Communication method, device and equipment for cleaning robot system

Abstract

A communication method, device, and apparatus for a cleaning robot system are disclosed, which include the steps of: a cleaning robot acquiring first pairing information used for WiFi communication, the first pairing information including WiFi access information and a random number; a cleaning robot transmitting the first pairing information to a first base station via a first communication method, where the communication distance of the first communication method is shorter than the communication distance of the WiFi communication; a step of the cleaning robot determining whether pairing with the first base station is successful based on the handshake information returned from the first base station based on the first pairing information; and a step of communicating with the first base station using the WiFi communication method and the first communication method when the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station is successful.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application with application number 202310135455.3 filed on February 10, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Technical Field]

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of smart home technology, and in particular to a communication method, device and equipment for a cleaning robot system. [Background technology]

[0003] With the development of smart home technology, cleaning robot systems have become increasingly popular and play an important role in people's lives.

[0004] In the prior art, a cleaning robot system generally comprises a mobile cleaning robot and a base station capable of communicating with the cleaning robot. The cleaning robot and the base station are connected via infrared communication. This communication method has drawbacks, such as an extremely small amount of effective data per transaction, high positional requirements (e.g., the cleaning robot must be at a predetermined position relative to the base station, e.g., the cleaning robot must satisfy a certain communication position and communication direction relative to the base station, thereby realizing base station control), and a tendency for bit errors to occur. As a result, the reliability of communication between the cleaning robot and the base station in the prior art cleaning robot system is relatively low. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, device, and apparatus for a cleaning robot system that can improve communication reliability between a cleaning robot and a base station of the cleaning robot system.

[0006] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part by the practice of the present disclosure.

[0007] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication method for a cleaning robot system, the cleaning robot system including a cleaning robot and a first base station capable of communicating with the cleaning robot, the method including: a step of the cleaning robot acquiring first pairing information used for WiFi communication, the first pairing information including WiFi access information and a random number; a step of the cleaning robot transmitting the first pairing information to the first base station via a first communication method, wherein a communication distance of the first communication method is shorter than a communication distance of the WiFi communication; a step of the cleaning robot determining whether pairing with the first base station is successful based on the handshake information returned by the first base station based on the first pairing information; and a step of communicating with the first base station using the WiFi communication method and the first communication method if pairing with the first base station is successful.

[0008] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication method for a cleaning robot system, the cleaning robot system including a cleaning robot and a first base station capable of communicating with the cleaning robot, the method including the steps of: receiving, by the first base station, first pairing information used for WiFi communication transmitted by the cleaning robot via a first communication method, the first pairing information including WiFi access information and a random number, and a communication distance of the first communication method being shorter than a communication distance of the WiFi communication; the steps of the first base station establishing a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information in the first pairing information, generating handshake information and transmitting it to the cleaning robot, and the cleaning robot determining whether pairing with the first base station is successful based on the handshake information; and the steps of the first base station communicating with the cleaning robot using the WiFi communication method and the first communication method.

[0009] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication device for a cleaning robot system, the cleaning robot system including a cleaning robot and a first base station capable of communicating with the cleaning robot, the device including: a pairing information acquisition unit configured to acquire first pairing information used by the cleaning robot for WiFi communication, the first pairing information including WiFi access information and a random number; a pairing information sending unit configured to send the first pairing information to the first base station via a first communication method, the communication distance of the first communication method being shorter than the communication distance of the WiFi communication; an information matching unit configured to, in response to handshake information returned by the first base station based on the first pairing information, determine whether pairing with the first base station has been successful based on the handshake information; and a communication unit configured to communicate with the first base station using the WiFi communication method and the first communication method when the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station has been successful.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication device for a cleaning robot system, the cleaning robot system including a cleaning robot and a first base station capable of communicating with the cleaning robot, the device including: a pairing information receiving unit configured to receive first pairing information used for WiFi communication transmitted from the cleaning robot via a first communication method by the first base station, the first pairing information including WiFi access information and a random number, and a communication distance of the first communication method being shorter than a communication distance of the WiFi communication; a handshake information transmitting unit configured by the first base station to establish a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information in the first pairing information, generate and transmit handshake information to the cleaning robot, and cause the cleaning robot to determine whether pairing with the first base station is successful based on the handshake information; and a communication unit configured for the first base station to communicate with the cleaning robot using the WiFi communication method and the first communication method.

[0011] According to a fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication device for a cleaning robot system, the communication device for the cleaning robot system including a memory in which a computer program is stored and a processor, and when the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the method are realized.

[0012] According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having one or more programs stored thereon, the one or more programs implementing the steps of the method when executed by one or more processors. It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present disclosure.

