Automatic pool cleaning apparatus and control method thereof
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 元鼎智能创新(国际)有限公司
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-22
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-24
Smart Images
Figure CN122446922A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This disclosure relates to automatic cleaning equipment and control methods for water tanks in the field of automatic cleaning. Background Technology
[0002] For pool facilities such as swimming pools, automatic pool cleaning equipment can be used for automatic or assisted cleaning. For example, automatic pool cleaning equipment can be designed to operate its cleaning mechanism while moving on the bottom, walls, and / or surface of the pool to filter pool water and absorb waste. Summary of the Invention
[0003] A method for controlling an automatic pool cleaning device is disclosed, comprising: controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to perform a cleaning operation in a pool; acquiring a real-time image of the scene surrounding the automatic pool cleaning device; acquiring real-time data from the real-time image, the real-time data including data relating to the real-time position of at least a portion of the edge line of the pool in the real-time image when the automatic pool cleaning device performs the cleaning operation in a current pose; and adjusting the pose of the automatic pool cleaning device based on the real-time data and desired data, such that the real-time data in the real-time image is close to or equal to the desired data, the desired data including data relating to the desired position of the at least a portion of the edge line in the real-time image when the automatic pool cleaning device performs the cleaning operation in a desired pose.
[0004] In one or more embodiments, the cleaning operation includes at least one of pool bottom edge cleaning operation and water surface edge cleaning operation.
[0005] In one or more embodiments, the edge line includes at least one of the bottom edge line of the pool and the waterline at the junction of the pool and the water surface.
[0006] In one or more embodiments, the real-time data includes a plurality of real-time coordinate points representing the real-time position of the at least part of the edge line in the real-time image when the automatic pool cleaning device performs the cleaning operation in the current pose, and the desired data includes a plurality of desired coordinate points representing the desired position of the at least part of the edge line in the real-time image when the automatic pool cleaning device performs the cleaning operation in the desired pose.
[0007] In one or more embodiments, adjusting the pose of the automatic pool cleaning device based on the real-time data and the desired data includes: determining whether the real-time position is aligned with the desired position by comparing the plurality of real-time coordinate points and the plurality of desired coordinate points; if the real-time position is aligned with the desired position, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to continue moving forward according to the current pose; and if the real-time position is not aligned with the desired position, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to change the current pose so that the plurality of real-time coordinate points approach or equal the plurality of desired coordinate points.
[0008] In one or more embodiments, the method further includes: monitoring the changes of at least one coordinate point among the plurality of real-time coordinate points that is far from the automatic pool cleaning device at different times; and planning the next movement route of the automatic pool cleaning device based on the monitored changes of the at least one coordinate point at different times.
[0009] In one or more embodiments, planning the next movement route of the automatic pool cleaning device based on the changes of at least one monitored coordinate point at different times includes: controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to continue moving along the current movement route when the at least one monitored coordinate point does not change or changes only slightly at different times; and controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to decelerate or turn after a predetermined time or a predetermined duration when the at least one monitored coordinate point undergoes a sudden change or changes significantly at different times.
[0010] In one or more embodiments, the method further includes calibrating an image sensor used to acquire the real-time image to obtain the desired data.
[0011] An automatic pool cleaning device is also disclosed, comprising: an image sensor configured to acquire a real-time image of the area in front of the automatic pool cleaning device; and a controller configured to perform the method described above.
[0012] In one or more embodiments, the image sensor includes a forward-looking binocular camera. Attached Figure Description
[0013] Figure 1 An example of an automatic pool cleaning device in an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated schematically.
[0014] Figure 2 An example of a method for controlling an automatic water tank cleaning device in an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated schematically.
[0015] Figure 3 An example of the execution process of a method for controlling an automatic cleaning device for a water tank, as illustrated in an embodiment of this disclosure, is shown schematically.
[0016] Figure 4 An example of the execution process of a method for controlling an automatic cleaning device for a water tank, as illustrated in an embodiment of this disclosure, is shown schematically.
[0017] Figure 5 An example of the execution process of a method for controlling an automatic cleaning device for a water tank, as illustrated in an embodiment of this disclosure, is shown schematically.
