MOTORISED ROBOT FOR CLEANING SWIMMING POOLS OR THE LIKE, WHICH OPERATES WHEN SUBMERGED IN A FLUID

• US 20110258789A1
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pmps Technologies
• Original Assignee: Pmps Technologies
• Inventors: Lavabre, Vincent
• Granted Patent: US 8,402,586 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 motorized robot for cleaning swimming pools, comprising: means (2) for moving the robot, having a surface (3) for making contact with a movement surface submerged in the swimming pool; means (4) for generating a circulation of fluid in the robot, comprising an opening for the suction (5) of said fluid, and an opening for the backflow (6) of the aspirated fluid; a conduit (7) of fluid connecting the suction and backflow openings; means for generating (8) a flow of said fluid in the conduit; a strut for lifting at least part of the contact surface (3) from the movement surface, said strut being mobile between a first inactive position in which the strut is retracted inside the robot and a second active position in which the strut projects past the contact surface of the movement means in such a way that part of said contact surface can no longer be in contact with the movement surface; and means for controlling (10) the movement of the strut between its active and inactive positions, said means being activated by a movement of the fluid in the fluid conduit, and comprising means (11) for opposing the movement of the fluid in the fluid conduit (7), which are mobile in said conduit in such a way as to at least partially block the conduit or release it, and connected to the strut in such a way that the strut takes on its active or inactive position according to the position adopted in the fluid conduit by the opposition means.

Claims

1. A motorized robot (1) for cleaning swimming pools or the like which operates submerged in a fluid, comprising:

displacement means (2) for the robot, of the wheel, brush, or caterpillar type, comprising a surface (3) of contact with a submerged surface of displacement of said swimming pool or the like,

means (4) for generating, through the robot, a circulation of the fluid in which the robot is submerged, comprising;

an aspiration opening (5) for said fluid,

a discharge opening (6) for the aspirated fluid,

a fluid conduit (7) linking the aspiration and discharge openings,

means (8) generating a stream of said fluid in said conduit,

a strut (9) for lifting from the displacement surface, at least one part of said contact surface of the displacement means, said strut being movable at least between the following two positions;

a first position, teamed the inactive position, in which said strut is retracted inside the robot, said contact surface of the displacement means then being able to be entirely in contact with said displacement surface,

a second position, termed the active position, in which said strut stands proud of said contact surface of the displacement means, so that a part of this contact surface can no longer be in contact with the displacement surface,

characterized in that said robot furthermore comprises means (10) for controlling the displacement of said strut which are activated by a motion of the fluid in said fluid conduit, said means (10) for controlling the displacement of said strut (9) between its active and inactive positions comprising means (11) for opposing the motion of the fluid in the fluid conduit (7), which are movable in the latter so as to at least partially obstruct said conduit or to clear it, and are tied to the strut, in such a way that, depending on the position adopted in the fluid conduit by said opposing means, the strut takes its active or inactive position.

2. The robot (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said means (11) for opposing the motion of the fluid in the fluid conduit (7), which are movable in the latter and are tied to the strut (9), comprise:

movable-blade means (12), tied to the strut, and disposed in said fluid conduit, and movable between at least the following two positions;

a first so-called active position, adopted under the effect of a displacement of said fluid in the conduit giving rise to an at least partial withdrawal of the movable-blade means in the conduit, and in which said strut is then in its inactive position retracted in the robot,

a second so-called inactive position, adopted when no fluid is moving in the conduit, giving rise, under the effect of an elastic restoring means (13), to a position of the movable-blade means across said fluid conduit, and in which said strut then stands proud in its active position.

3. The robot (1) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said movable-blade means (12) are mounted rotatably in the fluid conduit (7).

4. The robot (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said means (11) for opposing the motion of the fluid are disposed in a part (14) of the fluid conduit (7), termed the discharge conduit (14), situated between the means (8) generating the fluid stream in the internal conduit and the discharge opening (6).

5. The robot (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said discharge conduit (14) is perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the contact surface (3) of the displacement means (2) for the robot.

6. The robot (1) as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the means (10) for controlling the displacement of the strut (9) between its active and inactive positions comprise an intermediate transmission link-bar (15) articulated at one (16) of its ends to the strut and at the other (17) of its ends to said movable-blade means (12), and in that said intermediate transmission link-bar (15) is devised in such a way that the displacement of the strut (9) is degressive when the blade means (12) pass from their inactive position to their active position.

7. The robot (1) as claimed in, claim 2, characterized in that the means (10) for controlling the displacement of the strut (9) between its active and inactive positions comprise an intermediate transmission lever (18) between one of the elements, chosen from among the following:

strut (9), intermediate link-bar (15), movable-blade means (12), and said elastic restoring means (13), and in that said intermediate lever (18) is devised in such a way that the load for tensioning the elastic restoring means (13), exerted by the fluid on the blade means (12), is constant or substantially constant, when the latter move from their inactive position to their active position.