Swimming pool robot waterline cleaning control method and swimming pool robot

Abstract

The invention relates to a control method for a swimming pool robot to clean a waterline and the swimming pool robot. The method comprises the steps that the swimming pool robot is controlled to climb towards the water surface along the pool wall; when it is detected that the swimming pool robot is exposed out of the water surface, the swimming pool robot is controlled to steer so that the swimming pool robot can advance in the water line extending direction; the swimming pool robot is controlled to walk along the waterline to execute the waterline cleaning action; and controlling the swimming pool robot to cross obstacles or avoid obstacles according to the passing state information under the condition of detecting that the obstacles exist on the advancing path. The advancing mechanism of the swimming pool robot is controlled to correspond to the direction of the waterline, a plurality of obstacle avoiding actions such as obstacle pressing, obstacle crossing and obstacle avoiding are set, the most appropriate obstacle avoiding action can be intelligently selected when it is detected that the obstacle exists on the advancing path, and due to the fact that the direction when the robot walks along the waterline is consistent with the advancing direction of the advancing mechanism, the obstacle avoiding effect is improved. And the energy consumption of the swimming pool robot can also be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Currently, pool robots have the following drawbacks during waterline cleaning: First, they lack obstacle avoidance capabilities. Because the direction of the waterline is inconsistent with the direction of the robot's movement mechanism, when encountering obstacles such as protruding water inlets, the robot's movement mechanism interferes with the obstacle, and the robot cannot overcome it. Second, the direction of the robot's movement mechanism is inconsistent with the direction of movement when cleaning the waterline, resulting in high frictional resistance and high energy consumption when the robot cleans the waterline. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address at least one of the aforementioned technical problems, this application proposes a control method for a pool robot to clean water lines and a pool robot in general.

[0004] According to some embodiments of this application, a control method for a swimming pool robot to clean water lines is provided, the method comprising:

[0005] Control the pool robot to climb along the pool wall toward the water surface;

[0006] Upon detecting that the pool robot has emerged from the water, the pool robot is controlled to turn so that it moves along the direction of the waterline.

[0007] The pool robot is controlled to walk along the waterline to perform waterline cleaning actions;

[0008] If an obstacle is detected in the travel path, the pool robot is controlled to overcome or bypass the obstacle based on the passage status information.

[0009] In some possible implementations, controlling the pool robot to overcome or avoid obstacles based on traffic status information includes:

[0010] If an obstacle is detected in the travel path, the pool robot is controlled to perform an obstacle avoidance maneuver.

[0011] The obstacle avoidance action includes: the pool robot turning and diving, bypassing the obstacle from the underwater side, turning and surfacing after completing the obstacle avoidance, and returning to the path it traveled before bypassing the obstacle.

[0012] In some possible implementations, before controlling the pool robot to perform obstacle avoidance maneuvers, the method further includes:

[0013] If an obstacle is detected to be on the trajectory of the walking mechanism of the pool robot, the pool robot is controlled to perform an obstacle-pressing action;

[0014] If the obstacle-pressing action fails, control the pool robot to retreat and perform an obstacle-avoiding action;

[0015] The obstacle-crossing action includes: the robot continuing to move along the current path until the tracks cross the obstacle.

[0016] In some possible implementations, the conditions for determining the failure of the obstacle-pressing action include: the lifting angle of the pool robot when performing the obstacle-pressing action is greater than a preset angle condition, or the pool robot stays for a fixed time during its movement.

[0017] In some possible implementations, the method further includes:

[0018] When an obstacle is detected to be in the gap of the walking mechanism, the pool robot is controlled to perform an obstacle-crossing action;

[0019] If the obstacle-crossing action fails, the pool robot is controlled to turn so that the obstacle is under the trajectory of the walking mechanism, and the pool robot is controlled to perform the obstacle-pressing action.

[0020] The obstacle-crossing action includes: the robot continuing to move along the current path until it crosses the obstacle.

[0021] In some possible implementations, the pool robot includes at least one water pump nozzle, which is used to provide pressure to the pool robot against the pool wall; during the turning of the pool robot, the at least one water pump nozzle is located below the water surface.

[0022] In some possible implementations, at least one of the water pump nozzles is used to provide the pool robot with steering power.

[0023] In some possible implementations, the pool robot includes a walking mechanism and a water pump nozzle. The pool robot controls the movement along the waterline and stays within the waterline area by controlling the differential speed of the walking mechanism and / or the water spray from the water pump nozzle.

