Path planning method and device, cleaning robot and storage medium

Abstract

The application discloses a path planning method and device, a cleaning robot and a storage medium. The path planning method comprises the following steps: determining at least two first sub-areas of a to-be-cleaned area; in the case that there is a first sub-area group in the at least two first sub-areas, merging the first sub-areas in the first sub-area group; the first sub-area group is composed of two adjacent first sub-areas, and the cleaning robot can move from one first sub-area in the first sub-area group to another first sub-area; after the merging of the first sub-areas in the first sub-area group is completed, performing cleaning route planning on the to-be-cleaned area.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of cleaning robots, and particularly relates to a path planning method and device, a cleaning robot and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the related art, in the process of full coverage cleaning of a cleaning robot, the cleaning robot can divide a to-be-cleaned area into a plurality of sub-areas according to obstacles, and perform path planning based on the obtained sub-areas. However, in actual application, such a division method can obtain a plurality of fragmented sub-areas, and a longer path is required to perform area coverage, and the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning robot is not high. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide a path planning method and device, a cleaning robot and a storage medium, to at least solve the problem of low cleaning efficiency in the related art.

[0004] The technical scheme of the embodiments of the present application is implemented as follows:

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a path planning method applied to a cleaning robot, comprising:

[0006] determining at least two first sub-areas of a to-be-cleaned area;

[0007] in a case where a first sub-area group exists in the at least two first sub-areas, merging the first sub-areas in the first sub-area group; the first sub-area group is composed of two adjacent first sub-areas, and the cleaning robot can move from one first sub-area in the first sub-area group to another first sub-area;

[0008] after the merging of the first sub-areas in the first sub-area group is completed, performing cleaning route planning on the to-be-cleaned area.

[0009] In the above scheme, the method further comprises:

[0010] for any two adjacent first sub-areas in the at least two first sub-areas, determining whether the two first sub-areas form the first sub-area group; wherein,

[0011] when determining whether the two first sub-areas form the first sub-area group, the method comprises:

[0012] extending each of the two first sub-areas outward to generate a corresponding second sub-area;

[0013] searching whether a first region exists in a generated overlapping region of the two second sub-regions; the first region is composed of continuous grids without obstacles in a grid map and meets that the cleaning robot can move between the corresponding two first sub-regions via the first region; the grid map is previously created by the cleaning robot;

[0014] In a case where the searching result represents that the first region exists, the corresponding two first sub-regions are determined as the first sub-region group.

[0015] In the above scheme, a shortest distance between a boundary of the generated second sub-region and a boundary of the corresponding first sub-region is greater than a set distance.

[0016] In the above scheme, the performing cleaning route planning on the to-be-cleaned region comprises:

[0017] generating a second region with the current position of the cleaning robot as a center;

[0018] determining a first sub-region that partially or entirely overlaps with the second region as a third sub-region;

[0019] planning a cleaning route according to the determined at least one third sub-region.

[0020] In the above scheme, the generating a second region with the current position of the cleaning robot as a center comprises:

[0021] generating the second region at least partially or entirely overlapping with a first number of first sub-regions required by a route planning algorithm with the current position of the cleaning robot as a center.

[0022] In the above scheme, the route planning algorithm is an A-star search algorithm, and the corresponding first number is 3.

[0023] In the above scheme, the determining at least two first sub-regions of a to-be-cleaned region comprises:

[0024] dividing the to-be-cleaned region based on obstacle position information to determine the at least two first sub-regions.

[0025] Embodiments of the present application further provide a path planning device, the device comprising:

[0026] a dividing unit configured to determine at least two first sub-regions of a to-be-cleaned region;

[0027] a merging unit configured to merge the first sub-regions in a first sub-region group in a case where the first sub-region group exists in the at least two first sub-regions; the first sub-region group is composed of two adjacent first sub-regions, and the cleaning robot is capable of moving from one first sub-region to another first sub-region in the first sub-region group;

[0028] a planning unit configured to perform cleaning route planning for the to-be-cleaned region after the merging of the first sub-regions in the first sub-region group is completed.

