Ground medium detection method, device and cleaning equipment

Abstract

A ground medium contour detection method, device and cleaning equipment, the method comprising: in response to the cleaning equipment detecting a preset ground medium, triggering the cleaning equipment to alternately switch an inner boundary exploration mode and an outer boundary exploration mode (210); in the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode, controlling the cleaning equipment to detect a medium boundary point in a predetermined direction to obtain a medium boundary point set (220); and determining a preset ground medium contour based on the medium boundary point set (230). The ground medium contour detection method can improve the detection efficiency of the cleaning equipment on the ground medium contour.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of cleaning equipment control technology, and in particular relates to a ground medium detection method, device and cleaning equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, cleaning devices, including robotic vacuum cleaners, typically need to perform contour detection when detecting floor surfaces such as carpets. For example, in existing solutions, robotic vacuum cleaners usually detect the outer edge of the carpet contour. This requires the robot to rotate in place to adjust its detection direction, leading to reduced efficiency in contour detection. Therefore, improving the contour detection efficiency of cleaning devices is a pressing technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The embodiments of this application provide a method, apparatus, and cleaning equipment for detecting the contours of ground media, which can at least improve the detection efficiency of the cleaning equipment for detecting the contours of ground media to a certain extent.

[0004] Other features and advantages of this application will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part from practice of this application.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this application, a method for detecting the contour of a ground medium is provided, characterized in that the method includes: in response to the cleaning device detecting a preset ground medium, triggering the cleaning device to alternately switch between an inner boundary exploration mode and an outer boundary exploration mode; in the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode, controlling the cleaning device to detect medium boundary points in a predetermined direction to obtain a set of medium boundary points; and determining a preset ground medium contour based on the set of medium boundary points.

[0006] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, triggering the cleaning device to alternately switch between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode includes: if at least one media boundary point is detected in the inner boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode; if at least one media boundary point is detected in the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0007] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, triggering the cleaning device to alternately switch between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode includes: if the cleaning device detects an obstacle in the inner boundary exploration mode, controlling the cleaning device to perform a first predetermined action until a media boundary point is detected, triggering the cleaning device to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode; if the cleaning device detects an obstacle in the outer boundary exploration mode, controlling the cleaning device to perform a second predetermined action until a media boundary point is detected, triggering the cleaning device to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0008] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, controlling the cleaning device to perform a first predetermined action until a media boundary point is detected, triggering the cleaning device to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode, includes: controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place in a first preset direction until the cleaning device detects a media boundary point, triggering the cleaning device to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode; or, controlling the cleaning device to move backward or turn around until the cleaning device detects a media boundary point, triggering the cleaning device to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode; wherein, the exploration direction of the cleaning device in the outer boundary exploration mode is opposite to the exploration direction of the cleaning device in the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0009] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, controlling the cleaning device to detect the medium boundary point in a predetermined direction in the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode includes:

[0010] In the inner boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is controlled to move in a first predetermined direction to detect the media boundary point, the first predetermined direction including a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction; in the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is controlled to move in a second predetermined direction to detect the media boundary point, the second predetermined direction being opposite to the first predetermined direction.

[0011] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, in the outer boundary exploration mode, during the detection process of the cleaning device, the first angle change of the cleaning device's orientation is monitored; if the cleaning device fails to detect the media boundary point and the first angle change exceeds the first angle threshold, the cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place in the second predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected.

[0012] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the method further includes: recording the second angle change of the cleaning device's orientation during the process of the cleaning device rotating in place according to the second predetermined direction; if the second angle change of the cleaning device when it detects a media boundary point exceeds a second angle threshold, then controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place according to the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, and recording the re-detected media boundary point to the media boundary point set; or, when the cleaning device rotates in place according to the second predetermined direction and detects a media boundary point, recording the currently detected media boundary point to the media boundary point set, and controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place according to the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, so as to adjust the exploration direction of the cleaning device and switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0013] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the method further includes: in the inner boundary exploration mode, during the detection process of the cleaning device, monitoring the change in the third angle of the orientation of the cleaning device; if the cleaning device does not detect the media boundary point and the change in the third angle exceeds the third angle threshold, then controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place in the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected.

[0014] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the method further includes: recording the fourth angle change of the cleaning device's orientation during the process of the cleaning device rotating in place according to the first predetermined direction; if the fourth angle change of the cleaning device exceeds the fourth angle threshold when it detects a media boundary point, then controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place according to the second predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, and recording the re-detected media boundary point to the media boundary point set; or, when the cleaning device rotates in place according to the first predetermined direction and detects a media boundary point, recording the currently detected media boundary point to the media boundary point set, and controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place according to the second predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, so as to adjust the exploration direction of the cleaning device and switch to the outer boundary exploration mode.

[0015] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, controlling the cleaning device to detect the media boundary point in a predetermined direction includes: controlling the cleaning device to detect the media boundary point in a predetermined direction until the detection by the cleaning device is interrupted, or until the distance between the media boundary point detected by the cleaning device and the media boundary point detected for the first time is less than a preset distance threshold.

[0016] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the media boundary point includes a preset media boundary point and a non-preset media boundary point. The preset media boundary point is the media boundary point detected by the cleaning device in the inner boundary exploration mode, and the non-preset media boundary point is the media boundary point detected by the cleaning device in the outer boundary exploration mode.

[0017] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, determining the preset ground medium profile based on the set of medium boundary points includes: determining the preset ground medium profile based on preset medium boundary points in the set of medium boundary points; or, determining the preset ground medium profile based on non-preset medium boundary points in the set of medium boundary points; or, determining the preset ground medium profile based on preset medium boundary points and non-preset medium boundary points in the set of medium boundary points.

[0018] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, determining the preset ground medium profile based on the set of medium boundary points includes: sequentially connecting each medium boundary point in the set of medium boundary points according to the order in which they are detected to determine the preset ground medium profile; or, generating convex hull data based on each medium boundary point in the set of medium boundary points, and determining the preset ground medium profile based on the convex hull data; or, determining the preset ground medium profile by fitting each medium boundary point in the set of medium boundary points; or, determining the preset ground medium profile by performing graphic matching processing on each medium boundary point in the set of medium boundary points.

[0019] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the method further includes: if the cleaning equipment interrupts the detection of the preset ground medium, then based on the set of detected medium boundary points, determining the outline of the explored preset ground medium; and based on the explored preset ground medium outline, exploring the undetected preset ground medium.

[0020] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the exploration of undetected preset ground media based on the explored preset ground media contour includes: determining a first media boundary point first explored and a second media boundary point last explored on the explored preset ground media contour, and defining the line connecting the first media boundary point and the second media boundary point as the inner edge line of the unexplored preset ground media; determining the contour of the explored area of ​​the preset ground media based on the explored media boundary point and the inner edge line; and exploring the undetected preset ground media based on the contour of the explored area of ​​the preset ground media.

[0021] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the method further includes: obtaining a preset ground medium profile determined by the cleaning device during the exploration behavior; if there is a common contour line between any two preset ground medium profiles, then splicing the two preset ground medium profiles together to obtain a spliced ​​preset ground medium profile.

[0022] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the detection trajectory of the cleaning device for detecting the media boundary point in a predetermined direction includes an arc trajectory.

[0023] According to a second aspect of the present application, a ground medium contour detection device is provided. The device includes: a triggering unit, configured to trigger the cleaning device to alternately switch between an inner boundary exploration mode and an outer boundary exploration mode in response to the cleaning device detecting a preset ground medium; a control unit, configured to control the cleaning device to detect medium boundary points in a predetermined direction in the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode, thereby obtaining a set of medium boundary points; and a determining unit, configured to determine a preset ground medium contour based on the set of medium boundary points.

[0024] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores at least one piece of program code, the at least one piece of program code being loaded and executed by a processor to perform the operations performed by the method described in any of the first aspects above.

[0025] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of this application, a cleaning device is provided, including one or more processors and one or more memories, wherein the one or more memories store at least one piece of program code, the at least one piece of program code being loaded and executed by the one or more processors to perform the operations performed by the method described in any of the first aspects above.

[0026] In this application, during the detection process of the cleaning equipment on the preset ground medium profile, the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode are alternately switched. The cleaning equipment is controlled to detect the medium boundary points in a predetermined direction in the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode. After obtaining the set of medium boundary points, the data of the medium boundary points in the set are processed to obtain the preset ground medium profile. The technical solution of this application can control the cleaning equipment to detect the ground medium profile during the movement. Based on this, the cleaning equipment reduces the action of rotating in place, which can reduce the ineffective detection work of the cleaning equipment to a certain extent and improve the detection efficiency of the ground medium profile.

[0027] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort. In the drawings:

[0029] Figure 1 The following are schematic diagrams of the structure of the sweeping robot in the embodiments of this application from different perspectives;

[0030] Figure 2 A flowchart of the ground medium contour detection method in an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0031] Figure 3 The following is a scene demonstration diagram of a preset ground medium boundary point and a non-preset ground medium point in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 4 A scenario demonstration diagram illustrating the determination of the initial exploration mode of the cleaning equipment in an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0033] Figure 5 This application shows a scenario demonstration diagram of controlling the cleaning equipment to detect the media boundary point in a predetermined direction according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 6 The illustration shows a scenario in which the cleaning device is triggered to alternately switch between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode in an embodiment of this application.

[0035] Figure 7 This illustration shows a scenario in which the cleaning device is triggered to alternately switch between inner boundary exploration mode and outer boundary exploration mode when an obstacle is detected, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0036] Figure 8 A scene illustration is shown in an embodiment of this application, illustrating the recording of a first angular change in the orientation of the cleaning equipment.

[0037] Figure 9 The illustration shows a scenario in which the cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place in the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0038] Figure 10 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of how, in an embodiment of this application, each medium boundary point is sequentially connected according to the order in which they are detected in the set of medium boundary points to determine the preset ground medium profile.

[0039] Figure 11This illustration shows a schematic diagram of generating convex hull data based on each medium boundary point in the medium boundary point set, and determining the preset ground medium profile based on the convex hull data in an embodiment of this application.

[0040] Figure 12 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of determining the preset ground medium profile by fitting each medium boundary point in the medium boundary point set in an embodiment of this application.

