Multi-line Scanning Device and Autonomous Mobile Equipment

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a multi-line scanning device and an autonomous mobile device, including: a multi-line lidar that emits multiple scanning laser beams at a predetermined angle and detects obstacles based on echo signals of the scanning laser beams; a lidar holder that can hold and fix the multi-line lidar and keep the optical axis of the multi-line lidar tilted downward; and a reflector group configured to change the optical path directions of some of the scanning laser beams, wherein the reflector group includes at least one reflector. The technical solution of the present disclosure can achieve three-dimensional perception of the surrounding space environment, with a wider coverage range, improving the utilization rate of the multi-line lidar; at the same time, it can reduce the visual blind area of the multi-line lidar, effectively expand the field of view angle range, and improve the sensitivity and detection accuracy of the multi-line lidar.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of autonomous positioning and navigation, and particularly to a multi-line scanning device and an autonomous walking device. Background Art

[0002] Autonomous positioning and navigation is an essential technology for autonomous walking in fields such as intelligent robots and driverless vehicles. Regardless of the type of device, as long as it involves autonomous movement, it is necessary to perform navigation and positioning in the environment where it walks. However, due to the low level of intelligence, traditional positioning and navigation methods have not been able to solve the problems of positioning and navigation. Until the emergence of lidar technology, this problem has been largely solved.

[0003] With the development of lidar technology, lidar technology has gradually evolved from the initial laser ranging technology to technologies such as laser tracking, laser velocity measurement, laser scanning imaging, and laser Doppler imaging. Therefore, lidar technology has been widely applied in fields such as measurement, transportation, driverless vehicles, and mobile robots. Currently, the autonomous positioning and navigation technology adopted in fields such as intelligent robots and driverless vehicles is based on lidar SLAM, and a multi-sensor fusion solution that adds vision and inertial navigation is used to help intelligent robots or driverless devices achieve tasks such as autonomous mapping, path planning, and autonomous obstacle avoidance.

[0004] Among them, single-line lidar technology has always been the mainstream application because of its fast scanning speed, high resolution, high reliability, and quick response in angular frequency and sensitivity, and it has high accuracy in measuring the distance and accuracy of surrounding obstacles. Multi-line lidar technology can identify the height information of objects and obtain a 3D scan map of the surrounding environment, and is widely used in the field of driverless vehicles. However, the application of existing lidar technology in the field of autonomous positioning and navigation has the following defects:

[0005] (1) Single-line lidar can only perform planar scanning, and the obtained data is 2D data, which cannot obtain information such as the height of the target. Some small objects will be ignored, and ultimately become obstacles affecting the operation of the mobile robot;

[0006] (2) For multi-line lidar, basically all are horizontally placed, resulting in waste of some radar laser beams directed upwards, and the radar laser beams directed downwards cannot cover the dead corner area close to the mobile robot, resulting in a relatively small actual coverage area of the radar laser beams and incomplete obstacle information obtained. In some specific working environments, it is difficult to achieve fast and accurate positioning. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In order to solve the problems in the related technologies, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a multi-line scanning device and an autonomous walking device.

[0008] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a multi-line scanning device.

[0009] Specifically, the multi-line scanning device includes:

[0010] A multi-line lidar that emits multiple scanning laser beams at a predetermined angle and detects obstacles based on the echo signals of the scanning laser beams;

[0011] A radar holder that can hold and fix the multi-line lidar and keep the optical axis of the multi-line lidar tilted downward;

