Variable speed control systems and methods for walk-behind working machines

[0001] The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to variable control systems for powered equipment. More particularly, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to variable speed controls and methods for walk-behind working machines, such as lawnmowers.

[0002] Many walk-behind working machines, such as lawnmowers and other similar small powered equipment, have a self-propel system that propels or drives the working machine at a selected ground speed. In such systems, a control system is typically carried on the handle to allow the operator to engage and disengage the self-propel system and to select a desired ground speed. For example, many such control systems use a pivotable ground speed control bail on the handle of the working machine. In such systems, the bail can be pivoted to engage the self-propel system, with the degree of movement of the ground speed control bail dictating the ground speed of the working machine.

[0003] In these conventional self-propel systems, however, it can be difficult to maintain the control system in a fixed position corresponding to a desired cruising speed. For example, many control systems lack a fixed position in which the operator can comfortably hold the control bail while operating the working machine at a self-propelled “cruising” speed. In view of these issues, it would be desirable for a ground speed control system to allow for comfortable operation of the working machine at a desired cruising speed.

[0004] In accordance with this disclosure, variable speed control systems and methods for walk-behind working machines, such as lawnmowers and similar powered machines are provided. In one aspect, a variable speed control system for a walk-behind working machine is provided. The system can comprise a control system base, a handle, a control lever comprising a lever arm having a first end that is pivotably attached to the control system base and a second end substantially opposing the first end that comprises a grip portion, and a control connector in communication between the control lever and a machine component. The control lever can be selectively pivotable with respect to the control system base between a first angular position at which the grip portion of the control lever is spaced apart from the handle by a first angle and a second angular position at which the control lever is proximate to the handle. In addition, a control lever adjustment system can be configured to selectively adjust the first angle by which the control lever is spaced apart from the handle when the control lever is in the first angular position to adjust the total angular travel of the control lever between the first angular position and the second angular position. Based on this positioning, the control connector can be configured to control the machine component to be in one of a range of operating states corresponding to the angular position of the control lever with respect to the control system base.

[0005] In another aspect, a method for varying a speed of a walk-behind working machine is provided. The method can include, for a control lever that is selectively pivotable about a control system base between a first angular position at which a grip portion of the control lever is spaced apart from a handle by a first angle and a second angular position at which the control lever is proximate to the handle, selectively adjusting the first angle by which the control lever is spaced apart from the handle when the control lever is in the first angular position to adjust the total angular travel of the control lever between the first angular position and the second angular position. The control lever can be pivoted with respect to the control system base between the first angular position and the second angular position. In this way, pivoting the control lever between the first angular position and the second angular position controls a machine component to be in one of a range of operating states corresponding to the angular position of the control lever with respect to the control system base.

[0006] Although some of the aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein have been stated hereinabove, and which are achieved in whole or in part by the presently disclosed subject matter, other aspects will become evident as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings as described hereinbelow.

[0021] The present subject matter provides variable speed control systems and methods for walk-behind working machines, such as lawnmowers and similar powered machines. In one aspect, the present subject matter provides variable speed control systems and methods that can vary speed and comfortably hold a desired predetermined fixed speed.

[0022] Specifically, for instance, as shown in FIGS. 1A through 3B, a variable speed control system, generally designated 100 can comprise a handle 110 configured to be gripped by an operator to control the operation of a working machine, such as a lawnmower or other small powered machine, to which handle 110 is connected. A control system base 120 can be attached to or otherwise positioned near handle 110, and a control lever 130 can be movably attached to control system base 120. With this general configuration, control lever generally designated 130 can be moved to control operation of a machine component, such as for example a variable transmission for a self-propel system of the working machine.

[0023] In particular, control lever 130 can comprise a lever arm 132 having a first end that is pivotably attached to control system base 120 and a second end substantially opposing the first end that comprises a grip portion 134. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1A, 2A, and 3A, control lever 130 can have a substantially L-shaped profile, with grip portion 134 extending at a non-zero angle (e.g., between about 50 and 90 degrees) away from lever arm 132. This angular arrangement allows the operator to grab grip portion 134 in a comfortable hand position and pivot control lever 130 with respect to control system base 120.

[0024] In this regard, to control the operation of the associated machine component (e.g., a self-propel system), control lever 130 can be selectively pivoted with respect to control system base 120 between a first angular position (See, e.g., FIGS. 1A and 1B) at which grip portion 134 of control lever 130 is spaced apart from handle 110 and a second angular position (See, e.g., FIGS. 2A and 2B) at which grip portion 134 is comparatively closer to handle 110. This pivoting movement of control lever 130 can be configured to correspondingly cause changes in the operating state of the connected machine component. In particular, for example, the machine component can be configured to be in a low-speed or idle state when control lever 130 is in the first angular position and in a high-speed or cruising state when control lever 130 is moved to the second angular position. For instance, where the machine component is a self-propel system for a working machine, the first operating state can be a disengaged state (i.e., no torque applied), and the second operating state can be a selected high-speed state (i.e., torque applied to the drive system, such that the working machine is moved at a predetermined cruising speed).

