Mobile device control method, device, equipment, and medium

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method, device, equipment and medium for controlling a mobile device, wherein a light-emitting unit (1) and a light-receiving unit (2) are provided at the tip of the mobile device, and the distance from the light-emitting unit (1) to the bottom surface of the mobile device is greater than the distance from the light-receiving unit (2) to the bottom surface. The method includes monitoring a light spot cloud formed by light emitted from the light-emitting unit (1) using the light-receiving unit (2) while the mobile device is traveling, and controlling the mobile device to decelerate when the light spot cloud satisfies a predetermined condition. The light spot cloud is a point cloud formed when a light beam emitted from the light-emitting unit (1) in a predetermined direction is irradiated onto an obstruction, the predetermined direction is a downward direction toward the front of the mobile device, and the predetermined condition includes the light spot cloud being missing.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (Related Applications) This application claims priority from a Chinese patent application filed on January 12, 2023, bearing application number 202310063701.9, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure belongs to the field of automatic control technology and relates to a method, device, apparatus, and medium for controlling a mobile device. [Background technology]

[0003] Mobile devices such as cleaning robots and delivery robots are currently widely used in consumer and commercial applications, and the safety of the mobile devices during their movement determines their service life and is one of the performance aspects that users particularly value.

[0004] However, when a conventional mobile device is placed on a cliff, even if the device is equipped with a cliff sensor, it is difficult to brake in a timely manner due to the influence of the inertia of the device, which can result in injury from the device falling.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a means to further ensure the traveling safety of mobile devices. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for controlling a movable device, the movable device having a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit at a tip thereof, the distance from the light-emitting unit to a bottom surface of the movable device being greater than the distance from the light-receiving unit to the bottom surface, and the control method comprising: The method includes monitoring a group of light spots formed by light emitted from the light-emitting unit using the light-receiving unit while the movable device is traveling, and controlling the movable device to decelerate when the group of light spots satisfies a predetermined condition, wherein the group of light spots is a group of points formed when a light beam emitted from the light-emitting unit in a predetermined direction is irradiated onto an obstruction, the predetermined direction is a downward direction toward the front of the movable device, and the predetermined condition includes the group of light spots being missing.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a movable device, the movable device having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit at a tip thereof, the distance from the light emitting unit to a bottom surface of the movable device being greater than the distance from the light receiving unit to the bottom surface, the movable device further including a processing unit and a deceleration unit; The processing unit is configured to monitor a light spot group formed by light emitted from the light-emitting unit using the light-receiving unit while the movable device is traveling, the light spot group being a point group formed when a light beam emitted from the light-emitting unit in a predetermined direction is irradiated onto an obstruction, the predetermined direction being a downward direction toward the front of the movable device, and the deceleration unit is configured to decelerate the movable device when the light spot group satisfies a predetermined condition, the predetermined condition including the light spot group being missing.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electronic device including a memory and one or more programs stored in the memory, wherein one or more processors are configured to execute operation instructions included in the one or more programs corresponding to the control method according to the first aspect.

[0009] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform steps corresponding to the control method described in the first aspect.

[0010] In order to more clearly explain the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly described below. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art can also derive other drawings based on these drawings without any creative work. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a structural diagram of a mobile device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; [Figure 2] 1 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a mobile device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] Schematic diagram of the single-line laser beam emitted by the light-emitting unit in Figure 1 [Figure 4] Schematic diagram of cliff recognition by the mobile device in Figure 1 [Figure 5] Another schematic diagram of the mobile device in FIG. 1 performing cliff recognition. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram of a mobile device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] In order to better understand the above technical solution, the above technical solution will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments in the specification. The examples of the present disclosure and the specific features in the examples are detailed descriptions of the technical solution of the present disclosure and do not limit the technical solution of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the examples of the present disclosure and the technical features in the examples can be combined with each other unless there is a contradiction.

