Swimming pool wall cleaning method, device, swimming pool robot and computer program product

Abstract

The application relates to a pool wall cleaning method, a pool wall cleaning device, a pool robot and a computer program product, the method comprising: a pool robot climbing a wall of a current wall body to a water level line; the pool robot moving in a current direction parallel to the water level line and cleaning the wall until stopping moving when an obstacle is contacted, and performing the following judgment operation: the pool robot detecting a first height between the pool robot and the water level line; the pool robot moving downward by a first preset distance in response to the first height being less than or equal to a preset threshold, and moving in a next direction opposite to the current direction and cleaning the wall until stopping moving when the obstacle is contacted; and the pool robot ending the cleaning operation on the current wall body in response to repeatedly performing the judgment operation until the first height is greater than the preset threshold. Through the application, the problem of missing scanning and low cleaning efficiency of a pool robot when cleaning a pool wall in the related art is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of pool robot technology, and in particular relates to a pool wall cleaning method, device, pool robot and computer program product. Background Technology

[0002] Using robotic pool cleaners to automatically clean pool walls can significantly reduce manpower. Currently, when cleaning pool walls, robotic pool cleaners need to switch to other uncleaned areas after cleaning one area. This means they have to search for the next uncleaned area from the cleaned area. However, during this switching process, there are often instances where cleaned areas are missed or are cleaned repeatedly, which reduces the cleaning efficiency of the pool walls.

[0003] Currently, no effective solution has been proposed to address the issues of missed areas and low cleaning efficiency when using pool robots to clean pool walls. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a method, apparatus, pool robot, and computer program product for cleaning pool walls, to at least solve the problems of missed areas and low cleaning efficiency when pool robots clean pool walls in related technologies.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a method for cleaning a swimming pool wall, the method comprising: a swimming pool robot climbing the wall of a current wall to the water level line; the swimming pool robot traveling in a current direction parallel to the water level line and cleaning the wall until it contacts an obstacle and stops traveling, and performing the following judgment operation: the swimming pool robot detecting a first height between the swimming pool robot and the water level line; the swimming pool robot responding to the first height being less than or equal to a preset threshold, traveling downwards a first preset distance, and then traveling in a next direction opposite to the current direction and cleaning the wall until it contacts the obstacle and stops traveling; the swimming pool robot responding to repeating the judgment operation until the first height is greater than the preset threshold, and ending the cleaning operation on the current wall.

[0006] In some embodiments, after the pool robot responds to repeatedly performing the determination operation until the first height is greater than the preset threshold and ends the cleaning operation on the current wall, the method further includes: the pool robot moving downwards to the bottom of the pool; the pool robot moving to find the next wall of the pool; and the pool robot performing a cleaning operation on the next wall in response to finding the next wall.

[0007] In some embodiments, the swimming pool robot's movement to find the next wall of the pool includes: the swimming pool robot traveling a second preset distance along a first direction parallel to both the current wall and the pool bottom; the swimming pool robot, in response to contacting an obstacle during the first movement, designating the obstacle as the next wall; the swimming pool robot, in response to not contacting the obstacle at all during the first movement, traveling the second preset distance along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and away from the current wall; and the swimming pool robot, in response to contacting the obstacle during the second movement, designating the obstacle as the next wall.

[0008] In some embodiments, the swimming pool robot climbing the wall of the current wall to the water level line includes: the swimming pool robot moving from the bottom of the pool toward the current wall and climbing the wall of the current wall to the water level line; during the process of climbing the wall to the water level line, the swimming pool robot detects a second height between the water level line and the bottom of the pool, and uses the difference between the second height and a preset safety margin as the preset threshold.

[0009] In some embodiments, the swimming pool robot's movement from the bottom of the pool towards the current wall includes: the swimming pool robot rotating once on the bottom of the pool and measuring the distance to each wall in the pool during the rotation; the swimming pool robot selecting the wall with the smallest distance measurement result as the current wall and obtaining the yaw angle when measuring the distance to the current wall; and the swimming pool robot adjusting its attitude according to the yaw angle and moving from the bottom of the pool towards the current wall.

