A robot homing method, device, robot and storage medium

Abstract

The application discloses a robot leading method and device, a robot and a storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: if the robot reaches a target parking position, adjusting a current posture of the robot into a target parking posture associated with a target leading position corresponding to a current leading task of the robot, and performing a first prompting operation; adjusting the current posture from the target parking posture into a welcome posture, so that a facing direction of a display device of the robot faces a target leading object, and performing a second prompting operation; wherein the facing direction is consistent with an advancing direction of the robot. By running the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the application, the problem that, for a robot with a fixed display device at the front end, after leading an object to a target position, the robot usually faces away from the object and prompts the object through voice that the object has reached the leading destination, thereby reducing the human-computer interaction experience, and the beneficial effect of improving the human-computer interaction experience is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to robotics, and more particularly to a robot leadership method, apparatus, robot, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] With the popularization of intelligent robots, their application in service industries is becoming more and more widespread, which not only reduces labor costs but also improves work efficiency, such as through location guidance.

[0003] After guiding the subject to the target location, the robot typically provides a voice prompt indicating that the destination has been reached. However, for robots with a display device fixed to the front, the robot usually faces away from the subject when providing this notification, which reduces the human-computer interaction experience. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a robot guidance method, apparatus, robot, and storage medium to improve the human-computer interaction experience.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a robot leadership method is provided, the method comprising:

[0006] If the robot reaches the target docking position, then according to the target homing position corresponding to the robot's current homing task, the robot's current posture is adjusted to the target docking posture associated with the target homing position, and the first prompt operation is performed.

[0007] The current posture is adjusted from the target docking posture to a welcoming posture, so that the robot's display device faces the target being guided, and a second prompting operation is performed; wherein, the facing direction is consistent with the robot's forward direction.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, a robot guiding device is provided, the device comprising:

[0009] The docking posture adjustment module is used to adjust the robot's current posture to a target docking posture associated with the target territorial position based on the target territorial position corresponding to the robot's current territorial task, and to perform a first prompt operation when the robot reaches the target docking position.

[0010] The welcome posture adjustment module is used to adjust the current posture from the target docking posture to a welcome posture, so that the robot's display device faces the target being guided, and performs a second prompt operation; wherein, the facing direction is consistent with the robot's forward direction.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, a robot is provided, the robot comprising:

[0012] At least one processor; and

[0013] A memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein,

[0014] The memory stores a computer program that can be executed by the at least one processor, the computer program being executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the robot leadership method according to any embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, the computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for causing a processor to execute and implement the robot leadership method according to any embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] The technical solution of this invention involves adjusting the robot's current posture to a target parking posture associated with the target parking position after the robot reaches the target parking location, based on the target parking position corresponding to the current guiding task, and performing a first prompt operation; then adjusting the current posture from the target parking posture to a welcoming posture, so that the robot's display device faces the target being guided, and performing a second prompt operation; wherein the facing direction is consistent with the robot's forward direction. Setting a target parking posture helps users quickly determine the target parking position, and setting a welcoming posture enhances the user's interactive experience. Simultaneously, the first and second prompt operations, in conjunction with the posture, make the prompts smoother and more effective. This solves the problem that for robot guides with their display devices fixed to the front, the robot is usually facing away from the target being guided when providing arrival prompts, which reduces the human-computer interaction experience.

[0017] It should be understood that the description in this section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the present invention, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the invention. Other features of the invention will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a robot leadership method provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a restaurant scene provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a robot provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a robot leadership method provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a robot guiding device provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a robot used to implement embodiments of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," "target," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0026] Example 1

[0027] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a robot guidance method provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. This embodiment is applicable to situations where a robot is guiding its position. This method can be executed by the robot guidance device provided in this embodiment of the present invention, which can be implemented in software and / or hardware. See also Figure 1 The robot leadership method provided in this embodiment includes:

[0028] Step 110: If the robot reaches the target docking position, adjust the robot's current posture to the target docking posture associated with the target docking position according to the target homing position corresponding to the robot's current homing task, and perform the first prompt operation.

[0029] The target docking position is where the robot docks after completing the current facilitator task, indicating that the guided object has arrived near the target facilitator position. The target facilitator position is the facilitator position that the robot needs to lead the guided object to. Depending on the surrounding environment of each facilitator position, each facilitator position can correspond to at least one docking position, and the docking positions corresponding to different facilitator positions can be the same.

[0030] For example, in a restaurant scenario, the target guiding position can be table A, where the robot needs to be guided, and the target docking position can be location one near table A where the robot can temporarily dock; in a hotel scenario, the target guiding position can be room A, where the robot needs to be guided, and the target docking position can be location one and location two near room A where the robot can temporarily dock.

