Method for preventing pool automatic-cleaning device from falling, and terminal, medium and device

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a method for preventing a pool automatic-cleaning device from falling, and a terminal, a medium and a device. The method comprises: controlling a pool automatic-cleaning device to walk on an underwater raised platform surface; generating a deceleration point of a current path on the basis of historical position information of the pool automatic-cleaning device; acquiring real-time position information of the pool automatic-cleaning device; on the basis of the real-time position information, determining whether the pool automatic-cleaning device is at least partially located in an area where the deceleration point is located; and if the pool automatic-cleaning device is located in the area where the deceleration point is located, controlling the pool automatic-cleaning device to decelerate. Therefore, the pool automatic-cleaning device is prevented from falling off of the raised platform surface.

Description

Anti-fall method, terminal, medium and equipment for automatic pool cleaning equipment

[0001] This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 202410995540.1 filed on July 23, 2024, Chinese Patent Application No. 202411002627.0 filed on July 24, 2024, Chinese Patent Application No. 202411056618.X filed on August 1, 2024, Chinese Patent Application No. 202411098645.3 filed on August 9, 2024, and Chinese Patent Application No. 202411099789.0 filed on August 9, 2024. The disclosures of the above-mentioned Chinese patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as a part of this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of automatic cruising, and in particular to a method, terminal, medium and equipment for preventing a pool automatic cleaning device from falling. Background Art

[0003] With the increasing demand for cleaning in underwater environments, automated pool cleaning equipment has become a vital tool for maintaining underwater infrastructure and the environment. However, in practice, automated pool cleaning equipment often faces complex operating environments, particularly in areas with significant height differences, such as raised surfaces. These challenging environments can easily cause equipment to fall due to improper operation, seriously impacting the safety and efficiency of cleaning tasks.

[0004] Traditional automated pool cleaning equipment typically relies on simple path planning and sensor detection to avoid the risk of falls. However, when faced with complex underwater terrain, these methods often suffer from low processing efficiency, delayed response, and inaccurate path planning, making them difficult to cope with dynamically changing environments and unexpected situations. Furthermore, when the equipment approaches dangerous areas such as cliffs and platforms, the unique characteristics of the underwater environment make speed and direction control particularly critical. A single mistake could cause the equipment to fall or become stuck, resulting in downtime or even damage.

[0005] Although some anti-fall solutions have been proposed in some situations, most of them are limited to simple detection and emergency stop based on real-time sensors, and cannot achieve accurate processing and efficient response to complex environments. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by this application is to provide a method, terminal, medium and equipment for preventing a pool from falling when cleaning an automatic pool, so as to solve the problem of low efficiency in handling working conditions on cliff platforms.

[0007] A first aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for preventing an automatic pool cleaning device from falling, the method comprising: controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to walk on an underwater raised surface; generating a deceleration point on a current path based on historical path information of the automatic pool cleaning device; obtaining real-time position information of the automatic pool cleaning device, and determining whether the automatic pool cleaning device is at least partially located in an area where the deceleration point is located based on the real-time position information; if the automatic pool cleaning device is located in the area where the deceleration point is located, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to decelerate, thereby preventing the automatic pool cleaning device from falling from the raised surface.

[0008] The second aspect of the present disclosure relates to an intelligent mobile terminal, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to complete the aforementioned method for preventing a pool automatic cleaning device from falling.

[0009] A third aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the aforementioned method for preventing an automatic pool cleaning device from falling.

[0010] The fourth aspect of the present disclosure relates to an automatic pool cleaning device, which performs the aforementioned anti-fall method for an automatic pool cleaning device. The automatic pool cleaning device includes a filtering device, a driving device and a motion control module. The filtering device is arranged inside the automatic pool cleaning device and is used to filter the sewage sucked into the automatic pool cleaning device. The driving device is used to drive the automatic pool cleaning device to move and decelerate. The motion control module is used to generate a control command to control the driving device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of the deceleration point setting in this application.

[0012] FIG2 shows a schematic diagram of an intelligent mobile terminal in the present application.

[0013] FIG3 shows a flow chart of an anti-fall control method in the present application.

[0014] FIG4 shows a schematic diagram of an anti-fall control terminal in the present application.

[0015] 5A-5B show schematic diagrams of the appearance of the automatic pool cleaning device of the present application.

[0016] FIG6 shows a pool environment in which the automatic pool cleaning device of the present application performs cleaning operations.

[0017] FIG7 shows a schematic flow chart of the method for cleaning a pool according to the present application.

[0018] 8A-8E illustrate application scenarios of the pool cleaning method and the corresponding automatic pool cleaning device of the present application.

[0019] FIG9 shows a schematic block diagram of the automatic pool cleaning device of the present application.

[0020] FIG10 shows a situation in which the automatic pool cleaning device of the present application performs edge cleaning.

[0021] FIG11 shows a schematic diagram of a scenario of the underwater ranging method of the present application.

[0022] FIG12 shows a flowchart 1 of the underwater ranging method of the present application.

[0023] FIG13 shows a first schematic diagram of the underwater ranging method of the present application.

[0024] FIG14 shows a second flowchart of the underwater ranging method of the present application.

[0025] FIG15 shows a second schematic diagram of the underwater ranging method of the present application.

[0026] FIG16 shows a schematic diagram of a ranging signal in the underwater ranging method of the present application.

[0027] FIG17 shows a block diagram of the underwater ranging device of the present application.

[0028] FIG18 shows a flow chart of a control method for the automatic pool cleaning device provided in the present application.

[0029] FIG19 shows a schematic diagram of the operation trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device controlled by the control method provided in this application.

[0030] FIG20 shows a hardware structure block diagram of a control method for an automatic pool cleaning device provided in the present application.

[0031] FIG21 shows a schematic diagram of an application scenario of the control method for the automatic pool cleaning device provided in the present application.

[0032] FIG22 shows a schematic diagram of the operation of the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device provided in the present application.

[0033] FIG23 shows another schematic diagram of the operation of the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device provided in the present application.

[0034] FIG24 shows a schematic structural diagram of an automatic pool cleaning device provided in the present application.

[0035] FIG25 shows a schematic diagram of an obstacle avoidance device in an automatic pool cleaning device provided in the present application.

[0036] FIG26 shows a schematic diagram of acute angle detection in an automatic pool cleaning device provided by the present application.

[0037] FIG27 shows another obstacle avoidance schematic diagram of an automatic pool cleaning device provided in the present application.

[0038] FIG28 shows a schematic diagram of obtuse angle detection in an automatic pool cleaning device provided by the present application.

[0039] 29A-29B show the schematic appearance of the automatic pool cleaning device provided by the parent application.

[0040] FIG30 shows a schematic block diagram 1 of the automatic pool cleaning device provided in the present application.

[0041] FIG31 shows the layout of the housing, the filter unit and the water flow channel of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0042] FIG32 shows a second schematic block diagram of the automatic pool cleaning device provided in this application.

[0043] 33A-33B illustrate the water flow path through the filter unit of the automatic pool cleaning device and the water flow path through the water flow channel of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0044] 34A-34D illustrate some of the components installed within the housing of the automated pool cleaning device.

[0045] FIG35 shows a schematic appearance of an automatic pool cleaning device provided according to the present application.

[0046] FIG36 shows a logic flow chart of a method for preparing a filter material for a swimming pool cleaning device according to the present application.

[0047] Explanation of reference numbers: 1- deceleration point; 2- boss surface; 3- current path; 4- an intelligent mobile terminal; 5- memory; 6- processor; 7- anti-fall control terminal; 8- memory; 9- processor; 100, 410, 510- automatic pool cleaning device; 110- housing; 120- traveling unit; 130- cleaning unit; 140, 150, 160- drain outlet; 210- pool wall; 220- island; 250, 260- boss; 420, 520- ranging unit; 530- control unit; 540- direction detection unit; 10- first ranging unit; 20- second ranging unit; 101, 201- receiving mechanism; 200- swimming pool; 70- underwater ranging device; 900- electronic device; 910- processor; 920- storage medium; 921- operating system; 922- data; 923- application program Sequence; 930 - memory; 940 - input and output interface; 950 - wired or wireless network interface; 960 - power supply; 11 - automatic pool cleaning device; 12 - base station; 13 - pool wall; 1000, 2000, 300, 800 - automatic pool cleaning device; 1010, 310 - housing; 1020 - front end; 1030 - rear end; 1040 - opening; 2010, 380, 610, 810 - filtration unit; 2020, 710, 820 - drive unit; 320 - longitudinal axis; 330, 640, 720 - water flow channel; 3301, 620 - water inlet; 3302 - water outlet; 350, 360 - arrows; 3901 - water inlet; 3902 - outlet; 630, 830 - buoyancy unit; 650 - flange structure; 660 - water flow guiding mechanism; 670 - baffle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In order to explain the technical content, achieved objectives and effects of this application in detail, the following is an explanation in conjunction with the implementation methods and the accompanying drawings.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 1 , the present application provides a method for preventing an automatic pool cleaning device from falling, the method comprising:

[0050] The automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to move on the underwater raised platform.

[0051] A deceleration point for a current path is generated based on historical path information of the automatic pool cleaning device. Real-time location information of the automatic pool cleaning device is obtained, and based on the real-time location information, a determination is made as to whether the automatic pool cleaning device is at least partially located in an area where the deceleration point is located. If the automatic pool cleaning device is located in the area where the deceleration point is located, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to decelerate, thereby preventing the automatic pool cleaning device from falling off the raised surface.

[0052] It can be understood that deceleration points refer to specific locations set on the walking path of the automatic pool cleaning device. When the device approaches or enters the area where these locations are located, the system will automatically trigger the device to decelerate. The main purpose of setting deceleration points is to prevent the device from losing control and falling due to excessive speed when approaching potential dangerous areas (such as the edge of a raised surface), thereby ensuring the safe operation of the equipment. The setting of deceleration points is usually based on the historical path data of the device and the current real-time location information. For example, the setting of deceleration points can be based on the following method: after the device has walked on the underwater raised surface many times, the terminal records the historical path information of the device, and by analyzing the historical path information, identifies the dangerous area where the device may approach the edge of the raised surface; compares the current path with the historical path to determine the location where the device may repeatedly enter the dangerous area, and according to the comparison results, these locations can be set as deceleration points. For example, the setting of general deceleration points includes but is not limited to the following situations: there are cliff platforms in the path, there are obstacles in the path that affect the movement of the equipment, or other road conditions that cause the equipment to be unable to operate normally. By obtaining the real-time position of the automatic pool cleaning device and judging whether the position is in the area where the deceleration point is located, when it is identified that the automatic pool cleaning device is in the area where the deceleration point is located, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to slow down and avoid entering dangerous road conditions from the convex surface at too fast a speed. The cleaning is completed slowly at a lower operating speed to avoid stopping or falling in the face of dangerous road conditions, thereby improving processing efficiency. For example, the historical path is parallel to the current path and is located near the current path. The parallelism and proximity of the current path and the historical path enable the device to refer to past walking data in similar environments, especially when the device approaches dangerous areas such as the edge of the convex surface. By setting the current path near the historical path, the device can better utilize the deceleration points and other safety mechanisms of the historical path, thereby achieving more efficient and safer operation on the current path.

[0053] For example, the historical path includes a starting point and a turning point, with the turning point being near the edge of the raised surface. This allows the device to decelerate promptly when approaching the edge of the raised surface, preventing the device from falling due to inertial sliding and further enhancing device safety. For example, the historical path may be arranged in a bow-shaped path, comprising at least two parallel long paths and a short path connecting the long paths, with the turning point located at the junction of the long and short paths.

[0054] For example, the historical path information includes travel time or travel distance. When the automatic pool cleaning device is at least partially located in the area where the deceleration point is located, the ratio of the travel time of the automatic pool cleaning device on the current path to the travel time of the historical path is in the range of 1 / 2-2 / 3, or the ratio of the travel distance of the automatic pool cleaning device on the current path to the travel distance of the historical path is in the range of 1 / 2-2 / 3. When the device is traveling on the current path, the deceleration point area is set based on the historical path, and there are two reference methods.

[0055] (1) Time factor: When the ratio of the device's travel time on the current path to the travel time on the historical path is between 1 / 2 and 2 / 3, the remaining area of ​​this path is set as the area where the deceleration point is located. For example, the process of setting the deceleration point based on the time factor is as follows: in the previous cleaning task of the device, the system recorded the device's travel time on the historical path; when the device is traveling along the current path, the system monitors the device's travel time in real time. When the device's travel time on the current path reaches between 1 / 2 and 2 / 3 of the historical path time, the system determines that the device may be approaching a dangerous area such as the edge of a raised platform. For example, the travel time between the starting point and the turning point in the above historical path and between the turning points is recorded as the travel time corresponding to each path in the historical path.

[0056] (2) Distance factor: When the ratio of the walking distance of the device on the current path to the walking distance of the historical path is between 1 / 2 and 2 / 3, the remaining area of ​​this path is set as the area where the deceleration point is located. For example, the process of setting the deceleration point based on the distance factor is as follows: in the historical task, the system records the walking distance of the device from the starting point to the edge of the boss surface, and in the current path, the system measures the walking distance of the device in real time. When the walking distance of the device on the current path reaches between 1 / 2 and 2 / 3 of the walking distance of the historical path, the system determines that the device is about to enter the dangerous area. For example, the walking distance between the starting point and the turning point in the above historical path and between the turning points are recorded as the walking distance corresponding to each path in the historical path.

[0057] Exemplarily, the walking direction of the automatic pool cleaning device in the historical path is the same as the walking direction in the current path. By maintaining the same walking direction, the device can effectively utilize the data in the historical path, such as deceleration points, obstacle locations, etc., thereby reducing the complexity of path planning and avoiding path deviation problems caused by different directions. In addition, the same walking direction can also improve the operational stability of the equipment, reduce the time for path adjustment and recalibration, and enable the equipment to enter the working state faster, thereby improving the overall efficiency and safety of the cleaning task. This design enhances the performance of the device in repetitive tasks, enabling it to perform tasks more accurately and reduce the risk of misoperation due to path changes.

[0058] For example, the historical path is at most 60 cm apart from the current path. To ensure that when the device is performing a cleaning task, such a path interval design can also enable the device to more accurately utilize historical path data on repeated paths, such as deceleration points and obstacle locations, thereby optimizing the device's path planning and execution efficiency. In addition, setting the interval range between the historical path and the current path controls the error of the device's movement within 60 cm, while reducing the difficulty of device control. At the same time, the device can continuously and tightly cover a larger cleaning range when planning the current path with reference to the historical path, effectively reducing the appearance of uncleaned areas, improving the cleaning effect, and enhancing the device's ability to operate in complex environments, reducing duplication of work and waste of resources.

[0059] For example, controlling the deceleration of the automatic pool cleaning equipment includes: controlling the driving device or the water spraying mechanism of the automatic pool cleaning equipment to perform deceleration until the speed of the automatic pool cleaning equipment is 0. It ensures that the equipment can stop quickly and safely when approaching dangerous areas or in scenarios requiring precise operation, avoiding the risk of falling or collision due to excessive speed. By gradually decelerating to zero, the equipment can stop more smoothly at a predetermined position, reducing mechanical losses and equipment instability that may be caused by sudden braking. In addition, this control method also allows the equipment to make precise path adjustments before stopping, thereby improving the accuracy and safety of operation, especially in complex underwater environments, effectively ensuring the long-term operation of the equipment and the efficient completion of tasks.

[0060] For example, the drive mechanism typically includes components such as an electric motor, propeller, or tracks for moving the equipment. Braking operations for the drive mechanism can be performed, but are not limited to, motor reversal or deceleration braking. When the control system detects that the equipment has entered the deceleration point, it issues a command to immediately decelerate the drive mechanism. By reducing the speed of the drive motor, the equipment gradually slows down until it stops. For example, if deceleration is not possible, braking lock is implemented. Leveraging the equipment's mechanical braking system, the drive components can be locked when necessary, completely stopping the equipment's movement. This method can stop the equipment in a very short time, thus preventing falls.

[0061] The water spray device generates a reaction force by spraying water, causing the device to quickly slow down or change direction. The water spray device usually includes multiple nozzles, which generate a reaction force by spraying high-pressure water to help the device achieve position control and braking. The implementation method includes but is not limited to: directional water spraying. When the device detects that it is in the area where the deceleration point is located, the control system will activate the water spray devices located in different directions of the device. By precisely controlling the spray direction and strength of the nozzle, it can generate sufficient reaction force to offset the moving inertia of the device, so that the device can quickly stop or change direction; or use pulsed water spraying. In some cases, the device may need to gradually slow down through multiple short water spray pulses. This can avoid instability of the device due to sudden full-strength braking, while ensuring that the device stops smoothly in a safe position.

[0062] The present application provides a method, terminal, medium and equipment for preventing an automatic pool cleaning device from falling, which are mainly used to control the automatic pool cleaning device to pre-process dangerous road conditions in advance during operation, and are described below in conjunction with embodiments.

[0063] Please refer to FIG1 , which shows a method for preventing an automatic pool cleaning device from falling. The method includes the following steps.

[0064] The automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to travel on the underwater raised platform 2; a deceleration point 1 of a current path 3 is generated based on the historical path information of the automatic pool cleaning device; the deceleration point 1 is set to include the presence of a cliff platform in the path, the presence of an obstacle in the path that affects the device's movement, or other road conditions that cause the device to be unable to operate normally; the real-time position information of the automatic pool cleaning device is obtained, and based on the real-time position information, it is determined whether the automatic pool cleaning device is at least partially located in the area where the deceleration point 1 is located. If the automatic pool cleaning device is located in the area where the deceleration point 1 is located, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to decelerate, thereby preventing the automatic pool cleaning device from falling off the raised platform 2. By obtaining the real-time position of the automatic pool cleaning device and determining whether the position is in the area where the deceleration point 1 is located, when it is identified that the automatic pool cleaning device is located in the area where the deceleration point 1 is located, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to decelerate, avoiding excessive speed from entering a dangerous road condition when crossing the raised platform 2, and completing the cleaning at a lower speed, thereby avoiding stopping or falling due to dangerous road conditions, thereby improving processing efficiency.

[0065] Exemplarily, the historical path is parallel to the current path 3 and has the same walking direction, and the interval between the historical path and the current path 3 is controlled to be 20cm to 60cm. The turning point is close to the edge of the boss surface 2. The parallelism and proximity of the current path 3 to the historical path enable the device to refer to past walking data in similar environments, ensuring that when the device performs cleaning tasks, such a path spacing design can also enable the device to more accurately utilize historical path data on repeated paths, such as deceleration points 1 and obstacle locations, thereby optimizing the device's path planning and execution efficiency. Wherein, the historical path includes a starting point and a turning point, and the historical path is set according to a bow-shaped path. The bow-shaped path includes at least two parallel long paths and at least one short path connecting the two long paths. The above-mentioned turning point is set at the connection between the long path and the short path; the deceleration point 1 is set between at least part of the starting point and the turning point, as well as between the turning point and the turning point.

[0066] For example, the historical path information includes walking time. When the automatic pool cleaning device is at least partially located in the area where the deceleration point 1 is located, the ratio of the walking time of the automatic pool cleaning device on the current path 3 to the walking time of the historical path is 2 / 3; in the previous cleaning task of the device, the system recorded the walking time of the device on the historical path; when the device walks along the current path 3, the system monitors the walking time of the device in real time. When the walking time of the device on the current path 3 reaches 2 / 3 of the historical path time, the system determines that the device may be approaching dangerous areas such as the edge of the boss surface 2, and controls the device to slow down and slowly approach the dangerous area.

[0067] For example, if the historical path information includes travel distance, when the automated pool cleaning device is at least partially located in the area of ​​deceleration point 1, the ratio of the distance traveled on the current path 3 to the distance traveled on the historical path is 2 / 3. In the historical mission, the system recorded the distance traveled from the starting point to the edge of the raised platform 2. On the current path 3, the system measures the device's travel distance in real time. When the device's travel distance on the current path 3 reaches 2 / 3 of the distance traveled on the historical path, the system determines that the device is about to enter a dangerous area and controls the device to slow down and slowly approach the dangerous area.

[0068] Exemplarily, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to decelerate includes: controlling the driving device or the water spraying mechanism of the automatic pool cleaning device to decelerate until the speed of the automatic pool cleaning device is 0. This ensures that the device can stop quickly and safely when approaching a dangerous area or in scenarios requiring precise operation, avoiding the risk of falling or collision due to excessive speed. By gradually decelerating to zero, the device can stop more smoothly at a predetermined position, reducing mechanical losses and device instability that may be caused by sudden braking. For example, the device is controlled to decelerate after entering the area where the deceleration point 1 is located, and the device is controlled to decelerate to a stop when it reaches the turning point. The device is then controlled to execute the current path 3 that is about to be executed according to the historical path planning.

[0069] Please refer to Figure 2. The present application provides an intelligent mobile terminal 4, including a memory 5, a processor 6, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, any one of the aforementioned anti-fall methods for the automatic pool cleaning device is completed.

[0070] The present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, any one of the aforementioned methods for preventing an automatic pool cleaning device from falling is implemented.

[0071] The present application provides an automatic pool cleaning device, which performs any of the aforementioned anti-fall methods. The automatic pool cleaning device includes a filtering device, a driving device, and a motion control module. The filtering device is arranged inside the automatic pool cleaning device and is used to filter the sewage sucked into the automatic pool cleaning device. The driving device is used to drive the automatic pool cleaning device to move and decelerate. The motion control module is used to generate control commands to control the driving device.

[0072] Please refer to FIG3 , which shows an anti-fall control method applied to an automatic pool cleaning device. The method includes:

[0073] Detecting whether there is an operating support surface below at least a portion of the automatic pool cleaning device, and controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to perform an anti-fall operation when no operating support surface exists.

[0074] It is understandable that the working support surface refers to the surface that the automatic pool cleaning equipment can attach to, contact or rely on when performing cleaning tasks. These surfaces are usually fixed structures underwater, such as the bottom and side walls of the pool, obstacles that the automatic pool cleaning equipment can cross, and the inner walls of other underwater structures. The working support surface provides a stable working environment for the automatic pool cleaning equipment to prevent the automatic pool cleaning equipment from losing control or falling during the cleaning process. Among them, the determination of whether there is a working support surface can be made by using sensors or visual perception to detect whether there is a solid surface below, and judging whether it is a support surface by detecting distance, appropriate algorithm calculation or reflected signal strength. For example, in the process of determining whether there is a working support surface, if the above conditions are met, but the distance between the automatic pool cleaning equipment and the working support surface exceeds the danger threshold according to the above detection method, it is also determined that there is no working support surface.

[0075] Among them, the anti-fall operation is to prevent the automatic pool cleaning equipment from falling or losing control when the working support surface cannot be detected, and at least includes the following processing methods: hovering, reverse travel and / or automatic return.

[0076] Exemplarily, the automatic pool cleaning device includes at least one detection sensor configured to detect the presence of an operating support surface beneath at least a portion of the automatic pool cleaning device. The detection sensor can provide accurate, real-time environmental information, enabling the automatic pool cleaning device to automatically adjust its operating strategy and avoid unexpected situations. For example, the detection sensor may include an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, or a camera.

[0077] Among them, the ultrasonic sensor measures distance by emitting ultrasonic waves and receiving sound waves reflected from objects below. When the ultrasonic wave encounters an object, it will be reflected back. The sensor calculates the time difference from the emission to the reception of the ultrasonic wave, and thus calculates the distance between the emission source and the reflecting surface. Because it is insensitive to environmental factors such as light and color, it can work stably in various underwater environments and has strong underwater adaptability.

[0078] The infrared sensor detects objects by emitting infrared beams and receiving reflected light. Based on the intensity of the reflected light and the echo time, it can determine whether there is an object under the automatic pool cleaning equipment. If the reflected light signal meets the preset standards, it is determined that there is an operating support surface; otherwise, it is considered that there is no support surface. Due to its fast response speed, small size and low energy consumption, it is particularly suitable for small automatic pool cleaning equipment, and will not increase the overall volume of the automatic pool cleaning equipment or significantly consume electricity.

[0079] The camera captures images or video data from under the automatic pool cleaning equipment and analyzes these images through image processing algorithms to determine whether there is an operating support surface underneath. Image processing methods may include edge detection, object recognition, distance estimation and other technologies to determine whether there is a support surface. Since the camera can not only detect the support surface, but also monitor the environment around the automatic pool cleaning equipment, it can provide more information and adapt to complex environments.

[0080] Based on the special underwater working environment, the setting of one or more of the above-mentioned detection sensors helps the automatic pool cleaning equipment to perceive the environment below it in real time, so as to ensure that the automatic pool cleaning equipment can operate stably in the presence of an operating support surface, and take anti-fall measures in time in the absence of a support surface.

[0081] For example, the number of detection sensors is greater than or equal to two, and the sensors are respectively arranged at the edge of the bottom surface of the automatic pool cleaning device. This design enables the sensor to cover a wider area under the automatic pool cleaning device, especially the position near the edge of the automatic pool cleaning device, and to determine whether there is an operating support surface under the entire automatic pool cleaning device through multi-point detection. The detection sensor installed on the bottom edge of the automatic pool cleaning device can promptly sense that the automatic pool cleaning device is about to enter the next support surface, thereby triggering the anti-fall operation in advance, improving the environmental perception accuracy of the automatic pool cleaning device, and avoiding the automatic pool cleaning device from falling due to untimely perception of the lack of an operating support surface. At the same time, the provision of multiple detection sensors reduces misjudgments caused by the blind spots of a single sensor, while enhancing the stability and safety of the automatic pool cleaning device in complex underwater environments, ensuring that the automatic pool cleaning device can operate safely and efficiently under various operating conditions.

[0082] Exemplarily, the detection sensors are symmetrically arranged on the bottom surface of the automatic pool cleaning device. Detection sensors are symmetrically arranged on the bottom surface of the automatic pool cleaning device. This symmetrical layout ensures that the automatic pool cleaning device can comprehensively and evenly detect the environment below it. Especially for an automatic pool cleaning device that normally operates in a straight line, the symmetrical arrangement of detection sensors on the symmetrical edges of the bottom surface can accurately sense whether there is an operating support surface ahead, reducing the detection sensor blind spots, improving the detection reliability of the automatic pool cleaning device in complex underwater environments, and ensuring that the automatic pool cleaning device can take timely measures in the event of a loss of support surface to avoid accidental falls.

[0083] For example, the anti-fall operation includes the step of controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to brake. When the automatic pool cleaning device detects a lack of support beneath it, the device will immediately stop moving forward or perform other operations. For example, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to brake includes controlling a drive device of the automatic pool cleaning device to brake or controlling a water spray device of the automatic pool cleaning device to brake.

[0084] The braking of the drive unit can immediately stop the movement of the automatic pool cleaning device. The drive unit generally includes components such as an electric motor, propeller, or track used to move the automatic pool cleaning device. The execution methods of the drive unit braking operation include but are not limited to: motor reversal or deceleration braking. When it is detected that the automatic pool cleaning device is about to lose its support surface, the control system will issue a command to the drive unit to immediately decelerate or reverse. By reducing the speed of the drive motor or reversing it, the automatic pool cleaning device can quickly stop moving forward or change direction to avoid continuing to move towards an area without a support surface; brake locking is performed. The automatic pool cleaning device is equipped with a mechanical braking system, which can lock the drive components when needed to completely stop the movement of the automatic pool cleaning device. This method can stop the automatic pool cleaning device in a very short time, thereby preventing it from falling.

[0085] The water spray device generates a reaction force by spraying water, causing the automatic pool cleaning device to quickly stop or change direction. The water spray device usually includes multiple nozzles, which generate a reaction force by spraying high-pressure water, helping the automatic pool cleaning device to achieve position control and braking. Implementation methods include but are not limited to: directional water spraying. When the automatic pool cleaning device detects a potential risk of falling, the control system will activate the water spray devices located in different directions of the automatic pool cleaning device. By precisely controlling the spray direction and force of the nozzles, it can generate sufficient reaction force to offset the moving inertia of the automatic pool cleaning device, so that the automatic pool cleaning device can quickly stop or change direction; or use pulse water spraying. In some cases, the automatic pool cleaning device may need to gradually slow down through multiple short water spray pulses. This can avoid instability caused by sudden full-strength braking of the automatic pool cleaning device, while ensuring that the automatic pool cleaning device stops smoothly in a safe position.

[0086] In combination with the characteristics of the automatic pool cleaning equipment, single or combined braking is performed by the driving device braking and the water spraying device of the automatic pool cleaning equipment itself, so as to quickly respond to dangerous situations in which the automatic pool cleaning equipment is located, avoid the automatic pool cleaning equipment from continuing to move and causing it to fall, and enhance the safety and stability of the automatic pool cleaning equipment.

[0087] For example, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device's water spraying mechanism to brake may include triggering the water spraying mechanism to activate based on the device's posture or acceleration information. When the automatic pool cleaning device detects an abnormal posture change or sudden acceleration change, the water spraying mechanism automatically activates to quickly stabilize the device's position. This method offers the advantage of real-time monitoring of the device's status and rapid response in dangerous situations, preventing the device from losing control or falling.

[0088] It is understood that attitude refers to the posture or orientation of an automated pool cleaning device in three-dimensional space, typically described by its tilt, pitch, and yaw angles. Attitude information reflects the degree of inclination of the automated pool cleaning device relative to a reference plane or reference direction. For example, attitude information of the automated pool cleaning device can be obtained using a gyroscope, accelerometer, or attitude control sensor. In an underwater environment, if an automated pool cleaning device tilts or flips, it may mean that the device is approaching the edge of an unsupported surface or has lost stability due to external forces. By monitoring attitude information, the automated pool cleaning device can promptly detect attitude anomalies and take appropriate water spray braking measures to prevent the device from losing control or falling. Acceleration refers to the rate of change of velocity of the automated pool cleaning device as it moves in space. It reflects whether the automated pool cleaning device is accelerating, decelerating, or being subjected to external forces. Acceleration information helps the automated pool cleaning device perceive instantaneous changes in motion. For example, an accelerometer can be used to measure the acceleration of the automated pool cleaning device in all directions in real time. By analyzing acceleration data, the automatic pool cleaning device can determine whether unexpected movement or collision has occurred. While operating, the automatic pool cleaning device may experience sudden changes in acceleration due to collisions, gravity, or other external forces. For example, a sudden acceleration of the automatic pool cleaning device may mean that it is losing its support surface or is about to fall. In this case, the system can trigger the water spray device based on the acceleration information, spraying water to generate a reaction force, offsetting the abnormal acceleration and stabilizing the position of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0089] For example, the anti-fall operation also includes the steps of controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to brake and change its direction, detecting whether the automatic pool cleaning device has left the cliff platform, and if the operating time after changing the direction is greater than a preset time and the detection sensor has not identified the working support surface, controlling the water spray device of the automatic pool cleaning device to brake. In addition to sensing the instantaneous state of the automatic pool cleaning device and taking measures, the state trend of the automatic pool cleaning device is also determined based on the time step. For example, the operating time after the automatic pool cleaning device changes its direction is determined. If the operating time exceeds the preset time, it means that the automatic pool cleaning device is unable to leave the cliff platform and return to the working support surface by braking and changing its direction. In this case, the driving device needs to brake in an additional way as a safety measure, such as using a water spray device to brake, and using the reverse thrust generated by the water spray device of the automatic pool cleaning device to assist the automatic pool cleaning device to return to the original working support surface, helping the automatic pool cleaning device to return to the normal track and enhance the self-adjustment ability of the automatic pool cleaning device in complex terrain.

[0090] It can be understood that the above-mentioned control of the automatic pool cleaning device to change the direction of travel can be to return along the original path, that is, to travel in the reverse direction, or to control the automatic pool cleaning device to leave the cliff platform in any direction or a preset emergency retreat path, including a combination of multiple directions, such as turning left or right.

[0091] For example, the method further includes the steps of recording the location information that triggered the anti-fall operation, and controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to decelerate when the device approaches the location information again. The method also includes recording the location information that triggered the anti-fall operation. When the automatic pool cleaning device approaches these locations again, it will automatically decelerate. The advantage of this function is that the automatic pool cleaning device can optimize its own behavior by learning from historical data to prevent similar dangerous situations from occurring again, thereby improving the intelligence and operational safety of the automatic pool cleaning device. For example, the automatic pool cleaning device's positioning system can record the location information of the current anti-fall operation. When the automatic pool cleaning device subsequently performs a cleaning task, the positioning system will continuously monitor and update the current location of the automatic pool cleaning device. When the automatic pool cleaning device approaches a previously recorded dangerous location, the control system will use a position comparison algorithm to compare the current location with the stored dangerous location information. The comparison can be based on a preset distance threshold or area range. For example, when the automatic pool cleaning device enters the vicinity of a dangerous location (for example, within a few meters), the control system will recognize this and automatically control the automatic pool cleaning device to decelerate.

[0092] The present application provides an anti-fall control method, terminal, medium and equipment, which are mainly used to prevent automatic pool cleaning equipment from falling on a cliff platform during operation. The following is an explanation with reference to an embodiment.

[0093] Referring to Figure 3 , this application provides a fall prevention control method for an automated pool cleaning device. The method comprises detecting whether an operating support surface exists beneath at least a portion of the automated pool cleaning device, and controlling the automated pool cleaning device to perform a fall prevention operation when the operating support surface is absent. The operating support surface is a fixed underwater structure, such as the bottom and sidewalls of a pool, obstacles that the automated pool cleaning device can traverse, or the inner walls of other underwater structures.

[0094] The following method is used to sense the working support surface: two symmetrical sensors, one ultrasonic and one infrared, are set at the edge of the bottom surface of the automatic pool cleaning device. Taking advantage of the ultrasonic sensor's strong anti-interference ability in underwater environments and the infrared sensor's high detection accuracy, the two work together to sense the environment below the automatic pool cleaning device in real time. This ensures that the automatic pool cleaning device can operate stably in the presence of a working support surface, and promptly takes anti-fall measures in the absence of a support surface. For example, to prevent sensor misjudgments, a sliding window mode is used for verification, that is, a preset number of frames of data are stored. If multiple frames of data meet the trigger conditions, it is considered that the working support surface does not exist, and an anti-fall operation is performed.

[0095] Please refer to Figure 3. For example, the anti-fall operation includes the following steps: controlling the braking of the automatic pool cleaning equipment includes controlling the driving device of the automatic pool cleaning equipment to perform braking and controlling the water spraying device of the automatic pool cleaning equipment to perform braking. The way in which the driving device performs braking is based on the specific configuration of the equipment. For example, the electric motor, propeller or track that controls the movement of the automatic pool cleaning equipment stops running or reverses, so that the automatic pool cleaning equipment can quickly stop moving forward or change direction to avoid continuing to move towards an area without a support surface; if necessary, the driving device is locked by a locking component to prevent the inertia from continuing to move the equipment in the original direction. The water spraying device performs braking based on the nozzle setting of the equipment itself. It can provide a reaction force by spraying water in a directional or pulsed manner to prevent the equipment from falling and assist the automatic pool cleaning equipment to return to the working support surface.

[0096] For example, controlling the braking of an automated pool cleaning device's sprinkler system involves triggering the sprinkler system to activate based on the device's posture or acceleration information. If the automated pool cleaning device detects an abnormal posture change or sudden acceleration change, the sprinkler system automatically activates, quickly stabilizing the device's position and reacting quickly in dangerous situations to prevent the device from losing control or falling.

[0097] Please refer to Figure 3. For example, during the process of starting the anti-fall operation, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to brake and move in the reverse direction to detect whether the automatic pool cleaning device has left the cliff platform. If the reverse running time is greater than the preset time and the automatic pool cleaning device has not left the cliff platform, the water spraying process is started; that is, the state trend of the device is judged based on the time step to judge the reverse running time of the automatic pool cleaning device. If the running time exceeds the preset time, it means that the automatic pool cleaning device is unable to leave the cliff platform by braking and moving in the reverse direction and return to the working support surface. At this time, it is necessary to start the reverse propulsion process as a safety measure to assist the automatic pool cleaning device to return to the right track and increase the self-adjustment ability of the automatic pool cleaning device in complex terrain.

[0098] At the same time, the location information that triggered the anti-fall operation is recorded, and when it approaches the location information again, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to slow down. The location information of the current anti-fall operation is recorded by the positioning system of the automatic pool cleaning device, and when the automatic pool cleaning device performs the cleaning task later, the positioning system will continue to monitor and update the current position of the automatic pool cleaning device. When the automatic pool cleaning device approaches a previously recorded dangerous position, the control system will use a position comparison algorithm to compare the current position with the stored dangerous position information. The comparison can be based on a preset distance threshold or area range. When the automatic pool cleaning device enters the vicinity of a dangerous position (for example, within a few meters), the system will recognize this situation and automatically control the automatic pool cleaning device to slow down.

[0099] Please refer to Figure 4. The present application provides an anti-fall control terminal 7, including a memory 8, a processor 9, and a computer program stored in the memory 8 and executable on the processor 9. When the processor 9 executes the computer program, the steps in any one of the aforementioned anti-fall control methods are completed.

[0100] The present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any of the aforementioned anti-fall control methods are completed.

[0101] The present application provides an automatic pool cleaning device, which completes the steps of any of the aforementioned anti-fall control methods.

[0102] FIG5A schematically illustrates the appearance of an automatic pool cleaning device 100 provided in accordance with the present disclosure. It can perform cleaning operations on the bottom, walls, water, and surface of a pool (e.g., a swimming pool) as needed, for example, to clean up garbage in the water, on the bottom, and on the surface, and to clean dirt on the bottom and walls of the pool. As shown in FIG5A , the automatic pool cleaning device 100 may include structures / components such as a housing 110, a traveling unit 120, and a cleaning unit 130. As an example, the automatic pool cleaning device 100 may further include a buoyancy unit (not shown) so that the automatic pool cleaning device can adjust its depth in the water as needed, for example, it can float on the water surface, dive into the water, or sink to the bottom of the water, so as to perform cleaning operations on the water surface, in the water, or on the bottom of the water. As an example, a control compartment, a power compartment and a filter compartment (not shown) can be provided in the housing 110, wherein a control circuit such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), or a microcontroller can be installed in the control compartment, a drive unit such as a water pump or a drive motor can be provided in the power compartment, and a filter unit can be provided in the filter compartment to filter and purify the water entering the filter compartment through the water inlet (not shown), filter out the debris therein, and discharge the cleaned water from the automatic pool cleaning device through the drain. As an example, FIG5A shows that the travel unit 120 can include crawler travel units on both sides of the lower part of the automatic pool cleaning device 100, so that the pool cleaning unit can travel in the water, at the bottom of the pool, or on the pool wall, thereby performing corresponding cleaning operations. However, the travel unit is not limited to the type shown in FIG5A, but may include, for example, a wheeled travel unit, which is not limited here.

[0103] As examples, FIG5A also illustrates drain ports 140 and 150 symmetrically disposed about the longitudinal axis of the automatic pool cleaning device on the rear side of housing 110 of automatic pool cleaning device 100, and on the top of housing 110; FIG5B illustrates one of drain ports 160 symmetrically disposed about the longitudinal axis of the automatic pool cleaning device 100. As shown in FIG5A-5B , drain ports 140, 150, or 160 can be mesh-shaped or grating-shaped as needed to discharge water filtered and cleaned by the automatic pool cleaning device into the pool.

[0104] In addition, the automatic pool cleaning device 100 can use a water spray unit as an auxiliary moving unit, so that the reaction force generated by the water flow ejected from the water spray port of the water spray unit can be used to propel the automatic pool cleaning device on the water surface, in the water, on the pool bottom and / or on the pool wall. In this case, the water flow ejected from the water spray port can be directed to one of the drain ports 140, 150 and 160 provided on the housing 110 of the automatic pool cleaning device 100, thereby generating thrust in different directions.

[0105] Although Figures 5A-5B illustrate the overall appearance of the automatic pool cleaning device of the present application, it should be understood that this is merely illustrative and does not constitute any limitation to the principles of the present disclosure.

[0106] For example, the automatic pool cleaning device 100 can be configured to drive the travel unit 120 according to a specified mode under the control of an internal control unit to drive the automatic pool cleaning device 100 to move along a specific trajectory or in a specific direction on the bottom, wall, water, or surface of the pool; at the same time, the cleaning unit 130 can be started to clean up garbage, debris, dirt, etc. on the bottom, wall, water, and / or surface of the pool so that they are sucked into the filter chamber of the automatic pool cleaning device along with the water flow. Then, the garbage, debris, and dirt are filtered through the filter chamber, and the cleaned water is discharged from the automatic pool cleaning device, thereby cleaning the pool. As an example, the cleaning unit 130 may include components such as a roller brush arranged on the front and / or rear side of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0107] The control unit may be implemented by, for example, a processor, a control circuit, a controller (eg, a programmable logic controller), and the like.

[0108] It should be understood that the automatic pool cleaning device 100 shown in Figures 5A-5B is only an example, and those skilled in the art may change one or more aspects thereof such as appearance, structure, layout, components, and functions according to actual needs without departing from the principles of the present disclosure.

[0109] Figure 6 schematically illustrates the working environment of an automated pool cleaning device, namely, the pool being cleaned, such as a swimming pool, a reservoir, or the like. As shown in Figure 6 , the pool includes a pool wall 210, a central platform known as an island 220, and / or a protrusion 250 formed on the pool wall as part of the pool wall. The automated pool cleaning device can be configured to clean the pool wall 210 and the platform known as the island 220, depending on specific operational requirements.

[0110] Typically, the automatic pool cleaning device can operate along the edge of the pool, using a cleaning unit (such as a roller brush) of the automatic pool cleaning device to clean the surface of the pool wall 210 and the isolated island 220. For example, the automatic pool cleaning device can move along the edge of the object to be cleaned, and during the movement, use the cleaning unit such as a roller brush to clean the object to be cleaned, for example, to remove dirt, filter pool water, absorb dirt, etc.

[0111] That is, when the automatic pool cleaning device is placed into the pool, the automatic pool cleaning device can enter the cleaning operation mode and perform edge cleaning operations on the object of the cleaning operation, such as the pool wall and / or the surface of the isolated island in the pool.

[0112] Due to considerations or limitations such as cost or application scenarios, the automatic pool cleaning device may not be equipped with a map of the environment of the pool where the cleaning operation is performed.

[0113] For example, when the automatic pool cleaning device is placed in the pool, it can enter the surface ship mode, for example, using the thrust generated by the water flow ejected from the water nozzle of the water spray unit to move on the water surface of the pool, while using a detection unit such as a ranging unit to detect its surrounding environment. And based on the ranging value of the surrounding objects (for example, the side wall of the pool or the side wall of the isolated island), the automatic pool cleaning device can be controlled to move in the direction of the object, and during the movement, the cleaning unit (such as a roller brush) can be used to clean the surface of the pool wall or the isolated island along the edge.

[0114] That is, according to the cleaning operation process of the automatic pool cleaning device, after entering the cleaning operation mode, based on the acquired distance measurement value of the surrounding objects, the automatic pool cleaning device can be controlled to move along the edge of the cleaning object, for example, using the thrust generated by the water flow sprayed from the water nozzle of the water spray unit to move, and perform an edge cleaning operation on the cleaning object during the movement. After moving along the edge for one round, the pool cleaning operation is considered to be completed, and the cleaning operation mode is exited.

[0115] The above-described cleaning operation of the automatic pool cleaning device is generally applicable when there are no platforms such as isolated islands in the pool, that is, when the only object to be cleaned in the pool is the pool wall. However, when there are platforms such as isolated islands in the pool, for example, when there is an isolated island 220 as shown in Figure 6, the pool wall or the isolated island may be missed during cleaning.

[0116] For example, after the automatic pool cleaning device is placed in the pool, if it first moves along the boundary of a certain island 220 in the pool based on the distance measurement values ​​of the surrounding objects obtained and simultaneously performs a side-by-side cleaning operation on it, after moving along the boundary of the island 220 for a circle and returning to the starting point of the cleaning operation, the automatic pool cleaning device cannot determine whether the object that has completed the side-by-side cleaning operation is the pool wall or the island in the pool because it is not equipped with a map of the environment of the pool where the cleaning operation is being performed. It will mistakenly believe that the object that has completed the side-by-side cleaning operation is the pool wall, and thus exit the cleaning operation mode. As a result, the pool wall that needs to be cleaned along the edge is omitted, resulting in failure to clean the pool wall, which reduces the quality and efficiency of the cleaning operation.

[0117] According to the present disclosure, even if the automatic pool cleaning device is not equipped with a map of the environment of the pool where the cleaning operation is performed, it can still identify the object that has completed the cleaning operation along the edge, that is, accurately determine whether the object that has completed the cleaning operation is the pool wall or an isolated island in the pool, thereby avoiding the above-mentioned defects and improving the cleaning quality and efficiency of the cleaning operation of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0118] FIG7 is a schematic flow chart of a method for pool cleaning proposed in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in FIG7 , the method may include: S310, obtaining a distance measurement value between an automatic pool cleaning device and an object to its side; S320, based on the distance measurement value, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move in the direction in which the object extends to perform a cleaning operation; S330, obtaining a direction angle of the automatic pool cleaning device during movement; S340, determining whether the route of the automatic pool cleaning device has been closed and its closing direction based on changes in the direction angle; and S350, if the route has been closed, determining whether the automatic pool cleaning device has moved along the boundary of the pool or along the boundary of an island in the pool based on the closing direction of the route and the manner in which the distance measurement value was obtained. The object includes at least one of a sidewall of the pool and a sidewall of an island in the pool.

[0119] The method for pool cleaning proposed in the present disclosure is described in detail below with reference to Figures 8A-8E and Figure 9. Figure 8A schematically shows a top view of the pool environment in a case where the automatic pool cleaning device according to an example of the present disclosure is performing an edge cleaning operation on the pool. Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of the automatic pool cleaning device according to an example of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 9, the automatic pool cleaning device 510 according to the example of the present disclosure is equipped with a ranging unit 520. As an example, the ranging unit 520 may include, but is not limited to, an ultrasonic sensor, an optical ranging sensor, etc. Figure 8A schematically shows that a ranging unit 420 is provided on the right side of the automatic pool cleaning device 410 along the longitudinal axis of the body, and the ranging unit 420 can be used to measure the distance to the right side of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device 410. As an example, the automatic pool cleaning device of the present disclosure performs a cleaning operation on the cleaning object in a side-by-side cleaning manner. Therefore, the automatic pool cleaning device can use the distance measuring unit 420 provided on the right side along the longitudinal axis of the body to obtain the distance value of the object located on the right side of the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device (for example, the side wall of the pool and / or the side wall of the isolated island in the pool) in real time, and control the automatic pool cleaning device (for example, the control unit 530 shown in Figure 9) based on the distance value to control the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the direction of extension of the object to perform the cleaning operation. In the case shown in Figure 8A, the automatic pool cleaning device 410 can obtain the distance value of the object located on the right side of the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device (that is, the pool wall) in real time through the distance measuring unit 420, and control the automatic pool cleaning device, for example, the control unit 530 shown in Figure 9, based on the distance value, control the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the direction of extension of the pool wall and simultaneously use the cleaning unit (not shown, such as a roller brush, etc.) to clean the pool wall.

[0120] As shown in FIG9 , according to an example of the present disclosure, the automatic pool cleaning device is further equipped with a direction detection unit 540, which can be used to detect the direction angle of the automatic pool cleaning device during travel. As an example, when the automatic pool cleaning device according to an example of the present disclosure performs a cleaning operation in the situation shown in FIG8A , the direction detection unit can obtain the direction angle of the automatic pool cleaning device as it moves along the edge in real time. As an example, the direction detection unit can include, but is not limited to, various components that can be used to detect direction, such as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a magnetometer.

[0121] As an example, when the automatic pool cleaning device according to the present disclosure performs an edge cleaning operation in the situation shown in FIG8A , the direction angle obtained by its direction detection unit may present a direction angle as shown in FIG8B . For example, FIG8B shows the range of direction angles that the automatic pool cleaning device may detect during travel, when the horizontal direction along the pool wall 210 shown in FIG8A is used as the x-axis direction and the vertical direction along the pool wall 210 shown in FIG8A is used as the y-axis direction. For example, in the situation shown in FIG8A , after the automatic pool cleaning device completes a cycle of edge cleaning operations on the pool wall, as shown in FIG8B , the change in the direction angle obtained by it is, for example, 180°→270°→0°→90°→180°, and the closing direction of the travel route is counterclockwise.

[0122] That is, according to the example of the present disclosure, when the automatic pool cleaning device is used to perform edge cleaning operations on the cleaning object, the direction angle of the automatic pool cleaning device during the movement is obtained, and based on the change of the direction angle, for example, based on the change of the direction angle from 180°→270°→0°→90°→180°, it can be determined whether the travel route of the edge cleaning operation performed by the automatic pool cleaning device is completely closed, and the direction of the closure.

[0123] For example, when determining that the route has been closed, the automatic pool cleaning device can determine whether it has traveled along the edge of the pool or along the edge of an island in the pool based on the closing direction of the route and the method for obtaining the distance measurement value. As an example, in the case shown in Figures 8A-8B, the closing direction of the route for the automatic pool cleaning device to perform edge cleaning operations is counterclockwise, and the method for obtaining the distance measurement value can be to measure the distance to the right of the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device. Therefore, it can be determined that the object of the edge cleaning operation performed is the pool wall 210.

[0124] FIG8C schematically illustrates a top view of a pool environment in another embodiment of the present disclosure, when an automatic pool cleaning device is performing a side-cleaning operation on a pool. As shown in FIG8C , a distance measuring unit 420 is provided on the right side of the automatic pool cleaning device 410 along the longitudinal axis of the body. The distance measuring unit 420 can measure the distance to the right side of the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device 410. As an example, the automatic pool cleaning device can utilize the distance measuring unit 420 provided on the right side of the longitudinal axis of the body to obtain the distance measurement value of an object located to the right side of the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device (e.g., the side wall of the pool and / or the side wall of an island in the pool) in real time, and control the automatic pool cleaning device (e.g., the control unit 530 shown in FIG9 ) based on the distance measurement value to control the automatic pool cleaning device to move in the direction of the object to perform the cleaning operation. In the case shown in Figure 8C, the automatic pool cleaning device 410 can obtain the distance measurement value of the object located on the right side of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device (i.e., the side wall of the platform serving as an island in the pool) in real time through the distance measurement unit 420, and through the control unit of the automatic pool cleaning device (for example, the control unit 530 shown in Figure 9), the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to travel along the boundary of the island based on the distance measurement value and at the same time the cleaning unit (not shown, such as a roller brush, etc.) performs cleaning operations on the island.

[0125] As an example, when the automatic pool cleaning device according to an example of the present disclosure performs a cleaning operation in the situation shown in FIG8C , the direction detection unit of the automatic pool cleaning device (e.g., direction detection unit 540 shown in FIG9 ) can obtain the direction angle of the automatic pool cleaning device in real time while it moves along the edge. As an example, the direction detection unit can include, but is not limited to, various components that can be used to detect direction, such as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a magnetometer.

[0126] As an example, when the automatic pool cleaning device according to the present disclosure performs an edge cleaning operation in the situation shown in FIG8C , the direction angle obtained by its direction detection unit may present a direction angle as shown in FIG8B . For example, in the situation shown in FIG8C , after the automatic pool cleaning device completes a cycle of edge cleaning operations on an isolated island in the pool (e.g., platform 220 as an isolated island shown in FIG8C ), the change in the direction angle obtained in the direction angle shown in FIG8B is, for example, 0°→270°→180°→90°→360°(0°), and the closed direction of the travel route presents a clockwise direction.

[0127] That is, according to the example of the present disclosure, when the automatic pool cleaning device is used to perform edge cleaning operations on the cleaning object, the direction angle of the automatic pool cleaning device during the movement is obtained, and based on the change of the direction angle, for example, based on the change of the direction angle from 0°→270°→180°→90°→360°(0°), it can be determined whether the travel route of the edge cleaning operation performed by the automatic pool cleaning device is completely closed, and the direction of the closure.

[0128] For example, when determining that the route has been closed, the automatic pool cleaning device can determine whether the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled along the boundary of the pool or along the boundary of an island present in the pool based on the closing direction of the route and the method for obtaining the distance measurement value. As an example, in the case shown in Figure 8C, the closing direction of the route for the automatic pool cleaning device to perform edge cleaning operations is clockwise, and the method for obtaining the distance measurement value is to measure the distance to the right of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device. Therefore, it can be determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled along the boundary of an island present in the pool, such as the boundary of island 220 shown in Figure 8C.

[0129] Different from the situation described above in conjunction with Figures 8A to 8C, a distance measuring unit 420 can be provided on the left side of the automatic pool cleaning device 410 along the longitudinal axis of the body, and the distance measuring unit can be used to measure the distance to the left of the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device 410. Figure 8D schematically shows a top view of the pool environment in another situation when the automatic pool cleaning device according to an example of the present disclosure is performing a pool edge cleaning operation. In the situation shown in Figure 8D, the distance measuring unit can be used to measure the distance to the left of the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device 410. As an example, the automatic pool cleaning device can use the distance measuring unit 420 provided on the left side of the longitudinal axis of the body to obtain the distance value of an object located to the left of the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device (e.g., the side wall of the pool and / or the side wall of an island in the pool) in real time. Based on the distance value, the control unit of the automatic pool cleaning device (e.g., the control unit 530 shown in Figure 9) controls the automatic pool cleaning device to move in the direction of the object to perform the cleaning operation. In the case shown in Figure 8D, the automatic pool cleaning device 410 can obtain the distance measurement value of the object located on the left side of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device (i.e., the pool wall 210 of the pool) in real time through the distance measurement unit 420, and through the control unit of the automatic pool cleaning device (for example, the control unit 530 shown in Figure 9), control the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the boundary of the pool wall based on the distance measurement value and at the same time use the cleaning unit (not shown, such as a roller brush, etc.) to clean the pool wall.

[0130] As an example, when the automatic pool cleaning device according to an example of the present disclosure performs a cleaning operation in the situation shown in FIG8D , the direction detection unit of the automatic pool cleaning device (e.g., direction detection unit 540 shown in FIG9 ) can obtain the direction angle of the automatic pool cleaning device in real time while it moves along the edge. As an example, the direction detection unit can include, but is not limited to, various components that can be used to detect direction, such as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a magnetometer.

[0131] As an example, when the automatic pool cleaning device according to the present disclosure performs an edge cleaning operation in the situation shown in FIG8D , the direction angle obtained by its direction detection unit may present a change in the direction angle as shown in FIG8B . For example, in the situation shown in FIG8D , after the automatic pool cleaning device completes a cycle of edge cleaning operations on the pool wall (e.g., the pool wall 210 of the pool shown in FIG8D ), the change in the direction angle obtained by the automatic pool cleaning device is, for example, 0°→270°→180°→90°→360°(0°), and the closed direction of the travel route is clockwise.

[0132] That is, according to the example of the present disclosure, when the automatic pool cleaning device is used to perform edge cleaning operations on the cleaning object, the direction angle of the automatic pool cleaning device during the movement is obtained, and based on the change of the direction angle, for example, based on the change of the direction angle from 0°→270°→180°→90°→360°(0°), it can be determined whether the travel route of the edge cleaning operation performed by the automatic pool cleaning device is completely closed, and the direction of the closure.

[0133] For example, when determining that the route has been closed, the automatic pool cleaning device can determine whether the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled along the edge of the pool or along the edge of an island in the pool based on the closing direction of the route and the method for obtaining the distance measurement value. As an example, in the case shown in Figure 8D, the closing direction of the route of the automatic pool cleaning device performing the edge cleaning operation is clockwise, and the method for obtaining the distance measurement value is to measure the distance to the left of the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device. Therefore, it can be determined that the object of the edge cleaning operation performed is the pool wall, such as pool wall 210 shown in Figure 8D.

[0134] 8E schematically shows a top view of the pool environment in another case when the automatic pool cleaning device according to an example of the present disclosure is performing an edge cleaning operation on the pool. Similarly, a distance measuring unit 420 can be provided on the left side of the automatic pool cleaning device 410 along the longitudinal axis of the body, and the distance measuring unit can be used to measure the distance to the left side of the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device 410. As an example, the automatic pool cleaning device can use the distance measuring unit 420 provided on the left side along the longitudinal axis of the body to obtain in real time the distance measurement value of an object located on the left side of the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device (for example, the side wall of the pool and / or the side wall of an island present in the pool), and control the automatic pool cleaning device (for example, the control unit 530 shown in FIG9 ) based on the distance measurement value to control the automatic pool cleaning device to move in the direction in which the object extends to perform the cleaning operation. In the case shown in Figure 8E, the automatic pool cleaning device 410 can obtain the ranging value of the object located on the left side of the moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device (i.e., the side wall of the platform 220 serving as an island in the pool) in real time through the ranging unit 420, and control the automatic pool cleaning device through the control unit (for example, the control unit 530 shown in Figure 9) based on the ranging value to control the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the boundary of the island 220 and at the same time use a cleaning unit (not shown, such as a roller brush, etc.) to clean the island.

[0135] As an example, when the automatic pool cleaning device according to an example of the present disclosure performs a cleaning operation in the situation shown in FIG8E , the direction detection unit of the automatic pool cleaning device (e.g., direction detection unit 540 shown in FIG9 ) can obtain the direction angle of the automatic pool cleaning device in real time while it moves along the edge. As an example, the direction detection unit can include, but is not limited to, various components that can be used to detect direction, such as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a magnetometer.

[0136] As an example, when the automatic pool cleaning device according to an example of the present disclosure performs an edge cleaning operation in the situation shown in FIG8E , the direction angle obtained by its direction detection unit may present a change in the direction angle as shown in FIG8B . For example, in the situation shown in FIG8E , after the automatic pool cleaning device completes a cycle of edge cleaning operations on an isolated island in the pool (e.g., isolated island 220 shown in FIG8E ), the change in the direction angle obtained as shown in FIG8B is, for example, 180°→270°→0°→90°→180°, and the closing direction of the travel route is counterclockwise.

[0137] That is, according to the example of the present disclosure, when the automatic pool cleaning device is used to perform edge cleaning operations on the cleaning object, the direction angle of the automatic pool cleaning device during the movement is obtained, and based on the change of the direction angle, for example, based on the change of the direction angle from 180°→270°→0°→90°→180°, it can be determined whether the travel route of the edge cleaning operation performed by the automatic pool cleaning device is completely closed, and the direction of the closure.

[0138] According to an example of the present disclosure, when it is determined that the route of travel has been closed, the automatic pool cleaning device can determine whether the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled along the boundary of the pool or along the boundary of an island present in the pool based on the closing direction of the route of travel and the method of obtaining the distance measurement value. As an example, in the case shown in Figure 8E, the closing direction of the route of travel for the automatic pool cleaning device to perform edge cleaning operations is counterclockwise, and the method of obtaining the distance measurement value is to measure the distance to the left side of the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device. Therefore, it can be determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled along the boundary of an island present in the pool, such as the boundary of the island 220 shown in Figure 8E.

[0139] Thus, according to the examples of the present disclosure, even if the automatic pool cleaning device is not equipped with a map of the environment of the pool in which the cleaning operation is performed, it is possible to identify an object that has completed the edge cleaning operation, that is, to accurately determine whether the automatic pool cleaning device has moved along the edge of the pool or along the edge of an isolated island in the pool. In other words, according to the examples of the present disclosure, the automatic pool cleaning device can be controlled to move along the edge of the object to perform the cleaning operation based on the method in which the automatic pool cleaning device obtains the ranging value; and based on the direction angle obtained during the movement of the automatic pool cleaning device, it is determined whether the travel route of the automatic pool cleaning device is completely closed and the direction of closure; if the travel route is completely closed, based on the closing direction of the travel route and the method of obtaining the ranging value (ranging to the left of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device or ranging to the right of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device), it is possible to determine whether the automatic pool cleaning device has moved along the edge of the pool or along the edge of an isolated island in the pool.

[0140] According to the example of the present disclosure, it is necessary to determine whether the route of the automatic pool cleaning device for performing edge cleaning operations on the cleaning object has been closed. Only when it is determined that the route has been closed, it is determined whether the automatic pool cleaning device has moved along the boundary of the pool or along the boundary of an island present in the pool based on the closing direction of the route and the method of obtaining the distance measurement value. As described above in conjunction with Figures 8A-8E, it is possible to determine whether the route has been closed based on the change in the direction angle (for example, the heading angle) of the automatic pool cleaning device during the edge cleaning operation detected by the direction detection unit of the automatic pool cleaning device, and determine the object of the cleaning operation based on the closed route, rather than just using local changes in the route. As shown in FIG10 , when the automatic pool cleaning device moves along the dotted arrow shown in FIG10 to perform edge operation, since there is a boss 260 at the pool wall 210, and the boss 260 constitutes a part of the pool wall 210, the direction angle detected by the direction detection unit of the automatic pool cleaning device will show a change trend of, for example, 270°→0°→90° near the boss 260, which seems to be in a counterclockwise direction. In this case, when the distance measuring unit of the automatic pool cleaning device is combined to measure the distance to the left side of the moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device, the edge cleaning device will be In fact, after the automatic pool cleaning device performs a one-round cleaning operation on the entire pool wall 210, the direction angle corresponding to the closed travel route will show a trend of change, for example, 270°→0°→90°→0°→270°→180°→90°→360°(0°), and its closing direction is clockwise. In this case, when the distance measurement value obtained by the automatic pool cleaning device is measured to the left of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device, the object being cleaned along the edge will be correctly determined to be the pool wall. Therefore, if the travel route of the automatic pool cleaning device for cleaning along the edge has not yet been closed, it cannot be determined whether its closing direction is clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0141] As an example, the above method for pool cleaning may further include: upon determining that the automatic pool cleaning device has moved along the boundary of the pool, exiting the cleaning operation after completing cleaning the pool wall.

[0142] As an example, the above method for pool cleaning may also include: when it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has moved along the boundary of an island present in the pool, after completing the cleaning of the island, continuing to clean the object of the next cleaning operation until it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has moved along the boundary of the pool and completed the cleaning of the pool wall.

[0143] That is to say, when there is an island in the pool, it can be identified whether the object to be cleaned is the pool wall or the island in the pool. Even if the island in the pool is cleaned first, the pool wall will not be missed.

[0144] In addition, although the principles of the present disclosure are described in conjunction with Figures 8A-8E, the distance measuring unit is only provided on one side of the longitudinal axis of the body of the automatic pool cleaning device, that is, on the left or right side. However, this is merely an example for illustrating the present disclosure, and the number and installation positions of the distance measuring units are not limited thereto according to actual needs. For example, distance measuring units can also be provided on both sides of the longitudinal axis of the body of the automatic pool cleaning device. When the automatic pool cleaning device enters the edge cleaning mode, the distance measuring units provided on both sides can be used to determine which side of the object is closer, and then the edge cleaning operation can be performed on the object on that side, while the distance measuring units on the other side are turned off or the distance measuring values ​​of the distance measuring units on the other side are not used. Alternatively, a ranging unit that can change the detection direction can be provided on the body of the automatic pool cleaning device. The specific installation position of the ranging unit is not limited. Based on the principles of the examples of the present disclosure described in combination with Figures 8A-8E, based on the method of obtaining the ranging value and the direction angle of the automatic pool cleaning device obtained by the direction detection unit during the movement, it can be determined whether the automatic pool cleaning device has moved along the boundary of the pool or along the boundary of an island existing in the pool.

