Lift-off detection method for a self-moving device and terminal device

This technical solution for acquiring self-moving equipment using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) addresses the problems of mechanical contact detection in existing technologies, particularly its low accuracy. It achieves precise detection of self-moving equipment.

CN116424455BActive Publication Date: 2025-11-18ECOFLOW INC
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202310278734.5
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-03-13
Publication Date
2025-11-18
Estimated Expiration
2043-03-13

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing lift detection solutions for self-moving devices suffer from low accuracy. Mechanical contact detection cannot clearly determine the wheel's height off the ground, while non-contact detection is easily affected by environmental factors.

Method used

The attitude data of the fuselage and connecting parts are obtained by using an inertial measurement unit. Combined with the structural data of the self-moving device, the relative ground clearance of the wheels is determined, and a lifting protection operation is performed when preset conditions are met.

Benefits of technology

It enables accurate detection of the wheel height of self-moving devices, avoiding dangerous movement and user injury caused by excessive lifting, and improving the accuracy and environmental adaptability of existing detection methods.

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Abstract

The application is suitable for the technical field of intelligent control, and provides a lifting detection method of a self-moving device and a terminal device. The self-moving device comprises a body, wheels and a connecting piece. The wheels comprise two rear wheels connected to the body through the connecting piece, and two front wheels arranged on both sides of the body and moving integrally with the body. The terminal device can determine the lowest wheel with the lowest actual height in the wheels by acquiring first attitude data of the body, second attitude data of the connecting piece and structure data of the self-moving device, and obtain the relative ground clearance of each wheel with the lowest wheel as a reference base point. The relative ground clearance is the relative height between other wheels and the lowest wheel, and can reflect the accurate attitude of the self-moving device, so that the terminal device can perform a lifting protection operation when the attitude meets a preset condition. The embodiment of the application can realize accurate lifting detection protection through two inertial measurement units.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of intelligent robot technology, and in particular relates to a lifting detection method and terminal device for a self-moving device. Background Technology

[0002] Self-moving devices are intelligent devices capable of autonomous movement and task execution. They can assist or replace humans in performing tasks in manufacturing, construction, hazardous industries, and other sectors. Lift detection is a crucial function of self-moving devices. Lift detection prevents dangerous movement and protects users from injury caused by the device's components when it is lifted.

[0003] Related technologies often rely on mechanical contact-based lift detection solutions. These solutions typically only indicate that the wheel is lifted, but cannot clearly determine its exact ground clearance. Some lift detection solutions use non-contact detection components such as ultrasound, infrared, and lasers to detect ground clearance, but these methods are all affected by environmental factors, such as weeds, lighting, the light absorbance of the material surface, and whether the material absorbs sound waves, resulting in lower detection accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a lift-up detection method and terminal device for self-moving devices, which can solve the problem of low accuracy in current lift-up detection protection.

[0005] The first aspect of this application provides a lift-up detection method for a self-moving device. The self-moving device includes a body, wheels, and a connector. The wheels include two rear wheels connected to the body via the connector and two front wheels disposed on both sides of the body and moving integrally with the body. The two rear wheels are capable of rotating around a first centerline of the body as an axis of rotation, following the connector. The first centerline is the centerline along the length of the body. The lift-up detection method includes: acquiring first attitude data of the body via a first inertial measurement unit and acquiring second attitude data of the connector via a second inertial measurement unit; acquiring structural data of the self-moving device, including the body length, body width, and a first distance between each wheel and the first centerline; determining the lowest wheel with the lowest actual ground clearance based on the first attitude data; determining the relative ground clearance of all wheels based on the lowest wheel as a reference point, according to the first attitude data, the second attitude data, and the structural data; and performing a lift-up protection operation when the relative ground clearance meets a preset condition.

[0006] A second aspect of this application provides a lift-up detection device for a self-moving device. The self-moving device includes a body, wheels, and a connector. The wheels include two rear wheels connected to the body via the connector and two front wheels disposed on both sides of the body and moving integrally with the body. The two rear wheels are capable of rotating around a first centerline of the body, following the connector. The first centerline is the centerline along the length of the body. The lift-up detection device includes: a first acquisition unit, used to acquire first attitude data of the body via a first inertial measurement unit, and to acquire second attitude data of the connector via a second inertial measurement unit. The system includes: a posture data acquisition unit; a second acquisition unit for acquiring structural data of the self-moving device, the structural data including the body length and body width of the self-moving device, and a first distance between each wheel and the first centerline; a lowest wheel determination unit for determining the lowest wheel with the lowest actual ground clearance based on the first posture data; a ground clearance determination unit for determining the relative ground clearance of all wheels based on the lowest wheel as a reference point, the first posture data, the second posture data, and the structural data; and a lift protection unit for performing a lift protection operation when the relative ground clearance meets a preset condition.

[0007] A third aspect of this application provides a terminal device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps of the above-described self-moving device lift-up detection method.

[0008] A fourth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the above-described self-moving device lift-up detection method.

[0009] The fifth aspect of this application provides a computer program product that, when run on a terminal device, causes the terminal device to execute the self-moving device lift-up detection method described in the first aspect above.

