A control method of a cleaning robot

Abstract

The application discloses a control method of a cleaning robot, belongs to the technical field of robot control, and is applied to a cleaning robot. The cleaning robot is provided with a rolling brush, a dust suction fan and a dust collection box. The method comprises the following steps: when the cleaning robot works on a to-be-cleaned area, the working state of the cleaning robot is controlled to be switched; the working state comprises a first working state and a second working state; the first working state comprises the following steps: the rolling brush is controlled to sweep garbage in the to-be-cleaned area to the direction close to the dust collection box, and the dust suction fan is controlled to run at a first power to suck the garbage into the dust collection box; and the second working state comprises the following step: the rolling brush is controlled to gather the garbage in the to-be-cleaned area to the direction away from the dust collection box. Through the method, the garbage leakage in the to-be-cleaned area can be effectively avoided, and the cleaning effect is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of robot control technology, and specifically relates to a control method for a cleaning robot. Background Technology

[0002] Cleaning robots, such as robotic vacuum cleaners, are popular household cleaning devices and are widely used in various homes.

[0003] Currently, almost all cleaning robots use a combination of side brushes, roller brushes, and vacuuming to clean the floor. Figure 1 , 2 These are side and bottom views of a traditional cleaning robot. Traditional cleaning methods first involve... Figure 2 The two side brushes shown gather the trash, and then... Figure 1 The roller shown is in accordance with Figure 1 The robot rolls in one direction in the direction of the arrow, sweeping the trash into the opening of the dust collection box. Finally, the cleaning robot's suction fan sucks the trash into the dust collection box, completing the cleaning process.

[0004] However, this cleaning solution currently has the following drawbacks. First, the cleaning effect depends on the suction power of the vacuum cleaner throughout the entire process. When the suction power is low, the amount of garbage sucked up is limited, and it may even affect the suction effect of larger garbage, leading to garbage being missed. Second, during the cleaning process, garbage is extremely easy to miss the rubber baffle behind the roller brush due to uneven ground. The baffle is located in a position such as... Figure 1 As shown, this leads to missed areas, and the low efficiency and high energy consumption of the vacuum cleaner make the cleaning robot power-hungry. It also results in significant noise during operation. In summary, existing cleaning solutions are power-consuming, noisy, and incomplete, leaving areas potentially untouched and ultimately leading to poor cleaning results. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a control method for a cleaning robot to solve at least one of the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0006] The technical solution adopted in this application is as follows:

[0007] A control method for a cleaning robot, applied to a cleaning robot equipped with a roller brush, a vacuum fan, and a dust collection box, includes: controlling the cleaning robot to switch working states when it is working on an area to be cleaned; the working states include a first working state and a second working state, the first working state including controlling the roller brush to sweep the debris in the area to be cleaned toward the dust collection box, and controlling the vacuum fan to operate at a first power to suck the debris into the dust collection box, the second working state including controlling the roller brush to gather the debris in the area to be cleaned toward the direction away from the dust collection box.

[0008] In one possible implementation of this application specification, controlling the roller brush to sweep the garbage in the area to be cleaned toward the direction of the dust collection box includes: controlling the roller brush of the cleaning robot to rotate in the forward direction, wherein the forward direction is to sweep the garbage toward the direction of the dust collection box; controlling the roller brush to gather the garbage in the area to be cleaned toward the direction of the dust collection box includes: controlling the roller brush of the cleaning robot to rotate in the reverse direction or stop rotating, wherein the reverse direction is to sweep the garbage away from the dust collection box.

[0009] In one possible implementation of this application specification, the roller brush is installed inside the roller brush cavity, and a scraper is provided on the inner wall of the roller brush cavity. The scraper is used to prevent the roller brush from rolling garbage into the roller brush cavity when the cleaning robot switches to the second working state.

[0010] In one possible implementation of this application, controlling the cleaning robot to switch working states includes: detecting the flatness of the ground in the area to be cleaned; and controlling the cleaning robot to switch working states based on the flatness of the ground in the area to be cleaned.

[0011] In one possible implementation of this application, controlling the cleaning robot to switch working states based on the flatness of the ground in the area to be cleaned includes: switching the cleaning robot to a second working state when a gap is detected in the area to be cleaned; and switching the cleaning robot to a first working state when no gap is detected in the area to be cleaned.

