Ground Treatment Appliance

Abstract

An autonomous ground treatment appliance, in particular a robotic lawnmower, includes a housing, a running gear, a control unit, at least one wheel unit, and a sensor unit. The control unit is configured to control the autonomous ground treatment appliance. The at least one wheel unit is mounted on the housing so as to be at least partially movable relative to the housing. The sensor unit is configured to ascertain a position of the wheel unit relative to the housing.

Claims

1. An autonomous ground treatment appliance, comprising: a housing; a running gear; a control unit configured to control the appliance; at least one wheel unit mounted on the housing so as to be at least partially movable relative to the housing; and a sensor unit configured to ascertain a position of the at least one wheel unit relative to the housing.

2. The appliance of claim 1, further comprising: a printed circuit board, wherein the sensor unit is at least partially positioned on or is at least partially integrated into the printed circuit board.

3. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the printed circuit board is a component of the control unit.

4. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the sensor unit includes at least one sensor element.

5. The appliance of claim 4, wherein the at least one sensor element is a sensor coil.

6. The appliance of claim 5, wherein the sensor coil forms at least a part of a resonant circuit.

7. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is further configured to ascertain a position of a signal transmitter element.

8. The appliance of claim 5, further comprising: a printed circuit board that includes a recess; wherein the sensor coil is positioned concentrically about the recess.

9. The appliance of claim 8, further comprising: a signal transmitter element that is at least partially movable relative to the recess of the printed circuit board; wherein the sensor unit is further configured to ascertain a position of the signal transmitter element.

10. The appliance of claim 9, wherein the signal transmitter element is a magnetoresistive element.

11. The appliance of claim 9, wherein the signal transmitter element includes a guide rod.

12. The appliance of claim 9, further comprising: a further wheel unit that includes a further signal transmitter element; a further sensor unit configured to ascertain a position of the further signal transmitter element, the further sensor unit at least partially positioned on or integrated into the printed circuit board.

13. The appliance of claim 1, further comprising: a seal element configured to at least partially seal off the sensor unit against moisture, at least a portion of the seal element integrally formed with the housing.

14. The appliance of claim 13, wherein the seal element includes at least one protuberance.

15. The appliance of claim 14, wherein the at least one protuberance intersects a plane defined by the printed circuit board.

16. The appliance of claim 13, further comprising: a signal transmitter element that is at least partially movable, in the protuberance, relative to the recess of the printed circuit board; wherein the sensor unit is further configured to ascertain a position of the signal transmitter element.

17. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the appliance is a robotic lawnmower.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Further advantages can be found in the following description of the drawings. Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are illustrated in the drawings. The drawing, the description and the claims contain numerous features in combination. A person skilled in the art will expediently also consider the features individually and combine them to form useful further combinations.

[0026] In the drawings

[0027] FIG. 1a: shows a perspective view of an autonomous floor treatment appliance,

[0028] FIG. 1b: shows a perspective view of an autonomous floor treatment appliance,

[0029] FIG. 2: shows a perspective view of an autonomous floor treatment appliance without a housing cover,

[0030] FIG. 3a: shows a perspective view of a wheel unit,

[0031] FIG. 3b: shows an exploded drawing of a wheel unit,

[0032] FIG. 4a: shows a cross section of a wheel unit in the retracted state,

[0033] FIG. 4b: shows a cross section of a wheel unit in the extended state,

[0034] FIG. 5: shows a plan view of a printed circuit board with a sensor unit,

[0035] FIG. 6a: shows a perspective view of an autonomous floor treatment appliance without a wheel unit,

[0036] FIG. 6b: shows a perspective view of an autonomous ground treatment appliance with a wheel unit,

[0037] FIG. 7: shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the printed circuit board,

[0038] FIG. 8a: shows a perspective view of a further alternative embodiment of the sensor unit,

[0039] FIG. 8b: shows a perspective view of the further alternative embodiment of the sensor unit according to FIG. 8a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] FIG. 1a shows an autonomous ground treatment appliance 10 which is formed by an autonomous lawnmower which has at least one mower mechanism 20 (see FIG. 1b) which is already known to a person skilled in the art. The autonomous ground treatment appliance 10 comprises at least one running gear 30 which has at least one drive wheel 34, at least one sensor unit 100 and at least one control unit 40. The housing 12 of the autonomous ground treatment appliance 10 comprises, for example, a housing cover 11 and an underbody 14.

