SWIMMING POOL CLEANING ROBOT WITH WATERLINE CLEANING FUNCTION

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202420751663.6, filed on Apr. 12, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a cleaning robot, particularly to a swimming pool cleaning robot with a waterline cleaning function.

BACKGROUND

With the rapid development of automation technology, water surface-cleaning robots are playing an increasingly important role in the maintenance and cleaning of public and private swimming pools, reservoirs, and other venues. Traditional water surface-cleaning robots are primarily designed to address the issue of cleaning floating debris on the water surface. Their basic working principle involves using internal or external driving devices to propel the robot across the water surface, where roller brushes, suction mechanisms, or other devices located at the bottom or front of the robot collect floating debris into a debris collection box. While these robots are highly effective in removing floating debris from the water surface, they still have certain limitations in terms of the comprehensiveness and thoroughness of pool cleaning.

Especially concerning the issue of waterline stains along the edges of pools and adjacent walls, these stains are formed due to prolonged contact and soaking of water against the walls. They not only detract from the aesthetic appeal of the pool but can also gradually harden over time without timely cleaning, forming stubborn stains that are difficult to remove. Currently, the water surface-cleaning robots on the market do not provide effective cleaning solutions for waterline stains, and cleaning these stains typically requires manual labor, which is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive but also particularly arduous for large or commercial pools.

Moreover, since the existing water surface-cleaning robot mainly realizes cleaning work by floating on water, when faced with tasks that require cleaning close to the edges of the pool, such as waterlines, they lack sufficient counter thrust to counteract the influence of water currents and can easily deviate from the cleaning area, leading to unsatisfactory cleaning results. The existence of this problem further exacerbates the difficulty of cleaning waterline stains.

In summary, although advancements have been made in the current water surface-cleaning robot technology in some aspects, there is still significant room for improvement in areas such as waterline stain cleaning, water quality monitoring, and energy self-sufficiency. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new type of pool cleaning robot that can comprehensively enhance pool cleaning efficiency and effectiveness while achieving intelligent and automated cleaning and maintenance.

SUMMARY

In order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure provides a swimming pool cleaning robot with a waterline cleaning function, which can effectively solve many shortcomings in the prior art.

The present disclosure is implemented by the following technical solution: a swimming pool cleaning robot with a waterline cleaning function includes:

• • an apparatus main body, serving as a structural foundation of a water surface cleaning robot, wherein a control mainboard, a power supply, and a driving system are built in the apparatus main body;
  • a debris collection device, installed at a bottom position of the apparatus main body for collecting and storing water surface debris;
  • a waterline cleaning device, installed at a side of the apparatus main body for performing waterline cleaning on an inner wall surface of a swimming pool;
  • a positioning device, used for positioning the apparatus main body during waterline cleaning, enabling the waterline cleaning device to contact the inner wall surface of the swimming pool to complete waterline cleaning; and
  • the control mainboard, the debris collection device, the waterline cleaning device, and the positioning device are powered by the power supply, and the debris collection device, the waterline cleaning device, and the positioning device are controlled by the control mainboard.

Preferably, the waterline cleaning device includes a waterline roller brush and a waterline propeller, the waterline roller brush is arranged at the side of the apparatus main body, the waterline roller brush is used for making contact with a wall to clean the waterline; and

• • the waterline propeller is installed on the other side of the apparatus main body and is used for applying a propelling force during waterline cleaning, enabling the waterline roller brush to press tightly against the wall, the propelling force serves as the back propelling force for the waterline roller brush and waterline propeller is controlled by the control mainboard.

Preferably, the debris collection device includes a main roller brush and a debris collection box, the debris collection box is installed at the bottom of the apparatus main body, with one side open to form a debris inlet, the main roller brush is installed on one side of the debris inlet, the main roller brush is controlled to rotate by a driving system, debris on the water surface is collected into the debris collection box by the main roller brush, and the debris collection box is provided with small holes for water inflow and outflow.

Preferably, the swimming pool cleaning robot with a waterline cleaning function further includes a thrust system, wherein the thrust system includes a plurality of self-powered main motion propellers installed on a tail end of the apparatus main body, the thrust system is controlled by the control mainboard and powered by the power supply, and the apparatus main body is propelled forward by the thrust system.

Preferably, the positioning device adopts an ultrasonic positioning device.

Preferably, the ultrasonic positioning device includes a side ultrasonic positioning module and a front ultrasonic positioning module, which transmit ultrasonic detection signals to the control mainboard and make an instruction.

Preferably, a top of the apparatus main body is provided with an energy source charging device, and the power supply is charged by the energy source charging device.

Preferably, a plurality of guide rollers are provided on sides of the apparatus main body.

The beneficial effects of this disclosure are as follows: this disclosure achieves efficient cleaning of waterline stains along the edges of pools and adjacent walls by integrating a specialized waterline roller brush and a propelling device. Compared to traditional water surface-cleaning robots, this robot is not only capable of removing floating debris on the water surface but also effectively eliminates waterline stains, thereby achieving comprehensive cleaning of the pool; and

• • with the assistance of front and side ultrasonic devices, the robot of this disclosure can intelligently recognize pool edges and obstacles, automatically adjust its cleaning path, and ensure that the waterline roller brush closely follows the pool edge for efficient cleaning. This overcomes the issue of traditional robots struggling to generate effective counter thrust due to floating.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In order to illustrate the technical solutions in the present disclosure embodiments or the prior art more clearly, hereinafter, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings can be obtained from these drawings for those skilled in the art without inventive step.

