Robot control method, robot, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

The present invention provides a robot control method, a robot, and a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the robot has a distance sensor, and the robot control method includes: controlling the distance sensor to obtain information about the robot's surrounding environment; combining the information about the robot's surrounding environment with a cost map, obtaining cost values ​​of different points within a preset distance range around the robot, and obtaining a target point based on the cost value; and controlling the robot to move from the current position to the target point. The embodiment of the present invention relies on the sensor on the robot to obtain information about the robot's surrounding environment, combines the cost map, and uses the cost value calculation to obtain the target point in the robot's surrounding environment. By controlling the robot to move to the target point position, stress-type escape is achieved during the robot's movement. The use of sensors can obtain the actual situation of the robot's surrounding environment, avoid collisions, falls, etc., solve the problem of the robot's escape, and improve the safety of the robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of intelligent device control technology, and in particular to a robot control method, a robot, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] To control the movement of a robot within a certain spatial range, such as in warehousing, distribution, cleaning, disinfection and other fields, it is usually necessary to build a map of the robot's activity range and then navigate the robot based on its positioning in the map.

[0003] In actual application scenarios, there are usually obstacles within the robot's range of movement, such as walls, tables, chairs, shelves, as well as movable obstacles or artificially set virtual walls and restricted areas. When controlling the robot's navigation and obstacle avoidance, if positioning is lost, the robot's coordinates may be inside the virtual wall, or if it moves too close to an obstacle, which will cause the robot's coordinates to have a high collision probability in the cost map and be unable to continue navigation. The robot will stop in place and cannot move further. Currently, existing robot escape methods do not integrate the robot's sensors and are not based on map calculations but on laser in-situ rotation detection escape technology, which makes the robot unable to escape.

[0004] The contents of the background technology section are merely the technologies known to the inventors and do not necessarily represent the existing technologies in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of one or more deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a robot control method, wherein the robot has a distance sensor, and the robot control method comprises:

[0006] Control the distance sensor to obtain information about the robot's surrounding environment;

[0007] Combining the information of the robot's surrounding environment and the cost map, the cost values ​​of different points within a preset distance range around the robot are obtained, and the target point is obtained based on the cost values;

[0008] Control the robot to move from the current position to the target point.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, the cost map is constructed using the SLAM method and updated based on data obtained by sensors in the robot; the cost value includes at least the risk of the robot colliding and the distance from the robot's current position.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, in the process of controlling the robot to move to a preset position, a distance sensor is used to obtain the distance between the robot and the obstacle in real time;

[0011] Determining whether the distance between the robot and the obstacle is less than a first threshold;

[0012] When the distance between the robot and the obstacle is less than a first threshold, the robot control method is executed.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, after the robot is controlled to move from the current position to the target point, the robot is controlled to continue to execute the process of moving to a preset position.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, the robot control method further includes:

[0015] Control the distance sensor to continuously scan the robot's surrounding environment;

[0016] Based on the data obtained by the distance sensor, determine whether there is an obstacle in front of the robot;

[0017] When there is no obstacle in front of the robot, control the robot to move to the target point.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present invention, when there is an obstacle in front of the robot, the target point is reselected based on information about the surrounding environment of the robot's current position.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present invention, the step of acquiring the target point comprises:

[0020] Taking the robot's current position as the center of the circle, traverse from the inside to the outside to calculate the cost value of different points within the preset distance from the center of the circle in the cost map;

[0021] Select the point with the lowest replacement value as the target point.

[0022] According to one aspect of the present invention, the step of controlling the robot to move from the current position to the target point comprises:

[0023] Calculate the coordinates of the target point and the coordinates of the robot's current position;

[0024] The linear velocity and angular velocity are continuously given through PID control, and the distance difference between the two points is calculated until the target point is reached.

[0025] According to one aspect of the present invention, the obstacles include physical obstacles within the robot's activity range and / or virtual walls set within the robot's activity range.

[0026] According to one aspect of the present invention, the step of controlling the distance sensor to obtain information about the robot's surrounding environment includes: performing noise filtering on the information obtained by the distance sensor.

[0027] According to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention further includes a robot, comprising:

[0028] main body;

[0029] a motion device, the motion device being disposed on the main body and capable of being driven to move the main body;

[0030] a distance sensor disposed on the main body; and

[0031] A control system is in communication with the distance sensor and the motion device and is configured to execute the robot control method as described above.

