Method for operating a cleaning robot and cleaning robot

Abstract

The application discloses a cleaning robot operation method and a cleaning robot. The cleaning robot is provided with a first main sensing unit for detecting a stair corner point and a second main sensing unit for detecting a stair boundary. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring first point cloud data detected by the first main sensing unit, determining the stair corner point according to the first point cloud data, and controlling the cleaning robot to travel to the stair and operate back and forth along the stair based on the stair corner point; during the back-and-forth operation, acquiring second point cloud data detected by the second main sensing unit, determining the stair boundary according to the second point cloud data, and controlling the cleaning robot to slow down or go up the step based on the stair boundary. The method can realize stair cleaning operation control of the cleaning robot, is not affected by weather changes, illumination changes and the like, has good accuracy, requires less computing power, has low cost, has high commercial promotion degree, and can realize unmanned operation of a corridor cleaning scene.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robotics, and more particularly to a method for operating a cleaning robot and the cleaning robot itself. Background Technology

[0002] In related technologies, most indoor cleaning robots are based on flat surfaces for cleaning operations, such as exhibition halls, high-speed rail stations, airports, and office buildings. For cleaning operations on different floors, elevator linkage technology is mostly used to transfer cleaning robots. However, for corridor cleaning, manual labor is still the main method, and intelligent building cluster operations cannot be achieved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to propose a cleaning robot operation method and a cleaning robot, so as to realize the control of the cleaning robot for stair cleaning operations, and to achieve the effect of control not being affected by weather changes, light changes, etc., with good accuracy, low computing power required, low cost, and high commercial promotion, so as to realize unmanned operation of stair cleaning scenarios.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, a first aspect of the present invention provides a method for operating a cleaning robot. The cleaning robot is equipped with a first main sensing unit for detecting stair corners and a second main sensing unit for detecting stair boundaries. The method includes: acquiring first point cloud data detected by the first main sensing unit, determining stair corners based on the first point cloud data, and controlling the cleaning robot to move to the staircase and perform reciprocating operations along the staircase based on the stair corners; during the reciprocating operations, acquiring second point cloud data detected by the second main sensing unit, determining stair boundaries based on the second point cloud data, and controlling the cleaning robot to slow down or move up the stairs based on the stair boundaries.

[0005] In addition, the cleaning robot operation method of the above embodiments of the present invention may also have the following additional technical features:

