Autonomous Mobile Winder for Pool Covers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic winders for pool covers require the installation of guide rails, limiting their adaptability to various flat surfaces and restricting their mobility.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous mobile retractor system with a freewheeling drive shaft and winding tube, powered by a rechargeable battery, and equipped with rotating tribological components and guide ramps, allowing the retractor to operate on any flat surface without the need for guide rails, and featuring a motor controlled by an electronic card that stops when torque exceeds a threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If guide rails are integrated into the floor to guide the reel, then the stability and guidance of the reel is improved, but the adaptability to various flat surfaces and ease of installation is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the guide rails from the system entirely, extracting the guiding function from the fixed infrastructure and relocating it to the mobile reel itself through self-guidance mechanisms, thereby eliminating the need for floor integration while maintaining stability
Solution Approach 2:
The reel is designed to guide itself through the flat surface without external rail structures, using its own mobile unit components to maintain trajectory and orientation, transforming from a system requiring external guidance infrastructure to one that is self-sufficient
2Ease of operation
If guide rails are integrated into the floor, then the guidance function is improved, but the ease of operation and mobility is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The guidance function is extracted from the fixed floor infrastructure and transferred to the mobile reel assembly, eliminating complex installation requirements while maintaining operational guidance capabilities through the reel's own mobile unit design
3Device complexity
If a stationary reel is used, then the structural simplicity is improved, but the productivity and coverage efficiency is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The reel is transformed from a stationary structure to a mobile unit that can move autonomously across the flat surface, enabling dynamic coverage of larger areas while maintaining relatively simple structural design through the integration of motorized mobility components
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and autonomous winding and unwinding of pool covers on any rectangular flat surface, including swimming pools, ensuring effective coverage and easy maintenance without the need for rail installations.
Implementation Method 1
May be provided a further set of at least one rechargeable electrical battery for power supply of the motor
Implementation Method 2
a first pair of rotating components for tribological rotation and retention of the winding tube, and a second pair of rotating components for tribological rotation and maintaining the drive shaft
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to an automatic winder (10) for a tarpaulin (210), comprising: a winding tube (20) onto which a tarpaulin (210) can be wound, and a motor (80) configured to rotate the winding tube (20). It is essentially characterized in that it further comprises a drive shaft (30), parallel to the winding tube (20), the motor (80) being further configured to drive the automatic winder (10) in translation, the winding tube (20) and the drive shaft (30) being coaxial.