Cordless mower including cooling air flow arrangement

• US 8,429,885 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• 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: Rosa, Richard P., Shaver, David M., Marcil, Patrick, Eaton, Joshua D., Slobodian, Mark, Marshall, James D., Milligan, Michael A., Mooney, Patrick Wade
• Primary Examiner(s): Fbin-Kovcs, rpd
• Application Number:
  US12/975,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20110088362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 318/139, 318/599, 56/119, 56/128
• 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, wherein an air pathway connects the drive motor with the blade motor through the opening in the chamber.

2. The cordless mower of claim 1, wherein the blade motor is positioned generally centrally on the deck.

3. The cordless mower of claim 1, 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, the bottom side defining a cutting chamber and the deck defining a first chamber;

a rechargeable battery supported on said deck;

a blade for cutting grass on the bottom side of the deck and arranged within the cutting chamber;

a blade motor coupled to the blade, the blade motor including a first end arranged within the first chamber and a second end arranged within the cutting chamber; and

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

7. The cordless mower of claim 6, wherein the blade motor is positioned generally centrally on the deck.

8. The cordless mower of claim 6, wherein when the blade motor is actuated it creates a negative air pressure zone to draw air through the air pathway from the second chamber.

9. The cordless mower of claim 6, wherein the battery is positioned on the top side of the mower behind the blade motor and in front of the drive motor.

10. The cordless mower of claim 9, wherein the top side of the deck is covered by a shroud having a pocket, and the battery is removably secured within said pocket.

11. The cordless mower of claim 6, further comprising a shroud that cooperates with the deck to define the first chamber.

12. 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, the deck defining a first chamber and a second chamber;

a shroud covering the top side of the deck and cooperating with the deck to define the first chamber;

a rechargeable battery supported on said deck;

a blade for cutting grass on the bottom side of the deck and arranged within the cutting chamber;

a blade motor coupled to the blade, the blade motor including a first end arranged within the first chamber and a second end arranged within the cutting chamber; and

a drive motor connected to the rear wheels for driving said rear wheels, the drive motor located in the second chamber at the rear of the mower adjacent the rear wheels, the second chamber having an opening therein to allow air to flow through, wherein an air pathway connects the drive motor with the blade motor through the opening in the second chamber,

wherein in operation the blade motor is actuated to rotate the blade in order to create a negative air pressure zone to draw air from outside the deck into the second chamber, air from the second chamber through the opening and into the first chamber, and air from the first chamber through the first end of the blade motor and out the second end of the blade motor into the cutting chamber.

13. The cordless mower of claim 12, wherein the blade motor is positioned generally centrally on the deck.

14. The cordless mower of claim 12, wherein when the blade motor is actuated it creates the negative air pressure zone to draw air through the air pathway from the second chamber.

15. The cordless mower of claim 12, wherein the battery is positioned on the top side of the mower behind the blade motor and in front of the drive motor.

16. The cordless mower of claim 15, wherein the shroud defines a pocket, and the battery is removably secured within said pocket.

17. The cordless mower of claim 12, wherein when the blade motor is actuated it creates the negative air pressure zone to draw air through the air pathway from the second chamber.