Self-moved device for colouring or spraying a surface

[0001] The present invention relates to a self-propelled device for coloring surfaces or for spraying liquid substances on surfaces.

[0002] There is often a need to make colored and / or graphic elements on surfaces of different nature that are flat or inclined. Consider, for example, the case of a road where lines separating road lanes and road axis lines, road signs, directions or any information should be made.

[0003] Again, let us consider a sports field, e.g., a grass football field, where boundary lines and all other elements required for the game must be made. Or, let's consider a golf course, where different areas for playing are marked with different shades of green, often made by dyeing grass.

[0004] In other cases, it is advisable to provide or add information, initially and in a prominent manner, e.g., by reproducing such messages on a large scale on large-scale surfaces, such as e.g. sports fields, squares, meadows, sloping slopes, etc. , which is often accomplished by dyeing said surfaces.

[0005] A further option occurs when selective application of a liquid product, such as, for example, water, fertilizer, or herbicide, is needed to the grass in the area of ​​certain parts of it, or along a specific path, so as to achieve specific visual effects, caused by different grass growing.

[0006] Of course, other fields of application may be added to the applications cited above, in which all there is usually a need to selectively disperse the liquid product onto a surface that is flat or sloped.

[0007] The above-mentioned steps are usually carried out manually or by means of some device moved manually. For example, in the case of road signs, they are often made using masks placed on the ground so as to define the outline of the surface that must be colored. In other cases, trolleys equipped with paint tanks and a delivery system controlled manually by the operator driving the trolley itself may be used.

[0008] Such systems of the known state of the art are therefore less than practical, they require constant human intervention and a certain amount of labor. In addition, their use can cause operator fatigue, especially on extremely hot or steamy days. In addition, it should be borne in mind that during staining, the operator is exposed to the inhalation of solvents released from the spray paint, which solvents may in some cases cause health problems or damage.

[0009] Furthermore, above all, in the case of complex designs, such as, for example, logos or advertising, their essentially manual execution by the operator may require considerable professional skill, is prone to errors and under no circumstances can it be easily easily standardized and reproduced identically in a fast and inexpensive way. Patent application WO 02/076562 discloses automatic soil marking apparatus comprising a positioning system using laser radiation and a reflecting tracking prism. However, this solution has some disadvantages in terms of precision, flexibility and implementation costs.

[0010] The object of the present invention is to address the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art by providing a self-propelled device according to claim 1. The secondary embodiments of the present invention are defined in its respective dependent claims.

[0011] The first advantage of the present invention lies in the provision of a self-propelled device enabling staining (or delivery of liquid substances) to surfaces while minimizing the labor required.

[0012] A second advantage of the present invention lies in providing a self-propelled device that does not require operator guidance.

[0013] Another advantage of the present invention lies in providing a self-propelled device for versatile use.

[0014] Still another advantage of the present invention lies in providing a self-propelled device that allows staining (or delivery of liquid substances) to surfaces in an accurate and reproducible manner.

[0015] Further advantages, embodiments and steps of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of its implementation, given by way of example and without the intention of limitation. This will be done with reference to the figures and attached drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the self-propelled device according to the present invention;

- Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a detail of the self-propelled device of Figure 1;

- Figure 3A shows the self-propelled device of Figure 1 with a steering system in the form of a wire;

- Figure 3B shows the self-propelled device of Figure 1 with a steering system equipped with cameras - Figure 3C shows the self-propelled device of Figure 1 with a satellite steering system according to the present invention [0016] In Figure 1 the self-propelled device 1 is shown and consists of a chassis 2 mounted on wheels 3, tank 4 for paint or other liquid substance, spray system 5 for spraying said paint or something else, propulsion system 6, steering and control system 7 containing an electronic device.

[0017] Said wheels 3 may be in number three, in number four, or possibly more in number; in any case, they are arranged so as to allow the self-propelled device 1 to rest firmly on the surface 50 and easily move on it. In particular, at least one of said wheels 3 is rotatably mounted so as to allow the self-propelled device 1 to change its path and also to rotate 360^about on said surface 50.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2, in a preferred embodiment, two of said wheels 3 are independently driven wheels, each also comprising a motor 35, rechargeable energy supply batteries and an electronic control device. These drive wheels are mounted so that they are independent of each other and possibly controllable; their movement is controlled and coordinated by said steering and steering system 7. Thus, the movement of the self-propelled device 1 can become possible in a simple and effective way by means of a small number of elements, and hence of reasonable dimensions.

[0019] Alternatively, said independently driven wheels can be replaced by equivalent systems, or by a system comprising a motor mounted on the chassis 2, a transmission device and a control device, also controlled by said steering and control system 7. In the case of 2

When using an internal combustion engine, a fuel tank will additionally be needed; in case the motor is an electric motor, it can be powered by means of rechargeable batteries located on the self-propelled device 1 itself or connected by means of a cable.

[0020] Said spray system 5 for spraying paint or something else comprises a pump 8, connecting lines 9 and spray nozzles 10. The pump type 8 and the shape and position of the nozzles 10 can be selected and / or made differently depending on the application method required, in any case, it belongs to the known state of the art, so it is not described in detail here.

[0021] In the event that multiple paints of different colors or other liquid substances are to be sprayed, a plurality of suitably modified reservoirs 4 and spray systems 5 (optionally different spray systems 5 for each colorant or paint, respectively) will be provided accordingly.

[0022] Should a dyeing covering a wide range of colors be needed, there may be, for example, three tanks 4 for paints in three primary colors (yellow, green-blue and red magenta), optionally two additional tanks 4 for white and black paint, precision pumps for collecting substances from each tank 4, a system for mixing said paints, pump 8 and spray nozzles 10 for spraying the paint mixture. Obtaining the desired color is possible by means of an electronic system controlling the taking of a specific amount of paint of each color and subsequent mixing; these specific amounts are calculated depending on the desired color using the appropriate software.

