Robot control method, device, storage medium and electronic equipment

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a robot control method, device, storage medium and electronic equipment, and particularly relates to the technical field of intelligent warehousing, wherein the method comprises: in response to a fire emergency stop message, determining a target robot currently in a fire passage area; obtaining a blocking robot which blocks the target robot from leaving the fire passage area; then controlling the target robot to leave the fire passage area, and controlling the blocking robot to perform corresponding avoidance. By applying the technical solution of the present disclosure, when a fire emergency stop occurs, the robots in the fire passage area can be controlled to leave the fire passage area, and considering the possibility that the robots block the target robot from leaving the fire passage area, the blocking robots can be controlled to perform corresponding avoidance, so that the target robot can successfully leave the fire passage area, to avoid the situation that the robots stop on the fire passage, to ensure that the on-site personnel can pass through the fire passage for emergency evacuation, and effectively reduce the safety risk.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of intelligent warehousing technology, specifically to a robot control method, device, storage medium, and electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] Emergency fire stop refers to the ability in intelligent warehousing facilities to quickly stop the operation of relevant equipment and cut off power or other energy supplies that may cause the fire to spread when a fire or other emergency fire occurs, in order to prevent the fire from spreading by the operation of the equipment and to avoid injury to personnel from the continued operation of the equipment.

[0003] Currently, all robots stop moving when a fire emergency occurs. However, this response has potential safety hazards. If the robots stop in fire lanes, they could obstruct the emergency evacuation of people on site, thus increasing safety risks. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present disclosure provides a robot control method, device, storage medium and electronic device, the main purpose of which is to improve the current problem that when a fire emergency occurs, all robots stop moving. If the robots stop in the fire lane, they may obstruct the emergency evacuation of personnel on site, which may pose a safety risk.

[0005] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides a robot control method, including:

[0006] In response to an emergency stop message from the fire department, the target robot is located in the fire lane area.

[0007] Acquire the blocking robot that is preventing the target robot from leaving the fire escape area;

[0008] Control the target robot to leave the fire lane area, and control the blocking robot to make appropriate avoidance maneuvers.

[0009] Optionally, acquiring the blocking robot that prevents the target robot from leaving the fire lane area includes:

[0010] Obtain the possible paths for the target robot to leave the fire lane area;

[0011] Select the target path from the optional paths for the target robot to leave the fire lane area;

[0012] The robots that need to be driven away when the target robot leaves the fire lane area according to the target path are identified as the blocking robots.

[0013] Optionally, selecting a target path for the target robot to leave the fire lane area from the optional paths includes:

[0014] Determine the departure cost information corresponding to each of the optional paths;

[0015] Based on the departure cost information, the target path is selected from the optional paths.

[0016] Optionally, determining the departure cost information corresponding to each of the optional paths includes:

[0017] Obtain the number of cells the target robot moves to leave the fire lane area along the selectable path, and obtain the number of cells the corresponding robot that needs to be driven away moves to avoid it.

[0018] The departure cost information is determined based on the number of the first cell and the number of the second cell.

[0019] Optionally, determining the departure cost information based on the first cell count and the second cell count includes:

[0020] Calculate the sum of the number of the first cell and the number of the second cell, and determine the departure cost information based on the sum.

[0021] Optionally, selecting the target path from the optional paths based on the departure cost information includes:

[0022] The path with the smallest sum value among the available paths is selected as the target path.

[0023] Optionally, selecting the optional path with the smallest sum value from the optional paths as the target path includes:

[0024] If there are multiple optional paths with the smallest sum, then based on the direction of the target robot's head, the optional path that the target robot will first execute is selected from the multiple optional paths with the smallest sum, and this path is taken as the target path.

[0025] Optionally, controlling the target robot to leave the fire escape area includes:

[0026] Control the target robot to leave the fire lane area along the target path.

[0027] Optionally, before controlling the blocking robot to perform the corresponding avoidance maneuver, the method further includes:

[0028] Obtain the avoidance path of the blocking robot, wherein the avoidance path does not include the cells of the fire lane area;

[0029] The control of the blocking robot to perform corresponding avoidance includes:

[0030] The blocking robot is controlled to avoid obstacles according to the avoidance path.

[0031] Optionally, obtaining the avoidance path of the blocking robot includes:

[0032] If there are multiple blocking robots, then obtain the avoidance paths corresponding to the multiple blocking robots, and the avoidance order of the multiple blocking robots;

[0033] The control of the blocking robot to avoid obstacles according to the avoidance path includes:

[0034] According to the avoidance sequence, each blocking robot is controlled to avoid obstacles according to its corresponding avoidance path.

[0035] Optionally, controlling the blocking robot to avoid the obstacle according to the avoidance path includes:

[0036] When it is determined that the target robot has left the fire lane area, the blocking robot is controlled to stop moving.

