Cleaning device control method and apparatus, program product, medium, and cleaning device

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a cleaning device control method and apparatus, a program product, a medium, and a cleaning device. The method comprises: obtaining a plurality of environment image frames collected by a cleaning device during movement; if obstacle information at a same environment position differs across the plurality of environment image frames, controlling the cleaning device to perform an observation action; obtaining a target environment image collected by the cleaning device in the process of performing the observation action; and on the basis of the target environment image, determining whether an obstacle is present at the same environment position. The technical solution provided in the present application can reduce the false recognition rate for obstacles when the cleaning device performs a cleaning task.

Description

Cleaning equipment control methods, devices, procedures, products, media, and cleaning equipment

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application is based on and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410851473.6, filed on June 27, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application belongs to the field of cleaning equipment control technology, and in particular relates to a cleaning equipment control method, device, program product, medium and cleaning equipment. Background Technology

[0004] Some cleaning equipment (such as sweepers and mops) is typically equipped with sensors, such as infrared sensors and microwave sensors, to collect images of the environment surrounding the equipment. During the cleaning process, the equipment analyzes the environmental images collected by the sensors to identify obstacles along its cleaning path and avoid them.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] Embodiments of this application provide a cleaning equipment control method, apparatus, computer program product, computer-readable storage medium, and cleaning equipment, which can at least reduce the misidentification rate of obstacles by the cleaning equipment during the performance of cleaning tasks.

[0007] Other features and advantages of this application will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part from practice of this application.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present application, a cleaning equipment control method is provided, the method comprising: acquiring multiple frames of environmental images collected by the cleaning equipment during its movement; if there are differences in obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multiple frames of environmental images, controlling the cleaning equipment to perform an observation action; acquiring a target environmental image collected by the cleaning equipment during the observation action; and determining, based on the target environmental image, whether there is an obstacle at the same environmental location.

[0009] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the multi-frame environmental image includes a first environmental image and a second environmental image, wherein the acquisition time of the second environmental image is later than the acquisition time of the first environmental image. The method further includes: if there is no obstacle in the first environmental image at the same environmental location, and there is an obstacle in the second environmental image at the same environmental location, then it is determined that there is a difference in the obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multi-frame environmental images.

[0010] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, controlling the cleaning device to perform an observation action includes: acquiring obstacle feature information of the obstacle to be determined and environmental feature information of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located; and controlling the cleaning device to perform an observation action based on the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information.

[0011] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, controlling the cleaning device to perform observation actions according to the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information includes: controlling the cleaning device to adjust its posture and / or position according to the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information, so that the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls into the target field of view of the cleaning device; and controlling the cleaning device to acquire target environmental images.

[0012] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, controlling the cleaning device to adjust its posture and / or position according to the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information includes: if the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is greater than a first preset height, or the obstacle to be determined exceeds the upper edge of the second environmental image, or the height of the obstacle to be determined is greater than a second preset height, then controlling the cleaning device to adjust its body tilt angle to a first tilt angle, wherein the first preset height is a positive value and the first tilt angle is a positive value; controlling the cleaning device to move a first preset distance, and controlling the cleaning device to adjust its observation direction to the direction where the obstacle to be determined is located.

[0013] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the method further includes: if the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to a first preset height and greater than a third preset height, then the cleaning device is controlled to adjust its body height to a fourth preset height, wherein the third preset height is a positive value.

[0014] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the method further includes: if the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to a third preset height and greater than a fifth preset height, then the cleaning device is controlled to adjust its body height to a sixth preset height, wherein the fifth preset height is a negative value and the sixth preset height is less than the fourth preset height.

[0015] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the method further includes: if the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to a fifth preset height, then controlling the cleaning device to adjust its body tilt angle to a second tilt angle, wherein the second tilt angle is a negative value.

[0016] In some embodiments of this application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the multi-frame environmental images include a first environmental image and a second environmental image, wherein the acquisition time of the second environmental image is later than the acquisition time of the first environmental image. The method further includes: if there is an obstacle in the first environmental image at the same environmental location, and there is no obstacle in the second environmental image at the same environmental location, then it is determined that there is a difference in the obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multi-frame environmental images.

[0017] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, controlling the cleaning device to perform an observation action includes: controlling the cleaning device to adjust the posture of its body so that the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls into the target field of view of the cleaning device, thereby controlling the cleaning device to perform an observation action.

[0018] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, controlling the cleaning device to perform observation actions includes: determining multiple observation points within a preset range around the obstacle to be determined, and controlling the cleaning device to perform a surround observation action at the multiple observation points.

[0019] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, controlling the cleaning device to adjust its body posture includes: acquiring obstacle feature information of the obstacle to be determined and environmental feature information of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located; and controlling the cleaning device to adjust its body posture according to the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information.

[0020] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, controlling the cleaning device to adjust its body posture according to the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information includes: if the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is equal to the ground height of the area where the cleaning device is located, and the obstacle to be determined is pet feces, controlling the cleaning device to adjust its body height to the original height, and controlling the cleaning device to adjust its body tilt angle to the original tilt angle.

[0021] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, controlling the cleaning device to perform a circumferential observation action at multiple observation points includes: controlling the cleaning device to move sequentially to each observation point; after moving to each observation point, controlling the cleaning device to adjust its observation direction at each observation point to the direction of the obstacle to be determined, so as to control the cleaning device to acquire target environment images at each observation point.

[0022] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the method further includes: during the process of controlling the cleaning device to move sequentially to each observation point, if the cleaning device collides with the obstacle to be determined, then controlling the cleaning device to stop performing the circling observation action.

[0023] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the method further includes: after controlling the cleaning device to perform the observation action, controlling the cleaning device to return to the initial posture and / or initial position before performing the observation action.

[0024] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the method further includes: if it is determined that there is an obstacle at the same environmental location, then controlling the cleaning equipment to perform an obstacle avoidance action at the same environmental location.

