A robot intelligent charging method and charging system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a robot intelligent charging method, which uses a camera on the robot to identify the identification code of the charging site, obtains the real-time position information of the robot, compares it with the center position, calculates the trajectory of the robot's movement, and finally realizes the robot's autonomous charging. The present invention also discloses a robot intelligent charging system. The present invention can improve the autonomy level of small walking robots, reduce the cost of manual intervention, and has a wide range of applications.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of small robots, and specifically relates to a robot intelligent charging method and charging system, which is especially suitable for small intelligent mobile robots such as cleaning robots and food delivery robots. Background Art

[0002] Since the 21st century, with the significant progress of artificial intelligence and sensor technology, autonomous mobile robots have played an increasingly important role in entertainment, housekeeping, public places and other fields. However, due to the limitation of battery capacity, the continuous working time of mobile robots is often only a few hours, which cannot achieve the effect of long-term autonomous work. It requires manual participation in charging, which affects work efficiency and increases the burden on users. Therefore, people hope that mobile robots have the ability to charge themselves.

[0003] Take the existing intelligent cleaning robot as an example. The existing cleaning robot has the following disadvantages during the autonomous charging process:

[0004] 1. Low efficiency. In the initial stage, the robot has no clear path planning and has to keep walking around looking for infrared rays, which results in a lot of unnecessary detours.

[0005] 2. The success rate is low, because infrared rays cannot penetrate objects. Infrared rays can only be used for positioning within the line of sight, just like the infrared rays used by TV remote controls. If something blocks the signal, the robot will not be able to find the infrared signal, and the autonomous charging function will fail.

[0006] 3. Low intelligence and small scope of application. Because at the beginning of this solution, the robot has to keep walking around to find infrared rays, and its intelligence is too low. Therefore, this solution can only be applied to low-end robots and has a small scope of application.

[0007] Therefore, it is necessary to design a robot intelligent charging method and charging system to improve the robot's intelligence level and continuous operation time. Summary of the invention

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a robot intelligent charging method and charging system to improve the efficiency and success rate of autonomous charging in view of the above problems.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0010] A robot intelligent charging method, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

[0011] S1: Determine that the robot has entered a task completion state and has entered any position in front of a charging station, where a plurality of charging piles are provided at the charging station, and an identification code is provided near each charging pile. The robot rotates so that its rear camera detects the identification code and stops at a first position, where the first position is a parking spot in front of the charging station;

[0012] S2: Calculate and plan the robot's route based on the relative position relationship between the charging station and the robot determined by the camera at the first position, so that the robot reaches the second position;

[0013] S3: Adjust the posture of the robot so that the tail of the robot faces the charging pile, record the position at this time, and enter the third position, which is 70-110 cm in front of the charging pile;

[0014] S4: The robot moves backward in a straight line until the charging brush at the rear of the robot touches the charging pile for charging.

[0015] Furthermore, before step S1, the following steps are also included:

[0016] S0: The robot walks and scans the target working area, obtains a map of the target working area, and plans a walking path. At least one charging station is set in the working area, and the charging station has at least one charging pile; a parking point position that can be identified by the robot is set at the charging station; a camera is installed on the robot and near the charging brush, an identification code is set at the charging station, and the relative position relationship between the camera and the identification code is calibrated. The center position and the position opposite to the identification code at the same height are defined as the center position, and the position where the robot's charging brush can contact the charging pile is set as the stop position.

[0017] Furthermore, in step S1, the camera of the robot collects the identification code of the charging station, and calculates the real-time position information of the robot based on the position information of the identification code and compares it with the center position. The parking point is provided with a laser marker.

[0018] Furthermore, in step S2, the robot rotates clockwise, and the relative distance, left-right deviation, and angle deviation between the identification code and the camera on the robot are calculated by the visual algorithm to calculate the angle at which the robot needs to rotate, and stops rotating when the angle is less than plus or minus 10 degrees.

