Cat litter box cleaning method and electronic device

Abstract

In the cat litter box cleaning method and the electronic device disclosed in the embodiments of the present application, in a case where it is determined that the pet cat enters the cat litter box, target recognition is started on an image collected by an image collection module, so as to identify a feces area formed by the pet cat entering the cat litter container, the feces area being an area where feces exist and an area where the pet cat discharges feces; in a case where it is determined that the pet cat leaves the cat litter box, a mechanical arm is controlled to move, so as to drive a shovel to shovel the objects in the feces area into the shovel; and the mechanical arm is controlled to pour the feces shovelled into the shovel into a storage box. The image collection module is used to identify the area that may be polluted by the pet cat discharging feces in the cat litter box, and then the mechanical arm is controlled to move, so that the shovel at the front end of the mechanical arm can accurately clean the area that may be polluted, and the feces can be accurately shovelled out and put into the storage box. The cat litter box can accurately clean the feces, and the overall environment in the cat litter box can be maintained at a high level of cleanliness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of intelligent pet services, and more particularly to a litter box cleaning method and electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of electronic technology, various forms of smart homes have begun to appear in people's lives, providing convenience and improving the quality of life for users in many ways. For example, self-cleaning devices can free people from a large part of housework, allowing them more time to experience other rich aspects of life; smart pet devices can significantly reduce the amount of time users need to manually handle their pets' daily needs.

[0003] Existing smart pet devices, such as litter boxes, can hold cat litter for cats to use for hygiene purposes. To keep litter boxes clean, there are various options for waste removal.

[0004] The inventors tested different litter boxes using various excrement cleaning methods and found that existing methods could not effectively clean up excrement, and the overall environment inside the litter box could not be maintained at a high level of cleanliness and hygiene. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a litter box cleaning method and electronic device to solve the technical problem that existing litter boxes cannot perform fine cleaning of excrement and the overall environment inside the litter box cannot be maintained at a high level of cleanliness and hygiene.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a litter box cleaning method for cleaning a litter box, the litter box including an image acquisition module, a litter container, a robotic arm, and a storage box; the image acquisition module is disposed above the litter box and faces the litter container; the front end of the robotic arm is provided with a scoop; the litter box cleaning method includes:

[0007] Once it is confirmed that the pet cat has entered the litter box, target recognition is enabled on the image captured by the image acquisition module to identify the area of ​​excrement formed by the pet cat entering the litter container. The excrement area is the area where excrement exists and the area where the pet cat excretes.

[0008] Once it is confirmed that the pet cat has left the litter box, the robotic arm is controlled to move so that the bucket can scoop the object in the excrement area into the bucket. During the movement, the bucket is at a minimum distance of less than a preset threshold from the bottom of the litter container, and the excrement area is within the horizontal movement coverage area of ​​the bucket.

[0009] The robotic arm is controlled to pour the excrement shoveled into the bucket into a collection box.

[0010] Specifically, target recognition is enabled on images acquired by the image acquisition module to identify the area of ​​excrement formed by a pet cat entering the litter box, including:

[0011] The image acquisition module performs pet cat posture recognition on the images it acquires to identify the area covered by the cat's buttocks when it defecates.

[0012] The images acquired by the image acquisition module are used to identify excrement in order to pinpoint the contaminated area where the pet cat excreted.

[0013] The identified areas covered by buttocks and contaminated areas are designated as excrement areas.

[0014] Specifically, the image acquisition module performs pet cat pose recognition on the images it acquires to identify the area covered by the cat's buttocks when it defecates, including:

[0015] In the images acquired by the image acquisition module, joint points of the pet cat are extracted, and target tracking is performed on the joint points corresponding to the buttocks.

[0016] If the duration of the cat's buttocks remaining still reaches a preset duration based on the target tracking results, the area where the cat's buttocks are located within the preset duration will be used as the area covered by the cat's buttocks when it urinates.

[0017] The image acquisition module performs excrement recognition on the images it captures to identify the contaminated area where the pet cat's excrement is located, including:

[0018] The process begins by identifying excrement from images captured by the image acquisition module once the cat enters the litter box, and continues until the cat leaves the litter box.

[0019] All areas where excrement was identified were designated as contaminated areas where the pet cat had excreted.

[0020] Specifically, once it's confirmed that the cat has left the litter box, the robotic arm is controlled to move, causing the bucket to scoop objects from the excrement area into the bucket, including:

[0021] Once the cat has left the litter box, the robotic arm is lowered and raised at least once until all objects in the excrement area are scooped into the bucket.

[0022] The robotic arm is mounted on a horizontal beam and can move horizontally along the horizontal beam. The robotic arm includes a first joint, a second joint, and a third joint that are distributed sequentially from the horizontal beam toward the bucket.

