Control method of mowing robot and mowing equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a control method of a mowing robot and mowing equipment, and the control method of the mowing robot comprises the steps: controlling the mowing robot to walk along a first preset mowing path in an area to be mowed; obstacle information in the mowing advancing direction is detected through a sensor of the mowing robot; when the sensor detects an obstacle, a first mowing decision is generated according to obstacle information, and the obstacle information comprises the length of the obstacle in the first direction; the mowing robot is controlled to execute the first mowing decision on the obstacle, and boundary information of the to-be-mowed area is obtained; and generating a second mowing decision according to the boundary information of the to-be-mowed area until the mowing task of the to-be-mowed area is completed. By adopting the control method, the mowing decision can be flexibly adjusted, and the mowing efficiency can be optimized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of lawnmower technology, and in particular to a control method and lawnmower equipment for a lawnmower robot. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing demand for green spaces, the trend of planting lawns in outdoor areas is becoming increasingly apparent. However, traditional manual lawn mowing requires a large workforce, is labor-intensive and inefficient, and can no longer meet the needs of modern greening projects. To solve this problem, intelligent lawnmowers have emerged, achieving efficient lawn mowing through automation and intelligence.

[0003] Existing smart lawnmowers often rely on a uniform obstacle avoidance method when encountering obstacles, lacking the flexibility to adapt to different environments. Furthermore, their typical reverse-backward movement when encountering obstacles can lead to missed mowing spots and low overall efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. Therefore, one objective of this invention is to propose a control method for a lawnmower robot, which allows for flexible adjustment of mowing decisions and optimization of mowing efficiency.

[0005] The second objective of this invention is to provide a lawn mowing device.

[0006] To address the aforementioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention provides a control method for a lawnmower robot, comprising: controlling the lawnmower robot to walk along a first preset mowing path in a lawn-to-be-mown area; detecting obstacle information in the mowing direction using sensors of the lawnmower robot; when the sensors detect an obstacle, generating a first mowing decision based on the obstacle information, the obstacle information including the length of the obstacle along a first direction; controlling the lawnmower robot to execute the first mowing decision on the obstacle to obtain boundary information of the lawn-to-be-mown area; generating a second mowing decision based on the boundary information of the lawn-to-be-mown area, until the mowing task in the lawn-to-be-mown area is completed.

[0007] According to the control method of the lawnmower robot of the present invention, when an obstacle is detected, on the one hand, it no longer directly follows a fixed obstacle avoidance path, but makes adaptive adjustments based on different obstacle information to generate a first mowing decision that is more in line with the size or shape of the current obstacle, thereby improving the flexibility of the lawnmower robot when mowing, enabling timely supplementary mowing of the area around the obstacle, and improving mowing efficiency; on the other hand, it also generates a second mowing decision based on the boundary information of the area to be mowed to optimize the mowing path, avoid the problem of repeated mowing or missed mowing, and improve the mowing coverage.

[0008] In some embodiments, the area to be mowed includes a first sub-area and a second sub-area located on both sides of the obstacle. The first mowing decision includes: when it is determined that the length is greater than or equal to a preset width, controlling the mowing robot to mow the first sub-area with a first preset mowing path until the mowing task of the first sub-area is completed; controlling the mowing robot to move from the first sub-area to the second sub-area; and controlling the mowing robot to mow the second sub-area according to the second mowing decision until the mowing task of the second sub-area is completed; wherein, the preset width = N × mowing path width, N > 1.

[0009] In some embodiments, the area to be mowed includes a first sub-area and a second sub-area located on both sides of the obstacle. The first mowing decision includes: when it is determined that the length is less than a preset width, controlling the mowing robot to move to the second sub-area and mowing the second sub-area according to the second mowing decision until the mowing task of the second sub-area is completed; controlling the mowing robot to move from the second sub-area to the first sub-area; controlling the mowing robot to mow the first sub-area according to the second mowing decision until the mowing task of the first sub-area is completed; wherein, the preset width = N × mowing path width, N > 1.

[0010] In some embodiments, the boundary information includes the distance between the obstacle and the second boundary of the second sub-region along a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction, and the second mowing decision includes: when it is determined that the second boundary distance is less than the length, controlling the mowing robot to mow the second sub-region with a zigzag mowing path, or controlling the mowing robot to mow the second sub-region along a second preset mowing path, the directions of the first preset mowing path and the second preset mowing path being perpendicular to each other; when it is determined that the second boundary distance is greater than or equal to the length, controlling the mowing robot to mow the second sub-region along a first preset mowing path.

[0011] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: controlling the mowing robot to move from the first sub-region to the second sub-region along a first edge of the obstacle to mow the grass, wherein the first edge is the edge of the obstacle that is close to the area to be mowed in a first direction.

[0012] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: before performing the mowing task in the second sub-region, controlling the mowing robot to move along the second edge of the obstacle to the second sub-region to perform mowing, the second edge being the edge of the obstacle in a first direction that is close to the already mowed area; after completing the mowing task in the second sub-region, controlling the mowing robot to move along the first edge of the obstacle from the second sub-region to the first sub-region to perform the mowing task, the first edge being the edge of the obstacle in a first direction that is close to the area to be mowed.

