Swimming pool robot control method and swimming pool robot

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a control method of a swimming pool robot and the swimming pool robot. The control method comprises the steps that the first sub-advancing mechanism is controlled to operate at a first parameter value, the second sub-advancing mechanism is controlled to operate at a second parameter value, so that the yaw angle of the swimming pool robot relative to the reference direction is adjusted, and the swimming pool robot moves towards the waterline along the pool wall in the designated direction; the first parameter value is different from the second parameter value; and in the process that the swimming pool robot moves towards the waterline along the pool wall in the specified direction, if the swimming pool robot deflects towards the reference direction under the condition that an adjustment instruction for the yaw angle of the swimming pool robot is not received, and deflection parameters meet a first preset condition, it is determined that the swimming pool robot reaches the waterline. And the waterline detection accuracy is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of artificial intelligence, and in particular to a control method for a swimming pool robot and the swimming pool robot itself. Background Technology

[0002] Pool cleaning robots are core equipment for pool maintenance. Their main function is to reduce manual maintenance costs through automated cleaning. In practical applications, pool robots need to perform comprehensive cleaning of the pool bottom, pool walls, and waterline (i.e., the area where the pool water surface meets the air). When performing operations such as pool wall cleaning or waterline cleaning, it is necessary to detect the waterline position to execute the corresponding operation control.

[0003] In related technologies, pool robots detect the waterline using depth sensors. As the robot moves upwards along the pool wall, the depth sensors determine whether it has reached the waterline by measuring changes in water pressure or level. However, this method is prone to misjudgments when the pool wall is tilted or the water level fluctuates, resulting in low accuracy in waterline detection by the pool robot. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a control method for a swimming pool robot and a swimming pool robot, which improves the accuracy of the swimming pool robot in detecting the water line.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a control method for a swimming pool robot. The swimming pool robot includes a main body and a traveling mechanism. The traveling mechanism is used to drive the swimming pool robot to move in a swimming pool. The traveling mechanism includes a first sub-traveling mechanism and a second sub-traveling mechanism. The first sub-traveling mechanism is disposed on the left side of the main body, and the second sub-traveling mechanism is disposed on the right side of the main body.

[0006] The method includes:

[0007] The first sub-propelling mechanism is controlled to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-propelling mechanism is controlled to operate with a second parameter value, so as to adjust the yaw angle of the pool robot relative to the reference direction, so that the pool robot moves along the pool wall toward the waterline in a specified direction; the first parameter value and the second parameter value are different;

[0008] If, during the process of the pool robot moving towards the waterline along the pool wall in a specified direction, the pool robot deflects towards the reference direction without receiving an adjustment instruction for the yaw angle of the pool robot, and the deflection parameters meet the first preset condition, it is determined that the pool robot has reached the waterline.

[0009] In some implementations, the absolute value of the yaw angle of the specified direction relative to the reference direction is any value between 5 degrees and 20 degrees.

[0010] In some implementations, the first preset condition includes:

[0011] During the process of the pool robot deflecting towards the reference direction, the maximum deflection angle is greater than the first angle threshold.

[0012] Alternatively, during the process of the pool robot deflecting towards the reference direction, the deflection angle of the pool robot is greater than the second angle threshold within the first time period, and the second angle threshold is less than the first angle threshold.

[0013] Alternatively, during the process of the pool robot deflecting towards the reference direction, the integral value of the deflection angle of the pool robot is greater than the preset cumulative angle value.

[0014] In some implementations, the first preset condition includes:

[0015] During the process of the pool robot deflecting in the reference direction, the average angular velocity is greater than the angular velocity threshold.

[0016] Alternatively, during the process of the pool robot deflecting in the reference direction, the angular acceleration is greater than the angular acceleration threshold.

[0017] In some implementations, controlling the first sub-traveling mechanism to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-traveling mechanism to operate with a second parameter value to adjust the yaw angle of the pool robot relative to a reference direction includes:

[0018] The first sub-travel mechanism is controlled to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-travel mechanism is controlled to operate with a second parameter value, so that the pool robot yaws to the left;

[0019] Alternatively, the first sub-traveling mechanism can be controlled to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-traveling mechanism to operate with a second parameter value, so that the pool robot yaws to the right.

[0020] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0021] After reaching the waterline, the swimming pool robot is controlled to perform a backward movement along the pool wall, using the opposite direction of the reference direction as the backward direction.

[0022] In some implementations, the method targets a designated pool wall where the height from the waterline to the pool bottom is greater than a height threshold; the method includes:

[0023] First, control the pool robot to yaw to the left to perform the first cleaning of the designated pool wall; after completing the first cleaning of the designated pool wall, control the pool robot to yaw to the right to perform the second cleaning of the designated pool wall.

[0024] Alternatively, the pool robot can be controlled to yaw to the right to perform the first cleaning of the designated pool wall; after the first cleaning of the designated pool wall is completed, the pool robot can be controlled to yaw to the left to perform the second cleaning of the designated pool wall.

[0025] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0026] If no adjustment command for the yaw angle of the pool robot is received, and the pool robot yaws away from the specified direction, and the yaw parameters meet a second preset condition, the yaw angle of the pool robot relative to the reference direction is adjusted by a specified angular acceleration to make the pool robot yaw to the specified direction; wherein,

[0027] The second preset condition includes a maximum deflection angle less than a third angle threshold, the third angle threshold being less than a second angle threshold, and a specified angular acceleration being less than the angular acceleration threshold.

[0028] In some embodiments, the pool robot further includes: at least one filtration unit, at least a portion of which is disposed inside the main body, for filtering liquid entering the filtration unit;

[0029] At least one suction component, at least a portion of which is disposed inside the main body, is used to draw liquid from the pool into the filtration unit and to discharge liquid filtered by the filtration unit out of the main body;

[0030] The traveling mechanism includes a walking component that contacts a support surface to drive the pool robot to move on the support surface, the support surface including at least the pool wall; the first sub-traveling mechanism includes a first sub-walking component, and the second sub-traveling mechanism includes a second sub-walking component;

[0031] The control of the first sub-traveling mechanism to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-traveling mechanism to operate with a second parameter value, to adjust the yaw angle of the pool robot relative to a reference direction, so that the pool robot moves along the pool wall toward the waterline in a specified direction, includes:

[0032] If, during the process of controlling the first sub-walking component and the second sub-walking component to perform differential motion to adjust the yaw angle of the pool robot relative to the reference direction, the angle between the forward direction of the pool robot and the specified direction is greater than the third angle threshold within the second time period, it is determined that the forward direction adjustment of the pool robot is abnormal.

[0033] In the event of abnormal adjustment of the forward direction of the pool robot, the motor power or impeller speed of the suction component is increased to control the pool robot to deflect in the specified direction based on the differential motion, so that the pool robot moves along the pool wall toward the waterline in the specified direction.

[0034] In some embodiments, the pool robot further includes: at least one filtration unit, at least a portion of which is disposed inside the main body, for filtering liquid entering the filtration unit;

[0035] At least one suction component, at least a portion of which is disposed inside the main body, is used to draw liquid from the pool into the filtration unit and to discharge liquid filtered by the filtration unit out of the main body;

[0036] The method further includes:

[0037] When the pool robot reaches the waterline, reduce the motor power of the traveling mechanism and / or reduce the motor power or impeller speed of the suction assembly.

[0038] In some embodiments, the pool robot includes: a main body;

[0039] An ultrasonic sensor is disposed at the front end of the main body;

[0040] The method further includes:

[0041] During the process of the pool robot moving along the pool wall toward the waterline in a specified direction, the distance to the waterline is detected by the ultrasonic sensor, and the distance to the waterline is the distance between the pool robot and the waterline.

[0042] When the distance to the waterline is a preset distance, the pool robot is controlled to continue moving from its current position for a third time period.

[0043] If, during or after the third travel period, without receiving an adjustment instruction for the yaw angle of the pool robot, the pool robot yaws toward the reference direction and the yaw parameters meet the first preset condition, it is determined that the pool robot has reached the waterline.

[0044] In some embodiments, the pool robot includes: a main body;

[0045] At least one filter unit, at least a portion of which is disposed inside the main body, for filtering liquid entering the filter unit;

[0046] At least one suction component, at least a portion of which is disposed inside the main body, is used to draw liquid from the pool into the filtration unit and to discharge liquid filtered by the filtration unit out of the main body;

[0047] The method further includes:

[0048] If the impeller speed of the suction component remains constant, and the current value of the suction component is greater than a preset current threshold, it is determined that the pool robot has reached the waterline.

[0049] Alternatively, if the current value of the suction component remains constant, and the impeller speed of the suction component is less than a preset speed threshold, it is determined that the pool robot has reached the waterline.

[0050] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a pool robot, including: a main body and a traveling mechanism, the traveling mechanism being used to drive the pool robot to move in a pool, the traveling mechanism including a first sub-traveling mechanism and a second sub-traveling mechanism, the first sub-traveling mechanism being disposed on the left side of the main body, and the second sub-traveling mechanism being disposed on the right side of the main body;

[0051] A control unit, at least for performing the method described in the first aspect.

[0052] The control method and swimming pool robot provided in this application embodiment control the swimming pool robot to move along the pool wall toward the waterline in a specified direction. During this process, the swimming pool robot determines whether it has reached the waterline based on the deflection parameters of the swimming pool robot deflecting toward the reference direction, thereby improving the accuracy of waterline detection. Attached Figure Description

[0053] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0054] Figure 1 Structural diagram of the pool robot provided in this application Figure 1 ;

[0055] Figure 2 Structural diagram of the pool robot provided in this application Figure 2 ;

[0056] Figure 3 Structural diagram of the pool robot provided in this application Figure 3 ;

[0057] Figure 4 Structural diagram of the pool robot provided in this application Figure 4 ;

[0058] Figure 5Structural diagram of the pool robot provided in this application Figure 5 ;

[0059] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the movement direction of the pool robot provided in this application Figure 1 ;

[0060] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the movement direction of the pool robot provided in this application Figure 2 ;

[0061] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the movement direction of the pool robot provided in this application Figure 3 ;

[0062] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the yaw angle of the pool robot provided in this application;

[0063] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the pitch angle of the pool robot provided in this application;

[0064] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the pool wall inclination angle provided in this application.