[0037] Secondly, this disclosure provides a robot control device, comprising:

[0038] The determination module is configured to determine the target robot currently in the fire lane area in response to a fire emergency stop message;

[0039] The acquisition module is configured to acquire the blocking robot that is preventing the target robot from leaving the fire lane area;

[0040] The control module is configured to control the target robot to leave the fire lane area and to control the blocking robot to make corresponding avoidance maneuvers.

[0041] Thirdly, this disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the robot control method described in the first aspect.

[0042] Fourthly, this disclosure provides an electronic device, including a storage medium, a processor, and a computer program stored on the storage medium and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the robot control method described in the first aspect.

[0043] Fifthly, this disclosure provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the robot control method described in the first aspect.

[0044] By employing the above technical solution, this disclosure provides a robot control method, device, storage medium, and electronic device. Compared with existing related technologies, this disclosure can control a robot within a fire lane area to leave the fire lane area during a fire emergency stop. Specifically, in response to a fire emergency stop message, it identifies the target robot currently in the fire lane area; acquires the blocking robot preventing the target robot from leaving the fire lane area; then controls the target robot to leave the fire lane area and controls the blocking robot to avoid it. By applying the technical solution of this disclosure, during a fire emergency stop, robots within the fire lane area can be controlled to leave the fire lane area. Considering the possibility of a robot blocking the target robot from leaving the fire lane area, the blocking robot can also be controlled to avoid it, enabling the target robot to successfully leave the fire lane area. This avoids the situation where a robot stops in the fire lane, ensuring that on-site personnel can evacuate urgently through the fire lane, effectively reducing safety risks.

[0045] The above description is merely an overview of the technical solution disclosed herein. In order to better understand the technical means of this disclosure and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of this disclosure are described below. Attached Figure Description

[0046] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0047] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0048] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a robot control method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0049] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating an example provided by an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0050] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating an example provided by an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0051] Figure 4A flowchart illustrating a robot control method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0052] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating an example provided by an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0053] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a robot control method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0054] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating an example provided by an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0055] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a robot control device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0056] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0057] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this disclosure, the solutions disclosed herein will be further described below. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described herein can be combined with each other.

[0058] Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a full understanding of this disclosure. However, this disclosure can be implemented in many other ways than those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar extensions without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the specific implementations disclosed below.

[0059] The terminology used in one or more embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the one or more embodiments of this disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” as used in one or more embodiments of this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in one or more embodiments of this disclosure refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0060] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, etc., may be used to describe various information in one or more embodiments of this disclosure, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, first may also be referred to as second without departing from the scope of one or more embodiments of this disclosure, and similarly, second may also be referred to as first. Depending on the context, the word “if” as used herein may be interpreted as “when”, “in response to a determination”, or “when…”.

[0061] To address the current issue where all robots stop moving during a fire emergency, potentially obstructing emergency evacuation if they remain in fire lanes, thus posing a safety risk, this disclosure provides a robot control method, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the method includes the following steps 101 to 103:

[0062] Step 101: In response to the fire emergency stop message, identify the target robot currently located in the fire lane area.

[0063] The execution entity of this disclosure embodiment may be a robot control device or equipment, which may be configured on the robot management system (RMS) side, such as in the server running the RMS system.

[0064] In some embodiments, a fire emergency stop message can be an emergency signal indicating that a fire or other serious fire safety threat may have occurred in the warehouse, requiring all relevant equipment (especially automated equipment such as robots, conveyor systems, etc.) to immediately cease its current routine operations and enter an emergency state.

[0065] In some examples, when smoke detectors, temperature sensors, or flame detectors in the warehouse detect signs of fire (such as smoke concentration exceeding a threshold, a rapid increase in temperature, or direct detection of flames), the fire alarm will trigger the RMS system to control the robot's emergency stop. In addition, in certain situations, if staff discover a fire hazard or receive external fire alarm information (such as a fire in an adjacent building that may affect the warehouse), they can manually operate the emergency stop button or issue a fire emergency stop command in the control software, thereby triggering the RMS system to control the robot's emergency stop.

[0066] In some embodiments, if a fire emergency stop message is received, it is necessary to ensure that robots within the fire lane area in the warehouse leave that area as quickly as possible. This can be achieved by first identifying the target robot currently located within the fire lane area. In some examples, the locations of fire lanes are clearly marked on the warehouse map. The RMS system stores the real-time location information of each robot in its database. This location information is obtained through the robot's onboard positioning system (such as LiDAR positioning, ultra-wideband positioning (UWB), visual positioning, etc.). By comparing the robot's location with the fire lane area on the warehouse map, it is possible to determine which robots are within the fire lane area, thereby identifying the target robot currently located within the fire lane area.

[0067] For example, such as Figure 2 The diagram shows a warehouse map. The warehouse has multiple storage areas, each capable of holding multiple shelves, and each shelf can contain multiple cartons. Robots can move within the warehouse, performing tasks such as carton handling and shelf transport. Fire lanes (or simply fire lanes) are marked on the warehouse map. If a fire emergency stop message is received, the robot's real-time location can be compared with the fire lane areas on the warehouse map to determine which robots are in the fire lane areas, thus identifying the target robot currently in the fire lane area.

