Swimming pool robot pool wall and waterline autonomous cleaning system and method and controller

Abstract

The invention provides a swimming pool robot pool wall and waterline autonomous cleaning system and method and a controller, and belongs to the technical field of intelligent robots. The system comprises a robot body, a two-dimensional laser radar, a water outlet sensor, an inertial measurement unit and a control system. The method comprises a pool bottom reversing step of controlling a robot to directly face a pool wall at the pool bottom based on two-dimensional laser radar information; a pool wall rising and posture adjusting step: controlling the robot to climb along the pool wall and performing posture stability control based on the inertial measurement unit information; a water outlet detection step: judging the arrival of a waterline based on a water outlet sensor signal; a waterline cleaning step: controlling the robot to horizontally move at the waterline position; and detecting adjacent wall surfaces, and navigating the lower wall and the pool bottom. By fusing various sensors and executing a closed-loop control process, high-precision environment perception and high-stability attitude control are realized, and the automation level and the cleaning coverage rate are remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of intelligent robot technology, and in particular to a swimming pool robot autonomous cleaning system and method for pool walls and water lines, and a controller. Background Technology

[0002] Pool cleaning robots are intelligent devices used to automatically clean the bottom, walls, and waterline of swimming pools. Most existing pool cleaning robots operate by random collisions or following simple pre-set paths, resulting in low cleaning coverage and inefficiency.

[0003] To improve cleaning efficiency, some advanced robots integrate inertial measurement units (IMUs). By acquiring their own attitude angle information and employing closed-loop control algorithms to adjust their movement mechanisms, they can achieve stable vertical climbing and descent along the pool wall. However, these robots only solve the problem of attitude stability. Due to a lack of precise perception of the surrounding environment—for example, the inability to accurately determine the distance to the pool wall, identify obstacles ahead, or accurately perceive the waterline position—they still have many shortcomings in practical applications. Specifically, the robots cannot effectively clean the waterline area or are prone to getting stuck when encountering complex structures such as pool corners or ladders. Furthermore, while existing technologies have sporadically developed solutions using single sensors such as LiDAR or water immersion sensors, they generally lack a systematic solution for effectively fusing information from multiple sensors and applying it to a complete closed-loop operation process, from pool bottom wall location, stable wall climbing, waterline identification, cleaning along the waterline, intelligent wall replacement, to safe descent. Therefore, existing technologies generally cannot achieve truly autonomous, seamless, and highly efficient automated cleaning of pool walls and waterline areas. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the present invention aims to provide a swimming pool robot autonomous cleaning system and method for pool walls and waterlines, as well as a controller.

[0005] The present invention provides a swimming pool robot autonomous cleaning system for pool walls and waterlines, comprising a robot body, a moving mechanism, and an adsorption component, and further comprising:

[0006] A two-dimensional lidar is positioned in front of the robot body to acquire distance information to the pool wall; A water discharge sensor is installed on the top of the robot body to detect whether the robot body is in a water discharge state; An inertial measurement unit is used to acquire the attitude angles of the robot body. The control system, electrically connected to the two-dimensional lidar, the water outlet sensor, the inertial measurement unit, the moving mechanism, and the adsorption assembly, is configured to execute a closed-loop cleaning process comprising the following modules: The bottom reversal module is used to control the robot body to adjust its posture at the bottom of the pool to face the pool wall or continue to move along the bottom of the pool based on the distance information of the two-dimensional lidar. The pool wall rising and attitude adjustment module is used to control the robot body to climb up the pool wall and perform attitude stabilization control based on the attitude angle of the inertial measurement unit. The water discharge detection module is used to determine, based on the signal from the water discharge sensor, that the robot body has reached the waterline; The waterline cleaning module is used to control the robot body to move horizontally along the pool wall at the waterline position; The adjacent wall detection module is used to locate the next wall to be cleaned using the two-dimensional lidar. The wall-lowering module is used to control the robot body to descend along the pool wall to the bottom of the pool.

[0007] Preferably, the control system is further configured to determine whether the robot body is approaching the pool wall based on the distance information of the two-dimensional lidar during the robot body's movement at the bottom of the pool, and control the robot body to retreat after approaching the pool wall until the distance information satisfies the rotation space of the robot body; The control system controls the adjacent wall detection module to select the corresponding lateral radar scanning area according to the current cleaning direction. Within the selected scanning area, the number of effective lidar ranging points with a distance less than the lateral threshold is counted. When detected Setting value When the system detects that a continuous side wall can be detected in the current cleaning direction, it determines that the bottom wall replacement operation can be performed, controls the adjacent wall detection module to work, and sets the predetermined rotation angle for the bottom wall replacement to a larger angle. When detected If the information from the side pool wall is insufficient, it indicates that it is more suitable to continue moving along the pool bottom. The control system will then set the predetermined rotation angle to a smaller angle. ,in ; After the robot completes its rotation, it moves forward in the current orientation. During this forward movement, the control system continuously monitors the forward distance measurement value. When the robot is detected approaching the pool wall again, the feasibility assessment stage for climbing onto the wall begins. The control system then counts robots within the scanning area in front of them whose distance is less than the pool wall's threshold. Effective point cloud quantity ,when Setting value If the system detects that the continuity of the pool wall is insufficient or the local structure is unsuitable for the wall-mounting operation, it determines that the wall-mounting is not possible and returns to the pool bottom reversal process to continue the pool bottom movement or wall-mounting operation. When the robot is ready to climb the pool wall, the control system determines that the wall is suitable for climbing. If the wall is suitable, the control system controls the pool bottom reversal module to make the robot face the pool wall, and controls the pool wall rising and attitude adjustment module to perform climbing.