[0023] Controlling the robotic arm to lower and raise it once includes:

[0024] Control the robotic arm to move horizontally so that it faces the area of ​​excrement to be cleaned;

[0025] Adjust the angles of the second and third joints to enter the first angle combination state;

[0026] Maintaining the first angle combination state, lower the robotic arm by adjusting the first joint, and make the bucket cut into the cat litter from the entry point;

[0027] When the bucket opening moves to the reference point, keep the angles of the first and second joints unchanged, and lift the bucket by adjusting the angle of the third joint. The reference point is the lowest point of the bucket during the movement.

[0028] When the bucket opening is horizontal, adjust the angles of the first, second, and third joints to keep the bucket opening horizontal and move it above the storage box.

[0029] By adjusting the angle of the third joint, the object is poured into the bucket into the storage box.

[0030] Wherein, the distance between the cutting point and the first joint is equal to the distance between the reference point and the first joint. The reference point is located below the area of ​​excrement to be cleaned and at a distance less than a preset threshold from the litter container. The direction of movement of the foremost tip of the bucket opening at the cutting point is the same as the tangent direction of the reference arc at the cutting point. The reference arc has the cutting point and the reference point as endpoints and the first joint as the center.

[0031] The bucket is a mesh bucket;

[0032] The robotic arm is controlled to empty the excrement shoveled into the bucket into a collection box, including:

[0033] Control the robotic arm to vibrate to filter out clean cat litter from the objects shoveled into the bucket.

[0034] After controlling the robotic arm to vibrate to filter out clean cat litter from the object scooped into the bucket, the process also includes:

[0035] Control the movement of the robotic arm to drive the opening of the bucket into the preset acquisition range of the image acquisition module;

[0036] The image acquisition module performs excrement supplementation identification on images acquired within a preset acquisition range;

[0037] If the excrement supplementation identification result indicates that there is excrement, control the robotic arm to pour the object in the bucket into the storage box;

[0038] If the result of the excrement supplementation identification is that there is no excrement, the control robot arm is lowered and raised again until the result of the excrement supplementation identification is that there is excrement, or all objects in the excrement area have been shoveled into the bucket.

[0039] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide an electronic device, which includes:

[0040] One or more processors;

[0041] Memory, used to store one or more computer programs;

[0042] When one or more computer programs are executed by one or more processors, electronic devices enable the litter box cleaning method as described in the first aspect.

[0043] In the aforementioned litter box cleaning method and electronic device, the litter box includes an image acquisition module, a litter container, a robotic arm, and a storage box. The image acquisition module is positioned above the litter box and faces the litter container. A scoop is provided at the front end of the robotic arm. When it is determined that a pet cat has entered the litter box, target recognition is activated on the image acquired by the image acquisition module to identify the area of ​​excrement formed by the pet cat entering the litter container. The excrement area is the area where excrement exists and the area where the pet cat excretes. When it is determined that the pet cat has left the litter box, the robotic arm is controlled to move, thereby driving the scoop to scoop the object from the excrement area into the scoop. During the movement, the scoop maintains a minimum distance of less than a preset threshold from the bottom of the litter container, and the excrement area is located within the horizontal movement coverage area of ​​the scoop. The robotic arm is then controlled to pour the excrement scooped into the scoop into the storage box. The image acquisition module identifies areas that may be contaminated by a cat's litter box, and then controls the movement of the robotic arm so that the scoop at the front of the robotic arm can precisely clean the potentially contaminated areas and accurately scoop out the excrement and put it into the collection box. This achieves fine cleaning of excrement in the litter box, and the overall environment inside the litter box can be maintained at a high level of cleanliness and hygiene. Attached Figure Description

[0044] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0045] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the litter box provided in the embodiment of this application.

[0046] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the litter box cleaning method provided in this application embodiment.

[0047] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the identification of excrement areas in the litter box cleaning method provided in this application embodiment.

[0048] Figures 4-8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of cleaning an area containing excrement.

[0049] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware architecture of a cat litter box provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0050] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting the invention. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to the invention are shown in the drawings, not all of the structures.

[0051] It should be noted that, due to space limitations, this application specification does not exhaustively list all possible implementation methods. Those skilled in the art should be able to conceive after reading this application specification that, as long as the technical features do not contradict each other, any combination of technical features can constitute an optional implementation method.

[0052] The embodiments are described in detail below.

[0053] Existing smart pet devices, such as litter boxes, hold cat litter for cats to use in their daily lives. After each bowel movement, the cat covers its waste with litter, causing it to clump or form clumps, making it easier to clean, deodorize, and keep the litter box clean. There are two main methods for cleaning litter: manual and mechanical filtration. Mechanical methods include several specific designs. One method uses a drum-like sieve as the inner cylinder of the litter box, similar to the spin-drying process in a washing machine, to sift out the litter and retain the waste. Another method uses a scoop with a comb-like structure inside, its length roughly equal to the width of the litter box. The scoop is moved perpendicular to the width of the litter box from one end to the other to sift out the waste.