[0013] The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure, and are used in conjunction with the specification to explain the principles of the present disclosure. Of course, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art can derive other drawings based on these drawings without paying creative labor. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an application environment diagram of a communication method for a cleaning robot system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 illustrates a flowchart of a communication method for a cleaning robot system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates a sequence diagram of a communication method for a cleaning robot system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 10 shows a flowchart of a communication method for a cleaning robot system according to some further embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 10 shows a flowchart of a communication method for a cleaning robot system according to further some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates a structural block diagram of a communication device of a cleaning robot system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 illustrates a structural block diagram of a communication device of a cleaning robot system according to some further embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 illustrates an internal structural diagram of a communication device of a cleaning robot system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments that can be obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0016] Furthermore, the features, structures, or characteristics described in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous details are provided to thoroughly understand the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of the present disclosure may be implemented without one or more of the specific details, or may employ other methods, components, devices, steps, etc. In other instances, well-known methods, devices, implementations, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] The block diagrams shown in the drawings represent only functional entities that do not necessarily correspond to physically separate entities, i.e., these functional entities may be implemented by software, or in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor and / or microcontroller devices.

[0018] The flowcharts shown in the drawings are merely illustrative and do not necessarily include all contents and operations / steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps may be further decomposed, some operations / steps may be fully or partially integrated, and therefore the actual execution order may be changed according to actual circumstances.

[0019] It should be noted that terms such as "first," "second," and the like in the specification and claims of this disclosure, as well as in the drawings, are intended to distinguish between similar objects and are not necessarily intended to describe a particular order or sequence of events. It should be understood that objects so used may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, such that the embodiments of the disclosure described herein may be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described.

[0020] A communication method for a cleaning robot system provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to an application environment such as that shown in FIG. 1 . In some embodiments, the cleaning robot system includes a cleaning robot 102 and a first base station 104 used to deploy the cleaning robot, and communication can be performed between the cleaning robot 102 and the first base station 104. Currently, communication between the cleaning robot 102 and the first base station 104 can be performed using a short-range communication method such as infrared communication, which has drawbacks such as a very small amount of effective data per communication, high location requirements (the two parties establishing communication must be close to each other and located in a straight line), and a high probability of bit errors. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, wireless fidelity (WiFi) communication is established between the cleaning robot 102 and the first base station 104. The transmission distance of the WiFi communication method is much longer than that of short-range communication methods such as infrared communication, enabling large-capacity data transmission and remote data synchronization between the cleaning robot 102 and the first base station 104. This solves the problems of extremely small amount of effective data per communication, high positional requirements, and prone to bit errors when communicating using short-distance communication methods such as infrared communication, thereby improving the communication reliability of the cleaning robot.

[0021] In some embodiments, a communication method for a cleaning robot system is provided, as shown in Figure 2. Taking the cleaning robot applied in Figure 1 as an example, the method may include steps 201 to 204.

[0022] In step 201, the cleaning robot obtains first pairing information used for WiFi communication. The first pairing information includes WiFi access information and a random number.

[0023] It should be understood that pairing refers to a process of creating one-to-one remote communication between the cleaning robot and the first base station. The first pairing information may include WiFi access information and a random number. In some embodiments, the WiFi access information includes information required to access the WiFi network, such as a service set identifier of the WiFi network and / or a port number of the WiFi service.

[0024] In step 202, the cleaning robot sends first pairing information to a first base station via a first communication method, where the communication distance of the first communication method is smaller than the communication distance of WiFi communication.

[0025] In some embodiments, the first communication method may be a short-range wireless communication method such as infrared communication or Bluetooth communication. Compared with the first communication method, the WiFi communication method has the characteristics of a relatively long communication distance and a relatively large data transmission capacity for a single communication.

[0026] In some embodiments, the first communication method is infrared communication, and the cleaning robot can send the first pairing information to the first base station through the infrared communication method, and simultaneously activate a WiFi service and wait for the first base station to return handshake information to the cleaning robot, so as to realize WiFi communication between the cleaning robot and the first base station.

[0027] In step 203, the first base station responds to the returned handshake information based on the first pairing information, and the cleaning robot determines whether pairing with the first base station is successful based on the handshake information.

[0028] In some embodiments, the handshake information may include information such as the identification information of the first base station and a random number in the first pairing information.

[0029] 3 shows a sequence diagram of a communication method for a cleaning robot system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, after receiving the first pairing information, the first base station accesses the WiFi service of the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information attached to the first pairing information, and generates and sends handshake information to the cleaning robot.

[0030] In some embodiments, the first base station may generate handshake information based on the identification information of the first base station and the random number in the first pairing information, and then send the handshake information to the cleaning robot via the first communication method.

[0031] After receiving the handshake information, the cleaning robot needs to verify the handshake information to determine whether the pairing with the first base station has been successful. In some embodiments, the cleaning robot can determine whether the random number attached to the handshake information is the same as the random number attached to the first pairing information, and if they are the same, determine that the pairing with the first base station has been successful.

[0032] It should be understood that if the handshake information is generated based on the random number attached to the first pairing information, the random number attached to the handshake information should be the same as the random number attached to the first pairing information. Therefore, if the random number attached to the handshake information is the same as the random number attached to the first pairing information, it indicates that pairing between the cleaning robot and the first base station has been successful. If the random number attached to the handshake information is different from the random number attached to the first pairing information, it indicates that pairing between the cleaning robot and the first base station has not been successful.

