WO2025035211A1 - Machine de travail autoportée à rayon de braquage nul utilisant une conception de trame divisée pour une interchangeabilité de mise en œuvre - Google Patents

Machine de travail autoportée à rayon de braquage nul utilisant une conception de trame divisée pour une interchangeabilité de mise en œuvre Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2025035211A1
WO2025035211A1 PCT/CA2024/051056 CA2024051056W WO2025035211A1 WO 2025035211 A1 WO2025035211 A1 WO 2025035211A1 CA 2024051056 W CA2024051056 W CA 2024051056W WO 2025035211 A1 WO2025035211 A1 WO 2025035211A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
machine
implement
wheels
split frame
tractor
Prior art date
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Pending
Application number
PCT/CA2024/051056
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English (en)
Inventor
Douglas Mcmillan
Evan Woynorowski
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Yakta Inc
Original Assignee
Yakta Inc
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Filing date
Publication date
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Publication of WO2025035211A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025035211A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
    • A01D34/00—Mowers; Mowing apparatus of harvesters
    • A01D34/01—Mowers; Mowing apparatus of harvesters characterised by features relating to the type of cutting apparatus
    • A01D34/412—Mowers; Mowing apparatus of harvesters characterised by features relating to the type of cutting apparatus having rotating cutters
    • A01D34/63—Mowers; Mowing apparatus of harvesters characterised by features relating to the type of cutting apparatus having rotating cutters having cutters rotating about a vertical axis
    • A01D34/64—Mowers; Mowing apparatus of harvesters characterised by features relating to the type of cutting apparatus having rotating cutters having cutters rotating about a vertical axis mounted on a vehicle, e.g. a tractor, or drawn by an animal or a vehicle
    • A01D34/66—Mowers; Mowing apparatus of harvesters characterised by features relating to the type of cutting apparatus having rotating cutters having cutters rotating about a vertical axis mounted on a vehicle, e.g. a tractor, or drawn by an animal or a vehicle with two or more cutters
    • A01D34/661—Mounting means
    • A01D34/662—Mounting means to the front of the vehicle
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
    • A01D42/00—Mowers convertible to apparatus for purposes other than mowing; Mowers capable of performing operations other than mowing
    • A01D42/06—Sweeping or cleaning lawns or other surfaces
    • A01D42/08—Sweeping snow
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D49/00—Tractors
    • B62D49/06—Tractors adapted for multi-purpose use

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to zero-turn ride-on work machines, for example zero-turn ride-on mowers, and more particularly to design of a zero-turn ride-on work machine compatible with different interchangeable work implements.
  • auxiliary attachments for zero-turn ride-on mowers that enable use of the same machine for working operations other than its primary grass mowing purpose.
  • Such auxiliary attachments embodying various non-mower implements are typically attached to the mower at a front or rear end thereof, separately and independently of the mower deck, which is typically installed in a mid-mount or belly-mount location beneath the frame of the machine between front and rear wheel pairs thereof, and is typically left in place, even if the attachment-equipped machine is then used for a non-mowing application that involves no active use of the mower deck.
  • Such auxiliary attachments thus not only increase the overall footprint of the machine, denoting a front or rear end supplementation of the machine’s normal length, but also increase the overall weight of the machine, whereby such attachments are of potentially notable detriment to both the machine’s manoeuvrability, and its rate of fuel consumption.
  • interchange of one attachment for another may also be time consuming, and or physically demanding for the user, and may require the assistance of another person.
  • a ride on lawnmower is instead assembled from a four wheeled tractor and a separate caster-wheeled mower attachment, each of which has its own separate and fully independent frame, and which independent frames are movably interconnected by an intervening weight transfer mechanism composed of a linkage whose rear end is pivotally mounted to the tractor, and whose front end is pivotally couplable to the mower attachment, and linear actuator by which the weight transverse mechanism is adjustable to vary the fraction of the attachment weight that is borne by the tractor.
  • an intervening weight transfer mechanism composed of a linkage whose rear end is pivotally mounted to the tractor, and whose front end is pivotally couplable to the mower attachment, and linear actuator by which the weight transverse mechanism is adjustable to vary the fraction of the attachment weight that is borne by the tractor.
  • the four wheeled tractor and use of an intermediary weight transfer mechanism to receive the separate attachment once again contribute to a rather large bulk and footprint of the assembled machine, and no details are provided concerning potential running of electrically powered attachment componentry from the tractor, nor concerning self-identification capability for the different attachment types.
  • a ride-on zero-turn work machine comprising: a split frame composed of: a rear tractor half; and a front implement half selectively attachable to, and detachable from, the rear tractor half in an installed position of leading relation to said rear tractor half in a longitudinally forward travel direction of the machine for cooperative formation of a collective frame of the machine by said front and rear halves when attached together; a driver seat carried on the rear tractor half of the split frame; two drive wheels rotatably supported at opposing laterals sides of the rear tractor half of the split frame for driven locomotion and steering of the machine via driven rotation of said drive wheels of the rear tractor half; and two caster wheels installed on the front implement half for cooperation with said two drive wheels of the rear tractor half to rollingly support the machine when said front implement half is attached the rear tractor half in the installed position; and a working implement mounted the front implement half of the split frame.
  • the work machine is selectively reconfigurable for different work applications.
  • a work machine comprising: a first half embodying drive componentry thereon; a second half configured for selective and removable mechanical coupling to the first half, and comprising a working implement connectable to said drive componentry of the rear half for powered operation of at least one component of said working implement from said drive componentry of the first half when said second half is coupled thereto; a first set of one or more electrical contacts on the first half; a second set of one or more electrical contacts on the second half that are of matable relationship to said first set of one or more electrical contacts, said first and second sets of electrical contacts being situated at predisposed locations of selfaligning relationship to one another during aligned mating of the two halves into mechanically coupled relation to one another; and an electronic controller on the first half, and wired to said first set of one or more electrical contacts to selectively form one or more makeable/breakable signal paths from said electronic controller to the second set of one or more electrical contacts when the halves of the split frame are mated together.
  • a ride-on work machine comprising: a rear tractor half; and a front implement half selectively attachable to, and detachable from, the rear tractor half in an installed position of leading relation to said rear tractor half in a longitudinally forward travel direction of the machine; a working implement mounted the front implement half; and a set of wheels comprising at least: a driven subset of the wheels rotatably rotatable installed on the rear tractor half for driven locomotion and steering of the machine via driven rotation of said driven subset of said wheels; an undriven subset of the wheels installed on the front implement half for cooperation with said driven subset of the wheels of the rear tractor half to roll i ngly support the machine when said front implement half is attached the rear tractor half in the installed position; and an auxiliary subset of the wheels selectively useable by the rear tractor half, in cooperative relation to the driven subset of said wheels, for balanced rolling ground support of the rear half, independently of the front implement half, when detached therefrom.
  • a ride-on machine comprising: a tractor half; and an implement half selectively attachable to, and detachable from, the tractor half in an installed position; a working implement mounted the implement half; and a set of wheels comprising at least: a driven subset of the wheels rotatably rotatable installed on the tractor half for driven locomotion of the machine via driven rotation of said driven subset of said wheels; an undriven subset of the wheels installed on the implement half for cooperation with said driven subset of the wheels of the tractor half to rollingly support the machine when said implement half is attached the tractor half in the installed position; and one or more props on the implement half that are each usable in a supportive prop position thereof to prop up the implement half in an attachment-ready position when detached from the tractor half.