[0065] Figure label:

[0066] 100. Pool robot; 101. Main body; 1001a. First end; 1001b. Second end; 1009. Distance detection device; 1010. Image acquisition device; 10011. Front; 10012. Rear; 1031. First water inlet; 1032. Second water inlet; 1040. Liquid outlet; 1050. Filter unit; 10511c. First baffle; 10511d. Second baffle; 1060. Suction assembly; 1071. Walking assembly; 1171. First walking wheel; 1172. Second walking wheel; 117. Track; 1072. Propulsion assembly; 10721. Thruster; 1101. Float cavity; 113. Air inlet; 119. Discharge outlet; 200. Waterline; 201. Reference direction; 202. Designated direction; 203. Opposite direction of the reference direction.

[0067] The accompanying drawings have illustrated specific embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept in any way, but rather to illustrate the concept of this application to those skilled in the art through reference to specific embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0068] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0069] Pool robots are used to perform tasks such as cleaning, disinfection, and rescue in a target area. The target area can be any water-containing area where the pool robot can move. For example, the target area can include, but is not limited to, swimming pools, water tanks, oil wells, sewers, etc. The following description uses a swimming pool as an example of the target area.

[0070] A swimming pool includes at least a pool bottom and pool walls. Platforms may be built inside the pool. These platforms can be sun decks, steps, etc. Steps can be considered special platforms, with each step serving as a platform.

[0071] The pool robot's bottom contacts the pool bottom, allowing it to move or remain stationary on the pool bottom. Alternatively, the pool robot may be below the water surface, but its bottom does not contact the pool bottom, enabling it to float in the water and move or remain stationary. The pool robot's bottom contacts the pool wall, allowing it to move or remain stationary on the pool wall. The pool robot may float on the water surface, with at least a portion above and at least a portion below the water surface, exhibiting a floating posture and moving or remaining stationary on the surface. The floating posture may include a surface posture, where the second water inlet is partially above and partially below the water surface; or the entire second water inlet is below the water surface, and the distance between the upper edge of the second water inlet and the water surface is less than a preset distance. For example, the pool robot in a surface posture can perform surface cleaning. The pool robot's bottom contacts a platform surface, allowing it to move or remain stationary on the platform surface. The bottom of the pool robot contacts the platform wall, allowing the pool robot to adopt the platform wall posture, move on the platform wall, or stay on the platform wall.

[0072] For example, the pool robot is Pool Robot 100. For ease of description, Pool Robot 100 will be used as an example in the following text. See [link / reference] Figures 1 to 5 The structure of the pool robot will be explained in detail.

[0073] For the pool robot 100, it can be a robot powered by a built-in rechargeable battery or a device powered by an external cable. If the pool robot 100 has bottom and wall movement capabilities, it can clean the pool bottom and walls; if it has bottom, wall, and surface movement capabilities, it can clean the pool bottom, walls, and surface. The fact that the pool robot 100 has movement capabilities means it is an autonomous walking robot, requiring no user to push or pull it.

[0074] The pool robot 100 includes a body 101. In some embodiments, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the main body 101 includes a first end 1001a and a second end 1001b. One of the first end 1001a and the second end 1001b is a front part 10011 (the second water inlet 1032, the image acquisition component 1010, and the distance detection component 1009 are located at the front part 10011 of the main body 101), and the other is a rear part 10012. The main body 101 also includes a side part (the walking component 1071 is located at the side part of the main body 101), a top part (the first water outlet of the liquid outlet 1040 is located at the top of the main body 101), and a bottom part (the first water inlet 1031 is located at the bottom of the main body 101).

[0075] The main body 101 includes a shell. The shell has at least one opening to allow fluid to enter and exit the interior of the main body. The opening may include, for example, a first water outlet, a first water inlet 1031, a second water inlet 1032, and an air inlet corresponding to the buoyancy and submersion mechanism.

[0076] In some embodiments, the housing is further provided with at least one window or through hole, and some sensors (such as...) Figure 3 The image acquisition unit 1010 and the distance detection unit 1009 can be at least partially installed inside the main body for acquiring external environmental data.

[0077] like Figure 4 As shown, the main body 101 is provided with at least one liquid inlet, at least one filter unit 1050, at least one liquid outlet 1040, and at least one suction assembly 1060. For example, the liquid outlet 1040 includes a first water outlet formed on the outer shell of the main body 101, and the first water outlet is at least partially located on the top of the main body 101. The filter unit 1050 is at least partially located inside the main body 101. For example, the main body includes a first receiving cavity and a second receiving cavity, which are spaced apart from each other but connected. The filter unit 1050 may include a filter box, at least partially located in the first receiving cavity, and the filter box is used to filter liquid entering therein.

[0078] The suction assembly 1060 is at least partially disposed inside the body 101. For example, the suction assembly 1060 is at least partially disposed in the second receiving cavity.

[0079] The liquid inlet serves as the entrance for liquid from the pool to enter the main body 101. When the pool robot 100 moves underwater, along the pool wall, or on the water surface, the liquid in the pool is drawn into the filtration unit 1050 by the suction assembly 1060. The filtration unit 1050 filters the liquid entering it. After being filtered by the filtration unit 1050, the liquid is discharged from the main body 101 through the liquid outlet 1040 after passing through the suction assembly 1060. Debris carried by the liquid is collected in the filtration unit 1050, thus cleaning the liquid in the pool. For example, the suction assembly 1060 includes a main water pump.

[0080] In some embodiments, the liquid inlet includes at least one opening formed on the housing, through which at least a portion of the fluid enters the body 101, the fluid being a gas and / or a liquid. Figure 4 As shown, the liquid inlet section includes at least a first water inlet 1031 opened on the outer shell of the main body 101, and the liquid outlet section 1040 includes at least a first water outlet opened on the outer shell of the main body 101; the first water inlet 1031, the filter unit 1050, the suction assembly 1060 and the first water outlet are sequentially fluidly connected to form a first water channel. When the pool robot 100 is cleaning the pool bottom, pool wall and platform surface, the first water inlet 1031 is used to supply liquid to flow into the filter unit 1050.

[0081] In other embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the liquid inlet section includes at least a second water inlet 1032 opened on the outer shell of the main body 101, and the liquid outlet section 1040 includes at least a first water outlet opened on the outer shell of the main body 101; the second water inlet 1032, the filter unit 1050, the suction assembly 1060 and the first water outlet are connected in sequence to form a second water channel for cleaning the water surface and water line.

[0082] In some embodiments, there is one first inlet, one second inlet, and one first outlet. Alternatively, in other embodiments, there are multiple first inlets, and / or second inlets, and / or first outlets. For example, there are two, three, or more first inlets.

[0083] For example, the first water inlet 1031 is located at the bottom of the main body 101, and the first water outlet of the liquid outlet 1040 is located at the top of the main body 101. The second water inlet 1032 is located at the front of the main body 101, and the pool robot 100 cleans the water surface by walking forward when cleaning the water surface. In another embodiment, the second water inlet 1032 is located at the rear of the main body 101 (not shown in the figure), and the pool robot 100 cleans the water surface by walking backward when cleaning the water surface.

[0084] In some embodiments, the suction assembly 1060 includes at least a main water pump, which includes a first impeller and a main motor.

[0085] In some embodiments, a first baffle 10511c is provided at the first water inlet 1031, and a second baffle 10511d is provided at the second water inlet 1032. When the pool robot 100 is cleaning the water surface, the first baffle 10511c is in a closed state to prevent liquid in the pool from entering the filter unit 1050 through the first water inlet 1031, and the second baffle 10511d is in an open state to allow liquid to enter the filter unit 1050 through the second water inlet 1032. When the pool robot 100 is cleaning the pool bottom, pool wall, or platform surface, the second baffle 10511d is in a closed state to prevent liquid from entering the filter unit 1050 through the second water inlet 1032, and the first baffle 10511c is in an open state to allow liquid to enter the filter unit 1050 through the first water inlet 1031. That is, when cleaning the water surface, the first baffle 10511c is in the closed state and the second baffle 10511d is in the open state; when cleaning the pool wall, pool bottom or platform surface, the first baffle 10511c is in the open state and the second baffle 10511d is in the closed state.

[0086] For example, the second baffle 10511d rotates outward toward the first body 101 to open the second water inlet 1032; the second baffle 10511d rotates from outside the first body 101 toward the second water inlet 1032 to close the second water inlet 1032. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the first baffle 10511c may be disposed on the first water inlet 1031, rotating toward the inner cavity of the filter unit 1050 and away from the first water inlet 1031 to open the first water inlet 1031; and the first baffle 10511c rotates toward the first water inlet 1031 to close the first water inlet 1031.

[0087] In some embodiments, the pool robot 100 includes a traveling mechanism for driving the pool robot to move in a pool. The traveling mechanism may include a walking component 1071 and / or a propulsion component 1072. The walking component 1071 may be disposed at the bottom and / or side of the main body 101. The propulsion component 1072 may be disposed at the side and / or rear of the main body 101.

[0088] The walking component 1071 can contact a support surface such as the pool bottom, and / or pool wall, and / or platform surface, and / or obstacle surface, and obtain a reaction force through interaction with the support surface to drive the pool robot 100 to move on the support surface. For example, in one embodiment, the walking component 1071 may include at least two walking wheels and at least one motor to drive the walking wheels. For example, there are two walking wheels, symmetrically arranged on the main body 101. Alternatively, there are four walking wheels, similar to the walking wheels of a car, symmetrically arranged on the main body 101. Or, as... Figure 1 or Figure 2 As shown, the walking assembly 1071 includes a first walking wheel 1171, a second walking wheel 1172, and a track 117 wrapped around the outer periphery of the first walking wheel 1171 and the second walking wheel 1172, and an annular area formed between the inner first platform wall of the track 117 and the two walking wheels. There are two sets of walking assemblies 1071, located on opposite sides of the main body 101.

