Path planning method and apparatus for robotic pool cleaner, and device and medium

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of robots. Provided are a path planning method and apparatus for a robotic pool cleaner, and a device and a medium. The path planning method comprises: after a robotic pool cleaner is started when being submerged in water, on the basis of a first instruction, controlling the robotic pool cleaner to identify the shortest path to a swimming pool wall and to approach the swimming pool wall according to the shortest path to arrive at a travelling starting point; at the travelling starting point, by means of a second instruction, controlling the robotic pool cleaner to head for a first cleaning starting point and to begin cleaning a swimming pool from the first cleaning starting point according to a first cleaning path in the shape of the Chinese character "弓", until the robotic pool cleaner arrives at a first cleaning end point; and at the first cleaning end point, by means of a third instruction, controlling the robotic pool cleaner to head for a second cleaning starting point and to begin cleaning the swimming pool from the second cleaning starting point according to a second cleaning path in the shape of the Chinese character "弓", until the robotic pool cleaner arrives at a second cleaning end point.

Description

Path planning method, device, equipment and medium for swimming pool robot

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. CN202410315782.1, filed on March 19, 2024, entitled “Path planning method, device, equipment and medium for swimming pool robot”. The contents disclosed in the above-mentioned Chinese patent application are hereby cited in their entirety as part of this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of robotics, and in particular to a path planning method, device, equipment, and medium for a swimming pool robot. Background Art

[0003] For a pool robot to fully clean a pool, it relies on positioning. The underwater environment is more complex than in air, with factors like the impact of currents and varying buoyancy at different depths all requiring the robot to constantly determine its current position. Furthermore, sophisticated path planning is crucial for controlling a pool robot. Planning an underwater path to ensure the robot follows the planned path, maximizing cleaning coverage and ensuring every corner is cleaned, is crucial for controlling a pool robot. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, embodiments of the present application provide a path planning method, device, equipment, and medium for a swimming pool robot to solve the problem of low cleaning coverage of the swimming pool robot.

[0005] In a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a path planning method for a swimming pool robot is provided, comprising at least two bow-shaped cleaning paths, the method comprising: after the swimming pool robot enters the water and starts, controlling the swimming pool robot according to a first instruction to identify the shortest path to the swimming pool wall, and approaching the swimming pool wall along the shortest path to reach a driving starting point; at the driving starting point, controlling the swimming pool robot to go to a first cleaning starting point through a second instruction, and starting to clean the swimming pool according to a first bow-shaped cleaning path at the first cleaning starting point until reaching a first cleaning ending point; controlling the swimming pool robot to go to a second cleaning starting point through a third instruction at the first cleaning ending point, and starting to clean the swimming pool according to a second bow-shaped cleaning path at the second cleaning starting point until reaching a second cleaning ending point; wherein, the first bow-shaped cleaning path and the second bow-shaped cleaning path both include at least two mutually parallel long sides and a short side connecting two adjacent long sides by the shortest path, and the long side directions of the first bow-shaped cleaning path and the second bow-shaped cleaning path are not parallel.

[0006] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a path planning device for a swimming pool robot is provided, comprising at least two bow-shaped cleaning paths. The device comprises: a first control module configured to, after the swimming pool robot enters the water and starts, control the swimming pool robot to identify the shortest path to the pool wall according to a first instruction, and to approach the pool wall along the shortest path to reach a driving starting point; a second control module configured to control the swimming pool robot to a first cleaning starting point at the driving starting point according to a second instruction, and to clean the pool according to the first bow-shaped cleaning path starting at the first cleaning starting point until reaching a first cleaning ending point; and a third control module configured to control the swimming pool robot to a second cleaning starting point at the first cleaning ending point according to a third instruction, and to clean the pool according to the second bow-shaped cleaning path starting at the second cleaning starting point until reaching a second cleaning ending point; wherein the first bow-shaped cleaning path and the second bow-shaped cleaning path each include at least two mutually parallel long sides and a short side connecting two adjacent long sides by the shortest path, and the long sides of the first bow-shaped cleaning path and the second bow-shaped cleaning path are not parallel.

[0007] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present application, an electronic device is provided, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the steps of the above method when executing the computer program.

[0008] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the above method are implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0010] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a bow-shaped cleaning path.

[0011] FIG2 is a flow chart of a path planning method for a swimming pool robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0012] FIG3 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a swimming pool robot to identify the shortest path to a swimming pool wall according to a first instruction provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0013] FIG4 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a swimming pool robot to move to a first cleaning starting point through a second instruction at a driving starting point, provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a path for a swimming pool robot provided by an embodiment of the present application to determine a cleaning starting point through exploration at the starting point of driving.

[0015] FIG6 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a swimming pool robot to move to a second cleaning starting point through a third instruction at a first cleaning ending point, provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a bow-shaped cleaning path for two cleanings performed by the swimming pool robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] FIG8 is a flow chart of another path planning method for a swimming pool robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a path planning device for a swimming pool robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In the following description, specific details such as specific system structures and techniques are provided for purposes of illustration rather than limitation to facilitate a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present application. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present application may be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other cases, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods are omitted to avoid obscuring the description of the present application with unnecessary detail.

[0021] A path planning method and device for a swimming pool robot according to an embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] As mentioned above, if a pool robot is to perform full-coverage cleaning of the swimming pool, it needs to have mature path planning. How to plan the underwater path so that the robot can clean the pool according to the planned path to maximize the cleaning coverage and ensure that every corner can be cleaned is an important part of controlling the pool robot.

