Apparatus and method for cooling lawnmower components

A lawnmower comprising:

• a deck including a top surface and a cutting chamber;
• a plurality of wheels rotatably supported on the deck;
• a drive shaft passing through the top surface of the deck and into the cutting chamber;
• a blade located in the cutting chamber and connected to the drive shaft;
• a motor mounted on a top surface of the deck and connected to the drive shaft,
• the motor configured to rotate the blade in the cutting chamber;
• a battery pack;
• a motor driver in electrical communication with each of the motor and the battery pack, the motor driver configured to convert power from the battery pack into output power, and to supply the output power to the motor;
• a housing configured to contain the motor, the battery pack and the motor driver, the housing includes,
• a bottom end adjacent the top surface of the deck,
• a top end spaced away from the top surface of the deck along an upward direction,
• at least one air inlet located adjacent to the top surface of the deck,
• a driver chamber in fluid communication with the air inlet, the motor driver located in the driver chamber,
• a battery chamber in fluid communication with the controller chamber, the battery pack located in the battery chamber,
• a motor chamber in fluid communication with the battery chamber, the motor located in the motor chamber, and
• at least one air outlet in fluid communication with the motor chamber;
• and
• a fan mounted in the housing and configured such that during operation air enters the air inlet, then the air flows through the driver chamber away from the top surface of the deck along the upward direction, then the air passes through the motor driver along the upward direction, then the air passes into the battery chamber and flows through the battery pack along a downward direction that is toward the top surface of the deck, then the air passes into the motor chamber and flows through the electric motor along the downward direction, and then the air exits the motor chamber passing through the at least one air outlet.

A method for cooling electrical components of a lawnmower that includes a deck, a blade rotatably mounted in a cutting chamber of the deck, a motor, a battery pack, a motor driver in electrical communication with the motor and the battery pack, and a housing that contains the motor driver, the battery pack, and the motor, where the motor driver is configured to convert power from the battery pack into output power and to supply the output power to the motor, the method comprising:

• causing air to enter the housing at a location that is adjacent to a top surface of the deck;
• directing the air entering the housing to flow through a driver chamber in the housing that is spaced away from the top surface of the deck along an upward direction such that the air in the driver chamber flows through the motor driver along the upward direction;
• directing air exiting the driver chamber to flow through a battery chamber in the housing such that the air in the battery chamber flows through the battery pack toward the top surface of the deck in a downward direction;
• directing air exiting the battery chamber to flow through a motor chamber in the housing such that air in the motor chamber flows through the motor in the downward direction;
• and
• directing air exiting the motor chamber to exit the housing.