[0012] In one possible implementation of this application specification, controlling the cleaning robot to switch working states includes: detecting the amount of accumulated garbage; and when the amount of accumulated garbage exceeds a preset threshold, switching the cleaning robot to a first working state.

[0013] In one possible implementation of this application specification, the detection of the amount of accumulated waste includes: detecting the driving current of the roller brush; and determining the amount of accumulated waste based on the driving current.

[0014] In one possible implementation of this application specification, the method further includes: after controlling the cleaning robot to switch to the first working state, controlling the cleaning robot to perform circular motion with one side of the roller brush as the center or with the center of the cleaning robot as the center.

[0015] In one possible implementation of this application specification, the second working state further includes: controlling the vacuum cleaner to operate at a second power or to stop operating, wherein the second power is less than the first power.

[0016] In one possible implementation of this application specification, the bottom of the cleaning robot is provided with a baffle plate, which extends from both sides of the opening of the dust collection box in a direction away from the dust collection box, and is used to prevent the garbage from overflowing when the cleaning robot switches to the second working state to collect garbage.

[0017] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects achieved by this application are as follows:

[0018] 1. By switching working states during cleaning, the cleaning robot can first gather the debris away from the collection box, then sweep it towards the dust collection box and use the suction fan to suck it in. This cleaning method ensures that the area to be cleaned is thoroughly cleaned. Even if some debris is missed during the process of sucking it into the dust collection box, the cleaning robot can gather the missed debris again when it switches to the second working state of gathering debris for subsequent suction. This avoids the problem of debris leakage caused by the rubber baffle behind the roller brush in traditional cleaning methods, thus solving the problem of debris leakage and ensuring the cleaning effect of the area to be cleaned.

[0019] 2. When the cleaning robot detects gaps in the floor, it switches to its second working state. By controlling the roller brush to rotate in the opposite direction or remain stationary, the brush sweeps debris out of the gaps. As the robot moves, it pushes the debris away from the dustbin until it detects no gaps in the floor, at which point it switches to its first working state to sweep the collected debris into the dustbin. This reduces the likelihood of small, hard debris being left in floor gaps, minimizing the possibility of debris being missed and improving cleaning efficiency on uneven surfaces.

[0020] 3. By using scrapers installed on the inner wall of the roller brush chamber, it is possible to prevent the dust from being rolled into the top of the roller brush when the roller brush rotates in the opposite direction or does not rotate and gathers dust away from the dust collection box.

[0021] 4. When the cleaning robot switches to the second working state, the vacuum fan can stop running or run at a lower power, which solves the drawback of the traditional cleaning solution that requires the vacuum fan to run continuously. This reduces the power consumption of the vacuum fan on the battery, making the cleaning robot more energy-efficient. At the same time, the solution of the vacuum fan not running or running at a low power can also effectively reduce the noise of the cleaning robot when it is working.

[0022] 5. By detecting the magnitude of the drive current on the roller brush, the amount of debris gathered by the roller brush can be determined, which can save the cost of debris detection. When the amount of debris exceeds the preset threshold, the cleaning robot switches to the first working state, sweeps the debris towards the dust collection box, and uses a vacuum fan to suck the debris into the dust collection box, thereby effectively avoiding the leakage of debris due to excessive accumulation.

[0023] 6. When the robot switches to the first working state, the cleaning robot will make a circular motion with one side of the roller brush as the center or with the center of the robot as the center. Through the circular motion, in conjunction with the forward rotation of the roller brush, the garbage is swept towards the dust collection box, so as to repeatedly clean the garbage that has been gathered. This allows the vacuum fan to suck all the gathered garbage into the dust collection box, greatly reducing the possibility of garbage being missed.

[0024] 7. A baffle is provided at the bottom of the cleaning robot. The baffle extends from both sides of the dust collection box opening away from the dust collection box. It can block the garbage when the cleaning robot switches to the second working state and gathers garbage away from the dust collection box, thereby effectively preventing garbage from overflowing. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0026] Figure 1 A side view of a traditional cleaning robot;

[0027] Figure 2 A bottom view of a traditional cleaning robot;

[0028] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a control method for a cleaning robot provided in this application embodiment;

[0029] Figure 4 A side view of a cleaning robot provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 5 A bottom view of a cleaning robot provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 6 A front view of a cleaning robot provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning process of a cleaning robot in an application scenario provided by an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To more clearly illustrate the overall concept of this application, a detailed explanation is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of this application. However, this application may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0035] Furthermore, it should be understood in the description of this application that the terms "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0036] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a communication connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0037] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the "above" or "below" of the second feature can mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "implementation," "example," "a particular embodiment," "example," or "specific example," etc., indicate that the specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0038] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a control method for a cleaning robot provided in this application embodiment is shown below. Figure 3 As shown, the control method in this application embodiment includes at least the following execution steps:

[0040] Step 301: When the cleaning robot is working on the area to be cleaned, control the cleaning robot to switch working states.