[0029] Embodiments of the present application also provide a cleaning robot, which comprises:

[0030] a processor and a memory for storing a computer program capable of running on the processor,

[0031] wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer program to perform the steps of the above path planning method.

[0032] Embodiments of the present application also provide a storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being executed by a processor to implement the steps of the above path planning method.

[0033] In embodiments of the present application, the to-be-cleaned region is divided into at least two first sub-regions, two adjacent first sub-regions are merged in a case where the cleaning robot is capable of moving between the two adjacent first sub-regions, and cleaning route planning is performed based on the merged sub-regions. In this way, by merging multiple fragmented sub-regions and performing route planning based on the merged sub-regions, the path required for region coverage cleaning can be shortened, and the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning robot is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 a flowchart of a path planning method provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0035] Figure 2 a schematic diagram of division of a first sub-region in a room provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0036] Figure 3 a schematic diagram of generation of a second sub-region by outward expansion of a first sub-region provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0037] Figure 4 a schematic diagram of eight neighborhoods of a grid without obstacles provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0038] Figure 5 a schematic diagram of eight neighborhoods of a grid with obstacles provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0039] Figure 6A schematic diagram of sub-region merging provided for an embodiment applied by the present application;

[0040] Figure 7 A flowchart of a sub-region merging process provided for an embodiment applied by the present application;

[0041] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of another first sub-region expansion to generate a second sub-region provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a second region generation process provided for an embodiment applied by the present application;

[0043] Figure 10 A flowchart of a path planning method provided for an embodiment applied by the present application;

[0044] Figure 11 A structural diagram of a path planning device provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 12 A structural diagram of a cleaning robot provided for an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] A cleaning robot, also known as a sweeping robot, an automatic cleaning machine, an intelligent dust collector, a robot vacuum cleaner, etc., has various dynamic or static obstacles in its working environment. In the related art, a cleaning robot can divide a to-be-cleaned region into multiple sub-regions according to obstacles during full-coverage cleaning, and perform path planning based on the divided sub-regions. However, in actual applications, such a division method can obtain multiple fragmented sub-regions, and a longer path is required to perform region coverage, which is not efficient for cleaning.

[0047] Therefore, in various embodiments of the present application, a to-be-cleaned region is divided into at least two first sub-regions, and in a case where a cleaning robot can move between two adjacent first sub-regions, the two adjacent sub-regions are merged, and cleaning route planning is performed based on the merged sub-regions. In this way, by merging multiple fragmented sub-regions and performing route planning based on the merged sub-regions, the path required for region coverage cleaning can be shortened, and the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning robot is improved.

[0048] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0049] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram illustrating the implementation flow of the path planning method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 The path planning methods shown include:

[0050] Step 101: Identify at least two first sub-regions of the area to be cleaned.

[0051] Divide the area to be cleaned into at least two first sub-areas.

[0052] The area to be cleaned is divided into sub-areas, resulting in at least two first sub-areas. Here, the area to be cleaned can be the remaining uncleaned area in the cleaning robot's working area after the cleaning robot has performed at least one cleaning operation according to the planned cleaning route, or it can be the complete working area that needs to be cleaned before the cleaning robot has started cleaning.

[0053] Step 102: If there is a first sub-region group in the at least two first sub-regions, merge the first sub-regions in the first sub-region group; the first sub-region group consists of two adjacent first sub-regions, and the cleaning robot is able to move from one first sub-region in the first sub-region group to another first sub-region.

[0054] In at least two first sub-regions divided by the area to be cleaned, if there are two adjacent first sub-regions that allow the cleaning robot to move between the two first sub-regions, these two first sub-regions are defined as a first sub-region group, and the two first sub-regions in this first sub-region group are merged. Here, the cleaning robot being able to move from one first sub-region to another means that the boundary between the two sub-regions has a passage that allows the cleaning robot to move between the two sub-regions without obstruction.

