Means for Adjusting Cutting Height of a Powered Lawn Mower
20220000020 · 2022-01-06
Inventors
Cpc classification
International classification
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a lawn mower (100) comprising a cutter propulsion unit (165), a transmission axle (166, 166′) that has a longitudinal extension (L, L′) and is adapted to be rotated by the cutter propulsion unit (165). The lawn mower (100) further comprises a cutting disc (160) that has a radial extension (R) that runs between a center (182) and an outer edge (181), where the cutting disc (160) comprises one or more cutting edges (161, 162, 163) that are adapted to cut grass when the cutting disc (160) is brought into a rotational motion by means of the transmission axle (166). The cutting disc (160) further comprises a connection portion (164, 164′) which is adapted to receive a coupling member (173, 173′), comprised in the transmission axle (166, 166′), in at least two different mounting positions that are adapted to position the connection portion (164) in mutually separated positions along the longitudinal extension (L, L′).
Claims
1. A lawn mower comprising a cutter propulsion unit, a transmission axle that has a longitudinal extension and is adapted to be rotated by the cutter propulsion unit, and a cutting disc that has a radial extension that runs between a center and an outer edge, wherein the cutting disc comprises one or more cutting edges that are adapted to cut grass when the cutting disc is brought into a rotational motion by means of the transmission axle, wherein the cutting disc further comprises a connection portion which is adapted to receive a coupling member, comprised in the transmission axle, in at least two different mounting positions that are adapted to position the connection portion in mutually separated positions along the longitudinal extension.
2. The lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion comprises at least two engagement plateau arrangements which are mutually separated along a vertical extension that runs perpendicular to the radial extension, each engagement plateau arrangement being adapted to receive a coupling member comprised in the transmission axle such that the cutting disc obtains a certain vertical position along the vertical extension in dependence of which engagement plateau arrangement that has received the coupling member, conferring an associated certain grass cutting height.
3. The lawn mower according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the engagement plateau arrangements comprises two opposing surfaces against which the coupling member is adapted to rest.
4. The lawn mower according to claim 2, wherein the coupling member is adapted to be positioned between two opposing surfaces of at least one engagement plateau arrangement.
5. The lawn mower according to claim 2, wherein each engagement plateau arrangement comprises at least one fastening aperture, wherein the coupling member comprises at least one corresponding at least partially threaded bore, each bore being adapted to receive a corresponding screw that runs via the corresponding fastening aperture and is adapted to secure the coupling member to the cutting disc
6. The lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion comprises coherent arcuate wall portions that encompass surfaces of the engagement plateau arrangements against which the coupling member is adapted to rest.
7. The lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein the transmission axle comprises a coupling member which in turn comprises a first connection rod and a second connection rod, wherein the second connection rod is adapted to be positioned closer to the cutter propulsion unit than the first connection rod, wherein the connection portion comprises a first slot and a second slot, wherein the first slot is adapted to be positioned closer to the ground in a running condition than the second slot along a vertical extension that runs perpendicular to the radial extension, wherein the first slot is adapted to receive the first connection rod and the second slot is adapted to receive both the first connection rod and the second connection rod.
8. The lawn mower according to claim 7, wherein the coupling member is secured to the connection portion by means of screws that run via fastening apertures in the connection portion and are secured to the bores of the connection rod that is received in the second slot.
9. A lawn mower cutting disc that has a radial extension that runs between a center and an outer edge and comprises one or more cutting edges that are adapted to cut grass when the cutting disc is brought into a rotational motion by means of a transmission axle that has a longitudinal extension, wherein the cutting disc further comprises a connection portion which is adapted to receive a coupling member, comprised in the transmission axle, in at least two different mounting positions that are adapted to position the connection portion in mutually separated positions along the longitudinal extension.
10. The lawn mower cutting disc according to claim 9, wherein the connection portion comprises at least two engagement plateau arrangements which are mutually separated along a vertical extension that runs perpendicular to the radial extension, wherein each engagement plateau arrangement is adapted to receive a coupling member comprised in the transmission axle such that the cutting disc can obtain a certain vertical position along the vertical extension in dependence of which engagement plateau arrangement that has received the coupling member.
11. The lawn mower cutting disc according to claim 10, wherein at least one engagement plateau arrangements comprises two opposing surfaces against which the coupling member is adapted to rest.
12. The lawn mower cutting disc according to claim 10, wherein the connection portion is adapted to receive the coupling member between two opposing surfaces of at least one engagement plateau arrangement.
