Self-moving apparatus control method, self-moving apparatus and computer-readable medium

Abstract

Provided in the present invention are a self-moving apparatus control method, a self-moving apparatus and a computer-readable medium. The method comprises: identifying a narrow passage in a costmap; determining whether the identified narrow passage is an ultra-narrow passage; for an ultra-narrow passage, carrying out coverage cutting by using a bidirectional edge-following cutting strategy; and for a narrow passage that is not ultra-narrow, carrying out coverage cutting by using a boustrophedon coverage strategy. The present invention respectively uses different coverage planning strategies for different types of narrow passages, not only considering passing conditions of self-moving apparatuses in narrow passages, but also considering the edge-following cutting coverage condition and internal cutting coverage condition, thereby solving the coverage planning problems of self-moving apparatuses performing cutting in narrow passages.

Description

A method for controlling a self-moving device, a self-moving device, and a computer-readable medium Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of coverage planning for self-moving equipment, and in particular to a method and system for planning narrow channel coverage for self-moving equipment. Background Art

[0002] Self-propelled devices, such as robotic lawn mowers, can help people mow large lawns and maintain vegetation, thereby reducing manual labor and saving human resources. Lawns are laid according to specific terrain and are usually irregular in shape, requiring the mowing area to be divided.

[0003] A certain area width is required for bow-shaped coverage cutting by a self-moving device. When there are narrow passages in the partition, it is difficult for the self-moving device to perform bow-shaped planning. Therefore, some special strategies are needed to complete the coverage and cutting of the narrow passages.

[0004] In the existing technologies, for the situation of narrow passages, some only consider the passage through narrow passages without considering the coverage cutting problem, while some only consider the edge cutting coverage without considering the internal coverage planning. Therefore, it is difficult to meet the coverage planning requirements of self-mobile equipment in narrow passages.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and system for planning coverage of narrow channels for self-moving equipment, so as to solve the coverage planning problem of self-moving equipment when cutting narrow channels.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] In one aspect, a method for controlling a self-propelled device is provided, the method comprising the following steps:

[0009] When the self-moving device is running in an extremely narrow channel, the self-moving device adopts a bidirectional edge cutting strategy to perform covering cutting;

[0010] When the self-moving device is running in a non-extremely narrow channel, a planned coverage cutting strategy is adopted to perform coverage cutting.

[0011] Preferably, the method further includes: obtaining a narrow passage, and determining whether the narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage, specifically including:

[0012] Assume the width of the mobile device is P;

[0013] If the narrowest distance Ymin of the narrow channel is less than or equal to a*P, the narrow channel is an extremely narrow channel; if Ymin>a*P, the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel; wherein a is a value between [0.5-2].

[0014] Preferably, the method further comprises: wherein the planned covering cutting strategy comprises a bow-shaped covering strategy.

[0015] Preferably, the method further comprises: assuming that the width of the mobile device is P and the width required for the U-turn is Q;

[0016] If the narrowest distance Ymin of the narrow channel is less than or equal to min(P, Q), the narrow channel is an extremely narrow channel; if Ymin>min(P, Q), the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel.

[0017] Preferably, the method further comprises:

[0018] If the narrowest distance Ymin of the narrow channel is less than or equal to X, the narrow channel is an extremely narrow channel; if Ymin>X, the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel; wherein X is a value between 20 cm and 150 cm.

[0019] Preferably, for an extremely narrow channel, one side of the extremely narrow channel is region A, and the other side is region B; the method further comprises:

[0020] When the self-moving device moves from area A to area B through the extremely narrow passage, it walks along a route that is a first fixed distance from one side of the extremely narrow passage to reach area B; and, or

[0021] When the self-moving device travels from area B to area A through the extremely narrow passage, it reaches area A along a route that is a second fixed distance from the other side of the extremely narrow passage.

[0022] Preferably, the first fixed distance and the second distance have the same or different values, and the first fixed distance and the second distance are values ​​between 10 cm and 50 cm.

[0023] Preferably, the width of the self-moving device is set to P; when the self-moving device passes through an extremely narrow channel, the distance between the self-moving device and the edge of the extremely narrow channel is greater than or equal to b*P, where b is a value between [0.2-0.6].

