Robot and control method thereof, storage medium and processor

Abstract

The present invention discloses a robot and its control method, storage medium and processor. The robot includes: a plurality of infrared receiving terminals, which are used to receive infrared signals sent from a plurality of infrared transmitting terminals within a target period, wherein the plurality of infrared transmitting terminals are deployed on a target device; a processor, connected to the plurality of infrared receiving terminals, which is used to determine the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signals received by the infrared receiving terminals, and to determine the first state information of the robot based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result, and to determine the first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information; a controller, which is connected to the processor, which is used to control the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data. The present invention solves the technical problem of low efficiency of the robot docking with the target device in the prior art.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of control, and in particular to a robot and a control method thereof, a storage medium and a processor. Background Art

[0002] At present, robots need to be connected with corresponding equipment to realize corresponding functions.

[0003] The related technology focuses on encoding the received infrared signal, and the encoded infrared signal directly corresponds to the robot's rotational movement to control the robot. This is a direct mapping relationship. This method cannot determine the spatial geometric information of the area where the robot is located, the area where the robot is located, or the direction of the robot, so it cannot ensure that the robot can effectively dock with the target device, and there is a technical problem of low efficiency in docking the robot with the target device.

[0004] With respect to the technical problem of low efficiency of the above-mentioned robot docking with the target device, no effective solution has been proposed so far. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present invention provide a robot and a control method thereof, a storage medium and a processor, so as to at least solve the technical problem of low efficiency of the robot docking with a target device in the prior art.

[0006] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a robot is provided. The robot comprises: a plurality of infrared receiving terminals, for receiving infrared signals sent from a plurality of infrared transmitting terminals within a target period, wherein the plurality of infrared transmitting terminals are deployed on a target device; a processor, connected to the plurality of infrared receiving terminals, for determining a first area coding result and a first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signals received by the infrared receiving terminals, and determining the first state information of the robot based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result, and determining the first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, wherein the first area coding result is used to indicate the first area where the robot is located, and the first direction coding result is used to indicate the first direction of the robot relative to the target device; a controller, connected to the processor, for controlling the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data.

[0007] Optionally, multiple infrared receiving ends are deployed at the front or tail of the robot.

[0008] Optionally, the plurality of infrared receiving ends face the plurality of infrared transmitting ends in the same horizontal plane.

[0009] Optionally, the multiple infrared receiving ends are two infrared receiving ends, and the two infrared receiving ends face two sides respectively and are symmetrical.

[0010] Optionally, the robot further includes: an isolation plate for isolating the two infrared receiving ends.

[0011] Optionally, the robot further includes: a light-transmitting plate, arranged in front of the multiple infrared receiving ends, for protecting the multiple infrared receiving ends.

[0012] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a control method for a robot is provided. The method may include: receiving infrared signals sent from multiple infrared transmitting terminals through multiple infrared receiving terminals of the robot within a target period, wherein the multiple infrared transmitting terminals are deployed on a target device; determining a first area coding result and a first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signals received by the infrared receiving terminals, wherein the first area coding result is used to indicate the first area where the robot is located, and the first direction coding result is used to indicate the first direction of the robot relative to the target device; determining the first state information of the robot based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result; determining the first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, and controlling the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data, wherein multiple infrared transmitting terminals are deployed on the target device.

[0013] Optionally, controlling the robot to dock to a target device based on the first decision data includes: in the process of controlling the movement of the robot based on the first decision data, receiving infrared signals sent from multiple infrared transmitting ends again; determining a second area coding result and a second direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signals received again by the infrared receiving end, wherein the second area coding result is used to indicate a second area where the robot is located, and the second direction coding result is used to indicate a second direction of the robot relative to the target device; determining second state information of the robot based on the second area coding result and the second direction coding result; determining second decision data of the robot corresponding to the second state information, and controlling the robot to dock to the target device based on the second decision data.

[0014] Optionally, before determining the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, the method also includes: determining the type of robot; determining the coding mode based on the type; determining the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, including: in the coding mode, determining the first area coding result and the first direction coding result according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end.

[0015] Optionally, the area coding mode and the direction coding mode are determined by at least one infrared transmitting end among multiple infrared transmitting ends, wherein the coding mode includes the area coding mode and the direction coding mode, and in the coding mode, a first area coding result and a first direction coding result are determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, including: in the area coding mode, the first area coding result is determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end; in the direction coding mode, the first direction coding result is determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end.

[0016] Optionally, the area coding mode has a corresponding initial area, and the robot starts to move from the initial area to dock with the target device. The method also includes: controlling the robot to move to a target point in the initial area.

[0017] Optionally, the area coding mode includes at least one of the following: a first area coding mode, corresponding to an area greater than a first threshold value when the robot is in front of a target device, wherein the area includes multiple sub-areas; a second area coding mode, corresponding to an area less than a second threshold value when the robot is in front of the target device; a third area coding mode, corresponding to an area greater than the first threshold value when the robot is in front of the target device, wherein the area does not include multiple sub-areas; a fourth area coding mode, corresponding to an area less than a third threshold value when the robot is in front of the target device, wherein, in the third area coding mode, the coarseness of the first area coding result determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end is greater than the coarseness of the first area coding result determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end in the first area coding mode; in the fourth area coding mode, the fineness of the first area coding result determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end is greater than the fineness of the first area coding result determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end in the second area coding mode.

[0018] Optionally, multiple infrared transmitting ends corresponding to the first area coding mode are in a time-sharing working state; at least one infrared transmitting end corresponding to the second area coding mode and located in the middle of the multiple infrared transmitting ends is in a non-time-sharing working state; multiple infrared transmitting ends corresponding to the third area coding mode are in a non-time-sharing working state; multiple infrared transmitting ends corresponding to the fourth area coding mode are in a time-sharing working state, and the two side areas whose distance from the center line of the target device is greater than a fourth threshold are determined as invalid initial areas.

[0019] Optionally, the direction encoding mode includes at least one of the following: a basic direction encoding mode corresponding to a basic direction of the robot relative to the target device; an enhanced direction encoding mode corresponding to an enhanced direction extended on the basic direction.

[0020] Optionally, in different area encoding modes or direction encoding modes, the same area or the same direction corresponds to the same decision data of the robot.

[0021] Optionally, controlling the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data includes: transferring the state of the robot based on the first decision data so that the robot docks with the target device.

[0022] Optionally, based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result, determining the first state information of the robot includes: determining the current state of the robot based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result; and determining the first state information corresponding to the current state of the robot.

[0023] Another aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium, which includes a stored program, wherein when the program is executed by a processor, the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located is controlled to execute the robot control method of the present invention.

[0024] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a processor is further provided. The processor is used to run a program, wherein the robot control method of the embodiment of the present invention is executed when the program is run.

[0025] In an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of infrared receiving terminals are used to receive infrared signals sent from a plurality of infrared transmitting terminals within a target period, wherein the plurality of infrared transmitting terminals are deployed on a target device; a processor is connected to the plurality of infrared receiving terminals, and is used to determine a first area coding result and a first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signals received by the infrared receiving terminals, and determine the first state information of the robot based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result, and determine the first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, wherein the first area coding result is used to indicate the first area where the robot is located, and the first direction coding result is used to indicate the first direction of the robot relative to the target device; a controller is connected to the processor, and is used to control the robot to dock to the target device based on the first decision data. That is to say, the present application determines the area coding result and the direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signals received by the infrared receiving terminals, and determines the state information of the robot based on the area coding result and the direction coding result, so as to determine the decision data for controlling the robot at present, thereby ensuring that the robot is effectively docked to the target device, thereby solving the technical problem of low efficiency of the robot docking to the target device, and achieving the technical effect of improving the efficiency of the robot docking to the target device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of this application. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0027] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 1B is a flow chart of a robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the layout of an infrared receiving terminal of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the layout and complex coding mode of an infrared transmitting end of a target device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of regional coding in a simplified coding mode according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of regional coding in a degenerate coding mode according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of region coding in a medium coding mode according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of state transition in a robot alignment decision process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a regional coding mode consisting of five transmitting ends according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0036] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a robot control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the scheme of the present invention, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0039] Example 1

[0040] An embodiment of the present invention provides a robot.