[0023] In some cases, pool robots usually clean the pool according to a bow-shaped cleaning path. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the bow-shaped cleaning path. The bow-shaped cleaning path is a cleaning method used by many cleaning robots in recent years. The bow-shaped cleaning path improves the situation of traditional cleaning robots having no path and repeated cleaning, making cleaning more efficient. The bow-shaped cleaning path of the pool robot is shown in Figure 1. Starting from the cleaning starting point, the pool robot cleans the pool by alternating long and short sides until it reaches the pool wall. When this method is used in a regular-shaped swimming pool such as the rectangle shown in the upper figure in Figure 1, the cleaning coverage rate can usually meet the requirements. However, when used in an irregular-shaped swimming pool as shown in the lower figure in Figure 1, some areas are often missed, resulting in a significant reduction in the cleaning coverage rate.

[0024] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a path planning method for a swimming pool robot. After the swimming pool robot enters the water and starts, the shortest path to the swimming pool wall is identified according to a first instruction. After the swimming pool robot goes to the driving starting point according to the shortest path, the swimming pool robot is controlled to go to a first cleaning starting point according to a second instruction, and cleans the swimming pool according to a first bow-shaped cleaning path from the first cleaning starting point. After the cleaning is completed, the swimming pool robot is controlled to go to a second cleaning starting point according to a third instruction, and cleans the swimming pool according to a second bow-shaped cleaning path from the second cleaning starting point. The optimal starting position can be automatically determined each time a path is cleaned, and the cleaning coverage rate is improved by using two intersecting path cleaning operations, thereby enhancing the user experience.

[0025] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a path planning method for a swimming pool robot provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the method includes the following steps.

[0026] In step S201, after the swimming pool robot enters the water and starts, the swimming pool robot is controlled according to a first instruction to identify the shortest path to the swimming pool wall, and approaches the swimming pool wall along the shortest path to reach the driving starting point.

[0027] In step S202, the swimming pool robot is controlled by the second instruction at the driving starting point to go to the first cleaning starting point, and starts to clean the swimming pool according to the first bow-shaped cleaning path at the first cleaning starting point until it reaches the first cleaning end point.

[0028] In step S203, the swimming pool robot is controlled to go to the second cleaning starting point through the third instruction at the first cleaning end point, and starts to clean the swimming pool according to the bow-shaped second cleaning path at the second cleaning starting point until it reaches the second cleaning end point.

[0029] Among them, the first bow-shaped cleaning path and the second bow-shaped cleaning path both include at least two parallel long sides and a short side connecting the two adjacent long sides by the shortest path, and the long side directions of the first bow-shaped cleaning path and the second bow-shaped cleaning path are not parallel.

[0030] In an embodiment of the present application, the path planning method for the pool robot can be executed by the pool robot, or by a server or terminal with certain computing capabilities. After execution, the planned path is transmitted to the pool robot, so that the pool robot can perform operations based on the planned path. The path planning method plans at least two bow-shaped cleaning paths.

[0031] In an embodiment of the present application, after the swimming pool robot enters the water and starts, a first instruction can be generated. According to the first instruction, the swimming pool robot is controlled to identify the shortest path to the swimming pool wall, and the swimming pool robot is controlled to approach the swimming pool wall along the shortest path to reach the starting point of travel.

[0032] In an embodiment of the present application, after the swimming pool robot reaches the starting point of travel, it can first explore the best cleaning starting point for this cleaning, and then control the swimming pool robot to start from the cleaning starting point position determined by exploration, and clean the swimming pool with a bow-shaped cleaning path.

[0033] In one example, after the pool robot reaches the starting point of travel, a second instruction can be generated. According to the second instruction, the pool robot is controlled to explore and go to the first cleaning starting point, and start cleaning the pool according to the first bow-shaped cleaning path at the first cleaning starting point until it reaches the first cleaning end point.

[0034] In an embodiment of the present application, after the swimming pool robot reaches the first cleaning end point, the travel direction of the swimming pool robot can be modified, and the swimming pool robot can be controlled again to clean the swimming pool in a bow-shaped cleaning path to improve the cleaning coverage rate.

[0035] In one example, after the pool robot reaches the first cleaning end point, it can first explore the optimal cleaning starting point for the next cleaning, and then control the pool robot to clean the pool in a bow-shaped cleaning path starting from the cleaning starting point determined by exploration. In other words, after the pool robot reaches the first cleaning end point, a third instruction can be generated. According to this third instruction, the pool robot can be controlled to explore and move to the second cleaning starting point. From this second cleaning starting point, it will clean the pool according to a second bow-shaped cleaning path until it reaches the second cleaning end point.

[0036] In the embodiment of the present application, the long sides of the first bow-shaped cleaning path and the second bow-shaped cleaning path are not parallel. That is, the angle between the long sides of the first bow-shaped cleaning path and the second bow-shaped cleaning path is greater than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees.

[0037] According to the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, after the swimming pool robot enters the water and starts, the shortest path to the swimming pool wall is identified according to the first instruction. After going to the driving starting point along the shortest path, the swimming pool robot is controlled to go to the first cleaning starting point according to the second instruction, and cleans the swimming pool according to the first bow-shaped cleaning path from the first cleaning starting point. After the cleaning is completed, the swimming pool robot is controlled to go to the second cleaning starting point according to the third instruction, and cleans the swimming pool according to the second bow-shaped cleaning path from the second cleaning starting point. The optimal starting position can be automatically determined each time a path is cleaned, and the cleaning coverage rate is improved by using two intersecting path cleaning operations, thereby enhancing the user experience.

[0038] In the embodiment of the present application, when the swimming pool robot cleans according to the bow-shaped cleaning path, an algorithm such as a dynamic window approach (DWA) can be used to control the long straight line to go straight based on the detected yaw angle.

