Underwater vacuum

• US 6,199,237 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1998
• Issued: 03/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brent Budden
• Original Assignee: Brent Budden
• Inventors: Budden, Brent
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Randall E.
• Application Number:
  US09/189,860
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 15/17
• US Class Current: 15/1.7
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1636 Suction cleaners

Abstract

An underwater vacuum including a housing having an opening which is positioned adjacent the surface to be cleaned. The housing also supports a rotatable brush powered by a turbine energized by water flow through the vacuum. The housing has a water outlet which communicates with a pump at the surface of the water. The inlet to the turbine has a trap which collects large debris that could damage the turbine blades. The vacuum has two rear wheels that are adjustably attached to the interior of the housing, and two front wheels that are adjustably attached to the exterior of the housing. The underwater vacuum can remove sediment from a water storage reservoir without causing turbidity in the water column. A second handheld embodiment is used for cleaning sloping berms, and has rear wheels that are also powered by the turbine.

Claims

1. An underwater vacuum comprising:

a vacuum housing having a suction opening at the bottom thereof and a vacuum housing outlet opening, and said vacuum housing having an exterior and an interior;

a turbine housing fixed to said exterior of said vacuum housing, said turbine housing having a turbine housing inlet and a turbine housing outlet, said turbine housing inlet being in fluid communication with said vacuum housing outlet opening;

a turbine rotatably supported within said turbine housing;

an outlet pipe supported by said vacuum housing, said outlet pipe having an outlet pipe inlet and an outlet pipe outlet, said outlet pipe inlet being in fluid communication with said turbine housing outlet;

a plurality of wheels rotatably supported by said vacuum housing proximate said suction opening, said plurality of wheels supporting said suction opening adjacent a surface to be cleaned, and allowing the underwater vacuum to be moved about the surface to be cleaned;

a brush rotatably supported within said vacuum housing, said brush having a plurality of bristles, said brush being positioned within said vacuum housing such that a predetermined number of said plurality of bristles project beyond said suction opening to the outside of said vacuum housing and contact the surface to be cleaned; and

means for transmitting rotational motion from said turbine to said brush;

whereby, when said underwater vacuum is supported adjacent a submerged surface to be cleaned by said plurality of wheels and when said outlet pipe outlet is connected to a pump via a hose and the pump is turned on, water being drawn through said vacuum housing will cause rotation of said turbine, which in turn causes rotation of said brush, to thereby dislodge matter from the submerged surface, the dislodged matter becoming entrained in water being drawn through said vacuum housing, the water and the dislodged matter being removed from proximity of the submerged surface via the hose.

2. The underwater vacuum according to claim 1, wherein said suction opening has a rear edge, a right edge, a left edge, and a front edge, and wherein said plurality of wheels includes a plurality of rear wheels and a plurality of front wheels, said plurality of front wheels being rotatably supported on said exterior of said vacuum housing proximate said front edge, and said plurality of rear wheels being positioned intermediate said rear edge and said brush.

3. The underwater vacuum according to claim 2, further comprising means for transmitting rotational motion to said plurality of rear wheels from said turbine, whereby the underwater vacuum is self-propelled over the surface being cleaned.

4. The underwater vacuum according to claim 3, wherein the vacuum housing has a rear wall, the underwater vacuum further comprising a pair of grips fixed to said rear wall.

5. The underwater vacuum according to claim 2, wherein:

said suction opening has a perimeter and said perimeter of said suction opening defines a plane, wherein each of said plurality of front wheels is attached to said vacuum housing by a respective one of a first plurality of adjustable attachment means such that the position of each of said plurality of front wheels can be adjusted in a direction approximately perpendicular to said plane of said suction opening; and

wherein said plurality of rear wheels are coaxially fixed to a common shaft rotatably supported by said vacuum housing, there further being a second pair of adjustable attachment means, each end of said common shaft being attached to said vacuum housing by a respective one of said second pair of adjustable attachment means, such that the position of all of said plurality of rear wheels can be adjusted in a direction approximately perpendicular to said plane of said suction opening simultaneously.

