Method, device and self-propelled device for moving equipment to a designated location

Abstract

The present application discloses a method, an apparatus, and a self-propelled device for driving a device to a designated location, which relates to the technical field of device control, and includes: scanning a target location to obtain a scan result when the designated location is detected to be unreachable; and continuing to drive toward the designated location when the scan result indicates that the designated location is currently reachable.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application bearing application number 202310003113.6 and entitled "Method, device and self-propelled device for driving equipment to a designated location," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on January 3, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of equipment control, and more particularly to a method, an apparatus, and a self-propelled equipment for driving the equipment to a designated position. [Background technology]

[0003] A self-propelled device is a device that can move automatically under the control of a program, such as a self-propelled vacuum cleaner, a self-propelled mop cleaner, a self-propelled window cleaner, etc. When performing a traveling task or a cleaning task, the self-propelled device must travel from its current position to the destination of the task.

[0004] In related technology, a self-propelled device must rely on historical map information to plan a route. However, if the timing of the map changes, such as when a user closes a room door, the self-propelled device will no longer be able to smoothly navigate the route it planned based on the historical map, resulting in an error. Even if subsequent environmental information changes and the destination becomes reachable again, the self-propelled device in the error state cannot respond immediately. Therefore, how to enable a self-propelled device in the error state to immediately respond to environmental changes and continue traveling and performing tasks is an urgent issue that must be resolved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present application provides a method, an apparatus, and a self-propelled device for driving a device to a specified location, the main purpose of which is to solve the problem of how to make a self-propelled device that is currently in an error state immediately respond to changes in the environment and continue driving and performing tasks.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present application, there is provided a method for driving equipment to a specified location, the method comprising: When the specified location is detected as being unreachable, scanning the target location to obtain a scan result; If the scan results indicate that the specified location is currently reachable, continuing to travel toward the specified location.

[0007] In some embodiments, detecting that the specified location is unreachable includes detecting that the specified location is unreachable based on a historical map.

[0008] In some embodiments, detecting that the specified location is unreachable based on the historical map includes: determining a target route based on the current device position and the specified position, and recognizing a historical map using the target route; and determining that the specified location is unreachable if the target environment is recognized as being blocked.

[0009] In some embodiments, scanning the target location and obtaining a scan result includes initially scanning and detecting the target location through actual detection, and if the target location is detected as drivable, generating a scan result indicating that the specified location is currently in a reachable state, where the reachable state is used to indicate that the target location is passable or that a route to reach the specified location can be generated after updating the historical map.

[0010] In some embodiments, scanning the target location and obtaining a scan result includes initially scanning and detecting the target location by actual detection, and if the target location is detected as unreachable, generating a scan result indicating that the specified location is currently unreachable.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method further includes, after generating a scan result indicating that the specified location is currently unreachable, transmitting presentation information to a remote operation side, and, in response to a resume driving command, re-scanning the target location and obtaining a scan result again.

[0012] In some embodiments, when the specified location is detected to be in an unreachable state, scanning the target location and obtaining a scan result includes: determining that the specified location is unreachable by actual detection; determining the target position and scanning the target position in response to a resume running command; generating a scan result indicating that the specified location is currently reachable if the target location is detected as reachable; If it is detected that the target location is unreachable, generating a scan result indicating that the specified location is currently unreachable.

[0013] In some embodiments, determining that the specified location is unreachable through actual detection includes: scanning a work environment associated with a current equipment position using a scanning sensor; If the scan detects that the work environment is in a blocked state, generating an initial scan result indicating that the specified location is currently unreachable and transmitting presentation information to the remote operation side.

[0014] In some embodiments, scanning the target location comprises: scanning the target location with a laser scan sensor; determining that the target location is drivable when it is detected that no obstacle exists at the target location; When an obstacle is detected to be present at the target position, acquiring a current obstacle point cloud for the target position, and determining that the target position is drivable when the proportion of the obstacle point cloud within a unit space or area is less than a first predetermined threshold.

[0015] In some embodiments, scanning the target location comprises: scanning the target location using an obstacle detection sensor; determining that the target location is drivable when it is detected that no obstacle exists at the target location; When an obstacle is detected to exist at the target position, a current obstacle height point cloud and obstacle position point cloud of the target position are acquired, and when a proportion of the obstacle height point cloud and a proportion of the obstacle position point cloud within a unit space or area are less than a second predetermined threshold and a third predetermined threshold, respectively, it is determined that the target position is drivable.

