Robotic lawn mower
First Claim
1. A lawnmower, comprising:
- a power unit;
a drive wheel operatively coupled to said power unit for propelling said lawn mower;
a lead wheel for guiding said lawnmower to move along a route of travel, said lead wheel being rotatably mounted on a fork member which is rotatably attached to said lawnmower;
a control unit including a memory unit for storing said route of travel, said memory unit including a paper tape to be advanced in proportion with the rotation of said lead wheel and a writing device for recording said route of travel on said paper tape, said writing device having an arm member operatively connected to said fork member, said control unit also including a reading unit for reading said route of travel recorded in said memory unit and producing control signals according to said route of travel, and a control circuit for producing operation signals; and
a steering unit operable by said operational signals for steering said lead wheel to guide said lawnmower to travel along said route of travel.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A lawn mower, having an engine for driving the mower itself, is provided with a memory unit of a paper-tape type for storing a route of travel for the mower and an optical reading unit for reading the stored route of travel. The paper tape is operable with a lead wheel which guides the movement of the mower, so that the paper tape is advanced when the lead wheel rotates and the route of travel of the mower is recorded on the paper tape with a writing member when the mower moves. The optical reading unit is installed in place of the writing member for operating the mower automatically. The optical reading unit reads the recorded route of travel and delivers a signal to control the direction of the lead wheel.
46 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A lawnmower, comprising:
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a power unit; a drive wheel operatively coupled to said power unit for propelling said lawn mower; a lead wheel for guiding said lawnmower to move along a route of travel, said lead wheel being rotatably mounted on a fork member which is rotatably attached to said lawnmower; a control unit including a memory unit for storing said route of travel, said memory unit including a paper tape to be advanced in proportion with the rotation of said lead wheel and a writing device for recording said route of travel on said paper tape, said writing device having an arm member operatively connected to said fork member, said control unit also including a reading unit for reading said route of travel recorded in said memory unit and producing control signals according to said route of travel, and a control circuit for producing operation signals; and a steering unit operable by said operational signals for steering said lead wheel to guide said lawnmower to travel along said route of travel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification