Obstacle avoidance processing method of cleaning equipment, cleaning equipment, cleaning system and medium

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of smart home, and provides an obstacle avoidance processing method of cleaning equipment, the cleaning equipment, a cleaning system, a computer readable storage medium and electronic device.The obstacle avoidance processing method of the cleaning equipment comprises the steps that the surrounding environment of the cleaning equipment is detected through an obstacle sensor; generating a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the low obstacle map is at least used for indicating the boundary contour of a low obstacle in the surrounding environment; determining an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment; and when the cleaning equipment is close to the low obstacle, the cleaning equipment moves along the obstacle avoidance path. According to the obstacle avoidance processing method of the cleaning equipment, smooth obstacle avoidance for low obstacles can be realized.

Description

Background Art

[0002] With the development of science and technology and people's increasing requirements for quality of life, smart homes have gradually appeared in people's daily lives, among which the representative cleaning equipment is becoming more and more popular. Due to the complexity of the cleaning environment, cleaning equipment will encounter various obstacles during the cleaning process.

[0003] In the related art, when avoiding low objects, the cleaning device can only roughly estimate the location of the obstacle, and when the distance to the obstacle is less than a certain threshold, it turns to avoid the obstacle. However, the obstacle avoidance process of the above solution is too rigid and cannot achieve smooth obstacle avoidance behavior.

[0004] In view of this, there is an urgent need in the art to develop a new obstacle avoidance method and device for cleaning equipment.

[0005] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background technology section is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present disclosure. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide an obstacle avoidance method for a cleaning device, a cleaning device, a cleaning system, a computer-readable storage medium and an electronic device, thereby at least to a certain extent overcoming the technical problem of being unable to achieve smooth obstacle avoidance behavior for low obstacles due to the limitations of related technologies.

[0007] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part by the practice of the present disclosure.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an obstacle avoidance method for a cleaning device, wherein an obstacle sensor is provided on the cleaning device, and the method comprises:

[0009] Detecting the surrounding environment of the cleaning device by means of the obstacle sensor to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the low obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contour of the low obstacles in the surrounding environment;

[0010] Determining an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to a boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment;

[0011] When the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, it moves along the obstacle avoidance path.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, detecting the surrounding environment of the cleaning device by the obstacle sensor to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment includes:

[0013] The obstacle sensor detects the surrounding environment of the cleaning device from multiple angles to generate an initial obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the initial obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contours of obstacles in the surrounding environment, the obstacles include the low obstacles and non-low obstacles, the height of the low obstacles is less than a preset height threshold, and the height of the non-low obstacles is greater than or equal to the preset height threshold;

[0014] Obstacle information associated with the non-low obstacles in the initial obstacle map is filtered to obtain a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment.

[0015] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the obstacle sensor includes a basic sensor, and the basic sensor is a three-dimensional depth sensor and / or a multi-angle laser ranging sensor.

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the obstacle sensor further includes an auxiliary sensor, and the auxiliary sensor includes at least one of the following: a visual sensor, a wall sensor, a cliff sensor, and a collision detection sensor.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when the visual sensor is provided on the cleaning device, determining an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment includes:

[0018] Identifying the obstacle type corresponding to the low obstacle by the visual sensor;

[0019] Searching for a correspondence between different pre-configured obstacle types and their obstacle avoidance distances according to the obstacle type, and determining a target obstacle avoidance distance associated with the obstacle type;

[0020] An obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle is determined according to a boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment in combination with the target obstacle avoidance distance.

[0021] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, the cleaning device moves along the obstacle avoidance path, including:

[0022] When the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, the cleaning device performs a preset obstacle avoidance action and moves along the obstacle avoidance path;

[0023] The preset obstacle avoidance action and the obstacle type corresponding to the low obstacle have a preset association relationship.

[0024] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a contour similarity between the contour of the obstacle avoidance path and the boundary contour is greater than a preset similarity threshold.

[0025] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when the wall sensor is provided on the cleaning device, the method further includes:

[0026] Detecting non-low obstacles in the surrounding environment of the cleaning device by the wall sensor to obtain the boundary contour of the non-low obstacles;

[0027] When the cleaning device approaches the non-low obstacle, it moves along the boundary contour of the non-low obstacle.

[0028] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaning device is provided, wherein an obstacle sensor is provided on the cleaning device, and the cleaning device comprises:

[0029] A map generation module, configured to detect the surrounding environment of the cleaning device through the obstacle sensor to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the low obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment;

[0030] An obstacle avoidance path determination module, configured to determine an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to a boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment;

[0031] The obstacle avoidance processing module is used to move along the obstacle avoidance path when the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle.