[0054] The inventors, through user experience with litter boxes using different waste cleaning methods, discovered that existing methods cannot thoroughly clean waste, and the overall environment within the litter box cannot maintain a high level of cleanliness. Further analysis of the structure and cleaning process of existing litter boxes revealed that the roller sieve design causes all litter and waste to tumble within the inner cylinder during cleaning. This leads to waste easily spreading and adhering to the inner wall of the cylinder, causing dirt buildup. Additionally, urine easily seeps into the litter and overflows from the small holes in the inner cylinder, leaving residue and evenly contaminating previously clean litter. When cleaning, the design of a shovel with a comb-like structure presents challenges. A shovel with a fixed comb spacing will encounter problems. Too dense a comb will create excessive resistance, causing it to get stuck and unable to scoop up the varying sizes of excrement. Too sparse a comb will easily miss small pieces of excrement and may also cause excrement to stick to the edges. Furthermore, the gaps formed between the shovel's ends and the sidewalls of the litter box can cause excrement to be crushed due to the relative movement of the shovel and the sidewalls, resulting in excrement scattering and sticking to the edges of the litter box, making it impossible to clean and creating unsanitary areas.

[0055] To address the above technical issues, this application proposes a litter box cleaning method and electronic device. The litter box includes an image acquisition module, a litter container, a robotic arm, and a storage box. The image acquisition module is positioned above the litter box and faces the litter container. A scoop is provided at the front end of the robotic arm. When it is determined that a pet cat has entered the litter box, target recognition is activated on the image acquired by the image acquisition module to identify the area of ​​excrement formed by the pet cat entering the litter container. The excrement area is the area where excrement exists and the area where the pet cat excretes. When it is determined that the pet cat has left the litter box, the robotic arm is controlled to move, thereby driving the scoop to scoop the object from the excrement area into the scoop. During the movement, the scoop maintains a minimum distance of less than a preset threshold from the bottom of the litter container, and the excrement area is located within the horizontal movement coverage area of ​​the scoop. The robotic arm is then controlled to pour the excrement scooped into the storage box. The image acquisition module identifies areas that may be contaminated by a cat's litter box, and then controls the movement of the robotic arm so that the scoop at the front of the robotic arm can precisely clean the potentially contaminated areas and accurately scoop out the excrement and put it into the collection box. This achieves fine cleaning of excrement in the litter box, and the overall environment inside the litter box can be maintained at a high level of cleanliness and hygiene.

[0056] The litter box cleaning method in this application embodiment is based on a litter box. A litter box is a device that can hold cat litter and is equipped with several hardware components capable of data acquisition and mechanical functions that can be implemented according to control signals.

[0057] like Figure 1As shown, in this embodiment of the application, the litter box 10 includes an image acquisition module 12, a litter container 14, a robotic arm 13, and a storage box 11. The image acquisition module 12 is positioned above the litter box 10 and faces the litter container 14, and is used to identify excrement in the litter container 14. The robotic arm 13 has a shovel 131 at its front end, and when the image acquisition module 12 identifies excrement, the robotic arm 13 moves the excrement to the storage box 11 by moving the shovel 131.

[0058] The image acquisition module 12 is positioned above the litter box 10 and facing the litter container 14. The photosensitive element in the image acquisition module 12 detects ambient light and generates corresponding electrical signals to acquire images. The image acquisition module 12 typically includes a supplementary light, such as a point light source positioned near the photosensitive element or a light strip surrounding the litter box. The robotic arm 13 can be a multi-axis robotic arm, capable of adjusting the position of the scoop bucket 131 in various dimensions, including horizontal, vertical, and directional, allowing the scoop bucket 131 to clean any location within the litter container 14. The robotic arm 13 and the collection box 11 are positioned on opposite sides of the litter box 10. The robotic arm 13 allows for easier control of its movement, enabling the scoop bucket 131 to clean any location within the litter container 14. The scoop bucket 131 can be a mesh scoop bucket, with multiple holes sized to fit the litter size. This filters the litter when removing it, leaving clean litter in the litter container 14.

[0059] The collection box 11 is used to collect the excrement removed from the bucket 131. The collection box 11 can be designed to be movable, making it easy to pour out the collected excrement. The top of the collection box 11 can be equipped with an odor-sealing structure, such as a normally closed cover that is driven to close upward by an elastic device.

[0060] In one specific implementation, a transparent cover 16 is provided above the cat litter container 14, and the image acquisition module 12 and the robotic arm 13 are both located on the inner wall of the transparent cover 16. One side of the transparent cover 16 is opened as an entrance and exit. Figure 1The litter box 10 with a transparent cover 16 shown can be broadly considered as upper and lower parts. The lower part includes a detachable litter container 14 and a storage box 11 arranged side by side. The upper part mainly consists of the transparent cover 16 and an image acquisition module 12 and a robotic arm 13 mounted on the transparent cover 16. An entrance / exit is provided on the side of the transparent cover 16, with a step 15 at the entrance / exit location. The bottom of the step 15 is flush with the bottom of the litter box 10, and the top of the step 15 connects to the entrance / exit. Specifically, it can be flush with the entrance / exit, or it can be one step away from the entrance / exit. The step 15 facilitates the entry and exit of the cat into and out of the litter box 10. The entrance / exit can be equipped with infrared sensors. Simple signal detection can determine whether a cat has entered or left. For example, two infrared sensors can be arranged side by side, and the triggering sequence can accurately determine whether a cat has entered or left. The supplementary light of the image acquisition module 12 can be integrated into the image acquisition module 12, or it can be set as a light strip on the top of the cover. It should be understood that if this solution is implemented directly in the litter box 10, the litter box 10 is also equipped with a processor, communication device, etc., for processing and transmitting the data required to achieve excrement identification and cleaning.

