Walking type mower

Abstract

The utility model relates to a walking type mower which comprises a shell, the housing includes a metal chassis, a handle coupled to the housing by a support beam, a battery pack interface configured to receive a battery pack, a motor housed within the housing, a plurality of wheels attached to the housing, one or more cutting blades configured to be driven by the motor, and a skirt coupled to the metal chassis of the housing. The skirt is configured to provide a conductive path to discharge electrostatic charges accumulated on the metal chassis.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 231,401, filed on August 10, 2021, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Utility Model Content

[0003] Embodiments described herein relate to discharging static electricity buildup of an electric lawn mower. Specifically, embodiments described herein provide a rear skirt coupled to a lawn mower housing and configured to discharge static electricity buildup of the lawn mower housing.

[0004] The walk-behind lawn mower described herein includes a housing including a metal chassis, a handle coupled to the housing by a support beam, a battery pack interface configured to receive a battery pack, a motor housed within the housing, one or more cutting blades configured to be driven by the motor, and a skirt coupled to the metal chassis of the housing. The skirt is configured to provide a conductive path to discharge static charge accumulated on the metal chassis.

[0005] In some aspects, the skirt comprises metallized plastic.

[0006] In some aspects, the skirt includes a conductive polymer.

[0007] In some aspects, the entire surface area of ​​the skirt provides the conductive path.

[0008] In some aspects, the conductive path is a metal frame around the perimeter of the skirt.

[0009] In some aspects, the conductive path includes a metal strip positioned approximately at the center of the skirt.

[0010] In some aspects, the metal strip is comprised of one selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, brass, and gold.

[0011] In some aspects, the conductive path includes a first conductive path and a second conductive path, wherein the first conductive path and the second conductive path are separated by a non-conductive portion of the skirt.

[0012] The walk-behind lawn mower described herein includes a housing, a handle coupled to the housing via a support beam, a battery pack interface configured to receive a battery pack, a motor housed within the housing, one or more cutting blades configured to be driven by the motor, and a skirt coupled to the housing. The skirt includes a conductive path molded into the skirt. The conductive path is configured to discharge static charge accumulated on the housing.

[0013] In some aspects, the conductive path includes a metal strip positioned approximately at the center of the skirt.

[0014] In some aspects, the metal strip is comprised of one selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, brass, and gold.

[0015] In some aspects, the conductive path is generally centrally located on the skirt.

[0016] In some aspects, the skirt is comprised of a non-conductive material.

[0017] In some aspects, the conductive path includes a first conductive path and a second conductive path, wherein the first conductive path and the second conductive path are separated by a non-conductive portion of the skirt.

[0018] The method described herein provides a method for discharging static electricity accumulation of a walk-behind lawn mower. The lawn mower includes a housing, the housing including a metal chassis, a motor housed in the housing, and a battery pack interface configured to receive a battery pack. The method includes detecting actuation of an input device via a controller, controlling the motor via the controller based on the actuation of the input device, and discharging static electricity accumulation accumulated on the metal chassis of the lawn mower via a rear skirt connected to the metal chassis.

[0019] In some aspects, the rear skirt comprises metallized plastic.

[0020] In some aspects, the rear skirt includes a conductive polymer.

[0021] In some aspects, the rear skirt includes a conductive path including a first conductive path and a second conductive path, wherein the first conductive path and the second conductive path are separated by a non-conductive portion of the skirt.

[0022] In some aspects, the rear skirt includes a conductive path including a metal strip positioned approximately at the center of the skirt.

[0023] In some aspects, the metal strip is comprised of one selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, brass, and gold.

[0024] Before explaining any embodiment in detail, it should be understood that the embodiment does not limit its application to the configuration details and component arrangements set forth in the following description or shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments can be practiced or executed in various ways. It is also to be understood that the words and terms used herein are for illustrative purposes and should not be considered restrictive. The use of "including", "comprising" or "having" and variations thereof is intended to cover the items listed thereafter and their equivalents, as well as additional items. Unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "mount", "connect", "support" and "couple" and variations thereof are used broadly, and these terms cover both direct mounting, connection, support and coupling and indirect mounting, connection, support and coupling.

