Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04H—BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
  • E04H4/00—Swimming or splash baths or pools
  • E04H4/14—Parts, details or accessories not otherwise provided for
  • E04H4/16—Parts, details or accessories not otherwise provided for specially adapted for cleaning
  • E04H4/1654—Self-propelled cleaners

Definitions

• the invention relates to a surface cleaner device immersed in a liquid, in particular a swimming pool.
• Some known pool cleaner devices include:
• a hydraulic circuit adapted to ensure a circulation of liquid between each inlet and each outlet through a filtering device housed in the filtration chamber, under the effect of a pumping device.
• the hydraulic circuit extends in the filtration chamber vertically from bottom to top, and in the front and the rear of a pump motor that is arranged vertically, usually in the center of the hollow body.
• the flow of liquid between the inlet and the outlet follows a substantially straight path between the base of the hollow body towards the outlet of the hollow body. It is considered that this provision promotes the efficiency of the pump by minimizing pressure losses and optimizing the flow and filtration.
• the inventors have found that such devices do not exhibit stable filtration performance over time, especially when cleaning a submerged surface heavily congested with debris.
• the periods of service of the apparatus between which cleaning must be performed are relatively brief if the surface is very crowded with debris and especially very variable depending on the nature of the waste recovered, so that they vary randomly for the user. For example if the basin is clean but the device sucks a single sheet of large size, this sheet is likely to substantially close the filter device, requiring cleaning of the filter device.
• the filtration and suction performance of these known devices can drop sharply, randomly from the point of view of the user, and while the amount of debris recovered is much lower than that corresponding to the capacity of the device. filtering.
• a hatch access to the filtration device must be provided to allow the disassembly of the latter for cleaning.
• the access hatch to the filtration device must be located at the base of the hollow body, the liquid inlets then necessarily being equipped with non-return devices such as valves.
• this provision is not convenient for the user who must previously reverse the device, which can damage it and otherwise cause unpleasant unwanted flow.
• the invention therefore aims to provide a submerged surface cleaner device whose performance / cost ratio is greatly improved over that of previous devices. More particularly, the invention aims to provide such a device whose cost can be substantially lowered, for equivalent performance, or even greater than those of known devices.
• the invention also aims at providing such an apparatus whose filtration performance is stable over time, regardless of the nature of the debris, including during the cleaning of a submerged surface heavily congested with debris, especially bulky debris with a footprint equivalent to a piece of 2 euros or sheets.
• the invention also aims at providing such an apparatus that may have an access door located on the top, but with a filtration device having a large debris storage volume and a simple hydraulic circuit.
• the invention relates to a submerged surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
• a hydraulic circuit adapted to ensure a circulation of liquid between each inlet and each outlet, through a filtering device comprising filtering walls and housed in the filtration chamber, under the effect of a pumping device, characterized in that 'He understands :
• the rear outlet at least one liquid outlet out of the hollow body, called the rear outlet, shifted rearwardly in the longitudinal direction of each liquid inlet with which it is in communication via the hydraulic circuit
• a rigid wall called a turbulent wall, arranged in the filtering device, upstream of the filtering walls, and extending in a direction that is not parallel to at least one direction connecting a liquid inlet and a rear outlet, so as to form an obstacle to the flow of liquid from this liquid inlet to this liquid outlet generating a vortex flow of liquid in the filter device downstream of this rigid wall.
• the inventors have indeed found that the arrangement of a rigid wall on the path of the liquid between a liquid inlet and a rear outlet liquid, which at first sight may seem unfavorable, both from the point of view of the pressure drop and from the point of view of the quality of the suction, actually allows, when this wall is arranged upstream of the filtering walls, to improve the filtration performance by generating a vortex circulation within the filtering device which permanently keeps the debris suspended in the filtering device, thus avoiding clogging of the filtering walls of the filtering device, and finally favoring the hydrodynamic performance of the filter device and the hydraulic circuit.
• the pressure losses induced by the arrangement of a rigid wall on the liquid flow path are compensated by maintaining the initial permeability of the filtering walls of the filtering device.
• the periods of service between which the device must be cleaned are longer and especially of substantially constant periods, to the benefit of greater comfort of use.
• this turbulent wall also acts as a non-return wall so that the debris that has passed this wall can no longer emerge through the liquid inlet, even when the pumping device is stopped, which eliminates the need to provide valves or other non-return devices on the liquid inlets.
• this arrangement makes it possible to design the apparatus so as to directly recover at least a portion of the residual hydraulic energy in the output stream to participate in driving the apparatus.
• an apparatus can be provided with a pump motor - in particular an electric pump motor - and a drive device - notably comprising at least one electric drive motor - whose power is reduced, and therefore consumption and reduced costs.
• a pump motor in particular an electric pump motor - and a drive device - notably comprising at least one electric drive motor - whose power is reduced, and therefore consumption and reduced costs.
• This also results in a lower overall volume and a lower weight of the apparatus which, in addition to the economy achieved, is an important advantage for the user, particularly in terms of handling, transport and storage of the apparatus. .
• the turbulent wall can be arranged at any point of the device filtering, upstream of the filter walls, that is to say in the dirty part of the hydraulic circuit. In particular, it may extend from an upper or lower portion of the filter device. Nevertheless, preferably, this wall extends in the vicinity of a liquid inlet, downstream of this liquid inlet.
• the filtering device comprises a front opening arranged opposite an upper end of a liquid inlet duct extending from at least one liquid inlet, this front opening being in communication with each liquid inlet and a filter bag and debris recovery defined by filter walls and which extends to each rear outlet, said inlet conduit having a transverse rear wall which forms said turbulent wall.
• the turbulent wall formed by the transverse rear wall of the inlet duct acts as a non-return wall and prevents debris from exiting the filtration bag and debris recovery to return to the immersed surface through the front opening.
• this wall may extend in a generally vertical plane between an area behind the liquid inlets and the upper front opening of the filter bag and debris recovery.
• this non-return wall extends over a major part of the height of the inlet duct, in particular over more than 75% of the height of the inlet duct.
• said inlet duct extends in a direction, called the liquid inlet direction, forming with at least one mean direction passing through the front opening and a rear outlet in communication with this front opening. , an acute angle, so as to promote the turbulence of the liquid in the filtration bag and debris recovery.
• said bag for filtering and recovering debris extends immediately downstream of said opening before and under the latter.
• each rear exit is located under said front opening of the filter device.
• the turbulent wall has an upper end which defines the lower end of the opening of the filtering device, and defines a high point with respect to each rear outlet.
• the distance between the upper end of the turbulent wall and the immersed surface is greater than each distance between each rear outlet and the immersed surface.
• the turbulent wall extends over more than 75% of the maximum height of the filtration and debris recovery bag.
• a turbulent wall allows the generation in the filtration bag of a vortex circulation whose vortex of fluid extends throughout the filtration bag so that most of the debris present in the filtration bag is in permanent suspension in the pocket as the pumping device is in operation, which prevents clogging of the filter walls by the debris, and finally promotes the hydrodynamic performance of the filter device and the hydraulic circuit.
• the filtration bag and debris recovery can be of all types.
• said bag for filtering and recovering debris comprises a rigid frame and a filtering sheet extending into openings formed by the rigid framework.
• the hydraulic circuit comprises at least one axial pumping helix disposed downstream of the filtering device so as to generate a flow of liquid in a liquid outlet, said axial pumping propeller being coupled to a driving motor disposed under a rear portion of the filter device.
• the pumping motor is preferably arranged under the inclined lower wall of the filtration and debris collection bag.
• said axial pumping propeller is disposed in a cylindrical fairing forming the liquid outlet.
• an apparatus further comprises an access hatch for the filtration device, arranged on an outer wall of the hollow body and adapted to allow the disassembly and extraction of the filter device from the hollow body in order to his cleaning.
• This access hatch can be arranged on any wall of the hollow body of the apparatus, in particular on a front wall or an upper wall.
• said access door is provided on the upper wall of the hollow body.
• the filtering device comprises ribs extending laterally on each side of the filtering device and having a shape and dimensions shaped and conjugate to the shape and dimensions of integral grooves of the hollow body so as to ability to slide the filter device along the grooves to extract the filtering device of the hollow body by said access door.
• the extraction of the filtering device of the hollow body by the upper hatch results from a displacement in translation of the filtering device along the grooves of the hollow body.
• a user can easily remove the filter device from the hollow body for example to clean it.
• the invention further relates to an apparatus for cleaning a submerged surface characterized in combination by all or some of the characteristics mentioned above or below.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention
• FIG. 2 is a schematic rear view of a cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a filtering device according to one embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 5 is a simplified sectional schematic view of FIG. 3 showing the apparatus in operation on a submerged surface
• FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a casing of an apparatus according to an embodiment of FIG. the invention.
• each part of the cleaning apparatus is described as arranged when the apparatus is in normal movement on a surface. horizontal submerged according to a privileged direction of advancement, with respect to which the front and the rear of the apparatus are defined.
