Cleaning robot control method and device, medium and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a control method of a cleaning robot, a control device of the cleaning robot, a computer readable storage medium and electronic equipment. The method comprises the steps that a non-cleaning area in a working area is acquired; the working area comprises a cleanable area and one or more non-cleaning areas, and at least part of the cleanable area is the non-cleaning area; determining a first check point in a middle area between the boundary of the non-clean area and the boundary of a preset area; determining a target point in an uncleaned area which accords with a preset relation with the first check point; and controlling the cleaning robot to move to the target point, and executing a preset cleaning instruction. According to the method, the working area of the cleaning robot can be fully and effectively cleaned.

Description

Background Art

[0002] With the in-depth research of modern intelligent robots, cleaning robots, as the most practical artificial intelligence among intelligent robots, have been widely used in application scenarios such as homes due to their professional cleaning functions.

[0003] In existing technologies, cleaning robots can perform cleaning tasks according to a pre-set map. In actual applications, the map may include some special structural areas, such as corners, or areas that do not need to be cleaned, such as user-defined restricted areas. When cleaning robots perform cleaning tasks around these areas, they often move along the original cleaning trajectory, but may miss some cleaning areas due to the surrounding or obstructed areas. This can lead to incomplete cleaning or poor cleaning results, affecting the user experience.

[0004] Therefore, how to effectively and accurately clean the areas that need to be cleaned in a cleaning environment is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently in the existing technology.

[0005] In order to perform special treatment on the threshold area during the cleaning process, it is important to first identify the threshold area. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a control method for a cleaning robot, a control device for the cleaning robot, a computer-readable storage medium, and an electronic device to overcome the problems of incomplete cleaning and poor accuracy in the prior art. The specific solution is as follows:

[0007] According to the specific embodiments of the present disclosure, in the first aspect, the present disclosure provides a control method for a cleaning robot, the method comprising: obtaining a non-clean area in a working area; the working area comprises a cleanable area and one or more non-clean areas, at least part of the cleanable area is an unclean area; determining a first checkpoint in the middle area between the boundary of the non-clean area and the boundary of a preset area; determining a target point in the unclean area that has a preset relationship with the first checkpoint; controlling the cleaning robot to move to the target point, and executing a preset cleaning instruction.

[0008] In the second aspect, the present disclosure provides a control device for a cleaning robot, comprising: a non-clean area acquisition module, for acquiring a non-clean area in a working area; the working area includes a cleanable area and one or more non-clean areas, and at least part of the cleanable area is an unclean area; a checkpoint determination module, for determining a first checkpoint in an intermediate area between a boundary of the non-clean area and a boundary of a preset area; a target point determination module, for determining a target point in an unclean area that has a preset relationship with the first checkpoint; and a cleaning instruction execution module, for controlling the cleaning robot to move to the target point and execute a preset cleaning instruction.

[0009] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a cleaning robot, comprising: a body; and a controller disposed in the body; the controller is configured to execute the above-mentioned control method for the cleaning robot.

[0010] In a fourth aspect, the present disclosure provides a cleaning system, comprising: a base station; and a cleaning robot such as the above-mentioned one, wherein the base station is at least used to charge the cleaning robot.

[0011] In a fifth aspect, the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that the computer program implements the above method when executed by a processor.

[0012] In a sixth aspect, the present disclosure provides an electronic device comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to perform the above method by executing the executable instructions.

[0013] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have the following beneficial effects:

[0014] Obtain a non-clean area in a working area; the working area includes a cleanable area and one or more non-clean areas, at least part of the cleanable area is an unclean area; determine a first inspection point in an intermediate area between a boundary of the non-clean area and a boundary of a preset area; determine a target point in the unclean area that meets a preset relationship with the first inspection point; control the cleaning robot to move to the target point and execute a preset cleaning instruction. On the one hand, this exemplary embodiment proposes a new control method for a cleaning robot, which can determine a first inspection point in an intermediate area between a boundary of the non-clean area and a boundary of the preset area, and determine the unclean area based on the first inspection point, thereby avoiding the problem of missing some unclean areas in the working area due to the fact that the working area includes the non-clean area, resulting in inadequate cleaning; on the other hand, this exemplary embodiment can determine a target point in the unclean area that meets a preset relationship with the first inspection point, and control the cleaning robot to move to the target point and execute a preset cleaning instruction, thereby providing a specific implementation method for the cleaning robot to clean the unclean area in the working area, so that the cleaning robot can quickly and accurately reach a reasonable position point when cleaning the unclean area and perform accurate and effective cleaning operations.

[0015] 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 disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The accompanying drawings are incorporated into 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 drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art can derive other drawings based on these drawings without inventive effort. In the drawings:

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of controlling a cleaning robot to perform cleaning in the related art is schematically shown;

[0018] Figure 2 A schematic diagram schematically illustrates another method of controlling a cleaning robot to perform cleaning in the related art;

[0019] Figure 3 A flow chart schematically illustrates a method for controlling a cleaning robot in this exemplary embodiment;

[0020] Figure 4 A schematic diagram schematically illustrates a working area in this exemplary embodiment;

[0021] Figure 5 A schematic diagram schematically illustrates another working area in this exemplary embodiment;

[0022] Figure 6 A schematic diagram schematically illustrates a working area including an extension line in this exemplary embodiment;

[0023] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of determining a first inspection point on a second extension line in this exemplary embodiment is schematically shown;

[0024] Figure 8 A schematic diagram schematically illustrates another method of determining a first inspection point on a second extension line in this exemplary embodiment;

[0025] Figure 9 A flow chart schematically illustrates another method for controlling a cleaning robot in this exemplary embodiment;

[0026] Figure 10 A schematic diagram schematically illustrates controlling the cleaning robot to move to a target point in this exemplary embodiment;

[0027] Figure 11 A block diagram schematically illustrates a structure of a control device for a cleaning robot in this exemplary embodiment;

[0028] Figure 12 An electronic device for implementing the above method in this exemplary embodiment is schematically shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present disclosure more clear, the present disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is apparent that the embodiments described are only a portion of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of them. All other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative effort are intended to fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0030] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The singular forms "a," "an," "the," and "the" used in the embodiments of the present disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms, and unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, "a plurality" generally includes at least two.

