A mobile robot control method, electronic device, and storage medium

Abstract

The application discloses a mobile robot control method, an electronic device and a storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: dividing a first moving path of a current mobile robot into at least one segment path; detecting that a terminal point of a target segment path is located in a control area, the control area where the terminal point is located is a target control area, and the target segment path is a segment path where the current mobile robot is currently located or will be located in the future; judging whether a conflict exists between the current mobile robot and other mobile robots in the target control area at an entrance and exit of the target control area; and in response to the conflict, determining that the current mobile robot and the other mobile robots sequentially pass through the target control area. The above scheme can improve the passing efficiency.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of mobile robots, in particular to a mobile robot control method, an electronic device and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the process of autonomous driving of the existing mobile robots, path planning needs to be performed according to map information. When the number of mobile robots increases in the same map, the paths planned by the traditional path planning method are prone to congestion, deadlock and other problems, which reduces the traffic efficiency of the mobile robots and further reduces the work efficiency. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a traffic control method to solve the congestion or deadlock phenomenon between mobile robots on the market. SUMMARY

[0003] The present application at least provides a mobile robot control method, an electronic device and a storage medium, which can avoid congestion or deadlock phenomenon to improve traffic efficiency.

[0004] The first aspect of the present application provides a mobile robot control method, which comprises: dividing a first moving path of a current mobile robot into at least one segment path; detecting that a terminal point of a target segment path is located in a control area, the control area where the terminal point is located is a target control area, and the target segment path is a segment path where the current mobile robot is currently or will be located; determining whether there is a conflict between the current mobile robot and other mobile robots in the target control area at the entrance and exit of the target control area; and in response to the conflict, determining that the current mobile robot and the other mobile robots pass through the target control area in sequence.

[0005] The determination of whether there is a conflict between the current mobile robot and the other mobile robots in the target control area at the entrance and exit of the target control area comprises: obtaining a first entrance of the target segment path of the current mobile robot into the target control area, and obtaining a second entrance of the other mobile robot out of the target control area; and in response to the second entrance of the other mobile robot not being obtained or the first entrance being equal to the second entrance, determining that there is a conflict between the current mobile robot and the other mobile robot at the entrance and exit of the target control area.

[0006] In response to the conflict, the determination that the current mobile robot and the other mobile robots pass through the target control area in sequence comprises: in response to the conflict, determining that the current mobile robot waits for the other mobile robot to leave the target control area before entering the target control area; and / or, after determining whether there is a conflict between the current mobile robot and the other mobile robots in the target control area at the entrance and exit of the target control area, the method further comprises: in response to the absence of the conflict, allowing the current mobile robot to enter the target control area.

[0007] The path segments of the current mobile robot are sequentially issued to the current mobile robot, and the target path segment is a next path segment of a current path segment where the current mobile robot is currently located; determining that the current mobile robot waits for other mobile robots to leave the target control area before entering the target control area includes: pausing the issuance of the target path segment until the other mobile robots leave the target control area, and then issuing the target path segment to the current mobile robot; and allowing the current mobile robot to enter the target control area includes: directly issuing a next path segment to the current mobile robot.

[0008] The second exit of the target control area through which the other mobile robot leaves the target control area is determined based on the second movement path of the other mobile robot or reference information, and the reference information includes at least one of the following: the number of exits of the target control area, a task to be performed after the second movement path is completed, and a rest area after the second movement path is completed, and the rest area is located outside the target control area.

[0009] The second exit of the target control area through which the other mobile robot leaves the target control area is determined based on the second movement path of the other mobile robot or reference information, and the reference information includes at least one of the following: the number of exits of the target control area, a task to be performed after the second movement path is completed, and a rest area after the second movement path is completed, and the rest area is located outside the target control area.

[0010] The second exit of the target control area through which the other mobile robot leaves the target control area is determined based on the second movement path of the other mobile robot or reference information, and the reference information includes at least one of the following: the number of exits of the target control area, a task to be performed after the second movement path is completed, and a rest area after the second movement path is completed, and the rest area is located outside the target control area.

[0011] The method further includes: obtaining a topological map corresponding to a scene where the current mobile robot is located, wherein the topological map includes a plurality of nodes and a connection relationship between the nodes; extracting map node features from the topological map, the map node features including the connection relationship between the nodes; and determining at least one type of control area in an environment where the current mobile robot is located based on the map node features.

[0012] The map node features further include distances between the nodes, and / or the at least one type of control area includes at least one of the following: a main road, a single channel, a small room, a semi-closed alley, and a fishbone area, and the semi-closed alley has only one exit.