[0041] FIG. 2 shows the autonomous ground treatment appliance 10 without the housing cover 11a, as a result of which the arrangement of the sensor unit 100 in the housing 12 is shown. The sensor unit 100 is designed to ascertain the position of a wheel unit 50 relative to a housing 12 of the ground treatment appliance 10. The mower mechanism 20 is designed such that it can be switched off depending on the ascertained position of the wheel unit 50. If the sensor unit 100 ascertains that the wheel unit 50 is not in a retracted state, in particular that the wheel unit 50 is in an extended state, the mower mechanism 20 is switched off.

[0042] The sensor unit 100 is associated with the control unit 40. The control unit 40 is designed, in particular, for subjecting the autonomous ground treatment appliance 10 to open-loop control and closed-loop control. By way of example, the control unit 40 is designed to navigate the ground treatment appliance 10 depending on a detected position of the ground treatment appliance 10. The control unit 40 comprises at least one printed circuit board 42 on which at least one microprocessor 44 is arranged.

[0043] The running gear 30 has a motor unit 32 which is provided for driving the drive wheel 34. Furthermore, the running gear 30 has a further motor unit 32 which is provided for driving a further drive wheel 34 of the running gear 30. The motor unit 32 and the further motor unit 32 are in the form of electric motors. Furthermore, the motor unit 32 and the further motor unit 32 can be actuated separately from one another by means of a control unit 40a of the autonomous ground treatment appliance 10. Therefore, the running gear 30 forms a differential drive unit. In this case, a steering function is realized by means of a rotation speed difference between the drive wheel 34 and the further drive wheel 34 in a manner which is already known to a person skilled in the art.

[0044] The motor unit 32 and the further motor unit 32 are arranged within a housing 12 of the autonomous ground treatment appliance 10. In this case, the motor unit 32 and the further motor unit 32 are each connected to the drive wheel 34 or to the further drive wheel 34 by means of a shaft unit (not illustrated) of the running gear 30. In this case, in each case one of two gear mechanism units (not illustrated) of the running gear 30 is arranged between the drive wheel 34 and the motor unit 32 and, respectively, between the further drive wheel 34 and the further motor unit 32 to achieve a step-up and/or step-down transmission ratio. However, it is also conceivable that the drive wheel 34 and the further drive wheel 34 are each directly connected to the motor unit 32 and, respectively, to the further motor unit 32. The drive wheel 34 and the further drive wheel 34 are each arranged on sides of the housing 12 which are averted from one another.

[0045] In addition to the two drive wheels 34, the autonomous ground treatment appliance 10 additionally has a wheel unit 50 and a further wheel unit 50, which wheel units are arranged on the housing 12 of the ground treatment appliance 10 in an at least partially movable manner and are of substantially identical design. The wheel unit 50 has a support wheel 54 which is mounted so as to rotate about a rotation axis 2 of the wheel unit 50 (see FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b). Furthermore, the wheel unit has a vertical axis 3 which extends perpendicular to the rotation axis 2. The wheel unit 50 is mounted so as to rotate about the vertical axis 3 relative to the housing 12. In addition, the wheel unit 50 is mounted such that it can move in a linear manner along the vertical axis 3 relative to the housing 12. In particular, the wheel unit 50 can assume any desired position between a retracted state (see FIG. 4a) and an extended state (see FIG. 4b) along the vertical axis 3.

