A robot transition control method

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the field of robot action technology, and specifically relates to a robot transition guiding beacon, which is arranged in pairs and cooperates with each other. The present invention provides a robot transition guiding system, including a computer program, a visual recognition system and a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. The computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. The recognition system is a component of the robot. The present invention provides a robot transition control method, which controls the robot transition through beacon recognition, generation of virtual maps and action. The present invention can use guiding beacons for transition. The guiding beacons are laid on the site without the use of electricity and magnetism. Signal transmission is not affected by bad weather, avoiding the situation of unstable connection between the robot and the guiding device. The installation is convenient and fast, and the cost is relatively low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of robot action, and in particular relates to a robot transition control method. Background Art

[0002] With the development of science and technology, more and more repetitive labor or labor in harsh environments can be completed by robots, which can free people's hands, reduce the probability of personal safety accidents, and reduce labor costs. For example, robots are needed in production workshops, home cleaning, shopping mall cleaning, and public security inspections. This kind of robot needs to pre-design the path of automatic back and forth movement according to the actual situation of the site (size, shape, and labor object), so that it can pass through all the objects to be worked on the site on the premise of the shortest path. For example, lawn mowing robots, home or shopping mall sweeping robots, security inspection robots, etc.

[0003] The transfer of a robot from one site to another is called transition. In terms of solving the transition problem, the traditional solution is to use physical guidance technology (for example: laying magnetic strips and setting up electronic fence channels) and radio guidance technology (for example: UWB technology, GPS (RTK) differential positioning technology, NFC technology, wireless beacon guidance technology, etc.). However, the above two technologies have the following problems: physical guidance technology requires the laying of guidance devices (such as magnetic strips or wires) in all channels, which is cumbersome and easy to damage; while radio guidance technology requires the construction of reference base stations, which is cumbersome, requires power, and is easily interfered with. Summary of the invention

[0004] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the current traditional robot transfer method which adopts physical guidance technology and radio guidance technology. The physical guidance technology requires the laying of guidance devices (such as magnetic strips or wires) in all channels, which is cumbersome to construct and easy to damage, while the radio guidance technology requires the construction of a reference base station, which is cumbersome to construct, requires power supply, and is easily interfered with.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a robot transition guide beacon, which is arranged in pairs and cooperates with each other, and is respectively fixed on two different field edge lines, wherein the guide beacon includes entity features, unique visual features and directional visual features;

[0006] The physical feature includes a base plate and a cylindrical pole, the pole is vertically arranged on the base plate, and the base plate is used to be fixed on the edge line of the ground plane of the site to be transferred;

[0007] The unique visual feature is set on the pole to allow each guide beacon to have a unique number;

[0008] Furthermore, the vertical projection of the benchmark on the plane where the base plate is located is in a non-center relationship with the width direction and the length direction of the base plate, and the non-center relationship and any edge line of the base plate together constitute the directional feature.

[0009] Preferably, the unique visual feature may be a barcode.

[0010] Preferably, the bottom plate is provided with mounting holes at least near two opposing side lines, and fasteners can be driven into the mounting holes to fix the bottom plate to the site.

[0011] The present invention also provides a robot transition system, comprising a computer program, a visual recognition system and a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer program can be stored in the non-volatile computer-readable storage medium.

[0012] Preferably, the visual recognition system includes but is not limited to one or a combination of digital cameras, laser scanners, linear array and area array CCD cameras, and TV cameras.

[0013] The present invention also provides a robot transition control method, which mainly relies on the visual recognition system and instructs related hardware to complete the following steps through a computer program:

[0014] S1, beacon recognition: Through the robot's visual recognition system and specific algorithms, the following feature recognition logic and specific requirements are completed for each guide beacon: including beacon initial recognition, beacon ID recognition, and beacon direction feature recognition;

[0015] S2, generate a virtual map: the guide beacons on the two sites are called guide beacon A and guide beacon B respectively. When the robot is used for the first time, it first identifies guide beacon A, including unique visual features, direction recognition, and position information. The guide beacon is used as the starting point to control the robot to move forward in a straight line. When the guide beacon B is identified, the ID, direction, position information, and working area information of the guide beacon B are recorded, and beacon B is used as the end point of the connection path. At the same time, the position association of guide beacon A and guide beacon B is set in the control system, and the straight line connecting the two guide beacons is stored as the connection path. The relative position relationship between the working areas where the two guide beacons are located, the two guide beacons themselves, and the connection path is marked and stored in the map to form a virtual work map;

[0016] S3: Relationship between the transition starting point and the guide beacon: After the robot recognizes the guide beacon, the direction of travel remains parallel to the directional visual feature of the guide beacon, and the side of the fuselage remains 10-20cm away from the unique visual feature of the guide beacon. The robot moves forward the distance of one fuselage and then rotates 90° clockwise. The position it reaches is the transition starting point. The transition starting point depends on the position of the guide beacon.