13. The lawn mower cutting disc according to claim 10, wherein each engagement plateau arrangement comprises at least one fastening aperture adapted to admit a screw to pass, enabling the coupling member to be secured to the lawn mower cutting disc.
14. The lawn mower cutting disc according to claim 10, wherein the connection portion comprises coherent arcuate wall portions that encompass surfaces of the engagement plateau arrangements.
15. The lawn mower cutting disc according to claim 10, wherein the connection portion comprises a first slot and a second slot, wherein, in a running condition, the first slot is adapted to be positioned closer to the ground than the second slot along a vertical extension that runs perpendicular to the radial extension, wherein the first slot is adapted to receive a first connection rod and the second slot is adapted to receive both the first connection rod and a second connection rod, the connection rods being comprised in the transmission axle.
16. A lawn mower transmission axle that has a longitudinal extension and comprises a transmission axle rod and a coupling member, wherein the transmission axle rod is adapted to be rotated by a cutter propulsion unit and wherein the coupling member is adapted to be received by a lawn mower cutting disc connection portion in at least two different mounting positions that are adapted to position the connection portion in mutually separated positions along the longitudinal extension.
17. The transmission axle according to claim 16, wherein the coupling member comprises two cylindrical members positioned on opposite sides of the longitudinal extension, each cylindrical member having an axial extension that is parallel to the longitudinal extension and being formed to correspond to plateau arrangements comprised in the connection portion.
18. The transmission axle according to claim 16, wherein the coupling member comprises a first connection rod and a second connection rod, wherein the second connection rod is adapted to be positioned closer to the cutter propulsion unit than the first connection rod, the first connection rod being adapted to be received in a first slot in the connection portion and the second connection rod being adapted to be received in a second slot in the connection portion.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] The present disclosure will now be described more in detail with reference to the appended drawings, where:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0046] Aspects of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The different devices, systems, computer programs and methods disclosed herein can, however, be realized in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the aspects set forth herein. Like numbers in the drawings refer to like elements throughout.
[0047] The terminology used herein is for describing aspects of the disclosure only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
[0048] It should be noted that even though the description given herein will be focused on robotic lawn mowers, the teachings herein may also be applied to any type of lawn mower with a rotary cutter.
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[0050] The robotic lawn mower 100 comprises charging skids 156 for contacting contact plates of a charging station (not shown) when docking into the charging station for receiving a charging current, and possibly also for transferring information by means of electrical communication between the charging station and the robotic lawn mower 100.
[0051] The robotic lawn mower 100 also comprises at least one rechargeable electric power source such as a battery 155 for providing power to the electric motor arrangement 150. The battery 155 is arranged to be charged by means of received charging current from the charging station, received through charging skids 156 or other suitable charging connectors.
[0052] The robotic lawn mower 100 also comprises a grass cutting device 160 driven by a cutter motor 165 that also is powered by the battery 155 or, alternatively, by a separate power source.
[0053] In this example, as shown in
[0054] According to the present disclosure, the connection portion 164 comprises a plurality of mounting positions for the transmission axle 166; a first mounting position that is indicated with a dash-double dotted line 167, a second mounting position that is indicated with a dashed line 168 and a third mounting position that is indicated with a dash-dotted line 169. The first mounting position 167 corresponds to a first grass cutting height, the second mounting position 168 corresponds to a second grass cutting height and the third mounting position 169 corresponds to a third grass cutting height, where the first grass cutting height falls below the second grass cutting height, and where the second grass cutting height falls below the third grass cutting height.
[0055] Each mounting position 167, 168, 169 is associated with a corresponding engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b, 172, the engagement plateau arrangements 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b, 172 being mutually separated along a vertical extension V that runs perpendicular to a radial extension R that runs between the center 182 and the outer edge 181. The vertical extension V also runs along the longitudinal extension L of the transmission axle 166 when the transmission axle 166 is mounted to the cutting disc 160.
[0056] Each engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b, 172 is adapted to receive the coupling member 173 that is comprised in the transmission axle 166, and to admit the coupling member 173 access to the other engagement plateau arrangements 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b, 172 such that the coupling member 173 can take all mounting positions 167, 168, 169. By letting the coupling member 163 engage the cutting disc 160 using a certain engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b, 172, a certain vertical position along the vertical extension V is obtained and thus an associated certain grass cutting height.
