WO2013062572A1

WO2013062572A1 - Hood-mounted indicator system for riding lawn care vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2013062572A1
Application number: PCT/US2011/058266
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sean Dwyer
Original assignee: Husqvarna Consumer Outdoor Products N.A., Inc.
Priority date: 2011-10-28
Filing date: 2011-10-28
Publication date: 2013-05-02

Abstract

A riding lawn care vehicle may include a hood and an indicator system mounted to a portion of the hood, the indicator system may include an illuminating element and/or a display screen and be configured to present an alert to an operator of the riding lawn care vehicle.

Description

HOOD-MOUNTED INDICATOR SYSTEM FOR RIDING LAWN CARE VEHICLE

BACKGROUND

Outdoor tasks, such as grooming and maintaining property, are commonly performed using a riding lawn care vehicle that may be configured for the performance of specific tasks, such as grass cutting, aeration, tilling, and/or the like. Often it's desirable to communicate certain information to an operator of the riding lawn care vehicle during operation. However, due to the environment in which the riding lawn care vehicle is operated, which is often noisy, bright and filled with distractions, and due to design constraints such as the compactness of the vehicle, it can be difficult to effectively communicate information to the operator. Currently, some riding lawn tractors have one or two small gauges or meters on a dashboard located just below the steering wheel. These gauges or meters communicate very limited information and can be almost impossible to see during operation of the tractor due to their small size and placement. Often the steering wheel and the operator's hands will block the operator's view of the gauges or meters. Furthermore, the operator is usually so intently focused on operating the vehicle and completing the outdoor task that the operator will rarely notice the conventional gauges and meters in time to identify an important issue.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

Accordingly, in order to improve operator satisfaction in connection with using riding lawn care vehicles, some example embodiments may provide an indicator system for a riding lawn care vehicle, such as for a lawn tractor or other riding lawn mower. The indicator system may be mounted to a hood, such as within the hood handle proximate the operator end of the hood, and may be useful for providing alerts of specific events or conditions being detected, such as detection of general/safety faults (e.g., low fuel, no operator detected, etc.) or incoming electronic communications (e.g., a phone call, email, short range paging, etc.). In one example embodiment, a riding lawn care vehicle includes a hood covering an engine of the riding lawn care vehicle and an indicator system mounted to a portion of the hood. The indicator system includes an illuminating element and is configured to illuminate a predetermined color in response to detection of a predetermined trigger or condition occurring.

In another example embodiment, a riding lawn care vehicle includes a frame, a moveable hood attached to the frame, and an indicator system mounted to a portion of the hood. The moveable hood covers a component of the riding lawn care vehicle and is configured to be movable relative to the component of the riding lawn care vehicle so that the component can be accessed. The indicator system includes an illuminating element and/or a display screen.

In another example embodiment, a hood of a riding lawn care vehicle covering an engine includes a wall, a hinge portion attached to the wall and an indicator system mounted to a portion of the wall. The hinge portion is configured to allow the hood to pivot about an axis. The indicator system is visible to an operator seated in the riding lawn care vehicle and is configured to visually present data to the operator of the riding lawn care vehicle.

Some example embodiments may improve the ability of operators and/or fleet managers to monitor various triggers, events and/or conditions regarding the operation of a riding lawn care vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 A illustrates a side view of a riding lawn care vehicle according to an example embodiment;

FIG. IB illustrates a perspective view of the riding lawn care vehicle according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 1C illustrates a side view of a riding lawn care vehicle having a movable hood according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates portions of an indicator system of a power equipment device according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a riding lawn care vehicle with the indicator system of FIG. 2 according to an example embodiment; FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of a riding lawn care vehicle with the indicator system mounted within the hood handle according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a hood handle on riding lawn care vehicle with an indicator system according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a riding lawn care vehicle with an indicator system mounted on the hood according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 7A illustrates a block diagram of a system of the riding lawn care vehicle that includes a wireless indicator system according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 7B illustrates a block diagram of a system of the riding lawn care vehicle that includes an indicator system according to another example embodiment;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart of a method of operation of the indicator system of the riding lawn care vehicle according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the indicator system of a riding lawn care vehicle according to an example embodiment; and

FIG. 10 is a front view of the indicator system of a riding lawn care vehicle according to another example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some example embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all example embodiments are shown. Indeed, the examples described and pictured herein should not be construed as being limiting as to the scope, applicability or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "or" is to be interpreted as a logical operator that results in true whenever one or more of its operands are true. Additionally, the term "lawn care" is meant to relate to any yard maintenance activity and need not specifically apply to activities directly tied to grass, turf or sod care. As used herein, operable coupling should be understood to relate to direct or indirect connection that, in either case, enables functional interconnection of components that are operably coupled to each other.

In an example embodiment, a riding lawn care vehicle, such as a riding lawn mower, includes an indicator system that is incorporated into the hood (e.g., coupled to, affixed to, formed in, attached to, or otherwise mounted to the hood) of the riding lawn care vehicle. For example, in one embodiment, the hood, which may cover the lawn care vehicle's engine, is hinged at one end near the front of the lawn care vehicle and the indicator system is mounted within a handle at the other end of the hood so that the indicator faces the operator during operation. The indicator system is configured to communicate information visually to the operator and may include one or more illuminating elements and/or one or more display screens. In some embodiments, the indicator system is configured to alert the operator by illuminating a predetermined color (e.g., green indicating a positive alert, red if the alert is a negative alert, blue if the alert is a neutral alert, etc.) if a particular condition, event or trigger is detected (e.g., general faults, safety faults, incoming electronic communications, internet or other notifications, etc.). A display screen may then provide more detailed graphical or textual information about the condition, event or trigger that prompted the illumination of the predetermined color.

The figures provided herein illustrate an embodiment of the invention where the riding lawn care vehicle is a lawn tractor. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be applicable to any riding lawn care vehicle having a hood.

FIG. 1, which includes FIGS. 1A, IB, and 1C, illustrates an example of a riding lawn care vehicle 10. FIG. 1A illustrates a side view of the riding lawn care vehicle 10, FIG. IB illustrates a perspective view of the riding lawn care vehicle 10, and FIG. 1C illustrates a side view of the riding lawn care vehicle 10 having a movable hood 52 according to an example embodiment. The riding lawn care vehicle 10 may include an information panel 14 (e.g., a dashboard, instrument panel, and/or the like) which may display operational information regarding the riding lawn care vehicle 10 and/or have user input devices such as an ignition switch or other buttons, switches, or levers disposed therein. As shown and described herein, the riding lawn care vehicle 10 may be a riding lawn mower (e.g., a lawn tractor, front-mount riding lawn mower, zero-turn riding lawn mower, and/or the like). However, other example embodiments may be employed on riding lawn care vehicles that are configured or otherwise equipped to handle snow removal, brush cutting, tilling or other lawn care-related activities.

The riding lawn care vehicle 10 may include a steering assembly 20 (e.g., including a steering wheel, handle bar, lever or other steering apparatus) functionally connected to wheels (e.g., the front and/or rear wheels in various different embodiments) of the riding lawn care vehicle 10 to which steering inputs are provided to allow the operator to steer the riding lawn care vehicle 10. In some embodiments, the riding lawn care vehicle 10 may include an operator station in which the operator rides during operation. The operator station may include a seat 30 that may be disposed at a center, rear or front portion of the riding lawn care vehicle 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the seat 30 is disposed just rearward of the steering assembly 20, the information panel 10, and an engine 50. The operator may sit on the seat 30, which may be disposed to the rear of the steering assembly 20 to provide input for steering of the riding lawn care vehicle 10 via the steering assembly 20. A sensor may be included that detects whether or not an operator is currently sitting in the seat 30. In other embodiments, the operator station may include a standing platform on which the operator stands during operation of the vehicle.

The riding lawn care vehicle 10 may also include, or be configured to support attachment of, a cutting deck 40 having at least one cutting blade mounted therein. In some cases, a height of the at least one cutting blade may be adjustable by an operator of the riding lawn care vehicle 10. The cutting deck 40 may be a fixed or removable attachment in various different embodiments. Moreover, a location of the cutting deck 40 may vary in various alternative embodiments. For example, in some cases the cutting deck 40 may be positioned in front of the front wheels 42, behind the rear wheels 44, or in between the front and rear wheels 42 and 44 (as shown in FIG. 1) to enable the operator to cut grass using the at least one cutting blade when the at least one cutting blade is rotated below the cutting deck 40. In some embodiments, the front wheels 42 and/or the rear wheels 44 may have a shielding device positioned proximate thereto in order to prevent material picked up in the wheels from being ejected toward the operator. When operating to cut grass, the grass clippings may be captured by a collection system (e.g., bagging attachment 12), mulched, or expelled from the cutting deck 40 via either a side discharge or a rear discharge.

The riding lawn care vehicle 10 may also include additional control related components such as one or more speed controllers, cutting height adjusters and/or the like. Some of the controllers, such as the speed controllers, may be provided in the form of foot pedals that may sit proximate to a footrest 48 (which may include a portion on both sides of the riding lawn care vehicle 10) to enable the operator to rest his or her feet thereon while seated in the seat 30.

