Motorization kit for a retractable pool cover

Abstract

Motorization Assembly for a Retractable Pool Cover. The invention relates to a motorization assembly (2-1) for a retractable pool cover comprising a geared motor having an electric motor (M) powered by direct current with a DC voltage of at most 30 V, a means for rotating the retractable cover coupled to the geared motor, internal means (6a) for providing information in the form of an external dry contact (Cs) indicating an extreme state of the cover in the fully closed pool position when the geared motor is in a limit switch position in a first direction, and internal means (6b) for providing further information in the form of another external dry contact (Cs) indicating an extreme state of the cover in the fully open pool position when the geared motor is in a limit switch position in a second direction opposite to the first. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 1.

Description

Title of the invention: Motorization assembly for a retractable pool cover technical field

[0001] The invention relates to the general field of motorization of a roller cover for a pool, such as a roller shutter, a bar cover, a bubble cover, or a mobile terrace of a swimming pool. Previous technique

[0002] Private swimming pools are increasingly being equipped with automatic water treatment systems, such as dosing pumps or salt electrolyzers for chlorine production.

[0003] Regardless of the treatment system chosen, the chlorine present in the pool evaporates naturally from the water. It is therefore important to have a sufficient chlorine source, depending on the size of the pool, to ensure proper chlorine dosage in the water with respect to evaporation.

[0004] However, when the pool is covered (by a roller shutter, a bar cover, a bubble cover, a mobile terrace, etc.), the natural evaporation of chlorine is greatly reduced compared to the configuration in which the pool is uncovered.

[0005] It therefore appears necessary that the automatic water treatment system be informed in real time that the pool is covered in order to reduce the chlorine supply and thus avoid a chlorine overdose.

[0006] For this purpose, most known water treatment systems, and in particular salt electrolyzers, have an electrical input that can receive a dry contact in order to know the state of the basin totally open or the state of the basin totally closed.

[0007] Generally, this function is performed using an electronic card which receives information from the electric motor of winding the cover about whether the basin is fully open or fully closed and transmits it to the automatic water treatment system.

[0008] Furthermore, there are two main technologies enabling the electric motor for winding the cover to perform the limit switches (corresponding to the fully open basin state and the fully closed basin state); namely, an electronic technology, and a mechanical technology (which is the most widespread).

[0009] With so-called electronic technology, the electric motor for winding the cover includes a sensor (e.g., a microswitch, inductive, Hall effect, encoder wheel, etc.) which sends a signal to a An external electronic board detects one or more targets per motor revolution. This board counts the number of signals received from the motor sensor and determines whether the pool is fully open or fully closed (a predetermined number of signals corresponds to a fully open pool, and a second predetermined number of signals to a fully closed pool). The board then processes the cover's position information and transmits it via a dry contact to the automatic water treatment system.

[0010] With the so-called mechanical technology, the electric motor for winding the cover includes a system of gears that rotate with the motor. As they rotate, these gears allow the simultaneous and opposite translation of two other traveling gears until they reach the position of two stops. When these stops are reached, they activate sensors (e.g., microswitches) to determine the limit switches. The sensors then transmit the limit switch signals to an electronic board that processes the cover's position information and communicates it via a dry contact to the automatic water treatment system.

[0011] These two technologies have the disadvantage of the presence of an electronic card which processes the position information of the cover and communicates it via a dry contact to the automatic water treatment system which is external to the motorization system of the cover, which complicates the operation of the whole. Description of the invention

[0012] The present invention therefore aims to provide a motorization assembly integrating a system to provide cover position information in the form of dry contacts directly to the automatic water treatment system.

[0013] In accordance with the invention, this objective is achieved by means of a motorization assembly for a retractable pool cover capable of providing position information for the cover in the form of dry contacts, comprising: - a geared motor having an electric motor powered by direct current with a direct voltage of at most 30 V, - a means of rotating the roll-up cover coupled to the geared motor, - internal means for providing information in the form of an external dry contact indicating an extreme state of the cover in the fully closed basin position when the geared motor is in a limit switch position in a first direction, and - internal means to provide other information in the form of another external dry contact of an extreme state of the cover in the fully open basin position when the geared motor is in a limit position in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

[0014] The invention is remarkable in that the motorization assembly internally comprises means capable of providing an external system (e.g., an automatic water treatment system) with cover position information in the form of external dry contacts. In particular, the system according to the invention does not require the use of an electronic board.