[0145] As an example, the direction angle of the automatic pool cleaning device can be obtained by an inertial measurement unit IMU or a geomagnetic meter, and the distance measurement value can be obtained by an ultrasonic sensor or an optical distance measurement sensor.

[0146] As an example, the closing direction of the travel route of the automatic pool cleaning equipment for edge cleaning operations may include a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction, and the method of obtaining the distance measurement value includes measuring the distance to the left side of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning equipment or measuring the distance to the right side of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning equipment.

[0147] As an example, when the method for obtaining the distance measurement value is to measure the distance to the left side of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device: when the closing direction of the travel route is clockwise, it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled along the boundary of the pool; when the closing direction of the travel route is counterclockwise, it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled along the boundary of the island in the pool.

[0148] As an example, when the method for obtaining the distance measurement value is to measure the distance to the right side of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device: when the closing direction of the travel route is counterclockwise, it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled along the boundary of the pool; when the closing direction of the travel route is clockwise, it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled along the boundary of the island in the pool.

[0149] FIG9 shows a schematic block diagram of an automatic pool cleaning device 510 according to the present application. As an example, the automatic pool cleaning device includes: a distance measurement unit 520 for obtaining a distance measurement value between the automatic pool cleaning device and an object to its side, wherein the object includes at least one of a sidewall of a pool and a sidewall of an island in the pool; a control unit 530 configured to, based on the distance measurement value, control the automatic pool cleaning device to move in a direction extending from the object to perform a cleaning operation; and a direction detection unit 540 for detecting the direction angle of the automatic pool cleaning device during movement. The control unit 530 may also be configured to: determine whether a route of the automatic pool cleaning device is closed and its closing direction based on changes in the direction angle; and, if the route is closed, determine whether the automatic pool cleaning device has moved along a boundary of the pool or along a boundary of an island in the pool based on the closing direction of the route and the manner in which the distance measurement value was obtained.

[0150] As an example, the closed direction of the travel route includes a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction, and the method of obtaining the distance value includes measuring the distance to the left side of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device or measuring the distance to the right side of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0151] As an example, the control unit 530 can also be configured as follows: when the method for obtaining the distance measurement value is to measure the distance to the left side of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device: when the closing direction of the travel route is clockwise, it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled along the boundary of the pool; when the closing direction of the travel route is counterclockwise, it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled along the boundary of the island existing in the pool.

[0152] As an example, the control unit 530 can also be configured as follows: when the method of obtaining the distance measurement value is to measure the distance to the right side of the travel direction of the automatic pool cleaning device: when the closing direction of the travel route is counterclockwise, it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled along the boundary of the pool; when the closing direction of the travel route is clockwise, it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled along the boundary of the island existing in the pool.

[0153] As an example, the control unit 530 can also be configured to: when it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has moved along the boundary of the pool, after completing the cleaning of the pool wall, control the automatic pool cleaning device to exit the cleaning operation; and / or when it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has moved along the boundary of an island present in the pool, after completing the cleaning of the island, control the automatic pool cleaning device to continue cleaning the object of the next cleaning operation until it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device has moved along the boundary of the pool and completed the cleaning of the pool wall.

[0154] As an example, the ranging unit 520 may include at least one of an ultrasonic sensor and an optical ranging sensor, and the direction detection unit 540 may include at least one of an inertial measurement unit IMU and a geomagnetic meter.

[0155] According to the pool cleaning method and the corresponding automatic pool cleaning device of the examples of the present disclosure, when there is an island in the pool, it is possible to identify whether the object to be cleaned is the pool wall or the island in the pool. Even if the island in the pool is cleaned first, the pool wall will not be missed, thereby improving the cleaning quality and cleaning efficiency of the pool.

[0156] First, the scenario of applying the underwater ranging method according to the present application is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the scenario of applying the underwater ranging method disclosed in the present application. As shown in Figure 11, the underwater ranging method disclosed in the present application can be applied to a solution in which an automatic pool cleaning system cleans a pool (such as swimming pool 200). The automatic pool cleaning system may, for example, include an automatic pool cleaning device and a charging base station. The automatic pool cleaning device performs cleaning operations in the swimming pool 200 according to a planned path or according to remote control of the user, and when a predetermined condition is met (for example, the power of the automatic pool cleaning device is lower than a predetermined threshold or reaches the predetermined time of the operation plan), the automatic pool cleaning device needs to return to the charging base station on the side wall of the swimming pool to perform a charging operation.

[0157] In the following description, the automatic pool cleaning device can serve as the first ranging unit 10, and the charging base station as the second ranging unit 20. It is easy to understand that the present disclosure is not limited to this. The first ranging unit 10 can also be a charging base station, and the second ranging unit 20 is correspondingly an automatic pool cleaning device. In the example of the present disclosure, both the first ranging unit 10 and the second ranging unit 20 are configured with an ultrasonic signal transmitting mechanism and an echo signal receiving mechanism, so that they have the ability to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals. As described in detail below, the underwater ranging method according to the example of the present disclosure is performed by two ranging units (for example, the automatic pool cleaning device as the first ranging unit 10 and the charging base station as the second ranging unit 20) sending ranging signals to each other, and setting a predetermined time interval between the two ranging signals, thereby achieving the identification and distinction between the charging base station that can transmit the ranging signal and the side wall of the swimming pool that cannot actively transmit the signal. At the same time, the round-trip time point of the ranging signal is recorded by a single ranging unit, further eliminating the timing deviation of the two ranging units and improving the recognition accuracy of underwater ranging.

[0158] Figure 12 is a flow chart illustrating an underwater ranging method according to an example of the present disclosure. Figure 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an underwater ranging method according to an example of the present disclosure.

[0159] As shown in FIG12 , the underwater ranging method according to an example of the present disclosure includes the following steps.

[0160] In step S201, a first ranging signal is sent from a first signal transmitting unit to a second signal transmitting unit at a first time.

[0161] 13 , for example, at a first time T1, a first ranging signal S1 is sent by the first ranging unit 10 (i.e., the automatic pool cleaning device) as the first signal transmitting unit to the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) as the second signal transmitting unit. It is easy to understand that the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the first ranging signal S1 may also be sent by the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) as the first signal transmitting unit to the first ranging unit 10 (i.e., the automatic pool cleaning device) as the second signal transmitting unit at the first time T1. As shown in FIG13 , the first ranging unit 10 is configured with a ranging signal sending and receiving mechanism 101, and the second ranging unit 20 is configured with a ranging signal sending and receiving mechanism 201.

[0162] 13 , at a first time T1, the first ranging unit 10 (i.e., the automatic pool cleaning device) serving as the first signal transmitting unit and the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) serving as the second signal transmitting unit are mutually located in a predetermined area A. That is, when the first ranging unit 10 and the second ranging unit 20 are mutually located in the predetermined area A, the transmitted ranging signals (i.e., ultrasonic signals) can be received by each other.

[0163] In step S202, a second ranging signal is received by the first signal transmitting unit at a second time.

[0164] 13 , for example, at a second time T2, the first ranging unit 10 (i.e., the automatic pool cleaning device) as the first signal transmitting unit receives the second ranging signal S2. The second ranging signal S2 is sent by the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) as the second signal transmitting unit in response to receiving the first ranging signal S1.

[0165] For example, the first ranging signal S1 carries the first identification information of the first ranging unit 10 (i.e., the automatic pool cleaning device) as the first signal transmitting unit. The second ranging signal S2 carries the second identification information of the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) as the second signal transmitting unit. Since the first ranging signal S1 and the second ranging signal S2 carry the identification information of their respective signal transmitting units, the ranging signal can be parsed and the sender of the ranging signal can be identified after being received by the other party. That is to say, after receiving the signal, the identification information of the ranging signal can be parsed to identify whether the ranging signal is reflected back by the side wall of the swimming pool after being sent by itself (in this case, the ranging signal carries its own identification information), or whether it is actively sent back by another ranging unit after receiving the ranging signal sent by itself (in this case, the ranging signal carries the identification information of another ranging unit), thereby eliminating the interference of the ranging signal reflected by the side wall of the swimming pool.

[0166] In step S203, the distance between the first distance measuring unit and the second distance measuring unit is determined based on at least the first time and the second time.

[0167] 13 , for example, based on at least the first time T1 and the second time T2 , the distance L between the first distance measuring unit 10 and the second distance measuring unit 20 is determined.

[0168] For example, L=(T2-T1)×V / 2 Expression (1)

[0169] In the above expression (1), V represents the propagation velocity of the ranging signal underwater. For example, V may vary with the water temperature. The first ranging unit 10 and / or the second ranging unit 20 may be equipped with a temperature sensing mechanism to determine the propagation velocity V of the ranging signal after sensing the real-time water temperature.

[0170] The underwater ranging method according to an example of the present disclosure is described above with reference to Figures 12 and 13. In this example, two ranging units (for example, an automatic pool cleaning device as a first ranging unit and a charging base station as a second ranging unit) send ranging signals S1 and S2 to each other, thereby realizing the identification and distinction between the charging base station that can transmit ranging signals and the side wall of the swimming pool that cannot actively transmit signals. At the same time, a single ranging unit records the round-trip time points T1 and T2 of the ranging signal, further eliminating the timing deviation of the two ranging units and improving the recognition accuracy of underwater ranging.

[0171] Fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating in detail a method for underwater ranging according to an example of the present disclosure. Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating in detail a method for underwater ranging according to an example of the present disclosure.

[0172] As shown in FIG14 , the underwater ranging method according to an example of the present disclosure includes the following steps.

[0173] In step S401, it is determined that the first distance measuring unit and the second distance measuring unit are in a predetermined area.

[0174] 15 , for example, when the first ranging unit 10 and the second ranging unit 20 are in a predetermined area A relative to each other, the transmitted ranging signal (i.e., ultrasonic signal) can be received by each other. As described above, the ranging signal carries the identification information of the respective signal transmitting units. That is, for example, when the first ranging unit 10 receives and parses the ranging signal from the second ranging unit 20 and determines that it has received the ranging signal, it is determined that the first ranging unit 10 and the second ranging unit 20 are in the predetermined area A relative to each other.

[0175] In step S402, a first ranging signal is sent from a first signal transmitting unit to a second signal transmitting unit at a first time.

[0176] That is, after the first signal transmitting unit determines that the first ranging unit and the second ranging unit are in a predetermined area, the first signal transmitting unit transmits the first ranging signal to the second signal transmitting unit at the first time.

[0177] 15 , for example, at a first time T1, the first ranging unit 10 (i.e., the automatic pool cleaning device) as the first signal transmitting unit transmits a first ranging signal S1 to the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) as the second signal transmitting unit. It is readily understood that the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the first ranging signal S1 may also be transmitted from the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) as the first signal transmitting unit to the first ranging unit 10 (i.e., the automatic pool cleaning device) as the second signal transmitting unit at the first time T1.

[0178] In step S403, after a predetermined third time interval after receiving the first ranging signal, the second signal transmitting unit transmits a second ranging signal to the first signal transmitting unit.

[0179] 15 , for example, after a predetermined third time interval Δt1 has elapsed since the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) serving as the second signal transmitting unit receives the first ranging signal S1, the second signal transmitting unit transmits a second ranging signal S2 to the first signal transmitting unit. That is, the second ranging signal is transmitted by the second signal transmitting unit a predetermined third time interval after receiving the first ranging signal.

[0180] For example, the predetermined third time interval is within 30 to 200 ms, that is, the predetermined third time interval Δt1 is pre-set within the range of 30 to 200 ms. The predetermined third time interval Δt1 is determined based on the same rising edge or falling edge of the first ranging signal S1 within a unit time period. For example, referring to Figure 16, Figure 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating the ranging signal in the underwater ranging method according to an example of the present disclosure. The second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) as the second signal transmitting unit continues to monitor the amplitude change of the first ranging signal S1 after receiving the first ranging signal S1, for example, it is determined that the first ranging signal S1 reaches the peak of its rising edge at time points t1 and t2 respectively, then the predetermined third time interval Δt1 can be pre-set to (t2-t1), so that the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) as the second signal transmitting unit realizes the determination of the predetermined third time interval Δt1.

[0181] By setting the second signal transmitting unit to transmit the second ranging signal to the first signal transmitting unit after a predetermined third time interval after receiving the first ranging signal, that is, setting the predetermined third time interval as a silent period, interference caused by the ranging signal reflected from the side wall of the swimming pool can be further reduced. This is because the ranging signal is immediately reflected back once it reaches the side wall of the swimming pool, and the interference signal reflected by it will not have the silent period of the predetermined third time interval.

[0182] In step S404, the first signal transmitting unit receives a second ranging signal at a second time.

[0183] 15 , for example, at a second time T2, the first ranging unit 10 (i.e., the automatic pool cleaning device) as the first signal transmitting unit receives the second ranging signal S2. The second ranging signal S2 is transmitted by the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) as the second signal transmitting unit in response to receiving the first ranging signal S1 and after a predetermined third time interval Δt1.

[0184] For example, the first ranging signal S1 carries the first identification information of the first ranging unit 10 (i.e., the automatic pool cleaning device) as the first signal transmitting unit. The second ranging signal S2 carries the second identification information of the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) as the second signal transmitting unit. That is, the first ranging signal S1 carries the first identification information of the first signal transmitting unit, and the second ranging signal S2 carries the second identification information of the second signal transmitting unit. Because the first ranging signal S1 and the second ranging signal S2 carry the identification information of their respective signal transmitting units, the ranging signals can be parsed and the sender of the ranging signals can be identified after being received by the other party. In other words, upon receiving the signal, the identification information of the ranging signal can be parsed to determine whether the ranging signal was reflected back by the side wall of the pool after being sent by the ranging signal itself (in this case, the ranging signal carries its own identification information) or was actively sent back by another ranging unit after receiving the ranging signal sent by the ranging signal itself (in this case, the ranging signal carries the identification information of the other ranging unit), thereby eliminating interference from the ranging signal reflected by the pool side wall.

[0185] In step S405 , the distance between the first ranging unit and the second ranging unit is determined based on the first time, the second time, the third time interval, and the transmission speeds of the first ranging signal and the second ranging signal.

[0186] 15 , illustratively, the distance L1 between the first distance measuring unit 10 and the second distance measuring unit 20 is determined based on at least the first time T1 , the second time T2 , and the third time interval Δt1 .

[0187] For example, L1=(T2-T1-Δt1)×V / 2 Expression (2)

[0188] In the above expression (2), V represents the propagation velocity of the ranging signal underwater. For example, V may vary with the water temperature. The first ranging unit 10 and / or the second ranging unit 20 may be equipped with a temperature sensing mechanism to determine the propagation velocity V of the ranging signal after sensing the real-time water temperature.

[0189] 15 , the first ranging unit 10 (i.e., the automatic pool cleaning device) as the first signal transmitting unit moves to another position at the third time T3 and sends a first ranging signal S1 to the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) as the second signal transmitting unit. After the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) as the second signal transmitting unit receives the first ranging signal S1, the second signal transmitting unit sends a second ranging signal S2 to the first signal transmitting unit. The second ranging signal S2 is received by the first ranging unit 10 (i.e., the automatic pool cleaning device) as the first signal transmitting unit at the fourth time T4.

[0190] Based on at least the third time T3, the fourth time T4, and the fourth time interval Δt2, the distance L2 between the first distance measuring unit 10 and the second distance measuring unit 20 is determined.

[0191] For example, L2=(T3-T4-Δt2)×V / 2 Expression (3)

[0192] In this way, by using the underwater ranging method according to the example of the present disclosure twice, the distances L1 and L2 between the first ranging unit 10 and the second ranging unit 20 at two different time points are obtained, and the moving distance L3 of the first ranging unit 10 at the two different time points can be known, for example, through an internal inertial navigation system, so that based on L1, L2 and L3 and the angle information of the triangle formed by L1, L2 and L3, the first ranging unit 10 (i.e., the automatic pool cleaning device) is positioned relative to the second ranging unit 20 (i.e., the charging base station) through triangulation.

[0193] The underwater ranging method according to the example of the present disclosure is described above with reference to Figures 14 and 15. In this embodiment, two ranging units (for example, an automatic pool cleaning device as a first ranging unit and a charging base station as a second ranging unit) send ranging signals S1 and S2 to each other, and a predetermined time interval Δt is set between the two ranging signals, thereby realizing the identification and distinction between the charging base station that can transmit the ranging signal and the side wall of the swimming pool that cannot actively transmit the signal. At the same time, a single ranging unit records the round-trip time points T1 and T2 of the ranging signal, further eliminating the timing deviation of the two ranging units and improving the recognition accuracy of underwater ranging.

[0194] Fig. 17 is a block diagram illustrating an underwater distance measuring device according to an example of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 17 , the underwater distance measuring device 70 according to an example of the present disclosure includes a first distance measuring unit 10 and a second distance measuring unit.

[0195] For example, an automatic pool cleaning device can serve as the first ranging unit 10, and a charging base station can serve as the second ranging unit 20. It will be readily understood that the present disclosure is not limited thereto; the first ranging unit 10 can also be a charging base station, and the second ranging unit 20 can correspondingly be the automatic pool cleaning device. In the examples of the present disclosure, both the first ranging unit 10 and the second ranging unit 20 are equipped with an ultrasonic signal transmitting mechanism and an echo signal receiving mechanism, enabling them to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals.

[0196] One of the first ranging unit 10 and the second ranging unit 20 serves as a first signal transmitting unit, and the other of the first ranging unit 10 and the second ranging unit 20 serves as a second signal transmitting unit. The first signal transmitting unit transmits a first ranging signal to the second signal transmitting unit at a first time. The first signal transmitting unit receives a second ranging signal at a second time, and the second ranging signal is transmitted by the second signal transmitting unit in response to receiving the first ranging signal. The distance between the first ranging unit and the second ranging unit is determined based on at least the first time and the second time.

[0197] For example, the second ranging signal may be transmitted by the second signal transmitting unit after a predetermined third time interval after receiving the first ranging signal. In this case, the distance between the first ranging unit and the second ranging unit is determined based on the first time, the second time, the third time interval, and the transmission speeds of the first and second ranging signals.

[0198] The underwater ranging method and underwater ranging device according to an example of the present disclosure are described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. Distance measurement is performed by two ranging units in cooperation, that is, one of the first ranging unit and the second ranging unit is used as the first signal transmitting unit, and the other of the first ranging unit and the second ranging unit is used as the second signal transmitting unit. The first signal transmitting unit sends a first ranging signal to the second signal transmitting unit at a first time, and the first signal transmitting unit receives a second ranging signal at a second time. The second ranging signal is sent by the second signal transmitting unit in response to receiving the first ranging signal, thereby determining the distance between the first ranging unit and the second ranging unit based on the first time and the second time. That is to say, two ranging units (for example, the automatic pool cleaning device serves as the first ranging unit and the charging base station serves as the second ranging unit) send ranging signals to each other, and a predetermined time interval is set between the two ranging signals, thereby realizing the identification and distinction between the charging base station that can send ranging signals and the side wall of the swimming pool that cannot actively send signals. At the same time, the round-trip time points of the ranging signal are recorded by a single ranging unit, which further eliminates the timing deviation of the two ranging units and improves the recognition accuracy of underwater ranging.

[0199] The following introduces an automatic pool cleaning system provided by the present application, which includes a base station and an automatic pool cleaning device. The automatic pool cleaning device is provided with a signal receiving unit and a controller. The signal receiving unit is configured to receive a transmission signal from a signal transmitting unit on the base station; the signal receiving unit is communicatively connected to the controller.

[0200] For example, the automatic pool cleaning device is provided with at least two signal receiving units.

[0201] For example, the signal receiving unit communicates the acquired reception information to the controller.

[0202] For example, the signal transmitting unit sends a transmission signal to the automatic pool cleaning device at a preset frequency.

[0203] For example, the signal receiving unit may be an ultrasonic receiving unit, and the signal transmitting unit may be an ultrasonic transmitting unit.

[0204] For example, the signal receiving unit is a Bluetooth receiving unit, and the signal transmitting unit is a Bluetooth transmitting unit.

[0205] For example, the signal receiving unit is a wireless receiving unit, and the signal transmitting unit is a wireless transmitting unit.

[0206] 18 , a control method for an automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present application is introduced. The method includes:

[0207] S1001. When the automatic pool cleaning device is within a signal receiving range, control the automatic pool cleaning device to rotate at a current position; the signal receiving range is the signal coverage range of the signal transmitting unit; and the current position is the position of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0208] For example, when at least two signal receiving units receive the transmitted signal, it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device is within the signal receiving range. In other words, the automatic pool cleaning device being within the signal receiving range indicates that the signal receiving unit on the automatic pool cleaning device can receive the transmitted signal of the signal transmitting unit, wherein there can be multiple signal receiving units.

[0209] S1002. During the rotation of the automatic pool cleaning device, the signal receiving unit obtains received information; the received information represents information generated after receiving the transmitted signal.

[0210] Exemplarily, the received information includes multiple location tags and signal information corresponding to each of the multiple location tags; the location tags represent the rotation angle of the automatic pool cleaning device; and the signal information is information generated based on the transmitted signal.

[0211] Exemplarily, when the automatic pool cleaning device rotates 5°, it generates first signal information based on the transmitted signal; and when the automatic pool cleaning device rotates 10°, it generates second signal information based on the transmitted signal; then the received information includes the first signal information corresponding to the 5° position and the second signal information corresponding to the 10° position; wherein the 5° position and the 10° position are position tags.