[0055] like Figure 2 The diagram shows the division of the first sub-area in the room. The cleaning robot can move between the first sub-area 1 and the first sub-area 2 without passing through other sub-areas. The first sub-area 1 and the first sub-area 2 are adjacent first sub-areas. However, the cleaning robot must pass through the first sub-area 2 to move between the first sub-area 1 and the first sub-area 3. Therefore, the first sub-area 1 and the first sub-area 3 are not adjacent first sub-areas.

[0056] Step 103: After merging the first sub-regions in the first sub-region group, perform cleaning route planning on the area to be cleaned.

[0057] After the first sub-region in the first sub-region group is merged, a cleaning route is planned based on some or all of the first sub-regions included in the area to be cleaned. Here, the first sub-regions include the first sub-regions that have already been merged and the first sub-regions that do not meet the merging conditions.

[0058] The path planning method here can be used cyclically during the cleaning process. After completing one cleaning route planning and cleaning according to the planned route, the area to be cleaned is divided into at least two first sub-areas. The first sub-areas that meet the conditions are merged and then the cleaning route planning is performed on the area to be cleaned.

[0059] In this embodiment, the area to be cleaned is divided into at least two first sub-regions. When the cleaning robot can move between two adjacent first sub-regions, the two adjacent sub-regions are merged, and cleaning route planning is performed based on the merged sub-region. In this way, by merging multiple fragmented sub-regions and planning routes based on the merged sub-region, the path required for area coverage cleaning can be shortened, improving the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning robot.

[0060] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0061] For any two adjacent first sub-regions within the at least two first sub-regions, determine whether they form a group of first sub-regions; wherein,

[0062] When determining whether a region constitutes the first sub-region group, the method includes:

[0063] Expand each of the two first sub-regions to generate the corresponding second sub-region;

[0064] Within the overlapping area of ​​the two generated second sub-regions, a search is performed based on the eight-neighborhood algorithm to determine if a first region exists. The first region consists of continuous grids in the grid map that do not contain obstacles, and satisfies the requirement that the cleaning robot can move between the corresponding two first sub-regions via the first region. The grid map is pre-created by the cleaning robot.

[0065] If the search results indicate that the first region exists, the two corresponding first sub-regions are identified as the first sub-region group.

[0066] A grid map is pre-created using cleaning robots to represent the area to be cleaned and its sub-areas. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the first sub-region 1 and the first sub-region 2 are divided by obstacles. Expanding the first sub-region 1 outwards results in the second sub-region 1 with bdeg as its vertex, and expanding the first sub-region 2 outwards results in the second sub-region 2 with acfh as its vertex. There is an overlapping region between the generated second sub-region 1 and the second sub-region 2, with bcfg as its vertex, represented by a grid map. The eight-neighbor algorithm is used to determine whether there are obstacles in the eight neighborhoods (up, down, left, right, upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right) of the grid within the overlapping region bcfg. Figure 4A grid diagram of a grid in which an octagonal grid exists obstacles is shown, Figure 5 A grid diagram of a grid in which an octagonal grid does not exist obstacles is shown. By searching whether a first region exists through an octagonal algorithm, specifically, by determining a region composed of continuous grids in which an octagonal grid does not exist obstacles as a grid region, if the determined grid region can enable the cleaning robot to pass, thereby enabling the cleaning robot to move between the corresponding two first sub-regions, it is determined that the determined grid region is a first region, and a search result representing the existence of the first region is obtained, and the corresponding two first sub-regions are determined as a first sub-region group; otherwise, a search result representing the non-existence of the first region is obtained. After the search of the two first sub-regions is completed, the next two adjacent first sub-regions are searched, and the search of all combinations of two adjacent first sub-regions is completed.