[0016] In some embodiments, after obtaining the scan results, the method further comprises: The method further includes continuing to send the presentation information to a remote operator or entering a search mode if the scan results indicate that the specified location is currently unreachable.

[0017] In some embodiments, entering the search mode comprises: traveling toward the target position; When the physics collision buffer is triggered, rotating toward a specified direction that is opposite to the position where the physics collision buffer was triggered; traveling along the specified direction until the target position is passed or the forward path is exhausted; If there is no forward path, transmitting the presentation information to the remote operation side.

[0018] In some embodiments, if the specified location is detected to be unreachable, before scanning the target location, the method further comprises: Scanning the working environment using a scanning sensor to generate an electronic map, and storing the electronic map in a local memory or a remote server; receiving a task command and reading the specified location to be reached from the task command; or The method further includes planning a task list based on the task command, and setting positions associated with subtasks one by one as the designated positions according to an execution order of a plurality of subtasks in the task list.

[0019] According to a second aspect of the present application, there is provided an apparatus for driving equipment to a specified position, the apparatus comprising: a scanning module for scanning the target location and obtaining a scanning result when the designated location is detected to be in an unreachable state; and a traveling module for continuing to travel toward the specified location if the scan results indicate that the specified location is currently reachable.

[0020] In some embodiments, the scanning module is for detecting that the specified location is unreachable based on a historical map.

[0021] In some embodiments, the scanning module is used to determine a target route based on the current device location and the specified location, recognize a historical map using the target route, and determine that the specified location is unreachable if a blocked target environment is recognized.

[0022] In some embodiments, the scanning module is configured to initially scan and detect the target location through actual detection, and if the target location is detected as drivable, generate a scanning result indicating that the specified location is currently in a reachable state, where the reachable state is used to indicate that the target location is passable or that a route to reach the specified location can be generated after updating the historical map.

[0023] In some embodiments, the scanning module is configured to initially scan and detect the target location by actual detection, and if the target location is detected as unreachable, generate a scanning result indicating that the specified location is currently unreachable.

[0024] In some embodiments, the scanning module is further adapted to transmit the presented information to a remote operator and, in response to a resume driving command, re-scan the target location and obtain a scan result again.

[0025] In some embodiments, the scan module is further used to determine that the specified location is in an unreachable state through actual detection, determine the target location in response to a resume driving command, scan the target location, generate a scan result indicating that the specified location is currently in a reachable state if the target location is detected to be drivable, and generate a scan result indicating that the specified location is currently in an unreachable state if the target location is detected to be undrivable.

[0026] In some embodiments, the scanning module is further adapted to scan a work environment associated with the current equipment location using a scanning sensor, and if the scan detects that the work environment is in a blocked state, generate an initial scan result indicating that the specified location is currently unreachable and send presentation information to a remote operator.

[0027] In some embodiments, the scanning module is used to scan the target location using a laser scanning sensor, and determine that the target location is drivable if it is detected that no obstacle exists at the target location; and, when it is detected that an obstacle exists at the target location, obtain a current obstacle point cloud of the target location, and determine that the target location is drivable if a proportion of the obstacle point cloud within a unit space or area is less than a first predetermined threshold.

[0028] In some embodiments, the scanning module is used to scan the target location using an obstacle detection sensor, and determine that the target location is drivable if it is detected that no obstacle is present at the target location, and to obtain a current obstacle height point cloud and an obstacle position point cloud for the target location if it is detected that an obstacle is present at the target location, and determine that the target location is drivable if a proportion of the obstacle height point cloud and a proportion of the obstacle position point cloud within a unit space or area are less than a second predetermined threshold and a third predetermined threshold, respectively.

[0029] In some embodiments, the device comprises: The system further includes a sending module for continuing to send the presentation information to a remote operator or entering a search mode when the scan result indicates that the specified location is currently unreachable.

[0030] In some embodiments, the transmission module is used to drive toward the target position, and when a physical collision buffer is triggered, rotate toward a specified direction that is the opposite direction of the position where the physical collision buffer is triggered, drive along the specified direction until the target position is passed or there is no further forward path, and when there is no further forward path, transmit the presentation information to a remote operation side.

[0031] In some embodiments, the device comprises: a generation module for scanning a working environment using a scan sensor to generate an electronic map and storing the electronic map in a local memory or a remote server; and an acquisition module for receiving a task command, reading the specified position to be reached from the task command, or planning a task list based on the task command, and setting positions associated with subtasks as the specified positions one by one according to an execution order of multiple subtasks in the task list.