[0032] According to one aspect of the present invention, the distance sensor is arranged on the top of the main body and / or the bottom of the main body, and is capable of scanning the area directly in front of the movement direction of the robot.

[0033] According to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention further includes a computer-readable storage medium, including computer-executable instructions stored thereon, and when the executable instructions are executed by a processor, the robot control method as described above is implemented.

[0034] Compared with the prior art, an embodiment of the present invention provides a robot control method, which relies on sensors on the robot to obtain information about the robot's surrounding environment, and at the same time combines a cost map to perceive preset virtual walls and other restricted areas, and uses cost value calculation to obtain a target point in the robot's surrounding environment. By controlling the robot to move to the target point position, stress-type escape is achieved during the robot's movement. The use of sensors can obtain the real situation of the robot's surrounding environment, avoid collisions, falls, etc., solve the problem of the robot's escape, and improve the safety of the robot. The process of the robot performing the task is made smoother, and the robot will not stop in place and be unable to navigate due to factors such as obstacles, causing the robot's task to stagnate. The present invention also includes a robot and a computer-readable storage medium for executing the aforementioned robot control method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present invention, they are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0036] Figure 1 is a schematic flow chart of a robot control method in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a robot control method including an obstacle determination process in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 3is a flow chart of a robot control method including a target point acquisition process in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 4 is a flow chart of a robot control method including a process of controlling a robot to move to a target point in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a robot escaping from a trapped state in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 6 1 is a structural block diagram of a robot in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Hereinafter, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the described embodiments may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the drawings and description are to be considered as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

[0043] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "transverse," "length," "width," "thickness," "up," "down," "front," "back," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inside," "outside," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," and the like, indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely for the purpose of facilitating the description of the present invention and simplifying the description. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the aforementioned features. In the description of the present invention, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0044] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed, removable, or integral connections; mechanical, electrical, or intercommunication connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediary; and internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0045] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may also include the first and second features not being in direct contact but being in contact via another feature between them. Furthermore, a first feature being "above," "above," and "above" a second feature may include the first feature being directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "below," "below," and "below" a second feature may include the first feature being directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is at a lower level than the second feature.

[0046] The disclosure below provides many different embodiments or examples for realizing different structures of the present invention. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present invention, the components and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, the present invention may repeat reference numbers and / or reference letters in different examples. Such repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present invention provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but those skilled in the art will recognize the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0047] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate and explain the present invention, and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0048] Robots operating within fixed environments, such as warehouse robots, food delivery robots, and cleaning robots, typically determine their target location, plan a route based on a map, and control the robot to move along the planned route to the target location. The robot's activity scene doesn't only contain fixed obstacles, which can be marked in the constructed map and controlled by the robot. There are also moving obstacles or temporarily fixed obstacles, such as people moving through the robot's environment or objects temporarily placed in the robot's path. The locations of these obstacles are not marked in the map, so the robot needs to obtain the location and size of the obstacles and avoid them. Furthermore, many robot activity scenes also contain artificially set virtual walls. For example, a household sweeping robot may have a restricted area in the indoor environment, restricting the robot to a fixed range. While these walls don't actually exist, they are considered non-collisionable obstacles for the robot's path planning.

[0049] In actual application scenarios, the robot may lose its positioning. The robot's coordinates in the map may be located inside an obstacle, such as a virtual wall, or too close to an obstacle. At the same time, due to the safety detection in the robot's control system, the robot may be trapped in the event of a collision.

[0050] Figure 1 The specific process of a robot control method 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein the robot has a distance sensor, such as a depth sensor, a lidar, a 3D stereo camera, etc., which is usually installed at a fixed position of the robot and can scan the environment within a certain range and obtain obstacle information.

[0051] In step S101, a distance sensor is controlled to obtain information about the robot's surrounding environment. This information includes actual obstacles around the robot. The distance sensor can be used to obtain the location of the obstacle, its distance from the robot, and its range. Preferably, since the distance sensor is typically fixed to the robot, the robot can be controlled to rotate in place to fully obtain information about the robot's surrounding environment.

[0052] In step S102, the cost values ​​of different points within a preset distance range around the robot are obtained by combining the information of the robot's surrounding environment and the cost map, and the target point is obtained according to the cost values.