[0089] The propulsion component 1072 can generate a reaction force through its interaction with the water, thereby driving the pool robot 100 to move. In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, the propulsion assembly 1072 includes at least one thruster 10721, which propels the liquid along a first preset direction. When the liquid moves along the first preset direction, the pool robot 100 is subjected to a first driving force in the horizontal direction, wherein the direction of the first driving force is opposite to the first preset direction. By setting the thruster 10721, the position switching of the pool robot 100 in the horizontal direction can be realized. For example, it can move straight or turn in the horizontal direction, enabling the pool robot 100 to walk on the water surface, which is convenient for cleaning the pool surface. For example, the propulsion assembly 1072 includes at least a second impeller and a propulsion motor. In one embodiment, two thrusters 10721 are provided on opposite sides of the main body 101.

[0090] In some embodiments, the traveling mechanism includes a first sub-traveling mechanism and a second sub-traveling mechanism. The first sub-traveling mechanism is disposed on the left side of the main body, and the second sub-traveling mechanism is disposed on the right side of the main body. The first sub-traveling mechanism includes a first sub-walking component and / or a first sub-propulsion component, and the second sub-traveling mechanism includes a second sub-walking component and / or a second sub-propulsion component. The first sub-walking component and the second sub-walking component are respectively portions of the walking component 1071 disposed on opposite sides of the main body 101, and the first sub-propulsion component and the second sub-propulsion component are respectively portions of the propulsion component 1072 disposed on opposite sides of the main body 101.

[0091] In some embodiments, the pool robot 100 further includes an surfacing and diving mechanism. For example, the surfacing and diving mechanism is disposed within the main body 101 and is used to drive the pool robot 100 from underwater to the surface and enable the pool robot 100 to float on the water surface; it can also be used to drive the pool robot 100 from the surface to underwater. That is, the surfacing and diving mechanism enables the pool robot 100 to switch between underwater and surface conditions.

[0092] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 or Figure 2 As shown, the surfacing and diving mechanism includes at least one float cavity 1101, at least one first adjusting member (not shown in the figure), and at least one air inlet 113. The float cavity 1101 is used to at least contain gas. One end of the air inlet 113 is connected to the outside (e.g., an air inlet is provided on the outer shell of the main body 101, through which the air inlet 113 can be connected to the outside at least), and the other end of the air inlet 113 is connected to the float cavity 1101 or the first adjusting member. The first adjusting member is used to adjust the volume of gas in the float cavity 1101. Under the action of the first adjusting member, outside gas enters the float cavity 1101 through the air inlet 113 to increase the volume of gas in the float cavity 1101; or, gas in the float cavity 1101 is discharged outside the float cavity 1101 through the air inlet 113 to decrease the volume of gas in the float cavity 1101.

[0093] In some embodiments, the float cavity 1101 is flexible. Driven by the first adjusting member, external gas enters the float cavity 1101 through the air inlet 113, or gas inside the float cavity 1101 is discharged outside the float cavity 1101 through the air inlet 113, thereby increasing or decreasing the volume of gas inside the float cavity 1101. In this embodiment, the first adjusting member can be an air pump. The float cavity 1101 has two states: when the pool robot 100 floats on the water surface, the float cavity 1101 is almost full of gas, and the volume of the float cavity 1101 increases, resulting in an inflated state; when the pool robot 100 is at the bottom of the pool or below the water surface, the float cavity 1101 is almost empty, resulting in a deflated state. Alternatively, when the pool robot 100 is on the shore, the first adjusting member is opened to discharge the gas inside the float cavity 1101, causing the float cavity 1101 to be in a deflated or empty state.

[0094] In other embodiments, the float cavity 1101 is rigid, and the buoyancy and submersion mechanism further includes a drainage section, which includes a discharge port 119. One end of the drainage section is connected to the outside, and the other end is connected to the float cavity 1101 or the first adjusting member. Under the action of the first adjusting member, external gas can be driven into the float cavity 1101 through the air inlet 113. The volume of the gas entering the float cavity 1101 increases, thereby squeezing the liquid in the float cavity 1101 out of the float cavity 1101 through the drainage section, thereby increasing the volume of gas in the float cavity 1101 and decreasing the volume of liquid. In this embodiment, the first adjusting member is an air pump.

[0095] Alternatively, in some embodiments, under the action of the first adjusting member, the liquid in the float cavity 1101 is driven to be discharged out of the float cavity 1101 through the drain section, creating a negative pressure inside the float cavity 1101. External gas is then drawn into the float cavity 1101 through the air inlet 113, increasing the volume of gas inside the float cavity 1101. Conversely, under the action of the first adjusting member, external liquid is driven into the float cavity 1101 through the drain section. The intake of liquid in the float cavity 1101 forces the gas inside the float cavity 1101 out of the float cavity through the air inlet 113, thereby reducing the volume of gas inside the float cavity 1101 and increasing the volume of liquid inside the float cavity 1101. In this embodiment, the first adjusting member can be a water pump.

[0096] During the transition from the pool bottom to the water surface, the pool robot 100 can first walk from the pool bottom to the pool wall, and then switch from the pool wall to the water surface. Specifically: the pool robot 100 walks from its current position to the pool wall, and then walks from the pool wall to the water surface, so that the end of the air intake 113 connected to the outside is above the water surface (in the air). Under the action of the first adjusting component, outside air enters the air intake 113 through the air inlet, and then enters the floatation cavity 1101 to increase the volume of air in the floatation cavity 1101 and reduce the weight of the pool robot. Alternatively, the center of gravity of the pool robot can be changed to allow the pool robot 100 to switch from the pool wall posture to the floating posture, thereby realizing the transition of the pool robot 100 from underwater to the water surface. Alternatively, during the process of switching from the bottom of the pool to the surface, the pool robot 100 can also switch without going through the pool wall posture. For example, it can first switch from the bottom posture to the floating posture. When the end of the air intake 113 connected to the outside is above the water surface, under the action of the first adjusting member, the outside gas enters the floating cavity 1101 through the air intake 113 to increase the volume of the gas in the floating cavity 1101 and reduce the gravity of the pool robot, so that the pool robot can switch from the pool wall posture to the floating posture.

[0097] Alternatively, if the pool robot 100 needs to descend from the water surface to the bottom of the pool, when the float cavity 1101 is rigid, under the first adjustment action, the gas in the float cavity 1101 is discharged, and the liquid in the pool enters the float cavity 1101 to increase the gravity of the float cavity 1101, so that the gravity of the pool robot 100 is greater than its buoyancy, and the pool robot 100 descends directly from the water surface to the bottom of the pool.

[0098] In some embodiments, if the float cavity 1101 is rigid, when the pool robot 100 floats on the water surface, the float cavity 1101 is almost entirely gas and contains very little liquid; when the pool robot 100 is below the water surface, the float cavity 1101 is almost entirely liquid and contains very little gas.

[0099] The pool robot 100 includes a distance detection element 1009. The distance detection element 1009 is positioned at any location on the main body 101, such as... Figure 3 As shown, a distance detection element 1009 is located at the front of the main body 101. The distance detection element may partially protrude from the outer shell, completely protrude from the outer shell, be flush with the outer shell, or be recessed relative to the outer shell. The distance detection element 1009 is used to identify the distance between objects within the target area and the pool robot 100, so that the control unit can control the movement of the pool robot 100 based on the measured distance. The distance detection element 1009 may be an ultrasonic sensor, a laser distance sensor (LDS), an infrared sensor, etc.

[0100] In some implementations, the outer casing may be provided with a first window, and the distance detection device is located inside the main body. The device transmits signals to the outside of the main body through the first window to collect information about the external environment.

[0101] For example, one or more distance detection elements 1009 may be provided on the front part of the main body 101. If the front part of the main body 101 contains at least two distance detection elements 1009, the types of the different distance detection elements 1009 may be the same or different. For example, when the front part of the main body 101 contains two distance detection elements 1009, one may be an infrared sensor and the other an ultrasonic sensor, or both may be infrared sensors, or both may be ultrasonic sensors. Similar to the front part of the main body 101, the number and type of distance detection elements in the rear, sides, top, and bottom parts of the main body 101 can also be set as needed and are not limited.

[0102] Taking the distance detection element 1009 as an ultrasonic sensor as an example, the ultrasonic sensor includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter can emit sound wave signals, which are reflected by an object and then received by the receiver. When the shell includes a first window, the transmitter can emit sound wave signals outside the shell through the first window. After being reflected by an object, the sound wave signals enter the shell through the first window and are received by the receiver. The distance between the object reflecting the sound wave signal and the distance detection element is determined based on the sound wave signal received by the receiver, thereby determining the distance between the pool robot and the object.

[0103] For example, the distance detection element 1009 is disposed at any position on the main body 101, such as at the bottom and / or front of the main body. The transmitter emits a signal below the pool robot to determine the distance between the object below the pool robot and the pool robot based on the signal received by the receiver. When the pool robot is on the platform surface or the bottom of the pool, if the distance between the object below the pool robot and the pool robot is greater than a preset first threshold, it can be considered that there is a cliff below the pool robot; if the pool robot is on the pool wall, if the distance between the object below the pool robot and the pool robot is greater than a preset second threshold, it can be considered that the pool robot is about to reach the platform surface. That is, the same distance detection element can be used to perform cliff detection and platform detection. Of course, the distance detection element used for cliff detection and the distance detection element used for platform detection can also be two independent components.

[0104] The distance detection element 1009 is located at the front of the main body 101. The transmitter sends a signal to the front of the pool robot to determine the distance between the object in front of the pool robot and the pool robot based on the signal received by the receiver. The distance detection element 1009 can be used to realize obstacle detection, water surface detection, etc.

[0105] The distance detection element 1009 is located on the side of the main body 101. The transmitter sends a signal to the left or right of the pool robot to determine the distance between the object to the left or right of the pool robot and the pool robot based on the signal received by the receiver. The distance detection element 1009 can be used to detect the distance between the pool robot and the pool wall to assist the pool robot in cleaning along the edge.