[0031] The current facilitator task is the facilitator task that the robot is currently performing. The target facilitator position corresponding to the current facilitator task is the guidance location corresponding to the current facilitator task. For example, if the current facilitator task is to guide the target person from the restaurant entrance to table A, then table A is the target facilitator position.

[0032] Each docking position can be configured with one or more docking postures, which can be associated with a target leader position. The docking posture is the posture the robot automatically adjusts when it is at the target docking position, such as the robot's orientation. Based on the target leader position, the robot's current posture is adjusted to the target docking posture associated with that position. For example, when the robot first arrives at the target docking position, its current posture is sideways to the target leader position; this can be adjusted to a target docking posture directly facing the leader position.

[0033] The first prompt operation is used to indicate that the target being led has reached the vicinity of the target facilitator's position. It can be a voice prompt, but this embodiment does not limit this. For example, the first prompt operation can be the robot playing the prompt "Table A has arrived".

[0034] In this embodiment, optionally, before the robot reaches the target docking position, the following steps are also included:

[0035] Obtain at least one candidate parking position associated with the target territorial position, and determine the target parking position from the candidate parking positions; wherein the target territorial position is associated with at least one preset parking posture;

[0036] Based on the target docking location and the robot's first current position, plan the leading path corresponding to the current leading task.

[0037] Each leader position can be associated with at least one docking position, and the candidate docking position is the docking position associated with the target leader position. The target docking position is determined from the candidate docking positions. This can be done by random selection or by combining the path planning results of the robot's current position to each candidate docking position and determining the candidate docking position with the shortest estimated arrival time in the path planning results as the target docking position. This embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0038] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a restaurant scene provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, each dining table can be a host position, and each dining table can correspond to one or more resting positions. For dining table A1, there are corresponding resting positions a1 and a13 above and below, respectively, and the resting position on the lower side can be shared with dining table A3.

[0039] Each docking position can be associated with at least one preset docking posture, and different preset docking postures can be different. For example, for Figure 2 The docking position is a1, and the docking posture can be that the robot is facing the table a1. Figure 2 In the diagram, both docking positions a1 and a13 allow the robot to face table A1 with its posture facing the table. However, due to the different docking positions, the corresponding docking postures for positions a1 and a13 can be completely opposite.

[0040] The robot's first current position is the position the robot is in when planning the guiding path, such as the restaurant entrance in a restaurant scenario. Based on the target parking position and the robot's first current position, the guiding path corresponding to the current guiding task is planned, that is, the guiding path from the first current position to the target parking position is planned so that the robot can move to the target parking position according to the guiding path.

[0041] By associating the target steerable location with at least one candidate stopping location, the diversity of path planning is enriched. This allows for switching to other stopping locations and replanning the path when a certain stopping location is occupied, thus improving steerable location efficiency. Furthermore, by pre-setting stopping postures corresponding to the steerable locations, the target guided object can correctly identify the location of the target steerable location, improving the effectiveness of location guidance.

[0042] In this embodiment, optionally, before the robot reaches the target docking position, the following steps are also included:

[0043] If the robot's second current position is less than the first preset distance from the target docking position, and it is determined that there is a first obstruction event that prevents the robot from reaching the target docking position, then a temporary docking position is determined based on the target leader position;

[0044] The robot is controlled to move from its second current position to a temporary docking position according to the first temporary planned path.

[0045] If the robot reaches the temporary docking position, it will adjust its docking posture according to the temporary docking position and the target leader position, and perform the third prompt operation.

[0046] The second current position is the position of the robot when it is less than the first preset distance from the target docking position during the completion of the current leading task, and when it is determined that there is a first obstacle event that prevents the robot from reaching the target docking position.

[0047] The first obstruction event that prevents the robot from reaching the target docking location can be a moving crowd, a temporary obstacle, etc., and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0048] The temporary parking location can be determined based on the target location. For example, the nearest available parking location near the target location can be selected as the temporary parking location, such as the parking location corresponding to an empty table in a restaurant scenario.

[0049] The robot is controlled to move from its second current position to a temporary parking position according to the first temporary planned path. Once the robot reaches the temporary parking position, its parking posture is adjusted based on the temporary parking position and the target leader position. This allows the robot to park facing the target leader position after reaching the temporary parking position, and a third prompt is given.

[0050] The third prompt operation is used to indicate the robot's current status. This can be a voice prompt, or a text / animation prompt on the robot's display device, etc., and this embodiment does not limit this. For example, the third prompt operation can play a voice message indicating that the robot cannot currently reach the target territorial position, and also indicates the location of the target territorial position.

