Local-based multi-robot avoidance method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a local-based multi-robot avoiding method. Comprising the steps that a Bluetooth mesh module is installed on the robot, and parameters are set; the historical track of the current robot is recorded and processed; processing and issuing the current state of the robot; judging whether the path is blocked; calculating an avoidance point, analyzing the actual environment width of the path according to the historical track information, and determining the position of the avoidance point; waiting points are preset, and when it is judged that the path is blocked and avoiding cannot be conducted, the robot selects the nearest waiting point for navigation; the priorities of the robots are obtained, the robot with the high priority does not need to avoid, and the robot can re-plan a path to continue to run after other robots avoid the robot; and other robots waiting at the waiting point need to continuously navigate in batches according to the time interval. According to the technical scheme, the blocking problem of multiple local robots in a narrow area and a narrow channel can be solved, and the operation efficiency and the task completion rate of the robots are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of robots, and in particular to a local-based multi-robot avoidance method. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of science and technology, intelligent robot technology has made significant progress and gradually penetrated into various industries, becoming an important tool for improving work efficiency and automation level. In many scenarios such as factory production lines, hospital material distribution, office express delivery, hotel catering services, etc., robots are gradually replacing traditional manual operation methods with their high efficiency and accuracy. Especially in the distribution scene, robots can autonomously navigate, identify obstacles, plan paths, and complete the rapid delivery of goods, food and other items, greatly improving the efficiency and accuracy of distribution.

[0003] However, in actual applications, when multiple robots work simultaneously in the same scene, especially in narrow areas and narrow passages with limited space, the operation of robots often faces many challenges. Due to poor information exchange between robots or unreasonable path planning, it is easy to cause blockages, resulting in the inability of robots to pass smoothly, which in turn affects the overall operation efficiency and task completion rate. This problem not only reduces delivery efficiency, but may also cause collision damage between robots, increasing operation and maintenance costs.

[0004] In order to solve the problem of collaborative operation of multiple robots in the same scene, existing technologies have proposed some solutions. For example, robots are uniformly scheduled and path planned through a central control system to ensure orderly operation between robots. However, this solution relies on stable network connections and efficient central processing units. Once the network fails or the central processing unit is overloaded, the coordination between robots may fail. In addition, the construction and maintenance costs of the central control system are relatively high, which is not conducive to its widespread application in various scenarios. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to propose a local multi-robot avoidance method, which can solve the problem of local multi-robots being blocked in narrow areas and narrow channels, and improve the operating efficiency and task completion rate of the robots.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a local-based multi-robot avoidance method, comprising: Install the Bluetooth mesh module on the robot and set parameters; record and process the historical trajectory of the current robot; process the current status of the robot and publish it; determine whether the path is blocked; Calculate the avoidance point and analyze the actual environment width of the path based on the historical trajectory information; when the difference between the laser points on the left and right sides is greater than twice the robot radius, it is determined as the avoidance point position; Preset waiting points. When the path is determined to be blocked and cannot be avoided, the robot selects a nearest waiting point for navigation; Get the robot priority. Robots with higher priorities do not need to give way. They can re-plan the path and continue driving after waiting for other robots to give way. Other robots waiting at the waiting point need to continue navigating in batches according to the time interval.

[0007] Beneficial effects of the basic solution: By installing Bluetooth mesh modules on robots and setting parameters, the communication capabilities between robots can be improved. The Bluetooth mesh network module has the characteristics of wide coverage, high reliability and flexible networking, which facilitates the networking communication of multiple robots. Through the Bluetooth mesh self-organizing network module, robot information broadcasting is realized, and each robot can receive the operating status of other robots, such as location, speed and other information.

[0008] Recording and processing the historical trajectory of the current robot helps the robot understand its own movement patterns and changes in the surrounding environment, so that the robot can accurately plan the path and quickly calculate the avoidance point when avoidance is needed.

[0009] In this technical solution, the actual environment width of the path is analyzed through historical trajectory information, the avoidance point location is determined, and the robot priority is obtained to generate the final avoidance measurement, which helps to optimize resource allocation and improve the operating efficiency of the overall system.