  • Figure 1 is a top front left perspective view of a split-frame ride-on zeroturn working machine of the present invention, equipped with a mid-mount mower implement shown in a lowered ground position thereof, and shown with separable front and rear implement and tractor halves of the machine in a coupled state for working use of the implement during locomotion of the machine.
  • Figure 2 is a top front right perspective view of the machine of Figure 1 .
  • Figure 3 is a top rear left perspective view of the machine of Figure 1 .
  • Figure 4 is a top rear right perspective view of the machine of Figure 1 .
  • Figure 5 is a top front left perspective view of the machine of Figure 1 , but with the two halves thereof in a decoupled state enabling interchange of the mower- equipped implement half for a substitutable front half embodying a different implement, and with side mounted fuel tanks and a from cover of the rear half omitted for illustrated purpose, and showing a rear dolly coupled to the rear half to enable driven locomotion thereof independently of the decoupled front half.
  • Figure 6 is a top front right perspective view of the machine of Figure 5.
  • Figure 7 is a top rear right perspective view of the machine of Figure 5.
  • Figure 8 is a top rear left perspective view of the machine of Figure 5.
  • Figure 9A is an isolated front perspective view of the dolly-equipped rear half of the machine from Figure 5.
  • Figure 9B is an isolated rear perspective view of the front half of the machine from Figure 5.
  • Figure 10 is an isolated bottom plan view of the dolly-equipped rear half of the machine from Figure 5.
  • Figure 1 1 is an isolated top plan view of the front half of the machine from Figure 5, with a footwell floor thereof omitted for illustrative purpose.
  • Figure 12A is an isolated right side elevational view of the front half of the machine from Figure 1 1 , with a right side rail thereof omitted for illustrative purpose.
  • Figure 12B is an isolated left side elevational view of the front half of the machine from Figure 12A, with a left side rail thereof omitted for illustrative purpose.
  • Figure 12C is a right side elevational view of the coupled-together halves of the machine of Figure 1 , but with the mower implement in a raised state, and with select componentry thereof omitted to reveal otherwise hidden componentry similarly revealed in Figures 12A and 12B.
  • Figure 13A is a top front left perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the machine, with the two halves thereof in the same decoupled state shown of the other embodiment in Figure 2, and with selective components thereof to reveal a safety mechanism by which decoupling of the two halves is prevented when the implement is in a raised state.
  • Figure 13B is a partial top front right perspective view of the machine of Figure 13A with the two halves thereof in the same decoupled state shown of the other embodiment in Figure 1
  • Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of electrical system components of the machine of Figures 1 through 8.
  • Figure 15 is a table of possible identification codes readable by a controller of the electrical system of Figure 14 upon attachment of the front implement half of the machine to the rear tractor half thereof for identification of an implement type embodied on said front implement half.
  • Figure 16 is a front perspective view of a substitutable front implement half of the machine of Figures 13A and 13B whose working implement is a front-mount snowblower instead of a belly-mount mower.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a novel implementation of a ride-on zero-turn work machine 10, characterized herein as being of a split-frame design, in that an overall frame of the machine is composed of two halves, a rear one of which carries the locomotive components of the machine responsible for the powered locomotion thereof over the ground, and is therefore referred to herein as a tractor half 12 of the machine’s frame; and a front one of which carries at least one working implement of the machine responsible for some sort of work operation of one type or another, examples of which include, but are not limited to, mowing, sweeping, snow blowing, snow clearing, top dressing, aerating, mulching, and load carrying, and is therefore referred to herein as an implement half 14 of the machine’s frame.
  • halves and half are used herein in a general qualitative sense, where the halves refer to two parts that, when assembled, collectively denote a “whole”, and is not used in the more specific quantitative sense to mean that each of those two parts specifically denotes a respective 50% of some quantitative “measure” (e.g. length or weight) of that overall whole.
  • a rear tractor half of the machine refers to a combination of the rear tractor half of the split frame and all components embodied thereon
  • a front implement half of the machine likewise refers to a combination of the front implement half 14 of the split frame and all components embodied thereon.
  • the two halves 12, 14 of the split frame are selectively attachable to, and detachable from, one another, thereby enabling selective split of the machine into its respective halves.
  • FIG. 1 through 4 When the two halves are attached together, as shown in Figures 1 through 4, this denotes a full working state of the machine, in which the working implement on the front half is operable to perform its intended work operation, in simultaneous relation to driven locomotion of the machine over the ground using the locomotive components on the rear half.
  • the rear half of the machine includes two drive wheels 16 rotatably supported at opposing laterals sides of the rear tractor half 12 of the split frame, for driven locomotion and steering of the overall machine in its full working state, via driven rotation of said drive wheels of the rear tractor half.
  • the two drive wheels 16 are each capable of driven rotation in both directions, and may be driven at different speeds, and in opposing direction, to one another, thereby allowing various states of machine travel and steering, including: straight locomotion of the machine in a forward travel direction via driven rotation of both wheels 16 at the same speed in a matching forward rotational direction to one another; straight locomotion of the machine in a reverse travel direction via driven rotation of both wheels 16 at the same speed in a matching reverse rotational direction to one another; turning locomotion in either the forward or reverse travel direction via driven rotation of both wheels in the same rotational direction but at different speeds (differential steering), where the slower of the two drive wheels defines an inside of the turn, denoting the direction in which the machine is thereby steered, and the faster of the two drive wheels defines an outside of the turn; and turn-in-place steering where the two wheels are driven in opposing rotational direction to one another at the same speed to effectively swivel the machine in place about an upright axi
  • the drive wheels 16 are hydraulically driven by respective hydraulic motors, each fed by a respective hydraulic pump 18, both of which in turn are rotationally powered by a shared internal combustion engine (not shown), which thereby denotes a prime mover of this embodiment from which all locomotive power of the machine is derived.
  • the engine is mounted in an engine bay 20 embodied in the rear half of the machine a location adjacent a rear end 22 thereof, at a location rearwardly offset from the shared rotational axis AR of the two drive wheels 16.
  • a driver seat 24 Carried atop the rear tractor half 12 of the split frame in front of the engine bay 20 is a driver seat 24, whose seat back 26 may be intersected by a vertical plane containing the shared rotational axis AR of the two drive wheels 16, and whose seat base 28 projects forwardly from the seat back.
  • a front end 28A of the seat base 28 resides at or near a front end of the rear tractor half 12 of the split frame, i.e. in closer adjacency to a vertical plane occupied by said front end of the split frame than to the aforementioned vertical plane occupied by said shared rotational axis AR of the drive wheels 16.
  • a pair of drive control levers 30 stand erect from the rear tractor half 12 of the split frame.
  • Each drive control lever 30 is of inverted-L or inserted-J shape, having an upright lower segment 30A standing upright from the rear tractor half 12 of the split frame, and an upper handle segment 30B turning laterally inward from a top end of the upright lower segment 30A toward a longitudinal midplane of the machine, whereby this in-turned upper handle segment 30B of each control lever 30 forms an operator handle for gripped manipulation of each control lever 30 in a respective hand of the driver seated in the driver’s seat 24.