[0013] First, the term "and / or" used in this document is only a relational relationship describing related objects, and indicates that three types of relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can indicate three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for controlling a mobile device is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile device according to the control method may be provided with a light-emitting unit 1 and a light-receiving unit 2 at the front end thereof, and the distance from the light-emitting unit 1 to the bottom surface of the mobile device is greater than the distance from the light-receiving unit 2 to the bottom surface. Here, the light-emitting unit 1 emits a light beam in a predetermined direction a, which is a downward direction toward the front of the mobile device (the predetermined moving direction when the mobile device moves forward). In other words, the predetermined direction a is biased downward relative to the front of the mobile device b, and the angle between the predetermined direction a and the front of the mobile device b is an acute angle α.

[0015] The movable device may be a cleaning robot, a transport robot, an automatically operated device, or the like, and is not limited thereto. The light-emitting unit 1 may be a laser light-emitting unit, an infrared light-emitting unit, or the like, and is not limited thereto. The light-receiving unit 2 may be an optical sensor, a camera, or the like, and is not limited thereto.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile device control method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes the following steps S201 and S202.

[0017] In step S201, while the movable device is moving, the light receiving unit 2 monitors a group of light points formed by the light emitted from the light emitting unit 1, and the group of light points is a group of points formed when a light beam emitted from the light emitting unit 1 in a predetermined direction a is irradiated onto an obstruction.

[0018] In step S202, when the light spot cloud satisfies a predetermined condition, the movable device is controlled to decelerate, and the predetermined condition includes that the light spot cloud is missing.

[0019] The control method for a mobile device may be applied to a controller integrated in the mobile device, or to an independent control device or cloud, and is not limited thereto.

[0020] Hereinafter, the implementation steps of the mobile device control method provided in the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0021] In step S201, while the movable device is moving, the light receiving unit 2 monitors a group of light points formed by the light emitted from the light emitting unit 1, and the group of light points is a group of points formed when a light beam emitted from the light emitting unit 1 in a predetermined direction a is irradiated onto an obstruction.

[0022] When a light beam emitted from the light-emitting unit 1 is irradiated onto an obstructing object such as the ground or an obstacle, a cloud of light points is formed on the surface of the obstructing object. The light-receiving unit 2 can monitor the cloud of light points simply by detecting the reflected light of the cloud of light points.

[0023] In some embodiments, when the light-emitting unit 1 is a laser light-emitting unit, the emitted laser beam has stronger penetrating ability than visible light and is easier to recognize through the light spot group formed by the dense laser beam, so the accuracy of the light-receiving unit 2 monitoring the light spot group can be ensured.

[0024] In some embodiments, when the light-emitting unit 1 is a laser light-emitting unit, the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 1 may be a single-line laser light. As shown in FIG. 3, the single-line laser light may be a linear laser light, i.e., the light beam emitted from the light-emitting unit 1 is a line of light arranged in a linear pattern. After the single-line laser light is irradiated onto the shielding object, if the shielding object is flat, a linear light spot group will be formed as shown in FIG. 3, while if the shielding object has an uneven surface, an irregular line-shaped light spot group will be formed. The use of a single-line laser light significantly reduces the amount of calculation required to determine whether a subsequent light spot group is missing, thereby reducing resource consumption. Of course, the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 1 may be a two-line laser light or a bulk laser light, and is not limited thereto.

[0025] In step S202, when the light spot cloud satisfies a predetermined condition, the movable device is controlled to decelerate, and the predetermined condition includes that the light spot cloud is missing.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4, the distance from the bottom of the mobile device of light-emitting unit 1 is greater than the distance from the bottom of light-receiving unit 2, so light-emitting unit 1 is located above light-receiving unit 2 while the mobile device is moving. In this way, when a cliff appears ahead, some of the light emitted from light-emitting unit 1 is irradiated below the cliff, but because light-receiving unit 2 is located lower than light-emitting unit 1, the light spot cloud formed by the light emitted from light-emitting unit 1 below the cliff is blocked by the cliff and cannot be reflected to light-receiving unit 2. As shown in FIG. 4, light spot cloud 401 formed by light emitted below the cliff by light-emitting unit 1 is not within the field of view 402 of light-receiving unit 2, so a gap occurs in the light spot cloud monitored by light-receiving unit 2.

[0027] The circumstances under which the light spot group is missing vary depending on the position of the cliff, and the side of the light spot group may be missing, the middle of the light spot group may be missing, or the entire light spot group may be missing. As shown in Figure 5, the solid line 501 is the cliff edge, and the cliff appears to the right front of the movable device. When part of the light emitted by the light emitting unit is irradiated below the cliff, the light receiving unit detects that the right section of the light spot group is missing.