[0025] To help the operator maintain control lever 130 in the second angular position, at least a portion of grip portion 134 can be designed to be positioned within a recess 112 that is formed in an edge of handle 110 when control lever 130 is in the second angular position. In the particular configuration shown in FIGS. 1A through 3B, for example, recess 112 can be designed to be large enough such that grip portion 134 can be nested substantially entirely within recess 112. In this way, pivoting control lever 130 to the second angular position can involve pivoting control lever 130 into a position in which an outer surface 135 of grip portion 134 of control lever 130 is substantially aligned with an outer surface generally designated 115 of handle 110 (e.g., surfaces substantially flush/even with one another). In this way, the combination of handle 110 and grip portion 134 can fit together such that the operator can comfortably hold control lever 130 in a substantially fixed manner at the second angular position by squeezing grip portion 134 into recess 112. With respect to the operation of a self-propel system, for example, this ability to comfortably maintain control lever 130 in the second angular position means that the operator can maintain the working machine at a cruising speed by simply gripping around the nested combination of handle 110 and grip portion 134.

[0026] In addition, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, recess 112 can be configured such that it is large enough that grip portion 134 can be depressed beyond the point at which outer surface 135 of grip portion 134 is substantially aligned with outer surface 115 of handle 110. In this regard, control lever 130 can be further selectively pivotable to a third angular position (See, e.g., FIGS. 3A and 3B) at which outer surface 135 of grip portion 134 of control lever 130 is depressed into recess 112 of handle 110. With control lever 130 in this third angular position, variable speed control system 100 can be configured to control the machine component to be in a third operating state. For instance, the third operating state can comprise an over-stroke state of the machine component that provides additional torque to the self-propel system to account for changing ground conditions (e.g., inclines, uneven ground surfaces). In this way, from the second angular position, if the operator desires to apply additional driving torque (e.g., to travel up a hill), grip portion 134 can be depressed into recess 112 (e.g., by using his/her thumbs to press grip portion 134 further into handle 110) to the third angular position. Depending on the configuration of recess 112, this additional over-stroke travel from the second angular position to the third angular position can be small compared to the angle of travel between the first angular position and the second angular position. To limit the extent of this over stroke, handle 110 can be configured to define or include a stop 116 at the back of recess 112 such that once a leading edge 136 of grip portion 134 encounters stop 116, control lever 130 is prevented from pivoting any farther.

[0027] Furthermore, those having skill in the art will recognize that control lever 130 can additionally be pivoted to any of a variety of intermediate angular positions to correspondingly operate the machine component in one or more partial engagement states (e.g., low- to medium-speed operating states of the self-propel system). In this way, the operator can selectively operate the machine component at states between the first and second operating states.

[0028] This movement of control lever 130 among the various angular positions discussed above can be used to control the operation of the associated machine component by connecting a control connector 122 between control lever 130 and the machine component. Specifically, for example, control connector 122 can be a Bowden-type cable in which an inner wire is movable with respect to a hollow outer cable housing to transmit a force to the machine component. In this arrangement, pivoting movement of control lever 130 can cause translation of the inner wire of control connector 122. In addition, at least a portion of control connector 122 can be contained within (e.g., routed through) control system base 120 and/or handle 110 to prevent inadvertent actuation of control connector 122. In this way, the pivoting movement of control lever 130 can be translated into changes in the operating state of the connected machine component. Those having skill in the art will recognize that any of a variety of other configurations for control connector 122 can be used to translate movement of control lever 130 into changes in the operation of the connected machine component. For example, control connector 122 can be a wired or wireless electrical signal transmitter that enables communication between control lever 130 and the machine component.

[0029] Regardless of the particular mechanism by which rotation of control lever 130 is translated into changes in the operating state of the connected machine component, this control arrangement can be configured such that the greater the distance that control connector 122 is displaced, the greater the force that is transmitted to the machine component. Accordingly, the magnitude of the output of the machine component corresponding to each operating state (e.g., the speed of the self-propel system) can be controlled by correspondingly controlling the magnitude of the displacement of control connector 122, which can in turn be controlled by correspondingly controlling the angular travel of control lever 130. As a result, greater outputs can be achieved by greater total angular movement of control lever 130.