[0032] According to a third aspect of the present application, there is provided a computer device comprising a memory in which a computer program is stored and a processor, the computer device implementing the steps of the method according to any one of the first aspects when the processor executes the computer program.

[0033] According to a fourth aspect of the present application, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program implementing the steps of the method according to any one of the first aspects when executed by a processor.

[0034] According to the above technical solution, the present application provides a method, apparatus, and self-propelled device for driving a device to a designated location. When the self-propelled device detects that the designated location is unreachable, the self-propelled device transmits notification information to a remote operator for resuming the designated location to a reachable state. The self-propelled device then responds to a command to resume driving by scanning the target location and obtaining a scan result. If the scan result indicates that the designated location is now reachable, the self-propelled device continues driving toward the designated location. In response to the command to resume driving, the self-propelled device resumes driving, rescans the target location, updates environmental information, and, if the designated location is detected as reachable, continues driving toward the task point.

[0035] The above description is merely an outline of the technical solution of the present application. In order to make the technical solution of the present application more clearly understood and implemented in accordance with the content of the specification, and to make the above and other objectives, features and advantages of the present application more clearly and easily understood, specific embodiments of the present application are given below.

[0036] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the present application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used in all drawings to refer to the same elements. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0037] [Figure 1] 1 is a flowchart of a method for driving a device to a specified location according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2] 1 is a flowchart of a method for driving a device to a specified location according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a device for moving equipment to a designated position according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a device for moving equipment to a designated position according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 5] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a device for moving equipment to a designated position according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram of a computer device according to an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0038]

[0023] Exemplary embodiments of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present application are illustrated in the drawings, it should be understood that the present application may be embodied in various forms and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more complete understanding of the present application and to fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0039] A self-propelled device is a device that can move automatically under program control, such as a self-propelled vacuum cleaner, a self-propelled mop cleaner, or a self-propelled window cleaner. When performing a driving task or cleaning task, the self-propelled device must travel from its current location to the task's destination. Currently, self-propelled devices rely on historical map information to plan their route. However, when the actual situation on the map changes, such as when a user closes a room door, the self-propelled device is unable to smoothly travel the route planned based on the historical map, resulting in an error. Even if subsequent environmental information changes and the destination becomes reachable again, the self-propelled device in an error state cannot respond immediately. Therefore, how to enable a self-propelled device in an error state to immediately respond to environmental changes and continue traveling and performing the task is an urgent issue that must be resolved. Therefore, the present application provides a method for driving a device to a specified location, and when the self-propelled device detects that the specified location is unreachable, the self-propelled device transmits presentation information to a remote operator to resume the specified location as reachable. Next, in response to the travel resume command, the self-propelled device scans the target location and obtains the scan result. If the scan result indicates that the specified location is currently reachable, the self-propelled device continues traveling toward the specified location. In response to the travel resume command, the self-propelled device resumes traveling, scans the target location again, updates the environmental information, and, if the specified location is detected as being reachable, continues traveling toward the task point.

[0040] An embodiment of the present application provides a method for driving an apparatus to a designated location, and as shown in FIG. 1, the method includes:

[0041] 101, when it is detected that the designated position is in an unreachable state, the target position is scanned and a scanning result is obtained.

[0042] In actual operation, before the self-propelled device starts moving, the user issues a task command, which stores the designated location to which the self-propelled device should move. For example, if a command to clean the "reception room" is issued, the "reception room" is the designated location, and the self-propelled device will move to the designated location, the reception room, to clean. The task command may not directly specify the location to which the self-propelled device should move. For example, if a command to "clean all rooms" is issued, the robot may autonomously plan the cleaning order for each specific room in the process of completing the command, or may select rooms and clean them sequentially using the principle of proximity. In this process, each room to which the self-propelled device should move or a specific location is designated as the designated location. Of course, in a single cleaning or moving task, there may be more than one designated location, and multiple locations may appear as the task progresses. Before the self-propelled device starts moving, the control system plans a route to the designated location. Furthermore, the control system of the self-propelled device can detect whether any of the environments associated with the current route are in a reachable communication state before the self-propelled device travels, and can detect the road conditions of the target route in real time by turning on the scan sensor to scan the surrounding road conditions while traveling. If a target obstacle is detected on the target route or if the current environment is detected to be blocked, an alarm is immediately sent to the operator to prompt the user to remove the target obstacle or open a blocked entrance. In some embodiments, the alarm issued to the operator may further include a command to prompt the user to send a target command to the self-propelled device to control the self-propelled device to continue moving forward after the target obstacle is removed. In some embodiments, the target obstacle is a target obstacle that has a sufficient impact to cause the self-propelled device to reach a specified position along the target route. Furthermore, if the control system of the self-propelled device receives a resume travel command issued by the user, it indicates that the user understands that a target obstacle is present or blocked at the target position, and the control system resumes the self-propelled device's travel state.It should be noted that issuing a target command by a user may unblock the target location or remove a target obstacle at the target location, but may not necessarily remove the blockage. For example, the user may believe that the self-propelled device can autonomously pass through the target location. Therefore, to prevent the self-propelled device from getting stuck or being unable to pass through the target location, the control system uses a scan sensor to re-scan the target location. Based on the obtained scan results, it determines whether the target location is passable. In some embodiments, the self-propelled device updates the historical electronic map in its local memory based on the obtained scan results.