[0041] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A As shown, the robot 10 may include: a plurality of infrared receiving terminals 11 , a processor 12 and a controller 13 .

[0042] The plurality of infrared receiving ends 11 are used to receive infrared signals sent from the plurality of infrared transmitting ends within the target period, wherein the plurality of infrared transmitting ends are deployed on the target device.

[0043] In this embodiment, the robot, as a mobile control part, needs to navigate to the initial docking area, for example, to the initial area of ​​the pile. The robot is provided with multiple infrared receiving terminals 11, which can also be called infrared receiving modules, for receiving infrared signals sent from multiple infrared transmitting terminals within the target period, and the infrared transmitting terminals can also be called infrared transmitting modules. Multiple infrared transmitting terminals are deployed on the target device, and the target device can be a fixed device in various application fields that needs to be accurately docked with the robot (physical docking or non-physical docking), such as charging piles in autonomous charging applications, loading and unloading bins in mobile loading and unloading in fixed areas, garages in reversing warehousing applications, etc., and no specific restrictions are made here. Among them, the robot may need to be positioned and aligned relative to the charging pile when charging autonomously, and then dock with the charging pile to achieve contact with the charging contacts, and charge the robot through the charging pile.

[0044] The processor 12 is connected to multiple infrared receiving terminals 11, and is used to determine a first area coding result and a first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving terminal, and determine the first state information of the robot based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result, and determine the first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, wherein the first area coding result is used to indicate the first area where the robot is located, and the first direction coding result is used to indicate the first direction of the robot relative to the target device.

[0045] In this embodiment, the processor 12 can determine the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, wherein different first area coding results and first direction coding results corresponding to the robot can be determined according to the infrared signals received by different infrared receiving ends. The first area coding result is used to indicate the first area where the robot is located, thereby achieving the purpose of positioning the robot. The first direction coding result is used to indicate the first direction of the robot relative to the target device. The first direction can be represented by angle information, which can be various directions of the robot in the process of docking with the target device, such as facing straight ahead, deflecting to the left, deflecting to the right, etc., and no specific restrictions are made here.

[0046] Optionally, the processor 12 of this embodiment can determine the first direction of the robot through infrared signals from different transmitting ends received by the two infrared receiving ends of the robot within a target cycle, for example, determining whether the robot is facing directly towards the target device, or deflected to the left or to the right relative to the target device, thereby orienting the robot relative to the target device.

[0047] After the processor 12 determines the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, the first state information of the robot can be determined based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result. The first state information may include the positioning information and orientation information of the robot, wherein the positioning information can indicate the first area where the robot is located, and the orientation information can indicate the first direction where the robot is located.

[0048] In this embodiment, different state information of the robot may correspond to different decision data, and the decision data is used to determine the state decision and control process of the robot docking with the target device. The processor 12 of this embodiment may determine the first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, and then control the robot to complete all docking processes based on the first decision data, so that the robot is accurately docked with the target device.

[0049] The controller 13 is connected to the processor 12 and is used to control the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data.

[0050] In this embodiment, the robot further includes a controller 13, which can control the robot to complete all docking processes based on the first decision data, so that the robot can be accurately docked to the target device.

[0051] In this embodiment, the processor 12 determines the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot, and the state decision and control process indicated by the controller 13 through the corresponding first decision data is extensible, which can expand the complexity outward and simplify downward, and can be compatible with hardware of different transmitting ends. This embodiment is essentially the encoding of spatial geometric information and the state decision mechanism determined based on the encoding result of spatial geometric information.

[0052] The robot of this embodiment is further introduced below.

[0053] Optionally, multiple infrared receiving ends are deployed at the front or tail of the robot.

[0054] In this embodiment, a plurality of infrared receiving terminals are arranged on the robot, and their installation positions may be at the front part or at the tail part of the robot, that is, the plurality of infrared receiving terminals of this embodiment are installed in the motion control direction of the robot.

[0055] Optionally, the plurality of infrared receiving ends face the plurality of infrared transmitting ends in the same horizontal plane.

[0056] In this embodiment, multiple infrared transmitting ends are installed on the target device, and their installation positions enable multiple external receiving ends installed on the robot to face the multiple infrared transmitting ends of the target device in the same horizontal plane. The infrared transmitting module may include multiple infrared transmitting ends so that multiple infrared receiving ends can effectively receive infrared signals sent from multiple infrared transmitting ends within the target cycle.

[0057] Optionally, the multiple infrared receiving ends are two infrared receiving ends, and the two infrared receiving ends face two sides respectively and are symmetrical.

[0058] In this embodiment, the number of the multiple infrared receiving ends can be two, and the two infrared receiving ends are respectively oriented to the two sides at a certain symmetry angle (α), and the two infrared receiving ends are arranged symmetrically on the robot, wherein the difference in symmetry angle (α) will affect the angle detection threshold or sensitivity of the robot's infrared receiving end.

[0059] Optionally, the robot further includes: an isolation plate for isolating the two infrared receiving ends.

[0060] In this embodiment, the two infrared receiving ends of the robot are isolated from each other by an isolation plate, and the isolation plate may be an opaque isolation plate.

[0061] Optionally, the robot further includes: a light-transmitting plate, arranged in front of the multiple infrared receiving ends, for protecting the multiple infrared receiving ends.

[0062] In this embodiment, a light-transmitting plate may be installed in front of multiple infrared receiving terminals of the robot to protect the multiple infrared receiving terminals, for example, to protect two infrared receiving terminals.

[0063] In this embodiment, the robot includes a plurality of infrared receiving terminals, which are used to receive infrared signals sent from a plurality of infrared transmitting terminals within a target period, wherein the plurality of infrared transmitting terminals are deployed on a target device; a processor, connected to the plurality of infrared receiving terminals, is used to determine a first area coding result and a first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signals received by the infrared receiving terminals, and to determine the first state information of the robot based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result, and to determine the first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, wherein the first area coding result is used to indicate the first area where the robot is located, and the first direction coding result is used to indicate the first direction of the robot relative to the target device; a controller, connected to the processor, is used to control the robot to dock to the target device based on the first decision data. That is to say, this embodiment determines the area coding result and the direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signals received by the infrared receiving terminals, and determines the state information of the robot based on the area coding result and the direction coding result, so as to determine the decision data for controlling the robot currently, thereby ensuring that the robot is effectively docked to the target device, thereby solving the technical problem of low efficiency of the robot docking to the target device, and achieving the technical effect of improving the efficiency of the robot docking to the target device.

[0064] Example 2

[0065] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an embodiment of a robot control method is provided. It should be noted that the steps shown in the flowchart of the accompanying drawings can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer executable instructions, and although a logical order is shown in the flowchart, in some cases, the steps shown or described can be executed in an order different from that shown here.

[0066] Figure 1B 1 is a flow chart of a robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1B As shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0067] Step S102, within the target period, receiving infrared signals sent from multiple infrared transmitting ends through multiple infrared receiving ends of the robot, wherein the multiple infrared transmitting ends are deployed on the target device.

