Underwater cleaning robot and retrieval method therefor

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention are an underwater cleaning robot and a retrieval method therefor. The retrieval method for an underwater cleaning robot comprises the following steps: sending a light signal to an underwater cleaning robot; the underwater cleaning robot receiving the light signal and identifying an instruction from the light signal; the underwater cleaning robot moving to the edge of a pool and emerging from the water; and retrieving the underwater cleaning robot. In the present invention, the signal is sent to the underwater cleaning robot by means of optical communication, such that the underwater cleaning robot can still receive a retrieval signal without the need for cable communication; and then the underwater cleaning robot moves to the edge of the pool and emerges from the water, such that it is convenient for a user to directly retrieve the underwater cleaning robot, and there is no need to position the underwater cleaning robot first and then enter the pool to salvage same, thereby saving on time and manpower, and reducing the difficulty of salvaging.

Description

Underwater cleaning robot and recovery method thereof

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on December 30, 2023, with application number 2023118720932 and invention name “Underwater Cleaning Robot and Its Recovery Method”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the technical field of robots, and in particular to an underwater cleaning robot and a recovery method thereof. Background Art

[0003] Limited by water's strong absorption of electromagnetic waves, existing underwater cleaning robots, including underwater drones, underwater photography robots, and underwater cleaning robots, lack effective communication and control methods. Most rely on wired communication, where a physical cable connects the robot to a control console for real-time communication and control. Traditional wired control and communication is complex, heavy, and difficult to deploy and retract. While this type of wired control solution has little impact on specialized equipment, it is overly complex and cumbersome for civilian and household robots, especially for household underwater cleaning robots that require occasional communication and control.

[0004] In order to reduce size and weight, some civilian underwater cleaning robots in the existing technology have omitted the setting of cables. Due to the loss of cables as a communication means, electromagnetic waves cannot be transmitted too far underwater. As a result, ordinary civilian underwater cleaning robots cannot receive recovery signals when they finish work or run out of power. They can only park by the side and wait for the user to come back and find the underwater robot and use a long hook or rope to salvage it. The user does not know the specific location of the underwater cleaning robot, and the underwater cleaning robot is usually located in the middle of the pool, which makes salvage difficult, time-consuming and labor-intensive.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide an underwater cleaning robot and a recovery method thereof, aiming to solve the problem that the salvage of existing underwater cleaning robots is time-consuming, labor-intensive and difficult.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for recovering an underwater cleaning robot, comprising the following steps:

[0008] sending an optical signal to the underwater cleaning robot;

[0009] The underwater cleaning robot receives the light signal and identifies an instruction of the light signal;

[0010] The underwater cleaning robot moves to the edge of the pool and surfaces;

[0011] The underwater cleaning robot is recovered.

[0012] Preferably, before the step of sending an optical signal to the underwater cleaning robot, the method further includes:

[0013] The underwater cleaning robot enters a standby state after completing the cleaning operation; or,

[0014] The underwater cleaning robot stops operating and enters a standby state when the power level drops below a preset power level.

[0015] Preferably, the optical signal is a series of continuous on-off signals, and the step of sending the optical signal to the underwater cleaning robot includes:

[0016] Controlling the light-emitting unit to be turned on or off at intervals by a program to send the light signal to the underwater cleaning robot; or,

[0017] The light emitting unit is manually controlled to be turned on or off at intervals to send the light signal to the underwater cleaning robot.

[0018] Preferably, the step of the underwater cleaning robot receiving the light signal and identifying the instruction of the light signal includes:

[0019] The optical receiver of the underwater cleaning robot receives the light signal;

[0020] The optical receiver converts the optical signal into a waveform signal;

[0021] The waveform signal is compared with a signal library to obtain instruction information corresponding to the waveform signal, so as to identify the instruction corresponding to the optical signal.

[0022] Preferably, before the step of sending an optical signal to the underwater cleaning robot, the method further includes:

[0023] Acquiring ambient light around the underwater cleaning robot and storing data of the ambient light in a background signal library;

[0024] The step of the optical receiver of the underwater cleaning robot receiving the light signal comprises:

[0025] receiving the mixed light near the underwater cleaning robot through an optical receiver;

[0026] The mixed light is compared with the ambient light data in the background signal library to filter out the ambient light and obtain the light signal.

