Patent Publication Number: US-2016244989-A1

Title: Pool or tank cleaning vehicle with a powered brush

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/681,899, filed on Nov. 20, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are robotic cleaning vehicles which traverse the bottom of swimming pools and other large liquid containers submerged in the contained liquid, drawing in liquid from ports in their bottoms, passing this liquid through filters in the body of the vehicle and expelling the filtered liquid back into the large container, typically a swimming pool. These vehicles typically travel on wheels which suspend the body of the vehicle above the bottom of the container. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A pool cleaning vehicle is provided comprising a body mounted on wheels such that it can roll over a surface. The body carries a water inlet port and a water outlet port with the inlet port being located on the bottom of the body. It also has a filter mechanism interposed between the inlet and outlet ports. An electric motor mounted is on the body between the two sides of the body with a shaft extending out of it with a propeller mounted on the shaft. The motor is mounted such that the propeller expels water out of the outlet port. A roller brush extends between the same two sides of the body generally transverse to the direction of travel of the vehicle and the roller brush is rotated by the electric motor via a linkage. In another embodiment, a pool cleaning vehicle includes a body mounted on wheels such that it can roll over a surface. The body includes water inlets and outlet ports. The inlet ports are located on the bottom of the body, and the outlet ports direct water flow in two opposing directions. A filter mechanism is interposed between the inlet and outlet ports. An electric motor is mounted on the body between the two sides of the body operatively rotating a propeller. The motor is mounted such that the propeller expels water out of one of the outlet ports. A roller brush extends between the same two sides of the body generally transverse to the direction of travel of the vehicle. The roller brush is rotated by the electric motor via a linkage. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cleaning vehicle. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the bottom of a cleaning vehicle. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the interior drive train elements of the powered roller brush of a cleaning vehicle. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a partial cut away of a cleaning vehicle with an extended telescoping handle. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown one embodiment of a cleaning vehicle  10  with a powered roller brush  20 . It is suspended on front wheels  30  and back wheels  40  at a height such that the scraping members  29  of its powered roller brush  20  contact the surface on which the wheels  30  and  40  travel. In one embodiment, then distal ends of members  29  just make contact with the surface on which the wheels  30  and  40  travel, to minimize the load on the motor as will be discussed below. 
     In one embodiment the vehicle may be placed in and removed from its use environment by a telescoping handle  50 . Its internal electric motor  80  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) receives power from power cord  60  which connects to a remote power source. The vehicle is propelled by the expulsion of the liquid from one of its outlet ports  70 . The vehicle  10  functions to clean the surfaces of a large liquid reservoir, such as a swimming pool, which are covered by the liquid stored in the reservoir. The vehicle  10  is submerged in the stored liquid and is then propelled by taking in liquid through its inlet ports  72  visible in  FIG. 2  and expelling it out one of its outlet ports  70  visible in  FIGS. 1 and 4 . The water movement is effected by electric motor  80  visible in  FIG. 3  turning its propellers  82  and  84 . The direction in which the vehicle  10  is propelled is determined by the direction of rotation of the electric motor  80  which is in turn controlled by signals received from the power supply via floating cable  60 . The propellers  82  and  84  are driven by the motor  80  to expel liquid out of either the outlet port  70  above the front wheels  30  (visible in  FIG. 1 ) or the outlet port  70  (visible in  FIG. 4 ) above the back wheels  40 . In accordance with the well known physics concept of action and reaction the vehicle  10  will be propelled in a direction opposite to that in which the liquid is expelled. 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the electric motor  80  is also used to power the roller brush  20 . The electric motor  80  is equipped with a gear box  86  which translates the rotation of the electric motor  80  by 90.degrees, or some other angle, and also reduces the number of rotations in some fixed ratio such as 1:30 or any other ratio. A common way to effect these changes is with a combination of a combination of a worm gear with a spur gear. However other types of mechanical connection may be used. The gear box has a takeoff spindle  88  which carries a pulley  89  which transmits force to a gear train or drive belt system  21 . The drive belt  21  in turn transmits this force to a pulley  22  on a drive transfer shaft  23 . This drive transfer shaft  23  is supported by an elongated bushing  24 . This drive transfer shaft  23  carries another pulley  25  at its other end which transmits force to a second drive belt  26 . This drive belt  26  is looped over a fourth pulley  27  which is free to rotate. This drive belt  26  frictionally engages the axle  28  of the roller brush  20 . This facilitates slippage between the roller brush  20  and ultimately the electric motor  80 , should the roller brush encounter some type of obstacle like a large piece of debris on the surface being cleaned. This avoids the vehicle  10  becoming stalled by such obstacles and allows the vehicle  10  to pass over them. Where a gear train is used in place of a drive belts, a clutch may be positioned between the motor and the roller brush  20 . The clutch will allow the motor continue to rotate the propellers if the roller brush is obstructed from rotating by debris within the pool. 
     The roller brush  20  and the front wheels  30  are both mounted to the vehicle  10  via suspension brackets  34 . This arrangement allows the front wheels  30  to be mounted without a transverse axle, thereby facilitating the mounting of the roller brush  20  between the front wheels  30 . Among other advantages this positions the roller brush  20  to aid the vehicle in climbing the side walls of the reservoir being cleaned. The suction created through the inlet ports  72  by the action of the propellers  82  and  84  tends to hold the vehicle to non-horizontal and even vertical side walls so long as these side walls are submerged in liquid. The expulsion of liquid from an outlet port  70  will propel the vehicle up the side wall but the roller brush  20  aids in this climbing operation. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a telescoping handle  50  makes it easier to place the vehicle  20  into and withdraw it from the reservoir in which it is to operate. The handle comprises two side arms  52  and a cross arm  54 , which can be readily grasped. The side arms  52  are accommodated in receiver shafts  56  which have ends  58 . The shafts  56  are long enough that the handle  50  may be fully retracted so that it is flush with the vehicle as can be seen in  FIG. 1 . The side arms  52  and the shafts  56  interact such that the handle  50  can support the free air weight of the vehicle  10 . This is accomplished by providing one or the other or both with locking mechanisms to limit the travel of the side arms  52  out of the shafts  56 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the design of the vehicle with longitudinal filters  90  readily accommodates the shafts  56 . The vehicle  10  serves its cleaning function by drawing fluid containing dirt and debris into its inlet ports  72  and subjecting this fluid to a filtering action before expelling it out of its outlet ports  70 . The positioning of the electric motor  80  and its propellers  82  and  84  longitudinally above the centerline of the vehicle allows the placement of the filters  90  parallel to this centerline and in one embodiment filters  90  are angled to accommodate the shafts  56 . 
     The outlet ports  70  are angled a bit upward from horizontal. This provides a downward force on the vehicle which aids in the vehicle climbing the side walls of the reservoir being cleaned. 
     While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.