[0041] Figure 13 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of determining the preset ground medium outline by performing graphic matching processing on each medium boundary point in the medium boundary point set in an embodiment of this application.

[0042] Figure 14 A flowchart of the ground medium contour detection method in an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0043] Figure 15 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present application in which, if any two preset ground medium contours have a common contour line, the two preset ground medium contours are spliced ​​together to obtain the spliced ​​preset ground medium contour.

[0044] Figure 16 A block diagram of the ground medium profile detection device in an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0045] Figure 17 A schematic diagram of the cleaning equipment in an embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0047] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Numerous specific details are provided in the following description to give a thorough understanding of embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of this application can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, apparatuses, steps, etc., can be employed. In other instances, well-known methods, apparatuses, implementations, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of this application.

[0048] The block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are merely functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically independent entities. That is, these functional entities can be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0049] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative and do not necessarily include all content and operations / steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the described order. For example, some operations / steps can be broken down, while others can be combined or partially combined; therefore, the actual execution order may change depending on the specific circumstances.

[0050] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0051] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "step 1, step 2, ..." are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the order of execution of the indicated technical features.

[0052] The following detailed description of some embodiments of this application will be provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0053] This application provides a method, apparatus, and cleaning device for detecting the contour of a ground surface. The method can be applied to intelligent cleaning devices, which may be a robotic vacuum cleaner or other intelligent cleaning devices; this application does not limit the specific application to these devices.

[0054] First, to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the control scheme of the cleaning equipment of this application, the following will be combined with... Figure 1 Taking a robotic vacuum cleaner as an example, we will briefly explain the structure of a robotic vacuum cleaner.

[0055] See Figure 1 The diagram shows the structural schematics of the sweeping robot in the embodiments of this application from different perspectives.

[0056] Specifically, in Figure 1 middle, Figure 1 (a) shows a structural schematic diagram of the robotic vacuum cleaner from an external perspective. Figure 1 (b) shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the sweeper from a low-angle view. Figure 1 (c) shows a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the robot vacuum cleaner from a top-down view.

[0057] For example, the technical solution of this application can be applied to a sweeping robot 100, which mainly includes: an ultrasonic sensor 101, a drop sensor 102, a drive wheel 103, a mopping component 104, a omnidirectional wheel 105, a distance sensor 106, a collision sensor 107, a dustbin 108, a fan 109, a side brush 110, a roller brush 111, a suction port 112, etc.

[0058] The ultrasonic sensor 101 can be used to detect obstacles; specifically, in this application, it can be used to detect a preset ground medium (such as a carpet). In some embodiments, the ultrasonic sensor for detecting the preset ground medium is located at the bottom of the front end of the cleaning device, such as... Figure 1 As shown in (b).

[0059] The drop sensor 102 is located at the bottom edge of the main body of the robot vacuum cleaner 100. There can be one or more of them. When the robot vacuum cleaner 100 moves to the edge of the ground, the drop sensor 102 can detect that the robot vacuum cleaner 100 is at risk of falling from a height, and thus execute the corresponding anti-fall reaction, such as the robot vacuum cleaner 100 stopping or moving away from the fall position.

[0060] Each drive wheel 103 is equipped with a drive wheel motor, which drives the drive wheel 103 to rotate. Thus, the drive wheel provides the power for the robot vacuum cleaner to move; that is, after the drive wheel 103 rotates, it drives the robot vacuum cleaner 100 to move. On the other hand, the drive wheel 103, in conjunction with the omnidirectional wheel 105, enables the robot vacuum cleaner 100 to move and turn. The rotation of the drive wheel 103 can drive the robot vacuum cleaner 100 forward or backward. By controlling the speed difference between the left and right drive wheels 103, the turning angle of the robot vacuum cleaner 100 can be controlled.

[0061] The robotic vacuum cleaner 100 is equipped with a vacuuming device, which includes a dustbin 108 and a fan 109. When the side brush 110 and / or roller brush 111 located at the bottom of the robotic vacuum cleaner 100 are started to rotate, the rotating side brush 110 and / or roller brush 111 sweep dust and other debris to the vicinity of the suction port 112 at the bottom of the robotic vacuum cleaner 100. Due to the suction effect of the fan 109, this debris is sucked into the suction port 112 and enters the dustbin 108 for temporary storage.

[0062] The distance sensor 106 can be an infrared ranging sensor, an ultrasonic ranging sensor, a laser ranging sensor, or a depth sensor, etc. It can be used to detect the distance from obstacles to the distance sensor 106. The distance sensor 106 is set on the side of the robot vacuum cleaner body, so the distance value from obstacles located near the side of the robot vacuum cleaner 100 to the distance sensor 106 can be measured through the distance sensor 106.

[0063] The collision sensor 107 includes a collision housing 107A and a trigger sensor 107B. The collision housing 107A is disposed at the front of the robot body 100, surrounding the front end and front sides of the robot body 100. Specifically, the collision housing 107A is positioned at the front end of the robot body 100 and at the front of its left and right sides. The trigger sensor 107B is disposed inside the robot body 100 and behind the collision housing 107A. An elastic buffer, such as a spring or sheet, is provided between the collision housing 107A and the robot body 100. When the mobile robot collides with an obstacle through the collision housing 107A, the collision housing 107A moves inward toward the mobile robot and compresses the elastic buffer. After the collision housing 107A moves a certain distance into the mobile robot, it comes into contact with the trigger sensor 107B. The trigger sensor 107B is then activated, generating a collision signal. When not activated, the collision sensor 107B outputs a low-level signal; when activated, it outputs a high-level signal. This collision signal can be sent to the robot vacuum cleaner 100 controller for processing. After colliding with the obstacle, the robot vacuum cleaner 100 moves away from the obstacle, and the collision housing returns to its original position under the action of the elastic buffer. Therefore, the collision sensor 107A can detect obstacles and, upon collision with an obstacle, provide a buffering effect.

[0064] It is understood that the robotic vacuum cleaner 100 may also have other structures, which are not limited here.

[0065] See Figure 2 The flowchart of the ground medium profile detection method in the embodiment of this application is shown, specifically including steps 210 to 230.

[0066] Step 210: In response to the cleaning device detecting a preset ground medium, the cleaning device is triggered to alternately switch between inner boundary exploration mode and outer boundary exploration mode.

[0067] In this application, the preset ground medium can be carpet, special material floor tile, foot mat, crawling mat, cooling mat, or other ground material medium that requires cleaning equipment to detect the contours. This application does not limit the scope of the application.

[0068] In one embodiment of this application, the inner boundary exploration mode can refer to the cleaning device's obstacle detection sensor exploring the edge of the preset ground medium within the preset ground medium. During the inner boundary exploration mode, at least 50% of the trajectory formed by the orthographic projection of the obstacle detection sensor of the cleaning device coincides with the orthographic projection of the preset ground medium. Correspondingly, the outer boundary exploration mode can refer to the cleaning device's obstacle detection sensor exploring the edge of the preset ground medium within a non-preset ground medium (i.e., outside the preset ground medium). During the outer boundary exploration mode, at least 50% of the trajectory formed by the orthographic projection of the obstacle detection sensor of the cleaning device coincides with the orthographic projection of the non-preset ground medium.

[0069] In this application, the cleaning equipment can detect the preset ground medium through various technical means. For example, the cleaning equipment can detect the preset ground medium through sensors (such as ultrasonic sensors, photosensitive sensors, etc.), which is not limited here.

[0070] It should be noted that the cleaning device in this application can detect the preset ground medium from outside or from within the preset ground medium. If the cleaning device detects the preset ground medium from outside, and the sensor used by the cleaning device to detect obstacles detects a signal of the preset ground medium, it is considered that the cleaning device has detected the preset ground medium and has reached the edge of the preset ground medium. If the cleaning device detects the preset ground medium from within, and the sensor used by the cleaning device to detect obstacles detects a signal of a non-preset ground medium, it is considered that the cleaning device has detected a non-preset ground medium and has reached the edge of the preset ground medium.

[0071] For example, taking a carpet as the preset floor medium, when the cleaning device starts its task of detecting the carpet outline from inside the carpet, if the sensor used by the cleaning device to detect obstacles detects a non-carpet medium signal, it is considered that the cleaning device has detected a non-carpet medium. At this time, when the cleaning device reaches the edge of the carpet medium, it is triggered to alternately switch between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode to detect the carpet outline. When the cleaning device starts its task of detecting the carpet outline from outside the carpet, if the sensor used by the cleaning device to detect obstacles detects a carpet medium signal, it is considered that the cleaning device has detected the carpet medium. At this time, when the cleaning device reaches the edge of the carpet medium, it is triggered to alternately switch between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode to detect the carpet outline.

[0072] In this application, if the cleaning equipment is currently building a cleaning area map and detects a preset ground medium during its movement, the contour exploration of the preset ground medium is not performed. It is understood that the cleaning equipment determines its movement route and cleaning trajectory based on the cleaning area map. If the cleaning equipment is newly purchased, it needs to explore the surrounding environment to build an initial cleaning area map before performing the cleaning task. Not probing the contour of the preset ground medium during the cleaning area map construction process can improve the efficiency of the cleaning area map construction.

[0073] In this application, when the cleaning equipment detects a preset ground medium during its movement, if the preset ground medium contour information is present in the ground medium contour detection record of the cleaning equipment, and the time interval between recording the preset ground medium contour and the current time is less than a preset duration, then the preset ground medium contour is not explored; if the preset ground medium contour information is present in the ground medium contour detection record of the cleaning equipment, and the time interval between recording the preset ground medium contour and the current time is greater than a preset duration, then the preset ground medium contour is re-explored.

[0074] In this application, if the cleaning equipment encounters a preset floor surface material during movement or while performing a cleaning task, and no special measures are taken to address the preset floor surface material, damage to the cleaning equipment or the preset floor surface material may occur. For example, when the preset floor surface material is carpet, the cleaning equipment may get stuck on the carpet if it moves on the carpet, or it may wet the carpet while mopping if it is currently performing a mopping task. Therefore, contour detection of the special material can protect the cleaning equipment and the preset floor surface material to a certain extent.