[0028] In some embodiments, the predetermined condition may be that the time during which the light spot cloud is missing reaches a predetermined length, that is, after the light spot cloud is missing and the missing time is maintained for a certain period of time, it is considered that there is a cliff ahead, thus preventing the temporary missing of the light spot cloud due to a road pit or a small obstruction from being erroneously determined as the missing of the light spot cloud due to a cliff.

[0029] In some embodiments, when it is determined that the light spot group satisfies a predetermined condition and the movable device needs to be controlled to decelerate, there are several deceleration methods, of which three examples are given below.

[0030] First, the speed or speed range after deceleration can be preset. In some embodiments, the mobile device can be controlled to decelerate to a speed of less than 0.1 m / s, which allows the mobile device to stop in a timely manner if braking is required later, and also allows the mobile device to quickly recover its moving speed if it wants to continue moving later.

[0031] Second, the mobile device can be controlled to decelerate to a predetermined speed, which is negatively correlated with a predetermined angle of the light-emitting unit 1, which is the angle α between the front of the mobile device b and a predetermined direction a, as shown in Figure 1. The larger the predetermined angle α, the closer the light point cloud formed after the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 1 reaches the ground will be to the mobile device, and therefore the closer the distance between the mobile device and the cliff will be when the cliff is discovered. At this time, to ensure safety, a greater deceleration is required, i.e., a lower speed.

[0032] Third, the deceleration strength can be set based on the current moving speed. In some embodiments, if the current moving speed is 1 m / s, the current moving speed is reduced to 0.1 m / s, and if the current moving speed is 3 m / s, the current moving speed is reduced to 0.3 m / s.

[0033] When the light spot cloud is lost, the mobile device is controlled in advance to decelerate, so that if the mobile device brakes when approaching a cliff, it will be difficult to stop quickly due to inertia, and the mobile device will not fall. Of course, the means for deceleration control of the mobile device are not limited to the above three, and will not be listed one by one, but are not limited here.

[0034] After controlling the deceleration of the movable device, different subsequent measures can be adopted according to different situations.

[0035] In some embodiments, if the light receiving unit 2 detects that the light spot cloud has completely recovered after deceleration, the mobile device may have already passed the cliff and reached a safe position, or the detection may have been erroneous due to unevenness of the road surface, so the mobile device may be controlled to recover its speed. In this case, the mobile device only decelerates early without stopping, allowing for a rapid speed recovery.

[0036] In some other embodiments, the movable device is provided with a cliff sensor, which may be a touch sensor attached to a pulley and determine that a cliff is present when the touch sensor detects the pulley lifting up, or the cliff sensor may be a distance sensor and determine that a cliff is present ahead when the distance sensor detects that the pulley is lifting up ahead. After deceleration, when the cliff sensor detects that there is a cliff ahead of the movable device, the movable device is controlled to stop moving forward. At this time, because the deceleration has occurred early, the movable device can be stopped quickly and avoid falling due to inertia.

[0037] In some other embodiments, after deceleration, when the light receiving unit 2 detects that the light spot cloud has completely disappeared for a predetermined period of time, it is determined that a cliff has been approached and the mobile device can be controlled to stop moving forward. At this time, because the deceleration has occurred early, the mobile device can be stopped quickly and avoid falling due to inertia.

[0038] Of course, according to different scenes and in accordance with different sensors, the measures that can be adopted after controlling the mobile device to slow down are not limited to the above examples and are not limited here.

[0039] In addition, a mobile device often has a front (forward direction) pre-defined, and its tip is the end facing forward. By providing a light-emitting unit 1 and a light-receiving unit 2 at the tip of the mobile device using the method shown in FIG. 1 and employing a mobile device control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the mobile device can decelerate in a timely manner before moving forward toward a cliff, avoiding the risk of not braking in time after the cliff sensor recognizes the cliff and resulting in injury from a fall. However, considering the need for protection from cliffs when the mobile device is moving backward or sideways, the light-emitting unit 1 and the light-receiving unit 2 can be selectively provided at the rear or side end of the mobile device as needed, and the mobile device control method according to this embodiment can be used to achieve early deceleration before a cliff, further ensuring safety during all-directional movement.

