Underwater robot control system

Abstract

The underwater robot control system comprises an underwater robot and a control device, the underwater robot comprises a vehicle body, an optical receiver and a main control module, the optical receiver is arranged on the surface of the vehicle body, and the main control module is electrically connected with the optical receiver; the control device comprises a light-emitting device and a carrier device, and the light-emitting device is installed on the carrier device. The light emitting device emits light signals, the optical receiver receives the light signals and generates target electric signals corresponding to the light signals, the main control module generates control instructions corresponding to the target electric signals, and the control instructions are used for controlling the vehicle body to move. Therefore, the purpose of controlling the vehicle body of the underwater robot to move through the optical signal is achieved, the problems of difficult application and high cost of a communication mode of an existing household underwater robot are solved, and the communication difficulty and cost of the household underwater robot are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of robotics, and in particular to an underwater robot control system. Background Art

[0002] Limited by water's strong absorption of electromagnetic waves, existing underwater robots, including underwater drones, underwater photography robots, and underwater cleaning robots, lack effective communication methods. Most rely on wired communication, where a physical cable connects the robot to a control console for real-time communication and control. Other effective underwater signal transmission technologies include sonar and lasers, but these are relatively expensive and limited to specialized applications.

[0003] Wired control and communication are complex, heavy, and difficult to deploy and retract. While this type of wired control solution has little impact on specialized equipment, it is overly complex, bulky, and expensive for civilian and household robots. This is particularly true for household underwater cleaning robots, which require occasional communication and control. Therefore, existing communication methods for household underwater robots are difficult to implement and costly. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides an underwater robot control system.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides an underwater robot control system, comprising: an underwater robot and a control device, wherein the underwater robot comprises: a body, an optical receiver, and a main control module, wherein the optical receiver is disposed on a surface of the body, and the main control module is electrically connected to the optical receiver; the control device comprises: a light emitting device and a carrier device, wherein the light emitting device is mounted on the carrier device;

[0006] The light emitting device is used to emit a light signal;

[0007] The optical receiver is used to receive the optical signal and generate a target electrical signal corresponding to the optical signal;

[0008] The main control module is used to generate a control instruction corresponding to the target electrical signal, and the control instruction is used to control the movement of the vehicle body.

[0009] Optionally, the vehicle body further includes a waterproof compartment, the optical receiver and the main control module are arranged in the waterproof compartment, the waterproof compartment is provided with a light-transmitting structure, one side of the light-transmitting structure is arranged outside the vehicle body, and the optical receiver is arranged on the other side of the light-transmitting structure.

[0010] Optionally, the optical receiver includes a first receiver and a second receiver, the light-transmitting structure includes a first light-transmitting cover and a second light-transmitting cover, the first light-transmitting cover and the first receiver are arranged on the first side of the vehicle body, and the first light-transmitting cover and the first receiver are arranged on the second side of the vehicle body.

[0011] Optionally, it further includes a driving module, wherein the driving module is electrically connected to the main control module;

[0012] The driving module is configured to output the driving power corresponding to the control instruction according to the control instruction sent by the main control module.

[0013] Optionally, a switch device is further included, wherein the switch device is electrically connected to the light-emitting device and is used to control the light-emitting device to be turned on or off.

[0014] Optionally, the carrier device is a salvage structure, and the switch device includes a water sensor, which is arranged on the salvage structure;

[0015] When the salvage structure is underwater, the water sensor outputs a start signal to the light emitting device, and the light emitting device emits the light signal based on the start signal.

[0016] Optionally, the carrier device is a fixed support structure, the switch device includes a switch control component, the switch control component is provided on the fixed support structure, and the switch control component is electrically connected to the light-emitting device;

[0017] The switch control component is used to transmit a switch signal to the light emitting device;

[0018] The light emitting device is used to be turned on or off according to the switch signal to emit the light signal.

[0019] Optionally, the light emitting device includes a light emitting component and a light adjusting component, the light emitting component is used to emit a light signal, and the light adjusting component is used to adjust the range and / or angle of the light signal.

