Control method and device of pool cleaning robot and pool cleaning robot

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a control method, apparatus, and robot for a swimming pool cleaning robot. The method includes: in response to a step cleaning task, controlling the swimming pool cleaning robot to move to a target area, the target area including at least one step to be cleaned; controlling the swimming pool cleaning robot to travel along the side of the step to be cleaned near the riser of an adjacent step, cleaning the tread of the step to be cleaned during the travel. This disclosure enables the swimming pool cleaning robot to identify the riser and tread of the step to be cleaned in the target area, and controls the swimming pool cleaning robot to travel along the side of the step near the riser of an adjacent step, cleaning simultaneously during the movement, thus ensuring the effectiveness of step cleaning.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] A pool cleaning robot is a device used to automatically clean swimming pools. Currently, for large areas like the pool bottom and walls, pool cleaning robots can achieve comprehensive cleaning through automatic navigation or detection. However, existing pool cleaning robots have the drawback of not being able to thoroughly clean pool steps. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address at least one of the aforementioned technical problems, this disclosure provides a control method, apparatus, and pool cleaning robot for a pool cleaning robot.

[0004] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a control method for a swimming pool cleaning robot is provided, comprising: in response to a step cleaning task, controlling the swimming pool cleaning robot to move to a target area, the target area including at least one step to be cleaned; controlling the swimming pool cleaning robot to travel along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned close to the kick surface of an adjacent step, and cleaning the tread of the step to be cleaned during the travel.

[0005] In some possible implementations, the method further includes: detecting the width data of the tread of the step to be cleaned during travel; when the width data meets a preset condition, after the pool cleaning robot moves to the end of the tread of the step to be cleaned, controlling the pool cleaning robot to travel along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned closer to the cliff, and cleaning the tread of the step to be cleaned during travel.

[0006] In some possible implementations, after all the treads of the steps to be cleaned have been cleaned, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to return along the original route. During the return process, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to clean the treads it has passed through again. Alternatively, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to move to the bottom of the pool in a direction perpendicular to the length of the steps.

[0007] In some possible implementations, before controlling the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned that is close to the riser of the adjacent step, the method further includes: determining the target plane as the riser when the angle between the target plane and the horizontal plane is detected to be in the range of 70° to 90°; and determining the target plane as the tread when the angle between the target plane and the horizontal plane is detected to be in the range of -10° to 10°.

[0008] In some possible implementations, before controlling the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned close to the adjacent step's riser, the method further includes: if the riser of the step to be cleaned is detected, controlling the pool cleaning robot to climb or move away from the target area along the step width direction towards the tread of the step to be cleaned.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the step of controlling the pool cleaning robot to climb up the tread of the step to be cleaned along the width of the step when the kick surface of the step to be cleaned is detected also includes: if the pool cleaning robot successfully climbs up and no obstacle is detected, controlling the pool cleaning robot to return along the original route or drive away from the target area.

[0010] In some possible implementations, controlling the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned near the adjacent step's riser, and cleaning the tread of the step to be cleaned during the movement, includes: controlling the pool cleaning robot to move and clean along the length of the step on the tread of the step to be cleaned, collecting step edge data during the movement and cleaning process; and controlling the pool cleaning robot to stop when it is determined, based on the step edge data, that the robot has reached the end of the tread of the step to be cleaned.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the step edge data includes detection data from edge sensors, downward-looking sensors, cliff sensors, or ultrasonic sensors, and the end of the step to be cleaned is a pool wall or a step wall.

[0012] In some possible implementations, controlling the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned near the adjacent step's riser, and cleaning the tread of the step to be cleaned during the movement, further includes: detecting the initial position of the pool cleaning robot on the tread of the step to be cleaned; if the initial position is not the end of the step to be cleaned, marking the step to be cleaned, and controlling the pool cleaning robot to move to the end of the step to be cleaned.

[0013] In some possible implementations, the method further includes controlling the pool cleaning robot to clean the marked steps again during its return process.

[0014] In some possible implementations, the method further includes: collecting step data during the movement and cleaning process of the pool cleaning robot; and creating or updating a step map based on the step data.

