Control methods and devices for cleaning equipment, storage media and electronic devices

Abstract

This application provides a control method and apparatus for cleaning equipment, a storage medium, and an electronic device. The method includes: starting the cleaning equipment in response to a received start command; determining the current moving direction of the cleaning equipment; and, if the moving direction is a backward direction, controlling the spray nozzle of the cleaning equipment to stop spraying liquid onto the cleaning nozzle of the cleaning equipment. This technical solution solves the problem in related technologies where the control methods for cleaning equipment suffer from poor cleaning results due to the easy residue of sprayed liquid on the ground.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application relates to the field of smart homes, and more specifically, to a control method and apparatus for a cleaning device, a storage medium, and an electronic device. [Background Technology]

[0002] Currently, in the process of cleaning equipment (such as floor scrubbers) cleaning an area, in order to effectively clean the area, liquid can be sprayed onto the cleaning components of the cleaning equipment, for example, by automatically spraying water at a fixed frequency.

[0003] However, with the above-mentioned automatic liquid spraying method, if the sprayed liquid cannot be used in time, the liquid will remain on the ground when the cleaning device is squeezed against the ground, resulting in incomplete cleaning and poor area cleaning effect.

[0004] It is evident that the control methods of cleaning equipment in related technologies suffer from poor cleaning results due to the easy residue of sprayed liquid on the ground. [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a control method and apparatus for cleaning equipment, a storage medium and an electronic device, so as to at least solve the problem of poor cleaning effect caused by water stains easily remaining on the ground in the control methods of cleaning equipment in the related art.

[0006] The purpose of this application is to achieve the following technical solution:

[0007] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a control method for a cleaning device is provided, comprising: starting the cleaning device in response to a received start command; determining the current moving direction of the cleaning device; and, if the moving direction is a backward direction, controlling the spraying component of the cleaning device to stop spraying liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning device.

[0008] In one exemplary embodiment, determining the current direction of movement of the cleaning device includes detecting the direction of movement using a detection component on the cleaning device.

[0009] In one exemplary embodiment, detecting the movement direction via a detection component on the cleaning device includes: detecting the rotation direction of the wheels of the cleaning device via a Hall sensor, determining the movement direction matching the rotation direction, and / or detecting the displacement direction of the handle assembly of the cleaning device via a Hall sensor; and determining the movement direction based on the displacement direction of the handle assembly of the cleaning device.

[0010] In one exemplary embodiment, detecting the movement direction by a detection component on the cleaning device includes: acquiring multiple images by a first image acquisition device of the cleaning device; and determining the movement direction based on the positional change of a reference object in the multiple acquired images.

[0011] In one exemplary embodiment, determining the current movement direction of the cleaning device includes: generating a cleaning instruction based on area information of the target cleaning area, wherein the cleaning instruction is used to instruct the cleaning device to clean the target cleaning area via a movement path; and determining the movement direction of the cleaning device along the movement path based on the cleaning instruction.

[0012] In one exemplary embodiment, after determining the current direction of movement of the cleaning device, the method further includes: if the direction of movement is a forward direction, controlling the spraying element of the cleaning device to spray liquid onto the cleaning element of the cleaning device at a target frequency.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, controlling the spraying component of the cleaning device to spray liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning device at a target frequency includes: during the current spraying cycle, acquiring an image of the area to be cleaned at the front end of the cleaning device using a second image acquisition device to obtain a target acquired image; performing image analysis on the target acquired image to obtain a dirt parameter corresponding to the area to be cleaned, wherein the image analysis result is used to represent the degree of dirt in the area to be cleaned; determining the spraying volume of the spraying component based on the dirt parameter, wherein the spraying volume is positively correlated with the degree of dirt represented by the dirt parameter; and controlling the spraying component to spray liquid onto the cleaning component according to the spraying volume.

[0014] In one exemplary embodiment, controlling the spray element of the cleaning device to spray liquid onto the cleaning element of the cleaning device at a target frequency includes: sending an on command to a limit switch of the cleaning device, wherein the limit switch is a control switch for the spray element; and in response to the on command, activating the limit switch to activate the spray element, wherein the activated spray element sprays liquid onto the cleaning element at the target frequency.

[0015] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a control device for a cleaning equipment is also provided, comprising: a starting unit for starting the cleaning equipment in response to a received starting command; a determining unit for determining the current moving direction of the cleaning equipment; and a first control unit for controlling the spraying component of the cleaning equipment to stop spraying liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment when the moving direction is a backward direction.

[0016] In one exemplary embodiment, the determining unit includes a detection module for detecting the direction of movement via a detection component on the cleaning device.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment, the detection module includes: a first determining submodule, configured to detect the rotation direction of the wheel of the cleaning device using a Hall sensor, and determine the moving direction matching the rotation direction; a second determining submodule, configured to detect the displacement direction of the handle assembly of the cleaning device using a Hall sensor; and a third determining submodule, configured to determine the moving direction based on the displacement direction of the handle assembly of the cleaning device.

[0018] In one exemplary embodiment, the detection module includes: an acquisition submodule, configured to acquire multiple images using a first image acquisition device of the cleaning equipment; and a fourth determination submodule, configured to determine the movement direction based on the positional changes of a reference object in the multiple acquired images.