[0020] An embodiment of the present application provides an underwater robot control system including: an underwater robot and a control device, wherein the underwater robot includes: a body, an optical receiver and a main control module, the optical receiver is arranged on the surface of the body, and the main control module is electrically connected to the optical receiver; the control device includes: a light-emitting device and a carrier device, and the light-emitting device is installed on the carrier device; the light-emitting device emits a light signal, the optical receiver receives the light signal, and generates a target electrical signal corresponding to the light signal, the main control module generates a control instruction corresponding to the target electrical signal, and the control instruction is used to control the body to move; thereby achieving the purpose of controlling the movement of the body of the underwater robot by means of light signals, thereby solving the problem that the communication method of the existing household underwater robot is difficult to apply and high in cost, and reducing the communication difficulty and cost of the household underwater robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an underwater robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an optical signal received by an underwater robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a control device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an application scenario of a control device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another application scenario of a control device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] 11. Vehicle body; 12. Optical receiver; 13. Main control module; 14. Waterproof compartment; 15. Light-transmitting structure; 16. Driving module; 21. Light-emitting device; 211. Light-emitting element; 212. Light-adjusting element; 22. Carrier device; 221. Salvage structure; 222. Fixed support structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] To make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0030] Existing household underwater robots have relatively simple usage scenarios, so their cost control is relatively stringent, making it difficult for household underwater robots to adopt the communication control methods of industrial-grade underwater robots, such as wired communication, wireless sonar or laser. The above communication control methods are not only too complicated for household scenarios, but also have the problem of high cost.

[0031] Existing traditional technical means for controlling household underwater robots usually pre-set cleaning paths and methods so that the underwater robot can perform cleaning operations in this way. Although this method can control the underwater robot to clean without communicating with the underwater robot, there are the following problems in specific applications. On the one hand, the underwater robot may stop running directly on the spot after completing the cleaning function, making the underwater robot difficult to salvage. On the other hand, since the cleaning is controlled by using pre-set cleaning paths and methods, it is impossible to control the underwater robot in real time, such as controlling the underwater machine not to enter the prohibited area and unable to control the underwater robot's driving in real time. In other words, the control method of existing underwater robots is single and cannot meet the control requirements of real-time scenarios.

[0032] In order to solve the problem that the above communication control method is not only too complicated for household scenes, but also has high costs, and the problem that the simple pre-set cleaning path and method have a single control method and cannot meet the control needs of real-time scenes. The embodiment of the present application provides an underwater robot control system comprising: an underwater robot and a control device, wherein the underwater robot comprises: a body, an optical receiver and a main control module, the optical receiver is arranged on the surface of the body, and the main control module is electrically connected to the optical receiver; the control device comprises: a light-emitting device and a carrier device, the light-emitting device is mounted on the carrier device; the light-emitting device emits a light signal, the optical receiver receives the light signal, and generates a target electrical signal corresponding to the light signal, the main control module generates a control instruction corresponding to the target electrical signal, and the control instruction is used to control the body to move; thereby achieving the purpose of controlling the body of the underwater robot to move by light signals, thereby solving the problem that the communication method of the existing household underwater robot is difficult to apply and high in cost, and reducing the communication difficulty and cost of the household underwater robot.

[0033] like Figure 1-5As shown, the present application discloses an embodiment, providing an underwater robot control system, including: an underwater robot and a control device, the underwater robot including: a body 11, an optical receiver 12, and a main control module 13, the optical receiver 12 is disposed on the surface of the body 11, and the main control module 13 is electrically connected to the optical receiver 12; the control device includes: a light emitting device 21 and a carrier device 22, the light emitting device 21 is mounted on the carrier device 22;

[0034] The light emitting device 21 is used to emit a light signal, which is used to enable the optical receiver 12 to generate a target electrical signal corresponding to the light signal, and the main control module 13 to generate a control instruction corresponding to the target electrical signal, which is used to control the body 11 of the underwater robot to move;

[0035] An optical receiver 12, configured to receive an optical signal and generate a target electrical signal corresponding to the optical signal;

[0036] The main control module 13 is used to generate a control instruction corresponding to the target electrical signal, and the control instruction is used to control the vehicle body 11 to move.

[0037] In this embodiment, the optical receiver can receive optical signals, which can be visible light or invisible light such as infrared. The optical receiver can be directly exposed on the surface of the vehicle body 11 or indirectly protected by a light-shielding structure. The main control module 13 can be arranged in a waterproof area inside the vehicle body 11. The waterproof area can be a waterproof area such as a waterproof compartment 14 or a waterproof grid. Since the main control module 13 is electrically connected to the optical receiver 12, the underwater robot can receive optical signals through the optical receiver 12. The optical receiver 12 can include an optical sensor and a signal processing unit. The optical sensor collects the optical signal and converts it into an electrical signal. The signal processing unit then amplifies, shapes, compares, and other processes the electrical signal to generate a target electrical signal corresponding to the optical signal, and transmits the target electrical signal to the main control module 13, so that the main control module 13 can generate a control instruction corresponding to the target electrical signal based on the target electrical signal, and use the control instruction to control the vehicle body 11 to move. A specific control method can be to send the control instruction to a drive motor electrically connected to the main control module 13, so that the drive motor executes the control execution to drive the vehicle body 11 to move.