[0068] In the technical solution provided in the above step S102 of the present invention, the target device can be a fixed device in various application fields that needs to be precisely docked with the robot (physical docking or non-physical docking), such as a charging pile in an autonomous charging application, a loading and unloading bin in a fixed area, a garage in a reverse warehousing application, etc., and no specific restrictions are made here. Among them, the robot may need to be positioned and aligned relative to the charging pile during autonomous charging, and then dock with the charging pile to achieve contact with the charging contacts, and charge the robot through the charging pile.

[0069] During the docking process between the robot and the target device, the infrared signals sent from multiple infrared transmitting ends can be received by the multiple infrared receiving ends of the robot within the target cycle. The multiple infrared receiving ends can also be called infrared receiving modules. The installation position may be at the front of the robot or at the tail of the robot, that is, installed in the motion control direction of the robot. The infrared transmitting end can also be called an infrared transmitting module. Multiple infrared transmitting ends are deployed on the above-mentioned target device.

[0070] Step S104, determining a first area coding result and a first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end.

[0071] In the technical solution provided in the above step S104 of the present invention, after receiving infrared signals sent from multiple infrared transmitting ends through multiple infrared receiving ends of the robot, the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot are determined according to the infrared signals received by the infrared receiving ends, wherein the first area coding result is used to indicate the first area where the robot is located, and the first direction coding result is used to indicate the first direction of the robot relative to the target device.

[0072] This embodiment determines the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, wherein different first area coding results and first direction coding results corresponding to the robot can be determined according to the infrared signals received by different infrared receiving ends, and the first area coding result is used to indicate the first area where the robot is located, thereby achieving the purpose of positioning the robot, and the first direction coding result is used to indicate the first direction of the robot relative to the target device, and the first direction can be represented by angle information, which can be various directions of the robot in the process of docking with the target device, such as facing straight ahead, deflecting to the left, deflecting to the right, etc., and no specific restrictions are made here.

[0073] Optionally, this embodiment can determine the first direction of the robot through infrared signals from different transmitting ends received by the two infrared receiving ends of the robot within a target cycle, for example, determining whether the robot is facing directly towards the target device, or is deflected to the left or to the right relative to the target device, thereby orienting the robot relative to the target device.

[0074] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the layout of an infrared receiving terminal of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, on the robot side, the infrared receiving end installed therein has a receiving end 1′ and a receiving end 2′ (two infrared receiving ends), and the two receiving ends 1′ and 2′ can be isolated from each other using an opaque isolation plate; each receiving end faces a certain angle on both sides and is symmetrical, and the difference in the symmetry angle α will affect the angle detection threshold or sensitivity of the robot's infrared receiving module; a light-transmitting plate can be installed between the receiving ends 1′ and 2′ for protection, or a light-transmitting plate may not be added.

[0075] In this embodiment, the target device is installed with an infrared transmitter, and its installation position enables the infrared receiving end of the robot to face the infrared transmitter of the target device in the same horizontal plane. The infrared transmitter may include multiple infrared transmitters.

[0076] The layout of the infrared transmitting end of the target device of this embodiment can be as follows: Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the layout and complex coding mode of the infrared transmitting end of a target device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The infrared transmitting end has transmitting end 1, transmitting end 2 and transmitting end 3 (three infrared transmitting ends), and the three transmitting ends are evenly arranged in a straight line with each other. There needs to be a transmitting end 2 in the center position, and the other two transmitting ends 1 and transmitting end 3 are symmetrically arranged, and the infrared light emission direction is consistent outward. The distance between transmitting end 1, transmitting end 2 and transmitting end 3 is determined by the area where the robot needs to be positioned and oriented.

[0077] In this embodiment, the transmitting end 1, the transmitting end 2 and the transmitting end 3 can be protected behind the light-transmitting plate, or the light-transmitting plate may not be included. The plane angle of each transmitting end is β, and the size of β affects the size of the initial docking area and the fineness of the partition coding. The size of β depends on the plane angle of the infrared light emitted by the transmitting end device itself and the design of the optical path (for example, different light-transmitting areas can be designed on the light-transmitting plate of the infrared transmitting module of the target device). The transmitting end 1, the transmitting end 2 and the transmitting end 3 can be used as the identity authentication (ID) of different transmitting ends through signal coding, and the receiving end 1′ and the receiving end 2′ installed by the robot can identify which transmitting end the signal received at a certain moment comes from. The three transmitting ends can work using time-sharing technology, that is, by taking turns to emit coded infrared light to work, so that the receiving ends do not interfere with each other when receiving signals.

[0078] In this embodiment, within the target cycle, infrared signals sent from multiple infrared transmitting ends can be received by multiple infrared receiving ends of the robot, wherein the target cycle can be flexibly set according to actual conditions and is not specifically limited here.

[0079] In this embodiment, when determining the first area coding result corresponding to the robot based on the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, the first area coding result corresponding to the robot can be determined based on infrared signals sent from different infrared transmitting ends to locate the robot.

[0080] In this embodiment, when determining the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot based on the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, the first direction coding result can be determined by using the infrared signals from different transmitting ends received by the two infrared receiving ends of the robot within a target cycle, thereby determining the direction of the robot, for example, determining whether the robot is facing directly at the target device, or deflected to the left or to the right relative to the target device, so as to orient the robot relative to the target device, encode it, and obtain the first direction coding result.

[0081] Step S106, determining first state information of the robot based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result.

[0082] In the technical solution provided in the above step S106 of the present invention, after determining the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, the first state information of the robot can be determined based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result.

[0083] In this embodiment, the first state information of the robot can be determined based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result. The first state information may include positioning information and orientation information of the robot, wherein the positioning information can indicate the first area where the robot is located, and the orientation information can indicate the first direction where the robot is located, and the first direction can be represented by angle information.

[0084] Step S108, determining first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, and controlling the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data.

[0085] In the technical solution provided in the above step S108 of the present invention, after determining the first state information of the robot based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result, the first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information can be determined, and the robot can be controlled to dock with the target device based on the first decision data.

[0086] In this embodiment, different state information of the robot may correspond to different decision data, and the decision data is used to determine the state decision and control process of the robot docking with the target device. This embodiment may determine the first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, and then control the robot to complete all docking processes based on the first decision data, so that the robot is accurately docked with the target device.

[0087] In this embodiment, the state decision and control process indicated by the region coding of the first region and the direction coding of the first direction and the corresponding first decision data is extensible, which can expand the complexity outward and simplify downward, and can be compatible with hardware of different transmitting ends. This embodiment is essentially the coding of spatial geometric information and the state decision mechanism determined based on the coding result of the spatial geometric information.

[0088] This application determines the first area where the robot is located and the first direction relative to the target device during the docking process between the robot and the target device through the above steps S102 to S108; encodes the first area and the first direction respectively to obtain the first area encoding result and the first direction encoding result; determines the first state information of the robot based on the first area encoding result and the first direction encoding result; determines the first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, and controls the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data. In other words, this embodiment determines the area encoding result and the direction encoding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, and determines the state information of the robot based on the area encoding result and the direction encoding result to determine the decision data for controlling the robot at present, thereby ensuring that the robot is effectively docked with the target device, thereby solving the technical problem of low efficiency of the robot docking with the target device, and achieving the technical effect of improving the efficiency of the robot docking with the target device.

[0089] The above method of this embodiment is further introduced below.

[0090] As an optional implementation, in the process of controlling the movement of the robot based on the first decision data, infrared signals sent from multiple infrared transmitting ends are received again; based on the infrared signals received again by the infrared receiving end, a second area coding result and a second direction coding result corresponding to the robot are determined, wherein the second area coding result is used to indicate the second area where the robot is located, and the second direction coding result is used to indicate the second direction of the robot relative to the target device; based on the second area coding result and the second direction coding result, the second state information of the robot is determined; the second decision data of the robot corresponding to the second state information is determined, and the robot is controlled to dock with the target device based on the second decision data.