[0024] In another aspect, a self-mobile device is provided, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program executable on the processor, and when the processor executes the computer program, the following steps are performed:

[0025] When the self-moving device is running in an extremely narrow channel, the self-moving device adopts a bidirectional edge cutting strategy to perform covering cutting;

[0026] When the self-moving device is running in a non-extremely narrow channel, a planned coverage cutting strategy is adopted to perform coverage cutting.

[0027] Preferably, the method further includes: obtaining a narrow passage, and determining whether the narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage, specifically including:

[0028] Assume the width of the mobile device is P;

[0029] If the narrowest distance Ymin of the narrow channel is less than or equal to a*P, the narrow channel is an extremely narrow channel; if Ymin>a*P, the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel; wherein a is a value between [0.5-2].

[0030] Preferably, the method further comprises: wherein the planned covering cutting strategy comprises a bow-shaped covering strategy; the method further comprises: assuming that the width of the mobile device body is P, and the width required for the bow-shaped U-turn is Q;

[0031] If the narrowest distance Ymin of the narrow channel is less than or equal to min(P, Q), the narrow channel is an extremely narrow channel; if Ymin>min(P, Q), the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel.

[0032] Preferably, the method further comprises:

[0033] If the narrowest distance Ymin of the narrow channel is less than or equal to X, the narrow channel is an extremely narrow channel; if Ymin>X, the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel; wherein X is a value between 20 cm and 150 cm.

[0034] Preferably, for an extremely narrow channel, one side of the extremely narrow channel is region A, and the other side is region B; the method further comprises:

[0035] When the self-moving device moves from area A to area B through the extremely narrow passage, it walks along a route that is a first fixed distance from one side of the extremely narrow passage to reach area B; and, or

[0036] When the self-moving device travels from area B to area A through the extremely narrow passage, it reaches area A along a route that is a second fixed distance from the other side of the extremely narrow passage.

[0037] Preferably, the width of the self-moving device is set to P; when the self-moving device passes through an extremely narrow channel, the distance between the self-moving device and the edge of the extremely narrow channel is greater than or equal to b*P, where b is a value between [0.2-0.6].

[0038] In another aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, which has a non-volatile program code executable by a processor, wherein the program code causes the processor to perform the following steps:

[0039] When the self-moving device is running in an extremely narrow channel, the self-moving device adopts a bidirectional edge cutting strategy to perform covering cutting;

[0040] When the self-moving device is running in a non-extremely narrow channel, a planned coverage cutting strategy is adopted to perform coverage cutting.

[0041] Preferably, the method further includes: obtaining a narrow passage, and determining whether the narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage, specifically including:

[0042] Assume the width of the mobile device is P;

[0043] If the narrowest distance Ymin of the narrow channel is less than or equal to a*P, the narrow channel is an extremely narrow channel; if Ymin>a*P, the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel; wherein a is a value between [0.5-2].

[0044] Preferably, the method further comprises: wherein the planned covering cutting strategy comprises a bow-shaped covering strategy; the method further comprises: assuming that the width of the mobile device body is P, and the width required for the bow-shaped U-turn is Q;

[0045] If the narrowest distance Ymin of the narrow channel is less than or equal to min(P, Q), the narrow channel is an extremely narrow channel; if Ymin>min(P, Q), the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel.

[0046] Preferably, the method further comprises:

[0047] If the narrowest distance Ymin of the narrow channel is less than or equal to X, the narrow channel is an extremely narrow channel; if Ymin>X, the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel; wherein X is a value between 20 cm and 150 cm.

[0048] Preferably, for an extremely narrow channel, one side of the extremely narrow channel is region A, and the other side is region B; the method further comprises:

[0049] When the self-moving device moves from area A to area B through the extremely narrow passage, it walks along a route that is a first fixed distance from one side of the extremely narrow passage to reach area B; and, or

[0050] When the self-moving device travels from area B to area A through the extremely narrow passage, it reaches area A along a route that is a second fixed distance from the other side of the extremely narrow passage.

[0051] Preferably, the width of the self-moving device is set to P; when the self-moving device passes through an extremely narrow channel, the distance between the self-moving device and the edge of the extremely narrow channel is greater than or equal to b*P, where b is a value between [0.2-0.6].

