Pool Cleaning Robot Return Path Control for Low-Power Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Swimming pool cleaning robots often end up in central waters due to power insufficiency or faults, making it difficult to retrieve them.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for return control that acquires the robot's current position in a map of the pool, generates a return path to a predetermined position, and controls the robot to return safely using a path-finding algorithm like A-STAR, triggered by power low, clogging, or fault detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the swimming pool cleaning robot operates autonomously to clean the pool, then cleaning productivity is improved, but the robot may end up in central waters due to power insufficiency or faults, making retrieval difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes a map of the swimming pool including reachable blocks and non-reachable blocks before the robot needs to return. This preliminary mapping enables the robot to quickly generate a return path without real-time exploration, allowing it to efficiently navigate back to the pool edge or charging post even when power is low or faults occur
Solution Approach 2:
The control device acts as an intermediary between the robot and the pool environment. It receives status information from the robot, determines the return path based on the pre-established map, and sends navigation instructions to the robot. This intermediary system coordinates the robot's return journey, enabling reliable retrieval without direct human intervention in the water
2Reliability
If the robot resides in central waters due to exceptional interruption, then the cleaning task may be incomplete, but manual retrieval becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The robot continuously sends status information to the control device, which monitors power levels, filter clogging status, and operational faults. This feedback mechanism allows the system to detect when the robot is in trouble and automatically initiate the return process, preventing complete task failure and reducing retrieval time by acting before the robot becomes completely immobilized
Solution Approach 2:
The robot is equipped with autonomous navigation capabilities that allow it to return to the pool edge or charging post without human assistance. The robot can independently process navigation instructions from the control device and execute the return journey, making the retrieval process self-service oriented and eliminating the need for manual retrieval from the water
3Ease of operation
If the robot is controlled to return to a predetermined position, then retrieval ease is improved, but the system complexity increases due to path planning requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes a map of the swimming pool including reachable blocks and non-reachable blocks before the robot needs to return. This preliminary mapping simplifies the return control by providing a pre-analyzed environment model, reducing the complexity of real-time path planning while maintaining ease of retrieval
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy of the pool environment in the form of a map with reachable and non-reachable blocks. This virtual representation allows the control device to perform path planning simulations and calculations on the digital model rather than directly controlling the physical robot through complex real-time sensing and navigation, thereby reducing overall system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for return control of a swimming pool cleaning robot, and an electronic device and a computer storage medium thereof. The method includes: in response to a trigger of a return instruction, acquiring a current position of the swimming pool cleaning robot in a map for a swimming pool; and generating a return path according to a reachable block in the map for the swimming pool, a predetermined return position, and the current position, and controlling the swimming pool cleaning robot to return from the current position to the predetermined return position on the basis of the return path. Therefore, the swimming pool cleaning robot is controlled to automatically return to a designated position of the swimming pool, such that use smartness of the swimming pool cleaning robot is improved, and use experience of a user is enhanced.