Mowing robot and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a mowing robot and a control method thereof, and the method comprises the steps: controlling the mowing robot to be charged according to the current charging duration, and when the current charging duration is reached, controlling the mowing robot to leave a charging seat so as to work in a predetermined area, and the moment when the current charging duration is reached is earlier than the mowing end moment. When the control method is applied to the mowing robot, the charging time length and the mowing time length can be reasonably arranged, the problem that mowing cannot be continued due to the fact that the mowing time length exceeds the mowing end time length after charging is completed is avoided, the control method improves the effective mowing time length of the mowing robot on one hand, saves the charging time length on the other hand, improves the mowing efficiency and reduces the mowing cost on the other hand. And the use experience of the user is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a lawn mowing robot, and in particular to a control method of the lawn mowing robot. Background Art

[0002] A lawn mowing robot equipped with a vision module and a charging module can determine the mowing direction and amount based on vision, and move or mow the lawn accordingly. However, the vision module is easily affected by light. When there is insufficient light after sunset, it cannot move or mow based on vision.

[0003] In view of the charging requirements of the lawn mower robot, in the process of implementing the present invention, the inventors found that there may be such a conflict between the visual module and the charging module of the lawn mower robot:

[0004] When the robot lawn mower is low on power and needs to be charged, if it waits for charging before mowing the lawn, the sun may have already set and the robot lawn mower can no longer be controlled by the visual module to mow the lawn. Therefore, there is a conflict between the limited mowing time and the limited power, which affects the user experience. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the problem in the prior art that a lawn mower robot may not be able to mow the lawn after charging, the present invention aims to provide a lawn mower robot and a control method thereof that can achieve a balance between charging time and mowing time. 。

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, an embodiment of the present invention provides a control method of a lawn mower robot, which is used to control the lawn mower robot to operate in a predetermined area and control the lawn mower robot to return to a charging base for charging. The method comprises:

[0007] The lawn mower robot is controlled to charge according to a current charging duration, and when the current charging duration is reached, the lawn mower robot is controlled to leave the charging base to operate in the predetermined area, wherein the moment when the current charging duration is reached is earlier than the moment when the lawn mowing ends.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the current charging time is obtained based on the maximum remaining time, the maximum charging time and the maximum mowing time of the lawn mowing robot, wherein the maximum remaining time is the time from the current moment to the end moment of mowing, the maximum charging time is the charging time of the lawn mowing robot from an unpowered state to a fully charged state, and the maximum mowing time is the mowing time of the lawn mowing robot from a fully charged state to an unpowered state.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the maximum remaining time is obtained by the following steps:

[0010] The difference between the mowing end time and the current time is calculated in seconds, and the difference is the maximum remaining time.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, the current charging duration is obtained by the following steps:

[0012] The current charging time Tc=Tcmax / (Tcmax+Tgmax)*Tsmax, wherein Tcmax is the maximum charging time, Tgmax is the maximum mowing time, and Tsmax is the maximum remaining time.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention, the sum of the maximum charging time and the maximum mowing time is greater than the maximum remaining time.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, the current charging duration is obtained by the following steps:

[0015] According to the charging rates of the lawn mowing robot at different charging stages, matching the maximum charging time with a charging time weight q;

[0016] The current charging time Tc=Tcmax*q / (Tcmax*q+Tgmax)*Tsmax, wherein Tcmax is the maximum charging time, Tgmax is the maximum mowing time, and Tsmax is the maximum remaining time.

[0017] As a further improvement of the present invention, the steps are also included:

[0018] If the sum of the maximum charging time and the maximum mowing time is not greater than the maximum remaining time, the mowing robot is controlled to charge according to the maximum charging time.

[0019] As a further improvement of the present invention, the mowing end time is obtained by the following steps:

[0020] Get the sunset time and preset end time;

[0021] If the sunset time is earlier than the preset end time, determining the sunset time as the lawn mowing end time;

[0022] If the sunset time is not earlier than the preset end time, the preset end time is determined as the mowing end time.

[0023] As a further improvement of the present invention, controlling the lawn mowing robot to charge according to the current charging duration includes:

[0024] Continuously recording the charging time of the lawn mowing robot;

[0025] Comparing the charging time and the current charging time;

[0026] If the charging time has not reached the current charging time, the lawn mowing robot is controlled to continue charging.

