Autonomous operation equipment and cross-region control method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses autonomous operation equipment and a cross-region control method thereof, and the method comprises the steps: judging whether a cross-region condition is satisfied or not in a process that the autonomous operation equipment operates in a current working region; if the cross-region condition is met, controlling the autonomous operation equipment to find a pre-arranged cross-region indication identifier in the current working region; and after the autonomous operation equipment finds the cross-region indication identifier, the autonomous operation equipment is controlled to move into a target working region according to the advancing direction indicated by the cross-region indication identifier, and the current working region and the target working region are separated by a non-working region. The autonomous operation equipment can autonomously and accurately complete cross-regional operation, and the applicability is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of robots, and in particular to an autonomous operation device and a cross-region control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Autonomous operation equipment is especially a robot that can autonomously move within a preset area and perform specific operations, such as a smart sweeper / vacuum cleaner that performs cleaning operations, or a smart mowing robot that performs mowing operations. Usually, such autonomous operation equipment is small in size and is integrated with a sensor device, a drive device, a battery, etc. It does not require manual control and can move and work within a specified area. In addition, when the battery power is insufficient, it can automatically return to the charging station, dock with the charging station and charge, and continue to move and work after charging is completed.

[0003] For existing intelligent lawn mower robots, the working area is a large lawn, and the boundary can be identified by a camera or constructed as a closed energized wire electrically connected to the boundary signal generating device of the intelligent lawn mower robot. When the intelligent lawn mower robot reaches the boundary, it generally adopts a random turn or a first retreat and then a random turn to allow the intelligent lawn mower robot to return to the boundary and continue mowing.

[0004] However, for some lawns separated by roads, existing intelligent lawn mowing robots cannot automatically enter the lawn on the other side of the road to work after completing the work on the lawn on one side of the road. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an autonomous operation device and a cross-zone control method thereof to solve the above problems. To this end, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a cross-region control method for an autonomous operation device is provided, wherein the cross-region control method comprises:

[0007] When the autonomous operation equipment is operating in the current working area, determine whether the cross-area conditions are met;

[0008] If the cross-zone condition is met, controlling the autonomous operation equipment to search for a pre-arranged cross-zone indication mark in the current working area;

[0009] After the autonomous operating equipment finds the cross-zone indication mark, the autonomous operating equipment is controlled to move in a straight line along the direction of travel indicated by the cross-zone indication mark until it enters the target working area, and the current working area and the target working area are separated by a non-working area.

[0010] In one embodiment, the step of controlling the autonomous operating device to move in a straight line along the direction of travel indicated by the cross-zone indicator until entering the target working area includes:

[0011] According to the traveling direction indicated by the cross-zone indicator, adjusting the traveling direction of the autonomous operating equipment to be consistent with the traveling direction indicated by the cross-zone indicator;

[0012] The autonomous working device is controlled to move in a straight line until a boundary of the target working area is detected and the device enters the target working area.

[0013] In one embodiment, the step of adjusting the traveling direction of the autonomous operating device to be consistent with the traveling direction indicated by the cross-zone indicator according to the traveling direction indicated by the cross-zone indicator includes:

[0014] Adjusting the travel direction of the autonomous operating equipment to a reference direction;

[0015] Then, the traveling direction of the autonomous operating equipment is adjusted from the reference direction to the traveling direction indicated by the cross-zone indication sign.

[0016] In one embodiment, the reference direction is the direction of the geomagnetic north and south poles or the direction of the cross-zone indicator mark leaving the current working area perpendicular to the boundary.

[0017] In one embodiment, the cross-zone control method further includes: in the process of searching for the cross-zone indication mark in the current working area, controlling the autonomous operating equipment to search for the boundary of the current working area and then walking along the boundary.

[0018] In one embodiment, the step of controlling the autonomous operating equipment to walk in a straight line along the direction of travel indicated by the cross-zone indicator until entering the target working area is specifically as follows: controlling the autonomous operating equipment to rotate a fixed angle at the cross-zone indicator, and then walking in a straight line to leave the current working area until entering the target working area.