[0010] In some embodiments, measuring the distance to each wall in the pool during rotation includes: the pool robot detecting the wall in the pool within a preset detection range during rotation; the pool robot measuring the distance to each wall in response to detecting at least one wall within the detection range; and the pool robot repeating the rotation and distance measurement operations after traveling a third preset distance in response to not detecting any wall within the detection range, until at least one wall is detected within the detection range.

[0011] In some embodiments, the pool robot travels along a current direction parallel to the water level line and cleans the wall until it encounters an obstacle, at which point it stops and performs the following judgment operations: the pool robot travels along the current direction and cleans the wall until it encounters an obstacle; the pool robot self-checks its current battery level; in response to the current battery level being in a first state, the pool robot ends the cleaning operation on the current wall and travels downwards to the bottom of the pool; in response to the current battery level being in a second state, the pool robot performs the judgment operation.

[0012] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a swimming pool wall cleaning device, the device comprising: an up-wall control module for a swimming pool robot to climb the wall to the water level line; a cleaning module for the swimming pool robot to travel in a current direction parallel to the water level line and clean the wall until it contacts an obstacle and stops; a detection module for the swimming pool robot to detect a first height between the swimming pool robot and the water level line; the cleaning module is further configured so that, in response to the first height being less than or equal to a preset threshold, the swimming pool robot travels downward a first preset distance and then travels in a next direction opposite to the current direction and cleans the wall until it contacts an obstacle and stops; and a down-wall control module for the swimming pool robot to repeatedly perform a judgment operation until the first height is greater than the preset threshold, thereby ending the cleaning operation on the current wall.

[0013] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a pool robot, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the pool wall cleaning method described in any of the first aspects above.

[0014] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product, including a computer program, which, when run, causes the pool wall cleaning method described in any one of the first aspects to be performed.

[0015] Compared to related technologies, the swimming pool wall cleaning method, apparatus, swimming pool robot, and computer program product provided in this application involve the swimming pool robot climbing the wall of the current wall to the water level line, then moving and cleaning the wall in a current direction parallel to the water level line until it encounters an obstacle and stops moving. The following judgment operation is then performed: the swimming pool robot can detect a first height between itself and the water level line; and, in response to the first height being less than or equal to a preset threshold, the swimming pool robot moves downwards a first preset distance, then moves and cleans the wall in the next direction opposite to the current direction until it encounters an obstacle and stops moving. Finally, the swimming pool robot responds by repeatedly performing the judgment operation until the first height is greater than the preset threshold, ending the cleaning operation on the current wall. In this way, after each horizontal cleaning step reaches the wall boundary, the pool robot determines whether to switch lanes or end the cleaning process based on the relationship between a first height and a preset threshold. This ensures that each cleaned area is tightly connected without any omissions, thereby improving the cleaning coverage of the pool robot when cleaning the pool walls. Simultaneously, the cleaning efficiency of the pool robot's long-stroke horizontal cleaning mode is higher than that of traditional short vertical path cleaning modes, which also improves the overall cleaning efficiency. This application solves the problems of missed areas and low cleaning efficiency in related technologies when pool robots clean pool walls, achieving the technical effect of improving both cleaning coverage and cleaning efficiency.

[0016] Details of one or more embodiments of this application are set forth in the following drawings and description to make other features, objects and advantages of this application more readily apparent. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a swimming pool robot according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a swimming pool wall cleaning method according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a pool robot cleaning a pool wall according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a swimming pool wall cleaning method according to another embodiment of this application; Figure 5This is a flowchart of a swimming pool wall cleaning method according to another embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a swimming pool robot searching for the next wall according to one embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a pool robot searching for the next wall according to another embodiment of this application; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a swimming pool wall cleaning device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0019] In the following description, specific details such as particular system architectures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will understand that this application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, apparatuses, circuits, and methods have been omitted so as not to obscure the description of this application with unnecessary detail.

[0020] It should be understood that, when used in this application specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or a collection thereof.

[0021] It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0022] As used in this application specification and the appended claims, the term "if" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "when," "once," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, the phrase "if determined" or "if detected [the described condition or event]" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as meaning "once determined," "in response to determination," "once detected [the described condition or event]," or "in response to detection [the described condition or event]."

[0023] Furthermore, in the description of this application and the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0024] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0025] Using robotic pool cleaners to automatically clean pool walls can significantly reduce manpower. Currently, when cleaning pool walls, robotic pool cleaners need to switch to other uncleaned areas after cleaning one area. This means they have to search for the next uncleaned area from the cleaned area. However, during this switching process, there are often instances where cleaned areas are missed or are cleaned repeatedly, which reduces the cleaning efficiency of the pool walls.

[0026] For example, the wall cleaning modes of a pool robot can include "I", "N", and "M" patterns. In the "I" pattern, the pool robot cleans straight up and down along the wall, cleaning each row of cleaned areas twice, resulting in low cleaning efficiency. In the "N" pattern, the pool robot first climbs the wall to the water level, then tilts to the left (or right) to the wall boundary, adjusts its posture, climbs back to the water level, and repeats the above steps repeatedly. This mode has higher cleaning efficiency than the "I" pattern, but there are more missed areas. In the "M" pattern, the pool robot first climbs the wall to the water level, then tilts to the left to the wall boundary, adjusts its posture, tilts to the right to the water level, and repeats the above steps repeatedly. This mode has higher cleaning efficiency than the "N" pattern, but there are even more missed areas.

[0027] Regardless of whether it's an "I", "N", or "M" shaped pattern, there are always some issues with missed areas or low cleaning efficiency. Therefore, there is currently no effective solution to the problem of missed areas and low cleaning efficiency when pool robots clean pool walls.

[0028] In view of this, this application provides a method for cleaning a swimming pool wall. A swimming pool robot climbs the wall to the water level, then moves in a direction parallel to the water level and cleans the wall until it encounters an obstacle and stops. The following judgment operation is then performed: the swimming pool robot can detect a first height between itself and the water level; and, in response to the first height being less than or equal to a preset threshold, the swimming pool robot moves downward a first preset distance, then moves in the next direction opposite to the current direction and cleans the wall until it encounters an obstacle and stops. Finally, the swimming pool robot repeats the judgment operation until the first height is greater than the preset threshold, ending the cleaning operation on the current wall. In this way, after each horizontal cleaning step reaches the wall boundary, the pool robot determines whether to switch lanes or end the cleaning process based on the relationship between a first height and a preset threshold. This ensures that each cleaned area is tightly connected without any omissions, thereby improving the cleaning coverage of the pool robot when cleaning the pool walls. Simultaneously, the cleaning efficiency of the pool robot's long-stroke horizontal cleaning mode is higher than that of traditional short vertical path cleaning modes, which also improves the overall cleaning efficiency. This application solves the problems of missed areas and low cleaning efficiency in related technologies when pool robots clean pool walls, achieving the technical effect of improving both cleaning coverage and cleaning efficiency.

[0029] The following describes an exemplary structure of the pool robot provided in the embodiments of this application. See also: Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a pool robot according to an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 1 As shown, the pool robot 1 includes: at least one processor 10 ( Figure 1 (Only one is shown) a processor, a memory 11, a computer program 12 stored in the memory 11 and executable on at least one processor 10, a sensing unit 13, and an execution unit 14. When the processor 10 executes the computer program 12, it implements the steps in any of the following embodiments of the pool wall cleaning method.

[0030] Processor 10 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or it may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0031] In some embodiments, memory 11 may be an internal storage unit of the pool robot 1, such as a hard drive or memory of the pool robot 1. In other embodiments, memory 11 may be an external storage device of the pool robot 1, such as a plug-in hard drive, smart media card (SMC), secure digital card (SD), flash card, etc., equipped on the pool robot 1. In other embodiments, memory 11 may include both internal storage units and external storage devices of the pool robot 1. Memory 11 is used to store operating systems, applications, bootloaders, data, and other programs, such as the program code of computer program 12. Memory 11 may also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0032] The sensing unit 13 is mainly used to transmit necessary external environmental information to the control system of the pool robot 1, thereby providing the necessary conditions for the pool robot 1 in scenarios such as cleaning, mapping, or recharging. For example, the sensing unit 13 may include any one or any combination of a gyroscope, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), an ultrasonic sensor, a water exit detection sensor, and a capacitive sensor. Among them, the ultrasonic sensor can be used for the pool robot 1 to obtain distance information between itself and obstacles or walls in the water, but is not limited to this function; the water exit detection sensor and the capacitive sensor can be used for the pool robot 1 to detect whether it has surfaced or entered the water.

