Control method, cleaning system, base station, robot, and medium

Abstract

A control method, a cleaning system (1), a cleaning base station (20), a cleaning robot (10), and a medium. The cleaning system (1) comprises a cleaning robot (10), and a cleaning base station (20) with which the cleaning robot (10) is docked, wherein the cleaning base station (20) comprises an accommodating space (201) for accommodating the cleaning robot (10), and a cabin door (210) for opening or closing the accommodating space (201). The control method comprises: acquiring a characteristic behavior of a cleaning robot (10), wherein the characteristic behavior refers to a behavior having an association relationship with the opening and closing of a cabin door (210) (S101); and controlling the opening and closing of the cabin door (210) on the basis of the characteristic behavior (S102).

Description

Control methods, cleaning systems, base stations, robots, and media Cross-reference to related applications

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202410694064.X, filed on May 30, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of automatic control, and more particularly to a control method, a cleaning system, a base station, a robot, and a medium. Background Technology

[0003] A cleaning robot is a robot capable of automatically moving and performing cleaning operations in a designated area. A cleaning base station is used to interface with the cleaning robot, thereby providing it with various services. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To provide a better user experience, in a first aspect of this disclosure, a control method is provided for use with a cleaning base station, the cleaning base station being used to interface with a cleaning robot, the cleaning base station including a housing space for accommodating the cleaning robot and a hatch for opening or closing the housing space. The method includes: acquiring characteristic behaviors of the cleaning robot, the characteristic behaviors being behaviors associated with the opening and closing of the hatch; and controlling the opening and closing of the hatch based on the characteristic behaviors.

[0005] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a control method is provided for a cleaning robot. The method includes: while in a communicative connection with a cleaning base station, generating a door control command based on executed characteristic behaviors, and sending the door control command to the cleaning base station, so that the cleaning base station controls the opening and closing of a door based on the door control command. The characteristic behaviors are behaviors associated with the opening and closing of the door. The cleaning base station is used to dock with the cleaning robot. The cleaning base station includes a receiving space for accommodating the cleaning robot. The door is used to open or close the receiving space.

[0006] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a cleaning system is provided, comprising: a cleaning robot and a cleaning base station for docking with the cleaning robot, the cleaning base station including a housing space for accommodating the cleaning robot and a door for opening or closing the housing space. The cleaning robot generates door control commands based on performed characteristic behaviors and sends the door control commands to the cleaning base station. The characteristic behaviors are behaviors associated with the opening and closing of the door. The cleaning base station controls the opening and closing of the door based on the door control commands.

[0007] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a cleaning base station is provided, including a housing space for accommodating the cleaning robot and a hatch for opening or closing the housing space. The cleaning base station further includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores a computer program executable on the processor. When executed by the processor, the computer program implements the steps of the control method described in the first aspect.

[0008] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a cleaning robot is provided, comprising a processor and a memory. The memory stores a computer program executable on the processor. When executed by the processor, the computer program implements the steps of the control method described in the second aspect above.

[0009] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions. When executed by a processor, the computer instructions implement the steps of the control method described in the first or second aspect above.

[0010] The above description is merely an overview of the technical solution provided in this disclosure. In order to better understand the technical means of this disclosure and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other features and effects of this disclosure more obvious and understandable, the following are specific examples of the implementation methods of this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a cleaning system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a sweeping robot according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0013] Figure 3A shows a structural schematic diagram of a clean base station with its door closed according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 3B shows a structural schematic diagram of the open state of the door of a cleaning base station according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 4 shows a flowchart of a control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 5 illustrates a flowchart of a control method according to other embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0017] Figure 6 shows a flowchart of a control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the dimensions of the components may be exaggerated in the drawings for clarity of illustration. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0019] It should be noted that the term "and / or" used in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone. The term "at least one" includes one or more cases, while the term "multiple" includes two or more cases. The terms "first," "second," etc., are used only for distinction and do not restrict the number or sequence of objects. The terms "before," "after," "above," "below," "left," "right," etc., are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described objects changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0020] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a cleaning system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the cleaning system 1 includes a cleaning robot 10 and a cleaning base station 20 for docking with the cleaning robot 10. The cleaning robot 10 is an intelligent cleaning device with self-moving function, such as a sweeping robot, a mopping robot, a sweeping and mopping robot, a floor polishing robot, or a weeding robot.

[0021] Taking the cleaning robot 10 as an example of a sweeping robot, Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a sweeping robot according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the structure and shape of the sweeping robot shown in Figure 2 are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. As shown in Figure 2, the sweeping robot may include a main body 110, a sensing module 120, a controller, a drive module, cleaning components, a power module, and a human-machine interaction module 130. As shown in Figure 2, the main body 110 may include a front portion 111 and a rear portion 112. The front portion 111 and the rear portion 112 have an approximately circular shape (both front and rear are circular), but may also have other shapes, including but not limited to an approximately D-shaped shape with a circular front and rear, and a rectangular or square shape with a circular front and rear.

[0022] In some embodiments, the sensing module 120 may include a position determination device 121 located on the machine body 110, a collision sensor disposed on the forward collision structure 122 of the forward portion 111 of the machine body 110, a proximity sensor (wall sensor) located on the side of the machine, a cliff sensor disposed on the lower part of the machine body 110, and sensing devices such as magnetometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, and odometer disposed inside the machine body 110, for providing the controller with various position information and motion state information of the machine.

[0023] The main body 110 may also be equipped with a signal transmitting / receiving device. The signal transmitting / receiving device is used to transmit signals with a corresponding device on the base.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the forward portion 111 of the main body 110 can support the forward collision structure 122. During the cleaning process, when the drive wheel module propels the cleaning robot 10 to walk on the ground, the forward collision structure 122 detects one or more events in the travel path of the cleaning robot 10 via a sensor system mounted thereon, such as collision sensors or proximity sensors (e.g., infrared sensors). The cleaning robot 10 can respond to the events detected by the forward collision structure 122, such as obstacles or walls, by controlling the drive module to perform obstacle avoidance maneuvers, such as moving away from obstacles.

[0025] In some embodiments, the controller may be located on a circuit board within the machine body 110, including non-transitory memory (e.g., hard disk, flash memory, and random access memory) and processors (e.g., central processing unit and application processor).

[0026] In some embodiments, the drive module can manipulate the robot body 110 to travel across the ground based on drive commands including distance and angle information. The cleaning components may include dry cleaning components and / or wet cleaning components. Specific structures of the cleaning components can be found in related art. When the cleaning robot 10 is in working mode, i.e., performing a cleaning task, it can clean target surfaces such as the ground using the cleaning components.

[0027] In some embodiments, the power module may include a rechargeable battery, such as a nickel-metal hydride battery or a lithium battery. The rechargeable battery can be charged by connecting to electrodes on the cleaning base station 20 via charging electrodes located on the side or bottom of the machine body 110.

[0028] In some embodiments, the human-machine interaction module 130 may include buttons on the main control panel for users to select functions; it may also include a display screen and / or indicator lights and / or speakers to show users the current machine mode or function selection options; and it may include a microphone to receive user voice commands to achieve voice control functions. In some embodiments, users may also interact with the cleaning robot 10 through a client installed on a user terminal that establishes a communication connection with the cleaning robot 10.

[0029] Figure 3A shows a schematic diagram of the cleaning base station 20 with its door closed according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3B shows a schematic diagram of the cleaning base station 20 with its door open according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the structure, shape, and door opening / closing direction of the cleaning base station 20 shown in Figures 3A and 3B are only schematic and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the cleaning base station 20 may include a housing space 201 for accommodating the cleaning robot 10 and a door 210 for opening or closing the housing space 201. In some embodiments, the door 210 can be opened when in use and closed when not in use, thereby improving the overall integrity of the cleaning base station 20, reducing dust accumulation inside the cleaning base station 20, and extending the service life of the cleaning base station 20.

[0030] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station 20 also has a charging function. Two or more charging electrodes (not shown) are provided on the base of the cleaning base station 20. After the cleaning robot 10 is mounted on the base station and successfully docked, the base station is activated. Mounting the base station means the cleaning robot 10 enters the base station. Successful docking means the cleaning robot 10 makes contact with the charging electrodes. These charging electrodes can align and contact with charging electrodes located on the side or bottom of the robot body, thereby providing electrical energy to the cleaning robot 10.