[0212] S1003: Determine the target direction of the base station based on the received information.

[0213] For example, by controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to rotate at its current position when the automatic pool cleaning device is within the signal receiving range, and then determining the target direction of the base station based on the receiving information obtained by the signal receiving unit of the automatic pool cleaning device, the target direction of the base station can be determined by rotating the automatic pool cleaning device, thereby reducing the positioning difficulty of the automatic pool cleaning device and improving the positioning accuracy of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0214] For example, the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device further includes: when the automatic pool cleaning device is not within the signal receiving range, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move based on a preset running trajectory.

[0215] Exemplarily, the automatic pool cleaning device is provided with a magnetometer, which is used to measure the angles between the automatic pool cleaning device and the four directions of east, south, west and north. The automatic pool cleaning device can be guided based on the direction of the magnetometer. When the automatic pool cleaning device is not within the signal reception range, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to run in a long straight line.

[0216] For example, S1001 includes: the automatic pool cleaning device rotates at least one circle.

[0217] For example, by rotating the automatic pool cleaning device at least once, signal information at each position of the automatic pool cleaning device during the rotation can be traversed, thereby increasing the amount of received information and improving the accuracy of determining the target direction. The automatic pool cleaning device can rotate at least once about the center of gravity of the device, and of course, it can also rotate about other centers. The center of rotation is not limited here.

[0218] For example, one rotation of the automatic pool cleaning device may be divided into a plurality of position tags.

[0219] For example, the 360° rotation of the automatic pool cleaning device can be divided into 360 position tags, that is, the automatic pool cleaning device can generate corresponding signal information based on the transmitted signal every time it rotates 1°; the 360° rotation of the automatic pool cleaning device can also be divided into 180 position tags, that is, the automatic pool cleaning device can generate corresponding signal information based on the transmitted signal every time it rotates 2°; it can be foreseen that the more position tags corresponding to one rotation of the automatic pool cleaning device, the more data corresponding to the received information, and the more accurate the determination of the target direction; the fewer position tags corresponding to one rotation of the automatic pool cleaning device, the less data that needs to be acquired and stored, and the less processing pressure on the controller of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0220] For example, the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device further includes: after obtaining the target direction, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to turn toward the target direction and move along the target direction to the base station.

[0221] Exemplarily, the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device also includes: determining the target rotation angle based on the assembly position of the first signal receiving unit and the second signal receiving unit; controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to rotate from the target position to the target rotation angle so that the forward direction of the automatic pool cleaning device is the target direction, and then the automatic pool cleaning device moves along the target direction to the base station.

[0222] For example, after determining the direction of the base station, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to move toward the base station so that the automatic pool cleaning device can return to the warehouse, thereby improving the return accuracy and efficiency of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0223] For example, the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device may also include: controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move toward the target area based on the target direction and target position of the base station; the target area may be the working area of ​​the automatic pool cleaning device, for example, the target area is the area to be cleaned.

[0224] For example, the target direction of the base station is used for guidance to control the automatic pool cleaning equipment to change its working area, thereby improving the control flexibility of the automatic pool cleaning equipment.

[0225] For example, S1003 includes: determining a calculation direction based on the received information, where the target direction is perpendicular to the calculation direction.

[0226] Exemplarily, when the target signal information meets a preset condition, the calculation direction is determined based on the position tag corresponding to the target signal information.

[0227] Exemplarily, assuming that the received information includes first signal information corresponding to a 5° position and second signal information corresponding to a 10° position, where the second signal information satisfies a preset condition, then the second signal information is the target signal information, and the calculated direction can be determined based on the direction of the automatic pool cleaning device when it rotates 10° at the initial position; the preset condition indicates that at least two signal receiving units can receive the same transmitted information at the same time.

[0228] For example, since the vertical distance is the shortest, by determining the direction perpendicular to the calculation direction as the target direction, the accuracy of the automatic pool cleaning equipment in determining the target direction can be improved. In the application scenario of the automatic pool cleaning equipment returning to the warehouse, it can return to the warehouse based on the shortest distance, thereby improving the return efficiency.

[0229] For example, the reception information includes a signal reception time difference, and the signal reception time difference is used to reflect the distance value between the signal receiving unit and the base station when the signal receiving unit obtains the reception information.

[0230] Exemplarily, the received information includes a plurality of received sub-information, and at least two signal receiving units each correspond to a piece of received sub-information; each piece of received sub-information includes a transmitting time, a receiving time, and a signal receiving time difference.

[0231] Exemplarily, the signal information includes a plurality of receiving sub-information.

[0232] For example, taking the case where the automatic pool cleaning device generates the first signal information based on the transmitted signal when it rotates 5°, the received information includes the first signal information and the position tag corresponding to the 5° position; the first signal information includes multiple receiving sub-information, for example, the first receiving sub-information corresponding to the first signal receiving unit, the first receiving sub-information includes the first transmitting moment, the first receiving moment and the first signal receiving time difference; the second receiving sub-information corresponding to the second signal receiving unit, the second receiving sub-information includes the second transmitting moment, the second receiving moment and the second signal receiving time difference.

[0233] For example, by receiving information including the transmission time, reception time and signal reception time difference, each rotation position and the difference in reception information between each signal receiving unit can be clearly identified, thereby improving data differentiation and improving the accuracy of determining the target direction.

[0234] Exemplarily, the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device further includes: determining the distance between the automatic pool cleaning device and the base station based on the signal reception time difference and the transmission speed of the transmitted signal; the transmitted signal may carry clock information and transmission speed information.

[0235] Exemplarily, when the signal transmitting unit is an ultrasonic transmitting unit, the carrier information of the ultrasonic wave includes carrier clock information and ultrasonic wave transmission speed; for example, the ultrasonic wave transmission speed is determined based on the ambient temperature.

[0236] For example, the at least two signal receiving units include at least a first signal receiving unit and a second signal receiving unit.

[0237] For example, the first signal receiving unit and the second signal receiving unit may be receiving units of the same model, or may be receiving units of different models.

[0238] Exemplarily, the first signal receiving unit includes a first receiving subunit and a first signal processing subunit, and the second signal receiving unit includes a second receiving subunit and a second signal processing subunit; both the first receiving subunit and the second receiving subunit are capable of receiving the transmission signal sent by the transmitting unit; the first signal processing subunit and the second signal processing subunit can be the same type of signal processing or different types of signal processing.

[0239] For example, the calculation direction is determined based on the connection direction of the assembly positions of the two signal receiving units when a preset condition is met.

[0240] For example, the direction may be calculated based on the received sub-information corresponding to each of the two signal receiving units under the same location tag; for example, the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device includes:

[0241] Get multiple receiving sub-information corresponding to the current location tag.

[0242] When a plurality of received sub-information satisfy a preset condition, the position corresponding to the current position tag is determined to be the target position.

[0243] At the target position, the direction of the connection line of the assembly positions of the two signal receiving units is determined as the calculation direction.

[0244] For example, the calculation direction is determined based on the connection direction of the assembly positions of the two signal receiving units when the preset conditions are met, thereby reducing the computational complexity of the calculation direction and improving the determination rate of the target direction.

[0245] Exemplarily, the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device further includes: if the plurality of received sub-information do not meet a preset condition, determining the next position tag as the current position tag based on the rotation order.

[0246] For example, the calculation direction may be calculated synchronously with the rotation of the automatic pool cleaning device, or may be calculated after the automatic pool cleaning device rotates one circle.

[0247] For example, the preset condition is that the signal receiving time difference of the first signal receiving unit is equal to the signal receiving time difference of the second signal receiving unit.

[0248] For example, the signal reception time difference of the first signal receiving unit is equal to the signal reception time difference of the second signal receiving unit, indicating that the first signal receiving unit and the second signal receiving unit can receive the same transmitted signal at the same time. In other words, the signal reception time difference of the first signal receiving unit is equal to the signal reception time difference of the second signal receiving unit, indicating that the distance between the first signal receiving unit and the base station is equal to the distance between the second signal receiving unit and the base station.

[0249] For example, the preset condition is determined as the signal reception time difference of the first signal receiving unit is equal to the signal reception time difference of the second signal receiving unit, thereby reducing the computational complexity of calculating the direction and improving the determination rate of the target direction.

[0250] For example, the midpoint of the line connecting the assembly positions of the two signal receiving units when the preset conditions are met passes through the target direction.

[0251] For example, it can be foreseen that when the signal reception time difference of the first signal receiving unit is equal to the signal reception time difference of the second signal receiving unit, the distance between the first signal receiving unit and the base station is equal to the distance between the second signal receiving unit and the base station. Therefore, the first signal receiving unit, the second signal receiving unit and the base station form an isosceles triangle. Since the target direction is perpendicular to the calculation direction, the calculation direction is the connection direction between the first signal receiving unit and the second signal receiving unit. Therefore, the target direction must pass through the midpoint of the line connecting the first signal receiving unit and the second signal receiving unit.

[0252] 19 , the workflow of the automatic pool cleaning system under the automatic pool cleaning equipment control method in an embodiment of the present application is introduced.

[0253] It should be noted that: A, B, C, and D respectively refer to different operating positions of the automatic pool cleaning device, M refers to the base station shown in a circle, and the angle formed by the two dotted lines with the base station M as the vertex is the signal coverage range of the base station M; the automatic pool cleaning device B is a dotted line frame, and the automatic pool cleaning device C is a solid line frame; the automatic pool cleaning device is initially at position A. Obviously, the automatic pool cleaning device A is not within the signal coverage range of the base station M. Under the guidance of the geomagnetic needle, the automatic pool cleaning device A makes a long straight line motion and moves to position B. The automatic pool cleaning device B is within the signal coverage range of the base station M, and at least two signal receiving units on the automatic pool cleaning device B can receive the transmission signal of the signal transmitting unit on the base station M; at this time, the automatic pool cleaning device B is controlled to rotate at the current position, for example, it can be rotated at least one circle; after the automatic pool cleaning device B moves to the automatic pool cleaning device C, the signal reception time difference of the first signal receiving unit on the automatic pool cleaning device C is equal to the signal reception time of the second signal receiving unit.

[0254] It is worth noting that: the first signal receiving unit and the second signal receiving unit in the figure are arranged on the same side, and the first signal receiving unit and the second signal receiving unit are symmetrical about the central axis of the rectangular automatic pool cleaning device shown in the figure; therefore, it can be determined that the calculation direction is the direction of the line connecting the sides where the first signal receiving unit and the second signal receiving unit are located.

[0255] When the assembly positions of the first signal receiving unit and the second signal receiving unit are different from the above, the specific position of the automatic pool cleaning device C can be known to be different from the above, and the specific position of the automatic pool cleaning device can be reasonably inferred.

[0256] The target direction is a direction perpendicular to the calculated direction. At the same time, based on the assembly positions of the first signal receiving unit and the second signal receiving unit, it can be determined that the automatic pool cleaning device C needs to move in a direction close to the base station M; for example, when the signal reception time difference of the first signal receiving unit is equal to the signal reception time of the second signal receiving unit, the position tag corresponding to the minimum signal reception time difference of the first signal receiving unit is determined as the target position; and the target direction is determined based on the side where the first signal receiving unit is located, that is, the direction in which the automatic pool cleaning device rotates 90° to the side where the first signal receiving unit is located is the target direction of the base station.

[0257] Therefore, the automatic pool cleaning device C can be controlled to move toward the target direction. For example, the automatic pool cleaning device D is an intermediate state of the automatic pool cleaning device C moving toward the base station M based on the target direction.

[0258] In addition, after clarifying the direction of the base station, the present application can also determine the working area of ​​the automatic pool cleaning equipment based on the direction of the base station; for example, the distance between the automatic pool cleaning equipment and the base station is determined based on the signal reception time difference and the transmission speed of the transmitted signal, and then the base station is used as the reference position to control the automatic pool cleaning equipment to move to the target area.

[0259] The control method of the automatic pool cleaning device in the embodiment of the present application has the following beneficial effects.

[0260] By controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to rotate at its current position when the automatic pool cleaning device is within the signal receiving range, and then determining the target direction of the base station based on the receiving information obtained by the signal receiving unit of the automatic pool cleaning device, the target direction of the base station can be determined by rotating the automatic pool cleaning device, thereby reducing the positioning difficulty of the automatic pool cleaning device and improving the positioning accuracy of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0261] An embodiment of the present application also provides a control device for an automatic pool cleaning device, which includes: a rotation control module, which is used to control the automatic pool cleaning device to rotate at the current position when the automatic pool cleaning device is within the signal receiving range; the signal receiving range is the signal coverage range of the signal transmitting unit; a receiving information acquisition module, which is used to enable the signal receiving unit to obtain receiving information during the rotation of the automatic pool cleaning device; and a target direction determination module, which is used to determine the target direction of the base station based on the received information.

[0262] An embodiment of the present application also provides an automatic pool cleaning system, which includes a base station and an automatic pool cleaning device. The automatic pool cleaning device is provided with a signal receiving unit and a controller. The signal receiving unit is configured to receive a transmission signal from a signal transmitting unit on the base station. The controller is used to control the automatic pool cleaning device to rotate at a current position when the automatic pool cleaning device is within a signal receiving range corresponding to the signal transmitting unit; during the rotation of the automatic pool cleaning device, the signal receiving unit obtains reception information; and the controller is used to determine the target direction of the base station based on the reception information.

[0263] The present application also provides an electronic device, which includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores at least one instruction or at least one program, and the at least one instruction or at least one program is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device as described above.

[0264] The memory can be used to store software programs and units. The processor executes various functional applications and data processing by running the software programs and units stored in the memory. The memory can mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area can store the operating system, application programs required for the function, etc.; the data storage area can store data created based on the use of the device, etc. In addition, the memory can include high-speed random access memory and non-volatile memory, such as at least one hard disk storage device, flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage device. Accordingly, the memory can also include a memory controller to provide the processor with access to the memory.

[0265] The method embodiments provided in this application can be executed in electronic devices such as mobile terminals, computer terminals, servers or similar computing devices. Figure 20 is an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 20, the electronic device 900 may have relatively large differences due to different configurations or performances, and may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) 910 (the processor 910 may include but is not limited to a processing device such as a microprocessor MCU or a programmable logic device FPGA), a memory 930 for storing data, and one or more storage media 920 (such as one or more mass storage devices) for storing application programs 923 or data 922. Among them, the memory 930 and the storage medium 920 can be temporary storage or permanent storage. The program stored in the storage medium 920 may include one or more units, each of which may include a series of instruction operations on the electronic device. Furthermore, the central processing unit 910 can be configured to communicate with the storage medium 920 to execute a series of instruction operations in the storage medium 920 on the electronic device 900. The electronic device 900 may also include one or more power supplies 960, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces 950, one or more input and output interfaces 940, and / or one or more operating systems 921, such as Windows Server™, Mac OS X™, Unix™, Linux™, FreeBSD™, etc.

[0266] The input / output interface 940 can be used to receive or send data via a network. Specific examples of the aforementioned network may include a wireless network provided by a communications provider of the electronic device 900. In one embodiment, the input / output interface 940 includes a network adapter (NIC), which can be connected to other network devices via a base station to enable communication with the Internet. In one embodiment, the input / output interface 940 can be a radio frequency (RF) unit for wireless communication with the Internet.

[0267] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the structure shown in FIG20 is merely illustrative and does not limit the structure of the electronic device. For example, the electronic device 900 may include more or fewer components than shown in FIG20 , or have a configuration different from that shown in FIG20 .

[0268] An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium storing at least one instruction or at least one program, which is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device as described above.

[0269] In Figures 21 to 23, the dotted line is the trajectory of the automatic pool cleaning device walking along the edge, the solid line is the route the automatic pool cleaning device has traveled, and the dotted arrow is the route the automatic pool cleaning device needs to travel.

[0270] In conjunction with Figure 21, the automatic pool cleaning system provided in an embodiment of the present application is introduced, which includes an automatic pool cleaning device 11 and a base station 12; the automatic pool cleaning device 11 can walk along the edge of the water surface, and the base station 12 is set on the path along the edge of the automatic pool cleaning device 11.

[0271] For example, the base station 12 is at least partially exposed above the water surface and has an opening, which matches the direction in which the automatic pool cleaning device 11 enters the base station 12 when walking along the edge; the automatic pool cleaning device 11 can enter the base station 12 along the edge in a clockwise direction; the automatic pool cleaning device can also enter the base station 12 in a counterclockwise direction.

[0272] For example, when the pool is in a water-filled state, the base station 12 is in a floating state.

[0273] Exemplarily, the automatic pool cleaning device 11 is docked with the base station 12 through the drive-in opening.

[0274] For example, the automatic pool cleaning device 11 is provided with a first ranging unit, which is used to measure the distance between the automatic pool cleaning device 11 and a target object; the target object is located in the forward direction of the automatic pool cleaning device; the target object can be an obstacle located in the forward direction of the automatic pool cleaning device 11, or it can be the base station 12 corresponding to the automatic pool cleaning device 11, or it can be the pool wall 13.

[0275] For example, a second distance measuring unit is provided on the forward direction of the automatic pool cleaning device 11 , and the second distance measuring unit is used to measure the distance between the automatic pool cleaning device 11 and the pool wall 13 .

[0276] For example, when the automatic pool cleaning device 11 is moving along the edge, the second distance measuring unit is arranged on a side close to the pool wall 13 .

[0277] Exemplarily, the first ranging unit is an ultrasonic ranging unit; the second ranging unit may include a plurality of ultrasonic ranging units.

[0278] With reference to FIG22 , the following introduces a control method for an automatic pool cleaning device provided in an embodiment of the present application, the method comprising: when the current working mode of the automatic pool cleaning device is the return-to-warehouse mode, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the edge until it returns to the base station to perform the next action.

[0279] For example, the return mode indicates that the automatic pool cleaning device needs to return to the base station; walking along the edge refers to the automatic pool cleaning device moving clockwise or counterclockwise along the wall of the pool.

[0280] For example, by setting the base station on the walking path along the edge of the automatic pool cleaning equipment, when the automatic pool cleaning equipment is in the return mode, the automatic pool cleaning equipment can return to the base station by walking along the edge to perform the next action, thereby realizing automatic docking between the automatic pool cleaning equipment and the base station, avoiding complex control logic, and thereby improving the flexibility, convenience and efficiency of the automatic pool cleaning equipment returning to the warehouse.

[0281] For example, the return mode is switched based on one of the following: the automatic pool cleaning device is low on power, or a user terminal control command is issued, or the current cleaning task is completed.

[0282] For example, by automatically returning to the warehouse when the automatic pool cleaning device is low on power, the automatic pool cleaning device can be prevented from stagnating due to power exhaustion, thereby improving the intelligence of the control of the automatic pool cleaning device; by automatically returning to the warehouse in response to the user terminal control command, the automatic pool cleaning device can be controlled to automatically return to the warehouse when the user needs to repair the automatic pool cleaning device, or when other situations require the automatic pool cleaning device to return to the warehouse, thereby improving the reliability of the control of the automatic pool cleaning device; by automatically returning to the warehouse when the cleaning task of the automatic pool cleaning device has been completed, the automatic pool cleaning device can be prevented from stagnating in place after completing the work, and can return to the warehouse for status adjustment (charging and dirt transfer, etc.), thereby improving the intelligence of the control of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0283] Exemplarily, the switching process of the return-to-warehouse mode may be: obtaining the current power of the automatic pool cleaning device; when the current power is less than a preset power threshold, switching the current working mode of the automatic pool cleaning device to the return-to-warehouse mode; the current power is less than the preset power threshold, indicating that the available power of the automatic pool cleaning device is insufficient and needs to be returned to the warehouse for power replenishment; for example, the preset power threshold can ensure that the automatic pool cleaning device walks along the edge of the pool for at least one circle.

[0284] Exemplarily, the switching process of the return-to-warehouse mode may also be: in response to a control command from a user terminal, the current working mode of the automatic pool cleaning device is switched to the return-to-warehouse mode.

[0285] Exemplarily, the switching process of the return-to-warehouse mode may also be: obtaining the current task progress of the automatic pool cleaning device; when the current task progress indicates that the current task is in a completed state, switching the current working mode of the automatic pool cleaning device to the return-to-warehouse mode.

[0286] For example, the next action includes charging or standby.

[0287] For example, the next step may be to transfer the dirt in the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0288] Exemplarily, the next action may also be multiple actions performed simultaneously, for example, charging the automatic pool cleaning device while transferring dirt from the pool.

[0289] For example, the next action may be a series of actions, for example, after the automatic pool cleaning device is fully charged, the automatic pool cleaning device is put into standby mode.

[0290] For example, the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device also includes: obtaining first distance detection data, the first distance detection data representing the distance between the base station and the automatic pool cleaning device; and controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to slow down and enter the base station based on the first distance detection data.

[0291] For example, the first distance detection data is sent by the base station to the automatic pool cleaning device; when the automatic pool cleaning device receives the first distance detection data, it indicates that the automatic pool cleaning device has walked along the edge to the vicinity of the base station.

[0292] Exemplarily, the first distance detection data includes but is not limited to data information such as the first distance detection value and the data sending time node.

[0293] Exemplarily, the first distance detection value in the first distance detection data is positively correlated with the movement speed of the automatic pool cleaning device; that is, the shorter the distance between the base station and the automatic pool cleaning device, the slower the movement speed of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0294] For example, by controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to slow down based on the first distance detection data, the automatic pool cleaning device can slowly dock with the base station when the automatic pool cleaning device is close to the base station, thereby avoiding the automatic pool cleaning device from causing an impact on the base station, thereby improving the success rate of the docking of the automatic pool cleaning device with the base station and improving the safety of the docking of the automatic pool cleaning device with the base station.