[0015] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a control device for a pool cleaning robot is provided, comprising: A first control module is used to control the pool cleaning robot to move to a target area in response to a step cleaning task, the target area including at least one step to be cleaned; The second control module is used to control the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned that is close to the side of the adjacent step's kick surface, and to clean the tread of the step to be cleaned during the movement.

[0016] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a pool cleaning robot is provided, including a memory and a processor. The memory is used to store executable program code, and the processor is used to call and run the executable program code from the memory, causing the pool cleaning robot to perform the control method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0017] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program, which, when executed, implements the control method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0018] This disclosure has the following beneficial effects: The control method for the pool cleaning robot disclosed herein can control the pool cleaning robot to identify the riser and tread of the step to be cleaned in the target area, and control the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the step close to the riser of the adjacent step, cleaning simultaneously during the movement, which can ensure the cleaning effect of the step.

[0019] 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 disclosure.

[0020] Other features and aspects of this disclosure will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0021] 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.

[0022] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a control method for a pool cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2The figure shows a first travel route of a pool cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The numbers in the figure represent the sequence of the movement route. The solid line is the first movement cleaning route, and the dashed line is the original return cleaning route. Figure 3 The figure shows a second travel route of a pool cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The numbers in the figure represent the sequence of the movement route. The solid line is the first movement cleaning route, and the dashed line is the original return cleaning route. Figure 4 A structural diagram of a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 5 A structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0023] 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 disclosure.

[0024] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this disclosure 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 this disclosure 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 includes 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.

[0025] Various exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of this disclosure 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] Furthermore, to better illustrate this disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth in the following detailed description. Those skilled in the art will understand that this disclosure can be practiced 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 disclosure.

[0029] The hygiene of swimming pools is crucial to swimmers' health, therefore regular cleaning is necessary to ensure a healthy swimming environment. Currently, pool cleaning is done manually or using pool cleaning robots. However, due to the large area and depth of pools, manual cleaning is very cumbersome. Pool cleaning robots are devices designed to automatically clean pools. For large areas of the pool bottom and walls, pool cleaning robots can achieve comprehensive cleaning through automatic navigation or detection.

[0030] However, the existing cleaning strategies for pool bottoms or walls are difficult to apply directly to cleaning stepped areas. Stepped areas have a multi-tiered shape, which can restrict the movement of pool robots, leading to incomplete cleaning and ultimately affecting the cleaning effect.

[0031] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this disclosure provides a swimming pool step cleaning solution. This solution is based on controlling a swimming pool cleaning robot. By controlling the robot to detect designated planar features of the pool steps, the robot can climb from the designated planar feature to the surface to be cleaned. The robot then moves along the surface to clean and record its route. After completing one cleaning pass, the robot returns along the same path for a second cleaning pass, ensuring that each surface of the pool steps is cleaned twice, guaranteeing thorough cleaning and improving cleaning efficiency. Compared to existing technologies, this solution eliminates the need for manual cleaning of the pool steps, reducing labor intensity. Furthermore, the robot's targeted detection of step areas and planning of cleaning routes ensures smooth robot movement while improving cleaning efficiency, thereby enhancing the user experience.

[0032] Figure 1A flowchart illustrating a control method for a pool cleaning robot according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Please refer to... Figure 1 The control methods include: S110, In response to the step cleaning task, control the pool cleaning robot to move to the target area, the target area including at least one step to be cleaned; S120. Control the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned, close to the side of the adjacent step's riser, and clean the tread of the step to be cleaned during the movement.

[0033] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the step cleaning task can be triggered by a step cleaning command manually issued by the user, or it can be a periodic task set by the pool cleaning robot or the base station, or it can be triggered by the pool cleaning robot under specific conditions, such as when a step is detected, or when a step is detected by a camera or other sensors during pool floor cleaning, thereby automatically triggering the step cleaning task.

[0034] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when the pool cleaning robot moves along the tread of the step to be cleaned, the pool cleaning robot can be close to the adjacent step's riser or at a certain distance from the adjacent step's riser.