[0027] Preferably, the underwater cleaning robot is provided with a plurality of optical receivers arranged in an array, and the steps of the underwater cleaning robot receiving the light signal and identifying the instruction of the light signal include:

[0028] The plurality of optical receivers respectively receive the optical signal;

[0029] Calculating the emission direction of the optical signal by comparing the intensity difference of the optical signals of the optical receivers and combining the positional relationship of the optical receivers;

[0030] The steps of the underwater cleaning robot moving to the edge of the pool and surfacing include:

[0031] The underwater cleaning robot moves toward the launching direction to the edge of the pool and surfaces.

[0032] The present invention further provides an underwater cleaning robot, which is applied to the above-mentioned underwater cleaning robot recovery method, and is characterized in that the underwater cleaning robot comprises:

[0033] A vehicle body, wherein an optical receiver is provided in an array on a top of the vehicle body;

[0034] a controller, the controller being located in the vehicle body, and the optical receiver being in communication with the controller;

[0035] A driving device is connected to the controller for driving the vehicle body to move.

[0036] Preferably, there are multiple optical receivers, which are arranged in an array and are all communicatively connected to the controller.

[0037] Preferably, the inner cavity of the vehicle body is divided into a filter bin and a garbage bin by a filter element. The filter bin is located above the garbage bin. A sealed cabin is provided in the filter bin. The controller and the optical receiver are both provided in the sealed cabin.

[0038] Preferably, a filter cover is provided on the top of the optical receiver.

[0039] In the technical solution of the present invention, light is used to transmit an optical signal to an underwater cleaning robot. Visible light can propagate not only in air but also in water. Although water absorbs a large amount of visible light signals, they can still be effectively transmitted over a distance of several meters, meeting the needs of general civilian scenarios such as fish ponds, bathing pools, swimming pools, and reservoirs. Therefore, when the underwater cleaning robot completes its cleaning task, runs out of power, or needs to be recovered, a signal is transmitted to the underwater cleaning robot via light. After receiving the signal, the underwater cleaning robot moves in the direction of the signal or directly moves forward until it reaches the edge of the pool. The underwater cleaning robot then surfaces, making it easier for the user to recover the underwater cleaning robot. The present invention transmits a signal to the underwater cleaning robot via optical communication, allowing the underwater cleaning robot to receive the recovery signal without the need for cable communication. The underwater cleaning robot then moves to the edge of the pool and surfaces, making it easier for the user to recover the robot directly. This eliminates the need to first locate the underwater cleaning robot or enter the pool to salvage it, saving time and manpower and reducing the difficulty of salvaging. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0041] FIG1 is a flowchart of a salvaging method of an underwater cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] FIG2 is a detailed flowchart of step S200 of the underwater cleaning robot salvage method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] FIG3 is a detailed flowchart of step S210 of the underwater cleaning robot salvage method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of an underwater cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0046] The purpose, features and advantages of the present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with the embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in this embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] It should be noted that all directional indications in this embodiment (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the various components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0049] In addition, the terms "first," "second," and so on, used in this disclosure are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referenced. Thus, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of this disclosure, "plurality" means at least two, such as two or three, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0050] In the present invention, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "connection" and "fixation" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixation" can mean fixed connection, detachable connection, or integration; mechanical connection or electrical connection; direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate medium; internal communication between two elements or interaction between two elements, unless otherwise specified. Those skilled in the art will be able to understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0051] In addition, the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention may be combined with each other, but this must be based on the premise that they can be implemented by a person of ordinary skill in the art. If the combination of technical solutions is inconsistent or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0052] The present invention provides a method for recovering an underwater cleaning robot.

[0053] Referring to FIG1 , the underwater cleaning robot recovery method of this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0054] S100: Sending an optical signal to the underwater cleaning robot;

[0055] Specifically, the present application transmits light signals through light-emitting devices that are easily available in daily life, such as handheld flashlights, flashlights and flashlights on smart mobile devices, etc., which are easy to obtain, low in cost, and have no radiation or pollution.