[0008] Preferably, the control system is further configured to control the rotation speed of the adsorption component to the maximum rotation speed when the pool wall rising and attitude adjustment module controls the robot body to climb up along the pool wall until the water outlet detection module continuously detects the water outlet signal; After the robot body is completely out of the water, the control system performs water pump speed calibration: while keeping the robot body vertically attached to the pool wall, the speed of the adsorption component is gradually reduced until the water outlet sensor detects the water ingress state again, and the speed at this moment is recorded as the calibration speed for the water line cleaning module. The control system controls the waterline cleaning module to perform cleaning operations along the waterline area according to the calibrated rotation speed.

[0009] Preferably, the moving mechanism includes a left track and a right track, and the attitude stabilization control specifically includes: based on the roll angle obtained by the inertial measurement unit, calculating the differential speed control amount of the left track and the right track through a proportional-derivative controller or a proportional-integral-derivative controller to correct the left and right tilt of the robot body.

[0010] Preferably, the formula for the differential control quantity Δv(t) is:

[0011] in, The error is the roll angle. The angular velocity of the roll angle. For proportional gain, This is the differential gain.

[0012] Preferably, the two-dimensional lidar is provided with a protective grid cover, which includes horizontal grids and vertical grids, the horizontal grids and the vertical grids are arranged alternately, and a reinforcing horizontal grid is provided between the transmitting port and the receiving port constituting the two-dimensional lidar.

[0013] Preferably, the water sensor is installed inside a light-proof and water-permeable structure on the top of the robot body.

[0014] According to the present invention, a method for autonomous cleaning of pool walls and waterlines by a swimming pool robot, based on the aforementioned system, includes the following steps: Pool bottom reversal step: Based on the pool wall distance information obtained by the two-dimensional lidar, control the pool robot to adjust its posture at the bottom of the pool to face the pool wall or continue to move along the bottom of the pool to change walls; Pool wall ascent and attitude adjustment steps: Control the pool robot to climb up the pool wall and perform attitude stabilization control based on the attitude angle obtained by the inertial measurement unit; Water discharge detection step: Based on the signal from the water discharge sensor, determine that the pool robot has reached the waterline; Waterline cleaning steps: Control the pool robot to move horizontally along the pool wall at the waterline position; Adjacent wall detection step: Use the two-dimensional lidar to locate the next wall to be cleaned; Descending from the wall: Control the pool robot to descend along the pool wall to the bottom of the pool.

[0015] Preferably, after the water discharge detection step, a water pump speed calibration step is also included. The water pump speed calibration step includes: gradually reducing the speed of the adsorption component that provides adsorption force after the robot body is completely out of the water until the water discharge sensor detects the water ingress state again, and recording the speed at this moment as the calibration speed for the water line cleaning step. The moving mechanism of the pool robot includes a left track and a right track. The attitude stabilization control in the pool wall rising and attitude adjustment steps specifically includes: calculating the differential control amount of the left track and the right track based on the roll angle obtained by the inertial measurement unit through a proportional-derivative controller or a proportional-integral-derivative controller, and controlling the left track and the right track according to the differential control amount to correct the left and right tilt of the pool robot.

[0016] The present invention also provides a controller, including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program that, when executed by the processor, implements the method described thereon.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: First, by integrating two-dimensional lidar, water vent sensors, and inertial measurement units, the robot can accurately perceive all-around environmental information from the outline of the underwater pool wall to the water surface boundary, solving the problem of existing technologies having limited perception capabilities and being unable to accurately identify water lines and wall environments, thus achieving high-precision panoramic perception.

[0018] Secondly, a closed-loop control algorithm based on inertial measurement unit feedback is adopted to adjust the moving mechanism in real time, ensuring that the robot maintains a stable posture during dynamic processes such as climbing walls, descending walls, and traversing water lines, which significantly improves the reliability and trajectory accuracy of cleaning operations.

[0019] Furthermore, by integrating perception, decision-making, and execution into a closed-loop control process that includes bottom reversal, pool wall elevation, water outlet detection, water line cleaning, adjacent wall detection, wall descent, and bottom reversal, the robot can autonomously complete the entire complex operation process from bottom wall search, wall climbing, water line cleaning, wall reversal, to wall descent. This achieves truly unmanned, full-area cleaning, significantly improving the level of automation and cleaning coverage.

[0020] In addition, by automatically calibrating the rotation speed of the adsorption components during waterline cleaning after water discharge, the robot can adaptively determine the optimal adsorption force according to the actual pool conditions, ensuring that the cleaning roller brush accurately acts on the waterline area, solving the problem of poor cleaning effect due to different pool conditions, and improving adaptability to different pool environments. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a swimming pool robot cleaning system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the sensor layout for a swimming pool robot provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a cleaning method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the principle of pool wall rising posture control provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the pump speed calibration process provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a top-down view of the robot wall-changing process provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0022] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1-Robot body; 10-Control system; 20-2D LiDAR; 21-Protective grid cover; 30-Water outlet sensor; 31-Light-shielding structure; 40-Inertial measurement unit; 50-Moving mechanism; 60-Adsorption assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. These embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the invention in any way. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several changes and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0024] Example 1 This application provides an implementation scheme for a swimming pool robot's autonomous cleaning system and method for pool walls and waterlines. This scheme achieves fully automated operation of the swimming pool robot, from bottom wall location, stable wall climbing, accurate waterline identification and cleaning, intelligent wall replacement, to safe wall descent, through deep fusion of multi-sensor information and a sophisticated closed-loop control process.

