Storage medium and obstacle avoidance device, method and equipment for storage tank cleaning robot

Abstract

The invention discloses a storage medium, and an obstacle avoidance device, method and equipment for a storage tank cleaning robot. The device comprises a detection mechanism and a processing mechanism; the detection mechanism comprises a liquid bag, a back plate, a hydraulic pipeline and a pressure sensor; the detection mechanism used for being in pressure contact with an obstacle is arranged at a preset position outside the robot; a plurality of liquid bags serving as obstacle contact points are uniformly arranged on the back plate; each liquid bag is communicated with a pressure sensor arranged outside the storage tank through a corresponding hydraulic pipeline; the pressure sensor is used for collecting and transmitting pressure data of each liquid bag; the processing mechanism takes the acquired pressure data as parameters, and calculates the steering angle of the robot after the robot is in contact with the obstacle according to a preset algorithm; and generating an action instruction according to the steering angle. The robot entering the oil storage tank is a pure hydraulic control crawler, and the detection mechanism does not contain any electrical element, so that the potential safety hazard caused by combustible substances in the oil storage tank is eliminated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of petrochemical tank cleaning, and in particular to a storage medium, an obstacle avoidance device, method and equipment for a tank cleaning robot. Background Art

[0002] Robot obstacle avoidance is one of the most basic and key functions in robotics technology. Robot obstacle avoidance is to ensure that when the robot encounters obstacles during its operation, it can assist the robot to identify and avoid obstacles and continue to perform its task by bypassing the obstacles.

[0003] At present, most robot obstacle avoidance devices use sensors to measure the distance between the robot and obstacles, and then combine algorithms to obtain a planned route for obstacle avoidance. Sensors that measure the distance between the robot and obstacles include: ultrasonic sensors, infrared sensors, laser sensors, and visual sensors. Any of the above sensors requires electronic equipment. There are a lot of flammable substances inside the oil storage tanks in the petrochemical field. When using robots to clean the inside of the oil storage tanks, a lot of electrical equipment needs to be carried into the tanks, which brings certain safety hazards.

[0004] The inventor has found through research that the obstacle avoidance device of the robot used for tank cleaning in the prior art still has at least the following defects:

[0005] The robot obstacle avoidance device based on electrical equipment needs to carry a large amount of electrical equipment, which poses a safety hazard when it enters a storage tank containing flammable substances.

[0006] The information disclosed in this background technology section is only intended to enhance the understanding of the overall background of the invention and should not be regarded as an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that the information constitutes the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the potential safety hazard of a tank cleaning robot.

[0008] The present invention provides an obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot, comprising: a detection mechanism and a processing mechanism;

[0009] The detection mechanism includes a liquid bag, a back plate, a hydraulic pipeline and a pressure sensor; the detection mechanism for pressure contact with the obstacle is arranged at a preset position outside the robot;

[0010] The plurality of liquid capsules as obstacle contact points are evenly arranged on the back plate; each of the liquid capsules is connected to the pressure sensor disposed outside the storage tank through the corresponding hydraulic pipeline; the pressure sensor is used to collect and transmit the pressure data of each of the liquid capsules;

[0011] The processing mechanism uses the acquired pressure data as a parameter and calculates the steering angle of the robot after it contacts an obstacle according to a preset algorithm; and generates an action instruction according to the steering angle.

[0012] Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the robot is used for cleaning storage tanks in a petrochemical enterprise.

[0013] Preferably, in the embodiment of the present invention, it also includes:

[0014] The control mechanism controls the movement of the robot by receiving the action instruction.

[0015] Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of the liquid capsules are evenly arranged on the back plate, including:

[0016] The shapes and sizes of the liquid sacs are the same, and the liquid sacs are not communicated with each other.

[0017] Preferably, in the embodiment of the present invention, the back plate is arc-shaped or L-shaped.

[0018] Preferably, in the embodiment of the present invention, the robot is a purely hydraulically controlled crawler vehicle.

[0019] Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the detection mechanism for pressure contact with an obstacle is arranged at a preset position outside the robot, and includes:

[0020] The detection mechanism is arranged around the pure hydraulically controlled crawler vehicle.

[0021] Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the processing mechanism further comprises: taking the acquired pressure value as a parameter, and calculating the retreat distance of the robot after contacting an obstacle according to a preset algorithm.

[0022] Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the processing mechanism uses the acquired pressure data as a parameter and calculates the turning angle of the robot after it contacts an obstacle according to a preset algorithm, including:

[0023] S21, the processing mechanism acquires the pressure data, and determines a sac identifier of a sac corresponding to the pressure data and a generation time point of the pressure data;

[0024] S22, using the pressure data capsule identifier and the pressure data as parameters, calculating the turning angle of the robot after it contacts the obstacle according to a preset algorithm

[0025] In another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an obstacle avoidance method for a tank cleaning robot, which is used for the autonomous obstacle avoidance device as described above, comprising the steps of:

[0026] S11, acquiring collision data from a pressure sensor; the collision data including collision time point and pressure data of each collision liquid bag;

[0027] S12, calculating the collision direction and collision angle between the robot and the obstacle according to the collision time point and the pressure data;

[0028] S13, calculating the steering angle of the robot according to the collision direction and the collision angle;

[0029] S14, generating an action instruction according to the steering angle of the robot;

[0030] S15, sending the action instruction to a control mechanism to control the movement of the robot.

