Communication methods, mobile devices, server and inspection system

Abstract

This application provides a communication method, a self-moving device, a server, and an inspection system. The communication method for the self-moving device includes: the self-moving device receiving a call instruction for calling a management terminal, wherein the self-moving device is a device restricted from actively connecting to the management terminal; generating a call request according to the call instruction and sending the call request to the server, so as to send the call request to the management terminal through the server; receiving a call connection initiated by the management terminal in response to the call request, and conducting a call with the management terminal based on the call connection. This application embodiment achieves a function similar to active calling for self-moving devices with restricted active calling capabilities.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of autonomous driving technology, and in particular to a communication method for a self-moving device, a self-moving device, a server, and an inspection system. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of autonomous driving, in addition to vehicles and robots that drive automatically in external environments such as roads, and drones that fly in the sky, automated inspection robots that operate most of the time in regional or local environments (such as hotels, restaurants, factories, etc.) are also an important part.

[0003] For these inspection robots, due to safety and management considerations in their working environment, they are currently unable to perceive information from the management side and therefore cannot initiate proactive calls. However, in actual use environments, such as inspection scenarios at pandemic prevention hotels, there are often situations where inspection robots need to proactively call the management side, for example, when emergency response needs arise in the robot's working environment.

[0004] Therefore, how to enable inspection robots to proactively call the management terminal while ensuring safety and efficient management has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication scheme for a self-moving device to at least partially solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present application, a communication method for a self-moving device is provided, comprising: the self-moving device receiving a call instruction for calling a management terminal, wherein the self-moving device is a device restricted from actively making call connections with the management terminal; generating a call request according to the call instruction and sending the call request to a server to send the call request to the management terminal through the server; receiving a call connection initiated by the management terminal in response to the call request, and conducting a call with the management terminal based on the call connection.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this application, another communication method for a self-moving device is provided, comprising: receiving a call request sent by a self-moving device, wherein the self-moving device is a device restricted from actively making call connections with a management terminal; determining and calling a management terminal that responds to the call request based on the call request, so that the management terminal initiates a call connection to the self-moving device that sent the call request and conducts a call.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this application, a self-moving device is provided, comprising: an interactive system for interacting with a user, and a control system for operating and controlling the self-moving device, wherein the self-moving device is a device restricted from actively making call connections with a management terminal; the interactive system is configured to receive a call instruction for calling the management terminal; generate a call request according to the call instruction, and send the call request to a server, so as to send the call request to the management terminal through the server; the control system is configured to receive call task information returned by the server according to the call request, update the call task status corresponding to the call requested by the call request according to the call task information, and push the updated call task status to the interactive system, so as to display the updated call task status to the user through the interactive system; the interactive system is further configured to, after determining the management terminal responding to the call request according to the call task status, receive a call connection initiated by the management terminal in response to the call request, and conduct a call with the management terminal based on the call connection.

[0009] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of this application, a server is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the processor is configured to receive a call request sent by a self-mobile device, wherein the self-mobile device is a device restricted from actively making call connections with a management terminal; and to determine a management terminal responding to the call request based on the call request; the communication interface is configured to make a call to the management terminal responding to the call request, so that the management terminal initiates a call connection to the self-mobile device and conducts a call.

[0010] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of this application, an inspection system is provided, comprising: a self-moving device, a server, and a management terminal; wherein the self-moving device is a device restricted from actively making call connections with the management terminal; the self-moving device is configured to receive a call instruction for calling the management terminal, generate a call request according to the call instruction, and send the call request to the server; the server is configured to receive the call request sent by the self-moving device, determine and call the management terminal that responds to the call request according to the call request; the management terminal is configured to initiate a call connection to the self-moving device that sent the call request according to the call from the server; the self-moving device is further configured to receive the call connection initiated by the management terminal and conduct a call with the management terminal based on the call connection.

[0011] According to the solution provided in this application embodiment, in scenarios where self-mobile devices are restricted from initiating calls to the management terminal, a server is used to assist in the process. When a self-mobile device has a need to initiate a call to the server, it sends a call request to the server. The server then determines and informs the management terminal of this proactive call request. Subsequently, the management terminal can connect to the self-mobile device to enable direct communication between the self-mobile device and the management terminal. The process of the server notifying the management terminal and the management terminal initiating the call is shielded from the self-mobile device. From the self-mobile device's perspective, it can seamlessly establish a call connection with the management terminal, achieving a function similar to proactively initiating a call. Therefore, since the proactive call function of the self-mobile device is still limited, the security of the inspection system and the management terminal, as well as the efficient management of the self-mobile device, can still be guaranteed. Furthermore, because the self-mobile device can achieve direct communication with the management terminal through the server, a function similar to proactively initiating a call is realized, satisfying the proactive call needs of the self-mobile device and improving the user experience of the self-mobile device. Attached Figure Description

