CN115437361A

CN115437361A - Cleaning robot and control method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN115437361A
Application number: CN202110611065.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 毋宏兵; 钟红风; 张士松; 钱富
Original assignee: Suzhou Letu Intelligent Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Suzhou Letu Intelligent Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-01
Filing date: 2021-06-01
Publication date: 2022-12-06

Abstract

The application provides a cleaning robot and a control method thereof. The method comprises the following steps: controlling the cleaning robot to clean the ground according to a first cleaning mode; monitoring whether a target area which is not matched with the first cleaning mode exists on the ground or not in the process of cleaning the ground; if the target area is monitored, selecting a second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area from other cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot; and controlling the cleaning robot to clean the target area according to a second cleaning mode. According to the technical scheme, the cleaning mode corresponding to the target area is intelligently selected to clean the target area, and user intervention is reduced. In addition, the most suitable cleaning mode is adopted for different ground environments, so that the cleaning effect is improved, and meanwhile, the damage to a cleaning area or the influence on the use of the cleaning robot are avoided.

Description

Cleaning robot and control method thereof

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of cleaning robots, in particular to a control method of a cleaning robot and the cleaning robot.

Background

When the existing cleaning robot performs cleaning work, if a user sets a fixed cleaning mode for a certain area, the cleaning robot can complete cleaning of the area at one time according to the set cleaning mode.

However, during cleaning, if there is a target area in the area that is not suitable for cleaning using the currently set cleaning mode, the user is required to manually switch the cleaning mode. If the user does not switch the cleaning mode manually in time, the cleaning robot can continue to clean the target area according to the currently set cleaning mode, so that the cleaning area is easily damaged or the use of the cleaning robot is influenced. For example, a user sets a cleaning mode for the cleaning robot to sweep and drag at the same time in advance, when water stains appear on a floor, if the user does not manually switch the cleaning mode for sweeping and dragging at the same time to a single-dragging mode in time, the cleaning robot can continuously adopt the cleaning mode for sweeping and dragging at the same time to clean a target area with the water stains, and the subsequent use of the cleaning robot is affected.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a control method for a cleaning robot and a cleaning robot, so as to solve the problem that a user needs to manually switch a cleaning mode when a target area unsuitable for cleaning in a set cleaning mode exists in a floor to be cleaned in the prior art.

In a first aspect, there is provided a control method of a cleaning robot, including: controlling the cleaning robot to clean the ground according to a first cleaning mode; monitoring whether a target area which is not matched with the first cleaning mode exists on the ground in the process of cleaning the ground; if the target area is monitored, selecting a second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area from other cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot; controlling the cleaning robot to clean the target area according to the second cleaning mode.

In a second aspect, there is provided a control device of a cleaning robot, the device including: the first cleaning module is used for controlling the cleaning robot to clean the ground according to a first cleaning mode; the monitoring module is used for monitoring whether a target area which is not matched with the first cleaning mode exists on the ground or not in the process of cleaning the ground; the cleaning mode selection module is used for selecting a second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area from other cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot if the target area is monitored; a second cleaning module for controlling the cleaning robot to clean the target area according to the second cleaning mode.

In a third aspect, there is provided a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon executable code which, when executed, is capable of implementing the method of the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising executable code which, when executed, is capable of implementing the method of the first aspect.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a cleaning robot comprising: the sweeping component is used for executing sweeping work; the mopping assembly is used for performing mopping work; the monitoring device is used for monitoring the surrounding environment; the cleaning robot includes at least two cleaning modes and is switchable between the at least two cleaning modes under control of a controller; the controller is configured to: in the process of controlling the cleaning robot to clean the ground according to a first cleaning mode, monitoring whether a target area which is not matched with the first cleaning mode exists on the ground or not by using the monitoring device; if the target area is monitored; controlling the cleaning robot to clean the target area according to the second cleaning mode.

According to the control method of the cleaning robot and the cleaning robot, in the cleaning process, the cleaning mode corresponding to the current target area is intelligently selected to clean the target area, and user intervention can be reduced. In addition, aiming at different ground environments, the most suitable cleaning mode can be adopted, and the damage to the cleaning area or the influence on the use of the cleaning robot can be avoided while the cleaning effect is improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A1-A2 in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an exemplary view of the cleaning robot of fig. 1 in a side-by-side sweeping and mopping mode.

Fig. 4 is an exemplary view of the cleaning robot of fig. 1 in a single-scan mode.

Fig. 5a-5b are exemplary views of the cleaning robot of fig. 1 in a single drag mode.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart of a control method of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating one possible implementation of the method shown in fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating another possible implementation of the method shown in fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is an exemplary diagram of a dividing manner of a boundary of a target area according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 10 is an exemplary diagram of dividing an area to be cleaned into at least one partition according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 11 is a schematic flow chart of zonal cleaning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12 a-12 b are exemplary views of the cleaning robot of fig. 1 in a transition mode.

Fig. 13 is a schematic flowchart of automatically switching cleaning modes corresponding to different partitions according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 14 is an exemplary diagram of partitioning a partition into at least one sub-partition according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 15 is a schematic flow chart of sub-partition cleaning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a control device of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments.

When a conventional cleaning robot performs a cleaning operation, if a user sets a fixed cleaning mode (for example, a single-sweep mode, a single-mopping mode, or a sweeping-mopping mode) for a certain area, the cleaning robot can only complete cleaning of the area using the set cleaning mode when cleaning the area.

However, during cleaning, if there is a target area that is not suitable for cleaning using the set cleaning mode, for example, water stains on the floor, hard floor to soft carpet floor, etc., the user is required to manually switch the cleaning mode. If the user does not switch the cleaning mode manually in time, the cleaning robot can continue to clean the target area according to the set cleaning mode, which is easy to damage the cleaning area or influence the use of the cleaning robot.