[0024] According to some other embodiments of this application, a pool robot is provided, including a control unit, an obstacle detection unit, and at least one water outflow detection device;

[0025] The at least one water outlet detection device is installed on the head of the pool robot, and the at least one water outlet detection device is used to detect the water outlet status of the pool robot climbing the wall;

[0026] The obstacle detection unit is used to detect obstacle information on the swimming pool robot's travel path;

[0027] The control unit is used to control the pool robot to climb along the pool wall toward the water surface, and to control the pool robot to turn so that it moves along the direction of the waterline when the at least one water outlet detection device is detected above the water surface, and to control the pool robot to walk along the waterline to perform waterline cleaning action. The control unit is also configured to control the pool robot to cross or go around obstacles according to the passage status information when obstacles are detected on the travel path.

[0028] In some possible implementations, the pool robot further includes a water pump nozzle, a differential drive, and a walking mechanism.

[0029] The pool robot controls the differential speed of its walking mechanism and / or the water spray from the water pump nozzles to maintain its position within the waterline area while walking along the waterline.

[0030] According to some other embodiments of this application, an electronic device is provided, which includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores at least one instruction or at least one program, and the at least one instruction or at least one program is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the control method for cleaning the waterline of the pool robot as described above.

[0031] According to some other embodiments of this application, a storage medium is provided that stores at least one instruction or at least one program, wherein the at least one instruction or at least one program is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the control method for cleaning the waterline of a swimming pool robot as described above.

[0032] According to some other embodiments of this application, a computer program product is provided, including computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the control method for a pool robot cleaning water lines as described above.

[0033] Implementing the embodiments of this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0034] The present application discloses a control method for a swimming pool robot cleaning water lines. First, the robot is controlled to climb a wall. After the robot is detected to be above the water surface, it is controlled to turn. Then, the robot is controlled to walk along the water line and clean it. Multiple obstacle avoidance actions such as obstacle pressing, obstacle crossing, and obstacle bypassing are set. When an obstacle is detected on the path, the most suitable obstacle avoidance action can be intelligently selected, thereby solving the problem of obstacle avoidance difficulties when the swimming pool robot is cleaning the water line. Furthermore, the direction of the swimming pool robot walking along the water line is consistent with the direction of travel of the walking mechanism, which can also reduce the energy consumption of the swimming pool robot when cleaning the water line.

[0035] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this application.

[0036] Other features and aspects of this application will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0037] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions and advantages in the embodiments or prior art of this specification, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this specification. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0038] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the steps of a control method for a pool robot cleaning water lines according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0039] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates the turning process of a pool robot according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0040] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a pool robot according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0041] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates the control flow of an intelligent obstacle avoidance scheme according to an embodiment of this application.

[0042] Figure 5 A system block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this specification will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this specification, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this specification, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0044] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or server that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0045] Various exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote elements that have the same or similar functions. Although various aspects of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, they are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated otherwise.

[0046] The term “exemplary” as used herein means “serving as an example, embodiment, or illustration.” Any embodiment illustrated herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as superior to or better than other embodiments.

[0047] In this document, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. Furthermore, the term "at least one" in this document means any combination of at least two of any one or more elements. For example, including at least one of A, B, and C can mean including any one or more elements selected from the set consisting of A, B, and C.

[0048] Furthermore, to better illustrate this application, numerous specific details are provided in the following detailed description. Those skilled in the art should understand that this application can be implemented without certain specific details. In some instances, methods, means, components, and circuits well-known to those skilled in the art have not been described in detail in order to highlight the main points of this application.

[0049] To address the obstacle avoidance difficulties faced by swimming pool robots when cleaning waterlines, this application provides a control method for swimming pool robots cleaning waterlines. This method includes steering control and obstacle avoidance control. The purpose of steering control is to ensure that the direction in which the swimming pool robot walks along the waterline corresponds to the direction of its walking mechanism, thereby reducing energy consumption during waterline movement and cleaning, improving the robot's mobility, and providing conditions for obstacle avoidance control. The purpose of obstacle avoidance control is to detect obstacles and intelligently select obstacle avoidance actions to prevent obstacles from affecting the efficiency of waterline cleaning and ensure cleaning effectiveness.

[0050] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the steps of a control method for a pool robot cleaning water lines according to an embodiment of this application is shown, as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the method includes:

[0051] Step S101: Control the pool robot to climb along the pool wall toward the water surface.