[0039] Figure 3 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a swimming pool robot to identify the shortest path to a swimming pool wall according to a first instruction provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3 , the method includes the following steps.

[0040] In step S301, the swimming pool robot is controlled according to the first instruction to determine the shortest distance between the swimming pool robot and the swimming pool wall, and the yaw angle corresponding to the shortest distance is obtained.

[0041] In step S302 , it is determined that the path of the swimming pool robot along the shortest distance to the swimming pool wall after rotating the yaw angle is the shortest path.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present application, when controlling the pool robot according to a first instruction to identify the shortest path to the pool wall, the pool robot can be controlled according to the first instruction to rotate in place in the pool for one revolution, and a distance detection device carried by the pool robot can be used to determine the shortest distance between the pool robot and the pool wall, and the yaw angle corresponding to the shortest distance can be obtained. In other embodiments, a detection device carried by the pool robot, or a detection device located in the same location as the pool robot but not physically connected to it, can also be controlled according to the first instruction to detect and determine the shortest distance between the pool robot and the pool wall, and the yaw angle corresponding to the shortest distance can be obtained.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present application, the pool robot may be equipped with two distance detection devices, one located in front of the pool robot and the other located to the side of the pool robot. The front distance detection device may be a three-in-one ultrasonic detection device that has obstacle recognition capability.

[0044] The side distance detection device can be an ultrasonic detection device, which may only have distance detection capabilities. Furthermore, the pool robot can also be equipped with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a code disk to determine the yaw angle when the pool robot rotates to find the edge and explore. The side of the pool robot can be the left side of the pool robot's travel direction, or the side of the pool robot can be the right side of the pool robot's travel direction.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present application, the pool robot can record ultrasonic measurements and yaw angles at each moment during one rotation. The ultrasonic measurements are those obtained by an ultrasonic detection device located in front of the pool robot, while the yaw angle is determined by an IMU and a code disk. After the rotation is complete, the shortest distance between the pool robot and the pool wall is determined, along with the yaw angle corresponding to that shortest distance. This allows the pool robot to determine that the path it took to reach the pool wall along the shortest distance after rotating the yaw angle is the shortest path.

[0046] After determining the shortest path, the pool robot can also be controlled to rotate the yaw angle, and then move along the shortest path to the side of the pool and reach the wall of the pool.

[0047] FIG4 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a swimming pool robot to move to a first cleaning starting point by using a second instruction at a driving starting point according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , the method includes the following steps.

[0048] In step S401, the swimming pool robot is controlled to travel from a driving starting point along a first exploration path to a first cleaning starting point according to a second instruction.

[0049] The first exploration path includes N mutually parallel first sides and N-1 second sides connecting two adjacent first sides by the shortest path, where N is a positive integer. The lengths of the first sides obtained by the pool robot during the first N-1 runs are all a first preset distance, the length of the first side obtained during the Nth run is less than, equal to, or greater than the first preset distance, and the distance between the endpoint of the first side obtained during the Nth run and the pool wall is less than or equal to a preset distance threshold. The distance between the endpoint of each second side traveled by the pool robot and the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold. In some embodiments, the N-1 second sides in the first exploration path are mutually parallel.

[0050] Alternatively, the first exploration path includes N mutually parallel first sides and N second sides. The lengths of the first sides obtained by the pool robot during the first N-1 runs are all the same as the first preset distance, the length of the first side obtained during the N-th run is less than, equal to, or greater than the first preset distance, the second sides obtained during the first N-1 runs connect two adjacent first sides using the shortest path, the starting point of the second side obtained during the N-th run is the end point of the first side obtained during the N-th run, and the distance between the end point of the second side obtained during each run and the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold.

[0051] In an embodiment of the present application, the pool robot can be controlled to travel from a driving starting point along a first exploration path to a first cleaning starting point according to a second instruction. The first exploration path can include N mutually parallel first edges, and N-1 second edges connecting two adjacent first edges by the shortest path, and the N-1 second edges are mutually parallel. Alternatively, the first exploration path can also include N mutually parallel first edges and N second edges. The exploration process of the pool robot traveling along the first exploration path is described in detail below. In some embodiments, the N second edges in the first exploration path are mutually parallel.

[0052] In an embodiment of the present application, the swimming pool robot can first be controlled to rotate in a first direction by a first angle according to a second instruction, and after the rotation, the swimming pool robot can travel a first preset distance in the first driving direction. The first direction can be clockwise or counterclockwise. In some embodiments, the first driving direction can be a direction parallel to the long side of the swimming pool, or a direction perpendicular to the yaw angle direction. In other embodiments, the first driving direction can also be arbitrarily set according to actual needs, and there is no limitation here. The long side and short side of the swimming pool can be determined in the above-mentioned step of controlling the swimming pool robot according to the first instruction to identify the shortest path to the pool wall.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present application, after controlling the pool robot to travel a first preset distance in a first driving direction, the pool robot can be controlled to rotate a second angle in a second direction and, after the rotation, travel forward in the second driving direction until the distance between the robot and the pool wall is determined to be less than or equal to a preset distance threshold by a distance detection device. For example, the pool robot can be controlled to rotate clockwise by a first angle and then travel a first preset distance in the first driving direction. Subsequently, the pool robot can be controlled to continue rotating clockwise by a second angle and then travel in the second driving direction until the distance between the pool robot and the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold. Alternatively, the pool robot can be controlled to rotate counterclockwise by a second angle and then travel in the second driving direction until the distance between the pool robot and the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold.

[0054] The second direction can be randomly selected and can be the same as or different from the first direction. The first direction can be determined by an ultrasonic detection device mounted on the side of the pool robot. For example, if the ultrasonic detection device is mounted on the left side of the pool robot, the first direction can be clockwise; if the ultrasonic detection device is mounted on the right side of the pool robot, the first direction can be counterclockwise.