[0012] A reflector group configured to change the optical path direction of some of the scanning laser beams, where the reflector group includes at least one reflector.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, the reflector group is disposed above the side of the multi-line lidar for reflecting some of the scanning laser beams to a first scanning area of the multi-line lidar.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, the scanning laser beams at least include a first scanning laser beam, and the first scanning laser beam is directed to the first scanning area after being reflected by at least one of the reflectors.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, the scanning laser beams at least include a first scanning laser beam and a second scanning laser beam, and the reflector group at least includes a first reflector and a second reflector, where the first scanning laser beam and the second scanning laser beam are respectively directed to the first scanning area after being reflected by the first reflector and the second reflector.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, the scanning laser beams at least include a first scanning laser beam, and the reflector group at least includes a first reflector and a second reflector, where the second reflector is formed by extending along a first direction and / or a second direction of the first reflector, and the first scanning laser beam forms multiple first scanning areas after being reflected by the second reflector.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, different reflectors in each reflector have the same or different reflection angles for the same scanning laser beam.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, the scanning laser beams that are not reflected by the reflector group in the multiple scanning laser beams are directly directed to a second scanning area of the multi-line lidar, and the first scanning area and the second scanning area form the detection area of the multi-line lidar.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, a preset included angle with adjustable angle is formed between each of the reflecting plates.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, the reflecting plate group further includes: an indicating scale and a sensing element provided on at least one of the reflecting plates, wherein the indicating scale is used to indicate the position of the first scanning area corresponding to the position where the partial scanning laser beam irradiates the corresponding reflecting plate, and the sensing element is used to sense and confirm the irradiation position of the scanning laser beam on the reflecting plate.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, the device further includes: an adjusting element and a fixing seat, the adjusting element is arranged between the radar holding seat and the fixing seat, and the tilt angle of the optical axis of the multi-line lidar is changed by adjusting the adjusting element.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, the reflecting plate group further includes a support seat, and at least one of the reflecting plates is fixed to the support seat.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, the device further includes a sliding guide rail, and the fixing seat and the support seat are connected to the sliding guide rail by a fixed connection or a sliding fit manner.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, the reflecting plate group is processed by an integral molding or a split molding process; at least one of the reflecting plates includes a planar reflecting surface and / or a curved reflecting surface.

[0025] In a second aspect, an autonomous walking device is provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Specifically, the autonomous walking device includes:

[0027] A walking device main body and a fixing bracket, the fixing bracket is located at the front end of the walking device main body;

[0028] A multi-line scanning device, the multi-line scanning device is arranged on the fixing bracket;

[0029] A controller, the controller controls the autonomous walking device to execute corresponding walking strategies according to the echo signal information of the multi-line scanning device.

[0030] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, the autonomous walking device is a robot or an AGV cart.

[0031] According to the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, a multi-line scanning device and an autonomous walking device mainly include a multi-line lidar. The multi-line lidar emits multiple scanning laser beams at a predetermined angle and detects obstacles based on the echo signals of the scanning laser beams; a radar holder, through which the multi-line lidar can be held obliquely; a reflector group, which is configured to change the optical path direction of some of the scanning laser beams and includes at least one reflector. The technical solution of the present disclosure uses a multi-line lidar to recognize the height information of an object and obtain a 3D scan map of the surrounding environment, which can realize the three-dimensional perception of the surrounding space environment, with higher detection accuracy and a wider coverage range; by obliquely arranging the multi-line lidar, the waste of scanning laser beams is reduced and the utilization rate of the multi-line lidar is improved; at the same time, a reflector group is arranged on the emission path of the multiple scanning laser beams, so that some of the scanning laser beams change the original optical path direction after passing through the reflector group, which can reduce the visual blind area of the multi-line lidar, effectively expand the field of view angle range, and improve the sensitivity and detection accuracy of the multi-line lidar.

[0032] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In conjunction with the drawings, through the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments, other features, objects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent. In the drawings:

[0034] Figure 1 A perspective schematic diagram of a multi-line scanning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0035] Figure 2 An optical path diagram of a four-line scanning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0036] Figure 3 A top view of the reflector group of a multi-line scanning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0037] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an autonomous walking device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0038] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, so that those skilled in the art can easily implement them. In addition, for clarity, parts unrelated to the description of the exemplary embodiments are omitted in the drawings.

[0039] In the present disclosure, it should be understood that terms such as "including" or "having" are intended to indicate the presence of features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof disclosed in this specification, and are not intended to exclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0040] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms such as "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship that is customarily placed when the present disclosure is used. It is only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be construed as a limitation to the present disclosure.

[0041] In addition, terms such as "horizontal", "vertical", "hanging" do not mean that the components are required to be absolutely horizontal or hanging, but can be slightly inclined. For example, "horizontal" only means that its direction is more horizontal relative to "vertical", and does not mean that the structure must be completely horizontal, but can be slightly inclined.

[0042] In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "installed", "connected", "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific situations.