[0075] In this application, when the cleaning device detects a preset ground surface medium during its movement, it indicates that the cleaning device has reached the edge of the preset ground surface medium. At this time, the cleaning device is triggered to alternately switch between inner boundary exploration mode and outer boundary exploration mode to begin exploring the preset ground surface medium. After determining the position and outline of the preset ground surface medium based on the exploration results, the cleaning device can update the outline information of the preset ground surface medium to the cleaning area map of the sweeping machine. When the cleaning device plans its travel trajectory or cleaning trajectory, it can design an avoidance route or cleaning behavior based on the position and outline of the preset ground surface medium.

[0076] It is understandable that the working environment of cleaning equipment is dynamic. Through the technical solution provided in this application, the cleaning equipment can take special measures to deal with the preset ground medium, regularly update the detection record of the preset ground medium outline, and update the detected preset ground medium outline to the cleaning area map. To a certain extent, this can avoid repeated detection of the preset ground medium outline by the cleaning equipment and also provide high working efficiency of the cleaning equipment.

[0077] See also Figure 2 Step 220: In the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning equipment is controlled to detect the media boundary point in a predetermined direction to obtain a set of media boundary points.

[0078] In this application, the media boundary point includes a preset media boundary point and a non-preset media boundary point. The preset media boundary point is the media boundary point detected by the cleaning device in the inner boundary exploration mode, and the non-preset media boundary point is the media boundary point detected by the cleaning device in the outer boundary exploration mode.

[0079] It should be noted that the preset medium boundary point is the medium boundary point determined when the cleaning device detects a non-preset medium signal in the inner boundary exploration mode. In this case, the determined medium boundary point can be the coordinates of the cleaning device when the sensor used by the cleaning device to detect obstacles detects a non-preset ground medium signal, or the coordinates of the cleaning device before a predetermined time has elapsed since the sensor detected the non-preset ground medium signal. The non-preset medium boundary point is the medium boundary point determined when the cleaning device detects a preset ground medium signal in the outer boundary exploration mode. In this case, the determined medium boundary point can be the coordinates of the cleaning device when the sensor used by the cleaning device to detect obstacles detects a preset ground medium signal, or the coordinates of the cleaning device before a predetermined time has elapsed since the sensor detected the preset ground medium signal. In some embodiments, the coordinates of the cleaning device can be represented by the coordinates of the sensor used by the cleaning device to detect obstacles.

[0080] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this embodiment, the following will be combined with Figure 3 Let's illustrate with examples.

[0081] See Figure 3 The diagram illustrates a scenario of determining the initial exploration mode of a cleaning device in an embodiment of this application.

[0082] like Figure 3As shown, taking the contour detection of the preset ground medium 1 by the cleaning equipment as an example, points A and B are the preset medium boundary points, that is, the medium boundary points determined when the cleaning equipment detects non-preset medium signals in the inner boundary exploration mode. Among them, point A is the coordinate position of the cleaning equipment when the sensor used by the cleaning equipment to detect obstacles detects non-preset ground medium signals, and point B is the coordinate position of the cleaning equipment before the sensor used by the cleaning equipment to detect obstacles detects non-preset ground medium signals a predetermined time ago.

[0083] See also Figure 3 Points C and D are non-preset medium boundary points, that is, the medium boundary points determined by the cleaning equipment when it detects the preset ground medium signal in the outer boundary exploration mode. Point C is the coordinate position of the cleaning equipment when the sensor used by the cleaning equipment to detect obstacles detects the preset ground medium signal, and point D is the coordinate position of the cleaning equipment before the predetermined time when the sensor used by the cleaning equipment to detect obstacles detects the preset ground medium signal.

[0084] It should be noted that the following embodiments of this application all use the coordinates of the cleaning device when the sensor used by the cleaning device to detect obstacles detects a non-preset ground medium signal as the preset medium boundary point, and the coordinates of the cleaning device when the sensor used by the cleaning device to detect obstacles detects a preset ground medium signal as the non-preset medium boundary point as the example. It should be noted that, during the process of detecting the preset ground medium, the cleaning device records both the preset medium boundary point and the non-preset ground medium boundary point to obtain a set of medium boundary points. Compared with only recording the preset ground medium boundary points or only recording the non-preset medium boundary points, this allows for a denser spacing between the medium boundary points, thereby improving the accuracy of the cleaning device in exploring the contour of the preset ground medium.

[0085] In this application, when the cleaning device receives an instruction to perform contour detection on the preset ground medium (which may be a user's instruction via an app, voice prompt, or text message, or the cleaning device may spontaneously perform the contour exploration task on the preset ground medium), the cleaning device begins to detect the preset ground medium from outside the preset ground medium, or the cleaning device begins to detect non-preset ground medium from inside the preset ground medium.

[0086] In some embodiments, if the cleaning device detects a preset ground medium signal for the first time outside the preset ground medium, the coordinates of the cleaning device sensor are determined as the first medium boundary point, and the cleaning device is triggered to alternately switch between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode to explore the preset ground medium outline; if the cleaning device detects a non-preset ground medium signal for the first time inside the preset ground medium, the coordinates of the cleaning device sensor are determined as the first medium boundary point, and the cleaning device is triggered to alternately switch between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode to explore the preset ground medium outline.

[0087] In other embodiments, if the cleaning device detects a signal of a preset ground medium for the first time from outside the preset ground medium, then by controlling the cleaning device to perform a preset action until a non-preset ground medium is detected, it is determined that the cleaning device is located at the edge of the preset ground medium. At this time, the coordinates of the cleaning device's sensor are determined as the first medium boundary point, and the cleaning device is triggered to alternately switch between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode to explore the outline of the preset ground medium. If the cleaning device detects a signal of a non-preset ground medium for the first time from within the preset ground medium, then by controlling the cleaning device to perform a preset action until the preset ground medium is detected, it is determined that the cleaning device is located at the edge of the preset ground medium. At this time, the coordinates of the cleaning device's sensor are determined as the first medium boundary point, and the cleaning device is triggered to alternately switch between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode to explore the outline of the preset ground medium. The preset action includes, but is not limited to, backward or rotation actions, as long as it enables the cleaning device to detect a non-preset ground medium signal by performing the preset action after first detecting the preset ground medium signal, or as long as it enables the cleaning device to detect the preset ground medium signal by performing the preset action after first detecting a non-preset ground medium signal. When the cleaning equipment detects a preset ground medium signal or a non-preset ground medium signal for the first time, it can determine that the cleaning equipment is located at the edge of the preset ground medium by executing the preset action. At this time, the cleaning equipment can be triggered to start alternating between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode to explore the outline of the preset ground medium.

[0088] It is understood that after the cleaning device is triggered to alternate between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device can immediately begin to explore the preset ground medium outline, or it can first determine the initial exploration mode and then begin to explore the preset ground medium outline.

[0089] In some embodiments, the cleaning device can determine an initial exploration mode based on preset configuration information. This preset configuration information may include: the direction and speed (including angular and linear velocity) of the cleaning device when performing a preset action or detecting a first media boundary point; the orientation of its front end when located at a preset ground media edge; the signal of the ground media detected by the obstacle detection sensor; and the layout of surrounding obstacles monitored by the distance sensor or radar. The initial exploration modes include: a right inner boundary exploration mode, a right outer boundary exploration mode, a left inner boundary exploration mode, and a left outer boundary exploration mode. Based on the sensor used by the cleaning device to detect obstacles, moving the cleaning device to the right of the sensor is defined as the cleaning device moving to the right, and moving the cleaning device to the left of the sensor is defined as the cleaning device moving to the left. In this application, different methods for determining the initial exploration mode can also be designed according to specific circumstances, and this application does not limit them.

[0090] Specifically, to enable those skilled in the art to better understand this embodiment, the following will be combined with... Figure 4 To explain.

[0091] See Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a scenario of determining the initial exploration mode of a cleaning device in an embodiment of this application.

[0092] like Figure 4 (a)-(f) are illustrated using a robotic vacuum cleaner as an example of a cleaning device. In the figure, the small black dot E represents the sensor used by the robotic vacuum cleaner to detect obstacles (or it can be represented as the front end of the robotic vacuum cleaner), and 1 represents the preset ground medium.

[0093] Figure 4 (a) The corresponding scenario is: the sensor used by the sweeping robot to detect obstacles detects the signal of the preset ground medium outside the preset ground medium 1, and determines the coordinates of the sensor used by the sweeping robot to detect obstacles at this time as the first medium boundary point; Figure 4 (b) The corresponding scenario is: the sensor used by the sweeping robot to detect obstacles detects a signal of a non-preset ground medium in the preset ground medium, and determines the coordinates of the sensor used by the sweeping robot to detect obstacles at this time as the first medium boundary point.

[0094] It should be noted that when the robot vacuum detects the preset ground medium 1, it records the first medium boundary point. After that, the robot vacuum needs to determine the initial exploration mode to detect the preset ground medium 1, and alternately switch between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode to obtain more medium boundary points.

[0095] Continue to refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4(c) The corresponding scenario is: after the robot vacuum detects the first medium boundary point, it determines the exploration mode to the right inner boundary as the initial exploration mode; Figure 4 (d) The corresponding scenario is: after the robot vacuum detects the first media boundary point, it determines the exploration mode to the left inner boundary as the initial exploration mode; Figure 4 (e) The corresponding scenario is: after the robot vacuum detects the first media boundary point, it determines the exploration mode to the left outer boundary as the initial exploration mode; Figure 4 (f) The corresponding scenario is: after the robot vacuum detects the first medium boundary point, it determines the right outer boundary exploration mode as the initial exploration mode.

[0096] Combination Figure 4 Understandably, a robotic vacuum cleaner can select an initial exploration mode based on preset configuration information. For example, when the robotic vacuum cleaner detects a preset ground surface signal through its sensors and determines that a preset ground surface has been detected, such as... Figure 4 In the scenario shown in (a), the initial exploration mode can be determined in either the left inner boundary exploration mode or the right inner boundary exploration mode. Furthermore, it can also be determined by combining the obstacle layout around the cleaning equipment monitored by distance sensors or radar (to move away from obstacles or densely packed obstacles). When the robot vacuum detects a non-preset ground surface signal through sensors and determines that a preset ground surface has been detected, such as... Figure 4 In the scenario shown in (b), the initial exploration mode can be determined from either the left outer boundary exploration mode or the right outer boundary exploration mode. Furthermore, the initial exploration mode can also be determined from either the left inner boundary exploration mode or the right inner boundary exploration mode (moving away from obstacles or densely packed obstacles) by combining the obstacle layout detected by distance sensors or radar around the cleaning device. In this embodiment, the cleaning device can also randomly select the initial exploration mode, which is not limited here.