[0019] In one exemplary embodiment, the determining unit includes: a generating module, configured to generate a cleaning instruction based on area information of the target cleaning area, wherein the cleaning instruction is used to instruct the cleaning device to move along a path to clean the target cleaning area; and a first determining module, configured to determine the moving direction of the cleaning device along the moving path based on the cleaning instruction.

[0020] In one exemplary embodiment, the apparatus further includes: a second control unit, configured to, after determining the current direction of movement of the cleaning device, control the spray element of the cleaning device to spray liquid onto the cleaning element of the cleaning device at a target frequency when the direction of movement is a forward direction.

[0021] In one exemplary embodiment, the second control unit includes: a data acquisition module, configured to acquire images of the area to be cleaned at the front end of the cleaning device using a second image acquisition device during the current water spraying cycle, thereby obtaining a target acquired image; a data analysis module, configured to perform image analysis on the target acquired image to obtain dirt parameters corresponding to the area to be cleaned, wherein the image analysis result is used to represent the degree of dirt in the area to be cleaned; a second determination module, configured to determine the amount of liquid sprayed by the spraying component based on the dirt parameters, wherein the amount of liquid sprayed is positively correlated with the degree of dirt represented by the dirt parameters; and a control module, configured to control the water spraying component to spray liquid onto the cleaning component according to the amount of liquid sprayed.

[0022] In one exemplary embodiment, the second control unit includes: a sending module for sending an activation command to a limit switch of the cleaning device, wherein the limit switch is a control switch for the spray element; and an activation module for activating the limit switch in response to the activation command to activate the spray element, wherein the activated spray element sprays liquid onto the cleaning device at the target frequency.

[0023] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, wherein a computer program is stored in the computer program, and the computer program is configured to execute the test method of the above-described interface at runtime.

[0024] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, an electronic device is also provided, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the test method of the interface described above through the computer program.

[0025] In this embodiment, the method of stopping the spraying of liquid during the backward movement of the cleaning device is adopted. The cleaning device is started in response to a received start command; the current direction of movement of the cleaning device is determined; when the direction of movement is backward, the spraying component of the cleaning device is controlled to stop spraying liquid onto the cleaning component. Due to the structural characteristics of the cleaning device—namely, the absence of a scraper at the front end—stopping the spraying of liquid during the backward movement avoids liquid residue squeezed out between the cleaning component and the ground during the backward movement, thereby reducing liquid residue on the ground and improving the floor cleaning effect. This solves the problem of poor cleaning effect caused by the easy residue of sprayed liquid on the ground in the control methods of cleaning devices in related technologies. [Attached Image Description]

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware environment of an optional control method for a cleaning device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 2This is a flowchart illustrating an optional control method for a cleaning device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a front view of an optional floor scrubber according to an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a side view of an optional floor scrubber according to an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a structural block diagram of a control device for an optional cleaning equipment according to an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 6 This is a structural block diagram of an optional electronic device according to an embodiment of this application.

Detailed Implementation Methods

[0034] The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other.

[0035] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0036] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a control method for a cleaning device is provided. Optionally, in this embodiment, the above-described control method for a cleaning device can be applied to, for example... Figure 1 The hardware environment shown consists of terminal device 102, cleaning device 104, and server 106. For example... Figure 1 As shown, terminal device 102 can connect to cleaning device 104 and / or server 106 (e.g., IoT platform or cloud server) via a network to control cleaning device 104, such as binding to cleaning device 104 and configuring the cleaning functions of cleaning device 104. Cleaning device 104 may include a host and a base (e.g., a sweeper and a base station, a floor scrubber and a base station). The host and base station can connect via a network to determine the current status of the other end (e.g., battery status, working status, location information, etc.).

[0037] The aforementioned network may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: wired network, wireless network. The aforementioned wired network may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), local area network (LAN). The aforementioned wireless network may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), Bluetooth, infrared. The network used by the terminal device 102 to communicate with the cleaning device 104 and / or the server 106 may be the same as or different from the network used by the cleaning device 104 to communicate with the server 106. The terminal device 102 is not limited to PCs, mobile phones, tablets, etc. The cleaning device 104 may include, but is not limited to, self-cleaning robots, such as automatic mop-washing robots, sweeping robots, etc. The server 106 may be a server of an IoT platform.

[0038] The control method for the cleaning equipment in this embodiment can be executed by a single terminal device 102, cleaning device 104, or server 106, or by at least two of them. Alternatively, the terminal device 102 or cleaning device 104 can execute the control method for the cleaning equipment in this embodiment by a client installed on it.

[0039] Taking the cleaning device 104 as an example to execute the control method of the cleaning device in this embodiment, Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating an optional control method for a cleaning device according to an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 2 As shown, the process of this method may include the following steps:

[0040] Step S202: In response to the received start command, start the cleaning equipment.

[0041] The control method for the cleaning equipment in this embodiment can be applied to scenarios where cleaning equipment is used for area cleaning, and the area cleaned by the cleaning equipment is the target cleaning area. The cleaning equipment can be a walk-behind floor scrubber, a smart floor scrubber, a smart sweeper that integrates washing and sweeping, or other cleaning equipment with area cleaning functions. The target cleaning area can be an indoor area in a home, or other areas such as offices or factory workshops, or other areas that can be cleaned by the cleaning equipment. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0042] To use the cleaning equipment for area cleaning, the cleaning equipment can first be turned on. Turning on the cleaning equipment can be triggered by a start command. The cleaning equipment can receive the start command and, in response, activate its cleaning function. When starting the cleaning equipment for area cleaning, the power supply to the cleaning equipment (which can be the cleaning equipment's battery pack) can be turned on, and the cleaning components of the cleaning equipment can be turned on. These cleaning components can be a roller brush, a mop head, or other parts used for area cleaning.