[0051] For example, such as Figure 2 As shown, point b1 is used as a temporary docking position. After the robot reaches point b1, it stops in the direction of the target seating position A1 and performs the third prompt operation, that is, broadcasting a special seating prompt, such as "Table A1 is right across from us, but I can't get there", prompting the user to sit down and eat.

[0052] If the robot's second current position is less than the first preset distance from the target docking position, and a first obstacle event is determined that prevents the robot from reaching the target docking position, a temporary docking position is determined based on the target leading position. This avoids the robot remaining in a leading state when it is close to the target docking position but cannot reach it, thus reducing leading efficiency. If the robot reaches the temporary docking position, its docking posture is adjusted based on the temporary docking position and the target leading position, and a third prompt operation is performed. This ensures that the target guided object can correctly identify the target leading position even when it cannot reach the target docking position, improving the effectiveness of position guidance.

[0053] Step 120: Adjust the current posture from the target parking posture to the welcoming posture, so that the robot's display device faces the target being guided, and perform the second prompt operation; wherein, the facing direction is consistent with the robot's forward direction.

[0054] In this context, the welcoming posture refers to the state in which the robot's display device faces the target being guided. The display device can be a screen, but this embodiment does not impose any limitations on it. The direction in which the robot's display device faces is the robot's forward direction. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a robot provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 3 As shown, the display screen 30 is fixed to the front of the robot, facing the same direction as the robot's forward movement. Optionally, to facilitate food placement and retrieval from the rear and sides and reduce collisions, the stereo vision 31 and LiDAR 32 used for positioning, navigation, and obstacle detection can be located at the bottom of the robot's forward direction.

[0055] Optionally, during the robot's current guidance task, its display device can show a map in real time, marking the robot's current position, orientation, the location of the target point, and other target points near the target point. This allows the target being guided to know the guidance path, and if needed, the target being guided can end the robot's guidance task early and proceed to the target guidance location on its own. This enriches the options available in the robot's guidance process and improves the user experience.

[0056] The current posture is adjusted from the target docking posture to a welcoming posture, that is, the robot is adjusted from the target docking posture to a posture facing the target guide object. This adjustment can be made by identifying the location of the target guide object using sensors or similar devices; if the robot is not equipped with sensors or similar devices to identify the location of the target guide object, it can be determined based on the direction of its travel path before reaching the docking position. This embodiment does not impose any limitations on this. For example, if the robot's target docking posture is facing the target guide object, the current posture is adjusted from the target docking posture to a welcoming posture where the robot's display device faces the target guide object.

[0057] The second prompt operation is used to improve the user interaction experience. It can be a voice prompt or a text animation prompt in the robot display device. This embodiment does not limit this. For example, the second prompt operation can be to display a "Welcome to sit down" emoticon in the display device and / or play a "Welcome to sit down" voice.

[0058] In this embodiment, optionally, adjusting the current attitude from the target docking attitude to the welcoming attitude includes:

[0059] The attitude adjustment method is determined based on the target's docking attitude and the current homing task's corresponding homing path;

[0060] The current attitude is adjusted from the target docking attitude to the welcoming attitude based on the attitude adjustment method.

[0061] The guiding path corresponding to the current guiding task is the path traversed by the guided target object when the current guiding task is executed. Each target docking position can correspond to at least one guiding path. For example, such as... Figure 2 As shown, docking position a1 can be reached by facilitator path 21, and a13 can be reached by facilitator path 22. If the target docking position is a1, then the facilitator path corresponding to the current facilitator task can be facilitator path 21.

[0062] The attitude adjustment method is determined based on the target docking posture and the current steerable path corresponding to the steerable task. This can be achieved by determining the attitude adjustment method based on the direction of the robot's steerable path to the target docking position and the target docking posture. For example, such as... Figure 2 For table A1, the guiding path can be from the left side of table A1 to the target parking position a1, or from the right side of table A1. If the guiding path for the current guiding task is from the right side of table A1 to the target parking position a1, and the target parking posture is facing table A1 at point a1, then the adjustment method can be for the robot to rotate counterclockwise by 45 to 90 degrees from facing table A1 at point a1.

[0063] Since the target object usually follows the robot along the facilitator path, the current posture is adjusted from the target parking posture to the welcoming posture according to the posture adjustment method. This avoids the problem that the robot may not be able to face the target object if it follows a fixed turning method when the target parking position is the same, due to different facilitator paths. This improves the accuracy of posture adjustment. It also avoids the need to identify the target object in order to adjust to the welcoming posture, thus improving the efficiency of posture adjustment.

