Robot charging control method and device, mobile robot and readable storage medium

Abstract

The application provides a robot charging control method and device, a mobile robot and a readable storage medium, and relates to the technical field of robots. In the case that the robot power of a mobile robot is detected to be lower than a preset power threshold, and a first charging pile closest to the mobile robot is occupied when the first charging pile is a target charging pile, the charging priority of the mobile robot and a target robot occupying the target charging pile is calculated according to the battery conditions of the mobile robot and the target robot, respectively. Then, when the charging priority of the mobile robot is higher than the charging priority of the target robot, the mobile robot is controlled to go to the target charging pile and replace the target robot to charge, so that the mobile robot in urgent need of charging and with high priority directly replaces the charging robot at the closest charging pile to charge, thereby effectively reducing the failure probability of the mobile robot on the way to the charging pile, and synchronously improving the service life of the robot battery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of robotics, and more specifically, to a robot charging control method and apparatus, a mobile robot, and a readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of science and technology, robotics is being applied more and more widely in various industries. The battery power of mobile robots is crucial for ensuring their automated operation (e.g., automated delivery). Therefore, a reasonable robot charging strategy can effectively guarantee the continuous use of mobile robots. However, it is worth noting that existing robot charging strategies often use the nearest available charging station as the actual charging station the robot needs to reach. This strategy essentially forces low-battery robots to travel very far to charge, which can easily lead to the robot running out of power and becoming paralyzed en route to the charging station, while also damaging the robot's battery. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the purpose of this application is to provide a robot charging control method and device, a mobile robot and a readable storage medium, which can, when the nearest charging station of a mobile robot is occupied, directly replace the charging robot at the nearest charging station by means of priority comparison, so as to effectively reduce the probability of failure of the mobile robot on its way to the charging station and simultaneously improve the service life of the robot battery.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solutions adopted in the embodiments of this application are as follows:

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a robot charging control method applied to a mobile robot, the method comprising:

[0006] Check if the robot's battery level is below a preset battery threshold;

[0007] If the robot's battery level is detected to be lower than a preset battery threshold, the nearest charging station to the mobile robot is searched as the target charging station.

[0008] Detect whether the target charging station is currently idle, and if the target charging station is not currently idle, obtain the battery status of the target robot currently occupying the target charging station;

[0009] Calculate the charging priority of the mobile robot and the target robot based on their respective battery status;

[0010] If the calculated charging priority of the mobile robot is higher than that of the target robot, the mobile robot is controlled to go to the target charging station and replace the target robot for charging.

[0011] In an optional implementation, the step of calculating the charging priority of the mobile robot and the target robot based on their respective battery status includes:

[0012] For each of the mobile robot and the target robot, obtain the power consumption weight corresponding to the robot when performing standby and driving actions;

[0013] Based on the power loss weights corresponding to standby and driving actions, the standby power loss rate and driving power loss rate included in the robot's battery status are weighted and summed to obtain the corresponding comprehensive power loss rate.

[0014] Based on the overall rate of power loss, the battery status of the robot including battery health and robot power, the corresponding charging priority is calculated, wherein the charging priority is inversely correlated with the overall rate of power loss, the battery health and the robot power.

[0015] In an optional implementation, the formula for calculating the charging priority is expressed as follows:

[0016]

[0017] Wherein, priority represents the charging priority of the corresponding robot, R represents the overall power consumption rate of the corresponding robot, rof1 represents the standby power consumption rate of the corresponding robot, rof2 represents the driving power consumption rate of the corresponding robot, rate1 represents the power consumption weight when the corresponding robot performs standby action, rate2 represents the power consumption weight when the corresponding robot performs driving action, ele represents the robot's battery level, and health represents the battery health of the corresponding robot.

[0018] In an optional implementation, the method further includes:

[0019] If the target charging station is detected to be currently idle, the mobile robot is controlled to go to the target charging station for charging.

[0020] In an optional implementation, the method further includes:

[0021] If the calculated charging priority of the mobile robot is lower than or equal to the charging priority of the target robot, search for the second charging station that is currently closest to the mobile robot, excluding the target charging station that has already been identified.

[0022] Based on the battery status of the mobile robot, determine whether the robot's battery power is sufficient to support its journey to the second charging station;

[0023] If it is detected that the mobile robot's battery power is insufficient to support its journey to the second charging station, the mobile robot is controlled to move to the current target charging station for standby. Then, the process jumps back to the step of obtaining the battery status of the target robot currently occupying the target charging station and continues to execute, in order to wait for the target robot to be replaced for charging.

[0024] If it is detected that the mobile robot has sufficient battery power to travel to the second charging station, the current target charging station is updated according to the second charging station, and the process jumps to the step of detecting whether the target charging station is currently idle to continue execution.

[0025] In an optional implementation, the method further includes:

[0026] If the robot's battery level is detected to be higher than or equal to a preset battery threshold, it is determined whether the mobile robot is idle.

[0027] If the mobile robot is detected to be idle, an available charging station will be searched within the preset detection range of the mobile robot.

