Robot Recharging Control Method, Robot, Readable Storage Medium, and Charging Stand

By setting a receiver on the sweeping robot, receiving the target signal transmitted by the charging base and determining the target orientation of the charging base, the problem of low return-charge positioning efficiency and accuracy in the prior art is solved, and a more efficient and accurate return-charge process is achieved.

CN114815827BActive Publication Date: 2025-06-10TP-LINK
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202210440943.0
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2022-04-25
Publication Date
2025-06-10
Estimated Expiration
2042-04-25

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The current sweeping robots have low recharge and positioning efficiency and accuracy, are greatly affected by external environmental factors, and have limited accuracy.

Method used

By setting a receiver on the robot, receiving the target signal transmitted by the charging base, and determining the target orientation of the charging base according to the type of signal and the preset angle range, the robot can quickly and accurately move to the charging base and return.

Benefits of technology

It improves the efficiency and accuracy of robot recharge positioning, and enhances the applicability and stability in different environments.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

This application is applicable to the field of artificial intelligence technology, and provides a robot recharge control method, a robot, a readable storage medium and a charging dock. The method includes: the robot searches for a target signal emitted by the charging dock within a second preset angle range at an exploration point; the robot determines the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range; the robot moves towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and returns to the charging dock. Through the embodiments of this application, the efficiency and accuracy of recharge positioning can be improved.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of artificial intelligence technology, and particularly relates to a robot recharge control method, a robot, a readable storage medium, and a charging dock. Background Art

[0002] With the development of smart home and artificial intelligence technologies, floor-sweeping robots have gradually entered people's daily lives because they liberate people's hands and are more intelligent in performance, bringing great convenience to people's daily lives. Most of the current floor-sweeping robots on the market have an automatic recharge function, that is, when the battery power is insufficient or the cleaning is completed, they can automatically return to the charging dock to recharge.

[0003] Currently, traditional recharge mechanisms implemented based on cameras, infrared sensors, lidar, etc. often have a narrow applicable range due to external environmental factors, and due to limited accuracy, the process of determining the position of the charging dock is time-consuming, and the accuracy of determining the position is also low. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of this application provide a robot recharge control method, a robot, a readable storage medium, and a charging dock, which can improve the efficiency and accuracy of recharge positioning.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a robot recharge control method, which is applied to a robot. The robot includes a receiver disposed at a target position, and the receiver is used to receive signals within a first preset angle range. The method may include:

[0006] The robot searches for a target signal emitted by the charging dock within a second preset angle range at an exploration point; the robot determines the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range; the robot moves towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and returns to the charging dock.

[0007] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, after the robot searches for the target signal emitted by the charging dock within the second preset angle range at the exploration point, the method further includes:

[0008] If at the exploration point, the robot does not search for the target signal, it moves to the next exploration point based on a preset angle or a preset distance, and searches for the target signal at the next exploration point.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, before the robot determines the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range, the method further includes:

[0010] Determine the type of the target signal according to the serial number of the receiver disposed at the target position;

[0011] Among them, the types of the target signals include valid signals, alignment signals or invalid signals.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the valid signal includes a first valid signal or a second valid signal, and the target orientation includes a target distance and a target direction;

[0013] Determining the target orientation of the charging base according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range includes:

[0014] If the type of the target signal is the first valid signal, the robot determines a first distance from the charging base through a lidar, and takes the first distance as the target distance;

[0015] Determine the target direction according to the first valid signal and the first preset angle range;

[0016] Or,

[0017] If the type of the target signal is the first valid signal, the robot rotates a first angle based on the first orientation when the first valid signal is obtained to obtain a second orientation, and moves a second distance along the second orientation to reach the next exploration point; and rotates a second angle at the next exploration point to obtain the second valid signal; calculate a third distance between the next exploration point and the charging base according to the first angle, the second angle and the second distance, and take the third distance as the target distance;

[0018] Determine the target direction according to the second valid signal and the first preset angle range.

[0019] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, calculating the third distance between the next exploration point and the charging base according to the first angle, the second angle and the second distance includes:

[0020] Calculate the third distance through a first formula or a second formula, and the first formula is expressed as:

[0021]

[0022] Wherein, R is the third distance, L is the second distance, θ is the first angle, and α is the second angle;

[0023] The second formula is expressed as:

[0024]

[0025] Wherein, R is the third distance, L is the second distance, the first angle is 90°, and α is the second angle.

[0026] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the robot moves towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and returns to the charging dock, including:

[0027] The robot makes an arc movement along the tangent direction of the target direction with the target distance as the radius;

[0028] During the arc movement, when a first alignment signal is acquired by the receiver disposed at the target position, the arc movement is stopped, the robot rotates and acquires a second alignment signal, and the robot moves towards the charging dock along the alignment direction of the second alignment signal.

[0029] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the determining the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range includes:

[0030] If the type of the target signal searched for is the alignment signal, the alignment direction of the alignment signal is taken as the target orientation;

[0031] Correspondingly, the moving towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and returning to the charging dock includes:

[0032] The robot adjusts its posture and moves towards the charging dock along the alignment direction of the alignment signal.

[0033] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the robot moves towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and returns to the charging dock, including:

[0034] When the distance between the robot and the charging dock is less than a preset distance threshold during the process of the robot moving towards the charging dock along the alignment direction, the robot scans the charging dock through a lidar to obtain the distribution characteristics of the laser points reflected by the charging dock;

[0035] According to the distribution characteristics of the laser points, the robot aligns with the charging dock and moves onto the charging dock;

[0036] Wherein, the charging dock is provided with light-absorbing paper, and the light-absorbing paper is used for the robot to generate the distribution characteristics of the laser points when the charging dock reflects laser points based on the light-absorbing paper.

[0037] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the determining the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range includes:

[0038] If the type of the target signal is the invalid signal, determine the initial orientation of the charging dock according to the invalid signal and the first preset angle range;

[0039] Move towards the center line corresponding to the charging dock based on the initial orientation, and search for the valid signal or the alignment signal during the movement;

[0040] Determine the target orientation based on the searched valid signal or alignment signal.