[0055] The specific values ​​of the first preset distance and the preset distance threshold can be set according to actual needs and are not limited here.

[0056] In an embodiment of the present application, when the pool robot travels along the second travel direction until the distance from the pool wall is less than or equal to a preset distance threshold, the pool robot can be controlled to rotate along a third direction by a second angle and, after rotating, travel forward in the first travel direction by a first preset distance. The third direction is different from the second direction. For example, after the pool robot rotates clockwise by a second angle and travels along the second travel direction until the distance from the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold, the pool robot can be controlled to rotate counterclockwise by a second angle and travel in the first travel direction by the first preset distance.

[0057] In this embodiment of the present application, the steps of controlling the pool robot to rotate in the second direction by a second angle and then travel forward until the distance from the pool wall is less than or equal to a preset distance threshold, and controlling the pool robot to rotate in the third direction by a second angle and then travel forward by a first preset distance, can be alternately performed until the pool robot can no longer move forward. At this point, the pool robot can be controlled to stop traveling, and the current position of the pool robot can be determined as the first cleaning starting point.

[0058] The swimming pool robot may be unable to move forward if: the traversable distance in the first driving direction is less than a first preset distance, and the distance between the swimming pool robot and the pool wall in the second driving direction is less than or equal to a preset distance threshold.

[0059] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the path of a swimming pool robot provided by an embodiment of the present application, which determines the starting point of cleaning by exploration at the starting point of driving. As shown in Figure 5, the direction parallel to the long side of the swimming pool is selected as the first driving direction. At the beginning of the exploration, the swimming pool robot completes the process of finding the edge and pulling over, and drives to the starting point of driving along the shortest path. At this time, the driving direction of the swimming pool robot is downward. Assuming that the ultrasonic detection device on the side of the swimming pool robot is installed on the left side of the swimming pool robot, the swimming pool robot can be controlled to rotate clockwise by a first angle, so that the rotated swimming pool robot drives along the first driving direction. At the same time, during the first cleaning, the first driving direction can be set to be parallel to the long side of the swimming pool, so the first angle can be 90 degrees.

[0060] In this application, the downward direction of the pool robot refers to the direction in which the pool robot moves downward toward the pool wall in Figure 5, and does not refer to the direction in which the pool robot moves downward toward the pool bottom in actual use scenarios. The pool robot's actual direction of movement during operation is toward the pool wall.

[0061] Next, the pool robot is controlled to travel a first preset distance, for example, 1 meter, in the first direction. After that, it pauses and uses the ultrasonic detection device on the left side of the pool robot to determine whether the distance between the pool robot and the pool wall below is greater than a preset distance threshold. If the distance between the pool robot and the pool wall below is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold, it indicates that the pool robot is currently unable to rotate and travel in the second direction. At this point, it is further determined whether the pool robot can continue traveling in the first direction. If so, the pool robot is controlled to continue traveling the first preset distance in the first direction. After the pool robot has traveled the first preset distance in the first direction, or if the pool robot has traveled less than the first preset distance in the first direction but is now less than the preset distance threshold from the pool wall ahead, the pool robot can be controlled to pause and again use the ultrasonic detection device on the left side of the pool robot to determine whether the distance between the pool robot and the pool wall below is greater than the preset distance threshold. If so, the pool robot is rotated to travel in the second direction. If not, the current position is directly determined as the starting point for the current cleaning operation.

[0062] In this application, "lower pool wall" refers to the pool wall below the robot in Figure 5, and does not refer to the pool bottom below the actual space where the robot is located. In the actual use scenario of the pool robot, "lower pool wall" refers to the pool wall that the pool robot is facing during actual driving.

[0063] On the other hand, if the pool robot's distance from the pool wall below is greater than a preset distance threshold, the pool robot can be controlled to rotate counterclockwise by a second angle, causing the rotated pool robot to travel in a second direction. During travel, the pool robot uses an ultrasonic detection device mounted on the front of the pool robot to detect the pool wall. If the distance between the pool robot and the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold, travel is suspended. The above steps are then repeated alternately until the pool robot is unable to travel in either the first or second directions, indicating that the pool robot has completed its exploration. The pool robot's current position can then be determined as the starting point for the cleaning process.

[0064] FIG6 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a swimming pool robot to move to a second cleaning starting point at a first cleaning ending point by a third instruction provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , the method includes the following steps.

[0065] In step S601, the swimming pool robot is controlled to travel from the first cleaning end point to the second cleaning start point along the second exploration path according to the third instruction.

[0066] The second exploration path may include M mutually parallel third sides and M-1 fourth sides connecting two adjacent third sides by the shortest path, where M is a positive integer. The lengths of the third sides obtained by the pool robot during the first M-1 runs are all the same as the second preset distance, the length of the third side obtained during the Mth run is less than, equal to, or greater than the second preset distance, and the distance between the end point of the third side obtained during the Mth run and the pool wall is less than or equal to a preset distance threshold. The distance between the end point of each run of the pool robot along the fourth side and the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold. In some embodiments, the M-1 fourth sides in the second exploration path are mutually parallel.

[0067] Alternatively, the second exploration path may further include M third sides parallel to each other, and M fourth sides.

[0068] The lengths of the third sides obtained by the pool robot during the first M-1 runs are all the second preset distance. The length of the third side obtained during the M-th run is less than, equal to, or greater than the second preset distance. The fourth side obtained during the first M-1 runs of the pool robot connects two adjacent third sides using the shortest path. The starting point of the fourth side obtained during the M-th run is the end point of the third side obtained during the M-th run. The distance between the end point of the fourth side obtained during each run and the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold. In some embodiments, the M fourth sides in the second exploration path are parallel to each other.