[0067] In actual application, as shown in Figure 6 In the case where the diameter (or the maximum width of the body) of the cleaning robot is 30 cm, each grid in the grid map can be set to represent a size of 5 cm by 5 cm. By setting a scaling ratio to enlarge the first sub-region, the first sub-region can be enlarged to obtain an enlarged second sub-region. By determining whether the determined grid region can enable the cleaning robot to pass, it can be determined whether the grid region includes at least a set region that allows the cleaning robot to pass. In actual application, the set region can be set as a minimum passage region that allows the cleaning robot to pass, and the width of the minimum passage region can be the maximum width of the body of the cleaning robot perpendicular to the cleaning path direction plus a set width. When the grid region includes at least the set region, it is determined that the determined grid region can enable the cleaning robot to pass.

[0068] In this way, in the planning of the cleaning route, the connectivity of the fragmented sub-regions can be merged, and the route planning can be performed based on the merged sub-regions, thereby shortening the path required for the region coverage cleaning and improving the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning robot.

[0069] In actual application, as shown in Figure 7 A flow diagram of the merging of the sub-regions is shown. When merging the first sub-regions in the first sub-region group, it includes:

[0070] At least two first sub-regions of the to-be-cleaned region are determined.

[0071] Each first sub-region is traversed, and based on the neighborhood principle, the first sub-region is expanded by half the diameter (or the maximum width of the body) of the cleaning robot, so that the sub-regions have overlapping regions, thereby determining the adjacent other first sub-region of the first sub-region.

[0072] If a region consisting of a continuous grid of eight neighboring unobstructed areas in an overlapping region allows the cleaning robot to move between two corresponding sub-regions, then the two corresponding first sub-regions are merged.

[0073] Repeat the above judgment of the first sub-region merging condition until all adjacent first sub-regions that meet the condition have been merged.

[0074] In one embodiment, the shortest distance between the boundary of the generated second sub-region and the boundary of the corresponding first sub-region is greater than a set distance.

[0075] Each of the two first sub-regions is expanded outward to generate a corresponding second sub-region. The minimum distance between the boundary of the first sub-region and the boundary of the corresponding second sub-region is greater than a set distance. In this way, two non-adjacent sub-regions can be merged using the eight-neighborhood algorithm. This allows multiple fragmented sub-regions divided by the cleaning path to be merged during cleaning route planning. Route planning based on the merged sub-regions can shorten the path required for area coverage cleaning.

[0076] Here, as Figure 8 As shown, the set distance can be greater than or equal to half the diameter (or maximum width) of the cleaning robot. In this way, even if two first sub-regions are divided by a single cleaning path, since the two adjacent first sub-regions are each extended outward by a distance greater than or equal to half the maximum width of the robot body, the two adjacent first sub-regions can be merged within the overlapping area of ​​the generated two second sub-regions, provided that a first region exists based on the eight-neighborhood algorithm.

[0077] In one embodiment, the step of performing cleaning route planning on the area to be cleaned includes:

[0078] A second area is generated centered on the current position of the cleaning robot;

[0079] The first sub-region that partially or completely overlaps with the second region is defined as the third sub-region;

[0080] Plan a cleaning route based on at least one identified third sub-area.

[0081] A second area is defined centered on the current position of the cleaning robot. A first sub-area that partially or completely overlaps with the second area is defined as a third sub-area for planning the cleaning route. Here, the third sub-area can be defined either by defining the first sub-area that completely overlaps with the second area, or by defining all of the first sub-areas that partially or completely overlap with the second area as the third sub-area.

[0082] By determining the first sub-area closest to the current position of the cleaning robot, and planning the route based on the determined first sub-area, the first sub-area around the current position of the cleaning robot is set as a high-priority sub-area when the next path planning is performed, thereby shortening the path required to perform area coverage cleaning, and improving the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning robot.

[0083] In an embodiment, the second area is generated with the current position of the cleaning robot as the center, including:

[0084] The second area is generated with the current position of the cleaning robot as the center, and the first number of the first sub-areas required by the route planning algorithm, at least partially or entirely coinciding with the first number of the first sub-areas.

