Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership

An electrically-powered lawn mower includes electric drives that power the wheels of the mower. Each drive includes an electric motor disposed in a housing that drives a motor shaft connected to a pinion gear. Rotation of the motor shaft causes rotation of an output axle having an axis of rotation that is offset from and parallel to the motor shaft axis of rotation. Each electric drive of the lawn mower is substantially bilaterally symmetrical about a plane passing through its motor shaft axis of rotation and its output axle axis of rotation. Each electric drive is connected to a control system via a communication network. The control system may include, for example, a steering wheel and pedal, a joystick, or control levers for providing operator input to the electric drives.

A cylinder-block-clamping brake apparatus has both parking brake capability and limited dynamic braking capability. The brake apparatus includes a first clamp arm and an opposed second clamp arm that are disposed about a rotating cylinder block that is drivingly engaged to a motor shaft of a hydraulic or hydrostatic drive unit. A first end of each clamp arm is in contact with a brake actuation cam and a second end of each arm is configured to interface one with the other to form a floating slide-pivot joint. Each clamp arm includes at least one block contact pad formed thereon. When the cam is pivoted in either direction, block contact pads formed on the clamp arms are forced against the cylinder block to prevent rotation of the cylinder block and motor shaft.

A hybrid system for use with utility vehicles includes an electric motor including an output shaft and a conductor configured to alternatively receive power from or send power to an electrical power source. The hybrid system includes an internal combustion engine, a first pulley connected to and rotated by the internal combustion engine, and a clutch mechanism. The clutch mechanism includes a ratchet connected to the output shaft of the electric motor to rotate at a first rotational speed, a pawl carrier driven by the internal combustion engine to rotate at a second rotational speed, and one or pawls coupled to and configured to rotate with the pawl carrier. The one or more pawls are configured to be disengaged from the ratchet when the first and second rotational speeds differ and engaged with the ratchet when the first and second rotational speeds are equal.

Utility vehicles with battery management and autonomous control systems are disclosed. A utility vehicle includes driven wheels, electric motor(s), blade motor(s), at least one battery, battery management system(s), global navigation satellite system receiver(s), and controller(s) communicatively connected to memory. The controller(s) identify whether map data for a mow area is stored in the memory and perform a sparse-mow routine in response to identifying no map data in the memory. To perform the sparse-mow routine, the controller(s) autonomously steer the electric utility vehicle to travel over a sample of each portion of the mow area, collect location data, and collect current discharge data. The controller(s) generate an energy-consumption map for the mow area by correlating the current discharge data with the location data and determine an efficient-mow path for subsequent mowing events of the mow area based on the energy-consumption map.

A liquid-cooled electric motor assembly is disclosed having a coolant circuit used to cool both an electric motor and a motor controller of the electric motor assembly. The compact coolant circuit minimizes the need for external lines between the electric motor and controller, while providing separate heat sinks for the electric motor and motor controller assembly. The liquid-cooled electric motor may engage and power a variety of reduction output assemblies to form drive assemblies. The coolant circuit of the electric motor assembly may cooperate with an external coolant circuit to form a cooling system. The external circuit may include a radiator (e.g., heat exchanger or oil cooler) and an electric pump for the coolant which may cool one or more drive assemblies of a vehicle drive system.

A lawn mower having a control system, and a pair of driven wheels and a pair of electric motors for zero turn capabilities, is disclosed. The lawn mower has a steering wheel having a neutral wheel position. The control system includes one or more first sensors configured to collect orientation data of the lawn mower, a position sensor configured to detect a position of the steering wheel, memory for storing a target heading of the lawn mower, and a processor. The processor is configured to determine the target heading based on the position of the steering wheel, determine a current heading of the lawn mower based on the orientation data collected by the one or more first sensors, and transmit a course correction signal for at least one of the pair of electric motors based on a comparison between the current heading and the target heading.

An electric brake for an electric drive includes a brake coil housing joined to an electric motor end cap to form a brake compartment containing a first and second stator with a rotor assembly disposed between the two stators. The rotor assembly comprises isolators for vibration damping and alignment of brake pucks constrained by and rotating along with a rotor engaged to an output shaft of the electric motor. An adjustable plug, a spacer and a spring are disposed in the brake coil housing. The spring is compressed by the adjustable plug to apply a biasing force against the second stator to press the stator against the brake pucks of the rotor assembly, and an electric brake coil is positioned adjacent to the second stator to electromagnetically pull the second stator away from the pair of brake pucks when energized.

An electric motor and related components, such as a motor controller assembly, are disclosed having a coolant circuit where the related components are cooled by the same fluid flow that cools the electric motor. The compact coolant circuit minimizes the need for external lines between the electric motor and related components, while providing separate heat sinks for the electric motor and, for example, a motor controller assembly. The liquid-cooled electric motor and related components may engage and power a variety of reduction output assemblies to form drive assemblies. The coolant circuit of the electric motor and its related components cooperates with an external coolant circuit to form a cooling system. The external circuit may include a radiator (e.g., heat exchanger or oil cooler) and an electric pump for the coolant which may cool one or more drive assemblies of a vehicle drive system.