[0012] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0013] Figure 1A This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a communication method for a self-moving device according to Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0014] Figure 1B This is a schematic diagram of a call process based on the WebRTC communication protocol;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a communication method for a self-moving device according to Embodiment 2 of this application;

[0016] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a communication method for a self-moving device according to Embodiment 3 of this application;

[0017] Figure 4 This is a structural block diagram of a self-moving device according to Embodiment 4 of this application;

[0018] Figure 5 This is a structural block diagram of a server according to Embodiment 5 of this application;

[0019] Figure 6A This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an inspection system according to Embodiment Six of this application;

[0020] Figure 6B for Figure 6A The diagram shows the communication interaction of the inspection system. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art should fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0022] The specific implementation of the embodiments of this application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] Example 1

[0024] Reference Figure 1A The diagram shows a flowchart of a communication method for a self-moving device according to Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0025] This embodiment describes the solution provided in this application from the perspective of a self-moving device. This self-moving device is typically a self-moving device used in inspection scenarios where inspections are conducted within a designated area, including but not limited to inspection robots and service robots. For security and efficient management considerations, these self-moving devices do not have the function of actively communicating with their management terminal.

[0026] Based on the above situation, the communication method for the self-moving device provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0027] Step S102: The self-moving device receives a call instruction for the call management terminal.

[0028] As mentioned above, in this embodiment of the application, the self-moving device is a device that is restricted from actively making calls with the management terminal.

[0029] Taking WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communications) protocol as an example, it is a real-time communication technology that allows web applications or websites to establish peer-to-peer connections between browsers without the aid of an intermediary, enabling the transmission of some or all of video streams, audio streams, and other data. An exemplary call process based on the WebRTC protocol is as follows: Figure 1BAs shown, this call system includes a web server, browser A, and browser B. When browser A needs to call browser B: First, browser A sends its own session description object (offer) to the web server; the web server sends browser A's session description object to browser B; browser B sends its own session description object (answer) to the web server; the web server forwards the answer to browser A; browsers A and B then begin interacting to determine how to access each other; based on the determined method, browsers A and B begin negotiating a communication key; subsequently, browsers A and B establish a communication connection and begin exchanging data such as voice data, video data, or other data to achieve their call. Conversely, if browser B needs to call browser A, the same process is used. Either browser A or B can be the initiator of the call.

[0030] However, when applying the WebRTC communication method described above to certain scenarios, such as inspection scenarios, the above process will be disabled on the self-moving device side, such as the inspection robot side, thus restricting the self-moving device's proactive communication function. On the other hand, the management end of the self-moving device can perform the above process normally, enabling proactive communication. Therefore, this effectively ensures efficient management of self-moving devices in such scenarios, as well as security for the management end and the entire inspection system.

[0031] The solution provided in this application, based on the aforementioned scenario, offers a communication method for self-operated mobile devices, enabling them to proactively initiate calls. The server then notifies the management terminal, which in turn calls the self-operated mobile device. By initiating a call, the self-operated mobile device can communicate with the management terminal, achieving a proactive calling function similar to the traditional methods described above.

[0032] In this step, the call instruction received by the self-mobile device for calling the management terminal can be any appropriate instruction that instructs the self-mobile device to initiate a call, including but not limited to: a call instruction issued by the user via voice, such as "XXX (which may be a wake word, etc.), please call the management terminal"; or a call instruction issued by the user through the interactive settings on the self-mobile device (such as physical interactive buttons, or interactive buttons in the interactive interface, etc.).

[0033] In one feasible approach, after the self-mobile device receives a call instruction to the management terminal, it can also capture an image of its surrounding environment and upload it to the server. The server then sends the captured environmental image to the management terminal, allowing the management terminal to obtain the self-mobile device's environmental information based on the image. This environmental image enables the management terminal to quickly understand the reason for the self-mobile device's call and its location, providing a basis for rapid response and improving the management terminal's response efficiency. It should be noted that this environmental image does not need to be uploaded in real-time and can be uploaded to the server asynchronously with subsequent call requests; it only needs to be uploaded to the server before the server calls the management terminal.

[0034] Step S104: The self-moving device generates a call request according to the call instruction and sends the call request to the server so that the server can send the call request to the management terminal.

[0035] After receiving a call instruction, the self-mobile device can generate a call request accordingly. In this embodiment, there are no restrictions on the specific implementation and generation method of the call request. In the scenario where the self-mobile device communicates with the server via WebRTC connection, the call request can be implemented as an HTTP request.