[0069] In this embodiment of the present application, the pool robot can be controlled according to a third instruction to travel along a second exploration path from the first cleaning end point to the second cleaning start point. The second exploration path can include M mutually parallel third edges and M-1 fourth edges connecting two adjacent third edges by the shortest path. Alternatively, the first exploration path can also include M mutually parallel third edges and M fourth edges. The exploration process of the pool robot traveling along the second exploration path is described in detail below.

[0070] In this embodiment of the present application, the pool robot can first be controlled to rotate in a fourth direction by a third angle according to a third instruction, and then travel a second preset distance in the third direction after the rotation. Then, the pool robot can be controlled to rotate in a fifth direction by a fourth angle, and then travel in the fourth direction after the rotation, until the distance detection device determines that the distance between the robot and the pool wall is less than or equal to a preset distance threshold.

[0071] Next, the pool robot is controlled to rotate in the sixth direction by a fourth angle and, after the rotation, to travel forward in the third driving direction for a second preset distance. Finally, the steps of controlling the pool robot to rotate in the fifth direction by a fourth angle and then travel forward until the distance from the pool wall is less than or equal to a preset distance threshold, and controlling the pool robot to rotate in the sixth direction by a fourth angle and then travel forward for the second preset distance are alternately performed until the drivable distance of the pool robot in the third driving direction is less than the second preset distance and the distance between the pool robot and the pool wall in the fourth driving direction is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold, at which point the pool robot is controlled to stop traveling and the current position of the pool robot is determined as the second cleaning starting point.

[0072] The fourth direction is the same as or opposite to the first direction, the fourth direction is the same as or opposite to the fifth direction, and the fifth direction is the opposite to the sixth direction.

[0073] That is to say, the method of controlling the swimming pool robot to go to the second cleaning starting point through the third instruction is basically the same as the method of controlling the swimming pool robot to go to the first cleaning starting point through the second instruction. Please refer to the detailed description above for details and will not be repeated here.

[0074] In the present application, the pool robot is equipped with at least one distance detection device. The first side and the second side have a second angle, and the third side and the fourth side have a third angle. The second angle and the third angle can be determined based on at least the position of the distance detection device relative to the pool robot. The position of the distance detection device relative to the pool robot includes the distance detection device being located on the left side of the pool robot or the distance detection device being located on the right side of the pool robot. For example, the distance detection device may be two, one located in front of the pool robot and the other located to the side of the pool robot. The distance detection device may be an ultrasonic detection device.

[0075] In an embodiment of the present application, the pool robot can also be controlled according to the first instruction to identify the long side and short side of the pool, where the long side and short side are perpendicular to each other. In some embodiments, the first driving direction can be set to a direction parallel to the long side of the pool, and the second driving direction can be set to a direction parallel to the short side of the pool. At the same time, the third driving direction can be set to a direction parallel to the short side of the pool, and the fourth driving direction can be set to a direction along the long side of the pool. In other embodiments, the first driving direction can be set to a direction parallel to the long side of the pool, and the second driving direction can be set to a direction parallel to the short side of the pool. At the same time, the third driving direction can be set to a direction with a fifth angle to the long side of the pool, and the fourth driving direction can be set to a direction with a fifth angle to the short side of the pool. The fifth angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees.

[0076] FIG7 illustrates a schematic diagram of a bow-shaped cleaning path for a pool robot performing two cleaning operations, using the example of a first driving direction parallel to the long side of the pool, a second driving direction parallel to the short side of the pool, a third driving direction parallel to the short side of the pool, and a fourth driving direction along the long side of the pool. As shown in the upper figure of FIG7 , the pool robot first performs a first cleaning operation, with the long side of the bow-shaped cleaning path parallel to the long side of the pool and the short side of the bow-shaped cleaning path parallel to the short side of the pool. After the first cleaning operation, the long and short sides are swapped. As shown in the lower figure of FIG7 , a second cleaning operation is performed, with the long side of the bow-shaped cleaning path parallel to the short side of the pool and the short side of the bow-shaped cleaning path parallel to the long side of the pool. This improves the cleaning coverage rate through the two cleaning operations.

[0077] Before performing the second cleaning, the pool robot can still perform an exploration process to determine the starting point for the second cleaning. The dotted line in the lower figure of Figure 7 shows the exploration process of the pool robot before the second cleaning. The specific implementation of the exploration process is described in detail above and will not be repeated here.

[0078] Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart of another path planning method for a swimming pool robot provided in an embodiment of the present application. Steps S801 through S803 in the embodiment shown in Figure 8 are substantially identical to steps S201 through S203 in the embodiment shown in Figure 2 and are not further described here. As shown in Figure 8 , the method further includes the following steps.

[0079] In step S804, after the swimming pool robot reaches the second cleaning end point, the cleaning coverage rate is calculated.

[0080] In step S805, in response to determining that the cleaning coverage rate is less than the preset coverage threshold, the pool robot is controlled to go to the third cleaning starting point through the fourth instruction at the second cleaning end point, and starts to clean the pool according to the third bow-shaped cleaning path at the third cleaning starting point until it reaches the third cleaning end point.

[0081] In step S806, the calculation of the cleaning coverage rate is repeated. When the cleaning coverage rate is less than the preset coverage threshold, the pool robot is controlled to go to the next cleaning starting point, and starts to clean the pool according to the next bow-shaped cleaning path at the next cleaning starting point. The cleaning is terminated until the cleaning coverage rate is greater than or equal to the preset coverage threshold.

[0082] Among them, the long sides of any two bow-shaped cleaning paths are not parallel.

