Pool Cleaner Stair Detection to Prevent Water Ejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robotic pool cleaners lack the capability to identify and navigate stairs, leading to potential ejection of pool water and debris, which can be problematic due to reduced traction and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A pool cleaner equipped with a controller that utilizes tilt and depth sensors to detect stair ascension and descension, maintaining a stair count, and reversing direction when reaching the highest permissible stair to prevent water ejection and ensure safe operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the pool cleaner operates autonomously to clean pool surfaces, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the ability to identify and navigate stairs is lost, causing water ejection and safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical stair-detection mechanisms with electronic sensor systems (tilt sensors, depth sensors) and computational processing. The controller uses sensor data to identify stair geometries, calculate ascent angles, and determine when to reverse direction, substituting physical mechanical detection with electronic sensing and algorithmic processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sensors as intermediary devices between the pool cleaner and the stair structure. Tilt sensors measure the angle of the cleaner relative to the horizontal plane, while depth sensors measure distance to the pool surface. These intermediaries translate physical stair characteristics into electrical signals that the controller can process for navigation decisions.
2Area of stationary object
If the pool cleaner ascends stairs without detection capability, then cleaning coverage is improved, but traction is reduced and water is ejected from the pool
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control system where sensors continuously monitor the pool cleaner's position, orientation, and depth. The controller processes this feedback information to detect stair ascension events by analyzing changes in tilt angle and depth measurements. Based on this feedback, the controller automatically triggers reverse-direction propulsion to prevent water ejection and maintain safe operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary detection of stair geometries and ascent angles before the harmful effects occur. By continuously monitoring tilt and depth data, the system identifies approaching stairs and calculates ascent parameters in advance, allowing the controller to prepare and execute reverse-direction propulsion before water ejection or traction loss occurs.
3Reliability
If the pool cleaner uses sensors to detect stairs, then stair navigation safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the sensor system and controller to perform multiple functions beyond just stair detection. The same tilt sensors and depth sensors used for stair identification also provide information for navigation, positioning, and operational control. The controller integrates stair-detection algorithms with existing navigation logic, allowing a single system to handle both stair safety and general pool cleaning operations without requiring entirely separate specialized 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
The solution enables the pool cleaner to autonomously navigate pool stairs without ejection of water, maintaining pool cleanliness and safety by preventing liquid from being sprayed outside the pool, thus maintaining the pool's water level and preventing slippery surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
a tilt sensor, wherein the controller is configured to detect ascending or descending a stair of the stairway in accordance with a sensed tilt of the pool cleaner
Implementation Method 2
a depth sensor, wherein the controller is configured to detect ascending or descending a stair of the stairway in accordance with a depth of the pool cleaner below a waterline of the liquid in the pool
Implementation Method 3
a pump for drawing liquid from the pool into the housing through an inlet and expelling the liquid through an outlet when the pool cleaner is submerged in the pool
Implementation Method 4
a filter for trapping debris that is in the indrawn liquid
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A pool cleaner for cleaning a pool includes a housing, a pump for drawing liquid from the pool into the housing through an inlet and expelling the liquid through an outlet when the pool cleaner is submerged in the pool, a filter for trapping debris that is in the indrawn liquid, and a propulsion system for propelling the pool cleaner along a submerged surface within the pool. A controller is configured to determine a position of the pool cleaner on a stairway of the pool, and to control the propulsion system to stop ascending the stairway when the pool cleaner is determined to have ascended to a highest permissible stair of the stairway.