[0015] According to one embodiment, at least one of the external dry contacts is made by two potential-free electrical conductors at the output of the geared motor.

[0016] According to another embodiment, the two external dry contacts are each made by three electrical conductors, one of which is common to the two external dry contacts.

[0017] Internal means for providing information may include means for detecting preset positions of the geared motor's end-of-travel limits, allowing the electric motor to stop when activated and the electric motor to operate normally when not activated.

[0018] In this case, the means for detecting preset positions of the geared motor's limit switches are advantageously suitable: - when activated, to provide information, in the form of a dry contact, indicating the state of the cover in the fully closed basin position or the state of the cover in the fully open basin position, and - when not activated, to provide other information, in the form of the absence of dry contact, of a state of the cover in basin position not totally closed or of a state of the cover in basin position not totally open.

[0019] Still in this case, which means for detecting preset positions of the geared motor's end-of-travel limits may include analog or digital processing means for providing external information in the form of dry contacts.

[0020] According to a first alternative, the means for detecting preset positions of the geared motor's end-of-travel limits can include internal means for counting the number of revolutions made in one direction or the other by the electric motor and for comparing this number of revolutions to the end-of-travel limits of the geared motor corresponding to the fully open basin position and the fully closed basin position of the cover.

[0021] In this first alternative, the electric motor may include a detector capable of sending a signal when detecting at least one target attached to the rotation of the electric motor to an electronic card allowing the number of revolutions made in one direction or the other by the electric motor to be counted and compared to the limit switch instructions of the geared motor stored in the electronic card.

[0022] According to a second alternative, the means for detecting preset positions of the end-of-travel limits of the geared motor may include a system of gears rotating with the cover and allowing the simultaneous and opposite translation of two traveling gears up to two stop positions in which said traveling gears actuate the means for detecting preset positions of the end-of-travel limits of the geared motor to stop the electric motor.

[0023] In this second alternative, each stop can control the stopping of the electric motor by means of a contact detector capable of taking two positions: a first position allowing the rotation of the electric motor and not returning a dry contact, and a second position not allowing the rotation of the electric motor and returning a dry contact.

[0024] In this case, the contact detector can be a microswitch with at least two contacts or a proximity detector which can be an inductive sensor, a capacitive sensor, an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor or a magnetic sensor.

[0025] The cover can be a roller shutter, a bar cover, a bubble cover, or a mobile terrace. Brief description of the drawings

[0026] [Fig-1] Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a motorization assembly according to a first architecture for the realization of the invention.

[0027] [Fig.2] The [Fig.2] is a schematic view of a motorization assembly according to a second architecture of embodiment of the invention.

[0028] [Fig.3] The [Fig.3] is a schematic view of a motorization assembly according to a third architecture of embodiment of the invention.

[0029] [Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a motorization assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. Description of embodiments

[0030] The invention relates to a motorization assembly used to move a retractable cover of a basin, such as a private swimming pool.

[0031] By way of example, the roll-up cover can be a roller shutter, a bar cover, or a bubble cover.

[0032] Typically, the cover comes to wind around a winding tube which extends across the width of the basin at one longitudinal end of it.

[0033] The motorization assembly includes a geared motor having an electric motor supplied with a DC voltage of at most 30 V. This geared motor is coupled to the winding tube (not shown) to drive it in rotation.

[0034] According to the invention, the motorization assembly also includes internal means for providing external information in the form of a dry contact of an extreme state of the cover in the totally closed basin position when the geared motor is in a limit position in a first direction, as well as other internal means for providing another external information in the form of another dry contact of an extreme state of the cover in the totally open basin position when the geared motor is in a limit position in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

[0035] By "external dry contact", we mean here an electrical contact external to the motor assembly which is without potential difference between its two terminals.

[0036] Thus, the external dry contacts can each be made by two potential-free electrical conductors at the output of the geared motor. Alternatively, they can each be made by three electrical conductors, one of which is common to both external dry contacts.

[0037] At least one of these external dry contacts - or even both of these dry contacts - is capable of cooperating with equipment external to the motorization assembly such as, for example, an external system for automatic regulation of the water chemistry of the pool (in particular a dosing pump or a salt electrolyzer for the production of chlorine).

[0038] Thus, when the geared motor is in a limit position in a first direction corresponding to a position of the cover totally closed, the motorization assembly according to the invention communicates this information via a dry contact to the external automatic regulation system of the water chemistry of the pool (for example so that it reduces the chlorination of the water).

[0039] Similarly, when the geared motor is in a limit position in a second direction corresponding to a state of the cover in the totally open basin position, the motorization assembly according to the invention communicates this information via another dry contact to the external automatic regulation system of the basin's water chemistry (for example so that it applies the nominal production of chlorine in the water).

[0040] Furthermore, the two internal means within the motorization assembly according to the invention allow for providing external information to the motorization assembly include means for detecting preset positions of the geared motor's end-of-travel limits.

[0041] These means for detecting preset positions of the geared motor's end-of-travel limits allow the electric motor to stop when activated and the electric motor to operate normally when not activated.

[0042] More specifically, these means are capable, when activated, of providing information, in the form of an external dry contact, of the state of the cover in the totally closed basin position or of the state of the cover in the totally open basin position, and, when not activated, of providing other information, in the form of the absence of an external dry contact, of a state of the cover in the not totally closed basin position or of a state of the cover in the not totally open basin position.

[0043] In connection with figures 1 to 4, different architectures for the realization of the motorization assembly 2-1 to 2-4 according to the invention will now be described.

[0044] In these different architectures, the reference "M" designates the electric motor of the geared motor, the reference "S" designates the control of the electric motor M, and the reference "Cs" designates the two external dry contacts.

[0045] In the embodiments of figures 1 and 4, the motorization assembly 2-1, 2-4 includes a single control S to actuate the electric motor M in both directions of rotation.

[0046] In the embodiments shown in Figures 2 and 3, the motorization assembly includes two controls, "S+" and "S-", to actuate the electric motor M in each of the two directions of rotation. These are, of course, only non-limiting examples of the invention.

[0047] Moreover, in all these embodiments, the means for detecting preset positions of the end-of-travel limits of the geared motor are of the "mechanical" type.

[0048] Thus, in a manner known per se (and not detailed here), these means typically comprise a gear system 4 which rotates with the pool cover and which allows the simultaneous and opposite translation of two traveling gears up to two stop positions. These stops actuate the means for detecting preset positions of the limit switches of the geared motor to stop the electric motor M.

[0049] In the embodiments of Figures 1 to 4, each contact detector 6a, 6b consists of a microswitch with two contacts: a first "NC" contact corresponding to the first position allowing rotation of the electric motor M (and not returning a dry contact), and a second "NO" contact corresponding to the second position stopping the rotation of the electric motor and returning a contact dry.

[0050] Still in these embodiments, it will be noted that the second "NO" contact of the microswitch 6a allows to return a first dry contact corresponding to a limit position in a first direction (and associated for example with a state of the cover in position basin totally closed), while the second "NO" contact of the other microswitch 6b allows to return a second dry contact corresponding to a limit position in a second direction opposite to the first direction (and associated for example with a state of the cover in position basin totally open).

[0051] It should also be noted that the contact detector 6a, 6b can alternatively be a proximity detector, for example an inductive sensor, a capacitive sensor, an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor or a magnetic sensor.

[0052] It should also be noted that, in the embodiments of figures 2 and 3, the electric motor M is associated with power relays P.

[0053] In another embodiment of the invention (not shown in the figures), the means for detecting preset positions of the end-of-travel limits of the geared motor are of the "electronic" type.

[0054] In this other embodiment, the means for detecting preset positions of the geared motor's end-of-travel limits include analog or digital processing means for providing external information in the form of dry contacts.

[0055] For example, these processing means make it possible to communicate control information to the control board, indicating the state of the coverage. These processing means make it possible to count the signals from the detection means regardless of the direction of movement of the coverage.