[0041] In a second aspect, the present application provides a robot recharge control device, which may include:

[0042] A receiver, configured to search for a target signal emitted by a charging dock within a second preset angle range at an exploration point;

[0043] A processor, configured to determine the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range;

[0044] A driver, configured to drive the robot to move towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and return to the charging dock.

[0045] In a third aspect, the present application provides a robot, which may include: a receiver, a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, which are disposed at a target position. The receiver is configured to receive signals within a first preset angle range, and when the processor executes the computer program, the method described in the first aspect is implemented.

[0046] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the receiver of the robot includes a first receiver, a second receiver, a third receiver, and a fourth receiver, and the target position includes the left end and the right end of the body corresponding to the central axis in the left-right direction of the robot, and the front end or the rear end of the body of the front-rear central axis of the robot;

[0047] Wherein, the first receiver or the fourth receiver is respectively disposed at the left end or the right end of the body; the adjacent second receiver and the third receiver are disposed at any one end of the front end or the rear end of the body.

[0048] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method described in the first aspect is implemented.

[0049] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which when running on a robot, causes the robot to execute the method described in the first aspect above.

[0050] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a charging stand, which includes a transmitter and a light-absorbing paper;

[0051] The transmitter is used to emit a target signal within a second preset angle range; the light-absorbing paper is used to generate a laser spot distribution feature when the robot is based on the light-absorbing paper reflecting the laser spot;

[0052] Wherein, the target signal is used to instruct the robot to generate a target orientation of the charging stand according to the type of the target signal, move towards the charging stand according to the target orientation and return to the charging stand; the laser spot distribution feature is used to instruct the robot to align with the charging stand during the process of moving towards the charging stand.

[0053] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the charging stand further includes a light-shielding plate, and the transmitter of the charging stand includes a first transmitter, a second transmitter, a third transmitter and a fourth transmitter;

[0054] Wherein, the first transmitter, the second transmitter, the third transmitter and the fourth transmitter are sequentially arranged on the charging stand, a light-shielding plate is arranged on one side of the first transmitter close to the second transmitter, a light-shielding plate is arranged on the adjacent side of the second transmitter and the third transmitter, and a light-shielding plate is arranged on one side of the fourth transmitter close to the third transmitter.

[0055] It can be understood that the beneficial effects of the above second aspect to the sixth aspect can refer to the relevant descriptions in the first aspect, and will not be elaborated here.

[0056] The beneficial effects of the present application compared with the prior art are as follows: Through the present application, the robot explores the target signal emitted by the charging stand within the second preset angle range at the exploration point, and after searching for the target signal, according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range at which the robot receives the signal, it can quickly and accurately determine the target orientation of the charging stand relative to the current exploration point, so that the robot can accurately and efficiently move towards the charging stand and return to the charging stand based on this target orientation, improving the efficiency and accuracy of the robot's recharge positioning; it has strong usability and practicality. Description of the Drawings

[0057] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0058] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the robot recharge system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 2 It is a schematic flowchart of the robot recharge control method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 3 It is a schematic layout diagram of the transmitter and the receiver provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the exploration point path planning provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the range corresponding to the signal type provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 6 It is a geometric schematic diagram corresponding to the target direction and the target distance provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the algorithm adopted in the alignment process provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of the robot recharge control device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of the robot provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0067] In the following description, specific details such as specific system architectures and technologies are presented for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, so as to thoroughly understand the embodiments of the present application. However, those skilled in the art should clearly understand that the present application can also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other cases, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods are omitted to avoid unnecessary details from interfering with the description of the present application.

[0068] It should be understood that when used in the specification and claims of the present application, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or their combinations.

[0069] It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used in the specification and claims of the present application refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes these combinations.

[0070] As used in the specification of this application and the appended claims, the term "if" may be construed contextually as "when", "once", "in response to determining", or "in response to detecting". Similarly, the phrase "if determined" or "if [the described condition or event] is detected" may be construed contextually to mean "once determined", "in response to determining", "once [the described condition or event] is detected", or "in response to detecting [the described condition or event]".

[0071] In addition, in the description of the specification of this application and the appended claims, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are used only for distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0072] Reference to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" etc. described in the specification of this application means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of this application. Thus, statements such as "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in other some embodiments", "in still other embodiments", etc. that appear in different places in this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments", unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising", "including", "having", and their variants all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0073] With the development of smart furniture and artificial intelligence technologies, floor-sweeping robots have become more intelligent in terms of performance due to their diverse functions. Currently, the automatic charging methods of robots mainly include automatic charging based on lidar, automatic charging based on infrared sensors, charging based on the fusion of infrared sensors and lidar, and automatic charging based on cameras, etc.

[0074] However, traditionally, only lidar is used to analyze the unique lidar features of the charging dock through various methods, such as neural networks and the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm, and obtain the pose information related to the charging dock. However, this method of analyzing the lidar features of the charging dock has a low accuracy and is time-consuming. The traditional algorithm based only on infrared sensors evaluates the position and orientation of the charging dock. However, since the infrared sensor can only inform the robot of the direction of the charging dock at its location and its accuracy is limited, the robot needs to spend more time determining the position of the charging dock. Most of the automatic recharging algorithms based on cameras need to extract image features through image feature extraction technology to obtain the unique features of the charging dock and related position information. However, the extraction of image features has a large computational amount and is affected by lighting factors. Therefore, the practical application range of this camera-based method is relatively narrow and its applicability is poor. In addition, most of the existing recharging algorithms currently only rely on a single sensor and mostly have the limitations brought by a single sensor.

[0075] The execution process of the robot recharging control method in this application is introduced below through embodiments. The execution subject of the method steps in the embodiments of this application can be a robot, and this robot can be a self-mobile device such as a floor cleaning robot, and the specific form of the robot is not limited here.