[0053] Specifically, when planning a robot's path, it needs to utilize a global map of the environment. However, since the global map is static, such as an image, it cannot update obstacle information within the map. In real-world applications, the robot's activity scene may contain moving or temporary obstacles, or old obstacles may have been removed from the real environment. Failure to update the global map in a timely manner can affect the robot's path planning and operational safety. Therefore, to ensure the robot's safe operation, a cost map is required. The cost map not only contains the original map information but also incorporates other auxiliary information. The cost map is created when the robot receives a task and is continuously updated during movement based on information about the robot and obstacles obtained by various sensors on the robot. Specifically, the boundaries around obstacles are expanded to more clearly display the robot's available space and prevent collisions with obstacles. However, if the robot becomes trapped, it may fail safety checks and stop in place. The cost map includes information about obstacles in the robot's activity scene, such as fixed walls, indoor structures, and artificially set virtual walls. It also includes the robot's position in the cost map to prevent the robot from moving directly into virtual walls. In this embodiment, combined with information about the robot's surrounding environment obtained by the distance sensor, it can prevent the robot from colliding with obstacles and can be used to calculate the cost value of different points. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the robot performs real-time and continuous detection during navigation, and the cost map is updated based on the obstacle information obtained by the distance sensor on the robot. In this step, the cost map is called and, based on the data obtained by the distance sensor, the cost value of different points within a preset distance range around the robot is calculated.

[0054] The preset distance range around the robot can be the range scanned by the distance sensor. Combined with the obstacle information obtained by the distance sensor on the robot, the specific positional relationship between the robot and the obstacle, as well as the position of the virtual wall, can be accurately obtained. The cost values ​​of different points within the preset distance range around the robot are obtained, where different points represent the positions to which the robot may move. However, due to the presence of obstacles, the cost values ​​of different points are different. Specifically, the cost value refers to the risk of a collision accident involving the robot. For example, if there is an obstacle directly in front of the robot, the collision risk increases as the robot moves towards the obstacle, and the cost value increases. The points around the robot are sorted by the cost value. Preferably, the point with the lowest cost value is selected as the target point.

[0055] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cost map is constructed using the SLAM method, which controls the robot to move within its range of activity and uses the robot's sensors to scan multiple times to obtain the position of the boundary of the robot's range of activity, thereby forming a closed map. The map constructed by the SLAM method can accurately reflect the position and size information of fixed obstacles, such as house walls, pillar corners, and other fixed obstacles. The cost map also includes virtual walls that are set, such as Figure 5 As shown in , a virtual wall is set within the robot's range of activity to control the robot from entering. For example, in the application scenario of household cleaning, the range that does not need to be cleaned can be manually set to meet the different needs of users. In this embodiment, the cost map is also updated based on the data obtained by the sensors in the robot to ensure the timeliness and accuracy of the cost map. Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cost value includes at least the risk of the robot colliding and the distance between the point and the current position of the robot. Specifically, the cost value is set to increase as the distance between the point and the robot increases. According to a preferred embodiment, a point as close as possible to the current position of the robot is selected as the target point to reduce the number of movements and the moving distance when controlling the robot to escape.

[0056] In step S103, the robot is controlled to move from its current position to a target point. The target point is selected based on the cost value, so the robot can move to the target point normally. After reaching the target point, the robot's position changes. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at this point, there are two situations: the robot is either free or not free. If the robot has been freed, it can continue to move to the destination of the task based on the robot's current position. If the robot has not been freed, it can be controlled to repeat the robot control method 100, reselect the target point at the current position, and move to the target point.

[0057] Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, after obtaining the target point, the coordinates of the target point and the coordinates of the current position of the robot are calculated, and then the linear velocity and angular velocity are continuously calculated by the PID control method, and the distance difference between the target point and the current position of the robot is calculated until the robot is controlled to move to the target point. The PID algorithm is a method for controlling according to the proportion (P), integral (I) and differential (D) of the deviation. It has a simple principle, is easy to implement, has a wide range of applications, and the control parameters are independent of each other. The selection of parameters is relatively simple. In this embodiment, according to the coordinates of the target point and the coordinates of the current position of the robot, preferably, during the robot's movement, the linear velocity and angular velocity are calculated in real time according to the changes in the coordinates of the robot's current position, and the robot is controlled to move to the target point.

[0058] Figure 2A robot control method 200 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown, which includes a process for determining the distance between the robot and an obstacle. Specifically, in step S201, based on information about the robot's surrounding environment acquired by a distance sensor, it is determined whether the distance between the robot and the obstacle is less than a first threshold. If the distance between the robot and the obstacle is less than the first threshold, in step S202, the robot control method of the aforementioned embodiment is executed. If the distance between the robot and the obstacle is not less than the first threshold, in step S203, the robot is controlled to continue moving to perform the current task.