[0061] exist Figure 1 In the litter box 10 shown, the image acquisition module 12 and the robotic arm 13 are located on the same side of the transparent cover 16, which makes it easier for the image acquisition module 12 to acquire clearer images of the objects in the bucket 131 and achieve more accurate recognition.

[0062] If the storage box 11 and the litter container 14 are set side by side, the opening of the storage box 11 is higher than the opening of the litter container 14, or the opening of the storage box 11 is flush with the opening of the litter container 14, to reduce the amount of clean cat litter entering the storage box 11 during the pet's excretion or the cleaning process of the robotic arm 13.

[0063] It should be noted that the term "litter box" is merely a name based on functional design and does not imply a limitation on the specific product form. For example, a litter box with a certain depth for holding cat litter and an open design at the top, or a litter bin with a certain depth for holding cat litter and a covered design at the top with only an opening on the side for the cat to enter and exit, etc. When image acquisition modules, robotic arms, and storage boxes are added to these overall product forms, they all fall under the category of litter boxes in the embodiments of this application.

[0064] Please refer to Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a litter box cleaning method provided in this application. This litter box cleaning method is implemented based on any litter box from the previous embodiment. The method is implemented using an electronic device, which can be the litter box itself, a server or terminal device communicating with the litter box, or a combination of multiple devices. Figure 2As shown, the litter box cleaning method includes, but is not limited to, steps S110-S130:

[0065] Step S110: If it is determined that the pet cat has entered the litter box, target recognition is enabled on the image acquired by the image acquisition module to identify the area of ​​excrement formed by the pet cat entering the litter box. The excrement area is the area where excrement exists and the area where the pet cat excretes.

[0066] Identifying a cat entering the litter box can be achieved directly through image recognition by an image acquisition module, via the infrared sensor described earlier, or through a weight sensor located at the bottom of the litter container. After confirming the cat's entry, target recognition is activated on the image acquired by the image acquisition module to identify the area of ​​excrement formed within the litter container. This excrement area includes both the area containing excrement and the area where the cat defecated. Target recognition can be performed using the electronic equipment described earlier or directly by the recognition module built into the image acquisition module. In this embodiment, the excrement area refers not only to areas with visible excrement but also to all areas containing visible excrement, as well as areas where excrement might be hidden. For example, cats often bury their excrement in place, and due to the angle relative to the image acquisition module, the image may not directly capture the excrement. In this case, the approximate excrement location is determined by identifying parts of the cat's body and included as part of the excrement area.

[0067] Based on the above definition of the excrement area, target recognition is enabled on the images captured by the image acquisition module to identify the excrement area formed when the cat enters the litter box. This includes: performing cat posture recognition on the images captured by the image acquisition module to identify the area covered by the cat's buttocks when relieving itself; and performing excrement recognition on the images captured by the image acquisition module to identify the contaminated area where the cat urinated. The identified buttocks-covered area and contaminated area are then used as the excrement area. In other words, the area covered by the cat's buttocks and the area where excrement actually exists are identified in the litter box, ensuring thorough cleaning of the litter box.

[0068] In the specific implementation process, the image acquired by the image acquisition module is used to perform pet cat posture recognition in order to identify the area covered by the cat's buttocks when the cat is defecating. This includes: extracting the joints of the cat in the image acquired by the image acquisition module and tracking the joints corresponding to the buttocks; if the cat's buttocks remain still for a preset duration based on the result of the target tracking, the area where the buttocks are located within the preset duration is taken as the area covered by the cat's buttocks when the cat is defecating.

[0069] Based on the details of a cat's movements and related body parts during defecation, the position of the cat's rump is obtained by locating key points. Then, using a heatmap analysis algorithm or a tracking algorithm, the position of the cat's rump after it has remained still for a specified time (e.g., 15 seconds) is estimated as the approximate location of the excrement. Key points can be identified using methods including, but not limited to, YOLO-POSE and HRNet, while tracking of the cat's rump can be achieved using methods including, but not limited to, deep sort and JDE.

[0070] The process involves identifying excrement in images captured by the image acquisition module to pinpoint contaminated areas where the cat has excreted. This includes identifying excrement from the moment the cat enters the litter box until it leaves. All areas where excrement is identified are considered contaminated areas. To ensure comprehensive identification of the cat's excrement distribution, this process is continuous. Since cats typically don't come into contact with excrement, initially detected areas may become undetectable later due to the cat burying it. The excrement is likely still in the same spot, necessitating cleaning. Therefore, all areas where excrement is identified are considered contaminated areas. Excrement detection is achieved using pre-trained target detection algorithms, such as detecting wet litter or cat feces, to estimate the precise location of excrement. Algorithms used include, but are not limited to, YOLO, SSD, and R-CNN.