  • longitudinal refers to a horizontal directionality in which front and rear ends of the machine are spaced apart, and corresponds to straight travel of the machine when both drive wheels 16 are driven in the same rotational direction at the same speed
  • a lateral direction refers to a horizontal directionality lying perpendicular transverse to the longitudinal direction, and in which the drive wheels 16 are space apart from one another at laterally opposing sides of the machine 12.
  • the longitudinal direction is denoted in the drawings by longitudinal reference axis ALO
  • the lateral direction is denoted by lateral reference axis ALA, drawn coincident with the shared rotational axis AR of the drive wheels 16.
  • Each control lever 30 is pivotable longitudinally (forward and rearward) about a laterally oriented pivot axis to control the rotational direction and speed of the corresponding drive wheel 16 on the same side of the tractor frame half 12, doing so via movement of a respective drive control linkage connected between that control lever 30 and a swashplate control point on the respective hydraulic pump of the respective drive wheel 16, as is known in the art and therefore not described herein in greater detail.
  • each control lever may also be laterally tiltable about an axis lying longitudinally of the machine, between a normal driving position (as illustrated), in which the upright lower segments 30A of the control levers 30 reside in generally vertical and parallel planes, such that the in-turned upper handle segments 30B reside directly in front of the driver’s seat 24 for drive-control manipulation thereof by the driver, and an outboard position (not illustrated) in which the drive control levers are tilted laterally outward from the normal driving position to place the lower upright segments 30A of the control levers 30 in outwardly inclined planes of upwardly divergent relation to one another, thereby opening up a larger space between the upper hand sections of the control levers in front of the driver seat 24 to enable the driver to maneuver more easily into and out of the driver seat 24.
  • each control lever 30 to the outboard position may be permitted only in a neutral position of the control lever’s longitudinal pivot range, which corresponds to a stopped condition of the respective drive wheel (i.e. corresponding to the neutral zero-displacement position of the respective hydraulic pump), and such outboard tilting may be operable to automatically engage a parking brake of each drive wheel, as an extra safety precaution.
  • Different designs capable of such control lever operability can be employed, one novel example of which can be seen in Applicant’s copending PCT Application Nos. PCT/CA2023/050992, filed July 25, 2023, and PCT/CA2023/051366, filed October 13, 2023, the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference, though other workable solutions already known in the art can also be used.
  • two undriven caster wheels 31 are installed on the front implement half 14 of the split frame at two front corners thereof that are of laterally opposing relation to one another, and longitudinally distant relation to the rear tractor half 12 of the split frame.
  • the front implement have of the machine lacks any driven ground wheels of its own, and in the zero-turn context of the illustrated embodiment also lacks any steerable wheels, given the reliance on differential operation of the driven wheels of the rear tractor half of the machine for steering in this zero-turn embodiment.
  • the front implement half 12 of the split frame features two side rails 32 of laterally opposing, parallel and equal-length relationship to one another.
  • the footwell 34 Delimited between these side rails 32 at a topside of the front implement half 12 is an elevationally recessed footwell 34 for receiving the feet of the driver, when seated in the driver seat 24 of the rear tractor half 14.
  • the footwell 34 may comprise one or more forwardly inclined footrests 36 at or near a front terminus of the footwell 34.
  • the working implement 38 of the front implement half of the machine is an undermounted mower implement movably mounted to the front implement half 14 of the split frame in a position residing beneath the side rails 32 and footwell 34 thereof, and rearwardly behind the front caster wheels 31 so as to ride in trailing relation thereto during forward locomotive travel of the machine 10.
  • the illustrated embodiment of the machine thus denotes a mid-mount (A.K.A. belly-mount) mower, where the mower implement 38 resides beneath the frame of the machine 12 in a longitudinally mid position residing between the front caster wheels 31 and the rear drive wheels 16.
  • the front end of the rear tractor half 12 of the split frame is characterized by a pair of rail receivers 40 respectively embodied in fixed positions of fixed orientation at the laterally opposing sides of the rear tractor half 12 of the split frame, at a lateral spacing from one another that matches a lateral spacing of the side rails 32 of the front implement half 14 of the split frame at the rear end of the front implement half 14.
  • each receiver 40 includes a laterally outer wall, a top wall and a bottom wall, all defined in the illustrated example by a singular bent metal bracket 42 affixed to a larger metal sidewall 44 of the rear tractor
  • An axle of a respective one of the drive wheels 16 projects through this larger sidewall 44 to rotatably support said drive wheel 16 just outside this sidewall 44 of the frame, in coupled relation to the respective hydraulic motor and pump pairing (typically embodied in a combined hydrostatic transaxle) that resides on the opposing interior side of this sidewall 44.
  • the metal bracket 42 is affixed to the larger sidewall 44 at a front end thereof, of leading relation to the drive wheel axle, in the forward travel direction, thus achieving the described placement of the rail receivers 40 at the front end of the rear tractor half 12 of the machine.
  • the two rail receivers 40 reside at a shared elevation below that of the base 28 of the driver seat 24, and above the shared rotational axis AR of the drive wheels 16, at a roughly ten o’clock and two o-clock positions in front of the top front quadrants of the respective drive wheels 16.
  • a final structural wall of the rectangular rail receiver 40 is a laterally inner wall defined by the larger sidewall 44 in the illustrated example. It will be appreciated that the various structural walls of the receiver 40 may be defined by various structural means of varying quantity, for example a singular piece of metal tubing, or cooperating pieces of metal channel, plate, etc.
  • the rail receivers are not fully open female sockets for each receiving male insertion of an entirety of the respective side rail’s front end, though such male/female mating may be employed in alternate embodiments, without deviation from the novel split frame concept disclosed herein.
  • the internal space bound by the structural walls of each rail receiver 40 is fitted with a terminal block 46, from a front face of which a set of male pins 48 project longitudinally forward in protruding relation from rail receiver 40 and its terminal block 46 for mated receipt of these male pins 48 in a corresponding set of female sockets 50 embodied in a corresponding set of terminal blocks 62 installed in the side rails 32 of the front implement half 14 of the split frame at rear ends of those side rails 32.
  • One or more of these mating pairs of male pins 48 and female sockets 50 at either rail receiver 40 and its respective side rail 32 may be used as electrical contacts for making electrical connection between the two halves of the machine, for example for powering of electrical componentry on the implement half by one or more electrical power sources on the rear tractor half, and/or for communication of electrical signals between the two halves of the machine, as described in more detail further below.
  • a respective latching arrangement having matable latching components distributed among the front and rear halves of the machine, and in the first illustrated example, among the side rail and rail receiver of the front and rear halves, respectively.
  • the latching arrangement is embodied by a cam latch 52 operably installed on each side rail 32 of the front implement half of the machine adjacent the rear end thereof, and a mating latch pin 54 installed on the respective rail receiver
  • the cam latch 52 is embodied as a rotatable latch plate 56 that resides at an interior side of the side rail 32.
  • the latch plate 56 has a cam slot 58 therein, and is rotatably pinned to the side rail 32 by a pivot pin 60 that penetrates laterally through the side rail 32, and through the terminal block 62 that’s fitted within the rear end of the side rail 32.