[0031] In some embodiments, in addition to the charging function, the cleaning base station 20 also has a dust collection function and / or a mop cleaning and drying function, depending on the actual product requirements. For example, the cleaning base station 20 may be equipped with a dust collection component (not shown in the figure), a mop cleaning component (not shown in the figure), and a drying component (not shown in the figure). The dust collection component can suck dirt removed from the roller brush of the cleaning robot 10 and / or debris from the dust box of the cleaning robot 10 into the dust collection box; the mop cleaning component can clean the mop of the cleaning robot 10; the drying component may include a drying fan for drying the cleaned mop. It should be noted that the specific structure and working principle of the dust collection component, the mop cleaning component, and the drying component can be found in related technologies and will not be detailed here.

[0032] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station 20 is also equipped with a cooling fan (not shown in the figure). The cooling fan can be turned on to dissipate heat when the battery temperature is too high during the charging process of the cleaning robot 10, and when the cleaning base station 20 is drying the washed mop.

[0033] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station 20 is equipped with a signal transmitting device (not shown in the figure). The signal transmitting device is used to transmit a target-finding signal, which guides the cleaning robot 10 to the target. The signal transmitting device may include an infrared transmitting device, which may include one or more infrared transmitters (e.g., infrared emitting diodes), which transmit infrared signals as the target-finding signal. When the cleaning robot 10 returns to the target for charging, it can receive the infrared signal emitted by the infrared transmitter on the cleaning base station 20 through the infrared receiver on the cleaning robot 10, guiding the cleaning robot 10 to dock and charge with the cleaning base station 20.

[0034] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station 20 is equipped with a wireless communication device (not shown in the figure). The communication methods of the wireless communication device include, but are not limited to, Bluetooth, WiFi, etc. In some embodiments, the cleaning base station 20 can establish a communication connection with the cleaning robot 10 through the wireless communication device to facilitate data interaction with the cleaning robot 10. In other embodiments, the cleaning base station 20 can establish a communication connection with a user terminal through the wireless communication device to facilitate human-machine interaction between the user and the cleaning base station 20 through a client installed on the user terminal.

[0035] The structure and functions of the clean base station 20 listed above are merely exemplary. The clean base station 20 may also include other ancillary functions or combinations of the above functions, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0036] Figure 4 shows a flowchart of a control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, this control method can be applied to a cleaning base station 20 with a door in the cleaning system 1 described above. As shown in Figure 4, the control method may include at least the following steps S101 and S102.

[0037] In step S101, the characteristic behavior of the cleaning robot is obtained, which refers to the behavior that is related to the opening and closing of the door of the cleaning base station.

[0038] In step S102, the opening and closing of the hatch is controlled based on the characteristic behavior of the cleaning robot.

[0039] In some embodiments, the characteristic behaviors may include, but are not limited to, behaviors that require the hatch to be opened and behaviors that allow the hatch to be closed after completion. Compared to simply opening the hatch when in use and closing it when not in use, this control method, which controls the hatch opening and closing by monitoring the characteristic behaviors of the cleaning robot, allows for more flexible control of the hatch status during use. This helps to further reduce dust accumulation inside the cleaning station while ensuring the normal operation of the cleaning robot, thereby reducing the risk of abnormalities or malfunctions caused by insects or small animals entering the cleaning station's containment space during use.

[0040] Taking a robotic vacuum cleaner as an example, "leaving the dock" means the robotic vacuum cleaner leaves or exits the base station. "Entering the dock" means the robotic vacuum cleaner enters or travels to the base station. When the robotic vacuum cleaner needs to leave the dock to perform a cleaning task, or when it needs to return to the dock for charging and / or cleaning during or after the cleaning task, if the door is closed, it needs to be opened before leaving or entering the dock. If the door is open and the robotic vacuum cleaner departs from the dock to start or continue the cleaning task, or returns from outside the dock to perform charging and / or cleaning, the door can be closed after the robotic vacuum cleaner successfully leaves or enters the dock.

[0041] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station can establish a communication connection with the cleaning robot, thereby acquiring the characteristic behaviors of the cleaning robot through data interaction with the cleaning robot. Figure 5 shows a flowchart of a control method according to other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the control method may include: step S201, receiving a door control command sent by the cleaning robot based on the characteristic behaviors it has performed; step S202, controlling the opening and closing of the door based on the door control command.

[0042] In some embodiments, the hatch control commands may include hatch opening commands and hatch closing commands. When the hatch needs to be opened, a hatch opening command is sent to control the hatch to open. When the hatch needs to be closed, a hatch closing command is sent to control the hatch to close. The cleaning robot can generate hatch control commands based on the characteristic behavior to be performed and send them to the cleaning base station before, when, or during the execution of the characteristic behavior. It should be noted that the timing of controlling the hatch opening and closing is determined according to the actual needs of the characteristic behavior. When the hatch is closed, for characteristic behaviors that require exiting or returning to the pile, some require controlling the hatch to open before execution, some can be controlled to open simultaneously with triggering the characteristic behavior, and some can be controlled to open during execution. This can be configured according to the behavioral requirements.

[0043] In other embodiments, the cleaning base station can also acquire the characteristic behavior of the cleaning robot through other means. Monitoring devices such as cameras can be installed on the cleaning base station. If the cleaning robot is outside the dock and the hatch is closed, and the camera captures the cleaning robot entering the monitoring range, it is determined whether the cleaning robot needs to return to the dock. In response to a confirmation signal indicating the cleaning robot's return to the dock, the hatch is opened. After the cleaning robot successfully docks, its behavior inside the dock is used to determine whether to keep the hatch open or close it.

[0044] In some embodiments, the characteristic behaviors of the cleaning robot can be distinguished based on its relative position to the cleaning base station, i.e., whether it is inside or outside the station. The characteristic behavior of opening the hatch performed by the cleaning robot when it is inside the station can be referred to as the first characteristic behavior.

[0045] In some embodiments, the process of controlling the opening and closing of the hatch based on characteristic behavior may include: when the cleaning robot is located inside the dock and the hatch is closed, if the cleaning robot is detected to be performing a first characteristic behavior, the hatch is controlled to open; after the first characteristic behavior is completed, the hatch is controlled to close. The first characteristic behavior includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following behaviors: exiting the dock to perform a cleaning task; activating the remote monitoring function; starting the remote monitoring function; voice wake-up behavior; charging behavior, where the battery temperature is higher than a first temperature threshold and the charging amount is lower than a preset power threshold; and reconnection behavior, etc. Reconnection behavior refers to the situation where, in the event that the cleaning robot is abnormally disconnected from charging inside the dock (i.e., the cleaning base station), the cleaning robot moves a short distance to exit the dock and then re-enters the dock to reconnect with the charging equipment inside the cleaning base station for charging.

[0046] In some embodiments, when a cleaning robot needs to exit its designated area to perform a cleaning task, it can send a door opening command to the cleaning base station to control the door to open. After the cleaning robot completes its exit from the designated area, it sends a door closing command to the cleaning base station to control the door to close.

[0047] The remote monitoring function of a cleaning robot requires the camera to be turned on to capture monitoring footage, allowing users to remotely view their home environment and cleaning results, locate pets, or capture cute moments of their pets. Therefore, when the cleaning robot is inside its dock, activating or starting the remote monitoring function requires opening the dock door.

[0048] In some embodiments, the cleaning robot can send a door opening command to the cleaning base station in response to a trigger command to activate the remote monitoring function (i.e., real-time video) to control the door opening. Considering that the user may activate the remote monitoring function after activation, the cleaning robot may also need to move out of the dock at this time. In this case, to reduce unnecessary door opening and closing operations, after activation, the cleaning robot may wait for a first preset time before sending a door closing command to the cleaning base station to control the door closing. In some embodiments, the first preset time may be 60 seconds, 65 seconds, or 70 seconds, etc., configured according to the needs of the actual application scenario.

[0049] In some embodiments, the cleaning robot may send a door opening command to the cleaning base station in response to a trigger command to activate the remote monitoring function (i.e., real-time video) to control the door to open; and send a door closing command to the cleaning base station in response to a trigger command to deactivate the remote monitoring function to control the door to close.

[0050] In some embodiments, if the cleaning robot is awakened by the user's voice while the door is closed, the door can be directly controlled to open. In some embodiments, whether to control the door to open depends on the type of task to be performed after being awakened. If a cleaning task is being performed, the door is controlled to open to enter the cleaning logic. If a non-cleaning task that does not require exiting the dock is being performed (such as asking about the weather or voice chat) or if the user does not respond after a preset time threshold, the door is not controlled to open, i.e., the door remains closed.