6. The underwater vacuum according to claim 1, further comprising a debris trap provided intermediate said vacuum housing outlet and said turbine housing inlet, fluid communication between said vacuum housing outlet and said turbine housing inlet provided via said debris trap.

7. The underwater vacuum according to claim 1, wherein said turbine is a first turbine, the underwater vacuum further comprising:

a second turbine; and

a common turbine shaft rotatably supported within said turbine housing, said first turbine and said second turbine being fixed in tandem to said common turbine shaft, whereby water rushing through said first turbine and said second turbine causes rotation of said common turbine shaft.

8. The underwater vacuum according to claim 7, further comprising a plurality of re-directional baffles provided intermediate said first turbine and said second turbine, said plurality of re-directional baffles straightening water flow from said first turbine before the water flow from said first turbine impinges upon said second turbine.

9. The underwater vacuum according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum housing has a rear wall, the underwater vacuum further comprising:

a socket attached to said rear wall; and

a T-shaped handle having a gripping portion and a distal end distal from said gripping portion, said distal end of said T-shaped handle being inserted into said socket.

10. The underwater vacuum according to claim 1, wherein said suction opening has a perimeter and said perimeter of said suction opening defines a plane, and wherein each of said plurality of wheels is attached to said vacuum housing by adjustable attachment means such that the position of each of said plurality of wheels can be adjusted in a direction approximately perpendicular to said plane of said suction opening.

11. The underwater vacuum according to claim 1, there further being adjustable attachment means, said suction opening having a perimeter and said perimeter of said suction opening defining a plane, said brush being attached to said vacuum housing by said adjustable attachment means, such that the position of said brush can be adjusted in a direction approximately perpendicular to said plane of said suction opening.

12. An underwater vacuum comprising:

a vacuum housing having a suction opening at the bottom thereof and a vacuum housing outlet opening, said suction opening being substantially rectangular and having a rear edge, a right edge, a left edge, and a front edge, said suction opening having a perimeter and said perimeter of said suction opening defining a plane, said vacuum housing having an exterior and an interior, said vacuum housing having a base portion and a cap portion, said cap portion having a rear wall and a front wall spaced apart from said rear wall, said cap portion having a closed top and an open bottom, said open bottom being smaller in area than said suction opening, said cap portion being joined to said base portion at said open bottom of said cap portion, said cap portion having lateral walls that extend between said front and rear wall, said cap portion having a decreasing cross sectional area in sections parallel to said plane of said suction opening, said cross sectional area of said cap portion decreasing from a maximum where said cap portion joins said base portion to a minimum at said closed top of said cap portion;

said base portion having a curved front wall extending from said front edge of said suction opening to said front wall of said cap portion, a rear wall extending perpendicular to said plane of said suction opening from said suction opening rear edge to said rear wall of said cap portion, a right sidewall extending from said curved front wall of said base portion to said rear wall of said base portion and from said right edge of said suction opening to said cap portion, and a left sidewall extending from said curved front wall of said base portion to said rear wall of said base portion and from said left edge of said suction opening to said cap portion, said front and rear walls of said base portion, said left sidewall, said right sidewall, and said cap portion cooperatively forming a concavity which opens to said suction opening;

said vacuum housing outlet opening being formed in said front wall of said cap portion, said vacuum housing outlet opening being as wide as said closed top of said cap portion and extending from said closed top of said cap portion to said curved front wall of said base portion;

a turbine housing fixed to said exterior of said vacuum housing said turbine housing having a turbine housing inlet and a turbine housing outlet, said turbine housing inlet being in fluid communication with said vacuum housing outlet opening;

a turbine rotatably supported within said turbine housing;

