Pool cleaning system and method to automatically clean surfaces of a pool using images from a camera

1. A pool cleaning system comprising:

a powered robotic surface cleaning vehicle to travel on and clean adjacent water containing surfaces of a pool while submerged within the pool;

a camera configured to capture movement of the vehicle while the vehicle is submerged within the pool;

a controller in electronic communication with the camera to generate control signals to steer the vehicle based on the signals from the camera; and

sensors, in electronic communication with the controller and carried by the vehicle, to sense the water containing surfaces of the pool after the water containing surfaces of the pool have been cleaned by the vehicle during a pass of the vehicle under control of a pool coverage algorithm, wherein the control signals steer the vehicle so as to reclean the water containing surfaces having a cleanliness characteristic that is sensed by the sensors and fails to satisfy a predefined threshold.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a station remote from the vehicle and in communication with the vehicle, wherein the station includes the controller.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a station remote from the vehicle and in communication with the vehicle, wherein the controller is located remote from the vehicle and the station.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the camera is mounted to the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a portable electronic device having a display, wherein the portable electronic device is configured to present a graphic on the display, the graphic depicting water containing surfaces of the pool and those portions of the water containing surfaces that remain uncleaned as a vehicle traverses the water containing surfaces.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the portable electronic device depicts movement of the vehicle on the display.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller generates second control signals for steering the vehicle based on a coverage algorithm independent of signals from the camera, and wherein the control signals based on the captured coverage steer the vehicle to clean portions of the water containing surfaces missed by the vehicle while being steered according to the second control signals.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the camera is mounted remotely from the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a portable electronic device having a display and in electronic communications with the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is located at a server remote from the camera and the vehicle.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code configured to cause a processor to:

generate first control signals for moving a robotic pool cleaning vehicle so as to clean water containing surfaces of a pool;

obtain signals from a camera representing the water containing surfaces of the pool and movement of a robotic pool cleaning vehicle adjacent to and along the water containing surfaces of the pool;

identify portions of the water containing surfaces of the pool that have not been cleaned by the pool cleaning vehicle to satisfy a predefined threshold; and

automatically generate second control signals to steer the robotic pool cleaning vehicle to reclean the identified portions of the water containing surfaces based upon the signals from the camera.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the code is further configured to present a graphical depiction of the identified portions.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising a portable electronic device comprising:

a processing unit;

a display to present the graphical depiction; and

the non-transitory computer readable medium.

14. A method comprising:

moving a robotic pool cleaning vehicle so as to clean water containing surfaces of a pool;

capturing images of a pool being cleaned with a robotic pool cleaning vehicle operating according to a steering algorithm;

obtaining signals from a camera representing the water containing surfaces of the pool and movement of a robotic pool cleaning vehicle adjacent to and along the water containing surfaces of the pool;

identifying portions of the water containing surfaces of the pool that have not been cleaned by the pool cleaning vehicle to satisfy a predefined threshold; and

steering the robotic pool cleaning vehicle based upon signals from the camera to reclean the identified portions.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising presenting a graphical depiction of the identified portions.

16. A pool cleaning system comprising:

a powered robotic pool cleaning vehicle to travel adjacent to water containing surfaces of a pool while submerged within the pool;

a camera configured to capture movement of the vehicle while the vehicle is submerged within the pool and identify debris located on the water containing surfaces;

a controller in electronic communication with the camera to generate control signals to steer the vehicle, wherein the controller automatically steers the robotic pool cleaning vehicle to reclean identified portions of the water containing surfaces still having debris based on the signals from the camera; and

a dry station remote from the pool and in communication with the vehicle.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising:

one or more processing units;

at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code configured to direct the one or more processing units to cause a portable electronic device to display coverage of the water containing surfaces of the pool by the vehicle.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising sensors, in electronic communication with the controller and carried by the vehicle, to sense the water containing surfaces of the pool after the water containing surfaces of the pool have been cleaned by the vehicle during a pass of the vehicle under control of a pool coverage algorithm, wherein the control signals steer the vehicle so as to reclean the water containing surfaces having a cleanliness characteristic that is sensed by the sensors and fails to satisfy a predefined threshold.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the camera comprises a pool security camera and wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium causes a portable electronic device to output an alert based on signals from the camera indicating presence of a person at pool satisfying a predefined characteristic.

20. The system of claim 16 , wherein the camera is mounted remotely from the vehicle.

21. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a server in communication with the dry station across a wide area network.

22. The system of claim 21 , further comprising a portable electronic device in communication with the server.