Automatic Pool Cleaner With Thrust Turbines for Wall Climbing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing self-propelling swimming pool cleaning devices require manual intervention for maintenance and operation, including filter cleaning and removal from the pool, which is complex and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
An automatic swimming pool cleaner with independent thrust turbines, brush-like surfaces, suction mouths, control electronics, position and floating sensors, and vanes for vertical wall cleaning, capable of returning to a recharge base for automatic battery recharging and filter cleaning, eliminating the need for user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If manual intervention is used for filter cleaning and device removal, then maintenance can be performed, but the complexity of operation increases and automation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The device automatically returns to its base station upon completion of cleaning cycles, where it autonomously performs filter cleaning and recharging operations without requiring user intervention. The base station contains a filter cleaning mechanism that automatically cleans the device's filter, and the device automatically recharges its battery, enabling the system to service itself.
2Productivity
If the cleaner is designed to clean vertical walls, then cleaning coverage is improved, but the stability and safety of movement on walls may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs thrust turbines that generate upward thrust to counteract gravity when moving on vertical walls. The turbines are positioned and controlled to provide sufficient thrust force to balance the device's weight, enabling stable movement on vertical surfaces without compromising reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The device dynamically adjusts its thrust generation based on the surface it is cleaning. Position sensors detect whether the device is on the bottom, vertical wall, or water surface, and the control system adjusts turbine thrust accordingly to maintain optimal stability and cleaning performance on each surface type.
3Extent of automation
If the cleaner is equipped with multiple sensors and automated systems, then automation level increases, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The base station serves multiple functions: it acts as a charging station, a filter cleaning station, and a navigation reference point. The thrust turbines serve dual purposes by providing both propulsion on the pool bottom and upward thrust on vertical walls. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components, simplifying manufacturing.
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, safe, and automated cleaning of pool surfaces, bottoms, and walls, reducing maintenance complexity and user intervention, with automatic recharge and filter cleaning processes.
Implementation Method 1
at least two independent thrust turbines 3, 4 able to balance the thrusts on the machine's axis
Implementation Method 2
one or more suction mouths disposed below the body 1 and able to convey the debris and dirt drawn by the fans of turbines 3, 4 into a collecting filter 8
Implementation Method 3
one or more position sensors 18 to detect the inclination of the cleaner with respect to the vertical plane
Implementation Method 4
one or more floating sensors 20 to sense the water level and disposed preferably in correspondence of the two sides 6 of body 1
Implementation Method 5
one pair of vanes 16 located laterally and individually operable for the removal of dirt on the water surface in a given direction of movement
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Automatic cleaner for swimming pools comprising a body (1) driven by motor-driven wheels (2) arranged for displacement, according to preset work cycles, along the bottom, up onto the vertical walls and on the surface of a swimming pool to aspirate debris and dirt via an aspirator (5) provided with a collecting filter (8), wherein the body (1) is kept in contact with the swimming pool's walls by a thrust exerted by two turbines (3, 4) disposed, along the longitudinal axis, on the back side of body (1).