[0043] In addition, it should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments in the present disclosure and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. The present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0044] As mentioned above, the autonomous positioning and navigation technology adopted in the fields of intelligent robots, autonomous driving, etc. is based on lidar technology to help intelligent robots or autonomous driving devices achieve tasks such as autonomous mapping, path planning, and autonomous obstacle avoidance. However, most of the single-line lidars currently in use cannot obtain information such as the height of the target, and some small objects will be ignored, which will eventually become obstacles and affect the operation of the mobile robot; while most multi-line lidars are basically horizontally arranged, on the one hand, it results in low utilization rate of the multi-line lidar, and on the other hand, it causes the actual coverage area of the radar laser beam to be relatively small, and the obtained obstacle information is not complete enough. In some specific working environments, it is difficult to achieve fast and accurate positioning.

[0045] To overcome the above defects, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a multi-line scanning device, including a multi-line lidar, a lidar holder, and a reflector group. The multi-line lidar is held on the lidar holder and the optical axis of the multi-line lidar is inclined downward, and can emit multiple scanning laser beams at a predetermined angle and detect obstacles based on the echo signals of the scanning laser beams; the reflector group is used to change the optical path direction of some of the scanning laser beams to expand the detection range of the scanning laser beams. The technical solution of the present disclosure can achieve three-dimensional perception of the surrounding space environment by using a multi-line lidar, with a wider coverage range; moreover, the multi-line lidar arranged obliquely can reduce the waste of scanning laser beams and improve the utilization rate of the multi-line lidar; by arranging a reflector group on the emission path of multiple scanning laser beams, some of the scanning laser beams can change the original optical path direction after passing through the reflector group, which can reduce the visual blind area of the multi-line lidar, effectively expand the field of view angle range, and improve the sensitivity and detection accuracy of the multi-line lidar.

[0046] Figure 1 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a multi-line scanning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0047] As Figure 1 shown, the multi-line scanning device at least includes: a multi-line lidar 101, a lidar holder 102, and a reflector group 103;

[0048] Among them, the multi-line lidar 101 includes: a laser emitting element, the laser emitting element includes a plurality of laser emitters, which are used to emit multiple scanning laser beams at a predetermined angle respectively; a laser receiving element, the laser receiving element is used to correspondingly receive the reflected echoes of the multiple scanning laser beams on the target object, and successively transmit the reflected echoes to the corresponding echo signal processing device for processing, that is, a detector; the detector detects obstacles based on the echo signals of the scanning laser beams.

[0049] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to be able to detect obstacles from multiple angles and effectively expand the detection range, the multi-line lidar 101 emits multiple scanning laser beams at a predetermined angle by setting multiple laser emitters. Among them, the predetermined angle takes the horizontal plane as a reference plane and can form any included angle range between 0° and 90°, such as -60° - 45°, -30°, -15° - 10°, 10°, 15°, 30°, 45° or 60°, etc.; and based on the echo signals of the multiple scanning laser beams on the target object (such as an obstacle), the obstacle is accurately detected. For example, information such as the distance and height of the obstacle is determined. The multi-line lidar 101 can be 4-line, 8-line, 16-line or 128-line. An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a four-line lidar 101. Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the present disclosure takes the four-line lidar as an example only to fully explain the technical solution of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure does not make special restrictions on the number of lines of the multi-line lidar.

[0050] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to facilitate the installation and debugging of the multi-line lidar 101, the multi-line lidar 101 is fixed by the radar holder 102, and the optical axis of the multi-line lidar 101 can be tilted downward through the radar holder 102. At the same time, the multi-line lidar 101 and the radar holder are fixed in a rotational connection manner, so that the multi-line lidar 101 can rotate relative to the radar holder 102. In this way, it is possible to avoid problems such as waste caused by some of the scanning laser beams emitted by the multi-line lidar 101 shooting upward not hitting the target object (such as an obstacle), and some of the scanning laser beams shooting downward or far away not being able to cover the dead corner area near the autonomous walking device (such as an intelligent robot or an unmanned driving device, etc.), improving the utilization rate of the multi-line lidar; by reasonably using the multiple scanning laser beams emitted by the multi-line lidar, in addition, by fixing the multi-line lidar in a rotatable manner, a larger field of view can be obtained.

