Positioning method of swimming pool cleaning robot and swimming pool cleaning robot

Abstract

The invention relates to a positioning method of a swimming pool cleaning robot and the swimming pool cleaning robot, and the method comprises the steps: controlling the swimming pool cleaning robot to walk along the edge of a swimming pool, and collecting swimming pool edge data in the walking process; generating data to be matched based on the swimming pool edge data and direction information given by a magnetometer; and matching the to-be-matched data with a stored swimming pool map to obtain position information of the current swimming pool cleaning robot in the swimming pool map. According to the method, the collected swimming pool edge information and the swimming pool map are rapidly matched, and then rapid positioning is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of automatic control technology, and in particular to a positioning method for a pool cleaning robot and the pool cleaning robot itself. Background Technology

[0002] Because pool cleaning robots operate underwater and are limited by manufacturing costs and underwater communication limitations, they often cannot be equipped with precise positioning devices to obtain accurate absolute position information. Therefore, the map data collected by pool cleaning robots is often a map in a local coordinate system, not a map in a global coordinate system. During the operation after map collection, since the initial position information of the pool cleaning robot is unknown, this local coordinate system map data cannot be used to locate the robot's current position. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address at least one of the aforementioned technical problems, this application proposes a positioning method for a pool cleaning robot and a pool cleaning robot in general.

[0004] According to some embodiments of this application, a positioning method for a swimming pool cleaning robot is provided, the method comprising:

[0005] The pool cleaning robot is controlled to walk along the edge of the pool, collecting data about the pool edge during the process.

[0006] Data to be matched is generated based on the pool edge data and magnetometer data;

[0007] The local map is matched with the saved pool map to obtain the current location information of the pool cleaning robot in the pool map.

[0008] In some possible implementations, the magnetometer data includes the movement direction information of the pool cleaning robot collected by the magnetometer, or the direction information corresponding to the pool edge data, or the coordinate system information of the pool edge data.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the pool edge data includes distance information between the pool cleaning robot and the pool edge collected by a distance sensor, point cloud data of the pool edge collected by a lidar sensor, or image data of the pool edge collected by a camera.

[0010] In some possible implementations, the data to be matched has the same coordinate system as the pool map.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the pool map includes raw edge data of the pool.

[0012] In some possible implementations, the pool cleaning robot walks 1 / 5 to 3 / 2 of a circle around the edge of the pool or for 1 to 60 seconds.

[0013] In some possible implementations, the pool edge data may also include IMU data or wheel speed meter data.

[0014] In some possible implementations, the path taken by the pool cleaning robot along the edge of the pool includes at least one corner or turning path; preferably, the data to be matched includes local pool map data, local pool feature data, or the robot's walking path information.

[0015] In some possible implementations, the pool map may also be updated based on the pool edge data.

[0016] According to some other embodiments of this application, a pool cleaning robot is provided, which is positioned using the positioning method described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0017] According to some other embodiments of this application, an electronic device is provided, which includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores at least one instruction or at least one program, and the at least one instruction or at least one program is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the positioning method of the pool cleaning robot as described above.

[0018] According to some other embodiments of this application, a storage medium is provided that stores at least one instruction or at least one program, wherein the at least one instruction or at least one program is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the positioning method of the pool cleaning robot as described above.

[0019] According to some other embodiments of this application, a computer program product is provided, including computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the positioning method of the pool cleaning robot as described above.

[0020] Implementing the embodiments of this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] This application, assuming the pool cleaning robot already possesses a map, collects local feature data of the pool and quickly matches these local features with the pool map. This allows for rapid and accurate localization of the pool cleaning robot, eliminating the need for initial position information. Furthermore, since pools are often regularly shaped or simple, primarily rectangular, circular, or regular polygonal, this solution uses magnetometer information to identify the orientation of local features to prevent mismatches between the collected local features and the pool map, making the matching more efficient and accurate.

[0022] Other features and aspects of this application will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions and advantages in the embodiments or prior art of this specification, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this specification. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the steps of a positioning method for a pool cleaning robot according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the matching process of the positioning method according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0026] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates a system block diagram of a pool cleaning robot according to an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 4 A system block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this specification will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this specification, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this specification, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0029] Currently, pool cleaning robots are equipped with wheel speed sensors, IMUs, and obstacle recognition sensors, including ultrasonic sensors, lidar, cameras, or DFO sensors. However, these devices struggle to obtain accurate underwater positioning information, far less effective than RTK positioning devices and GPS. Therefore, the maps generated by pool cleaning robots are probabilistic maps, feature maps, or maps in a local coordinate system. Without initial positioning information, these maps cannot be used for the robot's real-time localization.