[0025] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this application, a cleaning equipment control device is provided, the device comprising: a first acquisition unit, configured to acquire multiple frames of environmental images collected by the cleaning equipment during its movement; a control unit, configured to control the cleaning equipment to perform an observation action if there are differences in obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multiple frames of environmental images; a second acquisition unit, configured to acquire a target environmental image collected by the cleaning equipment during the observation action; and a determination unit, configured to determine whether an obstacle exists at the same environmental location based on the target environmental image.

[0026] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this application, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product including computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium and adapted to be read and executed by a processor to cause a computer device having the processor to perform an operation as described in any of the first aspects above.

[0027] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, the computer-readable storage medium storing at least one computer program instruction, the at least one computer program instruction being loaded and executed by a processor to perform the operation as described in any of the first aspects above.

[0028] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of this application, a cleaning device is provided, the cleaning device including one or more processors and one or more memories, the one or more memories storing at least one computer program instruction, the at least one computer program instruction being loaded and executed by the one or more processors to perform the operation as described in any of the first aspects above.

[0029] Based on the technical solution proposed in this application, if there are differences in obstacle information at the same environmental location in multiple frames of environmental images collected during the walking process of the cleaning equipment, by controlling the cleaning equipment to perform an observation action, the target environmental image collected by the cleaning equipment during the observation action can be obtained. Since the target environmental image is an environmental image re-collected during the control of the cleaning equipment to perform the observation action, it contains more accurate obstacle information. Therefore, based on the target environmental image, it is possible to accurately determine whether there is an obstacle at the same environmental location, reducing the misidentification rate of obstacles by the cleaning equipment during the cleaning task, thereby accurately guiding the cleaning equipment to perform obstacle avoidance actions, and thus greatly avoiding collisions between the cleaning equipment and obstacles, improving the safety of the cleaning equipment during the cleaning task.

[0030] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0031] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort. In the drawings:

[0032] Figure 1 shows a flowchart of a cleaning equipment control method in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a scenario in which the cleaning equipment of the present application can be used to perform the observation action;

[0034] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a scenario in which the cleaning equipment of the present application embodiment can be used to perform the observation action;

[0035] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of a scenario in which the cleaning equipment of the present application can be used to perform the observation action;

[0036] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of a scenario in which the cleaning equipment of the present application embodiment can be used to perform the observation action;

[0037] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of a scenario in which the cleaning equipment of the present application can be used to perform the observation action;

[0038] Figure 7 shows a block diagram of a cleaning equipment control device in an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the cleaning equipment in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0041] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Numerous specific details are provided in the following description to give a thorough understanding of embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of this application can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, apparatuses, steps, etc., can be employed. In other instances, well-known methods, apparatuses, implementations, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of this application.

[0042] The block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are merely functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically independent entities. That is, these functional entities can be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices. It should also be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, certain components in the drawings that do not affect the interpretation of the technical solution of this application have been appropriately omitted.

[0043] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative and do not necessarily include all content and operations / steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the described order. For example, some operations / steps can be broken down, while others can be combined or partially combined; therefore, the actual execution order may change depending on the specific circumstances.

[0044] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0045] During floor cleaning operations, cleaning equipment typically analyzes environmental images captured by sensors to identify obstacles along its cleaning path and avoid them. However, inaccuracies in the collected environmental image data can lead to misidentification of obstacles. For example, in one scenario, if pet feces are not detected, the cleaning equipment might run over them, contaminating the equipment and negatively impacting the user experience. Therefore, reducing the misidentification rate of obstacles during cleaning operations is a pressing technical challenge.

[0046] The following provides a detailed description of the cleaning equipment control scheme proposed in this application.

[0047] Referring to Figure 1, a flowchart of a cleaning equipment control method according to an embodiment of this application is shown. This cleaning equipment control method can be executed by a device with computing processing capabilities. As shown in Figure 1, the cleaning equipment control method includes at least steps 110 to 140, which are described in detail below:

[0048] In step 110, multiple frames of environmental images are acquired as the cleaning equipment moves.

[0049] In this application, the cleaning equipment can move along a predetermined cleaning path during the cleaning task. While moving, sensors mounted on its body can collect environmental images of the surrounding environment. For example, multiple frames can be collected simultaneously. Alternatively, the cleaning equipment can collect one frame of environmental image at set time intervals. It is understood that the cleaning equipment can acquire multiple frames of environmental images collected by sensors during its movement.

[0050] In this application, the cleaning equipment can analyze each frame of environmental image it acquires to determine whether there are obstacles at various locations in the environment surrounding the cleaning equipment.

[0051] In this application, the multiple environmental images collected by the cleaning equipment during its movement may include a first environmental image and a second environmental image. The second environmental image is collected later than the first environmental image; that is, the first environmental image is collected first, and the second environmental image is collected after the first environmental image. It should be noted that the number of first environmental images can be one frame or multiple frames, and similarly, the number of second environmental images can be one frame or multiple frames.

[0052] Referring again to Figure 1, in step 120, if there are differences in obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multi-frame environmental images, the cleaning device is controlled to perform an observation action.

[0053] In this application, after acquiring multiple frames of environmental images collected by the cleaning equipment during its movement, it is possible to determine whether there are differences in obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multiple frames of environmental images. If it is determined that there are differences in obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multiple frames of environmental images, the cleaning equipment is controlled to perform an observation action.

[0054] In this application, there are at least two scenarios in which the obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multi-frame environmental images differs. The following will describe these two scenarios and the specific implementation details of controlling the cleaning equipment to perform observation actions under these two scenarios.

[0055] In the first scenario, if there is no obstacle in the first environmental image at the same environmental location, but there is an obstacle in the second environmental image at the same environmental location, then it is determined that there is a difference in the obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multiple environmental images.

[0056] For example, in a real-world application scenario, if a cleaning device detects pet feces in a certain location, and this pet feces was only detected in the last few times, and the cleaning device did not detect pet feces in that location before, it indicates that the cleaning device did not have a definite obstacle detection result at that location. Therefore, it is necessary to further verify whether there is pet feces in that location.

