A method for operating control of a mowing robot

Abstract

The application provides a running control method for a mowing robot, comprising the following steps: step 1: the robot records boundary information and pose information; step 2: the slope proportion of the pitch angle information in the pose information is counted, when the slope proportion is lower than a switching threshold, a first obstacle detection mode is adopted; when the slope proportion is greater than or equal to the switching threshold, a second obstacle detection mode is adopted; the first obstacle detection mode is that the robot simultaneously opens a long-distance obstacle detection element and a contact type obstacle detection element to detect obstacles, the avoidance distance value of the long-distance obstacle detection element is fixed and is not 0; the second obstacle detection mode is that the robot simultaneously opens the long-distance obstacle detection element and the contact type obstacle detection element to detect obstacles, the avoidance distance value of the long-distance obstacle detection element is 0, and at the same time, the speed of the robot changes along with the change of the value detected by the long-distance obstacle detection element.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of lawn mowing robot technology, and in particular to a method for operating control of lawn mowing robots. Background Technology

[0002] Intelligent lawn mowing robots have become widely used. When lawn mowing robots are running in the work area, they need to avoid obstacles, animals and other obstacles. Existing lawn mowing robots usually use physical contact collision detection elements and are also equipped with long-distance obstacle detection devices such as ultrasonic and infrared sensors.

[0003] In actual machine operation, devices that detect obstacles at long distances, such as ultrasonic and infrared sensors, are prone to misjudgments. For example, when the machine is operating in an undulating area, it may mistake a slope for an obstacle, preventing it from climbing the slope. Such problems will prevent the machine from fully mowing the work area. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for controlling the operation of a lawnmower robot. By assessing the terrain and using different sensors for obstacle detection, the method improves the robot's operational quality and enhances mowing performance.

[0005] The technical solution to achieve the purpose of this invention is as follows:

[0006] A method for controlling the operation of a lawnmower robot includes the following steps:

[0007] Step 1: During the initial run, the robot walks along the boundary line of the work area and records boundary information and pose information;

[0008] Step 2: Calculate the slope ratio of pitch angle information in the pose information. When the slope ratio is lower than the switching threshold, the first obstacle detection mode is adopted; when the slope ratio is greater than or equal to the switching threshold, the second obstacle detection mode is adopted. The slope ratio is the proportion of pitch angle data greater than the slope threshold to the total pitch angle data.

[0009] The first obstacle detection mode is as follows: the robot's long-distance obstacle detection element and contact obstacle detection element are activated simultaneously to detect obstacles, and the avoidance distance value of the long-distance obstacle detection element is fixed and not 0;

[0010] The second obstacle detection mode is as follows: the robot's long-distance obstacle detection element and contact obstacle detection element are activated simultaneously to detect obstacles. The avoidance distance value of the long-distance obstacle detection element is 0, and the robot speed changes according to the value detected by the long-distance obstacle detection element.

[0011] Furthermore, in the second obstacle detection mode, the robot speed decreases as the value detected by the distant obstacle detection element decreases.

[0012] Furthermore, the robot's normal speed is 0.5 meters per second. When the value detected by the long-distance obstacle detection element is greater than or equal to 90 centimeters and less than 160 centimeters, the robot slows down to 0.3 meters per second. When the value detected by the long-distance obstacle detection element is greater than or equal to 20 centimeters and less than 90 centimeters, the robot slows down to 0.15 meters per second. When the value detected by the long-distance obstacle detection element is less than 20 centimeters, the robot directly performs an avoidance action.

[0013] Furthermore, the slope threshold is not less than 10°.

[0014] Furthermore, the switching threshold is no higher than 20%.

[0015] Furthermore, in step 1, the robot uses an angle sensor or an accelerometer to detect pose information.

[0016] Furthermore, the long-range obstacle detection element includes ultrasonic, infrared, capacitive, and visual sensors.

[0017] Furthermore, the contact obstacle detection element is a detection element used to detect the trigger signal after the machine casing comes into physical contact with an obstacle.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the significant advantages of this invention are:

[0019] In this invention, the robot uses an angle sensor to obtain terrain information when the robot delineates the boundary line. Based on the terrain information, it selects the corresponding obstacle detection method to perform its work. This effectively avoids the problem of misjudgment caused by long-distance obstacle detection equipment such as ultrasonic and infrared sensors, thereby improving the robot's operating quality and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of mowing. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments.

[0021] A method for controlling the operation of a lawnmower robot includes the following steps:

[0022] Step 1: During the initial run, the robot walks along the boundary line of the work area and records boundary information and pose information;

[0023] Step 2: Calculate the slope ratio of pitch angle information in the pose information. When the slope ratio is lower than the switching threshold, the first obstacle detection mode is adopted; when the slope ratio is greater than or equal to the switching threshold, the second obstacle detection mode is adopted. The slope ratio is the proportion of pitch angle data greater than the slope threshold to the total pitch angle data.

