IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,005,787
Granted Patent B2
US 12,005,787 · App. 17/017,951 · Granted Jun 11, 2024

Lawn mower with autonomous traveling function

Inventors: Koji Kiyooka (Hyogo, JP); Takashi Nishizawa (Hyogo, JP); Hidetaka Yamanami (Hyogo, JP); Shigeaki Nakagawa (Hyogo, JP); Kengo Sasahara (Hyogo, JP); Hikari Morita (Hyogo, JP); Kohei Ogura (Hyogo, JP)
Assignee: KANZAKI KOKYUKOKI MFG. CO., LTD.
B60L50/50A01D34/008A01D34/64B60L53/20B60L58/10G05D1/0212G06T7/0002A01D2101/00B60L2200/40H01M50/247H01M50/249H02J7/0045H02J7/0048H02J7/02H02J50/80Y02E60/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,005,787
App. No.
17/017,951
Granted
Jun 11, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A lawn mower includes a traveling driver, a mower motor, and at least one controller. At least one controller is configured to control the traveling driver in accordance with an operation of a user getting on the lawn mower, control the traveling driver to cause the lawn mower to travel autonomously, on a basis of information detected on the lawn mower, and control the mower motor. The lawn mower includes a lawn detection device configured to detect a condition of a portion of lawn on a front side in a traveling direction, and a position acquisition device configured to acquire self-position information. The at least one controller controls the traveling driver in such a manner that the lawn mower preferentially travels on a portion of lawn that needs to be mowed.

Claims (31)

1. An autonomously-driven lawn mower comprising:

a traveling driver including a traveling motor configured to drive at least one wheel;

a mower motor configured to drive at least one cutting blade;

at least one controller configured to:

control the traveling driver to cause the autonomously-driven lawn mower to travel autonomously, on a basis of information detected on the autonomously-driven lawn mower; and

control the mower motor;

a lawn detection device configured to detect a condition of a portion of lawn on a front side in a traveling direction; and

a position acquisition device configured to acquire self-position information,

wherein when a portion of lawn that needs to be mowed and a portion of lawn that has already been mowed are detected on the front side in the traveling direction, the at least one controller controls the traveling driver to cause the autonomously-driven lawn mower to travel on the portion of lawn that needs to be mowed while changing the traveling direction towards the portion of lawn that needs to be mowed, on the basis of detection information acquired from the lawn detection device and the self-position,

wherein the at least one controller includes a first controller, and a second controller capable of communicating with the first controller,

wherein the autonomously-driven lawn mower further comprises a traveling inverter configured to drive the traveling driver,

wherein the first controller is communicably connected to the traveling inverter, and controls the traveling driver,

wherein the second controller is communicably connected to the lawn detection device and the position acquisition device, and transmits a traveling instruction to the first controller on the basis of the detection information acquired from the lawn detection device and the self-position information, the traveling instruction including an instruction to cause the autonomously-driven lawn mower to travel on the portion of the lawn that needs to be mowed while changing the traveling direction towards the portion of lawn that needs to be mowed when the portion of lawn that needs to be mowed and the portion of lawn that has already been mowed are detected on the front side in the traveling direction, and

wherein the first controller controls the traveling driver in accordance with the traveling instruction.

2. The autonomously-driven lawn mower according to claim 1 , comprising:

a battery configured to supply electric power to the traveling driver and the mower motor;

a battery monitoring device configured to monitor a status of the battery; and

a mower inverter configured to drive the mower motor,

wherein the first controller is communicably connected to the battery monitoring device and the mower inverter.

3. The autonomously-driven lawn mower according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is connected to a map outputter including a displayer capable of displaying a self-position and a planned traveling range on a map.

4. An autonomously-driven lawn mower comprising:

a traveling driver including a traveling motor configured to drive at least one wheel;

a mower motor configured to drive at least one cutting blade;

at least one controller configured to:

control the traveling driver to cause the autonomously-driven lawn mower to travel autonomously, on a basis of information detected on the autonomously-driven lawn mower; and

control the mower motor;

a lawn detection device configured to detect a condition of a portion of lawn on a front side in a traveling direction;

a position acquisition device configured to acquire self-position information; and

an activity measuring instrument configured to measure activity of a portion of lawn from a reflectance of light in a visible red region and an infrared region,

wherein when a portion of lawn that needs to be mowed and a portion of lawn that has already been mowed are detected on the front side in the traveling direction, the at least one controller controls the traveling driver to cause the autonomously-driven lawn mower to travel on the portion of lawn that needs to be mowed while changing the traveling direction towards the portion of lawn that needs to be mowed, on the basis of detection information acquired from the lawn detection device and the self-position information, and

wherein the at least one controller associates measurement information of the activity measuring instrument with the self-position information to generate lawn condition information.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 11, 2020
From: KIYOOKA, KOJI; NISHIZAWA, TAKASHI; YAMANAMI, HIDETAKA; NAKAGAWA, SHIGEAKI; SASAHARA, KENGO; MORITA, HIKARI; OGURA, KOHEI
To: KANZAKI KOKYUKOKI MFG. CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 053746/0111 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2019-167771 · Sep 13, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210076561A1 · Mar 18, 2021
Cited By (1)
US 12,522,291