WO2001046541A1

WO2001046541A1 - Submerged surface cleaner

Info

Publication number: WO2001046541A1
Application number: PCT/IB1999/002027
Authority: WO
Inventors: Duilio Durigon
Original assignee: Duilio Durigon
Priority date: 1999-12-20
Filing date: 1999-12-20
Publication date: 2001-06-28
Also published as: AU1674300A

Abstract

This invention relates to a submerged surface cleaner (10). The cleaner (10) includes a housing (12) defining an inlet (14), an intake chamber (16) in fluid communication with the inlet, and an outlet (18) which is connectable to a suction source. Within the housing (12) a valve (20) is provided for interrupting liquid flow through the housing. The valve (20) includes a valve seat (22), a valve closure (44) and a valve control chamber (60). The valve closure (44) is movable relative to the valve seat (22) between an open condition of the valve in which the valve closure (44) is spaced from the valve seat (22) and liquid is allowed to flow from the intake chamber (16) to the outlet (18), and a closed condition of the valve in which the valve closure (44) engages the valve seat (22) so as to prevent liquid flow from the intake chamber (16) to the outlet (18). The valve control chamber (60) communicates with the outlet (18) and is partially defined by a bellows (28) which is movable under liquid pressure changes, in use, so as to allow the valve (20) to open and close, thereby to impart motion to the cleaner (10).

Description

SUBMERGED SURFACE CLEANER

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

THIS invention relates to a submerged surface cleaner, and more specifically to an automatic swimming pool cleaner.

Various different types of swimming pool cleaners exist. Generally, the known types of pool cleaners comprise a body which defines an inlet and an outlet, and a valve mechanism within the body. The outlet is connectable to a swimming pool pump by means of a flexible hose, and the inlet is located in a portion of the body which is releasably engageable with a submerged surface so that water drawn through the inlet causes debris on the submerged surface to be drawn through the body and along the flexible hose to filters which prevent the debris from circulating back into the swimming pool.

The valve mechanisms of conventional automatic pool cleaners are specifically designed to impart motion to the cleaner by varying the flow of water through the body, thereby to cause the cleaner to move automatically across a submerged surface. Some of the valve mechanisms include a diaphragm which closes intermittently to interrupt the flow of fluid through the body, while others include a valve closure which is arranged to pivot between two valve seats on two separate flow passages so as to alternate the flow path of the water through the body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a submerged surface cleaner with an alternative valve mechanism for imparting motion to the cleaner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided a submerged surface cleaner comprising:

a housing which defines:

an inlet,

an intake chamber in fluid communication with the inlet, and

an outlet connectable to a suction source; and

a valve within the housing for interrupting liquid flow through the housing, the valve including:

a valve seat,

a valve closure which is movable relative to the valve seat between an open condition of the valve in which the valve closure is spaced from the valve seat and liquid is allowed to flow from the intake chamber to the outlet, and a closed condition of the valve in which the valve closure engages the valve seat so as to prevent liquid flow from the intake chamber to the outlet, and a valve control chamber which is defined at least partially by a flexible member and which is in fluid communication with the outlet, the flexible member being movable under liquid pressure changes, in use, so as to allow the valve to open and close, and thereby impart motion to the cleaner.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the flexible member comprises a bellows which is connectable to the housing and to a conduit so that the conduit can reciprocate within the housing. In this case, the conduit may form or carry the valve seat, and the valve closure may be fixed relative to the housing, in use, so that reciprocating motion of the conduit causes the valve to open and close.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the valve control chamber extends around a portion of the conduit and is separated from the intake chamber by the bellows.

The valve seat may comprise a mouth on the conduit, and is typically flared.

In one arrangement, the valve closure is mounted on a closure support locatable within the intake chamber. In this arrangement, the closure support may comprise a pedestal for carrying the valve closure and a cross-member which is engageable with the housing, and a foot may be used to retain the closure support within the intake chamber.

The conduit may be provided with a spring for assisting the movement of the valve seat, in use.

