Automatic pool cleaning device, control method and computer storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides an automatic pool cleaning device, a control method and a computer storage medium. The control method comprises the steps that when the automatic pool cleaning device meets preset conditions, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to move to the water surface; acquiring an environment image on the water surface; according to the environment image, confirming direction information of a charging seat located on the pool wall of the pool; and controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move towards the charging seat based on the direction information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the technical field of cleaning devices, and in particular to an automatic pool cleaning device, a control method, and a computer storage medium. Background Art

[0002] As an automated cleaning device, a pool cleaning robot usually needs to work for a long time in a swimming pool. Due to the heavy body of the pool cleaning robot, it consumes a lot of power during operation. In order to ensure long-term working ability, the pool cleaning robot needs to be charged and recharged regularly. However, the traditional charging method requires the user to take the robot out of the swimming pool and place it in the charging base, which not only increases the user's workload, but also reduces the convenience of robot operation. In order to improve convenience, many pool cleaning robots have been equipped with charging bases installed in the swimming pool. When the robot's power is low, it can automatically enter the charging base for charging, avoiding manual intervention. When the pool robot needs to be charged, the robot may be in different operating modes and positions. The traditional path planning method used by the robot to find and drive to the charging base has many limitations, such as poor positioning accuracy, low execution efficiency, and poor system robustness. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a solution that can accurately and quickly guide the robot back to the charging base. Summary of the invention

[0003] In response to the deficiencies of the above-mentioned prior art, the present application provides a control method for an automatic pool cleaning device, comprising: when the automatic pool cleaning device meets predetermined conditions, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the water surface; acquiring an environmental image on the water surface; confirming direction information of a charging base located on the pool wall according to the environmental image; and controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move toward the charging base based on the direction information.

[0004] Furthermore, the predetermined condition includes one or more of the following conditions: the power level of the automatic pool cleaning device is lower than a predetermined power threshold; the automatic pool cleaning device fails; the current operation task of the automatic pool cleaning device is completed; the automatic pool cleaning device is recalled by the user.

[0005] Furthermore, acquiring the environmental image on the water surface includes: controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to rotate on the water surface; and acquiring the environmental image through an image acquisition unit of the automatic pool cleaning device during the rotation of the automatic pool cleaning device on the water surface.

[0006] Furthermore, confirming the direction information of the charging base located on the pool wall according to the environmental image includes: determining whether the environmental image includes features related to the charging base, and if so, obtaining the direction information based on the rotation angle of the cleaning device related to the environmental image including the features related to the charging base; the rotation angle is obtained by an IMU or an attitude sensor.

[0007] Furthermore, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to rotate on the water surface includes: rotating one circle, rotating a preset angle, or continuously rotating until it is determined that the environmental image includes features related to the charging stand.

[0008] Further, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move toward the charging base based on the direction information includes: during the movement, determining whether the yaw angle of the automatic pool cleaning device needs to be adjusted based on the image captured by the image acquisition unit.

[0009] Furthermore, after controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move toward the charging base, the control method further includes: when the automatic pool cleaning device approaches the charging base, adjusting the position or moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device so that the automatic pool cleaning device is aligned with the charging base.

[0010] Furthermore, after the automatic pool cleaning device is aligned with the charging base, the control method further includes: adjusting the position or moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device so that the power interface of the automatic pool cleaning device is docked with the charging port of the charging base.

[0011] Furthermore, the charging base includes an alignment mark, and the method of adjusting the position or moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device so that the power interface of the automatic pool cleaning device is docked with the charging port of the charging base includes: acquiring an image of the alignment mark by an image acquisition unit of the automatic pool cleaning device, and adjusting the position or moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device according to the acquired image of the alignment mark.

[0012] Furthermore, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the water surface includes: if the automatic pool cleaning device is located at the bottom of the pool, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to float up from the bottom of the pool to the surface, or controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the pool wall to the water surface.

[0013] The present application also discloses an automatic pool cleaning device, which can execute the control method described in any embodiment of the present application.

[0014] The present application also discloses a computer storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the control method described in any embodiment of the present application is implemented.

[0015] The embodiments described in this application have the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The control method of the automatic pool cleaning device provided in the present application can control the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the water surface when the automatic pool cleaning device meets predetermined conditions, and confirm the direction information of the charging seat located on the pool wall based on the environmental image acquired on the water surface, and control the automatic pool cleaning device to move toward the charging seat based on the direction information; thereby, the automatic pool cleaning device can accurately and quickly identify the charging seat.