  • the latch pin 54 of each rail receiver 40 is respectively attached to the laterally inner wall thereof, and protrudes laterally inward therefrom a short distance toward the longitudinal midplane of the machine 10, thus being suitably placed for respective engagement by the slotted latch plate 56 of the cam latch 52.
  • each of the two latching arrangements in the illustrated embodiment is embodied by a singular latch plate and matching singular latch pin residing on laterally inner sides of the side rail 32 and corresponding rail receiver 40
  • an alternative embodiment may employ a dual-plate cam latch embodied by two latch plates on laterally opposing inner and outer sides of the side rail, and a respective two latch pins likewise provided on laterally opposing inner and outer sides of the rail receiver for respective engagement by the two latch plates, or a singular penetrating latch pin that protrudes from both sides thereof for similar latching of two end regions of that singular latch pin by the two latch plates.
  • Each latch pin 54, or each end region of a singular penetrative latch pin preferably comprises a cam follower roller bearing for optimally smooth, in the interest of providing low friction camming action between the latch pins 54 and the slotted cam latch plates 56.
  • the latch plates 56 of the two cam latches 52 are rotatably interconnected by a cross-bar 64 lying laterally crosswise to the machine at the rear end of the front implement, just past a rear end of the floor of the footwell 34.
  • a cross-bar 64 lying laterally crosswise to the machine at the rear end of the front implement, just past a rear end of the floor of the footwell 34.
  • the floor of the footwell 34 features a handle accommodation slot 66 therein for stowed receipt of a shared operating handle 68 of the two cam latches 52, which radiates from the interconnection cross-bar 64 that rotatably couples the two cam latches 52 together for synchronous rotation thereof via this shared operating handle 68 that is rotationally linked to the two cam latches 52 via the cross-bar 64.
  • this shared operating handle 68 In a lowered position of this shared operating handle 68, corresponding to a latch-coupled state between the two halves of the machine, the shared operating handle 68 is thus recessed below the floor of the footwell 34, and thus has zero or minimal detraction or interference with the driver’s available foot space in said footwell 34.
  • the cam-equipped rearends of the side rails 32 are initially brought into aligned and closely adjacent relation to the rail receivers 40, typically achieved at least partly by dolly-aided driving of the rear tractor half of the machine into or toward such closely adjacent relation to the rear end of the front implement half of the machine, as described in more detail below, but initially stopping short of full mating of the male pins 48 into the female sockets 50, and instead only achieving relative placement of the machine halves where the open ends of the cam slots 58 of the cam latches 52 of the side rails 32 reside closely adjacent the latch pins 54 of the rail receivers 40.
  • the shared operator handle 68 is pushed forwardly and downwardly, moving the open outer ends of the cam slots 58 upwardly over the latch pins 54, which, owing to radially decreasing arc shapes of the cam slots 58, gradually pulls the rear ends of the side rails 32 of the front half of the machine into closer adjacency to the rail receivers 40 of the rear half of the machine, until the cam latches 52 reach the fully latched positions shown in Figures 1 through 4, during which the longitudinally projecting male pins 48 of terminal blocks 46 are inserted into the longitudinally recessed sockets 50 of terminal blocks 62.
  • the latch pins 54 reside at the closed ends of the latch slots 58
  • the shared operating handle 68 projects longitudinally forward from the cross-bar in at least partially recessed relation to the floor of the footwell 34 in the handle accommodation slot 66 thereof
  • the male pins 48 are fully engaged in the female sockets 50
  • the rear faces of the terminal blocks 62 at the rear ends of the side rails 32 abut against the front faces of the terminal blocks 46 of the rail receivers 40.
  • This face-to-face surface abutment between the terminal blocks 46 on the rear half of the machine (or rear terminal blocks, for short) and the terminal blocks 62 on the front half of the machine (or front terminal blocks, for short) denotes a rigidly mated and direct interface between the two halves of the machine, where the latched state between the two halves of the machine holds these flat surfaces together in a manner preventing any relative pivoting or tilting between the two directly-mated half frames so that they cooperatively form a collective rigid frame of the machine with no permitted relative movement between the two frame halves.
  • the two frame halves are instead mechanically interlocked in positions of fixed relation to one another, until such time as the latching mechanism is unlatched to permit separation of the two frame halves from one another. No weight transfer linkage, actuator or other intermediary componentry is present between the two matingly assembled half frames.
  • the shared operating handle 68 has one or more lock pin holes 70 therein that, in the lowered position of the shared operating handle, reside between a pair of hold-down lugs 72 that neighbour the handle accommodation slot at opposing side thereof near the rear end of the footwell floor.
  • the lock pin hole(s) 70 align(s) with a corresponding pair of lock pin openings 74 in the hold-down lugs so that a locking pin (not shown) can be engaged through the aligned lock pin holes and openings of the operating handle 68 and the hold-down lugs, whereupon such locking pin prevents lifting of the shared operating handle, and thereby prohibits unlatching of the cam latches 52 until such locking pin is removed.
  • the shared operating handle has a plurality of round lock pin holes 70, and the lock pin openings 74 of the hold down lugs 72 are slots of elongated shape in the longitudinal direction, though this need not necessarily be the case.
  • the two cam latches may be independently operated via respective operating handles installed thereon, and may employ separate respective locking devices, such as spring-loaded locking pins on the cam latches 52 that automatically engage respective locking apertures provided on the rear half of the split frame at or nearby the rail receivers 40 thereof.
  • the two drive wheels 16 of the rear tractor half of the machine are the frontmost ground wheels thereof, and even more specifically, are the sole ground wheels thereof. Therefore, in the full working state of the machine with the two halves thereof coupled together by the cam latches 52, the rear tractor half of the machine is dependent on the caster wheels 32 of the front half of the machine to cooperate with the drive wheels 16 for balanced rolling support of the overall split frame and its two constituent halves 12, 14.
  • the two-wheeled rear tractor half 12 of the machine Absent the latch-coupled attachment of the front implement half 14 of the machine, the two-wheeled rear tractor half 12 of the machine is incapable of self-balanced rolling support thereof, because in the absence of any additional wheels, the rear tractor half 12 of the frame will simply tilt about the shared rotational axis AR of the two drive wheels 16, particularly in a rearwardly downward direction in the illustrated embodiment, given a rearwardly concentrated weight distribution imparted by the rear engine bay location of the illustrated embodiment.
  • the illustrated embodiment also includes a rear dolly 76 that is selectively attachable and detachable to the rear tractor half 12 of the frame via a hitch receiver 78 provided at the rear end 22 thereof at a laterally central position thereon.
  • the dolly 76 features an auxiliary rear caster wheel 80 at or near a rear end of the dolly 76 at a position trailing centrally behind of the rear tractor half 12 of the frame at a longitudinally offset distance from the hitch receiver 78 thereof, whereby the two drive wheels 16 and this auxiliary caster wheel 80 cooperatively support the rear tractor half 12 of the implement in balanced rollable fashion elevated off the ground.
  • This way, operation of the drive wheels 16 in the attached presence of the rear dolly 76 enables driver-controlled locomotion of the dolly-equipped rear tractor half 12 of the machine in the detached absence of the front implement half 14 of the machine.