[0033] In step 204, if the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station is successful, it communicates with the first base station using the WiFi communication method and the first communication method.

[0034] In some embodiments, when the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station is successful, the cleaning robot can communicate large-volume data information with the first base station using a WiFi communication method, and can transmit and receive small-volume data information (e.g., heartbeat information) with the first base station using the first communication method.

[0035] In some embodiments, if the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station is successful, the cleaning robot negotiates a key with the first base station based on the random number and uses the key to communicate with the first base station using a WiFi communication method.

[0036] In some embodiments, to ensure the security of the WiFi communication, after determining that pairing with the first base station is successful, the cleaning robot can negotiate a key required for the WiFi communication with the first base station, where the key is associated with a random number. In some embodiments, the key is generated based on the random number. Any information subsequently transmitted between the cleaning robot and the first base station via the WiFi communication method is encrypted and decrypted using the key.

[0037] In some embodiments, after the cleaning robot has successfully paired with the first base station, the cleaning robot may store a correspondence between the identification information of the first base station and the random number.

[0038] In some embodiments, the cleaning robot records the correspondence between the identification information of the first base station and the random number, and uses this as the currently paired base station information to facilitate WiFi connection with the first base station again at a later time.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, large-volume data transmission and remote data synchronization can be performed between the cleaning robot and the first base station via the WiFi communication method, while small-volume data communication is performed via the first communication method, thereby fully utilizing the advantages of the two communication methods and improving information transmission efficiency.Since information communication is performed using two communication methods simultaneously, if a failure occurs in one communication method, communication connectivity can be ensured using the other communication method, thereby improving the reliability of communication between the cleaning robot and the base station.

[0040] In some embodiments, before obtaining the first pairing information used for WiFi communication, the communication method of the cleaning robot system may further include the following steps.

[0041] The cleaning robot determines whether there is a second base station currently paired with the cleaning robot; if there is a second base station, the cleaning robot transmits identification information of the second base station to the first base station via a first communication method, so that the first base station determines whether the first base station and the second base station are matched based on the identification information of the second base station; and in response to the matching result between the first base station and the second base station returned from the first base station, determines the WiFi access information and a random number corresponding to the identification information of the second base station as first pairing information.

[0042] In some embodiments, when the cleaning robot communicates with the first base station via a first communication method, the cleaning robot determines whether a second base station currently exists to pair with the cleaning robot. If a second base station currently exists to pair with the cleaning robot, it indicates that the cleaning robot is not communicating via WiFi with another base station, and the step of "obtaining first pairing information used for WiFi communication" is executed. If a second base station currently exists to pair with the cleaning robot, it indicates that the cleaning robot is currently communicating via WiFi with the second base station. In this case, the cleaning robot needs to transmit the stored identification information of the second base station to the first base station via the first communication method, and the first base station can determine whether the first base station and the second base station are matched based on the identification information of the second base station.

[0043] If it is determined that the first base station and the second base station match, the matching result between the first base station and the second base station is returned to the cleaning robot. The cleaning robot responds to the matching result between the first base station and the second base station returned from the first base station and sets the WiFi access information and a random number corresponding to the identification information of the second base station as first pairing information. In this way, automatic connection between the first base station and the cleaning robot is realized, the cleaning robot does not need to regenerate pairing information, and the efficiency of establishing WiFi communication between the cleaning robot and the first base station is improved.

[0044] If it is determined that the first base station and the second base station do not match, the result that the first base station and the second base station do not match is returned to the cleaning robot. In response to the result that the first base station and the second base station do not match returned from the first base station, the cleaning robot disconnects the WiFi connection with the currently paired second base station and executes the flow of "obtaining first pairing information to be used for WiFi communication." In this way, when one cleaning robot supports multiple base stations, accurate pairing between the cleaning robot and the first base station is achieved, and the accuracy of WiFi communication is guaranteed.

[0045] In some embodiments, when the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station is successful, communicating with the first base station using the first communication method includes the cleaning robot sending a heartbeat packet to the first base station via the first communication method, whereby the first base station determines whether a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot has been interrupted based on the heartbeat packet.

[0046] In some embodiments, the cleaning robot may send heartbeat packets to the first base station at a preset time interval via the first communication method, thereby maintaining heartbeat communication with the first base station, and when the first base station does not receive the heartbeat packets for a long time, determining that the WiFi connection with the cleaning robot has been interrupted, and facilitating reconnection with the cleaning robot.

[0047] In some embodiments, if the cleaning robot is unexpectedly shut down or if the WiFi communication is interrupted due to interference from factors such as distance, the WiFi connection between the cleaning robot and the first base station will be interrupted. The cleaning robot can effectively detect the situation where the WiFi connection between the cleaning robot and the first base station is interrupted by maintaining heartbeat communication with the first base station via the first communication method, and timely restore the WiFi connection between the cleaning robot and the first base station when the WiFi connection between them is interrupted.

