Method for controlling a self-driving device, a self-driving device and a computer-readable medium

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for controlling a self-propelled device, a self-propelled device, and a computer-readable medium. The method comprises: detecting a narrow passage in a cost map; assessing whether the detected narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage; applying a bidirectional edge-cutting strategy for covering and cutting if the narrow passage is assessed as extremely narrow; and applying a zigzag covering and cutting strategy if the narrow passage is assessed as not extremely narrow. The present invention applies different covering strategies for different types of narrow passages. This takes into account not only the traversability of narrow passages for self-propelled devices but also the coverage required for both edge-cutting and inner-area cutting.This solves the problem of coverage planning when cutting in narrow passages using self-propelled machines.

Description

Technical field The present invention relates to the technical field of cover planning for self-driving devices, in particular a method and a system for cover planning of narrow passages for self-driving devices. State of the art Self-driving devices, such as robotic lawnmowers, can help people mow large lawns and maintain the condition of the vegetation, thereby reducing manual labor and saving personnel resources. Lawns are laid out according to the specific topography and usually have irregular shapes, making it necessary to divide the mowing areas. For zigzag covering and cutting, the area itself must have a certain width. If there is a narrow passage in a section of the area, it is difficult for self-propelled machines to perform a zigzag pattern. Therefore, special strategies are required to fully cover and cut the narrow passage. In current technology, some self-propelled machines only consider the ability to navigate narrow passages without including cover and cutting. While some machines plan for cover during cutting along the edge, cover planning in the interior is neglected. This makes it difficult to meet the requirements for cover planning in narrow passages for self-propelled machines. Content of the present invention With regard to the problems mentioned above, the object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for planning the coverage of narrow passages for self-propelled devices in order to solve the problem of coverage planning when cutting in narrow passages by self-propelled devices. The problem is solved according to the present invention by the following technical solutions: According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling a self-driving device is provided, comprising the following steps: Applying a bidirectional cutting strategy along the edge for covering and cutting when the self-propelled device is operated in an extremely narrow passage; Applying a planned cover and cut strategy for cover and cut when the self-propelled machine is operated in a non-extremely narrow passage. Preferably, the method further comprises: detecting a narrow passage and assessing whether the narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage, in particular comprising: the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P; if the narrowest distance of the narrow passage Ymin ≤ a × P, the narrow passage is assessed as an extremely narrow passage; if Ymin > a × P, the narrow passage is assessed as not being an extremely narrow passage; where a is a value in the range of [0.5-2]. Preferably, in this method, the planned covering and cutting strategy includes a zigzag covering strategy. Preferably, the method further comprises: the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P and the required width for a zigzag turn as Q; If the narrowest distance of the narrow passage is Ymin ≤ min(P,Q), the narrow passage is judged to be an extremely narrow passage; if Ymin > min(P,Q), the narrow passage is judged to be a non-extremely narrow passage. Preferably, the method further comprises: if the narrowest distance of the narrow passage Ymin ≤ X, the narrow passage is judged to be an extremely narrow passage; if Ymin > X, the narrow passage is judged to be a non-extremely narrow passage; where X is a value in the range of 20-150 cm. Preferably, for the extremely narrow passage, an area on one side of the extremely narrow passage is defined as area A and an area on the other side as area B; and the method further comprises: driving the self-propelled device along a route with a first fixed distance to one side edge of the extremely narrow passage as the self-propelled device moves from area A through the extremely narrow passage towards area B to reach area B; and / or driving the self-propelled device along a route with a second fixed distance to the other side edge of the extremely narrow passage as the self-propelled device moves from area B through the extremely narrow passage towards area A to reach area A. Preferably, the first fixed distance and the second fixed distance have the same or different values, with these values ​​being between 10 and 50 cm. Preferably, the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P; when the self-propelled device passes through the extremely narrow passage, the distance of the self-propelled device to the side edge of the extremely narrow passage is greater than or equal to b × P, where b is a value in the range of [0.2-0.6]. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a self-propelled device is provided comprising a memory and a processor, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory and is executable on the processor, the processor executing the computer program to implement a method comprising the following steps: applying a bidirectional cutting strategy along the edge for covering and cutting when the self-propelled device is operated in an extremely narrow passage; applying a planned covering and cutting strategy for covering and cutting when the self-propelled device is operated in a non-extremely narrow passage. Preferably, the method further comprises: detecting a narrow passage and assessing whether the narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage, in particular comprising: the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P; if the narrowest distance of the narrow passage Ymin ≤ a × P, the narrow passage is assessed as an extremely narrow passage; if Ymin > a × P, the narrow passage is assessed as not being an extremely narrow passage; where a is a value in the range of [0.5-2]. Preferably, in this method, the planned covering and cutting strategy comprises a zigzag covering strategy. Preferably, the method further comprises: the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P and the required width for a zigzag turn as Q; if the narrowest distance of the narrow passage Ymin ≤ min(P,Q), the narrow passage is considered extremely narrow; if Ymin > min(P,Q), the narrow passage is considered not extremely narrow. Preferably, the method further comprises: if the narrowest distance of the narrow passage Ymin ≤ X, the narrow passage is judged to be an extremely narrow passage; if Ymin > X, the narrow passage is judged to be a non-extremely narrow passage; where X is a value in the range of 20-150 cm. Preferably, for the extremely narrow passage, an area on one side of the extremely narrow passage is defined as area A and an area on the other side as area B; and the method further comprises: performing a driving of the self-driving device along a route with a first fixed distance to a side edge of the extremely narrow passage when the self-driving device moves from area A through the extremely narrow passage towards area B in order to reach area B; and / or performing a driving of the self-driving device along a route with a second fixed distance to the other side edge of the extremely narrow passage when the self-driving device moves from area B through the extremely narrow passage towards area A in order to reach area A. Preferably, the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P; when the self-propelled device passes through the extremely narrow passage, the distance of the self-propelled device to the side edge of the extremely narrow passage is greater than or equal to b × P, where b is a value in the range of [0.2-0.6]. According to a third aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided that includes non-volatile, processor-executable program code, characterized in that the program code causes the processor to execute a procedure comprising the following steps: applying a bidirectional cutting strategy along the edge for covering and cutting when the self-propelled device is operated in an extremely narrow passage; applying a planned covering and cutting strategy for covering and cutting when the self-propelled device is operated in a non-extremely narrow passage. Preferably, the method further comprises: detecting a narrow passage and assessing whether the narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage, in particular comprising: the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P; if the narrowest distance of the narrow passage Ymin ≤ a × P, the narrow passage is assessed as an extremely narrow passage; if Ymin > a × P, the narrow passage is assessed as not being an extremely narrow passage; where a is a value in the range of [0.5-2]. Preferably, in this method, the planned covering and cutting strategy comprises a zigzag covering strategy. Preferably, the method further comprises: the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P, and the required width for a zigzag turn is defined as Q; If the narrowest distance of the narrow passage is Ymin ≤ min(P,Q), the narrow passage is judged to be an extremely narrow passage; if Ymin > min(P,Q), the narrow passage is judged to be a non-extremely narrow passage. Preferably, the method further comprises: if the narrowest distance of the narrow passage Ymin ≤ X, the narrow passage is judged to be an extremely narrow passage; if Ymin > X, the narrow passage is judged to be a non-extremely narrow passage; where X is a value in the range of 20-150 cm. Preferably, for the extremely narrow passage, an area on one side of the extremely narrow passage is defined as area A and an area on the other side as area B; and the method further comprises: performing a driving of the self-driving device along a route with a first fixed distance to a side edge of the extremely narrow passage when the self-driving device moves from area A through the extremely narrow passage towards area B in order to reach area B; and / or performing a driving of the self-driving device along a route with a second fixed distance to the other side edge of the extremely narrow passage when the self-driving device moves from area B through the extremely narrow passage towards area A in order to reach area A. Preferably, the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P; when the self-propelled device passes through the extremely narrow passage, the distance of the self-propelled device to the side edge of the extremely narrow passage is greater than or equal to b × P, where b is a value in the range of [0.2-0.6]. Compared to the prior art, the technical solutions provided by the present invention offer the following advantages: The present invention provides a method for controlling a self-driving device, a self-driving device, and a computer-readable medium. First, a narrow passage is detected in a cost map; then, it is assessed whether the detected narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage; if the narrow passage is assessed as an extremely narrow passage, a bidirectional cutting strategy along the edge is applied for covering and cutting; if the narrow passage is assessed as not an extremely narrow passage, a zigzag covering strategy is applied for covering and cutting. The present invention applies different covering strategies for different types of narrow passages.This approach considers not only the navigability of narrow passages for self-propelled equipment, but also the required coverage both when cutting along the edge and when cutting in the inner area. This solves the problem of coverage planning when cutting in narrow passages with self-propelled equipment. Brief description of the drawings To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings, which are necessary for describing the embodiments, are briefly presented below. It is obvious that the accompanying drawings in the following description represent only some embodiments of the present invention, and a person skilled in the art can derive other accompanying drawings from these without any creative effort. Fig. 1 is a flowchart of a method for planning the coverage of narrow passages for self-propelled vehicles according to embodiments of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram for determining the position and width of a narrow passage according to embodiments of the present invention.Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a scenario for planning the coverage of an extremely narrow passage according to embodiments of the present invention. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a scenario for planning the coverage of a non-extremely narrow passage according to embodiments of the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a system for planning the coverage of narrow passages for self-driving vehicles according to embodiments of the present invention. Detailed descriptions To clarify the problem, technical solutions, and advantages of embodiments of the present invention, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention are described clearly and completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments represent only a subset of the embodiments of the present invention and not all of them. Starting from the described embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments that a person skilled in the art could derive without creative effort fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for planning the coverage of narrow passages for self-driving devices, wherein the method, as shown in Fig. 1, comprises the following steps: S1. Detecting a narrow passage in a cost chart. As shown in Fig. 2, the procedure includes, in particular, the following steps: S11. The entire cost map comprises three parts: boundary points with a first identifier, an inner area with a second identifier (i.e., the area within the boundary), and an outer area with a third identifier (i.e., the area outside the boundary). Preferably, the entire cost map is subdivided into the following three parts: a boundary with a value of 1 (consisting of boundary points with a value of 1), an inner area with a value of 2, and an outer area with a value of 0. S12. The entire cost map is traversed, and the boundary points with the first identifier, e.g., the boundary points with the value 1, are identified counterclockwise and stored in an array; S13. A local coordinate system is created by defining a boundary point as the origin and a predefined boundary direction as the positive x-axis. Preferably, the boundary is traversed counterclockwise, with each boundary point serving as the origin and the counterclockwise boundary direction defined as the positive x-axis to create a local coordinate system. In other embodiments, the local coordinate system can be created similarly based on boundary points identified clockwise. S14. A search is performed in the local coordinate system, where the x-coordinate is fixed and the y-coordinate increases stepwise from 0 to a preset value M. If a boundary point with the first designation is found, the boundary point, which serves as the origin of this local coordinate system, is recorded, and the search in the y-direction is terminated. In a specific embodiment, points in the local coordinate system are searched for where the x-coordinate is 0 and the y-coordinate increases stepwise from 0 to the preset value M. If a boundary point with the value 1 is found, the boundary point, which serves as the origin of this local coordinate system, is recorded, and the search in the y-direction is terminated. However, if no boundary point with the value 1 is found up to the preset value M, the search is terminated, and it is assumed that the boundary point is not located in a narrow passage. S15. If more than a predetermined number of boundary points are recorded continuously, the area between the recorded boundary points and the found boundary points is considered a narrow passage. In a preferred embodiment, if more than a predetermined number of boundary points are recorded continuously, the area between the recorded boundary points and the found boundary points is considered a narrow passage, and the narrowest distance of this narrow passage corresponds to the smallest y-coordinate value Ymin of the found boundary points. As an optional embodiment, the default value M is typically 20. This means that the program searches for points in the local coordinate system where the x-coordinate is 0 and the y-coordinate increases incrementally from 0 to the default value of 20. If no boundary point with the value 1 is found before reaching the default value of 20, the boundary point used as the origin is assumed not to be in a narrow passage. As an optional embodiment, the preset number is 10. This means that if more than 10 boundary points are continuously recorded, the area enclosed by the recorded boundary points and the found boundary points is considered a narrow passage. S2. Assess whether the identified narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage. In one embodiment of this step, the width of the housing of the self-driving device is defined as P. If the narrowest distance of the narrow passage obtained by searching for the boundary points is Ymin ≤ a × P, the narrow passage is judged to be an extremely narrow passage; if Ymin > a × P, the narrow passage is judged to be a non-extremely narrow passage; where a is a value in the range of [0.5-2], the specific value of which can be determined according to the actual working conditions or scenarios. In another embodiment of this step, the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P and the width required for a zigzag turn as Q. If the smallest y-coordinate value of the found boundary points is Ymin ≤ min(P, Q), the current tight pass is judged as an extremely tight pass; if Ymin > min(P, Q), the current tight pass is judged as not an extremely tight pass. In another embodiment of this step, a fixed value can also be defined directly based on the minimum width of the passage in combination with the user's requirements. That is, if the narrowest distance of the narrow passage Ymin ≤ X, the narrow passage is considered extremely narrow; if Ymin > X, the narrow passage is considered not extremely narrow. Here, X is a value in the range of 20–150 cm. For example, X could be 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, or 