Patent Document

The present invention relates to a motorised pool-cleaning apparatus comprising suction means and rotary means for displacing the apparatus, which rotary means define first and second bearing axles. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Prior art teaches of such motorised pool-cleaning robots, intended to clean the immersed surfaces of a pool or the like, and the water of said pool, by moving and rubbing on the surfaces, and by sucking the water of the pool into a suction pump, placed in the robot, and expelling it outwardly therefrom. These robots comprise motorised brush rollers which are intended to permit the displacement of the robot on the surfaces to be cleaned, by adherence and/or sliding induced by the weight of the robot on the horizontal surfaces, aided by low pressure caused by the suction of the water, more especially for the vertical surfaces, and generally by a floating handle, intended substantially to permit the adherence of the robot on the vertical portions. 
     Such robots possess a structure which is little suited to maintenance, the means for transmitting the drive movement to the rotating means for displacing the apparatus being difficult to access, necessitating for this reason a considerable period of time for a maintenance operation, operations which have to be considered as relatively frequent for apparatuses of this type, which function in an immersed medium and are intended to ensure a function of cleaning the immersed surfaces of swimming pools and the water which they contain. Generally, a maintenance operation on the transmission of such robots, for example to replace worn-out parts, requires a dismantling of one or more fixed lateral repair plates, often forming part of the rigidity of the assembly. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention permits these disadvantages to be overcome and other advantages to be proposed. More precisely, it consists of a motorised pool-cleaning apparatus comprising:
         suction means,   rotary means for displacing said apparatus and defining first and second bearing axles,       

     characterised in that it comprises:
         a support including:
           a first central portion,   a first and a second lateral casing, associated with said first central portion on both sides of said central portion so as to form a chassis of said motorised apparatus, and carrying said rotary means for displacing the apparatus, and   
           rotational entrainment means for said rotary displacement means, disposed in an overhanging manner on said first and second lateral casings.       

     The proposed structure, with an overhanging transmission for the drive movement to the rotary means for displacing the apparatus placed on the lateral casings, permits rapid and direct access to these members without having to dismantle the central compartment of the apparatus, for example by separating these members from the central portion of the chassis. Moreover, one characteristic of the overhang is that it permits the elimination of the fixed lateral repair plates of the ends of the axles of the rotational entrainment means of the rotary displacement means, such as mentioned above and such as they appear on robots of prior art, these fixed lateral repair plates having the disadvantage of multiplying the risks of harming the coating of the pool in which the robot is used. 
     According to an advantageous feature, said rotary displacement means are placed in an overhanging manner on said first and second lateral casings, on the side of these casings which is turned towards said first central portion. 
     The overhanging placement of the rotary displacement means, on the two lateral casings, combined with the overhanging transmission on the lateral casings, permits an apparatus to be provided which includes two displacement groups, comprising the transmission and displacement rollers or the like, connected to the two lateral casings respectively, which are capable of being connected independently of one another on the central portion of the apparatus, or more precisely on the central portion of the support which forms the chassis, a maintenance operation on one of the displacement groups not requiring the central portion of the apparatus to be opened. 
     According to an advantageous feature, the apparatus according to the invention additionally comprises:
         first and second lateral caterpillar means on said support on both sides of said support,   first and second entrainment means for said first and second caterpillar means respectively, associated with one at least of said first or second bearing axles, and connected to said support by means of a connection with a degree of rotational freedom,   said first and second entrainment means for said first and second caterpillar means being respectively placed in an overhanging manner on said first and second lateral casings, on the side of these casings opposite to the side which is turned towards the first central portion.       

     The caterpillar means permit the apparatus according to the invention to cross obstacles which cannot be crossed with the single rotating rollers, for example steps. The overhanging mounting of the rotary displacement means and of the entrainment means for the caterpillars permits easy access by an operator to these members, which are all advantageously visible without any dismantling. The caterpillar means and their entrainment means, connected to the lateral casings, permit, as explained previously, an apparatus structure to be proposed which has two lateral displacement groups, which are connected in an independent manner to the central portion of the chassis of the apparatus. 
