Method for controlling pool automatic cleaning device to travel in closed loop along pool boundary, and corresponding pool automatic cleaning device

Abstract

The invention provides a method for controlling a pool automatic cleaning device to move along a pool boundary in a closed loop mode and a corresponding pool automatic cleaning device. The method comprises the steps that the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to advance along the boundary of a pool; acquiring motion related information of the automatic pool cleaning device in the advancing process in real time; judging whether the advancing track of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop or not based on the motion related information acquired in real time; and based on a preset time threshold value, checking whether the advancing track along the pool boundary forms a closed loop or not.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of pool cleaning, and in particular to a method for controlling an automatic pool cleaning device to move in a closed loop along a pool boundary and a corresponding automatic pool cleaning device. Background Art

[0002] Automatic pool cleaning devices are generally used to clean pools, for example, to collect and clean garbage / debris on the bottom, sidewalls and / or water surface of a pool such as a swimming pool, so as to filter and purify the water in the pool. Summary of the invention

[0003] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling an automatic pool cleaning device to move in a closed loop along a pool boundary is proposed, comprising: controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the pool boundary; acquiring in real time motion-related information of the automatic pool cleaning device during movement; judging whether a movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information acquired in real time; and verifying the judgment on whether the movement trajectory along the pool boundary forms a closed loop based on a preset time threshold.

[0004] Optionally, in the above method, the preset time threshold includes at least one of a minimum travel duration threshold or a maximum travel duration threshold.

[0005] Optionally, in the above method, based on the minimum travel time threshold, the judgment on whether the travel trajectory forms a closed loop is verified, which may include: if it is judged that the travel trajectory has formed a closed loop, but the travel time is less than the minimum travel time threshold, then the judgment that the travel trajectory forms a closed loop is deemed to be wrong.

[0006] Optionally, the method may further include: if the determination that the travel trajectory forms a closed loop is wrong, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to continue moving along the pool boundary, and re-determining whether the travel trajectory forms a closed loop.

[0007] Optionally, in the above method, based on the maximum travel time threshold, the judgment on whether the travel trajectory forms a closed loop is verified, which may include: if it is judged that the travel trajectory does not form a closed loop, but the travel time exceeds or is equal to the maximum travel time threshold, then the judgment that the travel trajectory does not form a closed loop is deemed to be wrong.

[0008] Optionally, the method may further include: if the determination that the travel trajectory does not form a closed loop is wrong, determining that the current travel trajectory has formed a closed loop.

[0009] Optionally, the method may further include: if it is determined through verification that the travel trajectory has formed a closed loop, controlling the cleaning device to stop traveling or change the travel mode.

[0010] Optionally, in the above method, the motion-related information may include at least one of the following: a yaw angle of the automatic pool cleaning device, environmental information of the automatic pool cleaning device, a magnetometer direction of the automatic pool cleaning device, or positioning information of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0011] Optionally, in the above method, judging whether the moving trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information acquired in real time may include: extracting environmental feature information from the environmental information acquired during the moving process of the automatic pool cleaning device; and judging whether the moving trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop based on the extracted environmental feature information.

[0012] Optionally, in the above method, judging whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information acquired in real time may include: accumulating the acquired yaw angles; and judging whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop based on the value of the accumulated yaw angles.

[0013] Optionally, in the above method, judging whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information acquired in real time may include: judging whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop based on the comparison of the acquired positioning information with the preset map information.

[0014] Optionally, in the above method, judging whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information acquired in real time may include: judging whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop based on the change in the direction of the acquired magnetometer.

[0015] Optionally, in the above method, the yaw angle may be acquired by an inertial measurement unit IMU.

[0016] Optionally, in the above method, the environmental information may be acquired by at least one of a laser radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a TOF sensor, or a visual sensor.