  • the weight distribution of the rear tractor half 14 of the machine is rearwardly concentrated, with its center of mass residing rearwardly of the rotational axis AR of the drive wheels 16 due to the placement of the engine bay 20 at a rearward location likewise situated behind said rotational axis AR.
  • the rear half of the machine and the connected rear dolly 76 thus cooperatively carry the engine at a longitudinally intermediate location between the auxiliary rear caster wheel 80 and the two drive wheels 16.
  • the dolly 76 of the illustrated embodiments not only has a rear section 76A extending rearwardly from the hitch receiver 78 to support the auxiliary rear caster wheel 80, but also features a front section 76B that extends forwardly from the rear section 76A beneath a front hitch tube 82 thereof, and reaches longitudinally forward and past the hitch receiver 64 at an elevation beneath the rear tractor half 12 of the split frame.
  • the rear dolly 62 includes a pair of anti-tip wheels 84, symmetrically disposed on opposite sides of the machine’s longitudinal midplane.
  • the front section 76B of the rear dolly is yoke-shaped, having a pair of elongated arms 86 (e.g. composed of metal tubing) of forwardly divergent relation to one another, and each rotatably carrying a respective one of the two anti-tip wheels 84 near a terminal front end of the arm.
  • the two anti-tip wheels 84 reside in slightly elevated relation off the ground.
  • the front section 76B of the rear dolly 76 will tilt downward to the point that the anti-tip wheels 84 touch the ground, and block further tilting, and thereby prevent the whole of the dolly equipped rear tractor half 12 of the machine from tipping further forward.
  • the auxiliary rear caster wheel 80 may be carried on a foldable rear wheel boom lowerable into, and lockable in, a lowered working position reaching rearwardly from the rear end of the rear half of the split frame to place the auxiliary rear caster wheel 80 in the deployed working state, from which the boom would be foldable upwardly from such lowered working position into a stowed non-working position standing upright at the rear end 22 of the machine 10. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the auxiliary rear caster wheel 80 need not be a component of fully removable relation to the rear tractor half 12 of the split frame in order to enable locomotive driving of the rear tractor half of the machine independently of the front implement half 14 thereof.
  • extractability of the rear auxiliary wheel 80 from its deployed working state trailing the rear end of the machine is preferable, whether by detachment of the illustrated removable dolly 76, folding of the contemplated rear wheel boom, or other means, is nonetheless preferable to a permanent fixation of the rear auxiliary at some rearward trailing distance from the rear end of the split frame, in the interest of lessening the overall length of the machine 10 when the front half 14 is attached and the rear auxiliary wheel 80 is not essential to the balanced rolling support of the full machine 10.
  • the mower implement 38 is supported in elevationally movable relation to the underside of the front implement half 14 of the split frame, whereby the driver of the machine 10 can move the mower implement 38 up and down between a raised working position out of physical contact with the ground, and a lowered ground position seated upon said ground.
  • Lifting of the mower implement 38 into the raised position is effected via a foot- operated control pedal 88 pivotally mounted to one of the side rails 32 by a laterally oriented pivot shaft 90, which can be seen spanning fully across the front half 14 of the split frame 32 between the side rails 32 thereof in Figure 1 1.
  • control pedal 88 acts as an input to a linkage 92A installed at the pedal- equipped side rail, which cooperates with a second matching linkage 92B installed at the other side rail that lacks such a control pedal.
  • the two linkages 92A, 92B cooperate to lift the mower implement 38 at four different lift points thereon (left and right front lift points, and left and right rear lift points).
  • Each linkage 92A, 92B features a respective front bell crank 94A, 94B, a respective rear bell crank 96A, 96B, and a respective longitudinal connector link 98A, 98B running longitudinally of the respective side rail 32 and pivotally pinned to the front and rear bell cranks for synchronous pivoting thereof about respective pivot points whose pivot axes lie laterally of the machine 10.
  • a front lobe of each bell crank 94A, 94B, 96A, 96B embodies its respective pivot point
  • a top lobe 94A, 94B, 96A, 96B of each bell crank embodies its pivotal coupling to the connector link 98B, 98B
  • a rear lobe of each bell crank 94A, 94B, 96A, 96B has a respective hanger 100 from which the respective lift point of the mower implement is suspended.
  • the implement is embodied a metal shroud 102 having a flat top wall 104 beneath which a plurality or rotatable mower blades 106 are supported within the bounds of a perimeter wall 108 of the shroud that hangs downward from the top wall 104 thereof at the outer perimeter of this top wall, and thereby defines an outer periphery of the mower shroud 102.
  • the lift points are embodied by lift brackets 1 10 mounted atop the top wall of the mower shroud, where a set of pulleys 1 12 also reside for belt-driven rotation of the mower blades.
  • the two front bell cranks 94A, 94B are interconnected by the same pivot shaft 90 that is shared by the control pedal 88, and that defines the shared pivot axes of these front bell cranks 94A, 94B.
  • the two rear bell cranks 96A, 96B are likewise interconnected by a rear pivot shaft 114 lying on the shared pivot axes of these rear bell cranks 94A, 94B, whereby these front and rear pivot shafts 90, 1 14 impart synchronicity to the movement of the two linkages 92A, 92B.
  • the control pedal 88 features a lever arm 116 of radiating relation to the front pivot shaft 90, for example mounted to a protruding end thereof at the outer side of the respective side rail 32, and a foot bar 1 18 that juts laterally inward from a top end of the lever arm 1 16 toward the longitudinal midplane of the machine 10. Forward displacement of the foot bar 1 18 by the driver’s respective foot pivots the control pedal 88 forwardly, and thereby pivots the rear lobes of the four bell cranks 94A, 94B, 96A, 96B upwardly, and thereby lifts the implement 38.
  • the cutting height of the mower implement 38 is a user-adjustable cutting height, dictated by selective placement of a stop pin 119 in one of an arrayed plurality of stop-pin holes 120 in a stop-pin housing 122 mounted atop the pedal-equipped side rail 32.
  • a stop-limit link 124 runs longitudinally of the side rail 32 just above same, and has a front end pivotally pinned to the lever arm 1 16 of the control pedal 88.
  • a rear end of the stop-limit link 124 has a stop bracket 126 pivotally pinned thereto on a laterally oriented hinge axis, and this stop bracket 126 is longitudinally slidable back and forth inside the stop-pin housing 122.
  • the arrayed stoppin holes 120 are arranged in longitudinally aligned rows and laterally skewed rows, where the holes in each longitudinal row align on a common longitudinal axis, and the holes in each laterally skewed row lie on a skewed axis lying at a small diagonal angle to the lateral direction, whereby no two holes reside at shared longitudinal position along the side rail 32.
  • This use of a stop-pin housing 122 and cooperating stop pin 1 19 to define a mechanical stop point that sets a cutting height of the mower or other implement 38 is just one nonlimiting example of a known means of setting a user-adjustable working height of the mower implement, others of which may alternatively be employed within the scope of the present invention.
  • the engine When preparing to detach the front implement half of the machine from the rear tractor half of thereof, the engine is first shut down to enable disengagement of a drive belt 128 from around an implement drive pulley 129 on the engine driveshaft (not shown) at an elevation beneath engine bay 20. From this connection to the engine driveshaft, typically at the longitudinal midplane of the machine, the drive belt 128 spans forwardly past the front end of the rear tractor half 12 of the machine into entrained relationship around the pulleys 1 12 of the mower implement 38. To enable such removal of the drive belt 128, a belt tensioner 130 on the mower implement 38 is first moved into a detensioning position to release tension on the drive belt 128.