[0035] In a further embodiment, the control method further includes: detecting the width data of the tread of the step to be cleaned during the movement; when the width data meets the preset conditions, after the pool cleaning robot moves to the end of the tread of the step to be cleaned, controlling the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned closer to the cliff, and cleaning the tread of the step to be cleaned during the movement.

[0036] In this embodiment, the width data of the step tread can be detected using a downward vision sensor. Based on the width data, it is determined whether there is a cliff on the other side. If there is no cliff, it is considered that the width is not fully covered and cleaning needs to be done on the cliff side. In other words, the above width data meeting the preset conditions can be expressed as the width data being greater than the cleaning width of the pool cleaning robot.

[0037] Based on the above solution, when the width of the step to be cleaned is greater than the cleaning width range of the pool cleaning robot, the pool cleaning robot will move close to one side of the step to be cleaned, which will result in the other side of the step not being covered, thus reducing the cleaning effect. Therefore, for the case of a wider step, downward-looking sensors are set on both sides of the bottom of the robot to detect whether there are steps below and determine whether it is close to the cliff side. If the downward-looking sensor does not detect the cliff while moving along the side wall, the robot will turn around after reaching the end and move along the cliff side to cover the part that was not cleaned in the previous pass.

[0038] In this embodiment, to prevent the pool cleaning robot from falling off the cliff, the robot's head can be controlled to face the cliff. If the downward-facing sensor near the cliff detects the cliff, the robot will turn back. If no cliff is detected, the robot will continue to face the cliff until it completes the turning action. This ensures that the robot cleans the cliff side surface without falling off the cliff.

[0039] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: S1301. After all the treads of the steps to be cleaned have been cleaned, control the pool cleaning robot to return along the original route. During the return process, control the pool cleaning robot to clean the treads it has passed through again.

[0040] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the target area is determined based on the step cleaning task. Specifically, the step cleaning task includes the pool step area to be cleaned and a cleaning mode, wherein the cleaning mode includes a first mode and a second mode. The first mode is a continuous cleaning mode, and the second mode is a layer-by-layer cleaning mode. The target area is obtained based on the cleaning mode and the pool step area.

[0041] In one specific embodiment, the cleaning mode indicated by the step cleaning task is the first mode. In this mode, the target area is the entire pool step area, meaning the target area includes all the steps within the pool step area. The movement path of the pool cleaning robot in this mode is as follows: Figure 2 As shown.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 2 In response to the step cleaning task, the pool cleaning robot is first controlled to move from the bottom of the pool to the riser facing the first step. Then, the robot climbs from the riser to the tread and cleans the tread. After the first cleaning, the robot climbs from the riser to the tread and cleans it. This process continues, cleaning each step after climbing it. During the movement, the robot records its route, including the climbing and cleaning paths. When the robot finishes cleaning the last step (the top step), it completes the first cleaning of all steps in the target area. By returning along the recorded route and cleaning each step again during the return, the second cleaning of all steps in the target area is completed.

[0043] In another specific embodiment, the cleaning mode indicated by the step cleaning task is the second mode. In this mode, an uncleaned step in the pool step area is identified as the target area. That is, the target area only includes one step in the pool step area. After the pool cleaning robot completes cleaning one step in the target area, another uncleaned step in the pool step area is selected as the target area. Based on this setting, the pool cleaning robot will only climb to the next step after cleaning one step twice. By continuously switching the target area, two cleanings can be achieved for each step. The movement path of the pool cleaning robot is as follows: Figure 3 As shown.

[0044] Please refer to Figure 3 The step cleaning task first identifies the first step of the pool steps as the target area. Responding to the task, the pool cleaning robot moves from the pool bottom to the kick surface facing the first step. Then, it climbs from the kick surface to the tread. Next, it cleans the tread, recording its route. After the first cleaning, the robot returns along the recorded route, cleaning the tread again for a second cleaning. The task then changes the target area to the second step of the pool steps and repeats the above steps to clean all steps in the target area, ensuring effective cleaning.

[0045] In some embodiments, the pool cleaning robot moves vertically backward down the steps after completing the cleaning. Specifically, the control method further includes: step S1302, after cleaning the treads of all the steps to be cleaned, controlling the pool cleaning robot to move vertically along the length of the steps to the bottom of the pool.