• An apparatus comprises a hollow body 1 and rolling bodies 2, 3, 4 for guiding and driving the hollow body 1 on a surface immersed in at least one privileged direction of advancement and in a main direction of advancement, said longitudinal direction, parallel to the immersed surface.
• This hollow body 1 is formed mainly of a concave casing delimiting a main enclosure.
• This concave casing is for example made by molding or rotational molding.
• This housing is preferably made of a thermoplastic material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, ABS, PMMA or any equivalent material.
• This hollow body 1 has, as shown in FIG. 6, a central chamber 35 adapted to receive a filtration chamber.
• This central chamber is delimited by a lower wall extending in a substantially horizontal plane; by side walls 36 extending generally in vertical planes; by a front wall 37 extending generally in a vertical plane, orthogonal to the planes of the vertical side walls 36; and a rear wall 38 extending generally in a vertical plane orthogonal to the planes of the vertical side walls 36.
• the lower wall has an opening extending transversely adjacent the wall 37 before such that liquid can enter the central chamber through this lower transverse opening. This opening forms an inlet 9 of liquid in the hollow body 1.
• the rear wall 38 includes a cylindrical opening forming a liquid outlet 10 out of the hollow body 1.
• This liquid outlet 10 formed in the rear wall 38 of the casing is longitudinally offset from the liquid inlet 9 formed in the bottom wall.
• this liquid outlet 10 is arranged in the upper part of the casing so that it is also vertically offset from the inlet 9 of liquid.
• this central chamber, this liquid inlet 9 and this liquid outlet 10 form a chamber 8. filtration.
• This filtration chamber 8 further comprises a hydraulic circuit adapted to ensure a flow of liquid between the inlet 9 of liquid and the outlet 10 of liquid through a filtering device 11.
• the central chamber of the hollow body 1 is adapted to receive a filtering device 11.
• the filtering device 11 is arranged between the inlet 9 of liquid and the outlet 10 of liquid.
• this filtering device 11 comprises an opening 54 before in communication with the inlet 9 of liquid and a pocket 55 for filtering and recovering debris.
• This pocket 55 extends between the opening 54 before and the outlet 10 of liquid.
• the filtering device 11 further comprises a liquid inlet conduit 15 extending from the liquid inlet 9 to the opening 54 before connected to the bag 55 for filtering and recovering debris.
• the front opening 54 is arranged facing the upper end of this liquid inlet duct 15 extending from the inlet 9 of liquid.
• This liquid inlet duct 15 has a rear wall, called a turbulent wall 16, arranged between the liquid inlet and the bag 55 for filtering and recovering debris.
• the bag 55 for filtering and recovering debris is formed of a rigid frame 26 and a filtering sheet extending into openings in this rigid framework. It thus comprises, as shown in Figure 4, walls 56, 57, 58, 59 filtering.
• the filtering device 11 is therefore self-supporting and can be easily manipulated by a user.
• the turbulent wall 16 generates turbulence in the pocket 55 for filtering and collecting debris upstream of the filter walls 56, 57, 58, 59.
• This wall 16 has, as shown in particular in Figure 3, a portion 65 extreme upper curved.
• the turbulent wall 16 extends transversely between the side walls 58, 59 of the pocket 55 for filtering and collecting debris.
• the turbulent wall 16 extends over a major part of the height of the pocket 55 for filtering and recovering debris.
• the turbulent wall 16 extends globally in a plane substantially perpendicular to the submerged surface on which the apparatus is moving. This turbulent wall 16 extends from the base of the filter device 11 away from the immersed surface to the front opening defined between an upper edge of this turbulent wall 16 and the upper wall 57 of the pocket 55 of filtration which extends generally in a plane parallel to the immersed surface.
• the inlet duct 15 extends in a direction, referred to as the liquid inlet direction 63, and has, with the mean direction 62 connecting the front opening to the liquid outlet, an angle ⁇ acute, so as to promote the turbulence of the liquid in the pocket 55 filtration and recovery of debris.
• the angle ⁇ is of the order of 80 °, which allows to create significant turbulence while maintaining a large liquid flow.
• This turbulence keeps the debris suspended in the pocket 55 for filtering and recovering debris, which makes it possible to prevent clogging of the filter walls 56, 57, 58 and 59 of the filtering device 11 with this debris.
• the bag 55 for filtering and recovering debris has a decreasing transverse cross section from the front opening 54 towards the liquid outlet 10 so as to form a convergent tangential filtration chamber for the liquid flowing between the opening 54 beforehand. and the liquid outlet 10. This tangential filtration also helps to prevent clogging of the walls 56, 57, 58 and 59 filtering the filter device 11 by debris sucked by the device.
