Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a control device for submerged surface
c]eaning apparatus.
One type of device for cleaning submerged surfaces, such as the
floors of swimming pools comprises a cleaning head which is con-
nected by means of a flexible suction hose to the suction side of
a filter-pump combination. Liquid flowing through the suction
head and along the suction hose powers a device which causes the
suction head to move along the submerged surface. In the course
of moving along the suction head momentarily detaches itse]f from
the latter surface so that it advances in a stepwise manner.
Suction heads of this kind are described, for example, in United
States Patent No~ 4,434,519. Some of these suction heads tend to
move in a straight line and have no facility for changing direc-
tion. Ideally a suction head of this kind should move as randomly
as possible over a swimming pool surface. Also, if it runs up
against a barrier, a mechanism should exist for getting it to move
away from that barrier. Random steering would have that effect.
An object of the invention is to apply random steering forces to a
suction head in the course of its progress over a submerged sur-
face.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the lnvention a method of applying steering forces to a
suction head connected to a hose normal to the surface to be cleaned
comprises the step of intermittently between spaced time intervals
5 causing the flowing liquid to apply a torque about the axis of the `
suction hose at some zone along its length, which torque is used or
released to turn the head about îts connection point to the suction
hose.
A steering device according to the invention comprises:
10 a housing adapted to be caused to travel over d surface to be cleaned,
a spigot for attachment to a suction hose end journalled fdr rotation
relatively to the housing9 and having its axis normal to the surface,
a drive gear fast ~ith the spigot,
a passage through the housing to provide a maifi path of flow for
: 15 liquid flowing through the suction hose,
a bypass to the main path of flow,
a water turbine positioned in the bypass and caùsed to rotate by
liquid flowing in the bypass,
a gear train between the turbine and the drive gear; and
20 means for intermittently blocking and unblocking the bypass so that
the turbine applies torque to the drive gear intermittently and for
short periods of time.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a section through a steerable suction head,
25 Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 in Figure 1,
Figure 3 is a section through a steering device not directly on a
suction head; and
Figure 4 is an under plan view of part of Figure 3.
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DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMB~DIMENT_
The illustrated suction head has a housing 10 formed at its base
wi-th an inlet nozzle 11 and at its top with an outlet 12. A
turbine 13 is housed in the housing 10 and journalled to the hous-
ing walls by means of bearings on the turbine shaft 15. I-t will
be seen that if water flows from the nozzle 11 to the outlet 12,
the turbine 13 will rotate.
Also on the shaft 15 are eccentric bearings 16 the outer races of
which are slide fits in cievi~ed supports 17. As the shaft 15
rotates, the supports 17 will rock to and fro~ Each support 17 is
integral with a side frame to which it is connected by means of a
sleeve and a clamping bolt. The sleeve is journalled for rotation
in the housing. If the supports 17 rock, this movement is im
parted to the side frames.
The side frames are connected together by means of shafts 21 and
22 so that together they form a bogie. ~ivoted on the shafts 21
and 22 are pairs of feet 23 and 24 made of a friction material
such as rubber and engaged with a surface 64. Stops 25 limit the
pivotal movement of the feet and springs 26 bias them against the
stops 25 so that they assume the inclination relatively to a sup-
porting surface as shown.
The result is that as the turbine 13 rotates, the bogie rocks and
the whole device moves to the left in the direction of the arrow A
in Figure 1. This mechanism forms the subject matter of Canadian
patent application 43n,006.
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Attached to the housing 10 are two compartments 30 and 31. In the
upper compartment 30 there is a reversible turbine 32. Two in-
clined passages 34 port in the compartment 30 and in the compart-
ment 31 at the ports 35 and 36. The ports in the compartment 31
are controlled by a valve plate 33 the operation of which will be
described later on. The outlet from the compartment 31 is at 37.
The compartment 31 is formed with two spaced perforated walls 34
between which is housed a filter medium such as stainless steel
woolO Water can thus reach the ports in the compartment 31.
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On the outlet 12 there is rotatably mounted a hose connection 40 which
has its axis normal to the surface 64 and which carries a large gear
wheel 41. A pinion 42 on a shaft 43 meshes with the gear wheel 41.
At its lower end the shaft 43 carries a gear 44 which meshes with a
5 pinion 45 on the shaft 46 of the turbine 32. If the turbine 32
rotates, it will thus apply a high slow speed torque to the connection
40.
In the compartment 31 there is also housed a water motor of the type
used with oscillating sprinklers and geared down to give a reduction
10 of the order of 2000 : 1. ,Water passing through the walls 34 enter
the motor through an inlet 50~and passes into the housing 10 through
an outlet 51. The rotor of the water motor has been shown as 52 in
Figure 2, The ultimate output of the motor 52 is at a shaft 53 which
drives the valve plate 33 which is resiliently biased upwardly.
15 As the motor 52 rotates the valve plate 33 alternately covers and
uncovers the ports 35 and 36 with relatively long periods when both
ports are covered. As a port 35 or 36 is uncovered the turbine 32
applies a torque to the connection 40 ~hich is in use attached to a
flexible hose. The hose will resist or store the turning movement and
20 the nett effect is that the whole device immediately turns around the
axis of the connection 40 or does so at the next rocking movement.
When the then open port is closed, the device will be facing a random
new direction. Of course, the running of the turbine 13 will
constantly tend to move the device in its forward direction at any
25 given time so that in turn a sort of spiral movement will take place.
This is only readily feasible if, as described above the axis of the
connection 40 is substantially normal to the surface 64.
The embodiment of Figures 3 and 4 has been designed for use at an end
of a suction hose remote from a suction head. Thus it could be
30 attached directly to a skimmer device of the kind described in S.A.
patent No. 73/5112. Once more the motor 52 controls the feed to the
turbine 32 which turns a drive gear 41 on a connection 40. In this
case the connection 40 serves as an inlet to the skimmer while the
outlet is a connection SO, which may be plugged into the skimmer
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referred to above or into a suction connection at the side of the
pool. In the latter case the inlet to the filter 34 must be submerged
for the device to operate.
In both of the latter two cases torque applied to the connection 40 is
5 transmitted along the length of the suction hose to the suction head
which is at the other end of the suction hose and with a connection
normal to the surface on which the suction head moves.
In the result the torque for steering the suction head in a random
fashion may be applied to the suction hose where it enters the suction
10 head, at an intermediate point, such as at the inlet to a floating
skimmer, or at the connection to the suction device on the side of a
pool. In the latter case there should be no device such as a skimmer
interposed between the steering device and the suction head.