[0017] S4: Action:

[0018] (1) Find the guidance beacon A in the area through map guidance;

[0019] (2) confirming the unique visual features and direction of the guiding beacon A and obtaining the transition starting point of the guiding beacon A;

[0020] (3) Drive along the line connecting beacons A and B, and use the gyroscope to calibrate the direction before entering the initial recognition range of beacon B. The driving distance should not exceed 5m. After entering the initial recognition range of beacon B, use beacon B for direction guidance.

[0021] The technical solution of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] The present invention provides a robot transition guide beacon, which is arranged in pairs, cooperates with each other, and is fixed on two adjacent sites respectively. Each guide beacon includes a physical feature, a unique visual feature and a directional visual feature. The present invention also provides a robot transition system, including a computer program, a visual recognition system and a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. The present invention also provides a robot transition control method. The visual recognition system is a part of the robot hardware. When the robot is used for the first time, after the guide beacon A is recognized, the unique visual feature, direction, position information and other contents of the guide beacon A are recorded in the A area map, and then the guide beacon A is used as the starting point to guide the robot according to the direction of the guide beacon A. The person drives forward in a straight line. When the guide beacon B is identified, the unique visual features, direction, location information and working area information of the guide beacon B are recorded, and the guide beacon B is used as the end point of the connection path. At the same time, the guide beacon A and the guide beacon B are set in position association in the control system, and the straight line connecting the guide beacon A and the guide beacon B is stored as the connection path (the central axis direction of the connection path is approximately vertical (75-105°) to the directional visual feature connection line of the two paired beacons), and the relative position relationship between the A area, the guide beacon A, the B area, the guide beacon B, the connection path, etc. is marked and stored in the map to form a virtual work map. When the robot is used later, the transition is directly carried out according to the virtual work map formed for the first time. The guide beacon of the present invention is laid on the site, without the use of electricity and magnetism, and is not affected by the weather, avoiding the situation of unstable use, and is easy to install, fast, and relatively low in cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 A top view of the guide beacon of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 It is a side view of the guide beacon of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the guide beacon in the present invention.

[0027] Explanation of the reference numerals: 1. Physical feature; 11. Base plate; 11a. Mounting hole; 11b. Longer side at a greater distance; 12. Benchmark; 2. Unique visual feature. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The technical solution of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0031] In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0032] The present invention provides a robot transition guide beacon, which is arranged in pairs and cooperates with each other. The two paired guide beacons are respectively called guide beacon A and guide beacon B. Figure 1-Figure 3 As shown, each guidance beacon includes a physical feature 1, a unique visual feature 2 and a directional visual feature.

[0033] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the physical feature 1 includes a bottom plate 11 and a cylindrical pole 12, the pole 12 is vertically arranged on the bottom plate 11, and the bottom plate 11 is used to be fixed on the edge line of the ground plane of the site to be transferred. The bottom plate 11 is provided with mounting holes 11a at least near two opposite edge lines, and rivets can be driven into the mounting holes 11a to be fixed to the site.

[0034] like Figure 2As shown, the unique visual feature 2 is set on the benchmark 12, which is used to give each guiding beacon a unique number, which is often called ID, which can be recognized by the robot. In the present invention, the unique visual feature 2 can be a barcode.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the vertical projection of the pole 12 on the plane where the bottom plate 11 is located is non-centered with respect to the width direction and the length direction of the bottom plate 11. The non-centered relationship and any side line of the bottom plate 11 together constitute the directional characteristic. In the embodiment of the present invention, the pole 12 and the long side 11b of the bottom plate 11 far from the pole 12 are taken as the directional characteristic.

[0036] The present invention also provides a system for transferring a robot by means of the above-mentioned guide beacon, comprising a computer program, a visual recognition system and a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. The visual recognition system includes but is not limited to a digital camera, a laser scanner, a linear array and a planar array CCD camera, a TV camera, or a combination of several of them. The visual recognition system is a part of the robot hardware composition.

[0037] The present invention also provides a control method for transferring a robot by means of the above system, which relies on a visual recognition system and instructs related hardware to complete the following steps through a computer program:

[0038] S1, beacon recognition: Through the robot's visual recognition system (a collection of multiple visual sensors) and specific algorithms, the following beacon feature recognition logic and specific requirements are completed for each guidance beacon: including beacon initial recognition, beacon ID recognition, and beacon direction feature recognition;

[0039] (1) Initial beacon recognition: The robot's initial beacon recognition range is 360°, with the intersection of the central axis of the guide beacon's pole 12 and the 0.5m height line above the bottom plate 11 as the center and a radius of 5m. Within this range, the robot initially recognizes the guide beacon through the visual recognition system and the beacon's physical feature 1. When a transfer is required, the robot can move along a certain path and direction according to the orientation of the guide beacon A, so as to approach the guide beacon B;

[0040] (2) Beacon ID recognition: The robot's beacon ID recognition range is within a radius of 1m and 360°, with the intersection of the central axis of the guide beacon's pole 12 and the 0.5m height line above the base plate 11 as the center. Within this range, the robot recognizes the ID of the guide beacon through the visual recognition system and the unique visual feature 2 of the guide beacon. When a transfer is required, the robot can find a connection path based on the ID of the guide beacon and the position relationship of the guide beacon in the map, and transfer through the connection path;

[0041] (3) Beacon directional feature recognition: The directional visual features of the beacon provide a physical reference for the robot to identify the direction. The robot aligns its central axis with the directional features of the beacon and determines the direction of transition.