[0051] In some embodiments, the cleaning robot can monitor battery temperature and charging level during charging within the charging station. If the battery temperature is detected to be higher than a first temperature threshold and the charging level is lower than a preset power threshold, a door opening command is sent to the cleaning base station to control the door opening, which helps the cleaning robot dissipate heat. A door closing command is then sent to the cleaning base station after the battery is fully charged to control the door closing. The first temperature threshold and the preset power threshold can be configured according to the needs of the actual application scenario. In some embodiments, the first temperature threshold can be 45℃ to 55℃, such as 45℃, 48℃, 50℃, or 55℃; the preset power threshold can be 75% to 85%, such as 75%, 80%, or 85%.

[0052] In some application scenarios, to address the issue of the cleaning robot losing charging contact with the cleaning base station due to vibrations near the station (e.g., a user accidentally kicking the cleaning base station or robot, construction noise from upstairs or downstairs, or an earthquake), the cleaning robot is equipped with a re-alignment strategy to control it to re-align with the charging station. Because of the door, it needs to be opened first so the cleaning robot can exit the cleaning base station via a re-alignment action before re-entering it. In some embodiments, the cleaning robot can send a door opening command to the cleaning base station before entering the re-alignment strategy to control the door opening. After the door opens, the re-alignment strategy is executed, meaning the robot exits the cleaning base station via a re-alignment action and then re-enters to re-align with the charging equipment for charging.

[0053] It should be noted that, in addition to the first characteristic behaviors listed above, more first characteristic behaviors can be configured according to the needs of actual application scenarios, and this disclosure does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0054] In some embodiments, for ease of distinction, the characteristic behavior requiring the opening of the hatch when the cleaning robot is outside the pile can be referred to as the second characteristic behavior. The process of controlling the opening and closing of the hatch based on the characteristic behavior described above may include: when the cleaning robot is outside the pile and the hatch is in a closed state, if the cleaning robot is detected to be performing the second characteristic behavior, then the hatch is controlled to open. In some embodiments, the second characteristic behavior may include behaviors requiring return to the pile and / or pile-finding behaviors.

[0055] The actions requiring re-entry to the docking station can include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: re-entry for charging, re-entry for washing cloth, and re-entry for dust collection. When the cleaning robot performs these second characteristic actions (such as re-entry for charging, re-entry for washing cloth, or re-entry for dust collection), it can first determine whether there are docking stations (i.e., the location of the cleaning base station on the map) on the constructed map. If there are docking stations on the map, a door opening command is sent to the cleaning base station before returning to the docking station, so that the cleaning base station controls the door to open based on the door opening command. If there are no docking stations on the map, a door opening command is generated in response to the trigger command of the second characteristic action, and the door opening command is sent to the cleaning base station, so that the cleaning base station controls the door to open based on the door opening command.

[0056] It should be noted that the timing of sending the hatch opening command when there are docking stations on the map can be configured according to the needs of the actual application scenario. In some embodiments, the hatch opening command can be sent to the cleaning base station in response to an instruction that triggers an action that requires returning to the dock (such as returning to the dock for charging); the cleaning robot can also send the hatch opening command to the cleaning base station while walking back to the dock; or the cleaning robot can stop at a designated position before the docking station, send the hatch opening command to the cleaning base station to control the hatch to open, and then continue to move towards the docking station.

[0057] In some embodiments, after the control hatch is opened, it can be determined whether to close the hatch after pile driving, based on the type of behavior actually performed during pile driving, so as to more accurately control the hatch opening and closing status.

[0058] In some embodiments, if the cleaning robot is detected performing the mop washing behavior, the process of controlling the opening and closing of the door based on the characteristic behavior after the control door is opened may further include: if the cleaning robot's cleaning task has not yet been completed, the door is controlled to close after the cleaning robot finishes washing the mop inside the mop and exits the mop, so that the mop can be washed with the door open, thereby minimizing the number of times the door is opened and closed in a short period of time, thus saving time and energy; if the cleaning robot's cleaning task has been completed, the door is controlled to close after the cleaning robot successfully enters the mop, so that the mop can be washed with the door closed, thereby reducing noise leakage.

[0059] In some embodiments, if the cleaning robot is detected to be performing a dust collection and / or charging behavior, then after the control door is opened, the process of controlling the opening and closing of the control door based on the characteristic behavior may further include: closing the control door after the cleaning robot successfully enters the dock. In some embodiments, this process can be performed when the cleaning robot is a simple sweeping robot. Thus, whether the sweeping robot automatically returns to the dock for dust collection during or after a cleaning task, or whether the user manually places the sweeping robot into the dock and starts dust collection, the dust collection operation can be performed on the cleaning robot while the door is closed to prevent dust leakage and reduce noise leakage.

[0060] In the case of a sweeping and mopping robot, in some embodiments, if the robot is detected performing a cleaning action (including mop cleaning and dust collection) during a cleaning task, the door can be kept open while the robot performs these actions. The door is then closed only after the robot has finished cleaning and dust collection and exited the mop dock. This minimizes the number of times the door opens and closes in a short period, saving time and energy. In other embodiments, if the robot is detected performing a cleaning action (including mop cleaning and dust collection) during a cleaning task, the door can be closed after the robot has successfully docked, allowing the robot to perform mop cleaning and dust collection while the door is closed. This reduces noise and prevents dust leakage during dust collection. The door is then opened after the robot has finished cleaning and dust collection, allowing it to exit the dock and continue the cleaning task.

[0061] In one implementation, the success of the cleaning robot's docking with the base station can be determined by monitoring the stability of the charging signal. In some embodiments, if a continuous charging electrode trigger signal is received within a preset reference time, it indicates that the charging electrode of the cleaning robot has successfully made contact with the charging electrode in the cleaning base station, and the cleaning robot is deemed to have successfully docked with the base station. Conversely, if the received charging electrode trigger signal is intermittent, it indicates that the charging signal has not yet stabilized, and the docking has not yet been successful.

[0062] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: if it is detected that the cleaning robot is manually placed into the charging dock by the user for charging, the door can be closed after a second preset time is waited for the charging signal to stabilize. In some embodiments, the second preset time can be 60 seconds, 65 seconds, or 70 seconds, etc., configured according to the needs of the actual application scenario.

[0063] In some embodiments, the second characteristic behavior described above is an behavior that needs to be performed upon returning to the dock. Therefore, after the control door is opened, the process of controlling the opening and closing of the control door based on the characteristic behavior may further include: before the cleaning robot is docked, if it is detected that the cleaning robot has started a new cleaning task or continued the current cleaning task in response to a user instruction, the control door is closed. In some embodiments, during the cleaning robot's return to the dock for charging or cleaning, and if the control door has already been opened, and the user pauses the return to the dock for charging or cleaning, starts a new cleaning task, or triggers continued cleaning, a control door closing instruction is sent to the cleaning base station to control the door to close, that is, to close the door that was opened for returning to the dock for charging or cleaning again, in order to minimize the dust accumulation problem caused by the door being open for a long time and to reduce the risk of abnormalities or malfunctions caused by the entry of foreign objects such as insects or small animals.

[0064] Understandably, when there are no markers on the map or when markers are abnormally lost, the cleaning robot needs to locate the cleaning base station (i.e., the marker) by searching for it. This searching relies on a searching signal (such as an infrared searching signal) emitted by the cleaning base station. Therefore, in some embodiments, when performing the searching behavior, the cleaning robot can send a door opening command to the cleaning base station to control the door to open, preventing the door from blocking the searching signal emitted by the cleaning base station and affecting the cleaning robot's searching for the marker.

[0065] In some embodiments, to prevent the communication connection between the cleaning base station and the cleaning robot from being abnormally disconnected during the cleaning robot's operation outside the pile, thus affecting the cleaning robot's return to the pile, the control method further includes: when the cleaning robot is outside the cleaning base station and the hatch is closed, if a communication connection loss is detected with the cleaning robot, the hatch is opened so that the cleaning robot can perform the pile-mounting operation guided by the pile-finding signal emitted by the cleaning base station. During the pile-mounting process, if the cleaning robot detects the pile-finding signal emitted by the cleaning base station in front of the pile point, it mounts the pile based on the pile-finding signal; if no pile-finding signal is detected in front of the pile point, an error is reported and the robot stops.

[0066] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station further includes at least one function button. The control method further includes: if a communication connection with the cleaning robot is detected to be disconnected, switching the control mode of the at least one function button from a function mode to a switch mode. The function mode is a mode for controlling the cleaning robot to perform a specified task (such as cleaning, returning to the charging dock for charging, or returning to the charging dock for cleaning), and the switch mode is a mode for controlling the opening and closing of the hatch. In response to a user's trigger operation on the function button switched to the switch mode, the opening and closing of the hatch is controlled, so that the user can open and close the hatch as needed when the communication connection is disconnected, thereby improving the reliability and flexibility of the hatch control.