[0025] See Figure 1 The diagram illustrates the overall structure of a swimming pool robot cleaning system provided in this embodiment. The system is built upon the robot body 1 (see...). Figure 2 Above this, the robot body 1 integrates a motion mechanism 50 for performing movement and an adsorption component 60 for providing adhesion to the wall. It can be understood that the core of this system lies in its perception and control components, which mainly include a control system 10 as the decision-making center, and a multi-sensor perception unit composed of various sensors. This perception unit includes: a two-dimensional lidar 20 for detecting the contours of the environment in front and above, a water vent sensor 30 for accurately determining the water surface boundary, and an inertial measurement unit 40 for real-time monitoring of the robot's own attitude.

[0026] At the hardware level, the control system 10 is typically implemented using a microcontroller, digital signal processor, or embedded system-on-a-chip (SoC). It is electrically connected to the 2D LiDAR 20, water outlet sensor 30, inertial measurement unit 40, moving mechanism 50, and adsorption assembly 60. Specifically, the 2D LiDAR 20, water outlet sensor 30, and inertial measurement unit 40 serve as input devices, transmitting the collected distance information, water outlet status signals, and attitude angle data to the control system 10 in real time. The control system 10 internally runs a pre-set algorithm program, analyzes and makes decisions on the input information, and generates corresponding control commands, which are output to the moving mechanism 50 and adsorption assembly 60, thereby enabling the robot's movement, turning, climbing, descending, and adjustment of the adsorption force.

[0027] The two-dimensional lidar is installed at the upper left or upper right corner of the robot's front, providing a scanning field of view of 220°–270°. It is equipped with a grid-type protective cover that does not obstruct the measurement window. The water outlet sensor is installed at the front in a light-proof but water-permeable position for accurate detection of the water outlet status.

[0028] The cleaning process is divided into six core modules: pool bottom reversal module, pool wall rising and posture adjustment module, water outlet detection module, waterline cleaning module, adjacent wall detection module, and lower wall module. These modules are interconnected through a control system to form a closed-loop cycle, achieving autonomous cleaning of the entire pool.

[0029] The control system acquires pitch and roll angles in real time via IMU and adjusts the left and right drives and the thrust of the adsorption pump using a PID algorithm to achieve stable vertical ascent and descent control. During the pool wall cleaning process, the water discharge height of the cleaning roller is automatically calibrated, and the control method for the adsorption pump's operating speed is determined accordingly. A fusion of optical water discharge sensors and lidar is used to confirm the water discharge status multiple times to prevent misjudgments; radar detection of distance change rate determines stuck conditions, triggering escape and arc-shaped wall switching operations. The system achieves autonomous transition between multiple walls through adjacent wall detection and automatic wall switching; combined with the lower wall module, it completes pool bottom circulation, achieving full-area cleaning coverage.

[0030] See also Figure 2 This figure illustrates the optimized physical layout of sensors on the pool robot in this embodiment of the application. As a preferred implementation, the sensor mounting positions are optimized to achieve stable and reliable sensing. In this embodiment, the two-dimensional lidar 20 is mounted in front of the robot body 1, for example, at the upper right corner of its front end, with a scanning field of view of 220°–270°. This position allows its scanning plane to cover the area in front of and above the robot's direction of travel, enabling it to detect the pool wall in front when at the bottom of the pool and the water surface or obstacles above when climbing walls. To protect the delicate and relatively fragile two-dimensional lidar 20 from damage by collisions or large suspended objects in complex underwater environments, a protective grid cover 21 is provided on its exterior. As a preferred solution, the protective grid cover 21 is a mesh structure composed of interlaced horizontal and vertical grids. This structure effectively blocks foreign objects while maximizing the passage of the laser beam. Furthermore, to prevent water flow or air bubbles from causing signal crosstalk to the lidar's transmitter and receiver, a reinforcing grid can be provided in the grid section between the transmitter and receiver to provide physical isolation. A narrow, horizontal reinforcing grille is installed between the transmitter and receiver ports of the lidar. This reinforcing grille is located in the non-measurement area between the transmitter and receiver ports and is used to improve the overall structural strength of the protective grille cover without affecting the ranging accuracy and scanning field of view of the lidar.

[0031] A water outlet sensor 30 is installed in the drainage area on top of the robot body 1. Its function is to determine whether the robot has climbed to the waterline position. To ensure the accuracy of the detection, the water outlet sensor 30 is placed inside a special light-shielding structure 31. The design of this light-shielding structure 31 aims to simultaneously meet the conditions of light shielding and water permeability: firstly, light shielding to prevent ambient light (especially strong sunlight) from interfering with the sensor and causing false judgments; secondly, water permeability, meaning that the structure must allow water to flow freely, ensuring that the water environment around the sensor changes rapidly when the top of the robot touches or leaves the water surface, thus enabling the water outlet sensor to promptly detect changes in the medium state and avoid delays or false judgments due to water stagnation or air trapping. For example, the light-shielding structure 31 can be a dark-colored cover with water vents. In this embodiment, the water outlet sensor 30 can be an optical sensor, which determines the water outlet state by detecting the difference in the refractive index or reflectivity of the medium (water or air) around the sensor probe.

[0032] The inertial measurement unit 40, which typically includes a three-axis accelerometer and a three-axis gyroscope, is integrated on a circuit board inside the robot body 1. It is used to measure the robot's three-dimensional attitude angles in real time, including the pitch angle and roll angle, which are crucial for the climbing attitude.

[0033] See Figure 3 The diagram illustrates the overall process flow of the cleaning method disclosed in this embodiment. The method is executed by the control system 10, forming a closed-loop, modular process, mainly including the following six steps or modules: pool bottom reversal S100, pool wall rising and attitude adjustment S200, water outlet detection S300, waterline cleaning S400, adjacent wall detection S500, and wall removal S600. After completing one cycle, the robot can re-enter the pool bottom reversal S100 to begin cleaning the next wall, until all walls are cleaned or the preset working time is reached.