[0033] The execution unit 14 is mainly used to realize the cleaning and walking functions of the pool robot 1. For example, the execution unit 14 may include a cleaning mechanism and a walking mechanism. The cleaning mechanism may include a spraying component, a decontamination component, etc., and the walking mechanism may include side wheels, track wheels, tracks, etc. The specific structure of the sensing unit 13 and the execution unit 14 can be determined according to actual needs. This application does not limit the specific structure of the sensing unit 13 and the execution unit 14.

[0034] The method for cleaning pool walls provided in this application will be described with reference to the exemplary structure of the pool robot 1 provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0035] The following will combine Figure 2 This application describes a method for cleaning swimming pool walls according to one embodiment, which can be applied to... Figure 1 The swimming pool robot 1 shown. Please refer to... Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a swimming pool wall cleaning method according to an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the method includes: Step S201: The pool robot climbs the wall along the current wall to the water level line.

[0036] In this embodiment, when the pool robot needs to perform the task of cleaning the pool wall, the pool robot can enter the bottom of the pool, start from the current position to find the pool wall closest to itself, and take the pool wall as the current wall; then, the pool robot automatically moves closer to the current wall, adjusts its own posture, and climbs up the wall to the water level.

[0037] In one embodiment, step S201 includes: the pool robot moving from the bottom of the pool toward the current wall and climbing up the wall to the water level; during the process of climbing up the wall to the water level, the pool robot detects the second height between the water level and the bottom of the pool, and uses the difference between the second height and the preset safety margin as a preset threshold.

[0038] In this embodiment, the pool robot can first enter the bottom of the pool and then move towards the current wall from its current position. Then, when the pool robot's posture is adjusted to be perpendicular to the surface of the current wall, the pool robot begins to climb the wall. Subsequently, when the pool robot's posture is exactly adjusted to be parallel to the surface of the current wall, the third height H3 between the water level line and the pool robot can be detected by the sensing unit. For example, the sensing unit can be set at the front of the pool robot. The sensing unit can include an ultrasonic sensor. The pool robot can measure H3 by the ultrasonic sensor set at its front. Then, combined with the length L of the pool robot, the second height H2 between the water level line and the bottom of the pool can be obtained, which is H2 = L + H3.

[0039] After obtaining the second height H2 between the water level and the pool bottom, the preset threshold α = H2 - σ can be obtained by combining it with the preset safety capacity σ. In subsequent steps, the pool robot can detect whether the cleaning operation on the wall is complete based on the relationship between its first height from the water level and the preset threshold α. Therefore, to prevent a large preset threshold α from causing the pool robot to collide with the wall boundary, a safety capacity σ can be introduced to ensure that the preset threshold α is less than the second height H2.

[0040] It should be noted that the aforementioned safety capacity σ can be set in conjunction with the second height H2 or user expectations. For example, the safety capacity σ can be set to 1cm, 2cm, 5cm, etc. This application does not limit the specific value of the safety capacity σ.

[0041] In this embodiment, the pool robot can detect whether it has climbed the wall to the water level using a sensing unit. For example, the sensing unit can be located at the front of the pool robot. This sensing unit may include an ultrasonic sensor. When the pool robot detects that the change in signal intensity measured by the ultrasonic sensor within a preset time period is greater than a preset intensity change threshold, it determines that the front of the pool robot has surfaced, meaning that the pool robot has climbed the wall to the water level.

[0042] Alternatively, the sensing unit can be located at the front of the pool robot. This sensing unit may include a water outflow detection sensor. The pool robot can also use the change in signal magnitude measured by this water outflow detection sensor in water and in air to determine whether the front of the pool robot has surfaced. For example, when the pool robot detects that the signal magnitude measured by the water outflow detection sensor shows a preset trend, such as a continuously large signal suddenly decreasing at a certain moment (or vice versa, depending mainly on the type of sensor and detection circuit used), it determines that the front of the pool robot has surfaced, meaning that the pool robot has climbed the wall to the water level.

