Control method and control device for guidance, charging pile, and robot

Abstract

A guidance control method and device, a charging pile, and a robot. The guidance control method includes: step 101: after receiving guidance request information transmitted by a robot (22), triggering a first positioning circuit (211) to transmit first request information at a predetermined cycle and triggering a second positioning circuit (212) to transmit second request information at a predetermined cycle; step 102: after the first positioning circuit (211) receives first response information, determining a first distance (R1) of the robot (22) relative to the first positioning circuit (211) according to a time delay between the transmission of the first request information by the first positioning circuit (211) and the reception of the first response information; Step 103: After the second positioning circuit (212) receives the second response information, determining a second distance (R2) of the robot (22) to the second positioning circuit (212) according to a time delay between the second request information being sent by the second positioning circuit (212) and the reception of the second response information; step 104: determining a relative position of the robot (22) to the charging pile (21) according to the first distance and the second distance; and step 105: adjusting the movement route of the robot (22) according to the relative position to complete docking between the robot (22) and the charging pile (21).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This disclosure is based on and claims priority from Chinese Application No. 202011467074.8, filed on December 14, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of control, and in particular to a control method and control device for guidance, a charging pile, and a robot. [Background technology]

[0003] Machine room inspection robots are intelligent devices designed to assist or replace human inspection personnel in data machine rooms. Machine room inspection robots are intelligent, low-cost, and capable of continuous inspection, leading to their widespread deployment in data machine rooms. While working, the inspection robots are powered by batteries, and when the battery level drops below a preset threshold, they automatically return to the charging pile to recharge. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a control method for performing guidance, executed by a control device, to perform guidance to a charging pile, the control method including the steps of: after receiving a guidance request message transmitted by a robot, triggering a first positioning circuit to transmit a first request message at a preset period, and triggering a second positioning circuit to transmit a second request message at a preset period, whereby the robot transmits a first response message after receiving the first request message, and transmits a second response message after receiving the second request message; and after the first positioning circuit receives the first response message, triggering the first positioning circuit to transmit a first response message. determining a first distance between the robot and the first positioning circuit according to a time delay between sending the request message and receiving the first response message; determining a second distance between the robot and the second positioning circuit according to a time delay between sending the second request message and receiving the second response message by the second positioning circuit after the second response message is received by the second positioning circuit; determining a position of the robot relative to the charging pile according to the first distance and the second distance; and transmitting information regarding the position to the robot, whereby the robot adjusts its path according to the position to complete docking of the robot to the charging pile.

[0005] In some embodiments, the control method further includes the steps of detecting whether the signal receiver receives a signal transmitted by the signal transmitter, wherein the signal receiver cannot receive the signal transmitted by the signal transmitter under a situation where a charging electrode of the robot is in contact with a charging electrode of the charging pile, and triggering a first positioning circuit to stop transmitting the first request message, triggering a second positioning circuit to stop transmitting the second request message, and sending a guidance end command to the robot under a situation where the signal receiver cannot receive the signal transmitted by the signal transmitter.

[0006] In some embodiments, determining a first distance between the robot and the first positioning circuit includes extracting a first transmission time of the first positioning circuit for transmitting the first request message and a first reception time of the first positioning circuit for receiving the first response message, and calculating the first distance according to a difference between the first reception time and the first transmission time.

[0007] In some embodiments, the step of determining a first distance between the robot and the first positioning circuit further includes the step of extracting a second receive time of the robot for receiving the first request message and a second transmit time of the robot for transmitting the first response message from the first response message, and the step of calculating the first distance includes the step of calculating a first difference between the first receive time and the first transmit time and a second difference between the second transmit time and the second receive time, and the step of calculating the first distance according to the difference between the first difference and the second difference.

[0008] In some embodiments, determining a second distance between the robot and the second positioning circuit includes extracting a third transmission time of the second positioning circuit for transmitting the second request message and a third reception time of the second positioning circuit for receiving the second response message, and calculating the second distance according to a difference between the third reception time and the third transmission time.

[0009] In some embodiments, the step of determining a second distance between the robot and the second positioning circuit further includes the step of extracting a fourth receive time of the robot for receiving the second request message and a fourth transmit time of the robot for transmitting the second response message from the second response message, and the step of calculating the second distance includes the step of calculating a third difference between the third receive time and the third transmit time and a fourth difference between the fourth transmit time and the fourth receive time, and the step of calculating the second distance according to the difference between the third difference and the fourth difference.

