SKIMMING DEVICE WITH DEPTH SENSOR

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 63/693,174, filed on Sep. 10, 2024, and entitled SKIMMING DEVICE WITH DEPTH SENSOR, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to cleaning devices for swimming pools and spas, and more particularly, although not necessarily exclusively, to devices for skimming debris from upper water surfaces or waterline surfaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Debris entering a swimming pool or spa may first float at or near an upper surface of the water before sinking to the bottom of the swimming pool or spa. Many pool owners and pool systems utilize skimmers to attempt to remove surface debris before it sinks to keep the pool water clean and disinfected and to prevent bulky debris from potentially damaging equipment of the pool. Various types of skimmers exist, including hand-held skimmer nets, skimmers associated with a main pool filtration system, and self-propelled or automatic floating skimmers. While traditional self-propelled floating skimmers may lack the labor or power required by other types of skimmers, they lack directional control and may perform inefficient cleaning and/or may be susceptible to becoming trapped at various locations in the pool.

SUMMARY

The terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “the present invention” used in this patent are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter of this patent and the patent claims below. Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the patent claims below. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patent are defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various embodiments of the invention and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings, and each claim.

According to certain embodiments, a water skimming device includes a body and one or more sensors on a bottom of the body. The one or more sensors are configured to measure or detect a distance to a submerged surface of a swimming pool or spa. The water skimming device is configured to move along a surface of the water and/or to perform a skimming or waterline cleaning operation.

According to some embodiments, a water skimming device includes a body and one or more sensors on a bottom of the body, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to measure or detect a depth of water in which the automatic water skimming device is operating, and wherein the water skimming device is configured to move along a surface of the water and/or to perform a skimming or waterline cleaning operation.

According to various embodiments, a water skimming device includes a body configured to move along a surface of the water and a depth sensor configured to measure or detect a depth of water while the water skimming device operates along the surface of the water.

According to some embodiments, a water skimming device includes a body configured to operate along a surface of water and one or more sensors having a sensing region below the water skimming device and configured to measure or detect a depth of the water as the water skimming device operates along the surface of the water.

According to various embodiments, a water skimming device includes a body and one or more sensors submergible in the water of a swimming pool or spa and configured to measure or detect a depth of the water.

Various implementations described in the present disclosure can include additional systems, methods, features, and advantages, which cannot necessarily be expressly disclosed herein but will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It is intended that all such systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within the present disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The features and components of the following figures are illustrated to emphasize the general principles of the present disclosure. Corresponding features and components throughout the figures can be designated by matching reference characters for the sake of consistency and clarity.

FIG. 1 illustrates a pool system with a skimming device according to embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are automatic skimming devices for swimming pools or spas with one or more sensors. The one or more sensors may be provided on a lower end or bottom of the automatic skimming device such that the one or more sensors are angled downward, are below a waterline of the pool or spa, are submerged in water of the pool or spa, have a sensing region below a body of the automatic skimming device, and/or are otherwise positioned to measure and/or detect a depth of water, or a distance to a submerged surface, below the skimming device. In certain embodiments, the automatic skimming devices described herein are solar powered and include one or more solar cells for powering components of the automatic skimming device. In some embodiments, the skimming devices may perform various operations based on data from the sensors. As non-limiting examples, the skimming devices may control navigation, operational status, and/or a cleaning operation based on the sensor data from the one or more sensors.

Compared to traditional skimming devices, the skimming devices described herein may have improved navigation and control within a swimming pool or spa, thereby providing improved surface cleaning and skimming performance. Various other benefits and advantages may be realized with the systems, devices, and methods provided herein, and the aforementioned advantages should not be considered limiting.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a pool system 10 with a swimming pool or spa 12 (hereinafter “pool 12”) and one or more skimming devices 14 according to embodiments.

The pool 12 may have various shapes, sizes, and dimensions, as desired, and those illustrated in FIG. 1 should not be considered limiting. In various embodiments, water 13 of the pool 12 includes a waterline 15.

The skimming device 14 may be various types of devices that stay at or on the waterline 15 and are generally configured to clean debris at or on the waterline 15. Such cleaning operations may be referred to as a skimming operation or a waterline cleaning operation. In certain embodiments, the skimming device 14 is a floating device configured for navigating and cleaning along the surface of the water 13.

