A robot recharging method, robot and main control chip

By pre-recording the feature nodes in the map in the mobile robot and determining the path to the feature nodes and recharge seats when the power is low, the problem that the robot cannot recharge automatically is solved, and the automatic recharge effect to avoid stranding is achieved.

CN114756015BActive Publication Date: 2025-05-16SHENZHEN SILVER STAR INTELLIGENT TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202011591044.8
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2020-12-29
Publication Date
2025-05-16
Estimated Expiration
2040-12-29

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In the prior art, when the power is exhausted, the mobile robot cannot fully penetrate the infrared signal of the obstacle, resulting in an inability to automatically return to the charging base, causing stranding.

Method used

By pre-recording the feature nodes in the map in the robot, when the remaining power is lower than the preset threshold, the robot determines the path from the current position to the closest feature node, walks to the feature node, and then determines the path to the recharge seat according to the feature node, and realizes automatic recharge.

Benefits of technology

The robot can use the feature node to find the recharge base without receiving the recharge signal to avoid stranding and ensure that the robot can automatically return to the charging base for charging.

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Abstract

The present application proposes a robot recharging method, a robot and a main control chip. When the robot determines that the remaining power is lower than a preset power threshold, the path from the current position of the robot to the feature node closest to the current position of the robot is determined, and the closest feature node is a point pre-recorded in the map by the robot; the robot walks to the closest feature node, and determines the path from the closest feature node to the recharging seat according to the closest feature node; and walks to the recharging seat according to the path from the closest feature node to the recharging seat. The robot can find the recharging seat according to the feature node, and can also be used when no recharging signal is received, which can prevent the robot from being stranded.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of robots, and in particular to a robot recharging method, a robot and a main control chip. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of science and technology, mobile robots have gradually entered people's lives and played a positive role. Power supply technology is the key technology of mobile robots and the guarantee for the long-term autonomous operation of mobile robots. Due to the limitation of the power of mobile power supply, it is necessary to charge the robot manually frequently.

[0003] At present, the technology to solve the charging problem of mobile robots is mainly through the autonomous return charging of mobile robots. The most commonly used technical means is to guide the mobile robot to return to the charging base for docking and charging based on infrared signals. This method can achieve autonomous recharging of mobile robots under certain conditions. However, the emission angle of the infrared sensor is small, and the distance of transmitting the coded signal is short. When there are obstacles blocking the way, the infrared signal cannot penetrate completely. At this time, if the cleaning environment of the cleaning machine is relatively large, or there are many obstacles in the cleaning environment, the mobile robot needs to detect the infrared guidance signal while walking. When the mobile robot runs out of power and has not detected the infrared guidance signal, it will be stranded halfway and cannot automatically return to the charging base. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a robot path planning method, a robot and a main control chip. The robot can determine the closest characteristic node when the remaining power is lower than a preset power threshold, so that it can walk from the characteristic node to the recharging seat, and can also be used when no recharging signal is received, so as to avoid being stranded.

[0005] In view of this, the first aspect of the present application provides a robot recharging method, the method comprising: when the robot determines that the remaining power is lower than a preset power threshold, determining the path from the current position of the robot to the feature node closest to the current position of the robot, the closest feature node being a point pre-recorded in a map by the robot; the robot walks to the closest feature node, and determines the path from the closest feature node to a recharging seat based on the closest feature node; and walks to the recharging seat based on the path from the closest feature node to the recharging seat.

[0006] Optionally, in combination with the first aspect, when the robot determines that the remaining power is lower than a preset power threshold, the method also includes: the robot determines whether it has received a recharging signal from the recharging seat; if the robot determines that it has received a recharging signal from the recharging seat, the robot plans the path of the robot from the current position to the recharging seat according to the recharging signal; if the robot determines that it has not received a recharging signal from the recharging seat, the robot determines the closest feature node from the map.

[0007] Optionally, in combination with the first aspect, the method also includes: determining the relative position of each characteristic node and the recharging seat, the characteristic node including obstacles and / or wall corners; determining the path from the characteristic node to the recharging seat based on the closest characteristic node includes: determining the relative position of the closest characteristic node and the recharging seat based on the closest characteristic node; determining the path from the characteristic node to the recharging seat based on the relative position of the closest characteristic node and the recharging seat.