[0085] The second area is generated with the current position of the cleaning robot as the center, and the number of first sub-areas partially or entirely coinciding with the generated second area is determined. When the determination result represents that the number of first sub-areas is less than the lower limit of the number of sub-areas required by the route planning algorithm, that is, the determined first sub-areas are insufficient to implement the route planning algorithm, the size of the second area is adjusted until the number of first sub-areas partially or entirely coinciding with the generated second area is sufficient to implement the route planning algorithm. In this way, a sufficient number of first sub-areas can be determined for route planning as needed.

[0086] Here, an upper limit of the number of third sub-areas for planning a cleaning route can also be set. In this way, when cleaning a larger area to be cleaned, by determining the cleaning sequence priority of the sub-areas, inputting an appropriate number of sub-areas for path planning, the time required for path planning can be shortened, and the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning robot can be improved.

[0087] In an application embodiment, the path planning algorithm requires at least three sub-area quantities for path planning. As shown in Figure 9 The second area 1 is determined with the cleaning robot as the center and a radius of 6 meters, and the first sub-area 1 and the first sub-area 3 partially or entirely coincide with the second area 1. It can be determined that two first sub-areas are insufficient to implement the route planning algorithm. The radius is adjusted to 12 meters, and the second area 2 is determined with the cleaning robot as the center and a radius of 12 meters. The first sub-area 1, the first sub-area 2, and the first sub-area 3 partially or entirely coincide with the second area 1, and three first sub-areas can be determined, which are sufficient to implement the route planning algorithm.

[0088] In an embodiment, the route planning algorithm is an A-star search algorithm, and the corresponding first number is 3.

[0089] The A-star search algorithm is adopted as the path planning algorithm, the first number of the first sub-regions required by the A-star search algorithm is 3, at least three first sub-regions are determined as third sub-regions by generating the second region, and the determined third sub-regions are transmitted into the A-star search algorithm for cleaning path planning.

[0090] In this way, when cleaning a larger area of the to-be-cleaned region, the time required for path planning can be shortened and the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning robot can be improved by determining an appropriate number of sub-regions for path planning.

[0091] In an embodiment, the determining of the at least two first sub-regions of the to-be-cleaned region comprises:

[0092] The to-be-cleaned region is divided based on the obstacle position information, and the at least two first sub-regions are determined.

[0093] The to-be-cleaned region is divided into at least two first sub-regions by obtaining Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) information and region boundary edge information, and combining the obtained coverage collision obstacle information. Here, the obstacle can be a static obstacle such as a table, a chair, or a sofa, or a dynamic obstacle such as an indoor animal.

[0094] During the execution of the cleaning process, the presence of the obstacle determines whether the cleaning robot can pass normally, and thus affects the cleaning route planning of the cleaning robot. The first sub-regions are divided according to the position information of the obstacle, which can realize the rational division of the sub-regions. The divided sub-regions are used for cleaning route planning, which can improve the rationality of the region coverage cleaning path and avoid the cleaning robot being stuck in the obstacle and unable to work normally. Moreover, by cyclically determining the first sub-regions of the to-be-cleaned region during the cleaning process, the sub-regions can be divided according to the presence of the dynamic obstacle. The determined sub-regions based on the dynamic obstacle can realize more optimal cleaning route planning.

[0095] The application will be further described in detail below in combination with application examples.

[0096] In combination Figure 10 The corresponding path planning method comprises the following steps:

[0097] Step 1001: Establish a grid map. The cleaning robot establishes a grid map according to the region boundary edge information, the laser SLAM information, and the coverage collision obstacle position information.

[0098] Step 1002: Divide the to-be-cleaned region into at least two first sub-regions. The to-be-cleaned region is divided into at least two first sub-regions according to the obstacle position information and the like.