[0031] It should be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein is merely a description of the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0032] It should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used to describe "...," these "..." should not be limited to these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish "...." For example, "first..." could also be referred to as "second...", and similarly, "second..." could also be referred to as "first..." without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0033] As used herein, the words "if" and "if" may be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining" or "in response to detecting," depending on the context. Similarly, the phrases "if it is determined" or "if (stated condition or event) is detected" may be interpreted as "when it is determined" or "in response to the determination" or "when detecting (stated condition or event)" or "in response to detecting (stated condition or event)," depending on the context.

[0034] It should also be noted that the terms "include," "comprises," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a product or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such product or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprises a..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the product or device comprising the element.

[0035] Cleaning robots are a type of smart home appliance that can automatically clean the floor in a room with a certain degree of artificial intelligence. However, in actual applications, cleaning robots may miss cleaning areas due to the presence of non-clean areas in the working environment, such as Figure 1 In the cleaning map shown, there are three restricted areas. The cleaning robot moves along the edges of the restricted areas 110, 120 and 130 and directly bypasses them, cleaning only area 140 and missing the cleaning of area 150. Figure 2 In the cleaning map shown, there is a gap between the restricted area 210 and the wall. However, after the cleaning robot moves along the restricted area 210, it directly defaults to the edge of the restricted area as the edge of the obstacle and only cleans the outer area 220 without continuing to clean the area 230 inside the restricted area, resulting in missed cleaning.

[0036] Based on this, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a control method for a cleaning robot, which can be applied to a cleaning robot. The cleaning robot can implement the method through hardware and / or software. Figure 3 , shows a flowchart of a threshold area recognition method provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may include the following steps S310-S340:

[0037] Step 310 , obtaining a non-clean area in the working area; the working area includes a cleanable area and one or more non-clean areas, and at least part of the cleanable area is an unclean area.

[0038] The working area refers to the area where the cleaning robot performs cleaning tasks, which can be an entire house including multiple rooms, a single house, or an area set by the user in the house, etc. The non-cleaning area refers to an area where cleaning tasks do not need to be performed, such as an area that is prohibited from cleaning set in advance by the user. For example, to avoid wire entanglement, the user sets the area under the TV cabinet to not be cleaned and selects the area where the TV cabinet is located as a non-cleaning area. The non-cleaning area can also be an area where obstacles are located in the working area. For example, if there are multiple pillars in the house, or there are corners, the area where the pillars are located or the area where the corners are located can be designated as a non-cleaning area, etc.

[0039] The working area may include one or more non-cleaning areas. For example, the user can pre-set multiple areas in the map that do not need to be cleaned by the cleaning robot, such as Figure 1 As shown, multiple prohibited cleaning areas can be set. The working area can also include a cleanable area, which refers to an area where the cleaning robot can perform cleaning operations, and at least part of the cleanable area is an uncleaned area, which refers to an area where the cleaning robot has not yet performed a cleaning operation, such as an area that has been missed.

[0040] In this exemplary embodiment, the cleanable area and the non-cleaning area can be determined by the user through the control program configuration of the cleaning robot, or can be determined by the cleaning robot equipped with specific sensors through detection in the working area.

[0041] Step S320 : determining a first inspection point in an intermediate area between a boundary of the unclean area and a boundary of the preset area.

[0042] The first inspection point is a point used to identify uncleaned areas. By inspecting and judging the first inspection point, the uncleaned area can be identified in the working area, and the target location can be determined in the uncleaned area. There can be multiple first inspection points, for example, each first inspection point can be judged in sequence to determine the uncleaned area in the working area.

[0043] The preset area can be any area in the working area, such as an area where an obstacle is located, other unclean areas, or the working area itself, etc. An intermediate area can be formed between the boundary of the unclean area and the boundary of the preset area. For example, there may be a gap area between the boundaries of two unclean areas, and this gap area is the intermediate area. Alternatively, the interval area between the unclean area and the wall can also be the intermediate area between the unclean area and the boundary of the working area. Any point in the intermediate area can be used as the first inspection point, and the points included in the intermediate area can also be screened to determine the first inspection point from all points included in the intermediate area.

[0044] In an exemplary embodiment, the above step S320 may include:

[0045] A first inspection point is determined in a first intermediate area between the unclean area and a boundary of the working area and / or in a second intermediate area between different unclean areas.