[0056] S200: The underwater cleaning robot receives the light signal and recognizes an instruction of the light signal;

[0057] It should be noted that in order to prevent the light in the environment from mistakenly triggering the recovery command of the underwater cleaning robot, the optical signal usually needs to be specially designed to distinguish it from the ambient light. The specific design can be flexibly adjusted according to the user's usage environment and needs, and is not specifically limited here. After receiving the optical signal, the underwater cleaning robot analyzes the optical signal to obtain specific instructions;

[0058] S300: The underwater cleaning robot moves to the edge of the pool and surfaces;

[0059] After the underwater cleaning robot analyzes the recovery command, it moves to the edge of the pool and surfaces, making it easier for users to find the specific location of the underwater cleaning robot. Specifically, the underwater cleaning robot can surface directly or climb a wall through a drive structure such as wheels or tracks to surface.

[0060] S400: Recovering the underwater cleaning robot.

[0061] Understandably, since water is a natural conductor, it absorbs radio waves. Conventional radio signals (such as WIFI and Bluetooth) can only transmit a few centimeters in water. Excessively increasing the strength of wireless signals poses a greater radiation hazard and affects normal communication signals, and does not comply with relevant management regulations. Therefore, underwater communication is usually wired, and only special and military purposes can use acoustic and laser devices for communication, which are expensive and still have a short distance. Therefore, in order to reduce the size and weight, civilian underwater cleaning robots usually omit the cable design, allowing the underwater cleaning robot to perform underwater cleaning operations according to a preset route. However, when faced with a power outage or out of communication range, the underwater cleaning robot will stop in the middle of the pool, making it impossible for users to obtain the specific location of the underwater cleaning robot, increasing the difficulty of salvaging.

[0062] In the technical solution of the present invention, light is used to transmit an optical signal to an underwater cleaning robot. Visible light can propagate not only in air but also in water. Although water absorbs a large amount of visible light signals, they can still be effectively transmitted over a distance of several meters, meeting the needs of general civilian scenarios such as fish ponds, bathhouses, swimming pools, and reservoirs. Therefore, when the underwater cleaning robot completes its cleaning task, runs out of power, or is actively being recovered, or any other situation where the underwater cleaning robot needs to be recovered, a signal is transmitted to the underwater cleaning robot via light. Upon receiving the signal, the underwater cleaning robot moves in the direction of the signal or directly moves forward until it reaches the edge of the pool. The underwater cleaning robot then surfaces, making it easier for the user to recover the underwater cleaning robot. The present invention transmits a signal to the underwater cleaning robot via optical communication, allowing the underwater cleaning robot to receive the recovery signal without the need for cable communication. The underwater cleaning robot then moves to the edge of the pool and surfaces, making it easier for the user to recover the robot directly. This eliminates the need to first locate the underwater cleaning robot or enter the pool to salvage it, saving time and manpower and reducing the difficulty of salvaging.

[0063] Furthermore, before step S100, the following steps are further included:

[0064] S109a: The underwater cleaning robot enters a standby state after completing the cleaning operation; or,

[0065] S109b: The underwater cleaning robot stops operating and enters a standby state when the power level drops below a preset power level. Except when the underwater cleaning robot is actively recycled, the underwater cleaning robot automatically enters a standby state upon completing its operation or when the power level is too low, to save power and await a recycling instruction. This allows the user to avoid constantly paying attention to the underwater cleaning robot after it starts operating. The underwater cleaning robot enters the standby state upon completing its cleaning operation, or when the power level drops below a preset power level. By setting the preset power level, the underwater cleaning robot is prevented from running completely out of power, and a portion of power is reserved for the underwater cleaning robot to move to the edge of the pool and float up.

[0066] In one embodiment, the optical signal is a series of continuous on-off signals, and step S100 includes:

[0067] S110a: Controlling the light-emitting unit to be turned on or off at intervals by a program to send the light signal to the underwater cleaning robot; or,

[0068] S110b: Manually controlling the light-emitting unit to be turned on or off at intervals to send the light signal to the underwater cleaning robot.

[0069] By setting the light signal to a continuous on-off signal with different switching intervals, such as on for one second, off for one second, and repeated on and off three times, it indicates a recycling instruction. The specific interval setting and the number of on and off times can be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs. The light signal can be sent by manually controlling the opening and closing of the light-emitting unit, or by controlling the light-emitting unit to send a light signal through instructions preset in the program. Manual control is simpler and faster, and program control is more accurate, and can be flexibly selected according to actual needs.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 2 , step S200 further includes:

[0071] S210: The optical receiver of the underwater cleaning robot receives the light signal;

[0072] S220: The optical receiver converts the optical signal into a waveform signal;

[0073] S230: Compare the waveform signal with a signal library to obtain instruction information corresponding to the waveform signal, so as to identify the instruction corresponding to the optical signal.