[0052] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0053] The present invention provides a control method for a self-moving device, a self-moving device, and a computer-readable medium. The method first identifies narrow passages in a costmap; then determines whether the identified narrow passages are extremely narrow. For extremely narrow passages, a bidirectional edge-cutting strategy is used for coverage cutting; for non-extremely narrow passages, a bow-shaped coverage strategy is used for coverage cutting. The present invention employs different coverage planning strategies for different types of narrow passages, taking into account not only the passage conditions of the self-moving device in the narrow passage, but also the edge-cutting coverage and internal cutting coverage, thus solving the coverage planning problem of the self-moving device when cutting through narrow passages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0055] FIG1 is a flow chart of a method for planning narrow channel coverage of a self-mobile device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of identifying the position and width of a narrow passage provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an extremely narrow channel coverage planning scenario provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a non-extremely narrow channel coverage planning scenario provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0059] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a narrow channel coverage planning system for a self-moving device provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] To make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the described embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0061] An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for planning narrow channel coverage of a self-moving device, as shown in FIG1 , the method comprising the following steps:

[0062] S1. Identify narrow passages in the costmap. As shown in Figure 2, this step specifically includes:

[0063] S11. The entire costmap consists of three parts: a boundary point with a first identifier, an interior area with a second identifier, i.e., an area inside the boundary, and an exterior area with a third identifier, i.e., an area outside the boundary. Preferably, the entire costmap is divided into the following three parts: a boundary with a value of 1 (consisting of boundary points with a value of 1), an interior area with a value of 2, and an exterior area with a value of 0.

[0064] S12, traverse the entire cost map, find the boundary point with the first identifier, such as the counterclockwise boundary point with a value of 1, and store it in the array;

[0065] S13. Establish a local coordinate system with the boundary point as the origin and the preset boundary direction as the positive direction of the x-axis; preferably, traverse the counterclockwise boundary, and establish the local coordinate system each time with the counterclockwise boundary point as the origin and the counterclockwise boundary direction as the positive direction of the x-axis; in other embodiments, based on the same method, the local coordinate system can also be established with the clockwise boundary point.

[0066] S14. In the local coordinate system, the x coordinate is fixed, and the y coordinate is searched starting from 0 to a preset value M and increasing in sequence. If a boundary point with a first identifier is searched, the boundary point is recorded as the origin, and the y-direction search ends. In a specific embodiment, a point in the local coordinate system where the x coordinate is 0 and the y coordinate increases starting from 0 to the preset value M is searched. If a boundary point with a value of 1 is found, the boundary point is recorded as the origin, and the y-direction search ends. If no boundary point with a value of 1 is found after the preset value M is searched, the search ends, and it is assumed that the boundary point serving as the origin is not in the narrow passage.

[0067] S15. If more than a preset number of boundary points are recorded continuously, the area between the recorded boundary points and the searched boundary points is a narrow passage. In a preferred embodiment, if more than a preset number of boundary points are recorded continuously, the area between the recorded boundary points and the searched boundary points is a narrow passage, and the narrowest distance of the narrow passage is the smallest y coordinate Y among the searched boundary points. min .

[0068] As an optional implementation, the typical value of the preset value M is 20, that is: search for a point in the local coordinate system whose x coordinate is 0 and whose y coordinate increases from 0 to the preset value 20; if the preset value 20 is searched and no boundary point with a value of 1 is encountered, it is considered that the boundary point serving as the origin is not in the narrow channel.

[0069] As an optional implementation, the preset number is 10, that is, if more than 10 boundary points are recorded continuously, the area between the recorded boundary points and the searched boundary points is a narrow channel.

[0070] S2. Determine whether the identified narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage.

[0071] In one embodiment of this step, the width of the mobile device is assumed to be P;

[0072] By searching for boundary points, if the narrowest distance Ymin of the narrow channel is less than or equal to a*P, the narrow channel is an extremely narrow channel; if Ymin is greater than a*P, the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel; where a is a value between [0.5-2], and the specific value can be set according to the actual working conditions or scenarios.

[0073] In another embodiment of this step, the width of the mobile device is P, and the width required for the U-turn is Q.

[0074] If the smallest y coordinate Y among the searched boundary points min <=min(P,Q), then the current narrow channel is judged to be an extremely narrow channel; if Y min >min(P,Q), then the current narrow channel is judged to be a non-extremely narrow narrow channel.