The riding lawn care vehicle 10 generally includes a power system configured to power the ground drive system (e.g., one or more wheels), the cutting deck, and/or other powered attachments. The power system generally includes a motor (e.g., an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and/or the like) and one or more fuel storage devices (e.g., fuel tanks, batteries, and/or the like) for storing fuel (e.g., gasoline, diesel fuel, electricity, and/or the like) used by the motor to produce power for the riding lawn care vehicle 10. In the pictured example embodiment of FIG. 1A, an engine 50, such as an internal combustion engine, of the riding lawn care vehicle 10 is disposed substantially forward of a seated operator. However, in other example embodiments, the engine 50 could be in different positions such as below or behind the operator. In some

embodiments, the engine 50 may be operably coupled to one or more of the wheels of the riding lawn care vehicle 10 in order to provide drive power for the riding lawn care vehicle 10. In some embodiments, the engine 50 may be capable of powering two wheels, while in others, the engine 50 may power all four wheels of the riding lawn care vehicle 10. Moreover, in some cases, the engine 50 may manually or automatically shift between powering either one, two, three, or all four wheels of the riding lawn care vehicle 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the engine 50 is operably coupled to the rear wheels and the cutting deck to drive the rear wheels and the cutting blades of the vehicle 10.

The riding lawn care vehicle 10 generally includes a hood 52 which covers at least a portion of the vehicle's power system. The hood 52 typically functions to protect a portion of the power system from water, dirt, and/or other harmful elements, to shield the operator from the heat or moving parts of the power system, and/or to make the vehicle 10 more visually appealing. The hood 52 is often removable or moveable between a closed position in which it covers at least a portion of the power system and an opened position in which it exposes at least a portion of the power system. In this regard, the hood 52 may be hingedly or slideably connected to the vehicle's frame. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the engine 50 is housed or covered by the hood 52, which forms an engine compartment to protect engine components and improve the aesthetic appeal of the riding lawn care vehicle 10. The hood 52 is discussed in more depth below with reference to FIG. 1C.

In an example embodiment, the engine compartment may be positioned proximate to and/or mate with portions of a steering assembly housing 60. The steering assembly housing 60 may house components of the steering assembly 20 to protect such

components and improve the aesthetic appeal of the riding lawn care vehicle 10. In some embodiments, a steering wheel 62 of the steering assembly 20 may extend from the steering assembly housing 60 and a steering column (not shown) may extend from the steering wheel 62 down through the steering assembly housing 60 to components that translate inputs at the steering wheel 62 to the wheels to which steering inputs are provided (e.g., the front wheels in the illustrated embodiment). As mentioned above and illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1C, the engine 50 is housed or covered with a hood 52. The hood 52 may be disposed forwardly of the information panel 14. The hood 52 has a housing that may include a right side wall 54 and a left side wall 53, a front wall 55 and an upper wall 56 formed integral with one another (shown in FIGS. 1C and 4). In one embodiment, the integrated hood 52 may be pivotally connected (e.g., by any sort of hinge mechanism) to a chassis frame to be vertically swingable, between an opened and closed position, about a pivotal axis located in a lower front position 57 of the hood 52. In another embodiment, the hood 52 may be pivotally connected to the vehicle frame on one side of the hood or on the end of the hood closest to the steering assembly. In still another embodiment, the hood 52 may be moveably mounted to the chassis by any other means, such as via a device that allows the hood 52 to slide horizontally or vertically relative to the chassis. Further, in one embodiment, the hood 52 could be removably mounted to the chassis so that the hood 52 is completely removable from the riding lawn care vehicle 10.

The hood 52 may include a hood handle 150 that may be used to lift the hood 52, either pivotally, slidably or removably. As illustrated in FIG. 1C, the hood handle 150 is disposed forward of the steering wheel proximate the end of the hood 52 closest to the steering wheel and the seat. Lifting up on the hood handle 150 forces the hood 52 to pivot about the pivot point 57 moving the hood 52 away from the engine 50 so that the engine 50 is accessible to an operator standing adjacent to the riding lawn care vehicle 10. The direction of rotation of opening the hood 52, as illustrated, is away from the operator when the operator is seated in the seat 30, according to one embodiment.