[0019] In one embodiment, the boundary is a visual dividing line between the working area and the non-working area and can be identified by a camera installed on the autonomous working equipment, or the boundary is a boundary enclosed by a closed energized wire and can be identified by an inductive coil installed on the autonomous working equipment.

[0020] In one embodiment, the cross-zone control method also includes: in the process of the autonomous working equipment entering the target working area from the current working area, controlling the autonomous working equipment to move in a straight line toward the cross-zone indication sign pre-arranged in the non-working area, and then moving in a straight line along the travel direction indicated by the cross-zone indication sign pre-arranged in the non-working area.

[0021] In one embodiment, the cross-zone control method further includes: in the process of searching for the cross-zone indication mark in the current working area, the autonomous operating equipment keeps working.

[0022] In one embodiment, when the working time of the autonomous operation equipment in the current working area reaches a preset time value or when the autonomous operation equipment reaches a set cross-zone working time in the current working area, it is determined that the cross-zone condition is met.

[0023] In one embodiment, the cross-zone indication mark is a signal transmitter, and a signal receiver is installed on the autonomous operating equipment, and the signal receiver searches for the signal of the signal transmitter to find the cross-zone indication mark.

[0024] In one embodiment, the signal transmitter is an RFID tag, and the signal receiver is an RFID reader.

[0025] In one embodiment, the cross-zone control method further includes:

[0026] Whether the autonomous operation equipment has reached the location of the RFID tag is determined according to the signal strength received by the RFID reader.

[0027] In one embodiment, the cross-zone indication mark is an image mark, and the cross-zone indication mark is found by identifying the image mark through a camera installed on the autonomous operation equipment.

[0028] In one embodiment, the image identifier includes an arrow icon and a QR code icon.

[0029] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an autonomous operating device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, wherein when the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the cross-zone control method of the autonomous operating device as described above can be implemented.

[0030] In one embodiment, the autonomous working equipment is a lawn mowing robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the autonomous operating device of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a cross-region control method for an autonomous operating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of label arrangement of a cross-zone control method for autonomous operating equipment according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of label arrangement of a cross-zone control method for autonomous operating equipment according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of cross-zone indication marks of the cross-zone control method for autonomous operating equipment according to the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of adjusting the direction based on arrow patterns of a cross-zone control method for autonomous working equipment according to the third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings so that the purpose, features and advantages of the present invention can be more clearly understood. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are only intended to illustrate the essential spirit of the technical solution of the present invention.

[0038] In the following description, certain specific details are set forth for the purpose of illustrating the various disclosed embodiments to provide a thorough understanding of the various disclosed embodiments. However, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other cases, well-known devices, structures, and techniques associated with the present application may not be shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments.

[0039] References throughout the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any manner in one or more embodiments.

[0040] In the following description, in order to clearly show the structure and working mode of the present invention, many directional words will be used for description, but the words "front", "back", "left", "right", "outside", "inside", "outward", "inward", "up", "down", etc. should be understood as convenient terms and should not be understood as restrictive terms.

[0041] It should be understood that in the description of the specific embodiments of the present invention, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

[0042] In the specific implementation of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms such as "connected" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a movable connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0043] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may include the first and second features not being in direct contact but being in contact through another feature between them.

[0044] In the specific embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the term "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0045] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides an autonomous working device, and the autonomous working device is especially a robot that can autonomously move in a preset area and perform specific operations, such as a typical intelligent sweeper / vacuum cleaner that performs cleaning operations, or an intelligent lawn mower robot that performs mowing operations. Among them, the specific operation especially refers to the operation of processing the working surface and changing the state of the working surface. The present invention is described in detail using an intelligent lawn mowing robot as an example. The autonomous working device can autonomously walk on the surface of the working area, and in particular, as an intelligent lawn mowing robot, it can autonomously perform mowing operations on the ground. The autonomous working equipment at least includes a main body mechanism 1, a moving mechanism, a working mechanism, an energy module, a detection module, an interaction module, a control module, and the like.

