Yard maintenance vehicle obstacle avoidance/notification system
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:
- receiving information indicative of a first vehicle position of a riding yard maintenance vehicle;
receiving an indication of a triggering event, the triggering event indicating a presence of an obstacle proximate to the riding yard maintenance vehicle when the riding yard maintenance vehicle is in the first vehicle position, wherein the triggering event comprises a passive event, the passive event comprising an engine operation parameter exceeding a threshold;
causing, via processing circuitry, recordation of an obstacle identifier in association with the first vehicle position responsive to receipt of the indication; and
generating an operational control function responsive to a second vehicle position being within a predefined distance of the recorded obstacle identifier,wherein generating the operational control function comprises;
stopping rotation of a cutting blade of the riding yard maintenance vehicle, stopping operation of a power-take-off (PTO) of the riding yard maintenance vehicle, or adjusting a height of the cutting blade of the riding yard maintenance vehicle.
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Abstract
A riding yard maintenance vehicle may include a positioning module. The positioning module may include processing circuitry configured to receive information indicative of vehicle position of the riding yard maintenance vehicle, receive an indication of a triggering event that indicates a presence of an obstacle proximate to the riding yard maintenance vehicle, and cause recordation of an obstacle identifier in association with the vehicle position responsive to receipt of the indication.
31 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving information indicative of a first vehicle position of a riding yard maintenance vehicle; receiving an indication of a triggering event, the triggering event indicating a presence of an obstacle proximate to the riding yard maintenance vehicle when the riding yard maintenance vehicle is in the first vehicle position, wherein the triggering event comprises a passive event, the passive event comprising an engine operation parameter exceeding a threshold; causing, via processing circuitry, recordation of an obstacle identifier in association with the first vehicle position responsive to receipt of the indication; and generating an operational control function responsive to a second vehicle position being within a predefined distance of the recorded obstacle identifier, wherein generating the operational control function comprises;
stopping rotation of a cutting blade of the riding yard maintenance vehicle, stopping operation of a power-take-off (PTO) of the riding yard maintenance vehicle, or adjusting a height of the cutting blade of the riding yard maintenance vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A riding yard maintenance vehicle comprising:
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ground contacting wheels; an engine operably coupled to the ground contacting wheels; a steering assembly operably coupled to the ground contacting wheels to direct movement of the riding yard maintenance vehicle based on operator steering inputs; and a positioning module configured to enable storage of vehicle position information, the positioning module comprising processing circuitry configured to; receive information indicative of a first vehicle position of the riding yard maintenance vehicle; receive an indication of a triggering event, the triggering event indicating a presence of an obstacle proximate to the riding yard maintenance vehicle when the riding yard maintenance vehicle is in the first vehicle position, wherein the triggering event comprises a passive event, the passive event comprising a change in engine revolutions per minute (RPM) above a threshold amount, a change in engine torque above a threshold amount, or a change in cutting deck sound; cause recordation of an obstacle identifier in association with the first vehicle position responsive to receipt of the indication; and generate an operational control function responsive to a second vehicle position being within a predefined distance of the recorded obstacle identifier, wherein generating the operational control function comprises;
stopping rotation of a cutting blade of the riding yard maintenance vehicle, stopping operation of a power-take-off (PTO) of the riding yard maintenance vehicle, or adjusting the height of a cutting blade of the riding yard maintenance vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A method comprising:
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receiving information indicative of a vehicle position of a riding yard maintenance vehicle; comparing, via processing circuitry, the vehicle position to a recorded location associated with an obstacle identifier, the recorded location being associated with a previous vehicle position of the riding yard maintenance vehicle and the recorded location having been stored in response to a triggering event comprising a passive event, the passive event comprising an engine operation parameter exceeding a threshold; and generating, based on the comparing, an operational control function responsive to the vehicle position being within a predefined distance of the recorded location, wherein generating the operational control function comprises;
stopping rotation of a cutting blade of the riding yard maintenance vehicle, stopping operation of a power-take-off (PTO) of the riding yard maintenance vehicle, or adjusting a height of the cutting blade of the riding yard maintenance vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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Specification