Robotic swimming pool cleaner

• US 10,087,645 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2013
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SpectraLight Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: SpectraLight Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Herring, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Redding, David
• Application Number:
  US14/109,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20140166045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• Field of Search: 15 17
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1281 Devices for distributing chemical products in the water of swimming pools
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1654 Self-propelled cleaners

Abstract

A pool cleaning robot can include a main housing configured to be submerged in a pool. A propulsion unit within the main housing can be configured to move the pool cleaning robot along a pool surface. One or more germicidal light sources, configured to disinfect at least a portion of a pool surface, can be positioned on a bottom of the main housing. A power unit can be configured to power the propulsion unit and the one or more germicidal light sources of the pool cleaning robot.

Claims

1. A pool cleaning robot, comprising:

a main housing configured to be submerged in a pool;

a propulsion unit within the main housing configured to move the pool cleaning robot along a pool surface;

one or more germicidal light sources positioned on a bottom of the main housing such that light generated from the one or more germicidal light sources pass outside of the main housing through the bottom of the main housing, the one or more germicidal light sources configured to disinfect at least a portion of a pool surface by permitting the light generated from the one or more germicidal light sources to pass to the pool surface outside of the main housing; and

a power unit configured to power at least the propulsion unit and the one or more germicidal light sources.

2. The pool cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the one or more germicidal light sources comprise:

a short-wavelength ultraviolet (UV-C) light emitting source; and

an elongated tube attached to the main housing and configured to contain the UV-C light emitting source in an air tight environment.

3. The pool cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein the elongated tube includes fused quartz.

4. The pool cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the one or more germicidal light sources are configured to be positioned less than about 1.5 inches from a pool surface.

5. The pool cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the one or more germicidal light sources are configured to emit light from about 90 nanometers to about 300 nanometers in wavelength.

6. The pool cleaning robot of claim 1, further comprising one or more brushes rotatable about an axis of rotation and configured to contact a pool surface.

7. The pool cleaning robot of claim 1, further comprising a pump unit, including:

one or more inlets in the bottom of the main housing, configured to intake at least water; and

an impeller configured to pump water through the inlet.

8. The pool cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the pump unit is configured to provide enough suction force to maintain the pool cleaning robot in contact with a pool surface.

9. The pool cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the power unit further comprises a power cord configured to connect to a power outlet, the power cord including a 360 degree swivel configured to reduce tangles in the power cord.

10. The pool cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the power unit includes one or more batteries on or within the main housing.

11. The pool cleaning robot of claim 1, further comprising a switch to automatically shut off the one or more germicidal light sources.

12. A pool cleaning robot, comprising:

a main housing configured to be submerged in a pool having a bottom side configured to be adjacent to a pool surface;

a propulsion unit within the main housing configured to move the pool cleaning robot along the pool surface;

an elongated transparent fused quartz tube attached to the bottom of the main housing;

a short-wavelength ultraviolet (UV-C) light emitting source, configured to emit a germicidal light to disinfect at least a portion of the pool surface, housed in an air tight environment within the elongated transparent fused quartz tube;

a pump unit, including;

an inlet in the bottom of the main housing, configured to intake water; and

a pump motor configured to pump water from the pool through the inlet; and

a power unit configured to power the propulsion unit, the short-wavelength ultraviolet (UV-C) light emitting source, and the pump unit.

13. The pool cleaning robot of claim 12, further comprising one or more reflectors on the bottom of the main housing configured to reflect the germicidal light toward a pool surface.

14. The pool cleaning robot of claim 12, wherein the propulsion unit includes one or more wheels configured to drive movement of the pool cleaning robot, the one or more wheels having a contact surface configured to contact the pool surface, and wherein a distance between the contact surface and the UV-C light emitting source is no more than 1.5 inches such that the UV-C light emitting source is within a distance of about 0.1 inches to about 1.5 inches from the pool surface.