Mobile robot return-for-charging control method and system, and computer program product

Abstract

The present application relates to a mobile robot return-for-charging control method and system, and a computer program product. The return-for-charging control method comprises: controlling a mobile robot to move to a first preset position, and controlling, at the first preset position, the mobile robot to rotate, so as to determine whether a first return-for-charging signal is acquired; if the first return-for-charging signal is not acquired, when a preset movement condition is met, controlling the mobile robot to move to a second preset position, and controlling, at the second preset position, the mobile robot to rotate, so as to determine whether the first return-for-charging signal is acquired; and if the first return-for-charging signal is acquired, guiding, on the basis of the first return-for-charging signal, the mobile robot to return for charging. In view of the above, in the present application, the first return-for-charging signal can be acquired from different positions, increasing the probability of acquiring the first return-for-charging signal, thereby ensuring the success rate of return for charging.

Description

Method and system for return charging control of mobile robot, and computer program product TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a method and system for return charging control of a mobile robot, and a computer program product. BACKGROUND

[0002] When the mobile robot is short of power or needs to return to a charging station for other reasons, the mobile robot can autonomously move to the charging station and perform operations such as connection to the charging station, monitoring of the charging process, and automatic disconnection after completion of the charging process.

[0003] Generally, the method for return charging control of the mobile robot to the charging station includes the following steps: the mobile robot controls itself to move to a preset or previously memorized position, then obtains feature information of the charging station at the position by using a sensor or other device, and locates the charging station, and finally moves to the charging station according to the feature information of the charging station, performs docking, and starts charging.

[0004] In this case, if the feature information of the charging station cannot be obtained at the preset or previously memorized position, the mobile robot obtains the current position according to its positioning sensors such as a gyroscope and an odometer, then obtains the position of the charging station according to the current position, and further moves to the charging station to perform charging.

[0005] However, the positioning sensors such as the gyroscope and the odometer of the mobile robot have cumulative errors, and when the cumulative errors are too large, a large positioning error will be caused, thereby causing return charging failure. SUMMARY

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a method and system for return charging control of a mobile robot, and a computer program product, to improve the success rate of return charging.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for return charging control of a mobile robot, which includes: controlling the mobile robot to move to a first preset position, and controlling the mobile robot to rotate at the first preset position to determine whether a first return charging signal is obtained; if the first return charging signal is not obtained, controlling the mobile robot to move to a second preset position under a preset movement condition, and controlling the mobile robot to rotate at the second preset position to determine whether the first return charging signal is obtained; and if the first return charging signal is obtained, guiding the mobile robot to return charging according to the first return charging signal.

[0008] In a second aspect, the present application further provides a mobile robot back charging control system, which comprises: a moving module configured to control the mobile robot to move to a first preset position; a rotating module configured to control the mobile robot to rotate at the first preset position; a judging module configured to judge whether the mobile robot acquires a first back charging signal; the moving module is further configured to control the mobile robot to move to a second preset position when the judging module judges that the mobile robot does not acquire the first back charging signal; the rotating module is further configured to control the mobile robot to rotate at the second preset position; the judging module is further configured to judge whether the mobile robot acquires the first back charging signal; and the moving module is further configured to guide the mobile robot to back charge according to the first back charging signal when the judging module judges that the mobile robot acquires the first back charging signal.

[0009] In a third aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product, which stores computer readable instructions executable by at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to perform the steps of the mobile robot back charging control method.

[0010] The above introduces a mobile robot back charging control method and system, and a computer program product. The back charging control method comprises: controlling the mobile robot to move to a first preset position, and controlling the mobile robot to rotate at the first preset position to judge whether a first back charging signal is acquired; if the first back charging signal is not acquired, controlling the mobile robot to move to a second preset position and controlling the mobile robot to rotate at the second preset position to judge whether the first back charging signal is acquired when a preset moving condition is met; and if the first back charging signal is acquired, guiding the mobile robot to back charge according to the first back charging signal. It can be seen that, in the case that the mobile robot cannot acquire the first back charging signal at the first preset position to back charge, the mobile robot moves to the second preset position, rotates at the second preset position, and further acquires the first back charging signal to guide the mobile robot to back charge according to the first back charging signal. Thus, the first back charging signal can be acquired from different positions, the problem of back charging failure of the mobile robot in the autonomous back charging process due to complex environment, signal interference, etc. is solved, the situation of manual intervention due to back charging failure is reduced, and the accuracy and success rate of the mobile robot back charging are improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a mobile robot back charging control system according to the present application;

[0012] FIG. 2 is a side view structural schematic diagram of a mobile robot according to the present application;

[0013] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a rear view structure of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0014] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a top view structure of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a magnetic field intensity distribution of a guide line;

[0016] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a flow of a return charging control method of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a flow of another return charging control method of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a flow of still another return charging control method of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a flow of still another return charging control method of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a flow of still another return charging control method of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] FIG. 11 is a structural block diagram of a return charging control system of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] FIG. 12 is a structural block diagram of a computer device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and should not be used to limit the present application.

[0024] Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a structural schematic diagram of a mobile robot system. As shown in FIG. 1, the system includes a mobile robot and a charging station. When the mobile robot needs to be charged, the mobile robot will return to the charging station to be charged.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 2, the mobile robot is provided with a visual sensor assembly, an infrared signal receiver and a satellite positioning device (not shown in the figure). The visual sensor assembly is used to detect or perceive the surrounding environment information of the mobile robot, so as to achieve obstacle avoidance, positioning and recharging. Specifically, the visual sensor assembly includes at least one visual sensor (for example, the mobile robot shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the visual sensor assembly includes a first visual sensor, a second visual sensor and a third visual sensor, the second visual sensor is used to detect the environment information in front of the mobile robot, and the first visual sensor and the third visual sensor are used to detect the environment information on the side of the mobile robot), and the visual sensor can be a monocular or multi-view camera. When the visual sensor detects the characteristic information of the charging station, the characteristic information can be used as a visual recharging signal to guide the mobile robot to return to the charging station. The infrared signal receiver is located on the front side of the mobile robot and near the visual sensor assembly, and is used to receive the infrared signal sent by the charging station to guide the mobile robot to move towards the charging station or control the mobile robot to avoid the charging station. Specifically, if the visual sensor is a monocular camera, the infrared signal receiver is arranged near the second visual sensor, and if the visual sensor is a multi-view camera, the infrared signal receiver is arranged between two cameras. More specifically, if the visual sensor is a binocular sensor, the binocular sensor is located on the center axis of the mobile robot or is symmetric about the center axis, and the infrared signal receiver is located between the binocular sensor, which helps to improve the synchronization processing capability of the visual signal and the infrared signal. The satellite positioning device is used to receive satellite signals to guide the mobile robot to move according to the satellite signals, especially when the mobile robot does not receive the characteristic information of the charging station, the infrared signal, and the magnetic field signal (see the following description), the mobile robot is mainly guided to move according to the satellite signals.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a structural schematic view of the mobile robot viewed from below. As shown in FIG. 4, the chassis of the mobile robot is further provided with a magnetic induction sensor assembly, specifically including a first magnetic induction sensor and a second magnetic induction sensor. Further, the first magnetic induction sensor and the second magnetic induction sensor can be arranged on the front side in the walking direction of the mobile robot, and the first magnetic induction sensor and the second magnetic induction sensor are symmetrically arranged relative to the center axis of the mobile robot, the distance between the first magnetic induction sensor and the second magnetic induction sensor is 7cm-9cm, and the distance between the first magnetic induction sensor and the second magnetic induction sensor from the ground is equal. So that the first magnetic induction sensor and the second magnetic induction sensor can accurately detect the deviation direction of the mobile robot relative to the magnetic field signal generating device.

