APPARATUS FOR CLEANING A SUBMERGED SURFACE INCLUDING A BRUSHING DEVICE DRIVEN BY MEMBERS FOR DRIVING THE APPARATUS ON THE SUBMERGED SURFACE

• US 20110000030A1
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
• Original Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
• Inventors: Pichon, Philippe, Mastio, Emmanuel
• Granted Patent: US 8,393,029 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/1.7
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1654 Self-propelled cleaners

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for cleaning an immersed surface comprising a hollow body (1), members (2, 3, 4) for driving this body (1) over the immersed surface in a longitudinal direction, comprising a wheel (2), a device (4) for brushing the immersed surface, a mechanism for rotating the brushing device (4) about a brushing axis, wherein the driving mechanism of the brushing device (4) comprises: an internally toothed ring (5) which is fixedly joined to a wheel (2), a brush pinion (42) which is fixedly joined to the brushing device (4) and which is engaged in the ring (5) of this drive wheel (2) in such a manner that a rotation of this drive wheel (2) brings about a rotation of the brushing device (4) about the brushing axis thereof in the same rotation direction.

Claims

1. A device for cleaning an immersed surface comprising:

a hollow body,

members for guiding and driving this hollow body over an immersed surface in a main direction of advance, called the longitudinal direction, comprising at least one wheel,

at least one device for brushing the immersed surface, mounted so as to rotate relative to the hollow body about an axis, called the brushing axis,

a mechanism for rotating a brushing device relative to the hollow body about the brushing axis thereof,

wherein the driving mechanism of a brushing device comprises;

at least one internally toothed ring which is fixedly joined to a wheel,

at least one pinion, called a brush pinion, which is engaged in a ring of a wheel and which is connected to the brushing device in such a manner that a rotation of this wheel in one direction brings about a rotation of the brush pinion and a rotation of the brushing device about the brushing axis thereof in the same direction as the rotation direction of the wheel.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one wheel for rotating a brushing device is a wheel for driving the hollow body over the immersed surface.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the members for driving the hollow body over the immersed surface comprise:

at least one electric drive motor,

at least one pinion, called a wheel pinion, which is engaged in an internally toothed ring of a drive wheel and which is capable of being rotated by means of an electric drive motor, in such a manner that this wheel pinion being caused to rotate by this electric motor brings about the rotation of this drive wheel.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein each wheel pinion is arranged at one end of a shaft, called the intermediate transmission shaft, comprising at the opposite end a pinion, called an intermediate pinion, which is engaged in a pinion, called a drive pinion, which is fixedly joined to the drive shaft of an electric drive motor.

5. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the members for driving the device over the immersed surface comprise two parallel axles which extend in one direction, which is called the transverse direction, perpendicular relative to the longitudinal direction, each axle comprising at least two wheels which are arranged at each of the transverse ends of the axle, respectively, at least one of the axles comprising at least one drive wheel.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the two parallel axles are drive axles which comprise at least two drive wheels which are arranged at each of the transverse ends of this axle, respectively.

7. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the members for driving the device over the immersed surface comprise a single drive axle.

8. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein each drive wheel is a non-guiding wheel with an internal toothed arrangement.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the brushing device is formed by at least one brush which comprises a central core which extends in a direction, called the transverse direction, perpendicular relative to the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of fins which extend radially from the central core and parallel with the transverse direction.

10. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the brushing device comprises two coaxial brushes, each brush being coupled to a wheel.

11. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein each wheel pinion has a pitch and a diameter which are identical to the pitch and diameter of each brush pinion.

12. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the brushing device has a smaller diameter than the diameter of the wheel which is fixedly joined to the ring in which the brush pinion which rotates it is engaged.

13. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises a filtration chamber which is provided in the body and which has:

at least one liquid inlet into the hollow body, located at the base of the body,

at least one liquid outlet out of the hollow body, located remotely from the base of the body,

at least one hydraulic circuit which is capable of providing a flow of liquid between at 1 least one liquid inlet and at least one liquid outlet through at least one filtering device, under the action of a pumping device.

14. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the brushing device is arranged at a longitudinal end of the hollow body and extends in a direction, called the transverse direction, perpendicular relative to the longitudinal direction, in such a manner that the brushing axis extends in the transverse direction.

15. A device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the brushing device is connected to the hollow body in such a manner that the device rests on the immersed surface, in the region of the longitudinal end where the brushing device is arranged, substantially on the brushing device.