[0046] The wheel unit 50 has a wheel suspension which is designed such that it can be connected to the support wheel 54 by means of two screws 56. The wheel suspension comprises a main body 52 and a guide rod 58 which extends along the vertical axis 3. The guide rod 58 is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the main body 52 of the wheel unit 50. The wheel unit 50 is fastened by means of a fastening unit 60, which is of sleeve-like design in sections, to the ground treatment appliance 10, by way of example to the underbody 14 of the housing 12 of the ground treatment appliance 10. The fastening unit 60 is fastened to the ground treatment appliance 10 by means of screws 56 by way of example. The fastening unit 60 has a sleeve-like guide element 70 which partially surrounds the guide rod 58. The guide rod 58 of the wheel unit 50 is mounted so as to rotate and move in a linear manner relative to the housing by means of a first bearing element 64 and a second bearing element 66. The bearing element 64, 66 are, in particular, in the form of sliding bearing elements. The first and the second bearing element 64, 66 are arranged on the fastening unit 60, in particular on opposite end regions of the guide element 70 of the fastening unit 60.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 4a, the first bearing element 64 bears against the sleeve-like guide element 70 of the fastening unit 60 and against the housing 12 of the ground treatment appliance 10, in particular the underbody 14. The second bearing element 66 likewise bears against the guide element 70 of the fastening unit 60 and against a pressure bearing element 68. In the retracted state, the second bearing element 66 bears against the pressure bearing element 68 and the main body 52 bears against the wheel unit 50. In the retracted state, the inherent weight of the ground treatment appliance 10 acts on the wheel unit 50. The pressure bearing element 68 in the form of a pressure bearing disk is designed to ensure rotation of the main body 52 of the wheel unit 50 about the vertical axis 3 in the retracted state.

[0048] The guide rod 58 is mounted axially along the vertical axis 3 at least partially by means of a circlip element 72. The circlip element 72 can be fastened to the guide rod 58 by means of a recess 74 in the wall of the guide element 70. In the extended state (see FIG. 4b), the second bearing element 66 is acted on by the circlip 72 in such a way that the main body 52 of the wheel unit 50 is secured against becoming lost.

[0049] The main body 52 of the wheel unit 50 has a circular collar 53 which is arranged in a movable manner in a circular groove 63 of the fastening unit 60. In the retracted state, the circular collar 53 can be substantially completely accommodated by the circular groove 63. The rigidity of the wheel unit 50 is advantageously increased by the arrangement of the circular collar 53 in the groove 63. The first and the second bearing element 64, 66 and the fastening unit 60 are preferably formed from a plastic.

[0050] The sensor unit 100 is designed to ascertain the position of the signal transmitter element 59 and has a sensor element 101 in the form of a sensor coil 102. The signal transmitter element 59 is, by way of example, in the form of the guide rod 58. As is shown in FIG. 5, a first sensor unit 100 and a second sensor unit 100 can be integrated in the printed circuit board 42 of the control unit 40. The sensor coil 102 is formed by conductor tracks which are arranged, in particular embedded, in the inner layers of the printed circuit board 42. Therefore, the sensor coil 102 is protected against dirt and moisture and against mechanical damage. The sensor coil 102 is arranged, in particular, concentrically about a recess 46 in the printed circuit board 42. The sensor coil 102 is part of a resonant circuit comprising an amplifier 104 which is designed to excite the resonant circuit in a resonant manner. The sensor unit 100 measures the amplitude of the oscillation and automatically regulates the actual value of the oscillation at a setpoint value of the oscillation by means of the amplifier 104 in order to keep the oscillation constant. Furthermore, the sensor unit 100 is designed to detect a characteristic variable which represents the energy which is required in order to maintain the resonant circuit. This state variable can be used to ascertain how much energy is absorbed by the resonant circuit, from which a resistance value or Rp value which corresponds to the resistive component in the resonant circuit can be ascertained.

