Double outlet volute vacuum robot for cleaning swimming pools

Abstract

VACUUM ROBOT WITH DOUBLE OUTLET VOLUTE FOR CLEANING POOLS Submersible vacuum robot (100) for cleaning artificial pools, comprising: a main body (10) comprising a debris container (11); a filter; a volute (20) with two discharge outlets (21a, 21b); a suction and propulsion system (31, 32) producing a circulation of water in the volute and a propulsive water jet; and electrical supply means, the volute being fixed and comprising a valve (22a, 22b) at each of said outlets, each valve having an open position and a closed position, the positions of said valves alternating automatically depending on the direction of the circulation of water in the volute so as to reverse the direction of the propulsive water jet. Figure for the abstract: figure 6

Description

Title of the invention: Double-outlet volute vacuum robot for cleaning swimming pools Technical field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of swimming pool cleaning vacuum robots, in particular vacuum robots with a propulsive water jet, and relates more particularly to a vacuum robot comprising a double outlet volute allowing automatic reversal of the direction of movement. State of the art

[0002] Reverse-direction pool vacuum robots are devices designed to clean the bottoms and walls of pools autonomously. They are motorized and equipped with means enabling them to move in the water and detect obstacles.

[0003] Generally, these vacuum robots move using wheels or tracks and are equipped with means for suction and filtration of debris and particles suspended in the water, and possibly cleaning means such as fixed or rotating brushes to remove dirt from the walls and bottom of the pool. When these robots detect an obstacle, they reverse their direction of movement to go around the obstacle and continue cleaning.

[0004] To cover the entire surface to be cleaned, robots of this type reverse their direction of movement when encountering an obstacle and move in a different direction between the outward and return movements (zigzag). Many means of obstacle detection and reversal of direction of movement are known.

[0005] Some robots, such as the one described in document CN114687593, use two separate motors, one motor for each direction of movement.

[0006] Other robots, simpler and more economical, use a bidirectional propulsion system with a single motor and a single turbine placed in a volute.

[0007] For such “single-engine” robots, the reversal of the direction of the propulsive water jet, and therefore of the direction of movement, upon contact with an obstacle can be obtained: • either with a single-outlet rotating volute locked in two opposite positions, as described in document FR3041982 (by the same inventor) or EP3805487; • either with a fixed volute with two opposite outlets, alternately opened or closed by a rotary valve actuated by more or less complex mechanisms, as described in document CN112623173, CN112591067 or CN114837476.

[0008] These two types of current systems are based on the implementation of rotating parts, namely a rotating volute or a fixed volute with a rotating valve, and are consequently relatively complex to produce, expensive and can be subject to operating hazards in an environment such as a swimming pool (charged water, sand, etc.).

[0009] To the applicant's knowledge, there is no vacuum robot with automatic reversal of the direction of movement in which the scroll is neither rotatable nor includes a rotary valve. Summary of the invention

[0010] The present invention aims to overcome all or part of the drawbacks of the prior art set out above by proposing a system with a fixed volute with double outlet, each outlet being provided with a valve. This very simple mechanical system, insensitive to wear and blockage by debris which would not be stopped by the filter (filter torn or forgotten by the user) is therefore reliable and has a reduced manufacturing cost compared to known systems using rotating parts.

[0011] To this end, the present invention relates to a submersible vacuum robot for cleaning artificial pools, in particular a swimming pool, comprising: a main body comprising a debris container; a filter; a volute with two discharge outlets; a suction and propulsion system producing a circulation of water in the volute and a propulsive water jet; and electrical supply means. This vacuum robot is remarkable in that the volute is fixed and comprises a valve at each of said outlets having an open position and a closed position, the positions of said valves alternating automatically depending on the direction of the circulation of water in the volute so as to reverse the direction of the propulsive water jet, and therefore the direction of movement of the robot.

[0012] According to one aspect of the invention, the suction and propulsion system comprises an electric motor and a centrifugal turbine coupled to the motor, the rotation of said turbine in one direction producing a circulation of water in the volute in the same direction.

[0013] Advantageously, the turbine can comprise blades which can be oriented according to its direction of rotation.

[0014] According to one aspect of the invention, each valve has a position opposite that of the other valve when the suction and propulsion system is in operation, and a default open position when said system is stopped.

