Auto configuration of electrically powered reel cutting units on a reel mower

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9439349-B2
Application number	US-201514789487-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2015
Priority date	Jul 7, 2014
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

A gang reel mower comprises a frame that carries a plurality of variable speed, electrically powered reel cutting units. Cutting units having different reel diameters may be installed on the frame. Upon system power up, a mower controller on the frame automatically acquires information identifying the reel size of the cutting units then installed on the frame and uses the acquired reel size information to properly set the speed of the electric motors driving the cutting units to a desired value, such as that needed to maintain a desired clip. Thus, the cutting units can be changed in size with the mower controller automatically recognizing the change in a plug and play manner.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A reel mower, which comprises:
(a) a frame supported for rolling over a turf surface having grass;
(b) a plurality of reel cutting units carried on the frame, wherein each reel cutting unit comprises a cutting reel rotatable about a horizontal axis for pushing blades of grass against a cooperating bedknife to sever blades of grass on the turf surface in a shearing action between the cutting reel and the bedknife, wherein the cutting reels of the plurality of reel cutting units are individually powered by separate variable speed electric motors with each reel cutting unit being powered by one electric motor that is separate and distinct from other electric motors that power individually and separately other reel cutting units of the plurality of reel cutting units, wherein the plurality of reel cutting units that are carried on the frame are selected from a group of reel cutting units consisting of:
(i) reel cutting units having cutting reels of a first diameter; and
(ii) reel cutting units having cutting reels of a second diameter that is different than the first diameter,

wherein each separate and distinct electric motor that drives a cutting reel of a reel cutting unit includes an electronic motor controller; and
(c) an electronic, microprocessor based, mower controller carried on the frame, the mower controller being operatively connected with electronic motor controllers of the electric motors of all the reel cutting units that are currently being carried on the frame, the mower controller being configured to:
(i) automatically acquire, prior to a mowing operation, reel size information that identifies whether the currently carried cutting reels being driven have the first or the second diameter; and
(ii) automatically use the acquired reel size information to properly set speeds of the cutting reels of all the currently carried reel cutting units during the mowing operation.

2. The reel mower of claim 1 , wherein the mower controller is further configured to properly set the speeds of the cutting reels of all the currently carried reel cutting units to maintain a substantially constant clip for each reel cutting unit, the clip for each reel cutting unit comprising a parameter expressed as a distance traveled by the frame between successive contacts of a plurality of circumferentially spaced blades on the cutting reel with a reference shear point on the cooperating bedknife.

3. The reel mower of claim 2 , wherein the clip is manually input into the mower controller by an operator with the clip then being stored in the mower controller for use during the mowing operation, the operator being able to choose a desired distance for the clip at the time of input.

4. The reel mower of claim 1 , wherein the mower controller automatically acquires the reel size information during a power up routine prior to the mowing operation.

5. The reel mower of claim 1 , wherein the mower controller has a memory that stores a first speed look up table for use when the first diameter cutting reels are currently installed on the frame and a second speed look up table for use when the second diameter cutting reels are currently installed on the frame, and wherein the mower controller automatically uses either the first look up table or the second look up table to set the speeds of the cutting reels depending on whether the reel size information acquired by the mower controller has identified whether the first diameter cutting reels or the second diameter cutting reels are present.

6. The reel mower of claim 1 , wherein the mower controller continues to use for subsequent mowing operations whatever reel speed settings were last used in an immediately preceding mowing operation until such time as the mower controller detects a change in the reel size of the reel cutting units carried on the frame, wherein the mower controller then displays to an operator the last used reel speed settings and requires the operator to confirm a change in the last used reel speed settings to new reel speed settings required for use due to a reel size change.

7. The reel mower of claim 1 , wherein the mower controller prevents operation of the plurality of reel cutting units when the acquired reel size information indicates a size mismatch in the reel diameter sizes of the cutting reels that are currently carried on the frame.

8. The reel mower of claim 7 , wherein the mower controller transmits an alert of the size mismatch to a display of the mower controller to allow the operator to be aware of the size mismatch in order to take corrective action.

9. The reel mower of claim 1 , wherein the electric motors comprise a first model of electric motor operatively connected to the first diameter cutting reels and a second model of electric motor operatively connected to the second diameter cutting reels, wherein the first and second models of electric motors have separate and distinct couplings for coupling the models to the first and second diameter cutting reels such that the first model of electric motor is not capable of being coupled to the second diameter cutting reel and the second model of electric motor is not capable of being coupled to the first diameter cutting reel.

10. The reel mower of claim 9 , wherein the mower controller automatically acquires the reel size information by acquiring information indicating for each reel cutting unit which model of electric motor is coupled to the cutting reel.

11. The reel mower of claim 1 , wherein the motor controller of each electric motor has a memory that stores the reel size information for the cutting reel being driven, and wherein the reel size information stored in the motor controllers of all the currently carried reel cutting units is passed to the mower controller through a two-way communication channel between the motor controllers and the mower controller.

Assignees

• The Toro Co

Inventors

• Drake Jeffrey T
• Meemken Kelly S

Classifications

• A01D34/006

  Control or measuring arrangements · CPC title

• A01D34/44

  with two or more cutters · CPC title

• A01D34/008 Primary

  for automated or remotely controlled operation · CPC title

• A01D34/58 Primary

  electric · CPC title