[0010] In the embodiments of this application, by acquiring the first attitude data of the fuselage, the second attitude data of the connector, and the structural data of the self-moving device, the lowest wheel with the lowest actual height can be determined. Using the lowest wheel as a reference point, the relative ground clearance of each wheel is obtained. This relative ground clearance, being the relative height between the other wheels and the lowest wheel, reflects the accurate attitude of the self-moving device. When the attitude meets preset conditions, a lift-up protection operation is performed. Thus, the height of each wheel can be accurately determined using two inertial measurement units, achieving precise lift-up detection and protection. Attached Figure Description

[0011] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, 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 of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the implementation process of a lift-up detection method for a self-moving device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0013] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a self-moving device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0014] Figure 3 and Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the self-moving device rotating around a first center line according to an embodiment of this application;

[0015] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the position of the first inertial measurement unit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0016] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the position of the second inertial measurement unit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0017] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the specific implementation process of determining the relative ground clearance of all wheels when the lowest wheel is the rear wheel, as provided in this application embodiment.

[0018] Figure 8 The schematic diagram of the self-moving device provided in this application embodiment is when the lowest wheel is the rear wheel;

[0019] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the specific implementation process of determining the relative ground clearance of all wheels when the lowest wheel is the front wheel, as provided in this application embodiment.

[0020] Figure 10 The schematic diagram of the self-moving device provided in this application embodiment is when the lowest wheel is the front wheel;

[0021] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a lift detection device for a self-moving device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the terminal device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are protected by this application.

[0024] Related technologies often rely on mechanical contact-based lift detection solutions. These solutions typically only indicate that the wheel is lifted, but cannot clearly determine its exact ground clearance. Some lift detection solutions use non-contact detection components such as ultrasound, infrared, and lasers to detect ground clearance, but these methods are all affected by environmental factors, such as weeds, lighting, the light absorbance of the material surface, and whether the material absorbs sound waves, resulting in lower detection accuracy.

[0025] An inertial measurement unit (IMU) is a device that measures the three-axis attitude angles (or angular rates) and acceleration of an object. Gyroscopes and accelerometers are the main components of an IMU, and their sampling processes are not easily affected by the environment. Therefore, this application proposes a lift-up detection method for self-moving devices, which can accurately calculate the relative ground clearance of each wheel using the IMU installed on the self-moving device, and achieve precise lift-up detection and protection based on the relative ground clearance.

[0026] To illustrate the technical solution of this application, specific embodiments are described below.

[0027] Figure 1 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of the implementation process of a lift-up detection method for a self-moving device provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to terminal devices and is suitable for situations where precise lift-up detection and protection are required.

[0028] In some embodiments, the terminal device can be a smart device such as a computer or smartphone. This terminal device can be used to control the self-moving device to perform lift-up detection protection; for example, it can be a control terminal for the self-moving device. In other embodiments, the terminal device can also be the self-moving device itself that needs to perform lift-up detection protection.

[0029] In embodiments of this application, the aforementioned self-moving device can be a car, a robot, or other device with autonomous mobility. The self-moving device may include a body, wheels, and connecting members. The wheels may include two rear wheels connected to the body via connecting members, and two front wheels disposed on both sides of the body and moving integrally with the body. The two rear wheels are capable of rotating around a first centerline of the body, following the connecting members. The first centerline is the centerline along the length of the body.

[0030] For example, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the self-moving device in an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 3 and Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the self-moving device rotating about a first centerline is shown. The two front wheels 22 of the self-moving device are each connected to the body 10 via independent suspensions, allowing the front wheels 22 to move integrally with the body 10. The two rear wheels 21 of the self-moving device are connected via rigid connecting rods 30 (i.e., the aforementioned connecting members). The center of the connecting rods 30 is connected to the body 10 at the pivot point of the body, allowing the connecting rods 30 to rotate about the pivot point along the length of the body 10, and consequently, the rear wheels 21 can also rotate about the pivot point of the body 10. It can be understood that the first centerline is... Figure 3 or Figure 4 The centerline along the length of the fuselage 10 as described in the text.

[0031] Specifically, the above-mentioned self-moving device lift detection method may include the following steps S101 to S105.

[0032] Step S101: Obtain the first attitude data of the fuselage through the first inertial measurement unit, and obtain the second attitude data of the connector through the second inertial measurement unit.

[0033] In an embodiment of this application, a first inertial measurement unit (IMU1) may be mounted on the fuselage and used to detect the fuselage's first attitude data. Figure 5 As shown, the first inertial measurement unit can be set at the center of the self-moving device's fuselage, located on the first center line. The first attitude data is the data that characterizes the current attitude of the fuselage.

[0034] A second inertial measurement unit (IMU2) can be mounted on the connector and used to detect the connector's second attitude data. Figure 6 As shown, the second inertial measurement unit can be located at the connection point between the connector and the first centerline, that is, at the center of the connector. The second attitude data is the data characterizing the current attitude of the connector.

[0035] In some implementations, both the first attitude data and the second attitude data can be represented using attitude angles. Attitude angles can include one or more of pitch, roll, and yaw angles, and can be acquired by the gyroscope of the inertial measurement unit.

[0036] Specifically, the Z-axis is defined as the forward direction of the self-propelled device (i.e., the length of the fuselage), with the head of the device being positive and the tail negative; the X-axis is defined as the direction perpendicular to the ground, with upward being positive and downward being negative; and the Y-axis is defined as the direction perpendicular to the ZX plane (i.e., the width of the fuselage). The roll angle can be expressed as the angle between the Y-axis and the horizontal plane when the self-propelled device is tilted, with upward being positive and downward being negative; the pitch angle can be expressed as the angle between the Z-axis and the horizontal plane when the self-propelled device is tilted, with upward being positive and downward being negative.

