Lawn mower robot system and method of controlling the same

• US 9,237,689 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2012
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Choi, Kyuchun, Hwang, Geunbae, Song, Hyunsup
• Primary Examiner(s): TORRES, ALICIA M
• Application Number:
  US13/565,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20130192183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 56/102.R, 56/102.A, 56/102.F, 56D/IG.7, 56D/IG.15, 701 23- 28, 701/50
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/12 using renewable energies, e.g. solar water pumping
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A lawn mower robot system, comprising: a lawn mower robot disposed with a moving device; a mowing device disposed in the lawn mower robot and mowing lawns; a first communication device disposed in the lawn mower robot and transmitting an inquiry signal for state information; a plurality of boundary display apparatuses, arranged in a lawn presence region, disposed with a second communication device for receiving the inquiry signal for the state information from the first communication device and for transmitting an acknowledge signal for the state information to the first communication device; a controller for recognizing a plurality of absolute coordinates from the lawn presence region based on the acknowledge signal for the state information received from the second communication device and for controlling the mowing device within the limit of the plurality of absolute coordinates.

Claims

1. A lawn mower robot system, comprising:

a lawn mower robot with a moving device;

a mowing device in the lawn mower robot for mowing lawns;

a first communication device in the lawn mower robot for transmitting an inquiry signal for state information;

a plurality of boundary display apparatuses, arranged in a lawn presence region, with a second communication device for receiving the inquiry signal for the state information from the first communication device and for transmitting an acknowledge signal for the state information to the first communication device; and

a controller for recognizing a plurality of absolute coordinates from the lawn presence region based on the acknowledge signal for the state information received from the second communication device, for determining a current coordinate of the lawn mower based on the plurality of absolute coordinates, and for controlling the mowing device within a limit of the plurality of absolute coordinates based on the determined current coordinate and the plurality of absolute coordinates,

wherein when the lawn mower robot is deviated from the limit of the plurality of absolute coordinates, the first communication device transmits an inquiry signal for state information to each of the plurality of boundary display apparatuses and receives an acknowledge signal for the state information for the inquiry signal for the state information from the second communication device; and

wherein the controller recognizes a new absolute coordinate of the lawn mower robot from a lawn presence region when the first communication device receives the acknowledge signal for the state information from all the boundary display apparatuses.

2. The lawn mower robot system according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second communication devices use a radio frequency.

3. The lawn mower robot system according to claim 1, wherein the controller stops the mowing device and the moving device when the lawn mower robot is deviated from the limit of the plurality of absolute coordinates.

4. The lawn mower robot system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of boundary display apparatuses include an infrared ray irradiation unit for displaying the lawn presence region to irradiate an infrared ray.

5. The lawn mower robot system according to claim 4, wherein the lawn mower robot includes a sensor for sensing the infrared ray irradiated from the infrared ray irradiation unit.

6. The lawn mower robot system according to claim 1, wherein when the first communication device does not receive the acknowledge signal for the state information from at least one of the plurality of the boundary display apparatuses, the lawn mower robot generates an error message.

7. The lawn mower robot system according to claim 6, wherein the lawn mower robot includes an input section for inputting a number of the boundary display apparatuses.

8. A method of controlling a lawn mower robot system, comprising:

transmitting an inquiry signal for state information from a first communication device in the lawn mower robot to each of a plurality of boundary display apparatuses;

receiving an acknowledge signal for the state information for the inquiry signal for the state information from a second communication device in each of the plurality of boundary display apparatuses in the first communication device;

recognizing an absolute coordinate of the lawn mower robot from a lawn presence region when the first communication device receives the acknowledge signal for the state information from all the boundary display apparatuses; and

driving a mowing device in the lawn presence region according to the recognized absolute coordinate and mowing lawns,

automatically recognizing, by a controller, the absolute coordinate when the lawn mower robot is deviated from a limit of the plurality of absolute coordinates,

wherein the automatically recognizing comprises;

transmitting an inquiry signal for state information from the first communication device to each of the plurality of boundary display apparatuses;

receiving an acknowledge signal for the state information for the inquiry signal for the state information from the second communication device; and

recognizing a new absolute coordinate of the lawn mower robot from a lawn presence region when the first communication device receives the acknowledge signal for the state information from all the boundary display apparatuses, and

wherein when the first communication device does not receive the acknowledge signal for the state information from at least one of the plurality of the boundary display apparatuses, the lawn mower robot generates an error message.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising inputting a number of the boundary display apparatuses to the lawn mower robot.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the controller stops the mowing device when the lawn mower robot is deviated from the limit of the plurality of the absolute coordinates.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the controller stops the moving device for moving the lawn mower robot when the lawn mower robot is deviated from the limit of the plurality of the absolute coordinates.