[0046] The main body mechanism generally includes a chassis and a housing, and the chassis is used to install and accommodate functional mechanisms and functional modules such as a mobile mechanism, a working mechanism, an energy module, a detection module, an interaction module, and a control module. The housing is generally configured to at least partially cover the chassis, and mainly serves to enhance the aesthetics and recognition of the autonomous operating equipment. In this embodiment, the housing is configured to be able to translate and / or rotate relative to the chassis in a resettable manner under the action of an external force, and in conjunction with an appropriate detection module, such as, for example, a Hall sensor, it can further serve to sense events such as collisions and lifts.

[0047] The mobile mechanism is configured to support the main body mechanism on the ground and drive the main body mechanism to move on the ground, and generally includes a wheeled mobile mechanism, a crawler or semi-crawler mobile mechanism, and a walking mobile mechanism. In the present embodiment, the mobile mechanism is a wheeled mobile mechanism, including at least one driving wheel and at least one walking prime mover. The walking prime mover is preferably an electric motor, and in other embodiments, it can also be an internal combustion engine or a machine that uses other types of energy to generate power. In the present embodiment, a left driving wheel, a left walking prime mover that drives the left driving wheel, a right driving wheel, and a right walking prime mover that drives the right driving wheel are preferably provided. In the present embodiment, the straight-line travel of the autonomous operating equipment is achieved by the same-direction and uniform-speed rotation of the left and right driving wheels, and the steering travel is achieved by the same-direction differential or opposite rotation of the left and right driving wheels. In other embodiments, the mobile mechanism may also include a steering mechanism independent of the driving wheel and a steering prime mover independent of the walking prime mover. In this embodiment, the moving mechanism further includes at least one driven wheel, which is typically configured as a universal wheel. The driving wheel and the driven wheel are respectively located at the front and rear ends of the autonomous working equipment.

[0048] The working mechanism is constructed to perform specific work tasks, including a working piece and a working prime mover that drives the working piece to run. For example, for an intelligent sweeper / vacuum cleaner, the working piece includes a roller brush, a dust suction tube, a dust collection chamber, etc.; for an intelligent lawn mower robot, the working piece includes a cutting blade or a cutting disc 2, and further includes other components for optimizing or adjusting the mowing effect, such as a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting the mowing height. The working prime mover is preferably an electric motor, and in other embodiments it may also be an internal combustion engine or a machine that uses other types of energy to generate power. In some other embodiments, the working prime mover and the walking prime mover are constructed as the same prime mover.

[0049] The energy module is configured to provide energy for various operations of the autonomous operation device. In this embodiment, the energy module includes a battery pack and a charging connection structure, wherein the battery pack is preferably a rechargeable battery pack, and the charging connection structure is preferably a charging electrode that can be exposed outside the autonomous operation device.

[0050] The detection module is constructed as at least one sensor that senses the environmental parameters of the autonomous operating equipment or its own working parameters. Typically, the detection module may include sensors related to the limitation of the working area, such as magnetic induction, collision, ultrasonic, infrared, radio and other types, and the sensor type is adapted to the position and quantity of the corresponding signal generating device. The detection module may also include sensors related to positioning and navigation, such as GPS positioning devices, laser positioning devices, electronic compasses, acceleration sensors, odometers, angle sensors, geomagnetic sensors, etc. The detection module may also include sensors related to its own working safety, such as obstacle sensors, lifting sensors, battery pack temperature sensors, etc. The detection module may also include sensors related to the external environment, such as ambient temperature sensors, ambient humidity sensors, light sensors, rain sensors, etc. For the intelligent lawn mower robot, the detection module may also include a camera 3, through which boundaries, obstacles and path markings can be identified.

[0051] The interaction module is constructed to at least receive control command information input by the user, send information that needs to be perceived by the user, communicate with other systems or devices to send and receive information, etc. In this embodiment, the interaction module includes an input device arranged on the autonomous operating equipment, which is used to receive control command information input by the user, typically such as a control panel, an emergency stop button, etc.; the interaction module also includes a display screen, an indicator light and / or a buzzer arranged on the autonomous operating equipment, which allows the user to perceive information by emitting light or sound. In other embodiments, the interaction module includes a communication module arranged on the autonomous operating equipment and a terminal device independent of the autonomous operating equipment, such as a mobile phone, a computer, a network server, etc. The user's control command information or other information can be input on the terminal device and reach the autonomous operating equipment via a wired or wireless communication module.