[0052] In this embodiment, the pool robot is equipped with a walking mechanism and a wall-adhering device. The wall-adhering device allows the pool robot to adhere to the pool wall, and the robot, while attached to the wall, moves along its direction of travel based on the action of the walking mechanism. This embodiment does not limit the structural selection of the walking mechanism; that is, the walking mechanism can be wheels, tracks, or rollers, etc., preferably tracks. This embodiment also does not limit the structural selection or principle of the wall-adhering device. The wall-adhering device can be a water pump nozzle located on the top of the pool robot, which sprays water to press the pool robot against the pool wall. Alternatively, the wall-adhering device can be a water pump suction port located at the bottom of the pool robot, which draws in water to create a pressure difference, allowing the pool robot to adhere to the pool wall under the pressure difference. In some possible cases, the wall-adhering device can simultaneously draw water from the bottom of the pool robot and spray it from the top.

[0053] Step S102: When the pool robot is detected to be above the water surface, control the pool robot to turn so that the pool robot moves along the direction of the waterline.

[0054] This application does not limit the principle and selection of the method for detecting when a pool robot emerges from the water. For example, at least one water-emergence detection device can be installed on the pool robot. This device can be a buoyancy device, an ultrasonic / millimeter-wave detection device, or a camera vision device. At least one water-emergence detection device is located at the head of the pool robot. When at least one device is above the water surface, it indicates that the head of the pool robot has emerged from the water. At this time, part of the pool robot is in the air, and the other part is in the water. Since the pool robot needs to clean the waterline (water marks left on the pool wall), the robot can be turned after its head emerges from the water, allowing its cleaning components to contact the waterline.

[0055] Furthermore, the water discharge detection device can be one or a group. For example, the water discharge detection device is located on the left side of the head of the pool robot. With this structure, when the pool robot detects water discharge from its head, the default turning direction is to the right, thus ensuring that the water discharge detection device is always above the water surface during the turning process. Alternatively, there can be two or two groups of water discharge detection devices, located on the left and right sides of the pool robot's head respectively. With this structure, when the pool robot detects water discharge from its head, the turning direction can be left or right. When turning left, the water discharge detection device on the right side of the head is always above the water surface, while when turning right, the water discharge detection device on the left side of the head is always above the water surface, thus ensuring the stability of the turning control.

[0056] In some embodiments, the pool robot includes at least one water pump nozzle, which provides pressure to the pool robot to adhere to the pool wall. As described above, this at least one water pump nozzle is the aforementioned wall-adhesive device. It should be understood that during the pool robot's turning process, at least one water pump nozzle should always remain below the water surface to ensure the pool robot can successfully complete the turning maneuver. Therefore, based on the aforementioned water pump nozzle, please refer to... Figure 2 The methods also include:

[0057] If at least one water outlet detection device is detected above the water surface and at least one water pump nozzle is detected below the water surface, the pool robot is controlled to turn.

[0058] During the turning process of the pool robot, at least one water pump nozzle is always below the water surface, and the water discharge detection device is always above the water surface.

[0059] In some possible implementations, please refer to Figure 3 There are two water pump nozzles, which are horizontally aligned, with the horizontal center line of the nozzles located at 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of the distance from the rear end of the machine body.

[0060] It is worth noting that, in addition to the above solutions, in some possible situations, an air pump nozzle can also be installed on the pool robot. The air pump nozzle is also used to provide pressure for the pool robot to adhere tightly to the pool wall. The air pump nozzle is located at the head of the pool robot. When the head of the pool robot leaves the water, the air pump nozzle opens accordingly to ensure that the pool robot can adhere tightly to the pool wall.

[0061] In this application embodiment, the principle and structure of the swimming pool robot's steering are not limited. The swimming pool robot can achieve steering action based on differential drive device, water pump nozzle, air pump nozzle, motor propeller or other structures.

[0062] In some embodiments, the pool robot includes a differential drive device. The steering control of the pool robot includes: controlling the walking mechanisms on both sides of the bottom of the pool robot to operate at different speeds via the differential drive device, and / or controlling the walking mechanisms on both sides of the bottom of the pool robot to operate in different directions. Specifically, when it is necessary to control the pool robot to turn right, the differential drive device can be used to increase the speed of the left walking mechanism while simultaneously decreasing the speed of the right walking mechanism. Under the effect of the speed difference, the pool robot can achieve a right turn. Alternatively, when it is necessary to control the pool robot to turn right, the differential drive device can also be used to control the left walking mechanism to move forward while simultaneously controlling the right walking mechanism to move backward. In this case, the pool robot can achieve a rightward rotation in place.

