Cleaning method, apparatus, device, and readable storage medium

Abstract

The application discloses a cleaning method, device, equipment and readable storage medium. The cleaning equipment determines an un-dried area in real time during a mopping process and monitors the un-dried area. When a living creature appears in the un-dried area, the un-dried area is marked as a stepped area, and the stepped area is mopped again. By using the scheme, if the living creature accidentally steps into the un-dried area just mopped, the cleaning equipment can mark the stepped area and mop the stepped area again, the "cleaning result" is monitored and consolidated during the mopping process, and the purpose of improving the cleaning quality is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of artificial intelligence technology, and in particular to a cleaning method, apparatus, device, and readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] With the advancement of science and technology and social development, especially influenced by the accelerated pace of life and increased work pressure, people hope to be freed from tedious daily household cleaning tasks.

[0003] As a new generation of smart home devices, robotic mopping machines are popular among users because they can sweep and mop simultaneously. During the cleaning process, users can wake up the robotic mopping machine through physical buttons or voice commands. The robot sweeps and mops at the same time as it moves around, greatly freeing up the user's hands.

[0004] The floor is wet after a robot mop. If someone accidentally steps on the wet area, it will leave a mark, resulting in incomplete cleaning. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a cleaning method, apparatus, device, and readable storage medium that improves cleaning quality by mopping areas that have been stepped on.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a cleaning method, including:

[0007] Real-time identification of wet areas, which include areas that the cleaning robot has swept but have not yet dried within a first time period before the current time point;

[0008] Determine whether any live animals are present in the undried area;

[0009] When a live animal appears in the wet area, the wet area will be marked as a trampled area;

[0010] Sweep and mop the area that has been stepped on.

[0011] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a cleaning device, comprising:

[0012] The first determining module is used to determine the wet area in real time. The wet area is the area that has been swept but is not yet dry and is closest to the current position of the cleaning robot.

[0013] The second determining module is used to determine whether any living creatures are present in the undried area;

[0014] The marking module is used to mark the wet area as a trampled area when the second determining module determines that a live animal is present in the wet area;

[0015] A processing module is used for the trampled area marked by the marking module.

[0016] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide an electronic device, including: a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, it causes the electronic device to implement the method described in the first aspect or various possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0017] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the method described in the first aspect or various possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0018] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product comprising a computing program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method described in the first aspect or various possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0019] The cleaning method, apparatus, equipment, and readable storage medium provided in this application embodiment identify and monitor undried areas in real time during the cleaning robot's sweeping process. When a moving object appears in an undried area, the undried area is marked as a stepped area, and the stepped area is swept again. Using this approach, if a moving object accidentally steps into a recently swept undried area, the cleaning robot can mark the stepped area and re-mop it. By monitoring and consolidating the "cleaning results" during the sweeping process, the goal of improving cleaning quality is achieved. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cleaning equipment provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the cleaning method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0023] Figure 3A This is the travel route in the non-target mode of the cleaning method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0024] Figure 3BThis is the travel route in the target mode of the cleaning method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0025] Figure 4A This is a schematic diagram of an undried area in the cleaning method provided in this application embodiment;

[0026] Figure 4B This is a schematic diagram of another undried area in the cleaning method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the trampled area displayed on the APP in the cleaning method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the trampled area and the extended area in the cleaning method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the first trajectory and the second trajectory in the cleaning method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of another cleaning method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Currently, most cleaning devices, such as robotic mops and sweeper-mop combos, can mop the floor. During actual mopping, water stains remain in the areas the device has mopped; these areas are called undried areas. After a period of time, the water in these undried areas evaporates. Before the water evaporates, any living creatures entering these areas will leave traces. For example, children walking in and out of the undried area will leave footprints. Similarly, pets walking in and out of the undried area will leave footprints. Even a ball rolling over the undried area will leave a mark. In short, undried areas leaving marks after being stepped on result in incomplete cleaning and poor cleaning quality.

[0035] Furthermore, when cleaning equipment mops or sweeps floor tiles, the residual water stains make the wet areas slippery, which can easily cause safety accidents.

[0036] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a cleaning method, apparatus, device, and readable storage medium, which improves cleaning quality by mopping the trampled area.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the cleaning robot provided in an embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 1 The cleaning robot 100, also known as a cleaning device, sweeping robot, or sweeping machine, includes a camera 11, a sound signal playback device 12, and a sound signal acquisition device 13, as provided in this embodiment. The camera 11 is mounted on the outer surface of the cleaning robot 100 and is used to acquire images of the area around the cleaning robot 100, and to construct an environmental map using the acquired images.

