MOWER

• US 20110088362A1
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Slobodian, Mark, Rosa, Richard P., Eaton, Joshua D., Marcil, Patrick, Marshall, James D., Mooney, Patrick Wade, Milligan, Michael A., Shaver, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,429,885 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 56/11.9
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/006 Control or measuring arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/69 with motor driven wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/78 electric
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/81 Casings; Housings A01D34/71 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/824 Handle arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 42/005 Mulching shredders or like cutting implements for comminuting plant waste per se A01G3/002
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 69/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/24 by lever actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0061 relating to electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/249 specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A cordless mower includes a deck, a rechargeable battery, a blade for cutting grass, a blade motor and a drive motor. The deck is supported by front and rear wheels and has a top side, a bottom side, a front end and a rear end. The rechargeable battery is supported on the deck. The blade is on the bottom side of the deck and is coupled with a blade motor. The drive motor is connected to the rear wheels for driving said rear wheels to move the mower. The drive motor is located in a chamber at the rear of the mower adjacent the rear wheels. The chamber has an opening therein to allow air to flow through.

Claims

1. A cordless mower comprising:

a deck supported by front and rear wheels, the deck having a top side, a bottom side, a front end and a rear end;

a rechargeable battery supported on said deck;

a blade for cutting grass on the bottom side of the deck;

a blade motor coupled to the blade; and

a drive motor connected to the rear wheels for driving said rear wheels, the drive motor located in a chamber at the rear of the mower adjacent the rear wheels, the chamber having an opening therein to allow air to flow through.

2. The cordless mower of claim 1, wherein the blade motor is positioned generally centrally on the deck and an air pathway connects the drive motor with the blade motor through the opening in the chamber.

3. The cordless mower of claim 2, wherein when the blade motor is actuated it creates a negative air pressure zone to draw air through the air pathway from the chamber.

4. The cordless mower of claim 1, wherein the battery is positioned on the top side of the mower behind the blade motor and in front of the drive motor.

5. The cordless mower of claim 4, wherein the top side of the deck is covered by a shroud having a pocket, and the battery is removably secured within said pocket.

6. A cordless mower comprising:

a deck supported by front and rear wheels, the deck having a top side, a bottom side, a front end and a rear end;

a rechargeable battery supported on said deck;

a drive motor connected to the rear wheels for driving said rear wheels to move the mower;

a speed lever controlled by a user to set the speed of the mower; and

a control circuit connected to the speed lever that controls the amount of current delivered from the battery to the drive motor, the control circuit monitoring the drive motor and shutting off the drive motor when the current being delivered exceeds a first predetermined current for a first predetermined period of time.

7. The cordless mower of claim 6, wherein the control circuit shuts off the drive motor when the current being delivered exceeds a second predetermined current for a second predetermined time period, wherein the second predetermined current is higher than the first predetermined current, and the second predetermined time period is shorter than the first predetermined time period.

8. The cordless mower of claim 6 wherein the drive motor is connected to the rear wheels through at least one gear mechanism, the drive motor having an rpm of 6,000 to 17,000 rpm and the gear mechanism having a gear reduction between 90:

1 and 130;

1.

9. The cordless mower of claim 8, wherein the gear mechanism has three separate gear reductions, and at least one is a planetary gear reduction and another a worm gear reduction.

10. The cordless mower of claim 6, further including a blade motor mounted generally centrally on the deck, the blade motor and drive motor being powered by the rechargeable battery, the blade motor having independent controls from the drive motor.

11. A cordless mower comprising:

a deck supported by front and rear wheels, the deck having a top side, a bottom side, a front end and a rear end;

a rechargeable battery supported on said deck;

a drive motor connected to the rear wheels for driving said rear wheels to move the mower;

a blade motor coupled to a blade;

a handle secured to said the rear end of said deck, and said handle having a blade bail for controlling power to the blade motor and a drive bail for controlling power to said drive motor so that power to the blade motor and the drive motor are independently controlled.

12. The cordless mower of claim 11, further comprising a control circuit monitoring the drive motor and shutting off the drive motor when the current being delivered exceeds a first predetermined current for a first predetermined period of time.

13. The cordless mower of claim 12, wherein the control circuit shuts off the drive motor when the current being delivered exceeds a second predetermined current for a second predetermined time period, wherein the second predetermined current is higher than the first predetermined current, and the second predetermined time period is shorter than the first predetermined time period.

14. The cordless mower of claim 11, further comprising a safety key that is electrically coupled to both the blade motor and drive motor, so that when present, electrical power may be delivered from the battery to both the blade motor and drive motor, and when absent, no power can be delivered to the blade motor and drive motor.

15. The cordless mower of claim 11 wherein the drive motor is connected to the rear wheels through at least one gear mechanism, the drive motor having an rpm of 6,000 to 17,000 rpm and the gear mechanism having a gear reduction between 90:

1 and 130;

1.

16. A cordless mower comprising:

a deck supported by front and rear wheels, the deck having a top side, a bottom side, a front end and a rear end, the bottom side defining a cutting chamber and a discharge passage extending rearwardly from the cutting chamber to the rear of said mower;

a rechargeable battery supported on said deck;

a blade for cutting grass arranged within the cutting chamber; and

a mulch door positioned in said discharge passage and movable between an open and closed position, the mulch door rotating about a vertical shaft that is connected to a user controlled knob located at a top side of the deck.

17. The cordless mower of claim 16 wherein the discharge passage defines a grass outlet aperture at the rear end of the deck and the mulch door is positioned inwardly of the grass outlet aperture and wherein the mulch door swings outwardly when moving from the closed to open position so that any debris in the discharge passage behind the mulch door is swept into the grass outlet aperture and removed from the discharge passage.

18. The cordless mower of claim 16 further including a rear discharge door spaced from the rear end of the deck to create a discharge cavity to direct debris downward.