[0028] If at least one available charging station is found, a target available charging station is selected from the at least one available charging station found, and the mobile robot is controlled to go to the target available charging station for charging.

[0029] Secondly, this application provides a robot charging control device for use in a mobile robot, the device comprising:

[0030] The robot battery detection module is used to detect whether the robot's battery level is lower than a preset battery threshold.

[0031] The charging pile detection and search module is used to search for the first charging pile that is currently closest to the mobile robot as the target charging pile when the robot's battery level is detected to be lower than a preset battery threshold.

[0032] The charging pile status acquisition module is used to detect whether the target charging pile is currently idle, and if the target charging pile is detected to be not currently idle, to acquire the battery status of the target robot currently occupying the target charging pile;

[0033] The charging priority calculation module is used to calculate the charging priority of the mobile robot and the target robot respectively based on their respective battery status.

[0034] The robot operation control module is used to control the mobile robot to go to the target charging station and replace the target robot for charging when the calculated charging priority of the mobile robot is higher than that of the target robot.

[0035] In an optional implementation, the formula for calculating the charging priority is expressed as follows:

[0036]

[0037] Wherein, priority represents the charging priority of the corresponding robot, R represents the overall power consumption rate of the corresponding robot, rof1 represents the standby power consumption rate of the corresponding robot, rof2 represents the driving power consumption rate of the corresponding robot, rate1 represents the power consumption weight when the corresponding robot performs standby action, rate2 represents the power consumption weight when the corresponding robot performs driving action, ele represents the robot's battery level, and health represents the battery health of the corresponding robot.

[0038] In an optional implementation, the robot operation control module is further configured to control the mobile robot to proceed to the target charging station for charging when the target charging station is detected to be currently idle.

[0039] In an optional implementation, the charging pile detection and search module is further configured to search for the second charging pile currently closest to the mobile robot, excluding the target charging pile that has already been identified, when the calculated charging priority of the mobile robot is lower than or equal to the charging priority of the target robot.

[0040] The robot power detection module is also used to detect whether the mobile robot's power is sufficient to support its journey to the second charging station, based on the mobile robot's battery status.

[0041] The robot operation control module is further configured to, if the robot power detection module detects that the robot power of the mobile robot is insufficient to support going to the second charging pile, control the mobile robot to go to the current target charging pile for standby, and then drive the charging pile status acquisition module and the charging priority calculation module to cooperate with the robot operation control module to jump to the above-mentioned step of acquiring the battery status of the target robot currently occupying the target charging pile to continue execution, so as to wait for the target robot to be replaced for charging.

[0042] The robot operation control module is further configured to, if the robot power detection module detects that the robot power of the mobile robot is sufficient to support going to the second charging pile, update the current target charging pile according to the second charging pile, and then drive the charging pile status acquisition module and the charging priority calculation module to cooperate with the robot operation control module to jump to the above-mentioned step of detecting whether the target charging pile is currently idle and continue to execute.

[0043] In an optional implementation, the robot operation control module is further configured to detect whether the mobile robot is idle when the robot's battery level is detected to be higher than or equal to a preset battery threshold.

[0044] The charging pile detection and search module is also used to search for an available charging pile within a preset detection range of the mobile robot when the mobile robot is detected to be idle.

[0045] The robot operation control module is also used to select a target free charging station from the at least one free charging station found, and control the mobile robot to go to the target free charging station for charging if at least one free charging station is found.

[0046] Thirdly, this application provides a mobile robot, including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be executed by the processor, and the processor can execute the computer program to implement the robot charging control method described in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0047] Fourthly, this application provides a readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the robot charging control method described in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0048] In this case, the beneficial effects of the embodiments of this application may include the following:

[0049] This application, when detecting that the mobile robot's battery level is below a preset battery threshold and the nearest first charging station is already occupied as a target charging station, calculates the charging priorities of the mobile robot and the target robot occupying the target charging station based on their respective battery status. Then, when the mobile robot's charging priority is higher than the target robot's charging priority, it controls the mobile robot to go to the target charging station and replace the target robot for charging. Thus, when the nearest charging station for the mobile robot is occupied, the priority comparison method allows the mobile robot that urgently needs charging and has a higher priority to directly replace the charging robot at the nearest charging station for charging, effectively reducing the probability of failure of the mobile robot on its way to the charging station and simultaneously improving the lifespan of the robot's battery.

[0050] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0051] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0052] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating the composition of the mobile robot provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 2 One of the flowcharts of the robot charging control method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0054] Figure 3 A second schematic flowchart illustrating the robot charging control method provided in this application embodiment;

[0055] Figure 4 The third schematic flowchart of the robot charging control method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0056] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the robot charging control device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0057] Icons: 10-Mobile robot; 11-Memory; 12-Processor; 13-Communication unit; 14-Mobile component; 100-Robot charging control device; 110-Robot power detection module; 120-Charging pile detection and search module; 130-Charging pile status acquisition module; 140-Charging priority calculation module; 150-Robot operation control module. Detailed Implementation

