Waterline cleaning method and pool cleaning robot

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of pool cleaning robots, and in particular relates to a waterline cleaning method and a pool cleaning robot. The waterline cleaning method comprises: if it is detected that a pool cleaning robot has reached a waterline position from underwater, adjusting the pool cleaning robot to a target state, the target state being a state in which a first part of the pool cleaning robot is located above the waterline and a second part is located below the waterline; and controlling the pool cleaning robot to clean, in the target state, a target area including the waterline.

Description

Waterline cleaning method and pool cleaning robot

[0001] This disclosure claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed with the Patent Office of China on June 15, 2023, with application number 202310714310.9 and invention name “Waterline Cleaning Method and Pool Cleaning Robot,” the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this disclosure. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of pool cleaning robots, and in particular to a waterline cleaning method and a pool cleaning robot. Background Art

[0003] With the rise of national sports, more and more people choose swimming as a form of exercise that can both increase the fun of life and strengthen the body. Public swimming pools have become places with a large flow of people. Therefore, the water quality of the pools has attracted much attention. For example, if the large amount of suspended matter and impurities such as hair residues in the pool are not cleaned in time, it is easy to breed bacteria and spread diseases. However, if you choose to completely replace the pool water, it will cause a lot of water waste.

[0004] In the related art, the pool cleaning robot cleans the side wall by attaching to the side wall. However, in order to ensure the adhesion of the pool cleaning robot to the side wall of the pool, the pool cleaning robot can only clean the position below the water surface. That is, the pool cleaning robot in the related art can only clean the position below the waterline of the pool side wall, and cannot clean the waterline position of the pool side wall and the position above the waterline. Most suspended matter and impurities will attach to the water surface and the waterline position of the pool side wall. Therefore, there is a problem in the related art that the cleaning effect of the area near the waterline position of the pool side wall is not good.

[0005] With regard to the problem in the related art that the cleaning effect of the area near the waterline position of the side wall of the pool is poor, no effective solution has been proposed so far.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a waterline cleaning method and a pool cleaning robot to at least solve the problem in the related art of poor cleaning effect on the area near the waterline position of the pool side wall.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a waterline cleaning method is provided, comprising: upon detecting that a pool cleaning robot reaches a waterline position from underwater, adjusting the pool cleaning robot to a target state, wherein the target state is a state in which a first part of the pool cleaning robot is above the waterline and a second part is below the waterline; and controlling the pool cleaning robot to clean a target area including the waterline in the target state.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, upon detecting that the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline position from underwater, adjusting the pool cleaning robot to a target state includes: upon detecting that the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline position from underwater, controlling the drainage amount of a first gravity adjustment mechanism in the gravity adjustment mechanism of the pool cleaning robot to meet a first preset amount; and controlling the pool cleaning robot to turn so that the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot becomes lateral, wherein the lateral direction is a direction parallel to the waterline.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment, controlling the pool cleaning robot to turn so that the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot becomes horizontal includes: adjusting the movement speed of the movement mechanism on the first side of the pool cleaning robot to a first movement speed, and adjusting the movement speed of the movement mechanism on the second side of the pool cleaning robot to a second movement speed, so that the pool cleaning robot turns until the movement direction becomes horizontal, wherein the first movement speed is greater than the second movement speed, the first side is the side where the first gravity adjustment structure is located, and the second side is the side where the second gravity adjustment mechanism in the gravity adjustment mechanism is located, and the first gravity adjustment mechanism and the second gravity adjustment mechanism are symmetrically arranged on the shell of the pool cleaning robot along the axial direction, and the axial direction is a direction parallel to the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot, and along the axial direction, the shell is divided into two parts of the same size.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment, after controlling the drainage volume of a first gravity adjustment mechanism in the gravity adjustment mechanism of the pool cleaning robot to meet a first preset volume, the method further includes: controlling the drainage volume of a second gravity adjustment mechanism in the gravity adjustment mechanism to meet a second preset volume.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, before adjusting the pool cleaning robot to the target state, the method further includes at least one of the following:

[0013] determining that the pool cleaning robot has reached the waterline position from underwater when an air inlet hole connected to a gravity adjustment mechanism of the pool cleaning robot is exposed to the water surface;

[0014] determining that the pool cleaning robot has reached the waterline position from underwater when a target sensor value is a preset depth value, wherein the target sensor value represents the depth of the pool cleaning robot in the water;

[0015] When the motion mechanism of the pool cleaning robot is in motion and the pool cleaning robot cannot rise, it is determined that the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline position from underwater.