[0076] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 which is a schematic diagram of the robot recharging system architecture provided by the embodiments of this application. As Figure 1 shown, the robot recharging system includes a charging dock and a robot. A transmitter and a light shield are provided on the charging dock body, such as Figure 1 the transmitters No. 1 to No. 4 shown therein; a receiver is provided on the robot body, such as Figure 1 the receivers No. 1 to No. 4 shown therein. The robot can move towards the charging dock when the battery is low or the cleaning is completed and automatically return to the charging dock to charge.

[0077] Exemplarily, as Figure 1 shown, the charging dock emits a signal through the transmitter and controls the range of the emitted signal through the light shield; the robot searches for the signal through the receiver set at a specific position and determines the direction and distance of the charging dock relative to the robot according to the type of the signal. Based on this direction and distance, the robot moves towards the charging dock and returns to the charging dock.

[0078] Through the embodiments of the present application, the transmitter provided by the charging dock can emit signals within a certain angular range; the robot is provided with a receiver at a specific position of the body, can receive signals within another angular range, and can determine the type of the signal received by the robot by searching for the signal and determining the serial number of the receiver. Based on the type of the signal, the position of the robot within the signal range emitted by the charging dock can be determined, so that the relative position of the charging dock can be determined more efficiently and accurately, and the robot can move towards the charging dock and return to the charging dock more efficiently and accurately.

[0079] Based on the above overall implementation process, the embodiments of the present application provide a method for controlling a robot to return to charge. The specific process of implementing this method is introduced below through the embodiments of the present application.

[0080] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 which is a schematic flowchart of a method for controlling a robot to return to charge provided by an embodiment of the present application. The execution subject of this method can be the Figure 1 robot in Figure 2 as shown in

[0081] S201, the robot searches for a target signal emitted by the charging dock within a second preset angular range at the exploration point.

[0082] In some embodiments, the robot can be a sweeping robot or other service-type self-mobile device. The charging dock includes a plurality of transmitters, and the transmitter can be an infrared emission lamp. When the robot's battery is low or the cleaning is completed, it can automatically return to the charging dock to charge.

[0083] Exemplarily, as shown in the top view and front view of the charging dock in Figure 3 such as (a) figure, the charging dock can be provided with four transmitters, such as transmitter 1 to transmitter 4 in the top view; transmitter 1 to transmitter 4 can be 4 infrared signal lamps emitting different signal encodings; after the robot receiver receives the signal, it decodes and identifies the signal, and can determine the serial number of the transmitter corresponding to the received signal based on different signal encodings.

[0084] Exemplarily, as shown in Figure 3 such as (a) figure, in order to ensure the referability of the signal emitted by the charging dock, a light-shielding plate is also provided on one side corresponding to each transmitter, and the angular range of the signal emitted by each transmitter is controlled through the light-shielding plate. For example, a light-shielding plate is provided on the right side of transmitter 1, light-shielding plates are provided on both sides of transmitter 2 and transmitter 3, and a light-shielding plate is provided on the left side of transmitter 4.

[0085] Exemplarily, in the top view, taking the vertical direction where each transmitter is located as the center line and the counterclockwise angle as positive, under the action of the light-shielding plate, the angle at which transmitter 1 emits a signal can be -40° to 0°; under the action of the light-shielding plate, the angle at which transmitter 2 emits a signal can be -10° to 0°; under the action of the light-shielding plate, the angle at which transmitter 3 emits a signal can be 0° to 10°; under the action of the light-shielding plate, the angle at which transmitter 4 emits a signal can be 0° to 40°.

[0086] It should be noted that the above is only an example. Under the action of the light-shielding plate, the transmitter can be controlled to emit a signal within a second preset angle range, and the specific value of the second preset angle range is not limited. It can also be other angle ranges adjusted by the light-shielding plate; for example, the angle ranges of the signals emitted by transmitter 1 and transmitter 4 are larger, and the angle ranges of the signals emitted by transmitter 2 and transmitter 3 are smaller. In addition, the model parameters of transmitter 1 to transmitter 4 are the same, and they can have the same initial signal emission angle range. The angle range of the emitted signal is determined by the position structure of the light-shielding plate.

[0087] Exemplarily, the transmitters of the charging stand can alternately emit signals, thereby emitting signals within different angle ranges. For example, transmitter 1 and transmitter 4 emit signals within an angle range during the first time period. After that, transmitter 2 and transmitter 3 emit signals within another angle range during the next second time period adjacent to the first time period.

[0088] It should be noted that as Figure 3 shown in figure (a) therein, the signals emitted by transmitter 2 and transmitter 3 have limitations, so that the robot can only receive them when it is close to the center line of the charging stand, so that the robot can more accurately locate the orientation of the charging stand.

[0089] Exemplarily, as Figure 3 shown in figure (b) therein for the robot architecture, receivers 1 and 4 are provided at the left end and the right end of the main body corresponding to the central axis in the left-right direction of the robot; receivers 2 and 3 are provided at the front end or the rear end of the main body of the front-rear central axis of the robot. In this embodiment of the application, it is described by taking the setting at the front end as an example. Among them, only one receiver can also be provided only at the left end or only at the right end.

[0090] Exemplarily, the receiver can receive signals within a first preset angle range; for example, receivers 1 to 4 are receivers of the same model parameter, and the initial angles for receiving signals are all -40° to +40°. Among them, receivers 1 and 4 are not blocked by a limiting structure, while receivers 2 and 3 are blocked by a limiting structure and can only receive signals within the range of -10° to +10° from the center line of the robot to receiver 2 or receiver 3.

[0091] In the embodiments of the present application, by limiting the reception range of the receiver of the robot and controlling the emission angle of the transmitter of the charging dock, the target signal can be locked within a certain angular range, so that the relative orientation of the charging dock can be determined more efficiently based on the type of the received target signal.

[0092] In some embodiments, after the robot searches for the target signal emitted by the charging dock within the second preset angular range at the exploration point, the method further includes:

[0093] If the robot does not search for the target signal at the exploration point, it moves to the next exploration point based on a preset angle or a preset distance, and searches for the target signal at the next exploration point.