[0036] Upon receiving the call request, the server sends it to one or more management terminals to determine which management terminal can respond to the call request. For example, if a self-mobile device has a fixed management terminal, the server will send the call request to that management terminal; if a self-mobile device corresponds to multiple management terminals, the server can select one of them to respond to the call request, or the server can select the management terminal that responds first as the management terminal to respond to the call request and send the call request to that management terminal.

[0037] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, in the embodiments of this application, "multiple", "various" and other quantities related to "multiple" all refer to two or more.

[0038] In one feasible approach, after the self-mobile device sends a call request to the server, it also receives call task information returned by the server based on the call request. This call task information includes call task identifier information and call task status information corresponding to the call request. The call task status corresponding to the call requested by the call request is updated based on the call task information. After receiving the call request, the server assigns a call task identifier to it for management and processing status monitoring. At the same time, the server also generates call task status information for the call task based on the response from the management end. Since the self-mobile device directly interacts with the user, this call task status information is also sent to the self-mobile device to update the information on the self-mobile device, allowing the user to understand the progress of the call in a timely manner and improving the user's interactive experience.

[0039] Furthermore, to enable self-moving devices to perform information and interactive processing efficiently and quickly, they can be divided into an interactive system for interacting with the user and a control system for operating and controlling the self-moving device. In this case, the self-moving device can receive call commands initiated by the user through its interactive system, generate call requests based on the call commands, and send them to the server; through its control system, it can receive call task information returned by the server based on the call requests, update the call task status based on the call task information, and push it to the interactive system, so as to display the updated call task status to the user through the interactive system. It should be noted that in practical applications, the system in the self-moving device may not be distinguished in this way, and the same system may be used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned interactive system and control system, all of which are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0040] Therefore, while users are checking the status of a call through their mobile devices, the backend server and management are processing the call request. This process is imperceptible to the user and can further enhance the user's interactive experience.

[0041] Step S106: The mobile device receives the call connection initiated by the management terminal in response to the call request, and conducts a call with the management terminal based on the call connection.

[0042] After receiving a call request from the server, the management terminal can respond to it, indicating that it can respond to the call request. Through this response, on the one hand, the server can update the call task status and send it to the self-device; on the other hand, the management terminal will directly initiate a call connection to the self-device. After the self-device receives the call connection and successfully establishes a call connection with the management terminal, it can conduct a call with the management terminal based on the call connection.

[0043] In adopting such Figure 1BIn the WebRTC communication method shown, communication between the mobile device and the server, between the server and the management terminal, and between the management terminal and the mobile device all occur through this method. Therefore, in this step, the mobile device receives a call connection initiated by the management terminal in response to a call request, based on the WebRTC protocol, and conducts a call with the management terminal based on this connection. This enables fast, secure, and instant communication between the mobile device and the management terminal. Furthermore, it enhances the user experience when interacting with the mobile device.

[0044] As can be seen, through this embodiment, in scenarios where the self-device is restricted from initiating calls to the management terminal, the server enables the self-device to send a call request to the server when it has a need to initiate a call. The server then identifies and informs the management terminal of this proactive call request. Subsequently, the management terminal can connect to the self-device, enabling direct communication between the self-device and the management terminal. The process of the server notifying the management terminal and the management terminal initiating the call is shielded from the self-device. From the self-device's perspective, it can seamlessly establish a call connection with the management terminal, achieving a function similar to proactively initiating a call. Therefore, since the proactive call function of the self-device is still limited, the security of the inspection system and the management terminal, as well as efficient management of the self-device, can still be guaranteed. Furthermore, because the self-device can directly communicate with the management terminal through the server, it achieves a function similar to proactively initiating a call, satisfying the proactive call needs of the self-device and improving the user experience of the self-device.

[0045] Example 2

[0046] Reference Figure 2 The diagram shows a flowchart of a communication method for a self-moving device according to Embodiment 2 of this application.

[0047] This embodiment describes the solution provided in this application from the perspective of the server. The communication method for the self-moving device provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0048] Step S202: Receive a call request sent by the mobile device.

[0049] In this embodiment, the self-moving device is still a device restricted from actively making calls with the management terminal. After receiving a call instruction from the user, the self-moving device generates a corresponding call request and sends it to the server, which can receive the call request. The call request may carry the self-moving device's identification information and / or location information, etc. In some scenarios, the call request may also carry information about the management terminal to be called, such as the management terminal's identification information or location information.

[0050] Step S204: Based on the call request, determine and call the management terminal that responds to the call request, so that the management terminal initiates a call connection and conducts a call with the self-mobile device that sent the call request.

[0051] After receiving a call request, the server will process it and initiate a call to the management terminal to determine which management terminal can respond to the call request.

