Cleaning robot control method and cleaning robot

Abstract

The invention discloses a cleaning robot control method and a cleaning robot, the cleaning robot comprises a first distance sensor arranged at the bottom and a second distance sensor arranged on the first side face, and the method comprises the steps that after it is detected that the cleaning robot gets close to an obstacle, the cleaning robot is controlled to climb the obstacle; acquiring a detection value of a first distance sensor; determining the obstacle as a step based on a detection value of the first distance sensor; the cleaning robot is controlled to be located on the second face of the step, the direction of the cleaning robot on the second face of the Nth step is adjusted, and the first side face is parallel to the first face of the (N + 1) th step; and controlling the cleaning robot to clean the second surface of the Nth step based on the detection value of the second distance sensor. Based on the detection value of the first distance sensor, whether the encountered obstacle is the step or not can be determined, when it is determined that the obstacle is the step, the cleaning robot is controlled to clean the step based on the detection value obtained by the second distance value, and the working efficiency of the cleaning robot is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of cleaning robots, in particular to a control method of a cleaning robot and the cleaning robot. BACKGROUND

[0002] The cleaning path of a cleaning robot (for example, a pool cleaning robot) is relatively random, and the cleaning robot mostly advances in one direction. After encountering a wall or a step, the cleaning robot randomly selects another direction to continue straight cleaning. There is no stable positioning system, and the path of the cleaning robot movement has certain problems. In the prior art, multiple sensors such as radar, binocular cameras, and depth cameras are used at the same time to position and detect the front obstacles of the cleaning robot, so as to control the cleaning robot to retreat or climb the step after identifying that the front obstacle is a wall or a step. However, the calculation in the control method is complex, which leads to a slow speed of identifying the wall and the step, thereby leading to a low working efficiency of the cleaning robot. Therefore, how to provide a method with a fast identification speed and high identification accuracy is a problem that needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. SUMMARY

[0003] The technical problem mainly solved by the present disclosure is to provide a control method of a cleaning robot and the cleaning robot, which can improve the speed of identifying the step and thereby improve the working efficiency of the cleaning robot.

[0004] To solve the above technical problem, one technical solution adopted by the present disclosure is to provide a control method of a cleaning robot, the cleaning robot comprising: a first distance sensor arranged at the bottom of the cleaning robot; and a second distance sensor arranged at the first side of the cleaning robot. The control method comprises:

[0005] After detecting that the cleaning robot approaches an obstacle or collides with the obstacle, the cleaning robot is controlled to advance from the bottom of the pool in a posture tending to climb the obstacle, and a detection value of the first distance sensor is obtained;

[0006] At least based on the detection value of the first distance sensor, it is determined that the obstacle is a step;

[0007] The cleaning robot is controlled to be located at the second face of the step, wherein the step comprises N levels, N is a natural number and N≥1, and each level of the step is formed by a first face and a second face;

[0008] The position of the cleaning robot on the second face of the Nth level of the step is adjusted so that the first side is substantially parallel to the first face of the N+1th level of the step;

[0009] At least based on the detection value of the second distance sensor, the cleaning robot is controlled to clean the second face of the Nth level of the step.

[0010] To solve the above technical problems, the disclosure also provides a technical solution: providing a cleaning robot, comprising a main body, and:

[0011] A first water inlet is arranged at the bottom of the main body.

[0012] A filter unit is arranged at least partially inside the main body.

[0013] A water outlet is arranged at the top of the main body.

[0014] A main water pump is in fluid communication with the first water inlet, the filter unit and the water outlet, and is used to generate water flow from the first water inlet, the filter unit and the water outlet.

[0015] A cleaning roller brush is arranged at the bottom of the front end of the main body, and is used to clean the surface to be cleaned.

[0016] A moving unit is arranged on both sides of the main body to support the cleaning device to walk on the surface to be cleaned.

[0017] At least one first distance sensor is arranged at the bottom of the main body, adjacent to the moving unit and behind the cleaning roller brush, and is used to detect the distance between the cleaning robot and the surface to be cleaned.

[0018] At least one second distance sensor is arranged on the first side of the main body, and is used to detect the distance between the first side of the cleaning robot and the obstacle.

[0019] Beneficial effects: based on the detection value obtained by the first distance sensor, it can be determined whether the encountered obstacle is a step, and when it is determined that the obstacle is a step, the cleaning robot is controlled to climb up the step, and based on the detection value obtained by the second distance value, the cleaning robot is controlled to clean the step, so as to improve the working efficiency of the cleaning robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the disclosure, the drawings needed in the embodiment description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the disclosure, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor. Among them:

[0021] Figure 1 The side view of the cleaning robot provided by an embodiment of the disclosure is in a plane.

[0022] Figure 2 The structural module schematic diagram of the cleaning robot provided by an embodiment of the disclosure is shown.

[0023] Figure 3A structural schematic diagram of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided;

[0024] Figure 4 A structural schematic diagram of a moving unit of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided;

[0025] Figure 5 A side view of a cleaning robot moving to a vertical state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided;

[0026] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a cleaning robot climbing a step according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided;

[0027] Figure 7 A side view schematic diagram of a cleaning robot at a horizontal plane of a first step according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided;

[0028] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a cleaning robot climbing a step according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided;

[0029] Figure 9 A top view schematic diagram of a cleaning robot at a horizontal plane of a first step according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided;

[0030] Figure 10 A top view schematic diagram of a cleaning robot cleaning a horizontal plane of a first step according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided;

[0031] Figure 11 A top view schematic diagram of a cleaning robot at a horizontal plane of a second step according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided;

[0032] Figure 12 A top view schematic diagram of a cleaning robot cleaning a horizontal plane of a second step according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided;

[0033] Figure 13 A side view schematic diagram of a cleaning robot at a horizontal plane of a first step according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided;

[0034] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of a cleaning robot climbing a wall according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided;

[0035] Figure 15 A schematic diagram of a cleaning robot climbing from a bottom of a step to a top of the step according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In the following, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0037] The terms "first", "second", "third" in the present disclosure are only for descriptive purpose, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second", "third" can 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 explicitly and specifically limited. All directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement condition, etc. between components in a certain posture (as shown in the drawings), and if the certain posture changes, the directional indications also change accordingly. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device including a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but can optionally include steps or units not listed, or can optionally include other steps or units inherent to the process, method, product or device.

[0038] Reference to "embodiments" herein means that the specific features, structures or properties described in connection with the embodiments can be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The phrase appears at various places in the specification is not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments, nor is it necessarily referring to only one alternative embodiment or an alternative embodiment exclusive of all other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0039] The cleaning robot in the embodiment can be assisted in recognizing the condition of the surface to be cleaned by disposing a distance measuring sensor at the bottom of the cleaning robot, and the cleaning robot can be controlled accordingly. Meanwhile, the embodiment also provides a control method which can be applied to control the cleaning robot to climb and clean on a step, and to control the cleaning robot to avoid a cliff at the bottom. The control method can also be used to control a delivery robot or other equipment with a climbing function. The cleaning robot can be a sweeping robot, a washing robot, a pool cleaning robot or other robots with cleaning functions. The delivery robot can be a meal delivery robot, an article delivery robot or other delivery robots. The step can be a step of a staircase in a family or office building, and can also be a step of a staircase in a pool or other steps in other scenarios. The cleaning robot in the embodiment is taken as an example of cleaning a pool in a working environment.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 1 The embodiment provides a control method of a cleaning robot. The control method is executed by a controller for controlling the cleaning robot. The controller can be integrated on the cleaning robot, or can be independent of the cleaning robot and electrically connected to the cleaning robot. The bottom of the cleaning robot is provided with a first distance sensor 200. The first distance sensor 200 can be an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor or a TOF (Time of Flight) sensor, or other sensors capable of distance measurement. The first distance sensor 200 can be disposed at a position close to the front of the bottom of the cleaning robot, so as to detect whether a cliff is encountered during the travel of the cleaning robot by the first distance sensor 200. Of course, the first distance sensor 200 can also be disposed at other positions close to the edge of the bottom of the cleaning robot, for sensing the condition of the surface to be cleaned around the first distance sensor 200.

[0041] It should be noted that the application range of the ultrasonic sensor, the infrared sensor or the TOF sensor is different. The first distance sensor 200 generally includes a transmitting part, a receiving part and a control unit provided on the cleaning robot or integrated on the first distance sensor 200. The transmitting part is used to transmit a first signal to a to-be-detected object, the receiving part is used to receive a second signal reflected by the to-be-detected object, and the control unit can determine the distance between the to-be-detected object and the first distance sensor 200 according to relevant parameters, for example, the time difference between the first signal and the second signal calculated by the control unit.

[0042] In an embodiment, for the ultrasonic sensor, since the transmitting and receiving signals of the ultrasonic sensor are both ultrasonic signals, the receiving part has certain requirements for the reflection angle of the to-be-received second signal. When the included angle of the transmitting and receiving signals is large, for example, greater than 20°, the receiving part in the ultrasonic sensor can not receive the second signal.

[0043] In another embodiment, for the infrared sensor or TOF sensor, the transmitting signal is an infrared light signal. When the surface of the object to be detected is a rough surface, the receiving part can produce diffuse reflection for the second signal to be received, so that the receiving part with high sensitivity can always receive the second signal, making the infrared sensor or TOF sensor have a wider application range compared with the ultrasonic sensor.

