Control Method of Cleaning Robot, Electronic Device, Cleaning Robot and Medium

Abstract

The present invention discloses a control method for a cleaning robot, an electronic device, a cleaning robot, and a storage medium. The cleaning robot can switch between multiple different-sized external shape states, and the multiple different-sized external shape states include a first external shape state and at least one second external shape state. The control method for the cleaning robot includes: controlling the cleaning robot to clean a first area of the working area in the first external shape state; and controlling the cleaning robot to clean a second area of the working area in the second external shape state, where the second area is an area that the cleaning robot cannot pass through in the first external shape state. The technical solution of the present invention improves the overall cleaning effect of the cleaning robot on the interior.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cleaning equipment, and particularly relates to a control method for a cleaning robot, an electronic device, a cleaning robot, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] With the development of smart home, various intelligent cleaning devices have been widely used in households and become little helpers for home cleaning. Among them, cleaning robots such as floor sweeping robots and mopping robots are the most commonly used. Cleaning robots usually operate indoors. Since there are various pieces of furniture placed indoors, the indoor area is divided into many small areas of various styles. However, for existing cleaning robots, their external dimensions are fixed at the time of factory production, that is, their passing ability is fixed. Therefore, for some specific areas indoors (such as areas with a smaller width or a lower height), cleaning robots cannot pass through, resulting in these specific areas not being covered by the cleaning robots, affecting the overall indoor cleaning effect. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention provides a control method for a cleaning robot and a cleaning robot, aiming to improve the cleaning coverage ability of the cleaning robot for indoor areas, and further improve the overall indoor cleaning effect of the cleaning robot.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the control method for the cleaning robot provided by the present invention, the cleaning robot can switch between multiple different-sized external states, and the multiple different-sized external states include a first external state and at least one second external state; the control method for the cleaning robot includes:

[0005] Controlling the cleaning robot to clean a first area of an operation area in the first external state;

[0006] Controlling the cleaning robot to clean a second area of the operation area in the second external state, where the second area is an area that the cleaning robot cannot pass through in the first external state.

[0007] In some embodiments, the control method for the cleaning robot further includes:

[0008] Determining the area type of the area to be passed through, where the area type includes the first area and the second area;

[0009] When determining that the area to be passed through is the second area, controlling the cleaning robot to enter the area to be passed through in the second external state adapted to the second area.

[0010] In some embodiments, after the step of determining the area type of the area to be passed through, the control method for the cleaning robot further includes:

[0011] When determining that the to-be-traversed area is the first area, control the cleaning robot to enter the to-be-traversed area in the current outer shape state;

[0012] After entering the to-be-traversed area, maintain or switch the cleaning robot to the first outer shape state.

[0013] In some embodiments, the step of determining the area type of the to-be-traversed area includes:

[0014] Obtain the area type of the to-be-traversed area based on the operation map, and the area type of each area is marked in the operation map;

[0015] Or, the step of determining the area type of the to-be-traversed area includes:

[0016] Detect the preset feature information of the to-be-traversed area, and the preset feature information includes at least one of the passing width, passing height, and ground obstacle height;

[0017] Determine the area type of the to-be-traversed area according to the preset feature information.

[0018] In some embodiments, the step of determining the area type of the to-be-traversed area includes:

[0019] When determining that the cleaning robot reaches the boundary position between two areas and the cleaning robot is about to enter the next to-be-traversed area, update the area type of the to-be-traversed area.

[0020] In some embodiments, the second area includes a first sub-area with a passing width smaller than the first width, and the first width is the width of the cleaning robot in the first outer shape state;

[0021] The step of controlling the cleaning robot to enter the to-be-traversed area in the second outer shape state adapted to the second area when determining that the to-be-traversed area is the second area includes:

[0022] When determining that the to-be-traversed area is the first sub-area, adjust the width of the cleaning robot to be less than or equal to the passing width of the first sub-area to enter the to-be-traversed area.

[0023] In some embodiments, the cleaning robot includes a housing body and a cleaning module with an adjustable cleaning coverage width, and the cleaning coverage width of the cleaning module in the first outer shape state is greater than the width of the housing body; the step of adjusting the width of the cleaning robot to be less than or equal to the passing width of the first sub-area includes:

[0024] Adjust the cleaning coverage width of the cleaning module to be less than or equal to the passage width of the first sub-region.

[0025] In some embodiments, the cleaning robot includes a housing body with adjustable width; the step of adjusting the width of the cleaning robot to be less than or equal to the passage width of the first sub-region includes:

[0026] Reduce the width of the housing body so that the width of the cleaning robot is less than or equal to the passage width of the first sub-region.

[0027] In some embodiments, the second region includes a second sub-region with a passage height less than a first height, and the first height is the height of the cleaning robot in the first external shape state;

[0028] The step of controlling the cleaning robot to enter the to-be-passed region in a second external shape state adapted to the second region when determining that the to-be-passed region is the second region includes:

[0029] When determining that the to-be-passed region is the second sub-region, adjust the height of the cleaning robot to be less than the passage height of the second sub-region to enter the to-be-passed region.

