# US 11,994,391 B2 · Determining characteristics of liquid-containing vessels such as swimming pools and spas and using such characteristics in operation of the vessels > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,994,391 B2 - Document ID: US11994391B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/140,804 - Filed: 2018-09-25 - Published: 2019-04-04 - Granted: 2024-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2017-10-04 - Assignees: Zodiac Pool Systems LLC - Applicants: Zodiac Pool Systems LLC - Inventors: Hendrikus Johannes van der Meijden; E. Keith McQueen; Phillip Newman; Richard E. Mills - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11994391B2 ## CPC - G01C 21/005: {with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching (G01C21/30 takes precedence)} - E04H 4/1654: {Self-propelled cleaners} - G05D 1/00: Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) - G05D 1/0044: {by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps (maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005)} - G05D 1/225: operated by off-board computers - G05D 1/227: Handing over between remote control and on-board control; Handing over between remote control arrangements - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - E04H: BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL (foundations E02D) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract Augmented (virtual) reality techniques are described for assisting in determining characteristics of swimming pools and spas. Such pools and spas may, for example, be mapped at least as to their general sizes and shapes. The mapped and other information may be available for display and may be furnished to an automatic swimming pool cleaner (APC) to improve its operational efficiency in cleaning the pool. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of cleaning a swimming pool comprising: a. receiving an input of a selection of a pool shape from a mobile device; b. receiving a plurality of images of the swimming pool from the mobile device, wherein a view of the swimming pool of at least one image of the plurality of images is different from a view of the swimming pool of another image of the plurality of images; c. modelling the swimming pool by determining a 3D model of the swimming pool based on the selection of the pool shape and the plurality of images from the mobile device; d. receiving, from an automatic swimming pool cleaner, cleaning cycle information about a cleaning cycle performed by the automatic swimming pool cleaner within the pool; and e. generating a modified cleaning cycle based on the 3D model and the cleaning cycle information from the automatic swimming pool cleaner, wherein generating the modified cleaning cycle comprises adjusting navigation of the automatic swimming pool cleaner within the swimming pool. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving water characteristic information from the mobile device, wherein the water characteristic information comprises a type of water in the swimming pool, and wherein causing the mobile device to communicate to the automatic swimming pool cleaner further comprises causing the mobile device to communicate the water characteristic information. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving pool surface color information from the mobile device, and wherein causing the mobile device to communicate to the automatic swimming pool cleaner further comprises causing the mobile device to communicate the received pool surface color information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein modelling the pool further comprises creating and displaying a virtual outline of the pool by: identifying a plurality of markers in the plurality of images, each marker of the plurality of markers spaced apart from at least one adjacent marker; creating the virtual outline based on the identification of the plurality of markers; and displaying the virtual outline of the pool. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein displaying the virtual outline of the pool comprises displaying the virtual outline of the pool with a view different from views of the pool from the plurality of images. ### Claim 6 A method of cleaning a swimming pool having a perimeter, the method comprising: a. determining a virtual representation of the swimming pool by: receiving an input of a selection of a pool shape from a mobile device; receiving a plurality of images of the swimming pool from the mobile device, wherein a view of the swimming pool of at least one image of the plurality of images of the swimming pool is different from a view of the swimming pool of another image of the plurality of images, and modelling the swimming pool by determining a 3D model of the swimming pool based on the pool shape and the plurality of images received from the mobile device; b. causing the mobile device to display the 3D model of the virtual representation of at least a part of the swimming pool; c. receiving, from an automatic swimming pool cleaner, information about a cleaning cycle performed within the pool; and d. generating a modified cleaning cycle for the automatic swimming pool cleaner in the swimming pool based on the virtual representation of the pool and the information about the cleaning cycle, wherein generating the modified cleaning cycle comprises adjusting navigation of the automatic swimming pool cleaner. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, further comprising determining an amount of chlorine to release to the pool based on the 3D model. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6 in which the virtual representation includes at least one feature of the swimming pool selected from the group consisting of stairs, ladders, drains, and fittings. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving information relating to an orientation of the pool relative to magnetic north, and wherein generating the modified cleaning cycle is based on the information relating to the orientation of the pool relative to magnetic north.