[0068] Step 102: Obtain the blocking robot that is preventing the target robot from leaving the fire lane area.

[0069] In some examples, when a target robot needs to leave a fire exit area, the RMS system can combine the robot's real-time location information with a warehouse map. By determining the target robot's evacuation route from the fire exit area on the warehouse map and checking for other robot location markers around the route, it can identify any robots blocking the way.

[0070] In some embodiments, one or more blocking robots may be present. For example, such as Figure 3As shown, in the warehouse map, robots can move through individual cells. The dashed area represents fire escape routes, and circles represent robots. Currently, robot number 1 is in the fire escape route area and needs to be controlled to leave. Determine the outgoing cells of robot number 1's current cell, which can include cells a and b (i.e., cells it can enter according to its movement direction). Currently, robot number 2 is in cell a, and robot number 3 is in cell b. If robot number 1 needs to enter cell a, then robot number 2 will block robot number 1 from leaving the fire escape route area. If robot number 1 needs to enter cell b, then robot number 3 will block its entry. Furthermore, to allow robot number 3 to leave cell b, robot number 4, which is blocking robot number 3 from entering cell c, also needs to be removed. Therefore, when robot number 1 needs to enter cell b, robots number 3 and 4 will both block robot number 1 from leaving the fire escape route area.

[0071] Step 103: Control the target robot to leave the fire lane area, and control the blocking robot to make appropriate avoidance.

[0072] In some embodiments, the departure path of the target robot from the fire lane area and the avoidance path of the corresponding blocking robot can be planned in advance. Then, a control command for the departure task is issued to the target robot, controlling the target robot to move according to the departure path to leave the fire lane area, and a control command for the expulsion task is issued to the blocking robot, controlling the blocking robot to make corresponding avoidance according to the avoidance path, so that the target robot can successfully leave the fire lane area.

[0073] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, it is necessary to control robot 1 to leave the fire escape area. The planned departure path for robot 1 is from the current cell to cell a, and the avoidance path for the blocking robot (robot 2) is from cell a to cell d. Then, robot 1 is controlled to leave the fire escape area by entering cell a from the current cell according to the planned departure path, and robot 2 is controlled to avoid the blocking robot by entering cell d from cell a according to the avoidance path, thus enabling robot 1 to leave the fire escape area.

[0074] Compared with existing related technologies, by applying the technical solution of the present disclosure, in the event of an emergency stop during a fire, the robot in the fire lane area can be controlled to leave the fire lane area. Considering the possibility that a robot may block the target robot from leaving the fire lane area, the blocking robot can also be controlled to make corresponding avoidance, so that the target robot can successfully leave the fire lane area, thereby avoiding the situation where the robot stops in the fire lane, ensuring that on-site personnel can be evacuated in an emergency through the fire lane, and effectively reducing safety risks.

[0075] Furthermore, as an optional embodiment of step 102, such as Figure 4 As shown, the method may include the steps 1021 to 1023 as follows:

[0076] Step 1021: Obtain the possible paths for the target robot to leave the fire lane area.

[0077] In some embodiments, the location of the fire lane area in the warehouse map and the location of the target robot, combined with the locations of other robots and the points in the warehouse map where the robot can move, can be used to obtain an optional path for the target robot to leave the fire lane area. The optional path can be one or more.

[0078] In some examples, the selection of which optional paths to choose can be determined based on path constraints. For example, such as... Figure 5 As shown, robot 1 is the target robot, currently in cell a. Cell a is within the fire escape route area. Upon receiving a fire emergency stop message, robot 1 needs to be controlled to leave the fire escape route area. If the path constraints do not allow the robot to leave the fire escape route if the path includes fire escape route points, and the robot needs to move in the direction indicated by the cell, then the available paths can include from cell a to cell j (a->j) and from cell a to cell d (a->d). If the path constraints do not allow the robot to leave the fire escape route if it includes fire escape route points, and the robot can move in a different direction than indicated by the cell (e.g., allowing the robot to reverse if necessary, using the opposite direction of the in-degree direction), then in addition to (a->j) and (a->d), the available paths can also include from cell a to cell g (a->g). If the path constraints allow the robot to leave the fire lane through a path that includes fire lane locations and allows it to travel in a direction other than that indicated by the cell, then in addition to (a->j), (a->d), and (a->g), the available paths can also include (a->b->e), (a->b->h), (a->b->c->f), (a->b->c->i), etc.

[0079] The embodiments disclosed herein can provide more alternative paths based on different path constraints, making it easier to meet different path selection needs.

[0080] Step 1022: Select the target path from the available paths for the target robot to leave the fire lane area.

[0081] In some embodiments, in order to enable the target robot to leave the fire lane area as soon as possible, the shortest path can be selected from the optional paths as the target path for the target robot to leave the fire lane area.