[0037] In some embodiments, the first inertial measurement unit described above can be specifically used to measure the first roll angle and the first pitch angle. The first pitch angle is the pitch angle of the fuselage, which can be denoted as Pitch1; the first roll angle is the roll angle of the fuselage, which can be denoted as Roll1. The second inertial measurement unit described above can be specifically used to measure the second roll angle, which is the roll angle of the connecting member, which can be denoted as Roll2.

[0038] Step S102: Obtain the structural data of the self-moving device.

[0039] Among them, structural data refers to attribute data related to the structure of the self-moving device, which may include the body length and body width of the self-moving device, as well as the first distance between each wheel and the first center line.

[0040] In the embodiments of this application, structural data can be manually measured and input into the terminal device by staff after the self-equipped device is installed, or it can be detected by the terminal device through image recognition, laser detection, or other methods. This application does not limit the method of acquiring structural data.

[0041] Step S103: Based on the first attitude data, determine the lowest wheel among the wheels with the lowest actual ground clearance.

[0042] In the embodiments of this application, based on the first attitude data of the fuselage, the terminal device can confirm the tilt of the fuselage in the length direction and width direction of the fuselage, and then determine the lowest wheel with the lowest actual ground clearance among the wheels.

[0043] Step S104: Using the lowest wheel as a reference point, determine the relative ground clearance of all wheels based on the first attitude data, the second attitude data, and the structural data.

[0044] In the embodiments of this application, since the two front wheels of the self-moving device move as a whole with the body, the two rear wheels can follow the connecting member to rotate around the first center line of the body as the axis of rotation. With the lowest wheel as the reference point, the position of each wheel of the self-moving device in the current posture of the self-moving device can be determined based on the first posture data (i.e., the posture data of the body), the second posture data (i.e., the posture data of the connecting member) and the structural data, and the relative ground clearance of each wheel can be calculated.

[0045] In some implementations, relative ground clearance can refer to the difference between the actual ground clearance of a particular wheel and the actual ground clearance of the lowest wheel. It should be understood that if the lowest wheel is on the ground, its actual ground clearance is 0, then the relative ground clearance of the other wheels is equal to their own actual ground clearance.

[0046] Step S105: When the relative height above the ground meets the preset conditions, perform the lifting protection operation.

[0047] The preset conditions are used to determine whether the terminal device needs to perform lift-up detection protection, i.e., to detect whether the self-moving device is excessively lifted. When the relative height above the ground meets the preset conditions, it indicates that the self-moving device is excessively lifted, which may lead to dangerous movement. In this case, lift-up protection can be performed to prevent dangerous movement. When the relative height above the ground does not meet the preset conditions, it indicates that the self-moving device is not excessively lifted, and the self-moving device can maintain its current movement mode / operating mode.

[0048] In some embodiments of this application, the above-mentioned lifting protection operation may include one or more of the following operations: braking, stopping the cutting component of the self-moving device, and stopping the collecting component of the self-moving device.

[0049] The braking system prevents dangerous movements such as tipping over or colliding when the self-moving device continues to move after being excessively lifted. The cutting component, used to cut the object, can be a rotating blade driven by a motor; stopping the cutting component prevents injury to the user while restoring the self-moving device. The collecting component, used to collect the cut material, can be a suction cup or a roller brush; stopping the collecting component prevents it from being idle after the self-moving device has been excessively lifted.

[0050] It should be understood that the lift-up protection operation is not limited to this, and other lift-up protection operations used to protect the self-moving device or the user when the self-moving device is lifted are also applicable to this application.

[0051] In the embodiments of this application, by acquiring the first attitude data of the fuselage, the second attitude data of the connector, and the structural data of the self-moving device, the lowest wheel with the lowest actual height can be determined. Using the lowest wheel as a reference point, the relative ground clearance of each wheel is obtained. This relative ground clearance, being the relative height between the other wheels and the lowest wheel, reflects the accurate attitude of the self-moving device. When the attitude meets preset conditions, a lift-up protection operation is performed. Thus, the height of each wheel can be accurately determined using two inertial measurement units, achieving precise lift-up detection and protection.

[0052] The above-mentioned lifting detection method will be described below with reference to specific implementation methods.

[0053] In step S103, the terminal device can determine the lowest wheel with the lowest actual ground clearance among the wheels based on the size of the first pitch angle Pitch1 and the size of the first roll angle Roll1.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 Assuming the self-propelled device's head and right wheel are raised, the rotation direction of the first inertial measurement unit (IMU) is positive. When the self-propelled device's right rear wheel is raised around the first centerline, the rotation direction of the second IMU is positive. That is, if the first pitch angle (Pitch1) of the first IMU is positive, the front wheel is on top and the rear wheel is on the bottom; if the first roll angle (Roll1) of the first IMU is positive, the right wheel is on top and the left wheel is on the bottom. Based on the magnitudes of the first pitch angle and the first roll angle, the highest wheel and the lowest wheel with the highest actual ground clearance can be determined through the correspondence between the magnitudes of the first pitch angle, the first roll angle, and the highest and lowest wheels.

[0055] For example, the following diagram shows the correspondence between the magnitude of the first pitch angle, the magnitude of the first roll angle, and the highest and lowest wheels:

[0056]

[0057] In this context, "+" represents a positive value, that is, greater than 0; and "-" represents a negative value, that is, less than 0.