[0030] In some embodiments, the cleaning robot includes a radar that can be lifted and lowered; the step of adjusting the height of the cleaning robot to be less than the passage height of the second region includes: controlling the radar of the cleaning robot to descend;

[0031] And / or,

[0032] The step of adjusting the height of the cleaning robot to be less than the passage height of the second region includes: lowering the chassis height of the cleaning robot.

[0033] In some embodiments, the second region includes a third sub-region with a ground obstacle height greater than a second height; the second height is the chassis height of the cleaning robot in the first external shape state;

[0034] The step of controlling the cleaning robot to enter the to-be-passed region in a second external shape state adapted to the second region when determining that the to-be-passed region is the second region includes:

[0035] When determining that the to-be-passed region is the third sub-region, adjust the chassis height of the cleaning robot to be greater than the second height to enter the to-be-passed region.

[0036] In some embodiments, after the step of controlling the cleaning robot to clean a first area of the working area in the first shape state, the control method of the cleaning robot further includes:

[0037] When it is determined that there is a second area with a distance less than a preset distance value in the traveling direction of the cleaning robot, control the cleaning robot to switch to a second shape state corresponding to the second area.

[0038] The present invention also provides an electronic device, which includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the above control method of the cleaning robot are implemented.

[0039] The present invention also provides a cleaning robot, which includes a robot body and the above electronic device. The above electronic device is communicatively connected to the robot body, and the robot body can switch between multiple different-sized shape states.

[0040] In some embodiments, the robot body includes a housing body and a cleaning module disposed on the housing body, and the cleaning module can expand and contract the cleaning coverage width.

[0041] In some embodiments, the cleaning module can be adjusted in height, and the traveling drive wheels of the cleaning robot can be adjusted in height; and / or, a radar that can be adjusted in height is provided on the housing body of the cleaning robot.

[0042] The present invention also provides a storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the above control method of the cleaning robot are implemented.

[0043] The technical solution of the present invention adopts a cleaning robot that can switch between multiple different-sized shape states (including a first shape state and at least one second shape state). By controlling the cleaning robot to clean a first area of the working area in the first shape state, and controlling the cleaning robot to clean an area that cannot be passed through in the first shape state in the second shape state, the cleaning robot can automatically switch to the corresponding shape state according to the type of the current area (the first area or the second area) for mobile cleaning. In this way, the cleaning robot can clean and cover more areas in the room, improving the overall cleaning effect of the cleaning robot on the room. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] Figure 1 It is a schematic flowchart of the first embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 2Schematic flowchart of the second embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot according to the present invention;

[0046] Figure 3 Schematic flowchart of the third embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot according to the present invention;

[0047] Figure 4 Schematic flowchart of the third embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot according to the present invention;

[0048] Figure 5 Schematic flowchart of the third embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot according to the present invention;

[0049] Figure 6 Schematic flowchart of the third embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot according to the present invention;

[0050] Figure 7 Schematic flowchart of the third embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot according to the present invention;

[0051] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the first external shape state and one of the second external shape states of the cleaning robot according to the present invention;

[0052] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the first external shape state and one of the second external shape states of the cleaning robot according to the present invention;

[0053] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the first external shape state and one of the second external shape states of the cleaning robot according to the present invention;

[0054] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device in the hardware operating environment related to the solution of the embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0055] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0056] The present invention provides a control method for a cleaning robot. Refer to Figures 8 - 10, the cleaning robot can switch between various different-sized external configurations, that is, the cleaning robot can switch and adjust the external dimensions of the robot; among them, the various different-sized external configurations include a first external configuration and at least one second external configuration; the first external configuration and the second external configuration are respectively used for the first area and the second area of the cleaning operation area. The first area can be a conventional area in the operation area (such as a spacious and open area indoors, etc.), that is, the area where the cleaning robot can freely pass in the first external configuration; the second area can be a specific area in the operation area, that is, an unconventional area (such as a narrow and low area indoors, etc.), and the second area is an area where the cleaning robot cannot pass (cannot pass through or cannot enter) in the first external configuration.

[0057] The first external configuration can be the conventional external configuration of the cleaning robot, that is, the initial external configuration of the cleaning robot when its external shape has not changed. The second external configuration is a specific external configuration, which can be at least one external dimension (such as width, total height, chassis height, etc.) changed on the basis of the first external configuration. The cleaning robot can include one or more second external configurations. When the cleaning robot includes multiple second external configurations, various second external configurations can be respectively used to clean multiple different types of sub-areas in the corresponding second area; for example, the multiple different types of sub-areas in the second area can include: sub-areas with a narrow width (such as the interval area between two pieces of furniture), sub-areas with a small height (such as the area under the bed, the area under the cabinet), sub-areas with a relatively high ground obstacle height (such as the threshold area, the step area at the junction of two spaces), etc. It can be understood that narrow width, small height, and relatively high height are relative to the driving environment of the cleaning robot in the first external configuration (conventional external configuration), and the driving environment includes drivable width, drivable height, and drivable obstacle height, etc.

