Method and apparatus for controlling cleaning device, program product, medium and cleaning device

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling a cleaning device, a program product, a medium, and a cleaning device (100). The method comprises: if a cleaning device (100) is trapped on an obstacle (201), acquiring a distance between the bottom of a body of the cleaning device (100) and the ground (310); if the distance falls within a preset distance interval, controlling the cleaning device (100) to extend a drive wheel (103) and execute an escape action (320).

Description

Cleaning device control method, apparatus, program product, medium, and cleaning device

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2024111171233, filed on August 14, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of cleaning device control, and in particular, to a cleaning device control method, apparatus, program product, medium, and cleaning device. BACKGROUND

[0004] During the execution of a ground cleaning task by a cleaning device (such as a sweeping machine or a mopping machine), the cleaning device is often trapped on an obstacle. In this case, the cleaning device is difficult to successfully escape, and often reports an error, resulting in a poor user experience. Therefore, how to improve the escape ability of the cleaning device during the ground cleaning process is a technical problem to be solved.

[0005] SUMMARY

[0006] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a cleaning device control method, apparatus, computer program product, computer readable storage medium, and cleaning device, which can at least partially improve the escape ability of the cleaning device during the ground cleaning process.

[0007] Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or will be learned by practice of the present disclosure.

[0008] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaning device control method is provided, the method comprising: if a cleaning device is trapped on an obstacle, obtaining a distance between a bottom of a body of the cleaning device and a ground; and if the distance falls within a preset distance interval, controlling the cleaning device to elongate a drive wheel and performing an escape action.

[0009] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaning device control apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising: an obtaining unit configured to, if a cleaning device is trapped on an obstacle, obtain a distance between a bottom of a body of the cleaning device and a ground; and a control unit configured to, if the distance falls within a preset distance interval, control the cleaning device to elongate a drive wheel and perform an escape action.

[0010] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, comprising computer instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium and adapted to be read and executed by a processor to cause a computer device having the processor to perform operations performed by the cleaning device control method provided in the first aspect above.

[0011] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium is provided, comprising at least one computer program instruction (i.e. program code) stored thereon, which is loaded and executed by a processor to implement operations performed by the cleaning device control method provided in the first aspect above.

[0012] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a cleaning device is provided, comprising one or more processors and one or more memories, the one or more memories having stored therein at least one computer program instruction (i.e. program code), which is loaded and executed by the one or more processors to implement operations performed by the cleaning device control method provided in the first aspect above.

[0013] It should be understood that the general description above and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and are not limiting of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. It is readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the accompanying drawings are merely exemplary of embodiments of the present disclosure and are therefore not limiting of the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the claims. In the drawings:

[0015] FIG. 1 shows a structural schematic diagram of a cleaning device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a cleaning device cleans a ground according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a cleaning device control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG. 4 shows a structural schematic diagram of a cleaning device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of a cleaning device control method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of a cleaning device control apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0021] FIG. 7 shows a structural schematic diagram of a cleaning device according to yet some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0023] In addition, the described features, structures or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, many specific details are provided to give a sufficient understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will realize that the technical solutions of the present disclosure can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, devices, steps, etc. can be used. In other cases, well-known methods, devices, implementations or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring the aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] The block diagrams shown in the drawings are only functional entities, which do not necessarily correspond to physically independent entities. That is, these functional entities can be implemented in the form of software, or in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices. It should be noted that in the drawings, in order to ensure the simplicity of the drawings, some components in the drawings are omitted which do not affect the explanation of the technical solutions of the present disclosure.

[0025] The flowcharts shown in the drawings are only exemplary illustrations, which do not necessarily include all contents and operations / steps, and are not necessarily executed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps can be further divided, and some operations / steps can be combined or partially combined, so the actual execution order can be changed according to the actual situation.

[0026] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more.

[0027] In order for those skilled in the art to better understand the present disclosure, first, the application scenario related to the present disclosure will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 1, a structural schematic diagram of a cleaning device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 2, a scene schematic diagram of the cleaning device cleaning the ground according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0030] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the cleaning device 100 as shown in FIG. 1 can be a sweeping machine, or a mopping machine, or a sweeping and mopping integrated machine.

[0031] In some embodiments, the cleaning device can be installed with a ranging sensor 101 as shown in FIG. 1, such as a TOF (Time of Flight) Cliff sensor, and the number thereof can be 5, of course, according to actual needs, it can also be 4 or 6, and the present embodiments do not make specific limitations on this. The ranging sensor 101 can detect the height data of the bottom of the cleaning device relative to the ground. In some embodiments, the cleaning device 100 can further include a universal wheel 102 for controlling the walking direction of the cleaning device during the execution of the cleaning task, and the cleaning device 100 can further include a drive wheel 103, such as including two drive wheels (i.e. a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, in some embodiments, the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel can be symmetrically installed on the bottom of the cleaning device 100), for providing driving force for the walking of the cleaning device during the execution of the cleaning task.

