EP3832053B1 - Suction head with central deflector for cleaning swimming pools - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

The present invention belongs to the field of maintenance equipment for swimming pools and other artificial pools, in particular vacuum cleaners for swimming pools, and relates more particularly to a suction head with a central deflector for cleaning swimming pools and a vacuum cleaner equipped with such a suction head.

STATE OF THE ART

The use of suction devices for cleaning the bottoms of swimming pools is known. The suction makes it possible to reach the debris precipitated at the bottom of a swimming pool more efficiently than a conventional pool broom which requires, in addition to a long and tedious sweeping, a collection of packed debris using a landing net. for example.

Pool vacuum cleaners are widely marketed and can be chosen according to the specificities of each pool. In addition to robots allowing automatic cleaning according to programmed cycles, there are electric and autonomous vacuum cleaner brooms, operating on batteries, which generally comprise a suction head connected to a handle. The focus here is on this last category.

Vacuum brooms can be classified into two types according to their design, filter vacuum brooms and bagged (or net) vacuum brooms.

On the one hand, a filter broom vacuum cleaner mainly consists of a suction head, a filter and a suction pump, and can vacuum relatively heavy and small debris. During suction, the debris is stored in a compartment partially delimited by the filter. This type of vacuum broom is not suitable for vacuuming large debris such as leaves. for example due to a low free height between the bottom of the basin and the suction head, as well as a low storage volume in the debris compartments.

Such a vacuum cleaner broom is for example described in the document US 3755843 .

On the other side, a bagged vacuum broom mainly consists of a propeller pump which pushes the sucked raw water into a large capacity bag placed above the pump. The document US 3075227 describes a device of this type. This vacuum cleaner has certain drawbacks such as the reduced section of the suction duct which can cause the suction duct to become blocked by voluminous debris. This design is likely to render the vacuum unusable for vacuuming leaves.

The US patent US5768734 describes a vacuum cleaner overcoming the drawback of the reduced section of the suction duct and the concept of which has been marketed under several registered trademarks: Hammer Head, Power Vac, Riptide, etc.

The document US 2015128361 describes a vacuum cleaner of similar design but of reduced power, provided by electric batteries. This vacuum marketed by the company Watertech is exclusively suitable for collecting leaves and is mainly intended for private swimming pools.

The document EN 3080879 , in the name of the applicant and one figure of which is reproduced in figure 1 , describes a modular suction head that can be adapted both to vacuum cleaner brooms exclusively with filters and to bagged vacuum cleaner brooms (leaf collectors). This last use nevertheless has the disadvantage of the accumulation of leaves between the motor and the propeller of the suction pump. Indeed, the leaves and other voluminous debris sucked up tend to pile up below the propeller, which necessarily has a larger radius than the body of the motor, and risk altering the operation of said propeller, or even block its rotation by clogging, and thus damage the engine.

PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art set out above, in particular the problem of accumulation of bulky debris. below the suction pump impeller which can lead to clogging of the pump.

To this end, the subject of the present invention is a suction head, intended for submersible use in the water of an artificial basin, comprising a body, provided with a suction conduit, and a suction pump , placed inside the suction duct and comprising an electric motor coupled to a propeller, the rotation of the propeller producing a suction along the suction duct between a suction mouth and an upper opening of said duct. This suction head is remarkable in that it comprises a central deflector placed between the motor and the propeller so as to prevent voluminous debris from accumulating below said propeller.

Advantageously, the central deflector is integral with the propeller and moves with the same rotational movement as the latter, for better evacuation of bulky debris towards the periphery of the suction duct.

Alternatively, the central deflector is integral with an engine block containing the engine, and remains static during the rotation of the propeller.

More particularly, the central deflector is coaxial with an axis of rotation of the propeller.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the central deflector has a flat shape extended radially over a radius smaller than the radius of the propeller.

For example, the central deflector is a disc crossed by a motor shaft.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the central deflector has a curved shape.

Alternatively, the central deflector comprises an upper wall, placed between the engine and the propeller, and a side wall converging towards said engine. For example, the top wall and the side wall are circular planar and curved frustoconical, respectively.