[0051] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the reflector group 103 may include one or more reflectors, and one or more of the reflectors are used to change the optical path direction of some of the multiple scanning laser beams emitted by the multi-line lidar 101. By setting the reflector group 103 on the emission path of the multiple scanning laser beams emitted by the multi-line lidar 101, the optical path direction of some of the scanning laser beams can be changed, thereby adjusting the light curtain scanning area formed by this part of the scanning laser beam irradiating on the target object (such as an obstacle, the ground, etc.). Compared with the coverage area formed after this part of the scanning laser beam irradiates on the target object according to the original optical path, the scanning area range of the present disclosure is wider, and the sensitivity and accuracy of laser detection are higher.

[0052] Figure 2 Shows the optical path diagram of the four-line scanning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] The disclosed embodiment is described by taking a four-line laser radar as an example, and the four-line laser radar can emit four scanning laser beams along different emission angles and reflect them through the reflection plate group 103, wherein the reflection plate group 103 may include multiple reflection plates, for example, two or more reflection plates. Specifically, Figure 2 As shown, the reflector group 103 is arranged above the side of the multi-line laser radar 101. Such an arrangement allows the reflector group 103 to be located on the emission path of multiple scanning laser beams emitted at a predetermined angle. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the reflector group 103 includes at least a first reflector 1031 and a second reflector 1032. The second reflector 1032 is assembled with a preset angle or formed at the outer edge of the first reflector 1031. For example, the second reflector 1032 can be assembled and / or extended along the first direction (i.e., the X direction) of the first reflector 1031 at a preset angle. When the four-line laser radar emits four scanning laser beams a, b, c, and d along four different emission angles, at this time, two of the scanning laser beams a and b are reflected by the first reflector 1031 and the second reflector 1032 to form the first scanning area AB of the multi-line laser radar 101. Compared with a multi-line scanning device without a reflector group, the embodiment of the present disclosure can expand the detection range of the multi-line laser radar 101 (for example, the first scanning area AB with an increased coverage area) and improve the sensitivity and accuracy of detection.

[0054] Further, the scanning laser beam of the embodiment of the present disclosure includes at least a first scanning laser beam a, and the first scanning laser beam a is reflected by at least one reflector 1031, 1032 and then emitted to the first scanning area. Among them, the second reflector 1032 can be assembled and / or extended at a predetermined angle relative to the first reflector 1031 along the first direction (i.e., X direction) of the first reflector 1031, and can also be assembled or extended in a predetermined angle along the second direction (i.e., Y direction) of the first reflector 1031. It can be understood that at this time, while controlling the rotation of the four-line laser radar 101, the first scanning laser beam a emitted at a predetermined angle (e.g., near 0°) can be reflected to different scanning positions by the second reflector 1032 arranged in different directions, forming, for example, a "匚"-shaped scanning light curtain in the three directions of front, left, and right, further expanding the detection range of the multi-line scanning device.

[0055] In addition, multiple reflectors in the reflector group 103 of the embodiments of the present disclosure can correspond to only one outgoing scanned laser beam, so that the position of the first scanned area formed by this scanned laser beam can be conveniently and flexibly adjusted according to the requirements of the actual detection occasion, without considering the interference of the irradiation positions of other scanned laser beams. Of course, in some specific working environments, such as occasions with complex surrounding environments and many obstacles, multiple reflectors of the embodiments of the present disclosure can respectively correspond to multiple outgoing scanned laser beams. For example, as Figure 2 shown, the scanned laser beam at least includes a first scanned laser beam a and a second scanned laser beam b, and the reflector group 103 at least includes a first reflector 1031 and a second reflector 1032. Among them, the first scanned laser beam a forms the first scanned area A after being reflected by the first reflector 1031 and the second reflector 1032, and the second scanned laser beam b can form the first scanned area B after being reflected by the second reflector 1032 and the first reflector 1031 to meet the application environment of complex working conditions.

[0056] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, different reflectors in each reflector have the same or different reflection angles for the same scanned laser beam. That is to say, the reflector group 103 of the present disclosure can change the original optical path direction of some scanned laser beams emitted by the multi-line lidar 101 in a way that the scanned laser beams are reflected once or multiple times at the same or different reflection angles. The specific reflection angle and the number of reflections of this part of the scanned laser beam can be set according to the specific situation of the target object in the actual detection environment. Keeping the tilt angle of the multi-line scanning device unchanged, the first scanned laser beam a can change its optical path direction and shoot towards the light curtain area A after being reflected twice by the first reflector 1031, and it forms the first scanned area AB with the light curtain area B formed by the second scanned laser beam b after reflection. The embodiments of the present disclosure can form a larger scanned area through the scanned laser beam being reflected once or multiple times to meet the needs of different application occasions.

