AUTOMATIC SWIMMING POOL CLEANERS AND COMPONENTS THEREOF
Automatic swimming pool cleaners (APCs) are detailed herein. The APCs may include features designed to avoid, or reduce adverse effects of, clogging by debris. They also may include easily-removable fluid-powered motors should clogging nevertheless occur. The APCs may also include improved motive assemblies that help the APCs move about the swimming pool or other body of water without interruption.
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This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/837,017, filed on Apr. 22, 2019 and titled “Automatic Swimming Pool Cleaners and Components Thereof,” the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to components of cleaners for liquid-containing bodies such as swimming pools and spas and more particularly, although not necessarily exclusively, to cleaning devices capable of moving autonomously within the bodies during operation.
BACKGROUNDCommonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 9,611,668 to van der Meijden, et al. describes components and aspects of certain automatic pool cleaners (APCs). Various embodiments of these APCs may include one or more bladed scrubbers configured to rotate about shafts oriented generally perpendicularly to a surface to be cleaned. Rotation of the scrubbers may produce downforce biasing a cleaner toward the to-be-cleaned surface. It also may create vortex action tending to induce debris-laden water to flow toward an inlet of the cleaner for filtering. Blades of the APCs may be “semi-rigid” as described in the van der Meijden patent so as to accommodate passage of large debris into the inlet with minimal or no blockage.
Disclosed in the van der Meijden patent is that exemplary APCs may utilize a fluid-powered motor of the type detailed in commonly-owned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0119358 of van der Meijden, et al. The motor may include rotating blades or paddles configured to interact with water flowing therethrough. As disclosed in the van der Meijden application, the paddles may have distal edges which are “locally flexible to facilitate passage of debris.”
Referenced in the van der Meijden application is U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,970 to Rief, et al. APCs of the Rief patent include a turbine housing defining a water-flow chamber in which a rotor is positioned. Also included are a series of vanes pivotally connected to the rotor. Water interacting with the vanes rotates the rotor in one direction (clockwise as illustrated in the Rief patent), with the vanes pivoting when encountering “debris of substantial size” to allow the debris to pass through the housing for collection.
SUMMARYAutomatic swimming pool cleaners (APCs) are detailed herein. The APCs may include features designed to avoid, or reduce adverse effects of, clogging by debris. They also may include easily-removable fluid-powered motors should clogging nevertheless occur. The APCs may also include improvements to the motive assemblies to help facilitate movement of the APCs around the liquid-containing bodies without interruption, such as when a track of the motive assembly slips off course.
The specification makes reference to the following appended figures, in which use of like reference numerals in different figures is intended to illustrate like or analogous components.
Avoiding clogging of APCs by large debris remains a considerable challenge to designers of these devices. Thus, although both the van der Meijden and Rief patents identify solutions to this challenge, developing additional solutions may be advantageous. The present inventions seek to accomplish this in multiple innovative manners. The inventions also include facilitating unclogging of APCs should clogging nevertheless occur.
As depicted, body 14 includes chamber 46 (see
Cover 54 may attach to body 14 in any appropriate manner.
At least some versions of cleaner 10 will connect, via at least one hose, to an inlet of a pump of a water-circulation system of a swimming pool. These versions are known as “suction-side” cleaners because of their connection to a pump inlet. When the system is operating, the pump evacuates cleaner 10, drawing debris-laden water from the pool through an inlet of body 14 into the hose for eventual travel to a filter to separate and remove debris from the water. Alternatively, versions of cleaner 10 may be “pressure-side” cleaners, connecting directly or indirectly to an outlet of such a pump. In these APCs, pressurized water exiting the pump is used, employing the Venturi principle, to create a low-pressure area configured to draw debris-laden water into the inlet of body 14.
In either event, water drawn into body 14 additionally may operate fluid-powered motor 58. In this respect, motor 58 may constitute a turbine resembling that of the Rief patent. As shown in
Extending radially from an outer circumference of rotor 82 are spokes 90. Seven such spokes 90 are illustrated as so extending in
Housing 62 may be formed of more than one part.
Equally as significant, core 98 may be configured within chamber 46 so that it is manually removable as a unit for cleaning, maintenance, repair, replacement, troubleshooting, or otherwise. Hence, merely by opening cover 54, core 98 is both exposed and available for removal from cleaner 10. Especially valuable is that no tool is required for any of these actions—manual manipulation of the components is sufficient.
Unlike conventional rigid seals, seal 110 is flexible in nature. In particular, seal 110 may flex downward in
Shown in
No adhesive hence need be used to retain pin 222 in appropriate position. Likewise, no other component of cleaner 10 need be deformed to allow placement of the pin 222. Accordingly, in use, pin 222 may function as a pivot axis for a corresponding vane 94 while restricting any translation of the vane 94. Moreover, the attachment process is reversible if necessary at least in part by re-deforming pin 222 and passing it back over rise 236.
Accordingly, the present invention seeks to provide dynamic gap sizing that may both increase and decrease during operation of cleaner 10.
As shown in
As depicted, for example in
As with cover 54, cover 1054 may attach to body 1014 in any appropriate manner, including those described with respect to the cleaner 10 of
Like cleaner 10, cleaner 1000 may be configured as a suction-side cleaner or a pressure-side cleaner. In either case, water drawn into body 1014 additionally may operate fluid-powered motor 1058. As shown in
Extending radially from an outer circumference of rotor 1082 are spokes 1090. Seven such spokes 1090 are illustrated as so extending in
Like housing 62, housing 1062 may be formed of more than one part if desired, although it need not be. Also like core 98, core 1098 may be configured within chamber 1046 so that it is manually removable as a unit, as shown in
As shown in
The entire contents of the van der Meijden patent, the van der Meijden application, and the Rief patent are incorporated herein by this reference. Further, although applicant has described devices and techniques for use principally with swimming pools, persons skilled in the relevant field will recognize that the present invention may be employed in connection with other objects and in other manners. Finally, references to “pools” and “swimming pools” herein may also refer to spas or other water containing vessels used for recreation or therapy and for which cleaning is needed or desired.
