Abstract: Systems and methods of (remotely) controlling aspects of pools and spas and of modifying water contained therein are detailed. Internet-enabled access to pool and spa controllers may happen without any need for users to create firewall ports or utilize static internet protocol addresses. Certain networking devices may be configured using a USB connection or SD card, avoiding any requirement for an Ethernet cable or supplying separate power to the devices during configuration. Time-varying data may be obtained in respect of one or more installations and analyzed for various information.
Abstract: Autonomous, mobile cleaners for water-containing vessels such as swimming pools and spas are detailed. The cleaners are especially useful for cleaning spas, although they may function adequately in connection with certain other vessels as well. They may be designed and constructed in particular to avoid high centering so as not to become stuck when encountering obstacles within the spas or other vessels.
Type:
Application
Filed:
May 25, 2022
Publication date:
September 8, 2022
Applicant:
ZODIAC POOL SYSTEMS LLC
Inventors:
Hendrikus Johannes van der Meijden, Phillip Newman
Abstract: A passenger service unit assembly that includes a frame that defines at least an oxygen opening and a service opening, an oxygen mask housing positioned adjacent the oxygen opening, an oxygen mask housing cover positioned to cover the oxygen opening, and a service cover positioned to cover the service opening. An oxygen mask that is movable between a stowed position and a deployed position is positioned in the oxygen mask housing. The oxygen mask housing cover maintains the oxygen mask in the stowed position. The oxygen mask housing cover is movable between a closed position and an open position. When the oxygen mask housing cover is moved to the deployed position, the oxygen mask drops to the deployed position via gravity. The service cover is movable between a closed position and an open position and includes at least a first passenger service unit component associated therewith.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 18, 2020
Date of Patent:
August 30, 2022
Assignee:
ZODIAC CABIN CONTROLS GMBH
Inventors:
Ruediger Meckes, Marco Hollm, Andreas Westphal, Etienne Tomasena
Abstract: A user interface may be communicatively coupled with a fluid-moving pump and may include at least two interactive regions for receiving user input to control the fluid-moving pump. The user interface may be attached to the fluid-moving pump using a mounting cover and an attachment bracket that can allow attachment or positioning of the user interface relative to the fluid-moving pump via a turn motion or other suitable methods. In other examples, the user interface can be mounted on a wall or other surface.
Type:
Application
Filed:
February 24, 2022
Publication date:
August 25, 2022
Applicant:
ZODIAC POOL SYSTEMS LLC
Inventors:
Jesse Bolane, Matt Golman, Merinda Nugent, Steve Jones, Alec Momont, Jeff Servaites, Ryan Starling, Kenneth Hsieh, Paolo Forte
Abstract: Concepts relating to automatic swimming pool cleaners (APCs) are detailed. Some concepts may involve communication with APCs either in or out of the water of swimming pools or spas, while other concepts may concern battery charging or management or other operational aspects of cleaner usage in a pool or spa, among others. Many of the concepts may be applicable to avoid need for a robotic APC to be wired to an external control device.
Type:
Application
Filed:
February 22, 2022
Publication date:
August 25, 2022
Applicant:
ZODIAC POOL CARE EUROPE
Inventors:
Arnaud Lancry, Simon Duffaut, Louis Favie, Mehdi Chafik, Remi Deloche, Arnaud Besnier
Abstract: This locking device for an electromechanical actuator comprises a rod that is movable relative to a cylinder under the action of a motor actuating the rod, an assembly of at least one hook that can be moved between a locked position in which said hooks engage in an indentation and an unlocked position in which said set of hooks is released from the indentation, one of said set of hooks and the indentation being provided on the cylinder and the other on the rod. It comprises a sliding lock that can slide relative to said hooks and to the indentation between a holding position in which said hooks are held in the locked position a released position in which said hooks are released under the action of the motor actuating the rod.
Abstract: A method of testing a managed networked video-delivery devices or delivery devices at a base location consists of the following steps. A customer disconnection notice is issued to a service provider resulted in a disconnection event/state of the delivery device. A series of tests are conducted on the delivery device at the customer location. Reprogramming and resetting operations are carried out on the delivery device simultaneously with the disconnection event/state occurring at the service provider prior to retrieval of the device from the customer location, to prepare the delivery device for future use prior to receipt thereof by the service provider.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 25, 2020
Date of Patent:
July 19, 2022
Assignee:
ZODIAC SYSTEMS, LLC
Inventors:
Derek T Harrar, Richard Neill, Valerii Grishin
Abstract: An automatic swimming pool cleaner may include a modular battery block attachable to a component of the automatic swimming pool cleaner. The modular battery block may include at least one battery or other source of electrical power that is accessible from externally of the chassis. A venting system or arrangement may be included for venting the modular battery block, such as venting gas produced by at least one battery. Supplying electrical power to an automatic swimming pool cleaner having a chassis and an motor may include (i) attaching a modular battery block to the chassis so as to form an integrated device, and (ii) causing an electrical connection within the integrated device between the motor and at least one battery of the modular battery block.
Type:
Application
Filed:
January 12, 2022
Publication date:
July 14, 2022
Applicant:
ZODIAC POOL CARE EUROPE
Inventors:
Arnaud Lancry, Louis Favie, Remi Deloche
Abstract: A swimming pool cleaner may include motive elements intentionally driven in an unbalanced manner. This unbalanced driving may allow a cleaner to maintain contact with (“hug”) walls of a pool, allowing the cleaner to, e.g., obtain information allowing mapping of the pool perimeter.