[0013] The method comprises the following steps: determining at least one type of control area in an environment where the current mobile robot is located based on a map node feature, including the following at least one step: finding a first node with only one connection relationship from a plurality of nodes, and searching a second node with more than three connection relationships from the plurality of nodes as a starting point from the first node along the connection relationship of the first node, dividing the nodes between the first node and the second node into semi-closed alleys, and taking the second node as the only entrance of the semi-closed alley; finding at least two only entrances that meet the fishbone area condition from the only entrances of the plurality of semi-closed alleys, dividing the semi-closed alleys to which the at least two only entrances belong and the nodes between the target entrance pairs into fishbone areas, and searching a node with more than three connection relationships from the remaining nodes as an entrance of the fishbone area as a starting point from each only entrance along the connection relationship of the only entrance, the at least two only entrances can form at least one target entrance pair, the target entrance pair is connected through at least one node, and the connection relationship of the at least one node is two, and the remaining nodes are nodes other than the at least two only entrances and the nodes between the target entrance pairs; finding a third node with only two connection relationships from the plurality of nodes, and searching a fourth node and a fifth node with more than three connection relationships from the plurality of nodes as a starting point from the third node along the two connection relationships of the third node, respectively; in response to the fact that the connection between the fourth node and the fifth node must pass through the third node, dividing the nodes between the third node and the fourth node and the third node and the fifth node into main roads, and taking the fourth node and the fifth node as entrances of the main roads; finding a third node with only two connection relationships from the plurality of nodes, and searching a fourth node and a fifth node with more than three connection relationships from the plurality of nodes as a starting point from the third node along the two connection relationships of the third node, respectively; in response to the fact that the connection between the fourth node and the fifth node does not necessarily pass through the third node, and the number of nodes between the third node and the fourth node and the third node and the fifth node exceeds a preset threshold, dividing the nodes between the third node and the fourth node and the third node and the fifth node into single channels, and taking the fourth node and the fifth node as entrances of the single channels; obtaining other nodes connected with a sixth node in the main road, and in response to the fact that the distance between the sixth node and each other node is within a preset distance range, dividing the main road where the sixth node is located and the other nodes connected with the sixth node into a small room.

[0014] The second aspect of the application provides an electronic device, comprising a memory and a processor coupled to each other, and the processor is configured to execute program instructions stored in the memory to implement the mobile robot control method in the first aspect.

[0015] The third aspect of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores program instructions, and the program instructions are executed by a processor to implement the mobile robot control method in the first aspect.

[0016] The above scheme, by dividing the first moving path of the current mobile robot, at least one segment path is obtained, and the obtained segment path can be the segment path where the current mobile robot is currently or in the future, then the end point of the obtained segment path is detected, when the end point of the obtained segment path is detected in the target control area, it is necessary to determine whether the current mobile robot and other mobile robots in the target control area exist conflict at the entrance and exit of the target control area, to determine whether the target control area exists congestion or deadlock phenomenon, if there is conflict, the current mobile robot and other mobile robots are controlled to pass through the target control area in sequence, to relieve congestion or deadlock phenomenon, so as to improve the passing efficiency of the mobile robot.

[0017] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, but not limiting the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] The accompanying drawings incorporated in the specification and forming a part of it, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0019] Figure 1 is a flowchart of an embodiment of the mobile robot control method of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of the control area division method of the present application;

[0021] Figure 3 is a topological diagram of an embodiment of the semi-closed alley area of the present application;

[0022] Figure 4 is a topological diagram of an embodiment of the fishbone area of the present application;

[0023] Figure 5 is a topological diagram of an embodiment of the main road area of the present application;

[0024] Figure 6 is a topological diagram of an embodiment of the single-channel area of the present application;

[0025] Figure 7 is a topological diagram of an embodiment of the small room area of the present application;

[0026] Figure 8 is a flowchart of another embodiment of the mobile robot control method of the present application;

[0027] Figure 9 is a frame diagram of an embodiment of the mobile robot control device of the present application;

[0028] Figure 10 is a frame diagram of an embodiment of the electronic device of the present application;

[0029] Figure 11 is a frame diagram of an embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The scheme of the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] In the following description, for the purpose of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth, such as particular system architectures, interfaces, techniques, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application.

[0032] The term "and / or" in this document merely describes an association relationship of associated objects, and means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally represents that the front and rear associated objects are in an "or" relationship. In addition, "multiple" in this document means two or more than two. In addition, the term "at least one" in this document means any one of multiple or any combination of at least two of multiple, for example, including at least one of A, B and C can mean including any one or more elements selected from the set consisting of A, B and C.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the mobile robot control method of the present application. Specifically, it can include the following steps:

[0034] Step S110: dividing the first movement path of the current mobile robot into at least one segment path.

[0035] The application is mainly applied to the field of mobile robots. In the process of moving according to the target segment path divided by the first moving path of the current mobile robot, it is first determined whether the end point of the target segment path is in the control area to determine whether there is a possibility of congestion or deadlock. If it is in the control area, it is further determined whether there are other mobile robots in the control area and whether the entrance of the current mobile robot into the control area conflicts with the exit of the other mobile robots in the control area. If there is a conflict, the current mobile robot and the other mobile robots are controlled to leave the control area in sequence to solve the congestion or deadlock phenomenon of the mobile robots in the process of moving according to the planned path. The control area is an area where congestion or deadlock is likely to occur in the process of moving the mobile robot, so special attention should be paid to this area.

[0036] In some embodiments, the scheduling system can be used to plan a path according to the task to be performed by the current mobile robot to obtain the first moving path, and the first moving path is segmented according to certain rules to obtain a plurality of segment paths. The certain rules can be to divide the first moving path evenly, for example, to divide the first moving path into 5 segments, 6 segments, etc. In addition, the edge nodes of the control area can also be used as segmentation nodes to divide the first moving path. It can be understood that the segmentation rules of the first moving path are not specifically limited here.

[0037] In addition, in order to further improve the passing efficiency of the current mobile robot, the scheduling system can simulate the running situation of the current mobile robot according to the segmented segment path in the corresponding topological map, and if the current mobile robot and other mobile robots have conflicts in the control area, the scheduling scheme can be adjusted in time.