[0058] The implementation terminal of the control method of the cleaning robot in this application can be a cleaning robot or an electronic device. The electronic device can be a computing device such as a control board, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a server, etc. In this article, the implementation terminal takes the electronic device as an example to elaborate in detail on the control method of the cleaning robot.

[0059] Refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a schematic flowchart of the first embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot of the present invention.

[0060] In this embodiment, the control method of the cleaning robot includes:

[0061] Step S10, controlling the cleaning robot to clean the first area of the operation area in the first external configuration;

[0062] Step S20, control the cleaning robot to clean the second area of the working area in the second shape state.

[0063] In the control method of the cleaning robot in this embodiment, during the operation of the cleaning robot, when the cleaning robot is to clean the first area of the working area, the electronic device controls the cleaning robot to clean in the first shape state. When it is desired to have the cleaning robot clean the second area of the working area, since the second area is an area that the cleaning robot cannot pass through in the first shape state, therefore, the electronic device controls the cleaning robot to switch to the second shape state to clean the second area.

[0064] For example, when the cleaning robot cleans the ground in the bedroom, after the cleaning robot cleans the open ground area in the bedroom in the first shape state, when it is desired to have the cleaning robot clean the area under the bed or under the wardrobe in the bedroom (i.e., the second area), due to the first shape state of the cleaning robot at this time, it cannot enter under the bed or under the wardrobe. The electronic device then makes the cleaning robot switch to the second shape state. At this time, the height of the cleaning robot in the second shape state is less than the height of the cleaning robot in the first shape state, so that the cleaning robot can enter under the bed or under the wardrobe. The electronic device then controls the cleaning robot to enter under the bed or under the wardrobe in the second shape state to clean. Another example is when it is desired to have the cleaning robot clean the narrow space area between indoor items (i.e., the second area). Since the first shape state of the cleaning robot at this time makes it unable to enter the narrow space area, the electronic device makes the cleaning robot switch to the second shape state. At this time, the width of the cleaning robot in the second shape state is less than the width of the cleaning robot in the first shape state, so that the cleaning robot can enter the narrow space area. The electronic device then controls the cleaning robot to enter the narrow space area in the second shape state to clean.

[0065] Among them, compared with the second external shape state of the cleaning robot, the first external shape state of the cleaning robot has at least one of the three differences: greater width, greater height, and smaller chassis height. When the width of the cleaning robot in the first external shape state is greater than that in the second external shape state, the cleaning coverage width of the cleaning module on the cleaning robot can be increased. Thus, when the cleaning robot uses the first external shape state to clean the first area (open area), the cleaning robot can complete the cleaning of the first area faster and with higher cleaning efficiency. When the height of the cleaning robot in the first external shape state is greater than that in the second external shape state, the cleaning robot can keep the radar in the raised state (because in the second external shape state, the radar may need to be partially or fully retracted into the fuselage). Thus, when the cleaning robot uses the first external shape state to clean the first area, the radar can be used for navigation detection, mapping, or updating the operation map, etc., making the cleaning of the cleaning robot more accurate. When the obstacle-crossing height of the cleaning robot in the first external shape state is smaller than that in the second external shape state, when the cleaning robot cleans the first area, it can keep a lower chassis height, so that the cleaning module of the cleaning robot can better contact the object surface, ensuring the cleaning effect of the first area, and the lower chassis of the cleaning robot also makes the walking of the cleaning robot more stable.

[0066] The technical solution of the control method of the cleaning robot in this embodiment adopts a cleaning robot that can switch between multiple different-sized external shape states (including the first external shape state and at least one second external shape state). By controlling the cleaning robot to clean the first area of the operation area in the first external shape state and controlling the cleaning robot to clean the area that cannot be passed through in the first external shape state in the second external shape state, that is, the cleaning robot automatically switches to the corresponding external shape state for mobile cleaning according to the type of the current area (the first area or the second area). In this way, the cleaning robot can clean and cover more areas in the room, improving the overall cleaning effect of the cleaning robot on the room.

[0067] Refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of the second embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot of the present invention.

[0068] In this embodiment, the control method of the cleaning robot further includes:

[0069] Step S30, determining the area type of the area to be passed through;

[0070] The area to be traversed can be the area that the cleaning robot is about to reach, or the area in front of the current moving direction of the cleaning robot; the area types include a first area and a second area. During the operation of the cleaning robot, the electronic device will determine the area type of the area to be traversed, that is, determine whether the area to be reached is the first area or the second area. The electronic device can determine the area type of the area to be traversed in real time or at regular intervals (for example, with a period of 1 second), or when it detects that the cleaning robot reaches a preset trigger condition, it can execute the processing step of determining the area type of the area to be traversed. For example, when the electronic device determines that the cleaning robot travels to the boundary position between two areas, it determines the area type of the area to be traversed. The electronic device can also determine the area type of the area to be traversed when it determines that the cleaning robot travels to a distance less than the distance threshold from the next area; etc.

[0071] In one implementation, the operation map of the current operation area can be stored in the electronic device, and the area type of each area is marked in the operation map, that is, the area type of each area and its adjacent areas can be known according to the operation map; therefore, in this implementation, step S30 can be to obtain the area type of the area to be traversed based on the operation map.