[0057] In this application, if there is no obstacle in the first environmental image at the same environmental location, but an obstacle exists in the second environmental image at the same environmental location, then the cleaning device is controlled to perform an observation action. Specifically, controlling the cleaning device to perform the observation action may include the following steps 121 to 122:

[0058] Step 121: Obtain obstacle feature information of the obstacle to be determined, and environmental feature information of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located.

[0059] Step 122: Based on the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information, control the cleaning equipment to perform observation actions.

[0060] In this application, it should be noted that the purpose of controlling the cleaning equipment to perform the observation action is to further verify the authenticity of the existence of obstacles in the same environmental location. Therefore, before the actual observation action is performed, the obstacle to be determined can be defined as a possible obstacle, which does not indicate that it necessarily exists.

[0061] In this application, the obstacle feature information may specifically include the height, type, and location of the obstacle to be determined. The environmental feature information may specifically include the ground elevation of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located.

[0062] In this application, the obstacle feature information of the obstacle to be determined and the environmental feature information of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located can be determined based on image data collected by sensors installed on the cleaning equipment (such as line laser sensors or area array ToF sensors), or based on second environmental images collected historically. This application does not specifically limit the specific sources for obtaining the obstacle feature information and environmental feature information.

[0063] In this application, controlling the cleaning equipment to perform observation actions based on the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information can be specifically performed according to the following steps 1221 to 1222:

[0064] Step 1221: Based on the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information, control the cleaning device to adjust its posture and / or position so that the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls into the target field of view of the cleaning device.

[0065] Step 1222: Control the cleaning equipment to acquire images of the target environment.

[0066] In this application, based on the obstacle feature information and / or environmental feature information of the obstacle to be determined, the cleaning device is controlled to adjust its posture and / or position. In fact, by adjusting the posture and / or position of the cleaning device, the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls within the target field of view of the cleaning device, such as in the central area of ​​the entire field of view of the cleaning device. This allows the cleaning device to acquire a higher quality target environment image, avoiding the situation where the image of the obstacle to be determined appears in the edge or corner area of ​​the target environment image, which would lead to inaccurate determination of the obstacle. This indirectly reduces the misidentification rate of the cleaning device during the cleaning task.

[0067] In this application, it is understood that if the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information are different, then the posture and / or position of the cleaning device will also be different. In general, the purpose of controlling the posture and / or position of the cleaning device is to ensure that the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls within the target field of view of the cleaning device, so as to provide more ideal acquisition conditions for the cleaning device to subsequently acquire higher quality target environment images.

[0068] Next, this application will further explain step 1221 above, namely, controlling the cleaning equipment to adjust its posture and / or position based on the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information, in conjunction with several specific embodiments.

[0069] In one embodiment of this application, controlling the cleaning device to adjust its posture and / or position based on the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information can be performed according to the following steps 12211 to 12212:

[0070] Step 12211: If the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is greater than the first preset height, or the obstacle to be determined exceeds the upper edge of the second environmental image, or the height of the obstacle to be determined is greater than the second preset height, then control the cleaning device to adjust its body tilt angle to the first tilt angle, wherein the first preset height is a positive value and the first tilt angle is a positive value.

[0071] Step 12212: Control the cleaning device to move a first preset distance, and control the cleaning device to adjust its observation direction to the direction of the obstacle to be determined.

[0072] In this application, the cleaning equipment can first be controlled to adjust its body posture according to step 12211, that is:

[0073] If the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is greater than a first preset height (e.g., 2cm, or 2.2cm; this application does not specifically limit this, but in practical applications it can be limited according to the specific model or structural features of the cleaning equipment), or the obstacle to be determined exceeds the upper edge of the second environmental image, or the height of the obstacle to be determined is greater than a second preset height (e.g., 20cm, or 21cm; this application does not specifically limit this, but in practical applications it can be limited according to the specific model or structural features of the cleaning equipment), then the obstacle to be determined can be considered too tall. Therefore, the posture of the cleaning equipment at this time (e.g., the height of the cleaning equipment body, the orientation of the cleaning equipment, the tilt angle of the cleaning equipment, etc.) is recorded as the initial posture, and the position of the cleaning equipment at this time is recorded as the initial position. The cleaning equipment is then controlled to adjust its body posture, which can be controlling the cleaning equipment to adjust its body tilt angle to a first tilt angle (e.g., controlling the cleaning equipment's wheels to lower to their original height and the casters to raise to their highest height; this application does not specifically limit this, but in practical applications it can be limited according to the specific model or structural features of the cleaning equipment).

[0074] In this application, it should be noted that the first tilt angle is a positive value. Furthermore, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that a positive tilt angle of the cleaning equipment body refers to the pitch angle of the cleaning equipment body when the head of the cleaning equipment is tilted upward.

[0075] After controlling the cleaning device to adjust its posture, step 12212 can be followed to control the cleaning device to adjust its position, that is, to control the cleaning device to move a first preset distance. Specifically, the cleaning device can be controlled to move backward a first preset distance (e.g., 10cm or 12cm; this application does not make a specific limitation, but in actual applications it can be limited according to the specific model or specific structural features of the cleaning device). After controlling the cleaning device to move the first preset distance, the cleaning device can be controlled to adjust its observation direction to the direction of the obstacle to be determined, that is, to control the cleaning device to face the direction of the obstacle to be determined, so that the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls into the target field of view of the cleaning device, so as to facilitate the subsequent acquisition of higher quality target environment images.

[0076] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this embodiment, a specific embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG2.

[0077] Referring to Figure 2, a schematic diagram of a scenario in which the cleaning equipment of the present application embodiment can be used to perform observation actions is shown.

[0078] As shown in sub-figure a in Figure 2, when the height of the ground 205 in the area where the obstacle 204 to be determined is located is 3cm, which is greater than the first preset height (if the first preset height is 2cm), the walking wheels 202 of the cleaning device 201 are controlled to descend to a certain height, and the universal wheels 203 of the cleaning device 201 are controlled to rise to a certain height, so that the pitch angle of the cleaning device is the first tilt angle θ1 (θ1 is a positive value).