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, determining the stair corner point based on the first point cloud data includes: selecting first target point cloud data from the first point cloud data; for each point cloud in the first target point cloud data, calculating the slope of the line segment formed by the point cloud and the initial point cloud in the first target point cloud data, and taking the point cloud corresponding to the maximum value among all slopes as the stair corner point.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, selecting the first target point cloud data from the first point cloud data includes: selecting point cloud data from the first point cloud data in order of the magnitude of the vertical components; calculating the standard deviation of the horizontal components of the selected point cloud data, denoted as the first standard deviation; if the first standard deviation is less than or equal to a first threshold, then continuing to select point cloud data from the first point cloud data in order of the magnitude of the vertical components; when the first standard deviation corresponding to the cumulatively selected point cloud data is greater than the first threshold and less than a second threshold, the currently cumulatively selected point cloud data is taken as the first target point cloud data.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a first preset value of point cloud data is selected from the first point cloud data for the first time, and then a second preset value of point cloud data is selected from the first point cloud data each time, and the selection is carried out in order of increasing vertical components.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, controlling the cleaning robot to move to the stairs and perform back-and-forth operations along the stairs based on the stair corner point includes: calculating the lateral distance between the cleaning robot and the stair corner point; if the lateral distance is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, controlling the cleaning robot to move towards the stairs until the lateral distance is less than the first distance threshold; when the lateral distance is less than the first distance threshold, calculating the longitudinal distance between the cleaning robot and the stair corner point, and controlling the cleaning robot to perform back-and-forth operations along the stairs according to the lateral distance and the longitudinal distance.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, determining the staircase boundary based on the second point cloud data includes: determining the current movement direction of the cleaning robot; if the current movement direction is a first direction, performing angle pass-through filtering on the second point cloud data based on a first angle filtering parameter to obtain second target point cloud data; calculating the standard deviation and average value of the lateral component of the second target point cloud data to obtain a second standard deviation and a second average value; if the second standard deviation is greater than a third threshold and the second average value is greater than a fourth threshold, then determining that the cleaning robot is about to reach the boundary of the first direction.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, determining the staircase boundary based on the second point cloud data further includes: if the current movement direction is the second direction, performing angle pass-through filtering on the second point cloud data based on the second angle filtering parameters to obtain third target point cloud data; calculating the standard deviation of the lateral component of the third target point cloud data to obtain a third standard deviation; if the third standard deviation is less than a fifth threshold, determining that the cleaning robot is about to reach the boundary of the second direction.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first main sensing unit is located directly in front of the cleaning robot, and there are two second main sensing units, one located in front of the left side of the cleaning robot and the other located in front of the right side of the cleaning robot. The first direction is leftward, and the second target point cloud data is obtained based on the second point cloud data detected by the second main sensing unit located in front of the left side of the cleaning robot; the second direction is rightward, and the third target point cloud data is obtained based on the second point cloud data detected by the second main sensing unit located in front of the right side of the cleaning robot.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, controlling the cleaning robot to slow down or ascend the steps based on the staircase boundary includes: when it is determined that the cleaning robot is about to reach the boundary of the first direction or the second direction, controlling the cleaning robot to slow down; and when the cleaning robot stops and completes the cleaning work of the current step, controlling the cleaning robot to ascend the step.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning robot is further provided with at least three sets of ultrasonic radars, which are used to detect radar information in front of, to the left and to the right of the cleaning robot, respectively. The method further includes: acquiring radar information detected by the corresponding set of ultrasonic radars according to the moving direction of the cleaning robot; performing obstacle detection based on the radar information; and controlling the cleaning robot to stop when the distance between the cleaning robot and the obstacle is detected to reach a second distance threshold, wherein the second distance threshold is less than the first distance threshold.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes: after detecting the first stair corner point, stopping the stair corner point detection and determining the reciprocating operation speed of the cleaning robot as a first speed; when the number of steps reached reaches a third preset value, restarting the stair corner point detection to obtain the number of stair corner points, and when the number is greater than a fourth preset value, determining the reciprocating operation speed of the cleaning robot as the first speed, and when the number is less than or equal to the fourth preset value, determining the reciprocating operation speed of the cleaning robot as a second speed, wherein the second speed is less than the first speed.

[0016] To achieve the above objectives, a second aspect of the present invention provides a cleaning robot, comprising: a first main sensing unit for detecting corner points of stairs; a second main sensing unit for detecting stair boundaries; and a control unit, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory, wherein the processor is connected to the first main sensing unit and the second main sensing unit respectively, and is used to implement the above-described method when executing the computer program.

[0017] The cleaning robot operation method and cleaning robot of the present invention, when performing corridor cleaning operations, determine the corner point of the stairs based on the first point cloud data detected by the first main sensing unit, and control the cleaning robot to move to the stairs and work back and forth along the stairs based on the corner point of the stairs. During the back and forth operation, determine the boundary of the stairs based on the second point cloud data detected by the second main sensing unit, and control the cleaning robot to slow down or go up the stairs based on the boundary of the stairs. Thus, the cleaning robot can be controlled to perform stair cleaning operations. The control is not affected by weather changes, lighting changes, etc., has good accuracy, requires less computing power, has low cost, high commercial promotion potential, and can realize unmanned operation in corridor cleaning scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the operation method of the cleaning robot according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a stair corner point according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a plan view of the overall system scheme according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is an overall system architecture diagram of one embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a detection diagram of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the operation method of the cleaning robot according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 This is an XY decomposition result diagram of point cloud data according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing the results of a staircase inspection according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of the operation method of the cleaning robot according to the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of the operation method of the cleaning robot according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 11 This is a diagram showing the detection result of the left boundary of a staircase according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of the operation method of the cleaning robot according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 13 This is a diagram showing the detection result of the right boundary of a staircase according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 14 This is a structural diagram of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 15 This is a structural diagram of a control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0034] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrates the operation method of the cleaning robot and the cleaning robot according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a cleaning robot operation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] In this embodiment, the cleaning robot is equipped with a first main sensing unit for detecting stair corners and a second main sensing unit for detecting stair boundaries. Figure 1 As shown, the operating methods of the cleaning robot include:

[0037] S1, acquire the first point cloud data detected by the first main sensing unit, determine the corner point of the stairs based on the first point cloud data, and control the cleaning robot to move to the stairs and work back and forth along the stairs based on the corner point of the stairs.

[0038] Among them, such as Figure 2 As shown, the first main sensing unit can be a single-line lidar, which can be placed directly in front of the cleaning robot to collect point cloud data in the vertical direction, thus obtaining the first point cloud data. For each pair of steps, the intersection of the straight line formed by the intersection of the horizontal and vertical planes of that step and the plane containing the first point cloud data is the corner point of the staircase.

[0039] S2, during the round-trip operation, acquires the second point cloud data detected by the second main sensing unit, determines the staircase boundary based on the second point cloud data, and controls the cleaning robot to slow down or go up the steps based on the staircase boundary.

[0040] The second main sensing unit can be a single-line lidar, which can be located on the side or slightly in front of the cleaning robot, so as to detect point cloud data in the forward and backward direction, or the forward and backward direction and the stair direction, when the cleaning robot is working back and forth.

[0041] The operation method of the cleaning robot according to the embodiments of the present invention, when performing corridor cleaning operations, determines the stair corner points according to the first point cloud data detected by the first main sensing unit, and controls the cleaning robot to move to the stairs and perform round-trip operations along the stairs based on the stair corner points. During the round-trip operations, the stair boundaries are determined according to the second point cloud data detected by the second main sensing unit, and the cleaning robot is controlled to decelerate or ascend the stairs based on the stair boundaries. Thus, the control of the cleaning robot for stair cleaning operations is achieved, and this control is not affected by weather changes, light changes, etc., has good accuracy, requires less computing power, has low cost, and has high commercial promotion value, and can achieve unmanned operation in the corridor cleaning scenario.

[0042] In some embodiments, at least three groups of ultrasonic radars are further provided on the cleaning robot, which are respectively used to detect the radar information in the front, left, and right directions of the cleaning robot. The method further includes: obtaining the radar information detected by the corresponding group of ultrasonic radars according to the moving direction of the cleaning robot; performing obstacle detection based on the radar information; when the distance between the detected cleaning robot and the obstacle reaches the second distance threshold, controlling the cleaning robot to stop.

[0043] Specifically, set the obstacle stopping distance dv of the ultrasonic radar. The obstacle stopping system can adopt the double-probe mode of the ultrasonic radar, and 2 ultrasonic radar probes are arranged on the front, left, and right sides of the robot respectively, with a total of 6 probes. If the detection distance d_ultra of the ultrasonic radar < dv, then control the cleaning robot to perform obstacle stopping (i.e., stop moving).