[0017] Optionally, in the above method, the minimum travel time threshold may depend on at least one of the following: the length of the pool boundary, the speed of the automatic pool cleaning device, or the working mode of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an automatic pool cleaning device is proposed, which may include: at least one processor; a memory storing executable instructions; the at least one processor is configured to enable the automatic pool cleaning device to implement the above method when executing the executable instructions stored in the memory. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0020] Figure 1A-1B The figure shows a schematic appearance of an automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure traveling in a pool environment (eg, a swimming pool).

[0022] Figure 3-Figure 7 The flowchart of the method for controlling an automatic pool cleaning device to move along a pool boundary according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details.

[0024] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", "one side", "the other side" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0025] In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc., which are related to order, are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, features defined by terms such as "first", "second", "third", etc., which are related to order, may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0026] Furthermore, in the drawings, for clarity of illustration, dimensions may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale. Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals generally refer to like elements.

[0027] Figure 1A The schematic diagram shows the appearance of an automatic pool cleaning device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It can clean the bottom, wall, water and water surface of a pool (such as a swimming pool) as needed, for example, it can be used to clean garbage in the water, on the bottom and on the water surface, and to clean dirt on the bottom and wall of the pool. Figure 1A As shown, the automatic pool cleaning device 100 may include structures / components such as a housing 110, a traveling unit 120, and a cleaning unit 130. As an example, the automatic pool cleaning device 100 may also include a buoyancy adjustment unit, so that the automatic pool cleaning device can adjust its depth in the water as needed, for example, it can float on the water surface, dive into the water, or sink to the bottom of the water, so as to perform cleaning operations on the water surface, in the water, or at the bottom of the water. As an example, a control compartment, a power compartment, and a filter compartment may be provided in the housing 100, wherein a control circuit such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), or a microcontroller may be installed in the control compartment, a drive unit such as a water pump or a drive motor may be provided in the power compartment, and a filter unit may be provided in the filter compartment, so as to filter and purify the water entering the filter compartment through the water inlet, filter out the debris therein, and discharge the cleaned water from the automatic pool cleaning device through the drain. As an example, Figure 1A The traveling unit 120 may include crawler-type traveling units on both sides of the lower part of the automatic pool cleaning device 100, so that the pool cleaning unit can travel on the bottom or wall of the pool to perform corresponding cleaning operations. However, the traveling unit is not limited to Figure 1A The type shown may instead include, for example, a wheeled travel unit, without limitation.

[0028] As an example, Figure 1A Also shown are drain ports 140 symmetrically arranged on the rear side of housing 110 of automatic pool cleaning device 100 about the longitudinal axis of the body of the automatic pool cleaning device, and drain ports 150 symmetrically arranged on the top of housing 110 about the longitudinal axis of the body of the automatic pool cleaning device; and Figure 1B Further shown is one of the drain openings 160 symmetrically disposed on the front side of the housing 110 of the automatic pool cleaning device 100 .

[0029] In addition, the automatic pool cleaning device 100 can use a water jet propulsion unit (e.g., a motor and an impeller) as an auxiliary moving unit, so that the thrust generated by the water flow driven by the water jet propulsion unit can be used to propel the automatic pool cleaning device to move on the water surface, in the water, on the pool bottom and / or on the pool wall.

[0030] It should be understood that Figure 1A-1B The automatic pool cleaning device 100 shown is only an example, and those skilled in the art may change one or more aspects thereof in terms of appearance, structure, layout, components, functions, etc. according to actual needs without departing from the principles of the present disclosure.

[0031] When the automatic pool cleaning device is operating in the pool, for example, when performing edge mapping operations on the water surface or bottom, cleaning operations on the pool wall, or cleaning operations on the water line, it is usually necessary to determine whether the travel trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary (or water line) has achieved a closed loop, thereby eliminating the cumulative errors of the relevant sensors of the automatic pool cleaning device (such as inertial measurement unit IMU, odometer), and ensuring that the operation object is completely operated, without omissions and as little duplication as possible. For example, when cleaning operations on the water line of a swimming pool, when the closed loop of the travel trajectory is achieved along the swimming pool water line, the entire swimming pool water line will be completely cleaned. To this end, the present disclosure proposes that the motion-related information of the automatic pool cleaning device during the travel process can be collected in real time, and based on the collected motion-related information, it is determined whether the travel trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop.

