SK7318Y1 - Handlebars for garden hardware - Google Patents

Abstract

The handlebars (1) are provided for at least one mean (4) for mounting at least one accumulator battery, preferably of at least one starter battery of the internal combustion engine. An equipment (4) for mounting of the battery may be for example a hollow cavity for housing of the battery, which is provided with a detachable cover.

Description

The invention relates to the field of motorized garden technology, in particular to handlebars having at least one means for attaching at least one accumulator battery, preferably at least one starter battery of an internal combustion engine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Motor gardening equipment usually consists of a ground-moving frame equipped with wheels, some of which can be driven; in the case of technology for winter use, the frame may also be equipped with a crawler undercarriage. An electric or internal combustion engine driving blades, cutters or other tools and, where appropriate, the chassis of the technology is mounted on the frame. To operate the gardening equipment, the handlebars present are fastened by their lower part to the frame and on their upper part are provided with a handle (s) for holding by the user's hands when driving / operating the gardening equipment. As a rule, the handlebars further comprise the operating controls (electric switch, throttle lever, travel speed switch, etc.) in a position to be conveniently reached by the user's hand, preferably at the top of the handlebars.

Recently, the production of motorized garden equipment equipped with other electric equipment such as lights, a horn, and especially the technology with internal combustion engines equipped with the so-called. The motors are equipped with an electric starter instead of the usual starting line for the initial rotation of the stationary internal combustion engine. This brings a significant increase in comfort as well as the possibility of using this technique by physically less fit individuals, e.g. seniors. All this technique requires the use of an electric rechargeable battery.

The electric battery is normally placed directly on the frame, for example, behind the engine under the handlebars, by means of a caliper or bracket, or is placed in a box. A starter switch, e.g. in the form of a switch box equipped with a key, which are placed on the handlebars within comfortable reach of the user or alternatively switches of other electrical equipment are required.

Such an arrangement with placing the battery directly on the engine frame presents considerable disadvantages, since the battery is exposed to the weather, especially rose, moisture, snow and dirt. It is also directly affected by vibration and heat from the engine, reducing its capacity and service life. Electrical wiring (eg battery - switch box - starter) is relatively long, which increases resistance and loss, and a long section of wiring (eg battery - switch box) is permanently live, which may increase the risk of fire of the stored machine, especially in the case of folding handlebars. Dirt collects around the battery, which does not look aesthetic and makes it difficult to clean the frame from grass, dust, etc. For mowers, the battery may limit the location of the ejection tunnel.

The essence of the technical solution

The object of the present invention is to overcome these and other disadvantages and to provide improved handlebars that increase the utility value of the gardening equipment (machines) on which they are used.

Gardening means, without limitation, any machine driven / guided / steered by the handlebars, whether with an electric or internal combustion engine, with or without a bogie, with wheels or belts, with or without an operator seat, with interchangeable work tools or single-purpose, for summer and / or winter use. Examples include single- or multi-purpose mowers, aerators (scarifiers), mulchers, small tractors and snow blowers.

The essence of the technical solution consists of handlebars usable for motorized garden technology, where the handlebars have at least one means for attaching at least one accumulator battery (hereinafter referred to as the battery).

Further described is a kit comprising handlebars described in more detail below and at least one rechargeable battery. In a preferred embodiment, at least one of the batteries is a starter battery of an internal combustion engine.

An essential advantage of the solution is that by increasing the handlebar weight by attaching the handlebar battery, the inertia weight of the handlebar is increased and the vibration caused by the forces transmitted to the handlebar from the engine is reduced accordingly. handlebar elements.

Handlebars are any handle commonly used in the art, i.e. at least one solid structure, e.g. a straight or suitably shaped tube, attachable or resiliently attachable via at least one anti-vibration element, with its lower part on the frame, and on its upper part fitted with a handle (s) for holding by the user's hands when driving / operating garden equipment. The handlebars may advantageously be foldable and / or height-adjustable and / or laterally (particularly horizontal handle pitch) adjustable. This can be achieved by pivot / bending elements, such as removable or locked joints.

SK 7318 Υ1

The handlebars can be of a variety of common types, such as with two handles for gripping the user's hands, where the handles have a suitable horizontal spacing and height above the ground for comfortable gripping / control of the machine by the user, each handle fixed to the top (always considered in working position) and a lower end of the coupling element is fastened to the frame. For attachment to the frame, each connecting element is provided with a suitable fastening element, which may be screws and nuts, a lockable joint, screw holes, a fastening block with bores, etc. The handle may be a suitably shaped / modified portion of the interconnecting member, wherein the modification is understood to be e.g. molded sleeve with plastic with heat-insulating or anti-vibration properties.

The handlebar interconnecting elements may be interconnected by one or more transverse elements, preferably horizontal ones. The cross-member may be a control panel described in more detail below.

Another conventional handlebar design comprises two handles mounted on the upper ends of two interconnecting members which converge symmetrically from the top ends and continue from a certain point as a single interconnecting member with one bottom end mountable to the frame.

Another type of handlebar construction is a single continuous connecting element in the form of a suitably shaped rigid open loop, the free lower ends of which are adapted to be fastened to the frame and the upper, at least one portion of the substantially straight and horizontal middle section of the loop serving as the handlebar handle. Folding handlebars of this type may consist of two rigid open loops joined together by detachable or detent joints.