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes: a size of the first portion is smaller than a size of the second portion.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment, before adjusting the pool cleaning robot to the target state, the method further includes: controlling the pool cleaning robot to enter the water when the pool cleaning robot is located on the water surface; controlling the pool cleaning robot to reach the side wall of the pool in the water; and controlling the pool cleaning robot to move along the side wall of the pool toward the waterline position, so that the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline position from underwater along the side wall of the pool.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment, controlling the water discharge amount of a first gravity adjustment mechanism in the gravity adjustment mechanism of the pool cleaning robot to meet a first preset amount includes:

[0019] The drainage amount of the first gravity regulating mechanism in the gravity regulating mechanism of the pool cleaning robot is controlled to meet the requirement that the gravity of the pool cleaning robot after drainage is less than the buoyancy of the pool cleaning robot in water.

[0020] In an exemplary embodiment, controlling the water discharge amount of a first gravity adjustment mechanism in the gravity adjustment mechanism of the pool cleaning robot to meet a first preset amount includes:

[0021] The water in the first gravity adjustment mechanism of the pool cleaning robot is controlled to be drained.

[0022] In an exemplary embodiment, after controlling the pool cleaning robot to turn so that the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot becomes lateral, the method further includes:

[0023] The movement speed of the movement mechanism on the first side of the pool cleaning robot and the movement speed of the movement mechanism on the second side of the pool cleaning robot are adjusted to the same speed.

[0024] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a pool cleaning robot is also provided, comprising a gravity adjustment mechanism, a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the gravity adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the gravity of the pool cleaning robot by filling or draining water, and the processor controls the gravity adjustment mechanism when executing the computer program to implement the steps of any of the methods described above.

[0025] In an exemplary embodiment, the pool cleaning robot also includes a shell, the pool cleaning robot also includes a shell, the gravity adjustment mechanism includes a first gravity adjustment mechanism and a second gravity adjustment mechanism, the first gravity adjustment mechanism and the second gravity adjustment mechanism are symmetrically arranged on the shell along the axial direction, the axial direction is a direction parallel to the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot, and along the axial direction, the shell is divided into two parts of the same size.

[0026] In an exemplary embodiment, one of the gravity adjustment mechanisms includes: an adjustment drive member disposed on the housing;

[0027] A cavity is connected to the adjustment drive member, wherein the adjustment drive member is configured to drain or fill the cavity with water, and a cavity of the gravity adjustment mechanism includes one or more cavities.

[0028] In an exemplary embodiment, the pool cleaning robot further includes: an air inlet, which is arranged on the shell, the air inlet and the first gravity adjustment mechanism are located on the same side of the pool cleaning robot, the air inlet is respectively connected to the cavities of the two groups of gravity adjustment mechanisms, and the air inlet is arranged at the front of the pool cleaning robot, wherein, when the cavity is drained, the air inlet is configured to allow gas to enter the cavity from the air inlet.

[0029] In an exemplary embodiment, the adjustment drive comprises a water pump.

[0030] In an exemplary embodiment, the cavity is located below the shell, wherein one gravity adjustment structure includes two cavities, and the two cavities are respectively arranged at the front end and the rear end of the pool cleaning robot.

[0031] In an exemplary embodiment, the two cavities included in one gravity adjustment structure share one adjustment driving member.

[0032] In an exemplary embodiment, the two cavities included in one gravity adjustment structure respectively use different adjustment driving members.

[0033] In an exemplary embodiment, the pool cleaning robot further includes two groups of motion mechanisms, the two groups of motion mechanisms are arranged in parallel and at intervals along the left-right direction, and the two groups of motion mechanisms are driven independently.

[0034] In an exemplary embodiment, the pool cleaning robot further comprises:

[0035] A cleaning drive member is provided on the housing;

[0036] a decontamination passage, wherein the cleaning drive member is located in the decontamination passage, and an inlet of the decontamination passage is located on a side of the housing facing the bottom or side wall of the pool, and an outlet of the decontamination passage is located on a side of the housing facing away from the bottom or side wall;

[0037] A propeller is configured to provide power to the pool cleaning robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure and these drawings without any creative work.

[0039] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the hardware environment of a waterline cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] FIG2 is a flow chart of a waterline cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a pool cleaning robot in a target state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0042] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a pool cleaning robot climbing to the waterline position in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] 5 is a schematic diagram of the position of the pool cleaning robot after draining water from the second gravity adjustment structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a pool cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] FIG7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the pool cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0046] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the position of a cavity inside a pool cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a connection method of air inlet holes according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] The markings in the figure are as follows: 100 - shell; 110 - air inlet; 200 - gravity adjustment mechanism; 210 - adjustment drive member; 220 - cavity; 300 - movement mechanism; 400 - cleaning drive member; 500 - decontamination channel; 600 - propeller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] The present disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are intended only to illustrate the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings only illustrate portions of the structure relevant to the present disclosure, rather than the entire structure.

[0050] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "connected," "connect," and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integration; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and can refer to the interconnection of structures within two elements or the interaction between two elements. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this disclosure based on the specific circumstances.

[0051] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may include the first and second features being in contact not directly but through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "above," and "above" a second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "below," "below," and "below" a second feature includes the first feature being directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower level than the second feature.

[0052] In the description of the embodiments of this application, terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used to refer to positions or locations based on the positions or locations shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are intended solely to facilitate description and simplify operation, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this disclosure. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used solely for descriptive purposes and have no special meaning.

[0053] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a waterline cleaning method is provided. Optionally, in this embodiment, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a hardware environment for the waterline cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The waterline cleaning method can be applied to a hardware environment consisting of a pool cleaning robot 104 and a server 106, as shown in FIG. 1 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the pool cleaning robot 104 can be connected to a server 106 (e.g., an Internet of Things platform or a cloud server) via a network to control the pool cleaning robot 104.

[0054] The aforementioned network may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a wired network and a wireless network. The aforementioned wired network may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a wide area network, a metropolitan area network, and a local area network. The aforementioned wireless network may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), Bluetooth, and infrared.

[0055] The waterline cleaning method of the embodiment of the present application can be performed independently by the pool cleaning robot 104 or the server 106, or can be performed jointly by the pool cleaning robot 104 and the server 106. The user can also interact with the pool cleaning robot 104 through the terminal device 102, that is, the terminal device 102 controls the pool cleaning robot 104 through the server 106 as a transmission medium.

[0056] In this embodiment, a waterline cleaning method is provided. FIG2 is a flow chart of the waterline cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG2 , the process includes the following steps:

[0057] Step S202, when it is detected that the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline position from underwater, adjust the pool cleaning robot to a target state, wherein the target state is a state in which the first part of the pool cleaning robot is above the waterline and the second part is below the waterline.

[0058] In this embodiment, the pool cleaning robot can be used to clean the bottom and / or sidewalls of a pool. When cleaning a pool, the pool cleaning robot is first placed in water so that the pool cleaning robot is completely immersed in the water. After the pool cleaning robot attaches to the bottom or sidewall of the pool, it begins to clean the bottom or sidewall of the pool.

[0059] Before the pool cleaning robot starts to clean the waterline position, it is necessary to first determine whether the pool cleaning robot has reached the waterline position. Optionally, since the pool cleaning robot is placed in water first, it reaches the waterline position from underwater.

[0060] Optionally, the initial position of the pool cleaning robot is the water surface, then the pool cleaning robot needs to be sunk into the water from the water surface, reach the side wall of the pool in the water, attach to the side wall of the pool, and move upward from the water along the side wall of the pool to reach the waterline position, that is, before the pool cleaning robot is adjusted to the target state, when the pool cleaning robot is on the water surface, control the pool cleaning robot to enter the water; control the pool cleaning robot to reach the side wall of the pool in the water; control the pool cleaning robot to move along the side wall of the pool to the waterline position, so that the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline position along the side wall of the pool from underwater.

[0061] After the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline position, the position state of the pool cleaning robot is adjusted so that the first part of the body of the pool cleaning robot is above the waterline and the second part of the body is below the waterline. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the pool cleaning robot in the target state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the part of the pool cleaning robot above the waterline is the first part, corresponding to the first side in Figure 3, and the part of the waterline cleaning pool cleaning robot below the waterline is the second part, corresponding to the second side in Figure 3. The pool cleaning robot can clean the position range of the pool cleaning robot when cleaning, and the position range of the pool cleaning robot in Figure 3 is a certain range including the waterline and above and below the waterline.

[0062] Step S204 : controlling the pool cleaning robot to clean the target area including the water line in the target state.

[0063] In this embodiment, the target area is an area including the waterline and a certain range below the waterline and underwater. When the pool cleaning robot is in the target state, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to clean the target area.

[0064] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the pool cleaning robot climbing to the waterline position in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The pool cleaning robot moves upward from underwater and reaches the waterline position as shown in Figure 4. The movement direction of the pool robot in Figure 4 is upward, so the direction of the axis is the up and down direction, and the axis is the central axis of the pool cleaning robot, dividing the pool cleaning robot into two parts of roughly equal size.

[0065] Through the above embodiment, when the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline position, the pool cleaning robot will be adjusted to the target state in which the first part of the fuselage is located above the waterline and the second part of the fuselage is located below the waterline, so that the cleaning robot can clean the target area including the waterline, thereby being able to clean the waterline position of the side wall of the pool and the position above the waterline, thereby expanding the cleaning range of the pool cleaning robot, solving the problem of poor cleaning effect on the area near the waterline position of the side wall of the pool in the related art, and improving the cleaning effect on the area near the waterline position of the side wall of the pool.