[0017] In addition, the present application also provides a control method for accurately docking the automatic pool cleaning device with the charging stand, thereby achieving rapid charging of the automatic pool cleaning device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. The drawings described below are only exemplary embodiments of the present application.

[0019] Figure 1 Detailed description of the invention The invention is a flow chart showing a method for controlling an automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The technical solutions in this application will be described clearly and completely below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work belong to the protection scope of this application. It should be noted that the embodiments in this application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0021] The present application provides a control method for an automatic pool cleaning device, an automatic pool cleaning device and a computer storage medium using the control method. The automatic pool cleaning device of the present application can clean a pool. The pool is, for example, a pool-shaped building. The pool-shaped building can be a swimming pool, a reservoir, a spa pool, a water tank, a water tank, etc. The automatic pool cleaning device can be a device such as an automatic cleaning device, a pool cleaning robot, etc., which can clean a pool-shaped building. The present application does not limit the specific presentation of the automatic pool cleaning device and the pool-shaped building, as long as the principle of the present application can be realized. In the following, if not otherwise specified, the robot will be used as an example of the automatic pool cleaning device, and the swimming pool will be used as an example of a pool or a pool-shaped building. In the following, if not otherwise specified, the terms "pool bottom", "pool bottom", and "pool bottom" all refer to the bottom surface of the swimming pool.

[0022] A charging base is provided in the swimming pool. The charging base can be located on the wall of the swimming pool. The specific location depends on the design of the swimming pool and the working range of the robot. For example, the charging base can be located in an area where the robot often passes through, so that the robot can easily identify and connect to the charging base. The charging base can be fixed to the pool wall or bottom by screws, or firmly attached to the pool wall or bottom using a special adhesive. The charging base is connected to an external power source via a cable. The main function of the charging base is to provide power to the robot. For example, when the robot finishes cleaning work, it returns to the charging base and automatically starts charging.

[0023] The control method 100 of the automatic pool cleaning device of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 The flowchart of the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The control method 100 includes steps S101 to S104. Steps S101 to S104 will be described below.

[0024] In step S101, when the automatic pool cleaning device meets a predetermined condition, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to move to the water surface.

[0025] When the robot performs cleaning operations in the pool, it can have at least three modes: pool bottom cleaning mode, pool wall cleaning mode and water surface cleaning mode. Pool bottom cleaning mode is the traditional operating mode of the current automatic pool cleaning device. In this mode, the robot moves on the bottom surface of the pool, and the impurities on the bottom surface of the pool are sucked into the robot through a water pump. When passing through the trash basket, the impurities enter and are retained in the trash basket, and the water is discharged, thereby achieving the purpose of cleaning the bottom of the pool. The pool wall cleaning mode is also called the wall climbing mode. This mode mainly uses the vacuum adsorption principle to attach the robot to the pool wall and move on the pool wall to clean the pool wall. The water surface cleaning mode is also called the surface ship mode. In this mode, the robot cleans the impurities floating on the water surface.

[0026] For example, during the current cleaning task, the robot may be located at the bottom of the pool, that is, the robot performs the cleaning task in the bottom cleaning mode, or may be located at the pool wall, that is, the robot performs the cleaning task in the wall cleaning mode. In this case, in step S101, when the predetermined condition is met, the robot can be controlled to end the current cleaning task and move from the bottom of the pool or the pool wall to the water surface. If the robot happens to be in the water surface cleaning mode when the predetermined condition is met, the robot can be controlled to end the current cleaning task and move to a predetermined position on the water surface.

[0027] In one embodiment, the controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the water surface includes: if the automatic pool cleaning device is located at the bottom of the pool, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to float upward from the bottom of the pool to the surface, or controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the pool wall to the water surface. For example, the robot may be configured with a buoyancy adjustment unit, and when the robot needs to float upward from the bottom of the pool to the surface, it can be achieved by the buoyancy adjustment unit. Specifically, the buoyancy adjustment unit may include a gas tank and an air bag, wherein compressed gas is pre-stored in the gas tank, and the volume of the air bag may be increased by inflating the air bag with the compressed gas in the gas tank, thereby increasing the overall buoyancy of the robot. When the buoyancy of the robot is greater than the gravity, the robot floats until it floats to the surface; the robot may also first travel from the bottom of the pool to the pool wall, and then travel upward along the pool wall to the waterline position, and then inhale air into the air bag at the waterline position to increase the overall buoyancy of the robot, so that the robot floats on the water surface.