[0019] Furthermore, in step S2, the position of the identification code in space is identified through a visual algorithm, and the horizontal deviation value x between the robot and the horizontal coordinate of the identification code, the vertical deviation value φ between the robot and the vertical coordinate of the identification code, and the distance z from the robot to the depth coordinate of the identification code are obtained based on the center position.

[0020] Furthermore, the charging brush of the robot is located at the rear end of the robot, and the camera is located vertically above or vertically below the charging brush.

[0021] Further, the identification code includes a left identification code, a middle identification code and a right identification code, and the left identification code and the right identification code are arranged in pairs and are larger in size than the middle identification code.

[0022] Further, in step S4, when the straight-line distance between the robot and the charging pile is within 20-50 cm, the robot moves in a straight line, and stops moving when reaching a preset stop position, the robot's charging brush contacts the charging pile, the relay opens, and charging begins.

[0023] Further, in step S4, when the straight-line distance between the robot and the charging pile is within a range of 25-35 cm, the robot moves in a straight line.

[0024] Furthermore, the robot is connected to the charging station in communication. In step S2, when the robot is at any position before entering the charging station and the light brightness is lower than a set value, the robot turns on the light of the charging station by communicating with the charging station.

[0025] Another aspect of the present invention provides a robot intelligent charging system, including a robot and at least one charging station, wherein the charging station has at least one charging pile; a camera is installed on the robot near the charging brush, and an identification code is set at the charging station. The robot can collect the identification code through its camera, and calculate the relative position information with the identification code in three-dimensional space, determine the rotation angle and the moving distance, and dock with the charging pile of the charging station for charging.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0027] 1. The present invention uses a visual recognition method and an identification code set at a charging station to locate the robot's position information in real time, with accurate positioning, and can quickly realize autonomous charging of the robot.

[0028] 2. The charging method of the present invention has a high success rate. When the unmanned vehicle finishes working, it enters the autonomous charging mode. There will be no additional obstruction between the camera and the identification code. It only needs to combine the position of the visual identification code according to the back-off algorithm to accurately reach the station.

[0029] 3. The present invention has a wide range of applications and can be applied to various small intelligent robots to improve their autonomous charging capabilities, reduce manual intervention costs, and increase the robot's battery life.

[0030] Other advantages, objectives and features of the present invention will be embodied in part through the following description, and in part will be understood by those skilled in the art through study and practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 This is the robot intelligent charging method of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solutions of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0033] Embodiment 1:

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, a robot intelligent charging method of the present invention comprises the following steps:

[0035] S0: The robot walks and scans the target working area, obtains a map of the target working area, and plans a walking path. At least one charging station is set in the working area, and the charging station has at least one charging pile. A camera is set on the robot and near the charging brush, and an identification code is set at the charging station. The relative position relationship between the camera and the identification code is calibrated, and the position where the center position of the camera and the identification code are opposite to each other at the same height is defined as the center position, and the position where the robot's charging brush can contact the charging pile is set as the stop position.

[0036] As a preferred embodiment, when entering a charging station, the center position of the camera on the robot is at the same height as the midpoint of the identification code of the charging station.

[0037] S1: Determine that the robot has entered a task completion state and has entered any position in front of a charging station, where a plurality of charging piles are provided at the charging station, and an identification code is provided near each charging pile. The robot rotates so that its rear camera detects the identification code and stops at a first position, where the first position is a parking spot in front of the charging station;

[0038] The identification code in this embodiment is a two-dimensional identification code, and the conversion of the two-dimensional identification code coordinates and the world coordinates is unified.

[0039] The camera collects the identification code of the charging station, and calculates the real-time position information of the robot based on the location information of the identification code and the center position. The power setting value for the robot to enter the charging level can be set according to actual needs, such as when the power is less than 30%, 25%, 20%, etc.; the calibrated parking point position can be any mark that the robot can visually identify. In this embodiment, the calibrated parking point position is a laser mark.