[0038] The light-emitting device 21 in this embodiment can be a device that can output light signals, such as a light-emitting diode (LED) and an infrared transmitter, and the carrier device 22 is a structure used to support the light-emitting device 21, such as a support rod, a salvage hook, etc.; thereby, a light signal is emitted by the light-emitting device 21, so that the optical receiver 12 generates a target electrical signal corresponding to the light signal, and then the main control module 13 generates a control instruction corresponding to the target electrical signal, and the control instruction is used to control the body 11 of the underwater robot to move.

[0039] It should be noted that the optical signal can be a series of on-off optical signals that convert specific commands or data into a series of on-off optical signals in advance, so that the main control module 13 of the underwater robot can classify and identify the received signals according to the preset on-off signal logic and generate corresponding Confucius execution. In order to improve the stability and anti-interference of the communication process, the number and frequency of on-off pulses are usually increased to avoid common flashing information in life. In addition, frequency information can also be carried in the optical signal to distinguish data types through frequency signals, such as Figure 2 The different optical signals shown carry different frequency information.

[0040] Control and communication via wired means are complex to use, heavy, and difficult to deploy and retract. This type of wired control solution has little impact on special equipment, but it is too complex and cumbersome for civilian and household robots, especially for household underwater cleaning robots that only communicate and control occasionally. Some robots also communicate by dragging a floating object (equipped with a wireless communication module or antenna), which still has the problems of complex use, difficult to store cables, and easy entanglement. Ultrasonic communication and laser communication must rely on expensive equipment modules, which cannot be used on a large scale in civilian settings.

[0041] Since water is a natural conductor, it absorbs radio waves. Conventional radio signals (such as WIFI and Bluetooth) can only transmit a few centimeters in water. Excessively increasing the strength of wireless signals has a greater radiation hazard and affects normal communication signals, and does not comply with relevant management regulations. Therefore, underwater communication is usually wired, and acoustic and laser devices can also be used for communication, which is expensive and still has a short distance. In this embodiment, the structure of the optical receiver 12 and the main control module 13 is adopted, which enables the underwater robot to receive and process optical signals, thereby solving the problem of high cost and difficulty in control caused by the need to communicate through wired means or acoustic and laser devices, thereby achieving the purpose of controlling the movement of the underwater robot's body 11 through optical signals, reducing the communication difficulty and cost of household underwater robots.

[0042] like Figure 1As shown, in an optional implementation of the present application, the vehicle body 11 may further include a waterproof compartment 14, the optical receiver 12 and the main control module 13 are arranged in the waterproof compartment 14, the waterproof compartment 14 is provided with a light-transmitting structure 15, one side of the light-transmitting structure 15 is arranged outside the vehicle body 11, and the optical receiver 12 is arranged on the other side of the light-transmitting structure 15.

[0043] In this embodiment, the waterproof compartment 14 is arranged in the top area of the vehicle body 11, and a light-transmitting structure 15 is also provided for waterproofing. One side of the light-transmitting structure 15 is arranged outside the vehicle body 11, and the optical receiver 12 is arranged on the other side of the light-transmitting structure 15, so that light outside the vehicle body 11 can pass through the light-transmitting structure 15 into the waterproof compartment 14 and be received by the optical receiver 12. The light-transmitting structure 15 can be a light-transmitting structure such as glass, film, lens, etc.

[0044] In an optional implementation of the present application, the optical receiver 12 may include a first receiver and a second receiver, and the light-transmitting structure 15 may include a first light-transmitting cover and a second light-transmitting cover, the first light-transmitting cover and the first receiver are arranged on the first side of the vehicle body 11, and the first light-transmitting cover and the first receiver are arranged on the second side of the vehicle body 11.