[0058] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of 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. The components of the embodiments of this application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0059] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0060] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0061] In the description of this application, it should be understood that relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0062] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "set up," "install," "connect," and "link" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; 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; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0063] The following detailed description of some embodiments of this application is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0064] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the composition of the mobile robot 10 provided in this application embodiment. In this application embodiment, the mobile robot 10 can effectively search for the nearest charging station when it urgently needs to charge. If the nearest charging station is currently occupied by another mobile robot (for example, a mobile robot 10 is already charging at the nearest charging station, or a mobile robot 10 has reserved a charging slot at the nearest charging station), the mobile robot 10 that urgently needs to charge and has a higher priority can directly replace the charging robot at the nearest charging station for charging through a priority comparison method. This avoids the mobile robot 10 having to move to a more distant charging station to charge, thereby effectively reducing the probability of failure of the mobile robot 10 on its way to the charging station and simultaneously improving the lifespan of the robot's battery.

[0065] In this embodiment, the mobile robot 10 may include a memory 11, a processor 12, a communication unit 13, a mobility component 14, and a robot charging control device 100. The memory 11, processor 12, communication unit 13, and mobility component 14 are electrically connected directly or indirectly to each other to achieve data transmission or interaction. For example, these components may be electrically connected via one or more communication buses or signal lines.

[0066] In this embodiment, the memory 11 may be, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc. The memory 11 is used to store computer programs, and the processor 12 can execute the computer programs accordingly after receiving execution instructions.

[0067] In this embodiment, the processor 12 can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. The processor 12 can be a general-purpose processor, including at least one of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), Network Processor (NP), Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, capable of implementing or executing the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in this embodiment.

[0068] In this embodiment, the communication unit 13 is used to establish a communication connection between the mobile robot 10 and other electronic devices through a wireless communication network, and to send and receive data through the wireless communication network. For example, the mobile robot 10 can send a charging pile detection message to the surrounding area through the communication unit 13 to detect which charging piles exist around the mobile robot 10; the mobile robot 10 can also send a battery status acquisition request to a charging robot occupying a certain charging pile through the communication unit 13 to obtain the battery status of the charging robot, and then effectively determine the current charging priority of the charging robot based on the obtained battery status, wherein the higher the charging priority, the more the corresponding robot needs to be charged, and the more difficult it is for the corresponding robot's current battery status to support the normal operation of the corresponding robot.

[0069] In this embodiment, the moving component 14 is used to achieve the positional movement of the mobile robot 10. The moving component 14 may include devices such as tracks, transmission devices, drive motors, and wheels to ensure that the mobile robot 10 can achieve positional movement through the moving component 14.

[0070] In this embodiment, the robot charging control device 100 may include at least one software function module that can be stored in the memory 11 in the form of software or firmware or embedded in the operating system of the mobile robot 10. The processor 12 can be used to execute the executable modules stored in the memory 11, such as the software function modules and computer programs included in the robot charging control device 100. When the nearest charging station for the mobile robot 10 is occupied, the robot charging control device 100 can, through priority comparison, allow the mobile robot 10, which urgently needs charging and has a higher priority, to directly replace the charging robot at the nearest charging station for charging. This avoids the mobile robot 10 needing to move to a more distant charging station to charge, effectively reducing the probability of failure of the mobile robot 10 on its way to the charging station and simultaneously improving the lifespan of the robot's battery.

[0071] Understandable Figure 1 The block diagram shown is only a schematic diagram of one composition of the mobile robot 10. The mobile robot 10 may also include components such as... Figure 1 The more or fewer components shown, or having the same Figure 1 The different configurations shown. Figure 1 The components shown can be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0072] In this application, to ensure that the mobile robot 10, which urgently needs charging and has a high priority, can directly replace the charging robot at the nearest charging station when the nearest charging station is occupied, thus avoiding the need for the mobile robot 10 to move to a more distant charging station to charge, thereby effectively reducing the probability of failure of the mobile robot 10 on its way to the charging station and simultaneously improving the lifespan of the robot's battery, this application provides a robot charging control method to achieve the aforementioned objective. The robot charging control method provided in this application will be described in detail below.

[0073] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is one of the flowcharts illustrating the robot charging control method provided in this application embodiment. In this application embodiment, the robot charging control method may include steps S210 to S280.

[0074] Step S210: Detect whether the robot's battery level is lower than a preset battery threshold.

[0075] In this embodiment, the mobile robot 10 can detect in real time whether its current robot battery level is lower than a preset battery threshold to determine whether the mobile robot 10 urgently needs charging. Specifically, if the mobile robot 10's battery level is lower than the preset battery threshold, it indicates that the mobile robot 10's current battery level is insufficient to support its continued execution of other automated tasks, and the mobile robot 10 urgently needs charging. The preset battery threshold can be 30%, 45%, or 50%, and the specific battery threshold can be configured differently as needed.

[0076] Step S220: If the robot's battery level is detected to be lower than a preset battery threshold, search for the first charging station that is currently closest to the mobile robot as the target charging station.