[0008] Optionally, in combination with the first aspect, after determining the relative position of each feature node and the recharging seat, the method further includes: determining the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat based on the relative position of the feature node and the recharging seat; recording the feature node and the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat in the map, and forming a mapping relationship; determining the path from the feature node to the recharging seat based on the relative position of the closest feature node and the recharging seat includes: determining the shortest path from the closest feature node to the recharging seat based on the closest feature node and the mapping relationship.

[0009] Optionally, in combination with the first aspect, the relative position of each feature node and the recharging seat is the coordinates of each feature node in a coordinate system based on the position of the recharging seat as the coordinate origin, and determining the relative position of each feature node and the recharging seat includes: establishing a coordinate system with the position of the recharging seat as the origin; determining the coordinates of the feature node in the coordinate system according to the walking path of the robot.

[0010] A second aspect of the present application provides a robot, comprising: a processing module, for determining a path from the current position of the robot to a feature node closest to the current position of the robot when the robot determines that the remaining power is lower than a preset power threshold, the closest feature node being a point pre-recorded in a map by the robot; the processing module is also used to control a walking module to walk to the closest feature node, and determine a path from the closest feature node to a recharging seat based on the closest feature node; the processing module is also used to control the walking module to walk to the recharging seat based on the path from the closest feature node to the recharging seat.

[0011] Optionally, in combination with the second aspect, the robot also includes: a communication module, used to determine whether the recharging signal of the recharging seat is received; the processing module, used to plan the path of the robot from the current position to the recharging seat according to the recharging signal when the communication module receives the recharging signal from the recharging seat; the processing module is also used to determine the closest feature node from the map when the robot determines that the recharging signal of the recharging seat is not received.

[0012] Optionally, in combination with the second aspect, the robot also includes: the processing module, used to determine the relative position of each feature node and the recharging seat, the feature nodes including obstacles and wall corners; the processing module, specifically used to determine the relative position of the closest feature node and the recharging seat based on the closest feature node; the processing module, specifically used to determine the path from the feature node to the recharging seat based on the relative position of the closest feature node and the recharging seat.

[0013] Optionally, in combination with the second aspect, the processing module is further used to determine the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat according to the relative position of the feature node and the recharging seat; the processing module is further used to record the feature node and the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat in the map, and form a mapping relationship; the processing module is specifically further used to determine the shortest path between the closest feature node and the recharging seat according to the closest feature node and the mapping relationship.

[0014] Optionally, in combination with the second aspect, the processing module is further used to establish a coordinate system with the position of the recharging seat as the origin; the processing module is further used to determine the coordinates of the feature node in the coordinate system according to the walking path of the robot.

[0015] The third aspect of the present application provides a main control chip, characterized in that the main control chip is used to control the robot to execute the robot recharging method described in the first aspect of the present application and any possible implementation method of the first aspect.

[0016] The present application provides a robot recharging method, a robot and a main control chip. The method includes: when the robot determines that the remaining power is lower than a preset power threshold, determining the path from the current position of the robot to the feature node closest to the current position of the robot, the closest feature node is a point pre-recorded by the robot in the map; the robot walks to the closest feature node, and determines the path from the closest feature node to the recharging seat according to the closest feature node; walks to the recharging seat according to the path from the closest feature node to the recharging seat. The robot can find the recharging seat according to the feature node, and can also be used when no recharging signal is received, which can prevent the robot from being stranded. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a module of a robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 A flow chart of a robot recharging method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a scene of a robot walking indoors provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a scene of a robot walking indoors provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a scene of a robot walking indoors provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a robot recharging scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a module of a robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 8 A structural block diagram of a robot provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects solved by the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0026] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0027] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "lateral", "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicating directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0028] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0029] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0030] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" or "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0031] The shape of the robot disclosed in this embodiment is not limited, and can be constructed into any suitable shape. The robot in this application can be a household cleaning robot or a commercial cleaning robot.

[0032] See also Figure 1 In one implementation, the robot 10 may include a control unit 101, a wireless communication unit 102, a sensor unit 103, an audio unit 104, a camera unit 105 and an obstacle detection device 106.