[0013] In some embodiments, controlling the mowing robot to move from the second sub-region to the first sub-region along the first edge of the obstacle to perform a mowing task includes: detecting the distance between the obstacle and the first boundary of the first sub-region along a second direction; when the first boundary distance is determined to be less than the length, controlling the mowing robot to mow the first sub-region with a zigzag mowing path, or controlling the mowing robot to mow the first sub-region along a second preset mowing path, wherein the directions of the first preset mowing path and the second preset mowing path are perpendicular to each other; when the first boundary distance is determined to be greater than or equal to the length, controlling the mowing robot to mow the first sub-region along a first preset mowing path.

[0014] A second aspect of the present invention provides a lawn mowing device, comprising: a sensor for detecting obstacle information in the direction of mowing; and a controller connected to the sensor, the controller being configured to: control a lawn mowing robot to walk along a first preset mowing path in a mowing area; detect obstacle information in the direction of mowing using the lawn mowing robot's sensor; when the sensor detects an obstacle, generate a first mowing decision based on the obstacle information, the obstacle information including the length of the obstacle along a first direction; control the lawn mowing robot to execute the first mowing decision on the obstacle, and obtain boundary information of the mowing area; generate a second mowing decision based on the boundary information of the mowing area, until the mowing task in the mowing area is completed.

[0015] According to the embodiments of the present invention, when an obstacle is detected, the lawn mowing device no longer directly follows a fixed obstacle avoidance path, but makes adaptive adjustments based on different obstacle information to generate a first mowing decision that is more in line with the size or shape of the current obstacle, thereby improving the flexibility of the lawn mowing robot when mowing; on the other hand, it also generates a second mowing decision based on the boundary information of the area to be mowed to optimize the mowing path, avoid the problem of repeated mowing or missed mowing, and improve the working efficiency of the lawn mowing robot.

[0016] In some embodiments, the area to be mowed includes a first sub-area and a second sub-area located on both sides of the obstacle. The controller is configured to: when it is determined that the length is greater than or equal to a preset width, control the mowing robot to mow the first sub-area with a first preset mowing path until the mowing task of the first sub-area is completed; control the mowing robot to move from the first sub-area to the second sub-area; and control the mowing robot to mow the second sub-area according to a second mowing decision until the mowing task of the second sub-area is completed; wherein, the preset width = N × mowing path width, N > 1.

[0017] In some embodiments, the area to be mowed includes a first sub-area and a second sub-area located on both sides of the obstacle. The controller is configured to: when it is determined that the length is less than a preset width, control the mowing robot to move to the second sub-area and mow the grass in the second sub-area according to a second mowing decision until the mowing task in the second sub-area is completed; control the mowing robot to move from the second sub-area to the first sub-area; control the mowing robot to mow the grass in the first sub-area according to the second mowing decision until the mowing task in the first sub-area is completed; wherein, the preset width = N × mowing path width, N > 1.

[0018] In some embodiments, the boundary information includes the distance between the obstacle and the second boundary of the second sub-region along a second direction, and the controller is further configured to: when it is determined that the second boundary distance is less than the length, control the mowing robot to mow the second sub-region with a zigzag mowing path, or control the mowing robot to mow the second sub-region along a second preset mowing path, wherein the directions of the first preset mowing path and the second preset mowing path are perpendicular to each other; when it is determined that the second boundary distance is greater than or equal to the length, control the mowing robot to mow the second sub-region along a first preset mowing path.

[0019] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a control method for a lawnmower robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a first sub-region and a second sub-region according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the mowing path of a lawnmowing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the mowing path of a lawnmower robot according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a structural block diagram of a lawn mowing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. The embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary. The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below.

[0022] The first aspect of this invention proposes a control method for a lawnmower robot, which allows for flexible adjustment of mowing decisions and optimization of mowing efficiency.

[0023] The following is for reference. Figures 1-4 A control method for a lawnmower robot according to an embodiment of the present invention is described, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the control method includes at least steps S1-S5.

[0024] Step S1: Control the lawnmower robot to walk along the first preset mowing path in the area to be mowed.

[0025] The first preset mowing path can be understood as the normal mowing path executed by the mowing robot when it does not encounter obstacles. This mowing path can be set at the factory or customized by the user based on the actual situation of the mowing area. For example, the first preset mowing path can be... Figure 2 The shown is a longitudinal bow-shaped mowing path.

[0026] For example, in practical applications, after the lawnmower starts up, it first initializes the system parameters, such as initializing the Beidou positioning module to determine the initial position information of the lawnmower; at the same time, it sets the basic working parameters of the lawnmower, such as setting the reference speed and reference angle of the lawnmower; then, it self-checks the working status of each sensor in the lawnmower to ensure that the system is operating normally; then, it controls the lawnmower to perform the lawnmower task in the area to be mowed along a first preset mowing path.

[0027] Step S2: The lawnmower robot uses its sensors to detect obstacles in the direction it is moving.

