Outdoor power equipment unit having encapsulated, housing free electronic controller

• US 9,462,746 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2006
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Original Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Inventors: Gerhardson, Richard D., Schaler, Craig R., Sosnowski, Timothy P., Gaebel, James R., Bergsten, Rex R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Will, Thomas B
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MAI T
• Application Number:
  US11/373,857
• Time in Patent Office: 3,868 Days
• Field of Search: 56/1, 56/101, 56/102.R
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/006 Control or measuring arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/44 with two or more cutters
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 75/182 Avoiding overload

Abstract

This invention relates to an outdoor power equipment unit, such as a mower, having an electronic controller comprising a circuit board with a plurality of connector pins affixed thereto and with a connector housing surrounding the pins. A Macromelt overmold encapsulates the circuit board and is bonded to the connector housing to form a controller that needs no external housing and no separate wire harness extending from the connector pins to the circuit board. The controller can log the length of time of various operations of the unit as well as the number of various occurrences. In addition, the controller can prevent overheating by automatically disabling operation of the working implement carried by the unit but permitting continued operation of the prime mover when overheating of the prime mover is detected.

Claims

1. A method of deriving time information regarding various different elapsed time intervals in which a mower is operated in different modes, which comprises:

(a) providing a mower having a frame supported for movement over the ground by a plurality of wheels, a prime mover carried on the frame, at least some of the wheels comprising drive wheels that are driven by the prime mover to self propel the frame over the ground, a grass cutting unit carried on the frame and being driven by the prime mover to cut grass, an electrical system carried on the frame with the electrical system being turned on and off by a key switch, and an electronic controller carried on the frame;

(b) operating the mower in various modes comprising;

(i) a switch on mode in which the key switch is turned to an on position to provide electrical power to the electrical system of the mower;

(ii) an idling mode in which the prime mover is in operation with the drive wheels and the grass cutting unit both being at rest to represent a condition in which the prime mover is in operation with the mower being stationary at one place without cutting grass;

(iii) a transport mode in which both the prime mover and the drive wheels are simultaneously in operation with the grass cutting unit not being in operation to represent a condition in which the mower is being self propelled from one place to another without cutting grass; and

(iv) a cutting mode in which the prime mover, the drive wheels, and the grass cutting unit are all simultaneously in operation to represent a condition in which the mower is being self propelled from one place to another while cutting grass;

(c) using the electronic controller to determine at least the following time durations;

(i) a transport mode time duration comprising an elapsed time interval that measures how long the mower was operated in the transport mode;

(ii) a cutting mode time duration comprising an elapsed time interval that measures how long the mower was operated in the cutting mode;

(d) storing the transport mode time duration and the cutting mode time duration in the electronic controller; and

(e) downloading from the electronic controller to a user of the mower both the transport mode time duration and the cutting mode time duration.

2. The method of claim 1, further including using the determining, storing and downloading steps, respectively, to determine, store and download an idling mode time duration comprising an elapsed time interval that measures how long the mower was operated in the idling mode.

3. The method of claim 2, further including using the determining, storing and downloading steps, respectively, to determine, store and download a switch on mode time duration comprising an elapsed time interval that measures how long the key switch of the mower was placed in the on position.