[0046] This exemplary embodiment can determine the first checkpoint in a first intermediate area between the boundary of the non-cleaning area and the working area, and / or a second intermediate area between different non-cleaning areas. The boundary of the working area can refer to a constraint boundary for controlling the cleaning robot to clean, such as a wall or obstacle boundary, etc. Figure 4 In the working area shown, area 410 is a non-cleaning area, and other areas except area 410 are cleanable areas. The cleanable areas include area 420, which is a clean area, and area 430, which is an unclean area. Wall 440 can be used as a boundary of the working area, and area 450 between area 410 and wall 440 can be used as a first intermediate area. All points in the first intermediate area can be used as first inspection points, or the points therein can be screened, for example, by screening the points included in the first intermediate area to determine a more effective first inspection point. In addition, determining the first inspection point in the second intermediate area between the non-cleaning areas can be, for example, Figure 5 In the working area shown, area 510 and area 520 are unclean areas, and other areas except area 510 and area 520 are cleanable areas. The cleanable areas include area 530 as a clean area and area 540 as an unclean area. The area between area 510 and area 520 is the second intermediate area between the unclean areas. The points in the second intermediate area can be used as first inspection points, or the points therein can be screened, for example, further determining a smaller number of effective first inspection points from the points included in the second intermediate area. It should be noted that Figure 4 and Figure 5The area shapes, coverage, etc. shown in are only exemplary illustrations. The cleaned area and the uncleaned area can be determined based on the cleaning trajectory of the cleaning robot, and the size and shape of the first middle area and the second middle area can be determined based on actual conditions. For example, the middle area can extend to both sides by a preset distance, or the shape of the middle area can be irregular according to the boundary shape of the unclean area, etc. The present disclosure does not make specific limitations on this.

[0047] Step S330 : determining a target point in the uncleaned area that has a preset relationship with the first inspection point.

[0048] Among them, the target point refers to the target moving position determined in the unclean area, and the cleaning robot needs to be controlled to move to. The target point is located in the unclean area, and can be any point in the unclean area, or it can be a point or multiple points determined from the unclean area according to a preset algorithm or preset conditions. The target point can be represented by coordinates, or by preset rules. For example, the working area can be identified by an x*y grid map, and the target point can be represented as a cell in the xth row and yth column, etc. The preset relationship refers to the relationship condition used to determine the unclean area from the working area. This exemplary embodiment can be searched in the working area to determine the unclean area that meets the preset relationship with the first checkpoint, and then determine the target point in the unclean area. Specifically, the preset relationship can be customized according to actual needs, or it can be determined by the system. For example, the preset relationship can be an uncleaned area that is a preset distance threshold away from the first checkpoint and whose area reaches a preset area threshold.

[0049] There are many ways to determine the target point in the unclean area. For example, you can arbitrarily determine a point in the determined unclean area as the target point, such as taking the point closest to the cleaning robot or the point at the boundary of the unclean area as the target point, or determine the target point in the unclean area through a preset search algorithm, etc. The present disclosure does not make any specific restrictions on this.

[0050] Step S340: Control the cleaning robot to move to the target point and execute the preset cleaning instructions.

[0051] After determining the target point, the cleaning robot can be controlled to move to the target point and execute preset cleaning instructions for the uncleaned area. The preset cleaning instructions may include normal cleaning instructions, or may include instructions for re-scanning uncleaned areas that were missed, etc. For example, the preset cleaning instructions may be supplementary cleaning instructions for general cleaning instructions, which are used to clean unclean areas that are missed by general cleaning instructions.

[0052] It should be noted that the cleaning robot can detect its moving position in real time or periodically to determine whether it has moved to the target point or the uncleaned area. When it has not moved to the target point, it can continue to execute the instructions to find the target point or continue to move to the target point. In addition, the cleaning progress can also be checked. If cleaning is completed, it will stop cleaning and look for the next target point, or unclean area, etc.

[0053] Based on the above description, in this exemplary embodiment, a non-clean area in a working area is obtained; the working area includes a cleanable area and one or more non-clean areas, at least part of the cleanable area is an unclean area; a first inspection point is determined in an intermediate area between a boundary of the non-clean area and a boundary of a preset area; a target point is determined in the unclean area that meets a preset relationship with the first inspection point; and a cleaning robot is controlled to move to the target point and execute a preset cleaning instruction. On the one hand, this exemplary embodiment proposes a new control method for a cleaning robot, which can determine a first inspection point in an intermediate area between a boundary of the non-clean area and a boundary of the preset area, and determine the unclean area based on the first inspection point, thereby avoiding the problem of missing some unclean areas in the working area due to the fact that the working area includes non-clean areas, resulting in inadequate cleaning; on the other hand, this exemplary embodiment can determine a target point in the unclean area that meets a preset relationship with the first inspection point, and control the cleaning robot to move to the target point and execute a preset cleaning instruction, thereby providing a specific implementation method for a cleaning robot to clean the unclean area in the working area, so that the cleaning robot can quickly and accurately reach a reasonable position point when cleaning the unclean area and perform accurate and effective cleaning operations.

[0054] In an exemplary embodiment, determining the first inspection point in a first intermediate area between a boundary of the unclean area and the working area and / or a second intermediate area between different unclean areas may include:

[0055] Extending the boundary of the non-clean area to the boundary of the working area to form a first extension line located in the first middle area, and determining a second inspection point on the first extension line; and / or extending the boundary of the non-clean area to the boundary of another non-clean area to form a second extension line located in the second middle area, and determining a second inspection point on the second extension line;

[0056] The first checkpoint is determined based on the second checkpoint.