In an example embodiment of FIG. 2, an indicator system 100 is integrated into the hood 52 of the riding lawn care vehicle 10. The indicator system 100 may include an illumination element 105, one or more buttons or indicator elements 125, 130, 135, and/or a display screen 110. Components of the indicator system 100 may be housed together in housing 120 and may be connected with processing circuitry. In an example embodiment, the housing 120 may include contacts through which connection may be made to power systems of the riding lawn care vehicle 10 and/or via which connection may be made to a sensor network of the riding lawn care vehicle 10. The interconnectivity of the riding lawn care vehicle relative to the indicator system 100 is discussed more below with regard to FIG. 7. As will be discussed later, the indicator system 100 could be disposed within the hood handle 150 and/or mounted on an upper wall 56 of the hood housing in other ways. In one embodiment, the illuminating element 105 includes a light source that surrounds a periphery of the display screen 110 and/or other elements, as is illustrated in FIG. 2. As will be discussed in more depth later with regard to FIGS. 8-10, the

illuminating element 105 is configured to glow a predetermined color depending on the type of event, trigger or condition detected, such as if there is a safety fault, general fault, a predefined trigger occurs, etc. Further, when such event, trigger or condition is detected, the illuminating element 105 can illuminate as any one of a plurality of colors, such as green, red, blue, green, any other color, or any combination thereof, and the display screen 110 may display some more detail about the particular condition. Each color may be associated with a different event, trigger or condition or type of event, trigger or condition. For example, the indicator may glow red whenever there's an immediate safety issue detected, and the display screen 110 may present text about the safety issue (e.g., "engine temp too high," "tractor riding on too steep of an incline," "no operator is detected," etc.). In another example, the riding lawn care vehicle 10 may be configured to communicate or pair with the operator's phone via a short range connection (e.g., Bluetooth®), and the illuminating element 105 may glow blue whenever the operator is receiving an incoming call on his cellular telecommunications device, and the display screen 110 may display the name or number of the person calling.

As mentioned above, various conditions, triggers or events could cause the illuminating element 105 to illuminate. Examples of predetermined events, triggers or conditions are general faults (e.g., low fuel, service engine interval expires, the blades need sharpening, low oil/oil pressure, tire pressure error, engine heat warning,

transmission heat warning, etc.), start or safety faults (e.g., steep incline, no operator detected, blades on, etc.), incoming electronic communications alerts (e.g., incoming phonecall, incoming email/text message, incoming short range communications, etc.), or any other alerts/notifications (e.g., weather alerts/notifications, internet alerts, GPS notifications, garage door open, etc.). The events, triggers or conditions could be predetermined or predefined by the operator, the riding lawn care vehicle manufacturer or some other entity. Whenever an event, trigger or condition occurs, the illuminating element 105 illuminates in any one of a plurality of colors providing an alert or notification to the operator, as will be discussed in more depth later with respect to FIGS. 8-10.

As mentioned above, the indicator system 100 may also include one or more buttons, such as an override button 125, a mode select button 130, and/or any other type of button allowing for any other functionality. The override button 125 may allow for a user to override one or more alerts presented by the indicator system 100. There may be only certain events or conditions for which the override button 125 is allowed. Once an operator depresses the override button 125 where an override is allowed for the outstanding alert or notification, the operator may hold the override down for a

predetermined time period and, in response thereto, the outstanding alert or notification is temporarily or permanently removed such that the illumination element no longer displays the color associated with such outstanding alert or notification. The override button 125 may also (or alternatively) have other functionality, such as functioning as a reset button or an "enter" button. The mode select button 130 allows for an operator to toggle what is displayed in the display screen 110. Various modes that are possible include, but are not limited to, RPM mode, time mode, temperature mode, hour meter mode, trip time mode, and inclinometer mode. Other modes are also possible and may be toggled to active using the mode select button 130. Other buttons or indicators may also be employed on the indicator system 100. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, an indicator element 135 may provide to the operator an indication of one or more features that are currently active, such as indicating that the riding lawn care vehicle 10 is currently in reverse mow mode.

The display screen 110 presents various textual information to the operator, such as operational data (e.g., voltages, RPMs, trip timer, etc.), weather information, safety information, fault data, time/date information, etc. For example, if the indicator system 100 is in RPM mode, the display screen 110 presents the current RPMs of the riding lawn care vehicle 10. Also, the display screen can present various status information of the indicator system 100, such as "READY," "FAULT," "ENGINE BRAKE FAULT," "LOW FUEL," "NO OPERATOR," or "BLADES ON." The display screen 110 may be a liquid crystal display ("LCD"), a plasma display panel ("PDP"), an electroluminescence ("EL") display, a fluorescent display ("VFD"), light emitting diode ("LED") display, or any other display device. In one embodiment, the display screen 110 is mounted within the housing 120. It should be understood, however, that the display screen 110 need not be located within the housing 120 of the indicator system 100, and, as will be described later, one embodiment is directed to having a display screen located separate from the housing and remote from the illuminating element 105. For example, the illuminating element 105 may be incorporated into the steering wheel 62 and the display screen 110 may be incorporated into the hood 52, or alternatively the display screen 110 may be located adjacent to the operator's seat while the illuminating element 105 may be located in the hood 52 of the riding lawn care vehicle 10.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an example embodiment of the riding lawn care vehicle 10 with the indicator system 100 installed within an interior portion 151 of the hood handle 150. Although the figures provided herein illustrate the indicator system 100 of FIG. 2 incorporated into the hood, it will be appreciated that other indicators capable of visually communicating with an operator may be used. The indicator system incorporated into the hood may or may not include an illuminating element (e.g., LED, light bulb, and/or the like) and/or a display screen (e.g., a LCD or the like).