For example, a user sets a cleaning mode for sweeping while dragging for the cleaning robot in advance, and when water stains appear on a floor, if the user does not manually switch the cleaning mode for sweeping while dragging to a single-dragging mode in time, the cleaning robot can clean an area with the water stains by using the cleaning mode for sweeping while dragging, and the subsequent use of the cleaning robot is affected; or when stubborn stains appear on the floor, if the user does not manually adjust the cleaning power to the high power mode in time, the stubborn stains may not be cleaned in the low power mode.

For another example, a carpet is placed in a certain area of the living room, and when a user wants to clean the living room in a single-mopping mode or a simultaneous-sweeping and simultaneous-mopping mode, the user must manually limit the cleaning area of the cleaning robot, so as to ensure that the cleaning robot cannot enter the target area where the carpet is located to clean the carpet. Once the position of the carpet is changed, the cleaning robot cannot identify the position of the carpet, and the carpet is still mopped and washed by adopting a single-mopping mode or a simultaneous sweeping and mopping mode, so that the carpet is easily damaged.

There is also a cleaning robot in the prior art which can get over the obstacle, and the robot can lift the floor mopping assembly when encountering an obstacle like a carpet, thereby realizing the obstacle crossing by changing the cleaning mode. However, such obstacle crossing behavior of the robot is essentially passive behavior, and does not actively and intelligently consider what cleaning mode the area where the obstacle is located is suitable for, and the applicable scene of the scheme is limited. For example, if a water spot area is encountered during cleaning, such a cleaning robot does not regard the water spot area as an obstacle, nor does it select a cleaning mode that fits the water spot area.

In summary, with the development of the intellectualization of the cleaning robot, the existing cleaning robot is not able to meet the requirement of the user for the intellectualization due to the lack of the active switching module and the corresponding control system. Based on this, the embodiment of the application provides a control method of a cleaning robot and the cleaning robot. The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of fig. 1 along a direction A1-A2. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the cleaning robot 100 is a sweeping and mopping integrated robot, and may include a body 10, a sweeping component 20, a mopping component 30, a traveling component 40, a dust collecting component 50, a control component 60, a power component 70, and a navigation mechanism 80.

The body 10 may be circular or square in shape. Preferably, four corners of the square can be rounded corners so as to reduce the defect that the square cleaning robot is stuck and cannot move forwards normally after hitting home in the cleaning process. The shape of the body 10 is not particularly limited by the present application.

The bottom of the body 10 is connected with a cleaning assembly, which may include a sweeping assembly 20 and a mopping assembly 30.

The sweeping assembly 20 is used for sweeping the floor, corners and other areas of debris, such as dust, paper scraps, fruit peels, etc. The sweeping assembly 20 may include a roll brush 21, a side brush 22, and a fan 23. The rolling brush 21 is used for cleaning the ground, such as cleaning residual paper scraps, peel and other large-particle impurities on the ground. The side brush 22 may be used to clean the corner area, and collect the cleaned impurities into an area that the roller brush 21 can clean, and the impurities are collected into the dust collecting assembly 50 through the roller brush 21. The fan 23 is used for sucking small-particle impurities such as dust and the like which are difficult to clean.

The mopping assembly 30 is used to mop the floor. The mop assembly 30 can be installed with a detachable mop cloth, and the user can replace the mop cloth on the mop assembly 30 by himself.

The traveling assembly 40 is installed at the bottom of the body 10. The travel assembly 40 may include a universal wheel 41 and a drive wheel 42. The universal wheels 41 are used to change the traveling direction of the cleaning robot 100, and may be attached to the bottom front end of the main body 10 (the front end of the cleaning robot 100 in the traveling direction). The driving wheel 42 may be used to drive the cleaning robot 100 to travel, and may be installed at a bottom side position of the body 10. The number of the driving wheels 42 is not particularly limited, and preferably, the number of the driving wheels 42 may be two, and the driving wheels are distributed in a triangular shape with the universal wheels 41. The cleaning robot 100 is provided with 360 ° rotation by the universal wheels 41, and then the omni-directional movement of the cleaning robot 100 can be achieved by controlling the speed of the driving wheels 42.

The dust collecting assembly 50 is used for receiving the sundries cleaned by the sweeping assembly 20, and the sundries received in the dust collecting assembly 50 can be cleaned through the dust discharging port of the dust collecting assembly 50.

The control assembly 60 is installed inside the body 10. The control unit 60 may perform a control method of the cleaning robot, and control the sweeping unit 20 and/or the mopping unit 30 to perform a cleaning operation during the process of controlling the traveling unit 40 to travel.

The control assembly 60 may include a monitoring device 61 and a controller 62. The monitoring device 61 is communicatively coupled to the controller 62.

The monitoring device 61 may monitor the surrounding environment, for example, the ground environment of the ground. The monitoring device 61 may include, but is not limited to, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a visual sensor, a laser sensor, and the like.

The controller 62 may be, for example, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor Unit (MPU), an embedded Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or the like.

The controller 62 may generate a control command according to a program preset by a user, or may automatically and intelligently generate a control command to control the cleaning robot 100 to perform a cleaning operation. Specifically, the controller 62 may control the travel assembly 40 to ensure that the travel assembly 40 travels over the floor on which the cleaning robot 100 operates in accordance with control instructions. While the traveling assembly 40 travels, the controller 62 is further configured to control the corresponding sweeping assembly 20 and/or mopping assembly 30 to perform a cleaning operation, so as to complete the sweeping of the debris on the floor and/or the mopping of the floor.