[0083] In the embodiment of the present application, after the pool robot reaches the second cleaning end point, the cleaning coverage rate can be calculated. The calculation of the cleaning coverage rate can be achieved through a visual solution, a grid filling solution, or other methods, which are not limited here.

[0084] In an embodiment of the present application, if it is determined that the calculated cleaning coverage rate is less than the preset coverage threshold, the number of cleaning times can be further increased, where the preset coverage threshold is determined according to actual needs and is not limited here.

[0085] In one example, at the second cleaning end point, the fourth instruction can be used to control the pool robot to move to the third cleaning start point, where it will begin cleaning the pool along a third bow-shaped cleaning path until it reaches the third cleaning end point. In other words, if it is determined that after two cleanings, the cleaning coverage still does not meet the requirements, the robot can continue to explore and determine a cleaning start point, and then continue to clean the pool along the bow-shaped cleaning path from the cleaning start point until it reaches the current cleaning end point.

[0086] After the third cleaning is completed, the cleaning coverage rate can be continued to be calculated. If the cleaning coverage rate calculated this time is still less than the preset coverage threshold, the step of controlling the swimming pool robot to go to the next cleaning starting point when the cleaning coverage rate is less than the preset coverage threshold can be repeated, and starting from the next cleaning starting point to clean the swimming pool according to the next bow-shaped cleaning path until it reaches the end point of this cleaning, and calculating the cleaning coverage rate again until the cleaning coverage rate is greater than or equal to the preset coverage threshold.

[0087] Among them, in the bow-shaped cleaning path during each cleaning, the long sides of any two paths are not parallel.

[0088] All of the above optional technical solutions can be combined in any way to form optional embodiments of the present application, and will not be described in detail here.

[0089] The following are device embodiments of the present application, which can be used to implement the method embodiments of the present application. For details not disclosed in the device embodiments of the present application, please refer to the method embodiments of the present application.

[0090] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a path planning device for a swimming pool robot according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG9 , the device includes a first control module 901 , a second control module 902 , and a third control module 903 .

[0091] The first control module 901 is configured to control the swimming pool robot to identify the shortest path to the swimming pool wall according to the first instruction after the swimming pool robot enters the water and starts, and to approach the swimming pool wall along the shortest path to reach the starting point of travel.

[0092] The second control module 902 is configured to control the swimming pool robot to go to the first cleaning starting point through the second instruction at the driving starting point, and start cleaning the swimming pool according to the first bow-shaped cleaning path at the first cleaning starting point until it reaches the first cleaning end point.

[0093] The third control module 903 is configured to control the swimming pool robot to go to the second cleaning starting point through the third instruction at the first cleaning end point, and start cleaning the swimming pool according to the second bow-shaped cleaning path at the second cleaning starting point until it reaches the second cleaning end point.

[0094] Among them, the bow-shaped first cleaning path and the bow-shaped second cleaning path each include at least two parallel long sides and a short side connecting the two adjacent long sides by the shortest path, and the long side directions of the bow-shaped first cleaning path and the bow-shaped second cleaning path are not parallel.

[0095] The first control module 901 can be implemented, for example, by a first processor, a first control circuit, and a first controller (e.g., a programmable logic controller). The second control module 902 can be implemented, for example, by a second processor, a second control circuit, and a second controller (e.g., a programmable logic controller). The third control module 903 can be implemented, for example, by a third processor, a third control circuit, and a third controller (e.g., a programmable logic controller). The first control module 901, the second control module 902, and the third control module 903 can also be implemented by the same processor, the same control circuit, and the same controller.

[0096] According to the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, after the swimming pool robot enters the water and starts, the shortest path to the swimming pool wall is identified according to the first instruction. After going to the driving starting point along the shortest path, the swimming pool robot is controlled to go to the first cleaning starting point according to the second instruction, and cleans the swimming pool according to the first bow-shaped cleaning path from the first cleaning starting point. After the cleaning is completed, the swimming pool robot is controlled to go to the second cleaning starting point according to the third instruction, and cleans the swimming pool according to the second bow-shaped cleaning path from the second cleaning starting point. The optimal starting position can be automatically determined each time a path is cleaned, and the cleaning coverage rate is improved by using two intersecting path cleaning operations, thereby enhancing the user experience.

[0097] In an embodiment of the present application, the swimming pool robot is controlled according to the first instruction to determine the shortest distance between the swimming pool robot and the swimming pool wall, and obtain the yaw angle corresponding to the shortest distance; it is determined that after the swimming pool robot rotates the yaw angle, the path along the shortest distance to the swimming pool wall is the shortest path.

[0098] In an embodiment of the present application, the swimming pool robot is controlled to go to the first cleaning starting point by a second instruction at the driving starting point, including: controlling the swimming pool robot to drive from the driving starting point along the first exploration path to the first cleaning starting point according to the second instruction; wherein the first exploration path includes N mutually parallel first sides, and N-1 second sides connecting two adjacent first sides with the shortest path, N is a positive integer; the lengths of the first sides obtained by the swimming pool robot for the first N-1 times of driving are all the first preset distances, the length of the first side obtained for the Nth time of driving is less than or equal to or greater than the first preset distance, and the distance between the end point of the first side obtained for the Nth time of driving and the swimming pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold, and the swimming pool The distance between the end point of the robot's travel along each second side and the pool wall is less than or equal to a preset distance threshold; or the first exploration path includes N mutually parallel first sides and N second sides; the lengths of the first sides obtained by the pool robot during the first N-1 travels are all the first preset distance, the length of the first side obtained during the N-th travel is less than or equal to or greater than the first preset distance, the second sides obtained by the pool robot during the first N-1 travels connect two adjacent first sides with the shortest path, the starting point of the second side obtained during the N-th travel is the end point of the first side obtained during the N-th travel, and the distance between the end point of the second side obtained during each travel and the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold.