The skimming device 14 generally includes a body 16 which may be buoyant and may have various shapes, sizes, or configurations as desired. The body 16 may house and/or be attached to a filter assembly 18, which may be various devices or mechanisms suitable for filtering debris from water. As non-limiting examples, the filter assembly 18 may include a mesh screen and/or a frame with a filtering material attached thereto with various porosity levels as desired. While the filter assembly 18 is illustrated within the body 16 in FIG. 1, it need not be in other embodiments and instead may be at various other locations on or relative to the body 16 as desired. In operation, water may be directed by the skimming device 14 through the filter assembly 18 to remove debris at the waterline 15.

Optionally, one or more propulsion devices 20 may be provided to direct the skimming device 14 through the water and/or to facilitate collection of debris. The number, shape, type, and location of the propulsion devices 20 should not be considered limiting. Skimming devices 14 with propulsion device(s) 20 may be automatic, or self-propelled, skimming devices capable of autonomous or semi-autonomous movement or motion in the pool 12. In other embodiments, the skimming device 14 need not be self-propelled.

In certain embodiments, and as illustrated in FIG. 1, the skimming device 14 includes one or more onboard power-generating devices, such as but not limited to one or more onboard solar cells 24, for supplying energy to various electrical components of the skimming device 14. The solar cells 24 may be provided at various locations on the skimming device 14 as desired, such as but not limited to various locations on the body 16. In certain embodiments, the solar cells 24 may be fixed relative to the body 16, although in other embodiments, the solar cells 24 may be detachable from the body 16 such that the solar cells 24 are adjustable or movable as desired.

Optionally, the skimming device 14 may include one or more batteries for storing energy generated by the one or more solar cells 24, other onboard power-generating devices, and/or as otherwise desired. In other embodiments, the skimming device 14 need not be solar powered and instead may include one or more batteries and/or a cord that receives power from an external power source.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the skimming device 14 may include one or more sensors 26 for measuring and/or detecting a depth of the water 13, and/or for measuring and/or detecting a distance to a submerged surface below the skimming device 14. Submerged surfaces may include, but are not limited to, a floor of the pool 12, a step in the pool 12, a bench in the pool 12, a beach of the pool 12, a ledge of the pool 12, a shelf of the pool 12, combinations thereof, and/or other surfaces desired. The number, type, and location of the sensors 26 should not be considered limiting, and in general, the one or more sensors 26 may measure or detect the depth of the water 13. In one non-limiting embodiment, the sensor 26 is a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor.

In certain embodiments, the one or more sensors 26 may be provided on a bottom or lower end 28 of the body 16 of the skimming device 14 such that a sensing region 30 is below the skimming device 14. Additionally, or alternatively, the one or more sensors 26 may be angled downwards relative to the body 16 and/or provided on a location on the body 16 below the waterline 15. As discussed in detail below, the sensor data obtained by the one or more depths sensors 26 may be utilized to provide improved control of the skimming device 14 and/or to generate various other outputs as desired.

In various embodiments, in addition to detecting the depth and/or distance to the submerged surface below the skimming device 14, the one or more sensors 26 may measure and/or detect additional information below the skimming device 14. As non-limiting examples, the one or more sensors 26 may detect one or more submerged devices 33, such as but not limited to pool cleaners 35, objects and/or obstacles on the submerged surface, debris, a person, a profile of the submerged surface, combinations thereof, and/or as otherwise desired.

Optionally, the skimming device 14 includes one or more communication modules allowing for wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth, Li-Fi, LoRa, radio frequency, cellular, NFC, Wi-Fi, etc.) with external or remote devices such as external control devices, the internet, cloud services, smartphones, other user devices, etc.

In certain embodiments, the skimming device 14 optionally may include a controller 22 with one or more processing units and/or one or more memory devices on and/or associated with the skimming device 14. The processing unit may be various suitable processing devices or combinations of devices including but not limited to one or more application specific integrated circuits, digital signal processors, digital signal processing devices, programmable logic devices, field programmable gate arrays, processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, other electronic units, and/or a combination thereof. The one or more memory devices may be any machine-readable medium that can be accessed by the processor, including but not limited to any type of long term, short term, volatile, nonvolatile, or other storage medium, and is not to be limited to any particular type of memory or number of memories, or type of media upon which memory is stored. Moreover, as disclosed herein, the term “storage medium,” “storage” or “memory” can represent one or more memories for storing data, including read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices and/or other machine readable mediums for storing information. The term “machine-readable medium” includes, but is not limited to, portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, wireless channels, and/or various other storage mediums capable of storing that contain or carry instruction(s) and/or data.