[0059] Specifically, the first threshold can be set based on the robot's activity scenario, for example, 15 centimeters. In this embodiment, the robot moves normally to perform the current task. The robot's entrapment is primarily due to the robot being too close to an obstacle, causing the robot to stop moving. However, in actual situations, the robot does not collide with the obstacle and has room for maneuver. Therefore, in this embodiment, the distance between the robot and the obstacle is used as a condition for determining whether to escape using the robot control method provided by the present invention. At the same time, using a distance sensor to obtain the distance to the obstacle can also prevent the robot from colliding with the obstacle. Specifically, while the robot receives the task and moves along the planned route to the preset position of the current task, it continuously controls the distance sensor to obtain information about the robot's surrounding environment and updates the cost map based on the information obtained by the distance sensor. When the distance between the robot and the obstacle is less than the first threshold, for example, when the distance between the robot and the obstacle obtained by the distance sensor is less than the first threshold, the robot control method of the aforementioned embodiment is triggered. For example, when a robot begins a mission, if someone deliberately blocks its path, or if positioning errors cause the robot's coordinates to appear very close to the obstacle in the costmap, the navigation algorithm may be unable to avoid the obstacle in time. The robot may then assume it has collided with the obstacle and halt navigation and movement, coming to a complete stop. In this case, the robot control method provided by the present invention can be used to prevent the robot from colliding and help it escape.

[0060] Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, after the robot moves to the target point, the robot is controlled to continue to move to the preset position of the current task. During the normal execution of the task, the robot may lose its positioning due to reasons such as communication interruption, resulting in the robot being affected by obstacles and unable to continue to perform the task. The robot control method of this embodiment is used, combined with the information of the robot's surrounding environment obtained by the distance sensor and the cost map, to control the robot to move to the target point to escape, so that the robot can continue to perform the task and move to the preset position of the current task. Of course, in some embodiments, when the distance between the robot and the obstacle is not less than the first threshold, the robot is controlled to continue to perform the task, and during the movement, the distance sensor is controlled to scan the environment around the robot in real time to monitor the distance between the robot and the obstacle.

[0061] like Figure 3 As shown, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the robot control method 300 further includes a process for obtaining the distance to the obstacle. Specifically, steps S301 and S302 in the robot control method 300 are substantially the same as steps S101 and S102 in the robot control method 100 and are not further described here. After obtaining the target point, according to this embodiment, in step S303, the robot is controlled to move toward the target point. In this embodiment, the distance between the robot and the obstacle is relatively close. To control the robot to escape and avoid collision with the obstacle, in step S304, the distance sensor is controlled to continuously scan the robot's surrounding environment. As the robot moves toward the target point, the robot's motion path is continuously scanned, preferably, the area in front of the robot's motion. In step S305, it is determined whether there is an obstacle in front of the robot. If there is an obstacle, the process returns to step S302, a new target point is selected at the robot's current position, and the robot continues to move toward the target point. If there is no obstacle in front of the robot, in step S306, the robot is controlled to continue moving toward the target point until it reaches the target point. When the robot is trapped, the distance between the robot and the obstacle is too close, resulting in the robot's inability to pass the safety detection, and there may be a situation of positioning loss. In this case, the obstacle information in the cost map may contain errors. Therefore, in this embodiment, during the robot's movement towards the target point, the distance sensor is controlled to continuously obtain information in front of the robot's movement in real time, and obtain the actual position of the obstacle to avoid collision. When there is an obstacle, the target point is reselected and the robot's escape route is corrected, so that the robot can finally escape and continue to perform the current task.

[0062] When the robot is in the state of obtaining the target point, the obstacle avoidance movement can no longer be achieved based on the cost map. Instead, the target point coordinates and the robot body coordinates are calculated, and the linear velocity and angular velocity are continuously given through PID control, and the distance difference between the two points is calculated until the target point is reached.