[0044] For example, the number of the first main sensing units is 1, the number of the second main sensing units is two, the three groups of ultrasonic radars are integrally arranged, and a main control unit is further provided in the cleaning robot for executing the method according to the embodiments of the present invention. Among them, the relative positions of the main sensing units, ultrasonic radars, and the main control unit in the cleaning robot can be as Figure 3 shown, and each main sensing unit and ultrasonic radar are electrically connected to the main control unit. As Figure 4 shown, 1 single-line lidar (denoted as single-line lidar 1) can be used as the first main sensing unit to detect the corner points of the stairs and return the stair corner point detection results. Two single-line lidars (denoted as single-line lidar 2 and single-line lidar 3 respectively) can be used as the second main sensing unit to detect the stair boundaries and return the stair boundary detection results. The main control unit, as the core controller, receives the detection information of the first main sensing unit, the second main sensing unit, and the ultrasonic radar for sensor fusion detection, and performs braking, steering, and corresponding upper-mounted operation control of the stair cleaning robot through the detection information.

[0045] In some embodiments, the first main sensing unit is located directly in front of the cleaning robot, and there are two second main sensing units, one located in front of the left side of the cleaning robot and the other located in front of the right side of the cleaning robot.

[0046] Specifically, such as Figure 3 , Figure 5 As shown, the single-line lidar corresponding to the first main sensing unit is installed on the front of the cleaning robot. It can be mounted using a fixed bracket for shock absorption, with a ground clearance of hm, a scanning surface perpendicular to the stairs, and an ascending scanning angle. The two single-line lidars corresponding to the two second main sensing units are installed on the left and right front edges of the cleaning robot, also using fixed brackets. The installation angle is ε, and the scanning surface forms an angle ε with the vertical plane of the stairs. The diamond-shaped markings on the tops of the three lidars corresponding to the first main sensing unit and the two second main sensing units can be installed on the same horizontal plane for ease of calculation.

[0047] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, the corner points of the stairs are determined based on the first point cloud data, including:

[0048] S61, Select the first target point cloud data from the first point cloud data.

[0049] As one implementation method, selecting first target point cloud data from first point cloud data includes: selecting point cloud data from the first point cloud data in order of the magnitude of the vertical components; calculating the standard deviation of the horizontal components of the selected point cloud data and recording it as the first standard deviation; if the first standard deviation is less than or equal to a first threshold, then continuing to select point cloud data from the first point cloud data in order of the magnitude of the vertical components; when the first standard deviation corresponding to the cumulatively selected point cloud data is greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, the currently cumulatively selected point cloud data is taken as the first target point cloud data.

[0050] The detection process can initially select a first preset value of point cloud data points from the first point cloud data set. Subsequently, a second preset value of point cloud data points can be selected from the first point cloud data set each time, in ascending order of the vertical components. Alternatively, the second preset value of point cloud data points can be selected each time. Optionally, the first preset value can be greater than or equal to the second preset value to ensure that no corner points on the stairs are missed. Within a certain range (which can be determined based on the stair height, the detection range of the single-line lidar, etc.), the smaller the second preset value, the higher the detection accuracy; the larger the second preset value, the faster the detection speed.

[0051] Specifically, the point cloud data detected by the first main sensing unit can first undergo data preprocessing to remove noise and outlier points, obtaining a point cloud dataset A. Then, the data in dataset A is sorted in ascending order by angle (or the vertical component Y) to obtain the index ID. Afterwards... Figure 7As shown, for any point cloud ξ in the point cloud set A, it is decomposed onto the XY plane, and the X and Y components of each point cloud are ξ_X and ξ_Y respectively. The ξ_Y is stored in the point cloud set B in the order of id. Finally, as Figure 8 shown, starting from id = 1 in the point cloud set B, the data with id <= 20 (i.e., the first preset value) is obtained, and the standard deviation σ1 of the horizontal component of the point cloud (i.e., the first standard deviation) is calculated. If σ1 <= a, then n more data are obtained until a < σ < b. All the obtained point clouds ξ are saved in the set C (where a is the first threshold, b is the second threshold, and n is the second preset value) to ensure that there is only one complete set of staircase information in the set C.

[0052] S62. For each point cloud in the first target point cloud data, calculate the slope of the line segment formed by it and the initial point cloud in the first target point cloud data, and use the point cloud corresponding to the maximum value among all the slopes as the staircase corner point.

