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US 2026/0062030 A1Published application
Autonomous machine navigation and charging
AssigneeThe Toro Company
InventorsJason Thomas Kraft, Adam Burghardt Stroud
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An autonomous machine may be returned to a base station for charging based on remaining battery energy and an estimated travel energy threshold. The estimated travel energy threshold may be determined based on a direct and obstacle-free route from the machine's current position to the base station and an estimated energy consumed per unit distance, which may be updated. The remaining battery energy may be calculated using a battery management system.
Claims21
1-20. (canceled)
An autonomous machine comprising:
- a housing coupled to a maintenance implement;
- a battery coupled to the housing;
- a propulsion controller operably coupled to the battery and one or more motors;
- and
- a navigation system operably coupled to the battery and the propulsion controller, the navigation system comprising a battery management system adapted to determine a remaining battery energy, the navigation system further operable to:
- determine a path from a current position of the autonomous machine in a work region to a destination in the work region;
- determine an estimated travel energy threshold based on an estimated travel energy required to traverse the path;
- and
- adjust the estimated travel energy threshold to the destination based on information about the work region along the path, the information about the work region impacting energy consumption when traversing the work region and comprising at least one of grade, elevation, obstacles, and identified stuck areas.
6 more elements
A method for navigating an autonomous machine, the method comprising:
- determining a path from a current position of the autonomous machine in a work region to a destination in the work region;
- determining an estimated travel energy threshold based on an estimated travel energy required to traverse the path;
- and
- adjusting the estimated travel energy threshold to the destination based on information about the work region along the path, the information about the work region impacting energy consumption when traversing the work region and comprising at least one of grade, elevation, obstacles, and identified stuck areas.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.