[0052] The control module may also be referred to as a control board, circuit board or main board, etc., and generally includes at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory, wherein the memory stores a pre-written computer program or instruction set, and the processor controls the execution of the movement, work and other actions of the autonomous operation equipment according to the computer program or instruction set. Furthermore, the control module can also control and adjust the corresponding behavior of the autonomous operation equipment, modify the parameters in the memory, etc. according to the signal of the detection module and / or the user control instruction.

[0053] The boundary is used to define the working area of ​​the robot system, and generally includes an outer boundary and an inner boundary. The robot is limited to move and work within the outer boundary, outside the inner boundary, or between the outer boundary and the inner boundary. The boundary can be physical, typically such as a wall, a fence, a railing, etc., or constructed as a closed energized wire electrically connected to a boundary signal generating device, and the boundary signal generating device is generally arranged in a docking station; the boundary can also be virtual, typically such as a virtual boundary set in an electronic map formed by two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates for a robot provided with a positioning device (such as GPS, etc.). The boundary can also be a visual dividing line that can be identified by the camera 3. Specifically, by processing the image captured by the camera 3, the dividing line between the grass and the non-grass is used as the boundary.

[0054] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the intelligent lawn mowing robot includes a main body 1 and a camera 3 installed at the front end of the main body 1. The built-in control module of the intelligent lawn mowing robot identifies the boundary between grass and non-grass based on the image captured by the camera 3, and then determines the boundary of the working area. Among them, the non-grass can generally be paved ground, bare land, and other areas that have obvious color differences from grass. In some embodiments, the boundary is paved with a boundary line or a boundary marker, and the intelligent lawn mowing robot can determine that it has reached the boundary by sensing the boundary line or the boundary marker. Specifically, for example, a closed energized wire is laid on the boundary, and a boundary line sensor is provided on the intelligent lawn mowing robot. Figure 3 The distribution of working areas A and B is shown. The working areas A and B are separated by a non-working area C. In this embodiment, the working areas A and B may be grasslands, and the non-working area may be a paved road. The intelligent lawn mower robot is provided with a signal receiver, and a signal transmitter may be pre-arranged near the boundary of the current working area where the intelligent lawn mower robot is expected to drive out. In this embodiment, the signal receiver is illustratively an RFID reader (not shown), and the corresponding signal transmitter is an RFID tag, such as Figure 3The RFID tags t1, t2, t3 and t4 shown in the figure; wherein the RFID tags can be fixed below the ground by burying, or they can be directly fixed on the surface. In other embodiments, the signal receiver and the signal transmitter can also be in other forms, and preferably the signal transmitter is a passive signal transmitter. The following description will be made using the RFID tag as an example. The RFID tag has a unique identification code, which can be associated with the indicated direction. When the RFID reader detects the RFID tag, the smart lawn mowing robot will know which direction to go. The position of the RFID tag can be set by the user according to the actual situation of his own lawn, as long as it can be ensured that the robot can reach the target working area by driving in a straight line after leaving the current working area at the location of the RFID tag. For example, Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the intelligent lawn mowing robot drives out of the working area A from the RFID tag t1, and then drives in a straight line until it detects the boundary of the working area B and enters the working area B. The number of RFID tags in each working area can be 1, 2, 3 or more. The indication direction of each RFID tag can be set according to actual needs. The indication direction of the RFID tag can be perpendicular to the boundary (see Figure 3 ) or form an acute angle (see Figure 4 ).