[0094] Exemplarily, in the signal search stage, the robot captures the infrared signal emitted by the charging dock by repeating the process of rotating to search for the signal and generating and navigating to the next exploration point. The position of the robot at the exploration point rotates to search for the target signal, and the first exploration point can be the position where the robot is currently located; the angle at which the robot rotates at the exploration point can be an angle less than or equal to 360°. The robot rotates at a preset angular velocity while detecting whether receivers 1 to 4 receive a signal; if a signal is received, the next alignment stage is performed according to the signal type; if no signal is received after rotating one week, a next second exploration point is generated and navigated to.

[0095] Exemplarily, the algorithm for generating the next exploration point can be implemented by the cross-shaped algorithm, such as Figure 4Schematic diagram of the algorithm implementation shown; if the middle position is used as the position of the first exploration point of the robot and the robot does not detect the target signal at the position of the first exploration point, then the robot walks forward 2m in the orientation at the first exploration point (if an obstacle is encountered on the way, it directly gives up) and reaches the second exploration point. As shown in step ①, at the position of the second exploration point, the target signal is also searched by rotation; if the target signal is not detected at the second exploration point, then based on the current pose, the robot rotates counterclockwise by 135° and then walks forward 2.282m (if an obstacle is encountered on the way, it directly gives up) and reaches the third exploration point. As shown in step ②, at the position of the third exploration point, the target signal is also searched by rotation; if the target signal is not detected at the third exploration point, then based on the current pose, the robot rotates counterclockwise by 135° and then walks forward 4m (if an obstacle is encountered on the way, it directly gives up) and reaches the fourth exploration point. As shown in step ③, at the position of the fourth exploration point, the target signal is also searched by rotation; if the target signal is not detected at the fourth exploration point, then based on the current pose, the robot rotates clockwise by 135° and then walks forward 2.282m (if an obstacle is encountered on the way, it directly gives up) and reaches the fifth exploration point. As shown in step ④, at the position of the fifth exploration point, the target signal is also searched by rotation; if the target signal is not detected at the fifth exploration point, then based on the current pose, the robot rotates clockwise by 135° and then walks forward 2m (if an obstacle is encountered on the way, it directly gives up) and reaches the sixth exploration point. As shown in step ⑤. This way of generating exploration points in a cross shape enables the robot to effectively search for target signals in all directions within the preset distance range from the starting point, greatly increasing the probability of detecting the target signal and improving the efficiency of the robot's recharge positioning.

[0096] It should be noted that in the process of generating the next exploration point in the embodiments of the present application, the preset angle and the preset distance can be set according to the spatial range of the actual application scenario. The above is only an exemplary illustration and does not constitute a limitation.

[0097] S202, the robot determines the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range.

[0098] In some embodiments, the target signal may include an invalid signal, a valid signal, and an alignment signal. Different types of target signals correspond to different area ranges, so that the position area where the robot is located can be determined based on the type of the target signal, and further the target orientation relative to the charging dock can be determined based on the position area where it is located.

[0099] In some embodiments, before the robot determines the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range, the method further includes:

[0100] Determine the type of the target signal according to the serial number of the receiver set at the target position;

[0101] Wherein, the types of the target signal include valid signal, alignment signal or invalid signal.

[0102] Exemplarily, the types of the target signal include valid signal, alignment signal and invalid signal; taking Figure 3 the architecture diagram of the charging dock and the robot shown as an example; when any one of the receivers of the robot receives the signal emitted by transmitter 1 or transmitter 4 alone, the source direction angle value of this signal is unreliable and is defined as an invalid signal; when receivers 2 and 3 of the robot receive the signal emitted by transmitter 1 or transmitter 4 simultaneously, the source direction angle value of this signal is reliable and is defined as a valid signal; when any one of receivers 1 to 4 receives the signal emitted by transmitter 2 or transmitter 3, it can be determined that the robot is directly in front of the charging dock, which is defined as an alignment signal. Wherein, the target signal may be an infrared signal.

[0103] As Figure 5 shown, different types of target signals correspond to different area ranges; different types of target signals may be received at the edges of different area ranges. For example, at a certain point at the edge of the invalid signal and the valid signal, the type of the target signal searched by the robot through rotation may be an invalid signal or a valid signal. The robot executes the subsequent process of determining the orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the actually received target signal.

[0104] It should be noted that Figure 5 only exemplary explanations are given for the angle range and distance corresponding to the type of the target signal. Based on the above-mentioned determination method of the signal type, determine the serial number of the transmitter based on the number of the received signal, and based on the serial number of the receiver and the serial number of the transmitter, determine the type of the received target signal, and then determine the area range where the robot is located.

[0105] In some embodiments, the valid signal includes a first valid signal or a second valid signal, and the target orientation includes a target distance and a target direction; the determining of the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range includes:

[0106] If the type of the target signal is the first valid signal, the robot determines a first distance from the robot to the charging dock through a lidar, and takes the first distance as the target distance; determine the target direction according to the first valid signal and the first preset angle range.

[0107] Alternatively, if the type of the target signal is the first valid signal, the robot rotates by a first angle based on the first orientation when the first valid signal is acquired, to obtain a second orientation, moves a second distance along the second orientation, and reaches the next exploration point; rotates by a second angle at the next exploration point to acquire the second valid signal; calculates a third distance between the next exploration point and the charging dock according to the first angle, the second angle, and the second distance, and uses the third distance as the target distance; determines the target direction according to the second valid signal and the first preset angle range.

[0108] Exemplarily, the signal type received by the robot is a valid signal. Since the valid signal is the signal received by both Receiver 2 and Receiver 3, and Receiver 2 and Receiver 3 are located at the front end of the robot, and based on the first preset angle range corresponding to the receivers, the robot can determine the direction of the charging dock based on the current orientation, that is, use the current orientation of the robot as the target direction relative to the charging dock. At this time, the robot can obtain the target distance from the robot to the charging dock by reading the distance of the lidar beam near the direction of the valid signal.