[0072] In another embodiment, step S30 may also be to first detect the preset feature information of the area to be passed, and then determine the area type of the area to be passed according to the detected preset feature information. The electronic device may detect the preset feature information of the area to be passed through a sensing device (such as an image sensing device), and the preset feature information includes at least one of the passing width, passing height, and ground obstacle height; after detecting the preset feature information of the area to be passed, the area type to which the area to be passed belongs can be determined according to these preset feature information. For example, when the features of the area to be passed meet at least one of the conditions that the passing width is less than the preset width threshold, the passing height is less than the preset first height threshold, and the ground obstacle height is greater than the preset second height threshold, it is determined that the area to be passed is the second area, and when none of the above conditions are met, it is determined that the area to be passed is the first area. In addition, when the electronic device determines that the area to be passed is the second area, it can also determine the type of the second area according to the preset feature information of the area to be passed, that is, determine which specific refined type of the second area this second area is; among them, the refined types may include, for example: 1. The first type where only the passing width is less than the preset width threshold; 2. The second type where only the passing height is less than the preset first height threshold; 3. The third type where only the ground obstacle height is greater than the preset second height threshold; 4. The fourth type where the passing width is less than the preset width threshold and the passing height is less than the preset first height threshold; 5. The fifth type where the passing width is less than the preset width threshold and the ground obstacle height is greater than the preset second height threshold; 6. The sixth type where the passing height is less than the preset first height threshold and the ground obstacle height is greater than the preset second height threshold; 7. The seventh type where the passing width is less than the preset width threshold, the passing height is less than the preset first height threshold, and the ground obstacle height is greater than the preset second height threshold; and so on. It can be understood that when it is the sixth type or the seventh type, the radar of the cleaning robot can be controlled to descend, and the chassis height of the cleaning robot can be adjusted to be greater than the second height. Although the chassis height of the cleaning robot is adjusted to be greater than the second height, since the radar of the robot descends, the height of the robot at this time is less than the height in the first external state, and it can still pass through the area where the passing height is less than the preset first height threshold.

[0073] Of course, in some other embodiments, the electronic device may also use other methods to determine the area type of the area to be passed.

[0074] Step S40, when it is determined that the area to be passed is the second area, control the cleaning robot to enter the area to be passed in a second external state adapted to the second area.

[0075] The electronic device may store the second shape state corresponding to each refined type of the second area (i.e., the adapted second shape state), or the correspondence between the feature information of the second area (such as the passing width, passing height, and height of ground obstacles) and the second shape state. When the electronic device determines that the area to be passed is the second area, the electronic device may determine the second shape state adapted to the second area according to the refined type or feature information of the second area, so as to control the cleaning robot to switch to the second shape state and enter the area to be passed. In this embodiment, the execution situation of step S40 is that the area type or refined type of the area to be passed is different from that of the area where the cleaning robot is currently located. For example, the area where the cleaning robot is currently located is the first area, and the area to be passed is the second area, or the area where the cleaning robot is currently located is a second area of a certain type (such as the above-mentioned first type), and the area to be passed is a second area of another type (such as the above-mentioned second type). Of course, if the refined type of the area to be passed is the same as that of the area where the cleaning robot is currently located, the cleaning robot may be allowed to enter the area to be passed while maintaining the current second shape state.

[0076] In the technical solution of the control method of the cleaning robot in this embodiment, during the operation of the cleaning robot, the area type of the area to be passed is determined, so that when it is determined that the area to be passed is the second area, the cleaning robot is controlled to switch to the second shape state adapted to the area to be passed, so as to ensure that the cleaning robot can smoothly enter the area to be passed for cleaning, and further ensure that the cleaning robot can move smoothly during the operation process, so as to clean each type of area in the working area.

[0077] Refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of the third embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot of the present invention.

[0078] In this embodiment, after the step of determining the area type of the area to be passed (i.e., step S30), the control method of the cleaning robot further includes:

[0079] Step S50, when it is determined that the area to be passed is the first area, control the cleaning robot to enter the area to be passed in the current shape state;

[0080] There are two situations for the area where the cleaning robot is currently located. One is the first area, and the other is the second area; when the electronic device determines that the area to be passed is the first area, if the area where the cleaning robot is currently located is the second area, since the first shape state cannot pass in the second area, therefore, the cleaning robot cannot be immediately switched to the first shape state to avoid the cleaning robot getting stuck in the current area or unable to enter the area to be passed, and the cleaning robot needs to enter the area to be passed in the current shape state.

[0081] Step S60, after entering the area to be traversed, keep or switch the cleaning robot to the first external shape state.

[0082] After the cleaning robot enters the area to be traversed, if the current external shape state of the cleaning robot is the second external shape state (that is, before the cleaning robot enters the area to be traversed, the area where the cleaning robot is located is the second area), then control the cleaning robot to switch to the first external shape state. If the current external shape state of the cleaning robot is already the first external shape state (that is, before the cleaning robot enters the area to be traversed, the area where the cleaning robot is located is the first area), then keep the cleaning robot in the first external shape state. Since the first area is the area in the working area where the passing width can accommodate the first external shape state of the cleaning robot, and the external shape width of the first external shape state corresponding to the first area is larger, therefore, when the cleaning robot is in the first external shape state, the cleaning coverage width of the cleaning robot is larger and the cleaning efficiency is higher. Therefore, by controlling the cleaning robot to run in the first external shape state after the cleaning robot enters the first area, the cleaning efficiency of the entire working area can be improved.