[0010] This technical solution also presets waiting points. When it is determined that the path is blocked and cannot be avoided, the robot can choose a nearest waiting point for navigation, which improves the flexibility and robustness of the local robot in avoiding complex environments. The robots waiting at the waiting point continue to navigate in batches according to the time interval. This strategy helps to reduce conflicts and waiting time between robots and improve the overall throughput and response speed of the system.

[0011] As an implementable preferred solution, install a Bluetooth mesh module on the robot and set parameters, including the following: Select a suitable Bluetooth mesh module; set the relevant parameters of the Bluetooth mesh module, including baud rate, mesh network ID, mesh network short address and working mode; connect the Bluetooth mesh module to the robot as a peripheral of the robot.

[0012] As an implementable preferred solution, the historical trajectory of the current robot is recorded and processed, including: Record the historical coordinates of the current robot at set intervals. While recording the coordinates, extract the laser data at 90 degrees and -90 degrees in front of the robot, calculate the distance between the laser points on the left and right sides and record it. Set the saving length of the historical track.

[0013] As an implementable preferred solution, the current status of the robot is processed and published, including: Set the robot status enumeration list; when the robot status changes, the status information is reported through the Bluetooth mesh module.

[0014] As an implementable preferred solution, judging whether the path is blocked includes the following contents: When dynamic path planning fails during the driving of this robot, it is determined that the robot's path is blocked, the robot's state is set to planning failure, and the state, position coordinates, and orientation angle are sent via Bluetooth, while receiving Bluetooth information from other robots.

[0015] As an implementable preferred solution, judging whether the path is blocked also includes the following contents: Plan the static path again; determine whether there are other robots blocking the current path based on the static path information; if the path is determined to be blocked, the robot needs to perform avoidance operations and report the path planning failure status.

[0016] As an implementable preferred solution, judging whether there are other robots blocking the current path to be traveled based on the static path information includes the following: The coordinate information and orientation information of the surrounding robots are traversed from the Bluetooth data, and the shortest distance from each robot coordinate point to the static path point is calculated.

[0017] As an implementable preferred solution, calculating the avoidance point also includes: If the laser point distance calculated by the current historical trajectory point is too small, it is necessary to continue to traverse the historical trajectory until a qualified avoidance candidate point is calculated; after selecting the candidate point, the robot can directly navigate to the candidate point to wait.

[0018] As an implementable preferred solution, preset waiting points include: Choose a location near a narrow area that is spacious enough and not prone to congestion as the waiting point area; Alternatively, in an open area, select multiple dispersed waiting point areas to reduce conflicts and wait times.

[0019] As an implementable preferred solution, a waiting point is preset. When it is determined that the path is blocked and cannot be avoided, the robot selects a nearest waiting point for navigation, which also includes: After the robot arrives at the waiting point area, it reports the arrival status and waits for other robots to synchronize its status. If it determines that the surrounding robots have already arrived at the waiting point, it starts to calculate the distance from its own coordinates to the waiting point and the distance from other robots to the waiting point. The priority is determined based on the distance from the waiting point. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 A logical diagram of a local-based multi-robot avoidance method.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the local robot Bluetooth mesh module networking communication.

[0022] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the robot's coordinate information and orientation information.

[0023] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of local robot path blockage.

[0024] Figure 5 Laser diagram showing the distance between the local robot and the two sides.

[0025] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the path planning of the local robot after avoidance.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the preset waiting point.

[0027] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the local robot navigating to the preset waiting point.

[0028] Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to make the technical solution and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only partial embodiments of the present invention, which are only used to explain the present application, rather than to limit the present application. It should be noted that the technical features or combinations of technical features described in the following embodiments should not be considered isolated, and they can be combined with each other to achieve better technical effects. The same reference numerals appearing in the drawings of the following embodiments represent the same features or components, which can be applied to different embodiments.

[0030] In addition, unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the description of the present invention should have the common meanings understood by those skilled in the art in the art to which the present invention belongs.

[0031] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings: Reference numerals: electronic device 500 , processor 501 , communication interface 502 , memory 503 , bus 504 .