[0010] In some embodiments, determining the position of the robot relative to the charging pile according to the first distance and the second distance includes determining a first circular orbit by taking the position of the first positioning circuit as the circle center and the first distance as the radius, determining a second circular orbit by taking the position of the second positioning circuit as the circle center and the second distance as the radius, and taking the intersection of the first circular orbit and the second circular orbit as the position of the robot relative to the charging pile.

[0011] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a control device for performing guidance, the control device including a triggering module configured to trigger a first positioning circuit to transmit a first request message at a preset period after receiving a guidance request message transmitted by a robot, and to trigger a second positioning circuit to transmit a second request message at a preset period, whereby the robot transmits a first response message after receiving the first request message, and transmits the second response message after receiving the second request message; and a triggering module configured to trigger a time from when the first positioning circuit transmits the first request message to when the first response message is received by the first positioning circuit after receiving the first response message, to trigger a time from when the first positioning circuit transmits the first response message to when the first response message is received by the first positioning circuit. The robot includes a first distance determination module configured to determine a first distance between the robot and the first positioning circuit according to the delay; a second distance determination module configured to determine a second distance between the robot and the second positioning circuit according to a time delay between when the second positioning circuit transmits the second request message and when it receives the second response message after the second positioning circuit receives the second response message; a position determination module configured to determine a position of the robot relative to the charging pile according to the first distance and the second distance; and a guidance module configured to transmit information regarding the position to the robot, whereby the robot adjusts its path according to the position to complete docking of the robot to the charging pile.

[0012] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a control device for performing guidance, the control device comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor and storing program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to implement a control method according to any one of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0013] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a charging pile, the charging pile including: a control device for performing guidance according to any one of the above-described embodiments; a first communication circuit configured to transmit a guidance request transmitted by the robot to the control device for performing guidance and to transmit information regarding the position determined by the control device for performing guidance to the robot; a first positioning circuit configured to transmit a first request message at a predetermined period in accordance with a trigger command transmitted by the control device for performing guidance and to receive a first response message transmitted by the robot simultaneously with receiving the first request message; and a second positioning circuit configured to transmit a second request message at a predetermined period in accordance with a trigger command transmitted by the control device for performing guidance and to receive a second response message transmitted by the robot simultaneously with receiving the second request message.

[0014] In some embodiments, the charging pile further comprises a signal transmitter and a signal receiver configured to receive a signal transmitted by the signal transmitter, and the signal receiver cannot receive the signal transmitted by the signal transmitter under circumstances in which the charging electrodes of the robot are in contact with the charging electrodes of the charging pile.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first communication circuit is further configured to send a guidance termination command sent by the guidance control device to the robot, the first positioning circuit is further configured to stop sending the first request message in accordance with a trigger command sent by the control device for performing guidance, and the second positioning circuit is further configured to stop sending the second request message in accordance with a trigger command sent by the control device for performing guidance.

[0016] According to a fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a control method for guidance executed by a robot control device, the control method including the steps of: detecting whether the robot is currently within a preset guidance range while approaching a charging pile; entering a guidance mode when the robot is currently within the preset guidance range; transmitting a guidance request message to the charging pile, whereby a third positioning circuit transmits a first response message to the charging pile after receiving a first request transmitted by the charging pile, and transmitting a second response message to the charging pile after receiving a second request transmitted by the charging pile; adjusting a route according to the position after receiving information regarding the position transmitted by the charging pile; and driving a moving mechanism according to the route, whereby the robot docks with the charging pile.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first response message includes a time of the third positioning circuit for receiving the first request message and a time of the third positioning circuit for sending the first response message, and the second response message includes a time of the third positioning circuit for receiving the second request message and a time of the third positioning circuit for sending the second response message.

[0018] In some embodiments, the control method further includes the step of exiting the induction mode under the condition that an induction termination command transmitted by the charging pile is received.

[0019] According to a sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a robot control device, the robot control device including: a mode conversion module configured to detect whether the robot is currently within a preset guidance range while approaching a charging pile, and to enter a guidance mode when the robot is currently within the preset guidance range; a guidance request module configured to send a guidance request message to the charging pile, whereby the third positioning circuit sends a first response message to the charging pile after receiving a first request sent by the charging pile, and sends a second response message to the charging pile after receiving a second request sent by the charging pile; a path adjustment module configured to adjust a path according to a position after receiving information regarding the position sent by the charging pile; and a drive module configured to drive a moving mechanism according to the path, whereby the robot docks with the charging pile.