[0031] Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, calculating the collision direction and collision angle between the robot and the obstacle according to the collision time point and the pressure data comprises the steps of:

[0032] S31, determining a first collision liquid capsule and a second collision liquid capsule according to the liquid capsule identifier of the liquid capsule corresponding to the collision time point and the pressure data;

[0033] S32, calculating the sine value of the angle between the center distance of the two collision liquid capsules and the obstacle according to the movement distance of the robot and the center distance between the first collision liquid capsule and the second collision liquid capsule;

[0034] S33, calculating the distance between the centers of the two collision liquid capsules and the angle between the obstacle according to the sine value of the angle;

[0035] S34. Calculate a collision angle between the obstacle and the robot according to an angle between the obstacle and the first collision liquid capsule and an angle between the first collision liquid capsule and the robot; the angle between each liquid capsule and the robot is fixed and the angle value is known.

[0036] Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the step of calculating the collision direction and collision angle between the robot and the obstacle according to the collision time point and the pressure data includes:

[0037] When the collision capsule meets the preset rules, the angle between the collision plane and the robot's moving direction is calculated according to the center position of the collision capsule;

[0038] The preset rule includes: at the same time, among the preselected collision liquid capsules whose pressure value difference in the collision liquid capsule is less than the preset threshold, the number of preselected collision liquid capsules not on the same straight line is greater than or equal to three;

[0039] The step of calculating the angle between the collision plane and the robot's traveling direction according to the center positions of the collision liquid capsules includes: when the number of preselected collision liquid capsules not on the same straight line is greater than or equal to three, determining the collision plane between the robot and the obstacle according to the center positions of the three preselected collision liquid capsules not on the same straight line.

[0040] Preferably, in the embodiment of the present invention, calculating the steering angle of the robot according to the collision direction and the collision angle further includes:

[0041] The backward distance of the robot is calculated according to the collision direction and the collision angle.

[0042] Preferably, in the embodiment of the present invention, it also includes:

[0043] An action instruction is generated according to the retreat distance of the robot.

[0044] On the other hand, a storage medium is provided on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, each step of the obstacle avoidance method for a tank cleaning robot as described in any one of the above items is implemented.

[0045] On the other hand, an obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot is provided; the obstacle avoidance device for the tank cleaning robot includes a computer program stored on a medium, and the computer program includes program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer executes the methods described in the above aspects and achieves the same technical effects.

[0046] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0047] In the present invention, the detection mechanism includes a liquid capsule, a back plate, a hydraulic pipeline and a pressure sensor. A plurality of liquid capsules serving as obstacle contact points are evenly arranged on the back plate; each liquid capsule is connected to a pressure sensor placed outside the storage tank through a corresponding hydraulic pipeline; the non-electrical component part of the detection mechanism is placed inside the oil storage tank, and the pressure sensor is installed outside the oil storage tank, so as to ensure that the detection mechanism entering the oil storage tank has no electrical components. When the robot enters the oil storage tank for cleaning, after the robot contacts an obstacle, the pressure data of each collision liquid capsule will be transmitted to the processing mechanism through the pressure sensor. The processing mechanism can determine the identification of the liquid capsule corresponding to the pressure data from the acquired pressure data, and calculate the steering angle of the robot after contacting the obstacle according to the liquid capsule identification and pressure data of the pressure data according to a preset algorithm, and then the robot movement can be controlled by the control mechanism.

[0048] Since the robot entering the oil storage tank in the present invention is a pure hydraulically controlled crawler vehicle and the detection mechanism does not contain any electrical components, the potential safety hazard caused by the presence of flammable substances in the oil storage tank is eliminated.

[0049] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present invention and implement it according to the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other purposes, technical features and advantages of the present invention easier to understand, one or more preferred embodiments are listed below and described in detail with the accompanying drawings as follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0051] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the obstacle avoidance device for the tank cleaning robot described in the present invention;

[0052] Figure 2 is another structural schematic diagram of the obstacle avoidance device for the tank cleaning robot described in the present invention;

[0053] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of calculating the collision angle in the present invention;

[0054] Figure 4 is a step diagram of the obstacle avoidance method for the tank cleaning robot described in the present invention;

[0055] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the obstacle avoidance device for the tank cleaning robot described in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] The specific implementation modes of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but it should be understood that the protection scope of the present invention is not limited by the specific implementation modes.

[0057] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the term “comprise” or variations such as “include” or “comprising”, etc., will be understood to include the stated elements or components but not to exclude other elements or components.

[0058] In this document, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish two different elements or parts, and are not used to limit a specific position or relative relationship. In other words, in some embodiments, the terms "first", "second", etc. can also be interchangeable.