[0099] In the embodiment of the present application, the direction of the first side is perpendicular to the yaw angle direction.

[0100] In an embodiment of the present application, at the first cleaning end point, the swimming pool robot is controlled to go to the second cleaning starting point by a third instruction, including: controlling the swimming pool robot to travel from the first cleaning end point to the second cleaning starting point along the second exploration path according to the third instruction; wherein the second exploration path includes M third sides parallel to each other, and M-1 fourth sides connecting two adjacent third sides with the shortest path, M is a positive integer; the lengths of the third sides obtained by the swimming pool robot during the first M-1 travels are all the second preset distances, the length of the third side obtained during the M-th travel is less than or equal to or greater than the second preset distance, and the distance between the end point of the third side obtained during the M-th travel and the swimming pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold , the distance between the end point of the swimming pool robot's travel along each fourth side and the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold; or the second exploration path includes M mutually parallel third sides and M fourth sides; the lengths of the third sides obtained by the swimming pool robot in the previous M-1 travels are all the second preset distance, the length of the third side obtained in the M-th travel is less than or equal to or greater than the second preset distance, the fourth sides obtained by the swimming pool robot in the previous M-1 travels connect two adjacent third sides with the shortest path, the starting point of the fourth side obtained in the M-th travel is the end point of the third side obtained in the M-th travel, and the distance between the end point of the fourth side obtained in each travel and the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold.

[0101] In an embodiment of the present application, the first side and the third side have a first angle, and the first angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees; the first preset distance and the second preset distance are equal or unequal.

[0102] In an embodiment of the present application, an iterative module 904 is also included, which is configured to: calculate the cleaning coverage rate after the swimming pool robot reaches the second cleaning end point; in response to determining that the cleaning coverage rate is less than the preset coverage threshold, control the swimming pool robot to go to the third cleaning starting point through a fourth instruction at the second cleaning end point, and start cleaning the swimming pool according to the third bow-shaped cleaning path at the third cleaning starting point until it reaches the third cleaning end point; repeatedly calculate the cleaning coverage rate, and control the swimming pool robot to go to the next cleaning starting point when the cleaning coverage rate is less than the preset coverage threshold, and start cleaning the swimming pool according to the next bow-shaped cleaning path at the next cleaning starting point until the cleaning coverage rate is greater than or equal to the preset coverage threshold, and end this cleaning; wherein, the long sides of any two bow-shaped cleaning paths are not parallel.

[0103] The iteration module 904 can be implemented, for example, by a processor, a control circuit, and a controller (e.g., a programmable logic controller). Alternatively, the iteration module 904 can be implemented with the first control module 901, the second control module 902, and the third control module 903 by the same processor, the same control circuit, the same controller, etc.

[0104] In an embodiment of the present application, the swimming pool robot is equipped with at least one distance detection device, the first side and the second side have a second angle, and the third side and the fourth side have a third angle; the second angle and the third angle are determined at least based on the orientation of the distance detection device in the swimming pool robot.

[0105] In the embodiment of the present application, there are two distance detection devices, located on the front and side of the swimming pool robot respectively.

[0106] In the embodiment of the present application, the distance detection device is an ultrasonic detection device.

[0107] It should be understood that the size of the serial numbers of the steps in the above embodiments does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0108] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 10, electronic device 10 of this embodiment includes: a processor 1001, a memory 1002, and a computer program 1003 stored in the memory 1002 and executable by the processor 1001. When the processor 1001 executes the computer program 1003, the steps of the above-described method embodiments are implemented. Alternatively, when the processor 1001 executes the computer program 1003, the functions of the modules / units in the above-described device embodiments are implemented.

[0109] The electronic device 10 may be a desktop computer, a laptop, a PDA, a cloud server, or other electronic device. The electronic device 10 may include, but is not limited to, a processor 1001 and a memory 1002. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that FIG10 is merely an example of the electronic device 10 and does not limit the electronic device 10. The electronic device 10 may include more or fewer components than shown, or different components.

[0110] Processor 1001 can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc.

[0111] Memory 1002 can be an internal storage unit of electronic device 10, such as a hard disk or memory of electronic device 10. Memory 1002 can also be an external storage device of electronic device 10, such as a plug-in hard disk, a Smart Media Card (SMC), a Secure Digital (SD) card, a Flash Card, etc. equipped on electronic device 10. Memory 1002 can also include both an internal storage unit of electronic device 10 and an external storage device. Memory 1002 is used to store computer programs and other programs and data required by the electronic device.

[0112] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that for the sake of convenience and brevity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional units and modules is used as an example for illustration. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be distributed and completed by different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiments can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0113] If the integrated module / unit is implemented 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 present application implements all or part of the process in the above-mentioned embodiment method, and can also be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program can implement the steps of the above-mentioned various method embodiments when executed by the processor. The computer program may include computer program code, which may be in source code form, object code form, executable file or some intermediate form. The computer-readable medium may include: any entity or device capable of carrying computer program code, recording medium, U disk, mobile hard disk, magnetic disk, optical disk, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electric carrier signal, telecommunication signal and software distribution medium, etc.

