Recall method of swimming pool robot

Abstract

The invention provides a recall method for a swimming pool robot, and the method employs a communication system for signal transmission, the communication system comprises a base station, a swimming pool robot and a communication tool, the communication tool is in wireless communication with the base station, and the base station is in wireless communication with the swimming pool robot. The recall method of the swimming pool robot comprises the following steps: S1, a user operates a communication tool to confirm a target position, and sends a recall instruction signal to a base station; s2, the base station communicates with the swimming pool robot, state information of the swimming pool robot is determined, and then the base station transmits a recall instruction signal to the swimming pool robot; and S3, the swimming pool robot moves towards the target position until the projection of the swimming pool robot on the horizontal plane coincides with the projection of the target position on the horizontal plane. According to the recall method of the swimming pool robot, the user can control the swimming pool robot to recall to the designated position, and therefore follow-up salvage recovery and maintenance operation of the swimming pool robot are facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of robots, and particularly to a recall method for a pool robot. Background Art

[0002] To meet the need for pool cleaning, pool robots that can perform cleaning work underwater have been widely used. After the existing pool robots complete the cleaning work, for the convenience of subsequent recovery and the execution of the next command, the pool robots usually can only move to a position against the wall or a pre-set position. Then, the user needs to move to a position near the pool robot at the edge of the pool and then perform operations such as salvage. That is, in the prior art, the recall process of the pool robot can only recall to a position specified by the prior program, rather than the position required by the user temporarily, without considering the convenience of user operation. The user may need to walk a relatively long distance to recover the pool robot. Summary of the Invention

[0003] An embodiment of the present invention provides a recall method for a pool robot to solve the problem that in the prior art, the recall process of the pool robot can only recall to a position specified by the prior program, rather than the position required by the user temporarily, and the user may need to walk a relatively long distance to recover the pool robot.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the embodiments of the present invention adopt the following technical solutions:

[0005] A recall method for a pool robot uses a communication system for signal transmission. The communication system includes a base station floating on the water surface in the pool, a pool robot located in the water body of the pool, and a communication tool held by the user. The communication tool and the base station can communicate wirelessly, and the base station and the pool robot can communicate wirelessly. The recall method for the pool robot includes the following steps:

[0006] S1. When the user needs to recall the pool robot, confirm the target position on the communication tool and operate the communication tool to send a recall instruction signal to the base station;

[0007] S2. The base station communicates with the pool robot to determine the status information of the pool robot, and then the base station transmits the recall instruction signal to the pool robot;

[0008] S3. The pool robot moves towards the target position until the projection of the pool robot on the horizontal plane coincides with the projection of the target position on the horizontal plane.

[0009] In one embodiment, signals are transmitted between the communication tool and the base station through infrared or electromagnetic waves or laser beams; signals are transmitted between the base station and the pool robot through infrared or sound waves or laser beams, so that the wireless communication between the communication tool and the base station and the wireless communication between the base station and the pool robot both have high reliability.

[0010] In one embodiment, after the user places the pool robot in the pool, the pool robot obtains its current position as the target position and feeds back the information of the target position to the communication tool for the user to confirm.

[0011] Further, after the user places the pool robot in the pool, the pool robot determines its current position by measuring the distances between itself and the various pool walls in the pool.

[0012] In one embodiment, a scene map of the pool is pre-stored in the pool robot. The recall instruction signal sent by the communication tool to the base station in step S1 and the recall instruction signal sent by the base station to the pool robot in step S2 both contain the position coordinate information of the target position. By pre-storing the scene map of the pool in the pool robot, it is more convenient to determine the position of the pool robot itself, and the positioning of the target position is also more accurate.

[0013] Further, the process of confirming the target position in step S1 includes: the user selects and determines the position coordinates of the target position from multiple preset coordinates on the communication tool, or clicks on the position coordinates of the target position on the scene map displayed by the communication tool, thereby simplifying the selection process of the target position during the recall process.

[0014] In one embodiment, at least one guiding device capable of emitting a wireless guiding signal is provided on each side of the pool. The communication device stores target position options corresponding to each guiding device. By introducing the guiding device, continuous guidance is provided for the recall process of the pool robot, making the positioning of the target position by the pool robot more accurate;

[0015] The process of confirming the target position in step S1 includes: after the target position is selected, the guiding device corresponding to the selected target position is activated, and the activated guiding device continuously emits a wireless guiding signal;

[0016] In step S3, the pool robot determines its relative position and distance D from the guiding device by communicating with the guiding device, and determines whether it reaches the target position based on the value of D.