[0032] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cleaning system, the cleaning system being used for cleaning equipment, the cleaning system comprising:

[0033] An obstacle sensor, used to detect the surrounding environment of the cleaning device to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the low obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contour of the low obstacles in the surrounding environment;

[0034] An obstacle avoidance controller is used to determine an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment; and when the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, moves along the obstacle avoidance path.

[0035] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the obstacle avoidance method for the cleaning equipment described in the first aspect is implemented.

[0036] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the obstacle avoidance method for the cleaning equipment described in the first aspect above by executing the executable instructions.

[0037] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that the obstacle avoidance processing method for cleaning equipment, cleaning equipment, cleaning system, computer-readable storage medium and electronic equipment in the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have at least the following advantages and positive effects:

[0038] In the technical solutions provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure, on the one hand, by arranging an obstacle sensor on the cleaning device, the obstacle sensor detects the surrounding environment of the cleaning device to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment (the low obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment), so that the cleaning device can accurately locate the low obstacle, so as to determine a more accurate obstacle avoidance path according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle, thereby avoiding collision or entanglement with the low obstacle, reducing unnecessary contact between the cleaning device and the obstacle, reducing the risk of damage to the cleaning device, and also reducing potential damage to household items such as furniture. On the other hand, the obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle is determined according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment. When the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, the low obstacle is smoothly avoided along the planned obstacle avoidance path. Therefore, under the premise of avoiding the cleaning device from getting stuck, the problem that the obstacle avoidance process is too rigid due to the fact that the position of the obstacle can only be roughly estimated in the related art and the obstacle is turned to bypass the obstacle when the distance to the obstacle is less than a certain threshold can be solved, making the operation of the cleaning device more intelligent, reducing the need for manual intervention, and optimizing the user experience.

[0039] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, and together with the specification are used to explain the principles of the present disclosure. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and for ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without creative work.

[0041] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a flow chart of an obstacle avoidance processing method for a cleaning device in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0042] Figure 2A schematic diagram showing a process of detecting the surrounding environment of a cleaning device by using an obstacle sensor in an embodiment of the present disclosure to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment;

[0043] Figure 3 A flow chart showing how to determine an obstacle avoidance path for a low obstacle according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment when a visual sensor is provided on the cleaning device in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a flow chart of how to perform obstacle avoidance processing for non-low obstacles in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a cleaning device in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0046] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a cleaning system in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0047] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of an electronic device in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms and should not be construed as being limited to the examples set forth herein; on the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete, and the concepts of the example embodiments are fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. In the following description, many specific details are provided to provide a full understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the technical solutions of the present disclosure may be practiced while omitting one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, devices, steps, etc. may be adopted. In other cases, known technical solutions are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0049] The terms "a", "an", "the" and "said" are used in this specification to indicate the presence of one or more elements / components / etc.; the terms "including" and "having" are used to express an open-ended inclusion and mean that additional elements / components / etc. may exist in addition to the listed elements / components / etc.; the terms "first" and "second" etc. are used only as labels and are not intended to limit the quantity of their objects.

[0050] In addition, the accompanying drawings are only schematic illustrations of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same or similar parts, and their repeated descriptions will be omitted. Some of the block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities.

[0051] In the related art, when avoiding low objects, the cleaning device can only roughly estimate the position of the obstacle, and when the distance to the obstacle is less than a certain threshold, it turns to bypass the obstacle. However, since the distance to the obstacle is far and the turning angle is large when performing the obstacle avoidance action, the obstacle avoidance process is too rigid and smooth obstacle avoidance behavior cannot be achieved.

[0052] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, firstly, a method for obstacle avoidance of a cleaning device is provided, which at least to some extent overcomes the defect in the related art that smooth obstacle avoidance behavior cannot be achieved for low obstacles.

[0053] Figure 1 A flow chart of an obstacle avoidance method for a cleaning device in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The execution subject of the obstacle avoidance method for a cleaning device may be the cleaning device.

[0054] refer to Figure 1 According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an obstacle avoidance method for a cleaning device comprises the following steps:

[0055] Step S110, detecting the surrounding environment of the cleaning device through an obstacle sensor to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the low obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment;

[0056] Step S120, determining an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment;

[0057] Step S130: When the cleaning device approaches a low obstacle, the cleaning device moves along an obstacle avoidance path.