[0066] In an optional embodiment, when the pool cleaning robot is detected to reach the waterline position from underwater, the pool cleaning robot is adjusted to a target state, comprising: when the pool cleaning robot is detected to reach the waterline position from underwater, controlling the drainage amount in the first gravity adjustment mechanism in the gravity adjustment mechanism to meet a first preset amount; controlling the pool cleaning robot to turn so that the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot becomes horizontal, wherein the horizontal direction is a direction parallel to the waterline.

[0067] In this embodiment, the pool cleaning robot is adjusted to the target state by a gravity adjustment mechanism in the pool cleaning robot.

[0068] When the pool cleaning robot is performing cleaning work in the water, the relationship between the gravity and buoyancy of the pool cleaning robot affects the position of the pool cleaning robot in the water and the stability of its attachment to the bottom and side walls of the pool. When the pool cleaning robot is at the bottom of the pool, the buoyancy remains stable. When the interior of the gravity adjustment mechanism is filled with water, the gravity of the pool cleaning robot is increased. When cleaning the bottom of the pool, the buoyancy of the pool cleaning robot will not be greater than the gravity, causing the pool cleaning robot to float in the water, thereby increasing the stability and cleaning effect of cleaning the bottom of the pool.

[0069] The gravity of the pool cleaning robot is adjusted by adjusting the amount of water in the gravity adjustment mechanism of the pool cleaning robot. The gravity adjustment mechanism in the pool cleaning robot includes two groups of gravity adjustment mechanisms: a first gravity adjustment mechanism and a second gravity adjustment mechanism, wherein the two groups of gravity adjustment mechanisms are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the pool cleaning robot.

[0070] It should be noted that the left and right sides of the pool cleaning robot refer to the left and right parts of the pool cleaning robot divided along the central axis perpendicular to the forward movement direction of the pool cleaning robot. The left part is the left side, and the right part is the right side.

[0071] By draining the water inside the first gravity regulating mechanism, the gravity of the pool cleaning robot is reduced, and the weights of the left and right sides of the pool cleaning robot are made different.

[0072] Optionally, controlling the water discharge amount in the first gravity regulating mechanism to meet the first preset amount may be draining the water inside the first gravity regulating mechanism.

[0073] At the same time, since the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline position from underwater, the pool cleaning robot moves upward (perpendicular to the waterline). In order to make the pool cleaning robot clean more areas including the waterline during movement, the pool cleaning robot is controlled to turn so that the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot becomes horizontal. The horizontal direction is a direction parallel to the waterline. That is, when the movement direction is horizontal, the pool cleaning robot will not leave the area including the waterline when moving forward. The pool cleaning robot can clean the area including the waterline in the entire side wall during movement.

[0074] FIG5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the position of a pool cleaning robot after draining water from the second gravity adjustment mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. After draining water from the first gravity adjustment mechanism on a first side and changing the pool cleaning robot's direction of motion to the horizontal, the pool cleaning robot is in the position shown in FIG3 . At this point, the pool cleaning robot's axis is parallel to the waterline. Optionally, the amount of water drained from the first gravity adjustment mechanism is a first preset value, where the first preset value is pre-set. After draining only the first preset amount of water from the first gravity adjustment mechanism and turning, only a small amount of water leaks out of the first side of the pool cleaning robot. To increase the distance that water leaks out of the first side, after controlling the first gravity adjustment mechanism to drain water to the first preset amount, the second gravity adjustment mechanism on the second side of the pool cleaning robot drains a second preset amount of water. The position of the pool cleaning robot at this point is shown in FIG5 , further reducing the weight of the pool cleaning robot. Buoyancy increases the distance the pool cleaning robot is above the waterline, further expanding the pool cleaning robot's cleaning range.

[0075] When the pool cleaning robot reaches the state in Figure 3, the water in the first gravity adjustment mechanism on the second side is drained out by a second preset amount, and the state of the pool cleaning robot reaches the target state in Figure 5, which further reduces the weight of the pool cleaning robot. Under the action of buoyancy, the distance of the pool cleaning robot above the waterline is increased. The size of the pool cleaning robot above the waterline in Figure 5 is larger than the size of the pool cleaning robot above the waterline in Figure 3.

