IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,114,595
Granted Patent B2
US 12,114,595 · App. 17/035,274 · Granted Oct 15, 2024

Controlling robotic lawnmowers

Inventors: Brian Doughty (Framingham, MA); Andrew Beaulieu (Somerville, MA); Brian Yamauchi (San Francisco, CA); Alec Likhite (Arlington, MA); Erik Steltz (Melrose, MA)
Assignee: iRobot Corporation
A01D34/008A01G25/09Y10S901/01
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,114,595
App. No.
17/035,274
Granted
Oct 15, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of mowing with an autonomous robot lawnmower includes traversing a mowable area with the autonomous robot lawnmower carrying a cutter and a vegetation characteristic sensor. The vegetation characteristic sensor is configured to generate sensor data in response to detecting a vegetation characteristic of the mowable area. The vegetation characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a moisture content, a grass height, and a color. The method includes storing position-referenced data representing the vegetation characteristic detected across the mowable area. The position-referenced data is based at least in part on the sensor data and position data. The method includes sending data to a remote device to cause the remote device to display a map including information based on the position-referenced data.

Claims (51)

1. A system comprising:

a computing device comprising:

a user interface;

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising:

receiving position-referenced sensor data indicative of a first vegetation characteristic and a second vegetation characteristic of a mowable area, the position-referenced sensor data generated by an autonomous robot lawnmower as the autonomous robot lawnmower traverses the mowable area,

presenting, on the user interface,

a map representing the mowable area and a first overlay on the map indicative of a value of the first vegetation characteristic in one or more portions of the mowable area, and

a plurality of user-selectable interface elements, and

in response to selection of one of the plurality of user-selectable interface elements, adjusting the first overlay to a second overlay on the map, the second overlay indicative of a value of the second vegetation characteristic in the one or more portions of the mowable area.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first overlay is indicative of a grass health in the one or more portions of the mowable area.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first overlay comprises:

a first overlay portion on a first portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area in the map, the first overlay portion having a first characteristic that indicates that a first value of the first vegetation characteristic in the first portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area is in a healthy range, and

a second overlay portion on a second portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area in the map, the second overlay portion having a second characteristic that indicates that a second value of the first vegetation characteristic in the second portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area is in an unhealthy range.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the operations further comprise presenting:

a recommendation to a user to adjust a mowing configuration of the autonomous robot lawnmower to improve a grass health of the second portion of the mowable area, and

a user interface element that, when selected, triggers the adjustment to the mowing configuration of the autonomous robot lawnmower.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the adjustment to the mowing configuration comprises a change to a mowing schedule.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the operations comprise automatically determining the change to the mowing schedule.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the adjustment to the mowing configuration comprises an adjustment to a mowing direction, and wherein the operations comprise automatically determining one or more mowing directions that promote vegetation health.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise presenting, on the user interface, a legend for the first overlay, the legend indicating a correspondence between characteristics of the first overlay and the value of the first vegetation characteristic represented by the first overlay.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise presenting a marker indicating an absence, from position-referenced sensor data generated by the autonomous robot lawnmower in a most-recent operation of the autonomous robot lawnmower, of the position-referenced sensor data associated with a portion of an environment of the mowable area.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the portion of the environment is within an outer perimeter of the mowable area.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first vegetation characteristic is selected from the group consisting of: a moisture content, a grass height, a color, or vegetation health.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein presenting the first overlay comprises presenting an overlay portion indicative of the value of the first vegetation characteristic in a portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area being outside of a desired range.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the position-referenced sensor data is first position-referenced sensor data, and

wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the autonomous robot lawnmower, second position-referenced sensor data indicative of the first vegetation characteristic of the mowable area, the second position-referenced sensor data generated by the autonomous robot lawnmower as the autonomous robot lawnmower traverses the mowable area, and

presenting an alert indicating a difference between the first position-referenced sensor data and the second position-referenced sensor data.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device further comprises a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with the autonomous robot lawnmower.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise receiving the position-referenced sensor data from a server.

16. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving position-referenced sensor data indicative of a first vegetation characteristic and a second vegetation characteristic of a mowable area, the position-referenced sensor data generated by an autonomous robot lawnmower as the autonomous robot lawnmower traverses the mowable area,

presenting, on a user interface of a computing device,

a map representing the mowable area and a first overlay on the map indicative of a value of the first vegetation characteristic in one or more portions of the mowable area, and

a plurality of user-selectable interface elements, and

in response to selection of one of the plurality of user-selectable interface elements, adjusting the first overlay to a second overlay on the map, the second overlay indicative of a value of the second vegetation characteristic in the one or more portions of the mowable area.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 16 , wherein the first overlay is indicative of a grass health in the one or more portions of the mowable area.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 17 , wherein the first overlay comprises:

a first overlay portion on a first portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area in the map, the first overlay portion having a first characteristic that indicates that a first value of the first vegetation characteristic in the first portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area is in a healthy range, and

a second overlay portion on a second portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area in the map, the second overlay portion having a second characteristic that indicates that a second value of the first vegetation characteristic in the second portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area is in an unhealthy range.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 18 , wherein the operations further comprise presenting:

a recommendation to a user to adjust a mowing configuration of the autonomous robot lawnmower to improve a grass health of the second portion of the mowable area, and

a user interface element that, when selected, triggers the adjustment to the mowing configuration of the autonomous robot lawnmower.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise presenting, on the user interface, a legend for the first overlay, the legend indicating a correspondence between characteristics of the first overlay and the value of the first vegetation characteristic represented by the first overlay.

21. A method comprising:

receiving position-referenced sensor data indicative of a first vegetation characteristic and a second vegetation characteristic of a mowable area, the position-referenced sensor data generated by an autonomous robot lawnmower as the autonomous robot lawnmower traverses the mowable area,

presenting, on a user interface of a computing device,

a map representing the mowable area and a first overlay on the map indicative of a value of the first vegetation characteristic in one or more portions of the mowable area, and

a plurality of user-selectable interface elements, and

in response to selection of one of the plurality of user-selectable interface elements, adjusting the first overlay to a second overlay on the map, the second overlay indicative of a value of the second vegetation characteristic in the one or more portions of the mowable area.

Assignments (5)
NOTICE OF ASSIGNMENT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Recorded Nov 25, 2025
From: TCG SENIOR FUNDING L.L.C., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: SANTRUM HONG KONG CO., LIMITED, AS SUCCESSOR COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 073707/0516 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 9, 2023
From: IROBOT CORPORATION
To: TCG SENIOR FUNDING L.L.C., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 064532/0856 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 31, 2023
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: IROBOT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064430/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 3, 2022
From: IROBOT CORPORATION
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 061878/0097 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 1, 2021
From: DOUGHTY, BRIAN; BEAULIEU, ANDREW; YAMAUCHI, BRIAN; LIKHITE, ALEC; STELTZ, ERIK
To: IROBOT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 056399/0605 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 16037090 · Jul 17, 2018
Division 14808613 · Jul 24, 2015
Related Publication 20210076562A1 · Mar 18, 2021