[0106] In one implementation, such as Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the pool robot 100 also includes an image acquisition unit 1010, which can be disposed at any position on the main body 101. The image acquisition unit 1010 is used to acquire images of the target area. For example, at least one image acquisition unit 1010 is disposed at the front of the main body 101. The image acquisition unit may partially protrude from the shell, fully protrude from the shell, be flush with the shell, or be recessed relative to the shell.

[0107] In some embodiments, a second window is provided on the outer casing, through which light can enter the image acquisition unit 1010, so that the image acquisition unit 1010 can complete the acquisition of information about the external environment and form an image including the internal environment of the pool and / or the surrounding environment of the pool.

[0108] The images acquired by the image acquisition unit 1010 can be used to detect object type and object contour. For example, the images acquired by the image acquisition unit 1010 can be used to identify obstacles and / or litter, or to identify the type of obstacle or litter, and can also be used to identify a drying platform, etc. And / or, the images acquired by the image acquisition unit 1010 can be used to determine the distance between the pool robot and objects. The number of image acquisition units 1010 used for distance detection can be one or multiple, such as a binocular ranging sensor, that is, the image acquisition unit 1010 can also be used as a distance detection unit 1009. The control unit can control the movement of the pool robot 100 based on the detection results of the image acquisition unit 1010.

[0109] In some embodiments, the pool robot 100 includes at least one obstacle detection sensor for detecting obstacles in the pool. The obstacle detection sensor can be at least one of an image acquisition device, a distance detection device, etc.

[0110] Obstacle detection sensors can be distance sensors. During the movement of the pool robot, the distance sensor can emit signals in one or more directions and receive the returned signals, determining the distance based on the returned signals. When the detected value of the distance sensor is greater than a first distance threshold or the detection value is lost (no returned signal is received), it can be considered that no obstacle has been detected; when the detected value of the distance sensor is less than or equal to the first distance threshold, it can be considered that an obstacle has been detected.

[0111] And / or, the obstacle detection sensor can be an image acquisition device. During the movement of the pool robot, it determines whether an obstacle is detected based on the object contour features in the image acquired by the image acquisition device. In some embodiments, the type of obstacle can also be identified based on the object contour features in the image acquired by the image acquisition device.

[0112] In some implementations, the pool robot 100 includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) which can be used to detect the attitude of the pool robot, such as angular velocity, acceleration, angular acceleration, yaw angle, pitch angle, etc.

[0113] In some embodiments, when the pool robot cleans the pool wall, a first sub-propelling mechanism is controlled to operate with a first parameter value and a second sub-propelling mechanism to operate with a second parameter value to adjust the yaw angle of the pool robot relative to a reference direction, so that the pool robot moves along the pool wall toward the waterline in a specified direction; wherein the first parameter value and the second parameter value differ. The reference direction can be determined based on a pool wall coordinate system pre-configured in the pool robot. For example, when constructing the pool wall coordinate system based on the gravity direction, the reference direction can be the opposite direction of the projection of the pool robot's gravity direction onto the pool wall.

[0114] When the pool robot is in the pool wall posture, if the first sub-propelling mechanism and the second sub-propelling mechanism operate with different parameter values, the driving force on the left and right sides of the pool robot will be different, which will cause the forward direction of the pool robot to deflect to the left or right, that is, the yaw angle of the pool robot relative to the reference direction will change.

[0115] Reference Figure 6 As shown, when the pool robot is in a pool wall posture along or near the reference direction 201, if the first and second sub-journeying mechanisms operate with different parameter values, the driving forces on the left and right sides of the pool robot will be different, thus causing the pool robot's forward direction to veer left or right relative to the reference direction. That is, by adjusting the parameter values ​​of the first and second sub-journeying mechanisms, the yaw angle of the pool robot can be changed, allowing the pool robot to veer to a specified yaw angle. Then, by controlling the parameter values ​​of the first and second sub-journeying mechanisms, the pool robot can move along the pool wall towards the waterline at a specified yaw angle. When the pool robot moves at the specified yaw angle, its forward direction is designated as the specified direction 202.

[0116] Controlling the first sub-traveling mechanism to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-traveling mechanism to operate with a second parameter value can be achieved by controlling the first and second sub-traveling components to perform differential motion, that is, controlling the first and second sub-traveling components to operate with different motor power, and / or the first and second sub-traveling components to operate with different drive wheel speeds. And / or, controlling the first sub-traveling mechanism to operate with the first parameter value and the second sub-traveling mechanism to operate with the second parameter value can be achieved by controlling the first and second sub-propulsion components to operate with different motor power, and / or the first and second sub-propulsion components to operate with different impeller speeds.

[0117] During the movement of the pool robot towards the waterline along the pool wall in a designated direction, if the robot veers towards a reference direction without receiving a yaw angle adjustment command, and the yaw parameters meet a first preset condition, it is determined that the pool robot has reached the waterline. During the movement towards the waterline, upon reaching the waterline, a small portion of the front of the robot emerges from the water. This transition from a liquid environment to a gaseous environment causes a change in the fluid resistance experienced by this exposed portion. Furthermore, the friction between this exposed portion and the pool wall may also change, leading to a tendency for the pool robot to veer from the designated direction towards the reference direction.

[0118] For example, if the specified direction is to the left of the reference direction, the pool robot will deflect to the right upon reaching the waterline, and its forward direction will move closer to the reference direction. If the specified direction is to the right of the reference direction, the pool robot will deflect to the left upon reaching the waterline, and its forward direction will move closer to the reference direction. Therefore, during the pool robot's movement towards the waterline, it can be determined whether the robot has reached the waterline by detecting its deflection parameters. These parameters can be at least one of the following: deflection direction, deflection angle, deflection angular velocity, and deflection angular acceleration. These deflection parameters can be detected by an inertial measurement unit.

[0119] It is understandable that during the process of controlling the pool robot to move towards the waterline along the pool wall at a certain yaw angle, before reaching the waterline, the yaw angle of the pool robot may deflect due to various factors such as water fluctuations and changes in friction between the traveling mechanism and the pool wall. However, this deflection is usually different from the instantaneous deflection produced when the pool robot moves from below the water surface to partially emerging from the water surface. In the embodiments of this specification, this difference can be used to simply and effectively determine whether the pool robot is partially emerging from the water surface. Moreover, the solution provided in the embodiments of this specification can achieve waterline detection simply by controlling the yaw angle of the pool robot traveling along the pool wall and detecting the deflection parameters of the pool robot, which greatly reduces the cost of waterline detection.

[0120] For example, the arrival of the pool robot at the waterline can be determined when the deflection parameters meet a first preset condition. The deflection parameter can be the deflection angle. In some embodiments, the first preset condition may include: during the process of the pool robot deflecting towards a reference direction, the maximum deflection angle is greater than a first angle threshold, indicating that the yaw angle of the pool robot has a significant change. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the first preset condition may include: during the process of the pool robot deflecting towards the reference direction, the deflection angle of the pool robot is greater than a second angle threshold within a first time period, and the second angle threshold is less than the first angle threshold, indicating that the pool robot has a large deflection angle and maintains it for a certain period of time. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the first preset condition may include: during the process of the pool robot deflecting towards the reference direction, the integral value of the pool robot's deflection angle is greater than a preset cumulative angle value, indicating that the yaw angle of the pool robot has a significant cumulative change over a certain period of time. The cumulative change can more accurately characterize the deflection characteristics of the pool robot when it reaches the waterline, improving the accuracy of waterline detection.

[0121] For example, the deflection parameters can be angular velocity and / or angular acceleration. In some embodiments, the first preset condition may include: during the deflection of the pool robot in the reference direction, the average angular velocity is greater than an angular velocity threshold, and / or, during the deflection of the pool robot in the reference direction, the angular acceleration is greater than an angular acceleration threshold. Angular velocity can characterize the instantaneous change in the forward direction of the pool robot, and angular acceleration can characterize the force change characteristics of the pool robot when it is partially out of the water. Using the above two parameters as deflection parameters can more accurately determine whether the pool robot has moved from below the water surface to partially above the water surface, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the pool robot reaching the waterline.

[0122] In some embodiments, when it is determined that the pool robot has reached the waterline, the motor power of the traveling mechanism is reduced, and / or the motor power or impeller speed of the suction component is reduced, in order to prevent the pool robot from rushing out of the waterline at a high speed before it is detected that the pool robot has reached the waterline, which would cause the pool robot to become unstable.

[0123] It should be noted that, in the various embodiments of this application, increasing the motor power can mean increasing the motor power from a non-zero value to a larger value while the motor is on; or it can mean controlling the motor to turn on while the motor is off, i.e., increasing the motor power from zero to a non-zero value. Decreasing the motor power can mean decreasing the motor power from a non-zero value to a smaller value while the motor is on; or it can mean controlling the motor to turn off while the motor is on, i.e., decreasing the motor power from a non-zero value to zero.

[0124] In some embodiments, after the pool robot reaches the waterline, the reverse direction of the reference direction is used as the backward direction to control the pool robot to perform a backward movement along the pool wall. Referring again... Figure 6 As shown, the pool robot moves along the pool wall toward the waterline 200 in a specified direction 202. After reaching the waterline 200, it performs a backward movement in the opposite direction 203 of the reference direction.

[0125] When a pool robot performs a backward movement along the pool wall, the conditions for stopping backward movement can be: stopping backward movement when it reaches the bottom of the pool wall, that is, when it is close to the bottom of the pool in the pool wall posture; or stopping backward movement when it is a certain distance away from the bottom of the pool in the pool wall posture; or, the pool robot moves backward movement until it reaches the bottom of the pool, that is, it changes from the pool wall posture to the bottom posture.

[0126] When the pool robot moves backward, since it does not involve waterline detection, it can be controlled to move backward in the opposite direction of the reference direction to reduce control complexity and improve backward efficiency. Furthermore, when moving backward in this direction, it can also clean the parts that the pool robot did not clean when moving forward, ensuring cleaning coverage.