[0043] 102, if the scan results indicate that the specified location is currently reachable, continue traveling toward the specified location.

[0044] In the present embodiment, if the scan result indicates that there is no object at the target location, or that the object at the target location does not affect the self-propelled device's passage to the target location, it means that the target location is passable, that is, the specified location is currently reachable. At this time, the control system continues to control the self-propelled device to continue traveling toward the specified location in accordance with the instructions of the resume traveling command. During the entire traveling process, the control system uses the scan sensor to scan the surrounding road conditions in real time to detect the road conditions of the target route until the specified location is reached.

[0045] In a method according to an embodiment of the present application, when the self-propelled device detects that the specified location is in an unreachable state, it transmits to the remote operator side presentation information for resuming the specified location to a reachable state. The self-propelled device then responds to a resume travel command by scanning the target location and obtaining a scan result. If the scan result indicates that the specified location is currently reachable, the self-propelled device continues traveling toward the specified location. In response to the resume travel command, the self-propelled device resumes traveling, re-scans the target location, updates environmental information, and, if the specified location is further detected as reachable, continues traveling toward the task point.

[0046] An embodiment of the present application provides a method for driving an apparatus to a designated position, and as shown in FIG. 2, the method includes:

[0047] 201, determine the designated position.

[0048] During actual operation, a user issues a task command before the self-propelled device starts moving, and the control system generates a designated location according to the task command. It should be noted that when the self-propelled device first starts working, the local memory of the self-propelled device does not store an electronic map of the current working environment. Therefore, when the self-propelled device first starts working, the control system uses a scan sensor to scan the environment of each room, generates an electronic map based on the scan results, and stores the electronic map in local memory or a remote server. For example, based on the scan results, the control system determines environmental information for the kitchen, living room, bedroom A, bedroom B, and bathroom. Taking the living room as an example, the control system scans and determines the locations of the sofa, trash can, and coffee table as environmental information. After the self-propelled device has grasped the environmental information, the user can send a task command to the self-propelled device through the operator. The control system receives the task command and generates a designated location based on the task information stored in the task command. In some embodiments, the task information can directly provide the designated location, in which case the designated location to be reached can be directly read from the task command. For example, if a command to clean the "reception room" is issued, the "reception room" is the designated location, and the self-propelled device will go to the designated location, the reception room, to clean. The task command may not directly specify the location to which the robot should proceed. In this case, the control system plans a task list based on the task command and sets the locations associated with the subtasks in the task list as designated locations one by one according to the execution order of the subtasks. For example, if a command to "clean all rooms" is issued, the robot may autonomously plan the cleaning order for each specific room in the process of completing the command, or may select rooms and clean them sequentially using the principle of proximity. During this process, the rooms to which the robot should proceed or specific locations are designated locations in sequence. Naturally, in a single cleaning or driving task, there may not be just one designated location, but multiple designated locations may appear as the task progresses.

[0049] Furthermore, the self-propelled device needs to plan a target route to the specified location. Specifically, if the self-propelled device has previously performed a task from the current device position to the specified location, the control system can check the historical route based on the current device position and the specified location, and then use the historical route as the target route to the specified location, and scan the road conditions along the target route while traveling. If the self-propelled device has not yet performed a task from the current device position to the specified location, the control system can constantly plan a route that takes less time or has a shorter route as the target route while traveling, thereby scanning and detecting the road conditions along the target route and achieving a quick and safe arrival at the target location specified by the user.

[0050] 202, transmitting presentation information when the designated location is actually detected as being unreachable.

[0051] In the embodiment of the present application, when the control system actually detects that the designated location is in an unreachable state, it immediately sends the presentation information to the operation side to alarm, and then resumes the designated location to a reachable state based on the presentation information.