[0018] Figure 6 An example of the execution process of a method for controlling an automatic cleaning device for a water tank, as illustrated in an embodiment of this disclosure, is shown schematically.
[0019] Figure 7 An example of the execution process of a method for controlling an automatic cleaning device for a water tank, as illustrated in an embodiment of this disclosure, is shown schematically.
[0020] Figure 8 An example of the execution process of a method for controlling an automatic cleaning device for a water tank, as illustrated in an embodiment of this disclosure, is shown schematically. Detailed Implementation
[0021] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent parts are given the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are not repeated.
[0022] Figure 1 An exemplary automatic pool cleaning device 100, hereinafter also referred to as "device 100", is schematically shown in an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0023] The device 100 may be configured with a housing, an inlet, an outlet, a water pump, a filter, and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism may include, for example, a power mechanism such as a motor or a water pump, and a travel mechanism driven by the power mechanism, such as wheels, tracks, spray nozzles, or propellers. For example, the device 100 may use its drive mechanism to move on the bottom, wall, or surface of the pool, while the water pump draws pool water along with debris into the device through the inlet, and then discharges the filtered pool water out of the outlet into the pool.
[0024] like Figure 1As shown, a controller 110 is also configured in device 100. The controller 110 may include any circuitry and / or module with data processing and / or instruction execution capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and is suitable for device 100. For example, it may be configured to perform data processing and / or control related to the cleaning operations and / or other functions of device 100 based on programs stored in the memory of device 100 and / or signals and / or instructions from the control panel or control terminal of device 100 and / or sensing data from one or more sensors of device 100.
[0025] The device 100 can be configured to perform edge cleaning operations, including bottom edge cleaning along the bottom edge line of the pool and / or surface edge cleaning along the waterline where the pool wall meets the water surface.
[0026] In some embodiments, the device 100 may be configured to measure the distance between the device 100 and the edge of the pool (e.g., the bottom edge of the pool, or the waterline at the junction of the pool and the water surface) using ranging sensors such as ultrasonic sensors or time-of-flight (ToF) sensors configured on the device 100 during edge cleaning operations. The controller 110 of the device 100 can then control the power and travel mechanisms of the device 100 based on the measured distance, enabling the device 100 to perform the edge cleaning operation.
[0027] For example, for non-straight / non-smooth curve types of pool edges, such as the unevenness of the pool edge, the distance value measured by the aforementioned distance sensor may change abruptly or significantly in a short period of time. The inertia of the device 100 moving in the water usually cannot be eliminated immediately, which may cause the device 100 to fail to respond to such abrupt change in time. This makes it difficult to accurately and timely control the distance between the device 100 and the pool edge, which may result in cleaning omissions.
[0028] Therefore, in one or more embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the device 100 is also equipped with an image sensor 120 such as a binocular camera, but other types of image sensors can also be used, which are not limited here.
[0029] In this way, during the edge cleaning operation performed by device 100, real-time images of the area in front of device 100 can be acquired via image sensor 120. Controller 110 can utilize any suitable image processing and analysis method / model, such as artificial intelligence, to identify the edge of the pool (e.g., the bottom edge line of the pool, or the waterline at the junction of the pool and the water surface) from the real-time images from image sensor 120. Based on the degree of matching between the identified pool edge and the expected edge line in the real-time image, controller 110 adjusts the pose of device 100 and / or pre-plans the travel route, enabling device 100 to adapt to various types of pool edges in a timely and accurate manner, ensuring the stability of device 100's movement, thereby ensuring the effectiveness and cleaning coverage of the edge cleaning operation.
[0030] Figure 2 An exemplary method 200 that can be used to control device 100 is schematically illustrated. Method 200 can be executed by controller 110 in conjunction with image sensor 120 and may include steps 210, 220, 230 and 240.
[0031] In step 210, the device 100 can be controlled to perform cleaning operations in the pool. The cleaning operations may include edge cleaning operations such as bottom edge cleaning and surface edge cleaning. In the case of bottom edge cleaning, the device 100 can perform cleaning operations along the edge line of the bottom of the pool, while in the case of surface edge cleaning, the device 100 can perform cleaning operations along the waterline at the junction of the pool and the water surface.
