FR3046191A1 - POOL CLEANING ROBOT AND METHOD OF DETECTING IMMOBILIZATION OF SUCH A ROBOT - Google Patents

Abstract

A pool cleaning robot (1) comprising a displacement system (4) comprising at least one set of idler wheels (12), a trash suction system (5) and a detection system ( 6) an immobilization of said cleaning robot (1), the detection system (6) comprising: - at least one transceiver (7) of a light beam (L) along an emission axis and - at at least one target (8), integral with the traveling wheel set and aligned with said transmission axis, adapted to reflect said light beam (L) in order to detect a rotation of said set of traveling wheels (12).

Description

SWIMMING POOL CLEANING ROBOT AND METHOD FOR DETECTING IMMOBILIZATION

ONE OF THIS ROBOT

GENERAL TECHNICAL FIELD AND PRIOR ART

The present invention relates to the field of cleaning a pool by means of a robot. The invention is more particularly intended to reduce the cleaning time of a swimming pool.

As a reminder, a pool has a generally horizontal bottom and generally vertical walls. During the use of the pool, detritus (leaves, grass, soil, etc.) are deposited on the bottom of the pool, which penalizes its appearance. A cleaning robot can remove debris by moving over the entire surface of the bottom of the pool. It is known in the prior art an autonomous pool robot that can change direction of travel to clean the entire surface of the bottom of the pool. Such a swimming pool robot comprises a management module that makes it possible to issue displacement commands in a successive manner. For example, the management module commands the robot to move three times from the rear to the front for a duration of 30 seconds during a first phase of displacement, then to turn to the right during a second phase of movement, then moving three times from the back to the front during a third phase of movement, etc.

Thus, without user action, the cleaning robot autonomously performs various movements at the bottom of the pool. During a displacement phase, the cleaning robot can come into abutment with a vertical wall of the pool and remain immobilized for long seconds while waiting for a phase of displacement that will command the robot cleaning away from said vertical wall.

Several systems have been proposed to detect when the cleaning robot abuts against a vertical wall. For example, a cleaning robot may comprise a mechanical contactor adapted to come into contact with the vertical wall. When the mechanical contactor is activated, it commands a modification of the displacement phase. Such a mechanical contactor has the disadvantage of exerting a mechanical support on the vertical wall of the pool which is generally covered with a coating known to those skilled in the art under its English designation "liner". Repeated contact of the coating contactor can damage said coating and thus affect its service life. In addition, the mechanical switch must remain waterproof, which increases the complexity and cost of such a detection system.

In order to eliminate this drawback, it is known in the prior art, from the patent application US6758226, a pool cleaning robot which comprises a detection system comprising an idler wheel adapted to be in contact with the bottom of the pool when moving the cleaning robot, a transmitter adapted to emit a light beam and a receiver adapted to receive said light beam. The web of the detection wheel is pierced with an orifice through which the light ray can flow when said orifice is aligned with the transmitter and the receiver. Thus, during the rotation of the detection wheel, the receiver intermittently receives the light beam and can deduce that the detection wheel is moving. Conversely, when the receiver detects no light variation, it can be deduced that the cleaning robot is immobilized.

Such a detection system has many disadvantages. First, it has a very large footprint because of the presence of a crazy wheel dedicated to the detection, the transmitter and the receiver must be placed on either side of the idle wheel. Due to its size, the detection system is complex to integrate into the cleaning robot that already includes a motorized movement system and a suction system of debris. In practice, the idler wheel must be placed in the center of the robot to prevent it from interfering with the movement of the cleaning robot by "leg effect". In addition, the idler wheel must be pressed against the ground by means of an elastic spring, which also penalizes the bulk. Finally, the cost of such a detection system is very high.

Incidentally, an infrared detection system is also known which comprises a front infrared transmitter / receiver and a rear infrared transmitter / receiver for detecting the vertical walls of the swimming pool during a forward or reverse movement of the cleaning robot. Such a detection system is complex to implement since the presence of algae on the vertical walls of the pool disturbs the detection. Also, it is necessary to provide high power infrared transmitters / receivers, which are expensive. For this reason, such a detection system is mounted only on large cleaning robots used, in particular, for public pools. The invention therefore aims to provide a pool cleaning robot comprising a detection system having a small footprint and a limited cost.

GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION For this purpose, the invention relates to a cleaning robot of a swimming pool comprising a displacement system comprising at least one set of idling wheels, a trash suction system and a trolley system. detecting an immobilization of said cleaning robot, the detection system comprising at least one transceiver of a light beam along an emission axis and at least one target, integral with said train of displacement wheels and aligned with said axis transmission, adapted to reflect said light beam to detect a rotation of said set of wheels.

By moving wheel train is meant a rotationally integral assembly comprising at least two wheels connected by at least one axle.

Thus, advantageously, the train of displacement wheels participates in the movement of the cleaning robot. The detection system according to the invention does not require adding a wheel dedicated to the detection as in the prior art, which limits the complexity, size and cost of such a cleaning robot. In addition, a transceiver also improves the bulk and reduces the constraints related to sealing compared to a set of a transmitter and a receiver. In addition, since the detection is carried out at a short distance, a low power and low cost transceiver can be used.

The displacement system can be hydraulically propelled in this case all moving wheel sets are mounted idle. Alternatively, the displacement system can be motorized and include a motorized wheel set and an idle wheel set.

Preferably, the detection system comprises a sealed housing in which the transceiver is mounted. More preferably, said sealed housing comprises a transparent wall to allow the circulation of light rays along said transmission axis. The transceiver can thus be mounted in the sealed housing in a practical manner by orienting its transmission axis towards the transparent wall. The housing can then be mounted in the cleaning robot as an independent module. Such a detection system has a reduced manufacturing cost and is simple to integrate with a cleaning robot without impacting its size.

More preferably, the housing is entirely transparent. This avoids providing a dedicated transparent wall which is expensive and complex to mount in a sealed manner.

Preferably, the transceiver is of the infrared type so as to limit its electrical consumption and its cost, preferably the infrared transceiver has a wavelength of between 800 nm and 1100 nm, in particular of the order of 940 nm.

Preferably, the detection system is connected to a power supply unit adapted to be connected to an electric cable. More preferably, the detection system is the displacement system are connected to the same power supply unit.

More preferably, the target comprises an alternation of reflective zones and non-reflective zones. Thus, the transceiver receives intermittently a light beam reflected during the rotation of the wheel set of displacement. Such a target is advantageous because it can be conveniently mounted especially element of the wheel set displacement (wheel, axle, fin, etc.).

Preferably, the set of wheels having at least two wheels connected by an axle, said target is fixed to said axle. Fixing the target to the axle rather than to one of the wheels makes it possible to benefit from a target of smaller dimensions since the axle has a smaller diameter than the wheel. In addition, an attachment to the axle provides a larger mounting space, the mounting space near a wheel being limited.

Preferably, the target is annular and fixed at the periphery of a longitudinal portion of the axle. More preferably, the target is positioned near the center of the axle, the lateral space of the cleaning robot can thus be reserved for the displacement system (wheels, lateral discharge openings, etc.).

Preferably, the cleaning robot comprising a front wheel set and a rear wheel set, each set of wheels comprising an axle, said detection system is fixed close to the rear axle so as to remain close to the control system. displacement, which facilitates their power supply and sending control from the detection system to the displacement system.

Preferably, the transmission axis extends orthogonally to the axis of rotation of the wheel, preferably vertically so as not to limit the space of the trash suction system. In addition, such an arrangement limits the length of the cleaning robot.

More preferably, the cleaning robot comprises a single transceiver and a single target to limit its size and complexity.

In another embodiment, the target is attached to one of the wheels of the idler gear. Preferably, the transmission axis extends parallel to the axis of rotation of said wheel.

Preferably, said target is secured by gluing. This advantageously makes it possible to conveniently adapt a detection system to a conventional cleaning robot.

Preferably, the displacement system further comprises a motorized wheel set of wheels. Thus, the cleaning robot can move independently.