[0043] In one embodiment, the swimming pool robot moving from the bottom of the pool toward the current wall includes: the swimming pool robot rotating once on the bottom of the pool and measuring the distance to each wall in the pool during the rotation; the swimming pool robot taking the wall with the smallest distance measurement result as the current wall and obtaining the yaw angle when measuring the distance to the current wall; the swimming pool robot adjusting its attitude according to the yaw angle and moving from the bottom of the pool toward the current wall.

[0044] In this embodiment, when the pool robot needs to perform the task of cleaning the pool walls, it first needs to locate the wall (i.e., the current wall) on the bottom of the pool. The pool robot can rotate once on the bottom of the pool, and during the rotation, it can measure the distance to each wall in the pool through a sensing unit. For example, the sensing unit can be located at the front of the pool robot, and this sensing unit can include an ultrasonic sensor. The pool robot can use the ultrasonic sensor located at its front to detect each wall in the pool.

[0045] The pool robot can compare the distance measurement results of each detected wall (e.g., the shortest distance between the wall and the pool robot) during its rotation, select the wall with the smallest distance measurement result as the current wall, and record the yaw angle of the pool robot when measuring the distance to the current wall.

[0046] Then, after the pool robot completes its rotation, it can adjust its posture according to the yaw angle mentioned above so that the front of the pool robot is aligned with the current wall. In this way, in subsequent steps, the direction of travel of the pool robot can be perpendicular to the current wall, thereby reducing the time required for the pool robot to travel to the current wall and improving the overall cleaning efficiency of the pool robot.

[0047] In one embodiment, measuring the distance to each wall in the pool during rotation includes: the pool robot detecting the walls in the pool within a preset detection range during rotation; the pool robot measuring the distance to each wall in response to detecting at least one wall within the detection range; and the pool robot repeating the rotation and distance measurement operations after traveling a third preset distance in response to not detecting any wall within the detection range, until at least one wall is detected within the detection range.

[0048] In this embodiment, the sensing unit of the pool robot (e.g., an ultrasonic sensor located at the front of the pool robot) has a fixed detection range. Therefore, there is a possibility that the pool robot may be detecting the pool wall at its current position, but there may be no wall within the detection range of its sensing unit. In this case, to avoid the pool robot crashing, it can travel a third preset distance in its current direction (the direction the front of the pool robot is facing), repeating the rotation and ranging operations until at least one wall is detected within the detection range of the sensing unit.

[0049] In step S202, the pool robot moves along the current direction parallel to the water level line and cleans the wall until it touches an obstacle and stops moving. The following judgment operation is performed: the pool robot detects the first height between the pool robot and the water level line; in response to the first height being less than or equal to a preset threshold, the pool robot moves downward a first preset distance and then moves along the next direction opposite to the current direction and cleans the wall until it touches an obstacle and stops moving.

[0050] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a pool robot cleaning a pool wall according to an embodiment of this application, as shown. Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, after the pool robot climbs the wall to the water level, it can adjust its own posture (for example, the pool robot rotates 90° clockwise) and record the roll angle at this time. After the posture adjustment is completed, the pool robot can move along the current direction parallel to the water level and clean the wall. The pool robot can also adjust its own posture through the execution unit (for example, the travel wheels set on both sides of the pool robot) (for example, by adjusting the differential speed of the travel wheels on both sides through PID) so that the pool robot is at a certain distance from the water level.

[0051] For example, the pool robot can also be equipped with sensing units on both sides. These sensing units include ultrasonic sensors, which can detect the distance between the side of the pool robot closest to the water level and the water level line. The robot can then adjust its posture through the execution unit to ensure that the distance between the side of the pool robot closest to the water level and the water level line is a preset constant value. This ensures that the pool robot always moves in the current direction parallel to the water level line and cleans the wall.

[0052] During movement and cleaning, the pool robot can detect the first height H1 between itself and the water level using its sensing unit. For example, the pool robot can use ultrasonic sensors on both sides to detect the fourth height H4 between the side of the robot closest to the water level and the water level at a fixed frequency. Then, combined with the width W of the pool robot itself, the first height H1 between the pool robot and the water level can be obtained as H1 = W + H4.

[0053] like Figure 3 As shown, when the pool robot travels to an obstacle (e.g., a handrail or the wall of another wall), it stops traveling and performs a judgment operation: it detects the relationship between the first height H1 and the preset threshold α. Then, in response to the first height H1 being less than or equal to the preset threshold α, the pool robot travels down a first preset distance X1 and then travels in the next direction opposite to the current direction to clean the wall, completing the line change operation.