140 cm, or any other value within the range of 20–150 cm. S3. Apply a bidirectional cutting strategy along the edge for covering and cutting when the narrow passage is judged to be an extremely narrow passage. As shown in Fig. 3, for the extremely narrow passage, an area on one side of the extremely narrow passage is defined as area A and an area on the other side as area B. When the self-propelled device moves from area A through the extremely narrow passage towards area B, it travels along a route with a first fixed distance to one side edge of the extremely narrow passage to reach area B; and / or when the self-propelled device moves from area B through the extremely narrow passage towards area A, it travels along a route with a second fixed distance to the other side edge of the extremely narrow passage to reach area A. The first fixed distance and the second fixed distance can be the same or different, being specifically set according to the actual requirements. Preferably, the bidirectional cutting strategy along the edge comprises the following: S31. When area A is completely cut and the self-propelled unit is moving through an extremely narrow passage toward area B, the cutting motor is switched on and put into working mode. The unit travels along a route at a distance of one-quarter of the unit's width from the side edge of the extremely narrow passage on the right side of the unit's head to reach area B. Similarly, when moving from area A toward area B, the self-propelled unit can also travel along a route at a preset distance from the side edge of the extremely narrow passage on the left side of the unit's head. S32. After area B is completely cut, the cutting motor is also switched on and put into working mode.The device travels along a route at a distance of one-quarter of the device's width from the side edge of the extremely narrow passage on the right side of the device's head to reach area A. This completes the coverage plan for the extremely narrow passage. Similarly, when moving from area B toward area A, the self-propelled device can also travel along a route at a preset distance from the side edge of the extremely narrow passage on the left side of the device's head. S4. Applying a zigzag coverage and cutting strategy when the narrow passage is judged not to be extremely narrow. In other embodiments of the above step, other values ​​based on the width of the device can also be specified to enable the self-propelled device to pass through the extremely narrow passage with a set value. Specifically, it includes: the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P; when the self-propelled device passes through the extremely narrow passage, the distance from the right side of the head of the device to the side edge of the extremely narrow passage is at least b × P, where b is a value in the range [0.2–0.6]. This ensures precise control of the cutting. In other embodiments of the above step, for the extremely narrow passage, an area on one side of the extremely narrow passage is defined as area A and an area on the other side as area B. The method further comprises: as the self-propelled device moves from area A through the extremely narrow passage toward area B, it travels along a route with a first fixed distance to one side edge of the extremely narrow passage to reach area B; and / or, as the self-propelled device moves from area B through the extremely narrow passage toward area A, it travels along a route with a second fixed distance to the other side edge of the extremely narrow passage to reach area A. The first fixed distance and the second fixed distance have the same or different values, with these values ​​being between 10 and 50 cm. As shown in Fig. 4, the zigzag coverage strategy for the non-extremely narrow passage comprises the following: S41. The non-extremely narrow passage is integrated into the overall cost map to perform a subdivision; S42. Based on the subdivision result, a zigzag coverage plan is created for the subdivision containing the non-extremely narrow passage; S43. The non-extremely narrow passage is cut by the self-propelled vehicle according to the zigzag coverage plan of the respective subdivision. In embodiments of the present invention, a narrow passage is first detected in a cost map; then, it is assessed whether the detected narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage; if the narrow passage is assessed as extremely narrow, a bidirectional cutting strategy along the edge is applied for covering and cutting; if the narrow passage is assessed as not extremely narrow, a zigzag covering strategy is applied for covering and cutting. The present invention applies different covering strategies for different types of narrow passages. This takes into account not only the traversability of narrow passages for self-propelled devices, but also the covering both when cutting along the edge and when cutting in the inner area. This solves the problem of covering planning when cutting in narrow passages by self-propelled devices. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a system for covering narrow passages for self-driving devices, as shown in Fig. 5, wherein the system comprises: a detection module for recognizing a narrow passage in a cost map; an evaluation module for assessing whether the detected narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage; a first planning module for applying a bidirectional cutting strategy along the edge for covering and cutting when the narrow passage is assessed as being extremely narrow; a second planning module for applying a zigzag covering strategy for covering and cutting when the narrow passage is assessed as not being extremely narrow. The system according to the embodiments of the present invention can use the technical solutions of the process embodiments shown in Fig. 1, wherein the implementation principle and the technical effects are similar and are not further elaborated here. Embodiments of the present invention also provide an electronic device, namely a self-driving device, which may have significant differences due to different configurations or performance and may include one or more processors (Central Processing Units, CPUs) and one or more memories, wherein the memory stores at least one instruction which