[0020] According to a seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a robot control device comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor and storing program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to implement a control method according to any one of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0021] According to an eighth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a robot is provided, comprising: a robot control device according to any one of the above-described embodiments; a second communication circuit configured to send a guidance request message sent by the robot control device to a charging pile and to send information regarding the location sent by the charging pile to the robot control device; a third positioning circuit configured to send a first response message to the charging pile after receiving a first request sent by the charging pile and to send a second response message to the charging pile after receiving a second request sent by the charging pile; and a movement mechanism configured to drive the robot to move according to a path provided by the robot control device.

[0022] According to a ninth aspect according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the control method according to any one of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0023] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without inventive efforts. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic flow diagram of a control method for providing guidance according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a robot performing positioning according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3]FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a control device for performing guidance according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a control device for performing guidance according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a charging pile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating a control method for providing guidance according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a robot control device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a robot control device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a robot according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure have been clearly and completely described with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and it is clear that the described embodiments are only a part, not all, of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its applications, or uses. All other embodiments that can be derived from the embodiments disclosed herein by those skilled in the art without inventive steps are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0027] The relative arrangement of parts and steps, formulas, and numerical values ​​described in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise specified.

[0028] However, it should be understood that the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual proportions for the sake of convenience.

[0029] Techniques, methods, and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail but are intended to be part of this specification where appropriate.

[0030] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any particular values ​​should be considered as examples only and not as limitations, and thus other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0031] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters indicate like items in subsequent figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be discussed further in subsequent figures.

[0032] Through research, the inventors have found that in related technologies, the robot is unable to accurately determine the position of the charging pile on its way back to the pile, and as a result, the robot fails to return to the pile.

[0033] In view of the above, the present disclosure provides a guidance control scheme that enables a robot to quickly and accurately return to a charging pile and reliably charge.

[0034] 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a control method for providing guidance according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the following steps of the control method for providing guidance are performed by a control device for providing guidance to a charging pile.

[0035] In step 101, after receiving a guidance request message sent by the robot, a first positioning circuit is triggered to send a first request message at a preset period, and a second positioning circuit is triggered to send a second request message at a preset period, so that the robot sends a first response message after receiving the first request message, and sends a second response message after receiving the second request message.

[0036] The robot detects whether it is currently within a preset guidance range while approaching the charging pile, and if it is currently within the preset guidance range, the robot transmits a guidance request message to the charging pile.

[0037] In step 102, a first distance between the robot and the first positioning circuit is determined according to a time delay between when the first positioning circuit transmits the first request message and when the first positioning circuit receives the first response message after the first positioning circuit receives the first response message.

[0038] In some embodiments, by extracting a first transmission time at which the first request message is transmitted by the first positioning circuit and a first reception time at which the first response message is received by the first positioning circuit, the first distance is calculated from the difference between the first reception time and the first transmission time.

[0039] For example, if the first transmission time is Tb1 and the first reception time is Tb2, the first distance R1 is R1=c×[Tb2−Tb1] / 2, where c is the electromagnetic wave propagation speed.

[0040] In some embodiments, a second receive time at which the robot receives the first request message and a second send time at which the robot sends the first response message are extracted from the first response message, a first difference between the first receive time and the first send time, and a second difference between the second send time and the second receive time are then calculated, and the first distance is calculated based on the difference between the first difference and the second difference.

[0041] Therefore, for example, if the first transmission time is Tb1, the first reception time is Tb2, the second reception time is Tba1, and the second transmission time is Tba2, the first distance R1 is R1=c×[(Tb2−Tb1)−(Tba2−Tba1)] / 2.

[0042] In step 103, a second distance between the robot and the second positioning circuit is determined according to a time delay between when the second positioning circuit transmits the second request message and when the second positioning circuit receives the second response message after the second positioning circuit receives the second response message.

[0043] In some embodiments, by extracting a third transmission time at which the second request message is transmitted by the second positioning circuit and a third reception time at which the second response message is received by the second positioning circuit, the second distance is calculated from the difference between the third reception time and the third transmission time.

