Battery Pack Positioning for Mower Center of Gravity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery-operated electric lawn mowers have a high center of gravity due to the positioning of battery packs, which affects stability and maneuverability, and often require heavy and bulky battery packs for sufficient power, limiting their range and compactness.
Innovation Solution
The battery packs are positioned between the drive wheel motors and within the same horizontal plane as the motors, lowering the center of gravity and allowing for a more compact design, with the motors and gear reduction boxes externally mounted to accommodate this configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If battery packs are positioned in an elevated position above the drive wheel motors, then the battery packs can be supported by the chassis structure, but the center of gravity of the mower is raised, reducing stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the battery packs from an elevated vertical position to a lower horizontal position between the drive wheel motors. This dimensional repositioning moves the batteries from a high vertical location to a low horizontal location, achieving a lower center of gravity and improved stability without compromising structural support
2Power
If heavy and bulky battery packs are used to provide sufficient power, then the power to weight ratio is improved, but the mower becomes less compact and more difficult to maneuver
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions battery packs horizontally between the drive wheel motors rather than vertically above them. This spatial reconfiguration allows for efficient power distribution while maintaining a compact overall mower design, as the batteries utilize the horizontal space between components rather than adding vertical bulk
3Stability of the object's composition
If battery packs are positioned between the drive wheel motors, then the center of gravity is lowered and compactness is improved, but the drive wheel motors and gear reduction axles must be reconfigured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the drive wheel motors from the gear reduction axles, with motors mounted externally to the chassis and axles positioned internally. This segmentation allows battery packs to be positioned between the motors and axles, achieving a lower center of gravity while maintaining manageable component complexity through modular arrangement
Data Source
AI summary
A battery-operated electric mower having a chassis that supports at least an operator support and a first and second drive wheel, each drive wheel respectively connected to one of a first and a second drive wheel motor. The first drive wheel motor may be connected to the first drive wheel by a first gear mechanism, which may include a first system of planetary gears, and the second drive wheel motor may be connected the second drive wheel by a second gear mechanism, which may include a second system of planetary gears. The chassis also supports a battery pack positioned, at least in part, within the same horizontal plane as at least one of the drive wheel motors. The battery may be positioned, at least in part, between the first drive wheel motor and the second drive wheel motor, significantly lowering the mower's center of gravity.