Autonomous implement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9456545-B2
Application number	US-201214352443-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2012
Priority date	Oct 19, 2011
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

An autonomous implement, in particular an autonomous lawnmower, includes at least one computing unit configured to travel over an area to be worked. The computing unit is configured at least partly to automatically initialize relocalization in at least one operating state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An autonomous implement, comprising:
a sensing unit configured to detect at least one sensing element, the at least one sensing element marking an outer border of an area; and
at least one computation unit operatively connected to the sensing unit and configured to:
in an initial step prior to operation in a first operating state, operate the autonomous implement to travel along the outer border of the area and store in a memory, at least to some extent, a sequence of signature data including border signatures that define the outer border of the area;
operate the autonomous implement in the first operating state to travel along the area to treat the area;
in response to a loss of current position information, operate the autonomous implement in a second operating state to automatically identify the current position information, the current position information corresponding to a position of the autonomous implement within the area;
in the second operating state, operate the autonomous implement to perform a navigation strategy until the sensing unit detects the at least one sensing element; and
in the second operating state, after the sensing unit detects the at least one sensing element, operate the autonomous implement to travel at least to some extent along the outer border of the area and compare a sequence of data corresponding to a current travel path with the stored sequence of signature data that includes the border signatures that define the outer border of the area.

2. The autonomous implement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the navigation strategy is different from travel maneuvers performed in the first operating state to treat the area.

3. The autonomous implement as claimed in claim 1 , the at least one computation unit being further configured to:
in the second operating state, operate the autonomous implement to return to the first operating state in response to a match being indicated by the comparison between the sequence of data corresponding to the current travel path and the stored sequence of signature data that includes the border signatures that define the outer border of the area.

4. The autonomous implement as claimed in claim 1 , the at least one computation unit being further configured to:
in the second operating state, operate the autonomous implement to return to the first operating state in response to the sensing unit detecting a base station having a known position within the area.

5. The autonomous implement as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a locating unit configured to determine a position of the autonomous implement within the area.

6. A method using an autonomous implement, the autonomous implement including at least one computation unit and a sensing unit a sensing unit configured to detect at least one sensing element, the at least one sensing element marking an outer border of an area, the method comprising:
in an initial step before operating in a first operating state, operating the autonomous implement to travel along the outer border of the area and store in a memory, at least to some extent, a sequence of signature data including border signatures that define the outer border of the area;
operating the autonomous implement in the first operating state to travel along the area to treat the area;
in response to a loss of current position information, operating the autonomous implement in a second operating state to automatically identify the current position information, the current position information corresponding to a position of the autonomous implement within the area; and
in the second operating state, operating the autonomous implement to perform a navigation strategy until the sensing unit detects the at least one sensing element; and
in the second operating state, after the sensing unit detects the at least one sensing element, operating the autonomous implement to travel at least to some extent along the outer border of the area and compare a sequence of data corresponding to a current travel path with the stored sequence of signature data that includes the border signatures that define the outer border of the area.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising:
in the second operating state, operating the autonomous implement to return to the first operating state in response to a match being indicated by the comparison between the sequence of data corresponding to the current travel path and the stored sequence of signature data that includes the border signatures that define the outer border of the area.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising:
in the second operating state, operating the autonomous implement to return to the first operating state in response to the sensing unit detecting a base station having a known position within the area.

9. The autonomous implement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the autonomous implement is configured as an autonomous lawnmower.

10. The autonomous implement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sequence of signature data includes a plurality of information items that are each unique in at least one of time and space and define the outer border of the area.

11. The autonomous implement as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the border signatures of the sequence of signature data include at least one of (i) a property of a point in a border profile and (ii) a change in a property of a point in the border profile with respect to a preceding point in the border profile.

12. The autonomous implement as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the sequence of signature data includes distance signatures, the distance signatures being a distance from a current location to a reference location.

13. The autonomous implement as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the sequence of signature data includes visual signatures, the visual signatures being visual recordings.

14. The autonomous implement as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the sequence of signature data includes at least one of surface quality signatures, terrain inclination signatures, and orientation signatures.

Assignees

• Biber Peter
• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Biber Peter

Classifications

• A01D34/008 Primary

  for automated or remotely controlled operation · CPC title