[0023] The spraying of said paint or liquid substance on the surface 50 according to a predetermined scheme can be carried out according to a number of models of steering systems, several of which will then be described by way of example.

[0024] According to the first steering system, shown in Figure 3A, the road that must be followed by said self-propelled device 1 is made by means of a steering wire 20 which is laid on the surface 50 along the road itself; said conduit 20 may rest on and / or be secured on said surface 50, or possibly be laid underground to a depth of several centimeters. During the spraying step, a difference in electric potential is applied to said conductor, and thus electric current (e.g., sinusoidal and / or low voltage) flows through this conductor, creating a magnetic field.

[0025] A suitable sensor (not shown) placed on the self-propelled device 1 detects the presence and size of said magnetic field and transfers the obtained signal to said steering and control system 7; thus, by comparing said signal with a reference value, said system 7 will be able to determine whether the self-propelled device 1 is in the correct position relative to said cable 20 and to possibly correct its position by acting on said drive system 6.

[0026] As a result, the self-propelled device 1 becomes able to move along said conduit 20 and thus to follow said path. The activation of the spray system 5 is also controlled by said steering system 7 on the basis of signals received by said sensor, whereby it becomes possible to carry out spraying of paint in the area of ​​said road. Optionally, sections of partial masking or changes in the magnetic field generated by the conduit 20 may be provided along said path, in which sections the spraying must be interrupted, which will allow, for example, to make a broken line instead of a solid line.

[0027] Alternatively, two or more wires 20 arranged to limit the area between them may be used. Thanks to said sensor and said steering system 7, the self-propelled device 1 will be programmed to move within said enclosed area between the lines 20 so as to spray the paint over a certain area instead of along a line, thereby forming a graphic element.

[0028] Another steering system provides the use of a remote control enabling the user to remotely send a signal to the self-propelled device 1. These signals are processed by said steering and control system 7 and then activate said drive system 6 and said spray system 5. In particular, by means of said remote control, the user can cause the self-propelled device 1 to move over the surface 50 and spray at the desired points, optionally with the option of choosing the color to be sprayed.

[0029] The steering system according to the invention shown in Figure 3B provides a control system based on cameras 30 that are capable of limiting surfaces 50 to be sprayed along an axis, e.g. perpendicular to them. The signals produced by said cameras 30 are transformed by means of software to detect the position of the self-propelled device 1 on the surface 50 alone.

[0030] Still by means of software, said detected position is compared with information in digital form relating to the pattern or graphic element to be executed, information which is previously provided to the control system, depending on the result of said comparison (position, where spraying is or should not be carried out), the steering and control system 7 can activate the spray system 5 (possibly also selecting the color or substance to be sprayed) in this position and / or act on the drive system 6, directing the self-propelled device 1 to a new position in which spraying is required.

[0031] The processing of said signals coming from the cameras 30 can be carried out directly by the steering and control system 7 provided in the self-propelled device 1, e.g., in cooperation with said cameras 30 by means of a wireless system; alternatively this can be done by means of a processing unit 31 not connected to the self-propelled device 1, also connected to it via a wireless system.

[0032] Thus, the described steering system equipped with cameras enables automatic and repeatable execution of also complex and multi-colored graphic elements.

[0033] The same steering system equipped with cameras can be appropriately modified for use even at the training stage, as described later. By means of the above-mentioned remote control, the user controls the self-propelled device 1 following the required pattern. This stage is filmed by cameras 30, the signals of which are processed and memorized by the electronic system, thereby obtaining the digital form of the pattern to be made and the sequence of movements that must be made by the self-propelled device 1. Then the same pattern can be reproduced as identical to other surfaces, of course again using a steering system equipped with cameras, which does not require any operator intervention.

[0034] In a further steering system, shown in Figure 3C, the above-mentioned cameras are replaced by a satellite steering system in which signals coming from satellite 41, e.g., GPS or Galileo system, are captured by antenna 40 and are used to recognize the position of the device

EP 1 010 715 B1 of the self-propelled 1 relative to the surface 50. Similarly to what has been described above, a comparison of the detected position and information recorded in digital form relating to the pattern or graphic element to be made causes the activation of the spraying system 5 and / or the following further movement of the self-propelled device 1.

[0035] Clearly, also in the case of satellite targeting, it is possible to provide the training stage as described for camera steering in which the operator, using the remote control, guides the self-propelled device 1 during the first execution of the desired pattern according to which the electronic system reproduces, transforms and saves the information for the next automatic execution of the same pattern.

[0036] Furthermore, in cases where the position recognition by the satellite steering system is not sufficiently accurate due to the limited resolution of the satellite system itself, an erroneous path setting system based on the above-mentioned camera-controlled steering system described above, which may therefore be provided will work as a support for the satellite steering system.

The self-propelled device 1 may comprise rechargeable batteries 45 for supplying the spray pump or pump 8 and / or the drive system 6 and / or the steering and control system 7 and / or other devices possibly requiring the supply of electricity.

[0038] The self-propelled device 1 can be used on various types of surfaces 50, which are earth, sandy, gravel, asphalt, concrete surfaces, as well as on grassy surfaces, roads and playgrounds, both flat and inclined.

[0039] Said liquid substances to be sprayed can be liquid substances or powders to be dispersed in a gaseous medium.

[0040] Furthermore, the self-propelled device 1 may comprise a grass cutting system, optionally also controlled by the same controlling and controlling system 7.

[0041] The present invention has been described herein in accordance with a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example and not for the purpose of limitation.

[0042] It is understood that other implementations can be imagined, all of which will be designed to fall under the scope of protection as defined in the appended claims.