[0054] Then, the pool robot can continue to perform the above line-changing operation, moving horizontally in a "bow" shape on the current wall surface and cleaning the wall, thereby improving cleaning coverage and cleaning efficiency.

[0055] Alternatively, if the first height H1 is greater than the preset threshold α, it indicates that the pool robot is already very close to the bottom of the pool. Performing a changeover operation may cause the pool robot to collide with the bottom of the pool. To avoid unnecessary collisions, the pool robot can end the cleaning operation on the current wall and move to the bottom of the pool.

[0056] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a swimming pool wall cleaning method according to another embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment, step S202 above, "the pool robot moves along the current direction parallel to the water level and cleans the wall until it touches an obstacle, then stops moving and performs the following judgment operation," includes: Step S401: The pool robot moves in the current direction and cleans the wall until it touches an obstacle and stops moving.

[0057] Step S402: The pool robot performs a self-check of its current battery level.

[0058] In step S403, the pool robot, in response to the current battery level being in the first state, ends the cleaning operation on the current wall and moves downwards to the bottom of the pool.

[0059] In step S404, the pool robot responds to the fact that the current battery level is in the second state and performs a judgment operation.

[0060] In this embodiment, when the pool robot performs a row change operation, it can also perform a power self-check operation. The first state can be a preset low power state, and the second state can be a preset medium-high power state. If the pool robot continues to perform wall cleaning tasks in a low power state, the pool robot may fall to the bottom of the pool due to lack of power.

[0061] To avoid this, the pool robot can check its own battery level before performing a lane change operation. If it is low, the robot will stop cleaning the current wall and move downwards to the bottom of the pool, thus preventing it from falling to the bottom due to lack of power. If not, it will perform a judgment operation to determine whether a lane change is necessary.

[0062] In step S203, the pool robot responds by repeatedly performing the judgment operation until the first height is greater than the preset threshold, and then ends the cleaning operation on the current wall.

[0063] In this embodiment, when the pool robot repeatedly moves in a horizontal "bow" shape and cleans the wall, in a certain judgment operation, the first height between the pool robot and the water level line will be greater than a preset threshold. This indicates that the pool robot is already very close to the bottom of the pool. Performing a change operation may cause the pool robot to collide with the bottom of the pool. In order to avoid unnecessary collisions, the pool robot can end the cleaning operation of the current wall and move to the bottom of the pool.

[0064] In this embodiment, after the pool robot cleans the wall boundary laterally each time, it determines whether to change lanes or end the process based on the relationship between the first height and the preset threshold. This ensures that the cleaned areas are closely connected without any omissions, thereby improving the cleaning coverage of the pool robot when cleaning the pool wall. At the same time, the cleaning efficiency of the pool robot based on the lateral long-stroke cleaning mode is higher than that of the traditional cleaning mode based on shorter vertical paths (e.g., the "I" shaped mode).

[0065] In one embodiment, after step S203 above, the method further includes: the pool robot moving downwards to the bottom of the pool; the pool robot moving to find the next wall of the pool; and the pool robot performing a cleaning operation on the next wall in response to finding the next wall.

[0066] In this embodiment, after the pool robot has finished cleaning the current wall, the pool robot can adjust its posture, for example, align the front of the pool robot with the bottom of the pool and move down to the bottom of the pool. The pool robot can determine whether it needs to continue cleaning (for example, the pool robot determines whether all the walls of the pool have been cleaned). If so, it will perform a wall switching operation, at which point it needs to find the next wall from the current position and continue the above cleaning operation.

[0067] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a swimming pool wall cleaning method according to another embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 5 As shown, in one embodiment, the above-mentioned "pool robot moving to find the next wall of the pool" includes: Step S501: The pool robot travels a second preset distance along a first direction that is parallel to both the current wall and the bottom of the pool.

[0068] In step S502, the pool robot responds to contacting an obstacle during the first movement by using the obstacle as the next wall.

[0069] In step S503, the pool robot responds to the fact that it has not encountered any obstacles during the first movement and moves a second preset distance along a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and away from the current wall; if the pool robot encounters an obstacle during the second movement, it uses the obstacle as the next wall.