[0097] It should be noted that in some implementations, after the cleaning device completes the initial exploration mode selection, its direction or position can be adjusted by rotating or moving to adapt to the exploration direction (e.g., a first preset direction or a second preset direction). For example, when the robotic vacuum cleaner is in a certain... Figure 4 In the scenario shown in (a), if the right inner boundary exploration mode is selected as the initial exploration mode, the robot vacuum cleaner can adjust its position by rotating clockwise to adapt to the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0098] In this embodiment, selecting the initial exploration mode based on the preset configuration information of the cleaning equipment can reduce the invalid actions of the cleaning equipment to a certain extent. For example, it can effectively prevent the cleaning equipment from selecting the outer boundary exploration mode as the initial exploration mode when it detects the preset ground medium from outside the preset ground medium. This can reduce the exploration time of the cleaning equipment to a certain extent, or reduce the possibility of the exploration process being interrupted by surrounding obstacles, thereby improving the exploration efficiency of the cleaning equipment.

[0099] In this application, the control of the cleaning device to detect the medium boundary point in a predetermined direction under the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode can be implemented in the following way:

[0100] In the inner boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is controlled to move in a first predetermined direction to detect the media boundary point, the first predetermined direction including a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction.

[0101] In the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is controlled to move in a second predetermined direction to detect the media boundary point, the second predetermined direction being opposite to the first predetermined direction.

[0102] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this embodiment, the following will be combined with Figure 5 To explain.

[0103] See Figure 5 The diagram illustrates a scenario where the cleaning device is controlled to detect the media boundary point in a predetermined direction, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0104] like Figure 5 (a)-(b), Figure 5 (a) The corresponding scenario is: after the robot vacuum detects the first media boundary point, it will explore the right inner boundary exploration mode as the initial exploration mode. In the inner boundary exploration mode, the robot vacuum will be controlled to move in a clockwise direction as the first predetermined direction to detect the next media boundary point. Figure 5 (b) The corresponding scenario is: after the robot vacuum detects the first media boundary point, it will use the left outer boundary exploration mode as the initial exploration mode. In the outer boundary exploration mode, the robot vacuum will be controlled to move in a counterclockwise direction as the second predetermined direction to detect the next media boundary point.

[0105] Understandably, when the cleaning equipment detects the first media boundary point of the preset ground medium, if the initial exploration mode is the left inner boundary exploration mode, it will move in a counterclockwise direction as the first predetermined direction. If the exploration mode is the right outer boundary exploration mode, it will move in a clockwise direction as the second predetermined direction.

[0106] It should be noted that, in some embodiments of this application, during the process of the cleaning device detecting the preset ground medium, after detecting the first medium boundary point, it is determined to move in the inner boundary detection mode in the first predetermined direction to detect the medium boundary point, and to move in the outer boundary detection mode in the second predetermined direction to detect the medium boundary point. In this exploration task of the preset ground medium outline, the cleaning device will always move in the first predetermined direction to detect the medium boundary point in the inner boundary detection mode, and will always move in the second predetermined direction to detect the medium boundary point in the outer boundary detection mode.

[0107] In one embodiment of this application, the detection trajectory of the cleaning device for detecting the media boundary point in a predetermined direction may include an arc trajectory.

[0108] Specifically, in the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device can be controlled to travel at a predetermined angular velocity and a predetermined linear velocity, so that the cleaning device follows an arc path, first moving away from and then approaching the edge of the preset ground medium, in order to detect the medium boundary point. For example, when the cleaning device is in the inner boundary exploration mode, it can travel at a predetermined angular velocity and a predetermined linear velocity. Figure 5 The route in the first predetermined direction shown in (a) serves as the travel trajectory to detect the next medium boundary point.

[0109] It is understood that, in the inner boundary exploration mode or the outer boundary exploration mode, when the cleaning equipment is controlled to move at a predetermined angular velocity and a predetermined linear velocity, and the angular velocity gradually decreases in order to detect the next medium boundary point, the exploration trajectory of the cleaning equipment can be a spiral trajectory; when the cleaning equipment is controlled to move at a predetermined angular velocity and a predetermined linear velocity, and the angular velocity remains constant, the exploration trajectory of the cleaning equipment is a circular arc trajectory. Of course, different exploration trajectories can be designed for the cleaning equipment according to different situations, and this application does not limit this.

[0110] In one embodiment of this application, triggering the cleaning device to alternately switch between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode can be implemented as follows:

[0111] If at least one media boundary point is detected in the inner boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode.

[0112] If at least one media boundary point is detected in the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0113] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this embodiment, the following will be combined with Figure 6 To explain.

[0114] See Figure 6 This illustration shows a scenario in which the cleaning device is triggered to alternately switch between inner and outer boundary exploration modes, as shown in an embodiment of this application. It should be noted that, in situations such as... Figure 6 In the implementation defined in (a), the specific triggering conditions for the cleaning device to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode or the cleaning device to the inner boundary exploration mode are defined as follows:

[0115] If a media boundary point is detected in the inner boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode. If a media boundary point is detected in the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode. Figure 6 As shown in (a), when the robot vacuum cleaner detects the next media boundary point (i.e., the coordinate point of the cleaning device when it detects a non-preset ground medium) in the inner boundary exploration mode, it will be triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode in the current scenario and move in the counterclockwise direction to detect the next media boundary point.

[0116] It is understood that in this embodiment, when the robotic vacuum cleaner moves in the outer boundary exploration mode in a counter-clockwise direction as the second predetermined direction, it will trigger the robotic vacuum cleaner to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode when it detects a media boundary point (i.e., the coordinate point of the cleaning device when it detects a preset ground medium). In this embodiment, by repeatedly executing the alternating switching between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode, more media boundary points of the preset ground medium can be obtained.

[0117] In this embodiment, it should be understood that the specific triggering conditions for switching the cleaning device to the outer boundary exploration mode or the inner boundary exploration mode may also include other forms. For example, when multiple media boundary points are continuously detected in the inner boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode; when multiple media boundary points are continuously detected in the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode. For example, please refer to... Figure 6 (b)

[0118] Combination Figure 6 (b) As shown in the scenario, it should be noted that when the cleaning equipment is used in the continuous inner boundary exploration mode to detect the medium boundary point, it can be executed according to the following steps 1 to 3:

[0119] Step 1: Control the cleaning equipment to move in the inner boundary exploration mode in the first predetermined direction. When the sensor of the cleaning equipment used to detect obstacles detects a non-preset ground medium signal, determine the coordinates of the cleaning equipment at this time as the medium boundary point.

[0120] Step 2: Control the cleaning device to rotate in place in the second predetermined direction until the sensor of the cleaning device used to detect obstacles detects the preset ground medium signal. Adjust the orientation of the front end of the cleaning device to adapt to the exploration of the next medium boundary point in the first predetermined direction in the inner boundary exploration mode. At this time, the coordinates of the cleaning device can be recorded as the medium boundary point or not.

[0121] Step 3: Repeat step 1 to detect more media boundaries.

[0122] After the cleaning equipment completes the exploration of multiple media boundary points in the continuous inner boundary exploration mode, it switches to the continuous outer boundary exploration mode to explore multiple media boundary points.

[0123] When the cleaning equipment is detecting the media boundary point in continuous outer boundary exploration mode, steps 4 to 6 can be performed as follows:

[0124] Step 4: Control the cleaning equipment to move in the second predetermined direction in the outer boundary exploration mode. When the sensor of the cleaning equipment used to detect obstacles detects the preset ground medium signal, determine the coordinates of the cleaning equipment at this time as the medium boundary point.

[0125] Step 5: Control the cleaning device to rotate in place in the first predetermined direction until the sensor of the cleaning device used to detect obstacles detects a non-preset ground medium signal. Adjust the orientation of the front end of the cleaning device to adapt to the exploration of the next medium boundary point in the second predetermined direction in the outer boundary exploration mode. At this time, the coordinates of the cleaning device can be recorded as the medium boundary point or not.

[0126] Step 6: Repeat step 4 to detect more media boundaries.

[0127] For those skilled in the art, based on the embodiments described above, it will be understood that the specific triggering conditions for switching the cleaning device to the outer boundary exploration mode or the inner boundary exploration mode are not limited to those listed above, but can be limited according to actual needs.

[0128] In another embodiment of this application, the triggering of the cleaning device to alternately switch between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode can also be implemented as follows:

[0129] If the cleaning device detects an obstacle in the inner boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is controlled to perform a first predetermined action until a medium boundary point is detected, at which point the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode.

[0130] If the cleaning device detects an obstacle in the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is controlled to perform a second predetermined action until a medium boundary point is detected, at which point the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0131] Furthermore, in this embodiment, controlling the cleaning device to perform the first predetermined action can be implemented in any of the following two ways:

[0132] The first method involves controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place in a first preset direction until the cleaning device detects a media boundary point, at which point the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode.

[0133] The second method involves controlling the cleaning device to move backward or turn around and then forward until it detects a media boundary point. At this point, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode, where its exploration direction is opposite to that in the inner boundary exploration mode. It can be understood that "reverse" means the cleaning device maintains its current front-end orientation and moves in the opposite direction. Controlling the cleaning device to move backward can mean retracing its historical trajectory, moving in a straight line, or first retracing a predetermined distance along the historical trajectory before moving in a straight line. Similarly, "turning around" means the front-end orientation of the cleaning device rotates 180°. Controlling the cleaning device to turn around and then move forward can mean turning around and then moving along the historical trajectory, moving in a straight line, or first moving a predetermined distance along the historical trajectory before moving in a straight line.

[0134] Furthermore, in this embodiment, controlling the cleaning device to perform the second predetermined action can be implemented in any of the following two ways:

[0135] The first method involves controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place in a second preset direction until the cleaning device detects the media boundary point, at which point the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0136] The second method involves controlling the cleaning device to move backward or turn around until it detects a media boundary point, at which point it switches to the inner boundary exploration mode. In the outer boundary exploration mode, the exploration direction of the cleaning device is opposite to that in the inner boundary exploration mode. It can be understood that "backward" means the cleaning device maintains its current front-end orientation and moves in the opposite direction. Controlling the cleaning device to move backward can mean retracing its historical trajectory, moving in a straight line, or first retracing a predetermined distance along the historical trajectory before moving in a straight line. Similarly, "turning around" means the front-end orientation of the cleaning device rotates 180°. Controlling the cleaning device to turn around and then move forward can mean turning around and then moving along the historical trajectory, moving in a straight line, or first moving a predetermined distance along the historical trajectory before moving in a straight line.