[0046] Step S1302 is parallel to step 1301 above, meaning that after cleaning the steps once, the pool cleaning robot can clean the steps a second time, or it can directly return to the bottom of the pool. Based on step S1302 above, after completing the cleaning of the steps, the pool cleaning robot will directly retreat vertically until it returns to the bottom of the pool. Please refer to... Figure 3 The swimming pool cleaning robot's vertical retreat route back to the bottom of the pool is as follows: Figure 3 Routes 7 and 8 in the text.

[0047] In some embodiments, before controlling the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned close to the adjacent step's kick surface, the control method further includes a step detection method for detecting the step's kick surface and tread surface to ensure that the pool cleaning robot can correctly climb from the step kick surface to the step tread surface.

[0048] The step detection method specifically includes: when the angle between the detected target plane and the horizontal plane is within the range of 70° to 90°, the target plane is identified as the kick surface; when the angle between the detected target plane and the horizontal plane is within the range of -10° to 10°, the target plane is identified as the tread surface. The pool cleaning robot is equipped with an environmental perception sensor, which is used to perceive pool step data. The environmental perception sensor can be a vision sensor or a distance sensor. Correspondingly, the pool step data can be visual data or distance information, such as distance information collected by a distance sensor, point cloud data collected by a lidar, or image data collected by a camera. In some specific embodiments, the pool cleaning sensor is equipped with a depth camera, which can capture a depth map with depth information. Based on the depth map, the type of the target plane can be determined.

[0049] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the climbing direction and moving cleaning direction of the pool cleaning robot are matched with the direction of the steps. Specifically, before controlling the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned near the riser of the adjacent step, the method further includes: when the riser of the step to be cleaned is detected, controlling the pool cleaning robot to climb along the width direction of the step towards the tread of the step to be cleaned. The above-mentioned control of the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be clean near the riser of the adjacent step includes: when the climbing is detected as successful, controlling the pool cleaning robot to move and clean along the length direction of the step on the tread of the step to be cleaned.

[0050] In some specific implementations, after detecting the step riser, the pool cleaning robot adjusts its direction so that its travel direction is consistent with the step width direction, i.e., perpendicular to the step length direction. The robot then climbs over the riser to the tread. After successfully climbing, the robot's direction is adjusted again so that its travel direction is consistent with the length direction, i.e., rotating 90°. After cleaning the tread, the robot's direction is adjusted once more so that its travel direction is consistent with the step width direction, facilitating climbing and cleaning of the next step tread.

[0051] This embodiment does not limit the specific way in which the pool cleaning robot climbs the steps. For example, the pool cleaning robot can be equipped with a propulsion wheel mechanism and a water pump mechanism. The propulsion wheel mechanism is used to contact the tread or kick surface of the step to provide propulsion force, and the water pump mechanism is used to draw water between the pool cleaning robot and the tread or kick surface of the step to generate negative pressure suction, so that the pool cleaning robot can adhere to the tread or kick surface of the step and ensure that the pool cleaning robot can climb to the tread smoothly.

[0052] In this embodiment, one cleaning task termination condition for the pool cleaning robot is that it has not climbed any steps. That is, the cleaning task ends when the pool cleaning robot is detected to have moved to the sun deck. This embodiment does not limit the detection method. In some implementations, obstacle detection can be used to determine whether the sun deck has been reached. Specifically, if the pool cleaning robot successfully climbs and no obstacle is detected, it is controlled to return along its original path or leave the target area. Based on the above scheme, when the pool cleaning robot successfully climbs and no obstacle is detected, it indicates that the platform surface where the pool cleaning robot is located is not a step but a sun deck, thus confirming that the step cleaning has been completed.

[0053] In some embodiments, another cleaning task completion condition for the pool cleaning robot is that the robot exits the water. The pool cleaning robot is also equipped with a water surface sensor, which is used to detect whether the pool cleaning robot has exited the water. Based on the water surface sensor, the control method also includes an exit-and-retreat method. Specifically, when the kick surface of the step to be cleaned is detected, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to climb towards the tread surface of the step to be cleaned along the width direction of the step. The method also includes: when at least a portion of the pool cleaning robot is detected to be above the water surface, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to return along its original path or move away from the target area / current step. This embodiment does not limit the specific proportion of the aforementioned "at least a portion". In some cases, the robot may retreat along its original path as soon as it is detected to have exited the water. In other cases, the robot may retreat along its original path when more than 1 / 3 or 1 / 2 of its body is detected to have exited the water. The above proportions should be flexibly adjusted according to the specific structure of the pool cleaning robot.

