WATER JET POOL CLEANER WITH OPPOSING DUAL PROPELLERS

• US 20130269729A1
• Filed: 08/11/2011
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zodiac Pool Systems, LLC (Fluidra, S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Aqua Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Erlich, Giora, Correa, William Londono
• Granted Patent: US 9,765,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/10
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/00 Cleaning by methods involving the use of tools cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto B08B9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/00 Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam B08B9/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/04 Cleaning involving contact with liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/102 with means for agitating the liquid by agitating the container B08B3/042, B08B3/044, B08B3/045, B08B3/06
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/104 using propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 5/00 Cleaning by methods involving the use of air flow or gas flow B08B6/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/08 Cleaning containers, e.g. tanks
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/16 specially adapted for cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1654 Self-propelled cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1663 the propulsion resulting from an intermittent interruption of the waterflow through the cleaner

Abstract

A robotic pool or tank cleaner is propelled by water jets, the direction of which is controlled by the direction of rotation of a reversible pump motor that is horizontally mounted in the pool cleaner housing that has a propeller attached to either end of the motor drive shaft which projects from opposing ends of the motor body, each of the propellers being positioned in, or near a water jet discharge conduit that terminates in discharge ports at opposite ends of the housing. Each discharge conduit has a pressure-sensitive flap valve downstream of the respective propellers. When the propellers rotate in one direction, the water is drawn through one or more openings in the base plate, passes through one or more filter assemblies associated with the pool cleaner and is discharged through one of the discharge ports as a water jet of sufficient force to propel the pool cleaner.

Claims

1. A self-propelled cleaning apparatus for cleaning the submerged surface of a pool or tank that is propelled by the discharge of a water jet, the apparatus comprising:

a water pump that includes a reversible pump motor having a driveshaft that extends from either end of the motor, a propeller operatively connected to each end of the drive shaft, the axis of the pump motor and driveshaft extending along the longitudinal axis of the pool cleaner;

a housing in which the pump is mounted, the housing having a first water jet discharge port positioned at one end and a second water jet discharge port positioned at the opposite end of the housing, each of the discharge ports selectively being in an open position while the other is in a closed position to control the directional discharge of a water jet that is sufficient to propel the pool cleaner in a direction of movement corresponding generally to the longitudinal axis of the pool cleaner;

a water jet discharge conduit positioned between the pump motor and the water jet discharge port at the respective ends of the pool cleaner, each of the propellers being positioned adjacent to and outside of the end of the water jet discharge conduit; and

a water jet discharge valve positioned in each water jet discharge conduit between the propeller and the discharge port, the operation of each discharge valve being responsive to the flow of pressurized water,

wherein water flowing through the discharge conduit is discharged through the discharge port in the form of a water jet to propel the cleaner in a direction that is determined by the direction of rotation of the pump motor.

2. The pool cleaner of claim 1, wherein each water discharge valve for opening and closing the discharge conduit is a flap valve.

3. The pool cleaner of claim 2 in which the flap valve comprises two centrally hinged portions that pivot into an open position in the center of the water jet discharge conduit.

4. The pool cleaner of claim 1 in which the longitudinal axis of the water jet discharge conduit coincides with the center of rotation of the propeller.

6. The pool cleaner of claim 1 which includes a one-way drive clutch mounted between the motor and each of the respective propellers, whereby the propeller on the end of the driveshaft in the direction of movement of the pool cleaner does not rotate.

8. The pool cleaner of claim 1 in which the diameter of the propeller blades is smaller than the diameter of the respective discharge conduits.

9. The pool cleaner of claim 1 in which the diameter and position of the propeller blades with respect to the respective discharge conduit openings is configured to maximize the volumetric flow rate of the water jet generated by the propeller blade into the discharge conduit.

10. The pool cleaner of claim 1 in which each of the water jet discharge conduits extends from the interior of the housing and terminates in the discharge port formed as an opening in an end wall.

11. The pool cleaner of claim 1, wherein the first propeller provides a first output water flow generally longitudinally aligned with the first discharge port, and the second propeller provides a second output water flow generally longitudinally aligned with the second discharge port.

12. The pool cleaner of claim 1, wherein rotation of the driveshaft in one direction causes both first and second propeller to rotate synchronously in a like direction to produce a low pressure zone at one end of the housing that closes the adjacent discharge port, and to produce a high pressure zone that opens the other discharge port at the opposite end of the housing.

14. The pool cleaner of claim 1, further comprising at least one filter mounted in the housing to capture debris entrained in water flowing between the first and second discharge ports and at least one inlet port in a base plate that forms the bottom of the housing.

16. The pool cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a controller operably coupled to the water pump, said controller providing control signals to regulate the direction and rate of rotation of pump motor.

17. The pool cleaner of claim 1, wherein the motor includes opposing streamlined end plates extending from the periphery of the motor to the driveshaft to minimize turbulence adjacent the end of the motor.

18. The pool cleaner of claim 1 further comprising a vertical discharge port at either end of the housing and in fluid communication with the interior of the housing for discharging a water jet that is generally normal to the surface being cleaned to thereby exert a downward force vector.

19. The pool cleaner of claim 18, wherein rotation of the driveshaft in either direction produces a discharge of a water jet from the vertical discharge ports of the submerged pool cleaner.

5. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

13. The method pool cleaner of claim 25, wherein reversing the direction of rotation of both first and second propeller reverses the low and high pressure zones at the respective ends of the housing and thereby closes the previously open discharge port and opens the previously closed discharge port.

15. The pool cleaner of claim 13, wherein the at least one filter includes first and second filters mounted horizontally in the housing.

20. A method for cleaning a submerged surface of a pool with a pool cleaner, said pool cleaner including a housing having a first discharge port at a front end thereof and a second discharge port at a rear end thereof, traversing means attached to the housing for supporting above and moving the cleaner along the surface of the pool to be cleaned, at least one inlet port formed in a bottom surface of the housing, a water pump having a pair of propellers, each of which is affixed to an opposing end of a driveshaft which extends within the housing along the longitudinal axis of the cleaner, a water jet discharge conduit positioned between the propeller and the water jet discharge port at the respective ends of the pool cleaner, and each one of the propellers being positioned adjacent to and outside an end of the water jet discharge conduit, the method comprising:

rotating the pair of propellers simultaneously in a common rotational direction;

drawing water from the pool into the housing through the at least one inlet port;

closing a first valve to close one of the water jet discharge ports;

opening a second valve to open the other water jet discharge port; and

discharging the water from the interior of the housing through the open water jet discharge port in the form of a water jet having sufficient force to propel the cleaner in a direction of movement generally corresponding to its longitudinal axis.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of controlling the rotational direction of the pair of propellers to open and close the respective water jet discharge ports.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of controlling the rotational direction of the pair of propellers to provide an output water flow in a direction towards the open water jet discharge port, such that water flowing into the at least one inlet port and through the housing is discharged through the open water jet discharge port in the form of a water jet to propel the cleaner in the opposite direction.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of providing at least one removable filter unit within the housing to capture debris entrained in water flowing between the at least one inlet port and the water jet discharge ports.

24. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of providing a vertical discharge port positioned generally normal to the longitudinal axis of the cleaner, said vertical discharge port discharging a third water jet that exerts a downward force vector that is generally normal to longitudinal axis of the housing.