[0032] It should be noted that the shape of the cleaning device body as shown in FIG. 1 is circular, but it is only exemplary. In other embodiments, the shape of the cleaning device can also be square, or trapezoidal, or other shapes, and the present embodiments do not make specific limitations on this.

[0033] In some embodiments, during the cleaning task performed by the cleaning device 100, the floor is generally cleaned according to a planned cleaning path. However, in some scenarios, the cleaning device may become stuck on an obstacle while crossing or avoiding it (such as a tilted chair leg, a fan base, a high threshold, etc.). For example, as shown in Figure 2(a), the cleaning device 100 is stuck because its head is stuck on obstacle 201 in its direction of travel; and as shown in Figure 2(b), the cleaning device 100 is stuck because its entire body is stuck on obstacle 202 in its direction of travel. It can be seen that because the cleaning device 100 is stuck on the obstacle, its casters 102 and / or drive wheels 103 are suspended in the air, or the friction with the ground is insufficient (the friction is even lower in a carpet environment), making it difficult to get out of the predicament. In this case, whether the cleaning device can successfully get out of the predicament often affects the user experience. Based on this, some embodiments of this disclosure propose a control scheme for cleaning equipment to improve the ability of cleaning equipment to get out of trouble during the cleaning process.

[0034] Next, the cleaning equipment control scheme proposed in some embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to Figure 3.

[0035] Referring to FIG3, a flowchart of a cleaning equipment control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. This cleaning equipment control method can be executed by a device having computational processing capabilities. As shown in FIG3, the cleaning equipment control method may include at least steps 310 to 320.

[0036] In step 310, if the cleaning equipment is stuck on an obstacle, the distance between the bottom of the cleaning equipment and the ground is obtained.

[0037] It should be noted that the cleaning equipment can detect its own movement status during the cleaning process. If the cleaning equipment stays in the same position for a longer period of time than a preset threshold while its drive wheels are rotating, it can be determined that the cleaning equipment is stuck on an obstacle.

[0038] It should be further noted that the situation in which the cleaning device is trapped by the obstacle can be various, for example, the cleaning device 100 shown in Fig. 2(a) can be trapped because the head thereof in the direction of travel is rested on the obstacle 201 (including the cases that the driving is suspended and the driving wheel contacts the ground, in which, due to the body being rested, the weight of the body pressing on the driving wheel is reduced, thus the friction between the driving wheel and the ground is reduced, thus the cleaning device is trapped); for example, the cleaning device 100 shown in Fig. 2(b) can be trapped because the whole body thereof in the direction of travel is rested on the obstacle 202; for example, the cleaning device can be trapped because the universal wheel is stuck or the ground is slippery. It can be understood that the situation in which the cleaning device is trapped by the obstacle can be arbitrary, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not make specific limitation thereon. In some embodiments, if the cleaning device is trapped by the obstacle, the distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground can be acquired first. The distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground can be acquired by the ranging sensor installed at the bottom of the body of the cleaning device.

[0039] With continuous reference to Fig. 3, in step 320, if the distance falls in the preset distance interval, the cleaning device is controlled to extend the driving wheel, and the escape action is performed.

[0040] In some embodiments, the driving wheel of the cleaning device can have the telescopic function.

[0041] Please refer to Fig. 4, which shows the structural schematic diagram of the cleaning device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in sub-diagram (a) of Fig. 4, it is the state that the driving wheel 103 of the cleaning device 100 is not extended, and as shown in sub-diagram (b) of Fig. 4, it is the state that the driving wheel 103 of the cleaning device 100 is extended. In some embodiments, the driving wheel of the cleaning device can be designed to extend a set length and contract a set length, or can be designed to extend any length and contract any length within a set length range, that is, the telescopic length of the driving wheel can be adjusted.

[0042] In some embodiments, the preset distance interval can be 6cm-7cm, that is, when the distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground is greater than or equal to 6cm and less than or equal to 7cm, the cleaning device can be controlled to extend the driving wheel, and the escape action can be performed. In some other embodiments, the preset distance interval can be 5cm-7cm. In some other embodiments, the preset distance interval can be 6cm-8cm. It should be noted that the preset distance interval can be specifically set according to the model, structural parameters, etc. of the cleaning device, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not make specific limitation thereon.

[0043] In some embodiments, the cleaning device is controlled to extend the drive wheel and perform the escape action only when the distance obtained in step 310 falls within the preset distance interval. The advantage is that, on the one hand, when the distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground is less than the minimum distance value of the preset distance interval, it means that the drive wheel or the universal wheel of the cleaning device is not suspended, i.e., the drive wheel or the universal wheel is completely pressed on the ground, and at this time, the cleaning device is not controlled to extend the drive wheel, which can avoid unnecessary extension of the drive wheel and thus avoid invalid escape action of the cleaning device. On the other hand, when the distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground is greater than the maximum distance value of the preset distance interval, it means that the distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground is large, and the cleaning device may face a cliff terrain, and at this time, the cleaning device is not controlled to extend the drive wheel, which can avoid the cleaning device falling into the cliff due to the extension of the drive wheel, and ensure the safety of the escape action of the cleaning device.

[0044] Next, the step of controlling the cleaning device to extend the drive wheel and perform the escape action is described.

[0045] In some embodiments, the drive wheel can include a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, and the step of controlling the cleaning device to extend the drive wheel and perform the escape action can be performed according to the following steps:

[0046] Step 411, the cleaning device is controlled to simultaneously extend the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel, and perform a first escape action;

[0047] Step 412, if the escape fails after performing the first escape action, the cleaning device is controlled to retract the second drive wheel and perform a second escape action; and

[0048] Step 413, if the escape fails after performing the second escape action, the cleaning device is controlled to retract the first drive wheel, extend the second drive wheel, and perform a third escape action.

[0049] In order for those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present disclosure, an exemplary embodiment is described below with reference to FIG. 5.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 5, a flowchart of a cleaning device control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, which can include the following steps:

[0051] Step 401, the cleaning device performs a cleaning task;

[0052] Step 402, whether the cleaning device is trapped by an obstacle and the distance between the bottom of the cleaning device and the ground falls within a preset distance interval? If yes, step 403 is performed, and if no, step 401 is performed;

[0053] Step 403, elongate the first and second drive wheels simultaneously and perform a first escape action;

[0054] Step 404, determine whether the escape is successful? If yes, perform step 410, if not, perform step 405;

[0055] Step 405, retract the second drive wheel and perform a second escape action;

[0056] Step 406, determine whether the escape is successful? If yes, perform step 410, if not, perform step 407;

[0057] Step 407, retract the first drive wheel, elongate the second drive wheel, and perform a third escape action;

[0058] Step 408, determine whether the escape is successful? If yes, perform step 410, if not, perform step 409;

[0059] Step 409, stop performing the escape action and report an error; and

[0060] Step 410, end the escape and continue performing the cleaning task.

[0061] In some embodiments, the drive wheels can include a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, and the process of controlling the cleaning device to elongate a drive wheel and perform an escape action can be performed according to the following steps:

[0062] Step 511, control the cleaning device to elongate the first drive wheel and perform a second escape action;

[0063] Step 512, if the escape fails after performing the second escape action, control the cleaning device to elongate the second drive wheel and perform a first escape action; and

[0064] Step 513, if the escape fails after performing the first escape action, control the cleaning device to retract the first drive wheel and perform a third escape action.

[0065] In other embodiments, the drive wheels can include a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, and the process of controlling the cleaning device to elongate a drive wheel and perform an escape action can be performed according to the following steps:

[0066] Step 611, control the cleaning device to elongate the first drive wheel and perform a second escape action;

[0067] Step 612, if the escape fails after the second escape action is performed, control the cleaning device to retract the first drive wheel, extend the second drive wheel, and perform a third escape action; and

[0068] Step 613, if the escape fails after the third escape action is performed, control the cleaning device to extend the first drive wheel, and perform the first escape action.

[0069] In yet some embodiments, the drive wheel can include a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, and the process of controlling the cleaning device to extend the drive wheel and perform the escape action can be performed according to the following steps:

[0070] Step 711, control the cleaning device to simultaneously extend the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel, and perform a first escape action; and

[0071] Step 712, if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to retract the first drive wheel, and perform a third escape action.

[0072] In still some embodiments, the drive wheel can include a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, and the process of controlling the cleaning device to extend the drive wheel and perform the escape action can be performed according to the following steps:

[0073] Step 811, control the cleaning device to extend the first drive wheel, and perform a second escape action; and

[0074] Step 812, if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to extend the second drive wheel, and perform a first escape action.

[0075] In yet some other embodiments, the drive wheel can include a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, and the process of controlling the cleaning device to extend the drive wheel and perform the escape action can be performed according to the following steps:

[0076] Step 911, control the cleaning device to extend the first drive wheel, and perform a second escape action; and

[0077] Step 912, if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to retract the first drive wheel, extend the second drive wheel, and perform a third escape action.