[0064] The technical solution provided in this embodiment adjusts the robot's current posture to the target docking posture associated with the target docking position according to the target docking position corresponding to the robot's current navigating task, and performs a first prompt operation when the robot reaches the target docking position, thereby enabling the target guided object to accurately identify the location of the target docking position and improving the effectiveness of position guidance.

[0065] The robot's current posture is adjusted from the target docking posture to the welcoming posture, so that the robot's display device faces the target being guided, and the second prompt operation is performed facing the target being guided, thus improving the human-computer interaction experience between the robot with the display device fixed at the front end and the target being guided.

[0066] Example 2

[0067] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a robot guidance method provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. This technical solution provides a supplementary explanation of the process before the robot reaches the target docking position. Compared with the above solution, this solution is specifically optimized as follows: before the robot reaches the target docking position, it further includes:

[0068] If the third current position of the robot is greater than the second preset distance from the target docking position, and it is determined that there is a second obstruction event that prevents the robot from reaching the target docking position, then a first exploration operation is performed on the current direction of travel.

[0069] Within a preset time, determine whether there is a detour path in the current direction of travel based on the first exploration operation;

[0070] If not, the path determination result is obtained, and the leadership method corresponding to the current leadership task is updated according to the path determination result; wherein, the path determination result is used to determine whether there is a candidate movement path from the third current position to the target docking position outside the current forward direction. Specifically, the flowchart of the robot leadership method is as follows: Figure 4 As shown:

[0071] Step 410: If the distance between the robot's third current position and the target docking position is greater than the second preset distance, and it is determined that there is a second obstacle event that prevents the robot from reaching the target docking position, then the first exploration operation is performed on the current direction of travel.

[0072] The third current position is the position of the robot when, during the completion of the current leadership task, the distance between the robot and the target docking position is less than the second preset distance, and a second obstacle event is determined to exist that prevents the robot from reaching the target docking position. The first preset distance and the second preset distance can be the same or different; this embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0073] The second obstruction event that prevents the robot from reaching the target docking position can be a flowing crowd, a temporary obstacle, etc., and this embodiment does not limit this. The first pathfinding operation in the current direction of movement can involve the robot rotating by a preset angle, such as rotating 45 degrees left or right, to detect whether there is a movable path in the current direction of movement. Here, the current direction of movement is the direction the robot faces when moving along the guiding path from the third current position.

[0074] Step 420: Within a preset time, determine whether there is a detour path in the current direction of travel based on the first exploration operation.

[0075] Within a preset timeframe, such as 30 seconds, the system determines whether a detour path exists in the current direction of travel based on the first exploration operation; that is, whether the second obstacle event can be eliminated by detouring. If a detour path exists, the system moves along the detour path until the second obstacle event is eliminated. Subsequently, the system can return to the pre-planned guiding path and continue moving along it.

[0076] Step 430: If not, obtain the path judgment result and update the leadership method corresponding to the current leadership task according to the path judgment result; wherein, the path judgment result is used to determine whether there is a candidate movement path from the third current position to the target docking position in a direction other than the current forward direction.

[0077] If, within a preset time, it is determined that there is no detour path in the current forward direction, a path determination result is obtained. This result is used to determine whether there is a candidate movement path from the third current position to the target stopping position in a non-current forward direction; that is, to determine whether it is possible to move from the third current position to the target stopping position from a non-current forward direction. For example, if the current forward direction is forward walking, the non-current forward direction can be left, right, or backward.

[0078] The current leadership method is updated based on the path determination result. That is, the execution method of the current leadership task is determined after the existence of a candidate movement path. For example, if there is no candidate movement path, the leadership method of the current leadership task can be updated to stop the leadership task. If there is a candidate movement path, the leadership method of the current leadership task can be updated to move according to the candidate movement path.

[0079] In this embodiment, optionally, updating the emceeing method corresponding to the current emceeing task based on the path determination result includes:

[0080] If the path determination result is that there is no candidate movement path, then the fourth prompt operation is performed, and the interaction event generated by the target guiding object according to the fourth prompt operation is detected;

[0081] If the interactive event meets the preset event conditions, the facing direction of the display device will be adjusted to face the target guiding object, and a fifth prompt operation associated with the current guiding task will be performed and / or the task information associated with the current guiding task will be displayed on the display device.

[0082] If the path determination result indicates that no candidate movement path exists, a fourth prompt operation is performed. This fourth prompt operation is used to indicate the robot's current status and can be a voice prompt or a text / animation prompt on the robot's display device, etc. This embodiment does not impose any limitations on this. For example, the fourth prompt operation can be a voice prompt indicating that the robot cannot currently reach the target location and asking whether to display the route to the target location.