[0079] As shown in sub-figure b in Figure 2, in a scenario where the height of the obstacle 206 to be judged is 21cm, which is greater than the second preset height (assuming the second preset height is 20cm), the walking wheels of the cleaning equipment are controlled to descend to a certain height, while the omnidirectional wheels of the cleaning equipment are controlled to rise to a certain height, so that the pitch angle of the cleaning equipment is the first tilt angle θ1 (θ1 is a positive value).

[0080] In another embodiment of this application, the cleaning device can also be controlled to adjust its body posture according to the following step 12213:

[0081] Step 12213: If the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to the first preset height and greater than the third preset height, then control the cleaning equipment to adjust its body height to the fourth preset height, wherein the third preset height is a positive value.

[0082] Specifically, in step 12213, if the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to the first preset height and greater than the third preset height (e.g., 1cm, or 1.1cm; this application does not specifically limit this, but in actual applications it can be limited according to the specific model or structural features of the cleaning equipment), then the obstacle to be determined can be considered to be on a lower platform. Therefore, the posture of the cleaning equipment at this time is recorded as the initial posture, and the position of the cleaning equipment at this time is recorded as the initial position. The cleaning equipment is then controlled to adjust its body posture, that is, to adjust its body height to the fourth preset height (i.e., to raise all the wheels and casters to the same height, e.g., 1cm, or 1.1cm; this application does not specifically limit this, but in actual applications it can be limited according to the specific model or structural features of the cleaning equipment). Ultimately, the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls within the target field of view of the cleaning equipment, so as to facilitate the subsequent acquisition of higher quality target environment images.

[0083] In this application, it should be noted that the height of the cleaning equipment body is not equal to the height of the wheels and casters, but rather the height of the cleaning equipment body increases as the height of the wheels and casters increases.

[0084] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this embodiment, a specific embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG3.

[0085] Referring to Figure 3, a schematic diagram of a scenario in which the cleaning equipment of the present application embodiment can be used to perform the observation action is shown.

[0086] As shown in Figure 3, in a scenario where the height of the ground 205 in the area where the obstacle 204 to be determined is located is 1.5cm, which is less than the first preset height (if the first preset height is 2cm) and greater than the third preset height (if the third preset height is 1cm), the driving wheels 202 and omnidirectional wheels 203 of the cleaning equipment 201 are raised to a certain height so that the height of the cleaning equipment body is the fourth preset height.

[0087] In another embodiment of this application, the cleaning device can also be controlled to adjust its body posture according to the following step 12214:

[0088] Step 12214: If the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to the third preset height and greater than the fifth preset height, then control the cleaning equipment to adjust its body height to the sixth preset height, wherein the fifth preset height is a negative value and the sixth preset height is less than the fourth preset height.

[0089] Specifically, in step 12214, if the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to the third preset height and greater than the fifth preset height (e.g., -1cm, or -0.8cm; this application does not specifically limit this, but in actual applications it can be limited according to the specific model or structural features of the cleaning equipment), then the cleaning equipment and the obstacle to be determined can be considered to be on the same ground height. Therefore, the posture of the cleaning equipment at this time is recorded as the initial posture, and the position of the cleaning equipment at this time is recorded as the initial position. The cleaning equipment is then controlled to adjust its body posture, that is, to control the cleaning equipment to adjust its body height to the sixth preset height (i.e., to control all the wheels and casters to descend to the same height, such as 0cm, or 0.1cm; this application does not specifically limit this, but in actual applications it can be limited according to the specific model or structural features of the cleaning equipment). Ultimately, the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls within the target field of view of the cleaning equipment, so as to facilitate the subsequent acquisition of higher quality target environment images.

[0090] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this embodiment, a specific embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG4.

[0091] Referring to Figure 4, a schematic diagram of a scenario in which the cleaning equipment of the present application embodiment can be used to perform the observation action is shown.

[0092] As shown in Figure 4, in a scenario where the height of the ground 205 in the area where the obstacle 204 is located is 0cm, which is less than the third preset height (if the third preset height is 1cm) and greater than the fifth preset height (if the fifth preset height is -1cm), the driving wheels 202 and omnidirectional wheels 203 of the cleaning equipment 201 are controlled to descend to a certain height so that the height of the cleaning equipment body is the sixth preset height.

[0093] In another embodiment of this application, the cleaning device can also be controlled to adjust its body posture according to the following step 12215:

[0094] Step 12215: If the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to the fifth preset height, then control the cleaning equipment to adjust its body tilt angle to the second tilt angle, wherein the second tilt angle is a negative value.

[0095] If the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to the fifth preset height, it can be considered that the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is lower than the ground height of the area where the cleaning equipment is located. Therefore, the posture of the cleaning equipment at this time is recorded as the initial posture, and the position of the cleaning equipment at this time is recorded as the initial position. The cleaning equipment is then controlled to adjust its body posture, that is, to control the cleaning equipment to adjust its body tilt angle to the second tilt angle (for example, the tilt angle of the body when all the walking wheels of the cleaning equipment are raised to the highest height and the omnidirectional wheels are lowered to the original height. This application does not make a specific limitation on this, but in actual applications, it can be limited according to the specific model or specific structural features of the cleaning equipment). Finally, the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls into the target field of view of the cleaning equipment, so as to facilitate the subsequent acquisition of higher quality target environment images.

[0096] In this application, it should be noted that the second tilt angle is a negative value. Furthermore, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that a negative tilt angle of the cleaning equipment body refers to the pitch angle of the cleaning equipment body when the head of the cleaning equipment is tilted downwards.

[0097] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this embodiment, a specific embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG5.

[0098] Referring to Figure 5, a schematic diagram of a scenario in which the cleaning equipment of the present application embodiment can be used to perform the observation action is shown.

[0099] As shown in Figure 5, in a scenario where the height of the ground 205 in the area where the obstacle 204 to be determined is -1.1cm, which is less than the fifth preset height (assuming the fifth preset height is -1cm), the walking wheels 202 of the cleaning device 201 are raised to a certain height, while the omnidirectional wheels 203 of the cleaning device 201 are lowered to a certain height, so that the pitch angle of the cleaning device is the second tilt angle θ2 (θ2 is a negative value).

