Pool cleaning robot
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A pool cleaning robot adapted to move in a direction along the bottom surface of a pool, said robot comprising a compass, a rate gyroscope, and a controller adapted to determine the orientation of the robot, relative to a reference orientation thereof, based on readings of the compass and the gyroscope.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A pool cleaning robot adapted to move in a direction along the bottom surface of a pool. The robot comprises a compass, a rate gyroscope, and a controller adapted to determine the orientation of the robot, relative to a reference orientation thereof, based on readings of the compass and the gyroscope.
104 Citations
36 Claims
- 1. A pool cleaning robot adapted to move in a direction along the bottom surface of a pool, said robot comprising a compass, a rate gyroscope, and a controller adapted to determine the orientation of the robot, relative to a reference orientation thereof, based on readings of the compass and the gyroscope.
- 8. A method of determining the orientation of a pool cleaning robot relative to a reference location, said robot comprising a compass, a rate gyroscope, and a controller adapted to determine said orientation, the method comprising determining said orientation based on readings of the compass and the gyroscope.
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15. A setup system for a pool cleaning system, said pool cleaning system comprising a pool cleaning robot and a control system, said control system comprising a first controller adapted to direct the operation of the robot based on predetermined setup parameters, a second controller, and a user interface having at least one input/output mechanism;
- said second controller being adapted to;
(a) communicate with said first controller to provide said setup parameters thereto; (b) issue commands to the first controller to direct the operation of the robot; and (c) prompt a user, via said user interface, to perform an operation and/or to provide information, based on which at least some of the operational parameters are determined. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
- said second controller being adapted to;
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24. A setup system for a pool cleaning robot adapted to move in a direction along the bottom surface of a substantially rectangular pool, said robot comprising a controller, adapted to direct the operation of the robot, and digital compass in communication with said controller said controller being adapted to direct the operation of the robot based on geometric parameters of the pool, said setup system being adapted to communicate with said controller to direct the robot to perform the following operations to determine at least some of said parameters:
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(a) aligning the robot such that its direction of travel is perpendicular to a sidewall of the pool; (b) scanning along a straight trajectory for a first predetermined time; and (c) calculating the average trajectory of the robot measured by the digital compass over the first predetermined time; and (d) determining at least some of said parameters based on the average trajectory. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. A method for cleaning a bottom surface of a pool, said method comprising the steps of providing a pool cleaning robot comprising a controller adapted to direct its operation, said controller directing operation of the robot such that:
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(a) the robot scans in a first scanning direction until a front detection occurs; (b) after the front detection, the robot reverses direction and performs a straight lap along a path which is shifted, in a first shifting direction perpendicular to that of the first scanning direction, from the previous path; (c) the robot repeats step (b) for a predetermined number of times; (d) subsequently, the robot performs a stepped lap, and after the 90°
rotation thereof, scans in a second shifting direction which is opposite the first shifting direction for a distance equal to twice the total amount shifted during step (c);(e) subsequently, the robot rotates 90°
, and scans until a front detection occurs;(f) steps (b) through (d) are repeated until a front detection occurs during step (d); (g) subsequently, the robot reverses direction and scans for a distance equal to the total amount shifted during one iteration of step (c), then rotates 90° and
scans until a front detection occurs; and(h) subsequently, the robot repeats steps (b) through (f), with the directions of the first and second shifting directions being reversed. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification