UNDERWATER STATION

• US 20180135326A1
• Filed: 01/14/2018
• Published: 05/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maytronics Ltd (Kibbutz Yizreel)
• Original Assignee: Maytronics Ltd (Kibbutz Yizreel)
• Inventors: WITELSON, SHAY
• Granted Patent: US 10,501,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/10 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/00 Manipulators not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/001 Processes for the treatment of water whereby the filtration technique is of importance C02F1/44 takes precedence; construction of filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/42 from bathing facilities, e.g. swimming pools
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1654 Self-propelled cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1672 Connections to the pool water circulation system
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1823 structurally associated with turbines or similar engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 : Mobile robot

Abstract

An underwater station that may include a filter manipulator that is arranged to input, without human intervention, a filter into a pool cleaning robot that is located in a filter replacement position and to assist, without human intervention, in positioning the filter at a filtering position in which the filter is at least partially disposed within a fluid path formed between a first fluid opening and a second fluid opening of the housing thereby allowing the filter to apply a filtering operation on fluid that passes through the fluid path.

Claims

1. An underwater station, comprising:

a filter manipulator that is arranged to input, without human intervention, a filter into a pool cleaning robot that is located in a filter replacement position and to assist, without human intervention, in positioning the filter at a filtering position in which the filter is at least partially disposed within a fluid path formed between a first fluid opening and a second fluid opening of the housing thereby allowing the filter to apply a filtering operation on fluid that passes through the fluid path.

2. The underwater station according to claim 1 wherein the filter manipulator is arranged to position, without human intervention, the filter at the filtering position.

3. The underwater station according to claim 1 wherein the filter manipulator is arranged to receive multiple filters and to feed, without human intervention, at least two filters in the robot.

4. The underwater station according to claim 1 wherein the filter manipulator comprises a filter storage module that is arranged to store multiple used filters after the used filters were outputted from the pool cleaning robot.

5. The underwater station according to claim 1 wherein the filter manipulator comprises a filter storage module that is arranged to store multiple filters before the multiple filters are inputted to the pool cleaning robot.

6. The underwater station according to claim 1 wherein the filter manipulator comprises a filter storage module that is arranged to store multiple used filters after the used filters were outputted from the pool cleaning robot and is arranged to store multiple filters before the multiple filters are inputted to the pool cleaning robot.

7. The underwater station according to claim 1 wherein the filter manipulator comprises a filter storage module that is arranged to store multiple filters and a movement mechanism.

8. The underwater station according to claim 7 wherein the movement mechanism is arranged to move, without human intervention, at least one of the filter storage module and the filter in order to input the filter into the pool cleaning robot.

9. The underwater station according to claim 7 wherein the movement mechanism is further arranged to assist, without human intervention, in moving the filter within the housing thereby placing another filter of the multiple filters at the filtering position.

10. The underwater station according to claim 1 wherein the filter manipulator is arranged to assist, without human intervention, in an outputting of the filter from the robot.

11. The underwater station according to claim 1 further comprising a processing module for processing, without human intervention, used filters that were outputted from the pool cleaning robot.

12. The underwater station according to claim 11 wherein the processing module is arranged to compress the used filters.

13. The underwater station according to claim 12 wherein the processing module is arranged to shred the used filters.

14. The underwater station according to claim 12 wherein the processing module is arranged to sanitize the used filters.

15. A method for autonomous underwater operation, the method comprises performing in an autonomous manner, without human intervention, by an underwater station, at least one operation out of pool cleaning robot filter replacement and cordless pool cleaning robot charging.

16. The method according to claim 15 comprising storing, at the filter storage module, multiple used filters after the used filters were outputted from the pool cleaning robot.

17. The method according to claim 15 further comprising processing, by a processing module of the underwater station and without human intervention, used filters that were outputted from the pool cleaning robot.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the processing comprises compressing, without human intervention, the used filters.

19. The method according to claim 17 wherein the processing comprises shredding, without human intervention, the used filters.

20. The method according to claim 17 wherein the processing comprises sanitizing, without human intervention, the used filters.