Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Network

• US 20160007525A1
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Husqvarna AB (HUSQVARNA)
• Original Assignee: Husqvarna AB (HUSQVARNA)
• Inventors: Drew, Bernard, Albinger, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 9,615,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/006 Control or measuring arrangements
• 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 34/68 with motor driven cutters or wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0307 using generators driven by a machine different from the vehicle motor

Abstract

A lawn care device (10) may include a mobility assembly (42,44) configured to facilitate movement of the lawn care device over ground, a cutting deck (40) housing at least one blade, an engine (50) operably coupled to the at least one blade via a rotatable shaft to enable the at least one blade to cut vegetation responsive to rotation of the at least one blade, a control unit (110) configured to be in communication with at least one functional unit of the lawn care device, at least one sensor (142) disposed to monitor the at least one functional unit, a transmitter (144) operably coupled to the sensor to wirelessly transmit a signal from the sensor to the control unit based on operation of the at least one functional unit, and an energy harvester (146) configured to convert energy from a source of origin into electrical energy, the electrical energy being employed for powering the at least one sensor and the transmitter.

Claims

1. A lawn care device comprising:

a mobility assembly configured to facilitate movement of the lawn care device over ground;

a cutting deck housing at least one blade;

an engine operably coupled to the at least one blade via a rotatable shaft to enable the at least one blade to cut vegetation responsive to rotation of the at least one blade;

a control unit configured to be in communication with at least one functional unit of the lawn care device;

at least one sensor disposed to monitor the at least one functional unit;

a transmitter operably coupled to the sensor to wirelessly transmit a signal from the sensor to the control unit based on operation of the at least one functional unit; and

an energy harvester configured to convert energy from a source of origin into electrical energy, the electrical energy being employed for powering the at least one sensor and the transmitter.

2. The lawn care device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control operation of the at least one functional unit.

3. The lawn care device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control operation of a component of the lawn care device based on state information associated with the at least one functional unit.

4. The lawn care device of claim 1, wherein the energy harvester comprises a capacitor or battery to store energy generated responsive to conversion of the source of origin into electrical energy.

5. The lawn care device of claim 1, wherein the energy harvester converts mechanical energy, RF energy, kinetic energy, acoustic energy, or thermal energy into electrical energy.

6. The lawn care device of claim 5, wherein the sensor and the transmitter have no wired connection to the control unit.

7. The lawn care device of claim 5, wherein the energy harvester comprises a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device.

8. The lawn care device of claim 5, wherein the energy harvester comprises a piezoelectric crystal.

9. The lawn care device of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises a safety switch.

10. The lawn care device of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises a Hall effect sensor.

11. The lawn care device of claim 5, wherein the transmitter comprises a portion of a transceiver configured to enable two-way communication with the control unit.

12. The lawn care device of claim 5, wherein the transmitter comprises a portion of a transceiver configured to enable two-way communication with the control unit, and wherein the transceiver is configured to report data or state change information responsive to a request for the data or state change information by the control unit.

13. The lawn care device of claim 5, wherein the transmitter is configured to provide a signal indicative of data or state change information associated with the functional unit at predefined intervals for wireless transmission to the control unit.

14. The lawn care device of claim 5, wherein the transmitter is configured to provide a signal indicative of state change information associated with the functional unit responsive to a change in state of the functional unit for wireless transmission to the control unit.

15. The lawn care device of claim 5, wherein the lawn care device is a ride on lawn care device or a walk behind lawn care device.

16. A method of utilizing opportunistic energy harvesting on a lawn care device, wherein the lawn care device comprises a transmitter, a sensor, a control unit, a functional unit, and an energy harvester, and wherein the transmitter is operably coupled to the sensor to wirelessly transmit a signal from the sensor to the control unit based on operation of the functional unit, the method comprising:

converting, by the energy harvester, energy from a source of origin into electrical energy;

powering, by the energy harvester, the sensor and the transmitter via the electrical energy converted by the energy harvester;

monitoring, by the sensor, parametric data or state change status to determine whether a state change or data generation has occurred; and

wirelessly transmitting, by the transmitter, a signal indicative of the state change or the generated data based on whether the state change or data generation has occurred.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the wirelessly transmitting further comprises transmitting the signal in response to determining that the state change or data generation has occurred.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

in response to determining that no state change or data generation has occurred and in response to a request for information indicative of current data or current state, wirelessly transmitting a signal indicative of the current data or current state.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the wirelessly transmitting further comprises transmitting the signal in response to determining that a predetermined report interval is reached.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the transmitting the signal in response to determining that a predetermined report interval is reached further comprises transmitting the signal in response to a further determination that no request for information is received and no indication of a state change or data generation is received.