[0059] Embodiment 1

[0060] In order to eliminate the safety hazards caused by flammable substances, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , in an embodiment of the present invention, an obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot is provided, comprising: a detection mechanism 01 and a processing mechanism 02;

[0061] The detection mechanism 01 includes a liquid capsule 11, a back plate 12, a hydraulic pipeline 13 and a pressure sensor 14; the detection mechanism used for pressure contact with an obstacle is arranged at a preset position outside the robot 03; multiple liquid capsules 11 serving as obstacle contact points are evenly arranged on the back plate 12; each liquid capsule 11 is connected to a pressure sensor 14 placed outside the storage tank through a corresponding hydraulic pipeline 13; the pressure sensor 14 is used to collect and transmit pressure data of each liquid capsule 11; the processing mechanism 02 uses the acquired pressure data as a parameter, and calculates the steering angle of the robot 03 after it contacts the obstacle according to a preset algorithm; and generates an action instruction for the robot 03 according to the steering angle.

[0062] After research, the inventor found that there are a lot of flammable substances inside the oil tanks of petrochemical enterprises. If electrical equipment enters the oil tanks, it will bring safety hazards. Therefore, the inventive ideas of the embodiments of the present invention include: the detection mechanism placed inside the oil tank (including the liquid capsule 11, the back plate 12, the hydraulic pipeline 13, and the robot 03 itself) does not contain electrical components, and the pressure sensor 14 is installed outside the oil tank. The robot 03 used for cleaning the oil tank is a pure hydraulically controlled crawler vehicle and does not contain any electrical components. This ensures that the detection mechanism entering the oil tank does not contain any electrical components, thereby eliminating the safety hazards caused by flammable substances.

[0063] When the robot 03 enters the oil tank for cleaning, when the robot 03 collides with an obstacle, it squeezes a certain liquid capsule (assuming it is the first liquid capsule) at the initial moment. At this time, the obstacle is tangent to the first liquid capsule. As the robot 03 collides and squeezes the obstacle for an increasing time, the pressure of the first liquid capsule continues to increase. Then, the second liquid capsule adjacent to or separated from the first liquid capsule will also begin to produce pressure changes. The pressure data in each collision liquid capsule is transmitted to the processing mechanism 02 through the pressure sensor 14 installed outside the oil tank. The processing mechanism 02 determines the number of the liquid capsule corresponding to the pressure data through the acquired pressure data, calculates the steering angle of the robot 03 after contacting the obstacle according to the liquid capsule number and the pressure data of the pressure data according to the preset algorithm, and generates an action instruction according to the steering angle. The control mechanism 04 receives the action instruction sent by the processing mechanism, controls the movement of the robot 03, and then completes the cleaning of the oil tank. It should be noted that in order to determine the specific liquid capsule corresponding to the pressure data, a number is set on each liquid capsule.

[0064] When the robot 03 moves in a straight line, if it collides with an obstacle, the first liquid capsule (i.e., the first collision liquid capsule) is squeezed at the initial moment t0 of the collision, and the obstacle plane is tangent to the first liquid capsule. As the collision and squeezing time of the robot 03 and the obstacle increases, at moment t1, the second liquid capsule (i.e., the second collision liquid capsule) adjacent to or separated from the first liquid capsule will also be squeezed and produce a pressure change. At this time, the obstacle is tangent to the second liquid capsule. Because the robot 03 has a braking mechanism and the travel speed is very slow (generally, the travel speed per minute is less than 1 meter), the robot 03 will brake in a short time after colliding with the obstacle, and the collision direction will not change during the collision process, so the relative angle between the obstacle plane and the robot 03 will not change. It should be noted that the braking mechanism can calculate the maximum permissible collision time according to the liquid capsule size, i.e., the liquid capsule height and the robot travel speed, and preset the active stop program to prevent the robot from passively displacing due to inelastic collision, deviating from the original travel direction, and affecting the calculation of the steering angle.

[0065] The calculation of the collision angle in the embodiment of the present invention is described in conjunction with practical applications.

[0066] refer to Figure 3 , based on multiple points set in the figure (such as J, G, K, O1, O2, H and I) and multiple lines (such as straight lines r, f, e0, e1 and e2) and assuming that the radius of the balloon is R; the embodiment of the present invention can perform the following calculations: In the figure, the line segment formed by two points can be represented by two characters, such as line segments O1 O2, KO1, HI, IO2 and HI, etc.; wherein K is the intersection of e1 and O1J; G is the intersection of the extended lines of e0 and O2H; I is the intersection of e2 and O2H.

[0067] Assume that the travel distance of robot 03 during the collision is d, and the distance between the center O1 of the first liquid capsule and the center O2 of the second liquid capsule is l, that is, the length of line segment O1 O2 is l; the sine value of the angle between the center of the two liquid capsules and the parallel plane of the obstacle can be calculated by d / l, thereby calculating the angle C between the two (the angle formed by O1 O2 and e2 in the figure).