[0057] The first extension line refers to the extension line of the first intermediate area between the boundary of the non-cleaning area and the boundary of the working area, such as Figure 4As shown, a first extension line can be determined in area 440. The second extension line refers to an extension line of a second intermediate area between the boundary of the non-clean area and the boundary of the other non-clean area, such as Figure 5 As shown, a second extension line can be determined in area 550. In this exemplary embodiment, points on a first extension line formed by extending the boundary of the non-clean area to the boundary of the working area can be first determined, and the second inspection point can be determined at these points, or points on a second extension line formed by extending the boundary of the non-clean area to the boundaries of other non-clean areas can be first determined, and the second inspection point can be determined at these points.

[0058] In this exemplary embodiment, all points on the extension line can be used as second inspection points, or second inspection points can be determined on the extension line according to preset unit intervals, etc. The second inspection point can be regarded as the initially determined point to be inspected, and the first inspection point can be regarded as a more effective and accurate inspection point determined from the second inspection point. By determining the first inspection point from the second inspection point and determining the unclean area based on the first inspection point, the processing load of calculating a large number of inspection points can be reduced, and the accuracy and effectiveness of determining the unclean area can be improved. Figure 6 As shown, in the second intermediate area 630 between the boundary of the non-clean area 610 and the boundary of the non-clean area 620, the boundary of the non-clean area 610 extends to the boundary of other non-clean areas 620, and a variety of second extension lines can be formed, such as extension line 640 or extension line 650, etc. This exemplary embodiment can use the points on the extension line 640 and the extension line 650 as second inspection points, and then determine the first inspection point in the second inspection point.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, determining the first checkpoint according to the second checkpoint includes:

[0060] Filtering a second checkpoint that meets the first preset condition as the first checkpoint;

[0061] The first precondition includes one or more of the following:

[0062] The distance between the second checkpoint and the obstacle is not less than the first preset distance;

[0063] The distance between the second inspection point and the non-cleaning area does not exceed a second preset distance;

[0064] The second inspection point is located in the uncleaned area that meets the first size condition;

[0065] The second inspection point was not used as the first inspection point during this cleaning process of the work area.

[0066] The first preset condition refers to a judgment condition for selecting the first checkpoint from the second checkpoint, and may include one or more of the following:

[0067] A. The distance between the second checkpoint and the obstacle is not less than the first preset distance, where the first preset distance can be customized as needed, such as 30 cm (centimeter), or determined by the system, etc. Obstacles refer to objects in the working area that affect the movement of the cleaning robot, such as refrigerators, wardrobes, table and chair legs, wires and other fixed obstacles, as well as non-fixed obstacles such as pets, etc. Determining that the distance between the second checkpoint and the obstacle is not less than the first preset distance is to ensure that there are no obstacles around the first checkpoint.

[0068] B. The distance between the second checkpoint and the unclean area does not exceed the second preset distance, where the second preset distance refers to the threshold used to determine the distance from the unclean area, which can be customized or set by the system, such as 30 cm. Determining that the distance between the second checkpoint and the unclean area does not exceed the second preset distance is to ensure that the determined first checkpoint is within a certain range near the unclean area.

[0069] C. The second inspection point is located in an unclean area that meets the first size condition. The first size condition may include parameter conditions such as the area, shape, length, and width of the unclean area, for example, the area exceeds a preset area threshold, the shape is a preset shape, the length / width is greater than a preset length, etc. The second inspection point is located in an unclean area that meets the first size condition. This means that the second inspection point is located in the unclean area, for example, any point in the unclean area, or a point on the boundary of the unclean area, and the unclean area meets the first size condition, for example, the length of the unclean area is greater than a preset length threshold, or the area is greater than a preset area threshold. The second inspection point is located in an unclean area that meets the first size condition. This ensures that there is an unclean area that meets the first size condition in a surrounding direction downward from the determined first inspection point, for example, there is an unclean area 35 cm to the left of the second inspection point.

[0070] D. The second checkpoint has not been used as the first checkpoint during the current cleaning process of the work area, ensuring that the first checkpoint is not counted twice.

[0071] Based on the above judgment process, Figure 7 In the working area including the unclean area 710 and the unclean area 720, it can be determined that the point on the second extension line 730 is the first inspection point; Figure 8 In the working area including the unclean area 810 and the unclean area 820 , a point on the second extension line 830 may be determined as the first inspection point.

[0072] In an exemplary embodiment, step S330 may include:

[0073] clustering the first checkpoints to form one or more checkpoint sets;

[0074] If the checkpoint set satisfies a second preset condition, and the uncleaned area that has a preset relationship with the checkpoint set satisfies a second size condition, a target point is determined in the uncleaned area.

[0075] In this exemplary embodiment, the first checkpoint can be a valid and legal checkpoint, and the target point can be determined by first clustering the first checkpoint to form one or more checkpoint sets, and determining the target point in the unclean area when the checkpoint set meets the second preset condition and the unclean area that meets the preset relationship meets the second size condition.

[0076] The second preset condition is a constraint on the checkpoint set, such as the length of the checkpoint set exceeding a preset threshold. The second size condition is a constraint on the unclean area, such as the number of points in the unclean area exceeding a preset number or the area of ​​the unclean area exceeding a preset area threshold.

[0077] The preset relationship refers to the relationship between the area to be determined as an unclean area and the checkpoint set. Based on this preset relationship, this exemplary embodiment can determine the corresponding unclean area within the working area. The preset relationship can be a specific distance relationship with the points in the checkpoint set. For example, an area consisting of uncleaned points within a preset distance can be considered an unclean area that meets the preset relationship with the checkpoint set. Furthermore, by determining whether the checkpoint set meets the second preset condition and whether the clean area meets the second size condition, it is determined whether the target point can continue to be determined in the unclean area.