[0078] In still some other embodiments, the drive wheel can include a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, and the process of controlling the cleaning device to extend the drive wheel and perform the escape action can be performed according to any one of the following steps 1011 to 1013:

[0079] In step 1011, the cleaning device is controlled to extend the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel simultaneously, and a first escape action is performed.

[0080] In step 1012, the cleaning device is controlled to extend the first driving wheel, and a second escape action is performed.

[0081] In step 1013, the cleaning device is controlled to extend the second driving wheel, and a third escape action is performed.

[0082] In the above several example embodiments of the present disclosure, different extension actions performed by the driving wheels before the cleaning device performs the escape action when the distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground falls within the preset distance interval are illustrated, as well as the execution sequence of the different extension actions. In these several example embodiments, by controlling the driving wheels to perform different extension actions, i.e., by controlling the cleaning device to extend the driving wheels according to different strategies, the driving wheels can be tightly attached to the ground, support the weight of the body of the cleaning device, increase the contact pressure between the driving wheels and the ground, and thus increase the lateral friction force between the driving wheels and the ground, i.e., increase the lateral driving force for driving the cleaning device to escape. In this way, the escape ability of the cleaning device during the cleaning process on the ground can be improved, and thus the probability of successful escape of the cleaning device during the cleaning process on the ground is increased, so as to support the cleaning device to escape smoothly and improve the user experience.

[0083] In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the distance obtained in step 310 is the distance between the part of the bottom of the body of the cleaning device corresponding to the driving wheels and the ground. The driving wheels can include a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel, and the above process of controlling the cleaning device to extend the driving wheels and perform the escape action can be performed according to the following steps:

[0084] In step 1111, if the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel and the ground falls within the preset distance interval, the cleaning device is controlled to extend the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel simultaneously, and a first escape action is performed.

[0085] In step 1112, if the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the first driving wheel and the ground falls within the preset distance interval, and the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the second driving wheel and the ground does not fall within the preset distance interval, the cleaning device is controlled to extend the first driving wheel, and a second escape action is performed.

[0086] In step 1113, if the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the second driving wheel and the ground falls within the preset distance interval, and the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the first driving wheel and the ground does not fall within the preset distance interval, the cleaning device is controlled to extend the second driving wheel, and a third escape action is performed.

[0087] In some embodiments, if the distance between the part of the bottom of the fuselage corresponding to a certain driving wheel and the ground falls within the preset distance interval, it indicates that the driving wheel is in a floating state or the friction with the ground is not enough, thereby making it difficult for the driving wheel to provide the lateral driving force for the cleaning device to escape. Based on this, the embodiments of the present disclosure only extend the driving wheel whose distance falls within the preset distance interval, which has the advantage of avoiding extending the driving wheel that does not need to be extended, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of the driving wheel extension control, and further improving the escape ability of the cleaning device during the cleaning process, increasing the probability of successful escape of the cleaning device during the cleaning process, supporting the cleaning device to escape smoothly, and improving the user experience.

[0088] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned execution of the first escape action can be performed according to the following step 1211:

[0089] Step 1211, simultaneously control the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle.

[0090] In other embodiments, the above-mentioned execution of the first escape action can also be performed according to the following step 1212:

[0091] Step 1212, alternately control the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle. That is, first control the first driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle, and the second driving wheel does not rotate, then control the second driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle, and the first driving wheel does not rotate, then control the first driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle, and the second driving wheel does not rotate, and so on, so that the cleaning device escapes in a way of twisting the fuselage until the escape is successful or fails within a set time.

[0092] In yet other embodiments, the above-mentioned execution of the first escape action can include: first performing according to the above-mentioned step 1211, and if the escape fails, performing according to the above-mentioned step 1212.

[0093] In still other embodiments, the above-mentioned execution of the first escape action can include: first performing according to the above-mentioned step 1212, and if the escape fails, performing according to the above-mentioned step 1211.

[0094] In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned execution of the first escape action can include alternately performing the following steps:

[0095] Step 1213, simultaneously control the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle; and

[0096] Step 1214, simultaneously control the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel to rotate towards the direction close to the obstacle.

[0097] By alternately executing step 1213 and step 1214, the cleaning device can shake back and forth to rely on its own inertia to get rid of the obstacle, thereby improving the escape ability of the cleaning device during the cleaning process and increasing the probability of successful escape of the cleaning device during the cleaning process.

[0098] It can be understood that, since the first escape action is based on the extension of the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel, in some embodiments, the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel can be controlled to participate in the escape action.