[0038] In this embodiment, during the initial mopping or sweeping process, the cleaning robot 100 also uses signals collected by sensors to determine whether any moving objects have entered the undried area. For example, if the sensor is the aforementioned camera, the cleaning robot 100 uses images collected by camera 11 to determine whether any moving objects have entered the undried area. When a moving object enters the undried area, it marks the undried area as a trampled area on the environmental map. After the initial mopping or sweeping is completed, the cleaning robot 100 moves to the trampled area and re-mops or sweeps the trampled area.

[0039] It should be noted that although the above description uses a camera as the sensor, this application is not limited to this. In other feasible implementations, the sensor can also be a LiDAR sensor, a structured light sensor, a depth camera, etc. Taking a LiDAR sensor as the sensor, specifically a direct time-of-flight (DTOF) sensor, as an example, the cleaning device 100 stores the position of each object determined by the signal collected by the DTOF sensor before the first time period. After the cleaning robot 100 determines the position of each object in the undried area based on the signal of the DTOF sensor at the current time point, for the same object, the cleaning robot determines whether the current position of the object has changed from the position before the first time period. If it has changed, the object is considered to be a moving object.

[0040] A sound signal playback device 12 is provided on the cleaning robot 100 for playing sound signals. The sound signal playback device 12 is disposed on the surface or exterior of the cleaning robot, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0041] The cleaning robot 100 is equipped with multiple sound signal acquisition devices 13. For example, three sound signal acquisition devices 13 are arranged on the outer surface of the cleaning robot 100. These three sound signal acquisition devices 13 are evenly distributed in a ring, that is, the three sound signal acquisition devices 13 are located on a circle, and the distance from each sound signal acquisition device 13 to the center of the circle is the radius of the circle. The central angle between any two adjacent sound signal acquisition devices 13 is 120°. Furthermore, in order to optimize the sound signal acquisition capability of the multiple sound signal acquisition devices 13, the diameter of the circle in which at least three sound signal acquisition devices 13 are evenly distributed is within the range of 60mm to 100mm.

[0042] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a cleaning method provided in an embodiment of this application. The executing entity of this embodiment is a cleaning robot equipped with a camera, and this embodiment includes:

[0043] 201. In real time, determine the wet area, which is the area that the cleaning robot has swept but has not yet dried within the first time period before the current time point.

[0044] Once the cleaning robot starts and performs sweeping or mopping tasks, it continuously identifies damp areas. These damp areas are areas that have been mopped but are not yet dry. Understandably, because the cleaning robot is constantly moving, these damp areas are not static but are continuously updated as the robot progresses.

[0045] 202. Determine whether any live animals are present in the undried area.

[0046] The cleaning robot uses a camera to capture images and analyzes them to identify moving objects such as people, animals, or balls. If an object is not present in the first few frames of a series of images, but appears in the later frames, it is determined that the object has entered the wet area. Alternatively, if an object is located at position A in the first few frames and at position B in the later frames, and positions A and B are different locations within the wet area, the cleaning robot considers the object to be a moving object within the wet area and does not need to mark the wet area as a trampled area.

[0047] 203. When a live animal appears in the wet area, the wet area shall be marked as a trampled area.

[0048] If a live animal is found in a wet area, it means that the animal has been running around and trampling on the wet area. Therefore, the cleaning robot will mark the wet area where the animal is found as a trampled area, which is the area that needs to be mopped again. Re-mopping is also known as re-mopping.

[0049] For example, a cleaning robot is mopping the living room when a child runs out of the bedroom, crosses a wet area, and runs to the balcony. The cleaning robot analyzes the images captured by its cameras and detects a moving object in the wet area; therefore, it marks the wet area as a trampled area.

[0050] For example, during the cleaning robot's mopping process, a small dog lies asleep on the floor. The cleaning robot avoids the dog. The area where the dog is located happens to be a wet area. After the dog gets up, it crosses the wet area or walks around in it. The cleaning robot analyzes the images captured by the camera and discovers that there is a moving object in the wet area. Therefore, it marks the wet area as a trampled area.

[0051] For example, during the cleaning robot's sweeping process, a ball rolls across a wet area. The cleaning robot analyzes the images captured by its camera and discovers the rolling ball in the wet area. At this point, the cleaning robot marks the wet area as a stepped area.

[0052] Optionally, while locating the marked area on the environmental map, the cleaning robot can also issue a warning to alert any moving object to be careful. For example, if the cleaning robot detects a human being, it will issue a voice prompt: "The ground is slippery, please be careful."

[0053] 204. Sweep and mop the area that has been stepped on.

[0054] The cleaning robot performs a secondary mopping and sweeping of the stepped areas, meaning it thoroughly mops those areas. For example, if a user tells the cleaning robot, "Xiao Q, mop and sweep the living room," the robot will mark three stepped areas during the process. After cleaning the entire living room, the robot will then thoroughly mop each stepped area in turn.

[0055] For example, a user holds a handheld device with an app installed to control the cleaning robot. The user instructs the robot to mop and clean the bedroom and study. The robot moves to the bedroom and mops, marking two designated "stepped" areas during the initial cleaning. After cleaning the bedroom once, the robot re-mops the stepped areas. Then, the robot moves to the study and performs its first mopping, continuously monitoring for any moving objects in the damp areas. Alternatively, after completing the initial mopping of the bedroom and study, the robot may then perform a second mopping of each stepped area.

[0056] In the above embodiments, after the cleaning robot performs the initial sweeping and mopping of the target area, it moves to the trampled area to perform a second sweeping and mopping of the trampled area. However, this application embodiment is not limited to this; in other feasible implementations, the cleaning robot immediately performs a second sweeping and mopping of the trampled area after marking it each time.

[0057] In the above embodiments, during the process of the cleaning robot re-mopping and sweeping the trampled area, it continues to monitor whether any moving objects appear in the trampled area. If no moving objects appear in the trampled area, it returns to the base station after completing the re-mopping; if moving objects appear in the trampled area, it performs re-mopping based on the duration of the moving objects' stay in the trampled area and their movement trajectory, and then returns to the base station. The base station is set in a fixed location, such as a wall, and is also referred to as a base, maintenance station, dust collection station, charging station, dust collection seat, cleaning seat, charging pile, etc.

[0058] The cleaning method provided in this application embodiment identifies and monitors damp areas in real time during the mopping process of the cleaning robot. When a moving object appears in a damp area, the damp area is marked as a stepped area, and the stepped area is mopped again. Using this method, if a moving object accidentally steps into a recently mopped damp area, the cleaning robot can mark the stepped area and re-mop it. By monitoring and consolidating the cleaning results during the mopping process, the goal of improving cleaning quality is achieved.

[0059] Typically, cleaning robots operate in various modes, including sweeping, mopping, and sweep-mopping. When in sweeping mode, the robot only sweeps the target area without mopping. When in mopping mode, it mops the target area. When in sweep-mopping mode, it sweeps and mops simultaneously within the target area. Clearly, water stains, i.e., undried areas, are only possible when the robot's task includes mopping. Therefore, in this embodiment, before identifying undried areas, the robot first determines whether it is in a target working mode. The target working mode includes at least mopping, and the target mode could be, for example, the aforementioned sweep-mopping or mopping-mopping modes. When the robot is in the target working mode, the cleaning method described in this embodiment is executed. When the robot is not in the target working mode, the cleaning method described in this embodiment is not executed.

[0060] Optionally, in the above embodiments, to ensure timely monitoring of undried areas, the movement path of the cleaning robot in target mode differs from that in non-target mode. When the cleaning robot is in target mode, it plans its movement path according to the target mode. This path guides the robot to move back and forth to complete the sweeping and mopping of the target area. The path includes a straight section during the back-and-forth movement, and the length of this straight section is less than a preset length. For example, please refer to... Figure 3A and Figure 3B .

[0061] Figure 3AThis is the travel route in the non-target mode of the cleaning method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 3B This is the travel route in the target mode of the cleaning method provided in this application embodiment. Please refer to... Figure 3A and Figure 3B For the same target area, when the cleaning robot is working in a non-target mode, such as sweeping mode, it does not need to observe the already cleaned route. Apart from obstacle avoidance, it tries to maintain a straight line for cleaning. In other words, in non-target mode, the cleaning robot moves back and forth along the travel route to complete the cleaning of the target area, and the straight part of each reciprocating motion is as long as possible. Figure 3A In the diagram, the path between the two dashed lines represents the straight section during multiple repetitions.

[0062] When the cleaning robot is in target mode, such as sweeping and mopping mode, it needs to observe the cleaned route. To ensure that wet areas can be monitored, the straight sections of the travel path are shorter than a preset length, such as the total length of three cleaning robots, etc., but this application embodiment is not limited to this. Figure 3A In the diagram, the path between the two dashed lines is the straight section in the repeated cycles, and the length of this straight section is less than the preset length.

[0063] This approach significantly reduces the length of the straight-line route during reciprocating movement, ensuring that the cleaning robot can monitor undried areas.

[0064] Optionally, in the above embodiments, when the cleaning robot determines the undried area in real time, it determines its current position and a reference position from its travel path. The reference position is the position of the cleaning robot a certain time period ago. Then, based on the current position and the reference position, the undried area is determined. For example, please refer to... Figure 4A and Figure 4B .

[0065] Figure 4A This is a schematic diagram of an undried area in the cleaning method provided in this application embodiment. Please refer to... Figure 4A The black circle represents the position of the cleaning robot one hour ago after it arrived at the current position; this position is called the reference position. The cleaning robot draws a rectangle with the line segment between the reference position and the current position as its diagonal; this rectangle is the wet area.

[0066] Figure 4B This is a schematic diagram of another undried area in the cleaning method provided in this application embodiment. Please refer to... Figure 4B The cleaning robot uses the line segment between the reference position and the current position as an edge, and then draws a rectangle, which is the wet area.

[0067] The above Figure 4A In this context, the reference position is the starting point of the straight section in a certain reciprocating movement, and the current position is the ending point of the straight section in another reciprocating movement. Figure 4B In this context, the reference position is the endpoint of a straight section in a certain reciprocating movement, and the current position is the endpoint of a straight section in another reciprocating movement. It can be understood that when the reference position is a point on a straight section in a certain reciprocating movement (neither the endpoint nor the starting point), the cleaning robot can determine the undried area based on the endpoint, starting point, and current position corresponding to that reference point.

[0068] The embodiments of this application do not limit the method of determining the undried area. For example, in other implementations, the cleaning robot uses its current position as a reference and determines the width of the undried area based on a first duration and the moving speed of the cleaning robot. The center of the length of the undried area is the center of the cleaning robot when it is in its current position, and the length is a preset value, such as 1 meter, 1.5 meters, etc. The cleaning robot can determine the undried area based on the length and width.

[0069] This method accurately identifies the undried area by determining the undried area based on the reference location and the current location.

[0070] Optionally, in the above embodiments, the first duration can be a fixed value, such as 10 seconds, 20 seconds, etc. Alternatively, the cleaning robot can determine the first duration in real time based on one or more of the following: water output during mopping, current humidity, current temperature, and the robot's travel speed.

[0071] For example, a cleaning robot determines the rate of water evaporation based on the water output, current humidity, and current temperature, and then determines the initial duration based on its movement speed. Another example is that the cleaning robot determines the initial duration based on the season at the current moment. For instance, the initial duration is 15 seconds in the height of summer and 25 seconds in the depths of winter.

[0072] This approach calculates the accurate first time interval and then determines the undried area based on that first time interval, thus achieving the goal of accurately identifying the undried area.

[0073] Optionally, in the above embodiments, the user directs the target area to the cleaning robot via voice or an app. The cleaning robot then performs a mopping and sweeping operation on the target area, marking the stepped areas during the process. Before re-mopping the stepped areas, the cleaning robot checks whether the initial mopping of the target area has been completed. After completing the initial mopping of the target area, the robot moves to the stepped areas and re-mops them. If the cleaning robot has not completed the initial mopping of the target area, it marks the stepped areas on the environmental map and continues to perform the initial mopping of the target area until the initial mopping is completed, then re-mops each stepped area sequentially. For example, the cleaning robot identifies each stepped area from top to bottom in the target area and re-mops each stepped area in top-to-bottom order. Alternatively, the cleaning robot identifies each stepped area from left to right in the target area and re-mops each stepped area in left-to-right order.

[0074] Using this method, the cleaning robot will first mop and sweep the target area, and then mop and sweep the trampled area again. This avoids any areas that were missed during the initial cleaning of the target area, while achieving the goal of quickly cleaning and sweeping the target area.

[0075] Optionally, in the above embodiments, when a live animal enters the wet area, after the cleaning robot marks the wet area as a trampling area, it also sends instruction information to the terminal device used to control the cleaning robot to indicate the trampling area to the terminal device.

[0076] For example, users can control the cleaning robot via an app installed on a terminal device. After marking the trampled areas on an environmental map, the cleaning robot sends instruction information to the terminal device. The terminal device then marks and displays the trampled areas on the environmental map based on the instruction information, allowing users to intuitively see which areas have been trampled. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the stepped area displayed on the APP in the cleaning method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0077] Please refer to Figure 5 The left image illustrates a cleaning robot sweeping and mopping the living room according to its path; the thick black rectangles represent the areas it treads on. The right image shows a virtual environment displayed on the terminal device; the thick black rectangles in this virtual environment represent the areas it treads on.

[0078] The terminal device displays the trampled area and a button to indicate whether to re-mop the area. Based on the user's selection, it generates feedback information and sends it to the cleaning robot. Upon receiving the feedback, the cleaning robot determines whether to re-mop a particular trampled area. For example, the cleaning robot sends an instruction to the terminal device indicating trampled area a and trampled area b, and the user selects to re-mop trampled area a and not re-mop trampled area b. Then, after receiving the feedback, the cleaning robot completes the initial mopping of the object, moves to trampled area a, re-mops trampled area a, and returns to the base station after completing the re-mopping.

[0079] This approach provides feedback on the stepped area to the terminal device, allowing users to view it intuitively and determine whether to re-tamp the stepped area. The operation is simple and easy for users to control.

[0080] Optionally, in the above embodiments, when the cleaning robot mops and sweeps the stepped area, it first expands the stepped area by a preset multiple to obtain an expanded area. Then, it mops and sweeps the expanded area.

[0081] When animals move around in the designated trampling area, their feet get wet, and their movements may leave marks around the area. Therefore, when towing heavily, the original trampling area needs to be expanded proportionally. For example, if the original trampling area is a 1m x 1m square, the expanded area would be a 1.5m x 1m square. For an example, please refer to... Figure 6 .

[0082] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the stepped area and the extended area in the cleaning method provided in this application embodiment. Please refer to... Figure 6 The solid rectangle 61 represents the area the cleaning robot determines to tread based on the reference position and its current position, while the dashed rectangle 62 represents the extended area. This way, the area to be heavily mopped is larger than the area of ​​the treaded area, and the extended area encompasses the entire treaded area.

[0083] This method involves expanding the area that is stepped on to create an extended cleaning zone, and then heavily mopping that extended zone to improve the quality of cleaning.

[0084] Optionally, in the above embodiments, the following situation may also occur: a live animal moves within the trampled area. For example, during the initial mopping, a child walks in a wet area, and the cleaning robot marks a trampled area. After the cleaning robot completes the initial mopping of the target area, it moves to the trampled area to re-mop it, and another child enters and walks within the trampled area. To ensure the quality of the re-mopping, the cleaning robot continues to monitor the trampled area during the re-mopping, employing different strategies based on factors such as the duration the live animal stays in the trampled area.

[0085] In one approach, if a moving object enters the extended area while the cleaning robot is heavily mopping it, the mopping process is paused. The cleaning resumes once the moving object has moved out of the extended area.

[0086] For example, when the cleaning robot is performing a second cleaning of an extended area, it continuously captures images of the extended area and analyzes the images to determine if any moving objects have entered the extended area. If a moving object is found in the extended area, the cleaning is paused. Cleaning resumes once the moving object has moved out of the extended area. During the pause, if a moving object has visited an area within the extended area that has already been cleaned twice, that area is cleaned again.

[0087] With this approach, the cleaning robot continues to monitor the extended area while it is heavily mopping it. If a live animal appears in the extended area, the robot will continue mopping after the live animal is moved out, thus ensuring the quality of the heavy mopping.

[0088] Optionally, when a live animal moves within the extended area, its feet may become wet. Therefore, when the animal moves out of the extended area, it may leave water stains outside the extended area, thus leaving traces. To address this, during the cleaning robot's heavy mopping process, if a live animal is present in the extended area, the cleaning robot determines the animal's movement trajectory. This trajectory includes a first trajectory of the animal within the extended area and a second trajectory of the animal moving out of the extended area. After completing the mopping of the extended area, the cleaning robot mops along the second trajectory for a preset length.

[0089] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the first and second trajectories in the cleaning method provided in this application embodiment. Please refer to... Figure 7 The first trajectory is shown as a thick black solid line in the diagram, and the second trajectory is shown as a dashed line. During re-mopping, if the first trajectory is located in an area that has already been re-mopped, the area containing the first trajectory needs to be mopped again. For example, the cleaning robot performs a re-mopping of an extended area. After a period of time, a child enters the extended area, walking along the first and second trajectories, where the first trajectory is located in an area that has already been re-mopped. When the child enters, the cleaning robot pauses mopping. After the child runs out of the extended area, the cleaning robot resumes mopping. Because the area that has already been re-mopped is trampled on again, the cleaning robot re-mops the area containing the first trajectory and the remaining area in the extended area before the pause. Alternatively, the cleaning robot re-mops the entire extended area.

[0090] After the cleaning robot finishes mopping the extended area, it travels along the second trajectory and sweeps for a preset length, such as 0.5 meters or 1 meter. This application embodiment is not limited to this.

[0091] With this approach, when the cleaning robot re-mops and sweeps the extended area, if any moving objects enter, it will not only sweep and sweep the extended area but also sweep and sweep a distance along the direction of the moving objects' movement, thus greatly ensuring the cleaning quality.

[0092] In another approach, if a moving object enters the extended area while the cleaning robot is heavily mopping, the mopping of the extended area is paused. After a certain period of time, if the moving object continues to linger in the extended area, the location of the moving object is determined. Then, the remaining areas within the extended area, excluding the location where the moving object remained, are mopped.

[0093] For example, during heavy mopping, if a live animal lingers in the extended area for a relatively long time, waiting indefinitely for it to move out would be time-consuming. To prevent the cleaning robot from remaining in a paused state for extended periods, the robot starts timing from the moment it pauses. If the pause duration is greater than or equal to a second specified duration, the robot is considered to have spent more than or equal to the second specified duration within the extended area, and its location is determined. The cleaning robot then resumes cleaning and mopping of all areas within the extended area except for the location where the animal stopped.

[0094] With this approach, the cleaning robot continues to monitor the extended area while it is heavily mopping it. If a live animal appears in the extended area and stays there for a long time, the robot will perform a second mopping operation on the other areas in the extended area, except where the live animal is staying, thus ensuring the quality of the heavy mopping.

[0095] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of another cleaning method provided in an embodiment of this application. This embodiment includes:

[0096] 801. Determine the working mode as the target mode.

[0097] For example, the operating modes of the cleaning robot include sweeping mode, mopping mode, and sweep-mopping mode. The following steps are only performed in mopping mode or sweep-mopping mode to execute the cleaning method described in this application embodiment. In this application embodiment, mopping mode and sweep-mopping mode are collectively referred to as target modes.

[0098] 802. Identify undried areas in real time.

[0099] For example, the cleaning robot infers the evaporation rate based on the amount of water blown during mopping, the current humidity, and the current temperature. Combined with the cleaning robot's travel speed, it determines the wet areas, which are the areas that need to be monitored.

[0100] 803. Determine whether the first sweeping of the target area has been completed. If the first sweeping of the target area has not been completed, proceed to step 804; if the first sweeping of the target area has been completed, proceed to step 808.

[0101] The target area is the area that the user designates for the cleaning robot via voice, app control, or other means. The cleaning robot is responsible for cleaning and mopping the entire target area.

[0102] 804. Image Acquisition.

[0103] For example, a cleaning robot collects images of areas in a target area that have already been mopped or swept for the first time.

[0104] 805. When the image contains the moving object, determine the position of the moving object.

[0105] The cleaning robot is equipped with a pre-trained detection model, such as a human detection model. After acquiring images, the robot inputs them into the detection model, which analyzes the images to produce output results. These output results indicate whether the image contains any moving objects. When a moving object is detected, its location is marked using a depth camera or similar device.

[0106] It should be noted that even if an image contains some moving objects, for example, if the moving object is a person but the image does not contain the complete person, but only a part of the human body, such as an arm or a leg, the detection model can still give the result that the image contains moving objects.

[0107] 806. Determine whether the live animal is located in the wet area. If the live animal is located in the wet area, proceed to step 807; if the live animal is not located in the wet area, return to step 801.

[0108] In this embodiment, when the cleaning robot operates in target mode, the working process includes two stages: the initial mopping stage and the supplementary mopping stage. During the initial mopping stage, the robot marks the trampled area and cleans the entire target area, minimizing time during this process. If the cleaning robot detects any moving object entering a damp area, it marks that area as a trampled area and displays it on the app. After marking the trampled area, the robot monitors and re-mops the trampled area during the supplementary mopping stage.

[0109] 807. Mark the wet area as the trampled area, and then proceed to step 801.

[0110] 808. Proceed to the trampled area.

[0111] For example, after the cleaning robot completes the initial sweeping and mopping of the target area, it moves to the trampled area to begin additional mopping. When there is more than one trampled area, the cleaning robot plans its path accordingly based on the location of each trampled area on the environmental map and the robot's current location, and then proceeds to the trampled area to begin additional mopping.

[0112] 809. Expand the trampled area by a preset multiple to obtain an expanded area and drag it again.

[0113] When a live animal steps over a wet area, its feet will be wet, which will wet the originally dry ground. Therefore, the cleaning robot will expand the area it steps over by a preset multiple, such as 1.5 times, to obtain an expanded area and then mop it heavily.

[0114] 810. Determine whether all extended areas have been re-dragged. If all extended areas have not been re-dragged, proceed to step 811; if each extended area has been re-dragged, proceed to step 815.

[0115] 811. Acquire images.

[0116] 812. When the image contains the moving object, determine the position of the moving object.

[0117] For details, please refer to the description of step 805 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0118] 813. Determine whether the location of the live animal is within the extended area. If the location of the live animal is within the extended area, proceed to step 814; if the location of the live animal is not within the extended area, return to step 809.

[0119] 814. Pause mopping and wait until the animal moves out of the extended area or stays in the extended area for the second time before resuming mopping.

[0120] Unlike the initial mopping phase, the supplementary mopping phase only mops the extended area based on the trampled area, thus providing a more precise cleaning. During the supplementary mopping phase, when the cleaning robot detects a moving object in the extended area, it needs to pause mopping to accurately locate the object's position. Different handling strategies are employed depending on whether the moving object remains in the extended area.

[0121] If a live animal steps on the extended area and then moves out of the extended area (i.e., the live animal does not stay in the extended area), the cleaning robot will start the mopping program after the live animal moves out of the extended area.

[0122] When a live animal steps on and remains in the extended area, the cleaning robot determines the animal's position after determining that the duration of its stay in the extended area is greater than or equal to a second duration, and then sweeps and mops the other areas in the extended area except for the stated position. The second duration may be, for example, 10 seconds, 8 seconds, etc., and this embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0123] 815. After mopping, return to the base station.

[0124] The following are embodiments of the apparatus described in this application, which can be used to execute the embodiments of the method described in this application. For details not disclosed in the apparatus embodiments of this application, please refer to the embodiments of the method described in this application.

[0125] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this application. The cleaning device 900 includes: a first determining module 91, a second determining module 92, a marking module 93, and a processing module 94.

[0126] The first determining module 91 is used to determine the wet area in real time. The wet area includes the area that the cleaning robot has swept but has not yet dried within a first time period before the current time point.

[0127] The second determining module 92 is used to determine whether a live animal appears in the undried area;

[0128] The marking module 93 is used to mark the wet area as a trampled area when the second determining module 92 determines that there is a live animal in the wet area;

[0129] Processing module 94 is used for the trampled area marked by the marking module 93.

[0130] In one feasible implementation, when the processing module 94 sweeps the trampled area, it expands the trampled area by a preset multiple to obtain an expanded area; and sweeps the expanded area.

[0131] In one feasible implementation, when the processing module 94 is sweeping the extended area, it is used to determine whether there is a live animal entering the extended area; when a live animal enters the extended area, the sweeping of the extended area is paused; when the live animal moves out of the extended area, the sweeping of the extended area continues.

[0132] In one feasible implementation, the processing module 94 is further configured to determine the movement trajectory of the moving object, the movement trajectory including a first trajectory of the moving object within the extended area and a second trajectory of the moving object moving out of the extended area; after completing the sweeping and dragging of the extended area, sweeping and dragging along the second trajectory for a preset length.

[0133] In one feasible implementation, when the processing module 94 is sweeping the extended area, it is used to determine whether there is a live animal entering the extended area; when a live animal enters the extended area, the sweeping of the extended area is paused; when the live animal stays in the extended area for a duration greater than or equal to a second duration, the dwelling position of the live animal is determined; and the other positions in the extended area other than the dwelling position are swept.

[0134] In one feasible implementation, when the first determining module 91 determines the undried area in real time, it is used to determine the current position and the reference position from the travel path of the cleaning robot, wherein the reference position is the position of the cleaning robot a first time period ago; and determine the undried area based on the current position and the reference position.

[0135] In one feasible implementation, before the first determining module 91 determines the current position and reference position from the travel path of the cleaning robot, it is further configured to determine the first duration based on one or more of the following: the water output of the cleaning robot when mopping, the current humidity, the current temperature, and the travel speed of the cleaning robot.

[0136] In one feasible implementation, before the first determining module 91 determines the undried area in real time, it is further used to determine that the cleaning robot is in a target mode, and the task of the cleaning robot in the target mode includes at least a mopping task; a travel path is planned according to the target mode, the travel path is used to guide the cleaning robot to move back and forth to complete the mopping and sweeping of the target area, and the travel path includes a straight line part in the reciprocating movement process, the length of the straight line part is less than a preset length.

[0137] In one feasible implementation, when the second determining module 92 determines whether a live object appears in the undried area, it is used to acquire an image of the swept area; when the image contains the live object, it determines the position of the live object; it determines whether the position of the live object is located in the undried area; when the position of the live object is located in the undried area, it determines that a live object appears in the undried area.

[0138] In one feasible implementation, before the processing module 94 sweeps the trampled area, it is further configured to determine whether the initial sweeping of the target area has been completed; after the initial sweeping of the target area has been completed, it proceeds to the trampled area.

