Control method of pool cleaning equipment and cleaning equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a control method of pool cleaning equipment and the cleaning equipment. The method comprises the steps that a cleaning instruction for a target area of a pool is received; obtaining the pool information, and determining whether a slope exists in the target area based on the pool information; if the slope exists in the target area, cleaning equipment is controlled to enter a slope cleaning mode and clean the target area of the pool; in the slope cleaning mode, cleaning paths of the cleaning equipment comprise a first path and a second path, at least one part of the second path can cover at least one part of an uncovered area of the first path, and the second path is located behind the first path. The cleaning coverage rate of the slope can be guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of cleaning robots, and in particular to a control method and a cleaning device for a pool cleaning device. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the advancement of science and technology and the development of the Internet, robot technology has become increasingly mature and widely used in various fields of life. Looking at the market, a large number of robots with various special purposes have emerged. Among them, pool cleaning robots have solved a large number of cleaning tasks for users and provided significant help. It is used to clean foreign objects such as mud, dirt, and algae on the bottom and side walls of the pool to keep the pool clean.

[0003] At present, many pools have a slope design, that is, a slope is set at the bottom of the pool to achieve a smooth change between the deep water area and the shallow water area. However, when the cleaning robot walks on the slope, especially when turning or walking sideways on the slope, it is easy to slide down and deviate from the pre-planned position, which not only increases wheel wear, but also leads to incomplete cleaning, which places extremely high demands on the movement and control capabilities of the cleaning robot. Summary of the invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a control method and a cleaning device for a pool, which can ensure the cleaning coverage rate of a slope.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for controlling a pool cleaning device, comprising:

[0006] Receiving cleaning instructions for target areas of the pool;

[0007] Acquire the pool information, and determine whether there is a slope in the target area based on the pool information;

[0008] If there is a slope in the target area, controlling the cleaning device to enter a slope cleaning mode and clean the target area of ​​the pool;

[0009] In the slope cleaning mode, the cleaning path of the cleaning device includes a first path and a second path, at least a portion of the second path can cover at least a portion of an uncovered area of ​​the first path, and the second path is located after the first path.

[0010] In a second aspect, the present invention further provides a cleaning device, the cleaning device comprising:

[0011] one or more processors;

[0012] A storage device for storing one or more programs;

[0013] When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the method provided in the first aspect.

[0014] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that by detecting the slope and determining the cleaning path based on the slope, since the first path and the second path do not completely overlap, the cleaning coverage of the slope can be guaranteed even if the cleaning device deviates from the planned path on the slope. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 A flow chart of a control method of a pool cleaning device provided by the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 A flow chart of a control method of a pool cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a cleaning path according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a cleaning device provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only parts related to the present invention, rather than all structures, are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0020] Before discussing the exemplary embodiments in more detail, it should be mentioned that some exemplary embodiments are described as processes or methods depicted as flow charts. Although the flow charts describe the steps as sequential processes, many of the steps therein can be implemented in parallel, concurrently or simultaneously. In addition, the order of the steps can be rearranged. The process can be terminated when its operation is completed, but can also have additional steps not included in the accompanying drawings. The process can correspond to a method, function, procedure, subroutine, sub-computer program, etc.

[0021] In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. can be used in this article to describe various directions, actions, steps or elements, etc., but these directions, actions, steps or elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish a first direction, action, step or element from another direction, action, step or element. For example, without departing from the scope of the present application, the first information can be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information can be referred to as the first information. Both the first information and the second information are information, but they are not the same information. The terms "first", "second", etc. cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined as "first" and "second" can expressly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "multiple" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, a control method for a pool cleaning device comprises:

[0023] Receiving cleaning instructions for target areas of the pool;

[0024] Acquire the pool information, and determine whether there is a slope in the target area based on the pool information;

[0025] If there is a slope in the target area, controlling the cleaning device to enter a slope cleaning mode and clean the target area;

[0026] In the slope cleaning mode, the cleaning path of the cleaning device includes a first path and a second path, at least a portion of the second path can cover at least a portion of an uncovered area of ​​the first path, and the second path is located after the first path.

[0027] It can be seen from the above description that the cleaning coverage of the target area with a slope can be guaranteed.