[0043] The aforementioned startup command can be obtained in various ways. For example, a user can perform a trigger operation on the cleaning device to trigger the startup command. The cleaning device can generate a startup command in response to the detected trigger operation. Alternatively, a user can trigger the generation of a startup command by performing a trigger operation on a specific area or button in the device operation interface of a terminal device associated with the cleaning device, and then send the generated startup command to the cleaning device via the network. The cleaning device can receive the startup command. The startup command can also be obtained in other ways; for example, a user can trigger the sending of a startup command to the cleaning device by operating a button or corresponding area on a remote control device, and the cleaning device can receive the startup command sent by the remote control device. Optionally, the aforementioned trigger operation can include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a click operation, a double-click operation, a long-press operation, and a swipe operation. This embodiment does not limit the method of obtaining the startup command.

[0044] For example, the structure of a floor scrubber can be as follows: Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 3 This is the front view of the floor scrubber. Figure 4 This is a side view of the floor scrubber. Users can directly click the start button on the handle of the floor scrubber or the start button on the touch screen to trigger a start command to start the floor scrubber. Alternatively, users can click the start button on the device's operating interface of a mobile terminal associated with the floor scrubber to issue a start command to the floor scrubber.

[0045] Step S204: Determine the current direction of movement of the cleaning equipment.

[0046] To facilitate the suction of debris by the cleaning equipment during the cleaning process, the cleaning equipment can adopt a structure where the cleaning component cover is off the ground and no scraper is installed at the front end of the cleaning component. Due to this structure, when the cleaning component is pulled back, the liquid squeezed out from the ground will remain on the ground and cannot be sucked into the cleaning equipment. This liquid residue on the ground will affect the cleaning effect of the cleaning component. Here, the liquid squeezed out from the ground can be liquid sprayed onto the cleaning component by the spraying component, such as clean water, water mixed with cleaning solution, etc., and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0047] For example, in order to facilitate the suction of garbage, the brush cover of a floor scrubber is off the ground and there is no scraper at the front end. As a result, when the brush is pulled back, the water residue squeezed out between the brush and the ground remains on the ground and cannot be cleaned, affecting the cleaning effect of the brush.

[0048] To avoid liquid residue on the ground affecting the cleaning effect, the spray nozzles of the cleaning equipment can be controlled to spray liquid according to the direction of movement of the equipment. While the cleaning equipment is moving, its current direction of movement can be determined, and different spraying strategies can be used for different directions.

[0049] In this embodiment, the current direction of movement of the cleaning equipment can be determined by the received movement information. This movement information can be obtained by the cleaning equipment itself (e.g., a detection component on the cleaning equipment), by a device associated with the cleaning equipment (e.g., an associated detection component), or by other means. This embodiment does not limit the method of obtaining the movement information.

[0050] Step S206: When the moving direction is backward, control the spraying component of the cleaning equipment to stop spraying liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment.

[0051] When the cleaning equipment is moving in the forward direction, its spray nozzle can be controlled to spray liquid onto the cleaning components, thereby cleaning the target area. The spray nozzle can be a water distributor, a liquid distributor, or other components with a liquid spraying function. The sprayed liquid can be clean water, clean water mixed with cleaning fluid, etc. The spray nozzle can be located on top of the cleaning component, on the rear or front side of the cleaning component, or in any other position that allows spraying liquid onto the cleaning component without affecting its movement.

[0052] The spraying component can spray liquid onto the cleaning component in one or more ways. For example, the spraying component can spray liquid onto the top of the cleaning component, the front or rear side of the cleaning component, the bottom of the cleaning component, or other locations on the cleaning component. In this embodiment, the location where the spraying component sprays liquid onto the cleaning component is not limited.

[0053] If the cleaning equipment is moving backward, spraying liquid onto the cleaning components could easily leave liquid residue on the floor. Therefore, the spray nozzle can be controlled to prevent spraying liquid onto the cleaning components. If the cleaning equipment changes direction back and forth within a short period of time, to ensure effective floor cleaning, the spray nozzle can be controlled to prevent spraying liquid onto the cleaning components until the time the cleaning equipment moves forward exceeds a set time threshold (e.g., 1 second, 2 seconds, etc.).

[0054] For example, by detecting the user's pushing and pulling motions of the floor scrubber, the water spraying of the brush can be controlled, which can reduce the water content on the roller when pulling back, thereby improving the situation of water stains remaining on the ground during the pulling process.

[0055] Through steps S202 to S206 above, in response to the obtained start command, the cleaning equipment is started; the current moving direction of the cleaning equipment is determined; when the moving direction is backward, the spraying component of the cleaning equipment is controlled to stop spraying liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment, which solves the problem of poor cleaning effect caused by the sprayed liquid easily remaining on the ground in the control method of the cleaning equipment in the related technology, and improves the ground cleaning effect.

[0056] In one exemplary embodiment, determining the current direction of movement of the cleaning equipment includes:

[0057] S11, the direction of movement is detected by a detection component on the cleaning equipment.