[0083] The system detects interactive events generated by the target guide based on the fourth prompt operation. For example, the fourth prompt operation may be to ask the target guide to display the voice prompt of the route to the target guide location on the display device. The target guide can respond accordingly to the prompt, such as by replying with a voice, thus generating an interactive event.

[0084] If the interaction event meets preset event conditions, such as the target being guided responding by agreeing to the robot displaying the route to the target facilitator position on the display device, the facing direction of the display device will be adjusted to face the target being guided, improving the interactive experience. A fifth prompt operation associated with the current facilitator task will then be performed, and / or task information associated with the current facilitator task will be displayed on the display device.

[0085] The fifth prompt operation is used to guide the target guided object on how to reach the target helm position. This can be a voice prompt, or a text / animation prompt on the robot's display device, etc., and this embodiment does not impose any limitations on this. For example, the fifth prompt operation can be playing a voice prompt explaining how to reach the target helm position.

[0086] Displaying task information associated with the current facilitator task on the display device can show the route for the target facilitator to reach the target facilitator position, making it easier for the target facilitator to understand intuitively.

[0087] For example, such as Figure 2As shown, the robot is currently at point m, the third current position on the facilitating path corresponding to the current facilitating task. There is an obstacle 23 in the current direction of movement, which cannot be bypassed. There are no candidate movement paths from point m to the target stopping position, table A1, outside the current direction of movement. Therefore, the robot performs a fourth prompt operation, broadcasting the voice message, "I can't get there yet, how about I tell you how to get there?" The robot detects the interaction event generated by the target being led based on the fourth prompt operation, such as the target being led replying "Okay." Then, the robot adjusts the facing direction of the display device to face the target being led and performs a fifth prompt operation associated with the current facilitating task, such as broadcasting the voice message, "Go straight to the end of table A1, then turn left to the end," or displaying task information associated with the current facilitating task on the display device, such as the walking route from point m to table A1.

[0088] To avoid the problem of the robot continuing to explore even when the path determination result indicates that no candidate movement path exists, thus reducing the efficiency of leading the robot, the robot adjusts the facing direction of the display device to face the target object if the interaction event meets the preset event conditions. It then performs a fifth prompt operation associated with the current leading task and / or displays task information associated with the current leading task on the display device, allowing the target object to reach the target leading position on its own. This improves both the interactive experience and the effectiveness of leading the robot.

[0089] In this embodiment, optionally, updating the emceeing method corresponding to the current emceeing task based on the path determination result includes:

[0090] If the path determination result indicates that the candidate movement path exists, then a second exploration operation is performed on the candidate movement path to determine the target movement path from the candidate movement path;

[0091] Switch the robot's intended path to the target path and perform the sixth prompt operation.

[0092] If the path determination result is that there is no candidate movement path, a second exploration operation of candidate movement paths is performed. For example, the robot first turns 180 degrees to explore the path in order to determine the target movement path from the candidate movement paths. For example, any currently passable candidate movement path is determined as the target movement path.

[0093] The robot's current path is switched to the target path, meaning the remaining portion of the original facilitator path is replaced with the target path to complete the current leadership task, and a sixth prompt is executed. This sixth prompt indicates the robot's current status and can be a voice prompt, text or animation on the robot's display device, etc. This embodiment does not limit this. For example, the fifth prompt could be playing a voice message announcing the switch to the target path.

[0094] For example, such as Figure 2 As shown, the robot is currently at point n, the third current position, within the facilitator path 21 corresponding to the current facilitator task. An obstacle 24 exists in the current direction of movement and cannot be bypassed. A candidate movement path 22 exists outside the current direction of movement, leading from point m to the target stopping position, table A1. A second exploration operation is performed on the candidate movement path to determine the passable path as the target movement path. The robot's current movement path is then switched to the target movement path. A sixth prompt operation is then performed, such as a voice announcement saying, "Let's take another route; it's too congested up ahead."

[0095] When the path determination result indicates the existence of a candidate movement path, the robot's path to be moved is promptly switched to a passable target movement path, improving the flexibility of path switching and the efficiency of leadership.

[0096] Step 440: If the robot reaches the target docking position, adjust the robot's current posture to the target docking posture associated with the target docking position according to the target homing position corresponding to the robot's current homing task, and perform the first prompt operation.

[0097] Step 450: Adjust the current posture from the target docking posture to the welcoming posture, so that the robot's display device faces the target being guided, and perform the second prompt operation; wherein, the facing direction is consistent with the robot's forward direction.