In another aspect, the displacement system is hydraulically propelled and includes only idler wheel sets of wheels. The invention also relates to a method for detecting an immobilization of a pool cleaning robot as presented above, the cleaning robot moving in a displacement phase, the method comprising: a transmission step by said transceiver, a light beam along the transmission axis towards said target, - a step of intermittent reception, by said transceiver, of a light beam reflected by said target, and - a step modifying the displacement phase of said cleaning robot when said transceiver receives no light beam for a predetermined period of time or when it receives a light beam for a predetermined period of time.

Thus, when the reflected light beam is no longer received intermittently, immobilization is detected. Such a method advantageously makes it possible to accelerate the cleaning of a swimming pool by modifying the movement of the cleaning robot when the latter is immobilized.

PRESENTATION OF THE FIGURES The invention will be better understood on reading the following description, given solely by way of example, and referring to the appended drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective representation of a robot of cleaning according to one embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the robot of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a rear view of the robot of Figure 1 without its main body; Figure 4 is a close-up view of the robot of Figure 3, the detection system is shown in section; Figure 5 is a close-up view of the detection system of Figure 4; Figures 6 and 7 are schematic functional representations of the detection system when a light beam is or is not reflected; and Figure 8 is a representation of a detection signal upon immobilization of the cleaning robot.

It should be noted that the figures disclose the invention in detail to implement the invention, said figures can of course be used to better define the invention where appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF ONE OR MORE MODES OF REALIZATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, there is shown a pool cleaning robot 1 according to one embodiment of the invention.

The cleaning robot 1 comprises a main body 10 extending longitudinally along an X axis oriented from rear to front. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the cleaning robot 1 comprises a front wheelset 11 and a rear wheelset 12. Each train 11, 12 comprises an axle 110, 120 terminated at its ends by displacement wheels 2. 2 wheels are adapted to come into contact with the bottom of a pool and maintain the main body 10 of the cleaning robot 1 at a predetermined distance from said bottom. It is presented a cleaning robot 1 with two sets of wheels 11,12 but it goes without saying that he could understand a different number. Similarly, it goes without saying that the invention applies to a cleaning robot 1 having a different number of wheels 2, for example, three.

Referring to Figure 1, the cleaning robot 1 comprises, on its front portion, a handle 3 to allow a user to raise the cleaning robot in a vertical position.

Referring to Figure 3, the cleaning robot 1 comprises a trash suction system 5 which is in the form of a pump which is housed in the main body 10. The trash suction system 5 comprises a suction opening vertically downward and discharge opening. The trash suction system 5 further includes a trash collection housing which is positioned near the suction opening for storing the aspirated detritus.

Preferably, the trash suction system 5 is connected to a power supply unit adapted to be connected to an electric cable.

In this example, with reference to FIG. 1, the cleaning robot 1 comprises a hydraulic propulsion displacement system 4 which comprises a plurality of water outlets, in particular a front outlet 42a, a central rear outlet 42b and two lateral outlets 42c. Such a displacement system 4 is known to those skilled in the art, in particular by the patent application FR 1254892. The traveling wheel trains 11, 12 are mounted idle, that is to say, that they are not mechanically trained. Thus, the wheels 2 make it possible essentially to provide guidance for the cleaning robot 1.

In this example, the displacement system 4 comprises a movable member (not shown) mounted between the discharge opening of the trash suction system 5 and the water outlets 42a-c to direct the flow of water to a predetermined water outlet 42a-c. It goes without saying that the displacement system 4 could comprise a different number of outputs. It is also obvious that the positioning of said outlets could be different.

The displacement system 4 further comprises a management module (not shown) which defines the phases of movement of the cleaning robot 1 and, for this purpose, controls the orientation of the movable member. Preferably, the management module comprises a circuit, equipped with a microprocessor, and a memory in which are stored the sequence of the phases of displacement, in particular, the duration and the type of displacement during a phase of displacement. (moving back and forth, moving to one side, etc.).

According to the invention, with reference to FIG. 5, the detection system 6 comprises a transceiver 7, adapted to transmit and receive a light beam L along an emission axis, and a target 8, integral with a train displacement wheels 12 and aligned with said transmission axis, adapted to reflect said light beam L to detect a rotation of said set of displacement wheels 12. Thus, the detection system 6 makes it possible to follow in a practical manner a rotation of the wheels while maintaining a limited footprint as will be presented later.