[0099] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned execution of the second escape action can be performed according to the following step 1311:

[0100] Step 1311, control the first driving wheel to rotate away from the obstacle.

[0101] It can be understood that, since the first escape action is based on the extension of the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel, in some embodiments, the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel can be controlled to participate in the escape action.

[0102] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned execution of the third escape action can be performed according to the following step 1411:

[0103] Step 1411, control the second driving wheel to rotate away from the obstacle.

[0104] In some embodiments, the extension length of the driving wheel can be positively correlated with the above-mentioned distance. That is, the greater the distance corresponding to the driving wheel, the longer the extension length of the driving wheel.

[0105] In some embodiments, when the distances corresponding to the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel both fall within the preset distance interval, if the distance corresponding to the first driving wheel is greater than the distance corresponding to the second driving wheel, the extension length of the first driving wheel can be greater than the extension length of the second driving wheel, which has the advantage of controlling the extension length of the driving wheel to a reasonable length, avoiding unnecessary extension of the driving wheel, thereby improving the escape ability of the cleaning device during the cleaning process, increasing the probability of successful escape of the cleaning device during the cleaning process, improving the accuracy and efficiency of the extension control of the driving wheel, and further supporting the cleaning device to escape smoothly and improving the user experience.

[0106] Overall, in practical applications, for example, when the cleaning device rides on the inclined chair leg, fan base, higher threshold, the body inclination causes the driving wheel to be somewhat suspended, and the friction with the ground is not enough (the friction will be smaller in a carpet environment), and the cleaning device is difficult to escape successfully at this time, often with an error, and the user experience is poor. For another example, when the cleaning device retreats, it may be stuck in the universal wheel when there are square rod and round rod obstacles on the ground. When there are water stains and a lot of dust on the ground, the friction between the driving wheel and the ground is not enough, and the driving wheel slips. Based on the technical solutions proposed by some embodiments of the present disclosure, the distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground is detected by the distance measuring sensor to determine whether the lifting and elongation of the driving wheel can be performed. If the distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground falls within the preset distance interval, it is considered that the cleaning device is close to the ground at this time, and the lifting and elongation of the driving wheel can be attempted to perform the escape action, thereby improving the escape ability of the cleaning device during the cleaning process on the ground, increasing the probability of successful escape of the cleaning device during the cleaning process on the ground, and thereby supporting the successful escape of the cleaning device and improving the user experience.

[0107] The device embodiments of the present disclosure are introduced below, which can be used to execute the cleaning device control method provided by the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure. For details not disclosed in the device embodiments of the present disclosure, please refer to the above-mentioned embodiments of the cleaning device control method.

[0108] Referring to FIG. 6, a block diagram of a cleaning device control device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0109] As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning device control device 500 provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit 501 and a control unit 502.

[0110] The acquisition unit 501 is configured to acquire the distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground if the cleaning device is trapped on an obstacle; and the control unit 502 is configured to control the cleaning device to elongate the driving wheel and perform an escape action if the distance falls within a preset distance interval.

[0111] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the driving wheel includes a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel. The control unit 502 is configured to control the cleaning device to elongate the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel at the same time and perform a first escape action; if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to retract the second driving wheel and perform a second escape action; and after performing the second escape action, if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to retract the first driving wheel, elongate the second driving wheel, and perform a third escape action.

[0112] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the driving wheel comprises a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel. The control unit 502 is configured to: control the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a second escape action; if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to retract the first driving wheel, extend the second driving wheel, and perform a third escape action; and after performing the third escape action, if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a first escape action.

[0113] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the driving wheel comprises a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel. The control unit 502 is configured to: control the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a second escape action; if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to retract the first driving wheel, extend the second driving wheel, and perform a third escape action; and after performing the third escape action, if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a first escape action.

[0114] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the driving wheel comprises a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel. The control unit 502 is configured to: control the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a second escape action; if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to retract the first driving wheel, extend the second driving wheel, and perform a third escape action; and after performing the third escape action, if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a first escape action.

[0115] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the driving wheel comprises a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel. The control unit 502 is configured to: control the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a second escape action; if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to retract the first driving wheel, extend the second driving wheel, and perform a third escape action; and after performing the third escape action, if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a first escape action.

[0116] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the driving wheel comprises a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel. The control unit 502 is configured to: control the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a second escape action; if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to retract the first driving wheel, extend the second driving wheel, and perform a third escape action; and after performing the third escape action, if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a first escape action.

[0117] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the driving wheel comprises a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel. The control unit 502 is configured to: control the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a second escape action; if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to retract the first driving wheel, extend the second driving wheel, and perform a third escape action; and after performing the third escape action, if the escape fails, control the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a first escape action.