[0028] In related technologies, ultrasonic sensors are typically used to identify obstacles in lawnmower robots, and image recognition or pre-installed electronic fences are used to constrain the work area. However, ultrasonic sensors have low detection accuracy and are easily affected by external environmental interference, leading to inaccurate obstacle identification. Moreover, the speed and accuracy of image recognition methods in complex environments need improvement. To address these issues, this application proposes equipping the lawnmower robot with a vision sensor and a lidar sensor. Based on this, during lawnmowing, the sensors collect environmental information in real time. Specifically, the vision sensor can collect images of the environment in front of the lawnmower robot, and image processing can be performed on these images to identify the presence of obstacles. Simultaneously, the lidar sensor can perform a 3D scan of the environment in front to obtain 3D environmental data, and this 3D environmental data can be used to construct an environmental point cloud model to obtain obstacle information.

[0029] In some embodiments, obstacle information can be comprehensive feature information of obstacles obtained by fusing the recognition results of visual sensors and the scanning results of lidar sensors. This may include geometric feature information and obstacle type, thereby improving detection accuracy and facilitating subsequent lawn mowing decisions.

[0030] Step S3: When the sensor detects an obstacle, a first mowing decision is generated based on the obstacle information, which includes the length of the obstacle along a first direction.

[0031] Specifically, when encountering obstacles in the mowing path, lawnmower robots typically follow a fixed obstacle avoidance path, lacking the flexibility to adapt to the specific size and shape of the obstacle. To address this issue, this application no longer directly follows a fixed obstacle avoidance path. Instead, it adjusts the mowing decision in real time based on different obstacle information. Specifically, upon detecting an obstacle, a first mowing decision is generated based on the obstacle's length along a first direction, which better suits avoiding the current obstacle's size or shape. This allows the lawnmower robot to execute the mowing task according to the first mowing decision, improving its flexibility during mowing, enabling timely re-mowing of the area surrounding the obstacle, and increasing mowing coverage.

[0032] Step S4: Control the lawnmower robot to make the first mowing decision on the obstacle and obtain the boundary information of the area to be mowed.

[0033] Step S5: Generate a second mowing decision based on the boundary information of the area to be mowed, until the mowing task of the area to be mowed is completed.

[0034] Specifically, in order to avoid missed or repeated mowing in the area around obstacles when performing mowing tasks, this application will further optimize the mowing path based on the boundary information of the area to be mowed, that is, generate a second mowing decision, so as to control the mowing robot to perform mowing tasks according to the second mowing decision, so as to timely replenish the mowing in the area around obstacles under the second mowing decision, avoid the problem of repeated mowing, and improve mowing efficiency.

[0035] According to the control method of the lawnmower robot of the present invention, when an obstacle is detected, on the one hand, it no longer directly follows a fixed obstacle avoidance path, but makes adaptive adjustments based on different obstacle information to generate a first mowing decision that is more in line with the size or shape of the current obstacle, thereby improving the flexibility of the lawnmower robot when mowing, enabling timely supplementary mowing of the area around the obstacle, and improving mowing efficiency; on the other hand, it also generates a second mowing decision based on the boundary information of the area to be mowed to optimize the mowing path, avoid the problem of repeated mowing or missed mowing, and improve the mowing coverage.

[0036] In some embodiments, the area to be mowed includes a first sub-region and a second sub-region located on either side of the obstacle.

[0037] The first sub-region can be understood as the region defined by the length of the obstacle along the first direction and the distance to the first boundary, where, for example... Figure 2 As shown, the first boundary distance c is the distance from the obstacle to the lower boundary of the overall mowing area in the second direction. The gray area represents the obstacle, and the first sub-region is the area in front of the obstacle.

[0038] The second sub-region can be understood as the region defined by the length of the obstacle along the first direction and the distance to the second boundary, where, for example... Figure 2 As shown, the second boundary distance *b* is the distance from the obstacle to the upper boundary of the overall mowing area in the second direction, and the second sub-region is the area behind the obstacle. The overall mowing area is the mowing map information pre-configured for the mowing robot, for example... Figure 2 As shown, the entire mowing area is the area enclosed by the black solid line frame.

[0039] For example, when an obstacle is detected, the current position of the lawnmower robot is determined. Then, based on pre-configured lawnmower map information, the distance from the current position of the lawnmower robot to the lower boundary is calculated to determine the first boundary distance. Furthermore, based on the first boundary distance and the length of the obstacle, a first sub-region can be determined. Similarly, when an obstacle is detected, the lawnmower robot can be controlled to move around from the edge of the first side of the obstacle to the edge of the second side of the obstacle. Then, the current position of the lawnmower robot is determined. Furthermore, based on pre-configured lawnmower map information, the distance from the current position of the lawnmower robot to the upper boundary is calculated to determine the second boundary distance. Furthermore, based on the second boundary distance and the length of the obstacle, a second sub-region can be determined. Here, the first side of the obstacle is the side closest to the position of the lawnmower robot when the obstacle is detected, and the first side and the second side of the obstacle are in a relative state.