• the bag 55 for filtering and recovering debris has a bottom filter wall 56 inclined backwards and upwards from a bottom portion of the bag 55.
• This filter pocket 55 further comprises a generally horizontal upper wall 57 and extending from the front opening 54 to the rear.
• This filtering upper wall 57 is connected to the filtering lower wall 56 by a portion 61 upper extreme rear curve.
• the apparatus also includes, as shown in the figure 1, a hatch 6 access to this device 11 filtering.
• This access hatch 6 forms an upper wall of the hollow body 1 and covers the latter.
• this hatch 6 is formed on the top of the device so that a user of the device can easily open the hatch 6 and extract the filter device 11.
• the access hatch 6 is articulated to the body 1 of the apparatus by hinges 23 arranged at the rear of the apparatus.
• the filtering device 11 is a device mounted in the central chamber 1 of the hollow body 1 in the manner of a drawer.
• the rigid frame 26 of the filtering device 11 has two ribs 25 extending laterally on each side of the filtering device 11. These ribs 25 have shapes and dimensions shaped and conjugate to the shapes and dimensions of grooves integral with the hollow body 1. These grooves integral with the hollow body 1 extend vertically along the inner faces of the vertical side walls of the hollow body 1.
• the ribs 25 of the filtering device 11 are therefore adapted to cooperate with the grooves of the hollow body 1 of the apparatus.
• the extraction of the filtering device 11 results from a displacement in translation of the filtering device 11 along the grooves of the hollow body 1.
• a user can easily remove the filtering device 11 from the hollow body 1 for example to clean it.
• a user can easily reintroduce the filtering device 11 into the hollow body 1 by orienting the filtering device 11 so that the ribs 25 of the filtering device 11 are facing the grooves of the body hollow, and then sliding the filtering device 11 in the hollow body 1.
• the filtering device 1 1 further comprises a handle 28 formed on an upper portion of the filtering device 11 so as to facilitate the handling of the filtering device 11.
• a user can easily assemble / disassemble the filtering device 11 via this handle 28 when the device is out of the liquid and rests on a horizontal surface.
• an apparatus comprises a motorized liquid pumping device comprising an electric pumping motor 12 having a rotating motor shaft 13 coupled to a pumping propeller 14 interposed in the circuit hydraulic to generate a flow of liquid between the liquid inlet 9 and the liquid outlet 10.
• the liquid outlet 10 is directly opposite the pumping propeller so that the liquid flows out of the hollow body 1 through the liquid outlet 10 in a direction corresponding to the flow of liquid generated by the pumping propeller. this flow having a speed oriented along the axis 51 of rotation of the propeller 14.
• the pumping propeller 14 has an orientation for generating a liquid flow with a horizontal component to the rear.
• the pumping propeller 14 interposed in the hydraulic circuit between the liquid inlet 9 and the liquid outlet 10 has an inclined axis of rotation forming with the said longitudinal direction and with the theoretical rolling plane 50 a different angle ⁇ 90 °.
• This propeller 14 is rotated by an electric pumping motor 12 which preferably has a rotating motor shaft 13 parallel to the axis of rotation of the propeller 14.
• the pumping motor is disposed under the hydraulic circuit, entirely outside this hydraulic circuit, so that the filtering device 11 of the hydraulic circuit can be removed from the apparatus by the top of the hydraulic circuit. as previously mentioned, without being hindered by the pumping motor.
• Only the pumping propeller 14 is arranged in the hydraulic circuit so as to ensure the flow of liquid.
• This pumping propeller 14 is arranged at the rear of the apparatus, close to the liquid outlet 10. In other words, the pump propeller 14 and the liquid outlet 10 form the end portion of the hydraulic circuit.
• the rotary shaft 13 of the electric pump motor 12 passes through an inclined lower wall defining the hydraulic circuit.
• the seal is provided by an O-ring 18.
• the electric pump motor is a low voltage motor. It can be powered by an external power supply to the device via an electric cable, not shown in the figures, which is connected to the device at an input zone 19 of the electrical cable in the apparatus, as shown in FIG.
• FIG. 5 shows a representation of the circulation of liquid in the body 1 hollow of the device. This circulation is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 5 by arrows 66.
• Liquid enters the hollow body 1 via the liquid inlet 9 arranged under the apparatus. This liquid passes into the liquid inlet duct 15 to reach the filtering device 11. Turbulence is generated by the passage in the vicinity of the turbulent wall 16, keeping the debris 60 in suspension.