[0099] Step 1003: merging sub-regions based on an eight-neighborhood algorithm. In the sub-region boundary, it is searched whether there is a first region according to the eight-neighborhood algorithm, and if the requirement that the cleaning robot can move between two first sub-regions is met, the two regions are connected, and the two sub-regions are merged. After the two sub-regions are merged, the boundary inflection points and the boundaries are discretely selected as the region starting points.

[0100] Step 1004: determining the sub-region with the highest priority and inputting it into a multi-point A-star search algorithm to query the optimal path. A second region is generated with the current position of the cleaning robot as the center, the priority of the sub-region that partially or wholly overlaps with the second region is set to the highest, and all the sub-regions with the highest priority are inputted into the multi-point A-star search algorithm to query the optimal path.

[0101] Step 1005: after the sub-region with the highest priority is swept, the robot continues to divide the existing to-be-cleaned region into sub-regions. After the sub-region with the highest priority is swept, the robot continues to divide the existing to-be-cleaned region into sub-regions, and the above steps are cycled until there is no to-be-cleaned region.

[0102] To implement the method of the embodiments of the present application, the embodiments of the present application further provide a path planning device. As shown in the accompanying drawings, the device comprises: Figure 11

[0103] a dividing unit 1101 configured to determine at least two first sub-regions of a to-be-cleaned region;

[0104] a merging unit 1102 configured to, in the case that there is a first sub-region group in the at least two first sub-regions, merge the first sub-regions in the first sub-region group; the first sub-region group is composed of two adjacent first sub-regions, and the cleaning robot can move from one first sub-region to another first sub-region in the first sub-region group;

[0105] a planning unit 1103 configured to, after the merging of the first sub-regions in the first sub-region group is completed, perform cleaning route planning on the to-be-cleaned region.

[0106] In an embodiment, the device further comprises:

[0107] a judging unit configured to judge whether any two adjacent first sub-regions in the at least two first sub-regions form the first sub-region group; wherein

[0108] In the judgment of whether the first sub-region group is formed, the judging unit is configured to:

[0109] ​Each of the two first sub-regions is expanded to generate a corresponding second sub-region;

[0110] In the overlapping area of the two generated second sub-regions, it is searched whether there is a first region based on an eight-neighborhood algorithm; the first region is composed of continuous grids without obstacles in the grid map, and the cleaning robot can move between the corresponding two first sub-regions via the first region; the grid map is created in advance by the cleaning robot;

[0111] In a case where the search result indicates that the first region exists, the corresponding two first sub-regions are determined as the first sub-region group.

[0112] In one embodiment, the shortest distance between the boundary of the generated second sub-region and the boundary of the corresponding first sub-region is greater than a set distance.

[0113] In one embodiment, the planning unit 1103 is configured to:

[0114] The second region is generated with the current position of the cleaning robot as the center;

[0115] The first sub-region that is partially or entirely overlapped with the second region is determined as a third sub-region;

[0116] The cleaning route is planned according to the determined at least one third sub-region.

[0117] In one embodiment, the planning unit 1103 is configured to:

[0118] The second region at least partially or entirely overlapped with the first number of first sub-regions is generated with the current position of the cleaning robot as the center based on the first number of first sub-regions required by the route planning algorithm.

[0119] In one embodiment, the route planning algorithm is an A-star search algorithm, and the corresponding first number is 3.

[0120] In one embodiment, the division unit 1101 is configured to:

[0121] The at least two first sub-regions are determined by dividing the to-be-cleaned region based on the obstacle position information.

[0122] In actual application, the dividing unit 1101, the merging unit 1102, the planning unit 1103 and the judging unit can be implemented by a processor in the path planning device, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or the like.

[0123] It should be noted that the path planning device provided in the above embodiments is only used for example to illustrate the division of the above program modules, and in actual application, the above processing can be completed by different program modules according to the needs, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different program modules to complete all or part of the above-described processing. In addition, the path planning device and the path planning method provided in the above embodiments belong to the same concept, and the specific implementation process is described in the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0124] Based on the hardware implementation of the above program modules, and in order to implement the path planning method of the embodiments of the present application, the embodiments of the present application further provide a cleaning robot, as shown in the figure. Figure 12 The cleaning robot 1200 includes:

[0125] The communication interface 1210 can interact with other devices, such as network devices, and the like.