[0058] It should be understood that the correspondence shown in the table above is based on the premise that "the rotation direction of the first inertial measurement unit is positive when the self-moving device's head and right wheel are raised." Under other premises, the correspondence between the magnitude of the first pitch angle, the magnitude of the first roll angle, and the highest and lowest wheels is similar. For example, when "the rotation direction of the first inertial measurement unit is negative when the self-moving device's head and right wheel are raised," then when the first pitch angle Pitch1 is "-" and the first roll angle Roll1 is "-", the right front wheel is the highest wheel, and the left rear wheel is the lowest wheel. This application does not list all such instances.

[0059] After determining the lowest wheel, in step S104, the terminal device can combine the first attitude data detected by the first inertial measurement unit, the second attitude data detected by the second inertial measurement unit, and the structural data of the self-moving device itself to calculate the relative ground clearance of the four wheels of the self-moving device.

[0060] Please refer to Figure 7 In some implementations, if the lowest wheel is the rear wheel, then the above step S104 may specifically include the following steps S701 to S703.

[0061] Step S701: If the lowest wheel is one of the two rear wheels, then calculate the relative ground clearance of the other rear wheel outside the lowest wheel of the two rear wheels based on the fuselage width and the second roll angle.

[0062] Please refer to Figure 8 In some embodiments of this application, the fuselage width can characterize the actual distance between the two rear wheels. Combined with the second roll angle, the relative distance between the two rear wheels in the vertical direction on the ground can be calculated. This relative distance is also the relative ground clearance of the other rear wheel.

[0063] Step S702: Determine the relative ground clearance of the two front wheel axle centers based on the relative ground clearance of the other rear wheel, the fuselage length, and the first pitch angle.

[0064] In some embodiments of this application, the relative ground clearance of the center point of the connector (i.e., the connection point between the connector and the first center line) can be determined by combining the relative ground clearance of the other rear wheel. The fuselage length can characterize the actual distance between the center point and the axle center of the two front wheels. Therefore, the relative ground clearance of the axle center of the two front wheels can be calculated by combining the first pitch angle.

[0065] Step S703: Determine the relative ground clearance of each front wheel based on the relative ground clearance of the axle center, the first distance, and the first roll angle.

[0066] In some embodiments of this application, since the first distance is the actual distance between the front wheel and the first center line, after obtaining the relative ground clearance of the axle center, since the axle center is located on the first center line, combined with the first roll angle, the relative ground clearance of the front wheels located on both sides of the first center line can be calculated respectively.

[0067] Specifically, since the lowest wheel is usually located on the ground, let the actual ground clearance of the lowest wheel be 0. Then the relative ground clearance of the other rear wheel is hb1 = abs(W × sin(Roll2)), where W represents the fuselage width, Roll2 represents the second roll angle, and abs() represents taking the absolute value.

[0068] Relative ground clearance of the front wheel axle center Where L represents the fuselage length, Pitch1 represents the first pitch angle, and hb1 represents the relative ground clearance of the other rear wheel.

[0069] The height difference h between the center of the pivot and the front wheel err =abs(R×sin(Roll1)), where R represents the first distance between the wheel and the first centerline, and Roll1 represents the first roll angle.

[0070] The relative ground clearance of the front wheel on the same side as the lowest wheel is hf1 = h c -h err The relative ground clearance of the front wheel opposite the lowest wheel is hf2 = h c +h err Among them, h c h represents the relative ground clearance of the center of the front wheel's axle. err This indicates the height difference between the center of the axle and the front wheel.

[0071] Please refer to Figure 9 In some implementations, if the lowest wheel is the front wheel, then the above step S104 may specifically include the following steps S901 to S903.

[0072] Step S901: If the lowest wheel is one of the two front wheels, then calculate the relative ground clearance of the other front wheel outside the lowest wheel of the two front wheels based on the first distance and the first roll angle.

[0073] Please refer to Figure 10 In some embodiments of this application, since the first distance is the actual distance between the front wheel and the first center line, twice the first distance is the actual distance between the two front wheels. Combined with the first roll angle, the relative distance between the two front wheels in the vertical direction of the ground can be calculated. This relative distance is also the relative ground clearance of the other front wheel, which is the lowest wheel among the two front wheels.

[0074] Step S902: Determine the relative ground clearance of the centers of the two rear wheels based on the relative ground clearance of the other front wheel, the fuselage length, and the first pitch angle.

[0075] Step S903: Determine the relative ground clearance of the two rear wheels based on the first distance, the second roll angle, and the relative ground clearance of the centers of the two rear wheels.

[0076] Specifically, since the lowest wheel is usually located on the ground, let the actual ground clearance of the lowest wheel be 0. Then the relative ground clearance of the other front wheel is hf = abs(2R × sin(Roll1)), where R represents the first distance between the wheel and the first center line, and Roll1 represents the first roll angle.

[0077] The relative ground clearance of the centers of the two rear wheels, i.e., the centers of the axle, is:

[0078] hb0=abs(L×sin(Pitch1))+hf / 2.

[0079] Where L represents the fuselage length, Pitch1 represents the first pitch angle, and hf represents the relative ground clearance of the other front wheel.

[0080] The height difference between the centers of the two rear wheels and the ground is:

[0081] ΔH = abs(R*sin(Roll2)).

