Autonomous pool cleaning robot

• US 9,903,131 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2013
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maytronics Ltd (Kibbutz Yizreel)
• Original Assignee: Maytronics Ltd (Kibbutz Yizreel)
• Inventors: Tamar, Yaniv, Tryber, Eyal, Herut, Yermi, Witelson, Shay, Golan, Oded, Gilead, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): Norris, Claire A
• Application Number:
  US14/433,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20150292222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,528 Days
• Field of Search: 15 17, 210107, 2101671
• 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

A pool cleaning robot that may include first and second fluid openings, with a fluid path between the first fluid opening and the second fluid opening; a turbine at least partially disposed within the fluid path so as to extract energy from flow of fluid through the fluid path; an electrical generator; a rechargeable power source; and a controller that is arranged to direct the pool cleaning robot to be positioned in a certain location in which a flow level of fluid that is circulated by a pool fluid circulation system is higher than a flow level of the fluid within a majority of the pool, wherein when positioned at the certain location the fluid that is circulated by the pool fluid circulation system passes through the fluid path.

Claims

1. A pool cleaning robot comprising:

a housing; and

a filter manipulator that is at least partially located within the housing and is arranged to (a) receive a filter that comprises at least one filtering element and a filter housing that surrounds the at least one filtering element and (b) introduce a movement between the filter and the housing thereby positioning the filter within 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 pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the filter manipulator is arranged to receive the filter and at least one additional filter and to position the filter at the filtering position while positioning the at least one additional filter in a non-filtering position.

3. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the filter manipulator comprises a filter storage module that comprises multiple compartments for receiving multiple filters including the filter.

4. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 3 wherein the filter manipulator further comprises a movement mechanism that is arranged to introduce the movement between the filter and the housing by moving the filter storage module.

5. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 4 wherein the movement mechanism is further arranged to move the filter storage module thereby placing another filter of the multiple filters in the filtering position.

6. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 3 wherein the filter storage module has a radial symmetry.

7. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 3 wherein the filter manipulator further comprises a movement mechanism that is arranged to introduce the movement between the filter and the housing by moving the filter without moving the filter storage module.

8. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 3 wherein the filter manipulator further comprises a movement mechanism that is arranged to introduce the movement between the filter and the housing by moving the filter and by moving the filter storage module.

9. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the filter manipulator is completely within the housing.

10. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the filter manipulator is arranged to dispose the filter from the pool cleaning robot.

11. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a first filter opening for receiving the filter;

and wherein the filter manipulator that is arranged to receive the filter supplied through the first filter opening.

12. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 11 wherein the filter manipulator is arranged to dispose the filter from the robot through the first filter opening.

13. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 11 wherein the filter manipulator is arranged to dispose the filter from the robot through a second filter opening that differs from the first filter opening.

14. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the filter manipulator comprises rails for conveying the filter within the housing.

15. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 comprising a detector that is arranged to sense a cleanliness level of the filter and a controller that is arranged to determine whether to replace the filter in response to the cleanliness level of the filter.

16. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the filter is a first filter;

wherein the filter manipulator is arranged to receive the first filter and a second filter and to position the second filter in a non-filtering position.

17. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 comprising a processing module that is arranged to process the filter after the filter is replaced by another filter thereby becoming a used filter.

18. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 17 wherein the processing module is arranged to compress the used filter.

19. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 17 wherein the processing module is arranged to shred the used filter.

20. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 17 wherein the processing module is arranged to sanitize the used filter.

21. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 3 wherein the pool cleaning robot is configured to automatically extract the filter storage module from the housing.

22. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 3 wherein the multiple filters are independently movable filters.

23. the pool cleaning robot according to claim 3 wherein the multiple compartments are spaced apart from each other.

24. the pool cleaning robot according to claim 3 wherein each compartment of the multiple compartments is configured to store a single filter.

25. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 3 wherein the filter storage module has a radial symmetry about an axis that is normal to a bottom of the housing.

26. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the movement between the filter and the housing is a linear movement that is parallel to a bottom of the housing.

27. A pool cleaning robot comprising:

a housing; and

a filter storage module that is at least partially located within the housing and is arranged to (a) receive multiple filters and (b) hold the multiple filters so that at least one of the multiple filters is positioned in 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;

wherein each filter of the multiple filters comprises at least one filtering element and a filter housing that surrounds the at least one filtering element.

28. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 27 wherein the housing comprises a first filter opening for receiving the multiple filters.

29. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 28 wherein the first filter opening is located at a bottom of the housing.

30. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 28 wherein the first filter opening is located at a sidewall of the housing.

31. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 27 wherein the housing comprises at least one second filter opening for outputting the multiple filters from the housing.

32. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 27 wherein the housing comprises a first filter opening for receiving the multiple filters and a second filter opening for outputting the multiple filters from the housing, wherein the first filter opening and the second filter opening are positioned at a same relative location on opposite sides of the housing.

33. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 27 wherein the filter storage module is arranged to hold the multiple filters so that at least one other filter of the multiple filters is positioned at a non-filtering position.

34. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 27 comprising a processing module that is arranged to process the filter after the filter is replaced by another filter thereby becoming a used filter.

35. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 34 wherein the processing module is arranged to compress the used filter.

36. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 34 wherein the processing module is arranged to shred the used filter.

37. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 34 wherein the processing module is arranged to sanitize the used filter.

38. A pool cleaning robot comprising:

a housing;

a filter manipulator that is at least partially located within the housing and is arranged to (a) receive a filter and (b) introduce a movement between the filter and the housing thereby positioning the filter within 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;

wherein the filter manipulator comprises a filter storage module that comprises multiple compartments for receiving multiple filters including the filter; and

wherein the pool cleaning robot is configured to automatically extract the filter storage module from the housing.