  • such belt detensioning is performed in a toolless fashion via manual unlocking and movement of a tensioner control arm 132 pivotally mounted atop the shroud 102 of the mower implement for swinging movement in a horizontal working plane parallel to the top wall of the shroud.
  • An outer end of the tensioner control arm 132 resides outside a footprint of the front half 14 of the split frame, beyond a respective one of the side rails 32 thereof, and has an operator handle 134 mounted thereon for manual manipulation of the control arm 132.
  • tensioner control arm 132 rotatably carries a movable tensioner pulley 136 that resides near a rear end of the mower implement 38 in slightly offset relation to one side of the machine’s longitudinal midplane, across which the tensioner pulley 136 is neighboured by a stationary rear idler pulley 138.
  • the drive belt 128 is entrained about the tensioner pulley 136 and the rear idler pulley 138 at front inner quadrants thereof, from which the drive belt 127 spans rearwardly to the engine driven implement drive pulley on the rear tractor half 12 of the machine.
  • the driver hops off the machine, unlocks the tensioner control arm 132, shifting its handle-equipped outer end forwardly, and its pulley-equipped inner end rearwardly, thus releasing tension on the drive belt 128 where it was entrained around the front inner quadrant of the tensioning pulley 136, whereafter the belt 128 is then disengaged from around the implement drive pulley 1 on the engine driveshaft.
  • the driver returns to the driver seat 24, and places their foot on the foot bar 1 18 of the control pedal 88 with sufficient force to at least bear the weight, if not actually lift, the mower implement 38, and removes the stop pin 1 19 entirely from the stop-pin housing 122, thereby removing the mechanical stop that normally limits the degree to which the mower implement 38 can be lowered from the front half 14 of the split frame, and then reduces the foot exerted force on the control pedal 88 to carefully lower the mower implement 38 down to ground level in controlled fashion, thus resting the mower implement 38 on the ground.
  • the driver repositions one or more supportive props 123A, 123B in supportive prop positions operable to prop up the front implement half 14 of the frame, even once detached from the rear tractor half 12 of the frame, at the same elevation and horizontal orientation at which the front implement half 14 resides when attached to the rear tractor half 12 for shared support by the caster and drive wheels.
  • the one or more supportive props 123 are embodied by two turnbuckle props 123A, 123B best seen in Figures 12A and 12B.
  • each turnbuckle prop 123A is journaled to the front implement half 14 of the frame, for example at bracket on the underside of a respective one of the side rails 32, which bracket may be shared by a respective trailing arm 125A, 125B of the lifting linkage.
  • each turnbuckle prop 123A, 123B can be removably pinned to a coupling bracket on the top wall 104 of the mower shroud 102 of the implement 38 when the mower implement is fully lowered to the ground, thereby establishing the supportive prop position of the turnbuckle prop 123A, 123B that maintains a predetermined elevational spacing between the front implement half 14 of the frame and the mower implement 38 in order to prop up the front implement half 14 of the frame when decoupled from the rear tractor half 12 of the frame.
  • a powered actuator with an associated user input for user-controlled operation of such powered actuator may replace the operator 68 as the user-actuator for synchronous movement of the cam latches 52.
  • FIGS 13A and 13B illustrate an alternative embodiment of the machine 10’ in which the cam latches 52’ are embodied on the rear tractor half 12 of the machine at the rail receivers 40, and the cooperating latch pins are embodied on the side rails 32 of the front implement half 14 of the machine near the rear ends of those rails 32.
  • each cam latch 52’ is a dual-plate cam latch having a first latch plate 56A at an exterior of the inner wall of the rail receiver 38 and a second latch plate 56B at an exterior of the opposing outer wall of the rail receiver 40, of which the two latch plates 56A, 56B have matching cam slots 58 therein and are rotatably pinned to the rail receiver by the pivot pin 60’, which in this case penetrates laterally through those inner and outer walls of the rail receiver 40, and through the terminal block 46’ situated therebetween.
  • each side rail 32 has two latch pins 54A, 54B respectively attached to laterally opposing inner and outer walls of the side rail 32, in positions protruding externally therefrom for respective engagement of the two latch pins 54A, 54B by the two latch plates 56A, 56B of the cam latch 52’.
  • This embodiment also illustrates how the distribution of male pins 48 and female sockets 50 may be reversed from the earlier embodiment, with the terminal blocks 46’ of rail receivers 40 in this embodiment having the female sockets 50 therein for mating with male pins 48 on the terminal blocks 62’ of the side rails 32.
  • the outer latch plate 56B of each cam latch 52’ is equipped with a respective operating handle 68’ by which the two latch plates 56A, 56B can be rotated single-handedly.
  • the two latches are thus operated independently of one another in this alternative embodiment.
  • each cam latch 52’ has a spring-loaded locking pin 61 installed thereon for engagement into a corresponding lock aperture on the rear half 12 of the split frame, which aligns with the spring-loaded locking pin 61 in the latched position of the cam latch 52’.
  • the locking pin 61 of each cam latch 52’ is mounted on the outer latch plate 56B thereof, and the corresponding lock aperture resides in the laterally outer wall of the respective rail receiver 40.
  • the spring-loaded locking pin 61 is biased into a locking position penetrating the corresponding lock aperture, thus requiring the driver to pull the spring-loaded locking pin 61 outward to release the locked state of the respective cam latch 50 and allow movement thereof out of the latched position and toward the unlatched position.
  • this embodiment incorporates a safety mechanism that mechanically prohibits decoupling of the machine’s two halves from each other when the mower implement 38 is in an elevated state off the ground.
  • this safety mechanism comprises a safety bar 146 affixed to the inner latch plates 56A of the two cam latches 52’ at positions thereon denoting lower rear quadrants thereof in the unlatched positions of the cam latches 52’, and denoting upper rear quadrants of the inner latch plates 56A in the latched positions of the cam latches 52’.
  • the arcuate paths of the rear lobes of the rear bell cranks 96A, 96B about the pivot points of those rear bell cranks, and the arcuate path of the safety bar 146 about the pivot points of the two cam latches 52’, are arranged such that full rotation of the two cam latches 52’ to their fully unlatched positions is permitted only when mower implement 38 has been lowered down to ground level. That is, the rear bell cranks 96A, 96B only attain non-obstructive relation to the unlatching of the cam latches 52’ when the implement lifting linkages reach a position achieving ground contact of the mower implement 38.
  • the safety mechanism thus prevents unlatching of the two machine halves 12, 14 when the undermounted implement 38 (whether a mower, or other implement) is in a raised state.
  • the driver reinserts the stop pin into the stop-pin housing 122 at a position just in front of the stop bracket 126 to block relative movement between the implement 38 and the front half 14 of the split frame, and deploys and pins the two props 123A, 123B in their supportive prop positions, whereafter the unlatching of the two halves 12, 14 of the machine 10’ can safely commence.