[0137] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this embodiment, the following will be combined with Figure 7 Let me explain.

[0138] See Figure 7 The illustration shows a scenario in which the cleaning device is triggered to alternately switch between inner boundary exploration mode and outer boundary exploration mode when an obstacle is detected in an embodiment of this application.

[0139] like Figure 7 (a)-(d) Taking the sweeping robot in the cleaning equipment as an example when it detects an obstacle in the inner boundary exploration mode, clockwise is taken as the first predetermined direction and counterclockwise is taken as the second predetermined direction. Figure 7 (a) The corresponding scenario is: when the robot vacuum detects an obstacle in the inner boundary exploration mode; Figure 7 (b) The corresponding scenario is: when the sweeping robot detects an obstacle in the inner boundary exploration mode, it controls the sweeping robot to rotate in place in the first preset direction and detects the medium boundary point; Figure 7 (c) The corresponding scenario is: when the sweeping robot detects an obstacle in the inner boundary exploration mode, it controls the sweeping robot to retreat along the original path according to the historical movement trajectory and detects the medium boundary point. Figure 7 (d) The corresponding scenario is: after the sweeping robot detects an obstacle in the inner boundary exploration mode, it controls the sweeping robot to retreat along the original path according to the historical movement trajectory until the medium boundary point is detected, and switches the sweeping robot's inner boundary exploration mode to the outer boundary exploration mode, and adjusts its own direction to adapt to the outer boundary exploration according to the second predetermined direction.

[0140] It is understandable that, such as Figure 7In scenario (c), when the robotic vacuum cleaner retreats along its historical trajectory until it detects the media boundary point, it triggers a switch from inner boundary exploration mode to outer boundary exploration mode. However, as clearly shown in the figure, the relative position of the front end of the robotic vacuum cleaner is not suitable for continuing to perform the contour exploration task of the preset ground media in the outer boundary exploration mode according to the second predetermined direction. Therefore, the position or orientation of the robotic vacuum cleaner can be adjusted by moving or rotating it. When adjusted to adapt to performing the exploration task in the outer boundary exploration mode according to the second predetermined direction, i.e., as shown in the figure... Figure 7 In the scenario shown in (d), the sweeping robot continues to perform contour detection on the preset ground medium 1 to obtain more medium boundary points.

[0141] In another embodiment, after the robot vacuum detects an obstacle in the inner boundary exploration mode, it controls the robot vacuum to retreat along its historical trajectory until it detects the media boundary point, thereby switching the robot vacuum's inner boundary exploration mode to the outer boundary exploration mode. It can then directly explore the outer boundary in the second predetermined direction without needing to adjust its direction.

[0142] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the scenario of the cleaning device detecting an obstacle in the inner boundary exploration mode with clockwise as the first predetermined direction is only used as an example. It can be understood that when the cleaning device detects an obstacle in the outer boundary exploration mode, it is controlled to perform a second predetermined action until a medium boundary point is detected, triggering the cleaning device to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode. The specific implementation steps are the same as those described above. Figure 7 The principle is similar, so it will not be repeated here.

[0143] In this embodiment, if the cleaning device detects a preset ground medium boundary point before or after detecting an obstacle during the detection of the preset ground medium outline, it can detect the preset ground medium boundary point in the following manner:

[0144] The medium boundary point is detected using the continuous inner boundary exploration mode. Specifically, it can be performed as described in steps 1 to 3 above.

[0145] The medium boundary point is detected using the continuous outer boundary exploration mode. Specifically, steps 4 to 6 above can be referred to.

[0146] If at least one media boundary point is detected in the inner boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode. If at least one media boundary point is detected in the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode to detect the media boundary point. Specifically, refer to the above. Figure 6 The implementation method shown.

[0147] It is understood that in this embodiment, the cleaning device may determine different exploration methods to explore the medium boundary point before or after detecting an obstacle, depending on the circumstances. This application does not limit this.

[0148] In this embodiment, when the cleaning device detects an obstacle and detects the media boundary point after performing a predetermined action, it switches between inner and outer boundary exploration modes. This can efficiently avoid obstacles and prevent the cleaning device's exploration behavior from being interrupted due to obstruction by obstacles. As a result, the stability and exploration efficiency of the cleaning device in exploring the ground media contour can be greatly improved.

[0149] In one embodiment of this application, during the detection process of the cleaning device in the outer boundary exploration mode, steps 7 to 8 may also be performed:

[0150] Step 7: Monitor the change in the first angle of orientation of the cleaning equipment.

[0151] Step 8: If the cleaning device does not detect the media boundary point and the change in the first angle exceeds the first angle threshold, then control the cleaning device to rotate in place in the second predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected.

[0152] Furthermore, in this embodiment, steps 9 to 10 may also be performed:

[0153] Step 9: During the process of the cleaning equipment rotating in place in the second predetermined direction, record the change in the second angle of the orientation of the cleaning equipment.

[0154] Step 10: If the change in the second angle of the cleaning device when it detects a media boundary point exceeds the second angle threshold, then control the cleaning device to rotate in place in the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, and record the re-detected media boundary point in the media boundary point set; or, when the cleaning device rotates in place in the second predetermined direction and detects a media boundary point, record the currently detected media boundary point in the media boundary point set, and control the cleaning device to rotate in place in the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, so as to adjust the exploration direction of the cleaning device and switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0155] It should be noted that, similarly, in the implementation method, during the inner boundary exploration mode, the change in the third angle of the cleaning device's orientation is recorded during the detection process of the cleaning device; if the cleaning device fails to detect the media boundary point and the change in the third angle exceeds the third angle threshold, the cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place in the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected.

[0156] Furthermore, this embodiment also includes recording the fourth angle change of the cleaning device's orientation during the process of the cleaning device rotating in place according to the first predetermined direction; if the fourth angle change of the cleaning device exceeds the fourth angle threshold when it detects a media boundary point, then the cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place according to the second predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, and the re-detected media boundary point is recorded in the media boundary point set; or, when the cleaning device rotates in place according to the first predetermined direction and detects a media boundary point, the currently detected media boundary point is recorded in the media boundary point set, and the cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place according to the second predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, so as to adjust the exploration direction of the cleaning device and switch to the outer boundary exploration mode.

[0157] In this embodiment, during the detection process of the cleaning equipment, the change in the first angle of the cleaning equipment's orientation is recorded. Specific implementation methods can be combined with... Figure 8 Please provide an explanation.

[0158] See Figure 8 The diagram illustrates a scenario in which the first angular change in the orientation of the cleaning device is recorded in an embodiment of this application.

[0159] Figure 8 In this example, a cleaning device explores a media boundary point in the outer boundary exploration mode using a second predetermined direction (counterclockwise in this embodiment). When the cleaning device begins to enter the outer boundary mode, the direction in which its front end faces is designated as direction A. When the cleaning device detects the next media boundary point along the second predetermined direction, the direction in which its front end faces is designated as direction B. The angle α between direction A and direction B is used as the first angle change. Similarly, when the cleaning device is in the inner boundary exploration mode, the third angle variable of the cleaning device can be recorded in the same way.

[0160] In this embodiment, the first angle threshold, the second angle threshold, the third angle threshold, and the fourth angle threshold can be set to 60°, 90°, or other angles, and this application does not limit them.

[0161] In this embodiment, during the process of the cleaning device rotating in place in the second predetermined direction, the change in the second angle of the cleaning device's orientation is recorded. If the change in the second angle of the cleaning device exceeds the second angle threshold when it detects a media boundary point, the cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place in the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, and the newly detected media boundary point is recorded in the media boundary point set. For specific implementation, it can be combined with... Figure 9 Please provide an explanation.

[0162] See Figure 9 The diagram illustrates a scenario in which the cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place in the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0163] Figure 9 In (a)-(c), taking the example of a sweeping robot in a cleaning device, alternating between inner boundary exploration mode and outer boundary exploration mode, using clockwise as the first predetermined direction and counterclockwise as the second predetermined direction to detect the outline of a rectangular preset ground medium 1, as an example, Figure 9 (a) The corresponding scenario is: when the robot vacuum cleaner is in outer boundary exploration mode, it does not detect the boundary point of the preset ground medium 1 at the corner, and the change in the first angle exceeds the first angle threshold. Figure 9 (b) The corresponding scenario is: when the sweeping robot is controlled to rotate in place in the second predetermined direction and the media boundary point is detected; Figure 9 (c) The corresponding scenario is: when the change in the second angle exceeds the second angle threshold, the cleaning equipment is controlled to rotate in place in the first predetermined direction to re-detect the media boundary point.

[0164] In this embodiment, it should be noted that when the second angle change of the sweeping robot when it detects the media boundary point does not exceed the second angle threshold, the cleaning device is controlled to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode to detect the media boundary point, and the detected media boundary point is recorded in the media boundary point set.

[0165] In this embodiment, it can be understood that when the robotic vacuum cleaner is in such a situation... Figure 9In the scenario shown in (c), the robotic vacuum cleaner has re-detected a non-preset ground medium signal, but the direction of its front end towards the inside of the preset ground medium 1 is not suitable for executing the outer boundary exploration mode. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the exploration direction of the robotic vacuum cleaner. When the orientation of the front end of the robotic vacuum cleaner is adjusted by rotation or movement to adapt to continuing to perform contour detection of the preset ground medium 1 in the inner boundary exploration mode according to the second predetermined exploration direction, the cleaning device explores the next medium boundary point in the outer boundary exploration mode according to the second predetermined direction. In other embodiments, the robotic vacuum cleaner has re-detected a non-preset ground medium signal, but the direction of its front end towards the inside of the preset ground medium 1 can be directly controlled to execute the inner boundary exploration mode, controlling the robotic vacuum cleaner to explore the next medium boundary point in the inner boundary mode according to the first predetermined direction.