In practice, the upper opening of the suction duct is delimited by an annular edge capable of cooperating with a flexible container for collecting bulky debris such as a bag or a net.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the suction head further comprises a sleeve, capable of receiving a handle of a vacuum cleaner broom, and a electric battery supplying the suction pump, said battery being rechargeable, removable and placed in a sealed compartment of the body.

The invention also relates to a vacuum cleaner broom, or a robot vacuum cleaner, for cleaning the bottoms of swimming pools, equipped with a suction head having one or more characteristics set out above.

The fundamental concepts of the invention having just been explained above in their most elementary form, other details and characteristics will emerge more clearly on reading the description which follows and with regard to the appended drawings, giving by way of illustration non-limiting example an embodiment of a suction head in accordance with the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

The various figures and the elements of the same figure are not necessarily represented at the same scale. In all the figures, identical or equivalent elements bear the same reference numeral.

• Figure 1 (déjà citée) : une tête d'aspiration de l'art antérieur ;
• Figure 2 : une vue en perspective arrière d'une tête d'aspiration selon un mode de réalisation de l'invention ;
• Figure 3 : une vue de côté de la tête d'aspiration de la figure 1 ;
• Figure 4 : une coupe de la tête d'aspiration de la figure 2 suivant le plan A - A, laissant entrevoir le déflecteur central ;
• Figure 5 : une vue arrière de la tête d'aspiration de la figure 1 ;
• Figure 6 : une coupe de la tête d'aspiration de la figure 4 suivant le plan B - B, laissant entrevoir le déflecteur central.

It is thus illustrated in:

• Figure 1 (already cited): a suction head of the prior art;
• Figure 2 : a rear perspective view of a suction head according to one embodiment of the invention;
• Figure 3 : a side view of the suction head of the figure 1 ;
• Figure 4 : a section of the suction head of the figure 2 along plane A - A, showing the central deflector;
• Figure 5 : a rear view of the suction head of the figure 1 ;
• Figure 6 : a section of the suction head of the figure 4 along plane B - B, showing the central deflector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the embodiment described below, reference is made to an improved suction head intended primarily to equip bag vacuum cleaner brooms for cleaning the bottoms of swimming pools. This non-limiting example is given for a better understanding of the invention and does not exclude the use of the suction head in swimming pool robots for example, or the adaptation of the latter to filter vacuum cleaner brooms.

The figure 2 , 3 and 5 represent a suction head 100 mainly comprising a body 10 materializing its outer casing, a propeller pump 20 for suctioning debris, a sleeve 30 suitable for receiving a handle (not shown), and a battery 40 supplying the pump and placed in a compartment 14 of the body.

The body 10, according to the illustrated embodiment, comprises a lower shell 11, provided with a suction mouth 111, and a suction duct 12 surmounting said shell. The body 10 can be formed from a single block, manufactured by molding, injection, additive manufacturing or by any other suitable process; or in several assembled parts. Preferably, the body 10 is made of a strong plastic material suitable for submersible use.

The lower shell 11 has an elongated shape, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the suction head 100, narrowing at its lateral ends. The suction mouth 111, visible on the figures 3 and 4 , is placed in a central part of the lower shell 11, directly above the suction duct 12.

The suction duct 12 has a tubular shape, preferably cylindrical, extending perpendicularly to a mean plane of the lower shell 11, communicating at its lower end with the suction mouth 111, and ending at its upper end with an annular border 121 which defines an upper opening 122 through which the debris pass, towards a debris collection bag, not shown.

Thus, the suction duct 12 defines an interior volume, between the suction mouth 111 and its upper opening 122, in which the suction pump 20 is placed.

The suction pump 20, according to the embodiment illustrated in figure 4 and 6 , comprises an electric motor 21 coupled to a propeller 23 whose rotation produces the suction of water, and therefore debris, along the suction duct 12 between the suction mouth 111 and the upper opening 122. Aspiration is carried out along streamlines, represented by a broken line on the figure 4 , which pass close to the blades of the propeller 23, and can therefore cause a accumulation of large debris, such as leaves, between the propeller 23 and the motor 21, as is the case with vacuum cleaners of the prior art.