[0044] For example, if the third transmission time is Tc1 and the third reception time is Tc2, the second distance R2 is R2=c×[Tc2−Tc1] / 2.

[0045] In some embodiments, a fourth receive time at which the robot receives the second request message and a fourth send time at which the robot sends the second response message are extracted from the second response message, and then a third difference between the third receive time and the third send time, and a fourth difference between the fourth send time and the fourth receive time are calculated, and the second distance is calculated from the difference between the third difference and the fourth difference.

[0046] Therefore, for example, if the third transmission time is Tc1, the third reception time is Tc2, the fourth reception time is Tca1, and the fourth transmission time is Tca2, the second distance R2 is R2=c×[(Tc2-Tc1)-(Tca2-Tca1)] / 2.

[0047] In step 104, the position of the robot relative to the charging pile is determined according to the first distance and the second distance.

[0048] In some embodiments, a first circular trajectory is determined by taking the position of the first positioning circuit as the circle center and the first distance as the radius, and a second circular trajectory is determined by taking the position of the second positioning circuit as the circle center and the second distance as the radius, and the intersection of the first circular trajectory and the second circular trajectory is taken as the position of the robot relative to the charging pile.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a robot performing positioning according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0050] 2, the charging pile 21 includes a first positioning circuit 211 and a second positioning circuit 212. The robot 22 includes a third positioning circuit 221. According to the above process, it can be determined that the distance between the robot 22 and the first positioning circuit 211 is R1, and the distance between the robot 22 and the second positioning circuit 212 is R2. The robot 22 is positioned on a circular orbit C1 by taking the first positioning circuit 211 as the circle center and R1 as the radius, and is also positioned on a circular orbit C2 by taking the second positioning circuit 212 as the circle center and R2 as the radius. The relative position (X, Y) of the robot with respect to the charging pile can be determined by calculating the intersection of the two circular orbits using the following equation, where the distance between the first positioning circuit 211 and the second positioning circuit 212 is 2L: X 2 +(YL) 2 =R1 2 X 2 +(Y+L) 2 =R2 2

[0051] In step 105, the information about the position is sent to the robot, so that the robot adjusts its path according to the position to complete the docking of the robot to the charging pile.

[0052] In the control method for guidance provided in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure, the charging pile interacts with the robot to determine the robot's position relative to the charging pile, and the robot adjusts its path according to the position in a timely manner to ensure that the robot returns to the charging pile quickly and accurately to charge.

[0053] In some embodiments, it is detected whether the signal receiver can receive the signal transmitted by the signal transmitter, and the signal receiver cannot receive the signal transmitted by the signal transmitter under a circumstance where the charging electrodes of the robot are in contact with the charging electrodes of the charging pile, and if the signal receiver cannot receive the signal transmitted by the signal transmitter, which means that the charging electrodes of the robot are in contact with the charging electrodes of the charging pile, the first positioning circuit is triggered to stop transmitting the first request message, the second positioning circuit is triggered to stop transmitting the second request message, and a guidance termination command is sent to the robot.

[0054] 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a control device for guiding according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the control device for guiding includes a triggering module 31, a first distance determining module 32, a second distance determining module 33, a position determining module 34, and a guiding module 35.

[0055] The triggering module 31 is configured to trigger the first positioning circuit to send a first request message at a preset period after receiving a guidance request message sent by the robot, and to trigger the second positioning circuit to send a second request message at a preset period, so that the robot sends a first response message after receiving the first request message, and sends a second response message after receiving the second request message.

[0056] The first distance determination module 32 is configured to determine a first distance between the robot and the first positioning circuit after the first positioning circuit receives the first response message according to a time delay between when the first positioning circuit transmits the first request message and when it receives the first response message.

[0057] In some embodiments, by extracting a first transmission time at which the first request message is transmitted by the first positioning circuit and a first reception time at which the first response message is received by the first positioning circuit, the first distance determination module 32 calculates a first distance based on the difference between the first reception time and the first transmission time.

[0058] In some embodiments, the first distance determination module 32 extracts a second receive time at which the robot receives the first request message and a second transmit time at which the robot transmits the first response message from the first response message, then a first difference between the first receive time and the first transmit time and a second difference between the second transmit time and the second receive time are calculated, and the first distance is calculated based on the difference between the first difference and the second difference.

[0059] The second distance determination module 33 is configured to determine a second distance between the robot and the second positioning circuit after the second positioning circuit receives the second response message according to a time delay between when the second positioning circuit transmits the second request message and when it receives the second response message.