[0040] The robot can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. In this embodiment, the robot rotates clockwise, and through the visual algorithm combined with the position of the identification code in space, the robot obtains the horizontal deviation value x of the horizontal coordinate of the identification code, the vertical deviation value φ of the vertical coordinate of the identification code, and the distance z from the robot to the depth coordinate of the identification code coordinate, so as to obtain the real-time orientation information of the robot, calculate the angle that the robot needs to rotate, and stop rotating when the angle is less than the range of plus or minus 10 degrees.

[0041] Taking the robot moving backwards into the charging station as an example, the robot's rotation can be achieved by adjusting the angular velocity and linear velocity of the left and right wheels. For example, in an example where two rear wheels are used as driving wheels, the rotation can be achieved by adjusting the angular velocity and linear velocity of the left and right rear wheels. The angular velocity and linear velocity of the two rear wheels are calculated by the position difference between the robot camera and the identification code. The speed calculated based on the difference will form an arc line on the path, that is, the robot's backward route, and the robot moves along this route.

[0042] According to the distance z of different depth axes, it is judged which stage has been entered, and then the speed is determined according to the different horizontal deviation values ​​x and vertical deviation values ​​φ. When the horizontal deviation value x is greater than 0, the vertical deviation value φ is judged. When it is greater than 0, the speed of the left wheel is greater than the right wheel. The speed of the unfixed wheel is calculated according to the left and right deviation values ​​to move backward, and the speed is less than 0, and vice versa. If one or all of the horizontal deviation value x and the vertical deviation value φ are not within the specified range, the speed will be adjusted to be greater than 0, and the vehicle will move forward and stop when the allowed z value is reached, and then continue the previous steps backward until the z value reaches the preset stopping distance, the speed becomes smaller and smaller, and the vehicle reaches the target point.

[0043] This is prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0044] The identification code in this embodiment includes a left identification code, a middle identification code and a right identification code, and the left identification code and the right identification code are arranged in pairs and are larger in size than the middle identification code. Specifically, the left identification code is a pair of two-dimensional codes that are larger in size, and similarly, the right identification code is also a pair of two-dimensional codes that are larger in size; the middle identification code is located between the left and right identification codes and is smaller in size than the left and right identification codes.

[0045] S2: Based on the relative position relationship between the charging station and the robot determined by the camera at the first position, the robot's route is calculated and planned to reach the second position; the robot continues to rotate and adjust its orientation while moving toward the charging pile so that its charging brush faces the charging pile; the robot determines the angular velocity of rotation based on the distance z value, the horizontal deviation value x and the vertical deviation value φ; in this step, the robot walks an arc-shaped curve, and the end point is the second position according to the path obtained by the differential speed of the left and right wheels.

[0046] S3: Adjust the posture of the robot so that the tail of the robot faces the charging pile, record the position at this time, and enter the third position, which is 70-110 cm in front of the charging pile; the robot continues to move toward the charging pile, and during the movement, repeat step S2 to continue to fine-tune the orientation of the robot.

[0047] S4: The robot moves back in a straight line until the charging brush at the tail of the robot touches the charging pile for charging: When the straight-line distance between the robot and the charging pile is within 30cm, the robot moves in a straight line and stops when it reaches the preset stop position. The charging brush of the robot touches the charging pile, the relay opens, and charging starts.

[0048] When the robot enters the charging station for identification, as long as it sees the left identification code or the right identification code, it relies on the left or right orientation information recognized by vision to calculate and rotate according to the relative position relationship with the left and right identification codes (steps S2 and S3); in the straight-line retreat stage (steps S3 and S4), the robot mainly identifies the middle identification code, and determines whether the deviation from the horizontal direction is within the set range according to the relative position relationship with the middle identification code, thereby retreating in a straight line or fine-tuning the robot in the horizontal direction.

[0049] As a preferred embodiment, the charging brush of the robot is located at the rear end of the robot, that is, the back of the robot, and the camera is located vertically above or vertically below the charging brush.

[0050] As a preferred mode, the robot is connected to the charging station by communication. In step S2, when the robot is at any position before entering the charging station, when the light brightness is lower than a set value, the robot turns on the light of the charging station by communicating with the charging station. In this way, when the light is dim, the positioning effect of the present invention is not affected.