[0058] exist Figure 1In the technical solution provided by the illustrated embodiment, on the one hand, an obstacle sensor is provided on the cleaning device, and the surrounding environment of the cleaning device is detected by the obstacle sensor to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment (the low obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment), so that the cleaning device can accurately locate the low obstacle, so as to determine a more accurate obstacle avoidance path according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle, thereby avoiding collision or entanglement with the low obstacle, reducing unnecessary contact between the cleaning device and the obstacle, reducing the risk of damage to the cleaning device, and also reducing potential damage to household items such as furniture. On the other hand, the obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle is determined according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment. When the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, the low obstacle is smoothly avoided along the planned obstacle avoidance path. Therefore, under the premise of avoiding the cleaning device from getting stuck, the problem that the obstacle avoidance process is too rigid, which can only roughly estimate the position of the obstacle in the related technology and turn to bypass the obstacle when the distance to the obstacle is less than a certain threshold, can be solved, making the operation of the cleaning device more intelligent, reducing the need for manual intervention, and optimizing the user experience.

[0059] The following Figure 1 The specific implementation process of each step is described in detail:

[0060] Before step S110, it should be noted that the cleaning device in the present disclosure may be a sweeping robot or a sweeping and mopping robot with a cleaning function, and a cleaning component is provided on the cleaning device. Specifically, when the cleaning device is a sweeping robot, the cleaning component may be its sweeping side brush, and when the cleaning device is a sweeping and mopping robot, the cleaning component may be its sweeping side brush and / or mop component, both of which can be set according to actual conditions, and the present disclosure does not make any special limitation on this.

[0061] The cleaning equipment in the present disclosure is provided with an obstacle sensor, which needs to include at least a basic sensor. The basic sensor may be a three-dimensional depth sensor (3D TOF camera) and / or a multi-angle laser ranging sensor, that is, the basic sensor may only include a three-dimensional depth sensor, or only include a multi-angle laser ranging sensor, or include both a three-dimensional depth sensor and a multi-angle laser ranging sensor, which can be set according to actual conditions, and the present disclosure does not make any special limitation on this.

[0062] Among them, the full name of ToF camera is Time Of Flight Camera, which is a depth imaging camera. Its working principle is to use the camera to send light to the target object, and then measure the time required for the light to propagate back and forth between the lens and the object. This time difference can be used to calculate the distance of the object. In this way, the depth camera can capture depth information and create a 3D (3Dimensions, three-dimensional space) stereo depth sensing map. The application of this technology can provide accurate distance measurement in a variety of occasions, such as obstacle avoidance in autonomous vehicles, applications in mobile phone AR (Augmented Reality) / VR (Virtual Reality), etc.

[0063] A multi-angle laser ranging sensor refers to a sensor device that can emit laser beams from multiple different angles or directions simultaneously or sequentially, and receive the signals reflected by these laser beams from the target object, and then calculate the distance. Exemplarily, the multi-angle laser ranging sensor can include a vertical line laser ranging sensor, a horizontal line laser ranging sensor, and an oblique line laser ranging sensor, which can be set according to actual conditions, and the present disclosure does not make any special restrictions on this.

[0064] By setting the obstacle sensor as the above-mentioned basic sensor, the present disclosure can obtain high-precision three-dimensional information of obstacles in the surrounding environment, help the cleaning equipment accurately determine the specific position, size and shape of the obstacle, so that the cleaning equipment can more accurately perceive the surrounding environment and generate a more accurate obstacle map.

[0065] Preferably, the obstacle sensor provided on the cleaning device in the present disclosure may further include an auxiliary sensor, and the auxiliary sensor may include at least one of the following: a visual sensor, a wall sensor, a cliff sensor Cliff, and a collision detection sensor Bumper.

[0066] The visual sensor may be an RGB visual sensor, such as an RGB camera. An RGB camera is a sensor that can identify and measure the color and brightness of an object surface by taking images of multiple colors at high speed. RGB refers to the three colors of red, green, and blue. The increase and decrease of these three colors form a variety of colors, so an RGB camera can capture very rich color images and videos. By setting up a visual sensor, the probability of misjudgment of obstacles can be reduced and the accuracy of obstacle type judgment can be increased.

[0067] The above-mentioned wall sensor can be a wall-line laser sensor. The wall-line laser sensor is a sensor specially designed to help cleaning equipment navigate along the edge of the wall. This sensor uses laser technology to detect the position of the wall and determines the distance between the device and the wall based on the received reflected light signal.

[0068] Cliff sensor generally refers to a sensor used to detect changes in ground height, especially to prevent cleaning equipment from falling off the edge of stairs. These sensors are usually located at the bottom of the cleaning equipment and are able to detect the gap or height difference between the floor and the stairs. When the sensor detects that there is no supporting surface in front, it sends a signal to the cleaning equipment to stop and change direction. This protects the cleaning equipment from the risk of falling damage and ensures its safe operation.

