Swimming pool cleaning device with obstacle clearing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10400467-B2
Application number	US-201615331609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2016
Priority date	Oct 21, 2015
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

The invention is directed to a swimming pool cleaning device comprising:
a body, means for driving and guiding the body comprising at least two pairs of wheels: front wheels and rear wheels,

characterized in that the drive means of the device further include:
an intermediate wheel turning about a rotation axis disposed between the front wheel and the rear wheel on at least one of the two sides of the device, the diameter and the position of the rotation axis of this intermediate wheel being such that said wheel does not touch the guide plane XrYr when the robot is resting on the latter, said guide plane XrYr being defined by the points of contact of the front and rear wheels with the ground.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A swimming pool cleaning device comprising:
a body comprising a liquid inlet for receiving debris-laden water, a liquid outlet, and a hydraulic circuit connecting the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet, and
means for driving and guiding the body comprising at least two pairs of wheels: front wheels and rear wheels,

wherein the drive means of the device further include:
an intermediate wheel extending externally of the body and turning about a rotation axis disposed between the front wheel and the rear wheel on at least one of the two sides of the device, the diameter and the position of the rotation axis of this intermediate wheel being such that the intermediate wheel does not touch the guide plane XrYr when the front and rear wheels are in contact with the guide plane XrYr, said guide plane XrYr being defined by the points of contact of the front and rear wheels with the ground, and the intermediate wheel is configured to bear on an obstacle protruding upward from the guide plan XrYr when the intermediate wheel contacts the obstacle.

2. The swimming pool cleaning device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotation axis is parallel to a transverse axis Yr, which corresponds to a drive axis of the front wheels and the rear wheels.

3. The swimming pool cleaning device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the rotation axis of the intermediate wheel is situated in a plane defined by the rotation axes of the front wheels and the rear wheels.

4. The swimming pool cleaning device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the intermediate wheel is longitudinally situated halfway between the front wheels and the rear wheels.

5. The swimming pool cleaning device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the intermediate wheel has a circumference including a substantially cylindrical friction area having a non-slip surface state.

6. The swimming pool cleaning device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drive means of the cleaning device include an intermediate wheel on each side of the body.

7. A swimming pool cleaning device comprising:
a body comprising a liquid inlet for receiving debris-laden water, a liquid outlet, and a hydraulic circuit connecting the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet, and
means for driving and guiding the body comprising at least two pairs of wheels: front wheels and rear wheels,

wherein the drive means of the device further include:
an intermediate wheel turning about a rotation axis disposed between the front wheel and the rear wheel on at least one of the two sides of the device, the diameter and the position of the rotation axis of this intermediate wheel being such that the intermediate wheel does not touch the guide plane XrYr when the front and rear wheels are in contact with the guide plane XrYr, said guide plane XrYr being defined by the points of contact of the front and rear wheels with the ground, and wherein the rotation axis is not parallel to a transverse axis Yr, which corresponds to a drive axis of the front wheels and the rear wheels.

8. A swimming pool cleaning device comprising:
a body comprising a liquid inlet for receiving debris-laden water, a liquid outlet, and a hydraulic circuit connecting the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet, and
means for driving and guiding the body comprising at least two pairs of wheels: front wheels and rear wheels,

wherein the drive means of the device further include:
an intermediate wheel turning about a rotation axis disposed between the front wheel and the rear wheel on at least one of the two sides of the device, the diameter and the position of the rotation axis of this intermediate wheel being such that the intermediate wheel does not touch the guide plane XrYr when the front and rear wheels are in contact with the guide plane XrYr, said guide plane XrYr being defined by the points of contact of the front and rear wheels with the ground, wherein the intermediate wheel has a circumference including a substantially cylindrical friction area having a non-slip surface state and wherein the friction area includes at least one projection forming a lug adapted to bear on an obstacle situated on the bottom of the swimming pool to facilitate said cleaning device clearing it.

9. A swimming pool cleaning device comprising:
a body comprising a liquid inlet for receiving debris-laden water, a liquid outlet, and a hydraulic circuit connecting the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet, and
means for driving and guiding the body comprising at least two pairs of wheels: front wheels and rear wheels,

wherein the drive means of the device further include:
an intermediate wheel turning about a rotation axis disposed between the front wheel and the rear wheel on at least one of the two sides of the device, the diameter and the position of the rotation axis of this intermediate wheel being such that the intermediate wheel does not touch the guide plane XrYr when the front and rear wheels are in contact with the guide plane XrYr, said guide plane XrYr being defined by the points of contact of the front and rear wheels with the ground, and wherein the intermediate wheel (a) has a circumference including a substantially cylindrical friction area having a non-slip surface state and (b) is driven in rotation thanks to an internal gear area of said intermediate wheel of smaller diameter than the friction area, this gear area cooperating with a gear driven by the rear wheels or the front wheels.

10. The swimming pool cleaning device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the gear area of the intermediate wheel cooperates with two gears, driven by the rear wheels and the front wheels.

11. The swimming pool cleaning device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the intermediate wheel is driven by the gears at a different speed than the front wheels and the rear wheels.

12. A swimming pool cleaning device comprising:
a body comprising a liquid inlet for receiving debris-laden water, a liquid outlet, and a hydraulic circuit connecting the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet, and
means for driving and guiding the body comprising at least two pairs of wheels: front wheels and rear wheels,

wherein the drive means of the device further include:
an intermediate wheel turning about a rotation axis disposed between the front wheel and the rear wheel on at least one of the two sides of the device, the diameter and the position of the rotation axis of this intermediate wheel being such that the intermediate wheel does not touch the guide plane XrYr when the front and rear wheels are in contact with the guide plane XrYr, said guide plane XrYr being defined by the points of contact of the front and rear wheels with the ground, and wherein the intermediate wheel (a) has a circumference including a substantially cylindrical friction area having a non-slip surface state and (b) turns in the same direction as the front wheels and the rear wheels, the intermediate wheel having a rotation speed such that the tangential speed of the friction area is substantially equal to that of the front wheels and the rear wheels.

13. A swimming pool cleaning device comprising:
a body comprising a liquid inlet for receiving debris-laden water, a liquid outlet, and a hydraulic circuit connecting the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet, and
means for driving and guiding the body comprising at least two pairs of wheels: front wheels and rear wheels,

wherein the drive means of the device further include:
an intermediate wheel turning about a rotation axis disposed between the front wheel and the rear wheel on at least one of the two sides of the device, the diameter and the position of the rotation axis of this inte

Assignees

• Zodiac Pool Care Europe

Inventors

• Pichon Philippe
• Tailleur Philippe Blanc
• Favie Louis

Classifications

• E04H4/1654 Primary

  Self-propelled cleaners · CPC title