A moving robot is provided. The moving robot includes a body, first and second driving wheels configured to move the body, first and second caster wheels installed movably, first and second sensors configured to respectively detect a rotation angle of the first caster wheel and a rotation angle of the second caster wheel with respect to a predetermined direction axis, and a controller configured to control driving of a driving wheel according to the rotation angles. The controller calculates an average rotation angle by using the rotation angles detected by the first and second sensors and controls driving of the driving wheel by using the calculated average rotation angle.

A lawn mowing robot for performing self-driving is provided. The lawn mowing robot includes a body forming an appearance of the lawn mowing robot, a driving wheel configured to move the body, a sensor configured to sense information associated with a posture of the lawn mowing robot, and a controller configured to perform a calibration of the sensor to control the driving wheel to move the body in a predetermined pattern in an operating area of the lawn mowing robot, for setting a parameter associated with the sensor.

A system may include sensor equipment, task performance equipment, a yard maintenance manager and a robot. The sensor equipment may include one or more sensors disposed on a parcel of land. The task performance equipment may be configured to perform a task on the parcel. The task may be associated with generating a result that is enabled to be monitored via the sensor equipment. The yard maintenance manager may be configured to interface with the sensor equipment and the task performance equipment to compare measured conditions with desirable conditions to direct operation of the task performance equipment. The robot may be configured to work the parcel and perform at least one of acting as one of the one or more sensors, acting as a device of the task performance equipment, or interacting with the sensor equipment or the task performance equipment.

A system, for cutting a plurality of lawns, including: two or more robotic lawn mowers which each has a rechargeable energy storage, and a carrier, which includes: at least two holders, each of which is capable of retaining one of the two or more robotic lawn mowers, and two or more fences, each fence delineating an individual lawn of the plurality of lawns and configured to be operable while a respective of the two or more robotic lawn mowers is operating at the respective of the plurality of lawns.

A robotic mower navigation system has a plurality of landmark tags sequentially spaced along or inside a boundary wire. Each landmark tag has a unique identifier. The robotic mower has a detector for detecting the landmark tags, and a vehicle control unit having memory storing data for each of the landmark tags including the unique identifiers, a departure angle and a distance from the landmark tag to another non-sequential landmark tag. The vehicle control unit determines the shortest route to a specified destination based on the stored landmark tag data.

A charging station for a utility vehicle that detects a magnetic field generated by electric current flowing through a boundary wire, there are provided with a base plate installed at the working area to retain the vehicle and provided with a pair of charging terminals connectable with battery charging terminals of the onboard battery, a first wire having a first loop and first projecting segments that project from the first loop toward the base plate, and a second wire installed at the base plate and is connected to the electric power supply independently of the boundary wire and the first wire and having a second loop and second projecting segments that project from the second loop toward the base plate symmetrically with the first projecting segments.

In an apparatus and method for controlling operation of a utility vehicle that detects a magnetic field generated by an area signal in electric current supplied from an electric power supply through a boundary wire and is driven by an electric motor powered by an onboard battery that is charged at a charging station. The vehicle runs within the working area based on the detected magnetic field and is provided with a socket to connect/disconnect supply of the electric current to the boundary wire. It is determined whether after power supply was once disconnected, the supply is reconnected. The area signal is inserted with a signal indicating the vehicle to return to the charging station when the power supply is reconnected. Operation of the motor is controlled to make the vehicle run to the charging station when the return instruction signal is inserted to the area signal.

In an apparatus for controlling operation of a utility vehicle that detects a magnetic field generated by electric current flowing through a boundary wire of a working area and is driven to run within the working area based on the detected magnetic field, having left and right magnetic sensor installed at lateral right and left positions of the vehicle to produce outputs proportional to strength of the magnetic field, turning mode is switched between gentle turning mode to make the vehicle turn while running near the boundary wire and sharp turning mode to make the vehicle pause near the boundary wire and then turn, when it is determined from the outputs of the magnetic sensors that the vehicle approaches the boundary wire, each time predetermined conditions are satisfied, and operation of the prime mover is controlled such that the vehicle turns in accordance with the switched turning mode.

In an apparatus for controlling operation of a utility vehicle that is driven to run within a working area, a map is generated by arraying multiple cells in a grid pattern with respect to the working area, area of the working area is calculated based on the generated map, and required work period per unit time period is calculated in accordance with first characteristics with respect to the calculated area. Then user information including the calculated area and required work period are shown to prompt the user to input user's preferred work period and preferred working time of day. Next target work schedule is calculated by distributing the required work period within the unit time period in accordance with second characteristics based on the user's preferred work period and working time of day inputted by the user and work is controlled in accordance with the calculated schedule.

In an apparatus for controlling operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle to travel about a working area, there are provided a cell memorizing unit identifying a series of cells on which the vehicle has traveled in the work mode, assigning cell numbers successively to the series of cells, and memorizing the series of cells in association with the assigned cell numbers, the series of cells starting from the charging device to the current cell of the vehicle, a cell selecting unit selecting a return locus cell from among the series of cells in the return mode, the return locus cell being adjacent to the current cell, a cell number of the return locus cell being smaller than a cell number of the current cell, and a travel controlling unit controlling the vehicle to travel on the return locus cell to return to the charging device.