Automatic pool cleaning device, control method and computer storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides an automatic pool cleaning device, a control method and a computer storage medium. The control method comprises the steps that the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to walk along the pool wall of a pool by at least one circle so as to obtain contour information of the pool; according to the contour information of the pool, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to move to the center area of the pool; controlling the automatic cleaning device for the water pool to move from the central area along the extension direction of the water pool; and when the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or is close to the edge of the pool, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to carry out cleaning operation according to a preset path.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of cleaning technology, and in particular to an automatic pool cleaning device, a control method and a computer storage medium. Background Art

[0002] With the improvement of people's living standards and the development of science and technology, automatic pool cleaning devices are becoming more and more widely used in places such as home swimming pools and public swimming pools. Automatic pool cleaning devices can automatically move along the bottom of the pool, removing dirt from the bottom and sides of the pool by suction or scrubbing, greatly reducing the labor intensity of manual cleaning and improving cleaning efficiency.

[0003] However, automated pool cleaning devices often struggle to accurately locate the right starting point for cleaning, especially without a pool map and repositioning capabilities. This makes it difficult to determine the optimal cleaning starting point and path, leading to incomplete cleaning and repeated cleaning.

[0004] Therefore, how to determine the cleaning starting point and plan the cleaning path accordingly to clean the pool in order to improve the coverage and efficiency of pool cleaning is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an automatic pool cleaning device, a control method, and a computer storage medium.

[0006] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for controlling an automatic pool cleaning device is provided, the method comprising:

[0007] Controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the pool wall for at least one circle to obtain contour information of the pool;

[0008] According to the contour information of the pool, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the central area of the pool;

[0009] Controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move from the central area along the extension direction of the pool;

[0010] When the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to perform cleaning operations according to a preset path.

[0011] In some embodiments, the central area includes an area where the center of a circumscribed rectangle of the pool outline is located or an area where the center of an inscribed rectangle of the pool outline is located.

[0012] In some embodiments, the extension direction of the pool includes the extension direction of the long side or the short side of the circumscribed rectangle, or the extension direction of the long side or the short side of the inscribed rectangle.

[0013] In some embodiments, the preset path includes a first sub-path and a second sub-path, the direction of the first sub-path is perpendicular to the direction of the second sub-path, and the direction of the first sub-path or the second sub-path is parallel to the extension direction of the pool.

[0014] In some embodiments, when the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to perform cleaning operations according to a preset path, including, when the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, determining whether the moving distance is less than or equal to half the length of the short side or long side of the circumscribed rectangle or the inscribed rectangle. If so, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to move along the pool wall until it encounters an obstacle or until it approaches or reaches the edge of the circumscribed rectangle or the inscribed rectangle.

[0015] In some embodiments, the circumscribed rectangle has the largest area among all circumscribed rectangles of the pool, and the inscribed rectangle also has the largest area among all inscribed rectangles of the pool.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first sub-path and the second sub-path are both straight paths.

[0017] In some embodiments, the contour information is obtained by a sensor provided on a side of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0018] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided an automatic pool cleaning device, characterized in that the automatic pool cleaning device comprises: a processing module, wherein:

[0019] The processing module is used to execute the steps of the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device described in the first aspect.

[0020] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising a processor, a memory, and an executable program stored in the memory and capable of being run by the processor, wherein the processor executes the steps of the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device described in the first aspect when running the executable program.

[0021] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided, on which an executable program is stored, characterized in that when the executable program is executed by a processor, the steps of the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device as described in the first aspect are implemented.

[0022] The disclosed embodiments provide an automatic pool cleaning device, a control method, and a computer storage medium. The control method includes: controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to travel along the pool wall for at least one circle to obtain the pool's contour information; controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the pool's center area based on the pool's contour information; controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move from the center area along the pool's extension direction; and controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to perform cleaning operations along a preset path when the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the pool's edge. This facilitates planning a cleaning path based on the pool's contour, and the device travels from the pool's center area toward the pool's extension direction. When the device reaches or approaches the pool's edge, it uses the edge as a starting point and performs cleaning according to the planned cleaning path. This improves cleaning integrity and reduces blindness in determining the cleaning starting point, achieving regular pool cleaning, reducing incomplete or repeated cleaning, and improving pool cleaning coverage and efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment.

