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US 12,747,604 B2Granted
Automatic swimming pool cleaners especially adept at climbing and cleaning pool stairs
AssigneeZodiac Pool Systems LLC
InventorsHendrikus Johannes van der Meijden, Abian van der Meijden, Dustin Borg
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Abstract
Described are apparatus, systems, and methods of improving cleaning of, e.g., stairs of swimming pools. Automatic swimming pool cleaners (APCs) capable of autonomous movement within water-containing vessels may be utilized to provide enhanced cleaning of sections of the vessels containing stairs or other angled surfaces.
Claims20
An automatic swimming pool cleaner (APC) comprising:
- a body housing a pump motor within the body;
- motive elements configured to contact a surface of a swimming pool and move the body along the surface of the swimming pool;
- and
- a sensor on, in or carried by the body, wherein the sensor comprises a sensing region projected below a bottom surface of the body of the APC.
1 more element
An automatic swimming pool cleaner (APC) comprising:
- a body housing a pump motor within the body;
- motive elements configured to move the body along a surface of a swimming pool, wherein the motive elements are on opposing ends of the body, and wherein a width of the body is greater than a length of the body;
- a first sensor configured to detect a depth of the APC in the swimming pool;
- a second sensor on, in or carried by the body, wherein the sensor comprises a sensing region projected below a bottom surface of the body of the APC;
- and
- a controller configured to maintain the depth of the APC based on the detected depth from the first sensor and the second sensor.
3 more elements
A method of cleaning walls of a swimming pool comprising:
- causing operation of an automatic swimming pool cleaner (APC) comprising a body housing a pump motor within the body, motive elements configured to move the body along the wall, a first sensor configured to detect a depth of the APC in the swimming pool, and a second sensor on, in or carried by the body, wherein the sensor comprises a sensing region projected below a bottom surface of the body of the APC, wherein the motive elements are on opposing ends of the body, and wherein a width of the body is greater than a length of the body;
- and
- controlling the APC to clean in a horizontal direction along the walls of the swimming pool, wherein controlling the APC comprises controlling the depth of the APC based on data from the second sensor and the depth detected by the first sensor.
A method of cleaning a surface of a swimming pool comprising:
- causing operation of an automatic swimming pool cleaner (APC) comprising a body, a pump motor within the body, motive elements configured to move the body along the surface, and a sensor on, in, or carried by the body, wherein the sensor comprises a sensing region projected below a bottom surface of the body of the APC;
- and
- tracking a distance travelled by the APC using the sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.