The detection system 6 is connected to the management module of the displacement system 4 in order to make it possible to modify the phase of displacement defined by the management module in the event of detection of an immobilization. As will be presented later, in the event of immobilization, the detection system 6 controls a displacement in the opposite direction to the displacement system 4 in order to disengage the cleaning robot 1.

In this example, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the transceiver 7 comprises a sealed housing 70, preferably of cylindrical shape, in which is housed an electronic card 71 on which is mounted an electronic component 72 adapted to transmit and receive a light ray L along an emission axis. Preferably, the electronic component 72 is a CMS component for "Surface Mounted Component".

Preferably, the electronic component 72 is configured to emit a light beam L of the infrared type, in particular at a short distance in order to have a limited cost. Preferably, the electronic component 72 is configured to emit an infrared ray having a wavelength of between 800 nm and 1100 nm, in particular of the order of 940 nm. By way of example, an electronic component known under the trade name AGILENT HSDL 9100 may be suitable.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the sealed housing 70 comprises a transparent wall 73 so as to allow the light beam L to pass through said housing 60 along said transmission axis. The transparent wall 73 extends opposite the target 8. In this example, the sealed housing 70 is entirely transparent.

Preferably, the transceiver 7 is connected to a power supply unit, in particular, the same as that of the detritus suction system 5 and that of the displacement system 4.

With reference to FIG. 3, the transceiver 7 is attached to the main body 10 of the cleaning robot 1 and positioned near the rear axle 120 of the cleaning robot 1. Rear positioning is advantageous because the front space is occupied by the trash suction system 5 and the handle 3.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the transceiver 7 is positioned above the rear axle 120 so as to limit the overall length and provide a maximum space for the trash suction system 5 and the system moving 4.

Advantageously, the transceiver 7 is in the form of a small independent module which can be easily dismantled and replaced. In addition, its seal is easy to guarantee since it does not have moving parts. Preferably, the cleaning robot 1 has only a single transceiver 7 to reduce the cost of the cleaning robot 1.

Target 8

Referring to Figure 5, there is shown a target 8 attached to the rear axle 120 to allow indirect detection of the rotation of the train of wheels 12 by monitoring the rear axle 120. Such indirect monitoring is particularly advantageous in terms of size and complexity since it allows not to change the general structure of the cleaning robot 1 by maintaining two parallel axles 110, 120 of simple design. For this purpose, the emission axis of the light beam L extends orthogonally to the axis of rotation of the wheel 2.

It has been presented a detection of immobilization of the wheels 2 of the rear axle 120, but it goes without saying that the invention also applies to a detection of immobilization of the wheels 2 of the front axle 110. the invention also aims at detecting a target 8 attached directly to a displacement wheel 2. For this purpose, the emission axis of the light beam L extends parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel 2.

Preferably, the distance between the transceiver 7 and the target 8 is between 3 and 100 mm, preferably between 3 and 10 mm. Thus, a transceiver 7 of low power and limited cost is sufficient.

In this example, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7, the target 8 is annular and extends at the periphery of a longitudinal portion of the rear axle 120 of the rearward moving wheelset 12. The target 8 comprises an alternation Reflective zones 81 and non-reflective zones 82. In this example, the reflective zones 81 are made of a reflective metal coating while the non-reflective zones 82 are made of a matte black coating. Alternatively, the target 8 may comprise a plurality of fins or blades, some of which are reflective and others are not reflective.

Preferably, the reflective zones 81 and the non-reflective zones 82 have similar dimensions so that the transceiver 7 measures a periodic signal when the cleaning robot 1 moves at a constant speed.

An exemplary implementation of the invention will now be presented with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8.

The cleaning robot 1 is located at the bottom of the pool and connected to a power supply cable (not shown) to allow, on the one hand, a suction of detritus and, on the other hand, a displacement of the robot of cleaning 1 according to the movement phases recorded in the management module of the displacement system 4.