[0045] In this embodiment, since the optical signal can be emitted from multiple angles of the vehicle body 11, the receiver can include at least two receivers, such as a first receiver and a second receiver, and the first receiver and the second receiver are both used to receive the optical signal and generate a target electrical signal corresponding to the optical signal; the first light-transmitting cover and the first receiver are arranged on the first side of the vehicle body 11, and the first light-transmitting cover and the first receiver are arranged on the second side of the vehicle body 11, and one side of the first light-transmitting cover is arranged outside the vehicle body 11, and the first receiver is arranged on the other side of the light-transmitting structure 15, one side of the second light-transmitting cover is arranged outside the vehicle body 11, and the second receiver is arranged on the other side of the light-transmitting structure 15, and the first side and the second side are sides in different directions of the vehicle body 11, such as the upper side, front side, rear side, bottom side, etc., so that the first receiver, the second receiver and the first light-transmitting cover and the second light-transmitting cover are coordinated to receive optical signals from multiple angles of the vehicle body 11.

[0046] In an optional implementation of the present application, the underwater robot may further include a driving module 16 , which is electrically connected to the main control module 13 ;

[0047] The driving module 16 is configured to output driving power corresponding to the control instruction according to the control instruction sent by the main control module 13 .

[0048] The driving module 16 in this embodiment can be a water spray motor, a stepping motor, or the like with driving capabilities, and after receiving the control instruction sent by the main control module 13, the driving module 16 can output the driving power corresponding to the control instruction, such as floating, moving forward, moving backward, etc.

[0049] In an optional implementation of the present application, a switch device is further included. The switch device is electrically connected to the light-emitting device 21 and is used to control the light-emitting device 21 to be turned on or off.

[0050] In this embodiment, the switching device can be a hardware switch such as a toggle switch, a push button switch, an induction switch, etc., or a software switch such as a control program, a control script, etc.; thus, the light-emitting device 21 can be controlled to be turned on or off by the switching device according to specific application requirements. When the light-emitting device 21 is turned on, it indicates that the light-emitting structure outputs a light signal to the outside, and when the light-emitting device 21 is turned off, it indicates that the light-emitting structure stops outputting a light signal to the outside.

[0051] like Figure 3-4 As shown, in a specific application scenario, such as in a scenario of salvaging an underwater robot, the carrier device 22 may be a salvage structure 221, and the switch device includes a water sensor, which is disposed on the salvage structure 221;

[0052] When the salvage structure 221 is underwater, the water sensor outputs a start signal to the light emitting device 21 , and the light emitting device 21 emits a light signal based on the start signal.

[0053] In this embodiment, the salvage structure 221 represents a structure for salvaging an underwater robot, such as a hook, a gripper, and the like. At this time, the switch device may include a water sensor, which may be a water flow sensor, a water level sensor, and the like that can sense water. At this time, when the salvage structure 221 is underwater, the water sensor outputs a start signal to the light-emitting device 21, so that the light-emitting device 21 emits a light signal based on the start signal. That is, when using the control device, it is only necessary to extend the carrier device 22 underwater to trigger the water sensor, so that the light-emitting device 21 emits a light signal based on the start signal. The signal emits a light signal, and then the optical receiver 12 arranged on the underwater robot can generate a target electrical signal corresponding to the light signal, and the main control module 13 can generate a control instruction corresponding to the target electrical signal. The control instruction is used to control the body 11 of the underwater robot to move to the position of the salvage structure 221. At this time, the salvage structure 221 can be used to directly salvage the underwater robot, thereby solving the problem that the underwater robot may stop running directly on the spot after completing the cleaning function, resulting in a high difficulty in salvaging the underwater robot, and achieving the effect of reducing the difficulty of salvaging and improving the salvage efficiency.

[0054] like Figure 5 As shown, in an optional embodiment of the present application, the carrier device 22 is a fixed support structure 222, and the switch device includes a switch control component, which is disposed on the fixed support structure 222;

[0055] A switch control element, used to transmit a switch signal to the light emitting device 21;

[0056] The light emitting device 21 is used to be turned on or off according to the switch signal to emit a light signal.

[0057] The switch control component of this embodiment is a hardware switch such as a toggle switch, a push button switch, an induction switch, etc. The switch control component can transmit a switch signal to the light-emitting device 21 through user operation, or it can sense and transmit the switch signal to the light-emitting device 21 through collected environmental parameters. For example, the switch control component is an induction switch of a water pressure sensor. The water pressure sensor is used to collect the water pressure parameters of the environment and transmit the switch signal to the light-emitting device 21 when the water pressure parameters reach a preset water pressure threshold. Of course, other switches can also be used, and this embodiment does not make specific limitations; then the light-emitting device 21 can be turned on or off to emit a light signal according to the switch signal.