[0295] For example, the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device also includes: obtaining second distance detection data, the second distance detection data representing the distance between the obstacle and the automatic pool cleaning device; and controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to avoid the obstacle based on the second distance detection data.

[0296] For example, the second distance detection data is obtained based on detection by the first ranging unit.

[0297] Exemplarily, the second distance detection data includes but is not limited to data information such as the second distance detection value and the data acquisition time node.

[0298] Exemplarily, when the first distance detection data and the second distance detection data meet a preset condition, it is determined that the automatic pool cleaning device is docking with the base station.

[0299] For example, the first distance detection data and the second distance detection data meet the preset conditions, indicating that the obstacle in front of the automatic pool cleaning device is the base station. There is no need to detour around the base station, and the device can directly enter the opening of the base station and dock with the base station.

[0300] For example, when the first distance detection data and the second distance detection data meet the preset conditions, the second distance detection value in the second distance detection data can also be used to be positively correlated with the movement speed of the automatic pool cleaning device to control the deceleration of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0301] For example, the first distance detection data and the second distance detection data can also be comprehensively considered to control the deceleration of the automatic pool cleaning device; for example, based on the data sending time node corresponding to the first distance detection value, the data acquisition time node corresponding to the second distance detection value and the current time node, the current driving speed of the automatic pool cleaning device corresponding to the current time node is comprehensively calculated, thereby controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to decelerate.

[0302] Exemplarily, the preset condition may be that the difference between the first distance detection value and the second distance detection value is less than a preset difference; for example, the first distance detection value and the second distance detection value may be consistent; the preset condition may also be that the data sending time node in the first distance detection data and the data acquisition time node in the second distance detection data are within a preset time fluctuation range, and the difference between the first distance detection value and the second distance detection value is less than the preset difference.

[0303] Exemplarily, the base station sends the first distance detection data to the automatic pool cleaning device at a preset frequency to update the first distance detection data in real time.

[0304] Exemplarily, the automatic pool cleaning device can only receive the first distance detection data within a preset range of the base station.

[0305] Exemplarily, both the first distance detection value and the second distance detection value may be obtained by measuring with a ranging ultrasonic device.

[0306] For example, the base station may send the first distance detection value to the controller of the automatic pool cleaning device via a communication method such as long range radio (LoRa), Bluetooth, or wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi).

[0307] For example, the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device further includes: issuing a warning message when the first distance detection data and the second distance detection data do not meet the preset conditions and the first distance detection data is less than or equal to the preset distance detection data.

[0308] For example, if the first distance detection data is less than or equal to the preset distance detection data, it indicates that the automatic pool cleaning device is close to the base station. At this time, it is impossible to bypass the target object and the obstacle needs to be moved manually. Therefore, the reliability and safety of the docking between the automatic pool cleaning device and the base station are improved by issuing a warning message.

[0309] For example, the warning information may be sent to a user terminal, or an alarm sound may be emitted through a voice module; user terminals include but are not limited to mobile phone terminals, computer terminals, and tablet terminals, etc.

[0310] For example, the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device also includes: obtaining third distance detection data, the third distance detection data representing the distance between the automatic pool cleaning device and the pool wall; and controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the edge based on the third distance detection data.

[0311] For example, the third distance detection data is obtained based on detection by the second ranging unit.

[0312] For example, when the automatic pool cleaning device moves along the edge, it maintains a preset distance from the pool wall based on the third distance detection data.

[0313] For example, by maintaining a preset distance along the edge of the pool between the automatic pool cleaning device and the pool wall, the automatic pool cleaning device can be prevented from colliding with the pool wall, thereby improving the reliability and safety of the automatic pool cleaning device while walking along the edge.

[0314] For example, the preset edge distance can be determined based on the interval between the opening and the pool wall, thereby ensuring that the automatic pool cleaning equipment can directly enter the opening and dock with the base station while walking along the edge, thereby improving the convenience and efficiency of docking between the automatic pool cleaning equipment and the base station.

[0315] For example, when the equipment moves along the edge, the distance between the automatic pool cleaning equipment and the pool wall should be controlled within 5 to 50 centimeters.

[0316] For example, the distance between the automatic pool cleaning device and the pool wall can be controlled at 5 cm, the distance between the automatic pool cleaning device and the pool wall can be controlled at 50 cm, and the distance between the automatic pool cleaning device and the pool wall can also be controlled to fluctuate within the range of 5 to 50 cm.

[0317] Referring to FIG. 23 , for example, the method for controlling an automatic pool cleaning device further includes: acquiring third distance detection data from a second distance measuring unit when the current operating mode of the automatic pool cleaning device is switched to a return mode. If the third distance detection data indicates that there are no objects to the side of the automatic pool cleaning device, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move in any direction such that the automatic pool cleaning device moves along the pool wall.

[0318] For example, the absence of a side object on the forward side of the automatic pool cleaning device indicates that the automatic pool cleaning device is currently in the center of the pool, so the automatic pool cleaning device will move in any direction to walk along the side.

[0319] For example, when the automatic pool cleaning device has just switched to the return mode and is located in the center of the pool, the device can be moved in any direction to enable the automatic pool cleaning device to walk along the edge, thereby improving the intelligence of the automatic return of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0320] The control method of the automatic pool cleaning device provided in the embodiment of the present application has the following beneficial effects.

[0321] By setting the base station on the walking path along the edge of the automatic pool cleaning equipment, when the automatic pool cleaning equipment is in the return mode, the automatic pool cleaning equipment can return to the base station by walking along the edge to perform the next action, thereby realizing automatic docking between the automatic pool cleaning equipment and the base station, avoiding complex control logic, and thereby improving the flexibility, convenience and efficiency of the automatic pool cleaning equipment returning to the warehouse.

[0322] An embodiment of the present application also provides an automatic pool cleaning device, which can move along the edge of the water surface, and a base station is set on the path along which it moves; the device includes a controller, which is used to control the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the edge when the current working mode of the automatic pool cleaning device is the return mode, until it returns to the base station to perform charging or standby operation.

[0323] An embodiment of the present application also provides an automatic pool cleaning system, which includes the automatic pool cleaning device of the embodiment of the present application and a base station of the automatic pool cleaning device; wherein the base station is at least partially exposed to the water surface and has an opening, and the opening matches the direction in which the automatic pool cleaning device enters the base station when walking along the edge.

[0324] An embodiment of the present application also provides a control device for automatic pool cleaning equipment, which includes:

[0325] The edge return module is used to control the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the edge until it returns to the base station to perform the next action when the current working mode of the automatic pool cleaning device is the return mode.

[0326] The mode switching module is used to switch the current working mode of the automatic pool cleaning device to the return mode when the automatic pool cleaning device is low on power, or when a user terminal controls the command, or when the current cleaning task is completed.

[0327] The deceleration module is used to obtain first distance detection data, which represents the distance between the base station and the automatic pool cleaning device; and control the automatic pool cleaning device to decelerate and enter the base station based on the first distance detection data.

[0328] The obstacle avoidance module is used to obtain second distance detection data, which represents the distance between the obstacle and the automatic pool cleaning device; and control the automatic pool cleaning device to avoid the obstacle based on the second distance detection data.

[0329] The edge keeping module is used to obtain third distance detection data, which represents the distance between the automatic pool cleaning device and the pool wall; and control the automatic pool cleaning device to move along the edge based on the third distance detection data.

[0330] An embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device, which includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores at least one instruction or at least one program, and the at least one instruction or at least one program is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device as described above.

[0331] The memory can be used to store software programs and modules. The processor executes various functional applications and data processing by running the software programs and modules stored in the memory. The memory can mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area can store the operating system, application programs required for the functions, etc.; the data storage area can store data created based on the use of the device, etc. In addition, the memory can include high-speed random access memory and non-volatile memory, such as at least one hard disk storage device, flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage device. Accordingly, the memory can also include a memory controller to provide the processor with access to the memory.

[0332] The method embodiments provided in the embodiments of the present application can be executed in electronic devices such as mobile terminals, computer terminals, servers or similar computing devices. Figure 20 can also be an electronic device provided in the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 20, the electronic device 900 may have relatively large differences due to different configurations or performances, and may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) 910 (the processor 910 may include but is not limited to a processing device such as a microprocessor MCU or a programmable logic device FPGA), a memory 930 for storing data, and one or more storage media 920 (such as one or more mass storage devices) for storing application programs 923 or data 922. Among them, the memory 930 and the storage medium 920 can be temporary storage or permanent storage. The program stored in the storage medium 920 may include one or more modules, each module may include a series of instruction operations on the electronic device. Furthermore, the central processing unit 910 can be configured to communicate with the storage medium 920 to execute a series of instruction operations in the storage medium 920 on the electronic device 900. The electronic device 900 may also include one or more power supplies 960, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces 950, one or more input and output interfaces 940, and / or one or more operating systems 921, such as Windows Server™, Mac OS X™, Unix™, Linux™, FreeBSD™, etc.

[0333] The input / output interface 940 can be used to receive or send data via a network. Specific examples of the aforementioned network may include a wireless network provided by a communications provider of the electronic device 900. In one embodiment, the input / output interface 940 includes a network adapter (NIC), which can be connected to other network devices via a base station to communicate with the Internet. In one embodiment, the input / output interface 940 can be a radio frequency (RF) module for wirelessly communicating with the Internet.

[0334] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the structure shown in FIG20 is merely illustrative and does not limit the structure of the electronic device. For example, the electronic device 900 may include more or fewer components than shown in FIG20 , or have a configuration different from that shown in FIG20 .

[0335] An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium storing at least one instruction or at least one program, which is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the control method of the automatic pool cleaning device as described above.

[0336] To fully clean the waterline, existing cleaning robots need to periodically repeat preset actions. For example, the cleaning robot first climbs up the wall from the pool bottom. After detecting the waterline, the machine begins to move 50 cm laterally along the waterline. Then, the machine begins to descend along the wall to the pool bottom and then moves upward. After detecting the waterline again, it moves 50 cm laterally along the waterline again. This periodic movement completes the cleaning of the pool waterline. This results in low cleaning efficiency. To address the above technical issues, embodiments of the present application provide an automatic pool cleaning device, wherein the automatic pool cleaning device can be an underwater cleaning robot.

[0337] The present application provides an automatic pool cleaning device, comprising: a body, on which a driving wheel, a filtering mechanism, a water spraying mechanism and a cleaning device are provided.

[0338] The driving wheel is located at the bottom of the device and connected to the body, and is used to drive the device to move at least on the surface to be cleaned during operation.

[0339] The filter mechanism is arranged inside the machine body and is used to filter the guided fluid and separate the dirt into the dust box inside the filter mechanism.

[0340] The water spray mechanism is arranged on the machine body and is used to discharge the filtered fluid from the machine body and generate thrust through the movement of the fluid.

[0341] The cleaning device is arranged on the machine body and is used to clean the dirt on the walking path of the equipment.

[0342] Through the above structure, the automatic pool cleaning device can clean the planned path.

[0343] Referring to Figure 24 , an automatic pool cleaning device includes: a power unit that drives the device to move laterally along the waterline of a pool; for example, the power unit includes a water spray mechanism and / or drive wheels, and horizontal, turning, and vertical movement are achieved by controlling the differential speed of the water spray mechanism and / or drive wheels. A cleaning device that cleans dirt near the waterline during the device's lateral movement. A sensor, located on the automatic pool cleaning device, is used to detect whether the device is in the direction of lateral movement. For example, the sensor includes an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a radar, a time-of-flight sensor, or an image sensor. For example, the distance-measuring sensor can be an ultrasonic or infrared distance-measuring sensor with a distance-measuring function, which determines the distance between the obstacle and the automatic pool cleaning device by transmitting a signal and receiving a reflected signal. The location and number of distance-measuring sensors can be determined based on actual detection needs and methods. For example, a corresponding number of distance-measuring sensors can be located on the bottom, front, and sides of the automatic pool cleaning device to detect the distance to the obstacle in the corresponding direction of the automatic pool cleaning device. A controller controls the automatic pool cleaning device to perform obstacle avoidance actions based on the obstacle. By setting up a ranging sensor, the automatic pool cleaning device can identify obstacles on the path during its horizontal movement along the waterline, and when an obstacle is identified, the controller can control the automatic pool cleaning device to perform obstacle avoidance actions and complete the waterline cleaning action. Compared with the method of controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to repeatedly go up and down the wall for cleaning in some cases, the efficiency of the automatic pool cleaning device in cleaning the waterline is greatly improved.

[0344] Exemplarily, the obstacle includes one of the following situations: an obstacle located on a wall, or a corner formed by two walls, wherein the corner includes an obtuse angle, an acute angle, or a right angle. Where the two walls are arranged vertically, as shown in FIG28 , an obtuse angle represents an outer angle between the two walls; and as shown in FIG26 , an acute angle or a right angle represents an inner angle between the two walls. By further classifying obstacles into obstacles on the wall, an obtuse angle formed by two walls, and an acute angle or a right angle formed by two walls, the automatic pool cleaning device can be controlled to perform different obstacle avoidance actions based on the different types of obstacles identified.

[0345] Exemplarily, the sensor is located on one side of the automatic pool cleaning device and can be used to detect obstacles on a wall or a corner formed by two walls. That is, the sensor can simultaneously detect obstacles on a wall and right angles or acute angles formed by two walls. For example, the sensor obtains the distance to the obstacle or wall; when the distance is less than a first preset value, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to perform an obstacle avoidance action, thereby enabling the automatic pool cleaning device to avoid the obstacle or wall in a timely manner. Exemplarily, the first preset value is within the range of 15 to 60 cm.

[0346] For example, the sensor is located at the bottom of the automatic pool cleaning device and can be used to detect the obtuse angle formed by two walls. The obtuse angle formed by the two walls is detected by the sensor, so as to realize the detection of the obtuse angle during the movement. For example, the sensor obtains the distance between the wall; when the distance is greater than the second preset value, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to perform an obstacle avoidance action, so that the automatic pool cleaning device can avoid the obtuse angle of the wall in time; illustratively, the second preset value is within the range of 3 to 10 cm. For example, the obstacle avoidance action includes descending to the bottom surface of the pool, and then turning along the obtuse angle to go to the waterline position on the other wall for cleaning. The control of the automatic pool cleaning device after encountering an obtuse angle is realized, and the cleaning efficiency of the waterline is improved.

[0347] Exemplarily, the obstacle avoidance action includes descending to the bottom of a wall or a pool and moving underwater at the bottom of the wall or pool until the conditions for escaping the obstacle are met, then climbing the wall and ascending to the waterline to clean. This allows the automatic pool cleaning device to effectively avoid obstacles, and after avoiding the obstacle, it moves back toward the waterline and resumes horizontal movement after reaching the waterline, thereby efficiently cleaning the waterline. For example, descending to the bottom of the wall reduces the need to go up and down the wall, which can improve cleaning efficiency. Descending to the bottom of the pool can improve the cleaning efficiency of the waterline in scenarios where climbing up and down the wall is required.

[0348] For example, the obstacle escape condition includes the sensor in front, on the side, or at the bottom of the automatic pool cleaning device failing to sense the obstacle or moving underwater a predetermined distance. For example, the detected first distance value exceeds the first preset value within the range of 15 to 60 cm, and the second distance value exceeds the second preset value within the range of 3 to 10 cm.

[0349] Exemplarily, the underwater movement includes lateral movement, forward movement after turning, or diagonal movement after turning. By performing lateral movement, forward movement after turning, or diagonal movement after turning, obstacle avoidance can be achieved in different movement modes.

[0350] For example, the predetermined distance underwater movement includes attempting to crawl to the waterline after moving the predetermined distance. For example, the robot moves 50 centimeters horizontally on the pool bottom to detect whether it can crawl to the waterline at this point. If there is no obstacle, it crawls to the waterline and continues cleaning. If there is an obstacle, it continues to move the predetermined distance and attempts to crawl to the waterline, and so on, until it clears the obstacle and crawls to the waterline to complete the waterline cleaning.

[0351] Exemplarily, the automatic pool cleaning device further includes a water outlet detection sensor for detecting whether at least a portion of the device is above the waterline. The water outlet detection sensor can be used to determine whether the automatic pool cleaning device has reached the waterline. Furthermore, as the automatic pool cleaning device moves horizontally along the waterline, the distance difference between the automatic pool cleaning device and the waterline can be adjusted in real time to control the automatic pool cleaning device's linear movement along the waterline.

[0352] The automatic pool cleaning device provided in this application is used in water line cleaning scenarios such as swimming pools and reservoirs, and is described below.

[0353] Please refer to Figure 24, an automatic pool cleaning device includes.

[0354] A power device drives the device to move laterally along the extension direction of the waterline of the pool.

[0355] A cleaning device that cleans dirt near the waterline as the device moves laterally.

[0356] The sensors are located on the automatic pool cleaning device and are used to detect whether there are obstacles in the lateral movement direction of the automatic pool cleaning device. For example, a group of sensors is located on one side of the automatic pool cleaning device to detect obstacles on the wall or acute angles or right angles formed by two walls; another group of sensors is located at the bottom of the automatic pool cleaning device to detect obtuse angles formed by two walls; and a sensor is also located in front of the automatic pool cleaning device to detect the waterline position or obstacles above. Specifically, the sensor includes a first sensor for identifying obstacles in the direction of the waterline or acute angles or right angles between walls; a second sensor for identifying signals generated by obstacles in the direction of the waterline or perpendicular to the waterline; and a third sensor for identifying the wall at the bottom of the automatic pool cleaning device, that is, identifying obtuse angles between walls. The first, second, and third sensors include acoustic sensors, infrared sensors, radars, TOF sensors, or image sensors.

[0357] The controller controls the automatic pool cleaning device to perform an obstacle avoidance action based on the detection result of the sensor, wherein the obstacle includes one of the following situations: an obstacle located on a wall, or a corner formed by two walls, wherein the corner includes an obtuse angle, an acute angle, or a right angle.

[0358] The cleaning method of the automatic pool cleaning device is as follows.

[0359] The automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to climb from the pool bottom to the pool wall, and the water line position is detected by the water outlet detection sensor in front of it. When the water line is detected, the machine stops climbing and starts moving horizontally along the water line. The control method is as follows.

[0360] When the automatic pool cleaning device moves vertically toward the waterline, the water outlet detection sensor is controlled to obtain the distance between the device and the waterline. When the distance reaches a preset threshold, the device is determined to have reached the waterline. This means that the water outlet detection sensor obtains the distance between the device and the waterline in real time, which is used to determine when the device has reached the waterline. Simultaneously, when the automatic pool cleaning device moves horizontally along the waterline, the distance difference between the device and the waterline is adjusted in real time to control the device's linear movement along the waterline.

[0361] As the automatic pool cleaning device continues to move horizontally along the waterline, a first sensor installed on the left side of the device detects an obstacle or a wall. When an obstacle or a wall is detected, the device ends the horizontal movement and then begins to move downward along the wall from the waterline. For example, the control method is as follows.

[0362] The sensor obtains the distance between the obstacle or wall; when the distance is less than a first preset value, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to perform an obstacle avoidance action; for example, the first preset value is within the range of 15 to 60 cm.

[0363] Perform obstacle avoidance maneuvers.

[0364] Exemplarily, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to perform obstacle avoidance actions includes: descending to the bottom of the pool and moving underwater at the bottom of the pool until the conditions for escaping the obstacle are met, and then climbing to the waterline position to perform cleaning.

[0365] Please refer to Figure 25. After the first sensor on the left side of the automatic pool cleaning device detects an obstacle at a specified distance, it retreats to the bottom of the pool, then turns left and moves forward a preset distance. For example, the machine moves 50 cm horizontally on the bottom of the pool to avoid the obstacle. After that, it turns right and goes up the wall, and detects whether there is an obstacle above based on the second sensor. If not, it goes up the wall to the waterline to continue cleaning. If there is an obstacle, it continues to retreat to the bottom of the pool, moves forward a preset distance, turns right to detect whether there is an obstacle above, and so on, until the waterline cleaning is completed after avoiding the obstacle.

[0366] Please refer to Figure 26, where when the corresponding distance value received does not change, it is determined that the obstacle is a wall, that is, at this time the automatic pool cleaning device encounters a right angle or acute angle between the walls, and the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to perform obstacle avoidance action: descend to the surface of the pool bottom and turn along the right angle or acute angle to go to the waterline position on the other wall for cleaning; that is, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to turn along the edge and go up to the other wall, move toward the waterline, and resume lateral movement after reaching the waterline position to clean the waterline of the other wall.

[0367] For example, controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to perform obstacle avoidance may include descending to the bottom of a wall or moving underwater at the bottom of the wall until a condition for clearing the obstacle is met, and then climbing the wall to the waterline to perform cleaning. As the automatic pool cleaning device advances along the waterline at the bottom of the wall, it continuously detects whether there are obstacles above it using a second sensor. If no obstacles are detected, the device stops advancing and then ascends to the waterline to perform cleaning.

[0368] At the same time, when the automatic pool cleaning device moves to the edge of the pool wall, it is determined whether the received distance value changes. If it does not change, it is determined to be a wall; the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to perform the above wall changing action.