[0038] In other embodiments, the first moving path of the current mobile robot can be a pre-set moving path, and when the current mobile robot meets the corresponding trigger condition, the first moving path is directly issued to the current mobile robot. For example, when the current mobile robot needs to clean a specified environment, the first moving path can be pre-set to clean the environment.

[0039] In some embodiments, before the current mobile robot moves according to the planned segment path, the map where the planned path is located needs to be segmented to determine which control areas in the map, so as to further determine whether the planned path of the current mobile robot will pass through these control areas.

[0040] Specifically, please refer to Figure 2 , the control areas in the map are determined according to steps S210 to S230.

[0041] Step S210: Obtain a topological map corresponding to a scene where the current mobile robot is located, wherein the topological map comprises a plurality of nodes and a connectivity relationship between the nodes.

[0042] The connectivity relationship can be understood as a connection line between the nodes in the topological map. If adjacent nodes can be connected by a connection line, it indicates that the adjacent nodes are connected.

[0043] In some embodiments, the scene where the current mobile robot is located can be scanned by a mapping robot to draw a corresponding topological map. Alternatively, the corresponding topological map can be obtained from local storage. Therefore, the way of obtaining the topological map is not specifically limited herein.

[0044] Step S220: Extract map node features from the topological map, wherein the map node features comprise a connectivity relationship between the nodes.

[0045] In some embodiments, after obtaining the topological map, feature extraction is performed on the topological map to obtain the map node features. It can be understood that the method of feature extraction on the topological map can be a deep learning method, a principal component analysis method, etc., which is not specifically limited herein.

[0046] In addition, the map node features also include the distance between the nodes, coordinate information, etc., which are not specifically limited herein.

[0047] Step S230: Determine at least one type of control area in the environment where the current mobile robot is located based on the map node features.

[0048] In some embodiments, the topological map can be divided according to the map node features to obtain at least one type of control area. The at least one type of control area comprises at least one of the following: a main road, a single channel, a small room, a semi-closed alley, a fishbone area, and a semi-closed alley having only one entrance. Through the above steps S210 to S230, the control area in the topological map is determined, which realizes effective cutting and management of the entire topological map, and divides the complex terrain area in the topological map, thereby providing technical support for the travel path and subsequent tasks of the mobile robot, and indirectly improving the travel efficiency of the mobile robot.

[0049] In some embodiments, the regulated area can be classified according to the connectivity between nodes. Specifically, a first node with only one connectivity can be found by traversing the nodes of the topological map, and a second node with more than three connectivities can be found by searching from the first node along the connectivity of the first node. The nodes between the first node and the second node are classified as a semi-closed alley, and the second node is the only entrance and exit of the semi-closed alley. The first node and the second node are also part of the semi-closed alley region. For example, see Figure 3 The first node A is found to have only one connection line, and the search is stopped when node B is found to have four connection lines. Node B is the second node, and all the searched nodes between the first node A and the second node B are classified as a semi-closed alley. The second node B is recorded as the only entrance and exit of the semi-closed alley.

[0050] Further, at least two unique entrances that meet the fishbone area condition can be found from the unique entrances of multiple semi-closed alleys. The semi-closed alleys belonging to the at least two unique entrances and the nodes between the target entrance pairs are classified as fishbone areas. The first node with more than three connectivities is searched from the remaining nodes along the connectivity of the unique entrance, and the node is used as the entrance of the fishbone area. The at least two unique entrances can form at least one target entrance pair, the target entrance pair is connected through at least one node, and the connectivity of the at least one node is two. The remaining nodes are the nodes other than the at least two unique entrances and the nodes between the target entrance pairs. For example, see Figure 4 From the unique entrances B1, B2, B3, and B4 of multiple semi-closed alleys, one connection line of entrance B1 can be selected for searching. The first node C1 with more than two connection lines can be found, and node C1 is used as an entrance of a fishbone area. Another connection line of entrance B1 is searched, and node B2 is found. Node B2 has been marked as the unique entrance of another semi-closed alley, so node B2 cannot be used as an entrance of a fishbone area. Another connection line of B1 is searched, and node D1 is found. Node D1 has only two connection lines, so the search continues. Similarly, node B2 can be searched along its connection point, and nodes C2, C3, and C4 can be found. Nodes C1 and C2 can be used as a target entrance pair, nodes C1 and C3 can also be used as a target entrance pair, and so on. Therefore, the semi-closed alley regions of entrances B1, B2, B3, and B4 and nodes D1, D2, C1, C2, C3, and C4 are classified as fishbone areas.

[0051] In another embodiment, a third node having only two connection relationships is found from the plurality of nodes, and a first fourth node and a first fifth node each having more than three connection relationships are searched from the plurality of nodes along the two connection relationships of the third node respectively. In response to the connection between the fourth node and the fifth node necessarily passing through the third node, the nodes between the third node and the fourth node and the nodes between the third node and the fifth node are divided into the trunk, and the fourth node and the fifth node are the entrances and exits of the trunk. For example, refer to Figure 5 , the third node A is found to have only two connection lines, and the fourth node B and the fifth node C each having three connection lines are searched along the two connection lines of the third node A respectively, and the connection between the fourth node B and the fifth node C necessarily passes through the third node A, then the fourth node B, the fifth node C and the nodes between the fourth node B and the fifth node C are divided into the trunk area.