[0139] Please refer to the following: Figure 9 In one feasible implementation, the cleaning device 900 further includes:

[0140] The transceiver module 95 is used to mark the wet area as a trampling area when a live animal appears in the wet area, and then send instruction information to the terminal device used to control the cleaning robot to indicate the trampling area to the terminal device.

[0141] The cleaning device provided in this application embodiment can perform the actions of the cleaning robot in the above embodiment. Its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, and will not be described again here.

[0142] Figure 10This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. The electronic device 1000 is, for example, the cleaning robot described above, and includes:

[0143] Processor 1001 and memory 1002;

[0144] The memory 1002 stores computer instructions;

[0145] The processor 1001 executes the computer instructions stored in the memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform the cleaning method implemented by the cleaning robot as described above.

[0146] The specific implementation process of processor 1001 can be found in the above method embodiments, and its implementation principle and technical effect are similar. It will not be repeated here.

[0147] Optionally, the electronic device 1000 also includes a communication component 1003. The processor 1001, memory 1002, and communication component 1003 can be connected via a bus 1004.

[0148] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the cleaning method applied to a cleaning robot as described above.

[0149] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the cleaning method applied to a cleaning robot as described above.

[0150] Other embodiments of this application will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this application are indicated by the following claims.

[0151] It should be understood that this application is not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cleaning method, characterized in that, Applied to cleaning robots, the method includes: Real-time identification of wet areas, which include areas that the cleaning robot has swept but have not yet dried within a first time period before the current time point; Before determining the wet area in real time, the method further includes: determining that the cleaning robot is in a target mode, wherein the cleaning robot's tasks in the target mode include at least mopping. Determine whether any live animals are present in the undried area; When a live animal appears in the wet area, the wet area will be marked as a trampled area; Sweep and mop the area that has been stepped on.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mopping and sweeping of the trampled area includes: Expand the stepped area by a preset multiple to obtain an expanded area; sweep the expanded area.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The extended area to be swept includes: It is confirmed whether any live animals have entered the extended area; When a living creature enters the extended area, the sweeping of the extended area is paused. After the living creature moves out of the extended area, the sweeping and dragging of the extended area continues.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: Determine the movement trajectory of the live animal, the movement trajectory including a first trajectory of the live animal within the extended area, and a second trajectory of the live animal moving out of the extended area; After completing the sweeping and dragging of the extended area, sweep and drag along the second trajectory for a preset length.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The process of sweeping the extended area includes: confirming whether any living creature has entered the extended area; When a living creature enters the extended area, the sweeping of the extended area is paused. When the duration of stay of the active animal within the extended area is greater than or equal to the second duration, it is determined that... The location where the living creature stayed; Sweep and sweep the areas within the extended region, excluding the designated stopping position.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The real-time determination of the undried area includes: The current position and reference position are determined from the travel path of the cleaning robot, wherein the reference position is the position of the cleaning robot before the first time period; The undried area is determined based on the current location and the reference location.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Before determining the current position and reference position from the travel path of the cleaning robot, the process also includes: Based on the water output of the cleaning robot during mopping, the current humidity, the current temperature, and the cleaning... One or more of the robot's travel speeds determine the first duration.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Before determining the undried area in real time, the process also includes: The robot plans a travel path according to the target pattern. The travel path is used to guide the cleaning robot to move back and forth to complete the sweeping and mopping of the target area. The travel path includes a straight section during the back and forth movement, and the length of the straight section is less than a preset length.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Determining whether a live animal is present in the undried area includes: Acquire images of the swept area; When the image contains the moving object, determine the position of the moving object; determine whether the position of the moving object is located in the undried area; When the live animal is located in the wet area, it is determined that activity has occurred in the wet area. things.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Before mopping the trampled area, the process also includes: determining whether the initial mopping of the target area has been completed; After completing the initial sweeping and mopping of the target area, proceed to the designated stepping area.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, After marking the wet area as a trampled area when a live animal appears there, the method further includes: Instruction information is sent to a terminal device used to control the cleaning robot to indicate the area to be stepped on.

12. A cleaning device, characterized in that, include: The first determining module is used to determine the wet area in real time. The wet area is the area that has been swept but is not yet dry and is closest to the current position of the cleaning robot. Before determining the wet area in real time, the first determining module is further configured to: determine that the cleaning robot is in a target mode, and the cleaning robot's tasks in the target mode include at least mopping tasks; The second determining module is used to determine whether any living creatures are present in the undried area; The marking module is used to mark the wet area as a trampled area when the second determining module determines that a live animal is present in the wet area; A processing module is used for the trampled area marked by the marking module.

13. An electronic device comprising a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the computer program, it causes the electronic device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

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