[0056] Alternatively, the means for detecting preset positions of the geared motor's end-of-travel limits may include means for counting the number of revolutions made in one direction or the other by the electric motor and for comparing this number of revolutions to the geared motor's end-of-travel limits corresponding to the state of the cover in the fully open basin position and to the state of the cover in the fully closed basin position.

[0057] In this alternative, the electric motor thus includes a detector (e.g. an inductive sensor, a hall effect sensor, an encoder wheel, etc.) capable of sending a signal when detecting at least one target attached to the rotation of the electric motor to an electronic board allowing the number of revolutions made in one direction or the other by the electric motor to be counted and compared to the limit switch commands of the geared motor stored in the electronic board.

[0058] These detection means (whether they are analog processing means or revolution counting means) are well known in themselves and are therefore not detailed here.

Claims

Demands

1. A motorization assembly (2-1 to 2-4) for a retractable pool cover capable of providing position information for the cover in the form of dry contacts, comprising: - a geared motor having an electric motor (M) supplied with direct current with a DC voltage of at most 30 V, - a means for rotating the retractable cover coupled to the geared motor, - internal means (6a) for providing information in the form of an external dry contact (Cs) of an extreme state of the cover in the fully closed pool position when the geared motor is in a limit switch position in a first direction,and - internal means (6b) for providing further information in the form of another external dry contact (Cs) of an extreme state of the cover in the fully open basin position when the geared motor is in a limit switch position in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

2. Assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the external dry contacts is made by two potential-free electrical conductors at the output of the geared motor.

3. Assembly according to claim 1, wherein the two external dry contacts are each made by three electrical conductors, one of which is common to the two external dry contacts.

4. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the external dry contacts is capable of cooperating with equipment external to the drive assembly such as a system for regulating the water chemistry of the basin.

5. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the internal means for providing information include means for detecting preset positions of geared motor end-of-travel limits allowing the electric motor to stop when actuated and the electric motor to operate normally when not actuated.

6. Assembly according to claim 5, wherein the means for detecting preset positions of the geared motor's limit switches are capable of: - when activated, providing information, in the form of a dry contact, of the state of the cover in the fully closed basin position or of the state of the cover in the fully open basin position, and - when not activated, providing other information, in the form of the absence of a dry contact, of a state of the cover in the not fully closed basin position or of a state of the cover in the not fully open basin position.

7. Assembly according to any one of claims 5 and 6, wherein the means for detecting preset positions of the geared motor's end-of-travel limits include analog or digital processing means for providing external information in the form of dry contacts.

8. Assembly according to any one of claims 5 and 6, wherein the means for detecting preset positions of the geared motor's end-of-travel limits include internal means for counting the number of revolutions made in one direction or the other by the electric motor and for comparing this number of revolutions to end-of-travel limits of the geared motor corresponding to the fully open basin position and the fully closed basin position of the cover.

9. Assembly according to claim 8, wherein the electric motor includes a detector capable of sending a signal when detecting at least one target attached to the rotation of the electric motor to an electronic board allowing the number of revolutions made in one direction or the other by the electric motor to be counted and compared to the limit switch commands of the geared motor stored in the electronic board.

10. Assembly according to any one of claims 5 and 6, wherein the means for detecting preset positions of the geared motor's limit switches comprise a gear system (4) rotating with the cover and allowing the simultaneous and opposite translation of two traveling gears up to two stop positions in which said traveling gears actuate the means for detecting preset positions of the end-of-travel limits of the geared motor to stop the electric motor.

11. Assembly according to claim 10, wherein each stop controls the stopping of the electric motor by means of a contact detector (6a, 6b) capable of taking two positions: a first position allowing the rotation of the electric motor and not returning a dry contact, and a second position not allowing the rotation of the electric motor and returning a dry contact.

12. Assembly according to claim 11, wherein the contact detector is a microswitch with at least two contacts.

13. Assembly according to claim 11, wherein the contact detector is a proximity detector.

14. Assembly according to claim 13, wherein the proximity detector is an inductive sensor, a capacitive sensor, an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor or a magnetic sensor.

15. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the cover is a roller shutter, a bar cover, a bubble cover, or a mobile terrace.

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