Referring again to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hood handle

150 is mounted to an upper wall 56 of the hood housing and is forward of the steering wheel. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hood handle 150 is positioned such that an opening 165 (FIG. 5) of the hood handle 150 faces toward a seated operator. The hood handle 150 may include sidewalls 161, 162, a bottom wall 160, a back wall 164 and an upper wall 163, all of which define the interior portion 151. It should be understood that the bottom wall 160 of the hood handle 150 may be a portion of the upper wall 56 of the hood 52 or alternatively could be mounted directly to the hood 52, according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, the hood handle 150 does not have a bottom wall 160 and instead may be an open area toward the engine 50.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, the indicator system 100 is mounted within the interior portion 151 of the hood handle 150. The indicator system 100 could be mounted to any of the walls 160-165 of the hood handle 150. In one embodiment, the indicator system 100 is mounted to the bottom wall 160 of the hood handle 150. The indicator system 100 may be mounted to the hood handle 150 in a pivotable fashion so that the indicator system 100 could be folded to a position where the longitudinal axis of the indicator system 100 is parallel with one of the walls 160-165. For example, if the indicator system 100 is mounted to the bottom wall 160, a top portion of the indicator system 100 may be pivoted downward so that the indicator system 100 is aligned to be substantially parallel with the bottom wall 160. This would allow the indicator system 100 to effectively be flat relative to the bottom 160. This may create more space for an operator to insert his hand inside the interior portion 151 of the hood handle 150 while also avoiding possibly damaging of the indicator system 100 when the operator is in the process of lifting the hood 52 via the hood handle 150. The hood handle 150 may be composed of a sturdy, opaque, and durable material, such as plastic or sheet metal, which is capable of blocking sunlight. In this regard, the indicator system 100 may at least partially be shielded from direct overhead sunlight by the hood handle 150. The configuration of mounting the indicator system 100 within the hood handle 150 also allows the indicator system 100 to be substantially visible to the operator without visual obstruction from the steering wheel 62 while the operator is sitting in the seat 30 of the riding lawn care vehicle 10. Additionally, since the indicator system 100 is disposed within the hood handle 150, as illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, the indicator system 150 is within the eyesight of the operator if the operator is looking forward over the front of the riding lawn mower 10 to the area that the operator is about to pass over with the riding lawn care vehicle 10.

While FIGS. 3-5 illustrate that the indicator system 100 is installed within the hood handle 150, it should be appreciated that the indicator system 100 could alternatively be positioned at any of a plurality of other locations on or in the hood 52 of the riding lawn care vehicle 10. For example, as shown in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 6, the indicator system 100 may be disposed on the upper wall 56 of the hood 52 toward the end of the hood proximate the steering assembly 20 and operator seat 30 (opposite the hinged end in the illustrated embodiment). Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a hood handle 150 is not a requirement to mount the indicator system 150 on the hood 52. In this embodiment of FIG. 6, the indicator system 100 may include a visor (not shown) which would shade the display screen 110 and/or the illuminating element 105 from sunlight (or other light or glare). The visor would be positioned, according to one embodiment, at the top of the indicator system 100 and would extend a predetermined length away from the indicator system 100 so that the display screen 110 and/or the illuminating element 105 would be at least partially shielded from sunlight. In still other embodiments no shielding of light is needed. For example, a polymeric LCD that gets easier to read with brighter the ambient light could be used on the indicator system 100.

In another embodiment, the indicator system 100 could be mounted to a portion of the hood 52 and could be recessed within the hood 52 so that the indicator system 100 could be viewable only when the operator desires. Additionally, the indicator system 100 of FIG. 6 could also be pivotable in the same manner as discussed above with regard to FIGS. 3-5.