[0063] In some embodiments, the swimming pool robot's steering can be achieved based on water pump nozzles. That is, at least one water pump nozzle on the swimming pool robot provides the driving force for steering. Based on the water pump nozzles, the steering control of the swimming pool robot includes: controlling at least one corresponding water pump nozzle to open based on the direction to be turned, and controlling at least one corresponding water pump nozzle to close after the swimming pool robot completes the turning action. Specifically, the swimming pool robot has water pump nozzles on both sides. When it is necessary to control the swimming pool robot to turn right, the left water pump nozzle is opened and the right water pump nozzle is closed. Under the force of the water pump nozzles on one side, the swimming pool robot gradually completes the right turn.

[0064] Based on the above two embodiments, it can be seen that the pool robot of this application may include a walking mechanism and a water pump nozzle. The pool robot controls the differential speed of the walking mechanism and / or the water spray of the water pump nozzle to keep the pool robot in the waterline area when walking along the waterline.

[0065] Step S103: Control the pool robot to walk along the waterline to perform the waterline cleaning action.

[0066] In this embodiment, the swimming pool robot is equipped with a pose sensor. The pose sensor determines the robot's position and orientation, ensuring it moves along the waterline. Specifically, the pose sensor can be a magnetometer and / or a gyroscope. Data from the magnetometer and / or gyroscope can detect whether the robot's direction of travel is horizontal, thus ensuring it moves along the waterline. Alternatively, the pose sensor can be a camera-based vision device. The vision device captures images of the waterline on the pool wall, and the swimming pool robot adjusts its path based on the image data. Or, the position sensor can be a distance detection device such as a lidar or ultrasonic detector. This distance detection device can detect the distance between the swimming pool robot and the pool wall and bottom, verifying whether the robot is currently moving along the waterline.

[0067] In some possible embodiments, an external vision device may also be provided, which is communicatively connected to the pool robot. The external vision device can take pictures of the pool robot walking along the waterline and send the image data to the pool robot. The pool robot analyzes whether it deviates from the waterline based on the image data from the external vision device, thereby adjusting its direction of travel in real time.

[0068] Step S104: If an obstacle is detected on the travel path, control the pool robot to overcome or bypass the obstacle based on the passage status information.

[0069] In this embodiment of the application, the passage status information refers to the judgment result of the pool robot being able to pass the current obstacle. Based on the judgment result, the pool robot can intelligently select obstacle avoidance actions, which can include obstacle crossing or obstacle bypassing. Obstacle crossing means that the pool robot continues to walk along the waterline extension direction and directly crosses the obstacle, while obstacle bypassing means that the pool robot leaves the waterline extension direction, bypasses the obstacle from one side, and then returns to the waterline extension direction.

[0070] In some embodiments, the criteria for determining failure of the obstacle-pressing action include: the lifting angle of the pool robot when performing the obstacle-pressing action is greater than a preset angle condition or the pool robot stays for a fixed time during its movement.

[0071] Specifically, in the embodiments of this application, the aforementioned passage status information can be information obtained through advance detection and analysis, or information obtained through real-time detection and feedback. For example, in some possible scenarios, when the pool robot detects an obstacle, it defaults to performing an obstacle-crossing action and monitors the action execution result in real time. When the obstacle-crossing action fails, the passage status information indicates obstacle-crossing failure. At this time, the pool robot adjusts its obstacle avoidance action to obstacle-around based on this passage status information. In other possible scenarios, the pool robot is equipped with detection sensors that collect information about obstacles, such as the obstacle's image, volume, and material. Based on the information collected by the detection sensors, the pool robot analyzes which obstacle avoidance action to select. For example, by collecting the height of the obstacle through the detection sensors, if the height is less than a preset height condition, an obstacle-crossing action is used; if the height is not less than the preset height condition, an obstacle-around action is used.