[0032] Reference Figure 1 , refer to Figure 2 ,A local based multi-robot avoidance method includes the following steps.

[0033] Step S100, installing a Bluetooth mesh module on the robot and setting parameters, including: Step S101, select a suitable Bluetooth mesh module. In this embodiment, a Bluetooth mesh module that complies with Bluetooth module protocol 5.2 is selected. The module is a master-slave transceiver integrated module that supports multiple configuration modes, such as BLE master-slave transparent transmission mode, MESH transparent transmission mode, MESH command mode, etc. Each module has its own relay function, and the transmission distance between modules is longer.

[0034] Step S102, set the relevant parameters of the Bluetooth mesh module, including baud rate, mesh networking ID, mesh networking short address, working mode, etc. The baud rate is set to the rate of communication with the robot industrial computer; the mesh networking ID is used as the network name for the module to identify its own networking; the mesh networking short address is used as the unique ID of the module; the working mode selects the command mode to improve the stability of transmission.

[0035] Step S103, connect the Bluetooth mesh module to the robot and test to ensure that the module can work properly and broadcast and receive information with other robots. The device is connected to the robot as a peripheral device of the robot and serves as a tool for communication between robots. It has the characteristics of small size.

[0036] Step S200, recording and processing the historical trajectory of the current robot, including: Step S201, during the robot navigation process, the coordinates of the current robot are recorded in real time. In this embodiment, a point is selected with an interval of 0.3 meters, that is, the current coordinates are recorded once when the robot walks more than 0.3 meters, which can ensure the validity of the historical trajectory information and avoid data redundancy occupying memory resources to record a longer historical trajectory.

[0037] Step S202, while recording the coordinates, extract the laser data at 90 degrees and minus 90 degrees in front of the robot, calculate the distance between the laser points on the left and right sides and record it, and form trajectory data with laser data.

[0038] Step S203, set the storage length of the historical trajectory, adjust the storage length and update frequency of the historical trajectory data according to the actual situation, and modulate it according to the actual application scenario. In a narrow passage, increase the storage length of the historical trajectory to improve the accuracy of avoidance; in an open area, reduce the storage length to save storage space. In this embodiment, a trajectory length of 50 meters is retained, and the front trajectory point data is deleted if the length exceeds the limit.

[0039] Step S300, processing the current state of the robot and publishing it, including: Step S301, setting an enumeration list of robot states, in this embodiment, including states such as path planning, controlling, path planning failure, control failure, navigating to a waiting point, and navigating to a waiting point completed.

[0040] Step S302, sending the robot's status and other information via Bluetooth at a certain frequency (eg, 5 Hz). When the robot switches state, it needs to report the state information to prevent other robots from making wrong judgments.

[0041] Step S400, determining whether the path is blocked, includes: Step S401: When the dynamic path planning fails during the driving process of the robot, it means that the path of the robot has been completely blocked. The state of the robot is set to planning failure, and the state, position coordinates, and orientation angle are sent via Bluetooth, and Bluetooth information of other robots is received at the same time.

[0042] Step S402, planning a static path again.

[0043] Step S403: Determine whether other robots are blocking the current path based on the static path information. The determination method is to traverse the coordinate information and orientation information of the surrounding robots from the Bluetooth data, and refer to Figure 3 , calculate the shortest distance from each robot coordinate point to the static path point.

[0044] Assuming that the radius of the robot is 0.3 meters, plus a safety margin of 0.35 meters, if the closest distance from the coordinates of one robot to the trajectory is less than 0.35 meters and its orientation differs from that of this robot by more than 90 degrees (traveling in opposite directions), it is considered that the robot is on the path that this robot is going to walk, causing a path blockage.

[0045] The safety margin is considered comprehensively based on factors such as the size, speed, and motion characteristics of the robot. For example, for a large-sized, high-speed robot, a larger safety margin needs to be set to ensure the safety of avoidance; for a small-sized, low-speed robot, a smaller safety margin can be set to improve the flexibility of avoidance.

[0046] Step S404, refer to Figure 4 ,When it is judged that the path is blocked, the robot needs to perform avoidance operations and report the path planning failure status.