[0015] According to another aspect of the invention, each valve is subjected to an elastic return force which tends to maintain it in its open position. In other words, the valves are monostable, with the open position as the rest position.

[0016] More particularly, the return force is provided by a torsion spring, placed in an articulation hinge, or by a flexibility of the valve itself.

[0017] Particularly advantageously, the suction and propulsion system is configured to reverse the direction of water circulation in the volute when the robot stops against an obstacle.

[0018] For this purpose, the robot comprises, for example, a stop sensor to control the reversal of the direction of water circulation in the volute.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the electrical power supply means comprise an electric battery placed in a sealed compartment to give the robot an autonomous character.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the robot further comprises trajectory deviation means such as a deflector of the propulsive water jet, so that the robot does not follow the same trajectory on the outward and return journeys.

[0021] The fundamental concepts of the invention having just been set out above in their most elementary form, other details and characteristics will emerge more clearly on reading the description which follows and with reference to the appended drawings, giving by way of non-limiting example an embodiment of a vacuum robot with double outlet scroll, in accordance with the principles of the invention. Presentation of the drawings

[0022] The figures are given purely for illustrative purposes for a better understanding of the invention without limiting its scope. The various elements may be represented schematically and are not necessarily to scale. Throughout the figures, identical or equivalent elements bear the same numerical reference.

[0023] It is thus illustrated in:

[0024] [Fig-1]: a perspective view of a vacuum robot according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0025] [Fig.2]: a front view of the robot vacuum cleaner;

[0026] [Fig.3]: a side view of the robot vacuum cleaner;

[0027] [Fig.4]: a top view of the robot vacuum cleaner;

[0028] [Fig.5]: a bottom view of the robot vacuum cleaner;

[0029] [Fig.6]: a perspective view of the vacuum robot without the sealed compartment, revealing the double outlet volute;

[0030] [Fig.7a]: a diagram of the volute with the flaps in the open position, when the robot is not operating;

[0031] [Fig.7b]: a diagram of the volute when the robot moves in one direction;

[0032] [Fig.7c]: a diagram of the volute when the robot moves in the opposite direction to that of [Fig.7b]. Detailed description of embodiments

[0033] It should be noted that certain technical elements well known to those skilled in the art are recalled here to avoid any insufficiency or ambiguity in the understanding of the present invention.

[0034] In the embodiment described below, reference is made to a vacuum robot with a double outlet scroll allowing automatic reversal of the direction of movement, intended mainly for cleaning swimming pools. This non-limiting example is given for a better understanding of the invention and does not exclude the use of the vacuum robot for cleaning other types of pools whose bottom shape allows the robot to move.

[0035] In the present description, the expression "double position volute", or simply "double volute", designates a volute having two opposite outlets. The two outlets of a double volute can be diametrically opposite as in the example which will be described.

[0036] Figures 1 to 5 represent the different views of a submersible vacuum robot 100 with double volute, comprising a main body 10 consisting of a debris container 11 and a cover 12, a suction and propulsion system placed in said body and allowing the suction of water from the pool before its filtration and its discharge in the form of a propulsive water jet, and a volute 20 called double because it has two outlets 21a and 21b discharging, one at a time, the water sucked in according to the direction of movement of the robot.

[0037] The vacuum robot 100 further comprises a filter placed in the debris bin 11, electrical power supply means such as an electric battery, a switch 50, and movement means, in particular drive wheels 41, swivel casters 42 and rollers 43.

[0038] The main body 10, according to the illustrated embodiment, has a compact shape for better stability and a substantially hexagonal outline to better interact with obstacles and reach the corners of the pool. Of course, other shapes and dimensions remain possible.

[0039] The main body 10 is made of two separable parts which are the debris bin 11 and the cover 12. These two parts are assembled in a reversible manner and locked by closing means 13, in particular lever clasps as in the example illustrated. This allows rapid access to the interior of the main body 10 in order to empty and clean the debris bin 11, or to carry out maintenance on the robot.

[0040] The debris container 11 defines an interior volume for collecting the debris sucked up and retained by the filter, and comprises one or more suction inlets 111 visible in [Fig.5].

