Battery operated electric machines
First Claim
1. A control apparatus for a rechargeable battery means of a battery powered lawn or grass mower, said control apparatus including monitoring means to monitor during use of the lawn or grass mower voltage discharge levels of the battery means, and disabling means operative in a first position to permit energization of the mower by said battery means and in a second position to inhibit the energization of the mower by said battery means, said disabling means being responsive to said monitoring means to cause said disabling means to switch to said second position to disable said battery means from said mower upon said voltage discharge level dropping below a predetermined minimum level for the battery means, said disabling means remaining in said second position to prevent reuse of the mower until the battery means has been recharged through a complete recharging regime.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
There is disclosed a lawn or grass mower having a cutting mechanism (14) driven by an electric motor (10), the electric motor (10) being powered by a rechargeable lead acid battery (11), the battery (11) being protected against damage caused as a result of over discharge by control means (13), said control means (13) being able to sequentially sample battery voltage discharge levels and to determine when the sampled battery voltage discharge level has dropped below a predetermined minimum level at which point disabling means (14) is activated to prevent the mower from being used again until the battery means (11) has been recharged through a complete recharging regime.
82 Citations
14 Claims
- 1. A control apparatus for a rechargeable battery means of a battery powered lawn or grass mower, said control apparatus including monitoring means to monitor during use of the lawn or grass mower voltage discharge levels of the battery means, and disabling means operative in a first position to permit energization of the mower by said battery means and in a second position to inhibit the energization of the mower by said battery means, said disabling means being responsive to said monitoring means to cause said disabling means to switch to said second position to disable said battery means from said mower upon said voltage discharge level dropping below a predetermined minimum level for the battery means, said disabling means remaining in said second position to prevent reuse of the mower until the battery means has been recharged through a complete recharging regime.
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10. A control apparatus for a rechargeable battery means of a battery powered mower, said control apparatus including monitoring means adapted to monitor voltage discharge levels of the battery means, means for establishing a predetermined reference voltage level (V ref) and for recognising a rapid drop in voltage level at a rate higher than normal operational voltage level drop, and disabling means adapted to disable said battery means from said mower if the voltage discharge level of said battery means as monitored by said monitoring means does not return to a voltage level greater than a control level being a preset differential (Δ
- V) below said reference voltage level (V ref) within a predetermined period of time (Δ
T).
- V) below said reference voltage level (V ref) within a predetermined period of time (Δ
- 11. A lawn or grass mower including an electric motor driving a cutting means and a rechargeable battery means for powering said electric motor, said mower further including control means for controlling operation of said motor by said battery means, said control means including monitoring means to monitor, during use of the mower, voltage discharge levels of the battery means, and disabling means to disable said battery means from said mower upon said voltage discharge level dropping below a predetermined level for the battery means, said disabling means preventing reuse of said mower until the battery means has been recharged to a predetermined level by completing a defined complete recharging regime, said control means further including recharging means adapted for connection to an external power source and when so connected, said recharging means being adapted to pass said battery means through said defined recharging regime.
Specification