[0017] In one embodiment, the target position is the side of the pool with the minimum straight-line distance from the communication tool. Step S2 further includes a moving direction determination step: the base station obtains the position of the communication tool through communication with the communication tool, determines the side of the pool with the minimum straight-line distance from the communication tool, and further determines the moving direction of the pool robot moving towards this side. The side of the pool with the minimum straight-line distance from the communication tool is used as the target position for the pool robot to move, and the recall instruction signal sent by the base station to the pool robot contains the moving direction information;

[0018] In step S3, the pool robot continuously moves along the determined moving direction until it reaches the edge of the pool.

[0019] In one embodiment, the recall method of the pool robot further includes an upward movement step: when the target position is in contact with the side wall of the pool, after the pool robot moves to the target position, it crawls upward along the side wall of the pool to the water surface, facilitating the user to retrieve it.

[0020] In one embodiment, the recall method of the pool robot further includes an upward movement step: after the pool robot moves to the target position, it floats to the water surface, facilitating the user to retrieve it.

[0021] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0022] The recall method of the pool robot provided by the present invention enables the user to reliably control the pool robot to recall to the position specified by the user outside the pool, facilitating the subsequent retrieval and maintenance operations of the pool robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the communication system of the pool robot for the recall method of the pool robot;

[0024] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a partial enlarged view of part A in

[0025] Description of the reference numerals:

[0026] 1. Base station; 11. Submersible part; 12. Floating part; 13. Fixed seat; 2. Pool robot; 3. Communication tool; 4. Pool. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0027] The following will describe in detail the specific embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for the purpose of illustration and explanation of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0028] As Figure 1-2As shown in the figure, an embodiment of the present invention first provides a communication system for a pool robot, mainly including a base station 1, a pool robot 2, and a communication tool 3. The pool robot 2 is used to perform underwater work tasks in the pool 4. The communication tool 3 is held by the user (the form of the communication tool 3 can be a dedicated remote control with a touch screen or a mobile phone equipped with a dedicated app). The base station 1 floats on the water surface in the pool 4. The base station 1 includes a diving part 11 and a floating part 12. The diving part 11 is immersed in the water body in the pool 4, and the floating part 12 extends above the water surface in the pool 4. The diving part 11 is used to perform underwater wireless communication with the pool robot 2. The signal forms of the wireless communication between the diving part 11 and the pool robot 2 include infrared, sound waves, and laser beams. The above methods can ensure better signal transmission effects underwater. The floating part 12 is used to perform wireless communication on the water surface (i.e., wireless communication in the air) with the communication tool 3. The signal forms of the wireless communication between the diving part 11 and the communication tool 3 include infrared, sound waves, and laser beams. The above methods can ensure better signal transmission effects on the water surface.

[0029] In a specific embodiment, a fixed seat 13 is installed on the edge of the pool 4. The base station 1 is detachably and fixedly installed on the fixed seat 13, so that the base station 1 has two working modes: fixed installation and floating on the water surface. A power supply device adapted to the base station 1 (wired / wireless power supply methods can be used, and for waterproofing considerations, wireless power supply is preferably used) can be further provided on the fixed seat 13, so that the base station 1 can be charged more conveniently.

[0030] A variety of sensors and measuring instruments are installed in the pool robot 2, such as a temperature sensor, a multi-parameter water quality meter, a pH value sensor, a dissolved oxygen sensor, a Doppler current profiler, and a sonar detector (the sonar detector is only used for detection, such as the depth, direction, and distance of the pool robot), so as to collect a variety of water body parameter data and the site environment data in the pool 4.

[0031] An embodiment of the present invention also provides a recall method for a pool robot, which is used to meet the following usage scenarios: after the user issues a recall instruction on the communication tool 3, the pool robot 2 can return to a set location or approach the edge of the pool where the user is located, that is, "recall" is realized. The specific basic steps are as follows:

[0032] S1. When the user needs to recall the pool robot 2, confirm the target location on the communication tool 3 and operate the communication tool 3 to send a recall instruction signal to the base station 1;

[0033] S2. The base station 1 communicates with the pool robot 2 to determine the status information of the pool robot 2 (such as the water depth where the pool robot 2 is located, the relative position between the pool robot 2 and the base station 1, etc.), and then the base station 1 transmits the recall instruction signal to the pool robot 2;

[0034] S3. The pool robot 2 moves towards the target position until the projection of the pool robot 2 on the horizontal plane coincides with the projection of the target position on the horizontal plane.