[0052] In addition, a third node having only two connection relationships is found from the plurality of nodes, and a first fourth node and a first fifth node each having more than three connection relationships are searched from the plurality of nodes along the two connection relationships of the third node respectively. In response to the connection between the fourth node and the fifth node not necessarily passing through the third node, and the number of nodes between the third node and the fourth node and the number of nodes between the third node and the fifth node each exceeding a preset threshold, the nodes between the third node and the fourth node and the nodes between the third node and the fifth node are divided into the single channel, and the fourth node and the fifth node are the entrances and exits of the single channel. For example, refer to Figure 6 , the third node A is found to have only two connection lines, and the fourth node B and the fifth node C each having three connection lines are searched along the two connection lines of the third node A respectively, and the connection between the fourth node B and the fifth node C not necessarily passing through the third node A but passing through the node D, then the fourth node B, the fifth node C and the nodes between the fourth node B and the fifth node C are divided into the single channel area.

[0053] In another embodiment, the control area can also be divided according to the distance between the nodes. Specifically, on the basis of the trunk, other nodes connected with a sixth node in the trunk are obtained, and in response to the distance between the sixth node and each of the other nodes being within a preset distance range, the trunk where the sixth node is located and the other nodes connected with the sixth node are divided into a small room. For example, refer to Figure 7The sixth node C in the trunk road is connected to other nodes D1, D2, D3, and D4, and the distance L1 between the sixth node C and the node D1, the distance L2 between the sixth node C and the node D2, the distance L3 between the sixth node C and the node D3, and the distance L4 between the sixth node C and the node D4 are calculated. The distances L1, L2, L3, and L4 are all within the preset distance range, so the trunk road where the sixth node is located and the nodes D1, D2, D3, and D4 are divided into a small room.

[0054] It can be understood that, in addition to the connection relationship between the nodes in the topological map and the distance, other conditions can be used for division when dividing the control area, which is not limited here. Similarly, in addition to the above-mentioned trunk road, single channel, small room, semi-closed alley, fishbone area and other areas, the control area can also include other special areas, which are not limited here.

[0055] In addition, different colors can be used to mark the control area to represent the congestion degree of the control area. For example, red represents serious congestion, if the target segment path of the current mobile robot passes through the red area, the route is re-planned or detoured; yellow represents general congestion, if the target segment path of the current mobile robot passes through the yellow area, it can wait outside the yellow area or in the rest area; green represents no congestion, if the target segment path of the current mobile robot passes through the green area, it can pass directly.

[0056] Step S120: detecting that the end point of the target segment path is located in the control area, the control area where the end point is located is the target control area, and the target segment path is the segment path where the current mobile robot is currently located or will be located in the future.

[0057] In some embodiments, it is detected whether the end point of the target segment path is located in the control area, if yes, the entrance of the control area where the current mobile robot enters is recorded; if not, the target segment path is issued. The target segment path can be the segment path where the current mobile robot is currently located, for example, the current mobile robot stays at the end point of the previous segment path to wait for the issuance of the current segment path, or the current mobile robot just enters the current segment path, and starts to detect whether the end point of the current segment path is in the control area; the target segment path can be the segment path where the current mobile robot will be located in the future, for example, when the current mobile robot is transporting according to the current segment path, the scheduling system has started to detect the next segment path, and when the current mobile robot completes the current segment path, it can directly enter the next segment path without waiting. It can be understood that the segment path in the future can be the next segment path, or several segment paths in the future, which are not limited here.

[0058] Step S130: judging whether there is a conflict between the current mobile robot and other mobile robots in the target regulated area at the entrance of the target regulated area.

[0059] wherein the other mobile robots are mobile robots located in the target regulated area at a target time, the target time is a time before the judgment of whether there is a conflict or a time when the current mobile robot moves to the entrance of the target regulated area or a preset distance point, and the preset distance point is a node away from the regulated area.

[0060] In some embodiments, when the current mobile robot is transporting according to the current segment path, the dispatching system detects whether the end point of the next segment path of the current mobile robot is in the regulated area, and if so, further judges whether there is another mobile robot in the regulated area.

[0061] In other embodiments, when the current mobile robot enters the current segment path, the detection of whether the end point of the current segment path is in the regulated area is started, and if so, the detection of whether there is another mobile robot in the regulated area is performed in real time during the transportation of the current mobile robot on the current segment path, and if there is another mobile robot in the regulated area when the current mobile robot moves to the entrance of the regulated area, the current mobile robot waits.

[0062] To further determine whether there is a conflict between the current mobile robot and other mobile robots in the target regulated area at the entrance of the target regulated area, steps S131 to S132 can be referred to.

[0063] Step S131: obtaining a first entrance of the target segment path of the current mobile robot into the target regulated area, and obtaining a second entrance of the other mobile robot out of the target regulated area.

[0064] In some embodiments, the first entrance of the target regulated area of the current mobile robot can be directly obtained according to the route of the target segment path through the target regulated area. The second entrance of the other mobile robot out of the target regulated area can be determined based on the second movement path of the other mobile robot or reference information, the reference information including at least one of the number of entrances of the target regulated area, the executed task after the second movement path, and the rest area after the second movement path, the rest area being located outside the target regulated area.

[0065] Specifically, to determine the second exit of the target control area for the other mobile robot, it can be determined whether the segment path currently located by the other mobile robot is the last segment path. In response to the first segment path not being the last segment path of the second mobile path, the second exit is determined according to the second segment path in the second mobile path, the first segment path being the segment path of the other mobile robot in the target control area, and the second segment path being the next segment path of the first segment path. In response to the first segment path being the last segment path of the second mobile path, the second exit is determined based on the reference information.