The controller 62 controls the traveling assembly 40 to travel while the monitoring device 61 monitors in real time whether a target area that does not match the first cleaning mode exists in the floor surface. If such a target area exists, the controller 62 may intelligently select a second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area from other cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot 100, and automatically switch the first cleaning mode to the second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area; and then controls the cleaning robot 100 to clean the target area in the switched second cleaning mode.

As an implementation manner, after the monitoring device 61 monitors the target area, the controller 62 may intelligently select a second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area, directly control the cleaning robot 100 to clean the target area using the second cleaning mode, and after the cleaning robot 100 leaves the target area, switch the cleaning mode of the cleaning robot 100 back to the first cleaning mode to continue to clean the floor using the first cleaning mode.

As another implementation manner, when the monitoring device 61 monitors the target area, the controller 62 may control the cleaning robot to clean other areas except the target area, and after the other areas are cleaned, control the cleaning robot 100 to clean the target area according to the second cleaning mode. When the monitoring device 61 monitors the target area, the controller 62 may control the cleaning robot 100 to bypass the target area, control the cleaning robot 100 to return to the target area after cleaning of other areas except the target area in the floor is completed, and then intelligently select a second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area to clean the target area. Of course, when the monitoring device 61 monitors the target area, the controller 62 may also first intelligently select the second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area, record the second cleaning mode, then bypass the target area, and control the cleaning robot 100 to return to the target area after cleaning of other areas in the ground except the target area is completed, and directly clean the target area by using the recorded second cleaning mode.

The first cleaning mode and the second cleaning mode are both cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot 100. In the present embodiment, the cleaning robot 100 may support at least two cleaning modes.

The cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot 100 may be different according to different division standards. For example, the cleaning mode may include a single sweep mode, a single drag mode, a side sweep and side drag mode, etc., depending on whether the same cleaning assembly is used; according to the cleaning power, the cleaning mode can comprise a high power mode, a low cleaning power mode and the like; alternatively, the cleaning mode may be divided according to whether to actively clean (e.g., whether to actively clean by vibration, or the like), or according to a criterion such as a magnitude of noise.

The cleaning robot 100 may simultaneously support cleaning modes according to different division standards, for example, the cleaning robot 100 may simultaneously support a single-sweep mode, a side-sweep and side-drag mode, a high-power mode, an active cleaning mode, a silent mode, and the like.

The following description will discuss the switching between different cleaning modes, taking as an example whether the cleaning components are the same or not, as the cleaning mode supported by the cleaning robot.

In different cleaning modes, the controller 62 can control the corresponding actuators to cause the mopping assembly 30, the rolling brush 21 and/or the side brush 22 to contact or separate from the floor, thereby achieving the switching of the different cleaning modes.

Fig. 3-5 b are exemplary diagrams of cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot 100, wherein the cleaning robot 100 is provided with actuators to cause the corresponding sweeping assembly 20 and/or mopping assembly 30 to contact or separate from the floor. Specifically, referring to fig. 3-5 b, fig. 3 is an exemplary diagram of a sweeping-while-mopping mode of the cleaning robot 100 in which the controller 62 controls both the sweeping assembly 20 and the mopping assembly 30 to contact the ground and operate simultaneously to perform sweeping and mopping operations. Fig. 4 is an exemplary diagram of a single-sweep mode of the cleaning robot 100 in which the controller 62 controls the floor sweeping assembly 30 to lift off the ground and the floor sweeping assembly 20 is used to perform the sweeping operation alone. Fig. 5a and 5b are exemplary diagrams of a single-mopping mode of the cleaning robot 100, in which the controller 62 controls the mopping assembly 30 to perform mopping operation alone, but the sweeping assembly 20 does not operate. Specifically, as one implementation, in the single-mopping mode shown in fig. 5a, the mopping assembly 30 is in contact with the floor, while the sweeping assembly 20 remains in contact with the floor, although not operating. As another implementation, in the single-mopping mode shown in FIG. 5b, the mopping assembly 30 is in contact with the floor surface, while the sweeping assembly 20 is being pulled away from the floor surface. The sweeping assembly 20 is separated from the ground, so that the pollution to the sweeping assembly 20 caused by the area where the mopping assembly 30 passes through can be effectively avoided, and the subsequent use of the sweeping assembly 20 is influenced.

When the cleaning robot 100 performs cleaning in the side-by-side sweeping mode or the single-sweeping mode, the dust collecting assembly 50 and the sweeping assembly 20 work simultaneously, and the dust collected by the sweeping assembly 20 is collected in the dust collecting assembly 50.

The power supply assembly 70 is used to supply power to the cleaning robot 100. The power module 70 is not limited by the present application, for example, the power module 70 may be a rechargeable battery pack, wherein the battery pack may include, but is not limited to: polymer lithium ion batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, lithium iron phosphate power batteries, and the like.

The navigation mechanism 80 may be used to provide environmental control data for path planning of the cleaning robot 100 based on known map information. For example, the navigation mechanism 80 may plan an optimal walking path according to information of a preset map, which may specifically include information of a shape and a size of an area to be cleaned, a ground material, and distribution of obstacles, and then the controller 62 may control the cleaning robot 100 to walk according to the planned walking path. When a new obstacle (not marked on the preset map) is encountered on the walking path to block the progress, or when the map boundary, etc. is not matched with the preset map, the navigation mechanism 80 may replan the path, and then the controller 62 controls the cleaning robot 100 to walk according to the new path.

The navigation mechanism 80 may be of any type, such as inertial navigation, laser navigation, or visual navigation. Specifically, the navigation mechanism 80 may include, but is not limited to: ultrasonic sensors, radar sensors, optical sensors, inertial navigation systems, and the like.