[0042] S2: Generate a virtual map: When the robot is used for the first time, after identifying the guide beacon A (for ease of understanding, the working area where the guide beacon A is located is named as area A), the unique visual feature 2, direction, position information and other contents of the guide beacon A are recorded in the map of area A, and then the guide beacon A is used as the starting point to guide the robot to move forward in a straight line according to the direction of the guide beacon A. When the guide beacon B is identified (for ease of understanding, the working area where the guide beacon B is located is named as area B), the unique visual feature 2, direction, position information and working area information of the guide beacon B are recorded, and the guide beacon B is used as the end point of the connection path. At the same time, the guide beacon A and the guide beacon B are positionally associated in the control system, and the straight line connecting the guide beacon A and the guide beacon B is stored as the connection path (the central axis direction of the connection path is approximately perpendicular (75-105°) to the connection line of the directional visual features of the two paired beacons).

[0043] The relative positional relationships between area A, guide beacon A, area B, guide beacon B, connection paths, etc. are marked and stored in the map to form a virtual work map.

[0044] S3: Relationship between the transition starting point and the guide beacon: After the robot recognizes the guide beacon, the direction of travel remains parallel to the directional visual feature of the guide beacon, and the side of the fuselage maintains a distance of 10-20cm from the unique visual feature 2 of the guide beacon. The robot moves forward the distance of one fuselage and then rotates 90° clockwise. The position reached is the transition starting point. The transition starting point depends on the position of the guide beacon.

[0045] S4, Action:

[0046] (1) Find the guidance beacon A in the area through map guidance;

[0047] (2) confirming the unique visual feature 2 and direction of the guiding beacon A, and obtaining the transition starting point of the guiding beacon A;

[0048] (3) Drive along the line connecting beacons A and B, and use the gyroscope to calibrate the direction before entering the initial recognition range of beacon B. The driving distance should not exceed 5m. After entering the initial recognition range of beacon B, use beacon B for direction guidance.

[0049] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for the purpose of clear explanation, and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the implementation methods here. The obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of the invention.

Claims

1. A robot transition control method, using a guide beacon to control the robot transition, the guide beacon comprising a physical feature (1), a unique visual feature (2) and a directional visual feature, the physical feature (1) comprising a base plate (11) and a cylindrical pole (12), the pole (12) being vertically arranged on the base plate (11), and the base plate (11) being used to be fixed on the edge line of the ground plane of a site where the transition is required; The unique visual feature (2) is arranged on the pole (12) to allow each guide beacon to have a unique number; Furthermore, a vertical projection of the benchmark (12) on the plane where the base plate (11) is located is in a non-centering relationship with the base plate (11) in both the width direction and the length direction, and the non-centering relationship and any edge line of the base plate (11) together constitute the directional visual feature; the directional visual feature provides a physical reference benchmark for the robot to identify the direction; It is characterized in that Use a visual recognition system and a computer program to instruct the relevant hardware to complete the following steps; S1, beacon identification: through the robot's visual recognition system and algorithm, complete the following feature recognition logic and requirements for each guide beacon: including beacon initial recognition, beacon ID recognition, beacon directional visual feature recognition; the beacon initial recognition is the robot's preliminary recognition of the guide beacon through the visual recognition system and the beacon's physical features; the beacon directional visual feature recognition provides a physical reference for the robot to identify the direction, and the robot aligns its own central axis with the directional feature of the beacon to determine the direction of transition; S2, generate a virtual map: the guide beacons on the two sites are called guide beacon A and guide beacon B respectively. When the robot is used for the first time, it first identifies guide beacon A, including its ID, direction, and position information. The guide beacon is used as the starting point to control the robot to move forward in a straight line. When guide beacon B is identified, the ID, direction, position information and information content of the working area of ​​guide beacon B are recorded, and beacon B is used as the end point of the connection path. At the same time, the position association of guide beacon A and guide beacon B is set in the control system, and the straight line connecting the two guide beacons is stored as the connection path. The relative position relationship between the working areas where the two guide beacons are located, the two guide beacons themselves, and the connection path is marked and stored in the map to form a virtual work map; S3, the relationship between the transition starting point and the guide beacon: after the robot recognizes the guide beacon, the direction of travel remains parallel to the directional visual feature of the guide beacon, the side of the fuselage remains 10-20cm away from the unique visual feature (2) of the guide beacon, and the robot moves forward the distance of one fuselage and then rotates 90° clockwise. The position it reaches is the transition starting point; S4, Action: (1) Find the guidance beacon A in the area through map guidance; (2) confirming the unique visual feature (2) and direction of the guiding beacon A, and obtaining the transition starting point of the guiding beacon A; (3) Drive along the line connecting beacons A and B, and use the gyroscope to calibrate the direction before entering the initial recognition range of beacon B. The driving distance should not exceed 5m. After entering the initial recognition range of beacon B, use beacon B for direction guidance.

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