Front Guard Mounting on Wheel Post for Compact Ride-on Mower
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ride-on lawn mowers face challenges in securing a compact space for the operator's section with the roll-over protective structure (ROPS) and front guard, where the front guard's length needs to be optimized to avoid obstacles like trees while ensuring stability and security.
Innovation Solution
A frame structure is designed with a wheel post supporting the steering wheel, a front guard extending upward from it, and a roll-over protective structure positioned rearward, allowing the front guard to have a reduced extending length while maintaining stability and security, with a lightweight yet solid frame configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the front guard extends from the operator's section floor to increase upward extending length, then the fixed area for operator's section is secured, but the front guard becomes long and may become an obstacle in tight spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The front guard is repositioned to extend from the wheel post (a different spatial reference point) rather than from the operator's section floor, changing the dimensional relationship and allowing the upper end to reach the predetermined level with a shorter extending length, thus avoiding obstacles in tight spaces while maintaining security
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel post serves as an intermediary structure that supports the front guard at an optimized position. By using the wheel post as the mounting point, the front guard achieves the required upper end position with reduced length, mediating between the security requirement and the compactness requirement
2Ease of operation
If the front guard is shortened to avoid obstacles, then maneuverability in tight spaces is improved, but the stability and security of the operator's section may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Changing the mounting dimension from the operator's section floor to the wheel post allows the front guard to achieve the optimal upper end position with shorter length, improving maneuverability while the wheel post provides stable support to maintain security
Solution Approach 2:
The position parameter of the front guard's mounting point is changed from the operator's section floor to the wheel post, which optimizes the extending length to balance maneuverability in tight spaces with the stability and security of the operator's section
Data Source
AI summary
A ride-on lawn mower includes a traveling vehicle body including an operator's seat (50), and a wheel post (53) for supporting a steering wheel (52) mounted forward of the operator's seat. The lawn mower further includes a mower apparatus (20) connected to a front part of the traveling vehicle body, a roll-over protective structure (56) mounted in a rear part of the operator's seat, and a front guard (57) extending upward from the wheel post (53) and forward of the steering wheel (52).