[0052] In one feasible approach, the self-mobile device has a corresponding management terminal, i.e., a preset management terminal. The relationship between the self-mobile device and the preset management terminal can be one-to-one, meaning one self-mobile device corresponds to one fixed management terminal; or it can be a many-to-one relationship, meaning multiple self-mobile devices correspond to one fixed management terminal. In this case, the server can determine the preset management terminal corresponding to the self-mobile device based on the self-mobile device information carried in the call request and initiate a call to that management terminal. If the management terminal answers the call, it indicates that the management terminal can communicate with the self-mobile device, and subsequent calls will be initiated by the management terminal to the self-mobile device. If the management terminal does not answer the call, the server can send a "call failed" message to the self-mobile device and update the corresponding call task status. In this way, the server can efficiently and quickly determine the manageable terminal for the self-mobile device.

[0053] However, this is not the only possibility. In another feasible approach, each self-moving device may correspond to multiple management terminals, requiring the selection of one to communicate with. In this case, the server can determine the multiple management terminals corresponding to the self-moving device based on the self-moving device information carried in the call request, and simultaneously initiate calls to multiple management terminals. Based on the responses of the multiple management terminals to the calls, the server determines the management terminal that responds to the call request. In one approach, the server can determine the management terminal that answers the call first as the management terminal that responds to the call request, achieving simple and quick management terminal determination. In another approach, the server can send call selection messages to multiple management terminals, such as call pop-ups, allowing administrators at each management terminal to choose whether to answer, and determining the management terminal that answers first as the management terminal that responds to the call request, thus providing administrators at each management terminal with more operational flexibility.

[0054] If the self-moving device also uploads the environmental images it has collected to the server, after the server successfully calls the management terminal that responded to the call request, it will also send the environmental images collected by the self-moving device to the management terminal so that the management terminal can obtain the environmental information of the self-moving device based on the environmental images. This will provide information reference and basis for the management terminal to call the self-moving device in the future to deal with any problems that may arise from the self-moving device.

[0055] In addition, as mentioned above, the server will also set up a call task for the self-mobile device based on the call request initiated by the self-mobile device, and generate corresponding call task information, including call task identification information and call task status information. In this case, after the server successfully calls the management terminal that responds to the call request, it will also update the call task status information in the call task information corresponding to the call request and send it to the self-mobile device, so that the self-mobile device can interact with the user based on the updated call task information, and let the user know the dynamic progress of the call request being processed in a timely manner.

[0056] However, in certain situations, abnormal scenarios may occur. For example, if the server detects an anomaly while the mobile device is waiting to connect with the management terminal (such as task failure, battery failure, or hardware failure), it generates task exception information corresponding to the call request and sends this information to the management terminal to notify it to terminate the call task. This ensures the effectiveness of the management terminal in processing call requests and avoids wasting system resources.

[0057] In adopting such Figure 1B In the WebRTC communication method shown, communication between the mobile device and the server, between the server and the management terminal, and between the management terminal and the mobile device all occur through this method. Based on this, the server receiving a call request from the mobile device can be implemented as follows: the server receives the call request sent by the mobile device through the WebRTC connection between the server and the server. Correspondingly, the server identifying and calling the management terminal that responds to the call request can be implemented as follows: the server identifies the management terminal that responds to the call request and calls the management terminal through the WebRTC connection between the server and the management terminal. This achieves efficient interconnection and communication between the various terminals.

[0058] As can be seen, the server in this embodiment can push a call request to the management terminal after receiving it. Upon receiving the call request, the management terminal proactively initiates a call with the mobile device. Thus, it achieves two-way communication capability even when only the management terminal can proactively connect to the mobile device for a call.

[0059] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the server can be implemented as a server cluster, a server in a server cluster, or a cloud service, etc.

[0060] Example 3

[0061] Reference Figure 3 The diagram shows a flowchart of a communication method for a self-moving device according to Embodiment 3 of this application.

[0062] This embodiment describes the communication method of this application from the perspective of interaction between the self-moving device, the server, and the management terminal. Furthermore, this embodiment uses an inspection robot as an example of a self-moving device. However, those skilled in the art should understand that the solution of this embodiment can be applied to other similar self-moving devices.

[0063] The communication method of the self-moving device in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0064] Step S302: The inspection robot receives instructions from users in its environment.

[0065] In practical applications, users will issue various commands to the inspection robot, such as "What's the weather like today?", but they may also issue commands to call the management terminal, such as "Xiao X, please connect to the management terminal for a call," or "Xiao X, I want to talk to the management terminal." These voice commands will be first converted into text commands by the inspection robot before being processed.

[0066] Step S304: The inspection robot determines whether the instruction issued by the user is a call instruction for calling the management terminal; if it is a call instruction, the inspection robot responds to the user's call on the one hand, and generates a call request according to the call instruction and uploads it to the server on the other hand, while collecting on-site environmental images or videos, which can be asynchronously uploaded to the server along with the call request.

