SELF-PROPELLED ROBOTIC SWIMMING POOL CLEANER WITH RETRACTABLY TETHERED FLOATING BUOY

• US 20170356212A1
• Filed: 06/08/2017
• Published: 12/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zodiac Pool Systems, LLC (Fluidra, S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Aqua Products Incorporated
• Inventors: HANAN, Ethan, DURVASULA, Kameshwar
• Granted Patent: US 10,718,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 22/00 Buoys floating decoys, e.g. for waterfowl A01M31/06; means for indicating the location of underwater objects B63C7/26; life-buoys, e.g. rings B63C9/08; mountings of acoustic transducer in underwater equipment, e.g. sonobuoys G10K11/006; electric cables supported on or from floats H02G9/12
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1654 Self-propelled cleaners

Abstract

A method and apparatus for raising a self-propelled pool cleaner from a surface of a pool. The cleaner includes an interior chamber, a lower portion with an inlet and an upper portion with an outlet. Rotatably-mounted supports guide the cleaner along the pool surface. An interior water pump draws water/debris through the inlet, the debris is filtered in the interior chamber, and filtered water exits through the outlet to propel the cleaner during a cleaning operation. A buoy assembly is tethered to the cleaner via a retractable cable. When the cleaner is submerged, the cable is released and the buoy assembly floats on the water surface while tethered to the submerged cleaner. The cleaner can receive a command signal from a controller to exit from the pool, and the cable is retracted to cause the cleaner to rise from the submerged surface of the pool.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cleaning a surface of a pool comprising:

a robotic pool cleaner having a housing including an upper portion disposed over a lower portion to define an interior chamber therein, the lower portion including a water inlet and the upper portion having a water discharge port;

rotatably-mounted supports supporting and guiding the cleaner along the pool surface;

a filter assembly for filtering water drawn through the water inlet;

a water pump assembly drawing water and debris from beneath the cleaner through the at least one inlet, the debris being retained by the filter assembly and the filtered water being discharged through the water discharge port during a cleaning operation; and

a buoy assembly tethered to the cleaner via a retractable cable.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a spool and a spool rotation mechanism to release and retract the cable.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the spool and spool rotation mechanism are housed in the buoy assembly.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the spool and spool rotation mechanism are housed on-board the cleaner,

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the spool rotation mechanism includes a spring.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the spool rotation mechanism includes an electric motor.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the spool is configured to adjust a length of the cable as the buoy assembly floats on the pool water surface while the cleaner traverses at different depths of the pool.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the buoy assembly has a buoyancy sufficient to overcome a negative buoyancy of the cleaner and assist in lifting and raising the cleaner off a bottom surface of the pool by retracting the cable.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the buoy assembly includes a first locking mechanism to lock the spool and maintain a constant length of cable being extended.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first locking mechanism comprises a latch and strike member arrangement.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second locking mechanism for securing the buoy assembly to the upper portion of the cleaner.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, second locking mechanism includes magnets.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the buoy assembly includes a handle.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the buoy assembly includes an antenna and the cable includes an electrical conductor for carrying received wireless signals from a remote controller to control circuitry in the cleaner.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the buoy assembly includes a receiver electrically coupled to the antenna and cable.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the cleaner includes a transceiver electrically coupled to the antenna via the cable.

17. A method for raising a self-propelled robotic pool cleaner from a surface of a pool, the pool cleaner comprising a housing including an upper portion disposed over a lower portion to define an interior chamber therein, the lower portion including a water inlet and the upper portion having a water discharge port;

rotatably-mounted supports supporting and guiding the cleaner along the pool surface;

a filter assembly for filtering water drawn through the water inlet;

a water pump assembly for drawing water and debris from beneath the cleaner through the water inlet, the debris being retained by the filter assembly and the filtered water being discharged through the water discharge port during a cleaning operation; and

a buoy assembly tethered to the cleaner via a retractable cable, the method comprising the steps of;

submerging the pool cleaner to clean a surface of the pool;

releasing the cable so that the buoy assembly is floating on the top surface of the water while tethered to the cleaner;

receiving a command signal from a controller to remove the cleaner from the pool; and

retracting the cable to cause the cleaner to rise from the submerged surface of the pool.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of receiving a command signal comprises receiving the command signal from a remote controller in response to a predetermined condition being satisfied.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of moving the cleaner to a sidewall of the pool after receiving the command signal.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of climbing a sidewall of the pool after receiving the command signal.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of securing the buoy assembly to the cleaner after retracting the cable.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of receiving the command signal comprises receiving the command signal by an electronic receiver housed in one of the buoy assembly or on-board the cleaner;

and forwarding the command signal to an on-board controller.