[0055] Therefore, the cross-zone control method of the intelligent lawn mowing robot based on RFID tags may include the following steps:

[0056] S001: The smart lawn mower robot works in working area A (also called the current working area), and the accumulated working time or working instructions of the smart lawn mower robot in the current working area are obtained. The accumulated working time refers to the continuous working time, whether intermittent or uninterrupted, in the current working area A. When the smart lawn mower robot just enters the working area to work, the accumulated working time starts to be calculated. When the smart lawn mower robot leaves the working area, the accumulated working time is interrupted or reset. The charging of the smart lawn mower robot, reaching the disabled time of the day, etc. will cause work interruptions. The working instruction refers to whether it is necessary to work across areas, charge across areas, or dock, etc.

[0057] S002: Determine whether the cross-zone condition is met, if so, execute S003, otherwise execute S001. The cross-zone condition usually refers to the cumulative working time in the current working area reaching a preset value, or refers to reaching a specified cross-zone working time (for example, a specific time point). The preset value can be set according to the actual lawn size and battery capacity.

[0058] S003: Searching for RFID tags. In some embodiments, the cutting mechanism of the smart lawn mower robot can keep working or stop working while searching for RFID tags. In some embodiments, the smart lawn mower robot continues to walk in the working area A while searching for RFID tags until the RFID tag t1 is sensed; during the walking process, the cutting mechanism usually keeps working to clean the lawn along the way. In some embodiments, the smart lawn mower robot first searches for the boundary while searching for RFID tags, and walks along the boundary until the RFID tag is sensed. This method has higher efficiency; during the walking process, the cutting mechanism usually stops working to avoid damage to the cutting mechanism.

[0059] S004: Determine that the intelligent lawn mower robot has traveled to the location of the RFID tag t1, and adjust the direction of travel of the intelligent lawn mower robot to be consistent with the indicated direction. In one embodiment, the direction of travel of the intelligent lawn mower robot is adjusted to be perpendicular to the boundary. The signal strength received by the RFID reader can be used to estimate the distance between the RFID tag and the RFID reader. Therefore, the signal strength received by the RFID reader on the intelligent lawn mower robot can be used as an indicator to confirm whether the intelligent lawn mower robot has reached the location of the RFID tag. In this embodiment, the camera 3 of the intelligent lawn mower robot can collect image information within a range of about 50 cm in front. In the collected image information, if there is a boundary, the angle between the boundary and the horizontal baseline is determined. If the angle is 0°, it is determined that the direction of travel of the robot is perpendicular to the boundary, and it can be determined whether it is heading inside or outside the boundary.

[0060] S005: Control the intelligent lawn mowing robot to move in a straight line, that is, move in the direction indicated by the RFID tag t1, until the boundary of the working area B (that is, the target working area) is detected, and enter the working area B to start working, completing the cross-area behavior.

[0061] In some embodiments, when the intelligent lawn mowing robot walks along the border to the RFID tag t1, it rotates a fixed angle and then drives straight out of the working area A. Since the extension direction of the border is usually perpendicular to the cross-area walking direction, the fixed angle is usually about 90°.

[0062] In some embodiments, since the smart lawn mowing robot usually starts working from one side of the working area and ends at the other side of the working area, the RFID tag t1 is usually set near the working area when the smart lawn mowing robot finishes working, so as to save the time required for the smart lawn mowing robot to find the RFID tag t1 and improve the cross-area efficiency.

[0063] In some embodiments, the smart lawn mowing robot can drive out of the working area at a boundary of the working area B, for example, return to the working area A to charge or dock. Therefore, the user can also set at least one RFID tag near this boundary, for example Figure 3 The RFID tags t2 and t3 shown in the working area B can improve the efficiency of finding RFID tags, thereby achieving the purpose of quickly driving out of the working area B.