[0067] Taking at least one of the aforementioned function buttons—a cleaning button and a return-to-base charging / return-to-base cleaning button—as an example, when the cleaning base station and the cleaning robot are in a communication connection state, both the cleaning button and the return-to-base charging / return-to-base cleaning button operate in function mode. The cleaning button is used to start and stop the cleaning task, and the return-to-base charging / return-to-base cleaning button is used to control return-to-base charging and return-to-base cleaning. When the communication connection between the cleaning base station and the cleaning robot is disconnected, both the cleaning button and the return-to-base charging / return-to-base cleaning button can be switched to an on / off state. In this case, the user can press either the cleaning button or the return-to-base charging / return-to-base cleaning button to open the hatch and place the cleaning robot back into the dock.

[0068] In some embodiments, for ease of user operation, when the cleaning base station and the cleaning robot are in a communication connection state, the user can also control the opening and closing of the hatch by pressing and holding a designated button on the cleaning base station, such as the aforementioned return-to-base charging / return-to-base cleaning button. The duration of the press and hold can be configured according to the needs of the actual application scenario. The duration of the press and hold can be 3 seconds or 5 seconds, etc.

[0069] In some embodiments, to further improve the reliability of the door control, the door of the cleaning base station is an electrically operated sensor door. When the cleaning base station is powered off, the door is in the unlocked state, and the user can manually open or close the door.

[0070] To facilitate understanding, the following examples illustrate the exemplary opening and closing control process of the hatch.

[0071] For cleaning initiation scenarios, there are two situations: the cleaning robot is inside the dock and outside the dock. If the cleaning robot is inside the dock, it needs to exit the dock first before it can start performing the cleaning task. However, the door remains closed during this time. The cleaning robot can respond to the cleaning start trigger command by sending a door opening command to the cleaning base station. Upon receiving the door opening command, the cleaning base station controls the door to open. If the mop needs to be washed, it can wash it with the door open, and then exit the dock after washing. If the mop does not need to be washed, it can exit the dock immediately after the door is opened. Once exiting the dock, it sends a door closing command to the cleaning base station, which then controls the door to close. While the cleaning robot is performing tasks outside the dock, the door remains closed to reduce dust accumulation caused by prolonged door opening and to minimize the risk of abnormalities or malfunctions caused by foreign objects such as insects or small animals entering.

[0072] If the cleaning robot is outside the dock, it first determines whether the mop needs to be washed. If so, it performs the mop washing action by returning to the dock and sending a door opening command to the cleaning base station. After receiving the door opening command, the cleaning base station controls the door to open so that the cleaning robot can return to the dock smoothly to wash the mop. If not, the cleaning task can be performed directly without controlling the door to open.

[0073] For scenarios involving returning to charging stations and / or cleaning stations: If the cleaning base station and the cleaning robot are in a communication connection, the system first checks if a charging station exists on the map. If a charging station exists, the robot sends a door opening command to the cleaning base station before returning to the station. Upon receiving the command, the cleaning base station opens the door. If no charging station exists, the robot sends the door opening command to the cleaning base station at the moment the charging and / or cleaning return command is triggered. Upon receiving the command, the cleaning base station opens the door. If the cleaning base station detects a communication disconnection with the cleaning robot, it actively opens the door to send a charging station search signal, guiding the robot to the charging station. If the cleaning robot receives the search signal before reaching the charging station, it performs the charging station movement under the guidance of the signal. If it does not receive the search signal at the charging station, it reports an error and stops.

[0074] If the cleaning robot performs a back-to-base cleaning action midway through a cleaning task, the door can remain open during the cloth washing and dust collection process. Once the robot has finished exiting the base station, a door closing command is sent, and the base station closes the door upon receiving the command. If the cleaning robot performs a back-to-base cleaning and / or back-to-base charging action after completing a cleaning task, the door closes after the robot successfully re-enters the base station.

[0075] If the cleaning robot detects that the battery temperature is higher than 48°C and the charge level is less than 80% during the charging process, it will open the electric door and close the door after the battery is fully charged.

[0076] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: during the process of controlling the door opening and closing based on the door control command sent by the cleaning robot, if an abnormality is detected in the door opening and closing, an error is reported. In some embodiments, the control method further includes: during the process of controlling the door opening and closing in response to user operation of function keys set on the cleaning base station, if an abnormality is detected in the door opening and closing, and the cleaning robot is in a non-charging state without a continuing cleaning task or in a charging state, an error is reported. "No continuing cleaning task" indicates that there is currently no cleaning task. The non-charging state of the non-continuous cleaning task may include: a state of waiting for instructions outside the cleaning base station or a sleep state, etc.

[0077] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: performing anomaly detection on the hatch opening process to improve the reliability of hatch opening control.

[0078] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station further includes: a door drive module, a first positioning switch, and a second positioning switch. The door drive module is used to drive the door to open and close, the second positioning switch is used to detect whether the door is fully open, and the second positioning switch is used to detect whether the door is fully closed. Based on this, the process of anomaly detection during the door opening process may include: if an overcurrent is detected in the door drive module during the door opening process, or if the accumulated opening time reaches a first threshold and the first positioning switch is not triggered, then it is determined that there is an anomaly in the door opening, and a first anomaly handling step is executed. The first anomaly handling step includes: controlling the door to move in the closing direction for a first time or moving in the closing direction until the second positioning switch is triggered, pausing for a second time, and then attempting to open the door again.

[0079] In some embodiments, the above-described process of detecting anomalies during hatch opening may further include: if an anomaly persists after executing the first anomaly handling steps N times, an error is reported. Here, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. This avoids wasting excessive time attempting to open the hatch and facilitates timely anomaly handling. Errors can be reported via voice, text, or light. A first error message can be output. The first error message indicates that hatch opening has failed. The user needs to check the first error message.

[0080] If an overcurrent is detected in the door drive module, it indicates that something may have been caught in the door during opening. In some embodiments, after the door is fully opened, there may still be a gap between the door and the side wall of the cleaning base station door. This could potentially trap a foreign object such as a finger or pet, triggering the first-position switch. Therefore, upon detecting an overcurrent, regardless of whether the first-position switch is triggered, an attempt is made to reverse the operation of the electric door to ensure the safety of the door opening control.

[0081] In some embodiments, the first threshold, the first duration, the second duration, and the number of attempts N can be configured according to the needs of the actual application scenario. The first threshold can be set according to the average hatch opening time. The first threshold can be set to 7-9 seconds. In actual implementation, the first threshold can be set to 7 seconds, 8 seconds, or 9 seconds, etc. The first duration can be determined according to the distance the hatch needs to move in the closing direction and the hatch movement speed when a foreign object, such as a finger or a pet, is stuck during the hatch opening process. The second duration can be determined according to the approximate waiting time required for the stuck foreign object to be removed. The first duration can be 1-2 seconds; the first duration can be set to 1 second, 1.5 seconds, or 2 seconds, etc. The second duration can be 1-3 seconds; the second duration can be set to 1 second, 1.5 seconds, 2 seconds, 2.5 seconds, or 3 seconds, etc. It should be noted that, taking a first duration of 1 second as an example, if the hatch opening degree is small, the second stop switch may be triggered before 1 second has elapsed in the closing direction. In this case, the second duration will be paused after the second stop switch is triggered. N can be configured as 2, 3, or 4, depending on the actual needs.

[0082] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: performing anomaly detection on the hatch closing process to improve the reliability of the hatch closing control. As one implementation, the anomaly detection process on the hatch closing process may include: during the hatch closing process, if an overcurrent is detected in the hatch drive module and the second stop switch is not triggered, or if the accumulated closing time reaches a second threshold and the second stop switch is not triggered, then it is determined that there is an anomaly in the hatch closing, and a second anomaly handling step is executed. The second anomaly handling step includes: controlling the hatch to move along the opening direction for a third duration or moving along the opening direction until the first stop switch is triggered, pausing for a fourth duration, and attempting to close the hatch again. If, after executing the second anomaly handling step M times, the hatch closing still has an anomaly, an error is reported, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0083] In some embodiments, the process of detecting anomalies during the hatch closing process may further include: if the second stop switch is detected to be triggered during the hatch closing process, the hatch is determined to be closed normally. A second error message may be output to indicate that the hatch closing has failed and requires user inspection.

[0084] In some embodiments, after the hatch is closed to the correct position, the lower end of the hatch is in a position touching the ground, meaning there are no gaps. Once the second position switch is triggered, there is virtually no possibility of anything being caught. Therefore, if the second position switch is detected to be triggered, regardless of whether there is an overcurrent in the hatch drive module, it can be determined that the hatch is closed normally, i.e., the hatch is closed to the correct position.