[0118] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground is the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the driving wheels and the ground, the driving wheels including a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel. The control unit 502 is configured to: if the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel and the ground both falls within the preset distance range, control the cleaning device to elongate the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel simultaneously, and perform a first escape action; if the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the first driving wheel and the ground falls within the preset distance range, control the cleaning device to elongate the first driving wheel, and perform a second escape action; and if the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the second driving wheel and the ground falls within the preset distance range, control the cleaning device to elongate the second driving wheel, and perform a third escape action.

[0119] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control unit 502 is configured to: perform any one or more of the following steps: simultaneously control the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle; and alternately control the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle.

[0120] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control unit 502 is configured to: control the first driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle.

[0121] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control unit 502 is configured to: control the second driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle.

[0122] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the elongation length of the driving wheel is positively correlated with the distance.

[0123] Based on the same inventive concept, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer program product, which includes computer instructions (i.e., program code) stored in a computer readable storage medium and adapted to be read and executed by a processor to cause a computer device having the processor to perform the operations performed by the cleaning device control method provided by any one of the preceding method embodiments.

[0124] Based on the same inventive concept, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer readable storage medium, which includes at least one computer program instruction (i.e., program code) stored thereon, the at least one computer program instruction being loaded and executed by a processor to perform the operations performed by the cleaning device control method provided by any one of the preceding method embodiments.

[0125] Based on the same inventive concept, some embodiments of the disclosure also provide a cleaning device. Referring to FIG. 7, a structural schematic diagram of a cleaning device according to some embodiments of the disclosure is shown, which includes one or more memories 604 and one or more processors 602. The one or more memories 604 store at least one computer program instruction (i.e., program code). The at least one computer program instruction can be loaded and executed by the one or more processors 602. When the processor 602 executes the computer program instruction, the cleaning device control method provided by any one of the method embodiments described above is implemented.

[0126] In FIG. 7, a bus architecture (represented by bus 600) can include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges, the bus 600 linking together various circuits such as one or more processors represented by processor 602, and memory represented by memory 604. The bus 600 can also link together various other circuits which are well known in the art, such as peripheral devices, voltage stabilizers and power management circuits, but are not further described herein. Bus interface 605 provides an interface between bus 600 and receiver 601 and transmitter 603. Receiver 601 and transmitter 603 can be the same device, i.e., a transceiver, providing a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. Processor 602 is responsible for managing the bus 600 and general processing, while the memory 604 can be used for storing data used by the processor 602 in executing operational programs.

[0127] According to a first aspect of the disclosure, a cleaning device control method is provided, including: if a cleaning device is trapped on an obstacle, obtaining a distance between a bottom of a body of the cleaning device and the ground; and if the distance falls within a preset distance interval, controlling the cleaning device to extend a drive wheel and perform a trapped-untrapping action.

[0128] In some embodiments, the drive wheel includes a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, and the controlling the cleaning device to extend the drive wheel and perform the trapped-untrapping action includes: controlling the cleaning device to simultaneously extend the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel and perform a first trapped-untrapping action; if the trapped-untrapping fails after the first trapped-untrapping action is performed, controlling the cleaning device to retract the second drive wheel and perform a second trapped-untrapping action; and if the trapped-untrapping fails after the second trapped-untrapping action is performed, controlling the cleaning device to retract the first drive wheel, extend the second drive wheel, and perform a third trapped-untrapping action.

[0129] In some embodiments, the drive wheels include a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, and the controlling the cleaning device to extend a drive wheel and perform an escape action includes controlling the cleaning device to extend the first drive wheel and perform a second escape action, controlling the cleaning device to extend the second drive wheel and perform a first escape action if the escape is unsuccessful after performing the second escape action, and controlling the cleaning device to retract the first drive wheel and perform a third escape action if the escape is unsuccessful after performing the first escape action.

[0130] In some embodiments, the drive wheels include a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, and the controlling the cleaning device to extend a drive wheel and perform an escape action includes controlling the cleaning device to extend the first drive wheel and perform a second escape action, controlling the cleaning device to retract the first drive wheel, extend the second drive wheel, and perform a third escape action if the escape is unsuccessful after performing the second escape action, and controlling the cleaning device to extend the first drive wheel and perform a first escape action if the escape is unsuccessful after performing the third escape action.

[0131] In some embodiments, the drive wheels include a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, and the controlling the cleaning device to extend a drive wheel and perform an escape action includes controlling the cleaning device to simultaneously extend the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel and perform a first escape action, and controlling the cleaning device to retract the first drive wheel and perform a third escape action if the escape is unsuccessful.

