Abstract:
Detailed are fluid flow deflectors principally for use with sweep tail hoses of automatic swimming pool cleaners. The deflectors do not function principally on gravitational forces and need not necessarily employ flexible components or attachments for purposes of effecting deflection. Instead, the deflectors may be rigid and continually position a fixed obstacle in a central portion of a fluid stream. Perforations in a rigid wall, moreover, draw fluid into the deflectors, creating a greater volume of exiting stream when an associated pool cleaner is underwater.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to diverters of flowing fluid and more particularly, although not exclusively, to rigid assemblies configured to entrain ambient fluid into a fluid jet and to divert fluid without need for flexible components or attachments. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0011521 of Collins discloses an example of a deflector of water exiting a sweep tail hose of an automatic swimming pool cleaner. The deflector is “a relatively flexible structure in comparison with the sweep tail hose,” see Collins, p. 1, ¶ 0008, and includes a mounting collar and multiple “elongated and highly flexible fingers projecting in a downstream direction.” See id., p. 3, ¶ 0029 (numerals omitted). As noted in the Collins application:
         During normal submerged operation as the pool cleaner and sweep tail hose travel over submerged pool floor and side wall surfaces, water jetted from the sweep tail hose flows substantially without restriction through the deflector. However, when the discharge end of the sweep tail hose breaks the surface of water within the swimming pool, the relatively flexible deflector falls by gravity over the otherwise open discharge end of the sweep tail hose to deflect water jetted therefrom. Accordingly, the deflector effectively knocks down and prevents water jetted from the sweep tail hose from spraying over any significant distance or area of a surrounding pool deck region.
 
See id., p. 1, ¶ 0008.
       

     Described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,906 to Cooper is another deflector likewise designed to exploit principles of gravity. Detailed as being a “hole filled cover,” see Cooper, Abstract, 1.3, the flexible device of the Cooper patent moves, under force of gravity, to intercept a flowing water stream when a sweep tail hose exits a pool. Preferred devices are tubular bags of flexible woven metal material that supposedly allow water to pass through unaffected when the sweep tail is underwater. See id., col. 4, 11.31-45. 
     Water exits sweep tail hoses of at least some automatic swimming pool cleaners under significant pressure. Indeed, such pressure often may be sufficient to separate the flexible fingers of the deflector of the Collins application when the hoses break the surfaces of pool water. If this separation occurs, no deflection of flow will occur thereafter, and the stream of exiting water will continue unabated. Additionally, the tubular bags of the Cooper patent likely produce back pressure when the sweep tail hoses are underwater, reducing the effectiveness of the hoses and the associated cleaners. Accordingly, need exists for deflectors that function satisfactorily when sweep tail hoses are both underneath and above pool water surfaces. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides such deflectors as alternatives to those of the Collins application and the Cooper patent. The deflectors do not operate principally based on gravitational forces. Consequently, they need not necessarily employ flexible components or attachments such as the fingers of the Collins application or the hole-filled bags of the Cooper patent. 
     Instead, rigid deflectors of the present invention continually position a fixed obstacle in a central portion of a fluid stream. Perforations in a rigid wall, moreover, draw fluid into the deflectors, creating a greater volume of exiting stream when an associated pool cleaner is underwater. This greater volume substantially offsets the power lost by the underwater stream contacting the fixed obstacle, avoiding much of the underwater performance degradation otherwise occurring through addition of a deflector. Hence, pool cleaners and their sweep tail hoses continue to operate well underwater notwithstanding attachment of deflectors of the present invention. 
     It thus is an optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide deflectors of flowing fluid. 
     It is another optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide fluid flow deflectors for use with sweep tail hoses of automatic swimming pool cleaners. 
     It is also an optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide fluid flow deflectors omitting functional flexible components or attachments. 
     It is a further optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide fluid flow deflectors not predominantly dependent on gravitational forces to divert flowing fluid. 
     It is, moreover, an optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide rigid deflectors with centrally-positioned, fixed obstacles at which flowing fluid is directed. 
     It is an additional optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide fluid flow deflectors entraining ambient pool water into an exiting stream when the deflectors are underwater. 