[0040] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a mobile device, which, as shown in FIG. 1, has a light-emitting unit 1 and a light-receiving unit 2 at the tip of the mobile device, and the distance from the light-emitting unit 1 to the bottom surface of the mobile device is greater than the distance from the light-receiving unit 2 to the bottom surface; as shown in FIG. 6, the mobile device further includes a processing unit 601 and a deceleration unit 602, and the processing unit 601 is configured to monitor, using the light-receiving unit 2, a light spot cloud formed by the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 1 during the mobile device's movement, and the light spot cloud is a point cloud formed by irradiating an obstruction with a light beam emitted from the light-emitting unit 1 in a predetermined direction, which is a downward direction toward the front of the mobile device; and the deceleration unit 602 is configured to control the mobile device to decelerate when the light spot cloud meets a predetermined condition.

[0041] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electronic device, as shown in FIG. 7, including a memory 702 and one or more programs, the one or more programs being stored in the memory 702 and configured to execute corresponding operation instructions contained in the one or more programs by one or more processors 701 for performing the mobile device control method of the present disclosure.

[0042] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform steps corresponding to the method for controlling a mobile device according to the present disclosure.

[0043] The devices, equipment, and media described in the present embodiment are devices and equipment used to implement the mobile device control method in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and therefore, based on the mobile device control method described in the embodiments of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art can understand the specific embodiments of the devices, equipment, and media in the present embodiment and various modifications thereof, so here, we will not describe in detail how the devices, equipment, and media implement the methods in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Any devices, equipment, and media used by those skilled in the art to implement the mobile device control method in the embodiments of the present disclosure should fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0044] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. The present disclosure may also take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, magnetic disk memory, CD-ROM, optical memory, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0045] The present disclosure has been described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatuses (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. By providing these computer program instructions to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to generate an apparatus, the instructions, executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device, generate an apparatus for implementing the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0046] These computer program instructions may be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory create an article of manufacture that includes an instruction apparatus that implements the functions specified in one or more flows of the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0047] These computer program instructions may be loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, causing the computer or other programmable apparatus to perform a series of operational steps to produce a computer-implemented process, the instructions executing on the computer or other programmable apparatus providing steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flows of the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0048] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, those skilled in the art will be able to make various changes and modifications to these embodiments once they understand the basic inventive concept. Therefore, the appended claims should be interpreted to include the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0049] It is apparent that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present disclosure fall within the scope of the claims of the present disclosure and their equivalents, the present disclosure is intended to include these modifications and variations.

[0050] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for controlling a mobile device, the mobile device including a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit disposed at a front end thereof, the distance from the light-emitting unit to a bottom surface of the mobile device being greater than a distance from the light-receiving unit to the bottom surface, the method may include monitoring a light spot cloud formed by light emitted from the light-emitting unit using the light-receiving unit while the mobile device is traveling, and controlling the mobile device to decelerate when the light spot cloud satisfies a predetermined condition, the light spot cloud being a point cloud formed by irradiating a light beam emitted from the light-emitting unit in a predetermined direction onto an obstruction, the predetermined direction being a downward direction toward a front of the mobile device, and the predetermined condition including the light spot cloud being missing.

[0051] In some embodiments, the light emitting unit is a laser light emitting unit.

[0052] In some embodiments, the light emitted from the laser emitting unit is a single laser beam.

[0053] In some embodiments, the predetermined condition includes the time during which the light spot cloud is missing reaching a predetermined length.

[0054] In some embodiments, controlling the speed of the movable device to decelerate comprises controlling the speed of the movable device to decelerate to less than 0.1 m / s.

[0055] In some embodiments, controlling the deceleration of the movable device includes controlling the speed of the movable device to decelerate to a predetermined speed, the predetermined speed being negatively correlated with a predetermined angle of the light-emitting unit, and the predetermined angle being an included angle between the front of the movable device and the predetermined direction.

[0056] In some embodiments, the method further includes controlling the movable device to recover its movement speed when the light spot cloud has completely recovered after the movable device has been decelerated.