[0085] In some embodiments, the second threshold, the third duration, the fourth duration, and the number of closing attempts M can be configured according to the needs of the actual application scenario. The second threshold can be set based on the average door closing time. The second threshold can be set to be the same as the first threshold. M can be configured to 2, 3, or 4, etc., and M and N can be the same or different, depending on the actual needs.

[0086] The third duration can be determined based on the distance the door needs to move in the opening direction and the door's movement speed when a foreign object, such as a finger or pet, gets stuck during the door's closing process. The fourth duration can be determined based on the approximate waiting time required to remove the stuck foreign object. When the door moves along the height of the cleaning station to open or close (as shown in Figures 3A and 3B), because the door is suddenly raised during closing (i.e., descending), inertia due to gravity will cause a longer execution time in the opening direction. Conversely, when the door is suddenly lowered during opening (i.e., rising), the door's response speed is faster, so the execution time in the closing direction can be relatively shorter. Therefore, the third duration can be longer than the first duration. If the first duration is 1 second, the third duration can be 1.5 seconds. It should be noted that although there is a difference between the third and first durations, testing shows that the reverse movement distances are roughly the same, allowing space and time for a foreign object, such as a pet or finger, to be pulled out after being caught in the door, effectively improving the safety of the door opening and closing control.

[0087] In some embodiments, the hatch drive module may include a motor and a transmission mechanism. The motor shaft is connected to the transmission mechanism, which is connected to the hatch, thereby driving the hatch to move along a preset trajectory to control the opening or closing of the hatch. In this case, detecting overcurrent in the hatch drive module may refer to detecting overcurrent in the motor. As one implementation, the overcurrent judgment condition may include: instantaneous overcurrent condition and / or integral overcurrent condition. The overcurrent judgment condition may include: under the conditions of instantaneous overcurrent condition and integral overcurrent condition, during the opening or closing of the hatch, the instantaneous current and integral current of the motor can be monitored. If the instantaneous current within a third preset time period is greater than or equal to a first current threshold, and the integral current within a fourth preset time period is greater than or equal to a second current threshold, then it is determined that the motor has an overcurrent. The third preset time period is the judgment time for instantaneous current. The fourth preset time period is the statistical time for integral current. The third preset time period is less than the fourth preset time period, and the third and fourth preset time periods can be determined according to the needs of the actual application scenario. The first current threshold and the second current threshold can be determined according to the magnitude of the overcurrent caused by the actual hatch jamming. The first current threshold can be greater than the second current threshold.

[0088] By setting up the above-mentioned abnormal detection strategy for the opening and closing process of the hatch, foreign objects such as pets or fingers can be pulled out after being caught in the hatch, which helps to improve the safety of hatch opening and closing control.

[0089] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station and the cleaning robot can establish a communication connection with a user terminal. A client application can be installed on the user terminal. The user can control the cleaning base station and the cleaning robot through the client application. Based on this, to further enrich the functionality of the client application and facilitate user control of the hatch opening and closing, the above control method further includes: controlling the opening and closing of the hatch in response to a hatch control command issued by the user terminal.

[0090] In some embodiments, the control method further includes uploading the hatch status to a user terminal, so that the user terminal can display the hatch status to the user. The hatch status includes: hatch open, hatch closed, hatch opening, hatch closing, hatch opening error, and hatch closing error. This further enriches the client's functionality, making it easier for users to view the hatch's open / closed status through the client.

[0091] In some embodiments, if the cleaning robot detects that the hatch has been abnormally removed, it enters after-sales mode. In after-sales mode, the cleaning robot defaults to having the hatch open and no longer sends hatch control commands to the cleaning base station to facilitate hatch maintenance.

[0092] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station includes a cooling fan. The control method further includes: controlling the switching on / off state of the cooling fan in response to a cooling control command issued by a user terminal; and uploading the on / off status of the cooling fan to the user terminal so that the user terminal can display the status of the cooling fan to the user. The on / off status includes an on state and an off state. This further enriches the client's functionality, making it easier for users to control the on / off state of the cooling fan as needed and to promptly understand its status.

[0093] In some embodiments where the cleaning base station includes a cooling fan, the control method further includes: during the charging process of the cleaning robot, if the ambient temperature is detected to be higher than a second temperature threshold and the cleaning robot is in non-do-disturb mode, then the cooling fan is turned on until the ambient temperature is lower than a third temperature threshold, at which point the cooling fan is turned off. The second and third temperature thresholds can be configured according to the needs of the actual application scenario.

[0094] Users can configure the cleaning base stations and cleaning robots to operate in either Do Not Disturb or non-disturb mode via a client installed on their terminals. Noisy devices such as cooling fans can be turned on in Do Not Disturb mode, but should be turned off in Do Not Disturb mode to reduce noise.

[0095] In some optional implementations, the battery temperature can be acquired as the ambient temperature. The acquired battery temperature can be the real-time battery temperature, or it can be the average battery temperature of each sampling point within a preset interval. In some embodiments, the preset interval can be longer than the sampling interval for battery temperature, and both the preset interval and the sampling interval for battery temperature can be configured according to actual needs. In this case, the third temperature threshold can be lower than the second temperature threshold. When the battery temperature is detected to be higher than the first temperature threshold and the charge level is lower than a preset charge level threshold, and the door is opened, the second temperature threshold can be slightly lower than the first temperature threshold. In some embodiments, when the first temperature threshold is 48°C, the second temperature threshold can be set to 46°C, and the third temperature threshold can be set to 43°C, so that heat dissipation can be achieved first by the cooling fan, and the door can be opened to assist in heat dissipation only when the cooling fan alone cannot suppress the temperature from continuing to rise. This can minimize the door opening time, which is beneficial for reducing the accumulation of dust in the base station and reducing the risk of foreign objects such as insects or pets entering.

[0096] In some alternative implementations, the ambient temperature can be obtained from a temperature sensor installed at the cleaning base station. In some embodiments, the temperature sensor can be located inside the cleaning base station to collect the internal ambient temperature. In other embodiments, the temperature sensor can be located on the outside of the cleaning base station. This allows the cooling fan to be activated to dissipate heat if the internal or external ambient temperature is detected to be too high, which helps ensure the reliability and safety of the charging process.

[0097] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station includes a cooling fan and a drying fan. The control method further includes: when the cleaning robot is located inside the station and the cooling fan and / or drying fan are on, if the cleaning robot is detected to be woken up by a user's voice, then the cooling fan and / or drying fan are turned off; if the cleaning robot is detected to be performing a non-cleaning task (such as inquiring about the weather or chatting) after being woken up by the user, or if the user does not respond after a preset duration threshold, then the turned-off cooling fan and / or drying fan are turned back on. The duration threshold can be configured according to the needs of the actual application scenario. Since the cooling fan and drying fan generate noise when working, turning off the cooling fan and / or drying fan when the cleaning robot is woken up by a user's voice helps reduce noise. This allows for more accurate recognition of user voice commands and more accurate responses, and also facilitates faster response to user-issued tasks, enabling the cleaning logic to be quickly entered when a user issues a cleaning task.

[0098] In some embodiments where the cleaning base station includes the aforementioned cooling fan and drying fan, the control method further includes: controlling the drying fan and cooling fan to turn on in response to an instruction to dry the cleaning parts of the cleaning robot; and controlling the drying fan and cooling fan to turn off in response to a drying completion instruction. During the drying operation, the temperature inside the cleaning base station will rise, and turning on the cooling fan in this case is beneficial for heat dissipation. After drying is completed, the temperature inside the cleaning base station will naturally drop; therefore, the drying fan and cooling fan can be turned on and off simultaneously. Turning off the cooling fan after drying is completed also helps to reduce unnecessary noise interference.

[0099] Figure 6 shows a flowchart of a control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, which can be applied to the cleaning robot 10 in the cleaning system 1 described above. As shown in Figure 6, the control method may include at least the following steps S301 and S302.

[0100] In step S301, while maintaining a communication connection with the clean base station, a hatch control command is generated based on the executed characteristic behavior.

[0101] In step S302, the door control command is sent to the cleaning base station so that the cleaning base station controls the opening and closing of the door based on the door control command.

[0102] The characteristic behavior is an action related to the opening and closing of the hatch. The cleaning base station is used to dock with the cleaning robot. The cleaning base station includes a housing space for accommodating the cleaning robot. The hatch is used to open or close the housing space. It should be noted that the implementation process of steps S301 and S302 can refer to the relevant descriptions in some of the method embodiments introduced above, and will not be repeated here.

