A full-traversal path planning method and system for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot

Abstract

The present invention provides a full-traversal path planning method and system for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot, comprising: establishing an environmental model map based on sensor feedback information; performing environmental modeling using a grid map method based on the environmental model map; traversing the environment using an inner-layer enclosing window traversal method based on the established grid map model; using a water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method to find an escape grid when the robot is trapped in a blind spot; and determining whether all traversable grids have been traversed. When all traversable grids in the grid map model have been traversed, the traversal process is completed. The present invention not only achieves 100% complete coverage of the working area and a 0% traversal repetition rate, but also reduces the total path length, improves performance indicators, and enhances the planning efficiency of the underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of special robots, and in particular relates to a full-traversal path planning method and system for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot. Background Art

[0002] The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] An underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot is a robot equipped with cleaning equipment that moves on underwater parts such as ship hulls, dams, and gates to perform cleaning operations. Path planning is a necessary guarantee for its autonomous operation. For underwater wall-climbing cleaning robots, path planning is mainly full-traversal path planning.

[0004] The existing full-traversal path planning method does not take into account the particularity of the working environment of the underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot. Directly applying it to the underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot for path planning will cause problems such as repeated cleaning and excessive total path length. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes a full-traversal path planning method and system for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot. The present invention can not only achieve 100% complete coverage of the working area and 0% traversal repetition rate, but also reduce the total path length, improve performance indicators, and improve the planning efficiency of the underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot.

[0006] According to some embodiments, a first solution of the present invention provides a full traversal path planning method for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot, which adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A full-traversal path planning method for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot, comprising:

[0008] Build an environmental model map based on the information fed back by the sensors;

[0009] Based on the environmental model map, a grid map method is used to perform environmental modeling;

[0010] Based on the established grid map model, the inner bounding window traversal method is used to traverse;

[0011] When the robot falls into a blind spot, it uses a water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method to find an escape grid;

[0012] It is determined whether all traversable grids have been traversed. When all traversable grids in the grid map model have been traversed, the traversal process is completed.

[0013] According to some embodiments, a second solution of the present invention provides a full-traversal path planning system for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot, which adopts the following technical solutions:

[0014] A full-traversal path planning system for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot, comprising:

[0015] An environment model map building module is configured to build an environment model map based on information fed back by sensors;

[0016] A grid map model building module is configured to perform environmental modeling using a grid map method based on the environmental model map;

[0017] The grid traversal module is configured to traverse the grid map model using an inner bounding window traversal method;

[0018] The grid escape module is configured to use a water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method to find an escape grid when the robot is trapped in a blind spot;

[0019] The traversal completion module is configured to determine whether all traversable grids have been traversed, and when all traversable grids in the grid map model have been traversed, the traversal process is completed.

[0020] According to some embodiments, a third aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium.

[0021] A computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of a full-traversal path planning method for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot as described in the first aspect above.

[0022] According to some embodiments, a fourth aspect of the present invention provides a computer device.

[0023] A computer device comprises a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the program, the steps of the full-traversal path planning method for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot as described in the first aspect above are implemented.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0025] The present invention reduces the traversal repetition rate to 0 and effectively reduces the path length of the robot's full traversal, which is reflected in the underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot itself, so that the cleaned area will no longer be cleaned repeatedly, and the power consumption and working time of the robot are reduced, thereby improving the working efficiency of the underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of the present invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute improper limitations on the present invention.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a flow chart of a full traversal path planning method for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot described in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0028] FIG2(a) is a schematic diagram of the priority order of traversing the upper bounding windows in a region where the horizontal distance is greater than the vertical distance in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] FIG2( b ) is a schematic diagram of the priority order of traversing the upper bounding windows in an area where the longitudinal distance is greater than the lateral distance in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a water ripple diffusible surrounding window in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of search priority of water ripple diffusible enclosing window in embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a specific application scenario of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of escaping blind spots using a water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0035] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are illustrative and intended to provide further explanation of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs.

[0036] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0037] In the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features thereof may be combined with each other.