[0024] The first obstacle detection mode is as follows: the robot's long-distance obstacle detection element and contact obstacle detection element are activated simultaneously to detect obstacles. The avoidance distance value of the long-distance obstacle detection element is fixed and not 0. In this mode, the slope ratio is lower than the switching threshold, which means that there are not many slopes and the slope surface is not undulating. In this case, the long-distance obstacle detection element can be used to detect obstacles. The detection can achieve a certain accuracy and the occurrence of false judgments is relatively small. Therefore, the specific avoidance distance value of the long-distance obstacle detection element can be set according to the slope ratio. Generally, the larger the slope ratio, the smaller the avoidance distance value.

[0025] The second obstacle detection mode is as follows: the robot's long-distance obstacle detection element and contact obstacle detection element are activated simultaneously for obstacle detection. The avoidance distance value of the long-distance obstacle detection element is 0. At the same time, the robot speed decreases as the value detected by the long-distance obstacle detection element decreases. In this mode, if the slope ratio is greater than or equal to the switching threshold, it means that there are many slopes and the slope surface is undulating. In this case, if the long-distance obstacle detection element is used for obstacle detection, it is difficult to achieve a certain accuracy. It is very likely that the undulating slope surface will be mistakenly detected as an obstacle, resulting in misjudgment. Therefore, in this case, the avoidance distance value of the long-distance obstacle detection element is set to 0, that is, the existence of obstacles is not determined based on the detection result of the long-distance obstacle detection element. However, the robot speed is set to decrease as the value detected by the long-distance obstacle detection element decreases. That is, if the long-distance obstacle detection element continues to emit obstacle signals as the distance decreases, it is likely to be a real obstacle. It is necessary to reduce the robot's running speed to avoid collision with the obstacle and damage to the machine.

[0026] Specifically, for example, if the robot's normal speed is 0.5 meters per second, and the value detected by the long-distance obstacle detection element is greater than or equal to 90 centimeters and less than 160 centimeters, the robot will slow down to 0.3 meters per second; if the value detected by the long-distance obstacle detection element is greater than or equal to 20 centimeters and less than 90 centimeters, the robot will slow down to 0.15 meters per second; and if the value detected by the long-distance obstacle detection element is less than 20 centimeters, the robot will directly perform an avoidance action.

[0027] Specifically, the slope threshold is not less than 10°.

[0028] Specifically, the switching threshold is no higher than 20%.

[0029] Specifically, in step 1, the robot uses an angle sensor to detect pose information.

[0030] Specifically, the long-range obstacle detection element includes ultrasonic, infrared, capacitive, and visual sensors.

[0031] Specifically, the contact obstacle detection element is a detection element used to detect the trigger signal after the machine casing comes into physical contact with an obstacle.

[0032] In this invention, the robot uses an angle sensor (or accelerometer) to acquire terrain information when the robot delineates the boundary line. Based on the terrain information, it selects the corresponding obstacle detection method to perform its work. This effectively avoids the problem of misjudgment caused by long-distance obstacle detection devices such as ultrasonic and infrared sensors, thereby improving the robot's operating quality and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of mowing.

[0033] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the operation of a lawnmower robot, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1: During the initial run, the robot walks along the boundary line of the work area and records boundary information and pose information; Step 2: Calculate the slope ratio of pitch angle information in the pose information. When the slope ratio is lower than the switching threshold, the first obstacle detection mode is adopted; when the slope ratio is greater than or equal to the switching threshold, the second obstacle detection mode is adopted. The slope ratio is the proportion of pitch angle data greater than the slope threshold to the total pitch angle data. The first obstacle detection mode is as follows: the robot's long-distance obstacle detection element and contact obstacle detection element are activated simultaneously to detect obstacles, and the avoidance distance value of the long-distance obstacle detection element is fixed and not 0; The second obstacle detection mode is as follows: the robot's long-distance obstacle detection element and contact obstacle detection element are activated simultaneously to detect obstacles. The avoidance distance value of the long-distance obstacle detection element is 0, and the robot speed changes according to the value detected by the long-distance obstacle detection element.

2. The operation control method for a lawnmower robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the second obstacle detection mode, the robot speed decreases as the value detected by the long-distance obstacle detection element decreases.

3. The operation control method for a lawnmower robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The robot's normal speed is 0.5 meters per second. When the distance obstacle detection element detects a value greater than or equal to 90 centimeters and less than 160 centimeters, the robot slows down to 0.3 meters per second. When the distance obstacle detection element detects a value greater than or equal to 20 centimeters and less than 90 centimeters, the robot slows down to 0.15 meters per second. When the distance obstacle detection element detects a value less than 20 centimeters, the robot directly performs an avoidance maneuver.

4. The operation control method for a lawnmower robot according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The slope threshold is not less than 10°.

5. The operation control method for a lawnmower robot according to claim 4, characterized in that, The switching threshold is no higher than 20%.

6. The operation control method for a lawnmower robot according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, In step 1, the robot uses an angle sensor or an accelerometer to detect pose information.

7. The operation control method for a lawnmower robot according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The long-range obstacle detection element includes ultrasonic, infrared, capacitive, and visual sensors.

8. The operation control method for a lawnmower robot according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The contact obstacle detection element is a detection element used to detect the trigger signal after the machine casing comes into physical contact with an obstacle.