Patent Application
20230108168
This invention relates to systems and methods of cleaning water-containing vessels such as swimming pools and spas and more particularly, although not necessarily exclusively, to causing an automatic swimming pool cleaner (“APC”), and/or a control box associated with the APC, to display a temperature of the swimming pool or spa, as measured by the APC.
Commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 9,250,626 to Michelon describes an exemplary apparatus (often called a “robot” or a “robotic APC”) for cleaning a swimming pool. The apparatus includes wheels or other motive elements and is configured to travel autonomously within the pool. It further may be connected to a control box positioned near the pool. Traditional APCs that measure a temperature of a pool may involve use of an additional device to display the measurement. As one of many examples, when an APC measures temperature, a user device and/or a mobile device may need to be connected to the APC to display the temperature. However, a user may not always have such an additional device readily available for connecting to the APC.
In view of the limitations of traditional approaches, described herein are systems and methods for displaying a temperature of a swimming pool measured by an automatic swimming pool cleaner (APC) without requiring an additional device such as a smartphone and/or other smart device. In certain embodiments, the temperature may be displayed on various components of an APC, including but not limited to the cleaner itself and/or a control box associated with the cleaner. The systems and methods described herein may provide the measured temperature using various types of visual indicators (e.g., colors, figures, etc.) and/or with varying characteristics based on the measured temperature. In addition to providing temperature information, the systems and methods described herein may allow for other data measured by the APC, such as but not limited to a pH level, a conductivity, an oxidation reduction potential (ORP), etc., to be provided to a user without requiring an additional device.
According to certain embodiments, a method includes displaying on an APC a temperature measurement of a swimming pool determined by the APC within the swimming pool.
According to some embodiments, a method includes displaying a temperature measurement of a swimming pool on a control box associated with an APC, where the temperature measurement is determined by the APC within the swimming pool.
According to various embodiments, a method includes displaying on an APC or a control box associated with the APC, a temperature measurement of a swimming pool determined by the APC within the swimming pool.
According to some embodiments, an APC system for a swimming pool includes a control box and an APC. The APC includes a sensor for measuring a characteristic of water of the swimming pool, and at least one of the control box or the APC includes a communication region for displaying the measured characteristic of the water of the swimming pool.
According to certain embodiments, a method includes displaying on an automatic swimming pool cleaner (APC) or a control box associated with the APC a water characteristic measurement of a swimming pool determined by the APC within the swimming pool.
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.
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 displaying a temperature (and/or other data measured by an APC) without relying on a user having a smartphone, or other smart device. The temperature (and/or other measured data) may be displayed on the APC and/or at a control box associated with the APC. As a result, the temperature (and/or other measured data) may be indicated to the user without a smartphone.
The APC 10 may be a robotic cleaner using electrical power for movement and cleaning. Accordingly, the APC 10 may include a body 20 having an on-board pump and at least one motor (and preferably at least two motors). An on-board or remote controller may be employed, and the APC 10 further may include motive elements 22 such as but not limited to wheels, tracks, combinations thereof, and/or other motive elements as desired to facilitate movement of the APC 10. Optionally, the motive elements 22 may be used to scrub (clean) the surface in which they are in contact. A cleaning element 24 such as but not limited to a brush assembly may be provided to perform a cleaning action.
In certain embodiments, the APC 10 includes a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of a swimming pool or spa. Additionally or alternatively, the APC 10 may include sensors for measuring other characteristics of the swimming pool or spa, such as but not limited to sensors for measuring conductivity, pH levels, ORP, combinations thereof, and/or other suitable sensors as desired. In the embodiment illustrated in
The control box 12 includes the communication region 16 for communicating the temperature measurement to a user via one or more visual indicators 19. The visual indicators 19 may be various devices or mechanisms as desired, including but not limited to electric-based visual indicators, mechanical-based visual indicators, chemical-based visual indicators, etc. In the embodiment illustrated in
In certain embodiments, instead of displaying the temperature measurement numerically, the control box 12 may present the temperature measurement using a different visual indicator and/or by controlling characteristics of the visual indicators. Characteristics of the visual indicators may include, but are not limited to, colors, patterns, images, icons, shapes, visual intensity, combinations thereof, and/or other characteristics as desired. As a non-limiting example, temperatures within predefined ranges may be associated with a particular text display. For example, temperatures above a threshold may be associated with a display of “too high” on the screen 18. Other displays may include “low,” “medium,” “high,” or any other suitable text to characterize the temperature. The predefined ranges may be provided by the user (e.g., corresponding to temperature ranges that the user desires the pool water to be at) and/or may be determined by the APC and/or pool system (e.g., corresponding with various characteristics of the water of the pool).
One or more characteristics of the visual indicators may be associated with the predefined ranges, such as but not limited to colors, patterns, combinations thereof, etc. As a non-limiting example, the LEDs may emit light with a solid pattern at a first (e.g., low) temperature, may emit light in a blinking pattern at a first frequency at a second (e.g., medium) temperature, and may emit light in a blinking pattern at a second frequency at a third (e.g., high) temperature. As another non-limiting example, the predefined ranges may be associated with a color output on the screen 18. For example, temperatures in a first range may result in the screen 18 displaying a first color (e.g., green), temperatures in a second range may result in the screen 18 displaying a second color (e.g., red), and temperatures in a third range may result in the screen 18 displaying a third color (e.g., blue). Optionally, a plurality of characteristics are controlled based on the temperature measurement.
Optionally, a controller may be communicatively coupled with the sensor(s) of the APC 10, and the controller may control the visual indicators 19 and/or the communication region 16 based on the measured temperature. In other embodiments, the controller may be omitted, and the visual indicators 19 and/or the communication region 16 may display the measured temperature automatically without requiring a controller. As a non-limiting example and as discussed in detail below, the visual indicators 19 may include a thermochromic ink that changes colors based on the temperature of the water.
In certain embodiments, upon measuring the temperature (or other characteristic) of the pool water, the APC 110 may display the temperature and/or or a visual indicator 19 of the temperature at the communication region 16. As a non-limiting example, similar to the control box 12 in
As mentioned, the visual indicators 19 may be various types of visual indicators as desired and need not be electric-based. As a non-limiting example, in some embodiments, the APC 110 (or the APC 10) may include thermochromic ink as visual indicators 19 at the communication region 16 that can change colors based on the temperature of the water. As the temperature changes, the thermochromic ink can change colors. For example, the thermochromic ink may turn blue if the temperature of the water is below 28° C., green if the temperature of the water is between 28° C. and 32° C., and red if the temperature of the water is greater than 32° C.
Persons skilled in the appropriate art will recognize that the colors and temperature values are merely examples of a wide variety of colors and temperature ranges that may be provided. Accordingly, the APC 110 may display any color corresponding to any temperature(s) at the communication region 16. Although one example of a communication region 16 is illustrated in
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.
Exemplary concepts and 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 foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of the present invention. Modifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Additionally, the word “pool” and phrase “swimming pool” as used herein may include vessels such as spas and hot tubs and other water containing vessels used for recreation or therapy within their definitions.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/251,114, filed on Oct. 1, 2021 and entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF DISPLAYING TEMPERATURE ON EQUIPMENT SUCH AS AUTOMATIC SWIMMING POOL CLEANERS AND ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63251114 | Oct 2021 | US |