[0060] In some embodiments, by extracting a third transmission time at which the second request message is transmitted by the second positioning circuit and a third reception time at which the second response message is received by the second positioning circuit, the second distance determination module 33 calculates the second distance according to the difference between the third reception time and the third transmission time.

[0061] In some embodiments, the second distance determination module 33 extracts a fourth receive time at which the robot receives the second request message and a fourth transmit time at which the robot transmits the second response message from the second response message, and then calculates a third difference between the third receive time and the third transmit time, and a fourth difference between the fourth transmit time and the fourth receive time, thereby calculating the second distance from the difference between the third difference and the fourth difference.

[0062] The position determination module 34 is configured to determine a position of the robot relative to the charging pile according to the first distance and the second distance.

[0063] In some embodiments, the position determination module 34 determines a first circular trajectory by taking the position of the first positioning circuit as the circle center and the first distance as the radius, and determines a second circular trajectory by taking the position of the second positioning circuit as the circle center and the second distance as the radius. The intersection of the first and second circular trajectories is taken as the position of the robot relative to the charging pile.

[0064] The guidance module 35 is configured to transmit information about the position to the robot, so that the robot adjusts its path according to the position to complete the docking of the robot to the charging pile.

[0065] 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a control device for performing guidance according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, the control device for performing guidance includes a memory 41 and a processor 42.

[0066] A memory 41 is used to store instructions, and a processor 42 is coupled to the memory 41, the processor 42 being configured to perform a method according to any of the embodiments in FIG. 1 based on the instructions stored in the memory.

[0067] 4, the control device for providing guidance further includes a communication interface 43 for information interaction with other devices, while the control device for performing guidance further includes a bus 44, through which the processor 42, the communication interface 43, and the memory 41 communicate with each other.

[0068] The memory 41 may include a high-speed RAM memory and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk memory. The memory 41 may also be a memory array. The memory 41 may also be partitioned into blocks, and the blocks may be combined into virtual volumes according to certain rules.

[0069] Furthermore, processor 42 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0070] The present disclosure also relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement a method according to any one of the embodiments in FIG.

[0071] 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a charging pile according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the charging pile includes a control device for performing guidance 51, a first communication circuit 52, a first positioning circuit 53, and a second positioning circuit 54. The control device for performing guidance 51 is the control device for performing guidance according to any one of the embodiments in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4.

[0072] The first communication circuit 52 is configured to transmit a guidance request sent by the robot to the control device 51 for performing guidance, and to transmit information regarding the position determined by the control device 51 for performing guidance to the robot.

[0073] The first positioning circuit 53 is configured to transmit a first request message in a predetermined cycle in accordance with a trigger command transmitted by the guidance control device 51, and to receive a first response message transmitted by the robot simultaneously with receiving the first request message.

[0074] The second positioning circuit 54 is configured to transmit a second request message in a predetermined cycle in accordance with a trigger command transmitted by the control device 51 for guidance, and to receive a second response message transmitted by the robot simultaneously with receiving the second request message.

[0075] In some embodiments, the first communication circuit 52 communicates using LoRa communication technology, and the first positioning circuit 53 and the second positioning circuit 54 use ultra-wideband (UWB) communication technology.

[0076] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, the charging pile further includes a signal transmitter 55 and a signal receiver 56 .

[0077] The signal receiver 56 is configured to receive the signal transmitted by the signal transmitter 55. The signal receiver 56 cannot receive the signal transmitted by the signal transmitter 55 under the condition that the charging electrode of the robot is in contact with the charging electrode of the charging pile.

[0078] In some embodiments, signal transmitter 55 transmits an infrared signal and signal receiver 56 receives the infrared signal.

[0079] In some embodiments, the first communication circuit 52 is further configured to transmit to the robot a guidance end command transmitted by the guidance control device 51. The first positioning circuit 53 is also configured to stop transmitting the first request message in accordance with a trigger command transmitted by the control device 51 for performing guidance. The second positioning circuit 54 is further configured to stop transmitting the second request message in accordance with a trigger command transmitted by the control device 51 for performing guidance.

[0080] 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a control method for providing guidance according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the following steps of the control method for providing guidance are performed by a robot control device within the robot.

[0081] In step 601, while the robot is approaching the charging pile, it is detected whether the robot is within a preset guidance range.