[0083] In the technical solution of the control method of the cleaning robot in this embodiment, during the operation of the cleaning robot, determine the area type of the area to be traversed, so that when it is determined that the area to be traversed is the first area, first control the cleaning robot to enter the area to be traversed in the current external shape state, and then control the cleaning robot to keep or switch to the first external shape state, so as to ensure that the cleaning robot can walk smoothly between the various areas of the working area and complete the cleaning of the entire working area more efficiently.

[0084] Of course, since the cleaning robot can pass through the first area in the second external shape state, in some embodiments, the electronic device can also not perform any processing on the cleaning robot when it is determined that the area to be traversed is the first area, and let the cleaning robot directly enter the area to be traversed for cleaning.

[0085] In some embodiments, determining the area type of the area to be traversed may include: when it is determined that the cleaning robot reaches the boundary position between two areas and the cleaning robot is about to enter the next area to be traversed, update the area type of the area to be traversed.

[0086] Since the cleaning robot's area type will change only when it continues to move after reaching the boundary position with another area, during the running process before the cleaning robot reaches the boundary position, the area type remains unchanged and there is no need to switch the appearance state. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the cleaning robot runs to the boundary position between two areas and is about to cross the boundary and enter the next area (i.e., the area to be passed), the area type of the area to be passed is updated and confirmed, so as to control the cleaning robot to perform corresponding processing (switch the appearance state or maintain) according to the area type of the area to be passed; in this way, it is avoided that the processing step of continuously or frequently determining the area type of the area to be passed in real time or regularly is required, and the data processing volume of the system is reduced.

[0087] Refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of the fourth embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot of the present invention.

[0088] In this embodiment, the second area includes a first sub-area with a passing width smaller than the first width, and the first width is the width of the cleaning robot in the first appearance state; step S40 of the control method of the cleaning robot includes:

[0089] Step S41, when it is determined that the area to be passed is the first sub-area, adjust the width of the cleaning robot to be less than or equal to the passing width of the first sub-area so as to enter the area to be passed.

[0090] When the electronic device determines that the area to be passed is the first sub-area (i.e., one type of sub-area in the second area), that is, it determines that the passing width of the area to be passed is smaller than the width in the first appearance state, and the cleaning robot cannot pass through the first sub-area in the first appearance state. At this time, the electronic device can obtain the passing width of the first sub-area through the operation map, or detect the passing width of the first sub-area through the sensing device, or determine the passing width of the first sub-area by other means, and then adjust the width of the cleaning robot to be less than or equal to the passing width of the first sub-area, so that the cleaning robot enters the first sub-area (i.e., the area to be passed) and cleans the first sub-area. When the passing width of the first sub-area is smaller than the minimum width of the second appearance state of the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot stops entering the first sub-area and bypasses the first sub-area.

[0091] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 8, the cleaning robot may include a housing body 10 and a cleaning module 20 with an adjustable cleaning coverage width. The cleaning coverage width of the cleaning module 20 in the first outer shape state is greater than the width of the housing body 10. For example, the cleaning module 20 extends a part outward from the housing body 10 in the width direction of the housing body 10. In the above step S41 of this embodiment, the step of adjusting the width of the cleaning robot to be less than or equal to the passing width of the first sub-region may include adjusting the cleaning coverage width of the cleaning module 20 to be less than or equal to the passing width of the first sub-region. In this way, the overall width of the cleaning robot is reduced so that the cleaning robot can enter the first sub-region.

[0092] In some embodiments, the cleaning robot may include a housing body with an adjustable width. In the above step S41 of this embodiment, the step of adjusting the width of the cleaning robot to be less than or equal to the passing width of the first sub-region may include reducing the width of the housing body so that the width of the cleaning robot is less than or equal to the passing width of the first sub-region, so that the cleaning robot can enter the first sub-region and can pass through the first sub-region.

[0093] Of course, in some other embodiments, the electronic device may also use other methods to adjust the width of the cleaning robot.

[0094] The technical solution of this embodiment, when determining that the to-be-passed area is the first sub-region with a passing width less than the width in the first outer shape state, adjusts and reduces the width of the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot switches to the second outer shape state adapted to the first sub-region, so as to enter the first sub-region and pass through the first sub-region, and further enables the cleaning robot to clean the first sub-region in the working area.

[0095] Refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of the fifth embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot of the present invention.

[0096] In some embodiments, the second area includes a second sub-region with a passing height less than the first height, and the first height is the height of the cleaning robot in the first outer shape state; in this embodiment, the above step S40 includes:

[0097] Step S42, when determining that the to-be-passed area is the second sub-region, adjust the height of the cleaning robot to be less than the passing height of the second sub-region to enter the to-be-passed area.

