# US 12,005,787 B2 · Lawn mower with autonomous traveling function

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- Number: US 12,005,787 B2
- Document ID: US12005787B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/017,951
- Filed: 2020-09-11
- Published: 2021-03-18
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2019-09-13
- Assignees: Kanzaki Kokyukoki Mfg. Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Kanzaki Kokyukoki Mfg. Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Koji Kiyooka; Takashi Nishizawa; Hidetaka Yamanami; Shigeaki Nakagawa; Kengo Sasahara; Hikari Morita; Kohei Ogura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12005787B2

## CPC

- B60L 50/50: using propulsion power supplied by batteries or fuel cells
- G05D 1/0246: {using a video camera in combination with image processing means}
- A01D 34/008: {for automated or remotely controlled operation}
- A01D 34/64: mounted on a vehicle, e.g. a tractor, or drawn by an animal or a vehicle (A01D34/695 takes precedence)
- B60L 53/20: characterised by converters located in the vehicle
- B60L 58/10: for monitoring or controlling batteries
- G05D 1/0212: {with means for defining a desired trajectory (involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287)}
- G05D 1/646: Following a predefined trajectory, e.g. a line marked on the floor or a flight path
- G06T 7/0002: {Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection}
- A01D 2101/00: Lawn-mowers
- B60L 2200/40: Working vehicles
- B60L 2260/32: Auto pilot mode
- H01M 50/247: specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers
- H01M 50/249: specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains (constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64)
- H02J 7/02: for charging batteries from AC mains by converters
- H02J 7/751: {concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries}
- H02J 7/82: Control of state of charge [SOC]
- H02J 50/80: involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
- Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- A01D: HARVESTING; MOWING
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## 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

### Claim 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.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

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.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

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.

### Claim 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.