[0041] The suction mouths 111 are preferably offset and have sections reduced to increase the suction speed and, therefore, the depression at the entrance to the suction duct, for more efficient suction.

[0042] The cover 12 closes the debris bin 11 and is surmounted, according to the example illustrated, by a sealed compartment 121 to receive all or part of the electrical power supply means as well as other electronic services of the vacuum robot 100.

[0043] The cover 12 further comprises gripping means 122 arranged on one side and the other of the robot 100 and allowing the user to open said cover or simply to lift the robot. According to the example illustrated, the gripping means 122 are produced in an arcuate structure partially covering the cover 12.

[0044] The suction and propulsion system corresponds to an electrohydraulic power unit and conventionally comprises an electric motor and a centrifugal turbine coupled thereto, with a one or more stage reduction mechanism between the two. The turbine is placed in the volute 20 to form the suction pump. Indeed, the rotation of the centrifugal turbine, driven by the motor, produces a suction of the water and its discharge at high speed, through one of the outlets 21a or 21b of the volute.

[0045] The outlets 21a and 21b are nozzles discharging the sucked water in the form of a water jet to propel the robot by reaction in the direction opposite to the direction of the water jet.

[0046] [Fig.6] partially represents the vacuum robot 100 with the sealed compartment removed, revealing the volute 20 and its two outlets 21a and 21b.

[0047] According to this exemplary embodiment, the suction and propulsion system comprises an electric motor 31, placed partially under the hood 12, and a centrifugal turbine 32, with four or five blades for example, placed in the center of the volute 20. The suction and propulsion system also comprises, between the motor 31 and the turbine 32, reduction gears not shown, of which only the first gear mounted on the motor shaft is visible.

[0048] The electric motor 31, and therefore the turbine 32, can rotate in both directions and thus allow the volute 20 to reverse the direction of movement of the robot 100 thanks to two valves 22a and 22b mounted respectively at the outlets 21a and 21b.

[0049] Indeed, each valve 22 has two positions: an open position clearing the passage of the corresponding outlet 21; and a closed position blocking said outlet. The positions of one valve alternate with the positions of the other valve during operation of the robot 100 and impose its direction of movement on the latter. In other words, when one valve is open, the other is closed and vice versa.

[0050] Figures 7a to 7c diagram the principle of the double volute 20 and allow its operation to be easily understood.

[0051] [Fig.7a] represents the volute 20 when the robot is at rest, that is to say when the turbine 32, and therefore the robot, is stationary. In this configuration, the valves 22a and 22b both occupy an open position, which is their default position, and therefore leave outputs 21a and 21b clear.

[0052] In the open position, each valve 22 is pressed either directly against an adjacent wall 24 of the volute 20, as is the case of the valve 22b in [Fig. 6], or against a stop 25 as shown in FIGS. 7a to 7c. This open position is maintained elastically thanks to a restoring force in the absence of pressure exerted by the water.

[0053] For this purpose, the capets 22 can either be articulated via an elastic means (torsion spring), or have structural elasticity (flexibility).

[0054] According to the embodiment of [Fig.6], each valve 22 is articulated on a hinge comprising a torsion spring 23 which tends to return the valve to its open position. In this case, the valves 22 are preferably rigid, but can perfectly be semi-rigid, or even flexible.

[0055] According to the embodiment of figures 7a to 7c, the valves 22 are flexible and can deform between the open position and the closed position. In this case, the valves are not articulated, but embedded at their attachment points 26.

[0056] In either case, the valves 22 are sized to switch from the open position to the closed position under the effect of the pressure of the water ejected by the turbine 32 in this direction, and from the closed position to the open position under the effect of the return force.

[0057] [Fig.7b] represents the volute 20 when the robot moves in the direction indicated by the arrow M (to the left of the figure). This direction of movement is due to the rotation of the turbine 32 in the positive direction, indicated by the symbol + in [Fig.7b], making it possible to generate a circulation of the water sucked in the same direction, which closes the valve 22a (left valve in the figure) while keeping the opposite valve 22a open, thus creating a unidirectional water jet J through the outlet 21b which remains open. The water thus ejected creates a propulsive force in the opposite direction according to the principle of action and reaction.

