Self-Cleaning Pool Cleaner with Inverted Impeller and Segmented Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pool cleaners face issues such as unsealed hollow bodies allowing unclean water entry, potential finger contact with sharp impeller blades, high center of gravity leading to uncontrollable floating, and inefficient impeller blade positioning which can cause reduced suction and increased wear.
Innovation Solution
A pool cleaner design featuring a self-cleaning filter mechanism with integrated impeller blades positioned at the water inlet, creating internal positive pressure, eliminating sharp blades, lowering the center of gravity, and optimizing impeller blade placement for efficient water flow and reduced wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the hollow body is sealed to prevent unclean water entry, then the vacuum pressure is maintained, but the pump motor cannot draw water effectively from the bottom inlet
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow body is divided into a sealed upper portion and an open lower portion. The sealed upper portion maintains vacuum pressure and prevents unclean water entry, while the open lower portion allows the pump motor to draw water effectively from the bottom inlet. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by spatially separating the functions of pressure maintenance and water intake.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the hollow body have different sealing characteristics. The upper portion is sealed to maintain vacuum and prevent contamination, while the lower portion near the inlet remains open to allow water flow. This local differentiation of quality (sealed vs. open) enables both functions to coexist without conflict.
2Power
If the impeller blades are positioned at the upper region, then the pump motor draws water with sufficient force, but the center of gravity becomes high causing uncontrollable floating
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of positioning the impeller blades at the upper region to maximize water drawing force, the blades are inverted to the lower region near the inlet. This inversion maintains sufficient pumping power while lowering the center of gravity to improve stability and prevent uncontrollable floating on the water surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The impeller blades are positioned in a different spatial dimension (lower region near inlet) rather than the conventional upper region. This dimensional repositioning achieves both objectives: maintaining water drawing force through optimal blade placement while lowering the center of gravity for enhanced stability.
3Reliability
If the impeller blades are positioned after the filtering mechanism, then only filtered water impacts the blades, but the blades can still be accessed through inlets creating safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The impeller blades are extracted from the protected position after the filtering mechanism and repositioned to the lower region near the inlet. This extraction from the conventional position eliminates the safety hazard of finger contact through inlets while maintaining blade protection through the open lower portion design that directs water flow away from accessible areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The open lower portion acts as an intermediary that separates the impeller blades from direct access through inlets. Water flows through this intermediate region, allowing the pump to draw water effectively while preventing direct finger contact with the rotating blades, thus mediating between power transmission and safety requirements.
4Productivity
If the pump motor is positioned in an upright position, then the hydraulic system draws water effectively, but the high center of gravity creates high moment of force for wall disengagement
Solution Approach 1:
The pump motor is inverted from an upright position to a lower position near the inlet. This inversion maintains effective water drawing through the open lower portion while significantly reducing the center of gravity height, thereby minimizing the moment of force that causes wall disengagement and improving overall stability.
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
The solution ensures effective suction and adhesion to the pool surface, reduces wear and tear, and prolongs filter usability by maintaining internal pressure and preventing unclean water entry, while enhancing safety and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The pump motor is positioned in a hydraulic system that draws water and debris from a bottom inlet opening... The propeller/impeller is potentially accessible to fingers or other objects through the inlets or outlets of the pool cleaner
Implementation Method 2
The vacuum pressure force at the bottom of the pool cleaner coupled with the downward pressure created by the ejecting water that is being created will ensure that the pool cleaner remains in close contact to the floor or walls of the swimming pool
Implementation Method 3
said liquid passes through a filtering mechanism... a filtering unit that includes a filter enclosure, a cleaning element and a filtering element
Implementation Method 4
a rotating mechanism that may be configured to introduce a relative rotation between the cleaning element and the filtering element thereby causing the cleaning element to clean the filtering element
Data Source
AI summary
A pool cleaner that may include a drive mechanism for moving the pool cleaner; a housing that has a first fluid opening and a second fluid opening; a filtering unit that comprises a filter enclosure and a filtering element; a fluid flow mechanism for inducing a flow of fluid through the filtering element in a first direction during a filtering process and for inducing a flow of the fluid through the filtering element at a substantially opposite direction during a backwash process; and a debris trap that is configured to receive debris from the filtering element during the backwash process and to substantially prevent the debris from exiting the debris trap during the filtering process.