The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of the present invention. Modifications and adaptations to these embodiments, including combinations of various features, will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For avoidance of doubt, any combination of features not physically impossible or expressly identified as non-combinable herein may be within the scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A fluid-powered motor for an automatic swimming pool cleaner, the fluid-powered motor comprising:
- a core including a rotor;
- at least one spoke extending from the rotor; and
- a vane moveably attached to the at least one spoke.
2. The fluid-powered motor of claim 1, further comprising a seal, wherein the seal is (i) configured to move from a sealed position in a first direction to create space for passage of debris between the seal and the vane and (ii) prevented from moving from the sealed position in a second direction opposite the first direction.
3. The fluid-powered motor of claim 1, wherein the vane comprises at least one side portion with a tapered edge.
4. The fluid-powered motor of claim 1, wherein a proximal portion of the vane is connected to the at least one spoke and wherein the vane comprises a distal portion, the distal portion comprising:
- a leading portion perpendicular to a direction of motion of the vane; and
- a lagging portion having an angled surface.
5. The fluid-powered motor of claim 1, further comprising a pin connecting the vane to the at least one spoke, wherein the vane is rotatable about an axis of the pin.
6. The fluid-powered motor of claim 5, wherein the pin comprises a generally straight first section and a generally-curved second section.
7. The fluid-powered motor of claim 1, wherein the vane comprises a domed portion.
8. The fluid-powered motor of claim 7, wherein the domed portion extends across a face of the vane from a distal end to a proximal end of the face.
9. The fluid-powered motor of claim 1, wherein the vane is connected to the at least one spoke in a manner permitting a gap to form between the vane and the at least one spoke at first times during operation and for the vane and the at least one spoke to seal against each other at second times during operation.
10. The fluid-powered motor of claim 1, wherein the core is removable from a body of the automatic swimming pool cleaner as a module without using any tool.
11. An automatic swimming pool cleaner comprising a motive assembly, the motive assembly comprising a drive wheel and a track, the track comprising an external surface and an internal surface, wherein:
- the external surface of the track comprises tread,
- the internal surface of the track comprises teeth, and
- an axis of each tooth of the teeth intersects at least a portion of the tread.
12. The automatic swimming pool cleaner of claim 11, wherein gaps between the tread vertically align with gaps between the teeth to create flexible sections of the track.
13. The automatic swimming pool cleaner of claim 11, wherein the external surface of the track further comprises a plurality of bridges that connect the tread and extend along gaps between the tread, wherein adjacent bridges of the plurality of bridges are vertically offset from one another.
14. The automatic swimming pool cleaner of claim 11, wherein the drive wheel of the motive assembly comprises a flange that extends beyond the external surface of the track to serve as a stop that restricts lateral movement of the track beyond the flange.
15. An automatic swimming pool cleaner comprising:
- a body; and
- a fluid-powered motor comprising: a core including a rotor; a plurality of spokes extending from the rotor; and a plurality of vanes, wherein each of the plurality of vanes is rotatably attached to one of the plurality of spokes, wherein the core is removable from the body as a module without using any tool.
16. The automatic swimming pool cleaner of claim 15, further comprising a pin connecting each of the plurality of vanes to one of the plurality of spokes, wherein each of the plurality of vanes is rotatable about an axis of the pin.
17. The automatic swimming pool cleaner of claim 15, wherein at least one of the vanes of the plurality of vanes comprises a domed portion and, during operation of the fluid-powered motor, a cavity is formed between a housing of the fluid-powered motor and the domed portion.
18. The automatic swimming pool cleaner of claim 17, wherein the domed portion extends across a face of the at least one vane from a distal end to a proximal end of the face.
19. The automatic swimming pool cleaner of claim 15, further comprising a motive assembly comprising a drive wheel and a track, the track comprising an external surface and an internal surface, wherein:
- the external surface of the track comprises tread;
- the internal surface of the track comprises teeth; and
- an axis of each tooth of the teeth intersects at least a portion of the tread.
20. The automatic swimming pool cleaner of claim 15, further comprising a motive assembly comprising a drive wheel and a track, the track comprising an external surface and an internal surface, wherein:
- the external surface of the track comprises tread;
- the internal surface of the track comprises teeth; and
- gaps between the tread vertically align with gaps between the teeth to create flexible sections of the track.
21. The automatic swimming pool cleaner of claim 15, further comprising a motive assembly comprising a drive wheel and a track, the track comprising an external surface and an internal surface, wherein:
- the external surface of the track comprises tread and a plurality of bridges that connect the tread, wherein adjacent bridges of the plurality of bridges are vertically offset from one another.
22. The automatic swimming pool cleaner of claim 15, further comprising a motive assembly comprising a drive wheel and a track, wherein the drive wheel comprises a flange that extends beyond an external surface of the track to serve as a stop that restricts lateral movement of the track beyond the flange.
23. An automatic swimming pool cleaner comprising a motive assembly, wherein the motive assembly comprises a track and a drive wheel, the drive wheel comprising a flange that extends beyond an external surface of the track to serve as a stop that restricts lateral movement of the track beyond the flange.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 14, 2020
Publication Date: Oct 22, 2020
Applicant: ZODIAC POOL SYSTEMS LLC (Carlsbad, CA)
Inventors: Dustin Borg (Poway, CA), Brian Liss (San Marcos, CA)
Application Number: 16/848,350