[0132] In some embodiments, the drive wheels include a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, and the controlling the cleaning device to extend a drive wheel and perform an escape action includes controlling the cleaning device to extend the first drive wheel and perform a second escape action, and controlling the cleaning device to extend the second drive wheel and perform a first escape action if the escape is unsuccessful.

[0133] In some embodiments, the drive wheels include a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, and the controlling the cleaning device to extend a drive wheel and perform an escape action includes controlling the cleaning device to extend the first drive wheel and perform a second escape action, and controlling the cleaning device to retract the first drive wheel, extend the second drive wheel, and perform a third escape action if the escape is unsuccessful.

[0134] In some embodiments, the driving wheels include a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel, the controlling the cleaning device to elongate driving wheels and perform a stuck-removing action includes any one of: controlling the cleaning device to elongate the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel simultaneously and perform a first stuck-removing action; controlling the cleaning device to elongate the first driving wheel and perform a second stuck-removing action; and controlling the cleaning device to elongate the second driving wheel and perform a third stuck-removing action.

[0135] In some embodiments, the distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground is the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the driving wheels and the ground, the driving wheels include a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel, the controlling the cleaning device to elongate driving wheels and perform a stuck-removing action includes: if the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel and the ground both fall into the preset distance interval, controlling the cleaning device to elongate the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel simultaneously and perform a first stuck-removing action; if the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the first driving wheel and the ground falls into the preset distance interval, controlling the cleaning device to elongate the first driving wheel and perform a second stuck-removing action; and if the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the second driving wheel and the ground falls into the preset distance interval, controlling the cleaning device to elongate the second driving wheel and perform a third stuck-removing action.

[0136] In some embodiments, the performing the first stuck-removing action includes any one or more of: simultaneously controlling the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle; and alternately controlling the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle.

[0137] In some embodiments, the performing the second stuck-removing action includes: controlling the first driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle.

[0138] In some embodiments, the performing the third stuck-removing action includes: controlling the second driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle.

[0139] In some embodiments, the elongation length of the driving wheels is positively correlated with the distance.

[0140] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaning device control apparatus is provided, including: an acquisition unit configured to acquire a distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground if the cleaning device is stuck on an obstacle; and a control unit configured to control the cleaning device to elongate driving wheels and perform a stuck-removing action if the distance falls into a preset distance interval.

[0141] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, comprising computer instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium and adapted to be read and executed by a processor to cause a computer device having the processor to perform the cleaning device control method according to the first aspect.

[0142] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium is provided, comprising at least one program code stored thereon, the at least one program code being loaded and executed by a processor to implement the operations performed by the cleaning device control method according to the first aspect.

[0143] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaning device is provided, comprising one or more processors and one or more memories, the one or more memories having at least one program code stored therein, the at least one program code being loaded and executed by the one or more processors to implement the cleaning device control method according to the first aspect.

[0144] Based on the technical solutions provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the cleaning device is trapped on an obstacle, whether the cleaning device is elongated to drive the wheels and performs a self-rescue action is determined by judging whether the distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground falls within a preset distance range. The driving wheels can be tightly attached to the ground to support the weight of the body of the cleaning device, thereby increasing the contact pressure between the driving wheels and the ground, and thus increasing the lateral friction force between the driving wheels and the ground, i.e., increasing the lateral driving force for driving the cleaning device to self-rescue. In this way, the self-rescue capability of the cleaning device during the cleaning process on the ground can be improved, and thus the probability of successful self-rescue of the cleaning device during the cleaning process on the ground can be increased to support the successful self-rescue of the cleaning device and improve the user experience.

[0145] The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions can be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope and spirit of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, changes to the functions described above can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. In addition, each of the individual functional units can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can exist as separate physical units, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions can be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope and spirit of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, changes to the functions described above can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. In addition, each of the individual functional units can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can exist as separate physical units, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0146] In several embodiments provided by the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed technology can be implemented in other ways. Among them, the above-mentioned device embodiments are only schematic, for example, the division of the units can be a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units or modules shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, unit or module, and can be electrical or other forms.

[0147] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separated, and the components of the control device can or can not be physical units, i.e. can be located in one place or can be distributed to multiple units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0148] The integrated units, if implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present disclosure essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or the whole or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions to make a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server or a network device, etc.) execute all or part of the steps of the method described in various embodiments of the present disclosure. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), a random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various computer program instruction storage media.