[0082] The relative ground clearance of the first rear wheel, which is on the same side of the fuselage as the lowest wheel (i.e., the lower of the two rear wheels), is: hb1 = hb0 - ΔH. The relative ground clearance of the second rear wheel, which is on the opposite side of the fuselage as the lowest wheel (i.e., the higher of the two rear wheels), is: hb2 = hb0 + ΔH.

[0083] Where hb0 represents the relative ground clearance of the centers of the two rear wheels, hb1 represents the relative ground clearance of the first rear wheel, and hb2 represents the relative ground clearance of the second rear wheel.

[0084] Thus, the terminal device can obtain the height difference between all wheels and thereby perform lift detection on the self-moving device.

[0085] Specifically, in step S105, when the relative height above the ground meets a preset condition, the terminal device can perform a lift-up protection operation to protect the self-moving device or the user. The preset condition can be adjusted according to actual circumstances.

[0086] In some implementations, if the relative ground clearance of the highest wheel is greater than a preset height threshold, it indicates that the self-moving device has been raised too high, and in this case, it can be confirmed that the relative ground clearance of the wheels meets the preset conditions.

[0087] The highest wheel is the wheel with the highest actual ground clearance. The preset height threshold can be adjusted according to actual conditions; for example, it can be set to 30cm.

[0088] Correspondingly, if the relative ground clearance of the highest wheel is less than or equal to the preset height threshold, it means that the height raised by the self-moving device is within the allowable range. At this time, it can be confirmed that the relative ground clearance of the wheels does not meet the preset conditions.

[0089] In other implementations, the terminal device can calculate the height difference between each pair of wheels based on the relative ground clearance of each wheel. If the minimum height difference is greater than a preset threshold, it indicates that the self-moving device has been lifted and is tilted significantly, thus confirming that the relative ground clearance of the wheels meets the preset conditions.

[0090] The difference threshold can be adjusted according to the actual situation; for example, it can be set to 10cm.

[0091] Correspondingly, if the minimum value of the height difference is less than or equal to the preset difference threshold, it indicates that the tilt amplitude of the self-moving device is small. At this time, it can be confirmed that the relative ground clearance of the wheels does not meet the preset conditions.

[0092] In other implementations, the terminal device can also calculate the angle between the device body and the ground based on the relative ground clearance of each wheel. If the angle is greater than a preset angle value, it also indicates that the self-moving device has been lifted and is tilted significantly, thus confirming that the relative ground clearance of the wheels meets the preset conditions.

[0093] The preset angle value can be adjusted according to the actual situation; for example, it can be set to 60°.

[0094] Correspondingly, if the included angle is less than or equal to the preset angle value, it also indicates that the tilt amplitude of the self-moving device is small. At this time, it can be confirmed that the relative height of the wheels from the ground does not meet the preset conditions.

[0095] In this way, the terminal device can control the self-moving device to perform a lift protection operation when the self-moving device is excessively lifted, so as to avoid dangerous driving behavior of the self-moving device or injury to the user caused by excessive lifting of the self-moving device.

[0096] To ensure the reliability of lift detection, in some embodiments, the self-moving device may also include a lift detection component, which can be used to detect whether the two front wheels or the rear wheels lift simultaneously.

[0097] For example, the detection component described above can be a mechanical lift detection trigger switch. For instance, the detection component can be a Hall sensor. Specifically, a groove is provided between the two front wheels or the two rear wheels and the frame of the vehicle body. When the self-moving device is placed on the ground, the supporting force of the ground lifts the wheels, causing the axles to be above the groove and close to the permanent magnet above the groove. This triggers the Hall sensor via the permanent magnet, at which point the Hall sensor will generate a detection signal indicating that the two front wheels or the two rear wheels are not lifted simultaneously. When the self-moving device is lifted, due to gravity, the axles are below the groove and away from the permanent magnet above the groove. At this time, the Hall sensor will generate a detection signal indicating that the two front wheels or the two rear wheels are lifted simultaneously.

[0098] Since the detection component will detect that both front wheels or both rear wheels are raised simultaneously when the fuselage is completely off the ground, the terminal device can directly perform the lift protection operation when the detection signal of the lift detection component indicates that both front wheels or both rear wheels are raised simultaneously.

[0099] To further improve reliability and avoid triggering lift protection during normal lifting of the self-moving device, the terminal device can perform lift protection when the detection signal from the lift detection component indicates that both front wheels or both rear wheels are lifted simultaneously, and the duration of this simultaneous lifting exceeds a preset duration threshold. This duration threshold can be adjusted according to actual conditions, for example, it can be set to 3 seconds.

[0100] Considering that the aforementioned lift detection method needs to be implemented through the first inertial measurement unit and the second inertial measurement unit, in order to avoid the situation where the terminal device cannot provide lift detection for the self-moving device when the first inertial measurement unit and / or the second inertial measurement unit is offline, the terminal device can perform abnormal handling when the first inertial measurement unit and / or the second inertial measurement unit is in an abnormal state.

[0101] The aforementioned abnormal states can be determined through fault detection components or based on data received by the terminal device. For example, if the terminal device does not receive attitude data acquired by the inertial measurement unit (IMU), or if the confidence level of the attitude data acquired by the IMU is less than a confidence threshold, it can be confirmed that the IMU is in an abnormal state. As another example, if an abnormality is detected in the electrical signal of the IMU by a circuit detection element, it can be confirmed that the IMU is in an abnormal state.

[0102] In some embodiments of this application, if the first inertial measurement unit is in an abnormal state, the terminal device can acquire the acceleration data collected by the accelerometer and calculate the first attitude data based on the acceleration data.