[0166] In this embodiment, during the process of the cleaning device exploring the preset ground surface contour, by recording the change in the cleaning device's orientation angle in real time, the device's trajectory can be controlled to prevent it from deviating too far from the edge of the preset ground surface when it detects obstacles, explores irregular preset ground surfaces, or explores corners of rectangular preset ground surfaces. For example, if the cleaning device's path is controlled to be an arc, without recording the change in the cleaning device's orientation angle, the cleaning device might form an arc with a large radius at the corner of a rectangular carpet to detect the surface boundary. Therefore, by recording the change in the cleaning device's orientation angle and adjusting its exploration trajectory in a timely manner, the spacing between the detected surface boundary points can be adjusted to maintain an appropriate spacing, thereby improving the accuracy of the cleaning device's exploration of the preset ground surface contour.

[0167] In this application, controlling the cleaning device to detect the media boundary point in a predetermined direction can also perform the following steps:

[0168] The cleaning device is controlled to detect the media boundary point in a predetermined direction until the detection by the cleaning device is interrupted, or until the distance between the media boundary point detected by the cleaning device and the media boundary point detected for the first time is less than a preset distance threshold, at which point the detection of the media boundary point is stopped.

[0169] In this embodiment, it is understood that the cleaning device may interrupt its exploration of the preset ground medium contour due to factors such as detecting obstacles, insufficient power, or human error, and will stop detecting the medium boundary point. If the cleaning device does not interrupt its exploration of the preset ground medium contour, it is understood that when the distance between the medium boundary point detected by the cleaning device and the first detected medium boundary point is less than a preset distance threshold, it indicates that the cleaning device has returned to the position where the first medium boundary point was detected, and the exploration path of the preset ground medium has formed a closed loop, that is, the cleaning device has completed the exploration of the preset ground medium.

[0170] It should be noted that, in this application, the cleaning robot's re-arrival at the first media boundary point is not limited to the cleaning equipment necessarily returning to a position coinciding with the first media boundary point. When the distance between the cleaning equipment and the first media boundary point is less than a preset distance threshold, it can also be determined that the cleaning robot has re-arrived at the first media boundary point.

[0171] See also Figure 2 Step 230: Determine the preset ground medium profile based on the set of medium boundary points.

[0172] In this application, the media boundary point may include a preset media boundary point and a non-preset media boundary point. The preset media boundary point is the media boundary point determined when the cleaning device detects a non-preset ground media signal in the inner boundary exploration mode, and the non-preset media boundary point is the media boundary point determined when the cleaning device detects a preset ground media signal in the outer boundary exploration mode.

[0173] Therefore, in both the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device can obtain a set of media boundary points by controlling the cleaning device to detect the media boundary points in a predetermined direction.

[0174] Furthermore, in such Figure 2 In one embodiment of step 230 shown, a preset ground medium profile is determined based on the set of medium boundary points. Specifically, this can be performed in any of the following three ways:

[0175] The first method involves determining a preset ground medium profile based on preset medium boundary points in the set of medium boundary points.

[0176] The second method involves determining a preset ground medium profile based on non-preset medium boundary points in the set of medium boundary points.

[0177] The third method involves determining a preset ground medium profile based on preset medium boundary points and non-preset medium boundary points in the set of medium boundary points.

[0178] In one embodiment of this application, determining the preset ground medium profile based on the set of medium boundary points can be implemented in any of the following four ways:

[0179] The first method involves sequentially connecting the various media boundary points in the set of media boundary points according to the order in which they are detected, in order to determine the preset ground media outline.

[0180] Specifically, to enable those skilled in the art to better understand this embodiment, the following will be combined with... Figure 10 To explain.

[0181] See Figure 10 This diagram illustrates how, in an embodiment of this application, media boundary points are sequentially connected according to the order in which they are detected in the media boundary point set to determine the preset ground media profile.

[0182] like Figure 10 As shown, after the cleaning equipment explores the preset ground medium 1 outline by alternating between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode, it obtains a set of medium boundary points. By connecting each medium boundary point in sequence, the preset ground medium outline is obtained.

[0183] The second method involves generating convex hull data based on each medium boundary point in the set of medium boundary points, and determining the preset ground medium profile based on the convex hull data. Specifically, to help those skilled in the art better understand this embodiment, the following will be combined with... Figure 11 To explain.

[0184] See Figure 11 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of how, in an embodiment of this application, convex hull data is generated based on each medium boundary point in the set of medium boundary points, and the preset ground medium profile is determined based on the convex hull data.

[0185] It is understandable that during the process of cleaning equipment detecting the preset ground medium contour, the detection results of the sensors used to detect obstacles have a certain lag, which may result in some inaccurate medium boundary points. Therefore, using the convex hull data processing method to process the contour of the medium boundary points in the medium boundary point set can improve the accuracy of the preset ground medium contour processing.

[0186] The third method involves determining the preset ground medium profile by fitting each medium boundary point in the set of medium boundary points. Specifically, to help those skilled in the art better understand this embodiment, the following will be combined with... Figure 12 To explain.

[0187] See Figure 12The diagram illustrates how, in an embodiment of this application, the preset ground medium profile is determined by fitting each medium boundary point in the set of medium boundary points.

[0188] After the cleaning equipment explores the preset ground medium 1 contour by alternating between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode, it obtains a set of medium boundary points. By fitting each medium boundary point, a relatively smooth contour of the preset ground medium is obtained.

[0189] Fourthly, the preset ground medium outline is determined by performing graphic matching processing on each medium boundary point in the set of medium boundary points. This will be discussed in conjunction with... Figure 13 illustrate.

[0190] See Figure 13 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of determining the preset ground medium outline by performing graphic matching processing on each medium boundary point in the medium boundary point set in an embodiment of this application.

[0191] It is understood that the preset ground medium is usually a regular shape. In some embodiments, the cleaning equipment obtains a first shape by connecting the boundary points of each medium or by performing convex hull processing on the boundary points of each medium. The outline of the preset ground medium is determined by calculating the matching degree between the smallest polygon surrounding the first shape and the first shape. For example, when the cleaning equipment calculates that the matching degree between the smallest rectangle surrounding the first shape and the first shape is 98%, and the matching degree between the smallest trapezoid surrounding the first shape and the first shape is 60%, then the smallest rectangle is determined to be the outline of the preset ground medium.

[0192] For example, when the cleaning equipment has completed the detection of the outline of the preset ground medium 1, the outline of the preset ground medium can be obtained by the above three methods, and then the outline of the preset ground medium 1 can be obtained by the graphic matching method, which is a rectangular outline.

[0193] In this embodiment, after the cleaning equipment detects the preset ground medium profile, the detection record of the preset ground medium includes a set of medium boundary points. The set of medium boundary points includes preset medium boundary points and non-preset medium boundary points. The matching preset ground medium profile processing method can be determined based on the coordinate record information of each medium boundary point. The specific profile processing method used is not limited here.

[0194] In one embodiment of this application, the following can also be performed: Figure 14 The steps are shown.

[0195] Reference Figure 14The flowchart illustrates a ground medium profile detection method according to an embodiment of this application. Specifically, it includes steps 1101 to 1102:

[0196] Step 1101: If the cleaning equipment interrupts the detection of the preset ground medium, the outline of the explored preset ground medium is determined based on the set of detected medium boundary points.

[0197] Step 1102: Based on the explored preset ground medium profile, explore the unexplored preset ground medium.

[0198] It is understood that if the cleaning equipment's detection of the preset ground medium is interrupted, the detection of the preset ground medium's outline by the cleaning equipment will be incomplete, and the obtained preset ground medium outline will only be the outline of a partial area of ​​the preset ground medium. When the cleaning equipment re-explores the preset ground medium during its movement, if the discovered medium boundary point is located in an area corresponding to the previously explored preset ground medium outline in the ground medium outline detection record, it means that the cleaning equipment has once again detected an area of ​​the preset ground medium whose outline has been explored and determined, and therefore the previously explored preset ground medium outline will not be re-explored.

[0199] Furthermore, in this embodiment, based on the explored preset ground medium profile, the exploration of unexplored preset ground medium can be performed according to steps 12 to 13:

[0200] Step 12: Determine the first medium boundary point that was first explored and the second medium boundary point that was last explored on the explored preset ground medium contour, and define the line connecting the first medium boundary point and the second medium boundary point as the inner edge line of the unexplored preset ground medium.

[0201] Step 13: Determine the outline of the explored area of ​​the preset ground medium based on the explored medium boundary point and the inner edge line, and explore the outline of the unexplored area of ​​the preset ground medium based on the outline of the explored area of ​​the preset ground medium.

[0202] It is understandable that the detection of the preset ground medium contour may be performed once, twice, or multiple times before the complete contour of the preset ground medium is detected. Therefore, if the distance between the first medium boundary point and the second medium boundary point in the current detection of the preset ground medium contour is less than a preset distance threshold, the contour detection of the preset ground medium can be considered complete. If the distance between the first medium boundary point and the second medium boundary point in the current detection of the preset ground medium contour is greater than the preset distance threshold, then the line connecting the first medium boundary point and the second medium boundary point in the current detection needs to be defined as the inner edge line of the undetected preset ground medium. Based on the detected medium boundary points and the inner edge line, the contour of the explored area of ​​the preset ground medium is determined, and the contour of the undetected area of ​​the preset ground medium is explored based on the contour of the explored area of ​​the preset ground medium.

[0203] It should be noted that, in scenarios where the cleaning device's detection of the preset ground medium contour is incomplete, when the cleaning device re-detects the preset ground medium contour, it can acquire the already explored preset ground medium contour information, and simultaneously acquire the coordinate information of the first medium boundary point and the second medium boundary point within the inner edge line of the unexplored preset ground medium. Based on the coordinate information of the first and second medium boundary points, the cleaning device can start from the location of the first medium boundary point or its vicinity to re-detect the contour of the unexplored area in the preset ground medium, or it can start from the location of the second medium boundary point or its vicinity to re-detect the contour of the unexplored area in the preset ground medium. It can be understood that it can also start from any point on the contour of the already explored area of ​​the preset ground medium to re-detect the contour of the unexplored area. This application does not limit the starting point for exploring the contour of the unexplored area in the preset ground medium.