     According to an advantageous feature, said first and second entrainment means of said first and second caterpillar means respectively include four driving wheels, connected in groups of two by means of a first and a second transmission belt, and aligned in the same plane. 
     According to an advantageous feature, two of said four driving wheels of said first or second entrainment means of said first or second caterpillar means are aligned with said rotary means for displacing the apparatus and integral with said rotary means respectively. 
     According to an advantageous feature, the two other wheels of said four driving wheels, which are not aligned with said rotary means for displacing the apparatus, are connected in an overhanging manner on said first or second lateral casing through the intermediary of two transmission wheels respectively, placed in an overhanging manner on the side of the first or second lateral casing which is turned towards the first central portion of the support. 
     According to an advantageous feature, said rotary means for displacing the apparatus and defining one at least of said first and second bearing axles include a first and a second rotating roller, the respective axes of rotation of which are aligned on said one at least of said first and second bearing axles, and in that
         said first and second rotating rollers are connected by a connection of the freewheel type.       

     The freewheel connection between two aligned rollers of one bearing axle permits the two rotating rollers to be entrained simultaneously in a given direction of rotation which corresponds to the forward movement of the apparatus, which can be called a pool robot when its functioning is automated, by only motorising one of the rollers. In the reverse direction of rotation of the reduction motor, only the motorised roller is entrained in reverse rotation, corresponding to the rearward movement of the robot, the other roller no longer being entrained because of the freewheel. Thus, it is possible to make the robot turn by simply reversing the direction of rotation of a reduction motor, the robot then turning substantially about the non-entrained roller and being connected to the entrained roller by the freewheel connection. Thus, the apparatus according to the invention advances in a straight line in the direction of entrainment of the freewheel, and turns on itself when the direction of rotation of the reduction motor is reversed. Appropriate alternative cycles of moving backward and moving forward may thus permit the apparatus to sweep all of the immersed surfaces of a pool by friction. The freewheel permits the apparatus to function by means of a single motor, and allows internal space to be freed or the internal members to be arranged differently, for better distribution of the masses and better dimensions, more especially a reduction in the height of the apparatus. 
     According to an advantageous feature, the apparatus according to the invention comprises:
         a single reduction motor secured on said first central portion of said support, said central portion having a U shape, and   first means for rotationally entraining one of said first or second rotating rollers by said single reduction motor.       

     The use of a single motor or reduction motor additionally permits a centrifuge suction pump to be housed in the apparatus, for example, more efficient but more bulky than pumps with traditional vanes, while keeping reduced exterior dimensions. 
     According to an advantageous feature, said single reduction motor is in contact with said two transmission wheels. 
     This feature translates the kinematic connection of the drive transmission between the central portion of the chassis carrying the drive axle of the reduction motor, and a lateral casing carrying a displacement group. 
     According to an advantageous feature, said rotary means for displacing said apparatus and defining the other of said first and second bearing axles include a third and a fourth rotating roller, the respective axes of rotation of which are aligned on said other of said first and second bearing axles, and in that
         said third and fourth rotating rollers are connected by a connection of the freewheel type.       

     Thus, two bearing axles, motorised in an identical manner with a freewheel, permit the drive of the apparatus according to the invention to be improved, while benefiting from the functioning principle described above with one motorised bearing axle. The apparatus according to the invention, provided with four brush rollers, advances in a straight line in the direction of entrainment of the freewheels, and turns on itself when the direction of rotation of the reduction motor is reversed. 
     According to an advantageous feature, the apparatus according to the invention comprises in addition second means for rotationally entraining one of said third or fourth rotating rollers by said single reduction motor. 
     According to an advantageous feature, said connection or connections of the freewheel type comprises or comprise, respectively, a helical resilient washer and at least one lug capable of abutting against one end of said helical washer in a first direction of rotation and of sliding on said washer in the second opposite direction of rotation. 
     According to an advantageous feature, said suction means comprise a pump of the centrifuge type. 
     According to an advantageous feature, said first and second means, for rotationally entraining one of said first or second rotating rollers and one of said third or fourth rotating rollers, comprise said first and second transmission belts. 
     According to an advantageous feature, the apparatus according to the invention comprises two fixed gripping handles, disposed beneath an upper level which is defined by the highest surface of said apparatus. 