[0053] Specifically, for all point clouds ξc in the set C, calculate the slope of the line segment formed by any point cloud ξcn and the initial value ξc1, save the obtained slopes in the set k in sequence, find the maximum value kmax in the set k, and find the corresponding ξci. This ξci is the first staircase corner point.

[0054] In some embodiments, as Figure 9 shown, based on the staircase corner point, control the cleaning robot to move to the staircase and perform round-trip operations along the staircase, including:

[0055] S91. Calculate the horizontal distance between the cleaning robot and the staircase corner point. <图注:此处

[0056] 无实际意义,暂不翻译>S92. If the horizontal distance is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold, control the cleaning robot to move towards the staircase until the horizontal distance is less than the first distance threshold. <图注:此处

[0057] 无实际意义,暂不翻译>S93. When the horizontal distance is less than the first distance threshold, calculate the vertical distance between the cleaning robot and the staircase corner point, and control the cleaning robot to perform round-trip operations along the staircase according to the horizontal distance and the vertical distance. <图注:此处

[0058] 无实际意义,暂不翻译>Specifically, the horizontal distance distance and the vertical distance between ξci and the cleaning robot can be calculated through the coordinates of ξci. According to the horizontal distance and the vertical distance, the relative angle between the cleaning robot and the staircase can be calculated. Furthermore, the main control unit can control the cleaning robot to move to start the operation device when dt < distance and perform operations according to the relative angle. At the initial stage of the operation process, the staircase intersection detection of the first main sensing unit can be turned off. <图注:此处

[0059] 无实际意义,暂不翻译>In some embodiments, as Figure 10 shown, determine the staircase boundary according to the second point cloud data, including:

[0060] S101. Determine the current moving direction of the cleaning robot.

[0061] S102. If the current moving direction is the first direction, perform angle直通 filtering on the second point cloud data based on the first angle filtering parameter to obtain the second target point cloud data.

[0062] Wherein, the first direction can be the left direction.

[0063] S103. Calculate the standard deviation and average value of the lateral component of the second target point cloud data to obtain the second standard deviation and the second average value.

[0064] S104. If the second standard deviation is greater than the third threshold and the second average value is greater than the fourth threshold, determine that the cleaning robot is about to reach the boundary in the first direction.

[0065] Specifically, the detection result of the left boundary of the stairs can be as Figure 11 shown. Use the angle直通 filtering method for the second point cloud data to obtain all the point clouds in v1 < angle < w1 and store them in the set (v1 and w1 are the first angle filtering parameters, and the angle threshold can be set as needed). Calculate the standard deviation σ2 (i.e., the second standard deviation) and the average distance avg of the lateral component of the point cloud. If (σ2 > c) and (avg > u), it means that the cleaning robot is about to reach the left boundary; the main control unit controls the cleaning robot to decelerate to avoid collision with the left boundary. (c is the third threshold, u is the fourth threshold)

[0066] In some embodiments, as Figure 12 shown, to determine the stair boundary according to the second point cloud data, it further includes:

[0067] S121. If the current moving direction is the second direction, perform angle直通 filtering on the second point cloud data based on the second angle filtering parameter to obtain the third target point cloud data. <00​​​​​​​​​​​​​

[0072] In some embodiments, controlling the cleaning robot to decelerate or step onto a step based on the staircase boundary includes: when it is determined that the cleaning robot is about to reach the boundary in the first direction or the second direction, controlling the cleaning robot to decelerate; and when the cleaning robot stops and finishes the cleaning operation of the current step, controlling the cleaning robot to step onto the step.