[0044] The user can select any one of the above ultrasonic sensor, infrared sensor and TOF sensor according to the type of the object to be detected.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 In an embodiment, the cleaning robot comprises a main body 101, at least a first water inlet 101A and / or a second water inlet 101B provided on the main body 101, a filter unit, a water outlet 101C and a main water pump. The first water inlet 101A can be located at the bottom of the main body 101, and the second water inlet 101B can be located at the side of the main body 101. The filter unit and the main water pump are provided in the main body 101, and the water outlet 101C is located at the top of the main body 101, so as to form a water flow channel from the first water inlet 101A / second water inlet 101B-filter unit-main water pump-water outlet 101C, for cleaning the surface to be cleaned.

[0046] In an embodiment, the cleaning robot further comprises a cleaning unit 900 provided on the main body 101, which is used to clean the surface of the pool bottom, wall or step during the movement of the cleaning robot. In an embodiment, the cleaning unit 900 comprises at least one cleaning roller brush, and at least one cleaning roller brush is located at the front end of the main body 101. A cleaning roller brush can also be provided at the rear of the main body 101. The first water inlet 101A can be spaced apart behind the cleaning roller brush, or can have an overlapping area with the cleaning roller brush, i.e. when the cleaning robot is placed horizontally, the projection parts of the cleaning roller brush and the first water inlet 101A on the horizontal plane overlap. During the cleaning process of the cleaning robot, the cleaning roller brush first brushes the surface to be cleaned, and the first water inlet 101A provided behind the cleaning roller brush then sucks the dust-carrying water flow brushed by the cleaning roller brush into the filter unit in the main body 101.

[0047] In an embodiment, as Figure 9The cleaning robot also includes a plurality of sensors provided on the main body 101, a first side surface 1011 and a second side surface 1012 arranged opposite to each other along the width direction of the main body 101. The plurality of sensors include at least a first distance sensor 200 provided at the bottom of the main body 101, at least one second distance sensor 500 provided on the first side surface 1011 of the main body 101, a third distance sensor 600 at the front of the main body 101, and at least a fourth distance sensor 700 provided on the second side surface 1012 of the main body 101. Among them, the first distance sensor 200 can detect the distance between the bottom of the cleaning robot and the surface to be cleaned. The second distance sensor 500 and the fourth distance sensor 700 are used to detect the edge distance of the cleaning robot or the distance between the cleaning robot and obstacles on both sides. The third distance sensor 600 can detect the distance between the front of the cleaning robot and an obstacle.

[0048] It is understood that the following positions can be set at the locations where the first distance sensor 200, the second distance sensor 500, the third distance sensor 600 and the fourth distance sensor 700 are installed on the main body 101: Figure 4 The mounting hole 1013 is formed in the body 101 to ensure a secure and reliable installation of the sensor. The mounting hole 1013 may include a truncated cone-shaped wall extending from the inside to the outside of the body 101 to facilitate expanding the sensor's measurement angle. In one embodiment, the above sensor may be one or more of an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, and a TOF sensor.

[0049] In one embodiment, the first distance sensor 200 can be located behind the cleaning roller brush, behind the cleaning roller brush and before the first water inlet 101A, or behind the cleaning roller brush and the first water inlet 101A. With this arrangement, when the cleaning robot approaches the edge of a cliff, the cleaning roller brush can clean the edge, and then the first distance sensor 200 detects the cliff, controlling the cleaning robot to stop, reverse, or turn around to avoid falling off the cliff.

[0050] In one embodiment, at least two first distance sensors 200 may be arranged at intervals at the bottom of the main body 101. The arrangement direction of the two first distance sensors 200 is perpendicular to the forward direction of the cleaning robot or along the width direction of the cleaning robot, and are respectively located near the inner side of the mobile unit 103. The two first distance sensors are respectively used to detect whether there are cliffs on both sides of the cleaning robot.

[0051] In an embodiment, the cleaning robot further comprises a power supply unit 102 arranged in the main body 101 for supplying power to the main body 101. In order to ensure the safety of the power supply unit 102 and avoid failure caused by water seepage when working in water, the power supply unit 102 needs to be arranged in a sealed shell. Since the power supply unit 102 is arranged in the sealed shell, it cannot be frequently taken out and put in, so a charging interface assembly needs to be arranged on the cleaning robot to facilitate the connection of the power supply unit 102 with an external power source and realize the charging of the power supply unit 102.

[0052] In an embodiment, the cleaning robot further comprises a moving unit 103 connected to the main body 101 for supporting the main body 101 to walk. The moving unit 103 comprises a wheel body assembly 1031 and a track 1032. The wheel body assembly 1031 is rotatably connected to the main body 101 and is arranged on both sides of the main body 101. The wheel body assembly 1031 comprises at least two first wheels 1031B and second wheels 1031A arranged at intervals. One of the first wheels 1031B and the second wheels 1031A is a driving wheel and the other is a driven wheel. When the cleaning robot normally walks, the first wheel 1031B is located at the front of the main body 101 and the second wheel 1031A is located at the rear of the main body 101. The track 1032 is sleeved on the wheel body assembly 1031 and can rotate with the wheel body assembly 1031. The track 1032 is used to contact with the bearing surface. It can be understood that according to the length of the main body 101, a plurality of driven wheels arranged at intervals can be arranged in the wheel body assembly 1031 to improve the reliability of the moving unit 103.

[0053] In an embodiment, the cleaning robot further comprises a processor 800 arranged in the main body 101 for controlling the moving direction and moving distance of the main body 101 relative to the obstacle according to the detection values of the sensors.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 , in an embodiment, first define that the step comprises N levels, N≥1 and is a natural number, for example, the step comprises a first level, a second level, a third level, … Each level can be formed by a first surface and a second surface. For convenience of understanding, the first surface of each level is named as a vertical surface and the second surface is named as a horizontal surface. The overall process of the cleaning robot encountering the step, climbing the step and cleaning the step comprises the following:

[0055] After the third distance sensor 600 at the front of the cleaning robot detects the obstacle or the front collides with the obstacle, the motion parameters of the components in the cleaning robot are adjusted, for example, the main water pump can be controlled to pause to reduce the downward pressure of the cleaning robot to make the cleaning robot enter a climbing posture, or the cleaning robot tilts to make the moving unit 103 continue to move. At this time, the value change of the first distance sensor 200 comprises:

[0056] In one embodiment, if the height of the vertical surface of the first step 301 is less than the length of the cleaning robot, the first distance sensor 200 is set as an infrared sensor. Since the infrared sensor can generate diffuse reflection when transmitting and receiving signals, the receiving part of the infrared sensor can receive the second signal at any angle of inclination of the cleaning robot, i.e., the infrared sensor can always obtain the detection value between the infrared sensor and the obstacle.

[0057] In the process of the cleaning robot climbing the steps, the change of the detection value obtained by the infrared sensor includes at least: a stable value (indicating the distance between the infrared sensor and the pool bottom)→ a trend of increasing (the cleaning robot tilts, and the distance between the infrared sensor and the directly opposite pool bottom increases)→ a relatively maximum value (at this time, the infrared sensor is directly opposite the intersection of the pool bottom surface and the vertical surface of the first step 301)→ a trend of decreasing (indicating the distance between the infrared sensor and the directly opposite vertical surface of the first step 301)→ a minimum value (indicating the intersection of the vertical surface of the first step 301 and the horizontal surface directly opposite the infrared sensor)→ a trend of increasing (indicating the distance between the infrared sensor and the horizontal surface of the first step 301)→ a relatively maximum value (at this time, the infrared sensor is directly opposite the intersection of the horizontal surface of the first step 301 and the vertical surface of the second step 302)……

[0058] In another embodiment, the first distance sensor 200 is set as an ultrasonic sensor. If the cleaning robot is at an angle of inclination such that the receiving part of the ultrasonic sensor receives the second signal at a too large angle of inclination (such as more than 20°), the receiving part of the ultrasonic sensor cannot receive the second signal. At this time, the change of the detection value obtained by the ultrasonic sensor includes at least: a stable value (indicating the distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the pool bottom)→ a trend of increasing (indicating that the cleaning robot tilts, and the distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the directly opposite pool bottom increases)→ no detection value (indicating that the cleaning robot is tilted to a certain degree, and the sensor cannot receive the reflection signal of the pool bottom or the vertical surface of the first step 301)→ a relatively large detection value (indicating that the sensor transits from no signal to being able to receive the reflection signal of the vertical surface of the first step 301, and this process does not necessarily occur)→ a relatively small detection value (indicating the detection value of the end of the vertical surface of the intersection of the vertical surface of the first step 301 and the horizontal surface directly opposite the first step 301, and this process does not necessarily occur)→ a minimum value (indicating that the sensor detects the detection value near the start of the horizontal surface of the intersection of the vertical surface of the first step 301 and the horizontal surface directly opposite the first step 301, and this process does not necessarily occur)→ increasing (at this time, the sensor can detect the horizontal surface of the first step 301, and the detection value has a trend of increasing, and this process does not necessarily occur)→ no detection value (indicating that the inclination of the cleaning robot causes the receiving part of the sensor to again fail to detect the reflection signal of the horizontal surface of the first step 301)……

[0059] The numerical change of the first distance sensor 200 is the case when the cleaning robot is climbing the first step 301, at which time the cleaning robot is climbing upward in an inclined posture. In another embodiment, if the height of the vertical face of the first step 301 is greater than the length of the cleaning robot, the first distance sensor 200 can obtain a stable detection value when the cleaning robot is in a vertical state, i.e., when the first distance sensor 200 is in a vertical state, the first distance sensor 200 detects the distance between the vertical face of the first step 301 and the first distance sensor 200, and then continues to operate until the front of the cleaning robot exceeds the horizontal face of the first step 301. During this process, for different types of first distance sensors 200, at least the following change rule of the detection value is included: stable value (indicating that the distance between the sensor and the pool bottom does not change much) → detection value becomes larger (indicating that the cleaning robot starts to tilt to climb the step, and the surface facing the sensor is still the pool bottom) → detection value becomes smaller (indicating that the cleaning robot is close to a vertical state, and the vertical face of the first step 301 faces the sensor) → stable value (indicating that the cleaning robot is close to the vertical face of the first step 301). The posture of the cleaning robot can be detected by the inclination detection unit 400 described below.

