Controlling robotic lawnmowers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12114595-B2
Application number	US-202017035274-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2020
Priority date	Jul 24, 2015
Publication date	Oct 15, 2024
Grant date	Oct 15, 2024

Abstract

A method of mowing with an autonomous robot lawnmower includes traversing a mowable area with the autonomous robot lawnmower carrying a cutter and a vegetation characteristic sensor. The vegetation characteristic sensor is configured to generate sensor data in response to detecting a vegetation characteristic of the mowable area. The vegetation characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a moisture content, a grass height, and a color. The method includes storing position-referenced data representing the vegetation characteristic detected across the mowable area. The position-referenced data is based at least in part on the sensor data and position data. The method includes sending data to a remote device to cause the remote device to display a map including information based on the position-referenced data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a computing device comprising:
a user interface;
a memory configured to store instructions; and
a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising:
receiving position-referenced sensor data indicative of a first vegetation characteristic and a second vegetation characteristic of a mowable area, the position-referenced sensor data generated by an autonomous robot lawnmower as the autonomous robot lawnmower traverses the mowable area,
presenting, on the user interface,
a map representing the mowable area and a first overlay on the map indicative of a value of the first vegetation characteristic in one or more portions of the mowable area, and
a plurality of user-selectable interface elements, and

in response to selection of one of the plurality of user-selectable interface elements, adjusting the first overlay to a second overlay on the map, the second overlay indicative of a value of the second vegetation characteristic in the one or more portions of the mowable area.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first overlay is indicative of a grass health in the one or more portions of the mowable area.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first overlay comprises:
a first overlay portion on a first portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area in the map, the first overlay portion having a first characteristic that indicates that a first value of the first vegetation characteristic in the first portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area is in a healthy range, and
a second overlay portion on a second portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area in the map, the second overlay portion having a second characteristic that indicates that a second value of the first vegetation characteristic in the second portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area is in an unhealthy range.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the operations further comprise presenting:
a recommendation to a user to adjust a mowing configuration of the autonomous robot lawnmower to improve a grass health of the second portion of the mowable area, and
a user interface element that, when selected, triggers the adjustment to the mowing configuration of the autonomous robot lawnmower.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the adjustment to the mowing configuration comprises a change to a mowing schedule.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the operations comprise automatically determining the change to the mowing schedule.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the adjustment to the mowing configuration comprises an adjustment to a mowing direction, and wherein the operations comprise automatically determining one or more mowing directions that promote vegetation health.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise presenting, on the user interface, a legend for the first overlay, the legend indicating a correspondence between characteristics of the first overlay and the value of the first vegetation characteristic represented by the first overlay.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise presenting a marker indicating an absence, from position-referenced sensor data generated by the autonomous robot lawnmower in a most-recent operation of the autonomous robot lawnmower, of the position-referenced sensor data associated with a portion of an environment of the mowable area.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the portion of the environment is within an outer perimeter of the mowable area.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first vegetation characteristic is selected from the group consisting of: a moisture content, a grass height, a color, or vegetation health.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein presenting the first overlay comprises presenting an overlay portion indicative of the value of the first vegetation characteristic in a portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area being outside of a desired range.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the position-referenced sensor data is first position-referenced sensor data, and
wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, from the autonomous robot lawnmower, second position-referenced sensor data indicative of the first vegetation characteristic of the mowable area, the second position-referenced sensor data generated by the autonomous robot lawnmower as the autonomous robot lawnmower traverses the mowable area, and
presenting an alert indicating a difference between the first position-referenced sensor data and the second position-referenced sensor data.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device further comprises a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with the autonomous robot lawnmower.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise receiving the position-referenced sensor data from a server.

16. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:
receiving position-referenced sensor data indicative of a first vegetation characteristic and a second vegetation characteristic of a mowable area, the position-referenced sensor data generated by an autonomous robot lawnmower as the autonomous robot lawnmower traverses the mowable area,
presenting, on a user interface of a computing device,
a map representing the mowable area and a first overlay on the map indicative of a value of the first vegetation characteristic in one or more portions of the mowable area, and
a plurality of user-selectable interface elements, and

in response to selection of one of the plurality of user-selectable interface elements, adjusting the first overlay to a second overlay on the map, the second overlay indicative of a value of the second vegetation characteristic in the one or more portions of the mowable area.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 16 , wherein the first overlay is indicative of a grass health in the one or more portions of the mowable area.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 17 , wherein the first overlay comprises:
a first overlay portion on a first portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area in the map, the first overlay portion having a first characteristic that indicates that a first value of the first vegetation characteristic in the first portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area is in a healthy range, and
a second overlay portion on a second portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area in the map, the second overlay portion having a second characteristic that indicates that a second value of the first vegetation characteristic in the second portion of the one or more portions of the mowable area is in an unhealthy range.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 18 , wherein the operations further comprise presenting:
a recommendation to a user to adjust a mowing configuration of the autonomous robot lawnmower to improve a grass health of the second portion of the mowable area, and
a user interface element that, when selected, triggers the adjustment to the mowing configuration of the autonomous robot lawnmower.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise presenting, on the user interface, a legend for the first overlay, the lege

Assignees

• Irobot Corp

Inventors

• Doughty Brian
• Beaulieu Andrew
• Yamauchi Brian
• Likhite Alec
• Steltz Erik

Classifications

• A01G25/09

  Watering arrangements making use of movable installations on wheels or the like · CPC title

• Y10S901/01

  Mobile robot · CPC title

• G05D1/0044

  by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps (maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005) · CPC title

• A01D34/008 Primary

  for automated or remotely controlled operation · CPC title