[0058] In this embodiment, the cleaning device may be equipped with one or more detection components, all of which can be used to detect the movement direction of the cleaning device. If there is only one detection component on the cleaning device, the movement direction detected by that component can be determined as the current movement direction of the cleaning device. If multiple detection components are installed on the cleaning device, these multiple components can detect multiple movement directions, and the current movement direction of the cleaning device can be determined by analyzing these multiple movement directions.

[0059] There are several ways to determine the current movement direction of the cleaning equipment based on multiple movement directions detected by multiple detection components. For example, the movement direction that appears most frequently can be determined as the current movement direction of the cleaning equipment. Another example is that the multiple detection components can be configured as primary and backup components. If the primary detection component detects a movement direction, that direction can be determined as the current movement direction of the cleaning equipment; otherwise, the movement direction detected by the backup detection component can be determined as the current movement direction of the cleaning equipment. This embodiment does not limit this approach.

[0060] For example, a detection component can be installed at the front end of the cleaning equipment to detect the movement information of the cleaning equipment. Based on the detected movement information, it can be determined whether the movement direction of the cleaning equipment is forward or backward.

[0061] In this embodiment, the movement information of the cleaning equipment is detected by the detection component on the cleaning equipment, thereby obtaining the movement direction of the cleaning equipment. This eliminates the need for linkage with other equipment and improves the convenience of determining the movement direction.

[0062] In one exemplary embodiment, detecting the direction of movement via a detection component on the cleaning device includes:

[0063] S21, The rotation direction of the rollers of the cleaning equipment is detected by a Hall sensor, and a movement direction matching the rotation direction is determined, and / or,

[0064] S22, the displacement direction of the handle assembly of the cleaning equipment is detected by the Hall sensor; the movement direction is determined based on the displacement direction of the handle assembly of the cleaning equipment.

[0065] As an optional implementation, the movement direction of the cleaning equipment can be determined based on the rotation direction of its rollers. For example, when the rollers rotate counterclockwise, the movement direction of the cleaning equipment is forward; when the rollers rotate clockwise, the movement direction is backward. To detect the rotation direction of the rollers, the aforementioned detection component can include a Hall sensor. For example, the forward and backward movements of the floor scrubber can be detected using an accelerometer or other types of Hall sensors.

[0066] The Hall effect sensor can be one or more, and it can be installed on at least one side of the roller of the cleaning equipment. Multiple trigger points can be set on the corresponding side of the roller. When the roller moves, the trigger points pass the Hall effect sensor, causing a change in magnetic induction intensity. The change in voltage can be calculated by detecting the change in magnetic induction intensity. The rotation direction of the roller can be detected by detecting the change in output voltage, thereby determining the movement direction of the cleaning equipment.

[0067] For example, the rotation direction of the roller can be detected using a first Hall sensor and a second Hall sensor. The two Hall sensors can be orthogonally positioned at the same port on the cleaning device, resulting in a 90-degree phase difference between the voltage signals output by the first and second Hall sensors. If the phase of the voltage signal output by the first Hall sensor leads the phase of the voltage signal output by the second Hall sensor by 90 degrees, the rotation direction of the roller can be determined to be clockwise. If the phase of the voltage signal output by the second Hall sensor leads the phase of the voltage signal output by the first Hall sensor by 90 degrees, the rotation direction of the roller can be determined to be counterclockwise.

[0068] As an alternative implementation, a Hall sensor can be mounted on the handle assembly of the cleaning device. The Hall sensor detects the displacement direction of the handle assembly, thereby determining the movement direction of the cleaning device. Since the displacement direction of the handle assembly is consistent with the movement direction of the cleaning device, the displacement direction of the handle assembly can be determined based on the magnitude of the Hall potential output by the Hall sensor when the handle is pulled forward or backward, thus determining the movement direction of the cleaning device.

[0069] In this embodiment, the rotation direction of the roller or the displacement direction of the handle assembly is detected by a Hall sensor, thereby determining the moving direction of the cleaning equipment and improving the accuracy of the moving direction detection.

[0070] In one exemplary embodiment, detecting the direction of movement via a detection component on the cleaning device includes:

[0071] S31, multiple images are acquired by the first image acquisition device of the cleaning equipment;

[0072] S32, determine the direction of movement based on the positional changes of the reference object in multiple acquired images.

[0073] As cleaning equipment moves, its position within the target cleaning area changes. The direction of movement can be determined based on these positional changes. For example, an image acquisition device within the room containing the target cleaning area can capture images to determine the direction of the equipment's positional change within that area. If this direction aligns with the equipment's movement from front to back, the movement direction is determined to be backward. If this direction aligns with the equipment's movement from back to front, the movement direction is determined to be forward.

[0074] To improve the efficiency of determining the direction of movement, the direction of movement of the cleaning equipment can be determined by the images acquired by the first image acquisition device on the cleaning equipment. Correspondingly, the aforementioned detection component may include the first image acquisition device. The first image acquisition device may be located at the front end, sides, or other positions of the cleaning equipment, and it may be a camera, action camera, or other device with continuous image acquisition capabilities. In this embodiment, the type of location for the first image acquisition device is not limited.

[0075] The first image acquisition device can acquire multiple images, resulting in a series of consecutive images. The acquisition frequency can be pre-configured, for example, 10 images per second. These consecutive images can be acquired within one second. By analyzing these consecutive images, the movement direction of the cleaning equipment is determined. This determination can be based on the positional changes of a reference object within the consecutive images. The reference object can be a stationary object in one of the consecutive images, such as a shoe rack, a trash can, or a landmark on a wall.