[0078] In an exemplary embodiment, the preset relationship may include: the distance from the checkpoint set does not exceed a third preset distance.

[0079] That is, this exemplary embodiment can search in the working area for an area consisting of multiple unclean points whose distance from the inspection point set does not exceed a third preset distance, as an unclean area, for example, an unclean area where uncleaned points are located within 30 cm around the inspection point set.

[0080] In an exemplary embodiment, the second preset condition includes: the checkpoint area determined according to the checkpoint set satisfies a third size condition.

[0081] The checkpoint area may include the area enclosed by points in the checkpoint set, the minimum enclosing area, or the area formed by sequentially connecting the first checkpoints in the checkpoint area. The checkpoint area satisfies the third size condition, such as the area condition, the number of first checkpoints, or the length and width of the area, to determine whether it satisfies the second preset condition.

[0082] In this exemplary embodiment, if the checkpoint set satisfies the second preset condition and the unclean area that has a preset relationship with the checkpoint set satisfies the second size condition, then the target point is determined in the unclean area. For example, when the length of the checkpoint set is 6 unit grids and the unclean area within a preset distance around the checkpoint set is more than 1 square meter, the target point is determined in the unclean area.

[0083] In an exemplary embodiment, determining the target point in the uncleaned area may include:

[0084] Find a point that meets the third preset condition in the uncleaned area as the target point;

[0085] The third precondition includes one or more of the following:

[0086] The distance to the obstacle is not less than a fourth preset distance;

[0087] The distance to the non-cleaning area is not less than a fifth preset distance.

[0088] This exemplary embodiment can search for a point in an unclean area and use a point that meets the third preset condition as the target point. The third preset condition can be a distance condition between the point and an obstacle, and / or a distance condition from the unclean area. Specifically, it can be searching for a point in the unclean area that is no less than a fourth preset distance from an obstacle, and / or no less than a fifth preset distance from the unclean area. The fourth and fifth preset distances can be customized according to actual needs. The third preset condition is determined to ensure that the target point is free of obstacles and far away from the unclean area.

[0089] The specific search can be achieved in many ways. For example, this exemplary embodiment can start from multiple checkpoints or any checkpoint in the checkpoint set, perform a BFS (Breath First Search) search, search in the direction of the uncleaned area, and use the point that meets the third preset condition as the target point.

[0090] In an exemplary embodiment, clustering the first checkpoints to form one or more checkpoint sets may include:

[0091] A plurality of first checkpoints whose mutual distances do not exceed a sixth preset distance are grouped into the same checkpoint set.

[0092] To reduce computational complexity while ensuring the effectiveness of the first checkpoints, this exemplary embodiment can cluster the first checkpoints to form one or more checkpoint sets. Specifically, the first checkpoints can be clustered based on their distances to each other, with multiple first checkpoints whose distances do not exceed a sixth preset distance grouped into the same checkpoint set. For example, by clustering the checkpoints based on their distances to each other, first checkpoints within a distance of two units can be grouped into a single checkpoint set. This ultimately yields multiple line segment clustering results. The size and unit of the sixth preset distance can be customized based on actual needs, for example, it can be set to two units or 2 cm.

[0093] In an exemplary embodiment, if the checkpoint set satisfies the second preset condition and the uncleaned area having a preset relationship with the checkpoint set satisfies the second size condition, determining the target point in the uncleaned area may include:

[0094] The following target point search process is performed on the checkpoint set in order of the distance between the checkpoint set and the cleaning robot from near to far: if the checkpoint set satisfies a second preset condition, and the uncleaned area that has a preset relationship with the checkpoint set satisfies a second size condition, then the target point is determined in the uncleaned area;

[0095] In response to the target point being determined, the target point search process ends.

[0096] The distance of the cleaning robot refers to the distance between the cleaning robot's current position and the boundary of the checkpoint set or a reference point of the checkpoint set, such as the center point. In this exemplary embodiment, the distances between different checkpoint sets obtained through clustering and the cleaning robot may vary. To determine a target point in an uncleaned area based on the checkpoint set, the target point search process can be performed on the checkpoint set in descending order of distance from the cleaning robot. If the checkpoint set satisfies a second preset condition and an uncleaned area that has a preset relationship with the checkpoint set satisfies a second size condition, the target point is determined in the uncleaned area to improve the accuracy and efficiency of checkpoint determination. Once the target point is determined, the search process for the target point can be stopped.

[0097] In an exemplary embodiment, in the process of controlling the cleaning robot to move to the target point, the control method of the cleaning robot may further include:

[0098] If the cleaning robot fails to move, detecting whether the current position of the cleaning robot meets a fourth preset condition, and if so, controlling the cleaning robot to execute a preset cleaning instruction;

[0099] The fourth precondition includes one or more of the following:

[0100] Located in the target area where the target point is located;

[0101] Located in an uncleaned area that meets the fourth size condition.