[0033] The control unit 101 serves as the control core of the robot 10 and coordinates the work of each unit. The control unit 11 can be a general-purpose processor (e.g., a central processing unit CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA, CPLD, etc.), a single-chip microcomputer, an ARM (Acorn RISC Machine) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of these components. In addition, the control unit 101 can also be any traditional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The control unit 101 can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0034] The wireless communication unit 102 is used for wireless communication with the user terminal, and the wireless communication unit 102 is electrically connected to the control unit 101. The user sends a control instruction to the robot 10 through the user terminal, and the wireless communication unit 102 receives the control instruction and sends the control instruction to the control unit 101, and the control unit 101 controls the robot 10 according to the control instruction.

[0035] The wireless communication unit 102 includes a combination of one or more of a broadcast receiving module, a mobile communication module, a wireless Internet module, a short-range communication module, and a positioning information module. Among them, the broadcast receiving module receives broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management server via a broadcast channel. The broadcast receiving module can use a digital broadcasting system to receive digital broadcast signals, such as terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB-T), satellite digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB-S), media forward link only (MediaFLO), handheld digital video broadcasting (DVB-H), or terrestrial integrated services digital broadcasting (ISDB-T).

[0036] The mobile communication module transmits a wireless signal to at least one of a base station, an external terminal and a server on a mobile communication network, or can receive a wireless signal from at least one of a base station, an external terminal and a server. Here, the wireless signal may include a voice call signal, a video call signal or various forms of data according to the reception and transmission of character / multimedia messages.

[0037] The wireless Internet module refers to a module for wireless Internet connection, and can be built-in or external to the terminal. Wireless Internet technologies such as wireless LAN (WLAN) (Wi-Fi), wireless broadband (Wibro), world interoperability for microwave access (Wimax), and high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) can be used.

[0038] The short-range communication module refers to a module for performing short-range communication. A short-range communication technology such as Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), or ZigBee may be used.

[0039] The positioning information module is used to obtain the current position information of the robot 10, such as a global positioning system (GPS) module.

[0040] The sensing unit 103 may include a distance sensor, a pressure sensor, a collision sensor, etc. The sensor may be used to test the distance between the robot 10 and an obstacle, whether it is subjected to pressure, whether a collision occurs, etc.

[0041] The audio unit 104 is used to control the robot 10 to stop working and send out a ground-lift alarm signal when the position state information is the lifting state. The audio unit 104 is electrically connected to the control unit 101 .

[0042] In some embodiments, the audio unit 104 may be an electroacoustic transducer such as a speaker, a loudspeaker, a microphone, etc., wherein the number of speakers or loudspeakers may be one or more, the number of microphones may be multiple, and multiple microphones may form a microphone array to effectively collect sound. The microphone may be an electric type (dynamic coil type, ribbon type), a capacitive type (DC polarization type), a piezoelectric type (crystal type, ceramic type), an electromagnetic type, a carbon particle type, a semiconductor type, etc. or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the microphone may be a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) microphone.

[0043] The camera unit 105 is used to photograph the environment in which the robot 10 is located. The camera unit 105 is electrically connected to the control unit 101. The camera unit 105 obtains an image of the environment in which the robot 10 is located and outputs the image to the control unit 101 so that the control unit 101 performs the next logical operation based on the image.

[0044] The obstacle detection device 106 is configured to detect walls and obstacles, and to transmit detection signals to the walls and obstacles in real time. Exemplarily, the obstacle detection device may be a light sensor, including but not limited to an infrared sensor.

[0045] The current mobile robots mainly return to charge autonomously when they are out of power. The most commonly used technical means is to guide the mobile robot to return to the charging station for docking and charging based on infrared signals. This method can achieve autonomous recharging of the mobile robot under certain conditions. However, the infrared sensor has a small emission angle and a short distance for transmitting coded signals. When there are obstacles blocking the way, the infrared signal cannot penetrate completely. If the cleaning environment of the cleaning machine is relatively large, or there are many obstacles in the cleaning environment, the mobile robot needs to detect the infrared guidance signal while walking. When the mobile robot runs out of power and has not detected the infrared guidance signal, it will be stranded halfway and cannot automatically return to the charging station.

[0046] Therefore, this application provides a method for robot recharging, see Figure 2 , the method comprising:

[0047] 201. When the robot determines that the remaining power is lower than a preset power threshold, determine a path from the current position of the robot to a feature node closest to the current position of the robot.