[0098] When the electronic device determines that the area to be traversed is the second sub - area (i.e., one of the types of sub - areas in the second area), that is, when it determines that the traversable height of the area to be traversed is less than the height in the first external shape state, the cleaning robot cannot traverse the second sub - area in the first external shape state. At this time, the electronic device can obtain the traversable width of the second sub - area through the operation map, or detect the traversable height of the second sub - area through the sensing device, or determine the traversable height of the second sub - area by other means. Then, the height of the cleaning robot is adjusted to be less than or equal to the traversable height of the second sub - area, so that the cleaning robot can enter the second sub - area (i.e., the area to be traversed) and can traverse in the second sub - area to clean the second sub - area. When the traversable height of the second sub - area is less than the minimum height of the second external shape state of the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot stops entering the second sub - area and bypasses the second sub - area.

[0099] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 9 , the cleaning robot may include a liftable radar 30; in the above step S42 of this embodiment, the step of adjusting the height of the cleaning robot to be less than the traversable height of the second area may include controlling the radar 30 of the cleaning robot to descend; and / or, the step of adjusting the height of the cleaning robot to be less than the traversable height of the second area may include lowering the chassis height of the cleaning robot. After the electronic device determines that the area to be traversed is the second sub - area, by controlling the radar 30 of the cleaning robot to descend and / or controlling the chassis height of the cleaning robot to descend, the overall height of the cleaning robot is reduced to be lower than or equal to the traversable height of the second sub - area, so that the cleaning robot can enter the second sub - area and traverse within the second sub - area.

[0100] Of course, in some other embodiments, the electronic device can also use other methods to adjust the height of the cleaning robot.

[0101] The technical solution of this embodiment, when determining that the area to be traversed is the second sub - area with a traversable height less than the width in the first external shape state, adjusts and reduces the height of the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot switches to the second external shape state adapted to the second sub - area, in order to enter the second sub - area and traverse within the second sub - area, and further enables the cleaning robot to clean the second sub - area in the working area.

[0102] Refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 which is a schematic flowchart of the sixth embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot of the present invention.

[0103] In some embodiments, the second area includes a third sub - area where the height of the ground obstacle is greater than the second height; the second height is the chassis height of the cleaning robot in the first external shape state; in this embodiment, the above step S40 includes:

[0104] In step S43, when it is determined that the to-be-traversed area is the third sub-area, adjust the chassis height of the cleaning robot to be greater than the second height so as to enter the to-be-traversed area.

[0105] When the electronic device determines that the to-be-traversed area is the third sub-area (i.e., one type of sub-area in the second area), it is determined that the height of the ground obstacle in the to-be-traversed area is greater than the height that the cleaning robot can cross in the first external shape state. The cleaning robot cannot pass through the third sub-area in the first external shape state. At this time, the electronic device can obtain the height of the ground obstacle in the third sub-area through the operation map, or detect the height of the ground obstacle in the third sub-area through the sensing device, or determine the height of the ground obstacle in the third sub-area by other means, and then adjust the chassis height of the cleaning robot to be greater than the height of the ground obstacle in the third sub-area, so that the cleaning robot can cross the height of the ground obstacle in the third sub-area, smoothly enter the third sub-area (i.e., the to-be-traversed area), and can smoothly pass through the third sub-area, thereby cleaning the third sub-area. When the height of the ground obstacle in the third sub-area is greater than the maximum obstacle-crossing height of the second external shape state of the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot stops entering the third sub-area and bypasses the third sub-area.

[0106] The technical solution of this embodiment, when it is determined that the to-be-traversed area is the third sub-area where the height of the ground obstacle is greater than the height that the cleaning robot can cross in the first external shape state, adjusts and increases the chassis height of the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot switches to the second external shape state adapted to the third sub-area, so as to realize entering the third sub-area and passing through the third sub-area, and further enable the cleaning robot to clean the third sub-area in the operation area.

[0107] It should be noted that the above steps S41, S42, and S43 can be executed separately or in combination of multiple steps.

[0108] Refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 which is a schematic flowchart of the seventh embodiment of the control method of the cleaning robot of the present invention.

[0109] In this embodiment, after step S10, the control method of the cleaning robot further includes:

[0110] In step S70, when it is determined that there is a second area with a distance less than the preset distance value in the traveling direction of the cleaning robot, control the cleaning robot to switch to the second external shape state corresponding to the second area.

[0111] When the cleaning robot walks in the first area in the first external shape state, if a second area with a distance less than a preset distance value appears in the traveling direction, it means that the cleaning robot is about to travel from the first area into the second area, and the cleaning robot in the first external shape state cannot pass through the second area. Therefore, the electronic device controls the cleaning robot to switch to the second external shape state corresponding to the second area, so that the cleaning robot can smoothly enter the second area from the current first area. Moreover, by performing the process of switching the external shape state at a position preset distance value away from the second area, the cleaning robot can perform the action of switching the external shape state while traveling. In this way, the cleaning robot does not need to stop at the boundary position between the first area and the second area to switch the external shape state, and the running process of the cleaning robot is smoother and the cleaning efficiency is higher.