[0035] In an embodiment of the present invention, after the user puts the pool robot 2 into the pool 4, the pool robot 2 obtains its current position as the target position and feeds back the information of the target position to the communication tool 3 for the user to confirm.

[0036] In a more specific embodiment, after the user puts the pool robot 2 into the pool 4, the pool robot 2 determines its current position by measuring the distances between itself and each pool wall in the pool 4. The Mahalanobis distance method is used to determine the self-position of the pool robot 2 based on the distance measurement data of the pool robot 2.

[0037] In an embodiment of the present invention, a scene map of the pool 4 is pre-stored in the pool robot 2 (the scene map can be obtained by the sonar detector in the pool robot 2 detecting and modeling the scene, or can be transmitted to the pool robot 2 by the user in advance). The recall instruction signal sent by the communication tool 3 to the base station 1 in step S1 and the recall instruction signal sent by the base station 1 to the pool robot 2 in step S2 both contain the position coordinate information of the target position (i.e., the two-dimensional position coordinates on the horizontal plane). By pre-storing the scene map of the pool 4 in the pool robot 2, it is more convenient to determine the self-position of the pool robot 2, and the positioning of the target position is also more accurate. In addition, in step S1, the position coordinates of the target position can be confirmed by the user selecting from multiple preset coordinates on the communication tool 3, or by manually clicking on the scene map to determine the position coordinates of the target position, thus simplifying the confirmation process of the target position during the recall process. After receiving the signal, the pool robot 2 moves to the target position and waits to be salvaged.

[0038] In another embodiment of the present invention, there is no need to pre-store the scene map of the pool 4 in the pool robot 2. At least one guiding device is provided on each side of the pool 4. The guiding device can communicate wirelessly with the pool robot 2, the base station 1, and the communication tool 3. The communication tool 3 stores target position options corresponding to each guiding device, and the guiding device provides guidance for the recall of the pool robot 2. In step S1, after the target position is confirmed, the guiding device corresponding to the confirmed target position is activated, and the activated guiding device continuously emits a wireless guiding signal. By introducing the guiding device, continuous guidance is provided for the recall process of the pool robot 2, making the positioning of the target position by the pool robot 2 more accurate.

[0039] The pool robot 2 communicates with the guiding device to obtain the relative position and distance between the guiding device and the pool robot 2. When the distance D between the pool robot 2 and the activated guiding device reaches a set value, it is determined that the pool robot 2 has reached the target position (the value of D set for determining whether the pool robot 2 reaches the target position is ≥0); in the recall step of the pool robot 2, only the recall instruction is transmitted between the communication tool 3 and the base station 1, and between the base station 1 and the pool robot 2, without including the specific position coordinates; in step S3, the pool robot 2 determines its relative position and distance D from the guiding device by communicating with the guiding device, and determines whether it reaches the target position based on the value of D.

[0040] In another embodiment of the present invention, in step S2, there is also a moving direction determination step. The communication tool 3 only issues a recall instruction. The base station 1 obtains the position of the communication tool 3 through communication with the communication tool 3 (since the communication tool 3 is held and operated by the user, the position of the communication tool 3 is also the position where the user is located) and determines the side of the pool 4 with the minimum straight-line distance from the communication tool 3. The signal sent by the base station 1 to the pool robot 2 includes moving direction information; in step S3, the pool robot 2 continuously moves in this moving direction until it adheres to the side (the pool robot 2's adhering to the side can be judged by measuring the distance from the pool wall with a distance sensor installed on the pool robot 2, or by directly detecting whether the pool robot is close to the side wall of the pool 4 by installing a proximity sensor on the pool robot 2).

[0041] In a more specific embodiment, a water spray nozzle disclosed in the prior art solution is provided on the pool robot 2, so that the pool robot 2 has a wall-climbing function. When the pool robot 2 adheres to the side wall of the pool 4, the water spray nozzle sprays water in the direction opposite to the adhering surface. Through the reaction force, the pool robot 2 can tightly adhere to the wall surface of the pool 4, so that the pool robot 2 can crawl along the wall surface under the drive of other moving devices (such as crawlers). In the case where the recall target position is close to the side wall of the pool 4, after the pool robot 2 reaches the target position, it continues to climb the wall to the water surface position, thus facilitating the user's salvage.