[0072] In some embodiments, the pool robot defaults to obstacle avoidance maneuvers. The control method includes: when an obstacle is detected on the travel path, controlling the pool robot to perform an obstacle avoidance maneuver. The obstacle avoidance maneuver includes: the pool robot turning and diving, bypassing the obstacle from the underwater side, turning and surfacing after bypassing the obstacle, and returning to the original travel path. Based on the above configuration, the advantage of using the obstacle avoidance maneuver by default is that it ensures obstacle avoidance effectiveness and avoids obstacle avoidance failure. It should be understood that when the pool robot is equipped with an air pump nozzle to achieve a wall-hugging effect, the above obstacle avoidance maneuver can also involve the pool robot fully emerging from the water, bypassing the obstacle from the side above it, and then returning to the original travel path after bypassing the obstacle.

[0073] In some embodiments, before the pool robot performs an obstacle avoidance maneuver, the control method further includes: if an obstacle is detected on the trajectory of the pool robot's walking mechanism, controlling the pool robot to perform an obstacle-pressing maneuver; if the obstacle-pressing maneuver fails, controlling the pool robot to retreat and perform an obstacle avoidance maneuver; wherein the obstacle-pressing maneuver includes: the robot continuing to move along the current path until the walking mechanism presses over the obstacle. Based on the above configuration, when the pool robot detects an obstacle on the trajectory of its walking mechanism, it first performs an obstacle-pressing maneuver, and only performs an obstacle avoidance maneuver if the obstacle-pressing maneuver fails. The advantage of this setting is that the pool robot does not need to change its route when performing the obstacle-pressing maneuver, and prioritizes the obstacle-pressing maneuver when conditions are met, which can save energy, avoid unnecessary energy waste, and also help reduce the time for cleaning the waterline and improve cleaning efficiency. The walking mechanism of the pool robot includes tracks, which have a stronger obstacle-crossing ability than wheels and can directly press over obstacles, thus adapting to the aforementioned obstacle-pressing maneuver.

[0074] In the above embodiments, the method for determining the failure of the action is not limited. That is, it can be to detect the pose of the pool robot or to detect the operating parameters of the components in the walking mechanism, such as motor current and water pump power.

[0075] In some possible embodiments, the pool robot is equipped with an angle sensor to detect the lifting angle when the robot performs an obstacle-pressing action. Based on the angle sensor, the criteria for determining if the obstacle-pressing action fails include: the lifting angle of the robot during the obstacle-pressing action is greater than a preset angle condition. Specifically, when the pool robot performs an obstacle-pressing action, it moves along the waterline. After the tracks press onto the obstacle, the robot's head rises. When the lifting angle is less than the preset angle condition (e.g., 5°), it indicates that the obstacle is relatively small, the contact area between the robot and the pool wall is sufficient, and the robot can adhere to the pool wall and successfully press over the obstacle. However, when the lifting angle is greater than the preset angle condition, the contact area between the robot and the pool wall becomes smaller, and the robot is at risk of detaching from the pool wall. Therefore, the obstacle-pressing action is determined to have failed, and the robot should switch to an obstacle-avoiding action.

[0076] It is worth noting that the aforementioned obstacle-crossing action is achieved by directly pressing the obstacle over the walking mechanism. In some cases, the walking mechanism of the pool robot is located on both sides of the bottom, and there is a gap between the two sides of the walking mechanism. When encountering obstacles that are lower than the height of the pool robot's chassis and narrower than the gap between the two sides of the walking mechanism, the pool robot can directly cross the obstacle. During the crossing process, the two sides of the walking mechanism will not come into contact with the obstacle. The above-mentioned crossing method is called obstacle crossing action. Both obstacle crossing action and obstacle pressing action belong to obstacle traversal actions.

[0077] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: when an obstacle is detected to be located in the gap between two walking mechanisms, controlling the pool robot to perform an obstacle-crossing action; when it is confirmed that the obstacle-crossing action has failed, controlling the pool robot to turn so that the obstacle is located under the trajectory of the walking mechanism, and controlling the pool robot to perform an obstacle-pressing action; wherein the obstacle-crossing action includes: the robot continuing to move along the current travel path until it crosses the obstacle. Based on the above configuration, when the pool robot detects an obstacle that meets the conditions for an obstacle-crossing action, it first performs an obstacle-crossing action, and after the obstacle-crossing action fails, it switches to an obstacle-pressing action, which can minimize the change in travel direction and allow it to continue walking along the waterline.

[0078] The above embodiments have described in detail three obstacle avoidance schemes: obstacle crushing, obstacle bypassing, and obstacle crossing. It should be understood that, without conflict, the above embodiments can be combined to form new schemes, and this application does not limit this.