[0030] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a positioning method for a swimming pool cleaning robot. Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the steps of a positioning method for a pool cleaning robot according to an embodiment of this application is shown. The method includes:

[0031] Step S101: The user throws the pool cleaning robot into the water. The pool cleaning robot sinks to the bottom of the water at any position, automatically finds the pool wall, and walks along the pool wall. The sensors mounted on the side of the pool cleaning robot control the pool cleaning robot to walk along the edge of the pool. During the walking process, the sensors collect data on the edge of the pool.

[0032] In this embodiment, the sensors carried by the pool cleaning robot include ultrasonic radar, lidar, DTOF sensor or camera, used to collect the aforementioned pool edge data. The data collected by the distance sensor includes the distance information between the pool cleaning robot and the pool wall, the data collected by the lidar includes point cloud data of the pool edge, and the data collected by the camera includes image data of the pool edge. The aforementioned data is used to generate a feature map of the pool edge, a local map or the walking path information of the pool cleaning robot.

[0033] The aforementioned pool cleaning robot needs to travel 1 / 5 to 3 / 2 of a full circle along the pool edge, or for 1 to 60 seconds, to ensure sufficient collection of pool edge features. If the pool edge features are complex and abundant, the travel distance or time can be reduced. To ensure the richness of the collected data, the path the pool cleaning robot takes along the pool edge can be limited to include at least one corner or turning path. If no corner or turning path is collected, the robot continues to travel until it has completed one or more full circles.

[0034] The aforementioned pool edge data also includes IMU data and / or wheel velocity sensor data. For example, wheel velocity sensor data is used in conjunction with the aforementioned distance information to generate a feature map, local map, or walking path information of the pool edge, while the IMU is used to calibrate the aforementioned feature map, local map, or walking path information.

[0035] During the data collection process of the pool cleaning robot, the collected pool edge data can also be updated to the historical pool map, making the historical data more accurate and timely after multiple updates.

[0036] The pool cleaning robot stores historical map data of the pool edge, including feature maps, probability maps, or maps in a local coordinate system. These maps can also be downloaded to the robot from a remote platform.

[0037] The pool cleaning robot is also equipped with a magnetometer. A magnetometer (M-Sensor), also called a geomagnetic sensor, can be used to test the strength and direction of a magnetic field to locate the position of the equipment. The principle of a magnetometer is similar to that of a compass, and it can measure the angle between the current equipment and the four cardinal directions.

[0038] Step S102: Generate matching data based on pool edge data and magnetometer data.

[0039] First, based on the collected pool edge information and magnetometer data, feature maps, local maps, or walking path information of the pool cleaning robot are generated. These edge feature maps, local maps, or walking paths are used as matching data.

[0040] Since swimming pools are often regular or have simple shapes, and multiple locations within a pool may share the same or similar features, directly matching the pool edge data collected by the robot with the pool map may result in mismatches. It is necessary to use magnetometer data to label the robot's movement direction corresponding to the edge features, the direction corresponding to the edge data, or the coordinate system information of the edge data. When the features corresponding to the pool edge data collected by the robot correspond to features existing in multiple pool maps, the robot's movement direction corresponding to the edge features, the direction corresponding to the edge data, or the coordinate system information of the edge data can help identify the features in the pool map.

[0041] Therefore, the aforementioned magnetometer data includes the movement direction information of the pool cleaning robot collected by the magnetometer, or the direction information corresponding to the aforementioned pool edge data, or the coordinate system information of the pool edge data. The aforementioned data to be matched includes local pool map data, local pool feature data, or the robot's walking path information.

[0042] Step S103: Match the data to be matched with the saved pool map to obtain the current location information of the pool cleaning robot in the pool map.

[0043] The data to be matched may include local pool map data, feature data, movement paths, etc. The pool map includes the original edge data of the pool. During matching, the features formed by the feature data, movement paths, or local pool map data are directly compared with the pool edge features in the pool map data. The coordinate system of the pool map and the local map, feature data, or path-formed features is unified using magnetometer data. Under this unified coordinate system, the features of the collected edge data are quickly matched to the edge features of the pool map. In other words, the data to be matched and the pool map share the same coordinate system.

[0044] If a coordinate system is not used, the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot or the direction corresponding to the edge data can be obtained based on magnetometer data. These directions are then matched with the movement direction or positioning data corresponding to features in the pool map, thus quickly matching the pool edge features collected by the robot to the corresponding edge features in the pool map. After matching, the position in the pool map corresponding to the endpoint of the collected edge features represents the current position of the pool cleaning robot.

[0045] For example, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the matching process of the positioning method according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0046] The above embodiments have described in detail the positioning method of the pool cleaning robot. Implementing the embodiments of this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0047] With the pool cleaning robot already possessing a map, collecting local feature data of the pool and quickly matching these features with the pool map enables rapid and accurate positioning information for the robot, eliminating the need for initial location information. Furthermore, since pools are often regular or simple in shape, primarily rectangular, circular, or regular polygonal, this solution uses magnetometer information to identify the orientation of local features to prevent mismatches between collected local features and the pool map, making the matching more efficient and accurate.