[0060] In an embodiment, the height of the vertical face of each step is less than or equal to the length of the cleaning robot, and the cleaning robot is in an inclined posture during the process of climbing the step. For the above-mentioned cleaning robot climbing the first step 301, the change of the detection value obtained by the first distance sensor 200 can also be used to determine whether the obstacle encountered by the cleaning robot is a step.

[0061] Specifically, in an embodiment, when there is a minimum detection value in the plurality of detection values obtained by the first distance sensor 200, it indicates that the position detected by the first distance sensor 200 is near the intersection line of the vertical face and the horizontal face of a step, indicating that the cleaning robot is in an inclined posture and continues to climb the step upward, for example, in the case of an infrared sensor as the first distance sensor 200. When the first distance sensor 200 does not detect a stable value after climbing the vertical face of the first step 301, it indicates that the first distance sensor 200 cannot receive the second signal, which also indicates that the cleaning robot is in an inclined posture and continues to climb the step upward, for example, in the case of an ultrasonic sensor as the first distance sensor 200.

[0062] In another embodiment, if the cleaning robot climbs a step with a high vertical face, when the cleaning robot is completely vertical, the detection value obtained by the first distance sensor 200 is stable, and then the cleaning robot continues to climb upward, so that the first distance sensor 200 obtains a larger detection value after a period of time, which is the detection value between the first distance sensor 200 and the vertical face of the second step 302, that is, the detection position of the first distance sensor 200 transitions from the vertical face of the first step 301 to the vertical face of the second step 302, and then the cleaning robot transitions from the vertical state to the horizontal state, and the detection value obtained by the first distance sensor 200 is consistent with the change of the detection value when climbing the step, which is not described here.

[0063] To facilitate the cleaning robot to climb and clean the steps, the embodiment takes the height of the vertical face of the step as an example, which is less than or equal to the length of the cleaning robot, to describe the steps of the cleaning robot climbing and cleaning the steps. When the cleaning robot is erected on the bottom of the pool to be cleaned and the first step 301, if the moving unit 103 continues to move forward and the main water pump is closed, the cleaning robot continues to climb upward at the inclination angle when it is erected on the bottom of the pool to be cleaned and the first step 301.

[0064] In an embodiment, when the width of the step, that is, the width of the horizontal face of the step, is less than or equal to the length of the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot climbs upward in an inclined state when it transitions from the vertical face of the step.

[0065] In another embodiment, when the width of the horizontal face of the step is greater than the length of the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot transitions from the vertical face of the step to the horizontal face of the step when it transitions from the vertical face of the step in an inclined state.

[0066] In the above two embodiments, the cleaning robot can directly fall on the horizontal face of each step during the process of climbing the steps by, for example, starting the main water pump or reducing the walking speed of the moving unit 103 in time, so as to clean the steps.

[0067] Please continue to refer to Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8In an embodiment, when the cleaning robot is in a tilted state about to climb onto the horizontal surface of the first step 301, the cleaning robot adjusts the tilt angle of the cleaning robot according to the detection value obtained by the first distance sensor 200, at this time the moving unit 103 can stop moving or reduce the moving speed, the cleaning robot can rely on its own gravity to transition from the tilted state to the horizontal state to fall onto the horizontal surface of the first step 301. Or the water outlet 101C at the top of the cleaning robot sprays water in the water outlet direction away from the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot generates a pressure F away from the water outlet direction, so as to press the cleaning robot towards the horizontal surface of the first step 301, thereby improving the stability of the cleaning robot transitioning from the vertical surface of the first step 301 to the horizontal surface of the first step 301.

[0068] Please refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 In an embodiment, taking the case of a rectangular step and the long side of the step being east-west as an example, the cleaning robot is provided with a first distance sensor 200 located at the front end of the bottom of the main body 101, a second distance sensor 500 located on the first side surface 1011 of the main body 101, or a fourth distance sensor 700 located on the second side surface 1012 of the main body 101. When the cleaning robot climbs onto the horizontal surface of the first step 301, the cleaning robot moves towards the vertical surface of the second step 302 until the front end of the cleaning robot touches the vertical surface of the second step 302, at this time the cleaning robot retreats away from the vertical surface of the second step 302, and then translates in the first direction Z, as shown in Figure 15 continues to move towards the vertical surface of the second step 302, and so on, until the moving route of the cleaning robot covers the horizontal surface of the first step 301, completing the cleaning of the entire horizontal surface of the first step 301. After cleaning the entire horizontal surface of the first step 301, the cleaning robot moves to the initial position when it just climbed onto the first step 301, or starts from the other end of the first step 301, and then climbs from the first step 301 to the second step 302, and repeats the above steps to clean the second step 301 and the third step 303, etc.

[0069] In the present embodiment, the level surface of the first level step 301 is determined, and if both ends of the step are provided with walls, the second distance sensor 500 or the fourth distance sensor 700 can be used to determine whether the cleaning robot encounters an obstacle (such as a wall) in the east-west direction, i.e., whether the cleaning robot is at the end of the first level step 301; or the first distance sensor 200 can be used to determine whether the cleaning robot is close to a cliff in the east-west direction, such as close to a cliff, indicating that the cleaning robot has reached the end of the first level step 301 on the path. If both ends of the first level step 301 are open, i.e., without obstacles, the first distance sensor 200 can be provided at the left and right edges of the bottom of the cleaning robot, as shown in Figure 4 , two first distance sensors 200 can be used to detect the ground conditions on the left and right sides of the cleaning robot, respectively.

[0070] In the present embodiment, the first direction Z is the length direction of the step level surface, and the cleaning robot translates a preset distance on the step level surface, which can be set to be, for example, less than or equal to the width of the cleaning robot, such as greater than or equal to half the width of the cleaning robot, less than or equal to the width of the cleaning robot.

[0071] Please refer to Figure 9 , Figure 10 , Figure 11 and Figure 12 , in another embodiment, the cleaning robot is provided with a first distance sensor 200 located at the front end of the bottom of the main body 101, a second distance sensor 500 located on the first side surface 1011 of the main body 101, and a fourth distance sensor 700 located on the second side surface 1012 of the main body 101. The first distance sensor 200 cooperates with the second distance sensor 500 and the fourth distance sensor 700 to improve the safety of the cleaning robot moving on the level surface of the step and reduce the risk of the cleaning robot falling.

[0072] Specifically, when the cleaning robot runs to the horizontal surface of the first step 301, the cleaning robot moves towards the vertical surface of the second step 302 until the front end of the cleaning robot touches or the third distance sensor 600 detects the vertical surface of the second step 302. At this time, the cleaning robot rotates 90° towards the first rotation direction X, i.e., the cleaning robot rotates 90° counterclockwise, so that the first side surface 1011 of the cleaning robot and the second distance sensor 500 are towards the vertical surface of the second step 302. At this time, the cleaning robot moves from east to west along the length direction of the horizontal surface of the first step 301 until the front end of the cleaning robot is close to the obstacle (such as a wall), and the cleaning robot is at the end of the first step 301. At this time, the cleaning robot has completed the cleaning of the horizontal surface of the first step 301, and can rotate 90° towards the second rotation direction Y, i.e., the cleaning robot rotates 90° clockwise, to perform the action of climbing from the first step 301 to the second step 302.

[0073] After climbing the second step 302, the cleaning robot rotates 90° towards the second rotation direction Y, i.e., the cleaning robot rotates 90° clockwise, so that the second side surface 1012 of the cleaning robot and the fourth distance sensor 700 are towards the vertical surface of the third step 303. At this time, the cleaning robot moves from west to east along the length direction of the horizontal surface of the second step 302 until the front end of the cleaning robot is close to the obstacle (such as a wall), and the cleaning robot is at the end of the second step 302. At this time, the cleaning robot has completed the cleaning of the horizontal surface of the second step 302, and the same is true for the subsequent steps, until the cleaning robot completes the cleaning of the entire steps. In other descriptions, for each step, the end of the east edge is defined as the first end, and the end of the west edge is defined as the second end.