     Other objects, features, and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in appropriate fields with reference to the remaining text and the drawings of this application. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an automatic swimming pool cleaner utilizing an exemplary deflector assembly consistent with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a close-up view of the deflector assembly shown as encircled in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is another close-up view of the deflector assembly of  FIGS. 1-2  shown with an optional scrubber removed. 
         FIGS. 4-5  are perspective views of the deflector assembly depicted in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  is an end view of the deflector assembly depicted in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the deflector assembly depicted in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIGS. 8-9  are perspective views of an alternate deflector assembly of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Illustrated in  FIG. 1  is an exemplary automatic swimming pool cleaner  10  for use in connection with the present invention. Cleaner  10  may include body  14 , sweep tail hose  18  and, if desired, a debris filter such as bag  22  and a motive mechanism such as wheels  26 . Cleaner  10  preferably is a “pressure-side” cleaner, to which pressurized water exiting a pump is routed. The pressurized water may travel through a hose (not shown) to entrance  28  of body  14 . Thereafter, some of the pressurized water may be used to create a low pressure region (via the Venturi effect) drawing debris-laden pool water into the body  14  through an inlet (not shown) and thence into bag  22 . By contrast, some of the pressurized water exits body  14  into and through sweep tail hose  18 , causing the sweep tail hose  18  to sweep along a pool surface and disturb debris into suspension in the pool water. 
     Optimal underwater performance of sweep tail hose  18  occurs when the pressurized water travels through it generally unobstructed. Hence, any fluid obstruction attached to exit  30  of sweep tail hose  18  will degrade performance of the hose  18  underwater. Conversely, any obstruction attached to exit  30  conceivably could “improve” performance of sweep tail hose  18  above the waterline, at least in the sense of inhibiting water jetted from the hose  18  from spraying over any significant distance or area of a surrounding pool deck region, as noted in the Collins application. 
     Deflector assembly  34  ( FIGS. 1-7 ) seeks to inhibit spray from hose  18  above the waterline yet reduce, if not minimize, degradation in its performance underwater. Assembly  34  may include deflector  38  together with optional scrubber  42 . Persons skilled in the art will recognize that other components may be included as part of assembly  34  if necessary or desired. 
     The illustrated version of deflector  38  shows it as generally cylindrical in shape, albeit with differing cross-sectional diameters along portions of its length. This represents a presently-preferred configuration of deflector  38 , although other shapes may be permissible. Likewise, although as illustrated deflector  38  is molded of plastic material as an integral unit, it may be constructed or assembled differently than shown or formed of different material. 
     Defined by deflector  38  may be first, second, and third sections  46 A-C, respectively. First section  46 A preferably is a fitting allowing attachment of deflector  38  to exit  30 . To facilitate attachment, first section  46 A may comprise multiple circumferential flanges  50 , four of which are shown in  FIG. 5 . Each flange  50  advantageously may flex outward at least slightly and terminate in a ramp  54 , facilitating snap-fitting deflector  38  onto exit  30 . Numerous other means for attaching deflector  38  to sweep tail hose  18  may be employed instead, of course, as recognized by those skilled in the field. 
     Second section  46 B forms an entrainment region of deflector  38 . It comprises generally cylindrical wall  58  of diameter D 1  in which one or more openings  62  is present. Nine such openings  62  (arranged in three sets of three rows) are illustrated in  FIG. 5 , although more or fewer openings  62  may exist instead. As depicted, each opening  62  may comprise an elongated, oval aperture or slot, although this particular shape—while advantageous—is not critical to the invention. 
     Whereas pressurized fluid from exit  30  enters deflector  38  through first section  46 A (and flows from left to right in  FIG. 5 ), openings  62  function principally as entrances for ambient fluid into the deflector  38 . Indeed, flow of the pressurized fluid through inlet or restriction  66  of size less than D 1  creates below-ambient pressure regions adjacent openings  62 , drawing ambient fluid into second section  46 B. When deflector  38  is underwater, the ambient fluid is water, which is entrained with the pressurized fluid to create a larger volume of water travelling through third section  46 C and thereafter exiting deflector  38 . Air, by contrast, will be entrained when deflector  38  is above the water surface. 
