Autonomous pool cleaning robot

• US 9,903,132 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2015
• 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: Witelson, Shay, Golan, Oded
• Primary Examiner(s): Norris, Claire A
• Application Number:
  US14/680,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20150275537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 15 17, 210107, 2101671, 2103601, 210370, 210380
• 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 may include a housing that has a first fluid opening and a second fluid opening; a filter that comprises a filter core that is at least partially located within the housing and comprises an one or more inlets, an one or more outlets and at least one filtering element positioned between the one or more inlets and the an one or more outlets; and a filter core rotator that is arranged to rotate the filter core during at least one period in which the filter core filters fluid that enters through the one or more inlets to output filtered fluid via the one or more outlets.

Claims

1. A pool cleaning robot comprising:

a housing that has a first fluid opening and a second fluid opening;

a filter that comprises a filter core that is a structural element that is at least partially located within the housing and comprises one or more inlets, one or more outlets and at least one filtering element positioned between the one or more inlets and the one or more outlets;

a perforated pole that is surrounded by the filter core and is positioned at a radial center of the filter core;

blades that are positioned between the perforated pole and the at least one filtering element;

wherein the blades are spaced apart from the at least one filtering element;

wherein the perforated pole is mechanically coupled to the blades; and

a rotator that is arranged to rotate the blades by rotating the perforated pole;

wherein the blades, while rotated by the perforated pole, are configured to assist a flow of the fluid into the perforated pole;

wherein the filter core is configured to filter, the fluid that enters through the one or more inlets to output filtered fluid via the one or more outlets.

2. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the filter core is radially symmetrical and wherein the one or more inlets are positioned at the radial center of the filter core.

3. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the filter core rotator is arranged to rotate the filter core about the radial center of the filter core.

4. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein perforated pole is spaced apart from the least one filtering element.

5. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the perforated pole comprises choppers that are positioned within the perforated pole.

6. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the at least one filtering element are non-parallel to the one or more inlets.

7. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the at least one filtering element are multiple filtering elements that comprise disk shaped filtering elements that are non-parallel to each other.

8. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the at least one filtering elements comprise disk shaped filtering elements, wherein even filtering elements are parallel to each other, odd filtering elements are parallel to each other and non-parallel to the even filtering elements.

9. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 further comprising a filter core enclosure that comprises at least one opening to allow filtered fluid to pass through, wherein the filter core enclosure surrounds the filter core.

10. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 9 wherein the filter core and the filter core enclosure are radially symmetrical.

11. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 9 wherein the filter core is radially symmetrical and wherein the filter core enclosure is not radially symmetrical.

12. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 9 wherein the housing comprises a filter opening for receiving the filter core;

and once positioned in the pool cleaning robot the filter core enclosure blocks the filter opening.

13. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 9 further comprising a filter housing that is arranged to receive the filter core and the filter core enclosure, wherein the filter housing surrounds the filter core enclosure.

14. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 13 wherein the filter housing is connected to at least one out of (a) the rotator and (b) a gear coupled to the rotator.

15. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 14 wherein the at least one of the rotator and the gear are arranged to contact the filter core enclosure when the filter core enclosure is located within the filter housing.

16. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 13 wherein the filter housing comprises a filter opening for receiving the filter.

17. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 16 wherein the filter housing is arranged to block the filter opening once located within the pool cleaning robot.

18. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 16 wherein the filter housing is arranged to block the filter opening once located in a non-filtering position within the pool cleaning robot.

19. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 further comprising a filter manipulator that is at least partially located within the housing and is arranged to (a) receive the filter and (b) introduce a movement between the filter and the housing thereby positioning the filter within a filtering position in which the filter core filters the fluid that enters through the one or more inlets to output filtered fluid via the one or more outlets.

20. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 19 wherein the filter manipulator further comprises a movement mechanism that is arranged to introduce a movement between the filter and the housing by moving a filter storage module that belongs to the filter manipulator.

21. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 20 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.

22. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 19 wherein the filter manipulator comprises a filter storage module that comprises multiple compartments for receiving multiple filters including the filter.

23. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 22 wherein the filter storage module has a radial symmetry.

24. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 22 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 storage module.

25. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 22 wherein the filter manipulator is arranged to dispose the filter from the robot.

26. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 19 wherein the housing comprises a first filter opening for receiving the filter;

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

27. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 further comprising a processing module that is arranged to process the filter after the filter is replaced by another filter, wherein after the filter is processed by the processing module the filter becomes a used filter.

28. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the filter core further comprises choppers.

29. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the at least one filter element comprises a fine filter and a gross filter;

wherein the gross filter is positioned upstream to the fine filter.

30. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the rotator comprises a rotor.

31. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 30 wherein the rotor rotated by a flow of fluid induced by a pool fluid circulation system.

32. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 30 wherein the rotor is arranged to rotate a motor-generator module.

33. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 30 comprising a motor- module that is arranged to rotate the rotor when operating in a first generator operational mode.

34. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 33 comprising an opening sealed by a uni-directional valve that allows fluid form the rotor to exit the pool cleaning robot.

35. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 30 wherein the rotor is positioned above the filter core.

36. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 30 wherein the rotor is positioned below the filter core.

37. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the blades extend along an entirety of a filter core enclosure that surrounds the filter core.

38. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein each blade of the blades has a longitudinal axis that is parallel to an axis of rotation of the perforated pole.

39. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 1 wherein the perforated pole is mechanically coupled to the filter core;

wherein the rotator is arranged to rotate the filter core while the filter core performs a filtering operation of the fluid that enters through the one or more inlets to output filtered fluid via the one or more outlets.

40. A method for filtering fluid by a filter of a pool cleaning robot, the method comprises:

filtering fluid by a filter core that is positioned in a filtering position, wherein the filter core belongs to a filter of a pool cleaning robot, wherein the filter core is a structural element and comprises one or more filtering elements one or more inlets and one or more outlets;

rotating a perforated pole by a rotator;

rotating, by the perforated pole, blades that are positioned between the perforated pole and the one or more filtering elements, thereby assisting in a flow of the fluid into the filter core and through the one or more inlets of the filter core;

wherein the blades are spaced apart from the at least one filtering element.

41. A pool cleaning robot comprising:

a housing that has a first fluid opening and a second fluid opening;

a filter that comprises a filter core that is a structural element and is at least partially located within the housing, the filter core comprises one or more inlets, one or more outlets and at least one filtering element positioned between the one or more inlets and the one or more outlets;

a filter core rotator that is arranged to rotate the filter core about an axis of rotation while the filter core filters fluid that enters through the one or more inlets; and

a drive and steering module that is configured to move the pool cleaning robot; and

wherein the axis of rotation is normal to a direction of propagation of the pool cleaning robot.