[0057] In order to secure the coupling member 173 to a certain engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b, 172, each engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b, 172 comprises corresponding fastening apertures 174a, 174b; 175a, 175b; 176a, 176b. As shown in
[0058] In the present example there are three mounting positions that will be described more in detail in the following.
[0059] With reference to
[0060] With reference to
[0061] With reference to
[0062] Three different grass cutting heights are thus easily achieved by switching between the above mounting positions 167, 168, 169, while the cutter motor 165 can remain fixed to the body 140 or an internal frame, reducing the number of parts and complexity.
[0063] The present disclosure is not limited to the above, but may vary freely within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the connection portion 164 is shown to comprise coherent arcuate wall portions 179 (only one indicated in
[0064] As shown in
[0065] Example of other types of guidance means are different types of wall parts and/or slots that correspond to protrusions of the coupling member 173. In this example, four guiding pins 180 (only one indicated in
[0066] In the examples provided there are three engagement plateau arrangements 170a, 170b, 171a, 171b, 172, but there can of course be any suitable number of engagement plateau arrangement. There are at least two engagement plateau arrangements.
[0067] Other types of plateau arrangements are of course conceivable, for example the coupling member can comprise different plateaus. An further example illustrating another type of plateau arrangement will now be discussed with reference to
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[0069] In
[0070] In
[0071] The first mounting position corresponds to a first grass cutting height and the second mounting position corresponds to a second grass cutting height where the first grass cutting height exceeds the second grass cutting height.
[0072] Generally, the present disclosure relates to a lawn mower 100 comprising a cutter propulsion unit 165, a transmission axle 166, 166′ that has a longitudinal extension L, L′ and is adapted to be rotated by the cutter propulsion unit 165, and a cutting disc 160 that has a radial extension R that runs between a center 182 and an outer edge 181. The cutting disc 160 comprises one or more cutting edges 161, 162, 163 that are adapted to cut grass when the cutting disc 160 is brought into a rotational motion by means of the transmission axle 166. The cutting disc 160 further comprises a connection portion 164, 164′ which is adapted to receive a coupling member 173, 173′, comprised in the transmission axle 166, 166′, in at least two different mounting positions that are adapted to position the connection portion 164 in mutually separated positions along the longitudinal extension L, L′.
[0073] According to some aspects, the connection portion 164 comprises at least two engagement plateau arrangements 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b; 172 which are mutually separated along a vertical extension V that runs perpendicular to the radial extension R. Each engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b, 172 is adapted to receive a coupling member 173 comprised in the transmission axle 166 such that the cutting disc obtains a certain vertical position along the vertical extension V in dependence of which engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b, 172 that has received the coupling member 173, conferring an associated certain grass cutting height.
[0074] According to some aspects, at least one engagement plateau arrangements 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b comprises two opposing surfaces against which the coupling member 173 is adapted to rest.
[0075] According to some aspects, the coupling member 173 is adapted to be positioned between two opposing surfaces of at least one engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b.
[0076] According to some aspects, each engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b, 171a, 171b, 172 comprises at least one fastening aperture 174a, 174b; 175a, 175b; 176a, 176b, where the coupling member 173 comprises at least one corresponding at least partially threaded bore 178a, 178b, each bore 178a, 178b being adapted to receive a corresponding screw 177a, 177b that runs via the corresponding fastening aperture 174a, 174b; 175a, 175b; 176a, 176b and is adapted to secure the coupling member 173 to the cutting disc 160.
[0077] According to some aspects, the connection portion 164 comprises coherent arcuate wall portions 179 that encompass surfaces of the engagement plateau arrangements 170a, 170b, 171a, 171b, 172 against which the coupling member 173 is adapted to rest.
[0078] According to some aspects, the transmission axle 166′ comprises a coupling member 173′ which in turn comprises a first connection rod 183 and a second connection rod 184, where the second connection rod 184 is adapted to be positioned closer to the cutter propulsion unit 165 than the first connection rod 183, where the connection portion 164 comprises a first slot 188 and a second slot 189, where the first slot 188 is adapted to be positioned closer to the ground in a running condition than the second slot 188 along a vertical extension V that runs perpendicular to the radial extension R, where the first slot 188 is adapted to receive the first connection rod 183 and the second slot 189 is adapted to receive both the first connection rod 183 and the second connection rod 184.
[0079] According to some aspects, the coupling member 173′ is secured to the connection portion 164′ by means of screws 187a, 187b that run via fastening apertures 190a, 190b in the connection portion 164′ and are secured to the bores 185a, 185b of the connection rod 183, 184 that is received in the second slot 189.