[0034] The following will combine Figures 3 to 6 The work process of each step is explained in detail: Step S100: Change direction at the bottom of the pool.

[0035] The pool bottom reversing module is used to determine whether the robot is ready to climb onto the pool wall or whether it needs to continue moving along the pool bottom when it finishes cleaning the pool bottom and approaches the wall. After the robot starts, it first moves along the bottom of the pool. The control system 10 activates the two-dimensional LiDAR 20, which scans at a certain frequency (e.g., 10 Hz) to obtain point cloud data within a 270-degree range in front of the robot. The control system 10 analyzes this point cloud data in real time to calculate the distance to the nearest obstacles directly in front of and to the side of the robot. When the control system 10 determines that the distance ahead is less than a preset proximity threshold... When the distance reaches (for example, 0.5 meters), it is considered to be close to the pool wall. Accordingly, the robot executes a pre-set wall-facing procedure: first, the control mechanism 50 moves the robot backward a short, safe distance. (For example, 0.3 meters) to ensure the robot has sufficient turning space. Then, according to the preset global cleaning strategy (e.g., always cleaning the pool clockwise), the robot is controlled to turn to the right by a fixed angle (e.g., 90 degrees). This is to prepare for subsequent movement parallel to the wall and ultimately achieve a face-to-face position. Next, the robot continues to move forward, continuously fine-tuning its attitude using LiDAR data until the distance between its front and the pool wall reaches a preset wall-climbing preparation distance (e.g., 0.1 meters), and the angle between its heading angle and the normal direction of the pool wall is less than a preset alignment angle threshold (e.g., 5 degrees). At this point, the robot has completed its attitude adjustment to face the pool wall and is ready to begin climbing.

[0036] Specifically, as the robot moves along the bottom of the pool, a two-dimensional LiDAR continuously detects the distance in front of it. When detected At that moment, the control system determines that the robot has approached the pool wall and instructs the robot to retreat in the opposite direction until the distance in front meets the requirement. This is to ensure that the robot has enough room to turn.

[0037] After completing the back-off distance, the control system adjusts according to the current cleaning direction. Select the corresponding lateral radar scanning area (clockwise or counterclockwise). When the cleaning direction is clockwise, select the right scanning area; when the cleaning direction is counterclockwise, select the left scanning area. Within the selected scanning area, the statistical distance is less than the lateral threshold. Number of effective lidar ranging points When detected When the set threshold is reached, it indicates that continuous sidewalls can be detected in the current cleaning direction. The control system determines that the bottom wall replacement operation can be performed and sets the predetermined rotation angle for bottom wall replacement to a larger angle. When detected When the set threshold is reached, it indicates insufficient information from the side pool walls, making it more suitable to continue moving along the pool bottom. The control system then sets the predetermined rotation angle to a smaller angle. ,in .

[0038] The robot then rotates a predetermined angle along the current cleaning direction and moves straight forward in the current direction after the rotation is complete. During the straight-line movement, the control system continuously monitors the forward distance measurement value, and when it detects... When a set threshold is reached, the robot is determined to be approaching the pool wall again, entering the feasibility assessment stage for climbing the wall. In this stage, the control system counts robots within the laser radar scanning area in front of the robot that are within a distance of less than the pool wall's threshold. Effective point cloud quantity .when When the set threshold is reached, it indicates that the continuity of the pool wall ahead is insufficient or the local structure is unsuitable for performing the wall-mounting action. The control system determines that the wall-mounting is not possible and returns to the pool bottom reversal process to continue performing the pool bottom movement or wall-mounting operation; when When a set threshold is reached, the system determines that the robot can climb onto the pool wall. If the conditions for climbing are met, the control system calculates the normal direction of the pool wall based on the points detected by the forward LiDAR radar and calculates the angle between the robot's current orientation and the pool wall's normal direction. The robot's yaw angle is finely adjusted to ensure it faces the pool wall. Once these conditions are met, the pool bottom reversal module completes its operation, and the control system switches to the pool wall lifting and attitude adjustment module.

[0039] Step S200: Pool wall rise and attitude adjustment.

[0040] During the ascent of the pool wall, the control system outputs the robot's attitude angles, including pitch angle, in real time via the inertial measurement unit (IMU). Roll angle and yaw angle Among them, roll angle This is used to characterize the robot's left and right tilt relative to the pool wall in the normal direction. To keep the robot vertical and avoid incorrect orientation or slippage caused by tilting, the control system... Construct differential control parameters and drive the left and right tracks to run at different speeds.

[0041] After completing the wall contact, the control system 10 sends a command to the adsorption assembly 60, causing its internal water pump to operate at higher power to generate sufficient negative pressure, thus allowing the robot to firmly adhere to the pool wall. Subsequently, the control system 10 commands the moving mechanism 50 (in this embodiment, the left and right tracks) to climb at a reference speed. The ascent begins. Maintaining attitude stability is crucial throughout the ascent. The control system 10 continuously acquires real-time roll angle data from the inertial measurement unit 40. Ideally, the robot should maintain a vertical climb, i.e., a roll angle of approximately 0.5°. It should be 0. Any value deviating from 0 indicates that the robot has tilted left or right. See also Figure 4 It shows a schematic diagram of the attitude control principle. When the roll angle is detected... When the value is not zero, the attitude adjustment module within the control system 10 will immediately perform closed-loop correction. First, the roll angle error is calculated. The target roll angle is 0. Simultaneously, to predict the tilting trend, the angular velocity of the roll angle also needs to be calculated. This angular velocity can be obtained by considering the roll angle at the current moment. Roll angle at the time of the previous control cycle We approximate the calculation by using differences, that is:

