Cordless mower including battery with two charging connectors

• US 8,653,786 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2010
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• 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: Baetica, Florin, Rosa, Richard P., Mooney, P. Wade
• Primary Examiner(s): Fbin-Kovcs, rpd
• Application Number:
  US12/838,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20100275564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 320/137, 320/115, 320/107, 320/104, 318/599, 318/139, 429/96, 429/1, 429/178, 429/187, 429/123, 56/119, 56/101, 180/68.5
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/37 electric
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/58 electric
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/78 electric
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 69/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• 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: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• 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: H01M 50/262 with fastening means, e.g. locks
• 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 battery-powered lawn mower includes a deck, a latch assembly, a battery, a motor and a blade. The deck is supported by wheels and defines a pocket. The latch assembly is coupled to the deck and is movable between a locked position and a fully opened position. The battery is secured within the pocket by the latch assembly in a first configuration and is removable from the pocket in a second configuration. The motor is supported by the deck and electrically coupled to the battery in the first configuration. The blade is coupled to the deck and driven by the motor. During operation, the battery powers the motor to drive the blade.

Claims

1. A battery-powered lawn mower comprising:

a mower deck defining a battery pocket;

a plurality of wheels supporting the mower deck;

a motor coupled to the mower deck;

a blade received under the mower deck, the blade being driven by the motor;

a battery having a battery housing, at least one battery cell, a first battery connector and a second battery connector, the at least one battery cell being disposed in the battery housing, the first battery connector being disposed on a first surface of the battery housing, the second battery connector being disposed on a second, different surface of the battery housing, the battery being removably received in the battery pocket such that the first surface of the battery housing is abutted against the mower deck, the second battery connector being adapted to be coupled to a charging cable when the battery is removed from the battery pocket to facilitate charging of the at least one battery cell;

a latch assembly having a latch lever that is coupled to the mower deck and movable between a locked position and a fully opened position, the latch lever securing the battery to the mower deck when the latch lever is in the locked position, the latch lever clearing the battery pocket when positioned in the fully opened position to permit the battery to be removed from and inserted into the battery pocket; and

an electrical system that is electrically coupled to the motor, the electrical system comprising a mower connector that is coupled to the mower deck, the first battery connector being configured to electrically mate with the mower connector when the battery is received into the battery pocket and the first surface of the battery housing is abutted against the mower deck;

wherein the latch lever shrouds the second battery connector when the latch lever is in the locked position.

2. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 1, wherein the second battery connector is disposed in a location where it is shrouded by another element of the battery-powered lawn mower when the battery is received in the battery pocket and secured to the mower deck such that the first surface of the battery housing is abutted against the mower deck so that the second battery connector cannot be directly mated to the charging cable.

3. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 1, wherein the latch assembly comprises an over-center latch.

4. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 1, wherein the battery pocket has a first shape and the battery has a second shape that complements the first shape such that the battery can be inserted within the pocket in only a single orientation.

5. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 1, wherein the battery includes a handle.

6. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 5, wherein the handle is defined by the battery housing.

7. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 1, further comprising a drive mechanism electrically coupled to the mower connector, the drive mechanism receiving power from the battery such to cause the drive mechanism to propel at least one of the wheels.

8. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 1, wherein the first battery connector is different from the second battery connector.

9. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 1, further comprising a handle coupled to the mower deck, the handle having a hand grip.

10. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 9, wherein a portion of the mower deck against which the first surface of the battery housing abuts when the battery is received in the battery pocket is disposed between a rotational axis of the blade and a rotational axis about which a rear pair of the wheels rotate, the rear pair of wheels being two of the wheels that are closest to the hand grip.

11. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 10, wherein a center of the battery is disposed closer to the rotational axis of the rear pair of the wheels than the rotational axis of the blade.

12. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 11, wherein a dimension between the center of the battery and the rotational axis of the blade is at least twice as large as a dimension between the center of the battery and the rotational axis of the rear pair of the wheels.

13. A battery-powered lawn mower comprising:

a mower deck defining a battery pocket;

a plurality of wheels supporting the mower deck;

a motor coupled to the mower deck;

a blade received under the mower deck, the blade being driven by the motor;

a battery having a battery housing, at least one battery cell, a first battery connector and a second battery connector, the at least one battery cell being disposed in the battery housing, the first battery connector being disposed on a first surface of the battery housing, the second battery connector being disposed on a second, different surface of the battery housing, the second battery connector being adapted to be coupled to a charging cable when the battery is removed from the battery pocket to facilitate charging of the at least one battery cell;

a latch assembly having a latch lever that is coupled to the mower deck and movable between a locked position and a fully opened position, the latch lever securing the battery to the mower deck when the latch lever is in the locked position, the latch lever clearing the battery pocket when positioned in the fully opened position to permit the battery to be removed from and inserted into the battery pocket; and

a mower connector electrically coupled to the motor and the first battery connector;

wherein the second battery connector is disposed in a location where it is shrouded by another element of the battery-powered lawn mower when the battery is received in the battery pocket and coupled to the mower deck so that the second battery connector cannot be accessed to charge the at least one battery cell

wherein the latch lever is the another element of the battery-powered lawn mower that shrouds the second battery connector when the latch lever is in the locked position.

14. The battery-powered mower of claim 13, wherein the first battery connector physically and electrically mates to the mower connector when the battery is received in the battery pocket and seated to the mower deck.

15. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 13, wherein the latch assembly comprises an over-center latch.

16. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 13, wherein the battery pocket has a first shape and the battery has a second shape that complements the first shape such that the battery is insertable into the pocket in only a single orientation.

17. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 13, wherein the battery includes a handle.

18. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 17, wherein the handle is defined by the battery housing.

19. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 13, further comprising a drive mechanism electrically coupled to the mower connector, the drive mechanism receiving power from the battery such to cause the drive mechanism to propel at least one of the wheels.

20. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 13, wherein the first battery connector is different from the second battery connector.

21. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 13, further comprising a handle coupled to the mower deck, the handle having a hand grip.

22. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 21, wherein a portion of the mower deck against which the first surface of the battery housing abuts when the battery is received in the battery pocket is disposed between a rotational axis of the blade and a rotational axis about which a rear pair of the wheels rotate, the rear pair of wheels being two of the wheels that are closest to the hand grip.

23. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 22, wherein a center of the battery is disposed closer to the rotational axis of the rear pair of the wheels than the rotational axis of the blade.

24. The battery-powered lawn mower of claim 23, wherein a dimension between the center of the battery and the rotational axis of the blade is at least twice as large as a dimension between the center of the battery and the rotational axis of the rear pair of the wheels.