[0100] In this application, as illustrated in the above embodiments, it is specifically explained how the present application controls the cleaning equipment to adjust its posture and / or position based on the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information. It should be noted that the above embodiments are merely exemplary, and the specific implementation scheme for controlling the cleaning equipment to adjust its posture and / or position based on the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information is not limited to the above embodiments.

[0101] Furthermore, in this application, after adjusting the posture and / or position of the cleaning device so that the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls into the target field of view of the cleaning device, the cleaning device can be controlled to acquire the target environment image. That is, the cleaning device can be controlled to pause at the adjusted position and posture for a preset time (e.g., 500ms) to observe the obstacle to be determined in order to acquire the target environment image.

[0102] In this application, the cleaning device is controlled to acquire images of the target environment. Alternatively, multiple observation points can be determined around the obstacle to be determined, and the cleaning device can be controlled to perform a surround observation action at the multiple observation points to acquire images of the target environment at each observation point.

[0103] In the second scenario, if there is an obstacle in the first environmental image at the same environmental location, but no obstacle in the second environmental image at the same environmental location, then it is determined that there is a difference in the obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multiple environmental images.

[0104] For example, in a real-world application scenario, if a cleaning device detects pet feces in a certain location, and this pet feces was only detected a few times previously, but the cleaning device has not detected pet feces in that location recently, it indicates that the cleaning device has no definite obstacle detection result at that location. Therefore, it is necessary to further verify whether there is pet feces at that location.

[0105] In this application, if an obstacle exists in the first environmental image at the same environmental location, and no obstacle exists in the second environmental image at the same environmental location, then the cleaning device is controlled to perform an observation action. Specifically, controlling the cleaning device to perform the observation action may include the following steps 123 to 124:

[0106] Step 123: Control the cleaning device to adjust its body posture so that the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls into the target field of view of the cleaning device, so as to control the cleaning device to perform the observation action.

[0107] Furthermore, in one embodiment of this application, controlling the cleaning device to perform the observation action can be performed according to the following steps 124;

[0108] Step 124: Determine multiple observation points within a preset range around the obstacle to be determined, and control the cleaning equipment to perform a surround observation action at the multiple observation points.

[0109] In other embodiments of this application, the cleaning device is controlled to perform observation actions. It can also be controlled to pause at the current position in an adjusted posture for a preset time (e.g., 500ms) to observe the obstacle to be determined, so as to collect images of the target environment.

[0110] In this application, it should be noted that the purpose of controlling the cleaning equipment to perform the observation action is to further verify the authenticity of the existence of obstacles in the same environmental location. Therefore, before the actual observation action is performed, the obstacle to be determined can be defined as a possible obstacle, which does not indicate that it necessarily exists.

[0111] Specifically, in step 123 above, controlling the cleaning equipment to adjust its body posture can be performed according to the following steps 1231 to 1232:

[0112] Step 1231: Obtain obstacle feature information of the obstacle to be determined, and environmental feature information of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located.

[0113] Step 1232: Based on the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information, control the cleaning equipment to adjust the posture of its body.

[0114] In this application, the obstacle feature information may specifically include the height, type, and location of the obstacle to be determined. The environmental feature information may specifically include the ground elevation of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located.

[0115] In this application, the obstacle feature information of the obstacle to be determined and the environmental feature information of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located can be determined based on image data collected by sensors installed on the cleaning equipment (such as line laser sensors or area array ToF sensors), or based on a first environmental image collected historically. This application does not specifically limit the specific source of the obstacle feature information and environmental feature information.

[0116] In this application, the cleaning device adjusts its posture based on obstacle feature information and / or environmental feature information of the obstacle to be determined. This adjustment ensures that the image space of the obstacle falls within the target field of view of the cleaning device, such as the central area of ​​the entire field of view. This allows the cleaning device to acquire higher-quality images of the target environment, preventing the obstacle from appearing at the edges or corners of the image and thus avoiding inaccurate obstacle identification. Consequently, this indirectly reduces the false recognition rate of obstacles during cleaning operations.

[0117] In this application, it is understood that if the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information are different, then the posture of the cleaning device will also be different. In general, the purpose of controlling the posture of the cleaning device is to make the image space of the obstacle to be determined fall into the target field of view of the cleaning device, so as to provide more ideal acquisition conditions for the cleaning device to subsequently acquire higher quality target environment images.

[0118] Next, this application will further explain step 1232 above, namely, controlling the cleaning equipment to adjust its body posture according to the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information, in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0119] In one embodiment of this application, controlling the cleaning device to adjust its posture based on the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information can be performed according to the following steps 12321:

[0120] Step 12321: If the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is equal to the ground height of the area where the cleaning equipment is located, and the obstacle to be determined is pet feces, control the cleaning equipment to adjust its body height to the original height, and control the cleaning equipment to adjust its body tilt angle to the original tilt angle.

[0121] In this embodiment, since the obstacle to be identified is pet feces, its height is not significantly different from the original height of the cleaning device. Therefore, the cleaning device's posture at this moment can be recorded as its initial posture, and its position at this moment can be recorded as its initial position. To ensure that the image space of the pet feces falls within the target field of view of the cleaning device, the cleaning device can be controlled to adjust its height back to its original height, and its tilt angle can be controlled to adjust its tilt angle back to its original tilt angle (e.g., 0 degrees). This can be achieved by adjusting the cleaning device's wheels and casters to their original height.

[0122] After adjusting the posture of the cleaning equipment, multiple observation points can be determined within a preset range around the obstacle to be judged, and the cleaning equipment can be controlled to perform a surrounding observation action at these multiple observation points. Specifically, controlling the cleaning equipment to perform the surrounding observation action at the multiple observation points can be done according to the following steps 1241 to 1242:

[0123] Step 1241: Control the cleaning equipment to move sequentially to each observation point.