[0070] In this embodiment, the pool robot descends from the end point of the current wall and retreats to the bottom of the pool, while the next wall is located to the left or right of the pool robot (e.g., ...). Figure 6 As shown in the diagram, the pool robot can adjust its posture (e.g., rotate 90° counterclockwise) to move to the next wall along a first direction that is parallel to both the current wall and the bottom of the pool.

[0071] Alternatively, a second preset distance x2 can be set (e.g., Figure 7 As shown, if the pool robot travels a second preset distance X2 along a first direction that is parallel to both the current wall and the bottom of the pool without encountering any obstacles, it can adjust its posture (e.g., rotate 90° clockwise) to travel along a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and away from the current wall to the next wall, thus preventing the pool robot from failing to find the next wall for an extended period of time.

[0072] It is understood that the aforementioned second preset distance X2 can be set in combination with the size of the pool and user expectations, and this application does not limit the specific value of the second preset distance X2.

[0073] Through the steps S201 to S203 described above, the pool robot climbs the wall of the current wall to the water level line. Then, it travels in the current direction parallel to the water level line and cleans the wall until it encounters an obstacle and stops. The following judgment operation is then performed: the pool robot can detect a first height between the pool robot and the water level line. If the first height is less than or equal to a preset threshold, the pool robot travels downward a first preset distance and then travels in the next direction opposite to the current direction and cleans the wall until it encounters an obstacle and stops. Finally, the pool robot repeats the judgment operation until the first height is greater than the preset threshold, ending the cleaning operation on the current wall. In this way, after each horizontal cleaning step reaches the wall boundary, the pool robot determines whether to switch lanes or end the cleaning process based on the relationship between a first height and a preset threshold. This ensures that each cleaned area is tightly connected without any omissions, thereby improving the cleaning coverage of the pool robot when cleaning the pool walls. Simultaneously, the cleaning efficiency of the pool robot's long-stroke horizontal cleaning mode is higher than that of traditional short vertical path cleaning modes, which also improves the overall cleaning efficiency. This application solves the problems of missed areas and low cleaning efficiency in related technologies when pool robots clean pool walls, achieving the technical effect of improving both cleaning coverage and cleaning efficiency.

[0074] It should be understood that the sequence number of each step in the above embodiments does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0075] Corresponding to the swimming pool wall cleaning method described in the above embodiments, Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a swimming pool wall cleaning device according to an embodiment of this application is shown. For ease of explanation, only the parts related to the embodiment of this application are shown.

[0076] Please see Figure 8 The pool wall cleaning device 8 includes: an upper wall control module 80 for the pool robot to climb the wall to the water level; a cleaning module 81 for the pool robot to move in the current direction parallel to the water level and clean the wall until it stops when it encounters an obstacle; a detection module 82 for the pool robot to detect a first height between the pool robot and the water level; the cleaning module is also used for the pool robot to move down a first preset distance and then move in the next direction opposite to the current direction and clean the wall after responding to the first height being less than or equal to a preset threshold, until it stops when it encounters an obstacle; and a lower wall control module 83 for the pool robot to repeatedly perform the judgment operation until the first height is greater than the preset threshold, and then end the cleaning operation on the current wall.

[0077] In one embodiment, the pool wall cleaning device 8 further includes a wall-changing control module for the pool robot to move down to the bottom of the pool; the pool robot to find the next wall of the pool; and the pool robot to perform a cleaning operation on the next wall in response to finding the next wall.

[0078] It is understood that the device in this embodiment corresponds to the pool wall cleaning method in the above embodiment, and the options in the above embodiment are also applicable to this embodiment, so they will not be described again here.

[0079] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the above-mentioned devices / units are based on the same concept as the method embodiments of this application. For details on their specific functions and technical effects, please refer to the method embodiments section, and they will not be repeated here.

[0080] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-described division of functional units and modules is merely an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiments can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. Furthermore, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for easy differentiation and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above system can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0081] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps described in the above-described swimming pool wall cleaning method embodiments.

[0082] This application provides a computer program product that, when run on a mobile terminal, enables the mobile terminal to execute the steps described in the above-described swimming pool wall cleaning method embodiments.