[0103] Specifically, in some implementations, one axis of the accelerometer can be perpendicular to the ground. For example, when the Z-axis of the accelerometer is perpendicular to the ground, the aforementioned first roll angle Roll1 and first pitch angle Pitch1 can be calculated based on the gravitational acceleration components detected by the accelerometer in the X-axis direction and the gravitational acceleration components in the Y-axis direction.

[0104] Among them, if G x The component of gravitational acceleration along the X-axis is represented by G. y Let G represent the gravitational acceleration component along the Y-axis. Then the first roll angle is Roll1 = arcsin(G / Y). x / 9.8), the first pitch angle is Pitch1 = arccos(G y / 9.8).

[0105] In other implementations, the basic mounting attitude of the accelerometer can be determined by performing a power-on self-test while the mobile device is stationary, based on the decomposition of gravitational acceleration at power-on. A rotation matrix for determining the gravitational acceleration components can then be obtained from this basic mounting attitude, allowing the calculation of the aforementioned first roll angle (Roll1) and first pitch angle (Pitch1) based on these components. This method does not require one axis of the accelerometer to be perpendicular to the ground, thus offering greater scene adaptability.

[0106] In some other embodiments of this application, if the second inertial measurement unit is in an abnormal state, the terminal device can obtain the attitude threshold of the connector rotating to the maximum angle with the body as the axis of rotation, and determine the attitude threshold as the second attitude data of the connector when the second inertial measurement unit is in an abnormal state.

[0107] Specifically, the aforementioned attitude threshold can be the maximum roll angle (Roll) of the connector when it rotates to its maximum angle around its own axis. 2max The maximum roll angle Roll 2max This can be measured after installation is complete on the self-mounted device. Roll the maximum roll angle. 2max As the second roll angle Roll2, it can be achieved through the aforementioned... Figure 7 or Figure 9 The method shown calculates the relative ground clearance of each wheel to ensure that the lifting protection operation is not triggered until the height threshold is exceeded.

[0108] The lift-off detection method provided in this application embodiment can quantitatively obtain the relative ground clearance of the wheels of a self-moving device, achieving precise lift-off detection and protection. Furthermore, compared to other lift-off detection schemes, such as those using only one inertial measurement unit (IMU), this application embodiment uses an additional IMU, which can accurately trigger the lift-off protection operation when both wheels are lifted, enabling the self-moving device to have stronger off-road capabilities. The added IMU (i.e., the second IMU) can be a single-axis IMU for detecting the second roll angle, which has lower structural complexity and cost compared to using a multi-axis IMU.

[0109] It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the aforementioned method embodiments are all described as a series of actions. However, those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the described order of actions, because according to this application, some steps can be performed in other orders.

[0110] like Figure 11 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a lift detection device 1100 for a self-moving device provided in an embodiment of this application. The lift detection device 1100 for the self-moving device is disposed on a terminal device.

[0111] In embodiments of this application, the aforementioned self-moving device may include a body, wheels, and a connecting member. The wheels include two rear wheels connected to the body via the connecting member, and two front wheels disposed on both sides of the body and moving integrally with the body. The two rear wheels are capable of rotating around a first centerline of the body, following the connecting member. The first centerline is the centerline along the length of the body.

[0112] Specifically, the lift detection device 1100 of the self-moving device may include:

[0113] The first acquisition unit 1101 is used to acquire the first attitude data of the fuselage through the first inertial measurement unit, and to acquire the second attitude data of the connector through the second inertial measurement unit.

[0114] The second acquisition unit 1102 is used to acquire the structural data of the self-moving device, the structural data including the body length, body width, and first distance between each wheel and the first center line of the self-moving device;

[0115] The lowest wheel determination unit 1103 is used to determine the lowest wheel with the lowest actual ground clearance among the wheels based on the first attitude data;

[0116] The ground clearance determination unit 1104 is used to determine the relative ground clearance of all wheels based on the lowest wheel as a reference point, the first attitude data, the second attitude data, and the structural data.

[0117] The lifting protection unit 1105 is used to perform a lifting protection operation when the relative ground clearance meets the preset conditions.

[0118] In some embodiments of this application, the first attitude data may include the first pitch angle and the first roll angle of the fuselage; the lowest wheel determination unit 1103 may be specifically used to: determine the lowest wheel with the lowest actual ground clearance among the wheels based on the magnitude of the first pitch angle and the magnitude of the first roll angle.

[0119] In some embodiments of this application, the first attitude data may include the first pitch angle and the first roll angle of the fuselage; the second attitude data may include the second roll angle of the connector; the ground clearance determination unit 1104 may be specifically used to: if the lowest wheel is one of the two rear wheels, calculate the relative ground clearance of the other rear wheel besides the lowest wheel of the two rear wheels based on the fuselage width and the second roll angle; determine the relative ground clearance of the axle centers of the two front wheels based on the relative ground clearance of the other rear wheel, the fuselage length and the first pitch angle; and determine the relative ground clearance of each front wheel based on the relative ground clearance of the axle centers, the first distance and the first roll angle.

[0120] In some embodiments of this application, the first attitude data may include the first pitch angle and the first roll angle of the fuselage; the second attitude data may include the second roll angle of the connector; the ground clearance determination unit 1104 may be specifically used to: if the lowest wheel is one of the two front wheels, calculate the relative ground clearance of the other front wheel besides the lowest wheel of the two front wheels based on the first distance and the first roll angle; determine the relative ground clearance of the centers of the two rear wheels based on the relative ground clearance of the other front wheel, the fuselage length, and the first pitch angle; and determine the relative ground clearance of the two rear wheels based on the first distance, the second roll angle, and the relative ground clearance of the centers of the two rear wheels.