Referring to fig. 6 to 8, an embodiment of the present application provides a control method of a cleaning robot. The control method can be applied in the application environment of the cleaning robot as shown in fig. 1 and 2.

In step S610, the cleaning robot is controlled to clean the floor surface in a first cleaning mode.

The first cleaning mode is one of at least two cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot 100, for example, the first cleaning mode may be a sweeping-while-dragging mode, or the first cleaning mode may be a low cleaning power mode.

The first cleaning mode may be a control command generated according to a user command, for example, a control command directly transmitted by the user or a control command preset by the user, or may be autonomously determined by the controller according to the ground environment of the ground.

In steps S620 to S630, in the process of cleaning the floor, monitoring whether a target area not matching the first cleaning mode exists on the floor; and if the target area is monitored, selecting a second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area from other cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot.

The monitoring device 61 may monitor a floor environment of the floor during the cleaning task performed by the cleaning robot in the first cleaning mode. When a change in the floor environment is monitored, the controller 62 may automatically determine whether the changed floor environment matches the first cleaning mode. If the changed floor environment does not match the first cleaning mode, the controller 62 can determine the area in which the changed floor environment is located as a target area to be cleaned using the second cleaning mode.

This application embodiment can many-sided monitoring ground environmental change, for example can monitor whether the ground material changes, whether there is water stain, carpet, particle etc. to predetermine the object of type, monitor whether ground has the barrier, whether have the step etc..

The mismatch may indicate that the changed floor environment is not suitable for continued cleaning in the first cleaning mode, e.g., water spots are not suitable for continued cleaning in the single sweep mode; or judging whether the monitored target area is matched with the currently adopted first cleaning mode according to a mapping relation between a preset ground environment and a cleaning mode, if the corresponding relation between the changed ground environment and the first cleaning mode is not matched with the mapping relation between the preset ground environment and the cleaning mode, for example, the first cleaning mode is a mode of dragging while sweeping, and for a wood floor, the cleaning mode corresponding to the wood floor preset by a user is a mode of single sweeping, the wood floor is not matched with the mode of dragging while sweeping.

The mapping relations between different ground environments and different cleaning modes can be stored in a storage system in advance, and can also be acquired from a local server or a cloud server through a communication network.

Referring to table 1, the user can establish a mapping relationship between different floor environments and different cleaning modes according to his/her preference. For example, when the ground environment is water stain, the user may set the cleaning mode to the single-drag mode; when the floor environment is a carpet, the user can correspondingly set the cleaning mode to be the single-scanning mode; when the ground environment is a wood floor, the user can correspondingly set the cleaning mode to be a side-sweeping and side-dragging mode. In addition, the user can modify, add, delete, etc. the mapping relationship at any time (before, during, or after use), for example, the user can modify the cleaning mode corresponding to the wood floor into the sweeping-while-dragging mode before cleaning for a certain time.

TABLE 1 mapping relationships based on different floor environments and different cleaning modes of the cleaning assembly

Ground environment	Cleaning mode
		Water stain	Single drag mode
Carpet	Single sweep mode
		Wooden floor	Single sweep mode
…	...

The mapping in table 1 is a division of the cleaning pattern based on the criterion whether the cleaning components are the same. In addition, the cleaning mode can be divided according to the division standards such as the level of cleaning power, whether to actively clean or not, the noise level and the like. Referring to table 2, table 2 shows a mapping relationship between different floor environments and different cleaning modes, which is established according to the level of cleaning power. For example, when the ground environment is water stain, the user can set the cleaning mode to be the high-power mode correspondingly, so that stubborn stains formed in the water stain area can be prevented from being cleaned; when the floor environment is a carpet, the user can correspondingly set the cleaning mode to be the high-power mode so as to clean deep dirt in the carpet; or when the ground environment is the wood floor, the user can correspondingly set the cleaning mode to the low-power mode, so that the wood floor is prevented from being damaged.

TABLE 2 mapping of different floor environments and different cleaning modes based on cleaning power

Ground environment	Cleaning mode
		Water stain	High power mode
Carpet	High power mode
		Wooden floor	Low power mode
…	...

After the mapping relationship between different floor environments and different cleaning modes is obtained, one cleaning mode corresponding to the floor environment of the target area can be selected from other cleaning modes as a second cleaning mode according to the floor environment of the target area and the obtained mapping relationship. The cleaning robot 100 may actively and intelligently select the second cleaning mode from other various cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot.

The cleaning robot 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application may further combine the cleaning modes corresponding to the ground environments determined according to different division standards, and use the combined cleaning mode as the second cleaning mode. For example, when the monitoring device 61 detects that there is a carpet on the floor, it determines that the corresponding cleaning mode is the single-scan mode according to a first criterion (e.g., whether the cleaning components are the same) and determines that the corresponding cleaning mode is the high-power mode according to a second criterion (e.g., high or low of the cleaning power), the cleaning robot 100 may combine the single-scan mode and the high-power mode and determine the combined high-power single-scan mode as the second cleaning mode; alternatively, when the monitoring device 61 detects that water stains exist on the floor, the cleaning robot 100 may determine the combined high power single drag mode as the second cleaning mode.

The combined cleaning mode is adopted as the second cleaning mode, so that the target area can be selected from multiple aspects or according to multiple standards to be the most suitable cleaning mode, and the cleaning effect is further improved.

In step S640, the cleaning robot is controlled to clean the target area in the second cleaning mode.

