Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Shota Tanabe

Koji Kuriyagawa

Hajime Yoshimura

Norikazu Shimizu

Tomohiro Miyauchi

Satoshi Onodera

Nobuo Yamazaki

Takuya Matsumoto

Yoshitaka Oota

Fumio Minami

A lawn mower includes a blade, a motor connected to the blade, and a housing storing the blade in the housing and is configured to mow grass underneath the housing. The lawn mower includes a grass container to contain the mowed grass and a connecting member that connects the housing to the grass container. The housing is provided with a ceiling opening communicating with a flow path inside the connecting member. The ceiling opening overlaps with a region corresponding to a rotation range, of the blade, projected upward along a drive shaft.

Lawn mower

A lawn mower includes: a work unit including a housing having a downward-facing opening end a cutter blade rotatably provided in the housing such that when rotated, the cutter blade cuts grass and generates a transport air flow flowing from the opening of the housing to inside; a grass clippings receptacle configured to receive mowed grass clippings; a grass clippings transport passage connecting an interior of the housing with the grass clippings receptacle; a shutter device including a shutter configured to open and close the grass clippings transport passage and an actuator configured to open/close-drive the shutter; a controller configured to control the shutter device; and a humidity sensor for detecting a humidity of an environment surrounding the lawn mower, wherein the controller is configured to open/close-control the shutter device based on the humidity.

Lawn mower with humidity controlled shutter device

Uneven distribution of grass clippings in a grass clippings receptacle of a lawn mower can be minimized. A lawn mower includes: a work unit including a housing having a downward-facing opening and a cutter blade rotatably provided in the housing such that the cutter blade cuts grass and generates a transport air flow flowing from the opening of the housing to inside; a grass clippings receptacle configured to receive mowed grass clippings; a grass clippings transport passage connecting an interior of the housing with the grass clippings receptacle; a shutter device including a shutter configured to open and close the grass clippings transport passage and an actuator configured to open/close-drive the shutter; a controller configured to control the shutter device; and a speed sensor for detecting a travel speed of the lawn mower, wherein the controller is configured to open/close-control the shutter device based on the travel speed.

Lawn mower with speed controlled shutter device

A lawn mower contains: a work unit including a housing having a downward-facing opening and a cutter blade rotatably provided in the housing such that when rotated, the cutter blade cuts grass and generates a transport air flow flowing from the opening of the housing to inside; a grass clippings receptacle configured to receive grass clippings cut by the work unit; a grass clippings transport passage connecting an interior of the housing with the grass clippings receptacle; a shutter device including a shutter configured to selectively open and close the grass clippings transport passage and an actuator configured to drive the shutter; a controller configured to control the shutter device; and a pressure sensor provided in the grass clippings transport passage to detect a pressure in the grass clippings transport passage, wherein the controller is configured to control the shutter device in accordance with the pressure detected by the pressure sensor.

In a mower provided with a center pivot axle, a control unitcontrols a height adjusting mechanismfor a mowing unitso that a grass cutting height is increased from an initial level when an absolute value of a roll angle of the center pivot axle relative to a vehicle body has exceeded a first roll angle threshold value. A cutting bladeis stopped when the absolute value of the roll angle has exceeded a fourth roll angle threshold value which is greater than the first roll angle threshold value.

Mower provided with center pivot axle

Power equipment such as a riding moweris provided with a center pivot axlefor non-driven wheelsthereof and a rigid axlefor driven wheels. A control unitof the power equipment is configured to accelerate the left driven wheel when a right end up roll angle of the center pivot axle is detected by an axle sensor, and to accelerate the right driven wheel when a left end up roll angle of the center pivot axle is detected by the axle sensor when substantially no steering input of a steering deviceis detected by a steering sensorso that the power equipment may maintain a straight course.

Power equipment provided with center pivot axle

The power equipment such as a lawn mower () comprises an internal combustion engine () having a plurality of cylinders, an engine control unit () for selectively deactivating at least one of the cylinders, a work implement such as a cutting blade () connected to the engine in a power transmitting relationship, a clutch () provided in a power transmission path between the engine and the work implement, and a central control unit () for controlling an operation of a propelling device, the clutch and the engine control unit. The central control unit is configured to operate the engine at a prescribed rotational speed with two or more of the cylinders kept activated when the clutch is engaged and the propelling device is propelling the power equipment forward, and to deactivate at least one of the cylinders when an opening of a throttle valve is below a first prescribed value for a prescribed time period.

Power equipment with cylinder deactivation engine

The lawn mower () comprises an internal combustion engine () having a plurality of cylinders, an engine control unit () for selectively deactivating at least one of the cylinders, a cutting blade () supported by a lawn mower main body via a cutter deck, and connected to the engine in a power transmitting relationship, a clutch () provided in a power transmission path between the engine and the cutting blade, a height adjustment mechanism () provided on the cutter deck for adjusting the height of the cutting blade, and a central control unit () for controlling an operation of the height adjusting mechanism, the clutch and the engine control unit. The central control unit is configured to cause the engine control unit to deactivate at least one of the cylinders when a prescribed operating condition is met, and to raise the cutting blade to a prescribed elevated height before deactivating the at least one of the cylinders.

Lawn mower powered by cylinder deactivation engine

In a mower () driven by a pair of electric motors (), a battery () for supplying electric power to the electric motors is positioned in a space surrounded by the electric motors and a chute () for forwarding grass clippings to a grass collection bag (). The chute extends rearward with an upward slant, and is bent in side view in such a manner that a lower part has a steeper incline than an upper part thereof.

Mower driven by electric motors

The power equipment such as a lawn mower () comprises an internal combustion engine () having a plurality of cylinders, an engine control unit () for selectively deactivating at least one of the cylinders, a work implement such as a cutting blade () connected to the engine in a power transmitting relationship, a clutch () provided in a power transmission path between the engine and the work implement, and a central control unit () for controlling an operation of a propelling device, the clutch and the engine control unit. The central control unit is configured to start the engine with two or more of the cylinders activated, to cause the engine control unit to operate the engine at a prescribed rotational speed, and to cause the engine control unit to deactivate at least one of the cylinders when the engine has reached a stable state at the prescribed rotational speed.

A snow plow, includes a snow plowing part in the front of a machine body having a wheel and a blade; and an operating handle extending rearward from the machine body. The blade is provided at the machine body to be able to be lifted or lowered between a storage position at which the blade is lifted above lowermost surface of the wheel and a usage position at which the blade is lowered below the lowermost surface of the wheel. Any one of the operating handle and the machine body includes an operating member configured to operate the blade such that the blade is lifted or lowered between the storage position and the usage position.

Snow plow

In a mower () driven by a pair of electric motors () and using an engine () for driving a cutter blade (), a fuel tank () for supplying fuel to the engine is positioned in a space surrounded by the electric motors and a chute () for forwarding grass clippings to a grass collection bag (). The chute extends rearward with an upward slant, and is bent in side view in such a manner that a lower part has a steeper incline than an upper part thereof.

Growing community of inventors

Wako, Japan

Shota Tanabe