is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the steps of the above-mentioned method for narrow passage coverage planning for self-driving devices. In one exemplary embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, such as a memory containing an instruction that can be executed by a processor in the device to perform the aforementioned narrow passage coverage planning method for self-driving vehicles. Examples of such computer-readable storage media include ROM, Random Access Memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage devices. It should be noted that the terms "include," "contain," or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, procedure, object, or terminal comprising a set of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or even elements that are the process, procedure, object, or terminal itself. Without further limitations, an element limited by the phrase "includes a..." does not preclude the presence of identical elements within the process, procedure, object, or terminal comprising that element. In the description, the terms "one embodiment," "elaborations," "exemplary embodiment," "some embodiments," and the like mean that the described embodiment may include certain features, structures, or properties, but not every embodiment needs to include these specific features, structures, or properties. Furthermore, it should be within the knowledge of a person skilled in the art to realize such features, structures, or properties described in connection with a particular embodiment in combination with other embodiments (whether expressly described or not). The present invention encompasses all alternatives, modifications, equivalent methods, and solutions that are within the scope and nature of the present invention. To enable the public to gain a thorough understanding of the present invention, the specific details of the preferred embodiments are explained in detail, although a person skilled in the art will be able to fully understand the present invention even without this detailed description. Furthermore, known methods, processes, procedures, elements, and circuits have not been explained in detail to avoid unnecessary confusion regarding the nature of the present invention. A person skilled in the art can understand that all or some of the steps in the embodiments described above can be performed by a program that instructs the appropriate hardware. This program can be stored on computer-readable storage media such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disks, or optical discs. The foregoing descriptions merely represent preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, and improvement that is in accordance with the spirit and principles of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

Method for controlling a self-propelled device, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: Applying a bidirectional cutting strategy along the edge for covering and cutting when the self-propelled device is operated in an extremely narrow passage; Applying a planned covering and cutting strategy for covering and cutting when the self-propelled device is operated in a non-extremely narrow passage. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises: detecting a narrow passage and assessing whether the narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage, wherein it particularly comprises: the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P; if the narrowest distance of the narrow passage Ymin ≤ a × P, the narrow passage is assessed as an extremely narrow passage; if Ymin > a × P, the narrow passage is assessed as not being an extremely narrow passage; wherein a is a value in the range of [0.5-2]. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the planned covering and cutting strategy is a zigzag covering strategy. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that it further comprises: the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P and the required width for a zigzag turn as Q; if the narrowest distance of the narrow passage Ymin ≤ min(P,Q), the narrow passage is judged to be an extremely narrow passage; if Ymin > min(P,Q), the narrow passage is judged to be a non-extremely narrow passage. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises: if the narrowest distance of the narrow passage Ymin ≤ X, the narrow passage is judged to be an extremely narrow passage; if Ymin > X, the narrow passage is judged to be a non-extremely narrow passage; wherein X is a value in the range of 20-150 cm. The method of claim 1, characterized in that for the extremely narrow passage, an area on one side of the extremely narrow passage is defined as area A and an area on the other side as area B; and the method further comprises: driving the self-driving device along a route with a first fixed distance to a side edge of the extremely narrow passage when the self-driving device moves from area A through the extremely narrow passage in the direction of area B to reach area B; and / or driving the self-driving device along a route with a second fixed distance to the other side edge of the extremely narrow passage when the self-driving device moves from area B through the extremely narrow passage in the direction of area A to reach area A. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that the first fixed distance and the second fixed distance have the same or different values, wherein these values ​​are between 10-50 cm. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that the width of the housing of the self-propelled device is defined as P; when the self-propelled device passes through the extremely narrow passage, the distance of the self-propelled device to the side edge of the extremely narrow passage is greater than or equal to b × P, where b is a value in the range of [0.2-0.6]. A self-driving device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory which is executable on the processor, characterized in that the processor executes the computer program to implement a method according to one of claims 1 to 8. A computer-readable medium comprising non-volatile, processor-executable program code, characterized in that the program code causes the processor to execute a method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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