[0027] In order to achieve one of the above-mentioned purposes of the invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides a lawn mowing robot, characterized in that it includes:

[0028] A storage module storing a computer program;

[0029] The processing module can implement the steps in the above-mentioned control method of the lawn mowing robot when executing the computer program.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: the lawn mower robot applies the control method to reasonably arrange the charging time and the mowing time, thereby avoiding the problem that after charging is completed, the mowing end time has passed and the lawn mowing cannot be continued. On the one hand, the control method improves the effective mowing time of the lawn mower robot, and on the other hand, saves the charging time, thereby improving the mowing efficiency and improving the user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a control method of a lawn mowing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a method for calculating the mowing end time according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 is a flow chart of a method for calculating the current charging time according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 4 is a structural block diagram of a lawn mowing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit the present invention, and any structural, methodological, or functional changes made by a person skilled in the art based on these embodiments are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] An embodiment of the present invention provides a lawn mowing robot and a control method thereof that can achieve a balance between charging time and lawn mowing time.

[0037] In one embodiment, a lawn mowing robot is provided, which can mow on a lawn. The lawn mowing robot may include a walking module, a mowing module, a visual module and a charging module, wherein the walking module is used to drive the movement of the lawn mowing robot, the mowing module is used to mow high grass into low grass, the visual module is used to judge the surrounding environment of the lawn mowing robot, and the charging module is used to provide power support to the walking module, the mowing module and the visual module. The user can control the lawn mowing robot to operate in a predetermined area, and control the lawn mowing robot to return to the charging base for charging.

[0038] The following provides four embodiments of a control method for a lawn mowing robot. In Embodiment 1, it is ensured that mowing starts before the end time of mowing. In Embodiment 2, a method for calculating the specific value of the current charging time is provided. In Embodiment 3, the method for calculating the specific value of the current charging time is different from that in Embodiment 2. In Embodiment 4, a method for taking when the end time of mowing has not yet arrived but the lawn mowing robot is already low on power is described.

[0039] Before describing the embodiments, the state of the lawn mower robot is described: the following steps are when the lawn mower robot enters a low power state and needs to return to the charging station to charge, or when the lawn mower robot is charging at the charging station, embodiments 1, 2, 3, and 4 can be executed. By comparing the current charging time with the mowing end time, it is determined whether the complete charging process can be completed before the mowing end time arrives.

[0040] Combine the following Figure 1 to Figure 3 , illustrating the control method of multiple lawn mowing robots provided by the present invention. Although the present application provides method operation steps as shown in the following implementation manner or flowchart, based on conventional or no creative labor, the method does not logically have steps with necessary causal relationships, and the execution order of these steps is not limited to the execution order provided in the implementation manner of the present application.

[0041] Example 1

[0042] Example 1 Figure 1 and 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , a control method for a lawn mowing robot is introduced. Specifically, Figure 1 As shown, the control method of the lawn mowing robot includes the following steps:

[0043] Step S10: Control the lawn mowing robot to charge according to the current charging duration, wherein the moment when the current charging duration is reached is earlier than the moment when the lawn mowing ends.

[0044] Step S20: Determine whether the current charging time has been reached.

[0045] Step S30: When the current charging time is reached, the lawn mowing robot is controlled to leave the charging base to operate in the predetermined area.

[0046] This embodiment controls the moment when the lawn mower robot leaves the charging base to be earlier than the end time of mowing. That is to say, the lawn mower robot can be arranged to complete charging and start mowing before the end time of mowing. Therefore, this embodiment can reasonably arrange the charging time and mowing time to avoid the problem of being unable to mow after charging is completed.

[0047] In addition, step S10 also includes the steps of: continuously recording the charging time of the lawn mower robot; and if the charging time does not reach the current charging time, controlling the lawn mower robot to continue charging.

[0048] Furthermore, the mowing end time is obtained by the following steps:

[0049] Get the sunset time and preset end time;

[0050] If the sunset time is earlier than the preset end time, determining the sunset time as the lawn mowing end time;

[0051] If the sunset time is not earlier than the preset end time, the preset end time is determined as the mowing end time.

[0052] Among them, since the lawn mowing robot in this embodiment has a visual module, it is necessary to judge the mowing range and / or mowing amount based on vision. Since it is judged that mowing cannot be smoothly performed after dark, the sunset time is an important reference parameter, and the sunset time can be determined according to the local sunset time.

[0053] The preset end time is a time defined by the user or the machine. This time can be any time of the day and can be set by the user through the human-machine panel, or the APP, or obtained through the server. For example, if the scheduled working hours are from 8 am to 6 pm, the preset end time is 6 pm.

[0054] In this embodiment, the sunset time is compared with the preset end time to determine the mowing end time suitable for the mowing robot. In the comparison process of the sunset time and the preset end time, the time that arrives first is the mowing end time.

[0055] Example 2

[0056] The difference between Example 2 and Example 1 is that a specific calculation method for the current charging time is provided. The current charging time is obtained according to the maximum remaining time, the maximum charging time of the lawn mower robot and the maximum mowing time, wherein the maximum remaining time is the time from the current moment to the mowing end moment, the maximum charging time is the charging time of the lawn mower robot from the no-power state to the full-power state, and the maximum mowing time is the mowing time of the lawn mower robot from the full-power state to the no-power state.

