Hydro-gear Limited Partnership

Eric S Phanco

Kenneth J Rawski

William H Ward

Lonnie E Holder

Jesse L Probst

Shane A Deters

Gregory Barton Moebs

Joseph P Niemerg

Patricia J Given

Raymond M Hauser

Damon J Hoyda

John Tyler Hibbard

David H Dunten

Bryan K Sparks

Eric M Folzenlogel

Ryan S Buescher

Adam William Wahner

Tyler J Hermann

Battery case

A lawn vehicle network includes a charging station having a visual identifier, a lawn vehicle having a battery, a blade system, a drive system whose output effects lawn vehicle forward movement, a processor board connected to both systems, the processor board capable of processing image data and sending commands to both systems, and a vision assembly connected to the processor board and able to transmit image data to the processor board, and the processor board, having received the image data, able to, if the image data represent a first object, maintain the drive system's output at the time of that determination, if the image data represent a second object, change the drive system's output at the time of that determination, and if the image data represent the visual identifier, maintain the drive system's output or send a shutoff command to the vision assembly at the time of that determination.

Visual identifiers for docking and zoning an autonomous mower

A battery assembly is disposed on a mowing vehicle having at least two electric drive assemblies. The battery assembly includes a plurality of battery packs joined together, where two of the battery packs are structurally connected to the vehicle frame and at least one other battery pack is structurally connected only to the first two battery packs to form a structural support for the vehicle. A fourth battery pack may be connected to and disposed below one of the other battery packs, and may be located between the two electric drive assemblies. A portion of the battery assembly may be located between an operator seat and a portion of the drive assemblies.

Battery mounting system for electric zero-turn mower

Autonomous vehicle navigation is disclosed. A tangible computer readable medium includes instructions which, when executed cause a machine to divide an image of an area being approached by a lawn mower into a grid of separate image sections. Each of the image sections corresponds to a respective portion of the area being approached. For each of the image sections in the grid, the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to calculate, using an image recognition algorithm, a percentage of the image section categorized as corresponding with unmowable material and assign a result value based on a comparison between the calculated percentage and one or more movement thresholds. The instructions, when executed, also cause the machine to instruct a drive system to control movement of the lawn mower based on an arrangement of result values in the grid of the image sections.

Autonomous vehicle navigation

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for automatic sensitivity adjustment for an autonomous mower. An exemplary mower includes a drive system and one or more cameras. One or more processors are configured to generate a grass value by applying an image recognition algorithm to one or more images, instruct the drive system to autonomously adjust a velocity of current movement in response to determining that the grass value is less than or equal to a mowing threshold, determine a trigger rate that indicates how often the grass value is less than or equal to the mowing threshold within a predefined period of time, decrease the mowing threshold by a decrement in response to determining that the trigger rate is greater than an upper threshold rate, and increase the mowing threshold by an increment in response to determining that the trigger rate is less than a lower threshold rate.

Automatic sensitivity adjustment for an autonomous mower

Autonomous vehicle navigation is disclosed. An example lawn mower includes a vision sensor configured to capture an image of an area being approached. The lawn mower includes a processor in communication with the vision sensor and configured to divide the image into a grid of separate image sections. Each of the image sections corresponds to a respective portion of the area being approached. For each of the image sections in the grid the processor is further configured to calculate a percentage of the image section categorized as corresponding with unmowable material and assign a result value based on a comparison between the calculated percentage and one or more movement thresholds. The lawn mower includes a drive system in communication with the processor and configured to control movement of the lawn mower based on an arrangement of the result values in the grid of the image sections.

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for automatic sensitivity adjustment for an autonomous mower. An exemplary mower includes a drive system and one or more cameras for capturing one or more images. One or more processors are configured to generate a grass value by applying a machine learning algorithm to the one or more images, instruct the drive system to maintain a current direction in response to determining that the grass value is greater than a mowing threshold, instruct the drive system to turn in response to determining that the grass value is less than or equal to the mowing threshold, determine a trigger rate that indicates how often the grass value is less than the mowing threshold within a predefined period of time, and decrease the mowing threshold by a predefined increment in response to determining that the trigger rate is greater than an upper threshold rate.

A lawn mower including a vision sensor configured to capture an image, a drive system configured to move the lawn mower at a velocity and configured to change the velocity, a processor connected to the vision sensor and the drive system, the processor comprising processing logic that includes a first movement threshold, the processor configured to divide the image into a plurality of image sections, categorize, for each image section, the image data, into one of mowable image data and unmowable image data, obtain, for each image section, a percentage of unmowable image data, and assign one of a first result value and a second result value to each section based on a comparison between the percentage with the first movement threshold.

An expansion tank includes a tank body mounted inside a housing forming a sump, and defining an internal expansion volume. A fluid inlet opening in the tank body is in communication with the sump and the expansion volume. A combination valve may be disposed on a lower end of the tank to control fluid flow between the sump and the expansion volume. The valve may be a combination duckbill valve and umbrella valve. Fluid enters the expansion volume through the umbrella valve when sump pressure exceeds expansion volume pressure by a first predetermined amount, and fluid exits the expansion volume through the duckbill valve to the sump when expansion volume pressure exceeds sump pressure by a second predetermined amount. The tank body may include a cover on which an inlet tube is formed.

Fluid expansion tank

A swivel fitting adaptor having an elastomeric insert, and a swivel fitting assembly using the adaptor and insert, are disclosed herein. The swivel fitting assembly includes retention and sealing features that allow a barbed fitting, such as a tube, hose or vent fitting, to be installed by hand either before or after the adaptor and insert are installed in a threaded port. It is suitable for use in a variety of low to medium pressure fluid passage and venting applications.

Swivel fitting adaptor and assembly

An elastomeric press-in-place swivel fitting adaptor and a swivel fitting assembly using the adaptor are disclosed herein. The swivel fitting assembly includes retention and sealing features that allow it to be installed in a threaded port by hand. It is suitable for use in a variety of low pressure fluid passage and venting applications.

An expansion tank includes a tank body mounted inside a housing forming a sump, where the tank body defines an internal expansion volume. A fluid inlet tube on the tank body has an upper end open to the sump and a lower end open to the internal expansion volume. A single 2-way check valve is located at the lower end of the tube, and fluid enters the expansion volume when the pressure in the sump exceeds the pressure in the expansion volume by a first predetermined amount, and fluid exits the expansion volume to the sump when the pressure in the expansion volume exceeds the pressure in the sump by a second predetermined amount. The check valve may be a combination duckbill valve and umbrella valve. The tank body may include a cover on which the inlet tube is formed.

A hydraulic fluid expansion tank is located inside a housing of a drive device and includes an upper check valve and a lower check valve in communication with a sump located within the drive device and an internal volume of the expansion tank. The tank may also include a vent opening in communication with a vent of the drive device that is in communication with atmospheric pressure.

Growing community of inventors

Decatur, IL, United States of America

Eric S Phanco