[0025] In addition, it should be understood that embodiments may include hardware, software, and electronic components or modules, which, for the purpose of discussion, may be shown and described as if most components are implemented only in hardware. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, based on reading this detailed description, that in at least one embodiment, electronic-based aspects may be implemented in software (e.g., stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium) that may be executed by one or more processing units (such as a microprocessor and / or an application-specific integrated circuit ("ASIC")). Thus, it should be noted that embodiments may be implemented using a plurality of hardware- and software-based devices and a plurality of different structural components. For example, the "server", "computing device", "controller", "processor", etc. described in the specification may include one or more processing units, one or more computer-readable medium modules, one or more input / output interfaces, and various connectors (e.g., a system bus) connecting these components.

[0026] Relative terms used in conjunction with quantities or conditions, such as "about", "approximately", "substantially", etc., will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to include the stated value and have the meaning dictated by the context (e.g., the term includes at least the degree of error associated with measurement accuracy, the tolerance associated with a particular value [e.g., manufacturing, assembly, use, etc.], etc.). Such terms should also be considered to disclose a range defined by the absolute values ​​of the two endpoints. For example, the expression "from about 2 to about 4" also discloses a range "from 2 to 4". Relative terms can refer to positive and negative percentages (e.g., 1%, 5%, 10%, or more) of the indicated value.

[0027] It should be understood that although some drawings show the hardware and software in a particular device, these depictions are for illustrative purposes only. The function described herein as being performed by a component can be performed in a distributed manner by multiple components. Likewise, the function performed by multiple components can be merged and performed by a single component. In some embodiments, the components shown can be combined or divided into separate software, firmware and / or hardware. For example, logic and processing can be distributed between multiple electronic processors, rather than being located in a single electronic processor and performed by it. Regardless of how hardware components and software components are combined or divided, these hardware components and software components can be located on the same computing device or can be distributed between different computing devices connected by one or more networks or other suitable communication links. Similarly, the components described as performing a specific function can also perform additional functions not described herein. For example, a device or structure "configured" in a certain way is configured at least in this way, but can also be configured in a way that is not clearly listed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 is a lawn mower according to some embodiments.

[0029] FIG. 2A to FIG. 2B According to some embodiments Figure 1 A perspective view of the handle of a lawn mower.

[0030] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a battery pack according to another embodiment.

[0031] Figure 4 According to some embodiments Figure 1 Block diagram of the control system of a lawn mower.

[0032] Figure 5 According to some embodiments Figure 3 Block diagram of the control system of the battery pack.

[0033] Figure 6 Demonstrating some embodiments Figure 1 The rear skirt of the lawn mower.

[0034] Figure 7 Demonstrating some embodiments Figure 1 Another rear skirt of the lawn mower.

[0035] Figure 8 Demonstrating some embodiments Figure 1 Another rear skirt of the lawn mower.

[0036] Fig. 9 According to some embodiments, Figure 4 A block diagram of a method performed by a controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Figure 1 A lawn mower 10 (e.g., a walk-behind lawn mower) is shown according to some embodiments. The lawn mower 10 includes a housing 12 and a handle 16 that is coupled to the housing 12 via a support beam 14. A motor housing 18 is coupled to an upper portion of the housing 12 and houses a motor configured to drive a cutting blade 20. The blade 20 is coupled to a lower portion of the housing 12. The lawn mower 10 includes a plurality of wheels 22 driven by the motor. In some embodiments, the plurality of wheels 22 are driven by an auxiliary motor within the motor housing 18. A portion of the housing 12 forms a metal chassis 30, as described in more detail below.

