Abstract:
An automated lawn cutting and vacuum system is disclosed. The system includes an automated lawnmower comprising a mower housing. A control panel provided on the mower housing automatically controls the mowing, driving and steering functions of the automated lawnmower.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to lawnmowers and lawnmowing accessories. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automated lawn cutting and vacuum system having an automated lawnmower and a mower home base enclosure in which the lawnmower is kept when not in use for re-charging of the mower and in which grass clippings are removed from the mower. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   A variety of different types of lawnmowers are known in the art for mowing grass on residential and business lawns. One of the most common types of lawnmowers includes a gas-powered or electric-powered engine which is mounted on a mower housing and drives a blade or blades inside the mower housing. A mower handle extends from the mower housing to enable a user to push the mower on the lawn as the rotating blade cuts the grass. 
   On some types of mowers, a hand-actuated propulsion handle is provided on the mower handle to facilitate self-propulsion of the mower. Still another common type of lawnmower is the riding lawnmower which is characterized by a mower housing fitted with pneumatic wheels and a seat with propulsion controls mounted on the mower housing. A user sits on the seat and drives the mower forward or backwards to cut grass on a lawn. 
   Conventional push-type, self-propelled and riding lawnmowers suffer from the disadvantage of requiring an operator to maintain direct control over the mowing and propulsion functions of the mower. This often requires that the mower operator stand or sit for long periods of time in the sun on hot days. Furthermore, the cut grass clippings are either blown from the mower housing onto the yard as mulch or collected in a collection bag which is removably attached to the lawnmower and must be emptied after the mowing operation. Therefore, an automated lawn cutting and vacuum system having an automatic lawnmower is needed to facilitate the automatic cutting of a lawn as well as the automatic removal of grass clippings from the lawnmower after a mowing operation. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is generally directed to an automated lawn cutting and vacuum system. The system includes an automated lawnmower typically having a storage bin for receiving grass clippings. A control panel provided on the mower housing automatically controls the mowing, driving and steering functions of the automated lawnmower. The system may further include a mower home base enclosure in which the automated lawnmower is stored when not in use and in which grass clippings are removed from the storage bin of the lawnmower. Solar power may be used to re-charge the automated lawnmower for a subsequent mowing operation. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a top view of a lawn in implementation of the automated lawn cutting and vacuum system of the present invention, with multiple perimeter sensors placed around the perimeter of the lawn and a mower home base enclosure placed on the lawn for containing the automated lawnmower when not in use; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the mower home base enclosure with the enclosure door disposed in the open position; 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the mower home base enclosure with the automated lawnmower contained therein; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a perimeter sensor of the automated lawn cutting and vacuum system; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the automated lawnmower; and 
       FIG. 6  is a longitudinal sectional view of the automated lawnmower. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring to the drawings, an illustrative embodiment of the automated lawn cutting and vacuum system, hereinafter system, of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral  1  in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . Briefly, the system  1  includes an automated lawnmower  2  ( FIG. 3 ) which is suitable for cutting grass on a lawn  75  ( FIG. 1 ). Multiple perimeter sensors  70  are placed in spaced-apart relationship to each other around the perimeter of the lawn  75  to emit infrared beams and form a “virtual wall” which prevents the automated lawnmower  2  from straying beyond the edges of the lawn  75  in use as will be hereinafter described. The system  1  further includes a mower home base enclosure  50  in which the automated lawnmower  2  is stored and typically re-charged when not in use. 
   As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the automated lawnmower  2  typically includes a mower housing  3  which may be configured in the shape of an automobile, as shown, or may be any desired alternative shape. The mower housing  3  defines a housing interior  4 . A storage bin  28  is provided on the rear end of the mower housing  3  and has a bin interior  29 . A partition  30  separates the housing interior  4  from the bin interior  29 . A storage bin lid  42  is pivotally attached to the upper surface of the mower housing  3  via hinges  43  for reversibly closing the bin interior  29 . A lid opener  44  is provided in the housing interior  4  and engages the storage bin lid  42  through a linkage  45 . The lid opener  44  is operable to open and close the storage bin lid  42  via the linkage  45  to remove grass clippings (not shown) from the bin interior  29 , as will be hereinafter further described. A sensor detector  25 , which is capable of detecting infrared signals, is provided on the front portion of the mower housing  3 . The sensor detector  25  may be conventional. 
   The mower housing  3  is rendered portable by a pair of rear wheels  14  and a pair of front wheels  20 . A rear wheel drive motor  16  provided on the bottom of the mower housing  3  engages a rear wheel drive mechanism  15 , which rotates the rear wheels  14 , through a linkage  17 . A steering motor  21  provided in the housing interior  4  at the front end of the mower housing  3  engages the front wheels  20  through a linkage  22  to facilitate steering of the automated lawnmower  2 . 