[0067] The determination of whether a user-issued command is a call command to the management terminal can be achieved by any appropriate method by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to keyword recognition methods, semantic recognition methods, etc. After determining it to be a call command, on the one hand, the inspection robot responds to the user's call, which can be any appropriate response, such as "Okay, starting the call...", "Calling...", etc. On the other hand, the inspection robot generates a corresponding call request based on the call command and uploads it to the server. This call request can carry relevant information, such as the inspection robot's identification information, location information, etc. If the correspondence between the inspection robot and the management terminal is definite, the call request can also carry the information of the management terminal corresponding to the inspection robot. Furthermore, the inspection robot also collects images or videos of its surrounding environment and asynchronously uploads them to the server.

[0068] Step S306: After receiving a call request, the server checks whether the call task can be performed; if not, it reports a call failure event and proceeds to step S314; if yes, it notifies the management end through the PUSH channel.

[0069] For example, after receiving a call request, the server will check if any management terminals are currently online, or check if the specific management terminals corresponding to the inspection robot are online. If they are offline, the call task cannot be performed, and the call fails. If the corresponding management terminal is online, it can be notified via PUSH and the appropriate communication channel. Taking WebRTC as an example again, the server can notify the management terminal via a call.

[0070] Step S308: The server determines whether the management terminal has answered the call sent by the server to notify the management terminal; if it has not answered, proceed to step S314; if it has answered, determine the management terminal that answered.

[0071] Step S310: The management terminal initiates WebRTC communication and starts a call.

[0072] The management terminal receives a call from the server and informs it that it will respond to the call request issued by the inspection robot and communicate with the robot. Then, the management terminal re-initiates WebRTC communication with the inspection robot to connect and enable communication with the robot, specifically with the user associated with the inspection robot.

[0073] Step S312: After the call ends, the management terminal hangs up the call.

[0074] Step S314: After the server detects that the call has ended, it records the call event and terminates the call process.

[0075] In this embodiment, the server maintains the inspection robot's task execution. After receiving a user's voice-initiated call, the inspection robot sends a call request to the server. The server performs task status assessment and maintenance on the requested call and notifies the management terminal via the PUSH channel. Upon receiving the call request, the management terminal proactively initiates WebRTC communication with the inspection robot. By utilizing the bidirectional communication capabilities of the server and management terminal, this method achieves bidirectional communication even when the inspection robot's communication capabilities are limited, enabling the inspection robot to proactively make calls.

[0076] Example 4

[0077] Reference Figure 4This diagram illustrates a structural block diagram of a self-moving device according to Embodiment 4 of this application. The self-moving device in this embodiment is still a device restricted from actively making calls with a management terminal. It can implement the functions of the self-moving devices in the aforementioned embodiments. The self-moving device includes: an interaction system 402 for interacting with the user, and a control system 404 for operating and controlling the self-moving device. It should be noted that the interaction system 402 and control system 404 of the self-moving device can be implemented as pure software systems, as hardware systems with corresponding functions, or as hardware systems that combine corresponding software to implement corresponding functions.

[0078] in:

[0079] The interactive system 402 is used to receive a call instruction for the call management terminal; generate a call request according to the call instruction; and send the call request to the server so that the server can send the call request to the management terminal.

[0080] The control system 404 is used to receive call task information returned by the server according to the call request, update the call task status corresponding to the call requested by the call request according to the call task information, and push the updated call task status to the interactive system 402 so as to display the updated call task status to the user through the interactive system 402.

[0081] Accordingly, the interactive system 402 is also used to receive the call connection initiated by the management terminal in response to the call request after determining the management terminal in response to the call request based on the call task status, and to conduct a call with the management terminal based on the call connection.

[0082] Optionally, after receiving a call instruction for calling the management terminal, the interactive system 402 can also collect an image of the environment where the mobile device is located and upload it to the server so that the server can send the image to the management terminal, enabling the management terminal to obtain the environmental information of the mobile device based on the image.

[0083] Optionally, the call task information includes call task identification information and call task status information corresponding to the call request.

[0084] Optionally, the interactive system 402 also displays the updated call task status to the user.

[0085] Optionally, communication between the self-mobile device and the server, between the server and the management terminal, and between the management terminal and the self-mobile device are all based on the WebRTC protocol. Based on this, the interactive system 402 receives a call connection initiated by the management terminal in response to a call request, based on the WebRTC protocol, and conducts a call with the management terminal based on this call connection.

[0086] The self-moving device in this embodiment is used to implement the functions of the self-moving devices in the foregoing embodiments and has corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be described in detail here. The functional descriptions of each part of the self-moving device in this embodiment are relatively simple, and their specific implementations can be referred to the descriptions of the relevant parts in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0087] Example 5

[0088] Reference Figure 5 The diagram shows a structural block diagram of a server according to Embodiment 5 of this application.