[0114] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present application, and should all be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A path planning method for a pool robot, wherein, At least including two bow-shaped cleaning paths, the method includes: After the pool robot enters the water and starts, control the pool robot to identify the shortest path to the pool wall according to the first instruction, and approach the pool wall along the shortest path to reach the driving starting point; At the driving starting point, control the pool robot to go to the first cleaning starting point through the second instruction, and start cleaning the pool along the bow-shaped first cleaning path at the position of the first cleaning starting point until reaching the first cleaning end point; At the first cleaning end point, control the pool robot to go to the second cleaning starting point through the third instruction, and start cleaning the pool along the bow-shaped second cleaning path at the position of the second cleaning starting point until reaching the second cleaning end point; Wherein, both the bow-shaped first cleaning path and the bow-shaped second cleaning path include at least two parallel long sides and short sides connecting adjacent two long sides with the shortest path, and the long side directions of the bow-shaped first cleaning path and the bow-shaped second cleaning path are not parallel.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The controlling the pool robot to identify the shortest path to the pool wall according to the first instruction includes: Controlling the pool robot to determine the shortest distance between the pool robot and the pool wall according to the first instruction, and obtaining the yaw angle corresponding to the shortest distance; Determining that the path for the pool robot to go to the pool wall along the shortest distance after rotating the yaw angle is the shortest path.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The controlling the pool robot to go to the first cleaning starting point at the driving starting point through the second instruction includes: Controlling the pool robot to travel from the driving starting point to the first cleaning starting point along the first exploration path according to the second instruction; Wherein, the first exploration path includes N parallel first sides and N - 1 second sides connecting adjacent two first sides with the shortest path, and N is a positive integer; The lengths of the first sides obtained in the first N - 1 travels of the pool robot are all the first preset distance, the length of the first side obtained in the Nth travel is less than or equal to or greater than the first preset distance, and the distance between the end point of the first side obtained in the Nth travel and the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold, and the distance between the end point of each second side traveled by the pool robot and the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold; or The first exploration path includes N parallel first sides and N second sides; The lengths of the first sides obtained in the first N - 1 travels of the pool robot are all the first preset distance, the length of the first side obtained in the Nth travel is less than or equal to or greater than the first preset distance, the first N - 1 second sides obtained in the travels of the pool robot connect adjacent two first sides with the shortest path, the starting point of the second side obtained in the Nth travel is the end point of the first side obtained in the Nth travel, and the distance between the end point of each second side obtained in each travel and the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The direction of the first side is perpendicular to the yaw angle direction.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The controlling the pool robot to go to the second cleaning starting point at the first cleaning end point through the third instruction includes: Controlling the pool robot to travel from the first cleaning end point to the second cleaning start point along a second exploration path according to a third instruction; Wherein, the second exploration path includes M mutually parallel third sides and M - 1 fourth sides that connect two adjacent third sides in the shortest path, and M is a positive integer; The lengths of the third sides obtained in the first M - 1 travels of the pool robot are all the second preset distance, the length of the third side obtained in the Mth travel is less than or equal to or greater than the second preset distance, and the distance from the end point of the third side obtained in the Mth travel to the pool wall is less than or equal to a preset distance threshold. The distance from the end point of each fourth side traveled by the pool robot to the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold; or The second exploration path includes M mutually parallel third sides and M fourth sides; The lengths of the third sides obtained in the first M - 1 travels of the pool robot are all the second preset distance, the length of the third side obtained in the Mth travel is less than or equal to or greater than the second preset distance. The fourth sides obtained in the first M - 1 travels of the pool robot connect two adjacent third sides in the shortest path. The starting point of the fourth side obtained in the Mth travel is the end point of the third side obtained in the Mth travel. The distance from the end point of each fourth side obtained in each travel to the pool wall is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The first side and the third side have a first included angle, and the first included angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees; The first preset distance is equal to or not equal to the second preset distance.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further includes: After the pool robot reaches the second cleaning end point, calculating a cleaning coverage rate; In response to determining that the cleaning coverage rate is less than a preset coverage threshold, controlling the pool robot to go to a third cleaning start point at the second cleaning end point through a fourth instruction, and starting to clean the pool along a zigzag third cleaning path at the third cleaning start point until reaching a third cleaning end point; Repeatedly execute calculating the cleaning coverage rate. When the cleaning coverage rate is less than the preset coverage threshold, control the pool robot to go to the next cleaning start point, and start cleaning the pool along the next zigzag cleaning path at the next cleaning start point until the cleaning coverage rate is greater than or equal to the preset coverage threshold, and then end the current cleaning; Wherein, the long side directions of any two zigzag cleaning paths are not parallel.

8. The method according to claim 3 or 5, wherein, The pool robot is at least equipped with one distance detection device. The first side and the second side have a second included angle, and the third side and the fourth side have a third included angle; The second included angle and the third included angle are at least determined based on the orientation of the distance detection device on the pool robot.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein There are two distance detection devices, which are respectively located in front of and on the side of the pool robot.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The distance detection device is an ultrasonic detection device.

11. A path planning device for a pool robot, wherein, There are at least two zigzag cleaning paths, and the device includes: A first control module, configured to, after the pool robot is started in the water, control the pool robot to identify the shortest path to the pool wall according to a first instruction, and approach the pool wall along the shortest path to reach a travel start point; The second control module is configured to control the pool robot to go to the first cleaning starting point through a second instruction at the driving starting point, and start cleaning the pool along a first bow-shaped cleaning path until reaching the first cleaning end point at the position of the first cleaning starting point; The third control module is configured to control the pool robot to go to the second cleaning starting point through a third instruction at the first cleaning end point, and start cleaning the pool along a second bow-shaped cleaning path until reaching the second cleaning end point at the position of the second cleaning starting point; Wherein, both the first bow-shaped cleaning path and the second bow-shaped cleaning path include at least two parallel long sides and short sides connecting adjacent two long sides with the shortest path, and the long side directions of the first bow-shaped cleaning path and the second bow-shaped cleaning path are not parallel.

12. An electronic device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein, When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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