[0077] In this embodiment, when the mobile robot 10 detects that its battery level is lower than a preset battery threshold, the mobile robot 10 can send charging pile detection messages to the surrounding area to detect which charging piles are around it. Then, based on the time point at which the mobile robot 10 receives the response messages sent by each charging pile to the charging pile detection message, it determines the distance between each charging pile and the mobile robot 10. This allows it to select the first charging pile closest to the mobile robot 10 from among the multiple charging piles around it, and then use the selected first charging pile as the target charging pile that the mobile robot 10 currently wants to go to. Alternatively, the mobile robot 10 can send its own robot location to the cloud server that manages each charging pile, so that the cloud server can effectively determine the first charging pile closest to the mobile robot 10 based on the pre-stored actual locations of each charging pile and the location of the mobile robot 10 that urgently needs charging. Then, it sends the charging pile identifier of the first charging pile to the mobile robot 10, so that the mobile robot 10 can directly use the first charging pile as the current target charging pile based on the received charging pile identifier.

[0078] Step S230: Detect whether the target charging station is currently idle.

[0079] In this embodiment, when the mobile robot 10 identifies a target charging station, it can either send a charging station status query request directly to the target charging station or send a charging station status query request including the charging station identifier to the cloud server to check whether the target charging station is currently idle. If the target charging station is not currently being charged by any robot, it is currently idle, and the mobile robot 10 can execute step S240 to directly go to the target charging station for charging. If the target charging station has already been selected for charging by any robot, it is currently in a working state, and the mobile robot 10 can execute step S250 to compare charging priorities with the charging robot at the target charging station.

[0080] Step S240: Control the mobile robot to go to the target charging station for charging.

[0081] In this embodiment, when the mobile robot 10 determines that the target charging station it wishes to go to is actually an idle charging station, it means that the current target charging station is actually a charging station that the current robot power of the mobile robot 10 can effectively support. At this time, the mobile robot 10 can directly go to the currently idle target charging station to charge, so as to effectively ensure that the mobile robot 10 can directly go to the nearest idle charging station to charge.

[0082] Step S250: Obtain the battery status of the target robot currently occupying the target charging pile.

[0083] In this embodiment, when the mobile robot 10 determines that the target charging station it wishes to go to is actually a busy charging station, it means that the current target charging station is actually occupied by a charging robot. At this time, the mobile robot 10 can send a battery status acquisition request to the charging robot (i.e., the target robot) currently connected to the target charging station to obtain the battery status of the target robot. Alternatively, the mobile robot 10 can send a battery status acquisition request matching the target robot bound to the target charging station to the battery management platform that records the battery status of each robot to obtain the battery status of the target robot.

[0084] The battery status may include the power consumption weight, standby power consumption rate, driving power consumption rate, battery health, and robot power level for each robot performing standby and driving actions. The power consumption weight corresponding to standby actions represents the proportion of power consumption generated during standby in the total power consumption process, while the power consumption weight corresponding to driving actions represents the proportion of power consumption generated during driving in the total power consumption process.

[0085] Step S260: Calculate the charging priority of the mobile robot and the target robot based on their respective battery status.

[0086] In this embodiment, when the mobile robot 10 obtains the current battery status of the target robot occupying the target charging station, it will automatically calculate the charging priority of both the mobile robot 10 and the target robot to determine the charging ownership of the current target charging station. The step of calculating the charging priority of the mobile robot 10 and the target robot based on their respective battery status may include:

[0087] For each of the mobile robot 10 and the target robot, obtain the power consumption weight corresponding to each robot when performing standby and driving actions;

[0088] Based on the power loss weights corresponding to standby and driving actions, the standby power loss rate and driving power loss rate included in the robot's battery status are weighted and summed to obtain the corresponding comprehensive power loss rate.

[0089] Based on the overall rate of power loss, the battery status of the robot including battery health and robot power, the corresponding charging priority is calculated, wherein the charging priority is inversely correlated with the overall rate of power loss, the battery health and the robot power.

[0090] The power consumption weight can be a pre-configured weight value for the corresponding robot, or it can be calculated based on the robot's historical operating status (including historical standby status and historical driving status). The standby power consumption rate characterizes the power consumption rate of the corresponding robot maintaining a standby state within a unit time (e.g., 1 hour), and the standby power consumption rate can be 5% / hour or 4% / hour. The driving power consumption rate characterizes the power consumption rate of the corresponding robot maintaining a driving state within a unit distance, and the driving power consumption rate can be 5% / km or 4% / km. The charging priority calculation formula is expressed as follows:

[0091]

[0092] Wherein, priority represents the charging priority of the corresponding robot, R represents the overall power consumption rate of the corresponding robot, rof1 represents the standby power consumption rate of the corresponding robot, rof2 represents the driving power consumption rate of the corresponding robot, rate1 represents the power consumption weight when the corresponding robot performs standby action, rate2 represents the power consumption weight when the corresponding robot performs driving action, ele represents the robot's battery level, and health represents the battery health of the corresponding robot.

[0093] Therefore, by executing the specific steps of step S260 above, this application can effectively determine the charging priority of the mobile robot 10 and the target robot that substantially matches the current battery status.

[0094] Step S270: Determine whether the charging priority of the mobile robot is higher than that of the target robot.