[0064] In some embodiments, it is not appropriate or possible to place RFID tags at the boundaries corresponding to adjacent areas, such as Figure 3 RFID tag t4 in. If the intelligent lawn mowing robot drives out of the working area B from the RFID tag t4 in a direction perpendicular to the boundary and walks in a straight line, it cannot reach the working area A. In order to solve this problem, the unique identification code contained in the RFID tag t4 can be used to associate the corresponding direction. Specifically, the reference direction D0 of the intelligent lawn mowing robot, the angle α1 between the first direction D1 and the reference direction D0, and the angle α2 between the second direction D2 and the reference direction D0 are determined. Among them, the reference direction D0 is the direction of leaving the working area B perpendicular to the boundary from the RFID tag t4, the first direction D1 is the direction of the line from the RFID tag t4 to the first feature point A1 on the boundary of the working area A, and the second direction D2 is the direction of the line from the RFID tag t4 to the second feature point A2 on the boundary of the working area A. Among them, a section of the boundary of the working area A between the first feature point A1 and the second feature point A2 is the boundary that allows entry into the working area A. The intelligent lawn mowing robot is configured to move from the working area B to the working area A. If it starts from the RFID tag t4, it first adjusts its posture to a direction perpendicular to the boundary there and toward the outside of the boundary, and then rotates in place by an angle β and moves in a straight line, where α1≤β≤α2. As a special case, if only the first feature point A1 is allowed to enter the working area A, β=α1. In other words, the direction of travel indicated by the RFID tag t4 is the direction indicated by the angle β.

[0065] In some embodiments, the reference direction can be determined by the camera 3. In some embodiments, the reference direction is the direction of the geomagnetic north pole or south pole. In this case, the intelligent lawn mowing robot is provided with a geomagnetic sensor that can detect the geomagnetic direction.

[0066] In some embodiments, the user wants the smart lawn mowing robot to travel along a zigzag path when crossing a zone. Figure 4 As shown, the user wants the smart mowing robot to drive out of the working area D from point p1 on the boundary of the working area D, pass through point p2 in the non-working area F, and enter the area E from point p3 on the boundary of the working area E. At this time, as long as the user buries the corresponding RFID tags at points p1, p2 and p3, the above cross-area path can be realized.

[0067] Specifically, the intelligent lawn mower robot is configured to leave the working area D and enter the non-working area F. If it starts from point p1, it first adjusts its posture to a direction perpendicular to the boundary there and toward the outside of the boundary, then rotates in situ by an angle α3 and walks in a straight line until the RFID tag at point p2 is detected, and then rotates in situ by an angle α4 and walks in a straight line until it enters the working area E. When the intelligent lawn mower robot is to drive from the working area E to the working area D, it starts from point p3, first adjusts its posture to a direction perpendicular to the boundary there and toward the outside of the boundary, then rotates in situ by an angle α5 and walks in a straight line until the RFID tag at point p2 is detected, and then rotates in situ by an angle -α4 and walks in a straight line until it enters the working area D. Here, the rotation in situ by an angle α refers to a rotation in a first direction, and the rotation in situ by an angle -α refers to a rotation in a second direction, wherein the first direction is opposite to the second direction.

[0068] That is to say, the smart lawn mower robot selects the direction of rotation at point p2 according to the flag information of the last tag detected. Specifically, in this embodiment, if the last tag is the RFID tag at point p1, the smart lawn mower robot rotates α4 in the counterclockwise direction; if the last tag is the RFID tag at point p3, the smart lawn mower robot rotates α4 in the clockwise direction.

[0069] It should be understood that in the non-working area F, RFID tags can also be set at multiple points, and these points are connected in sequence to form a cross-area travel path of the intelligent lawn mowing robot.

[0070] In some implementations, the RFID tag may be replaced with other forms of cross-zone indicator marks with direction indication, for example, the image marker may include at least one of arrow icons S1 and S2 and a QR code icon S3. Figure 5 As shown. Usually, these arrow icons S1 and S2 and QR code icon S3 are laid out at the edge of the lawn, that is, near the boundary, and can be identified by camera 3. In other words, the smart lawn mower robot identifies the indicated directions of arrow icons S1 and S2 and QR code icon S3 through camera 3, and then moves in the indicated directions to complete the cross-zone. Since arrow icons S1 and S2 and QR code icon S3 can be identified by camera 3, there is no need to add an RFID card reader, which reduces the cost of the smart lawn mower robot.

