LAWN MOWER WITH REMOTE CONTROL

• US 20150128547A1
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: EINECKE, Nils, FRANZIUS, Mathias, DIRNBERGER, Roman, BORSDORF, Ronny
• Application Number:
  US14/519,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20150128547A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 56/10.2A
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/22 Microcars, e.g. golf cars
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

The invention proposes an autonomous robot, such as an autonomous lawn mower, comprises at least one camera for obtaining at least one input image, a communication interface for transmitting the input image and receiving a remote control instruction, a control unit for controlling an operation of the autonomous robot, and wherein the control unit is adapted to control the operation at the autonomous robot in response to the received remote control instruction.

Claims

1. An autonomous robotic lawn mower, comprising:

at least one camera for obtaining at least one input image,

a communication interface for transmitting the input image and receiving a remote control instruction,

a control unit for controlling an operation of the autonomous robot, and

a working means with at least one tool in the form of one or more blades for cutting grass, characterized in that

the control unit is adapted to modify a working parameter of the one or more blades in response to the received remote control instruction.

2. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,

wherein the camera is adapted to obtain an image of the surroundings of the autonomous robot as an input image.

3. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,

wherein the camera and the communication interface are adapted to obtain and transmit a sequence of input images, preferably in the form of a video or moving image.

4. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,

wherein the input image obtained from the camera is transmitted by the communication interface in real-time, preferably in the form of a live streaming in which input images obtained from the camera are continuously transmitted in real-time by the communication interface.

5. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,

comprising compressing means for compressing the obtained at least one input image,

wherein, if a sequence of input images is obtained, the compressing means are adapted to compress the sequence of input images preferably according to the Motion JPEG standard.

6. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,

wherein the communication interface is also adapted to transmit a message, e.g. in the form of a text message, together with the input image,

wherein the message preferably describes a problem encountered by the autonomous robot.

7. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,

comprising a microphone for obtaining an input sound preferably of the surroundings of the autonomous robot,

wherein the communication interface is adapted to transmit synchronously the input sound and the input image.

8. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,

comprising moving means for moving the autonomous robot, the moving means preferably comprising driving and steering means,

wherein the control unit is adapted to control the operation of the moving means in response to the received remote control instruction.

9. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,

wherein

the control unit is adapted to activate or deactivate the working means in response to the received remote control instruction.

12. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 9,

wherein the control unit is adapted to control the rotation speed of the blades and/or the height of the blades with respect to a frame of the autonomous robot or with respect to a surface on which the autonomous robot is working.

13. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit is adapted to control a parameter of the camera, such as the exposure, aperture, shutter, hue, zoom or focus, or to control the orientation of the camera.

14. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,

wherein the communication interface comprises means for establishing a wireless connection with the remote smart device, so as to allow the communication interface to transmit the input image and receive the remote control instruction over this wireless connection.

15. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 14,

wherein the communication interface comprises means for establishing a wireless connection in the form of a direct or ad hoc connection with the remote smart device, or

wherein the communication interface is adapted to establish a wireless connection with a wireless access point of a wireless network.

16. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 14,

wherein the communication interface is adapted to establish a direct wireless connection, for example via Bluetooth, or to establish a wireless connection to a wireless access point preferably via WIFI.

17. The autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,

wherein the communication interface is adapted to establish a connection to a mobile cellular network for sending the input image and receiving the remote control instruction.

20. A system, comprising:

an autonomous robotic lawn mower according to claim 1, and

a remote smart device, said remote start device comprising

a communication interface for receiving an input image,

a display for displaying the input image, and

input means for allowing a user to input or select a remote control instruction to modify a working parameter of the one or more blades for cutting grass,

wherein the communication interface is configured to transmitting the remote control instruction inputted or selected via the input means.

10. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. A remote smart device for operating an autonomous robotic lawn mower, said remote smart device

comprising:

a communication interface for receiving an input image,

a display for displaying the input image, and

input means for allowing a user to input or select a remote control instruction to modify a working parameter of the one or more blades for cutting grass,

wherein the communication interface is configured to transmitting the remote control instruction inputted or selected via the input means.

21. A software program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium which causes, when running or loaded onto a remote smart device for operating an autonomous

robotic lawn mower having a working means with at least one tool in the form of one or more blades for cutting grass, the remote smart device to execute the steps of:

receiving an input image by a communication interface of the remote smart device,

displaying the input image on a display of the remote smart device,

allowing a user to input or select, by an input means of the remote smart device, a remote control instruction to modify a working parameter of the one or more blades for cutting grass, and

controlling the communication interface so as to transmit the remote control instruction inputted or selected via the input means.

22. A method for operating an autonomous robotic lawn mower,

wherein

the autonomous robotic lawn mower comprises a working means with at least one tool in the form of one or more blades for cutting grass, at least one camera, a communication interface and a control unit,

the method comprising the following steps:

the camera obtains at least one input image, and

the communication interface transmits the input image to a remote smart device, wherein

a remote control instruction to modify a working parameter of one or more blades is received from the remote smart device, and

the control unit controls an operation to modify the working parameter of one or more blades in response to the received remote control instruction.