[0038] FIG. 2A to FIG. 2B The handle 16 is shown according to some embodiments. The handle 16 includes a handle housing 24. Figure 2A In the embodiment of the present invention, the first paddle 26a and the second paddle 26b (eg, paddle 26) extend from the handle housing 24 and function as a switch or trigger. Figure 2BIn the embodiment of the present invention, the first paddle 26a and the second paddle 26b are both embedded in the handle housing 24. In both embodiments, the first paddle 26a and the second paddle 26b can be operated to drive the motor and / or the auxiliary motor.

[0039] In some embodiments, lawn mower 10 is a battery powered lawn mower. Figure 3 A battery pack 100 is shown that includes a battery pack housing 105 and an interface portion 110 for coupling the battery pack 100 to a device such as a lawn mower 10. Although the embodiments described herein are primarily directed to battery powered lawn mowers, in some embodiments, the lawn mower 10 is a gasoline powered lawn mower, a string mower, or another type of walk-behind lawn mower.

[0040] Figure 4 A controller 200 is shown for the lawn mower 10. The controller 200 is electrically and / or communicatively connected to various modules or components of the lawn mower 10. For example, the controller 200 is shown connected to an indicator 245, auxiliary sensors 272 (e.g., speed sensors, voltage sensors, temperature sensors, current sensors, etc.), a paddle 26 (via a contactless switch 158 and a rotation sensor 159), a power switch network 255, and a power input unit 260. In some embodiments, the auxiliary sensors 272 include, among other things, current sensors, voltage sensors, temperature sensors, orientation sensors, speed sensors, and other sensors that assist in monitoring the operation of the lawn mower 10.

[0041] The controller 200 includes a plurality of electrical and electronic components that provide power, operational control, and protection for the components and modules within the controller 200 and / or the lawn mower 10. For example, the controller 200 includes, among other things, a processing unit 205 (e.g., a microprocessor, an electronic processor, an electronic controller, a microcontroller, or other suitable programmable device), a memory 225, an input unit 230, and an output unit 235. The processing unit 205 includes, among other things, a control unit 210, an arithmetic logic unit ("ALU") 215, and a plurality of registers 220 (in Figure 4 200 is shown as a set of registers) and is implemented using a known computer architecture (e.g., a modified Harvard architecture, a von Neumann architecture, etc.). The processing unit 205, the memory 225, the input unit 230, the output unit 235, and various modules connected to the controller 200 are connected via one or more control buses and / or data buses (e.g., a common bus 240). For the purpose of illustration, the control bus and / or data bus are generally Figure 4In view of the embodiments described herein, it is known to those skilled in the art to use one or more control buses and / or data buses for interconnection and communication between various modules and components.

[0042] The memory 225 is a non-transient computer readable medium and includes, for example, a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area and the data storage area may include a combination of different types of memory, such as ROM, RAM (e.g., DRAM, SDRAM, etc.), EEPROM, flash memory, hard disk, SD card or other suitable magnetic storage device, optical storage device, physical storage device or electronic storage device. The processing unit 205 is connected to the memory 225 and executes software instructions, which can be stored in the RAM of the memory 225 (e.g., during execution), the ROM of the memory 225 (e.g., on a generally permanent basis) or another non-transient computer readable medium such as another memory or disk. The software included in the embodiment of the lawn mower 10 can be stored in the memory 225 of the controller 200. The software includes, for example, firmware, one or more application programs, program data, filters, rules, one or more program modules and other executable instructions. The controller 200 is configured to obtain from the memory 225 and execute instructions related to the control process and method described herein in particular. In other embodiments, the controller 200 includes additional components, fewer components or different components.

[0043] The controller 200 drives the motor 280 to rotate the blade 20 and / or the plurality of wheels 22 in response to actuation of the paddle 26 by the user. The paddle 26 is pressed to actuate the contactless switch 158. The magnet coupled to the contactless switch 158 rotates with actuation of the contactless switch 158. The rotation of the magnet is sensed by the rotation sensor 159, which outputs a signal to the controller 200 to drive the motor 280, thereby driving the blade 20 and / or the plurality of wheels 22. Although the embodiments described herein are primarily directed to a contactless switch configuration, in other cases, the lawn mower 10 may include a trigger switch that is physically actuated in response to actuation of the paddle 26.