[0082] In practical applications, the shortest path may encounter more complex robot obstruction situations, and expelling these obstructing robots may be more time-consuming, affecting the progress of the target robot leaving the fire lane area. Therefore, in some embodiments, step 1022 may specifically include: firstly determining the departure cost information corresponding to each of the optional paths; and then, based on the departure cost information corresponding to each of the optional paths, selecting the target path for the target robot to leave the fire lane area from these optional paths.

[0083] In some examples, each available path has associated departure cost information, which can be determined by considering multiple factors. For example, path length is a significant factor; the longer the path, the more time the robot may take to leave the fire escape area, thus long paths are likely to be more expensive. Additionally, the complexity of path obstructions is also important; the greater the complexity of the obstructions—such as the number of obstructing robots or the more complex the avoidance maneuvers—the more time the robot will take to leave the fire escape area. Besides these, other factors include path safety. If a path is close to a fire source or passes through an area where smoke may accumulate, its safety is lower, and its cost will be higher. Path safety can be assessed using fire location and smoke concentration information provided by the fire alarm system.

[0084] According to the embodiments of this disclosure, the path with the lowest departure cost can be selected from the optional paths based on the departure cost information corresponding to each of these optional paths. This is the target path for the target robot to leave the fire lane area as soon as possible, so as to avoid the situation where the robot stops in the fire lane and ensure that on-site personnel can be evacuated in an emergency through the fire lane, effectively reducing safety risks.

[0085] In some examples, determining the departure cost information corresponding to the optional path may specifically include: first, obtaining the number of cells the target robot moves to leave the fire lane area according to the optional path, and obtaining the number of cells the corresponding robot to be driven away moves to avoid it; then, based on the number of the first cell and the number of the second cell, determining the departure cost information corresponding to the optional path. This method combines the path length of the robot leaving the fire lane area with the degree of obstruction to accurately determine the departure cost information corresponding to the optional path.

[0086] The number of robots that need to be expelled can be zero, one, or more. For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, for the optional path (a->j), robot 1 moves one cell to leave the fire lane area along this path. The corresponding robot to be driven away is robot 2. Robot 2's avoidance path is (j->k) or (j->L), and it moves one cell to avoid this path. Therefore, the departure cost information corresponding to the optional path (a->j) can be determined based on this first cell count (1) and second cell count (1).

[0087] like Figure 5 As shown, for the optional path (a->d), robot 1 moves one cell to leave the fire lane area. The corresponding robots to be evicted are robots 6+7, 6+8+9, or 6+8+10, etc. If the robots to be evicted are robots 6+7, the corresponding avoidance paths include robot 7's avoidance path (e->f) and robot 6's avoidance path (d->e), so the number of cells moved for the second avoidance is 1+1=2. If the robots to be evicted are robots 6+8+9, the corresponding avoidance paths include robot 9's avoidance path (n->o) or (n->q), robot 8's avoidance path (m->n), and robot 6's avoidance path (d->m), so the number of cells moved for the second avoidance is 1+1+1=3. If the robots to be expelled are robots 6, 8, and 10, the corresponding avoidance paths include robot 10's avoidance path (p->q), robot 8's avoidance path (m->p), and robot 6's avoidance path (d->m). Therefore, the number of second cells moved for avoidance is 1 + 1 + 1 = 3. Then, based on this number of first cells (1) and second cells (2 or 3), the departure cost information corresponding to the optional path (a->d) can be determined.

[0088] like Figure 5As shown, for the optional path (a->g), robot 1 moves one cell to leave the fire lane area along this path. The corresponding robot to be driven away is robot 3, whose avoidance path is (g->k), moving one cell in the second phase. Therefore, the departure cost information corresponding to the optional path (a->g) can be determined based on this first cell count (1) and second cell count (1).

[0089] like Figure 5 As shown, for the optional path (a->b->e), robot 1 moves 2 cells to leave the fire lane area along this path, and the corresponding robot to be driven away is robot 7, etc. If the robot to be driven away is robot 7, the corresponding avoidance path includes robot 7's avoidance path (e->f), so the number of cells moved for avoidance is 1. Therefore, based on the number of cells moved (2) in the first step and the number of cells moved (1) in the second step, the departure cost information corresponding to the optional path (a->b->e) can be determined.

[0090] like Figure 5 As shown, for the optional path (a->b->h), robot 1 moves 2 cells to leave the fire lane area along this path. The robots that need to be driven away are robot 5 and robot 3. The corresponding avoidance paths include robot 3's avoidance path (g->k) and robot 5's avoidance path (h->g). Therefore, the number of cells moved for avoidance is 1 + 1 = 2. Based on this number of cells (2) in the first and second steps, the departure cost information for the optional path (a->b->h) can be determined.