[0073] Specifically, when the cleaning robot detects the first staircase corner point, it can perform a cleaning operation on the step corresponding to the first staircase corner point. Specifically, it can first control the cleaning robot to move towards the left boundary. When it is about to reach the left boundary, it decelerates until it stops; then, it controls the cleaning robot to move towards the right boundary, and at the same time, activates the cleaning device to perform a cleaning operation. When it is about to reach the right boundary, it decelerates until it stops, and controls the cleaning robot to step onto the step. Since after stepping onto the step, the cleaning robot is at the right boundary position, at this time, it can directly control the cleaning robot to move towards the left boundary, and at the same time, activate the cleaning device to perform a cleaning operation. When it is about to reach the left boundary, it decelerates until it stops, and so on.

[0074] Optionally, before controlling the cleaning robot to step onto the step, staircase corner point detection can also be performed to determine whether there are steps to be cleaned above the current step, so as to ensure the accuracy of cleaning control.

[0075] In some embodiments, the method further includes: after detecting the first staircase corner point, stopping the staircase corner point detection, and determining that the round-trip operation speed of the cleaning robot is the first speed; when the number of steps onto which the robot steps reaches the third preset value, restarting the staircase corner point detection to obtain the number of staircase corner points. When the number is greater than the fourth preset value, determining that the round-trip operation speed of the cleaning robot is the first speed, and when the number is less than or equal to the fourth preset value, determining that the round-trip operation speed of the cleaning robot is the second speed, where the second speed is less than the first speed.

[0076] Among them, the third preset value can be 12, and the fourth preset value can be 2.

[0077] As an implementation manner, when restarting the staircase corner point detection, the detection method for the first staircase corner point can be the same as the detection method for the above-mentioned first staircase corner point. After detecting the first staircase corner point, the set C can be cleared, and all the point clouds with id <= ID1 (i.e., the id corresponding to the first staircase corner point) can be deleted from the set B. Each time, a second preset number of data is obtained until a < σl < b; then, the detection of the next staircase corner point is performed. Similarly, the current set C is cleared, and all the point clouds with id <= ID2 (i.e., the id corresponding to the previous staircase corner point) are deleted from the current set B. Each time, a second preset number of data is obtained until a < σl < b. If the number of detected corner points is less than T1 and no more corner points can be detected, or the number of detected corner points is equal to T1, then the corner point detection is stopped.

[0078] Specifically, according to national standards, the number of stairs is generally set between 15 and 18. A single-line lidar stair corner detection frame can detect a maximum of 4 to 5 corners (T1 can be set to 3 to ensure accuracy). If the cleaning robot starts working from the first step, corner detection can be stopped upon detecting the first corner, and the robot can be controlled to move back and forth and climb stairs. The back-and-forth movement speed can be the first speed. When the number of steps climbed reaches the third preset value (e.g., 12), corner detection can be restarted. If the number of detected corners is high, exceeding the fourth preset value (e.g., 2), the robot can be controlled to move back and forth and climb stairs, with the back-and-forth movement speed remaining at the first speed, and the number of steps climbed equaling the number of detected corners. If the number of detected corners is low, less than or equal to the fourth preset value (e.g., 2), the robot can be controlled to move back and forth and climb stairs, with the back-and-forth movement speed being the second speed, less than the first speed, and the number of steps climbed equaling the number of detected corners. It should be noted that using the second speed indicates that there are fewer stairs, and even if the second speed is used, cleaning can be completed in a timely manner, and the stability of the cleaning robot can be guaranteed. Not using the second speed indicates that there are more stairs, and in this case, using the higher first speed for back-and-forth operation can improve cleaning efficiency.

[0079] As an example, if there are many stairs, such as 12 stairs in the first operation and 3 stairs in the second operation, then a third stair corner detection will be initiated. The detection method and the subsequent operation method will be the same as the closest previous one. Specifically, the first stair corner detection can be stopped after the first stair corner is detected, and the cleaning operation can be started. Subsequent stair corner detections will only check the number of corners, and after checking the remaining corners or T1 corners, the stair corner detection will be stopped and the cleaning operation can be started.

