Systems and methods for operating a robotic machine in an autonomous mode and a manual mode
AssigneeThe Toro Company
InventorsAlexander Steven Frick, Aaron Yarrow Curtis, Khari Sekou Clarke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus, systems, and methods for operating an autonomous vehicle. In some embodiments, the vehicle can include a mower having a cutting deck. The deck can include an upper wall and downwardly extending sidewalls forming a cutting chamber. The vehicle may include a cutting blade assembly contained within the cutting chamber. A distance between the cutting blade assembly and a trim edge of the mower deck can be changed.
Claims16
An autonomous lawn mower comprising:
- a cutting deck comprising an upper wall and downwardly extending sidewalls forming a partially enclosed, downwardly opening cutting chamber;
- and
- a cutting blade assembly supported by the cutting deck, wherein the cutting blade assembly shifts laterally relative to the cutting deck as the mower is reconfigured between autonomous and manual modes, wherein when the mower is in the autonomous mode, the cutting blade assembly is located at a first position within the cutting chamber that is spaced-apart from one sidewall by a first offset distance, and when the mower is in the manual mode, the cutting blade assembly is repositioned to a second position that is closer, as compared to the first position, to the one sidewall.
An autonomous lawn mower comprising:
- a cutting deck comprising an upper wall and downwardly extending sidewalls forming a cutting chamber, wherein at least one of the sidewalls forms a trim edge;
- wheels adapted to support the deck in rolling engagement upon a ground surface;
- a rotatable cutting blade assembly contained within the cutting chamber, wherein the rotatable cutting blade assembly is positioned a first offset distance from the trim edge when the mower is configured in an autonomous mode, and wherein the rotatable cutting blade assembly is positioned a second offset distance from the trim edge when the mower is configured in a manual mode, the second offset distance being less than the first offset distance;
- and
- a handle adapted to connect to the cutting deck and configurable in:
- an autonomous mode position corresponding to the cutting blade assembly being located at the first offset distance from the trim edge, and a manual mode position, corresponding to the cutting blade assembly being located at the second offset distance from the trim edge.
A method of reconfiguring a robotic mower from an autonomous mode to a manual mode, comprising:
- re-locating a handle of the mower from an autonomous mode position to a manual mode position, wherein the handle, when in the manual mode position, is connected to a cutting deck and forms a grip area accessible to an operator walking behind the cutting deck, wherein the cutting deck further comprises an upper wall and a downwardly extending sidewall partially surrounding a cutting chamber;
- and
- moving either a cutting blade assembly contained within the cutting chamber or the sidewall from:
- a first position wherein the cutting blade assembly is spaced-apart from the sidewall by a first offset distance;
- to a second position wherein the cutting blade assembly is spaced-apart from the sidewall by a second offset distance that is less than the first offset distance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.