[0057] As can be seen from the above, the multiple scanning laser beams emitted by the multi-line lidar 101 in the embodiments of the present disclosure include some scanning laser beams reflected by the reflector group 103 and scanning laser beams whose optical path directions are not changed by the reflector group 103. Among them, some scanning laser beams are directed at target objects (such as obstacles, the ground, etc.) after changing the optical path direction through the reflector group 103, which can indicate and form an extended light curtain scanning area, that is, the first scanning area; while the scanning laser beams that are not reflected by the reflector group among the multiple scanning laser beams are directly directed at target objects (such as obstacles, the ground, etc.) to form the original coverage area of the multi-line lidar 101, that is, the second scanning area, and the first scanning area and the second scanning area together constitute the detection area of the multi-line lidar 101. The first scanning area in the detection area is a newly extended area, which can be formed closer to the autonomous mobile device, such as near an intelligent robot, near the wheels or the vehicle body of an unmanned device, which can reduce the visual blind area of the multi-line lidar, effectively expand the field of view angle range, and improve the sensitivity and detection accuracy of the multi-line lidar.

[0058] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, a preset angle with adjustable angle can be formed between each reflector in the reflector group 103 of the present disclosure. By setting the adjustable preset angle, the light curtain scanning area of the scanning laser beam reflected by the reflector group 103 can be flexibly adjusted, and the detection area of the multi-line lidar 101 can be adjusted in real time, thereby improving the sensitivity and detection accuracy of the multi-line scanning device to a certain extent.

[0059] Figure 3 A top view of the reflector group of the multi-line scanning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0060] As Figure 3As shown, the reflector group 103 of the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes an indicating scale provided on at least one of the reflectors, which is used to indicate the correspondence between the irradiation position of the scanning laser beam on the reflector and the first scanning area when the scanning laser beam irradiates the corresponding position of the reflector. For example, the indicating scale provided on the first reflector 1031 and / or the second reflector 1032 can indicate the light curtain coverage area of the target object (such as an obstacle, the ground, etc.) corresponding to a certain position of a certain scanning laser beam irradiating a certain position of the indicating scale; and a sensing element 108, the sensing elements 108 are arranged in sequence and at intervals on the first reflector 1031 and / or the second reflector 1032, and are used to sense and confirm the irradiation position of the scanning laser beam on the reflector. Among them, the sensing element 108 is preferably a photosensitive sensor, and when the scanning laser beam irradiates the photosensitive sensor, the photosensitive sensor emits light. The arrangement position of the photosensitive sensor on the reflector group 103 is pre-calibrated, and its position can correspond to different visual field ranges of the scanning laser beam emitted from the multi-line lidar 101 on the target object (such as an obstacle, the ground, etc.). In this way, the scanning laser beam can be irradiated at a predetermined position on the reflector group 103 through the tilt angle of the multi-line lidar 101 and / or the angle between the reflectors, so as to obtain the visual field range of a predetermined target object (such as the ground). The embodiments of the present disclosure can improve the automation degree and response speed of adjusting the scanning area of the multi-line lidar by the indicating scale and the sensing element provided on the reflector.

[0061] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the multi-line scanning device of the present disclosure further includes: an adjusting element 104 and a fixing base 105, and the adjusting element 104 is arranged between the radar holding base 102 and the fixing base 105. The adjusting element 104 of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be an adjusting bolt, as Figure 1 shown, the tilt angle of the radar holding base 102 is adjusted by adjusting the position of the adjusting bolt 104 in the arc-shaped chute; in addition, the adjusting element can also be other adjusting components, such as: an adjusting screw, an electric cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, etc. The adjusting screw, the cylinder or the hydraulic cylinder is abutted between the radar holding base 102 and the fixing base 105, and the pitch angle of the radar holding base 102 is adjusted by adjusting the lifting of the adjusting rod of the adjusting element (such as the extending length of the screw, or the lifting height of the cylinder rod or the hydraulic cylinder rod), so as to change the tilt angle of the optical axis of the multi-line lidar 101, so that it is convenient to adjust the predetermined emission angle of the multi-line lidar, and a wider detection field angle range is formed in combination with the reflector group, the detection sensitivity is improved, and at the same time, the diversity of application scenarios is increased.