As mentioned, the skimming device 14 includes one or more sensors 26, and in certain embodiments, various actions and/or output responses may be generated based on the sensor data. In certain embodiments, the output responses are at least based on the depth information, and in other embodiments, the output responses may be based on both the depth information and additional information detected by the one or more sensors 26. The one or more sensors 26 measure a distance between the skimming device 14 and a surface beneath the skimming device 14 (e.g., a bottom surface of the pool, a step, a bench, a beach, etc.).

In some embodiments, the depth data measured and/or obtained by the sensors 26 may be utilized to control navigation of the skimming device 14. As a non-limiting example, the skimming device 14 may identify a change in depth as movement of the skimming device 14 from a deeper end of the pool 12 to a shallower end of the pool 12, and the skimming device 14 may control navigation (e.g., by controlling the one or more propulsion devices 20) to return to the deeper end and/or move to another portion of the pool 12 (as identified by water depth) as desired. This may help prevent the skimming device 14 from getting stuck on beach entries, in shallow water, etc.

Additionally, or alternatively, the sensor data obtained by the sensors 26 of the skimming device may be utilized for mapping and/or identifying submerged surfaces and/or obstacles of the pool 12 (e.g., benches, steps, etc.), which optionally may be utilized to improve navigation of the skimming device 14 by steering the skimming device 14 away from such submerged surfaces and/or obstacles and/or shallow areas of the pool.

Additionally, or alternatively, the depth data obtained by the one or more sensors 26 may be provided to a user on a remote device. In certain embodiments, one or more output responses may additionally and/or alternatively include changing or controlling a path of navigation the skimming device, generating a response (e.g., alert, indication, etc.) on a user interface 32 (e.g., a screen, display, speaker, keypad, light source, combinations thereof, etc.) onboard the skimming device 16, generating a response (e.g., alert, indication, etc.) on a user interface remote from the skimming device 16, communicating and/or sending a signal to a submerged device 33, and/or communicating and/or sending a signal to a device 31 at a waterline and/or outside the swimming pool or spa. As non-limiting examples and as illustrated in FIG. 1, the information from one or more sensors 26 may be provided to an external device 31, such as but not limited to external control devices, the internet, cloud services, smartphones, other user devices, other pool equipment, etc.

As another non-limiting example and as illustrated in FIG. 1, the information from one or more sensors 26 may be provided to the submerged device 33. Non-limiting examples of submerged devices 33 include but are not limited to automatic swimming pool cleaners configured to clean a submerged surface of the pool 12, docking stations, lights, sensors, combinations thereof, and/or as otherwise desired. In FIG. 1, the submerged device 33 is an automatic swimming pool cleaner 35. The automatic swimming pool cleaner 35 generally includes a body 37 which is movable relative to (e.g., along) one or more submerged surfaces of the pool 12. The automatic pool cleaner 35 may include motive elements 39, which may be various suitable devices or structures suitable for propelling and/or otherwise causing movement of the pool cleaner 35 along a surface, such as but not limited to a floor of the pool 12, a wall of the pool 12, a step of the pool 12, a beach of the pool 12, a bench of the pool 12, a shelf of the pool 12, a ledge of the pool 12, combinations thereof, and/or other surfaces as desired. In this regard, the pool cleaner 35 may be a self-propelled pool cleaner capable of autonomous or semi-autonomous movement within the pool 12. Non-limiting examples of motive elements 39 include, but are not limited to, wheels, rollers, feet, tracks, propellers, combinations thereof, and/or other suitable motive elements 39 as desired. The automatic swimming pool cleaner 35 may include various components on and/or within the body 37 such as a motor block, a filter, a pump, a controller, etc. The automatic swimming pool cleaner 35 optionally may include one or more cleaning elements 41 (e.g., a brush assembly 43 with one or more brushes) suitable for cleaning a surface and/or directing debris into the automatic swimming pool cleaner 35 and/or towards a filter of the automatic swimming pool cleaner 35. In embodiments where the information from the sensor(s) 26 is provided to the pool cleaner 35 (or other submerged device 33), the information may be utilized for controlling operation of the pool cleaner 35, changing operation of the pool cleaner 35, halting operation of the pool cleaner 35, interrupting operation of the pool cleaner 35, combinations thereof, and/or as otherwise desired. The aforementioned examples are for illustrative purposes only, and other control may be implemented and/or utilized as desired.

