Apparatus for cleaning a surface with a liquid jet and related methods

An apparatus for cleaning a surface with a liquid jet, the apparatus comprising:

• a main housing;
• a primary fluid conduit having a longitudinal axis and two ends, a fluid-intake end and a fluid-exit end;
• a gear assembly;
• a motor mounted to the main housing and configured to engage the gear assembly and thereby rotate the primary fluid conduit about the primary-fluid-conduit longitudinal axis;
• a bifurcated head connected to the primary-fluid-conduit fluid-exit end, the bifurcated head having parallel fluid conduits;
• a hydraulic cylinder;
• a hydraulic-cylinder rod having a first end and a second end;
• a pivot pin having a longitudinal axis and the pivot pin being attached to the bifurcated head;
• a nozzle connected pivotally to the pivot pin;
• the hydraulic cylinder mounted to the main housing and configured to move the hydraulic-cylinder rod along a linear path by exerting a unidirectional force upon the first end of the hydraulic-cylinder rod;
• the hydraulic-cylinder rod positioned within the primary fluid conduit and the second end of the hydraulic-cylinder rod pivotally connected to the nozzle;
• the nozzle configured to pivot about the pivot-pin longitudinal axis as the hydraulic-cylinder rod moves along the linear path;
• a mounting flange upon which the apparatus is configured to mount to a substantially planar surface;
• a controller configured to rotate the primary fluid conduit by engaging the motor and pivot the nozzle by engaging the hydraulic cylinder;
• and
• a rotational positional sensor that is configured to sense the rotational position of the primary fluid conduit.

An apparatus for cleaning a surface with a liquid jet, the apparatus comprising:

• a main housing;
• a primary fluid conduit having a longitudinal axis and two ends, a fluid-intake end and a fluid-exit end;
• a gear assembly;
• a motor mounted to the main housing and configured to engage the gear assembly and thereby rotate the primary fluid conduit about the primary-fluid-conduit longitudinal axis;
• a bifurcated head connected to the primary-fluid-conduit fluid-exit end, the bifurcated head having at least one fluid conduit;
• a cylinder;
• a cylinder rod having a first end and a second end;
• a pivot pin having a longitudinal axis and the pivot pin being attached to a head having a fluid-conduit therein;
• a nozzle connected pivotally to the pivot pin;
• the cylinder mounted to the main housing and configured to move the cylinder rod along a linear path by exerting a unidirectional force upon the first end of the cylinder rod;
• the cylinder rod positioned within the primary fluid conduit and the second end of the cylinder rod pivotally connected to the nozzle;
• and
• the nozzle configured to pivot about the pivot-pin longitudinal axis as the cylinder rod moves along the linear path.