[0071] Specifically, for the QR code icon S3, the camera 3 can identify and parse the rotation angle and direction information in the QR code icon S3. The smart mowing robot can perform the cross-zone action after rotating according to the angle and direction indicated by the QR code based on the reference direction. For the arrow icons S1 and S2, the direction of travel (central axis L) of the smart mowing robot is controlled to coincide with the direction of the arrow indication line, as shown in the example below. Figure 6 As shown. The intelligent lawn mower robot stores a standard picture of the arrow icon (i.e., the central axis L of the intelligent lawn mower robot coincides with the arrow indicator line). When the intelligent lawn mower robot searches for the arrow icon, if the camera 3 captures the arrow icon, the captured arrow icon is compared with the arrow icon in the standard picture to determine the angle γ between the current direction of travel of the intelligent lawn mower robot and the arrow indicator line of the arrow icon. The intelligent lawn mower robot is controlled to travel in a straight line to the arrow icon, and rotates in situ by an angle γ to achieve that the direction of travel of the intelligent lawn mower robot basically coincides with the arrow indicator line of the arrow icon.

[0072] In some embodiments, the arrow icons S1 and S2 may be formed by plants different from the grass (eg, flowers, plants, trees, etc. of different colors), which can prevent the arrow icons from affecting the aesthetics of the grass and increase the landscape.

[0073] Although Figure 5 The arrow icons S1 and S2 and the QR code icon S3 are shown at the same time, but in actual use, the same cross-zone indication mark is usually used, that is, either an arrow icon or a two-dimensional icon.

[0074] It should be understood that the RFID tag and the RFID reader may also be replaced by other types of tags and corresponding readers.

[0075] In summary, the present invention discloses a cross-region control method for autonomous operation equipment, comprising the following steps:

[0076] When the autonomous operation equipment is operating in the current working area, determine whether the cross-area conditions are met;

[0077] If the cross-zone condition is met, controlling the autonomous operation equipment to search for a pre-arranged cross-zone indication mark in the current working area;

[0078] After the autonomous operating equipment finds the cross-zone indication mark, the autonomous operating equipment is controlled to move in a straight line along the direction of travel indicated by the cross-zone indication mark until it enters the target working area, and the current working area and the target working area are separated by a non-working area.

[0079] In the present invention, between leaving the current area and entering the target area, the autonomous operation equipment only performs straight-line walking control without monitoring and adjusting the driving direction, which greatly reduces the computing power level required for its control system, eliminates the need to use expensive chips, and has low equipment costs. At the same time, through the cross-region control method, the autonomous operation equipment can accurately complete cross-region operations, greatly improving its applicability.

[0080] In addition, the present invention also discloses an autonomous working device, specifically an intelligent lawn mowing robot. The autonomous working device includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, wherein the processor can implement the steps of the cross-zone control method of the autonomous working device as described above when executing the computer program. Preferably, the control module of the autonomous working device is constructed to include a memory storing the computer program and a processor that can execute the computer program.

[0081] Exemplarily, the computer program may be divided into one or more modules / units, which are stored in the memory and executed by the processor to complete the method of the present invention. The one or more modules / units may be a series of computer program instruction segments capable of completing specific functions, which are used to describe the execution process of the computer program in the autonomous device.

[0082] The autonomous operation device may include but is not limited to a processor and a memory. For example, it may also include input and output devices, network access devices, buses, etc.

[0083] The processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The processor is the control center of the autonomous operation equipment, and uses various interfaces and lines to connect the various parts of the entire autonomous operation equipment.

[0084] The memory can be used to store computer programs and / or modules. The processor can realize various functions of the autonomous operation equipment, such as walking, positioning, mowing, returning to charge, and cross-region operation, by running or executing the computer programs and / or modules stored in the memory and calling the data stored in the memory. The memory can mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area can store an operating system, an application required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), etc.; the data storage area can store data created according to the use of the mobile phone (such as audio data, a phone book, etc.), etc. In addition, the memory can include a high-speed random access memory, and can also include a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk, a memory, a plug-in hard disk, a smart memory card (SmartMediaCard, SMC), a secure digital (SecureDigital, SD) card, a flash card (FlashCard), at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage devices.

[0085] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but it should be understood that after reading the above teachings of the present invention, those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to the present invention. These equivalent forms also fall within the scope defined by the appended claims of this application.

