Pool Cleaner With Capacitive Water Sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016207204-A1
Application number	US-201614994653-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 13, 2016
Priority date	Jan 20, 2015
Publication date	Jul 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a robotic pool cleaner and a control system of a robotic pool cleaner. A capacitance of a capacitive element of the robotic pool cleaner can be monitored by the control system of the robotic pool cleaner. When it is determined that the robotic pool cleaner is climbing a side wall of the pool, the data associated with the capacitance of the capacitive element can be compared to baseline data to determine whether at least a portion of the robotic pool cleaner is approaching and/or breaching a waterline of the pool.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A robotic pool cleaner, comprising:
a housing assembly; a sealed, water-tight container disposed within the housing body; and a control system including a capacitive element, wherein a capacitance of the capacitive element is configured to change in response to a change in the environment proximate to the capacitive element, and the control system is configured to determine whether at least a portion of the housing assembly is approaching a waterline of a pool or breaching the waterline in the pool based on the capacitance of the capacitive element.

2 . The robotic pool cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to determine whether at least a portion of the housing assembly is approaching the waterline or breaching the waterline in the pool by comparing a charge time of the capacitive element to baseline data stored by the control system.

3 . The robotic pool cleaner of claim 2 , wherein the control system generates a stimulus signal that charges the capacitive element according to a time constant based on the capacitance of the capacitive element.

4 . The robotic pool cleaner of claim 3 , wherein the charge time corresponds to a time required to charge the capacitance of the capacitive element to a reference threshold.

5 . The robotic pool cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the control system determines whether the robotic pool cleaner is on a bottom of the pool based on an output of an orientation sensor.

6 . The robotic pool cleaner of claim 5 , wherein the orientation sensor comprises a gyroscope, an accelerometer, or a mechanical tilt switch.

7 . The robotic pool cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the robotic pool cleaner includes a pump motor that drives a pump, and the control system determines whether the robotic pool cleaner is on a bottom of the pool based on a pump loading of the pump motor.

8 . The robotic pool cleaner of claim 7 , wherein in response to determining that the robotic pool cleaner is on a bottom of the pool, the control system periodically or continuously measures a time required to charge the capacitive element to a reference threshold to identify a charge time, and stores the charge time as baseline data.

9 . The robotic pool cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the control system determines whether the robotic pool cleaner is climbing a side wall of the pool based on an output of an orientation sensor.

10 . The robotic pool cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the robotic pool cleaner includes a pump motor that drives a pump, and the control system determines whether the robotic pool cleaner is climbing a side wall of the pool based on a pump loading of the pump motor.

11 . The robotic pool cleaner of claim 10 , wherein in response to determining that the robotic pool cleaner is climbing a side wall of the pool, the control system periodically or continuously measures a time required to charge the capacitive element to a reference threshold to identify a charge time and compares the charge time to baseline data to determine whether at least a portion of the housing assembly is approaching the waterline of the pool or breaching the waterline in the pool based on the capacitance of the capacitive element.

12 . A control system for a robotic pool cleaner, comprising:
capacitive sensor circuitry including a capacitive element having a capacitance that changes in response to changes in an environment proximate to the capacitive element; a non-transitory computer-readable medium including firmware; and a processing device programmed to execute the firmware to receive an output of the capacitive sensor circuit as an input, and to determine whether at least a portion of the robotic pool cleaner is approaching a waterline of a pool or breaching the waterline of the pool based on the output of the capacitive sensor circuitry.

13 . The control system of claim 12 , further comprising:
an orientation sensor configured to output a signal to the processing device that corresponds to an orientation of the robotic pool cleaner, wherein the processing device is programmed to determine whether the robotic pool cleaner is on a bottom of the pool or climbing a side wall of the pool in response to the signal output by the orientation sensor.

14 . The control system of claim 12 , wherein the processing device is programmed to monitor a pump loading of a pump motor of the robotic pool cleaner to determine whether the robotic pool cleaner is on a bottom of the pool or climbing a side wall of the pool.

15 . The control system of claim 12 , wherein in response to a determination that at least a portion of the robotic pool cleaner is approaching the waterline of the pool or is breaching the waterline of the pool based on the capacitance of the capacitive element, the processing device is programmed to cause the robotic pool cleaner to perform one or more actions.

16 . The control system of claim 15 , wherein the one or more actions includes reversing a direction of travel of the robotic pool cleaner, ceasing drive to one or more wheels of the robotic pool cleaner, driving one or more wheels of the robotic pool cleaner so that the robotic pool cleaner bobs along the waterline of the pool, or reduce or cease driving a pump of the robotic pool cleaner.

17 . A method of controlling an operation of a robotic pool cleaner comprising:
monitoring a capacitance of a capacitive element of the robotic pool cleaner; determining whether the robotic pool cleaner is on the bottom of a pool or climbing a side wall of the pool; and in response to a determination that the robotic pool cleaner is on the bottom of a pool or climbing a side wall of the pool, either storing data associated with the capacitance to generate baseline data or comparing the data associated with the capacitance to a baseline data.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein determining whether the robotic pool cleaner is on the bottom of a pool or climbing a side wall of the pool comprises monitoring an output of an orientation sensor.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein determining whether the robotic pool cleaner is on the bottom of a pool or climbing a side wall of the pool comprises monitoring a pump loading of a pump motor.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein when it is determined that the robotic pool cleaner is climbing a side wall of the pool, the data associated with the capacitance is compared to the baseline data to determine whether at least a portion of the robotic pool cleaner is approaching a waterline of the pool or is breaching the waterline of the pool.

Assignees

• Hayward Ind Inc

Inventors

• Teuscher Scott
• Barcelos Nathaniel

Classifications

• E04H4/1654 Primary

  Self-propelled cleaners · CPC title

• G01D5/24

  by varying capacitance · CPC title

• B25J9/1694

  characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion · CPC title

• Y10S901/01

  Mobile robot · CPC title

• B25J11/0085 Primary

  Cleaning · CPC title