[0074] After receiving the light signal, the optical receiver can convert it into a certain waveform signal after passing through certain processing circuits (such as amplification, shaping, comparison, etc.). By identifying and counting the waveform signal, the command information it expresses can be obtained.

[0075] In one embodiment, before step S100, the method further includes:

[0076] S90: Acquire ambient light around the underwater cleaning robot, and store data of the ambient light in a background signal library;

[0077] When the robot is working normally, it collects the ambient light and stores the information in the background signal library for subsequent comparison.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 3 , step S210 includes:

[0079] S2101: receiving mixed light near the underwater cleaning robot through an optical receiver;

[0080] S2102: Compare the mixed light with the ambient light data in the background signal library to filter out the ambient light and obtain the light signal.

[0081] By comparing the mixed light with the ambient light data in the background signal library, the interference of the ambient light is filtered out, which improves the accuracy of the underwater cleaning robot in recognizing the light signal corresponding to the recovery instruction and avoids the occurrence of erroneous operation.

[0082] In one embodiment, the underwater cleaning robot is provided with a plurality of optical receivers arranged in an array, and step S200 includes:

[0083] S2110: The plurality of optical receivers receive the optical signal respectively;

[0084] Multiple optical receivers are arranged in an array, and each optical receiver can only receive optical signals within a certain angle range, and the multiple optical receivers respectively receive optical signals at corresponding angles;

[0085] S2120: Calculating the emission direction of the optical signal by comparing the intensity difference of the optical signals of the optical receivers and combining the positional relationship of the optical receivers;

[0086] By comparing the intensity difference of the optical signals of each optical receiver and combining the position of each optical receiver, the emission direction of the optical signal can be analyzed;

[0087] Step S300 includes:

[0088] S310: The underwater cleaning robot moves toward the launching direction to the edge of the pool and surfaces.

[0089] The underwater cleaning robot moves toward the launching direction, so that the underwater cleaning robot can move directly to the feet of the user, further reducing the difficulty of salvaging and improving the salvage efficiency.

[0090] Please refer to Figure 4. The present invention also provides an underwater cleaning robot 1, which is applied to the above-mentioned underwater cleaning robot 1 recovery method. The underwater cleaning robot 1 includes a body 10, a controller 20 and a drive device 30. The top array of the body 10 is provided with an optical receiver 40; the controller 20 is located in the body 10, and the optical receiver 40 is communicatively connected to the controller 20; the drive device 30 is communicatively connected to the controller 20, and is used to drive the body 10 to move.

[0091] In the technical solution of the present invention, after the underwater cleaning robot 1 enters the standby state, it receives the light signal through the optical receiver 40. After the underwater cleaning robot 1 receives the signal, the driving device 30 drives the body 10 to move in the direction of the signal, or directly forward, until it moves to the edge of the pool. Then the driving device 30 drives the underwater cleaning robot 1 to float to the surface, making it convenient for the user to recover the underwater cleaning robot 1. The present invention sends a signal to the underwater cleaning robot 1 through optical communication, so that the underwater cleaning robot 1 can still receive the recovery signal without the need for cable communication. Then the underwater cleaning robot 1 moves to the edge of the pool and floats to the surface, making it convenient for the user to directly recover it. There is no need to first find the location of the underwater cleaning robot 1, nor is there any need to enter the middle of the pool to salvage it, saving time and manpower and reducing the difficulty of salvage.

[0092] Since the underwater cleaning robot 1 of the present application is applied to the above-mentioned underwater cleaning robot 1 recovery method, the specific steps of the above-mentioned underwater cleaning robot 1 recovery method refer to the above-mentioned embodiments. Therefore, the present underwater cleaning robot 1 adopts all the technical solutions of all the above-mentioned embodiments, and at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above-mentioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here one by one.

[0093] Furthermore, there are multiple optical receivers 40, which are arranged in an array and are all communicatively connected to the controller 20. The multiple optical receivers 40 are arranged in an array, and each optical receiver 40 can only receive optical signals within a certain angle range. The multiple optical receivers 40 respectively receive optical signals at corresponding angles, so that the underwater cleaning robot 1 can identify the emission direction of the optical signal and move in the emission direction, so that the underwater cleaning robot 1 can move directly to the user's feet, further reducing the difficulty of salvaging and improving the salvage efficiency.