[0076] After identifying the reference object, its position information in multiple consecutive acquired images can be determined. Based on the positional changes of the reference object in the multiple consecutive acquired images (or, in conjunction with the setting position of the first image acquisition device), the direction of movement of the cleaning equipment can be determined. The positional changes of the reference object in the acquired images can be changes in the area occupied by the reference object in the acquired images.

[0077] As an optional implementation, the first image acquisition device is set at the front end of the cleaning device. In multiple consecutive acquired images, if the area occupied by the reference object gradually increases, the moving direction of the cleaning device can be determined as the forward direction. If the area occupied by the reference object gradually decreases, the moving direction of the cleaning device can be determined as the backward direction.

[0078] As another optional implementation, the first image acquisition device is set on both sides of the cleaning device. In multiple consecutive acquired images, if the area occupied by the reference object moves from left to right, the movement direction of the cleaning device can be determined as the forward direction. If the area occupied by the reference object moves from right to left, the movement direction of the cleaning device can be determined as the backward direction.

[0079] It should be noted that the first image acquisition device can be an image acquisition device that rotates following the reference object. Based on the relative position of the reference object and the cleaning equipment, and the rotation direction of the first image acquisition device, the direction of movement of the cleaning equipment can be determined. If the reference object disappears from the acquired images after several consecutive image acquisitions, the reference object can be re-identified.

[0080] In this embodiment, the movement direction of the cleaning equipment is determined by the positional changes of the reference object in multiple acquired images, which can improve the accuracy and convenience of determining the movement direction of the cleaning equipment.

[0081] In one exemplary embodiment, determining the current direction of movement of the cleaning equipment includes:

[0082] S41, Generate a cleaning instruction based on the area information of the target cleaning area, wherein the cleaning instruction is used to instruct the cleaning equipment to move along the target cleaning area;

[0083] S42, based on the cleaning instruction, determine the direction of movement of the cleaning equipment along the movement path.

[0084] In this embodiment, the cleaning equipment is a device used to clean a target cleaning area. When cleaning an area, the movement path of the cleaning equipment can be pre-planned, and cleaning commands can be used to control the equipment to clean the area along that path. The cleaning commands can specify the direction of movement of the cleaning equipment, the cleaning operations to be performed, etc. Therefore, the direction of movement of the cleaning equipment can be determined based on the cleaning commands.

[0085] The cleaning equipment can store area information of the target cleaning area, which can be a map of the target cleaning area. The map can mark the extent of the target cleaning area, the location of obstacles, virtual no-go zones, etc. Based on the area information of the target cleaning area, cleaning instructions can be generated. These instructions can be used to direct the movement path of the cleaning equipment to clean the target cleaning area. They can include the movement direction of the cleaning equipment, the cleaning operations to be performed, and the cleaning frequency (which can be the number of times to clean along the cleaning path).

[0086] Based on the cleaning instructions, the method by which the cleaning equipment cleans the area along the movement path can be determined, which may include the movement method. Thus, the movement direction of the cleaning equipment can be determined based on the movement method of the cleaning equipment.

[0087] Optionally, the cleaning equipment can be an automatic area cleaning device, which, in response to the aforementioned cleaning command, can automatically clean the target area. Alternatively, the cleaning equipment can be a manual area cleaning device, which, by generating the aforementioned movement path, can assist the user in area cleaning. If the actual cleaning path performed by the cleaning equipment deviates significantly from the aforementioned movement path, a prompt message can be sent to the user indicating the planned movement path.

[0088] This embodiment generates cleaning instructions based on the area information of the cleaning area and determines the movement direction of the cleaning equipment based on the cleaning instructions, which can improve the flexibility and convenience of determining the movement direction of the cleaning equipment.

[0089] In one exemplary embodiment, after determining the current direction of movement of the cleaning equipment, the method further includes:

[0090] S51, when the moving direction is forward, control the spraying component of the cleaning equipment to spray liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment at a target frequency.

[0091] In this embodiment, if the cleaning device moves in a forward direction, the spray nozzle of the cleaning device can be controlled to spray liquid onto the cleaning component. The spray nozzle can spray liquid onto the cleaning component in one or more ways, such as point-to-point spraying, i.e., spraying based on a spray command. Optionally, the spray nozzle can also spray liquid onto the cleaning component at a target frequency, which can be a preset spray frequency or a user-defined spray frequency.

[0092] Optionally, users can set the spray rate of the spray nozzle after the cleaning equipment is turned on. For example, the current spray frequency can be displayed on the cleaning equipment's touchscreen, and users can set the spray frequency to a target frequency by tapping the touchscreen. After obtaining the set target frequency, the cleaning equipment can spray liquid at the target frequency.

[0093] For example, the floor scrubber can be programmed to spray water at a reasonable frequency during its forward movement. While the scrubber is moving forward, it can spray water onto the roller brush at a frequency of 30 ml per minute. If the user considers the area to be dirty, the spray frequency can be set to 50 ml per minute on the scrubber's touchscreen, and the scrubber will then spray water onto the roller brush at a frequency of 50 ml per minute.

