Charging station with a data connection for a ground working system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10681864-B2
Application number	US-201816004409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2018
Priority date	Jun 9, 2017
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

A ground working system has at least one self-driving ground working device with a drive, a control unit and an in-device battery for supplying energy to the ground working device. An operating region (A), within which the ground working device travels automatically along a traveling path (W), is determined by an edge boundary. At least one charging station for charging the battery of the ground working device via an electrical energy-transferring charging connection is provided. The charging connection is also configured as a data connection for the transmission of data packets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A ground working system comprising:
at least one self-driving ground working device having a drive, a control unit and an in-device battery for supplying energy to said at least one self-driving ground working device, wherein an operating region (A) of said at least one self-driving ground working device is determined by an edge boundary;
said at least one self-driving ground working device being configured to travel automatically within said operating region (A) along a traveling path (W);
a charging station for charging said in-device battery of said at least one self-driving ground working device via an electrical energy-transferring charging connection; and,
said charging connection also being configured as a data connection for the transmission of data packets.

2. The ground working system of claim 1 , wherein said data connection is a bidirectional data connection.

3. The ground working system of claim 1 , wherein said charging station is connected to a central server.

4. The ground working system of claim 1 further comprising:
a central server;
said charging station being connected to said central server; and,
said central server being configured to process data packets to be transmitted from said charging station to said at least one self-driving ground working device.

5. The ground working system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one self-driving ground working device is connected to a central server.

6. The ground working system of claim 1 further comprising:
a central server;
said at least one self-driving ground working device being configured to connect to said central server; and,
said central server being configured to process data packets transmitted from said at least one self-driving ground working device to said charging station.

7. The ground working system of claim 1 , wherein:
said charging station transmits data packets to said at least one self-driving ground working device; and,
said control unit of said at least one self-driving ground working device is configured to process the data packets.

8. The ground working system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one self-driving ground working device is configured to transmit data packets to said charging station.

9. The ground working system of claim 1 , wherein said charging connection is a contactless charging connection.

10. The ground working system of claim 1 , wherein said charging connection is configured as a plug connection.

11. The ground working system of claim 10 , wherein said plug connection has a contact tab and a contact socket.

12. The ground working system of claim 10 further comprising:
a contact tab disposed on said at least one charging station; and,
a contact socket disposed on said at least one self-driving ground working device.

13. The ground working system of claim 1 , wherein:
said charging connection includes electrical power contacts; and,
said data connection is established via said power contacts.

14. The ground working system of claim 1 further comprising a boundary wire forming said edge boundary.

15. The ground working system of claim 14 , wherein said boundary wire is laid as a wire loop.

16. The ground working system of claim 14 further comprising:
a base station electrically connected to said boundary wire and configured to transmit a wire signal on said boundary wire;
said at least one self-driving ground working device having a reception coil;
wherein said wire signal transmitted on said boundary wire induces a reception signal in said reception coil of said at least one self-driving ground working device; and,
said control unit is configured to process said reception signal and to use said reception signal for controlling said at least one self-driving ground working device on said traveling path (W).

17. The ground working system of claim 1 , wherein said charging station is configured as a base station.

18. The ground working system of claim 1 , wherein a multiplicity of autonomously operating ones of said self-driving ground working device are arranged in said operating region (A).

19. The ground working system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one self-driving ground working device is a self-driving lawnmower.

20. The ground working system of claim 1 , wherein:
said charging station includes operating software; and,
one of said data packets transmitted from said at least one self-driving ground working device via the data connection updates said operating software of said charging station.

21. The ground working system of claim 1 , wherein:
said at least one self-driving ground working device includes operating software; and,
one of said data packets transmitted from said charging station via said data connection updates said operating software of said at least one self-driving ground working device.

Assignees

• Stihl Ag & Co Kg Andreas

Inventors

• Matt Sebastian
• Zoettl Samuel
• Melser Klaus
• Ritzer Peter

Classifications

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title

• Y02T90/14

  Plug-in electric vehicles · CPC title

• Y02T90/12

  Electric charging stations · CPC title

• Y02T90/16

  Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles · CPC title

• B60L53/14

  Conductive energy transfer · CPC title