Robotic mowing of separated lawn areas

• US 10,874,045 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2018
• Issued: 12/29/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Yamauchi, Brian, Beaulieu, Andrew, Balutis, Paul C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• APPLICATION: US 20190141888A1
• Time in patent office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 2101/00 Lawn-mowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0081 with master teach-in means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1674 characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0221 involving a learning process
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0265 using buried wires
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0208 Lawn mower
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A method of mowing multiple areas includes training a robotic mower to mow at least two areas separated by a space, including moving the robotic mower about the areas while storing data indicative of location of boundaries of each area relative to boundary markers, training the robotic mower to move across the space separating the areas, and initiating a mowing operation. Training the robotic mower to move across the space separating the areas includes moving the robotic mower to a traversal launch point of a first of the areas and moving the robotic mower to a traversal landing point of a second of the areas. The mowing operation causes the robotic mower to move to the traversal launch point, move from the traversal launch point across the space to the traversal landing point, and then mow the second of the areas.

Claims

1. An autonomous lawnmower robot comprising:

a drive system to move the robot about mowable areas;

a cutting system to mow the mowable areas as the robot moves about the mowable areas; and

a controller to

generate data indicative of a schedule to initiate a first mowing operation and a second mowing operation based on at least one of a power consumption estimate to mow a first mowable area of the mowable areas or a power consumption estimate to mow a second mowable area of the mowable areas,

initiate the first mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the first mowable area of the mowable areas, and

initiate the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the second mowable area of the mowable areas.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein:

configurations of the controller to initiate the first mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the first mowable area comprise configurations to initiate the first mowing operation at a first scheduled time and a first scheduled day in accordance with the schedule, and

configurations of the controller to initiate the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the second mowable area comprise configurations to initiate the second mowing operation at a second scheduled time and a second scheduled day to initiate the second mowing operation.

3. The robot of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit data indicative of a map of the first mowing area and the second mowing area to cause a remote user computing device to present a graphical representation of the map.

4. The robot of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to initiate a third mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the first and second mowable areas of the mowable areas.

5. The robot of claim 4, wherein configurations to initiate the third mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the first and second mowable areas comprise:

configurations to initiate the third mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to

mow the first mowable area,

move across a space separating the first mowable area and the second mowable area without mowing the space, and

mow the second mowable area.

6. The robot of claim 1, wherein configurations of the controller to initiate the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the second mowable area of the mowable areas comprise:

configurations to initiate the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to

move from the first mowable area to the second mowable area without mowing the first mowable area, and

mow the second mowable area.

7. The robot of claim 6, wherein configurations of the controller to initiate the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to move from the first mowable area to the second mowable area without mowing the first mowable area further comprise:

configurations to initiate the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to move through the first mowable area and then through a space separating the first mowable area and the second mowable area, without mowing the first mowable area and the space, to arrive at the second mowable area.

8. The robot of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to store the data indicative of the schedule to initiate the first mowing operation and the second mowing operation.

9. The robot of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to receive, using a wireless receiver of the robot, the data indicative of the schedule to initiate the first mowing operation and the second mowing operation.

10. The robot of claim 9, wherein configurations of the controller to receive the data indicative of the schedule comprise configurations to receive the data from a user computing device.

11. The robot of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to initiate a docking operation after the second mowing operation to move the robot toward a docking station through the first mowable area without mowing the first mowable area.

12. A method comprising:

generating data indicative of a schedule to initiate a first mowing operation and a second mowing operation of an autonomous lawnmower robot based on at least one of a power consumption estimate to mow a first mowable area of mowable areas or a power consumption estimate to mow a second mowable area of the mowable areas; and

transmitting the data indicative of the schedule to initiate the first and second mowing operations of the robot, wherein the data indicative of the schedule comprises

first data to cause the robot to initiate the first mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the first mowable area of the mowable areas, and

second data to cause the robot to initiate the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the second mowable area of the mowable areas.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the data indicative of the schedule comprises data indicative of a first time and a first day to initiate the first mowing operation and a second time and a second day to initiate the second mowing operation.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the data indicative of the schedule comprises third data to cause the robot to initiate a third mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the first and second mowable areas of the mowable areas.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the third data is configured to cause the robot to initiate third mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to

mow the first mowable area,

move across a space separating the first mowable area and the second mowable area without mowing the space, and

mow the second mowable area.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting the data to cause the robot to initiate the first mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the first mowable area and the second mowable area comprises:

transmitting the second data to cause the robot to initiate the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to

move from the first mowable area to the second mowable area without mowing the first mowable area, and

mow the second mowable area.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein transmitting the second data to cause the robot to initiate the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to move from the first mowable area to the second mowable area without mowing the first mowable area comprises:

transmitting the second data to cause the robot to initiate the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to move through the first mowable area and then through a space separating the first mowable area and the second mowable area, without mowing the first mowable area and the space, to arrive at the second mowable area.

18. A method comprising:

generating, by an autonomous lawnmower robot, data indicative of a schedule to initiate a first mowing operation and a second mowing operation based on at least one of a power consumption estimate to mow a first mowable area of mowable areas or a power consumption estimate to mow a second mowable area of the mowable areas;

initiating, by the robot, the first mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the first mowable area of the mowable areas; and

initiating, by the robot, the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the second mowable area of the mowable areas.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein

initiating the first mowing operation in accordance with the schedule comprises initiating the first mowing operation at a first scheduled time and a first scheduled day in accordance with the schedule, and

initiating the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule comprises initiating the second mowing operation at a second scheduled time and a second scheduled day to initiate the second mowing operation.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising transmitting data indicative of a map of the first mowing area and the second mowing area to cause a remote user computing device to present a graphical representation of the map.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising initiating a third mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the first and second mowable areas of the mowable areas.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein initiating a third mowing operation in accordance with the schedule comprises:

initiating the third mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to

mow the first mowable area,

move across a space separating the first mowable area and the second mowable area without mowing the space, and

mow the second mowable area.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein initiating the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule comprises:

initiating the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to

move from the first mowable area to the second mowable area without mowing the first mowable area, and

mow the second mowable area.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein initiating the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to mow the second mowable area of the mowable areas comprises:

initiating the second mowing operation in accordance with the schedule to

move from the first mowable area to the second mowable area without mowing the first mowable area, and

mow the second mowable area.