[0047] Step S500, calculating the avoidance point, includes: Step S501: the historical trajectory information includes laser point information, and the actual environment width of the historical path is analyzed according to the historical trajectory information.

[0048] Step S502, assuming that the radius of the robot plus the safety margin is , the laser points on both sides of each trajectory point are recorded as ( , ),( , ), when the distance between the laser points , the avoidance point can be calculated ( , ), calculate the position of the avoidance point, the formula is as follows:

[0049] The specific position of the avoidance point is found to be on the line connecting the two laser points and close to one of the obstacles on the side.

[0050] Step S503, if the laser point distance calculated by the current historical trajectory point is too small, it is necessary to continue to traverse the historical trajectory until a point that meets the conditions is calculated. After selecting the candidate point, the robot can directly navigate to the candidate point to wait.

[0051] Step S504, obtaining robot priority, the robot with a high robot priority does not need to give way, and can re-plan the path and continue driving after waiting for other robots to give way, refer to Figure 6 Other robots waiting at the waiting point need to continue navigating in batches according to the time interval. After the path planning of the robot with high priority is successful, it will receive the path planning success status. After receiving it, other robots will continue the navigation task according to the priority level of the robot.

[0052] In one embodiment, according to the robot's task priority number, the number can directly use the Bluetooth device number written by the robot, and the order is based on the Bluetooth device number, and the largest number or the smallest number has the highest priority. The robot does not need additional algorithms to calculate, saving the local robot's computing resources.

[0053] Step S600, selecting a waiting point, includes: Step S601, refer to Figure 7, preset avoidance points, and select a location near a narrow area (such as a passage) that is spacious enough and not prone to congestion as the waiting point area. This area needs to be able to accommodate at least a certain number of robots at the same time, and it should not be too close to obstacles.

[0054] Alternatively, in an open area, select multiple dispersed waiting point areas to reduce conflicts and wait times.

[0055] Step S602: When it is determined that the path is blocked and avoidance is not possible, the robot selects a nearest waiting point for navigation.

[0056] Step S603, refer to Figure 8 ,After the robot arrives at the waiting point area, it reports the ,status of arriving at the waiting point and waits for other robots to ,synchronize their status.

[0057] Step S604, the robot determines whether all the surrounding robots have transitioned from navigating to the waiting point to the waiting point state. If it is determined that all the surrounding robots have reached the waiting point state, the robot starts to calculate the distance from its own coordinates to the waiting point and the distance from other robots to the waiting point.

[0058] Step S605: Determine the priority based on the distance from the waiting point. The robot farthest from the waiting point has the highest priority and can start the original navigation task. Other robots continue to navigate in batches based on time intervals and priorities.

[0059] The disclosed embodiment also provides a local-based multi-robot avoidance system, which utilizes the above-mentioned local-based multi-robot avoidance method.

[0060] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, all steps of the above-mentioned local multi-robot avoidance method can be implemented.

[0061] A person of ordinary skill in the art can understand that the implementation of all or part of the process in a local multi-robot avoidance method can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it can include a process of various embodiments of a local multi-robot avoidance method. Among them, any reference to memory, storage, database or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application may include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link (Synchlink) DRAM (SLDRAM), memory bus (Rambus) direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and memory bus dynamic RAM (RDRAM), etc.

[0062] Reference Fig. 9 , the electronic device 500 includes: at least one processor 501, at least one communication interface 502, at least one memory 503 and at least one bus 504. The bus 504 is used to realize the connection and communication between these components, the communication interface 502 is used to communicate signaling or data with other node devices, and the memory 503 stores machine-readable instructions executable by the processor 501. When the electronic device 500 is running, the processor 501 communicates with the memory 503 through the bus 504, and when the machine-readable instructions are called by the processor 501, the steps of the above-mentioned local multi-robot avoidance method are executed.