[0027] Please refer to FIG. 1, the charging station is provided with an infrared signal transmitter, the infrared signal transmitter alternately transmits a first infrared signal and a second infrared signal, the first infrared signal and the second infrared signal transmitted by the infrared signal transmitter are received by an infrared signal receiver on the mobile robot to guide the mobile robot to return to the charging station. It should be noted that the first infrared signal and the second infrared signal differ in that the radiation distances of the two are different, that is, the farthest distances of radiation of the first infrared signal, the visual back charging signal and the second infrared signal decrease in turn, and the gradient setting of the signal radiation distance enables the robot to gradually reduce the search range during back charging, and finally realizes accurate docking with the charging station, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of back charging. For example, the farthest distance of radiation of the first infrared signal is 7m, the farthest distance of radiation of the visual signal can be 3m, and the farthest distance of radiation of the second infrared signal is 2m.

[0028] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the area ranges covered by various different back charging signals that can guide the mobile robot to back charge are shown. The coverage area range of the first infrared signal is area 1, that is, the radiation range covers area 1. The coverage area range of the second infrared signal is area 2, that is, the radiation range covers area 2, and the coverage area of the visual back charging signal is area 3. The area in which the mobile robot can detect the visual back charging signal (that is, the coverage area of the visual back charging signal) has a first intersection with the coverage area of the first infrared signal, and the coverage area of the second infrared signal is in the first intersection.

[0029] That is, under normal circumstances, if the mobile robot is in the range of area 1 excluding area 3, its infrared signal receiver can detect the first infrared signal sent by the charging station; if the mobile robot is in area 3, its visual sensor can detect the visual back charging signal of the charging station, and the mobile robot is guided to back charge by using the visual back charging signal; if the mobile robot is in area 2, its infrared signal receiver can detect the second infrared signal sent by the charging station, and the mobile robot is guided to back charge by using the second infrared signal.

[0030] Among them, area 1 can be a sector, or petal, or elliptical area with an angle range of 160-180 degrees and a radius of 7m-9m, area 2 can be a sector, or petal, or elliptical area with an angle range of 160-180 degrees and a radius of 1m-2m, and area 3 can be a sector area with an angle range of 160-180 degrees and a radius of 2m-3m.

[0031] Please refer to Fig. 1 again, the charging station further comprises a base for the mobile robot to stop and a guide line for guiding the mobile robot to return to charging, the guide line is arranged on the back or front of the base and is symmetrical about the central axis of the base. Since the guide line is arranged on the base, a closed guide area (the width L of the guide area is about 18-22 cm) is formed by the arrangement of the guide line, and when the central axis of the mobile robot is approximately coincident with the central axis of the base, the first magnetic induction sensor and the second magnetic induction sensor are located in the closed guide area. Since the guide line is in an energized state, a magnetic field signal can be generated near the base of the charging station, and the magnetic induction sensor assembly of the mobile robot detects the magnetic field signal of the guide line within a certain range. Further, the processor of the mobile robot can determine the distance and direction of the mobile robot from the charging station according to the polarity and intensity of the magnetic field signal, and then send a control signal to control the mobile robot to adjust the moving direction so that the central axis of the mobile robot is approximately coincident with the central axis of the base.

[0032] Please refer to Fig. 5, which is a schematic diagram of the magnetic field intensity distribution generated by the guide line. Assuming that the first magnetic induction sensor is arranged at the right side of the front side in the moving direction of the mobile robot, and the second magnetic induction sensor is arranged at the left side of the front side in the moving direction of the mobile robot, when the intensity of the magnetic field signal detected by the first magnetic induction sensor is weaker than the intensity of the magnetic field signal detected by the second magnetic induction sensor, the mobile robot can be controlled to adjust the position to the left; when the intensity of the magnetic field signal detected by the first magnetic induction sensor is stronger than the intensity of the magnetic field signal detected by the second magnetic induction sensor, the mobile robot can be controlled to adjust the position to the right; when the intensity of the magnetic field signal detected by the first magnetic induction sensor is not much different from the intensity of the magnetic field signal detected by the second magnetic induction sensor (within a preset range), the mobile robot can be controlled to move straight. The mobile robot detects the magnetic field signal in real time and adjusts the moving direction in real time. When adjusting the direction, the mobile robot moves relatively slowly and the rotation amplitude is relatively small, so as to make correction at any time.

[0033] Please refer to Fig. 1 again, the coverage area of the magnetic field signal is area 4, and the area of the area 4 is larger than the closed guide area formed by the guide line, because the magnetic field signal can radiate to both sides of the guide line. The coverage area of the visual return-to-charging signal intersects with the coverage area of the magnetic field signal.

[0034] The front side of the mobile robot is further provided with a charging connector, and the charging station further comprises a charging pole, wherein the charging pole is symmetrical about the central axis of the base, and the projection of the end of the charging pole on the base is located in the guide area. When the mobile robot moves along the central axis of the charging station under the guidance of the guide line until the charging connector of the mobile robot touches and connects with the charging pole, the controller of the mobile robot can recognize the charging state of the mobile device and control the mobile robot to stop moving.

[0035] The above is the basic structure of the mobile robot and the charging station, and the mobile robot back charging control method is designed based on the basic structure. The specific implementation is as follows.

[0036] Please refer to FIG. 6, which is a flowchart of a mobile robot back charging control method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the back charging control method of the embodiment includes the following steps:

[0037] Step S1: Control the mobile robot to move to a first preset position and rotate the mobile robot at the first preset position to determine whether a first back charging signal is acquired.

[0038] This step is to move the mobile robot to the first preset position when the mobile robot needs to be back charged. The situations in which the mobile robot needs to be back charged include the following:

[0039] First: The mobile robot determines that its power is insufficient and needs to be charged;

[0040] Second: The mobile robot receives a back charging instruction;

[0041] Third: The key components in the mobile robot fail, such as the wheels and various positioning sensors, which affect the mobile robot to continue working;

[0042] Fourth: The mobile robot completes a work task;

[0043] Fifth: The cleaning device on the charging station needs to clean the mobile robot, such as cleaning the vision sensor on the mobile robot, or cleaning the action wheel of the mobile robot, or cleaning the mowing assembly on the mowing robot, etc.

[0044] Sixth: The storage box on the mobile robot is full, such as the grass clippings in the grass collecting frame of the mowing robot.

[0045] Among them, the first preset position usually refers to a position where the mobile robot can be successfully back charged, and can include any one of the following positions:

[0046] 1. A position about 0-3 meters away from the front of the charging station and near the central axis of the charging station;

[0047] 2. A position point in the coverage area of the visual back charging signal;

[0048] 3. A position point in the coverage area of the first infrared signal;

[0049] 4. A position point in the magnetic field signal area generated by the guide line;

[0050] 5. A position point in the intersection of the coverage area of the visual back charging signal and the coverage area of the first infrared signal.