[0095] In this embodiment, after the mobile robot 10 calculates its own charging priority and that of the target robot, it can compare the charging priorities of the mobile robot 10 and the target robot to determine whether the mobile robot 10 currently has the charging ownership of the target charging station. If the charging priority of the mobile robot is higher than that of the target robot, it means that the mobile robot 10 currently has a greater need for charging than the target robot, and the mobile robot 10 currently has the charging ownership of the target charging station. At this time, the mobile robot 10 can proceed to step S280.

[0096] Step S280: Control the mobile robot to go to the target charging station and replace the target robot for charging.

[0097] In this embodiment, when the mobile robot 10 determines that its charging priority is higher than that of the target robot, the mobile robot 10 can obviously replace the target robot in charging at the target charging station. At this time, the mobile robot 10 will go to the target charging station based on its current robot power level and notify the target robot to perform a yielding operation, so that the mobile robot 10 can replace the target robot in charging at the target charging station.

[0098] Therefore, by executing the above steps S210 to S280, when the nearest charging station of the mobile robot 10 is occupied, this application enables the mobile robot 10, which urgently needs to be charged and has a high priority, to directly replace the charging robot at the nearest charging station for charging through a priority comparison method. This avoids the mobile robot 10 having to move to a more distant charging station to charge, thereby effectively reducing the probability of failure of the mobile robot 10 on its way to the charging station and simultaneously improving the lifespan of the robot's battery.

[0099] Alternatively, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a second schematic flowchart of the robot charging control method provided in this application embodiment. In this application embodiment, [the method is]... Figure 2 Compared to the robot charging control method shown, Figure 3 The robot charging control method shown may also include steps S310 to S340 to ensure that the mobile robot 10, which urgently needs to be charged but has a low priority, can select a suitable charging station for charging, thereby preventing the mobile robot 10 from being paralyzed due to power depletion on its way to the charging station, thus further reducing the probability of failure of the mobile robot 10 on its way to the charging station and simultaneously improving the lifespan of the robot battery.

[0100] Step S310: Search for the second charging station that is currently closest to the mobile robot, excluding the target charging stations that have already been identified.

[0101] In this embodiment, when the mobile robot 10 determines that its charging priority is lower than or equal to the target robot's charging priority after executing step S270, it indicates that the mobile robot 10 does not currently have charging ownership of the target charging station. At this time, the mobile robot 10 can determine its current corresponding second charging station by referring to the specific steps of step S220. The second charging station is the closest charging station to the mobile robot 10, excluding the already determined target charging stations. That is, the actual distance from the second charging station to the mobile robot 10 needs to be greater than the actual distance from each previously determined target charging station to the mobile robot 10; the actual distance from the second charging station determined by the mobile robot 10 each time is less than the actual distance from the then-determined target charging station to the mobile robot 10.

[0102] Step S320: Based on the battery status of the mobile robot, detect whether the robot's battery power is sufficient to support its journey to the second charging station.

[0103] In this embodiment, when the mobile robot 10 determines its current second charging station, the mobile robot 10 calculates its drivable distance based on its current battery status, then calculates the specific distance from its location to the second charging station. Next, it determines whether the drivable distance is greater than the specific distance to determine if the mobile robot 10's battery power is sufficient to support its journey to the second charging station. If the drivable distance is greater than the specific distance, it indicates that the mobile robot 10's current battery status ensures it will not malfunction while traveling to the second charging station, thus determining that its battery power is sufficient, and the mobile robot 10 will proceed to step S330. If the drivable distance is less than or equal to the specific distance, it indicates that the mobile robot 10's current battery status is highly likely to cause it to malfunction while traveling to the second charging station, thus determining that its battery power is insufficient, and the mobile robot 10 will proceed to step S340.

[0104] Step S330: Update the current target charging station according to the second charging station.

[0105] In this embodiment, when the mobile robot 10 determines that its own robot power is sufficient to support going to the second charging pile, the mobile robot 10 can use the second charging pile to replace the currently determined target charging pile as the new target charging pile, and then jump to the above step S230 "detect whether the target charging pile is currently idle" to continue execution, so as to detect whether the currently determined second charging pile can be directly charged by the mobile robot 10 when it is used as the target charging pile.

[0106] Step S340: Control the mobile robot to move to the current target charging station for standby.

[0107] In this embodiment, when the mobile robot 10 determines that its battery power is insufficient to reach the second charging station, the most accessible charging station is the currently determined target charging station. At this time, the mobile robot 10 will go to the current target charging station to standby. Then, during the standby process, based on the currently determined target charging station, it will jump to step S220 "obtain the battery status of the target robot currently occupying the target charging station" to continue execution. This is to monitor the specific changes in the charging priority of the mobile robot 10 and the target robot in real time during the standby process, until the charging priority of the mobile robot 10 changes to be higher than that of the target robot, so that it can replace the target robot to charge at the current target charging station. This achieves the effect of waiting at the current target charging station to replace the target robot for charging, ensuring that the mobile robot 10 can wait and charge at the current target charging station when it cannot go to the second charging station.