[0028] In one embodiment, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the water surface includes: controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the pool wall to the water surface. For example, the robot can move upward along the pool wall to the waterline position, and inhale air into the airbag at the waterline position to increase the overall buoyancy of the robot, so that the robot floats on the water surface.

[0029] The above description of the robot moving from the pool bottom and pool wall to the water surface is an exemplary description, and those skilled in the art can select a method for the robot to move to the water surface according to actual needs, as long as the technical principles of the present application can be implemented.

[0030] In one embodiment, the predetermined condition may include one or more of the following conditions: the power level of the automatic pool cleaning device is lower than a predetermined power threshold; the automatic pool cleaning device fails; the current operation task of the automatic pool cleaning device ends; the automatic pool cleaning device is recalled by the user.

[0031] The predetermined power threshold can be preset according to the battery capacity of the automatic pool cleaning device and the cleaning operation requirements. For example, the predetermined power threshold can be set at a certain percentage of the battery capacity, such as 10%. In other words, if the current remaining power of the robot is less than or equal to 10% of the battery capacity, the predetermined condition is met.

[0032] The failure of the automatic pool cleaning device may include one or more of the following failures: a failure of the drive unit of the automatic pool cleaning device (for example, the drive wheel cannot rotate), a failure of the sensor unit of the automatic pool cleaning device (for example, the distance sensor, image acquisition sensor, ultrasonic sensor, etc. cannot collect data), a failure of the battery system (for example, the battery output current is unstable), a failure of the water pump of the automatic pool cleaning device (for example, the water pump cannot work normally), a failure of the water suction port of the automatic pool cleaning device (for example, the water suction port cannot inhale impurities), etc. The above description of the types of failures of the robot is only exemplary and is not intended to be an exhaustive enumeration of the types of failures that the robot may encounter. Those skilled in the art may apply the technical principles of the present application to other types of failures.

[0033] The end of the current operation task of the automatic pool cleaning device may refer to: the robot performs a cleaning operation task at the bottom of the pool and the cleaning operation task has ended / completed; the robot performs a cleaning operation task at the pool wall and the cleaning operation task has ended / completed; the robot performs a cleaning operation task on the water surface and the cleaning operation task has ended / completed. For example, when the robot completes all cleaning paths planned for the cleaning operation task, or completes the cleaning work of all areas to be cleaned included in the cleaning operation task, the robot can end the cleaning operation task. The above description of the robot ending the current cleaning operation task is merely exemplary and is not intended to be an exhaustive list.

[0034] The automatic pool cleaning device being recalled by the user may refer to: the user sending a recall instruction to the robot to temporarily recall the robot; the user presetting a timed recall function to recall the robot at a predetermined time or a predetermined time period. The above description of the robot being recalled by the user is only exemplary and is not intended to be an exhaustive list.

[0035] It should be noted that when one or more of the predetermined conditions described above are met, the robot meets the predetermined condition, that is, the robot can be controlled to move to the water surface.

[0036] Next, the process proceeds to step S102. In step S102, an environmental image on the water surface is acquired.

[0037] In one embodiment, the robot collects images within the field of view of the image acquisition unit through an image acquisition unit on the water surface. Specifically, the field of view of the image acquisition unit usually has a certain angle and range. After the robot reaches the water surface, the image acquisition unit can collect images within its field of view as the environmental image. It should be noted that if the robot is far away from the charging base at this time, exceeding the collection distance of the image acquisition unit, or the charging base is not within the field of view of the image acquisition unit at this time (for example, the robot is facing away from the charging base at this time), the environmental image collected by the image acquisition unit does not include the charging base.

[0038] In one embodiment, acquiring the environmental image on the water surface includes: controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to rotate on the water surface; and acquiring the environmental image by an image acquisition unit of the automatic pool cleaning device during the rotation of the automatic pool cleaning device on the water surface.

[0039] For example, the robot can be controlled to rotate on the water surface by adjusting the spray direction of the robot's water nozzle, or by the robot's driving unit (such as a driving wheel or an impeller). During the rotation of the robot, the image of the environment on the water surface can be collected by the robot's image acquisition unit. The image acquisition unit can be a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, a laser sensor, or other devices that can realize the image acquisition function, and this application does not make specific limitations.