[0080] In summary, the cleaning robot operation method of this invention controls the robot's operating speed by identifying stair corners and the left and right boundaries of the staircase, effectively improving operating efficiency. Furthermore, this method is unaffected by weather changes, lighting changes, etc., and has good accuracy. In addition, this method requires less computing power, has low cost, high commercial applicability, and can realize unmanned operation in indoor cleaning scenarios.

[0081] Figure 14 This is a structural diagram of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0082] like Figure 14 As shown, the cleaning robot 140 includes: a first main sensing unit 141 for detecting the corner points of the stairs, a second main sensing unit 142 for detecting the boundaries of the stairs, and a control unit 143 (i.e., the main control unit in the above method embodiment).

[0083] like Figure 15 As shown, the control unit 143 includes a processor 151 and a memory 153. The processor 151 and the memory 153 are connected, for example, via a bus 152. Optionally, the control unit 143 may also include a transceiver 154. It should be noted that in practical applications, the transceiver 154 is not limited to one, and the structure of this control unit 143 does not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the present invention.

[0084] Processor 151 may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a general-purpose processor, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this invention. Processor 151 may also be a combination that implements computational functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc.

[0085] Bus 152 may include a pathway for transmitting information between the aforementioned components. Bus 152 may be a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus or an EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) bus, etc. Bus 152 can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 15 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0086] The memory 153 stores a computer program corresponding to the operation method of the cleaning robot in the above embodiments of the present invention. This computer program is controlled and executed by the processor 151. The processor 151 executes the computer program stored in the memory 803 to implement the content shown in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0087] Figure 15 The control unit 143 shown is merely an example and should not be construed as limiting the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0088] The cleaning robot of this invention can perform cleaning operations on stairs, and the operation is not affected by changes in weather or lighting. It is accurate, requires less computing power, has low cost, and is highly commercially viable, enabling unmanned operation in stairwell cleaning scenarios.

[0089] It should be noted that the logic and / or steps represented in the flowchart or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as a sequenced list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions, and can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (such as a computer-based system, a processor-included system, or other system that can fetch and execute instructions from, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device). For the purposes of this specification, "computer-readable medium" can be any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit programs for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable media include: an electrical connection having one or more wires (electronic device), a portable computer disk drive (magnetic device), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable and editable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), fiber optic devices, and portable optical disc read-only memory (CDROM). Alternatively, the computer-readable medium may be paper or other suitable media on which the program can be printed, since the program can be obtained electronically, for example, by optically scanning the paper or other medium, followed by editing, interpreting, or otherwise processing as necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