[0127] In some embodiments, the first sub-propelling mechanism is controlled to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-propelling mechanism to operate with a second parameter value, causing the pool robot to yaw to the left. The pool robot moves along the pool wall towards the waterline in the specified direction of the left yaw. After reaching the waterline, it reverses along the pool wall in the opposite direction of the reference direction, and stops reversing when the condition for stopping reversing is met. Then, the first sub-propelling mechanism is controlled again to operate with the first parameter value and the second sub-propelling mechanism to operate with the second parameter value, causing the pool robot to yaw to the left. The pool robot moves along the pool wall towards the waterline in the specified direction of the left yaw. The pool robot repeats the above operation up and down along the pool wall, as if... Figure 7 The path shown performs pool wall cleaning operations.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first sub-propelling mechanism is controlled to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-propelling mechanism is controlled to operate with a second parameter value, so that the pool robot yaws to the right and moves along the pool wall toward the waterline in the specified direction of the right yaw. After reaching the waterline, the robot moves backward along the pool wall in the opposite direction of the reference direction. When the condition for stopping backward is met, the backward movement stops. Then, the first sub-propelling mechanism is controlled to operate with the first parameter value and the second sub-propelling mechanism is controlled to operate with the second parameter value again, so that the pool robot yaws to the right and moves along the pool wall toward the waterline in the specified direction of the right yaw. The pool robot repeats the above operation up and down along the pool wall, as if... Figure 8 The path shown performs pool wall cleaning operations.

[0129] When the height from the waterline to the pool bottom is high, the cleaning strategy of the pool robot yaws forward at a left or right angle and then retreats in the opposite direction of the reference direction may result in areas that are missed during cleaning. In addition, areas near obstacles on the pool walls or the transition zone between two pool walls are also prone to being missed. Therefore, in some embodiments, for a specific pool wall where the height from the waterline to the pool bottom is greater than a height threshold, the pool robot is first controlled to yaw to the left to perform the first cleaning of the specified pool wall; after completing the first cleaning of the specified pool wall, the pool robot is then controlled to yaw to the right to perform the second cleaning of the specified pool wall.

[0130] For example, the first sub-moving mechanism is controlled to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-moving mechanism to operate with a second parameter value, causing the pool robot to yaw to the left. The pool robot moves along the pool wall towards the waterline in the specified direction of the left yaw. After reaching the waterline, it reverses along the pool wall in the opposite direction of the reference direction, and stops reversing when the condition for stopping reversing is met. The above operation is repeated to yaw to the left and move up and down along the pool wall until the first cleaning is completed. Then, the first sub-moving mechanism is controlled to operate with the first parameter value and the second sub-moving mechanism to operate with the second parameter value, causing the pool robot to yaw to the right. The pool robot moves along the pool wall towards the waterline in the specified direction of the right yaw. After reaching the waterline, it reverses along the pool wall in the opposite direction of the reference direction, and stops reversing when the condition for stopping reversing is met. The above operation is repeated to yaw to the right and move up and down along the pool wall until the second cleaning is completed. The cleaning robot is controlled to perform one cleaning operation by yawing to the left and then another by yawing to the right. The two cleaning paths are superimposed, which can improve the coverage of the pool wall, reduce missed cleaning, and ensure the cleaning effect.

[0131] Alternatively, in some embodiments, for a designated pool wall where the height from the waterline to the bottom of the pool is greater than a height threshold, the pool robot is first controlled to yaw to the right to perform the first cleaning of the designated pool wall; after the first cleaning of the designated pool wall is completed, the pool robot is then controlled to yaw to the left to perform the second cleaning of the designated pool wall.

[0132] The first sub-moving mechanism is controlled to operate with a first parameter value, and the second sub-moving mechanism is controlled to operate with a second parameter value, causing the pool robot to yaw to the right. The pool robot moves along the pool wall towards the waterline in the specified direction of right yaw. After reaching the waterline, it reverses along the pool wall in the opposite direction of the reference direction, and stops reversing when the condition for stopping reversing is met. The above operation is repeated to yaw to the right and move up and down along the pool wall until the first cleaning is completed. Then, the first sub-moving mechanism is controlled to operate with the first parameter value, and the second sub-moving mechanism is controlled to operate with the second parameter value, causing the pool robot to yaw to the left. The pool robot moves along the pool wall towards the waterline in the specified direction of left yaw. After reaching the waterline, it reverses along the pool wall in the opposite direction of the reference direction, and stops reversing when the condition for stopping reversing is met. The above operation is repeated to yaw to the left and move up and down along the pool wall until the second cleaning is completed. The cleaning robot is controlled to perform one cleaning operation by yawing to the right and then another by yawing to the left. The two cleaning paths are superimposed, which can improve the coverage of the pool wall, reduce missed cleaning, and ensure the cleaning effect.

[0133] In some embodiments, the absolute value of the yaw angle of the specified direction relative to the reference direction is any value between 5 and 20 degrees. For example, the yaw angle of the specified direction relative to the reference direction can be any value between 5 and 20 degrees to the left, or any value between 5 and 20 degrees to the right. That is, the yaw angle for the pool robot to move along the pool wall toward the waterline can be a value selected from the above range and used as the specified yaw angle. When the pool robot moves along the pool wall toward the waterline, it can maintain this specified yaw angle.

[0134] If the absolute value of the yaw angle of the pool robot moving towards the waterline along the pool wall is small, the change in the robot's yaw parameters will not be significant when the robot moves from below the water surface to partially above it, which may affect the accuracy of the robot's waterline detection. If the absolute value of the yaw angle is large, the robot's direction of travel along the pool wall towards the waterline will be difficult to control, and the overall path coverage during pool wall cleaning will be poor, easily resulting in missed areas. The embodiments in this specification can at least limit the yaw angle of the pool robot's forward direction relative to the reference direction during pool wall cleaning, effectively balancing the accuracy of waterline detection and the cleaning coverage of the pool wall.

[0135] During the movement of the pool robot towards the waterline, before reaching it, various factors may cause the robot's yaw angle to deflect, potentially affecting cleaning coverage and / or the accuracy of waterline detection. In some embodiments, if the pool robot deflects from a specified direction without receiving an adjustment command for its yaw angle, and the deflection parameters meet a second preset condition, the yaw angle relative to the reference direction can be adjusted by a specified angular acceleration to yaw the robot in the specified direction. This ensures proper cleaning coverage of the pool wall and / or guarantees accurate waterline detection. The second preset condition includes a maximum deflection angle less than a third angle threshold, a third angle threshold less than a second angle threshold, and a specified angular acceleration less than an angular acceleration threshold.

[0136] If the pool robot veers but the maximum veer angle is less than the third angle threshold, it means that the pool robot has not reached the waterline. If the pool robot veers but has not reached the waterline, the yaw angle of the pool robot can be slowly adjusted with a specified angular acceleration less than the angular acceleration threshold. This can avoid the mistaken belief that the pool robot has reached the waterline due to excessive angular acceleration during the adjustment process.

[0137] In some embodiments, during the process of controlling the first and second sub-walking components to perform differential motion to adjust the yaw angle of the pool robot relative to a reference direction, if the angle between the pool robot's forward direction and a specified direction is greater than a third angle threshold within a second time period, it is determined that the pool robot's forward direction adjustment is abnormal. The yaw driving force can be further increased by changing the parameter values ​​of the first and second sub-walking components, causing the pool robot to yaw in the specified direction. And / or, the yaw driving force can also be further increased by adjusting the motor power or impeller speed of the first and second sub-propulsion components, causing the pool robot to yaw in the specified direction.

[0138] And / or, in the event of abnormal adjustment of the swimming pool robot's forward direction, increase the motor power or impeller speed of the suction component to control the swimming pool robot to deflect in a specified direction based on differential motion, so that the swimming pool robot moves along the pool wall towards the waterline in the specified direction. The swimming pool robot may fail to deflect in a specified direction under the differential motion of the walking component, possibly due to a low coefficient of friction between the walking component and the pool wall, or low pressure exerted on the swimming pool robot towards the pool wall. By increasing the motor power or impeller speed of the suction component, the pressure applied to the swimming pool robot towards the pool wall by the suction component is increased, which increases the deflection driving force generated by the differential motion of the first and second sub-walking components, enabling the swimming pool robot to complete the deflection in the specified direction.

[0139] In some embodiments, an ultrasonic sensor can also be used to detect the water line. Specifically:

[0140] S101. Obtain the first detection information detected by the first sensor component.

[0141] The pool robot includes a first sensor assembly for detecting first detection information, which characterizes the relative spatial relationship between the pool robot and the pool wall.

[0142] For example, the first detection information includes, but is not limited to, the posture features of the pool robot and the features of the pool wall. The posture features of the pool robot represent the posture information of the pool robot when it is on the pool wall, such as the yaw angle and pitch angle of the pool robot on the pool wall; the features of the pool wall represent the geometric features of the pool wall itself, such as the tilt angle of the pool wall as a whole or in a part.

[0143] For example, the first sensor assembly may include different sensors or combinations thereof, depending on the specific type of the first detection information to be detected. For instance, the first sensor assembly may include at least one of an inertial measurement unit, an image acquisition unit, a water pressure sensor, etc.

[0144] The inertial measurement unit is installed inside the pool robot's shell and as close as possible to its center of gravity to ensure that the acceleration and angular velocity of the swimming pool robot collected by the inertial measurement unit can represent the overall motion of the pool robot.

[0145] Accordingly, the electronic control board can obtain the yaw angle and pitch angle in the pool wall coordinate system based on the acceleration and angular velocity data collected by the inertial measurement unit.

[0146] When the pool robot is at the bottom of the pool, the field of view of the image acquisition device can cover the pool wall area in front of and above the pool robot, thereby effectively acquiring image information of the pool wall surface.

[0147] Accordingly, the electronic control board can identify the outline of the pool wall and calculate its tilt angle relative to the direction of gravity by using image processing algorithms (such as edge detection and Hough transform) based on the image information of the pool wall surface acquired by the image acquisition device.

[0148] S102. When the first detection information meets the preset conditions, the pool robot is controlled to move in the pool according to the water surface distance detected by the second sensor component.

[0149] The pool robot includes a second sensor assembly, which is an ultrasonic sensor used to detect the distance to the water surface. This distance is the distance between the pool robot and the surface of the pool. The first and second sensor assemblies are of different types; the second sensor assembly can be the distance detection component mentioned above.