[0108] It is understandable that during the standby process of the mobile robot 10, the robot's battery level will gradually decrease, and the charging priority of the mobile robot 10 will gradually increase. Meanwhile, the battery level of the target robot located at the target charging station will gradually increase under the influence of the target charging station, and the charging priority of the target robot will gradually decrease. This ensures that the mobile robot 10 can remain in standby until it can replace the target robot at the current target charging station for charging.

[0109] It is worth noting that when the mobile robot 10 determines that a new target charging station is also occupied by a robot, and the charging priority of the charging robot at the new target charging station is still higher than that of the mobile robot 10, the mobile robot 10 will repeat steps S310 to S340 based on the new target charging station to determine whether the mobile robot can go to the second charging station based on the new target charging station, and then repeatedly execute steps S220 to S280 or steps S230 to S280 until the mobile robot 10 goes to the nearest target charging station that can accept the mobile robot 10 for charging.

[0110] Therefore, by executing the above steps S310 to S340, this application can ensure that the mobile robot 10, which urgently needs to be charged but has a low priority, can select a suitable charging station for charging, thus preventing the mobile robot 10 from being paralyzed due to power depletion on its way to the charging station. This further reduces the probability of failure of the mobile robot 10 on its way to the charging station and simultaneously improves the lifespan of the robot's battery.

[0111] Alternatively, please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is the third flowchart illustrating the robot charging control method provided in this application embodiment. In this application embodiment, [the method is related to...]. Figure 2 or Figure 3 Compared to the robot charging control method shown, Figure 4 The robot charging control method shown may also include steps S410 to S430 to ensure that the mobile robot 10 with sufficient power and idle time can effectively use the idle time for charging, thereby improving the idle time utilization rate and working endurance of the mobile robot 10 and reducing the probability of failure of the mobile robot 10 during operation.

[0112] Step S410: If the robot's battery level is detected to be higher than or equal to a preset battery threshold, check whether the mobile robot is idle.

[0113] In this embodiment, when the battery level of the mobile robot 10 is higher than or equal to a preset battery threshold, it indicates that the mobile robot 10 has sufficient battery power. The mobile robot 10 can detect whether it currently has any automated tasks waiting to be run or running, and if it cannot detect any automated tasks, it determines that the mobile robot 10 is currently in an idle state.

[0114] In step S420, if the mobile robot is detected to be idle, an idle charging station is searched within the preset detection range of the mobile robot.

[0115] In this embodiment, when the robot battery of the mobile robot 10 is higher than or equal to a preset battery threshold and the mobile robot 10 is in an idle state, the current robot position of the mobile robot 10 can be used as the detection center position, and a preset detection range matching the current robot position of the mobile robot 10 can be determined according to a preset detection distance. Then, within the preset detection range, it is searched for whether there are any unoccupied idle charging piles.

[0116] Step S430: If at least one available charging station is found, select a target available charging station from the at least one available charging station and control the mobile robot to go to the target available charging station for charging.

[0117] In this embodiment, if at least one idle charging station is found within the preset detection range of the mobile robot 10 with sufficient power and free time, it indicates that there is a charging station around the mobile robot 10 that can be directly charged. The mobile robot 10 can randomly select one idle charging station from the at least one found idle charging station, or select the idle charging station closest to the mobile robot 10 from the at least one found idle charging station, as the target idle charging station that the mobile robot 10 currently wants to go to. Then, the mobile robot 10 is controlled to go directly to the target idle charging station for charging, thereby ensuring that the mobile robot 10 with sufficient power and free time can effectively use its free time for charging, improving the idle time utilization rate and working endurance of the mobile robot 10, and reducing the probability of failure of the mobile robot 10 during operation.

[0118] It is understandable that if no available charging station is found within the preset detection range of the mobile robot 10 that is fully charged and idle, it means that there is no charging station around the mobile robot 10 that can directly charge the mobile robot 10. At this time, the mobile robot 10 can be controlled to perform standby operation to effectively reduce the power consumption of the mobile robot 10.

[0119] Therefore, by executing the above steps S410 to S430, this application can ensure that the mobile robot 10 with sufficient power and idle time can effectively use the idle time for charging, thereby improving the idle time utilization rate and working endurance of the mobile robot 10, and reducing the probability of failure of the mobile robot 10 during operation.

[0120] In this application, to ensure that the mobile robot 10 can execute the aforementioned robot charging control method through the robot charging control device 100, this application implements the aforementioned functions by dividing the robot charging control device 100 into functional modules. The specific composition of the robot charging control device 100 provided in this application is described below.

[0121] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the robot charging control device 100 provided in this application embodiment. In this application embodiment, the robot charging control device 100 may include a robot power detection module 110, a charging pile detection and search module 120, a charging pile status acquisition module 130, a charging priority calculation module 140, and a robot operation control module 150.

[0122] The robot power detection module 110 is used to detect whether the robot's power is lower than a preset power threshold.

[0123] The charging pile detection and search module 120 is used to search for the first charging pile that is currently closest to the mobile robot as the target charging pile when the robot's battery level is detected to be lower than a preset battery threshold.

