The docking station is important for the Vector WD2.0 autonomous mower to drive completely autonomously. Autonomous operation means that the mowing robot carries out its tasks without human intervention. There are now Vector Machines customers who maintain several solar parks with an autonomous mowing robot. A docking station is deliberately not installed on these relatively small solar parks. Managers of a solar park let the Vector WD2.0 mow the lawn there for a day and collect the mower again after a day. Charging the batteries is then done manually. Of course, that is an excellent way to use the autonomous mowing machine, but the idea of being completely autonomous does not apply.
To be able to navigate completely autonomously, a docking station must be installed. A docking station (or base station) for autonomous mowing robots is an essential part of robotic lawnmower systems. These stations serve as a charging point and departure point for autonomous mowing robots.
Charging mowing robot
The main purpose of a docking station is to charge the robotic lawnmower. When the robot's batteries are low or the mowing task is completed, the autonomous mowing robot automatically returns to the docking station to recharge.
Benefits of a docking station for autonomous mowing robots
A docking station ensures that the robot can work autonomously without human intervention. The robot can perform the mowing job and recharge itself when necessary.
In addition, a base station ensures optimization. The robotic lawnmower can mow the lawn regularly and at the right time, creating a healthier lawn. This makes it grass maintenance on solar parks many times more efficient for solar park owners and managers. By automatically returning the mower to the docking station to charge, energy efficiency is maximized. This means that the robot does not randomly drive across the lawn looking for its charging station.
Save money with an autonomous mower
The combination of an autonomous mower with a docking station saves a lot of time and labor. In areas where the Vector WD2.0 mowing robot is used, no time needs to be spent on manual mowing or charging the robotic lawnmower. This saves time and labor.
Optimization of mowing robot base station
We are continuously researching the most efficient functions for the Vector WD2.0. But we also look at the further development of the hardware, software and accessories such as the charging station.
Charging by sliding contacts (wireless charging)
In order to charge the Vector mowing robot without human intervention, the docking station has been developed in such a way that charging takes place using sliding contacts. Charging with sliding contacts is wireless, but not to be confused with contactless as with induction. Sleeping contacts means that there is physical contact. When charging by sliding contacts, there are physical contacts or connections between the charging station and the vehicle. These can be metal pins, slots or contacts that make direct contact with the battery or vehicle charging port.
Charging by sliding contacts ensures very efficient energy transfer because there is no air gap between the charging station and the mower. This results in a fast and efficient charge. This means that more power can be transmitted with sliding contacts. This means that charging using sliding contacts has a shorter charging time compared to contactless (induction) charging.
What is of great importance and what requires many hours of development and testing is the positioning. Accurate positioning is required. The Vector autonomous mowing machine returns to the charging station after mowing for a number of hours. The vehicle must arrive accurately and then be aligned and parked at the charging station. This must be done extremely accurately, because the contacts must connect to each other for the charge.
We recently developed a new docking station, which is now being tested. This is first tested in the workshop and, after the first tests in the workshop have been successful, on a test field. In our case, the test field is a solar park, so that we can also simulate actual conditions. The machine arrives at the same speed, in all weather conditions, just as it would on real sites such as solar parks, tree nurseries or in fruit growing.