However, the technical solution is applicable without limitation to any shape or type of handlebar.

The anti-vibration elements may be the suspension of the handlebars at the location of the handlebar fasteners for attachment to the frame or elsewhere in the handlebars or handles, for example by metal springs and / or anti-vibration adapter pieces and / or vibration absorbing material applied to the surface and / or cavity handlebar tubes. An example of suspension of the handlebars in place of the fasteners for attaching to the frame is a rubber silentblock with molded fastening screws.

As a rule, the handlebars have at least one rechargeable battery attached to them in the assembled state as in machine operation. The battery is of any suitable charging type, preferably of the closed (maintenance-free) type. By way of example and without limitation, the types of lead (Pb), nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), nickel-iron (Ni-Fe), nickel-zinc (Ni-Zn), silver-zinc, lithium -ionic (Liion) and lithium-polymer (Li-Pol) type.

In one embodiment, at least one of the batteries is a starter battery of an internal combustion engine, wherein the term starter battery is a battery usable for starting the engine of a gardening engine. In other embodiments, the battery is useful for powering any other electrical equipment of the gardening equipment, such as electric drive, ignition system, injection system, lighting, horn, remote control, and the like. The technical solution includes one, two batteries (for example, one on each handle, connected in series or in parallel or used independently for other purposes), or more batteries according to the particular application, capacity, voltage, dimensions and the like.

In terms of wiring interconnection, ease of assembly, protection from adverse effects and aesthetics, preferably at least one means for securing at least one battery is located near the handlebar handle (s) as in the upper half, particularly in the upper quarter of the handlebar length.

The handlebars may further comprise one or more controls (such as a starter switch, eg in the form of a key switch, throttle lever, travel speed switch, lighting switch, etc.) positioned so that the controls are conveniently reachable by the user's hands, t. j. near the handlebar (s), preferably in the upper half, more preferably in the upper quarter of the handlebar length.

In a preferred embodiment, at least some of the controls are co-located on a common control panel located near the handlebar handle (s), preferably in the upper half, more preferably in the upper quarter of the handlebar length. More preferably, for reasons of convenience and safety, the at least one control element is located on the control panel so as to be operable by the finger (s) of the hand holding the handle. The panel may be a sheet or hollow structure made of metal, composite or plastic, preferably transverse mounted on the handlebar structure interconnecting elements.

Most preferably, at least one of the means for securing the at least one battery is located on or in the panel, for example in a hollow battery receiving space provided in the panel, suitably provided with a removable lid.

Hollow space means a cavity corresponding to the size and shape of the external dimensions of the battery, which may be defined by solid walls or only portions thereof, e.g. guide angles.

The batteries are preferably attached / attached replaceable. The battery is connected eg. plug-in connectors.

In the simplest case, the battery voltage is applied to the frame through the switch box with a cable

731 on the surface or inside the handlebars.

In any part of the handlebars, a connector may be provided for the connection of a suitable battery charger.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a view of a motor mower with an exemplary embodiment of a handlebar on which a control panel with a battery compartment is mounted.

Figure 2 is a detailed view of a portion of the control panel with the battery compartment of Figure 1.

EXAMPLES

Figure 1 shows a motor mower with an internal combustion engine 7 with an exemplary embodiment of foldable handlebars 7, which consist of two open loops detachably connected to one another, where the free lower ends (upper / lower is always the designation applicable to the handlebars in operating position) of the lower loop they are adapted to be fastened to the frame 6 by attaching a flexible rubber anti-vibration element 5 and the upper, in at least one part of the substantially straight and horizontal middle section of the upper loop serves as a handle 2 of the handlebar 1 which is provided with anti-vibration and heat insulating plastic coating.

The handlebars 1 comprise means 4 for securing the battery in the form of a hollow space provided with a removable cover (detailed view is shown in Figure 2) formed in a panel 3 transversely positioned on the handlebar structure 1 near the handlebar handle 2. throttle lever. Inside the panel 3 is also located the necessary connection cabling (not shown).

The battery cavity further includes connectors (not shown) for connecting the battery contacts.

The hollow space allows for the insertion of a 4.5 Ah NiMh maintenance-free battery, with which the handlebars 1, possibly disassembled, can be supplied as a kit, which can be part of the mower delivery.

Claims (8)

Handlebar (1), in particular of motorized garden technology, characterized in that they have at least one means (4) for receiving at least one accumulator battery thereon. Handlebar according to claim 1, characterized in that they have at least one of the means (4) for attaching at least one battery located in the upper half, in particular in the upper quarter of its length. Handlebar according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that they have at least one of the means (4) for attaching at least one battery located on / in the panel (3) located on their structure in the upper half, in particular in the upper quarter of their length. Handlebar according to claim 3, characterized in that the panel (3) comprises at least one further element for operating the motorized garden equipment. Handlebar according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the battery mounting means (4) is a battery cavity or a battery cavity with a removable lid. Handlebar according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises at least one anti-vibration element (5). Handlebar according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that they are provided with removable and / or lockable joints for their folding and / or height and / or lateral adjustment. Handlebar according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is provided with a connector for connecting the mains battery charger.