[0051] The first preset position can be a fixed position point set in advance, or a position point dynamically calculated based on the position of the charging station and the optimal path of the current position of the mobile robot. By flexibly setting the first preset position, the mobile robot can more efficiently perform a rotating action and obtain recharging information during the process of returning to the charging station.

[0052] The first position is a position point obtained by further narrowing the first preset position to the central axis of the charging station and a preset distance from the charging station. By narrowing the range of the first preset position, the accuracy and efficiency of the mobile robot in detecting recharging information when performing a rotating action are improved, and the recharging process is further optimized.

[0053] The specific method of controlling the mobile robot to move to the first preset position can be to plan a navigation path for the mobile robot, which can specifically include the following:

[0054] The first method is to obtain the coordinates of the current position of the mobile robot and the coordinates of the first preset position, plan a shortest path from the current position to the first preset position, and determine whether there is an obstacle on the shortest path. If there is an obstacle, a planning path that avoids the obstacle is generated.

[0055] The second method is to obtain a satellite signal map of the working area based on a historical map, and obtain a region where the satellite signal strength is greater than a preset value, and plan a navigation path to the region where the satellite signal strength is greater than the preset value.

[0056] The third method is to plan a path that avoids direct sunlight on the visual sensor. Specifically, if the direction of sunlight is perpendicular to the optical window of the sensor, it is considered that the sunlight directly strikes the visual sensor, and at this time, the planned path should be as much as possible to form an angle greater than 30 degrees with the direction of sunlight to avoid the interference of sunlight on the visual sensor.

[0057] Different navigation paths can be planned according to different situations, for example, if it is noon with sufficient sunlight, the navigation path can be planned in the first or second case to avoid the influence of sunlight, if the working area is in a remote place and the satellite signal strength is weak, the navigation path can be planned in the first or third case to avoid the influence of satellite signal, and so on. Thus, the planned navigation path can be more in line with the current moving conditions.

[0058] After the navigation path is planned, the mobile robot is moved to the first preset position according to the navigation path. Specifically, the mobile robot can be positioned based on the environment information obtained by the satellite positioning device and / or the visual sensor, and the mobile robot is controlled to move along the navigation path to the first preset position according to the positioning information. In an area where the satellite signal quality is good, the mobile robot can be positioned only by the satellite positioning device. In an area where the satellite signal quality is poor, the mobile robot can be positioned by the visual sensor or the visual sensor and the satellite positioning device together, or only by the visual sensor. The mobile robot is controlled to move along the navigation path by the positioning information of the mobile robot. Therefore, the movement of the mobile robot can be positioned in real time by the positioning device, and the mobile robot moves in combination with the real-time positioning information and the navigation path, which can avoid temporary obstacles and the like, thereby ensuring that the mobile robot can move smoothly.

[0059] The first charging signal can be a visual charging signal, which can include feature information of the charging station or feature information of a feature marker provided on the charging station. As described above, the visual charging signal can be obtained by the visual sensor of the mobile robot. Since the field of view of the visual sensor is limited, the mobile robot is controlled to rotate, and a larger range of information can be obtained during the rotation to ensure that the feature information of the complete charging station can be obtained.

[0060] Since the mobile robot can encounter various environmental changes such as obstacles and changes in illumination during movement, the positioning of the mobile robot is affected, and cumulative errors in positioning are generated. Therefore, the "first preset position" to which the mobile robot moves according to the preset rules can not be the actual first preset position, and the mobile robot can not detect the feature information of the charging station during rotation, and thus the charging cannot be implemented.

[0061] Therefore, in this step, when the mobile robot moves to the first preset position, it is determined whether the first charging signal is obtained, i.e., whether the feature information of the charging station is detected. If the first charging signal is not obtained, the process jumps to step S2, and if the first charging signal is obtained, the process jumps to step S3.

[0062] Step S2: Under the preset movement condition, the mobile robot is controlled to move to the second preset position, and the mobile robot is controlled to rotate at the second preset position to determine whether the first charging signal is obtained.

[0063] If the mobile robot fails to obtain the first return charging signal at this position and during the rotation, the system determines whether the preset movement condition is met. The conditions can include time, power, time interval from the last movement, other return charging signals (such as the second return charging signal), and other factors to ensure that the mobile robot does not move unnecessarily and meaninglessly. If the preset movement condition is met, the mobile robot is controlled to move to a second preset position. The second preset position is also preset and can be located in a different direction or at a farther distance to expand the search range.

[0064] After reaching the second preset position, the mobile robot is controlled to rotate again to determine whether the first return charging signal is obtained. If the first return charging signal is successfully obtained at this position and during the rotation, the mobile robot is guided to perform the return charging operation according to the first return charging signal. If the first return charging signal is not successfully obtained at this position and during the rotation, the robot can be controlled to move to another position (such as the fourth preset position described below) or stop and report an error.

[0065] Step S3: Guiding the mobile robot to return charging according to the first return charging signal.

[0066] Specifically, the system calculates the direction and distance that the mobile robot needs to move according to the strength and direction information of the first return charging signal, and then controls the robot to move along this path to the charging base for charging.

[0067] Therefore, by controlling the mobile robot to first move to the first preset position and rotate at the position to detect the first return charging signal (such as the visual return charging signal), if the first return charging signal is not detected, the mobile robot is moved to the second preset position after the preset condition is met and the detection process is repeated, and once the first return charging signal is detected, the robot is guided to return charging according to the signal, the problem of return charging failure of the mobile robot in the autonomous return charging process due to complex environment, signal interference, and the like is solved, the accuracy and success rate of the mobile robot return charging are improved, the situation of manual intervention due to return charging failure is reduced, and the user experience and the autonomous working ability of the robot are improved.

[0068] In an embodiment, before the mobile robot moves to the first preset position, the mobile robot can be controlled to move to the charging station according to the preset path, and when the docking with the charging station fails, the mobile robot is controlled to move backward to a third preset position according to the magnetic field signal generated by the charging station. That is, when the mobile robot needs to return to the charging station, it first moves to the charging station position according to the preset path, attempts to dock with the charging station, and if the docking fails, the mobile robot is controlled to move backward to the third preset position. The third preset position can be a position at a preset distance in front of the charging station and near the central axis of the charging station. The third preset position is closer to the charging station than the first preset position, or can be the same as the first position.

[0069] The third preset position can be the same as the first preset position, or can be different. If the third preset position is different from the first preset position, after the mobile robot moves to the third preset position, it is determined whether the first back charging signal is acquired. If not, the mobile robot is controlled to rotate to further determine whether the first back charging signal is acquired. If the first back charging signal is still not acquired, the mobile robot is controlled to perform steps S1-S3. If the third preset position is the same as the first preset position, the mobile robot is directly controlled to perform steps S1-S3.

[0070] The preset path can be a shortest path set according to the current position of the mobile robot and the position of the charging station. It can also be a path with the strongest signal set according to the current position of the mobile robot and the position of the charging station. The signal can be an infrared signal sent by the charging station, a satellite signal recognized by the mobile robot, or other signals that can guide the movement of the robot. It can be understood that no matter which way the path is set, when an obstacle is encountered in the path, a path segment bypassing the obstacle needs to be set.