[0109] Alternatively, if there is no lidar or the lidar fails to obtain the distance in this direction, the orientation of the charging dock can also be determined by the following method:

[0110] The robot rotates by a first angle based on the first orientation when the first valid signal is acquired, to obtain a second orientation, moves a second distance along the second orientation, and reaches the next exploration point; rotates by a second angle at the next exploration point to acquire the second valid signal; calculates a third distance between the next exploration point and the charging dock according to the first angle, the second angle, and the second distance, and uses the third distance as the target distance.

[0111] Exemplarily, as Figure 6 shown, the first orientation is the orientation of the robot at position A. According to this orientation, the robot can determine whether it is on the left or right side of the charging dock; for example, if Receiver 2 and Receiver 3 of the robot receive the valid signal emitted by Transmitter 1 of the charging dock, the robot is determined to be on the right side of the charging dock based on the current orientation when receiving the valid signal; if Receiver 2 and Receiver 3 of the robot receive the valid signal emitted by Transmitter 4 of the charging dock, the robot determines that the robot is on the left side of the charging dock according to the current orientation when receiving the valid signal.

[0112] As Figure 6As shown, taking the case where the robot is on the right side of the charging dock as an example. The robot rotates by an angle θ (the first angle) less than or equal to 90° based on its pose at position A, moves a distance L (the second distance) based on the rotated orientation, and reaches the exploration point B. At the exploration point B, it rotates counterclockwise (if the robot is on the left side of the charging dock, it rotates clockwise), and searches for a valid signal during the rotation, that is, both receiver 2 and receiver 3 receive the transmitted signal, and records the angle ɑ (the second angle) of rotation at the exploration point B. Thus, based on the angle θ of rotation at position A, the distance L moved, and the angle ɑ of rotation at the exploration point B, the distance R (the third distance) from the robot to the charging dock can be calculated.

[0113] In some embodiments, calculating the third distance between the next exploration point and the charging dock according to the first angle, the second angle, and the second distance includes:

[0114] Calculating the third distance through the first formula or the second formula. The first formula is expressed as:

[0115]

[0116] where R is the third distance, L is the second distance, θ is the first angle, and α is the second angle;

[0117] The second formula is expressed as:

[0118]

[0119] where R is the third distance, L is the second distance, the first angle is 90°, and α is the second angle.

[0120] Among them, the scenario corresponding to the second formula is the case where the rotation angle θ at position A is 90°; the magnitude of the moving distance L can be selectively set according to the angle of the first orientation, for example, it can be 0.5 m.

[0121] Exemplarily, determining the target direction according to the first valid signal, the first preset angle range, or the second valid signal, the first preset angle range. For example, when both receiver 2 and receiver 3 receive the signal transmitted by transmitter 1 or transmitter 4, this signal is the target signal; and receiver 2 and receiver 3 are provided with certain limits, so that the first preset range of receiving signals is within a certain angle range, for example, -10° to +10°. Therefore, the target direction of the charging dock can be determined according to the first preset range and the received valid signal. For example, when the robot is on the right side of the charging dock, the robot determines that the target direction where the charging dock is located is an angle between 0° and +10°; similarly, when the robot is on the left side of the charging dock, the robot determines that the target direction where the charging dock is located is an angle between -10° and 0°.

[0122] S203, the robot moves towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and returns to the charging dock.

[0123] In some embodiments, the robot moves towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and returns to the charging dock, including:

[0124] The robot makes an arc movement along the tangent direction of the target direction with the target distance as the radius; during the arc movement, when a first alignment signal is obtained through the receiver disposed at the target position, the arc movement is stopped, rotated, and a second alignment signal is obtained, and the robot moves towards the charging dock along the alignment direction of the second alignment signal.

[0125] Exemplarily, as Figure 6 shown, when the robot is located on the right side of the charging dock, the third angle can be 90° of the robot rotating clockwise; after determining the first distance based on the lidar beam, an arc movement is made along the tangent direction of the target direction determined according to the valid signal with the first distance as the radius, and it moves towards the direction of the center line of the charging dock. During the arc movement of the robot, the alignment signal can be searched through the receiver 1 on the left side of the robot. When the receiver 1 receives the alignment signal (i.e., the signal emitted by the transmitter 2 or 3), the arc movement is stopped, and it rotates counterclockwise by 90°, and the alignment signal is searched again through the receiver 2 or the receiver 3 to obtain the alignment direction of the alignment signal.

[0126] In some embodiments, determining the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range includes:

[0127] If the type of the searched target signal is the alignment signal, the alignment direction of the alignment signal is used as the target orientation.

[0128] Correspondingly, moving towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and returning to the charging dock includes:

[0129] The robot adjusts its posture and moves towards the charging dock along the alignment direction of the alignment signal.

[0130] Exemplarily, the robot adjusts its posture as follows: If the receiver that currently receives the alignment signal on the robot is the target receiver (such as receiver 2 or 3 located at the front end of the robot), it moves towards the charging dock based on the alignment direction of the current alignment signal (i.e., the current orientation of the robot); if the alignment signal currently received by the robot is from other receivers (such as receiver 1 or receiver 4 located on both sides of the robot), it adjusts its posture based on its current position. By rotating, the target receiver (such as receiver 2 or 3 located at the front end of the robot) receives the alignment signal, and then it moves towards the charging dock based on the orientation when the current alignment signal is received.

[0131] Exemplarily, since the alignment signal is a signal emitted by transmitter 2 or 3 and received by any one of receivers 1 to 4, and the signal range emitted by transmitter 2 or 3 is limited by the light-shielding plate, which are -10° to 0° and 0° to 10° respectively. Therefore, after receiving the alignment signal, it can be basically determined that the robot is within the range of -10° to +10° directly in front of the charging dock.

[0132] In some embodiments, the robot moves towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and returns to the charging dock, including:

[0133] When the robot moves towards the charging dock along the alignment direction, when the distance from the charging dock is less than a preset distance threshold, it scans the charging dock through lidar to obtain the distribution characteristics of the laser points reflected by the charging dock; according to the distribution characteristics of the laser points, the robot aligns with the charging dock and moves onto the charging dock.