The cleaning assembly is at least partially different for use in the first cleaning mode and the second cleaning mode when cleaning the floor surface in the first cleaning mode or cleaning the target area in the second cleaning mode. For example, the first cleaning mode is a single sweeping mode, the used cleaning component is the sweeping component 20, and when the switched second cleaning mode is a single mopping mode, the used cleaning component is the mopping component 30; or, when the switched second cleaning mode is the sweeping and mopping mode, the cleaning assemblies used are the sweeping assembly 20 and the mopping assembly 30. Alternatively, the cleaning mode and the second cleaning mode use different cleaning powers, for example, the first cleaning mode adopts a low power mode, and the second cleaning mode after switching adopts a high power mode.

Referring to fig. 7, fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating one possible implementation of the method shown in fig. 6. As an implementation manner, after the monitoring device 61 monitors the target area, the controller 62 may intelligently select a second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area, directly control the cleaning robot 100 to clean the target area using the second cleaning mode, and after the cleaning robot 100 leaves the target area, switch the cleaning mode of the cleaning robot 100 back to the first cleaning mode again to continue to clean the floor using the first cleaning mode.

At this time, the controller 62 may travel along the planned path while controlling the cleaning robot 100 to clean the target area in the second cleaning mode. On the premise of not changing the walking path of the cleaning robot 100, the floor can be cleaned at one time, and the cleaning efficiency is improved.

Alternatively, when the controller 62 controls the cleaning robot 100 to clean the target area according to the second cleaning mode, the boundary of the target area may be recognized first, the cleaning robot may be controlled to clean the area within the boundary according to the second cleaning mode, and after the target area is cleaned, the cleaning robot 100 may continue to clean the other areas except for the target area on the floor surface, for example, the area within the boundary may be cleaned once, and after the target area is cleaned, the cleaning robot 100 may continue to travel according to the re-planned path. Detailed description is referred to hereinafter and will not be described in detail here.

Referring specifically to fig. 8, fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating another possible implementation of the method shown in fig. 6. As another implementation manner, when the monitoring device 61 monitors the target area, the controller 62 may first clean other areas except the target area, and after the other areas are cleaned, control the cleaning robot 100 to clean the target area according to the second cleaning mode. When the monitoring device 61 monitors the target area, the controller 62 may control the cleaning robot 100 to bypass the target area, control the cleaning robot 100 to return to the target area after cleaning of other areas except the target area in the floor is completed, and then intelligently select a second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area to clean the target area. Of course, when the monitoring device 61 monitors the target area, the controller 62 may also first intelligently select the second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area, record the second cleaning mode, then bypass the target area, and control the cleaning robot 100 to return to the target area after cleaning of other areas in the ground except the target area is completed, and directly clean the target area by using the recorded second cleaning mode.

At this time, the controller 62 controls the cleaning robot 100 to bypass the target area, and at the same time controls the navigation mechanism 80 to re-plan the path. The path of the cleaning robot 100 in the other area than the target area in the floor surface may be constant, in which case the monitoring device 61 may monitor the target area more than once, and the controller 62 controls the cleaning robot 100 to bypass the target area each time the target area is monitored. Alternatively, the controller 62 may identify the boundary of the target area before controlling the cleaning robot 100 to bypass the target area, and then control the navigation mechanism 80 to re-plan the path to bypass the area within the boundary. For a detailed description of how to identify the boundary of the target region, see the following, detailed description is omitted here.

For example, a first cleaning mode preset on the APP by the user is a simultaneous sweeping and dragging mode, and in the cleaning process, if the monitoring device 61 monitors that water stains exist on the ground (for example, the visual sensor monitors the ground environment through image analysis or light reflection, specifically, for example, the visual sensor can collect images of the ground and then send the collected images to the processing unit, the processing unit analyzes and identifies the obtained images, and identifies that the water stains exist on the ground), when the controller 62 receives the information transmitted by the monitoring device 61, the controller can automatically determine that the water stains are not suitable for cleaning in the simultaneous sweeping and dragging mode; therefore, according to a mapping relation established in advance, a single-dragging mode/high-power single-dragging mode corresponding to water stains is automatically selected from other cleaning modes, then the single-dragging mode/high-power single-dragging mode is directly used for cleaning a target area with the water stains, and after the cleaning robot 100 leaves the target area with the water stains, the controller 62 can automatically switch the single-dragging mode/high-power single-dragging mode back to the edge-sweeping and edge-dragging mode so as to continuously clean the ground by adopting the edge-sweeping and edge-dragging mode; or after judging that the water stains are not suitable for cleaning in the simultaneous sweeping and dragging mode, the controller 62 controls the cleaning robot 100 to bypass the target area with the water stains, firstly cleans other areas except the target area with the water stains, after the other areas are cleaned, the cleaning robot 100 returns to the target area with the water stains, and automatically selects the corresponding single dragging mode/high-power single dragging mode from the other cleaning modes to clean the target area with the water stains according to the pre-established mapping relation.

According to the control method of the cleaning robot and the cleaning robot, the target area is cleaned by intelligently selecting the cleaning mode corresponding to the current target area in the cleaning process, the areas with different ground environments can be cleaned at one time, and user intervention is reduced. In addition, aiming at different ground environments, the most suitable cleaning mode can be adopted, so that the cleaning effect is improved, and meanwhile, the damage to a cleaning area or the influence on the use of the cleaning robot is avoided.

In an embodiment of the present application, after the monitoring device 61 monitors that there is a target area on the floor surface that does not match the first cleaning mode, the controller 62 may divide a boundary of the target area, then control the cleaning robot 100 to clean an area within the boundary according to the second cleaning mode, and after the target area is cleaned, continue to clean other areas on the floor surface except the target area; or controls the cleaning robot 100 to bypass an area within the boundary.