[0112] It should be noted that for the solutions of all the above embodiments of the control method of the cleaning robot in this application, without conflict with each other, the above embodiments can be arbitrarily combined or combined to form new embodiments.

[0113] The present invention also proposes an electronic device. Refer to Figure 11 , Figure 11 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device in the hardware operating environment related to the solution of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0114] The electronic device of the embodiment of the present invention can be a computing device such as a desktop computer, a notebook, a palm computer, and a server. As Figure 11 shown, the electronic device may include: a processor 1001 (such as a CPU), a network interface 1004, a user interface 1003, a memory 1005, and a communication bus 1002. Among them, the communication bus 1002 is used to realize the connection communication between these components. The user interface 1003 may include a display screen (Display) and an input unit, such as a keyboard (Keyboard). Optionally, the user interface 1003 may further include a standard wired interface and a wireless interface. The network interface 1004 may optionally include a standard wired interface and a wireless interface (such as a WI-FI interface). The memory 1005 may be a high-speed RAM memory or a stable memory (non-volatile memory), such as a disk memory. Optionally, the memory 1005 may also be a storage device independent of the aforementioned processor 1001.

[0115] Those skilled in the art can understand that Figure 11 the structure of the electronic device shown in

[0116] does not constitute a limitation on the electronic device, and may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or have different component arrangements. Figure 11As shown, the memory 1005, which is a computer storage medium, may include an operating system, a network communication module, a user interface module, and a computer program (e.g., the control program of the cleaning robot).

[0117] In Figure 11 the electronic device shown, the network interface 1004 is mainly used to connect to the background server and communicate with the background server for data; the user interface 1003 is mainly used to connect to the client (user side) and communicate with the client for data; and the processor 1001 can be used to call the computer program stored in the memory 1005. When the computer program is called and executed by the processor 1001, the steps of the above-mentioned control method of the cleaning robot are implemented.

[0118] Based on the computer program proposed in the foregoing embodiments, the present invention also proposes a storage medium storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a controller, the control method of the cleaning robot recorded in the foregoing embodiments is implemented.

[0119] The present invention also proposes a cleaning robot, including a robot body and the electronic device described in the above embodiments. The above-mentioned electronic device is communicatively connected to the robot body, and the robot body can switch between multiple different-sized external shapes.

[0120] In some embodiments, referring to Figures 8 to 10 , the robot body includes a housing body 10 and a cleaning module 20 provided on the housing body 10. The cleaning module 20 can expand and contract the cleaning coverage width. In some embodiments, there may be multiple cleaning modules 20. For example, there are three cleaning modules 20, where two cleaning modules 20 are respectively the first cleaning members (e.g., mops) that can extend and retract to opposite sides of the housing body 10, and another cleaning module (not shown in the figure) can be the second cleaning member (e.g., a roller brush) located on the bottom side of the housing body 10. The cleaning width of the combination of the two first cleaning members and the second cleaning member is the cleaning coverage width of the cleaning robot.

[0121] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 9 and Figure 10 , the cleaning module 20 can be adjusted in height, and the traveling drive wheels 40 of the cleaning robot can be adjusted in height; and / or, a radar 30 that can be adjusted in height is provided on the housing body 10 of the cleaning robot. By controlling the height adjustment of the cleaning module 20 and the height adjustment of the traveling drive wheels 40, the chassis height adjustment and the overall height adjustment of the cleaning robot are achieved. By controlling the height adjustment of the radar 30, the overall height adjustment of the cleaning robot can be achieved.

[0122] The electronic device, cleaning robot, and storage medium of the present invention can all implement the steps of the above-mentioned control method for the cleaning robot. Therefore, they at least have all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the embodiments of the above-mentioned control method for the cleaning robot, which will not be elaborated here one by one.

[0123] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed methods and devices can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the modules is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed couplings or direct couplings or communication connections to each other can be through some interfaces. The indirect couplings or communication connections of the devices or modules can be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0124] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separated. The components displayed as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, they can be located in one place, or they can be distributed to multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0125] In addition, in each embodiment of the present invention, the functional modules can be integrated into one processing module, or each module can exist physically alone, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules.

[0126] If the above-mentioned integrated module is implemented in the form of a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of this 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 enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in each embodiment of the present invention. The foregoing storage medium includes: USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memories (RAM, Random Access Memory), magnetic disks, or optical discs and other various media that can store program codes.

[0127] The above are only partial or preferred embodiments of the present invention. Neither the text nor the drawings can limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformation made using the content of the specification and drawings of the present invention under the overall concept of the present invention, or any direct / indirect application in other related technical fields, is included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method for a cleaning robot, characterized in that, the cleaning robot can switch between multiple different-sized external shape states, and the multiple different-sized external shape states include a first external shape state and at least one second external shape state; the control method of the cleaning robot includes: controlling the cleaning robot to clean a first area of the working area in the first external shape state; when the cleaning robot is walking in the first area in the first external shape state, when a second area with a distance less than a preset distance value appears in the determined traveling direction of the cleaning robot, controlling the cleaning robot to switch the first external shape state to the second external shape state corresponding to the second area; controlling the cleaning robot to clean a second area of the working area in the second external shape state, where the second area is an area that the cleaning robot cannot pass through in the first external shape state; wherein, the controlling the cleaning robot to switch the first external shape state to the second external shape state includes: the cleaning robot includes a chassis, a cleaning module with adjustable lifting, and a traveling driving wheel with adjustable lifting. The chassis is respectively connected to the cleaning module and the traveling driving wheel. By adjusting the lifting of the cleaning module and the traveling driving wheel, the height of the chassis of the cleaning robot is adjusted so that the chassis height in the second external shape state is greater than the chassis height in the first external shape state.