[0042] in, This is the time interval of the control cycle. Next, a proportional-derivative controller (or PID controller) is used to calculate the differential control quantity. :

[0043] in, This is the proportional gain coefficient. This represents the differential gain coefficient. It should be noted that these two parameters need to be tuned based on the robot's specific mechanical characteristics and dynamic model. Proportional term. Its function is to apply a restoring force based on the current tilt angle; the greater the tilt, the greater the restoring force. Differential term Its function is to suppress the tilting angular velocity to prevent the robot from oscillating due to excessive adjustments. The differential control value is calculated. Then, the control system 10 will allocate it to the left and right tracks. The target speed for the left track... and the target speed of the right track The calculations are as follows:

[0044]

[0045] For example, when the robot tilts to the right, If positive, the error The calculated differential control value is negative. It also tends to be negative. This will result in the left track speed. Increase, while right track speed The left-faster-right-slower motion generates a leftward corrective torque M, which restores the robot to a vertical posture with a roll angle of 0. By repeating this process in each control cycle (e.g., every 10 milliseconds), the robot can resist disturbances such as water flow and steadily climb vertically upwards along the pool wall.

[0046] Step S300: Water effluent detection.

[0047] During the robot's ascent, the control system 10 continuously monitors the signal from the water-out sensor 30 located at its top. When most of the robot's top surface emerges from the water, the medium surrounding the water-out sensor 30 changes from water to air, causing a distinct jump in its output signal. After the control system 10 detects this water-out signal continuously for a preset time (e.g., 0.5 seconds), it determines that the robot has reached the waterline. Specifically, the water-out sensor 30 measures the received light intensity... I ,when Time output If within the time window Detected N times consecutively The system determines that water discharge is complete.

[0048] At this point, in order to clean the water line in the most energy-efficient and effective manner subsequently, this embodiment provides a preferred method for calibrating the water pump speed. See [link to documentation]. Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the pump speed calibration process. Upon initial determination that the water level has been reached, the control system 10 executes a one-time pump speed calibration procedure. Specifically, the control system 10 gradually and stepwise reduces the speed of the adsorption component 60 (i.e., the pump). For example, decreasing by 50 revolutions per second. As the adhesive force decreases, the robot will begin to slowly slide downwards due to gravity, as shown in its height curve. The robot descends accordingly. During this process, the control system 10 continuously monitors the signal from the water outlet sensor 30. When the robot slides down to the point where the water outlet sensor 30 at the top is submerged again, the sensor signal flips to the "water in" state. The control system 10 immediately captures this event and records the water pump speed at this moment, defining it as the calibrated speed. The calibration process occurs at the time of calibration completion. The end. In other words, this... Rotational speed is the critical minimum rotational speed required to keep the robot hovering just above the waterline under the specific water level and pool wall conditions of the pool.

[0049] (a) Complete water discharge determination stage As the robot rises above the pool wall, when the water outlet sensor continuously detects water outlet signals, the control system sets the speed of the adsorption pump to its maximum speed. This allows the water pump to drain at full power, generating maximum suction force. In this state, the robot can stably maintain an upright posture and continue to climb up the pool wall until the entire robot is completely out of the water. At this point, the system determines that the robot has completed the water exit process.

[0050] (b) Identification of waterline height deviation After the robot has completely exited the water, the cleaning roller may move away from the waterline area due to excessive suction, causing the roller to dry-brush on the pool wall surface, affecting the cleaning effect and accelerating mechanical wear. To avoid the above problems, the control system does not immediately enter the waterline cleaning mode after confirming that the water has completely exited the water, but instead starts the water pump speed calibration process.

[0051] (c) Pump speed reduction calibration stage During the pump calibration phase, the control system gradually reduces the pump speed in preset steps while keeping the robot vertically attached to the pool wall. As the pump speed gradually decreases, the robot's adhesion to the pool wall decreases, and its attachment position slowly moves down along the pool wall, with the cleaning roller brush gradually moving closer to the waterline area.

[0052] (d) Water ingress threshold detection and calibration completed During the speed reduction process, the control system continuously monitors the status changes of the outlet water sensor. When the outlet water sensor detects a switch from outlet to inlet water state, the system determines that the cleaning roller brush has descended to the water surface boundary height. At this time, the corresponding water pump speed is recorded as the water pump calibration speed for the waterline process. This serves as the target pump speed for subsequent processes such as pool wall climbing, waterline cleaning, and wall lowering.

[0053] (e) Module switching logic Once the water pump speed calibration is complete, the control system terminates the water outlet and water pump calibration module and switches the current operating state to the waterline cleaning module, enabling the robot to perform cleaning operations along the waterline area at the calibrated speed.

[0054] Step S400: Water line cleaning.

[0055] During the waterline cleaning process, the robot needs to maintain a vertical posture against the pool wall and move horizontally along the waterline. The control system uses an IMU to acquire the attitude angle in real time and employs PID control to differentially adjust the drive wheels (or tracks) to keep the robot's posture stable in a vertical position.

[0056] After the water pump speed calibration is completed, the control system 10 sets the speed of the adsorption component 60 to the speed just calibrated. (or slightly higher to increase safety margin) ,For example This ensures that the robot's cleaning brush operates precisely on the waterline area where water and air meet, achieving optimal cleaning results while avoiding energy waste and component wear caused by excessive suction. Subsequently, the control system 10 controls the movement mechanism 50 to move the robot horizontally along the pool wall (e.g., to the right following a clockwise strategy). Attitude control is equally important during horizontal movement. At this point, the control system 10 utilizes not only the roll angle of the inertial measurement unit 40... To keep the robot from tilting left or right (target roll angle is 0 degrees), pitch angle must also be used to ensure the robot's body remains perpendicular to the wall (target pitch and roll angles are: Its control algorithm is similar to that of step S200, both using a PID controller to correct posture errors in real time to ensure that the robot maintains a stable posture during translation.