[0040] In some embodiments, the first mowing decision includes: when the length is determined to be greater than or equal to a preset width, controlling the mowing robot to mow the first sub-region along a first preset mowing path until the mowing task of the first sub-region is completed; controlling the mowing robot to move from the first sub-region to the second sub-region; and controlling the mowing robot to mow the second sub-region according to the second mowing decision until the mowing task of the second sub-region is completed.

[0041] For example, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, when an obstacle is detected, a first mowing decision is generated based on the obstacle information. Specifically, if it is determined that the length of the obstacle along the first direction is greater than or equal to the preset width, the mowing robot is controlled to turn around from its current position and continue mowing along the first preset mowing path until no obstacle is detected ahead, thus completing the mowing task of the first sub-area. Then, the mowing robot is controlled to move from the first sub-area to the second sub-area to perform supplementary mowing operations in the second sub-area. Thus, when the length is greater than or equal to the preset width, this application can improve mowing flexibility by first mowing the first sub-area and then supplementing the mowing in the second sub-area. This allows for timely supplementary mowing of the area around the obstacle, avoiding the problem of low work efficiency caused by the mowing robot repeatedly circling around the obstacle due to its long length in the first direction, and also avoiding the problem of missed mowing, effectively improving mowing efficiency. Meanwhile, for the mowing task in the second sub-region, the mowing robot no longer walks directly along the first preset mowing path, but mows based on the second mowing decision. This can effectively optimize the mowing path, avoid the problem of repeated mowing or missed mowing, and improve the mowing coverage.

[0042] In some embodiments, the preset width = N × mowing path width, where N > 1. The mowing path width is the actual width swept by the mowing robot in one pass as it moves along the mowing direction, for example... Figure 2The width of the mowing path shown is 'a'. Furthermore, the value of N can be set based on the actual situation; for example, N can be 2, 3, or 4, without restriction.

[0043] In some embodiments, the area to be mowed includes a first sub-area and a second sub-area located on both sides of an obstacle. The first mowing decision includes: when the length is determined to be less than a preset width, controlling the mowing robot to move to the second sub-area and mowing the second sub-area according to the second mowing decision until the mowing task of the second sub-area is completed; controlling the mowing robot to move from the second sub-area to the first sub-area; controlling the mowing robot to mow the first sub-area according to the second mowing decision until the mowing task of the first sub-area is completed; wherein, the preset width = N × mowing path width, N > 1.

[0044] For example, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, when an obstacle is detected, a first mowing decision is generated based on the obstacle information. Specifically, if it is determined that the length of the obstacle along the first direction is less than the preset width, the mowing robot is controlled to move from its current position to the second sub-area and mow the grass in the second sub-area according to the second mowing decision. After completing the mowing task in the second sub-area, the mowing robot is controlled to move from the second sub-area to the first sub-area and perform supplementary mowing in the first sub-area according to the second mowing decision. Thus, when the length is less than the preset width, this application flexibly adjusts the mowing path. That is, by mowing the grass in the second sub-area first and then supplementing the mowing in the first sub-area, the supplementary mowing of the area around the obstacle can be completed in a timely manner, effectively avoiding the problem of low work efficiency caused by repeated mowing and avoiding the problem of missed mowing, thus effectively improving mowing efficiency and mowing coverage.

[0045] Understandably, after completing the mowing tasks in the first and second sub-regions, the mowing robot will resume normal mowing operations, such as... Figure 3 or Figure 4 As shown, the lawnmower continues to mow the remaining area to be mowed along the first preset mowing path until the entire mowing area is completed.

[0046] In some embodiments, the boundary information includes the distance between the obstacle and the second boundary of the second sub-region along a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction, for example, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the distance to the second boundary is b.

[0047] In some embodiments, to optimize the mowing path, mowing the second sub-region according to the second mowing decision specifically includes: when it is determined that the distance of the second boundary is less than the length, it indicates that the length of the second sub-region in the second direction is small. In this case, if the mowing robot still mows the grass along the first preset mowing path, there will be a problem that the mowing robot needs to turn around multiple times to adjust its direction in order to complete the mowing task of the second sub-region, thereby affecting the mowing efficiency. Therefore, to avoid the above problem, this application controls the mowing robot to mow the grass in the second sub-region with a zigzag mowing path, or controls the mowing robot to mow the grass in the second sub-region along the second preset mowing path. Thus, compared with the mowing robot mowing the grass along the first preset mowing path, the mowing method of mowing the grass along the zigzag mowing path or the second preset mowing path can effectively reduce the number of times the mowing robot turns around and effectively improve the mowing efficiency.

[0048] Wherein, the directions of the first preset mowing path and the second preset mowing path are perpendicular to each other, for example, as shown in... Figure 4 As shown, the first preset mowing path can be a longitudinal bow-shaped mowing path, and the second preset mowing path can be a transverse bow-shaped mowing path.

[0049] In some embodiments, to optimize the mowing path, mowing the second sub-region according to the second mowing decision further includes: when it is determined that the distance of the second boundary is greater than or equal to the length, controlling the mowing robot to continue mowing the second sub-region along the first preset mowing path, thereby ensuring mowing efficiency.

