Robot work mode planning method and robot

Abstract

The application provides a robot working mode planning method and a robot, and belongs to the technical field of cleaning robots. The method comprises the following steps: determining a wet area from a historical activity area of a cleaning robot; wherein the historical activity area is an area that has been activated by the cleaning robot when performing a task; planning a target working path according to the wet area, and determining a target working mode matched with the target working path; and controlling the cleaning robot to perform a working task according to the target working path and the target working mode. According to the application, the target working path and the target working mode are both generated by planning for the wet area, so that the damage to the floor caused by the wet area in the working place can be reduced, and the possibility of secondary pollution can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of cleaning robot technology, and in particular to a method for planning robot working modes and a robot. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of industry and technology, the functions of cleaning robots have become increasingly sophisticated, and they are gaining popularity among consumers. Currently, base stations enabling cleaning robots to perform functions such as mop cleaning and quick recharging are gradually becoming standard equipment. During operation, a cleaning robot can return to the base station to clean its mop after cleaning a certain area before moving on to the next. After being cleaned at the base station, the mop will carry a significant amount of moisture, potentially causing dampness in the areas surrounding the base station that the robot has traversed multiple times. This dampness can damage the floor in these areas and may lead to secondary pollution. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a method for planning robot working modes and a robot for handling the problem of damp areas during the cleaning process.

[0004] On the one hand, this application provides a method for planning robot working modes, including:

[0005] The wet areas are determined from the historical activity areas of the cleaning robot; wherein, the historical activity areas are the areas that the cleaning robot has already been active in when performing the task;

[0006] Plan the target work path based on the humid area, and determine the target work mode that matches the target work path;

[0007] Control the cleaning robot to perform work tasks according to the target work path and the target work mode.

[0008] In one embodiment, the historical activity area is determined by the historical work path of the cleaning robot;

[0009] The process of identifying wet areas from the historical activity areas of the cleaning robot includes:

[0010] When the number of times the cleaning robot enters and exits the base station reaches a preset threshold, and the time taken to return to the base station each time is less than a preset time threshold, the local activity area that the cleaning robot passed through multiple times when leaving the base station is determined according to the historical work path.

[0011] The humid area is determined based on the local activity area.

[0012] In one embodiment, determining the humid area based on the local active area includes:

[0013] The cleaning robot is controlled to acquire regional images of the localized activity area;

[0014] The wet area is identified from the local active area based on the area image.

[0015] In one embodiment, the target working path avoids the damp area, and the target working mode includes performing the cleaning task after avoiding the damp area;

[0016] The control of the cleaning robot to perform work tasks according to the target work path and the target work mode includes:

[0017] The cleaning robot is controlled to avoid the wet area and proceed to the area to be cleaned, where it performs the cleaning task.

[0018] In one embodiment, the target work path includes at least two feasible work paths that avoid the wet area;

[0019] The control of the cleaning robot to avoid the wet area and proceed to the area to be cleaned includes:

[0020] During the process of the cleaning robot repeatedly visiting the area to be cleaned, the cleaning robot is controlled to alternately follow different feasible working paths to avoid the wet area when reaching the area to be cleaned.

[0021] In one embodiment, the target working path includes a path back to the base station and a path to the wet area, and the target working mode includes mopping the wet area;

[0022] The control of the cleaning robot to perform work tasks according to the target work path and the target work mode includes:

[0023] The cleaning robot is controlled to return to the base station, where it washes and dries the mop it carries.

[0024] The cleaning robot is controlled to move to the wet area and mop the wet area with a dried mop.

[0025] In one embodiment, the target working path includes a path passing through the wet area when returning to the base station, and the target working mode includes dragging the wet area during the process of returning from the target area to the base station;

[0026] The control of the cleaning robot to perform work tasks according to the target work path and the target work mode includes:

[0027] Upon completing the cleaning task of the target area and returning to the base station, the cleaning robot is controlled to proceed to the damp area and perform mopping treatment on the damp area.