[0068] Specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the linearly moving detection structure 01 collides with a planar obstacle, the liquid capsule 111 is squeezed at the initial time t0. At this time, the collision plane is tangent to the liquid capsule 111 at point J, thereby determining the collision plane at the initial time t0 (the plane in the vertical direction of e0 in the figure). The collision and squeezing continue, and the pressure of the liquid capsule 111 continues to increase. At time t1, the adjacent second liquid capsule 112 also begins to produce pressure changes. At this time, the collision plane is tangent to the liquid capsule 112 at point H, thereby determining the collision plane at the initial time t1 (the plane in the vertical direction of e1 in the figure). Because the robot 03 moves in a straight line and the direction does not change, the collision plane and the travel angle of the robot 03 do not change. At this time, the robot travels a distance d ( Figure 3 JK = GH = d), that is, the distance between the collision plane at t0 and the collision plane at t1;

[0069] The center distance between the two liquid capsules is l (line segment O1O2 in the figure), because KO1=HI=Rd, IO2=R-HI=d, so, through IO2 / O1O2 (i.e. d / l), the sine value of the angle (the angle between IO1 and O1O2 in the figure) between the plane passing through the centers of the two liquid capsules and parallel to the vertical direction (the plane in the vertical direction of O1O2 in the figure) and the plane passing through the center of the liquid capsule 111 (O1 in the figure) and parallel to the collision plane (the plane in the vertical direction of e2 in the figure) can be calculated, and then the angle C (the angle formed by e2 and O1O2 at O1 in the figure) is obtained, and the angle D (the angle formed by f and e2 at O1 in the figure) between the collision plane (i.e., e2) and the plane vertically tangent to the back plate 12 (i.e., f) is D=BC, thereby obtaining the angle AD between the collision plane and the plane parallel to the front end of the robot 03 (i.e., the plane in the horizontal direction of the straight line r in the figure).

[0070] In summary, the collision angle between the collision plane and the robot 03 can be obtained, and the collision adjustment angle can be calculated by a preset algorithm.

[0071] It should be noted that when determining the relative angle between the tangent plane where the sac is located and the robot 03, or the relative angle between the obstacle plane and the robot 03, a virtual straight line logically set on the robot 03 can be used as a reference; for example, it can be an axis running through the front and back of the robot 03.

[0072] In the embodiment of the present invention, multiple liquid capsules 11 as obstacle contact points are evenly and closely arranged on the back plate 12, and the shapes and sizes of the liquid capsules 11 are the same, and the liquid capsules 11 are not connected to each other. When the robot contacts the obstacle, it continues to collide and squeeze with the obstacle, and the liquid capsule pressure at the contact part continues to increase. The liquid capsules 11 are not connected to each other, so that the pressure data of each liquid capsule 11 can be transmitted to the pressure sensor 14 outside the oil tank through the corresponding hydraulic pipeline 13. The shapes and sizes of the liquid capsules 11 are the same, so that the pressure data collected by the pressure sensor 14 is more accurate, providing a reliable basis for determining the collision direction and collision angle between the robot 03 and the obstacle. It should be noted that the obstacle can include the anode plate in the oil tank. There are multiple rectangular anode plates inside the oil tank. The main obstacle that the robot 03 avoids is the anode plate in the oil tank.

[0073] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the back plate 12 is arc-shaped or L-shaped. The shape of the back plate 12 is determined according to the external contour of the robot 03. If the collision position between the robot 03 and the obstacle is a plane, the shape of the back plate 12 is designed to be arc-shaped; if the collision position between the robot 03 and the obstacle is a right angle, the shape of the back plate 12 is designed to be L-shaped. In addition, the detection mechanism is fixedly installed around the robot 03. If it is a square robot 03, it is installed at the front, back, left and right corners of the robot 03. After each part of the robot 03 contacts the obstacle, the pressure data of the collision liquid bag can be obtained, thereby determining the collision direction and collision angle between the robot 03 and the obstacle.

[0074] Furthermore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the processing mechanism 02 can also calculate the retreat distance of the robot 03 after contacting the obstacle based on the liquid bag number and pressure data corresponding to the pressure data, and can generate action instructions based on the retreat distance and turning angle of the robot 03 after contacting the obstacle.

[0075] In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the control mechanism 04 receives the action instructions generated by the processing mechanism 02, and controls the movement of the robot 03 according to the received action instructions, so that the robot 03 completes the work of cleaning the tank. In practical applications, the control mechanism 04 may include devices such as terminals and servers that have data processing and data transmission capabilities. Among them, the server can be an independent physical server, or a server cluster or distributed system composed of multiple physical servers, or a cloud server that provides basic cloud computing services such as cloud services, cloud databases, cloud computing, cloud functions, cloud storage, network services, cloud communications, middleware services, domain name services, security services, CDN, and big data and artificial intelligence platforms. The terminal can be a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, etc., but is not limited to this.

[0076] The specific implementation of the present invention is described below in conjunction with a specific application scenario.

[0077] refer to Figure 1 In this specific application scenario, the pure hydraulically controlled crawler vehicle can be designed as a rectangle with an arc-shaped collision contact portion, and the detection mechanism part (such as the back plate) without electrical components is fixedly installed at the front, rear, left and right corners of the pure hydraulically controlled crawler vehicle.