Typically, the valve seat and the valve closure are formed from a resilient material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a submerged surface cleaner according to the present invention with a control valve in a closed condition;

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view similar to that of Figure 1 with the control valve in an open condition;

Figure 3 shows a side view of a valve seat forming part of the submerged surface cleaner of the invention;

Figure 4 shows an end view of the valve seat illustrated in Figure 3;

Figure 5 shows a side view of a support for a valve closure forming part of the cleaner of the invention;

Figure 6 shows an end view of the support illustrated in Figure 5;

Figure 7 shows a side view of another embodiment of a foot attachable to the cleaner of the invention;

Figure 8 shows a rear view of the foot of Figure 7;

Figure 9 shows a partial cross-sectional front view of the foot of Figure

7 with flaps and a mantle fitted to the foot; Figure 10 shows a cross-sectional view along the line 10-10 in Figure 7;

Figure 11 shows a side view of one of the flaps illustrated in Figure 9;

Figure 12 shows an end view of the flap of Figure 11 ;

Figure 13 shows a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a valve closure for the cleaner of the invention;

Figure 14 shows an end view of the valve closure illustrated in Figure 13; and

Figure 15 shows an end view of another embodiment of a valve seat for the cleaner of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings illustrate a portion of a submerged surface cleaner 10 according to the present invention. As can be seen, the cleaner 10 includes a housing 12 which defines an inlet 14, an intake chamber 16 in fluid communication with the inlet, and an outlet 18. Inside the housing 12 a valve 20 is provided for interrupting the flow of water through the housing in a manner which is described in more detail below.

The valve 20 includes a resilient, flared valve seat 22 (see also Figures 3 and 4) which is connected to a conduit 24 by means of a clamp 26 so as to form a mouth on the conduit, as illustrated. The conduit 24 is mounted to the housing 12 with a bellows 28 which allows the conduit to reciprocate within the housing. As depicted in Figures 1 and 2, the bellows 28 is connected at one end to a flange 30 on the conduit 24 and at the other end to a flange 32 on a ring 34. The ring 34 is removably secured by a press fit to a spigot 36 on the housing 12.

A spring 38 biases the bellows 28 towards its extended position so as to compensate for any loss of resilience in the bellows over time. The spring bears against the flange 30 on the conduit 24 at one end and against a spring locating ring 40 at the other end which in turn bears against a conduit guide ring 42.

A resilient valve closure 44 is mounted on a closure support 46 with a clamp 48, as shown, and is arranged to locate within the valve seat 22 when the valve 20 is closed. With reference also to Figures 5 and 6, the support 46 comprises a pedestal 50 for carrying the valve closure 44 and an integral cross-member 52 which is locatable within slots 54 in the housing 12. A polyurethane foot 56 locates over the bottom of the housing 12 so as to hold the support 46 in position and is secured to the housing with clips 58.

Extending around the conduit 24 is a valve control chamber 60 which is separated from the intake chamber 16 by the bellows 28, as illustrated. The intake chamber 16 has a pair of lateral inlets 62 (only one of which can be seen in Figures 1 and 2) for drawing water into this chamber, and the valve control chamber 60 has an annular inlet 64 which communicates with the outlet 18.

At the top of the housing 12, a swivel 66 is rotatably secured over the outlet 18 by means of a bearing 68. The swivel defines a socket 70 into which a spigot on one end of a flexible hose (not shown) can be plugged. In practice, the swivel 66 is connected to a flexible hose in fluid communication with a swimming pool pump (not illustrated), and the apparatus is submerged in a swimming pool. The pump is then activated to draw water through the flexible hose and hence through the housing 12. With the valve 20 in the Figure 1 condition, suction pressure within the valve control chamber 60 causes the conduit 24 to move away from the valve closure 44 to the position illustrated in Figure 2. As the valve seat 22 is displaced away from the valve closure 44, water is drawn through the inlet 14 and the lateral inlets 62, up the conduit 24 and out of the outlet 18 so that debris on the submerged surface entering the intake chamber is drawn through the conduit and is conveyed by the flexible hose to a conventional filter which prevents the debris from circulating back into the swimming pool. In the Figure 2 condition of the valve 20, water flowing between the valve closure 44 and the valve seat 22 in the direction of the arrows A effects a pressure drop between these members which causes the conduit 24 to return to the Figure 1 position. Thus, with the pump operative, the conduit 24 reciprocates within the housing 12 between the Figure 1 position and the Figure 2 position so as to repeatedly interrupt the flow of water through the conduit, and thereby imparts motion to the cleaner 10.