[0048] The cleaning robot in the embodiment of the present disclosure transmits basic data such as pairing information and heartbeat packets via a first communication method, and when the WiFi connection between the cleaning robot and the first base station is interrupted, the cleaning robot can still activate a service based on the stored pairing information, thereby realizing automatic creation of a WiFi connection with the first base station.

[0049] 4 shows a flowchart of a communication method for a cleaning robot system according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method for a cleaning robot system. Taking the first base station applied in FIG. 1 as an example, the method includes the following steps 401 to 403.

[0050] In step 401, the first base station receives first pairing information used for WiFi communication transmitted from the cleaning robot via a first communication method, the first pairing information including WiFi access information and a random number, and the communication distance of the first communication method is shorter than the communication distance of the WiFi communication.

[0051] In some embodiments, the first communication method may be a short-range wireless communication method such as infrared communication, Bluetooth communication, etc. Compared with the first communication method, the WiFi communication method has the characteristics of a relatively long communication distance and a relatively large data transmission capacity for a single communication.

[0052] The first pairing information may include WiFi access information and a random number. In some embodiments, the WiFi access information includes information necessary to access the WiFi network, such as a service set identifier of the WiFi network and / or a port number of the WiFi service.

[0053] In step 402, the first base station establishes a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information in the first pairing information, and generates and sends handshake information to the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot determines whether pairing with the first base station is successful based on the handshake information.

[0054] In some embodiments, the handshake information may include information such as the identification information of the first base station and a random number in the first pairing information.

[0055] In some embodiments, after receiving the first pairing information, the first base station can access the WiFi service of the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information attached to the first pairing information, and generate and send handshake information to the cleaning robot. In some embodiments, the first base station can generate handshake information based on the identification information of the first base station and the random number in the first pairing information, and then send the handshake information to the cleaning robot via the first communication method.

[0056] After receiving the handshake information, the cleaning robot needs to verify the handshake information to determine whether the cleaning robot has successfully paired with the first base station.

[0057] In step 403, the first base station communicates with the cleaning robot using the WiFi communication method and the first communication method.

[0058] In some embodiments, when the first base station determines that pairing with the cleaning robot is successful, it can communicate large-volume data information with the cleaning robot using a WiFi communication method, and send and receive small-volume data information (e.g., heartbeat information) with the cleaning robot using the first communication method.

[0059] In some embodiments, to ensure the security of the WiFi communication, when the first base station determines that pairing with the cleaning robot is successful, the first base station can negotiate a key required for WiFi communication with the cleaning robot, the key being associated with a random number, and any information subsequently transmitted between the first base station and the cleaning robot via the WiFi communication method is encrypted and decrypted using the key.

[0060] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first base station and the cleaning robot can transmit large amounts of data and synchronize remotely via a Wi-Fi communication method. At the same time, small amounts of data are communicated via the first communication method, making full use of the advantages of the two communication methods and improving information transmission efficiency. Since the first base station and the cleaning robot simultaneously communicate using two communication methods, if a failure occurs in one communication method, communication connectivity can be ensured using the other communication method, improving the reliability of communication between the first base station and the cleaning robot.

[0061] In some embodiments, after the first base station receives the first pairing information used for WiFi communication transmitted from the cleaning robot via the first communication method, the communication method for the cleaning robot system may further include the following steps: the first base station determines whether a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station exists; in response to determining that a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station exists, the first base station disconnects the WiFi connection with the cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station, and performs the step of "establishing a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information in the first pairing information."

[0062] In some embodiments, after receiving the first pairing information, the first base station responds to the first pairing information and determines whether there is a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station. In some embodiments, the first base station can obtain its own remote connection status and determine whether there is a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station based on the remote connection status.

[0063] When the first base station is paired with a cleaning robot, it needs to disconnect the WiFi connection with the cleaning robot, generate handshake information based on the first pairing information, and then send it to the cleaning robot that needs to be paired. In this way, when one first base station supports multiple cleaning robots, accurate pairing between the cleaning robot and the base station is achieved.

[0064] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of a communication method for a cleaning robot system according to further some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 5, the communication method for the cleaning robot system may include the following steps.

[0066] Step 501: The cleaning robot determines whether there is a second base station currently paired with the cleaning robot.

[0067] Step 502: if there is no second base station to pair with the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot executes the step of "obtaining first pairing information used for WiFi communication."

[0068] Step 503: if there is a second base station to pair with the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot transmits identification information of the second base station to the first base station via the first communication method.

[0069] Step 504: The first base station determines whether the first base station and the second base station match based on the identification information of the second base station.

[0070] In step 505, in response to the result returned from the first base station that the first base station and the second base station are matched, the cleaning robot determines the WiFi access information and the random number corresponding to the identification information of the second base station as first pairing information; and in response to the result returned from the first base station that the first base station and the second base station are not matched, the cleaning robot disconnects the WiFi connection with the second base station.

[0071] In step 506, the cleaning robot obtains first pairing information used for WiFi communication, the first pairing information including WiFi access information and a random number.