[0102] When the control of the cleaning robot to move to the target point fails, the current position of the cleaning robot can be checked. When the fourth preset condition is met, it is determined that the cleaning robot has moved successfully, and the cleaning robot can be controlled to execute the preset cleaning instruction. Among them, the fourth preset condition can be that the current position to which the cleaning robot moves is in the target area where the target point is located, which means that the cleaning robot is currently in the uncleaned area, or the current position to which the cleaning robot moves is in an uncleaned area that meets the fourth size condition. For example, the area of ​​the uncleaned area around the current position exceeds the preset threshold, which means that there are enough uncleaned areas around the current position that need to be cleaned, and it is also determined that the fourth preset condition is met. Alternatively, it can be that the current position is in the target area where the target point is located, and is located in an uncleaned area that meets the fourth size condition, etc. The fourth size condition refers to a judgment condition for judging whether the area size of the uncleaned area meets the need to execute the preset cleaning instruction. The condition can be an area condition, a condition on the number of points constituting the area, or a condition related to size such as the length and width of the area. The specific value or unit can be customized as needed, and the present disclosure does not make specific limitations on this. For example, in the process of controlling the cleaning robot to move normally to the target point, if the movement fails, the robot can re-detect whether the current position is within the area where the target point is located, and check whether there is enough uncleaned area around the current position. If so, the movement is considered successful and the cleaning operation or re-sweeping operation is continued. If the fourth preset condition is not met, the robot can stop moving and executing the preset cleaning instruction, and re-search for the uncleaned area.

[0103] In an exemplary embodiment, determining the first inspection point in a first intermediate area between a boundary of the unclean area and the working area and / or a second intermediate area between different unclean areas may include:

[0104] determining a first inspection point in the first intermediate area and / or the second intermediate area when a regular cleaning instruction for the work area has been completed;

[0105] Control the cleaning robot to move to the target point and execute preset cleaning instructions, including:

[0106] Control the cleaning robot to move to the target point and execute the supplementary cleaning instructions from the target point.

[0107] Among them, the regular cleaning instruction refers to the instruction for the cleaning robot to clean the cleaning area in the working area according to the pre-default cleaning instruction, such as the default operation of cleaning the non-cleaning area in the working area. In actual applications, the completion of the regular cleaning instruction is usually the cleaning instruction executed for the first time, such as performing the first round of cleaning operations in an environment that has not been cleaned. When the regular cleaning instruction for the working area is completed, it is considered that there may be areas in the working area that are blocked or surrounded by unclean areas, which may cause the cleaning robot to miss them when executing the regular cleaning instruction. Therefore, a first inspection point is determined in the first intermediate area and / or the second intermediate area. Through the relevant inspection and judgment of the first inspection point, it is determined whether there is an unclean area and a moving target point in the working area. Further, the cleaning robot is controlled to move to the target point and execute a supplementary cleaning instruction. The supplementary cleaning instruction can be regarded as a supplement to the regular cleaning instruction to supplement the cleaning of the missed unclean areas. This exemplary embodiment can further improve the cleaning completeness and effectiveness of the cleaning robot's cleaning of the working area by combining regular cleaning instructions with supplementary cleaning instructions.

[0108] Figure 9 A flow chart showing another method for controlling a cleaning robot may include the following steps:

[0109] Step S902, obtaining a non-clean area in the working area; the working area includes a cleanable area and one or more non-clean areas, and at least part of the cleanable area is an unclean area;

[0110] Step S904: Extend the boundary of the non-cleaning area to the boundary of the working area to form a first extension line located in the first middle area, and determine a second inspection point on the first extension line; and / or extend the boundary of the non-cleaning area to the boundary of another non-cleaning area to form a second extension line located in the second middle area, and determine a second inspection point on the second extension line;

[0111] Step S906, selecting a second checkpoint that meets the first preset condition as the first checkpoint;

[0112] Step S908: clustering the first checkpoints to form one or more checkpoint sets;

[0113] Step S910, determining whether the checkpoint set meets a second preset condition; for example, the length of the checkpoint set does not reach a preset threshold;

[0114] If the checkpoint set does not meet the second preset condition, return to step S906 or step S904;

[0115] Step S912: If the checkpoint set satisfies the second preset condition, determining whether the uncleaned area that has a preset relationship with the checkpoint set satisfies a second size condition; for example, whether the uncleaned area reaches a preset area threshold;

[0116] If the uncleaned area that meets the preset relationship with the checkpoint set does not meet the second size condition, the process returns to step S906 or step S904;

[0117] Step S914: If the uncleaned area that meets the preset relationship with the checkpoint set meets the second size condition, a point that meets the third preset condition is searched in the uncleaned area as the target point; for example, the checkpoint set finds a location in the uncleaned area that is free of obstacles and far away from the uncleaned area as the target point;

[0118] Step S916, controlling the cleaning robot to move to the target point and execute the preset cleaning instructions;

[0119] Step S918: If the cleaning robot fails to move, detecting whether the current position of the cleaning robot meets a fourth preset condition;

[0120] Step S920: If the conditions are met, the cleaning robot is controlled to execute the preset cleaning instructions;

[0121] Step S922: If not satisfied, stop executing the preset cleaning instruction.

[0122] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of controlling the movement of a cleaning robot is shown. The working area includes a non-cleaning area 1010 and a non-cleaning area 1020. When the cleaning robot 1030 completes the regular cleaning instructions in the right area, it determines the target point 1040 in the uncleaned area 1050 based on the above process, and controls the cleaning robot 1030 to move to the target point 1040 and start executing the supplementary cleaning instructions to clean the uncleaned area 1050.

[0123] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a control device for a cleaning robot is also provided, such as Figure 11As shown, the threshold area recognition device 1100 may include: a non-clean area acquisition module 1110, a checkpoint determination module 1120, a target point determination module 1130 and a non-clean area acquisition module 1140, wherein: the non-clean area acquisition module 1110 is used to acquire the non-clean area in the working area; the working area includes a cleanable area and one or more non-clean areas, and at least part of the cleanable area is an unclean area; the checkpoint determination module 1120 is used to determine a first checkpoint in the middle area between the boundary of the non-clean area and the boundary of the preset area; the target point determination module 1130 is used to determine a target point in the unclean area that has a preset relationship with the first checkpoint; the cleaning instruction execution module 1140 is used to control the cleaning robot to move to the target point and execute the preset cleaning instruction.