[0054] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when cleaning the tread surface, the pool cleaning robot needs to move from one end of the tread surface to the other end to ensure that the tread surface is cleaned properly. In a real pool environment, the end of the pool step may be against the pool wall or it may be suspended. When the end is suspended, the pool cleaning robot needs to detect the end position to avoid falling due to excessive movement. When the end is against the pool wall, the pool cleaning robot needs to detect the end position to avoid impacting the pool wall due to excessive movement.

[0055] Specifically, upon successful climbing, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to move along the length of the step to be cleaned, including: controlling the robot to move along the length of the step and collecting step edge data during the movement; and stopping the robot when the edge data indicates it has reached the end of the step. The edge of the step should be understood as the edge closest to the riser of another step. This design prevents the robot from falling off the current step, thus improving the reliability and safety of the cleaning process.

[0056] This embodiment does not limit the specific content of the step edge data collected by the pool cleaning robot, nor does it limit the type of device used to collect the step edge data. In some possible implementations, the step edge data includes detection data from edge sensors, downward-looking sensors, cliff sensors, or ultrasonic sensors. The end of the step to be cleaned is the pool wall or step wall. Edge sensors are used to detect the pool wall and / or step riser, while downward-looking sensors and cliff sensors are used to detect suspended step walls. In other possible implementations, the step edge data also includes detection data from obstacle detection sensors. These obstacle detection sensors can be distance sensors, acoustic radar, lidar, or vision devices, and are used to detect the pool wall.

[0057] In this embodiment of the disclosure, to ensure that the step treads are thoroughly cleaned, the pool cleaning robot should move from one end of the tread to the other. That is, the initial position of the pool cleaning robot when climbing onto the step tread should be one end of the tread. Under normal circumstances, if the pool cleaning robot cleans one step tread and then climbs to clean another, its initial position will necessarily be at the end. However, under abnormal circumstances, such as when the first step tread is cleaned, or when the dimensions of adjacent steps change, it cannot be guaranteed that the pool cleaning robot's initial position on the step tread will be at the end.

[0058] In some embodiments, to ensure the cleaning effect of the steps under the aforementioned abnormal conditions, the steps can be marked, and the marked steps can be cleaned again after the treads of other steps have been cleaned. Specifically, controlling the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned that is close to the riser of the adjacent step, and cleaning the tread of the step to be cleaned during the movement, also includes: detecting the initial position of the pool cleaning robot on the tread of the step to be cleaned; if the initial position is not the end of the step to be cleaned, marking the step to be cleaned, and controlling the pool cleaning robot to move to the end of the step to be cleaned.

[0059] Corresponding to the above embodiments, in a further embodiment, after all the tread surfaces of the steps to be cleaned have been cleaned, the method further includes: during the return process of the pool cleaning robot (including vertical return to the bottom of the pool or return along the original path), controlling the pool cleaning robot to clean the marked steps again.

[0060] In one specific implementation, when the pool cleaning robot detects the riser of the first step, it climbs from any position on the riser to the tread of the first step and marks the first step. Then it moves to clean one end of the first step, and then climbs to the tread of the second step to move and clean. After all the other step treads have been cleaned, the pool cleaning robot returns to the first step and cleans the tread of the first step again to ensure the cleaning effect of the steps.

[0061] In other embodiments, to ensure the cleaning effect of the steps under the aforementioned abnormal conditions, the end position of the step to be cleaned can be detected before the pool cleaning robot climbs to the tread of the step to ensure that the initial position of the pool cleaning robot climbing to the tread of the step is the end position. In one specific embodiment, in response to the step cleaning task, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to move to the kick surface of the first step, and then the pool cleaning robot is controlled to move along the edge of the kick surface of the first step. The detection data of the edge sensor is used to determine whether the end of the first step has been reached. If the end has been detected, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to climb to the tread of the first step. Based on this setting, the initial position of the pool cleaning robot on the tread of the first step is the end.