[0071] The above process of combining buttock location detection and contaminated area detection to determine the excrement area can be referred to. Figure 3 ,like Figure 3 As shown, area A represents the region with a high density of joint points detected on the cat's rump, i.e., the area covered by the rump. Area B represents the region where the cat's excrement was detected, i.e., the contaminated area. Here, the union of areas A and B is taken as the excrement area. When specifically identifying the excrement area, one can either only consider the precise area corresponding to the joint points or the excrement, or the detected areas can be systematically cleaned to avoid gaps in the cleaning process and ensure that areas with a high probability of excrement are cleaned.

[0072] Step S120: After confirming that the pet cat has left the litter box, control the movement of the robotic arm to drive the bucket to scoop the object in the excrement area into the bucket. During the movement, the bucket is at a minimum distance less than a preset threshold from the bottom of the litter container, and the excrement area is within the horizontal movement coverage area of ​​the bucket.

[0073] Once it's confirmed that the cat has left the litter box—for example, if the cat cannot be identified in the image for a certain period, or if the infrared sensor detects that the cat has left the entrance / exit for a while—then the cleaning of the cat's excrement can begin, ensuring the cat's safety during the operation of the robotic arm. With the target area determined, the robotic arm operates according to pre-marked positions, scooping the excrement into the bucket. It should be understood that the bucket only needs to scoop a thin layer, achieving the general burial depth of the excrement. If the excrement area is small and the bucket can directly cover it, only one scoop is needed; if the excrement area is large and the bucket cannot directly cover it, multiple scoops are required to achieve complete coverage. In other words, once it's confirmed that the cat has left the litter box, the robotic arm should be lowered and raised at least once until all the excrement in the area is scooped into the bucket.

[0074] In a specific implementation, such as Figure 1 As shown, the robotic arm 13 is mounted on a horizontal beam and can move horizontally along the beam. Figure 4 As shown, the robotic arm 13 includes a first joint J1, a second joint J2, and a third joint J3 distributed sequentially from the horizontal beam to the bucket 131, and the axes of the first joint J1, the second joint J2, and the third joint J3 are parallel.

[0075] Based on the structure of the robotic arm 13 described above, this application embodiment also proposes a method for controlling the robotic arm 13, namely the detailed process of controlling the robotic arm to lower and raise once as described above. In this application embodiment, to ensure thorough cleaning of excrement, after identifying excrement areas where excrement or suspected excrement is present on the surface, the excrement areas are cleaned by scraping the bottom during the cleaning process using the robotic arm. That is, when cleaning the excrement areas, the bucket is controlled to cut into the litter from the edge of the excrement area to be treated. After the bucket reaches the bottom of the area where excrement is most likely to be present, it is lifted upwards, thereby achieving thorough cleaning of the excrement area to be cleaned and avoiding contamination of other areas.

[0076] In this embodiment, a depth marker is provided on the side of the litter container. The image acquisition module can identify the distribution of excrement on the horizontal plane and detect the current litter depth. Based on the detection of the distribution of excrement on the horizontal plane and the litter depth, it is equivalent to being able to accurately describe the space below the litter surface (i.e., spatial coordinates) and, combined with the calibration of the robotic arm, control the robotic arm to perform fine cleaning at any position.

[0077] Once a designated area of ​​excrement to be cleaned is identified, the robotic arm 23 can be controlled to move horizontally along the crossbeam based on the horizontal position of this area. This ensures that the robotic arm 23 is directly facing the area of ​​excrement to be cleaned, i.e., the robotic arm 13 is controlled to move horizontally along the crossbeam. Figure 1 The movement is perpendicular to the plane of the paper. In this embodiment, the area of ​​excrement to be cleaned refers to a suitable area determined based on the covering capacity of the bucket 131. This suitable area is determined based on specific test results and may be all excrement areas or a part of the excrement areas.

[0078] While adjusting the position of the robotic arm 13 on the crossbeam, or after it has been adjusted to its final position, the angles of the second joint J2 and the third joint J3 can be adjusted to enter the first angle combination state. The first angle combination state is determined by analyzing the lengths between each joint in the robotic arm 13 and the position of the area to be cleaned (the area containing excrement). This analysis establishes the first angle combination state based on... Figure 5 The expected results are confirmed.

[0079] exist Figure 5 In the shown state, maintaining the first angle combination state, the robotic arm 12 is lowered by adjusting the first joint J1, and the bucket 131 cuts into the cat litter from the entry point C; the distance between the entry point C and the first joint J1 is equal to the distance between the reference point Oˋ and the first joint J1. The reference point Oˋ is located directly below the area of ​​excrement to be cleaned (represented by point O) and the distance between it and the cat litter container 14 is less than a preset threshold value. The front end of the opening of the bucket 131 moves in the same direction as the tangent of the reference arc at the entry point C; the reference arc has the entry point C and the reference point Oˋ as endpoints and the first joint J1 as the center. Figure 5 In the scenario shown, the first angle combination state is actually based on Figure 5 The calculation is performed under the expected conditions, and the angles of the second joint J2 and the third joint J3 are determined based on the angle relationship. To obtain the most effortless cutting method, the back (BC) of the bucket 131 is flat, and the cutting angle can be equal to the angle between the back (BC) of the bucket 131 and the cat litter surface.