[0041] When a cleaning robot operates in an area to be cleaned, such as a robotic vacuum cleaner performing a cleaning task, it will switch between at least two working states. These working states include a first working state and a second working state, and the first working state and the second working state are different. It should be noted that the conditions that trigger the cleaning robot to switch working states can be found in the relevant description below, and will not be repeated here in the embodiments of this application.

[0042] Step 302: When the cleaning robot is in the first working state, control the roller brush to sweep the garbage in the area to be cleaned towards the dust collection box, and at the same time control the vacuum fan to run at the first power to suck the garbage into the dust collection box.

[0043] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, when the cleaning robot switches to the first working state, it controls the roller brush to rotate in the forward direction, sweeping the debris towards the dust collection box. Here, forward rotation means rotating towards the dust collection box. Figure 4 The arrow in the diagram indicates the direction of rotation.

[0044] Furthermore, in one example of this application, when the cleaning robot switches to the first working state, the first power of the vacuum cleaner fan can be the maximum power of the vacuum cleaner fan. By operating the vacuum cleaner fan at maximum power, on the one hand, the running time of the vacuum cleaner fan can be shortened, thereby shortening the noise time of the cleaning robot. On the other hand, the vacuum cleaner fan can have maximum suction power, sucking all the accumulated garbage into the dust collection box as much as possible, achieving maximum efficiency in garbage suction.

[0045] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, in order to ensure that as much or even all of the garbage is sucked into the dust collection box, after the cleaning robot switches to the first working state, it can also be controlled to perform circular motion in conjunction with the forward rotation of the roller brush to ensure the garbage suction effect. When the cleaning robot performs circular motion, it can take one side of the roller brush as the center, or the center of the robot or the center of motion as the center, as long as it can achieve the cleaning robot to rotate in place. In addition, in order to improve the garbage suction effect, the cleaning robot will be controlled to repeat the circular motion in place multiple times.

[0046] In one example of this application, when the cleaning robot is in its first working state collecting garbage from the dust collection box, even if some garbage is missed, it can be gathered again by the reverse rotation of the cleaning robot's roller brush. As the cleaning robot moves forward, it will be cleaned up until it is sucked back into the dust collection box when the cleaning robot switches to the first working state again. In this way, the problem of garbage not being sucked into the dust collection box due to insufficient suction power will be reduced to a specific area or location, without affecting the overall cleaning effect of the area to be cleaned. Therefore, in the embodiment of this application, there will be no large areas of scattered garbage left on the ground, ensuring the cleaning effect.

[0047] Step 303: When the cleaning robot is in the second working state, control the roller brush to gather the garbage in the area to be cleaned away from the dust collection box.

[0048] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, when the cleaning robot switches to the second working state, the roller brush is controlled to rotate in the opposite direction to gather the debris away from the dust collection box. Here, the reverse rotation means the roller brush rotates in a direction away from the dust collection box, i.e., in contrast to... Figure 4 The arrows in the diagram indicate the opposite direction of rotation. Additionally, the dust collection can be achieved by stopping the roller brush's rotation. This is because as the cleaning robot moves away from the dust collection box, the dust is propelled forward even without the roller brush rotating.

[0049] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, when the cleaning robot switches to the second working state, the vacuum fan can operate at a second power or stop operating. Even when operating at the second power, the second power here will be less than the first power of the vacuum fan when the cleaning robot switches to the first working state. This is because when the cleaning robot is working, the working time of gathering garbage by the reverse rotation of the roller brush is longer than the working time of collecting garbage into the dust collection box. That is, the cleaning robot is in the second working state for a longer period of time. In this working state, even if the vacuum fan of the cleaning robot does not start or starts at a lower power, a good garbage gathering effect can still be achieved. Moreover, compared with the traditional cleaning solution where the vacuum fan needs to be started throughout the process, it has the advantages of low noise and low energy consumption. At the same time, since the reverse rotation of the roller brush can clean up the garbage on the uneven ground, it achieves the goal of reducing noise and power consumption while ensuring the garbage cleaning effect.