[0057] The maximum remaining time is obtained by following the steps below:

[0058] Get the current time;

[0059] The difference between the mowing end time and the current time is calculated in seconds, and the difference is the maximum remaining time.

[0060] The current time can be obtained by reading the system time of the lawn mowing robot, or reading the time of the positioning module, or reading the network time.

[0061] Since the sunset time is generally in minutes, the difference is precisely located in seconds. For example, according to the description in Example 1, the mowing end time is determined to be 6:10 pm, and the current time is 4:05:30 pm, then the maximum remaining time is 2 hours, 4 minutes and 30 seconds.

[0062] In one implementation of Example 2, the current charging time Tc can be calculated by a formula. Specifically, the formula is:

[0063] Tc=Tcmax / (Tcmax+Tgmax)*Tsmax, (Formula 1)

[0064] Among them, Tcmax is the maximum charging time, Tgmax is the maximum mowing time, and Tsmax is the maximum remaining time.

[0065] By using the above formula 1, the duration can be reasonably arranged among the current charging duration Tc, the remaining mowing duration and the maximum remaining duration Tsmax.

[0066] In another embodiment of Example 2, Figure 3 As shown, the relationship between the sum of the maximum charging time and the maximum mowing time and the maximum remaining time is determined.

[0067] Specifically, if the sum of the maximum charging time and the maximum mowing time is not greater than the maximum remaining time, the mowing robot is controlled to charge according to the maximum charging time.

[0068] If the sum of the maximum charging time and the maximum mowing time is greater than the maximum remaining time, the charging time and the mowing time are allocated according to the above formula 1.

[0069] For example, Tcmax=1, Tgmax=2, Tsmax=1, and taking formula 1 as an example for calculation, Tc=1 / (1+2)*1=1 / 3, that is, 20 minutes of electricity is charged at this time, and the remaining 40 minutes are used for mowing the lawn.

[0070] Embodiment 2 achieves the technical effect of quantifiably allocating mowing time and charging time.

[0071] Example 3

[0072] The difference between Example 2 and Example 2 is that the specific calculation method of the current charging time is different.

[0073] In Embodiment 3, the current charging duration is obtained by the following steps:

[0074] According to the charging rates of the lawn mowing robot at different charging stages, matching the maximum charging time with a charging time weight q;

[0075] The current charging time Tc = Tcmax*q / (Tcmax*q+Tgmax)*Tsmax, (Formula 2)

[0076] Among them, Tcmax is the maximum charging time, Tgmax is the maximum mowing time, and Tsmax is the maximum remaining time.

[0077] Example 3 is based on the following situation: the charging module of some lawn mowing robots has a fast charging speed in the early stage and a slow charging speed in the later stage. For example, it takes half an hour to charge 80% of the power, but it takes another half an hour to charge the last 20% of the power. For such a lawn mowing robot, the charging time weight q can be matched according to the different charging rates in the previous and later charging stages.

[0078] Here, we still take the example of "it takes half an hour to charge 80% of the electricity, but it takes another half an hour to charge 20% of the electricity", the matching weight q is 2, Tcmax = 1, then the corresponding formula 2 is transformed into:

[0079] Tc=2 / (2+Tgmax)*Tsmax

[0080] Assuming that Tgmax=2, Tsmax=1, then Tc=0.5 at this time, that is, the current charging time is half an hour, and the lawn mower robot is controlled to charge for another half an hour. At this time, 80% of the electric lawn mower has been charged, the mowing area is relatively large, and this half an hour is also the fastest charging speed of the lawn mower robot.

[0081] If we take Formula 1 as an example for calculation, Tc=1 / (1+2)*1=1 / 3, that is to say, only 20 minutes of electricity is charged at this time, and the fast charging time of charging for another 10 minutes to reach 80% of the power range is wasted. The remaining power of the lawn may not be enough, and the distribution of time is not as reasonable as Formula 2.

[0082] Therefore, in Example 3, by matching the charging time weight q to the maximum charging time for the charging rates in different charging stages, the technical effect of reasonably allocating the charging time and the mowing time according to the charging rate is achieved.

[0083] Example 4

[0084] The difference between the fourth embodiment and the first, second and third embodiments is that when the mowing end time has not yet arrived and the power of the mowing robot is already low, the fourth embodiment includes the following steps:

[0085] Control the lawn mowing robot to return to the charging base for charging;

[0086] When the lawn mower robot is on its way back to the charging stand for charging, or after the lawn mower robot has returned to the charging stand for charging, the method in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, embodiment 2 or embodiment 3 is executed.

[0087] That is to say, Example 4 implements a closed-loop control logic of charging, mowing, returning to charge, and continuing to mow.