[0030] With this relationship in mind, variable speed control system 100 can be configured to enable the operator to selectively control the magnitude of the output of the machine component that corresponds to each operating state by modifying the length of the total angular travel of control lever 130. Because the second angular position of control lever 130 is defined above by the proximity of control lever 130 to handle 110 (e.g., See FIGS. 2A and 2B), such modification of the length of total angular travel of control lever 130 can be most easily achieved by changing the location of the first angular position of control lever 130 relative to handle 110 (i.e., a base starting position).

[0031] In this regard, variable speed control system 100 can be configured such that the first angular position of control lever 130 is selectively adjustable. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4A through 4C, variable speed control system 100 can comprise a control lever adjustment system, generally designated 140, that is configured to adjust the first angular position of control lever 130. Control lever adjustment system 140 can include a guide assembly 142 that is rotatable with respect to control system base 120 and that is connected to control connector 122 to effect changes in the operating state of the connected machine component. In particular, guide assembly 142 can comprise a groove 143 that is configured to receive a control pin 146 therein, control pin 146 being connected to control connector 122. In particular, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, guide assembly 142 can comprise a first guide portion 142a defining a first groove 143a and a second guide portion 142b defining a second groove 143b that are configured to be connected together to form a substantially cylindrical sleeve that surrounds and engages control pin 146.

[0032] To constrain the movement of control pin 146 to be in a predictable and defined path, a bracket 144 can be positioned in a substantially fixed orientation with respect to control system base 120 and configured to guide control pin 146 to move in a substantially linear path along a slot 145 formed in bracket 144 (e.g., in a substantially axial direction with respect to bracket 144 and control system base 120). In particular, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, bracket 144 can comprise a first bracket portion 144a having a first slot 145a formed therein and a second bracket portion 144b having a second slot 145b formed therein, first bracket portion 144a and second bracket portion 144b being configured to be connected together to form a substantially cylindrical shell within guide assembly 142. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4B, control pin 146 can be constrained by bracket 144, which can be nested within guide assembly 142.

[0033] In this arrangement, rotation of guide assembly 142 can cause a linear displacement of control pin 146 to thereby cause actuation of control connector 122. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4C, whereas slot 145 in bracket 144 can be configured to be substantially linear to guide the movement of control pin 146, groove 143 in guide assembly 142 can have an arcuate shape. In this way, rotation of guide assembly 142 exerts a force on control pin 146 that would tend to rotate control pin 146 about a central longitudinal axis of guide assembly 142. Because control pin 146 is restrained by slot 145 to only be movable in an axial direction with respect to guide assembly 142, however, the force exerted on control pin 146 causes control pin 146 to slide axially along groove 143. Accordingly, actuation of control connector 122 can be controlled by controlling the rotation of guide assembly 142.

[0034] In addition, guide assembly 142 can be coupled to control lever 130 such that pivoting movement of control lever 130 causes rotation of guide assembly 142. In particular, as shown in FIG. 4B, guide assembly 142 can be coupled to control lever 130 by a control knob 150 connected to a worm gear 152 that is carried by control lever 130. In this arrangement, rotation of control knob 150 can cause rotation of worm gear 152 with respect to control lever 130. This rotation of worm gear 152 can exert a force on complementary gear teeth provided on guide assembly 142, which can cause control lever 130 to pivot with respect to guide assembly 142 and control system base 120. In this way, adjustments in the position of control knob 150 can result in modifications to the base position (i.e., the first angular position) of control lever 130 with respect to control system base 120. As a result, the operator can selectively move control knob 150 to set the first angular position of control lever 130 with respect to control system base 120.

[0035] As discussed above, because this setting establishes the total available angular travel through which control lever 130 can be pivoted, setting this base position effectively controls the range of operating states of the machine component. In other words, where the machine component is a self-propel system, for example, increasing the total angular travel through which control lever 130 can be pivoted effectively increases the cruising speed when control lever 130 is pivoted to the second angular position proximate to handle 110 (and the over-stroke speed when control lever 130 is depressed into handle 110 to the third angular position).

[0036] Specifically, for example, FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate adjustment of control knob 150 from a minimum base state a to an increased base state b, which moves control lever 130 to a corresponding base angular position with respect to handle 110 (e.g., about 18°). In comparison, FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate adjustment of control knob 150 from minimum base state a to a high base state c, which moves control lever 130 to a correspondingly higher base angular position with respect to handle 110 (e.g., about 36°). Of course, those having skill in the art will recognize that control knob 150 can be turned to any of a variety of intermediate positions corresponding to a variety of angular positions of control lever 130. In this way, the operator of variable speed control system 100 can move control knob 150 to establish the maximum operating state (e.g., set the cruising speed) of the machine component to be any desired state within the operating limits of the machine component. The adjustability gives the operator precise control over the operation of the machine component.

[0037] The present subject matter can be embodied in other forms without departure from the spirit and essential characteristics thereof. The embodiments described therefore are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Although the present subject matter has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art are also within the scope of the present subject matter.