[0058] Conversely, [Fig.7c] represents the volute 20 when the robot moves in the opposite direction to the first and indicated by the arrow M (to the right of the figure). In this case, the turbine 32 rotates in the negative direction, indicated by the symbol - in [Fig.7c], and generates a circulation of the water sucked in the same direction, thus closing the valve 22b (right valve in the figure) and leaving open the opposite valve 22a and therefore the corresponding outlet 21a. The resulting water jet J exits through this outlet 21a and propels the robot in the opposite direction.

[0059] In order to be able to switch between the open position and the closed position, each valve 22 has a sufficient surface area on which the orthoradial pressure of the water is exerted when said valve is in the open position. In the embodiment of the [Fig.6], this surface corresponds to a bent end 221 of the valve 22, while in the embodiment of figures 7a to 7b, this surface is accessible through a window 251 provided in the stops 25 as shown in section A - A of [Fig.7a].

[0060] The vacuum robot 100 can then move bidirectionally to avoid obstacles, by reversing its direction of movement when it encounters an obstacle, thanks to the reversal of the direction of rotation of the turbine 32 and more fundamentally of the direction of rotation of the drive shaft of the motor 31.

[0061] The reversal of the direction of rotation of the motor 31 occurs when the robot 100 is immobilized against an obstacle such as a swimming pool wall. The robot 100 is equipped for this purpose with a sensor making it possible to detect the stopping of the robot 100. Such a sensor may be an inertial, gyroscopic, Hall effect, hydrodynamic sensor, or any other type suitable for the present application.

[0062] The command to reverse the direction of rotation of the motor 31, based on the information from the robot stop sensor, is controlled by the robot's electronic card.

[0063] Additionally, in order to avoid going back and forth on the same trajectory, the robot 100 may comprise means using one or more steerable wheels, an articulated axle or deflectors to deflect the propulsive water jet at a greater or lesser angle.

[0064] Finally, the robot may optionally include fixed or rotating brushes to improve cleaning efficiency, especially when the bottom is dirty.

[0065] It is apparent from the present description that certain non-essential elements of the vacuum robot may be modified, replaced or removed without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the following claims. For example, the robot may be powered by mains electricity via an electric cable, have an integrated water treatment diffuser, have a motor located outside the main body to increase the volume of the debris compartment, etc.

Claims

Claims

1. Submersible vacuum robot (100) for cleaning artificial ponds, comprising: a main body (10) comprising a debris container (11); a filter; a volute (20) with two discharge outlets (21a, 21b); a suction and propulsion system (31, 32) producing a circulation of water in the volute and a propulsive water jet; and electrical supply means, characterized in that the volute is fixed and comprises a valve (22a, 22b) at each of said outlets having an open position and a closed position, the positions of said valves alternating automatically depending on the direction of the circulation of water in the volute so as to reverse the direction of the propulsive water jet.

2. A vacuum robot according to claim 1, wherein the suction and propulsion system (31, 32) comprises an electric motor (31) and a centrifugal turbine (32) coupled to the motor, the rotation of said turbine in one direction producing a circulation of water in the volute (20) in the same direction.

3. A vacuum robot according to claim 2, wherein the turbine (32) comprises blades which can be oriented according to its direction of rotation.

4. A vacuum cleaner robot according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each valve (22a, 22b) has a position opposite that of the other valve when the suction and propulsion system (31, 32) is in operation, and a default open position when said system is stopped.

5. A vacuum cleaner robot according to any preceding claim, wherein each flap (22a, 22b) is subjected to an elastic restoring force which tends to maintain it in its open position.

6. A vacuum robot according to claim 5, wherein the restoring force is provided by a torsion spring (23) or by flexibility of the flap (22a, 22b).

7. A vacuum robot according to any preceding claim, wherein the suction and propulsion system (31, 32) is configured to reverse the direction of water circulation in the volute (20) when the robot comes to a stop against an obstacle.

8. A vacuum robot according to claim 7, comprising a stop sensor for controlling the reversal of the direction of water circulation in the volute (20).

9. A vacuum robot according to any preceding claim, wherein the electrical power supply means comprise an electric battery placed in a sealed compartment (121).

10. A robot vacuum cleaner according to any preceding claim, further comprising trajectory deflection means such as a deflector for the propulsive water jet.

Images