[0080] The angle data corresponding to the first angle combination state can be referenced. Figure 4 and Figure 5 And the angle determined by the graphic relationships constrained by the previous text. Figure 4In the diagram, the area of ​​excrement to be cleaned is located at point O. Based on a preset threshold and the position of point O, the position of a reference point below point O can be determined. To achieve the goal of rotating only the first joint J1 to allow the bucket 131 to cut into the litter and directly enter its interior, the distance between the cutting point C and the first joint J1 can be determined based on the relative positional relationship between the first joint J1 and the robotic arm 13 while maintaining the first angle combination. This distance is equal to the distance between the reference point C and the first joint J1. Since the position of J1 is already marked, the spatial position of the reference point O' can also be determined based on the horizontal coordinates of point O and its depth relationship with point O. Therefore, the distance between the reference point O' and the first joint J1 can be obtained, which is also the distance between the cutting point C and the first joint J1. This is equivalent to... Figure 5 In the concave quadrilateral formed by J1, C(A), J3, and J2, three sides have fixed lengths for the robotic arm 13, and one side length can be calculated: ∠J1CB = 90°. ∠J3CB is a fixed parameter of the bucket 131, and the angle of ∠J1CJ3 in the concave quadrilateral can be determined accordingly. At this point, for the concave quadrilateral, the angles at the second joint J2 and the third joint J3 can be determined based on the known side and angle information. Before rotating the first joint J1 clockwise, the second joint J2 and the third joint J3 are adjusted to the determined angles, i.e., entering the first angle combination state. When the first joint J1 is rotated clockwise subsequently, the first angle combination state remains unchanged.

[0081] During the rotation of the first joint J1, when the foremost end of the opening of the bucket 131 moves to the reference point Oˋ according to the control quantity, the state of the robotic arm 13 and the bucket 131 on the robotic arm 13, and the cat litter, is as follows: Figure 6 As shown, keeping the angles of the first joint J1 and the second joint J2 unchanged, the bucket 131 is raised by adjusting the angle of the third joint J3 until it is as shown. Figure 7 The opening of the bucket 131 shown is horizontal.

[0082] When the opening of the bucket 131 is horizontal, the angles of the first joint J1, the second joint J2, and the third joint J3 are adjusted to keep the bucket 131 horizontal and move it above the storage box 11. With the bucket 131 already horizontal, adjusting the angles of the first joint J1, the second joint J2, and the third joint J3 keeps the opening of the bucket 131 horizontal during movement, reducing the chance of objects already in the bucket being missed.

[0083] With the bucket 131 already moved above the storage box 11, as follows Figure 8As shown, by adjusting the angle of the third joint J3, the object in the scoop 131 is poured into the collection box 121. During the cleaning process, all identified areas to be cleaned are completed in the above sequence, thus completing one round of cleaning the cat litter device 10. Of course, entering... Figure 7 As shown, the shaking of the robotic arm 13 can also cause the bucket 131 to shake, thereby filtering out clean cat litter from the objects scooped into the bucket 131, improving the utilization rate of cat litter and reducing the cost of raising pet cats.

[0084] In response to the specific cleaning needs in the application scenarios of this solution, the above-mentioned method of using the robotic arm 13 to drive the bucket 131 to scoop and clean the bottom can reduce the multi-joint linkage during the movement of the robotic arm 13 and reduce the difficulty of control; the tangential cutting of the bucket 131 with the arc as a reference can also reduce the resistance of scooping up cat litter, shorten the movement path, improve cleaning efficiency, and reduce energy consumption.

[0085] It should be noted that the preceding text, in conjunction with... Figures 4-8 The described single cleaning process, in its specific implementation, can only guarantee the basic operating sequence of the first joint J1, the second joint J2, and the third joint J3, without limiting the specific details of the bucket 131 cutting into the cat litter. That is, first, the robotic arm 13 is controlled to move horizontally so that the robotic arm 13 is facing the area of ​​excrement to be cleaned; then, the angles of the second joint J2 and the third joint J3 are adjusted to enter the first angle combination state; then, while maintaining the first angle combination state, the robotic arm 13 is lowered by adjusting the first joint J1, and the bucket 131 cuts into the cat litter from the cutting point. Next, when the front end of the opening of the bucket 131 moves to the reference point, the angles of the first joint J1 and the second joint J2 remain unchanged. The bucket is then raised by adjusting the angle of the third joint J3. The reference point is the lowest point of the bucket 131 during the movement. When the opening of the bucket 131 is horizontal, the angles of the first joint J1, the second joint J2, and the third joint J3 are adjusted to keep the bucket 131 horizontal and move it above the storage box 11. Finally, the object in the bucket 131 is poured into the storage box 11 by adjusting the angle of the third joint J3. This method reduces the number of joints involved in the movement of the robotic arm 13, thus lowering the control complexity.