[0024] Figure 2 This is one of the flow charts of a control method for an automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment;

[0025] Figure 3 This is one of the schematic diagrams showing the movement of an automatic pool cleaning device according to one embodiment;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a second schematic diagram of the automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment;

[0027] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the extension direction of a pool according to an embodiment;

[0028] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an inscribed rectangle and a circumscribed rectangle of an automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a third schematic diagram of the movement of the automatic pool cleaning device according to one embodiment;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a fourth schematic diagram of the automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment;

[0031] Figure 9 This is a fifth schematic diagram of the automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment;

[0032] Figure 10This is a sixth schematic diagram of the movement of the automatic pool cleaning device according to one embodiment;

[0033] Figure 11 This is a seventh schematic diagram of the movement of an automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment;

[0034] Figure 12 This is an eighth schematic diagram of the movement of the automatic pool cleaning device according to one embodiment;

[0035] Figure 13 This is a ninth schematic diagram of the operation of the automatic pool cleaning device according to one embodiment;

[0036] Figure 14 This is one of the flowcharts of a control method for an automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] To make the technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention more clearly understood, the following detailed description is given by way of specific embodiments. The accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and local features may be enlarged or reduced to more clearly illustrate the details of the local features. Unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those in the technical field to which this application belongs.

[0038] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0039] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0040] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0041] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "in one case A, in another case B," or "in one case A, in another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0042] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0043] This specification provides an automatic pool cleaning device. Figure 1 shown.

[0044] The automatic pool cleaning device can move autonomously within the pool area and complete cleaning tasks without external human input or control. The pool area can include: the pool bottom, pool sidewalls, water surface, etc.

[0045] For details, see Figure 1 As shown, the automatic pool cleaning device 100 at least includes a body 110 , a controller (not shown), one or more cleaning components 120 , a driving device 130 and a sensing component 140 .

[0046] The cleaning component 120 may specifically include one or more of the following: a roller brush, a water filter device, etc. The water filter device may include a water inlet, a water outlet, a water pump, a filter device, etc.

[0047] The shape of the fuselage can be circular, square or other shapes. For example, a part of the fuselage can be circular and another part can be square.

[0048] The controller may include a microcontroller unit (MCU). Of course, the controller may also include other devices that can have control functions.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the roller brush can gather foreign matter and move it toward the water inlet at the bottom of the automatic pool cleaning device. In addition, the roller brush can scrape the foreign matter off the bottom of the pool.

[0050] refer to Figure 1The driving device is arranged on the fuselage, and is used to drive the fuselage to walk on the bottom of the pool and / or move in the water. The driving device may include: a driving wheel, a crawler wheel, and a water spraying device.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the water spraying device is used to spray water in the opposite direction of the automatic pool cleaning device to drive the automatic pool cleaning device forward. The water spraying device may include a water outlet of the water filtration device or may be independent of the water filtration device.

[0052] The sensing component can obtain obstacle information, and the automatic pool cleaning device can detect and identify obstacles based on the obstacle information obtained by the sensing component. Furthermore, the controller can control the automatic pool cleaning device accordingly based on the detected and identified obstacles.

[0053] The sensing components may include lidar, line laser sensors, vision (image) sensors, and may also include edge sensors located on the side walls of the fuselage, speed measurement units, odometers and other sensing devices.

[0054] It is understandable that the above-mentioned automatic pool cleaning device is only an example and does not constitute a limitation of the embodiments of this specification.

[0055] When an automatic pool cleaning device begins cleaning a pool, it often struggles to accurately locate the appropriate starting point. Particularly without a pool map and repositioning capabilities, the device struggles to determine the pool's shape and size, making it impossible to determine the optimal cleaning starting point and path. This can lead to missed areas during cleaning or the need to perform multiple edge scans to determine the pool's shape, significantly reducing cleaning efficiency. Furthermore, automatic pool cleaning devices are typically unable to adaptively adjust their cleaning path based on the pool's actual shape, making irregularly shaped pools particularly prone to incomplete or repeated cleaning.

[0056] Therefore, a method for controlling an automatic pool cleaning device is needed that can automatically determine the center area and extension direction of the pool by obtaining pool contour information without a map and repositioning, and plan the cleaning path accordingly, so as to improve the coverage and efficiency of pool cleaning.

[0057] Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a method for controlling an automatic pool cleaning device, such as Figure 2 , control methods include:

[0058] Step 201: Control the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the pool wall for at least one circle to obtain contour information of the pool;

[0059] Step 202: Controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the center area of the pool according to the contour information of the pool;

[0060] Step 203: Controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move from the central area along the extension direction of the pool;

[0061] Step 204: When the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, control the automatic pool cleaning device to perform cleaning operations according to a preset path.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the method for controlling the automatic pool cleaning device may be executed by a controller of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the automatic pool cleaning device walking at least one circle along the pool wall includes at least one of the following: the automatic pool cleaning device walking at least one circle along the pool wall on the bottom of the pool; the automatic pool cleaning device walking at least one circle along the pool wall on the water surface of the pool.

[0064] The automatic pool cleaning device can move along the pool wall in an edge-adjacent manner. When the automatic pool cleaning device moves along the pool wall, the automatic pool cleaning device contacts the pool wall or is spaced apart from the pool wall by a predetermined edge-adjacent distance.

[0065] For example, the automatic pool cleaning device can move along the bottom of the pool. Moving along the bottom of the pool can include: the automatic pool cleaning device moving along the bottom of the pool while maintaining contact with the pool wall; the automatic pool cleaning device moving along the bottom of the pool while maintaining a distance from the pool wall.

[0066] The automatic pool cleaning device can walk along the pool wall for at least one circle to obtain complete contour information of the pool.

[0067] In one possible implementation, the contour information may be used to indicate the coordinates of the pool contour. For example, the contour information may be used to indicate the coordinates of each discrete point constituting the pool contour.

[0068] In one possible implementation, the automatic pool cleaning device may record its own trajectory along the pool wall and use the trajectory as profile information.

[0069] In some embodiments, the contour information is obtained by a sensor provided on a side of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0070] Specifically, the automatic pool cleaning device first walks along the wall of the pool for at least one circle. During the walking process, the automatic pool cleaning device continuously collects the contour information of the pool through the sensors set on its side. The sensor can be an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor or a laser sensor, etc., which is used to detect the distance between the automatic pool cleaning device and the pool wall. In the process of walking along the pool wall, the cleaning device can record the coordinate points of the walking path, and determine the accurate contour information of the pool based on the coordinate points of the walking path and the distance between the automatic pool cleaning device and the pool wall at each coordinate point. For example, the contour information indicates the contour of the pool such as Figure 3 shown.

[0071] After determining the pool's contour information, the automated pool cleaning device can determine the pool's central region based on the contour information. The central region can include the area where the pool's center is located. In some embodiments, the pool's center can be the geometric center of the pool's contour or a center of another nature. For example, the central region can include a circular region with the pool's center as its center and a radius of a predetermined length. For another example, the central region can include a rectangular region with the pool's center as its center. Details are omitted here.

[0072] In one possible implementation, the center of the pool may include the geometric center of the pool outline, the centroid of the pool outline shape, etc.

[0073] The automatic pool cleaning device can determine the center coordinates of the pool through contour information, and then determine the center area. Figure 4 As shown, after the automatic pool cleaning device determines the center area, it can move directly to the center area. For example, the automatic pool cleaning device can move directly to the center of the pool. The automatic pool cleaning device moving directly to the center of the pool may include the body of the automatic pool cleaning device overlapping with the center of the pool.

[0074] like Figure 4 As shown, the automatic pool cleaning device reaches the central area (as shown in FIG. Figure 4 After the user reaches the edge of the pool (as indicated by the arrow C in the middle), the user can move along the extension direction of the pool toward the edge of the pool. The extension direction of the pool can include the direction of the pool. The extension direction of the pool can include the length direction of the pool, and can also include the width direction of the pool, etc.

[0075] In a possible implementation, the extension direction of the pool may include the direction of a line connecting two pool edge (pool wall) points whose line passes through the center of the pool and has the longest line distance. Figure 5As shown, the line connecting points A and B on the pool edge passes through the pool center O, and the line connecting points A and B is the longest of all lines connecting two pool edge points that pass through the pool center O. After reaching the center, the automatic pool cleaning device can use the line connecting points A and B as the pool extension direction and move toward points A or B. This allows the automatic pool cleaning device to reach the farthest end of the pool. Starting cleaning from the farthest end can reduce missed areas.

[0076] The automatic pool cleaning device reaching the edge of the pool may include at least one of the following: the automatic pool cleaning device making contact with the pool edge while moving along the direction in which the pool extends; or the automatic pool cleaning device reaching a position where the distance from the pool edge is zero. For example, the automatic pool cleaning device may determine whether the automatic pool cleaning device has made contact with the pool edge based on a collision sensor.

[0077] The automatic pool cleaning device being close to the edge of the pool may include at least one of the following: the automatic pool cleaning device reaching a distance from the edge of the pool that is less than a proximity threshold. For example, the automatic pool cleaning device may determine the distance between the automatic pool cleaning device and the edge of the pool based on a distance sensor.

[0078] When the automatic pool cleaning device moves to or near the edge of the pool, it can begin cleaning operations along a preset path. The cleaning operation may include using cleaning components to clean the pool floor and / or the water in the pool. Here, whether the automatic pool cleaning device is performing the cleaning operation can be determined based on the status of the cleaning components.

[0079] In one possible implementation, the automatic pool cleaning device may or may not perform cleaning operations while walking along the pool wall and / or walking from the central area in the direction of extension of the pool.

[0080] In one possible implementation, the cleaning operation performed by the automatic pool cleaning device may include cleaning at least one of the following: the pool bottom, the pool sidewall, the water body, and the water surface.

[0081] In one possible implementation, the preset path includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: a walking path along the edge, when cleaning along the edge, you can preferentially walk along the edge of the pool and then fill the internal area; a spiral walking path, that is, spirally contracting from the outside to the inside; a bow-shaped walking path.

[0082] Throughout the cleaning process, the automatic pool cleaning device continuously monitors its surroundings through sensors to avoid collisions with obstacles. If an obstacle is detected during the cleaning process, the automatic pool cleaning device automatically adjusts its path to bypass the obstacle and then continues cleaning along the preset path.

[0083] In this way, the automated pool cleaning device determines the pool's contours by traversing the pool wall at least once. This allows it to identify any missed areas during the cleaning process, improving cleaning integrity. The automated pool cleaning device begins at the center of the pool and continues cleaning along its predetermined path when it reaches or approaches the pool's edge. This reduces the need for blind spot checks when determining the cleaning starting point, enabling regular pool cleaning and minimizing incomplete or duplicate cleanings, thereby improving pool cleaning coverage and efficiency.

[0084] The central area of the pool can be determined in different ways. To reduce the complexity of the central area, the central area can be determined in the following way.

[0085] In some embodiments, the central area includes an area where the center of a circumscribed rectangle of the pool outline is located or an area where the center of an inscribed rectangle of the pool outline is located.

[0086] like Figure 6 As shown, the circumscribed rectangle (indicated by arrow X) can be a rectangle that completely encloses the pool outline. For example, the four sides of the circumscribed rectangle can be tangent to the pool outline. The inscribed rectangle (indicated by arrow Y) is a rectangle that can be completely enclosed by the pool outline. For example, the four vertices of the inscribed rectangle can touch the pool outline.

[0087] In some embodiments, the terms "pool outline," "pool sidewall," "pool wall," etc. may be used interchangeably unless inconsistent.

[0088] For example, Figure 6 As shown, the coordinates of the center point O1 of the circumscribed rectangle can be obtained by calculating the intersection of the diagonals of the circumscribed rectangle. After obtaining the pool outline information, the automatic pool cleaning device can calculate the coordinates of the four vertices of the circumscribed rectangle and then calculate the intersection of the diagonals, which is the coordinate of the center point. The coordinates of the center point O2 of the inscribed rectangle can be obtained by calculating the intersection of the diagonals of the inscribed rectangle. After obtaining the pool outline information, the automatic pool cleaning device can calculate the largest rectangle that can be completely enclosed by the pool outline and then calculate the coordinates of the center point of this rectangle.

[0089] In a possible implementation, the automatic pool cleaning device may select, based on a preset setting, an area where the center of a circumscribed rectangle is located or an area where the center of an inscribed rectangle is located as the central area of the pool.

[0090] In one possible implementation, the automatic pool cleaning device may select the center of a circumscribed rectangle or the center of an inscribed rectangle based on the pool's outline as the pool's center. For example, for a pool with a shape close to a circle or ellipse, the automatic pool cleaning device may select the center of the circumscribed rectangle as the pool's center. For pools with unusual shapes, such as those with a circumscribed rectangle whose center lies outside the pool's outline, the device may select the center of the inscribed rectangle as the pool's center.

[0091] On the one hand, selecting the center area of the pool's circumscribed rectangle or the center area of its inscribed rectangle as the center area reduces the complexity of determining the center area, thereby reducing the computational load on the automated pool cleaning device. On the other hand, selecting either the center area of the circumscribed rectangle or the center area of the inscribed rectangle as the center area increases the flexibility of center area selection, meeting the needs of different scenarios.

[0092] In some embodiments, the circumscribed rectangle has the largest area among all circumscribed rectangles of the pool, and the inscribed rectangle also has the largest area among all inscribed rectangles of the pool.

[0093] After obtaining the pool's outline, the automated pool cleaning system calculates the pool's circumscribed rectangle or inscribed rectangle based on this information. The circumscribed rectangle can be the largest rectangle that completely encloses the pool's outline, while the inscribed rectangle can be the largest rectangle that can be completely enclosed by the pool's outline. The center of the largest circumscribed rectangle or the center of the largest inscribed rectangle is closer to the pool's geometric center. This combination of the largest circumscribed rectangle and the largest inscribed rectangle can better summarize the pool's extension and outline, facilitating the automated pool cleaning system's cleaning path planning.

[0094] In some embodiments, the extension direction of the pool includes the extension direction of the long side or the short side of the circumscribed rectangle, or the extension direction of the long side or the short side of the inscribed rectangle.

[0095] Starting from the central area, the automatic pool cleaning device can move along the extension direction of the pool. The extension direction of the pool can be the extension direction of the long side or short side of the circumscribed rectangle, or the extension direction of the long side or short side of the inscribed rectangle.

[0096] For example, Figure 7 As shown, the automatic pool cleaning device moves from the central area along the extending direction of the long side of the circumscribed rectangle (the moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device is perpendicular to the short side of the circumscribed rectangle).

[0097] In one possible implementation, the automatic pool cleaning device may preferentially move along the direction of the long side of the circumscribed rectangle. The long side of the circumscribed rectangle represents the primary direction of the pool's extension. This allows the automatic pool cleaning device to reach farther edges, reducing the risk of incomplete cleaning.

[0098] In some embodiments, the preset path includes a first sub-path and a second sub-path, the direction of the first sub-path is perpendicular to the direction of the second sub-path, and the direction of the first sub-path or the second sub-path is parallel to the extension direction of the pool.

[0099] In a possible implementation, the central area is the area where the center of the circumscribed rectangle is located, and the extension direction of the pool may include one of the following: the extension direction of the long side of the circumscribed rectangle; the extension direction of the short side of the circumscribed rectangle.

[0100] In a possible implementation, the central area is the area where the center of the inscribed rectangle is located, and the extension direction of the pool may include one of the following: the extension direction of the long side of the inscribed rectangle; the extension direction of the short side of the inscribed rectangle.

[0101] For example, Figure 8 As described above, the automatic pool cleaning device moves from the central area along the direction of the long side of the circumscribed rectangle to the edge of the pool. The automatic pool cleaning device first moves along the first sub-path in a straight line (indicated by arrow a). When it approaches or reaches the edge of the pool, it turns 90 degrees and moves in a straight line along the second sub-path (indicated by arrow b). Then, it turns 90 degrees again, and repeats this process until the entire pool area is covered. Here, the second sub-path is parallel to the direction of the long side. Similarly, the automatic pool cleaning device also moves from the central area along the direction of the long and short sides of the circumscribed rectangle to the edge of the pool, and then moves along the preset path. I will not go into details here.

[0102] In one possible implementation, the direction in which the automatic pool cleaning device extends from the central area of the pool is determined based on a preset path.

[0103] For example, Figure 8 As shown, the preset path is a bow-shaped path, and the first sub-path with a longer walking path in the bow-shaped path is parallel to the short side of the circumscribed rectangle, so the extension direction of the pool is the extension direction of the long side of the circumscribed rectangle.

[0104] In some embodiments, the first sub-path and the second sub-path are both straight paths.

[0105] Here, the preset path may include a “bow”-shaped path. The first sub-path and the second sub-path may be paths perpendicular to each other in the “bow”-shaped path.

[0106] In a possible implementation, one of the first sub-path and the second sub-path is perpendicular to the extension direction of the pool, and the other of the first sub-path and the second sub-path is an edge path.

[0107] The path along the edge may include a path along the edge of the pool. When the automatic pool cleaning device is walking along the edge, the automatic pool cleaning device is in contact with the pool wall or is spaced apart by a predetermined distance along the edge.

[0108] For example, Figure 9 As described, the automatic pool cleaning device moves from the center area along the direction of the long side of the circumscribed rectangle until it reaches or approaches the edge of the pool. The automatic pool cleaning device first moves in a straight line along a first sub-path (indicated by arrow x) perpendicular to the direction of the long side. When it approaches or reaches the edge of the pool, it moves along a second sub-path (indicated by arrow y) for a short distance along the edge, then turns back to the first sub-path perpendicular to the direction of the long side and moves in a straight line, and repeats this process until the entire pool area is covered. In this way, the second sub-path can clean the edge of the pool, reducing blind spots and improving cleaning results.

[0109] In some embodiments, when the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to perform cleaning operations according to a preset path, including, when the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, determining whether the moving distance is less than or equal to half the length of the short side or long side of the circumscribed rectangle or the inscribed rectangle. If so, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to move along the pool wall until it encounters an obstacle or until it approaches or reaches the edge of the circumscribed rectangle or the inscribed rectangle.

[0110] Here, the moving distance may include the distance that the automatic pool cleaning device moves from the central area to the edge of the pool or close to the edge of the pool.

[0111] The cleaning device moves along the pool wall until it encounters an obstacle or until it approaches or reaches the edge of the circumscribed rectangle or the inscribed rectangle, and the automatic pool cleaning device can be controlled to perform cleaning operations according to a preset path.

[0112] Specifically, the direction in which the automatic pool cleaning device moves from the center area to the edge (i.e., the direction in which the pool extends) is consistent with the direction in which the short side or long side of the circumscribed rectangle extends, or the direction in which the short side or long side of the inscribed rectangle extends, is compared with the distance traveled. That is, if the automatic pool cleaning device moves from the center area along the direction in which the short side of the circumscribed rectangle extends until it reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, the distance traveled is compared with half the length of the short side of the circumscribed rectangle. If the automatic pool cleaning device moves from the center area along the direction in which the long side of the circumscribed rectangle extends until it reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, the distance traveled is compared with half the length of the long side of the circumscribed rectangle. If the automatic pool cleaning device moves from the center area along the direction in which the short side of the inscribed rectangle extends until it reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, the distance traveled is compared with half the length of the short side of the inscribed rectangle. If the automatic pool cleaning device moves from the center area along the direction in which the long side of the inscribed rectangle extends until it reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, the distance traveled is compared with half the length of the long side of the inscribed rectangle.

[0113] like Figure 10 As shown, if the moving distance is too small, it means that the automatic pool cleaning device is closer to the center area when it reaches or approaches the edge of the pool. The cleaning starts from a position closer to the center area as the starting point of the predetermined walking path. For example, if the bow-shaped path cleaning is performed, there will be some areas that are missed (such as Figure 10 The automatic pool cleaning device needs to further clean the missed cleaning areas, thereby increasing the complexity of controlling the automatic pool cleaning device and easily leaving missed cleaning areas.

[0114] Therefore, if the moving distance is too small, for example, the moving distance is less than one-quarter of the length of the short side or long side of the circumscribed rectangle or the inscribed rectangle, or the moving distance is less than N (N is an integer greater than or equal to 1) lengths of the body of the automatic pool cleaning device, when the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, the automatic pool cleaning device can be controlled to move along the pool wall until it encounters an obstacle or until it approaches or reaches the edge of the circumscribed rectangle or the inscribed rectangle, and then performs the cleaning operation according to the preset path.

[0115] Here, encountering an obstacle may include: a pool wall at a predetermined distance from the automatic pool cleaning device in the moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0116] For example, Figure 11As shown, when the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, it can be controlled to move along the pool wall until it approaches or reaches the edge of the circumscribed rectangle, whereupon it will perform cleaning operations according to a preset path. When the automatic pool cleaning device approaches or reaches the edge of the circumscribed rectangle, it indicates that it has reached the topmost point of the pool wall. Using the topmost point as the starting point of the predetermined path for cleaning can reduce areas that are missed, thereby improving cleaning results.

[0117] In one possible implementation, whether the automatic pool cleaning device approaches or reaches the edge of the circumscribed rectangle or the inscribed rectangle can be determined by the distance the automatic pool cleaning device moves in the direction of the pool extension (the direction of the long side or short side of the circumscribed rectangle, or the direction of the long side or short side of the inscribed rectangle). Figure 11 As shown, if the automatic pool cleaning device moves along the pool wall and it is determined that the moving distance of the automatic pool cleaning device from the center area along the extension direction of the short side of the circumscribed rectangle is greater than half the length of the short side of the circumscribed rectangle, then it can be determined that the automatic pool cleaning device is approaching or reaching the edge (long side edge) of the circumscribed rectangle.

[0118] If the automatic pool cleaning device cannot approach or reach the edge of the circumscribed rectangle or the inscribed rectangle while walking along the pool wall, the starting point of the predetermined walking path can be determined by determining whether there is an obstacle (front pool wall).

[0119] For example, Figure 12 As shown, when the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, the automatic pool cleaning device can be controlled to move along the pool wall. Since the current automatic pool cleaning device cannot reach or approach the long side edge of the circumscribed rectangle along the direction of movement of the pool wall, the automatic pool cleaning device can perform cleaning operations according to a preset path when encountering an obstacle (a pool wall that is less than a predetermined distance away from the automatic pool cleaning device in the direction of movement of the automatic pool cleaning device). When the automatic pool cleaning device encounters an obstacle (pool wall), it is usually located in the angle area of the pool. Cleaning from the angle area can reduce the missed cleaning area, thereby improving the cleaning effect.

[0120] In one possible implementation, the automatic pool cleaning device can determine whether the automatic pool cleaning device encounters an obstacle based on the angle between the moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device and the extension direction of the long side or short side of the circumscribed rectangle, or the angle between the moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device and the extension direction of the long side or short side of the inscribed rectangle.

[0121] For example, Figure 13As shown, when the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, it can be controlled to move along the pool wall. Since the automatic pool cleaning device cannot reach or approach the long side of the circumscribed rectangle by its current movement direction along the pool wall, the automatic pool cleaning device can detect the angle α between the direction of movement of the automatic pool cleaning device and the long side of the circumscribed rectangle. When the angle α is greater than a predetermined angle, it indicates that the automatic pool cleaning device is in front of the pool wall. In this case, the automatic pool cleaning device can perform cleaning operations according to the preset path.

[0122] In combination with the above embodiments, a specific example is provided here.

[0123] The control method of the automatic pool cleaning device is as follows Figure 14 As shown, specifically including:

[0124] Step 1401: The automatic pool cleaning device enters the water and starts to move along the edge and records its trajectory along the edge.

[0125] Step 1402: After a circle along the edge, determine the center position O of the swimming pool by using the edge trajectory and the circumscribed rectangle.

[0126] Step 1403: The automatic pool cleaning device moves to the center position O of the swimming pool through navigation.

[0127] Step 1404: Determine the bow direction based on the pool outline (e.g., use the long side of the circumscribed rectangle as the short side of the bow, and the short side of the circumscribed rectangle as the long side of the bow), and move forward in the direction of the short side of the circumscribed rectangle until the edge of the pool is detected (i.e., edge detection movement).

[0128] Step 1405: When reaching the outermost edge of the swimming pool, the automatic pool cleaning device rotates toward the long side and starts a bow-shaped path.

[0129] Specifically, such as Figure 8 As shown, when the distance moved by the edge probe is equal to half the length of the side of the circumscribed rectangle, the bow shape is started directly;

[0130] Specifically, such as Figure 10 As shown in the figure, when the edge detection distance is much less than half the length of the short side, the edge detection is continued by following the edge until the Y-axis offset dy from the center point position is equal to half the length of the short side of the circumscribed rectangle, or when an obstacle is detected in front during the edge detection, the edge detection is terminated and the bow-shaped path is started from this position.

[0131] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an automatic pool cleaning device, which includes a controller, wherein the controller is configured to execute the steps of the control method for the automatic pool cleaning device of any of the above embodiments.

[0132] In one possible implementation, the automatic pool cleaning device is used to clean the bottom of the pool, the side walls of the pool, and the water in the pool.

[0133] The disclosed embodiment also provides a control device for an automatic pool cleaning device, which can be set in the control device, such as Figure 5 As shown, the control device 50 includes: a processing module 51, which is used to:

[0134] Controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the pool wall for at least one circle to obtain contour information of the pool;

[0135] According to the contour information of the pool, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the central area of the pool;

[0136] Controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move from the central area along the extension direction of the pool;

[0137] When the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to perform cleaning operations according to a preset path.

[0138] In some embodiments, the central area includes an area where the center of a circumscribed rectangle of the pool outline is located or an area where the center of an inscribed rectangle of the pool outline is located.

[0139] In some embodiments, the extension direction of the pool includes the extension direction of the long side or the short side of the circumscribed rectangle, or the extension direction of the long side or the short side of the inscribed rectangle.

[0140] In some embodiments, the preset path includes a first sub-path and a second sub-path, the direction of the first sub-path is perpendicular to the direction of the second sub-path, and the direction of the first sub-path or the second sub-path is parallel to the extension direction of the pool.

[0141] In some embodiments, the processing module is specifically used to: when the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, determine whether the moving distance is less than or equal to half the length of the short side or long side of the circumscribed rectangle or the inscribed rectangle; if so, control the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the pool wall until it encounters an obstacle or until it approaches or reaches the edge of the circumscribed rectangle or the inscribed rectangle.

[0142] In some embodiments, the circumscribed rectangle has the largest area among all circumscribed rectangles of the pool, and the inscribed rectangle also has the largest area among all inscribed rectangles of the pool.

[0143] In some embodiments, the first sub-path and the second sub-path are both straight paths.

[0144] In some embodiments, the contour information is obtained by a sensor provided on a side of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0145] For ease of understanding, the following focuses on the terms used in this embodiment:

[0146] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, a processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processing circuit (DSP); in another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of a hardware circuit, and the logical relationship of the above-mentioned hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable, such as a hardware circuit implemented by a processor as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document to implement the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0147] The computer-readable storage medium provided in this embodiment can execute the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device in the above embodiment. Its implementation principle and technical effects are similar to those of the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here in this embodiment.

[0148] The computer-readable storage medium mentioned above can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile memory device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0149] An exemplary readable storage medium is coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the readable storage medium and write information to the readable storage medium. Of course, the readable storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the readable storage medium can be located in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Of course, the processor and the readable storage medium can also exist as discrete components in an electronic device or a main control device.

[0150] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the steps in the above-described method embodiments can be implemented using hardware associated with program instructions. The aforementioned program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the program performs the steps of the above-described method embodiments. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0151] The various embodiments or implementation methods in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments, and the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0152] Throughout this specification, references to "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples" mean that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in conjunction with an embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, illustrative references to the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0153] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some or all of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A control method for an automatic pool cleaning device, characterized in that: The method comprises: Controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the pool wall for at least one circle to obtain contour information of the pool; According to the contour information of the pool, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the central area of the pool; Controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move from the central area along the extension direction of the pool; When the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to perform cleaning operations according to a preset path.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The central area includes an area where the center of a circumscribed rectangle of the pool outline is located or an area where the center of an inscribed rectangle of the pool outline is located.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The extending direction of the pool includes the extending direction of the long side or the short side of the circumscribed rectangle, or the extending direction of the long side or the short side of the inscribed rectangle.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The preset path includes a first sub-path and a second sub-path, the direction of the first sub-path is perpendicular to the direction of the second sub-path, and the direction of the first sub-path or the second sub-path is parallel to the extension direction of the pool.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that When the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to perform cleaning operations according to a preset path, including, when the automatic pool cleaning device reaches or approaches the edge of the pool, determining whether the moving distance is less than or equal to half the length of the short side or long side of the circumscribed rectangle or the inscribed rectangle; if so, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the pool wall until it encounters an obstacle or until it approaches or reaches the edge of the circumscribed rectangle or the inscribed rectangle.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The circumscribed rectangle has the largest area among all the circumscribed rectangles of the pool, and the inscribed rectangle also has the largest area among all the inscribed rectangles of the pool.

7. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first sub-path and the second sub-path are both straight line paths.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The contour information is obtained by a sensor provided on the side of the automatic pool cleaning device.

9. An automatic pool cleaning device, characterized in that: The automatic pool cleaning device includes: a processing module, wherein: The processing module is used to execute the steps of the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An electronic device comprising a processor, a memory, and an executable program stored in the memory and capable of being run by the processor, wherein: When the processor runs the executable program, the processor performs the steps of the method for controlling the automatic pool cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A storage medium having an executable program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the executable program is executed by the processor, the steps of the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 are implemented.

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