[0121] In some embodiments of this application, the above-mentioned lifting protection operation may include one or more of the following operations: braking, controlling the cutting component of the self-moving device to stop operating, and controlling the collecting component of the self-moving device to stop operating.

[0122] In some embodiments of this application, the lifting detection device 1100 of the self-moving device described above may further include a confirmation unit, configured to confirm that the relative ground clearance of the wheel meets a preset condition if the relative ground clearance of the highest wheel among the wheels is greater than a preset height threshold, wherein the highest wheel is the wheel with the highest relative ground clearance among the wheels; and / or, calculate the height difference between each pair of wheels based on the relative ground clearance of each wheel among the wheels, and confirm that the relative ground clearance of the wheel meets the preset condition if the minimum value of the height difference is greater than a preset difference threshold; and / or, calculate the angle formed between the body and the ground based on the relative ground clearance of each wheel among the wheels, and confirm that the relative ground clearance of the wheel meets the preset condition if the angle is greater than a preset angle value.

[0123] In some embodiments of this application, the aforementioned self-moving device may further include a lift detection component, which is used to detect whether the two front wheels or the two rear wheels are lifted simultaneously; the aforementioned lift protection unit 1105 may further be used to: if the detection signal of the lift detection component indicates that the two front wheels or the two rear wheels are lifted simultaneously, then perform the lift protection operation.

[0124] In some embodiments of this application, the aforementioned self-moving device may further include an accelerometer; the aforementioned first acquisition unit 1101 may also be used to: if the first inertial measurement unit is in an abnormal state, acquire the acceleration data collected by the accelerometer, and calculate the first attitude data based on the acceleration data.

[0125] In some embodiments of this application, the first acquisition unit 1101 described above can also be used to: acquire the attitude threshold of the connector rotating to the maximum angle with the fuselage as the axis of rotation; if the second inertial measurement unit is in an abnormal state, determine the attitude threshold as the second attitude data of the connector.

[0126] It should be noted that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working process of the lift detection device 1100 of the self-moving device described above can be found in the following reference: Figures 1 to 10 The corresponding process of the method will not be described in detail here.

[0127] like Figure 12 The diagram shown is a schematic of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0128] In some embodiments, the terminal device can be a smart device such as a computer or smartphone. This terminal device can be used to control the self-moving device to perform lift-up detection protection; for example, it can be a control terminal for the self-moving device. In other embodiments, the terminal device can also be the self-moving device itself that needs to perform lift-up detection protection.

[0129] The terminal device 120 may include a processor 1200, a memory 1201, and a computer program 1202 stored in the memory 1201 and executable on the processor 1200, such as a lift-off detection program for a self-moving device. When the processor 1200 executes the computer program 1202, it implements the steps in the various lift-off detection method embodiments of the self-moving devices described above, for example... Figure 1 The steps S101 to S105 are shown. Alternatively, when the processor 1200 executes the computer program 1202, it implements the functions of each module / unit in the above-described device embodiments, for example... Figure 11 The first acquisition unit 1101, the second acquisition unit 1102, the lowest wheel determination unit 1103, the ground clearance determination unit 1104, and the lift protection unit 1105 are shown.

[0130] The computer program can be divided into one or more modules / units, which are stored in the memory 1201 and executed by the processor 1200 to complete this application. The one or more modules / units can be a series of computer program instruction segments capable of performing specific functions, which describe the execution process of the computer program in the terminal device.

[0131] For example, the computer program can be divided into: a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit, a lowest wheel determination unit, a ground clearance determination unit, and a lift-up protection unit. The specific functions of each unit are as follows: The first acquisition unit is used to acquire first attitude data of the fuselage through a first inertial measurement unit, and second attitude data of the connector through a second inertial measurement unit; the second acquisition unit is used to acquire structural data of the self-moving device, including the fuselage length, fuselage width, and a first distance between each wheel and the first centerline; the lowest wheel determination unit is used to determine the lowest wheel with the lowest actual ground clearance based on the first attitude data; the ground clearance determination unit is used to determine the relative ground clearance of all wheels based on the lowest wheel as a reference point, according to the first attitude data, the second attitude data, and the structural data; the lift-up protection unit is used to execute a lift-up protection operation when the relative ground clearance meets a preset condition.

[0132] The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a processor 1200 and a memory 1201. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 12 This is merely an example of a terminal device and does not constitute a limitation on the terminal device. It may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or different components. For example, the terminal device may also include input / output devices, network access devices, buses, etc.

[0133] The processor 1200 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0134] The memory 1201 can be an internal storage unit of the terminal device, such as a hard drive or memory. The memory 1201 can also be an external storage device of the terminal device, such as a plug-in hard drive, Smart Media Card (SMC), Secure Digital (SD) card, or Flash Card. Furthermore, the memory 1201 can include both internal and external storage units. The memory 1201 is used to store the computer program and other programs and data required by the terminal device. The memory 1201 can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0135] It should be noted that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the structure of the terminal device described above can also be referred to the specific description of the structure in the method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0136] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-described division of functional units and modules is merely an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiments can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. Furthermore, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for easy differentiation and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above system can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0137] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0138] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm 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 various specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0139] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices / terminal equipment and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device / terminal equipment embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the displayed or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0140] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0141] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0142] If the integrated module / unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can also be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed by a processor, it can implement the steps of the various method embodiments described above. The computer program includes computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files, or certain intermediate forms. The computer-readable medium can include: any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code, recording media, USB flash drives, portable hard drives, magnetic disks, optical disks, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals, and software distribution media, etc. It should be noted that the content included in the computer-readable medium can be appropriately added or removed according to the requirements of legislation and patent practice in the jurisdiction. For example, in some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, computer-readable media do not include electrical carrier signals and telecommunication signals.