[0069] "Bumper" usually refers to a collision detection sensor made of elastic or cushioning material installed on the front or side of the cleaning equipment. This sensor can help the cleaning equipment detect obstacles and provide feedback before or during a collision, allowing the cleaning equipment to stop or change direction. The bumper is usually a mechanical tactile sensor. When it is under pressure (i.e. it hits an obstacle), it triggers an internal switch to notify the cleaning equipment to take appropriate action.

[0070] The present disclosure sets the obstacle sensor as a combination of a basic sensor and an auxiliary sensor, and can provide multi-dimensional information of obstacles to the above-mentioned basic sensor through the auxiliary sensor. Therefore, by utilizing the complementary advantages and data fusion of multiple sensors, obstacle information in the surrounding environment can be more reliably identified, the environmental perception precision and accuracy of the cleaning equipment can be ensured, and the operating safety of the cleaning equipment can be improved.

[0071] Next reference Figure 1 In step S110, the surrounding environment of the cleaning device is detected by an obstacle sensor to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment.

[0072] In this step, the cleaning device can detect the surrounding environment through obstacle sensors to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment.

[0073] For example, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 A flow chart showing how to detect the surrounding environment of a cleaning device through an obstacle sensor in an embodiment of the present disclosure to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment includes steps S201 to S202:

[0074] In step S201, the surrounding environment of the cleaning device is detected from multiple angles by an obstacle sensor to generate an initial obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment.

[0075] In this step, the cleaning device can detect the surrounding environment from multiple angles through obstacle sensors to model the surrounding environment and generate an initial obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment. The initial obstacle map is used to at least indicate the boundary contour of the obstacle in the surrounding environment. The boundary contour of the obstacle in the surrounding environment refers to the outer edge or boundary of the obstacle in its environment, specifically, it can include the shape and size of the obstacle and its spatial position relationship with the surrounding environment.

[0076] It should be noted that the above-mentioned obstacles may include low obstacles and non-low obstacles. The above-mentioned low obstacles refer to obstacles whose height is less than a preset height threshold (for example, 10 cm), such as wires on the ground (for example, electric wires, ropes, etc.), low chair legs, small building blocks on the ground, etc. The above-mentioned non-low obstacles refer to obstacles whose height is greater than or equal to the above-mentioned preset height threshold (10 cm), such as walls, high chair legs, trash cans, etc. It should be noted that the above-mentioned preset height threshold can be set according to actual conditions, and the present disclosure does not make any special limitations on this.

[0077] In step S202, obstacle information associated with non-low obstacles in the initial obstacle map is filtered to obtain a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment.

[0078] In this step, considering that the above-mentioned initial obstacle map may contain obstacle information related to non-low obstacles, the present disclosure can filter the obstacle information associated with non-low obstacles in the initial obstacle map to obtain a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment, and the low obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment.

[0079] Next reference Figure 1 In step S120, an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle is determined according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment.

[0080] In this step, after determining the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment according to the low obstacle map, the present disclosure can determine the obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment. Since the obstacle avoidance path is determined based on the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment, when the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, it can directly perform a smooth obstacle avoidance process based on the obstacle avoidance path, thereby avoiding the problem in the related art that the cleaning device can only turn at a position far away from the low obstacle to avoid the obstacle, resulting in the obstacle avoidance action not being smooth enough and causing the cleaning near the low obstacle to be missed, thereby achieving efficient and smooth obstacle avoidance.

[0081] It should be noted that the contour similarity between the contour of the obstacle avoidance path and the boundary contour in the present invention may be greater than a preset similarity threshold. The specific value of the preset similarity threshold may be set according to actual conditions. The larger the value of the preset similarity threshold is, the higher the contour similarity between the contour of the obstacle avoidance path and the boundary contour, and the closer the determined geometric shape of the obstacle avoidance path is to the boundary contour of the low obstacle. Thus, when the cleaning equipment approaches a low obstacle, the smoother the obstacle avoidance process is.

[0082] In a first optional implementation, the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment can be directly used as the obstacle avoidance path of the cleaning device, that is, when the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, it can directly run along the boundary contour of the low obstacle. However, this solution may cause the cleaning device to be too close to the low obstacle, causing the cleaning device to be stuck by the low obstacle.

[0083] In order to avoid the problem of the cleaning equipment being stuck by low obstacles, the present disclosure also provides a second optional implementation to determine an obstacle avoidance path for low obstacles. Specifically, after determining the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment, a preset obstacle avoidance distance (for example: 5 cm) can be set on the basis of the above boundary contour to determine the obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle.

[0084] In the case where a visual sensor is provided on the above cleaning device, the present disclosure also provides a third optional implementation method for determining an obstacle avoidance path for low obstacles. Specifically, refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 A flow chart showing how to determine an obstacle avoidance path for a low obstacle according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment when a visual sensor is provided on the cleaning device in an embodiment of the present disclosure, including steps S301 to S303:

[0085] In step S301, the obstacle type corresponding to the low obstacle is identified by a visual sensor.