[0038] Example 1

[0039] The present invention adopts an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot with both floating and climbing functions. The underwater environment is different from the land plane and belongs to a three-dimensional area. Combined with the robot's floating system, when the robot encounters an obstacle that cannot be crawled through, it can directly float up and then cross the obstacle.

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a full traversal path planning method for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot. This embodiment uses the method applied to a server as an example. It can be understood that in this embodiment, the method includes the following steps:

[0041] Step S1: Establish an environment model map based on the information fed back by the sensor;

[0042] Step S2: performing environmental modeling using a grid map method based on the environmental model map;

[0043] Step S3: traversing the established grid map model using the inner bounding window traversal method;

[0044] Step S4: When the robot falls into a blind spot, a water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method is used to find an escape grid;

[0045] Step S5: determining whether all traversable grids have been traversed. When all traversable grids in the grid map model have been traversed, the traversal process is completed.

[0046] Specifically, in step S1, an environment model map is established based on the information fed back by the sensor, specifically:

[0047] Because the underwater working environment is complex and ever-changing, the robot must understand its working environment in advance. This means using its own sensors to detect its location and surroundings, and then building a model map of the environment based on the feedback from the sensors. For safety reasons, obstacles are puffed up to a certain extent.

[0048] Specifically, in step S2, the environment modeling is performed using a grid map method based on the environment model map, including:

[0049] The grid map method is used for environmental modeling. The robot's working surface environment map is divided into several grids of the same size, and the attribute value of each grid is determined according to whether there are obstacles and whether each grid is traversed.

[0050] Specifically, in step S3, the inner bounding window traversal method is used to traverse the established grid map model, specifically:

[0051] Step S31: defining an inner bounding window in the grid map model with the grid where the robot is located as the center;

[0052] Step S32: determining the traversal priority order of the inner enclosing windows according to the different working areas;

[0053] Step S33: traversing the grid map model according to the prescribed traversal priority order of the inner bounding window.

[0054] In step S31, an inner bounding window is defined in the grid map model with the grid where the robot is located as the center, specifically:

[0055] The inner bounding window is the grid's inner bounding window. The inner bounding window is defined by a square with a side length of two grid cells, centered at the center of the grid where the robot is located (i.e., all eight adjacent grid cells). The key to path planning is to design a reasonable priority order based on the environmental information within the inner bounding window and the specific requirements of path planning. We define the traversal priority order for the inner bounding window based on the work area.

[0056] In step S32, the traversal priority order of the inner enclosing windows is determined according to the different working areas;

[0057] Specifically, the east-west direction of the working area is called the horizontal direction, and the north-south direction is called the vertical direction. The inner-layer enclosing window traversal method proposed in this embodiment adopts different priority traversal orders when the horizontal and vertical distances of the grid map are different to achieve the purpose of reducing the number of turns of the robot.

[0058] Taking the starting point as the upper left corner of the grid map as an example, the following rules are determined:

[0059] 1) For areas where the horizontal distance is greater than the vertical distance, the inner bounding window traversal priority is: top, left, right, bottom, upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right, as shown in Figure 2(a).

[0060] 2) For areas where the vertical distance is greater than the horizontal distance, the inner bounding window traversal priority is: top, left, bottom, right, upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right, as shown in Figure 2(b).

[0061] Specifically, in step S4, when the robot falls into a blind spot, a water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method is used to find an escape grid, specifically:

[0062] Determine if the robot is stuck in a dead zone: A dead zone occurs when the robot reaches a point on the grid map where all surrounding cells are obstacles, boundaries, or already traversed. If the robot is stuck in a dead zone, it uses a water ripple diffusible window search method to escape. If the robot is not stuck in a dead zone, it continues traversing.

[0063] Step S41: defining a water ripple diffusible enclosing window with the blind spot grid as the center in the grid map model;

[0064] Step S42: determining the priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method;

[0065] Step S43: searching for an escape grid using the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method according to the determined priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method;

[0066] In step S41, a water ripple diffusible enclosing window is defined with the blind spot grid as the center, as follows:

[0067] As shown in Figure 2, the grid that intersects the five-pointed star located at the center of the blind spot grid is the first-layer enclosed window.