     Third section  46 C may comprise generally cylindrical wall  70  of diameter D 2 . Diameter D 2  preferably is less than diameter D 1 , as no further fluid entrainment is necessarily needed. Instead, openings  74  of wall  70 , together with exit end  78 , function principally as exits for fluid travelling within deflector  58 . Although openings  74 —like openings  62 —are depicted as sets of elongated ovals, other shapes, sets, and arrangements may be employed instead. 
     Diametrically centrally located in third section  46 C adjacent end  78  is obstruction  82 . Obstruction  82  preferably is fixed in this position as, for example, by rigid beams  86  molded with or otherwise connected to wall  70 . As shown especially in  FIG. 7 , obstruction  82  may extend longitudinally from end  78  into third section  46 C, with its contact surface  90  generally longitudinally aligned with at least some openings  74 . Presently-preferred is that contact surface  90  be rounded or curved, so that obstruction  82  resembles a teardrop. Contact surface  90  need not necessarily be rounded, however, nor must obstruction  82  resemble a teardrop. 
     Some fluid travelling through third section  46 C will exit deflector  38  via end  78 . Other fluid travelling through third section  46 C is directed toward and thus will encounter contact surface  90  of obstruction  82 . Such contact deflects fluid (radially outward) toward openings  74 , with the deflected fluid interacting with other flowing fluid as it moves laterally toward and out of openings  74 . Thus resulting is, generally, a laterally-oriented spray of fluid out of openings  74  and a longitudinally-oriented stream of fluid out of end  78 . 
     When deflector  38  is underwater, water spray from openings  74  and concurrent diminution of velocity of the stream exiting end  78  tend to diminish the sweeping action of sweep tail hose  18 , hence tending to degrade its performance. However, the entrained water entering via openings  62  creates a larger volume of flowing water than otherwise would be present, helping to offset the power lost by the underwater stream contacting obstruction  82 . 
     When deflector  38  is above water, diminishment of the stream velocity exiting end  78  is beneficial, as it reduces the distance the stream may travel over the surrounding pool deck. Combined with the fact that much of the spray out of openings  74  is likely to return to the pool, the stream diminishment decreases both the quantity and forcefulness with which water will exit a pool. Accordingly, deflector  38  solves the problems identified in the Collins application and Cooper patent while maintaining useful functioning of sweep tail hose  18  underwater. 
     Such is true as well for alternate deflector  138  of the present invention. Deflector  138  may be similar to deflector  38  in many respects and comprise, for example, first, second, and third sections  146 A-C, respectively. First section  146 A, like corresponding first section  46 A, preferably is a fitting permitting deflector  138  to be attached to exit  30 . It thus may, if desired, include circumferential flanges  150  terminating in ramps  154  to facilitate snap-fitting deflector  138  onto exit  30 . 
     Entrainment of ambient fluid likewise may occur via second section  146 B. This second section  146 B may comprise generally cylindrical wall  158  in which openings  162  are present. Unlike the nine openings  62  depicted in  FIG. 5 , however, only three openings  162  are shown in  FIGS. 8-9 . Spaced about the circumference of wall  158 , openings  162  provide less obstruction to entering fluid than does openings  62 , allowing entrainment of additional ambient fluid when needed. 
     Third section  146 C may comprise generally cylindrical wall  170 , preferably (although not necessarily) of diameter less than the diameter of wall  158 . Openings  174  may be similar to openings  74  of deflector  38 , and end  178  and obstacle  182  may be similar to respective end  78  and obstacle  82 . Wall  170  may, however, optionally include additional structure to reduce the possibility of any attached scrubber  42  being detached from deflector  138  in use. The structure may include “grippers” in the forms of either or both of laterally-oriented, circumferentially-spaced protrusions  194  and longitudinally-oriented, circumferentially-spaced ribs  198 . In addition to inhibiting rotation of scrubber  42  about wall  170 , ribs  198  also may function to strength the wall  170 . Other gripping and strengthening means may be included as well if desired. 
     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 terms “pool” and “pools” as referenced herein need not be limited to swimming pools, but rather may include spas, hot tubs, and other bodies of water or fluid. Finally, contents of the Collins application and Cooper patent are incorporated herein in their entireties by this reference.