[0086] In this step, the visual sensor can be used to identify the obstacle type corresponding to the low obstacle in the surrounding environment. Exemplarily, the obstacle type may include: wires, low chair legs, small building blocks, carpet bumps, door thresholds, toys, shoes, books, sliding door tracks, floor cracks, etc., which can be set according to actual conditions and are not specifically limited in this disclosure.

[0087] In step S302, a pre-configured correspondence relationship between different obstacle types and their obstacle avoidance distances is searched according to the obstacle type, and a target obstacle avoidance distance associated with the obstacle type is determined.

[0088] In this step, the correspondence between different obstacle types and their obstacle avoidance distances can be pre-configured. By way of example, the correspondence may include: when the obstacle type is wire (thin and easy to entangle), the obstacle avoidance distance is 4 cm; when the obstacle type is a low chair leg (with a small gap, which can easily get stuck in the wheels or moving parts of the cleaning equipment), the obstacle avoidance distance is 2 cm; when the obstacle type is small building blocks (which may be scattered on the ground. If the cleaning equipment is too close to these small objects, it may directly press over them, causing the building blocks to be moved or even damaged), the obstacle avoidance distance is 3 cm. It should be noted that the correspondence can be set according to actual conditions, and the present disclosure does not make any special limitations on this.

[0089] By configuring this correspondence, it is possible to take into account the differences in the physical properties of different low obstacles and set different safety distances for different low obstacles, thereby helping the cleaning equipment to move more intelligently and safely in a complex environment.

[0090] Therefore, after the obstacle type of the low obstacle is identified through step S301, the correspondence between the above-mentioned different obstacle types and their obstacle avoidance distances can be found to determine the target obstacle avoidance distance associated with the obstacle type. For example, when the obstacle type is wire, the target obstacle avoidance distance can be determined to be 4 cm.

[0091] In step S303, an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle is determined based on the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment and the target obstacle avoidance distance.

[0092] In this step, an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacles may be determined based on the boundary contour of the low obstacles in the surrounding environment and the target obstacle avoidance distance (eg, 4 cm).

[0093] After determining the obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle, the process may proceed to step S130 , where the cleaning device moves along the obstacle avoidance path when the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle.

[0094] In this step, when the cleaning device approaches a low obstacle, the cleaning device can move directly along the above-mentioned obstacle avoidance path. Thus, there is no need to turn at a position far away from the low obstacle to avoid the obstacle as in the prior art, thereby preventing smooth obstacle avoidance behavior and causing the problem of missed cleaning near the low obstacle. Efficient and smooth obstacle avoidance behavior can be achieved, thereby ensuring the cleaning effect of the cleaning equipment.

[0095] Optionally, when the cleaning device approaches a low obstacle, it can perform a preset obstacle avoidance action and move along an obstacle avoidance path to further avoid the problem of the cleaning device getting stuck, wherein the preset obstacle avoidance action may include: retracting the cleaning component to a default position in the standby state, or stopping the cleaning operation and lifting the cleaning component to a specified height.

[0096] Optionally, a preset association relationship between a preset obstacle avoidance action and an obstacle type corresponding to a low obstacle may be preconfigured. For example, when the obstacle type corresponding to the low obstacle is a wire, the preset obstacle avoidance action may be configured to retract the cleaning component to a default position in the standby state; when the obstacle type corresponding to the low obstacle is a low chair leg, the preset obstacle avoidance action may be configured to stop the cleaning operation and raise the cleaning component to a specified height. The above preset association relationship may be set according to actual conditions, and the present disclosure does not specifically limit this.

[0097] When a wall sensor is provided on the cleaning device, the present disclosure also provides an obstacle avoidance method for non-low obstacles. For details, refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 A flowchart showing how to perform obstacle avoidance processing for non-low obstacles in an embodiment of the present disclosure includes steps S401 and S402:

[0098] In step S401, non-low obstacles in the surrounding environment of the cleaning device are detected by using sensors along the wall to obtain boundary contours of the non-low obstacles.

[0099] In this step, the cleaning device may detect non-low obstacles in the surrounding environment of the cleaning device through sensors along the wall to obtain the boundary contours of the non-low obstacles.

[0100] In step S402, when the cleaning device approaches a non-low obstacle, the cleaning device moves along the boundary contour of the non-low obstacle.