[0048] When the robot determines that the remaining power is lower than a preset power threshold, the robot's current position is determined to be the path of the feature node closest to the robot's current position. Exemplarily, the preset power threshold may be 20%. The feature node is a point pre-recorded by the robot in the map. Exemplarily, the feature node may include the location of an obstacle and / or a corner. For example, it may include the corner of a table, the corner of a chair, etc.

[0049] It should be noted that before the robot determines the remaining power, the robot needs to determine whether it has received a recharging signal from the recharging station. If the robot determines that it has received a recharging signal from the recharging station, the robot can directly plan a path from the current position to the recharging station according to the recharging signal.

[0050] If the robot determines that it has not received the recharging signal from the recharging base, the robot determines the closest feature node from the map, and the feature node is a point pre-recorded by the robot in the map.

[0051] It is understandable that when the robot starts walking from the charging base, each time it encounters a feature node, it obtains the relative position of the feature node and the charging base, and records the feature node and the relative position of the feature node relative to the charging base in the planned map. Figure 3A schematic diagram of a scene of a robot walking indoors provided in this application. Figure 3 In the example, the robot starts from the charging station and walks eastward along the wall to the corner. When it hits the wall, the point where the collision occurs is recorded as the first feature node in the map created by the robot.

[0052] The robot can establish a coordinate system with the center of the charging base as the origin. Then the coordinate of the charging base in the coordinate system is (0, 0). The distance that the robot walks eastward from the charging base is X1, that is, the robot can determine that the distance that the robot walks in the X-axis direction is X1, and the coordinate of the first characteristic node is (X1, 0). The robot can record the relative position of the first characteristic node and the first characteristic node and the charging base, that is, the robot records the relative position of the first characteristic node and the charging base as follows: the first characteristic node is in the east direction of the charging base, and the distance is X1. It should be noted that this time, the robot is taken as an example of walking in a straight line in the east direction. In an actual environment, the robot does not necessarily walk in a straight line, so the vertical coordinate of the first characteristic node may not be 0. The coordinates of the first characteristic node are only examples and cannot represent limitations on this application.

[0053] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 Another schematic diagram of a robot walking indoors is provided. After the robot determines the first feature node, the robot needs to rotate a certain angle. Figure 4 It is rotated 90 degrees. Here, the two walls are perpendicular to each other. It may not be 90 degrees, and there is no restriction here. When the robot continues to walk southward along the wall until it collides with the wall again, the robot creates a map to record the point where the current collision occurs as the second feature node. When the robot walks from the first feature node to the second feature node, the distance the robot walks in the south direction is Y1, and the coordinates of the second feature node relative to the center of the charging base are (X1, Y1). The robot can record the coordinates of the second feature node relative to the center of the charging base. The coordinates of the second feature node in the coordinate system with the center of the charging base as the origin can represent the relative position of the second feature node and the charging base.

[0054] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 Another schematic diagram of a robot walking indoors is provided. When the robot walks from the second feature node to the third feature node, the robot collides with an obstacle. At this time, the robot is at the third feature node. The robot moves a distance X2 to the north and a distance Y2 to the west relative to the second feature node at the third feature node. Figure 5, the coordinates of the third characteristic node relative to the center of the charging base are (X1-X2, Y1-Y2). The robot can record the coordinates of the third characteristic node relative to the center of the charging base. The coordinates of the third characteristic node relative to the center of the charging base can represent the relative position of the third characteristic node and the charging base.

[0055] In turn, the robot can traverse the entire indoor space, obtain each feature node in the entire indoor space, and thus determine the coordinates of each feature node. The feature node and the coordinates of the feature node are recorded in the map created by the robot.

[0056] It should be noted that after determining the feature node and the relative position of the feature node and the recharging seat, the robot can determine the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat, and record the mapping relationship of the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat in the map established by the robot.

[0057] It should be noted that, at each feature node, the robot can plan the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat, and record the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat in the constructed map. In the map, a mapping relationship between the feature node and the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat is formed. Specifically, the mapping relationship is a one-to-one relationship or a one-to-many relationship. For example, a single shortest path can be determined based on the feature node, or multiple shortest paths can be determined based on the feature node.

[0058] The robot, at each characteristic node, plans the shortest path from the characteristic node to the recharging seat in any manner. Exemplarily, an ant colony particle swarm algorithm may be used to determine the relative position of the robot from the characteristic node to the recharging seat.