[0068] The grid that intersects with the square with the length of 4 grids is called the second layer of enclosing window;

[0069] The grid that intersects with a square with a side length of 6 grids is called the third-layer enclosing window, and so on.

[0070] In step S42, the priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method is as follows: Figure 3 As shown: first search the grids in the horizontal and vertical directions, specifically up, left, right, and down; then search the second interval grid in a counterclockwise direction, search the first interval grid in a clockwise direction, search the third interval grid in a counterclockwise direction, and search the fourth interval grid in a clockwise direction.

[0071] Specifically, in step S43, according to the determined priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method, the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method is used to search for the escape grid;

[0072] When the robot is trapped in a blind spot, the specific steps of using the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method to find an escape grid are as follows:

[0073] First, the robot searches for an escape grid in the first encirclement window to escape the blind spot. This does not involve the robot's "flying over" process using the floating system. If no escape path is found, the robot searches for an escape grid in the second encirclement window. If there is no escape grid in the second encirclement window, the robot searches for an escape grid in the third encirclement window, and so on, until an escape grid is found or all grids have been traversed.

[0074] Among them, the process of searching for the escape grid in the water ripple diffusible enclosing window is as follows: first, select the traversable grids from the enclosing window according to the priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method, calculate the Euclidean distance between the center point of each traversable grid and the center point of the dead corner grid, and select the grid with the smallest Euclidean distance as the escape grid according to the priority order.

[0075] In step S5, it is determined whether all traversable grids have been traversed. When all traversable grids in the grid map model have been traversed, the traversal process is completed.

[0076] If there are still traversable grids, return to step S3 to continue traversing.

[0077] The specific application scenarios of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method are as follows: Figure 5 shown.

[0078] When the robot reaches point S, it's trapped in a dead end. No escape grid can be found in the first enclosing window. We search for an escape grid in the second enclosing window, but there's clearly no traversable grid that could serve as an escape grid. Therefore, we search the third enclosing window and find that grids A and B can serve as backup grids. Following the priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method, we first calculate the Euclidean distance between point A and point S, then the Euclidean distance between point B and point S. This comparison reveals that the Euclidean distance between point A and point S is the smallest, so we choose grid A as the escape grid.

[0079] like Figure 6 As shown, the robot moves directly to grid A with the help of the floating system, and continues to execute the full traversal path planning method based on the bounding window with grid A as the starting point until all traversable grids have been traversed.

[0080] Example 2

[0081] This embodiment provides a full-traversal path planning system for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot, including:

[0082] An environment model map building module is configured to build an environment model map based on information fed back by sensors;

[0083] A grid map model building module is configured to perform environmental modeling using a grid map method based on the environmental model map;

[0084] The grid traversal module is configured to traverse the grid map model using an inner bounding window traversal method;

[0085] The grid escape module is configured to use a water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method to find an escape grid when the robot is trapped in a blind spot;

[0086] The traversal completion module is configured to determine whether all traversable grids have been traversed, and when all traversable grids in the grid map model have been traversed, the traversal process is completed.

[0087] It should be noted that the examples and application scenarios implemented by the above modules and corresponding steps are the same, but are not limited to the contents disclosed in the above embodiment 1. It should be noted that the above modules as part of the system can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer executable instructions.

[0088] The description of each embodiment in the above embodiments has different emphases. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0089] The proposed system can be implemented in other ways. For example, the system embodiment described above is merely illustrative. For example, the above module division is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. For example, multiple modules can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not implemented.

[0090] Example 3

[0091] This embodiment provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. When the program is executed by a processor, the steps in the full-traversal path planning method for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot as described in the first embodiment above are implemented.

[0092] Example 4

[0093] This embodiment provides a computer device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the program, the steps in the full traversal path planning method for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot as described in the first embodiment above are implemented.