     According to an advantageous feature, said two fixed gripping handles are parallel to said first and second bearing axles and disposed above these axles. 
     According to an advantageous feature, the apparatus according to the invention comprises a rotating electric connector for a connection to an electric supply cable, which permits said electric supply cable to be connected to said apparatus according to a connection with a degree of rotational freedom. 
     Other features and advantages will appear on reading the following description of one embodiment of a motorised pool-cleaning apparatus according to the invention, together with the accompanying drawings, an embodiment given by way of non-limiting illustration. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective fragmentary partial plan view of one embodiment of a motorised pool-cleaning apparatus according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective fragmentary plan view of one detail in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective underneath view of an enlarged detail of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective plan view of the example in  FIG. 1 , partially assembled; 
         FIG. 5  shows an enlarged assembly detail of the apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective plan view of the embodiment in  FIG. 1 , with a supplementary member in partially fragmentary view; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective plan view of the complete embodiment in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  shows an enlarged assembly detail of the apparatus in  FIG. 5 ; and 
         FIGS. 9 and 10  are perspective and cross-sectional ( FIG. 9 ) views of an enlarged detail of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The motorised pool-cleaning apparatus  1  illustrated in  FIG. 1  comprises:
         suction means  30 ,   rotary means  4  for displacing the apparatus and defining the first  2  and second  3  bearing axles, comprising respectively a first  5  and a second  6  rotating roller, the respective axes of rotation  7 , 8  of which are aligned on the first bearing axle  2 , and advantageously a third  10  and a fourth  11  rotating roller, the respective axes of rotation  12 ,  13  of which are aligned on the second bearing axle  3 ,   the first  5  and second  6  rotating rollers being connected by a connection  9  of the freewheel type, and   the third  10  and fourth  11  rotating rollers being connected by a connection  14  of the freewheel type,   preferably a single reduction motor  15 , first means  16  for rotationally entraining one of the first  5  or second  6  rotating rollers by the single reduction motor, in this case the first rotating roller  5  in the example illustrated, and second means  17  for rotationally entraining one of the third  10  or fourth  11  rotating rollers by the single reduction motor  15 , in this case the third rotating roller  10  in the example illustrated in  FIG. 1 ,   advantageously a support  18  on which is secured the single reduction motor  15 , first  19  and second  20  lateral caterpillar means on the support  18  on both sides of said support, first  22  and second  23  means for entraining the first  19  and second  20  caterpillar means associated with the first  2  and second  3  bearing axles respectively, the first  22  and second  23  entrainment means being connected to the support  18  by means of a connection with a degree of rotational freedom.       

     The suction means  30  advantageously comprise a pump of the centrifuge type  31 , more efficient than a vane pump and also more bulky, but housable in the support  18 , which is advantageously in the form of a U as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , thanks to the use of a single reduction motor. The reduction motor  15  and the centrifuge pump  31  are positioned centrally in the axis of the U, and preferably aligned along the longitudinal axis of the U, in order to free a space for the filters (not illustrated for reasons of clarity in the Figure) on both sides of the reduction motor  15  and pump  31  assembly, in front of and behind these members. The water is sucked into the apparatus  1  through orifices  32  provided in the lower portion of the U which forms the support  18 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1  or  4 , then passes through the filters placed above, then enters the inlet opening  33  of the centrifuge suction pump  31 , in order to be forced-back through the outlet opening  34  of this pump, which outlet terminates on the upper surface of the apparatus, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
     The rotating rollers  5 ,  6 ,  10  and  11  are advantageously identical and each formed by two half-shells  35  and  36 , screwed one onto the other in order to form a cylinder of circular cross-section as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , which shows, in a fragmentary view, two rotating rollers forming one of the two bearing axles  2 ,  3 . One end of the half-shells includes at least one lug, which has the function of entraining the freewheel  9  placed between two rollers and connecting these rollers by a connection which rotates in only one direction. In addition, said end of the half-shells includes a supplementary lug  37  for the rotational immobilisation of the freewheel on one of the two aligned rollers, so that the driven roller entrains the other aligned roller in one direction of rotation and no longer entrains it in the opposite direction of rotation. It is to be noted that, in  FIG. 5 , one half-shell of a roller has not been illustrated, in order to permit the freewheel to be seen. Each-half shell advantageously includes, at each end, a half-bore, the appropriate shape of which permits a connection of the rollers to the apparatus, more particularly to the support, according to a connection with a degree of rotational freedom. The cylindrical surface of each rotating roller is covered with a flexible brush of any known kind, for example formed from elastomer, secured on the roller, capable of transmitting the drive couple and of ensuring the adherence of the apparatus on the walls of a pool. 
     The connections  9 ,  14  of the freewheel type include a helical resilient washer  38 , rotationally connected to one of the rollers of the bearing axle  2 ,  3  respectively, and at least one lug  37 , which is integral with the other roller of the bearing axle in question, capable of abutting against the washer  38  in a first direction of rotation, more particularly of abutting against the radial portion  39  projecting axially from the helical washer, as illustrated in  FIG. 8 , and of sliding on said portion in the second opposite direction of rotation, as a result of its elasticity. The resilient washer  38  is rotationally connected to one of the rollers of the bearing axle, for example by means of a lug  37  which penetrates into a housing  60  of the helical washer  38 . In a preferential manner, each rotating roller  5 ,  6 ,  10  and  11  includes two diametrically opposed lugs, and each washer includes two corresponding, diametrically opposed housings  60 , in which are respectively accommodated the two lugs  37  of a roller. One of the housings  60 , provided on the resilient washer  38 , preferably intercepts the radial stop member  39 , as illustrated in  FIG. 8 , so that the lug  37  of the roller which is not rotationally connected to the washer  38  can press against a stop member  39 , profiled in a cylindrical form complementary to that of the lug in order to ensure a better distribution of the forces. It is to be noted that  FIG. 5  illustrates, differently from  FIG. 8 , another embodiment of the resilient washer  38 , in which the housing  60  provided on this washer does not intercept the radial stop member  39 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the helical resilient washer  38  may include an axle  40 , which projects axially on both sides of the washer and permits rotational guidance in the ends of the aligned rollers between which it is disposed. 
     The support  18  advantageously comprises a first portion  24  in the shape of a U, on which is secured the single reduction motor  15 , a first  25  and a second  26  lateral casing which close the open lateral ends of the U, secured respectively in a releasable manner, for example by a screw, on the first portion  24  of the support  18 , and carrying respectively the rotating rollers  5 ,  6  and  10 ,  11 . 
     The transmission of the driving movement of the reduction motor  15  to the rotating rollers  5  and  10 , which are integral with the first lateral casing  25 , is advantageously effected in the following manner via the first  16  and second  17  rotational entrainment means: the driving spindle of the reduction motor is provided with an entrainment pinion  41 , in engagement with two transmission pinions  42 ,  43 , which are integral with the lateral casing  25  by a connection with a degree of rotational freedom. The rotational movement of the transmission pinions is then transmitted to the rollers  5  and  10  via a first  27  and a second  28  synchronous transmission belt, respectively, in contact with two pulleys  44 ,  45  which are rigidly connected to the two transmission pinions  42 ,  43 , and with two pulleys  46 ,  47  which are rigidly connected to the two rotating rollers  5 ,  10  respectively, as illustrated in  FIG. 2  or  3 . The bearing axles  2  and  3 , the rotational axes of the transmission pinions  42 ,  43  and of the driving pinion  41 , as well as the axes of rotation of the pulleys  44 ,  45 ,  46 ,  47  are advantageously horizontal and parallel. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 ,  2  or  3 , the first  25  and second  26  lateral casings respectively carry, in addition, the first  22  and second  23  entrainment means of the first  19  and second  20  caterpillar means, and the first  5 , second  6 , third  10  and fourth  11  rotating rollers are placed in an overhanging manner on the side of the first  25  and second  26  lateral casings respectively turned towards the first U-shaped portion  24  of the support  18 , the first  22  and second  23  entrainment means of the first  19  and second  20  caterpillar means being respectively placed in an overhanging manner on the opposite side of the lateral casings  25 ,  26 . 
     The first  22  and second  23  entrainment means of the first  19  and second  20  caterpillar means comprise respectively four driving wheels  48 ,  49 ,  50 ,  51 , connected in groups of two advantageously by means of the first  27  and second  28  transmission belts. 
     The four driving wheels  48 ,  49 ,  50 ,  51  each advantageously assume the form of a rim with lateral edges, as shown in  FIG. 1 ,  2  or  3 , on which rim the caterpillar means is placed and adheres by friction. These rims  48 ,  49 ,  50 ,  51  each include a central groove capable of housing the corresponding belt  27 ,  28 , so that the exterior diameter of the belt is less than the diameter of the rim on which the caterpillar rests. The caterpillars can extend beyond the edge of the wheels, for example with caterpillar clamps covering the edge of the wheels, and thereby prevent a hard portion of the apparatus being able to come into contact with the coating of the pool, in this case the edge of the wheels, the caterpillars advantageously being made from flexible material of the elastomeric type or similar, while the wheels will preferably be made from a hard material of the rigid plastics material type. 
       FIG. 3  shows a lateral transmission assembly or displacement group made up of two rotating wheels  5  and  10 , the four driving wheels  48 ,  49 ,  50  and  51  for entraining the caterpillar, connected two by two by a belt  27 ,  28 , and the lateral casing  25  connecting these members, and  FIG. 2  shows the two lateral transmission assemblies, which are advantageously identical, the rotating wheels  5 ,  6  and  10 ,  11  of which are respectively connected by the freewheel connections  9  and  14 . It is evident that, for reasons of simplifying the production of the apparatus described, the two lateral transmission assemblies include transmission pinions  42  and  43 , making these assemblies perfectly identical, while only one of these assemblies would necessitate the presence of such pinions, namely the assembly of which the transmission pinions are in contact with the pinion of the reduction motor  15 . The purpose of having two identical transmission assemblies is of course obvious, from the point of view of reducing the manufacturing costs. 
     The end wheels  48 ,  51  of the caterpillars  19 ,  20  are advantageously aligned on the bearing axles  2  and  3  defined respectively by the axes of rotation of the rotating rollers  5 ,  6 ,  10  and  11 , more especially in order to improve the guidance of the caterpillars. The end wheels  48  and  51  are associated, in a rigid and dismantlable manner, with the corresponding rotating roller through the intermediary of a spindle traversing the lateral casing in a bearing provided for this purpose, and penetrating into an appropriate bore of the roller. In addition, the four driving wheels  48 ,  49 ,  50  and  51  for entraining the caterpillar are situated in the same plane and possess axes of rotation situated in the same horizontal plane, and this permits a very flat apparatus to be proposed. 
     It is to be noted that a caterpillar has not been illustrated in  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4  in order to show the driving wheels for entraining said caterpillar, as well as the transmission belts. The exterior diameter of the driving wheels  48 ,  49 ,  50 ,  51  is designed so that the caterpillar does not hinder the motorisation of the apparatus by the rotating wheels  5 ,  6 ,  10  and  11 , which must have, with their brush, a diameter greater than that of the caterpillars. In fact, it needs to be remembered that the caterpillars are only used when an obstacle is present during the displacement of the apparatus, so that the drive of the bearing axles  2  or  3  is insufficient to ensure its movement. 
       FIG. 6  repeats the illustration of  FIG. 1  while adding an upper hood  52 , which closes the upper portion of the apparatus and, more particularly, the motor compartment comprising the reduction motor, the centrifuge pump and the filters (not illustrated). The hood, advantageously screwed onto the support  18 , includes an opening intended to permit the water to be forced-back by the pump, and also advantageously includes access flaps  53  and  54  to these filters for their maintenance. The access flaps  53  and  54  are advantageously deprived of locking, in order to simplify manipulation, and make access to the filters very easy. During the functioning of the apparatus, the access flaps are kept flattened by the suction low pressure. When the pump is stopped, the access flaps, which are advantageously hinged on one of their sides and on the upper hood, serve as emptying valves by opening freely during the removal of the robot from the pool. This configuration offers an advantageous through cross-section for the water, and limits the number of discharge orifices in the robot. The filters will preferably be formed by a rigid cassette which contains the filtration material. 
     The extreme simplicity of the structure of the apparatus according to the invention will be noted, said structure being reduced to:
         a U-shaped support on which are secured the reduction motor and pump members,   two lateral casings secured to the U-shaped support, which can be rapidly dismantled and include all of the transmission and the members connected with the drive of the apparatus,   freewheels inserted between the two lateral groups, and   an upper hood for closing the motor compartment.       

     The caterpillars with their driving wheels are advantageously placed in an overhanging manner on the lateral casings, so that they are entirely visible and access for maintenance is achieved without having to dismantle any structural member. 
     Two fixed handles  57  will advantageously be added to permit the apparatus to be gripped by the user in order to transport it to the place of use. Such fixed handles  57  may, for example, assume the form of two bars  58 , advantageously parallel respectively to the bearing axles  2  and  3  and placed substantially above these bearing axles, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . These handles  57  may be made integral with the upper hood  52  or with any other structural member of the apparatus, and participate in the resistant structure thereof, but should preferably not extend above the highest upper surface of the apparatus, namely, in the example illustrated, not extend above the upper hood  52 , in order not to increase the height of the apparatus and not to hinder the displacement of the electric cable  61 , as will be explained in more detail below. 
     The centrifuge pump is advantageously made up of two distinct parts, the motor with its turbine on the one hand and the guide  55  for the fluid flow on the other hand, individually screwed to the base of the support  18 , the flow guide having its outlet in the upper portion of the apparatus at the opening  34  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The flow guide advantageously serves as an attachment, for example at a point  56  in the vicinity of the outlet  34 , for an electric connector  62 , preferably rotary, of the electric supply cable  61  of the reduction motor  15  and of the suction pump  31 . In the event of abnormal tension on the electric cable, the flow guide is capable of resisting this force without transmitting it either to the sealing casing of the pump motor or to the upper hood  52  of the apparatus. 
     It is to be noted that fluid penetrates into the apparatus, with the exception of the electric motors which must be placed in sealed protective casings according to any known method, the electric connector  62  which must be sealed as explained hereinafter by means of  FIGS. 9 and 10 , and more generally with the exception of all of the electric members. 
     The electric supply cable  61  of the apparatus is fitted, at one end, with the preferably rotary electric connector  62  and, at the other end, with a standard connector (not illustrated) for an electric connection to an electric supply box. The electric cable  61  is made up, for example, of a sheath  63  formed from flexible PVC, normally fitted with five electric wires  64  in the interior thereof, the immersed end  65  of the cable preferably being sealed to ensure a presence of air in the interior of the sheath  63 , so necessary for the flotation of the cable. The rotary connector  62  advantageously serves as an attachment strap for the cable, directly or indirectly, and prevents it from kinking. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 7 ,  9  and  10 , the electric connector  62  is preferably rotational along a vertical axis  66 , with a radial horizontal inlet for the supply cable  61  on a turning portion  67  of the connector  62 . Thus, the rotation of the turning portion  67  of the connector  62  is induced by the displacement inertia of the cable  61  and not by its torsional resistance, and this prevents the electric cable from being subjected to excessive fatigue forces, extending its service life and facilitating its manipulation. Thus, the supply cable  61  does not require any specific torsional performance in order to make the turning portion  67  of the connector  62  turn. 
     The electric connector  62  is now going to be described in more detail with one embodiment according to  FIGS. 9 and 10 . 
     The turning portion  67  of the connector comprises a turret  80 , which advantageously assumes a substantially cylindrical general shape, with a circular cross-section, the axis of symmetry of which is intended to be vertical, and includes a sealed radial inlet  69  for the electric cable  61 . In the axis of the turret  80  is disposed a connection tube  70 , which is secured to said turret by means of one rotating connection  79  at least and in the interior of which connection tube are disposed the electric wires  64  of said electric cable  61 , respectively connected to conductor paths  71 , arranged vertically and respectively forming cylindrical conductor rings with a circular cross-section on the exterior surface of the connection tube, in order that each electrical wire is capable of ensuring an electric connection via its circular path. 
