Patent ID: 7987543
Filing Date: 2011-08-02
Classification: E04H

Abstract:
1. A cleaning device ( 2 ) for moving back and forth in a swimming pool, comprising: a drive mechanism that can be switched to forward or backward travel and that is actively connected to drive wheels or drive tracks, with a motor being provided for each of a left-hand side and a right-hand side part of the drive mechanism, respectively, and with a control apparatus to control the drive mechanism, and with contact means arranged at the front and rear to generate control signals in the event that the cleaning device runs up to a swimming pool wall or an obstacle, wherein the control apparatus comprises a speed control unit for each part of the drive mechanism and means to differentially control the speed of both of the motors, and wherein the cleaning device ( 2 ) comprises means at both parts of the drive mechanism to measure the distances traversed during travel, wherein the control apparatus is adapted to control the cleaning device ( 2 ) to be moved at a low speed in a forward direction V in a first pass in a first cleaning path ( 4 ) from a starting position until control signals are generated by the contact means, and the means for measuring the distances is adapted to measure or determine a distance D 1 traversed during travel, characterized in that the control apparatus is further adapted to control the cleaning device ( 2 ) to be guided at a low speed to a second cleaning path ( 5 ) deviating from or offset relative to the first cleaning path ( 4 ), and to be moved in a second pass in a backward direction along the second cleaning path ( 5 ) at a high speed until a distance Dz traversed is smaller by an amount A than the distance D 1 traversed in the previous pass, and to continue moving the cleaning device ( 2 ) at low speed along the second cleaning path ( 5 ) upon reaching distance Dz until control signals are generated by the contact means, and the means for measuring the distances is further adapted to measure or determine a distance D 2 traversed during travel along said second cleaning path ( 5 ), and wherein the control apparatus is furthermore adapted to control the cleaning device ( 2 ) in the same manner in each subsequent pass as in the previous pass, wherein the motors can be operated by the speed control unit at least one low speed and at least one high speed.