Automatic Electric Mower Blade-Speed Control via Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric mowers face challenges in maintaining optimal cutting speed for efficient grass cutting, as operators struggle to balance cut quality with energy consumption, and manual adjustments are often inadequate for varying grass conditions.
Innovation Solution
An automatic rotary cutting speed control system that adjusts the blade carrier speed based on grass load and blade type, using a controller with cutting speed control logic to optimize energy use and cut quality through closed-loop feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If cutting speed is increased to improve cut quality, then cutting performance is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts blade carrier speed based on real-time grass load conditions. The controller continuously monitors blade carrier rotation signals and automatically modifies the target blade carrier drive signal to optimize cutting performance while minimizing energy consumption, replacing static manual speed selection with adaptive dynamic control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements closed-loop feedback control by receiving signals representative of blade carrier rotation (including rotary speed and torque) and using this feedback to automatically adjust the target blade carrier drive signal. This ensures the cutting speed is continuously optimized based on actual operating conditions rather than fixed operator selection.
2Use of energy by moving object
If cutting speed is decreased to reduce energy consumption, then energy efficiency is improved, but cut quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts blade carrier speed based on real-time grass load conditions. Rather than operating at a fixed low speed, the system maintains higher speeds when grass load is low (improving energy efficiency) and automatically increases speed when grass load increases (maintaining cut quality), achieving both goals simultaneously through adaptive control.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller uses feedback from blade carrier rotation signals to automatically maintain optimal cutting speed. When grass conditions change, the system detects the change through rotation signal variations and adjusts speed accordingly, ensuring cut quality is maintained while avoiding unnecessary energy consumption at excessively high speeds.
3Ease of operation
If manual cutting speed selection is used to simplify operation, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability to varying grass conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-adjustment of cutting speed without requiring operator intervention. The controller automatically monitors blade carrier rotation signals and modifies the target blade carrier drive signal based on detected grass load conditions, enabling the system to adapt to varying conditions while the operator simply selects a general speed preference or operates without selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors blade carrier rotation feedback and automatically adjusts cutting speed in response to changing grass conditions. This closed-loop control provides adaptability to varying conditions while maintaining operational simplicity, as the system handles the complex adjustments automatically based on real-time feedback.
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic rotary cutting speed control system for a mower. The rotary cutting speed control system includes a mower deck including an electric motor configured to drive a rotatable blade carrier supporting at least one blade for cutting grass. The system also includes a controller operatively coupled with the electric motor. The controller includes a processor, a memory device operatively coupled with the processor, and cutting speed control logic stored in the memory device and being executable by way of the processor to control rotation of the blade carrier by: (i) receiving a signal representative of a measurement of blade carrier rotation including rotary speed or torque or both, and (ii) adjusting a target blade carrier drive signal based on the received signal to automatically drive the blade carrier.