[0083] This application implements all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments, which can be accomplished by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed by a processor, it can implement the steps of the various method embodiments described above. The computer program includes computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files, or some intermediate form. The computer-readable medium can include at least: any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code to a pool wall cleaning device or pool robot, a recording medium, a computer memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an electrical carrier signal, a telecommunication signal, and a software distribution medium, such as a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0084] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0085] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0086] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus / network devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus / network device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0087] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0088] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning swimming pool walls, characterized in that, The method includes: The pool robot climbs the current wall surface to the water level line; The pool robot travels in a current direction parallel to the water level and cleans the wall until it encounters an obstacle, at which point it stops and performs the following judgment operation: The pool robot detects a first height between the pool robot and the water level line; In response to the first height being less than or equal to a preset threshold, the pool robot travels downward a first preset distance, then travels in the next direction opposite to the current direction and cleans the wall until it touches the obstacle and stops moving. The pool robot responds by repeatedly performing the judgment operation until the first height is greater than the preset threshold, and then ends the cleaning operation on the current wall.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the pool robot responds to repeatedly performing the judgment operation until the first height is greater than the preset threshold and ends the cleaning operation on the current wall, the method further includes: The pool robot moves downwards to the bottom of the pool; The pool robot moves to find the next wall of the pool; The pool robot, in response to finding the next wall, performs a cleaning operation on the next wall.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The swimming pool robot's movement to find the next wall of the pool includes: The pool robot travels a second preset distance along a first direction that is parallel to both the current wall and the pool bottom; The pool robot responds to contact with the obstacle during its first movement by using the obstacle as the next wall; In response to not contacting the obstacle during the first movement, the pool robot travels a second preset distance along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and away from the current wall; in response to contacting the obstacle during the second movement, the pool robot uses the obstacle as the next wall.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The swimming pool robot climbing along the current wall to the water level includes: The pool robot moves from the bottom of the pool toward the current wall and climbs along the wall surface to the water level. During the process of climbing the wall to the water level line, the pool robot detects the second height between the water level line and the bottom of the pool, and uses the difference between the second height and the preset safety margin as the preset threshold.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The swimming pool robot's movement from the bottom of the pool towards the current wall includes: The pool robot rotates once on the bottom of the pool and measures the distance to each wall in the pool during the rotation. The pool robot takes the wall with the smallest distance measurement result among all the walls as the current wall, and obtains the yaw angle when the pool robot measures the distance to the current wall; The pool robot adjusts its posture according to the yaw angle and moves from the bottom of the pool toward the current wall.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The process of measuring the distance to each wall in the pool during rotation includes: The pool robot detects the wall in the pool within a preset detection range during its rotation. In response to detecting at least one of the walls within the detection range, the pool robot measures the distance to each of the walls; In response to the failure to detect any of the walls within the detection range, the pool robot travels a third preset distance and then repeats the rotation and ranging operations until at least one of the walls is detected within the detection range.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The pool robot travels in a current direction parallel to the water level and cleans the wall until it encounters an obstacle, at which point it stops and performs the following judgment operations: The pool robot moves along the current direction and cleans the wall until it touches an obstacle and stops moving. The swimming pool robot self-checks its current battery level; In response to the current battery level being in the first state, the pool robot ends its cleaning operation on the current wall and moves downwards to the bottom of the pool. The pool robot performs the judgment operation in response to the current battery level being in the second state.

8. A swimming pool wall cleaning device, characterized in that, The device includes: The wall-climbing control module is used for the pool robot to climb along the current wall surface to the water level line; A cleaning module is used for the pool robot to move along a current direction parallel to the water level line and clean the wall until it stops moving when it encounters an obstacle; The detection module is used by the pool robot to detect the first height between the pool robot and the water level line; The cleaning module is also used for the pool robot to respond to the first height being less than or equal to a preset threshold, travel downwards a first preset distance, and then travel in the next direction opposite to the current direction to clean the wall until it stops traveling when it comes into contact with the obstacle; The wall-lowering control module is used by the pool robot to respond to repeated judgment operations until the first height is greater than the preset threshold, and then end the cleaning operation on the current wall.

9. A swimming pool robot, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the pool wall cleaning method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program, which, when run, causes the pool wall cleaning method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 to be performed.

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