[0078] In summary, the detection mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention includes a liquid capsule, a back plate, a hydraulic pipeline and a pressure sensor. A plurality of liquid capsules serving as obstacle contact points are evenly arranged on the back plate; each liquid capsule is connected to a pressure sensor placed outside the storage tank through a corresponding hydraulic pipeline; the part of the detection mechanism without electrical components is placed inside the oil storage tank, and the pressure sensor is installed outside the oil storage tank, so as to ensure that the detection mechanism entering the oil storage tank has no electrical components. When the robot enters the oil storage tank for cleaning, after the robot contacts an obstacle, the pressure data of each collision liquid capsule will be transmitted to the processing mechanism through the pressure sensor. The processing mechanism can determine the identification of the liquid capsule corresponding to the pressure data from the acquired pressure data, and calculate the steering angle of the robot after contacting the obstacle according to the liquid capsule identification and pressure data of the pressure data according to a preset algorithm, and then the robot movement can be controlled by the control mechanism.

[0079] Since the robot entering the oil storage tank in the embodiment of the present invention is a pure hydraulically controlled crawler vehicle and the detection mechanism does not contain any electrical components, the potential safety hazard caused by the presence of flammable substances in the oil storage tank is eliminated.

[0080] Embodiment 2

[0081] Corresponding to the device embodiment, on the other side of the embodiment of the present invention, an obstacle avoidance method for a tank cleaning robot is also provided, such as Figure 4 As shown, the steps include:

[0082] S11, acquiring collision data from a pressure sensor; the collision data including collision time point and pressure data of each collision liquid bag;

[0083] The obstacle avoidance method in the embodiment of the present invention is applicable to the obstacle avoidance device for the tank cleaning robot in the first embodiment.

[0084] In practical applications, the executor of the obstacle avoidance method in the embodiment of the present invention may be the processing mechanism 02 in the obstacle avoidance device for the tank cleaning robot, or the processing mechanism 02 may be implemented in collaboration with other processing devices with data processing capabilities.

[0085] The inventive concept of the embodiment of the present invention includes that when the robot 03 moves in a straight line and collides with an obstacle, two or more liquid capsules (with known positions) will be squeezed one after another, and then the pressure sensor corresponding to the liquid capsule will collect pressure data; according to the front and back order of the squeezed liquid capsules, the collision direction and collision angle between the robot and the obstacle can be calculated, and then the steering angle required for the robot 03 to avoid the obstacle can be calculated, specifically:

[0086] In the embodiment of the present invention, the relative angle and position of each liquid capsule and the robot 03 are known, and each liquid capsule has its corresponding identification; when the robot 03 enters the oil storage tank for cleaning, when the robot 03 collides with an obstacle, it squeezes a certain liquid capsule (assuming it is the first liquid capsule) at the initial moment. At this time, the obstacle is tangent to the first liquid capsule. As the collision and squeezing time between the robot 03 and the obstacle increases, the pressure of the first liquid capsule continues to increase. Then, the second liquid capsule adjacent to the first liquid capsule will also begin to produce pressure changes. The pressure data in each collision liquid capsule is transmitted to the processing mechanism 02 through the pressure sensor 14 installed on the outside of the oil storage tank. The processing mechanism 02 determines the number of the liquid capsule corresponding to the pressure data through the acquired pressure data;

[0087] In one example, it could be:

[0088] When the robot 03 moves in a straight line, it collides with an obstacle. At the initial moment t0 of the collision, the first liquid capsule (i.e., the first collision liquid capsule) is squeezed, and the obstacle plane is tangent to the first liquid capsule. As the collision and squeezing time between the robot 03 and the obstacle increases, at moment t1, the second liquid capsule (i.e., the second collision liquid capsule) adjacent to or separated from the first liquid capsule is also squeezed and produces a pressure change. At this time, the obstacle is tangent to the second liquid capsule.

[0089] S12, calculating the collision direction and collision angle between the robot and the obstacle according to the collision time point and the pressure data;

[0090] refer to Figure 3 , based on multiple points set in the figure (such as J, G, K, O1, O2, H and I) and multiple lines (such as straight lines r, f, e0, e1 and e2) and assuming that the radius of the balloon is R; the embodiment of the present invention can perform the following calculations: In the figure, the line segment formed by two points can be represented by two characters, such as line segments O1 O2, KO1, HI, IO2 and HI, etc.; wherein K is the intersection of e1 and O1J; G is the intersection of the extended lines of e0 and O2H; I is the intersection of e2 and O2H.

[0091] Assume that the travel distance of robot 03 during the collision is d, the distance between the center O1 of the first liquid capsule (i.e., liquid capsule 111) and the center O2 of the second liquid capsule (i.e., liquid capsule 112) is l, that is, the length of line segment O1 O2 is l; the sine value of the angle between the center of the two liquid capsules and the parallel plane of the obstacle can be calculated by d / l, thereby calculating the angle C between the two (i.e., the angle formed between O1 O2 and e2 in the figure).

