Lateral transmission casing for a self-propelled running apparatus for cleaning a immersed surface

• US 20040025269A1
• Filed: 06/19/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
• Original Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
• Inventors: Pichon, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 7,117,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/1.7
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1654 Self-propelled cleaners

Abstract

A lateral transmission casing (6) for a self-propelled running swimming pool cleaner, comprises a housing, an input shaft provided with elements for removable coupling with a clutch shaft (2) of the apparatus, at least an output shaft provided with elements for removable coupling with a running member (13, 14) of the apparatus, elements for transmitting the powering rotary movement between the input shaft and each output shaft, the housing bearing and guiding the shafts and the transmission elements. Detachable mounting elements enable the casing to be rigidly and removably fixed (6) into a single-piece assembly on the side of the apparatus. The invention also concerns an apparatus equipped with such a casing (6), and its maintenance method.

Claims

1. A transmission device for a self-propelled rolling apparatus for cleaning a submerged surface, intended for transmitting the rotary driving movement of at least one driving shaft (2), carried by the apparatus, to running members (13, 14, 57) rotatable around transverse axes of rotation in order to drive the apparatus in displacement, which device is formed of a lateral transmission casing (6) comprising:

a rigid housing (20),

an input journal (27) mounted so as to be freely rotatable around an axis of rotation with respect to the housing (20), and provided with means (31) for demountable coupling to a driving shaft (2) of the apparatus, likewise provided with means (32) for demountable coupling mating with those (31) of the input journal (27), this input journal (27) being adapted to be coupled to the driving shaft (2) when the casing is mounted on the apparatus,

at least one output journal (33, 34) mounted so as to be freely rotatable around a transverse axis of rotation with respect to the housing (20), and provided with means (41, 42) for demountable coupling to a running member (13, 14), carried by the apparatus, rotatable around a transverse axis of rotation, outside the casing (6), the said running member (13, 14) likewise being provided with means (46, 47) for demountable coupling mating with those of the output journal (33, 34), this output journal (33, 34) being adapted to be coupled to the said running member (13, 14) when the casing (6) is mounted on the apparatus,

means (48, 49, 57) for transmission of the rotary driving movement between the input journal (27) and each output journal (33, 34), the housing (20) bearing and guiding the journals (27, 33, 34) and the transmission means (48, 49, 57), and

demountable mounting means (22 to 26) adapted to enable the rigid removable fixing, allowing mounting and demounting, of the casing (6) in a single-piece assembly on one side of the apparatus, the input journal (27) being coupled to a driving shaft (2) and each output journal (33, 34) being coupled to a running member (13, 14).

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission means include gear trains (48, 49).

3. A device as claimed in one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the transmission means comprise a train of successive pinions (48, 49) between the input journal (27), which comprises a toothed wheel (50) meshing with one of these pinions, and each output journal (33, 34), which also comprises a toothed wheel (51, 52) meshing with one of these pinions, and wherein each journal (27, 33, 34) and each pinion (48, 49) is mounted so as to be freely rotatable around an axle carried by the housing (20).

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein all the journals (27, 33, 34) and pinions (48, 49) are rotatable around transverse axes of rotation.

5. A device as claimed in one of claims 3 and 4, wherein the axes of rotation of the pinions (48, 49) are formed by the housing (20).

6. A device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the housing (20) is formed of two half-shells (20a, 20b) extending at least substantially perpendicularly to the axes of rotation of the output journals (33, 34) and in the longitudinal direction, one on each side of the journals (27, 33, 34) and transmission means (48, 49, 57), and mounted to each other at an overall longitudinal peripheral mounting plane (21a, 21b).

7. A device as claimed in claim 6 and one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the two half-shells (20a, 20b) are mounted to each other by means of screws and/or bolts (54) passing through the axle of the pinions (48, 49).

8. A device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the housing (20), the journals (27, 33, 34) and the transmission means (48, 49, 57) are made of synthetic material.

9. A device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each journal (27, 33, 34) is mounted so as to be freely rotatable with respect to the housing (20) by means of two end bearings, each comprising a cylindrical seat (28a, 28b, 35a, 35b, 36a, 36b) formed by the housing (20) and receiving a ring (29a, 29b, 37a, 37b, 38a, 38b) made of antifriction synthetic material which receives an axial cylindrical extension (30a, 30b, 39a, 39b, 40a, 40b) of the journal (27, 33, 34).

10. A device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 9, which is overall in the shape of an isosceles triangle and comprises an input journal (27) at its median upper vertex, and an output journal (33, 34) at each of its front and rear lower vertices so as to couple them to front running members (13) and rear running members (14).

11. A device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the housing (20) is an outer housing (20) enclosing and receiving the journals (27, 33, 34) and the said transmission means (48, 49, 57), and comprises, on the side oriented towards the centre of the apparatus, for each journal, an aperture (43, 44, 45) capable of enabling the coupling of this journal (27, 33, 34), through the housing (20), to a driving shaft (2) or to a running member (13, 14).