[0050] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, when controlling the mowing robot to move from the first sub-region to the second sub-region, the robot can be controlled to move along the first edge of an obstacle to mow the grass. The first edge is the edge of the obstacle closest to the area to be mowed in a first direction. This avoids the problem of the mowing robot repeatedly circling around obstacles, which leads to low work efficiency and improves mowing efficiency.

[0051] In some embodiments, the control method of this application further includes: before performing the mowing task in the second sub-region, controlling the mowing robot to move along the second edge of the obstacle to the second sub-region to mow the grass, wherein the second edge is the edge of the obstacle in the first direction that is close to the already mowed area, for example... Figure 4As shown, before performing the mowing task in the second sub-region, the mowing robot is controlled to rotate to the left and walk along the edge of the obstacle until its head returns to center. Then, it walks along the second edge to the second sub-region. After completing the mowing task in the second sub-region, the mowing robot is controlled to walk along the first edge of the obstacle from the second sub-region to the first sub-region to perform the mowing task. The first edge is the edge of the obstacle that is closest to the area to be mowed in the first direction. This ensures the continuity of the mowing robot's path when making the mowing decision to first mow the second sub-region and then re-mow the first sub-region, avoiding repeated mowing and walking in already mowed areas, reducing the problem of low work efficiency caused by the mowing robot repeatedly circling around obstacles, and improving mowing efficiency.

[0052] In some embodiments, to optimize the mowing path, controlling the mowing robot to move along a first edge of an obstacle from a second sub-region to a first sub-region to perform the mowing task includes: detecting the distance between the obstacle and a first boundary of the first sub-region along a second direction, such as... Figure 2 The first boundary distance is denoted as 'c'. When the first boundary distance is less than the length, the mowing robot is controlled to mow the first sub-region using a zigzag mowing path, or to mow the first sub-region along a second preset mowing path. Therefore, compared to mowing the first sub-region using the first preset path, using a zigzag or second preset path effectively reduces the number of times the mowing robot repeatedly turns around, thus improving mowing efficiency. When the first boundary distance is greater than or equal to the length, the mowing robot is controlled to mow the first sub-region along the first preset path, thereby ensuring mowing efficiency.

[0053] A second aspect of the present invention provides a lawn mowing device, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the lawn mowing device 10 includes a sensor 1 and a controller 2.

[0054] Sensor 1 is used to detect obstacles in the direction of the mowing process.

[0055] In related technologies, ultrasonic sensors are typically used to identify obstacles in lawnmower robots, and image recognition or pre-installed electronic fences are used to constrain the work area. However, ultrasonic sensors have low detection accuracy and are easily affected by external environmental interference, leading to inaccurate obstacle identification. Moreover, the speed and accuracy of image recognition methods in complex environments need improvement. To address these issues, this application proposes equipping the lawnmower with visual sensors and lidar sensors to detect obstacle information in the direction of mowing. This combination of visual and lidar sensors improves the accuracy of obstacle identification.

[0056] Additionally, controller 2 is connected to sensor 1, and controller 2 is configured to perform the following steps S1-S5.

[0057] Step S1: Control the lawnmower robot to walk along the first preset mowing path in the area to be mowed.

[0058] The first preset mowing path can be understood as the normal mowing path executed by the mowing robot when it does not encounter obstacles. This mowing path can be set at the factory or customized by the user based on the actual situation of the mowing area. For example, the first preset mowing path can be... Figure 2 The shown is a longitudinal bow-shaped mowing path.

[0059] For example, in practical applications, after the lawnmower starts up, it first initializes the system parameters, such as initializing the Beidou positioning module to determine the initial position information of the lawnmower; at the same time, it sets the basic working parameters of the lawnmower, such as setting the reference speed and reference angle of the lawnmower; then, it self-checks the working status of each sensor in the lawnmower to ensure that the system is operating normally; then, it controls the lawnmower to perform the lawnmower task in the area to be mowed along a first preset mowing path.

[0060] Step S2: The lawnmower robot uses its sensors to detect obstacles in the direction it is moving.

[0061] In related technologies, ultrasonic sensors are typically used to identify obstacles in lawnmower robots, and image recognition or pre-installed electronic fences are used to constrain the work area. However, ultrasonic sensors have low detection accuracy and are easily affected by external environmental interference, leading to inaccurate obstacle identification. Moreover, the speed and accuracy of image recognition methods in complex environments need improvement. To address these issues, this application proposes equipping the lawnmower robot with a vision sensor and a lidar sensor. Based on this, during lawnmowing, the sensors collect environmental information in real time. Specifically, the vision sensor can collect images of the environment in front of the lawnmower robot, and image processing can be performed on these images to identify the presence of obstacles. Simultaneously, the lidar sensor can perform a 3D scan of the environment in front to obtain 3D environmental data, and this 3D environmental data can be used to construct an environmental point cloud model to obtain obstacle information.

[0062] In some embodiments, obstacle information can be comprehensive feature information of obstacles obtained by fusing the recognition results of visual sensors and the scanning results of lidar sensors. This may include geometric feature information and obstacle type, thereby improving detection accuracy and facilitating subsequent lawn mowing decisions.