[0032] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic top view showing an automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure moving along a pool boundary in a pool environment (eg, a swimming pool). Figure 2 As shown, in order to control the automatic pool cleaning device 100 to move along the pool boundary 220 in the pool environment 210, the distance measurement value along the lateral direction of the body of the automatic pool cleaning device 100 can be obtained in real time when the automatic pool cleaning device 100 moves, and the automatic pool cleaning device can be controlled to move while maintaining a certain distance from the pool boundary based on the distance measurement value. In addition, when the automatic pool cleaning device moves along the edge, its motion-related information, such as the yaw angle of the automatic pool cleaning device, the environmental information of the automatic pool cleaning device, the magnetometer direction of the automatic pool cleaning device, or the positioning information of the automatic pool cleaning device, can also be obtained in real time, and based on the obtained motion-related information, it is determined whether the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device moving along the edge forms a closed loop.

[0033] Taking into account that it is not easy for the automatic pool cleaning device to maintain its position while moving in the pool, the body is prone to shaking and drifting, and the stability is poor, which leads to errors in the detection of the moving state of the automatic pool cleaning device by the sensor of the automatic pool cleaning device, and the collected motion-related information is not stable and accurate enough. As a result, there are certain errors or even misjudgments in judging whether the moving trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop. It is necessary to verify the judgment of whether the moving trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0034] To this end, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a preset time threshold and compares the duration of the automatic pool cleaning device's travel along the pool boundary with the corresponding time threshold, thereby verifying whether the trajectory of the travel along the edge forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0035] Figure 3 1 is a schematic flow chart of a method for controlling an automatic pool cleaning device to move in a closed loop along a pool boundary according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, the method may include: S310, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the pool boundary; S320, acquiring in real time motion-related information of the automatic pool cleaning device during movement; S330, judging whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information acquired in real time; and S340, verifying whether the movement trajectory along the pool boundary forms a closed loop based on a preset time threshold.

[0036] As an example, the motion-related information may include at least one of the following: a yaw angle of the automatic pool cleaning device, environmental information of the automatic pool cleaning device, a magnetometer direction of the automatic pool cleaning device, or positioning information of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0037] like Figure 2 As shown, given that the automatic pool cleaning device controls its travel along the edge based on the distance measurement to the side of its travel direction, for example, during the travel process, the automatic pool cleaning device 100 performs distance measurement on the right side of its travel direction. As an example, the automatic pool cleaning device 100 can obtain the distance measurement value of the object (i.e., the side wall of the pool) located on the right side of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device 100 in real time through a distance measurement unit such as an ultrasonic sensor, and control the automatic pool cleaning device 100 to travel along the direction in which the pool wall extends based on the distance measurement value through the control unit of the automatic pool cleaning device, that is, to travel along the boundary of the pool while maintaining a certain distance from the pool wall.

[0038] According to the disclosed embodiment, during the travel process, the automatic pool cleaning device can obtain the yaw angle of the automatic pool cleaning device in real time through the inertial measurement unit IMU equipped. By accumulating the acquired yaw angle values, and based on the accumulated yaw angle values, it can be determined whether the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device forms a closed loop.

[0039] For example, when the automatic pool cleaning device according to the present disclosure is used in Figure 2 When the automatic pool cleaning device moves along the edge in the direction indicated by the arrow, the yaw angle may be positive or negative depending on the position of the automatic pool cleaning device during its movement, so the accumulated yaw angle value may change from 0 to 360 degrees (or 0 to -360 degrees); when moving along a straight line, the accumulated yaw angle value is small; and when the automatic pool cleaning device turns, the accumulated yaw angle value is large, which basically corresponds to the angle of the turn; when the automatic pool cleaning device completes one cycle along the edge, that is, when the closed loop is completed along the edge, the accumulated yaw angle value is close to 360 degrees (here refers to the absolute value). In other words, when the accumulated yaw angle value is close to 360 degrees, it can be preliminarily determined that the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device moving along the edge forms a closed loop.