[0032] Step 220 can be performed during the edge cleaning operation to obtain real-time images of the scene surrounding device 100. For example, as Figure 3 As shown, during the process of the control device 100 performing water surface edge cleaning operation, real-time images of the scene in front of the device 100 and on the side where the pool edge 300 is located can be acquired by an image sensor 120 such as a binocular camera.
[0033] Then, step 230 can be performed to obtain real-time data from the real-time image obtained in step 220. The obtained real-time data may include, but is not limited to, data related to the real-time position of at least a portion of the edge line of the pool in the real-time image when the device 100 performs a cleaning operation according to the current pose. In the case of a bottom edge cleaning operation, the at least a portion of the bottom edge line of the pool may be at least a part of the bottom edge line of the pool, while in the case of a surface edge cleaning operation, the at least a part of the waterline at the junction of the pool and the water surface may be at least a part of the waterline.
[0034] In step 230, the controller 110 can acquire or identify real-time data from the real-time images acquired in step 220, as the device 100 performs cleaning operations in its current pose, using any suitable image processing and analysis method.
[0035] For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, the real-time image 400 is a real-time image captured by the image sensor 120 at the current actual position and posture during the actual water surface edge cleaning operation performed by the device 100. The real-time data obtained from the real-time image 400 may include or include a marker line 410 for representing or identifying at least a portion of the edge line 300 of the pool identified from the real-time image 400, or may include or include multiple real-time coordinate points P1, P2, P3, etc. on or that can be used to replace the marker line 410. Each real-time coordinate point P1 or P2 or P3 can be represented by the pixel position coordinates of that point on the real-time image 400.
[0036] Then, step 240 can be performed to adjust the pose of device 100 based on the real-time data and expected data obtained in step 230, such that the real-time data in the real-time image conforms to or matches (e.g., is close to or equal to) the expected data, wherein the expected data may include, but is not limited to, data relating to the expected position of a portion of the edge line of the pool in the real-time image when device 100 performs cleaning operations in the expected pose.
[0037] For example, the image sensor 120 can be pre-calibrated so that each real-time image acquired by the image sensor 120 can have the same size and / or coordinate system. Then, the device 100 (or an automatic pool cleaning device of the same model as device 100, or an automatic pool cleaning device of the same or similar size and working width as device 100) can be pre-moved along the edge of the pool according to a desired pose and an ideal distance from the pool edge, acquiring real-time images via the image sensor 120 during the movement. Then, using any suitable image processing and analysis method / model, such as an image convolutional neural network, data such as the desired position of at least a portion of the pool's edge line 300 in the real-time image can be determined from such ideally acquired real-time images.
[0038] For example, such as Figure 5As shown, the real-time image 500 is a real-time image captured by the image sensor 120 during the process of the device 100 performing water surface edge cleaning operations in an ideal desired pose. The ideal desired data obtained from the real-time image 500 may be or include a marker line 510 for representing or identifying at least a portion of the edge line 300 of the pool identified from the real-time image 500, or may be or include multiple desired coordinate points E1, E2, E3, etc. on or that can be used to replace the marker line 510, wherein each desired coordinate point E1 or E2 or E3 can be represented by the pixel position coordinates of that point on the real-time image 500.
[0039] Additionally, during the process of the control device 100 performing water surface edge cleaning operations in the desired ideal pose, multiple real-time images 500 can be acquired by the image sensor 120. Then, from these multiple real-time images 500, multiple sets of multiple marker lines 510 or desired coordinate points E1, E2, E3, etc., can be determined using any suitable image analysis and processing method / model, such as an image convolutional neural network. Alternatively, the corresponding changes of the marker lines 510 or each desired coordinate point E1, E2, E3, etc., as the device 100 reaches different desired positions in the pool in the corresponding desired pose can be predicted.
[0040] In step 240, for example, it can be determined whether the real-time position (e.g., marker line 410) of at least a portion of the edge line 300 of the pool is aligned (e.g., coincides or nearly coincides) with the expected position (e.g., marker line 510) of the at least a portion of the edge line 300 by comparing multiple real-time coordinate points P1, P2, P3, etc. determined in step 230 with multiple expected coordinate points E1, E2, E3, etc.