[0040] The environmental image may be an edge contour image of a pool. It is understandable that the robot can collect environmental graphics at predetermined time intervals through an image acquisition unit during the rotation process. Therefore, during the rotation process, the robot can collect multiple frames of images, each of which contains timestamp information and the rotation angle information when the cleaning device takes the current image. When the robot reaches the water surface, the charging seat is not necessarily within the field of view of the image acquisition unit. Therefore, by rotating the robot and collecting images during the rotation, the robot can collect the environmental image containing the charging seat as soon as possible, so as to provide a basis for confirming the orientation information of the charging seat in the next step.

[0041] In one embodiment, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to rotate on the water surface includes: rotating one circle, rotating a preset angle, or continuously rotating until it is determined that the environmental image includes features related to the charging stand.

[0042] By rotating the robot once, the image acquisition unit can acquire the edge contour image of the entire pool, and thus can acquire the image containing the charging station. If the robot is in an appropriate position when it reaches the water surface, for example, the robot is located in a corner of the pool, the robot can rotate a preset angle (for example, 90 degrees) to acquire the image of the edge contour of the pool other than the corner, and thus can acquire the image containing the charging station.

[0043] The automatic pool cleaning device, such as a robot, can analyze which frame of the image contains the charging seat after the rotation is completed, and can also analyze in real time whether the collected image contains the charging seat during the rotation process, so that when the image is analyzed to contain the charging seat, the robot can be controlled to stop rotating in time to avoid the robot continuing to perform unnecessary rotation after sensing the charging seat. In addition, the slower the robot rotates, the longer the time left for analyzing the image.

[0044] Then, the process proceeds to step S103. In step S103, the direction information of the charging base located on the wall of the pool is confirmed according to the environment image.

[0045] In one embodiment, a large amount of image data of the charging stand can be collected in advance. These data cover the images collected by the robot at different angles of the water surface for the charging stand, and these image data are used to train a deep learning model to obtain an image analysis model for the charging stand. For example, the image of the charging stand can be analyzed and recognized by models such as the YOLO series models (for example, YOLOv5, YOLOv7, YOLOv8, etc.), SSD, Faster R-CNN, etc. The image analysis model is obtained by training with such a large amount of image data, aiming to improve the accuracy and robustness of identifying the charging stand. The above description of the deep learning model is only exemplary, and those skilled in the art can select the deep learning model according to actual needs, as long as the technical principles of the present application can be implemented.

[0046] In one embodiment, in step S103, the environmental image may be analyzed and recognized by the trained image analysis model described above, so as to recognize the charging base and further confirm the direction information of the charging base.

[0047] The direction information may include, for example: the direction of the charging base relative to the robot, the angle between the "line connecting the charging base and the robot head" and the "direction pointed by the robot head", or the rotation angle required for the robot to turn toward the charging base. The description of the direction information above is only exemplary, and those skilled in the art can select the connotation of the direction information according to actual needs, as long as the technical principles of this application can be implemented.

[0048] In one embodiment, confirming the direction information of the charging base located on the wall of the pool based on the environmental image includes: determining whether the environmental image includes features related to the charging base, and if so, confirming the direction information based on the rotation angle of the automatic pool cleaning device related to the environmental image including the features; the rotation angle is obtained by an inertial measurement unit or a posture sensor.

[0049] Specifically, after the robot finishes rotating on the water surface, it determines whether there is an environmental image including features related to the charging stand among the multiple environmental images collected. If such an environmental image exists, the rotation angle of the automatic pool cleaning device corresponding to the image is found, and the rotation angle represents the direction information. If the robot analyzes whether there is an image including features related to the charging stand in the image while rotating, the robot can control the automatic pool cleaning device to stop rotating when it analyzes that there is an image including features related to the charging stand, and use the current orientation of the automatic pool cleaning device after stopping as the direction information. The rotation angle is obtained by an inertial measurement unit (IMU) or a posture sensor.

[0050] In one embodiment, the features related to the charging base may include: contour information of the charging base, size information of the charging base, and information of a mark on the charging base (e.g., an alignment mark set at a predetermined position of the charging base). The main function of the features related to the charging base is to help the robot obtain the direction information when returning to the charging base, thereby helping the robot determine the direction to move toward the charging base.

[0051] For example, with the alignment mark as a feature associated with the charging base, the robot can use an image acquisition unit (such as a camera) to capture multiple environmental images during the rotation process, wherein, in the Nth environmental image, the robot determines that the environmental image includes the alignment mark, and then the robot can record the rotation angle of the robot corresponding to when the robot captures the Nth environmental image, and the rotation angle is used as the direction information.

