Patent ID: 8920643

Claim:
An apparatus for picking up particles from a surface of a water system, comprising: a float, in which a particle separation chamber is formed, into which particle-containing water can flow via an inflow opening, and out of which water at least partially freed from the particles can flow via an outflow opening, the particles being removed from the inflowing water according to hydrodynamic separation wherein the inflow opening is provided with an inflow flap means and the outflow opening is provided with an outflow flap means for opening and closing of the outflow opening; wherein the inflow flap means includes a pivotable inflow flap that opens inwardly, arranged in one or more opened states to form a flow guide element for the particle-containing water flowing through the inflow opening, the flow guide element distributing the particles upwards in the particle separation chamber; wherein the inflow opening is located on a lower surface of a hull body of the float so that the inflow opening is entirely below the surface of the water system to receive the particle-containing water; wherein the particles floating on the surface of the water system are forced by a movement of the hull body along the surface into a flow which flows along the lower surface of the hull body.