[0063] Step S3: When the sensor detects an obstacle, a first mowing decision is generated based on the obstacle information, which includes the length of the obstacle along a first direction.

[0064] Specifically, regarding obstacles on the mowing path, to address the issue of the lack of flexibility in adapting to the specific size and shape of obstacles due to the mowing robot following a fixed obstacle avoidance path, this application no longer directly follows a fixed obstacle avoidance path. Instead, it adjusts the mowing decision in real time based on different obstacle information. Specifically, when an obstacle is detected, a first mowing decision that better suits the size or shape of the obstacle is generated based on the length of the obstacle along a first direction. This controls the mowing robot to execute the mowing task according to the first mowing decision, improving the flexibility of the mowing robot during mowing, enabling timely re-mowing of the area around the obstacle, and improving mowing efficiency.

[0065] Step S4: Control the lawnmower robot to make the first mowing decision on the obstacle and obtain the boundary information of the area to be mowed.

[0066] Step S5: Generate a second mowing decision based on the boundary information of the area to be mowed, until the mowing task of the area to be mowed is completed.

[0067] Specifically, in order to avoid missed or repeated mowing in the area around obstacles when performing mowing tasks, this application will further optimize the mowing path based on the boundary information of the area to be mowed, that is, generate a second mowing decision, so as to control the mowing robot to perform mowing tasks according to the second mowing decision, so as to timely replenish the mowing in the area around obstacles under the second mowing decision and improve the mowing coverage.

[0068] According to the embodiments of the present invention, when an obstacle is detected, the lawn mowing device 10 no longer directly follows a fixed obstacle avoidance path, but makes adaptive adjustments based on different obstacle information to generate a first mowing decision that is more in line with the size or shape of the current obstacle, thereby improving the flexibility of the lawn mowing robot when mowing; on the other hand, it also generates a second mowing decision based on the boundary information of the area to be mowed to optimize the mowing path, avoid the problem of repeated mowing or missed mowing, and improve the working efficiency of the lawn mowing robot.

[0069] In some embodiments, the area to be mowed includes a first sub-area and a second sub-area located on both sides of an obstacle. The controller 2 is configured to: when the length is determined to be greater than or equal to a preset width, control the mowing robot to mow the first sub-area with a first preset mowing path until the mowing task of the first sub-area is completed; control the mowing robot to move from the first sub-area to the second sub-area; and control the mowing robot to mow the second sub-area according to a second mowing decision until the mowing task of the second sub-area is completed; wherein, the preset width = N × mowing path width, N > 1.

[0070] The first sub-region can be understood as the region defined by the length of the obstacle along the first direction and the distance to the first boundary, where, for example... Figure 2 As shown, the first boundary distance c is the distance from the obstacle to the lower boundary of the overall mowing area in the second direction, and the first sub-region is the area in front of the obstacle.

[0071] The second sub-region can be understood as the region defined by the length of the obstacle along the first direction and the distance to the second boundary, where, for example... Figure 2 As shown, the second boundary distance *b* is the distance from the obstacle to the upper boundary of the overall mowing area in the second direction, and the second sub-region is the area behind the obstacle. The overall mowing area is the mowing map information pre-configured for the mowing robot, for example... Figure 2 As shown, the entire mowing area is the area enclosed by the black solid line frame.

[0072] For example, when an obstacle is detected, the current position of the lawnmower robot is determined. Then, based on pre-configured lawnmower map information, the distance from the current position of the lawnmower robot to the lower boundary is calculated to determine the first boundary distance. Furthermore, based on the first boundary distance and the length of the obstacle, a first sub-region can be determined. Similarly, when an obstacle is detected, the lawnmower robot can be controlled to move around from the edge of the first side of the obstacle to the edge of the second side of the obstacle. Then, the current position of the lawnmower robot is determined. Furthermore, based on pre-configured lawnmower map information, the distance from the current position of the lawnmower robot to the upper boundary is calculated to determine the second boundary distance. Furthermore, based on the second boundary distance and the length of the obstacle, a second sub-region can be determined. Here, the first side of the obstacle is the side closest to the position of the lawnmower robot when the obstacle is detected, and the first side and the second side of the obstacle are in a relative state.

[0073] For example, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, when an obstacle is detected, a first mowing decision is generated based on the obstacle information. Specifically, if it is determined that the length of the obstacle along the first direction is greater than or equal to the preset width, the mowing robot is controlled to turn around from its current position and continue mowing along the first preset mowing path until no obstacle is detected ahead, thus completing the mowing task of the first sub-area. Then, the mowing robot is controlled to move from the first sub-area to the second sub-area to perform supplementary mowing operations in the second sub-area. Thus, when the length is greater than or equal to the preset width, this application can improve mowing flexibility by first mowing the first sub-area and then supplementing the mowing in the second sub-area. This allows for timely supplementary mowing of the area around the obstacle, avoiding the problem of low work efficiency caused by the mowing robot repeatedly circling around the obstacle due to its long length in the first direction, and also avoiding the problem of missed mowing, effectively improving mowing efficiency. Meanwhile, for the mowing task in the second sub-region, the mowing robot no longer walks directly along the first preset mowing path, but mows based on the second mowing decision. This can effectively optimize the mowing path, avoid the problem of repeated mowing or missed mowing, and improve the mowing coverage.