[0091] like Figure 5 As shown, for the optional path (a->b->c->f), robot 1 moves 3 cells to leave the fire lane area along this path. There are no robots to be expelled along this path, so the number of cells in the second row is 0. Therefore, based on the number of cells in the first row (3) and the number of cells in the second row (0), the departure cost information corresponding to the optional path (a->b->c->f) can be determined.

[0092] like Figure 5As shown, for the optional path (a->b->c->i), robot 1 moves 3 cells to leave the fire lane area along this optional path. There are no robots that need to be expelled on this path, so the number of cells in the second step is 0. Therefore, based on the number of cells in the first step (3) and the number of cells in the second step (0), the departure cost information corresponding to the optional path (a->b->c->f) can be determined.

[0093] In some examples, determining the departure cost information corresponding to the optional path based on the first cell count and the second cell count may specifically include: calculating the sum of the first cell count and the second cell count, and determining the departure cost information corresponding to the optional path based on this sum. Correspondingly, in some examples, selecting the target path for the target robot to leave the fire lane area from the optional paths based on the departure cost information corresponding to each optional path may specifically include: selecting the optional path with the smallest sum of the first cell count and the second cell count as the target path for the target robot to leave the fire lane area.

[0094] For example, targeting Figure 5 Examples of possible paths include (a->j), (a->d), (a->g), (a->b->e), (a->b->h), (a->b->c->f), and (a->b->c->i). From these possible paths, the path with the smallest sum of the first and second cell counts (a->j) or (a->g) is selected as the target path for robot 1 to leave the fire lane area. This method ensures that robot 1 leaves the fire lane area as quickly as possible, preventing the robot from stopping in the fire lane and guaranteeing that personnel can evacuate via the fire lane in an emergency, effectively reducing safety risks.

[0095] Furthermore, in some examples, if there are multiple optional paths with the smallest sum of the first and second cell counts, then based on the target robot's heading direction, the optional path that the target robot will first execute is selected from among the multiple optional paths with the smallest sum, and this path is taken as the target path for the target robot to leave the fire lane area.

[0096] For example, targeting Figure 5Examples of possible paths include (a->j), (a->d), (a->g), (a->b->e), (a->b->h), (a->b->c->f), and (a->b->c->i). From these possible paths, the path with the smallest sum of the first and second cell counts is selected, resulting in two paths: (a->j) and (a->g). The current heading direction of the target robot can then be obtained. This heading direction is the robot's forward direction, and its movement and turning operations are defined based on it. For example, when a "forward" command is received, the robot will move in a straight line along the heading direction; when a "turn 90 degrees left" command is received, the robot will rotate 90 degrees to the left, using the heading direction as the reference axis. The heading direction also plays a crucial role in path planning and trajectory tracking. Assuming the robot needs to move along a preset path, each point on the path has corresponding directional information. The robot continuously adjusts its heading direction to match the path's direction, thereby achieving accurate trajectory tracking. This embodiment reduces the time the robot spends adjusting its direction and allows it to prioritize forward departure tasks, selecting the first available path based on the robot's heading. For example... Figure 5 For example, if robot 1 is currently facing cell j, then the path (a->j) is chosen as the target path for robot 1 to leave the fire lane area. Robot 1 can first perform the forward movement instead of first adjusting its direction, which will reduce the time spent adjusting its direction and speed up the process of robot 1 leaving the fire lane area.

[0097] In some examples, step 103, controlling the target robot to leave the fire lane area, may specifically include controlling the target robot to leave the fire lane area according to a target path. For example, as... Figure 5 For example, the path (a->j) can be selected as the target path for robot 1 to leave the fire lane area, and robot 1 can be controlled to leave the fire lane area along the path (a->j).

[0098] Step 1023: Obtain the robots that need to be driven away when the target robot leaves the fire lane area according to the target path, and use them as blocking robots.

[0099] For example, such as Figure 5For example, if robot 1 leaves the fire lane area along the path (a->j), robot 2 needs to be driven away, and can thus act as a blocking robot. Therefore, when controlling robot 1 to leave the fire lane area along the path (a->j), robot 2 can be controlled to avoid it, allowing robot 1 to leave the fire lane area as quickly as possible. This prevents robots from stopping in the fire lane, ensuring that personnel can evacuate quickly through the fire lane and effectively reducing safety risks.

[0100] Furthermore, to illustrate the process of controlling the blocking robot in step 103, as follows: Figure 6 As shown, the method may include the steps 1031 to 1032 as follows:

[0101] Step 1031: Obtain the avoidance path of the blocking robot.

[0102] In some embodiments, the avoidance path does not include cells in the fire lane area to avoid blocking the robot from entering the fire lane area due to the avoidance action.

[0103] For example, such as Figure 5 For example, robot 1 leaves the fire lane area along the path (a->j), and robot 2 is the blocking robot, whose corresponding avoidance path can be (j->k) or (j->L).

[0104] Step 1032: Control the blocking robot to avoid obstacles according to the avoidance path.