[0057] Step S500: Detect adjacent walls.

[0058] The robot retreated to a safe distance. After rotating and scanning, it finds a nearby wall that is close in distance, and approaches the new wall along an arc trajectory, adjusting its posture to align and enhance the adhesion to complete the wall replacement.

[0059] As the robot moves horizontally along the waterline, its 2D LiDAR 20 remains operational. The control system 10 analyzes the point cloud data returned by the LiDAR from the right side (or the side along the cleaning direction). When a sharp increase in distance data on the right side is detected within a short period, it indicates that the robot is about to reach a corner. At this point, the waterline cleaning module terminates. See also Figure 6 The diagram illustrates the robot's wall-changing process. Upon reaching a corner, the robot stops its lateral movement and initiates wall-changing navigation. First, the robot retreats a short distance from the current wall W1 to a retreat point P1 to gain sufficient turning space. Then, at the turning point P2, it rotates to the right (e.g., 90 degrees) to roughly face the next target wall W2 to be cleaned. During this rotation, the 2D LiDAR 20 scans the new area in front to lock onto the target wall W2. Once locked, the robot moves along a planned circular trajectory T (or a segmented straight trajectory) until it reaches the alignment point P3 in front of the new wall, completing fine-tuning of its wall orientation similar to step S100, thus completing the wall change.

[0060] Step S600: Lower the wall.

[0061] Once the robot has completed cleaning the water lines on all walls (e.g., by counting or returning to the starting wall), or has reached the preset total working time, the control system 10 will execute the wall-lowering module. The robot will gradually and smoothly reduce the suction force of the adsorption component 60, while using the attitude closed-loop control algorithm described in step S200 to ensure that the robot can maintain a vertical attitude under the action of gravity and descend stably along the pool wall. When the inertial measurement unit 40 detects that the robot's pitch angle changes from close to 90 degrees (vertical) to close to 0 degrees (horizontal), or when the bottom collision sensor (if any) is triggered, the control system 10 determines that the robot has safely reached the bottom of the pool. At this time, the adsorption component 60 completely stops working, and a complete cycle of cleaning the pool wall and water lines, namely "pool bottom → wall up → water out → water line → wall replacement → wall down → pool bottom", ends.

[0062] Example 2 As an optional implementation, this embodiment further proposes an optimized attitude control scheme based on Embodiment 1, namely, coordinated control of attitude control and suction adjustment. This scheme aims to provide a more powerful and faster attitude correction capability to cope with more complex working conditions, such as uneven pool wall surfaces, strong water flow impacts, or slight slippage of one track.

[0063] The system hardware structure of this embodiment is basically the same as that of Embodiment 1, including a robot body 1, a control system 10, a two-dimensional lidar 20, a water outlet sensor 30, an inertial measurement unit 40, and a moving mechanism 50. The key difference from Embodiment 1 is that the adsorption component 60 is designed to allow for zoned or differential adjustment of suction force. For example, the adsorption component 60 may include two or more independently controlled water pumps or valves, corresponding to the suction cup areas on the left and right sides of the robot, respectively.

[0064] In this embodiment, the control algorithm of the "pool wall ascent and attitude adjustment module" in the control system 10 is further enhanced. When the robot is climbing along the pool wall or moving laterally along the waterline, the control system 10 also monitors the roll angle in real time through the inertial measurement unit 40. When a tilt is detected in the robot, such as a tilt to the right (i.e., roll angle), (If the value is positive), the control system 10 will not only perform differential control (i.e., instruct the left track to accelerate and the right track to decelerate) as described in Embodiment 1, but will also send a coordinated control command to the adsorption component 60 at the same time.

[0065] Specifically, this cooperative control command can momentarily and briefly enhance the suction force of the robot's right-side suction cup area and / or weaken the suction force of the left-side suction cup area. This suction difference generates an additional restoring torque at the bottom of the robot to resist tilting. This restoring torque, along with the corrective torque M generated by the differential speed of the tracks (e.g., ... Figure 4 (As shown) are superimposed and act together on the robot body 1, so that the robot's posture can be pulled back to the vertical state more quickly and powerfully.

[0066] This collaborative control strategy introduces a new dimension of control. Track differential speed primarily generates torque through friction; however, its effectiveness is affected when the pool walls are slippery or the track adhesion is insufficient. In contrast, the restoring torque generated by differential suction acts directly on the robot body, unaffected by track slippage, resulting in a faster response and more robust performance. In this way, the robot's posture stability is significantly improved when facing sudden disturbances, enabling it to better maintain its predetermined trajectory and enhancing cleaning quality and operational safety.

[0067] Example 3 This embodiment discloses a simplified working mode for a specific application scenario, namely the "waterline-specific cleaning mode". This mode aims to meet users' specific needs for quickly and efficiently cleaning pool waterline sludge, thereby simplifying user operation and improving product usability.

[0068] The hardware system of this embodiment is exactly the same as that of Embodiment 1. Its features are reflected in the software of the control system 10. The control system 10 is designed to provide at least two operating mode options, which can be selected, for example, through physical buttons on the robot body or a companion mobile application: one is the "fully automatic mode" that executes the complete cleaning process described in Embodiment 1; the other is the "waterline-only mode" described in this embodiment.

[0069] After the user selects the "Water Line Dedicated Mode," the cleaning process of the control system 10 will be simplified. Figure 3 In the flowchart shown, "Pool Bottom Reversal S100" will be skipped. In this mode, the user needs to perform a simple manual operation: manually place the robot at the bottom of any pool wall, so that it is roughly facing the pool wall.