[0150] The ultrasonic sensor emits ultrasonic signals toward the water surface and receives signals returning from the water surface. The control board uses this information to determine the real-time distance between the pool robot and the water surface, i.e., the distance to the water surface.

[0151] It should be noted that when the first detection information meets the preset conditions, the signal emission direction of the ultrasonic sensor can be approximately perpendicular to the water surface. At this time, the distance measured by the ultrasonic sensor is approximately equal to the vertical height difference between the pool robot and the water surface.

[0152] For example, the ultrasonic sensor emits a signal directly in front of the pool robot. When the pool robot is in a vertical position on the pool wall (at which point the bottom of the pool robot is completely attached to the vertical pool wall or the bottom part of the pool robot is attached to the inclined pool wall), and the water surface is directly in front of the pool robot, the ultrasonic signal can be emitted towards the water surface in a near-vertical direction. At this time, the distance between the pool robot and the water surface measured is closer to the actual height difference between the pool robot and the water surface in the vertical direction.

[0153] In some implementations, the distance measured by the second sensor component is the distance between the water surface and the second sensor component. This distance can be approximated as the distance between the pool robot and the water surface. Alternatively, this distance can be combined with the installation position of the second sensor component on the pool robot, and the actual distance between any position of the pool robot and the water surface can be obtained through geometric conversion, thereby improving the accuracy of the water surface distance measurement.

[0154] When a robotic pool moves along the pool wall, its tilting motion alters the propagation path of ultrasonic signals, affecting the accuracy of water surface distance measurements. For example, a large absolute value of the robot's pitch angle or yaw angle relative to the vertical pool wall can cause the emitted ultrasonic signals to be reflected back by non-water surface objects (such as the pool wall), resulting in a shorter distance measured by the ultrasonic sensor than the actual distance to the water surface (the actual distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the water surface). Alternatively, the ultrasonic signals may be emitted at an angle to the water surface, leading to a longer measured distance than the actual distance. Signal loss can also occur, preventing the ultrasonic sensor's receiver from receiving the reflected signal and causing measurement failure.

[0155] For example, when the pool robot is positioned on the pool wall, if the absolute value of the yaw angle is large (e.g., exceeding a preset threshold), the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor may directly reach the adjacent pool wall where the robot is located, receiving a short-range reflected signal from the adjacent wall. This results in the ultrasonic sensor measuring a distance less than the actual distance to the water surface. Similarly, if the pitch angle is negative and large in absolute value, the ultrasonic signal may reach the pool wall where the robot is located, and the ultrasonic sensor may receive a short-range reflected signal from the wall, again resulting in the ultrasonic sensor measuring a distance less than the actual distance to the water surface.

[0156] When the pool robot is positioned against the pool wall, if the pitch angle is positive and large in absolute value, the ultrasonic signal may be incident on the water surface at a large angle. In this case, the reflected signal may deviate from the receiver of the ultrasonic sensor, causing the ultrasonic sensor to fail to obtain effective measurement results; even if the reflected signal is received, the distance measured by the ultrasonic sensor will be greater than the actual distance to the water surface due to the increased propagation path of the sound wave.

[0157] Therefore, in some embodiments, the first detection information includes the posture characteristics of the pool robot, which include the yaw angle and pitch angle of the pool robot on the pool wall; when the pool robot is in the pool wall posture, and with the vertical pool wall as a reference, the absolute value of the yaw angle is less than a first threshold, and the absolute value of the pitch angle is less than a second threshold, it is determined that the first detection information meets the preset conditions.

[0158] It's important to note that pool walls are not always vertical; they have slopes at various angles. Simply defining yaw and pitch angles based on the pool wall surface where the robot is located introduces a problem: when the pool wall is tilted, even if the robot is close to the wall (i.e., its pitch angle relative to the wall is 0°), its posture relative to gravity may still be tilted, rather than the vertical posture required for operation (i.e., the robot is vertical relative to gravity).

[0159] Yaw and pitch angles are defined with the vertical pool wall as the reference. Regardless of the actual inclination of the pool wall where the pool robot is located, its attitude judgment is uniformly directed towards whether it is close to absolute verticality. When the yaw and pitch angles are detected to be less than the corresponding thresholds, it can be determined that the pool robot is in or close to a vertical attitude, thereby ensuring the best cleaning effect and operational stability.

[0160] When the pool robot is in a pool wall posture, the posture is described using the vertical pool wall as the reference, that is, using the plane where the vertical pool wall is located as the reference plane.

[0161] The yaw angle here indicates the left and right tilt angle of the pool robot's forward direction relative to the opposite direction of gravity. Specifically, it refers to the angle θ1 between the projection of the pool robot's longitudinal axis onto the reference plane (referred to as the longitudinal axis projection, whose direction is consistent with the pool robot's forward direction) and the projection of the gravity vector onto the reference plane (referred to as the gravity projection, whose direction is vertically downward). Here, the longitudinal axis refers to the axis that runs through the robot in the forward and backward direction, such as... Figure 9 As shown.

[0162] For example, when the yaw angle is 0°, the longitudinal projection is opposite to the gravity projection, and the fuselage does not tilt left or right; when the yaw angle is 180°, the longitudinal projection is in the same direction as the gravity projection, and the fuselage does not tilt left or right; when the yaw angle is outside of 0° and 180° (including positive angles from 0° to 180° and negative angles from -180° to 0°), the longitudinal projection deviates from the direction of the gravity projection, and the fuselage tilts left or right to varying degrees.

[0163] For example, positive angle (0°<θ1<180°): clockwise rotation causes the fuselage to tilt to the right; negative angle (-180°<θ1<0°): counterclockwise rotation causes the fuselage to tilt to the left.

[0164] The pitch angle here indicates the vertical tilt angle of the pool robot's forward direction relative to the direction of gravity. Specifically, it refers to the angle θ2 between the longitudinal axis of the pool robot and the reference plane, such as... Figure 10 As shown.

[0165] For example, when the pitch angle is 0°, the longitudinal axis of the robot is parallel to the reference plane, and the pool robot does not tilt forward or backward; when the pitch angle is other than 0° (-90°≤θ2<0°, 0°<θ2≤90°), the longitudinal axis of the robot deviates from the reference plane, and the robot tilts forward or backward to varying degrees in the direction away from the pool wall, with the degree of tilt becoming more significant as the angle increases:

[0166] The first threshold, also known as the yaw angle threshold, is used to constrain the degree of lateral tilt of the pool robot's forward direction relative to the vertical pool wall. If the absolute value of the yaw angle is too large, the pool robot will climb obliquely, and the signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor may not be able to reach the water surface vertically, resulting in inaccurate ranging results.

[0167] The second threshold, also known as the pitch angle threshold, is used to constrain the vertical tilt of the pool robot's forward direction relative to the vertical pool wall. If the pitch angle is too large, it indicates that the pool wall the robot is currently on is tilted, or that the robot itself is tilted up (either its head or tail). In this case, the signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor may not be able to reach the water surface vertically, resulting in inaccurate ranging results.

[0168] Therefore, when the swimming pool robot's posture simultaneously meets two angular conditions, the signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor is more likely to be directed vertically towards the water surface, thereby improving the accuracy of the swimming pool robot in detecting the distance to the water surface.

[0169] For example, the first threshold and the second threshold can be determined based on factors such as the specific mechanical structure, weight distribution, and driving method of the pool robot.

[0170] In some examples, the pool robot's pitch angle can be used to determine whether the pool robot is in a pool wall orientation.

[0171] For example, when a pool robot is in a pool wall posture, if its pitch angle is a large absolute value (e.g., greater than 60°) in the pool bottom coordinate system and a small absolute value (e.g., less than 10°) in the pool wall coordinate system, the robot's control board continuously monitors its pitch angle to determine if it is in a pool wall posture. As another example, the control board continuously monitors the pitch angle. In the pool bottom coordinate system, when the robot moves from the pool bottom to the pool wall, its pitch angle will experience a significant increase. When the detected pitch angle increases continuously from less than a preset threshold (e.g., 5°) and exceeds that threshold, and then stabilizes at a large angle (e.g., greater than 60°), it can be determined that the robot has completed the wall-climbing action and entered the pool wall posture. The preset threshold is used to filter out minor fluctuations when moving on flat ground.

[0172] In some implementations, when the pool robot is in a pool bottom posture, the reference coordinate system is the pool bottom coordinate system; when the pool robot is in a pool wall posture, the reference coordinate system is the pool wall coordinate system.

[0173] In other examples, it's also possible to determine whether the pool robot is in a pool wall posture based on images captured by an image acquisition device (such as a camera). The image acquisition device can collect information about the external environment, creating images that include the pool's internal environment and / or the surrounding environment. The control board can analyze these images, identify pool wall features, and determine whether the pool robot is in a pool wall posture based on these features. For example, if the image contains a high proportion of pool wall features, it's determined that the pool robot is in a pool wall posture.

[0174] For example, when a pool robot is positioned against the pool wall, the tilt of the pool wall can alter the propagation path of the ultrasonic sensor, thus affecting the accuracy of the distance measurement to the water surface. For instance, a significant tilt might cause the emitted ultrasonic signal to be reflected back by an object outside the water surface (such as the pool wall), resulting in the ultrasonic sensor measuring a distance less than the actual distance to the water surface (the actual distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the water surface). Alternatively, the ultrasonic signal might be emitted at an angle to the water surface, causing the measured distance to be greater than the actual distance. Signal loss could also occur, preventing the ultrasonic sensor's receiver from receiving the reflected signal and causing measurement failure.

[0175] For example, when the pool wall gradually slopes outward from the bottom to the top, the ultrasonic signals emitted by the pool robot in the pool wall posture are emitted to the water surface at an inclined angle, resulting in the measured distance being greater than the actual distance to the water surface.