For example, the cleaning robot 100 may be controlled to clean the area within the boundary at one time in the second cleaning mode, and then the controller 62 may switch the cleaning mode of the cleaning robot 100 from the second cleaning mode back to the first cleaning mode, and the navigation mechanism 80 may re-plan the path, ensuring that the cleaning robot 100 continues to clean the area that has not been cleaned in the first cleaning mode and the re-planned path.

Alternatively, after bypassing the area within the boundary, the controller 62 controls the cleaning robot 100 to continuously clean other areas in the floor surface that can be cleaned using the first cleaning mode, and after cleaning of other areas in the floor surface is completed, controls the cleaning robot 100 to return to the area within the boundary, and cleans the area within the boundary at once using the second cleaning mode.

For example, referring to fig. 9, when the monitoring device 61 monitors that the water spot 910 exists on the floor 900, the controller 62 may divide the boundary of the water spot 910 from the floor, and then control the cleaning robot 100 to clean the area where the water spot exists at one time according to the single-drag mode; or after the boundary of the water spot 910 is divided, controlling the cleaning robot 100 to bypass the boundary of the water spot 910, and after the other areas except the area where the water spot 910 is located in the floor are cleaned, returning and cleaning the area where the water spot exists at one time by adopting a single-dragging mode.

The present application does not limit the manner in which the boundary of the target region is divided. For example, when a change in the floor environment is detected, the boundary of the target area may be divided based on a current position of the cleaning robot 100 and a predetermined value. As one implementation, a circular region 920 having a radius r around the current position of the cleaning robot 100 may be used as a target region. After the boundary of the target area 920 is determined, the cleaning robot 100 is controlled to clean the circular area 920 at one time in the second cleaning mode.

The radius r of the circular area 920 is a preset value, and the user can modify the radius r at any time. If the user does not modify the radius r, the cleaning robot 100 may divide the boundary of the target area by default values stored therein or received from the server.

As another implementation, the circular area may be determined using the current position of the cleaning robot 100 as a boundary point. For example, the current position of the cleaning robot 100 is used as a boundary point, the center of the circle of the circular area is determined based on the preset radius r in the forward direction of the cleaning robot 100, and the boundary of the circular area is determined based on the center of the circle.

When the boundary of the target area is divided, the shape of the boundary of the target area is not limited by the method. For example, the boundary of the target region may be a regular pattern such as a circle, a rectangle, or a square, or may be an arbitrary irregular pattern.

According to the cleaning method and the cleaning device, after the target area unmatched with the first cleaning mode is monitored, the boundary of the target area is identified, so that the area in the boundary is cleaned at one time or is bypassed, the cleaning mode is prevented from being switched for many times in the process of cleaning the target area, and the service life of the cleaning robot is further prolonged.

Referring to fig. 10 and 11, in an embodiment of the present application, a user may divide an area to be cleaned (or a floor of the area to be cleaned) into at least one section. The cleaning region refers to a cleaning region range pre-stored in the cleaning robot 100, and may be, for example, a home range of a user. When one partition is cleaned, the controller 62 is further configured to determine whether all partitions are cleaned; if there are not-yet-cleaned zones, the controller 62 may control the cleaning robot 100 to enter the not-yet-cleaned zones to continue cleaning the not-yet-cleaned zones until all zones are cleaned.

Specifically, before controlling the cleaning robot 100 to enter the zone that has not been cleaned, the controller 62 can control the traveling assembly 40 to travel, while the sweeping assembly 20 and the mopping assembly 30 are not operated during the traveling of the traveling assembly 40, which can be referred to as a transition mode. Fig. 12a and 12b are exemplary diagrams of a transition mode of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 12a, during the traveling of the traveling assembly 40, the floor-mopping assembly 30 is lifted off, and the rolling brush 21 and the side brush 22 are still in contact with the ground although they are not operated. Referring to fig. 12b, during the travel of the traveling assembly 40, the mopping assembly 30, the rolling brush 21 and the side brush 22 are lifted off the ground at the same time to avoid damage to the cleaning area or influence on the subsequent use of the cleaning robot.

The principle that the user divides the area to be cleaned into at least one subarea is not limited by the application. For example, the cleaning area may be partitioned according to floor material, area function, or user-defined manner. In an embodiment, the area to be cleaned may be divided into zones according to the floor material, for example, the area where the floor material is wood floor is divided into zone a, and the area where the floor material is marble floor is divided into zone B. In another embodiment, the area to be cleaned may be partitioned according to area function, for example, bedroom is partition a, living room is partition B, kitchen is partition C, etc.

With continued reference to FIG. 10, the user may divide the area to be cleaned into six sections A-F based on the area function, where different sections have different uses. For example, partition a is a living room, partition B is a dining room, partition C is an aisle, partition D is a bedroom, partition E is a bathroom, and partition F is a balcony.

After the area to be cleaned is divided into six partitions a to F, as an embodiment, the cleaning robot may autonomously determine a cleaning mode corresponding to each partition according to a ground environment of each partition. As another embodiment, the user may specify a cleaning mode for each zone. In addition, the user can also customize the working path corresponding to each partition, the cleaning sequence among the partitions, and the like.

For example, the user may specify a first cleaning mode for six partitions A-F. In one embodiment, the user may set the first cleaning mode for zone a and zone B to the side-swipe-while-sweeping mode, the first cleaning mode for zone C and zone E to the single-swipe mode, and the first cleaning mode for zone D and zone F to the single-swipe mode.

Or, the user can set the working paths of the six partitions A to F in a customized manner. In one embodiment, the user may set the working path for partition A, partition B, and partition E to travel in a left-to-right "S" pattern and the working path for partition C, partition D, and partition F to travel in a top-to-bottom "S" pattern.