[0063] The robot continuously controls the distance sensors in the robot, such as the depth camera data at the top of the front and the laser probe and depth camera data at the bottom of the front, to screen out whether there are obstacles in the semi-elliptical area in front of the robot. If there are obstacles, the robot will calculate the next optimal target point again and detect it until it turns to the direction without obstacles in front of it, and then start moving towards the latest optimal target point. When it reaches the target point, it switches to navigation mode and continues navigation. Specifically, for example Figure 5 As shown, there is a temporary obstacle in front of the robot during its movement, and a virtual wall is artificially placed to the right of the robot's direction of movement. In this embodiment, the target point is preferentially selected as a point close to the robot's current position. However, in actual applications, escaping the obstacle by simply moving a short distance may be impossible. Therefore, the distance sensor needs to be controlled to reacquire obstacle information. According to the robot control method provided in the embodiments of the present invention, the target point is reselected and movement is made toward the target point. At this point, the method is triggered to calculate the optimal target point that is not within the virtual wall or obstacles, and movement is made toward the target point. Simultaneously, the robot uses a camera and laser probe to detect obstacles directly in front of it. If there are obstacles, the robot continues to calculate the target point and then moves and detects them until it reaches the optimal target point with no obstacles directly in front of it. This moves the robot away from obstacles, virtual walls, and restricted areas, allowing it to continue navigating to its destination only when it switches to navigation mode. If no path is found after reaching 56 target points, the robot stops and reports an error message. If the robot reaches the target point but deviates significantly from the preset target point, the navigation map is used directly. If there are no obstacles in the vicinity, the robot returns to navigation mode. The robot will not cross virtual walls.

[0064] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a process of obtaining a target point is also provided, such as Figure 4 As shown, steps S401 and S404 in the robot control method 400 are basically the same as steps S101 and S103 in the robot control method 100. In step S402, when it is necessary to calculate the target point, the current position of the robot is used as the center of the circle, and the cost values ​​of different points within a preset distance from the center of the circle in the cost map are traversed from the inside to the outside. In this embodiment, the cost value at least includes the risk of the robot colliding and the distance from the current position of the robot. Therefore, in this embodiment, the robot is controlled to calculate the cost values ​​of different points in sequence from the current position outward, and in step S403, the point with the lowest cost value is selected as the target point, thereby reducing the distance of the robot's single movement and reducing the risk of the robot colliding.

[0065] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of controlling the distance sensor to obtain information about the robot's surrounding environment further includes filtering noise from the information obtained by the distance sensor. This embodiment is applicable to scenarios where the robot is controlling an obstacle, where the robot is close to an obstacle. Noise reduction processing of the information obtained by the distance sensor can further improve the accuracy of the obstacle information and prevent collisions between the robot and the obstacle.

[0066] like Figure 6 As shown, the present invention also includes an embodiment of a robot 1. Specifically, the robot 1 includes a main body, a motion device 10, a distance sensor 20, and a control system 30. The main body is the main structural framework of the robot 1. All components of the robot 1 are fixed by the main body. The main body can be made of an alloy material or an organic material with a fixed shape. The various components of the robot 1 are installed in corresponding positions in the main body. The motion device 10 is disposed on the main body and can be driven to drive the robot 1 to move. Preferably, the motion device 10 adopts a wheeled structure, such as a universal wheel driven by an electric motor, to ensure that the robot 1 is always parallel to the ground during movement, ensuring stable operation of the robot 1, and enabling the robot to complete specific tasks such as distribution, handling, and cleaning.

[0067] The distance sensor 20 is fixedly mounted on the main body, preferably in a fixed, constrained relationship with the main body. It can scan the surrounding environment of the robot 1 and obtain distance information or point cloud data. Depending on the embodiment, the robot 1 may be equipped with multiple distance sensors 20 to comprehensively obtain information about the surrounding environment of the robot 1. Specifically, the distance sensor 20 may be a laser ranging device, a lidar, a depth camera, or the like.

[0068] The control system 30 is disposed on the main body and is signal-connected to the motion device 10 and the distance sensor 20. For example, the control system 30 is a processor that communicates with the motion device 10 and the distance sensor 20 via a data cable or wireless communication. It is capable of controlling the operation of the motion device 10 and the distance sensor 20 and receiving information about the robot's surrounding environment acquired by the distance sensor 20. The control system 30 in this embodiment is capable of executing the robot control method described in the previous embodiments to control the robot 1 to escape from distress and avoid collision accidents.

[0069] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the robot 1 specifically includes a housing for carrying items, a mobile chassis, a function controller for providing user operations, a bottom-level controller for map generation and path planning, and an element controller for controlling the mobile unit and the environment detection unit. The mobile chassis is provided with at least two sets of drive wheels, each set of drive wheels being located on one side of the mobile chassis. The element controller controls the travel speed of the drive wheels.

[0070] Specifically, among the driving wheels provided in the mobile unit, at least one set of driving wheels is used as the left driving wheel, and at the same time, at least one set of driving wheels is used as the right driving wheel. The left driving wheel and the right driving wheel are located on opposite sides of the chassis and are used to realize the steering of the robot 1. When controlling the robot to move toward the target point, since the robot is trapped and the surrounding environment is complex, it is usually necessary to rotate and change the posture of the robot, and control the robot to move to the target point according to different linear speeds and angular speeds.

[0071] Optionally, the mobile unit may also include at least two groups of driven wheels, one group of driving wheels corresponding to one group of driven wheels, wherein at least one group of driven wheels is used as the left driven wheel, and at the same time, at least one group of driven wheels is used as the right driven wheel, and the left driven wheels and the right driven wheels are used to assist the left driving wheels and the right driving wheels in driving the robot's shell and chassis to move, thereby reducing the load pressure on the driving wheels.

[0072] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the distance sensor in robot 1 is located at the top and / or bottom of the main body and is capable of scanning the area directly in front of the robot 1 in its direction of motion to obtain information about obstacles. In indoor activities, structures such as stairs may exist, resulting in height differences between the ground and the ground. Wheeled robots cannot cross large height differences and therefore need to avoid stair-like structures. The distance sensor located at the bottom of the robot 1 can be used to obtain information about obstacles such as stair-like structures.

[0073] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention further comprises a computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the executable instructions implement the robot control method as described above when executed by a processor.

[0074] Finally, it should be noted that the above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art will be able to modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments or substitute equivalents for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A robot control method, wherein the robot has a range sensor and, during movement of the robot, when the robot's coordinates are close to an obstacle in a costmap, the robot's navigation algorithm cannot avoid the obstacle in time and the robot stops navigating and stops moving in place, the robot control method is executed; The robot control method comprises: Control the distance sensor to obtain information about the robot's surrounding environment; Combining information about the robot's surroundings with a cost map, the cost values ​​of different points within a preset distance around the robot are obtained, and the target point is obtained based on the cost values; the cost map is constructed using the SLAM method and updated based on data obtained by the robot's sensors; The cost value includes at least the risk of the robot colliding and the distance from the robot's current position; the step of obtaining the target point includes: Taking the robot's current position as the center of the circle, traverse from the inside to the outside to calculate the cost value of different points within the preset distance from the center of the circle in the cost map; Select the point with the lowest replacement value as the target point; Controlling the robot to move from the current position to the target point; the step of controlling the robot to move from the current position to the target point includes: Calculate the coordinates of the target point and the coordinates of the robot's current position; The linear velocity and angular velocity are continuously given by PID control, and the distance difference between the two points is calculated until the target point is reached; The robot control method further comprises: Based on the data obtained by the distance sensor, determine whether there is an obstacle in front of the robot; When there is no obstacle in front of the robot, control the robot to move to the target point; When there is an obstacle in front of the robot, the target point is reselected based on the information of the surrounding environment of the robot's current position.

2. The robot control method according to claim 1, wherein in the process of controlling the robot to move to a preset position, a distance sensor is used to obtain the distance between the robot and the obstacle in real time; Determining whether the distance between the robot and the obstacle is less than a first threshold; When the distance between the robot and the obstacle is less than a first threshold, the robot control method is executed.

3. The robot control method according to claim 2, wherein after controlling the robot to move from the current position to the target point, the robot is controlled to continue to move to the preset position.

4. The robot control method according to claim 1, further comprising: Control the distance sensor to continuously scan the robot's surrounding environment.

5. The robot control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the obstacle comprises a physical obstacle within the robot's activity range and / or a virtual wall set within the robot's activity range.

6. The robot control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the step of controlling the distance sensor to obtain information about the robot's surrounding environment comprises: Perform noise filtering on the information obtained by the distance sensor.

7. A robot comprising: main body; a motion device, the motion device being disposed on the main body and capable of being driven to move the main body; a distance sensor, the distance sensor being arranged on the main body; and A control system, wherein the control system communicates with the distance sensor and the motion device and is configured to execute the robot control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The robot according to claim 7, wherein the distance sensor is arranged on the top of the main body and / or the bottom of the main body and is capable of scanning the area right in front of the movement direction of the robot.

9. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the robot control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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