[0072] In step 507, the cleaning robot sends the first pairing information to the first base station via a first communication method, the communication distance of which is shorter than the communication distance of WiFi communication.

[0073] In step 508, the first base station determines whether there is a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station. In response to the presence of a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station, the first base station disconnects the WiFi connection with the cleaning robot currently paired with it.

[0074] In step 509, the first base station establishes a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information in the first pairing information, and generates and sends handshake information to the cleaning robot.

[0075] In step 510, the cleaning robot determines whether pairing with the first base station is successful based on the handshake information.

[0076] Step 511: if pairing with the first base station is successful, the cleaning robot communicates with the first base station using the WiFi communication method and the first communication method.

[0077] Although the steps in the flowcharts according to the above embodiments are displayed sequentially according to the direction of the arrows, it should be understood that these steps are not necessarily executed sequentially according to the direction of the arrows. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in this specification, the execution of these steps is not limited to a strict order, and these steps may be executed in other orders. Furthermore, at least some of the steps in the flowcharts according to the above embodiments may include multiple steps or multiple stages, and these steps or stages do not necessarily have to be completed at the same time, but may be executed at different times. The execution order of these steps or stages does not necessarily have to be sequential, and they may be executed in order or alternately with other steps or at least some of the steps or stages in other steps.

[0078] In some embodiments, a communication device for a cleaning robot system is provided, where the cleaning robot system includes a cleaning robot and a first base station capable of communicating with the cleaning robot, as shown in Figure 6. The communication device includes a pairing information obtaining unit 601, a pairing information sending unit 602, an information matching unit 603, and a communication unit 604.

[0079] In some embodiments, the pairing information obtaining unit 601 is used to cause the cleaning robot to obtain first pairing information used for WiFi communication. The first pairing information includes WiFi access information and a random number. The pairing information sending unit 602 is used to cause the cleaning robot to send the first pairing information to a first base station via a first communication method, where the communication distance of the first communication method is shorter than the communication distance of WiFi communication. The information matching unit 603 is used to respond to handshake information returned by the first base station based on the first pairing information and cause the cleaning robot to determine whether pairing with the first base station is successful based on the handshake information. The communication unit 604 is used to communicate with the first base station using the WiFi communication method and the first communication method when the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station is successful.

[0080] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the handshake information includes identification information of the first base station, and the communication device further includes an information storage unit (not shown), which is used to allow the cleaning robot to store the correspondence between the identification information of the first base station and the random number after the cleaning robot and the first base station are successfully paired.

[0081] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication device further includes a pairing information determination unit (not shown), which is used to cause the cleaning robot to determine whether there is a second base station currently paired with the cleaning robot; if there is a second base station currently paired with the cleaning robot, causes the cleaning robot to transmit identification information of the second base station to the first base station via the first communication method, so that the first base station determines whether the first base station and the second base station are matched based on the identification information of the second base station; and in response to the matching result between the first base station and the second base station returned from the first base station, determines the WiFi access information and a random number corresponding to the identification information of the second base station as the first pairing information.

[0082] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the pairing information determination unit is further used by the cleaning robot to respond to a result returned from the first base station indicating that the first base station and the second base station do not match, and to cause the cleaning robot to disconnect the WiFi connection with the second base station.

[0083] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a random number is attached to the handshake information, and the information matching unit 603 is further used to make the cleaning robot determine whether the random number attached to the handshake information is the same as the random number attached to the first pairing information, and if the random number attached to the handshake information is the same as the random number attached to the first pairing information, make the cleaning robot determine that the pairing of the cleaning robot with the first base station is successful.

[0084] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station is successful, the communication unit 604 is further used to cause the cleaning robot to send a heartbeat packet to the first base station via the first communication method, so that the first base station determines whether the WiFi connection with the cleaning robot has been interrupted based on the heartbeat packet.

[0085] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication unit 604 is further used to, if the cleaning robot is successfully paired with the first base station, allow the cleaning robot to negotiate a key with the first base station based on the random number, and communicate with the first base station using a WiFi communication method via the key.

[0086] In some embodiments, a communication device for a cleaning robot system is provided, as shown in Figure 7, where the cleaning robot system includes a cleaning robot and a first base station capable of communicating with the cleaning robot. The communication device includes a pairing information receiving unit 701, a handshake information sending unit 702, and a communication unit 703.

[0087] In some embodiments, the pairing information receiving unit 701 is used to cause the first base station to receive first pairing information used for WiFi communication transmitted from the cleaning robot via the first communication method. The first pairing information includes WiFi access information and a random number. The communication distance of the first communication method is shorter than the communication distance of WiFi communication. The handshake information sending unit 702 is used to cause the first base station to establish a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information in the first pairing information and generate and send handshake information to the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot determines whether pairing with the first base station is successful based on the handshake information. The communication unit 703 is used by the cleaning robot to communicate with the cleaning robot using the WiFi communication method and the first communication method.

[0088] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the handshake information includes the identification information of the first base station and a random number.