FIG. 1 is a first schematic diagram of an overall structure of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a second schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a first schematic diagram of a bottom structure of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4 is a second schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SIGNS

1. apparatus main body; 2. energy source charging device; 3. guide roller; 4. waterline roller brush; 5. side ultrasonic positioning module; 6. front ultrasonic positioning module; 7. waterline propeller; 8. debris collection box; 9. main roller brush; 10. main motion propeller.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

All of the features disclosed in this specification, or the steps of all methods or processes disclosed, may be combined in any manner, except those features and/or steps that are mutually exclusive.

Any feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by other equivalent or alternative features serving a similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. That is, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature is only one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

As shown in FIG. 1, a swimming pool cleaning robot with a waterline cleaning function of the present disclosure includes an apparatus main body 1 serving as a structural foundation of a water surface cleaning robot, wherein a control mainboard, a power supply, and a driving system are built in the apparatus main body 1;

• • wherein, a debris collection device is further included, which is installed at a bottom position of the apparatus main body 1 for collecting and storing water surface debris, and the debris on the water surface can be collected with the debris collection device when the whole robot moves on the water surface;
  • a waterline cleaning device is further included, which is installed at a side of the apparatus main body 1 for performing waterline cleaning on an inner wall surface of a swimming pool, the cleaning robot can be positioned close to the inner wall surfaces of pools to clean the areas in contact with the waterlines, thereby preventing the formation of waterlines;
  • in order to achieve precise positioning of the pool surface position, a positioning device is further included for positioning the apparatus main body 1 during waterline cleaning, enabling the waterline cleaning device to contact the inner wall surface of the swimming pool to complete waterline cleaning, and enabling precise finding of the pool surface position; and
  • in the disclosure, the control mainboard, the debris collection device, the waterline cleaning device, and the positioning device are powered by the power supply, and the debris collection device, the waterline cleaning device, and the positioning device are controlled by the control mainboard.

Wherein, as shown in FIG. 2, the waterline cleaning device includes a waterline roller brush 4 and a waterline propeller 7, the waterline roller brush 4 is arranged at the side of the apparatus main body 1, the waterline roller brush 4 is used for making contact with a wall to clean the waterline. During the waterline cleaning process, the waterline propeller 7 is opened to apply a tail thrust, ensuring that the waterline roller brush 4 remains in constant contact with the waterline position on the pool surface to achieve the purpose of cleaning the waterline. In this embodiment, the waterline roller brush is made of soft rubber and has a circular shape. The brush is composed of flakes and dots, and performs circular rolling to scrub and clean the wall surface; and

• • wherein, the waterline propeller 7 is installed on the other side of the apparatus main body 1 and is used for applying a propelling force during waterline cleaning, enabling the waterline roller brush 4 to press tightly against the wall, the propelling force serves as the back propelling force for the waterline roller brush 4 and waterline propeller 7 is controlled by the control mainboard.

As shown in FIG. 4, the debris collection device includes a main roller brush 9 and a debris collection box 8, the debris collection box 8 is installed at the bottom of the apparatus main body 1, with one side open to form a debris inlet, the main roller brush 9 is installed on one side of the debris inlet, the main roller brush 9 is controlled to rotate by a driving system, debris on the water surface is collected into the debris collection box 8 by the main roller brush 9, and the debris collection box 8 is provided with small holes for water inflow and outflow. The small holes for water inflow and outflow help maintain balance inside the debris collection box 8. During cleaning, the main roller brush 9 rotates to collect the floating debris on the water surface into the debris collection box 8, the debris passes through the debris inlet and is collected inside the debris collection box 8, making the process simple and convenient.

In order to equip the entire robot with the ability to move forward, in the present embodiment, there is also included a thrust system, wherein the thrust system includes a plurality of self-powered main motion propellers 10 installed on a tail end of the apparatus main body 1, the thrust system is controlled by the control mainboard and powered by the power supply, and the apparatus main body 1 is propelled forward by the thrust system.

Wherein, the positioning device adopts an ultrasonic positioning device, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the ultrasonic positioning device includes a side ultrasonic positioning module 5 and a front ultrasonic positioning module 6, which transmit ultrasonic detection signals to the control mainboard and make an instruction.

Wherein, a top of the apparatus main body 1 is provided with an energy source charging device 2, and the power supply is charged by the energy source charging device 2. In the present embodiment, the energy source charging device 2 utilizes a solar charging system. When the robot is exposed to sunlight, the energy source charging device 2 receives the sunlight and continuously converts it into electrical energy, which is then stored in the internal battery of the robot. This allows the robot to operate continuously without the need for frequent charging by the user, or with minimal charging required.

To better guide the apparatus main body 1 when it comes into contact with the pool surface, in this embodiment, a plurality of guide rollers 3 are provided on sides of the apparatus main body 1.

The overall apparatus operating process is as follows:

• • the operating mode is as follows: during operation, the robot floats on the water surface. In the cleaning mode, the entire apparatus moves under the power of the thrust system. The robot cleans the floating debris on the water surface according to the set working logic. When the robot moves forward and encounters floating debris, the debris is swept into the debris collection device by the rotating main roller brush; and
  • when the user selects the waterline mode, the robot, guided by the front and side ultrasonic devices, locates the wall on the water surface and initiates the waterline cleaning mode. At the same time, the waterline roller brush and the waterline propeller start rotating and enter their working modes. The waterline roller brush rotates in circles, and with the thrust of the waterline propeller, it continuously scrubs against the waterline where the water surface meets the wall. This continuous scrubbing serves two purposes: first, it prevents the formation of water scale between the water surface and the wall, which can lead to the creation of a waterline; second, it removes any existing dirt that has already formed along the waterline.

The above description is only specific embodiments of the present disclosure, but the protection scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and any changes or substitutions without the exercise of inventive step should be covered within the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure should be subject to the protection scope defined by the claims.