[0028] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0029] Determine the level of dirt in the area to be cleaned;

[0030] From the area to be cleaned, a target area matching the degree of dirtiness is delineated; wherein, the area size of the target area is negatively correlated with the degree of dirtiness;

[0031] Perform a cleaning task on the target area.

[0032] In one embodiment, the target working path includes a path passing through the wet area when returning to the base station, and the target working mode includes dragging the wet area during the process of returning from the target area to the base station;

[0033] The control of the cleaning robot to perform work tasks according to the target work path and the target work mode includes:

[0034] When completing the cleaning task of the target area and returning to the base station, the cleaning robot is controlled to travel back and forth through the wet area to the base station at least twice.

[0035] On the other hand, this application provides a robot, the robot comprising:

[0036] processor;

[0037] Memory used to store processor-executable instructions;

[0038] The processor is configured to execute the planning method for the robot's working mode described above.

[0039] According to the proposed solution, the cleaning robot can identify damp areas from historical activity areas and plan target work paths and target work modes based on the damp areas, thereby performing work tasks according to the target work paths and target work modes. Since the target work paths and target work modes are planned and generated specifically for damp areas, the damage to the floor caused by the presence of damp areas in the workplace can be reduced, and the possibility of secondary pollution can be lowered. Attached Figure Description

[0040] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application will be briefly described below.

[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a robot working mode planning method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the departure of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating the overall process of planning robot working modes according to an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 5 A block diagram of a robot working mode planning device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] Similar reference numerals 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. Furthermore, in the description of this application, terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a robot 1, including: at least one processor 11 and a memory 12. Figure 1 Taking a processor 11 as an example, the processor 11 and memory 12 are connected via a bus 10. The memory 12 stores instructions that can be executed by the processor 11. The instructions are executed by the processor 11 to enable the robot 1 to perform all or part of the processes of the methods described in the embodiments below. In one embodiment, the robot 1 may be a cleaning robot used to perform a robot working mode planning method.

[0049] The memory 12 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable red-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, magnetic disk or optical disk.

[0050] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that can be executed by a processor 11 to complete the robot working mode planning method provided in this application.

[0051] See Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a robot working mode planning method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 As shown, the method may include steps 210-230.

[0052] Step 210: Identify the wet areas from the historical activity areas of the cleaning robot; wherein, the historical activity areas are the areas that the cleaning robot has already been active in when performing the task.

[0053] Here, the historical activity area can include the area already cleaned by the cleaning robot, as well as the area the cleaning robot travels through when it travels between the cleaning area and the base station during the cleaning task.

[0054] Cleaning robots can identify damp areas from historical activity zones based on movement patterns.

[0055] In one embodiment, the historical activity area is determined by the historical work path of the cleaning robot. Here, the historical work path is the movement path of the cleaning robot during the execution of the cleaning task.

[0056] When the number of times the cleaning robot enters and exits the base station reaches a preset threshold, and the time taken to return to the base station each time is less than a preset duration threshold, the local activity areas that the cleaning robot repeatedly traversed when leaving the base station can be determined based on its historical work path. The number threshold can be an empirical value; for example, the number threshold could be 3 times. The duration threshold can also be an empirical value, determined by the normal dehydration and drying process of the cleaning robot's mop, or the time required for moisture to evaporate from the ground; for example, the duration threshold could be 10 minutes.

[0057] If the number of times the cleaning robot enters and exits the base station reaches a threshold, and the duration of each return to the base station is less than a duration threshold, it can be determined that the cleaning robot has left the base station multiple times within a short period of time carrying a damp mop. In this case, the localized activity area traversed by the cleaning robot multiple times may become wet with the mop.

[0058] Cleaning robots can identify damp areas based on their localized activity areas. For example, a cleaning robot can directly identify a localized activity area it passes through multiple times as a damp area.