[0094] In this embodiment, by controlling the spray nozzle to spray liquid onto the cleaning components at a target frequency during the forward movement of the cleaning equipment, the user's operations during the cleaning process can be reduced, and the convenience of area cleaning can be improved.

[0095] In one exemplary embodiment, controlling the spray element of a cleaning device to spray liquid onto the cleaning element of the cleaning device at a target frequency includes:

[0096] S61, During the current spraying cycle, the second image acquisition device acquires images of the area to be cleaned at the front end of the cleaning device to obtain the target acquisition image;

[0097] S62, perform image analysis on the target acquisition image to obtain dirt parameters corresponding to the area to be cleaned, wherein the dirt parameters are used to represent the degree of dirt in the area to be cleaned;

[0098] S63, Based on the dirt parameters, determine the amount of liquid to be sprayed on the spraying component, wherein the amount of liquid to be sprayed is positively correlated with the degree of dirt represented by the dirt parameters;

[0099] S64 controls the spraying component to spray liquid onto the cleaning component according to the spraying volume.

[0100] The spray volume of the cleaning equipment can be fixed, meaning that the amount of liquid sprayed each time is fixed. In this embodiment, to improve the flexibility and effectiveness of area cleaning, the degree of dirt in the area to be cleaned during the current spray cycle of the cleaning equipment can be detected, and the spray volume can be set according to the detected degree of dirt.

[0101] The aforementioned level of dirtiness can be obtained by analyzing images captured by a second image acquisition device at the front end of the cleaning equipment. This second image acquisition device can be a camera, action camera, or other device with image acquisition capabilities, installed on the cover or other front end of the cleaning equipment. The second image acquisition device can be the same as or different from the first image acquisition device. This embodiment does not impose any limitations on this.

[0102] During the current spraying cycle, a second image acquisition device can be used to acquire images of the area to be cleaned at the front end of the cleaning equipment, resulting in a target image. This target image can then be analyzed to determine dirt parameters representing the degree of dirt in the area to be cleaned.

[0103] For example, image analysis can be performed on the target image to obtain a binary image. In the binary image, black pixels represent the locations of dirt in the area to be cleaned, and white pixels represent the clean locations. Based on the ratio of black pixels to white pixels in the binary image, the dirt parameter of the area to be cleaned can be determined. The larger the ratio of white pixels to black pixels in the binary image, the larger the dirt parameter of the area to be cleaned, and the higher the degree of dirtiness of the area.

[0104] After obtaining the aforementioned dirt parameters, the spray volume of the spraying component can be determined based on these parameters, and the spraying component can be controlled to spray the cleaning component with the determined spray volume within the current spray cycle. The spray volume of the spraying component is positively correlated with the degree of dirt represented by the dirt parameters; that is, the larger the dirt parameters, the higher the degree of dirt in the area to be cleaned, and the larger the spray volume of the spraying component.

[0105] For each subsequent spray cycle, a similar method can be used to determine the spray volume of the spraying component and control the spraying component to spray the cleaning component according to the determined spray volume. This has already been explained and will not be repeated here.

[0106] In this embodiment, by analyzing the degree of dirt on the ground and controlling the amount of liquid sprayed by the sprayer according to the degree of dirt on the ground to be cleaned, the cleaning effect of the area can be improved while reducing liquid residue.

[0107] In one exemplary embodiment, controlling the spray element of a cleaning device to spray liquid onto the cleaning element of the cleaning device at a target frequency includes:

[0108] S71, send an on command to the limit switch of the cleaning equipment, wherein the limit switch is the control switch of the spraying component;

[0109] S72, in response to the turn-on command, turns on the limit switch to turn on the spraying element, wherein the turned-on spraying element sprays liquid onto the cleaning element at a target frequency.

[0110] In this embodiment, to improve the cleaning flexibility of the cleaning equipment, a limit switch can be used to control the spraying component to spray liquid. The limit switch can be located at the spray nozzle of the spraying component, and can control the spraying component to spray or stop spraying liquid according to the direction of movement of the cleaning equipment.

[0111] During cleaning, the cleaning equipment can determine whether liquid spraying onto the cleaning surface is necessary based on its direction of movement. If so, it sends an energizing command to a limit switch. The limit switch responds to this command by opening the spray nozzle, allowing it to spray liquid according to a pre-set pattern (e.g., at a fixed frequency). If not, it sends a de-energizing command to the limit switch, disengaging the spray nozzle and preventing liquid spraying onto the cleaning surface.

[0112] In this embodiment, by controlling the limit switch to control the spraying component to spray liquid as the cleaning equipment moves forward and to stop spraying liquid as the cleaning equipment moves backward, the convenience of area cleaning can be improved.

[0113] It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the foregoing method embodiments are all described as a series of actions. However, those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the described order of actions, as some steps may be performed in other orders or simultaneously according to this application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should also understand that the embodiments described in the specification are preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily essential to this application.

[0114] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods according to the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM (Read-Only Memory) / RAM (Random Access Memory), magnetic disk, optical disk), and includes several instructions to cause a terminal device (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0115] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a control device for implementing the control method of the above-described cleaning equipment is also provided. Figure 5 This is a structural block diagram of an optional control device for a cleaning equipment according to an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the device may include:

[0116] The starting unit 502 is used to start the cleaning equipment in response to the received starting command;

[0117] The determining unit 504, connected to the starting unit 502, is used to determine the current moving direction of the cleaning equipment;

[0118] The first control unit 506, connected to the determining unit 504, is used to control the spraying component of the cleaning equipment to stop spraying liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment when the moving direction is backward.