[0050] Furthermore, when the cleaning robot switches to the second working state, it controls the vacuum fan to operate at a lower power, which can also suck up dust and other small debris from the area cleaned by the cleaning robot into the dust collection box, further ensuring the cleaning effect.

[0051] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, when the cleaning robot is in its second working state collecting garbage, in order to reduce the power consumption caused by the cleaning robot pushing the garbage forward and the resistance caused by the reverse rotation of the roller brush, and also to prevent garbage overflow due to excessive collection, the amount of garbage collected is detected. During detection, the driving current on the roller brush can be detected by a current sensor, and the magnitude of the driving current reflects the amount of garbage collected. Alternatively, other sensors used to detect the amount of garbage, such as ultrasonic sensors or infrared sensors, can be directly used on the cleaning robot. Furthermore, when the amount of garbage collected exceeds a preset threshold (which can be determined by the threshold value of the driving current when detecting garbage collection via the driving current), the cleaning robot is controlled to switch to its first working state, where the roller brush rotates forward and the vacuum fan operates to suck the collected garbage into the dust collection box.

[0052] In one possible implementation of this application, the switching between the two working states of the cleaning robot can be triggered not only by the amount of accumulated garbage, but also by the flatness of the ground in the area to be cleaned. Specifically, the cleaning robot is equipped with a distance detection sensor or a cliff detection sensor. These two sensors can detect the flatness of the ground in front of the cleaning robot. When unevenness or gaps are detected in the ground in front, the cleaning robot will switch to the second working state. This is because if the robot is in the first working state when there are gaps in the ground in front, the garbage in the gaps is very likely to pass through the baffle behind the roller brush, causing missed cleaning. By rotating the robot's roller brush in the opposite direction, the garbage in the gaps can be swept out, ensuring the cleaning effect on uneven ground.

[0053] To provide a more detailed description of the solutions in the embodiments of this application, the following supplementary explanations are also provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0054] Figure 4 , 5 Figures 6 and 7 are respectively a side view, a bottom view, and a front view of a cleaning robot provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 , 5 As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the cleaning robot in this embodiment of the application has undergone some structural improvements compared to traditional cleaning robots, in order to adapt to the control method of the cleaning robot in this embodiment of the application, as follows:

[0055] First, such as Figure 4As shown in the side view of the cleaning robot, a roller brush is disposed within a roller brush cavity, and a scraper is provided on the inner wall of the roller brush cavity. This scraper prevents debris from being drawn into the roller brush when the cleaning robot switches to its second working state and controls the roller brush to rotate in reverse to gather debris. In one example of this application, to ensure the anti-debris-drawing effect, the length of the scraper should be the same as or even slightly longer than the length of the roller brush.

[0056] Secondly, such as Figure 5 , 6 As can be seen from the bottom and front views of the cleaning robot shown, the baffle of the cleaning robot in this embodiment has been improved. Specifically, the baffle in this embodiment has added extended portions on both sides compared to the baffle of the traditional cleaning robot. Specifically, it extends from both sides of the opening of the dust collection box away from the dust collection box. The added extension on both sides can effectively block the garbage when the cleaning robot is in the second working state and collecting garbage, preventing garbage from overflowing.

[0057] Finally, as Figure 5 As can be seen from the bottom view of the cleaning robot, the distance detection sensor used to detect the flatness of the ground is set at the front of the bottom of the cleaning robot to better detect the road surface in front of the robot.

[0058] besides, Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the cleaning process of a cleaning robot in an application scenario provided by an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 As shown, the solution in this application embodiment can divide garbage cleaning into two steps: a straight-line garbage collection step along paths 1, 3, and 5, and a rotating garbage collection step along paths 2 and 4.