[0062] In some possible embodiments, the control method further includes a map matching method, in which the pool cleaning robot synchronously acquires step data and establishes corresponding map data during the cleaning process, so as to improve cleaning efficiency when cleaning the same steps again. Specifically, map matching includes: collecting step data during the movement and cleaning process of the pool cleaning robot; and creating or updating a step map based on the step data. The step data includes perception and recognition data of the steps and motion state data of the pool cleaning robot. Specifically, the perception and recognition data may include point cloud data, image data, etc., and the motion state data may include magnetometer data, IMU data, or wheel speed sensor data.

[0063] The foregoing embodiments have described in detail a control method for a pool cleaning robot disclosed herein. Implementing the method of this disclosure has the following beneficial effects: The control method for the pool cleaning robot disclosed herein enables the robot to identify the risers and treads of steps to be cleaned in a target area, thereby moving and cleaning the treads of the steps. During the cleaning process, the robot records its movement route and returns along the same path after completing one cleaning pass to perform a second cleaning pass, ensuring that each step tread is cleaned twice, thus improving the cleaning effect. This disclosure also provides a control device for a pool cleaning robot; please refer to... Figure 4 The control device includes: The first control module 100 is used to control the pool cleaning robot to move to the target area in response to the step cleaning task, the target area including at least one step to be cleaned; The second control module 200 is used to control the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned, close to the side of the adjacent step's kick surface, and to clean the tread of the step to be cleaned during the movement.

[0064] In some embodiments, the second control module 200 is further configured to detect the width data of the tread of the step to be cleaned during the movement. When the width data meets the preset conditions, after the pool cleaning robot moves to the end of the tread of the step to be cleaned, the control module 200 is configured to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned closer to the cliff and clean the tread of the step to be cleaned during the movement.

[0065] In some embodiments, the control device further includes a third control module, which controls the pool cleaning robot to return along the original route after all the treads to be cleaned have been cleaned, and controls the pool cleaning robot to clean the treads it has passed through again during the return process.

[0066] In some embodiments, the control device of the pool cleaning robot further includes a step plane detection module, which is used to determine the target plane as a kick surface when the angle between the target plane and the horizontal plane is detected to be in the range of 70° to 90°, and to determine the target plane as a tread surface when the angle between the target plane and the horizontal plane is detected to be in the range of -10° to 10°.

[0067] In some embodiments, the second control module 200 further includes a direction control submodule, which controls the pool cleaning robot to climb up the tread of the step to be cleaned along the width direction of the step when the kick surface of the step to be cleaned is detected; and controls the pool cleaning robot to move and clean along the length direction of the step when the climbing is successfully detected.

[0068] In some embodiments, the second control module 200 further includes a water outflow detection submodule, which controls the pool cleaning robot to return along its original path or leave the target area when it is detected that at least part of the pool cleaning robot has exceeded the water surface.

[0069] In some embodiments, the third control module 300 further includes an end recognition submodule, which controls the pool cleaning robot to move and clean along the length of the step on the tread surface to be cleaned, and collects step edge data during the cleaning process; and controls the pool cleaning robot to stop when it is determined based on the step edge data that it has reached the end of the tread surface to be cleaned.

[0070] In some embodiments, the third control module 300 further includes a marking submodule for detecting the initial position of the pool cleaning robot on the tread of the step to be cleaned; if the initial position is not the end of the step to be cleaned, marking the step to be cleaned and controlling the pool cleaning robot to move to the end of the step to be cleaned.

[0071] In some embodiments, the control device for the pool cleaning robot further includes a fourth control module, which is used to control the pool cleaning robot to return along the original route after all the treads to be cleaned have been cleaned, and during the return process, control the pool cleaning robot to clean the treads it has passed through again and then clean the marked steps again.

[0072] In some embodiments, the control device of the pool cleaning robot further includes a map matching module for collecting step data during the movement and cleaning process of the pool cleaning robot; and creating or updating a step map based on the step data.