[0119] It should be noted that the startup unit 502 in this embodiment can be used to execute the above step S202, the determination unit 504 in this embodiment can be used to execute the above step S204, and the first control unit 506 in this embodiment can be used to execute the above step S206.

[0120] Through the above module, in response to the obtained start command, the cleaning equipment is started; the current moving direction of the cleaning equipment is determined; when the moving direction is backward, the spraying component of the cleaning equipment is controlled to stop spraying liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment, which solves the problem of poor cleaning effect caused by the sprayed liquid easily remaining on the ground in the control method of the cleaning equipment in related technologies, and improves the floor cleaning effect.

[0121] In one exemplary embodiment, the determining unit includes:

[0122] The detection module is used to detect the direction of movement via a detection component on the cleaning equipment.

[0123] In one exemplary embodiment, the detection module includes:

[0124] The first determining submodule is used to detect the rotation direction of the rolling wheel of the cleaning equipment through a Hall sensor and determine the movement direction that matches the rotation direction.

[0125] The second determining submodule is used to detect the displacement direction of the handle of the cleaning equipment through a Hall sensor;

[0126] The third determining submodule is used to determine the direction of movement based on the displacement direction of the handle of the cleaning equipment.

[0127] In one exemplary embodiment, the detection module includes:

[0128] The acquisition submodule is used to acquire images through the first image acquisition device of the cleaning equipment to obtain multiple acquired images;

[0129] The fourth determination submodule is used to determine the direction of movement based on the positional changes of the reference object in multiple acquired images.

[0130] In one exemplary embodiment, the determining unit includes:

[0131] The generation module is used to generate cleaning instructions based on the area information of the target cleaning area. The cleaning instructions are used to instruct the cleaning equipment on the movement path to clean the target cleaning area.

[0132] The first determining module is used to determine the direction of movement of the cleaning equipment along the moving path according to the cleaning instruction.

[0133] In one exemplary embodiment, the above-described apparatus further includes:

[0134] The second control unit is used to, after determining the current direction of movement of the cleaning equipment, control the water spray component of the cleaning equipment to spray liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment at a target frequency when the direction of movement is forward.

[0135] In one exemplary embodiment, the second control unit includes:

[0136] The acquisition module is used to acquire images of the area to be cleaned at the front end of the cleaning equipment through the second image acquisition device during the current spraying cycle, and obtain the target acquisition image.

[0137] The parsing module is used to perform image parsing on the target acquired image to obtain dirt parameters corresponding to the area to be cleaned. The image parsing results are used to represent the degree of dirt in the area to be cleaned.

[0138] The second determining module is used to determine the amount of liquid sprayed from the spraying component based on the dirt parameters, wherein the amount of liquid sprayed is positively correlated with the degree of dirt represented by the dirt parameters.

[0139] The control module is used to control the spraying component to spray liquid onto the cleaning component according to the spray volume.

[0140] In one exemplary embodiment, the second control unit includes:

[0141] The sending module is used to send an on command to the limit switch of the cleaning equipment, wherein the limit switch is the control switch of the spraying component;

[0142] A receiving module is configured to respond to the connection command by activating the limit switch to activate the spraying element, wherein the activated spraying element sprays liquid onto the cleaning element at the target frequency.

[0143] It should be noted that the examples and application scenarios implemented by the above modules and corresponding steps are the same, but are not limited to the content disclosed in the above embodiments.

[0144] It should be noted that the above-mentioned module, as part of the device, can operate in, for example... Figure 1 The hardware environment shown can be implemented through software or hardware, and the hardware environment includes the network environment.

[0145] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a storage medium is also provided. Optionally, in this embodiment, the storage medium can be used to execute program code for the control method of any of the cleaning devices described in the embodiments of this application.

[0146] Optionally, in this embodiment, the storage medium may be located on at least one of the network devices in the network shown in the above embodiment.

[0147] Optionally, in this embodiment, the storage medium is configured to store program code for performing the following steps:

[0148] S1, in response to the received start command, starts the cleaning equipment;

[0149] S2, determine the current direction of movement of the cleaning equipment;

[0150] S3, when the movement direction is backward, control the spraying component of the cleaning equipment to stop spraying liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment.

[0151] Optionally, specific examples in this embodiment can refer to the examples described in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated in this embodiment.

[0152] Optionally, in this embodiment, the storage medium may include, but is not limited to, various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, ROMs, RAMs, portable hard drives, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0153] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, an electronic device for implementing the control method of the above-described cleaning equipment is also provided. The electronic device may be a server, a terminal, or a combination thereof.

[0154] Figure 6 This is a structural block diagram of an optional electronic device according to an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 6 As shown, it includes a processor 602, a communication interface 604, a memory 606, and a communication bus 608. The processor 602, communication interface 604, and memory 606 communicate with each other via the communication bus 608.

[0155] Memory 606 is used to store computer programs;

[0156] When processor 602 executes a computer program stored in memory 606, it performs the following steps:

[0157] S1, in response to the received start command, starts the cleaning equipment;

[0158] S2, determine the current direction of movement of the cleaning equipment;

[0159] S3, when the movement direction is backward, control the spraying component of the cleaning equipment to stop spraying liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment.