[0089] The server in this embodiment includes a processor 502 and a communication interface 504.

[0090] in:

[0091] Processor 502 is configured to receive a call request sent by a self-moving device, which is a device restricted from actively connecting to a management terminal. Exemplarily, the self-moving device is the self-moving device described in Embodiment 4. Processor 502 determines the management terminal responding to the call request based on the call request. Then, through communication interface 504, it initiates a call to the management terminal responding to the call request, so that the management terminal initiates a call connection to the self-moving device and conducts a call.

[0092] Optionally, the processor 502 determines a preset management terminal corresponding to the self-moving device based on the information of the self-moving device carried in the call request, and initiates a call to the management terminal; or, based on the information of the self-moving device carried in the call request, determines multiple management terminals corresponding to the self-moving device, and initiates calls to multiple management terminals simultaneously; and determines the management terminal that responds to the call request based on the responses of the multiple management terminals to the call.

[0093] Optionally, the processor 502 is also configured to send an environmental image collected by the mobile device to the management terminal via the communication interface 504 after successfully calling the management terminal that responded to the call request, so that the management terminal can obtain the environmental information of the mobile device based on the environmental image.

[0094] Optionally, the processor 502 is also used to update the call task status information in the call task information corresponding to the call request after successfully calling the management terminal that responded to the call request, and send it to the self-moving device through the communication interface 504.

[0095] Optionally, the processor 502 receives a call request sent from the mobile device via a WebRTC connection with the server; and determines the management terminal that responds to the call request, and calls the management terminal via the WebRTC connection between the server and the management terminal.

[0096] Optionally, the processor 502 is further configured to generate task exception information corresponding to the call request if an abnormality is detected in the self-moving device while waiting to make a call with the management terminal, and send the task exception information to the management terminal to notify the management terminal to terminate the call task.

[0097] The server in this embodiment implements the functions of the server in the aforementioned embodiments and has corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be described in detail here. The functional descriptions of each part of the server in this embodiment are relatively simple, and their specific implementations can be referred to the descriptions of the relevant parts in the aforementioned method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0098] Example 6

[0099] Reference Figure 6A The diagram shows a structural schematic of an inspection system according to Embodiment Six of this application.

[0100] The inspection system in this embodiment includes a self-moving device 602, a server 604, and a management terminal 606.

[0101] For example, the self-moving device 602 can be a self-moving device as shown in Embodiment 4, that is, a device that is restricted from making active calls with the management terminal. In one implementation, it can be an inspection robot; the server 604 can be a server as shown in Embodiment 5; and the management terminal 606 can be the management terminal involved in the foregoing embodiments.

[0102] In this inspection system, the self-moving device 602 can be used to receive a call instruction for calling the management terminal, generate a call request according to the call instruction, and send the call request to the server 604; the server 604 is used to receive the call request sent by the self-moving device 602, determine and call the management terminal 606 that responds to the call request according to the call request; the management terminal 606 is used to initiate a call connection to the self-moving device 602 that sent the call request according to the call from the server; the self-moving device 602 is also used to receive the call connection initiated by the management terminal 606, and conduct a call with the management terminal 606 based on the call connection.

[0103] A specific communication interaction example of the above inspection system is as follows: Figure 6B As shown, the interaction process includes:

[0104] 1. A user in the environment where the self-moving device 602 is located issues a voice call command to the self-moving device 602, specifically to the interactive system 6022 of the self-moving device 602, for calling the management terminal 606.

[0105] 2. The interactive system 6022 acquires an image of the environment where the mobile device 602 is located based on the call command, and transmits it to the control system 6024 of the mobile device 602.

[0106] 3. The control system 6024 returns the storage URL of the image to the interactive system 6022, and will subsequently upload it to the server 604 asynchronously with the call request.

[0107] 4. The interactive system 6022 generates an HTTP call request based on the call instruction and uploads it to the server 604.

[0108] 5. The server 604 assigns a task ID to the current call task based on the call request and returns the task ID information to the control system 6024.

[0109] 6. Server 604 will check if a management terminal is online based on the call request. If not, it will return an error message to the self-mobile device 602, such as the interactive system 6022 of the self-mobile device 602. Accordingly, the error message also carries the task ID information. If a management terminal is online, the interactive system 6022 will subscribe to the task status, i.e., the call task status, from the control system 6024. This task status will be updated by server 604 and pushed to the control system 6024.