[0048] This application also provides a swimming pool cleaning robot, which uses a positioning method as described in any of the above embodiments for positioning. Specifically, please refer to... Figure 3 The pool cleaning robot is equipped with:

[0049] The motion control module 100 is used to control the pool cleaning robot to walk along the edge of the pool.

[0050] Data acquisition module 200 is used to collect data on the edge of the pool during the movement of the pool cleaning robot;

[0051] The data creation module 300 is used to generate matching data based on the collected pool edge data and magnetometer data;

[0052] The matching and positioning module 400 is used to match the data to be matched with the saved pool map to obtain the current location information of the pool cleaning robot in the pool map.

[0053] This application also provides an electronic device, which includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores at least one instruction or at least one program. The processor loads and executes the at least one instruction or at least one program to implement the positioning method of the pool cleaning robot as described above.

[0054] Memory is used to store software programs and modules. The processor executes these stored software programs and modules to perform various functional applications and data processing. Memory can primarily consist of a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area stores the operating system, application programs required for functionality, etc.; the data storage area stores data created based on device usage, etc. Furthermore, memory can include high-speed random access memory (RAM) and non-volatile memory, such as at least one hard disk drive, flash memory, or other volatile solid-state storage devices. Correspondingly, memory can also include a memory controller to provide the processor with access to the memory.

[0055] The methods and embodiments provided in this application can be executed in electronic devices such as mobile terminals, computer terminals, servers, or similar computing devices. Figure 4 This is the electronic device provided in the embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the electronic device 900 can vary considerably due to differences in configuration or performance. It may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) 910 (CPUs 910 may include, but are not limited to, microprocessors MCUs or programmable logic devices FPGAs), a memory 930 for storing data, and one or more storage media 920 (e.g., one or more mass storage devices) for storing application programs 923 or data 922. The memory 930 and storage media 920 may be temporary or persistent storage. The program stored in the storage media 920 may include one or more modules, each module may include a series of instruction operations on the electronic device. Furthermore, the CPU 910 may be configured to communicate with the storage media 920 and execute the series of instruction operations in the storage media 920 on the electronic device 900. Electronic device 900 may also include one or more power supplies 960, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces 950, one or more input / output interfaces 940, and / or one or more operating systems 921, such as Windows Server™, Mac OS X™, Unix™, Linux™, FreeBSD™, etc.

[0056] The input / output interface 940 can be used to receive or send data via a network. Specific examples of the network described above may include a wireless network provided by the communication provider of the electronic device 900. In one example, the input / output interface 940 includes a Network Interface Controller (NIC), which can connect to other network devices via a base station to communicate with the Internet. In another example, the input / output interface 940 may be a Radio Frequency (RF) module for wireless communication with the Internet.

[0057] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 4 The structure shown is for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the structure of the electronic device described above. For example, the electronic device 900 may also include... Figure 4 The more or fewer components shown, or having the same Figure 4 The different configurations shown.

[0058] Embodiments of this application also provide a storage medium storing at least one instruction or at least one program, wherein the at least one instruction or at least one program is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the positioning method of the pool cleaning robot as described above.

[0059] Embodiments of this application also provide a computer program product, including computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the positioning method for the pool cleaning robot as described above.

[0060] The various embodiments of this application have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical applications, or technological improvements to the embodiments in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method of positioning a pool cleaning robot, characterized by, The method comprises: controlling the pool cleaning robot to walk along the pool edge, collecting pool edge data during walking; forming to-be-matched data based on the pool edge data and magnetometer data; matching the to-be-matched data with a saved pool map to obtain position information of the current pool cleaning robot in the pool map.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The magnetometer data comprises movement direction information of the pool cleaning robot collected by the magnetometer, or direction information corresponding to the pool edge data, or coordinate system information of the pool edge data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The pool edge data comprises distance information between the pool cleaning robot and the pool edge collected by a distance sensor, or point cloud data of the pool edge collected by a laser radar, or image data of the pool edge collected by a camera.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The to-be-matched data and the pool map have the same coordinate system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The pool map comprises original edge data of the pool.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The pool cleaning robot walks 1 / 5-3 / 2 of a round or 1s-60s along the pool edge.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein, The pool edge data further comprises IMU data or wheel speed meter data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The path of the pool cleaning robot walking along the pool edge comprises at least one corner or turning path; preferably, the to-be-matched data comprises pool local map data, pool local feature data, or walking path information of the robot.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, Further comprising updating the pool map based on the pool edge data.

10. A swimming pool cleaning robot characterized by, The pool cleaning robot applies the positioning method of any one of claims 1-9 for positioning.

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