[0098] This invention, in its embodiments, involves a first exploration operation on the current direction of travel if the robot's third current position is greater than a second preset distance from the target docking position, and a second obstacle event preventing the robot from reaching the target docking position is determined. Within a preset time, the first exploration operation determines whether a detour path exists on the current direction of travel. If not, the path determination result is obtained, and the leadership method corresponding to the current leadership task is updated based on the path determination result. This avoids the problem of the robot stopping guidance or continuing exploration when it is close to the target docking position and there is no detour path ahead, thus improving leadership efficiency. Furthermore, updating the leadership method corresponding to the current leadership task based on different path determination results enriches the diversity and reliability of leadership methods.

[0099] Example 3

[0100] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a robot guiding device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. This device can be implemented in hardware and / or software, and can execute a robot guiding method provided in any embodiment of the present invention, possessing the corresponding functional modules and beneficial effects of the method. Figure 5 As shown, the device includes:

[0101] The docking posture adjustment module 510 is used to adjust the robot's current posture to a target docking posture associated with the target territorial position according to the target territorial position corresponding to the robot's current territorial task if the robot reaches the target docking position, and to perform a first prompt operation.

[0102] The welcoming posture adjustment module 520 is used to adjust the current posture from the target docking posture to a welcoming posture, so that the robot's display device faces the target being guided, and to perform a second prompt operation; wherein the facing direction is consistent with the robot's forward direction.

[0103] Based on the above technical solutions, optionally, the welcoming posture adjustment module includes:

[0104] The attitude adjustment method determination unit is used to determine the attitude adjustment method based on the target docking attitude and the homing path corresponding to the current homing task.

[0105] A welcoming posture adjustment unit is used to adjust the current posture from the target docking posture to the welcoming posture according to the posture adjustment method.

[0106] Based on the above technical solutions, optionally, the device further includes:

[0107] A target parking position determination module is used to obtain at least one candidate parking position associated with the target territorial position before the parking posture adjustment module, and determine the target parking position from the candidate parking positions; wherein the target territorial position is associated with at least one preset parking posture;

[0108] The facilitator path planning module is used to plan the facilitator path corresponding to the current facilitator task based on the target docking position and the robot's first current position.

[0109] Based on the above technical solutions, optionally, the device further includes:

[0110] A temporary docking location determination module is used before the docking posture adjustment module. If the second current position of the robot is less than the target docking location by a first preset distance, and it is determined that there is a first obstruction event that prevents the robot from reaching the target docking location, then a temporary docking location is determined based on the target docking location.

[0111] The temporary parking location travel module is used to control the robot to travel from the second current location to the temporary parking location according to the first temporary planned path;

[0112] The docking posture adjustment module is used to adjust the docking posture according to the temporary docking position and the target leader position if the robot reaches the temporary docking position, and to perform a third prompt operation.

[0113] Based on the above technical solutions, optionally, the device further includes:

[0114] The first exploration operation module is used before the docking posture adjustment module. If the distance between the robot's third current position and the target docking position is greater than the second preset distance, and it is determined that there is a second obstacle event that prevents the robot from reaching the target docking position, then the first exploration operation is performed on the current direction of travel.

[0115] The detour path determination module is used to determine whether there is a detour path in the current forward direction based on the first path exploration operation within a preset time.

[0116] The facilitator update module is used to obtain a path judgment result if the detour path determination module determines no, and update the facilitator mode corresponding to the current facilitator task according to the path judgment result; wherein, the path judgment result is used to determine whether there is a candidate movement path from the third current position to the target stopping position in a direction other than the current forward direction.

[0117] Based on the above technical solutions, optionally, the seating arrangement update module includes:

[0118] An interactive event detection unit is used to perform a fourth prompt operation if the path judgment result is that the candidate movement path does not exist, and to detect the interactive events generated by the target guiding object according to the fourth prompt operation.

[0119] The orientation adjustment unit is used to adjust the facing direction of the display device to face the target guiding object if the interactive event meets the preset event conditions, and to perform a fifth prompt operation associated with the current guiding task and / or display task information associated with the current guiding task on the display device.

[0120] Based on the above technical solutions, optionally, the seating arrangement update module includes:

[0121] The second pathfinding operation unit is used to perform a second pathfinding operation on the candidate movement path if the path determination result indicates that the candidate movement path exists, so as to determine the target movement path from the candidate movement path.

[0122] The path switching unit is used to switch the robot's path to be moved to the target path and perform the sixth prompt operation.