[0066] If the first segment path is the last segment path of the second mobile path, the second exit of the target control area for the other mobile robot can be determined according to the number of exits of the target control area. When the number of exits of the target control area is one, the only exit of the target control area is determined as the second exit, and the number of exits of the target control area is related to the type of the target control area. When the number of exits of the target control area is multiple, the shortest path to the planning target point is determined, and the second exit is determined based on the shortest path, and the planning target point is a rest area or an execution site for executing a task.

[0067] Specifically, when the target control area has multiple exits, the exit of the target control area can be determined according to the execution task after the second mobile path is completed. If the execution task after the second mobile path is not received, a suitable rest area can be selected from the topological map and entered into the rest area to wait; if a suitable rest area is still not selected, the exit of the target control area can be randomly selected according to the actual situation.

[0068] In a specific embodiment, when the target control area has only one exit, the entrance of the target control area is equal to the exit of the control area, and at this time, the target control area can be a semi-closed alley or a small room; when the target control area has multiple exits, the exit of the target control area can be predicted according to historical passing data through the target control area, and at this time, the target control area can be a main road, a single channel, or a fishbone area.

[0069] In another specific embodiment, the exit of the target control area for the other mobile robot can be known according to the path planned by the execution task after the second mobile path.

[0070] In another specific embodiment, when the exit of the target control area for the other mobile robot cannot be known, a rest area around the target control area is obtained, and a shortest path to the rest area is planned. The rest area can be inside or outside the target control area.

[0071] Step S132: in response to not acquiring the second entrance of the other mobile robot, or the first entrance being equal to the second entrance, determining that the current mobile robot and the other mobile robot exist conflict at the entrance of the target regulated area, and the current mobile robot needs to wait outside the target regulated area.

[0072] In some embodiments, if the second entrance of the other mobile robot leaving the target regulated area is not acquired, it is considered that the current mobile robot and the other mobile robot exist conflict at the entrance of the target regulated area, and the current mobile robot needs to wait outside the target regulated area until the other mobile robot leaves the target regulated area.

[0073] In some other embodiments, if the first entrance of the current mobile robot entering the target regulated area is equal to the second entrance of the other mobile robot leaving the target regulated area, it is considered that the current mobile robot and the other mobile robot exist conflict at the entrance of the target regulated area, and the current mobile robot needs to wait outside the target regulated area until the other mobile robot leaves the target regulated area.

[0074] Step S140: in response to the conflict, determining that the current mobile robot and the other mobile robot pass through the target regulated area in sequence.

[0075] In some embodiments, if there is conflict, it is determined that the current mobile robot waits for the other mobile robot to leave the target regulated area before entering the target regulated area; if there is no conflict, the current mobile robot is allowed to enter the target regulated area.

[0076] Further, each segment path of the current mobile robot is sequentially issued to the current mobile robot, and the target segment path is the next segment path of the segment path where the current mobile robot is currently located. When there is conflict, the issuance of the target segment path is suspended until the other mobile robot leaves the target regulated area, and then the target segment path is issued to the current mobile robot. When there is no conflict, the next segment path is directly issued to the current mobile robot.

[0077] In a specific application scenario, the mobile robot can be an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) trolley. The following will be described in combination with Figure 8 The control method of the AGV is exemplarily described.

[0078] First, a topological map corresponding to the scene where the AGV trolley is located is acquired, and all nodes and their connectivity in the topological map are input to a scheduling system. The scheduling system extracts features from the topological map to obtain map node features. Then, the map node features are divided to obtain different regulated areas, such as semi-closed alley areas, main road areas, single-channel areas, small room areas, and fishbone areas.

[0079] After that, the starting point and the end point information of the current AGV trolley's execution task are input into the scheduling system, the scheduling system plans the first moving path of the current AGV trolley in the topological map according to the starting point and the end point information, and divides the first moving path into five segment paths. Before issuing the segment path, the segment path to be issued is taken as the target segment path, and the target segment path is judged to determine whether the end point of the target segment path is in the control area. If not, the control area related judgment ends, returns to safety, and the target segment path is issued. If so, the first entrance of the current AGV trolley into the control area and the entrance of the control area are recorded, and the control area is taken as the target control area.

[0080] At the same time, it is also judged whether there are other AGV trolleys in the target control area. If there are no other AGV trolleys, the control area related judgment ends, returns to safety, and the target segment path is issued. If there are other AGV trolleys, the second entrance of the other AGV trolley out of the target control area is obtained, and it is determined whether the current AGV trolley meets the judgment condition for entering the target control area. The way to obtain the second entrance of the other AGV trolley out of the target control area is as follows: when the first segment path is not the last segment path of the second moving path of the other AGV trolley, the second entrance is determined according to the second segment path in the second moving path. The first segment path is the segment path of the other AGV trolley in the target control area, and the second segment path is the next segment path of the first segment path. If the first segment path is the last segment path of the second moving path, the second entrance is obtained by predicting the subsequent task. If it cannot be predicted, the second entrance is empty at this time.

