Electronic search system

• US 6,465,982 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2000
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Husqvarna AB (HUSQVARNA)
• Original Assignee: Aktiebolaget Electrolux
• Inventors: Bergvall, Bengt-Allan, Petersson, Ulf
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US09/582,892
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 318/580, 318/587, 318/606, 318/607, 318/647, 318/652, 180/167, 180/168
• US Class Current: 318/587
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2889 Safety or protection devices or systems, e.g. for prevention of motor over-heating or for protection of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0265 using buried wires

Abstract

A search system for a tool. A border cable separates inner and outer areas. A generator feeds the border cable with current, whose magnetic field affects a sensing unit on the tool, and the sensing unit emits signals to a control unit that directs the tool'"'"'s motion. The current contains at least two components of different frequency. A search cable is placed within the inner area so that it separates a search area, and is fed by a signal generator with an adapted current (e.g., the current direction alternates to be either in phase or out of phase in relation to the current direction in the border cable) so that the magnetic fields in the different areas provide at least three patterns. Accordingly, the control unit can separate the inner, outer, and search areas.

Claims

1. An electronic search system (1) for a working tool (2), in which system border cable (a) is placed above, under or on ground or floor, so that it separates an inner area (A) within the border cable (a) from an outer area (C), which working tool is intended for attendance of ground or floor, and a first signal generator (3;

3′

) feeds the border cable with current (Ia), whose magnetic field (7) affects at least one sensing unit (8) located on the working tool (2), so that the at least one sensing unit (8) emits signals (9) to a control unit (10), which in cooperation with an engine control (11), or a signal system for a driver, and at least one driving source (12, 13) directs the tool'"'"'s motion in order to prevent it from remoting from the inner area (A), wherein the first signal generator feeds the border cable with current (Ia) containing at least two alternating-current components (14, 15) of different frequency, and the components (14, 15) are lying in a known relation of time to each other, and at least one more cable, called search cable (b, d, e) is placed at least partly within the inner area (A+B+D+E), so that it separates at least one search area (B, D, E) within the inner area, and each search cable (b, d, e) respectively is fed by a signal generator (3, 4, 5) with an adapted current (Ib, Id, Ie), whose altemating-current components (14, 15) are virtually identical with the altemating-current components in the border cable (a), but where the direction of flow, at least for the alternating-current component (15) with the higher frequency, in each one of the search cables is alternating in time in being either in phase or out of phase in relation to the current flow direction in the border cable (a), so that the magnetic fields in the different areas (A, B, C, D, E), which are separated by each cable respectively, are forming at least three essentially unique timer patterns, and hereby the control unit can evaluate the difference in the signals (9) caused by the magnetic field'"'"'s different time patterns in the inner area (A), the outer area (C) and at least one search area (B, D, E), and the control unit can therefore emit an area signal (16), which mainly takes up one of at least three states depending on the position of the sensing unit (8) in relation to the border cable (a) or each search cable (b, d, e) respectively.

2. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the two alternating-current components'"'"' (14, 15) frequencies are multiples of each other.

3. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 2, wherein the two altemating-current components'"'"' (14, 15) frequencies are equal number multiples of each other.

4. An electronic search system according to claim 2 wherein the two alternating-current components'"'"' frequencies are selected from one of 8000 Hz and 16000 Hz;

8000 Hz and 24000 Hz; and

8000 Hz and 32000 Hz.

5. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the alternating-current components (14, 15) in the border cable (a) are lying in an essentially permanent time relation to each other.

6. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the alternating-current components are composed of square waves.

7. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 1, wherein each sensing unit comprises at least one coil (19).

8. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (10) evaluates the signals (9) by dividing them in a frequency divider (21) into signal components (14′

, 15′

) with different frequency corresponding to the frequencies of the alternating-current components (14, 15), and the signal components are forwarded to an evaluation unit (23), which at least for the signal component (15′

) with the higher frequency, detects its signals as an analogue average of the proportion of in phase signals, or the proportion of out of phase signals, so that the evaluation unit creates the area signal (16).

9. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 8 wherein at least one of the signals (9, 14′

, 15′

) is rectified in a rectifier (25) and is forwarded to the engine control (11) as an analogue signal, whose signal intensity is a measure of the intensity of the ingoing signals (9) to the control unit, so that the tool can be shut-off at a too low signal intensity.

10. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 8 wherein at least one of the signal components (14′

, 15′

) is forwarded to an amplifier (24), whose amplification thus is affected by the ingoing signal'"'"'s (14′

, 15′

) intensity, and after rectifying in rectifier (25) the analogue signal (26) is brought back to the frequency divider (21), which also has a variable amplification, and compared with not having this special amplification circuit the signal (26) affects the variable amplification of the signals (14′

, 15′

), so that a considerably more constant signal intensity in these signals (14′

, 15′

) is achieved inside and near outside the inner area (A+B+D+E).

11. An electronic search system according to claim 8, wherein the signal components are forwarded to an evaluation unit after processing in a signal processing unit.

12. An electronic search system according to claim 8, wherein the evaluation unit is a latch.

13. An electronic search system (1) in accordance with claim 1, wherein the control unit (10) evaluates the signals (9) by dividing them in a frequency divider (21) into signal components (14′

, 15′

), with different frequency, corresponding to the frequencies of the alternating-current components (14, 15), and the signal components are forwarded to an evaluation unit (23), which at least for the signal component (15′

) with the higher frequency, detects its signals as a digital pattern of in phase and out of phase signals, so that the evaluation unit can create the area signal (16).

14. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 13 wherein at least one of the signals (9, 14′

, 15′

) is rectified in a rectifier (25) and is forwarded to the engine control (11) as an analogue signal, whose signal intensity is a measure of the intensity of the ingoing signals (9) to the control unit, so that the tool can be shut-off at a too low signal intensity.

15. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 13 wherein at least one of the signal components (14′

, 15′

) is forwarded to an amplifier (24), whose amplification thus is affected by the ingoing signal'"'"'s (14′

, 15′

) intensity, and after rectifying in rectifier (25) the analogue signal (26) is brought back to the frequency divider (21), which also has a variable amplification, and compared with not having this special amplification circuit the signal (26) affects the variable amplification of the signals (14′

, 15′

), so that a considerably more constant signal intensity in these signals (14′

, 15′

) is achieved inside and near outside the inner area (A+B+D+E).

16. An electronic search system according to claim 13, wherein the signal components are forwarded to an evaluation unit after processing in a signal processing unit.

17. An electronic search system according to claim 13, wherein the evaluation unit is a latch.

18. An electronic search system (1) in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first signal generator (3;

3′

) transmits a current into a border cable (a) and in relation to the first current an adapted current into at least one search cable (b;

b, d′

).

19. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the first signal generator (3) feeds the border cable (a) with current (Ia) and in that at least one second signal generator (4, 5) is located at the border cable (a) and transmits the adapted current (Id, Ie) into at least one search cable (d, e).

20. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 19, wherein the adapted current (Id, Ie) is based on a sensing of the current (Ia), which the first signal generator (3) has transmitted into the border cable (a).

21. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one search cable (b, d, e) is located essentially within the inner area (A+B+D+E).

22. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 21, wherein the search cable (e) is created by connecting a conductor (e) to the border cable (a), so that a part of the border cable (a) will be integrated into the search cable (e), which separates the search area (E).

23. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the tool'"'"'s (2) control unit there is a “

follow the cable”

mode, which becomes activated by passage from one area to another area in combination with that at least one more condition is fulfilled resulting in that the tool follows a search cable(b;

b, d′

), which leads to a docking station (3;

3′

) for automatic battery charging.

24. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 23, wherein in the “

follow the cable”

mode, the state of the area signal (16) affects the engine control (11) so that the inner area state (18) guides the tool more to the right, while the search area state (31, 32, 33) guides the tool more to the left, so that the tool follows the search cable between the two areas in a clockwise direction.

25. An electronic search system (1) according to claim 23, wherein, in the “

follow the cable”

modes the state of the area signal (16) affects the engine control (11) so that the inner area state (18) guides the tool more in the left, while the search area state (31, 32, 33) guides the tool more to the right, so that the tool follows the search cable between the two areas in an anti-clockwise direction.

26. An electronic search system according to claim 23, wherein the “

follow the cable”

mode becomes activated when a battery-operated tool gets a low voltage of battery (condition) and passes from one of the inner area and the search area to the other of the inner area and the search area.

27. An electronic search system according to claim 1 wherein said at least three states comprise an outer area state, an inner area state, and at least one search area state.

28. An electronic search system according to claim 1 wherein the work tool is used for one of grass-cutting, moss-scratching, watering, vacuum-cleaning, polishing, and transportation.