[0089] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication device of the cleaning robot further includes a connection control unit (not shown), which is used to make the first base station determine whether there is a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station after the first base station receives first pairing information used for WiFi communication transmitted from the cleaning robot via the first communication method, and in response to the existence of a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station, make the first base station disconnect the WiFi connection with the cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station, and perform the step of "establishing a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information in the first pairing information."

[0090] Each module in the communication device of the cleaning robot system may be realized in whole or in part by software, hardware, or a combination thereof. Each module may be built into a processor in a computer device in the form of hardware or configured independently, or may be stored in a memory in the computer device in the form of software, which allows the processor to easily call and execute operations corresponding to each module.

[0091] Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device for a cleaning robot system. Figure 8 shows an internal structural diagram of the communication device for a cleaning robot system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, the communication device for the cleaning robot system includes one or more memories 804, one or more processors 802, and at least one computer program (program code) stored in the memory 804 and executable on the processor 802. When the processor 802 executes the computer program, the communication method for the cleaning robot system is performed.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 8, in some embodiments, a bus architecture (represented by bus 800) may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges. Bus 800 interconnects various circuits, including one or more processors, represented by processor 802, and memory, represented by memory 804. Bus 800 may also interconnect various other circuits, such as peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits. All of these linking schemes are well known in the art and therefore will not be further described herein. Bus interface 805 provides an interface between bus 800, receiver 801, and transmitter 803. Receiver 801 and transmitter 803 may be the same element, i.e., a transceiver, providing units for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium. Processor 802 is responsible for managing bus 800 and general processing, and memory 804 may be used to store data used by processor 802 in performing operations.

[0093] 8 is merely a block diagram of some structures related to the proposed disclosure, and does not limit the communication device of the cleaning robot to which the proposed disclosure is applied. The communication device of the cleaning robot may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or may combine specific components or have a different component arrangement.

[0094] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided on which a computer program is stored, the computer program performing the following steps when executed by a processor:

[0095] the cleaning robot acquires first pairing information used for WiFi communication, the first pairing information including WiFi access information and a random number; the cleaning robot transmits the first pairing information to a first base station via a first communication method, and the communication distance of the first communication method is shorter than the communication distance of WiFi communication; the first base station responds to handshake information returned based on the first pairing information; the cleaning robot determines whether pairing with the first base station is successful based on the handshake information; and if the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station is successful, communicates with the first base station using the WiFi communication method and the first communication method.

[0096] In some embodiments, the handshake information includes identification information of the first base station, and the computer program when executed by the processor further implements the following steps:

[0097] After successfully pairing with the first base station, the cleaning robot stores the correspondence between the identification information of the first base station and the random number.

[0098] In some embodiments, before the cleaning robot obtains the first pairing information used for WiFi communication, the computer program further realizes the following steps when executed by the processor.

[0099] The cleaning robot determines whether there is a second base station currently paired with the cleaning robot; if there is no second base station to pair with the cleaning robot, executes the step of "obtaining first pairing information used for WiFi communication"; if there is a second base station to pair with the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot sends the stored identification information of the second base station to the first base station via the first communication method, so that the first base station determines whether the first base station and the second base station are matched based on the identification information of the second base station; and in response to the matching result between the first base station and the second base station returned from the first base station, determines the WiFi access information and a random number corresponding to the identification information of the second base station as the first pairing information.

[0100] In some embodiments, the cleaning robot sends identification information of the second base station to the first base station through the first communication method, so that the first base station determines whether the first base station and the second base station match based on the identification information, and then the computer program further achieves the following steps when executed by the processor:

[0101] The cleaning robot responds to the result returned from the first base station indicating that the first base station and the second base station do not match by disconnecting the WiFi connection with the second base station.

[0102] In some embodiments, the handshake information is accompanied by a random number, and the computer program further implements the following steps when executed by the processor:

[0103] The cleaning robot determines whether the random number attached to the handshake information is the same as the random number attached to the first pairing information, and if they are the same, determines that pairing between the cleaning robot and the first base station has been successful.

[0104] In some embodiments, the computer program further implements the following steps when executed by the processor:

[0105] The cleaning robot sends a heartbeat packet to the first base station via the first communication method, so that the first base station determines whether the WiFi connection with the cleaning robot has been interrupted based on the heartbeat packet.

[0106] In some embodiments, the computer program further implements the following steps when executed by the processor:

[0107] If the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station is successful, it negotiates a key with the first base station based on the random number, and communicates with the first base station using a WiFi communication method via the key.

[0108] In some embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program performing the following steps when executed by a processor:

[0109] the first base station receives first pairing information used for WiFi communication transmitted from the cleaning robot via a first communication method, the first pairing information including WiFi access information and a random number, and a communication distance of the first communication method is shorter than a communication distance of the WiFi communication; The first base station establishes a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information in the first pairing information, and generates and sends handshake information to the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot determines whether pairing with the first base station is successful based on the handshake information; and The first base station communicates with the cleaning robot using the WiFi communication method and the first communication method.