12. A device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the means (31, 41, 42) for demountable coupling of each journal (27, 33, 34) are of the type producing the coupling with mating coupling means (32, 46, 47) of the driving shaft (2) or of a running member (13, 14) by simple relative movement into place—

in particular of the positive clutch type.

13. A device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the said demountable mounting means (22 to 26) include means for rigid assembly of the housing (20) of the casing (6) with at least one other element (1) of the apparatus.

14. A device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the said demountable mounting means (22 to 26) include means for rigid assembly with a transverse central rigid motor housing of the apparatus.

15. A device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the said demountable mounting means (20 to 26) include clamping screws (23, 26) and/or bolts.

16. A device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 15, which bears at least one running member (57) of the apparatus.

17. A device as claimed in claim 16, which comprises a crawler track (57) adapted to be driven to move along by the input journal (27) and form a longitudinal bottom strand (58) for contact with the ground acting as a running member of the apparatus.

18. A device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the crawler track (57) is formed of an endless belt passing around the input journal (27) and each output journal (33, 34).

19. A device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 18, wherein each journal (27, 33, 34) comprises two flanges (59) parallel to each other and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the journal (27, 33, 34), and adapted to form a roller for receiving and driving the crawler track (57).

20. A device as claimed in one of claims 3 to 19, wherein the toothed wheel (50, 51, 52) of each journal (27, 33, 34) is interposed between the two flanges (59).

21. A device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the crawler track (57) comprises inner notches or teeth (60) capable of being inserted between the flanges (59) of the journals (27, 33, 34).

22. A device as claimed in one of claims 17 to 21, wherein the crawler track (57) is made of flexible synthetic material.

23. A self-propelled rolling apparatus for cleaning a submerged surface, comprising at least one driving shaft (2), running members (13, 14, 57) rotatable around transverse axes of rotation in order to drive the apparatus in displacement, and transmission means for transmitting the rotary driving movement of each driving shaft (2) to each running member (13, 14, 57), wherein the transmission means comprise at least one transmission device (6) as claimed in one of claims 1 to 22.

24. An apparatus as claimed in claim 23, which comprises two transmission devices (6) as claimed in one of claims 1 to 22, one on each side.

25. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, comprising a central transverse rigid motor housing (1), wherein the transmission devices (6) are rigidly fixed respectively to each lateral end (7) of the motor housing (1), thus forming an overall H-shaped, rigid frame on which the other constituent elements of the apparatus are mounted and fixed.

26. An apparatus as claimed in claim 25, which comprises:

a front transverse wall (9) and a rear transverse wall (10) extending between the two lateral transmission devices (6) at the front and rear at a distance from the motor housing (1) so as to provide a passage for the water, and to form a bottom opening,

a base (11), provided with water inlets (66) and adapted to close the said bottom opening,

and a top hood (5) covering the transverse walls (9, 10), the lateral transmission devices (6) and the motor housing (1), this hood (5) being provided with a top orifice (4) for the evacuation of water, so that a hydraulic circuit is provided from the inlets (66) of the base (11), at the front and rear between the transverse walls (9, 10) and the motor housing (1) and between the lateral devices (6), and up to the orifice (4) of the hood (5).

27. An apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein the motor housing (1) is moulded as close as possible around the elements which it contains and has rounded shapes promoting the water circulation.

28. An apparatus as claimed in one of claims 25 and 26, wherein the motor housing (1) comprises an upper central motor, its shaft being orthogonal to the running plane and driving a pumping propeller (3) arranged outside the motor housing (1) under the orifice (4) of the hood (5), and capable of generating a flow of water in the apparatus.

29. An apparatus as claimed in one of claims 26 to 28, wherein the base (11) bears a filter (12) interposed in the water circuit between the inlets (66) of the base (11) and the drain orifice (4) of the hood (5).

30. An apparatus as claimed in one of claims 24 to 29, which comprises two independent separate motors, each of these motors having a driving shaft (2) coupled to one of the two transmission devices (6).

31. An apparatus as claimed in one of claims 24 to 30, which comprises two pairs of independent running members (13, 14), namely a front pair of running members (13) and a rear pair of running members (14), the two running members of the same pair being arranged as a coaxial extension of each other, one of them being coupled to one of the two transmission devices (6), while the other is coupled to the other transmission device (6).

32. An apparatus as claimed in one of claims 23 to 31, wherein each driving shaft (2) is rotatable about a transverse axis, and wherein the input journal (27) and the output journals (33, 34) of each transmission device are rotatable around transverse parallel axes, these different axes being at least substantially parallel to a running plane defined by the running members (13, 14, 57).

33. A method for maintaining the transmission of an apparatus as claimed in one of claims 23 to 32, wherein:

at least one lateral transmission casing (6), called a deficient casing (6), on which a maintenance operation is to be carried out, is demounted from the apparatus,

a transmission casing (6) in working order is mounted on the apparatus, in place of each deficient casing, to make the apparatus operational.

34. A method as claimed in claim 33, wherein, immediately after demounting at least one deficient casing (6), a different new transmission casing in working order is mounted, as a replacement of each previously demounted deficient casing, in order to immediately make the apparatus operational.