[0124] Step 1242: After moving to each observation point, the cleaning device is controlled to adjust its observation direction at each observation point to the direction of the obstacle to be determined, so as to control the cleaning device to acquire target environment images at each observation point. Simultaneously, the cleaning device is controlled to move to each observation point sequentially, either clockwise or counterclockwise. This sequential movement improves the efficiency of obstacle observation. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the cleaning device can be controlled to move to each observation point sequentially in other orders or randomly.

[0125] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this embodiment, a specific embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG6.

[0126] Referring to Figure 6, a schematic diagram of a scenario in which the cleaning equipment of the present application embodiment can be used to perform the observation action is shown.

[0127] As shown in Figure 6, three observation points S1, S2, and S3 can be determined around the obstacle 204 to comprehensively observe the obstacle. The distance between each observation point and the obstacle is a second preset distance (e.g., 45cm or 50cm; this application does not specify this, but in practical applications it can be limited according to the specific model or structural features of the cleaning equipment. However, it should be noted that the value of the second preset distance can be set larger, because the obstacle is not present in the second image acquired in the most recent time, indicating that there is a high probability that the actual position of the obstacle is significantly deviated. Therefore, setting a more distant position as an observation point can improve the safety of the cleaning equipment in performing subsequent surrounding observation actions and avoid the cleaning equipment from accidentally colliding with the obstacle).

[0128] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the angle θ3 between the line connecting the obstacle to be determined and the observation point S1 and the line connecting the obstacle to be determined and the observation point S2 can be 60°, and the angle θ3 between the line connecting the obstacle to be determined and the observation point S2 and the line connecting the obstacle to be determined and the observation point S3 can also be 60° (it should be noted that the angle θ3 between the line connecting the obstacle to be determined and any adjacent observation point can also be other fixed angles or non-fixed angles).

[0129] Furthermore, during the process of controlling the cleaning device to perform a circling observation action at the multiple observation points, the cleaning device can be controlled to first move to observation point S1. After moving to observation point S1, the cleaning device can be controlled to adjust its observation direction at observation point S1 to the direction of the obstacle to be determined, pause for a preset time (e.g., 500ms), and acquire an image of the target environment at observation point S1. Then, the cleaning device can be controlled to move to observation point S2. After moving to observation point S2, the cleaning device can be controlled to adjust its observation direction at observation point S2 to the direction of the obstacle to be determined, pause for a preset time (e.g., 500ms), and acquire an image of the target environment at observation point S2. Finally, the cleaning device can be controlled to move to observation point S3. After moving to observation point S3, the cleaning device can be controlled to adjust its observation direction at observation point S3 to the direction of the obstacle to be determined, pause for a preset time (e.g., 500ms), and acquire an image of the target environment at observation point S3.

[0130] In this application, by controlling the cleaning device to adjust its body posture, the image space of the obstacle to be determined can fall into the target field of view of the cleaning device, avoiding the situation where the image of the obstacle to be determined appears in the edge or corner area of ​​the target environment image, which would lead to inaccurate determination of the obstacle. Furthermore, by controlling the cleaning device to perform a circumferential observation action at multiple observation points determined within a preset range around the obstacle to be determined, obstacle information at the same location can be collected from all directions. This improves the accuracy of subsequent determination of whether an obstacle exists at the same location, reduces the misidentification rate of obstacles during the cleaning task, accurately guides the cleaning device to perform obstacle avoidance actions, and can largely avoid collisions between the cleaning device and obstacles, improving the safety of the cleaning device during the cleaning task. In this application, the following step 12421 can also be performed:

[0131] Step 12421: During the process of controlling the cleaning equipment to move sequentially to each observation point, if the cleaning equipment collides with the obstacle to be judged, the cleaning equipment is controlled to stop performing the circling observation action.

[0132] In this application, step 125 may also be performed:

[0133] Step 125: After controlling the cleaning device to perform the observation action, control the cleaning device to return to the initial posture and / or initial position before performing the observation action.

[0134] In this application, after the cleaning device is controlled to return to its initial posture and / or initial position before the observation action is performed, the cleaning device can be controlled to continue performing the original cleaning task.

[0135] Referring again to Figure 1, in step 130, the target environment image is acquired by the cleaning device during the observation process.

[0136] In this application, after controlling the cleaning equipment to perform an observation action, the target environment image collected by the cleaning equipment during the observation action can be obtained.

[0137] Referring again to Figure 1, in step 140, based on the target environment image, it is determined whether there is an obstacle at the same environmental location.

[0138] In this application, since the target environment image is an environment image re-acquired during the process of controlling the cleaning equipment to perform observation actions, the target environment image contains relatively accurate obstacle information. Therefore, based on the target environment image, it is possible to accurately determine whether there are obstacles in the same environmental location, thereby reducing the misidentification rate of obstacles by the cleaning equipment during the cleaning task.

[0139] Furthermore, in this application, the following step 150 may also be performed:

[0140] Step 150: If it is determined that there is an obstacle in the same environmental location, then control the cleaning equipment to perform an obstacle avoidance action in the same environmental location.

[0141] In this application, if it is determined that there is an obstacle at the same environmental location, the cleaning equipment will perform an obstacle avoidance action at the same location during the subsequent cleaning task to avoid the obstacle. If it is determined that there is no obstacle at the same environmental location, the cleaning equipment will perform the cleaning action normally at the same location during the subsequent cleaning task and will not perform an obstacle avoidance action.

[0142] Based on the technical solution proposed in this application, if there are differences in obstacle information at the same environmental location in multiple frames of environmental images collected during the walking process of the cleaning equipment, by controlling the cleaning equipment to perform an observation action, the target environmental image collected by the cleaning equipment during the observation action can be obtained. Since the target environmental image is an environmental image re-collected during the control of the cleaning equipment to perform the observation action, it contains more accurate obstacle information. Therefore, based on the target environmental image, it is possible to accurately determine whether there is an obstacle at the same environmental location, reducing the misidentification rate of obstacles by the cleaning equipment during the cleaning task, thereby accurately guiding the cleaning equipment to perform obstacle avoidance actions, and thus greatly avoiding collisions between the cleaning equipment and obstacles, improving the safety of the cleaning equipment during the cleaning task.