[0028] In an optional embodiment, the pool information includes map information.

[0029] It can be seen from the above description that whether there is a slope can be determined directly based on the map information.

[0030] In an optional embodiment, the acquiring the water pool information and determining whether there is a slope in the target area based on the water pool information includes:

[0031] Control the pool cleaning equipment to travel according to a preset path or preset movement rules in advance;

[0032] Acquire detection information of the cleaning device during driving, wherein the detection information includes position information and depth information;

[0033] When the depth information and the posture information meet a preset condition, it is determined that there is a slope in the target area.

[0034] From the above description, it can be seen that whether there is a slope can be determined by detecting the depth and posture of the pool cleaning device during driving.

[0035] In an optional embodiment, the preset path includes a path along the edge of the pool, and the preset motion rule includes controlling the cleaning device to travel along the edge of the pool.

[0036] From the above description, it can be known that the cleaning device can be controlled to move along the edge to obtain a pool bottom map, and at the same time, it can be determined whether there is a slope based on the detection information collected during the movement along the edge.

[0037] In an optional embodiment, the posture information includes pitch angle information of the pool cleaning device, and the preset condition includes that the cumulative pitch angle change exceeds a preset angle threshold and the cumulative depth change exceeds a preset depth threshold.

[0038] In an optional embodiment, the preset conditions include: the cumulative change in the pitch angle exceeds 15° and the cumulative drop in the depth change exceeds 0.5m.

[0039] It can be seen from the above description that when the cleaning device passes over a slope, its depth and pitch angle will change greatly. Therefore, by detecting the change in depth and pitch angle of the cleaning device, it can be determined whether there is a slope in the target area.

[0040] In an optional embodiment, the main direction of the cleaning path is determined based on map information of the pool, the inclination direction of the slope, the direction of the historical path, and historical yaw angle change information.

[0041] It can be seen from the above description that if there is map information of the pool, the pool cleaning equipment can obtain the main direction of the cleaning path based on the map information. The so-called main direction refers to the direction that accounts for the largest proportion among the directions corresponding to the walking path of the pool cleaning equipment. For example, if the map is a rectangular map, the long side direction of the rectangular map is used as the main direction of the cleaning path; or, if the map is an irregular map, the circumscribed rectangle of the irregular map can be generated first, and then the long side direction of the circumscribed rectangle is used as the main direction of the cleaning path. Of course, according to the needs of the actual application scenario, the short side direction can also be selected as the main direction of the cleaning path, and there are no excessive restrictions here.

[0042] In addition, the main direction of the cleaning path can also be determined based on the direction of the historical path, the inclination direction of the slope, or the historical yaw angle change information. In the absence of map information of the pool, the pool cleaning device cannot obtain the main direction of the cleaning path based on the map information. In this case, the main direction can be determined by the information obtained during the historical movement process. For example, the main direction of the cleaning path is determined based on the direction of the historical path, and the path of the historical movement includes the preset path or the path traveled according to the preset movement rules; specifically, the preset path is the pool cleaning device moving along the edge of the pool to collect environmental data, so that the direction with the longest driving time during the movement along the edge can be obtained as the main direction during driving, or it can be other directions used during driving. In addition, the main direction of the cleaning path can also be determined based on the inclination direction of the slope or historical yaw angle change information; for example, the pool cleaning device moves along the edge of the pool to collect environmental data. When it moves along the edge of the slope, the yaw angle direction when the pitch angle changes the most is obtained as the inclination direction of the slope, and this is used as the main direction of the cleaning path; of course, other historical yaw angles can also be used for determination, such as obtaining the yaw angle direction when the pitch angle changes drastically (non-maximum value) as the main direction of the cleaning path. By using the inclination direction of the slope as the main direction of the cleaning path, the cleaning device mainly moves up and down the slope, which can minimize the cleaning device from turning or moving laterally on the slope, reduce hardware loss, and minimize the cleaning device from deviating from the pre-planned path as much as possible to ensure the cleaning coverage on the slope.

[0043] In an optional embodiment, the end segment of the first path does not overlap with the start segment of the second path.

[0044] It can be seen from the above description that the situation where the cleaning device returns to the original path can be avoided, thereby ensuring that the overlap rate between the first path and the second path is as low as possible, thereby improving the cleaning coverage rate on the slope.