[0044] In some embodiments, the controller 200 controls the power switch network 255 (e.g., a FET switch bridge) to drive the motor 280. For example, the power switch network 255 may include a plurality of high-side switch elements (e.g., FETs) and a plurality of low-side switch elements. The controller 200 may control each of the plurality of high-side switch elements and the plurality of low-side switch elements to drive each phase of the motor 280. When the paddle 26 is released, the controller 200 may apply a braking force to the motor 280. For example, the power switch network 255 may be controlled to decelerate the motor 280 more quickly. In some embodiments, the controller 200 drives an auxiliary motor to drive a plurality of wheels 22. For example, the motor 280 is controlled to drive the blade 20, and the auxiliary motor is controlled to drive the plurality of wheels 22. The auxiliary motor may be controlled by a second power switch network.

[0045] Indicator 245 is also connected to controller 200 and receives control signals from controller 200 to turn on and off or otherwise communicate information based on different states of lawn mower 10. Indicator 245 includes, for example, one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) or a display screen. Indicator 245 can be configured to display the condition of lawn mower 10 or information associated with the lawn mower.

[0046] The battery pack interface 250 is connected to the controller 200 and is configured to couple with the battery pack 100. The battery pack interface 250 includes a combination of mechanical components (e.g., a battery pack receiving portion) and electrical components that are configured and operable to interface (e.g., mechanically, electrically, and communicatively connect) the lawn mower 10 with the battery pack 100. The battery pack interface 250 is coupled to a power input unit 260. The battery pack interface 250 transmits power received from the battery pack 100 to the power input unit 260. The power input unit 260 includes active components and / or passive components (e.g., a buck controller, a voltage converter, a rectifier, a filter, etc.) to regulate or control the power received through the battery pack interface 250 and provided to the controller 200. In some embodiments, the battery pack interface 250 is also coupled to a power switch network 255. The operation of the power switch network 255 controlled by the controller 200 determines how power is supplied to the motor 280.

[0047] Figure 5 A control system for a battery pack 100 is shown. The control system includes a controller 300. The controller 300 is electrically and / or communicatively connected to various modules or components of the battery pack 100. For example, the controller 300 is shown connected to one or more battery cells 305 and an interface 310 (e.g., Figure 3100). The controller 300 is also connected to one or more voltage sensors or voltage sensing circuits 315, one or more current sensors or current sensing circuits 320, and one or more temperature sensors or temperature sensing circuits 325. The controller 300 includes a combination of hardware and software that are operable to, among other things, control the operation of the battery pack 100, monitor the condition of the battery pack 100, enable or disable charging of the battery pack 100, enable or disable discharging of the battery pack 100, etc.

[0048] The controller 300 includes a plurality of electrical and electronic components that provide power, operational control, and protection for the components and modules within the controller 300 and / or the battery pack 100. For example, the controller 300 includes, among other things, a processing unit 335 (e.g., a microprocessor, a microcontroller, or another suitable programmable device), a memory 340, an input unit 345, and an output unit 350. The processing unit 335 includes, among other things, a control unit 355, an arithmetic logic unit ("ALU") 360, and a plurality of registers 365 (in Figure 5 The processing unit 335, the memory 340, the input unit 345, the output unit 350, and the various modules or circuits connected to the controller 300 are connected through one or more control buses and / or data buses (e.g., the common bus 370). For the purpose of illustration, the control bus and / or data bus are generally Figure 5 In view of the invention described herein, it is known to those skilled in the art to use one or more control buses and / or data buses for interconnection and communication between various modules, circuits and components.