[0041] When aligned, the device 100 can be controlled to continue moving forward according to the current pose.
[0042] like Figure 6 As shown, if the marker line 410 or multiple real-time coordinate points P1, P2, P3, etc. in the real-time image 400 are not aligned with the marker line 510 or the corresponding multiple desired coordinate points E1, E2, E3, etc., the device 100 can be controlled to change the current pose (e.g., adjust the yaw angle, the distance between the device and the edge line 300, etc.).
[0043] For example, the yaw angle of the control device 100 can be determined based on the angle between marker line 410 and marker line 510, or based on the difference between real-time coordinate points P1, P2, P3, etc. and desired coordinate points E1, E2, E3, etc., and the control device 100 can be adjusted to its current pose based on the determined yaw angle, so that... Figure 7As shown, in the new real-time image 600, the marker line 410 or multiple real-time coordinate points P1, P2, P3 approach or are equal to the marker line 510 or multiple expected coordinate points E1, E2, E3, etc.
[0044] Therefore, in method 200, during the edge cleaning operation performed by the control device 100, real-time images of the scene surrounding the device 100 can be acquired via the image sensor 120. The controller 110 can utilize any suitable image processing and analysis method / model, such as artificial intelligence, to identify the pool edge (e.g., the bottom edge line of the pool, or the waterline at the junction of the pool and the water surface) from the real-time images from the image sensor 120, and adjust the pose of the device 100 and / or pre-plan the travel route based on the degree of matching between the identified pool edge and the expected edge line in the real-time image. This allows the device 100 to adapt to various types of pool edges in a timely and accurate manner, ensuring the stability of the device 100's movement, thereby ensuring the effectiveness and cleaning coverage of the edge cleaning operation.
[0045] In some embodiments, for example in step 240 or in a separate step, at least one of the multiple real-time coordinate points P1, P2, P3 that is relatively far from the device 100, such as coordinate point P1, may be monitored for changes at different times.
[0046] For example, such as Figure 8 As shown, in a real-time image 800 acquired at a previous moment, multiple real-time coordinate points on the marker line 810 of at least a portion of the edge line 300 of the pool are determined through the previous step 230, where P1' is a coordinate point relatively far from the device 100. Then, among the multiple real-time coordinate points on the marker line 410 of at least a portion of the edge line 300 of the pool currently determined through step 230, P1 is the coordinate point corresponding to P1'. Then, the next movement route of the device 100 is planned based on the changes of the monitored coordinate points at different times (i.e., the difference between P1 and P1', such as the difference between the coordinate data of P1 and P1').
[0047] For example, if the coordinates P1 and P1' do not change or change only slightly (e.g., the coordinate data of P1 and P1' are the same or the change is less than a predetermined threshold), the device 100 can be controlled to continue moving along the current path.
[0048] like Figure 8As shown, when coordinate point P1' abruptly changes to P1, or when the change between P1 and P1' is significant (e.g., the coordinate data of P1 and P1' exceed a predetermined threshold), the device 100 can be controlled to decelerate or turn after a predetermined time or duration. This allows the device 100 to detect abrupt changes in the shape of the pool edge in advance and to plan and adjust its subsequent route accordingly, thereby improving the effectiveness of path planning.
[0049] As described above, through method 200, the movement of device 100 along the edge of the pool can be precisely controlled, and abrupt changes in the shape of the edge of the pool can be detected in advance, and the subsequent travel route can be planned and adjusted in advance, thereby ensuring the movement stability of device 100 and ensuring the execution effect and cleaning coverage of the edge cleaning operation.
[0050] The basic principles of this disclosure have been described above with reference to embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, benefits, and effects mentioned in this disclosure are merely examples and not limitations, and should not be considered as essential features of the various embodiments of this disclosure. Furthermore, the foregoing details are for illustrative and facilitative purposes only, and are not limitations; the foregoing details do not limit the scope of this disclosure to its implementation.