[0082] In step 602, the robot enters the guidance mode under the condition that the robot is currently within a preset guidance range.

[0083] In step 603, a guidance request message is sent to the charging pile, so that the third positioning circuit sends a first response message to the charging pile after receiving the first request sent by the charging pile, and sends a second response message to the charging pile after receiving the second request sent by the charging pile.

[0084] In some embodiments, the first response message includes a time of the third positioning circuit for receiving the first request message and a time of the third positioning circuit for transmitting the first response message, and the second response message includes a time of the third positioning circuit for receiving the second request message and a time of the third positioning circuit for transmitting the second response message.

[0085] In step 604, the route is adjusted according to the location after receiving the information about the route transmitted by the charging pile.

[0086] In step 605, the movement mechanism is driven along the adjusted path, which will cause the robot to dock with the charging pile.

[0087] In some embodiments, the induction mode is exited upon receiving an induction termination command transmitted by the charging pile.

[0088] 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a robot control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, the robot control device includes a mode conversion module 71, a guidance request module 72, a path adjustment module 73, and a driving module 74.

[0089] The mode conversion module 71 is configured to detect whether the robot is currently within a preset guidance range while approaching the charging pile, and to enter the guidance module under the condition that the robot is currently within the preset guidance range.

[0090] The guidance request module 72 is configured to send a guidance request message to the charging pile, whereby the third positioning circuit sends a first response message to the charging pile after receiving a first request sent by the charging pile, and sends a second response message to the charging pile after receiving a second request sent by the charging pile.

[0091] In some embodiments, the first response message includes a time of the third positioning circuit for receiving the first request message and a time of the third positioning circuit for transmitting the first response message, and the second response message includes a time of the third positioning circuit for receiving the second request message and a time of the third positioning circuit for transmitting the second response message.

[0092] The path adjustment module 73 is configured to adjust the path according to the location after receiving the information about the location transmitted by the charging pile.

[0093] The drive module 74 is configured to drive the locomotion mechanism according to a path whereby the robot docks with the charging pile.

[0094] In some embodiments, if the mode conversion module 71 receives an end-of-guiding command sent by the charging pile, the mode conversion module 71 exits the guiding mode.

[0095] Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a robot control device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, the robot control device includes a memory 81, a processor 82, a communication interface 83, and a bus 84. Figure 8 differs from Figure 4 in that, in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the processor 82 is configured to perform the method in any of the embodiments of Figure 6 based on instructions stored in the memory.

[0096] The present disclosure also relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement a method according to any one of the embodiments of FIG.

[0097] 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a robot according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 9, the robot includes a robot control device 91, a second communication circuit 92, a third positioning circuit 93, and a movement mechanism 94. The robot control device 91 is the robot control device according to any one of the embodiments in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

[0098] The second communication circuit 92 is configured to transmit the guidance request message sent by the robot control device 91 to the charging pile and to transmit information regarding the position sent by the charging pile to the robot control device 91.

[0099] The third positioning circuit 93 is configured to send a first response message to the charging pile after receiving a first request sent by the charging pile, and to send a second response message to the charging pile after receiving a second request sent by the charging pile.

[0100] In some embodiments, the first response message includes a time of the third positioning circuit for receiving the first request message and a time of the third positioning circuit for transmitting the first response message, and the second response message includes a time of the third positioning circuit for receiving the second request message and a time of the third positioning circuit for transmitting the second response message.

[0101] In some embodiments, the second communication circuit 92 employs LoRa communication technology for communication, and the third positioning circuit 93 employs UWB communication technology.

[0102] The movement mechanism 94 is configured to drive the robot to move according to a path provided by the robot control device.

[0103] In some embodiments, the functional unit modules described above may be implemented as a general-purpose processor, a programmable logic controller (PLC), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any suitable combination thereof for performing the functions described in this disclosure.