   A blade housing  5  is provided on the bottom of the mower housing  3  between the rear wheels  14  and the front wheels  20 . A blade drive motor  8  is provided in the housing interior  4  and engages a blade shaft  6  for rotation through a drive belt  9 . The blade shaft  6  is journalled for rotation in a shaft bearing  7  which is provided in the top of the blade housing  5 . A blade hub  10  is provided on the lower end portion of the blade shaft  6 , inside the mower housing  5 , and mower blades  11  extend from the blade shaft  6 . 
   A vacuum unit  31  is provided in the housing interior  4 . A vacuum conduit  32  connects the mower housing  5  to the vacuum unit  31  and the vacuum unit  31  to the storage bin  28 . The vacuum conduit  32  includes a conduit inlet  33  in the top of the mower housing  5  and a conduit outlet  34  in the bin interior  29 . 
   A battery compartment  37  is provided typically beneath the storage bin  28  or in any other suitable location on the mower housing  3 . A battery  38 , which may be disposable but is preferably re-chargeable, is contained in the battery compartment  37 . A battery charge port  39  is provided in the rear end of the storage bin  28  and is disposed in electrical contact with the battery  38  to facilitate re-charging of the battery  38 , as will be hereinafter described. 
   A control panel  48  is provided in the housing interior  4 , typically on the partition  30 . The operational components of the automated lawnmower  2 , including the blade drive motor  8 , the rear wheel drive motor  16 , the steering motor  21 , the sensor detector  25 , the battery  38  and the lid opener  44 , are connected to the control panel  48  via respective electrical pathways  49 . The control panel  48  includes a microprocessor (not shown) which facilitates automated operation of the operational components of the automated lawnmower  2  through programming, a radio-controlled device (not shown) and/or through control elements (not shown) provided on the mower housing  3 . 
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the system  1  further includes a mower home base enclosure  50  having walls  51  and a roof  52  which is typically PLEXIGLASS (trademark). A solar panel  53  is preferably provided in the roof  52  to facilitate charging the battery  38  ( FIG. 6 ) of the automated lawnmower  2  when the automated lawnmower  2  is contained inside the mower home base enclosure  50 , as will be hereinafter described. As shown in  FIG. 3 , a partition  56  divides the mower home base enclosure  50  into a mower compartment  54  and a storage compartment  55 . A power port  67  provided on the partition  56  inside the mower compartment  54  is electrically connected to the solar panel  53  to receive solar-generated electrical current from the solar panel  53  and re-charge the battery  38  ( FIG. 6 ) of the automated lawnmower  2  when the battery charge port  39  is plugged into the power port  67 . 
   A door opening  64  provided in the enclosure  50  is reversibly closed by an enclosure door  61  which is pivotally attached to the enclosure  50  via hinges  68 . A door motor  62  typically mounted on the interior surface of one of the walls  51  engages the enclosure door  61  through a linkage  63  to facilitate selective opening and closing of the door opening  64 . A clear-out door  65  is typically mounted on the enclosure  50  via hinges  66  and normally closes a clear-out opening (not shown) through which grass clippings (not shown) can be removed from the storage compartment  55  after a grass-mowing operation. 
   A vacuum conduit  57  extends through the partition  56  and includes a flexible bellows portion  58  that facilitates selective lengthening and shortening of the vacuum conduit  57 . An extension motor  59  is provided on the partition  56 , inside the mower compartment  54 , and a linkage  60  connects the extension motor  59  to the lower portion of the vacuum conduit  57 . Accordingly, the extension motor  59  is capable of extending or shortening the length of the vacuum conduit  57  by expanding or contracting the flexible bellows portion  58  through the linkage  60 , for purposes which will be hereinafter described. A vacuum unit  57   a  provided in fluid communication with the vacuum conduit  57  is mounted on the partition  56 , inside the storage compartment  55 . 
   Referring next to  FIG. 4 , each of the perimeter sensors  70  typically includes a sensor housing  71  having an elongated slot  72 . The sensor housing  71  includes interior components (not shown) which may be conventional and are capable of emitting an infrared beam (not shown) through the slot  72 . The interior components are typically connected to a power cord  73  which may be fitted with a standard plug (not shown) for insertion into a standard 120-volt household electrical outlet (not shown), for example. Alternatively, the interior components may be battery-powered. The infrared beam emitted by the perimeter sensor  70  is detected by the sensor detector  25  on the automated lawnmower  2 , and the sensor detector  25  prevents the automated lawnmower  2  from straying beyond the boundaries defined by the multiple perimeter sensors  70 , as will be hereinafter further described. 