[0040] Therefore, it is possible to preliminarily determine whether the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device moving along the edge forms a closed loop based on the accumulated yaw angle value during the moving along the edge of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0041] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, during the movement, the automatic pool cleaning device may also obtain environmental information by means of at least one of the equipped sensors such as a laser radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a TOF sensor, or a visual sensor, and extract environmental feature information from the environmental information obtained during the movement of the automatic pool cleaning device; based on the extracted environmental feature information, determine whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop.

[0042] For example, when an automatic pool cleaning device is Figure 2When traveling along the edge in the direction indicated by the solid arrow, the environmental information during the travel process can be obtained in real time through sensors such as visual sensors (for example, monocular or binocular cameras), laser radars, ultrasonic sensors, and TOF sensors. For example, the environmental information around the travel route can be collected by a visual sensor to obtain a video frame, and the feature information in the video frame can be extracted, and the similarity of the feature information between the collected video frames can be compared and matched to determine the similarity between them. The similarity is compared with a preset threshold. If it is higher than the preset threshold, it can be determined that the two video frames are similar, and finally it can be determined whether the automatic pool cleaning device has returned to the starting point, that is, whether the travel trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop. Alternatively, the environmental information around the travel route can be collected by a laser radar to obtain a laser point cloud image, and the feature information in the image can be extracted, and the similarity of the feature information between the collected images can be compared and matched to determine the similarity between them. The similarity is compared with a preset threshold. If it is higher than the preset threshold, it can be determined that the two frames of images are similar, and finally it can be determined whether the automatic pool cleaning device has returned to the starting point, that is, whether the travel trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop.

[0043] As an example, during the process of the automatic pool cleaning device moving along the edge, prior information of the landmark points can be established. When information identical to the prior information is obtained, it is determined that the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device moving along the edge forms a closed loop.

[0044] When extracting features from environmental information, models such as bag of words can be used to process features in images into words. Different words represent different features. The words in two images can be compared to determine whether the two images are similar. In order to analogize all features into words, it is necessary to train a dictionary to include all possible word sets. Training a large amount of data can make the dictionary more universal. Training the dictionary is the process of feature clustering. In the process of training the dictionary, a kd tree structure can be constructed, which has k branches and a depth of d. The root node is a coarse classification, and the lower the classification, the finer it is, until the leaf node, so that the kd tree can be used for feature matching.

[0045] As an example, the K-means clustering algorithm can also be used for feature extraction and matching, that is, the feature data set is divided into k clusters to achieve feature grouping, through k initial center points, and the positions of these center points are continuously adjusted so that each feature data point is assigned to the cluster where the center point closest to it is located, thereby achieving the purpose of optimizing the similarity within the cluster and the difference between clusters.

[0046] In addition, deep learning models such as convolutional neural networks or artificial intelligence processing models can be used to achieve feature extraction and matching to determine whether the automatic pool cleaning device has returned to the starting point, that is, to determine whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop.

[0047] Therefore, it is possible to preliminarily determine whether the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the edge forms a closed loop based on the environmental information obtained during the process of the automatic pool cleaning device along the edge.

[0048] According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, during the movement, the automatic pool cleaning device can also obtain the positioning information of the automatic pool cleaning device during the movement in real time through the equipped positioning unit; by comparing the obtained positioning information with the preset map information, it can be determined whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop.

[0049] For example, when the automatic pool cleaning device according to the present disclosure is used in Figure 2 When the automatic pool cleaning device moves along the edge in the direction indicated by the arrow, its positioning information can be obtained in real time during its movement. For example, the positioning information of the automatic pool cleaning device can be obtained based on the IMU and the odometer. Optionally, the automatic pool cleaning device can also be equipped with a positioning unit such as a GPS locator. When it moves along the edge of the water surface, its positioning information can be determined based on the equipped GPS locator; the automatic pool cleaning device can compare the obtained positioning information with the preset map information to preliminarily determine whether the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the edge forms a closed loop.

