From March 12 to 15, 2025, AUDIOWELL made its appearance at the Appliance & Electronics World Expo (AWE) held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, under the theme “AI + Sensory Actuation Technology for a Better Life”. During the exhibition, the company showcased its underwater ranging sensor for pool cleaning robots. Featuring an ultra long range detection capability of up to 8 m, near field blind spot monitoring as close as 6 cm, and an IP68 high sealing protection structure, this sensor provides high precision environmental perception and reliable operation for underwater cleaning equipment, helping pool cleaning move towards an intelligent, full-coverage new era.
Technical Principle: Ultrasonic Ranging for Accurate Underwater Perception
The underwater environment is complex and changeable. Traditional optical sensors are susceptible to water turbidity, while electromagnetic waves attenuate rapidly in water, making stable ranging difficult. The underwater ranging sensor launched by AUDIOWELL works on the principle of ultrasonic Time of Flight (ToF). Ultrasound is a mechanical wave with a frequency higher than 20 kHz. When propagating in water, it exhibits low attenuation and good directivity, with a propagation speed of approximately 1500 m/s that is largely unaffected by water quality.
The sensor transmits ultrasonic pulses toward a target direction via a transducer. The sound waves are reflected back when encountering an obstacle. The system precisely calculates the time difference between transmission and reception, and combined with the speed of sound in water, obtains the real-time distance between the sensor and the target. This physical principle gives ultrasonic ranging an inherent technical advantage in underwater environments, enabling stable and reliable measurement even in low-visibility or turbid water.
Long Range and Short Blind Zone: Perception Covering Both Far and Near Distances
During pool cleaning operations, the robot needs to detect distant pool walls for path planning while also accurately avoiding obstacles such as walls, steps, and handrails at close range. This places dual demands on the sensor’s measurement range and near field accuracy.
The AUDIOWELL underwater ranging sensor achieves a long ranging distance of 8 m, allowing it to detect the large-scale pool structure in advance. This helps the cleaning robot build a complete underwater map and plan the optimal cleaning path, avoiding repetitive coverage or missed areas. At the same time, the product reduces the near-field blind zone to just 6 cm. From an acoustic perspective, an ultrasonic transducer requires a short ring-down recovery period after emitting a pulse, during which it cannot receive echoes – this creates the ranging blind zone. AUDIOWELL has significantly shortened the ring-down time by optimizing the transducer structure and driving circuit, compressing the blind zone to an industry-leading level. As a result, the robot can still obtain effective distance information when moving close to pool walls or obstacles, enabling precise obstacle avoidance and edge-following cleaning.
The combination of long range and a short blind zone upgrades pool cleaning robots from “blind wandering” to “perceptive navigation”, truly achieving full-area coverage cleaning.
IP68 Protection: Reliable Long-Term Operation Underwater
The pool environment involves multiple harsh factors such as water immersion, disinfectant corrosion, and water flow impact. The sensor’s water and dust resistance directly determines the service life and operational stability of the entire equipment.
The AUDIOWELL underwater ranging sensor adopts an IP68 high-sealing protection structure – one of the highest protection levels defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). IP68 means the product is completely dust-tight and can be continuously immersed in water deeper than 1 m while remaining fully functional. This protection level is achieved through precision structural sealing, application of waterproof breathable membranes, and full potting processes, ensuring that electronic components are completely isolated from external water. With this protection capability, the sensor can operate stably for extended periods in complex underwater pool environments, meeting the reliability requirements of frequent and long-duration cleaning robot operations.
Empowering Pool Cleaning Robots for a Smart Cleaning Experience
Pool cleaning robots are currently undergoing a technological upgrade from random-collision type to intelligent, planned navigation. Precise environmental perception is the prerequisite for achieving intelligence. Designed specifically for underwater cleaning robots, the AUDIOWELL underwater ranging sensor delivers high precision distance data in real time, providing the robot with the following core capabilities:
Map building and path planning: The 8 m long-range detection enables the robot to sense pool boundaries and internal structures in advance, construct a work area map, and plan efficient cleaning paths (e.g., back-and-forth “bow” patterns), avoiding unnecessary repetition or missed areas.
Intelligent obstacle avoidance: The 6 cm near-field blind zone ensures the robot responds promptly when approaching obstacles such as steps, ladders, and drains, reducing the risk of getting stuck and improving operational smoothness.
Edge following cleaning: The accurate short-range distance measurement allows the robot to travel closely along the pool wall, effectively cleaning the junction between the wall and the waterline and eliminating cleaning dead zones.
Focus on us