[0052] In actual use, the control system may detect two situations in which the specified location is unreachable. One is a virtual detection based on a historical map. For example, the user may have connected to all environments associated with the target route (e.g., opened all doors), but because the historical electronic map has not been updated, the control system may detect the target environment as blocked, indicating that the task's specified location is unreachable. In this case, the control system controls the self-propelled device to travel near the target location to actually detect it. If the target location is actually detected as unreachable, the control system continues traveling toward the specified location. If the target location is actually detected as unreachable, the control system sends notification information to the remote operation side to issue an alarm. The control system continues detecting the target location until it receives a command to resume traveling. If the target location is detected as unreachable this time, the control system continues traveling toward the specified location. If the detected target location is unreachable, the control system sends notification information to the remote operation side to issue an alarm. The blocked state indicates that the target environment does not have a target location connected to another environment. That is, the target location in this case is an entrance or exit such as a door. Furthermore, the history map may be created or updated during the course of the current task, or during the course of the previous task. For example, if a vacuum cleaner has been to Room A during its first cleaning, and the door to Room A was closed during its second cleaning, the robot updates the map so that Room A is closed. Later, the user requests the robot to clean Room A. At this time, the door to Room A is opened by the user in advance, but because the history electronic map has not been updated, the self-propelled device recognizes that it cannot continue moving forward, and sends presentation information to the remote operation side to issue an alarm.

[0053] While all environments associated with the target path displayed on the historical electronic map are passable, in practice, the user may place a target obstacle at a target position on the target path that has sufficient impact to prevent the self-propelled device from reaching a specified location along the target path, or block off a target position or part of the target position. This blocks the environment associated with the target path, preventing the self-propelled device from continuing forward after scanning and detecting it during travel. This causes a notification to be sent to the remote operator to alert the user. For example, when a vacuum cleaner enters a small room to clean, the user closes the door. After finishing cleaning the room, the vacuum cleaner may autonomously plan to continue cleaning areas outside the room based on a full-room cleaning or area-selection cleaning command, or may need to complete the cleaning task and return to the base station for charging or other tasks. However, because the door is closed, the vacuum cleaner is unable to continue cleaning the space outside the room. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner stops traveling and sends a notification to the remote operator to alert the user. At the same time, the control system may update the local electronic map to mark the room as blocked on the electronic map. It should be noted that the presented information includes information that allows the user to check the status of the target location and / or information that assists the user in removing the target obstacle.

[0054] Furthermore, if the user receives an error, they can manually open the room door and issue a target command to the robot to continue cleaning. It should be noted that the types of target obstacles that hinder the movement of the self-propelled device include LDS obstacles and line laser low-profile obstacles, and the obstacle type is determined by the type and purpose of the sensor that detects the obstacle. For example, an obstacle detected by LDS is an obstacle with a height of about 8 cm, and an obstacle detected by line laser is an obstacle with a height of about 3 to 10 cm.

[0055] What should be explained is that, during the entire process of the self-propelled device traveling from the starting point to a specified position, if the specified position is detected as unreachable, the self-propelled device travels to the vicinity of the corresponding target position, recognizes the target position, and determines whether it is necessary to transmit presentation information to the remote operation side, continues traveling if it is not necessary, transmits presentation information if it is necessary, waits for receipt of a traveling resume command, and then detects the target position again in response to the traveling resume command, and determines whether it is necessary to continue transmitting presentation information.

[0056] 203, in response to a travel resume command, scan the target position and obtain the scan result.

[0057] In some embodiments, when the control system of the self-propelled device receives a resume driving command issued by the user, the user acknowledges that the target location is blocked or blocked, and the control system resumes driving the self-propelled device. It should be noted that issuing a target command by the user may or may not unblock the target location or remove the target obstacle from the target location. For example, the user may believe that the self-propelled device can autonomously pass through the target location. Therefore, to prevent the self-propelled device from getting stuck or unable to pass through the target location, the control system uses a scan sensor to re-scan the target location. Based on the scan results, the control system determines whether the target location is passable. In some embodiments, the self-propelled device updates the historical electronic map stored in its local memory based on the scan results.