[0160] Optionally, in this embodiment, the communication bus can be a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus or an EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) bus, etc. This communication bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, Figure 6 The symbol is represented by a single thick line, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus. The communication interface is used for communication between the aforementioned electronic device and other devices.

[0161] The aforementioned memory may include RAM, or non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. Optionally, the memory may also be at least one storage device located remotely from the aforementioned processor.

[0162] As an example, the memory 606 described above may include, but is not limited to, the startup unit 502, the determination unit 504, and the first control unit 506 in the control device of the aforementioned device. Furthermore, it may include, but is not limited to, other module units in the control device of the aforementioned device, which will not be elaborated upon in this example.

[0163] The processors mentioned above can be general-purpose processors, including but not limited to: CPU (Central Processing Unit), NP (Network Processor), etc.; they can also be DSP (Digital Signal Processor), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0164] Optionally, specific examples in this embodiment can refer to the examples described in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0165] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 6 The structure shown is for illustrative purposes only. The device that controls the cleaning equipment described above can be a terminal device, such as a smartphone (e.g., an Android phone, an iOS phone), a tablet computer, a PDA, a mobile internet device (MID), a tablet computer, or a PAD. Figure 6 This does not limit the structure of the aforementioned electronic device. For example, the electronic device may also include components that are more... Figure 6 The more or fewer components shown (such as network interfaces, display devices, etc.), or having the same Figure 6 The different configurations shown.

[0166] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps in the various methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing the hardware related to the terminal device. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may include: flash drive, ROM, RAM, disk or optical disk, etc.

[0167] The sequence numbers of the embodiments in this application are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0168] If the integrated units in the above embodiments are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause one or more computer devices (which may be personal computers, servers, or network devices, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0169] In the above embodiments of this application, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0170] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed client can be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for example, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection between units or modules, and may be electrical or other forms.

[0171] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the solution provided in this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0172] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0173] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this application. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this application, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A control method for cleaning equipment, characterized in that, include: In response to the received start command, the cleaning equipment is started; Determine the current direction of movement of the cleaning equipment; When the moving direction is backward, control the spraying component of the cleaning equipment to stop spraying liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment; Wherein, after determining the current moving direction of the cleaning equipment, the method further includes: when the moving direction is forward, controlling the spraying component of the cleaning equipment to spray liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment at a target frequency; when the moving direction of the cleaning equipment changes back and forth, controlling the spraying component not to spray liquid onto the cleaning component until the time for the cleaning equipment to move forward exceeds a set time threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the current direction of movement of the cleaning equipment includes: The direction of movement is detected by a detection component on the cleaning equipment.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The detection of the movement direction by the detection component on the cleaning equipment includes: The direction of rotation of the wheels of the cleaning equipment is detected by a Hall sensor, and the direction of movement that matches the direction of rotation is determined; and / or The displacement direction of the handle of the cleaning device is detected by a Hall sensor; the movement direction is determined based on the displacement direction of the handle of the cleaning device.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The detection of the movement direction by the detection component on the cleaning equipment includes: Multiple images are acquired by the first image acquisition device of the cleaning equipment. The direction of movement is determined based on the positional changes of the reference object in the multiple acquired images.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the current direction of movement of the cleaning equipment includes: Based on the area information of the target cleaning area, a cleaning instruction is generated, wherein the cleaning instruction is used to instruct the cleaning equipment on the movement path to clean the target cleaning area; According to the cleaning instruction, the direction of movement of the cleaning equipment along the movement path is determined.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method of controlling the spraying component of the cleaning equipment to spray liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment at a target frequency includes: During the current spraying cycle, the area to be cleaned at the front end of the cleaning equipment is captured by the second image acquisition device to obtain the target image; The target image is analyzed to obtain dirt parameters corresponding to the area to be cleaned, wherein the image analysis result is used to represent the degree of dirt in the area to be cleaned; The amount of liquid sprayed by the spraying component is determined based on the dirt parameters, wherein the amount of liquid sprayed is positively correlated with the degree of dirt represented by the dirt parameters; The spraying component is controlled to spray liquid onto the cleaning component according to the spraying volume.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method of controlling the spraying component of the cleaning equipment to spray liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment at a target frequency includes: Send an on command to the limit switch of the cleaning equipment, wherein the limit switch is the control switch of the spraying component; In response to the activation command, the limit switch is activated to activate the spray nozzle, wherein the activated spray nozzle sprays liquid onto the cleaning component at the target frequency.

8. A control device for a cleaning equipment, characterized in that, include: A start-up unit is used to start the cleaning equipment in response to a received start-up command; The determining unit is used to determine the current direction of movement of the cleaning equipment; The first control unit is configured to control the spraying component of the cleaning equipment to stop spraying liquid onto the cleaning component of the cleaning equipment when the moving direction is backward. The device further includes a second control unit, configured to, after determining the current moving direction of the cleaning equipment, control the spray nozzle of the cleaning equipment to spray liquid onto the cleaning nozzle of the cleaning equipment at a target frequency when the moving direction is a forward direction; The device is further configured to: control the spray nozzle to prevent it from spraying liquid onto the cleaning component when the direction of movement of the cleaning equipment changes back and forth, until the time for the cleaning equipment to move forward exceeds a set time threshold.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a stored program, wherein the program, when executed, performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. An electronic device comprising a memory and a processor, characterized in that, The memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 through the computer program.

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