Patent Application
20240271446
The invention relates to systems and apparatuses for cleaning water-containing vessels such as swimming pools and spas and more particularly, although not necessarily exclusively, to automatic swimming pool cleaners (APCs).
Numerous cleaning devices capable of autonomous movement within swimming pools and spas currently exist. The most common of these devices are APCs, which often are either hydraulic or robotic in type. Hydraulic cleaners vary water flow for movement, while robotic cleaners typically employ electric motors to cause motion. Hydraulic APCs, furthermore, subdivide into “pressure-side” and “suction-side” cleaners, with pressure-side cleaners being fluidly connected to outputs of pumps of pool water circulation systems and suction-side cleaners being fluidly connected to inputs of such pumps. While current APCs collect debris from the pool or spa, they do not get feedback about the collected debris and/or water flowing through the APC.
Embodiments covered by this patent are defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various embodiments and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings, and each claim.
According to certain embodiments, an APC for a swimming pool or spa includes at least one sensor within the APC for detecting at least one characteristic of debris in a debris path of the APC.
According to certain embodiments, an APC for a swimming pool or spa includes at least one sensor for characterizing debris collected by the APC.
According to some embodiments, an APC for a swimming pool or spa includes at least one sensor within the APC and may detect at least one characteristic of water in a water flow path of the APC.
According to various embodiments, a method includes collecting debris from a pool or spa using an APC and characterizing the debris collected using a sensor within the APC.
According to certain embodiments, a method includes causing water to flow through an APC and analyzing the water flowing through the APC using a sensor within the APC.
Various implementations described herein can include additional systems, methods, features, and advantages, which cannot necessarily be expressly disclosed herein but will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It is intended that all such systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within the present disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.
The specification makes reference to the following appended figures, in which use of like reference numerals in different figures is intended to illustrate like or analogous components.
Described herein are systems and methods for monitoring debris collected by an APC and/or water flowing through the APC. In various embodiments, the systems and methods described herein may use one or more sensors within the APC that characterize the debris collected and/or water flowing through the APC. In various embodiments, the one or more sensors may be on a debris path and/or water flow path through the APC. The systems and methods described herein may allow for information about the collected debris and/or water flowing through the APC to be ascertained. In certain embodiments, one or more outputs may be generated based on the characterization of the debris collected and/or water. Various other benefits and advantages may be realized with the systems and methods provided herein, and the aforementioned advantages should not be considered limiting.
As illustrated in
In certain embodiments, the APC 10 includes one or more sensors 28 within the APC 10 for characterizing the collected debris and/or water within the APC 10. The number and location of the sensors 28 included with the APC 10 should not be considered limiting. As an example, while
The one or more sensors 28 may be various types of sensors suitable for determining and/or detecting one or more characteristics of the collected debris and/or water within the APC 10. Characteristics of the debris may include, but are not limited to, shapes, sizes, color, speed, quantity, thickness, opacity, mass, type (e.g., leaf, sand, dust, etc.), combinations thereof, and/or other characteristics of the debris as desired.
Characteristics of water may include, but are not limited to, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), pH, water temperature, salinity, combinations thereof, and/or other characteristics as desired. Non-limiting examples of sensors 28 within the APC 10 may include, but are not limited to, turbidity sensors, cameras, optical sensors, ORP sensors, pH sensors, temperature sensors, salinity sensors, combinations thereof, and/or other sensors as desired. As a further non-limiting example, the sensors 28 may be optical sensors such as but not limited to visible light sensors, UV sensors, and/or IR sensors. When a plurality of sensors 28 are included, the sensors may be a same type of sensor (e.g., all debris characteristic sensors, all cameras, all, pH sensors, all water characteristic sensors, etc.), or may be different types of sensors.
In some embodiments, based on the characterization of the debris collected and/or the water, the APC 10 (e.g., a controller of the APC 10) may generate one or more outputs. Such outputs may be passive outputs (e.g., generating alerts or notifications) and/or active outputs (e.g., causing control, operation, adjustment, etc. of the APC 10 and/or other device) as desired. As non-limiting examples, based on the characterized debris and/or water, the APC 10 may adjust a cleaning pattern of the APC 10, generate an alert on the APC 10 (e.g., visual alert, auditory alert, tactile alert, etc.), send an alert to a remote device (e.g., to a user device using an application), adapt a cleaning cycle duration, adjust a navigation of the APC within the pool, monitor a filling of a filter, obtain a state of pump wear, optimize pump motor energy consumption, detect a water/air limit, identify water turbidity, detect a waterline, generate a dirt map, display the dirt map, control a future cleaning cycle, and/or provide a recommendation about filter type and/or mesh size of the filter. As a non-limiting example, the APC 10 may generate a dirt map based on the characterization of the debris collected, and the APC 10 may use the dirt map to reach directly debris within the pool or spa during the beginning of a cleaning cycle. As a further non-limiting example, based on a characterization of the debris collected, the controller may cause the APC 10 to focus cleaning on a dirty area within the pool or spa. Various other outputs may be generated based on the characterized debris and/or water, and the aforementioned examples should not be considered limiting.
Exemplary concepts or combinations of features of the invention may include:
These examples are not intended to be mutually exclusive, exhaustive, or restrictive in any way, and the invention is not limited to these example embodiments but rather encompasses all possible modifications and variations within the scope of any claims ultimately drafted and issued in connection with the invention (and their equivalents). For avoidance of doubt, any combination of features not physically impossible or expressly identified as non-combinable herein may be within the scope of the invention.
The subject matter of embodiments is described herein with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements except when the order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described. Directional references such as “up,” “down,” “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,” “front,” and “back,” among others, are intended to refer to the orientation as illustrated and described in the figure (or figures) to which the components and directions are referencing. In the figures and the description, like numerals are intended to represent like elements. As used herein, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes singular and plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Further, although applicant has described devices and techniques for use principally with APCs, persons skilled in the relevant field will recognize that the present invention conceivably could be employed in connection with other objects and in other manners. Finally, references to “pools” and “swimming pools” herein may also refer to spas or other water containing vessels used for recreation, training, or therapy and for which cleaning of debris is needed or desired.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/445,280, filed on Feb. 13, 2023, and entitled AUTOMATIC SWIMMING POOL CLEANER WITH DEBRIS MONITORING, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63445280 | Feb 2023 | US |