[0076] In an optional embodiment, when controlling the pool cleaning robot to turn, the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot becomes horizontal, including: adjusting the movement speed of the movement mechanism on the first side of the pool cleaning robot to a first movement speed, and adjusting the movement speed of the movement mechanism on the second side of the pool cleaning robot to a second movement speed, so that the pool cleaning robot turns, wherein the first movement speed is greater than the second movement speed, the first side is the side where the first gravity adjustment structure is located, and the second side is the side where the second gravity adjustment mechanism is located, and the first gravity adjustment mechanism and the second gravity adjustment mechanism are symmetrically arranged on the shell of the pool cleaning robot along the axial direction, and the axial direction is a direction parallel to the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot, and along the axial direction, the shell is divided into two parts of the same size.

[0077] In this embodiment, the pool cleaning robot moves forward, backward, and turns by driving two sets of motion mechanisms. When the pool cleaning robot turns, the speed difference between the two sets of motion mechanisms is used to achieve the turning operation. By adjusting the speed of the first set of motion mechanisms on the first side (the first motion speed) to be greater than the speed of the second set of motion mechanisms on the second side (the second motion speed), the pool cleaning robot is assisted in turning and the direction of movement of the pool cleaning robot is adjusted.

[0078] After adjusting the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot to the horizontal direction, the speeds of the two groups of motion structures are adjusted to the same speed, so that the cleaning robot moves along the waterline direction and cleans the target area including the waterline.

[0079] In an optional embodiment, before adjusting the pool cleaning robot to the target state, it is necessary to determine whether the pool cleaning robot has reached the waterline position.

[0080] The method for determining whether the pool cleaning robot has reached the waterline position includes at least one of the following:

[0081] Method 1: The pool cleaning robot is determined to have reached the waterline position from underwater when the air inlet connected to the gravity adjustment mechanism emerges from the water. The air inlet is located at the front of the pool cleaning robot. When the pool cleaning robot moves upward from underwater, the air inlet located at the front of the pool cleaning robot emerges from the water first. Whether the air inlet emerges from the water can be used to determine whether the pool cleaning robot has reached the waterline position. As shown in Figure 4, the pool cleaning robot is determined to have reached the waterline position from underwater when the air inlet 110 emerges from the water.

[0082] Method 2: When the target sensor value is a preset depth value, determining that the pool cleaning robot has reached the waterline position from underwater, wherein the target sensor value represents the depth of the pool cleaning robot in the water. The target sensor is a sensor configured to detect the water level (i.e., the depth of the pool cleaning robot in the water). As the pool cleaning robot moves upward from underwater, its position in the water increases, and the target sensor value decreases. When the target sensor value decreases to the preset depth value, it is determined that the pool cleaning robot has reached the waterline position from underwater.

[0083] Method 3: When the pool cleaning robot's motion mechanism is in motion and the pool cleaning robot is unable to ascend, determine whether the pool cleaning robot has reached the waterline position from underwater. As the pool cleaning robot moves upward from underwater, the upward buoyancy acting on the pool cleaning robot decreases, while gravity remains constant. When the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline, the forces acting on the pool cleaning robot are balanced (gravity, buoyancy, and the power applied by the pool cleaning robot are balanced). At this point, although the pool cleaning robot's motion mechanism is still in motion, the pool cleaning robot's position has not changed, and it cannot continue to move upward.

[0084] Optionally, the operation of the pool cleaning robot determining whether it has reached the waterline position is performed only when the pool robot is moving upward from underwater, that is, when the pool robot is moving upward from underwater, the operation of the pool cleaning robot determining whether it has reached the waterline position is triggered. When it is determined that the pool cleaning robot has reached the waterline position, or the pool cleaning robot changes its motion state, the pool cleaning robot no longer determines whether it has reached the waterline position.

[0085] In an optional embodiment, the method further includes: a size of the first portion is smaller than a size of the second portion.

[0086] In this embodiment, in order to ensure that the pool cleaning robot can stably attach to the waterline position for cleaning, when the pool cleaning robot is working in waterline mode, as shown in the pool cleaning robot in Figure 3, the size of the pool cleaning robot below the waterline is larger than the size of the pool cleaning robot above the waterline, that is, the size of the first part is smaller than the size of the second part.

[0087] According to another embodiment of the present application, a pool cleaning robot is provided, comprising a gravity adjustment mechanism 200, a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the gravity adjustment mechanism 200 is configured to adjust the gravity of the pool cleaning robot by filling or draining water, and the processor controls the gravity adjustment mechanism when executing the computer program to implement the steps of any of the methods described above.

[0088] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the pool cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the pool cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the memory and the processor are not shown in Figure 6, and the memory and the processor can be set at any position inside the pool cleaning robot.

[0089] In an exemplary embodiment, the pool cleaning robot also includes a shell 100, and the gravity adjustment mechanism 200 includes a first gravity adjustment mechanism and a second gravity adjustment mechanism. The first gravity adjustment mechanism and the second gravity adjustment mechanism are symmetrically arranged on the shell 100 along an axial direction. The axial direction is a direction parallel to the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot, and along the axial direction, the shell 100 is divided into two parts of the same size.