FIG. 7A illustrates a block diagram of a riding lawn care vehicle with an indicator system 100 having a wireless interface. The indicator system 100 may communicate with a computer system 710 that determines the alerts and/or other data to be presented by the indicator system 100.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7A, the computer system 710 may be located on a portion of the chassis or frame such that the computer system 710 is not proximate to the indicator system 100 and in such embodiment, the computer system 710 would communicate wirelessly with the indicator system 100. The computer system 710 may receive data from various components 705 (e.g., engine, ignition, tires, fuel tank, oil, oil, an on-board accelerometer to determine incline levels, brakes, seat, cutting deck components, wireless transceiver 702 and/or other components) via sensors 720 or other devices. The computer system 710 includes a processor 712 and memory 714 which is configured to communicate with a module for monitoring triggers, conditions, or events 716 and a module for receiving data 718. The module for receiving data 718 may receive data from the sensors 720 or from a wireless transceiver 702, and, with such data, the module for monitoring triggers, conditions, or events 716 determines if an alert should be triggered based on predetermined thresholds. These modules, 716, 718 and other modules may be embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as memory 714 or memory (not shown) of the indicator system 100.

If an alert is generated and/or if data should be displayed, the computer system 710 may relay the alert information and/or data to the indicator system from a general wireless transceiver 702 to the indicator system's wireless transceiver 700. The indicator system's wireless transceiver 700 may then send such data to the indicator system's processor 701 which would, in turn, process the alert information and/or other data to various

components of the indicator system 100, such as the illuminating element 105, the display screen 110, or other components 703. It should be understood that the wireless transceiver 702 may be mounted at any location on the riding lawn care vehicle 10, such as in the steering assembly housing 60, on a portion of the frame of the riding lawn care vehicle 10, or any other location or component of the riding lawn care vehicle 10. It should also be understood that the wireless transceivers described herein may be any device capable of transmitting and/or receiving at least short range wireless signals, such as a Bluetooth® transceiver, radio frequency transmitter, and/or any other transmitter or receiver.

Additionally, it should be noted that the wireless transceiver 702 may pair and communicate with an electronic communications device, such as a cellular phone, computer/laptop/tablet, or other device which has wireless communications capabilities, via a short range network (e.g., Bluetooth®). Other electronic communications could be received via a wireless systems to provide the indicator system 100 with various alerts, such as Emergency Broadcasting System alerts, weather notifications (e.g., whether a thunderstorm is imminent), breaking news feeds, or any other information that can be transmitted through the Internet. As another embodiment, the indicator system 100 can include a transceiver that would operate the operator's garage door the same as the garage door's remote control. The indicator system 100 may indicate to the operator whether the garage door is open or closed and the garage door remote transceiver would transmit a radio signal to open the garage door in response to the operator sending a signal from the garage door transceiver to the garage door system to open the garage door.

FIG. 7B illustrates another block diagram of a riding lawn care vehicle with an indicator system 100 having a wired interface, as opposed to the wireless interface of FIG. 7A. FIG. 7B is similar to FIG. 7A in that the computer system 710, the riding lawn care vehicle components 705, wireless transceiver 702, and sensors 720 are the same as those in FIG. 7A. However, in FIG. 7B, the riding lawn care vehicle has wiring 750 that connects the indicator system 100 with the computer system 710 and may also connect the wireless transceiver with the computer system 710. The wiring 750 may be run along the chassis or frame from the computer system 710 through a hinge portion 57 that allows the hood 52 to rotate relative to the chassis or frame. In such embodiment, the wiring 750 may be connected on the bottom of the upper wall so as to be hidden from an operator. The wiring 750 connects various components of the riding lawn care vehicle to a battery 701, the computer system 710 and/or other circuitry. As such the battery 701 may be connected to any element which may require electrical energy to operate. Additionally, the wiring 750 may connect any other components of the riding lawn care vehicle 10 and should not be limited to only the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 7B.

FIG. 8 is a block schematic diagram of a method 800 of operation of the indicator system 100 according to various embodiments. In block 806, the riding lawn care vehicle 10 is monitored to determine if any predetermined events, triggers or conditions are outstanding. Examples of predetermined events, triggers or conditions are general faults (e.g., low fuel, service engine intervals, sharpen blades, low oil/oil pressure, tire pressure, engine heat warning, transmission heat warning, etc.), safety faults (e.g., steep incline, no operator, etc.), electronic communications alerts (e.g., incoming phonecall, incoming short range communications, emails, calendar reminders, text messages, pages, etc.), and/or any other alerts (e.g., weather alerts, internet alerts, garage door open, etc.). The determination may be performed by the module for monitoring triggers, conditions, or events 716 of FIG. 7A-7B.