[0105] For example, such as Figure 5 For example, control robot 2 to avoid obstacles according to the avoidance path (j->k) or (j->L), so that robot 1 can move from cell a to cell j and leave the fire escape area.

[0106] Furthermore, if multiple avoidance paths exist, the robot can be selected to perform the avoidance action based on the direction of its obstruction. This embodiment reduces the time the robot spends adjusting its direction and allows it to prioritize forward-moving obstacle removal tasks, i.e., selecting the first avoidance path based on the robot's direction.

[0107] For example, such as Figure 5For example, for robot number 2, there are two avoidance paths: (j->k) and (j->L). Robot number 2's current heading is towards cell k, so path (j->k) can be selected as the avoidance path for robot number 2. Robot number 2 can first perform a forward movement instead of first adjusting its heading, which will reduce the time spent by robot number 2 in adjusting its heading and speed up the process of robot number 2 performing the corresponding avoidance.

[0108] In some embodiments, if there are multiple blocking robots, step 1031 may specifically include: obtaining the avoidance paths corresponding to the multiple blocking robots, and the avoidance order of the multiple blocking robots. Correspondingly, step 1032 may specifically include: according to the avoidance order, controlling each blocking robot to perform the corresponding avoidance according to its corresponding avoidance path. For example, as... Figure 5 For example, considering safety factors, if (a->b->h) is chosen as the target path for robot 1 to leave the fire lane area, robot 1 will leave the fire lane area according to this target path. The corresponding blocking robots are robot 5 + robot 3. The corresponding avoidance paths include the avoidance path of robot 3 (g->k) and the avoidance path of robot 5 (h->g). The avoidance sequence is as follows: first, control robot 3 to move from cell g to cell k according to the avoidance path (g->k), then control robot 5 to move from cell h to cell g according to the avoidance path (h->g), and then control robot 1 to move from cell a to cell h according to the target path (a->b->h).

[0109] In some embodiments, controlling the blocking robot to avoid obstacles according to the avoidance path may include: controlling the blocking robot to stop moving when it is determined that the target robot has left the fire lane area. For example, if it is detected that the target robot has left the fire lane area, the corresponding blocking robot can be controlled to stop moving to achieve the purpose of emergency stop in case of fire and avoid causing safety hazards.

[0110] In some embodiments, if multiple target robots exist within the fire lane area, the method provided in this embodiment can be used to control these target robots separately, thereby achieving the goal of clearing the fire lane area as quickly as possible. For example, Figure 7As shown, both Robot 1 and Robot 11 are located within the fire escape route area. For Robot 1, based on the above embodiment, to expedite its exit from the fire escape route area, the path (a->j) can be chosen. The corresponding robot to be driven away is Robot 2, which can then act as a blocking robot. Thus, while controlling Robot 1 to leave the fire escape route area along path (a->j), Robot 2 can be controlled to evade it, allowing Robot 1 to leave the fire escape route area as quickly as possible. For Robot 11, the path (c->f) can be chosen to quickly leave the fire escape route area.

[0111] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this disclosure, when controlling the movement of one robot, the movement of other robots may be controlled at the same time. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the robots do not interfere with each other.

[0112] By applying the technical solution of this disclosure embodiment, without expanding the configuration range of fire lanes, fire lanes can be cleared in a very short time when a fire alarm stops, and the exit direction of the fire lanes will not be blocked because the robot stops, thus ensuring the unobstructed flow of fire lanes and effectively reducing safety risks.

[0113] Furthermore, as Figures 1 to 7 The specific implementation of the example shown in this disclosure provides a robot control device, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the device includes: a determining module 41, an acquiring module 42, and a control module 43.

[0114] Module 41 is configured to determine the target robot currently in the fire lane area in response to a fire emergency stop message.

[0115] The acquisition module 42 is configured to acquire the blocking robot that is preventing the target robot from leaving the fire lane area.

[0116] The control module 43 is configured to control the target robot to leave the fire lane area and to control the blocking robot to make corresponding avoidance maneuvers.

[0117] In some embodiments, the acquisition module 42 is specifically configured to acquire the optional paths for the target robot to leave the fire lane area; select the target path for the target robot to leave the fire lane area from the optional paths; and acquire the robots that need to be driven away when the target robot leaves the fire lane area according to the target path, as the blocking robots.

[0118] In some embodiments, the acquisition module 42 is further configured to determine the departure cost information corresponding to each of the optional paths; and select the target path from the optional paths based on the departure cost information.

[0119] In some embodiments, the acquisition module 42 is further configured to acquire the number of first cells moved by the target robot to leave the fire lane area according to the optional path, and the number of second cells moved by the corresponding robot to be driven away to avoid it; and determine the departure cost information based on the number of first cells and the number of second cells.

[0120] In some embodiments, the acquisition module 42 is further configured to calculate the sum of the number of the first cell and the number of the second cell, and determine the departure cost information based on the sum.