[0073] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a pool cleaning robot is provided, including a memory and a processor. The memory is used to store executable program code, and the processor is used to call and run the executable program code from the memory, so that the pool cleaning robot performs the control method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0074] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program that, when executed, implements the control method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0075] This invention 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 autonomous driving perception data processing method described above.

[0076] 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 mainly includes a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area stores the operating system, application programs required for functions, etc.; the data storage area stores data created based on device usage, etc. Furthermore, memory may include high-speed random access memory (RAM) and non-volatile memory, such as at least one hard disk storage device, flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage device. Correspondingly, memory may also include a memory controller to provide the processor with access to the memory.

[0077] 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 significantly 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 such as MCUs or programmable logic devices such as 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.

[0078] 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 used for wireless communication with the Internet.

[0079] 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.

[0080] The various embodiments of this disclosure 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 application, or technical 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 cleaning robot, characterized in that, include: In response to a step cleaning task, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to move to a target area, the target area including at least one step to be cleaned; The pool cleaning robot is controlled to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned, close to the side of the adjacent step's riser, and cleans the tread of the step to be cleaned during the movement.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: During the movement, the width data of the tread of the step to be cleaned is detected. When the width data meets the preset conditions, after the pool cleaning robot moves to the end of the tread of the step to be cleaned, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned that is close to the cliff, and the tread of the step to be cleaned is cleaned during the movement.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Once all the treads of the steps to be cleaned have been cleaned, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to return along the original route. During the return process, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to clean the treads it has passed through again, or the pool cleaning robot is controlled to move to the bottom of the pool along the vertical direction of the length of the steps.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Before controlling the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned, close to the side of the adjacent step's riser, the method further includes: If the angle between the target plane and the horizontal plane is detected to be between 70° and 90°, the target plane is defined as the kick surface; If the angle between the target plane and the horizontal plane is detected to be in the range of -10° to 10°, the target plane is determined as the tread surface.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, Before controlling the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned, close to the side of the adjacent step's riser, the method further includes: Upon detecting the tread of the step to be cleaned, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to climb up the tread of the step along the width of the step.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of controlling the pool cleaning robot to climb along the width of the step towards the tread of the step to be cleaned when the tread of the step to be cleaned is detected also includes: If the pool cleaning robot successfully climbs and no obstacle is detected, or if at least part of the pool cleaning robot is detected to be above the water surface, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to return along its original path or leave the target area.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The control of the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned, close to the riser of the adjacent step, and to clean the tread of the step to be cleaned during the movement includes: The pool cleaning robot is controlled to move along the length of the step to be cleaned, and data on the edge of the step is collected during the cleaning process. If the pool cleaning robot is determined to be at the end of the tread of the step to be cleaned based on the step edge data, the robot is controlled to stop.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The step edge data includes detection data from edge sensors, downward-looking sensors, cliff sensors, or ultrasonic sensors, and the end of the step to be cleaned is a pool wall or a step wall.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method of controlling the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread surface of the step to be cleaned, close to the adjacent step's riser, and cleaning the tread surface of the step to be cleaned during the movement, further includes: The initial position of the pool cleaning robot on the tread surface of the step to be cleaned is detected; if the initial position is not the end of the step to be cleaned, the step to be cleaned is marked, and the pool cleaning robot is controlled to move to the end of the step to be cleaned.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: during the return process of the pool cleaning robot, controlling the pool cleaning robot to clean the marked steps again.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Step data is collected during the swimming pool cleaning robot's movement and cleaning process; Create or update a step map based on the step data.

12. A control device for a swimming pool cleaning robot, characterized in that, include: A first control module is used to control the pool cleaning robot to move to a target area in response to a step cleaning task, the target area including at least one step to be cleaned; The second control module is used to control the pool cleaning robot to move along the side of the tread of the step to be cleaned that is close to the side of the adjacent step's kick surface, and to clean the tread of the step to be cleaned during the movement.

13. A swimming pool cleaning robot, characterized in that, The device includes a memory and a processor, the memory being used to store executable program code, and the processor being used to call and run the executable program code from the memory, causing the pool cleaning robot to perform the control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed, implements the control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

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