Autonomous robot

• US 8,306,659 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2007
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mtd Products Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: F Robotics Acquisitions Ltd. (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Abramson, Shai, Ikar, Ido
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATTON, SPENCER D
• Application Number:
  US11/950,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/250, 700/253, 700/254, 700/255, 700/256, 318/568.12, 318/580, 318/587, 701 23- 27, 701/200, 701/207, 701/208, 701/300, 901/1, 153/19, 56/102.R, 56/102.A, 56/102.F
• US Class Current: 700/250
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/00 Watering gardens, fields, sports grounds or the like special apparatus or adaptations for fertilising-liquids A01C23/00; nozzles or outlets, spraying apparatus B05B
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0265 using buried wires
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/548 the power on the line being DC arrangements for feeding power H04L12/10; extracting feeding power from signals H04L25/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A method for communication between a charging station and a robot, via a pair of power lines coupled between a power supply in the charging station and a battery in the robot. In operation, the power supply is sequentially switched between a first voltage level and a second voltage level in accordance with a predetermined signal pattern. The voltage level on the power lines in the robot is monitored and correlated with a specific command to be executed by the robot.

Claims

1. A method for automatically scheduling and optimizing operation of a mobile lawn mowing robot capable of recording data as it operates and of performing autonomously a multiplicity of individual mowing sessions, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a total lawn area to be mowed in such a multiplicity of mowing sessions by operating the robot to traverse the lawn while performing a scanning operation that automatically calculates said total lawn area to be mowed from data recorded as the robot traverses the lawn;

(b) automatically calculating the number of mowing sessions required to mow the total lawn area in accordance with the known maximum size of an area that can be mowed by the robot per an individual mowing session and said total lawn area to be mowed;

(c) automatically distributing, over a specific time interval, the number of mowing sessions so calculated, whereby a mowing schedule is established;

(d) operating the robot to perform in accordance with the mowing schedule so established; and

(e) optimizing the lawn mowing performance of the robot during an individual mowing session by utilizing information derived from data recorded during the individual mowing session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the total lawn area to be mowed is determined by operating the robot to follow the lawn perimeter to determine a polygonal area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the total lawn area to be mowed is determined by:

(a) operating the robot to perform an autonomous scanning operation to determine the length of an average leg traversed by the robot after multiple traverses across the lawn; and

(b) calculating a value equal to two times the square of the length of an average leg.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said mowing sessions are scheduled in response to information determined during a mowing session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, during a mowing session, the robot is operated to monitor electric current drawn by a motor that rotates a mowing blade and thereby determine lawn height from resistance on the blade as a function of the electric current, and, in accordance with such determination, to cause the mowing schedule to be modified to accommodate the lawn height as so determined.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the length of an individual mowing session is optimized by operating the robot utilizing information obtained from a charging station prior to the mowing session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mowing schedule is automatically adapted in accordance with calendar information, such that the number of mowing sessions in a given period of time is increased or decreased in accordance with the present date.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein data input from an environmental sensor is used to determine the rate of lawn growing, wherein the robot mowing schedule is automatically adjusted accordingly.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the environmental sensor is selected from the group consisting of a wet grass sensor, a temperature sensor, a rain sensor, and a humidity sensor.

10. A method for automatically scheduling and optimizing operation of a mobile lawn mowing robot capable of recording data as it operates and of performing autonomously a multiplicity of individual mowing sessions, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a total lawn area to be mowed in such a multiplicity of mowing sessions;

(b) automatically calculating the number of mowing sessions required to mow the total lawn area in accordance with the known maximum size of an area that can be mowed by the robot per an individual mowing session and said total lawn area to be mowed;

(c) automatically distributing, over an established time interval, the number of mowing sessions so calculated, whereby a mowing schedule is established;

(d) operating the robot to perform in accordance with the mowing schedule so established; and

(e) optimizing the lawn mowing performance of the robot during an individual mowing session by utilizing information derived from data recorded during the individual mowing session.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the total lawn area to be mowed is determined from data entered by a user of the robot.

12. A method for automatically scheduling operation of a mobile lawn mowing robot capable of recording data as it operates and of performing autonomously a multiplicity of individual mowing sessions, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a total lawn area to be mowed in such a multiplicity of mowing sessions by operating the robot to traverse the lawn while performing a scanning operation that automatically calculates said total lawn area to be mowed from data recorded as the robot traverses the lawn;

(b) automatically calculating the number of mowing sessions required to mow the total lawn area in accordance with the known maximum size of an area that can be mowed by the robot per an individual mowing session and said total lawn area to be mowed;

(c) automatically distributing, over an established time interval, the number of mowing sessions so calculated, whereby a mowing schedule is established; and

(d) operating the robot to perform in accordance with the mowing schedule so established.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the total lawn area to be mowed is determined by operating the robot to follow the lawn perimeter to determine a polygonal area.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the total lawn area to be mowed is determined by:

(a) operating the robot to perform an autonomous scanning operation to determine the length of an average leg traversed by the robot after multiple traverses across the lawn; and

(b) calculating a value equal to two times the square of the length of an average leg.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein, during a mowing session, the robot is operated to monitor electric current drawn by a motor that rotates a mowing blade and thereby determine lawn height from resistance on the blade as a function of the electric current, and, in accordance with such determination, to cause the mowing schedule to be modified to accommodate the lawn height as so determined.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the length of an individual mowing session is optimized by operating the robot utilizing information obtained from a charging station prior to the mowing session.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the mowing schedule is automatically adapted in accordance with calendar information, such that the number of mowing sessions in a given period of time is increased or decreased in accordance with the present date.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein data input from an environmental sensor is used to determine the rate of lawn growing, wherein the robot mowing schedule is automatically adjusted accordingly.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the environmental sensor is selected from the group consisting of a wet grass sensor, a temperature sensor, a rain sensor, and a humidity sensor.