[0090] In this embodiment, the gravity regulating mechanism 200 regulates the gravity of the pool cleaning robot by filling and draining water. When the pool cleaning robot cleans the bottom of the pool, the gravity regulating mechanism 200 is filled with water so that the gravity of the pool cleaning robot is greater than the buoyancy. When the pool cleaning robot cleans the waterline, the gravity regulating mechanism 200 discharges a preset amount of water in the gravity regulating structure so that part of the body of the pool cleaning robot (corresponding to the first part) is located above the waterline, and part of the body (corresponding to the second part) is located below the waterline, so that the pool cleaning robot can simultaneously clean a certain range above and below the waterline.

[0091] It is understood that when a pool cleaning robot operates in water, the relationship between its gravity and buoyancy directly affects its position and stability in the water. For example, when the pool cleaning robot is at the bottom of the pool, its buoyancy remains stable. Filling the gravity adjustment structure with water increases its gravity, which helps increase the force acting on the pool bottom, thereby improving its stability and cleaning effectiveness.

[0092] In addition, when the pool cleaning robot cleans the water line, by selectively draining the water in a group of gravity adjustment mechanisms 200, the corresponding weight can be reduced, so that the weight on both sides of the pool cleaning robot is different, thereby enabling it to be horizontally positioned at the water line and remain stable.

[0093] In an exemplary embodiment, the gravity adjustment mechanism 200 includes: an adjustment drive 210, which is arranged on the shell 100; and a cavity 220, which is connected to the adjustment drive 210, wherein the adjustment drive 210 is configured to drain or fill the cavity 220 with water, and a cavity of the gravity adjustment mechanism includes one or more cavities.

[0094] In this embodiment, the output end of the adjustable drive member is connected to the cavity. When filling the cavity with water, the water in the pool enters the cavity from the output end of the adjustable drive member. When draining the cavity, the water in the cavity is discharged from the output end of the adjustable drive member. Optionally, the adjustable drive member can be a water pump that transmits water when the water pump is turned on to allow water to enter or be discharged from the cavity. For example, when it is necessary to increase the weight of the pool cleaning robot, the cavity 220 can be filled with water to increase the weight. When it is necessary to reduce the weight of the pool cleaning robot, this can be achieved by draining the water.

[0095] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the position of the cavity inside the pool cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The cavity in the gravity adjustment mechanism is located inside the body, that is, under the shell. Figure 8 is a top-down schematic diagram of the position of the cavity after the shell is removed. As shown in Figure 8, inside the pool cleaning robot, two gravity adjustment mechanisms 210 are symmetrically distributed along the axis, wherein each gravity adjustment mechanism may include two cavities 220. The shaded portion in Figure 8 is the cavity of the gravity adjustment mechanism. The two cavities of each gravity adjustment mechanism are respectively arranged at the front end and the rear end of the pool cleaning robot; the two cavities of a gravity adjustment mechanism share one adjustment drive member. Optionally, different cavities can also be configured to achieve drainage or water intake by using different adjustment drives.

[0096] In an exemplary embodiment, the pool cleaning robot further includes: an air inlet 110, which is arranged on the shell 100, and the air inlet 110 and the first gravity adjustment mechanism are located on the same side of the pool cleaning robot, and the air inlet 110 is respectively connected to the cavities 220 of the two groups of gravity adjustment mechanisms 200, wherein, when the adjustment drive 210 drains the cavity 220, the air inlet 110 is configured to allow gas to enter the cavity 220 from the air inlet 110.

[0097] In this embodiment, the gravity adjustment mechanism drains water, specifically, the water in the cavity of the gravity adjustment mechanism. This drainage process requires air to enter the cavity 220 to replenish the volume difference. Therefore, the housing 100 is provided with an air inlet 110 communicating with the cavity 220. When the adjustment drive 210 drains the cavity 220, air can enter the cavity 220 through the air inlet 110, thereby replenishing the volume difference within the cavity 220 and ensuring that the cavity 220 can drain water smoothly when needed. In a specific embodiment, the air inlet is only provided on one side, and there is only one air inlet, which is respectively connected to the cavities of the two gravity adjustment mechanisms of the pool cleaning robot. The pool cleaning robot includes a first gravity adjustment mechanism and a second gravity adjustment mechanism. The cavity of the first gravity adjustment mechanism and the cavity of the second gravity adjustment mechanism are connected to the air inlet through a target pipe. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the connection method of the air inlet according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 9, cavity 1 is the cavity of the first gravity adjustment mechanism, cavity 2 is the cavity of the second gravity adjustment mechanism, and the target pipe is a "Y"-shaped pipe. When the first gravity regulating mechanism drains water, the switch 1 and the switch 2 in the target pipeline are opened to allow the gas to enter the cavity of the first gravity regulating mechanism (corresponding to the cavity 1 in FIG9 ), thereby replenishing the volume difference in the cavity to ensure that the cavity can smoothly discharge water when needed. Similarly, when the second gravity regulating mechanism drains water, the switch 1 and the switch 3 in the target pipeline are opened to allow the gas to enter the cavity of the second gravity regulating mechanism (corresponding to the cavity 2 in FIG9 ), thereby replenishing the volume difference in the cavity to ensure that the cavity can smoothly discharge water when needed.