[0081] After obtaining the second entrance of the other AGV trolley out of the target control area, it is determined whether the current AGV trolley can enter the target control area. The specific judgment condition is as follows:

[0082] If the first entrance of the current AGV trolley into the target control area is equal to the second entrance of the other AGV trolley out of the target control area, the control area related judgment ends, returns to danger, and the target segment path is not issued temporarily;

[0083] If the first entrance of the current AGV trolley into the target control area is not equal to the second entrance of the other AGV trolley out of the target control area, and the second entrance of the other AGV trolley out of the target control area is not empty, the control area related judgment ends, returns to safety, and the target segment path is issued;

[0084] If the first entrance of the current AGV trolley into the target control area is not equal to the second entrance of the other AGV trolley out of the target control area, and the second entrance of the other AGV trolley out of the target control area is empty, the control area related judgment ends, returns to danger, and the target segment path is not issued temporarily.

[0085] On the basis of the segment path issued, the application prolongs the action area of the segment path through the identification of specific map features, effectively preventing deadlocks. The processing logic related to the control area is clear, simple and effective, and does not require a large number of cumbersome logical judgments for subsequent paths, simplifying the calculation and improving the scheduling efficiency. The processing logic for the control area, through the management of the entry and exit points of the equipment into and out of the control area, in combination with the current path and the prediction of subsequent tasks, ensures that the equipment in the control area can pass through the control area preferentially and is not blocked.

[0086] Those skilled in the art can understand that in the above method of the specific embodiment, the writing order of each step does not mean a strict execution order and does not constitute any limitation on the implementation process. The specific execution order of each step should be determined by its function and possible internal logic.

[0087] Please refer to Figure 9 , Figure 9 is a frame diagram of an embodiment of the mobile robot control device 90 of the application. The mobile robot control device 90 includes a division module 91, a detection module 92, a judgment module 93 and a control module 94. The division module 91 performs the division of the first moving path of the current mobile robot into at least one segment path. The detection module 92 performs the detection that the terminal point of the target segment path is located in the control area, the control area where the terminal point is located is the target control area, and the target segment path is the segment path where the current mobile robot is currently or in the future. The judgment module 93 performs the judgment of whether there is a conflict between the current mobile robot and other mobile robots in the target control area at the entrance and exit of the target control area. The control module 94 performs the determination of the current mobile robot and other mobile robots passing through the target control area in sequence in response to the existence of the conflict.

[0088] In some embodiments, the judgment module 93 performs the judgment of whether there is a conflict between the current mobile robot and other mobile robots in the target control area at the entrance and exit of the target control area, including: obtaining the first entrance of the target segment path of the current mobile robot into the target control area, and obtaining the second entrance of other mobile robots leaving the target control area; in response to not obtaining the second entrance of other mobile robots, or the first entrance being equal to the second entrance, determining that there is a conflict between the current mobile robot and other mobile robots at the entrance and exit of the target control area.

[0089] In some embodiments, the control module 94 performs, in response to the existence of the conflict, determining that the current mobile robot and the other mobile robot sequentially pass through the target regulated area, including: in response to the existence of the conflict, determining that the current mobile robot waits for the other mobile robot to leave the target regulated area before entering the target regulated area; and / or, after determining whether the current mobile robot and the other mobile robot in the target regulated area conflict at the entrance and exit of the target regulated area, the method further includes: in response to the non-existence of the conflict, allowing the current mobile robot to enter the target regulated area.

[0090] In some embodiments, the control module 94 performs that each segment path of the current mobile robot is sequentially issued to the current mobile robot, and the target segment path is a next segment path of the segment path where the current mobile robot is currently located; determining that the current mobile robot waits for the other mobile robot to leave the target regulated area before entering the target regulated area includes: pausing the issuance of the target segment path until the other mobile robot leaves the target regulated area, and then issuing the target segment path to the current mobile robot; and allowing the current mobile robot to enter the target regulated area includes: directly issuing a next segment path to the current mobile robot.

[0091] In some embodiments, the determination module 93 performs obtaining the second exit of the target regulated area through which the other mobile robot leaves, including: determining the second exit of the target regulated area through which the other mobile robot leaves based on the second movement path of the other mobile robot or reference information, the reference information including at least one of the number of exits of the target regulated area, a task to be performed after completing the second movement path, and a rest area after completing the second movement path, the rest area being located outside the target regulated area.

[0092] In some embodiments, the determination module 93 performs determining the second exit of the target regulated area through which the other mobile robot leaves based on the second movement path of the other mobile robot or reference information, including at least one of the following steps: in response to the first segment path not being the last segment path of the second movement path, determining the second exit according to a second segment path in the second movement path, the first segment path being a segment path where the other mobile robot is located in the target regulated area, and the second segment path being a next segment path of the first segment path; and in response to the first segment path being the last segment path of the second movement path, determining the second exit based on the reference information.

[0093] In some embodiments, the determination module 93 performs determining the second exit based on the reference information, including: in response to the number of exits of the target regulated area being one, determining that the only exit of the target regulated area is the second exit, wherein the number of exits of the target regulated area is related to the type of the target regulated area; and in response to the number of exits of the target regulated area being multiple, determining a shortest path to a planning target point, and determining the second exit based on the shortest path, the planning target point being a rest area or an execution location where a task is executed.

[0094] In some embodiments, the method performed by the partition module 91 further includes: obtaining a topological map corresponding to a scene where the current mobile robot is located, wherein the topological map includes a plurality of nodes and a connectivity relationship between the nodes; extracting map node features from the topological map, the map node features including the connectivity relationship between the nodes; and determining at least one type of regulated area in an environment where the current mobile robot is located based on the map node features.