[0051] The block diagrams of devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems disclosed herein are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, or configured in the manner shown in the block diagrams. In various embodiments, these devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems may be connected, arranged, and configured in any suitable manner.
[0052] Additionally, words such as "including," "containing," and "having" in the text are open-ended terms meaning "including but not limited to," and can be used interchangeably. The words "or" and "and" used here refer to the words "and / or," and can be used interchangeably unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. The word "such as" used here refers to the phrase "such as but not limited to," and can be used interchangeably.
[0053] It should also be noted that in the apparatus, devices, and methods of this disclosure, the components or steps can be disassembled and / or recombined. These disassemblies and / or recombinations should be considered as equivalent solutions to this disclosure.
[0054] In this article, modifiers without quantifiers, such as "real-time" and "expected," are intended to distinguish different components / parts / circuits / modules / devices / steps, rather than to emphasize order, positional relationship, importance, or priority. In contrast, modifiers with quantifiers, such as "real-time units" and "expected units," can be used to emphasize the order, positional relationship, importance, or priority of different components / parts / circuits / modules / devices / steps.
[0055] The above description is given for illustrative and descriptive purposes only. This description is not intended to limit the embodiments of this disclosure to the forms disclosed herein. Although numerous exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, alterations, additions, and sub-combinations therein.
Claims
1. A method for controlling an automatic water tank cleaning device, comprising: Control the automatic water tank cleaning equipment to perform cleaning operations in the water tank; Acquire real-time images of the scene surrounding the automatic water tank cleaning equipment; Real-time data is obtained from the real-time images; The pose of the automatic water tank cleaning device is adjusted based on the real-time data and the expected data, so that the real-time data in the real-time image is close to or equal to the expected data. The real-time data includes data relating to the actual position of at least a portion of the edge line in the real-time image when the automatic pool cleaning device performs the cleaning operation according to its current pose; The desired data includes data relating to the desired position of the at least partial edge line in the real-time image when the automatic pool cleaning device performs the cleaning operation in a desired pose.
2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, The cleaning operation includes at least one of the following: cleaning the bottom edge of the pool and cleaning the surface edge of the water.
3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, The edge line includes at least one of the bottom edge line of the pool and the waterline at the junction of the pool and the water surface.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The real-time data includes multiple real-time coordinate points representing the real-time position of at least a portion of the edge line in the real-time image when the automatic pool cleaning device performs the cleaning operation according to the current pose, and the expected data includes multiple expected coordinate points representing the expected position of at least a portion of the edge line in the real-time image when the automatic pool cleaning device performs the cleaning operation according to the expected pose.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein, Adjusting the pose of the automatic pool cleaning device based on the real-time data and the desired data includes: By comparing the plurality of real-time coordinate points and the plurality of desired coordinate points, it is determined whether the real-time position is aligned with the desired position. When the real-time position aligns with the desired position, the automatic water tank cleaning device is controlled to continue moving forward according to the current posture. If the real-time position is not aligned with the desired position, the automatic water tank cleaning device is controlled to change its current pose so that the multiple real-time coordinate points approach or equal the multiple desired coordinate points.
6. The method of claim 4, further comprising: Monitor the changes of at least one coordinate point among the multiple real-time coordinate points that is far from the automatic cleaning device of the water tank at different times; The movement path of the automatic water tank cleaning device is adjusted based on the changes of at least one monitored coordinate point at different times.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein, Adjusting the movement path of the automatic water tank cleaning device based on changes in at least one monitored coordinate point at different times includes: If at least one monitored coordinate point remains unchanged or changes only slightly at different times, the automatic water tank cleaning device is controlled to continue moving along its current route; and When a sudden change occurs at at least one of the monitored coordinate points, or when the change is significant at different times, the automatic water tank cleaning equipment is controlled to decelerate or turn after a predetermined time or duration.
8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: The image sensor used to acquire the real-time image is calibrated to obtain the desired data.
9. An automatic water tank cleaning device, comprising: An image sensor is configured to acquire real-time images of the area in front of the automatic pool cleaning device; as well as The controller is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.
10. The automatic water tank cleaning device as described in claim 9, wherein, The image sensor includes a monocular or binocular camera.