[0134] Wherein, the charging dock is provided with light-absorbing paper, and the light-absorbing paper is used for the robot to generate the distribution characteristics of the laser points when the charging dock reflects the laser points based on the light-absorbing paper.

[0135] Exemplarily, a lidar is provided at the tail end of the robot body, and the charging dock is provided with light-absorbing paper. When the lidar scans the light-absorbing paper of the charging dock, the laser points will not be reflected. Therefore, when the lidar emits multiple beams of laser, it can only scan the laser points on the part of the charging dock where the light-absorbing paper is not pasted; thus, the distribution characteristics of the laser points as shown in Figure 7 Figure (b) are obtained.

[0136] Exemplarily, Figure 7 The 4 laser points shown in Figure (b) are angles relative to the machine coordinate system, and the front of the robot is 0°. The specific algorithm is to calculate the angular difference between the laser point clouds within a certain range; for example, when there are no missing points normally, the angular difference between adjacent two angles should be 0.9°. If the difference is more than 4 degrees, a gap is identified, and the angles at both ends can be obtained; as shown in Figure 7The differences respectively represented by ∠1, ∠2, and ∠3 shown on the right side of Figure (a) therein; or the difference in the change of the angle of the laser point cloud on the right side of the y-axis with respect to the positive x-axis; when there is a notch, the difference may be large, and when the laser points are continuous, the difference is small.

[0137] Exemplarily, for different application scenarios, feature points can also be obtained in another way; the lidar of the robot can be set on a plane at the tail end of the robot body (for example, if the robot is square, the tail end of the body can be a plane), as Figure 7 shown on the left side of Figure (a) therein. If the laser points scanned by the lidar are points in a straight line on the plane, then calculate the angle between every two laser points based on the coordinate system of the robot, such as angle β, and determine the feature points of the position where the light-absorbing paper is set based on this angle; when the angle is greater than the threshold, it is determined that there is a notch, and thus the feature points are determined.

[0138] It should be noted that the above-described distribution characteristics of laser points determined based on the light-absorbing paper on the charging base are only exemplary illustrations, and the setting method of the lidar on the robot and the position of the light-absorbing paper on the charging base are not specifically limited. Any positioning achieved based on this principle falls within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. Additionally, to ensure more accurate alignment between the robot and the charging spring plate, the light-absorbing paper can be symmetrically arranged on both sides of the central axis of the charging base based on the central axis.

[0139] Exemplarily, by identifying the angles of 4 laser points corresponding to two notches, the Figure 7 range of laser points outlined by the dashed line shown in Figure (b) therein can be obtained. These laser points are all reflected by the plane in the middle of the light-absorbing paper. Therefore, during the backward movement of the robot, it only needs to calculate the angle of the straight line fitted by the laser points in the above-mentioned dashed box and make the orientation of the robot maintain a 90-degree angle with the fitted straight line, so that the robot can always accurately align with the charging spring plate of the charging base.

[0140] Exemplarily, during the movement of the robot towards the charging base, when the remaining distance is less than a preset threshold, the robot starts to rotate 180°, so that the rear end is aligned with the charging base and starts to move backward. During the backward movement, the light absorption value on the charging base is used to assist in judging the angle of the robot relative to the charging base, so that the robot can still more accurately align with the charging spring plate on the charging base during the backward movement under the condition of no infrared signal.

[0141] Exemplarily, if the serial number of the receiver that receives the alignment signal is 1, that is, receiver 1 receives the alignment signal, the robot rotates counterclockwise by 90°. After receiver 2 or 3 searches for the alignment signal, it slowly moves towards the charging dock according to the above steps. When the distance is less than the threshold, it rotates 180° and starts to move backward and perform the alignment process. Similarly, if the serial number of the receiver that receives the alignment signal is 2 or 3, it directly moves towards the charging dock in the current orientation. When the distance is less than the threshold, it rotates 180° and starts to move backward and perform the alignment process. If the serial number of the receiver that receives the alignment signal is 4, the robot rotates clockwise by 90°. After receiver 2 or 3 searches for the alignment signal, it slowly moves towards the charging dock according to the above steps. When the distance is less than the threshold, it rotates 180° and starts to move backward and perform the alignment process.

[0142] In some embodiments, determining the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range includes:

[0143] If the type of the target signal is the invalid signal, determine the initial orientation of the charging dock according to the invalid signal and the first preset angle range; move towards the center line corresponding to the charging dock based on the initial orientation, and search for the valid signal or the alignment signal during the movement; determine the target orientation based on the searched valid signal or alignment signal.

[0144] During the rotation, if the type of the target signal searched is the invalid signal, according to the serial number of the receiver that receives the invalid signal, the robot moves towards the center line corresponding to the charging dock, and determines the target direction and the target distance according to the type of the target signal obtained during the movement towards the center line. Then, it moves towards the charging dock based on the target direction and the target distance and returns to the charging dock.

[0145] Exemplarily, an invalid signal means that only one of the receivers 1-4 of the machine receives the signal from transmitter 1 or transmitter 4. The direction of such a signal is inaccurate, and the distance from the robot to the charging dock cannot be directly obtained through such a signal. However, the initial orientation of the robot relative to the charging dock, i.e., left or right, can be determined by the signal type. For example, if the robot receives the signal emitted by transmitter 3 or transmitter 4, it can be inferred that the robot is on the left side of the charging dock; if the machine receives the signal emitted by transmitter 1 or transmitter 2, it can be inferred that the robot is on the right side of the charging dock. At the same time, the robot can also determine the direction of the signal based on the orientation when the signal is received and which specific receiver receives the signal. After determining the orientation close to the center line based on the above two pieces of information, the robot walks a preset distance (e.g., 0.6 meters) in this orientation. If the robot is on the right side of the charging dock, the orientation close to the center line can be the direction of a 45° clockwise rotation of the current signal direction; conversely, if the robot is on the left side of the charging dock, the orientation close to the center line can be the direction of a 45° counterclockwise rotation of the current signal direction. During the movement towards the center line of the charging dock, an effective signal or an alignment signal is obtained by rotating and searching for the signal, and the target orientation of the charging dock is determined based on the effective signal or the alignment signal in combination with the above implementation method.