[0124] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the checkpoint determination module includes: a checkpoint determination unit for determining a first checkpoint in a first intermediate area between a boundary of an unclean area and a working area and / or a second intermediate area between different unclean areas.

[0125] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the checkpoint determination unit includes: a second checkpoint determination unit, used to extend the boundary of the non-clean area to the boundary of the working area to form a first extension line located in the first middle area, and determine the second checkpoint on the first extension line; and / or extend the boundary of the non-clean area to the boundary of other non-clean areas to form a second extension line located in the second middle area, and determine the second checkpoint on the second extension line; a first checkpoint determination unit, used to determine the first checkpoint based on the second checkpoint.

[0126] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first checkpoint determination unit includes: a first checkpoint screening subunit, used to screen out a second checkpoint that meets a first preset condition as the first checkpoint; the first preset condition includes one or more of the following: the distance between the second checkpoint and the obstacle is not less than the first preset distance; the distance between the second checkpoint and the unclean area does not exceed the second preset distance; the second checkpoint is located in an unclean area that meets the first size condition; the second checkpoint has not been used as the first checkpoint during the current cleaning process of the working area.

[0127] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the target point determination module includes: a checkpoint clustering unit, used to cluster the first checkpoint to form one or more checkpoint sets; a target point determination unit, used to determine the target point in the unclean area if the checkpoint set meets a second preset condition and the unclean area that has a preset relationship with the checkpoint set meets a second size condition.

[0128] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the preset relationship includes: the distance from the checkpoint set does not exceed a third preset distance.

[0129] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the second preset condition includes: the checkpoint area determined according to the checkpoint set satisfies a third size condition.

[0130] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the target point determination unit includes: a target point determination subunit, which is used to search for a point that meets a third preset condition in an unclean area as a target point; the third preset condition includes one or more of the following: the distance to the obstacle is not less than a fourth preset distance; the distance to the unclean area is not less than a fifth preset distance.

[0131] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the checkpoint clustering unit includes: a clustering subunit, configured to group a plurality of first checkpoints whose distances from each other do not exceed a sixth preset distance into the same checkpoint set.

[0132] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the target point determination unit includes: a search processing subunit, which is used to perform the following target point search processing on the checkpoint set in order of the distance between the checkpoint set and the cleaning robot from near to far: if the checkpoint set meets the second preset condition, and the unclean area that has a preset relationship with the checkpoint set meets the second size condition, then the target point is determined in the unclean area; and a response judgment subunit, which is used to end the target point search processing in response to the determination of the target point.

[0133] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, in the process of controlling the cleaning robot to move to the target point, the control device of the above-mentioned cleaning robot also includes: a current position judgment unit, which is used to detect whether the current position of the cleaning robot meets the fourth preset condition if the cleaning robot fails to move, and if so, control the cleaning robot to execute the preset cleaning instruction; the fourth preset condition includes one or more of the following: being located in the target area where the target point is located; being located in an uncleaned area that meets the fourth size condition.

[0134] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the checkpoint determination module includes: a first checkpoint determination unit, which is used to determine the first checkpoint in the first intermediate area and / or the second intermediate area when the regular cleaning instructions for the working area have been completed; the cleaning instruction execution module includes: a supplementary cleaning instruction execution unit, which is used to control the cleaning robot to move to the target point and execute the supplementary cleaning instructions starting from the target point.

[0135] The specific details of the control device modules of each of the above-mentioned cleaning robots have been described in detail in the control method of the corresponding cleaning robot, so they will not be repeated here.

[0136] It should be noted that although several modules or units of the device for execution are mentioned in the detailed description above, 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. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into multiple modules or units to be embodied.

[0137] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device capable of implementing the above method is further provided. For example, the electronic device may be a cleaning robot capable of implementing the above method.

[0138] 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 implemented in the following forms: a complete hardware implementation, a complete software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software implementations, which may be collectively referred to herein as "circuits," "modules," or "systems."

[0139] Refer to the following Figure 12 12 is a diagram to describe an electronic device 1200 according to such an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 12 The electronic device 1200 shown is merely an example and should not limit the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0140] like Figure 12 As shown, electronic device 1200 is implemented as a general-purpose computing device. Components of electronic device 1200 may include, but are not limited to, the aforementioned at least one processing unit 1210, the aforementioned at least one storage unit 1220, a bus 1230 connecting various system components (including storage unit 1220 and processing unit 1210), and a display unit 1240.

[0141] The storage unit stores program codes, which can be executed by the processing unit 1210, so that the processing unit 1210 performs the steps described in the "Exemplary Method" section of this specification according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the processing unit 1210 can execute Figure 3 or Figure 9 Steps shown, etc.

[0142] The storage unit 1220 may include a readable medium in the form of a volatile storage unit, such as a random access memory unit (RAM) 1221 and / or a cache memory unit 1222 , and may further include a read-only memory unit (ROM) 1223 .

[0143] The storage unit 1220 may also include a program / utility 1224 having a set (at least one) of program modules 1225, such program modules 1225 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.

[0144] The bus 1230 may represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, a processing unit, or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures.