[0098] In the above embodiment, the air inlet is only provided on the first side (the side where the first gravity adjustment mechanism is located), and is connected to the cavities of the two groups of gravity adjustment mechanisms respectively, which can ensure that the water in the cavity can be discharged smoothly, and when cleaning the waterline position, the air inlet is always kept above the water surface, so as to drain water at any time to adjust the weight of the pool cleaning robot, that is, to adjust the position of the pool cleaning robot.

[0099] In an exemplary embodiment, the pool cleaning robot further includes: two groups of motion mechanisms 300 , the two groups of motion mechanisms 300 are arranged parallel and symmetrically along an axis, and the two groups of motion mechanisms 300 are driven independently.

[0100] In this embodiment, the pool cleaning robot also includes two sets of motion mechanisms 300, which are arranged in parallel and at intervals in the left and right directions, and the two sets of motion mechanisms 300 are driven independently. By adjusting the speeds of the two sets of motions, the speeds of the two sets of motions are made different to assist the pool cleaning robot in turning and adjusting its motion direction.

[0101] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the pool cleaning robot also includes: a cleaning drive 400, which is arranged on the shell 100; a dirt removal channel 500, wherein the cleaning drive 400 is located in the dirt removal channel 500, and the entrance of the dirt removal channel 500 is located on the side of the shell 100 facing the bottom or side wall of the pool, and the outlet of the dirt removal channel 500 is located on the side of the shell 100 away from the bottom or the side wall; and a propeller 600, which is configured to provide power for the pool cleaning robot.

[0102] Note that the above shows and describes the basic principles and main features of the present disclosure and the advantages of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. The above-mentioned embodiments and descriptions are only for explaining the principles of the present disclosure. Various changes and improvements may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Such changes and improvements fall within the scope of the present disclosure for which protection is sought, and the scope of protection of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A waterline cleaning method, comprising: In the case where it is detected that the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline position from underwater, adjusting the pool cleaning robot to a target state, wherein the target state is a state in which the first part of the pool cleaning robot is above the waterline and the second part is below the waterline; The pool cleaning robot is controlled to clean a target area including the water line in the target state.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: When the pool cleaning robot is detected to reach the waterline position from underwater, adjusting the pool cleaning robot to a target state includes: When it is detected that the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline position from underwater, controlling the water displacement in the first gravity adjustment mechanism of the gravity adjustment mechanism of the pool cleaning robot to meet a first preset amount; The pool cleaning robot is controlled to turn so that the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot becomes lateral, wherein the lateral direction is a direction parallel to the waterline.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The controlling the pool cleaning robot to turn so that the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot becomes lateral includes: Adjust the movement speed of the movement mechanism on the first side of the pool cleaning robot to a first movement speed, and adjust the movement speed of the movement mechanism on the second side of the pool cleaning robot to a second movement speed, so that the pool cleaning robot turns to the movement direction and becomes horizontal, wherein the first movement speed is greater than the second movement speed, the first side is the side where the first gravity adjustment structure is located, and the second side is the side where the second gravity adjustment mechanism in the gravity adjustment mechanism is located, and the first gravity adjustment mechanism and the second gravity adjustment mechanism are symmetrically arranged on the shell of the pool cleaning robot along the axial direction, and the axial direction is a direction parallel to the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot, and along the axial direction, the shell is divided into two parts of the same size.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein: After the water discharge amount in the first gravity regulating mechanism in the gravity regulating mechanism for controlling the pool cleaning robot meets a first preset amount, the method further includes: The water displacement of the second gravity regulating mechanism in the gravity regulating mechanism is controlled to meet a second preset amount.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: Before adjusting the pool cleaning robot to the target state, the method further includes at least one of the following: When an air inlet hole connected to the gravity adjustment mechanism of the pool cleaning robot is exposed to the water surface, determining that the pool cleaning robot has reached the waterline position from underwater; determining that the pool cleaning robot has reached the waterline position from underwater when the value of the target sensor is a preset depth value, wherein the value of the target sensor represents the depth of the pool cleaning robot in the water; When the motion mechanism of the pool cleaning robot is in motion and the pool cleaning robot cannot rise, it is determined that the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline position from underwater.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The method further comprises: The first portion has a smaller size than the second portion.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Before adjusting the pool cleaning robot to the target state, the method further includes: When the pool cleaning robot is on the water surface, controlling the pool cleaning robot to enter the water; Controlling the pool cleaning robot to reach the side wall of the pool in the water; The pool cleaning robot is controlled to move along the side wall of the pool toward the waterline position, so that the pool cleaning robot reaches the waterline position from underwater along the side wall of the pool.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein: Controlling the drainage volume of the first gravity adjustment mechanism in the gravity adjustment mechanism of the pool cleaning robot to meet the first preset volume includes: The drainage amount in the first gravity regulating mechanism of the gravity regulating mechanism of the pool cleaning robot is controlled to satisfy that the gravity of the pool cleaning robot after drainage is less than the buoyancy of the pool cleaning robot in water.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein: Controlling the drainage volume of the first gravity adjustment mechanism in the gravity adjustment mechanism of the pool cleaning robot to meet the first preset volume includes: The water in a first gravity adjustment mechanism of the gravity adjustment mechanism of the pool cleaning robot is controlled to be drained.