[0059] In one embodiment, after identifying a repeatedly traversed local activity area, the cleaning robot can be controlled to collect images of that area. The cleaning robot can be equipped with a camera to collect images of the activity area in real time during its movement, allowing it to filter out the most recent image of the local activity area from the collected images after identification. Alternatively, the cleaning robot can collect images of the local activity area using its onboard camera after identification.

[0060] Cleaning robots can identify damp areas from localized activity areas using region images. They can also identify damp areas from localized activity areas using image features such as texture and brightness. Alternatively, cleaning robots can use trained object detection models to identify damp areas from localized activity areas based on region images.

[0061] Step 220: Plan the target work path based on the humid area and determine the target work mode that matches the target work path.

[0062] Step 230: Control the cleaning robot to perform work tasks according to the target work path and target work mode.

[0063] Among them, the target working path is the working path for the cleaning robot to perform subsequent tasks; the target working mode is the working mode for the cleaning robot to perform subsequent tasks.

[0064] After identifying the damp area, the cleaning robot can plan a target work path and determine the corresponding target work mode based on the location of the damp area in the workplace. It can then control itself to perform work tasks according to the target work path and target work mode.

[0065] By generating targeted work paths and patterns for damp areas, the number of damp areas in the workplace can be reduced, effectively reducing damage to the floor caused by damp areas and lowering the possibility of secondary pollution.

[0066] In one embodiment, the target work path planned based on the wet area avoids the wet area. Correspondingly, the target work mode is to perform the cleaning task after avoiding the wet area.

[0067] When performing a task, the cleaning robot can control itself to avoid wet areas and head towards the area to be cleaned. Here, the area to be cleaned is the part of the workplace that requires cleaning. Once it reaches the area, the cleaning robot can perform the cleaning task.

[0068] By taking the above measures, bypassing the damp area on the path to the requested area can prevent the damp mop carried by the cleaning robot from further increasing the moisture in the damp area, allowing the damp area to air dry naturally, reducing the degree of dampness, and avoiding secondary pollution caused by passing through the damp area.

[0069] See Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a cleaning robot leaving the station according to an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 3 As shown, there is a damp area in front of the cleaning robot's base station. Based on this, the cleaning robot plans a target working path to turn left or right when leaving the station, thereby bypassing the damp area and avoiding repeatedly wetting it.

[0070] In one embodiment, the target working path includes at least two feasible working paths that avoid wet areas. Each time the cleaning robot leaves the station, it can select one feasible working path as the target working path to perform the work task.

[0071] The cleaning robot can control itself to alternate along different feasible working paths during multiple visits to the area to be cleaned, avoiding wet areas as it proceeds. Figure 3 For example, turning left and turning right each correspond to a feasible working path, and the cleaning robot can alternately turn left and right to reach the area to be cleaned.

[0072] By taking the above measures, we can avoid continuously wetting the ground when repeatedly traveling to the requested area via the same target work path, thus reducing the chance of creating more damp areas.

[0073] In one embodiment, the target working path includes a path back to the base station and a path to the wet area; the target working mode includes mopping the wet area.

[0074] When performing a task, the cleaning robot can control itself to return to the base station via a designated path. At the base station, it washes and dries the mop it carries. The cleaning robot can also control the base station to dry the mop with a high degree of dehydration.

[0075] After the mop is dried, the cleaning robot can travel to the wet area via the path to the wet area and mop the wet area with the dried mop.

[0076] Because the cleaning robot obtains a dry and clean mop after washing and drying, it can effectively absorb moisture from damp areas after mopping, reducing the dampness or even drying the damp area, thereby reducing the damage to the floor caused by moisture and avoiding secondary pollution during the cleaning process.

[0077] In one embodiment, the target working path includes a path through the wet area when returning to the base station, and the target working mode includes mopping the wet area during the return process from the target area to the base station. Here, the target area is the area that the cleaning robot has already cleaned when it leaves the base station to perform a cleaning task.

[0078] When performing its work tasks, the cleaning robot can control itself to go to the wet area through the target work path and mop the wet area after completing the cleaning task of the target area and returning to the base station.