[0088] Compared with the prior art, this embodiment has the following beneficial effects:

[0089] By applying this control method, the lawn mower robot can reasonably arrange the charging time and mowing time, avoiding the problem that after charging is completed, the mowing end time has passed and the mowing cannot continue. On the one hand, this control method improves the effective mowing time of the lawn mower robot, and on the other hand, saves charging time, thereby improving mowing efficiency and improving user experience.

[0090] In addition, the module diagram of the lawn mowing robot is as follows Figure 4 As shown, in addition to the above-mentioned walking module, mowing module, vision module and charging module, it also includes a storage module and a processing module. When the processing module executes the computer program, the steps in the above-mentioned control method of the mowing robot can be implemented, that is, the steps in any one of the technical solutions in the above-mentioned control method of the mowing robot can be implemented.

[0091] The processing module can 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 can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The processing module is the control center of the lawn mower robot, and uses various interfaces and lines to connect the various parts of the entire lawn mower robot.

[0092] The storage module can be used to store the computer program and / or module, and the processing module realizes various functions of the lawn mowing robot by running or executing the computer program and / or module stored in the storage module, and calling the data stored in the storage module. The storage module can mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area can store an operating system, at least one application required for a function, etc. In addition, the storage module 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 (Smart Media Card, SMC), a secure digital (Secure Digital, SD) card, a flash card (Flash Card), at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage devices.

[0093] Exemplarily, the computer program may be divided into one or more modules / units, which are stored in a storage module and executed by a processing module to implement the present invention. The one or more modules / units may be a series of computer program instruction segments capable of implementing specific functions, which are used to describe the execution process of the computer program in the lawn mowing robot.

[0094] It should be noted that for details not disclosed in the lawn mowing robot in the embodiment of the present invention, please refer to the details disclosed in the control method in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0095] It should be understood that although this specification is described according to implementation modes, not every implementation mode contains only one independent technical solution. This description of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each implementation mode may also be appropriately combined to form other implementation modes that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0096] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of feasible implementation methods of the present invention. They are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent implementation methods or changes that do not deviate from the technical spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method for a lawn mower robot, for controlling the lawn mower robot to operate in a predetermined area, and controlling the lawn mower robot to return to a charging station for charging, characterized in that: The method comprises: The lawn mower robot is controlled to charge according to a current charging duration, and when the current charging duration is reached, the lawn mower robot is controlled to leave the charging base to operate in the predetermined area, wherein the moment when the current charging duration is reached is earlier than the moment when the lawn mowing ends.

2. The control method of the lawn mowing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The current charging time is obtained based on the maximum remaining time, the maximum charging time and the maximum mowing time of the lawn mowing robot, wherein the maximum remaining time is the time from the current moment to the end moment of mowing, the maximum charging time is the charging time of the lawn mowing robot from an empty state to a fully charged state, and the maximum mowing time is the mowing time of the lawn mowing robot from a fully charged state to an empty state.

3. The control method of the lawn mowing robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The maximum remaining time is obtained by following the steps below: The difference between the mowing end time and the current time is calculated in seconds, and the difference is the maximum remaining time.

4. The control method of the lawn mowing robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The current charging duration is obtained by following the steps below: The current charging time Tc=Tcmax / (Tcmax+Tgmax)*Tsmax, wherein Tcmax is the maximum charging time, Tgmax is the maximum mowing time, and Tsmax is the maximum remaining time.

5. The control method of the lawn mowing robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sum of the maximum charging time and the maximum mowing time is greater than the maximum remaining time.

6. The control method of the lawn mowing robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The current charging duration is obtained by following the steps below: According to the charging rates of the lawn mowing robot at different charging stages, matching the maximum charging time with a charging time weight q; The current charging time Tc=Tcmax*q / (Tcmax*q+Tgmax)*Tsmax, wherein Tcmax is the maximum charging time, Tgmax is the maximum mowing time, and Tsmax is the maximum remaining time.

7. The control method of the lawn mowing robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: Also includes the steps: If the sum of the maximum charging time and the maximum mowing time is not greater than the maximum remaining time, the mowing robot is controlled to charge according to the maximum charging time.

8. The control method of the lawn mowing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mowing end time is obtained by the following steps: Get the sunset time and preset end time; If the sunset time is earlier than the preset end time, determining the sunset time as the lawn mowing end time; If the sunset time is not earlier than the preset end time, the preset end time is determined as the mowing end time.

9. The control method of the lawn mowing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controlling the lawn mowing robot to charge according to the current charging duration comprises: Continuously recording the charging time of the lawn mowing robot; Comparing the charging time and the current charging time; If the charging time has not reached the current charging time, the lawn mowing robot is controlled to continue charging.

10. A lawn mowing robot, characterized in that: include: A storage module storing a computer program; The processing module can implement the steps of the control method of the lawn mowing robot as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 when executing the computer program.

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