[0126] The processor 1220 is connected with the communication interface 1210 to realize information interaction with other devices, and is used to run a computer program to execute the method provided in one or more technical solutions. The computer program is stored on the memory 1230.

[0127] Of course, in actual application, each component in the cleaning robot 1200 is coupled together through the bus system 1240. It can be understood that the bus system 1240 is used to realize the connection and communication between the components. The bus system 1240 includes a data bus, a power bus, a control bus and a status signal bus. However, in order to clearly illustrate, all kinds of buses are marked as the bus system 1240 in the figure. Figure 12

[0128] The memory 1230 in the embodiments of the present application is used to store various types of data to support the operation of the cleaning robot 1200. Examples of these data include any computer programs used for operation on the cleaning robot 1200.

[0129] ​It can be appreciated that the memory 1230 can be a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, and can also include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Among them, the nonvolatile memory can be a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), an Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a ferromagnetic random access memory (FRAM), a Flash Memory, a magnetic surface memory, an optical disc, or a Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM); the magnetic surface memory can be a disk memory or a tape memory. The volatile memory can be a Random Access Memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM can be used, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Synchronous Static Random Access Memory (SSRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (ESDRAM), Sync Link Dynamic Random Access Memory (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus Random Access Memory (DRRAM).The memory 1230 described by the embodiments of the present application is intended to include, but not limited to, these and any other suitable type of memory.

[0130] The method disclosed by the embodiments of the present application can be applied in the processor 1220 or implemented by the processor 1220. The processor 1220 can be an integrated circuit chip having a processing capability of signals. In the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor 1220 or the instruction in the form of software. The processor 1220 described above can be a general processor, a DSP, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, etc. The processor 1220 can implement or execute the methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. In combination with the steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application, the execution can be directly embodied as hardware decoding processor or executed by the combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in the storage medium, which is located in the memory 1230. The processor 1220 reads the program in the memory 1230 and combines the hardware to complete the steps of the above method.

[0131] Alternatively, the processor 1220 implements the corresponding processes implemented by the cleaning robot in each method of the embodiments of the present application when executing the program. For brevity, details are not repeated here.

[0132] In the exemplary embodiments, the embodiments of the present application also provide a storage medium, that is, a computer storage medium, specifically a computer readable storage medium, for example, the memory 1230 storing the computer program, which can be executed by the processor 1220 of the electronic device to complete the steps of the above method. The computer readable storage medium can be FRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash Memory, magnetic surface memory, optical disc, or CD-ROM, etc.

[0133] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices, electronic devices and methods can be implemented by other ways. The device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, such as: multiple units or components can be combined, or can be integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored, or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the various components shown or discussed can be through some interface, indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0134] The units described as separate components above can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units; part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0135] In addition, in each embodiment of the present application, each functional unit can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be a separate unit, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit; the integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or hardware plus software functional unit.

[0136] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of the above-mentioned method embodiments can be completed by program instruction related hardware, and the aforementioned program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium, and the program executes the steps including the above-mentioned method embodiments when executed; and the aforementioned storage medium includes mobile storage device, ROM, RAM, magnetic disc or optical disc and various storage program codes.

[0137] Alternatively, the integrated units of the present application, if implemented in the form of software functional modules and sold or used as independent products, can also be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be embodied in the form of software products, which are stored in a storage medium and include a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes mobile storage device, ROM, RAM, magnetic disc or optical disc and various storage program codes.

[0138] It should be noted that the technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application can be combined arbitrarily without conflict. Unless otherwise specified and limited, the term "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be an electrical connection, or a communication between two elements, it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above-mentioned term can be understood according to the specific situation.