[0094] In one embodiment, the interior of the vehicle body 10 is divided into a filter compartment 11 and a trash compartment 12 by a filter element 15. The filter compartment 11 is located above the trash compartment 12. A sealed cabin 13 is disposed within the filter compartment 11. The controller 20 and the optical receiver 40 are both disposed within the sealed cabin 13. The placement of both the controller 20 and the optical receiver 40 within the sealed cabin 13 improves the sealing of the electronic components and extends their service life.

[0095] Furthermore, a filter cover 14 is provided on top of the optical receiver 40. This filter cover 14 filters out unwanted spectral components, ensuring that only light of a specific wavelength passes through. This helps reduce interference from background light and other light sources, improving the accuracy of the optical receiver 40 in receiving light signals and enhancing its accuracy and sensitivity.

[0096] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present invention description and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for recovering an underwater cleaning robot, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: sending an optical signal to the underwater cleaning robot; The underwater cleaning robot receives the light signal and identifies an instruction of the light signal; The underwater cleaning robot moves to the edge of the pool and surfaces; The underwater cleaning robot is recovered.

2. The underwater cleaning robot recovery method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before the step of sending an optical signal to the underwater cleaning robot, the method further includes: The underwater cleaning robot enters a standby state after completing the cleaning operation; or, The underwater cleaning robot stops operating and enters a standby state when the power level is lower than a preset power value.

3. The underwater cleaning robot recovery method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical signal is a series of continuous on-off signals, and the step of sending the optical signal to the underwater cleaning robot comprises: Controlling the light-emitting unit to be turned on or off at intervals by a program to send the light signal to the underwater cleaning robot; or, The light emitting unit is manually controlled to be turned on or off at intervals to send the light signal to the underwater cleaning robot.

4. The underwater cleaning robot recovery method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The step of the underwater cleaning robot receiving the light signal and identifying the instruction of the light signal comprises: The optical receiver of the underwater cleaning robot receives the optical signal; The optical receiver converts the optical signal into a waveform signal; The waveform signal is compared with a signal library to obtain instruction information corresponding to the waveform signal, so as to identify the instruction corresponding to the optical signal.

5. The underwater cleaning robot recovery method according to claim 4, characterized in that: Before the step of sending an optical signal to the underwater cleaning robot, the method further includes: Acquire the ambient light around the underwater cleaning robot, and store the data of the ambient light in a background signal library; The step of the optical receiver of the underwater cleaning robot receiving the light signal comprises: receiving mixed light near the underwater cleaning robot through an optical receiver; The mixed light is compared with the data of the ambient light in the background signal library to filter out the ambient light and obtain the light signal.

6. The underwater cleaning robot recovery method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The underwater cleaning robot is provided with a plurality of optical receivers arranged in an array, and the steps of the underwater cleaning robot receiving the optical signal and identifying the instruction of the optical signal include: The plurality of optical receivers receive the optical signals respectively; By comparing the intensity difference of the optical signals of the optical receivers and combining the position relationship of the optical receivers, the emission direction of the optical signal is calculated; The steps of the underwater cleaning robot moving to the edge of the pool and surfacing include: The underwater cleaning robot moves toward the launching direction to the edge of the pool and floats to the surface of the water.

7. An underwater cleaning robot, characterized in that: The underwater cleaning robot recovery method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is characterized in that the underwater cleaning robot comprises: A vehicle body, wherein an optical receiver is arranged in an array on the top of the vehicle body; A controller, the controller is located in the vehicle body, and the optical receiver is in communication connection with the controller; A driving device is connected to the controller for driving the vehicle body to move.

8. The underwater cleaning robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The number of the optical receivers is multiple, and the multiple optical receivers are arranged in an array and are all communicatively connected with the controller.

9. The underwater cleaning robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The inner cavity of the vehicle body is divided into a filter bin and a garbage bin by a filter element. The filter bin is located above the garbage bin. A sealed cabin is arranged in the filter bin. The controller and the optical receiver are both arranged in the sealed cabin.

10. The underwater cleaning robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: A filter cover is arranged on the top of the optical receiver.

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