[0103] In some embodiments, the cleaning robot generates a hatch control command based on the executed characteristic behavior and sends the hatch control command to the cleaning base station. This includes: when the cleaning robot is outside the dock and the characteristic behavior requires returning to the dock, determining whether a dock exists on the constructed map; if so, generating a hatch opening command before returning to the dock and sending the hatch opening command to the cleaning base station, so that the cleaning base station controls the hatch to open based on the hatch opening command; if not, generating a hatch opening command in response to a trigger command of the characteristic behavior and sending the hatch opening command to the cleaning base station, so that the cleaning base station controls the hatch to open based on the hatch opening command. The implementation process can be referred to the relevant descriptions in some of the method embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0104] In some embodiments, if the cleaning base station detects a communication disconnection with the cleaning robot, it controls the hatch to open to transmit a target-finding signal. The control method further includes: during the cleaning robot's return to the target, if a communication disconnection with the cleaning base station is detected, the target-finding signal emitted by the cleaning base station is detected; if the target-finding signal is detected before the target point, the robot proceeds to the target point based on the signal; if no target-finding signal is detected before the target point, an error is reported and the robot stops.

[0105] Considering that collisions are likely to occur if the cleaning robot performs the loading or unloading operation before the hatch is fully open, in some embodiments, the control method further includes: before the cleaning robot loads or unloads, in response to the hatch opening confirmation signal returned by the cleaning base station, detecting whether the hatch is fully open; if so, then performing the loading or unloading action. This helps ensure the cleaning robot can smoothly load or unload, improving the reliability of robot control. In some embodiments, if the hatch is detected not being fully open, the process can wait for a fifth preset time period before repeating the above step of detecting whether the hatch is fully open. If the hatch is still not fully open after a sixth preset time period, an error is reported and the robot stops. The fifth and sixth preset time periods can be configured according to the needs of the actual application scenario.

[0106] In some embodiments, after receiving a door opening command from the cleaning robot, the cleaning base station can control the door to open and simultaneously send a door opening confirmation signal back to the cleaning robot. This allows the cleaning robot to detect whether the door is fully open before performing any pile-mounting or pile-removal operations. In some embodiments, the door opening status of the cleaning base station can be monitored using an LDS (Laser Distance Sensor) or a TOF (Time of Flight) sensor.

[0107] Taking the use of a laser ranging device for detection as an example. Before the cleaning robot is positioned on the pile, laser ranging points within a preset angle range in front of the cleaning robot can be acquired when the robot reaches a designated position in front of the pile. The distance of each acquired laser ranging point is then determined to be less than or equal to a first preset threshold. The preset threshold can be determined based on the distance between the door and the designated position in front of the pile. When the door is not fully open, the unopened portion of the door will block part of the opening of the accommodating space, thus reflecting the laser signal. In other words, the number of laser ranging points with a distance less than the first preset threshold when the door is not fully open will be greater than when the door is fully open. Therefore, if the number of laser ranging points with a distance less than or equal to the first preset threshold is greater than or equal to a first preset number, the door is determined to be not fully open; if the number of laser ranging points with a distance less than the first preset threshold is less than a second preset number, the door is determined to be fully open.

[0108] In some embodiments, before the robot exits the pile, laser ranging points within a preset angle range in front of the cleaning robot can be acquired, and the number of laser ranging points with a distance less than a second preset threshold can be determined and compared with the second preset number to determine whether the door is fully opened. In some embodiments, if the number of laser ranging points acquired within the preset angle range in front of the robot is greater than a third preset number, and the average distance of these laser ranging points is less than the third preset threshold, it can be determined that the door is not fully opened.

[0109] Considering that during the cleaning robot's task of exiting the obstacle course, if the door is not fully open, the initial obstacle signal acquired by the cleaning robot might be due to the door not being fully open. If the obstacle is caused by the door, it cannot be avoided through obstacle avoidance and an error needs to be reported and processed. Therefore, the above control method also includes: during the cleaning robot's exiting the obstacle course, in response to the initially acquired obstacle signal, determining the exit distance; if the exit distance is less than a preset distance, determining whether the door is fully open based on the number of ranging points acquired by the ranging device on the cleaning robot and the distance corresponding to each ranging point; if not, reporting an error. This is beneficial for improving the reliability of cleaning robot control when the cleaning base station has a door. In some embodiments, the ranging device can be an LDS, or it can be a TOF.

[0110] It should be noted that if the distance from the marker is less than the preset distance, it means that the cleaning robot has not yet left the marker or has left the marker but is still near the marker. In order to further confirm whether the cleaning robot has left the marker, it is necessary to judge the number of ranging points obtained by the ranging device and the distance corresponding to each ranging point.

[0111] In some embodiments, the number of ranging points corresponding to the four sides of the circumscribed rectangle of the cleaning robot can be obtained separately. If the number of ranging points is greater than a fourth preset number, and the average distance of the ranging points on each side is less than a fourth preset threshold, it is determined that the cleaning robot is still inside the obstacle, i.e., the hatch has not been fully opened, causing the cleaning robot to be unable to exit the obstacle smoothly. In this case, an error can be reported and the machine can be stopped to wait for error processing. If the number of ranging points is less than or equal to the fourth preset number, and / or the average distance of the ranging points on any side is greater than or equal to the fourth preset threshold, it is determined that the cleaning robot is outside the obstacle, and the normal obstacle avoidance operation is performed.

[0112] This disclosure also provides a cleaning system in some embodiments, including a cleaning robot and a cleaning base station for docking with the cleaning robot. The cleaning base station includes a housing space for accommodating the cleaning robot and a door for opening or closing the housing space. The cleaning robot generates door control commands based on executed characteristic behaviors and sends these commands to the cleaning base station. The characteristic behaviors are those related to the opening and closing of the door. The cleaning base station controls the opening and closing of the door based on the door control commands. It should be noted that the control methods executed by the cleaning base station and the cleaning robot can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0113] This disclosure also provides a cleaning base station in some embodiments. The cleaning base station includes a housing space for accommodating a cleaning robot and a hatch for opening or closing the housing space. The cleaning base station also includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program that can run on the processor. When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the control method executed by the cleaning base station in the above method embodiments and achieves the same technical effect; therefore, to avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0114] This disclosure also provides a cleaning robot in some embodiments, which includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores a computer program that can run on the processor. When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the control method performed by the cleaning robot in the above-described method embodiments and achieves the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0115] This disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium in some embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the control method provided in any of the above-described method embodiments and achieve the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, these will not be described again here. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, etc.

[0116] This disclosure also provides a computer program product in some embodiments, characterized by including computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, they implement the steps of the control method provided in any of the above method embodiments and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0117] It should be noted that each embodiment in this disclosure focuses on the differences from other embodiments, and the same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to mutually. Where there is no conflict, features of the same embodiment and different embodiments of this disclosure can be combined with each other.

[0118] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of this disclosure is limited to these examples; within the framework of this disclosure, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of one or more embodiments of this disclosure as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity.

[0119] Although exemplary embodiments of this disclosure have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make further changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the exemplary embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of this disclosure.

[0120] In a first aspect, some embodiments of this disclosure provide a control method applied to a cleaning base station, the cleaning base station being used to interface with a cleaning robot, the cleaning base station including a housing space for accommodating the cleaning robot and a hatch for opening or closing the housing space. The method includes: acquiring characteristic behaviors of the cleaning robot, the characteristic behaviors being behaviors associated with the opening and closing of the hatch; and controlling the opening and closing of the hatch based on the characteristic behaviors.

[0121] In some embodiments, acquiring the characteristic behaviors of the cleaning robot and controlling the opening and closing of the hatch based on the characteristic behaviors includes: receiving a hatch control command sent by the cleaning robot based on the performed characteristic behaviors; and controlling the opening and closing of the hatch based on the hatch control command.

[0122] In some embodiments, controlling the opening and closing of the hatch based on the characteristic behavior includes: when the cleaning robot is located inside the pile and the hatch is in a closed state, if the cleaning robot is detected to be performing a first characteristic behavior, then controlling the hatch to open; and after the first characteristic behavior is completed, controlling the hatch to close; wherein the first characteristic behavior includes at least one of the following behaviors: exiting the pile to perform a cleaning task; activating a remote monitoring function; starting a remote monitoring function; voice wake-up behavior; charging behavior, wherein the battery temperature is higher than a first temperature threshold and the charging amount is lower than a preset power threshold; and rubbing back behavior.