[0091] After determining the first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, the robot can be controlled to move to the second area and be in the second direction relative to the target device based on the first decision data, that is, the control of the robot completes a decision control, and when the robot has not yet docked to the target device in the second area and the second direction, the second decision data for controlling the robot can be determined, that is, new decision data is determined. Optionally, this embodiment receives infrared signals sent from multiple infrared transmitting ends again, and can determine the second area coding result and the second direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signals received again by the infrared receiving end, the second area coding result is used to indicate that the robot moves to the second area, and the second direction coding result is used to indicate that the robot is in the second direction relative to the target device, and then the second state information of the robot is determined based on the second area coding result and the second direction coding result, the second state information can be used to indicate the second area and the second direction where the robot is located, and then the second decision data of the robot corresponding to the second state information is determined, and the robot is continuously controlled based on the second decision data, and new decision data is continuously generated by analogy according to the above method until the control robot is successfully docked to the target device.

[0092] As an optional implementation, in step S104, before determining the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, the method further includes: determining the type of the robot; determining the coding mode based on the type; determining the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, including: in the coding mode, determining the first area coding result and the first direction coding result according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end. Optionally, the area coding mode and the direction coding mode are determined by at least one infrared transmitting end among the plurality of infrared transmitting ends, wherein the coding mode includes the area coding mode and the direction coding mode, and in the coding mode, determining the first area coding result and the first direction coding result according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, including: in the area coding mode, determining the first area coding result according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end; in the direction coding mode, determining the first direction coding result according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end.

[0093] In this embodiment, the coding mode, i.e., the positioning coding mode, may include an area coding mode and a direction coding mode. Multiple infrared transmitting ends on the target device side may be combined to form different area coding modes and direction coding modes, thereby forming a variety of different coding modes. Different area coding modes and direction coding modes may be used to encode the area and direction of the robot, respectively, to obtain positioning information and direction information of different precisions. This embodiment may have a consistent and unified alignment decision method and process based on state transfer corresponding to different positioning coding modes, so that the entire method may be technically implemented in the same software process.

[0094] In this embodiment, different encoding modes are suitable for robots with different positioning and navigation accuracy, different motion control flexibility, and different docking fault tolerance capabilities. Therefore, this embodiment can first determine the type of robot, which can be a type in terms of positioning and navigation accuracy, motion control flexibility, and docking fault tolerance capability, and then determine the encoding mode based on the type. For example, there is a simplified encoding mode suitable for robots with high positioning accuracy and motion control flexibility (such as indoor differential drive robots), a complex encoding mode suitable for robots with low positioning accuracy and motion control flexibility (such as outdoor car-type robots), a medium encoding mode suitable for robots with medium positioning accuracy and control flexibility, and a degenerate encoding mode suitable for robots that do not require high alignment accuracy or have high docking fault tolerance capabilities during the docking process between the robot and the target device. After determining the encoding mode, the first area encoding result can be determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end in the area encoding mode; and the first direction encoding result can be determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end in the direction encoding mode.

[0095] It should be noted that the coding mode of this embodiment may include but is not limited to the above-mentioned simplified coding mode, complex coding mode, medium coding mode, degenerate coding mode, etc., and can also be simply expanded to more than 4 coding modes by analogy to cope with different scenarios.

[0096] As an optional implementation, the area coding mode has a corresponding initial area, and the robot starts to move from the initial area to dock with the target device. The method also includes: controlling the robot to move to the target point in the initial area.

[0097] In this embodiment, the area coding mode has a corresponding initial area, for example, for the initial area of ​​the pile, the initial area can be calculated according to a certain algorithm. The robot of this embodiment has a navigation control program, and the robot is controlled by the navigation control program to move to the initial area. Among them, the point controlled by the navigation control program can be the center of the initial area, but due to the existence of positioning error and navigation error, the robot may eventually be navigated and controlled to another target point in the initial area.

[0098] As an optional embodiment, the area coding mode includes at least one of the following: a first area coding mode, corresponding to an area greater than a first threshold value when the robot is in front of a target device, wherein the area includes multiple sub-areas; a second area coding mode, corresponding to an area less than a second threshold value when the robot is in front of the target device; a third area coding mode, corresponding to an area greater than the first threshold value when the robot is in front of the target device, wherein the area does not include multiple sub-areas; a fourth area coding mode, corresponding to an area less than a third threshold value when the robot is in front of the target device, wherein, in the third area coding mode, the coarseness of the first area coding result determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end is greater than the coarseness of the first area coding result determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end in the first area coding mode; in the fourth area coding mode, the fineness of the first area coding result determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end is greater than the fineness of the first area coding result determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end in the second area coding mode.

[0099] In this embodiment, the area coding pattern may include a first area coding pattern. For example, the first area coding pattern may be an area coding of a complex coding pattern, corresponding to an area greater than a first threshold where the robot is in front of the target device, and the area encoded by the first area coding pattern includes multiple sub-areas. That is, the first area coding pattern of this embodiment covers a larger area in front of the target device, and the area coding is detailed and can be further subdivided into sub-areas.

[0100] Take the example of a robot docking a charging station. Figure 3As shown, first define the robot's initial area for charging piles, which is the area directly in front of the infrared transmitter module on the charging pile side. The range of the initial area for charging piles is composed of four edges, namely the front edge, the rear edge, the right edge, and the left edge. Among them, the front edge is a line segment that passes through the intersection between the right edge of the plane angle β of the transmitting end 1 and the left edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 3 and is parallel to the straight line formed by the transmitting ends 1, 2 and 3; the rear edge is a line segment that passes through the intersection between the right edge of the plane angle β of the transmitting end 1 and the left edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 2 (or passes through the intersection between the right edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 2 and the left edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 3) and is parallel to the straight line formed by the transmitting ends 1, 2 and 3; the left edge is a line segment on the left edge of the plane angle β of the transmitting end 1; the right edge is a line segment on the right edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 3. The front edge, rear edge, right edge, and left edge of this embodiment surround and form an initial area for pile alignment, which can be obtained by artificial calculation, and the robot navigation control program needs to control the robot to the initial area for pile alignment. The target point of the navigation control program is the center of the initial area for pile alignment, but due to the existence of positioning error and navigation error, the robot may eventually be navigated and controlled to another point in the initial area for pile alignment.

[0101] In this embodiment, the robot positioning and docking process does not rely on the precise position coordinates of the robot relative to the target device, but instead uses infrared light emitted by different transmitting ends to determine the area where the robot is located (i.e., the area where the infrared receiving module on the robot is located).

[0102] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, if either the receiving end 1′ or the receiving end 2′ on the robot side can only receive the infrared light from the transmitting end 1 in one cycle, it can be determined that the robot is in zone 1; if either the receiving end 1′ or the receiving end 2′ of the infrared receiving module on the robot side can receive both the infrared light from the transmitting end 1 and the infrared light from the transmitting end 2 in one cycle, it can be determined that the robot is in zone 2; if either the receiving end 1′ or the receiving end 2′ of the infrared receiving module on the robot side can only receive the infrared light from the transmitting end 2 in one cycle, it can be determined that the robot is in zone 3; if either the receiving end 1′ or the receiving end 2′ of the infrared receiving module on the robot side can receive both the infrared light from the transmitting end 2 and the infrared light from the transmitting end 3 in one cycle, it can be determined that the robot is in zone 4; if either the receiving end 1′ or the receiving end 2′ of the infrared receiving module on the robot side can only receive the infrared light from the transmitting end 3 in one cycle, it can be determined that the robot is in zone 5.