[0062] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the reflector group 103 further includes a support base 106, and at least one reflector is fixedly installed through the support base 106.

[0063] The multi-line scanning device further includes a sliding guide rail 107. The multi-line lidar 101 is slidably connected to the sliding guide rail 107 through a fixed seat 105, and the reflector group 103 is slidably connected to the sliding guide rail 107 through a support seat 106. Among them, the support seat 106 that fixedly supports the reflector group 103 is detachably mounted on the fixed seat 105, or the support seat 106 is directly arranged on the sliding guide rail 107, so that the multi-line lidar 101 and the reflector group 103 can slide synchronously or asynchronously on the sliding guide rail 107. By flexibly adjusting the relative positions of the lidar 101 and the reflector group 103 on the sliding guide rail, the detection range can be further expanded.

[0064] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the reflector group is integrally formed of a flexible or elastic material, or is separately formed of a metal material or other composite materials, and the at least one reflector includes a planar reflecting surface and / or a curved reflecting surface, such as a planar reflecting mirror surface, a curved reflecting mirror surface (such as a spherical mirror or a cylindrical mirror, etc.). Those skilled in the art can understand that any form or shape of reflecting mirror surface in the art that can reflect multiple scanning laser beams of the present disclosure according to a certain optical path and then shoot them at a target object to form a light curtain scanning area can be selected, and the present disclosure does not make special limitations on this.

[0065] As mentioned above, in the autonomous positioning and navigation technology, the lidar technology can be used as a basis to help autonomous walking devices such as intelligent robots or unmanned driving devices to achieve tasks such as autonomous mapping, path planning, and autonomous obstacle avoidance. However, the single-line lidar used in existing autonomous walking devices cannot obtain information such as the height of the target, and some small objects will be ignored, which will eventually become obstacles and affect the operation of the mobile robot. As for the multi-line lidar, since it is basically arranged horizontally, the utilization rate of the multi-line lidar is low, and the actual coverage area of the radar laser beam is often small, and the obtained obstacle information is not complete enough. In some specific working environments, it is difficult to successfully complete tasks such as fast and accurate path planning and autonomous obstacle avoidance.

[0066] To overcome the above defects, an autonomous walking device is provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0067] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an autonomous walking device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0068] An autonomous walking device. The autonomous walking device of the present disclosure can be an intelligent robot, an AGV cart, a forklift, or other driverless vehicles. The autonomous walking device can include: a walking device main body 201, a fixed bracket 202, a multi-line lidar 101, a lidar holding seat 102, a reflector group 103, and a controller. Among them, the fixed bracket 202 is arranged at the front end of the walking device main body 201. The multi-line lidar 101 emits multiple scanning laser beams at a predetermined angle and detects obstacles based on the echo signals of the multiple scanning laser beams. The lidar holding seat 102 is arranged above the fixed bracket 202 and can hold the optical axis of the multi-line lidar 101 to tilt downward. The reflector group 103 is configured to change the optical path direction of some of the scanning laser beams. The reflector group 103 includes at least one reflector. The controller controls the autonomous walking device to execute corresponding walking strategies according to the echo signal information of the multi-line lidar 101.

[0069] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can reasonably utilize the scanning laser beams emitted by the multi-line lidar 101 and expand the detection range of the autonomous walking device by keeping the optical axis of the multi-line lidar 101 tilted downward and setting the reflector group 103 structure to adjust the optical path direction of some of the scanning laser beams, so as to provide a faster and more sensitive response mechanism and guarantee for tasks such as autonomous mapping, path planning, and autonomous obstacle avoidance of the autonomous walking device, improve the reliability of the device, and meet the requirements of complex working condition application environments.

[0070] In order to clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present disclosure, the following embodiments will introduce an autonomous walking device including a four-line lidar.