[0101] In this step, when the cleaning device approaches the above-mentioned non-low obstacles, given that non-low obstacles generally do not cause the cleaning device to be stuck, the cleaning device can move directly along the boundary contour of the non-low obstacle. Therefore, on the one hand, by moving precisely along the edge of the obstacle, the cleaning device can more effectively cover the entire area to be cleaned, reduce cleaning dead corners, and improve cleaning efficiency; further, it can help the cleaning device avoid direct collision with higher obstacles, protect the cleaning device from damage, and also avoid damage to furniture and other items; on the other hand, for users, this means that they can set up the cleaning device without too much intervention, and the device can complete the cleaning task autonomously, thereby improving the intelligence of the device.

[0102] Based on the above technical solutions, the present disclosure can at least achieve the following technical effects:

[0103] First, in the case where an RGB visual sensor is provided on the cleaning equipment, the present disclosure can use a three-dimensional depth sensor and / or a multi-angle laser ranging sensor to supplement the three-dimensional point cloud data of the obstacle, so as to more accurately locate the position and edge contour of the obstacle, and avoid the problem of inaccurate position or incomplete edge contour;

[0104] Second, for the case of lower objects that cannot be recognized by the RGB visual sensor, the present disclosure can also locate its edge contour through the obstacle sensor (basic sensor combined with auxiliary sensor), thereby ensuring the comprehensiveness of obstacle avoidance;

[0105] Third, by setting different preset obstacle avoidance distances for low obstacles of different obstacle types, the probability of missed sweeps or cleaning equipment getting entangled in wires can be reduced, ensuring cleaning quality and safe operation of the cleaning equipment;

[0106] Fourth, it is possible to generate obstacle avoidance paths for multiple low obstacles in the surrounding environment at one time, making the obstacle avoidance process more continuous and avoiding the problem in related technologies that the cleaning equipment needs to frequently avoid obstacles due to frequent triggering of the physical bumper, thus affecting the cleaning effect.

[0107] The present disclosure also provides a cleaning device, wherein an obstacle sensor is provided on the cleaning device. Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cleaning device in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 5 As shown, the cleaning device 500 may include a map generation module 510, an obstacle avoidance path determination module 520, and an obstacle avoidance processing module 530. Among them:

[0108] A map generating module 510, configured to detect the surrounding environment of the cleaning device through the obstacle sensor to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment;

[0109] The obstacle avoidance path determination module 520 is used to determine an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment; the contour similarity between the contour of the obstacle avoidance path and the boundary contour is greater than a preset similarity threshold;

[0110] The obstacle avoidance processing module 530 is used to move along the obstacle avoidance path when the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle.

[0111] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the map generation module 510 detects the surrounding environment of the cleaning device through the obstacle sensor to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment, including:

[0112] The obstacle sensor detects the surrounding environment of the cleaning device from multiple angles to generate an initial obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the initial obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contours of obstacles in the surrounding environment, the obstacles include the low obstacles and non-low obstacles, the height of the low obstacles is less than a preset height threshold, and the height of the non-low obstacles is greater than or equal to the preset height threshold;

[0113] Obstacle information associated with the non-low obstacles in the initial obstacle map is filtered to obtain a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment.

[0114] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the obstacle sensor includes a basic sensor, and the basic sensor is a three-dimensional depth sensor and / or a multi-angle laser ranging sensor.

[0115] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the obstacle sensor further includes an auxiliary sensor, and the auxiliary sensor includes at least one of the following: a visual sensor, a wall sensor, a cliff sensor, and a collision detection sensor.

[0116] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when the visual sensor is provided on the cleaning device, the obstacle avoidance path determination module 520 determines an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment, including:

[0117] Identifying the obstacle type corresponding to the low obstacle by the visual sensor;

[0118] Searching for a correspondence between different pre-configured obstacle types and their obstacle avoidance distances according to the obstacle type, and determining a target obstacle avoidance distance associated with the obstacle type;

[0119] An obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle is determined according to a boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment in combination with the target obstacle avoidance distance.

[0120] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the obstacle avoidance processing module 530 is configured to:

[0121] When the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, the cleaning device performs a preset obstacle avoidance action and moves along the obstacle avoidance path;

[0122] The preset obstacle avoidance action and the obstacle type corresponding to the low obstacle have a preset association relationship.

[0123] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a contour similarity between the contour of the obstacle avoidance path and the boundary contour is greater than a preset similarity threshold.

[0124] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when the wall sensor is provided on the cleaning device, the obstacle avoidance processing module 530 is configured as follows:

[0125] Detecting non-low obstacles in the surrounding environment of the cleaning device by the wall sensor to obtain the boundary contour of the non-low obstacles;

[0126] When the cleaning device approaches the non-low obstacle, it moves along the boundary contour of the non-low obstacle.

[0127] The specific details of each module in the above-mentioned cleaning device have been described in detail in the obstacle avoidance processing method of the corresponding cleaning device, so they will not be repeated here.