[0059] Specifically, each grid can be numbered in the grid map. The ant colony particles are placed at the characteristic node where the robot is currently located, and each ant colony particle has a unique number. The current characteristic node is set as the starting point, and the position of the recharging seat is set as the destination point.

[0060] Each particle, as a separate individual, has a different way of thinking about the path. When the particle walks, the particle's counter starts timing. Each time it passes a grid, the particle's counter increases by one, and the number of each grid that the particle has walked is recorded, forming a string of grid numbers.

[0061] When the particle reaches the destination, the particle's counter stops working, and the particle uploads the counter data, the number string of the grid the particle has walked through, and the particle's own number to the robot. When all the particles pass the destination, the test ends.

[0062] According to the collected counter data of each particle, the counter data can reflect the walking distance of the particle. The walking distance is listed from short to long, and the path of the particle with the smallest counter value can be determined as the path with the shortest walking distance. At the same time, the shortest path is determined according to the number string of the grids walked by the particle with the smallest counter value.

[0063] After determining the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat, the robot may record the feature node and the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat in a map established by the robot to form a mapping relationship.

[0064] It should be noted that during the process of building a map, or during the cleaning process after building a map, the robot may need to recharge at any location. It can be on a non-feature node or a feature node. In one embodiment, if the robot is currently at a feature node and needs to recharge, the robot can directly determine the shortest path from the feature node to the recharge station based on the feature node it is currently at. Thus, the robot can directly walk along the shortest path. For example, see Figure 6 , Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a robot recharging scenario provided in this application. When the robot is at the third characteristic node and has a recharging demand, the robot can walk directly to the recharging seat according to the shortest path from the third characteristic node to the recharging seat stored in the map.

[0065] If the robot has a need to recharge, but is not at the feature node, the robot can search the entire established map to find the feature node closest to the current position of the robot. After determining the feature node closest to the current position of the robot, the coordinates of the feature node can be determined, and the coordinates of the feature node can represent the relative position of the feature node to the recharging seat. The path from the feature node to the recharging seat is determined based on the coordinates of the feature node.

[0066] 202. When the robot walks to the closest feature node, a path from the closest feature node to the recharging seat is determined based on the closest feature node.

[0067] When the robot finds the closest feature node to the robot, the robot walks to the closest feature node. The method for the robot to plan from the current position to the closest feature node is not limited, for example, it can be the above-mentioned ant colony particle swarm algorithm, or A* algorithm, etc., which is not limited here.

[0068] When the robot walks to the closest feature node, the robot determines the shortest path from the closest feature node to the recharging seat based on the closest feature node.

[0069] In one embodiment, the robot can determine the closest feature node from the established map, and determine the shortest path from the closest feature node to the recharging station based on a pre-stored mapping relationship, and the shortest path is planned when the robot first reaches the feature node.

[0070] In another embodiment, when the robot reaches the feature node, it can plan the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat in real time. The planning method can refer to the ant colony particle swarm algorithm described in step 201, but is not limited thereto. If the solution adopts the method of planning the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat in real time when reaching the feature node, then when initially traversing the indoor space, it is only necessary to mark the feature node in the map without recording the mapping relationship between the feature node and the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat, so that the shortest path planned in real time can enhance the flexibility of navigation walking.

[0071] 203. Walk to the recharging station according to the path from the closest feature node to the recharging station.

[0072] When the robot reaches the closest feature node, the robot walks to the recharging seat according to the shortest path planned in real time, or walks to the recharging seat according to the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat stored in the map.

[0073] The present invention provides a robot recharging method, a robot and a main control chip. The method comprises: when the robot determines that the remaining power is lower than a preset power threshold, determining the path from the current position of the robot to the feature node closest to the current position of the robot, the closest feature node being a point pre-recorded in a map by the robot; the robot walks to the closest feature node, and determines the path from the closest feature node to a recharging seat according to the closest feature node; and walks to the recharging seat according to the path from the closest feature node to the recharging seat. The robot can find the recharging seat according to the feature node, and can also be used when no recharging signal is received, which can prevent the robot from being stranded.

[0074] This application also provides a robot, see Figure 7 The robot 20 includes: a processing module 201 , a walking module 202 , and a communication module 203 .

[0075] The processing module 201 is used to determine the path from the current position of the robot to the feature node closest to the current position of the robot when the robot determines that the remaining power is lower than a preset power threshold, and the closest feature node is a point pre-recorded by the robot in the map.