[0052] The alignment mark can be set to a mark with a specific shape (such as a circle, square or arrow shape) or a mark with a specific color (such as red, orange, green or yellow) to facilitate the robot to identify the alignment mark through the image acquisition unit. Such a mark can be a flat mark (for example, sprayed at a predetermined position on the surface of the charging seat) or a three-dimensional mark (for example, protruding from the surface of the charging seat). The alignment mark should have a certain size. For example, the alignment mark should be large enough to facilitate the robot to identify the alignment mark through image recognition, but its size should not be so large that it affects the overall appearance and function of the charging seat. The charging seat can be made of water-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials (such as high-strength plastic or stainless steel, etc.) to ensure long-term use in a swimming pool environment without damage.

[0053] For example, taking the contour information of the charging base as a feature related to the charging base, the robot can use an image acquisition unit (such as a camera) to capture multiple environmental images during the rotation process, wherein, in the Mth environmental image, the robot determines that the environmental image includes the contour information of the charging base, and then the robot can record the rotation angle of the robot corresponding to when the robot captures the Mth environmental image, and the rotation angle is used as the direction information.

[0054] Finally, the process proceeds to step S104, in which the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to move toward the charging base based on the direction information.

[0055] The robot can adjust the direction indicated by the robot head according to the direction information so that the direction indicated by the robot head matches the direction information, and then control the robot to move along the direction indicated by its head, so that the robot moves toward the charging base.

[0056] In one embodiment, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move toward the charging base based on the direction information includes: during the movement of the automatic pool cleaning device toward the charging base, determining whether the yaw angle of the automatic pool cleaning device needs to be adjusted based on an image captured by an image acquisition unit.

[0057] Specifically, in the process of the robot moving toward the charging base based on the direction information, the robot can collect an image of the charging base through an image acquisition unit to determine whether the yaw angle of the robot needs to be adjusted. Adjusting the yaw angle can ensure that the robot moves along a predetermined path, which is a path determined based on the direction information for the robot to move toward the charging base. The yaw angle can be adjusted by a water spray mechanism, a walking mechanism, or a paddle of the robot.

[0058] In one embodiment, after controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move toward the charging base, the control method further includes: when the automatic pool cleaning device approaches the charging base, adjusting the position or movement direction of the automatic pool cleaning device so that the automatic pool cleaning device is aligned with the charging base.

[0059] For example, when the robot approaches the charging base, it can capture an image of the charging base, and analyze the captured image to adjust the position or movement direction of the robot so that the robot is aligned with the charging base.

[0060] In one embodiment, adjusting the position or moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device so that the automatic pool cleaning device is aligned with the charging base includes: acquiring an image of the alignment mark by an image acquisition unit of the automatic pool cleaning device, and adjusting the position or moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device according to the acquired image of the alignment mark.

[0061] Taking the alignment mark described above as an example, assuming that the alignment mark is set at the central axis position of the charging seat, the robot can capture the image of the alignment mark when approaching the charging seat. Since the image acquisition unit can only capture images within its field of view, if the alignment mark is located at a position slightly to the left in the captured image, it means that the alignment mark is located at a position slightly to the left in the field of view of the image acquisition unit. At this time, the robot is not aligned with the charging seat. In order to align the robot with the charging seat, the alignment mark can be located in the middle position or the central axis position of the captured image. Therefore, in this case, the position or movement direction of the robot can be adjusted so that the robot moves to the left of its forward direction or to the left of the direction indicated by the image acquisition unit, so that in the re-captured image, the alignment mark is located in the middle position or the central axis position of the re-captured image. At this time, the robot is aligned with the charging seat.

[0062] In one embodiment, after the automatic pool cleaning device is aligned with the charging base, the control method further includes: adjusting the position or moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device so that the power interface of the automatic pool cleaning device is docked with the charging port of the charging base.

[0063] After the robot is aligned with the charging base, it will continue to move toward the charging base and adjust the position or movement direction of the robot until the power interface of the robot is docked with the charging port of the charging base. By docking the power interface with the charging port of the charging base, the charging base can charge the robot.