If no predetermined events, triggers or conditions have been determined to have occurred, the method 800 may continue to block 810. In block 810, the illuminating element 105 illuminates as a first predetermined color (e.g., green), and the display screen 110 may display current mode data, which provides confirmation that no alerts are outstanding. This is visually illustrated by the indicator system 100 in FIG. 9, whereby the illuminating element 105 is glowing green indicating a positive condition and the display screen 110 displays "3600 RPM" as text since the indictor system was placed in RPM mode.

On the other hand, if predetermined events, triggers or conditions have been determined to have occurred in block 808, the method 800 may proceed to block 812 where the alert status is displayed in text on the display screen 110 and the illuminating element 105 illuminates a second predetermined color (e.g., red) providing a negative indication to the operator that a predetermined event, trigger or condition has occurred, where the second predetermined color is different from the first predetermined color. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the illuminating element 105 is lit up as a

predetermined negative alert color (e.g., red) and exemplary text is presented in the display screen 110 as "LOW FUEL" indicating that the detected trigger relates to the fuel being low.

Referring back to FIG. 8, in block 814, a determination is made as to whether the generated outstanding alert can be overridden. This determination may be made by the indicator system 100 accessing pre-stored information indicating which alerts may be overridden and which alerts may not be overridden. If the generated outstanding alert cannot be overridden, the method 800 may continue to block 816; otherwise, the method 800 may proceed to block 815 where a determination is made as to whether the override button 125 has been depressed (or activated). If the override button 125 has been depressed (or activated), then the method 800 may proceed to block 818; otherwise, the method may continue to block 816. In block 816, the riding lawn care vehicle is monitored to detect if any action has been performed to address or correct the issue, or if the issue has been self-corrected. In block 818, if the issue or outstanding alert has not been adequately addressed or corrected, the method 800 may proceed back to block 812 where the illuminating element 105 remains lit indicating the alert is still outstanding. However, if the issue or outstanding alert has been adequately addressed or corrected, the method 800 may return to block 806 where diagnostic tests are performed again to determine if any other triggers, events or conditions have occurred.

It should be understood the operator could receive an electronic communications (e.g., a cellular telephone call, short range communications call, page notification, email, SMS or MMS message, calendar reminder, etc.) and the indicator system 100 detect such electronic call or message via a short range communication system (e.g., Bluetooth®). In response to detecting such incoming electronic communications, the indicator system 100 would instruct the illuminating element 105 to light up a third predetermined color associated with an electronic communications, such as blue. This third predetermined color for an incoming call alert may be different than the first and second predetermined colors (e.g., green or red, respectively) associated with positive or negative alerts.

In some embodiments, the incoming call could be a telephone call or a short range call. In the event that the call is a short range call, the operator may receive a call from a handheld device within a proximate range such as 100-200 yards. For example, if a caller has a short range wireless communications device and the operator of the riding lawn care vehicle has a receiver of the short range wireless communications system, the caller can call and the operator of the riding lawn care vehicle would be notified of a call via the indicator system 100 since the indicator system 100 would be paired with the operator's receiver.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings.

Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certain exemplary combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. In cases where advantages, benefits or solutions to problems are described herein, it should be appreciated that such advantages, benefits and/or solutions may be applicable to some example embodiments, but not necessarily all example embodiments. Thus, any advantages, benefits or solutions described herein should not be thought of as being critical, required or essential to all embodiments or to that which is claimed herein. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

THAT WHICH IS CLAIMED:

1. A riding lawn care vehicle comprising:

a frame;

a power system coupled to the frame and configured to provide power to operate the riding lawn care vehicle, the power system comprising a fuel source and a motor; a hood moveably coupled to the frame and configured to cover at least a portion of the power system when in a closed position and expose at least a portion of the power system when in an opened position; and

an indicator system incorporated into the hood, the indicator system configured to visually communicate information to an operator during operation of the riding lawn care vehicle.

2. The riding lawn care vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

two front wheels;

two rear wheels,

a steering assembly operably coupled to the front wheels and located rearward of the hood; and

a seat for supporting the operator during operation of the riding lawn care vehicle, wherein the hood has a forward end proximate to the front wheels and a rearward end proximate the steering assembly, and

wherein the indicator system is mounted to the hood proximate the rearward end of the hood such that the indicator system is visible by the operator when the operator is seated in the seat.

3. The riding lawn care vehicle of claim 1 or 2, wherein the riding lawn care vehicle is a lawn tractor having a cutting deck and one or more cutting blades for cutting grass.

4. The riding lawn care vehicle of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hood comprises a first end and a second end, wherein the hood is pivotally coupled to the frame at the first end of the hood, and wherein the indicator system is mounted to the hood proximate the second end of the hood.

