Riding Mower Foot Pedal Height Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional riding lawn mower vehicles require operators to suspend travel to manually lift or lower the mower, hindering efficient lawn mowing operations due to the difficulty of operating the lifting/lowering lever with both hands occupied by control levers.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a pair of hand-operated traveling control members, a lifting control pedal, and a lowering control pedal located laterally on the driving section floor, allowing the operator to lift and lower the mower without suspending vehicle travel, enabling efficient lawn mowing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a lifting/lowering lever is provided on the lateral side of the driver's seat for mower height adjustment, then the mower can be lifted and lowered, but the operator cannot operate it simultaneously with both hands on the control levers during traveling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemower lifting/lowering operationVSAvoidlawn mowing efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The lifting/lowering control is moved from the lateral side (horizontal dimension) to the floor area (vertical dimension), allowing foot operation instead of hand operation. This dimensional change enables simultaneous operation of traveling control levers with hands and mower height adjustment with feet during traveling

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces pedals as an intermediary control mechanism between the operator and the lifting/lowering system. The pedals serve as a mediator that translates foot pressure into hydraulic or mechanical action for mower height adjustment, enabling hands-free operation of the lifting/lowering function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the operator suspends traveling to operate the lifting/lowering lever, then the mower can be adjusted, but the lawn mowing operation becomes inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemower height adjustment controlVSAvoidtime lost during mower adjustment

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables continuous operation by allowing the operator to adjust mower height while the vehicle continues to travel. The pedal-based control system allows height adjustment without interrupting the traveling motion, maintaining continuous productive action throughout the lawn mowing operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentUS7434379B2Apparatus for vertically moving mower unit for riding mower

Publication Date: 2008.10.14 KUBOTA CORP

AI summary

A riding lawn mower vehicle having a riding traveling vehicle body and a mower operatively connected via a lifting/lowering link mechanism to the vehicle body to be lifted and lowered relative thereto, the mower vehicle comprising: a pair of right and left hand-operated traveling control members; a lifting control pedal having a lifting stepping face and configured to cause the mower to be lifted; a lowering control pedal having a lowering stepping face and configured to cause the mower to be lowered; and the lifting stepping face and the lowering stepping face being located laterally to each other on a floor of a driving section of the riding traveling vehicle body.