[0123] In some embodiments, controlling the opening and closing of the hatch based on the characteristic behavior includes: when the cleaning robot is outside the pile and the hatch is in a closed state, if the cleaning robot is found to be performing a second characteristic behavior, then controlling the hatch to open, wherein the second characteristic behavior includes behaviors that need to be performed when returning to the pile and / or pile-finding behaviors.

[0124] In some embodiments, the second characteristic behavior is the back-to-pile washing behavior. After controlling the opening of the hatch, the method further includes: if the cleaning task of the cleaning robot has not been completed, the hatch is controlled to close after the cleaning robot has completed washing the cloth inside the pile and exited the pile; if the cleaning task of the cleaning robot has been completed, the hatch is controlled to close after the cleaning robot has successfully entered the pile.

[0125] In some embodiments, the second characteristic behavior is a dust collection behavior and / or a charging behavior, and after controlling the opening of the hatch, it further includes: controlling the hatch to close after the cleaning robot successfully gets on the pile.

[0126] In some embodiments, the second characteristic behavior is a behavior that needs to be performed after returning to the pile. After controlling the opening of the hatch, it further includes: before the cleaning robot is put on the pile, if it is detected that the cleaning robot starts a new cleaning task or continues to perform the current cleaning task in response to the user's instruction, then control the hatch to close.

[0127] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: if a communication connection with the cleaning robot is detected to be disconnected when the cleaning robot is located outside the cleaning base station and the hatch is closed, then controlling the hatch to open.

[0128] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station further includes at least one function button, and the method further includes: if a communication connection with the cleaning robot is detected to be disconnected, switching the control mode of at least one function button from a function mode to a switch mode, wherein the function mode is a mode for controlling the cleaning robot to perform a specified task, and the switch mode is a mode for controlling the opening and closing of the hatch; and controlling the opening and closing of the hatch in response to a user's triggering operation on the function button switched to the switch mode.

[0129] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station further includes: a door drive module, a first positioning switch, and a second positioning switch. The door drive module is used to drive the door to open or close. The second positioning switch is used to detect whether the door is fully open and whether the door is fully closed. The control method further includes: during the opening of the door, if an overcurrent is detected in the door drive module, or if the accumulated opening time reaches a first threshold and the first positioning switch is not triggered, then it is determined that there is an abnormality in the door opening, and a first abnormality handling step is executed. The first abnormality handling step includes: controlling the door to operate in the closing direction for a first time or operating in the closing direction until the second positioning switch is triggered, pausing for a second time, and then attempting to open the door again.

[0130] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: if, during the opening of the hatch, an error still occurs after the first abnormality handling step is executed N times, an error is reported, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0131] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned cleaning base station further includes: a door drive module, a first positioning switch, and a second positioning switch. The door drive module is used to drive the door switch, the second positioning switch is used to detect whether the door is fully open, and the second positioning switch is used to detect whether the door is fully closed. The control method further includes: during the closing process of the door, if an overcurrent is detected in the door drive module and the second positioning switch is not triggered, or if the accumulated closing time reaches a second threshold and the second positioning switch is not triggered, then it is determined that there is an abnormality in the door closing, and a second abnormality handling step is executed. The second abnormality handling step includes: controlling the door to perform a third time along the opening direction or to perform the first positioning switch along the opening direction until it is triggered, pausing for a fourth time, and attempting to close the door again; if the door closing is still abnormal after executing the second abnormality handling step M times, then an error is reported, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0132] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: if the second positioning switch is detected to be triggered during the closing process of the hatch, the hatch is determined to be closed normally.

[0133] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: controlling the opening and closing of the hatch in response to a hatch control command issued by a user terminal.

[0134] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: uploading the status of the hatch to a user terminal so that the user terminal displays the status of the hatch to the user, wherein the status of the hatch includes: hatch open, hatch closed, hatch opening, hatch closing, hatch opening abnormality, and hatch closing abnormality.

[0135] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station further includes a cooling fan. The control method further includes: controlling the switching on / off state of the cooling fan in response to a cooling control command issued by a user terminal; uploading the on / off state of the cooling fan to the user terminal so that the user terminal displays the state of the cooling fan to the user, the on / off state including an on state and an off state.

[0136] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station further includes a cooling fan and a drying fan. The control method further includes: when the cleaning robot is located inside the pile and the cooling fan and / or drying fan are on, if it is detected that the cleaning robot is woken up by a user's voice, then the cooling fan and / or drying fan are turned off; and if it is detected that the task type performed by the cleaning robot after being woken up by the user is a non-cleaning task, or if the user does not respond for more than a preset time threshold, then the turned-off cooling fan and / or drying fan are turned on.

[0137] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station further includes a cooling fan and a drying fan. The control method further includes: controlling the drying fan and the cooling fan to turn on in response to an instruction to dry the cleaning parts of the cleaning robot; and controlling the drying fan and the cooling fan to turn off in response to a drying end instruction.

[0138] In some embodiments, the cleaning base station further includes a cooling fan. The control method further includes: during the charging process of the cleaning robot, if the ambient temperature is detected to be higher than a second temperature threshold and the cleaning robot is in a non-do-disturb mode, then controlling the cooling fan to turn on until the ambient temperature is lower than a third temperature threshold, at which point controlling the cooling fan to turn off.

[0139] Secondly, some embodiments of this disclosure provide a control method applied to a cleaning robot. The method includes: generating a hatch control command based on executed characteristic behaviors while in a communication connection with a cleaning base station, and sending the hatch control command to the cleaning base station, so that the cleaning base station controls the opening and closing of the hatch based on the hatch control command. The characteristic behaviors are behaviors associated with the opening and closing of the hatch; the cleaning base station is used to dock with the cleaning robot, and the cleaning base station includes a receiving space for accommodating the cleaning robot; the hatch is used to open or close the receiving space.

[0140] In some embodiments, generating a hatch control command based on the executed characteristic behavior and sending the hatch control command to the cleaning base station includes: when the cleaning robot is outside the dock and the characteristic behavior is an behavior that requires returning to the dock, determining whether there is a dock on the constructed map; if so, generating a hatch opening command before returning to the dock and sending the hatch opening command to the cleaning base station, so that the cleaning base station controls the hatch to open based on the hatch opening command; if not, generating a hatch opening command in response to the trigger command of the characteristic behavior and sending the hatch opening command to the cleaning base station, so that the cleaning base station controls the hatch to open based on the hatch opening command.

[0141] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: during the cleaning robot's return to the pile, if a communication interruption with the cleaning base station is detected, a pile-finding signal emitted by the cleaning base station is detected; if the pile-finding signal emitted by the cleaning base station is detected before the pile point, the robot moves onto the pile based on the pile-finding signal; if the pile-finding signal emitted by the cleaning base station is not detected before the pile point, an error is reported and the robot stops.

[0142] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: before the cleaning robot moves onto or out of the pile, in response to a door opening confirmation signal returned by the cleaning base station, detecting whether the door is fully opened; if so, then performing the moving onto or out of the pile action.

[0143] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: during the process of the cleaning robot exiting the obstacle, in response to the first acquired obstacle signal, determining the exit distance; if the exit distance is less than a preset distance, determining whether the hatch is fully opened based on the number of ranging points acquired by the ranging device on the cleaning robot and the distance corresponding to each ranging point; if not, reporting an error.

[0144] Thirdly, some embodiments of this disclosure provide a cleaning system, including: a cleaning robot and a cleaning base station for docking with the cleaning robot. The cleaning base station includes a housing space for accommodating the cleaning robot and a door for opening or closing the housing space. The cleaning robot generates door control commands based on executed characteristic behaviors and sends the door control commands to the cleaning base station, wherein the characteristic behaviors are behaviors associated with the opening and closing of the door; the cleaning base station controls the opening and closing of the door based on the door control commands.

[0145] Fourthly, some embodiments of this disclosure provide a cleaning base station, including a housing space for accommodating the cleaning robot and a hatch for opening or closing the housing space. The cleaning base station further includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program executable on the processor, which, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the control method described in the first aspect.

[0146] Fifthly, some embodiments of this disclosure provide a cleaning robot including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program executable on the processor, the computer program, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the control method described in the second aspect above.

[0147] Sixthly, some embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the control method described in the first or second aspect above.