     The fixed portion  68  of the connector  62  includes a guide tube  72  with a circular cross-section, enclosing the connection tube  70  and connected to the turning portion  67  by a connection with a degree of rotational freedom. The tube  72  is preferably intended to be secured in a connector strap  73 , as shown in  FIG. 9 , which strap is itself secured to the apparatus via the guide  55  for the flow, for example. The turning portion  67  of the connector  62  is advantageously connected to the connector strap  73  through the intermediary of the turret  80  by a connection  74 , which has a degree of rotational freedom and is intended to transmit the mechanical forces between the electric cable  61  and the apparatus in order to avoid pulling on the electric connection. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the guide tube  72  includes an interior surface provided with a number of transverse conductor strips  75 , arranged to correspond with the number of circular paths  71  of the connection tube  70 , each strip  75  being capable of coming into contact by friction with the corresponding conductor path  71 , so as to ensure an electric connection over 360° when the electric cable  61  effects a complete revolution, that is to say when the turning portion  67 , and more specifically the connection tube  70 , effects a complete rotation in the guide tube  72 . The electric wires  76 , which are intended to supply the appropriate electric members in the apparatus and are respectively connected to the strips  75 , emerge from the guide tube  72  through the lower portion thereof. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates the turning portion  67 , which is provided with the guide tube  72  and with the electric cable  61 , insulated from the connector strap  73 . 
     The connection tube  70  advantageously includes insulating collars  77 , each assuming a circular washer shape, separating the circular conductor paths  71  from one another, and the exterior cylindrical surface of which serves advantageously as a guide surface for the tube  70  in the tube  72 , as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . The assembly of the tubes  70  and  72  may additionally include a rotating guide block  78 . The connection  79  between the connection tube  70  and the turret  80  will at least be a rotating connection but, in a preferred manner, a clearance will be left between the two portions of the connection in order that the forces transmitted to the turret  80  by the electric cable  61  are not transmitted to the connection tube  70 , thereby avoiding pulling on the assembly of rotating connections between the connection tube  70  and the guide tube  72 . 
     The sealing of the electric connector  62  will advantageously be ensured on the one hand by a lip joint  81  placed between the connection tube  70  and the guide tube  72 , in the upper portion of these elements at the level of the connection  74  between the turret  80  and the strap  73 , and on the other hand in the base of these two tubes by a sealed resin stopper, for example blocking the base of the guide tube  72 , thereby protecting all of the rotating connections between these two sealing points. The inlet of the connection tube  70  will be able to be provided with a sealed resin stopper in order to prevent liquid, which is being introduced into the turret  80 , from penetrating the interior of the tube  70 , where the connections of the supply wires to the circular conductor paths is effected. The turret  80 , as well as the strap  73 , will advantageously be provided in the form of two half shells, screwed one onto the other, thereby proposing a simple means to achieve the connection  74  with a degree of rotational freedom, and the rotating connection  79 , for example of the one-piece cotter-pin, lug or grooves type, and an efficient means to achieve the sealed connection of the electric cable  61  with the turret  80  by pressure of the two half-shells on the exterior sheath  63  of the cable  61 . 
     The apparatus according to the invention may be provided with any known means which permits its functioning to be automated, for example of the delay and reverse reduction motor drive type. 
     It is to be noted that the apparatus according to the invention permits the use of a conventional floating handle to be avoided, because of a low centre of gravity which permits the adherence of the robot on vertical parts to be optimised. The absence of the second reduction motor additionally permits space to be freed to position an internal float (not illustrated), which advantageously replaces the floating handle, this internal float, produced for example from polystyrene, having a more reduced volume the lighter the robot is. The internal float will preferably be housed beneath and above the reduction motor, assuming the form of a plate for example. The internal float will advantageously be able to assume any appropriate shape, molding itself into the free spaces in the interior of the U-shaped support. 
     The absence of a floating handle permits the upper portion of the apparatus to be freed of any displaceable member, more precisely to free the portion of the apparatus situated above the upper hood  52 , and to adopt a rotary connector  62  with a radial inlet which extends, for its part, at least to the level of its radial inlet, above the highest level of the upper hood. One advantage provided by the reduced height of the apparatus according to the invention is to be able to use it on bathing areas which are not very deep.

Technology Category: 0