[0146] Exemplarily, if receiver 1 receives an invalid signal from transmitter 1, the robot can move towards the center line of the charging dock based on the current orientation, and determine the target distance and the target direction based on the type of the target signal (which may be an effective signal or an alignment signal) received by receiver 1 during the movement, and then move towards the charging dock; if receiver 4 receives an invalid signal from transmitter 1, after rotating 135° at the current position, it moves towards the direction of the center line of the charging dock, as shown in Figure 6 Figure (c) in; if receiver 2 or 3 receives an invalid signal from transmitter 1, it rotates 45° clockwise and moves towards the direction of the center line of the charging dock.

[0147] Similarly, if receiver 4 receives an invalid signal from transmitter 4, the robot can move towards the center line of the charging dock based on the current orientation, and determine the target distance and the target direction based on the type of the target signal (which may be an effective signal or an alignment signal) received by receiver 4 during the movement, and then move towards the charging dock; if receiver 1 receives an invalid signal from transmitter 4, after rotating 135° at the current position, it moves towards the direction of the center line of the charging dock, as shown in Figure 6 Figure (d) in.

[0148] In the embodiment of the present application, the receiver can be an infrared sensor, and the transmitter can be an infrared signal lamp; by fusing lidar with the infrared sensor, an independent infrared sensor mode can be supported, and the robustness is stronger; based on the cross-shaped exploration algorithm for generating exploration points, the robot can search for infrared signals with a higher probability; combined with the light-absorbing paper algorithm for auxiliary positioning, the alignment and positioning process of the robot can be made more accurate.

[0149] It should be understood that the magnitudes of the sequence numbers of the steps in the above embodiments do not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0150] Corresponding to the robot recharge control method described in the above embodiments, Figure 8 The structural block diagram of the robot recharge control device provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown. For the sake of convenience of description, only the parts related to the embodiment of the present application are shown.

[0151] Referring to Figure 8 , the device includes:

[0152] A receiver 81, configured to search for a target signal within a second preset angle range emitted by a charging dock at an exploration point;

[0153] A processor 82, configured to determine the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range;

[0154] A driver 83, configured to drive the robot to move towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and return to the charging dock.

[0155] It should be noted that for the information interaction, execution process, etc. between the above devices / units, since they are based on the same concept as the method embodiment of the present application, their specific functions and the technical effects brought about can be specifically referred to in the method embodiment part, and will not be elaborated here.

[0156] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, only the above-mentioned division of each functional unit and module is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be allocated to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. Each functional unit and module in the embodiment can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit. In addition, the specific names of each functional unit and module are only for the convenience of mutual distinction and do not limit the protection scope of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above system can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiment and will not be elaborated here.

[0157] An embodiment of this application also provides a charging stand, which includes a transmitter and a light-absorbing paper; the transmitter is used to emit a target signal within a second preset angle range; the light-absorbing paper is used to generate a laser point distribution feature when the robot is based on the light-absorbing paper reflecting a laser point.

[0158] Among them, the target signal is used to instruct the robot to generate the target orientation of the charging stand according to the type of the target signal, move towards the charging stand according to the target orientation and return to the charging stand; the laser point distribution feature is used to instruct the robot to align with the charging stand during the movement towards the charging stand.

[0159] Exemplarily, the charging stand further includes a light-shielding plate, and the transmitter of the charging stand includes a first transmitter, a second transmitter, a third transmitter, and a fourth transmitter.

[0160] Among them, the first transmitter, the second transmitter, the third transmitter, and the fourth transmitter are sequentially arranged on the charging stand. A light-shielding plate is arranged on the side of the first transmitter close to the second transmitter, a light-shielding plate is arranged on the adjacent side of the second transmitter and the third transmitter, and a light-shielding plate is arranged on the side of the fourth transmitter close to the third transmitter.

[0161] An embodiment of this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps in the foregoing method embodiments can be implemented.

[0162] An embodiment of this application provides a computer program product. When the computer program product runs on a robot, it enables the robot to execute the steps in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0163] Figure 9 The structural schematic diagram of robot 9 provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 9 shown, the robot 9 of this embodiment includes: at least one processor 90 ( Figure 9 only one is shown in the figure), a memory 91, and a computer program 92 stored in the memory 91 and executable on the at least one processor 90. When the processor 90 executes the computer program 92, the steps in the above embodiment are implemented; the robot 9 further includes a receiver 93 disposed at a target position, and the receiver 93 is configured to receive signals within a first preset angular range.

[0164] The robot 9 may include, but is not limited to, a processor 90 and a memory 91. Those skilled in the art can understand that Figure 9 this is only an example of the robot 9 and does not constitute a limitation on the robot 9. It may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or different components. For example, it may further include input / output devices, network access devices, etc.

[0165] The so-called processor 90 may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor 90 may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0166] The memory 91 may be an internal storage unit of the robot 9 in some embodiments, such as the hard disk or memory of the robot 9. The memory 91 may also be an external storage device of the robot 9 in other embodiments, such as a plug-in hard disk, a Smart Media Card (SMC), a Secure Digital (SD) card, a Flash Card, etc. equipped on the robot 9. Further, the memory 91 may also include both the internal storage unit and the external storage device of the robot 9. The memory 91 is used to store an operating system, application programs, a BootLoader, data, and other programs, such as the program code of the computer program. The memory 91 may also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0167] Exemplarily, the receivers of the robot include a first receiver, a second receiver, a third receiver, and a fourth receiver, and the target positions include the left end and the right end of the body corresponding to the central axis in the left-right direction of the robot, the front end or the rear end of the body of the front-rear central axis of the robot.

[0168] Among them, the first receiver or the fourth receiver is respectively disposed at the left end or the right end of the body; the adjacent second receiver and the third receiver are disposed at any one end of the front end or the rear end of the body.