Claims

1. A cross-region control method for autonomous operating equipment, characterized in that: The cross-zone control method includes: during the operation of the autonomous operation equipment in the current working area, determining whether a cross-zone condition is met; If the cross-zone condition is met, controlling the autonomous operation equipment to search for a pre-arranged cross-zone indication mark in the current working area; After the autonomous operating equipment finds the cross-zone indication mark, the autonomous operating equipment is controlled to move in a straight line along the direction of travel indicated by the cross-zone indication mark until it enters the target working area, and the current working area and the target working area are separated by a non-working area.

2. The cross-zone control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of controlling the autonomous operating equipment to move in a straight line along the direction of travel indicated by the cross-zone indication mark until entering the target working area includes: According to the traveling direction indicated by the cross-zone indicator, adjusting the traveling direction of the autonomous operating equipment to be consistent with the traveling direction indicated by the cross-zone indicator; The autonomous working device is controlled to move in a straight line until a boundary of the target working area is detected and the device enters the target working area.

3. The cross-zone control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step of adjusting the traveling direction of the autonomous operating device to be consistent with the traveling direction indicated by the cross-zone indicator according to the traveling direction indicated by the cross-zone indicator includes: Adjusting the travel direction of the autonomous operating equipment to a reference direction; Then, the traveling direction of the autonomous operating equipment is adjusted from the reference direction to the traveling direction indicated by the cross-zone indication sign.

4. The cross-zone control method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The reference direction is the direction of the geomagnetic north and south poles or the direction of the cross-zone indicator mark leaving the current working area perpendicular to the boundary.

5. The cross-zone control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-zone control method further includes: in the process of searching for the cross-zone indication mark in the current working area, controlling the autonomous operating equipment to search for the boundary of the current working area and then walking along the boundary.

6. The cross-zone control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step of controlling the autonomous operating equipment to move in a straight line along the direction of travel indicated by the cross-zone indicator until entering the target working area is specifically as follows: controlling the autonomous operating equipment to rotate a fixed angle at the cross-zone indicator, and then moving in a straight line to leave the current working area until entering the target working area.

7. The cross-zone control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The boundary is a visual dividing line between the working area and the non-working area and can be identified by a camera installed on the autonomous working device, or the boundary is a boundary enclosed by a closed energized wire and can be identified by an inductive coil installed on the autonomous working device.

8. The cross-zone control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-zone control method also includes: in the process of the autonomous working equipment entering the target working area from the current working area, controlling the autonomous working equipment to move in a straight line toward the cross-zone indication mark pre-arranged in the non-working area, and then moving in a straight line along the travel direction indicated by the cross-zone indication mark pre-arranged in the non-working area.

9. The cross-zone control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-zone control method also includes: in the process of searching for the cross-zone indication mark in the current working area, the autonomous operating equipment keeps working.

10. The cross-zone control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the working time of the autonomous operation equipment in the current working area reaches a preset time value or when the autonomous operation equipment reaches a set cross-area working time in the current working area, it is determined that the cross-area condition is met.

11. The cross-zone control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-zone indication mark is a signal transmitter, and a signal receiver is installed on the autonomous operation equipment. The signal receiver searches for the signal of the signal transmitter to find the cross-zone indication mark.

12. The cross-zone control method according to claim 11, characterized in that: The signal transmitter is an RFID tag, and the signal receiver is an RFID reader.

13. The cross-zone control method according to claim 12, characterized in that: The cross-region control method further includes: Whether the autonomous operation equipment has reached the location of the RFID tag is determined according to the signal strength received by the RFID reader.

14. The cross-zone control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-zone indication mark is an image mark, and the cross-zone indication mark is found by recognizing the image mark through a camera installed on the autonomous operating equipment.

15. The cross-zone control method according to claim 14, characterized in that: The image identifiers include arrow icons and QR code icons.

16. An autonomous operation device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, characterized in that: When the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the cross-zone control method of the autonomous working equipment described in any one of claims 1 to 15 can be implemented.

17. The autonomous operation device according to claim 16, characterized in that: The autonomous operation equipment is a lawn mowing robot.

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