[0103] It should be noted that, in the event of a conflict between the areas determined by the receiving end 1′ or 2′ on the robot side of this embodiment according to the above method, the area determined by the receiving end that receives more infrared light from the transmitting end shall prevail; in the event of a conflict between the areas determined by the receiving end 1′ or 2′ on the robot side according to the above method, and when both receiving ends can receive the same number of infrared lights emitted by the transmitting end, the area determined by the receiving end 1′ shall prevail (the area determined by the receiving end 2′ may also be selected as the basis).

[0104] The above method is used to locate the robot after the robot enters the initial area of ​​the pile, and can also be regarded as the area encoding of the initial area of ​​the pile, as shown in Table 1.

[0105] Table 1 Positioning methods based on area coding

[0106]

[0107]

[0108] In this embodiment, the area between the rear edge of the initial charging pile area and the infrared transmitting end on the charging pile side that can be illuminated by the transmitting end 2 is called zone 6, and zone 6 is not in the initial charging pile area.

[0109] The area coding mode of this embodiment may also include a second area coding mode. For example, the second area coding mode may be the area coding in the simplified coding mode, corresponding to the area where the robot is in front of the target device and is smaller than the second threshold. That is, the second area coding mode of this embodiment covers a smaller area in front of the target device, and the area coding is rough.

[0110] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a region coding in a simplified coding mode according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4As shown, first define the robot's initial area for the pile, which is the area directly in front of the infrared transmitting module on the charging pile side. The range of the initial area for the pile is composed of four edges, namely the front edge, the rear edge, the right edge, and the left edge. Among them, the position of the front edge and the rear edge relative to the charging pile is consistent with the regional coding of the complex coding mode; the left edge is a line segment on the left edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 2; the right edge is a line segment on the right edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 2. The front edge, the rear edge, the right edge, and the left edge of this embodiment surround the initial area for the pile, which is obtained by artificial calculation, and the robot navigation control program needs to control the robot to this area. In the regional coding under the simplified coding mode, the initial area for the pile can be regarded as a whole area (i.e., 3 zones) and can no longer be subdivided. The infrared transmitting module on the charging pile side can only enable the transmitting end 2 for regional coding, and the regional coding is consistent with the judgment entry of the 3 zones in the regional coding of the complex coding mode, that is, if either the receiving end 1' or the receiving end 2' of the infrared receiving module on the robot side can receive the infrared light of the transmitting end 2, then it can be determined that the robot is in zone 3.

[0111] The area coding mode of this embodiment may also include a third area coding mode. For example, the third area coding mode may be an area coding in a degenerate coding mode, corresponding to an area greater than a first threshold value where the robot is in front of the target device, which is the same as the area finely encoded by the first area coding mode, and the area encoded by the third area coding mode does not include multiple sub-areas, that is, the area covered by the third area coding mode of this embodiment may be consistent with the area covered by the first area coding mode, but is not subdivided into sub-areas, so the area coding is also the coarsest.

[0112] Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a region coding in a degenerate coding mode according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5As shown, the initial area for the pile in the regional coding of the degenerate coding mode can be consistent with the initial area for the pile in the regional coding of the complex coding mode, and the leading edge, trailing edge, left edge, and right edge corresponding to the initial area for the pile are also consistent. Under the regional coding of the degenerate coding mode, the initial area for the pile is not further subdivided, but the entire initial area for the pile is set as 3 zones. The area enclosed by the trailing edge of the initial area for the pile, the infrared transmitting module on the charging pile side, the left edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 1, and the right edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 3 is used as the 6th zone in the regional coding of the degenerate coding mode. The 6th zone in the regional coding of the degenerate coding mode is the entire area between the 3rd zone and the infrared transmitting module on the charging pile side. The regional coding in the degenerate mode does not encode each transmitting end, nor does it use time-sharing technology. The infrared light emitted by all transmitting ends can be regarded as the same light source. Under the regional coding of the degenerate coding mode, when the robot navigation control program controls the robot to the desired 3rd zone, any one of the receiving end 1′ or the receiving end 2′ of the infrared receiving module on the robot side receives the infrared light emitted from the infrared transmitting module on the charging pile side, and it can be determined that the robot is in the 3rd zone. Optionally, receiving end 1′ and receiving end 2′ can be triggered at the same time (infrared light is received without distinguishing whether it comes from transmitting end 1, transmitting end 2 or transmitting end 3), then the robot is oriented directly towards the charging pile; if receiving end 1′ is triggered but receiving end 2′ is not triggered, the robot is deflected to the left; if receiving end 2′ is triggered but receiving end 1′ is not triggered, the robot is deflected to the right.

[0113] The area coding mode of this embodiment may also include a fourth area coding mode. For example, the fourth area coding mode may be an area coding in the medium coding mode, corresponding to an area where the robot is in front of the target device and is smaller than a third threshold. That is, the fourth area coding mode of this embodiment covers a smaller area in front of the target device, but the area coding is detailed.

[0114] Figure 6 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a region coding in a medium coding mode according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6As shown, first define the robot's initial area for charging piles, which is the area directly in front of the infrared transmitting module on the charging pile side. The range of the initial area for charging piles is composed of four edges, namely the front edge, the rear edge, the right edge, and the left edge. Among them, the front edge is a line segment that passes through the intersection between the right edge of the plane angle β of the transmitting end 1 and the left edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 3 and is parallel to the straight line of the three transmitting ends; the rear edge is a line segment that passes through the intersection between the right edge of the plane angle β of the transmitting end 1 and the left edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 2 (or passes through the intersection between the right edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 2 and the left edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 3) and is parallel to the straight line of the transmitting ends 1, 2 and 3; the left edge is a line segment on the left edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 2; the right edge is a line segment on the right edge of the plane angle of the transmitting end 2. The front edge, the rear edge, the right edge, and the left edge surround the initial area for charging piles, which is obtained by artificial calculation, and the robot navigation control program needs to control the robot to this area. Except for discarding the coding of area 1 and area 5 in the complex coding mode (area 1 and area 5 are not in the initial area of ​​the medium coding mode), the area coding of the medium coding mode of this embodiment is consistent with the area coding of the complex coding mode (including area 6).

[0115] In the area coding of the above various area coding modes, if the robot does not obtain the relative distance from the charging pile, the robot cannot distinguish between area 3 and area 6, because area 3 and area 6 have the same infrared light distribution. In actual operation, even if the robot enters area 6, it will make relevant judgments and corresponding control decisions based on the judgment criteria of the robot in area 3, which is conducive to simplifying the robot's alignment and docking process, thereby realizing rapid docking between the robot and the charging pile.

[0116] In this embodiment, when the positioning and navigation accuracy of the robot is low or the chassis control is not flexible (for example, the Ackerman chassis of the automobile type), the first area coding mode mentioned above can be used to position the robot; when the positioning and navigation accuracy of the robot itself is high or it has been configured with other positioning and orientation devices relative to the target device (for example, based on optical positioning, based on visual positioning, based on wireless positioning), the second area coding mode mentioned above can be used to position the robot; when the robot does not require high alignment accuracy during the pile alignment process (for example, the mechanical fault tolerance is high), the area coding mode can be set to the third area coding mode mentioned above; the fourth area coding mode is a compromise between the first coding mode and the third area coding mode, and the robot characteristics are also a compromise of the robot characteristics using other corresponding coding modes.

[0117] As an optional implementation, multiple infrared transmitting ends corresponding to the first area coding mode are in a time-sharing working state; at least one infrared transmitting end corresponding to the second area coding mode and located in the middle of the multiple infrared transmitting ends is in a non-time-sharing working state; multiple infrared transmitting ends corresponding to the third area coding mode are in a non-time-sharing working state; multiple infrared transmitting ends corresponding to the fourth area coding mode are in a time-sharing working state, and the two side areas whose distance from the center line of the target device is greater than a fourth threshold are determined as invalid initial areas.