[0045] In an optional embodiment, both the first path and the second path include a U-shaped section.

[0046] The present invention also provides a cleaning device, the cleaning device comprising:

[0047] one or more processors;

[0048] A storage device for storing one or more programs;

[0049] When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the various steps in the control method of the pool cleaning device as described above.

[0050] Figure 2A control method for a pool cleaning device is shown, comprising the following steps:

[0051] S1: When receiving a cleaning instruction for a target area of ​​a pool, obtain pool information.

[0052] After the cleaning device enters the water, the cleaning device is first controlled to travel along a preset path or preset motion rules. In an optional embodiment, the preset path includes a path along the edge of the pool, and the preset motion rules include controlling the cleaning device to travel along the edge of the pool.

[0053] Then, the detection information of the cleaning device during driving is obtained. In an optional embodiment, the detection information includes posture information and depth information, wherein the posture information includes position information and attitude information, and the attitude information includes a pitch angle and may also include a yaw angle. In some embodiments, the depth information can be obtained by a depth meter, and the attitude information can be obtained by an inertial measurement unit (IMU).

[0054] In some embodiments, the pool information also includes historical map data, which is generated based on detection information obtained during the movement of the cleaning device along the edge.

[0055] S2: According to the pool information, determine whether there is a slope in the target area. If so, execute step S3.

[0056] Specifically, if the detection information meets the preset conditions, it is considered that there is a slope in the target water area.

[0057] In an optional embodiment, the preset condition includes that the cumulative change in pitch angle exceeds a preset angle threshold and the cumulative drop in depth change exceeds a preset depth threshold. In some embodiments, the preset angle threshold is 15° and the preset depth threshold is 0.5m, that is, the preset condition includes that the cumulative change in pitch angle exceeds 15° and the cumulative drop in depth change exceeds 0.5m.

[0058] In addition, it is also possible to determine whether there is a slope in the target water area based on historical map data.

[0059] S3: Control the cleaning device to enter the slope cleaning mode and clean the target area of ​​the pool. In the slope cleaning mode, the cleaning path of the cleaning device includes a first path and a second path, at least a portion of the second path can cover at least a portion of the uncovered area of ​​the first path, and the cleaning order of the second path is after the first path, that is, the cleaning device first cleans according to the first path, and then cleans according to the second path.

[0060] In some optional embodiments, the main direction of the cleaning path can be determined according to the inclination direction of the slope, and the inclination direction of the slope can be determined by the yaw angle change information during the historical movement. In some embodiments, the path of the historical movement includes the above-mentioned preset path or the path traveled according to the preset movement rules. For example, based on the posture information collected during the edge movement, the yaw angle when the pitch angle changes the most is used as the inclination direction of the slope, and then the inclination direction of the slope is used as the main direction of the cleaning path.

[0061] In some other optional embodiments, the main direction of the cleaning path can be determined according to the pool bottom map of the target area. For example, the long side direction of the pool bottom map is used as the main direction of the cleaning path.

[0062] In other embodiments, the main direction of the cleaning path may also be determined based on the long side direction of the pool bottom map and the inclination direction of the slope of the target area. For example, if the angle between the long side direction of the pool bottom map and the inclination direction of the slope is less than a preset angle threshold (such as 60°), the main direction of the cleaning path is determined according to the long side direction of the pool bottom map, otherwise the main direction of the cleaning path is determined according to the inclination direction of the slope.

[0063] It should be noted that in this application, the main direction of the cleaning path refers to the direction in which the cleaning equipment moves in a straight line. After each straight line movement, it will turn and deviate a certain distance before moving in the opposite direction. This is the direction with the largest proportion among the directions corresponding to the walking path of the pool cleaning equipment. For example, when the main direction is the slope direction, that is, walking from the bottom of the slope to the top of the slope, turning and moving a certain distance, and then walking from the top of the slope to the bottom of the slope, the cleaning equipment mainly moves up and down the slope, which can avoid turning or moving sideways on the slope as much as possible, thereby avoiding the cleaning equipment from deviating from the pre-planned path as much as possible and ensuring the cleaning coverage of the slope.