[0058] In a specific example, the application scenario may be to prohibit underwater robots from entering a target area, such as Figure 5 As shown on the left, or calling the underwater robot to enter the target area, such as Figure 5 As shown on the right, the fixed support structure 222 can be set in the target area at this time, thereby emitting a light signal through the cooperation of the switch control component and the light-emitting device 21, and controlling the underwater cleaning robot to enter or leave the target area through the light signal.

[0059] Of course, the control device in the above embodiment is only used as an example to illustrate the purpose. The control device can also use other structures according to specific application requirements, and this embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0060] like Figure 3-5 As shown, in an optional embodiment of the present application, the light-emitting device 21 may include a light-emitting element 211 and a light-adjusting element 212 , the light-emitting element 211 is used to emit a light signal, and the light-adjusting element 212 is used to adjust the range and / or angle of the light signal.

[0061] The light adjustment component 212 in this embodiment represents a device for controlling the range or angle of light signal emission, such as a lampshade, lens control, etc. After the light-emitting component 211 emits a light signal, the light signal is emitted according to a preset range or angle through the light adjustment component 212, thereby controlling the range or angle of light signal emission. When there are multiple underwater cleaning robots in the same large area, the light signal can be emitted to the underwater cleaning robots within the preset angle or range through the light adjustment component 212, so as to achieve the effect of accurately controlling each underwater cleaning robot.

[0062] Since optical communication can be used for short distances, such as a few meters to over 10 meters, light can travel not only through air but also through water. Although water absorbs a large amount of visible light signals, it can still be effectively transmitted over distances of several meters, making it suitable for most common civilian applications such as fish ponds, bathhouses, swimming pools, and reservoirs.

[0063] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

[0064] The foregoing description of specific embodiments of the present disclosure is provided herein. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims may be performed in an order different from that described in the embodiments and still achieve the desired results. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require the specific order shown or the sequential order shown to achieve the desired results. In certain embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0065] The foregoing description is intended only to provide specific embodiments of the present invention, which will enable those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is intended to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. An underwater robot control system, characterized in that: include: An underwater robot and a control device, the underwater robot comprising: a body, an optical receiver, and a main control module, the optical receiver being disposed on the surface of the body, the main control module being electrically connected to the optical receiver; the control device comprising: a light-emitting device and a carrier device, the light-emitting device being mounted on the carrier device; The light emitting device is used to emit a light signal; The optical receiver is used to receive the optical signal and generate a target electrical signal corresponding to the optical signal; The main control module is used to generate a control instruction corresponding to the target electrical signal, and the control instruction is used to control the movement of the vehicle body.

2. The underwater robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vehicle body also includes a waterproof compartment, the optical receiver and the main control module are arranged in the waterproof compartment, the waterproof compartment is provided with a light-transmitting structure, one side of the light-transmitting structure is arranged outside the vehicle body, and the optical receiver is arranged on the other side of the light-transmitting structure.

3. The underwater robot control system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The optical receiver includes a first receiver and a second receiver, the light-transmitting structure includes a first light-transmitting cover and a second light-transmitting cover, the first light-transmitting cover and the first receiver are arranged on the first side of the vehicle body, and the first light-transmitting cover and the first receiver are arranged on the second side of the vehicle body.

4. The underwater robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a driving module, the driving module is electrically connected to the main control module; The driving module is configured to output the driving power corresponding to the control instruction according to the control instruction sent by the main control module.

5. The underwater robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a switch device, which is electrically connected to the light-emitting device and is used to control the light-emitting device to be turned on or off.

6. The underwater robot control system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The carrier device is a salvage structure, and the switch device includes a water sensor, which is arranged on the salvage structure; When the salvage structure is underwater, the water sensor outputs a start signal to the light emitting device, and the light emitting device emits the light signal based on the start signal.

7. The underwater robot control system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The carrier device is a fixed support structure, and the switch device includes a switch control component, which is arranged on the fixed support structure and is electrically connected to the light-emitting device; The switch control component is used to transmit a switch signal to the light emitting device; The light emitting device is used to be turned on or off according to the switch signal to emit the light signal.

8. The underwater robot control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The light emitting device comprises a light emitting element and a light adjusting element. The light emitting element is used to emit a light signal, and the light adjusting element is used to adjust the range and / or angle of the light signal.

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