[0074] In some embodiments, the area to be mowed includes a first sub-area and a second sub-area located on both sides of an obstacle. The controller 2 is configured to: when the length is determined to be less than a preset width, control the mowing robot to move to the second sub-area and mow the grass in the second sub-area according to a second mowing decision until the mowing task in the second sub-area is completed; control the mowing robot to move from the second sub-area to the first sub-area; control the mowing robot to mow the grass in the first sub-area according to the second mowing decision until the mowing task in the first sub-area is completed; wherein, the preset width = N × mowing path width, N > 1.

[0075] For example, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, when an obstacle is detected, a first mowing decision is generated based on the obstacle information. Specifically, if it is determined that the length of the obstacle along the first direction is less than the preset width, the mowing robot is controlled to move from its current position to the second sub-area and mow the grass in the second sub-area according to the second mowing decision. After completing the mowing task in the second sub-area, the mowing robot is controlled to move from the second sub-area to the first sub-area and perform supplementary mowing in the first sub-area according to the second mowing decision. Thus, when the length is less than the preset width, this application flexibly adjusts the mowing path. That is, by mowing the grass in the second sub-area first and then supplementing the mowing in the first sub-area, the supplementary mowing of the area around the obstacle can be completed in a timely manner, effectively avoiding the problem of low work efficiency caused by repeated mowing and avoiding the problem of missed mowing, thus effectively improving mowing efficiency and mowing coverage.

[0076] In some embodiments, the boundary information includes the distance between the obstacle and the second boundary of the second sub-region along the second direction. The controller 2 is further configured to: when it is determined that the distance of the second boundary is less than the length, it indicates that the length of the second sub-region in the second direction is small. In this case, if the mowing robot still mows the grass along the first preset mowing path, there will be a problem that the mowing robot needs to turn around multiple times to adjust its direction in order to complete the mowing task of the second sub-region, thereby affecting the mowing efficiency. Therefore, in order to avoid the above problem, this application controls the mowing robot to mow the grass in the second sub-region along a zigzag mowing path, or controls the mowing robot to mow the grass in the second sub-region along the second preset mowing path. Thus, compared with the mowing robot mowing the grass along the first preset mowing path, the mowing method of mowing the grass along the zigzag mowing path or the second preset mowing path can effectively reduce the number of times the mowing robot turns around and effectively improve the mowing efficiency.

[0077] In the description of this specification, any process or method described in the flowcharts or otherwise herein may be understood as representing a module, segment, or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing custom logic functions or processes, and the scope of the preferred embodiments of the invention includes additional implementations in which functions may be performed not in the order shown or discussed, including substantially simultaneously or in reverse order according to the functions involved, as will be understood by those skilled in the art to which embodiments of the invention pertain.

[0078] The logic and / or steps represented in the flowchart or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as a sequenced list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions, and can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (such as a computer-based system, a processor-included system, or other system that can fetch and execute instructions from, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device). For the purposes of this specification, "computer-readable medium" can be any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit programs for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable media include: an electrical connection having one or more wires (electronic device), a portable computer disk drive (magnetic device), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable and editable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), fiber optic devices, and portable optical disc read-only memory (CDROM). Alternatively, the computer-readable medium may be paper or other suitable media on which the program can be printed, since the program can be obtained electronically, for example, by optically scanning the paper or other medium, followed by editing, interpreting, or otherwise processing as necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

[0079] It should be understood that various parts of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented in software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware as in another embodiment, it can be implemented using any of the following techniques known in the art, or a combination thereof: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logical functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0080] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the methods in the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, the program includes one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiments.

[0081] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into a processing module, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into a module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

[0082] The storage medium mentioned above can be a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk, etc. Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[0083] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.

[0084] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A control method for a lawnmower robot, characterized in that, include: Control the lawnmower robot to move along a first preset mowing path in the area to be mowed; The lawnmower uses sensors to detect obstacles in its path. When the sensor detects an obstacle, a first mowing decision is generated based on the obstacle information, the obstacle information including the length of the obstacle along a first direction; Control the lawnmower robot to execute the first mowing decision on the obstacle and obtain the boundary information of the area to be mowed; A second mowing decision is generated based on the boundary information of the area to be mowed, until the mowing task of the area to be mowed is completed.

2. The control method for the lawnmower robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The area to be mowed includes a first sub-region and a second sub-region located on both sides of the obstacle, and the first mowing decision includes: When the length is determined to be greater than or equal to the preset width, the lawn mowing robot is controlled to mow the first sub-area with a first preset mowing path until the mowing task of the first sub-area is completed. Control the lawnmower robot to move from the first sub-region to the second sub-region; The second mowing decision controls the mowing robot to mow the second sub-area until the mowing task of the second sub-area is completed. Wherein, the preset width = N × mowing path width, N > 1.