Claims

1. A control method applied to a cleaning base station, the cleaning base station being used to dock with a cleaning robot, the cleaning base station including a housing space for accommodating the cleaning robot and a door for opening or closing the housing space, the method comprising: The characteristic behaviors of the cleaning robot are obtained, and the characteristic behaviors are those related to the opening and closing of the hatch. as well as The opening and closing of the hatch is controlled based on the aforementioned characteristic behavior.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Acquiring the characteristic behaviors of the cleaning robot and controlling the opening and closing of the hatch based on the characteristic behaviors includes: Receive the door control command sent by the cleaning robot based on the characteristic behaviors it performs; and Based on the hatch control command, the hatch is controlled to open and close.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Controlling the opening and closing of the hatch based on the aforementioned characteristic behavior includes: When the cleaning robot is located inside the pile and the hatch is closed, if the cleaning robot is detected to be performing a first characteristic behavior, the hatch is controlled to open; after the first characteristic behavior is completed, the hatch is controlled to close; wherein, the first characteristic behavior includes at least one of the following behaviors: The pile is moved out to perform a cleaning task; Activate remote monitoring function; Enable remote monitoring function; Voice wake-up behavior; Charging behavior, where the battery temperature is higher than a first temperature threshold and the charging amount is lower than a preset power threshold; and The act of rubbing against someone else.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Controlling the opening and closing of the hatch based on the aforementioned characteristic behavior includes: When the cleaning robot is located outside the pile and the hatch is closed, if the cleaning robot is detected to be performing a second characteristic behavior, the hatch is controlled to open. The second characteristic behavior includes behaviors that require returning to the pile and / or searching for the pile.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The second characteristic behavior is the backfilling and cloth washing behavior, which, after controlling the opening of the hatch, also includes: If the cleaning robot has not yet completed its cleaning task, the door will be closed only after the cleaning robot has finished washing the cloth inside the pile and exited the pile. If the cleaning robot has completed its cleaning task, the hatch will be closed once the cleaning robot has successfully mounted the pile.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The second characteristic behavior is the dust collection behavior and / or charging behavior of the pile return, and after controlling the opening of the hatch, it also includes: Once the cleaning robot has successfully mounted the pile, the hatch is closed.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The second characteristic behavior is an action that requires retraction and, after controlling the opening of the hatch, also includes: Before the cleaning robot is placed on the pile, if it is detected that the cleaning robot has started a new cleaning task or continued to perform the current cleaning task in response to a user command, the door is controlled to close.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: If the communication connection with the cleaning robot is detected to be disconnected when the cleaning robot is located outside the cleaning base station and the hatch is closed, the hatch will be opened.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The cleaning base station further includes: at least one function button, and the method further includes: If a communication connection with the cleaning robot is detected to be disconnected, the control mode of at least one of the function buttons is switched from function mode to switch mode. The function mode is the mode for controlling the cleaning robot to perform a specified task, and the switch mode is the mode for controlling the opening and closing of the hatch. The hatch is opened or closed in response to a user's triggering of a function key that switches to the switch mode.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The cleaning base station further includes: a door drive module, a first positioning switch, and a second positioning switch. The door drive module is used to drive the opening and closing of the door. The second positioning switch is used to detect whether the door is fully open and whether the door is fully closed. The method further includes: If an overcurrent is detected in the door drive module during the opening process, or if the cumulative opening time reaches a first threshold and the first position switch is not triggered, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the door opening and the first abnormality handling step is executed. The first abnormality handling step includes: controlling the hatch to operate in the closing direction for a first duration or operating in the closing direction until the second positioning switch is triggered, pausing for a second duration, and then attempting to open the hatch again.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: If, during the opening of the hatch, an error still occurs after executing the first exception handling step N times, an error is reported, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The cleaning base station further includes: a door drive module, a first positioning switch, and a second positioning switch. The door drive module is used to drive the door switch, the second positioning switch is used to detect whether the door is fully open, and the second positioning switch is used to detect whether the door is fully closed. The method further includes: During the closing process of the hatch, if an overcurrent is detected in the hatch drive module and the second positioning switch is not triggered, or if the cumulative closing time reaches a second threshold and the second positioning switch is not triggered, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the hatch closing and a second abnormality handling step is executed. The second abnormality handling step includes: controlling the hatch to run in the opening direction for a third time or running in the opening direction until the first positioning switch is triggered, pausing for a fourth time, and attempting to close the hatch again; if the hatch closing is still abnormal after executing the second abnormality handling step M times, an error is reported, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: If the second positioning switch is detected to be triggered during the closing process of the hatch, it is determined that the hatch is closed normally.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to a door control command issued by the user terminal, the door is controlled to open or close.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The status of the hatch is uploaded to the user terminal so that the user terminal can display the status of the hatch to the user. The status of the hatch includes: hatch open, hatch closed, hatch opening, hatch closing, hatch opening abnormality, and hatch closing abnormality.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The cleaning base station further includes a cooling fan, and the method further includes: In response to a heat dissipation control command issued by the user terminal, the on / off state of the cooling fan is controlled; The on / off status of the cooling fan is uploaded to the user terminal so that the user terminal can display the status of the cooling fan to the user. The on / off status includes: on and off.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The cleaning base station further includes: a cooling fan and a drying fan; the method further includes: When the cleaning robot is located inside the pile and the cooling fan and / or drying fan is on, if it is detected that the cleaning robot is woken up by the user's voice, the cooling fan and / or drying fan will be turned off. If it is detected that the cleaning robot performs a non-cleaning task after being woken up by the user, or if the user does not respond after a preset time threshold, the turned-off cooling fan and / or drying fan will be turned on.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The cleaning base station further includes: a cooling fan and a drying fan; the method further includes: In response to a command to dry the cleaning parts of the cleaning robot, the drying fan and the cooling fan are turned on. In response to a drying end command, the drying fan and the cooling fan are turned off.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The cleaning base station further includes a cooling fan, and the method further includes: During the charging process of the cleaning robot, if the ambient temperature is detected to be higher than the second temperature threshold and the cleaning robot is in non-do not disturb mode, the cooling fan is turned on until the ambient temperature is lower than the third temperature threshold, at which point the cooling fan is turned off.

20. A control method applied to a cleaning robot, the method comprising: When a communication connection is established with the cleaning base station, a door control command is generated based on the executed characteristic behavior, and the door control command is sent to the cleaning base station so that the cleaning base station controls the opening and closing of the door based on the door control command. The characteristic behavior is a behavior associated with the opening and closing of the hatch; the cleaning base station is used to dock with the cleaning robot, the cleaning base station has a housing space for accommodating the cleaning robot, and the hatch is used to open or close the housing space.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein, The step of generating a hatch control command based on the executed characteristic behavior and sending the hatch control command to the cleaning base station includes: If the cleaning robot is located outside the pile and the characteristic behavior is one that requires returning to the pile to perform, determine whether there is a pile on the constructed map; If a station is present, a door opening command is generated before returning to the station, and the door opening command is sent to the cleaning base station so that the cleaning base station controls the door to open based on the door opening command. In the absence of a pile point, a hatch opening command is generated in response to the triggering command of the characteristic behavior, and the hatch opening command is sent to the cleaning base station so that the cleaning base station controls the hatch to open based on the hatch opening command.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising: During the process of the cleaning robot returning to the pile, if a communication loss with the cleaning base station is detected, the pile-finding signal sent by the cleaning base station is detected. If a search signal from the cleaning base station is detected in front of the pile point, then the pile is driven based on the search signal; If the search signal from the cleaning base station is not detected in front of the pile point, an error will be reported and the system will be shut down.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising: Before the cleaning robot moves onto or off the pile, it detects whether the door is fully open in response to the door opening confirmation signal returned by the cleaning base station. If the door is fully open, the robot performs the action of moving onto or off the pile.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising: During the process of the cleaning robot exiting the obstacle, the exit distance is determined in response to the first acquired obstacle signal; If the distance from the exit point is less than the preset distance, the system determines whether the hatch is fully open based on the number of distance measurement points obtained by the distance measurement device on the cleaning robot and the distance corresponding to each distance measurement point. If the hatch is not fully open, an error is reported.

25. A cleaning system comprising: A cleaning robot and a cleaning base station for docking with the cleaning robot, the cleaning base station including a housing space for accommodating the cleaning robot and a door for opening or closing the housing space. The cleaning robot is used to generate door control commands based on the executed characteristic behaviors, and send the door control commands to the cleaning base station, wherein the characteristic behaviors are behaviors that are related to the opening and closing of the door; The cleaning base station is used to control the opening and closing of the hatch based on the hatch control command.

26. A cleaning base station, comprising a housing space for accommodating the cleaning robot and a hatch for opening or closing the housing space, the cleaning base station further comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program executable on the processor, the computer program, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the control method as described in any one of claims 1-19.

27. A cleaning robot, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program executable on the processor, the computer program, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the control method as claimed in any one of claims 20-24.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the control method according to any one of claims 1-24.

Images