[0050] Therefore, based on the positioning information obtained by the automatic pool cleaning device during the process of moving along the edge, it can be preliminarily determined whether the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device moving along the edge forms a closed loop.

[0051] According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, during the movement process, the automatic pool cleaning device can also obtain the direction of the automatic pool cleaning device during the movement process in real time through the equipped direction detection unit (for example, a magnetometer), and based on the change process of the obtained direction, it can be determined whether the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device forms a closed loop.

[0052] For example, when the automatic pool cleaning device according to the present disclosure is used in Figure 2When the direction indicated by the arrow moves along the edge, during its movement, depending on the position of the automatic pool cleaning device, the direction detected by its magnetometer may change from 0 degrees to 360 degrees (or 0 degrees to -360 degrees). For example, when moving along the AB edge, the direction detected by the magnetometer may be close to 0 degrees, when moving along the BC edge, the direction detected by the magnetometer may be close to 90 degrees, when continuing to move along the CD edge, the direction detected by the magnetometer may be close to 180 degrees, and when moving along the DA edge, the direction detected by the magnetometer may be close to 360 degrees, and when moving along the AB edge again, the direction detected by the magnetometer is close to 0 degrees again; therefore, it can be preliminarily determined that the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device moving along the edge forms a closed loop.

[0053] Therefore, it is possible to preliminarily determine whether the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the edge forms a closed loop based on the change in the direction of the magnetometer during the extended movement of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0054] Alternatively, if Figure 4 As shown, the above method may include: S410, real-time acquisition of environmental information of the automatic pool cleaning device during its movement along the pool boundary; S420, extracting environmental feature information from the acquired environmental information; S430, based on the extracted environmental feature information, determining whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop.

[0055] Alternatively, if Figure 5 As shown, the above method may include: S510, real-time acquisition of the yaw angle of the automatic pool cleaning device during the boundary movement; S520, accumulation of the acquired yaw angles; and S530, based on the accumulated yaw angle values, determination of whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the boundary of the pool forms a closed loop.

[0056] Alternatively, if Figure 6 As shown, the above method may include: S610, real-time acquisition of positioning information of the automatic pool cleaning device during its movement along the pool boundary; S620, based on a comparison between the acquired positioning information and preset map information, determining whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop.

[0057] Alternatively, if Figure 7 As shown, the above method may include: S710, real-time acquisition of magnetometer direction information of the automatic pool cleaning device during its movement along the pool boundary; S720, based on the changes in the acquired magnetometer direction, determining whether the movement trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop.

[0058] Optionally, in the above method, the yaw angle may be acquired by an inertial measurement unit IMU.

[0059] Optionally, in the above method, the environmental information may be acquired by at least one of a laser radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a TOF sensor, or a visual sensor.

[0060] As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure propose that the time duration of the automatic pool cleaning device traveling along the pool boundary can be compared with the corresponding time threshold based on a preset time threshold, so as to verify whether the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device traveling along the edge forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information of the automatic pool cleaning device. As an example, the preset time threshold may include at least one of a minimum travel time threshold or a maximum travel time threshold.

[0061] For example, a minimum travel time threshold for the extended edge travel may be set, and based on the minimum travel time threshold, the judgment of whether the extended edge travel trajectory forms a closed loop is verified. As an example, the minimum travel time threshold may depend on at least one of the following: the length of the pool boundary, the speed of the automatic pool cleaning device, or the working mode of the automatic pool cleaning device. Optionally, the working mode of the automatic pool cleaning device may include at least one of a waterline cleaning mode, a sidewall cleaning mode, a water surface extended edge mapping mode, a pool bottom extended edge mapping mode, and the like.

[0062] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when it is judged that the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device extending the edge forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information of the automatic pool cleaning device, the duration of the automatic pool cleaning device extending the edge can be compared with the minimum travel duration threshold. When the duration of the automatic pool cleaning device extending the edge is less than the minimum travel duration threshold, it means that the judgment that the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device extending the edge has formed a closed loop based on the motion-related information of the automatic pool cleaning device is wrong, and it is necessary to control the automatic pool cleaning device to continue to move along the boundary of the pool and re-judge whether the travel trajectory forms a closed loop. Optionally, when re-judging whether the travel trajectory forms a closed loop, different motion-related information can be selected from the previous judgment. For example, the magnetometer direction was used as the motion-related information to judge whether the trajectory of the extended edge formed a closed loop in the previous judgment, and the yaw angle collected by the IMU can be used as the motion-related information to judge whether the trajectory of the extended edge forms a closed loop when re-judging.

