Lawn mower powered by cylinder deactivation engine

• US 10,306,828 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2017
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kuriyagawa, Koji, Yoshimura, Hajime, Shimizu, Norikazu, Tanabe, Shota, Miyauchi, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzuto, Robert E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behrens, Adam J
• Application Number:
  US15/459,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20170265382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 2101/00 Lawn-mowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/64 mounted on a vehicle, e.g. a tractor, or drawn by an animal or a vehicle A01D34/695 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/74 Cutting-height adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/81 Casings; Housings A01D34/71 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 69/08 Clutches
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 17/02 Cutting-out cutting-out engines in multiple engine arrangements F02D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2400/06 Small engines with electronic control, e.g. for hand held tools
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0087 Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation deceleration cut-off F02D41/123
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/021 Introducing corrections for particular conditions exterior to the engine conjoint control of vehicle sub-units for propelling the vehicle B60W30/18

Abstract

The lawn mower (10) comprises an internal combustion engine (100) having a plurality of cylinders, an engine control unit (110) for selectively deactivating at least one of the cylinders, a cutting blade (70) supported by a lawn mower main body via a cutter deck, and connected to the engine in a power transmitting relationship, a clutch (80) provided in a power transmission path between the engine and the cutting blade, a height adjustment mechanism (90) provided on the cutter deck for adjusting the height of the cutting blade, and a central control unit (50) for controlling an operation of the height adjusting mechanism, the clutch and the engine control unit. The central control unit is configured to cause the engine control unit to deactivate at least one of the cylinders when a prescribed operating condition is met, and to raise the cutting blade to a prescribed elevated height before deactivating the at least one of the cylinders.

Claims

1. A lawn mower, comprising:

a lawn mower main body provided with a propelling device;

a power source for selectively powering the propelling device;

a traveling state sensor for detecting a traveling state of the lawn mower;

an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders and supported by the lawn mower main body;

an engine control unit for performing a cylinder deactivation control including selectively deactivating at least one of the cylinders;

a cutting blade rotatably supported by the lawn mower main body via a cutter deck and connected to the engine in a power transmitting relationship;

a blade clutch provided in a power transmission path between the engine and the cutting blade;

a height adjustment mechanism provided on the cutter deck for adjusting a height of the cutting blade; and

a central control unit for controlling an operation of the blade clutch, the height adjustment mechanism and the engine control unit;

wherein the central control unit is configured to determine the cylinder deactivation control is to be performed when the lawn mower travelling forward with the cutting blade at a non-elevated height comes to a stop, and to raise the cutting blade to a prescribed elevated height before performance of the cylinder deactivation control.

2. The lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein the central control unit is configured to maintain the cutting blade at the prescribed elevated height when the lawn mower is commanded to travel rearward or is traveling rearward.

3. The lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein the lawn mower further comprises a steering angle sensor, and the central control unit is configured to deactivate at least one of the cylinders when the lawn mower is traveling forward, and a steering angle greater than a prescribed value is detected.

4. The lawn mower according to claim 3, wherein, when the lawn mower is traveling forward, and a steering angle greater than the prescribed value is detected, the central control unit further raises the cutting blade to a prescribed elevated height and decelerates the lawn mower.

5. The lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein the prescribed elevated height corresponds to a highest possible position of the cutter deck.