[0071] In the embodiment, before the mobile robot is controlled to move to the first preset position, it is first attempted to move to the charging station for docking according to the preset path. If the docking fails, the robot is controlled to retreat to the third preset position according to the magnetic field signal generated by the charging station, so as to perform subsequent rotation detection and back charging operation. This solves the problem of docking failure of the mobile robot when it initially attempts to dock with the charging station due to position deviation, docking mechanism failure, etc., improves the fault tolerance of the mobile robot when docking with the charging station, and ensures that the position can be quickly adjusted and the back charging can be continuously attempted after docking failure, thereby improving the overall efficiency and stability of the back charging process.

[0072] In an embodiment, please continue to refer to FIG. 7, which is a flowchart of another mobile robot back charging control method provided by the embodiment of the application. As shown in FIG. 7, the embodiment mainly introduces a specific scheme of controlling the mobile robot to move to the first preset position in step S1, which specifically includes the following steps:

[0073] Step S11: Control the mobile robot to move to the coverage area of the second back charging signal.

[0074] In this step, the mobile robot can be controlled to move to the coverage area of the second charging signal based on the satellite signal or the environment information detected by the visual sensor. During the movement, the mobile robot can be controlled to move based on the satellite signal in the area with good satellite signal, and the mobile robot can be controlled to move based on the environment information detected by the visual sensor in the area with poor satellite signal, until the coverage area of the second charging signal. Alternatively, the mobile robot can be controlled to move to the coverage area of the second charging signal based on the satellite signal and the environment information detected by the visual sensor in the area with poor satellite signal.

[0075] Step S12: guiding the mobile robot to move to the first preset position through the second charging signal.

[0076] The second charging signal includes an infrared signal (i.e., the first infrared signal and the second infrared signal described above), and the coverage area of the infrared signal and the coverage area of the visual charging signal have an intersection. Therefore, the mobile robot is first controlled to move to the coverage area of the second charging signal, so that the mobile robot can obtain the second charging signal, and then the mobile robot can be guided to move to the intersection area through the second charging signal, and the first preset position is arranged in the intersection area. Since the visual charging signal covers the intersection area, the visual charging signal can be obtained in the intersection area.

[0077] In this embodiment, during the movement of the mobile robot to the first preset position, the mobile robot is first guided to enter the coverage area of the second charging signal (e.g., the infrared signal), and the mobile robot is guided to the first preset position through the signal. The coverage area of the first charging signal (e.g., the visual charging signal) and the coverage area of the infrared signal have an intersection, so as to ensure that the mobile robot can receive both signals when moving to the first preset position, and solve the problems of inaccurate positioning or signal loss caused by relying on only one signal for charging guidance in a complex environment. By combining multiple signals for charging guidance, the positioning accuracy and the charging success rate of the mobile robot in a complex environment are improved, and the autonomous working ability of the mobile robot is further improved.

[0078] It can be understood that the mobile robot can also be directly controlled to move to the first preset position based on the satellite signal or the environment information detected by the visual sensor.

[0079] Referring to FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a flowchart of another mobile robot charging control method provided by the embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 8, the embodiment mainly introduces the specific scheme of controlling the mobile robot to move to the first preset position in step S1, and specifically includes the following steps:

[0080] Step S21: determining whether the mobile robot moves to the coverage area of the second infrared signal.

[0081] Because the coverage area of the second infrared signal is in the intersection of the coverage area of the visual back charging signal and the coverage area of the first infrared signal, if the mobile robot moves to the second infrared signal, the visual back charging signal can be acquired in normal circumstances.

[0082] Step S22: If the mobile robot moves to the coverage area of the second infrared signal, stop moving and take the current position as the first preset position.

[0083] Because the visual back charging signal also exists in the coverage area of the second infrared signal, if the mobile robot moves to the coverage area of the second infrared signal, the current position can be taken as the first preset position, so as to control the mobile robot to rotate to acquire the visual back charging signal.

[0084] Step S23: If the mobile robot moves to the coverage area of the first infrared signal outside the coverage area of the second infrared signal, guide the mobile robot to move to the first preset position according to the first infrared signal.

[0085] If the mobile robot moves to the coverage area of the first infrared signal outside the coverage area of the second infrared signal, it indicates that the current position of the mobile robot cannot necessarily acquire the visual back charging signal, so the mobile robot needs to be guided to move to the first preset position according to the first infrared signal.

[0086] In the embodiment, the infrared signal is further subdivided into the first infrared signal and the second infrared signal, wherein the coverage area of the second infrared signal is in the intersection of the coverage area of the first infrared signal and the coverage area of the visual back charging signal. Whether the first preset position is reached is determined by judging whether the robot enters the coverage area of the second infrared signal, if the mobile robot moves to the coverage area of the second infrared signal, stop moving and take the current position as the first preset position; if the mobile robot moves to the coverage area of the first infrared signal outside the coverage area of the second infrared signal, guide the mobile robot to move to the first preset position according to the first infrared signal. The embodiment solves the positioning error problem that may be caused by signal intersection interference when the mobile robot approaches the back charging position. By subdividing the coverage range of the infrared signal and combining the visual signal for accurate positioning, the positioning accuracy and stability of the mobile robot in the back charging process are further improved, and the smooth progress of the back charging process is ensured.

[0087] Further, the first preset position of the mobile robot is determined according to the mobile robot moving to the coverage area of the second infrared signal and moving to the coverage area of the first infrared signal, respectively, which can further optimize the scheme of the mobile robot moving to the first preset position.

[0088] If the first back charging signal is not acquired at the first preset position, it is determined whether a preset moving condition is met, wherein the preset moving condition is that the second back charging signal is received. Specifically, referring to FIG. 9, the method comprises the following steps:

[0089] Step S31: It is determined whether the mobile robot receives the second back charging signal.

[0090] The second back charging signal can be an infrared signal emitted by the charging station, and details are as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0091] Step S32: If the mobile robot does not receive the second back charging signal, it is moved to the second preset position.

[0092] When the second back charging signal is not received, the mobile robot can be moved based on environmental information detected by a satellite signal or a visual sensor, and details are as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0093] That is, before moving to the second preset position, it is first determined whether the second back charging signal is received. If the second back charging signal is not received, the mobile robot is moved to the second preset position to reacquire the first back charging signal at the second preset position, which can improve the probability of acquiring the first back charging signal.

[0094] The second preset position is set in the same way as the first preset position, that is, it is set at a position where the mobile robot can be successfully back charged. Specifically, the first preset position and the second preset position can satisfy the following relationship:

[0095] AB = BC and AB perpendicular to BC,

[0096] A is the position coordinate of the center of the wheel shaft of the mobile robot when it is parked on the charging station, B is the coordinate of the first preset position, and C is the coordinate of the second preset position.

[0097] That is, the first preset position and the second preset position are equidistant from the charging station, and the second preset position is one of the two positions on the sides of the first preset position relative to the charging station, and the two lines of the first preset position and the second preset position are perpendicular to the line connecting the first preset position and the charging station. The coverage area of the set visual charging back signal, under normal circumstances, the first preset position and the second preset position can both obtain the visual charging back signal (i.e. the first charging back signal) through the visual sensor. By defining the geometric relationship (isosceles right triangle) between the second preset position and the first preset position (i.e. the position of the mobile robot wheel shaft center on the charging station), it is ensured that the mobile robot can face the charging station at a suitable angle and distance when moving to the second preset position, solving the problem of how to accurately control the mobile robot to reach a preparatory position that is conducive to charging back, improving the accuracy and success rate of the mobile robot charging back, and reducing the charging back failure caused by improper position.