Figures 7 to 12 of the accompanying drawings illustrate an alternative foot 112 which includes an integrally formed shield 114, and two lateral openings 1 16 which are alignable with the lateral inlets 62 of the intake chamber 16. The shield 114 includes a pair of slots 118 for receiving resilient flaps 120, and the foot 112 includes flap stoppers 122 (see Figure 9). The bottom of each flap 120 is curved to accommodate a mantle 124 which is rotatably connected to the foot in the manner illustrated in Figure 9. The shield 114 is designed to prevent water directly above the openings 116 from entering the intake chamber 16, and the flaps 120 prevent water directly in front of the openings 116 from entering the intake chamber.

An alternative valve closure 210 and an alternative valve seat 212 are illustrated in Figures 13 to 15 of the drawings. The valve closure in this embodiment has a tapered valve-seat-engaging surface 214 as opposed to the corresponding part-spherical surface on the closure 44. In Figure 15 the valve seat 212 is seen to include a series of radial cuts 216 which permit the seat to effectively seal onto the valve closure even when a foreign object such as a seed pod, a twig or a leaf is trapped between the valve seat and the valve closure.

The cleaner 10 typically also includes a deflector wing for deflecting the cleaner from steps and the like, and a float and balance weight for stabilising the cleaner (none of which is illustrated in the drawings).

It will be appreciated that many modifications or variations of the invention are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, although the invention has been described with reference to a reciprocable conduit, the conduit may be stationary and the valve closure may reciprocate. In such a case, the valve closure would have a closure control chamber which communicates with the outlet.

Claims

1. A submerged surface cleaner comprising:

a housing which defines:

an inlet,

an intake chamber in fluid communication with the inlet, and

an outlet connectable to a suction source; and

a valve seat,

a valve closure which is movable relative to the valve seat between an open condition of the valve in which the valve closure is spaced from the valve seat and liquid is allowed to flow from the intake chamber to the outlet, and a closed condition of the valve in which the valve closure engages the valve seat so as to prevent liquid flow from the intake chamber to the outlet, and

a valve control chamber which is defined at least partially by a flexible member and which is in fluid communication with the outlet, the flexible member being movable under liquid pressure changes, in use, so as to allow the valve to open and close, and thereby impart motion to the cleaner.

2. A submerged surface cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the flexible member comprises a bellows which is connectable to the housing and to a conduit which forms or carries the valve seat so that the valve seat is movable within the housing.

3. A submerged surface cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the valve closure is arranged so as to be fixed relative to the housing, in use, and movement of the valve seat within the housing causes the valve to open and close.

4. A submerged surface cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the valve control chamber extends around a portion of the conduit and is separated from the intake chamber by the bellows.

5. A submerged surface cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the valve seat is a mouth on the conduit.

6. A submerged surface cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the valve seat is flared.

7. A submerged surface cleaner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the valve seat includes a series of spaced-apart, radial cuts at one end thereof.

8. A submerged surface cleaner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the valve closure is mounted on a closure support locatable within the intake chamber.

9. A submerged surface cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the closure support comprises a pedestal for carrying the valve closure and a cross-member which is engageable with the housing.

10. A submerged surface cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the conduit is provided with a spring for assisting the movement of the valve seat, in use.

1 1. A submerged surface cleaner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the valve seat and the valve closure are formed from a resilient material.