[0204] In this embodiment, the cleaning device determines the outline of the explored area of ​​the preset ground medium based on the explored media boundary points and the inner edge line. Based on the outline of the explored area of ​​the preset ground medium, it explores the unexplored preset ground medium. Specifically, it can start from the first or second media boundary point or a nearby location, and continue exploring the unexplored preset ground medium through the inner edge line. When the distance between the detected media boundary point and the starting coordinate position is less than a preset distance threshold, the exploration of the unexplored area in the preset ground medium is completed. Alternatively, it can start from one end of the inner edge line or a nearby location, and continue exploring the unexplored area in the preset ground medium without passing through the inner edge line. When the distance between the detected media boundary point and the other end of the inner edge line is less than a preset distance threshold, the exploration of the outline of the unexplored area in the preset ground medium is completed.

[0205] It should be noted that the above embodiments specifically define the implementation details of exploring undetected preset ground media based on the explored preset ground media contour. Of course, in other embodiments, for example, the cleaning equipment can be controlled to avoid the position coordinates of historically explored areas during a new exploration process based on the position coordinates of areas recorded in the cleaning equipment, so as to achieve the detection of undetected preset ground media contours.

[0206] It should be understood that different detection methods can be designed for undetected preset ground media depending on the specific circumstances, and this application does not impose any restrictions here.

[0207] In one embodiment of this application, if the cleaning device has performed multiple explorations on a preset ground medium, steps 14 to 15 may also be executed:

[0208] Step 14: Obtain the preset ground medium profile determined by the cleaning equipment during the exploration process;

[0209] Step 15: If there is a common outline between any two preset ground medium outlines, then the two preset ground medium outlines are spliced ​​together to obtain the spliced ​​preset ground medium outline.

[0210] It should be noted that the common contour line can be a contour line that completely overlaps between any two preset ground medium contours, or a contour line that fits and overlaps between any two preset ground medium contours, or a contour line that is less than a preset distance threshold between any two preset ground medium contours. This application does not limit this.

[0211] Specifically, to enable those skilled in the art to better understand this embodiment, the following will be combined with... Figure 15 To explain.

[0212] See Figure 15 The diagram illustrates how, in an embodiment of this application, if any two preset ground medium contours have a common contour line, the two preset ground medium contours are spliced ​​together to obtain a spliced ​​preset ground medium contour.

[0213] like Figure 15 As shown in (a), area A of the preset ground medium is the area where the cleaning equipment first explores the preset ground medium 1, and area B of the preset ground medium is the area where the cleaning equipment explores the preset ground medium 1 for the second time; point a is the first media boundary point explored in area A of the preset ground medium, point b is the second media boundary point explored in area A of the preset ground medium; point c is the first media boundary point explored in area B of the preset ground medium, and point d is the second media boundary point explored in area B of the preset ground medium; it can be understood that after the first exploration of the outline of the preset ground medium, the line connecting points a and b can be defined as the inner edge line to explore area B of the preset ground medium that has not been explored.

[0214] like Figure 15 As shown in (b), the corresponding scenario is as follows: The cleaning equipment first explores the preset ground medium 1, obtaining a set of media boundary points in area A of the preset ground medium. Following the order in which each media boundary point in the set is detected, the equipment connects these media boundary points sequentially to obtain the outline of area A of the preset ground medium. The cleaning equipment then explores the preset ground medium 1 a second time, obtaining a set of media boundary points in area B of the preset ground medium. Following the order in which each media boundary point in the set is detected, the equipment connects these media boundary points sequentially to obtain the outline of area B of the preset ground medium. It can be understood that because the distance between the line connecting points a and b in the outline of area A of the preset ground medium and the line connecting points c and d in the outline of area B of the preset ground medium is less than a preset distance threshold, it is considered that there is a common outline line between the outlines of area A and area B of the preset ground medium. The outlines of area A and area B of the preset ground medium are then spliced ​​together to obtain the spliced ​​outline of the preset ground medium 1.

[0215] It should be noted that, in obtaining the preset ground medium profile determined by the cleaning equipment during the exploration process, the determined preset ground medium profile can also be spliced ​​together based on the coordinate positions of the first medium boundary point and the second medium boundary point recorded in each detection of the preset ground medium profile. Different splicing methods can also be designed as needed, as long as the determined preset ground medium profile can be spliced ​​together. This application does not limit this.

[0216] In this implementation, by splicing together multiple preset ground medium outlines, a spliced ​​preset ground medium outline is obtained. This allows the cleaning equipment to explore the preset ground medium multiple times and splice it together even if a single exploration is incomplete, thereby ensuring the integrity of the ground medium outline explored by the cleaning equipment.

[0217] In some embodiments of this application, the technical solutions provided involve alternating between inner boundary exploration mode and outer boundary exploration mode during the detection of a preset ground medium profile by the cleaning device. The cleaning device is controlled to detect the medium boundary points in a predetermined direction during the inner boundary exploration mode and outer boundary exploration mode. After obtaining the set of medium boundary points, the data of the medium boundary points in the set is processed to obtain the preset ground medium profile. The technical solution of this application can control the cleaning device to detect the ground medium profile during movement. Based on this, the cleaning device reduces the action of rotating in place, which can reduce the detection power consumption of the cleaning device to a certain extent, save detection time, and improve the detection efficiency of the ground medium profile.

[0218] The following describes an embodiment of the apparatus described in this application, which can be used to execute the ground medium contour detection method described in the above embodiments of this application. For details not disclosed in the apparatus embodiments of this application, please refer to the embodiments of the ground medium contour detection method described in the above applications.

[0219] See Figure 16 The diagram shows a block diagram of a ground medium profile detection device according to an embodiment of this application. The ground medium profile detection device 1600 includes: a triggering unit 1601, a control unit 1602, and a determination unit 1603.

[0220] The triggering unit 1601 is used to trigger the cleaning device to alternately switch between inner boundary exploration mode and outer boundary exploration mode in response to the cleaning device detecting a preset ground medium; the control unit 1602 is used to control the cleaning device to detect the medium boundary point in a predetermined direction in the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode to obtain a set of medium boundary points; and the determining unit 1603 is used to determine the preset ground medium outline based on the set of medium boundary points.

[0221] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the triggering unit 1601 further includes: if at least one media boundary point is detected in the inner boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode; if at least one media boundary point is detected in the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0222] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 1602 further includes: if the cleaning device detects an obstacle in the inner boundary exploration mode, controlling the cleaning device to perform a first predetermined action until a media boundary point is detected, triggering the cleaning device to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode; if the cleaning device detects an obstacle in the outer boundary exploration mode, controlling the cleaning device to perform a second predetermined action until a media boundary point is detected, triggering the cleaning device to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0223] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 1602 further includes: controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place in a first preset direction until the cleaning device detects a media boundary point, triggering the cleaning device to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode; or, controlling the cleaning device to move backward or turn around until the cleaning device detects a media boundary point, triggering the cleaning device to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode; wherein the exploration direction of the cleaning device in the outer boundary exploration mode is opposite to the exploration direction of the cleaning device in the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0224] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 1602 further includes: in the inner boundary exploration mode, controlling the cleaning device to move in a first predetermined direction to detect the media boundary point, the first predetermined direction including a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction; in the outer boundary exploration mode, controlling the cleaning device to move in a second predetermined direction to detect the media boundary point, the second predetermined direction being opposite to the first predetermined direction.

[0225] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 1602 further includes: in the outer boundary exploration mode, during the detection process of the cleaning device, monitoring the first angle change of the orientation of the cleaning device; if the cleaning device does not detect the media boundary point and the first angle change exceeds the first angle threshold, then controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place in the second predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected.

[0226] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 1602 further includes: recording the second angle change of the orientation of the cleaning device during the process of the cleaning device rotating in place according to the second predetermined direction; if the second angle change of the cleaning device when it detects a media boundary point exceeds a second angle threshold, then controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place according to the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, and recording the re-detected media boundary point to the media boundary point set; or, when the cleaning device rotates in place according to the second predetermined direction and detects a media boundary point, recording the currently detected media boundary point to the media boundary point set, and controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place according to the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, so as to adjust the exploration direction of the cleaning device and switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0227] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 1602 further includes: in the inner boundary exploration mode, during the detection process of the cleaning device, monitoring the change in the third angle of the orientation of the cleaning device; if the cleaning device does not detect the media boundary point and the change in the third angle exceeds the third angle threshold, then controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place in the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected.

[0228] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 1602 further includes: recording the fourth angle change of the orientation of the cleaning device during the process of the cleaning device rotating in place according to the first predetermined direction; if the fourth angle change of the cleaning device when it detects a media boundary point exceeds a fourth angle threshold, then controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place according to the second predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, and recording the re-detected media boundary point to the media boundary point set; or, when the cleaning device rotates in place according to the first predetermined direction and detects a media boundary point, recording the currently detected media boundary point to the media boundary point set, and controlling the cleaning device to rotate in place according to the second predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, so as to adjust the exploration direction of the cleaning device and switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

[0229] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 1602 further includes: controlling the cleaning device to detect the media boundary point in a predetermined direction until the detection by the cleaning device is interrupted, or until the distance between the media boundary point detected by the cleaning device and the media boundary point detected for the first time is less than a preset distance threshold.

[0230] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 1602 further includes: the media boundary point includes a preset media boundary point and a non-preset media boundary point, wherein the preset media boundary point is the media boundary point detected by the cleaning device in the inner boundary exploration mode, and the non-preset media boundary point is the media boundary point detected by the cleaning device in the outer boundary exploration mode.

[0231] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 1602 further includes: determining a preset ground medium profile based on preset medium boundary points in the medium boundary point set; or, determining a preset ground medium profile based on non-preset medium boundary points in the medium boundary point set; or, determining a preset ground medium profile based on preset medium boundary points and non-preset medium boundary points in the medium boundary point set.

[0232] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the determining unit 1603 further includes:

[0233] The preset ground medium profile is determined by sequentially connecting the various medium boundary points in the medium boundary point set according to the order in which they are detected; or, convex hull data is generated based on the various medium boundary points in the medium boundary point set, and the preset ground medium profile is determined based on the convex hull data; or, the preset ground medium profile is determined by fitting the various medium boundary points in the medium boundary point set; or, the preset ground medium profile is determined by performing graphic matching processing on the various medium boundary points in the medium boundary point set.

