange portion and configured to surround a portion of the fastening portion.

9. The lawn mower robot of claim 6, wherein the drive motor received in the housing is connected to a plurality of gears through a motor shaft, and

the plurality of gears are coupled to the wheel through the rotation shaft and configured to change a rotational speed of the motor according to a preset gear ratio.

10. The lawn mower robot of claim 1, wherein the shaft supporter includes:

an insertion hole formed within the shaft supporter to accommodate the rotation shaft of the caster;

a supporting groove formed at an upper end of the insertion hole to have a width greater than that of the insertion hole; and

a release preventing member coupled to an upper end portion of the rotation shaft of the caster and supported by the supporting groove to prevent the rotation shaft of the caster from being released from the shaft supporter in a downward direction.

11. A lawn mower robot, comprising:

an inner body;

an outer cover configured to surround an outer side of the inner body;

a plurality of blades rotatably provided on a bottom surface of the inner body to cut grass;

casters pivotably provided near front sides of the inner body, to be pivotable about a rotation shaft;

wheels rotatably provided near rear sides of the inner body and configured to roll on a surface; and

a driving unit configured to drive the wheels,

wherein the driving unit includes;

a housing configured to receive a drive motor and a plurality of gears for transmitting power of the drive motor to the wheels, a first portion of the housing being received in the inner body; and

a housing supporter configured to fasten the housing to a side surface of the inner body,

wherein a second portion of the housing protrudes from the inner body to an outside of the inner body, the second portion of the housing being coupled to and supported by the housing supporter.

12. The lawn mower robot of claim 11, wherein the housing supporter includes:

a housing coupling portion that surrounds an outer circumferential surface of the housing and coupled to the housing; and

a flange portion formed to protrude radially from an outer circumferential surface of the housing coupling portion to be fastened to the inner body.

13. The lawn mower robot of claim 12, wherein the flange portion is formed in a rectangular plate structure, and a corner portion of the flange portion is fastened to the inner body with a bolt.

14. The lawn mower robot of claim 12, wherein a plurality of fastening portions are provided to protrude from a side surface of the inner body and configured to accommodate the bolt for fastening the flange portion to the side surface of the inner body.

15. The lawn mower robot of claim 14, wherein the housing supporter includes:

a plurality of ribs disposed to extend from a first surface of the flange portion to an outer circumferential surface of the housing coupling portion to connect the flange portion to the housing coupling portion, the plurality of ribs being spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction around the housing coupling portion;

a spacer formed to protrude from a second surface of the flange portion that is opposite the first surface, the spacer having a circumference greater than the housing; and

a guide portion formed to protrude from the second surface at a corner portion of the flange portion and configured to surround a portion of the fastening portion.

16. The lawn mower robot of claim 11, wherein the drive motor received in the housing is connected to a plurality of gears through a motor shaft, and

the plurality of gears are coupled to the wheel through the rotation shaft and configured to change a rotational speed of the motor according to a preset gear ratio.

17. The lawn mower robot of claim 11, further comprising a sensor unit configured to sense whether one or more of the casters is lifted off the surface in order to stop driving the wheels by the driving unit,

wherein the sensor unit includes a drop switch configured to sense a downward movement of one or more of the casters when the one or more of the casters is lifted off the surface to be suspended in air.

18. The lawn mower robot of claim 17, wherein the sensor unit includes:

a shaft supporter received in a lower portion of the inner body and configured to be movable up and down, the shaft supporter provided to surround the rotation shaft of each caster and support the rotation shaft to rotate in place; and

a lowering protrusion formed on an outer circumferential surface of the shaft supporter,

wherein, when one or more of the casters is lowered relative to the inner body, the lowering protrusion is brought into contact with the drop switch to activate the drop switch and stop rotation of the wheels.

19. The lawn mower robot of claim 18, wherein a supporter receiving portion configured to receive the shaft supporter is formed on a bottom surface of the inner body, the supporter receiving portion including

a height restricting portion provided at an upper portion of the shaft supporter to restrict an upward movement of the shaft supporter to a prescribed upper height, and

a bracket coupled to a lower end of the supporter receiving portion configured to restrict a downward movement of the shaft supporter to a prescribed lower height.