[0110] In some embodiments, the computer program further implements the following steps when executed by the processor:

[0111] The first base station determines whether there is a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station, and in response to the presence of a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station, the first base station disconnects the WiFi connection with the cleaning robot currently paired with it, and performs the step of "establishing a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information in the first pairing information."

[0112] In the present disclosure, first pairing information used for WiFi communication is acquired via the cleaning robot. The first pairing information includes WiFi access information and a random number. The cleaning robot transmits the first pairing information to a first base station via a first communication method, the communication distance of which is shorter than that of WiFi communication, and the first base station responds with handshake information returned based on the first pairing information. The cleaning robot determines whether pairing with the first base station is successful based on the handshake information. If the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station is successful, it communicates with the first base station using the WiFi communication method and the first communication method. The cleaning robot can transmit large amounts of data and perform remote data synchronization with the first base station via the WiFi communication method, while simultaneously communicating small amounts of data via the first communication method, thereby fully utilizing the advantages of the two communication methods and improving information transmission efficiency. Since information communication is performed using two communication methods simultaneously, if a failure occurs in one communication method, communication connectivity can be ensured using the other communication method, thereby improving the reliability of communication between the cleaning robot and the first base station.

[0113] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more commands or codes. Other examples and implementations are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwired, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, each functional unit may be integrated into a single processing unit, each functional unit may physically exist alone, or two or more functional units may be integrated into a single unit.

[0114] It should be understood that in some embodiments provided in the present disclosure, the disclosed technical content may be realized in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely exemplary. For example, the division of the units may be a division of logical functions, and other division methods may be used in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or assemblies may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted or not implemented. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication between the units shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication via some interfaces, units, or modules, and may be in an electrical or other form.

[0115] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components as control devices may or may not be physical units, i.e., they may be located in one unit or distributed across multiple units. Depending on actual needs, some or all of the units may be selected to achieve the objectives of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0116] When the integrated unit is realized in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present disclosure, essentially, or a part that contributes to the prior art, or all or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a computer software product. The computer software product is stored in one or more storage media, contains multiple commands, and is used to cause one or more computer devices (which may be personal computers, servers, network devices, etc.) to execute all or some of the steps of the methods described in each embodiment of the present disclosure. The storage medium includes various media that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0117] The above description is merely an example of the present disclosure and does not limit the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes to the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the scope of the spirit and principles of the present disclosure should be included within the scope of the claims of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A communication method for a cleaning robot system, the cleaning robot system including a cleaning robot and a first base station capable of communicating with the cleaning robot, the method comprising: The cleaning robot acquires first pairing information used for Wi-Fi communication, the first pairing information including Wi-Fi access information and a random number; the cleaning robot transmitting the first pairing information to the first base station via a first communication method, wherein a communication distance of the first communication method is shorter than a communication distance of the WiFi communication; In response to handshake information returned by the first base station based on the first pairing information, the cleaning robot determines whether pairing with the first base station has been successful based on the handshake information; and when the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station has been successful, communicating with the first base station using a Wi-Fi communication method and the first communication method. A communication method for a cleaning robot system.

2. the handshake information includes an identification of the first base station; The method comprises: The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of: after successful pairing with the first base station, the cleaning robot storing a correspondence between identification information of the first base station and the random number.

3. Before the cleaning robot acquires first pairing information used for Wi-Fi communication, the method includes: determining whether there is a second base station that the cleaning robot currently pairs with; If the second base station exists, the cleaning robot transmits identification information of the second base station to the first base station via the first communication method, and the first base station determines whether the first base station and the second base station match based on the identification information of the second base station; 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: in response to a result of matching between the first base station and the second base station returned from the first base station, determining a random number corresponding to the WiFi access information and identification information of the second base station as the first pairing information.

4. After the cleaning robot transmits identification information of the second base station to the first base station via the first communication method, and the first base station determines whether the first base station and the second base station match based on the identification information, the method includes:

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of: the cleaning robot disconnecting a WiFi connection with the second base station in response to a result returned from the first base station indicating that the first base station and the second base station do not match.

5. the step of adding the random number to the handshake information and determining whether pairing with the first base station has been successful based on the handshake information by the cleaning robot, determining by the cleaning robot whether a random number attached to the handshake information is the same as a random number attached to the first pairing information; and if a random number attached to the handshake information and a random number attached to the first pairing information are the same, the cleaning robot determines that pairing between the cleaning robot and the first base station is successful.

6. When the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station is successful, the step of communicating with the first base station using the first communication method includes: The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising the steps of: the cleaning robot transmitting a heartbeat packet to the first base station via the first communication method; and the first base station determining whether a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot has been interrupted based on the heartbeat packet.

7. If the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station is successful, negotiating a key with the first base station based on the random number; The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising the step of: the cleaning robot communicating with the first base station using the WiFi communication method via the key.