an outlet pipe supported by said vacuum housing, said outlet pipe having an outlet pipe inlet and an outlet pipe outlet, said outlet pipe inlet being in fluid communication with said turbine housing outlet;

a brush rotatably supported within said vacuum housing, said brush having a plurality of bristles, said brush being positioned within said vacuum housing such that a predetermined number of said plurality of bristles project beyond said suction opening to the outside of said vacuum housing and contact the surface to be cleaned;

a plurality of front wheels rotatably supported on said exterior of said vacuum housing proximate said front edge of said suction opening;

a plurality of rear wheels rotatably supported by said interior of said vacuum housing intermediate said rear edge of said suction opening and said brush, said front and rear plurality of wheels supporting said suction opening adjacent a surface to be cleaned and allowing the underwater vacuum to be moved about the surface to be cleaned; and

means for transmitting rotational motion from said turbine to said brush;

whereby, when said underwater vacuum is supported adjacent a submerged surface to be cleaned by said plurality of wheels and when said outlet pipe outlet is connected to a pump via a hose and the pump is turned on, water being drawn through said vacuum housing will cause rotation of said turbine which in turn causes rotation of said brush to thereby dislodge matter from the submerged surface, the dislodged matter becoming entrained in water being drawn through said vacuum housing, the water and the dislodged matter being removed from proximity of the submerged surface via the hose.

13. The underwater vacuum according to claim 12, further comprising a debris trap provided intermediate said vacuum housing outlet and said turbine housing inlet, fluid communication between said vacuum housing outlet and said turbine housing inlet provided via said debris trap.

14. The underwater vacuum according to claim 12, wherein said turbine is a first turbine, the underwater vacuum further comprising:

a second turbine; and

a common turbine shaft rotatably supported within said turbine housing, said first turbine and said second turbine being fixed in tandem to said common turbine shaft, whereby water rushing through said first turbine and said second turbine causes rotation of said common turbine shaft.

15. The underwater vacuum according to claim 14, further comprising a plurality of re-directional baffles provided intermediate said first turbine and said second turbine, said plurality of re-directional baffles straightening water flow from said first turbine before the water flow from said first turbine impinges upon said second turbine.

16. The underwater vacuum according to claim 12, wherein said vacuum housing has a rear wall formed by said rear wall of said base portion and said rear wall of said cap portion, the underwater vacuum further comprising:

a socket attached to said rear wall of said vacuum housing; and

a T-shaped handle having a gripping portion and a distal end distal from said gripping portion, said distal end of said T-shaped handle being inserted into said socket.

17. The underwater vacuum according to claim 12, further comprising means for transmitting rotational motion to said plurality of rear wheels from said turbine, whereby the underwater vacuum is self-propelled over the surface being cleaned.

18. The underwater vacuum according to claim 17, wherein said vacuum housing has a rear wall formed by said rear wall of said base portion and said rear wall of said cap portion, the underwater vacuum further comprising a pair of grips fixed to said rear wall of said vacuum housing.

19. The underwater vacuum according to claim 12, there further being adjustable attachment means, each of said plurality of front and rear wheels being attached to said vacuum housing by said adjustable attachment means, such that the position of each of said plurality of front and rear wheels can be adjusted in a direction approximately perpendicular to said plane of said suction opening.

20. The underwater vacuum according to claim 12, wherein:

each of said plurality of front wheels is attached to said vacuum housing by a respective one of a first plurality of adjustable attachment means, such that the position of each of said plurality of front wheels can be adjusted in a direction approximately perpendicular to said plane of said suction opening; and

wherein said plurality of rear wheels are coaxially fixed to a common shaft rotatably supported by said vacuum housing, there further being a second pair of adjustable attachment means, each end of said common shaft being attached to said vacuum housing by a respective one of said second pair of adjustable attachment means, such that the position of all of said plurality of rear wheels can be adjusted in a direction approximately perpendicular to said plane of said suction opening simultaneously.