[0074] In this embodiment, if the width of each step is much larger than the width of the cleaning robot, it means that the cleaning robot cannot cover the horizontal surface of each step in one run in the width direction of the horizontal surface of the step, i.e., the cleaning robot cannot directly clean the horizontal surface of each step in one run when sweeping along the edge of the step. It is necessary to translate a certain distance on the horizontal surface of the Nth step away from the vertical surface of the N+1th step after the cleaning robot completes the cleaning of the Nth step in one run, and then continue to clean the horizontal surface of the Nth step until the cleaning of the horizontal surface of the Nth step is completed.

[0075] Please refer to Figure 13In an embodiment, generally, the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 at the bottom of the cleaning robot should be within a fixed range when the cleaning robot is walking on the horizontal surface of each step. However, when the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 suddenly becomes larger, it indicates that the first distance sensor 200 detects a surface lower than the horizontal surface of the step, and the cleaning robot is located at the edge of the step. At this time, the cleaning robot can be controlled to brake, or the moving unit 103 can be controlled to stop moving or move backward in the opposite direction, turn around, and reduce the risk of falling off the step during the cleaning robot's forward movement.

[0076] Referring to Figure 8 In other embodiments, the change curve of the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 can also be used to estimate the change of the terrain in the pool, so as to draw a map of the pool according to the change and update the pool map, thereby improving the working efficiency of the subsequent cleaning robot in cleaning the pool.

[0077] In other embodiments, the cleaning robot can also travel on the water surface or perform water surface cleaning. At this time, the first distance sensor 200 can detect the pool bottom condition in real time, and the pool bottom map can also be drawn and updated according to the detection value detected by the first distance sensor 200. For example, when the cleaning robot travels on the water surface, the first distance sensor 200 detects the terrain condition under the water surface in real time. When the cleaning robot runs to a water surface position with a step terrain, the detection value of the first distance sensor 200 can reflect the underwater terrain features of the water surface position. When the cleaning robot traverses the water surface, the underwater terrain parameters of the entire pool can be obtained, so that the original map of the pool can be updated based on the detected step data, so as to construct a more complete 3D map of the pool.

[0078] In an embodiment, referring to Figure 15 The present disclosure also includes a control method of a cleaning robot, the method comprising:

[0079] After detecting that the cleaning robot approaches or collides with an obstacle, the cleaning robot is controlled to move from the pool bottom to a posture tending to climb the obstacle, and the detection value of the first distance sensor 200 is obtained.

[0080] Specifically, when the cleaning robot is detected to be close to or encounter an obstacle, the cleaning robot is controlled to climb the obstacle, the front of the cleaning robot is raised, and the cleaning robot continues to move in a posture for climbing the obstacle, and a detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 is acquired in real time. It can be understood that the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 at this time is a detection value between the first distance sensor 200 and the obstacle, which can reflect the shape of the obstacle or the posture information of the cleaning robot in combination with the posture sensor (such as an inertial sensor IMU, an accelerometer, etc.) on the cleaning robot. In the pool or swimming pool scene, the types of obstacles are mostly fixed buildings such as side walls and steps. For stones, protrusions and the like at the bottom of the pool, other ways can be used for sensing and controlling the cleaning robot accordingly. The embodiment mainly uses the plurality of sensors provided on the cleaning robot to identify the wall and the step, and controls the cleaning robot to efficiently clean the step part accordingly.

[0081] In an embodiment, at least one third distance sensor 600 is provided in front of the cleaning robot, and the third distance sensor 600 is used to collect a distance detection value between the cleaning robot and an obstacle in front of the cleaning robot. When the detection value collected by the third distance sensor 600 is less than or equal to a preset threshold value, it is determined that the cleaning robot is about to collide with or collide with the obstacle.

[0082] In another embodiment, a collision sensor can also be provided in front of the robot. After detecting that the collision sensor is triggered, it is determined that the cleaning robot collides with the obstacle.

[0083] Based at least on the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200, it is determined that the obstacle is a step if a stable detection value is not detected again within a preset time period after the detection value has experienced at least one stage of becoming larger from a relatively stable value. In this process, the posture of the cleaning robot can be confirmed at the same time by using the inclination detection unit 400 provided on the cleaning robot.

[0084] After determining that the obstacle is a step, the cleaning robot is controlled to climb onto the horizontal surface of the step.

[0085] The position of the cleaning robot on the horizontal surface of the step is adjusted so that the first side surface is substantially parallel to the vertical surface of another step higher than the step.

[0086] Based at least on the detection value of the second distance sensor, the cleaning robot is controlled to clean the horizontal surface of the step.

[0087] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8In particular, after detecting the obstacle in front, the cleaning robot can enter a climbing action and posture. Under the joint action of the moving units 104 and / or the water outlet 101C, the front of the cleaning robot is raised, and the moving units 104 in the front move to the surface of the obstacle detected by the third distance sensor 600, while the moving units 104 in the rear remain on the surface to be cleaned. The plurality of sensors provided on the main body 101 of the cleaning robot, such as the tilt detection unit 400, can detect the tilt state of the cleaning robot.

[0088] During the climbing process from the bottom of the pool, the first distance sensor 200 has the characteristics that, for example, as an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor, it includes a transmitting part and a reflecting receiving part, and when the reflecting receiving part has a signal, it indicates that the position of the cleaning robot is suitable for using the sensor to detect the obstacle at the bottom.

[0089] In an embodiment, during the climbing process, the ultrasonic sensor of the cleaning robot experiences a gradually increasing detection value, a detection value-free stage, a larger detection value, and a gradually decreasing detection value until reaching the normal detection value range when walking on the surface to be cleaned. The gradually increasing detection value indicates that the degree of tilt of the front of the cleaning robot relative to the surface to be cleaned increases. The detection value-free stage indicates that when the degree of tilt of the front of the cleaning robot increases, the first distance sensor 200 cannot receive an effective reflection signal. The larger detection value indicates that as the posture of the cleaning robot changes, the first distance sensor 200 can again receive a reflection signal, and at this time, the sensor is farther away from the detection surface. The decreasing detection value indicates that as the cleaning robot continues the above movement trend, the distance between the cleaning robot and the detection surface becomes smaller, until the cleaning robot is approximately parallel to the detection surface, and then the detection value of the first distance sensor 200 remains stable.

[0090] In another embodiment, the obstacle in front of the cleaning robot is the wall of the pool, and during the climbing process, the detection trend of the first distance sensor 200 is as described above, which experiences a gradually increasing detection value, a detection value-free stage, a larger detection value, and a gradually decreasing detection value until reaching the normal detection value. If the obstacle in front of the cleaning robot is a step, which can be understood as having a certain height, during the climbing process, the detection value of the ultrasonic sensor will not have a relatively stable normal detection value stage after experiencing a gradually increasing detection value and a detection value-free stage.

[0091] In an embodiment, if the height of the step is high, for example, higher than the length of the cleaning robot, at this time, the cleaning robot can climb to the top of the step, and the moving units 104 in the front of the cleaning robot can move to the surface of the step, while the moving units 104 in the rear remain on the surface to be cleaned. Figure 5In the shown state, the first distance sensor 200 can detect the vertical face of the step 301, and then the cleaning robot continues to travel along the vertical face of the step 301 upward, after passing the horizontal face of the step 301, the detection value of the first distance sensor 200 suddenly increases, that is, the vertical face of the step 302 is detected, as shown in the figure. Figure 5 The dashed line represents the height of the step.

[0092] In another embodiment, if the step height is low, for example, lower than the length of the cleaning robot, the movement process of the cleaning robot can be as shown in the figure. Figure 6 As shown, when the front moving unit 103 of the cleaning robot travels along the vertical face of the first step 301 upward, the cleaning robot has not yet reached the vertical state or is still far from the vertical state, and the cleaning robot will most likely continue to cross the steps at the tilt angle. During this process, if the horizontal face width of each step is less than the length of the cleaning robot or slightly larger than the length of the cleaning robot, the change trend of the detection value of the first distance sensor 200 is approximately: normal value (at this time, the cleaning robot travels on the surface of the step to be cleaned that has not been reached), gradually increasing detection value (the cleaning robot tilts its head to start climbing the wall, and the distance of the sensor 200 from the bottom of the pool to be cleaned gradually increases), no detection value (for the lower height part of the vertical face of the first step 301 and the bottom of the pool to be cleaned, the tilt of the cleaning robot exceeds the detection range of the ultrasonic sensor)...... Subsequently, according to the step height, the step width, the running speed and the posture of the cleaning robot, etc., the ultrasonic sensor can detect unstable detection values when the cleaning robot continues to run at this posture, but overall, the change rule of the detection value is relatively stable. The above step width represents the distance between the vertical face of the Nth step and the vertical face of the N+1th step, N≥1, and is a natural number.

[0093] In this embodiment, if an infrared sensor or a TOF sensor is used, the change trend of the detection value of the first distance sensor 200 is approximately: normal value (at this time, the cleaning robot travels on the surface of the step to be cleaned that has not been reached), gradually increasing detection value (the cleaning robot tilts its head to start climbing the wall, and the distance of the infrared sensor from the bottom of the pool to be cleaned gradually increases), a relatively maximum detection value (the infrared sensor on the cleaning robot is opposite the intersection of the bottom of the pool and the first step 301), gradually decreasing detection value (the infrared sensor is opposite the vertical face of the first step 301), a smaller detection value (the infrared sensor is opposite the intersection of the vertical face and the horizontal face of the first step 301), gradually increasing detection value (for the horizontal face of the first step 301), larger detection value (for the intersection of the horizontal face of the first step 301 and the vertical face of the second step 302)......