[0058] Specifically, a self-propelled device may use a laser scan sensor or an obstacle detection sensor. For a laser scan sensor such as an LDS sensor, the self-propelled device rotates the target angle on the spot and then uses the laser scan sensor to observe whether the target location is passable. It should be noted that the target angle depends on the angle at which the LDS protective cover bracket blocks the LDS observation. For a laser scan sensor, if the laser scan sensor detects that no obstacle is present at the target location, the user may have unblocked the target location by opening a door or removed the obstacle by moving furniture. In this case, a scan result indicating that the specified location is currently reachable can be generated, and travel toward the specified location can continue. If the laser scan sensor detects that an obstacle is present at the target location, the current obstacle point cloud for the target location can be continuously acquired. If the proportion of the obstacle point cloud within a unit space or area is less than a first predetermined threshold, the corresponding obstacle is deemed to have been removed. A scan result indicating that the specified location is currently reachable can also be generated, and travel toward the specified location can continue. For obstacle detection sensors such as line lasers and 3D TOF, the device is driven to a position where it can effectively observe the target position, and if the obstacle detection sensor detects that no obstacles are present at the target position, a scan result indicating that the specified position is currently reachable is generated, and the vehicle continues to travel toward the specified position. If the obstacle detection sensor detects that an obstacle is present at the target position, the current obstacle height point cloud and obstacle position point cloud for the target position are acquired. If the percentage of the obstacle height point cloud and the percentage of the obstacle position point cloud are less than a second predetermined threshold and a third predetermined threshold, respectively, the target position is considered passable, and a scan result indicating that the specified position is currently reachable is generated, and the vehicle can continue to travel toward the specified position.

[0059] 204, if the scan results indicate that the specified location is currently reachable, continue traveling toward the specified location.

[0060] In the present embodiment, if the scan result indicates that there is no object at the target location, or that the object at the target location does not affect the self-propelled device's passage to the target location, it means that the target location is passable, that is, the specified location is currently reachable. At this time, the control system continues to control the self-propelled device to continue traveling toward the specified location in accordance with the instructions of the resume traveling command. During the entire traveling process, the control system uses the scan sensor to scan the surrounding road conditions in real time to detect the road conditions of the target route until the specified location is reached.

[0061] 205, if the scan results indicate that the specified location is still unreachable, continue sending the suggested information to the remote operator or enter search mode.

[0062] In the present embodiment, if the scan result indicates that an obstacle exists at the target position, the stopped state is maintained and the presentation information is sent to the remote operation side to continue issuing an alarm.

[0063] Furthermore, if the user does not respond for a long time or if the user turns on the obstacle search mode, the control system controls the self-propelled device to search for and pass through the target position based on the physical collision buffer. Specifically, the control system counts the alarm elapsed time since the start of transmission of the presentation information (the presentation information may be transmitted continuously or once or multiple times). If the alarm elapsed time is equal to the preset alarm elapsed time or if a command to turn on the obstacle search mode is detected, the control system stops transmitting the presentation information and drives toward the target position. During the driving process, the control system uses the physical collision buffer to detect road conditions. If the physical collision buffer is triggered, the control system controls the self-propelled device to turn toward a specified direction and then drive along the specified direction. The specified direction is the opposite direction from the position where the physical collision buffer was triggered. Based on the trigger status of the physical collision buffer, the control system continues to control the driving of the self-propelled device until the target position is passed or there is no forward path ahead. It should be noted that if the search reveals that there is no forward path ahead, the control system continues to transmit the presentation information to the remote operator or transmits it again.

[0064] In a method according to an embodiment of the present application, when the self-propelled device detects that the specified location is in an unreachable state, it transmits to the remote operator side presentation information for resuming the specified location to a reachable state. The self-propelled device then responds to a resume travel command by scanning the target location and obtaining a scan result. If the scan result indicates that the specified location is currently reachable, the self-propelled device continues traveling toward the specified location. In response to the resume travel command, the self-propelled device resumes traveling, re-scans the target location, updates environmental information, and, if the specified location is further detected as reachable, continues traveling toward the task point.

[0065] Furthermore, as a specific implementation of the method described in FIG. 1, an embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus for driving an instrument to a specified position, and as shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus includes a scan module 301 and a driving module 302.

[0066] The scan module 301 is for scanning a target location and obtaining a scan result when a specified location is detected to be in an unreachable state; The driving module 302 is for continuing to drive toward the specified location if the scan results indicate that the specified location is currently reachable.

[0067] In a specific application scenario, the scan module 301 is used to detect whether a specified location is unreachable based on a historical map.

[0068] In a specific application scenario, the scan module 301 is used to determine a target route based on the current device position and the specified position, recognize a historical map using the target route, and determine that the specified position is unreachable if a target environment in a blocked state is recognized.