• This filter device 1 1 passes the liquid through the filter cloth and retains the solid debris 60. The filtered liquid then reaches the liquid outlet 10 and is ejected at the rear of the apparatus, in the basin from which it comes.
• FIG. 5 also includes a representation of the vortex circulation generated by the turbulent wall 16 immediately downstream of the turbulent wall 16.
• the liquid outlet 10 facing the pumping propeller 14 the liquid flows out of the apparatus through this outlet with a speed V oriented along the axis 51 of the pumping propeller 14 and having a component longitudinally rearward which induces by reaction forces, whose resultant has a longitudinal component of forward drive which participates in driving the apparatus on the immersed surface.
• the orientation of the hydraulic reaction force created by this output flow, and therefore the amplitude of its longitudinal component, depend on the inclination, with respect to the theoretical plane of rolling, of the axis 51 of rotation of the the propeller and the liquid outlet 10.
• this inclination is between 15 ° and 45 °.
• the rolling members for guiding and driving the apparatus comprise a front axle comprising front-wheel drive wheels, one on each side, and a rear axle comprising 3 non-drive rear wheels, one on each side.
• the apparatus comprises brushes 4 arranged at the front of the apparatus. These brushes 4 are intended to ensure a brushing of the immersed surface and to move the brushed debris towards the rear of the apparatus in the direction of the inlet 9 of liquid arranged under the device.
• the apparatus further comprises at least one electric motor for driving the front 2-wheel drive wheels.
• the apparatus comprises two drive motors, one on each side, respectively for the independent drive of each of the front wheels.
• each front wheel 2 has an internal toothing 5 cooperating with a pinion driven by the corresponding drive motor 20.
• the apparatus comprises two coaxial front brushes 4.
• Each brush 4 is adapted to be rotated about an axis extending in a direction, said transverse direction, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.
• Each brush 4 comprises a plurality of fins 41 extending radially from a brush shaft forming the axis of rotation of the brush 4.
• the fins 41 are for example made of rubber made of a resistant plastic material.
• the brushes 4 are preferably also rotated from at least one electric drive motor 2 of the front wheels 2 via a gear system.
• the rolling members consist of the front wheels 2 driving, rear wheels 3 non-driving and brushes 4 which participate in driving and guiding the apparatus on the immersed surface.
• the rolling members 2, 3, 4 have areas intended to come into contact with the immersed surface which are coplanar and define a theoretical rolling plane 50.
• the longitudinal direction of advancement of the apparatus is parallel to this theoretical plane of rolling.
• the front wheels 2 preferably have a diameter of between 100 mm and 500 mm, in particular between 150 mm and 250 mm.
• the front wheels 2 have a diameter of the order of 200mm. In this way, these front wheels 2 facilitate the crossing of obstacles and have improved motor skills.
• their peripheral tread is formed or coated with a non-slip material
• the apparatus also comprises a maneuvering handle 7 allowing a user to wear the device to immerse in a liquid and out of the latter.
• This handle 7 is preferably arranged opposite the liquid outlet 10 so that when the hollow body 1 is suspended by this handle, the apparatus switches spontaneously under the effect of gravity in a position in which the outlet 10 liquid is located under the inlet 9 of liquid, which allows a drain of the device.
• the appliance is moved from the cleaning position to the emptying position, the debris sucked by the appliance is held in the filtering device and is not likely to come out of the appliance.
• the filtering device 11 may have several turbulent walls arranged in the filtering device 11.
• the design and design of the device, including its hydraulic circuit, are subject to infinite variants.
• the invention applies to a bidirectional apparatus capable of retrograde movement.

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• 2007
  • 2007-12-21 FR FR0708994A patent/FR2925549B1/fr active Active
• 2008
  • 2008-12-18 EP EP08865884A patent/EP2235298B1/de active Active
  • 2008-12-18 CA CA2709866A patent/CA2709866C/fr active Active
  • 2008-12-18 AT AT08865884T patent/ATE522681T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2008-12-18 PT PT08865884T patent/PT2235298E/pt unknown
  • 2008-12-18 WO PCT/FR2008/052366 patent/WO2009081056A2/fr active Application Filing
  • 2008-12-18 ES ES08865884T patent/ES2372792T3/es active Active
  • 2008-12-18 AU AU2008339715A patent/AU2008339715B2/en active Active
  • 2008-12-18 US US12/808,423 patent/US8627533B2/en active Active
• 2010
  • 2010-07-20 ZA ZA2010/05171A patent/ZA201005171B/en unknown

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