[0369] Please refer to Figure 27, that is, after the first sensor on the left detects the obstacle at a specified distance, it retreats to the bottom of the current pool wall and does not go down to the bottom of the pool; it moves to the left by controlling the water spray mechanism and / or the drive wheel differential, and at the same time uses the upper sensor (second sensor) to detect whether there are any obstacles above. If not, it goes up the wall to the waterline to continue cleaning; if there is an obstacle, it continues to move forward until there is no obstacle above, then it goes up the wall to the waterline to continue cleaning, and so on, until the waterline cleaning is completed.

[0370] Please refer to Figure 28. When the automatic pool cleaning device encounters an obtuse angle, the sensor under the automatic pool cleaning device can detect the change in distance and identify the obtuse angle; for example, the distance between the device and the wall is obtained through the sensor; when the distance is greater than a second preset value, the automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to perform an obstacle avoidance action: descend to the bottom surface of the pool, and then turn along the obtuse angle to go to the waterline position on the other wall for cleaning; for example, the second preset value is within the range of 3 to 10 cm, that is, when the automatic pool cleaning device moves horizontally along the waterline, the distance between the automatic pool cleaning device and the wall is obtained; when the distance value is greater than the second preset distance threshold or has no value (that is, exceeds the acceptable distance), it indicates that the bottom of the cleaning machine is empty, and it is judged that the device is currently moving to the obtuse angle of the wall. The automatic pool cleaning device is controlled to dive to the bottom of the pool and turn again to go back up the wall and move toward the waterline, and resume horizontal movement after reaching the waterline position.

[0371] To sum up, the automatic pool cleaning device provided by the present application can enable the automatic pool cleaning device to maintain horizontal movement along the waterline until it encounters an obstacle or an acute angle or obtuse angle and needs to change its movement mode. Then it stops moving horizontally and executes the obstacle avoidance logic to move a certain distance from the bottom of the pool or the edge of the wall, climbs up the pool wall again to the vicinity of the waterline, and restarts horizontal movement until a loop is detected, ending the waterline cleaning action, thereby improving the waterline cleaning efficiency.

[0372] Figures 29A-29B schematically illustrate the appearance of an automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The automatic pool cleaning device can clean the surface of a pool as needed, for example, to remove garbage and debris from the surface. As shown in Figures 29A-29B, the automatic pool cleaning device may include a housing 1010 having a generally boat-shaped appearance, wherein the housing 1010 includes a front end 1020 located near the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device and a rear end 1030 located away from the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0373] 30 is a schematic block diagram of an automatic pool cleaning device 2000 according to an example of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG30 , the automatic pool cleaning device may further include a filter unit 2010 detachably mounted in the housing of the automatic pool cleaning device 2000.

[0374] As an example, the filter unit 2010 includes a water inlet and at least one drain port. The filter unit filters water entering the filter unit through the water inlet and discharges the filtered water out of the filter unit through the at least one drain port.

[0375] As shown in FIG30 , the automatic pool cleaning device 2000 may further include a driving unit 2020 for driving the automatic pool cleaning device 2000 to move on the water surface.

[0376] As an example, Figure 31 schematically shows that water flow channels 330 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the longitudinal axis 320 between the front and rear ends of the shell 310 of the automatic pool cleaning device 300 (wherein the arrow of the longitudinal axis 320 indicates the direction from the rear end to the front end of the shell 310), and the driving unit can drive the automatic pool cleaning device 300 to move on the water surface by driving water to flow through the water flow channel 330; wherein, the water flow path direction provided by the water flow channel 330 (for example, as shown by the arrow 350 in Figure 31) is generally at an inclined angle to the longitudinal axis 320.

[0377] As shown in Figure 31, in the automatic pool cleaning device 300, the water flow channel 330 may include a water inlet 3301 and a water outlet 3302. As an example, the water inlet may be provided on the side of the housing, and the water outlet may be provided at the rear end of the housing.

[0378] It should be understood that the shape, position, number, and proportional relationship of the water flow channel 330, water inlet 3301 and water outlet 3302 shown in Figure 31 with respect to the housing 310 are merely schematic and do not constitute any limitation to the principles of the present disclosure.

[0379] As described above, the detachable filter unit filters water entering the filter unit through the water inlet and discharges the filtered water out of the filter unit through at least one drain outlet. As shown in FIG31 , arrow 360 schematically illustrates the path of water flowing through the filter unit 380 and into and out of the housing 310 of the automatic pool cleaning device 300. As an example, the filter unit 380 filters and purifies water entering the filter unit 380 through the water inlet 3901, removing impurities therein, and discharges the cleaned water out of the filter unit 380 through the drain outlet 3902.

[0380] According to an example of the present disclosure, suction can be generated by a driving component such as a water pump to generate a water flow through the filter unit 380 and / or the automatic pool cleaning device can be used to move on the water surface so that the water in front automatically flows into the filter unit 380 to generate a water flow through the filter unit 380.

[0381] As an example, in an automatic pool cleaning device, the water inlet of the filter unit is closer to the front end of the housing than the water inlet of the water flow channel.

[0382] It should be understood that the shape, position, number, and proportional relationship of the filter unit 380, water inlet 3901, and drain outlet 3902 shown in Figure 31 with respect to the housing 310 are merely schematic and do not constitute any limitation to the principles of the present disclosure.

[0383] According to an example of the present disclosure, an opening can be provided at any of the rear side, front side, top, and bottom of the housing 1010 of the automatic pool cleaning device 1000. As shown in FIG29B , an opening 1040 can be provided at the rear side of the housing 1010 of the automatic pool cleaning device 1000. In addition, the openings can also be provided symmetrically about the longitudinal axis of the body of the automatic pool cleaning device, that is, the openings can be provided symmetrically along the longitudinal axis at any of the rear side, front side, top, and bottom of the body. As an example, the openings can be mesh-shaped or grid-shaped as needed to allow water filtered and cleaned by, for example, the filter unit of the automatic pool cleaning device to be discharged into the pool.

[0384] In addition, according to the example of the present disclosure, the automatic pool cleaning device 1000 may also include a water spray unit, and by guiding the water flow sprayed by the water spray unit to an opening in a specific direction on the shell, the automatic pool cleaning device can use the water flow sprayed in a specific direction as auxiliary power for moving, and can adjust its position and posture.

[0385] According to an example of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG32 , in addition to the filter unit 810 and the drive unit 820, the automatic pool cleaning device 800 may further include a buoyancy unit 830. The buoyancy unit 830 may provide buoyancy to suspend the automatic pool cleaning device 800 on the water surface. As an example, the buoyancy unit 830 may be in the form of an air bag or an air tank, and the buoyancy provided by the buoyancy unit 830 may be adjusted by controlling a buoyancy adjustment mechanism such as an air pump through the control unit of the automatic pool cleaning device 800. As an example, the control unit may be a control circuit such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), or a microcontroller.

[0386] Although Figures 29A-29B illustrate the overall appearance of the automatic pool cleaning device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, it should be understood that this is merely illustrative and does not constitute any limitation to the principles of the present disclosure.

[0387] In addition, it should be understood that the automatic pool cleaning equipment shown in Figures 30-32 is only an example. Those skilled in the art can change one or more aspects of its appearance, structure, layout, components, functions, etc. according to actual needs without departing from the principles of this disclosure.

[0388] According to an example of the present disclosure, in the above-mentioned automatic pool cleaning device, water discharged from at least one drain port of the filter unit can be discharged from the automatic pool cleaning device via at least one opening provided on the housing of the automatic pool cleaning device. Figure 33A schematically shows a water flow path S1 through the above-mentioned filter unit of the automatic pool cleaning device and a water flow path S2 through the above-mentioned water flow channel of the automatic pool cleaning device. In the situation shown in Figure 33A, the filter unit of the automatic pool cleaning device and the water flow channel of the automatic pool cleaning device are not connected to each other, that is, the water filtered by the filter unit is discharged from the automatic pool cleaning device via an opening (not shown) at the rear of the housing of the automatic pool cleaning device rather than through the water flow channels symmetrically provided on both sides of the longitudinal axis between the front and rear ends of the housing, and the water flow driven by the driving unit of the automatic pool cleaning device flows through the above-mentioned water flow channel, which can drive the automatic pool cleaning device to move on the water surface.

[0389] In the above-mentioned automatic pool cleaning device, water discharged from at least one drain port of the filter unit can be discharged from the automatic pool cleaning device via the above-mentioned water flow channel provided in the automatic pool cleaning device. Figure 33B schematically illustrates a water flow path S1 through the filter unit of the automatic pool cleaning device and a water flow path S2 through the above-mentioned water flow channel of the automatic pool cleaning device. In the situation shown in Figure 33B, at least one drain port of the filter unit of the automatic pool cleaning device and the water flow channel of the automatic pool cleaning device are interconnected, that is, water discharged from at least one drain port of the filter unit can be discharged from the automatic pool cleaning device via the above-mentioned water flow channel provided in the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0390] According to an example of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG35 , the driving unit 710 of the automatic pool cleaning device is disposed within the water flow channel 720, and the driving unit includes a propeller. As an example, the propeller can be driven to rotate by a motor or the like, causing water to flow through the water flow channel 720, thereby driving the automatic pool cleaning device to travel on the water surface.

[0391] Figure 34A schematically illustrates a top view of the layout of the filter unit 610, buoyancy unit 630, and water flow channels 640 symmetrically arranged on both sides of the longitudinal axis of the housing of the automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the arrows on the longitudinal axis 320 indicate the direction from the rear end to the front end of the housing of the automatic pool cleaning device. Figure 34B schematically illustrates a front view of the layout of the filter unit 610 and buoyancy unit 630 within the automatic pool cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0392] For example, as shown in Figures 34A-34B, a buoyancy unit 630 is provided between the filter unit 610 and the water flow channel 640. The buoyancy unit 630 provides buoyancy to suspend the automatic pool cleaning device above the water surface. For example, the water inlet 620 of the filter unit 610 may have a flange structure 650, which can block water from flowing through the gap between the filter unit 610 and the buoyancy unit 630. In other words, when the automatic pool cleaning device is moving, trash on the water surface ahead of it will flow into the water inlet 620 of the filter unit 610 along with the water flow, rather than overflowing between the filter unit 610 and the buoyancy unit 630. This is because the flange structure 650 at the water inlet 620 of the filter unit 610 is adjacent to or abuts against the end surface of the buoyancy unit 630 on its side, preventing trash from entering the gap between the two.

[0393] Therefore, even if the above-mentioned filter unit of the automatic pool cleaning device is connected to the above-mentioned water flow channel, the water entering through the water inlet of the filter unit will be filtered by the filter unit and then discharged into the water flow channel, preventing the garbage / debris carried by the water entering through the water inlet of the filter unit from entering the water flow channel and blocking the water flow channel and / or entangled on the propeller of the driving unit located in the water flow channel, resulting in a reduction in the travel speed of the automatic pool cleaning device and / or an increase in the driving power consumption of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0394] For example, a water flow guiding mechanism may be provided at the water inlet of the filter unit of the automatic pool cleaning device, for guiding the water in front of the moving direction of the automatic pool cleaning device to enter the filter unit through the water inlet.

[0395] As shown in FIG34C , a water flow guiding mechanism 660 may be provided at the water inlet 620 of the filter unit 610 of the automatic pool cleaning device to guide the water ahead of the automatic pool cleaning device in the direction of travel into the filter unit 610 through the water inlet 620. Thus, garbage and debris on a larger area of ​​the water surface ahead of the automatic pool cleaning device in the direction of travel can be sucked into the filter unit of the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0396] As an example, as a component capable of guiding water in front of the direction of travel of the automatic pool cleaning device to the water inlet of the filter unit, the water flow guiding mechanism may include components such as a roller brush, a paddle, or a impeller, and the rotation of the water flow guiding mechanism may be driven by a driving component such as a motor.

[0397] As an example, the water flow guiding mechanism 660 can be driven by the driving unit that drives the automatic pool cleaning device. That is, while the driving unit generates a driving force to propel the automatic pool cleaning device forward, it also drives the water flow guiding mechanism to rotate, thereby guiding the water flow into the filter unit. Alternatively, the water flow guiding mechanism 660 can also be equipped with a separate driving mechanism to independently control the movement of the water flow guiding mechanism.

[0398] As an example, the water flow guiding mechanism 660 is detachably installed in the automatic pool cleaning device to facilitate the user to clean and maintain the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0399] For example, in the above-mentioned automatic pool cleaning device, an openable and closable baffle may be provided at the water inlet of the filter unit to adjust the opening and closing state of the filter unit.

[0400] As shown in FIG34D , an openable and closable baffle 670 may be provided at the water inlet 620 of the filter unit 610 of the automatic pool cleaning device to adjust the opening and closing state of the filter unit.

[0401] As an example, the baffle can be a movable one-way valve plate, which is connected to the filter unit by installation methods such as hinges and snaps; when the automatic pool cleaning device moves, the baffle automatically opens or is pushed open by the water flow in front, so that the water in front of the automatic pool cleaning device in the direction of travel can enter the filter unit; by arranging a movable baffle at the water inlet of the filter unit, the sewage in the filter unit can be prevented from flowing back into the pool through the water inlet of the filter unit, thereby ensuring the cleaning effect of the water surface.

[0402] For example, in the above-mentioned automatic pool cleaning device, the filter unit can be in the form of a filter basket, that is, the filter unit is a filter basket, and the filter basket can have a corresponding handle to facilitate the removal of the filter unit from the housing of the automatic pool cleaning device / or the installation of the filter unit therein.

[0403] According to the automatic pool cleaning device of the example disclosed in the present invention, water flow channels are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the longitudinal axis between the front end and the rear end of the shell of the automatic pool cleaning device. The direction of the water flow path provided by the water flow channel is generally inclined at an angle to the longitudinal axis, and the automatic pool cleaning device is driven to move on the water surface by driving the water flow through the water flow channel; compared with using the water flow in the water flow path provided by the filter unit of the automatic pool cleaning device to drive the movement of the automatic pool cleaning device, the resistance to the water flow is significantly reduced, the travel efficiency of the automatic pool cleaning device is improved, the travel power consumption is reduced, and the operation time of the automatic pool cleaning device for cleaning operations can be extended.

[0404] In addition, according to the automatic pool cleaning device of the example disclosed in the present invention, since the water inlet of the filter unit of the automatic pool cleaning device is closer to the front end of the shell of the automatic pool cleaning device than the water inlet of the water flow channel, when the automatic pool cleaning device moves on the water surface, the garbage / debris in front of its moving direction will first enter the filter unit through the water inlet of the filter unit. In other words, the garbage / debris in front will be collected / cleaned by the filter unit, reducing or even eliminating the garbage / debris that may enter the above-mentioned water flow channel of the automatic pool cleaning device, so that the water flow channel remains unobstructed, reducing the resistance of the water flow flowing through the water flow channel, further improving the moving efficiency of the automatic pool cleaning device, and reducing the moving power consumption of the automatic pool cleaning device, thereby extending the operating time of the automatic pool cleaning device for cleaning operations.

[0405] Furthermore, in the automatic pool cleaning device of the present disclosure, the water inlet of the water flow channel is located on the side of the housing of the automatic pool cleaning device, and the water outlet is located at the rear end of the housing of the automatic pool cleaning device. Therefore, even if a small amount of garbage or debris accumulates or settles in the water flow channel, or becomes entangled in the propeller of the drive unit located in the water flow channel, it can be easily cleaned, thereby reducing cleaning costs.

[0406] In view of the problem that in some cases, the filter material used in the automatic pool cleaning equipment is difficult to take into account both the dust filtration and anti-blocking performance, and the filtration steps are cumbersome, the present application provides a filter material for the automatic pool cleaning equipment, comprising a first hydrophilic fiber and a second hydrophilic fiber, the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber are interwoven to form a porous mesh structure, the denier of the first hydrophilic fiber is greater than the denier of the second hydrophilic fiber, and the mass proportion of the first hydrophilic fiber in the filter material is lower than the mass proportion of the second hydrophilic fiber; the filter material can effectively filter dust and algae, making turbid water clear, and has good cleaning performance. At the same time, it can effectively prevent blocking and has good water flow performance, achieving a synergistic improvement in dust filtration performance and anti-blocking performance, which is beneficial to improving durability, reducing the frequency of replacement and maintenance of the filter material, and saving time and effort.

[0407] Among them, the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber are both polyester fibers (PET), and the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber are both hydrophilic. The macromolecular chains of the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber both have strong polar groups, such as hydroxyl (-OH), imino (-NH), carboxyl (C=O), etc. The strong polar groups can combine with water molecules to form hydrogen bonds, and the edge parts of the amorphous region and the crystalline region of the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber are relatively large, and the molecular structure is relatively loose, so that water molecules can easily penetrate into the tiny gaps on the surface of the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber, which is beneficial to improving the water-permeability of the filter material to a great extent and is also beneficial to preventing blockage.

[0408] For example, the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber themselves can both be natural hydrophilic fibers; or, the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber can be obtained, for example, by hydrophilic treatment, by hydrophilizing the polyester fiber so that the polyester fiber has hydrophilicity, thereby obtaining the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber, thereby effectively improving the water-permeability of the first hydrophilic fiber, the second hydrophilic fiber and the filter material.

[0409] Hydrophilic treatment includes at least one of chemical modification, physical modification, natural hydrophilic agent modification, hydrophilic substance doping, cross-linking agent modification and impregnation modification; wherein, chemical modification includes at least one of grafting polymerization, surface vulcanization and acid-base treatment; illustratively, grafting polymerization is to graft a hydrophilic polymer, such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyacrylic acid (PAA), etc., on the surface of polyester fiber, and introduce the hydrophilic polymer into the surface of polyester fiber through chemical reaction, so that the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber are hydrophilic; surface vulcanization is to use a vulcanizing agent to react with the functional groups in the polyester fiber to form a hydrophilic chemical bond, so that the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber are hydrophilic; acid-base treatment is to use an acid (such as sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid) or an alkali (such as sodium hydroxide and ammonia water) to treat the surface of the polyester fiber to increase the polar functional groups on the surface to improve the hydrophilicity of the polyester fiber.

[0410] Physical modification includes plasma treatment and coating with hydrophilic materials; for example, plasma treatment is to use plasma technology to treat the surface of polyester fibers to introduce hydrophilic functional groups such as hydroxyl (-OH) and carboxyl (-COOH) to improve the hydrophilicity of polyester fibers; coating with hydrophilic materials is to spray or coat hydrophilic materials, such as hydrophilic resins and coatings, on the surface of polyester fibers to improve the hygroscopicity and wettability of polyester fibers, so that the first hydrophilic fibers and the second hydrophilic fibers obtained are hydrophilic.

[0411] Natural hydrophilic agent modification is the use of natural hydrophilic agents, such as starch, alginate, collagen, etc. to treat polyester fibers to increase the hydrophilicity of polyester fibers; hydrophilic substance doping is the addition of hydrophilic substances (such as silicates, activated carbon) into polyester fibers. The hydrophilic substances can form a hydrophilic network structure in the polyester fibers, so that the first hydrophilic fibers and the second hydrophilic fibers are hydrophilic; cross-linking agent modification is the use of cross-linking agents (such as glutaraldehyde) to react with the hydrophilic monomers in the polyester fibers to form a hydrophilic structure, so that the first hydrophilic fibers and the second hydrophilic fibers are hydrophilic; impregnation modification is the immersion of polyester fibers in a hydrophilic solution containing hydrophilic chemicals, and then drying treatment is performed to form a hydrophilic layer on the surface of the polyester fibers, so that the first hydrophilic fibers and the second hydrophilic fibers are hydrophilic.

[0412] Among them, denier is also called fineness. The full unit of denier is denier (D), abbreviated as denier (D), which refers to the weight in grams of 9000 meters of fiber at the standard regain, and is used to characterize the thickness of the fiber; for example, 9000 meters of fiber weighs 1 gram, which is 1 denier. When the fiber density is constant, the larger the denier, the thicker the fiber.

[0413] Exemplarily, the denier of the first hydrophilic fiber is greater than the denier of the second hydrophilic fiber; wherein, the second hydrophilic fiber with a relatively smaller denier is thinner, which is beneficial to improving the dust filtering ability of the filter material and improving the filtering effect of the filter material when used in automatic pool cleaning equipment. At the same time, the first hydrophilic fiber with a relatively larger denier is coarser, which is beneficial to improving the anti-blocking performance of the filter material, so that the filter material with the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber has excellent dust holding capacity, and has both excellent dust filtering ability and anti-blocking performance.

[0414] Exemplarily, the mass proportion of the first hydrophilic fiber in the filter material is lower than the mass proportion of the second hydrophilic fiber; wherein, the first hydrophilic fiber has a higher degree of curling, and the first hydrophilic fiber can be used to capture particles; the second hydrophilic fiber also has a certain degree of curling, and can capture particles to a certain extent. At the same time, it can be woven together with the curled first hydrophilic fiber during the preparation process, so that the filter material as a whole can have a certain three-dimensional curvature structure, effectively locking fine sand, particles, etc., and achieving an excellent dust filtering effect; and, the mass proportion of the second hydrophilic fiber is relatively high, which can improve the bonding tightness of the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber in the filter material, further benefiting the filtering performance of the filter material, and can also benefit improving the durability of the filter material, extending the service life of the filter material, so as to reduce the maintenance or replacement cost of the filter material.

[0415] Exemplarily, the second hydrophilic fiber can be a two-dimensional curved material, and the first hydrophilic fiber with a smaller mass proportion can be a three-dimensional curved material, that is, the first hydrophilic fiber has a three-dimensional curved structure, the first hydrophilic fiber is spirally curved, and is not easy to deform, which is beneficial to improving the overall durability of the filter material; or, for example, the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber can both be two-dimensional curved materials, that is, the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber both have a two-dimensional curved structure, which has a good effect on capturing particles, can further improve the dust filtration performance of the filter material, is beneficial to improving the filtration accuracy of the filter material, and can also be beneficial to improving the anti-blocking performance of the filter material, and has a good water flow rate.

[0416] For example, the denier of the first hydrophilic fiber is 5.5d to 9d, and the denier of the second hydrophilic fiber is 1d to 5d; it can be understood that the denier of the first hydrophilic fiber can be any point value in the range of 5.5d to 9d, and the denier of the second hydrophilic fiber can be any point value in the range of 1d to 5d; for example, the denier of the first hydrophilic fiber can be 5.5d, 6d, 6.21d, 6.5d, 7d, 7.5d, 7.78d, 8d, 8.5d, 9d, etc., and the denier of the second hydrophilic fiber can be 1d, 1 .27d, 1.6d, 2d, 2.5d, 2.78d, 3d, 3.24d, 3.5d, 4d, 4.5d, 4.84d, 5d, etc.; in this way, the first hydrophilic fiber with relatively high denier and the second hydrophilic fiber with relatively low denier cooperate with each other, have excellent performance in capturing particles, are beneficial to improving the dust filtration performance of the filter material, and can help promote the filter material to achieve a good anti-blocking effect; for example, the denier of the first hydrophilic fiber is 6d~8d, and the denier of the second hydrophilic fiber is 2d~4d.

[0417] Exemplarily, the first hydrophilic fiber is a 7D hydrophilic fiber, which has short fibers with a length of 51 mm to 64 mm and can have a two-dimensional curved surface or a three-dimensional curved surface, that is, the 7D hydrophilic fiber is a curled fiber with excellent performance in capturing particles and can provide good anti-blocking performance to a certain extent; the second hydrophilic fiber is a 3D hydrophilic fiber, which is a two-dimensional curved fiber and can be woven together with the 7D hydrophilic fiber to increase the density of the filter material, thereby improving the effectiveness of the filter material in locking fine sand, particles, etc., and achieving excellent dust filtration effect; by interweaving 7D hydrophilic fibers and 3D hydrophilic fibers to form a porous mesh structure, the dust holding capacity of the filter material can be improved, which can not only effectively improve the dust filtration performance of the filter material, but also greatly improve the anti-blocking performance of the filter material.

[0418] Exemplarily, the mass percentage of the first hydrophilic fiber in the filter material is 10% to 50%; it can be understood that the mass percentage of the first hydrophilic fiber in the filter material can be any point value between 10% and 50%; exemplary, the mass percentage of the first hydrophilic fiber in the filter material can be 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50% and the like; for example, the mass percentage of the first hydrophilic fiber in the filter material is 10% to 40%.

[0419] Exemplarily, the mass percentage of the second hydrophilic fiber in the filter material is 50% to 90%; it can be understood that the mass percentage of the second hydrophilic fiber in the filter material can be any point value between 50% and 90%; exemplary, the mass percentage of the second hydrophilic fiber in the filter material can be 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90% and the like; for example, the mass percentage of the second hydrophilic fiber in the filter material is 60% to 90%.

[0420] In this way, the ratio of each component in the filter material is within this range, which can effectively improve the overall dust filtration performance and anti-blocking performance of the filter material, while taking into account good durability and reducing the replacement and maintenance costs of the filter material.

[0421] For example, the filter material has a grammage of 450 g / m 2 ~700g / m 2 It can be understood that the weight of the filter material can be 450g / m 2 ~700g / m 2 For example, the weight of the filter material can be 450g / m 2 , 470g / m 2 , 480g / m 2 , 495g / m 2 , 500g / m2 , 520g / m 2 , 530g / m 2 , 535g / m 2 , 540g / m 2 , 550g / m 2 , 575g / m 2 , 600g / m 2 , 620g / m 2 , 630g / m 2 , 635g / m 2 , 640g / m 2 , 650g / m 2 , 675g / m 2 , 700g / m 2 The gram weight of the filter material is relatively high, that is, the material density of the filter material is relatively high. On the one hand, the high density is conducive to improving the capture ability of the filter material, effectively intercepting dust, and further improving the filtering performance of the filter material. On the other hand, it is also conducive to improving the anti-blocking performance of the filter material, avoiding clogging due to excessive density of the filter material, and greatly improving the dust holding capacity of the filter material. For example, the gram weight of the filter material is 450g / m 2 ~650g / m 2 .

[0422] Exemplarily, the thickness of the filter material is greater than or equal to 2 mm; understandably, the thickness of the filter material can be any point value greater than or equal to 2 mm, which is not enumerated here, and can effectively filter particles and improve the filtering effectiveness and filtering accuracy of the filter material.

[0423] Exemplarily, the thickness of the filter material is 2mm to 12mm; it can be understood that the thickness of the filter material can be any point value between 2mm and 12mm; exemplary, the thickness of the filter material can be 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, 5mm, 5.5mm, 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm, 7.5mm, 8mm, 9mm, 10mm, 12mm, etc.; in this way, the filter material can not only have excellent filtering performance, but also reduce the difficulty of application in automatic pool cleaning equipment, especially the difficulty of application in miniaturized automatic pool cleaning equipment (such as swimming pool robots), thereby improving the applicability of the filter material; for example, the thickness of the filter material is 3mm to 8mm; for example, the thickness of the filter material is 4mm to 6mm.

[0424] Thus, the weight of the filter material is 450g / m 2 ~700g / m 2The thickness is 2mm to 12mm, which can not only greatly improve the filter material's ability to capture particles, but also improve the filter material's anti-clogging performance, and is also beneficial to the application convenience and reliability of the filter material in automatic pool cleaning equipment, so that the filter material and the automatic pool cleaning equipment with the filter material have excellent dust holding capacity and service life, reducing replacement and maintenance costs.

[0425] For example, the density of the filter material is 0.0375 g / cm 3 ~0.35g / cm 3 It can be understood that the density of the filter material can be 0.0375g / cm 3 ~0.35g / cm 3 For example, the density of the filter material can be 0.0375g / cm 3 , 0.04g / cm 3 , 0.0425g / cm 3 , 0.05g / cm 3 , 0.075g / cm 3 , 0.1g / cm 3 , 0.15g / cm 3 , 0.2g / cm 3 , 0.25g / cm 3 , 0.3g / cm 3 , 0.35g / cm 3 In this way, the filtration accuracy of the filter material can be effectively improved, while taking into account the good anti-blocking performance, and improving the dust holding capacity and durability of the filter material; for example, the density of the filter material is 0.075g / cm 3 ~0.2g / cm 3 .

[0426] Exemplarily, the filtration accuracy of the filter material is 1μm to 4μm; it can be understood that the filtration accuracy of the filter material can be any point value between 1μm and 4μm; exemplary, the filtration accuracy of the filter material can be 1μm, 1.5μm, 2μm, 2.5μm, 3μm, 3.5μm, 4μm, etc.; the filtration accuracy is the diameter of the smallest particles that the filter material can filter out. Compared with the existing small-pore filter screen, the filtration accuracy of the filter material can reach a minimum of 100μm, and the filtration capacity has been greatly improved. At the same time, it can also achieve good anti-blocking performance, greatly improve durability, extend the life of the filter material and the automatic pool cleaning equipment with the filter material, and reduce maintenance costs.

[0427] For example, the filtration accuracy of the filter material is 2μm to 4μm; illustratively, the filtration accuracy of the filter material is 3μm, that is, particles with a diameter greater than or equal to 3μm can be captured and intercepted by the filter material, and the filtration performance is greatly improved.

[0428] Exemplarily, the filter material used for the automatic pool cleaning device also includes a third hydrophilic fiber, which is an antibacterial fiber. The first hydrophilic fiber, the second hydrophilic fiber and the third hydrophilic fiber are interwoven to form a porous mesh structure; wherein, the third hydrophilic fiber itself can be selected as an antibacterial fiber, or the third hydrophilic fiber is a polyester fiber that has been treated with antibacterial agents, so that the third hydrophilic fiber has antibacterial properties, which can effectively improve the antibacterial properties of the filter material and is also beneficial to extend the service life of the filter material.

[0429] Illustratively, at least one of the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber can be, for example, an antibacterial fiber; the first hydrophilic fiber can be, for example, an antibacterial fiber; the second hydrophilic fiber can be, for example, an antibacterial fiber; the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber can both be, for example, antibacterial fibers; optionally, the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber can themselves be antibacterial fibers, or can be antibacterial treated to obtain the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber with antibacterial properties, so as to effectively improve the antibacterial properties of the filter material.

[0430] On the other hand, referring to FIG. 36 , an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for preparing a filter material for an automatic pool cleaning device, including:

[0431] S01, loosening and mixing the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber, and combing them into a web to obtain an initial filter material.

[0432] S02, performing a needle-punching treatment on the initial filter material to obtain the filter material for the automatic pool cleaning device.

[0433] Illustratively, the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber are opened and mixed, and then combed into a web to obtain an initial filter material, that is, step S01 includes.

[0434] The first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber are mixed to obtain mixed fibers.

[0435] The mixed fibers are opened to obtain opened mixed fibers.

[0436] The opened mixed fibers are combed to obtain a single-layer fiber material with a target grammage.

[0437] A plurality of the single-layer fiber materials are laid out to obtain the initial filter material.

[0438] Among them, in step S01, the denier of the first hydrophilic fiber is greater than the denier of the second hydrophilic fiber, and according to the mass proportion of the first hydrophilic fiber in the final filter material being lower than the mass proportion of the second hydrophilic fiber, the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber are mixed so that the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber are evenly mixed to obtain a mixed fiber.

[0439] Afterwards, the opening includes primary opening and fine opening. The mixed fibers are subjected to primary opening and fine opening in sequence to open the mixed fibers into small pieces or cotton bundles, remove impurities attached to the mixed fibers, and improve the mixing effect and density uniformity of the mixed fibers. Then, after mixing them again in the cotton box, the opened mixed fibers are obtained.

[0440] Afterwards, the opened mixed fibers are combed to separate out a single layer of fiber material with a target weight, wherein the target weight is 25g / m 2 ~80g / m 2 , which can further promote the uniform mixing of the mixed fibers, so as to facilitate the subsequent laying of the net and improve the quality and performance of the final filter material; for example, the target weight is 25g / m 2 ~50g / m 2 .

[0441] Then, multiple single-layer fiber materials are laid out so that the multiple single-layer fiber materials are stacked to form a multi-layer structure to obtain an initial filter material. During the laying process, the thickness of the initial filter material increases with the increase in the number of stacked layers of the single-layer fiber material. The total number of layers of the multi-layer structure in the initial filter material is 10 to 30. Through the coordinated cooperation of the target gram weight and the number of layers of the multi-layer structure, the thickness and gram weight of the final filter material can be effectively controlled, thereby improving the preparation accuracy and preparation yield.

[0442] Next, in step S02, during the needling treatment of the initial filter material, the initial filter material is first pre-needled to fix the initial filter material; then, the pre-needled initial filter material is subjected to multiple needling passes, that is, multiple needling machines operate sequentially, for example, four needling passes are performed, that is, four needling machines operate sequentially, so that the first hydrophilic fibers and the second hydrophilic fibers that are evenly mixed in the initial filter material can be woven together, greatly improving the bonding tightness; after the preparation method of steps S01-S02, the first hydrophilic fibers and the second hydrophilic fibers are interwoven to form a porous mesh structure, thereby obtaining the filter material for the automatic pool cleaning device, and then the filter material can be rolled up for easy storage.

[0443] Exemplarily, the density of the filter material is determined by the number of stacked layers of single-layer fiber materials and the needling treatment, wherein the thickness and mass of the initial filter material are increased by stacking multiple single-layer fiber materials, and then during the needling treatment in step S02, the thickness and overall density of the initial filter material can be further controlled, so that the density of the final filter material reaches the desired density, thereby improving the preparation accuracy and yield of the filter material, and also helping to improve the dust holding capacity and life of the prepared filter material.

[0444] For example, the needle density used in the needle punching process is 8000 needles / m 2 ~12000 pieces / m 2 It can be understood that the needle density used in the needle punching process can be 8000 needles / m 2 ~12000 pieces / m 2 The arbitrary point values ​​in the equation are not enumerated here; for example, the needle density used in the needle punching process is 9000 needles / m 2 ~11000 pieces / m 2 .

[0445] For example, the diameter of the needle used in acupuncture treatment is 1mm to 5mm; it can be understood that the diameter of the needle can be any point value between 1mm and 5mm, which is not enumerated here; illustratively, the diameter of the needle used in acupuncture treatment is 2mm to 4mm.

[0446] For example, the needling depth used in the needling treatment is 6mm to 10mm; it can be understood that the needling depth used in the needling treatment can be any point value between 6mm and 10mm, which is not enumerated here; illustratively, the needling depth used in the needling treatment is 7mm to 9mm.

[0447] For example, the needling frequency used in the needling treatment is 400 times / min to 800 times / min; it can be understood that the needling frequency used in the needling treatment can be any point value between 400 times / min and 800 times / min, which is not enumerated here; illustratively, the needling frequency used in the needling treatment is 500 times / min to 700 times / min.

[0448] For example, the needling speed used in the needling treatment is 1m / min to 5m / min; it can be understood that the needling speed used in the needling treatment can be any point value between 1m / min and 5m / min, which is not enumerated here; illustratively, the needling speed used in the needling treatment is 2m / min to 3m / min.

[0449] In this way, the first hydrophilic fiber and the second hydrophilic fiber are stably interwoven together through needle punching, which is beneficial to improving the flatness and surface uniformity of the filter material, and accurately controlling the density of the pores in the filter material, which is beneficial to accurately control the gram weight and thickness of the filter material, and effectively improving the water-permeability performance of the filter material.

[0450] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application also provides an automatic pool cleaning device, including a filtering device capable of filtering garbage. The filtering device adopts the filtering material for the automatic pool cleaning device as described above, so that the filtering device and the automatic pool cleaning device have both good dust filtering performance and anti-blocking performance, excellent dust holding capacity, and good durability; in some exemplary embodiments, the automatic pool cleaning device includes a swimming pool robot, and the filtering device is a garbage filter basket of the swimming pool robot. The garbage filter basket of the swimming pool robot adopts the filtering material for the automatic pool cleaning device, which can effectively clean the swimming pool and improve the cleaning efficiency and cleaning rate.

[0451] The following introduces the embodiments of the present application based on the above technical solution.

[0452] Example 1.

[0453] The filter material of this embodiment is prepared by the following steps.

[0454] 1. 7d hydrophilic fiber and 3d hydrophilic fiber are mixed in a mass ratio of 25%:75% to obtain mixed fiber.

[0455] 2. The mixed fibers are initially opened and finely opened, and then mixed again in a cotton box to obtain opened mixed fibers.

[0456] 3. Comb the opened mixed fibers to obtain a single-layer fiber material; the target weight of the single-layer fiber material is 36g / m 2 .

[0457] 4. Laying multiple single-layer fiber materials to obtain an initial filter material; the number of layers of the multi-layer structure in the initial filter material is 14.

[0458] 5. Pre-puncture and four-pass needle punching of the initial filter material, with a needle diameter of 3 mm and a needle punching density of 9,000 needles / m 2 The needle punching depth is 7 mm, the needle punching frequency is 650 times / min, and the needle punching cloth speed is 2 m / min. The filter material for automatic pool cleaning equipment is obtained and rolled up for storage. The gram weight of the filter material is 500 g / m 2 , thickness is 6mm.

[0459] By testing the filtering performance of the filter material in this embodiment, it was found that the filtering accuracy of the filter material reached 3μm, which can effectively make turbid water clear. The overall dust filtering performance is excellent, and it can be used for more than 13 cycles and still has good filtering ability, excellent anti-blocking performance, and a long service life.

[0460] Example 2.

[0461] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that the mass percentage of the first hydrophilic fiber in the filter material is 35%, the second hydrophilic fiber is 3d hydrophilic fiber, and the mass percentage of the second hydrophilic fiber in the filter material is 65%; the rest is the same as embodiment 1.

[0462] By testing the filtering performance of the filter material in this embodiment, the filtering accuracy of the filter material reaches 2.7μm, which can effectively make turbid water clear. The overall dust filtering performance is excellent, and it can be used for nearly 7 cycles or more, still has good filtering ability, excellent anti-blocking performance, and a long service life.

[0463] Comparative Example 1.

[0464] The difference between this comparative example and Example 1 is that the weight of the filter material is 300 g / m 2 ; The rest is the same as Example 1.

[0465] By testing the filtration performance of the filter material in this comparative example, it is found that the dust adsorption capacity is almost gone after 3 to 4 cycles. The overall adsorption capacity of the filter material is poor, the service life is short, and it needs to be frequently disassembled for cleaning and replacement.

[0466] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present application and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent transformations made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

[0467] The basic principles of the present disclosure have been described above in conjunction with the embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, strengths, and effects mentioned in this disclosure are merely illustrative and not restrictive, and should not be construed as necessarily possessed by each embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the specific details disclosed above are provided for illustrative purposes and to facilitate understanding, rather than as limitations. These details do not limit the present disclosure to necessarily being implemented using these specific details.

[0468] The block diagrams of the devices, devices, equipment, and systems involved in this disclosure are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, or configured in the manner shown in the block diagrams. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, these devices, devices, equipment, and systems can be connected, arranged, or configured in any manner. Words such as "include," "comprise," "have," and the like are open-ended words, meaning "including but not limited to," and can be used interchangeably therewith. The words "or" and "and" used herein refer to the words "and / or" and can be used interchangeably therewith, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The word "such as" used herein refers to the phrase "such as but not limited to," and can be used interchangeably therewith.

[0469] Additionally, as used herein, "or" used in a list of items beginning with "at least one" indicates a separate list, so that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" means A or B or C, or AB or AC or BC, or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Moreover, the word "exemplary" does not mean that the described example is preferred or better than other examples.

[0470] It should also be noted that in the system and method of the present disclosure, each component or each step can be decomposed and / or recombined. Such decomposition and / or recombination should be regarded as equivalent solutions of the present disclosure.

[0471] Various changes, substitutions, and modifications may be made to the technology described herein without departing from the teachings defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the claims of this disclosure is not limited to the specific aspects of the processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of things, means, methods, and actions described above. Currently existing or later developed processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of things, means, methods, or actions that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same results as the corresponding aspects described herein may be utilized. Accordingly, the appended claims include within their scope such processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of things, means, methods, or actions.

[0472] The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0473] The above description has been provided for the purpose of illustration and description. In addition, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present disclosure to the forms disclosed herein. Although a number of example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, alterations, additions, and sub-combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A method for preventing an automatic pool cleaning device from falling, wherein: The method comprises: Controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to move on the underwater raised surface; generating a deceleration point on a current path based on historical path information of the automatic pool cleaning device; Acquire real-time position information of the automatic pool cleaning device, and determine whether the automatic pool cleaning device is at least partially located in the area where the deceleration point is located based on the real-time position information; if the automatic pool cleaning device is located in the area where the deceleration point is located, control the automatic pool cleaning device to decelerate, thereby preventing the automatic pool cleaning device from falling from the raised surface.

2. The anti-fall method according to claim 1, wherein: The historical path is parallel to the current path and is located near the current path.

3. The anti-fall method according to claim 2, wherein: The historical path includes a starting point and a turning point, and the turning point is close to the edge of the boss surface.

4. The anti-fall method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The historical path information includes walking time or walking distance. When the automatic pool cleaning device is at least partially located in the area where the deceleration point is located, the ratio of the walking time of the automatic pool cleaning device on the current path to the walking time of the historical path is in a range of 1 / 2-2 / 3, or the ratio of the walking distance of the automatic pool cleaning device on the current path to the walking distance of the historical path is in a range of 1 / 2-2 / 3.

5. The anti-fall method according to claim 4, wherein: The walking direction of the automatic pool cleaning device in the historical path is the same as the walking direction in the current path.

6. The anti-fall method according to claim 4, wherein: The historical path is at most 60 cm away from the current path.

7. The anti-fall method according to claim 6, wherein: Controlling the automatic pool cleaning device to decelerate includes: controlling a driving device or a water spraying mechanism of the automatic pool cleaning device to decelerate until the speed of the automatic pool cleaning device is zero.

8. An intelligent mobile terminal, wherein: The invention comprises a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, the method for preventing an automatic pool cleaning device from falling as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 is completed.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the anti-falling method for an automatic pool cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

10. An automatic pool cleaning device, wherein: The automatic pool cleaning device executes the anti-fall method of the automatic pool cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The automatic pool cleaning device includes a filtering device, a driving device and a motion control module. The filtering device is arranged inside the automatic pool cleaning device and is used to filter the sewage sucked into the automatic pool cleaning device. The driving device is used to drive the automatic pool cleaning device to move and decelerate. The motion control module is used to generate a control command to control the driving device.

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