[0075] In another embodiment of this step, a fixed value can be directly set according to the minimum width of the channel in combination with user needs, that is, if the narrowest distance Ymin of the narrow channel is less than or equal to X, the narrow channel is an extremely narrow channel; if Ymin>X, the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel; wherein X is a value between 20 cm and 150. For example, X can be 20 cm, 30 cm, 40 cm, 50 cm, 60 cm, 70 cm, 80 cm, 90 cm, 100 cm, 110 cm, 120 cm, 130 cm, 140 cm, etc., or other values ​​between 20 and 150.

[0076] S3. For extremely narrow channels, a bidirectional edge cutting strategy is used for covering cutting.

[0077] As shown in FIG3 , for an extremely narrow passage, assuming that one side of the extremely narrow passage is area A and the other side is area B, when the self-moving device travels from area A through the extremely narrow passage to area B, it travels along a route at a first fixed distance from one side of the extremely narrow passage to reach area B; and, or

[0078] When the self-moving device travels from area B through the extremely narrow passage to area A, it travels along a route at a second fixed distance from the other side of the extremely narrow passage to reach area A. The first fixed distance and the second fixed distance may be the same or different, and are set according to actual needs.

[0079] Preferably, the bidirectional edge cutting strategy includes:

[0080] S31. When the cutting of area A is completed and the vehicle is heading to area B through the extremely narrow passage, the cutting motor of the self-moving device is turned on to put it in working state, and the vehicle moves from area A along the right side of the extremely narrow passage to the inner side of a quarter of the vehicle width to reach area B; similarly, when heading from area A to area B, the vehicle can also move along the preset distance on the left side of the extremely narrow passage.

[0081] S32. After cutting area B, the cutting motor of the self-moving device is also turned on and put into operation. From area B, the cutting motor moves along the right side of the extremely narrow passage, inward by a quarter of the vehicle width, to reach area A, thus completing the coverage planning of the extremely narrow passage. Similarly, when moving from area B to area A, the cutting motor can also be moved along the preset distance along the left side of the extremely narrow passage.

[0082] S4. For narrow passages that are not extremely narrow, a bow-shaped covering strategy is used for covering and cutting.

[0083] In other embodiments of the above steps, other values ​​can also be set according to the vehicle width so that the self-moving device can pass through the extremely narrow channel according to the set value; specifically, the self-moving device body width is set to P; when the self-moving device passes through the extremely narrow channel, the distance between the right side of the front of the self-moving device and the edge of the extremely narrow channel is greater than or equal to b*P, where b is a value between [0.2-0.6]; thereby ensuring precise control of cutting.

[0084] In other embodiments of the above steps, for an extremely narrow passage, assume that one side of the extremely narrow passage is area A and the other side is area B; the method further includes: when the self-moving device travels from area A through the extremely narrow passage to area B, traveling along a route at a first fixed distance from one side of the extremely narrow passage to reach area B; and / or when the self-moving device travels from area B through the extremely narrow passage to area A, traveling along a route at a second fixed distance from the other side of the extremely narrow passage to reach area A. The first fixed distance and the second distance may be the same or different, and may be between 10 cm and 50 cm.

[0085] As shown in FIG4 , for narrow passages that are not extremely narrow, the bow-shaped coverage strategy includes:

[0086] S41. Integrate non-extremely narrow passages into the entire costmap for partitioning;

[0087] S42. Based on the zoning results, perform bow-shaped coverage planning for the subdivision area where the narrow passage is not extremely narrow;

[0088] S43. The mobile device cuts the narrow passage that is not extremely narrow based on the bow-shaped coverage plan of the subdivision area where it is located.

[0089] In this embodiment of the present invention, narrow passages are first identified in the costmap. A determination is then made as to whether the identified narrow passages are extremely narrow. For extremely narrow passages, a bidirectional edge-cutting strategy is employed for coverage cutting. For non-extremely narrow passages, a bow-shaped coverage strategy is employed for coverage cutting. This invention employs different coverage planning strategies for different types of narrow passages, taking into account not only the passage conditions of self-moving devices in narrow passages, but also the edge-cutting coverage and internal cutting coverage, thus resolving the coverage planning issue for self-moving devices when cutting through narrow passages.