2. The control method for a cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, the control method of the cleaning robot further includes: determining the area type of the area to be passed through, where the area type includes the first area and the second area; when it is determined that the area to be passed through is the second area, controlling the cleaning robot to enter the area to be passed through in the second external shape state adapted to the second area.

3. The control method for a cleaning robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, after the step of determining the area type of the area to be passed through, the control method of the cleaning robot further includes: when it is determined that the area to be passed through is the first area, controlling the cleaning robot to enter the area to be passed through in the current external shape state; after entering the area to be passed through, keeping or switching the cleaning robot to the first external shape state.

4. The control method for a cleaning robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, the step of determining the area type of the area to be passed through includes: obtaining the area type of the area to be passed through based on the operation map, where the area type of each area is marked in the operation map; or, the step of determining the area type of the area to be passed through includes: detecting preset feature information of the area to be passed through, where the preset feature information includes at least one of the passing width, passing height, and ground obstacle height; determining the area type of the area to be passed through according to the preset feature information.

5. The control method for a cleaning robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, the step of determining the area type of the area to be passed through includes: When it is determined that the cleaning robot reaches the boundary position between two areas and the cleaning robot is about to enter the next area to be passed, update the area type of the area to be passed.

6. The control method of the cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein, the second area includes a first sub-area with a passing width smaller than the first width, and the first width is the width of the cleaning robot in the first external shape state; the step of controlling the cleaning robot to enter the area to be passed in a second external shape state adapted to the second area when it is determined that the area to be passed is the second area includes: when it is determined that the area to be passed is the first sub-area, adjust the width of the cleaning robot to be less than or equal to the passing width of the first sub-area to enter the area to be passed.

7. The control method of the cleaning robot according to claim 6, wherein, the cleaning robot includes a housing body, and the cleaning coverage width of the cleaning module in the first external shape state is greater than the width of the housing body; the step of adjusting the width of the cleaning robot to be less than or equal to the passing width of the first sub-area includes: adjust the cleaning coverage width of the cleaning module to be less than or equal to the passing width of the first sub-area.

8. The control method of the cleaning robot according to claim 6, wherein, the cleaning robot includes a housing body with adjustable width; the step of adjusting the width of the cleaning robot to be less than or equal to the passing width of the first sub-area includes: reduce the width of the housing body so that the width of the cleaning robot is less than or equal to the passing width of the first sub-area.

9. The control method of the cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein, the second area includes a second sub-area with a passing height smaller than the first height, and the first height is the height of the cleaning robot in the first external shape state; the step of controlling the cleaning robot to enter the area to be passed in a second external shape state adapted to the second area when it is determined that the area to be passed is the second area includes: when it is determined that the area to be passed is the second sub-area, adjust the height of the cleaning robot to be less than the passing height of the second sub-area to enter the area to be passed.

10. The control method of the cleaning robot according to claim 9, wherein, the cleaning robot includes a radar that can be lifted and lowered; the step of adjusting the height of the cleaning robot to be less than the passing height of the second area includes: controlling the radar of the cleaning robot to descend; and / or, the step of adjusting the height of the cleaning robot to be less than the passing height of the second area includes: lowering the chassis height of the cleaning robot.

11. The control method of the cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein, the second area includes a third sub-area where the height of the ground obstacle is greater than the second height; the second height is the chassis height of the cleaning robot in the first external shape state; The step of controlling the cleaning robot to enter the to-be-traversed area in a second shape state adapted to the second area when determining that the to-be-traversed area is the second area includes: When determining that the to-be-traversed area is the third sub-area, adjusting the chassis height of the cleaning robot to be greater than the second height to enter the to-be-traversed area.

12. An electronic device Characterized in that The electronic device includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the control method of the cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1 to 11 are implemented.

13. A cleaning robot Characterized in that It includes a robot body and the electronic device according to claim 12. The electronic device is communicatively connected to the robot body, and the robot body can switch between multiple different-sized shape states.

14. The cleaning robot according to claim 13 Characterized in that The robot body includes a housing body and a cleaning module provided on the housing body, and the cleaning module can expand and contract the cleaning coverage width.

15. The cleaning robot according to claim 14 Characterized in that The cleaning module can be adjusted in height, and the traveling drive wheels of the cleaning robot can be adjusted in height; and / or, a radar that can be adjusted in height is provided on the housing body of the cleaning robot.

16. A storage medium Characterized in that A computer program is stored on the storage medium. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the control method of the cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1 to 11 are implemented.

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