[0069] In a specific application scenario, the scanning module 301 is configured to initially scan and detect the target location through actual detection, and when it is detected that the target location is drivable, generate a scanning result indicating that the specified location is currently in a reachable state, and the reachable state is used to indicate that the target location is passable or that a route to reach the specified location can be generated after updating the historical map.

[0070] In a specific application scenario, the scanning module 301 is for initially scanning and detecting the target position through actual detection, and when it is detected that the target position is unreachable, it generates a scanning result indicating that the specified position is currently unreachable.

[0071] In a specific application scenario, the scan module 301 is further used to send the presented information to the remote operation side, and in response to a command to resume driving, scan the target position again to obtain the scan result again.

[0072] In a specific application scenario, the scan module 301 is further used to determine that the specified position is in an unreachable state through actual detection, determine the target position in response to a resumption of driving command, scan the target position, and generate a scan result indicating that the specified position is currently in a reachable state if the target position is detected as being drivable, and generate a scan result indicating that the specified position is currently in an unreachable state if the target position is detected as being undrivable.

[0073] In a specific application scenario, the scan module 301 is further used to scan the working environment associated with the current equipment location using a scan sensor, and if the scan detects that the working environment is in a blocked state, generate an initial scan result indicating that the specified location is currently unreachable, and send presentation information to the remote operation side.

[0074] In a specific application scenario, the scanning module 301 is used to scan the target position using a laser scanning sensor, and if it is detected that no obstacle exists at the target position, determine that the target position is drivable; if it is detected that an obstacle exists at the target position, obtain a current obstacle point cloud at the target position, and if the proportion of the obstacle point cloud within a unit space or area is less than a first predetermined threshold, determine that the target position is drivable.

[0075] In a specific application scenario, the scan module 301 is used to scan the target position using an obstacle detection sensor, and if it is detected that no obstacle exists at the target position, determine that the target position is drivable; if it is detected that an obstacle exists at the target position, obtain the current obstacle height point cloud and obstacle position point cloud of the target position, and if the proportion of the obstacle height point cloud and the proportion of the obstacle position point cloud within a unit space or area are less than a second predetermined threshold and a third predetermined threshold, respectively, determine that the target position is drivable.

[0076] In a specific application scenario, as shown in FIG. 4, the above device further includes a transmitting module 401.

[0077] The sending module 401 is for continuing to send the presentation information to the remote operation side or entering a search mode if the scan result indicates that the specified location is currently unreachable.

[0078] In a specific application scenario, the transmitting module 401 is used to run toward the target position, and when the physical collision buffer is triggered, rotate toward a specified direction that is the opposite direction to the position where the physical collision buffer is triggered, run along the specified direction until the target position is passed or there is no forward path left, and when there is no forward path left, transmit the presentation information to the remote operation side.

[0079] In a specific application scenario, as shown in FIG. 5, the above device further includes a generating module 501 and an acquiring module 502.

[0080] The generating module 501 is for scanning the working environment using a scanning sensor, generating an electronic map, and storing the electronic map in a local memory or a remote server; The obtaining module 502 is for receiving a task command, reading the specified position to be reached from the task command, or planning a task list based on the task command, and setting the positions associated with the subtasks as the specified positions one by one according to the execution order of the subtasks in the task list.

[0081] What needs to be explained is that for other corresponding explanations of each functional unit related to the device for moving the equipment of the embodiment of the present application to a specified position, reference can be made to the corresponding explanations in Figures 1 and 2, so the explanation will be omitted here.

[0082] 6, an exemplary embodiment further provides an apparatus including a communication bus, a processor, a memory, a communication interface, and optionally an input / output interface and a display device, wherein each functional unit can communicate with each other via the bus, and the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the program to perform the method for driving the apparatus to a specified location in the embodiment.

[0083] A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of a method for driving the equipment to a designated location.

[0084] In one embodiment, a computer program product including a computer program is provided, which, when executed by a processor, realizes the steps in each of the above method embodiments. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be embodied in the form of a software product that can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, or a mobile hard disk), and includes several commands for causing a computer device (such as a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute the methods described in each of the embodiments of the present application.

[0085] Those skilled in the art will understand that the drawings are merely schematic diagrams of preferred implementation scenes, and the modules or processes in the drawings are not necessarily required to implement the present application.

[0086] Those skilled in the art can understand that the modules in the devices in the implementation scenario may be distributed among the devices in the implementation scenario according to the description of the implementation scenario, or may be arranged in one or more devices different from the implementation scenario with corresponding changes. The modules in the implementation scenario may be integrated into one module or further divided into multiple sub-modules.