  • Figure 14 shows a schematic block diagram showing at least a partial subset of the machine’s electrical system componentry, with a particular emphasis on components used in cooperative relation with the male pins 48 and female sockets 50 that automatically engage each other in electrically conductive contact during the latched coupling of the two halves 12, 14 of the machine 10, thereby forming electrical connections by which electrical power and electrical signals can be communicated between the two halves 12, 14 of the machine.
  • the quantity of matable pins 48 and sockets 50 may vary from the illustrated four of those figures.
  • Figure 14 schematically shows an example with eight socket/pin pairings, for example optionally split evenly between the two interfaces at four pairs interface, of which a first pair (pin PID1 , socket SID1 ), a second pair (pin PID2, socket SID2), a third pair (pin PID3, socket SID3) and a fourth pair (pin PID4, socket SID41 ) are designated for identification purposes, and whose pins and sockets are therefore referred to ID pins (PID1 -PID4) and ID sockets (SID1 -SID4).
  • a fifth pair (pin PG, socket SG) are designated as a ground pin and ground socket for grounding purposes
  • a sixth pair (pin PP, socket SP) are designated as a power pin and power socket for transmitting electrical power
  • seventh and eight pairs are designated for the purpose of establishing connection of the front half of the machine to a Control Area Network bus (CAN bus), of which the seventh pair (pin PCANH, socket SCANH) denotes connection to a high signal (CANH) path of the CAN bus, and the eighth pair (pin PCANL, socket SCANL) denotes connection to a low signal (CANL) path of the CAN bus.
  • CAN bus Control Area Network bus
  • Embodied in the electrical system on the rear tractor half 12 of the machine 10 is an engine control unit (or ECU) 200, which is connected to the aforementioned CAN bus, and a user-actuable throttle control 202 (e.g. electronic throttle dial), both of which may be of conventional design and conventional operative connection to the engine (not shown).
  • the electrical system also includes an additional electronic controller 204 (e.g. microcontroller) electrically coupled to both the ECU 200 and the throttle control 202 for the purpose of imparting added novel functionality of the present invention to the otherwise conventional engine, ECU 200 and throttle control 202.
  • the additional controller 204 may instead be integrated into the ECU 200.
  • At least a subset of available input pins on the controller 204 are used as ID input pins (PIDI1 , PIDI2, PIDI3, PIDI4) of equal quantity to the ID pin-socket pairs PID1 -PID4, SID1 -SID4 embodied at the rail-receiver interfaces of the machine 10, of which each such ID input pin PIDI1 -PIDI4 is connected to a respective one of the ID pin PID1 -PID4 of the rail receivers 40, and is preferably a digital input pin also connected to a voltage supply rail of the controller 204 via a respective pull-up resistor (not shown).
  • the controller also has a ground return pin PGR connected to the ground pin PG of the rail receivers 40, a power output pin PPG connected to the power pin PP of the rail receivers 40, a CANH signal pin PSCANH connected to the CANH pin PCANH of the rail receivers 40 to form part of the CANH signal path, and a CANL signal pin PSCANL connected to the CANL socket SCANL of the rail receivers 40 to form part of the CANL signal path.
  • a ground return pin PGR connected to the ground pin PG of the rail receivers 40
  • a power output pin PPG connected to the power pin PP of the rail receivers 40
  • CANH signal pin PSCANH connected to the CANH pin PCANH of the rail receivers 40 to form part of the CANH signal path
  • a CANL signal pin PSCANL connected to the CANL socket SCANL of the rail receivers 40 to form part of the CANL signal path.
  • This part of the CAN bus running between the controller 204 and the rail receivers 40 on the rear half of the machine may be referred to as a controller-interface segment of the CAN bus (given this segment’s span from controller 200 to the railreceiver interface 32, 40 where the two halves of the machine 10 are coupled together).
  • Other segments of the CAN bus include a controller-ECU segment running between the controller 204 and the ECU 200 on the rear half 12 of the machine 10, and an interface-implement segment embodied on the front half 14 of the machine 10 and running from the rail-carried CANH, CANL sockets SCANH, SCANL to one or more electrical components of the front half of the machine, some or all of which may be embodied in the implement 38 thereof.
  • the various pins of the controller 204 would be connected to the female socket counterparts of the receiver pins referenced in the preceding paragraph and labelled in the figure.
  • the term “electrical contacts” may accordingly be used to generically refer to the matable pins and sockets without specificity to a particular one or the other, given the interchangeability of which may reside on which half of the machine.
  • ID contact may be used to refer to any one of PID1 -PID4 and SID1 -SID4, “power contact” may refer to either PP or SP, “ground contact” may refer to either PG or SG, “CANH contact” may refer to either PCANH or SCANH, and “CANL contact” may refer to either PCANL or SCANL. It will also be appreciated that the distribution of pins 48 and sockets 50 among the two halves 12, 14 of the machine 10 may be mixed, where the electrical contacts include both one or more pins and one or more sockets on each of the machine’s two halves, rather than all pins 48 on one half and all sockets 50 on the other.
  • the controller 204 is configured to continually monitor for a high or low state on each of the ID input pins PIDI1 -PIDI4, and to thereby derive an identification code based on the collective four states of those ID input pins PIDI1 -PIDI4.
  • the controller 204 compares this generated identification code against a plurality of predefined identification codes stored in computer readable memory of the controller 200, each of which corresponds to a different manufactured model of the machine’s front half, of which at least a subset of such models are characterized by different implement types (e.g. mower, sweeper, snowblower, snow clearer (plow blade), top dresser, aerator, mulcher, load carrier, sprayer, fork, bucket, chipper, etc.).
  • implement types e.g. mower, sweeper, snowblower, snow clearer (plow blade), top dresser, aerator, mulcher, load carrier, sprayer, fork, bucket, chipper, etc.
  • a manufacturer can produce a plurality of different “front implement” models, each embodying a respective “front half-frame” of selectively couplable relation to the “rear half-frame” embodied by the rear tractor half of the machine, and each embodied by a different type of implement carried on said front half-frame.
  • Figure 16 illustrates a snowblower model of the front half of the machine 14’, which is substitutable for the lawnmower model of the front half of the machine shown in Figures 13A and 13B.
  • the controller derives a 4-bit identification code, all possible values of which are listed in the table of Figure 15.
  • a controller read identification code of 1 11 1 denotes an absence of a coupled front half of the machine, and each of the other fifteen possible identification codes denotes a different model of front implement that may be coupled to the rear tractor half 12 of the machine, thereby reconfiguring the type of work for which the machine is equipped. So, the high or low state of PIDI1 dictates the first bit of the controller-generated 4-bit identification code (e.g.
  • the high or low state of PIDI2 dictates the second bit of the controller-generated code
  • the high or low state of PIDI3 dictates the third bit of the controller-generated code
  • the high or low state of PIDI4 dictates the final fourth bit of the code.
  • the quantity of pinsocket pairs at the two rail-receiver interfaces, the corresponding quantity of controller ID input pins, and the corresponding bit quantity of the generated identification codes may of course vary from the 4-pair, 4-input, 4-bit example of the illustrated embodiment.
  • Configuration of the different front implement models to generate different identifier code readings by the electronic controller 204 when said different front implement models are coupled to the rear half 12 of the machine is achieved, in the illustrated example, by conductively connecting a different one or more of the model’s rail-carried ID contacts SID1 -SID4 to the model’s rail-carried ground contact SG.