[0049] The memory 340 is a non-transient computer-readable medium and includes, for example, a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area and the data storage area may include a combination of different types of memory, such as ROM, RAM (e.g., DRAM, SDRAM, etc.), EEPROM, flash memory, hard disk, SD card or other suitable magnetic storage device, optical storage device, physical storage device or electronic storage device. The processing unit 335 is connected to the memory 340 and executes software instructions, which can be stored in the RAM of the memory 340 (e.g., during execution), the ROM of the memory 340 (e.g., on a generally permanent basis), or another non-transient computer-readable medium such as another memory or disk. The software included in the embodiment of the battery pack 100 can be stored in the memory 340 of the controller 300. The software includes, for example, firmware, one or more applications, program data, filters, rules, one or more program modules, and other executable instructions. The controller 300 is configured to obtain from the memory 340 and execute instructions related to the control process and method described herein, in particular. In other configurations, the controller 300 includes additional components, fewer components, or different components.

[0050] The interface 310 includes a combination of mechanical components (e.g., tracks, grooves, latches, etc.) and electrical components (e.g., one or more terminals) that are configured and operable to interface (e.g., mechanically, electrically, and communicatively connect) the battery pack 100 with another device (e.g., a power tool, a battery pack charger, a lawn mower 10, etc.). For example, the interface 310 is configured to receive power via a power line between one or more battery cells 305 and the interface 310. The interface 310 is also configured to be communicatively connected to the controller 300.

[0051] During operation of the lawn mower 10, the metal chassis 30 of the lawn mower 10 may accumulate static charge. This accumulated static charge may be potentially dangerous to an operator of the lawn mower 10. For example, if a user comes into contact with the metal chassis 30 or with another conductive portion of the lawn mower 10 that is connected to the metal chassis 30, the static charge accumulated on the metal chassis 30 may be discharged through the user in the form of an electric shock.

[0052] Figure 6A rear skirt 500 (also referred to as skirt 500) of the lawn mower 10 is shown coupled below the metal chassis 30. The rear skirt 500 is coupled to the metal chassis 30 such that the rear skirt 500 provides a conductive path from the metal chassis 30 to the ground. Accordingly, the rear skirt 500 forms a discharge path for any static charge accumulated on the metal chassis 30, thereby achieving electrostatic discharge ("ESD") of the metal chassis 30. As an example, the rear skirt 500 is formed of a metallized plastic or rubber (e.g., metal is integrated with the plastic or rubber during manufacture to allow the rear skirt 500 to be conductive). In other examples, the rear skirt 500 is made of or includes a conductive polymer (e.g., polyacetylene (PA), polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPy), polythiophene (PTH), poly(p-phenylene) (PPP), poly(phenylene vinylene) (PPV), polyfuran (PF), etc.). In some embodiments, the rear skirt 500 is coated with a metal coating to make the rear skirt 500 conductive. The rear skirt 500 may include a metal outer border (e.g., a metal frame is placed around the perimeter of the rear skirt 500) to provide a conductive path to ground. In other embodiments, the rear skirt 500 is made of metal and the entire rear skirt 500 may be conductive. In such embodiments, the entire surface area of ​​the rear skirt 500 provides a conductive path.

[0053] In some cases, not the entire rear skirt 500 provides a conductive path (e.g. Figure 6 ), but the rear skirt 500 includes an embedded conductive path. For example, Figure 7 and Figure 8 Other embodiments of the rear skirt 500 are shown that include one or more conductive paths 505. Figure 7 In some embodiments, the conductive path 505 is configured as a metal strip or wire (e.g., copper, aluminum, brass, gold, etc.) that is physically attached (e.g., screwed, adhered, embedded, molded, or otherwise fastened) to the rear skirt 500. The conductive path 505 is a conductive metal that provides a conductive path from the metal chassis 30 to ground, thereby discharging any static electricity buildup. In some embodiments, the conductive path 505 is molded into the rear skirt 500 (e.g., at the time of manufacture). Figure 7 and Figure 8 In the embodiment of the invention, the rear skirt 500 can be constructed of a non-conductive material (e.g., plastic). Figure 7 In the example of FIG. 5 , the conductive path 505 is positioned approximately in the center of the rear skirt 500 . In other embodiments, the conductive path 505 can be positioned elsewhere on or within the rear skirt 500 , such as at the edge of the rear skirt 500 .