[0149] The above is only an embodiment of the present disclosure and is not used to limit the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, the present disclosure can have various changes and modifications. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure shall be included in the scope of claims of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a cleaning device, comprising: obtaining a distance between a bottom of a body of the cleaning device and a ground if the cleaning device is trapped by an obstacle; and controlling the cleaning device to extend a driving wheel and perform an escape action if the distance falls into a preset distance interval.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The driving wheel comprises a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel, and the controlling the cleaning device to extend a driving wheel and perform an escape action comprises: controlling the cleaning device to simultaneously extend the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel and perform a first escape action; controlling the cleaning device to retract the second driving wheel and perform a second escape action if the escape fails after the first escape action is performed; and controlling the cleaning device to retract the first driving wheel, extend the second driving wheel and perform a third escape action if the escape fails after the second escape action is performed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The driving wheel comprises a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel, and the controlling the cleaning device to extend a driving wheel and perform an escape action comprises: controlling the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a second escape action; controlling the cleaning device to extend the second driving wheel and perform a first escape action if the escape fails after the second escape action is performed; and controlling the cleaning device to retract the first driving wheel and perform a third escape action if the escape fails after the first escape action is performed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The driving wheel comprises a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel, and the controlling the cleaning device to extend a driving wheel and perform an escape action comprises: controlling the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a second escape action; controlling the cleaning device to retract the first driving wheel, extend the second driving wheel and perform a third escape action if the escape fails after the second escape action is performed; and controlling the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a first escape action if the escape fails after the third escape action is performed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The driving wheel comprises a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel, and the controlling the cleaning device to extend a driving wheel and perform an escape action comprises: controlling the cleaning device to simultaneously extend the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel and perform a first escape action; and controlling the cleaning device to retract the first driving wheel and perform a third escape action if the escape fails.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The driving wheel comprises a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel, and the controlling the cleaning device to extend a driving wheel and perform an escape action comprises: controlling the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a second escape action; and controlling the cleaning device to extend the second driving wheel and perform a first escape action if the escape fails.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The driving wheel comprises a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel, and the controlling the cleaning device to extend a driving wheel and perform an escape action comprises: controlling the cleaning device to extend the first driving wheel and perform a second escape action; and controlling the cleaning device to retract the first driving wheel, extend the second driving wheel and perform a third escape action if the escape fails.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The driving wheels include a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel, the control of the cleaning device to elongate the driving wheels and perform the getting-out-of-trouble action includes any one of the following: controlling the cleaning device to elongate the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel simultaneously and perform a first getting-out-of-trouble action; controlling the cleaning device to elongate the first driving wheel and perform a second getting-out-of-trouble action; and controlling the cleaning device to elongate the second driving wheel and perform a third getting-out-of-trouble action.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, The distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground is the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the driving wheels and the ground, the driving wheels include a first driving wheel and a second driving wheel, the control of the cleaning device to elongate the driving wheels and perform the getting-out-of-trouble action includes: if the distances between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel and the ground both fall into the preset distance interval, controlling the cleaning device to elongate the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel simultaneously and perform a first getting-out-of-trouble action; if the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the first driving wheel and the ground falls into the preset distance interval, controlling the cleaning device to elongate the first driving wheel and perform a second getting-out-of-trouble action; and if the distance between the part of the bottom of the body corresponding to the second driving wheel and the ground falls into the preset distance interval, controlling the cleaning device to elongate the second driving wheel and perform a third getting-out-of-trouble action.

10. The method of any one of claims 2 to 6, 8 to 9, wherein, The performance of the first getting-out-of-trouble action includes any one or more of the following: controlling the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel to rotate simultaneously in a direction away from the obstacle; and controlling the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel to rotate alternately in a direction away from the obstacle.

11. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, 6 to 9, wherein, The performance of the second getting-out-of-trouble action includes: controlling the first driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle.

12. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, 7 to 9, wherein, The performance of the third getting-out-of-trouble action includes: controlling the second driving wheel to rotate in a direction away from the obstacle.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The elongation length of the driving wheels is positively correlated with the distance.

14. A cleaning device control apparatus, comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquire a distance between the bottom of the body of the cleaning device and the ground if the cleaning device is trapped on an obstacle; and a control unit configured to control the cleaning device to elongate driving wheels and perform a getting-out-of-trouble action if the distance falls into a preset distance interval.

15. A computer program product, comprising computer instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium and adapted to be read and executed by a processor to cause a computer device having the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.

16. A computer readable storage medium, comprising at least one piece of program code stored thereon, the at least one piece of program code being loaded and executed by a processor to implement the operations performed by the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.

17. A cleaning device comprising one or more processors and one or more memories having stored therein at least one program code, the at least one program code being loaded and executed by the one or more processors to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.

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