[0064] In one embodiment, the adjusting the position or moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device so that the power interface of the automatic pool cleaning device docks with the charging port of the charging base includes: acquiring an image of the alignment mark by an image acquisition unit of the automatic pool cleaning device, and adjusting the position or moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device according to the acquired image of the alignment mark. The technical principle of determining whether the power interface of the robot is docked with the charging port of the charging base by the position of the alignment mark in the acquired image is similar to the technical principle of determining whether the robot is aligned with the charging base by the position of the alignment mark in the acquired image described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0065] The control method 100 of the automatic pool cleaning device provided in the present application can control the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the water surface when the automatic pool cleaning device meets predetermined conditions, and confirm the direction information of the charging base located on the pool wall based on the environmental image acquired on the water surface, and control the automatic pool cleaning device to move toward the charging base based on the direction information; thereby, the automatic pool cleaning device can accurately and quickly identify the charging base and move to the charging base.

[0066] The present application also provides an automatic pool cleaning device, which can execute the various control methods described above. The automatic pool cleaning device includes a control unit, which is configured to: control the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the water surface when the automatic pool cleaning device meets a predetermined condition; obtain an environmental image on the water surface; confirm the direction information of a charging seat located on the pool wall according to the environmental image; and control the automatic pool cleaning device to move toward the charging seat based on the direction information.

[0067] The predetermined conditions, the environmental image, the direction information, and technical concepts such as how to control the robot to move toward the charging base based on the direction information have been described in detail in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0068] This embodiment discloses a computer storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the control method described above is implemented.

[0069] It should be understood that, in this embodiment, the computer storage medium may be located in at least one of the multiple network servers of the computer network. Optionally, in this embodiment, the storage medium may include, but is not limited to, various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0070] It should be noted that the sequence of the above embodiments of the present application is only for description and does not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0071] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of different embodiments or examples, unless they are contradictory.

[0072] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0073] In the present application, unless otherwise specified, directional words such as "up" and "down" are generally used with reference to the directions shown in the drawings, or with reference to the vertical, perpendicular or gravity direction; similarly, for ease of understanding and description, "left" and "right" are generally used with reference to the left and right shown in the drawings; "inside" and "outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the outline of each component itself, but the above directional words are not used to limit the present application.

[0074] The above is only an exemplary embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of various changes or substitutions within the technical scope recorded in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A control method for an automatic pool cleaning device, comprising: When the automatic pool cleaning device meets a predetermined condition, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the water surface; Acquire an environmental image on the water surface; confirming direction information of a charging stand located on a wall of the pool according to the environment image; and The automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to move toward the charging base based on the direction information.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The predetermined conditions include one or more of the following conditions: The power level of the automatic pool cleaning device is lower than a predetermined power threshold; The automatic pool cleaning device fails; The current operation task of the automatic pool cleaning device is completed; The automatic pool cleaning device was recalled by the user.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of acquiring the environment image on the water surface comprises: Controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to rotate on the water surface; and While the automatic pool cleaning device is rotating on the water surface, the environment image is acquired by an image acquisition unit of the automatic pool cleaning device.

4. The control method according to claim 3, wherein: The step of confirming the direction information of the charging base located on the wall of the pool according to the environment image includes: Determine whether the environmental image includes features related to the charging stand. If so, confirm the direction information based on the rotation angle of the automatic pool cleaning device related to the environmental image including the features; the rotation angle is obtained by an inertial measurement unit or a posture sensor.

5. The control method according to claim 3, wherein: The step of controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to rotate on the water surface comprises: The charging base is rotated once, rotated by a preset angle, or rotated continuously until it is determined that the environment image includes features related to the charging base.

6. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move toward the charging base based on the direction information includes: During the movement of the automatic pool cleaning device toward the charging base, it is determined whether the yaw angle of the automatic pool cleaning device needs to be adjusted based on the image captured by the image acquisition unit.

7. The control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: After controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move toward the charging seat, the control method further includes: When the automatic pool cleaning device approaches the charging base, the position or moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device is adjusted so that the automatic pool cleaning device is aligned with the charging base.

8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein: After the automatic pool cleaning device is aligned with the charging base, the control method further includes: adjusting the position or moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device so that the power interface of the automatic pool cleaning device is docked with the charging port of the charging base.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein: The charging base includes an alignment mark, and the adjusting the position or moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device so that the power interface of the automatic pool cleaning device is docked with the charging port of the charging base includes: The image of the alignment mark is acquired by an image acquisition unit of the automatic pool cleaning device, and the position or moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device is adjusted according to the acquired image of the alignment mark.

10. The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The step of controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move to the water surface comprises: If the automatic pool cleaning device is located at the bottom of the pool, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to float up from the bottom of the pool to the surface of the water, or the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to move along the pool wall to the water surface.

11. An automatic pool cleaning device, capable of executing the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

12. A computer storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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