5. The riding lawn care vehicle of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a computer system located in a location on the riding lawn care vehicle separate from the hood, the computer system configured to provide information to be

communicated via the indicator system,

wherein the hood is movably coupled to the frame via a hinge, and wherein wiring connecting the indicator system to the computer system travels through or over the hinge.

6. The riding lawn care vehicle of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:

a computer system located in a location on the riding lawn care vehicle separate from the hood, the computer system configured to provide information to be

communicated via the indicator system;

a wireless transmitter coupled to the computer system; and

a wireless receiver coupled to the indicator system and mounted to the hood, wherein the computer system is configured to communicate information to the indicator system wirelessly via the wireless transmitter and wireless receiver.

7. The riding lawn care vehicle of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:

a handle to be used by the operator to lift the hood,

wherein the indicator system is incorporated into the handle so that the handle also serves to at least partially shield the indicator system.

8. The riding lawn care vehicle of claims 1 to 7, wherein the indicator system comprises an illuminating element incorporated into the hood, and wherein the illuminating element is configured to illuminate a predetermined color in response to detection of a predetermined trigger or condition occurring.

9. The riding lawn care vehicle of claims 1 to 8, wherein the indicator system comprises a display screen incorporated into the hood, and wherein the display screen is configured to display graphical or textual data to the operator.

10. A riding lawn care vehicle, comprising:

a hood covering an engine of the riding lawn care vehicle; and

an indicator system mounted to a portion of the hood, the indicator system configured to visually communicate information to an operator of the riding lawn care vehicle.

11. The riding lawn care vehicle of claim 10, wherein the indicator system comprises an illuminating element mounted to a portion of the hood, the illuminating element being configured to illuminate a predetermined color in response to detection of a predetermined trigger or condition occurring.

12. The riding lawn care vehicle of claims 10 or 11,

wherein the hood comprises a hood handle configured to allow an operator to lift the hood away from the engine, the hood handle comprising a housing defining an interior portion within the hood handle, and

wherein the indicator system is mounted within the interior portion of the hood handle.

13. The riding lawn care vehicle of claim 12, wherein the housing of the hood handle defines an opening, the opening facing in a direction towards where an operator would be if seated in a seat of the riding lawn care vehicle.

14. The riding lawn care vehicle of claims 10 to 13, wherein the hood is configured to be movable such that the hood and indicator system can be moved relative to the engine.

15. The riding lawn care vehicle of claim 14, wherein the hood comprises a wall and a hinge attached to wall, the hinge allowing the wall to be pivoted about a pivot point and the indicator system being mounted to the wall.

16. The riding lawn care vehicle of claims 10 to 15, wherein the hood comprises at least one sidewall and an upper wall, the indicator system being mounted directly to the upper wall of the hood.

17. The riding lawn care vehicle of claims 10 to 16, wherein the indicator system comprises a display screen mounted to a portion of the hood, and wherein the display screen is configured to display textual or graphical information to an operator of the riding lawn care vehicle during operation of the riding lawn care vehicle.

18. The riding lawn care vehicle of claim 17, wherein the indicator system further comprises an illuminating element having a light source that illuminates indicating an alert in response to detection of a predetermined trigger or condition occurring, and wherein the display screen displays detail about the alert.

19. A riding lawn care vehicle comprising:

a frame;

a moveable hood attached to the frame and covering a component of the riding lawn care vehicle, the moveable hood being configured to be movable relative to the component of the riding lawn care vehicle so that the component can be accessed; and an indicator system mounted to a portion of the hood, the indicator system comprising at least one of an illuminating element or a display screen.

20. The riding lawn care vehicle of claim 19,

wherein the indicator system further comprises circuitry to perform condition checks to determine if an alert should be presented to an operator of the riding lawn care vehicle, and

wherein the indicator system alerts the operator via the at least one of the illuminating element or the display screen in response to the circuitry detecting a predetermined condition or event has occurred.

21. The riding lawn care vehicle of claims 19 or 20, wherein the hood comprises a hood handle, the indicator system being incorporated into the hood handle.

22. The riding lawn care vehicle of claims 19 to 21, wherein the indicator system comprises a visor configured to at least partially shield sunlight from the indicator system.

23. The riding lawn care vehicle of claims 19 to 22, wherein the component comprises an engine of the riding lawn care vehicle.

24. A hood for a riding lawn care vehicle configured to cover an engine of the riding lawn care vehicle, the hood comprising: a wall;

a hinge portion attached to the wall, the hinge portion configure to allow the hoodally connect to another component of the riding lawn care vehicle; and an indicator system mounted to a portion of the wall, wherein the indicator systemgured to visually present data to an operator of the riding lawn care vehicle.