[0071] As Figure 4 shown, the autonomous walking device includes: a walking device main body 201, a fixed bracket 202, a four-line lidar 101, a lidar holding seat 102, a reflector group 103, and a controller. Among them, the fixed bracket 202 is arranged at the front end of the walking device main body 201. The four-line lidar 101 emits four scanning laser beams at a predetermined angle and detects obstacles based on the echo signals of the four scanning laser beams. The lidar holding seat 102 is arranged above the fixed bracket 202 and can hold the optical axis of the four-line lidar 101 to tilt downward. The reflector group 103 is configured to change the optical path direction of some of the scanning laser beams. Among them, the reflector group 103 includes at least one reflector. The controller controls the autonomous walking device to execute corresponding walking strategies according to the echo signal information of the four-line lidar 101.

[0072] Specifically, the four-line lidar 101 includes a laser emitting element, a laser receiving element, and a detector. Through the four-line lidar 101, the height information of an object can be recognized and a 3D scan map of the surrounding environment can be obtained, enabling three-dimensional perception of the surrounding space environment with higher detection accuracy and a wider coverage range. The four-line lidar 101 can emit a first scanning laser beam a, a second scanning laser beam b, a third scanning laser beam c, and a fourth scanning laser beam d at a predetermined angle respectively. Among them, since the optical axis of the four-line lidar 101 is tilted downward, the first scanning laser beam a and the second scanning laser beam b are reflected by the reflector group 103 and then shoot towards the ground to form a light curtain scanning area, that is, the first scanning area AB; while the third scanning laser beam c and the fourth scanning laser beam d that are not reflected by the reflector group 103 directly shoot towards the ground to form a second scanning area CD. Through the four-line lidar of the present disclosure, not only can the height information of an object be recognized and a 3D scan map of the surrounding environment be obtained to realize three-dimensional perception of the surrounding space environment, but also the coverage range of the lidar can be made wider and the detection accuracy can be higher.

[0073] Among them, the reflector group 103 may include two reflectors, such as a first reflector 1031 and a second reflector 1032, and the first reflector 1031 is arranged above the four-line lidar 101, and the second reflector 1032 is arranged on the side of the four-line lidar 101. After the first scanning laser beam a emitted by the four-line lidar 101 is emitted to the first reflector 1031 at a first incident angle, it is reflected by the first reflector 1031 and the second reflector 1032 and then shoots towards the ground to form a light curtain A. After the second scanning laser beam b emitted by the four-line lidar 101 is emitted to the second reflector 1032 at a second incident angle, it is reflected by the second reflector 1032 and the first reflector 1031 and then shoots towards the ground to form a light curtain B. The light curtain A and the light curtain B together constitute the first scanning area AB; the third scanning laser beam c and the fourth scanning laser beam d emitted by the four-line lidar 101 directly shoot towards the ground, forming a light curtain C and a light curtain D respectively, where the light curtain C and the light curtain together constitute the second scanning area CD; at this time, the first scanning area AB and the second scanning area CD together constitute the detection area BC of the four-line lidar 101, as Figure 2 shown.

[0074] Preferably, in order to conveniently adjust the tilt angle of the optical axis of the four-line lidar 101 so that the scanning laser beams with different emission angles form different first scanning areas after being reflected by the reflector group 103 to meet the application requirements of various complex working conditions, the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes an adjusting element 104 and a fixing seat 105. The adjusting element 104 is installed between the fixing seat 105 and the radar holding seat 102, and the tilt angle of the optical axis of the four-line lidar 101 is adjusted through the adjusting element 104.

[0075] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the reflector group 103 may further include a support base 106, and the first reflector 1031 and the second reflector 1032 are fixedly supported by the support base 106. The reflector group 103 and the four-line lidar 101 can be connected and fixed through the support base 106 and the fixing base 105, which can cause a linkage or single-movement effect between the two. For example, the multi-line lidar 101 and the reflector group 103 can be manufactured modularly. They can be integrally formed as one product, or produced and sold as accessories to each other, bringing convenience to users.

[0076] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, different reflectors in each reflector of the reflector group 103 have different reflection angles for the same scanning laser beam. That is to say, the reflector group 103 can change the original optical path direction of some scanning laser beams emitted by the lidar through one reflection or multiple reflections.