As another example, the user can customize the cleaning sequence of the six partitions A-F. In one embodiment, the user may set the six partitions A-F to be cleaned in the cleaning order partition A → partition B → partition C → partition D → partition E → partition F.

When the cleaning robot 100 starts to work, the first cleaning mode corresponding to each partition generated according to the cleaning strategy may be acquired, and the cleaning robot may work according to the respective corresponding first cleaning modes.

Specifically, as an embodiment, after the cleaning robot 100 finishes cleaning the partition a, the cleaning robot may automatically enter the next partition according to a cleaning sequence defined by a user, or, if the cleaning sequence between the partitions is not predefined by the user, before the cleaning robot 100 is controlled to enter the next partition, the controller 62 may determine whether all the partitions are cleaned, and if it is determined that there are still partitions that are not cleaned, the controller 62 may control the cleaning robot 100 to enter the partition that is not cleaned. For example, the controller 62 determines that the zone B has not been cleaned, and may control the cleaning robot 100 to switch to the transition mode to the zone B. As an implementation manner, the cleaning robot 100 may be controlled to lift both the sweeping component 20 and the mopping component 30, and enter a transition mode; after entering the transition mode, the cleaning machine 100 is controlled to go to the partition B that has not been cleaned yet. After reaching the partition B, the controller 62 controls the cleaning robot 100 to automatically switch the cleaning mode to the first cleaning mode corresponding to the partition B, and starts cleaning the partition B until the cleaning of all the partitions is completed.

Referring to fig. 13, during cleaning of each zone, the monitoring device 61 may monitor the floor environment of the current zone in real time. If the controller 62 receives the information that the floor environment of the current zone changes and is transmitted by the monitoring device 61, and determines that the current zone has a target area that does not match the first cleaning mode, the controller 62 may intelligently select the second cleaning mode from the other cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot 100 to clean the target area.

Assume that a user divides a region to be cleaned into six partitions a to F in advance on an APP, and sets a cleaning order of the partition a → the partition B → the partition C → the partition D → the partition E → the partition F, and a first cleaning mode corresponding to each partition. Then, the working process of the cleaning robot 100 may be expressed as:

taking the partition a as the living room as an example, the user presets the first cleaning mode of the living room on the APP as the mode of sweeping while dragging. When the cleaning robot 100 enters the living room area, it first switches to a cleaning mode of sweeping while dragging and travels along a planned path. In the advancing process, if the monitoring device 61 monitors water stains, the controller 62 can automatically switch the edge-sweeping and edge-sweeping mode to the single-sweeping mode, or switch the edge-sweeping and edge-sweeping mode when monitoring large particles, and simultaneously continue to advance according to a planned path, and the single-sweeping mode/single-sweeping mode is adopted to clean the area where the water stains/particles exist. When the monitoring device 61 detects that the area with water stains/particulate matter is left, the controller 62 may automatically switch the single-dragging mode/single-sweeping mode back to the simultaneous sweeping and simultaneous dragging mode, and continue to adopt the simultaneous sweeping and simultaneous dragging mode to clean other areas in the living room. After the living room is cleaned, the cleaning robot 100 may automatically switch to the transition mode to enter the partition B according to a cleaning sequence preset by the user, and clean the partition B according to a first cleaning mode corresponding to the preset partition B. Specifically, the cleaning process for the partition B is substantially the same as the cleaning process for the partition a, and will not be described herein again.

Referring to fig. 14 and 15, in one embodiment, a user may also divide a partition into at least one sub-partition. The principle that a user divides a partition into at least one sub-partition is not limited, and meanwhile, the user can set the cleaning strategy of each sub-partition in a self-defined mode, for example, the user can divide the partition A into 4 sub-partitions including A1, A2, A3 and A4 according to the preference of the user. During cleaning of each sub-zone, the monitoring device 61 may also monitor the floor environment of the current sub-zone in real time. It should be understood that the division of one partition into at least one sub-partition is substantially the same as the division of the area to be cleaned into at least one partition, and for brevity, the detailed description may refer to the above description of the division of the area to be cleaned into at least one partition, and will not be described herein again.

The cleaning method and the cleaning device have the advantages that the cleaning area is divided into the plurality of partitions or the plurality of sub-partitions, different cleaning modes can be flexibly adopted to clean the partitions or the sub-partitions in sequence, further fine planning and cleaning of the cleaning area are achieved, and cleaning effect is effectively improved.

An embodiment of the apparatus of the present application is described in detail below with reference to fig. 16. It is to be understood that the description of the method embodiments corresponds to the description of the apparatus embodiments, and therefore reference may be made to the preceding method embodiments for parts not described in detail.

Fig. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a control device 1600 of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present application. The control device 1600 may be installed in the body 10 of the cleaning robot 100. The control device 1600 may include a first cleaning module 1610, a monitoring module 1620, a cleaning mode selection module 1630, a second cleaning module 1640, and a cleaning mode switch module 1650.

Wherein the first cleaning module 1610 may be configured to control the cleaning robot 100 to clean the floor according to a first cleaning mode.

The monitoring module 1620 may be configured to monitor whether a target area not matched with the first cleaning mode exists on the floor surface during the cleaning of the floor surface.

The cleaning mode selection module 1630 may be configured to select a second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area from other cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot 100 if the presence of such target area is detected.

The second cleaning module 1640 may be configured to control the cleaning robot 100 to clean the target area in a second cleaning mode.

The cleaning mode switching module 1650 may be configured to switch different cleaning modes of the cleaning robot 100, that is, to switch the cleaning mode of the cleaning robot 100 from the first cleaning mode to the second cleaning mode, or to switch the second cleaning mode to the first cleaning mode again.

