Patent ID: 7343230

Claim:
A method of operating an automated land maintenance vehicle over a work area defined by a closed boundary so as to create a desired visually discernible pattern on the surface of the work area, the method comprising: (a) determining a work regime by: dividing the work area into a plurality of regions in accordance with the visually discernible pattern desired on the surface; selecting an instruction for the vehicle to follow with respect to each region, the selection of the instruction being determined on the basis of that part of the visually discernible pattern contributed by said region; providing data relating to the regions and to the associated instructions to processing means; and computing, by the processing means, the work regime for the vehicle from the data; and (b) providing data relating to the work regime to the control means of the vehicle whereby the vehicle is operated to follow the work regime, thereby creating the desired visually discernible pattern on the surface of the work area.