[0176] Therefore, in some embodiments, the first detection information includes pool wall features; when the pool robot is in a pool wall posture, and with a vertical pool wall as a reference, the pool wall features indicate that the pool wall tilt angle is less than a third threshold, it is determined that the first detection information meets the preset conditions. When the pool wall tilt angle is detected to be less than the third threshold, it is determined that the pool wall is close to a vertical pool wall, which can actively identify and eliminate scenarios where the ultrasonic sensor detection is abnormal due to excessive tilting of the robot pool wall, ensuring cleaning effect and operational stability.

[0177] For example, the third threshold can be determined by conducting experiments on pool walls with different inclinations to obtain the measurement results of the ultrasonic sensor when the pool robot is on the pool wall with different inclinations. The angle that has little or no impact on the measurement results of the ultrasonic sensor is determined as the third threshold.

[0178] For example, the pool wall features may include a pool wall normal vector n, which is perpendicular to the pool wall surface and points outward. The pool wall tilt angle can be the angle α between the pool wall normal vector and the direction of gravity g, such as... Figure 11 As shown, when the angle between the pool wall normal vector and the direction of gravity is 90°, the pool wall is a vertical pool wall; when the angle between the pool wall normal vector and the direction of gravity is close to 90°, the pool wall is approximately a vertical pool wall; when the angle between the pool wall normal vector and the direction of gravity differs significantly from 90°, the inclination of the pool wall is greater.

[0179] In some examples, image acquisition devices capture images of the pool wall surface. Based on these images, the control board can use image processing algorithms to identify the pool wall's outline, determine its normal vector, and calculate the tilt angle of the normal vector relative to the direction of gravity. Furthermore, after the pool robot climbs onto the pool wall, the tilt angle can be determined using the robot's pitch angle.

[0180] In this embodiment, the pool robot is controlled to move in the pool based on the water surface distance detected by the second sensor component.

[0181] For example, the pool robot can be controlled to clean the waterline, such as by controlling its up-and-down movement or keeping it stationary at the waterline. It can also be controlled to transition from a pool wall state to a water surface state; it can be controlled to remain on the water surface for easy access by the user; and it can be controlled to avoid abnormal areas.

[0182] In some implementations, when the distance to the water surface is a first preset distance, the pool robot is determined to have reached the water surface after traveling a preset time from its current position.

[0183] When using ultrasonic sensors to detect water surface distance, if the sensor protrudes from or is flush with the pool robot's shell, the sensor will be relatively close to the water surface as the robot approaches. However, the ultrasonic sensor is affected by blind spots, resulting in lower accuracy. Therefore, when the water surface distance is at a first preset distance, subsequent distance detection using the ultrasonic sensor can be omitted. The robot can be determined to have reached the water surface after traveling a preset amount of time from its current position.

[0184] For example, when the ultrasonic sensor is less than a first distance from the water surface, the accuracy of the data measured by the ultrasonic sensor is low. Therefore, when the distance to the water surface measured by the ultrasonic sensor is the first preset distance, the ultrasonic sensor is no longer used to detect the water surface; instead, a timer begins. Once the preset time has elapsed, the pool robot is considered to have reached the water surface. If the first preset distance is greater than the first distance, the ultrasonic sensor is not used to detect the water surface distance until it can no longer accurately measure it.

[0185] For example, the first preset distance can be determined according to the actual situation, and is not limited here.

[0186] In some implementations, when using an ultrasonic sensor to detect water surface distance, the ultrasonic sensor is positioned recessed within the outer shell of the pool robot. When part of the pool robot's outer shell reaches the water surface, the ultrasonic sensor still maintains a certain distance from the water surface, thus being less affected by or having no detection blind zone. This increases the applicable scenarios for ultrasonic sensors to detect water surface distance and improves the accuracy of water surface distance measurement.

[0187] Optionally, it also includes at least one filtration unit and at least one suction component, the suction component being used at least to draw liquid from the pool into the filtration unit and to discharge the liquid filtered by the filtration unit from the pool robot; the pool robot also includes at least one walking mechanism, or at least one walking mechanism and at least one propulsion mechanism, the walking mechanism being used at least to enable the pool robot to move on the surface of an object; the propulsion mechanism being used at least to enable the pool robot to move in or on the surface of water.

[0188] Accordingly, when the distance to the water surface is a first preset distance, the walking mechanism of the pool robot is slowed down / or the propulsion mechanism is slowed down and / or the suction component is slowed down, that is, at least one of the walking mechanism, propulsion mechanism and suction component of the pool robot is slowed down, while the pool robot is controlled to move in the pool.

[0189] When the distance to the water surface is the first preset distance, the distance between the pool robot and the water surface is already very close. At this time, at least one of the pool robot's walking mechanism, propulsion mechanism, and suction component can be controlled to slow down in order to prevent the pool robot from rushing across the water surface, causing gas to enter the shell and affecting the stability of the pool robot's posture.

[0190] Optionally, when the pool robot is in the waterline cleaning state and it is determined that the pool robot has reached the water surface, the pool robot is controlled to retreat away from the water surface until the distance to the water surface is a second preset distance, and then travels towards the water surface for a preset time; until the number of retreats or travels reaches a preset number.

[0191] When the pool robot is performing waterline cleaning, it is typically positioned against the pool wall. Once the robot reaches the water surface, it is controlled to retreat until it is a second preset distance from the surface. Then, it is controlled to move upwards for a preset time to reach the surface again. This process is repeated several times. Because the pool robot has a main roller brush at its front, when the robot reaches the water surface, the main roller brush also reaches the water surface (i.e., the waterline), allowing it to repeatedly clean up and down the waterline, thus improving the cleaning effect.

[0192] For example, the second preset distance can be greater than or equal to the first preset distance. The preset duration can be calculated based on the swimming pool robot's initial speed and the second preset distance.

[0193] For example, after the pool robot arrives at the water surface, it can be controlled to stay on the water surface for a certain period of time, so that the main roller brush continuously cleans the waterline at the same location, thereby improving the cleaning effect of the waterline.

[0194] In some implementations, the first detection information includes whether the first sensor component is malfunctioning or requires calibration. When the first detection information meets preset conditions, it indicates that the first sensor component cannot measure the water surface distance, or the measured water surface distance has an error, or the first sensor component needs calibration. Taking a water pressure sensor as an example, if the water pressure sensor is working normally or does not require calibration, the first detection information does not meet the preset conditions, and the water surface distance can be directly measured using the water pressure sensor. When the water pressure sensor is malfunctioning or requires calibration, the preset conditions are met, and the water surface distance is detected by the second sensor component. It should be noted that for ultrasonic sensors, the water surface distance can be directly measured; for water pressure sensors, the water pressure value is measured and needs to be converted into a water surface distance by the control board.

[0195] Optionally, if the pool robot also includes a third sensor component, when the first detection information does not meet the preset conditions or the second sensor component does not detect the water surface distance, the third sensor component is controlled to detect the water surface distance; if the pool robot does not include a third sensor component, when the first detection information does not meet the preset conditions or the second sensor component does not detect the water surface distance, an abnormality reminder is generated and the pool robot is controlled to retreat.

[0196] When the ultrasonic sensor fails to detect a reflected signal (e.g., due to abnormal conditions such as the pool robot tilting or the pool wall tilting), a third sensor component is used to detect the distance to the water surface. If the third sensor component is unavailable, an abnormality alert is issued, and the pool robot is controlled to move backward.

[0197] For example, if an ultrasonic sensor is used in conjunction with other sensors to detect the water surface, when the ultrasonic sensor can detect the water surface, the distance to the water surface detected by the ultrasonic sensor is preferably used as a reference to control the machine's movement. When the ultrasonic sensor cannot detect a reflected signal (such as in abnormal situations like machine tilting or wall tilting), other sensors are then used to perform water surface distance detection. If no other sensors are available, an anomaly is reported, and the machine is controlled to reverse.

[0198] For example, the third sensor component may include an infrared rangefinder, a laser rangefinder, etc.

[0199] For example, when the pool robot is in a pool wall posture and, with the vertical pool wall as a reference, the yaw angle is greater than or equal to a first threshold, or the pitch angle is greater than or equal to a second threshold, it is determined that the first detection information does not meet the preset conditions; when the pool robot is in a pool wall posture and, with the vertical pool wall as a reference, the pool wall feature indicates that the pool wall tilt is greater than or equal to a third threshold, it is determined that the first detection information does not meet the preset conditions.

[0200] For example, anomaly alerts may include one or more of the following methods: acoustic alerts, optical alerts, text alerts, and image alerts.

[0201] The control method for the swimming pool robot provided in this application controls the robot's movement based on the water surface distance detected by the second sensor component (ultrasonic sensor) when the first detection information detected by the first sensor component meets preset conditions. Based on this, it can proactively identify scenarios suitable for using ultrasonic sensors to detect water surface distances, thereby avoiding the problem of movement deviation in such scenarios and improving the stability of the swimming pool robot's movement in the pool.

[0202] In some embodiments, the detection of the waterline based on ultrasonic sensors can be combined with the detection of the waterline based on inertial measurement units in the aforementioned embodiments. For example, as the pool robot moves towards the waterline along the pool wall in a specified direction, the distance to the waterline is detected by ultrasonic sensors; the distance to the waterline is the distance between the pool robot and the waterline; when the distance to the waterline is a preset distance, the pool robot is controlled to continue moving from the current position for a third time period; if, during or after the third time period, without receiving an adjustment command for the yaw angle of the pool robot, the pool robot yaws in a reference direction, and the yaw parameter meets a first preset condition, it is determined that the pool robot has reached the waterline.

[0203] Specifically, when the distance to the waterline is a preset distance, it indicates that the pool robot has approached the waterline. In this case, controlling the pool robot to continue moving from its current position for a third time period indicates that the pool robot has reached the waterline. During this process, if the deflection parameters of the pool robot in the reference direction meet a first preset condition, it is considered that the pool robot has reached the waterline. Combining ultrasonic sensor-based detection with inertial measurement unit-based detection further improves the accuracy of waterline detection.