[0051] Embodiment 2:

[0052] The present embodiment provides a robot intelligent charging system, including a robot and at least one charging station, wherein the charging station has at least one charging pile; a camera is installed on the robot near a charging brush, and an identification code is set at the charging station. The robot can collect the identification code through its camera, and calculate the relative position information with the identification code in three-dimensional space, determine the rotation angle and the moving distance, and dock with the charging pile of the charging station to charge.

[0053] The specific embodiments described herein are merely examples of the spirit of the present invention. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications or additions to the specific embodiments described or replace them in similar ways, but they will not deviate from the spirit of the present invention or exceed the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A robot intelligent charging method, characterized in that: The steps include: S0: The robot walks and scans the target working area, obtains a map of the target working area, and plans a walking path. At least one charging station is set in the working area, and the charging station has at least one charging pile; a parking point position that can be identified by the robot is set at the charging station; a camera is installed on the robot and near the charging brush, an identification code is set at the charging station, and the relative position relationship between the camera and the identification code is calibrated. The center position is defined as the position facing the center position of the camera and the identification code at the same height, and the position where the robot's charging brush can contact the charging pile is set as the stop position; S1: Determine that the robot has entered a task completion state and has entered any position in front of a charging station, where a plurality of charging piles are provided at the charging station, and an identification code is provided near each charging pile. The robot rotates so that its rear camera detects the identification code and stops at a first position, where the first position is a parking spot in front of the charging station; S2: According to the relative position relationship between the charging station and the robot determined by the camera at the first position, the robot's route is calculated and planned to reach the second position; the robot moves toward the charging pile while continuing to rotate and adjust the robot's orientation so that its charging brush faces the charging pile; through the visual algorithm combined with the position of the identification code in space, the center position is used as the reference to obtain the horizontal deviation value x of the robot and the horizontal coordinate of the identification code, the vertical deviation value φ of the vertical coordinate of the identification code, and the distance z from the robot to the depth coordinate of the identification code coordinate. The robot determines the angular velocity of rotation according to the distance z value, the horizontal deviation value x and the vertical deviation value φ; in this step, the robot walks an arc-shaped curve, and the path obtained according to the differential speed of the left and right wheels, and its end point is the second position; S3: Adjust the posture of the robot so that the tail of the robot faces the charging pile, record the position at this time, and enter the third position, which is 70-110 cm in front of the charging pile; S4: The robot moves backward in a straight line until the charging brush at the rear of the robot touches the charging pile for charging.

2. The robot intelligent charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S1, the camera of the robot collects the identification code of the charging station, and calculates the real-time position information of the robot based on the location information of the identification code and compares it with the center position. The parking point is provided with a laser marker.

3. The robot intelligent charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S2, the robot rotates clockwise, and the relative distance, left-right deviation, and angle deviation between the identification code and the camera on the robot are calculated by the visual algorithm to calculate the angle at which the robot needs to rotate, and stops rotating when the angle is less than plus or minus 10 degrees.

4. The robot intelligent charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The charging brush of the robot is located at the rear end of the robot, and the camera is located vertically above or vertically below the charging brush.

5. The robot intelligent charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The identification code includes a left identification code, a middle identification code and a right identification code, and the left identification code and the right identification code are arranged in pairs and are larger in size than the middle identification code.

6. The robot intelligent charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The third position is 20-50 cm in front of the charging pile.

7. The robot intelligent charging method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The third position is 25-35 cm in front of the charging pile.

8. The robot intelligent charging method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The robot is connected to the charging station by communication. In step S2, when the robot is at any position before entering the charging station and the light brightness is lower than a set value, the robot turns on the light of the charging station by communicating with the charging station.

9. A robot intelligent charging system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a robot and at least one charging station, wherein the charging station has at least one charging pile. A camera is installed on the robot and near a charging brush, and an identification code is set at the charging station. The robot can collect the identification code through its camera, and adopt the robot intelligent charging method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 to calculate the relative position information with the identification code in three-dimensional space, determine the rotation angle and the moving distance, and dock with the charging pile of the charging station to charge.

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