[0110] 7. In possible scenario (i), after assigning a task ID, server 604 will make a single-machine call to management terminal 606, carrying the task ID information. It should be noted that all management terminals 606 connected to server 604 are authenticated and interconnected via a PUSH channel based on the WebRTC protocol. If the management terminal 606 called by server 604 answers the call, server 604 will update the task status and push it to control system 6024, which in turn pushes it to interactive system 6022 to indicate that the call task has been accepted. Simultaneously, management terminal 606 will initiate a WebRTC call to interactive system 6022. After receiving the call, interactive system 6022 will stop the call process and collect audio and video from the environment of mobile device 602 in real time, pushing it to management terminal 606. Management terminal 606 receives the audio and video and conducts a two-way conversation between the user and administrator based on the call connection until the call ends. When the server 604 detects that the call has ended, it will push a status notification that the call task has been completed to the control system 6024. The control system 6024 will then pass the status to the interactive system 6022 to clearly inform the user that the call has ended.

[0111] In possible scenario (ii), after assigning a task ID, server 604 makes a single-machine call to management terminal 606, carrying the task ID information. If management terminal 606 refuses to answer the call, server 604 will attempt to call other management terminals. If all called management terminals refuse to answer, server 604 will generate a corresponding call status, such as "task ignored (abort)," and send it to control system 6024, thus ending the call process.

[0112] In possible scenario (iii), after assigning a task ID, server 604 simultaneously initiates calls to multiple management terminals 606, carrying the task ID information. If any one of these management terminals 606 answers, server 604 updates the task status and pushes it to control system 6024, which then pushes it to interactive system 6022 to indicate that the call task has been accepted. Simultaneously, management terminal 606 initiates a WebRTC call to interactive system 6022. Upon receiving the call, interactive system 6022 stops the call process and collects audio and video from the environment of mobile device 602 in real time, pushing it to management terminal 606. Management terminal 606 receives the audio and video and conducts a two-way conversation between the user and administrator based on the call connection until the call ends. Upon detecting the end of the call, server 604 pushes a call task completion status notification to control system 6024, which then relays this status to interactive system 6022 to clearly inform the user that the call has ended.

[0113] Furthermore, any abnormality occurring on either side during the call or conversation will result in task termination. For example, if the mobile device malfunctions (including but not limited to task abnormalities, battery abnormalities, hardware abnormalities, etc.), this abnormality information will be reported by the control system 6024 to the server 604, which will then notify the management system to terminate the task abnormally. As another example, if the mobile device malfunctions in collecting or processing audio or video data, the interactive system 6022 will notify the management system 604 to terminate the task abnormally via the server 604. Yet another example: if the management system 606 or the server 604 malfunctions, generating information such as heartbeat stoppage or failure, the server 604 will push task termination information to the control system 6024 based on this information. The control system 6024 will then notify the interactive system 6022 of this task termination information, ultimately notifying the user.

[0114] In the inspection system of this embodiment, the server maintains and manages the self-moving devices used for inspection to perform tasks. After receiving a user's voice-initiated call, the self-moving device sends a call request to the server. The server can determine and maintain the task status of the requested call and notify the management terminal via the PUSH channel. Upon receiving the call request, the management terminal will proactively initiate WebRTC communication with the self-moving device. By utilizing the bidirectional communication capabilities of the server and management terminal, bidirectional communication is achieved even when the self-moving device's communication capabilities are limited, enabling the self-moving device to proactively make calls.

[0115] It should be noted that, depending on the implementation needs, the various components / steps described in the embodiments of this application can be broken down into more components / steps, or two or more components / steps or parts of the operation of components / steps can be combined into new components / steps to achieve the purpose of the embodiments of this application.

[0116] The methods described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware, firmware, or as software or computer code that can be stored in a recording medium (such as a CD-ROM, RAM, floppy disk, hard disk, or magneto-optical disk), or as computer code downloaded over a network that is originally stored in a remote recording medium or a non-transitory machine-readable medium and will be stored in a local recording medium. Thus, the methods described herein can be processed by software stored on a recording medium using a general-purpose computer, a dedicated processor, or programmable or dedicated hardware (such as an ASIC or FPGA). It is understood that the computer, processor, microprocessor controller, or programmable hardware includes storage components (e.g., RAM, ROM, flash memory, etc.) capable of storing or receiving software or computer code that, when accessed and executed by the computer, processor, or hardware, implements the methods described herein. Furthermore, when a general-purpose computer accesses the code used to implement the methods shown herein, the execution of the code transforms the general-purpose computer into a dedicated computer for executing the methods shown herein.