[0063] For another example, a maximum travel time threshold for the extended edge travel may be set, and based on the maximum travel time threshold, the judgment of whether the extended edge travel trajectory forms a closed loop is verified. As an example, the maximum travel time threshold may be set based on experience, for example, taking into account factors such as the minimum speed of the extended edge travel of the automatic pool cleaning device, the maximum length of the pool boundary, etc.; for example, the maximum travel time threshold for the extended edge travel may be set to 700S.

[0064] As an example, when it is judged based on the motion-related information of the automatic pool cleaning device that the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device has not yet formed a closed loop, but the travel time exceeds or is equal to the preset maximum travel time threshold, it can be determined that the judgment that the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device has not formed a closed loop based on the corresponding motion-related information is incorrect.

[0065] In this case, considering that the duration of the side travel has exceeded or is equal to the preset maximum travel duration threshold, the current side travel trajectory can be determined as forming a closed loop, thereby controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to stop traveling or change the travel mode. Optionally, changing the travel mode may include: exiting the side travel mode, entering a travel mode for performing cleaning operations along a specified route (e.g., a bow-shaped or a U-shaped route), etc.

[0066] By using the maximum travel time threshold to verify whether the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device's edge travel forms a closed loop based on motion-related information, the automatic pool cleaning device can be controlled to exit the edge travel mode in a timely manner, that is, to terminate the edge loop travel, to avoid misjudging that the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device's edge travel does not form a closed loop based on motion-related information (for example, abnormal situations such as detection errors in motion-related information), resulting in the automatic water surface cleaning device circling along the pool boundary.

[0067] Optionally, in the above method, the preset time threshold includes at least one of a minimum travel duration threshold or a maximum travel duration threshold.

[0068] Optionally, in the above method, based on the minimum travel time threshold, the judgment on whether the travel trajectory forms a closed loop is verified, which may include: if it is judged that the travel trajectory has formed a closed loop, but the travel time is less than the minimum travel time threshold, then the judgment that the travel trajectory forms a closed loop is deemed to be wrong.

[0069] Optionally, the method may further include: if the determination that the travel trajectory forms a closed loop is wrong, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to continue moving along the pool boundary, and re-determining whether the travel trajectory forms a closed loop.

[0070] Optionally, in the above method, based on the maximum travel time threshold, the judgment on whether the travel trajectory forms a closed loop is verified, which may include: if it is judged that the travel trajectory does not form a closed loop, but the travel time exceeds or is equal to the maximum travel time threshold, then the judgment that the travel trajectory does not form a closed loop is deemed to be wrong.

[0071] Optionally, the method may further include: if the determination that the travel trajectory does not form a closed loop is wrong, determining that the current travel trajectory has formed a closed loop.

[0072] Optionally, the method may further include: if it is determined through verification that the travel trajectory has formed a closed loop, controlling the cleaning device to stop traveling or change the travel mode.

[0073] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an automatic pool cleaning device is also proposed, which includes: at least one processor; a memory storing executable instructions; the at least one processor is configured to enable the automatic pool cleaning device to implement the above method when executing the executable instructions stored in the memory.

[0074] Thus, several aspects of the present disclosure are presented above with reference to various devices and methods. These devices and methods are illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints on the overall system.

[0075] For example, an element or any part of an element or any combination of elements may be implemented as a "processing system" including one or more processors. One or more processors in a processing system may execute software. Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable programs, execution threads, processes, functions, etc. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other.

[0076] Therefore, in one or more example embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, these functions may be stored in or encoded as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media. The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. As an example and not limitation, such a computer-readable medium may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), an optical disk storage, a magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, a combination of computer-readable media of the above types, or any other medium that can be used to store computer executable code in the form of instructions or data structures accessible to a computer.