[0124] The charging pile status acquisition module 130 is used to detect whether the target charging pile is currently idle, and if the target charging pile is detected to be not currently idle, to acquire the battery status of the target robot currently occupying the target charging pile.

[0125] The charging priority calculation module 140 is used to calculate the charging priority of the mobile robot and the target robot based on their respective battery status.

[0126] The robot operation control module 150 is used to control the mobile robot to go to the target charging station and replace the target robot for charging when the calculated charging priority of the mobile robot is higher than that of the target robot.

[0127] The calculation formula for the charging priority is expressed as follows:

[0128]

[0129] Wherein, priority represents the charging priority of the corresponding robot, R represents the overall power consumption rate of the corresponding robot, rof1 represents the standby power consumption rate of the corresponding robot, rof2 represents the driving power consumption rate of the corresponding robot, rate1 represents the power consumption weight when the corresponding robot performs standby action, rate2 represents the power consumption weight when the corresponding robot performs driving action, ele represents the robot's battery level, and health represents the battery health of the corresponding robot.

[0130] In this application, the robot operation control module 150 is also used to control the mobile robot to go to the target charging pile for charging when the target charging pile is detected to be currently idle.

[0131] In this application, the charging pile detection and search module 120 is further configured to search for the second charging pile that is currently closest to the mobile robot, excluding the target charging pile that has already been identified, when the calculated charging priority of the mobile robot is lower than or equal to the charging priority of the target robot.

[0132] The robot power detection module 110 is also used to detect whether the mobile robot's power is sufficient to support its journey to the second charging station, based on the mobile robot's battery status.

[0133] The robot operation control module 150 is further configured to, if the robot power detection module 110 detects that the robot's power is insufficient to support going to the second charging station, control the mobile robot to go to the current target charging station for standby, and then drive the charging station status acquisition module 130 and the charging priority calculation module 140 to cooperate with the robot operation control module 150 to jump to the above-mentioned step of acquiring the battery status of the target robot currently occupying the target charging station and continue to execute, so as to wait for the replacement target robot to charge.

[0134] The robot operation control module 150 is further configured to update the current target charging station according to the second charging station if the robot power detection module 110 detects that the robot power of the mobile robot is sufficient to support going to the second charging station, and then drive the charging station status acquisition module 130 and the charging priority calculation module 140 to cooperate with the robot operation control module 150 to jump to the above-mentioned step of detecting whether the target charging station is currently idle and continue to execute.

[0135] In this application, the robot operation control module 150 is further configured to detect whether the mobile robot is idle when the robot's battery level is higher than or equal to a preset battery threshold.

[0136] The charging pile detection and search module 120 is also used to search for idle charging piles within a preset detection range of the mobile robot when the mobile robot is detected to be idle.

[0137] The robot operation control module 150 is also used to select a target free charging station from the at least one free charging station found, and control the mobile robot to go to the target free charging station for charging if at least one free charging station is found.

[0138] It should be noted that the robot charging control device 100 provided in this embodiment has the same basic principle and technical effects as the aforementioned robot charging control method. For the sake of brevity, any parts not mentioned in this embodiment can be referred to the above description of the robot charging control method.

[0139] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can also be implemented in other ways. The apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings show the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of the apparatus, methods, and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than those marked in the drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in a block diagram and / or flowchart, and combinations of blocks in block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or action, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0140] Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated together to form an independent part, or each module can exist independently, or two or more modules can be integrated to form an independent part. If the function is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned readable storage medium includes: USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, optical disks, and other media capable of storing program code.

[0141] In summary, in the robot charging control method and apparatus, mobile robot, and readable storage medium provided in the embodiments of this application, when the robot's battery level is detected to be lower than a preset battery threshold, and the nearest first charging pile to the mobile robot is already occupied as a target charging pile, the application calculates the charging priorities of the mobile robot and the target robot based on their respective battery status. Then, when the charging priority of the mobile robot is higher than that of the target robot, the application controls the mobile robot to go to the target charging pile and replace the target robot for charging. Thus, when the nearest charging pile of the mobile robot is occupied, the priority comparison method allows the mobile robot that urgently needs charging and has a higher priority to directly replace the charging robot at the nearest charging pile for charging, thereby effectively reducing the probability of failure of the mobile robot on its way to the charging pile and simultaneously improving the lifespan of the robot's battery.