[0104] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or part of the steps for implementing the above embodiments may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware relating to instructions of a program, however, the program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and the storage medium may be a read-only memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0105] The description of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The embodiments have been chosen and described in order to best explain the principles and practical application of the disclosure and to enable those skilled in the art to understand the disclosure in various embodiments, along with various modifications suitable for the particular uses contemplated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 21 Charging Pile 22 Robot 31 Triggering Module 32 First Distance Determination Module 33 Second distance determination module 34 Positioning Module 35 Guidance Module 41 memory 42 processors 43 Communication Interface 44 Bus 51 Control equipment 52 First communication circuit 53 First Positioning Circuit 54 Second positioning circuit 55 Signal Transmitter 56 Signal Receiver 71 Mode Conversion Module 72 Guidance Request Module 73 Route Adjustment Module 74 Drive Module 81 memory 82 processors 83 Communication Interface 84 Bus 91 Robot control equipment 92 Second communication circuit 93 Third Positioning Circuit 94 Moving mechanism 211 First Positioning Circuit 212 Second Positioning Circuit 221 Third Positioning Circuit C1, C2 circular orbit R1 distance, first distance R2 distance, second distance

Claims

1. A control method for performing guidance, which is executed by a control device to perform guidance on a charging pile, comprising: triggering a first positioning circuit to send a first request message at a preset period after receiving a guidance request message sent by a robot, and triggering a second positioning circuit to send a second request message at the preset period, so that the robot sends a first response message after receiving the first request message, and sends a second response message after receiving the second request message; After the first positioning circuit receives the first response message, determining a first distance between the robot and the first positioning circuit according to a time delay between when the first positioning circuit transmits the first request message and when the first positioning circuit receives the first response message; After the second positioning circuit receives the second response message, determining a second distance between the robot and the second positioning circuit according to a time delay between when the second positioning circuit transmits the second request message and when the second positioning circuit receives the second response message; determining a position of the robot relative to the charging pile according to the first distance and the second distance; transmitting information about the location to the robot, whereby the robot adjusts its path according to the location to complete docking of the robot to the charging pile; A control method comprising:

2. detecting whether a signal receiver receives a signal transmitted by a signal transmitter, wherein the signal receiver cannot receive the signal transmitted by the signal transmitter under a condition where a charging electrode of the robot is in contact with a charging electrode of the charging pile; triggering the first positioning circuit to stop transmitting the first request message, triggering the second positioning circuit to stop transmitting the second request message, and sending a guidance end command to the robot under a circumstance in which the signal receiver cannot receive the signal transmitted by the signal transmitter; The control method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. determining a first distance between the robot and the first positioning circuit; extracting a first transmission time of the first positioning circuit for transmitting the first request message and a first reception time of the first positioning circuit for receiving the first response message; calculating the first distance according to a difference between the first reception time and the first transmission time; The control method of claim 1, comprising:

4. determining a first distance between the robot and the first positioning circuit; extracting from the first response message a second receive time of the robot for receiving the first request message and a second send time of the robot for sending the first response message; The step of calculating the first distance comprises: calculating a first difference between the first received time and the first sent time, and a second difference between the second sent time and the second received time; calculating the first distance according to a difference between the first difference and the second difference; The control method according to claim 3.

5. determining a second distance between the robot and the second positioning circuit; extracting a third transmission time of the second positioning circuit for transmitting the second request message and a third reception time of the second positioning circuit for receiving the second response message; calculating the second distance according to a difference between the third reception time and the third transmission time; The control method according to claim 1.

6. determining a second distance between the robot and the second positioning circuit; extracting from the second response message a fourth receive time of the robot for receiving the second request message and a fourth send time of the robot for sending the second response message; The step of calculating the second distance comprises: calculating a third difference between the third receive time and the third send time, and a fourth difference between the fourth send time and the fourth receive time; and calculating the second distance according to a difference between the third difference and the fourth difference. The control method according to claim 5.

7. determining a position of the robot relative to the charging pile according to the first distance and the second distance, determining a first circular orbit by taking the location of the first positioning circuit as a circle center and the first distance as a radius; determining a second circular orbit by taking the location of the second positioning circuit as a circle center and the second distance as a radius; taking an intersection of the first circular trajectory and the second circular trajectory as the position of the robot relative to the charging pile; The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising:

8. A control device for performing guidance, a triggering module configured to trigger a first positioning circuit to send a first request message at a preset period after receiving a guidance request message sent by a robot, and to trigger a second positioning circuit to send a second request message at the preset period, so that the robot sends a first response message after receiving the first request message, and sends a second response message after receiving the second request message; a first distance determination module configured to, after the first positioning circuit receives the first response message, determine a first distance between the robot and the first positioning circuit according to a time delay between the first positioning circuit transmitting the first request message and the first positioning circuit receiving the first response message; a second distance determination module configured to, after the second positioning circuit receives the second response message, determine a second distance between the robot and the second positioning circuit according to a time delay between the second positioning circuit transmitting the second request message and the second response message being received by the second positioning circuit; a position determination module configured to determine a position of the robot relative to a charging pile according to the first distance and the second distance; a guidance module configured to transmit information about the location to the robot, whereby the robot adjusts its path according to the location to complete docking of the robot to the charging pile; A control device comprising:

9. A control device for performing guidance, a processor; a memory coupled to said processor and storing program instructions that, when executed by said processor, cause said processor to implement the control method of any one of claims 1 to 7; A control device comprising:

10. A charging pile, a control device for performing the guidance according to claim 8 or 9; a first communication circuit configured to transmit a guidance request sent by the robot to the control device for guidance and to transmit information about the position determined by the control device for guidance to the robot; a first positioning circuit configured to transmit a first request message at a preset period in accordance with a trigger command transmitted by the control device for guiding, and to receive a first response message transmitted by the robot simultaneously with receiving the first request message; a second positioning circuit configured to transmit a second request message at a preset period in accordance with a trigger command transmitted by the control device for guiding, and to receive a second response message transmitted by the robot simultaneously with receiving the second request message; Equipped with a charging pile.

11. A signal transmitter; a signal receiver configured to receive a signal transmitted by the signal transmitter, wherein the signal receiver cannot receive the signal transmitted by the signal transmitter under a condition in which a charging electrode of the robot is in contact with a charging electrode of the charging pile; and The charging pile of claim 10 further comprising:

12. The first communication circuit is further configured to transmit a guidance termination command transmitted by the guidance control device to the robot; the first positioning circuit is further configured to stop transmitting the first request message according to a trigger command sent by the control device for guiding; the second positioning circuit is further configured to stop transmitting the second request message according to a trigger command sent by the control device for guiding; 12. The charging pile according to claim 11.

13. A control method for performing guidance executed by a robot control device, comprising: Detecting whether the robot is currently within a preset guidance range while approaching a charging pile; entering a guidance mode under a condition that the robot is currently within the preset guidance range; sending a guidance request message to the charging pile, whereby a third positioning circuit sends a first response message to the charging pile after receiving a first request message sent by the charging pile; and sending a second response message to the charging pile after receiving a second request message sent by the charging pile; adjusting the route according to the location after receiving information about the location transmitted by the charging pile; driving a movement mechanism according to the path, whereby the robot docks with the charging pile; A control method comprising:

14. the first response message includes a time of the third positioning circuit for receiving the first request message and a time of the third positioning circuit for transmitting the first response message; the second response message includes a time of the third positioning circuit for receiving the second request message and a time of the third positioning circuit for transmitting the second response message; The control method according to claim 13.

15. Exiting the induction mode under the condition that an induction termination command transmitted by the charging pile is received.

15. The control method according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising:

16. A robot control device, a mode conversion module configured to detect whether the robot is currently within a preset guidance range while approaching a charging pile, and to enter a guidance mode when the robot is currently within the preset guidance range; a guidance request module configured to send a guidance request message to the charging pile, whereby a third positioning circuit sends a first response message to the charging pile after receiving a first request message sent by the charging pile, and sends a second response message to the charging pile after receiving a second request message sent by the charging pile; a path adjustment module configured to adjust a path according to a location after receiving information about the location transmitted by the charging pile; a drive module configured to drive a movement mechanism according to the path, whereby the robot docks with the charging pile; and A robot control device comprising:

17. A robot control device, a processor; a memory coupled to said processor and storing program instructions that, when executed by said processor, cause said processor to implement a control method according to any one of claims 13 to 15; A robot control device comprising:

18. A robot, a robot control device according to claim 16 or 17; a second communication circuit configured to transmit a guidance request message transmitted by the robot control device to the charging pile and to transmit information regarding the location transmitted by the charging pile to the robot control device; a third positioning circuit configured to send a first response message to the charging pile after receiving a first request message sent by the charging pile, and to send a second response message to the charging pile after receiving a second request message sent by the charging pile; a movement mechanism configured to drive the robot to move according to a path provided by the robot control device; A robot equipped with:

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the control method of any one of claims 1 to 7 and claims 13 to 15.

20. A computer program configured to cause a processor to carry out the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 and claims 13 to 15.

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