[0076] The processing module 201 is further used to control the walking module 202 to walk to the closest characteristic node, and determine a path from the closest characteristic node to the recharging seat according to the closest characteristic node.

[0077] The processing module 201 is further used to control the walking module 202 to walk to the recharging seat according to the path from the closest feature node to the recharging seat.

[0078] The robot also includes: a communication module 203, and the communication module 203 is used to determine whether a recharging signal from the recharging seat is received.

[0079] The processing module 201 is used to plan a path of the robot from the current position to the recharging base according to the recharging signal when the communication module 203 receives the recharging signal from the recharging base.

[0080] The processing module 201 is further configured to determine the closest characteristic node from the map when the communication module 203 determines that the recharging signal from the recharging socket is not received.

[0081] The processing module 201 is used to determine the relative position of each characteristic node and the recharging seat, and the characteristic nodes include obstacles and wall corners.

[0082] The processing module 201 is specifically configured to determine the relative position of the closest characteristic node and the recharging socket according to the closest characteristic node.

[0083] The processing module 201 is specifically configured to determine a path from the characteristic node to the recharging seat according to a relative position between the closest characteristic node and the recharging seat.

[0084] The processing module 201 is further configured to determine the shortest path from the feature node to the recharging seat according to the relative position of the feature node and the recharging seat.

[0085] The processing module 201 is further used to record the characteristic node and the shortest path from the characteristic node to the recharging socket in the map, and form a mapping relationship.

[0086] The processing module 201 is further specifically configured to determine the shortest path between the closest characteristic node and the recharging socket according to the closest characteristic node and the mapping relationship.

[0087] The processing module 201 is further used to establish a coordinate system with the position of the recharging seat as the origin.

[0088] The processing module 201 is further used to determine the coordinates of the characteristic node in the coordinate system according to the walking path of the robot.

[0089] The present application also provides a main control chip, which is used to control a robot to execute the robot recharging method provided by the present invention.

[0090] Figure 8 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a robot provided by another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 As shown, the robot 30 may include: a robot body (not shown in the figure), an obstacle detection device (not shown in the figure), a processor 310, a memory 320 and a communication module 330.

[0091] The obstacle detection device is arranged on the robot body, and is used to receive the reflected signal reflected by the obstacle in real time. In this embodiment, the obstacle detection device is a light sensor, including but not limited to an infrared sensor.

[0092] The mobile robot body is provided with a walking mechanism. The processor 310 is built in the robot body.

[0093] The robot body is the main structure of the robot. The corresponding shape structure and manufacturing material (such as hard plastic or metals such as aluminum and iron) can be selected according to the actual needs of the robot. For example, it can be set to a relatively flat cylindrical shape that is common in sweeping robots.

[0094] The walking mechanism is a structural device arranged on the robot body to provide the mobile robot with mobility. The walking mechanism can be implemented by any type of mobile device, such as rollers, crawlers, etc.

[0095] The processor 310 , the memory 320 and the communication module 330 may establish a communication connection between any two of them through a bus.

[0096] The processor 310 may be any type of control chip with one or more processing cores, which may perform single-thread or multi-thread operations, and is used to parse instructions to perform operations such as acquiring data, performing logical operations, and issuing operation processing results.

[0097] The memory 320 may include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area may store an operating system and an application required for at least one function; the data storage area may store the robot's walking route, and the robot's walking control strategy, etc. In addition, the memory 320 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid-state storage device. In some embodiments, the memory 320 may optionally include a memory remotely arranged relative to the processor 310, and these remote memories may be connected to the robot 10 via a network. Examples of the above-mentioned network include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0098] The memory 320 stores instructions that can be executed by at least one control chip in the processor 310; the at least one control chip is used to execute the instructions to implement the robot path planning method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0099] The communication module 330 is a functional module for establishing a communication connection and providing a physical channel. The communication module 330 can be any type of wireless or wired communication module, including but not limited to a WiFi module or a Bluetooth module.

[0100] The embodiment of the present application also provides a main control chip, which is assembled in a robot. The main control chip is used to control the robot to execute the robot recharging method provided in the present application.

[0101] The present application also provides a robot, which is equipped with a main control chip provided in an embodiment of the present application. Through the main control chip, the robot can be controlled to execute the robot recharging method provided in the present application.