[0234] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the determining unit 1603 further includes: if the cleaning equipment interrupts the detection of the preset ground medium, then based on the set of detected medium boundary points, determining the outline of the explored preset ground medium; and based on the explored preset ground medium outline, exploring the undetected preset ground medium.

[0235] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the determining unit 1603 further includes: determining a first medium boundary point first explored and a second medium boundary point last explored on the explored preset ground medium contour, and defining the line connecting the first medium boundary point and the second medium boundary point as the inner edge line of the unexplored preset ground medium; determining the contour of the explored area of ​​the preset ground medium based on the explored medium boundary point and the inner edge line; and exploring the unexplored preset ground medium based on the contour of the explored area of ​​the preset ground medium.

[0236] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the determining unit 1603 further includes: obtaining a preset ground medium profile determined by the cleaning device in the exploration behavior; if there is a common profile line between any two preset ground medium profiles, then splicing the two preset ground medium profiles together to obtain a spliced ​​preset ground medium profile.

[0237] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the determining unit 1603 further includes: the detection trajectory of the cleaning device detecting the media boundary point in a predetermined direction includes an arc trajectory.

[0238] Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one piece of program code, which is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the operations performed by the ground medium profile detection method as described above.

[0239] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a cleaning device, see reference. Figure 17 The diagram shows a structural schematic of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of this application. The cleaning device includes one or more memories 1704, one or more processors 1702, and at least one computer program (program code) stored in the memory 1704 and executable on the processor 1702. When the processor 1702 executes the computer program, it implements the ground medium profile detection method as described above.

[0240] Among them, Figure 17 In this context, a bus architecture (represented by bus 1700) is used. Bus 1700 can include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, linking various circuits including one or more processors represented by processor 1702 and memory represented by memory 1704. Bus 1700 can also link various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further herein. Bus interface 1705 provides an interface between bus 1700 and receiver 1701 and transmitter 1703. Receiver 1701 and transmitter 1703 can be the same element, i.e., a transceiver (e.g., configured in a...). Figure 1 The ultrasonic sensor 101, drop sensor 102, distance sensor 106, collision sensor 107, etc. in the illustrated robotic vacuum cleaner provide a unit for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium. The processor 1702 is responsible for managing the bus 1700 and general processing, while the memory 1704 can be used to store data used by the processor 1702 during operation.

[0241] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium. Other examples and embodiments are within the scope and spirit of this application and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwired, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, the functional units may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit.

[0242] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed technical content can be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for example, the division of units can be a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For instance, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the displayed or discussed mutual coupling, direct coupling, or communication connection may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between units or modules may be electrical or other forms.

[0243] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. Similarly, the components of the control device may or may not be physical units; they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0244] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), portable hard drive, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0245] The above description is merely an embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A method for detecting the contour of a ground medium, characterized in that, The method is applied to a cleaning device having a sensor for detecting obstacles, the sensor being an ultrasonic sensor, and the method includes: In response to the cleaning equipment detecting a preset ground medium, the cleaning equipment is triggered to alternately switch between inner boundary exploration mode and outer boundary exploration mode; In the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning equipment is controlled to move in a predetermined direction to detect the media boundary point through the sensor and obtain the media boundary point set; Based on the set of media boundary points, a preset ground media profile is determined; The inner boundary exploration mode refers to the sensor exploring the preset ground medium along its edge within the preset ground medium, while the outer boundary exploration mode refers to the sensor exploring the preset ground medium along its edge outside the preset ground medium.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The triggering of the cleaning device to alternate between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode includes: If at least one media boundary point is detected in the inner boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode. If at least one media boundary point is detected in the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The triggering of the cleaning device to alternate between the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode includes: If the cleaning device detects an obstacle in the inner boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is controlled to perform a first predetermined action until a medium boundary point is detected, at which point the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode. If the cleaning device detects an obstacle in the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is controlled to perform a second predetermined action until a medium boundary point is detected, at which point the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of controlling the cleaning device to perform a first predetermined action until a media boundary point is detected, triggering the cleaning device to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode, includes: The cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place in a first preset direction until the cleaning device detects the media boundary point, at which point the cleaning device is triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode. Alternatively, the cleaning device can be controlled to move backward or turn around until it detects a media boundary point, at which point it is triggered to switch to the outer boundary exploration mode; wherein the exploration direction of the cleaning device in the outer boundary exploration mode is opposite to that in the inner boundary exploration mode.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode, controlling the cleaning equipment to detect the medium boundary point in a predetermined direction includes: In the inner boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is controlled to move in a first predetermined direction to detect the media boundary point. The first predetermined direction includes a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction. In the outer boundary exploration mode, the cleaning device is controlled to move in a second predetermined direction to detect the media boundary point, the second predetermined direction being opposite to the first predetermined direction.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: In the outer boundary exploration mode, during the detection process of the cleaning equipment, the change in the first angle of the orientation of the cleaning equipment is monitored; If the cleaning device fails to detect the media boundary point and the change in the first angle exceeds the first angle threshold, the cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place in the second predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: During the process of the cleaning equipment rotating in place in the second predetermined direction, the change in the second angle of the orientation of the cleaning equipment is recorded. If the second angle change of the cleaning device when it detects the media boundary point exceeds the second angle threshold, the cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place in the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, and the re-detected media boundary point is recorded in the media boundary point set. Alternatively, when the cleaning device rotates in place in the second predetermined direction and detects a media boundary point, the currently detected media boundary point is recorded in the media boundary point set, and the cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place in the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, so as to adjust the exploration direction of the cleaning device and switch to the inner boundary exploration mode.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: In the inner boundary exploration mode, during the detection process of the cleaning equipment, the change in the third angle of the orientation of the cleaning equipment is monitored; If the cleaning device fails to detect the media boundary point and the change in the third angle exceeds the third angle threshold, the cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place in the first predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: During the process of the cleaning equipment rotating in place in the first predetermined direction, the change in the fourth angle of the orientation of the cleaning equipment is recorded; If the change in the fourth angle of the cleaning device when it detects the media boundary point exceeds the fourth angle threshold, the cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place in the second predetermined direction until the media boundary point is detected again, and the re-detected media boundary point is recorded in the media boundary point set. Alternatively, when the cleaning device rotates in place in the first predetermined direction and detects a media boundary point, the currently detected media boundary point is recorded in the media boundary point set, and the cleaning device is controlled to rotate in place in the second predetermined direction until a media boundary point is detected again, so as to adjust the exploration direction of the cleaning device and switch to the outer boundary exploration mode.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control of the cleaning equipment to detect the media boundary point in a predetermined direction includes: The cleaning device is controlled to detect the media boundary point in a predetermined direction until the detection by the cleaning device is interrupted, or until the distance between the media boundary point detected by the cleaning device and the media boundary point detected for the first time is less than a preset distance threshold.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The media boundary points include preset media boundary points and non-preset media boundary points. The preset media boundary points are the media boundary points detected by the cleaning equipment in the inner boundary exploration mode, and the non-preset media boundary points are the media boundary points detected by the cleaning equipment in the outer boundary exploration mode.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The step of determining the preset ground medium profile based on the set of medium boundary points includes: Based on the preset media boundary points in the set of media boundary points, a preset ground media profile is determined; Alternatively, a preset ground medium profile can be determined based on non-preset medium boundary points in the set of medium boundary points; Alternatively, a preset ground medium profile can be determined based on preset medium boundary points and non-preset medium boundary points in the set of medium boundary points.

13. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the preset ground medium profile based on the set of medium boundary points includes: According to the order in which each medium boundary point in the set of medium boundary points is detected, each medium boundary point is connected in sequence to determine the preset ground medium outline. Alternatively, based on each medium boundary point in the set of medium boundary points, convex hull data is generated, and the preset ground medium profile is determined based on the convex hull data. Alternatively, the preset ground medium profile can be determined by fitting each medium boundary point in the set of medium boundary points. Alternatively, the preset ground medium outline can be determined by performing graphic matching processing on each medium boundary point in the set of medium boundary points.

14. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the cleaning equipment interrupts the detection of the preset ground medium, the outline of the explored preset ground medium is determined based on the set of detected medium boundary points. Based on the explored preset ground medium profile, the unexplored preset ground medium is explored.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The exploration of undetected preset ground media based on the explored preset ground media profile includes: The first medium boundary point first explored and the second medium boundary point last explored on the explored preset ground medium profile are determined, and the line connecting the first medium boundary point and the second medium boundary point is defined as the inner edge line of the unexplored preset ground medium. Based on the explored medium boundary points and the inner edge lines, the outline of the explored area of ​​the preset ground medium is determined; based on the outline of the explored area of ​​the preset ground medium, the unexplored preset ground medium is explored.

16. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the preset ground medium profile determined by the cleaning equipment during its exploration behavior; If any two preset ground medium contours have a common contour line, then the two preset ground medium contours are spliced ​​together to obtain the spliced ​​preset ground medium contour.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, The detection trajectory of the cleaning equipment at the medium boundary point in a predetermined direction includes an arc trajectory.

18. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasonic sensor is located on one side of the front end of the bottom of the cleaning device.

19. A ground medium profile detection device, characterized in that, The device is applied to a cleaning equipment, the cleaning equipment having a sensor for detecting obstacles, the sensor being an ultrasonic sensor, and the device includes: Triggering unit, used to trigger the cleaning device to alternately switch between inner boundary exploration mode and outer boundary exploration mode in response to the cleaning device detecting a preset ground medium; The control unit is used to control the cleaning equipment to move in a predetermined direction in the inner boundary exploration mode and the outer boundary exploration mode, so as to detect the media boundary point through the sensor and obtain the media boundary point set; The determining unit is used to determine a preset ground medium profile based on the set of medium boundary points; The inner boundary exploration mode refers to the sensor exploring the preset ground medium along its edge within the preset ground medium, while the outer boundary exploration mode refers to the sensor exploring the preset ground medium along its edge outside the preset ground medium.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores at least one piece of program code, which is loaded and executed by a processor to perform the operations performed by the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18.

21. A cleaning device, characterized in that, The method includes one or more processors and one or more memories, wherein at least one piece of program code is stored in the one or more memories, and the at least one piece of program code is loaded and executed by the one or more processors to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18.

22. A cleaning device, characterized in that, The cleaning device is a robotic vacuum cleaner, which is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18.

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