[0092] Specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the linearly moving detection structure 01 collides with a planar obstacle, the liquid capsule 111 is squeezed at the initial time t0. At this time, the collision plane is tangent to the liquid capsule 111 at point J, thereby determining the collision plane at the initial time t0 (the plane in the vertical direction of e0 in the figure). The collision and squeezing continue, and the pressure of the liquid capsule 111 continues to increase. At time t1, the adjacent second liquid capsule 112 also begins to produce pressure changes. At this time, the collision plane is tangent to the liquid capsule 112 at point H, thereby determining the collision plane at the initial time t1 (the plane in the vertical direction of e1 in the figure). Because the robot 03 moves in a straight line and the direction does not change, the collision plane and the travel angle of the robot 03 do not change. At this time, the robot travels a distance d ( Figure 3 JK = GH = d), that is, the distance between the collision plane at t0 and the collision plane at t1;

[0093] The center distance between the two liquid capsules is l (O1O2 in the figure). Because KO1=HI=Rd, IO2=R-HI=d, so the sine value of the angle (the angle between IO1 and O1O2 in the figure) between the plane passing through the centers of the two liquid capsules and parallel to the vertical direction (the plane in the vertical direction of O1O2 in the figure) and the plane passing through the center of the liquid capsule 111 (O1 in the figure) and parallel to the collision plane (the plane in the vertical direction of e2 in the figure) can be calculated through IO2 / O1O2 (that is, d / l), and then the angle C (the angle formed by e2 and O1O2 at O1 in the figure) is obtained, and the angle D (the angle formed by f and e2 at O1 in the figure) between the collision plane (that is, e2 in the figure) and the plane vertically tangent to the back plate 12 (that is, f in the figure) is D=BC, so the angle AD between the collision plane and the plane parallel to the front end of the robot 03 (that is, the plane in the horizontal direction of the straight line r in the figure) is obtained.

[0094] In summary, the collision angle between the collision plane and the robot 03 can be obtained, and the collision adjustment angle can be calculated by a preset algorithm.

[0095] Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, calculating the collision direction and collision angle between the robot and the obstacle according to the collision time point and pressure data may specifically include the following multiple sub-steps:

[0096] S31, determining a first collision liquid capsule and a second collision liquid capsule according to the liquid capsule identifier of the liquid capsule corresponding to the collision time point and the pressure data;

[0097] S32, calculating the sine value of the angle between the center distance of the two collision liquid capsules and the obstacle according to the movement distance of the robot and the center distance between the first collision liquid capsule and the second collision liquid capsule;

[0098] S33, calculating the distance between the centers of the two collision liquid capsules and the angle between the obstacle according to the sine value of the angle;

[0099] S34. Calculate a collision angle between the obstacle and the robot according to an angle between the obstacle and the first collision liquid capsule and an angle between the first collision liquid capsule and the robot; the angle between each liquid capsule and the robot is fixed and the angle value is known.

[0100] S13, calculating the steering angle of the robot according to the collision direction and the collision angle;

[0101] The relative angle between the cutting plane where each liquid capsule is located and the robot 03 is fixed and a known value. The collision angle between the obstacle and the robot is calculated by the distance between the centers of the two liquid capsules and the angle c between the obstacle, and the angle between the first liquid capsule (or the second liquid capsule) and the robot 03, so that the turning angle of the robot 03 after contacting the obstacle can be calculated.

[0102] It should be noted that when determining the relative angle between the tangent plane where the sac is located and the robot 03, or the relative angle between the obstacle plane and the robot 03, a virtual straight line logically set on the robot 03 can be used as a reference; for example, it can be an axis running through the front and back of the robot 03.

[0103] S14, generating an action instruction according to the steering angle of the robot;

[0104] The processing mechanism 02 can generate corresponding action instructions according to the steering angle of the robot;

[0105] S15. Send the action command to the control mechanism to control the movement of the robot.

[0106] In the embodiment of the present invention, the control mechanism 04 receives the action instruction generated by the processing mechanism 02, and controls the movement of the robot 03 according to the received action instruction, so that the robot 03 completes the obstacle avoidance action.

[0107] Preferably, in the embodiment of the present invention, when calculating the collision plane between the robot and the obstacle, the method adopted may also include:

[0108] During the period from the collision to the collision stopping, the pressure value of each liquid capsule at each moment is also recorded; when the collision liquid capsule meets the preset rules, the angle between the collision plane and the robot's moving direction is calculated according to the center position of the collision liquid capsule;

[0109] The preset rule includes: at the same time, among the preselected collision liquid capsules whose pressure value difference in the collision liquid capsule is less than the preset threshold, the number of preselected collision liquid capsules not on the same straight line is greater than or equal to three;

[0110] The calculating the angle between the collision plane and the robot's moving direction according to the center positions of the collision liquid capsules includes: when the number of pre-selected collision liquid capsules not on the same straight line is greater than or equal to three, determining the collision plane between the robot and the obstacle according to the center positions of the three pre-selected collision liquid capsules not on the same straight line;

[0111] The specific principle of this step is that since the numbers and positions of all the liquid capsules on the robot are known, if the three collision liquid capsules at the same time are not on the same straight line, then these three points can determine a plane, that is, according to the known center positions of the three collision liquid capsules, the relative position of the collision plane can be calculated;

[0112] Then, the angle between the collision plane and the moving direction of the robot can be further calculated, and the steering angle can be generated according to the angle.

