Suction powered cleaner for swimming pools

Abstract

An improved suction powered cleaner is provided for vacuuming dirt and debris from submerged floor and side wall surfaces of a swimming pool. The cleaner comprises a head defining a suction inlet for vacuum inflow of water and debris into a plenum chamber, and further through a primary suction tube adapted for connection via a vacuum hose to a conventional pool water filtration system. An oscillatory main control valve is pivotally mounted at an upstream end of the primary suction tube and spring-loaded toward a normal open position relative to an annular valve seat. Suction flow through the primary suction tube draws the control valve toward a closed position substantially interrupting water flow, whereupon the control valve returns by spring action to the normal open position, resulting in pressure fluctuations which cause the cleaner to advance in steps over submerged pool surfaces. The cleaner head may also include a bypass suction tube having a normally closed bypass valve responsive to pressure fluctuations within the primary suction tube for alternately opening when the main control valve is substantially closed, and vice versa. A perforated flexible disk is carried by and extends radially outwardly from the cleaner head to contact the surrounding submerged pool surface, and a laterally extending part-circle steering apron overlies a selected arcuate segment of the disk so that the disk is vacuum-retained against the submerged surface with an asymmetric force causing the cleaner head to advance along a nonlinear path.