[0098] Step S33: If the second charging back signal is received, the mobile robot is guided to move according to the second charging back signal until the first charging back signal is detected. The first charging back signal can be a visual charging back signal, as described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0099] If the second charging back signal is received, it is determined that the movement condition of moving to the second preset position is not met, and there is no need to move to the second preset position. Since the second charging back signal and the first charging back signal have an intersection, the mobile robot can be directly guided to the area covered by the first charging back signal according to the second charging back signal to detect the first charging back signal.

[0100] Therefore, in this embodiment, whether the mobile robot moves to the second preset position or is guided to move according to the second charging back signal is determined according to whether the second charging back signal is received, which clarifies the types of the first charging back signal and the second charging back signal and the relationship between their coverage areas, and solves the problem of how to guide the mobile robot to act according to the priority and coverage range of the signals in the case of coexistence of multiple signals. By comprehensively considering the characteristics and coverage range of multiple signals, the mobile robot can make more intelligent decisions and actions in the process of finding the charging back point, improving the overall flexibility and adaptability. At the same time, the success rate and efficiency of finding the charging back point are also improved.

[0101] Before moving to the second preset position, it is first determined whether the second charging back signal is received, and the specific movement scheme of the mobile robot is controlled according to the reception of the second charging back signal, so that the first charging back signal can be quickly and accurately obtained.

[0102] Wherein, after meeting the movement condition of moving to the second preset position, it can be further judged whether the number of times of moving the mobile robot is less than a preset number of times, if the number of times of moving is less than the preset number of times, the mobile robot is controlled to move to the second preset position; if the number of times of moving is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, the mobile robot is controlled to stop moving. Since the reason for the mobile robot failing to obtain the first return charging signal is relatively complex, it cannot be determined whether the problem is with the visual sensor detected by the mobile robot itself or the surrounding environment is disturbed, if the surrounding environment is disturbed, the disturbance can be avoided by moving, if the problem is with the visual sensor of the mobile robot itself, the first return charging signal cannot be obtained by changing the position, therefore, by setting the threshold of the number of times of moving, the movement behavior of the mobile robot is intelligently controlled, the mobile robot is ensured to move within a reasonable range, resource waste is avoided, the mobile robot quickly enters the return charging state, and the efficiency of the mobile robot in the return charging process is improved.

[0103] Further, if the first return charging signal is still not obtained at the second preset position (such as position C shown in FIG. 1), the mobile robot is controlled to move from the second preset position to the fourth preset position (such as position D shown in FIG. 1), and the mobile robot is controlled to rotate at the fourth preset position to obtain the first return charging signal, wherein the fourth preset position and the second preset position are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the first preset position (such as position D shown in FIG. 1). That is, if the first return charging signal is not obtained on one side of the first preset position, the mobile robot is controlled to move to the other side of the first preset position to continue to obtain the first return charging signal. When the first return charging signal is not directly obtained (i.e., the visual return charging signal is not obtained), by moving the mobile robot to the fourth preset position (such as position D shown in FIG. 1) symmetric to the second preset position and rotating, the opportunity of obtaining the first return charging signal is increased, the problem of how to adjust the strategy to reposition when the mobile robot fails to directly identify the charging station for the first time is solved, the ability of the mobile robot to find the charging station in a complex environment is improved, and the flexibility and reliability of the return charging are increased.

[0104] If the first return charging signal is obtained, the mobile robot can be guided to return charge according to the first return charging signal, which can include one of the following schemes:

[0105] The first scheme: a return charging path is planned according to the first return charging signal, and the mobile robot is guided to return charge according to the return charging path.

[0106] Specifically, the mobile robot first pre-processes the image data of the acquired visual return charging signal (i.e., the first return charging signal), and then uses image processing techniques and computer vision algorithms (such as edge detection, color segmentation, shape matching, etc.) to identify the boundaries of the work area, obstacles (such as trees, rocks, etc.), and the location of the charging base station. By analyzing the feature information in the image, the relative positional relationship between the mobile robot and the charging base station is determined. Further, based on the results of image recognition and target detection, a path planning algorithm (such as A* algorithm, genetic algorithm, etc.) is used to generate an optimal path for the mobile robot from the current position to the charging base station. Considering the shape, size of the work area and the distribution of obstacles, the path planning algorithm will try to shorten the path length, reduce the travel time, and avoid collision with obstacles.

[0107] During the return charging process, various sensors such as inertial measurement units (IMU) and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) can be further combined to realize real-time positioning of the mobile robot.

[0108] In this scheme, the return charging path can be planned by acquiring a visual return charging signal, and the navigation guidance for the mobile robot can be provided by combining the path planning results, ensuring that it can accurately travel to the charging base station according to the planned path, without the need to acquire visual return charging signals in real time, reducing the computing power of the mobile robot, thereby saving the cost of computing power.

[0109] The second scheme: in the process of controlling the mobile robot to return charge, the first return charging signal is acquired in real time, and the mobile robot is guided according to the first return charging signal.

[0110] In this scheme, in the process of controlling the mobile robot to return charge, the first return charging signal is acquired in real time, and the moving direction of the mobile robot is adjusted in real time according to the first return charging signal, so as to avoid the mobile robot from colliding with obstacles, especially temporary obstacles, and to ensure the safety of the mobile robot.

[0111] The third scheme: based on the first return charging signal, the mobile robot is controlled to move until the third return charging signal is detected, and then the mobile robot is guided according to the third return charging signal, the third return charging signal is the magnetic field signal emitted by the guide wire of the charging station, and the coverage area of the visual return charging signal and the coverage area of the magnetic field signal have an intersection.

[0112] In the scheme, the visual charging signal (i.e., the first charging signal) and the magnetic field signal (i.e., the third charging signal) are combined to control the mobile robot charging. The magnetic field signal is emitted by the guide wire of the charging station, and the visual sensor can only obtain part of the feature information of the charging station due to the field of view angle, which cannot fully reflect the characteristics of the charging station. In this case, combining the magnetic field signal to detect and locate the charging station can improve the positioning accuracy and the success rate of charging.

[0113] By using multiple types of charging signals (including visual charging signals and magnetic field signals) to guide the mobile robot charging, the problem of how to effectively guide the mobile robot charging under different conditions (such as insufficient light and blocked view) is solved, and the adaptability and robustness of the mobile robot charging are improved, ensuring successful charging in various environments.

[0114] The effects of the above several schemes for guiding the mobile robot charging according to the first charging signal are different, and in actual application, the appropriate charging scheme can be selected according to the actual situation, and the present application does not make any limitation.

[0115] As described above, the mobile robot includes two symmetrically arranged magnetic induction sensors (including a first magnetic induction sensor and a second magnetic induction sensor), which are used to obtain the magnetic field signal. In the third scheme described above, the visual charging signal and the magnetic field signal are combined to control the mobile robot charging, which can be further specified as follows: according to the first charging signal, the mobile robot is controlled to move until both magnetic induction sensors of the mobile robot detect the magnetic field signal, and then the mobile robot is guided to charge according to the magnetic field signal. In this way, when the mobile robot is far away from the charging station, the first charging signal is used to guide the mobile robot to move towards the charging station, and when the mobile robot is close to the charging station, the symmetrically arranged two magnetic induction sensors are used to detect the magnetic field signal emitted by the charging station. When both sensors detect the magnetic field signal, it indicates that the mobile robot has arrived near the charging station, and then the charging is guided according to the magnetic field signal, solving the problem of how to more accurately determine whether the mobile robot has arrived at the accurate position of the charging station, reducing the charging failure caused by position deviation, and further improving the accuracy and stability of the mobile robot charging.