[0070] After the user activates the "Waterline Dedicated Mode," the robot will directly begin execution from "Pool Wall Lifting and Attitude Adjustment S200." The specific process is as follows: 1. The robot first increases the suction of the adsorption component 60 to adhere to the current wall surface.

[0071] 2. Next, the same pool wall rising and attitude adjustment steps as in Example 1 are performed (S200), using the inertial measurement unit 40 and PID algorithm to maintain the vertical attitude and climb upward.

[0072] 3. When the water outlet sensor 30 at the top detects the water outlet signal, the water outlet detection step (S300) is executed, and a one-time water pump speed calibration is performed to obtain the calibrated speed n_cal.

[0073] 4. Then, proceed to the water line cleaning step (S400), maintain suction at the calibrated speed n_cal, and move horizontally along the water line to perform cleaning.

[0074] 5. When cleaning a corner, perform the adjacent wall detection and wall replacement step (S500). The robot will automatically back up, rotate and navigate to the next wall.

[0075] 6. The robot will repeat steps 2 to 5 to clean the water lines on all the walls in turn.

[0076] 7. After completing the waterline cleaning of all walls, the robot will automatically find a wall and perform the wall descent step (S600), safely descending to the bottom of the pool, and then stop working.

[0077] By offering this mode, users can directly focus on maintaining the most heavily contaminated waterline areas without waiting for the robot to complete the time-consuming process of cleaning the pool bottom and finding the walls. This greatly improves cleaning efficiency and product usability, making it especially suitable for daily quick cleaning tasks.

[0078] Example 4 This embodiment, based on embodiment 1, deepens the application of 2D LiDAR 20 data. By introducing an intelligent obstacle avoidance algorithm based on point cloud data pattern recognition, it significantly enhances the robot's robustness and autonomous operation success rate in irregularly shaped swimming pools or environments with complex obstacles.

[0079] The hardware system in this embodiment is the same as that in Embodiment 1. Its core lies in the software algorithm of the control system 10, especially in the "bottom reversal S100" and "waterline cleaning S400", which embed advanced obstacle recognition and escape subroutines.

[0080] The control system 10 is configured to analyze the fan-shaped scan point cloud data returned by the two-dimensional lidar 20 in real time and at high frequency. The core function of this subroutine is to identify specific point cloud distribution patterns, which are typically associated with typical scenarios that could cause the robot to get stuck.

[0081] For example, when a robot moves along the bottom of a pool or laterally along the waterline, if the point cloud data in front of it exhibits a sharply concave "U" or "V" shaped distribution—meaning the detection distance on the sides is relatively short while the detection distance directly in front suddenly increases—this usually indicates that the robot is entering a 90-degree inner corner. Without intervention, the robot is likely to get stuck in the corner due to insufficient turning space. Similarly, when the point cloud data exhibits a complex, discontinuous, stepped distribution, this may indicate that the robot has encountered an entry step or stainless steel ladder in the pool. These structures are also common causes of traditional robots getting stuck.

[0082] In this embodiment, when the identification algorithm of the control system 10 detects the predefined point cloud data features related to potential jamming risks (for example, detecting that the point cloud data forms a U-shaped indentation distribution feature within a predetermined distance in front of the robot body), the system will immediately interrupt the current straight-line or regular turning logic and instead trigger and execute a set of preset escape procedures.

[0083] As one implementation, the escape procedure may include the following sequence of actions: 1. Stop moving forward.

[0084] 2. Control the moving mechanism 50 to precisely retreat a safe distance, for example, 50 centimeters, along the original path used to enter the area. It should be noted that this precise retreat can be achieved using odometer or inertial navigation data.

[0085] 3. After moving backward into position, rotate the robot in place by a specific angle, such as 45 degrees or -45 degrees, to change the robot's orientation.

[0086] 4. After rotating, use the 2D lidar 20 again to detect a new path ahead. If the new path is open, continue moving forward; if it is still an obstructed area, try retreating again and rotating at a different angle until a viable path is found.

[0087] Through the aforementioned closed-loop control logic of "perception-recognition-decision-escape," the robot no longer blindly executes predetermined actions but possesses the ability to assess risks and proactively avoid them based on the geometric characteristics of the real-time environment. This enables the pool robot provided in this application to better adapt to pools of various irregular shapes, as well as pools with complex internal structures such as ladders, steps, and curved corners, thereby significantly reducing the probability of needing human intervention and truly achieving a higher level of autonomous cleaning.

[0088] Those skilled in the art will understand that, besides implementing the system and its various devices, modules, and units provided by this invention in the form of purely computer-readable program code, the same functions can be achieved entirely through logical programming of the method steps, making the system and its various devices, modules, and units of this invention function in the form of logic gates, switches, application-specific integrated circuits, programmable logic controllers, and embedded microcontrollers. Therefore, the system and its various devices, modules, and units provided by this invention can be considered as a hardware component, and the devices, modules, and units included therein for implementing various functions can also be considered as structures within the hardware component; alternatively, the devices, modules, and units for implementing various functions can be considered as both software modules implementing the method and structures within the hardware component.

[0089] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0090] Specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essence of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be arbitrarily combined with each other.