[0113] In practical applications, when setting a preset threshold of the pressure value of the collision liquid bag, the preset threshold can be obtained by those skilled in the art based on experience or a limited number of experiments.

[0114] Since the pressure values ​​of the collision liquid bags are likely to be not exactly the same, this means that the collision sphere calculated based on the center of the collision liquid bag will have a certain error. Therefore, preferably, in the embodiment of the present invention, the steering angle can be corrected by generating a corresponding angle compensation based on the difference in pressure values ​​between the preselected collision liquid bags; in this way, a certain angle compensation is performed according to the different pressure values, so that the final steering angle can be more accurate.

[0115] It should be noted that the specific implementation and technical effects of the obstacle avoidance method for the tank cleaning robot in the embodiment of the present invention can be referred to Figure 1 The corresponding obstacle avoidance device for the tank cleaning robot will not be described in detail here.

[0116] Embodiment 3

[0117] Corresponding to the method embodiment, in the embodiment of the present invention, an obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot is also provided, such as a terminal, a server, etc. Among them, the server can be an independent physical server, or a server cluster or distributed system composed of multiple physical servers, or a cloud server that provides basic cloud computing services such as cloud services, cloud databases, cloud computing, cloud functions, cloud storage, network services, cloud communications, middleware services, domain name services, security services, CDN, and big data and artificial intelligence platforms. The terminal can be a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0118] An example diagram of a hardware structure block diagram of an obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, it may include:

[0119] Processor 1, communication interface 2, memory 3 and communication bus 4;

[0120] The processor 1, the communication interface 2, and the memory 3 communicate with each other via the communication bus 4;

[0121] Optionally, the communication interface 2 may be an interface of a communication module, such as an interface of a GSM module;

[0122] The processor 1 may be a central processing unit CPU, or an application-specific integrated circuit ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of the present application.

[0123] The memory 3 may include a high-speed RAM memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as at least one disk memory.

[0124] The processor 1 is specifically used to execute the computer program stored in the memory 3 to perform the following steps:

[0125] S11, acquiring collision data from a pressure sensor; the collision data including collision time point and pressure data of each collision liquid bag;

[0126] S12, calculating the collision direction and collision angle between the robot and the obstacle according to the collision time point and the pressure data;

[0127] S13, calculating the steering angle of the robot according to the collision direction and the collision angle;

[0128] S14, generating an action instruction according to the steering angle of the robot;

[0129] S15, sending the action instruction to a control mechanism to control the movement of the robot.

[0130] Preferably, the step of calculating the collision direction and collision angle between the robot and the obstacle according to the collision time point and the pressure data comprises the following steps:

[0131] S31, determining a first collision liquid capsule and a second collision liquid capsule according to the liquid capsule identifier of the liquid capsule corresponding to the collision time point and the pressure data;

[0132] S32, calculating the sine value of the angle between the center distance of the two collision liquid capsules and the obstacle according to the movement distance of the robot and the center distance between the first collision liquid capsule and the second collision liquid capsule;

[0133] S33, calculating the distance between the centers of the two collision liquid capsules and the angle between the obstacle according to the sine value of the angle;

[0134] S34. Calculate a collision angle between the obstacle and the robot according to an angle between the obstacle and the first collision liquid capsule and an angle between the first collision liquid capsule and the robot; the angle between each liquid capsule and the robot is fixed and the angle value is known.

[0135] The above product can execute the method provided by the embodiment of the present invention, and has the functional modules and beneficial effects corresponding to the execution method. For technical details not described in detail in this embodiment, please refer to the obstacle avoidance method for the tank cleaning robot provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0136] Embodiment 4

[0137] In an embodiment of the present invention, a storage medium is further provided, which may store a program suitable for execution by a processor, wherein the program is used to:

[0138] S11, acquiring collision data from a pressure sensor; the collision data including collision time point and pressure data of each collision liquid bag;

[0139] S12, calculating the collision direction and collision angle between the robot and the obstacle according to the collision time point and the pressure data;

[0140] S13, calculating the steering angle of the robot according to the collision direction and the collision angle;

[0141] S14, generating an action instruction according to the steering angle of the robot;

[0142] S15, sending the action instruction to a control mechanism to control the movement of the robot.

[0143] Preferably, the step of calculating the collision direction and collision angle between the robot and the obstacle according to the collision time point and the pressure data comprises the following steps:

[0144] S31, determining a first collision liquid capsule and a second collision liquid capsule according to the liquid capsule identifier of the liquid capsule corresponding to the collision time point and the pressure data;

[0145] S32, calculating the sine value of the angle between the center distance of the two collision liquid capsules and the obstacle according to the movement distance of the robot and the center distance between the first collision liquid capsule and the second collision liquid capsule;

[0146] S33, calculating the distance between the centers of the two collision liquid capsules and the angle between the obstacle according to the sine value of the angle;

[0147] S34. Calculate a collision angle between the obstacle and the robot according to an angle between the obstacle and the first collision liquid capsule and an angle between the first collision liquid capsule and the robot; the angle between each liquid capsule and the robot is fixed and the angle value is known.