[0143] In practical applications, the technical solution proposed in this application can solve the problems of poor performance and inaccurate obstacle avoidance range of cleaning equipment when recognizing obstacles, especially pet feces, improve the recognition rate of cleaning equipment for pet feces obstacles, and avoid misidentification of obstacles and missed cleaning of the ground to a certain extent.

[0144] The following describes an embodiment of the apparatus described in this application, which can be used to execute the cleaning equipment control method described in the above embodiments of this application. For details not disclosed in the apparatus embodiments of this application, please refer to the embodiments of the cleaning equipment control method described above.

[0145] Referring to Figure 7, a block diagram of a cleaning equipment control device according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0146] As shown in FIG7, the cleaning equipment control device 700 according to an embodiment of the present application includes: a first acquisition unit 701, a control unit 702, a second acquisition unit 703, and a determination unit 704.

[0147] The first acquisition unit 701 is used to acquire multiple frames of environmental images collected by the cleaning equipment during its movement; the control unit 702 is used to control the cleaning equipment to perform an observation action if there are differences in obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multiple frames of environmental images; the second acquisition unit 703 is used to acquire target environmental images collected by the cleaning equipment during the observation action; and the determination unit 704 is used to determine whether there are obstacles at the same environmental location based on the target environmental images.

[0148] In some embodiments of this application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the multi-frame environmental image includes a first environmental image and a second environmental image, wherein the acquisition time of the second environmental image is later than the acquisition time of the first environmental image. The device further includes: a determination unit, configured to determine that there is a difference in obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multi-frame environmental images if there is no obstacle in the first environmental image at the same environmental location and there is an obstacle in the second environmental image at the same environmental location.

[0149] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is configured to: acquire obstacle feature information of the obstacle to be determined, and environmental feature information of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located; and control the cleaning equipment to perform observation actions according to the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information.

[0150] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is further configured to: control the cleaning device to adjust its posture and / or position according to the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information, so that the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls into the target field of view of the cleaning device; and control the cleaning device to acquire target environmental images.

[0151] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is further configured to: if the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is greater than a first preset height, or the obstacle to be determined exceeds the upper edge of the second environmental image, or the height of the obstacle to be determined is greater than a second preset height, then control the cleaning device to adjust its body tilt angle to a first tilt angle, wherein the first preset height is a positive value and the first tilt angle is a positive value; control the cleaning device to move a first preset distance, and control the cleaning device to adjust its observation direction to the direction where the obstacle to be determined is located.

[0152] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is further configured to: if the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to a first preset height and greater than a third preset height, then control the cleaning device to adjust its body height to a fourth preset height, wherein the third preset height is a positive value.

[0153] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is further configured to: if the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to a third preset height and greater than a fifth preset height, then control the cleaning device to adjust its body height to a sixth preset height, wherein the fifth preset height is a negative value and the sixth preset height is less than the fourth preset height.

[0154] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is further configured to: if the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to a fifth preset height, control the cleaning device to adjust its body tilt angle to a second tilt angle, wherein the second tilt angle is a negative value.

[0155] In some embodiments of this application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the multi-frame environmental image includes a first environmental image and a second environmental image, wherein the acquisition time of the second environmental image is later than the acquisition time of the first environmental image, and the determination unit is configured to: if there is an obstacle in the first environmental image at the same environmental location, and there is no obstacle in the second environmental image at the same environmental location, then it is determined that there is a difference in the obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multi-frame environmental images.

[0156] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is further configured to: control the cleaning device to adjust the posture of its body so that the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls into the target field of view of the cleaning device, so as to control the cleaning device to perform observation actions.

[0157] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is further configured to: determine multiple observation points within a preset range around the obstacle to be determined, and control the cleaning device to perform a surround observation action at the multiple observation points.

[0158] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is further configured to: acquire obstacle feature information of the obstacle to be determined and environmental feature information of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located; and control the cleaning device to adjust the posture of its body according to the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information.

[0159] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is further configured to: if the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is equal to the ground height of the area where the cleaning device is located, and the obstacle to be determined is pet feces, control the cleaning device to adjust the height of its body to the original height, and control the cleaning device to adjust the tilt angle of its body to the original tilt angle.

[0160] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is further configured to: control the cleaning device to move sequentially to each observation point; after moving to each observation point, control the cleaning device to adjust its observation direction at each observation point to the direction of the obstacle to be determined, so as to control the cleaning device to collect target environment images at each observation point.

[0161] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is further configured to: during the process of controlling the cleaning device to move sequentially to each observation point, if the cleaning device collides with the obstacle to be judged, control the cleaning device to stop performing the surround observation action.

[0162] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is further configured to: after controlling the cleaning device to perform the observation action, control the cleaning device to return to the initial posture and / or initial position before performing the observation action.

[0163] In some embodiments of this application, based on the foregoing scheme, the control unit 702 is further configured to: if it is determined that there is an obstacle at the same environmental location, control the cleaning device to perform an obstacle avoidance action at the same environmental location.

[0164] Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product, the computer program product including computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium and adapted to be read and executed by a processor to cause a computer device having the processor to perform the operations performed by the cleaning equipment control method as described above.

[0165] Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one computer program instruction, which is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the operations performed by the cleaning equipment control method as described above.

[0166] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a cleaning device. Referring to FIG8, a schematic diagram of the structure of the cleaning device in this application embodiment is shown. The cleaning device includes one or more memories 804, one or more processors 802, and at least one computer program (computer program instruction) stored on the memory 804 and executable on the processor 802. When the processor 802 executes the computer program, it implements the cleaning device control method as described above.

[0167] In Figure 8, the bus architecture (represented by bus 800) includes any number of interconnected buses and bridges, linking various circuits including one or more processors represented by processor 802 and memory represented by memory 804. Bus 800 can also link various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further herein. Bus interface 805 provides an interface between bus 800 and receiver 801 and transmitter 803. Receiver 801 and transmitter 803 can be the same element, a transceiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium. Processor 802 is responsible for managing bus 800 and general processing, while memory 804 can be used to store data used by processor 802 during operation.