[0079] Since the floors where cleaning robots work are typically dry, the moisture in the mop is absorbed by the floor after cleaning the target area, leaving the mop relatively dry. Therefore, mopping the damp areas during the return trip to the base station after cleaning the target area effectively absorbs moisture, thus reducing the damage caused by moisture to the floor.

[0080] In one embodiment, the target working path includes a path through the wet area when returning to the base station, and the target working mode includes mopping the wet area during the return process from the target area to the base station. Here, the target area is the area that the cleaning robot has already cleaned when it leaves the base station to perform a cleaning task.

[0081] When performing its work tasks, the cleaning robot can control itself to pass through the wet area at least twice, thus mopping the wet area at least twice, and then go to the base station after mopping.

[0082] Wiping the damp area at least twice during the return trip to the base station allows for more thorough moisture absorption and improves the efficiency of drying the damp area.

[0083] The robot's mop may be located at the rear of the robot. In this case, the mop will mop the ground from behind the robot as it moves forward. When the robot passes through a wet area and heads towards the base station, it can proceed normally to the base station. After reaching the base station, the robot can move backward a short distance, for example, to the point where the wet area is furthest from the base station. After stopping the backward movement, the robot can move backward (with the mop in front of the robot's direction of movement) to the base station and then enter the base station to clean the mop. In this way, the robot can complete two mopping tasks on the wet area simultaneously, even when the mop is behind the robot and it needs to move backward to enter the base station to clean the mop, thus improving work efficiency.

[0084] In one embodiment, if the target working mode is that the cleaning robot mops the wet area after cleaning the target area and while returning to the base station, considering that the mop gets dirty after mopping an area, the area of ​​the target area can be adjusted according to the degree of dirt on the ground to avoid secondary pollution when mopping the wet area.

[0085] When a cleaning robot moves to a cleaning area, it can determine the degree of dirtiness in that area. The robot can collect dirt-related features of the area using its own sensors. Here, the sensors can be cameras, and the dirt-related features can be regional images of the area to be cleaned. The cleaning robot can determine the degree of dirtiness of the area using these dirt-related features. For example, the cleaning robot can use a classification algorithm (e.g., a trained classification model) to classify the regional image of the area to be cleaned, thereby obtaining the degree of dirtiness.

[0086] After determining the level of dirt, the cleaning robot can divide the area to be cleaned into target areas that match the level of dirt. The size of the target area is negatively correlated with the level of dirt; in other words, the dirtier the ground, the smaller the target area.

[0087] For example, a standard area size can be preset, corresponding to a normal level of dirtiness. For each level of dirtiness, the target area size decreases by 20%.

[0088] Once the target area is identified, the cleaning robot can perform cleaning tasks on that area.

[0089] In addition, the cleaning robot can adjust the size of the target area by adjusting the cleaning intensity it uses. The higher the cleaning intensity, the dirtier the mop becomes, so the target area should be reduced accordingly.

[0090] By taking the above measures, after adjusting the area of ​​the target area, the cleaning robot can ensure that the mop is not too dirty after cleaning the target area, thus avoiding secondary pollution when using the mop to wipe the damp area.

[0091] See Figure 4 This is an overall flowchart of a robot working mode planning method provided in an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 4 As shown, the cleaning robot can determine the wet areas based on its historical work path. Since the wet areas are usually near the base station entrance that the cleaning robot has passed through multiple times, Figure 4 The location of the base station entrance is used to identify the damp area. After identifying the damp area, the cleaning robot can handle it in three ways: First, it can plan its exit path to avoid the damp area, thus preventing further wetting and allowing the damp area to air dry naturally; second, after cleaning and drying the mop, it can directly mop the damp area; third, after cleaning the target area, it can mop the damp area on its return journey to the base station. In this case, the robot's movement distance can be adjusted according to the degree of dirt on the ground to avoid secondary pollution caused by an overly dirty mop when mopping the damp area.

