US 6,321,515 B1 · Self-propelled lawn mower

Abstract

The invention concerns a self-propelled lawn mower and a method adapted for using said machine. The machine comprises: a mobile frame (1) including at least one drive wheel (6) and at its lower surface at least two juxtaposed cutters (3), associated each with an electric motor; an electronic system for controlling the forward movement of the machine; an on-board computer; an electric power supply; means for measuring the force supplied by each cutter, said measurement being transmitted to the on-board computer; a memorized algorithm for seeking the grass surfaces to be mowed by the interaction of the machine forward movement system, said force measurements and the on-board computer; means for detecting the limits of the surface to be mowed by a magnetic field measurement or the variation of a magnetic field emitted or caused by a set or buried wire, located at said limits.

Claims32

Dependent claims

An operating method for a robotic lawn mower which comprises:

positioning the mower along a wire delimiting the periphery of the surface area to be mowed,
periodically receiving with an on-board computer the measurement of the amplitude of a signal emitted by the peripheral wire,
sending commands by the computer to a control system in order to make the mower advance at a constant distance from the aforesaid peripheral wire,
evaluating by the computer on the basis of the measurement of the distance the time when a complete round has been effected by the mower along the wire, and
controlling through the computer a positioning of the mower at a distance from the aforesaid wire greater than the previous one, the difference being equal too or less than the cutting width.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Self-propelled lawn mower

Life of this patent

Self-propelled lawn mower

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims32