Underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface

Abstract

An underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, characterized by comprising remote control means consisting of control means configured to provide activation and deactivation by voice commands, which are integrated into at least one external electronic device (3) to which the robot (1) is connected and which is located, at least partially, on the surface or out of the water; the electronic device (3) being connected by a physical connection cable (4) to the robot (1), or to a floating element, such as a buoy (7), which in turn is connected to the robot (1) by a cable (4) or wirelessly by sonar link.

Description

Underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The invention, as stated in the present descriptive memorandum, refers to an underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, providing advantages and characteristics, which are described in detail below. The object of the present invention is an underwater robot, for example, and without limitation, those intended to perform cleaning tasks at the bottom of a swimming pool, which is distinguished by comprising remote control means to activate and deactivate its operation and, optionally, the different maneuvers it can perform, by voice command from an electronic device located, at least partially, on the surface, outside the water, with which it is connected, which can be a device connected directly to the robot by cable, can be mobile and installed on a buoy or floating element that is connected to the robot by cable or wirelessly by sonar link, or can be mobile and independent of the buoy with which it can be linked wirelessly by wifi or bluetooth connection. FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION The field of application of the present invention falls within the sector of the industry dedicated to the manufacture of robots, focusing particularly on the field of underwater or submarine robots, while also encompassing the field of voice communications. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Robots that operate autonomously to perform a multitude of different tasks and functions are widely known, and it is common for them to have remote control, either by cable or by wireless connection via wifi or bluetooth to control their activation and deactivation as well as the different functions they can perform. The problem is that, when the robot is of the underwater type, being submerged underwater, communications with it are more complicated, especially if they are intended to be wireless, since they do not work by either Wifi or Bluetooth. On the other hand, the activation of robots and other electrical or electronic devices through the use of voice commands, although known in many sectors, is not known in underwater robots, precisely because of the difficulty of communicating with the underwater environment that this entails. The objective of the present invention is, therefore, the development of an underwater robot that can be voice-controlled from a device located, at least partially, on the surface of the water, allowing its application for different functionalities. Furthermore, and with reference to the current state of the art, it should be noted that, at least as far as the applicant is concerned, there is no other robot known to have technical, structural and constitutive characteristics equal or similar to those claimed herein. EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION The underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface that the invention proposes is configured as an ideal solution to achieve the objectives indicated above, with the characterizing details that make it possible and that distinguish it being conveniently included in the final claims that accompany this description. Specifically, what the invention proposes, as previously mentioned, is an underwater robot, for example, and without limiting itself to those intended to perform cleaning tasks at the bottom of a swimming pool, which is distinguished by comprising remote control means that allow the activation of the operation and / or the different maneuvers that the robot can perform by voice commands, said control means being integrated in an external electronic device which, located, at least partially, on the surface, outside the water, is connected to the robot, either physically by cable or wirelessly through a buoy or floating element. Thus, in one embodiment, the underwater robot is connected by a physical cable to the external electronic device with the means of remote control that is located outside the water, and from which it receives both the power or electrical supply and the communications, allowing its activation and control by means of voice commands directed by the user that said device collects through a microphone with which it is provided. In another embodiment, the underwater robot is connected by a physical cable to a buoy, or similar floating element, located, at least partially, on the surface of the water, from which it receives power and communications from the electronic device with the remote control means, which may be integrated into the buoy itself, receiving commands through a microphone provided for this purpose, or consist of an independent device, such as a mobile phone, with which the buoy can be linked wirelessly via a wifi or bluetooth module. And, in another embodiment, the underwater robot is wirelessly connected, via sonar link, to the buoy or floating element located, at least partially, on the surface of the water, and the electronic device may be integrated or be an independent mobile device that is linked via wifi or bluetooth, the latter being a preferred embodiment. In any case, the control of the underwater robot is advantageously carried out by voice command made by the user from the outside. It should be noted that, in one implementation, when the electronic device with the voice-command remote control capabilities is integrated into the buoy, it includes one or more microphones so that it listens for a possible voice activation keyword such as "Alexa." However, this is a complex solution given the potential for ambient noise. Furthermore, this solution requires the buoy to constantly listen for and process the audio signal, which consumes battery power and is impractical. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the underwater robot is controlled from a mobile phone app that is part of the external electronic device. This app has a "microphone" button that listens to and analyzes what the user says, interpreting it as a voice command that is then sent to the robot via its connectivity. This connection could be direct via cable, but preferably wireless, via Wi-Fi / Bluetooth, through the buoy that connects to the robot. Also, in another alternative implementation option, the robot can be linked with external third-party electronic devices to receive voice commands from the cloud. To do this, for example, the robot will have to be registered on a platform of the robot's manager or manufacturer, where each user will have to register their robot, and ensure connectivity from the cloud to it, either through their mobile phone or through the buoy, which, in turn, must be linked to a wifi connection, for example that of the home or facility where the robot will be used. Once the robot is connected to the internet via its buoy, the user can control it by voice using any existing voice assistant on the market, such as Alexa or Google Assistant. To do this, the service provider or robot manufacturer must integrate their platform so it can receive commands from the assistants' servers, and then send the command to the robot via the buoy. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To complement the description being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, this descriptive document is accompanied, as an integral part thereof, by sheets of drawings in which the following has been represented for illustrative and non-limiting purposes: Figure 1 shows a schematic side elevation representation of a first example of the underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, the object of the invention, specifically an example with a direct cable connection to the external electronic device; Figure 2 shows a schematic representation similar to the previous one of another embodiment of the robot of the invention, in this case with connection to the external device through a buoy; and Figure number 3 shows a schematic representation similar to that of figure 2, in this case with a sonar link connection between the robot and the buoy. PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION In view of the aforementioned figures, and in accordance with the numbering adopted, three examples of non-limiting embodiments of the underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface of the invention can be observed, which comprises what is described in detail below. Thus, as can be seen in said figures, the underwater robot (1) of the invention, for its autonomous movement under the surface of the water, for example on the bottom of a swimming pool (2), comprises remote control means, intended at least to provide its activation and deactivation, which consist of control means by means of voice commands, said control means being integrated in at least one external electronic device (3) with which the robot (1) is connected and which is located, at least partially, on the surface or outside the water. In one embodiment, such as that shown in Figure 1, the electronic device (3) that integrates the robot's control means (1) by means of voice commands is a device that is connected by a physical connection cable (4) to the robot (1) and that, through a microphone (5) with which it is provided, collects said voice commands from the user, being transformed into computer data that are interpreted by the robot's electronics (1). Preferably, in this embodiment option, in addition to the communication data, the robot (1) also receives electrical power from said electronic device (3) through the connection cable (4), for which said electronic device (3) has either a rechargeable battery (6) for electrical power or a connection to the electrical supply network. According to the representation in figure 2, it can be seen how, in another implementation option, the electronic device (3) that integrates the robot's control means (1) by means of voice commands is mobile and is incorporated into the emerged part (7a) of a floating element, such as a buoy (7), which, in turn, is connected to the robot (1), the buoy (7) having a microphone (5) that picks up the sounds of the voice commands. For its part, said buoy (7) can be connected to the robot (1) by means of a physical connection cable (4) or it can be connected wirelessly by means of a sonar link, for which, preferably, the submerged part (7b) of the buoy (7) incorporates an ultrasonic transducer (8) with control electronics compatible with a complementary transducer (8) comprising the robot (1), defining, between the two, a sonar mechanism for transmitting information, this being the preferred option, as it provides greater freedom of underwater movement to the robot. In any case, in another embodiment option, such as the one shown in Figure 3, the electronic device (3) that integrates the robot's control means (1) by means of voice commands is a device independent of the buoy (7) or floating element with which it is connected, in which case, although it is not ruled out that it may be physically connected by cable to the buoy (7), preferably it consists of a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, and is wirelessly connected to said buoy (7). For this purpose, preferably, the buoy (7), instead of the device (3) and the microphone (5), in its emerged part (7a) comprises at least a radio frequency antenna (9) that communicates wirelessly, via wifi or bluetooth, with the electronic device (3). In addition, preferably, the buoy (7) incorporates a rechargeable battery (6) for powering the robot (1). In any case, when the electronic device (3) that integrates the robot's control means (1) by voice commands is a mobile phone, it preferably incorporates a specific mobile software or app with algorithms that, for example, through a "microphone" button, allow the transmission of robot control instructions (1) by voice. However, in one embodiment, the buoy (7) comprises a radio frequency antenna (9) capable of being linked to a wifi communication modem that allows its connection to the cloud, allowing it to receive voice commands that it transmits to the robot (1) from any remote and independent device or assistant. Having sufficiently described the nature of the present invention, as well as the manner of putting it into practice, it is not considered necessary to make its explanation more extensive so that any expert in the field can understand its scope and the advantages that derive from it.

Claims

1. An underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, characterized by comprising remote control means consisting of control means configured to provide activation and deactivation by voice commands, which are integrated into at least one external electronic device (3) to which the robot (1) is connected and which is located, at least partially, on the surface or out of the water; the electronic device (3) being connected by a physical connection cable (4) to the robot (1), or to a floating element, such as a buoy (7), which in turn is connected to the robot (1) by a cable (4) or wirelessly by sonar link. 2.Underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic device (3), when connected by a physical connection cable (4) to the robot (1), is provided with a microphone (5), through which the robot (1) receives voice commands.

3. Underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, according to claim 2, characterized in that said electronic device (3) has either a rechargeable battery (6) for power supply or a connection to the electrical supply network for powering the robot (1) from said electronic device (3). 4.Underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic device (3) that integrates the means of controlling the robot (1) by means of voice commands is incorporated in the emerged part (7a) of the floating element or buoy (7), which, in turn, is connected to the robot (1), the buoy (7) itself having a microphone (5) that picks up the sounds of the voice commands.

5. Underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic device (3) that integrates the means of controlling the robot (1) by means of voice commands is a device independent of the buoy (7) or floating element to which it is connected and which, in turn, is connected to the robot (1). 6.Underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, according to claim 5, characterized in that the electronic device (3) is physically connected by cable to the buoy (7).

7. Underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, according to claim 5, characterized in that the electronic device (3) is a mobile device wirelessly connected to the buoy (7).

8. Underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, according to claim 7, characterized in that the buoy (7), in its emerged portion (7a), comprises at least one radio frequency antenna (9) that communicates wirelessly, via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, with the electronic device (3).

9. Underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, according to claim 8, characterized in that the electronic device (3) that integrates the means of controlling the robot (1) by means of voice commands is a mobile phone. 10.Underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, according to claim 8, characterized in that the buoy (7) comprises a radio frequency antenna (9) capable of being linked to a Wi-Fi communication modem that allows its connection to the cloud, enabling it to receive voice commands that it transmits to the robot (1) from any remote and independent device or assistant.

11. Underwater robot with remote voice control from the surface, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the buoy (7) incorporates a rechargeable battery (6) for powering the robot (1).