[0051] The resistive component in the resonant circuit is in the form of a signal transmitter element 59 which is, by way of example, in the form of the guide rod 58 of the wheel unit 50, wherein the guide rod 58 is composed of a magnetoresistive material. The guide rod 58 is arranged in a movable manner relative to the housing 12 in the recess 46 of the printed circuit board 42 (see FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b). In particular, the guide rod 58 is the only magnetoresistive component which is arranged in the recess 46. In the retracted state of the wheel unit 50, the guide rod 58 passes through the recess 46. In the extended state, the guide rod 58 is arranged outside the recess 46, advantageously below the recess 46. In the retracted state of the wheel unit 50, the guide rod 58 is advantageously arranged in the operative region of the sensor unit 100 in such a way that the energy for maintaining the resonant circuit differs from the energy which is required in the extended state for maintaining the resonant circuit. By virtue of ascertaining the resistance value or the Rp value, the sensor unit 100 can ascertain whether the wheel unit is in a retracted or extended state. It is likewise conceivable that the sensor unit 100 detects only one characteristic variable in respect of the energy required for maintaining the resonant circuit and the control unit 40 ascertains the resistance value and ascertains the state of the wheel unit 50.

[0052] Since electrical components of the sensor unit 100 and of the control unit 40, such as a microprocessor 44 and the amplifier 104 for example, are located on the printed circuit board 42, the printed circuit board 42 is designed such that it is advantageously protected against the ingress of dirt and moisture with the aid of a seal element 18. FIG. 6 shows the bottom side of the ground treatment appliance 10 with a wheel unit 50 removed. FIG. 6b shows bottom side according to FIG. 6a with the wheel unit 50 fitted. The pocket 16 for accommodating the wheel unit 50 is advantageously designed in such a way that ingress of dirt and moisture into the interior of the housing 12 is prevented. The pocket 16 is arranged in the underbody 14 of the housing 12 and has, in particular, no passage opening into the interior of the housing 12. The pocket 16 of the underbody 14 is in particular shaped in such a way that the wall of the pocket 16 protrudes through the recess 46 in the printed circuit board 42 in such a way that a seal element 18 in the form of a protuberance 19 is formed (see FIG. 4a) and as a result a separating wall between the interior of the housing and the exterior of the housing is formed. In the state in which the wheel unit 50 is fastened to the housing 12 of the autonomous ground treatment appliance 10, the guide rod 58 is arranged in a movable manner in the protuberance 19.

[0053] FIG. 7 shows an alternative embodiment of the printed circuit board 42a. The sensor unit 100a is arranged on an additional, separate printed circuit board 42a which can be connected to the printed circuit board (not shown) of the control unit by means of electrical contact elements. The sensor unit 100a likewise comprises a sensor element in the form of a sensor coil (not shown) which is designed to ascertain the position of a signal transmitter element 59a which is in the form of a guide rod 58a of the wheel unit 50a. In this embodiment, the fastening unit 60a is in the form of a seal element 18a. The fastening unit 60a is designed to fasten the printed circuit board 42a to the wheel unit 50a. The fastening unit 60a is advantageously shaped in such a way that it protrudes, as a closed wall, into the recess 46a of the printed circuit board 42a and forms a protuberance 19a in which the guide rod 58a of the wheel unit 50a is arranged in a movable manner.

[0054] FIG. 8a and FIG. 8b show a further alternative embodiment of the sensor unit 100b. The sensor unit 100b comprises a sensor element 101b in the form of a Hall sensor 102b which is arranged on a printed circuit board 42b. The printed circuit board 42b can be in the form of a component of the control unit 40b. The Hall sensor 102b is advantageously designed to detect the position of the wheel unit 50b. The movement of the guide rod 58b of the wheel unit 50b is coupled to the movement of a signal transmitter element 59b, wherein the position of the signal transmitter element 59b can be ascertained by the Hall sensor 102b. The signal transmitter element 59b is, by way of example, in the form of a magnet 108b. The movably mounted guide rod 58b is advantageously encased by a seal element 18b in such a way that no dirt or no moisture can reach the Hall sensor 102b. The seal element 18b is advantageously formed by the underbody 14b of the housing 12b of the autonomous ground treatment appliance 10b in the form of a protuberance 19b.