[0077] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the disclosed process / flowchart is an illustration of an exemplary method. Based on design preferences, it should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the process / flowchart can be rearranged. In addition, some blocks can be combined or omitted. The attached method claims present the elements of various blocks in a sample order and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0078] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "set", "connected", "connected", "fixed", "coupled" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a communication connection with each other; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0079] Obviously, the embodiments described above are only some embodiments of the present application, rather than all embodiments. The preferred embodiments of the present application are given in the accompanying drawings, but they do not limit the patent scope of the present application. The present application can be implemented in many different forms. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosure of the present application more thorough and comprehensive. Although the present application is described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, for those skilled in the art, it is still possible to modify the technical solutions recorded in the aforementioned specific implementation methods, or to perform equivalent replacement of some of the technical features therein. All equivalent structures made using the contents of the present application specification and the accompanying drawings, directly or indirectly used in other related technical fields, are within the scope of patent protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an automatic pool cleaning device to move in a closed loop along a pool boundary, comprising: Controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the pool boundary; Acquire in real time the movement-related information of the automatic pool cleaning device during its movement; Determining whether the moving trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information obtained in real time; as well as Based on a preset time threshold, the judgment on whether the moving trajectory along the pool boundary forms a closed loop is verified.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The preset time threshold includes at least one of a minimum travel duration threshold or a maximum travel duration threshold.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: Based on the minimum travel time threshold, the judgment on whether the travel trajectory forms a closed loop is verified, including: if it is judged that the travel trajectory has formed a closed loop, but the travel time is less than the minimum travel time threshold, then it is determined that the judgment that the travel trajectory forms a closed loop is wrong.

4. The method according to claim 3 further includes, if the determination that the travel trajectory forms a closed loop is wrong, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to continue moving along the pool boundary and re-determining whether the travel trajectory forms a closed loop.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein: Based on the maximum travel duration threshold, a check is performed on whether the travel trajectory forms a closed loop, including: if it is determined that the travel trajectory does not form a closed loop, but the travel duration exceeds or is equal to the maximum travel duration threshold, then the determination that the travel trajectory does not form a closed loop is wrong.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: If the determination that the travel trajectory does not form a closed loop is wrong, it is determined that the current travel trajectory has formed a closed loop.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, further comprising, if it is determined through verification that the travel trajectory has formed a closed loop, controlling the cleaning device to stop traveling or change a travel mode.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The motion-related information includes at least one of the following: a yaw angle of the automatic pool cleaning device, environmental information of the automatic pool cleaning device, a magnetometer direction of the automatic pool cleaning device, or positioning information of the automatic pool cleaning device.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: Determining whether the moving track of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information obtained in real time includes: Extracting environmental feature information from the environmental information acquired during the movement of the automatic pool cleaning device; Based on the extracted environmental feature information, it is determined whether the moving trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein: Determining whether the moving track of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information obtained in real time includes: Accumulating the acquired yaw angles; and Based on the accumulated yaw angle value, it is determined whether the moving trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein: Determining whether the moving track of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information obtained in real time includes: Based on the comparison between the acquired positioning information and the preset map information, it is determined whether the moving trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein: Determining whether the moving track of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop based on the motion-related information obtained in real time includes: Based on the changes in the direction of the magnetometer obtained, it is determined whether the moving trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device along the pool boundary forms a closed loop.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The yaw angle is obtained through an inertial measurement unit IMU; and the environmental information is obtained through at least one of a laser radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a TOF sensor, or a visual sensor.

14. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: The minimum travel time threshold depends on at least one of the following: the length of the pool boundary, the speed of the automatic pool cleaning device, or the working mode of the automatic pool cleaning device.

15. An automatic pool cleaning device, comprising: at least one processor; Memory, storing executable instructions; The at least one processor is configured to, when executing the executable instructions stored in the memory, cause the automatic pool cleaning device to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

Images