[0064] In an optional embodiment, the end section of the first path does not overlap with the starting section of the second path to avoid the cleaning device returning to the original path, thereby ensuring that the overlap rate of the first path and the second path is as low as possible, thereby improving the cleaning coverage rate of the slope.

[0065] In some embodiments, after the cleaning device has completed the first path and reached the end of the first path, the cleaning device is controlled to rotate and move a certain distance to reach the starting point of the second path, and the cleaning device cleans while moving. Preferably, after completing the first path, the cleaning device can be controlled to turn left or right 90 degrees, then move half the length of the machine body or a length of the machine body, and then start to travel and clean based on the second path.

[0066] In an optional embodiment, both the first path and the second path include a U-shaped section.

[0067] Figure 3 shows a cleaning path of one embodiment, Figure 3 It is a top view schematic diagram of the target area of ​​the pool, wherein the shaded area represents the slope area, the solid line represents the first path, the dotted line represents the second path, and the arrow represents the forward direction of the cleaning device. Figure 3 The cleaning path shown is under ideal conditions. In actual scenarios, the cleaning equipment may deviate. However, since there are not many paths for lateral movement on the slope, the main movement is up and down along the slope, and the first path and the second path do not overlap in the main direction, even if a deviation occurs, the cleaning coverage of the slope can be guaranteed by cleaning back and forth twice.

[0068] Figure 4 A cleaning device is shown, the cleaning device comprising:

[0069] One or more processors 201;

[0070] Storage device 202, used to store one or more programs;

[0071] When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors 201, the one or more processors 201 implement the various steps in the control method of the pool cleaning device as described above, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, they are not repeated here.

[0072] In summary, the control method and cleaning device of a pool cleaning device provided by the present invention can avoid the cleaning device from turning or moving laterally on a slope as much as possible, reduce hardware loss, and ensure the cleaning coverage rate of the slope.

[0073] Through the above description of the implementation methods, the technicians in the relevant field can clearly understand that the present invention can be implemented by means of software and necessary general hardware, and of course it can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as a computer floppy disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory (FLASH), a hard disk or an optical disk, etc., including a number of instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] It is worth noting that in the embodiment of the above-mentioned device, the various units and modules included are only divided according to functional logic, but are not limited to the above-mentioned division, as long as the corresponding functions can be achieved; in addition, the specific names of the functional units are only for the convenience of distinguishing each other, and are not used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0075] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent transformations made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a pool cleaning device, characterized in that: include: Receiving cleaning instructions for target areas of the pool; Acquire the pool information, and determine whether there is a slope in the target area based on the pool information; If there is a slope in the target area, controlling the cleaning device to enter a slope cleaning mode and clean the target area of ​​the pool; In the slope cleaning mode, the cleaning path of the cleaning device includes a first path and a second path, at least a portion of the second path can cover at least a portion of an uncovered area of ​​the first path, and the second path is located after the first path.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pool information includes map information.

3. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The acquiring the water pool information and determining whether there is a slope in the target area based on the water pool information includes: Control the pool cleaning equipment to travel according to a preset path or preset movement rules in advance; Acquire detection information of the cleaning device during driving, wherein the detection information includes position information and depth information; When the depth information and the posture information meet a preset condition, it is determined that there is a slope in the target area.

4. The control method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The preset path includes a path along the edge of the pool, and the preset motion rule includes controlling the cleaning device to travel along the edge of the pool.

5. The control method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The posture information includes pitch angle information of the pool cleaning device, and the preset condition includes that the cumulative pitch angle change exceeds a preset angle threshold and the cumulative depth change exceeds a preset depth threshold.

6. The control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The preset conditions include: the cumulative change in the pitch angle exceeds 15° and the cumulative drop in the depth change exceeds 0.5m.

7. The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The main direction of the cleaning path is determined based on the map information of the pool, the inclination direction of the slope, the direction of the historical path, and the historical yaw angle change information.

8. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end segment of the first path does not overlap with the start segment of the second path.

9. The control method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first path and the second path both include a U-shaped section.

10. A cleaning device, characterized in that: The cleaning equipment comprises: one or more processors; A storage device for storing one or more programs; When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the steps of the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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