POOL CLEANING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20140015959A1
• Filed: 07/10/2012
• Published: 01/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zodiac Pool Systems, LLC (Fluidra, S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Aqua Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Correa, William Londono, Durvasula, Kameshwar
• Granted Patent: US 9,388,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/114
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/06 Safety devices; Coverings for baths
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/22 Command input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/221 Remote-control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/223 Command input arrangements on the remote controller, e.g. joysticks or touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/249 from positioning sensors located off-board the vehicle, e.g. from cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/001 using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A pool cleaning system utilizes a powered robotic surface cleaning vehicle to travel adjacent water containing surfaces of a pool while submerged within the pool. In one implementation, a camera captures movement of the vehicle. In one implementation, a dry station serve the intermediary across a wide area network between the vehicle and a server which communicates with the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. A pool cleaning system comprising:

a powered robotic surface cleaning vehicle to travel adjacent water containing surfaces of a pool while submerged within the pool;

a camera adapted to be mounted external the pool to capture movement of the vehicle while submerged within the pool; and

a controller to generate control signals steering the vehicle based on the signals from the camera.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a station remote from the vehicle and in communication with the vehicle, wherein the station includes the controller.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a station remote from the vehicle and in communication with the vehicle, wherein the controller is located remote from the vehicle and the station.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a portable electronic device in communication with the camera, with the portable electronic device includes a controller.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a portable electronic device having a display, wherein the portable electronic device is configured to present a graphic on the display, the graphic depicting water containing surfaces of the pool and those portions of the water containing surfaces that remain uncleaned as a vehicle traverses the water containing surfaces.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the portable electronic device depicts movement of the vehicle on the display.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller generates second control signals steering the vehicle based on a coverage algorithm independent of signals from the camera and wherein the control signals based on the captured coverage steer the vehicle to clean portions of the water containing surfaces missed by the vehicle while being steered according to the second control signals.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is configured to output an alert based on signals from the camera indicating presence of a person at pool satisfying a predefined characteristic.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a portable electronic device having a display; and

sensors carried by the vehicle, wherein the display presents information based on characteristics of the water containing surfaces of the pool sensed by the sensors.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a server remote from the camera and the vehicle, the server comprising the controller, wherein the controller generates control signals for steering a plurality of vehicles across a plurality of pools based on signals from a plurality of cameras associated with the plurality of pools.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising sensors carried by the vehicle to sense the water containing surfaces of the pool after the water containing surfaces of the pool have been cleaned by the vehicle during a pass of the vehicle under control of a pool coverage algorithm, wherein the control signals steer the vehicle so as to reclean the water containing surfaces having a cleanliness characteristic sensed by the sensors failing to satisfy a predefined threshold.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a non-transient computer-readable medium comprising code configured to cause a processor to;

obtain signals from a camera representing water containing surfaces of a pool and movement of a robotic pool cleaning vehicle adjacent to and along the water containing surfaces of the pool;

identify portions of the water containing surfaces of the pool that have not been cleaned by the pool cleaning vehicle to satisfy a predefined threshold;

present a graphical depiction of the identified portions.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the code is further configured to direct the processing unit to generate control signals steering the robotic pool cleaning vehicle so as to clean the identified portions.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising a portable electronic device comprising:

a processing unit;

a display to present the graphical depiction; and

the non-transient computer readable medium.

15. A method comprising:

capturing images of a pool being cleaned with a robotic pool cleaning vehicle operating according to a steering algorithm;

obtaining signals from a camera representing water containing surfaces of the pool and movement of a robotic pool cleaning vehicle adjacent to and along the water containing surfaces of the pool;

identifying portions of the water containing surfaces of the pool that have not been cleaned by the pool cleaning vehicle to satisfy a predefined threshold;

presenting a graphical depiction of the identified portions.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising steering the robotic pool cleaning vehicle based upon signals from the camera to reclean the identified portions.

17. A pool cleaning system comprising:

a powered robotic pool cleaning vehicle to travel adjacent to water containing surfaces of a pool while submerged within the pool;

a dry station remote from the pool and in communication with the vehicle;

a server in communication with the dry station across a wide area network; and

a portable electronic device in communication with the server.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more processing units;

at least one non-transient computer-readable medium comprising code configured to direct the one or more processing units to cause the portable electronic device to display coverage of the water containing surfaces of the pool by the vehicle.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a camera to capture movement of the vehicle while the vehicle is submerged within the pool.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the camera comprises a pool security camera and wherein the at least one non-transient computer-readable medium causes the portable electronic device to output an alert based on signals from the camera indicating presence of a person at pool satisfying a predefined characteristic.