[0063] The above contents are only embodiments of the present invention. The common sense such as the known specific structures and characteristics in the scheme is not described in detail here. The ordinary technicians in the relevant field know all the common technical knowledge in the technical field to which the invention belongs before the application date or the priority date, can obtain all the existing technologies in the field, and have the ability to apply the conventional experimental means before that date. The ordinary technicians in the relevant field can improve and implement this scheme in combination with their own abilities under the enlightenment given by this application. Some typical known structures or known methods should not become obstacles for the ordinary technicians in the relevant field to implement this application. It should be pointed out that for the technicians in this field, without departing from the structure of the present invention, several deformations and improvements can be made, which should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention, which will not affect the effect of the implementation of the present invention and the practicality of the patent. The protection scope required by this application shall be based on the content of its claims, and the specific implementation methods and other records in the specification can be used to explain the content of the claims.

Claims

1. A local-based multi-robot avoidance method, characterized in that: include: Install the Bluetooth mesh module on the robot and set the parameters; Record and process the historical trajectory of the current robot; Process the current status of the robot and publish it; determine whether the path is blocked; Calculate the avoidance point and analyze the actual environment width of the path based on the historical trajectory information; when the difference between the laser points on the left and right sides is greater than twice the robot radius, it is determined as the avoidance point position; Preset waiting points. When the path is determined to be blocked and cannot be avoided, the robot selects a nearest waiting point for navigation; Get the robot priority. Robots with higher priorities do not need to give way. They can re-plan the path and continue driving after waiting for other robots to give way. Other robots waiting at the waiting point need to continue navigating in batches according to the time interval.

2. A local-based multi-robot avoidance method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Install the Bluetooth mesh module on the robot and set the parameters, including the following: Choose the right Bluetooth mesh module; Set the relevant parameters of the Bluetooth mesh module, including baud rate, mesh network ID, mesh network short address and working mode; connect the Bluetooth mesh module to the robot as a peripheral of the robot.

3. The local-based multi-robot avoidance method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Record and process the historical trajectory of the current robot, including: Record the historical coordinates of the current robot at set intervals. While recording the coordinates, extract the laser data at 90 degrees and -90 degrees in front of the robot, calculate the distance between the laser points on the left and right sides and record it. Set the saving length of the historical track.

4. The local-based multi-robot avoidance method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Process the current status of the robot and publish it, including: Set the robot status enumeration list; when the robot status changes, the status information is reported through the Bluetooth mesh module.

5. The local-based multi-robot avoidance method according to claim 4, characterized in that: Determine whether the path is blocked, including the following: When dynamic path planning fails during the driving of this robot, it is determined that the robot's path is blocked, the robot's state is set to planning failure, and the state, position coordinates, and orientation angle are sent via Bluetooth, while receiving Bluetooth information from other robots.

6. The local-based multi-robot avoidance method according to claim 5, characterized in that: Determining whether a path is blocked also includes the following: Plan the static path again; determine whether there are other robots blocking the current path based on the static path information; if the path is determined to be blocked, the robot needs to perform avoidance operations and report the path planning failure status.

7. The local-based multi-robot avoidance method according to claim 6, characterized in that: Determine whether there are other robots blocking the current path based on the static path information, including the following: The coordinate information and orientation information of the surrounding robots are traversed from the Bluetooth data, and the shortest distance from each robot coordinate point to the static path point is calculated.

8. The local-based multi-robot avoidance method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Calculate avoidance points, including: If the laser point distance calculated by the current historical trajectory point is too small, it is necessary to continue to traverse the historical trajectory until a qualified avoidance candidate point is calculated; after selecting the candidate point, the robot can directly navigate to the candidate point to wait.

9. The local-based multi-robot avoidance method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Preset waiting points, including: Choose a location near a narrow area that is spacious enough and not prone to congestion as the waiting point area; Alternatively, in an open area, select multiple dispersed waiting point areas to reduce conflicts and wait times.

10. The local-based multi-robot avoidance method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Preset waiting point. When the path is determined to be blocked and cannot be avoided, the robot selects a nearest waiting point for navigation. It also includes: After the robot arrives at the waiting point area, it reports the arrival status and waits for other robots to synchronize its status. If it determines that the surrounding robots have already arrived at the waiting point, it starts to calculate the distance from its own coordinates to the waiting point and the distance from other robots to the waiting point. The priority is determined based on the distance from the waiting point.

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