[0116] Specifically, when guiding the mobile robot back to charge according to the magnetic field signal, the pose of the mobile robot can be adjusted so that the difference between the signal strengths of the two magnetic induction sensors is within a preset range. That is, the control the strength of the magnetic field signal detected by the two magnetic induction sensors is equal, because the two magnetic induction sensors are symmetrically arranged with the center axis of the mobile robot, and when the strength of the magnetic field signal detected by the two magnetic induction sensors is equal, it can be ensured that the mobile robot and the charging station are aligned. By detecting the magnetic field signal with the magnetic induction sensor, adjusting the pose of the mobile robot, and ensuring that the difference between the signal strengths of the two magnetic induction sensors is within a preset range, the problem that the mobile robot may not be able to dock with the charging station smoothly due to inaccurate pose during magnetic field guided back charging is solved. By adjusting the pose, it is ensured that the mobile robot can accurately align with the charging station, and the back charging success rate is improved.

[0117] It is worth noting that in the three schemes introduced above for guiding the mobile robot back to charge according to the first back charging signal, whichever scheme is adopted, the offset amount of the mobile robot can be obtained according to the first back charging signal, and the mobile robot is guided back to charge according to the offset amount. The offset amount includes an offset distance and an offset angle. By using the first back charging signal (such as a visual back charging signal) to obtain the offset amount (including the offset distance and the offset angle) between the mobile robot and the charging station, the mobile robot is then guided to back charge accordingly, solving the problem that the mobile robot may not be able to accurately dock with the charging station due to position or direction deviation during visual guided back charging. By accurately calculating the offset amount and adjusting the position and direction of the mobile robot accordingly, more accurate back charging docking can be achieved, and the back charging success rate is improved.

[0118] A further scheme for guiding the mobile robot back to charge according to the offset amount can be as shown in FIG. 10, including the following steps:

[0119] Step S41: Determine the center axis of the charging station;

[0120] Step S42: Determine the offset distance according to the current position of the mobile robot and the center axis, and determine the offset angle according to the current direction of the mobile robot and the vertical direction of the entrance of the charging station.

[0121] Step S43: Control the mobile robot to move to the center axis of the charging station according to the offset distance and the offset angle, and align along the center axis.

[0122] The embodiment first determines the offset distance and offset angle between the mobile robot and the charging station, and then guides the robot to move to the center axis of the charging station according to the offset angle and offset distance, and then piles up along the center axis, so that the mobile robot adjusts the posture of piling up on the center axis. The scheme further refines the acquisition of the offset and the recharging guidance process, including determining the center axis of the charging station, calculating the offset distance and offset angle, and controlling the mobile robot to move to the center axis of the charging station and pile up, solving the problem that the mobile robot may fail to accurately judge the offset in the recharging process. Through accurate offset calculation and recharging guidance, it is ensured that the mobile robot can accurately dock with the charging station, and the recharging efficiency and success rate are improved

[0123] If the first recharging signal is not acquired at all positions (including all preset positions), when the second recharging signal is detected, the mobile robot is controlled to move to the vicinity of the guide wire of the charging station based on the second recharging signal, and moves along the guide wire to acquire the critical position at which the second recharging signal disappears on both sides of the charging station. The critical position is used to determine the recharging alignment point, and the mobile robot is controlled to move to the charging station according to the alignment point. As shown in FIG. 1, since the coverage area of the infrared signal is based on the symmetry of the charging station, after the critical position at which the infrared signal disappears on both sides of the charging station is acquired, the midpoint of the line connecting the two critical positions is aligned with the center point of the charging station according to the symmetry relationship, so the mobile robot can move to the charging station along the alignment point. By using the infrared signal as a guide signal when the visual recharging signal is not acquired, after the mobile robot detects the infrared signal, the mobile robot is controlled to move along the guide wire to find the critical position at which the infrared signal disappears on both sides of the charging station, so as to determine the recharging alignment point and move to the charging station. This solves the problem that the mobile robot may not be able to rely on visual signals for recharging in certain environments (such as insufficient light or visual sensor failure). By introducing the infrared signal as a backup guidance method, it is ensured that the mobile robot can smoothly perform the recharging operation in various environments, improving the flexibility and reliability of the system.

[0124] It is worth noting that in the above introduction of the present application, all the schemes for controlling the mobile robot to rotate can be specifically: controlling the mobile robot to rotate according to a preset direction and angle, and stopping rotating if the first charging information meeting the condition is obtained during the rotation. For example, the mobile robot can be controlled to rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and if complete feature information of the charging station is obtained during the rotation, it can be considered that the first charging information meeting the condition is obtained, and then the rotation is stopped. This scheme describes that during the control of the mobile robot to rotate, the mobile robot rotates according to a preset direction and angle, and continuously detects whether the first charging information meeting the condition is obtained during the rotation, and when the information meeting the condition is detected, the rotation is immediately stopped, solving the problem of low efficiency and energy waste caused by blind rotation of the mobile robot when searching for a charging point. By rotating in a preset direction and angle, and stopping when valid charging information is detected, the efficiency and accuracy of searching for a charging point are improved, realizing accurate control and efficient operation of the mobile robot when searching for a charging point, reducing unnecessary rotation and energy consumption, and improving overall work efficiency.

[0125] Among them, the mobile robot can be first controlled to rotate in place, that is, to rotate with the center of the mobile robot as the rotation center. If the first charging information is not obtained after rotating in place, the radius of rotation is expanded, and the mobile robot is controlled to rotate with the expanded radius. By dynamically adjusting the rotation radius, the mobile robot searches for a charging point in a wider range, solving the problem that the mobile robot may miss a charging point due to limited rotation range when rotating in place, and improving the coverage and success rate of the search.

[0126] When no charging information meeting the condition is obtained by rotating in place, the radius of rotation is expanded to obtain more environmental information, thereby improving the probability of obtaining charging information.

[0127] More specifically, the mobile robot can be controlled to rotate in a spiral manner, or to rotate with a position on the extension line of the wheel shafts of the two wheels of the mobile robot as the rotation center. By further refining the rotation mode after expanding the radius of rotation (including rotating in a spiral manner or rotating with a specific position as the rotation center), the mobile robot can more efficiently cover the possible charging point area while expanding the search range, solving the problem of how to more effectively rotate to find a charging point after expanding the radius of rotation, and improving the speed and accuracy of finding a charging point.

[0128] In addition, the control is performed on the mobile robot to rotate at a speed less than a speed at which the mobile robot rotates when avoiding obstacles. For example, the speed at which the mobile robot rotates at the first preset position or the second preset position or the fourth preset position is less than the speed at which the mobile robot rotates when avoiding obstacles. When the mobile robot approaches the charging station for recharging, the speed at which the mobile robot rotates at the specific preset position (for example, the first preset position or the second preset position) is lower than the speed at which the mobile robot rotates when avoiding obstacles, thereby solving the problem that the mobile robot may not be accurately docked or collide with the charging station due to the excessively high speed of rotation. By reducing the speed of rotation, the mobile robot is more stable and accurate when docking the charging station during recharging, and the success rate of recharging is improved.