In order to counter the occurrence of such an accumulation of debris, the suction pump 20 is provided with a central deflector 25, positioned between the motor 21 and the propeller 23, preventing the voluminous debris sucked up from coming to pile up. below said propeller. Preferably, the central deflector 25 is integral with the propeller 23 and moves with the same rotational movement as the latter in order to expel the voluminous debris sucked up towards the periphery of the suction duct 12.

The central deflector 25, according to the embodiment of the figure 4 and 6 , is in the form of a disc, or a ring, placed coaxially with the propeller 23 and extending radially over a radius sufficient for the large debris sucked up to bypass the blades of the rotating propeller 23 and pass nearby walls of the suction duct 12 without impeding the rotation of said propeller. On the other hand, the radius of the central deflector 25 must be less than that of the propeller 23 so that the suction is established in the suction conduit 12.

The central deflector may nevertheless have a different shape and dimensions in variant embodiments not shown. For example, the central deflector may have a convexity, or a specific curvature, to facilitate the evacuation of bulky debris towards the periphery of the suction duct.

The central deflector may, in addition to a flat circular upper wall forming a screen below the propeller, comprise a frustoconical side wall converging towards the engine 21 from the edge of the flat wall, thus facilitating the evacuation of bulky debris towards the periphery. of the propeller 23. The frustoconical wall can be slightly curved for more efficiency. In the case of a central deflector with a non-circular upper wall, in the shape of a square for example, the side wall has a pyramidal shape for example, each of the faces of which is associated with a side of the square.

When the central deflector comprises an evacuation side wall as described above, it is no longer necessary for said deflector to be coupled in rotation to the propeller, and said side wall can be secured to a casing 22 of motor 21, or even made in one piece with said casing.

In view of the description given of the central deflector, it should be noted that other embodiment variants can be trivially envisaged and that the main aspect of the invention resides in the presence of an obstacle between the engine and the propeller. which prevents the accumulation of voluminous debris at this precise location and therefore the clogging of the suction pump.

The suction head 100 can be fitted to a vacuum cleaner broom via the sleeve 30 which can receive a handle of said broom by clipping or by any other quick fixing means. For better handling, the sleeve 30 is articulated on the body 10 and can pivot in a plane perpendicular to the plane of movement of the suction head and parallel to the direction of movement of said head.

The displacement of the suction head 100 is for example carried out by rolling members such as wheels or rollers 60.

Incidentally, the suction head 100 includes other equipment such as a charging adapter 150 for the battery.

The suction head thus described finds a direct application in vacuum cleaners for swimming pools.

Claims (11)

1. Suction head (100), intended for submersible use in the water of an artificial pool, having a body (10) provided with a suction duct (12), and a suction pump (20) placed inside the suction duct and comprising an electric motor (21) coupled to a propeller (23), the rotation of the propeller producing suction along the suction duct between a suction mouth (111) and an upper opening (122) of said duct, characterised in that it comprises a central deflector (25) placed between the motor (21) and the propeller (23) so as to prevent bulky debris from accumulating below said propeller.
2. Suction head according to claim 1, wherein the central deflector (25) is integral with the propeller (23) and is driven by the same rotational movement as said propeller, for improved discharge of bulky debris to the periphery of the suction duct (12).
3. Suction head according to claim 1, wherein the central deflector (25) is integral with a motor unit (22) containing the motor (21).
4. Suction head according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the central deflector (25) is coaxial with an axis of rotation of the propeller (23).
5. Suction head according to claim 1, wherein the central deflector (25) has a planar shape extending radially over a radius less than the radius of the propeller (23).
6. Suction head according to claim 5, wherein the central deflector (25) is a disc through which a shaft of the motor (21) passes.
7. Suction head according to claim 1, wherein the central deflector (25) has a curved shape.
8. Suction head according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the central deflector (25) has an upper wall, placed between the motor (21) and the propeller (23), and a side wall converging toward said motor.
9. Suction head according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper opening (122) is delimited by an annular rim (121) of the suction duct (12) capable of interacting with a flexible container for collecting bulky debris, such as a bag or a net.
10. Suction head according to any one of the preceding claims, also having a sleeve (30), capable of receiving a handle of a vacuum cleaner brush, and an electrical battery (40) powering the suction pump (20).
11. Vacuum cleaner brush for cleaning swimming pool floors, characterised in that it is equipped with a suction head (100) according to one of claims 1 to 10.

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