[0118] In this embodiment, the plurality of infrared emitting terminals corresponding to the first regional coding mode are in a time-sharing working state, for example, the first regional coding mode is a regional coding of a complex coding mode, and the plurality of infrared emitting terminals work under a time-sharing technology; at least one infrared emitting terminal corresponding to the second regional coding mode and located in the middle of the plurality of infrared emitting terminals is in a non-time-sharing working state, for example, the second regional coding mode is a regional coding under a simplified coding mode, and only the infrared emitting terminal in the middle needs to work without adopting a time-sharing technology; the plurality of infrared emitting terminals corresponding to the third regional coding mode are in a non-time-sharing working state, for example, the third regional coding mode is a regional coding under a degenerate coding mode, and all the plurality of infrared emitting terminals can be used without distinction to work without adopting a time-sharing technology; the plurality of infrared emitting terminals corresponding to the fourth regional coding mode are in a time-sharing working state, and the two side regions whose distance from the center line of the target device is greater than a fourth threshold value are determined as invalid initial regions, for example, the fourth regional coding mode can be a regional coding under a medium coding mode, which optimizes the regional coding under a complex coding mode, and the two side coding regions farthest from the center line of the target device can be regarded as invalid initial regions.

[0119] As an optional implementation, the direction encoding mode includes at least one of the following: a basic direction encoding mode, corresponding to a basic direction of the robot relative to a target device; an enhanced direction encoding mode, corresponding to an enhanced direction extended on the basic direction.

[0120] In this embodiment, the direction coding mode mainly includes a basic direction coding mode and an enhanced direction coding mode extended on the basic direction coding mode. Among them, the enhanced direction coding mode can improve the accuracy of direction determination, but also increases the complexity of direction determination.

[0121] like Figure 3As shown, in this embodiment, the direction coding mode can adopt the basic direction coding mode when the robot is in zone 3 under the zone coding of the complex coding mode. Since the transmitter 1 and the transmitter 3 are not enabled under the zone coding of the simple coding mode, the direction coding mode corresponding to the zone coding of the simple coding mode also has only the basic direction coding mode, and no enhanced direction coding mode. The zone coding zone 6 of the simple coding mode is consistent with the zone coding of the complex coding mode.

[0122] like Figure 6 As shown, the basic direction coding mode and enhanced direction coding mode of the corresponding robot in each sub-area (area 2, area 3, area 4) of the medium coding mode are also consistent with the basic direction coding mode and enhanced direction coding mode of the regional coding of the complex coding mode.

[0123] In this embodiment, the direction of the robot relative to the target device can be determined by comparing whether the receiving end of the robot receives the infrared light from the same transmitting end. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the robot is in zone 3, the receiving end 1′ receives the infrared light from the transmitting end 2, while the receiving end 2′ cannot receive the infrared light from the transmitting end 2 in the same cycle, then it can be determined that the direction of the robot relative to the charging pile is deflected to the left; if the robot is in zone 3, the receiving end 1′ does not receive the infrared light from the transmitting end 2, while the receiving end 2′ receives the infrared light from the transmitting end 2 in the same cycle, then it can be determined that the direction of the robot relative to the charging pile is deflected to the right; if the robot is in zone 3, the receiving end 1′ receives the infrared light from the transmitting end 2, while the receiving end 2′ also receives the infrared light from the transmitting end 2 in the same cycle, then it can be determined that the direction of the robot relative to the charging pile is facing forward.

[0124] The same method as above can be used to determine the deflection direction of the robot in area 1 and area 5. The direction of the robot in area 1 can be determined by whether the receiving end 1′ and the receiving end 2′ receive the infrared light from the transmitting end 1; the direction of the robot in area 5 can be determined by whether the receiving end 1′ and the receiving end 2′ receive the infrared light from the transmitting end 3; the direction of the robot in areas 2 and 4 can be determined by whether the receiving end 1′ and the receiving end 2′ receive the infrared light from the transmitting end 2; the direction of the robot in areas 2 and 4 can be determined without the infrared light from the transmitting end 1 or the transmitting end 3, which is to simplify the analysis. The above method is used to orient the robot after entering the initial area of ​​the pile, which can be regarded as the basic direction encoding or basic direction determination of the initial area of ​​the pile, as shown in Table 2.

[0125] Table 2 Orientation method based on basic direction coding

[0126]

[0127] In Table 2, in the orientation method based on basic direction coding, the direction of the robot in zone 2 is determined only by the infrared light from transmitter 2, without considering the infrared light from transmitter 1 at the same time. This processing is a simplified direction determination.

[0128] When the robot is in zone 2, whether the receiving end 1′ and the receiving end 2′ receive the infrared light from the transmitting end 1 is used as the auxiliary direction determination of the robot.

[0129] When the robot is in zone 2, the direction of the robot can also be determined based on the infrared rays from transmitter 2 and transmitter 1 at the same time, which can be called enhanced direction coding.

[0130] When the robot is in zone 2, if the basic direction is judged to be a right deflection and the auxiliary direction is also judged to be a right deflection, the enhanced direction of the robot can be judged to be a large right deflection; when the robot is in zone 4, it is similar to the state of zone 2. If the basic direction is judged to be a left deflection and the auxiliary direction is also judged to be a left deflection, the enhanced direction of the robot is judged to be a large left deflection; when the enhanced direction encoding mode is an enhancement of the basic direction encoding mode, both can be used as direction encoding modes. The enhanced direction encoding mode can be used to improve the accuracy of direction judgment, but it also increases the complexity of direction judgment, as shown in Table 3.

[0131] Table 1 Directional method based on enhanced directional coding mode

[0132]

[0133] As an optional implementation, in different area encoding modes or direction encoding modes, the same area or the same direction corresponds to the same decision data of the robot.

[0134] In this embodiment, even if different area coding modes and direction coding modes are used, the robot docking control (for example, the robot autonomous charging pile control) can still adopt a consistent alignment decision method based on state transfer. At the decision control level of the robot, attention can be paid to the robot state information obtained by determining the positioning coding mode. Even in different area coding modes and direction coding modes, as long as they are under the same area coding name and direction coding name, the same decision control action can be adopted, so that the control decision process has a consistent decision flow and software implementation. Under different area coding modes and direction coding modes, the robot's posture state description has different degrees of refinement (different granularity), which makes the robot's state space complexity different; for example, the area coding under the complex coding mode has more state description values ​​for describing the robot's state, while the area coding under the degenerate coding mode has fewer state description values ​​for describing the robot's state. The complexity of the robot state space caused by different area coding modes and direction coding modes is different, so that the complexity of the robot alignment decision process is also different, but they are still decision processes based on state transfer, and still have consistent decision flows and software implementations.

[0135] As an optional implementation, controlling the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data includes: transferring the state of the robot based on the first decision data so that the robot docks with the target device.

[0136] In this embodiment, the robot can perform state transitions during the alignment decision process. Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a state transition in a robot alignment decision process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 As shown, the current positioning and orientation results of the robot can be used as the current state of state transition and as the conditions for different actions triggered during the state transition process; different robot current states can trigger corresponding actions, and the actions are the control instructions of the robot chassis (for example, moving straight forward, turning counterclockwise, and turning clockwise); the execution of the robot action will change the current state of the robot, thereby becoming the next state of the robot, which can be called the secondary state of the robot state. The positioning coding mode (region coding mode and direction coding mode) will only affect the acquisition of the robot's state information, that is, the robot's positioning information (for example, whether it is in zone 3 or zone 1) and orientation information (for example, whether it is facing forward or deflecting to the left), but the positioning coding mode will not directly affect the alignment decision process. Therefore, when describing the state transition in the robot alignment decision process, this embodiment does not need to consider the positioning coding mode, but only needs to pay attention to the robot state information determined by the positioning coding mode.

