Battery-Powered Concrete Trowel With Coaxial Rotor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas-powered concrete trowels are noisy, difficult to use in tight spaces, and suffer from unreliable worm gear mechanisms leading to power losses.
Innovation Solution
A battery-powered concrete trowel with an electric motor, coaxial rotor, and handlebars, featuring an ON/OFF switch, speed adjustment, and blade pitch control, eliminating the need for a gas engine and reducing noise and space constraints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a gas-powered motor is used in a concrete trowel, then the trowel has sufficient power for concrete finishing, but it produces excessive noise and cannot operate in confined spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the gas-powered internal combustion engine with an electric motor that runs on battery power. This substitution eliminates the harmful emissions (carbon monoxide) and noise associated with gas engines while providing sufficient power for concrete finishing operations. The electric motor with coaxial rotor design delivers the necessary torque and speed for driving the trowel blades effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the harmful components (gas engine, exhaust system, fuel tank) from the concrete trowel system, retaining only the essential power delivery function through an electric motor. This extraction eliminates the harmful factors (noise, carbon monoxide) while preserving the core functionality of power transmission to the rotor and blades.
2Power
If a worm-style gear box and belt drive are used to transmit power from the motor to the rotor, then the power transmission is achieved, but the mechanism becomes unreliable and suffers from substantial power losses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the intermediate power transmission components (worm-style gear box, belt drive) from the system. By extracting these problematic elements, the invention eliminates the associated power losses and reliability issues. The electric motor is redesigned with a coaxial rotor configuration that allows direct or simplified power transmission, maintaining necessary torque and speed while reducing energy loss and improving operational reliability.
3Device complexity
If a traditional non-coaxial rotor configuration is used, then the motor structure is simpler, but the power transmission efficiency to the blades is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a coaxial configuration where the rotor axis aligns with the motor output shaft axis. This alignment creates an optimal power transmission path, ensuring that the rotational force generated by the motor is efficiently transferred to the rotor and subsequently to the trowel blades. The coaxial design eliminates angular misalignment and reduces mechanical losses, maximizing power transmission efficiency while maintaining a relatively simple motor structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Operates silently in confined spaces, reduces maintenance costs, and enhances operational safety by eliminating carbon monoxide exposure and power cord hazards, while providing precise blade control.
Implementation Method 1
a battery pack for supplying electrical power to the motor
Implementation Method 2
an electric motor mounted on the frame having an output shaft extending from the motor
Data Source
AI summary
A concrete trowel includes a frame, a drive assembly including an electric motor mounted on the frame having an output shaft extending from the motor defining a drive axis, a guide handle extending from the frame for controlling the trowel, a battery pack for supplying electrical power to the motor, and a rotor including a plurality of blades, the rotor rotatably coupled to the drive assembly for rotating about a rotational axis that is coaxial with the drive axis.