[0123] Example 4

[0124] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a robot 10 that can be used to implement embodiments of the present invention is shown. The robot is intended to represent various forms of digital computers, such as laptop computers, desktop computers, workbenches, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframe computers, and other suitable computers. The robot can also represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digital processors, cellular phones, smartphones, wearable devices (such as helmets, glasses, watches, etc.), and other similar computing devices. The components shown herein, their connections and relationships, and their functions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the implementation of the invention described and / or claimed herein.

[0125] like Figure 6 As shown, robot 10 includes at least one processor 11 and a memory, such as read-only memory (ROM) 12, random access memory (RAM) 13, etc., communicatively connected to at least one processor 11. The memory stores computer programs executable by at least one processor. Processor 11 can perform various appropriate actions and processes based on the computer program stored in ROM 12 or loaded from storage unit 18 into RAM 13. RAM 13 can also store various programs and data required for the operation of robot 10. Processor 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are interconnected via bus 14. Input / output (I / O) interface 15 is also connected to bus 14.

[0126] Multiple components in robot 10 are connected to I / O interface 15, including: input unit 16, such as keyboard, mouse, etc.; output unit 17, such as various types of displays, speakers, etc.; storage unit 18, such as disk, optical disk, etc.; and communication unit 19, such as network card, modem, wireless transceiver, etc. Communication unit 19 allows robot 10 to exchange information / data with other devices through computer networks such as the Internet and / or various telecommunications networks.

[0127] Processor 11 can be a variety of general-purpose and / or special-purpose processing components with processing and computing capabilities. Some examples of processor 11 include, but are not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), various special-purpose artificial intelligence (AI) computing chips, various processors running machine learning model algorithms, a digital signal processor (DSP), and any suitable processor, controller, microcontroller, etc. Processor 11 performs the various methods and processes described above, such as robot leadership methods.

[0128] In some embodiments, the robot homing method may be implemented as a computer program tangibly contained in a computer-readable storage medium, such as storage unit 18. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program may be loaded and / or mounted on the robot 10 via ROM 12 and / or communication unit 19. When the computer program is loaded into RAM 13 and executed by processor 11, one or more steps of the robot homing method described above may be performed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, processor 11 may be configured to perform the robot homing method by any other suitable means (e.g., by means of firmware).

[0129] Various embodiments of the systems and techniques described above herein can be implemented in digital electronic circuit systems, integrated circuit systems, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), systems-on-a-chip (SoCs), payload-programmable logic devices (CPLDs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various embodiments may include implementations in one or more computer programs that can be executed and / or interpreted on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be a dedicated or general-purpose programmable processor, capable of receiving data and instructions from a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device, and transmitting data and instructions to the storage system, the at least one input device, and the at least one output device.

[0130] Computer programs used to implement the methods of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These computer programs may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that when executed by the processor, the computer programs cause the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be performed. The computer programs may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, or as a standalone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0131] In the context of this invention, a computer-readable storage medium can be a tangible medium that may contain or store a computer program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. Alternatively, a computer-readable storage medium may be a machine-readable signal medium. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include electrical connections based on one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0132] To provide interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described herein can be implemented on a robot having: a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user; and a keyboard and pointing device (e.g., a mouse or trackball) through which the user provides input to the robot. Other types of devices can also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any form (including sound input, voice input, or tactile input).

[0133] The systems and technologies described herein can be implemented in computing systems that include backend components (e.g., as data servers), or computing systems that include middleware components (e.g., application servers), or computing systems that include frontend components (e.g., user computers with graphical user interfaces or web browsers through which users can interact with implementations of the systems and technologies described herein), or any combination of such backend, middleware, or frontend components. The components of the system can be interconnected via digital data communication of any form or medium (e.g., communication networks). Examples of communication networks include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), blockchain networks, and the Internet.

[0134] A computing system can include clients and servers. Clients and servers are generally located far apart and typically interact through communication networks. The client-server relationship is created by computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship with each other. The server can be a cloud server, also known as a cloud computing server or cloud host, which is a hosting product within the cloud computing service system to address the shortcomings of traditional physical hosts and VPS services, such as high management difficulty and weak business scalability.

[0135] It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used, with steps reordered, added, or deleted. For example, the steps described in this invention can be executed in parallel, sequentially, or in different orders, as long as the desired result of the technical solution of this invention can be achieved, and this is not limited herein.