[0145] The electronic device 1200 can also communicate with one or more external devices 1300 (e.g., a keyboard, a pointing device, a Bluetooth device, etc.), one or more devices that enable a user to interact with the electronic device 1200, and / or any device that enables the electronic device 1200 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., a router, a modem, etc.). Such communication can occur via an input / output (I / O) interface 1250. Furthermore, the electronic device 1200 can communicate with one or more networks (e.g., a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and / or a public network such as the Internet) via a network adapter 1260. As shown, the network adapter 1260 communicates with other modules of the electronic device 1200 via a bus 1230. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figure, other hardware and / or software modules can be used in conjunction with the electronic device 1200, including but not limited to microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0146] Through the description of the above embodiments, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the embodiments 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, and includes several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a terminal device, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0147] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a cleaning robot is further provided, which includes: a body; and a controller disposed in the body; the controller may be configured to execute the above-mentioned control method of the cleaning robot.

[0148] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a cleaning system is also provided, which includes: a base station; a cleaning robot, wherein the base station can be used at least to charge the cleaning robot, and can also perform self-cleaning or water replenishment operations on the cleaning robot according to actual needs.

[0149] In exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, on which is stored a program product capable of implementing the aforementioned methods of this specification. In some possible implementations, various aspects of the present disclosure may also be implemented in the form of a program product comprising program code. When the program product is executed on a terminal device, the program code is configured to cause the terminal device to execute the steps described in the "Exemplary Methods" section of this specification according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0150] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a program product for implementing the above-mentioned method can be a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) and include program code, and can be run on a terminal device, such as a personal computer. However, the program product of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In this document, a readable storage medium can be any tangible medium containing or storing a program, which can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0151] The program product may be implemented in any combination of one or more readable media. The readable medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, or component, or any combination thereof. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of readable storage media include: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable 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.

[0152] A computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium that can transmit, propagate, or transfer a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0153] The program code embodied on the readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0154] The program code for performing the operations of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, C++, and the like, as well as conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user computing device, partially on the user device, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In cases involving a remote computing device, the remote computing device may be connected to the user computing device via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0155] Furthermore, the above-mentioned figures are merely illustrative of the processes included in the methods according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to be limiting. It is readily understood that the processes illustrated in the above-mentioned figures do not indicate or limit the temporal order of these processes. Furthermore, it is readily understood that these processes may be executed synchronously or asynchronously, for example, in multiple modules.

[0156] Other embodiments of the present disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow from the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The description and examples are to be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure being indicated by the claims.

[0157] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exact structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A control method for a cleaning robot, It is characterized in that The method comprises: Acquire a non-clean area in a working area; the working area includes a cleanable area and one or more non-clean areas, and at least part of the cleanable area is an unclean area; Determine a first inspection point in an intermediate area between a boundary of the non-cleaning area and a boundary of a preset area; Determine a target point in the uncleaned area that has a preset relationship with the first inspection point; The cleaning robot is controlled to move to the target point and execute a preset cleaning instruction.

2. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that Determining a first inspection point in an intermediate area between a boundary of the non-cleaning area and a boundary of a preset area comprises: A first inspection point is determined in a first intermediate area between the non-cleaning area and a boundary of the working area and / or in a second intermediate area between different non-cleaning areas.

3. The method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The first inspection point is determined in a first intermediate area between the boundary of the non-clean area and the working area and / or in a second intermediate area between different non-clean areas, including: Extending the boundary of the non-cleaning area to the boundary of the working area to form a first extension line located in the first middle area, and determining a second inspection point on the first extension line; and / or extending the boundary of the non-cleaning area to the boundary of the other non-cleaning area to form a second extension line located in the second middle area, and determining a second inspection point on the second extension line; The first checkpoint is determined according to the second checkpoint.

4. The method according to claim 3, It is characterized in that The determining the first checkpoint according to the second checkpoint includes: Filtering out the second checkpoint that meets the first preset condition as the first checkpoint; The first preset condition includes one or more of the following: The distance between the second checkpoint and the obstacle is not less than a first preset distance; The distance between the second inspection point and the non-cleaning area does not exceed a second preset distance; The second inspection point is located in an uncleaned area that meets a first size condition; The second inspection point has not been used as the first inspection point during the current cleaning process of the working area.

5. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The step of determining a target point in an uncleaned area that has a preset relationship with the first inspection point includes: clustering the first checkpoints to form one or more checkpoint sets; If the inspection point set satisfies a second preset condition, and an uncleaned area that has a preset relationship with the inspection point set satisfies a second size condition, a target point is determined in the uncleaned area.

6. A control device for a cleaning robot, It is characterized in that include: A non-clean area acquisition module, used for acquiring a non-clean area in a working area; The working area includes a cleanable area and one or more uncleaned areas, and at least part of the cleanable area is an uncleaned area; A checkpoint determination module, configured to determine a first checkpoint in an intermediate area between a boundary of the non-cleaning area and a boundary of a preset area; A target point determination module, used to determine a target point in an uncleaned area that has a preset relationship with the first inspection point; The cleaning instruction execution module is used to control the cleaning robot to move to the target point and execute the preset cleaning instruction.

7. A cleaning robot, It is characterized in that include: Body; and A controller disposed in the body; The controller is configured to execute the control method of the cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. A cleaning system, It is characterized in that include: Base station; The cleaning robot as described in claim 7, wherein the base station is at least used to charge the cleaning robot.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, It is characterized in that When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is implemented.

10. An electronic device, It is characterized in that include: processor; as well as A memory, configured to store executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 5 by executing the executable instructions.

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