[0077] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the reflector group 103 of the autonomous mobile device of the present disclosure may further include an indication scale provided on at least one reflector for indicating the corresponding relationship between the corresponding position of the reflector and the scanning area, and a sensing element for sensing the incident position of the scanning laser beam, such as a photosensitive sensor. By providing a sensing element on the reflector that can sense the incident position of the scanning laser beam and an indication scale that can indicate the coverage range of the obstacle corresponding to a specific position on the reflector when a certain scanning laser beam irradiates, it is possible to conveniently control the detection range of the multi-line scanning device, improve the convenience and response speed of the operation of the autonomous mobile device, and improve the sensitivity and accuracy of detection.

[0078] It should be understood that "a plurality" mentioned herein means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. The "first", "second" and similar terms used in this article do not represent any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different objects.

[0079] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and an explanation of the applied technical principles. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the invention involved in the present disclosure is not limited to the technical solution formed by the specific combination of the above technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the inventive concept. For example, a technical solution formed by mutually replacing the above features with (but not limited to) technical features having similar functions disclosed in the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A multi-line scanning device, characterized in that: The device includes: A multi-line lidar that emits multiple scanning laser beams at a predetermined angle and detects obstacles based on the echo signals of the scanning laser beams; A radar holder that can hold and fix the multi-line lidar and keep the optical axis of the multi-line lidar tilted downward; A reflector group configured to change the optical path directions of some of the scanning laser beams. The reflector group at least includes a first reflector and a second reflector, and the second reflector extends along a first direction and / or a second direction of the first reflector; a preset included angle with adjustable angle is formed between each reflector; different reflectors in each reflector have different reflection angles for the same scanning laser beam.

2. The multi-line scanning device according to claim 1, wherein: Wherein, The reflector group is arranged above the side of the multi-line lidar and is used to reflect some of the scanning laser beams to form a first scanning area of the multi-line lidar.

3. The multi-line scanning device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The scanning laser beams at least include a first scanning laser beam, and the first scanning laser beam is emitted to the first scanning area after being reflected by at least one of the reflectors.

4. The multi-line scanning device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The scanning laser beams at least include a first scanning laser beam and a second scanning laser beam. The first scanning laser beam and the second scanning laser beam are respectively emitted to the first scanning area after being reflected by the first reflector and the second reflector.

5. The multi-line scanning device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The scanning laser beams at least include a first scanning laser beam, and the first scanning laser beam forms multiple first scanning areas after being reflected by the second reflector.

6. The multi-line scanning device according to claim 2, wherein: Wherein, The scanning laser beams that are not reflected by the reflector group among the multiple scanning laser beams directly shoot towards a second scanning area of the multi-line lidar, and the first scanning area and the second scanning area form the detection area of the multi-line lidar.

7. The multi-line scanning device according to any one of claims 2-6, characterized in that: The reflector group further includes an indicating scale and a sensing element arranged on at least one of the reflectors. The indicating scale is used to indicate the position of the first scanning area corresponding to the position where the partial scanning laser beam irradiates the corresponding reflector, and the sensing element is used to sense and confirm the irradiation position of the partial scanning laser beam on the reflector.

8. The multi-line scanning device according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that: The device further includes an adjusting element and a fixing base. The adjusting element is arranged between the radar holder and the fixing base, and the tilting angle of the optical axis of the multi-line lidar is changed by adjusting the adjusting element.

9. The multi-line scanning device according to claim 8, wherein: The reflector group further includes a support base for fixedly supporting at least one of the reflectors.

10. The multi-line scanning device according to claim 9, wherein: The device further includes a sliding guide rail, and the fixing base and the support base are connected to the sliding guide rail by a fixed connection or a sliding fit manner.

11. The multi-line scanning device according to any one of claims 1-6 or 9-10, characterized in that: The reflector group is processed by an integral molding or a split molding process; at least one of the reflectors includes a planar reflecting surface and / or a curved reflecting surface.

12. An autonomous walking device, characterized in that: Includes: A walking device main body and a fixing bracket, and the fixing bracket is located at the front end of the walking device main body; The multi-line scanning device according to any one of claims 1-11, and the multi-line scanning device is arranged on the fixing bracket; A controller, which controls the autonomous mobile device to execute a corresponding walking strategy according to the echo signal information of the multi-line scanning device.

13. The autonomous walking device according to claim 12, characterized in that: The autonomous mobile device is a robot or an AGV cart.

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