Multifunctional mobile appliance

• US 6,600,981 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2001
• Issued: 07/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MC Robotics
• Original Assignee: Bryan John Ruffner
• Inventors: Ruffner, Bryan John
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US09/988,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20020049517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 56/168, 562/95, 562/02, 56/166, 563/202, 563/201, 56/128, 56/164.A, 562/55, 562/29, 56/174, 56D/IG.20, 56D/IG.24, 56/171, 56/173, 56/175, 561/57, 561/67, 561/69, 563/07, 563/08, 563/10
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 2101/00 Lawn-mowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 42/00 Mowers convertible to apparatus for purposes other than mowing; Mowers capable of performing operations other than mowing mowers combined with apparatus performing additional operations while mowing A01D43/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2036 Electric differentials, e.g. for supporting steering vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/46 Wheel motors, i.e. motor connected to only one wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/465 Slip
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0061 relating to electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/106 for maintaining or recovering the adhesion of the drive wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

The invention is a multifunctional, mobile appliance capable of performing a variety of tasks safely, quietly, without pollution, and out of sight of its owner. Such tasks might include lawn mowing, fertilizing, and edging, floor vacuuming, waxing, and polishing, or rug shampooing. In its preferred implementation, the mobile unit 1 would obtain precise real time and position information using the Real Time Kinematic Global Positioning System. The user initially guides the appliance around the work-area perimeters. The device then uses this information to determine the full working area. Proximity detectors and impact sensors help the appliance avoid unexpected obstacles. The device is quiet enough to perform its task in the middle of the night while its owner is asleep, but can be programmed to work continuously or during any user-specified time interval. The small turning radius of the appliance allows it to follow intricate perimeters. In the instance of a mowing application, the cutting blades are surrounded by a cage that allows grass to enter, but excludes sticks, stones, fingers or toes. The mowing blade assembly can trim over the top of yard edging. The battery-powered device can recharge itself and a wireless link enables the appliance to communicate with its user and a user support network via the World Wide Web.

Claims

1. A vegetation cutting device comprising

cutting means,

filtration means for preventing contact between said cutting means and objects whose three dimensions are each substantially equal to the diameter of a human finger where said contact prevention exists substantially independent of the three dimensional direction from which said objects approach said cutting means, and

means for rotating said cutting means about an axis of rotation which constrains all points on said cutting means to travel on a path defining a plane that intersects at most one space through which objects may traverse said filtration means.

2. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said filtration means includes relatively thin, closely-spaced members.

3. The vegetation cutting device in claim 1 wherein

said filtration means includes relatively thin, closely-spaced members of stiff but resilient material, and

said axis of rotation is substantially perpendicular to the planes of said thin members of resilient material.

4. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said cutting means includes cutting elements uniformly mounted around a rotating central shaft thereby generating a substantially cylindrical cutting surface.

5. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said cutting means includes cutting elements mounted on a leading substantially helical edge and rotated around the axis of said helical edge.

6. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said rotating cutting means is comprised of an array of rotating cutting elements.

7. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said cutting means includes a set of moving cutting elements and each of said moving cutting elements travels in a substantially circular path around some point that is fixed relative to said vegetation cutting device.

8. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 further comprising

no cutting element whose motion does not follow a substantially circular path around some point that is fixed relative to said vegetation cutting device.

9. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said cutting means includes cutting elements rotating around a substantially horizontal axis.

10. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said filtration means includes thin, closely-spaced, substantially vertical members of stiff but resilient material.

11. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said filtration means includes thin, closely-spaced members of stiff but resilient material, and

said cutting means includes cutting elements uniformly mounted around a rotating central shaft thereby generating a substantially cylindrical cutting surface.

12. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said filtration means includes thin, closely-spaced members of stiff but resilient material, and

said cutting means includes cutting elements mounted on a leading substantially helical edge and rotated around the axis of said helical edge.

13. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said cutting means includes cutting elements uniformly mounted around a rotating central shaft thereby generating a substantially cylindrical cutting surface, and

said rotating central shaft is positioned with its axis substantially horizontal.

14. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said cutting means includes cutting elements mounted on a leading substantially helical edge and rotated around the axis of said helical edge where said helical axis is substantially horizontal.

15. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said filtration means includes thin, closely-spaced, members of stiff but resilient material,

said cutting means includes cutting elements uniformly mounted around a rotating central shaft thereby generating a substantially cylindrical cutting surface, and

said central shaft rotates around an axis substantially perpendicular to the planes of said thin members of resilient material.

16. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said filtration means includes thin, closely-spaced members of stiff but resilient material, and

said cutting means includes cutting elements mounted on a leading substantially helical edge and rotated around the axis of said helical edge where said helical edge axis is substantially perpendicular to the planes of said thin members of resilient material.

17. The vegetation cutting device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said filtration means includes thin, closely-spaced, substantially vertical members of stiff but resilient material,

said cutting means includes cutting elements rotating around a substantially horizontal axis, and

lowermost edges of said closely-spaced members pass underneath said substantially horizontal axis.

18. A method of cutting vegetation comprising the steps of

blocking contact between a cutting element and objects whose three dimensions are each substantially equal to the diameter of a human finger where the contact blocking exists substantially independent of the three dimensional direction from which the objects approach the cutting element, and

rotating the cutting element about an axis of rotation which constrains all points on the cutting element to travel on a path defining a plane that intersects at most one space through which objects may contact the cutting element.

19. The method of cutting vegetation as defined in claim 18 wherein the cutting element rotates around a substantially horizontal axis.

20. The method of cutting vegetation as defined in claim 18 wherein the space through which objects may contact the cutting element is a gap between filter elements that block contact between the cutting element and the objects whose dimensions are each substantially equal to the diameter of a human finger.