[0086] Step S130: Control the robotic arm to pour the excrement shoveled into the bucket into the collection box.

[0087] The process of removing excrement can involve pouring the entire surface layer of the excrement area into the collection box, ensuring thorough hygiene in the litter box by removing everything scooped up by the scoop. Alternatively, a mesh scoop can be used, with the mesh size tailored to the size of the litter. A robotic arm scoops the excrement into the collection box, and then vibrates to filter out any remaining litter, improving litter utilization and reducing the cost of owning a cat.

[0088] After each shaking cycle, the robotic arm can be controlled to move, bringing the bucket opening into the preset acquisition range of the image acquisition module. The image acquisition module then performs supplementary excrement identification on the images acquired within the preset range. If the supplementary excrement identification indicates the presence of excrement, the robotic arm is controlled to empty the object from the bucket into the collection box. If the supplementary excrement identification indicates no excrement, the robotic arm is controlled to lower and raise again until the supplementary excrement identification indicates the presence of excrement, or until all objects in the excrement area have been scooped into the bucket. This essentially ensures that, after the litter is filtered cleanly by shaking, excrement is finally poured into the collection box, or that there is indeed no excrement in the excrement area.

[0089] After the robotic arm scoops up the excrement and pours it into the collection box, it can also be controlled to move the robotic arm to smooth the litter in the litter container, thus providing a good environment for the cat's next elimination.

[0090] In the above-mentioned litter box cleaning method, the litter box includes an image acquisition module, a litter container, a robotic arm, and a storage box. The image acquisition module is positioned above the litter box and faces the litter container. The robotic arm has a scoop at its front end. When it is determined that a cat has entered the litter box, target recognition is activated on the image acquired by the image acquisition module to identify the area of ​​excrement formed by the cat entering the litter container. The excrement area is the area where excrement exists and the area where the cat excretes. When it is determined that the cat has left the litter box, the robotic arm is controlled to move, so that the scoop scoops the excrement into the scoop. During the movement, the scoop maintains a minimum distance of less than a preset threshold from the bottom of the litter container, and the excrement area is within the horizontal coverage area of ​​the scoop. The robotic arm is then controlled to pour the excrement scooped into the storage box. The image acquisition module identifies areas that may be contaminated by a cat's litter box, and then controls the movement of the robotic arm so that the scoop at the front of the robotic arm can precisely clean the potentially contaminated areas and accurately scoop out the excrement and put it into the collection box. This achieves fine cleaning of excrement in the litter box, and the overall environment inside the litter box can be maintained at a high level of cleanliness and hygiene.

[0091] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9 As shown, the electronic device includes a processor 310 and a memory 320. The electronic device may also include an input device 330, an output device 340, and a communication device 350. The number of processors 310 in the electronic device can be one or more. Figure 9Taking a processor 310 as an example; the processor 310, memory 320, input device 330, output device 340, and communication device 350 in the electronic device can be connected via a bus or other means. Figure 9 Taking the example of a connection between China and Israel via a bus.

[0092] The memory 320, as a computer-readable storage medium, can be used to store software programs, computer-executable programs, and modules, such as the program instructions / modules corresponding to the litter box cleaning method in this embodiment. The processor 310 executes various functional applications and data processing of the electronic device by running the software programs, instructions, and modules stored in the memory 320, thereby realizing the above-mentioned litter box cleaning method.

[0093] The memory 320 may primarily include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system and at least one application program required for a given function; the data storage area may store data created based on the use of the electronic device. Furthermore, the memory 320 may include high-speed random access memory and non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid-state storage device. In some instances, the memory 320 may further include memory remotely located relative to the processor 310, which can be connected to the electronic device via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

[0094] Input device 330 can be used to receive network configuration information. Output device 340 may include a display device such as a screen.

[0095] The aforementioned electronic device can be used to perform any litter box cleaning method, and has the corresponding functions and beneficial effects.

[0096] This invention also provides a storage medium containing computer-executable instructions. When executed by a computer processor, the computer-executable instructions are used to perform relevant operations in the litter box cleaning method provided in any embodiment of this application, and have corresponding functions and beneficial effects.

[0097] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products.

[0098] Therefore, this application may take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code. This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, produce implementations of the flowchart... Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The functions specified in one or more boxes. These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0099] In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPUs), input / output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory. Memory may include non-persistent memory in computer-readable media, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM) or flash RAM. Memory is an example of computer-readable media.