[0094] If the height of the pool step is generally less than the length of the cleaning robot, the method for determining whether the obstacle in front is a step is as follows: if the cleaning robot travels at a certain operating parameter, the detection value obtained by the first distance sensor 200 experiences a change phase and has no stable detection value, and the tilt detection unit 400 represents a relatively stable tilt angle of the cleaning robot, it can be determined that the terrain feature is a step.

[0095] In the control method of the cleaning robot, the first distance sensor 200 determines whether the encountered obstacle is a step, and controls the cleaning robot to climb the step when it is determined that the obstacle is a step, thereby improving the working efficiency of the cleaning robot.

[0096] In an application scenario, the stable detection value detected by the first distance sensor 200 is set as the first distance threshold, and the first distance threshold is equal to the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 when the cleaning robot travels on the surface to be cleaned. Specifically, if the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 is less than or equal to the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 when the cleaning robot travels on the plane, it indicates that the cleaning robot travels on the plane. If the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 is greater than the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 when the cleaning robot travels on the plane, i.e., the first distance threshold, it indicates that the surface traveled by the cleaning robot has a cliff or is downwardly recessed.

[0097] In another application scenario, considering that some surfaces to be cleaned may have pits and bumps, if the first distance threshold is set to be equal to the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 when the cleaning robot travels on the plane, the controller may determine that the pits and bumps are cliffs to avoid, therefore, in order to reduce the probability of misjudgment, the first distance threshold is set to a reliable range.

[0098] The normal detection value is the distance between the detection unit of the first distance sensor 200 and the surface to be cleaned when the robot travels on the surface to be cleaned, for example, 5 cm, and the normal detection value can be set to 3-10 cm, for example, in order to reduce misjudgment, it is set to 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 cm, etc. Any one of the numerical values.

[0099] In one embodiment, the front end of the bottom of the cleaning robot is provided with at least two first distance sensors 200, the arrangement direction of the at least two first distance sensors 200 is perpendicular to the advancing direction of the cleaning robot, i.e. along the width direction of the cleaning robot. The two first distance sensors 200 are respectively a left first distance sensor and a right first distance sensor, wherein left and right represent the sensors located on the left and right sides when looking from the back to the front of the cleaning robot along the advancing direction of the robot. The purpose of providing the two first distance sensors 200 is to respectively detect whether there is a cliff on the two sides of the cleaning robot. For example, when the cleaning robot is cleaning on a step, in the first embodiment, if the width of the step is greater than or equal to the width of the cleaning robot, both of the two first distance sensors 200 have detection values. In another embodiment, if the width of the step is less than the width of the cleaning robot, only one of the first distance sensors 200 has a detection value and the other has no detection value when the cleaning robot moves along the edge; or the detection values of the two first distance sensors are not equal, wherein taking the right side of the cleaning robot as an example, the right first distance sensor detects the distance from the sensor to the walking surface to be cleaned, and the left first distance sensor detects the distance between the horizontal plane of the step and the previous step, and the difference between the detection values of the left and right sides is approximately the height of the step. In yet another embodiment, if the cleaning robot is moving and cleaning on a large platform, the cleaning robot can be controlled by the first distance sensors 200 on the two sides to avoid falling into a cliff, provided that the inclination sensor of the cleaning robot indicates that the cleaning robot is in a horizontal state.

[0100] Of course, in other embodiments, the front end of the bottom of the cleaning robot can also be provided with only one first distance sensor 200, at this time the first distance sensor 200 can be centrally arranged at the front end of the bottom of the cleaning robot, which can cope with the situation that the cleaning robot encounters a cliff and needs to avoid during advancing.

[0101] Please refer again to Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7In one embodiment, the method includes at least controlling the cleaning robot to climb stairs. When a collision occurs in front of the cleaning robot or the third distance sensor 600 detects an obstacle, the operating speed of the cleaning robot and / or the operating power of the main water pump can be adjusted. After the mobile unit 103 contacts the vertical surface of the step, the mobile unit 103 continues to operate, with the front of the cleaning robot moving upward along the vertical surface of the step and the rear of the cleaning robot continuing to move along the surface to be cleaned. As a result, the cleaning robot forms an inclined posture mounted on the vertical surface of the step and the surface to be cleaned until the first wheel 1031B crosses the intersection of the vertical and horizontal surfaces of the step. The cleaning robot continues to move, and the crawler track 1032 supports the cleaning robot at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal surfaces of the step. When at least half of the cleaning robot exceeds the intersection of the vertical and horizontal surfaces of the step, under the action of gravity or other forces, the front of the cleaning robot will move downward and the rear of the cleaning robot will move upward, with the intersection as the dividing point, so that the cleaning robot as a whole tends to change from an inclined posture to a horizontal posture. Of course, it is understandable that the various possible motion postures of the cleaning robot are related to the parameters of the steps and the motion parameters of the cleaning robot.

[0102] In one embodiment, the tilt detection unit 400 detects the tilt angle of the cleaning robot in real time, and the first distance sensor 200 detects the distance between the sensor and the bottom surface in real time.

[0103] In one embodiment, after the cleaning robot climbs over the vertical surface of the first step 301, the position of the cleaning robot may include the following situations:

[0104] First, the cleaning robot directly transitions from the vertical surface of the first step 301 to the horizontal surface of the first step 301, such as Figure 5 The front portion of the cleaning robot moves upward along the vertical surface of the first step 301, and the cleaning robot assumes an inclined posture until the mobile unit 103 of the cleaning robot is substantially in contact with the vertical surface of the first step 301. In this case, the vertical surface of the first step 301 has a certain height, which can generally be understood to be at least greater than 2 / 3 of the length of the cleaning robot. The cleaning robot can be transformed from this vertical posture to a horizontal posture resting on the horizontal surface of the first step 301 by activating the main water pump or other means.

[0105] Second, the cleaning robot is set up between the first step 301 and the second step 302 adjacent to the first step 301. Figure 6When the crawler belt 1032 of the cleaning robot forms support at the intersection between the vertical face and the horizontal face of the first level step 301, as the cleaning robot continues to move forward, the cleaning robot can maintain the inclined posture and continue to move forward, thereby forming a posture of being straddled on the first level step 301 and the second level step 302. It can be understood that, in this case, the vertical face of the step has a small height, or the horizontal face of the step has a small width, both of which are smaller than the length of the cleaning robot.

[0106] In order to clean the horizontal face of the step, the cleaning robot can be controlled to be located on the horizontal face of the step. In the second case, the robot can be controlled to retreat for a certain distance and then slowly fall onto the horizontal face of the step.

[0107] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 In an embodiment, the top of the cleaning robot is provided with a water outlet 101C, and the water outlet direction of the water outlet 101C is adjustable. The process of controlling the cleaning robot to move upward includes: in response to the fact that part of the cleaning robot is located between the horizontal face of the first level step 301 and the vertical face of the second level step 302, and another part of the cleaning robot is located below the horizontal face of the first level step 301, i.e., when the cleaning robot is in the Figure 8 state, the water outlet direction of the water outlet 101C is adjusted so that the cleaning robot is located on the horizontal face of the first level step 301.

[0108] In an application scenario, when the cleaning robot climbs the step, the bottom of the cleaning robot is away from the vertical face of the first level step 301, and the cleaning robot is supported by the intersection between the vertical face and the horizontal face of the first level step 301 contacted by the crawler belt 1032. In the front-rear direction of the cleaning robot, at this time, the water outlet 101C at the top of the cleaning robot is located in front of the intersection, and the water outlet 101C sprays water in the water outlet direction away from the cleaning robot, and the sprayed water will generate a force F away from the water outlet direction on the cleaning robot, so as to press the cleaning robot towards the horizontal face of the first level step 301, thereby improving the stability of the cleaning robot in the transition from the vertical face of the first level step 301 to the horizontal face of the first level step 301.

[0109] Specifically, in the step of adjusting the water outlet direction of the water outlet 101C, the water outlet direction of the water outlet 101C is adjusted so that the first included angle a between the water outlet direction and the top surface of the cleaning robot is 80-90°. In this application scenario, the first included angle a can be 90° to increase the pressure F acting on the cleaning robot away from the water spray direction generated by the water sprayed by the water outlet 101C, so that the front end of the cleaning robot can be better pressed toward the horizontal surface of the first step 301 by the pressure F. The adjustment of the water outlet direction of the water outlet 101C can be realized by providing a direction-adjustable water outlet 101C on the cleaning robot, and the outlet of the main water pump is connected to the outside of the cleaning robot through a pipeline. The pipeline is provided to be switchable between a first position and a second position, and in the first position, the water outlet direction of the pipeline is substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the cleaning robot, and in the second position, the water outlet direction of the pipeline forms a preset angle with the top surface of the cleaning robot, and the preset angle is between 0-90°; or a transition pipeline, a first water outlet pipeline, and a second water outlet pipeline are provided on the cleaning robot, one end of the transition pipeline is connected to the outlet of the main water pump, the other end of the transition pipeline is connected to one end of the first water outlet pipeline and one end of the second water outlet pipeline respectively, the other end of the first water outlet pipeline can be arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the cleaning robot, and the other end of the second water outlet pipeline can be arranged in a direction forming a preset angle with the top surface of the cleaning robot, and a baffle for selectively closing the first water outlet and the second water outlet is arranged at the one end of the first water outlet pipeline and the one end of the second water outlet pipeline, and by adjusting the position of the baffle, the first water outlet or the second water outlet is selectively opened.