10. The method according to claim 3, wherein: After controlling the pool cleaning robot to turn so that the movement direction of the pool cleaning robot becomes lateral, the method further includes: The movement speed of the movement mechanism on the first side of the pool cleaning robot and the movement speed of the movement mechanism on the second side of the pool cleaning robot are adjusted to the same speed.

11. A pool cleaning robot, comprising a gravity adjustment mechanism (200), a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein: The gravity adjustment mechanism (200) is configured to adjust the gravity of the pool cleaning robot by filling or draining water, and the processor controls the gravity adjustment mechanism (200) when executing the computer program to implement the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 11, wherein: The pool cleaning robot further comprises a shell (100), the gravity adjustment mechanism (200) comprising a first gravity adjustment mechanism and a second gravity adjustment mechanism, the first gravity adjustment mechanism and the second gravity adjustment mechanism being symmetrically arranged on the shell (100) along an axial direction, the axial direction being a direction parallel to a movement direction of the pool cleaning robot, and along the axial direction, the shell (100) is divided into two parts of the same size.

13. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 12, wherein: A gravity adjustment mechanism (200) comprises: An adjusting driving member (210) is arranged on the housing (100); A cavity (220) is connected to the adjustment drive member (210), wherein the adjustment drive member (210) is configured to drain or fill the cavity (220), and a cavity of the gravity adjustment mechanism includes one or more cavities.

14. The pool cleaning robot according to claim 13, wherein: The pool cleaning robot also includes: An air inlet (110), the air inlet (110) being arranged on the shell (100), the air inlet and the first gravity adjustment mechanism being located on the same side of the pool cleaning robot, the air inlet (110) being respectively connected to the cavities (220) of the two groups of gravity adjustment mechanisms (200), the air inlet (110) being arranged at the front of the pool cleaning robot, wherein when the cavity (220) is drained, the air inlet (110) is arranged to allow gas to enter the cavity (220) from the air inlet (110).

15. The pool cleaning robot of claim 13, wherein: The adjustment drive (210) comprises a water pump.

16. The pool cleaning robot of claim 13, wherein: The cavity (220) is located below the shell (100), wherein one of the gravity adjustment structures (200) comprises two cavities (220), and the two cavities (220) are respectively arranged at the front end and the rear end of the pool cleaning robot.

17. The pool cleaning robot of claim 16, wherein: The two cavities (220) included in one gravity adjustment structure (200) share one adjustment driving member (210).

18. The pool cleaning robot of claim 16, wherein: The two cavities (220) included in one gravity adjustment structure (200) respectively use different adjustment driving members (210).

19. The pool cleaning robot of claim 11, wherein: The pool cleaning robot further comprises two groups of motion mechanisms (300), the two groups of motion mechanisms (300) are arranged in parallel and at intervals in the left-right direction, and the two groups of motion mechanisms (300) are driven independently.

20. The pool cleaning robot of claim 11, wherein: The pool cleaning robot also includes: A cleaning drive member (400) is arranged on the housing (100); A dirt removal channel (500), wherein the cleaning drive member (400) is located in the dirt removal channel (500), and the inlet of the dirt removal channel (500) is located on the side of the housing (100) facing the bottom or the side wall of the pool, and the outlet of the dirt removal channel (500) is located on the side of the housing (100) facing away from the bottom or the side wall; A propeller (600) is configured to provide power to the pool cleaning robot.

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