[0121] In some embodiments, the acquisition module 42 is further configured to select the optional path with the smallest sum value from the optional paths as the target path.

[0122] In some embodiments, the acquisition module 42 is further configured to select, based on the direction of the target robot's front end, the optional path that the target robot will first execute, as the target path if there are multiple optional paths with the smallest sum.

[0123] In some embodiments, the control module 43 is specifically configured to control the target robot to leave the fire lane area according to the target path.

[0124] In some embodiments, the acquisition module 42 is further configured to acquire the avoidance path of the blocking robot, wherein the avoidance path does not include the cells of the fire lane area; correspondingly, the control module 43 is further configured to control the blocking robot to perform corresponding avoidance according to the avoidance path.

[0125] In some embodiments, the acquisition module 42 is further configured to acquire, if there are multiple blocking robots, the avoidance paths corresponding to the multiple blocking robots and the avoidance order of the multiple blocking robots; correspondingly, the control module 43 is further configured to control each blocking robot to perform the corresponding avoidance according to its corresponding avoidance path according to the avoidance order.

[0126] In some embodiments, the control module 43 is further configured to control the blocking robot to stop moving when it is determined that the target robot has left the fire lane area.

[0127] It should be noted that other corresponding descriptions of the functional units involved in the robot control device provided in this disclosure embodiment can be found by referring to... Figures 1 to 7 The corresponding descriptions in [the document] will not be repeated here.

[0128] Based on the above, Figures 1 to 7 As illustrated in the example, correspondingly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described... Figures 1 to 7 The example method shown.

[0129] Based on the above, Figures 1 to 7 As illustrated, correspondingly, this disclosure also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described... Figures 1 to 7 The example method shown.

[0130] Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, or portable hard drive) and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (such as a personal computer, server, or network device) to execute the methods of various implementation scenarios of this disclosure.

[0131] According to embodiments of this disclosure, this disclosure also provides an electronic device, a readable storage medium, and a computer program product.

[0132] Figure 9 A schematic block diagram of an example electronic device 1000 that can be used to implement embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The electronic device is intended to represent various forms of digital computers, such as laptop computers, desktop computers, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframe computers, and other suitable computers. The electronic device may also represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digital processors, cellular phones, smartphones, wearable devices, and other similar computing devices. The components shown herein, their connections and relationships, and their functions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present disclosure described and / or claimed herein.

[0133] like Figure 9As shown, device 1000 includes a computing unit 1001, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a computer program stored in ROM (Read-Only Memory) 1002 or loaded from storage unit 1008 into RAM (Random Access Memory) 1003. RAM 1003 may also store various programs and data required for the operation of device 1000. The computing unit 1001, ROM 1002, and RAM 1003 are interconnected via bus 1004. I / O (Input / Output) interface 1005 is also connected to bus 1004.

[0134] Multiple components in device 1000 are connected to I / O interface 1005, including: input unit 1006, such as keyboard, mouse, etc.; output unit 1007, such as various types of monitors, speakers, etc.; storage unit 1008, such as disk, optical disk, etc.; and communication unit 1009, such as network card, modem, wireless transceiver, etc. Communication unit 1009 allows device 1000 to exchange information / data with other devices through computer networks such as the Internet and / or various telecommunications networks.

[0135] The computing unit 1001 can be various general-purpose and / or special-purpose processing components with processing and computing capabilities. Some examples of the computing unit 1001 include, but are not limited to, CPUs (Central Processing Units), GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), various special-purpose AI (Artificial Intelligence) computing chips, various computing units running machine learning model algorithms, DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), and any suitable processor, controller, microcontroller, etc. The computing unit 1001 performs the various methods and processes described above, such as robot control methods. For example, in some embodiments, the robot control method may be implemented as a computer software program tangibly contained in a machine-readable medium, such as storage unit 1008. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program may be loaded and / or installed on device 1000 via ROM 1002 and / or communication unit 1009. When the computer program is loaded into RAM 1003 and executed by the computing unit 1001, one or more steps of the methods described above may be performed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the computing unit 1001 may be configured to perform the aforementioned robot control method by any other suitable means (e.g., by means of firmware).

[0136] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described above herein can be implemented in digital electronic circuit systems, integrated circuit systems, FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), ASSPs (Application-Specific Standard Products), SOCs (System-on-Chips), CPLDs (Complex Programmable Logic Devices), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations may include implementations in one or more computer programs that can be executed and / or interpreted on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be a dedicated or general-purpose programmable processor, capable of receiving data and instructions from a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device, and transmitting data and instructions to the storage system, the at least one input device, and the at least one output device.

[0137] The program code used to implement the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a standalone software package partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0138] In the context of this disclosure, a machine-readable medium can be a tangible medium that may contain or store a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium can be, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include electrical connections based on one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, RAM, ROM, EPROM (Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory) or flash memory, optical fiber, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0139] To provide interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described herein can be implemented on a computer having: a display device for displaying information to the user (e.g., a CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) or LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor); and a keyboard and pointing device (e.g., a mouse or trackball) through which the user provides input to the computer. Other types of devices can also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any form (including sound input, voice input, or tactile input).