[0137] exist Figure 7In the example, when the robot is currently in zone 1 and facing forward, the robot can be triggered to turn counterclockwise. When the robot is currently in zone 1 and deflecting to the left, the robot can be controlled to stop the action. At this time, the robot completes the state transfer and reaches the next state (in zone 1 deflecting to the left), which is the new current state.

[0138] exist Figure 7 In the example, when the robot is currently in zone 1 and deflecting to the left, the robot can be triggered to move forward in a straight line (moving along the front direction of the infrared receiving module on the robot side). Due to the different positions of the robot in zone 1 and the different left deflection angles, the robot's straight forward movement may reach different sub-states: it may enter zone 2 and face forward, it may enter zone 2 and deflect to the left, it may enter zone 3 (zone 6) and deflect to the left, or it may enter zone 3 (zone 6) and face forward.

[0139] exist Figure 7 In the example, when the robot is in the positive direction of zone 2, the robot can be triggered to rotate counterclockwise, so that the next state of the robot reaches the left deflection in zone 2. When the next state is reached, the robot's counterclockwise rotation ends, and the next state of the left deflection in zone 2 changes to the current state. The current state is the left deflection in zone 2 triggering the straight-forward movement, reaching the next state of the left deflection in zone 3. Then the left deflection state in zone 3 changes from the next state to the current state, which can trigger the clockwise rotation to the next state of the positive direction of zone 3. Then, the next state of the positive direction of zone 3 will change to the current state, triggering the robot to move forward in a straight line. When the robot is docked with the charging pile, the sensor on the charging pile or the robot (for example, triggering the travel switch, contact switch, photoelectric switch, etc.) will be triggered, and then the straight-forward movement will end, so that the robot can be docked to the target device, thereby completing the entire docking process.

[0140] Figure 7 The other state transfer processes are similar to the above state transfer processes and will not be repeated here.

[0141] As an optional implementation, step S106, based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result, determines the first state information of the robot, including: determining the current state of the robot based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result; determining the first state information corresponding to the current state of the robot.

[0142] In this embodiment, when the robot is in the initial area of ​​the pile, the corresponding first area coding result and first direction coding result can be determined according to the selected area coding mode and direction coding mode, and then the current state of the robot can be determined according to the first area coding result and the first direction coding result. After the current state is determined, the robot can be determined according to the state transition diagram ( Figure 7By using the state transition relationship of the robot action, current state and next state described in the figure, it is possible to determine a series of first state information such as the robot action and the robot state, and then determine the first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, and control the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data to complete the robot's alignment decision process.

[0143] In this embodiment, when the robot is running in zone 6, the robot will recognize zone 6 as zone 3 according to the state of infrared light received, and make alignment decisions according to the state of zone 3, so that the docking process can be completed correctly. When the robot deviates from the initial area (zone 1, zone 2, zone 3, zone 4, zone 5) and zone 6 during the alignment decision process, the navigation state will be restarted to make the robot re-enter the initial pile area. Once it enters the initial pile area and receives the docking instruction, the positioning coding and alignment decision process will begin.

[0144] In the case of more complex extended area coding modes, such as Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of a regional coding mode composed of five transmitting ends according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the transmitting ends include transmitting end 1A, transmitting end 2, transmitting end 3 and transmitting end 3A. Figure 7 The decision process shown is a subset of the extended decision process. Figure 8 The decision judgments in areas 1A, 2A, 4A, and 5A shown are consistent with the decision judgments when the robot is in areas 1, 2, 4, and 5; after the robot is controlled to any area in (area 1, area 2, area 3, area 4, area 5, and area 6) through the generated decision control, the same decision process as described above can be completed.

[0145] Therefore, the decision-making control mechanism corresponding to the robot area coding mode of this embodiment is also scalable.

[0146] This embodiment is a simple, low-cost and applicable method that does not rely on the precise position coordinates between the robot and the target device to be docked. The area coding mode and direction coding mode of this embodiment enable the robot, which has low positioning and navigation accuracy and cannot use optical scanning instruments to detect and identify the docking target device at close range, to obtain relative position. Different area coding modes and direction coding modes are used to obtain position information with different coverage ranges and different degrees of precision; the alignment decision process based on the state transfer method enables the robot to follow a consistent alignment decision method and process even in different coding modes, which is conducive to the implementation of actual software coding; the positioning coding mode of this embodiment is extensible and complex, but the alignment decision method is unified, thereby expanding the scope of application of the entire device, and at the same time providing convenience for the implementation of the device's hardware and software, ensuring that the robot is effectively docked to the target device, thereby solving the technical problem of low efficiency of the robot docking the target device, and achieving the technical effect of improving the efficiency of the robot docking the target device.

[0147] Example 3

[0148] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention is further described below in conjunction with a preferred implementation manner, and is specifically further described by taking a robot docking with a charging pile.

[0149] When the robot is charging autonomously, it needs to be positioned and aligned relative to the charging pile, and then docked to achieve contact between the charging contacts before charging can begin.

[0150] In the related technologies, charging pile alignment schemes mainly include relative orientation judgment and alignment methods based on infrared transmitters, which require infrared receivers to be arranged around the robot; the ability to encode and locate the relative position between the robot and the charging pile is weak; it is a single control mode, suitable for autonomous alignment of indoor circular differential drive chassis, and thus cannot switch working modes for robots with different positioning and navigation accuracy and different movement flexibility (such as outdoor robots) to adapt to different application scenarios.

[0151] In another related technology, the charging pile solution is mainly based on optical scanning (for example, laser scanner) to obtain the contour features of the charging pile to obtain the relative position and direction between the robot and the charging pile. The disadvantage of this method is that an optical scanner must always be aimed at the charging pile for identification, and a scanning sensor and a complex analysis and calculation unit must be configured; at the same time, the multi-line laser radar and solid-state laser radar used by outdoor robots have a lot of detection noise at close range (for example, within 1 meter), which is not suitable for accurate identification and positioning of charging piles at close range.

[0152] In another related technology, an infrared emitting device and a charging pile are proposed, but there is no description of a corresponding control method.

[0153] In another related technology, emphasis is placed on the structural design of the infrared transmitting device and the infrared receiving device.

[0154] In another related technology, the main focus is on encoding the received infrared light, and the infrared light encoding directly corresponds to the robot's rotation movement, which is a direct mapping relationship; this solution cannot determine the area where the robot is located through infrared coding, does not encode the area where the robot is located, and does not encode the direction of the robot; the encoding of this solution does not contain spatial geometric information of the area where the robot is located; this solution is not scalable, does not have extensions with different encoding modes, and is not compatible with different numbers of transmitters for emitting infrared light.

[0155] In another related technology, the direction of the robot relative to the slave power station is determined mainly by relying on two infrared lights emitted from the slave power station and a receiver on the robot, and rotation control is performed to correct the direction of the robot relative to the slave power station.

[0156] It should also be noted that the robot autonomous charging solutions in the related technologies are all based on differential chassis robots, and the robot's planar motion capability is not restricted; while the other major category of automobile-type Ackerman chassis is difficult to use the existing charging solutions for autonomous charging because its control flexibility is worse than that of the differential chassis. The existing methods have poor adaptability to robots with different positioning and navigation accuracy, motion control flexibility, and fault tolerance.

[0157] In this embodiment, infrared light can be used to determine the area coding result of the area where the robot is located and the direction coding result of the robot relative to the charging pile, and then the robot state information (that is, the area and direction of the robot) can be determined based on the obtained area coding result and direction coding result, thereby generating the current charging pile decision control of the robot. After completing a charging pile decision control step, a new decision control can be generated based on the current area coding and direction coding of the robot until the charging pile process is completed.