[0095] In some embodiments, the map node features further include a distance between the nodes; and / or the at least one type of regulated area includes at least one of the following: a main road, a single channel, a small room, a semi-closed alley, a fishbone area, and a semi-closed alley having only one entrance.

[0096] In some embodiments, the dividing module 91 performs determining at least one type of regulated area in an environment where the current mobile robot is located based on the map node features, including at least one of the following steps: finding a first node having only one connectivity relationship from the nodes, and searching a second node having more than three connectivity relationships from the nodes along the connectivity relationship of the first node as a starting point from the first node; dividing the nodes between the first node and the second node into semi-closed alleys, and the second node as the only entrance and exit of the semi-closed alleys; finding at least two only entrances and exits that meet the fishbone area condition from the only entrances and exits of the multiple semi-closed alleys, dividing the semi-closed alleys to which the at least two only entrances and exits belong and the nodes between the target entrance and exit pairs into fishbone areas, and searching a node having more than three connectivity relationships from the remaining nodes as an entrance and exit of the fishbone area along the connectivity relationship of the only entrance and exit as a starting point from each only entrance and exit, the at least two only entrances and exits can form at least one target entrance and exit pair, the target entrance and exit pair is connected through at least one node, and the connectivity relationship of the at least one node is two, and the remaining nodes are nodes other than the at least two only entrances and exits and the nodes between the target entrance and exit pairs; finding a third node having only two connectivity relationships from the nodes, and searching a fourth node and a fifth node having more than three connectivity relationships from the nodes along the two connectivity relationships of the third node as a starting point from the third node; in response to the connectivity between the fourth node and the fifth node necessarily passing through the third node, dividing the nodes between the third node and the fourth node and the third node and the fifth node into main roads, and the fourth node and the fifth node as the entrances and exits of the main roads; finding a third node having only two connectivity relationships from the nodes, and searching a fourth node and a fifth node having more than three connectivity relationships from the nodes along the two connectivity relationships of the third node as a starting point from the third node; in response to the connectivity between the fourth node and the fifth node not necessarily passing through the third node, and the number of nodes between the third node and the fourth node and the third node and the fifth node exceeding a preset threshold, dividing the nodes between the third node and the fourth node and the third node and the fifth node into single channels, and the fourth node and the fifth node as the entrances and exits of the single channels; obtaining other nodes connected to a sixth node in the main road, and in response to the distance between the sixth node and each other node being within a preset distance range, dividing the main road where the sixth node is located and the other nodes connected to the sixth node into a small room.

[0097] See Figure 10 , Figure 10is a frame diagram of an embodiment of the electronic device 100 of the present application. The electronic device 100 comprises a memory 101 and a processor 102 coupled with each other. The processor 102 is configured to execute program instructions stored in the memory 101 to implement the steps in any of the above mobile robot control method embodiments. In a specific implementation scenario, the electronic device 100 can include, but is not limited to, a microcomputer, a server, and in addition, the electronic device 100 can also include a notebook computer, a tablet computer and other mobile devices, which are not limited herein.

[0098] Specifically, the processor 102 is configured to control itself and the memory 101 to implement the steps in any of the above mobile robot control method embodiments. The processor 102 can also be referred to as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 102 can be an integrated circuit chip with processing capability. The processor 102 can also be a general purpose processor, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. The general purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor. In addition, the processor 102 can be implemented by an integrated circuit chip.

[0099] It can be understood that the electronic device can be any device capable of communicating with the above mobile robot, but in some applications, the electronic device can also be the mobile robot directly.

[0100] Please refer to Figure 11 , Figure 11 is a frame diagram of an embodiment of the computer readable storage medium 110 of the present application. The computer readable storage medium 110 stores program instructions 1101 capable of being executed by a processor, and the program instructions 1101 are configured to implement the steps in any of the above mobile robot control method embodiments.

[0101] In some embodiments, the apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure has functions or includes modules that can be used to execute the methods described in the above method embodiments, and the specific implementation can refer to the description of the above method embodiments. For brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0102] The above description of each embodiment tends to emphasize the differences between each embodiment, and the same or similar parts can be mutually referred to. For brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0103] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed methods and apparatuses can be implemented in other manners. For example, the division of the apparatus embodiments described above is merely a logical function division, and there can be another division manner in actual implementation. For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0104] In addition, each function unit in the various embodiments of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist alone physically, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or software function unit.

[0105] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such an understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or a part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor to perform all or part of the steps of the methods in the various embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), magnetic disk or optical disk, and various other media that can store program codes.