[0117] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0118] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of this application. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions also fall within the scope of the embodiments of this application, and the patent protection scope of the embodiments of this application should be defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method for a self-moving device, comprising: The self-moving device receives a call instruction for calling the management terminal, wherein the self-moving device is a device that is restricted by security management and cannot actively connect to the management terminal for a call; A call request is generated based on the call instruction, and the call request is sent to the server so that the server can send the call request to the management terminal. The system receives a call connection initiated by the management terminal in response to the call request, and conducts a call with the management terminal based on the call connection.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, After the self-moving device receives a call instruction for the call management terminal, the method further includes: Images of the environment where the self-mobile device is located are collected and uploaded to the server, so that the server can send the images to the management terminal, and the management terminal can obtain the environmental information of the self-mobile device based on the images.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, After sending the call request to the server, the method further includes: Receive call task information returned by the server according to the call request, wherein the call task information includes call task identification information and call task status information corresponding to the call request; Update the call task status corresponding to the call requested by the call request based on the call task information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The self-moving device includes: an interactive system for interacting with a user, and a control system for operating and controlling the self-moving device; The self-mobile device receives the call instruction initiated by the user through the interactive system, generates the call request according to the call instruction, and sends it to the server. The self-moving device receives the call task information returned by the server based on the call request through the control system, updates the call task status based on the call task information, and pushes it to the interactive system so as to display the updated call task status to the user through the interactive system.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The step of receiving a call connection initiated by the management terminal in response to the call request, and conducting a call with the management terminal based on the call connection, includes: The system receives a call connection initiated by the management terminal in response to the call request, based on the WebRTC protocol, and conducts a call with the management terminal based on the call connection.

6. A communication method for a self-moving device, comprising: Receive a call request sent by a self-mobile device, wherein the self-mobile device is a device that is restricted by security management and cannot actively connect to the management terminal for a call; Based on the call request, the management terminal that responds to the call request is identified and called, so that the management terminal initiates a call connection and conducts a call with the self-mobile device that sent the call request.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The step of determining and calling the management terminal that responds to the call request based on the call request includes: Based on the information of the self-moving device carried in the call request, a preset management terminal corresponding to the self-moving device is determined, and a call is initiated to the management terminal; or, Based on the information of the self-moving device carried in the call request, multiple management terminals corresponding to the self-moving device are determined, and calls are simultaneously initiated to the multiple management terminals; based on the responses of the multiple management terminals to the call, the management terminal that responds to the call request is determined.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The method further includes: After successfully calling the management terminal that responded to the call request, the environmental image collected by the self-mobile device is sent to the management terminal so that the management terminal can obtain the environmental information of the self-mobile device based on the environmental image.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The method further includes: After successfully calling the management terminal that responded to the call request, the call task status information in the call task information corresponding to the call request is updated and sent to the self-mobile device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6-9, wherein, The receiving of a call request sent by a mobile device includes: receiving a call request sent by a mobile device through a WebRTC connection with a server; The step of determining and calling the management terminal that responds to the call request includes: determining the management terminal that responds to the call request, and calling the management terminal through the WebRTC connection between the server and the management terminal.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6-9, wherein, The method further includes: If an anomaly is detected in the self-moving device while it is waiting to make a call with the management terminal, a task anomaly information corresponding to the call request is generated and sent to the management terminal to notify the management terminal to terminate the call task.

12. A self-moving device, comprising: An interactive system for interacting with users and a control system for operating the self-moving device, wherein the self-moving device is a device restricted by security management and unable to actively communicate with the management terminal. The interactive system is used to receive a call instruction for the call management terminal; generate a call request according to the call instruction; and send the call request to the server, so that the server can send the call request to the management terminal. The control system is configured to receive call task information returned by the server according to the call request, update the call task status corresponding to the call requested by the call request according to the call task information, and push the updated call task status to the interactive system so as to display the updated call task status to the user through the interactive system. The interactive system is further configured to, after determining the management terminal that responds to the call request based on the call task status, receive the call connection initiated by the management terminal in response to the call request, and conduct a call with the management terminal based on the call connection.

13. A server, comprising: Processor and communication interface; The processor is configured to receive a call request sent by a self-moving device, wherein the self-moving device is a device restricted by security management and unable to make an active call connection with the management terminal; and to determine the management terminal that responds to the call request based on the call request. The communication interface is used to make a call to the management terminal that responds to the call request, so that the management terminal initiates a call connection to the self-mobile device and conducts a call.

14. An inspection system, comprising: Self-moving device, server, and management terminal; wherein, the self-moving device is a device that is restricted by security management and cannot actively connect to the management terminal for communication; The self-moving device is used to receive a call instruction for the call management terminal, generate a call request according to the call instruction, and send the call request to the server. The server is used to receive the call request sent by the self-mobile device, and determine and call the management terminal that responds to the call request based on the call request; The management terminal is used to initiate a call connection to the self-mobile device that sent the call request, based on the call from the server. The self-moving device is also used to receive a call connection initiated by the management terminal and to conduct a call with the management terminal based on the call connection.

Images