  • a mower- equipped front implement model may have only its first ID contact SID1 conductively connected (i.e.
  • this mower-equipped front implement model’s identification code will be read by the controller 204 as 0111 when this front implement model is coupled to the rear half 12 of the machine, owing to pulling of ID input pin PIDI1 to ground (at ground return pin PGR of controller 134) via the mated ground pin PG and ground socket SG.
  • a different front implement model for example equipped with a snowblower implement, may have its only its second ID contact SID2 conductively connected (i.e. shorted) to its ground contact SG, for reading of this snowblower-equipped front implement model’s identification code as 1011 .
  • Configuration of the different front implement models to each ground a different one or more of its ID contacts when coupled to the rear tractor half 12 of the machine 10 thus causes formation of different makeable/breakable signal paths depending on which front implement model is coupled to the rear tractor half 12 of the machine 10.
  • These signal paths are makeable/breakable in the sense that they are “made” when the two halves of the machine are coupled, and “broken” when the two halves of the machine are decoupled.
  • the detected presence of zero “made” signal paths by the controller i.e. high states detected on all four ID input pins PIDI1 -PIDI4, due to lack of any grounding thereof, thereby generating an identification code reading of 1111 ) denotes an absence of a connected front implement model to the rear half of the machine.
  • the controller 204 is connected between the throttle control 202 and the ECU 202, and is configured such that when the controller 204 detects such absence of a connected front half 14 of the machine, the throttle control signal from the throttle control 202 is not passed straight through to the ECU in unmodified form. Instead, the controller 204 imparts a limiting effect on the final throttle control signal that it transmits onward to the ECU 200 to impart the electronic throttle control on the engine.
  • the driver thus lacks the full range of throttle control over the engine that would otherwise be possible via the throttle control 202 when a front implement half 14 is attached.
  • the driver is prevented from throttling the engine past a predetermined threshold speed dictated by the controller 204 when its throttle limitation function is triggered by the detected absence of a front implement half of the machine.
  • This serves to limit the maximum attainable locomotion speed of the rear tractor half 12 of the machine 10 in its dolly-equipped implement-free state.
  • the rear tractor half 12 of the machine 10 is intended for only low- speed travel, for example enabling slowly driven approach to a parked front implement half 14 of the machine 10 into close enough proximity and alignment for latched coupling thereto, and not for higher-speed travel of type necessary for effective working use of the fully assembled, implement-equipped machine 10 once the front half 14 has been attached, and the rear dolly 76 removed.
  • the mower implement 38 is in its lowered ground position and the props 123A, 123B are pinned in place in their supportive prop positions, and so the front implement half 14 of the machine is self-supported in a horizontal orientation and predefined elevation corresponding to the same installed position occupied by the front implement half 14 of the machine when attached to the rear tractor half 12 thereof.
  • the propped up front implement half 14 of the machine is self-supporting in an attachment-ready position in which simple driven approach of the rear tractor half 12 of the machine to the propped up front implement half 14 properly aligns the rail receivers of the rear tractor half 12 and the two side rails 32 of the front implement half 14 at matching elevation to one another for mated coupling.
  • the props 123A, 123B are decoupled (e.g. unpinned) from the mower implement 38, and for example, pivoted about their journaled top ends into stowed positions running alongside the respective trailing arms 125A, 125B, whereby they may be pinned in place until the props are next needed.
  • the stowed props 123A, 123B are of non-interfering relation to the lifting linkage by which the mower implement can then be lifted from its grounded seated position to its raised working position.
  • the power contacts PP and PS of the rail-receiver interface connected to the power output pin PPO of the controller 134, enable distribution of electrical power to one or more electrical components or accessories 206 on the front half of the machine 10 from one or more batteries that are embodied in the electrical system of the rear half 12 of the machine, and are also used power the local electrical components of that rear half 12 (including ECU 200, controller 204 and any connected operator controls/displays, etc.).
  • the CANH, CANL contacts PCANH, PCANL, SCANH, SCANL also enable transmission of communication signals in one or both directions between electrical components on the front and rear halves of the machine. For example, some implements may require, or gain performance benefit from, ability to control engine operating parameters (e.g.
  • engine RPM, etc. through the ECU 200; ability to receive information on engine operating conditions from the ECU 200 (e.g. engine RPM, engine load, etc.); ability to communicate with driver controls/display(s) (e.g. touch screen 208 with combined control and display capabilities) on the rear tractor half 12 of the machine 10, for example where operator inputs (e.g. on-screen buttons of such touch screen display, and/or hardware buttons, switches, etc.) may actuate or operate some equipment (e.g. linear actuator) on the front half 14 of the machine 10; and/or ability to communicate position data or other relevant data to the ECU 200, controller 204 and/or operator controls/display(s) 208.
  • driver controls/display(s) e.g. touch screen 208 with combined control and display capabilities
  • operator inputs e.g. on-screen buttons of such touch screen display, and/or hardware buttons, switches, etc.
  • some equipment e.g. linear actuator
  • each different model may have embodied thereon a measurably distinctive (i.e.
  • identifying resistive load whose resistance is measurable by the controller 204, for comparison against different model-specific resistance-based identifiers stored in the controller’s computer readable memory. If the controller detects an open circuit, this denotes absence of any front half of the machine, but in the event of a circuit being closed by the mated electrical contacts of the two halves of the machine, the controller will measure the identifyingly unique resistive load of that circuit, and compare against the resistance-based identifiers in memory to identify the attached front implement model.

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Abstract

L'invention concerne une machine de travail autoportée à rayon de braquage nul comprenant un nouveau cadre divisé composé d'une moitié de tracteur arrière, et d'une moitié d'outil avant pouvant être attachée/détachée. La moitié arrière comprend un siège de conducteur, et deux roues motrices pour la locomotion et la direction entraînées de la machine. Pour le support roulant de la machine assemblée, les roues motrices coopèrent avec des roulettes sur la moitié avant, où un outil de travail est également mis en œuvre. Grâce à un échange sélectif d'une moitié avant avec une autre moitié avant remplaçable ayant un outil de travail différent, la machine peut être sélectivement reconfigurée pour différentes applications de travail. Un dispositif de commande électronique intégré sur la moitié arrière peut fonctionner pour détecter et distinguer de telles moitiés avant interchangeables différentes, et ajuster des paramètres de fonctionnement de composants de la moitié arrière sur la base de ceux-ci. Un chariot pouvant être fixé de manière sélective à la moitié arrière met en œuvre une roue auxiliaire, permettant la locomotion de la moitié arrière en l'absence de la moitié avant.
PCT/CA2024/051056 2023-08-15 2024-08-13 Machine de travail autoportée à rayon de braquage nul utilisant une conception de trame divisée pour une interchangeabilité de mise en œuvre Pending WO2025035211A1 (fr)

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US63/519,606 2023-08-15

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PCT/CA2024/051056 Pending WO2025035211A1 (fr) 2023-08-15 2024-08-13 Machine de travail autoportée à rayon de braquage nul utilisant une conception de trame divisée pour une interchangeabilité de mise en œuvre

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20240237573A1 (en) * 2023-01-16 2024-07-18 Troy Eberly Conversion system for zero turn lawn equipment

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