[0092] Figure 5 This is a robot working mode planning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the device may include:

[0093] The determining module 510 is used to determine the wet area from the historical activity area of ​​the cleaning robot; wherein the historical activity area is the area that the cleaning robot has already been active in when performing the task;

[0094] The planning module 520 is used to plan a target work path based on the humid area and determine a target work mode that matches the target work path;

[0095] The execution module 530 is used to control the cleaning robot to perform work tasks according to the target work path and the target work mode.

[0096] The specific implementation process of the functions and roles of each module in the above-mentioned device can be found in the implementation process of the corresponding steps in the planning method of the robot working mode, and will not be repeated here.

[0097] The apparatuses and methods disclosed in the several embodiments provided in this application 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 illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of apparatuses, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of this application. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which contains one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. 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.

[0098] In addition, 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.

[0099] If a function is implemented as a software module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-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 a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a 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 of the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

Claims

1. A method for planning robot working modes, characterized in that, include: The wet areas are determined from the historical activity areas of the cleaning robot; wherein, the historical activity areas are the areas that the cleaning robot has already been active in when performing the task; Plan the target work path based on the humid area, and determine the target work mode that matches the target work path; Control the cleaning robot to perform work tasks according to the target work path and the target work mode; The historical activity area is determined by the historical work path of the cleaning robot; determining the humid area from the historical activity area of ​​the cleaning robot includes: when the number of times the cleaning robot enters and exits the base station reaches a preset threshold, and the duration of each return to the base station is less than a preset duration threshold, determining the local activity area that the cleaning robot passes through multiple times when leaving the base station according to the historical work path; and determining the humid area based on the local activity area. The step of determining the damp area based on the local active area includes: controlling the cleaning robot to acquire a regional image of the local active area; and identifying the damp area from the local active area based on the regional image.

2. The robot working mode planning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The target working path avoids the damp area, and the target working mode includes performing the cleaning task after avoiding the damp area; The control of the cleaning robot to perform work tasks according to the target work path and the target work mode includes: The cleaning robot is controlled to avoid the wet area and proceed to the area to be cleaned, where it performs the cleaning task.

3. The robot working mode planning method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The target work path includes at least two feasible work paths that avoid the humid area; The control of the cleaning robot to avoid the wet area and proceed to the area to be cleaned includes: During the process of the cleaning robot repeatedly visiting the area to be cleaned, the cleaning robot is controlled to alternately follow different feasible working paths to avoid the wet area when reaching the area to be cleaned.

4. The robot working mode planning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The target working path includes a path back to the base station and a path to the wet area, and the target working mode includes mopping the wet area; The control of the cleaning robot to perform work tasks according to the target work path and the target work mode includes: The cleaning robot is controlled to return to the base station, where it washes and dries the mop it carries. The cleaning robot is controlled to move to the wet area and mop the wet area with a dried mop.

5. The method for planning robot working modes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The target working path includes the path through the wet area when returning to the base station, and the target working mode includes dragging the wet area during the process of returning from the target area to the base station; The control of the cleaning robot to perform work tasks according to the target work path and the target work mode includes: Upon completing the cleaning task of the target area and returning to the base station, the cleaning robot is controlled to proceed to the damp area and perform mopping treatment on the damp area.

6. The method for planning robot working modes according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Determine the level of dirt in the area to be cleaned; From the area to be cleaned, a target area matching the degree of dirtiness is delineated; wherein, the area size of the target area is negatively correlated with the degree of dirtiness; Perform a cleaning task on the target area.

7. The method for planning robot working modes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The target working path includes the path through the wet area when returning to the base station, and the target working mode includes dragging the wet area during the process of returning from the target area to the base station; The control of the cleaning robot to perform work tasks according to the target work path and the target work mode includes: When completing the cleaning task of the target area and returning to the base station, the cleaning robot is controlled to travel back and forth through the wet area to the base station at least twice.

8. A robot, characterized in that, The robot includes: processor; Memory used to store processor-executable instructions; The processor is configured to execute the robot working mode planning method according to any one of claims 1-7.

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