Abstract: Systems and methods of (remotely) controlling aspects of pools and spas and of modifying water contained therein are detailed. Internet-enabled access to pool and spa controllers may happen without any need for users to create firewall ports or utilize static internet protocol addresses. Certain networking devices may be configured using a USB connection or SD card, avoiding any requirement for an Ethernet cable or supplying separate power to the devices during configuration. Time-varying data may be obtained in respect of one or more installations and analyzed for various information.
Abstract: Autonomous, mobile cleaners for water-containing vessels such as swimming pools and spas are detailed. The cleaners are especially useful for cleaning spas, although they may function adequately in connection with certain other vessels as well. They may be designed and constructed in particular to avoid high centering so as not to become stuck when encountering obstacles within the spas or other vessels.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 18, 2020
Date of Patent:
June 28, 2022
Assignee:
ZODIAC POOL SYSTEMS LLC
Inventors:
Hendrikus Johannes van der Meijden, Phillip Newman
Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for electrically disconnecting a battery of battery-powered swimming pool cleaners or other swimming pool equipment based on water sensing are described. An example system may include a sensing circuit to detect the presence of water, a power circuit to direct power to an electrical load, and a disabling circuit. The disabling circuit may be configured to receive a signal from the sensing circuit, and, in response, disable the power circuit from powering the electrical load.
Abstract: A fuel tank with a venting system includes a flap for closing and opening a vent made in the tank. The flap is coupled to a float. The flap includes a valve coupled to a second float mounted in a hinged manner in the tank so that the valve adopts a closed position, being pushed by the second float when the level of fuel in the tank reaches a certain threshold, and an open venting position in order to prevent overpressure within the tank, being driven by the second float when the level of fuel is below the threshold and the force exerted by the internal pressure on the valve is less than the sum of the forces exerted on the valve by the atmospheric pressure and by the weight of the second float.
Abstract: A floating platform dimensioned and configured to receive and transport an automated pool cleaner on the surface of the water is disclosed. For convenience, the floating platform is referred to as a pontoon. The pontoon is also configured to control the retrieval of the pool cleaner. The pontoon includes a buoyant housing having a first end and a second end. An inclined platform ramp is positioned in the pontoon housing at an angle from the first end towards the second end. The pontoon includes a winch for winding and unwinding a cable connected to the pool cleaner to thereby selectively release and retrieve the cleaner.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 4, 2019
Date of Patent:
May 17, 2022
Assignee:
ZODIAC POOL SYSTEMS LLC
Inventors:
Aleksandr Klebanov, Ethan Hanan, Anthony Meletta, William Londono, Kameshwar Durvasula
Abstract: Automatic swimming pool cleaners (APCs) may include separate chassis and bodies. Such constructions may facilitate assembly and disassembly of certain components of the APCs, with or without using tools. APCs with separate chassis and bodies may enable quick and easy access to motor assemblies of the APC, and bodies of the APCs may be readily interchanged on a common chassis.
Type:
Application
Filed:
October 28, 2021
Publication date:
May 5, 2022
Applicant:
ZODIAC POOL CARE EUROPE
Inventors:
Arnaud Besnier, Louis Favie, Pierre Mazet, Remi Deloche
Abstract: A pool cleaning system for cleaning debris from a submerged surface of a swimming pool includes a self-propelled pool cleaner having rotatably-mounted supports for supporting and guiding the cleaner on the pool surface; an electric motor for enabling the rotation of the rotatably-mounted supports on the pool surface; at least one camera to capture imagery of the pool surface; a controller, in electronic communication with the at least one camera, to determine a cleanliness characteristic of the pool surface on which the cleaner has passed based on the camera imagery and generate a control signal to direct movement of the cleaner based on the cleanliness characteristic of the pool surface, and a portable electronic device configured to present a graphic on a display, the graphic depicting the submerged surface of the pool and those portions of the surface that remain uncleaned as the cleaner traverses the pool surface.
Type:
Application
Filed:
January 10, 2022
Publication date:
April 28, 2022
Applicant:
ZODIAC POOL SYSTEMS LLC
Inventors:
Kameshwar Durvasula, William Londono Correa
Abstract: A system is provided for improving functionality and performance of ABR framework, so as to preemptively compensate for additional latencies arising as result of having an additional control channel associated with ABR Control Engine which runs as a standalone entity separated physically or logically from ABR Media Player running on a Consumer device. The system comprises a set of software and/or hardware-based components implementing ABR Fetch-Processor or functionally similar design, wherein the ABR Fetch-Processor provided as the software or hardware component is plugged in between Media Pipeline of the Consumer Device and distributed embodiment of the ABR framework.
Abstract: The invention relates to a swimming pool cleaning system comprising a cleaning apparatus (10) to be immersed in the pool, the system further comprising at least one moving image acquisition means (30) secured to a float (31) via a flexible tie (32).
Abstract: Bypass mechanisms especially useful for automatic swimming pool cleaners are described. Such a mechanism may facilitate climbing of generally vertical walls by the cleaners. When a cleaner is to be extracted from a swimming pool, the mechanism additionally may assist in draining water from within the body of the cleaner to facilitate extraction.
Abstract: Swimming pool cleaners may operate autonomously within pools and spas. The cleaners need not include any external hoses or cords, and their bodies may be oriented at pool waterlines so as to make their on-board filters readily accessible for removal. The cleaners may dock at docking stations for various purposes, including (but not limited to) for charging any on-board battery and communicating electronically with the docking station or other external equipment.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 21, 2020
Date of Patent:
April 12, 2022
Assignee:
ZODIAC POOL CARE EUROPE
Inventors:
Arnaud Lancry, Simon Duffaut, Remi Deloche, Louis Favie, Philippe Pichon