Patent ID: 11859644
Assignee: STABILUS GMBH
Field: Mechanical elements (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F  A | IPC A  F

Claim 0:
1. An electric motor driven zero-turn riding lawn mower comprising:
(a) at least one steering lever operatively connected to at least one drive wheel operatively connected to a drive motor;
(b) at least one damping apparatus operatively connected to the at least one steering lever and comprising:
(i) a piston rod partially positioned within a rod housing and adapted for sliding movement within the housing; and
(ii) a linear position sensing apparatus comprising a position sensor connected to the piston rod whereby the sensor moves with the piston rod, the linear position sensing apparatus further comprising a beacon contained within the rod housing and a computing device operatively connected to the position sensor and the drive motor, wherein the position sensor collects data regarding a position of the beacon relative to the sensor, and the computing device uses the data to determine an optimum speed and direction to rotate the at least one drive wheel and transmits instructions to the drive motor to rotate the at least one drive wheel at the optimum speed and direction.