[0090] Accordingly, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a system for planning narrow channel coverage for a self-moving device, as shown in FIG5 , the system comprising:

[0091] Recognition module, used to identify narrow channels in the cost map;

[0092] A judgment module, used to judge whether the identified narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage;

[0093] The first planning module is used to implement covering cutting using a bidirectional edge cutting strategy for extremely narrow channels;

[0094] The second planning module is used to cover and cut narrow passages that are not extremely narrow using a bow-shaped covering strategy.

[0095] The system of this embodiment can be used to execute the technical solution of the method embodiment shown in Figure 1. Its implementation principle and technical effects are similar and will not be repeated here.

[0096] An embodiment of the present invention also provides an electronic device, namely a self-moving device, which may have relatively large differences due to different configurations or performance, and may include one or more processors (central processing units, CPU) and one or more memories, wherein the memory stores at least one instruction, and the at least one instruction is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the steps of the above-mentioned self-moving device narrow channel coverage planning method.

[0097] In an exemplary embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, such as a memory device including instructions. The instructions are executable by a processor in a terminal to implement the aforementioned method for narrow corridor coverage planning for a mobile device. For example, the computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, or optical data storage device.

[0098] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or terminal device that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article, or terminal device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprises a..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or terminal device that includes the element.

[0099] References in the specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," "some embodiments," etc. indicate that the described embodiments may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment may include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. In addition, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is within the knowledge of persons skilled in the relevant art to implement such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described).

[0100] The present invention encompasses any alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and solutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. To provide a thorough understanding of the present invention, specific details are described in detail below in connection with the preferred embodiments of the present invention, but those skilled in the art will be able to fully understand the present invention without these detailed descriptions. Furthermore, to avoid unnecessary confusion regarding the essence of the present invention, well-known methods, processes, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail.

[0101] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps in the above-mentioned embodiment method can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a program, and the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as ROM / RAM, a disk, an optical disk, etc.

[0102] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a self-moving device, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: When the self-moving device runs in an extremely narrow channel, the self-moving device adopts a bidirectional edge cutting strategy to perform covering cutting; When the self-moving device runs in a non-extremely narrow channel, a planned coverage cutting strategy is used to perform coverage cutting.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further includes: obtaining a narrow passage, and determining whether the narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage, specifically including: Assume the width of the mobile device is P; If the narrowest distance Ymin of the narrow channel is less than or equal to a*P, the narrow channel is an extremely narrow channel; if Ymin>a*P, the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel; wherein a is a value between [0.5-2].

3. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method also includes: wherein the planned covering cutting strategy includes a bow-shaped covering strategy.

4. The control method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: assuming that the width of the mobile device is P, and the width required for the bow-shaped U-turn is Q; If the narrowest distance Ymin of the narrow passage is less than or equal to min(P,Q), the narrow passage is an extremely narrow passage; If Ymin>min(P,Q), the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel.

5. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: If the narrowest distance Ymin<=X of the narrow channel, the narrow channel is an extremely narrow channel; if Ymin>X, the narrow channel is a non-extremely narrow narrow channel; wherein X is a value between 20 cm and 150 cm.

6. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: For an extremely narrow channel, it is assumed that one side of the extremely narrow channel is area A and the other side is area B; the method further comprises: When the self-moving device moves from area A to area B through the extremely narrow passage, it walks along a route at a first fixed distance from one side of the extremely narrow passage to reach area B; and, or When the self-moving device goes from area B to area A through the extremely narrow passage, it reaches area A by walking along a route that is a second fixed distance from the other side of the extremely narrow passage.

7. The control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first fixed distance and the second distance may have the same or different values, and the first fixed distance and the second distance may have values ​​between 10 cm and 50 cm.

8. The control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: Assume that the width of the self-moving device is P; when the self-moving device passes through an extremely narrow channel, the distance between the self-moving device and the edge of the extremely narrow channel is greater than or equal to b*P, where b is a value between [0.2-0.6].

9. A self-moving device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, characterized in that: When the processor executes the computer program, the control method described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented.

10. A computer readable medium having a non-volatile program code executable by a processor, characterized in that: The program code enables the processor to execute the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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