[0057] In some embodiments, the movable device is provided with a cliff sensor, and the method further includes controlling the movable device to stop moving forward if the cliff sensor detects a cliff in front of the movable device after controlling the movable device to decelerate.

[0058] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a mobile device, the mobile device having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit disposed at a front end thereof, the distance from the light emitting unit to a bottom surface of the mobile device being greater than the distance from the light receiving unit to the bottom surface, the mobile device further including a processing unit and a deceleration unit, the processing unit configured to monitor, via the light receiving unit, a light spot cloud formed by light emitted from the light emitting unit while the mobile device is traveling, the light spot cloud being a point cloud formed by irradiating a light beam emitted from the light emitting unit in a predetermined direction onto an obstruction, the predetermined direction being a downward direction toward the front of the mobile device, the deceleration unit configured to decelerate the mobile device when the light spot cloud satisfies a predetermined condition, the predetermined condition including the loss of the light spot cloud.

[0059] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electronic device, the electronic device including a memory and one or more programs, the one or more programs being stored in the memory, and one or more processors configured to execute corresponding operation instructions included in the one or more programs for performing the mobile device control method.

[0060] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform steps corresponding to the method for controlling a mobile device.

Claims

1. 1. A method for controlling a mobile device, comprising: a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit are provided at a tip of the movable device, and the distance from the light-emitting unit to a bottom surface of the movable device is greater than the distance from the light-receiving unit to the bottom surface; The method for controlling a mobile device includes: monitoring a group of light points formed by the light emitted from the light-emitting unit by the light-receiving unit during the course of the moving device; and controlling the movable device to decelerate when the light spot group satisfies a predetermined condition; A method for controlling a movable device, characterized in that the light spot group is a point group formed by irradiating a light beam emitted from the light-emitting unit in a predetermined direction onto an obstructing object, the predetermined direction is a downward direction toward the front of the movable device, and the predetermined condition includes the light spot group being missing.

2. The light-emitting unit is a laser light-emitting unit.

2. The method for controlling a mobile device according to claim 1.

3. The light emitted from the laser light emitting unit is a single-line laser beam.

3. The method for controlling a mobile device according to claim 2.

4. The predetermined condition further includes that the time during which the light spot group is missing reaches a predetermined length.

2. The method for controlling a mobile device according to claim 1.

5. controlling the deceleration of the movable device includes controlling the speed of the movable device to decelerate to less than 0.1 m / s.

2. The method for controlling a mobile device according to claim 1.

6. Controlling the deceleration of the movable device includes controlling the speed of the movable device to decelerate to a predetermined speed, the predetermined speed being negatively correlated with a predetermined angle of the light-emitting unit, and the predetermined angle being an included angle between a front of the movable device and the predetermined direction; 2. The method for controlling a mobile device according to claim 1.

7. After the movable device is decelerated, and controlling the movable device to resume its movement speed when the light spot cloud is completely restored.

7. The method for controlling a mobile device according to claim 1.

8. The movable device is provided with a cliff sensor, and after the movable device is decelerated, and controlling the movable device to stop moving forward when the cliff sensor detects that there is a cliff ahead of the movable device.

7. The method for controlling a mobile device according to claim 1.

9. A movable device having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit at its tip, a distance from the light-emitting unit to a bottom surface of the movable device is greater than a distance from the light-receiving unit to the bottom surface; the movable device further includes a processing unit and a deceleration unit; the processing unit is configured to monitor, by the light receiving unit, a light point cloud formed by the light emitted from the light emitting unit during the course of the mobile device traveling, the light point cloud being a point cloud formed by irradiating a light beam emitted from the light emitting unit in a predetermined direction onto an obstruction, the predetermined direction being a downward direction toward the front of the mobile device; The deceleration unit is configured to decelerate the movable device when the light spot group satisfies a predetermined condition, and the predetermined condition includes that the light spot group is missing. A mobile device characterized by:

10. 1. An electronic device including a memory and one or more programs, The electronic device is characterized in that the one or more programs are stored in the memory, and the one or more processors are configured to execute corresponding operation instructions for performing the control method described in any one of claims 1 to 8, which are included in the one or more programs.

11. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, the program being executed by a processor to perform steps corresponding to the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A computer-readable storage medium comprising:

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