In the absence of obstacles, the cleaning robot 1 moves at a substantially constant speed, the wheels of displacement wheels 11, 12, mounted idle, are then in rotation as their axles 110, 120 and the wheels 2 Referring to Figure 2, the cleaning robot 1 moves on the horizontal wall Ph of the pool.

The target 8 is thus in rotation with the rear axle 120 and reflects the light beam L emitted by the electronic component 72 of the transceiver 7 when a reflecting zone 81 is aligned with the transmission axis (FIG. ). The reflected light beam L is received by the electronic component 72 of the transceiver 7 which generates a high value signal Tsi (FIG. 8).

In contrast, when a non-reflecting zone 82 is aligned with the transmission axis (FIG. 7), the electronic component 72 of the transceiver 7 receives no light beam L and generates a low value signal T82 (Figure 8).

In other words, when the cleaning robot 1 is moving, the generated signal is substantially periodic. When the cleaning robot 1 is immobilized, for example when the cleaning robot 1 is in abutment against a vertical wall Pv, a reflecting zone 81 or a non-reflecting zone 82 is aligned with the transmission axis for a long time. , which generates a high value signal Tsi or a low value signal Ts2 for a long time.

According to the invention, a time threshold Ts is defined from which a shift phase change instruction INS is transmitted by the transceiver 7 to the management module of the displacement system 4. Preferably, the time threshold Ts is between 2s and 10s, preferably 5s, so as to rapidly control a change of displacement of the cleaning robot 1 during the detection of an obstacle.

In this example, with reference to FIG. 8, since the non-reflecting zone 82 is aligned with the transmission axis for a duration greater than said time threshold Ts, an INS motion phase change instruction is issued by the transceiver 7 to the management module of the displacement system 4 so that the cleaning robot 1 moves away from the vertical wall Pv against which the cleaning robot 1 is in abutment. In this example, in case of immobilization, the detection system 6 controls a displacement in the opposite direction.

Thanks to the invention, the cleaning robot 1 can conveniently detect any obstacle during cleaning (wall, branch, etc.) to change its movement and thus clean the pool. In addition, advantageously, the detection system 6 can measure and monitor the speed of movement of the cleaning robot 1. The invention has been presented for a cleaning robot 1 comprising a hydraulic propulsion displacement system but it is also applies to a motorized movement system comprising at least one set of motorized wheeling wheels, in addition to idling mounted wheel sets.

Claims (10)

A swimming pool cleaning robot (1) comprising a displacement system (4) comprising at least one idling wheel set (12), a trash suction system (5) and a detection system (6) an immobilization of said cleaning robot (1), the detection system (6) comprising: - at least one transceiver (7) of a light beam (L) along an emission axis and - at least one target (8), integral with the traveling wheel set and aligned with said transmission axis, adapted to reflect said light beam (L) in order to detect a rotation of said set of traveling wheels (12). 2. Cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the detection system (6) comprises a sealed housing (70) in which the transceiver (7) is mounted, said sealed housing (70) having a transparent wall ( 73) to allow the circulation of light rays (L) along said transmission axis. 3. Cleaning robot according to one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the transceiver (7) is of the infrared type. 4. Cleaning robot according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the target (8) comprises alternating reflective zones (81) and non-reflective areas (82). 5. cleaning robot according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, the set of wheels (12) comprising at least two wheels (2) connected by an axle (120), said target (8) is fixed axle audit (120). Cleaning robot according to claim 5, wherein the transceiver (7) is positioned above said axle (120). 7. cleaning robot according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, said target (8) is secured by gluing. 8. Cleaning robot according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the displacement system (4) further comprises a motorized wheel set of wheels. 9. Cleaning robot according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the displacement system (4) comprises a plurality of displacement wheels mounted idle. 10. A method of detecting an immobilization of a pool cleaning robot (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9, the cleaning robot (1) moving in a displacement phase, the method comprising a step of transmission, by said transceiver (7), of a light beam (I) along the transmission axis towards said target (8), an intermittent reception step, by said transmitter-receiver, receiver (7), a light beam reflected by said target (8), - a step of modifying the phase of displacement of said cleaning robot (1) when said transceiver (7) receives no light beam (L ) for a predetermined period of time (Ts) or when it receives a light beam (L) for a predetermined period of time (Ts).