[0143] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a lift-off of a self-moving device, the method comprising: The self-moving device comprises a body, wheels and a connecting member, the wheels comprise two rear wheels connected with the body through the connecting member and two front wheels arranged on both sides of the body and moving integrally with the body, the two rear wheels can rotate around the first center line of the body as the rotating shaft of the connecting member; The first center line is the center line of the length direction of the body; The lifting detection method comprises: Obtaining first attitude data of the body through a first inertial measurement unit and second attitude data of the connecting member through a second inertial measurement unit; The first attitude data comprises a first pitch angle and a first roll angle of the body; and the second attitude data comprises a second roll angle of the connecting member; Obtaining structure data of the self-moving device, the structure data comprises a body length, a body width of the self-moving device and a first distance between each wheel and the first center line; According to the first attitude data, determining a lowest wheel with the lowest actual ground clearance among the wheels; Taking the lowest wheel as a reference base point, determining relative ground clearances of all the wheels according to the first attitude data, the second attitude data and the structure data, the relative ground clearance of each wheel is the difference between the actual ground clearance of the corresponding wheel and the actual ground clearance of the lowest wheel; When the relative ground clearances meet preset conditions, performing a lifting protection operation.

2. The lift-off detection method of a self-moving device according to claim 1, wherein, According to the first attitude data, determining a lowest wheel with the lowest actual ground clearance among the wheels, comprises: According to the size of the first pitch angle and the size of the first roll angle, determining a lowest wheel with the lowest actual ground clearance among the wheels.

3. The lift-off detection method of a self-moving device according to claim 1, wherein, Taking the lowest wheel as a reference base point, determining relative ground clearances of all the wheels according to the first attitude data, the second attitude data and the structure data, comprises: If the lowest wheel is one of the two rear wheels, calculating the relative ground clearance of the other rear wheel outside the lowest wheel among the two rear wheels according to the body width and the second roll angle; According to the relative ground clearance of the other rear wheel, the body length and the first pitch angle, determining the relative ground clearance of the rotating shaft center of the two front wheels; According to the relative ground clearance of the rotating shaft center, the first distance and the first roll angle, determining the relative ground clearance of each front wheel.

4. The lift-off detection method of a self-moving device according to claim 1, wherein, Taking the lowest wheel as a reference base point, determining relative ground clearances of all the wheels according to the first attitude data, the second attitude data and the structure data, comprises: If the lowest wheel is one of the two front wheels, calculating the relative ground clearance of the other front wheel outside the lowest wheel among the two front wheels according to the first distance, the first roll angle; According to the relative ground clearance of the other front wheel, the body length and the first pitch angle, determining the relative ground clearance of the center of the two rear wheels; According to the first distance, the second roll angle and the relative ground clearance of the center of the two rear wheels, determining the relative ground clearances of the two rear wheels.

5. The lift-up detection method for a self-moving device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The lifting protection operation includes one or more of the following operations: braking, controlling the cutting component of the self-moving device to stop operating, and controlling the collecting component of the self-moving device to stop operating.

6. The lift-off detection method of a self-moving device according to claim 5, wherein, Before performing the lift protection operation, when the wheel's ground clearance meets a preset condition, the lift detection method further includes: If the relative ground clearance of the tallest wheel among the wheels is greater than a preset height threshold, then the relative ground clearance of the wheels is confirmed to meet the preset condition, and the tallest wheel is the wheel with the highest relative ground clearance among the wheels; and / or, Based on the relative ground clearance of each wheel, the height difference between each pair of wheels is calculated. If the minimum height difference is greater than a preset threshold, then the relative ground clearance of the wheels is confirmed to meet a preset condition; and / or, Based on the relative ground clearance of each wheel, the angle formed between the fuselage and the ground is calculated. If the angle is greater than a preset angle value, it is confirmed that the relative ground clearance of the wheels meets the preset condition.

7. The lift-off detection method of a self-moving device according to claim 5, wherein, The self-moving device also includes a lift detection component, which is used to detect whether the two front wheels or the rear wheels lift simultaneously. The lift detection method further includes: If the detection signal from the lift detection component indicates that the two front wheels or the two rear wheels lift simultaneously, then the lift protection operation is performed.

8. The lift-off detection method of a self-moving device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The self-moving device also includes an accelerometer; The lift detection method further includes: If the first inertial measurement unit is in an abnormal state, the acceleration data collected by the accelerometer is acquired, and the first attitude data is calculated based on the acceleration data.

9. The lift-off detection method of a self-moving device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The lift detection method further includes: Obtain the attitude threshold of the connector rotating to its maximum angle with the fuselage as the axis of rotation; If the second inertial measurement unit is in an abnormal state, the attitude threshold is determined as the second attitude data of the connector.

10. A terminal device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps of the lift-up detection method for the self-moving device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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