[0129] The embodiments of the present application also provide a recharging control system of a mobile robot, which is applied to the recharging control method described above. Please refer to FIG. 11, the recharging control system 100 of the mobile robot comprises:

[0130] The mobile module 101 is configured to control the mobile robot to move to the first preset position.

[0131] The first preset position is generally a position at which the mobile robot can be successfully recharged. For example, when the mobile robot is a mower, the first preset position can be set as a position in front of the charging station at which a visual signal can be detected. In some embodiments, the preset position is a position on the central axis 1 m in front of the charging station.

[0132] The rotating module 102 is configured to control the mobile robot to rotate at the first preset position.

[0133] The direction and speed of rotation and the condition for stopping rotation are as described above, and will not be described herein again.

[0134] The judging module 103 is configured to judge whether the mobile robot acquires the first recharging signal.

[0135] The first recharging signal can be a visual recharging signal, and the visual recharging signal can include characteristic information of the overall appearance of the charging station. As described above, the visual recharging signal can be acquired by the visual sensor of the mobile robot. Since the field of view of the visual sensor is limited, the mobile robot is controlled to rotate, so that more information in a larger range can be acquired during the rotation, thereby ensuring that the characteristic information of the charging station can be acquired.

[0136] Since the mobile robot may encounter various environmental changes (for example, obstacles and changes in illumination) during movement, the positioning of the mobile robot is affected, and accumulated errors in positioning are generated. Therefore, the first preset position to which the mobile robot moves according to the preset rule may not be the actual first preset position. In this case, the mobile robot may not detect the characteristic information of the charging station when rotating, and thus recharging cannot be achieved.

[0137] Therefore, when moving to the first preset position, it is determined whether the first back charging signal is acquired, i.e., whether the feature information of the charging station is detected.

[0138] The moving module 101 further controls the mobile robot to move to a second preset position when the result of the determination of the determination module 103 is negative. The relationship between the second preset position and the first preset position is as described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0139] The rotating module 102 further controls the mobile robot to rotate at the second preset position.

[0140] The determination module 103 further determines whether the mobile robot acquires the first back charging signal.

[0141] The moving module 101 further guides the mobile robot to back charge according to the first back charging signal when the determination module 103 determines that the mobile robot acquires the first back charging signal.

[0142] The back charging control system 100 of the mobile robot of the present application is used to perform all the back charging control methods described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0143] To solve the above technical problems, the present application further provides a computer device. Please refer to FIG. 12, which is a basic structure block diagram of the computer device of the present embodiment.

[0144] The computer device 6 includes a memory 61, a processor 62, and a network interface 63 which are connected to each other through a system bus. It should be noted that only the computer device 6 with components 61-63 is shown in the figure, but it should be understood that it is not required to implement all the shown components, and more or fewer components can be alternatively implemented. Among them, those skilled in the art can understand that the computer device here is a device that can automatically perform numerical calculation and / or information processing according to pre-set or stored instructions, and its hardware includes but is not limited to microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), embedded devices, etc.

[0145] The computer device can be a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a cloud server, and other computing devices. The computer device can interact with the user through a keyboard, a mouse, a remote controller, a touchpad, a voice control device, and other ways.

[0146] The memory 61 includes at least one type of readable storage medium, such as a flash memory, a hard disk, a multimedia card, a card-type memory (e.g., an SD or DX memory, etc.), a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc. In some embodiments, the memory 61 can be an internal storage unit of the computer device 6, such as a hard disk or a memory of the computer device 6. In other embodiments, the memory 61 can also be an external storage device of the computer device 6, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart media card (SMC), a secure digital (SD) card, a flash card, etc. equipped on the computer device 6. Of course, the memory 61 can also include both an internal storage unit and an external storage device of the computer device 6. In this embodiment, the memory 61 is generally used to store an operating system installed on the computer device 6 and various information management operating systems, such as computer readable instructions of the mobile robot recharging control method, etc. In addition, the memory 61 can also be used to temporarily store various data that have been output or will be output.

[0147] The processor 62 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a controller, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or other data processing chip in some embodiments. The processor 62 is generally used to control the overall operation of the computer device 6. In this embodiment, the processor 62 is used to run computer readable instructions or process data stored in the memory 61, such as computer readable instructions of the mobile robot recharging control method.

[0148] The network interface 63 can include a wireless network interface or a wired network interface, and is generally used to establish a communication connection between the computer device 6 and other electronic devices.

[0149] The present application also provides another embodiment, i.e., a computer program product storing computer readable instructions, which can be executed by at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the steps of the mobile robot recharging control method as described above.

[0150] The embodiment of the application introduces a mobile robot back charging control method and system, the back charging control method comprises the following steps: controlling the mobile robot to move to a first preset position, and controlling the mobile robot to rotate at the first preset position to determine whether a first back charging signal is acquired; if the first back charging signal is not acquired, controlling the mobile robot to move to a second preset position under a preset movement condition, and controlling the mobile robot to rotate at the second preset position to determine whether the first back charging signal is acquired; if the first back charging signal is acquired, guiding the mobile robot to back charge according to the first back charging signal. Therefore, the mobile robot of the application moves to the second preset position and rotates at the second preset position to further acquire the first back charging signal in the case that the first back charging signal cannot be acquired at the first preset position to back charge, and guides the mobile robot to back charge according to the first back charging signal, so that the first back charging signal can be acquired from different positions, the probability of acquiring the first back charging signal is increased, and the success rate of back charging can be ensured.

[0151] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-mentioned embodiment method can be realized by means of software and a general hardware platform, of course, it can also be realized by hardware, but in many cases, the former is a better embodiment. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the application can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as a ROM / RAM, a magnetic disk, an optical disk), and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a terminal device (which can be a mobile phone, a computer, a server, an air conditioner, or a network device) to execute the method described in each embodiment of the application.

[0152] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way, and to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described, however, as long as the combinations of the technical features do not exist contradictions, they should be considered as the scope of the present application.

[0153] The above-described embodiments only express several embodiments of the application, and the description is more specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation on the scope of the patent of the application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary skilled in the art, without departing from the concept of the application, some modifications and improvements can be made, which are all within the scope of protection of the application. Therefore, the protection scope of the application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of return charging control of a mobile robot, wherein, The method comprises: controlling the mobile robot to move to a first preset position and controlling the mobile robot to rotate at the first preset position to determine whether a first return charging signal is acquired; if the first return charging signal is not acquired, controlling the mobile robot to move to a second preset position and controlling the mobile robot to rotate at the second preset position to determine whether the first return charging signal is acquired under a preset movement condition; if the first return charging signal is acquired, guiding the mobile robot to return to charging according to the first return charging signal.

2. The recharging control method of claim 1, wherein, Before the step of controlling the mobile robot to move to the first preset position, the method further comprises: controlling the mobile robot to move to a charging station according to a preset path, and when docking with the charging station fails, controlling the mobile robot to move backward to a third preset position according to a magnetic field signal generated by the charging station.

3. The recharging control method of claim 1, wherein, The step of controlling the mobile robot to move to the first preset position further comprises: controlling the mobile robot to move to a coverage area of a second return charging signal; guiding the mobile robot to move to the first preset position through the second return charging signal, the first return charging signal comprising a visual return charging signal, the second return charging signal comprising an infrared signal, and the coverage area of the infrared signal and the coverage area of the visual return charging signal having an intersection.

4. The recharging control method of claim 3, wherein, The infrared signal comprises a first infrared signal and a second infrared signal, the coverage area of the visual return charging signal and the coverage area of the first infrared signal having an intersection, and the coverage area of the second infrared signal being in the intersection; The step of guiding the mobile robot to move to the first preset position through the second return charging signal further comprises: determining whether the mobile robot moves to the coverage area of the second infrared signal; if the mobile robot moves to the coverage area of the second infrared signal, stopping the movement and taking the current position as the first preset position; if the mobile robot moves to the coverage area of the first infrared signal outside the coverage area of the second infrared signal, guiding the mobile robot to move to the first preset position according to the first infrared signal.

5. The recharging control method of claim 1, wherein, The step of controlling the mobile robot to rotate further comprises: controlling the mobile robot to rotate according to a preset direction and angle, and stopping the rotation if first return charging information meeting a condition is acquired during the rotation.

6. The recharge control method of claim 1, wherein, The step of controlling the mobile robot to rotate further comprises: controlling the mobile robot to rotate in place, and if the first return charging information is not acquired after the rotation in place, controlling the mobile robot to rotate at an enlarged radius.

7. The recharging control method of claim 6, wherein, The step of controlling the mobile robot to rotate at the enlarged radius further comprises: controlling the mobile robot to rotate in a spiral manner, or controlling the mobile robot to rotate with a position on an extension line of wheel shafts of two wheels of the mobile robot as a rotation center.

8. The recharge control method of claim 1, wherein, The preset movement condition is that a second return charging signal is not received. Before the step of controlling the mobile robot to move to the second preset position, the method further comprises: determining whether the mobile robot receives a second return charging signal; If the mobile robot does not receive the second charging signal, moving to the second preset position; If the second charging signal is received, guiding the mobile robot to move according to the second charging signal until the first charging signal is detected, wherein the first charging signal comprises a visual charging signal, the second charging signal comprises an infrared signal, and the coverage area of the infrared signal and the coverage area of the visual charging signal have an intersection.

9. The recharge control method of claim 1, wherein, Before the control of the mobile robot moving to the second preset position, further comprising: determining whether the number of times of movement of the mobile robot is less than a preset number of times; If the number of times of movement is less than the preset number of times, controlling the mobile robot to move to the second preset position; If the number of times of movement is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, controlling the mobile robot to stop moving.

10. The recharge control method of claim 1, wherein, The second preset position and the first preset position satisfy the following relationship: AB = BC and AB perpendicular to BC, Wherein, the A is the position coordinate of the wheel shaft center of the mobile robot when it is parked on the charging station, the B is the coordinate of the first preset position, and the C point is the coordinate of the second preset position.

11. The recharging control method of claim 10, wherein, The charging control method further comprises: If the first charging signal is not acquired, controlling the mobile robot to move from the second preset position to a fourth preset position, and rotating the mobile robot at the fourth preset position to acquire the first charging signal, wherein the fourth preset position and the second preset position are symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the first preset position.

12. The recharge control method of claim 1, wherein, The first charging signal is a visual charging signal of the mobile robot, and the step of guiding the mobile robot to charge according to the first charging signal further comprises: planning a charging path through the first charging signal, and guiding the mobile robot to charge according to the charging path; or, In the process of controlling the mobile robot to charge, the first charging signal is acquired in real time, and the mobile robot is guided to charge according to the first charging signal; or, Based on the first charging signal, controlling the mobile robot to move until a third charging signal is detected, and then guiding the mobile robot to charge according to the third charging signal, the third charging signal being a magnetic field signal emitted by a guide wire of the charging station, and the coverage area of the visual charging signal and the coverage area of the magnetic field signal having an intersection.

13. The recharging control method of claim 12, wherein, The mobile robot comprises two symmetrically arranged magnetic induction sensors; The step of controlling the mobile robot to move according to the first charging signal until a third charging signal is detected, and then guiding the mobile robot to charge according to the third charging signal further comprises: According to the first charging signal, controlling the mobile robot to move until both magnetic induction sensors of the mobile robot detect the magnetic field signal, and then guiding the mobile robot to charge according to the magnetic field signal.

14. The recharging control method of claim 13, wherein, The step of guiding the mobile robot to charge according to the magnetic field signal further comprises: Adjusting the pose of the mobile robot so that the signal intensity difference of the two magnetic induction sensors is within a preset range.

15. The recharge control method of claim 1, wherein, The step of guiding the mobile robot to return to charge according to the first return-to-charge signal further comprises: obtaining an offset of the mobile robot according to the first return-to-charge signal, and guiding the mobile robot to return to charge according to the offset.

16. The recharging control method of claim 15, wherein, The offset comprises an offset distance and an offset angle. The step of obtaining the offset of the mobile robot according to the first return-to-charge signal further comprises: determining a central axis of the charging station; determining the offset distance according to the current position of the mobile robot and the central axis, and determining the offset angle according to the current direction of the mobile robot and the vertical direction of the entrance of the charging station; The step of guiding the mobile robot to return to charge according to the offset further comprises: controlling the mobile robot to move to the central axis of the charging station and to move along the central axis according to the offset distance and the offset angle.

17. The recharging control method of claim 1, wherein, The return-to-charge control method further comprises: controlling the speed of the mobile robot rotating at the first preset position or the second preset position to be less than the speed of the mobile robot rotating when avoiding obstacles.

18. The recharge control method of claim 1, wherein, The return-to-charge control method comprises: if the first return-to-charge signal is not obtained, when a second return-to-charge signal is detected, controlling the mobile robot to move to the vicinity of a guide wire of the charging station based on the second return-to-charge signal, and moving along the guide wire to obtain a critical position at which the second return-to-charge signal disappears on both sides of the charging station; determining a return-to-charge alignment point according to the critical position, and controlling the mobile robot to move to the charging station according to the alignment point; The first return-to-charge signal is a visual return-to-charge signal of the mobile robot, the second return-to-charge signal comprises an infrared signal, and the coverage area of the infrared signal and the coverage area of the visual return-to-charge signal have an intersection.

19. A return-to-base control system for a mobile robot, wherein, The return-to-charge control system comprises: a moving module configured to control the mobile robot to move to a first preset position; a rotating module configured to control the mobile robot to rotate at the first preset position; a judging module configured to judge whether the mobile robot obtains a first return-to-charge signal; The moving module is further configured to control the mobile robot to move to a second preset position when the result of the judgment of the judging module is negative. The rotating module is further configured to control the mobile robot to rotate at the second preset position. The judging module is further configured to judge whether the mobile robot obtains the first return-to-charge signal. The moving module is further configured to guide the mobile robot to return to charge according to the first return-to-charge signal when the judging module judges that the mobile robot obtains the first return-to-charge signal.

20. A computer program product, wherein, The computer program product stores computer readable instructions which can be executed by at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the steps of the return-to-charge control method of the mobile robot according to claim 1.

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