[0102] Furthermore, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer storage medium, which stores computer executable instructions, and the computer executable instructions are executed by one or more control chips in the processor 310, so that the one or more control chips execute the above-mentioned robot recharging method.

[0103] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative, wherein 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 network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0104] Through the description of the above implementation methods, ordinary technicians in this field can clearly understand that each implementation method can be implemented by means of software plus a general hardware platform, and of course, it can also be implemented by hardware. Ordinary technicians in this field can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment method can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program in a computer program product. The computer program can be stored in a non-transient computer-readable storage medium. The computer program includes program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by the relevant device, the relevant device can execute the process of the embodiment of the above-mentioned method. Among them, the storage medium can be a disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0105] The above product can execute the robot recharging method provided in the embodiment of the present invention, and has the corresponding functional modules and beneficial effects of the robot recharging method. For technical details not described in detail in this embodiment, please refer to the robot path planning method provided in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0106] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit them. Under the concept of the present invention, the technical features in the above embodiments or different embodiments may also be combined, the steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other changes in different aspects of the present invention as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of simplicity. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they may still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A robot recharging method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Determine the relative position of each characteristic node and the recharging station, wherein the characteristic node includes an obstacle and / or a corner; the characteristic node is a point pre-recorded in the map by the robot; Determine the shortest path from the characteristic node to the recharging seat according to the relative position of the characteristic node and the recharging seat; Recording the characteristic node and the shortest path from the characteristic node to the recharging socket in the map, and forming a mapping relationship; When the robot determines that the remaining power is lower than a preset power threshold, determining a path from the current position of the robot to a feature node closest to the current position of the robot; The robot walks to the closest feature node, and determines the shortest path between the closest feature node and the recharging seat according to the closest feature node and the mapping relationship; Walk to the recharging seat according to the shortest path from the closest feature node to the recharging seat.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When the robot determines that the remaining power is lower than a preset power threshold, the method further includes: The robot determines whether a recharging signal from the recharging base is received; If the robot determines that it has received the recharging signal from the recharging base, the robot plans a path from the current position of the robot to the recharging base according to the recharging signal; If the robot determines that the recharging signal from the recharging socket is not received, the robot determines the closest feature node from the map.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The relative position of each characteristic node and the recharging seat is the coordinate of each characteristic node in a coordinate system based on the position of the recharging seat as the coordinate origin, and determining the relative position of each characteristic node and the recharging seat includes: Establish a coordinate system with the position of the charging station as the origin; The coordinates of the characteristic node in the coordinate system are determined according to the walking path of the robot.

4. A robot, characterized in that: The robot comprises: a processing module, configured to determine, when the robot determines that the remaining power is lower than a preset power threshold, a path from the current position of the robot to a feature node closest to the current position of the robot, wherein the closest feature node is a point pre-recorded by the robot in a map; The processing module is further used to control the walking module to walk to the closest characteristic node, and determine a path from the closest characteristic node to the recharging seat according to the closest characteristic node; The processing module is further used to control the walking module to walk to the recharging seat according to the path from the closest characteristic node to the recharging seat; The processing module is used to determine the relative position of each characteristic node and the recharging seat, and the characteristic nodes include obstacles and wall corners; The processing module is specifically used to determine the relative position of the closest characteristic node and the recharging seat according to the closest characteristic node; The processing module is further used to determine the shortest path from the characteristic node to the recharging seat according to the relative position of the characteristic node and the recharging seat; The processing module is further used to record the characteristic node and the shortest path from the characteristic node to the recharging socket in the map, and form a mapping relationship; The processing module is further specifically used to determine the shortest path between the closest feature node and the recharging socket according to the closest feature node and the mapping relationship.

5. The robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The robot also includes: A communication module, used to determine whether a recharging signal from the recharging socket is received; The processing module is used to plan a path of the robot from a current position to the recharging base according to the recharging signal when the communication module receives the recharging signal from the recharging base; The processing module is further configured to determine the closest feature node from the map when the communication module determines that the recharging signal from the recharging socket is not received.

6. The robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The processing module is further used to establish a coordinate system with the position of the recharging seat as the origin; The processing module is further used to determine the coordinates of the feature node in the coordinate system according to the walking path of the robot.

7. A main control chip, characterized in that: The main control chip is used to control the robot to execute the robot recharging method described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

Citation Information

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