Claims
- 1. A surface cleaning device comprising:
- a surface cleaning mechanism that, when operated, results in debris;
- first and second fluid flow paths, said cleaning mechanism located in said first path, said first and second path each having a respective origin exposed to said surface upon operation of said device, said first and second paths being sufficiently isolated from one another so as to substantially prevent the debris from said cleaning mechanism in said first path from entering said second path;
- a first source of fluid flow coupled to said first path sufficient to remove fluid in said first path containing said debris from said device; and
- a second source of fluid flow coupled to said second path sufficient to hold said cleaning mechanism against said surface,
- wherein said second path is configured to allow fluid to exit from said device without substantial communication with fluid in said first path.
- 2. The device of claim 1, wherein said first source of fluid flow includes a fluid pump.
- 3. The device of claim 1, wherein said second source of fluid flow includes an impeller located near the center of said device.
- 4. The device of claim 1, wherein said surface cleaning mechanism includes a plurality of rotating brushes.
- 5. The device of claim 1, including separate exit openings for said first and second paths.
- 6. A surface cleaning device comprising:
- a surface cleaning mechanism that, when operated, results in debris;
- first and second fluid flow paths, said cleaning mechanism located in said first path, said first and second path each having a respective origin exposed to said surface upon operation of said device, said first and second paths being sufficiently isolated from one another so as to retard the debris from said cleaning mechanism in said first path from entering said second path;
- a first source of fluid flow coupled to said first path sufficient to remove fluid in said first path containing said debris from said device; and
- a second source of fluid flow coupled to said second path sufficient, when said cleaning mechanism is operating, to hold said cleaning mechanism against said surface,
- wherein said first source of fluid flow includes a pump and said surface cleaning mechanism includes a plurality of rotating brushes, said first path further comprising a plurality of chambers having openings positionable against said surface, with at least one of said brushes located in a respective one of said chambers.
- 7. The device of claim 6, wherein said first path further includes a manifold interconnecting said chambers to said pump independent of said second fluid flow path.
- 8. A device for cleaning a surface comprising:
- a housing having at least one each of first and second chambers;
- at least one surface cleaning mechanism mounted in each first chamber;
- a holding device operatively coupled to each second chamber and adapted to, when said cleaning mechanism is operating, exert sufficient force to hold said surface cleaning mechanism against the surface to be cleaned; and
- a pump operatively coupled to each said first chamber for removing from each said first chamber debris loosened from said surface by said surface cleaning mechanism.
- 9. The device of claim 8, wherein said surface cleaning mechanism includes at least one rotating brush.
- 10. The device claim 9 further comprising a motor attached to said housing and said at least one brush for rotating said at least one brush.
- 11. The device of claim 9, including a plurality of said first chambers, each of which is substantially equally spaced about the interior of said second chamber as subchambers of said second chamber and wherein said surface cleaning mechanism includes three brushes each positioned in a respective one of said first chambers.
- 12. The device of claim 11, wherein said plurality of first chambers is each formed by a respective shroud.
- 13. The device of claim 8, wherein said holding device includes a central impeller.
- 14. The device of claim 8, further comprising at least one shroud located in said second chamber adapted to divide said chamber into at least one subchamber, each of which subchamber forms a respective one of said first chambers.
- 15. The device of claim 14, further comprising a seal attached to said shroud and located at the interface between said shroud and the surface to be cleaned to further isolate each said first chamber from said second chamber.
- 16. The device of claim 15, wherein said seal is sufficiently flexible for allowing said device to move across an uneven surface to be cleaned without sufficiently disrupting the flow of debris formed in each said first chamber.
- 17. The device of claim 15, further comprising a spring attached between each said shroud and a structure fixed relative said housing for allowing each said first chamber to move relative to variations in the surface to be cleaned.
- 18. The device of claim 8, further comprising a flexible skirt around the outside of said housing.
- 19. The device of claim 18, further comprising a flexible skirt around the outside of said surface cleaning mechanism.
- 20. The device of claim 18, further comprising a flexible skirt around the outside of said second chamber.
- 21. The device of claim 8, further comprising a manifold coupled to each said first chamber for extracting debris from said first chamber.
- 22. The device of claim 21, wherein said manifold includes a plurality of tubes arranged on the external surface of said housing and each connected to one of said first chambers.
- 23. The device for cleaning a surface of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of traction wheels coupled to said housing.
- 24. A method for cleaning a submerged surface using a cleaning device comprising the steps of:
- loosening debris on the surface by operation of a surface cleaning mechanism attached to the cleaning device;
- removing said debris from said device using a first fluid flow;
- holding said device against the surface to be cleaned using a second fluid flow isolated from said first fluid flow; and
- removing fluid from said device via said second fluid flow independent of said first fluid flow.
- 25. The cleaning process of claim 24, wherein the holding step includes the step of operating an impeller to create said second fluid flow.
- 26. The cleaning process of claim 24, wherein the loosening step includes the step of rotating brushes against the surface.
- 27. The cleaning process of claim 24, further including the step of filtering debris from the first fluid flow.
- 28. The cleaning process of claim 24, further comprising the step of substantially sealing the area around said cleaning mechanism to facilitate the removing of the debris via said first fluid flow.
- 29. A device for cleaning a submerged surface comprising:
- a housing;
- means, connected to said housing, for removing debris from said surface;
- means, connected to said housing, for permitting transportation of said debris from said housing in a first fluid flow; and
- means, connected to said housing, for holding said system to the surface to be cleaned using a second fluid flow, said second fluid flow being substantially isolated from said first fluid flow containing said debris.
- 30. The cleaning process of claim 24, wherein the step of removing said debris from the device includes the step of operating a pump to create the first fluid flow.
Parent Case Info
The present invention claims rights under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119 on Provisional Application No. 60/046,632, filed on May 16, 1997 and entitled "CLOSED CYCLE HULL CLEANING PLATFORM."
US Referenced Citations (5)