   In typical use of the system  1 , multiple perimeter sensors  70  are placed at selected spacings with respect to each other along the perimeter of a lawn  75  which is to be mowed, as shown in  FIG. 1 . The slots  72  ( FIG. 4 ) of adjacent perimeter sensors  70  typically face each other. The perimeter sensors  70  are operated to emit an infrared beam from the slot  72  of each to define an invisible infrared “virtual wall” between adjacent perimeter sensors  70  at the boundary of the lawn  75 . When not in use, the automated lawnmower  2  is contained inside the mower compartment  54  ( FIG. 3 ) of the mower home base enclosure  50 . Accordingly, the battery charge port  39  of the automated lawnmower  2  is plugged into the power port  67  on the partition  56  of the enclosure  50 . The solar panel  53  in the roof  52  of the enclosure  50  generates electrical current from sunlight and transmits this electrical current into the battery  38  ( FIG. 6 ). 
   When it is desired to operate the automated lawnmower  2  to mow the lawn  75 , the enclosure door  61  of the enclosure  50  is opened by operation of the door motor  62 . The rear wheel motor  16  of the automated lawnmower  2 , through the control panel  48 , initiates rotation of the rear wheels  14 , which drive the automated lawnmower  2  out of the mower compartment  54 , through the door opening  64  and onto the lawn  75 . Simultaneously, the control panel  48  initiates operation of the blade drive motor  8  to rotate the mower blades  11  inside the mower housing  5 . The control panel  48  may be actuated by a radio-controlled device (not shown) or through control elements (not illustrated) provided directly on the mower housing  3  of the automated lawnmower  2 . Alternatively, the control panel  48  may be programmed to perform the various functions of the automated lawnmower  2 , according to the knowledge of those skilled in the art. 
   As the automated lawnmower  2  traverses the lawn  75 , the rear wheels  14  cause forward motion of the automated lawnmower  2  as the mower blades  11  cut the grass on the lawn  75 . The control panel  48  may randomly operate the steering motor  21  to turn the automated lawnmower  2  to the right or left and then straight to eventually cut all areas of the lawn  75 . Alternatively, the control panel  48  may operate the steering motor  21  to steer the automated lawnmower  2  in a straight line followed by turning of the automated lawnmower  2  to facilitate mowing of the lawn  75  in adjacent lanes. 
   When the automated lawnmower  2  approaches the infrared “virtual wall” formed by adjacent perimeter sensors  70 , the sensor detector  25  senses the infrared wall and relays this information to the control panel  48 . In turn, the control panel  48  causes the rear wheel motor  16  to reverse rotation of the rear wheels  14  and reverse the motion of the automated lawnmower  2 . Consequently, the automated lawnmower  2  is incapable of straying beyond the perimeter of the lawn  75  as defined by the infrared “virtual wall” formed by the perimeter sensors  70 . As the mower blades  11  cut the grass on the lawn  75 , the control panel  48  operates the vacuum unit  31  ( FIG. 6 ) to draw cut grass clippings from the blade housing  5 , through the vacuum conduit  32  and into the bin interior  29  of the storage bin  28 , respectively. 
   After the mowing operation is completed, the automated lawnmower  2  returns to the enclosure  50  and the battery charge port  39  is docked at the power port  67 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , to re-charge the battery  38  ( FIG. 6 ). Guide sensors (not shown) may be provided on the enclosure  50  at the respective sides of the door opening  64  to guide the automated lawnmower  2  into the enclosure  50  via the sensor detector  25  and control panel  48 . After the automated lawnmower  2  enters the enclosure  50 , the control panel  48  opens the storage bin lid  42  via the lid opener  44 . Next, the extension motor  59  extends or stretches the vacuum conduit  57  such that the end of the vacuum conduit  57  is extended into the bin interior  29  of the storage bin  28 . Next, the vacuum unit  57   a  draws the grass clippings collected in the storage bin  28  from the bin interior  29 , through the vacuum conduit  57  and into the storage compartment  55  ( FIG. 3 ) until the bin interior  29  is empty. The grass clippings collected in the storage compartment  55  can be removed by opening the clear-out door  65  and removing the clippings through the clear-out opening (not shown). The extension motor  59  then retracts the vacuum conduit  57  from the bin interior  29 , and the storage bin lid  42  is closed. When the battery  38  is re-charged, the automated lawnmower  2  is primed for another lawnmowing operation. 
   While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications can be made in the invention and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.