[0100] Computer-readable media include both permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can store information using any method or technology. Information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, modules of programs, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase-change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile optical disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transferable medium that can be used to store information accessible by a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transient computer-readable media, such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0101] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0102] Note that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and various obvious changes, readjustments, and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include many other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present invention, the scope of which is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning a cat litter box, characterized in that, For cleaning cat litter boxes, the cat litter box includes an image acquisition module, a cat litter container, a robotic arm, and a storage box; the image acquisition module is positioned above the cat litter box and faces the cat litter container; The robotic arm is equipped with a bucket at its front end; the litter box cleaning method includes: Once it is confirmed that the pet cat has entered the litter box, target recognition is activated on the image captured by the image acquisition module to identify the area of ​​excrement formed by the pet cat entering the litter box. The excrement area is the area where excrement exists and the area where the pet cat defecates. When it is determined that the pet cat has left the litter box, the robotic arm is controlled to move so as to drive the scoop bucket to scoop the object in the excrement area into the scoop bucket. During the movement, the scoop bucket is at a minimum distance less than a preset threshold from the bottom of the litter container, and the excrement area is located within the horizontal movement coverage area of ​​the scoop bucket. The robotic arm is controlled to pour the excrement shoveled into the bucket into the collection box; The step of enabling target recognition on the images acquired by the image acquisition module to identify the area of ​​excrement formed by the pet cat entering the litter container includes: The image acquisition module performs pet cat posture recognition on the images it acquires to identify the area covered by the cat's buttocks when it defecates. The images acquired by the image acquisition module are used to identify excrement to pinpoint the contaminated area where the pet cat's excrement is located. The identified areas covered by buttocks and contaminated areas are designated as excrement areas.

2. The litter box cleaning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of performing pet cat posture recognition on the images acquired by the image acquisition module to identify the area covered by the cat's buttocks when it defecates includes: In the images acquired by the image acquisition module, joint points of the pet cat are extracted, and target tracking is performed on the joint points corresponding to the buttocks. If the duration of the pet cat's buttocks remaining still reaches a preset duration based on the target tracking results, the area where the buttocks are located within the preset duration is taken as the area covered by the pet cat's buttocks when it urinates.

3. The litter box cleaning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of performing excrement identification on the images acquired by the image acquisition module to identify the contaminated area where the pet cat's excrement is located includes: The process begins by identifying excrement in the images captured by the image acquisition module from the moment the pet cat enters the litter box, and continues until the pet cat leaves the litter box. All areas where excrement was identified were designated as contaminated areas where the pet cat had excreted.

4. The litter box cleaning method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The step of controlling the movement of the robotic arm, after determining that the pet cat has left the litter box, to drive the bucket to scoop objects from the excrement area into the bucket, includes: Once it is determined that the pet cat has left the litter box, the robotic arm is controlled to lower and raise at least once until all objects in the excrement area are scooped into the bucket.

5. The litter box cleaning method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The robotic arm is mounted on a horizontal beam and can move horizontally along the horizontal beam. The robotic arm includes a first joint, a second joint, and a third joint that are distributed sequentially from the horizontal beam toward the bucket. Controlling the robotic arm to lower and raise it once includes: Control the robotic arm to move horizontally so that the robotic arm is facing the area of ​​excrement to be cleaned; Adjust the angles of the second and third joints to enter the first angle combination state; Maintaining the first angle combination state, the robotic arm is lowered by adjusting the first joint, and the bucket cuts into the cat litter from the entry point; When the foremost end of the bucket opening moves to the reference point, the angles of the first and second joints remain unchanged, and the bucket is lifted by adjusting the angle of the third joint. The reference point is the lowest point of the bucket during the movement. When the bucket opening is horizontal, the angles of the first joint, the second joint, and the third joint are adjusted to keep the bucket opening horizontal and move it above the storage box; By adjusting the angle of the third joint, the object in the bucket is poured into the storage box.

6. The litter box cleaning method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The distance between the cutting point and the first joint is equal to the distance between the reference point and the first joint. The reference point is located below the area of ​​excrement to be cleaned and at a distance less than a preset threshold from the litter container. The direction of movement of the foremost tip of the bucket opening at the cutting point is the same as the tangent direction of the reference arc at the cutting point. The reference arc has the entry point and the reference point as its endpoints and the first joint point as its center.

7. The litter box cleaning method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The bucket is a mesh bucket; The process of controlling the robotic arm to pour the excrement shoveled into the bucket into the collection box includes: The robotic arm is controlled to vibrate to filter out clean cat litter from the objects shoveled into the bucket.

8. The litter box cleaning method according to claim 7, characterized in that, After controlling the robotic arm to vibrate to filter out clean cat litter from the object scooped into the bucket, the method further includes: Control the movement of the robotic arm to drive the opening of the bucket into the preset acquisition range of the image acquisition module; The image acquisition module performs excrement supplement identification on images acquired within a preset acquisition range; If the result of the excrement supplement identification is that there is excrement, control the robotic arm to pour the object in the bucket into the storage box; If the result of the excrement supplement identification is that there is no excrement, the robotic arm is controlled to lower and raise again until the result of the excrement supplement identification is that there is excrement, or all objects in the excrement area have been scooped into the bucket.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; Memory, used to store one or more computer programs; When the one or more computer programs are executed by the one or more processors, the electronic device performs the litter box cleaning method as described in any one of claims 1-8.

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