[0140] The systems and technologies described herein can be implemented in computing systems that include backend components (e.g., as data servers), or middleware components (e.g., application servers), or frontend components (e.g., user computers with graphical user interfaces or web browsers through which users can interact with implementations of the systems and technologies described herein), or any combination of such backend, middleware, or frontend components. The components of the system can be interconnected via digital data communication (e.g., communication networks) of any form or medium. Examples of communication networks include LANs (Local Area Networks), WANs (Wide Area Networks), the Internet, and blockchain networks.

[0141] Computer systems can include clients and servers. Clients and servers are generally geographically separated and typically interact via communication networks. The client-server relationship is created by computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship with each other. A server can be a cloud server, also known as a cloud computing server or cloud host, a hosting product within the cloud computing service ecosystem, addressing the shortcomings of traditional physical hosts and VPS (Virtual Private Server, or simply "VPS") services, such as high management difficulty and weak business scalability. Servers can also be servers for distributed systems or servers incorporating blockchain technology.

[0142] It's important to note that artificial intelligence (AI) is the study of enabling computers to simulate certain human thought processes and intelligent behaviors (such as learning, reasoning, thinking, and planning). It encompasses both hardware and software technologies. AI hardware technologies generally include sensors, dedicated AI chips, cloud computing, distributed storage, and big data processing. AI software technologies primarily include computer vision, speech recognition, natural language processing, machine learning / deep learning, big data processing, and knowledge graph technologies.

[0143] It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used to rearrange, add, or delete steps. For example, the steps described in this disclosure can be executed in parallel, sequentially, or in different orders, as long as the desired result of the technical solution disclosed in this disclosure can be achieved, and this is not limited herein.

[0144] The specific embodiments described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A robot control method, characterized in that, include: In response to an emergency stop message from the fire department, the target robot is located in the fire lane area. Acquire the blocking robot that is preventing the target robot from leaving the fire escape area; Control the target robot to leave the fire lane area, and control the blocking robot to make appropriate avoidance maneuvers.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The acquisition of the blocking robot that prevents the target robot from leaving the fire lane area includes: Obtain the possible paths for the target robot to leave the fire lane area; Select the target path from the optional paths for the target robot to leave the fire lane area; The robots that need to be driven away when the target robot leaves the fire lane area according to the target path are identified as the blocking robots.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Selecting the target path from the optional paths for the target robot to leave the fire lane area includes: Determine the departure cost information corresponding to each of the optional paths; Based on the departure cost information, the target path is selected from the optional paths.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Determining the departure cost information corresponding to the optional path includes: Obtain the number of cells the target robot moves to leave the fire lane area along the selectable path, and obtain the number of cells the corresponding robot that needs to be driven away moves to avoid it. The departure cost information is determined based on the number of the first cell and the number of the second cell.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of determining the departure cost information based on the number of the first cell and the number of the second cell includes: Calculate the sum of the number of the first cell and the number of the second cell, and determine the departure cost information based on the sum.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of selecting the target path from the optional paths based on the departure cost information includes: The path with the smallest sum value among the available paths is selected as the target path.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Selecting the optional path with the smallest sum from the optional paths as the target path includes: If there are multiple optional paths with the smallest sum, then based on the direction of the target robot's head, the optional path that the target robot will first execute is selected from the multiple optional paths with the smallest sum, and this path is taken as the target path.

8. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Controlling the target robot to leave the fire escape area includes: Control the target robot to leave the fire lane area along the target path.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Before controlling the blocking robot to perform the corresponding avoidance maneuver, the method further includes: Obtain the avoidance path of the blocking robot, wherein the avoidance path does not include the cells of the fire lane area; The control of the blocking robot to perform corresponding avoidance includes: The blocking robot is controlled to avoid obstacles according to the avoidance path.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the avoidance path of the blocking robot includes: If there are multiple blocking robots, then obtain the avoidance paths corresponding to the multiple blocking robots, and the avoidance order of the multiple blocking robots; The control of the blocking robot to avoid obstacles according to the avoidance path includes: According to the avoidance sequence, each blocking robot is controlled to avoid obstacles according to its corresponding avoidance path.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The control of the blocking robot to avoid obstacles according to the avoidance path includes: When it is determined that the target robot has left the fire lane area, the blocking robot is controlled to stop moving.

12. A robot control device, characterized in that, include: The determination module is configured to determine the target robot currently in the fire lane area in response to a fire emergency stop message; The acquisition module is configured to acquire the blocking robot that is preventing the target robot from leaving the fire lane area; The control module is configured to control the target robot to leave the fire lane area and to control the blocking robot to make corresponding avoidance maneuvers.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. An electronic device comprising a storage medium, a processor, and a computer program stored on the storage medium and executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 11.

15. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 11.

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