[0110] Please refer to Figure 14 In another application scenario, when the cleaning robot is climbing the wall, in the step of adjusting the water outlet direction of the water outlet 101C, the water outlet direction of the water outlet 101C is adjusted so that the first included angle a between the water outlet direction and the top surface of the cleaning robot is in the range of 30-60°.

[0111] Specifically, the pressure F acting on the cleaning robot away from the water spray direction generated by the water sprayed by the water outlet 101C can be generally decomposed into a component F1 parallel to the top surface of the cleaning robot and a component F2 perpendicular to the top surface of the cleaning robot, and the included angle between F1 and F2 is 90°.

[0112] After the cleaning robot climbs up the wall of the water pool, and the first included angle a between the water outlet direction and the top surface of the cleaning robot is in any angle value in the range of 30-60°, at this time, the component F1 of the pressure F acting on the cleaning robot away from the water spray direction generated by the water sprayed by the water outlet 101C is greater than the component F2, so that the friction between the cleaning robot and the wall of the water pool is increased, that is, the wall-climbing force generated by the friction when the cleaning robot climbs up the wall is getting larger and larger, thereby reducing the risk of drift of the cleaning robot during the wall-climbing process.

[0113] Please refer again to Figure 6 and Figure 7 In an embodiment, in the process of upward movement of the cleaning robot, in response to the cleaning robot being tilted, it is determined that the cleaning robot climbs the vertical surface of the first step 301.

[0114] In an embodiment, a tilt sensor or a six-axis / nine-axis acceleration sensor can be arranged inside the cleaning robot to sense whether the cleaning robot is tilted.

[0115] In order to avoid misjudging the normal state of the cleaning robot above the pit as needing to climb the step due to tilting, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) can be combined to further improve the accuracy of the tilt state judgment of the cleaning robot. The tilt angle detected by the inertial measurement unit is the angle of the whole cleaning robot relative to the horizontal plane, which is different from the angle detected by the tilt sensor. The tilt sensor can detect the angle of the cleaning robot relative to the ground.

[0116] Please refer again to Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 In an embodiment, in the process of the cleaning robot moving, the pose information of the cleaning robot is acquired in real time, including:

[0117] The second included angle β between the bottom plane of the cleaning robot and the horizontal plane is acquired.

[0118] According to the second included angle β and the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200, the pose of the cleaning robot is determined.

[0119] Among them, after the cleaning robot climbs the vertical surface of the first step 301, the cleaning robot is tilted, the second included angle β reflects the tilt angle of the cleaning robot, and the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 represents the distance between the first distance sensor of the cleaning robot and the first step 301. Therefore, the pose of the cleaning robot can be determined by the second included angle β and the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200.

[0120] Please continue to refer to Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 In an embodiment, in the process of determining the pose of the cleaning robot according to the second included angle β and the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200, it includes:

[0121] In response to the second included angle β being less than or equal to the included angle threshold value, and the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 being less than or equal to the second distance threshold value, it is determined that the cleaning robot is on the horizontal surface of the first step 301.

[0122] In this embodiment, the included angle threshold value can be a value between 5° and 10°.

[0123] The second distance threshold value can be equal to or different from the first distance threshold value, and can be set according to requirements.

[0124] When the second included angle β is less than or equal to the included angle threshold value, it indicates that the bottom surface of the cleaning robot tends to be parallel to the horizontal surface, and when the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 is less than or equal to the second distance threshold value, it indicates that the cleaning robot has basically approached the horizontal surface of the first step 301, and at this time, it can be determined that the cleaning robot is on the horizontal surface of the first step 301.

[0125] In another embodiment, in response to the second included angle β being greater than the included angle threshold value, and after the cleaning robot climbs over the vertical surface of the first step 301, the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 at least appears a change process of first increasing and then decreasing, to determine that the cleaning robot is erected between the first step 301 and the second step 302. When the surface facing the first distance sensor 200 is the horizontal surface of the first step 301, the first distance sensor 200 has an effective detection value at any time, for example, the first distance sensor 200 is an infrared sensor, and the change trend of the detection value is that the detection value changes from small to large as the robot travels in an inclined posture, until the detection position is the intersection of the horizontal surface of the first step 301 and the vertical surface of the second step 302; then when the surface facing the first distance sensor 200 is the vertical surface of the second step 302, the detection value changes from large to small, until the detection position is the intersection of the vertical surface of the second step 302 and the horizontal surface. Of course, if the first distance sensor 200 is an ultrasonic sensor, because the cleaning robot has an inclination angle relative to the step, in the entire running process, it can be caused that the first distance sensor 200 has no detection value in some time periods, due to the fact that the inclination angle exceeds the inclination range of the receiving part of the ultrasonic sensor that can receive the reflected signal. The specific description can be seen from the foregoing description.

[0126] In an application scenario, according to the change of the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200, the number of steps climbed by the cleaning robot can be determined.

[0127] For example, the height of each step in the pool is h, for example, about 12 cm, and the length of the cleaning robot is L, for example, about 44 cm. Because the length of the cleaning robot is much greater than the height of each step, the cleaning robot will directly tilt and climb over the first step 301, and be positioned between the second step 302 and the third step 303 during the process of climbing the steps. At this time, according to the change of the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200, the cleaning robot continues to climb the steps after climbing the vertical surface of the first step 301, and the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 changes from large to small, which indicates that the cleaning robot is positioned between the second step 302 and the third step 303. Therefore, based on the change of the detection value, the position of the cleaning robot can be determined, and the cleaning robot can be further controlled to continuously retreat to the horizontal surface of the first step 301 to clean the horizontal surface of the first step 301. Of course, the position information of the cleaning robot in the depth direction can also be obtained by setting a depth sensor on the cleaning robot.

[0128] Please continue to refer to Figure 6 、 Figure 7 and Figure 8 In an embodiment, in response to the cleaning robot being positioned between the first step 301 and the second step 302, the process of controlling the cleaning robot to retreat until the cleaning robot is positioned on the horizontal surface of the first step 301 includes:

[0129] When the cleaning robot is controlled to retreat, in response to the second included angle β being less than or equal to the included angle threshold value, and the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 becoming smaller until being less than or equal to the second distance threshold value, it is determined that the cleaning robot is positioned on the horizontal surface of the first step 301.

[0130] Specifically, when the cleaning robot is positioned between the first step 301 and the second step 302, the second included angle β being greater than the included angle threshold value indicates that the cleaning robot is in an inclined state. When the second included angle β starts to gradually decrease to be less than or equal to the included angle threshold value, that is, during the process of the cleaning robot retreating from the second step 302 to the first step 301, the cleaning robot and the horizontal surface tend to be parallel.

[0131] When the cleaning robot is in the inclined state but continues to retreat in the direction of the horizontal surface of the first level step 301, at this time the position detected by the first distance sensor 200 is moved from the vertical surface of the second level step 302 to the horizontal surface of the first level step 301, resulting in that the detection value obtained by the first distance sensor 200 first increases and then decreases until it is less than or equal to the second distance threshold value. When the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 is less than or equal to the second distance threshold value, it indicates that the cleaning robot has basically approached the horizontal surface of the first level step 301, and at this time it can be judged that the cleaning robot is on the horizontal surface of the first level step 301.

[0132] Please refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 In an embodiment, the method for controlling the cleaning robot to clean the horizontal surface of the first level step 301 comprises:

[0133] Controlling the cleaning robot to rotate in the first rotation direction X by a first preset angle, for example, 90°, so that the first side surface 1011 of the cleaning robot faces the vertical surface of the second level step 302.

[0134] Specifically, taking the case of a rectangular step in Figure 9 and the long side of the step is east-west, when the cleaning robot is in the south-north direction in the coverage direction of the step, the cleaning robot is rotated by 90° in the first rotation direction X, that is, the cleaning robot is rotated by 90° counterclockwise, so that the first side surface 1011 of the cleaning robot faces the vertical surface of the second level step 302. The counterclockwise direction or the clockwise direction referred to in the present disclosure is from the perspective of the cleaning robot or the step.

[0135] Then controlling the cleaning robot to advance and simultaneously controlling the cleaning robot to clean the horizontal surface of the first level step 301.

[0136] Please refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 In an embodiment, before controlling the cleaning robot to advance and simultaneously controlling the cleaning robot to clean the horizontal surface of the first level step 301, the method further comprises:

[0137] Judging whether the detection value collected by the second distance sensor 500 installed on the first side surface 1011 of the cleaning robot is less than or equal to a third distance threshold value.

[0138] The third distance threshold value is a distance threshold value when the cleaning robot walks along the edge. For example, it can be set to a range of 3-20 cm according to the configuration of the robot and the detection range of the sensor.