[0204] In some embodiments, if the waterline is not detected based on the ultrasonic sensor and / or inertial measurement unit, the pool robot's arrival at the waterline can be determined by detecting parameters of the suction assembly. For example, if the impeller speed of the suction assembly remains constant but the current value of the suction assembly is less than a preset current threshold, the pool robot is determined to have reached the waterline; or, if the current value of the suction assembly remains constant but the impeller speed of the suction assembly is less than a preset speed threshold, the pool robot is determined to have reached the waterline.

[0205] When the pool robot reaches the waterline, its front end emerges from the water. Air will enter through the gaps or air inlets at the front of the robot. The fluid passing through the impeller of the suction component is not entirely liquid; it may contain some or all of a gas. If the impeller speed remains constant, the current to the suction component will decrease significantly. Therefore, if the impeller speed remains constant, the pool robot can be determined to have reached the waterline when the current value of the suction component is less than a preset current threshold. Alternatively, if the current value of the suction component remains constant, the impeller speed will decrease significantly. Therefore, if the current value of the suction component remains constant, the pool robot can be determined to have reached the waterline when the impeller speed is less than a preset speed threshold.

[0206] The above method, which detects the parameters of the suction component to determine whether the pool robot has reached the waterline, can also identify over-rushing of the pool robot. This means that when the pool robot reaches the waterline, a large portion of the pool robot is out of the water, which causes a significant change in the parameters of the suction component.

[0207] If the pool robot is not detected to have reached the waterline, but its pitch angle is greater than the pitch angle threshold, it means the robot may have actually reached the waterline and changed from its pool wall posture to another posture, but at least one of the aforementioned sensors failed to detect this. In this case, the parameters of the suction component can be detected to determine if the pool robot is in the water. If it is determined that the robot is still in the water, it can be further determined whether it is on the platform (i.e., in a platform posture) or floating on the water surface (i.e., in a floating posture). For example, an image acquisition device can be used to detect whether the robot is on the platform or the water surface. If the robot is on the platform, a platform cleaning operation or other preset operations (such as leaving the platform) can be performed.

[0208] If the pool robot is on the surface, its descent to the bottom can be controlled by adjusting the operating parameters of the suction component. When the robot is descending from the surface, the suction component can be kept closed to prevent it from continuously drawing air into the body while the robot is floating. This would cause the air inside the body to reach equilibrium, resulting in insufficient gravity for the robot to descend. When the suction component is closed, the water inlet below the water surface can expel the air, increasing the robot's gravity and allowing it to descend. Once at the bottom, the robot can continue with pool wall cleaning or other preset operations.

[0209] The swimming pool robot provided in this embodiment includes an electronic control board, which comprises a printed circuit board and components disposed on the printed circuit board. These components may include a control unit, a power supply unit, a communication unit, etc. The control unit includes a processor and a memory. The control unit can connect to various sensors to acquire various data information of the swimming pool robot 100, and analyze and process the acquired data information to control the various components in the swimming pool robot 100. In the specific implementation process, at least one control unit executes the above method. The specific implementation process of the control unit can be found in the above method embodiment, and its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, so it will not be repeated here.

[0210] In the above embodiments, it should be understood that the processor can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in this invention can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor.

[0211] The memory may include random access memory (RAM) and may also include non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk storage device.

[0212] The aforementioned readable storage medium can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk. The readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0213] An exemplary readable storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the readable storage medium. Of course, the readable storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the readable storage medium can reside in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Alternatively, the processor and the readable storage medium can exist as discrete components in the device.

[0214] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a control unit, implements the above-described method. Furthermore, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the control unit, implement the above-described method.

[0215] Finally, it should be noted that other embodiments of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This invention is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention that follow the general principles of the invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein, and is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A control method for a swimming pool robot, characterized in that, The pool robot includes a main body and a traveling mechanism. The traveling mechanism is used to drive the pool robot to move in the pool. The traveling mechanism includes a first sub-traveling mechanism and a second sub-traveling mechanism. The first sub-traveling mechanism is located on the left side of the main body, and the second sub-traveling mechanism is located on the right side of the main body. The method includes: Control the first sub-travel mechanism to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-travel mechanism to operate with a second parameter value, so as to adjust the yaw angle of the pool robot relative to the reference direction, so that the pool robot moves along the pool wall toward the waterline in a specified direction; The first parameter value differs from the second parameter value; If, during the process of the pool robot moving towards the waterline along the pool wall in a specified direction, the pool robot deflects towards the reference direction without receiving an adjustment instruction for the yaw angle of the pool robot, and the deflection parameters meet the first preset condition, it is determined that the pool robot has reached the waterline.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The absolute value of the yaw angle of the specified direction relative to the reference direction is any value between 5 degrees and 20 degrees.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first preset conditions include: During the process of the pool robot deflecting towards the reference direction, the maximum deflection angle is greater than the first angle threshold. Alternatively, during the process of the pool robot deflecting towards the reference direction, the deflection angle of the pool robot is greater than the second angle threshold within the first time period, and the second angle threshold is less than the first angle threshold. Alternatively, during the process of the pool robot deflecting towards the reference direction, the integral value of the deflection angle of the pool robot is greater than the preset cumulative angle value.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first preset conditions include: During the process of the pool robot deflecting in the reference direction, the average angular velocity is greater than the angular velocity threshold. And / or, during the process of the pool robot deflecting toward the reference direction, the angular acceleration is greater than the angular acceleration threshold.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control of the first sub-traveling mechanism to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-traveling mechanism to operate with a second parameter value, in order to adjust the yaw angle of the pool robot relative to a reference direction, includes: The first sub-travel mechanism is controlled to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-travel mechanism is controlled to operate with a second parameter value, so that the pool robot yaws to the left; Alternatively, the first sub-traveling mechanism can be controlled to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-traveling mechanism to operate with a second parameter value, so that the pool robot yaws to the right.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: After reaching the waterline, the swimming pool robot is controlled to perform a backward movement along the pool wall, using the opposite direction of the reference direction as the backward direction.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, For a specified pool wall where the height from the waterline to the pool bottom is greater than a height threshold; the method includes: First, control the pool robot to yaw to the left to perform the first cleaning of the designated pool wall; after completing the first cleaning of the designated pool wall, control the pool robot to yaw to the right to perform the second cleaning of the designated pool wall. Alternatively, the pool robot can be controlled to yaw to the right to perform the first cleaning of the designated pool wall; after the first cleaning of the designated pool wall is completed, the pool robot can be controlled to yaw to the left to perform the second cleaning of the designated pool wall.

8. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: If no adjustment command for the yaw angle of the pool robot is received, and the pool robot yaws away from the specified direction, and the yaw parameters meet a second preset condition, the yaw angle of the pool robot relative to the reference direction is adjusted by a specified angular acceleration to make the pool robot yaw to the specified direction; wherein, The second preset condition includes a maximum deflection angle less than a third angle threshold, the third angle threshold being less than a second angle threshold, and a specified angular acceleration being less than the angular acceleration threshold.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pool robot further includes: at least one filtration unit, at least a portion of which is disposed inside the main body, for filtering liquid entering the filtration unit; At least one suction component, at least a portion of which is disposed inside the main body, is used to draw liquid from the pool into the filtration unit and to discharge liquid filtered by the filtration unit out of the main body; The traveling mechanism includes a walking component that contacts a support surface to drive the pool robot to move on the support surface, the support surface including at least the pool wall; the first sub-traveling mechanism includes a first sub-walking component, and the second sub-traveling mechanism includes a second sub-walking component; The control of the first sub-traveling mechanism to operate with a first parameter value and the second sub-traveling mechanism to operate with a second parameter value, to adjust the yaw angle of the pool robot relative to a reference direction, so that the pool robot moves along the pool wall toward the waterline in a specified direction, includes: If, during the process of controlling the first sub-walking component and the second sub-walking component to perform differential motion to adjust the yaw angle of the pool robot relative to the reference direction, the angle between the forward direction of the pool robot and the specified direction is greater than the third angle threshold within the second time period, it is determined that the forward direction adjustment of the pool robot is abnormal. In the event of abnormal adjustment of the forward direction of the pool robot, the motor power or impeller speed of the suction component is increased to control the pool robot to deflect in the specified direction based on the differential motion, so that the pool robot moves along the pool wall toward the waterline in the specified direction.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pool robot further includes: at least one filtration unit, at least a portion of which is disposed inside the main body, for filtering liquid entering the filtration unit; At least one suction component, at least a portion of which is disposed inside the main body, is used to draw liquid from the pool into the filtration unit and to discharge liquid filtered by the filtration unit out of the main body; The method further includes: When the pool robot reaches the waterline, reduce the motor power of the traveling mechanism and / or reduce the motor power or impeller speed of the suction assembly.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The pool robot includes: a main body; An ultrasonic sensor is disposed at the front end of the main body; The method further includes: During the process of the pool robot moving along the pool wall toward the waterline in a specified direction, the distance to the waterline is detected by the ultrasonic sensor, and the distance to the waterline is the distance between the pool robot and the waterline. When the distance to the waterline is a preset distance, the pool robot is controlled to continue moving from its current position for a third time period. If, during or after the third travel period, without receiving an adjustment instruction for the yaw angle of the pool robot, the pool robot yaws toward the reference direction and the yaw parameters meet the first preset condition, it is determined that the pool robot has reached the waterline.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The pool robot includes: a main body; At least one filter unit, at least a portion of which is disposed inside the main body, for filtering liquid entering the filter unit; At least one suction component, at least a portion of which is disposed inside the main body, is used to draw liquid from the pool into the filtration unit and to discharge liquid filtered by the filtration unit out of the main body; The method further includes: If the impeller speed of the suction component remains constant, and the current value of the suction component is greater than a preset current threshold, it is determined that the pool robot has reached the waterline. Alternatively, if the current value of the suction component remains constant, and the impeller speed of the suction component is less than a preset speed threshold, it is determined that the pool robot has reached the waterline.

13. A swimming pool robot, characterized in that, include: The main body and the traveling mechanism are used to drive the pool robot to move in the pool. The traveling mechanism includes a first sub-traveling mechanism and a second sub-traveling mechanism. The first sub-traveling mechanism is located on the left side of the main body, and the second sub-traveling mechanism is located on the right side of the main body. A control unit, at least for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-12.

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