[0054] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment, the rear skirt 500 includes more than one conductive path 505. In particular, Figure 8In the example of FIG. 5 , a first conductive path 505A is disposed on a first end of the rear skirt 500, and a second conductive path 505B is disposed on a second end of the rear skirt 500. The first conductive path 505A and the second conductive path 505B are separated by a non-conductive portion 510. Although only two conductive paths are shown, in some embodiments, the rear skirt 500 includes more than two conductive paths (e.g., three conductive paths, four conductive paths, etc.).

[0055] Fig. 9 A method 900 for discharging the metal chassis 30 of the lawn mower 10 is provided according to some embodiments. At box 905, the method 900 includes detecting, with the controller 200, actuation of an input device. For example, the controller 200 detects actuation of the paddle 26 using the rotation sensor 159. At box 910, the method 900 includes controlling, with the controller 200, the motor 280 based on the actuation of the input device. For example, the controller 200 receives an output from the rotation sensor 159 and drives the motor 280 by controlling the power switch network 255 based on the output from the rotation sensor 159. In some embodiments, the controller 200 controls the output of the auxiliary motor based on the actuation of the paddle 26.

[0056] At block 915, the method 900 includes discharging static electricity accumulated on the metal chassis 30 of the lawn mower 10 to the ground using the rear skirt 500. As an example, the static electricity accumulated on the metal chassis 30 is discharged to the ground via the rear skirt 500. Figure 7 As another example, the accumulated static electricity is discharged through the conductive path 505 of the rear skirt 500 (such as Figure 6 In some embodiments, during operation of the motor 280, the accumulated static charge is continuously discharged to ground. In some embodiments, when an input device (e.g., paddle 26) is actuated, an electrical connection is formed (e.g., between the metal chassis 30 and the rear skirt 500).

[0057] Thus, embodiments described herein provide, among other things, a rear skirt that is coupled to a lawn mower housing and configured to discharge static electricity buildup from the lawn mower housing.

Claims

1. A walk-behind lawn mower, comprising: a housing including a metal chassis; a handle coupled to the housing via a support beam; a battery pack interface configured to receive a battery pack; a motor housed in the housing; one or more cutting blades configured to be driven by the motor; as well as A skirt is connected to a metal chassis of the housing, wherein the skirt is configured to provide a conductive path to discharge static charge accumulated on the metal chassis.

2. The walk-behind lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein: The skirt comprises metallized plastic.

3. The walk-behind lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein: The skirt includes a conductive polymer.

4. The walk-behind lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein: The entire surface area of ​​the skirt provides the conductive path.

5. The walk-behind lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein: The conductive path is a metal frame around the perimeter of the skirt.

6. The walk-behind lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein: The conductive path includes a metal strip positioned generally at the center of the skirt.

7. The walk-behind lawn mower according to claim 6, wherein: The metal strip is made of one selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, brass and gold.

8. The walk-behind lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein: The conductive path includes: A first conductive path and a second conductive path, wherein the first conductive path and the second conductive path are separated by a non-conductive portion of the skirt.

9. A walk-behind lawn mower comprising: case; a handle coupled to the housing via a support beam; a battery pack interface configured to receive a battery pack; a motor housed in the housing; one or more cutting blades configured to be driven by the motor; as well as A skirt is coupled to the housing, wherein the skirt includes a conductive path molded into the skirt and the conductive path is configured to discharge static charge accumulated on the housing.

10. The walk-behind lawn mower according to claim 9, wherein: The conductive path includes a metal strip positioned generally at the center of the skirt.

11. The walk-behind lawn mower according to claim 10, wherein: The metal strip is made of one selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, brass and gold.

12. The walk-behind lawn mower according to claim 9, wherein: The conductive path is generally centrally located on the skirt.

13. The walk-behind lawn mower according to claim 9, wherein: The skirt is composed of a non-conductive material.

14. The walk-behind lawn mower according to claim 9, wherein: The conductive path includes: A first conductive path and a second conductive path, wherein the first conductive path and the second conductive path are separated by a non-conductive portion of the skirt.

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