[0148] Optionally, the detailed functions and extended functions of the program may refer to the above description.

[0149] The above product can execute the method provided by the embodiment of the present invention, and has the functional modules and beneficial effects corresponding to the execution method. For technical details not described in detail in this embodiment, please refer to the methods provided by other embodiments of the present invention.

[0150] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0151] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0152] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0153] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0154] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the various embodiments and features can be combined with each other to solve the aforementioned technical problems.

[0155] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0156] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to implement or use the present application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but will conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot, characterized in that: include: Detection and processing agencies; The detection mechanism includes a liquid bag, a back plate, a hydraulic pipeline and a pressure sensor; The detection mechanism for pressure contact with an obstacle is arranged at a preset position outside the robot; The plurality of liquid capsules as obstacle contact points are evenly arranged on the back plate; each of the liquid capsules is connected to the pressure sensor disposed outside the storage tank through the corresponding hydraulic pipeline; the pressure sensor is used to collect and transmit the pressure data of each of the liquid capsules; The processing mechanism uses the acquired pressure data as a parameter and calculates the steering angle of the robot after it contacts an obstacle according to a preset algorithm; and generates an action instruction according to the steering angle.

2. The obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot is used for cleaning storage tanks in petrochemical enterprises.

3. The obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: The control mechanism controls the movement of the robot by receiving the action instruction.

4. The obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of liquid capsules are evenly arranged on the back plate, including: The shapes and sizes of the liquid sacs are the same, and the liquid sacs are not communicated with each other.

5. The obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The back plate is arc-shaped or L-shaped.

6. The obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot is a purely hydraulically controlled crawler vehicle.

7. The obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The detection mechanism for pressure contact with an obstacle is arranged at a preset position outside the robot, and includes: The detection mechanism is arranged around the pure hydraulically controlled crawler vehicle.

8. The obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: The processing mechanism uses the acquired pressure value as a parameter and calculates the retreat distance of the robot after it contacts the obstacle according to a preset algorithm.

9. The obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The processing mechanism uses the acquired pressure data as a parameter and calculates the turning angle of the robot after it contacts an obstacle according to a preset algorithm, including: S21, the processing mechanism acquires the pressure data, and determines a sac identifier of a sac corresponding to the pressure data and a generation time point of the pressure data; S22, using the pressure data capsule identifier and the pressure data as parameters, and calculating the turning angle of the robot after it contacts the obstacle according to a preset algorithm.

10. An obstacle avoidance method for a tank cleaning robot, used in the autonomous obstacle avoidance device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Includes steps: S11, acquiring collision data from a pressure sensor; the collision data including collision time point and pressure data of each collision liquid bag; S12, calculating the collision direction and collision angle between the robot and the obstacle according to the collision time point and the pressure data; S13, calculating the steering angle of the robot according to the collision direction and the collision angle; S14, generating an action instruction according to the steering angle of the robot; S15, sending the action instruction to a control mechanism to control the movement of the robot.

11. The obstacle avoidance method for a tank cleaning robot according to claim 10, characterized in that: The method of calculating the collision direction and the collision angle between the robot and the obstacle according to the collision time point and the pressure data comprises the steps of: S31, determining a first collision liquid capsule and a second collision liquid capsule according to the liquid capsule identifier of the liquid capsule corresponding to the collision time point and the pressure data; S32, calculating the sine value of the angle between the center distance of the two collision liquid capsules and the obstacle according to the movement distance of the robot and the center distance between the first collision liquid capsule and the second collision liquid capsule; S33, calculating the distance between the centers of the two collision liquid capsules and the angle between the obstacle according to the sine value of the angle; S34. Calculate a collision angle between the obstacle and the robot according to an angle between the obstacle and the first collision liquid capsule and an angle between the first collision liquid capsule and the robot; the angle between each liquid capsule and the robot is fixed and the angle value is known.

12. The obstacle avoidance method for a tank cleaning robot according to claim 10, characterized in that: The calculating the collision direction and the collision angle between the robot and the obstacle according to the collision time point and the pressure data includes: When the collision capsule meets the preset rules, the angle between the collision plane and the robot's moving direction is calculated according to the center position of the collision capsule; The preset rule includes: at the same time, among the preselected collision liquid capsules whose pressure value difference in the collision liquid capsule is less than the preset threshold, the number of preselected collision liquid capsules not on the same straight line is greater than or equal to three; The step of calculating the angle between the collision plane and the robot's traveling direction according to the center positions of the collision liquid capsules includes: when the number of preselected collision liquid capsules not on the same straight line is greater than or equal to three, determining the collision plane between the robot and the obstacle according to the center positions of the three preselected collision liquid capsules not on the same straight line.

13. An obstacle avoidance device for a tank cleaning robot, characterized in that: include: Memory for storing computer programs; A processor is used to call and execute the computer program to implement the steps of the obstacle avoidance method for a tank cleaning robot as described in any one of claims 10-12.

14. A storage medium, characterized in that: It comprises a software program, wherein the software program is suitable for a processor to execute the steps of the obstacle avoidance method for a tank cleaning robot as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12.

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