[0136] The specific embodiments described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this invention should be included within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A robot leadership method, characterized in that, include: If the robot reaches the target docking position, then according to the target homing position corresponding to the robot's current homing task, the robot's current posture is adjusted to the target docking posture associated with the target homing position, and the first prompt operation is performed. The current posture is adjusted from the target docking posture to a welcoming posture, so that the robot's display device faces the target being guided, and a second prompting operation is performed; wherein, the facing direction is consistent with the robot's forward direction; The procedure further includes, before the robot reaches the target docking position: if the distance between the robot's third current position and the target docking position is greater than a second preset distance, and a second obstruction event is determined to prevent the robot from reaching the target docking position, then a first pathfinding operation is performed on the current direction of travel; within a preset time, the first pathfinding operation is used to determine whether there is a detour path on the current direction of travel; if not, a path determination result is obtained, and the facilitation method corresponding to the current facilitation task is updated according to the path determination result; wherein, the first pathfinding operation is to rotate 45 degrees left and right to detect whether there is a movable path on the current direction of travel; the path determination result is used to determine whether there is a candidate movement path from the third current position to the target docking position outside the current direction of travel; The step of updating the facilitator method corresponding to the current facilitator task based on the path determination result includes: if the path determination result indicates that there is no candidate movement path, then a fourth prompt operation is performed, and the interaction event generated by the target facilitator according to the fourth prompt operation is detected; if the interaction event meets a preset event condition, then the facing direction of the display device is adjusted to face the target facilitator, and a fifth prompt operation associated with the current facilitator task is performed and / or the task information associated with the current facilitator task is displayed on the display device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Adjusting the current attitude from the target docking attitude to a welcoming attitude includes: The attitude adjustment method is determined based on the target docking attitude and the homing path corresponding to the current homing task; The current posture is adjusted from the target docking posture to the welcoming posture according to the posture adjustment method.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before the robot reaches the target docking location, the following is also included: Obtain at least one candidate parking position associated with the target bar position, and determine the target parking position from the candidate parking positions; wherein the target bar position is associated with at least one preset parking posture; Based on the target docking location and the robot's first current position, plan the facilitator path corresponding to the current facilitator task.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before the robot reaches the target docking location, the following is also included: If the second current position of the robot is less than the first preset distance from the target docking position, and it is determined that there is a first obstruction event that prevents the robot from reaching the target docking position, then a temporary docking position is determined based on the target docking position. Control the robot to proceed from the second current position to the temporary docking position according to the first temporary planned path; If the robot reaches the temporary docking position, it adjusts its docking posture according to the temporary docking position and the target leader position, and performs a third prompt operation.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Updating the emceeing method corresponding to the current emceeing task based on the path determination result also includes: If the path determination result indicates that the candidate movement path exists, then a second exploration operation is performed on the candidate movement path to determine the target movement path from the candidate movement path; Switch the robot's intended path to the target path and perform the sixth prompt operation.

6. A robot guiding device, characterized in that, include: The docking posture adjustment module is used to adjust the robot's current posture to a target docking posture associated with the target territorial position based on the target territorial position corresponding to the robot's current territorial task, and to perform a first prompt operation when the robot reaches the target docking position. A welcoming posture adjustment module is used to adjust the current posture from the target docking posture to a welcoming posture, so that the robot's display device faces the target being guided, and to perform a second prompt operation; wherein, the facing direction is consistent with the robot's forward direction; The first pathfinding operation module is used to perform a first pathfinding operation on the current direction of travel if, before the robot reaches the target docking position, the distance between the robot's third current position and the target docking position is greater than a second preset distance, and it is determined that there is a second obstruction event that prevents the robot from reaching the target docking position. The detour path determination module is used to determine whether there is a detour path in the current forward direction based on the first path exploration operation within a preset time. The facilitator update module is used to obtain the path judgment result if no, and update the facilitator mode corresponding to the current facilitator task according to the path judgment result; wherein, the first path exploration operation is to rotate 45 degrees left and right to detect whether there is a movable path in the current forward direction; the path judgment result is used to determine whether there is a candidate moving path from the third current position to the target docking position in a direction other than the current forward direction; The positioning method update module includes: An interactive event detection unit is used to perform a fourth prompt operation if the path judgment result is that the candidate movement path does not exist, and to detect the interactive events generated by the target guiding object according to the fourth prompt operation. The orientation adjustment unit is used to adjust the facing direction of the display device to face the target guiding object if the interactive event meets the preset event conditions, and to perform a fifth prompt operation associated with the current guiding task and / or display task information associated with the current guiding task on the display device.

7. A robot, characterized in that, The robot includes: At least one processor; and A memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein, The memory stores a computer program that can be executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the robot leadership method according to any one of claims 1-5.

8. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions that cause a processor to execute the robot leadership method according to any one of claims 1-5.

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