[0087] The numbers in the above application are for explanation purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the implementation scenes.

[0088] The above disclosure is merely a few specific implementation scenes of the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto, and any modifications that can be conceived by a person skilled in the art should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for moving equipment to a designated location, If the specified location is detected as unreachable, the system scans the target location and obtains the scan results. If the scan results indicate that the designated location is currently reachable, the vehicle will continue driving toward the designated location. including, method.

2. Detecting that the specified location is in an unreachable state includes detecting that the specified location is in an unreachable state based on a historical map. The method according to claim 1.

3. Detecting that the specified location is unreachable based on the aforementioned history map means that Based on the current equipment location and the designated location, the target route is determined, and the historical map is recognized according to the target route. When a target environment is identified as being in a sealed state, it is determined that the designated location is unreachable, including, The method according to claim 2.

4. Scanning a target location and obtaining scan results includes initially scanning and detecting the target location through actual detection, and if the target location is detected as traversable, generating scan results indicating that the designated location is currently reachable, and the reachable state is used to indicate that the target location is traversable or that a route to reach the designated location can be generated after updating the historical map. The method according to claim 2.

5. Scanning a target location and obtaining scan results includes initially scanning and detecting the target location through actual detection, and if the target location is detected as inaccessible, generating scan results indicating that the specified location is currently unreachable. The method according to claim 2.

6. The process further includes generating a scan result indicating that the specified location is currently unreachable, sending the presentation information to the remote operator, and, in response to a command to resume driving, scanning the target location again and obtaining the scan result again. The method according to claim 5.

7. If the specified location is detected to be unreachable, the target location is scanned and the scan results are obtained. The actual detection determines that the specified location is inaccessible, In response to the command to resume driving, the system determines the target position and scans for the target position. When the aforementioned target position is detected as traversable, a scan result is generated indicating that the specified position is currently reachable. If the aforementioned target position is detected as inaccessible, a scan result is generated indicating that the specified position is currently unreachable. This also includes, The method according to claim 1.

8. The actual detection results in determining that the specified location is unreachable. Scanning the work environment associated with the current equipment location using a scan sensor, If the scan detects that the work environment is in a sealed state, the system includes generating an initial scan result indicating that the specified location is currently unreachable, and transmitting the relevant information to the remote operator. The method according to claim 7.

9. Scanning the aforementioned target location is Scanning the target position using a laser scanning sensor, When it is detected that there are no obstacles at the target location, it is determined that the target location is traversable. If an obstacle is detected at the target location, the current obstacle point cloud at the target location is acquired, and if the proportion of the obstacle point cloud within a unit space or area is less than a first predetermined threshold, it is determined that the target location is traversable. including, The method according to claim 1.

10. Scanning the aforementioned target location is Scanning the target position using an obstacle detection sensor, When it is detected that there are no obstacles at the target location, it is determined that the target location is traversable. If an obstacle is detected at the target location, the current obstacle height point cloud and obstacle location point cloud at the target location are acquired, and if the proportion of the obstacle height point cloud and the proportion of the obstacle location point cloud within a unit space or area are less than a second predetermined threshold and a third predetermined threshold, respectively, it is determined that the target location is traversable. This also includes, The method according to claim 1.

11. After obtaining the scan results, the method is If the scan results indicate that the specified location is currently unreachable, the system will continue to transmit the information to the remote operator or enter search mode. This also includes, The method according to claim 1.

12. Entering the aforementioned search mode means To travel toward the aforementioned target position, When a physical collision buffer is triggered, the physical collision buffer rotates in the specified direction, which is the opposite direction from the location where the trigger occurred. To travel along the designated direction until the target position is passed or the forward path ends, If there is no forward path, the aforementioned information is transmitted to the remote operator. including, The method according to claim 11.

13. If the specified location is detected to be unreachable, the method, before scanning the target location, The process involves scanning the work environment using a scan sensor to generate an electronic map, and saving the electronic map to local memory or a remote server. Receiving a task command and reading the specified location to be reached from the task command, or, Based on the aforementioned task command, a task list is planned, and according to the execution order of multiple subtasks within the task list, a position associated with each subtask is set as the designated position. This also includes, The method according to claim 1.

14. A device for moving equipment to a designated position, A scan module is used to scan the target location and obtain the scan results when it is detected that the specified location is unreachable. If the scan results indicate that the designated location is currently reachable, a driving module for continuing to drive toward the designated location, including, Device.

15. A computer-readable storage medium on which computer programs are stored, When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 are realized. A computer-readable storage medium.

Images