• • Various other controls may be implemented using the skimming device 14 with one or more sensors 26 as desired, and the aforementioned examples should not be considered limiting. Various other combinations of features may be utilized as desired, and the aforementioned examples should not be considered limiting.
  • Exemplary concepts or combinations of features of the invention may include:
  • A. A water skimming device comprising:
    • i. a body; and
    • ii. one or more sensors on a bottom of the body configured to measure or detect a distance to a submerged surface of a swimming pool or spa, wherein the water skimming device is configured to move along a surface of the water.
  • B. A water skimming device comprising:
    • i. a body; and
    • ii. one or more sensors on a bottom of the body configured to measure or detect a depth of water in which the automatic water skimming device is operating, wherein the water skimming device is configured to move along a surface of the water.
  • C. A water skimming device comprising:
    • i. a body configured to move along a surface of the water; and
    • ii. a depth sensor configured to measure or detect a depth of water while the water skimming device operates along the surface of the water.
  • D. A water skimming device comprising:
  • i. a body configured to operate along a surface of water; and
    • ii. one or more sensors having a sensing region below the water skimming device and configured to measure or detect a depth of the water as the water skimming device operates along the surface of the water.
  • E. A water skimming device comprising:
    • i. a body;
    • ii. one or more sensors submergible in water of a swimming pool or spa and configured to measure or detect a depth of the water.
  • F. The water skimming device of any preceding or subsequent statement or combination of statements, wherein the submerged surface comprises at least one of a floor, a step, a bench, or a beach.
  • G. The water skimming device of any preceding or subsequent statement or combination of statements, wherein, responsive to the measured or detected depth, the water skimming device is configured to generate one or more control responses.
  • H. The water skimming device of any preceding or subsequent statement or combination of statements, wherein the one or more control responses comprises at least one of changing or controlling a path of the water skimming device, generating a response (e.g., alert, indication, etc.) on a user interface onboard the water skimming device, generating a response (e.g., alert, indication, etc.) on a user interface remote from the water skimming device, communicating and/or sending a signal to a submerged device, and/or communicating and/or sending a signal to a device at a waterline and/or outside the swimming pool or spa.
  • I. The water skimming device of any preceding or subsequent statement or combination of statements, wherein the one or more sensors are further configured to detect and/or measure additional information below the water skimming device.
  • J. The water skimming device of any preceding or subsequent statement or combination of statements, wherein the additional information comprises submerged devices such as but not limited to pool cleaners, objects or obstacles on the submerged surface, debris, a person, a profile of the submerged surface, combinations thereof, and/or as otherwise desired.
  • K. The water skimming device of any preceding or subsequent statement or combination of statements, wherein the water skimming device is further configured to control navigation and/or operation of the water skimming device based on the depth data from the one or more sensors.
  • L. The water skimming device of any preceding or subsequent statement or combination of statements, wherein the one or more sensors are angled downwards and/or below a waterline of the pool or spa.
  • M. The water skimming device of any preceding or subsequent statement or combination of statements, wherein the water skimming device comprises one or more solar cells.

These examples are not intended to be mutually exclusive, exhaustive, or restrictive in any way, and the invention is not limited to these example embodiments but rather encompasses all possible modifications and variations within the scope of any claims ultimately drafted and issued in connection with the invention (and their equivalents). For avoidance of doubt, any combination of features not physically impossible or expressly identified as non-combinable herein may be within the scope of the invention. Further, although applicant has described devices and techniques for use principally with skimming devices, persons skilled in the relevant field will recognize that the present invention conceivably could be employed in connection with other objects and in other manners. Finally, references to “pools” and “swimming pools” herein may also refer to spas or other water containing vessels used for recreation, training, or therapy and for which cleaning of debris is needed or desired.