[0059] Specifically, taking paths 1 and 2 as examples, the cleaning robot moves in a straight line from position 1 to position 2 along path 1. During the movement, the cleaning robot is controlled to be in the second working state. The garbage gathered by the side brush is pushed forward by the cleaning robot by the reverse rotation of the roller brush and continues to accumulate. At the same time, the vacuum fan is turned on at low power to suck the fine dust raised in the movement path into the dust collection box. Most of the garbage is pushed forward by the reverse rotation of the roller brush. This batch of garbage is kept in front of the roller brush relative to the position of the cleaning robot because of the reverse rotation of the baffle and the roller brush. The extension parts on both sides of the baffle ensure that the garbage will not leak out from the sides.

[0060] Once the cleaning robot reaches position two, the debris from path 1 will have gathered in front of the robot's roller brush. At this point, the roller brush will stop rotating in the reverse direction. Immediately after stopping, the roller brush will begin rotating in the forward direction. This forward-rotating roller brush will push the debris in front of it towards the dust collection box opening. Simultaneously, this motion will be repeated multiple times in conjunction with the cleaning robot's stationary circular motion at position two (e.g., ...). Figure 7 (As indicated by the dotted arrow at position two), and in conjunction with the vacuum cleaner fan running at maximum power, the garbage is sucked into the dust collection box from the opening, completing the work of collecting the garbage into the dust collection box.

[0061] After the cleaning robot completes the garbage suction at position two, it moves from position two to position three along path 3. The garbage cleaning process in path 3 is the same as or similar to the garbage cleaning process in path 1, and will not be described in detail here. It should be noted that if the cleaning robot misses any garbage at position two, this garbage will be carried into path 3 by the reverse rotation of the roller brush, until the cleaning robot reaches position three, where it will suck up the missed garbage again, thereby ensuring the cleaning effect of the entire area to be cleaned.

[0062] Therefore, in one example of this application, if the cleaning robot performs a cleaning task by controlling the roller brush to rotate in the opposite direction to gather the garbage to the front of the roller brush, and controlling the roller brush to rotate in the forward direction while cooperating with the vacuum fan to suck the garbage into the dust collection box, then it is considered to have applied this solution and is considered to have infringed.

[0063] For any parts not mentioned in this application, existing technologies may be used or referenced.

[0064] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments.

[0065] The above description is merely an embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A control method for a cleaning robot, applied to a cleaning robot, the cleaning robot being equipped with a roller brush, a vacuum fan, and a dust collection box, characterized in that, include: When the cleaning robot is working on the area to be cleaned, it detects the flatness of the ground in the area to be cleaned. When it detects that there are gaps in the area to be cleaned, it switches the cleaning robot to the second working state. When it detects that there are no gaps in the area to be cleaned, it switches the cleaning robot to the first working state. After the cleaning robot is switched to the first working state, the cleaning robot is controlled to make a circular motion with one side of the roller brush as the center or with the center of the cleaning robot as the center. The first working state includes controlling the roller brush to sweep the garbage in the area to be cleaned toward the direction of the dust collection box, and controlling the vacuum fan to run at a first power to suck the garbage into the dust collection box. The second working state includes controlling the roller brush to rotate in the opposite direction to gather the garbage in the area to be cleaned toward the direction of the dust collection box.

2. The control method for a cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control roller brush sweeps the debris in the area to be cleaned toward the dust collection box, including: The cleaning robot's roller brush is controlled to rotate in the forward direction, where the forward direction sweeps the garbage towards the dust collection box; The roller brush is controlled to gather the garbage in the area to be cleaned away from the dust collection box.

3. The control method for a cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The roller brush is installed inside the roller brush cavity, and a scraper is provided on the inner wall of the roller brush cavity. The scraper is used to prevent the roller brush from rolling garbage into the roller brush cavity when the cleaning robot switches to the second working state.

4. The control method for a cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control of the cleaning robot to switch working states includes: Detect the amount of garbage that has accumulated; When the amount of accumulated garbage exceeds a preset threshold, the cleaning robot is switched to the first working state.

5. The control method for a cleaning robot according to claim 4, characterized in that, The amount of garbage that has been collected includes: Detect the drive current of the roller brush; The amount of garbage that has been collected is determined based on the driving current.

6. The control method for a cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second operating state also includes: The vacuum cleaner is controlled to operate at a second power or stop operating, where the second power is less than the first power.

7. The control method for a cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the cleaning robot is equipped with baffles that extend from both sides of the opening of the dust collection box away from the dust collection box, and are used to prevent the garbage from overflowing when the cleaning robot switches to the second working state to collect garbage.

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