[0079] For example, this application provides a complete embodiment that applies the above three obstacle avoidance schemes. The pool robot can analyze and judge based on the actual obstacle information and take one of the above three obstacle avoidance schemes to achieve the effect of intelligent obstacle avoidance. Figure 4 The control flowchart of the intelligent obstacle avoidance scheme according to the embodiments of this application is shown below. Figure 4 As shown, the pool robot has two working modes: predictive obstacle avoidance mode and real-time obstacle avoidance mode. In predictive obstacle avoidance mode, the pool robot collects obstacle data and analyzes it to obtain the optimal obstacle avoidance scheme. The analysis is based on the built-in data processing module or a data processing center such as a cloud server / base station / host computer connected via wireless communication. In real-time obstacle avoidance mode, the pool robot collects the position information of obstacles. If the obstacle crossing condition is met, the robot performs an obstacle crossing action. If the obstacle crossing action fails, the robot adjusts its direction and performs an obstacle pressing action. If the obstacle pressing action fails, the robot adjusts its direction and performs an obstacle bypassing action. If the obstacle crossing condition is not met but the obstacle pressing condition is met, the robot performs an obstacle pressing action. If the obstacle pressing action fails, the robot adjusts its direction and performs an obstacle bypassing action. If neither the obstacle crossing condition nor the obstacle pressing condition is met, the robot directly performs an obstacle bypassing action.

[0080] This application also provides a swimming pool robot that uses a waterline cleaning control method as described in any of the above embodiments. Specifically, the swimming pool robot includes a control unit, an obstacle detection unit, and at least one water outlet detection device.

[0081] At least one water discharge detection device is installed on the head of the pool robot, and at least one water discharge detection device is used to detect the water discharge status of the pool robot climbing the wall;

[0082] The obstacle detection unit is used to detect obstacle information on the swimming pool robot's path;

[0083] The control unit is used to control the pool robot to climb along the pool wall toward the water surface, and to control the pool robot to turn and move along the waterline extension direction to perform waterline cleaning action when at least one water outlet detection device is detected above the water surface. The control unit is also configured to control the pool robot to cross or go around obstacles according to the passage status information when obstacles are detected in the travel path.

[0084] In some embodiments, the pool robot further includes a water pump nozzle and a walking mechanism. The pool robot controls the water level area when walking along the waterline by controlling the differential speed of the walking mechanism and / or controlling the water spray of the water pump nozzle.

[0085] This application also provides an electronic device, which includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores at least one instruction or at least one program. The processor loads and executes the at least one instruction or at least one program to implement the positioning method of the pool cleaning robot as described above.

[0086] Memory is used to store software programs and modules. The processor executes these stored software programs and modules to perform various functional applications and data processing. Memory can primarily consist of a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area stores the operating system, application programs required for functionality, etc.; the data storage area stores data created based on device usage, etc. Furthermore, memory can include high-speed random access memory (RAM) and non-volatile memory, such as at least one hard disk drive, flash memory, or other volatile solid-state storage devices. Correspondingly, memory can also include a memory controller to provide the processor with access to the memory.

[0087] The methods and embodiments provided in this application can be executed in electronic devices such as mobile terminals, computer terminals, servers, or similar computing devices. Figure 5 This is the electronic device provided in the embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the electronic device 900 can vary considerably due to differences in configuration or performance. It may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) 910 (CPUs 910 may include, but are not limited to, microprocessors MCUs or programmable logic devices FPGAs), a memory 930 for storing data, and one or more storage media 920 (e.g., one or more mass storage devices) for storing application programs 923 or data 922. The memory 930 and storage media 920 may be temporary or persistent storage. The program stored in the storage media 920 may include one or more modules, each module may include a series of instruction operations on the electronic device. Furthermore, the CPU 910 may be configured to communicate with the storage media 920 and execute the series of instruction operations in the storage media 920 on the electronic device 900. Electronic device 900 may also include one or more power supplies 960, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces 950, one or more input / output interfaces 940, and / or one or more operating systems 921, such as Windows Server™, Mac OS X™, Unix™, Linux™, FreeBSD™, etc.

[0088] The input / output interface 940 can be used to receive or send data via a network. Specific examples of the network described above may include a wireless network provided by the communication provider of the electronic device 900. In one example, the input / output interface 940 includes a Network Interface Controller (NIC), which can connect to other network devices via a base station to communicate with the Internet. In another example, the input / output interface 940 may be a Radio Frequency (RF) module for wireless communication with the Internet.