[0139] If it is determined that the detection value collected by the second distance sensor 500 is less than or equal to the third distance threshold value, the cleaning robot is controlled to advance and simultaneously controlled to clean the horizontal surface of the first level step 301.

[0140] If it is determined that the detection value collected by the second distance sensor 500 is greater than the third distance threshold, the cleaning robot is controlled to move towards the vertical surface of the second step 302 until the detection value collected by the second distance sensor 500 is less than or equal to the third distance threshold, and then the cleaning robot is controlled to clean the horizontal surface of the first step 301 along the vertical surface of the second step 302.

[0141] The detection value collected by the second distance sensor 500 is compared with the third distance threshold, and when the detection value collected by the second distance sensor 500 is less than or equal to the third distance threshold, it indicates that the cleaning robot is close to the vertical surface of the second step 302, i.e., the cleaning robot is in an edge-following state, so that the cleaning robot can ensure edge-following cleaning of the horizontal surface of the first step 301 after climbing the step, and the risk of the cleaning robot falling due to cleaning the horizontal surface of the first step 301 in a non-edge-following state is reduced.

[0142] When the detection value collected by the second distance sensor 500 is greater than the third distance threshold, it indicates that the cleaning robot is not close to the vertical surface of the second step 302, i.e., the cleaning robot may have part of the body suspended outside the horizontal surface of the first step 301, and the running route of the cleaning robot needs to be adjusted in real time, or the cleaning robot is not close to the vertical surface of the second step 302, which may result in missed scanning. The cleaning robot is controlled to continue moving towards the vertical surface of the second step 302, thereby reducing the risk of the cleaning robot falling from the first step 301 due to unstable center of gravity caused by part of the body being suspended during cleaning of the horizontal surface of the first step 301, and the possibility of missed scanning.

[0143] Please refer to Figure 10 , Figure 11 and Figure 12 In an embodiment, during the process of controlling the cleaning robot to clean the horizontal surface of the first step 301, the process further includes:

[0144] During the process of controlling the cleaning robot to move forward, in response to the detection value collected by the third distance sensor 600 being less than or equal to the fourth distance threshold, the cleaning robot is controlled to rotate in a second rotation direction Y by a second preset angle, for example, 90°. The second rotation direction Y is opposite to the first rotation direction X.

[0145] The detection value collected by the third distance sensor 600 indicates that the cleaning robot encounters an obstacle during the process of moving forward. If the detection value collected by the third distance sensor 600 is less than or equal to the fourth distance threshold, it indicates that the cleaning robot is close to the obstacle and cannot continue to move forward.

[0146] The cleaning robot is controlled to climb from the first step 301 to the second step 302. That is, the cleaning robot climbs from the horizontal plane of the first step 301 to the horizontal plane of the second step 302.

[0147] In response to the cleaning robot being on the horizontal surface of the second step 302, the cleaning robot is controlled to rotate in the second rotation direction Y by a second preset angle, for example, 90 degrees, so that the second side surface 1012 of the cleaning robot faces the vertical surface of the third step 303. The second side surface 1012 is disposed opposite to the first side surface 1011, and the fourth distance sensor 700 is mounted on the second side surface 1012.

[0148] The fourth distance sensor 700 can compare the collected detection value with the third distance threshold to determine whether the cleaning robot is close to the vertical surface of the third step 303 when it is located on the horizontal surface of the second step 302.

[0149] The cleaning robot is controlled to move forward, and at the same time, the cleaning robot is controlled to clean the horizontal surface of the second step 302 .

[0150] When the detection value collected by the fourth distance sensor 700 is less than or equal to the third distance threshold, it indicates that the cleaning robot has approached the vertical surface of the third step 303 . At this time, the cleaning robot can clean the horizontal surface of the second step 302 along the edge.

[0151] Please continue reading Figure 10 、 Figure 11 and Figure 12 In one application scenario, taking a rectangular staircase with an east-west long side as an example, a cleaning robot walks along the edge of the first step 301 (i.e., the vertical surface where the cleaning robot approaches the second step 302). When the cleaning robot encounters an obstacle in the east-west direction, the third distance sensor 600 can collect a detection value between the cleaning robot and the obstacle. If the collected detection value is less than or equal to the fourth distance threshold, it indicates that the front end of the cleaning robot is close to the obstacle (such as a wall) and the cleaning robot is at the second end of the first step 301. At this point, the cleaning robot has completed cleaning the horizontal surface of the first step 301 and can rotate in the second rotation direction Y by a second preset angle, that is, the cleaning robot rotates clockwise, and climbs from the first step 301 to the second step 302.

[0152] After climbing up the second step 302, the cleaning robot rotates 90° in the second rotation direction Y, so that the fourth distance sensor 700 on the second side 1012 of the cleaning robot faces the vertical surface of the third step 303, and the fourth distance sensor 700 obtains the detection value between itself and the vertical surface of the third step 303.

[0153] If it is determined that the detection value collected by the fourth distance sensor 700 is less than or equal to the third distance threshold value, that is, the cleaning robot is close to the vertical surface of the third step 303 at this time, that is, the cleaning robot is in the along-edge state, the step of controlling the cleaning robot to advance along the edge and simultaneously controlling the cleaning robot to clean the horizontal surface of the second step 302 is performed.

[0154] If it is determined that the detection value collected by the fourth distance sensor 700 is greater than the third distance threshold value, indicating that the cleaning robot is not close to the vertical surface of the third step 303, the cleaning robot is controlled to continue moving towards the vertical surface of the third step 303 until the detection value collected by the fourth distance sensor 700 is less than the third distance threshold value.

[0155] Please refer to Figure 12 and Figure 13 In an embodiment, the process of controlling the cleaning robot to advance and simultaneously controlling the cleaning robot to clean the horizontal surface of the first step 301 includes:

[0156] During the process of controlling the cleaning robot to advance, in response to the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 being greater than the first distance threshold value, the cleaning robot is controlled to rotate 90° towards the second rotation direction Y, wherein the second rotation direction Y is opposite to the first rotation direction X.

[0157] Generally, when the cleaning robot walks on the horizontal surface of the first step 301, the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 at the bottom of the cleaning robot should always be less than or equal to the first distance threshold value. However, when the detection value collected by the first distance sensor 200 is greater than the first distance threshold value, it indicates that the first distance sensor 200 detects a cliff lower than the horizontal surface of the first step 301. At this time, the cleaning robot is controlled to rotate 90° towards the second rotation direction or to stop or retreat, reducing the risk of the cleaning robot falling out of the first step 301 during continuous advancement.

[0158] The cleaning robot is controlled to continue to climb up a higher step, for example, from the first step 301 to the second step 302.

[0159] In response to the cleaning robot being on the horizontal surface of the second step 302, the cleaning robot is controlled to rotate a second preset angle towards the second rotation direction Y, so that the second side surface 1012 of the cleaning robot faces the vertical surface of the third step 303, and the fourth distance sensor 700 is installed on the second side surface 1012.

[0160] The cleaning robot is controlled to advance and simultaneously controlled to clean the horizontal surface of the second step 302.

[0161] Please refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10In an embodiment, in the process of controlling the cleaning robot to advance, in response to the detection value collected by the third distance sensor 600 being less than or equal to the fourth distance threshold, the process of controlling the cleaning robot to rotate 90° toward the second rotation direction Y further comprises:

[0162] In response to the detection value collected by the third distance sensor 600 being less than or equal to the fourth distance threshold, and the width of the horizontal surface of the first level step 301 being less than or equal to the width of the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot is controlled to rotate 90° toward the second rotation direction.

[0163] When the width of the horizontal surface of the first level step 301 is less than or equal to the width of the cleaning robot, it indicates that the cleaning robot can cover the first level step 301 in the width direction of the horizontal surface of the first level step 301, i.e., the cleaning robot can directly clean the horizontal surface of the first level step 301 once when cleaning along the edge of the horizontal surface of the first level step 301.

[0164] In response to the detection value collected by the third distance sensor 600 being less than or equal to the fourth distance threshold, and the width of the horizontal surface of the first level step 301 being greater than the width of the cleaning robot, after the cleaning robot completes the edge cleaning along the vertical surface of the second level step 302, the cleaning robot is controlled to translate away from the vertical surface of the second level step 302 by a first distance, and then controlled to retreat or U-turn to clean to continue cleaning the horizontal surface of the first level step 301, wherein the first distance is a distance less than or equal to the width of the cleaning robot.

[0165] When the width of the horizontal surface of the first level step 301 is greater than the width of the cleaning robot, it indicates that the cleaning robot cannot cover the horizontal surface of the first level step 301 in the width direction of the horizontal surface of the first level step 301 once, i.e., the cleaning robot cannot directly clean the horizontal surface of the first level step 301 once when cleaning along the edge of the horizontal surface of the first level step 301. After the cleaning robot completes the cleaning once, the cleaning robot needs to translate away from the vertical surface of the second level step 302 by a first distance on the horizontal surface of the first level step 301 to continue cleaning the horizontal surface of the first level step 301. In this cleaning process, the distance sensor arranged on the side of the main body 101 of the cleaning robot can also be used to control the distance of the robot from the vertical surface of the second level step 302.