In the above embodiments, all or part of the implementation may be realized by software, hardware, firmware or any other combination. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. The procedures or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the application are all or partially generated when the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device, such as a server, a data center, etc., that incorporates one or more of the available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy Disk, hard Disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., digital Video Disk (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

It should be noted that the device embodiments described in the embodiments of the present application are merely illustrative, for example, the division of the modules is only one logical function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation. In addition, functional modules in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each module may exist alone physically, or two or more modules are integrated into one processing unit.

It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", and the like in the embodiments of the present application are only used for distinguishing one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not indicate or imply any actual relationship or order between the entities or operations. Terms referring to "left", "right", "upper", "lower", "center", "bottom", and the like in the embodiments of the present application, which indicate orientations or positional relationships, are only based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and do not indicate or imply that the known devices or elements must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present application.

The above description is only exemplary of the present application and should not be construed as limiting the present application, and any modifications, equivalents and the like that are within the spirit and scope of the present application should be construed as being included in the present application.

Claims

1. A control method of a cleaning robot, characterized by comprising:

controlling the cleaning robot to clean the ground according to a first cleaning mode;

monitoring the floor surface for the existence of a target area which is not matched with the first cleaning mode in the process of cleaning the floor surface;

if the target area is monitored, selecting a second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area from other cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot;

controlling the cleaning robot to clean the target area according to the second cleaning mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and when the cleaning robot leaves the target area, the cleaning mode of the cleaning robot is switched from the second cleaning mode to the first cleaning mode again so as to continuously clean the floor by adopting the first cleaning mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said controlling the cleaning robot to clean the target area in the second cleaning mode comprises:

and after the other areas except the target area in the ground are cleaned, controlling the cleaning robot to clean the target area according to the second cleaning mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cleaning robot is a sweeping robot, the sweeping robot supporting cleaning modes including at least two of the following cleaning modes: single sweep mode, single drag mode, simultaneous sweep and simultaneous drag mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cleaning mode and the second cleaning mode use cleaning assemblies that are at least partially different.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the other cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot include at least two cleaning modes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area from the other cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot comprises:

selecting a cleaning mode corresponding to a first standard and a cleaning mode corresponding to a second standard from other cleaning modes supported by the cleaning robot;

and combining the cleaning mode corresponding to the first standard and the cleaning mode corresponding to the second standard to obtain the second cleaning mode.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring whether the floor surface has a target area that does not match the first cleaning mode comprises:

monitoring a surface environment of the surface;

when the ground environment changes, judging whether the changed ground environment is matched with the first cleaning mode;

and if the changed floor environment is not matched with the first cleaning mode, determining the area where the changed floor environment is located as the target area.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the change in the ground environment comprises a change in a material of the ground or the presence of a predetermined type of object on the ground.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined type of object comprises at least one of water stains, carpet, and particulate matter.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the second cleaning mode corresponding to the target area comprises:

and selecting a cleaning mode corresponding to the ground environment of the target area as the second cleaning mode according to the ground environment of the target area and a pre-established mapping relation between the ground environment and the cleaning mode.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said controlling the cleaning robot to clean the target area in the second cleaning mode comprises:

dividing the boundary of the target area from the ground;

controlling the cleaning robot to clean the area within the boundary according to the second cleaning mode;

the method further comprises the following steps:

and after the target area is cleaned, continuously cleaning other areas except the target area in the ground.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said demarcating the boundary of the target area from the ground comprises:

and taking the boundary of a circular area with the current position of the cleaning robot as the center as the boundary of the target area, wherein the radius of the circular area is a preset value.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the area to be cleaned comprises at least one zone,

the method further comprises the following steps:

after cleaning of one partition is finished, judging whether the cleaning of the area to be cleaned is finished;

and if the area to be cleaned has the zone which is not cleaned, controlling the cleaning robot to clean the zone which is not cleaned.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein prior to controlling the cleaning robot to clean the uncleaned zone, the method further comprises:

controlling the cleaning robot to lift the sweeping component and/or the mopping component and entering a transition mode;

controlling the cleaning machine to enter the uncleaned zone after entering the transition mode.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the at least one partition corresponds to a cleaning mode.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the cleaning mode corresponding to each zone of the at least one zone is autonomously determined by the cleaning robot based on a floor environment of the each zone; alternatively, the cleaning mode corresponding to each of the at least one section is designated by a user of the cleaning robot.

18. The method of claim 4, wherein:

in the single-sweeping mode, the sweeping and mopping integrated robot controls the sweeping component to contact the ground and the mopping component to separate from the ground;

in the single-mopping mode, the sweeping and mopping integrated robot controls the sweeping component to be separated from the ground and the mopping component to be contacted with the ground;

under the mode is dragged while sweeping, sweep and drag all-in-one robot control sweep the subassembly with drag ground subassembly contact ground.

19. A cleaning robot, characterized by comprising:

the sweeping component is used for executing sweeping work;

the mopping assembly is used for performing mopping work;

the monitoring device is used for monitoring the surrounding environment;

the cleaning robot includes at least two cleaning modes and is switchable between the at least two cleaning modes under control of a controller;

the controller is configured to: controlling the cleaning robot to clean the ground according to a first cleaning mode; monitoring whether a target area which is not matched with the first cleaning mode exists on the ground by using the monitoring device; if the target area is monitored; controlling the cleaning robot to clean the target area according to a second cleaning mode.

20. The cleaning robot of claim 19, wherein the cleaning robot is a sweep-and-scrub robot, the sweep-and-scrub robot supporting cleaning modes including at least two of the following cleaning modes: single sweep mode, single drag mode, simultaneous sweep and simultaneous drag mode.