[0090] It should be understood that various parts of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented in software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware, as in another embodiment, it can be implemented using any one or a combination of the following techniques known in the art: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logical functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0091] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0092] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0093] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0094] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0095] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0096] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for operating a cleaning robot, characterized in that, The cleaning robot is equipped with a first main sensing unit for detecting corner points of the stairs and a second main sensing unit for detecting the boundaries of the stairs. The method includes: The system acquires the first point cloud data detected by the first main sensing unit, determines the corner point of the stairs based on the first point cloud data, and controls the cleaning robot to move to the stairs and work back and forth along the stairs based on the corner point of the stairs. During the round trip operation, the second point cloud data detected by the second main sensing unit is acquired, and the stair boundary is determined based on the second point cloud data. Based on the stair boundary, the cleaning robot is controlled to slow down or go up the steps. Determining the stair corner point based on the first point cloud data includes: Select the first target point cloud data from the first point cloud data; For each point cloud in the first target point cloud data, calculate the slope of the line segment formed by it and the initial point cloud in the first target point cloud data, and take the point cloud corresponding to the maximum value of all slopes as the stair corner point; The step of selecting the first target point cloud data from the first point cloud data includes: Point cloud data is selected from the first point cloud data in order of the magnitude of the vertical components; Calculate the standard deviation of the lateral component of the selected point cloud data, and denote it as the first standard deviation; If the first standard deviation is less than or equal to the first threshold, then continue to select point cloud data from the first point cloud data in order of the size of the vertical components; When the first standard deviation of the cumulatively selected point cloud data is greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, the currently cumulatively selected point cloud data is used as the first target point cloud data.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, First, a first preset value of point cloud data is selected from the first point cloud data. Then, a second preset value of point cloud data is selected from the first point cloud data each time, and the selection is carried out in order of increasing vertical components.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method of controlling the cleaning robot to move to the stairs and perform back-and-forth operations based on the corner points of the stairs includes: Calculate the lateral distance between the cleaning robot and the corner point of the stairs; If the lateral distance is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold, the cleaning robot is controlled to move towards the stairs until the lateral distance is less than the first distance threshold. When the lateral distance is less than the first distance threshold, the longitudinal distance between the cleaning robot and the corner of the staircase is calculated, and the cleaning robot is controlled to operate back and forth along the staircase based on the lateral distance and the longitudinal distance.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Determining the staircase boundary based on the second point cloud data includes: Determine the current direction of movement of the cleaning robot; If the current movement direction is the first direction, then the second point cloud data is subjected to angle pass-through filtering based on the first angle filtering parameters to obtain the second target point cloud data; Calculate the standard deviation and mean of the lateral component of the second target point cloud data to obtain the second standard deviation and the second mean. If the second standard deviation is greater than the third threshold and the second average value is greater than the fourth threshold, then it is determined that the cleaning robot is about to reach the boundary in the first direction.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of determining the staircase boundary based on the second point cloud data further includes: If the current movement direction is the second direction, then the second point cloud data is subjected to angle pass-through filtering based on the second angle filtering parameters to obtain the third target point cloud data; Calculate the standard deviation of the lateral component of the third target point cloud data to obtain the third standard deviation; If the third standard deviation is less than the fifth threshold, then it is determined that the cleaning robot is about to reach the boundary in the second direction.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first main sensing unit is located directly in front of the cleaning robot. There are two second main sensing units: one located at the left front and the other at the right front of the cleaning robot. The first direction is leftward, and the second target point cloud data is obtained based on the second point cloud data detected by the second main sensing unit located at the left front of the cleaning robot; The second direction is to the right, and the third target point cloud data is obtained based on the second point cloud data detected by the second main sensing unit located at the right front of the cleaning robot.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method of controlling the cleaning robot to slow down or ascend the steps based on the staircase boundary includes: When it is determined that the cleaning robot is about to reach the boundary of the first direction or the second direction, the cleaning robot is controlled to slow down; Once the cleaning robot stops and has completed the cleaning of the current step, control the cleaning robot to move up the step.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The cleaning robot is also equipped with at least three sets of ultrasonic radars, used to detect radar information from the front, left, and right sides of the cleaning robot, respectively. The method further includes: The radar information detected by the corresponding group of ultrasonic radars is obtained according to the moving direction of the cleaning robot; Obstacle detection is performed based on the radar information; When the distance between the cleaning robot and the obstacle is detected to reach a second distance threshold, the cleaning robot is controlled to stop, wherein the second distance threshold is less than the first distance threshold.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: After detecting the first stair corner, the detection of stair corner is stopped, and the reciprocating speed of the cleaning robot is determined as the first speed; When the number of steps reaches the third preset value, the stair corner detection is activated again to obtain the number of stair corners. When the number is greater than the fourth preset value, the cleaning robot's round-trip speed is determined to be the first speed. When the number is less than or equal to the fourth preset value, the cleaning robot's round-trip speed is determined to be the second speed, wherein the second speed is less than the first speed.

10. A cleaning robot, characterized in that, include: The first main sensing unit used to detect the corner points of the stairs; The second main sensing unit is used to detect the boundary of the staircase; as well as The control unit includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory. The processor is connected to the first main sensing unit and the second main sensing unit, respectively, and is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-9 when executing the computer program.

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