8. A communication method for a cleaning robot system, the cleaning robot system including a cleaning robot and a first base station capable of communicating with the cleaning robot, the method comprising: receiving, by the first base station via a first communication method, first pairing information used for WiFi communication transmitted by the cleaning robot, the first pairing information including WiFi access information and a random number, and a communication distance of the first communication method being shorter than a communication distance of the WiFi communication; the first base station establishing a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information in the first pairing information, and generating and sending handshake information to the cleaning robot, and the cleaning robot determining whether pairing with the first base station has been successful based on the handshake information; the first base station communicating with the cleaning robot using a WiFi communication method and the first communication method; A communication method for a cleaning robot system.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the handshake information includes an identification of the first base station and the random number.

10. After the first base station receives first pairing information used for WiFi communication transmitted from the cleaning robot via a first communication method, the method includes: determining whether there is a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station; 10. The method of claim 8 or 9, further comprising: in response to the presence of a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station, performing a step of disconnecting a WiFi connection between the first base station and the cleaning robot currently paired with it, and establishing a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information in the first pairing information.

11. A communication device for a cleaning robot system, the cleaning robot system including a cleaning robot and a first base station capable of communicating with the cleaning robot, the device comprising: a pairing information acquiring unit configured to acquire first pairing information used by the cleaning robot for WiFi communication, the first pairing information including WiFi access information and a random number; a pairing information transmitting unit configured to transmit the first pairing information to the first base station via a first communication method, wherein a communication distance of the first communication method is shorter than a communication distance of the Wi-Fi communication; an information matching unit configured to, in response to handshake information returned by the first base station based on the first pairing information, determine whether the cleaning robot has successfully paired with the first base station based on the handshake information; a communication unit configured to communicate with the first base station using a WiFi communication method and the first communication method when the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station has been successful; Communication device for cleaning robot system.

12. the handshake information includes an identification of the first base station; The device comprises:

12. The device of claim 11, further comprising an information storage unit configured to store a correspondence between identification information of the first base station and a random number after the cleaning robot has successfully paired with the first base station.

13. The device comprises:

13. The device of claim 12, further comprising: a pairing information determination unit configured to: determine whether a second base station with which the cleaning robot is currently paired exists; if the second base station exists, the cleaning robot transmits identification information of the second base station to the first base station via the first communication method; the first base station determines whether the first base station and the second base station match based on the identification information of the second base station; and, in response to a result that the first base station and the second base station match returned from the first base station, determine a random number corresponding to the WiFi access information and the identification information of the second base station as first pairing information.

14. 14. The device of claim 13, wherein the pairing information determination unit is further configured to cause the cleaning robot to disconnect a WiFi connection with the second base station in response to a result indicating that the first base station and the second base station do not match, the result being returned from the first base station.

15. 15. The device of claim 11, wherein the random number is attached to the handshake information, and the information matching unit is further configured to cause the cleaning robot to determine whether the random number attached to the handshake information is the same as the random number attached to the first pairing information, and if the random number attached to the handshake information is the same as the random number attached to the first pairing information, determine that the pairing of the cleaning robot with the first base station is successful.

16. 15. The device of claim 11, wherein, when the cleaning robot determines that pairing with the first base station is successful, the communication unit is further configured to: cause the cleaning robot to send a heartbeat packet to the first base station via the first communication method; and cause the first base station to determine whether a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot has been interrupted based on the heartbeat packet.

17. 15. The device of claim 11, wherein the communication unit is further configured, if the cleaning robot is successfully paired with the first base station, for the cleaning robot to negotiate a key with the first base station based on the random number and communicate with the first base station using the WiFi communication method via the key.

18. A communication device for a cleaning robot system, the cleaning robot system including a cleaning robot and a first base station capable of communicating with the cleaning robot, the device comprising: a pairing information receiving unit configured to receive first pairing information used for WiFi communication transmitted from the cleaning robot via a first communication method by the first base station, the first pairing information including WiFi access information and a random number, and a communication distance of the first communication method being shorter than a communication distance of the WiFi communication; a handshake information sending unit configured to allow the first base station to establish a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information in the first pairing information, to generate and send handshake information to the cleaning robot, and to allow the cleaning robot to determine whether pairing with the first base station has been successful based on the handshake information; a communication unit configured for the first base station to communicate with the cleaning robot using a WiFi communication method and the first communication method; Communication device for cleaning robot system.

19. 20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the handshake information includes an identification of the first base station and the random number.

20. The device comprises:

20. The device of claim 18 or 19, further comprising a connection control unit configured to: after the first base station receives first pairing information used for WiFi communication transmitted from the cleaning robot via the first communication method, determine whether there is a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station; and, in response to a determination that there is a cleaning robot currently paired with the first base station, terminate the WiFi connection of the first base station with the cleaning robot currently paired with it, and establish a WiFi connection with the cleaning robot based on the WiFi access information in the first pairing information.

21. A communication device for a cleaning robot system including a memory in which a computer program is stored and a processor, When the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 are performed, or the steps of the method according to any one of claims 8 to 10 are performed. Communication equipment for cleaning robot systems.

22. A computer-readable storage medium on which one or more programs are stored, The one or more programs, when executed by one or more processors, perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 8 to 10. A computer-readable storage medium.

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