3. The control method for the lawnmower robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The area to be mowed includes a first sub-region and a second sub-region located on both sides of the obstacle, and the first mowing decision includes: When it is determined that the length is less than the preset width, the lawn mowing robot is controlled to move to the second sub-area, and the lawn is mowed in the second sub-area according to the second mowing decision until the mowing task of the second sub-area is completed. Control the lawnmower robot to move from the second sub-region to the first sub-region; The second mowing decision controls the mowing robot to mow the first sub-area until the mowing task of the first sub-area is completed. Wherein, the preset width = N × mowing path width, N > 1.

4. The control method for the lawnmower robot according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The boundary information includes the distance between the obstacle and the second boundary of the second sub-region along a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction, and the second mowing decision includes: When it is determined that the distance to the second boundary is less than the length, the lawn mowing robot is controlled to mow the second sub-area in a zigzag mowing path, or the lawn mowing robot is controlled to mow the second sub-area along a second preset mowing path, wherein the directions of the first preset mowing path and the second preset mowing path are perpendicular to each other. When the distance to the second boundary is determined to be greater than or equal to the length, the lawnmower robot is controlled to mow the second sub-region along the first preset mowing path.

5. The control method for the lawnmower robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control method further includes: The lawnmower robot is controlled to move along the first edge of the obstacle from the first sub-region to the second sub-region to mow the grass, wherein the first edge is the edge of the obstacle that is close to the grass-to-be-mowed area in a first direction.

6. The control method for the lawnmower robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, The control method further includes: Before performing the mowing task in the second sub-region, the mowing robot is controlled to move along the second edge of the obstacle to the second sub-region to mow the grass. The second edge is the edge of the obstacle that is close to the already mowed area in the first direction. After completing the mowing task in the second sub-region, the mowing robot is controlled to move from the second sub-region to the first sub-region along the first edge of the obstacle to perform the mowing task. The first edge is the edge of the obstacle that is close to the area to be mowed in a first direction.

7. The control method for the lawnmower robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, Controlling the lawnmower robot to move along the first edge of the obstacle from the second sub-region to the first sub-region to perform the lawnmower task includes: The distance between the obstacle and the first boundary of the first sub-region along the second direction is detected. When it is determined that the distance of the first boundary is less than the length, the lawn mowing robot is controlled to mow the first sub-region with a zigzag mowing path, or the lawn mowing robot is controlled to mow the first sub-region along a second preset mowing path, wherein the directions of the first preset mowing path and the second preset mowing path are perpendicular to each other. When the distance to the first boundary is determined to be greater than or equal to the length, the lawnmower robot is controlled to mow the first sub-region along a first preset mowing path.

8. A lawn mowing device, characterized in that, include: Sensors are used to detect obstacles in the direction the lawnmower is traveling; A controller, connected to the sensor, is configured to control the lawnmower robot to walk along a first preset mowing path in the area to be mowed. The lawnmower uses sensors to detect obstacles in its path. When the sensor detects an obstacle, a first mowing decision is generated based on the obstacle information, the obstacle information including the length of the obstacle along a first direction; Control the lawnmower robot to execute the first mowing decision on the obstacle and obtain the boundary information of the area to be mowed; A second mowing decision is generated based on the boundary information of the area to be mowed, until the mowing task of the area to be mowed is completed.

9. The lawn mowing equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The area to be mowed includes a first sub-region and a second sub-region located on both sides of the obstacle, and the controller is configured to: When the length is determined to be greater than or equal to the preset width, the lawn mowing robot is controlled to mow the first sub-area with a first preset mowing path until the mowing task of the first sub-area is completed. Control the lawnmower robot to move from the first sub-region to the second sub-region; The second mowing decision controls the mowing robot to mow the second sub-area until the mowing task of the second sub-area is completed. Wherein, the preset width = N × mowing path width, N > 1.

10. The lawn mowing equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The area to be mowed includes a first sub-region and a second sub-region located on both sides of the obstacle, and the controller is configured to: When it is determined that the length is less than the preset width, the lawn mowing robot is controlled to move to the second sub-area, and the lawn is mowed in the second sub-area according to the second mowing decision until the mowing task of the second sub-area is completed. Control the lawnmower robot to move from the second sub-region to the first sub-region; The second mowing decision controls the mowing robot to mow the first sub-area until the mowing task of the first sub-area is completed. Wherein, the preset width = N × mowing path width, N > 1.

11. The lawn mowing equipment according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The boundary information includes the distance between the obstacle and the second boundary of the second sub-region along the second direction, and the controller is further configured to: When it is determined that the distance to the second boundary is less than the length, the lawn mowing robot is controlled to mow the second sub-area in a zigzag mowing path, or the lawn mowing robot is controlled to mow the second sub-area along a second preset mowing path, wherein the directions of the first preset mowing path and the second preset mowing path are perpendicular to each other. When the distance to the second boundary is determined to be greater than or equal to the length, the lawnmower robot is controlled to mow the second sub-region along the first preset mowing path.

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