[0089] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 5 The structure shown is for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the structure of the electronic device described above. For example, the electronic device 900 may also include... Figure 5 The more or fewer components shown, or having the same Figure 5 The different configurations shown.

[0090] Embodiments of this application also provide a storage medium storing at least one instruction or at least one program, wherein the at least one instruction or at least one program is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the positioning method of the pool cleaning robot as described above.

[0091] Embodiments of this application also provide a computer program product, including computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the positioning method for the pool cleaning robot as described above.

[0092] The various embodiments of this application have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical applications, or technological improvements to the embodiments in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A control method for a swimming pool robot cleaning water lines, characterized in that, The method includes: Control the pool robot to climb along the pool wall toward the water surface; Upon detecting that the pool robot has emerged from the water, the pool robot is controlled to turn so that it moves along the direction of the waterline. The pool robot is controlled to walk along the waterline to perform waterline cleaning actions; If an obstacle is detected in the travel path, the pool robot is controlled to overcome or bypass the obstacle based on the passage status information.

2. The control method for a swimming pool robot cleaning water lines according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of controlling the pool robot to overcome or avoid obstacles based on the passage status information includes: If an obstacle is detected in the travel path, the pool robot is controlled to perform an obstacle avoidance maneuver. The obstacle avoidance action includes: the pool robot turning and diving, bypassing the obstacle from the underwater side, turning and surfacing after completing the obstacle avoidance, and returning to the path it traveled before bypassing the obstacle.

3. The control method for a swimming pool robot cleaning water lines according to claim 2, characterized in that, Before controlling the pool robot to perform obstacle avoidance maneuvers, the method further includes: If an obstacle is detected to be on the trajectory of the walking mechanism of the pool robot, the pool robot is controlled to perform an obstacle-pressing action; If the obstacle-pressing action fails, control the pool robot to retreat and perform an obstacle-avoiding action; The obstacle-crossing action includes: the robot continuing to move along the current path until the walking mechanism crosses the obstacle.

4. The control method for a swimming pool robot cleaning water lines according to claim 3, characterized in that, The conditions for determining the failure of the obstacle-pressing action include: the lifting angle of the pool robot when performing the obstacle-pressing action is greater than the preset angle condition, or the pool robot stops for a fixed time during the movement.

5. The control method for a swimming pool robot cleaning water lines according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: When an obstacle is detected to be in the gap of the walking mechanism, the pool robot is controlled to perform an obstacle-crossing action; If the obstacle-crossing action fails, the pool robot is controlled to turn so that the obstacle is under the trajectory of the walking mechanism, and the pool robot is controlled to perform the obstacle-pressing action. The obstacle-crossing action includes: the robot continuing to move along the current path until it crosses the obstacle.

6. The control method for a swimming pool robot cleaning water lines according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The pool robot includes at least one water pump nozzle, which is used to provide pressure to the pool robot in close contact with the pool wall; during the turning process of the pool robot, the at least one water pump nozzle is located below the water surface.

7. The control method for a swimming pool robot cleaning water lines according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the water pump nozzles is used to provide the swimming pool robot with steering power.

8. The control method for a swimming pool robot cleaning water lines according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pool robot includes a walking mechanism and a water pump nozzle. The pool robot controls the differential speed of the walking mechanism and / or the water spray from the water pump nozzle to maintain its position within the waterline area when walking along the waterline.

9. A swimming pool robot, characterized in that, Includes a control unit, an obstacle detection unit, and at least one water discharge detection device; The at least one water outlet detection device is installed on the head of the pool robot, and the at least one water outlet detection device is used to detect the water outlet status of the pool robot climbing the wall; The obstacle detection unit is used to detect obstacle information on the swimming pool robot's travel path; The control unit is used to control the pool robot to climb along the pool wall toward the water surface, and to control the pool robot to turn and move forward along the waterline extension direction to perform waterline cleaning action when the at least one water outlet detection device is detected above the water surface. The control unit is also configured to control the pool robot to cross or go around obstacles according to the passage status information when obstacles are detected on the travel path.

10. The pool robot according to claim 9, characterized in that, The pool robot also includes a water pump nozzle and a walking mechanism. The pool robot controls the differential speed of its walking mechanism and / or the water spray from the water pump nozzles to maintain its position within the waterline area while walking along the waterline.

Images