[0142] The above descriptions are merely various embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A robot charging control method, characterized in that, Applied to mobile robots, the method includes: Check if the robot's battery level is below a preset battery threshold; If the robot's battery level is detected to be lower than a preset battery threshold, the nearest charging station to the mobile robot is searched as the target charging station. Detect whether the target charging station is currently idle, and if the target charging station is not currently idle, obtain the battery status of the target robot currently occupying the target charging station; Calculate the charging priority of the mobile robot and the target robot based on their respective battery status; If the calculated charging priority of the mobile robot is higher than that of the target robot, the mobile robot is controlled to go to the target charging station and replace the target robot for charging. If the calculated charging priority of the mobile robot is lower than or equal to the charging priority of the target robot, search for the second charging station that is currently closest to the mobile robot, excluding the target charging station that has already been identified. Based on the battery status of the mobile robot, determine whether the robot's battery power is sufficient to support its journey to the second charging station; If it is detected that the mobile robot's battery power is insufficient to support its journey to the second charging station, the mobile robot is controlled to move to the current target charging station for standby. Then, the process jumps back to the step of obtaining the battery status of the target robot currently occupying the target charging station and continues to execute, in order to wait for the target robot to be replaced for charging. If it is detected that the mobile robot has sufficient battery power to travel to the second charging station, the current target charging station is updated according to the second charging station, and the process jumps to the step of detecting whether the target charging station is currently idle to continue execution.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of calculating the charging priority of the mobile robot and the target robot based on their respective battery status includes: For each of the mobile robot and the target robot, obtain the power consumption weight corresponding to the robot when performing standby and driving actions; Based on the power consumption weights corresponding to standby and driving actions, the standby power consumption rate and the driving power consumption rate included in the robot's battery status are weighted and summed to obtain the corresponding comprehensive power consumption rate. Based on the overall rate of power loss, the battery status of the robot including battery health and robot power, the corresponding charging priority is calculated, wherein the charging priority is inversely correlated with the overall rate of power loss, the battery health and the robot power.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The formula for calculating the charging priority is expressed as follows: ； in, priority Used to indicate the charging priority of the corresponding robot. R Used to represent the overall rate of power consumption of the corresponding robot. rof 1 is used to represent the standby power consumption rate of the corresponding robot. rof 2 is used to represent the rate of power consumption during the robot's operation. rate 1 is used to represent the power consumption weight when the corresponding robot performs a standby action. rate 2 is used to represent the power consumption weight when the corresponding robot performs a driving action. ele Used to indicate the battery level of the corresponding robot. health Used to indicate the battery health status of the corresponding robot.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the target charging station is detected to be currently idle, the mobile robot is controlled to go to the target charging station for charging.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the robot's battery level is detected to be higher than or equal to a preset battery threshold, it is determined whether the mobile robot is idle. If the mobile robot is detected to be idle, an available charging station will be searched within the preset detection range of the mobile robot. If at least one available charging station is found, a target available charging station is selected from the at least one available charging station found, and the mobile robot is controlled to go to the target available charging station for charging.

6. A robot charging control device, characterized in that, The device, applied to a mobile robot, includes: The robot battery detection module is used to detect whether the robot's battery level is lower than a preset battery threshold. The charging pile detection and search module is used to search for the first charging pile that is currently closest to the mobile robot as the target charging pile when the robot's battery level is detected to be lower than a preset battery threshold. The charging pile status acquisition module is used to detect whether the target charging pile is currently idle, and if the target charging pile is detected to be not currently idle, to acquire the battery status of the target robot currently occupying the target charging pile; The charging priority calculation module is used to calculate the charging priority of the mobile robot and the target robot respectively based on their respective battery status. The robot operation control module is used to control the mobile robot to go to the target charging station and replace the target robot for charging when the calculated charging priority of the mobile robot is higher than that of the target robot. The charging pile detection and search module is also used to search for the second charging pile that is currently closest to the mobile robot, excluding the target charging pile that has already been identified, when the calculated charging priority of the mobile robot is lower than or equal to the charging priority of the target robot. The robot power detection module is also used to detect whether the mobile robot's power is sufficient to support its journey to the second charging station, based on the mobile robot's battery status. The robot operation control module is further configured to, if the robot power detection module detects that the robot power of the mobile robot is insufficient to support going to the second charging pile, control the mobile robot to go to the current target charging pile for standby, and then drive the charging pile status acquisition module and the charging priority calculation module to cooperate with the robot operation control module to jump to the above-mentioned step of acquiring the battery status of the target robot currently occupying the target charging pile to continue execution, so as to wait for the target robot to be replaced for charging. The robot operation control module is further configured to, if the robot power detection module detects that the robot power of the mobile robot is sufficient to support going to the second charging pile, update the current target charging pile according to the second charging pile, and then drive the charging pile status acquisition module and the charging priority calculation module to cooperate with the robot operation control module to jump to the above-mentioned step of detecting whether the target charging pile is currently idle and continue to execute.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The formula for calculating the charging priority is expressed as follows: ； in, priority Used to indicate the charging priority of the corresponding robot. R Used to represent the overall rate of power consumption of the corresponding robot. rof 1 is used to represent the standby power consumption rate of the corresponding robot. rof 2 is used to represent the rate of power consumption during the robot's operation. rate 1 is used to represent the power consumption weight when the corresponding robot performs a standby action. rate 2 is used to represent the power consumption weight when the corresponding robot performs a driving action. ele Used to indicate the battery level of the corresponding robot. health Used to indicate the battery health status of the corresponding robot.

8. A mobile robot, characterized in that, It includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program that can be executed by the processor, the processor being able to execute the computer program to implement the robot charging control method according to any one of claims 1-5.

9. A readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the robot charging control method according to any one of claims 1-5.

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