[0128] The present disclosure also provides a cleaning system, wherein the cleaning system is used for cleaning equipment. Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cleaning system in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 6 As shown, the cleaning system 600 may include an obstacle sensor 610 and an obstacle avoidance controller 620. Among them:

[0129] The obstacle sensor 610 is used to detect the surrounding environment of the cleaning device to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the low obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contour of the low obstacles in the surrounding environment;

[0130] The obstacle avoidance controller 620 is used to determine an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment; and when the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, move along the obstacle avoidance path.

[0131] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the obstacle sensor 610 detects the surrounding environment of the cleaning device to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment, including:

[0132] Detecting the surrounding environment of the cleaning device from multiple angles to generate an initial obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the initial obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contours of obstacles in the surrounding environment, the obstacles include the low obstacles and non-low obstacles, the height of the low obstacles is less than a preset height threshold, and the height of the non-low obstacles is greater than or equal to the preset height threshold;

[0133] Obstacle information associated with the non-low obstacles in the initial obstacle map is filtered to obtain a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment.

[0134] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the obstacle sensor includes a basic sensor, and the basic sensor is a three-dimensional depth sensor and / or a multi-angle laser ranging sensor.

[0135] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the obstacle sensor further includes an auxiliary sensor, and the auxiliary sensor includes at least one of the following: a visual sensor, a wall sensor, a cliff sensor, and a collision detection sensor.

[0136] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when the obstacle sensor includes the visual sensor, the obstacle avoidance controller 620 determines an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to a boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment, including:

[0137] Identifying the obstacle type corresponding to the low obstacle by the visual sensor;

[0138] Searching for a correspondence between different pre-configured obstacle types and their obstacle avoidance distances according to the obstacle type, and determining a target obstacle avoidance distance associated with the obstacle type;

[0139] An obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle is determined according to a boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment in combination with the target obstacle avoidance distance.

[0140] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the obstacle avoidance controller 620 is configured to:

[0141] When the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, the cleaning device performs a preset obstacle avoidance action and moves along the obstacle avoidance path;

[0142] The preset obstacle avoidance action and the obstacle type corresponding to the low obstacle have a preset association relationship.

[0143] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a contour similarity between the contour of the obstacle avoidance path and the boundary contour is greater than a preset similarity threshold.

[0144] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when the obstacle sensor includes the wall sensor, the obstacle avoidance controller 620 is configured as follows:

[0145] Detecting non-low obstacles in the surrounding environment of the cleaning device by the wall sensor to obtain the boundary contour of the non-low obstacles;

[0146] When the cleaning device approaches the non-low obstacle, it moves along the boundary contour of the non-low obstacle.

[0147] The specific details of each component in the above-mentioned cleaning system have been described in detail in the obstacle avoidance processing method of the corresponding cleaning equipment, so they will not be repeated here.

[0148] It should be noted that, although several modules or units of the device for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. On the contrary, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into multiple modules or units to be embodied.

[0149] In addition, although the steps of the method in the present disclosure are described in a specific order in the drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in this specific order, or that all the steps shown must be performed to achieve the desired results. Additionally or alternatively, some steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or one step may be decomposed into multiple steps, etc.

[0150] Through the description of the above implementation, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example implementation described here can be implemented by software, or by software combined with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the implementation of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a mobile terminal, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the implementation of the present disclosure.

[0151] The present disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which may be included in the electronic device described in the above embodiments; or may exist independently without being assembled into the electronic device.

[0152] The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to, an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. In the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that may be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0153] Computer-readable storage media can send, propagate or transmit programs for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device. The program code contained on the computer-readable storage medium can be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wire, optical cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0154] The computer-readable storage medium carries one or more programs. When the one or more programs are executed by an electronic device, the electronic device implements the method described in the above embodiments.

[0155] In addition, an electronic device capable of implementing the above method is also provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0156] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented as systems, methods or program products. Therefore, various aspects of the present disclosure may be specifically implemented in the following forms, namely: complete hardware implementation, complete software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software, which may be collectively referred to herein as "circuits", "modules" or "systems".

[0157] Refer to the following Figure 7 An electronic device 700 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure is described. Figure 7 The electronic device 700 shown is merely an example and should not bring any limitation to the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0158] like Figure 7 As shown, the electronic device 700 is in the form of a general computing device. The components of the electronic device 700 may include, but are not limited to: at least one processor 710, at least one memory 720, a bus 730 connecting different system components (including the memory 720 and the processor 710), and a display 740.