Claims

1. A swimming pool robot autonomous cleaning system for pool walls and waterlines, comprising a robot body, a moving mechanism, and an adsorption component, characterized in that, Also includes: A two-dimensional lidar is positioned in front of the robot body to acquire distance information to the pool wall; A water discharge sensor is installed on the top of the robot body to detect whether the robot body is in a water discharge state; An inertial measurement unit is used to acquire the attitude angles of the robot body. The control system, electrically connected to the two-dimensional lidar, the water outlet sensor, the inertial measurement unit, the moving mechanism, and the adsorption assembly, is configured to execute a closed-loop cleaning process comprising the following modules: The bottom reversal module is used to control the robot body to adjust its posture at the bottom of the pool to face the pool wall or continue to move along the bottom of the pool based on the distance information of the two-dimensional lidar. The pool wall rising and attitude adjustment module is used to control the robot body to climb up the pool wall and perform attitude stabilization control based on the attitude angle of the inertial measurement unit. The water discharge detection module is used to determine, based on the signal from the water discharge sensor, that the robot body has reached the waterline; The waterline cleaning module is used to control the robot body to move horizontally along the pool wall at the waterline position; The adjacent wall detection module is used to locate the next wall to be cleaned using the two-dimensional lidar. The wall-lowering module is used to control the robot body to descend along the pool wall to the bottom of the pool.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control system is also configured such that, during the movement of the robot body at the bottom of the pool, it determines whether it is approaching the pool wall based on the distance information of the two-dimensional lidar, and controls the robot body to retreat after approaching the pool wall until the distance information satisfies the rotation space of the robot body. The control system controls the adjacent wall detection module to select the corresponding lateral radar scanning area according to the current cleaning direction. Within the selected scanning area, the number of effective lidar ranging points with a distance less than the lateral threshold is counted. When detected Setting value When the system detects that a continuous side wall can be detected in the current cleaning direction, it determines that the bottom wall replacement operation can be performed, controls the adjacent wall detection module to work, and sets the predetermined rotation angle for the bottom wall replacement to a larger angle. When detected If the information from the side pool wall is insufficient, it indicates that it is more suitable to continue moving along the pool bottom. The control system will then set the predetermined rotation angle to a smaller angle. ,in ; After the robot completes its rotation, it moves forward in the current orientation. During this forward movement, the control system continuously monitors the forward distance measurement value. When the robot is detected approaching the pool wall again, the feasibility assessment stage for climbing onto the wall begins. The control system then counts robots within the scanning area in front of them whose distance is less than the pool wall's threshold. Effective point cloud quantity ,when Setting value If the system detects that the continuity of the pool wall is insufficient or the local structure is unsuitable for the wall-mounting operation, it determines that the wall-mounting is not possible and returns to the pool bottom reversal process to continue the pool bottom movement or wall-mounting operation. When the robot is ready to climb the pool wall, the control system determines that the wall is suitable for climbing. If the wall is suitable, the control system controls the pool bottom reversal module to make the robot face the pool wall, and controls the pool wall rising and attitude adjustment module to perform climbing.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control system is also configured to control the rotation speed of the adsorption component to the maximum speed when the pool wall rising and attitude adjustment module controls the robot body to climb up along the pool wall until the water outlet detection module continuously detects the water outlet signal. After the robot body is completely out of the water, the control system performs water pump speed calibration: while keeping the robot body vertically attached to the pool wall, the speed of the adsorption component is gradually reduced until the water outlet sensor detects the water ingress state again, and the speed at this moment is recorded as the calibration speed for the water line cleaning module. The control system controls the waterline cleaning module to perform cleaning operations along the waterline area according to the calibrated rotation speed.

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The moving mechanism includes a left track and a right track. The attitude stabilization control specifically includes: based on the roll angle obtained by the inertial measurement unit, calculating the differential speed control amount of the left track and the right track through a proportional-derivative controller or a proportional-integral-derivative controller to correct the left and right tilt of the robot body.

5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The formula for the differential control quantity Δv(t) is: in, The error is the roll angle. The angular velocity of the roll angle. For proportional gain, This is the differential gain.

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two-dimensional lidar is provided with a protective grid cover, which includes horizontal grids and vertical grids. The horizontal grids and vertical grids are arranged alternately, and a reinforcing horizontal grid is provided between the transmitter and receiver ports that constitute the two-dimensional lidar.

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water sensor is installed inside a light-proof and water-permeable structure on the top of the robot body.

8. A method for autonomous cleaning of pool walls and waterlines by a swimming pool robot, based on the system described in any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Pool bottom reversal step: Based on the pool wall distance information obtained by the two-dimensional lidar, control the pool robot to adjust its posture at the bottom of the pool to face the pool wall or continue to move along the bottom of the pool to change walls; Pool wall ascent and attitude adjustment steps: Control the pool robot to climb up the pool wall and perform attitude stabilization control based on the attitude angle obtained by the inertial measurement unit; Water discharge detection step: Based on the signal from the water discharge sensor, determine that the pool robot has reached the waterline; Waterline cleaning steps: Control the pool robot to move horizontally along the pool wall at the waterline position; Adjacent wall detection step: Use the two-dimensional lidar to locate the next wall to be cleaned; Descending from the wall: Control the pool robot to descend along the pool wall to the bottom of the pool.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, After the water discharge detection step, a water pump speed calibration step is also included. The water pump speed calibration step includes: after the robot body is completely out of the water, gradually reducing the speed of the adsorption component used to provide adsorption force until the water discharge sensor detects the water ingress state again, and recording the speed at this moment as the calibration speed for the water line cleaning step. The moving mechanism of the pool robot includes a left track and a right track. The attitude stabilization control in the pool wall rising and attitude adjustment steps specifically includes: calculating the differential control amount of the left track and the right track based on the roll angle obtained by the inertial measurement unit through a proportional-derivative controller or a proportional-integral-derivative controller, and controlling the left track and the right track according to the differential control amount to correct the left and right tilt of the pool robot.

10. A controller, characterized in that, It includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program that, when executed by the processor, implements the method of claim 8 or 9.

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