[0166] Please refer to Figure 15 In an embodiment, in the process of controlling the cleaning robot to climb the step, the process comprises:

[0167] The cleaning robot is controlled to climb from the bottom of the step to the top of the step along a straight line.

[0168] The cleaning robot climbs from the vertical surface of the first step 301 to the horizontal surface of the first step 301, and then from the horizontal surface of the first step 301 to the horizontal surface of the second step 302, and so on, until the cleaning robot climbs to the horizontal surface of the top of the steps.

[0169] After the cleaning robot reaches the top of the steps, the cleaning robot is controlled to translate in the first direction Z.

[0170] In this embodiment, the first direction Z is the length direction of the horizontal surface of the steps, and the cleaning robot translates a preset distance (the preset distance can be set as the width of the cleaning robot) on the horizontal surface of the top of the steps, so as to reduce the repetition of the moving route in the previous step when the cleaning robot climbs down the steps.

[0171] The cleaning robot is controlled to retreat or turn around and then advance until the cleaning robot reaches the bottom of the steps.

[0172] In the process of moving the cleaning robot from the top of the steps to the bottom of the steps after the cleaning robot translates a preset distance, the moving direction is parallel to the moving direction of the previous step.

[0173] After the cleaning robot reaches the bottom of the steps, the cleaning robot is controlled to translate in the first direction Z.

[0174] The cleaning robot translates a preset distance on the horizontal surface of the bottom of the steps.

[0175] The step of controlling the cleaning robot to climb from the bottom of the steps to the top of the steps along the straight direction is performed again.

[0176] The above steps are repeated until the moving track of the cleaning robot covers the entire steps, so as to realize the work of controlling the cleaning robot to climb the steps.

[0177] In this embodiment, the cleaning unit 900 can be turned on and kept in the working state during the process of the cleaning robot climbing and descending the steps, so that the vertical surfaces of the steps can be effectively cleaned.

[0178] In another embodiment, the cleaning robot can perform the translation process at different positions, for example: the cleaning robot climbs from the first step 301 to the highest step along the first path, then retreats or turns around along the first path to return to the first step 301, and performs the translation action at the first step 301; or the cleaning robot climbs from the first step 301 to the highest step along the first path, performs translation to the second path, retreats or turns around along the second path to the first step 301, climbs from the first step 301 to the highest step along the second path, and performs translation to the third path, and repeats the above process; or the cleaning robot climbs from the first step 301 to the highest step along the first path, performs translation to the second path, retreats or turns around from the second path to the first step 301, performs translation to the third path, and travels along the third path to the highest step, and so on. The distance of the above translation can be controlled to be less than or equal to the width of the cleaning robot, or less than or equal to the width of the cleaning roller or the first water inlet 101A of the cleaning robot.

[0179] In summary, the control method of the cleaning robot described above can be integrated into a controller, which can be arranged in the cleaning robot to control the cleaning robot to recognize the steps and clean the horizontal surfaces of the steps, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning robot.

[0180] Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored therein, wherein the computer program is configured to execute the steps in any of the method embodiments described above when running.

[0181] In an example embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium described above can include, but is not limited to, a U disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store computer programs.

[0182] Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide an electronic device including a memory having a computer program stored therein and a processor configured to execute the computer program to perform the steps in any of the method embodiments described above.

[0183] It is apparent that those skilled in the art should understand that the modules or steps of the present disclosure described above can be realized by general computing devices, which can be centralized on a single computing device or distributed on a network composed of multiple computing devices, and can be realized by program codes executable by the computing devices, so that they can be stored in storage devices and executed by the computing devices, and in some cases, the steps shown or described can be executed in different orders, or they can be respectively manufactured into individual integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps thereof can be manufactured into a single integrated circuit module. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

[0184] The above is only an embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not limit the patent scope of the present disclosure, and any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation using the content of the present disclosure specification and drawings, or direct or indirect application in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A control method for a cleaning robot, characterized in that: The cleaning robot includes: a first distance sensor, which is provided at the bottom of the cleaning robot; a second distance sensor, which is provided at the first side of the cleaning robot; and the control method includes: After detecting that the cleaning robot approaches an obstacle or collides with the obstacle, controlling the cleaning robot to move from the bottom of the pool in a posture tending to climb the obstacle, and obtaining a detection value of the first distance sensor; determining that the obstacle is a step based at least on the detection value of the first distance sensor; Controlling the cleaning robot to be located on the second side of the step, wherein the step includes N levels, N ≥ 1 and is a natural number, and each level of the step is formed by the first side and the second side; Adjusting the orientation of the cleaning robot on the second side of the Nth step so that the first side is substantially parallel to the first side of the N+1th step; Based at least on the detection value of the second distance sensor, the cleaning robot is controlled to clean the second surface of the Nth step.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Determining that the obstacle is a step based at least on the detection value of the first distance sensor includes: there is no stable detection value within a preset time period after the detection value gradually increases.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first distance sensor is an infrared sensor, and the process of determining that the obstacle is a step at least includes a process in which the detection value gradually increases to a maximum value and then gradually decreases.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first distance sensor is an ultrasonic sensor, and the process of determining that the obstacle is a step at least includes a process in which the detection value gradually increases and a process in which there is no detection value.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein Controlling the cleaning robot to be located on the second side of the step includes: controlling the cleaning robot to move forward or backward, so that the detection value of at least the first distance sensor is less than or equal to a first distance threshold based on the first distance threshold; wherein, the first distance threshold represents the distance between the first distance sensor and the plane when the cleaning robot walks on the plane.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The cleaning robot also includes a main water pump and a water outlet fluidically connected to the main water pump, and the water outlet is located at the top of the cleaning robot; after determining that the cleaning robot at least partially crosses the intersection of the first and second surfaces of the Nth step, the cleaning robot is controlled to reduce its travel speed or turn on the main water pump so that the cleaning robot is located on the second surface of the Nth step.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Adjusting the orientation of the cleaning robot on the second surface of the Nth step to make the first side surface approximately parallel to the first surface of the N+1th step includes: controlling the cleaning robot to rotate until the second distance sensor detects the first surface of the N+1th step.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that At least based on the detection value of the second distance sensor, controlling the cleaning robot to clean the second surface of the Nth step includes: controlling the detection value of the second distance sensor to be less than or equal to a third distance threshold, so as to enable the cleaning robot to move along the second surface of the Nth step; wherein, the third distance threshold represents the minimum distance from the wall when the cleaning robot walks along the edge.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The cleaning robot also includes a third distance sensor located at the front, which is used to detect the distance between the cleaning robot and an obstacle in front; at least based on the detection value of the third distance sensor being less than or equal to a fourth distance threshold, or the detection value of the first distance sensor being greater than the first distance threshold, it is determined that the cleaning robot runs from the first end of the Nth step to the second end of the Nth step.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The cleaning robot is controlled to retreat or turn around at the second end of the Nth step, or to translate a preset distance away from the first side of the N+1th step to continue cleaning the second side of the Nth step until it reaches the first end of the Nth step; wherein the preset distance is a distance less than or equal to the width of the cleaning robot.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The cleaning robot is controlled to rotate at the first end of the Nth step so that the front of the cleaning robot is aligned with the first surface of the N+1th step, and then the cleaning robot is controlled to climb to move to the second surface of the N+1th step.

12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The cleaning robot is controlled to rotate at the second end of the Nth step so that the front of the cleaning robot is aligned with the first surface of the N+1th step, and then the cleaning robot is controlled to climb to move to the second surface of the N+1th step.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein The cleaning robot further includes a depth sensor, which is used to detect depth information of the cleaning robot in the pool. After determining that the obstacle is a step, the position information of the cleaning robot is determined according to the depth information.

14. A cleaning robot comprising a main body and: A first water inlet is provided at the bottom of the main body; a filter unit, at least partially disposed inside the main body; A water outlet is provided at the top of the main body; a main water pump, in fluid communication with at least the first water inlet, the filter unit, and the water outlet, for generating a water flow from the first water inlet, the filter unit, and the water outlet; a cleaning roller brush, provided at the bottom of the front end of the main body, for cleaning the surface to be cleaned; A moving unit is provided on both sides of the main body to support the cleaning device to move on the surface to be cleaned; Characterized in that, the cleaning robot also includes: At least one first distance sensor, disposed at the bottom of the main body, adjacent to the mobile unit, and located behind the cleaning roller brush, for detecting the distance between the cleaning robot and the surface to be cleaned; At least one second distance sensor is provided on the first side surface of the main body and is used to detect the distance between the first side surface of the cleaning robot and an obstacle.

15. The cleaning robot according to claim 14, characterized in that: The first water inlet is located behind the cleaning roller brush, and at least one first distance sensor is located between the first water inlet and the cleaning roller brush.

16. The cleaning robot according to claim 15, characterized in that: The cleaning robot includes two first distance sensors, which are roughly symmetrically arranged at the bottom of the main body.

17. The cleaning robot according to claim 15, characterized in that: The cleaning robot further includes at least one fourth distance sensor, which is disposed on the second side surface of the main body, wherein the first side surface and the second side surface are opposite sides of the main body.

18. The cleaning robot according to claim 14, characterized in that: A mounting hole is provided at the bottom of the main body, and the first distance sensor is mounted to the main body through the mounting hole, and the mounting hole is truncated cone-shaped.

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