[0094] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present invention may take the form of hardware embodiments, software embodiments, or embodiments combining software and hardware. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage and optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0095] The present invention is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, as well as combinations of processes and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0096] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to work in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0097] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device for implementing the process. Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0098] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the processes in the above-described method embodiments can be implemented by instructing related hardware through a computer program. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, the program can include the processes in the above-described method embodiments. The storage medium can be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), or a random access memory (RAM).

[0099] Although the above describes the specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications or variations that can be made by those skilled in the art on the basis of the technical solution of the present invention without any creative work are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A full traversal path planning method for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot, characterized in that: include: Build an environmental model map based on the information fed back by the sensors; Based on the environmental model map, a grid map method is used to perform environmental modeling; Based on the established grid map model, the inner bounding window traversal method is used to traverse; When the robot falls into a blind spot, it uses a water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method to find an escape grid; When the robot falls into a blind spot, a water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method is used to find an escape grid, including: In the grid map model, a water ripple diffusible enclosing window is defined with the dead angle grid as the center; Determine the priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method; According to the determined priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method, the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method is used to search for the escape grid; The process of searching for an escape grid in the water ripple diffusible enclosing window is as follows: first, traversable grids are selected from the enclosing window according to the priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method, and the Euclidean distance between the center point of each traversable grid and the center point of the dead corner grid is calculated. The grid with the smallest Euclidean distance is selected as the escape grid according to the priority order. The priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method is: First, search the grids in the horizontal and vertical directions, specifically up, left, right, and down; then search the second interval grid in a counterclockwise direction, search the first interval grid in a clockwise direction, search the third interval grid in a counterclockwise direction, and search the fourth interval grid in a clockwise direction; It is determined whether all traversable grids have been traversed. When all traversable grids in the grid map model have been traversed, the traversal process is completed.

2. A full traversal path planning method for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The environmental modeling is performed using a grid map method based on the environmental model map, including: Use grid map method for environmental modeling; Divide the robot's working surface environment model map into several grids of the same size; The attribute value of each grid is determined based on whether there are obstacles occupying each grid and whether it is traversed.

3. A full traversal path planning method for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: In the grid map model, a water ripple diffusible enclosing window is defined with the dead angle grid as the center: The grid that intersects the dead angle grid with the center of the dead angle grid as the midpoint and the length of two grids as the side length is the first layer of enclosed window; The grid that intersects with the square with the length of 4 grids is called the second layer of enclosing window; The grid that intersects with a square with a side length of 6 grids is called the third-layer enclosing window, and so on.

4. A full traversal path planning system for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot, characterized in that: include: An environment model map building module is configured to build an environment model map based on information fed back by the sensor; A grid map model building module is configured to perform environmental modeling using a grid map method based on the environmental model map; The grid traversal module is configured to traverse the grid map model using an inner bounding window traversal method; The grid escape module is configured to use a water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method to find an escape grid when the robot is trapped in a blind spot; When the robot falls into a blind spot, a water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method is used to find an escape grid, including: In the grid map model, a water ripple diffusible enclosing window is defined with the dead angle grid as the center; Determine the priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method; According to the determined priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method, the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method is used to search for the escape grid; The process of searching for an escape grid in the water ripple diffusible enclosing window is as follows: first, traversable grids are selected from the enclosing window according to the priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method, and the Euclidean distance between the center point of each traversable grid and the center point of the dead corner grid is calculated. The grid with the smallest Euclidean distance is selected as the escape grid according to the priority order. The priority order of the water ripple diffusible enclosing window search method is: First, search the grids in the horizontal and vertical directions, specifically up, left, right, and down; then search the second interval grid in a counterclockwise direction, search the first interval grid in a clockwise direction, search the third interval grid in a counterclockwise direction, and search the fourth interval grid in a clockwise direction; The traversal completion module is configured to determine whether all traversable grids have been traversed, and when all traversable grids in the grid map model have been traversed, the traversal process is completed.

5. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the program is executed by a processor, the steps of the full traversal path planning method for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot are implemented as described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. A computer device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein: When the processor executes the program, the steps in the full traversal path planning method for an underwater wall-climbing cleaning robot are implemented as described in any one of claims 1-3.

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