[0168] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium. Other examples and embodiments are within the scope and spirit of this application and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwired, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, the functional units may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit.

[0169] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed technical content can be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for example, the division of units can be a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For instance, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the displayed or discussed mutual coupling, direct coupling, or communication connection may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between units or modules may be electrical or other forms.

[0170] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. Similarly, the components of the control device may or may not be physical units; they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0171] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing computer program instructions, such as USB flash drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), portable hard drives, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0172] The above description is merely an embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling cleaning equipment, characterized in that, The method includes: Acquire multiple frames of environmental images captured by the cleaning equipment during its movement; If there are differences in obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multi-frame environmental images, the cleaning device is controlled to perform an observation action; Acquire images of the target environment captured by the cleaning equipment during the observation process; Based on the target environment image, determine whether there are obstacles at the same environmental location.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-frame environmental images include a first environmental image and a second environmental image, wherein the second environmental image is acquired later than the first environmental image. The method further includes: If there is no obstacle in the first environmental image at the same environmental location, but there is an obstacle in the second environmental image at the same environmental location, then it is determined that there is a difference in obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multiple environmental images.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control of the cleaning equipment to perform the observation action includes: Obtain obstacle feature information of the obstacle to be determined, and environmental feature information of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located; The cleaning equipment is controlled to perform the observation action based on at least one of the obstacle feature information or the environmental feature information.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of controlling the cleaning equipment to perform observation actions based on the obstacle feature information and / or the environmental feature information includes: Based on at least one of the obstacle feature information or the environmental feature information, the cleaning equipment is controlled to adjust at least one of the posture or position of its body so that the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls into the target field of view of the cleaning equipment. Control the cleaning equipment to acquire images of the target environment.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of controlling the cleaning equipment to adjust its posture or position based on at least one of the obstacle feature information or the environmental feature information includes: If the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is greater than a first preset height, or the obstacle to be determined exceeds the upper edge of the second environmental image, or the obstacle to be determined... If the height of the object is greater than the second preset height, the cleaning device is controlled to adjust its body tilt angle to the first tilt angle, wherein the first preset height is a positive value and the first tilt angle is a positive value; The cleaning device is controlled to move a first preset distance, and its observation direction is adjusted to the direction of the obstacle to be determined.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to the first preset height and greater than the third preset height, then the cleaning equipment is controlled to adjust its body height to the fourth preset height, wherein the third preset height is a positive value.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to the third preset height and greater than the fifth preset height, then the cleaning equipment is controlled to adjust its body height to the sixth preset height, wherein the fifth preset height is a negative value and the sixth preset height is less than the fourth preset height.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is less than or equal to the fifth preset height, the cleaning equipment is controlled to adjust its body tilt angle to the second tilt angle, wherein the second tilt angle is a negative value.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-frame environmental images include a first environmental image and a second environmental image, wherein the second environmental image is acquired later than the first environmental image. The method further includes: If there is an obstacle in the first environmental image at the same environmental location, and there is no obstacle in the second environmental image at the same environmental location, then it is determined that there is a difference in the obstacle information at the same environmental location in the multiple environmental images.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The control of the cleaning equipment to perform the observation action includes: The cleaning device is controlled to adjust its body posture so that the image space of the obstacle to be determined falls into the target field of view of the cleaning device, so as to control the cleaning device to perform the observation action.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The control of the cleaning equipment to perform the observation action includes: Multiple observation points are determined within a preset range around the obstacle to be judged, and the cleaning equipment is controlled to perform a circumferential observation action at the multiple observation points.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The control of the cleaning equipment to adjust the posture of its body includes: Obtain obstacle feature information of the obstacle to be determined, and environmental feature information of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located; The cleaning equipment is controlled to adjust its posture based on at least one of the obstacle feature information or the environmental feature information.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The step of controlling the cleaning equipment to adjust its posture based on at least one of the obstacle feature information or the environmental feature information includes: If the ground height of the area where the obstacle to be determined is located is equal to the ground height of the area where the cleaning equipment is located, and the obstacle to be determined is pet feces, the cleaning equipment is controlled to adjust its body height to the original height, and the cleaning equipment is controlled to adjust its body tilt angle to the original tilt angle.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11-13, characterized in that, The control of the cleaning equipment to perform a surround observation action at multiple observation points includes: The cleaning equipment is controlled to move sequentially to each observation point; After moving to each observation point, the cleaning device is controlled to adjust its observation direction at each observation point to the direction of the obstacle to be determined, so as to control the cleaning device to acquire the target environment image at each observation point.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: During the process of controlling the cleaning equipment to move sequentially to each observation point, if the cleaning equipment collides with the obstacle to be judged, the cleaning equipment is controlled to stop performing the surrounding observation action.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: After controlling the cleaning device to perform the observation action, control the cleaning device to return to its initial posture and / or initial position before performing the observation action.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: If an obstacle is determined to exist in the same environmental location, the cleaning equipment is controlled to perform an obstacle avoidance action in that same environmental location.

18. A cleaning equipment control device, characterized in that, The device includes: The first acquisition unit is used to acquire multiple frames of environmental images collected by the cleaning equipment during its movement. The control unit is configured to, if obstacle information at the same environmental location is stored in the multi-frame environmental images... If there is a discrepancy, the cleaning equipment is controlled to perform an observation action; The second acquisition unit is used to acquire target environment images collected by the cleaning equipment during the observation process. The determination unit is used to determine, based on the target environment image, whether there is an obstacle at the same environmental location.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium and adapted to be read and executed by a processor to cause a computer device having the processor to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores at least one piece of program code, which is loaded and executed by a processor to perform the operations performed by the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 17.

21. A cleaning device, characterized in that, The cleaning device includes one or more processors and one or more memories, wherein at least one piece of program code is stored in the one or more memories, and the at least one piece of program code is loaded and executed by the one or more processors to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17.

Images