Claims

1. A mobile robot control method, characterized in that: include: Dividing the first moving path of the current mobile robot into at least one segment path; It is detected that the end point of the target segment path is located in the control area, the control area where the end point is located is the target control area, and the target segment path is the segment path where the current mobile robot is currently or will be located; and determining whether there is a conflict between the current mobile robot and other mobile robots in the target control area at an entrance and exit of the target control area, wherein the determining whether there is a conflict between the current mobile robot and other mobile robots in the target control area at the entrance and exit of the target control area comprises: obtaining a first entrance and exit for the target segment path of the current mobile robot to enter the target control area, and obtaining a second entrance and exit for the other mobile robots to leave the target control area; in response to not obtaining the second entrance and exit of the other mobile robot, or the first entrance and exit being equal to the second entrance and exit, determining that there is a conflict between the current mobile robot and the other mobile robots at the entrance and exit of the target control area; In response to the presence of a conflict, it is determined that the current mobile robot and the other mobile robots pass through the target control zone in sequence.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that In response to the existence of a conflict, determining that the current mobile robot and the other mobile robots pass through the target control area in sequence includes: In response to a conflict, determining that the current mobile robot waits for the other mobile robots to leave the target control area before entering the target control area; And / or, after determining whether the current mobile robot conflicts with other mobile robots in the target control area at an entrance or exit of the target control area, the method further includes: In response to no conflict existing, the current mobile robot is allowed to enter the target controlled area.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Each segment path of the current mobile robot is sequentially sent to the current mobile robot, and the target segment path is the next segment path of the segment path currently located by the current mobile robot; The determining that the current mobile robot waits for the other mobile robots to leave the target control area before entering the target control area includes: Suspending the sending of the target segment path until the other mobile robots leave the target control area, and then sending the target segment path to the current mobile robot; The allowing the current mobile robot to enter the target control area includes: The next path is directly sent to the current mobile robot.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The obtaining of a second entrance and exit for the other mobile robot to leave the target control area includes: Based on the second moving path or reference information of the other mobile robot, determine the second entrance and exit for the other mobile robot to leave the target control area, and the reference information includes at least one of the following: the number of entrances and exits of the target control area, the execution task after completing the second moving path, and the rest area after completing the second moving path, and the rest area is located outside the target control area.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The step of determining, based on the second moving path or reference information of the other mobile robot, a second entrance or exit for the other mobile robot to exit the target control area comprises at least one of the following steps: In response to the first path segment not being the last path segment of the second movement path, determining the second entrance and exit based on a second path segment in the second movement path, where the first path segment is the path segment on which the other mobile robot is located when in the target control area, and the second path segment is the next path segment after the first path segment; In response to the first segment being the last segment of the second moving path, the second entrance and exit is determined based on the reference information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The determining the second entrance and exit based on the reference information includes: In response to the target control zone having one entrance and exit, determining that the only entrance and exit of the target control zone is the second entrance and exit, wherein the number of entrances and exits of the target control zone is related to the type of the target control zone; In response to the target control area having multiple entrances and exits, the shortest path to the planned target point is determined, and the second entrance and exit is determined based on the shortest path. The planned target point is the rest area or the execution location of the task.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtaining a topological map corresponding to the scene where the current mobile robot is located, wherein the topological map includes a plurality of nodes and connectivity relationships between the nodes; Extracting map node features from the topological map, wherein the map node features include connectivity relationships between nodes; At least one type of control area in the environment where the current mobile robot is located is determined based on the map node characteristics.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The map node feature further includes the distance between nodes; and / or, The at least one type of control area includes at least one of the following: a main road, a single channel, a small room, a semi-enclosed alley, and a fishbone area, wherein the semi-enclosed alley has only one entrance and exit.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The determining, based on the map node features, at least one type of control area in the environment where the current mobile robot is located comprises at least one of the following steps: Finding a first node with only one connectivity relationship from the plurality of nodes, and starting from the first node, searching for a first second node with three or more connectivity relationships from the plurality of nodes along the connectivity relationships of the first node, dividing all nodes between the first node and the second node into a semi-enclosed alley, with the second node serving as the only entrance and exit of the semi-enclosed alley; From the unique entrances and exits of the plurality of semi-enclosed alleys, at least two unique entrances and exits that meet the fishbone area condition are found, the semi-enclosed alleys to which the at least two unique entrances and exits belong and the nodes between the target entrance and exit pairs are divided into fishbone areas, and starting from each unique entrance and exit, along the connectivity relationship of the unique entrance and exit, the first node with three or more connectivity relationships is searched from the remaining nodes as the entrance and exit of the fishbone area, the at least two unique entrances and exits can form at least one group of target entrance and exit pairs, the target entrance and exit pairs are connected through at least one node, and the connectivity relationship of the at least one node is two, and the remaining nodes are nodes other than the at least two unique entrances and exits and the nodes between each target entrance and exit pair; Finding a third node having only two connectivity relationships from the plurality of nodes, and starting from the third node, searching for the first fourth node and the first fifth node having three or more connectivity relationships from the plurality of nodes along the two connectivity relationships of the third node; In response to the fact that the connection between the fourth node and the fifth node must pass through the third node, the nodes between the third node and the fourth node and between the third node and the fifth node are divided into main roads, and the fourth node and the fifth node serve as entrances and exits of the main road; Finding a third node having only two connectivity relationships from the plurality of nodes, and starting from the third node, searching for the first fourth node and the first fifth node having three or more connectivity relationships from the plurality of nodes along the two connectivity relationships of the third node; In response to the fact that the connection between the fourth node and the fifth node does not necessarily pass through the third node, and the number of nodes between the third node and the fourth node and between the third node and the fifth node exceeds a preset threshold, the nodes between the third node and the fourth node and between the third node and the fifth node are divided into a single channel, and the fourth node and the fifth node serve as entrances and exits of the single channel; Obtain other nodes connected to the sixth node in the main road, and in response to the distances between the sixth node and each of the other nodes being within a preset distance range, divide the main road where the sixth node is located and the other nodes connected to the sixth node into small rooms.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that: It comprises a memory and a processor coupled to each other, wherein the processor is used to execute program instructions stored in the memory to implement the mobile robot control method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon, characterized in that: When the program instructions are executed by a processor, the mobile robot control method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is implemented.

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