[0042] In another more specific embodiment, the pool robot 2 is provided with a floating device. The floating device is a prior art. For example, the floating device adopts a water storage tank that can be adjusted for drainage / water absorption. When it needs to float, the water storage tank is controlled to drain water to form a cavity, and the pool robot 2 is driven to float by the buoyancy. After the pool robot 2 reaches the target position, it directly floats to the water surface, thus facilitating the user's salvage.

[0043] The recall method of the pool robot provided by the present invention enables the user to reliably control the pool robot to recall to the position specified by the user (that is, the position close to the user) outside the pool, thus facilitating the subsequent salvage, recovery and maintenance operations of the pool robot.

[0044] The embodiments described above only represent the implementation manners of the present invention, but should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent for the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent for the present invention shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for recalling a swimming pool robot, using a communication system for signal transmission, the communication system comprising a base station (1) floating on the water surface of a swimming pool (4), a swimming pool robot (2) located in the water body of the swimming pool (4), and a communication tool (3) for a user to hold, the communication tool (3) and the base station (1) can communicate wirelessly, and the base station (1) and the swimming pool robot (2) can communicate wirelessly, characterized in that: The recall method for the pool robot includes the following steps: S1. When the user needs to recall the swimming pool robot (2), the user confirms the target location on the communication tool (3) and operates the communication tool (3) to send a recall command signal to the base station (1); S2, the base station (1) communicates with the swimming pool robot (2) to determine the status information of the swimming pool robot (2), and then the base station (1) transmits a recall command signal to the swimming pool robot (2); S3, the swimming pool robot (2) moves towards the target position until the projection of the swimming pool robot (2) on the horizontal plane coincides with the projection of the target position on the horizontal plane.

2. The recall method of the swimming pool robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Signals are transmitted between the communication tool (3) and the base station (1) via infrared, electromagnetic waves or laser beams; and signals are transmitted between the base station (1) and the swimming pool robot (2) via infrared, sound waves or laser beams.

3. The recall method of the swimming pool robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the user places the swimming pool robot (2) into the swimming pool (4), the swimming pool robot (2) obtains its current position and uses it as the target position, and feeds back information of the target position to the communication tool (3) for confirmation by the user.

4. The recall method of the swimming pool robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: After the user places the swimming pool robot (2) into the swimming pool (4), the swimming pool robot (2) determines its current position by measuring the distance between itself and each pool wall in the swimming pool (4).

5. The recall method of a swimming pool robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The swimming pool robot (2) pre-stores a scene map of the swimming pool (4), and the recall command signal sent by the communication tool (3) to the base station (1) in step S1 and the recall command signal sent by the base station (1) to the swimming pool robot (2) in step S2 both contain the position coordinate information of the target position.

6. The recall method of the swimming pool robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The process of confirming the target location in step S1 includes: the user selects the location coordinates of the target location from a plurality of preset coordinates on the communication tool (3), or selects the location coordinates of the target location in a scene map displayed by the communication tool (3).

7. The recall method of a swimming pool robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each side of the swimming pool (4) is provided with at least one guiding device capable of emitting a wireless guiding signal, and the communication device (3) stores target position options corresponding to each guiding device; The confirmation process of the target position in step S1 includes: after the target position is selected, the guidance device corresponding to the selected target position is activated, and the activated guidance device continuously sends a wireless guidance signal; In step S3, the swimming pool robot (2) determines the relative position and distance D between itself and the guiding device by communicating with the guiding device, and determines whether the target position has been reached according to the value of D.

8. The method for recalling a swimming pool robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The target position is the side of the swimming pool (4) with the smallest straight-line distance from the communication tool (3). Step S2 also includes a moving direction determination step: the base station (1) obtains the position of the communication tool (3) by communicating with the communication tool (3) to determine the side of the swimming pool (4) with the smallest straight-line distance from the communication tool (3), and further determines the moving direction of the swimming pool robot (2) toward the side. The side of the swimming pool (4) with the smallest straight-line distance from the communication tool (3) is used as the target position of the swimming pool robot (2). The recall command signal sent by the base station (1) to the swimming pool robot includes moving direction information. In step S3, the swimming pool robot (2) continues to move to the edge according to the moving direction determined in step S2.

9. The method for recalling a swimming pool robot according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The method further comprises an ascending step: when the target position is aligned with the side wall of the swimming pool (4), the swimming pool robot (2) moves to the target position and then crawls upward along the side wall of the swimming pool (4) to the water surface.

10. The recall method of a swimming pool robot according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The method also includes an ascending step: after the swimming pool robot (2) moves to the target position, it floats up to the water surface.

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