[0080] Screws are shown to be used for securing the coupling member 173, 173′ to the cutting disc 160 160′, other arrangements are of course conceivable. For example locking pins, extending perpendicular to the vertical extension, can be used.
[0081] In the case of screws, one or more screws can be used for each engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b, 172 or connection rod 183, 184. Instead of threaded bores, the bores can be without threads and the screws secured by means of separate locking nuts.
[0082] The cutter motor is generally constituted by a cutter propulsion unit 165.
[0083] The present disclosure also relates to a lawn mower cutting disc 160 that has a radial extension R that runs between a center 182 and an outer edge 181 and comprises one or more cutting edges 161, 162, 163 that are adapted to cut grass when the cutting disc 160 is brought into a rotational motion by means of a transmission axle 166, 166′ that has a longitudinal extension L, L′. The cutting disc 160 further comprises a connection portion 164, 164′ which is adapted to receive a coupling member 173, 173′, comprised in the transmission axle 166, 166′, in at least two different mounting positions that are adapted to position the connection portion 164 in mutually separated positions along the longitudinal extension L, L′.
[0084] According to some aspects, the connection portion 164 comprises at least two engagement plateau arrangements 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b; 172 which are mutually separated along a vertical extension V that runs perpendicular to the radial extension R, where each engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b, 172 is adapted to receive a coupling member 173 comprised in the transmission axle 166 such that the cutting disc can obtain a certain vertical position along the vertical extension V in dependence of which engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b, 172 that has received the coupling member 173.
[0085] According to some aspects, at least one engagement plateau arrangements 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b comprises two opposing surfaces against which the coupling member 173 is adapted to rest.
[0086] According to some aspects, the connection portion 164 is adapted to receive the coupling member 173 between two opposing surfaces of at least one engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b; 171a, 171b.
[0087] According to some aspects, each engagement plateau arrangement 170a, 170b, 171a, 171b, 172 comprises at least one fastening aperture 174a, 174b; 175a, 175b; 176a, 176b adapted to admit a screw to pass, enabling the coupling member 173 to be secured to the lawn mower cutting disc 160.
[0088] According to some aspects, the connection portion 164 comprises coherent arcuate wall portions 179 that encompass surfaces of the engagement plateau arrangements 170a, 170b, 171a, 171b, 172.
[0089] According to some aspects, the connection portion 164′ comprises a first slot 188 and a second slot 189, where, in a running condition, the first slot 188 is adapted to be positioned closer to the ground than the second slot 188 along a vertical extension V that runs perpendicular to the radial extension R, where the first slot 188 is adapted to receive a first connection rod 183 and the second slot 189 is adapted to receive both the first connection rod 183 and a second connection rod 184, the connection rods 183, 184 being comprised in the transmission axle 166′.
[0090] The present disclosure also relates to a lawn mower transmission axle 166, 166′ that has a longitudinal extension L, L′ and comprises a transmission axle rod 116a, 166a′ and a coupling member 173, 173′. The transmission axle rod 116a, 166a′ is adapted to be rotated by a cutter propulsion unit 165 and the coupling member 173, 173′ is adapted to be received by a lawn mower cutting disc connection portion 164, 164′ in at least two different mounting positions that are adapted to position the connection portion 164, 164′ in mutually separated positions along the longitudinal extension L, L′.
[0091] According to some aspects, the coupling member 173 comprises two cylindrical members 173a, 173b positioned on opposite sides of the longitudinal extension L. Each cylindrical member 173a, 173b has an axial extension that is parallel to the longitudinal extension L and is formed to correspond to plateau arrangements 170a, 170b, 171a, 171b comprised in the connection portion 164.
[0092] According to some aspects, the coupling member 173′ comprises a first connection rod 183 and a second connection rod 184, where the second connection rod 184 is adapted to be positioned closer to the cutter propulsion unit 165 than the first connection rod 183. The first connection rod 183 is adapted to be received in a first slot 188 in the connection portion 164′ and the second connection rod 184 is adapted to be received in a second slot 189 in the connection portion 164′.
[0093] Although the description above has been directed to a robotic lawn mower, the present disclosure is applicable for any type of lawn mower with at least one motor-powered cutting disc such as for example a robotic lawn mower, a hand-moved lawn mower with or without motor-powered wheels, as well as a riding mower.