SUBMERGED SURFACE CLEANING APPARATUS WITH ANGLED PUMPING IMPELLER

• US 20110000033A1
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• 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: Mastio, Emmanuel, Pichon, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 8,393,032 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 and members (2, 3, 4) for driving the body over the immersed surface, a filtration chamber which is provided in the body and which has: a liquid inlet (9) located at the base of the body; a liquid outlet (10) arranged opposite the base of the body; a hydraulic circuit for flow of liquid between this liquid inlet (9) and this liquid outlet (10) through a filtering device (11); a liquid pumping device (12, 13, 14) comprising a pumping motor (12) which has a rotating drive shaft (13) which is coupled to a pumping propeller (14) which is interposed in the hydraulic circuit, wherein the liquid outlet (10) is longitudinally offset from the liquid inlet (9) and the pumping propeller (14) has an inclined rotation axis (51) which forms, with the longitudinal direction, an angle which is not equal to zero and which is different from 90°.

Claims

1. A device for cleaning an immersed surface comprising:

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

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 hollow body,

at least one hydraulic circuit which is capable of providing a flow of liquid between at least one liquid inlet and at least one liquid outlet through at least one filtering device,

at least one liquid pumping device comprising a pumping motor having a rotating drive shaft which is coupled to at least one axial pumping propeller which is interposed in a hydraulic circuit in order to generate therein a flow of liquid between each liquid inlet and each liquid outlet which are connected by this hydraulic circuit,

wherein;

each liquid outlet is offset, in the longitudinal direction, from each liquid inlet with which it is in communication via a hydraulic circuit,

each axial pumping propeller which is interposed in a hydraulic circuit between a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet has an inclined rotation axis forming, with said longitudinal direction, an angle which is not equal to zero and which is different from 90°

, said axial pumping propeller being capable of generating a flow of liquid which is orientated along the axis thereof towards this liquid outlet, in a direction away from the base of the body.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises, for access to the filtering device, a flap which is provided on an upper wall of the hollow body and which is capable of allowing the filtering device to be disassembled and to pass through this access flap.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises, for access to the filtering device, a flap which is provided on a front wall of the hollow body and which is capable of allowing the filtering device to be disassembled and to pass through this access flap.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each pumping motor has an inclined rotating drive shaft which forms, with the longitudinal direction, an angle which is not equal to zero and which is different from 90°

.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein each pumping motor has a rotating shaft which is coaxial relative to the rotation axis of an axial pumping propeller.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotation axis of each axial pumping propeller interposed in a hydraulic circuit is parallel with the middle inclined direction which extends via the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet which are connected by this hydraulic circuit.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one liquid outlet out of the hollow body is substantially coaxial, to within 5°

, relative to the rotation axis of an axial pumping propeller.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hollow body is formed principally by a concave housing which delimits a main chamber, this housing having openings which are provided in the lower portion of the housing and at the rear of the housing, respectively, these openings forming the liquid inlet(s) and liquid outlet(s), respectively.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each pumping motor of each hydraulic circuit is arranged below the inclined direction which extends via the liquid inlet and the longitudinally offset liquid outlet, which are connected by means of this hydraulic circuit.

10. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises a propeller fairing which surrounds the axial pumping propeller over the entire height thereof.

11. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the members for driving the body over the immersed surface comprise at least one electric drive motor.

12. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises at least one axle which has guide or non-guide wheels and which extends in a direction perpendicular relative to the longitudinal direction.

13. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises a single hydraulic circuit, this circuit comprising one or more liquid inlet(s) located at the base and at the front of the hollow body and one or more liquid outlet(s) located remotely from the base of the hollow body in the region of a rear portion of the hollow body.

14. A device as claimed in claim 13, wherein it comprises a single pumping device which comprises a single pumping motor which has a rotating drive shaft which is coupled to a single pumping propeller having an inclined rotation axis.

15. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each pumping propeller has an inclined rotation axis which forms, with the longitudinal direction, an angle of between 15°

and 60°

.