[0159] The memory stores program codes, which can be executed by the processor 710, so that the processor 710 executes the steps according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described in the above “Exemplary Method” section of this specification. For example, the processor 710 can execute the following steps: Figure 1 As shown in: Step S110, detecting the surrounding environment of the cleaning device through an obstacle sensor to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the low obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment; Step S120, determining an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment; Step S130, when the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, moving along the obstacle avoidance path.

[0160] The memory 720 may include a readable medium in the form of a volatile storage, such as a random access memory (RAM) 7201 and / or a cache memory 7202 , and may further include a read-only memory (ROM) 7203 .

[0161] The memory 720 may also include a program / utility 7204 having a set (at least one) of program modules 7205, such program modules 7205 including but not limited to: an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, each of which or some combination may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0162] Bus 730 may be a bus representing one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, a processor, or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures.

[0163] The electronic device 700 may also communicate with one or more external devices 800 (e.g., keyboards, pointing devices, Bluetooth devices, etc.), may also communicate with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with the electronic device 700, and / or communicate with any device that enables the electronic device 700 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., routers, modems, etc.). Such communication may be performed via an input / output (I / O) interface 750. Furthermore, the electronic device 700 may also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via a network adapter 760. As shown, the network adapter 760 communicates with other modules of the electronic device 700 via a bus 730. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figure, other hardware and / or software modules may be used in conjunction with the electronic device 700, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processors, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems, etc.

[0164] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present disclosure after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary technical means in the art that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The description and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the claims.

Claims

1. An obstacle avoidance method for cleaning equipment, characterized in that: The cleaning device is provided with an obstacle sensor, and the method comprises: Detecting the surrounding environment of the cleaning device by means of the obstacle sensor to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the low obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contour of the low obstacles in the surrounding environment; Determining an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to a boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment; When the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, it moves along the obstacle avoidance path.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of detecting the surrounding environment of the cleaning device by the obstacle sensor to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment includes: The obstacle sensor detects the surrounding environment of the cleaning device from multiple angles to generate an initial obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the initial obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contours of obstacles in the surrounding environment, the obstacles include the low obstacles and non-low obstacles, the height of the low obstacles is less than a preset height threshold, and the height of the non-low obstacles is greater than or equal to the preset height threshold; Obstacle information associated with the non-low obstacles in the initial obstacle map is filtered to obtain a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The obstacle sensor includes a basic sensor, and the basic sensor is a three-dimensional depth sensor and / or a multi-angle laser ranging sensor.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The obstacle sensor also includes an auxiliary sensor, and the auxiliary sensor includes at least one of the following: a visual sensor, a wall sensor, a cliff sensor, and a collision detection sensor.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that When the visual sensor is provided on the cleaning device, determining an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment includes: Identifying the obstacle type corresponding to the low obstacle by the visual sensor; Searching for a correspondence between different pre-configured obstacle types and their obstacle avoidance distances according to the obstacle type, and determining a target obstacle avoidance distance associated with the obstacle type; An obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle is determined according to a boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment in combination with the target obstacle avoidance distance.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that When the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, the cleaning device moves along the obstacle avoidance path, including: When the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, the cleaning device performs a preset obstacle avoidance action and moves along the obstacle avoidance path; The preset obstacle avoidance action and the obstacle type corresponding to the low obstacle have a preset association relationship.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The contour similarity between the contour of the obstacle avoidance path and the boundary contour is greater than a preset similarity threshold.

8. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that When the cleaning device is provided with the wall sensor, the method further comprises: Detecting non-low obstacles in the surrounding environment of the cleaning device by the wall sensor to obtain the boundary contour of the non-low obstacles; When the cleaning device approaches the non-low obstacle, it moves along the boundary contour of the non-low obstacle.

9. A cleaning device, characterized in that: The cleaning device is provided with an obstacle sensor, and the cleaning device comprises: A map generation module, configured to detect the surrounding environment of the cleaning device through the obstacle sensor to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the low obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment; An obstacle avoidance path determination module, configured to determine an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to a boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment; The obstacle avoidance processing module is used to move along the obstacle avoidance path when the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle.

10. A cleaning system, characterized in that: The cleaning system is used for cleaning equipment, and the cleaning system comprises: An obstacle sensor, used to detect the surrounding environment of the cleaning device to generate a low obstacle map corresponding to the surrounding environment; the low obstacle map is at least used to indicate the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment; An obstacle avoidance controller is used to determine an obstacle avoidance path for the low obstacle according to the boundary contour of the low obstacle in the surrounding environment; and when the cleaning device approaches the low obstacle, move along the obstacle avoidance path.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the obstacle avoidance method for a cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented.

12. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: processor; as well as A memory, configured to store executable instructions of the processor; Wherein, the processor is configured to execute the obstacle avoidance method for a cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 by executing the executable instructions.

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