[0169] 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 such an understanding, to implement all or part of the processes in the above method embodiments of the present application, a computer program can be used to instruct relevant hardware to complete. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the above method embodiments can be implemented. Among them, the computer program includes computer program code, and the computer program code can be in the form of source code, object code, an executable file, or some intermediate form, etc. The computer-readable medium may at least include: any entity or device that can carry the computer program code to the photographing device / terminal device, a recording medium, a computer memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an electrical carrier signal, a telecommunication signal, and a software distribution medium. For example, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk, or an optical disc, etc. In some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, the computer-readable medium may not be an electrical carrier signal and a telecommunication signal.

[0170] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of the various embodiments each have their own focuses. For the parts not detailed or recorded in a certain embodiment, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0171] Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or in a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. A professional technician can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0172] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed device / network device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device / network device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. 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 displayed or discussed couplings or direct couplings or communication connections to each other can be through some interfaces. The indirect couplings or communication connections of the device or unit can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0173] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0174] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a robot to recharge, characterized in that, applied to a robot, the robot includes a receiver disposed at a target position, and the receiver is configured to receive signals within a first preset angle range; the method includes: The robot searches for a target signal emitted by a charging dock within a second preset angle range at an exploration point; The robot determines the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range; The robot moves towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and returns to the charging dock; The type of the target signal includes a valid signal, and the valid signal includes a first valid signal or a second valid signal. The target orientation includes a target distance and a target direction. After obtaining the target signal, the method further includes: if the type of the target signal is the first valid signal, the robot rotates by a first angle based on the first orientation when obtaining the first valid signal to obtain a second orientation, and moves a second distance along the second orientation to reach the next exploration point; and rotates by a second angle at the next exploration point to obtain the second valid signal; calculates a third distance between the next exploration point and the charging dock according to the first angle, the second angle, and the second distance, and uses the third distance as the target distance; determines the target direction according to the second valid signal and the first preset angle range; the calculating the third distance between the next exploration point and the charging dock according to the first angle, the second angle, and the second distance includes: Calculating the third distance by a first formula or a second formula, and the first formula is expressed as: ; wherein, is the third distance, is the second distance, is the first angle, is the second angle; the second formula is expressed as: ; wherein, is the third distance, is the second distance, and the first angle is 90°, is the second angle.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, after the robot searches for a target signal emitted by a charging dock within a second preset angle range at an exploration point, the method further includes: if at the exploration point, the robot does not search for the target signal, it moves to the next exploration point based on a preset angle or a preset distance, and searches for the target signal at the next exploration point.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, before the robot determines the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angle range, the method further includes: determining the type of the target signal according to the serial number of the receiver disposed at the target position; wherein, the type of the target signal further includes an alignment signal and an invalid signal.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, the robot moves towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and returns to the charging dock, including: The robot makes an arc movement along the tangent direction of the target direction with the target distance as the radius; during the arc movement, when a first alignment signal is obtained through the receiver disposed at the target position, the arc movement is stopped, rotated and a second alignment signal is obtained, and the robot moves towards the charging dock along the alignment direction of the second alignment signal.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Determining the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angular range includes: If the type of the searched target signal is the alignment signal, taking the alignment direction of the alignment signal as the target orientation; Correspondingly, moving towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and returning to the charging dock includes: The robot adjusts its posture and moves towards the charging dock along the alignment direction of the alignment signal.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the robot moving towards the charging dock based on the target orientation and returning to the charging dock includes: When the distance between the robot and the charging dock is less than a preset distance threshold during the process of the robot moving towards the charging dock along the alignment direction, the charging dock is scanned by a lidar to obtain the distribution characteristics of laser points reflected by the charging dock; According to the distribution characteristics of the laser points, the robot aligns with the charging dock and moves onto the charging dock; wherein, the charging dock is provided with light-absorbing paper, and the light-absorbing paper is used for the robot to generate the distribution characteristics of the laser points when the charging dock reflects laser points based on the light-absorbing paper.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that determining the target orientation of the charging dock according to the type of the target signal and the first preset angular range includes: If the type of the target signal is the invalid signal, determining the initial orientation of the charging dock according to the invalid signal and the first preset angular range; Moving towards the center line corresponding to the charging dock based on the initial orientation, and searching for the valid signal or the alignment signal during the movement; Determining the target orientation based on the searched valid signal or alignment signal.

8. A robot, characterized in that it includes a receiver, a memory, a processor arranged at a target position, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. The receiver is used to receive signals within a first preset angular range, and when the processor executes the computer program, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

9. The robot according to claim 8, characterized in that the receiver of the robot includes a first receiver, a second receiver, a third receiver and a fourth receiver, and the target position includes the left end and the right end of the body corresponding to the central axis in the left-right direction of the robot, and the front end or the rear end of the body of the front-rear central axis of the robot; wherein, the first receiver or the fourth receiver is respectively arranged at the left end or the right end of the body; the adjacent second receiver and the third receiver are arranged at any one end of the front end or the rear end of the body.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

11. A charging dock, characterized in that The charging stand is applied to the robot recharge control method described in claim 1; the charging stand includes a transmitter and a light-absorbing paper; The transmitter is used to emit a target signal within a second preset angle range; The light-absorbing paper is used to generate a laser spot distribution feature for the robot when the charging stand reflects a laser spot based on the light-absorbing paper; Wherein, the target signal is used to instruct the robot to generate a target orientation of the charging stand according to the type of the target signal, move towards the charging stand according to the target orientation and return to the charging stand; the laser spot distribution feature is used to instruct the robot to align with the charging stand during the movement towards the charging stand.

12. The charging stand according to claim 11, characterized in that, The charging stand further includes a light-shielding plate, and the transmitter of the charging stand includes a first transmitter, a second transmitter, a third transmitter and a fourth transmitter; Wherein, the first transmitter, the second transmitter, the third transmitter and the fourth transmitter are sequentially arranged on the charging stand, a light-shielding plate is arranged on the side of the first transmitter close to the second transmitter, a light-shielding plate is arranged on the adjacent side of the second transmitter and the third transmitter, and a light-shielding plate is arranged on the side of the fourth transmitter close to the third transmitter.

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