[0158] In the above method, even if the positioning coding mode (regional coding mode and directional coding mode) is different, a unified state decision and control process can be adopted. The regional coding mode and directional coding mode of this embodiment and the corresponding pile decision process are scalable, which can not only expand the complexity outward, but also simplify downward, and can be compatible with hardware with different numbers of transmitting terminals, and this unified method can be used. The various codes of this embodiment are essentially the coding of spatial geometry, and the state decision mechanism based on spatial geometry coding. This embodiment can be applicable to the pile charging process of robots with different positioning and navigation accuracy, different motion control flexibility, and different docking fault tolerance capabilities. It is also applicable to various application fields where robots and fixed devices require precise docking (physical docking or non-physical docking), such as mobile loading and unloading in fixed areas, reversing into storage, etc.

[0159] The specific example of the above method of this embodiment is as follows: Figures 2 to 8 The method shown will not be described in detail this time.

[0160] Example 4

[0161] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a robot control device. It should be noted that the robot control device of this embodiment can be used to execute the robot control method of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0162] Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of a robot control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 As shown, the control device 90 of the robot may include: a receiving unit 91 , a first determining unit 92 , a second determining unit 93 and a third determining unit 94 .

[0163] The receiving unit 91 is used to receive infrared signals sent from multiple infrared transmitting ends through multiple infrared receiving ends of the robot within the target period, wherein the multiple infrared transmitting ends are deployed on the target device.

[0164] The first determination unit 92 is used to determine the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, wherein the first area coding result is used to indicate the first area where the robot is located, and the first direction coding result is used to indicate the first direction of the robot relative to the target device.

[0165] The second determining unit 93 is used to determine the first state information of the robot based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result.

[0166] The third determination unit 94 is used to determine the first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, and control the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data.

[0167] In the control device of the robot of this embodiment, the area coding result and the direction coding result corresponding to the robot are determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, and the state information of the robot is determined based on the area coding result and the direction coding result to determine the current decision data for controlling the robot, thereby ensuring that the robot is effectively docked to the target device, thereby solving the technical problem of low efficiency of the robot docking with the target device and achieving the technical effect of improving the efficiency of the robot docking with the target device.

[0168] Example 5

[0169] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium includes a stored program, wherein when the program is executed by a processor, the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located is controlled to execute the robot control method of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0170] Example 6

[0171] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a processor is further provided, the processor being used to run a program, wherein the program executes the robot control method of the embodiment when running.

[0172] The serial numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are only for description and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0173] In the above embodiments of the present invention, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0174] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed technical content can be implemented in other ways. Among them, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units can be a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, units or models, which can be electrical or other forms.

[0175] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment.

[0176] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present invention may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0177] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), mobile hard disk, magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0178] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A robot, characterized in that: include: A plurality of infrared receiving ends, used for receiving infrared signals sent from a plurality of infrared transmitting ends within a target period, wherein the plurality of infrared transmitting ends are deployed on a target device; a processor connected to the plurality of infrared receiving ends, and configured to determine a first area coding result and a first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to infrared signals received by the infrared receiving ends, and to determine first state information of the robot based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result, and to determine first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, wherein the first area coding result is used to indicate a first area where the robot is located, and the first direction coding result is used to indicate a first direction of the robot relative to the target device; a controller, connected to the processor, and configured to control the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data; The processor is used to determine the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end by executing the following steps: determining the type of the robot; determining the coding mode based on the type; and in the coding mode, determining the first area coding result and the first direction coding result according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end.

2. The robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multiple infrared receiving ends are deployed at the front or tail of the robot.

3. The robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of infrared receiving ends face the plurality of infrared emitting ends in the same horizontal plane.

4. The robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multiple infrared receiving ends are two infrared receiving ends, and the two infrared receiving ends are respectively oriented to two sides and are in a symmetrical state.

5. The robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The robot also includes: The isolation board is used to isolate the two infrared receiving ends.

6. The robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The robot also includes: The light-transmitting plate is arranged in front of the plurality of infrared receiving ends and is used for protecting the plurality of infrared receiving ends.

7. A robot control method, characterized in that: include: In a target cycle, receiving infrared signals sent from multiple infrared transmitting ends through multiple infrared receiving ends of the robot, wherein the multiple infrared transmitting ends are deployed on the target device; Determine, according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, a first area coding result and a first direction coding result corresponding to the robot, wherein the first area coding result is used to indicate a first area where the robot is located, and the first direction coding result is used to indicate a first direction of the robot relative to the target device; Determining first state information of the robot based on the first area encoding result and the first direction encoding result; Determining first decision data of the robot corresponding to the first state information, and controlling the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data; Among them, according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, the first area coding result and the first direction coding result corresponding to the robot are determined, including: determining the type of the robot; based on the type, determining the coding mode; under the coding mode, according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, determining the first area coding result and the first direction coding result.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that Controlling the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data includes: In the process of controlling the movement of the robot based on the first decision data, receiving infrared signals sent from the multiple infrared transmitting ends again; Determine, according to the infrared signal received again by the infrared receiving end, a second area coding result and a second direction coding result corresponding to the robot, wherein the second area coding result is used to indicate a second area where the robot is located, and the second direction coding result is used to indicate a second direction of the robot relative to the target device; Determining second state information of the robot based on the second area encoding result and the second direction encoding result; Determine second decision data of the robot corresponding to the second state information, and control the robot to dock with the target device based on the second decision data.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: Determining a region coding mode and a direction coding mode by at least one infrared transmitting end among the plurality of infrared transmitting ends, wherein the coding mode includes the region coding mode and the direction coding mode, and in the coding mode, determining the first region coding result and the first direction coding result according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end, including: In the area coding mode, determining the first area coding result according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end; In the direction coding mode, the first direction coding result is determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The area coding pattern has a corresponding initial area, and the robot starts to move from the initial area to dock with the target device. The method also includes: The robot is controlled to move to a target point in the initial area.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The area coding mode includes at least one of the following: A first area coding mode, corresponding to an area where the robot is in front of the target device and is larger than a first threshold, wherein the area includes a plurality of sub-areas; A second area coding mode corresponds to an area where the robot is in front of the target device and is smaller than a second threshold; a third area coding mode, corresponding to an area where the robot is in front of the target device that is greater than a first threshold, wherein the area does not include a plurality of sub-areas; a fourth area coding mode, corresponding to an area where the robot is in front of the target device and is smaller than a third threshold, Among them, in the third area coding mode, the coarseness of the first area coding result determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end is greater than the coarseness of the first area coding result determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end in the first area coding mode; in the fourth area coding mode, the fineness of the first area coding result determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end is greater than the fineness of the first area coding result determined according to the infrared signal received by the infrared receiving end in the second area coding mode.

12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The direction encoding mode includes at least one of the following: a base orientation encoding mode corresponding to a base orientation of the robot relative to the target device; The enhancement direction coding mode corresponds to an enhancement direction extended in the base direction.

13. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that Controlling the robot to dock with the target device based on the first decision data includes: The state of the robot is transferred based on the first decision data so that the robot is docked with the target device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that Determining first state information of the robot based on the first area coding result and the first direction coding result includes: Determine the current state of the robot based on the first area encoding result and the first direction encoding result; The first state information corresponding to the current state of the robot is determined.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium includes a stored program, wherein when the program is executed by a processor, the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located is controlled to execute the method according to any one of claims 7 to 14.

16. A processor, characterized in that: The processor is used to run a program, wherein the program executes the method according to any one of claims 7 to 14 when running.

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