[0139] In addition, in the present application, "first", "second" and the like are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily mean a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the objects distinguished by "first", "second" and "third" can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0140] The above description is merely that of a specific implementation of the present application, and the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present application, and all such changes or replacements shall be encompassed within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

[0141] In the specific implementation, various specific technical features in each of the various embodiments described can be combined in various combinations without contradiction, for example, different embodiments can be formed by combining different specific technical features. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, various possible combinations of each specific technical feature in the present application are not described again.

Claims

1. A path planning method, characterized in that, Applied to cleaning robots, the method includes: Identify at least two first sub-regions of the area to be cleaned; In the case where there is a first sub-region group in the at least two first sub-regions, the first sub-regions in the first sub-region group are merged; the first sub-region group consists of two adjacent first sub-regions, and the cleaning robot is able to move from one first sub-region in the first sub-region group to another first sub-region. After merging the first sub-regions in the first sub-region group, a cleaning route is planned for the area to be cleaned. The method further includes: For any two adjacent first sub-regions within the at least two first sub-regions, determine whether they form a group of first sub-regions; wherein, When determining whether a region constitutes the first sub-region group, the method includes: Expand each of the two first sub-regions to generate the corresponding second sub-region; Within the overlapping area of ​​the two generated second sub-regions, a search is performed based on the eight-neighborhood algorithm to determine if a first region exists. The first region consists of continuous grids in the grid map that do not contain obstacles, and the cleaning robot can move between the corresponding two first sub-regions via the first region. The grid map is pre-created by the cleaning robot. If the search results indicate that the first region exists, the two corresponding first sub-regions are identified as the first sub-region group.

2. The path planning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shortest distance between the boundary of the generated second sub-region and the boundary of the corresponding first sub-region is greater than the set distance.

3. The path planning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of planning a cleaning route for the area to be cleaned includes: A second area is generated centered on the current position of the cleaning robot; The first sub-region that partially or completely overlaps with the second region is defined as the third sub-region; Plan a cleaning route based on at least one identified third sub-area.

4. The path planning method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of generating a second area centered on the current position of the cleaning robot includes: Based on the first number of first sub-regions required by the route planning algorithm, a second region is generated centered on the current position of the cleaning robot, which at least partially or completely overlaps with the first number of first sub-regions.

5. The path planning method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The route planning algorithm is the A* search algorithm, and the corresponding first quantity is 3.

6. The path planning method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The determination of at least two first sub-regions of the area to be cleaned includes: Based on the obstacle location information, the area to be cleaned is divided, and at least two first sub-regions are determined.

7. A path planning device, characterized in that, The device includes: A division unit is used to determine at least two first sub-regions of the area to be cleaned; A merging unit is configured to merge the first sub-regions in the first sub-region group when a first sub-region group exists in the at least two first sub-regions; the first sub-region group consists of two adjacent first sub-regions, and the cleaning robot is capable of moving from one first sub-region to another in the first sub-region group. The planning unit is used to perform cleaning route planning on the area to be cleaned after the first sub-regions in the first sub-region group have been merged. The judgment unit is used to determine whether any two adjacent first sub-regions in the at least two first sub-regions form a first sub-region group; wherein, When determining whether a region constitutes the first sub-region group, the determining unit is configured to: Expand each of the two first sub-regions to generate the corresponding second sub-region; Within the overlapping area of ​​the two generated second sub-regions, a search is performed based on the eight-neighborhood algorithm to determine if a first region exists. The first region consists of continuous grids in the grid map that do not contain obstacles, and the cleaning robot can move between the corresponding two first sub-regions via the first region. The grid map is pre-created by the cleaning robot. If the search results indicate that the first region exists, the two corresponding first sub-regions are identified as the first sub-region group.

8. A cleaning robot, characterized in that, The cleaning robot includes a processor and a memory for storing computer programs that can run on the processor. When the processor runs the computer program, it performs the steps of the path planning method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the path planning method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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